Honda Civic hybrid lawsuit - latimes.com Heather Peters and her Honda Civic hybrid. February 29, 2012, 12:45 p.m. The California attorney general's office has decided not to intervene in a proposed class-action settlement between Honda and owners of its Civic hybrid who contend they were misled about the car's fuel economy. Gen. Kamala Harris did not explain her decision not to get involved in the lawsuit even though she had earlier asked San Diego County Superior Court Judge Timothy Taylor to consider whether to do so. Harris and five other state attorneys general had until Wednesday to object to the settlement, which pays class-action attorneys $8.5 million and gives Civic owners $100 to $200 and rebate coupons for another Honda purchase. Iowa, Massachusetts, Texas and Washington state joined California in asking for more time, which they said was needed to obtain more information and to discuss whether they would file an objection. It is not clear whether they will take action on their own. The Honda Civic issue rose to prominence this month when a Los Angeles County court commissioner ruled that American Honda Motor Co. negligently misled Civic owner Heather Peters when it said the hybrid could achieve as much as 50 miles per gallon. Court Commissioner Douglas Carnahan awarded Peters $9,867.19 in damages, just under the maximum of $10,000 allowed in Small Claims Court that the Los Angeles resident sought. New Consumer Reports auto ratings Americans are holding on to new cars longer