Posted on 12/03/2017 2:29:07 AM PST by LibWhacker
Ford Motor Co. is laying the legal smack down on WWE star John Cena.
The automaker on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the pro wrestler after Cena resold his 2017 Liquid Blue Ford GT supercar less than a month after owning it, breaking a contract that said the vehicle couldn't be flipped until two years after purchase.
Ford is seeking damages in excess of $75,000. It wants to buy back the vehicle for the price Cena paid ($463,376.50) and is seeking whatever profit Cena made off it.
"Upon information and belief, Mr. Cena has unfairly made a large profit from the unauthorized resale flip of the vehicle, and Ford has suffered additional damages and losses, including, but not limited to, loss of brand value, ambassador activity, and customer goodwill due to the improper sale," the automaker said in the lawsuit.
Ford last April instituted a rigorous application process for the first 500 supercars, which cost about $450,000 each. Ford at the time made clear that it would favor current GT owners as well as celebrities and influencers to ensure the cars would be seen and driven rather than stored in a museum or resold at high markups.
The lawsuit said Ford considered "each applicant's interest in Ford cars, specifically the GT and in collectible cars generally, each applicant's relationship with Ford, if any, and each applicant's involvement in the motorsports community, if any."
Cena completed his application on or about April 14, the lawsuit said. He reportedly said that the GT would go "to an owner who truly deserved it and would care properly for the car," and included photos and videos of himself promoting high-end cars.
Cena was approved, and paid for the vehicle in two installments, the last coming on Sept. 21. His vehicle was delivered to Elder Ford in Tampa, Fla., on Sept. 23.
Shortly thereafter, he recorded a four-minute video for his vlog, "John Cena: Auto Geek," in which he drives the GT out from the dealership.
He sold the car a few weeks later, the lawsuit says,"to liquidate for cash to take care of expenses."
Ford contacted him about it, and he allegedly apologized, saying "I completely understand and as stated am willing to work with you and Ford to make it right."
Cena is among a host of high-profile celebrities to get the supercar. Others include Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander, who posted a photo on Twitter earlier this month of his car. It's Ingot Silver with a white racing stripe.
Ford's top executives, including Chairman Bill Ford and President of Global Operations Joe Hinrichs have GTs. Former CEO Mark Fields is among the lucky buyers, too.
The three all chose the red-white-blue racing livery for their vehicles.
Jay Leno also has one: https://youtu.be/7-MCdfqL61E
I’m going to guess you aren’t a lawyer or a business owner...
A contract is binding.
I am sure there were escape clauses in the contract to avoid these types of issues.
I am sure they will settle before this goes much further.
Good guess!
Not bad for 0545 hours.
They made a deal, for the advertising value. He reneged. Seems pretty clear cut to me.
Jeremy Clarkson bought the same type of car years ago and went on a non stop tirade on Top Gear about what a useless piece of crap it was and he too got rid of it.
He signed a contract that stipulated that he could not sell the car for at least two years. By signing that contract, he was able to get a limited edition car that few others could own.
Enzo had black listed the Prince of Monaco for making a profit off of his F40 back then. The Prince bought it for a cool $300 thousand, sold it to his repairer a million who then flipped it for 3 million to someone else. Enzo was furious: “once you buy a Ferrari, you keep it out of love, not profit”.
So the Prince was never able to buy again from Enzo
Try driving one into the setting sun.
Technically he maybe wrong but bad public relations move by Ford.
It seems the Prince did not have the same love for the car as Enzo....
Yes, I think Ford overestimated the intelligence of the general public. I think a large percentage of people are too stupid and immoral to understand this situation. Ford may have been better off pretending this cretin had done nothing wrong.
Very nice, thanks!
Good PR by Ford. No one ever heard of it before. Now everyone is looking at it. And, who cares what they do to a celebrity wrestler other than his accountant.
I agree. Way too many people think they should just be able to walk away from a commitment, with no consequences, regardless of how much harm it does to others.
In this specific situation, people will think, "Oh, it's just a big, bad corporation. Who cares if they lose money?" Economic ignorance: "corporations" don't lose. Customers ultimately lose.
i disagree. many in the country are awakening to personal responsibility again through Trump and others reminding us that’s what most things are about.
Those awake will understand and see it for what it is. That’s all Ford is shining a light on as well. Their responsibility in this agreement and that of the buyer and agreement he signed.
Those worried about how things will look and not stepping on toes for fear of losing irresponsible customers who don’t take their agreement (signature and word) seriously, are not worth having anyway.
Love to. :O)
The public perception of right and wrong has been muddied with exceptions to the rules. If we just stick to the rules, without making excuses, it’s pretty simple. If you make an agreement, keep it. Even if you made the agreement with somebody you don’t like. LOL
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