GM Suing Employees, Families To Recoup $450K In Misused Employee Discounts

GM has filed at least three lawsuits in a bid to recoup $450,000 in improperly extended employee discounts given by former employees, retirees and their widows, reports the Detroit News. The irony? GM filed the latest lawsuits on the same day it began its latest "employee pricing for everyone" promotion. When not in the midst of an employee pricing free-for-all, GM allows as many as six vehicles a year to be purchased with employee discounts, and the special pricing can be given to family members including children and same-sex domestic partners. But GM is arguing that the employees in question gave away (or sold) their unique employee purchase ID number to friends and/or acquaintances who would not have otherwise been able to receive the discount. Jalopnik Snap Judgment: So how rampant is this problem? Considering that a massive corporation like GM is going after less than half a million bucks, it wouldn't seem like a very big deal. But GM is sending a message here that they're taking everything seriously. And, being as some of us are Metro Detroiters, we can sympathize with GM to some extent: Automaker employee discounts are swapped and sold like cash in this town (even appearing on Craigslist at times) since everyone knows someone who works at each of the Detroit Three. Bottom line: It sucks that it's getting harder to game the system, but we can't blame GM for asking people to play by the rules. [Detroit News]