As WHEC-News in Rochester, New York reports, it’s not every day that a car dealer’s son is arrested for assaulting a customer. But that’s what happened at Ralph Pontiac Honda in upstate New York.
Now the customer has filed a lawsuit.
The customer says she was in the market a year ago for a new Honda Ridgeline and found what she wanted at the Ralph store.
After negotiating a deal, she says that she returned to the dealership with her signed contract to pick up her truck. That’s when Mike Ralph, Jr., told her she needed to come up with more money. Mr. Ralph is an officer at the dealership and the son of the owner.
“He proceeded to tell me that there had been a mathematical error and I would have to pay an additional $2000,” says the customer.
She refused to pay more and said she would take the contract to her lawyer. But she says Mr. Ralph grabbed the contract out of her hand and crumpled it up.
So the customer grabbed the dealer’s copy of the contract off the desk and headed for the door. According to the police report, he followed her out yelling obscenities. That’s when she alleges the altercation turned physical.
The customer called police and went to the hospital with neck and back pain. Police charged Mr. Ralph with assault and harassment.
“(The customer) started an argument,” says the attorney for Mr. Ralph.
The attorney denies the confrontation ever became physical. “She was making a scene at Ralph Pontiac and he was charged with assault only because she called the police.”
Mr. Ralph ultimately pled guilty to the harassment charge, a minor violation of a town ordinance. As his sentence the judge made him send a letter of apology to the customer.
He acknowledges he shouldn’t have reacted the way he did. But now the customer wants more than just an apology.
Last month, she filed this lawsuit asking to be reimbursed for the additional cost to buy the same truck elsewhere.
She’s also asking for punitive damages.
Mr. Ralph’s attorney says his client didn’t fight the harassment charge because he felt bad and wanted to take responsibility for his part of the altercation.
2 comments ↓
One of the greatest things about this country is that we have the right to our own opinion and the freedom to express it.
I give her a lot of credit for pursuing this and maybe stopping it from happening to someone else. There are many forms of bully’s out there. Buying a car should not be this difficult.
Automotive Dealer Pleads Guilty to Harassment of a Female Customer!
Michael Ralph on behave of Ralph Pontiac Inc. 3939 west Ridge Road in the town of Greece was charged with Assault and Harassment of a female customer. After a confrontation which occurred while she was attempting to pick up her new 2007 Honda Ridgeline on December 30th 2006.The female customer refused to comply with the dealers demand for additional funds for the vehicle over and above the contracted and agreed upon pricing. Due to the confrontation she was taken by ambulance to Unity hospital for treatment and released later the same day. Michael Ralph plead guilty to a plea bargain of harassment in Greece Town Court on September 4th 2007.When he appeared in front of Justice Gino Nitti who had already issued an restraining ordered against Michael Ralph in this matter . Justice Nitti also ordered Michael Ralph to write a letter of apology
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