Mexican Media Brands
Judge Rejects GM Ignition Switch Fraud Claim
General Motors Co. has won a partial victory in a second bellwether lawsuit designed to help resolve hundreds of similar complaints about 2.6 million defective ignition switches GM recalled in 2014.
#legal
Share
General Motors Co. has won a partial victory in a second bellwether lawsuit designed to help resolve hundreds of similar complaints about 2.6 million defective ignition switches GM recalled in 2014.
New York Federal District Judge Jesse Furman ruled that the owner of an affected 2007 Saturn Sky sports car failed to present sufficient evidence showing that GM made false or misleading statements about the car’s ignition switch, Bloomberg News reports.
But the trial will consider whether the car’s switch was at fault in causing a crash on an icy New Orleans bridge in 2014. Bloomberg says the case will go to the jury on Tuesday.
GM eventually admitted it knew for a decade that the switches could be easily jogged out of the “run” position, thereby turning off the engine, airbags and power steering and brakes. The defect has been blamed for at least 124 fatalities and 275 significant injuries. GM has since paid out more than $2 billion in fines and victim compensation.
The first bellwether case in Furman’s courtroom ended abruptly in January when the plaintiffs withdrew their lawsuit. They did so after GM presented evidence they lied to the court and that one of the plaintiffs forged a check.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Bosch Targeted in Criminal Probe of VW Diesel Cheating in U.S.
Federal prosecutors in the U.S. are trying to determine whether Robert Bosch GmbH conspired to help Volkswagen AB—and perhaps other carmakers—rig their diesel engines to evade emission standards, sources tell Bloomberg News.
-
Grand Jury Indicts Former FCA Executive In Union Payoff Scheme
A former labor relations executive at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV has been charged with making more than $2.2 million in illegal payments to himself and a United Auto Workers union official in Detroit.
-
U.S. Lawsuit Says Bosch Conspired with VW on Cheater Diesels
A U.S. lawsuit claims Robert Bosch GmbH conspired with Volkswagen AG to equip diesel-powered vehicles with software to cheat emission tests.