Class action lawsuits give people who have been similarly injured to join their claims, making litigation more effective (and more powerful). It is therefore not surprising that these actions are frequently taken against large corporations, which are more likely to harm large numbers of people in similar ways. Such lawsuits have been filed against giant companies like Wal-Mart, General Motors, AT&T, Citibank, Target, and more.
Auto companies are frequently the defendants in large-scale class action lawsuits, for a number of reasons. First, millions of Americans use motorized vehicles every day, which means they are more likely to be affected by them. Second, motorized vehicles are inherently dangerous. A small, seemingly minor design or engineering error can cause injury or worse.
Defective GM Instrument Panels
In the early and mid-2000s, General Motors released a number of vehicles that had potentially faulty speedometers, making it impossible for drivers to accurately measure the speed of their cars and trucks. Unsurprisingly, by 2005, this had led to a number of complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Finally, a lawsuit was filed demanding the following compensation:
• Free replacement of the speedometers of the affected vehicles
• Reimbursement for anyone who paid to replace the problem
• Reimbursement for any increased speeding tickets due to faulty speedometers
GM agreed to a deal that met some of the above terms, replacing items for free if the vehicle had less than 70,000 miles or 7 years, and provided free parts (but not labor) for vehicles between 70,000 and 80,000 miles. There were also conditions for reimbursing people who had been forced to replace the faulty item on their own.
To learn more about class action law, visit the website of the class action attorneys at Feazell & Tighe, LLP, today.
