Stuart's Towing and Repair, East Grand Forks, will not have to pay a fine for overcharging vehicle owners, a Grand Forks judge has ruled.
Judge Joel Medd said in his ruling, issued last week, that the city does not have jurisdiction over Stuart's because, even though Stuart's stored cars towed from Grand Forks, it did not do the towing itself and the storage took place outside of city limits.
The case had stirred controversy both among many vehicle owners affected and among some Grand Forks city leaders. City law limits towing charges to $100 and storage charges to $10 a day. Vehicle owners in the case had to pay Stuart's $200 to $260 to get their cars back.
Randy's Lock Key and Towing, which did the towing, already had pleaded guilty and paid a $100 fine.
Stuart's opposed the city's charges but Municipal Judge Henry Eslinger found the company guilty at that time. The company then appealed appearing before Medd.
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City prosecutor Kristi Pettit had argued that Stuart's was under Grand Forks jurisdiction.
"This ordinance was created to protect citizens of Grand Forks and their rights should not be stripped because the vehicle is removed from city limits in order to avoid application of the requirements," she said in a filing.
Stuart's attorney Bruce Quick argued simply that Stuart's didn't take any action in Grand Forks. If the city wants to avoid losing jurisdiction, he wrote, it should pass a law requiring all towed vehicles be stored in city limits.
Medd agreed with Quick's argument and overturned Eslinger's ruling.
Tu-Uyen Tran
