Here's Who Helps Decide GM's Fate in Next 100 Car Crash Cases
- Ignition trial begins, closely watched for impact on the rest
- Jury includes a few professionals, and one professional juror
The headquarters building of General Motors Co. stands in Detroit.
Photographer: Jeff Kowalsky/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
GM’s fate in a personal injury trial that will help shape hundreds of cases to come lies in the hands of a speech pathologist, a customer service rep and a man who has served as a juror eight times, among others.
Robert Scheuer, whose 2003 Saturn Ion ran off an Oklahoma highway in May 2014 and smashed into a tree, is the first plaintiff in General Motors Co.’s ignition switch scandal to have his case heard by a jury. Flawed switches could be jarred into the “accessory” position, shutting off the engine, disabling power steering and brakes and preventing air bags from deploying.