OREANDA-NEWS. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (“FCA”) (NYSE: FCAU / MTA: FCA) learned late yesterday of the  filing  of  a  lawsuit  in  an  Illinois  Federal  Court  by  two  U.S.  dealers  located  in  Illinois  and Florida.  The named defendants are FCA US LLC (“FCA US”) and FCA Realty  LLC.    The dealer plaintiffs are two dealerships of the larger Ed Napleton Automotive Group.

The lawsuit makes allegations of false sales reporting by FCA US.  Notwithstanding numerous requests to provide evidence of this alleged activity, the plaintiffs have refused to substantiate their claims. FCA US carried out  an investigation of the facts, and has determined that these allegations are baseless and plaintiffs were notified of this fact before they filed suit.

This  lawsuit  is  nothing  more  than  the  product  of  two  disgruntled  dealers  who  have  failed  to perform their obligations under  the  dealer  agreements they signed  with FCA  US.  They have consistently failed to perform since at least  2012, and have also used the threats of litigation
over  the  last  several  months  in  a  wrongful  attempt  to  compel  FCA  US  to  reserve  special treatment  for  them,  including  the  allocation  of  additional  open  points  in  the  US  FCA  network.   FCA  US  will  continue  to  resist  these  pressures,  safeguarding  the  relationship  of  trust  and openness which governs its relationship with its dealers.

FCA finds it unfortunate and disappointing that reputable media would be willing to be used in questionable litigation practices without a full understanding of the facts.