California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed AB 1215 into law. The new law, which takes effect in July 2012, mandates that both new and used car dealers run their used cars through the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System to check for problems, and place a warning sticker on used cars with a shady past. According to the New York Times, the national database was created as a repository for information about vehicles deemed unsalvageable because of flood, fire, or crash damage. The bill’s proponents argued that the national registry, which is supplied information by insurance companies, salvage yards, and junkyards, is more comprehensive than commercial services like Carfax. The law is the first of its kind in the nation, and will hopefully afford consumers an additional layer of protection when purchasing a used vehicle.

Honda released the following statement on August 5, 2011.

Honda will voluntarily recall approximately 1.5 million vehicles in the U.S. to update the software that controls the automatic transmission. Certain 2005-2010 4-cylinder Accord, 2007-2010 CR-V and 2005-2008 Element vehicles will be included in the voluntary recall. Without the updated software, the automatic transmission secondary shaft bearing in the affected vehicles can be damaged if the transmission is quickly shifted between each of the reverse, neutral and drive positions, as may be done in an attempt to dislodge a vehicle stuck in mud or snow. If the bearing is damaged in this unusual scenario, it can cause the engine to stall or lead to difficulty engaging the parking gear. The update to the vehicle’s automatic transmission control module software will ease the transition between gears to reduce the possibility of damage. No injuries or deaths have been reported related to this condition.

Honda is announcing this recall to encourage all owners of affected vehicles to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer as soon as they receive notification of this recall from Honda. Notification to customers will begin on August 31, 2011.

When Honda identifies concerns of this nature, nothing is more important to the company than fulfilling our obligation and responsibility to alert our customers. To this end, in addition to contacting customers by mail, after August 31, owners of these vehicles will be able to determine if their vehicles require repair by going on-line to www.recalls.honda.com or by calling (800) 999-1009, and selecting option 4.

Seacost Online reports that a Salisbury, Massachusetts consumer who bought a lemon used vehicle got so mad that he crashed it into six parked cars on the dealer’s lot.

The consumer told the paper that, after buying the used van, he discovered that it had been in a wreck. The odometer didn’t work, which meant that he couldn’t get insurance for the vehicle. When he took it back to the dealer, the dealer told him “you’re stuck with it.”

Ticked off and not seeing any options, the consumer took matters into his own hands. He now faces six felony counts of criminal mischief.

Too bad he didn’t call Lemberg & Associates; we likely could have helped him get rid of his lemon without resorting to road rage.

The Associated Press published a nice summary of Lemberg & Associates class action suit against Fuccillo Automotive Group. You can read it here.

Need an office? Regus seemingly has the solution. From the U.S. and the U.K. to Saudi Arabia and Senegal, Regus promises office space that’s flexible enough to fit anyone’s needs. Launched by Mark Dixon in Brussels, Belgium, in 1989, the company boasts 1,100 business centers in 500 cities across 85 countries. Regus offers a number of “office solutions,” including full-time offices that include everything from equipment and furniture to receptionists and administrative assistance, campuses that provide cubicles in an open office, virtual offices that provide a prestigious address and local telephone number, and mobile services that provide business lounges at any of Regus’ business centers.

Sounds ideal, right? It may seem that way on the surface, but at Lemberg & Associates, it’s come to our attention that Regus may be engaging in a bait-and-switch when it comes to their contracts. In the U.S., when people sign up for the service, they’re frequently given discounted rates. According to their contracts, the agreement auto-renews after one year, with a cost increase that’s adjusted based on the inflation index. What seems to be happening, though, is that the agreements auto-renew and the discounted rates jump back to the “standard” rates.

We suspect this may be happening to unsuspecting people all around the country, and are investigating a potential class action lawsuit against Regus. In order to move forward, we need to gain a better understanding of how many people may be affected.

If you’ve been victimized by a Regus contract, please email us at responseteam@lemberglaw.com or call us toll-free at 855-301-2100 x5500. If someone you know has been victimized, please ask them to get in touch with us. We’ll keep you posted about what we discover.