PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha has filed a lawsuit against a used-car dealership in Bristol, alleging the company’s managers sold unsafe cars to consumers.
The 10-page civil complaint filed in R.I. Superior Court alleges King Philip Motors managers Tammy DeAlmeida and Neil DeAlmeida for years engaged in a pattern of unfair and deceptive trade practices by not inspecting cars before selling them.
“As we allege in our complaint there were several consumers that were harmed by that conduct because the car did not operate the way it should or the company did not fix the car,” Neronha told Target 12.
Carl Ricci, an attorney for the managers, pushed back at the complaint, saying, “it is problematic what the attorney general is doing. This is an accepted practice in the whole state.”
The consumer-protection lawsuit laid out four separate allegations against the dealership. One involved an unnamed customer who alleged they bought a GMC Acadia from the dealership in 2021, and “immediately after purchase, the vehicle’s check-engine light came on.” The attorney general noted the light typically prevents a car from passing state inspection.