Daimler Chrysler AG intimidates its own dealers

In a story worthy of 60 Minutes, or at least Dateline, Daimler Chrysler is intimidating two of its Chicago area dealers because they plan to testify on behalf of a third dealer who is suing the company over racially biased lending practices. This all comes at a time when there is a boycott of Chrysler products in the large city and its suburbs and sales are slipping. The two witnesses, Michael Christopoulos and Pat Fitzgibbons, say Daimler Chrysler is subpoenaing obscene amounts of records from them as a form of intimidation even though they are simply witnesses for the defense. This is a tremendous amount of acrimony among a car company and its dealers especially ones like Fitzgibbons who is a former chairman of the Chicago Auto Trade Association.