Suit filed against ‘predatory’ towing companies

Newport Beach firm Bisnar Chase LLP filed a class-action lawsuit this week against seven Los Angeles and Orange County businesses, alleging they engaged in the “predatory towing” of cars, according to information from the firm.

The lead plaintiff is Alejandro Stephens, who was eating in a Los Angeles restaurant when his legally parked car was towed from the restaurant lot, but the firm expects as many as 500 other people are eligible to join the suit, firm officials said in a statement.

The suit claims predatory towing companies patrol private parking lots, looking for cars to tow; ignore the state-mandated one-hour grace period before towing; charge exorbitant fees to release a car that’s been hooked up to a tow truck and require cash payment; and otherwise ignore regulations to “intentionally deprive owners of motor vehicles.”

The firm’s lawsuit asks for an unspecified amount of money to cover damages and attorney fees, and it asks that the tow companies named in the suit be barred from predatory practices.

It was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

— Alicia Robinson