Sansone Automotive Group Must Give Back Over $14 Million to Customers for Overcharging - Sweet!

CHERRY HILL, N.J., Sept. 21 -- If you purchased or leased a car or truck from any one of Sansone Automotive Group's dealerships between January 1996 through December 31, 2002, you may be entitled to some cash in your pocket and a discount offer. The money and discounts are part of a class action settlement that was reached in connection with a New Brunswick County lawsuit brought against the Sansone dealerships in Superior Court. That lawsuit alleges that Sansone-owned dealerships violated the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act by charging inflated prices for title and tag fees as well as for documentary and other dealership fees and services associated with new or used vehicle purchases and leases.

On September 13, Superior Court Judge Alexander P. Waugh, Jr. entered an order directing that all class members be notified of the proposed settlement as well as of a hearing scheduled for December 10 on whether the Court should approve it. The settlement was negotiated after the Superior Court had certified a class of consumers to proceed against several Sansone dealerships, and was achieved through the assistance of a court-appointed mediator, retired Middlesex County Chancellery Judge C. Judson Hamlin.

Under the proposed settlement all qualifying Sansone customers will be sent a transferable $275 coupon for each vehicle they purchased where a qualifying overcharge occurred. That coupon can be used directly towards the purchase or lease of any vehicle from any of Sansone's many Central New Jersey dealerships. It can also, as an alternative, be exchanged for an immediate $60 cash refund and a second coupon (with more limited transfer rights) in the amount of $215 that likewise is good towards the purchase or lease of any vehicle from the Sansone Dealerships. The coupons are valid for three years.

Lead Class Counsel Steven E. Angstreich, from the Cherry Hill, New Jersey law firm of Levy, Angstreich, Finney, Baldante, Rubenstein and Coren, P.C., says that, "Under the terms of settlement there will be approximately $14 million in cash and coupons available for class members over a three-year period." According to Angstreich, "There were about 54,000 sales and lease transactions completed by the Sansone Automotive Group between 1996 and 2002. All people who are eligible to receive a refund and coupon will be notified in the mail. Sansone has also agreed to modify its sales documents to more clearly explain its title, registration, administrative and vehicle preparation fees so that consumers better understand what they are for and include."

The Sansone Automotive Group is based in Woodbridge, New Jersey and includes Route One Corporation, Sansone Nissan, Inc., Galleria Lincoln Mercury, Inc., Galleria Route One Corporation, Paladin Chevrolet, Sansone Plaza Dodge, Inc., and Ford National Auto Mart. They operate the Sansone's Route 1 Auto Mall and the Sansone's Route 66 Auto Mall complexes. The Levy, Angstreich law firm is known for providing representation of consumers in class action and mass tort matters.

For more information contact the law firm of Levy, Angstreich, Finney, Baldante, Rubenstein and Coren, P.C. at 800-601-1616 or on the web at www.levyangstreich.com. A copy of the official court-approved notice providing details on the settlement and class members' rights is available on their web site. Sansone consumers who have moved since the time of their purchase or lease can contact class counsel for instructions on how to update their mailing address.