Deal reached in 3rd GM case over ignition switch claims

NEW YORK – Lawyers in New York say a settlement has been reached in a claim over a faulty General Motors ignition switch involved in a deadly accident.

FILE – In this April 1, 2014, file photo, Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, displays a GM ignition switch similar to those linked to 13 deaths and dozens of crashes of General Motors small cars like the Chevy Cobalt, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. A civil trial starting January 2016 in New York City will test the legal boundaries of hundreds of claims remaining against General Motors over faulty ignition switches. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

They say the deal negates the need for the third of six trials this year meant to help resolve hundreds of legal actions against the Detroit-based automaker.

Related: Openings set to begin in first trial stemming from GM ignition switch recall lawsuits

Attorneys for General Motors Co. and the widow of a man who died in the 2013 crash notified a Manhattan federal judge of the settlement Thursday. Terms haven’t been disclosed.

The faulty switches could slip from the on position, knocking out power steering and turning off air bags.

Related: GM ignition switch compensation fund pays out $594.5 million on 399 claims, final report says

GM recently successfully defended itself against claims a faulty switch caused a 2014 accident in New Orleans.

GM has issued recalls affecting 30 million vehicles since early 2014. It says it has fixed the problem with the switches.