B.C. woman who sued dealer after crashing Aston ordered to pay $300,000

[speedog]

Link (https://driving.ca/aston-martin/auto-news/news/b-c-woman-who-sued-dealer-after-crashing-aston-martin-ordered-to-pay-300000/amp), like wtf.

People were comparing Richmond, B.C. resident Jessica Liu to James Bond when she purchased her $200,000 2014 Aston Martin DB9, for obvious reasons.

It’s a very 007 vehicle, with the name of the paint – Skyfall Silver – even borrowing from the film franchise.

But those comparisons promptly stopped when Liu crashed the car into a rock in December 2015, learned she wouldn’t be able to afford to fix it, and then sued the dealership and repair shop because she thought they needlessly hiked up the bill.

It turns out Liu only had basic insurance that wouldn’t cover the $85,000 to $135,000 collision repair, so when she was handed the invoice, she took it to the courts and told them the dealer and repair shop should pay for it.

The lawsuit filed in 2018 claimed Vancouver dealer MCL Motor Cars and auto shop Burrard Autostrasse had taken advantage of Liu, her lack of English-speaking skills, and her perceived wealth to sell her the luxury vehicle.

After hiring and firing four different law firms, Liu decided to take on the task of representing herself in court. She requested “pain and suffering” damages of $300,000 on top of a new Aston Martin, but the judge was not hearing it, dismissing the claim and ordering Liu to pay the counterclaim amount for the repairs ($85,549), pre-judgement interest ($4,078), some of Burrard’s legal fees, and storage fees of $400 a day dating back to May 5. That brings her total bill up to over $328,930.50, plus the original cost of the car.

The whole “suing the sellers after crashing it” bit is definitely not something Bond would do. Destroying the car, sure. But whining about a repair bill? That’s Q’s job.

[speedog]

And from another news story...

The owner of a $200,000, James Bond-style sports car has filed a lawsuit against the dealership who sold her the limited edition vehicle and the autoshop who handed her a $135,000 repair bill.

The Richmond News revealed almost a year ago how Richmond resident Jessica Liu crashed her silver, Aston Martin DB9 into a rock in December 2015, while driving near her home close to Blundell and No. 2 roads.

Liu, who only had basic insurance, has refused to pay the bill and, thus, hasn’t seen her prized possession since the single-vehicle accident, due to a long-running dispute with the Vancouver-based dealership (MCL Motor Cars) and autoshop (Burrard Autostrasse) amid claims of overcharging and collusion. However, near the end of 2017, Liu lodged a civil claim at B.C. Supreme Court against both the dealership and autoshop.

Liu alleges, amongst other things, that she was taken advantage of due to her lack of English skills and perception of wealth, breach of contract and collusion between the two defendants.

As a result of the alleged actions of the defendants, Liu is claiming a long list of personal injuries, including: depression and anxiety; panic disorders; flashbacks; suicidal periods; weight loss; sleeping disorders; low self-esteem; emotional expression issues; humiliation; trust issues and impaired ability to form intimate relationships.

Liu is asking for general damages for “pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and physical and psychological disability.”

She is also seeking special damages for transportation between China and from Canada, although the suit doesn’t detail why. As compensation, Liu is suing for damages for breach of contract and is asking for $300,000 plus costs from the defendants.

She further claimed that, after a U.K.-based Aston Martin manager intervened in September last year, she was offered and accepted a 30 per cent reduction of the repair bill. Liu claims the defendants later backed out of the aforementioned agreement.
In separate responses to the lawsuit, both MCL and Burrard denied all the allegations made.

In its response, MCL said that it did not, at any time, collude with Burrard to inflate the repair bill, as alleged by Liu.

It also denied taking advantage of Liu’s lack of English and apparent wealth and had no knowledge of any agreement between Aston Martin and Liu to reduce the repair bill.

Burrard, meanwhile, in its response to the suit, cited that Liu still owes more than $85,000 of the original repair bill, after she initially paid a $50,000 deposit.

It further stated that Liu’s lawsuit is “scandalous, frivolous” and an “abuse of process of this court.”

Neither defendant is accepting any responsibility for the personal injuries Liu claims to have suffered as a result of the dispute.
And in separate counter claims filed by MCL and Burrard against Liu, she is accused, amongst other things, of making defamatory statements.

In MCL’s counter suit, it’s alleged Liu published a series of defamatory statements in a post to an online WeChat group, where she accused MCL of “selling horse meat as beefsteak,” lying, cheating and being “shady.”

The statements in question were also allegedly posted on two other Vancouver-based, social media websites.

As a result of the statements, MCL claims its reputation has suffered and claims it can provide details of such damage prior to any trial.

MCL is seeking an interim and permanent injunction on further, similar statements being made, general and punitive damages and unspecified special costs.

Burrard, in its counter suit, is seeking damages for breach of contract and special costs, including payment of the outstanding bill for $85,545.

In the counterclaim, Burrard’s lawyer describes Liu’s suit as a “mere sham” which is “without foundation.”

