There's no shortage of twists and turns relating to Toyota's troubled acceleration system and massive vehicle recall - just ask attorney Robert Hilliard , who has received national attention for his involvement in several high-profile Toyota sudden acceleration cases. In a week when Akio Toyoda made an unprecedented appearance on Capital Hill to apologize for the automaker's serious problem, Hilliard has been front-and-center in news stories, including a fascinating development relating to three Minnesota residents killed in a 2006 crash involving a runaway Toyota Camry.

This story is particularly interesting because a so-called "Toyota Defense" could free a man now serving prison time after he was blamed for causing the wreck and convicted of criminal vehicular homicide. Newspapers nationwide and Good Morning America have already weighed in this story.

Writes the Associated Press:
Koua Fong Lee's accident is among a growing number of cases, some long resolved, that are getting new attention since Toyota admitted its problems with sudden acceleration were more extensive than originally believed. Numerous lawsuits involving Toyota accidents have been filed over the recent revelations, and attorneys expect the numbers will climb.
A jury didn't believe him, and a judge sentenced him to eight years in prison. But now, new revelations of safety problems with Toyotas have Lee pressing to get his case reopened and his freedom restored. Relatives of the victims - who condemned Lee at his sentencing three years ago - now believe he is innocent and are planning to sue Toyota. The prosecutor who sent Lee to prison said he thinks the case merits another look.
"I know 100 percent in my heart that I took my foot off the gas and that I was stepping on the brakes as hard as possible," Lee said in an interview Wednesday at the state prison in Lino Lakes. "When the brakes were looked at and we were told that nothing was wrong with the brakes, I was shocked."

"Toyota sat idly by while a potentially innocent man took the blame for this tragic incident," says Mr. Hilliard, co-founder of the Texas-based law firm of Hilliard Muńoz Guerra LLP.  "My clients now believe that Mr. Lee tried to stop the car, but that Toyota's faulty throttle and braking systems are the true culprits in this case."

Hilliard and his firm are handling several cases involving people hurt or killed by runaway Toyotas, including a federal class-action lawsuit on behalf of all Texas residents who have purchased Toyota and Lexus vehicles with faulty electronic throttle control systems.