By Bob Paterson A Missouri car dealer bought a $171,562 Bentley from Mercedes-Benz of Delray Beach, arranged for it to be shipped home, and allegedly never saw the vehicle again. Christopher B. Conde says dealership staff handed the luxury sedan to an unidentified tow-truck driver without checking his identity or obtaining standard transport paperwork. His 2026 Florida lawsuit asks whether the dealership’s owner, AutoNation, failed to protect a vehicle in its custody. The case concerns a missing car during delivery—not a defect in a Mercedes-Benz vehicle or a lawsuit against the German automaker.
Was Christopher Conde’s Lawsuit Actually Filed?
Yes. The case is Christopher B. Conde, doing business as World Class Motorcars, v. AutoNation, Inc. A complaint dated March 31, 2026, appears under Broward County Case No. CACE-26-005388. A filing bearing a June 2, 2026 Palm Beach County clerk stamp appears under Case No. 50-2026-CA-006162. Local reporting reviewed the complaint, and the Palm Beach filing appears in a published list of county civil cases.
Conde operates World Class Motorcars in Chesterfield, Missouri. The defendant named in the negligence complaint is AutoNation, Inc., which the lawsuit identifies as the owner of Mercedes-Benz of Delray Beach. Mercedes-Benz USA and Mercedes-Benz Group are not the named defendants in this case.
How Did the $171,562 Bentley Go Missing?
According to the complaint, Conde agreed on July 23, 2025 to resell a 2023 Bentley Continental Flying Spur to a customer for $178,000. He purchased the vehicle the same day from the Delray Beach dealership for $171,562. The car was to travel from Florida to his Missouri business.
On July 26, Conde allegedly arranged shipping through Shewit Logistics LLC using CentralDispatch.com. Pickup was scheduled for July 28, with delivery expected July 30. A man arrived at the dealership in a tow truck and said he had come to collect the Bentley. The lawsuit claims a dealership employee released the keys and vehicle without verifying the driver’s identity, checking a driver’s license, securing a bill of lading or confirming authorization with Conde.
The vehicle did not arrive. Conde says a person claiming to be a dispatcher contacted him on July 30 and attributed the delay to mechanical trouble with the tow truck. He allegedly could not reach that person the following day. A dealership representative also reportedly had no information about the vehicle’s whereabouts. Conde says he reported the Bentley stolen to Delray Beach police under incident number 25-008649. The complaint stated that it remained missing when filed.
What Is AutoNation Accused of Doing Wrong?
The complaint pleads one count of negligence. Conde argues that AutoNation, through its dealership, had a duty to use reasonable care while holding the Bentley for pickup. In legal terms, the allegation involves a bailment: one party possesses property belonging to another and is expected to safeguard it appropriately.
The claimed failure was not simply that a third party drove away with the car. Conde alleges the dealership could have checked identification, obtained transfer documents and confirmed the pickup before surrendering possession. Whether those steps were legally required in the circumstances, and whether their absence caused the loss, would have to be established through evidence.
AutoNation could dispute the asserted duty, challenge who was authorized to collect the vehicle or argue that the shipping arrangement and actions of third parties affected responsibility. Those are potential defense issues, not positions established by an available response from AutoNation.
How Much Compensation Does Conde Want?
Conde seeks $171,562, the amount the complaint identifies as the Bentley’s purchase price, together with prejudgment and postjudgment interest, legal costs and any further relief the court considers appropriate. He requested a jury trial.
The separate $178,000 figure represents his alleged agreed resale price, not the specific principal amount requested in the negligence count. No court has verified the loss amount or ordered AutoNation to pay it in the records reviewed.
Christopher Conde Lawsuit Status in October 2026
The existence of the lawsuit and its negligence allegations are documented. However, no later court order establishing AutoNation’s liability, a verdict, an approved settlement or recovery of the Bentley could be independently confirmed from the publicly accessible material reviewed through October 15, 2026. The current procedural position should be checked against the Palm Beach County clerk’s official docket before reporting a new outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is this a lawsuit against Mercedes-Benz USA?
No. The suit names AutoNation, the company identified as the owner of the Mercedes-Benz of Delray Beach dealership. The Mercedes-Benz name refers to the selling location, not the manufacturer being sued.
Q. Was the missing vehicle a Mercedes-Benz?
No. It was a 2023 Bentley Continental Flying Spur. It happened to be purchased through a dealership operating under the Mercedes-Benz name.
Q. Was the truck driver identified or charged?
The complaint describes the person who collected the Bentley as unidentified. The public materials reviewed do not establish an arrest, criminal charge or identification of the driver.
Q. Did Conde also sue the transport broker?
The negligence complaint discussed here names AutoNation as the defendant. It mentions shipping arranged through Shewit Logistics LLC and CentralDispatch.com, but that does not make those businesses defendants in this particular filing.