The City of Cincinnati has agreed to pay nearly $16,000 to a man after city officials unknowingly sold him a stolen luxury vehicle at a public police auction, closing out a legal dispute that raised questions about municipal accountability and consumer protection.
The settlement, finalized in a Hamilton County court filing on June 8, resolves a lawsuit filed in 2024 by Srinivasa Gowda, who purchased a 2014 Porsche Panamera through a city-run auction back in December 2021. Gowda paid $35,000 for the vehicle at the time, believing he was buying a legitimately seized asset that police had taken as part of a drug investigation.
However, more than a year after the purchase, state investigators discovered something troubling: the vehicle identification number on the dashboard had been tampered with. A fake VIN had been placed over the original, masking the car’s true identity. Further investigation revealed the Porsche had actually been reported stolen out of the Atlanta area years earlier.
Once the fraud came to light, Gowda found himself in a difficult position. To keep the car he had legally purchased, he was forced to pay an additional $10,000 to the original owner’s insurance company, which had already reimbursed that owner for the theft and was demanding the vehicle back.
When Gowda asked the city for a refund in 2023, officials initially declined, arguing the city was protected by governmental immunity from such claims.
His attorney pushed back, contending the situation was a straightforward breach-of-contract issue rather than a tort claim — meaning immunity protections didn’t apply. The attorney argued that once the city accepted Gowda’s winning bid at auction, a binding contractual relationship was formed, obligating the city to deliver a vehicle with a legitimate title.
After lengthy negotiations, the city agreed to a settlement of $15,870, officially signed on May 21, bringing the dispute to a close without admitting further liability.
The case highlights a rare but costly oversight in how municipalities vet vehicles seized through criminal investigations before reselling them to the public.
