Hertz Announces $168 Million Payout for Claims of False Car Theft Accusations

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Rental car company Hertz announced a $168 million settlement on Monday over 364 individual claims that the company falsely reported cars stolen, resulting in hardship, and in some cases, jail time for its customers.

CBS News reported on the theft accusations in February, citing one particularly egregious case in which a Colorado man alleges he was arrested after Hertz reported a car stolen in his name in Georgia—a state he's never visited. The man spent over 24 hours in jail before lawyers were able to prove his innocence and have the charges dismissed.

That story is one of hundreds of claims by people who say they've been falsely arrested over reports from Hertz, a mistake CEO Stephen Scherr earlier this year blamed on a "glitch" in the company's data systems, according to Autoblog.

"As I have said since joining Hertz earlier this year, my intention is to lead a company that puts the customer first," Scherr said in a statement on Monday. "In resolving these claims, we are holding ourselves to that objective."

The $168 million settlement will settle 364 claims, or roughly 95 percent of Hertz's pending claims. The money will be paid out by year's end, with the company expecting to recover a "meaningful portion" of its losses from insurance.

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