Ant Anstead has made multiple claims that his company, Radford Motors, took deposits from customers ranging from $100,000 to $750,000 but never delivered the cars they ordered or refunded them. He is named in the lawsuit. Mr. Anstead and his co-founder, the British television host and master mechanic, told PEOPLE on Thursday, Oct. 24, that Mr. Anstead remains “fully committed” to the company. , said, “His role and dedication to Radford’s success remains the same.”
Ant Anstead is facing multiple lawsuits alleging that customers made large down payments to his company, Radford Motors, but never received promised custom cars or were not refunded. facing.
In a May 2024 filing, one of the potential customers, Timothy Tasker, told Anstead’s supercar company to buy a Lotus Rad in May 2022, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE. He claims he paid a $101,000 deposit for one of the limited-edition Ford Type 62-2 models.
After meeting with Mr Anstead and his co-founder, F1 champion Jenson Button, Mr Tasker said he was told that delivery of the completed cars would be between late 2022 and mid-2023. But based on what he felt was a “lack of progress being made in the development of luxury cars” in October 2023, he said he wanted Radford to refund his money.
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He claims Radford “understood” his concerns and promised a “full refund,” but when he followed up, his calls and emails went unanswered for “months.” are.
Mr. Tasker claims that two years later, the company still hasn’t returned his $101,000 deposit.
A second lawsuit filed in July 2024 and obtained by PEOPLE details similar claims with an even higher price tag.
In a joint filing, Florida-based surgeon Scott Katzman and luxury car dealer Lamborghini Palm Beach say they both ordered Radford Lotus cars. The dealer wanted to buy the $450,000 model, but Katzman wanted the $1 million Pikes Peak version.
Provided by: Radford
They allege that Lamborghini Palm Beach made a series of payments totaling $1.05 million ($300,000 for the dealer’s car and $750,000 for Katzman’s car) between October 2021 and August 2023. There is.
They claim that after a series of delays and postponed delivery dates, Mr Radford proposed a “repayment schedule” for the missing vehicles. “Neither vehicle has been delivered and no refunds have been issued,” the filing states.
Attorneys for Mr. Tasker, Mr. Katzman and Lamborghini Palm Beach did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
PEOPLE previously reported that Roger N. Boehle Jr., a lawyer who worked for Radford Motors, alleged that other refunds were not returned and large deposits from customers were improperly managed within the company. It was reported that they were doing so.
In the July 2024 lawsuit, Mr. Behle alleges that in January 2024, Mr. Anstead and another co-founder, Daniel Bednarski (whom Anstead worked with before becoming Radford’s chief financial officer, according to the filing, (allegedly a life coach) claims to have secured a $100,000 deposit from a new client.
However, hours after the money was wired, Anstead and Bednarski “took $54,635.52 from this deposit and used it to pay vendors for work unrelated to the new customer’s vehicle,” the complaint says. It is written in
“Twenty-nine minutes after the first wire was sent, Bednarski withdrew more of the new client’s funds and paid himself $20,000 via wire.”
@adlawrence_Hethel/Lotus JPS-2
The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on October 22 due to suspicions of fraud and mismanagement.
A representative for Radford Motors told PEOPLE that the company had been approved for “operating financing” as of Tuesday, Oct. 29, which “allows us to work towards completing work in progress.” “This is part of (Radford’s) rebuilding efforts through the chapter.” 11.”
Regarding customer disputes, the representative said, “All claims will be addressed as part of the bankruptcy case.”
A person familiar with the lawsuit tells PEOPLE that a Delaware judge has given Anstead and Bednarski 13 weeks to stabilize Radford Motors.
Anstead, 45, told PEOPLE on Thursday, Oct. 24, that he remains “fully committed” to the company and that his “role and dedication to Radford’s success remains the same.” added.
The master mechanic revived the once-defunct British car manufacturer Radford in August 2020 and co-starred with Button in a five-part documentary about the venture, Radford Reborn, in April 2023. and starred in it.
The show followed the pair as they built the Lotus Radford Type 62-2 supercar. A press release describes the car as a “reimagined version of the legendary Lotus Type 62.” When the doc aired, the car had already won the major prize at the Goodwood motorsport festival, beating out Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini and Bugatti, Anstead told PEOPLE in an interview before the show aired. Ta.
He also said the company was “a big risk for me personally,” adding: “We have seven employees and we’re personally funding this. We’re risking everything. “There is,” he explained.
Anstead also claimed at the time: “We are now moving into production… We have sold a number of cars to collectors around the world and are currently delivering those cars.”
The TV personality’s legal issues have not hindered the launch of his new show, Ant Anstead: Born Mechanic, which will air on Discovery+ and Quest in the UK. The series, which premieres on Thursday, October 24, follows the actor’s journey to rebuild a historic home in England while selling restored classic cars to raise funds for renovations.
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He previously rose to fame in the US by co-starring with then-wife Christina Haak, 41, in the HGTV series Christina on the Coast. The two were married from 2018 to 2021 and have a son, Hudson, 5. She recently made headlines after re-following each other on Instagram and sharing some friendly interactions following her divorce from third husband Josh Hall.
After breaking up with Haak, Anstead found love again with Oscar-winning actress Renée Zellweger, 55. They met on the set of the Discovery Plus show “Celebrity IOU: Joyride.” There he helped restore vintage cars for his two brothers. PEOPLE confirmed that they are dating in June 2021, and they are currently living together in Laguna Beach, California, but are spending time in their native England filming the latest movie, Bridget Jones.
