Arkansas Dealership Ordered to Pay $5.8 Million for Lemon Ferrari

“Buyer beware” is an important piece of advice for anyone considering purchasing a vehicle. Thanks to a new decision out of a court in Arkansas, maybe it’s the sellers who should think twice before pushing a lemon.

A jury recently ordered a car dealership to pay $5.8 million to a man who claimed it sold him a Ferrari without disclosing various problems with the car. That includes a leaky fuel pump, suspension problems, and a cracked exhaust manifold, according to Jalopnik. Although the buyer—Hamid Adeli—paid $90,000 for the luxury sports car, the jury hit Superior Automotive Group with $5 million in punitive damages for failing to disclose the problems with the vehicle.

Adeli bought the 2007 Ferrari F430 without ever actually seeing it in person, according to Automotive News. Instead, he communicated with the seller through phone calls, texts and video chats. The car was shipped to a Ferrari dealership in Texas for a pre-purchase inspection and then sent to Virginia, where Adeli lives.

Adeli later said he started smelling gas shortly after he started driving the car home. The smell worsened overnight, so he had the vehicle towed for another inspection. That’s when he found out he’d been sold a lemon.

Legal Protections for California Car Buyers

The case of the janky Ferrari is yet another example of how manufacturers and dealers often try to get over on car buyers with vehicles that aren’t up to snuff. That’s where the California lemon law comes in. The law obligates manufacturers to take responsibility for defective cars. It puts the burden on the car maker to fix the vehicle or compensate the owner in certain cases.

The law requires car makers to repair various defects and other problems with the vehicle while it’s under warranty. If those efforts don’t work, the manufacturer is required to compensate the owner for the purchase price and/or down payment and financing charges, as well as other expenses like car rentals, towing and repair costs. The manufacturer may also offer to replace the car instead.

The law applies to both new and used cars, if repair attempts happen during the vehicle’s warranty period. The number of repair attempts required for the law to kick in depends on the situation.

How an Experienced Los Angeles Lemon Law Attorney Can Help You

If you’re a California car owner who’s stuck with a lemon, it’s important that you consult an experienced lawyer to consider your rights and options. The Los Angeles Lemon Law attorneys at the Bickel Law Firm have represented hundreds of clients in defective vehicle cases across the state.

We understand the significant stress that can come with haggling with car dealers and manufacturers. Our lawyers work aggressively to resolve these cases for the people that we represent. We do not charge upfront fees in most cases.

Our offices are conveniently located in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Call us at (888) 800-1983 or contact us online to speak with an attorney.