Charles Winegardner and Winegardner Ford LLC were awarded a $5.7 million jury verdict against Ford Motor Company in a contract dispute over Winegardner’s purchase of another dealership, Hunt Ford. Timothy Maloney represented the Winegardners at the trial.
The case, which involved a 2019 agreement between Winegardner and Hunt, provided that Hunt Ford would sell its acquired assets and dealership property to Winegardner. A dispute arose when Ford Motor Company exercised a right of first refusal to take away Winegardner’s contract to purchase Hunt Ford and give the dealership to another dealer.
Tim told The Daily Record, “Ford Motor Company should have never interfered with the Winegardners’ contract. Since 2009, the Maryland legislature has prohibited auto manufacturers from enforcing rights of first refusal in dealer contracts.” Tim also noted that the Winegardners “would have been very successful” had they been allowed to execute their contract and purchase the Ford dealership. “The jury verdict is no substitute for what the Winegardners ultimately could have done if their contract had not been interfered with. They could have really made something of this Hunt Ford dealership and they knew it.”
Click here to read “Multi-Million Dollar Jury Verdict for Car Dealership” from The Daily Record (PDF)
