Judge cries foul but this Judge isn't in the courtroom. He's the former owner of a 1970 Hemi Cuda that sold for $300,000 in just 2 minutes and 11 seconds at Barrett-Jackson's Collector Car Auction in January. David Clabuesch, the former Cuda owner happens to be a probate court judge in Huron County, MI. He protested the Barrett-Jackson bidding procedure almost as fast as the gavel hammered down on the sale of his car.
Unhappy may be an understatement for Clabuesch. After the car was rolled off the auction block, he placed a chain on the car and signs stating the sale was void.
Greatest Collector Car Event as Barrett-Jackson claims or auction irregularities and fastest gavel in the West? It appears the jury will decide.
Barrett-Jackson is suing Clabuesch. They claim his actions are "outrageous and defamatory" according to court documents filed by Barrett-Jackson in U.S. District Court (Phoenix). The documents are public and can be reviewed here. A press release has also been published by Barrett-Jackson and Keith Martin's Sports Car Market website published it here. Funny thing is I couldn't find the same press release on Barrett-Jackson's media website page although they wrote it.
In January I read "The Dark Side of Auctions" published in the SL Market Letter, a newsletter written by our friend John Olson. The article is published on his website so you can read it also. Clabuesch should have read John's article:
"The entire 1,100 car Barrett-Jackson auction is now conducted with no-reserve pricing, which ensures a high percentage of cars sold. But don’t pack your suitcase just yet." << MORE >>
The Arizona Republic has a story here by Jim Gold that provides additional details about the case.
You can find a copy of the legal docs filed in court on this Classic Car blog. They gathered the docs and published the public info as PDF files (Main complaint document, seller's complaint, etc.).
