It's a scenario that sounds like something out of your worst corporate nightmare. Receiving correspondence via e-mail claiming that Hertz rental car you returned without incident a few days ago accusing you of stealing the vehicle you'd just returned.
But these are the exact claims levied against the Hertz rental car company in a Delaware State bankruptcy court this week. A company that recently made headlines for a reported landmark deal with Tesla now finds itself under fire.
All for accusations of issuing false and misleading allegations against their own customers. Claiming that some of their customers had stolen their rented vehicles. Some even threatened with time behind bars.
As many as 230 different people are accusing the Hertz company of having them falsely imprisoned. After Hertz themselves accused them of stealing rented company vehicles using erroneous or possibly fabricated theft reports. Shockingly, some accusers even claim they were arrested at gunpoint. At the current moment, the exact number of lawsuits filed as well as the specific number of arrests are still sealed documents in court proceedings.
The Hertz Corporation made headlines during the darkest days of the global health crisis in the Spring of 2020. With cities and towns nationwide under strict lockdown, operating profits for Hearst Corporation effectively ceased to exist.
Demand for rental cars was at an all-time low during this time. Hertz only exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in July of 2021, but court proceedings outside of strictly bankruptcy-related issues continue to bedevil the century-old icon of the American auto biz.
If found guilty, the still reeling Hertz Corporation could face heavy monetary penalties, as well as potential emotional damage settlements on a case by case basis, with the 200-plus strong currently taking them head-on in court. What the results of the court's findings wind up presenting remains to be seen as of mid-February 2022.
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