General Motors has rejected pleas from two U.S. senators to extend a Jan. 31 deadline to file claims in its faulty ignition switch compensation program.
The Detroit automaker said in a statement this week that it already extended the deadline once and won't do so again, according to Reuters.
"Our goal is to be just and timely in compensating the families who lost loved ones and those who suffered physical injury," a GM company statement said. "We previously extended the deadline until January 31, and we do not plan another extension."
The two U.S. senators, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Edward Markey of Massachusetts, have been the most vocal in criticism of GM.
Blumenthal and Markey sent a letter sent to GM Chief Executive Mary Barra pleading to her to extend the deadline to allow the U.S. Department of Justice to complete its investigation over possible criminal conduct in GM's handling of the ignition switch defect.
"Right now, injured parties do not know enough about their legal rights or facts to make an informed decision," the senators wrote in their letter. "Indeed, they cannot have sufficient information until the DOJ concludes its criminal investigation and the bankruptcy court decides whether to lift the liability shield that G.M. now unjustifiably hides behind."
The extension denial is another step by GM to put the matter in the past and move forward from their mistake.
"We have conducted extensive outreach about the program and contacted more than 5 million current and former owners of the recalled vehicles," GM said in a statement according to Reuters.
As of Jan. 23, the compensation program received approximately 3,068 claims. So far, 50 of the claims for deceased people have been found eligible for compensation by the head of the compensation fund.
GM recalled 2.6 million vehicles due to defective ignition switches that have been the focal point of a number of Congressional hearings and a number of lawsuits.
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