A federal judge in Atlanta has sent an important wrongful death lawsuit against General Motors back to a Georgia court.

Judge Thomas Thrash Jr. ruled Friday that a Cobb County judge should handle the case filed by the family of Brooke Melton. GM had moved the case to the federal court system.

Melton, a 29-year-old nurse, died in a crash near Atlanta. Her parents sued GM alleging that a faulty ignition switch in her Chevrolet Cobalt unexpectedly shut off the engine, causing her to lose control of the car.

The case exposed that GM knew about the faulty switches for more than a decade but failed to recall the cars until this year.

The Melton family settled for $5 million but now wants to reopen the case.