Family seeks to reopen case against GM after recalls

The CBS Evening News reported that a family that had previously accepted a settlement from GM is now suing the automaker against in the wake of the recall of more than 2.5 million cars, saying that  GM didn’t tell the truth about a deadly defect. CBS reports that “during sworn testimony in the case, GM engineer Ray DeGiorgio was asked whether he knew about any changes to the switch design.” He said he wasn’t aware of the change but a “document from April 2006, seven years earlier, shows Degiorgio’s signature on a document authorizing a change.”

The Detroit News reports that Attorney Lance Cooper says that “he hopes to depose GM CEO Mary Barra in the new suit, plus Jim Federico, GM’s recently retired executive director of global vehicle integration who has taken a high-level job at Harley-Davidson.” The suit alleges that since the settlement, GM has told the NHTSA and Congress that DeGiorgio’s statements were false. A GM spokesman denied that GM fraudulently concealed relevant and critical facts. Meanwhile, “experts say the outcome of this lawsuit could lead other families who have settled with GM to attempt to reopen cases.”

The Fairfield County (CT) Business Journal reports that attorney Agostinho Ribeiro, CEO of Fairfield County-based Ventura, Ribeiro & Smith, “has assembled a national team of attorneys to represent victims in the national GM recall.” The Journal notes that Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) recently called on the NHTSA “to force GM to take further action to protect the 2.6 million consumers affected by the ignition switch recall announced earlier this year, including urging GM to warn owners to stop driving the recalled cars until they can be repaired.” However, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx opposed Blumenthal’s request, saying, “The NHTSA is satisfied that for now, until the permanent remedy is applied, the safety risk posed by the defect in affected vehicles is sufficiently mitigated by GM’s recommended action.” Ribeiro says that telling drivers it’s safe to continue driving these vehicles “is to blatantly disregard basic standards of consumer safety.”

We believe that obtaining legal satisfaction from those who harmed you shouldn’t require more hardship. That’s why we do everything we can to streamline the process, and we will file a lawsuit on your behalf if necessary. If you or a loved one has been affected by this recall, and you believe it caused an injury, contact Chhabra & Gibbs today by going to www.cglawms.com or by calling this number: 601-948-8005.