News : Class Action Lawsuit Defeated at Trial!

CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT DEFEATED AT TRIAL!


On August 13, 2008, Senior Partner Chris Maile and Senior Associate Soojin Kang prevailed at trial in defense of a class-action lawsuit against a San Diego Ford dealership. The plaintiffs in this case were 1,500 car purchasers who brought a class-action lawsuit against the Ford dealership alleging the dealership had violated the Auto Sales Finance Act ( California's version of the Federal Truth-in-Lending Act), the Consumer Legal Remedies Act and California's Unfair Competition Law. Plaintiffs' pre-trial settlement demand was $2,000,000 which was raised to $7,500,000 during trial.

In April, the defendant served a Statutory Offer of $500,000. At trial, plaintiffs demanded $34,500,000. In the end, the court awarded plaintiffs $191,845.62. The dealership will be seeking statutory attorneys' fees as the prevailing party.

The Firm's multi-state team of litigators have successfully represented numerous automobile dealerships in actions alleging deceptive advertising practices and violation of the Auto Sales Finance Act. If you own and/or operate an automobile dealership - these important issues should be addressed. For answers to your questions re risk mitigation, please contact Mr. Maile at (818) 205-9955.
Related Attorney(s):
Soojin Kang
Christopher S. Maile

Related Practice Area(s):
General Litigation
Transportation Law

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