Dealer pays consultant €55k over ‘dream car’ swap

A consultant who lost a Ferrari in a deal for a dream McLaren sports car he never received, has been paid €55,000 by the dealer he sued, the High Court was told.

Counsel Shaun Boylan told Mr Justice Michael Moriarty that the payment had been made to solicitors for Dr Eddie O’Donnell, who traded his Ferrari California with Ocean Vehicle Trading Ltd and its director Oisín Legaspi.

The trade was made on the basis that the Ferrari would part finance the purchase of Dr O’Donnell’s dream car, a 2012 McLaren MP4 12C which he said he never received.

Dr O’Donnell earlier this month obtained temporary freezing orders against both defendants preventing them from reducing their assets below a value of €150,000.

When the case returned before the court yesterday, counsel Yvonne O’Gara consented to an adjournment for mention to October 12 following payment of the €55,000 and agreement to the provision of documents regarding the Ferrari.

Mr Boylan said there was consent between the parties for continuation of the mareva injunction restraining reduction of the defendants’ assets below €150,000 until further court order.

Dr O’Donnell, of The Fairways, Faithlegg, Co Waterford, a consultant obstetrician at Waterford Regional Hospital, claimed he first came into contact in 2013 with Mr Legaspi, who had then been working for another company, when he first purchased the Ferrari.

He claimed after that, he had been regularly contacted by Mr Legaspi asking if he wanted to upgrade the Ferrari, and in June, he made an arrangement to trade the car against the McLaren.

Dr O’Donnell claimed he had been told by Mr Legaspi in August that the McLaren was on its way to Ireland, but the car had never been delivered and he became concerned following an exchange of texts and calls with Mr Legaspi.

Despite having been assured the McLaren was en route, he had eventually asked Mr Legaspi for either the return of the Ferrari, delivery of the McLaren, or his money back.

He later discovered the Ferrari had been sold on for €137,300 through a company that had been dissolved in March. He had received assurances from Mr Legaspi that the money would be refunded.

When obtaining the injunction, Dr O’Donnell told the court that in spite of numerous assurances from Mr Legaspi, no refund had materialised. He later discovered all cars for sale on Ocean Vehicle Trading’s website had been removed.

Legal costs in the case have been reserved.