Deal reached in 3rd GM case over ignition switch claims

NEW YORK – Lawyers in New York say a settlement has been reached in a claim over a faulty General Motors ignition switch involved in a deadly accident.

FILE – In this April 1, 2014, file photo, Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, displays a GM ignition switch similar to those linked to 13 deaths and dozens of crashes of General Motors small cars like the Chevy Cobalt, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. A civil trial starting January 2016 in New York City will test the legal boundaries of hundreds of claims remaining against General Motors over faulty ignition switches. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

They say the deal negates the need for the third of six trials this year meant to help resolve hundreds of legal actions against the Detroit-based automaker.

Related: Openings set to begin in first trial stemming from GM ignition switch recall lawsuits

Attorneys for General Motors Co. and the widow of a man who died in the 2013 crash notified a Manhattan federal judge of the settlement Thursday. Terms haven’t been disclosed.

The faulty switches could slip from the on position, knocking out power steering and turning off air bags.

Related: GM ignition switch compensation fund pays out $594.5 million on 399 claims, final report says

GM recently successfully defended itself against claims a faulty switch caused a 2014 accident in New Orleans.

GM has issued recalls affecting 30 million vehicles since early 2014. It says it has fixed the problem with the switches.

Jason Contant

Jason has been an award-winning journalist with Canadian Underwriter for more than a decade, including the past three years as associate editor and, before that, as digital editor for seven years.