Lawyers

• Plaintiffs face critical legal tests in General Motors ignition-switch cases

  People suing General Motors Co over a faulty ignition switch will get two chances in Manhattan court this week to fight with GM. They will argue that the company should be held accountable for injuries, deaths, and lost vehicle value.

• Manhattan Judge Orders the Continuance of GM Ignition-Switch Test Trials

  General Motors ignition-switch test trials will continue despite effort of the lawyers for the plaintiffs to revise it. U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman announced that he will continue with the pending six bellwether or test this year.

• Lawyers warn GM of punitive risk if ignition defect customers go to trial

  A report by investigator Anton Valukas commissioned by automaker General Motors Co indicated that lawyers had earlier on warned the company of paying potential punitive damages if accident victims decided to go to trial over the ignition defects in their cars.

• GM appoints Boston Marathon fund administrator to handle defect-linked accident claims

  In a statement today, lawyer Ken Feinberg has acknowledged taking the role as administrator for General Motors Co's compensation program for victims of the ignition defect of the automaker's small cars, Bloomberg reported.

• GM seeks NY court to handle ignition-defect lawsuits

  As customers of General Motors Co move to have their ignition-defect cases be tried by a judge who has earlier experience with similar litigation on auto defects, the Detroit-based automaker is reportedly seeking to have all its cases handled by a judge in New York, who would be working along with a bankruptcy judge who have handled GM's 2009 reorganization, Bloomberg reported.

• Lawyer files to reopen GM wrongful defect lawsuit over ignition defect

  Lawyer Lance Cooper on behalf of the remaining family of Brooke Melton, who died in a car crash linked to the defective ignition switch, has filed a new complaint urging a judge to revive a settled case, claiming that General Motors Co allegedly withheld information about the recall, Bloomberg said.

• Plaintiffs claim GM's petition to freeze ignition defect suits is a distraction

  The California plaintiffs of a lawsuit has reportedly told a judge that General Motors Co's bid to freeze all claims due to an ignition defect found on its small cars under Chapter 11 bankruptcy law is irrelevant and a red herring to the real issue.

• Documents reveal GM skip out 2005 ignition fix due to high costs

  Bloomberg said that there are documents obtained by a US congressional committee that proved General Motors Co opted out of implementing a planned fix as an internal expert deemed the fix too costly for the automaker.