Jury in GM Ignition Switch Trial Finds Car Unreasonably Dangerous, but Ice at Fault

On March 30, 2016, a jury in New York City found that the ignition switch in a General Motors’ vehicle was not the proximate cause of injuries sustained by driver Dionne Spain and passenger Lawrence Barthelemy after an accident. The eight-person jury, however, did conclude that the car was unreasonably dangerous.

On January 24, 2014, Spain and Barthelemy were driving a 2007 Saturn Sky on Crescent City Connection Bridge in New Orleans when it spun out of control and hit a jersey barrier. After the accident, they brought a lawsuit against GM claiming that a faulty switch in the vehicle caused the accident and, consequently, their back pain and other injuries. GM, on the other hand, stated the cause of the accident was icy road conditions, as over 30 other vehicles lost control due to the weather conditions that same night.

After a two-week trial, the jury found that the Saturn Sky was unreasonably dangerous because it had a characteristic that could cause damage, as well as deviated from prior GM standards. Nevertheless, no damages were awarded to the plaintiffs because the jurors declined to find that the source of the accident was the ignition switch defect.

The case was the second bellwether selected and the first to go to jury in federal multidistrict litigation consolidated in the Southern District of New York before Hon. Jesse M. Furman. The first bellwether trial was selected by the plaintiffs’ counsel, but was voluntarily dismissed. This case was selected by GM.

The case is: In re: GM Ignition Switch Litigation, No. 14-md-02543

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