A Los Angeles lemon law attorney with offices in Pasadena and Long Beach

If you are looking for a Los Angeles lemon law attorney, you probably already know the routine: the warning light comes back, the dealer keeps the car for a week, and the repair order says the problem could not be found or was fixed. California's lemon law, the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, was written for this situation. When a manufacturer cannot fix a warranty defect in a reasonable number of attempts, it must buy the vehicle back or replace it, and the buyer chooses which.

This page covers that claim in Los Angeles County: our offices, the Superior Court locations, the process, and what you will have to do yourself. It is general information as of October 2026, not legal advice about your vehicle.

Our Los Angeles County offices

LaCour Trial Lawyers handles lemon law claims across Los Angeles County from two offices:

• Pasadena (Corporate Headquarters): 1 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Suite 200, Pasadena, CA 91105
• Long Beach: One World Trade Center, 8th Floor, Long Beach, CA 90802

Pasadena serves the San Gabriel Valley, Glendale, Burbank, the foothill communities and central Los Angeles. Long Beach serves the South Bay, the harbor area, the Gateway Cities and southeast county. Our Pomona office, covered on our Inland Empire page, is also in L.A. County and serves the Pomona Valley.

You do not need to visit an office. Most clients send their contract and repair orders by phone or email, and we schedule calls around work. Call (310) 853-3461 or use the free case review form.

Where lemon law cases are filed in Los Angeles County

Lemon law lawsuits are filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. Because a buyback claim usually seeks more than the limited civil ceiling, most are "unlimited civil" cases, and the court's own Local Rules decide where those can be filed.

Under Chapter 2 of the Los Angeles Superior Court Local Rules, an unlimited civil case may be filed in the Central District, at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street in downtown Los Angeles, or, for listed case types, in another district. For contract claims the rule allows filing "where performance is required by an express provision or where defendant resides." The same rule includes one detail that surprises Pasadena residents: "An unlimited civil action may not be filed in the Northeast District," which is the district that includes the Pasadena Courthouse. So a Pasadena driver's lemon law lawsuit is generally filed downtown or in another permitted district, not in Pasadena.

Other district courthouses listed in the rules include the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse at 275 Magnolia in Long Beach (South District) and Pomona Courthouse South at 400 Civic Center Plaza (East District). The court's Filing Court Locator notes that caseload adjustments can move civil cases between districts. Choosing the right courthouse is your lawyer's job.

Under the 2025 procedures for manufacturers that opted in, the parties exchange documents and schedule mediation within months of the manufacturer's answer, so many cases move toward resolution before a courtroom date is ever set. Our guide to how long a lemon law case takes walks through those stages.

Do I have to go to court?

Usually not in person for routine steps. Lawyers file the papers and attend case management conferences and hearings. Many cases resolve without the client testifying, often after the document exchange or at mediation.

That said, you are the buyer, and some things need you. You will help answer written questions about your purchase and repairs. In cases against opted-in manufacturers, California's 2025 rules allow each side to take a deposition of up to two hours of the other early in the case, so the manufacturer's lawyers may ask you questions under oath. If a case goes to trial, you would testify. We prepare you for each step and tell you well ahead of time what is coming.

How a Los Angeles lemon law case works, start to finish

1. The repair history. Everything starts with the dealer's repair orders. In the first 18 months or 18,000 miles, Civil Code § 1793.22(b) presumes a reasonable number of attempts after two repairs of a defect likely to cause death or serious bodily injury, four repairs of the same problem, or more than 30 cumulative days out of service. For the first two, the buyer must also have notified the manufacturer directly at least once, if the warranty or owner's manual clearly required it. That presumption is not the only route; fewer attempts, or attempts after 18 months, can still be "reasonable." See how many repair attempts make a lemon.
2. A free review. We read your contract and every repair order and tell you plainly whether we see a claim.
3. Notice or demand. If the manufacturer opted in to the 2025 procedures, a buyer who wants to seek a civil penalty must send a specific written notice at least 30 days before suing. Our page on the 2025 lemon law changes under AB 1755 explains the rules.
4. Filing, disclosures and mediation in Los Angeles Superior Court, if no acceptable offer comes.
5. Resolution. Most claims end with a negotiated repurchase, replacement or cash settlement. A few go to trial.

What a buyback can include

Under Civil Code § 1793.2(d)(2), restitution covers the actual price paid or payable, including manufacturer-installed options and transportation charges, plus taxes, registration and other official fees, and incidental costs such as towing, repairs and rental cars. The manufacturer may subtract a mileage offset: the price multiplied by the miles driven before you first brought the vehicle in for the problem, divided by 120,000.

That offset is where Los Angeles driving shows up. A long daily commute adds miles fast, so the date of your first repair visit for the defect matters more than many people realize. If a problem starts, get it on a repair order early. Our lemon law buyback calculator shows the math on your own numbers.

Under Civil Code § 1794, a buyer who proves a willful violation may also recover a civil penalty of up to two times actual damages, and a buyer who prevails recovers reasonable attorney's fees and costs. That fee rule is why you do not pay us out of pocket. We do not quote "average" settlement figures, because every vehicle, price and repair history is different.

Practical tips for L.A. drivers

• Many dealers, one record. If you have taken the car to more than one dealer across the county, request printouts from each. Every authorized dealer's visit counts.
• Ask for the repair order even on "no problem found" visits. A visit with no fix is still a documented attempt.
• Write down days out of service, including days waiting for parts, and keep rideshare, rental and towing receipts.
• Call the manufacturer and keep the case number. Direct notice can matter for the presumption.

Deadlines

For manufacturers that opted in to the 2025 procedures, a lawsuit generally must be filed within one year after the express warranty expires and no later than six years after the vehicle was delivered, with some time added back for repair periods and pre-suit notice. Check the Department of Consumer Affairs list to see whether your manufacturer is reported as opted in. For other manufacturers, the deadline is generally four years under the Commercial Code's warranty statute of limitations, and tolling rules can apply. Either way, call promptly rather than counting on the longest period.

Spanish-speaking help

Our team speaks Spanish, and we can review your case and explain each step in Spanish from the first call. Hablamos español. The Department of Consumer Affairs also publishes a Spanish-language lemon law Q&A.

Reach our Los Angeles team

LaCour Trial Lawyers handles California lemon law claims with trial counsel leading each case. Call (310) 853-3461, or send your repair orders through the free, confidential review form. Leased? See our guide to leased-car lemon law.

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information about California and federal law and about public records as of its date. It is not legal advice, and reading it or contacting us does not create an attorney–client relationship. Allegations in lawsuits are claims, not findings. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Attorney advertising.