GM Lawyers Hid Evidence of Ignition Switch Defects from Company Executives

According to an internal General Motors (GM) investigation conducted by Anton Valukas, the company’s top lawyer, Michael Millikin, never learned about the defective ignition switch issue until shortly before the first recall was initiated in February. His lack of awareness becomes even more alarming due to the fact that GM had already paid as much as $5 million to settle a defective auto lawsuit associated with this problem.

The Valukas report illustrates a pattern of dysfunction among GM corporate policies, including one that allows other associates of the company legal team to approve settlements of up to $5 million without the approval of Mr. Milllikin. In addition, the Valukas report indicates that members of the GM legal team played an integral role in delaying the recall of a 10-year-old safety issue until this past February in order to minimize the company’s liability in defective product lawsuits.

In general, the findings released in this report demonstrate an overall disregard for customer safety in order to reduce GM’s exposure to expensive lawsuits. Simply put, this is unacceptable.

Currently, GM is facing more than 80 lawsuits associated with the ignition switch defects responsible for the recall of millions of vehicles earlier this year. While many of these lawsuits are seeking damages for repair costs and diminished resale value of vehicles, several of these cases are in relation to serious injuries and fatalities from car accidents caused by the ignition switch defect.

The attorneys at Golomb Legal are outraged at the gross disregard for public safety demonstrated by GM’s handling of this incident. Our attorneys have been fighting for the rights of injured victims for more than three decades. If you have a claim against GM regarding a vehicle containing a defective ignition switch, we can help you recover the compensation you deserve.

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