“Loser Pays” and Its Impact on Lemon Law Claims

Every state has a Lemon Law, which requires a manufacturer to give you a refund or a replacement vehicle if they can’t fix a new car’s defect within a certain number of attempts. As we all know, car manufacturers will try to do whatever they can to get out of compensating a consumer who has a lemon. So, when a manufacturer refuses, it’s up to the consumer to file a Lemon Law claim.

Lemon Law Arbitration

A number of states require that the consumer enter an arbitration program run by either the manufacturer or the state. The rationale is that, if the two parties’ differences can be smoothed out, it won’t burden the court system. In practice, however, car manufacturers have legal teams that fight Lemon Law claims – whether in arbitration or in the court system. It’s much more likely that consumers will have positive outcomes and get the compensation they deserve when they hire a Lemon Law attorney. This is because most state laws say that, if the consumer wins the case, the manufacturer has to pay the consumer’s attorney’s fees. Therefore, manufacturers need to weigh the cost of fighting the claim (that is, the cost of their legal team plus the consumer’s lawyer) against agreeing to a buyback or replacement vehicle. If the consumer has a lawyer and a good case, chances are that the manufacturer will back down and pay up.

What is “Loser Pays” Policy?

England and many other European countries have what’s termed a “loser pays” policy, whereby whoever is on the losing side of a legal action has to pay the legal fees of the prevailing party. While this might seem fair on the face of it, loser pays undermines the foundation of Lemon Laws and other laws that include what’s termed “fee-shifting.” Think about it. The average consumer simply doesn’t have the resources to risk filing a Lemon Law claim and having to pay GM’s or Chrysler’s legal bills. No one in their right mind would take a car manufacturer to court – even if they had a solid case.

How Lemon Law Protects You

Lemon Laws certainly don’t provide consumers with an unfair advantage; if anything, they make it difficult to get relief by imposing stringent requirements on consumers. Awarding attorneys’ fees in a successful Lemon Law claim puts the onus where it belongs: squarely on the shoulders of the car manufacturer who made and sold a defective product.

There’s a counter-argument, he thinks that attorney’s fees are causing the legal system to run amok. But we disagree. First, consumers are regularly abused by big car companies, who have bottomless pockets with which to fight claims against them. Second, because Lemon Law claims result in relatively low dollar amount settlements (thousands of dollars instead of hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars) it’s impossible for attorneys to bring cases without also being awarded fees.

Is Your Car a Lemon? Speak to a Lemon Law Lawyer Today

If you think you have a lemon car, lemon truck, lemon RV, or lemon motorcycle, you deserve to be compensated. Lemberg Law can help you get justice – at no cost to you! Complete our form for a no-obligation case evaluation, or call toll free 877-795-3666.