Florida Statutes 681.109 – Florida New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board; dispute eligibility
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Terms Used In Florida Statutes 681.109
- Board: means the Florida New Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board. See Florida Statutes 681.102
- Consumer: means the purchaser, other than for purposes of resale, or the lessee, of a motor vehicle primarily used for personal, family, or household purposes; any person to whom such motor vehicle is transferred for the same purposes during the duration of the Lemon Law rights period; and any other person entitled by the terms of the warranty to enforce the obligations of the warranty. See Florida Statutes 681.102
- Days: means calendar days. See Florida Statutes 681.102
- Department: means the Department of Legal Affairs. See Florida Statutes 681.102
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Lawsuit: A legal action started by a plaintiff against a defendant based on a complaint that the defendant failed to perform a legal duty, resulting in harm to the plaintiff.
- Lemon Law rights period: means the period ending 24 months after the date of the original delivery of a motor vehicle to a consumer. See Florida Statutes 681.102
- Manufacturer: means any person, whether a resident or nonresident of this state, who manufactures or assembles motor vehicles, or who manufactures or assembles chassis for recreational vehicles, or who manufactures or installs on previously assembled truck or recreational vehicle chassis special bodies or equipment which, when installed, forms an integral part of the motor vehicle, or a distributor or an importer as those terms are defined in…. See Florida Statutes 681.102
- Procedure: means an informal dispute-settlement procedure established by a manufacturer to mediate and arbitrate motor vehicle warranty disputes. See Florida Statutes 681.102
(1) If a manufacturer has a certified procedure, a consumer claim arising during the Lemon Law rights period must be filed with the certified procedure no later than 60 days after the expiration of the Lemon Law rights period. If a decision is not rendered by the certified procedure within 40 days after filing, the consumer may apply to the department to have the dispute removed to the board for arbitration.
(2) If a manufacturer has a certified procedure, a consumer claim arising during the Lemon Law rights period must be filed with the certified procedure no later than 60 days after the expiration of the Lemon Law rights period. If a consumer is not satisfied with the decision or the manufacturer’s compliance therewith, the consumer may apply to the department to have the dispute submitted to the board for arbitration. A manufacturer may not seek review of a decision made under its procedure.
(3) If a manufacturer does not have a certified procedure or if the certified procedure does not have jurisdiction to resolve the dispute, a consumer may apply directly to the department to have the dispute submitted to the board for arbitration.
(4) A consumer must request arbitration before the board with respect to a claim arising during the Lemon Law rights period no later than 60 days after the expiration of the Lemon Law rights period, or within 30 days after the final action of a certified procedure, whichever date occurs later.
(5) The department shall screen all requests for arbitration before the board to determine eligibility. The consumer’s request for arbitration before the board shall be made on a form prescribed by the department. The department shall forward to the board all disputes that the department determines are potentially entitled to relief under this chapter.
(6) The department may reject a dispute that it determines to be fraudulent or outside the scope of the board’s authority. Any dispute deemed by the department to be ineligible for arbitration by the board due to insufficient evidence may be reconsidered upon the submission of new information regarding the dispute. The department after a second review, may reject a dispute if the evidence is clearly insufficient to qualify for relief. If the department rejects a dispute, it must provide notice of the rejection and a brief explanation of the reason for rejection to the consumer and to the manufacturer.
(7) If the department rejects a dispute, the consumer may file a lawsuit to enforce the remedies provided under this chapter. In any civil action arising under this chapter and relating to a matter considered by the department, any determination made to reject a dispute is admissible in evidence.
(8) The department may adopt rules to administer this section.