A jury last week ordered an Albuquerque, N.M., Chevrolet dealership to pay a customer more than $2 million in damages for unfair practices and spot delivery regulation violations.
Albert Smith traded in two vehicles to Reliable Chevrolet in a spot delivery deal in 2020, Smith's attorney Susan Warren, of the Law Offices of Feferman, Warren & Mattison in Albuquerque, told Automotive News. Warren said Reliable Chevrolet defrauded Smith by outlining financing terms they knew a lender would not take and damaged his credit when it missed loan payments for which it was responsible.
Concluding a lawsuit that spanned more than two years, the jury awarded Smith $87,000 in compensatory damages and $2.5 million in punitive damages. A spokesperson for Reliable Chevrolet said the store "disagrees with the jury's decision" and "will be appealing the verdict and award" but would not comment further.
A spot delivery occurs when a customer is allowed to take their …