Glendale law firm says lemon law buyback checks should go straight to consumers

Court House Lawyers says California lemon law buyback checks should be handed directly to clients at vehicle surrender, not routed through the firm. The Glendale practice says the approach avoids fee disputes, keeps consumer money out of trust accounts, and can help preserve mileage-offset waivers.

Why it matters: - California lemon law buybacks can involve thousands of dollars in refunds and offsets. - Where the check goes at the end of the case affects who controls the consumer’s money and how quickly the case is closed. - Court House Lawyers says giving the check directly to the client avoids extra handling, accounting steps, and the risk of fee shortfalls touching consumer funds.

What happened: - Court House Lawyers, a Glendale, California law firm, says it hands lemon law buyback checks directly to clients at the vehicle surrender appointment. - The firm made the case in a public review from Jenna Fields, who said the firm secured "a great outcome including a check upon surrender of the car and waiving of fees for used miles." - Fields also wrote that a surrender agent said it was rare for a check to be given directly to the client when an attorney is involved. - Managing attorney George Mkrtchyan said the practice keeps the case simple once the vehicle is turned in.

The details: - Surrender agents are third-party contractors who process vehicle repurchases for manufacturers. - They handle the paperwork, complete the transfer, and submit the file at the dealership. - In many lemon law cases with lawyers involved, the buyback check is routed through the law firm’s account instead of going to the consumer. - Holding client money requires deposit, reconciliation, disbursement, and related recordkeeping. - Under California Civil Code § 1794(d), a prevailing consumer recovers reasonable attorney’s fees from the manufacturer based on actual time spent. - The buyback itself belongs to the consumer and includes the down payment, payments made, and incidental costs, minus the mileage offset. - Court House Lawyers’ fee agreement states that if the manufacturer does not pay the firm’s fees in full, the client is not responsible for the difference. - The firm says it pursues any fee shortfall from the manufacturer, including through binding arbitration if needed. - The review also referenced a waiver of fees for used miles. - Under California Civil Code § 1793.2, a manufacturer can deduct a mileage offset based on the odometer reading at the first documented repair visit for the defect. - On higher-mileage vehicles, the offset can reach thousands of dollars. - Court House Lawyers says it has secured mileage-offset waivers in several matters, including a Mercedes-Benz buyback reported by Today in Law that returned an additional $5,250 to the client. - Mkrtchyan said a manufacturer may also see customer-retention value in treating consumers fairly at the end of the case. - He said the firm’s handling of the money can make it clearer that any waived offset benefits the client, not the law firm.

Between the lines: - The firm is positioning its process as consumer-first and administratively cleaner than the more common practice of routing funds through the law office. - The argument is also strategic: if the manufacturer knows the client, not the firm, receives the check, there is less room for disputes over where the money ends up. - The mileage-offset issue matters because the size of the deduction depends heavily on when the defect was first documented. - Mkrtchyan said reporting the problem early can materially reduce the offset.

What's next: - Court House Lawyers says it will continue seeking buyback check delivery at surrender and pushing manufacturers on attorney fees and mileage offsets when necessary. - Consumers in California lemon law cases are likely to keep facing the same decision point: whether buyback money is handled through counsel or delivered directly at the vehicle turn-in. - The firm also reminds consumers that past results do not guarantee future outcomes and that each matter is evaluated on its own merits.

The bottom line: - Court House Lawyers is using direct delivery of buyback checks as a differentiator in California lemon law cases, arguing that the simplest path is also the safest for consumers.