Although General Motors Co. has pledged to compensate the families of people injured or killed because of its defective ignition switch, the automaker has been in court trying to halt lawsuits on behalf of those victims.
Chief executive officer Mary Barra appeared a second time before Congress on Wednesday to answer questions about the defects, which have been linked to 13 deaths and prompted recalls of nearly 6 million vehicles. GM, turning to the provisions of its 2009 bankruptcy, already has sought to toss out dozens of class actions filed on behalf of consumers seeking economic damages. Those cases have been stayed until Sept. 1.
