North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson says the state has scored a first-of-its-kind win against discriminatory towing, locking in a consent judgment with Charlotte tow operator David Satterfield that limits how he can run his business and sends money back to drivers who were overcharged.
Jackson announced Monday that his office has reached the agreement, which he described as the state’s first judgment addressing discriminatory towing and a new enforcement tool for his team. Under the deal, Satterfield does not admit wrongdoing, but the judgment puts specific operational limits on him and on any companies he controls.
The agreement sets aside about $30,000 in combined restitution for drivers whose vehicles were unlawfully towed or who paid excessive fees to get their cars back, according to WBTV. The Attorney General’s office says it relied on Charlotte‑Mecklenburg Police Department towing records that showed a disproportionate share of Satterfield’s tows involved vehicles owned by Black drivers in majority‑Black neighborhoods, the station reports.
Terms of the Consent Judgment
The settlement spells out in detail what Satterfield cannot do anymore, according to WSOC. The judgment prohibits:
- Towing vehicles without permission from the property owner
- Charging separate fees for different parts of a single tractor‑trailer
- Imposing improper DMV filing fees
- Threatening vehicle owners
- Certain booting and immobilization practices
There is also a serious backstop: if Satterfield violates the judgment, he must pay a $110,000 contractual penalty to the state, WSOC reports.
How the Case Developed
The North Carolina Department of Justice first sued Satterfield in 2020 on price‑gouging claims tied to the early COVID‑19 emergency, according to a North Carolina Department of Justice press release. The state later added civil‑rights allegations, arguing that his towing pattern amounted to discriminatory treatment.
NCDOJ investigators, along with local reporting, documented complaints and tow records showing that many of the tows in question came from lower‑income, majority‑Black parts of Charlotte. The department described that pattern as “reverse redlining,” a term more often used in housing and lending disputes but here applied to how towing was carried out in certain neighborhoods.
State Law and the Bigger Picture
This consent judgment comes as lawmakers and regulators are already trying to rein in predatory towing statewide. The General Assembly passed the Commercial Vehicle and Cargo Protection Act, which took effect December 1, 2025, and makes booting commercial vehicles a Class 2 misdemeanor and requires prompt return of commercial cargo after certain tows, according to Session Law 2025‑71.
Local investigations that laid out booting and towing abuses helped push the issue onto lawmakers’ radar, with coverage documented by WBTV.
What Drivers Can Do
Drivers who believe their vehicles were unlawfully towed or that they were charged inflated fees may qualify for restitution. They can file a complaint with the North Carolina Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Division, which also handles civil‑rights referrals and restitution claims.
The department publishes complaint forms, step‑by‑step filing instructions, and information about ongoing investigations on its website, as outlined by the North Carolina Department of Justice.
