- A Porsche dealer is suing his former sales manager for fraud, breach of contract and more.
- The employee is accused of charging customers a hidden fee to provide access to sought-after cars.
- The dealer wants back the money he paid the manager under the table as well as his entire salary from the time during the alleged scheme.
A Porsche dealer in Charleston, South Carolina, claims to have uncovered a scheme in which its former sales manager, James Marino, allegedly exploited his position to obtain under-the-counter payments for access to coveted cars. The dealership is now suing Marino for various offenses and wants to recover not only the money it paid him, but also the money customers paid directly to him.
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According to the lawsuit filed in the Ninth Circuit, Marino worked for Porsche Charleston for over six years. His LinkedIn page lists positions at various Porsche dealers from 2007. The retailer in this case claims that its improper conduct began at least in 2022. During that time, he “had the final say in deciding who would be the potential buyer.” “I am not permitted to purchase these high-demand cars,” the lawsuit says.
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The entire scheme is then described. In 2022, he allegedly began demanding private payments of thousands of dollars from buyers as a condition of access to rare models. While Porsche Charleston isn’t specifying how much money it believes Marino took, the company estimates the number to be in the “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
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Furthermore, she claims that she was only aware of the plan in March of this year, when she discovered it and subsequently terminated it.
The merchant is seeking judgment on several allegations, including breach of fiduciary duty, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, fraud and breach of contract. She proposes a jury trial in hopes of recovering both the money she paid him under this plan and the money customers paid him.
The lawsuit is silent on whether the dealership will compensate customers allegedly defrauded by Marino. Because the merchant did not receive these hidden payments, he has no stronger claim to the money than Marino. The lawsuit is still in its early stages and there is no defense attorney listed for Marino at this time. However, his long career with Porsche dealers may well be over.
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