https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-02-10/hertz-renters-car-theft * Business * California * Climate & Environment * Entertainment & Arts * En Espanol * Food * Housing & Homelessness * Image * Lifestyle * Obituaries * Opinion * Politics * Science * Sports * Travel * World & Nation * All Sections * _________________ * Newsletters * Photography * Podcasts * Video * _________________ * About Us + About Us + Archives + Company News + eNewspaper + For the Record + Got a Tip? + L.A. Times Careers + L.A. Times Store + L.A. Times Studios + News App: Apple IOS + News App: Google Play + Newsroom Directory + Public Affairs + Rights, Clearance & Permissions + About Us + Archives + Company News + eNewspaper + For the Record + Got a Tip? + L.A. Times Careers + L.A. Times Store + L.A. Times Studios + News App: Apple IOS + News App: Google Play + Newsroom Directory + Public Affairs + Rights, Clearance & Permissions * Advertising + Place an Ad + Classifieds + Coupons + People on the Move + Find/Post Jobs + Local Ads Marketplace + Media Kit: Why the L.A. Times? + Hot Property Sections + Place an Open House + Sotheby's International Realty + Place an Ad + Classifieds + Coupons + People on the Move + Find/Post Jobs + Local Ads Marketplace + Media Kit: Why the L.A. Times? + Hot Property Sections + Place an Open House + Sotheby's International Realty * Bestcovery * B2B Publishing * Business Visionaries * Hot Property * Las Vegas Guide * Crossword & Games * L.A. Times Events * L.A. Times Store * Subscriptions + Manage Subscription + EZPAY + Delivery Issue + eNewspaper + Students & Educators + Subscribe + Subscriber Terms + Gift Subscription Terms + Manage Subscription + EZPAY + Delivery Issue + eNewspaper + Students & Educators + Subscribe + Subscriber Terms + Gift Subscription Terms Copyright (c) 2022, Los Angeles Times | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | CA Notice of Collection | Do Not Sell My Personal Information Sections * California * Entertainment * Sports * Food * Climate * Image * Opinion * | * Bestcovery * Coupons * Crossword * eNewspaper Show Search [ ]Search Query Submit Search Advertisement * Facebook * Twitter * Show more sharing options ShareClose extra sharing options * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Email * Copy Link URLCopied! * Print Business Hertz accuses thousands of its customers of crimes, court papers show A Hertz car rental branch office. Hertz filed nearly 8,000 theft reports against its own customers annually, advocates for falsely arrested customers said in a federal court filing. (Getty Images) By Steven Church Bloomberg Feb. 10, 2022 5:21 PM PT * Facebook * Twitter * Show more sharing options ShareClose extra sharing options * Facebook * Twitter * LinkedIn * Email * Copy Link URLCopied! * Print Hertz Corp., facing lawsuits from hundreds of car renters who say they were falsely arrested for auto theft, files thousands of related criminal complaints each year against customers, according to claims in newly released court documents. In one four-year period, the company filed nearly 8,000 theft reports annually, advocates for the customers who allege they were falsely arrested said in a federal court filing Thursday in Wilmington, Del. The advocates cited internal data from Hertz that a judge ordered the company to release. A breakdown of the theft reports isn't public, so it's not yet possible to know how many complaints were against customers and how many were for other types of theft. Under certain circumstances, Hertz will tell police that a customer may have stolen a car. Many of those people turn out to have valid contracts and have been falsely arrested, according to the lawsuits. FILE - In this May 6, 2020, file photo, a Hertz car rental is closed during the coronavirus pandemic in Paramus, N.J. Hertz filed for bankruptcy protection Friday, May 22, 2020, unable to withstand the pandemic that has crippled global travel and with it, the heavily indebted 102-year-old car rental company's business. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File) Business Column: He hasn't smoked in decades. But Hertz is hitting him with a $400 smoking fee A Highland Park man, who says he hasn't smoked for 25 years, was told by Hertz to pay a $400 fee after workers claimed they smelled cigarettes. Advertisement Messages left for Hertz representatives weren't immediately returned. CBS, which hired lawyers to help get the documents unsealed, previously reported that Hertz said the "vast majority" of cases involve renters who were weeks or months overdue on returns and authorities are brought in only after "exhaustive attempts" to reach a customer. In a court hearing Wednesday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Mary Walrath ordered the annual theft numbers to be made public, siding with advocates for 220 people suing Hertz who argued that more details about Hertz's internal anti-theft program should be public. A customer checks in at a Hertz car rental counter at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Business Column: Hertz refused to let facts get in the way of an unwarranted late fee An L.A. man can prove he was on a plane awaiting takeoff when Hertz says he returned his rental car. Nevertheless, Hertz imposed a late fee. Court documents show that some of the customers who rented cars were jailed, some of them years after they rented and returned the cars. At least one allegedly was held at gunpoint just hours after paying for a rental. "Hertz now admits that it reports thousands of its own customers for auto theft each year," lawyers for the plaintiffs said in court papers. The problems are companywide and systemic, they allege. NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 30: A Hertz car rental agency stands in Manhattan on June 30, 2016 in New York City. In an effort to expand its presence in the ride-hailing business, Hertz Global Holdings Inc. is expanding a car rental program to drivers working for Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. Hertz currently has a network of 8,500 locations across the country. