Connecticut Motor Cars v. Commissioner of Motor Vehicles
Annotate this CaseThe Court considered an appeal from Plaintiff-Appellee Connecticut Motor Cars in which the lower court found that a licensed car dealer or repairer is not entitled to a "gate fee" when it moves a wrecked or disabled vehicle from a storage area to a place where it will be retrieved by the owner. The Plaintiff operates a repair shop that also tows and stores vehicles. When the vehicle owner comes to retrieve his car, Plaintiff charges a fee for the labor and equipment used to move the vehicle from a secured storage area to a retrieval area. Two vehicle owners objected to the "gate fee" and brought complaint before the state car dealer licensing agency. Plaintiff argued that under state law, the storage and moving of the car within its facility was an "exceptional service…not included in the tow charge," but the hearing officer disagreed. Upholding the hearing officer's decision, the Court found that the plain language of the law includes "all the activity in the gate fee," and that "the only reasonable interpretation of the regulations is that a gate fee is not permitted."
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