Precedent set in North Carolina’s first discriminatory towing case

According to a press release issued by Attorney General Jeff Jackson’s office, the North Carolina Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Division and Civil Rights Unit has reached a decision in the state’s first discriminatory towing case, creating a “powerful precedent going forward.”

Jackson announced on Feb. 16 that David Jewel Satterfield and his Charlotte-based companies, A1 Towing Solutions and Automobile Recovery and Parking Enforcement, racially targeted drivers, illegally booting and towing their vehicles, and engaged in price gouging.

“This judgment will force him to pay back the victims and it will set a clear precedent: If you run a towing company that breaks the law, we are going to take you to court, and we’re going to stop you,” Jackson said in the statement.

The release stated that the DOJ sued Satterfield in 2020 for unlawfully booting and towing trucks that were delivering food, water, and medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic, and charging upwards of $4,000 to release the vehicles. Satterfield towed vehicles and charged excessively high fees to release them even in cases where drivers presented Satterfield with a written parking permit or parked their truck before he installed signs stating that vehicles would be towed, the report states.

“Based on information obtained from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, which maintains records of all tows within the county, the Department of Justice determined that Satterfield towed vehicles owned by African-Americans at an alarmingly high rate and almost exclusively operated in areas of Charlotte that have a majority African-American population,” reads the release. “Further, some African American consumers alleged that Satterfield called them racial epithets and assaulted them when attempting to tow their vehicles. Today’s judgment prohibits Satterfield from engaging in any business practice that discriminates on the basis of race or color.”

Drivers who paid excessive fees to have their vehicles returned will receive combined restitution of $30,000 and several stipulations are in place for Satterfield as a result of the judgment. For example, he or any company he owns or manages:

• Cannot tow vehicles without first getting permission from the owner of the property that the vehicle is on.
• Cannot charge excessive amounts for towing.
• Cannot put boots on commercial vehicles – like the trucks used to deliver food and water during the pandemic.
• Cannot threaten vehicle owners/drivers.
• Cannot tow vehicles from private lots unless the lots are clearly marked with signs.
• Cannot hold onto commercial cargo obtained through a nonconsensual tow.
• Cannot charge separately for towing and impounding the separate parts of a tractor-trailer.
• Cannot boot a vehicle while the driver is in it without first informing the driver or giving the driver a chance to move the vehicle.
• Cannot charge DMV filing fees when no such fee is required.
• Cannot require consumers to schedule a time to pick up their vehicle and then charge them for a delay in the pickup caused by the defendant.

The release concludes that Satterfield will be required to pay the state of North Carolina $110,000 if he violates the terms of the judgment.