Government alleges defendant orchestrated kickback scheme and lied to secure PPP loan. Geoffrey M. Palermo, owner of GMP Cars, was charged in a criminal complaint with wire fraud and making false statements in a loan application in connection with multiple schemes to defraud from 2013 to 2020. According to the complaint, Palermo, 56, of Novato, […]
LKQ Corporation Files Lawsuit Against General Motors Seeking to Have Collision Repair Part Design Patents Ruled Invalid
Federal lawsuit alleges vehicle manufacturer is seeking to undermine aftermarket parts supplier’s business relationships and seeks to change license agreement terms. LKQ Corporation filed a lawsuit in an Illinois Federal Court seeking a judgment against General Motors over the infringement and validity of collision repair part design patents. The lawsuit, LKQ Corporation and Keystone Automotive […]
North Carolina Towing Service Agrees to Pay $19,000 to Settle EEOC Sexual Harassment Lawsuit
Hunter Auto & Wrecker Service, Inc., a Charlotte, N.C.-based towing business, will pay $19,000 and provide other relief to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced in early April. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Hunter Auto violated federal law when it subjected a female […]
ABPA Releases Statement on Supreme Court Ruling
As CollisionWeek reported yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition by the Automotive Body Part Association (ABPA) to review a lower court ruling against the association in its design patent lawsuit against Ford. The ABPA released a statement in response to the ruling. According to the ABPA, “On March 9, 2020, the United States […]
U.S. Supreme Court Denies ABPA Petition to Hear Ford Collision Repair Part Design Patent Appeal
The denial leaves in place lower court finding Ford’s design patents for the F-150 are valid and enforceable. The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday denied a petition by the Automotive Body Parts Association to hear its appeal of lower court rulings that found design patents covering a hood and headlamp for the Ford F-150 were valid […]
Extradited Former Automotive Parts Executive Pleads Guilty to Antitrust Charge
Fugitive for nearly five years, leads guilty to antitrust conspiracy to raise prices of instrument clusters. Eun Soo Kim, a former key accounts manager for Continental Automotive Korea Ltd. and a Korean national, was extradited from Germany and pleaded guilty for his role in an international market allocation and bid-rigging conspiracy involving the sale of […]
AirPro Diagnostics Responds to Ford Lawsuit
Assures customers lawsuit will have no effect on services. AirPro Diagnostics released a statement in response to lawsuit filed by Ford Motor Company February 27 that CollisionWeek reported on Friday. According to the company: In response to the recent allegations by Ford Motor Company, AirPro Diagnostics wants to assure our valued customers and the industry […]
Ford Files Lawsuit Against AirPro Diagnostics
Vehicle manufacturer alleges that remote diagnostic provider violated its trademarks and license agreements by providing remote diagnostic services using Ford software. Ford Motor Company and its Ford Global Technologies, LLC (FGTL) subsidiary filed a federal lawsuit against AirPro Diagnostics alleging the remote diagnostic service provider is infringing Ford’s trademarks and licensing agreements and is committing […]
California Collision Repair Shops Charged with Felony Insurance Fraud
Department of Insurance and Contra Costa District Attorney’s office undercover sting results in eight felony charges against four individuals. To crack down on automobile insurance fraud, the California Department of Insurance, Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office and the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) conducted an undercover sting operation targeting collision repair facilities across Contra […]
North Carolina Attorney General Secures $68,000 Judgment Against Two Charlotte Collision Repair Shops
Judge also bans owner from operating an auto repair business for three years over deceptive trade practices and Motor Vehicle Act violations. North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein announced Wednesday that his office secured a $68,564.35 consent judgment against the owners of two collision repair facilities in Charlotte, N.C. A judge found Sterling Leonard Gabriel, […]