Auto giant Rohrman sues plastic surgeon, alleges he stole his wife

Bob Rohrman is one of the suburbs' largest and - thanks to his wacky TV commercials - most-recognized auto dealers.

No stranger to the value of advertising, the 76-year-old Rohrman made his personal woes public Wednesday when he issued a news release to announce his DuPage County lawsuit against a plastic surgeon, whom he accused of stealing his wife.

Rohrman, president and owner of Rohrman Auto Group, is seeking more than $50,000 in damages against Dr. Sami M. Bittar, a plastic surgeon with offices in LaGrange and Chicago.

Bittar, 53, had an affair with Rhonda Kay Rohrman in April 2008, which was uncovered by a private investigator the auto czar hired, according to his suit.

Rohrman and his wife, 30 years his junior, married in a lavish 2002 wedding in Kauai, Hawaii, and lived in Downers Grove. He filed for divorce last year in Indiana. She countered with her own divorce petition, filed April 29 in DuPage County, and accused her husband of "mental cruelty." Meanwhile, Bittar's wife sought to end their 23-year marriage a month later.

Staff at Dr. Bittar's LaGrange office said he was unavailable for comment. The other parties also didn't return phone messages.