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WAUKESHA - Marco Marquez says a Mercedes-Benz car he bought at Concours Motors in Glendale turned out to be a nightmare. Now, he's won one of the biggest judgments in a so-called "lemon law" case.

"This has been a fight, no doubt about it. Marco against Mercedes-Benz," said Marquez' lawyer, Vince Megna.
 
Marquez is still driving the five-year old Mercedes to this day. He says a few weeks after he bought it, brand new, it wouldn't start.
 
"Immediately, it was completely dead," Marquez said.
 
Repair after repair after repair, the problem keeps coming back. Marquez demanded a refund. When Mercedes-Benz failed to respond within a month, Marquez started a legal battle that has gone on for five years.
 
"$50,000 is quite a bit of money. When you put that much faith in the company like that, it's a disappointment," Marquez said.
 
Mercedes-Benz says it tried to reach an agreement with Marquez, but he negotiated in bad faith. Last week, a judge ordered the company to pay Marquez $482,000.
 
"It's the largest judgment for a single car in the U.S., under any lemon law," Megna said.
 
Marquez will get about $180,000 dollars. The rest goes to legal fees. His case sets a huge precedent for consumers who buy defective cars.
 
"When you ask for your money back because the car doesn't work, basically you have to fight them. It's a battle, and it shouldn't have to be that way," Marquez said.
 
Wisconsin has one of the toughest lemon laws in the country. If a manufacturer doesn't refund or replace the car within a month, they may have to pay the owner twice what it's worth.
 
Mercedes-Benz has asked the judge to withhold their payment until they can appeal.