A Licking County used-car dealership is among six defunct businesses that Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has sued for failing to provide vehicle titles to numerous customers. The lawsuits were filed in the Common Pleas Court of the respective counties.
"Buying a used car without knowing the dealer’s reputation is a roll of the fuzzy dice," Yost said, according to a news release. "Reading online reviews and checking for a history of complaints could spare you the headache of a bad deal."
According to the news release, Yost's Consumer Protection Section issued payments totaling $312,690 from the Title Defect Recision (TDR) Fund. This fund assists consumers who do not receive titles within 40 days of purchasing a vehicle, as required by Ohio law.
The release further states that Ohio Luxury Imports of Reynoldsville and its owner, Renato Jovanovski, were named in one of the lawsuits. Yost's office resolved 15 title-related complaints with $71,858 from the TDR fund.
The release also noted that Ohio Luxury Imports' principal place of business was at 8934 E. Main St., Reynoldsburg, while the defendant's address was on Radio City Boulevard, Columbus. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants solicited individual consumers to enter into transactions for the sale of used motor vehicles. In some instances, they did not possess physical titles or had not titled vehicles to themselves on sale dates. Defendants allegedly failed to file applications for certificates of title within 30 days after assigning or delivering motor vehicles and did not obtain certificates on or before the 40th day post-sale.
According to the lawsuit, other defunct used car dealerships sued by Yost include Sirius Motors of Butler County, Highway 22 Auto Sales of Fairfield County, Robinson Auto of Fayette County, Automax of Canton in Stark County, and Prestige Family Cars of Wood County.
