ST. PAUL, Minn. — Defense attorneys convinced a Minnesota judge recently that a cruise control defect associated with a Toyota Camry, which was believed to make the vehicle accelerate uncontrollably, was enough evidence to set an imprisoned man free.

In October 2007, Minnesotan Koua Fong Lee was convicted of criminal vehicular homicide and sentenced to eight years in prison.

The charges stemmed from a 2006 crash that killed Javis Adams, 33, his son Javis Adams Jr., 10, and his niece Devyn Bolton, 7.

The attorneys argued that investigators inspected this 1996 Camry and found it had a cable actuator in the cruise control mechanism that was still stuck in the open position. They said the condition would have caused the vehicle to accelerate uncontrollably.

The attorneys' argument contended that once the mechanism is stuck, the vehicle's brakes are unable to slow the unit.

Attorneys Robert Hilliard from the Corpus Christi, Texas-based law firm of Hilliard Munoz Gonzales LLP, and Brent Schafer, of Minneapolis, questioned 11 owners of similar Toyota models during a four-day hearing. The lawyers shared that each owner testified that they experienced the same sudden, unintentional acceleration in their vehicle.

As a result, Ramsey County District Court Judge Joanne Smith ruled that the new evidence supported the innocence claims of Lee.

Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner has said prosecutors would not seek a new trial.

Hilliard believes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received numerous reports of sudden acceleration in older Toyota vehicles. He contends that Toyotas made prior to 2003 and equipped with cruise control are in danger of the cable defect, a problem the lawyer claims only shows up over time.

"The recent media storm over Toyota vehicles is focused on electronic problems in newer vehicles," Hilliard stated.

Hilliard also claimed that prosecutors in at least three states are reevaluating cases of fatal accidents involving older Toyotas.

"The ‘Toyota Defense' used in Mr. Lee's trial could help in those cases," Hilliard concluded.