WASHINGTON – Following today’s announcement by Kenneth Feinberg about a new victim compensation plan for General Motors (GM) in relation to the defective ignition switches linked to at least 13 deaths, including a fatality in Missouri-U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, Chairman of the Consumer Protection Subcommittee, released the following statement:
“I’ll be closely reviewing Mr. Feinberg’s plan, but this is a necessary step on the road toward full accountability at General Motors. I’m hopeful that the new compensation program will help bring some closure and relief to victims and families affected by the failures of GM that took many lives, and forever changed many more. And we continue to lay the groundwork for a Senate hearing in July to address unanswered questions, and keep pressure on GM leadership and federal regulators to prevent these needless tragedies in the future.”
Earlier this month, GM released the results of an internal investigation conducted by former U.S. Attorney Anton Valukas. McCaskill announced plans to hold a follow-up hearing this summer, as she reviews the internal report. The hearing will be in July.
Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that GM agreed to pay a record $35 million civil penalty and comply with additional oversight requirements as a result of findings from NHTSA’s timeliness investigation regarding the defective switches. As part of the settlement, set forth in a Consent Order signed with NHTSA, GM agreed to provide NHTSA with full access to the results of GM’s internal investigation into this recall, to take steps to ensure its employees report safety-related concerns to management, and to speed up the process for GM to decide whether to recall vehicles.
McCaskill had previously responded to GM’s decision to put two engineers on leave as the company was conducting the internal investigation. Following the announcement, GM indicated that employees Gary Altman and Ray DeGiorgio are among those who have been dismissed from the company. DeGiorgio is the engineer who GM CEO Mary Barra acknowledged-during questioning from McCaskill-may have lied under oath about ordering replacement switches in 2006 without properly reporting.
McCaskill grilled witnesses at a hearing in her Consumer Protection Subcommittee in April about GM’s decisions over more than 10 years to not issue a safety recall-despite the fact that engineers discovered the problem in 2004-and questioned whether NHTSA has the capability, data, and resources to effectively monitor vehicle safety defects.
Individuals who were the driver, a passenger, a pedestrian, or the occupant of another vehicle in an accident involving a vehicle subject to GM’s ignition switch recall should consult www.gmignitioncompensation.com to determine whether they might be eligible to file a claim. Legal representatives of those who died in such an accident are also eligible. Claims can be filed beginning August 1, 2014 and must be submitted no later than December 31, 2014.