Consumer Advocate Groups Score A Victory In GM Bankruptcy
Under pressure from multiple consumer advocate groups, as well as State Attorneys General, General Motors Corporation agreed to assume legal responsibility for injuries drivers suffered from product liability and vehicle defects after General Motors emerges from bankruptcy protection. As it presently stands, consumers who are injured in car accidents after General Motors emerges from bankruptcy protection will be able to bring product liability claims against the government owned auto maker. Originally, General Motors had planned to eradicate all liabilities for defective product liability claims.
Curiously, the Chrysler Group, LLC which recently emerged from bankruptcy is not responsible for such product liability claims after the bankruptcy judge dismissed objections to its plan.
Currently there are alleged to be more than 300 people with personal injury claims against GM with a value exceeding $1.25 billion dollars. Under the original plan proposed by General Motors, personal injury or car accident victims who believe that faulty manufacturing or defective products caused by faulty GM manufacturing and vehicle design defects would be unable to sue the new GM. They would have been treated as unsecured creditors. Under the new plan, GM has agreed to take responsibility for future product liability claims.
The experienced Pennsylvania product liability and Philadelphia car accident lawyers of Reiff and Bily have successfully handled claims against the major automobile manufacturers and salute the efforts of consumer advocates and State Attorneys General in their attempts to hold Chrysler and GM accountable for defective cars and products that are ticking time bombs for families.
Historical data compiled through the National Highway Safety Administration indicates that 47% of all death and injury claims filed against automobile manufacturers include Chrysler and GM cars. In the last 5 years, research has indicated that these claims involved 15,284 connected to GM vehicles. Examples of such casualties include: (1) seat belts that fail and strangle children, (2) seat backs that collapse and cause brain injury, (3) unstable vehicles that rollover, cave in roofs and crush occupants, (4) cars with gears that self shift from park to reverse and end up running people over, and (5) improperly positioned gasoline and brake fluid containers that catch fire and explode, severely burning and killing occupants.
The lawyers at Reiff and Bily are experienced product liability lawyers committed to protecting catastrophically injured victims with passion and personal attention. If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of a defective product or car, please contact us for a free evaluation at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com.
