HOUSTON - A Mont Belvieu couple has filed suit against the Holiday World of Katy recreational vehicle dealership, claiming they were knowingly sold a defective 2016 RV represented to be a new 2017 model.
Their lawsuit, filed in Waller County, alleges fraud and intentional violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
The suit asks that the court order Holiday World to take the RV back, return their money and reimburse them for money spent on repairs and other out of pocket expenses.
Plaintiffs Dudley and Bobbie Lehmer claim they went to Holiday World looking for a brand-new RV. They thought they bought a new one, since Holiday World represented the RV that the Lehmers bought to be a 2017 model.
They paid over $70,000 for it, brought it home and began to experience many problems, the suit states.
After making dozens of trips to Holiday World for repairs they researched the history of the RV. When they tried to check the VIN number of the RV online they learned that there was no 2017 model with that number. They wrote the manufacturer and learned that it was actually a 2016 model, built over a year before they bought it.
The Lehmers use the RV as their permanent home.
“We have had to spend freezing nights in the RV,” said Bobbie Lehmer. “Both of us got sick, and my husband caught pneumonia.”
More recently Mr. Lehmer suffered a heart attack, which he believes was in part caused by the stress of having to deal with the RV’s defects for a year.
The Lehmers are represented by attorney Phil Griffis of Houston, Texas.
Griffis is the founding partner of The Law Office of Phil Griffis.
“This is a clear-cut case of misrepresentation,” Griffis said. “We hope Holiday World will do the right thing, but if not, we’ll let the legal system work it out.”
The Law Office of Phil Griffis is a Houston firm that specializes in civil litigation.