Company Says Its Ride Wasn’t Pimped

MANHATTAN (CN) - A car shop made famous by the MTV program "Pimp My Ride" ruined several marketing campaigns in botched attempts to make a $280,000 customized bus, a clothier claims in New York County Court.

Defendant West Coast Customs International gained celebrity as the site of MTV's "Pimp My Ride," and later with the TLC series "Street Customs."

Plaintiff Iconix Brand Group says that to celebrate 35 years of Ocean Pacific apparel, Iconix paid West Coast Customs $330,000 to build a marketing bus with an "endless summer" theme, for delivery by January this year.

But Iconix claims the shop missed several delivery dates, forcing Iconix to cancel two celebrity photo shoots and a promotional event. And when West Coast did deliver the bus for a photo shoot in June 6, it was incomplete, Iconix says.

Iconix says it returned the bus to the shop with instructions to have it ready for a celebrity-studded event on July 7 at Mel's Grill in Los Angeles, where it was to be used as a VIP lounge.

But Iconix says, "The bus overheated on the highway ... and arrived over an hour late. In addition, the air conditioning did not work and, it being summer time in L.A., the interior of the bus was sweltering. Finally, the internal lights did not work due to a blown fuse, so the bus was dark inside."

Iconix says it told West Coast Customs to fix the mechanical problem before yet another event on Aug. 12, hosted by Rolling Stone magazine. This time the bus broke down on the way and never arrived, causing a "public relations disaster," Iconix claims.

Finally, Iconix says, on Sept. 2, the bus arrived 4 hours after a promotional event at Pebble Beach had ended.

Iconix seeks $550,000 in damages for breach of contract and breach of warranty.

It is represented by Debra Karlstein with Spears & Imes.

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit