PA Consumer Advocate Endorses Proposed PA Lemon Law Changes During Public Hearings

       Attorney Craig Thor Kimmel Commends Inclusion of Leased Vehicles
                   And Stresses the Need for Title Branding

    HARRISBURG, Penn., March 8 Attorney and automobile
consumer advocate Craig Thor Kimmel, whose firm has provided free lemon law
representation to more than 15,000 consumers in the past ten years, commended
the Consumer Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives during public
hearings today to discuss House Bill 767.  By providing consumers who lease
their vehicles with lemon law protection, the Bill, being sponsored by the
Honorable John Evans (R-District 5), will mark the first significant change
since the Law was passed in 1983.  Craig Thor Kimmel is the Managing Partner
of the Ambler, PA-based firm of Kimmel and Silverman, P.C., the nation's
oldest and largest lemon law and consumer advocacy firm.
    According to R.H. Polk, a noted industry consultant, 20 percent of all new
passenger cars and 26 percent of all light utility trucks distributed in
Pennsylvania in the year 2000 were leased.  This compares to single-digit
percentages in the early eighties, when the Bill was originally passed.
Until House Bill 767, a growing number of consumers were being denied consumer
protection under the state's Lemon Law.
    "House Bill 767 decisively closes the loophole of our current law and
ensures all Pennsylvanians have a legal right to obtain satisfaction," said
Attorney Kimmel, who has rallied for four years for the inclusion of leased
vehicles.
    During his statement, Kimmel also endorsed the inclusion of title branding
in the Bill.  Title branding is designed to inform Pennsylvania consumers of
used automobiles which have been classified as lemon vehicles.
    "Title branding is the single best means to prevent unsuspecting consumers
from purchasing someone else's nightmare," said Kimmel.  The attorney also
shared various suggestions with the Committee to keep a tight reign on title
branding throughout the state's automobile industry.
    House Bill 767 is currently scheduled to be voted on in April.
    For more information on the Pennsylvania Lemon Law and the rights of
automobile owners and lessees, consumers can visit Kimmel and Silverman's
website at http://www.lemonlaw.com or call 1-800-LEMON-LAW (1-800-536-6652)