Online Car Repair Video, Complaint Prompts Defamation Lawsuit

A suburban St. Louis, Mo., man and a car dealership are in a legal battle over an online video the man posted complaining about his car repair.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports Dwayne Cooney posted his video complaint on YouTube in February, drawing thousands of hits. It features a dashboard camera video of mechanics at Jim Butler Chevrolet working on his 2008 Malibu, as Cooney suggests that he was overcharged for repairs.

The Fenton-based dealership has responded with a defamation lawsuit. It wants the video taken down and Cooney banned from making statements that the dealership says are false.

A St. Louis County judge on Feb. 24 ordered the video off the Internet, but reversed herself eight days later, and it is now back online.