[shiroiushi]

>If the lawyers worked for free you might get double or triple the settlement, but it's hardly better to get $300 off a paint job than $100. The cash equivalent is probably only $30.

No, the cash equivalent is probably $-200 or so.

The problem is that the individuals affected didn't get anything of value. They got a $100 off coupon at the dealership for a paint job there. Which means the dealership is just going to inflate the price by at least that much, and dealerships are already known to have higher prices than competing businesses anyway.

If they had gotten a $100 voucher for a paint job at any paint business, or better yet a $100 check to spend as they wish, then this would have cost GM something at least. But instead, they stood to profit from the "payout".