May 21 (Reuters) - Ford sued several California

lawyers and law firms on Wednesday, accusing them of

fraudulently inflating their legal fees under that state's Lemon

Law, including one instance where a lawyer allegedly billed

57-1/2 hours in one day.

In a complaint filed in Los Angeles federal court against

nine defendants, Ford called the alleged improper billings a

"magical mystery tour" of bogus work and time entries, spread

across thousands of cases against several automakers so they

would go undetected.

Ford said the law firm Knight Law Group anchored the scheme,

regularly bringing in other law firms to overstaff cases,

sometimes with 10 to 15 lawyers.

The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker said it lost at least

$100 million from the scheme over five years. It is seeking at

least $300 million in damages for alleged violations of the

federal anti-racketeering law known as RICO.

Requests for comment on behalf of the defendants were not

immediately returned.

The complaint identified "numerous" alleged instances of

lawyers billing more than 24 hours in a single day.

Ford said the 57-1/2 hours that Knight partner Amy Morse

allegedly billed on November 30, 2016 included 12.9 hours on

"requests for admission," where parties ask opponents to admit

that facts are true or documents are authentic.

The automaker said another lawyer allegedly billed 29 hours

to prepare for, travel to and attend two trials on the same day

in Los Angeles and near San Francisco, about 400 miles apart.

California's Lemon Law, the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty

Act, lets lawyers collect legal fees based on reasonably

incurred time spent representing vehicle owners.

The case is Ford Motor Co ( F ) v Knight Law Group LLP et al, U.S.

District Court, Central District of California, No. 25-04550.