Supreme Court rules used-car lot can’t just tow your car and sell it

The vehicle recovery industry often suffers unnecessary abuse for its works; most of its tradespeople strive for honesty and offer help to those in need. Here's the case of one tow truck service from the other side of the ledger, which pursued a case to the U.S. Supreme Court arguing it had done nothing wrong in hooking a disabled man's car and later trading it while hiding its acts from him. Today, it managed to unite nine justices who rarely agree on much to throw its case out.

The car, a 2004 Honda Civic with just 8,000 miles on it, belonged to Robert Pelkey of New Hampshire. In February 2007, Pelkey was bedridden when Dan City's Used Cars towed his Civic from his apartment complex's parking lot because he was unable to move it before a snowstorm. Pelkey ended up in the hospital for two months, where he suffered a heart attack and had to have his foot amputated; he didn't realize his car had been towed until he was released.