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 Amy Weiss, a spokeswoman for Kenneth Feinberg, told Reuters that the
107 deaths were among 309 claims that have been submitted so far.
The program began accepting claims on Aug. 1 and will remain open
until Dec. 31.
Before a claim is deemed eligible, it will be evaluated by Feinberg
and his staff to determine whether the ignition switch was in fact
responsible for causing a serious physical injury or death. If so,
Feinberg will determine how much compensation to award.
The number of death claims submitted already far exceeds the 13
deaths that GM has officially attributed to the switch, which
prompted the recall of 2.6 million vehicles earlier this year.
Jere Beasley, a lawyer representing multiple people who have
submitted claims, said the pace for filing claims seemed slightly
slower than initially expected, in part because lawyers may be
waiting to see how much compensation will be offered for certain
claims before bringing new ones. In addition, waiting also allows
time to gather evidence to determine whether certain accidents could
be eligible before submitting claims.
Determinations on eligibility for claims will be made within 90 to
180 days after they are submitted, Feinberg said in June when he
announced the program.
Feinberg previously said he expected the highest volume of claims
within the first few months of the program, as well as its last.
Robert Hilliard, a lawyer representing hundreds of people who are
either suing GM in court or filing claims with the program, said he
anticipated the number of claims would grow steadily.
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GM has set aside $400 million to cover compensation through the
program, although the amount of total payouts is not capped. Under
the program's protocol, eligible claims for deaths linked to the
switch will likely be awarded at least $1 million, which could
increase, depending on factors like whether the deceased had
children or other dependents.
People submitting claims will not waive their right to sue GM unless
and until they accept an offer from the program.
Feinberg will make all determinations on eligibility and
compensation, GM has said. A spokesman for GM, Jim Cain, said the
company is allowing the process to continue at arm’s length.
Feinberg has overseen compensation programs for victims of other
high-profile catastrophes, including the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and
the BP oil spill in 2010.
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