Compensation expert Kenneth Feinberg, in charge of setting up compensation funds for those victims involved in accidents in General Motors vehicles with faulty ignition switches, is expected to offer payments to all complainants in the cases, Automotive News reports.
GM will give the drivers, passengers and any bystanders killed or hurt in the collisions compensation even if the person involved was drinking, such as in one case, where the driver had a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit and tested positive for THC.
“Feinberg wants to settle all eligible claims,” said attorney Bob Hilliard, who is suing GM over deaths and injuries allegedly caused by ignition-switch failures. “The fund will cover all ignition-switch accidents where the airbag didn’t deploy.”
Feinberg was hired by GM to organize the fund and was given total independence and freedom in regards to his plan for compensating victims. Hilliard expects GM will compensate as many people as possible and will still offer money to victims who lack physical evidence of the crash, such as a wrecked car. They will also not deny or cap claims and there will be no limit on how much may be paid out in total. Hilliard said you can’t cap the fund “because you don’t know the number,” of total victims.
Feinberg has yet to say the exact amount victims and their families will be offered. Lawyers have notified him that they may reject a deal that doesn’t reach enough victims or has inadiequate monetary offers.
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