A jury in federal court in Harrisburg rendered a verdict against Keystone RV Company in favor of Tamara Kirby, awarding a buyback of her fifth wheel camper plus damages. Ms. Kirby was represented at trial by Attorney Christina Gill Roseman of Roseman Law Firm, PLLC.
Ms. Kirby purchased a 2022 Montana High Country RV from Camping World-Harrisburg in February 2022. The RV was built by Keystone and was covered by Keystone’s warranty. This RV has slideouts, which are basically large boxes on the side of the RV that are moved in for towing and moved out when parked for more space. When Ms. Kirby and her husband were opening the slideout on their fourth camping trip, the box supporting the bed was cracking and pulling apart as the bed moved across the floor. The damage to the bed box was caused by a large hump in the bedroom floor that was not there before.
Still Not Fixed After Eleven Months in the Shop
Ms. Kirby took the RV to Camping World for repair under the Keystone warranty on October 1, 2022 and did not get the camper back until September 11, 2023. The RV was still not fixed. Camping World had asked Keystone to take the RV back to the factory for repair, but Keystone refused.
The RV was inspected three times after it left Camping World. The first was an inspection in October 2023 by Anthony Jakicic, an RV expert for Ms. Kirby. A second Keystone dealer inspected the RV in May 2024 at Keystone’s request. Matt Gaines, an RV expert for Keystone, conducted an inspection at Ms. Kirby’s home in May 2025.
At trial, Ms. Kirby testified that the RV had not been used or moved from her driveway since October 2023 other than an inspection because it wasn’t safe. She said that Keystone did not honor its warranty because her RV was never repaired.
A Dangerous Defect from the Factory
Mr. Jakicic testified that the hump in the floor came from a weld or welded part that was missing or improperly assembled by Keystone, and that the structure was now deformed from the normal stress of towing. Because there was no impact damage, the defect was not caused by an accident or by misuse. Mr. Jakicic determined that the RV was unsafe to use unless repaired because the frame could separate from the rest of the RV while towed on a highway. A repair would cost over $60,000. Mr. Jakicic could not see the exact part that failed without tearing down the RV. This is a problem he has repaired before, but is one he normally only sees in trailers and RVs with ten or more years of use.
Keystone Couldn’t Keep Its Story Straight
Mr. Gaines, the only witness for Keystone at trial, testified that there was no safety issue. He told the jury that the second dealer said that the only repair needed was to replace the floor decking. This was contradicted by an email to Keystone that had been forwarded to Mr. Gaines in which the second dealer recommended repair of the frame.
Mr. Gaines testified that the RV only needed the floor decking replaced because it had been cut slightly too big. This contradicted an internal Keystone email from Mr. Gaines where, after reviewing the photos from the second inspection, he said that new tubes should be welded underneath the RV floor. When questioned about the email, Mr. Gaines claimed that the floor did not look as bad when he saw it in person. This testimony was contrary to his deposition testimony before trial that the floor looked essentially the same in the photos from the second dealer’s inspection as it did at his inspection.
On the third day of trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Ms. Kirby under the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act for revocation of acceptance, or buyback. This would give Ms. Kirby $129,889.60, and she would return the camper after paying off the loan. The jury also awarded $98,967.90 in damages under the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, which the judge then doubled to $197,935.80. Ms. Kirby’s total recovery before she returns the camper and pays off the loan would be $327,825.40.
What Made the Difference Here
RV cases are incredibly difficult. The base RV warranty is usually only one year, and all RV warranties have extremely restrictive provisions not normally found in major car and truck warranties. The base warranty had already run out when suit was filed, but the case could still go forward because these claims were under the three-year structural warranty. What likely drove the jury’s decision here was Keystone’s insistence that nothing was wrong with the frame when its own emails said otherwise. Hopefully this verdict will serve as a reminder to the RV industry that disregarding warranty obligations can come with serious and expensive consequences.
If you own an RV or a vehicle with a defect that was not repaired under the warranty, contact Roseman Law Firm at 800-745-5259 or www.helpforlemoncars.com.