Texas Judge Denies GM Bid to Dismiss Ignition Switch Case

The Texas county judge presiding over a lawsuit about a fatal crash blamed on General Motors Co.’s defective ignition switches has rejected GM’s bid to dismiss the case.

GM argued on Monday that the lawsuit should be tossed out, claiming the plaintiff and his lawyer fabricated evidence shown to the jury about the key used in the 2007 Saturn Sky sport coupe that crashed.

When GM recalled 2.6 million cars in 2014 to replace their ignition switches, it told owners the devices could be jogged out of the “run” position by a heavily laden keychain. GM said the plaintiff in the Texas trial initially said the keychain holding the key for his car had only a few items on it. But the key shown to jurors came from another car and was attached to a keychain loaded down with weightier objects.

GM claimed the display was an attempt to bolster the plaintiff’s case. The plaintiff’s lawyer dismissed it as a “justifiable misunderstanding.”

County Judge Robert Schaffer rejected GM’s argument. But said he would instruct jurors that the key they were shown was not the one used when the car crashed.

The plaintiff says his crash, which killed another driver, was caused by the switch. GM contends the crash was due to the plaintiff’s reckless driving.