A Fatally Flawed Switch, and a Burdened G.M. Engineer – The New York Times
By Bill Vlasic
But a reckoning was coming. Lawyers representing the family of Brooke Melton, a Georgia woman killed in a Cobalt crash, sued G.M. and discovered during independent testing that older Cobalts had different ignition switches than newer ones did.
In his deposition in April 2013, Mr. DeGiorgio denied replacing the faulty switch in 2006. “I don’t recall ever authorizing a change,” he said. But he could not deny the physical evidence presented by the family’s lawyer, Lance Cooper, showing that newer Cobalts were equipped with a stronger switch.
“Do you see the difference?” Mr. Cooper asked.
“Yes,” Mr. DeGiorgio said.