It's always so sad to see posts from people who found the SOC after making a big down payment on what they thought would be their dream car, only to find out that dream is really a nightmare.
There must be some way of legally stopping this from happening.
Troy Sloan posted:It's always so sad to see posts from people who found the SOC after making a big down payment on what they thought would be their dream car, only to find out that dream is really a nightmare.
There must be some way of legally stopping this from happening.
It is sad and it has gone on for far too long. If need be we are prepared to take him to court and seize his assets, and perhaps ideally put him behind bars for running a ponzi scheme.
It's been eleven years so I hope it hasn't been too long to proceed in court.
This is technically in my boyfriend's hands as it was his contract, so I can only do so much to pursue this further. 
I hope he takes the necessary steps...it disgusts me til no end when people lie and fool people like this, let alone someone I care about. If we were closer I'd be storming his door every goddamn day.
He's awful. And not just a bad businessman I believe he's well aware of how things are going and he is just fine with it...He's a morally bankrupt person and if I have anything to do with it he'll be financially bankrupt as well.
Good Luck! Hope you are successful. He is a real piece of work.
Thank you.
I'm going to call him later today.
And again tomorrow.
And the next day.
And the day after...
But hopefully with what I say today this can all resolve itself soon.
I hired a local attorney who sent a couple of letters to Steve, which got him to respond and refund $17,000. But noted: the attorney did not recommend suing as there have been other judgments against Steve and he has not paid them. In other words, you might win but still not get paid and be behind others who are waiting. Criminal action would take him out of business and you would not be paid but you would have justice, if you win and if the DA would even take a case like this. Good luck!
Why wouldn't a DA take a case like this?
saltcreek posted:I hired a local attorney who sent a couple of letters to Steve, which got him to respond and refund $17,000. But noted: the attorney did not recommend suing as there have been other judgments against Steve and he has not paid them. In other words, you might win but still not get paid and be behind others who are waiting. Criminal action would take him out of business and you would not be paid but you would have justice, if you win and if the DA would even take a case like this. Good luck!
Thank you so much for your reply & the others here who responded so promptly. <3
I'm going to share this with my boyfriend tonight and we will follow these steps in hopes of a similar outcome.
Lawing is many things..a liar, a scam artist, a bad business man and a procrastinator to name a few...but one thing I don't peg him as is a mushroom farmer...And last I checked we're not mushrooms...And yet, he feeds us nothing but bullshit and keeps us in the dark.
Well Steve "Lying" Lawing has another thing coming!
Shame a magazine like Kit Car is no longer around with at least capability of publishing Letters to the Editor. Maybe RCN (ReINCARnation) ezine would accept a damming letter warning people of his business practices. Small claims courts usually have like $5k limits. Seems funny but maybe Judge Judy (or one of the others) would take it on? You'd at least get a video for your $. If there are 20 people in queue and each had $10k+ at stake - a lawyer might take a group suit on for $1k or 20K total plus 1/3 of any settlement. Maybe a Go Fund Me page with car enthusiast donating - it would indeed get publicity and a couple might get $ before he is forced into bankruptcy. The key is to put him out of business on preying on others.
CMC was closed down by FL State Attorney General's Office in 1994 (but took years more). They were a bigger company ($20m in sales and $1m in inventory). I recall over 400 complaints (article says hundreds) of incomplete cars delivered. Believe all got at least majority of parts for building a car. I'll research records on CMC. CMC was shut down and FL force him to create a new company to get missing parts to all - called Auto Resolutions Inc/LTD (?)
https://fiberclassics.org/classic-motor-carriages/
This has some good source note-
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_Motor_Carriages
Stephen H. “Bunky” Byrd out of Knoxville was my attorney. Bunkybyrd@gmail.com
saltcreek posted:Stephen H. “Bunky” Byrd out of Knoxville was my attorney. Bunkybyrd@gmail.com
Bunky Byrd! Love the name! 
I'll pass on this info. Thank you! And thanks to everyone else who responded.
Ps: Might get confusing as my boyfriend's name is Steven, sas is named Steven and the lawyer is named Stephen! Lol
Bunky Byrd. Only in the South. One more thing to love. I come across interesting names all the time. It isn't just Bubba down here.
I just emailed him an intro to our issue...see what he thinks and what he'll charge. I'll def keep this forum in the loop! (It might be a few years but yall know how it is!)
You ought to give Bunky's name to all those folks in the queue. If he was successful once, he might be several more times.
Jethro posted:Here is the last iteration of the queue, as pieced together by a few folks over on the SAS Owners forum. This list is from February 2016.
