Need legal advise.

File a lien on the title and after that's done call to let the customer know you have a lien. I wouldn't put anymore time into it other than that. There is no way in hell that you should have turned that vehicle over without cash in hand. Cop is an idiot too because this is a civil matter. In some states theft of services is an arrestable offense!

God I sure am glad I don't have to deal with this anymore, since I no longer mess with POV's

 

I do agree with speak with an attorney. The cop was out of line and in a legal term. He went beyond the color of blue. He took away your rights and a good lawyer will exploit that.

 

Under 2k claims go in small court, there is no lawyer needed

 

For moral satisfaction?

 

If you plan on filing a lien on the car, you may first need to obtain a judgment. It would be worth at least talking to a lawyer before proceeding. You may also need to file in the jurisdiction where the activity occurred. If you are a member of OOIDA, they might be able to advise you as to how to best proceed. Some lawyers take cases on contingency. If you file suit and are successful, the defendant is usually liable for all court costs and legal fees. I never hauled a pov without either the customer paying up front or COD with guaranteed funds or a cash.

 

I've done this before not with a car but a truck that was transported from California to New Jersey, the broker took the money and left my driver holding the bag. The cops demanded that it come off the trailer and my lawyer told the cops to stick it because it now has a lien on it and will go into storage until the bill is paid. The cops threaten the driver with an arrest and we had to call the county in the state and talk to the prosecutor's office to get this straight. Lawyer pointed out that this is interstate commerce, not a local tow company and the person who arranged the load is the legal responsible party not the owner when it comes to third party logistics. He also told the owner that until the bill is paid, it will remain in our care in storage, it is his problem to deal with the broker. It took three months to get it straight and the owner had to also pay for the storage fees. By the way he tried to take us to court, the judge said too bad we had it for no payment under the law so pay the bill.

 

That's a civil matter. A real police officer wouldn't have got involved with it