Dodge class action lawsuit dismissed

November 8, 2024 — A Dodge class action lawsuit has been dismissed after a truck owner claimed his vehicles were not equipped with a functional anti-theft system.

The lawsuit was filed by truck owner Brett Wiater, who claims that the 2019-2023 Dodge vehicles were defective, resulting in the vehicles being stolen.

According to Wiater, his Dodge vehicle was stolen in April 2023 “(b)as a result of the defect at issue in this case.”

The plaintiffs argued that each Dodge vehicle should have, but did not, lock its steering and stop moving whenever the vehicle keys were removed from the vehicle.

According to Wiater, this steering and shift lock system, along with other allegedly missing functional anti-theft systems, made the Dodge vehicles too susceptible to theft, unsafe, and the lawsuit alleges that the value of the vehicles has decreased.

The plaintiff argued that his Dodge vehicle “was stolen because the ‘keyless entry’ system did not function as Defendants expressly intended.”

Fiat Chrysler allegedly knew the vehicles lacked functional anti-theft systems but failed to tell customers and failed to repair the Dodge vehicles.

Dodge class action lawsuit dismissed

In its motion to dismiss, Chrysler argued that the plaintiffs lacked standing because standing required that the plaintiffs “actually suffered injuries” that were “traced to defendants’ conduct” and were “likely to be remedied in a favorable manner.” Judicial decisions. “

Chrysler said Wiater failed to prove that the injuries he suffered could be traced to FCA because “all (Wiater) offered was a bare allegation that his vehicle was stolen by a third-party criminal.”

Judge Shalina D. Kumar said that to establish traceability, a plaintiff must show “a reasonably traceable connection between the plaintiff’s injury and the alleged conduct of the defendant.”

However, the judge found that the class action lawsuit failed to establish traceability.

Judge Kumar held that the Dodge lawsuit did not explain how or under what circumstances Witt’s vehicle was stolen. It also did not show how “the defendant’s omission of any specific anti-theft system in the vehicle” caused or contributed to the theft of Wiater’s vehicle.

“While such vehicles allegedly lack steering and movement locking systems designed to combat theft, the complaint does not allege how these missing systems resulted in the theft of Wiater-class vehicles.” — Justice Kumar

According to the judge, if the plaintiff’s injuries were caused by the independent actions of a third party before the judge, the injuries cannot be fully traced to Chrysler.

A judge dismissed the Dodge lawsuit, ruling that the plaintiffs failed to allege injuries caused by FCA and were therefore ineligible to file a class action lawsuit.

The Dodge class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan (Southern Division): Brett Wiater v. FCA US et al..

The plaintiff is represented by Yatooma Law Firm, PC