Toyota is going to shell out $10 million to settle a lawsuit brought in the fatal crash that set off a safety scandal for the automaker, it is being reported.

An attorney says Toyota will pay to settle with the family of an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer, who was killed along with three others, in August 2009. Toyota agreed to the settlement, according to the Los Angeles Times. He was killed after floor mats apparently jammed against the accelerator in a Lexus ES that he had borrowed from a San Diego-area dealership while his own car was being serviced. The car sped up and apparently couldn’t be halted as a panicked passenger in the car related in a 911 call.

The attorney, Larry Willis, who released the amount of the settlement represents the car dealer, Bob Baker Lexus, which is yet to settle with the family.

The Associated Press says a Los Angeles judge denied a motion by Toyota and the plaintiffs to keep the settlement sealed. Toyota had 48 hours to file a stay with a California appeals court.

Toyota issued a statement saying it is disappointed that the amount of its settlement had been made public:

Unfortunately, Bob Baker Lexus, along with the Orange County District Attorney and several news organizations, fought to make the amount of the settlement public, and the court agreed to do so.

Indeed, Bob Baker Lexus already knew the terms of the settlement. However, Mr. Baker now wants the amount publicized in an apparent effort to shift the focus away from his dealership as he continues to litigate this case with the families.

In the statement, Toyota blamed the dealer for not having acted on a warning to remove floor mats in the vehicles after it became known they could jam against accelerators.

Source: USA Today