The Associated Press reported that a General Motors mediator has began efforts to settle the lawsuits filed against the automaker for the ignition defect found in its small cars. In an interview, Kenneth Feinberg confirmed to the news outlet that he had met a Corpus Christi, Texas, lawyer Robert Hillard for four hours. Hillard supposedly is the legal representative of families of the people who were killed and the 273 who were injured as a result of the defective GM vehicles. Feinberg declined to provide the details he and Hillard had discussed in the meeting. However, he told AP that he is planning to present the options that Gm could take to settle the claims in the next few weeks.
"I'm evaluating various compensation options for GM to consider. I'm glad I met with him. It was an interesting meeting," Feinberg said.
It has been known that GM issued a vehicular recall of some 2.6 million small cars, majority from the Chevrolet Cobalt and Saturn Ion lines in order for the automaker to replace the faulty ignition switches. The ignition switch reportedly slips unexpectedly out of the "run" position, which would prompt the car engine to shut down. Power-assisted steering, air-bag deployment and brakes will subsequently fail following the engine shutdown, which makes the car difficult to control.
The US automaker was subject to investigations when it admitted to know about the problem for over a decade and failed to act upon it. The company's body and accident count due to the ignition defect is significantly lower than Hillard's at 13 deaths and 31 crashes.
Feinberg's role in the wake of the ignition defect scandal was made known at a congressional hearing last month. AP said GM might have tapped him for the job for his expertise in disaster fund management as he had handled the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund as well as funds for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing and the BP oil spill.
