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Judge Won’t Scrap GM Ignition Switch Bellwether Trials
The federal judge handling hundreds of lawsuits concerning General Motors Co.’s defective ignition switches says he will proceed with plans to try five test cases this year.
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The federal judge handling hundreds of lawsuits concerning General Motors Co.’s defective ignition switches says he will proceed with plans to try five test cases this year.
The so-called bellwether jury trials are intended to set a range of settlements, thereby accelerating the resolution of similar lawsuits.
Several attorneys petitioned U.S. District Court Judge Jesse Furman earlier this month to skip the test cases. They argued that previous unrelated settlements involving other GM product liability cases are enough to establish a range of likely settlements.
Furman rejected that suggestion on Tuesday. But he conceded the bellwether process is imperfect and said he was open to hearing about alternatives.
The first bellwether trial was dismissed last month when the plaintiff was accused of lying and withdrew his complaint. The next trial before Furman’s court is set to begin in March. He notes a dozen other cases that haven’t been consolidated in his court are scheduled to go to trial in state courts between May and November.
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