Automotive and Equipment Dealerships | Chapman, Glucksman, Dean & Roeb

Ninth Circuit Requires Increased Disclosures Related To The Sale Of “Certified” Pre-Owned Vehicles In Gonzales v. Carmax Auto Superstores, LLC (2016) 840 F.3d 644

May 25 2017

By: Gregory K. Sabo and Chelsea L. Zwart
May 25, 2017

In Gonzales v. CarMax Auto Superstores, LLC (2016) 840 F.3d 644, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that to comply with California’s Car Buyer’s Bill of Rights, Unfair Competition Law (“UCL”), and Consumer’s Legal Remedies Act (“CLRA”), a dealer selling a “certified” pre-owed vehicle must indicate the pass/fail result of each component inspected, not simply provide the buyer with a completed inspection form listing which parts were inspected.

In Gonzales, the plaintiff brought suit claiming violations of the UCL and CLRA after purchasing a “certified” used vehicle from CarMax, and alleging that the deal failed to comply with California Vehicle Code §11713.18(a)(6), which requires a dealer to provide consumers with a “completed inspection report” prior to the sale of a “certified” used vehicle.

The Ongoing Debate Concerning Automobile Service Advisors’ Rights to Overtime Wages

Sep 30 2016

By: David A. Napper and Alexandra R. Rambis
September 30, 2016

Are automobile service agents exempt from the Fair Labor Standard Act’s (“FLSA”) overtime requirements? Although the United States Supreme Court has remanded the case back to the Ninth Circuit to interpret the statute without deference to the Department of Labor’s decision, one thing is certain now: the answer will have significant implications for automobile dealerships.

In Navarro v. Encino Motorcars, LLC (2016) 136 S. Ct. 2117, service advisors brought an action against the automobile dealership where they were employed, alleging that their employer was required by the FLSA to pay them overtime wages. The dealership argued that the position and duties of a service advisor brought the plaintiffs within an exemption to the FLSA provisions, which exempts employees engaged in selling or servicing automobiles from overtime wages. Indeed, the FLSA exemption, codified as 29 U.S.C. §213(b)(10)(A), exempts “any salesman, partsman, or mechanic primarily engaged in selling or servicing automobiles.”

UPDATE – Court Rejects Uber’s Proposed $100 Million Settlement

Sep 30 2016

By: Chelsea L. Zwart
September 30, 2016

In May 2016, Chapman Glucksman Dean Roeb & Barger published an article entitled, “$100 Million Uber Settlement Maintains Classification of Drivers as Independent Contractors,” which discussed a potential $100 million settlement related to a class-action reclassification suit against the on-demand driver service, Uber, brought on behalf of its drivers. The settlement, if approved by the Court, would maintain classification of the drivers as independent contractors rather than employees, resulting in significant future savings to Uber.

The plaintiffs and the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency estimated that the Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) portion of the class action could result in civil penalties of over $1 billion for violations of the California Labor Code. However, the proposed settlement only allocated approximately $1 million to the PAGA claim. On August 18, 2016, Judge Edward Chen of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California issued an order rejecting the proposed settlement, stating that it “is not fair, adequate, and reasonable,” particularly given that the proposed settlement of the PAGA claim was only “.1% of its estimated full worth.”

Judge Chen commented that he expects his order to be appealed, and thus we will continue to monitor the case and provide updates as developments unfold.

The Growing Threat of Automobile Cyber-Attacks

Apr 24 2016

By: Grace A. Nguyen and Alexandra R. Rambis
April 24, 2016

A number of breaches at high profile companies such as Target, Neiman Marcus, Home Depot and JP Morgan has pushed data security into the spotlight. Large companies, however, are not the only businesses susceptible to data breaches. Data security has now become a priority for the auto industry. While the technology in cars has become increasingly more sophisticated, it has also left automobiles vulnerable to the threat of cyber-attacks. In 2015, as an experiment, two researchers were able to hack into a Jeep Cherokee wirelessly.¹ After hacking into the car, they were able to disable the car’s brakes, honk the horn, commandeer the steering wheel, turn off the car’s ignition, and could even track the car’s GPS coordinates and trace its route.

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