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By The Associated Press
Arizona Daily Wildcat
August 21, 1996
DALLAS - Michael Irvin will feel the scorn of a group of car dealers who allege the Dallas Cowboys receiver's drug trial and tarnished image ruined a lavish advertising campaign.And it could be costly.
The North Texas Toyota Dealers Association sued Irvin on Tuesday for about $1.4 million in damages, alleging the football star misrepresented himself as a moral person when he signed an endorsement contract on Feb. 12.
''Had the dealers association known of Michael Irvin's immoral lifestyle, it would not have entered into the (endorsement) agreement,'' the lawsuit states.
The group also wants state District Judge Candace Tyson to order Irvin to immediately return a 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser that was furnished him for one year under the terms of the contract.
''I had a lawyer chasing down that car, but he's refused to return it,'' said Larry Friedman of Dallas, the association's attorney.
Telephone calls to Irvin's agent, Steve Endicott of Dallas, went unanswered Tuesday.
Irving police found Irvin, a former teammate and two topless dancers in a motel room on March 4, along with marijuana, cocaine and drug paraphernalia.
The scandal prompted the dealers group to scrap at the last minute a spring advertising campaign that had cost the association $200,000, including $110,000 for Irvin's services, Friedman said.
Last month, Irvin pleaded no contest to a felony cocaine possession charge after another topless dancer testified outside the jury's presence that Irvin had attended all-night drug and sex parties.
He was sentenced to four years' deferred adjudication, fined $10,000 and ordered to perform 800 hours of community service.
The lawsuit seeks to recover the lost cost of the campaign, along with $1.2 million the group alleged it lost in sales because of the aborted campaign, plus court costs.
However, the suit accuses Irvin of violating deceptive-trade laws, which could mean a jury could assess a verdict three times the specified amount of damages if Irvin is found to be liable.
A hearing is scheduled Wednesday morning, at which Friedman said he will argue for a court order for the immediate return of the Land Cruiser, valued at $50,000, and for speedy access to Irvin's NFL and Cowboys personnel records.
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