There's an old adage that says, "Always look a used car in the mouth when the dealer says 'it's a bargain.'" Or is it, "Never by a used car without investigating its history?"
Either way, Andrea Renee Malick forgot to do just that when she purchased a 2005 Mitsubishi Endeavor from Twin City Pontiac-Buick-GMC, Inc, and now she is suing the dealership for being dishonest.
According to her original petition, filed with the Jefferson County District Court on May 15, Malick paid $17,677.68 for the car and purchased the extended warranty for a grand.
A few months later Malick began experiencing car troubles. She took the car back to the dealership and was informed the vehicle had been in a previous accident, a nugget of information Malick says was never disclosed to her.
The suit says when she bought the vehicle, it had a "'quality checked' certification on the windshield."
"Any cursory review of the vehicle by defendant's service service department -- and certainly a 'quality checked' vehicle -- would have disclosed the prior damage," the suit said. "However, this prior damage was never disclosed to plaintiff."
She is suing Twin City Pontiac for deceptive trade practices, claiming it was deceitful not to inform her of the vehicle's history.
Malick is suing for actual, consequential, incidental and special damages and court fees.
"Plaintiff is also entitled to mental anguish damages and statutory treble damages because the actions of the defendants were made made knowingly and intentionally, with the intent that the plaintiff rely on the false misrepresentations of the defendant," the suit said.
She is represented by attorney Wyatt Snider of the Beaumont law firm Snider & Byrd.
Court assignment is pending.
Case No. D179-311
It's true what they say, "A sucker is born every minute"
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