It looks like Frits van Eerd just scored a free Mercedes SL.
Frits van Eerd probably has a lot of free time these days, now that he is no longer the CEO of Jumbo and no longer races. The only thing he has to do is go to court every now and then. On Monday he has to appear in court for corruption and forgery, but this week he also had another court case.
It was about one specific transaction, or rather, the lack thereof. A car dealer had taken Van Eerd to court because he allegedly had not paid for a Mercedes. It was an SL from 1957, most likely a 190 SL.
The car dealer demanded €155,000 from Frits. However, this amount is disputed by Van Eerd. According to him, the car would have cost only €50,000 to €60,000 (which is very little for a 190 SL, but okay). According to him, this amount was paid in cash at the time. But unfortunately, that is not in black and white.
The judge has now made a decision and what do you know? Frits does not have to pay for the Mercedes (anymore). This is for the simple reason that the case has expired. This is the case after 2 years and the car was delivered in 2018. So if you do not pay long enough, you do not have to pay at all.
Incidentally, the car company stated that the car was purchased for business purposes and not privately. That is relevant, because then a longer limitation period applies. However, the judge did not agree with this. Frits does not have to pay the €155,000 (plus interest and costs) and now simply has a free Mercedes SL. Or the car dealer has a bad memory…
