How Much Does a D.C. Lemon Law Claim Cost?

A Washington, D.C. lemon-law claim is low-cost to pursue: the state Arbitration Board is accessible, and attorney fees are recoverable from multiple sources.

The Arbitration Board — accessible

Filing with the Board of Consumer Claims Arbitration is designed to be accessible to consumers, and the arbitrator may award reasonable attorney fees (§ 50-503) — you don’t need to pay out of pocket to participate.

Court — fees from multiple sources

• Lemon-law arbitration (§ 50-503) — recoverable attorney fees.
• CPPA § 28-3905(k) — reasonable attorney fees (alongside treble-or-$1,500/violation and punitive damages). See CPPA damages.
• Magnuson-Moss § 2310(d)(2) — a reliable federal fee basis. See Magnuson-Moss.

So attorneys take meritorious cases on contingency: no fee upfront, costs advanced, fees recovered from the manufacturer. See attorney fees.

What you recover

• Refund (full price plus tax/license/registration, minus the limited offset) or replacement — your choice.
• Treble-or-$1,500/violation damages and punitive damages under the CPPA where there’s deception.
• Attorney fees from arbitration, the CPPA, and Magnuson-Moss.

Bottom line

State arbitration is accessible and court costs you nothing out of pocket on contingency, with fees recovered from the manufacturer — and the CPPA adds powerful damages. Get a free case review.

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