As General Motors begins to compensate the victims of crashes tied to faulty ignition switches, this week more than a dozen families were given a choice: accept a settlement, presumably in the millions of dollars, or fight GM in a potentially lengthy court battle.

Among them were the families of two Wisconsin teenagers killed in an Oct. 24, 2006, crash of a Chevrolet Cobalt. They recently dropped their lawsuit against GM in favor of seeking a settlement.