TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) — Lawyers for American Honda Motor company are trying to overturn a highly publicized small-claims court award to a woman who sued over the poor fuel mileage of her hybrid Honda Civic.
The appeal is being heard Thursday by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge who will decide whether to reverse a court commissioner’s award of $9,867 to Heather Peters.
She opted out of a class-action settlement designed to give some 200,000 owners between $100 and $200 each plus a rebate if they buy a new Honda.
A Honda service manager has testified she achieved up to 55 mpg in a 115-mile test drive on freeways and streets.
Peters called a former Honda analyst who says he tested hybrids after customer complaints and was never able to duplicate the promised 50 mpg.
