Reviews Cited in RICO Suit Against Chicago Nissan Dealer
Attorneys representing a customer who accused Chicago’s Western Avenue Nissan of falsifying her credit application have cited complaints from 12 online reviews to qualify their lawsuit as a class action eligible for triple damages, according to an Automotive News report.
The plaintiff, Tanisha Burress, claims she was steered toward a vehicle she could not afford. She would later discover her application listed a former employer as her current employer, presumably to secure financing for the then-jobless applicant.
An investigation uncovered the systematic overstatement of customers’ creditworthiness in applications submitted to Santander Consumer USA, according to the lawsuit, which accuses the dealership of engaging in mail and wire fraud in violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
“The suit against Western Avenue Nissan does not accuse Santander of misconduct,” writes AN’s Eric Freedman. “Rather, the dealership took advantage of Santander’s ‘legitimate business operations’ to engage in a pattern of racketeering activity, the complaint said.”
