• COVID-19 Resources
  • Administrative Law
  • Liquor Law – ABC – OLCC
  • Employment Law
  • GAMING: Internet & Casino
  • Land Use
  • Personal Injury & Wrongful Death
Call Us Now: 800.405.4222
Solomon Saltsman & Jamieson - SSJ Law
  • Home
  • Practice Areas
    • Administrative Law
    • Alcohol and Liquor Law: ABC | OLCC
    • Employment Law
    • GAMING: Internet & Casino
    • Land Use
    • Personal Injury & Wrongful Death
  • Our Team
  • Articles
  • Community Service
  • Resources
  • Contact Us
    • The Firm
    • AV Rating
    • Client List
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

Jury Sides With Course In Cart Warranty Case

in News

by Mike Bailey

Textron Inc. has paid nearly $1.7 million to a California company after a 12-person jury found that its golf car division misrepresented the warranty on a fleet of golf cars.

In a six-week trial that ended in June, a Superior Court of California jury found that E-Z-GO, a division of Textron, was guilty of two counts of breaching its warranty and two counts of fraud in its dealings with Ridgetop Ranch Properties, former owner of Lake Elizabeth (Calif.) Golf and Ranch Club.

Kathy Searle, vice president of the communications for E-Z-GO, said Textron is not planning to appeal, but is disappointed with the decision.

“We maintain the lawsuit is simply a matter of the plaintiff’s attempt to profit from a well-managed, market leader who has a well-documented record of providing high-quality golf cars and exceptional service,” she said.
Searle said Ridgetop Ranch’s claims are inconsistent with what really happened.

“The plaintiff clearly is blaming E-Z-GO for their lack of executing fundamental golf-car maintenance practices,” she said. “We did everything in our power to help the customer resolve the issues they were experiencing due to their lack of maintenance on the vehicles. Our focus always remained on ensuring a wonderful experience for the plaintiff’s course customers.”

According to the complaint, over a period from 1997 to 2001, Lake Elizabeth’s 80 E-Z-GO golf cars broke down, failed, or were inoperable on a weekly basis, rendering numerous golf cars unfit for use. The alleged problems included trouble with their speed controls, which was particularly problematic on Lake Elizabeth’s elevation changes of up to 190 feet.

Ridgetop Ranch officials said in the complaint that E-Z-GO misrepresented claims that the speed controls could be set specifically for Lake Elizabeth. They also said that E-Z-GO employees told them that the golf cars were not defective – but knew all along that the speed controllers on the cars were defective, as they sought reimbursement and credit from Curtis Instruments Inc., which makes the speed controllers. Lake Elizabeth officials also said that E-Z-GO replaced failed speed controllers with similarly defective ones.

According to the complaint, rounds at Lake Elizabeth declined as it gained a reputation as a course that was “unreliable and dangerous,” and, as a result, the course closed in December 2001. The course and another 15 acres were sold six months later for $5.5 million, a figure Ridgetop Ranch officials said was far lower than it would have commanded had the course’s reputation not suffered from the faulty golf cars.

The jury awarded $1.67 million, plus legal fees and 10 percent post-judgment interest. The award compensated for lost rounds and the devaluation of the course, said Stephen Jamieson, lead attorney for Ridgetop Ranch and partner in the Los Angeles law firm Solomon, Saltsman & Jamieson.

“I think the biggest factor was that the jury decided that during the process of selling the cars, E-Z-GO lied to them,” Jamieson said. “I think the jury felt that during the process of the cars breaking down that E-Z-GO didn’t tell them the truth, and I think it also made a difference during the trial that E-Z-GO had tried to conceal things.”

Another reason for the large award, Jamieson said, is the ruling that E-Z-GO did not deliver its limited warranty when Ridgeview Ranch signed the contract in 1997. The limited warranty could have protected E-Z-GO against incidental and consequential damages.

“The lesson learned for our company is that we need to maintain better records of the vehicle-care training and service we provide to our customers,” Searle said. “Unfortunately, the plaintiff presented information about our customer-focused activities that was misinterpreted by the jury many years after the fact. Unfortunately we did not have all of the records to back up what truly happened.”

