Autoblog

Waltrip, Williams racing teams settle lawsuit out of court

Noah Joseph — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal

Racing fans on either side of the Atlantic may be familiar with the name Mike Coughlan. The controversial engineer was at the heart of the Spygate scandal between the McLaren and Ferrari teams a few years back and was subsequently ejected from Formula One. While he was waiting for his banishment to expire, he came over to the U.S. where he was working for Michael Waltrip Racing in NASCAR. But as soon as his sentence was up, he was back in F1 with the Williams team. Trouble is, his contract with Waltrip wasn't quite up yet.

As a result, MWR launched a lawsuit against Williams - oddly not against Coughlan, though - for poaching their employee. At the time, we said we doubted we'd heard the last of the case, but it seems we may have now as the parties have reportedly settled out of court.

The details of the ostensibly amicable settlement haven't been released, but whatever they arrived at has apparently left both teams happy to have closed the matter. In fact, Waltrip has even invited Williams to a NASCAR race as their guest, something the aging team leader is apparently excited to observe for the first time. All's well that ends well, then.

Waltrip, Williams racing teams settle lawsuit out of court originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saab request for government protection rejected by Swedish court

Steven J. Ewing — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:28:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Saab

Seems that Saab just can't catch a break. Yesterday, the Swedish automaker filed for government protection, citing that if approved, the company would undergo a voluntary reorganization. Now, a court has rejected Saab's application for protection.

Saab plans to appeal the court's decision. In a statement, the automaker said that it is "disappointed with the ruling." The bad news is that, unless an appeal works, this could very well be the end of the road for Saab.

Automotive News reports that the Vanersborg district court in west Sweden released a statement regarding the Saab decision. Apparently, the court feels there is no reason to believe that a reconstruction would work.

Follow the jump for Saab's official statement, and stay tuned for more details as they unfold.

Continue reading Saab request for government protection rejected by Swedish court

Saab request for government protection rejected by Swedish court originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kyle Busch loses license for 45 days for speeding in Lexus LFA [w/poll]

Noah Joseph — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:31:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal, Lexus, Celebrities

We said it once, and we'll say it again: it's a good thing racing drivers aren't required to hold a valid driver's license in order to race. We know it sounds funny, but if they did, some of our best drivers would be out of work.

The latest high-profile incident, as you may recall, revolves around Kyle Busch. The NASCAR driver was busted back in May behind the wheel of a yellow Lexus LFA, driving 128 mph in a... well, at those speeds, it hardly matters what the posted limit was, but it was a 45 mph zone. At the time, Busch received a citation, but now he's had his day in court.

So... how did it go for the current Sprint Cup points leader? Not all that well, we're afraid. Apparently instead of taking Busch's proven superlative driving skills into account, the judge opted to throw the book at Busch to make an example of him. The champ had his license revoked for 45 days, was fined $1,000, sentenced to 30 days of community service and put under probation for one year.

Do you think the sentence was fair and proportionate to the crime? Cast your vote in our poll below.

View Poll

Kyle Busch loses license for 45 days for speeding in Lexus LFA [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lamborghini sues Vegas restaurant and exotic car dealer for trademark infringement

Noah Joseph — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:59:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Marketing/Advertising, Lamborghini

Does the logo at right remind you of anything? If you answered "Lamborghini", you're both right and wrong. Because it's not the Bolognese automaker's logo. Nor is it the emblem of the Tonino Lamborghini product design company, which is in fact no longer directly associated with the sportscar manufacturer. It doesn't even belong to the South American outfit that was once licensed by Sant'Agata to use the name, or the tractor company that started it all.

This logo "belongs" to an Italian restaurant and exotic car dealership on the Las Vegas strip called Dal Toro. Not only does the emblem appear in the eatery/showroom, it also shows up on merchandise which the establishment is marketing. And according to the UPI, it's the subject of a lawsuit between the establishment's owners and the car company.

The Italian automaker refers to the pilfering and use of its logo as "studied imitations of the Lamborghini trademarks" and a "sophisticated and elaborate scheme to target Lamborghini." We're not quite sure we'd go that far, but there appears to be case for trademark violation to be made here, and while Dal Toro's management has reportedly yet to receive any legal petitions over the issue, Lamborghini is apparently prepared to take it to court.

