Attorney Lance Cooper and his team in Marietta, Georgia recently settled a case against GM on behalf of the estate of a young woman killed in a 2010 crash caused by a defective ignition switch in the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt she was driving. The “black box” data recorder in the car showed that the car’s ignition switch was in the “accessory” position, not the “run” position at the time of the crash causing her to lose power for steering and brakes.
But he’s not finished yet!
Lance has recently made front-page headlines in USA TODAY as the result of a letter he submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requesting a “Timeliness Query Investigation” into the General Motors recall. Discovery and deposition testimony in the case revealed that GM knew in 2004, a decade before it issued the recall that the Chevrolet Cobalt had an ignition switch that could inadvertently shut off the engine while driving. In fact, at least one GM engineer had the problem while testing the new car before it was ever put on the road.
Even though GM acknowledged the problem in a 2005 technical service bulletin, the bulletin did not advise dealers to put the suggested new key cover on the keys of new Cobalts before they were sold. Likewise, the bulletin did NOT tell dealers to alert buyers of the possible defect.
NHTSA has not yet responded to Mr. Cooper’s request and is not required to perform the investigation requested.
Will the NHTSA do the right thing and perform the requested investigation?
Will GM be punished financially in addition to the 778,619 cars for which it will replace the faulty ignition switch?
The complete articles recently featured in USA TODAY are:
“Lawsuit: GM knew of Cobalt ignition problem” and
“Lawyer asks feds to force GM to explain recall timing.”
Mr. Cooper is the founding member of The Cooper Firm, and concentrates his practice representing plaintiffs in substantial personal injury and wrongful death cases.
All of us at Advocate Capital, Inc. are thankful for attorneys like Lance Cooper who battle corporate giants like GM, demanding accountability and responsibility.
Senior Vice President
