City of Rochester
News Release
(Monday, April 24, 2023) – Mayor Malik D. Evans today
confirmed the City of Rochester has retained outside legal counsel to pursue
litigation seeking to hold Kia America, Inc. and Hyundai Motor America, Inc.
responsible for the costs associated with the rash of thefts of those vehicles
in the city.
Rochester joins eight other municipalities, including
Buffalo, N.Y.; Cleveland, Ohio; San Diego, Calif.; and Seattle, Wash., in the
multidistrict lawsuit that holds that both Kia and Hyundai knowingly
manufactured, distributed, and marketed cars without readily available
anti-theft technology, and failed to address the issue even after thefts became
rampant.
In the first three months of 2023, the City of Rochester
experienced a nearly 2400% increase in thefts of Kia and Hyundai automobiles –
from only 32 from January to March 2022 to 752 in that same timeframe in 2023.
The suit will claim that the car manufacturers placed
profits over people and safety, and cut corners by not incorporating
immobilizing technology that would have prevented people from being able to
easily hotwire their vehicles using a USB cable.
“The costs to taxpayers of the City of Rochester are skyrocketing
– in law enforcement, property damage, waived impound fees, and public safety –
because of the decision by Kia and Hyundai to not install readily available
anti-theft technology,” said Mayor Evans. “These thefts are negatively
impacting the quality of life of Rochester residents and the livelihoods of
Rochester business owners.”
Seattle-based law firm Keller Rohrback represents the
municipalities pursuing damages from the two automakers. The
multijurisdictional cases will be coordinated in federal court in the Central
District of California, where Kia and Hyundai have U.S. headquarters.
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