A New Jersey resident and Indian national is suing a local luxury car dealership for refusing to sell him a Mercedes-Benz GLS.
Surjeet Bassi is suing Prestige Motors for $1.26 million because when attempting to trade in his Mercedes-Benz ML for a GLS500 and paying the difference, the dealership’s manager expressed concerns that Bassi would export the off-roader to the Taliban.
Record Online says the lawsuit reveals that Bassi negotiated a deal with a salesman, passed a credit check and was charged a $1,000 downpayment. Then, unexpectedly, he was called into the manager’s office and bluntly told “I’m sorry I can’t sell you the car”.
The manager at Prestige Motors claimed that Bassi came from a high-risk area, known for having residents who do export vehicles to the Taliban. Despite insisting on signing a document that he wouldn’t export the car, the dealership still refused.
Bassi’s attorney, Michael Sussman, says that this case is just the latest in a large pattern of racial discrimination against immigrants.
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