Ford Wins as NJ Justices Undercut Association Standing, Dealers

Ford Motor Co. notched a victory in the New Jersey Supreme Court Tuesday in a case that could limit the power of business associations to sue on behalf of their members.

The unanimous court rejected a challenge from the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers suing Ford over an incentive program for Lincoln cars with payments differing from dealership to dealership. Though the nation’s roughly 700 Lincoln dealers across the country might have claims against Ford, the association didn’t.

New Jersey has generally taken a more “liberal approach to standing than federal law” where an association “has even a limited ...