Beyond Lemon Law: Obstacles to Settlement

Veteran lemon law lawyer Dani K. Liblang recently spoke at the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. Find out what she says are the biggest obstacles to settlement in a lemon law case.

Beyond Lemon Law: Settling Lemon Law Cases

Veteran lemon law lawyer Dani K. Liblang recently spoke at the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. Find out what she believes makes an auto defect claim ripe for settlement.

Beyond Lemon Law: Depositions & Vehicle Inspections

Veteran lemon law lawyer Dani K. Liblang recently spoke at the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. Find out how plaintiffs’ depositions and vehicle inspections can make or break your case.

Beyond Lemon Law: What Makes a Strong Case

 
Veteran lemon law lawyer Dani K. Liblang recently spoke at the Institute of Continuing Legal Education. Find out what she says makes a strong lemon law claim.

Attorney Dani K. Liblang Goes Beyond Lemon Law with the Institute of Continuing Legal Education

There are a lot of lawyers out there, but not all of them can help you when your car doesn’t live up to the hype. When a persistent problem sends you back to the dealership for a 4^th time, you need a lemon law expert. Attorney Dani K. Liblang of The Liblang Law Firm, P.C., was recently asked to speak on the issue by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education.

Volkswagen Settles Consumer Fraud Claims with Justice Department, EPA

Auto manufacturer Volkswagen has settled criminal and civil charges by the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Administration. The company has agreed to pay $4.3 billion in penalties and several employees face individual charges as a result of a decade-long emissions scandal.

Federal Law Favors Remanufactured Parts in Government Vehicles

Legislators are always looking for ways to streamline government spending without interfering with services. The federal government's latest cost cutting measure encourages federal agencies to use remanufactured parts to repair government vehicles. But the bill could spell trouble for consumers who buy used cars.

Fiat Chrysler in Hot Water for Failing to Report Claims to NHTSA

2015 has been a tough year for auto makers. In July, Fiat Chrysler paid $105 million and agreed to three years of close monitoring to settle charges by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that the company had not met recall requirements. Now, that close scrutiny has revealed the company significantly under reported defect claims to the agency, a mistake that could cost them even more in fines and recalls.

What Driverless Cars Could Mean for Lemon Law Cases

Researchers at the University of Michigan's new M-City are beginning to test driverless cars in a city setting. Cityscapes, it turns out, are one of the most difficult parts of programming an autonomous vehicle. Errors in this programming could lead to a rash of lemon law injury cases where drivers, passengers, and pedestrians suffer from the poor decisions of an autonomous vehicle.

FTC Says Michigan Dealership Laws Hurt Consumers

Even though the Big 3 were born in Detroit, Michigan residents can't buy cars directly from car companies. Instead they have to go through dealerships. But the FTC says that Michigan's dealership protection laws are anti-competitive and could hurt consumers.

GM To Pay For 100 Deaths From Faulty Ignition Switch

Imagine driving down the freeway, bumping your steering column, and having your car shut down. That's what GM drivers have been facing for years. But now, GM is going to have to pay for it.

Chrysler Forced to Pay for Jeep Fire That Killed 4-Year-Old

What happens when a child dies in a Jeep fire as the result of a defective fuel tank? For one family in Georgia, a jury forced Chrysler to pay $150 million. But the company has yet to admit it did anything wrong.

Sub-Prime Auto Loans: Set Up for Failure

The need for transportation to get to work, and other important appointments can make a car a necessity. Some lenders exploit that need – approving borrowers who can't afford their payments. They set their borrowers up for failure, late fees, and penalties.

Sub-Prime Auto Loan Tactics

Several years ago, sub-prime mortgages were big news as the bubble burst. But that's not to say lenders learned their lesson. Instead, they changed their focus to auto loans.

The tactics are the same. Car dealerships inflate prices far above market value. Then they add on up-charges like warranties and charge exceptionally high interest rates. When the buyer falls behind, the lender tacks on penalties and late fees that drive the cost up even more. Then they turn the accounts over to collections agencies which harass the buyer to get them to pay.

A Cautionary Tale

Consider The Liblang Law Firm's client, Chris. Chris is a cancer patient who needs a vehicle to get to doctors. She bought a 12 year old Dodge Durango, with an accident and almost 170,000 miles in its history. It was worth $4,750, but the dealership charged her $7,500. The dealer then convinced her to purchase a $2,200 warranty on the vehicle. The dealership offered Chris a loan with an interest rate of almost 24% spread out over 4 years. All together, the cost of the SUV was $14,584, nearly $10,000 over market value.

Just two months after she bought the car, she found out there as a problem with the engine that would cost $5,600 to fix – more than the value of the car. What was worse, the warranty would only cover a small portion of the cost.

That's when she turned to attorney Dani Liblang with the Liblang Law Firm. Dani is a consumer law expert with 30 years experience helping consumers fight back against dealerships who sell them lemons at high prices.

"They’re upside down from day one because of the inflated price," said Liblang. "Secondly they’re being charged just horrendous interest rates."

The sub-prime auto loan is gaining popularity. Auto dealers don't care what happens after the car is sold as long as the bank makes a profit and they get their commission. Nor are they concerned with the quality of their warranties. Some sales associates don't even know what is covered by the products they are selling.

That's why Attorney Dani Liblang encourages consumers to stay away from sub-prime lending. Do your budgeting and know what you can afford to pay before you start shopping. If possible, seek an auto loan from an independent lender, like your bank or credit union. And if you do get caught up in a sub-prime auto loan scheme, contact The Liblang Law Firm, P.C., to help you protect you from the collectors' predatory lending strategies.

HOUR Detroit Names Attorney Dani Liblang Super Lawyer

The popular magazine, HOUR Detroit has featured Attorney Dani Liblang in its March 2015 print edition as one of the Top Women Attorneys in Michigan. This follows Liblang being labeled a Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters for the ninth straight year.

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month

Auto accidents are the third largest cause of brain injury, a serious condition that can affect victims for the rest of their lives. Learn what you need to know to recognize brain injuries and get them treated.

More than 3.5 million people suffer an acquired brain injury each year. Right now 12 million Americans are living with traumatic brain injury. The most common cause is falls. But at 14.3 percent, motor vehicle accidents all too often result in this serious debilitating injury.

Brain injury can cause serious disability even when a patient seems fine immediately after the injury. After an accident keep your eye out for these symptoms:

• Clouded thinking
• Difficulty concentrating
• Memory problems
• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Dizziness
• Balance problems
• Tired Feeling
• Irritability
• Sadness
• Anxiety
• Sleeping problems

If you have a minor concussion, these symptoms may fade quickly and you may recover fully. But sometimes, these can be warning signs for much more serious injury caused by swelling in your brain. 

If you notice these symptoms, talk to your doctor as soon as possible to rule out major injury. If you have been in an auto accident, which can happen when a manufacturing defect causes problems with your vehicle, the cost of your medical treatment – including rehabilitation therapy to recover from a complex brain injury – can be covered by your Michigan no fault insurance policy. Property damage and the intangible aspects of an injury like pain, suffering and disability may be compensated by the manufacturer and its insurance provider.

This is a complicated process. It is important to have an experienced attorney to guide you through it. Dani Liblang and the Liblang Law Firm have been handling lemon law and auto accident cases for over 30 years. They understand how vehicle defects and careless drivers can affect you and your health. If you or someone you know have suffered a brain injury as a result of a car accident, contact the Liblang Law Firm, P.C., today for a free consultation.