General Motors said in a court filing yesterday that it should not have to face lawsuits based on safety issues in cars made before its 2009 bankruptcy, including a faulty ignition switch that led to the recall of 2.6 million cars earlier this year, Reuters reported yesterday. The brief, filed in Manhattan bankruptcy court, lays out GM's legal arguments and is the opening salvo in litigation from GM drivers who say the automaker should make them whole for losses related to recalls this year. The ignition switch recalls, which began in February, have since grown to encompass numerous problems affecting millions of vehicles. The company is facing some 130 lawsuits over accidents and lost vehicle value. In April, GM asked Judge Robert Gerber of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan, who oversaw the bankruptcy, to bar claims related to vehicles made before 2009 based on the terms of the sale order that created the so-called "New GM." Liabilities related to older vehicles were largely retained by a shell company now known as "Old GM." Plaintiffs' lawyers have asked Gerber to rule that bankruptcy protection does not apply because their clients were not informed about the problems at the time and had no chance to argue their cases during the proceedings. GM said yesterday that plaintiffs' lawyers were trying to re-litigate issues that had been aired fully and settled five years ago.
