General Motors is back in court after a federal appeals court ruled that the auto manufacturer knew their ignition switches were dangerous. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled that GM knew about the defective switches when it entered bankruptcy seven years ago, but kept them secret from the bankruptcy court. By failing to disclose the problems, GM prevented crash victims from making claims or contesting the bankruptcy provisions and depriving them of due process, according to reports from MSN.com.
A combined 1,000 death and injury lawsuits were put on hold due to the ruling back in April of 2015, stating claims against the pre-bankruptcy company (referred to as “Old GM”) needed to recover before any claims against the company could be filed. Now the appeals court has overturned that ruling and is allowing hundreds of pre-bankruptcy claims to move forward.
An attorney representing the ignition switch accident plaintiffs, William Weintraub, said the ruling not only took away the legal rights of the crash victims, but also barred them from suing New GM after the defective switches were disclosed.
The faulty ignition switches attributed to at least 124 deaths and 275 injuries. If you or a loved one was injured in a recalled GM vehicle and believe the ignition switch may be the reason, contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker today at (800) 333-0000. You can also submit your case online through our case evaluation form for a free consultation. Our experienced attorneys are here to help with offices in Long Beach, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Bakersfield, and Fresno, California and in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. We’ll fight for you!®
