(Bloomberg) -- 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.
Afflicted by neck and back pain, Scheuer missed 169 days of work, can’t lift more than 20 pounds and needs surgery, said his lawyer, Robert Hilliard, the lead attorney for the personal injury and death claims in the so-called multidistrict litigation. The trial begins Tuesday morning in federal court in Manhattan.
Recommended For You
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
