Primary plaintiff James Pauley filed a class action lawsuit against Hertz in November of 2013. Pauley claimed he rented a vehicle from Hertz at a rental location in Atlanta, Georgia. During the rental period, Pauley received a parking ticket, which he paid before the due date. However, Pauley alleged in the class action lawsuit that Hertz charged an administrative fee that originated from the company’s parking violations processor. Pauley asserted the administrative fee violated one of the provisions of his Hertz rental contract.
The class action lawsuit move to federal court, before winding up back in a Georgia state court. Numerous discovery rounds and preliminary motions delayed settlement of the class action lawsuit until September 2016, when a mediator helped establish the legal framework for a class action settlement. Circuit Court Judge Darrell Pratt preliminarily approved the class action settlement in August of 2017.
Terms of the class action settlement require Hertz to set up a $2 million fund to compensate Pauley as incentive for coming forward as the primary plaintiff, as well as payment to eligible class members who incurred the same administrative fees. Money established in the settlement fund also goes towards paying for court costs and attorney fees.
Hertz continues to deny violating any provision of its rental agreement. However, Hertz agreed to settle the class action lawsuit to avoid the high costs of protracted litigation
What You Need To Know About The Hertz Parking Violation Fee Class Action Settlement
According to class counsel, eligible class members “covers all persons who rented a car from Hertz in the U.S., were billed between April 1, 2008 and April 30, 2017 for an administrative or handling fee related to a parking ticket issued for the rental vehicle, paid that administrative or handling fee, paid the parking ticket on time, and did not receive any refund or adjustment for the administrative or handling fee.” Eligible class members have until November 1, 2017 to opt out of the class action settlement or dispute any of the provisions in the agreement. The potential award per class member is between $10 and $20. Class members must include documentation that proves they paid a parking ticket for a Hertz rental vehicle, such as a bank statement, cancelled check, or credit card receipt.
The deadline for submit a valid claim form is November 30, 2017. Pauley v. Hertz Global Holdings Inc., et al., Case No. 13-C-236, in the Circuit Court of Wayne County, W.V. has a final hearing scheduled on November 16, 2017. Learn more about the final hearing by visiting the class action settlement website www.HertzParkingViolationFeeSettlement.com. The class action settlement website also presents the list of attorneys who represent the class and defense counsels, as well as the criteria for receiving the potential award.
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