Voter Law Passed Overwhelmingly in 2020
FEB. 11, 2025…..A federal judge on Tuesday tossed the remainder of a legal challenge automakers brought against a motor vehicle repair law Massachusetts voters approved more than four years ago.
U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper dismissed the final two counts in a lawsuit alleging the state’s so-called right to repair law conflicts with preexisting federal law, prompting the measure’s supporters to celebrate that challenges “have finally come to an end” and automakers to hint that certain vehicles “may no longer be offered for sale in Massachusetts” as a result.
The law, which aims to give vehicle owners and independent repair shops access to telematic repair data, has faced a long and tumultuous road since voters approved it by a roughly three-to-one margin in 2020.
A trade group backed by vehicle manufacturers quickly challenged it in court, arguing that the state measure would put motorists’ data at risk and run afoul of federal consumer safety and intellectual property laws.
In 2023, federal and state regulators announced a compromise that seemed poised to allow the measure to move forward, but proponents complained months later that the law was still effectively stalled.
The Right to Repair Coalition that led the 2020 ballot campaign celebrated the judge’s decision Tuesday, saying it should now clear the final remaining hurdle.
“Car owners can now be the gatekeepers of their own repair information and choose where to get their cars repaired,” Tommy Hickey, the coalition’s executive director, said. “They will no longer be at the mercy of car manufacturers, who time and time again have chosen profits over consumer choice.”
Attorney General Andrea Campbell also cheered the ruling, describing it as a “significant victory for Massachusetts voters who overwhelmingly approved the Right to Repair law in 2020.”
“My office fought tirelessly to defend this law and because of our efforts, automakers must ensure that residents can choose where their cars are repaired and independent repair shops can access the data needed for those repairs,” Campbell said in a statement.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which filed the lawsuit, said the judge’s decision “will introduce potential security risks to our customers and their vehicles.” The industry group added that it still believes the Massachusetts law is “at odds with the U.S. Constitution” and that it would weigh an appeal.
“The attorney general suggests disabling telematics services, such as emergency assistance services. That ‘solution’ deprives Massachusetts drivers of the safety and convenience features they’ve come to expect,” the group said Tuesday. “The fact is: some of those features can’t be separated from the proper functioning of a vehicle – which means certain vehicles may no longer be offered for sale in Massachusetts.”
Casper issued a ruling Tuesday, but the full decision was entered under seal and was not immediately available to the public. The court docket made a one-sentence description available online, and Casper gave parties until noon on Thursday to submit recommendations for any redactions to the ruling.