Last February, I bought the car that was delivered to J.... E.... in November 2012. Since then, a total of 2 cars have been delivered. One of those was J... K......'s. So he's averaging 1 car about every 2.5 years.
Hoss (johnny2bolts), Tenessee: delivered 2004
Bill Re : #2 car: passed away and car sold to R.... M..... (raymead)
Ch... Ga.... (guru39), Georgia: contracted December 2004, delivered May 2008
P... Me..... (probins) : contracted June 2006, delivered September 2008
E. Sa....... (): contracted, delivered
No... Sc... (scottnp), Florida: delivered December 2008
M... G..... (mguthrie): delivered before 2009
S.... Pr...... (prishard), Indiana, contracted June 2005, delivered September 2009
S. Te..... (STeele), North Carolina: contracted June 2006, delivered June 2011--5 years
*K. V...... (Cavalho), contracted October 2006 - (spot currently for sale)
D.... W..... (bucky), Hawaii: contracted October 2007, delivered May 2010
C.... O..... (cowings), North Carolina: contracted May 2007, delivered Aug 2011--4.33 years
J..... E..... (East5426), Rhode Island: contracted June 2007, delivered Nov 2012--5.5 years
Er...R.....?, (eromp2000), Washington: contracted October 2007, delivered December 2011
*S.... W....(bby), Maine: contracted Nov 2007
J.... K..... (jkelly)(took Bob R (bobros) spot), Fiji: contracted May 08, delivered Nov. 2013--5.5 years
Davide (.......), Bahrain: contracted June 2008, delivered October 2015
*R. H......( rofo), California: contracted August 2008, passed away, but family still wants car
*D.... M..... (Mangs356), Minnesota, contracted Jan 2002 for Ford, then Nov 2008 for 356
*R.... P...... (rubeiii), North Carolina: contracted January 2009
*B..... S..... (saltcreek), Connecticut: contracted May 2009 (bought Gonzalo spot 10/07)
*E. B...... (edwardbradley), Maryland: contracted May 2009
*D.... M..... (donaldmoretti), Rhode Island: contracted March 2010 (current owner of Bill Re cab)
T... W..... (camaro168) , Indiana: contracted May 2010 (sold spot around 2012)
*MJ (mj80850), Hawaii: contracted March 2011
*T.... R....., (TAR2000), Florida: contracted July 2011
D.... S.... (yessir), Texas: contracted October 2011 (sold spot around July 2013)
*S.... D.... (sdaley): contracted December 2011
*T.... M.... (tommarantz), Massachusetts: contracted January 2012 (spot currently for sale)
*(MooseX), Nevada: contracted April 2012
*S.... (Stefan), California: contracted April 2012
*C.... R.... (Factotum), Kansas: contracted May 2012
*J... K..... (jkuhlow), Arkansas: contracted May 2012 (current owner of J.... E....... car)
*T... O'......: contracted December 2012
*S.... H...... (stuman0407), Texas: contracted March 2013 (bought spot contracted in 2010?)
*S.... H......, Virginia: contracted July 2013 (bough spot from D... S....., contracted October 2011)
In case anyone is interested...My boyfriend is *S....W (bby), Maine 2007.
Two people were bumped up and "bought a spot" & therefore got their cars, and before he did despite originally being after him on the list...according to this list, SAS apparently stopped turning out cars just as he signed up. But this does not reflect a true list of people who gave him $ and don't have access or knowledge of this forum.
Anyway, just in case you guys were wondering where the "list" stands.
I am an attorney and classic car enthusiast in Knoxville, Tennessee that has successfully represented clients against Steve Lawing. My clients have received their deposits back.
If interested, please contact me at:
Stephen H. Byrd, Attorney at Law
9051 Executive Park Drive
Suite 200
Knoxville, Tennessee 37923
BunkyByrd@gmail.com
865-250-1968
Hoping we have a good outcome, Mr. Byrd! 
Looking forward to resolving this matter with your assistance and perhaps you can help others as well.
Good luck to all!
Stephen H. Byrd, Attorney at Law posted:I am an attorney and classic car enthusiast in Knoxville, Tennessee that has successfully represented clients against Steve Lawing. My clients have received their deposits back.
If interested, please contact me at:
Stephen H. Byrd, Attorney at Law
9051 Executive Park Drive
Suite 200
Knoxville, Tennessee 37923
BunkyByrd@gmail.com
865-250-1968
WOW! That's really encouraging !!! @Jim Kelly
Good luck Jen!
I would like to see his first name changed to Defendant, and then to Inmate.
We need a GO-FUND-ME setup!
