GM CEO Mary Barra is scheduled to face another under-oath grilling about the ignition switch recall that dominated headlines last year.
This time it will be in front of a court. Barra will be deposed on Oct. 8 by lawyers representing families who are suing General Motors over the defective car ignition switches that are linked to 67 deaths and 113 injuries.
GM last week settled one case that was brought by the parents of Brooke Melton, who died in a car with the faulty switch. No GM executive had to testify in that case.
But there are hundreds of other litigants that still want a judge to hold GM accountable for the cover-up.
The faulty ignition switches can cause the car to turn off while it’s being driven, disabling power-steering and the airbags.
GM recalled 2.6 million vehicles for the problem last year. The car company admitted that some of its employees had known about the issue for 10 years.
GM has opened a special compensation fund for victims and their families. Those that take the payout give up their right to sue the company.
Not everyone is buying in.
Barra was called to Capitol Hill and grilled by legislators multiple times last year. In October she’ll face questions from plaintiff lawyers for the first time. It will be the first time she will be grilled by lawyers in court over the issue, a company spokesman said.
The first trial is slated to begin in January, a GM spokesman said.