Miss. dealer finds trouble across the river - Dispute over sales fliers lands retailer in hot water with Louisiana regulators

摘要

Mississippi Ford dealer Wayne Thompson is the first to admit he goofed when his sales fliers ended up across the Mississippi River in the hands of Louisiana consumers. But do Louisiana authorities have the right to reach into Mississippi to punish him for it? The thorny issue stands to cost Thompson more than USD135,000 in penalties. And it has implications for dealers who operate near a state line anywhere in the lower 48. The problems for Thompson, owner of Vicksburg Ford-Lincoln-Mercury-Mazda Inc., just across the river from Louisiana, started in 2005 when an out-of-town ad agency mailed 20,000 event-sale fliers around the Vicksburg area for him. About 1,500 went to ZIP codes across the river.