Washington, DC (CNN)47 Hertz customers have filed a lawsuit against the rental company that describes horror stories after they were allegedly falsely reported as having stolen its rental cars, and in some cases even jailed.
The plaintiffs allege being blind-sided by arrests — sometimes at gunpoint — and in some cases spending time in jail. Some plaintiffs describe losing their jobs in the fallout from the arrests.
The lawsuit alleges systematic flaws in Hertz's reporting of thefts, including not recording rental extensions, falsely claiming customers haven't paid, failing to track its own vehicle inventory and failing to correct false reports to police. The lawsuit was filed in Delaware Superior Court and comes on the heels of a court ruling that these cases could be pursued outside bankruptcy court. (Hertz had filed for bankruptcy in May 2020 before emerging in July 2021.)
Hertz said in a statement that it disagreed with the ruling allowing the cases to be pursued outside bankruptcy court, and that it's committed "to do right by our customers."
"We are reviewing and considering each claim brought against Hertz on its individual merits," Hertz spokesman Jonathan Stern said. "We have begun extending settlement offers to dozens of claimants and will continue to do so on a case by case basis."
Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr admitted in April that "several hundred people" were impacted by the company's errors.
Some of the plaintiffs say they were using Hertz rentals to make a...
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