After news of a significant General Motors ignition switch defect broke, the company was hit with a slew of lawsuits by customers who were affected by the defect. One of these lawsuits, filed by the state of Arizona on behalf of its affected residents, just ended in a GM ignition switch settlement of $6.29 million.

Under the GM ignition switch settlement agreement, the funds will go directly to consumers. Other states who have come to similar settlements have historically put the settlement money into the state’s general fund, but this new Arizona GM ignition switch settlement will be split among consumers.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich says that he wants consumers to get their fair share of the settlement fund. “Consumers should always come first in consumer fraud and class action lawsuits,” Brnovich said in a statement.

“When I took office (in 2015) I couldn’t believe consumer payments weren’t the focus of the state’s lawsuit against GM. I wasn’t going to settle until Arizona consumer received compensation.” In pursuit of this goal, Brnovich amended the state’s lawsuit, filed in 2014, to include a claim for consumer payments.

“Under today’s proposed settlement, approximately 33,000 Arizona consumers who purchased certain GM vehicles between July 2009 and July 2014, and did not resell those cars before the recalls were announced, would be entitled to payments,” the statement said. Affected consumers could expect a payment of at least $200 from the GM ignition switch settlement.

The GM ignition switch settlement brings to an end just one of the lawsuits filed against GM for its major ignition switch defect scandal.

The defect could cause certain cars to shut down unexpectedly, and even cause airbags in an accident to fail to deploy at all. At least 124 deaths have been connected with the ignition switch defect, as well as another 275 injured.

GM issued a recall in response to reports of the defect in 2014, affecting some 2.7 million vehicles. Hundreds of plaintiffs are still waiting for their litigation to be resolved.

Filing a GM Ignition Switch Lawsuit

Hundreds of consumers have filed lawsuits claiming that General Motors was aware of these safety defects far earlier than the recalls were issued in 2014. The delay to recall the affected vehicles, plaintiffs allege, placed consumers at even greater risk of suffering serious injuries or fatalities due to these defects.

So far, the company has already paid billions in penalties and settlements to consumers injured because of these defects and their families.

If you or someone you love was injured in a car accident with a GM vehicle because of a defect with airbag deployment or a defective ignition switch, you may be able to file a GM defect lawsuit or join a class action lawsuit.

Filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by injuries stemming from a vehicle defect, but it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses and lost wages.