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD ** Business Column: She found a used condom in her rental car. Hertz hit her with a cleaning fee A woman told Hertz she found a used condom in a rental car. Then Hertz billed her for dog hair, even though she didn't have a dog in the vehicle. The claims often involve long-term rentals, some set up directly by the customer, others through an auto insurance company, according to court documents. Those who claim Hertz had them wrongly arrested have filed claims in Bankruptcy Court demanding to be paid like other creditors of the company. Walrath oversaw Hertz's Chapter 11 reorganization, which ended last year with a plan to pay creditors in full. NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 30: A Hertz car rental agency stands in Manhattan on June 30, 2016 in New York City. In an effort to expand its presence in the ride-hailing business, Hertz Global Holdings Inc. is expanding a car rental program to drivers working for Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. Hertz currently has a network of 8,500 locations across the country. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG, CM - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD ** Business Column: Hertz symbolizes everything that's wrong with American corporations Hertz is a one-stop shop for American corporate shortcomings. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Business Newsletter Get the lowdown on L.A. politics In this pivotal election year, we'll break down the ballot and tell you why it matters in our L.A. on the Record newsletter. Enter email address[ ] Sign Me Up You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. More From the Los Angeles Times * Built in 1978 by prolific architect Edward Fickett, the house includes a swimming pool and tennis court. Real Estate David Spade sells Beverly Crest mansion for $19.5 million * Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of Calif., speaks during her weekly press conference, Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022 at the Capitol in Washington. (Shawn Thew/Pool via AP) Business Column: Ban congressional stock trading, but don't stop there * MONTECITO, CALIFORNIA: FEBRUARY 4, 2022 - Portraits of Jill Kellehers, Amber Kelleher-Andrews, Tallulah Kelleher-Andrews, Co-Ceo John Berg, and Nico Andrews. Kelleher International is one of the country's largest matchmaking firms. The company's clientele is a tabloid's dream lineup of Hollywood entertainers, Silicon Valley founders, professional athletes and coaches, politicians and Wall Street tycoons. (CREDIT: Michelle Groskopf / For The Times) Business Finding love for $300,000: Behind the scenes of a luxury matchmaking business * A used t-shirt showing an alternate reality - where the Bengals beat the 49ers in 1989 - is priced at $10,000 on eBay. Business The bizarre economy of Super Bowl merchandise: What happens to the losing team's 'champion' apparel? Subscribers Are Reading * Business A controversial home-ownership model is gaining steam again in L.A. -- with a twist * Business 'A crisis for renters': Football sent Inglewood home prices and rents skyrocketing * Housing & Homelessness L.A. voters are angry, think elected officials aren't equipped to solve homelessness * California A text message that 'all Asian people need to die' has Occidental College in an uproar * California L.A. County on track to relax some outdoor mask rules as COVID hospitalizations drop Advertisement Latest Business * Business Gen Z is ready to break up with Tinder, and these new dating apps are here for the rebound * Business Super Bowl jet-setters are descending on L.A. Who's managing the private plane traffic jam? * Business Horrific allegations of racism prompt California lawsuit against Tesla * Business Elon Musk's Starship could be on first orbital flight as soon as March * Business Stocks slump, bond yields soar after a hot inflation reading Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Los Angeles Times A California Times publication Subscribe for unlimited access Follow Us * twitter * instagram * youtube * facebook * + eNewspaper + Coupons + Find/Post Jobs + Place an Ad + Media Kit: Why the L. A. Times? + Bestcovery * + Crossword + Sudoku + Obituaries + Recipes + L.A. Times Store + Wine Club * + About/Contact + For the Record + L.A. Times Careers + Manage Subscription + Reprints and Permissions + Site Map Copyright (c) 2022, Los Angeles Times | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | CA Notice of Collection | Do Not Sell My Personal Information