Confirms 4 Previous Decisions by Spanish Courts that 0799 GT Had Been Legally Sold
SHARON, CT / ACCESSWIRE / August 7, 2018 / The U.S. Federal District Court for the District of Connecticut has entered a final judgment declaring that Paul "Barney" Hallingby is the lawful owner and holds clear title to a 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Pinin Farina Series 1 Cabriolet, Chassis No. 0799 GT ("0799 GT") and that Dr. Andreas Gerber of Switzerland has no ownership or other interest of any kind in the car. The ruling was issued in Hallingby vs. Gerber (Civil Action No: 17-cv-00975) and follows four previous rulings in Spanish courts that 0799 GT had been legally sold in 1993.
"This definitive final judgement by the only court in the world with legal jurisdiction over 0799 GT finally settles the issue once and for all and affirms my clear legal ownership, despite more than a decade of harassment by Andreas Gerber," said Hallingby.
One of only 40 such vehicles ever made, 0799 GT was purchased by Barney Hallingby in 2000, after due diligence by a team of professionals experienced in investigating the provenance of antique automobiles. This team reported to Hallingby that a previous dispute about the car was not a criminal matter of theft, but a civil matter over a breach of contract claimed by previous owner Bernard Friedli. That claim had been finally and definitively resolved by four Spanish courts against Mr. Friedli, which meant the car was able to be legally purchased by Hallingby.
In 2008, after Hallingby owned and openly showed 0799 GT for many years, Dr. Andreas Gerber of Switzerland began a campaign of harassment of Mr. Hallingby to extort a ransom payment by falsely claiming that the car had been stolen from him and Mr. Friedli in 1993. During the course of this campaign, Gerber consistently misled law enforcement, judicial authorities and members of the Ferrari community in Europe and the U.S. about his claim of ownership of 0799 GT. Finally, in 2017, Hallingby filed suit against Gerber in U.S. Federal District Court for the District of Connecticut, which because of where the car and Mr. Hallingby are both physically located is the only court in the world with legal jurisdiction to finally resolve the dispute.
"In 25 years, Andreas Gerber has never filed suit to officially claim ownership of 0799 GT and he declined to participate in the Connecticut court proceedings that could have independently considered his claim," concluded Hallingby. "With a fifth court now rejecting Gerber's assertion of ownership, my legal ownership of 0799 GT is very clearly established; so it's time for his misleading harassment campaign to end."
More information about 0799 GT and Hallingby vs. Gerber can be found at www.Ferrari0799GT.com, on Twitter @0799GT or on Instagram at @0799GT.
Contact:
Chad Kolton
571-414-0730
SOURCE: Paul "Barney" Hallingby