Last Updated: February 24. 2011 5:57PM
Insurer sues FBI for crashing Ferrari
Robert Snell / The Detroit News
Detroit— The FBI broke a $750,000 Ferrari, but didn't buy it.
Now, the feds won't produce records that could shed light on the costly crash, according to a lawsuit filed today in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
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A Michigan insurance company sued the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice today to compel production of records sought under the Freedom of Information Act.
The lawsuit stems from the May 2009 crash of a Ferrari F50 in Lexington, Ky. The exotic sports car was being driven by an FBI special agent who lost control and crashed into a tree, significantly damaging the car, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit chronicles the mysterious case of a stolen Ferrari that later ended up in the FBI's custody.
The sports car was stolen from a Ferrari dealership in Rosemont, Penn., in September 2003. The dealer submitted a claim to Southfield-based Motors Insurance Corp., which had insured the Ferrari.
Motors Insurance paid the claim and assumed ownership of the Ferrari.
Almost five years later, in August 2008, the FBI and local law-enforcement authorities found the Ferrari in Kentucky.
The FBI stored the Ferrari during an investigation and eventual prosecution of the thief, according to the lawsuit.
Then, the FBI took it for an ill-fated spin, according to the lawsuit.
Following the crash, Motors Insurance submitted a claim to the FBI and Justice Department for $750,000.
The federal agencies rejected the claim last March, arguing the crash happened while the Ferrari was being detained by the FBI, according to the lawsuit. The insurance company tried again, but the claim was rejected a second time in September.
In October, the insurer submitted FOIA requests for documents relating to the use, custody, possession, storage or transportation of the Ferrari. Motors Insurance also asked for documents relating to the accident.
Two requests were either denied — citing federal exemptions — or went unanswered. In one response, the Justice Department produced an e-mail from Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Hamilton Thompson from May 27, 2009, the day of the crash.
The e-mail indicated Thompson took a "short ride" in the Ferrari with FBI Special Agent Frederick C. Kingston, who lost control and crashed into a curb, bushes and a small tree.
The Ferrari vehicle "fishtailed and slid sideways" within only a few seconds of leaving the warehouse where the vehicle was being stored," according to the lawsuit.
"Needless to say we need to see the suit and make a determination on how we'd respond in court," Justice Department spokesman Charles Miller said in an interview today.
rsnell@detnews.com
(313) 222-2028
From The Detroit News:
http://detnews.com/article/20110224/AUTO01/102240478/Insurer-sues-FBI-for-crashing-Ferrari#ixzz1F0JklA5W