The lawyers representing the three parties involved were contacted by the News. Only MCL’s lawyer, Kristina Davies, of Vancouver-based Koffman Kalef, responded to requests for comment.

However, after being asked to get permission from her client to comment, Davies didn’t call back.

The News told last January how, after driving the lightly-used Aston Martin for only a few kilometres, Liu inexplicably veered off the road and hit a large stone near Blundell and Garden City roads in December 2015.

To put things into perspective, a pot of the car’s silver paint, which is named after Bond movie Skyfall, chimes in at $900 and a single headlight registers at $7,000.

To compound her misery, Liu is being dinged $200 a day by Burrard for storage of the car. As of last January, that fee was $18,000.

An Aston Martin sports car from Spectre, the latest episode of James Bond film, sold at auction for £2,434,500 (approx. $3.6 million).

[killramos]

Please. It was just a DB9.

Call it a bond car when they buy a fast one.

[lilmira]

was she shaken about the judgement or stirred?

[JohnnyHockey13]

Wow, first I heard of this...god I miss living in Vancouver :(

Wasn't there a rich Chinese lady that drove down some stairs too, like really big stairs, I know there's been incidents of them driving down small stairs...but this was a big one, and then she kept on driving down the street? :facepalm::clap:

Edit: found it, just googled "woman drives down stairs Vancouver"

[Power_Of_Rotary]

Wow, first I heard of this...god I miss living in Vancouver :(

Wasn't there a rich Chinese lady that drove down some stairs too, like really big stairs, I know there's been incidents of them driving down small stairs...but this was a big one, and then she kept on driving down the street? :facepalm::clap:

Edit: found it, just googled "woman drives down stairs Vancouver"

This bitch is clearly not rich. Just a petty lady trying to cover her loss by any mean. I bet she wears the ccp flag.

[revelations]

If I had 100$ every time I saw or read about entitled mainlanders in Richmond, I could have been enticed to stay there..... almost.

So buying an exotic means you only get basic coverage? There also was that astronaut kid (local term for rich mainlander kids with no parents around) who had a lambo and couldnt afford insurance on it, a few years back.

[shakalaka]

Who the hell buys a car like that and only gets basic coverage? Freakin insane...

[roopi]

$400 a day for storage? Wtf

[HiSpec]

Wow, first I heard of this...god I miss living in Vancouver :(

Wasn't there a rich Chinese lady that drove down some stairs too, like really big stairs, I know there's been incidents of them driving down small stairs...but this was a big one, and then she kept on driving down the street? :facepalm::clap:

Edit: found it, just googled "woman drives down stairs Vancouver"

Is it the RDX that drove down the stairs at a hotel?

[FraserB]

Is it the RDX that drove down the stairs at a hotel?

Must be a separate incident, the driver in that video used their turn signal at the bottom of the stairs

[jabjab]

she must be a hoe

[topmade]

Thought this was about a drug dealer lol. Glad she didn't get anything and judge made her pay for wasting every ones time.


Who the hell buys a car like that and only gets basic coverage? Freakin insane...

She probably puts regular in it as well cause premium costs too much.

[Masked Bandit]

I'm surprised she didn't / hasn't tried to sue the agency that set up her insurance. Somewhere an ICBC agent agreed to write her a liability only policy on a car like that and even though she probably insisted I hope they got extra signatures saying they advised against it.

[nismodrifter]

Meh another day in BC

[killramos]

Isn’t that a thing with ICBC and really expensive cars?

I thought full coverage with ICBC gets really out of hand north of 100k value ( crazy high deductibles and premiums etc. )

[ExtraSlow]

Isn’t that a thing with ICBC and really expensive cars?

I thought full coverage with ICBC gets really out of hand north of 100k value ( crazy high deductibles and premiums etc. )

Sounds like they are pricing that risk correctly then. I think the quality of driver in lower mainland is inversely proportional to vehicle cost.

[killramos]

Sounds like they are pricing that risk correctly then. I think the quality of driver in lower mainland is inversely proportional to vehicle cost.

Oh probably. I just remember this being a thing.

Is it just me or does the population of Richmond seem very cash rich but incredibly cash flow poor?

[triplep]

I'm surprised she didn't / hasn't tried to sue the agency that set up her insurance. Somewhere an ICBC agent agreed to write her a liability only policy on a car like that and even though she probably insisted I hope they got extra signatures saying they advised against it.

I was under the impression that if you wanted to get comprehensive insurance you could go to a third party - at least that is what it sounded like when I inquired a number of years ago. The only requirement was to have ICBC cover your liability insurance, but comprehensive was anyone you picked. Wouldn't be hard to say that you are getting it somewhere else....

[98brg2d]

$400 a day for storage? Wtf

That's insane. That could only be correct if the car was on a lift that otherwise would be in service generating income. Even then, the shop has a duty to mitigate damages. The lady has no say in how they store the vehicle. I think $50/day is about the max that would be reasonable, and what most mechanics charge for vehicles not picked up within a week.

As to the rest of the story, hard to have much sympathy for her.

