The Nation - News from July 5, 1989

Connecticut’s so-called Lemon Law, the first in the nation to give quick relief to the owners of defective automobiles, has been ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court. The decision voids at least temporarily the 1984 state law that set up an out-of-court program for resolving disputes between car buyers and car makers. Acting Atty. Gen. Clarine Nardi Riddle said the defect in the law will be easy for the General Assembly to correct. The court found that the law violates the state constitution because it unfairly limits car makers’ right to appeal. The ruling does not take away rights to relief under the original 1982 Lemon Law, but it means buyers of faulty cars may have to hire a lawyer and go to court to exercise their rights, officials said.