Metro woman wins $7.1M in landmark case against local tow company

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — $7.1 million; that's the staggering amount just awarded to a metro woman who sued a local tow company, a ruling that sends a powerful message against predatory towing practices in Kansas City, Missouri.
For years, FOX4 has covered the ongoing issues with predatory towing in the area. Tonight, that woman's lawyer is clear: The verdict is a warning to tow companies everywhere.
If that number doesn't get your attention, consider the fact that the tow company is still operating, but essentially hiding from the public, trying to change its name.
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That won't work, though, because this woman's attorney tells FOX4 they're going after every dime of that $7.1 million, and they won't stop until they get it.
Brianne Thomas recently wrapped up what she calls a righteous fight against Haney's Trucking and Tow.
The case dates back to 2022, when a woman parked her food truck, 'Crazy Tacos,' in a lot that used to be abandoned. There were no signs forbidding parking, but when she returned, her food truck, which was her livelihood, was gone.
'They towed the truck after 30 minutes; they towed illegally,' Brianne Thomas, Attorney at Boyd Kenter Thomas & Parish LLC, said.
Her car was the only one parked in the lot that was towed, and for a tow to be legal in Missouri, the property owner must be there. However, they were not.
If she wanted her truck back, the towing company demanded thousands of dollars.
Over the next two years, the company kept her truck and even started transferring ownership out of her name and into theirs.
'They were successful, they had her truck for 699 days,' Thomas said.
Refusing to accept this, she filed a complaint with the Attorney General's office and hired lawyers to prepare for a fight.
Now, that fight has been won. A jury awarded $6.9 million in punitive damages, plus another $200,000 in compensatory damages.
'The people of Kansas City spoke loud – they spoke not just to this community but to the entire towing industry, and they said it's not going to happen here, it's not going to happen anywhere,' Philip Danaher, Attorney Danaher Law Firm, said.
Today, if you visit the tow company's offices listed online, no one is there. The building is up for sale, and attempts to reach them have been met with hang-ups. A neighbor near a second listed location confirmed the operation has shut down in the past month.
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The attorney who represented the company refused to comment on the case.
'The jury said not anymore, not in this community. We are going to send a message to these illegal tow truck operators in Kansas City and across this state that we are not going to accept this any longer,' Thomas said.
The bottom line, according to Brianne Thomas, is that you must know your rights when it comes to getting towed. Don't just assume you have to pay whatever amount the tow company demands.
Did the woman get her food truck back? She did, but it was badly damaged. All of her equipment inside was gone, and the truck could barely move, going only five to ten miles per hour.
Her victory, however, came in the form of a $7.1 million judgment, a clear message to predatory tow companies everywhere.
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