California Injury Blog

Three employees of Mr. C’s Towing Company were arrested recently by the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) for the illegal towing of cars in Long Beach, according to an article in The Press Telegram.

Bellflower resident Cole Bahlstrom, 32, and Walter Graham, 36, of Apple Valley were arrested on grand theft auto and conspiracy charges and their tow trucks were impounded. Kabel Yan, 23, of Long Beach, a shopping center security guard was also arrested. Nancy Pratt, a LBPD spokeswoman said undercover officers with the Auto Theft Detail Department staked out a Long Beach shopping center at Seventh and Pacific Coast Highway, after receiving many complaints from owners whose cars were towed from that location.

A tow truck towed an officer’s unmarked car within 20 minutes of being parked in the shopping center’s lot. The officers followed the truck as it dropped off the unmarked car at a lot on Loynes Drive and Pacific Coast highway (PCH) and then returned to the shopping center. The truck drivers were arrested after they towed a Nissan pick-up truck that had been parked in the lot for less than five minutes. Pratt said the vehicles had not been strapped down securely in both instances and posed a huge safety risk for other road users. In most cases in California it is against the law to tow a car that has been illegally parked under an hour.

Continue reading "Los Alamitos Towing Co. Employees Arrested For Illegal Towing " »

Jason Taylor, a Laguna Niguel resident, watched as Beach Cities Towing Services Inc. towed his truck and car, illegally, from his Laguna Niguel condominium complex on Sept. 2, 2007. In return, Taylor set an example for us all by standing up to the towing company’s exploitative practices.

In taking Taylor’s vehicles away, the towing company, Beach Cities Towing, violated many requirements of the California Vehicle Code, Section 22658 and charged him an exorbitant amount of $560 for eventually releasing the cars.

Taylor took Beach Cities to small claims court and won. He was awarded his $560 back. But, Beach Cities continued to bully Taylor by appealing the case and being granted a new trial, a new trial where Beach Cities could bring an attorney.

Not to be out gunned, Taylor sought help from…..you guessed it, Bisnar Chase. When I read Taylor’s request for guidance with his case, I just couldn’t let him go it alone. So rather than give him the advice he sought, I assigned one of our attorneys, Eric Hansen to actually represent Taylor at the new trial, pro bono.

Continue reading "Orange County Towing Company Stung For Illegal Tow" »

If you’re still not convinced that illegal towing is a huge problem in Southern California, you’ve got to read this story. The Riverside County District Attorney and several police departments are investigating a local towing company called Desert Automotive Specialists, for illegally towing as many as 2,500 cars, sometimes with people still inside them. According to an article in the Desert Sun, sometimes this company paints curbs red just to make people think they parked in a tow-away zone!

Once they had towed away vehicles with their owners kicking and screaming, this company charged astronomical fees to release those vehicles back to the desperate owners. Who were these unfortunate owners? Mostly Spanish-speaking folks and seniors. Sounds like a pretty targeted and well-planned operation to me.

Continue reading "Illegal Towing Company In Riverside Could Face Criminal Charges" »

Please note: For Predatory Towing Go to Small Claims Court. Do NOT Contact a Lawyer or Fill Out Our Form.

In September, we filed a class-action lawsuit against a bunch of Southern California towing companies that we believe were engaging in illegal towing practices. Our client, Alejandro Stephens was the victim of predatory towing when his car was towed away while it was legally parked in the lot of Los Angeles restaurant without his or the restaurant owner's permission.

Now, we're hearing about another towing company, Cortex Towing in Riverside, which is reportedly indulging in illegal towing practices. Among the complaints we've received:

“They make customers pay cash only and refuse to take personal checks or credit cards as required by law.”
“They overcharge, which means they charge exorbitant and very high drop fees and release fees, fees that exceed what the local police tow charges.”
“They tend to tow vehicles to a dark street or to a location other than where the car was picked up and leave them unattended.”
“They then troll for more cars and "pile" them up in that location before taking them all to the tow yard, thus seriously delaying the time it takes an owner to retrieve their car.”
“They damage the vehicles they tow.”
“There are reports of thefts from the towed cars.”

Continue reading "Predatory Towing Continues to Victimize Automobile Owners" »

By: A Staff Writer

Today, our law firm filed a class-action lawsuit against several Southern California towing companies who we believe are engaging in predatory towing practices. We filed the complaint on behalf of Alejandro Stephens of Los Angeles, whose car was towed when it was legally parked in the lot of a local Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant. Here is the very disturbing and aggravating detail that spurred this lawsuit – the car was towed without the authorization of the restaurant owner or operator.

Unfortunately, this happens all the time in Los Angeles. Our complaint names several defendants including Nonstop Towing (the company involved in our client’s case), Melrose Towing, Pepe’s Towing, Heavy Metal Transport, Inc., MVP Tow Service, Midlands Towing, Mr. C’s Towing and Blackjack Towing. As Mr. Stephens found out in a very sudden and unpleasant way, these towing companies charge exorbitant and very high drop fees and release fees. In our opinion, it’s nothing short of extortion. These companies also tend to demand payment in cash and refuse to accept credit cards although the money they demand may run into hundreds of dollars.

That’s exactly what happened to Mr. Stephens. He was coerced into paying up $278 -- much more than what genuine towing companies charge. This is definitely not an isolated or rare incident in Southern California. We believe there are many more like Mr. Stephens who have been traumatized and victimized by these towing companies.

Continue reading "Bisnar Chase Files Lawsuit Against Predatory Towing Companies" »