Controversial Mass. tow company settles for $60,000 in class-action lawsuit

METHUEN, Mass. — A controversial tow company has agreed to pay $60,000 to settle a class action suit that accused the business of overcharging people for certified mail and city fees.

Valley Towing in Methuen reached an agreement with plaintiff Matthew Kady last month. The class action settlement includes as many as 8,744 drivers whose vehicles were towed by Valley Towing without their consent, either as a trespass or police-ordered tow, after Aug. 6, 2014, and was assessed a certified mail or city fee, documents show.

Under the terms of the settlement, Valley Towing and its owner Ronald Parrino admitted no wrongdoing.

“The Settlement Agreement resolves the allegations that Defendant charged and collected impermissible fees…in violation of Massachusetts towing regulations. Defendant disputes the allegations and continues to deny any wrongdoing,” the filing said.

Parrino’s attorneys did not respond to requests for comment. Kady declined an interview request on the advice of his attorney.

“To see this magnitude of a settlement and that many people getting a refund, it just validates everything we’ve been saying all along,” Chris Nesbitt said. Nesbitt has been complaining about Valley Towing ever since 2016, when he accused the company of selling his car to a salvage yard without his knowledge following a crash.

“This is awesome to see this many people are going to be getting refund checks,” Nesbitt said. “I should be getting a little piece of the pie. It’s not going to be a lot of money, but it proves the point. It’s more principle now.”

Boston 25 News first reported on consumer complaints against Valley Towing in 2018. The Department of Public Utilities performed an audit of Valley Towing invoices that same year. The audit found 29 out of 752 tow slips were not in compliance with state regulations, resulting in $1,080 in refunds, according to a department spokesperson. The City of Lawrence later discontinued its relationship with Valley Towing following DPU’s audit. The Methuen Police Dept. suspended its relationship with the business in Jan. 2022.

Debo Brown accused Valley Towing of crushing his Ford Expedition without his knowledge in 2008.

“I think [the settlement] is a good start but I don’t think it should be the endpoint,” Brown said. “How was this even allowed to happen for so long? Why did it take so many years for people to acknowledge that what we’re saying has merit.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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