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Tesla Settles Lemon Law Case

Dec 1, 2014

Lemon law cases have the potential to become contentious, especially when the subject of the suit is an exotic car with a high price tag.

Also, if the automaker starts making allegations against the consumer, the case might become more adversarial in nature. The California auto-maker Tesla has recently been involved in a lemon lawsuit where allegations of tampering were made against a purchaser.

Robert Montgomery, a Wisconsin doctor, purchased an electric Tesla Model S in March of 2013. Within a short period of time the car was out of service for 66 days. Montgomery claimed that the car would not start or shift into gear. He also claimed that the battery cooling system was faulty and that the door handles did not work, among other things. Every time the car needed to be repaired it had to be brought to Chicago as there are no Tesla service centers in Wisconsin.

Montgomery retained a Milwaukee attorney and brought a lemon law case against the automaker. While the defendant was initially quiet, they eventually made a statement on the manufacturer website claiming that the owner tampered with the car. The defendant claimed that Montgomery tampered with a fuse in the vehicle causing electrical problems. The automaker has also claimed to do everything they could to assist the consumer.

Montgomery and his attorney denied all of the tampering accusations and continued to pursue a settlement. Their efforts paid off as Tesla recently agreed to a repurchase. The automaker agreed to buy back the vehicle for almost $127,000 and to pay attorneys fees of almost $19,000.

If you believe that your car is a lemon, you should contact an experienced attorney to evaluate your claim. While lemon law cases can be pursued without the assistance of an attorney, they rarely go far without legal counsel.

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