Bruning: GM circumventing state laws

LINCOLN (AP) — Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning is accusing General Motors of trying to circumvent state consumer protection laws.

In a letter Monday to other states' attorneys generals, Bruning says GM is claiming states' laws protecting consumers and dealerships can be ignored.

Bruning's letter comes as GM plans to close some 1,300 dealerships nationwide as part of it's plan to emerge from bankruptcy as a new company.

Bruning says GM is insisting current dealers sign new dealership agreements in order to be part of the new operation. Bruning says those agreements force current dealers to waive state protection laws.

Bruning says the move deprives or defers warranty service for consumers and violates lemon laws. He says it may also violate antitrust laws.