Maria Santos gave a $6,000 deposit when she agreed to buy a mobile home. Even though her contract provided that she would later pay an additional $27,000, Santos backed out of the deal and sued to recover her downpayment.
Although the Suffolk County District Court was unreceptive to her situation, the Appellate Term, Second Department, viewed the case a bit differently.
Since a state law--the Uniform Commercial Code--provides that a mobile-home buyer can only forfeit up to $500 when there's a contract breach, the AT2 awarded Santos a $5,500 refund.
Try trashing that!
To view a copy of the Appellate Term's decision, please use this link: Santos v. DeBellis