Every year, big corporations are working behind closed doors to slowly strip away the rights of consumers. This year in California, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an organization comprised of auto manufacturers and major suppliers, is pushing to do just that by backing SB 71 (Umberg) – which is on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk.
Of all the recent changes to California lemon law, this is one of the most detrimental we’ve seen in nearly a decade.
SB 71 is a huge threat to California lemon law – and consumer justice as a whole.
If you purchased a vehicle with recurring manufacturer defects (a lemon), you should not be stuck with large legal expenses. SB 71 is trying to change this to put more financial burden on consumers.
California residents have a chance to fight back and preserve their rights against giant corporations.
What Does SB 71 Mean for Consumers?
SB 71 is a bill that will increase the jurisdiction of limited civil courts from $25,000 to $35,000, meaning if your car is less than $35,000, the doors to California courtrooms will be closed to you, or put another way, only the very wealthy will have access to our courts.
These recent updates to California lemon law could have a giant negative impact on consumer justice if passed into law by Governor Newsom.
By increasing this limit in civil courts, many consumers who purchased lemon vehicles in California would be denied access to the court system – which is funded by their tax dollars. With these changes to California lemon law, consumers would not be able to get the discovery process they need to prove they have a lemon. It would also make filing cases in unlimited civil courts much riskier.
Manufacturers are legally obligated to pay for the consumer’s attorney fees and court costs if they end up with a lemon. With SB 71, consumers would be denied these rights if the value of their repurchased vehicle does not exceed $35,000. Only the wealthiest Californians would have access to the people’s law, the “lemon law.”
This would be a HUGE blow to consumer justice which is granted by California lemon law.
What Does SB 71 Mean for Auto Manufacturers?
Every auto manufacturer has a single goal in a lemon law claim: minimize their payout to the affected consumer as much as possible – by any means necessary.
Today, manufacturers are trying to bend the law in their favor by making anti-consumer changes to California lemon law.
Among the reasons the Alliance gives in their letter of support for SB 71:
“SB 71 will help to improve litigation and lessen the overcrowded burden in California’s court system.”
Translation: We don’t want the common citizen to have access to the court system. They want a rigged system. If this bill passes into law, huge numbers of auto lemon owners will lose the ability to fight back in court.
Don’t be fooled. Auto manufacturers do not care about overcrowding in the court system. This is about preventing consumer justice.
Governor Newsom has until October 14 to sign or veto SB 71. He may act at any time until then. So, the time for people on my side to act is NOW.
What’s the Next Step in Preserving Consumer Justice?
If you end up with a lemon, it’s a result of the manufacturer’s negligence – not yours.
Your unfortunate situation is due to failures in their factory’s processes and quality assurance protocols. You shouldn’t have to pay ANYTHING out-of-pocket to make it right.
I’m calling on all California residents to take action and persuade Governor Newsom to VETO SB 71.
This is an uphill battle, but it’s not impossible.
Make Your Voice Heard!
Here’s what you can do:
- Read through the letter sent to Governor Newsom written by pro-consumer groups and nonprofits.
- Send a brief, personalized email to Governor Newsom. Under “Topic”, choose “An active bill” and then “SB 71”.
When you send the email, let Governor Newsom know that you live in California and urge him to VETO SB 71. Then use your own words to explain why. For example, “I spent less than $35,000 to buy a brand new car, and it was in the shop for repairs for over two months. Ford refuses to buy it back. California needs a strong auto lemon law. Don’t weaken it. I urge you to VETO SB 71.”
For any questions about SB 71 and other changes to California lemon law – as well as what you can do – get in touch with a CA lemon law attorney at Cline APC.
