Rental car company Hertz has put the “hurt” back in, um, “Hertz.” The company recently declared itself bankrupt, something that presumably only referred to its balance sheet.
But Hertz has more problems. In 2021 (the same year Hertz “emerged” from bankruptcy), the company was sued by a man who could have been cleared of murder charges if only the company has been interested in finding his rental receipt. It took the company three years to produce the records clearing Herbert Alford, but that came at the tail end of Alford’s five years behind bars.
More recently, the company has been sued for falsely reporting rental vehicle thefts — something that has led to false charges, wrongful imprisonment, and a class action lawsuit. Hertz’s best practices when it comes to suspected theft are apparently the worst. Hundreds of plaintiffs claim Hertz doesn’t do much in terms of verification, apparently preferring law enforcement handle its due diligence for it. Unfortunately, turning this over to law enforcement means people lose their freedoms. And, if the practice continues, people are going to lose their lives.
Bogus stolen vehicle reports lead to guns out traffic stops by law enforcement. Once the guns are out, it’s up to the driver to ensure they don’t get shot. That’s not always going to work out and Hertz is lucky it’s not fielding wrongful death suits. But that luck isn’t going to hold forever. Sooner...
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