Charlotte tow owner who booted Black drivers during pandemic settles with state
The owner of two Charlotte towing companies has agreed to pay what prosecutors called his racially-targeted victims a total of $30,000 for booting and towing their trucks and price-gouging them during the pandemic, N.C. Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced this week.
In 2020, the N.C. Department of Justice sued David Jewel Satterfield and his Charlotte-based companies, A1 Towing Solutions Inc. and Automobile Recovery and Parking Enforcement Inc. They were accused of booting trucks owned by Black drivers in majority-Black areas of Charlotte, Jackson said in a news release by the N.C. Department of Justice.
Drivers were delivering food, water and other medical supplies, only to be charged up to $4,000 to release locks placed on their trucks, according to the department.
Jackson alleged that Satterfield violated state price gouging law.
“In some cases, the truck driver presented Satterfield with a written parking permit or parked their truck before he installed signs giving notice that their vehicles would be towed,” according to the release. “But the defendant still towed their truck and charged them excessively high fees to release it.”
Some drivers were called racial epithets and were assaulted as Satterfield tried to tow their trucks, according to the department. The judgment doesn’t say how many victims were involved.
10 restrictions placed on owner
The judgment, reached by the department’s Consumer Protection Division and Civil Rights Unit, is North Carolina’s first in a discriminatory towing case, Jackson said. A Wake County Superior Court judge signed the judgment on Thursday.
The ruling found no violations of state law against Satterfield but put 10 restrictions on him, including no longer being allowed to put boots on commercial vehicles. He also can tow vehicles only with a property owner’s permission, according to the judgment.
If Satterfield violates any of the judgment terms, he’ll have to pay the state $110,000, according to the ruling.
Booting was legal, owner says through lawyer
Attempts by The Charlotte Observer to reach Satterfield were unsuccessful.
In a statement, his lawyer, Winfred Ervin Jr. of Charlotte, said Satterfield and his companies deny the allegations.
“My clients have consistently contended that all of the subject consumer complaints resulted from the lawful booting/towing of illegally parked vehicles from private lots,” Ervin said.
“Vehicle owners are rarely overjoyed to see their vehicle booted or towed over their objection and at their expense, even when they fail to comply with ‘no parking’ signage,” Ervin said.
“Both sides ultimately agreed to substantially compromise their respective positions in order to conclude this litigation and avoid a protracted and expensive trial and appeals process,” according to Ervin’s statement.