Lamborghini sues Vegas restaurant and exotic car dealer for trademark infringement originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi denied TDI trademark by European court

Noah Joseph — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Government/Legal, Audi, Volkswagen, Diesel

As much as it has with the Quattro brand, Audi (and its parent company Volkswagen) have more recently turned the letters TDI into an emblem of what it stands for as an automaker. Think of those three letters and you could picture no other marque, that's how closely intertwined the two have become. But an attempt to enshrine that much in law has apparently failed.

According to Autobild, Audi went to the European Union courts in Luxembourg - on behalf of its parent company as well in its own right - to secure dominion over the TDI badge, but in a ruling this week, the judge ruled that the acronym is not theirs alone. Apparently the judge felt that the letters apply to a technology that is common with other automakers - namely turbocharged diesels with direct injection - and therefore rejected Audi's claim of ownership.

The company apparently owns the name in individual countries, so any attempt by a rival automaker to use the name would undoubtedly prove difficult. But as far as the European Union is concerned, it's not illegal.

Audi denied TDI trademark by European court originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia hit with $40M judgment in faulty seatbelt death case

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Kia

Alabama teen Tiffany Stabler got a 1999 Kia Sephia for her sixteenth birthday in 2004. After her father purchased the car, he took it to a Kia dealership to have all of the maintenance and recall work completed. In 2002, Kia had recalled seatbelt buckles on 1995-1998 Sephias and Sportages for a condition called "false latching," wherein a belt appears to be locked into the buckle but actually isn't. Stabler's car wasn't part of the recall, even though the 1999 and 2000 Sephias used the same buckle as the 1995-1998 models.

Just four months after receiving the car, Stabler got into an accident, was ejected from the car and later died from her injuries. Stabler's mother sued Kia, Kia Motors America and Celtrion, the Korean maker of the seatbelt, for wrongful death. After five years in trial and two visits to the Alabama Supreme Court, a lower-court jury decided for the plaintiffs and issued a $40-million judgment against Kia.

Whether or not Stabler was wearing her seatbelt was disputed: plaintiff's witnesses said she was, Kia said there was evidence that she wasn't. A lawyer for Celtrion said "the seatbelt system in her vehicle was not defective when put to normal use," even though the 1995-1998 recall was occasioned by inquiries by the U.S. government about the belts. The 1999-2000 cars were recalled in 2004, after the U.S. inquired again as to why they weren't included the first time. Kia has said it will petition the court to set aside the verdict.

Kia hit with $40M judgment in faulty seatbelt death case originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Judge's ruling paves way for owners to sue Toyota over economic losses *UPDATE

Jeff Glucker — Wed, 18 May 2011 15:02:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Toyota

If Toyota was hoping to end its ongoing unintended acceleration-related legal issues, the latest bit of courtroom news will make the automaker quite unhappy. U.S. District Judge James Selna has ruled that vehicle owners can sue Toyota over economic losses. Some Toyota owners claim the automaker is responsible for diminished resale value of vehicles wearing the Toyota badge.

"A vehicle with a defect is worth less than one without a defect," said Selna.

Toyota, however, has stated that it remains confident it will emerge from the courtroom victorious. Selna's ruling moves the burden of proof over to the plaintiff's lawyers, and Toyota believes that no such proof of wrong-doing on its part exists. Lawyers for the plaintiffs will be tasked with proving that the automaker was aware of a defect and chose to ignore it.

One particular issue from Toyota's point of view, with regards to James Selna's ruling, is the judge has applied a California law to the case. One that may make it easier for plaintiffs to recover damages. Toyota argues that vehicle owners from all over the country are involved in the lawsuit, and therefore local state laws should be applied with respect to the owner's location. Either way, it appears that Toyota's legal drama is going to continue for quite some time.

*UPDATE: Toyota reached out to Autoblog.com for clarification. It appears the ruling has not yet come down, but that Selna is merely considering the application of California law to a case that reaches across the entire country.

Judge's ruling paves way for owners to sue Toyota over economic losses *UPDATE originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 May 2011 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jenson Button sues Brawn-Mercedes for championship-winning car

Noah Joseph — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal, Mercedes-Benz

To the victor go the spoils. It's an age-old adage, and with good reason. But after winning the world championship last year, Jenson Button had another battle on his hands.

