Collision Repair Industry Lawsuits

Read about significant lawsuits involving the collision industry, covering legal battles, outcomes, and their implications for repair shops and stakeholders.

Texas Auto Repair Shop Office Manager Sentenced for Embezzling $60K

Kacie Lynn Paulk, 41, was previously convicted of forging checks between July 2022 and January 2024 and depositing them in her personal bank account.

Autobody News Staff

Michigan Man Charged with Selling Counterfeit Airbags

Dinas Kamaitis is the first person charged by Michigan's newly expanded Auto Fraud Task Force.

Autobody News Staff

Large Amount of Cocaine Seized at Massachusetts Auto Body Shop

Authorities believe the body shop was used as a front for a major drug trafficking operation after a search found cocaine and fentanyl, along with a press used for packaging it for sale.

Autobody News Staff

Former Vermont Dealership Manager Sentenced for $192K Embezzlement

Jennifer LaBonte pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in connection with the embezzlement, which went on for more than a decade.

Autobody News Staff

Progressive Settles New York Lawsuit Over Total Loss Payments

The lawsuit, filed in 2021, accused Progressive of applying a “Projected Sold Adjustment” to reduce the base value of comparable vehicles used to calculate the value of totaled vehicles.

Autobody News Staff

Body Shop Owner Charged After $3K Fraud on Minor Dent

The owner encouraged an undercover officer to submit a $3,000 claim for a dent on a bait car used as part of a sting operation.

Autobody News Staff

Wisconsin Auto Shop Owners Charged in 4.5 Million-Mile Odometer Fraud Scheme

Three people who own an auto body shop in Butler, WI, are accused of buying used cars on Facebook Marketplace, manipulating the mileage and reselling them.

Autobody News Staff

Illinois Man Accused of Selling Drugs from Auto Repair Shop

Victor Montes De Oca Lopez, owner of Victor's Auto Repair Shop, now faces multiple drug and weapons charges.

Autobody News Staff

California Officials Warn of Tow Truck Scam Targeting Crash Victims

An organized ring in the Inland Empire is accused of towing vehicles to a body shop and demanding excessive fees for release.

Autobody News Staff

Ford Ordered to Pay $2.5B in Super Duty Roof Collapse Lawsuit

Attorneys representing the family of a Georgia couple killed in 2022 when their 2015 Ford F-250 rolled over argued Ford has long known about structural weaknesses in Super Duty trucks' roofs.

Autobody News Staff