Hilliard Seeks To Overturn Wrongful Conviction In GM Recall Case

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Oct 16, 2014, 12:37 ET

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, Oct. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Bob Hilliard, a Texas lawyer and one of the nation's key players in the pursuit of claims against GM filed an application for writ of habeas corpus to remove the charge of criminally negligent homicide from Candice Anderson's record.

THE ACCIDENT

Almost ten years ago Candice Anderson lost control of her 2004 Saturn ION while driving down a county road in East Texas in the middle of the day. Candice's fiance, Gene Mikale Erickson was her passenger that day and died when their vehicle left the roadway and collided, head-on, into a nearby grove of trees. Both Candice and Mikale's airbags failed to deploy due to the sub-standard ignition switch GM knowingly installed in millions of vehicles across the country. GM counts Mikale's death as one of the 13 confirmed fatalities linked to the faulty ignition switch.

FALSELY ACCUSED

At the time of the accident, GM knew of the faulty ignition, knew it was the cause of Candice Anderson's accident but quietly covered up the exculpatory evidence—not providing the evidence to Candice Anderson or the District Attorney's office. Therefore, law enforcement was left with an unexplained accident and a death—they concluded Ms. Anderson was at fault because no "evasive action" skid marks were evident and trace amounts of alprazolam, an anxiety medication, was discovered in Candice Anderson's system. Investigators had no way of knowing that the ignition switch had failed, rendering brakes, steering and airbags inoperable.

TORTURED BY GUILT

Sadly, Ms. Anderson also believed she was at fault. She pled guilty to criminally negligent homicide and spent years wracked with guilt about Mr. Erickson's death. Last week, Mikale Erickson's mother, Rhonda, received confirmation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the accident was caused by GM's faulty ignition switch, not Candice Anderson's negligence. For the first time in ten years, Ms. Anderson's burden of guilt has been lifted.

THE SEARCH FOR JUSTICE

Today Bob Hilliard began the process to have this charge removed from Candice's record.

"This wrong will never be made completely right," states Hilliard.

"There is a special place in hell for a company that makes a conscious decision to remain silent as a young woman's future is stolen away by a wrongful felony conviction."

"At any point in the process GM could have first, saved Mikale from being killed, and second, saved Candice from being convicted of a felony. They did neither and do not deserve the second chance they refused to give Candice."

"At the last Congressional hearings Senator Richard Blumenthal directly implored GM CEO Mary Barra to personally assist in helping Candice Anderson right this wrong, Ms. Barra flatly refused as did GM's general counsel Michael Millikin.

"As I begin to uncover the depth of this evil GM perpetrated resulting in hundreds of deaths across the country and the wrongful conviction of Candice Anderson it is my strong belief the guilty and culpable decision makers must go to jail."

ABOUT HMG http://www.hmglawfirm.com/

Hilliard Munoz Gonzales LLP (HMG) specializes in mass torts, personal injury, product liability, commercial and business litigation, and wrongful death. Hilliard Munoz Gonzales LLP has been successfully representing clients in the United States and Mexico since 1986. Bob Hilliard obtained the Largest Verdict in the country in 2012 and the #1 verdict in Texas in 2013.

To arrange an interview with Bob Hilliard, please contact
Lauren Gomez
[email protected]
361-960-3146

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SOURCE Hilliard Munoz Gonzales LLP