Miami, FL – August 2004 – Peter Prieto, partner at Miami-based litigation boutique Podhurst Orseck, will serve on the Plaintiff’s Executive Committee in the General Motors defective ignition switch multidistrict litigation. He is one of 10 attorneys from across the nation who were chosen for the committee. Prieto is the only attorney from Florida, which is one of GM’s most significant markets.
Lawsuits filed against GM as a result of its numerous vehicle recalls have made headlines over the past year. Podhurst Orseck was the first firm in Florida to bring an action against GM, alleging that the ignition switch defect on certain vehicles that GM recalled diminished the value of those vehicles. The defect in the ignition switch causes the vehicle to turn off, then causing the steering and brakes to not work and the airbags to not deploy. Podhurst Orseck was also one of the first law firms in the country to assert a RICO claim against GM.
In June, a panel of judges in Chicago centralized over a hundred of the complaints filed nationwide in the District Court for the Southern District of New York, and assigned them to United States District Judge Jesse M. Furman, resulting in this MDL.
“I’m honored to have been selected by Judge Furman to be a part of the Plaintiffs’ leadership team, and will work hard to ensure that those who bought defective vehicles from GM are compensated appropriately”, Prieto said.
The co-Lead counsel includes Steve W. Berman, Elizabeth Cabraser, and Robert Hilliard. Other members of the Executive Committee include David Botes, Lance A. Cooper, Melanie L. Cyganowski, Adam J. Levitt, Dianne M. Nast, Frank M. Pitre, Joseph F. Rice, Mark P. Robinson, Jr., and Mark M. Seltzer.
For almost three decades, Prieto has focused has practice on complex litigation, including class actions and RICO litigation. Prieto has represented plaintiffs in a number of major class action lawsuits. His firm has served as lead counsel in the NFL players’ concussions lawsuit. Chinese drywall MDL, bank overdraft class actions, forced-place insurance and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Antitrust MDL, among others.
Prieto received his Bachelor’s Degree, summa cum laude, from St. Thomas University, and went on to receive his Juris.
Doctorate, cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law where he served as an editor for the Law Review and on the Moot Court Board.