Honda Civic Hybrid Class Action Lawsuit Settled, Tentatively
The curious case of Heather Peters taking Honda to small claims court may not be over, but the class action suit she opted out of most likely is.
A California judge tentatively approved a settlement that would award between $100 and $200 to Honda Civic hybrid owners who joined the suit filed because of inflated gas milage claims by the Japanese automaker. The decisions also credits those owners with a voucher toward purchasing a new Honda.
Judge Timothy Taylor did not, however, agree with the claims by members of the suit who believed they should receive more money in light of Peters’ $9,867 judgment. Instead, he said settlements are about compromise.
“No doubt plaintiffs would have loved to have gotten more; certainly their counsel had every incentive to get as much as possible. … Honda undoubtedly has many arrows left in its quiver, and certainly would have preferred to pay nothing,” he wrote.
The settlement is for owners of Honda Civic hybrids spanning the 2003-09 model years and includes $8 million in plaintiff attorney fees, which is stirring controversy among some of the Civic owners who feel shorted.
As for Peters, Honda vowed to appeal the the small claims decision that landed in her favor, though news has yet to surface on progress in the case.
[Source: Detroit News]
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
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CONGRATULATIONS to all of you brainiacs that participated in this frivolous class action suit. You're a part of the litigious monster that is strangling our country to death. Yeah, you got a hundred bucks and the scumbag lawyers got $8 MILLION. They're laughing all the way to the bank. You just made it more expensive for all of us to purchase our next new car.
Honda has filed an appeal to the class action settlement. According to the hchsettlement website, as of May 21, 2012, it is now anyones guess if this will ever be settled. So now, like thousands of Honda owners whohad faulty IMF batteries installed, that must be replaced to the tune of $3,000, and whichwould have been replaced with the extended warranty (because Hondaknew when they installed them that they had major problems)I must sell it at a great loss to buy a good car. What a terrible company. No honor. No conscience.