Ohio woman decides to legally take car dealership's name when they repossess her car in ultimate petty revenge
Published on Aug 01, 2025 at 6:20 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Aug 01, 2025 at 8:50 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Henry Kelsall
An Ohio woman decided to legally take a car dealership’s name after they repossessed her Kia car in the ultimate petty revenge against the car dealer.
Having had a car repossessed by the dealership after only a month, Tiah McReary decided that the best way to respond was to change her name to that of the dealership.
It turned out that the dealers in question had failed to renew the registration of their names with the Ohio Secretary of State.
That allowed her to pull off an incredibly petty yet also brilliant act of revenge.
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Why did the Ohio woman change her name?
Court documents reveal that McReary had received a preliminary approval loan for the car when buying her used Kia K5 at Taylor Kia of Lima.
But the lender determined that her income information wasn’t sufficient, so the car was repossessed.
The repossession happened just a month after she had bought the car, and while she was at work.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, McReary wasn’t best pleased at having her new Kia taken away.
That is what led to her changing her name.
She found out the dealership had not renewed the registration on it.
This was despite the name being used by the dealer since 2012.
With that in mind, she duly changed her name to ‘Taylor Kia of Lima.’
What happened after she took the car dealership’s name
After that, McReary hit the dealership with a cease-and-desist order.
The order said that they could no longer use their name, as it wasn’t registered.
McReary technically now had the name to herself.
Amazingly, courts have shown some support with her on the matter.
The dealership made the argument that an arbitration clause in her agreement to buy the K5 made the court case invalid.
This was upheld.
However, the matter took an even more interesting turn.
The Third District appeals court ruled that the arbitration agreement did apply to the repossession.
But her use of the name ‘Taylor Kia of Lima’ was totally separate and had nothing to do with the car’s purchase.
That means the dealer will have to open a whole new case to deal with the name issue.
While it is undoubtedly petty, it is also incredible to see what McReary was able to do.
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Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
