Justin Owen v. Ford Motor Company
Published: Mar. 11, 2003 | Result Date: Jan. 17, 2003 | Filing Date: Jan. 1, 1900 |Case number: 02CC02646 Verdict – $0
Judge
Court
Orange Superior
Attorneys
Plaintiff
Defendant
Darren P. Johnson
(Law Office of Anthony T. Schneider)
Brian Takahashi
(Bowman and Brooke LLP)
Experts
Plaintiff
James Hughes
(technical)
Defendant
William Schramm
(technical)
Facts
On May 28, 2001, the plaintiff purchased from Honda Santa Ana a used 2001 Ford Mustang convertible with 27,118 miles on its odometer. Before the expiration of his three year/36,000 mile basic warranty, the plaintiff took the car into Ford authorized dealerships on four occasions for an intermittent "clunk" noise upon acceleration. The Ford dealerships addressed the plaintiff's concerns by tightening the suspension and replacing the motor mounts. After the fourth repair attempt, the plaintiff wrote to Ford and demanded that it repurchase the vehicle because the noise still existed. Ford denied the plaintiff's request.
Settlement Discussions
The plaintiff's lowest demand was $20,000 with his retention of the vehicle. The defendant's highest offer was $7,500.
Damages
The plaintiff sought $22,343 as compensatory damages, civil penalty and attorney's fees.
Deliberation
3.5 hours
Poll
9-3
Length
three days
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