There is some research to be done before filing your suit. First you'd want to research legal firms that specialize in class action suits. Just an attorney in you local home town won't get very far. Once you have settled in on the firm that will take your suit, then you'll need to negociate hourly rates for attorney's, investigators, expert witnesses who can do tons of documented tests on a multitude of bikes both new and used etc. before you sign on. Without doing so will end in your being slaughtered like a sacrificial lamb.
Once you have a written contractual agreement with the law firm things can begin to move forward. First, no one at the firm will move until they have recieved their up front payment. From past experience, I'm thinking they will want at least $50K maybe $100K up front. After that, you'll get billed monthly for their services.
My guess is, you can expect to spend well in excess of a million dollars and more likely someplace between 3 & 5 million dollars over a period of more than five years before you reach a possible judgment against Suzuki. Just think about your monthly statements from the law firm? An attorney worth his weight in salt will cost somewhere in the $400 per hour range and experts and investigators etc. will be $150 and up per hour. Doesn't take long to eat up a million dollars?
As an example, I began a law suit here in Washington State in 1996. Filed a suit against a customer that failed to pay us for a subdivision we built. Filed the suit in 1996 and finally recieved a judgement in 2000 for just over $250K. And I just had one attorney working on a simple case. By the way, collecting on a judgment is just as hard and expensive as getting the judgment. By the time the judgment was awarded I had spent $134K.
Your law firm will be able to tell you if you can expect to be awarded your attorney fees if you win the case. However, if attorney fees are awarded to the prevailing party, you can also expect to pay Suzuki's attorney fees if you loose?
Just thought I'd bring a bit of reality to your thread. I'm thinking you may spend more than your state lottery winnings on a venture such as this and since there is no monitary damages sought, in the end hopefully, "You'll get your transmission fixed"?
My guess is you haven't sought or researched your quest at all and once reality sets in you'll quietly slither back into your corner and the thread will die a natural death?
