Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor announced a settlement in a consumer protection case brought against a used car dealership, Anchorage Auto Mart, LLC. The court approved settlement requires the Auto Mart to pay civil penalties of $35,000, to pay $60,000 toward a restitution fund which will be administered by the Court, and to cease from engaging in unfair and deceptive trade practices.
The Attorney General filed the lawsuit against the company on September 24, 2020, alleging that they engaged in numerous unfair and deceptive trade practices, including:
- Selling vehicles that lacked a valid title without informing customers of this fact;
- Failing to disclose that vehicle had reconstructed titles;
- Misrepresenting the accident history of vehicles; and
- Posting false or misleading advertisements
Consumers who purchased a vehicle from Anchorage Auto Mart between September 24, 2014 and October 25, 2021, and were harmed by Anchorage Auto Mart’s unfair or deceptive trade practices are eligible to receive a distribution from the restitution fund. Consumers must file a claim form by June 17, 2022, to be eligible to receive a distribution from the restitution fund.
Consumers can request a claim form by contacting the Alaska Department of Law’s consumer protection unit by mail at 1031 West 4th Ave., Suite 200, Anchorage, AK 99501, by email at consumerprotection@alaska.gov, or by phone at (907) 269-5200.
Attorney General Taylor said that the settlement sends a message that car dealerships must provide accurate information to their consumers.
Anchorage Auto Mart denied that they committed the unfair and deceptive trade practices alleged by the Attorney General, but said that they agreed that a resolution of the dispute was in the best interests of both the Auto Mart and eligible claimants.