Posted on 01/08/2012 1:08:24 PM PST by bkopto
A woman who expected her Civic Hybrid to be her dream car wants Honda to pay for not delivering the 50 mpg it promised.
But rather than joining other owners in a class-action lawsuit, Heather Peters is going solo against the automaker in small-claims court, an unusual move that could offer a bigger payout. And if successful, it could open the door to a flood of similar lawsuits.
A trial was set for Tuesday in Torrance, where American Honda has its West Coast headquarters.
Peters, a former lawyer, says that as her vehicle's battery deteriorated, it got only 30 mpg.
When Honda ignored her complaints, she filed legal papers seeking reimbursement for her trouble and the extra money she spent on gas. The suit could cost the company up to $10,000.
If other Civic owners follow her lead, she estimates Honda could be forced to pay as much as $2 billion in damages. No high-priced lawyers are involved, and the process is streamlined.
"I would not be surprised if she won," said Richard Cupp Jr., who teaches product-liability law at Pepperdine University. "The judge will have a lot of discretion, and the evidentiary standards are relaxed in small-claims court."
Small-claims courts generally handle private disputes that do not involve large amounts of money. In many states, that means small debts, quarrels between tenants and landlords and contract disagreements.
A victory for Peters could encourage others to take the same simplified route, he said.
"There's an old saying among lawyers," Cupp said. "If you want real justice, go to small-claims court."
(Excerpt) Read more at chicoer.com ...
Please excuse this post. Posted by request of the mod because of a technical issue.
“What is the relationship of Miles Per Gallon and batterys? - tom”
When the batteries do not hold as much charge the gas engine has to run more.
Hydbrids are dumb. A direct-injected turbo-Diesel gets 45-50mpg when you buy it and it still gets 45-50mpg 10 years later.
The “hybrid” fuel economy gains depend on the ability to store energy, i.e., in the battery. As the battery degrades, so do the hybrid benefits.
Hell, my brother’s old gasoline-only Civic got better than 30 MPG.
How many miles PER GALLON OF BATTERY is that, again?
LOL
One of my buddies has a VW TDI Jetta sedan that gets 52mpg.
My Civic hatchback with manual transmission routinely got over 35 mpg. BTW, anyone here own a Honda CRZ hybrid?
“How many miles PER GALLON OF BATTERY is that, again?”
Not only that but how many $$$ will it cost to replace said battery when it completely poops out? And how will said battery be disposed of?
Hybrid cars: a solution ins search of a problem.
I think you folks are missing the point.
The plaintiff is poking a stick in the eye the tort lawyers.
Isn’t this one of the known caveats to buying a hybrid?
I hope this lady is awarded NOTHING. Do some research next time you gold digger.
I have a feeling that the car has not been in hybrid mode for a long while. So it’s just like a regular Civic lugging around hundreds of extra pounds of batteries. I’m sure there’s a data logging computer on board which would indicate this.
If it was in hybrid mode, then she deserves a settlement. Small claims is the way to go since regular court class action is nothing more than a lawyer employment exercise.
The best line in the story was the one by the shyster stating that class action shysters aren’t in it “just for the money. They believe that they are representing the underdog.” LOL.
The plaintiff is “a former lawyer”.
Well, aren't you nice.
Yep! No lawyers allowed to represent either side in a small-claims court.
>>Please excuse this post. Posted by request of the mod because of a technical issue.<<
You better get at least 30 posts per gratuitous mod (PGM).
Back in the 1980s I had a girlfriend who owned 1983 4-door Civic that I used to drive all the time. I would routinely get over 40 miles per gallon (I got 44 mpg once on a trip from Granada Hills, CA to Yosemite Valley.) That’s why I laugh when I hear stories like this. If the statists would just leave well enough alone the free-market would have kept cars like that around and improved on them.
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