Celebrity Justice
La-Z-Boy Puts Brakes on DUI Chair Auction

Mere hours before bidding was scheduled to end on the infamous DUI La-Z-Boy-Mobile, the motorized recliner suddenly vanished from the auction -- and TMZ has learned it's all because of a battle over its name.

La-Z-Boy DUI Chair

With the price at $43,100 and rising, eBay received a demand letter from the most unlikely of parties -- the La-Z-Boy corporation itself. We're told La-Z-Boy played the trademark card due to the title of the auction "La-Z-Boy DWI Chair" and eBay was forced to pull the auction.

Here's the worst part: the chair was being auctioned off by the Proctor Minnesota Police Department and all profits were to benefit the taxpayers.

We're told La-Z-Boy "felt bad" about stopping the auction -- but hey, business is business.

Fear not motorized chair enthusiasts -- we've learned the cops plan on re-listing the chair in just a few hours.



Tags: auction, dennis leroy, DennisLeroy, ebay, la-z-boy, la-z-boy dui, la-z-boy-mobile, La-z-boyDui

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1. That sucks, that money could have helped a lot of people. Maybe they'll just change the name??

Posted at 7:09PM on Nov 2nd 2009 by Coolestever63

2. Wow TMZ, thats lightening fast research there! Thanks for the update on the redneck dream recliner! Don't want you to get in trouble so I didn't use the La-z-boy name! lol

Posted at 7:10PM on Nov 2nd 2009 by Robert

3. Ah, well, business IS business. If you let your trademark go E-Bay, who knows what else you will lose.

Use or lose it. That is the business world.

The chair company did the right thing.

If the cops want to auction it off, they need to change the name, simple, eh?

Posted at 7:16PM on Nov 2nd 2009 by Boobs are for Babies

4.

Oh yeah right.

Not one cent of that money would have gone to help any citizens of that town.

Posted at 7:18PM on Nov 2nd 2009 by Fred Farkel

5. Right "benefit the taxpayers." More like go toward paying for the high salaries and awesome benefits of ticket giving, doughnut eatting government employees.

Posted at 7:18PM on Nov 2nd 2009 by Whatever

6. Lazy Boy sucks. No one even shops there anymore because it's considered "white trash" furniture. Don't they know that???

Posted at 7:22PM on Nov 2nd 2009 by sandi

7. Bah-humbug La-Z-boy. Boo...you fail.

Posted at 7:24PM on Nov 2nd 2009 by Pers

8. That is sad for the PD. But everyone knows that no one shops at La-Z-Boy anymore anyway. It's considered "white trash" furniture, at least where I live.

Posted at 7:24PM on Nov 2nd 2009 by sandi

9.

LMAO.

I (supposedly) live in the 12th most safe city in the USA and what do our cops do with loot like that??

One year they bought this million dollar "doomsday Winnebago" that is supposed to be used in terrorist attacks.

So what do they REALLY use this thing for??


LMAO.

The annual 4th of July parade.























And that's about it.

Posted at 7:26PM on Nov 2nd 2009 by Fred Farkel

10. Maybe that will make the idiot who was about to pay more than some make a year in salary for that piece of s**t, think twice. If you have the money to pay that much, you could commission someone to make a much better version for half the price......If you have such a need for a motorized recliner?????

Posted at 7:31PM on Nov 2nd 2009 by Give Me a Break!

11. So what's up TMZ? Too damned lazy to post the link to the auction? F--- the taxpayers right?

Posted at 7:38PM on Nov 2nd 2009 by imcuce

12. Very bad PR for the La-A-Boy Company! I live in this part of MN and it is economically depressed! The citizens here could have used the help!

Posted at 12:31AM on Nov 3rd 2009 by Kris

13. La Z Boy should be happy they were getting the free publicity for their sh1tty over-priced products! I speak from experience, sadly. And yea, I'm sure the tax payers were going to benefit from the $40+k in new "toys" the police were going to buy themselves all in the name of "public safety". They should donate the money to SADD or some group of the like.

Posted at 7:45PM on Nov 2nd 2009 by macheeze27

14. Really. They just nixed all that free advertising for their brand....idiots.

Posted at 7:47PM on Nov 2nd 2009 by CriticAl

15. ...not to mention making La-Z-Boy look like a bunch of stick-up-the-butt, sue-happy A-holes.

Posted at 7:48PM on Nov 2nd 2009 by CriticAl

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