WASHINGTON, D.C. –

A West Virginia franchised dealer group again found itself involved in a regulatory matter with the Federal Trade Commission.

Ramey Motors recently agreed to pay an $80,000 civil penalty to settle a lawsuit the FTC brought last year.

The FTC recapped that it charged Ramey Motors with violating the terms of a 2012 consent order with the regulator that barred it from deceptively advertising the cost of buying or leasing vehicles

The civil penalty settlement resolves charges that Ramey Motors’ ads violated the consent order by concealing important terms of sale and lease offers, such as a required down payment, and failing to make credit disclosures clearly and conspicuously, as required by federal law.

The civil penalty order also prohibits Ramey Motors from violating the 2012 order. That matter included the FTC finding fault with claims such as  “Ramey will pay off your trade no matter what you owe … even if you’re upside down, Ramey will pay off your trade.”

The commission vote authorizing the staff to file the stipulated civil penalty order was 5-0. The order was entered by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, Bluefield Division, on Sept. 9.