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Jury Sides with GM on Second Ignition Switch Lawsuit

A federal court jury in New York City has rejected claims that a fender-bender accident on an icy bridge was caused by one of the 2.6 million defective ignition switches General Motors Co. recalled in 2014.
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A federal court jury in New York City has rejected claims that a fender-bender accident on an icy bridge was caused by one of the 2.6 million defective ignition switches General Motors Co. recalled in 2014.

The jury agreed that the switch in the vehicle, a 2007 Saturn Sky sports car, was “unreasonably dangerous.” But they awarded no damages.

GM pointed out that dozens of other low-speed crashes occurred on the same bridge on the same night. The company also argued that back pains reported by each of the Sky’s two occupants several weeks later was unrelated to the crash.

The jury’s verdict marks the second consecutive win for GM involving six bellwether lawsuits scheduled to be heard in the same court this year. The first test case was dismissed after GM presented evidence that the plaintiffs lied in court.

The six trials are intended to help guide settlements for hundreds of similar cases that were aggregated in the Manhattan court of Judge Jesse Furman last year. GM and plaintiffs’ attorneys each selected three of the cases. GM chose the first two.

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