Mattuck v. DaimlerChrysler Corp.

852 N.E.2d 485, 366 Ill. App. 3d 1026, 304 Ill. Dec. 235, 2006 Ill. App. LEXIS 563
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJune 30, 2006
Docket1-04-3830
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 852 N.E.2d 485 (Mattuck v. DaimlerChrysler Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mattuck v. DaimlerChrysler Corp., 852 N.E.2d 485, 366 Ill. App. 3d 1026, 304 Ill. Dec. 235, 2006 Ill. App. LEXIS 563 (Ill. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

PRESIDING JUSTICE GALLAGHER

delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiff Ken Mattuck sued defendant auto manufacturer DaimlerChrysler Corporation, alleging breach of written warranty, breach of the implied warranty of merchantability, and revocation of acceptance after he leased a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee and experienced braking problems that were not resolved after several attempts at repair. Finding that defendant breached the written and implied warranties, a jury awarded plaintiff $8,500 in damages. The trial court later entered judgment for defendant on the remaining count of revocation of acceptance.

Defendant now appeals the jury’s verdict, contending that plaintiff leased the vehicle and that no sale took place that would qualify plaintiff as a “consumer” under section 2301(3) of the MagnusonMoss Warranty — Federal Trade Commission Improvement Act (the Magnuson-Moss Act or the Act) (15 U.S.C. § 2301(3) (2000)). Defendant raises additional reasons that plaintiff was not entitled to recovery for his claims of breach of the written or implied warranties. Plaintiff has cross-appealed, arguing that a portion of defendant’s appeal should be stricken for lack of jurisdiction. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm.

BACKGROUND

On August 31, 1999, plaintiff leased a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee, manufactured by defendant, from Automotive Leasing Corporation in Schaumburg. The lease was effective for 5 years and 6 months and allowed plaintiff to drive the vehicle 82,000 miles during that period. Plaintiff received a written 3-year/36,000-mile, bumper-to-bumper warranty. Plaintiff testified that he drove an average of 3,000 miles a month across Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana for his job as a manufacturing representative and that he logged most of his miles on the highway.

On March 6, 2000, plaintiff brought the vehicle, which had been driven 11,187 miles, to a Jeep dealer for repair because the steering wheel would shake violently when he applied the brakes. Although the front brake rotors were replaced under the warranty, the steering wheel continued to shake. Plaintiff had the vehicle serviced again in May 2000, September 2000, August 2001, September 2001 and May 2002, at which point he had driven it 84,707 miles. The front brake pads and rotors were replaced twice, and the rear brake rotors were replaced on the last service visit. Plaintiff continued to drive the vehicle for six months and another 13,000 miles.

Plaintiff paid for one repair himself (resurfacing the brake rotors); all other repairs were covered under warranty. Plaintiff testified that at the time of trial, he still had possession of the Jeep Cherokee and continued to make the monthly payments under the lease agreement. However, plaintiff said he no longer used the vehicle and that it was “sitting in [his] garage.”

After dismissing plaintiffs initial complaint, the trial court granted plaintiffs motion to reconsider. Plaintiff filed a second amended complaint, alleging in count I that defendant breached its written warranty under section 2310(d) of the Act (15 U.S.C. § 2310(d) (2000)). Count II of the complaint alleged that defendant breached the implied warranty of merchantability as defined in section 2301(7) of the Act (15 U.S.C. § 2301(7) (2000)). In count III, plaintiff alleged that the Grand Cherokee’s substantial impairments entitled him to revoke his acceptance of the vehicle under section 2310(d) of the Act (15 U.S.C. § 2310(d) (2000)).

At trial, plaintiff presented the expert testimony of Thomas Walters, an ASE-certified master technician with more than 20 years of automotive repair experience and training. In November 2000, Walters inspected the Jeep Cherokee, which had been driven almost 35,000 miles. Walters reviewed the vehicle’s repair history and stated that the problem was caused by the brake rotors and the way they were “machined.” Walters testified the vehicle’s value was reduced by 40%, and on cross-examination, he stated that his opinion was based in part on the Kelley Blue Book, which, according to Walters, is a guide to retail purchase value.

DaimlerChrysler presented the testimony of two automotive experts. Allan Loew, 1 an ASE-certified mechanic for about 35 years who performed technical inspections for Chrysler for eight years, testified that plaintiffs constant driving of the vehicle contributed to the brake problems. Loew testified that he inspected and drove the vehicle at 45,000 miles and again at about 70,000 miles and did not experience shaking in the steering wheel or brake pulsation. Loew testified that the brake rotors on the Jeep were designed to last two years.

Dan Baker, a technical advisor for Chrysler for 30 years, testified that he inspected and drove the Jeep Cherokee at about 87,000 miles and did not experience any brake pulsation or steering wheel movement. Baker said the vehicle handled as he expected and that brake rotor replacement is expected on high-mileage vehicles.

On June 2, 2004, the jury awarded plaintiff $8,500 in damages under counts I and II, which was allocated as $6,000 for breach of warranty and $2,500 for aggravation/inconvenience. The jury awarded no damages to plaintiff for loss of use of the vehicle. As will be explained in more detail later in this opinion, the trial court entered a separate judgment for defendant on count III (revocation of acceptance) more than three months after the jury’s verdict.

ANALYSIS

I. Jurisdiction

It is first necessary to consider plaintiffs cross-appeal and his motion to strike portions of defendant’s appeal because they challenge this court’s jurisdiction and, therefore, the court’s ability to decide the underlying merits of the case. The crux of plaintiffs cross-appeal is whether defendant’s posttrial motion needed to be filed within 30 days of the jury verdict on counts I and II, which was entered June 2, 2004, or within 30 days of when the court entered judgment on count III (revocation of acceptance) on September 8, 2004.

The trial court entered judgment on the jury’s verdict for plaintiff on counts I and II on June 2, 2004. On August 12, the court awarded plaintiff $23,571.80 in attorney fees and costs. On August 24, defendant requested an extension of time to file its posttrial motion, citing the need to prepare a report of proceedings. On September 8, the trial court entered judgment for defendant on count III (plaintiffs revocation of acceptance claim).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
852 N.E.2d 485, 366 Ill. App. 3d 1026, 304 Ill. Dec. 235, 2006 Ill. App. LEXIS 563, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mattuck-v-daimlerchrysler-corp-illappct-2006.