Attorneys expand wrongful theft allegations case against Hertz

ESTERO — Lawyers representing people accusing The Hertz Corp. of incorrectly reporting rented cars stolen are expected to expand their case Monday, Dec. 6, with several new filings.

Monday’s filings will include “a significant number of new Hertz false arrest victims” and affidavits from several new litigants “with particularly egregious and explosive cases,” according to a spokeswoman for Philadelphia attlorney Francis Malofiy. Malofiy is representing the claimants in the case.

The lawsuit accuses the Lee County-based rental car company of reporting vehicles stolen while the drivers are in good standing, leading to dozens of false arrests.

The lawsuit is being heard in federal bankruptcy court, where it moved after the company filed Chapter 11 last year.

Hertz has denied the allegations.

In an emailed statement to the Business Observer Nov. 4, the company didn’t dispute that it occasionally reports rented vehicles stolen, saying that “the vast majority of these cases involve renters who were many weeks or even months overdue returning vehicles and who stopped communicating with us well beyond the scheduled due date.”

The company did not respond to a request for comment Friday, Dec. 3.

“Situations where vehicles are reported to the authorities are very rare,” the statement says, “and happen only after exhaustive attempts to reach the customer.”