The Finer Details - Ken Mosier = Trouble ?

[anlauto]

Wow... I was shocked to read this article about Ken Mosier....He was a Carlisle acquaintance of mine, we always spoke...talked about business and how it was going....I had no idea he was in trouble ?

I guess he didn't understand the finer details of running a business ?

The Hendricks County businessman who led a high-profile project to restore a WWII veteran's 1967 Mustang has filed for bankruptcy after being hit with more than $600,000 in court judgments in disputes over the restoration of other classic cars.

Kenneth R. Mosier, who operated The Finer Details restoration shop in Danville, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in December.

Mosier and some of his employees oversaw the restoration of Indianapolis resident Harry Donovan's classic Mustang. They stepped up upon learning that another man had ripped off Donovan after the former bomber pilot had paid about $8,000 for work that was never done.Donovan, 96, got his vehicle back March 31 — six years after the other man he hired and the Mustang disappeared. Wiping away tears of joy, Donovan said it was a day he never thought would come.

"I love you all," Donovan said.

But at the time, other paying clients weren't so happy with Mosier. That included two former customers who had filed lawsuits in 2016. Both alleged that Mosier took their money for high-end restoration projects and didn't deliver on his promises.

Mosier declined to comment for this story. State records show he sold the business, The Finer Details, in 2017,but he continued to work there as a subcontractor until he was released by the new owner.


One of the lawsuits was filed by Matthew Euson, a Southern Indiana car collector who was awarded a $396,000 judgment against Mosier. The lawsuit involved a dispute over the restoration of a rare 1970 GTO Judge convertible. Euson said he paid Mosier about $80,000, but after two years the car still had not been restored.

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In another lawsuit, a Texas man won a $210,000 judgment after he claimed to have paid Mosier more than $81,000 — and purchased another $13,734 in parts — to restore a 1963 Plymouth Sport Fury.

Jack Hooper, the Fury's owner, said Mosier promised to have the car restored to "better-than-new condition" for an estimated $50,000. Part of the deal was that Mosier would deliver the car in time for Hooper to drive the car — which he'd had since he was a kid — to his 50th high school reunion.

The lawsuit said Mosier "misrepresented" the work that had been done, and billed Hooper for work that was not completed, before Hooper finally retrieved the car — long after the agreed delivery date had passed.

In the bankruptcy filing in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Mosier listed assets between $100,000 and $499,999. It also reported he has as many as 49 creditors who are owed between $500,000 and $1 million.

In one court document, Mosier's attorney indicated that it is unlikely there will be any money to repay his creditors.

Euson said he only received a small portion of the $396,000 judgment he won against Mosier before the bankruptcy filing and doesn't expect to get any more.

The portrayal of Mosier in the two lawsuits runs counter to the image he projected while leading the volunteer effort to restore Donovan's Mustang.

Mosier was one of several car enthusiasts who offered to help Donovan after IndyStar reported on the veteran's plight in July 2016. A man Donovan paid $8,000 toward restoring the Mustang disappeared in 2012. So did the vehicle. It turned up months later at the Hamilton County home of an acquaintance of the man Donovan hired, but rather than restored, the Mustang was stripped of many of its parts.

With Donovan again in possession of the car, his family selected Mosier to oversee the restoration. The work was funded by more than $23,000 in cash donated through a gofundme.com account and additional contributions of parts and services. Several veterans groups, including the Danville American Legion, also hosted fundraisers to help Donovan, who was a bomber pilot in the war.

A group of Mosier's employees at The Finer Details also donated their time, working nights and weekends, to rebuild the car from the frame up.

Mosier said the actual value of the work was about $75,000.

[Brads70]

    wow that equal to a " horse thieves" in my books. And we all know what should be done with horse thieves!

[Chryco Psycho]

 Not defending Mosier , clearly he was not doing what he was paid to but .....
Must have good lawyers , pays 82 k + 14 k in parts & gets a 210k settlement ??

[Cuda_mark]

I've bought quite a bit of stuff from Ken over the years at Carlisle. NOS 1970 mirrors, NOS fender and a used shaker bubble. Makes me wonder!! Haha. I'm pretty sure all of the stuff was legit, it was all good quality.

[anlauto]

Not defending Mosier , clearly he was not doing what he was paid to but .....
Must have good lawyers , pays 82 k + 14 k in parts & gets a 210k settlement ??

Probably $114K in reimbursed legal fees 

[JH27N0B]

I've known Ken for years and bought and sold parts to him, I always thought he was a good guy.
I've heard some stories over the last couple years, but I'm not going to post them on a public forum.
Sorry to hear he let his life fall apart. 

[anlauto]

Looks like the shop is under new ownership/management so hopefully Ken's personal issues won't continue to bring the shop "down". Hopefully the new people can get things rolling and keep the customer's satisfied. It's a real shame...I like Ken 

[headejm]

I've known Ken for years and bought and sold parts to him, I always thought he was a good guy.
I've heard some stories over the last couple years, but I'm not going to post them on a public forum.
Sorry to hear he let his life fall apart. 

[Cuda_mark]

Looks like the shop is under new ownership/management so hopefully Ken's personal issues won't continue to bring the shop "down". Hopefully the new people can get things rolling and keep the customer's satisfied. It's a real shame...I like Ken 

Yeah, he was always super nice when I would visit his space at Carlisle. Shame things turned upside down.

[BIGSHCLUNK]

I don't know this man or his business practices... what I do know is you can "win" in court, and still lose.... trust BIGS on this one...

[RUNCHARGER]

Don't know a thing about it. However how do you get a $396k judgement when someone only does $80k work for you on an old Pontiac? I could see how that would run you out of business in a hurry.

[Chryco Psycho]

I don't know this man or his business practices... what I do know is you can "win" in court, and still lose.... trust BIGS on this one...

Been there also
Like I said good lawyers , 200k in lawyers fees 

[js27]

WOW- I always read about the great work he did. I just wonder how that stuff happens to people. I guess if you spend more than you make  sooner or later you go down. I have heard horror stories about body shops screwing people over so they take there car to a professional restoration shop only to get screwed over professionally. Didn't also happen with Fred Englehart  ?
Sad stories---good thing there are still some honest people and shops out there.
JS27

[HP_Cuda]

Sad that this stuff still happens, it seems like Ken liked to take short cuts on his restorations...

[gzig5]

I can't see writing anyone an $80,000 check and walking away with nothing to show for it but promises.  I can see putting a portion of the labor payment down up front and then paying as you go.  Parts should be paid for as they are procured or funds pulled from a pile set aside for the purpose.  Am I being naive?