The settlement comes in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling forcing the company to face “hundreds” of lawsuits from drivers who suffered at the hands of the defective switches prior to GM’s 2009 Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.
Ultimately, 124 people died and 275 were injured as a result of the defective switches. The Michigan Attorney General's Office said some employees were aware of the defects as early as 2004 but declined to issue a recall, according to the article.