DETROIT (AP) — General Motors Co. has settled two federal court cases related to its defective ignition switches, but its legal troubles stemming from the switches are far from over.
GM settled the cases for an undisclosed amount, plaintiffs’ attorney Bob Hilliard said Monday. In both cases, the plaintiffs said they sustained serious injuries when the air bags in their vehicles didn’t deploy. GM has acknowledged that ignition switches in older cars could fall out of position without warning and shut off the engine and air bags.
The cases are among several so-called “bellwether” trials that are testing the legal boundaries of hundreds of claims against GM. So far this year, one federal bellwether case was dropped before trial, GM won two, and three have been settled.
Three more federal cases are scheduled to be heard next year, and one is scheduled for January 2018, GM spokesman Jim Cain said.
