Comedian Jay Leno is being sued over a 1931 Model J Duesenburg that he bought from a New York garage. It turns out the car belonged to an heir of Macys, the department store chain. The car had been stored for more than 50 years, and had piled up storage fees that totaled around $36,000.
The Macy heir, John Straus, suffered from dementia, and died last spring. Now heirs of Straus are claiming that Leno and the garage owners set up up a phony auction, in which Leno was able to obtain the vehicle.
"It was a sham," said Nathan Goldberg, a lawyer for Straus' daughter, Wendy Lubin. "It was designed by the garage company to provide Jay Leno with an unlawful private sale. This car meant a lot to this family. It was a precious family heirloom.
"Leno knew this car was not for sale, and Straus had made that clear to him," said Goldberg, adding that it is worth more than $1.5 million.
"Mr. Leno bought the car in good faith," states lawyer Bruce Bronster, speaking on Leno's behalf.
Leno owns several Duesenburgs. I'm not sure if the one pictured above is the vehicle in question.
jederino says:
08:34 AM, 10/16/08
If the Duesenburg don't fit, you must acquit.
cruiserhead1 says:
09:35 AM, 10/16/08
that would have been so funny in 1998
billt9 says:
10:04 AM, 10/16/08
Rich people wars!
editor_karl says:
10:50 AM, 10/16/08
Ah yes, the "precious family heirloom" -- that sat in storage for more than 50 years.
I hope the Straus family never takes ownership of my vehicles, and then declares them precious...
ateixeira says:
11:15 AM, 10/16/08
Leno has enough money that he would not need to do this. That's what makes their claim so dubious.
bobtrent says:
06:17 AM, 11/12/11
If the garage followed New York law regarding collection of unpaid storage charges, the sale to Leno is entirely above board. Leaving a "precious family heirloom" in storage for 50 years and not bothering to pay the storage charges is, I think, prima facie evidence of abandonment. If NY storage collection laws are like what I am familiar with, the garage was under no obligation to obtain more than the accumulated storage charges plus any penaties, interest and costs of collection as allowed by law, for any overage would have gone to the estate of the titled owner to no benefit of the garage owner. This is to discourage fraudulent collections by storage facility owners. There might be some element of doubt as to why the garage waited for so long to take action to collect. Was the car cared for commensurate with a valuable car like the Duesenberg?