GM Ignition Case Spin Battle Reignites as Sealing Bid Fails

A shop foreman installs tumblers for the key cylinder during recall work on a GM 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt.

Photographer: Jeff Kowalsky/Bloomberg
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General Motors Co. may face a renewed media campaign over what a key opponent called its “false narrative” about recalls of cars with defective ignition switches.

GM lost a bid to stop lawyers from circulating information about the recalls, obtained ahead of a January trial. The automaker said its chances for a fair hearing were being hurt by the publicity, but a judge ruled Friday that public interest in the scandal largely trumped that concern.