Since the passage of the first “Lemon Law” 30 years ago Monday, Oct. 1, Connecticut consumers have received $60 million in refunds or replacement vehicles, according to Connecticut Public Interest Research Group (ConnPIRG).
The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection enforces the law today.
“The Lemon Law was a big win for consumers,” said John Woodcock, a former state representative who sponsored the bill as a freshman legislator from South Windsor, in a prepared statement. “Instead of forcing consumers to spend thousands of dollars and sometimes years in courts seeking recourse, the Lemon Law allows consumers to hold car (manufacturers) directly responsible for their defective products.”
In 1982, ConnPIRG activists rallied a campaign that culminated in a capitol press conference that included handing out “LemonAid” and one consumer flying a plane over the capitol trailing a banner reading “My ’82 Chevy is one reason Conn. needs a lemon law.”
