Bruce Springsteen’s drummer, Max Weinberg, is suing the homeowners of a Florida automotive restoration firm, saying they stole $125,000 by falsely promising him a like-new 1957 Mercedes-Benz after which utilizing his cash for private bills.
Weinberg is in search of $375,000 from Arthur Siegle, members of his household and their Funding Automotive Group Inc. in a lawsuit filed Sunday in Palm Seaside County. The Mercedes-Benz 190SL roadster they claimed they might ship had important harm and rust, they usually knew it couldn’t be restored to like-new situation after they took Weinberg’s $125,000 deposit virtually three years in the past, in keeping with the lawsuit.
A subsequent regulation enforcement investigation concluded that the Siegles used little or no cash from Weinberg’s deposit on restoring the automotive, however as an alternative paid off bank cards and made deposits to private accounts. No legal prices have been filed.
“I guess they figured he’s Max Weinberg, million-dollar drummer for Bruce Springsteen, Mighty Max. He can afford to lose $125,000,” Weinberg’s legal professional, Valentin Rodriguez, stated Tuesday.
Siegle “thought he could pull the wool over the eyes of someone who is pretty well-known and wealthy, but Max wasn’t just going to sit down and take it,” Rodriguez stated. He stated Weinberg shouldn’t be an professional on classic automobiles however has simply at all times wished to personal one.
Peter Weintraub, the Siegles’ legal professional, didn’t reply to an e mail in search of remark.
Weinberg, 72, is the longtime drummer in Springsteen’s E Road Band and led Conan O’Brien’s band when he hosted “Late Night” and “The Tonight Show.” The musician presently excursions together with his personal present, Max Weinberg’s Jukebox. He’s suing beneath a Florida regulation that permits triple damages for intentional theft.
In response to the lawsuit, Weinberg says that in April 2021, he contacted Siegle and his son, Stuart Siegle, a couple of 1957 Mercedes-Benz 190SL he understood they had been restoring. The 190SL is a convertible manufactured from 1955 to 1963.
Weinberg says he informed the Siegles he wished a Mercedes he may enter at Concours-level reveals, which characteristic automobiles which were restored to like-new or higher situation utilizing virtually fully authentic components. The Siegles assured him the 190SL they had been restoring would meet that commonplace and can be a “work of art” and “best of the best,” he says.
He paid them $125,000, a down fee on the $225,000 sale value. The stability can be paid when the automotive was completed.
Inside weeks, Weinberg grew to become anxious concerning the automotive and employed an professional to examine it on the Siegles’ store. The professional, Pierre Hedary, discovered important rust, welds that had been improperly made, proof that the automotive had been in accident and a number of other different main issues. He stated the automotive wasn’t even a 1957 because the Siegles claimed, however a 1956.
In a report filed with the lawsuit, Hedary wrote that when restored, the automotive might be pushed and impress laypeople however wouldn’t cross scrutiny at top-level automotive reveals. He estimated its restored price at $120,000, about half what the Siegles claimed.
He stated the Siegles’ statements that the automotive can be a “work of art” and “best of the best” are sometimes “the most egregious form of puffery unfortunately at times demonstrated throughout the classic/vintage motorcar industry.”
When the Siegles refused to refund Weinberg’s cash, he filed a grievance with the Broward Sheriff’s Workplace.
In a 2022 report filed with the lawsuit, Detective Scott Schaefer wrote that his investigation confirmed that after receiving Weinberg’s cash, the Siegles deposited practically all of it into private accounts with virtually $50,000 protecting bank card and different private funds.
“I did not find any transactions that could have been attributed to the work being done on (Weinberg’s) vehicle,” Schaefer wrote.
He stated it’s attainable they paid money for components, however he noticed no proof of that.
Schaefer wrote that when he confronted Arthur Siegle with Weinberg’s accusations, he responded, “I have no idea what this guy is complaining about nor do I really care.”
Schaefer really helpful that Arthur Siegle be charged with grand theft. The Broward State Lawyer’s Workplace stated Tuesday the case stays beneath overview.
