Dealership Sues Transportation Companies After Cadillac Escalade-V Vanishes Into Thin Air

When a Cadillac Escalade-V goes missing, people tend to notice. That's something that at least one person didn't consider, and now a dealership is suing two vehicle transportation companies because of it. Back in January, BMW of Henderson in Nevada arranged to ship the full-size supercharged SUV to AutoNation Cadillac West Palm Beach using the automotive logistics program Acertus to connect it with a transportation broker and delivery service, according to the lawsuit. McCollister's Global Services picked up the job, but it was having some trouble finding a suitable carrier. Still, the following day, a driver with Orlandi's Towing — which operates out of Las Vegas — arrived at the BMW dealer with a bill of lading and took the Caddy away.

This is when things started to get hinky. The SUV, valued at about $132,000, was dropped off at a home in North Las Vegas "pursuant to instructions it received from a person representing themselves to be from McCollister's via text message," the complaint, reported by Automotive News, read. It went on to say that Orlandi's was told another carrier would be taking the Cadillac to Florida.

From here, the car went missing, Auto News reports:

"After the residential drop, the vehicle was removed, concealed and/or converted by unknown persons and has not been delivered to the intended dealership in Florida," according to the suit filed March 26 in Las Vegas.

I'm not really an expert on interstate vehicle transportation, but this seems like a less-than-ideal situation.

BMW of Henderson clearly wants to get to the bottom of what the hell happened here, but in the meantime, it's seeking damages from both McCollister's and Orlandi's towing companies for conversion, civil conspiracy, intentional misrepresentation, negligence and violation of the federal Carmack Amendment, Auto News reports. That last one makes carriers liable for lost or damaged cargo during interstate travel.

Misdeivis Orlandi, the man who owns the towing company that bears his name, told News that everything his company has done has been above board. He got a call to pick up the Escalade-V at BMW of Henderson and was given the truck's VIN and model number along with directions to the drop-off location and the bill of lading. He says he went to the dealership, showing them the bill of lading and took pictures "like I always do" during this process.

He added that there was a man waiting when he arrived at the drop-off point, noting that nothing about the situation seemed suspicious. The guy even apparently showed him the same bill of landing on his phone.

There's just something about the Escalade-V that makes it so enticing to steal. I know the idea crossed my mind a few times while I was testing the car last fall. Some folks actually go through with it, though. That's how over $1.5 million worth of Escalade-Vs were stolen right from a GM facility last March. Can you really blame the thieves? I mean, what else is going to give you a full-size SUV with a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 and 682 horsepower? Sometimes it's just too enticing to pass up. (This is not legal advice. Do not steal an Escalade-V.)