A South Carolina racer and the Goodwill affiliate for the Georgia coast have settled a lawsuit over the racer’s use of a used Goodwill delivery truck that bore the logos of the nonprofit organization, the racer said after being contacted by Roadracing World.
Robert J. Woodworth, Jr., who races with WERA, CCS and ASRA, told Roadracing World that the litigation has been settled, and all parties involved have signed confidentiality agreements that prohibit them from disclosing any of the terms of the settlement or discussing the matter further.
The Savannah-based Goodwill of the Coastal Empire, through the law firm of Bouhan Falligant LLP, sued Woodworth, Jr., for millions of dollars and sought an injunction against him, according to court documents obtained by Roadracing World.
The dispute centered over the former Goodwill box van that Woodworth bought to transport his Yamaha YZF-R6 and Honda CBR1000RR racebikes to events on the East Coast. Woodworth says he was not told when he purchased the vehicle from a dealer that he was responsible for removing the logos, so he left them on.
Goodwill’s attorneys alleged that Woodworth infringed on the company’s trademark and engaged in deceptive trade practices by leaving the logos on the truck, thus implying that Goodwill sponsored his racing effort.
Woodworth says he found the box van with lift gate via an ad on Craigslist placed by a local car dealer in January 2010. He bought it, outfitted the interior with a pull-down bed, insulated it, installed an AC/heating system and used it to transport himself, his racebikes, his girlfriend and two dogs to the races.
Goodwill alleged that its employees tried to chase down the vehicle, and the organization hired a private attorney to stake out Woodworth’s home. On one visit after Goodwill sent Woodworth threatening letters, they found that Woodworth had altered the “Goodwill” logo with tape so that it read “badwill.” In court documents, Goodwill accused Woodworth of using the truck to take Goodwill donations and keeping them. Woodworth denied the allegations.
Goodwill officials would only confirm during the litigation that a settlement was being pursued.