Did General Motors get away with manslaughter?

Many auto safety advocates believe the answer is yes.

But now, apparently so does federal district court Judge Jed Rakoff.

In 2014, GM recalled millions of cars worldwide because of faulty ignition switches which could shut off the engine and prevent airbags from inflating. GM has paid compensation for more than 120 deaths that resulted.

Writing in the New York Review of Books, Rakoff takes a shot at federal prosecutors ending their criminal probe into the matter with a deferred prosecution agreement.

Rakoff was reviewing Columbia University Law Professor John Coffee’s new book — Entrepreneurial Litigation: Its Rise, Fall, and Future (Harvard University Press, 2015).

“It is true that on September 9, 2015, the Justice Department — in reaction to public criticism of this failure — announced that prosecution of such individuals would be given priority ‘effective immediately,’ but only eight days later, on September 17, the Justice Department entered into a ‘deferred prosecution’ agreement with General Motors for intentionally concealing a defective ignition switch linked to at least 169 deaths. Although those responsible for this purposeful concealment would seemingly be responsible, at a minimum, for manslaughter, no individuals were named.”