Mercedes Dealer Loses $20,270 Over Tech's "Extended Test Drive" to a Bar

Mercedes-Benz of Collierville and technician Derrick Nguyen have been ordered to pay $20,270 to customer Kimberly Porter after a Tennessee judge rejected their “extended test drive” defense tied to a five-hour bar crawl in her Mercedes. Shelby County General Sessions Court Judge Lynn Cobb ruled that the conduct was “extreme and outrageous,” awarding $15,000 in punitive damages in addition to $5,270 in compensatory damages. The case centered on repairs that Porter left at the dealership on Dec. 10, with a tracker showing the car moving on Jan. 16. Officers later found Porter’s key fob on Nguyen, and he was booked for theft of property worth $10,000 to $60,000. The criminal case continues in Collierville next month, with the dispute turning on intent and authorization.