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Vol. 9 / Issue 4 / July 2018
Body Shop Owner Sues Lynn, MA, for Trying to Shut Down His Business
NY Body Shop Sues Insurance Company, Adjusters on Behalf of Clients
by Thomas Grillo, The Daily Item
by Stacey Phillips
The owner of an auto body and mechanical shop on Willow Street in Lynn, MA, has filed suit against the city for shutting down his business.
105 Willow Street Lynn, MA Credit: Owen O’Rourke
In the four-page complaint, Josue Amaya, owner of Josue Auto Body Shop and Mechanic Inc., alleges the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) erred in May when they denied his company
a permit to add auto body work to the repair shop services they offer. But the panel argued the shop hasn’t repaired cars for more than two years, so the license to operate had been discontinued. Auto repair facilities are not allowed to be in use in the downtown area and do not fit the city’s vision for a rejuvenated arts district. James Lamanna, the city’s attorney, said several members of the ZBA had driven by the site and not seen any activity there for 20 years. “That suggests the business has not been operating,” he said. But Amaya’s attorney, Sam Vitali, argues it’s been an auto repair See Lynn, MA, Zoning, Page 6
Conspiracy To Murder Auto Shop Owner in CT by Rich Kirby, Danbury Patch
Police in Bridgeport, CT, arrested four Danbury men after an investigation uncovered a plan to kill an auto shop owner there. Jason “Hood” Scott, 35; Luis “Kermit” Mejias, 31; and Dominick “Dom” Gonzalez, 21, were charged with conspiracy to commit murder and are also held in lieu of $1 million bonds. Police charged the man who planned the hit, Luis “Pops” Mercado, 51, with conspiracy to commit
murder and third-degree attempted arson. He was being held in lieu of $1 million. The men had been the focus of an ongoing Bridgeport PD investigation involving a dispute over $8,000 owed for a marijuana transaction between a group in Danbury and the owner of the body shop. The Danbury group had arranged for a “hit” on the shop’s owner and the destruction of his shop. We thank Danbury Patch for reprint permission.
State Consumer Insurance Company, Inc., IANet Corporation and insurBarry’s Auto Body is part of an on- ance adjusters Gabe Deri, Louis going lawsuit filed on behalf of five Simo and Basit Irfan. of its customers for “violating genBarry’s Auto Body, co-owned eral business law §349 by engaging by Barry Crupi, Jr. and his sister in unfair claims practices.” Michele, alleges that Tri-State provided only partial payment for the damage claims of customers’ vehicles to repair them back to their pre-accident condition as obligated under an insurance policy and New York State law. The body shop is suing for a total of approximately Barry Crupi, Jr. and his sister Michele are co-owners of $500,000, which includes the body shop legal fees and treble (triple) The Staten Island, NY-based damages. Prior to the repairs, Tri-State body shop originally filed the lawsuit in July of 2017 in the Supreme Court provided Barry’s Body Shop estiof the State of New York against TriSee Body Shop Sues, Page 54
Senator: Trump Tariffs May Drive Off Alabama’s Auto Jobs by Brad Harper, Montgomery Advertiser
Alabama Sen. Doug Jones said a proposal by President Donald Trump to place a 25 percent tariff on imported cars, trucks and auto parts could cause automotive plant workers to lose their jobs, especially in Alabama. “I can’t just sit by while the president’s, I believe, shortsighted proposals threaten (jobs) in Alabama,” Jones said. “The proposal is going to hurt Alabama, plain and simple.” In a letter sent June 7 to U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Jones joined Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-TN, in urging the administration to reconsider the plan. The administration has targeted allies, including Canada and Mexico, in trying to reduce a trade deficit it considers a national security issue.
Democrat Doug Jones won a special election for Senate in December, beating polarizing Republican nominee Roy Moore. Credit: Mickey Welsh, Advertiser
“We can assure you that reducing the size of our state’s automotive manufacturing base will not bolster our nation’s security,” the letter states. See Trump Tariffs, Page 18
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