General Motors Company (GM) said Wednesday it will ask a U.S. bankruptcy court to prohibit plaintiffs from proceeding with lawsuits against the automaker for claims related to any actions before it sought bankruptcy protection from creditors in 2009. The plaintiffs have alleged that they purchased or leased GM vehicles with an ignition-switch defect that has been linked to many crashes, at least 13 deaths, and the recall of 2.6 million vehicles. In a filing in federal court in California, GM asked for a hold on litigation related to ignition claims until the court decides on a request to consolidate the claims and the bankruptcy court rules on whether the claims violate GM's 209 bankruptcy.
