Livermore dealership sold truck involved in fatal police chase, lawsuit says
LIVERMORE - A Livermore car dealership is accused of unfair business practices after allegedly selling a used truck that had allegedly been involved in a fatal police pursuit without disclosing that information to the buyer, according to a lawsuit filed last month in Alameda County.
Wendy Montes and Jose Nevarez Jr. say they bought a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 truck from Livermore Toyota on Sept. 1, 2021 -- and the dealership did not notify them about major damage related to a collision.
An airbag was allegedly not working properly, so they had the vehicle inspected by another dealership, and thereby discovered additional damage to the frame and wiring.
The plaintiffs further allege the vehicle had been used to traffic drugs across state lines, that the previous owner died inside the vehicle, and that none of those details were made available to them during the sales process. They say they would never have purchased the truck if Livermore Toyota had notified them of the vehicle's history.
"I personally think Livermore Toyota bought this truck, I'm sure very cheap, cleaned up the blood and sold it to us without disclosing anything," Montes said via text message last week.
Livermore Toyota initially responded to questions regarding the lawsuit with an unsolicited price quote on several used cars, but attorney Patrice Harper reached out later on the dealership's behalf with the following statement: "We vigorously deny these allegations and look forward to the company's vindication in court."