50-year-old Surjeet Bassi is suing a New Jersey car dealership for $1.26 million for allegedly refusing to sell him a Mercedes Benz. Bassi, an Indian national, was told that he hails from a “high risk area,” where buying the cars and sending them to the Taliban is common.
This left Bassi, a medical transport company owner outraged at the discrimination he faced based on his skin colour and appearance. He has been a US resident for 30 years and approached Prestige Motors Inc in Bergen County, New Jersey, for a new Mercedes Benz in exchange for his old one.
After following due procedure, including a down payment of $1000, he was told that the dealership would not be able to sell him the car. Even a federal database search conducted by the manager wasn’t enough to convince him. Bassi had also offered to sign papers assuring them that he would not sell the vehicle for three years, but to no avail.
Bassi is suing the dealership for $60,000 in compensatory damages and $1.2 million in punitive damages. His lawyers filed a lawsuit in the US District Court in New York’s Southern District. The manager allegedly refused to extend USD 83,000 in credit, for which he“was qualified and had been approved by the defendant,” according to the suit.
The dealership has refused to comment on pending legal matters.
(With inputs from Firstpost and Times Of India)
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