In negotiating his contract with Brawn GP for last season, Button reportedly agreed to a salary cut given the team's drastically reduced budget compared to the well-funded Honda years. A clause, however improbable it may have seemed at the time, was included in the contract that stipulated that, should Button win the championship, he'd be entitled to keep one of the cars with which he won it.

After the season was done, Button moved to McLaren and Mercedes bought the Brawn team, the chassis wasn't delivered. Offering instead to build Button a replica, the team reportedly claimed there weren't enough chassis to go around, so Button's company took the team to court.

The parties have reportedly since settled out of court and Button is due to take possession of his championship-winning car. But if you thought he had an easy ride to the title, claiming the prize apparently proved anything but.

[Source: ESPN]

Jenson Button sues Brawn-Mercedes for championship-winning car originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You Better Believe It: Christian license plate reportedly banned by U.S. District Court

Noah Joseph — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:40:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal

The proposed South Carolina plate would have looked something like Florida's (pictured above)

Last year, the South Carolina state legislature approved a bill to establish a Christian-themed license plate depicting a cross in front of a stained-glass window and bearing the words "I Believe". The vote spurred public advocacy groups into action, decrying the move as a violation of the separation of church and state.

According to the Associated Press, a similar bill in Florida failed to pass into law, and now a U.S. district court has struck down the license plate in South Carolina as a First Amendment violation. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie took specific aim at the state's Lt. Governor Andre Bauer, the driving force behind the initiative, calling the move "an effort to purchase political capital with religious coin."

In addition to banning the plate, Judge Currie also ordered the state to reimburse the legal expenses of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, two groups which fought against the initiative and were, if you'll pardon the pun, decidedly cross.

[Sources: The Associated Press; The New York Times]

You Better Believe It: Christian license plate reportedly banned by U.S. District Court originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Max Mosley, Sebastien Bourdais settle individual lawsuits

Noah Joseph — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 07:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal

Those who bemoan modern Formula One settling its rivalries in the courtroom instead of on the race track have another set of examples to bring up at the pub as news emerges of the settlement of two lawsuits related to the top-tier racing series have emerged over the course of the weekend.

In one case, Scuderia Toro Rosso and its dejected driver Sebastien Bourdais reportedly settled a dispute of the premature termination of the contract between the two parties. When the team fired Bourdais in favor of Jamie Alguersuari, Bourdais proclaimed that he was looking into legal recourse against the team. Reports now indicate that the two parties settled out of court, with STR reportedly paying Bourdais salary plus damages in the amount of $2.1 million. Speculation is rising that the French driver will return to racing in the U.S., where he racked up an unprecedented four consecutive Champ Car titles before his ill-fated move to Formula One.

Meanwhile, departing FIA president Max Mosley has reportedly settled his case against German newspaper Bild over the publication of his sordid sex scandal for which he sued the publisher for $2.35 million. According to reports, Mosley and Bild settled for $290,000 which will be distributed to two charities, as well as the publication of an interview to clear the record. The settlement follows the $100,000 in damages and $760,000 in legal fees awarded last year to Mosley from the News of the World, the British tabloid which originally broke the story.

[Sources: F1-Live and GrandPrix.com | Image: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty]

Max Mosley, Sebastien Bourdais settle individual lawsuits originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Aug 2009 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Chrysler unlikely to pay back most recent $4.5 billion gov't loan

Michael Harley — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:39:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, UAW/Unions

Repayment of the $4.5 billion life-line in U.S. and Canadian loans that a federal bankruptcy court allowed yesterday is "highly unlikely," according to Ron Manzo, a top company adviser. To Chrysler's bankruptcy legal team, that is not the issue. Urging the court "to let this company live," automaker attorney Corinne Ball said "the survival of Chrysler's business is at stake in these proceedings, as is the fate of hundreds of suppliers and thousands of Chrysler dealers around the country."

In other related developments:

Chrysler's salaried employees will be ordered to take a two-week unpaid furlough saving the company $21 million. Hourly workers are already on furlough.
Incentive plans to dealers will be cut by 25 percent in May, and 50 percent in June.
Chrysler is losing 30-40 dealerships per month. They now have fewer than 3,200.
In papers filed last week, Chrysler expects the U.S. Treasury to forgive the $4 billion loan made in January.
The company's biggest obstacle to making a speedy exit from bankruptcy court are the dissident creditors, holding $6.9 billion in first-lien debt.

