A Mercedes-Benz dealership. (David McNew | Getty Images)<\/p>\n
An Indian American has sued a New Jersey car dealership for $1.26 million, alleging it refused to sell him a swanky Mercedes Benz because a manager thought he came from a “high-risk area” and he might ship the vehicle to the Taliban. \u2013 @Siliconeer #Siliconeer #MercedesBenz #MBUSA #PrestigeMotors #SurjeetBassi #IndianAmericans<\/p>\n
Surjeet Bassi, 50, claims the manager at Prestige Motors Inc. told him that he came from a “high-risk area” where people buy cars and export them to the Taliban.<\/p>\n
Bassi, who has lived in New Jersey for 30 years, said he told the manager he is Indian and not connected to the Islamic fundamentalist and terrorist organization, NJ.com<\/a> quoted the recent federal lawsuit as saying.<\/p>\n “Prestige Mercedes Benz values its relationships with customers and prospective customers,” said spokeswoman Theresa V.<\/p>\n Boylan said in a statement. “As a company, we do not condone discriminatory practices or conduct. Out of respect for the process and all parties, it is our policy not to comment on pending legal matters.”<\/p>\n Bassi said he wanted to trade his Mercedes-Benz ML350 for a newer model. He claims he spent several hours negotiating the price with a salesman, passed a credit check, charged $1,000 to his card for a down payment and called his insurance company to adjust his policy. But that was when a Prestige manager called Bassi into his office, the lawsuit says.<\/p>\n