It takes more than a quick settlement or insurance claim to resolve some automotive defect cases. Oftentimes a class action lawsuit needs to be filed by families and individuals in civil court – that has been happening frequently in recent times.
A lawsuit was filed against Mercedes-Benz in a California court, alleging that the car manufacturer’s seat heater fires can be a result of the defect in the system. The class-action lawsuit claimed that Mercedes-Benz has covered up the dangers of seat heaters in its cars made between 2000 and 2014.
The plaintiffs, Elizabeth Callaway and William, claimed that they would have forgone the purchase of their 2006 Mercedes-Benz R350 if the automaker had been open about the dangers of seat heaters.
According to the lawsuit, Elizabeth Callaway noticed a smell of smoke inside the Mercedes Benz 350 shortly after switching on the driver-side seat heater. A day later, the R350 was filled with smoke and the seat heater allegedly caused a deep burn in the padding material of the seat in addition to causing a burning hole in Callaway’s dress.
The plaintiffs went on to say that a company dealership agreed to repair the seat and the seat heater, and the couple received $500 from the Mercedes Benz dealer. The plaintiffs turned down the offer because it would have made them sign a legal agreement to not pursue any class action lawsuit against Mercedes. The plaintiffs would have also had to remain silent about the entire incident.
The plaintiffs want the defendants to replace or repair the seat haters with those without safety defects and be open about the safety defects to all Mercedes Benz customers. They are also seeking reimbursements for court costs and attorney fees.
Mercedes Benz isn’t the only company under fire for covering up a defect. General Motors (GM) covered up their ignition switch defect for long. The story started with the death of a beloved daughter in a car wreck. Thinking that the death may have been related to a GM recall involving a power steering issue, her parents hired a lawyer in Georgia after the incident.
But the lawyer took the services of a mechanic who discovered the crash was related to an ignition problem rather than the power steering problem. The lawyer then hired a skilled investigator of transportation vehicles and machinery named Mr. Mark Hood. He discovered that GM, along with the help of its suppliers that made the ignition part, Delphi, changed the switch in 2006 or early 2007, but the wrecked car had a different ignition switch that made it more likely that the driver could jar the ignition key and accidentally cause the car to cut off engine power and turn off its air bags.
BaronandBudd.com points out Mr. Hood came to the realization that he would need to locate other GM cars involved in related car wrecks to “determine which part they contained in their ignition switches.” The GM ignition switch recall owes everything to the Melton family hiring a lawyer who hired the right investigator; the resulting information disclosed that the GM people had essential conspired to keep the switch change an internal secret.
These two lawsuits reveal that there are lawyers and law firms dedicated to exposing the truth, and to bring about something good this world while making sure that wrongful actions of corporate giants do not go unpunished.