John Cena Taps Out, Settles Lawsuit with Ford After Selling His Ford GT
Always remember to read the buyer’s agreement.
Actor and professional wrestler John Cena has finally tapped out in his dramatic legal battle with Ford, settling with the company and agreeing to pay an undisclosed amount of money after the automaker sued him for breaching the no-resale contract on his 2017 Ford GT.
Ford famously slipped an anti-flip clause into the buyer agreement for its $450,000 supercar that prohibits owners from selling the car for 24 months. The owners themselves were carefully chosen through an extensive application process, with many of the cars going to celebrities and other high-visibility individuals to help publicize the car and the brand. Cena was one of those deemed worthy, likely thanks to his emergence as a YouTube car reviewer in the past year.
But after just a few weeks of ownership and a single video, Cena sold the GT to New Autos Inc. in Chico, California. That's when Ford slapped him with a lawsuit seeking damages of $75,000 and the right to buy back the car for its original purchase price, plus any profits Cena made on its resale. Cena fought back by filing to have the case dismissed in February, claiming the paperwork he signed at the dealership where he bought the car was missing the resale ban.
First reported by Jalopnik and confirmed by Automotive News, Cena and Ford have now settled the case for an undisclosed amount of money, which Ford will be donating to charity. It doesn't seem that the automaker will get the car back, though.
Cena said in his application to buy a Ford GT that the car would go “to an owner who truly deserved it and would care properly for the car,” according to Automotive News. Then again, he never promised he'd do so for two years.
