More Hertz customers come forward in class action lawsuit after being accused of driving stolen vehicles

Customers suing Hertz after false theft reports.

More Hertz Car Rental customers have joined the class action lawsuit saying they were stopped, detained, and even spent months in jail because the car rental company filed stolen car reports on vehicles they had rented and paid for.

Close to 200 people across the United States are accusing Hertz of “falsely implicating customers in car thefts.”

In one such story, Cindi and Myles Musgraves were driving through Mount Juliet in Tennessee in their Hertz rental vehicle in September 2020 when they said they were stopped by police and accused of stealing their rental car.

“I got pulled over and I’m talking about they shut a whole lane of traffic down, had their guns drawn. It was pretty scary actually,” Cindi Musgraves said.

Attorney Francis Malofiy said he’s heard this happening over 100 times. Malofiy is representing the Musgraves and over 200 people in a class action lawsuit against Hertz.

“They can’t keep track of their inventory. Their computer systems are broken and they don’t do the verification to determine where their cars are,” Malofiy said.

In another incident in January 2020, Cristel Hibbs was unable to return her Hertz car to Philadelphia Airport due to the strict lockdown imposed by lawmakers.

However, this did not stop police showing up at her doorstop accusing her of stealing the car.

“The other police officer handcuffed me, and I said ‘Why am I being arrested,’ and he said, ‘Cause you’re in possession of a stolen vehicle,’ and I was barefoot. It was raining. Because I was handcuffed, my daughter had to put my shoes on me,” Hibbs said.

In April 2018, Julius Burnside heard there was a warrant out for his arrest after returning his Hertz rental.

“I felt it was a joke..like you you’re telling me I got a warrant for my arrest for something I paid for. That’s not possible,” Burnside said.

Burnside claims Hertz told him to take the matter up with the police despite receipts showing that he paid and returned the vehicle.

After turning himself in, he was released after a week but according to the lawsuit, he missed a court date which resulted in his re-arrest and detention.

Seven months later, Burnside says he was forced to sign a plea deal to get out of jail.

Attorney Francis Malofiy and his clients are asking for around $530,000,000 in damages based on days in prison, days of prosecution, reputation damage, expungement and credit repair.