The Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP/NJ) announced it has established a Legal Defense Fund to provide financial assistance to member shops battling industry-related issues through the legal process. The Legal Defense Fund is designed exclusively for AASP/NJ members in good standing, and is offered at the discretion of AASP/NJ’s Board of […]
3M and Saint-Gobain Settle Paint Spray Patent Dispute
3M Company and Saint-Gobain Abrasives Inc. announced they have settled a long-standing patent dispute in Europe that related to 3M’s Paint Preparation System (PPS) and Saint-Gobain’s “Norton Paint Systems” (NPS) brand. The settlement covers infringement actions brought by 3M under several European patents against Saint-Gobain Abrasives in Germany and in France and corresponding actions by […]
Federal Appeals Court Rules Against ABPA in Ford Collision Repair Part Design Patent Suit
Upholds lower court finding that Ford’s design patents for the F-150 are valid and enforceable. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on July 23 published its public opinion rejecting arguments by the Automotive Body Parts Association (ABPA) that design patents covering a hood and headlamp for the Ford F-150 are invalid. […]
Vermont Supreme Court Awards Over $40,000 to Collision Repair Shop in Short Pay Case
Justices reverse Superior Court ruling in favor of Nationwide Insurance in assignment of benefits lawsuit involving over 70 claims. The Vermont Supreme Court on June 28 reversed a lower court ruling that had overturned a jury award of over $40,000 to a Vermont collision repair facility that had sued Nationwide Insurance for underpayments on claims. […]
LexisNexis Settles Multistate Lawsuit over Resale of Vehicle Accident Reports
LexisNexis Risk Solutions and several of its affiliates have agreed to settle a $5.8 million multistate lawsuit over claims that the company knowingly failed to pay contractually agreed fees for the resale of vehicle accident reports it obtained from law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts and other states. Massachusetts will receive approximately $750,000 as part of […]
EEOC Sues North Carolina Towing Company Alleging Sexual Harassment
Hunter Auto & Wrecker Service, Inc., in Charlotte, N.C. is alleged to have violated federal law when it subjected a female employee to a sexually hostile work environment, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed June 26. According to the EEOC’s suit, Sharon McInnis worked in a Hunter Auto & […]
Counterfeit Airbag Supplier Sentenced To Prison
Ohio man ordered to pay over $75,000 and serve one year in prison. U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced that David Nichols, 69, of Marysville, Ohio, who was convicted of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit air bags, was sentenced to serve one year in prison and ordered to pay $75,846 in restitution by U.S. […]
Auto Dealer Software Provider Settles Federal Trade Commission Data Security Allegations
An Iowa company that sells software and data services to auto dealers has agreed to take steps to better protect the data it collects, to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations that the firm’s poor data security practices led to a breach that exposed the personal information of millions of consumers. In a complaint, the FTC […]
GEICO Files RICO Lawsuit Alleging Auto Glass Fraud in Florida
Following similar lawsuits in Arizona, auto insurer takes its zero tolerance approach to alleged auto glass fraud to Florida. Following several lawsuits in Arizona, GEICO announced it has filed another federal lawsuit on June 6 in Florida alleging an auto glass repair shop submitted fraudulent glass repair bills. GEICO seeks to recover damages under Civil […]
Maryland Used Auto Parts and Scrap Dealers Convicted of Tax Fraud
A married couple in Clinton, Md. were convicted by a federal jury on June 7 of one count of conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and four counts of filing false income tax returns, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Robert […]