— A Chevrolet Bolt battery settlement has been preliminarily approved by a federal judge after eight class actions were consolidated into one.
The Chevy Bolt battery lawsuits were filed after General Motors began recalling the cars due to battery defects that could cause fires.
The class action lawsuits were filed in a period of a few months in late 2020 and early 2021 regarding battery fires in 2017-2022 Chevrolet Bolt electric cars.
General Motors agreed to the Bolt class action settlement, but the automaker denies the allegations and denies all wrongdoing.
Chevy Bolt Battery Settlement Agreement
Owners of 2017-2022 Chevy Bolts should understand most of the "benefits" of the class action settlement are the same things GM was already offering customers for free long before the settlement was reached.
For example, all previous free battery software updates and free battery replacements are considered benefits of the settlement. In addition, GM had offered some customers vehicle buybacks.
The Bolt battery settlement also provides customers $700 to $1,400 each, but GM was already offering a compensation program which began in October 2023.
In 2023, GM announced a 2017-2022 Chevrolet Bolt customer could receive a $1,400 Visa eReward card as part of a battery recall.
According to the Chevy Bolt battery settlement, GM customers who registered for the eReward program and met the requirements of the program have already received their $1,400 settlement compensation.
Chevrolet Bolt customers who received the battery software update but who did not register for the eReward program or who tried to register but the program expired, those customers will be entitled to $1,400 each.
If a Chevrolet Bolt owner or lessee was eligible for the final software update but sold their Bolt or terminated their lease before June 13, 2023, that customer will be entitled to $700.
A Chevrolet Bolt customer, "who owns, owned, leases, or leased a Vehicle at any time before preliminary approval of the Settlement Agreement is granted and that has received or is eligible to receive the Battery Replacement Final Remedy will be entitled to a Distribution Amount of $700...."
These Chevy Bolt owners who filed the class action lawsuit will receive $2,000 each:
Robin Altobelli, F. Dayle Andersen, Bruce James Cannon, Mary Carr and Jan G. Wyers, Yohanes Chitra, Christine Chung, Daniel Corry, John DeRosa, William Dornetto and Russell Ives, Kevin Harris and Pamela Duprez, Michael Hickey, Michael and DeniseHolbrook, Fred Kass, James Kotchmar, Robert Kuchar, Joseph Poletti, Edward and Janet Rock, Evi Schulz, Michael Smith, Ashley Strong, Alucard Taylor, Jason Vaaler, Tony Verzura, Shawn Walker, and Thomas and Carol Whittake.
The lawyers who represent the Bolt customers will receive about $52,500,000.
A Chevy Bolt battery settlement final fairness hearing will be held March 25, 2025.
The plaintiffs are represented by Proposed Co-Lead Class Counsel The Miller Law Firm, PC, and Keller Rohrback, LLP.
Listed as the “Proposed Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee” are McCune Wright Arevalo, LLP, Fine, Kaplan and Black, RPC, Migliaccio & Rathod LLP, Law Offices of Todd M. Friedman, PC, and Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP.
The Chevy Bolt battery class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Southern Division): Altobelli et al., v. General Motors LLC, or, In Re Chevrolet Bolt EV Battery Litigation, Case No. 2:20-cv-13256.