This link was sent to me by a fellow-SOCer and a real friend. He understands my on-going plight with another builder, John Steele and his JPS-related businesses. My matter is personal and my education is not complete. When the time is right, I hope to help both those who are considering a custom build, and those who have pending issues. You might come here for technical matters such as tire pressures and head work so why not matters regarding the building process? I have two general points to make at this time.
1.There are many many fine people here who have helped and will help. I have known of folks traveling and assembling at someone's garage just to help a person in need (and consume an adult beverage or two..ha). Who does that? Good people do. So don't let the bottom-feeders prevail and lead you to think that all is bad.
2.Do not get lazy and give up on your plight for justice. Truth is, you may be in a situation because you got lazy or not done your homework. Maybe you failed to write a good contract or use your common sense when working out details with a builder. But, as my Dad once said, "Right is right if nobody does it; and Wrong is wrong if everybody does it." If you have been wronged, pursue EVERY avenue available. You owe it to yourself and others. Start with Federal and work down to the State(s) and local levels. Contact them all. Let each person know you will be referencing your complaint with the others. It helps when they know someone else is watching their actions. Also do not underestimate the power of your vote. Things tend to get done during election years. And foremost, realize that legal actions are a last resort. Low cost letter-writing may produce results, but much of any possible settlements will end up in someone else's pocket. That is the true cost of an education and failure to do our work properly in the beginning. That doesn't mean we have to do poor work now. Never lose sight that your plight is much bigger than your own issue. I will never stop and you shouldn't either.
My heart goes out to the victims but I choose not to just grieve about it. I will be doing something about it far beyond my personal outcome. I will share my education when it reaches a better point.
I too bought in Nov 2017 and not surprisingly having the exact same problems everyone else is having. I thought I did my research before hand, but none of the BBB info or this site came to the top of my searches until afterwards. I visited Steve and saw his business first hand. He was a pleasant man to talk too and I could tell he was excited about his work.
However, after I gave him my deposit, I haven't heard anything at all. I've tried calling, emailing and written letters. No response. None what so ever.
I have no idea where I am on his current list.
Is there anything you or we can do to cause the SOC to get a higher ranking in Goggle searches for SAS or Steve Lawing? Keywords, hash tags, or anything? I know it's not easy, but stories like this are so tragic.
The more discussion here, the higher it will rank. All of these thread pages already have the needed tags and text.
-=theron
It’s a tragedy. SAS is lucky to be hidden in a smaller city. Crap like that would never continue in a big city.
Nothing much there, a couple of front/back clips and one or two "bodies"
Google Earth wouldn't or I couldn't copy the pic. Could be operator error.
4601 Mill Branch Lane
Knoxville, TN 37938
Couple donor Subarus - and body parts - Is that a completed silver/white car with black tonneau? You can zoom in on cars - somewhat. You can go to the Google Map link and leave a review. He got 1 5 star rating 2 months ago from someone that hasn't heard anything bad about SAS. You can't give a zero.
Thanks Greg!
I got the address from BBB. He has an F rating.
Art
GP posted:I too bought in Nov 2017 and not surprisingly having the exact same problems everyone else is having. I thought I did my research before hand, but none of the BBB info or this site came to the top of my searches until afterwards. I visited Steve and saw his business first hand. He was a pleasant man to talk too and I could tell he was excited about his work.
However, after I gave him my deposit, I haven't heard anything at all. I've tried calling, emailing and written letters. No response. None what so ever.
I have no idea where I am on his current list.
You are likely to be on the bottom of a VERY VERY long list.
Not much has been said in the past 2 years but if you read through this list you'll see that SAS has not delivered a completed car in over 3 years. I'd return immediately and get your money back.
Truly sad that despite the fact that we all are very much aware of the " many goings on " with $tevie Wonder, people continually get caught in his financial fly trap. I recall years ago when a local TV station there did an extensive investigation but so much for that.... All we can do is get the word out the best we can and hope that potential customers choose one of the great manufactures that we all know and trust.
As many of you know, I have tried, on this forum, to warn potential customers of Lawing and SAS to STAY AWAY! at all costs. I have also tried to keep a close eye on his output, which is impossible to do remotely.
Unless others have more knowledge than I do, it may be inaccurate to say that SAS isn't producing cars. I think what well-meaning commentators mean to say is that SAS isn't delivering cars to those that we know about on the list. There is a big difference in those two positions.
