Hyundai Motor America, Inc. v. Goodin, 822 N.E.2d 947 (Feb. 22, 2005)
Feb 22, 2005OUTCOME: The Indiana Supreme Court’s opinion reinstated Ms. Goodin’s favorable jury verdict and reversed the Appellate Court for taking away the verdict.
Indiana Supreme Court in a unanimous (5-0) decision abolished the doctrine of privity of contract, a direct buyer-seller relationship, as a requirement for suing a car manufacturer regarding the mercha ... ntability or fitness of an automobile pursuant to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Whereas prior to this decision a consumer could only pursue a merchantability claim against a car dealer, presuming that the dealer had not disclaimed the claim in the fine print of the purchase documents, the door was now open to pursue these claims against manufacturers and distributors of consumer products. Further, the Court’s opinion reinstated Ms. Goodin’s favorable jury verdict and reversed the Appellate Court for taking away the verdict.
