John Cena won't tap out in his fight with Ford Motor Co.
John Cena won't tap out in his fight with Ford Motor Co.
John Cena won't tap out in his fight with Ford Motor Co.
The professional wrestler-turned-actor on Tuesday filed a motion to dismiss Ford's lawsuit against him for flipping his 2017 Liquid Blue GT supercar, breaking a contract that said he wouldn't do so for two years after initial ownership. Cena's motion says the stipulation against reselling the vehicle was not explicitly stated in the final buyer's agreement.
"Ford's action rests entirely on an alleged resale restriction that Ford failed to have its dealer incorporate in the dealer's sales agreement," the motion says. "Ford failed to cause its selling dealer to include any resale restriction, so Ford has no claim."
Ford is seeking damages in excess of $75,000. It wants to buy back the vehicle for the price Cena paid ($463,376.50) and is seeking whatever profit Cena made off it.
Ford last April instituted a rigorous application process for the first 500 supercars. At the time, the automaker made clear that it would favor current GT owners as well as celebrities and influencers to ensure the cars would be seen and driven rather than stored in a museum or resold at high markups.
In his application, Cena reportedly said that the GT would go "to an owner who truly deserved it and would care properly for the car," and included photos and videos of himself promoting high-end cars.
Cena was approved, and paid for the vehicle in two installments, the last coming on Sept. 21. His vehicle was delivered to Elder Ford in Tampa, Fla., on Sept. 23.
Shortly thereafter, he recorded a four-minute video for his video blog, "John Cena: Auto Geek," in which he drives the GT out from the dealership.
He sold the car a few weeks later, the lawsuit says,"to liquidate for cash to take care of expenses."
The Tuesday motion is an about-face for Cena, who late last year appeared willing to work with Ford.
Ford's November lawsuit says, when they contacted him about it, he allegedly apologized, saying, "I completely understand and as stated am willing to work with you and Ford to make it right."
The website motorauthority.com reported on Cena's motion on Wednesday.
First published on autonews.com