The sad but irrefutable fact is that none of us knows how many buyers are in the queue, or, even sadder, how many queues there are. Think of it this way: Lawing completes a replica for which the buyer has already paid $18,000 in two or more payments. If Lawing sellls it to the buyer, that's $18,000 less than he could get from a fresh fish, a new guy that hasn't paid anything. Of course, a sense of morality, decency, and fair play would dictate that the first guy in line, whom the car was made for, should get it. However, that's not how things work in Lawing world.
I have gone from anger and righteous indignation to outrage to disgust to pity. I hate what he did to me and others, but life goes on and it takes too much time and energy to hold a grudge indefinitely. I have no idea if karma really exists, but it does give me a warm feeling when I contemplate a cosmic weighing of the scales for certain individuals.
Robert M posted:GP posted:I too bought in Nov 2017 and not surprisingly having the exact same problems everyone else is having. I thought I did my research before hand, but none of the BBB info or this site came to the top of my searches until afterwards. I visited Steve and saw his business first hand. He was a pleasant man to talk too and I could tell he was excited about his work.
However, after I gave him my deposit, I haven't heard anything at all. I've tried calling, emailing and written letters. No response. None what so ever.
I have no idea where I am on his current list.
You are likely to be on the bottom of a VERY VERY long list.
Not much has been said in the past 2 years but if you read through this list you'll see that SAS has not delivered a completed car in over 3 years. I'd return immediately and get your money back.
As Jim pointed out, he MAY be delivering cars but based on this blog it isn't anyone on THIS list. And that list is long.
If you look at the Google satellite map you can view a shot from April 2016 or April 2018. The blue station wagon donor (don't think it's a Subaru even) on left with burnt/rusted crumpled hood hasn't moved in 2 years nor have the other 2 on the right (a blue and a white donor). The stack of wood pallets is maybe 5 higher (they are at least different pallets). Here's shot of 2 cars 90% complete - a white Speedster and a white coupe. Plus 3 nose bits and 2 rear halves.
Isn't this curious -
Stephen Lawing is 75 years old and was born on 1/1/1944. Currently, he lives in New Tazewell, TN Knoxville, TN, Knoxville, TN. Sometimes Stephen goes by various nicknames including Steve Lawling and Stephen W Lawing. He currently works as a President at Specialty Autoworks INC.
Here's link to BB complaints -
There are services that specialize in cleaning up bad reports and reviews that companies get online. Steve could be smart and devious enough to employ this kind of service. With the reputation he and is company has it would be impossible to clean up everything but it would be reasonable to assume it would result in postings from this sight not coming up high on searches. Just a thought. I used to get solicited by companies offering this type of service to my business. My partners and I have run an ethical and profitable business going on 30 years now. It disgusts me that guys like Steve can continue to cheat people out of their money and their dreams.
Since I mentioned it, my business is Federal Knife Inc. We sell and sharpen industrial cutting blades of all types. If anyone is in a position to be in charge of the purchase of replacement blades or has a metal cutting shear in your shop, let me know I will give a deep discount for being a fellow member of SOC. Check out our website: Federal Knife.com
At 75 years old - Steve will now just play the waiting game. I'd seriously contact the lawyer Jim K mentioned so you can get something back. So many folks with $10k, $17k and $18k hanging out there now. Funny there is a picture on his web site of a dozen bodies sitting aging in the sun like Tennesee Bourbon. No date - but now he's down to just a couple.
Some 20 people (that we know of) waiting for him to build a car. There are those on the list that have been waiting 8, 9, even 10 years! This guy must be one smooooth talker. I have expressed my opinion before about paying him a visit to persuade him to give one's deposit back, so no need to repeat myself. After all this time I'm surprised he's still breathing and in business, which, if any one new to the situation hasn't figured out yet, seems to be taking deposits. As Jim has said, he may be building the odd car, but for whatever reason, he seems to be ignoring a good number of people who have given him rather substantial amounts of money.
I say a bunch of us stock up at the local Knox Whiskey Works, head over to SAS for an old fashion BBQ and throw an oinker on the fire.
I thought I'd give you an update on Mr. Lawing and SAS.
I represented two clients last Monday in court against Mr. Lawing and SAS and received consent judgments against Mr. Lawing and SAS. He is required to pay within a couple of months, including the attorney's fees. These are public records; therefore, I am allowed to discuss the agreements.
Your may contact me if you have any questions or want to discuss suing for return of your deposit.
Stephen H. Byrd, Attorney at Law
9051 Executive Park Drive
Suite 200
Knoxville, Tennessee 37923
BunkyByrd@gmail.com
865-250-1968
So, they are getting their deposits returned, or something else?
Good to hear of this case.
Yes, they are getting their deposits returns and the attorney's fee reimbursed.
