Ford Motor Co. on Wednesday filed a civil racketeering lawsuit against lemon law firms and lawyers in California, alleging they overbilled for legal fees by submitting court timesheets recording more than 24 hours worked in a single day.

Ford Motor Co. filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court against a group of attorneys who are part of the so-called "Lemon Law" bar, alleging a lucrative fraud scheme.

Wednesday’s suit against the Knight Law Group, the Altman Law Group and Wirtz Law, alleges that at least 50% of the $100 million billed by the defendant lawyers over the past decade was fraudulently inflated.