Washington post predatory towing

McAuliffe took a meeting with Marsden, Sen. Barbara Favola of Arlington County, and business groups on April 24th to discuss the bill.

McAuliffe said he was won over by arguments that the second signature provision was harmful to small business owners, who said the new rule was cumbersome and unworkable. To bolster his cause, O'Neill hired three lobbyists. Two of them are longtime friends of the governor, David Jones and Chris Petersen, who had never lobbied in Virginia prior to McAuliffe taking office.

Petersen, a law school friend of McAuliffe's, is also treasurer of the governor's political action committee. McAuliffe said Jones and Petersen didn't speak to him directly and their lobbying had no impact on his decision. O'Neill declined to answer questions about why he hired Petersen and Jones as lobbyists, saying only that he had information he wanted to "make sure'' was passed on to the governor's office.

The extent of their lobbying efforts is unclear, as neither Petersen or Jones returned requests for comment. Petersen sent emails to some of McAuliffe's staff prior to the meeting, which contained the same talking points that the business community and towing companies had been making. In Ohio, legislation requires that owners be allowed to remove personal property from their vehicles at no charge. It also requires truck operators to tell owners who arrive at the scene during the hook up that they can pay half a tow charge to have the vehicle released.

Tow truck drivers would have to take photos to show a vehicle was in violation. Predatory towing is more prevalent in larger cities and complaints are plentiful. Although Maryland has a predatory towing law, Virginia does not, making the capital area a windfall for predatory towing companies. New Jersey not only has a law; the state cracks down on those who violate it.

Credit: Ruben de Rijcke. Not an NMA Member yet? Join the NMA and become an agent of change for the motoring public:. Auto Tech Watch. Car of the Future. Driving in America. Eric Peters, syndicated columnist. John Carr, A Look Closer. Keep the US Moving. Street Surveillance Watch. Tolling in America. Traffic Law Blog. Online court records and case information posted by attorneys said proceedings continue in the case, indicating the number of drivers involved in the suit could grow.

Multiple sources said the company has gone out of business in the wake of the class action suit. Darcy Pelz-Butler of Wheaton is among the recipients of the class action payments.