A consumer-driven lawsuit against Ford Motor Company alleging fraud in advertising will go forward. The judge ruled that the suit claiming that Ford over-estimated fuel-efficiency numbers on the Fusion and C-Max hybrids had merit.
It’s not a happy day for a Motor City powerhouse automaker. Ford Motor Company lost bid to dismiss fuel-efficiency suit. The suit claims Ford exaggerated the fuel-efficiency estimates for the Fusion and C-Max hybrids it produces.
The consumer-driven suit was filed in 2013 over claims that the Fusion and C-Max Hybrids had the potential to get 47 miles per gallon. In making the decision to deny Ford’s dismissal request, U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Karas said, “Ford implicitly recognized that its advertising campaign was misleading.”
Fusion and C-Max buyers allege Ford engaged in fraud with its advertising and Judge Karas ruled that the allegations were “sufficiently specific and they cite a reasonable motive – that is, the automaker wanted to sell more vehicles.”
Plaintiffs’ attorney Mark Dearman issued an e-mail statement saying that the company “simply went too far” with fuel-efficiency claims in its advertising and “we are looking forward to moving ahead with the litigation.”
As of this time, Ford has not issued a statement regarding the suit.
Interested readers may follow the case, which is titled:
In re Ford Fusion and C-Max Fuel Economy Litigation, 13-md-2450, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).
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