Mechanic took client's Mercedes for a test drive and went to a bar: how it ended in court
In the USA, a court ordered the Mercedes-Benz of Collierville dealership and one of its employees to pay over $20,000 in compensation to a client whose car was taken to a bar by an employee during repairs, reports WREG.
Kimberly Porter filed a lawsuit against the dealership and service technician Derrick Nguyen after the incident. In January, Nguyen was arrested and charged with theft after he took Porter’s car, which was under repair, and drove it to a bar.
Porter found out that her Mercedes was no longer at the dealership after receiving a notification from a tracker.
The lawyer representing Nguyen and the dealership stated that the employee had permission for an extended test drive of Porter’s car.
In court documents, Judge Lynn Cobb noted that customers hand over their vehicles for service expecting the vehicle to be "kept within the local area near the dealership or service center."
"Few of them would assume that their car would be taken off the dealership premises or used for personal purposes," the judge stated.
She also emphasized that this issue requires "regulation."
The total compensation awarded to Porter amounts to $20,270. This sum includes $15,000 in punitive damages, which Cobb described as a result of the defendants' "extraordinary and outrageous" behavior.
Porter’s attorney, Kevin Snyder, said: "Judge Cobb’s decision sends a very clear message: consumers will be protected from dealerships and their employees who not only engage in such outrageous behavior but also try to justify it and profit after being exposed."
Next month, Nguyen is scheduled to appear again in criminal court in Collierville on theft charges.
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