HOUSTON — A couple living in Kuwait who run an amateur race car team claim a Texas performance engine company has failed to rebuild the Viper engine they sent along with their $27,000 downpayment.
Faisal Dashti and Faisal Al-Khaldi filed a complaint May 25 in Harris County District Court against Michael Cogburn, individually and doing business as Axiom Race Engines alleging violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, civil theft and conversion.
According to their complaint, the plaintiffs live in Kuwait and operate an amateur car race team and use a Dodge Viper. They claim that they sent Cogburn and Axiom a downpayment of $27,000, the Viper engine and other parts in August of 2020, for an engine rebuild. The plaintiffs allege that in December of 2020, Cogburn had stopped communicating with them and that the engine was still unfinished.
They further allege that by March of 2021, they sent a"DTPA demand letter" to Cogburn and that one of their representatives reached Cogburn by phone. The plaintiffs claim Cogburn stated the engine was in California and "would be done in a matter of weeks" but has since stopped further communication and refuses to return the engine or tell them the location of the engine.
The plaintiffs seek monetary relief of less than $250,000, interest, trial by jury and all other just relief. They are represented by Joseph Schreiber and Erik Knockaert of Schreiber Knockaert PLLC in Houston.
Harris County District Court case number 2021-31232