More On The Microsoft Exec's Dealership Debacle
The Seattle Times has updated the saga of five area dealerships that mysteriously shut down at the end of September. Apparently Howard Crow, the Microsoft program manager-turned-motorcycle dealer, has been sued by his OEMs according to a lawsuit filed this week.
The lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court, VW Credit claims that Crow and several of his companies defaulted on nearly $2.7 million in loans used to finance the purchase of 170 Ducati motorcycles and other equipment for his dealerships in Redmond Town Center and on Lake City Way in Seattle, according to the Seattle Times report.
The lawsuit claims that Crow and his companies failed to make some payments on the bike loans and have refused to voluntarily surrender the bikes, which served as collateral for the loans. The suit also contends that Crow “is out of the country, with no definitive timeline for his return.”
Crow’s Ducati dealerships, along with three other dealerships — a BMW store at the Lake City location and two multi-brand operations in Auburn — have been shuttered since Sept. 19, when employees and customers arrived to find the doors closed and, in some cases, moving crews hauling off dozens of bikes.
Crow began acquiring the dealerships in 2012 and rebranding them under the name NobleRush.