Solomon, Saltsman & Jamieson are attorneys practicing in the areas of ABC law, ABC Appeals Board cases, and all related Land Use Matters such as City and County Conditional Use Permits, Variances, Police and Fire permits, Entertainment law, and Gambling Law; as well as Business and Personal Injury litigation. Solomon, Saltsman & Jamieson can be reached at 800 405 4222.”

https://ssjlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/SSJLaw-Attorneys-Logo530.png 0 0 ssjadmin https://ssjlaw.com/wp-content/uploads/SSJLaw-Attorneys-Logo530.png ssjadmin2007-08-08 13:19:492007-08-08 13:19:49Jury Sides With Course In Cart Warranty Case

Current Affairs

  • Dozens of Californians cited for allegedly providing alcoholic beverages to minors Saturday.March 15, 2023 - 9:11 pm

    During the weekend of March 11th and 12th, 2023 the ABC worked with nearly fifty local law enforcement agencies and departments across California to conduct “shoulder tap” minor decoy operations…

  • Newsweek Legal Insight Team spotlight on Solomon Saltsman and JamiesonOctober 20, 2022 - 8:46 pm

    NEWSWEEK Premier Law Firms
    Solomon Saltsman and Jamieson
    in the spotlight…

  • Title 4. Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control Proposed RegulationsOctober 15, 2022 - 8:21 pm

    Following relaxed policy regulations during the COVID era, the Department has published a proposed rule change to codify Title 4, Rule 70 which will allow licensed premises to serve and allow consumption of alcoholic beverages in permanent non-contiguous areas separate from the main or primary by public area of the licensed premises. There are restrictions and requirements that licensees should be acquainted with if alcohol service is intended or is ongoing in these non-contiguous areas. Proposed Rule 70 is set out in full herein. There will be a public hearing before the Department on November 1, 2022.

  • ABC Launches New Online Licensing Services Portal for Over 90,000 California BusinessesAugust 4, 2022 - 9:18 pm

    The fee waivers became available in February 2021 when Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of immediate actions that provided relief to individuals, families and businesses suffering the most significant economic hardship from the COVID-19 Recession

  • abc alcohol beverage control attorneys los angels CaliforniaTHE CITY OF LOS ANGELES HAS JUST CHANGED ITS LAWSJuly 10, 2022 - 8:15 pm

    On March 31, 2022, the Restaurant Beverage Program (RBP) Ordinance, which expediates the permitting process and lowers costs for eligible sit-down restaurants permitted to sell alcohol went into effect in the City of Los Angeles. Under the new program, qualifying sit-down restaurants can apply to serve alcohol through a 4-week…

LOS ANGELES

426 Culver Boulevard
Playa Del Rey, CA 90293
Toll Free: 800.405.4222
Los Angeles: 310.822.9848
[email protected]



BAY AREA

315 Montgomery Street
10th Floor
San Francisco, CA  94104
Toll Free: 800.405.4222
[email protected]



PORTLAND

25 NW 23rd Place, Suite 6 #363
Portland, OR 97210
Toll Free: 800.405.4222
Portland: 503.236.8050
[email protected]



Do you have questions?

email or call us at 800.405.4222

Join Our Email List

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Solomon, Saltsman & Jamieson, 426 Culver Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90293. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

Current Affairs & Latest News

Dozens of Californians cited for allegedly providing alcoholic beverages to minors Saturday.

During the weekend of March 11th and 12th, 2023 the ABC worked with nearly fifty local law enforcement agencies and departments across California to conduct “shoulder tap” minor decoy operations…

Read Full Article

DISCLAIMER

Articles posted on our website, were to the best of our knowledge correct at the time they were written, but laws change continuously so no one should rely on what is written in any article as the current state of the law. The reader should always consult a practicing lawyer for an evaluation of how the current law affects any particular factual situation at the time when it occurs. The badges for AVVO®, Million Dollars Advocates Forum®, Martindale Hubbel AV Preeminent®, SuperLawyers®, and BestLawyers®” have been awarded to various specific attorneys at Solomon Saltsman and Jamieson.  See each attorney’s profile for which badges are specifically assigned to him or her.
Full Site Disclaimer

Copyright © 2018 Solomon Saltsman & Jamieson.

Website design by: wwyou.com

Scroll to top