A jury’s award of $500,000 in damages to a couple who sued over their chronically defective Winnebago motorhome was formally sanctioned Tuesday by a federal judge in Harrisburg, Pa.
U.S. Middle District Senior Judge Sylvia H. Rambo entered that hefty judgment against Winnebago in the breach of warranty case even though the RV manufacturer insisted it didn’t receive a fair trial.
This story by Matt Miller originally appeared in Pennsylvania Real-Time News.
Matthew T. Pisano, the attorney for Iowa-based Winnebago, contended in court filings that the jury’s award to a Florida couple, Heidi Hanreck and Raymond Andrarowski, is “grossly excessive.”
The couple sued Winnebago in 2016 saying multiple defects in the 2013 Adventure motorhome they bought in 2015 ruined the cross-country trip they planned after selling their home.
Instead of touring the U.S., the pair said they spent more time at RV dealers, including one in Dauphin County, trying unsuccessfully to have the vehicle’s many problems repaired.
Their lawyer, Christina Gill Roseman, argued that Winnebago had violated federal and state warranty and consumer protection laws.
According to the lawsuit, defects of the vehicle included a faulty generator, inoperable side slide-out room, battery charging issues, water leaks, entertainment system malfunctions, and a long list of other woes. Hanreck and Andrarowski claimed the RV was in the shop 14 times.
“Ultimately, (the couple) ended their extended trip across the country early and did not go to Alaska and Montana as they had planned because they did not trust the RV’s reliability,” their suit stated.
