Kanawha man sues Handi Man Car Wash, manager for scratched vehicle

CHARLESTON -- A Kanawha County man is suing the Handi Man Car Wash and its manager after he claims they scratched his car while washing it.

On Jan. 3, 2009, Paul Yeager took his vehicle to the car wash and paid $13 to have it washed, according to a complaint filed March 12 in Kanawha Circuit Court.

Yeager claims after his vehicle exited the car wash bay, it was still very dirty, including several obvious dirty spots on all side panels of the vehicle.

"The plaintiff remarked to the employees of the car wash about the dirt remaining on his vehicle and they agreed that the vehicle was still not very clean," according to the suit.

Yeager claims he politely requested the workers stop drying his vehicle by hand because they were rubbing the dirty on the car across the surface of the paint and making visible scratches on the paint.

Tammy Ray, the manager of the car wash, instructed the employees to cease talking with the customer and finish drying the vehicle, according to the suit. Yeager claims he asked the employees again to stop drying the vehicle, but despite his requests, Ray grabbed a towel and proceeded to further scratch the paint on his car.

Ray informed Yeager that "if he wanted his car clean he should have paid for a detail job, not a wash job," according to the suit.

Yeager claims Ray refused to reimburse him for the poor wash job and ordered him off the property. He claims he drove his car to the alley behind the car wash and showed an employee the scratches and poor quality wash job, and that the employee offered him a free wash job, but Ray ordered him to leave again.

Yeager claims the defendants negligently damaged the paint on his car and Ray intentionally damaged the paint. He claims that as a result of the negligence, his vehicle needs a new paint job and he will need a substitute vehicle while his is being repaired.

Yeager is seeking compensatory and punitive damages. He is being represented by Richard J. Lindroth.

The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge James C. Stucky.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 10-C-476