First Service Credit Union v. United Road Towing

Case Synopsis

Arias Sanguinetti served as class counsel in a landmark case against United Road Towing and its Nevada subsidiary, City Towing, on behalf of thousands of vehicle owners whose cars were towed without consent.

The lawsuit revealed that the towing companies routinely charged vehicle owners excessive and unexplained fees—then refused to release the vehicles until those fees were paid in full. In many cases, the companies wouldn’t even provide a bill. Instead, they simply named a price and held the car hostage. When people couldn’t pay, their cars were sold at auction—and they were still charged the remaining balance. In other cases, no explanation was ever given about why certain fees were charged or how the amounts were calculated.

Nevada law is clear: tow companies are required to provide a written bill and documentation to back up each charge before collecting fees. But this case proved that wasn’t happening.

After years of litigation and a bench trial, the court found these practices unlawful and awarded $5 million to the certified class. The ruling sent a clear message: companies cannot profit by violating the rights of everyday people—especially when those people have no way to fight back on their own.

Trials in class actions are exceedingly rare and require industry leading trial skills.