An Oregon auto dealer has paid more than $120,000 in fines after selling seven cars over a one-month period to a 78-year-old man with Alzheimer's disease and no driver's license.

The sales, which included the trade-in of two vehicles and purchase of seven vehicles including sports cars and SUVS totaling $244,708, occurred during February and March of 2000 at Hillsboro Chrysler Plymouth Jeep, Hillsboro, Ore. "We weren't aware we had sold him seven cars. He dealt with different people," said dealership manager Kevin Chimienti.

Rickard's family has agreed to drop their lawsuit, according to an attorney hired to manage Rickard's financial affairs.

The agreement reached between the Hillsboro dealership and the Oregon attorney general's office stops short of saying the dealership violated state law. In the agreement, the dealer agreed to reverse all seven of the sales and pay $90,879 in fines. The dealership also paid $31,000 to the Department of Justice, with most of that amount going to the consumer protection fund, according to published reports.

"Families dealing with aging parents have enough challenges without having unscrupulous salespeople prey on their loved ones," said Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers.

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