Nader v. G.M. (Contd.)

Ralph Nader, the crusading critic of auto safety standards, has carried his long public feud with General Motors before television cameras, congressional committees and the courts. But last week both sides met quietly--and the young lawyer came away with his most lucrative victory yet. In an out-of-court settlement of his suit against G.M. for invasion of privacy, the company agreed to pay Nader $425,000 in damages.

Nader charged four years ago that once G.M. heard of his investigation of the automobile industry, which he was about to publicize in his book, Unsafe at Any Speed, the company began a snooping operation of its own. In his suit Nader complained that G.M. had hired a firm of private investigators, whose detectives shadowed him, harassed him with threatening phone calls and interrogated his acquaintances about his personal life. Attractive girls, Nader said, were used in the hope of luring him into compromising sexual escapades. Though former G.M. President James Roche apologized publicly for the harassment, he denied that he or other G.M. governing officers knew about it. Last week, G.M. still insisted that the settlement was only a convenience, not an admission of guilt.

The settlement, which Nader's lawyer claims to be the largest in the history of invasion-of-privacy litigation, has hardly assuaged Nader's feelings toward G.M. He announced that he would pour the funds into further monitoring of G.M.'s record on safety, pollution and consumer relations. For the time being Nader's check has been deposited in the First National City Bank--which he is currently investigating for discriminatory loan and trust activities.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.