A Texas judge has thrown out a lawsuit against General Motors from a woman who blamed a 2012 car crash on a faulty ignition switch that later prompted the company to recall 2.6 million vehicles, Reuters reported yesterday. The Aug. 13 order from Judge Robert Schaffer in Harris County, Texas, came in a 2013 case brought by Gloria Alexander that the automaker had selected as the second test trial amid 20 similar cases in that state court over the ignition switch. The first bellwether trial, picked by plaintiffs' lawyers, began last week. That case involves a man who had faced criminal charges in connection with a fatal accident he blamed on the ignition switch. GM had argued that Alexander's case had no expert testimony to support allegations the defective switch caused her 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt to veer out of control and strike a concrete barrier before being hit by a pickup truck. Read more.
Don’t miss the Great Debate at ABI’s Views from the Bench conference on Oct. 7, as Judge Robert Gerber (ret.) & Goodwin Procter's William Weintraub debate whether §363 sales lawfully should be free and clear of successor-liability claims. Click here to register!
