“My lawyer advised me to continue pursuing the case, but I decided to withdraw the lawsuit and accept the loss of legal fees,” he told VnExpress in an interview. “I filed the lawsuit not to demand money but to shed light on the issue for others.”
The high-profile dispute drew public attention due to the prominence of both parties. The German auto company has not issued a statement on his decision to drop the case.
Manh sued the company after his Mercedes S450 Luxury caught fire while it was still in its warranty period. He had bought it in August 2020 for VND4.7 billion with a three-year warranty.
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Duy Manh’s sedan (black) catches fire on February 15, 2023 in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by Duy Manh |
On the evening of February 15, 2023, the vehicle suddenly caught fire while parked in the basement of a residential building in HCMC.
After firefighters extinguished the blaze, they towed the vehicle to their headquarters, where a forensic examination by the HCMC police’s Institute of Forensic Science determined it had resulted from “a short-circuit due to a collision or contact on the electrical wiring installed behind the vehicle’s engine.”
Manh said 45 days after the fire Mercedes-Benz technicians inspected the vehicle in turn and concluded there was “no technical fault in the vehicle, but evidence of rodent intrusion, which damaged the wiring and caused the short-circuit.”
The singer contested this conclusion, arguing it lacked objectivity and scientific basis.
He pointed out that the photos showing rodent droppings and bite marks were taken during the inspection 45 days after the fire, and so were no indication of what caused it.
He said the vehicle had been parked in an open lot at the fire department for several days, and the images of the rodent droppings and bite marks appeared recent.
The insurance company had paid Duy Mạnh nearly VND2.9 billion, but the singer insisted that, since the vehicle was still under warranty, Mercedes-Benz was obligated to cover its full value.
But the company claimed that since Manh had received compensation from the insurer, he no longer had the right to seek payment from it, and the payout in fact legally transferred the vehicle’s ownership and right to claim compensation to the insurance company.
It attributed the fire to overheating of the wiring caused by rodents damaging part of the electrical system.
Manh, 50, hails from Hai Phong in northern Vietnam. He graduated from the HCMC Conservatory of Music with a degree in piano.
He started performing as a pianist and vocalist at cafés and other minor venues in 1998 before rising to fame in 2004 with several hit songs.
