(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), if the seller, except as the result of an accidental or bona fide error in computation, violates any provision of Section 2981.9, or of subdivision (a), (j), or (k) of Section 2982, the conditional sale contract shall not be enforceable, except by a bona fide purchaser, assignee, or pledgee for value, or until after the violation is corrected as provided in Section 2984, and, if the violation is not corrected, the buyer may recover from the seller the total amount paid, pursuant to the terms of the contract, by the buyer to the seller or his or her assignee. The amount recoverable for property traded in as all or part of the downpayment shall be equal to the agreed cash value of the property as the value appears on the conditional sale contract or the fair market value of the property as of the time the contract is made, whichever is greater.

(b) A conditional sale contract executed or entered into on or after January 1, 2012, shall not be made unenforceable solely because of a violation by the seller of paragraph (2) or (5) of subdivision (a) of Section 2982. In addition to any other remedies that may be available, the buyer is entitled to any actual damages sustained as a result of a violation of those provisions. Nothing in this subdivision affects any legal rights, claims, or remedies otherwise available under law.

Terms Used In California Civil Code 2983

  • Buyer: means the person who buys or hires a motor vehicle under a conditional sale contract. See California Civil Code 2981
  • Conditional sale contract: means :

    California Civil Code 2981

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Downpayment: means a payment that the buyer pays or agrees to pay to the seller in cash or property value or money's worth at or prior to delivery by the seller to the buyer of the motor vehicle described in the conditional sale contract. See California Civil Code 2981
  • Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
  • property: includes property real and personal. See California Civil Code 14
  • Seller: means a person engaged in the business of selling or leasing motor vehicles under conditional sale contracts. See California Civil Code 2981

(Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 162, Sec. 11. (SB 1171) Effective January 1, 2013.)