Close X
Saturday, November 16, 2024
ADVT 
International

Indian-American Sues Car Dealer For Not Selling Mercedes Over Taliban Concerns

Darpan News Desk IANS, 09 Aug, 2016 01:07 PM
    An Indian-American man has sued a New Jersey car dealership for USD 1.26 million, alleging it refused to sell him a swanky Mercedes Benz because a manager thought he came from a "high-risk area" and he might ship the vehicle to the Taliban.
     
    Surjeet Bassi, 50, claims the manager at Prestige Motors Inc. told him that he came from a "high-risk area" where people buy cars and export them to the Taliban.
     
    Mr Bassi, who has lived in New Jersey for 30 years, said he told the manager he is Indian and not connected to the Islamic fundamentalist and terrorist organisation, NJ.com quoted the recent federal lawsuit as saying.
     
    "Prestige Mercedes Benz values its relationships with customers and prospective customers," spokeswoman Theresa V.
     
    Boylan said in a statement. "As a company, we do not condone discriminatory practices or conduct. Out of respect for the process and all parties, it is our policy not to comment on pending legal matters."
     
    Mr Bassi said he wanted to trade his Mercedes-Benz ML350 for a newer model. He claims he spent several hours negotiating the price with a salesman, passed a credit check, charged USD 1,000 to his card for a down payment and called his insurance company to adjust his policy. But that was when a Prestige manager called Mr Bassi into his office, the lawsuit says.
     
    "He said, 'I'm sorry I can't sell you the car,' and then explained why," Bassi told recordonline.com.
     
    Mr Bassi "explained that he was an East Asian Indian and that he was not related in any way to the Taliban," the lawsuit states.
     
    The suit claims Mr Bassi's name did not come up in any regard to being an exporter of Mercedes Benz.
     
    Still, the manager refused to extend USD 83,000 in credit, for which Mr Bassi "was qualified and had been approved by the defendant," the suit states. The refusal is a violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the lawsuit claims.
     
    Mr Bassi is suing the car dealer for USD 1.26 million. The lawsuit claims "racial stereotyping, premised on plaintiff's race and appearance" and alleges the "same behavior would never have been engaged in had plaintiff been a white citizen of the United States."

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Modi, Nawaz Sharif Meet Briefly At CoP 21

    Modi, Nawaz Sharif Meet Briefly At CoP 21
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held a brief meeting with Pakistani Premier Nawaz Sharif as world leaders converged here for the Conference of Parties (CoP) climate summit that got underway.

    Modi, Nawaz Sharif Meet Briefly At CoP 21

    Modi Launches Solar Alliance, Reminds Rich Nations Of 'Green' Promises

    Today, when the energy sources and the excesses of our industrial age have put our planet in peril, the world must turn to Sun to power our future

    Modi Launches Solar Alliance, Reminds Rich Nations Of 'Green' Promises

    Indian Student In UAE Gets Perfect SAT Score

    Indian Student In UAE Gets Perfect SAT Score
    A 15-year-old Indian student here has scored a perfect 2400/2400 in the coveted Scholastic Aptitude Test exams held on November 7, a media report said on Monday.

    Indian Student In UAE Gets Perfect SAT Score

    Black Friday Brings Fights Across US, Videos Go Viral

    Black Friday Brings Fights Across US, Videos Go Viral
    Black Friday shoppers witnessed a mall brawl as a group of men began to punch each other at a food court on Thanksgiving.

    Black Friday Brings Fights Across US, Videos Go Viral

    Canada Opens Refugee Processing Centre In Jordan, Aims To See 500 People A Day

    Canada Opens Refugee Processing Centre In Jordan, Aims To See 500 People A Day
    A trickle of Syrian refugees seeking to leave Jordan flowed into Canada's processing centre in Amman on Sunday, the first day of operations at what will eventually become the hub of much of the Syrian refugee resettlement program.

    Canada Opens Refugee Processing Centre In Jordan, Aims To See 500 People A Day

    Donald Trump Is Playing The Media 'like A Fiddle' With Attention-grabbing Shtick: Jeb Bush

    Donald Trump Is Playing The Media 'like A Fiddle' With Attention-grabbing Shtick: Jeb Bush
    The one-time-favourite-now-longshot voiced frustration over all the news-media attention still being hoovered up by Donald Trump, with the primaries fast approaching.

    Donald Trump Is Playing The Media 'like A Fiddle' With Attention-grabbing Shtick: Jeb Bush