People injured by Takata Corp's defective air bags were given an official committee in the bankruptcy of its U.S. unit yesterday, allowing them to challenge restructuring plans that plaintiffs' lawyers have criticized as protective of automakers, Reuters reported. A seven-member committee will represent economic loss and personal injury or tort claimants, David Buchbinder, a lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice's U.S. Trustee Program, told a meeting of creditors of Takata's U.S. business. William Weintraub, a lawyer with Goodwin Procter who is not involved in the Takata case, said that he expected the committee "to be active and to make sure that the claims of the car manufacturers are not treated preferentially and that tort victims are fairly compensated." A second five-member committee of suppliers and vendors was also appointed, according to Buchbinder.
