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Wins on the record.

Recent cases, wins, and write-ups from Larry Montanez and the P&L team. Names redacted where needed; numbers are not.

May 02, 2019

Testimony in N.Y. Lien Case Offers Ideas for Body Shops Deciding Their Labor Rates

Repairer Driven News examines expert testimony from State Farm v. M.V.B. Collision, in which Larry Montanez of P&L Consultants explained how he helped Mid Island Collision justify its $120 per hour labor rate by calculating the shop's real costs, including equipment investment, spray booths, paint and materials, hazardous waste disposal, and OEM training. His testimony offers a practical blueprint for any body shop that wants to set labor rates based on facts rather than insurer defaults.

Read the full article on Repairer Driven News

May 01, 2019

N.Y. Court: Auto Body Shop Lien to Stand Even Though State Farm Dislikes $120 Rate

A Nassau County Supreme Court judge upheld Mid Island Collision's lien on a 2015 Nissan Armada even though State Farm disputed the shop's $120 per hour labor rate. Larry Montanez of P&L Consultants appeared as Mid Island's expert witness, supporting the shop's evidence that the superior level of service it provides cannot be delivered at the insurer's default rate of $49 to $51 per hour.

Read the full article on Repairer Driven News

December 12, 2018

State Farm v. M.V.B. Collision Trial Transcript, Part 2

The official transcript from the December 12, 2018 trial in State Farm v. M.V.B. Collision (Mid Island Collision) before the Nassau County Supreme Court, including the full expert testimony of Larry Montanez of P&L Consultants. Montanez walked the court through the cost analysis behind Mid Island's $120 per hour labor rate and confirmed that nothing on the shop's final bill was unnecessary to return the vehicle to pre-loss condition.

Read the full transcript (PDF)

July 17, 2018

2016 Ohio Maxima Outcome Shows Risk of Rejecting OEM Auto Body Repair Procedures

Repairer Driven News revisits the 2016 verdict in Williams v. Sharon Woods Collision, where Larry Montanez testified as an expert witness that the Nissan Maxima had not been repaired to Nissan's specifications or I-CAR guidelines; he was able to pull the adhesive-mounted rear body panel off by hand. The more than $100,000 outcome shows the risk shops take when they ignore OEM repair procedures.

Read the full article on Repairer Driven News

July 17, 2018

Ohio Auto Body Shop Loses Appeal of Attorney Fees, DV Over Incorrectly Repaired Nissan Maxima

An Ohio appellate court upheld a $105,462.59 judgment, including attorney fees and diminished value, against a shop that improperly repaired a 2010 Nissan Maxima. The case rested on the 2014 inspection report by Larry Montanez and Jeff Lange of Lange Technical Services, which documented failed welds and improper panel joining, and on Montanez's testimony that re-repairing the vehicle would cost $11,000.

Read the full article on Repairer Driven News

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