KANSAS CITY, Mo. - There are new developments in a Call For Action investigation exposed a year ago. The Missouri Attorney General is naming another company and suing them for a deceptive car campaign.
The Missouri Attorney General said new evidence surfaced that shows the local dealership is just one of the businesses responsible for this deceptive campaign. So he filed this lawsuit Friday against the car manufacturer itself, American Suzuki Motor Corporation.
The ads were seen thousands of times. They ran in Kansas City and similar ones ran in South Carolina. Now, the Missouri Attorney General is suing Suzuki -- saying it's yet another business responsible for this promotion.
"Suzuki explicitly approved these advertisements to be used in the Kansas City campaign even though the company knew of the harm that came form the ads in South Carolina," Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster said.
Lawsuits are piling up in South Carolina and Kansas City over a deal where consumers thought they were getting free or reduced car payments. Some consumers say they weren't able to get financing when they tried to renew the deal a year later.
"Suzuki knew the ads were deceptive. Suzuki knew it was making promises they had no intention of keeping," Koster said.
Consumers are now stuck with $600 and $700 hundred dollar car payments. A few lenders have worked with the consumers, but not all of them.
The Missouri Attorney General is trying to help consumers stuck with un-affordable car payments, and is still pursuing Chad Franklin National Auto Sales d/b/a Legend Suzuki after filing suit against the dealer in August.
"A multitude of corporate entities are now responsible but American Suzuki is obviously a deep pocket that's capable of making restitution and should make restitution to these consumers," Koster said.
