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LOS ANGELES — Heather Peters' computer crashed under the onslaught of messages after her victory over Honda in small-claims court — a win the California woman is hoping will lead other consumers to reject a class-action settlement over hybrid cars.
Peters said she has received more than 500 Facebook messages and had 6,000 hits on her website after a court decision Wednesday awarding her $9,867 and finding Honda misled her into thinking her Civic Hybrid could get 50 miles per gallon. She said the 2006 model, which she still owns, gets about 30 mpg.
Peters' win in small-claims court was an end-run around the class-action process and set the stage for others to follow suit. She sees her victory as benefiting not just Honda owners but all consumers.
"To me, this is really about the decline in customer service in America and how we have rolled over and accepted it for too long," she said. "People are mad as hell, and they're not going to take it."
Class-action lawsuits typically give small settlements to all members of the class. In the Honda suit, the company has offered $100 to $200 to each owner of an underperforming hybrid along with a $1,000 coupon to some toward purchase of a new car.
Peters, a former lawyer, said she is renewing her legal license after a 10-year lapse so she can consult with other Honda owners. She said she is also posting all the paperwork from her small-claims suit online as a guide for others contemplating such suits.
Professor Laurie Levenson of Loyola University Law School said Honda may have suffered something much worse than a possible flood of small-claims actions.
"The worst part for Honda is they've been branded as committing fraud," she said. "That's not good for sales. It's a PR disaster and sometimes that costs more than the judgment."
Honda said it will appeal Peters' judgment. She said she's confident she will win. She said more witnesses have been volunteering to help her, including a whistle-blower from within Honda.
A legal expert sees Peters as in the vanguard of a consumer revolution online.
"What's new about this case is social networking," said professor Howard Erickson of Fordham University Law School in New York.
"This is an example of how a revolutionary movement gets started," he said. "This is one individual fighting the powers that be and spreading the word."
Peters' website, dontsettlewithhonda.org, became a rallying point for dissatisfied Honda hybrid owners.
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