|
Peters opted out of a series of class-action lawsuits filed on behalf of Honda hybrid owners over the cars' fuel economy, when she saw a proposed settlement would give plaintiffs no more than $200 cash and a rebate of $500 or $1,000 to purchase a new Honda. Honda sold about 200,000 of the cars over the period covered by the settlement. The settlement would give trial lawyers $8.5 million, Peters said. "I was shocked," she said. "I wrote to Honda and said I would take $7,500, which was then the limit on small claims in California. It is going up to $10,000 in 2012." Typical limits in other states range from $2,500 to $15,000. "I wrote the letter and I said, `If you don't respond, I will file a suit in small-claims court.' I gave them my phone number," she said. "They never called." She said she also sent emails to top executives at Honda but got no response. She filed legal papers seeking reimbursement for the difference in the purchase price of the hybrid and the extra money she spent on gas. Aaron Jacoby, a Los Angeles attorney who heads the automotive industry group at the Arent Fox law firm, said Peters' strategy, while intriguing, is unlikely to change the course of class-action litigation. "In the class-action, the potential claimants don't have to do anything," Jacoby said. "It's designed to be an efficient way for a court to handle multiple claims of the same type." Jacoby also defended the size of lawyers' fees in such settlements, saying class-action lawyers do extensive work that involves many clients and sometimes spans years. And they are not in it just for money. "They're representing the underdog, and they believe they are performing a public duty," he said. "Many of these people could not get lawyers to represent them individually." Superior Court Commissioner Douglas Carnahan issued no immediate ruling in Peters' case Tuesday, but his staff said he would rule this week. Civil class-action cases almost always take years to resolve. A judge in San Diego County is due to rule in March on whether to approve Honda's class-action settlement offer for hybrid owners. Members of the class have until Feb. 11 to accept or decline the deal. Peters has launched a website, DontSettleWithHonda.org, urging others to take their complaints to small-claims court. She said Tuesday that more than 500 other Honda owners, including some who live in Australia, contacted her and want to follow her lead.
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries
Community |
Perspectives
|
Law & Courts |
Leisure Time
|
Spiritual Life |
Health & Fitness |
Teen Scene
Calendar
|
Letters to the Editor