BELLEVILLE — A man claims a Cahokia auto dealership is illegally installing GPS tracking devices on cars in order to unlawfully repossess the vehicles.
David Burries filed a complaint July 23 in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Paylater Auto Sales II Inc., alleging violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practice Act.
According to the complaint, Burries purchased a 2011 Cadillac from Paylater Auto on Feb. 27. He alleges that he paid the dealership a down payment as well as the "first two months payments" and financed the remaining cost of the vehicle. Burries claims that two weeks later on March 22, Paylater repossessed his vehicle. He claims the vehicle was repossessed even though he was not behind on loan or insurance payments.
Burries also claims Paylater "secretly" installed a GPS tracking device on his Cadillac "without his knowledge or permission" and told him they took his vehicle because it "was in a location he's not supposed to be at" while charging him a $900 fee in order to get his car back. He claims Paylater has a "pattern and practice" of taking vehicles without any legal right and then demands "additional money" from the vehicle owner or tries to re-sell their car.
According to his complaint, Paylater "misrepresented" that it had the authority to repossess his vehicle.
Burries seeks monetary relief, plus interest. He is represented by Alexander Cornwell of Brody & Cornwell in St. Louis.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 20-L-0552