Rental car company Hertz has settled a lawsuit in which hundreds of customers accused the company of falsely reporting their rental cars as stolen, leading to multiple arrests and even jail time for paying customers.
The company has agreed to pay out $168 million by the end of 2022 to the 364 victims listed on the lawsuit, noting that a “meaningful portion” of the money will be provided by insurance carriers associated with Hertz.
Related: Nearly 50 People Have Sued Hertz, Claiming They Were Falsely Arrested for Stealing Cars
“As I have said since joining Hertz earlier this year, my intention is to lead a company that puts the customer first. In resolving these claims, we are holding ourselves to that objective,” Stephen Scherr, CEO of Hertz, said in a company release. “While we will not always be perfect, the professionals at Hertz will continue to work every day to provide best-in-class service to the tens of millions of people we serve each year. Moving forward, it is our intention to reshape the future of our company through electrification, shared mobility and a great digital-first customer experience.”
The company does not expect the payout to impact any allocation plans for the rest of this year as well as 2023.
Hertz was down just shy of 38% in a one-year period as of Tuesday afternoon.
Emily Rella
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