Los Angeles Lemon Law Firm
Bickel Sannipoli APC, A Lemon Law Firm of California
10940 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 1600
Los Angeles, California 90024-3944
Phone Number: 310-734-4099
Bickel Sannipoli APC, Los Angeles Lemon Law Attorneys
Bickel Sannipoli APC is a Southern California-based lemon law firm established in 2005 that represents consumers in Los Angeles County and throughout the entire state of California. The great majority of Bickel Sannipoli’s Los Angeles lemon law cases have settled without the need for trial. However, our lemon law lawyers are experienced trial attorneys, and we are prepared to go to trial if necessary.
Building a reputation as trial lawyers gives us great leverage when negotiating lemon law claims with the auto manufacturers. Under the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act (California’s lemon law), the manufacturer must pay the consumer’s attorney’s fees and costs on a meritorious claim. Through a jury trial, attorneys' fees and costs will be in the six figures, so the manufacturers have great financial incentive to settle early instead of engaging in expensive, protracted litigation.
Seeking Civil Penalty Damages in Trial: Civil penalty damages are awarded under California Civil Code § 1794(c) if we can prove that the manufacturer’s failure to comply with the California lemon law was willful. Seeking additional civil penalty damages in addition to the repurchase can prolong litigation and impede early settlement. In our experience, most of our clients prefer a quick statutory repurchase without the risks and hassles of extended litigation over additional civil penalties.
As a matter of general protocol, we at Bickel Sannipoli APC do not typically seek civil penalty damages when negotiating settlements early in litigation. That said, in the small percentage of cases the manufacturers force to trial, we almost always seek civil penalty damages under California Civil Code § 1794(c). If a case is in trial, there is little downside to seeking civil penalty damages.
Bickel Sannipoli APC’s Los Angeles Lemon Law Trials: Bickel Sannipoli, APC has tried many cases since the firm’s founding in 2005. Some memorable Los Angeles County cases in which Bickel Sannipoli obtained a plaintiff’s verdict with civil penalty damages are:
- Jenkins vs BMW of North America, LLC. Los Angeles Superior Court, Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Case No. BC482960. (2013). The Honorable Michael Stern presiding. Ms. Jenkins was represented by Bickel Sannipoli APC. BMW was represented by RoganLehrman LLP, a Los Angeles lemon law defense firm. Ms. Jenkins’ 2007 BMW 335i suffered from a harsh, high-pitched brake noise at low speeds. After a days-long trial, the jury found in favor of Ms. Jenkins, awarding a repurchase and additional civil penalty damages for a combined lemon law award to Ms. Jenkins of $51,156.00.
- Lee vs. Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC. Los Angeles Superior Court, Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Case No. BC639731. (2018). The Honorable Ruth Ann Kwan presiding. Mercedes-Benz was represented by Lehrman Law Group out of Los Angeles County, and Bickel Sannipoli tried the case for Ms. Lee. The trial involved a 2014 Mercedes-Benz E350W which exhibited defects to its steering column and MBRACE system. After a four-day trial, the jury awarded a repurchase to Ms. Lee with $38,959.48 in actual damages and $10,040.52 in civil penalty damages under California Civil Code § 1794(c) for a combined lemon law award to Ms. Lee of $49,000.00.
Bickel Sannipoli’s More Recent Los Angeles Lemon Law Trials: Bickel Sannipoli’s more recent trial victories in Los Angeles Superior Court include:
- Robinson vs. Kia Motors America, Inc. Los Angeles Superior Court, Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Case No. 18STCV02439. (2021). The Honorable Armen Tamzarian presiding. Kia was defended by Los Angeles lemon law firm SJL Law, LLP. Mr. Robinson was represented in trial by Bickel Sannipoli APC. The lemon law case involved a 2017 Kia Niro which suffered from an ongoing defect to its engine. After a four-day trial in which seven witnesses testified, the jury rendered a verdict for Mr. Robinson and ordered Kia to pay compensatory restitution to Mr. Robinson under the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act.
- Lu Lao vs. Ford Motor Company. Los Angeles Superior Court, Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Case No. 19STCV19414. (2022). The Honorable Elaine Lu presiding. Ford Motor Company was represented by Los Angeles lemon law firm Sanders Roberts LLP, and Plaintiffs Lu and Lao were represented by Bickel Sannipoli APC. The trial involved a 2016 Ford Flex which suffered from an abnormal creaking from its windshield. The jury awarded a statutory repurchase to Plaintiffs in the amount of $45,591.80 plus an additional $46,000.00 in civil penalty damages under California Civil Code § 1794(c) for a cumulative award of $91,591.80.
- Kawakami vs. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Los Angeles Superior Court, Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Case No. BC644440. (2022). The Honorable Bruce Iwasaki presiding. Toyota hired Sutton & Murphy to defend the claim in trial. Los Angeles lemon law lawyers at Bickel Sannipoli APC litigated the trial for Mr. Kawakami. Mr. Kawasaki’s 2014 Lexus IS 250 suffered from a problem with its electric center console system, with symptoms that included malfunctions of its radio and navigation functions. Mr. Kawakami and the attorneys at Bickel Sannipoli APC prevailed in the trial, and the jury awarded a repurchase to Mr. Kawakami and additional civil penalty damages for Toyota’s proven willfulness for a total award of $100,000.00.
