Something of a Victory

A rather large part of the fuss over auto safety has involved 1960-63 models of Chevrolet's Corvair, which have been the subject of some 150 lawsuits. Nearly all of them charged that the car's rear axle caused oversteering that resulted in accidents. So far, only four cases have reached verdicts. General Motors won three, while a jury decision against the company in the fourth was set aside.

And in what could prove the pattern for disposition of the suits still pending, G.M. last week settled 47 cases out of court by paying out a total of $340,000.

Considering that the suits asked dam ages amounting to $25 million, the settlements represented something of a victory for G.M. Attorney David M.

Harney, whose Los Angeles law firm represented the plaintiffs in all 47 cases, got involved in the anti-G.M. litigation after his godson was killed while driving a Corvair in 1960. He soon won a reputation as the man to see about Corvair accidents. After having spent "countless days" on the suits, however, Harney came to realize that it was virtually impossible to connect specific accidents with general defects.

For its part, G.M. said it was happy to settle out of court--in some cases, the company admitted, because of "the possible emotional impact on the juries of the injuries of some plaintiffs." And no matter what happens in the 100-odd cases still pending, G.M. continues to have trouble with the car. Though its controversial rear axle has long since been redesigned, all the unfavorable publicity has helped send Corvair sales tumbling from a 1961 high of 317,000 to 86,000 last year.

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