Rolls Royce club feud ends in $545K settlement

A Carrollton woman has won a $545,000 settlement in a case involving feuding members of the Rolls Royce Owners Club.

A judge signed off on the settlement Tuesday, ending a protracted legal battle. It began almost four years ago when car club member Elizabeth Enney circulated an e-mail accusing two fellow board members of conflict of interest. She raised concerns about the club’s $9,000 payment to replace its computer software program.

One of those members, M.S. Koly, and his then-company, Delcath Systems, sued Enney for libel.

After Koly’s suit was dismissed, Enney moved to have Koly and Delcath pay her legal fees. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Jack Camp in Atlanta signed off on the settlement.

“I hope nobody ever has to go through something like this,” Enney, 45, who runs a publishing business, said Wednesday. “My hope is that this will help someone else.”

The car enthusiasts club, based in Mechanicsburg, Pa., has members who own Rolls Royces and Bentleys. Enney has two Bentleys — one made in 1936 and one in 1952.

Cynthia Counts, Enney’s lawyer, called the case a victory the First Amendment. “It should serve as a stark warning and deterrence to anyone who would file a lawsuit merely as a means to chill legitimate and protected opinions from being expressed,” she said.