DELRAY BEACH, FL — AutoNation, Inc. is facing a civil lawsuit tied to a 2023 Bentley Continental Flying Spur that a Missouri dealership says was released from Mercedes-Benz of Delray Beach to an unidentified tow-truck driver and never delivered, according to a complaint reviewed by Boca Post.
The case is Christopher B. Conde, DBA World Class Motorcars v. AutoNation, Inc. The filing reviewed by Boca Post bears a Palm Beach County clerk stamp dated June 2, 2026, under Case No. 50-2026-CA-006162, and includes a Broward County complaint filed March 31, 2026, as Case No. CACE-26-005388, Division 04, in the Circuit Court of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit in and for Broward County.
The plaintiff is Christopher B. Conde, doing business as World Class Motorcars. The complaint lists Conde as a Missouri citizen with a dealership in Chesterfield, Missouri. The defendant, AutoNation, Inc., is listed in the complaint as a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Broward County.
The plaintiff is represented in the filing by Brown Robert, LLP of Fort Lauderdale. The filing reviewed by Boca Post does not include a response from AutoNation.
According to the complaint, Conde entered into a purchase and sale agreement on July 23, 2025, to sell a 2023 Bentley Continental Flying Spur to a retail customer for $178,000. The same day, the lawsuit says, Conde acquired the vehicle from Mercedes-Benz of Delray Beach in a dealer-to-dealer transaction for $171,562.
The complaint states that Mercedes-Benz of Delray Beach is owned by AutoNation. The Bentley was supposed to be transported from Delray Beach to World Class Motorcars’ dealership in Chesterfield, Missouri, according to the lawsuit.
The plaintiff claims he arranged transport of the vehicle on July 26, 2025, through Shewit Logistics LLC using CentralDispatch.com. The lawsuit says the vehicle was supposed to be picked up from Mercedes-Benz of Delray Beach on July 28 and delivered to Missouri on July 30.
According to the complaint, an unidentified man arrived at Mercedes-Benz of Delray Beach on July 28 with a tow truck and told a Mercedes representative he was picking up the Bentley for transport.
The lawsuit alleges the Mercedes representative gave the man the keys and allowed him to load and take the vehicle without identifying him, asking for a license, requiring proper transfer documents, including a bill of lading, contacting Conde, or following standard industry procedures or AutoNation’s in-house policies.
The Bentley was never delivered to the plaintiff, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit says that on July 30, 2025, an unidentified dispatcher contacted Conde and told him the delivery would be delayed because of mechanical issues with the tow truck. The next day, the complaint states, Conde could not reach the dispatcher and contacted Mercedes-Benz of Delray Beach.
A Mercedes representative identified in the complaint as Robert Langer allegedly told Conde he could not reach the dispatcher and had no further information about the Bentley’s location.
Conde then filed a Delray Beach Police Department report, Incident Case No. 25-008649, reporting the vehicle stolen, according to the lawsuit. The complaint states that as of the filing date, the vehicle had not been found.
The complaint brings one count of negligence. The plaintiff claims AutoNation, as bailee of the vehicle, owed a duty to exercise reasonable care over the Bentley and breached that duty by releasing it to an unidentified person without taking steps to confirm the release was appropriate.
The lawsuit seeks judgment against AutoNation for $171,562, which the complaint describes as the cost of the vehicle, along with pre-judgment and post-judgment interest, costs, and any other relief the court finds proper.
The plaintiff also demanded a jury trial.
Boca Post reviewed the complaint, Christopher B. Conde, DBA World Class Motorcars v. AutoNation, Inc., Case No. 50-2026-CA-006162 in Palm Beach County records and Case No. CACE-26-005388 in Broward County records. The reviewed filing is a complaint and does not include a court ruling on the negligence claim.
The lawsuit is among several civil negligence claims involving businesses reviewed in Boca Post’s Lawsuits reporting.
