City of El Paso announces resolution in unlawful towing suit
Update (August 1, 2024): The City of El Paso announced today it has resolved the lawsuit.
"Via the DOJ’s lawsuit and the City’s crossclaims, separate settlements with URT and RRE were reached," a city spokesperson explained.
United Road Towing Inc. (URT) will pay about $58,000 in damages to 50 servicemembers and a civil penalty of $20,000, according to the city.
Rod Robertson Enterprises Inc. (RRE) will pay $140,000 in damages to 122 servicemembers and pay a civil penalty of $20,000, according to the city.
The city says it spent about $130,000 in legal fees and is in the middle of resolving crossclaims against RRE.
“We are pleased to have reached an agreement with the DOJ in this matter,” said City Attorney Karla Nieman. “This resolution underscores our commitment to upholding federal laws protecting our servicemembers. This was particularly important to the City given the longstanding and close relationships we have with Fort Bliss, whose soldiers, family members, and veterans are considered an integral part of our community. We continue to work diligently to ensure that all contractual obligations are met and that proper procedures are followed."
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- El Paso City Council passed a motion on July 17 to enter settlement negotiations with the federal government in a lawsuit surrounding unlawful towing.
'United States of America v. City of El Paso; United Road Towing, Inc.', which was filed in 2023, says the city and United Road Towing impounded and auctioned 176 vehicles of service members without a court order. The federal government claims this violates the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, which is meant to give service members extra protections when legal proceedings may impact their duties.
The Department of Justice first began investigating after a Fort Bliss soldier alleged her truck had been towed and auctioned off without court orders.
