Who We Are – Los Angeles Repo Attorneys
Alexander B. Trueblood is a Los Angeles repossession lawyer, who exclusively represents ordinary people against banks, finance companies, and their repossession agencies. He is a long-standing member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, and has been interviewed by the media on many occasions, including by Fox News, CBS News, NBC News, and the Los Angeles Times.
Mr. Trueblood is California’s leading and most experienced car repossession attorney, having brought more repossession cases than any other consumer attorney in California. These cases have been remarkably successful for the firm’s clients, representing over a billion dollars in settlements. The repossession industry and their attorneys know Mr. Trueblood well (too well they might say), and that reputation helps to settle cases. Mr. Trueblood has been the pioneer in holding the repossession industry accountable in the California courts, and began bringing repossession cases way back in 1998, when this was a new and untested field.
If you are in need of an experienced car repossession attorney in Los Angeles, contact our law firm today.
What We Do – Wrongful Repossessions
The following are some of the typical wrongful repossession cases our attorney in Los Angeles handles.
They Stole My Car – I Don’t Even Have A Loan With Them!
In these cases, the client owns the car free and clear, and out of the blue, some bank or finance company the client has never heard of snatches the vehicle, typically returning it with a “so sorry” after a day or two and an invitation to sign a release. What happened? Some borrower back in the chain of title committed fraud and wiped the bank’s lien off of title, then sold the vehicle to an innocent buyer. The bank never checked title before repossessing a vehicle to which it had no rights at all.
They Broke Into My Garage!
The repossession agency goes through a security gate, to enter either underground or above-ground parking. They either “piggy-back” in, or trick the gate. Sometimes they even break locks. This is known as a breach of the peace. The gate has to be locked, not just closed, in order for this to be a violation. Get your apartment’s security video before it gets erased, and give us a call for a free consultation.
They Ignored My Objections!
If the repo man shows up and you object before they hook up the vehicle, they must leave and get a court order. But they often refuse to leave and try to intimidate you. There is a stand-off, with one or both sides calling the police. The police typically side with the repo man (due to poor training), and the car gets repossessed. This is a breach of the peace, so contact our repo lawyer to take advantage of our free consultation.
They Got Physical!
Any form of touching or pushing is illegal and a breach of the peace. Of course, violence is “right out” during a repossession, as Monty Python would say.
They Damaged My Car!
The repossession agency is responsible for any damage they did to your car. Take some pictures of the damage and get some repair estimates, then give us a call for a free consultation.
My First Payment Wasn’t Even Due!
In this situation, a car dealership sells the car to the client, and then fails to find financing. The dealership starts harassing the client to return the vehicle with lots of phone calls and threats of repossession. Under the usual contract, the dealership has only ten days to inform you in writing that the deal is canceled because they couldn’t find a lender. If that written notice wasn’t mailed within the ten days, that car is yours and you do not have to return it. You are going to need a lawyer in this situation and we have handled many such cases successfully. Keep your voicemails and don’t miss that first payment to the dealership. Keep in mind that you are in a contractual relationship with the dealership, and that payment has to go to the dealership, not any bank, no matter how much talk there has been about a bank taking over your loan.
They Won’t Let Me Get My Car Back After Repo!
After repossession, the bank or finance company denies reinstatement, and demands the full loan balance to get the car back. They typically claim you were hiding the car, lied on your credit application, or had another repossession in the last year. Under the Rees-Levering Act, you have a right to reinstate and get your car back unless one of these exceptions truly applies. Give us a call for a free consultation to sort out this situation, as we are experts on Rees-Levering Act reinstatement issues, which are surprisingly complicated.
I Paid To Get My Car Back and They Are Delaying!
Once you pay to reinstate the loan, you should get your car back within a few days at the maximum. If the bank delays any longer than that, or the repo company says you have to wait even more time, after the bank releases the car, give our repossession attorneys a call for a free consultation.
They Want Me To Pay A Deficiency Balance!
The bank sells the car and there is a balance left over. The bank or its debt collectors begin collection calls, report the account on the client’s credit reports, and maybe even bring a lawsuit. There are lots of defenses to a deficiency balance even if the repossession itself was lawful. Those defenses are typically based on the “Notice of Our Plan to Sell Property” which the bank mails after repossession. This is an area we specialize in and have been the leading law firm in California for over 20 years. Give us a call for a free consultation to review your notice of sale and see if we can defend you against this type of harassing debt collection.
If you are in need of an experienced car repossession attorney in Los Angeles, contact our law firm today.
FAQ – California Laws on Repossession of Cars
How much are repossession fees in California?
Repossession fees just for recovering the vehicle are usually $400-$500 in California, sometimes around $700 if your car is all-wheel drive. The bank will require payment of these repossession fees in order to reinstate your loan.
What about vehicle storage fees?
The local repossession agency can charge a daily storage fee of around $25-50 per day, but only if they mail you a written notice disclosing the charge. Many repo companies never send out this written notice, so call us for a free consultation if you were charged for storage and never received a letter. If your bank or finance company itself wants to be paid storage fees, that is also a red flag. Banks and finance companies rarely store vehicles, and so they can’t charge you directly for storage.
How do I get my personal property back after a California repossession?
The repossession company will bag up your items found in the car, and keep them for sixty days. During this time, you must call the repo agency to make an appointment. The illegal conduct we often see in this area includes playing games to delay your appointment, requiring you to sign releases before you even see your car or personal property, and flat out stealing your property. The repo agency employees are often rude and inconsiderate during this process, unfortunately.
What are leased car repossession laws in California?
Your repossession rights are different under a leased car, in California. The repo company still cannot break into a secured area, use violence, ignore your objections, or damage the car. But, unlike a purchase transaction, the leasing company can deny you the opportunity to reinstate your lease, and you must pay the whole lease balance to get the car back. The leasing company might let you reinstate anyway, but they rarely do. This means that most people never get their car back after a lease repossession.
How did that lease balance get so big?
As we consumer attorneys say, leasing is fleecing. The consumer signs the lease because the payments are smaller. That is fine if you complete your lease term and make all your payments. But everything changes upon repossession, and the consumer suddenly owes the entire value of the vehicle, a shock to most leasing customers. After the sale of the car, there is usually a very large deficiency balance owed, and we assist consumers in getting out of that. There are defenses but we have to carefully analyze your situation, especially the notice of sale of the vehicle which your leasing company will send you by mail. Please call our car repossession attorneys in Los Angeles for a free consultation if you are being pursued for a lease deficiency balance.