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Photo provided by MCCASKILL'S OFFICE
Photo provided by MCCASKILL'S OFFICE

GM's lawyer under attack in McCaskill-led Senate hearing

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In a Senate hearing yesterday, the New York Times reports Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., wasted little time before questioning GM general counsel Michael Millikin’s handling of automobile recalls that have been linked to at least 13 deaths.

The hearing was part of an investigation into the automaker’s failure to recall millions of defective small cars for more than a decade. As chairwoman of the commerce subcommittee on consumer protection, McCaskill grilled Millikin and GM CEO Mary Barra about why the auto manufacturer’s lead lawyer still had his job after evidence has surfaced that the legal team had been warned several times of potential liability related to the defective ignition switches in Chevy Cobalts and other vehicles.

“This is either gross negligence or gross incompetence on the part of a lawyer,” said McCaskill, who was joined by 10 of her colleagues. “The failure of this legal department is stunning.”

Barra disagreed and defended Millikin, noting other senior lawyers who had the information and didn't bring it forward are no longer employed by GM. Millikin repeatedly stated that he first learned of the defect the first week of February, according to The Times.

The federal subcommittee will continue to research the matter with a hearing upcoming to examine failures at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in recognizing and addressing the defective ignition switch, a McCaskill news release said.
 
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