Fallbrook company accused of keeping $11.7M owed to customers

For more than 40 years CPR Classic in Fallbrook has specialized in the restoration and consignment sales of Porsches. This legacy is now in big financial trouble as it faces dozens of lawsuits reaching more than $11.7 million.

Hans Claassen from Montrose, Colorado isn’t one of the many who’ve filed lawsuits, but he says CPR Classic owes him $111,500. He hired them in 2022 to sell his car on consignment - a silver Porsche 911 he bought in the spring of 1970.

“Well it was actually a gift from my wife,” he said, explaining the gift came after he spent his savings on an engagement ring instead of the car of his dreams, “And so, she felt like she kind of owed me something for that.”

Just like the ring, the car became a symbol of their love and marriage of more than 50 years.

“I really loved that car. I have a lot of memories attached to that car, trips that my wife and I had made together,” said Claassen.

But in 2022, Hans had no choice but to sell his pride and joy.

“My wife has dementia and she needs care and the car proceeds were intended to supply money for her care,” he said.

This is when he found and hired CPR Classic. They agreed on a sale price of $135,000 for the car with a 10% commission going to the company. They picked up the car from his home in Colorado. 

“Seeing the car go, realizing this is it, there was sadness,” said Claassen. He would never see the car again.

However, he was happy to hear CPR Classic found a buyer several months later. He said Andrea Doherty, owner of the company, gave him the news and told him to send the car’s title. After he did, however, he says she told him the buyer backed out of the deal. Claassen says he began to worry as weeks turned into months.

“Because they’re not telling me anything. They’re not keeping me updated with what’s going on,” he said.

The lack of response led him to ask for help from Mark MacHale, a volunteer at a senior program who’s helped him with other matters.

“Well the lies just started to pack up and the excuses,” he said. Added that for several months he pressed Doherty to do right by Claassen until she finally agreed to send him his money. “I really thought I had done a good job for Hans and I was pretty happy. And to have it turn out to be a lie, you know, he’s, he’s pretty fragile,” MacHale said.

MacHale said Andrea did eventually send $10,000 as part of a monthly payment plan, but then, nothing.

“So I started calling TV stations and found you guys, luckily you responded,” he said.

The NBC 7 Responds team wanted to know more about this business so we started digging. We found dozens of lawsuits in San Diego County alone.

Our team read through each of the complaints and CPR is accused of owing its clients $11,745,106, according to our calculations.

The lawsuits detail very similar stories from both sellers and buyers alike – sellers claiming they never received the money owed to them and buyers claiming they paid for, but never received the vehicle. We read that most of them wired six-figure payments in full.

According to one lawsuit, CPR Classic sold a vehicle they had at their shop for restoration. It was a 1960 356 Roadster whose owner says the company had no right to sell. The person who bought that Porsche paid CPR Classic $160,000 and claims they never got the vehicle or a refund.

We read several cases where CPR did deliver vehicles to buyers, but they claimed they never received a title, leaving them unable to register and use the cars.

Time after time, we also read claims that Doherty promised customers their payments were on the way, even providing tracking numbers that proved to be fake.

“I think when it really hit bottom was when she gave us a fake tracking number,” MacHale said.

We reached out to Doherty who said she wanted to talk to us but we just couldn’t lock down a time and place. After a couple of weeks, she stopped responding. 

So we made a trip to her business in Fallbrook. We found notices on the door of their restoration shop, showing they had been evicted. We also went to the sales shop but no one answered the door. We decided to call one more time before we left. She answered.

Doherty said she wanted to talk to her attorney before talking to us. Minutes later we got a call from her former attorney telling us he advised her not to talk to us.

MacHale is not surprised. He said that he’s called just about every law enforcement agency he could think of including the FBI.

NBC 7 Responds also reached out to the FBI and they told us they can’t confirm or deny any investigations. We also asked the DMV, which issues vehicle dealer licenses, if they were investigating the company. They told us they do not comment on open investigations. 

Claassen said he’s losing hope.

“I’ve gotten used to the idea that maybe I’ll never see another penny,” he said.

However, he’ll be the first one to tell you that nothing will tarnish the memories he made with the woman who bought him his dream car back in the Spring of 1970 – the love of his life, Christine, who sadly passed away earlier this month.