NEW YORK — A trial that was supposed to help settle hundreds of lawsuits stemming from General Motors’ faulty ignition switches abruptly ended Friday, a day after the judge raised questions about the plaintiff’s truthfulness.
U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman dismissed the jury hearing the case in which Robert Scheuer, an Oklahoma man, claimed a faulty ignition switch prevented his air bags from inflating when his car crashed in 2014.
On Thursday, Furman agreed that evidence submitted by GM revealed that a document supporting Scheuer’s claims appeared to have been doctored. By the next morning, General Motors Co. and Scheuer’s lawyers said they wanted to call the trial off.
Scheuer’s lawyer, Robert C. Hilliard, said it was disappointing the trial was ending and the overall litigation involving other plaintiffs would continue.
