illegally towed by city of los angeles

[blueprint1970]

on Sunday 2/8/15 my friends and I parked in downtown la on Hope St and Venice. We double and triple checked to see if we were legally allowed to park. We noticed no signs posted at all. We came back 3 hours later to find our car towed. The whole street was cleared of vehicles. We took an uber to the tow yard, and we came to realize that 40 other people were also in line waiting to retrieve there vehicles for the same exact reason in the same area.

No signs were posted but only after we returned. My ticket was cited at 11:12am when we parked at 10:30am. I spoke with the tow company the following week and the manager said his company towed 117 vehicles that day. He laughed and said the grammys took place.

What action can I take?

I have three other people who's car also was illegally towed and we have 5 witnesses.

Please let me know.

 

[single317dad]

on Sunday 2/8/15 my friends and I parked in downtown la on Hope St and Venice. We double and triple checked to see if we were legally allowed to park. We noticed no signs posted at all. We came back 3 hours later to find our car towed. The whole street was cleared of vehicles. We took an uber to the tow yard, and we came to realize that 40 other people were also in line waiting to retrieve there vehicles for the same exact reason in the same area.

No signs were posted but only after we returned. My ticket was cited at 11:12am when we parked at 10:30am. I spoke with the tow company the following week and the manager said his company towed 117 vehicles that day. He laughed and said the grammys took place.

What action can I take?

I have three other people who's car also was illegally towed and we have 5 witnesses.

Please let me know.

I'm not entirely clear on the meaning of the bolded. Do you mean there were no signs posted until after you returned to the location you parked, subsequent to your car being towed? Can you prove there were no signs before? Was there a municipal order that was made public in some other way (publication in a newspaper, for example)?

 

[CdwJava]

You should have been provided paperwork for the tow (most likely a CHP 180 form used by most departments, but I think LAPD uses their own version of it). On that form should be a code section for the "authority" of the tow. What Vehicle Code or other code is listed there?

State law does not allow a last minute tow like that. Signs should have been posted well in advance to lawfully permit the towing of vehicles. If signs were not properly posted, and there was no other reason for the tow, then the city could be liable for (I believe, off the top of my head) up to four times the cost of the impound.

 

[blueprint1970]

I'm not entirely clear on the meaning of the bolded. Do you mean there were no signs posted until after you returned to the location you parked, subsequent to your car being towed? Can you prove there were no signs before? Was there a municipal order that was made public in some other way (publication in a newspaper, for example)?

I have no proof. We took no pictures but I do have myself and 3 other witnesses and 117 other cars that were towed that day. I think the majority of them were also towed for the same reason at least the 40 people I spoke to, while waiting in line to get my car out of the impound, also contested for the same reason.

 

[blueprint1970]

You should have been provided paperwork for the tow (most likely a CHP 180 form used by most departments, but I think LAPD uses their own version of it). On that form should be a code section for the "authority" of the tow. What Vehicle Code or other code is listed there?

State law does not allow a last minute tow like that. Signs should have been posted well in advance to lawfully permit the towing of vehicles. If signs were not properly posted, and there was no other reason for the tow, then the city could be liable for (I believe, off the top of my head) up to four times the cost of the impound.

I only received a simple citation for the violation and had to pay the towing fees. LAPD uses private towing companies, 18 to be exact. It's a very lucrative business for all parties. No signs were posted. If there were I would not waste my time trying to contest it but simple pay it because I was in the wrong but I was not.

When I file a claim aganist the city should I also impose the four times the cost of the impound? Chances are they will deny my claim and I will have to take them to court over this matter ??