Safetyforum.com: Chrysler Renews Efforts to Hide Lemon Documents

    ARLINGTON, Va., March 19 Chrysler Group of DaimlerChrysler
is cranking up the volume in its efforts to prevent distribution of papers
documenting the extent of its lemon recycling practices.  The automaker has
filed an unprecedented request that the North Carolina Court of Appeals
reconsider its decision last week to vacate a temporary gag order it had
placed on the documents.
    "The North Carolina Court of Appeals has already endorsed Judge Cashwell's
rulings.  Secrecy is the only reason Chrysler is able to continue its
outrageous behavior.  Several North Carolina courts have already told Chrysler
that 'the jig is up'.  They might as well comply with the courts' orders."
said Doug Abrams, the attorney representing a Raleigh, North Carolina couple
suing Chrysler and a local dealership for selling them a previously owned
vehicle without disclosing its past problems.
    Last Friday, March 16, Chrysler, acknowledging that their request is so
unusual that there is no formal procedure for them to follow, nonetheless,
asked the North Carolina Court of Appeals to reconsider its earlier decision
to let the public see the Chrysler documents that Judge Cashwell ordered be
made public in February.  Earlier the Court of Appeals temporarily stayed
Judge Cashwell's order.  It lifted that temporary stay March 13.
    On the same day that Chrysler renewed its attempt to shield the documents,
The Raleigh News and Observer and Safetyforum.com disclosed how the documents
establish in detail Chrysler's lemon recycling program.  During the seven
years between 1993 and 2000, Chrysler bought back more than 50,000 vehicles
that it hadn't been able to fix.  It immediately auctioned more than 40,000 of
those vehicles to dealers who sold them, often without disclosing the extent
of the vehicles' past problems, if at all.  Chrysler's auctions managed to
recoup almost 70 percent of its buy-back costs.  The documents show that a few
of the vehicles were scrapped or "donated."
    The Chrysler documents are available from Safetyforum.com, some of which
are posted on its website.  Safetyforum.com does research for attorneys suing
Chrysler and other automakers.  "Chrysler is whining that these documents
reveal 'confidential business information.'  Who can blame them?  No business
that engages in such practices would want the public to know about its
shameful behavior," said Ralph Hoar, Director of Safetyforum.com.
    "Until now Chrysler, and other manufacturers, have managed to hide their
behavior by facing-down judges, attorneys and their clients.  Few attorneys,
or their clients, have the resources to withstand more than a year of the
stalling and obstructions that have typified Chrysler's behavior in this --
and other -- lemon litigation cases.  It is unfortunate that these battles
usually get fought on such uneven playing fields.  That may be about to end,"
Hoar said.  Doug Abrams is a partner in the Raleigh, N.C. firm, Twiggs,
Abrams, Strickland & Rabenau.  The firm recently became Safetyforum.com
"Attorneys of Record" for Lemon Laundering.

    CONTACT:  Douglas Abrams of Twiggs, Abrams, Strickland and Rabenau,
919-828-4357; or Ralph Hoar of Safetyforum.com, 703-469-3700.