Car Dealer Gets More Justice Than He Counted On

Car Dealer Gets More Justice Than He Counted On

So, when you sell wrecked and badly-rebuilt cars to 52 consumers over several years and rake in $630,000 and all the cars are junk, what do you get? More than you're expecting apparently.


This story comes to us from David Williams, an Ohio expert on the dangers of wrecked-rebuilt cars, as also reported in the Daily Sentinel in Colorado and it explains the dangers to consumers that crooked car dealers can cause when they pawn off wrecked-rebuilt cars to their customers without telling them the truth.

Camden Fortney, owner of Camden Motors in Colorado, had a great scheme. The judge, however, called him a rip off artist who put profits ahead of customer safety and that Fortney sold people rolling pieces of junk.

"This scheme went on for a long time, taking advantage of a lot of people," Judge Flynn said. "I think the scheme you pulled off destroyed confidence in the economoy. I don't want to be driving down the road in a car that's been salvaged. I don't think a lot of people do."

Then he hit him with a total of 53 years in prison. Stark testimony came from one victim who told how Fortney waved a friendly goodbye to her as she drove off his lot with her three children, unaware that they were driving a vehicle that had been totalled.

And Fortney's argument back? He said that if any customer had a complaint, why he was willilng "open" to repairing their vehicle, that not all his customers had defects in their cars, and that no one had had an accident in one of his cars just because it was a salvaged vehicle.

Fortney basically was saying that no one got hurt as he made money off the whole scheme. It's no wonder the judge threw the book at him.

Wrecked cars are ripoffs that cheat consumers. You can learn more about them, and how to avoid them, by clicking here.

If you ended up with a vehicle that has frame damage or was wrecked and you weren't told, you might be a victim of fraud too. Call us at 1.888.331.6422. Helping consumers is what we do. People like Fortney are the reason why.

Burdge Law Office
Helping consumers protect themselves, everyday. Since 1978.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Known nationwide as a leading Lemon Law attorney, Ronald L. Burdge has represented literally thousands of consumers in "lemon" lawsuits and actively co-counsels and coaches other Consumer Law attorneys. From 2005 through 2018, attorney Ronald L. Burdge has been named as the only Lemon Law Ohio Super Lawyer by Law and Politics magazine and Thomson Reuters Corp., Professional Division. Burdge restricts his practice to Lemon Law and Consumer Law cases. The Ohio Super Lawyer results are published annually in the January issue of Cincinnati Magazine. Ronald L. Burdge was named Consumer Law Trial Lawyer of the Year 2004 by the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the nation's largest organization of consumer law private and government attorneys. "Your impact on the auto industry has been magnified many times over because of the trail you blazed for others," stated NACA's Executive Director, Will Ogburn. Burdge has represented thousands of consumers in Ohio, Kentucky and elsewhere since 1978 and is a frequent lecturer to national, state and local Bar Associations and Judicial organizations. Burdge is admitted to Ohio's state and federal courts, Kentucky's state courts, and Indiana's federal courts. Other court admissions are on a "pro hac" temporary, case by cases basis.