HR 5331119th CongressIntroduced

Auto Bailout Accident Victims Recovery Act of 2025

Introduced: Sep 11, 2025

Economy & Taxes

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

This bill, titled the Auto Bailout Accident Victims Recovery Act of 2025, would reopen and extend the window for certain government-related takings claims tied to the General Motors bailout. Specifically, it would waive any statute of limitations for eligible civil actions arising from the GM bailout, allowing claims filed on or before July 9, 2015 to proceed. The United States would be required to pay “just compensation” to eligible claimants, calculated as a lump-sum payment using a defined formula, and paid under the federal claims process. If no settlement is submitted within 60 days after enactment, the Attorney General must report to Congress on why a settlement could not be reached. The bill also establishes detailed definitions for who qualifies as an eligible claimant and what constitutes an eligible claim, tying eligibility to a specific bankruptcy and legal proceedings related to Motors Liquidation Company (the GM assets wind-down). In short, the bill aims to provide a structured, government-funded settlement for certain longstanding claims related to the GM bailout by removing deadlines to sue, defining eligible participants, and prescribing a specific formula for compensation.

Key Points

1Waiver of the statute of limitations: Eligible claims arising from the GM bailout that were filed by July 9, 2015 would not be subject to any statute of limitations, allowing older cases to proceed.
2Just compensation and payment: The United States would pay just compensation to eligible claimants to resolve eligible claims, with payments made under 31 U.S.C. § 1304 (the federal government’s payment authority to resolve claims).
3Definitions of who is eligible:
4- Eligible claim: a claim asserted on behalf of all eligible claimants in an eligible complaint.
5- Eligible claimant: a plaintiff, class member, or putative class member who filed a proof of claim in the Motors Liquidation bankruptcy (No. 09-50026) based on death or personal injuries tied to GM vehicles or parts manufactured/sold/delivered before June 1, 2009.
6- Eligible complaint: the complaint filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims on July 9, 2015 (Campbell, et al. v. United States) alleging the U.S. violated the Fifth Amendment in connection with the 2009 GM asset acquisition by NGMCO, Inc.
7Settlement process and reporting: If a settlement agreement has not been submitted within 60 days after enactment, the Attorney General must report to Congress on why a settlement could not be reached with counsel of record for an eligible complaint.
8Just compensation formula: The lump-sum payment for each eligible claimant equals:
9- 2.5 times the “allowed amount” listed on the final claims register from the Motors Liquidation bankruptcy case (as of June 3, 2021),
10- plus interest from July 10, 2009 to the settlement date at 3.5% per year, compounded quarterly,
11- plus reasonable court-approved fees and costs for counsel of record,
12- with no offsets of any kind.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected:- Eligible claimants and their families or estates who have death or personal injury claims tied to GM defects pre-2009, represented in the specified bankruptcy and court filings.Secondary group/area affected:- The U.S. government and taxpayers, due to potential direct outlays to fund the settlements.Additional impacts:- Legal and procedural: creates a constrained, formula-driven path to resolve longstanding takings claims tied to the GM bailout, potentially reducing ongoing litigation over these claims.- Financial: the compensation formula (2.5x allowed amount plus interest and costs) could result in substantial liability, depending on the size of eligible claims and the bankruptcy’s final allowed amounts.- Accountability/transparency: the 60-day settlement submission window and AG reporting requirement aim to provide congressional oversight if settlements are not reached promptly.The bill centers on takings claims under the Fifth Amendment, invoking the government’s obligation to provide just compensation when government action is deemed to take private property for public use.Eligibility hinges on a specific set of bankruptcy and court filings related to Motors Liquidation Company and the 2009 GM bailout, tying the relief to a narrow legal pathway rather than a broad class of claims.

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