STATEMENT FROM JOANNE DOROSHOW,
CENTER FOR JUSTICE & DEMOCRACY
June 10, 2009
RESPONSE TO CHRYSLER-FIAT DEAL; CALLS FOR SEN. DODD AND HIS COMMITTEE TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE
"Unless action is now taken, the sale of Chrysler's 'good' assets to Fiat, which was made possible by the Obama Administration backed bankruptcy plan, means that more people will be injured and killed by defective vehicles than would otherwise occur. This sale means that a time bomb is now ticking that puts the health and safety of thousands of Americans at greater risk.
The Obama Administration supported bankruptcy plan that led to this deal strips away a critical public safety protection that has been used to reduce the number of Americans hurt or killed from defective Chrysler and GM vehicles.
Chrysler and GM are responsible for nearly half of all defect claims against auto manufacturers in the country. The Chrysler and GM bankruptcy plans will take away the public's right to hold these companies accountable when their defective cars injure and kill people, which is the incentive that has forced such car companies to recall defective vehicles.
Today, Senator Chris Dodd and the Banking Committee will be reviewing the Obama Administration's supported Chrysler and GM bankruptcy plans. It is a matter of saving lives and preventing needless deaths for Senator Dodd and Congress to take action to protect the public. Each and every state in the U.S. will have Americans who will be injured and killed if the public safety protections are not restored.
Unless Congress acts now to restore this life-saving public safety protection, today's announcement sets off a time bomb that will tragically end with more Americans being injured and killed than would otherwise occur."
On June 3, Center for Justice & Democracy hosted victims and families from six states, some with catastrophic injuries, who came to Washington seeking urgent help in light of the Chrysler and GM bankruptcies, which are wiping out their legal rights and jeopardizing public safety.
For more information contact Lisa Cohen, 310.395.2544 or [email protected].
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