[Source: The Detroit News]

REPORT: Chrysler unlikely to pay back most recent $4.5 billion gov't loan originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 May 2009 18:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes tries to burst Shuanghuan's tiny Bubble, gives up

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:59:00 EST

Filed under: Coupe, Budget, China, Europe, Government/Legal, Hatchback, BMW, Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes decided to sue Shuanghuan Automotive for copyright infringement for its Bubble microcar (called the Noble in China), claiming it was a copy of the smart fortwo. BMW then decided to bring its own case against Shuanghuan, citing the Shuanghuan CEO as a blatant facsimile of the BMW X5 (that's the CEO on the wall in the above picture). Mercedes got the Bubble banned from display at a couple of auto shows, BMW won its copyright infringement lawsuit in Munich, and Mercedes sued the Bubble's importer, Martin Motors of Italy, to block sales of the car.

It was all looking good... until BMW lost its case in courts in Munich and in China. The Italian court ruled that "consumers could not get confused" when similar vehicles are offered "with a significant price difference." With BMW cold knocked out in the Copyright Cage Match, Mercedes has been left alone in the octagon with Shuanghuan bearing down on it. It also hasn't helped that Italian commentators have already said they don't think the two cars will be confused.

Now Mercedes is looking for an exit. Martin Motors countersued Mercedes for €100,000,000 - around $134.2 million USD - citing potential lost Bubble sales (that's a lotta Bubbles), and Mercedes doesn't want to lose its case and have to fork over colossal damages. Both sides expect the case to be resolved in a couple of weeks, and Bubbles are expected to go on sale this summer.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Mercedes tries to burst Shuanghuan's tiny Bubble, gives up originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Court strikes down Michigan "fuzzy dice" ban... then reinstates it...

Jonathon Ramsey — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:08:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal

A man named Lonnie Ray Davis was pulled over by Michigan police. When they searched his car, they found an open alcohol container, crack, a wad of cash, a stun gun, and a .38 caliber handgun. He was, of course, arrested. But the reason they pulled him over has become a constitutional law issue: Davis had a Tweety Bird ornament dangling from his rear view mirror, and Michigan law forbids dangling things that "obstruct the vision of the driver of the vehicle."

Davis' argument was that the Tweety Bird didn't obstruct his vision, so the cops had no right to pull him over, and therefore the items they found should be suppressed. The 6th Court of Appeals initially struck down the Michigan law since it does not define "to what degree the driver's vision must be obstructed or for how long." Noting that a great many cars have objects dangling from their mirrors, and so may be in unwitting violation of the law, "the statute itself provides no guidance either to motorists or police as to which ones" violate the law, and so must be scrapped.

The court didn't suppress the evidence, and shortly after its ruling it rescinded its decision striking down the ban. The reason is thought to be that the court was required to let Michigan plead its case for the ban before the court struck it down. The court has not given a reason for its reversed decision. As far as the now-reinstated fuzzy dice ban, for now it remains a reason for the police to pull you over if and when they decide.

[Source: Michigan Messenger]

Court strikes down Michigan "fuzzy dice" ban... then reinstates it... originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 04 Jan 2009 17:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW loses Clonewars Italian court battle

Michael Harley — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:59:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, China, Europe, Government/Legal, Crossover, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Smart

Take a close look at the image. A court in Italy has just ruled that the crossover pictured above, the five-seat CEO built by Shuanghuan Automobile of Shijiazhuang, China, is not a clone of the BMW X5. Um... yeah. The legal battles began when Shuanghuan introduced their "Noble" last year, a near-clone of the Smart fortwo. Mercedes-Benz wasn't impressed, and threatened a lawsuit. Shortly thereafter, BMW started losing sleep over the Chinese CEO, an obvious facsimile of their previous-generation X5 (E53). The Bavarian automaker took Shuanghuan to court in Munich this past summer and won their case, and when Martin Motors (the distributor of Shuanghuan Automobiles in Italy and central Europe) started selling the CEO in early 2007, BMW again took legal action, this time in the Italian judicial system.

