WTO's Client, Mercedes-Benz USA, granted preliminary injunction in dealership breach-of-contract dispute.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC v. Star Automobile Co., No. 3:11-cv-73 (CAR), 2011 WL 2175037 (M.D. Ga. Jun. 3, 2011)
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC v. Star Automobile Co. (Georgia) - A Mercedes, Nissan, and Volkswagen dealer attempted to sell its three dealerships in one transaction to a proposed buyer that Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC ("MBUSA") did not want as an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer. WTO initiated a federal court action on behalf of MBUSA seeking to enjoin the sale because packaging multiple dealerships together abrogated MBUSA's contractual and statutory rights of first refusal on the Mercedes-Benz portion, and therefore the dealer breached its dealer agreements with MBUSA and violated Georgia's dealer act. The court granted MBUSA's motion for a preliminary injunction and enjoined the sale. The dealer eventually sold the dealerships to MBUSA's preferred candidate