How our process works
No deck. No discovery invoice. Just a clear path from "this car keeps breaking" to a cash settlement that gets you on with your life.
Take the case eligibility quiz
Walk through a few quick questions about your Vermont vehicle purchase, the first-year repair history, and warranty terms. Vermont's Lemon Law presumption is three documented attempts OR 30 cumulative out-of-service days in the first 12 months — and Vermont has a state-run arbitration board manufacturers must participate in. The quiz checks your facts against both Vermont and MMWA standards.
We review your documents
Upload (or text us photos of) your purchase agreement, every repair order, and your warranty booklet. We tell you whether the facts support a federal MMWA or state lemon law claim.
We make the demand
We file a formal demand citing 9 V.S.A. § 4170 and federal MMWA. Vermont's state-run arbitration board is consumer-friendly and binding on the manufacturer when a consumer requests it. We use the state arbitration route when it's the faster path, federal MMWA in the District of Vermont when it's not — whichever gets you cash faster.
You get a cash settlement
Cash-only settlements are our default — you keep the vehicle (or sell it on the private market) and pocket a cash payment. We seek to have the manufacturer pay our attorney fees under federal warranty law. Never out of your settlement.
Cash-only settlements — what that actually means
Most lemon law firms push you toward a "buyback" — you give the manufacturer the car, they give you a reduced refund. We do it different.
Our default settlement structure: you keep the vehicle, we get you a cash payment for the diminished value. If your repairs took six months total and the dealer keeps saying "no problem found," that's a real loss — and it's real money the manufacturer owes you.
The numbers we typically see: 15–25% of the original purchase price as a cash settlement, plus manufacturer-paid attorney fees on top under federal warranty law. Never out of your pocket. Never out of your settlement.
Buybacks make sense in some cases (severe safety defect, total-loss-equivalent situations). When buyback IS right, we run the math hard so the offer includes the full purchase price, every payment, every dealer-imposed fee — minus only a fair mileage offset.
If your situation doesn't qualify, we'll tell you straight. No padded cases.
MMWA vs Vermont lemon law — plain English
Two laws can apply to your case. We file under both when the facts support it.
Vermont Lemon Law
- Citation: 9 V.S.A. § 4170 et seq.
- Common name: Vermont's Motor Vehicle Lemon Law
- Presumption window: 12 months or the duration of the express warranty, whichever is shorter
- Arbitration: Vermont Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board (state-run; binding on the manufacturer)
- Typically applies to new vehicles in the original warranty
- State courts and procedures apply
Federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act
- Citation: 15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.
- Applies: Any state, any vehicle with a written warranty
- Covers used vehicles with any remaining warranty
- Fee-shifting: Manufacturer pays your attorney fees when you win
- Federal court is an option (or state court)
- Often the stronger lever when state law has narrow scope
Vermont note: Vermont's lemon law is one of the most consumer-protective in the country. The Vermont Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board is STATE-RUN (not manufacturer-funded), and its decisions bind the manufacturer once issued. New and leased vehicles are covered.
Vermont state law usually controls for in-warranty new-vehicle claims. Federal MMWA fills the gap on used vehicles, vehicles outside Vermont's warranty window, and cases where we need leverage on a manufacturer that's slow-walking the state-board timeline.
Eligibility basics — what we'll ask for
A real case requires real documentation. Here's what we need to evaluate yours.
- Purchase or lease agreement — the full document, all pages. This proves the date of delivery and warranty start.
- Every repair order — the dealer is legally required to give you a written repair order for every warranty visit. Save all of them. Even the ones that say "no problem found" — especially those.
- The manufacturer's warranty booklet — usually a small booklet in your glovebox. Defines the warranty terms.
- Photos or videos of the defect — if you can capture the problem on camera (the way the transmission slips, the steering issue, the dashboard warning light), do it.
- DMV registration — confirms ownership and current mileage.
- Manufacturer correspondence — any letters, emails, or recorded calls with the manufacturer (not just the dealer). These often establish what they knew and when.
What counts as a repair attempt? A documented dealer visit for the same defect. The dealer giving you the car back with the problem unresolved counts — even if they wrote "no problem found." Especially if they wrote "no problem found."