A Douglas County family says their 83-year-old father, who had dementia, vanished for more than 30 hours and came back to his assisted-living unit in Carrollton behind the wheel of a brand-new Jeep. By the time anyone figured out what happened, they say, he had signed onto a nearly $70,000 SUV and a loan with monthly payments the family cannot afford.
Relatives say John Benson entered into a sales contract at Scott Evans Jeep for just under $70,000 and that his wife, who they say also has memory problems, co-signed the loan. According to the family, the dealership has offered to refund a little more than $3,000 in fees, while they are pushing for the entire deal to be unwound and for a $5,000 deposit to be returned. They told investigators Benson had no driver’s license, had not been driving before this, and “didn’t even know he had bought a car,” according to WSB-TV.
How the family says the sale unfolded
Alicia Miller, a relative, told reporters that any quick interaction with the couple should have raised red flags. “Fifteen minutes of being around my parents, you would have known something wasn’t right,” she said.
The dealership lists its Carrollton location online, and Scott Evans Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram reported the account.
What Georgia law says about capacity and contracts
Under Georgia law, contracts signed by people who lack mental capacity are generally considered voidable rather than automatically void. That means a family member or an estate can ask a court to set aside a deal if they can show the buyer did not understand what they were signing at the time…