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Bill Collins, son settle lawsuit

Jury dismissed; terms won't be disclosed

KIM WESSEL, The Courier-Journal


While in the midst of a trial in Jefferson Circuit Court, auto dealer Bill Collins and his son, Gary Collins, settled their legal disputes yesterday.


On what was to have been the ninth day of trial, attorneys on both sides told Judge Stephen Mershon that they'd reached an agreement, which will not be disclosed, to settle all of their claims. The jury, which had been hearing the case since July 19, was dismissed.


Gary Collins, 53, had sued Bill Collins after he was fired as general manager at Downtown Ford in 1998. He claimed he was fired for one reason - he refused to risk Downtown Ford's assets to guarantee a new $40 million loan package for Bill Collins Ford. He also claimed his father breached an agreement to sell him the dealership.


Bill Collins, 71, claimed his son was fired for not being a team player and failing to communicate with his business partners. He also claimed he had never promised to sell the dealership to his son.


A brief joint press release issued yesterday said: "The Collins Family, Bill Collins Ford Inc. and Downtown Ford Inc. are happy to announce that they have resolved the disputes between them in a mutually satisfactory manner."


The release did not elaborate.


Outside the courtroom yesterday, neither Gary Collins' attorney, Gregory Bubalo, nor Bill Collins' attorney, Ed Stopher, would comment on the terms of the settlement.


"It's been mutually agreed by all the parties that, in order to try to restore a family relationship - and hopefully strengthen it - the agreement would remain confidential, Stopher said in an interview. "The less said the better. . . ."


Both Stopher and Bubalo said the two sides began negotiating a settlement Monday and continued for most of the day Tuesday. The trial was delayed during that time.


Neither would say what precipitated the negotiations. Stopher said there were "many factors."


Both sides said they hoped the relationship between father and son would heal.


"I think the settlement will give the Collinses a chance to come together again as a family, which is the best part of the settlement," Bubalo said.


He declined to comment on whether, under the terms of the settlement, Gary Collins would get his job back. Bubalo said his client was not going to comment.


Bill Collins could not be reached for comment yesterday.


In court records, Gary Collins' expert witnesses estimated that the situation has cost him as much as $10 million, including about $2.5 million to $3 million in lost salary and bonuses that he would have been paid to age 65.


According to court documents, the two sides had reached a mediated settlement earlier this year, but it fell through for tax and other reasons. Under the terms of that settlement, according to court documents, Gary Collins was to return to Downtown Ford. He and Bill Collins were each to own 50 percent of the dealership and each receive $120,000 annual salary. Only Gary Collins was to earn profits from the business, 10 percent of net revenue, according to the documents.



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