(Bloomberg) -- The Oklahoma mail carrier at the center of thefirst trial over General Motors Co.’s deadlyignition-switch defect is dropping his claims after he and hiswife were accused of lying in court, in a major victory for thecarmaker.

Robert Scheuer, 49, will walk away empty-handed, ending alawsuit that was supposed to serve as a guide for hundreds ofothers against GM over the ignition switch, his lawyer said in afiling Friday in Manhattan federal court.

Scheuer sued over claims the defective switch in his 2003 SaturnIon disabled his air bag in an accident that led to neck and backinjuries. The case, the first of six so-called bellwether trialsused to help settle mass litigation, collapsed after GM foundevidence undermining several claims. They included the nature ofhis injuries and his family’s eviction from their “dream house”after the wreck.

“The apparent lies the plaintiff and his wife told the juryended the trial early, and we are pleased that the case is overwithout any payment whatsoever to Mr. Scheuer,” a GM spokesman,James Cain, said in a statement.

‘Devastating’ evidence

U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman on Thursday granted GM’srequest to show jurors evidence that Scheuer and his wife,Lisa, had fabricated the story blaming GM for their eviction aboutfour months after the accident. The judge said the new evidencewould probably be “devastating,” making the suit “almost worthlessas a bellwether case.”

“To have any trial end in such an unexpected and unfortunate wayis disappointing, especially given the time and effort we put intogetting ready,” Scheuer’s lawyer Robert Hilliard said Friday.“There are legitimate concerns about the safety of this vehicle asa result of this defect. A jury needs to decide, and that’sunrelated to a dream house issue. The next jury will have thatopportunity.”

Detroit-based GM claimed Scheuer had doctored a federal-government check stub to provide “proof of funds” to move into thefamily’s new home. When the real estate agent found out, the familywas evicted, the carmaker said. GM said the real estate agent hadcome forward after the trial started, and that the company hadextensive evidence that it had nothing to do with the family’sfinancial troubles.

Scheuer and his wife both hired criminal-defense attorneys thisweek after the carmaker accused them of lying.

Bellwether cases

Their trial was the first of six bellwether ignition-switchcases intended to help the carmaker and thousands of motorists inpossible settlements and other litigation after GM admitted theflaw affected millions of vehicles.

In the bellwether system, each side chooses representative casesfor alternating trials. Now the attention will turn to one pickedby GM.

It was filed by plaintiffs who claim they were injured in aJanuary 2014 crash on an icy bridge in New Orleans. GM is alreadyhinting at its defense in that case, which is set for trial inMarch.

Other accidents

At least 38 other vehicles “had accidents on the same bridgethat evening due to black ice weather conditions,” Cain saidFriday. “This was a very low-speed crash and there is no claimabout airbag non deployment. Rather, the claim is the switchrotated causing a loss of control.”

The first case for trial was chosen by Hilliard, who with SteveBermanis leading the ignition-switch litigation. Hilliard hasn’tdenied the allegations of forgery and perjury against the Scheuersin the case dismissed Friday.

Related: GM ignition nightmare won't go away, for victims orcompany

“Plaintiff’s counsel picked the wrong plaintiff and didn’t vethim well enough to catch huge problems with using him in abellwether. The judge cannot be amused,” said Erik Gordon, abusiness professor at the University of Michigan who isn’t involvedin the case.

GM recalled 2.59 million cars due to the defect and has alreadypaid more than $2 billion in legal costs and settlements. DespiteGM’s admissions, the company is challenging liability in hundredsof individual cases.

The company argued all along that Scheuer’s wreck wasn’t badenough to trigger the air bag, and that he had suffered from severeneck and back pain for more than a decade before the crash.

Agent’s evidence

The Scheuers testified the eviction from their home was GM’sfault because Robert Scheuer suffered memory loss after the wreckand misplaced a check for a down payment. GM said that, after thetrial started, the couple’s real estate agent reached out withevidence of the alleged forgery and planned to testify aboutit.

According to the company, Robert Scheuer altered the originalcheck by adding “$441” to the original amount, $430.72, making itappear to be $441,430.72. The carmaker said he also altered thedate and used Postal Service stickers from his job to make itappear the check had been mailed, when it hadn’t.

The case is Fleck v. General Motors LLC, 1:14-cv-08176,U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

--With assistance from David Welch and Sophia Pearson.

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