Attorney John Bisnar, CaliforniaDespite a state law prohibiting predatory towing practices, some California towing companies still engage in abusive non-consent towing. But Attorney John Bisnar stands in their way and, recently, took a case for free on behalf of a guy named Jason Taylor.
Bisnar was kind enough to touch base with www.towingutopia.com by email...
...when I asked for permission to republish some material referencing him.
Bisnar said he is not trying to promote himself as an attorney to victims of predatory towing because there is "absolutely no money" in the cases. Bisnar said he took the Taylor case because "towing companies that use these tactics [mild expletive] me off and I just hate to see some guy like Taylor who is doing everything he can to fight back get bullied."
Bisnar added the following intriguing observation: "I am relatively sure there is an organized crime element to many of these tow companies. I based my opinion on how they operate, the people involved, the multiple ownerships of towing companies by the same general group of people all making a good amount of cash transactions."
Here is the article from Centre Daily which described Bisnar's legal fight on behalf of John Taylor.
"Predatory towing company in Orange County still extorts consumers," says Attorney John Bisnar
June 17, 2008
LOS ANGELES--For the past several years, newspapers such as The New York Times and Los Angeles Times have reported the abusive practices of predatory towing companies in California, particularly Orange County. According to numerous news reports, these companies have towed cars with young children in them; deliberately rammed and damaged vehicles and then extorted money from their owners for "damage" caused to their tow trucks and, in one case, caused the death of a desperate car owner who ran alongside a tow truck driver pleading for his car.
Because of these incidents, bill AB2210 was passed, becoming law in January 2007. According to the lawsuit, this new law didn't stop Beach Cities Towing Services from abusing Jason Taylor.
On Sunday, September 2, 2007, Jason Taylor had parked two vehicles in front of his condominium complex. One of the vehicles was legally parked, waiting for a parking permit from his homeowners association, and the other vehicle was temporarily parked while Taylor went inside his home.
When Taylor arrived about 10 minutes later, two tow trucks from Beach Cities had arrived. Although Taylor stated one [vehicle] was legally parked and he would move the other, the two truck drivers still towed both vehicles, ultimately charging Taylor $560 to remove them.
Taylor successfully sued in small claims court, receiving a judgment in his favor for $560 on April 17, 2007. However, on May 12, 2008, Beach Cities requested a new trial. The case was heard before Judge Margaret Anderson on June 13, 2008 in Orange County Superior Court, Case No. 30-2007-00035167-SC-SC-HLH.
Taylor won his case again, with the help of personal injury law firm Bisnar Chase. The court awarded Taylor $2,500, fining Beach Cities the maximum amount; $560 to cover his previous judgment and $150 in attorney's fees.
"I knew the law was on my side and the judge agreed," said Taylor. "It often seems like little guys like me can't get a break. Well, this time one little guy certainly did.
About Bisnar Chase
Bisnar Chase is a California personal injury law firm that represents people who have been very seriously injured or lost a family member because of an accident, a defective product or negligence. They have won a wide variety of challenging personal injury cases ranging from auto, construction, pool and on-the-job accidents, dog attacks, governmental agency negligence to defective products made by Fortune 500 companies.
For more information, visit www.bestattorney.com and www.californiainjuryblog.com
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I should also note that Bisnar Chase has its own blog. Yes, lawyers who are bloggers. What an amazing world we live in! Naturally, they blogged about the Taylor case.
Despite the fact relatively minor incidents like the Taylor case are not worth the time of an attorney, except for fulfilling pro bono hours and the good feeling involved, Bisnar Chase is gathering information about the larger pattern abusive towing in California. Maybe some kind of further needed reform will come out of this effort. I hope so.
Here is a link to the portion of their website where they are asking for predatory towing horror stories.
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