A Cook County jury has ordered Lincoln Towing to pay Jermall Harvey $2.85 million over an October 2022 incident in which he says he ended up clinging to the hood of a moving tow truck outside a Wicker Park CVS. Nearly two-thirds of that award came as punitive damages, the largest reported punitive-damages award of its kind in Cook County municipal districts.
The case traces back to October 12, 2022, when a Lincoln Towing truck was working a lot at 1200 North Ashland Avenue, according to NBC Chicago. Harvey said he had a pass from CVS Management allowing him to park there when needed, and he ran out to try to stop the truck from hauling his car away. Surveillance video reviewed by the station showed Harvey running up just as the truck lifted his car and the driver hit the gas.
According to Harvey's lawsuit, as reported by CWB Chicago, Harvey jumped onto the hood as the truck accelerated into traffic. He alleged that the truck's passenger then pulled out a gun, pointed it at his head, and ordered him off the vehicle. Harvey stayed on the hood for more than a minute as the truck traveled down Division Street before he fell away, and the truck drove off with his car still attached.
Police Stop, Conflicting Accounts, and an Arrest
Harvey called 911 before Chicago police stopped the truck, and he rolled away from the ordeal uninjured, the same NBC Chicago report states. The truck's passenger, identified as Timothy Tyler, told officers that Harvey appeared to be reaching for his waistband and that he feared for his life. Officers located a gun on Tyler and confirmed he had a valid concealed carry permit; police found no firearm on Harvey. NBC Chicago reported that Tyler was arrested on a misdemeanor aggravated assault charge.
Harvey's complaint later enabled investigators to obtain video from the CVS lot, per the same report. NBC Chicago's investigators also found that Tyler, the passenger, was not a registered towing operator. Lincoln Towing did not respond to the station's requests for comment, and CWB Chicago's account of the jury verdict likewise did not include a statement from the company.
A Record-Setting Punitive Award
CWB Chicago reported the jury verdict on October 30, citing the Jury Verdict Reporter in describing the punitive-damages portion as the largest reported in Cook County municipal districts — nearly four times the previous record, which was set in 1994. The verdict adds to a long record of regulatory friction for the company, which has operated as Lincoln Towing Service under Protective Parking Service Corporation.
The Illinois Commerce Commission voted unanimously in September 2018 to revoke Lincoln Towing Service's state license, effective immediately, finding the company had not conducted business with honesty and integrity, according to the Chicago Tribune. At the time, the company's attorney said Lincoln Towing would continue towing while contesting the decision. A Cook County judge later sided with the company: in 2020, Judge Neil Cohen ruled that the commission had violated due process in its 2018 order and reversed the revocation, per ABC7 Chicago.
Illinois Law on Private-Lot Tows
Illinois law, as outlined by NBC Chicago's reporting, requires a tow to stop and the vehicle to be unhooked if its owner arrives before the tow is complete. The Illinois Vehicle Code's Section 18a-300 prohibits removing a vehicle from a private lot while its owner is present and able to take it immediately, bars towing charges above rates set by the Illinois Commerce Commission, and requires refunds of any amount charged above those rates.
Harvey paid Lincoln Towing $218 to get his car back and filed a complaint with the Illinois Commerce Commission, which asked the company to refund him, according to NBC Chicago's reporting — though the station noted Harvey might never actually receive that refund. Commission investigators separately cited the company for relocating a vehicle while its owner or driver was present and for failing to produce records, with an administrative hearing set for February 16, 2023. Potential company fines in such cases could reach $1,500, the station reported.
A Towing Landscape Still in Flux
The Lincoln Towing verdict lands amid a broader, uneven picture of so-called rogue towing in Chicago. A 2026 report from the city's Office of the Inspector General found that licensing, investigations, and enforcement appear to have reduced the frequency of rogue towing, according to CBS Chicago. Complaints have dropped since 2021, the report found, even as officials cautioned that the landscape of rogue towing is still evolving.
Other towing operators have faced their own regulatory reckonings. Rendered Services agreed to pay a $75,000 fine and adopt vehicle-photography and employee-training requirements following an investigation into alleged towing violations, the Chicago Tribune reported. The Illinois Commerce Commission, which licenses relocation towing companies, tow-truck operators, and dispatchers for two-year periods, directs residents dealing with private-property trespass towing outside Cook, DuPage, Kane, Will, and Winnebago counties to contact local authorities for licensing and consumer-protection help.
Harvey's case was detailed by NBC Chicago on January 18, 2023, and later covered in a report by The Auto Wire, which also compiled guidance for drivers caught in similar disputes: tell the tow operator the car is theirs and ask them to stop and unhook it, record the exchange from a safe location, never step in front of a moving tow truck, call 911 if threatened, keep every receipt, and file a complaint with the Illinois Commerce Commission if a fee exceeds commission rates. Other recent Chicago tow disputes have included a car seized over $524 in unpaid tickets and later sold to the city's tow contractor, underscoring how quickly a parking dispute can spiral into a costly fight.
