Sirius Motors, which operated at 906 Lebanon St. in Monroe, is “out of business” and the lot has been abandoned, according to the lawsuit.
Yost’s office has paid out six title-related complaints using $86,319 from the Title Defect Recision, or TDR, fund, which aids consumers who did not receive car titles within 40 days of purchase, as Ohio law requires.
According to the lawsuit, Sirius Motors failed to file applications for title certificates within 30 days after receiving vehicles on the lot and then allegedly sold these vehicles to consumers without titles.
These consumer complaints remain pending with the Attorney General’s office, which may result in additional payouts from the TDR fund.
“Buying a used car without knowing the dealer’s reputation is a roll of the fuzzy dice,” Yost said. “Reading online reviews and checking for a history of complaints could spare you the headache of a bad deal.”
The lawsuit ordered the defendants to pay damages to consumers affected and assigned a $25,000 civil penalty for each of the disputes.
The defendants are prohibited from maintaining, renewing or applying for any motor vehicle dealer license or engaging in consumer transactions until all restitution, civil penalties and court costs have been met.
The business license for Sirius Motors, Inc. is active, according to Ohio’s business search tool through the Ohio Secretary of State’s office.
Five other now-defunct used car dealerships were also sued, including Highway 22 Auto Sales in Fairfield County; Robinson Auto in Fayette County; Ohio Luxury Imports in Licking County; Automax of Canton in Stark County; and Prestige Family Cars in Wood County.
In total, Yost’s Consumer Protection Section has issued $312,690 from the TDR fund.
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