Last week, the Germans met their defeat when the Italian courts rejected their claims. To date, Martin Motors has sold about 200 copies of the CEO and expects to sell about 1200 this year in their European markets. "We are convinced the CEO wasn't a clone of the X5. We are happy to see our view supported by a court ruling," said an obviously pleased spokesperson from Martin Motors. We have to wonder how quickly the Italians would change their tune if Shuanghuan began to knock-off the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4.

[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]

BMW loses Clonewars Italian court battle originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Dec 2008 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volvo found guilty of manslaughter, fined

Dan Roth — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:54:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Volvo

Two children tragically lost their lives when French driver Catherine Kohtz lost control of her Volvo 850. The 1999 incident, which Kohtz blamed on a loss of braking ability in her Volvo, has led to French courts handing down a finding of manslaughter. The guilty verdict against Volvo also carries an €200,000 fine, though Volvo holds that there wasn't anything wrong with the car's braking system and will likely appeal. Driver Kohtz was fined €300 and also sentenced to a six-month jail term, which was suspended.

Kohtz's accident was initially attributed to reckless operation, and tensions in the town of Wasselonne have been stirred by the circumstances of crash. Rumblings of Kohtz, relatively wealthy, having bought her way out of a more serious outcome for the death of two ten year olds from lesser means have been dividing the town in eastern France. An investigation determined that the brakes in the Volvo 850 suffered from a problem known to Volvo. Rather than recall 180,000 850s, Volvo is alleged to have quietly asked its dealers to fix a rubber pipe prone to rupture or detachment, causing a loss of braking ability. An investigating magistrate contended that service documents instructing dealers how to repair the problem were overly vague, leading to an improper and ineffective repair on Kohtz's car. For a company with such an emphasis on safety, its surprising that it would try to cover up a major flaw in such a crucial system. Volvo argued that the service documents that were seized outline an innocuous fault, and that something else like a loose water bottle behind the pedal was to blame.

[Source: BBC via Winding Road; The Independent]

Volvo found guilty of manslaughter, fined originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daimler blocks debut of Chinese smart clone

Dan Roth — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 15:34:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Government/Legal, Smart

Daimler's not taking the close resemblance of a Chinese minicar to a smart fortwo lightly. The German automaker has gotten a court order forbidding Martin Motors, the European distributor for China's Shuanghuan Automobile, from displaying the Shuanghuan Noble at the upcoming Bologna Auto Show. This is the second time Daimler has blocked the Noble from being displayed, having taken similar action at the Frankfurt show.

Martin Motors is calling the Noble the Bubble in Europe, since there's already another Noble. Martin contends that the Bubble is not a copy of the fortwo, citing the four seats and front engine configuration among the differentiating details. Martin Motors has also demanded in Italian courts that Daimler prove its exclusive rights to the design of the smart. If a resolution can be reached, the Bubble will go on sale for about $10,000 euros across Europe. The resemblance is striking, but copying the look isn't the same as cribbing the underlying engineering. We haven't had the opportunity to crawl over, under, or through the Bubble, so we can't comment on whether it's better or worse than the smart, but from the looks of things in the video we've posted after the jump, the Bubble is hardly a premium vehicle. Shuanghuan also sells the CEO, a midsize SUV that borrows an awful lot from the BMW X5's looks. The appearance similarities between Shuanghuan's vehicles and those of well respected competitors may not help the Chinese automaker avoid having its European sales bubble burst.

Check the jump to see a video of the Noble/Bubble in action.

More shots from Autoblog China.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Continue reading Daimler blocks debut of Chinese smart clone

Daimler blocks debut of Chinese smart clone originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 01 Dec 2007 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FIA rejects McLaren appeal, confirms Raikkonen's title

Noah Joseph — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:41:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Kimi Raikkonen and the boys at Ferrari can breathe a sigh of relief, as their championship has been formally confirmed by the FIA. The title was appealed by the incredibly sore losers at McLaren, who insisted that because of a temperature irregularity in the fuel in BMW's and Williams' cars at the season closer in Brazil, those four cars should have been disqualified, thereby catapulting McLaren's Lewis Hamilton to the championship. (Yeah, they were serious.)

Hamilton, it should be noted, stated that he didn't want to win the championship that way. And nobody else wanted him too, either. Even F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone threatened to quit the sport if the FIA took the title away from Raikkonen and awarded it to Hamilton over the technicality.

