This office, along with Attorney Kenneth D. Quat of Framingham, recently settled a consumer class action against State Road Auto Sales, Inc., of Westport. We sued State Road on behalf of consumers who signed contracts with them that were in effect anytime since October 2013, but signed before January 2016. Although State Road advertises that it sells cars to credit-impaired customers, in fact its contracts are not installment sales, but leases. Compared to sales, leases of used vehicles have serous drawbacks for consumers.
Our lawsuit claims that these leases did not fully and properly disclose the terms of the deal: for example, HOW MUCH OF AN ADDITIONAL PAYMENT YOU HAVE TO MAKE after the lease ends in order to become the owner of the car. We also claim that certain clauses on the back of the contract, which were designed to make it harder for consumers to sue State Road for lemon cars or any other problem, were unfair and should not be enforced.
State Road denies that it did anything wrong, but it agreed to settle the case by paying a total of $30,000 to all the members of the affected class (together with fees for the class’s attorneys) AND not enforcing the disputed clauses of the lease.
A notice has been mailed to every identified member of the class. There are about 2200 members. The notice explains the lawsuit, the terms of settlement, and the rights of class members to participate in the settlement and/or to object if they think the settlement is unfair. TO GET A SHARE OF THE SETTLEMENT MONEY, YOU MUST MAIL OR FAX A FORM confirming your current address, no later than July 13, to Coastal Legal Affiliates, P.C., the law firm that is administering the settlement.
Sharing in the settlement does not affect any other rights or liabilities that any class member may have with regard to State Road Auto Sales.
On the top right bar of this site, you will see the heading: “Class action settlement: Grant vs. State Road Auto Sales, Inc.” Click on it for links to the important court documents about this case.
You are welcome to contact me by phone or by e-mail if you have any questions about the lawsuit, the settlement, or any other aspect of your transaction with State Road Auto Sales.
