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Consumer Law Keyed to Whaley, 9th Ed.
Mirabal v. General Motors Acceptance Corporation
Citation:
576 F.2d 729 (1978)Facts
In 1971, John and Sharon Mirabal purchased a new automobile from Ed Murphy Buick-Opel for a cash price of $4,497.65, financing $2,460 through a 36-month installment contract with General Motors Acceptance Corporation. The defendants understated the annual percentage rate in the disclosure statement by almost two percent. GMAC claimed to have sent a corrective letter, which plaintiffs denied receiving. Plaintiffs’ attorney spent 120 hours at trial and 230 hours on appeal, totaling 350 hours of legal work. Defendants paid their attorneys over $30,000 to defend the case. The case involved a relatively small transaction but raised multiple technical violations of federal and state consumer protection laws.
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