Federal Court Lemon Law Trials - Central District in Los Angeles: In addition to state court, have also obtained plaintiff’s lemon law trial verdicts in Los Angeles Central District federal courts: Ismailyan v. Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC (2019) and Zamora v. BMW North America, LLC (2023). The Zamora award included $20,000.00 in civil penalty damages in addition to the repurchase.
The California Lemon Law in Los Angeles
The Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, California’s lemon law, provides strong protections to consumers who have purchased vehicles that the manufacturer or its dealerships have been unable to repair to the vehicle warranty. If the authorized repair facilities have been unable to repair your vehicle after a reasonable number of repair attempts, you may be entitled to a vehicle repurchase.
Qualifying as a Lemon: To be considered a lemon vehicle under the law, the car must suffer from a defect that substantially impacts the car’s use, value or safety. A wide range of problems can qualify under the lemon law. Some common lemon law defects are:
- Engine
- Brakes
- Power steering
- Suspension and transmissions
- Seatbelts
- Fire risks
- Leaks
- Exhaust systems
- Coolant systems
- Airbags
- Navigation systems
- Electrical systems
- Dashboard warning lights
To qualify as a lemon vehicle, the problem must be covered by the manufacturer's warranty. That is, it cannot be the result of an accident, misuse, lack of maintenance or general wear and tear. If you suspect that your vehicle is defective, our Los Angeles Lemon Law attorneys can assess the situation and represent you diligently in a meritorious Song-Beverly action.
How Many Repair Attempts are Required: The law requires that you give the manufacturer a reasonable opportunity to fix the car before the company is required to buy back or replace the vehicle. No specific number is required under the law. “Reasonableness” is a subjective determination that varies with the circumstances. Some of the factors to consider include the type of defect, the number of times the vehicle was presented to the dealership, the nature of repairs performed, and the number of days the vehicle was in the shop for warranty repair. In some cases, one extended repair visit may be enough. In other cases, we may want to see three or four visits.
Repurchase “Buy-Back” Restitution: For qualifying vehicles, the manufacturer must pay the restitution enumerated under California Civil Code § 1793.2(d):
“[A]n amount equal to the actual price paid or payable by the buyer, including any charges for transportation and manufacturer-installed options, but excluding nonmanufacturer items installed by a dealer or the buyer, and including any collateral charges such as sales or use tax, license fees, registration fees, and other official fees, plus any incidental damages to which [you are] entitled . . . including, but not limited to, reasonable repair, towing, and rental car costs actually incurred. . . .”
The Early Lemon Law Process in Los Angeles: The first step is to contact our office for a free consultation. If we think we can help you, we will ask that you submit your purchase or lease contract and repair records for our review. Our intake team will typically review your paperwork and get back in touch the same or the following business day.
For Los Angeles lemon law claims, we will itemize the repurchase recovery we will be seeking on your behalf, and we will review the terms of our retainer agreement with you. If you decide you would like to move forward with a lemon law claim, we will email our retainer agreement.
When we receive the executed retainer agreement from you, we will prepare your Los Angeles Superior Court legal complaint for filing with the court and service on the manufacturer. Within 30 days of service, the Defendant must file a responsive pleading. Once the defendant makes an appearance, we will reach out to opposing counsel and attempt a quick resolution to your case. If the defendant resists, we will continue with litigation until a settlement is reached or your case is tried before a Los Angeles jury.
Los Angeles County and the California Lemon Law
Bickel Sannipoli APC represents car owners throughout the Los Angeles area and the entire State of California. In 2013, the U.S. Census Bureau placed the population of Los Angeles County at slightly over 10 million people. With such a large population base, it is not surprising that estimated vehicle registrations in Los Angeles County alone exceeded 7.5 million, according to 2013 California Department of Motor Vehicles records. While many residents have been trying to decrease their dependency on cars, Los Angeles County still has the highest number of vehicle registrations in the state.
Located in the Southern California region, Los Angeles is the second largest in the United States with millions of cars on Los Angeles freeways. While public transit, ridesharing apps and even scooters provide alternate modes of transportation for some individuals, many people who live and work in Los Angeles still rely on their vehicles to get where they need to go on a daily basis.
Our Los Angeles Lemon Law Office: Bickel Sannipoli APC has an office available in Los Angeles on Wilshire Blvd., but many cases can be handled by telephone and video conferencing where a physical meeting in an office is unnecessary. We handle Lemon Law cases across the entire State of California. Los Angeles cases will be filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
We do our best to make our services convenient and easily accessible to consumers in all parts of the state. Whether you live in Los Angeles or in a more remote area, our attorneys can help. Many situations are resolved by phone, email, and video conferencing where an in-person meeting is not necessary.
Free Initial Consultation with a Los Angeles Lemon Lawyer: We offer free consultations for all California consumers, including Los Angeles residents. If you are considering pursuing a claim, or if you would like to find out if your vehicle is eligible for replacement or repurchase, contact us today to speak with one of our experienced attorneys. To schedule a free, no-obligation consultation at Bickel Sannipoli APC please call 888-800-1983 or send us your vehicle information online now.