The ruling was issued by a specially-convened panel of the FIA's International Court of Appeal, presided over by a Czech motorsport judge and three others from the United States, Greece and Portugal. The court, which heard testimonies from BMW, Williams and McLaren, convened in London instead of the FIA's headquarters in Paris due to traffic issues in the French capital.

Our take: Rules are rules, but if the FIA had stripped Raikkonen of his title, it would have been bad for him, bad for Hamilton, bad for F1 and bad for motorsports. We'll be waiting for Ron Dennis to find a way to blame us for this, too.

Full statement from the FIA after the jump.

Continue reading FIA rejects McLaren appeal, confirms Raikkonen's title

FIA rejects McLaren appeal, confirms Raikkonen's title originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Court removes wind from automakers' sales in Vermont emissions fight

Dan Roth — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 01:02:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, Green, Daimler, GM

General Motors and the former DaimlerChrysler have been handed a disappointment in a Boston district court. At issue was Vermont's adoption of California's carbon dioxide standard, which requires cars and light trucks to reduce their emissions of the greenhouse gas by 30 percent. GM and DCX brought suit against the state of Vermont, claiming that Federal law was being usurped by states demanding their own emissions standards. Furthermore, the automakers say they couldn't meet the standard, and will have to pull out of Vermont as a result.

Judge William Sessions didn't buy the argument of GM and DaimlerChrysler, and instead upheld the Vermont law. While the standards are tighter than the Federal regulations, Sessions was not convinced that they pre-empt the nationwide requirements. It does appear like a thorny States Rights question, and if more states than the current dozen or so adopt California emissions guidelines, it will continue to cause consternation. It does make the federal regs look useless when states are passing requirements that are more rigorous. It also creates extra cost for automakers, as they've either got to make all of their cars compliant, or sell "Federal" and "California" versions of the same car. The decision will be appealed by the automakers, and we expect this issue to have legs - this is not the last we'll hear of this debate.

[Source: Automotive News - sub req.]

Court removes wind from automakers' sales in Vermont emissions fight originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Sep 2007 01:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Supreme Court calls shotgun! Backs up passengers' rights

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 15:04:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal

Let's say you're riding in a car with someone who doesn't exactly heed the letter of the law. Or, hypothetically of course, imagine that you, the passenger, are the law-bender. Now, thanks to a Supreme Court ruling, if the police stop your driver buddy for dodgy reasons, passengers are allowed the same rights to contest the validity of the stop as the driver (and the seizure of any evidence that might have been, ahem, found during the stop).

The case was brought by a man in California who was a passenger in a car that police stopped on suspicion of an expired registration. After the police booked him for parole and drug violations, he challenged the right for the police to make the stop in the first place. It turns out the police didn't have any right to stop the car because they already knew from a previous encounter that day that the car's registration was valid. The Supreme Court agreed that passengers in a car are just as "seized" during a police stop as the driver, and so should have as much right as the driver to call police actions into question. So, ignoring the fact that the man who instigated this actually was violating parole and carrying drugs -- his bad example has made life better for passengers everywhere. Kudos to the guys in the long black robes.

[Source: New York Times via Auto Concourse]

Supreme Court calls shotgun! Backs up passengers' rights originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Jun 2007 15:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris sentenced to the pen for violating probation

Damon Lavrinc — Sat, 05 May 2007 13:39:00 EST

Filed under: Etc.

We generally try to avoid any coverage of celebrity foul ups, leaving it to the gossip sites to do their worst. This, however, is a story we couldn't pass up.

After one drunken driving arrest, two traffic violations and failing to enroll in a mandatory alcohol education program, Paris Hilton has been sentenced to 45 days in a woman's prison in Lynwood, CA.

After arriving fashionably late to her court date, Paris the heiress was accompanied by her mother, Kathy, who laughed out loud when the prosecutor was making his closing statement (apple, tree, you know the rest). Afterwards, Paris made a statement laden with apologies, yet seeming to lack any real substance.

As flawed as our system can be, it's nice to know that justice can been served, even to the wealthy elite that generally live above the law. Her sentence begins on June 5th and we're looking forward to 45 Paris-free days during her time in custody.

[Source: Yahoo! News]

Paris sentenced to the pen for violating probation originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 05 May 2007 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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