Singleton Schreiber Announces Filing of Class Action Lawsuit Against Lithia Motors and Camp Chevrolet, Opening of Northwest Office Consumer Protection Practice
SPOKANE, Washington — Singleton Schreiber LLP has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of plaintiffs Courtland Kessinger and Macy Kessinger against Spokane auto dealership Camp Chevrolet and its parent company, Lithia Motors — a publicly traded, Oregon-headquartered corporation that operates dealerships nationwide. The filing marks the launch of the firm’s new consumer protection practice in Eastern Washington, dedicated to holding corporations accountable for systemic harms to consumers across the Pacific Northwest. According to the complaint, when Washington consumers sell or trade in a vehicle to Camp Chevrolet or another Lithia Motors dealership affiliate in the state, the dealerships routinely fail to pay off the existing loan on that vehicle within the two business days required by Washington law. As a result, consumers are left making payments on cars they no longer own — sometimes while also paying for the vehicle they bought to replace it.
The complaint further alleges that the dealerships fail to provide consumers with a fully executed copy of the odometer disclosure statement, a document required by law to protect buyers and sellers by creating an accurate, signed record of a vehicle’s mileage at the time of sale. The absence of that record, the complaint alleges, leaves consumers without proof of the transaction and exposes them to the risk of fraud.
The case was filed in Spokane County Superior Court and alleges that Camp Chevrolet and Lithia Motors violated the Washington Consumer Protection Act, breached fiduciary duties owed to their customers, and fraudulently misrepresented their intention to comply with the law. The proposed class includes all customers of Camp Chevrolet and Lithia Motors’ other Washington dealerships whose vehicles were sold or traded into a Lithia Motors dealership and who did not receive a fully executed copy of the odometer disclosure statement or whose loans were not paid off within two business days after being acquired by the Lithia Motors dealership.
The case was filed by Attorneys Dan Fruchter and Jesse Fruchter of Singleton Schreiber’s Northwest Office, based in Spokane, Washington.
“Our clients and consumers all across Washington work hard to make ends meet,” said Jesse Fruchter, Senior Counsel at Singleton Schreiber. “The law requires that dealerships pay off any existing loans shortly after acquiring a vehicle, precisely so that people aren’t stuck paying loans on two vehicles at the same time. Lithia Motors is a multinational corporation that reports billions of dollars in profits every year. Its failure to timely pay off its customers’ loans is unfortunately all too emblematic of the corporate greed that is so widespread in today’s economy.”
“We are opening this consumer protection practice because too many of these harms follow a pattern – the same corner-cutting, repeated across thousands of transactions,” Fruchter added. “We want to hear from consumers, employees, and attorneys who see that kind of systemic conduct. We look forward to holding corporate wrongdoers accountable throughout the Pacific Northwest.”
Washington consumers who sold or traded a vehicle to a Lithia Motors dealership and were affected by these practices are encouraged to contact Singleton Schreiber to assist with the firm’s investigation. Reach the Northwest Office at (509) 824-6222 or leads@singletonschreiber.com.
About Singleton Schreiber
Singleton Schreiber is a client-centered law firm, focusing on consumer protection, mass torts/multi-district litigation, fire litigation, personal injury/wrongful death, civil rights, environmental law, insurance bad faith, tribal law, and sex abuse/trafficking. Its nationally recognized team has played leading roles in high-profile fire litigation, groundbreaking Tesla litigation, and impactful civil rights and trafficking cases. With deep experience in complex claims, the firm is committed to helping individuals, families, and communities recover and rebuild.
