Local

Dealership that sold customer a stolen car challenges judge’s order to pay up

ATLANTA — A metro Atlanta man was served with a summons to Superior Court by the car dealership that sold him a stolen car.

“It’s like pouring salt on an open wound,” his mother, Tamika Graham, said.

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Back in May in a Channel 2 Action News investigation, we told you how police suddenly appeared in Demetrius Howard’s Covington driveway six months after he purchased a car from Evolution Cars in Conyers. Police said the car was stolen and they repossessed it.

For months, both the finance company and Evolution refused to pay back Howard’s money. But after Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray got involved, the finance company returned the money for the vehicle. And a magistrate judge ordered Evolution to pay Howard $4,500.

But last month, a process server appeared at Howard’s front door.

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“It seems insane that they would still want to fight that after, you know, seeing what all we’ve been through,” Howard told Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray.

Instead of paying the money, Evolution Cars filed an appeal of the default judgment against it.

When Gray went back to Evolution Cars, the staff member there said he did not know anything about it and would tell the owner we had questions. We also emailed attorneys for Evolution.

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Back in May, an Evolution manager maintained the dealership had done nothing wrong.

“We did a deal. We did due diligence with the state of Georgia, what they require from us to verify the vehicle is not stolen,” Evolution Cars manager Luis Diaz said.

“We still thought that that check would come so that he can get a new car. And then when we were served, I was like, ‘The audacity!’ Like, why? We’ve done nothing?” Graham said.

Gray spoke by phone with the owner of Evolution Cars who says this week his attorney has made an offer to Howard to settle the case and pay Howard the $4,500 plus attorney fees. Howard says his attorney is reviewing the offer.

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