WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - The automobile-rental company Budget faces a proposed class action lawsuit in Florida that claims it wrongly accuses customers of stealing its cars.
A lawsuit was filed April 22 against Budget Rent A Car Systems, Inc., and Avis Budget Group, Inc., by Gregory R. Berman in Palm Beach County Circuit Court.
The suit alleges that Budget falsely accused numerous customers of stealing its vehicles due to lapses in rental records, leading to wrongful arrests, felony charges, and jail time for some customers.
The systemic mass reporting without verification or investigation has allegedly caused significant damage to many innocent lives.
Berman's case details how he rented a Nissan Pathfinder from Budget in September 2021 and arranged for automatic monthly payments from his bank account.
Despite being up-to-date with his payments, Berman was arrested on April 26, 2022, on false charges of motor vehicle theft, the suit says. Even after showing proof of payment to the arresting officer and the officer's subsequent call to Budget's security manager Lidia Sabri, Berman was detained overnight at the Palm Beach detention facility, the suit says.
The lawsuit seeks damages for injuries sustained by Berman and others as a direct result of Budget’s alleged wrongful conduct, negligence, and defamatory statements connected to its false reporting of stolen vehicles.
David Langley of Plantation represents the plaintiff.