In Lima, Ohio, a woman whose car was repossessed by a local dealership decided to turn the tables in a spectacular act of petty genius. Tiah McCreary had driven off the lot in a 2022 Kia K5 from Taylor Kia of Lima, believing the deal was done and the financing approved. But behind the scenes, the dealership’s lending partner apparently had other ideas, never finalizing the paperwork due to supposed incomplete information. A month later, while McCreary was at work, the dealership came and took the car back—without warning.
That alone would make for a frustrating story, but McCreary wasn’t content to fume and move on. While poking around state records, she discovered that the dealership had failed to renew its trade name registration with the Ohio Secretary of State. In a move worthy of a slow clap, she claimed the name herself. “Taylor Kia of Lima” was now legally hers.
Then came the icing on the cake. Armed with her new paperwork, she sent the dealership a cease-and-desist letter, warning them not to use the name they had once owned. In essence, the woman they repossessed was now telling them to get their branding off her lawn.
The dealership tried to force the whole mess into arbitration, pointing to the paperwork McCreary signed when she bought the car. But a state appellate court ruled that the dispute over naming rights had nothing to do with the financing agreement. That means this battle is headed for a full public trial, not a closed-door arbitration session.
McCreary is suing for fraud, unjust enrichment, and violations of consumer protection laws, but even if the case ultimately doesn’t go her way, she’s already made a point. In a world where car dealerships often seem to hold all the cards, one woman found a loophole and made it work for her—by becoming, in name at least, the dealership that took her car.
