A blind man from North Chicago has filed a lawsuit against a car dealership in Grayslake alleging they pulled a “bait and switch” with a higher price and interest rate than agreed upon when he purchased a new car for his family.
Jerry Bosley, a legally blind resident from North Chicago, filed the lawsuit in Lake County Circuit Court against City Chevrolet of Grayslake.
Bosley, who does not drive but depends on family members to drive him, made claims under the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act accusing City Chevrolet of engaging in unfair and deceptive business practices.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages in excess of the statutory $50,000 judicial threshold.
The suit says City Chevrolet of Grayslake violated consumer protection laws when its salesmen allegedly deceived Bosley on July 5, 2023, by baiting him with a “fair offer” on a 2023 Chevrolet Traverse.
The salesmen allegedly switched their offer, after he agreed to proceed, by preparing documentation for Bosley to sign, which reflected a higher price, a higher interest rate, and new, undisclosed contract terms.
The lawsuit complaint says that the Bosley family searched online for a reliable vehicle for the transportation of their family and found the Chevrolet Traverse, which was advertised online for sale at City Chevrolet in Grayslake for $32,915.
Bosley’s visual impairment made it impossible for him to independently review the sales documents without accommodation, his attorneys said.
Bosley’s attorney said the dealership provided no accommodation, despite his “obvious and disclosed disability,” in violation of federal law.
Bosley was forced to rely entirely on the “summary and basic description and representations” regarding what he was being asked to sign from the dealership’s sales staff.
The man later came to discover that the sales contract reflected an 11% interest rate after signing the sales contract and other documents.
The suit says the dealership had assured Bosley that the financing interest rate would beat the rate his cred union offered at 6% or less.
Bosley objected but was told that it was “too late” since “everything was signed” and he would have to take it up in arbitration if he had any further problems.
His attorneys say that was the first time he was informed that he could not bring his dispute in a court of law.
He returned home and discovered, with the assistance of his family, that he actually purchased the vehicle for $43,588, which was more than $10,000 over the advertised sales price.
The lawsuit says that the unfair and deceptive business practices employed by City Chevrolet resulted in considerable frustration, embarrassment and financial loss for Bosley, who had placed his trust in the dealership to act with “integrity and transparency.”
“Our firm is committed to seeking justice for Mr. Bosley and to holding the dealership accountable for its actions. If the lawsuit is proven true in a court of law, then City Chevrolet of Grayslake exploited Mr. Bosley’s disability at every opportunity, prioritizing profit over ethical conduct and legal compliance,” Libertyville-based law firm Johnston, Tomei & Goldberg, LLC said in a statement to Lake and McHenry County Scanner.
“City Chevrolet of Grayslake has thus far refused to admit or deny the allegations of Mr. Bosley’s lawsuit,” they said.
City Chevrolet of Grayslake has filed a motion to dismiss the case on the grounds that Bosely signed away his rights to take City Chevrolet of Grayslake to court in a private arbitration agreement, which Bosley denies he was ever told by City Chevrolet that an arbitration agreement was amongst the documents they presented for his signature.
City Chevrolet of Grayslake has not released a statement to Lake and McHenry County Scanner on the case.
A hearing on the motion is scheduled to be held on June 10.