EDWARDSVILLE - A New Jersey man is suing an O'Fallon car dealership after his Jeep was allegedly sold for parts without his permission or compensation.
Zaquan Singleton, of Millville, N.J., filed the complaint in the Madison County Circuit Court against Auffenberg Dealer Group Inc. and Speedway Salvage Inc.
According to the complaint, Singleton claims that while he was in Illinois, he noticed an issue with his engine. He took his 2014 Jeep Cherokee to Auffenberg in O'Fallon for engine work under the vehicle's warranty. He claims Auffenberg "then broke down the engine and told plaintiff that they could not repair the engine under the warranty because they believed the engine to have been modified, despite plaintiff doing absolutely nothing to the engine after purchasing the vehicle."
Singleton claims he had an agreement with Auffenberg to leave his vehicle on the lot while he contacted the original Chrysler Dodge Ram Jeep dealership to restore the issue with the alleged engine modification. He paid a storage fee for the service and claims he stayed in contact with the defendant to confirm the vehicle could remain on the lot.
"Plaintiff had an absolute and unconditional right to the immediate possession of his property," the suit states.
Auffenberg then allegedly contracted with Speedway Salvage in East St. Louis to remove vehicles from the lot. Speedway Salvage removed Singleton's vehicle from the lot on May 26. The defendant allegedly scrapped the vehicle for parts to then sell at a profit. Auffenberg sold Singleton's vehicle without any right to do so, and Speedway Salvage took the vehicle without permission, the suit states.
When Singleton later demanded his vehicle from Auffenberg, they advised they could not provide it to him. When he then demanded his vehicle from Speedway Salvage, they allegedly refused to return the vehicle.
"Plaintiff now has lost his vehicle and has had difficulty with transportation, including missing work, important meetings, and events," the suit states.
"Plaintiff has lost the value of his vehicle, which is a model that is in high demand as it is no longer in production," it continues.
Singleton claims he has also wasted time and suffered stress, anxiety, frustration, and emotional distress because of the defendants' actions.
Singleton seeks $50,000 in damages. He is represented by Samantha Orlowski of Sparks Law Firm in St. Charles, Mo.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 22LA0691