SACRAMENTO – A Nevada resident claims a Bakersfield company and a Clovis company illegally repossessed her vehicle in Arvin.
Elvia Aracela Melendez-Salazar filed a complaint on Feb. 3 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California against Golden Empire Towing Inc. and AOC Adjusters Fresno LTD citing the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that on Jan. 12, 2016, she entered into a contract at Del Sol Auto Sales for the purchase of a vehicle. The suit states that Del Sol incorrectly believed plaintiff had fallen behind on her payments in July 2016 and contracted with the defendants to repossess the vehicle.
The plaintiff holds Golden Empire Towing Inc. and AOC Adjusters Fresno LTD responsible because the defendants allegedly deprived plaintiff of the rights to her personal properties, and deprived plaintiff of the enjoyment and use of her vehicle and refused to let her collect personal item that were in the vehicle at the time of repossession.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment against defendants, actual damages, statutory damages, costs of litigation and attorney’s fees. She is represented by Sara F. Khosroabadi and Robert L. Hyde of Hyde & Swigart in San Diego.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California Case number 1:17-cv-00151