[Rocket1k78]

$400 a day for storage? Wtf

This. The whole lawsuit is hilarious but $400day for storage?!?!?!

[AndyL]

400$ a day is insane but clearly justified for this customer.

That said... 100-200$/day storage isn't considered out of line by tow yards in GTA/Vancouver so...

[never]

The other article linked above said storage was $200/day...so who knows what the daily fee actually was.

[Masked Bandit]

I was under the impression that if you wanted to get comprehensive insurance you could go to a third party - at least that is what it sounded like when I inquired a number of years ago. The only requirement was to have ICBC cover your liability insurance, but comprehensive was anyone you picked. Wouldn't be hard to say that you are getting it somewhere else....

This is the only part I'm not sure of with it being ICBC. The other angle, when you buy a new car if it's financed or leased the dealership has to make sure you have full coverage before they hand over the keys. How did that get missed here?

[JRSC00LUDE]

The other angle, when you buy a new car if it's financed or leased the dealership has to make sure you have full coverage before they hand over the keys. How did that get missed here?

I doubt it did, there was likely no financing.

[Xtrema]

$400 a day for storage? Wtf

I wonder that car stay on the lift the whole time.


Oh probably. I just remember this being a thing.

Is it just me or does the population of Richmond seem very cash rich but incredibly cash flow poor?

Lots of CAPEX, 0 OPEX. :D

It's just vanity. Nobody knows you bought comprehensive insurance or not but will definitely noticed you putt around in an Aston.

But this stories matches a lot of other get rich quick mainlander (or even entitled rich Asians) mindset that popped up the last decade and a half.

[Masked Bandit]

I doubt it did, there was likely no financing.

So if you can stroke a cheque for $200K they why the phuck would anyone skip the insurance?

[Buster]

So if you can stroke a cheque for $200K they why the phuck would anyone skip the insurance?

Seriously, Touchstone Insurance is a call away, lol

[Xtrema]

So if you can stroke a cheque for $200K they why the phuck would anyone skip the insurance?


It's just vanity. Nobody knows you bought comprehensive insurance or not but will definitely noticed you putt around in an Aston.

You have to understand a certain Asian mindset to get this.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/bmp4kv/korean-women-are-starving-themselves-to-afford-a-cup-of-coffee

Or money come from under the table and they need to turn into asset instead of cash in bank accounts in case of seizure by Chinese gov.

[max_boost]

Meh another day in BC

lol ikr haha

[Masked Bandit]

Seriously, Touchstone Insurance is a call away, lol

We actually had a conversation in the office after this thread popped up, talked about how we would handle a client like this.

[rx7boi]

So if you can stroke a cheque for $200K they why the phuck would anyone skip the insurance?

'Cause #asian, Bill.

These same folks will carry $50,000 worth of Prada across borders but won't declare them for tax purposes.

[C4S]

From what I have seen in the photos ..

$80K repair cost is indeed quite reasonable ... I would think that is a $100K repair here ..

So, Body shops in B.C. charge less?

[killramos]

From what I have seen in the photos ..

$80K repair cost is indeed quite reasonable ... I would think that is a $100K repair here ..

So, Body shops in B.C. charge less?

Volume haha

[Team_Mclaren]

I'm surprised she didn't / hasn't tried to sue the agency that set up her insurance. Somewhere an ICBC agent agreed to write her a liability only policy on a car like that and even though she probably insisted I hope they got extra signatures saying they advised against it.

Its actually not uncommon. I know a lot of people driving 200k+ cars without full coverage cause the cost is pretty insane.
ICBC doesnt insure "luxury" cars anymore iirc. It's all third private company. So ICBC would provide third party and you'll have to go seek full coverage else where.

[The_Rural_Juror]

Its actually not uncommon. I know a lot of people driving 200k+ cars without full coverage cause the cost is pretty insane.
ICBC doesnt insure "luxury" cars anymore iirc. It's all third private company. So ICBC would provide third party and you'll have to go seek full coverage else where.

Isn't the cost of a 200k+ car insane also? Trade one insanity for another.

Off-topic: Any sugar mommas in your circle of beyond-rich friends?

[Asian_defender]

'Cause #asian, Bill.

These same folks will carry $50,000 worth of Prada across borders but won't declare them for tax purposes.

I seriously laugh at the people that have a 6k+ purse and strictly rely on a bus pass. Again mostly asians
No one taking that bus cares about your Chanel bag

[shakalaka]

My Aston's full coverage cost wasn't actually that much. Nothing insane or out of the ordinary and certainly not anything that I would skip out on. My Benz's insurance only went down about $400 a year, so yea Aston's was pretty normal I thought. Perhaps BC is different with ICBC. Except the deductible was $8K so it wasn't fun driving scared all the time lol. But ya it's a dumb idea to drive something like that and not have full coverage.

[killramos]

So sorry. Did you sell your Aston?

8k deductible would give me heart burn. I usually run High deductible but that’s insane. Borderline self insure territory, oh wait that’s the point of the thread!