Former GM CEO Rick Wagoner To Give Deposition Over February 2014 Recall

by Cameron Aubernon

Published: June 3rd, 2015

former gm ceo rick wagoner to give deposition over february 2014 recall

Former General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner will be among those deposed by the lawyers heading the lawsuit against GM over the February 2014 ignition recall.

Wagoner, who led GM from 2001 until his dismissal by the Obama administration in 2009, will be questioned by Texas attorney Robert Hilliard about his knowledge of the events leading to the recall of over 2.6 million vehicles over defective ignitions linked to as many as 109 deaths and over 200 injuries, The Detroit News reports. Hilliard is also seeking depositions from “every CEO who was there during the active coverup” prior to Mary Barra’s ascension to the role, those being Fritz Henderson, Ed Whitacre and Dan Akerson.

Others to be deposed by Hilliard and his team of lawyers include former GM general counsel Michael Millikin and attorney Anton Valukas, the latter hired by the automaker to conduct and report the investigation into the events leading to the recall.

Over 55 individuals are scheduled to give their depositions prior to Hilliard et al moving forward with their class action lawsuit in January 2016, with Barra closing out the process with her deposition October 3. Wagoner’s time before the attorneys is set for September 2, and most of the depositions will be conducted in Detroit.

[Photo credit: General Motors]

#Depositions #February2014 #GeneralMotors #ProductRecalls #RickWagoner #RobertHilliard

Cameron Aubernon

Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.

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8 of 17 comments

Mullholland on Jun 03, 2015

With or without his cloak of invisibility? Ah well, perhaps he's looking to cooperate in the hopes of plea bargaining his way into the witness protection program. Or a full-ride scholarship a to Clown College.

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- Drzhivago138 on Jun 03, 2015
  
  Hey, don't knock clown college. I heard a news story once (on NPR, I think) and it's pretty hard to get through (or even into) clown college. Apparently comedy is serious business.
  
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Anomaly149 on Jun 03, 2015

"Active coverup" suggests intent, when this is pretty clearly institutional incompetence. Broken engineering change management and endless infighting between vehicle programs does not intent make.

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Rday on Jun 03, 2015

If anyone deserves to go to prison it is this con man. I am sure he made enough money to pay for the best lawyers at the expense of the shareholders, bondholders and US public.

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- RideHeight on Jun 03, 2015
  
  Agreed. And corporate criminals if convicted should be sent to supermax prisons where the only uniform they are allowed is a pink tutu.
  
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- Psarhjinian on Jun 04, 2015
  
  As much as I'm not a fan, Rick Wagoner was just the last in a long line of placeholders, and frankly the whole GM board of directors owes as much or more responsibility for this decades-long trainwreck. BoDs are supposed to hold the executive to account, but GM's didn't do this, and they didn't do it for years. This isn't unique to GM: many companies have utterly dysfunctional boards---Hewlett-Packard comes immediately to mind---but it's a real and growing problem. Interlock at the board level has effectively destroyed governance. Now, if you want to know who should be in prison, well, I'd say the top third of management at AIG, Lehmann and/or Goldman-Sachs would be a good start.
  
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- Alexndr333 on Jun 04, 2015
  
  @psarhjinian Agreed. The lost opportunity with the GM reorganization was Obama's failure to force the resignation of the entire Board of Directors as a condition of the bailout. A strong message to corporate America would have been sent: If you're at the helm of a company so badly run that it needs the kind of assistance GM received, then you don't deserve to continue leading it. He missed it with the banks, too. I support much of this President's agenda and actions, but the corporate bailouts failed to address the "interlock" problem you mentioned, and it continues unabated.
  
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BklynPete on Jun 04, 2015

"I do not recall that conversation." This would be great for laughs if people weren't dead.

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