Legal action in the GM "piston-slap" lawsuits

The issue of "piston slap" is finally getting some action in court this week.  The defect occurred in some GM GenIII V8s built between 1999-2002 and causes a ticking or knocking sound (usually during cold starts, although some users have reported it even after warm-up). A bunch of owners filed lawsuits, claiming that the condition has destroyed the resale values of their trucks, and now with the glacial speed of our legal system, some action is finally occurring. Earlier this week, a judge in Oklahoma threw out some of the claims against GM, but that still leaves open the possibility for federal class-action status; a ruling on that should come within the next month. This whole thing probably will not go down as a sterling example of customer issue management and resolution.