Automakers Fail to Stop Massachusetts Right to Repair Law

A federal judge has cleared the way for Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell to enforce a Right to Repair law that has been challenged by automakers since 2020, the Boston Globe reports.

The law, which will finally take effect on June 1, will require car manufacturers that sell vehicles in Massachusetts to provide wireless access to a vehicle’s telematics to both consumers and independent repair shops.

Though voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of the law in a 2020 referendum, it has yet to be put into effect due to a lawsuit from a group of automakers that claim the law is unclear and will jeopardize auto data security. 

Another attempt was made to delay the law after Campbell announced in March that she would be taking steps to enforce it, with automakers asking for a temporary restraining order from District Judge Douglas Woodlock.

Though Woodlock admitted during an online hearing that he viewed the goals of the law as “likely unattainable,” he also said that “the people have voted on this and that’s the result. I am loath to impose my own views on the initiative.” 

Woodlock stated that the next step automakers could take is a preliminary injunction against the law–a lengthy, complicated process.