Court Opinion

ID: 9563687
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 18:44:46.29532+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:18:01.765516
License: Public Domain

On Motion for Rehearing.
The appellant Paces Ferry Dodge complains that the opinion wrongly holds it liable under the Fair Business Practices Act for a latent defect which appellant says it did not know about and therefore did not intentionally violate the Act. However, the evidence in this case is clear that the strong vibrations in this car would have been discovered by the slightest attention during the “new car prep,” and were in fact discovered (although its cause remained unknown) when appellee first brought the car back to appellant’s dealership. The jury, having been charged that the violation must be intentional, obviously determined that the appellant did know about the vibrations or that the defect was so patent the dealer could not have failed to know of it. This opinion upholds a jury verdict as to those facts determined, and does not represent a holding that sellers will be held liable under the FBPA for sale of merchandise with latent or undis-coverable defects without the requisite intent.

Motion for rehearing denied.