The Ohio Attorney General’s Office recently filed five lawsuits against Northeast Ohio car dealerships for failing to deliver motor vehicle titles as required by law. The Attorney General is seeking more than $32,000 in total reimbursements from the dealerships for payments made to resolve consumer complaints.
The Attorney General filed lawsuits against the following dealerships and/or their owners:
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Auto Bahn, 13305 Lorain Ave., Cleveland
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The Car Shack, 355½ Arlington St., Akron
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R&M Auto Service & Sales Inc., 3559 W. 140th St., Cleveland
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Selective Auto Mart, 4675 Warner Road, Garfield Heights
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Y-Town Auto Sales, 3205 Market St., Youngstown
According to the lawsuits, the dealerships violated Ohio’s Consumer Sales Practices Act by failing to obtain titles in the purchasers’ names within the required timeframe. In the lawsuits, the Attorney General seeks full reimbursement to the Title Defect Recision (TDR) Fund, injunctive relief, and civil penalties.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office administers the TDR Fund to assist retail purchasers of motor vehicles when dealers fail to provide a valid title or memorandum of title to the purchaser within 30 days or engage in other deceptive acts.
Under Ohio law, the retail purchaser may have a right to rescind the transaction and receive a refund of all monies paid to the dealer if any of these circumstances apply:
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The dealer fails to obtain a title in your name within 30 days of the purchase date
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The title indicates the vehicle is a rebuilt salvage vehicle and that was not disclosed to you in writing before the purchase agreement was executed
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The title indicates the vehicle is a lemon buyback and that was not disclosed to you in writing before the purchase agreement was executed
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The title indicates the dealer has made an inaccurate odometer disclosure to you
Consumers who believe they have been treated unfairly should file a complaint with the Ohio Attorney General's Office at
www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov or 800-282-0515.