"Can the RD be taken apart and be bent back into a usable condition or am in he market for a Nuovo Record RD?"
Actually it looks like you are in the market for a first generation Super Record RD. Which is a bummer! Check with Yellow Jersey in Madison WI. For some reason they have a ton of loose cage plates for the 1st gen SR ders. You should be able to rebuild it with new plates.
As for recourse. Yeah it's a bad pack. It's best to remove the rear der and zip tie it to the seat stay out of the way. Or at least block around it with styrafoam or cardboard. But if it was not insured I don't think there's much you can do. If the seller is a stand-up guy he should offer to pay for the repair or find you another der.
Also, make sure you put an alignment gauge on the hanger as it is mostly likely tweaked as well.
Cheers, Jon Williams
Grants Pass OR USA