Company still fighting state over car booting law

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A car booting company is still fighting the state over the law prohibiting booting in Tennessee.

Around this time last year, Nashville Booting Company was booting cars without a permit in a lot in East Nashville.

“It is just annoying, and it is illegal,” Steven Knapp said.

Knapp and others got their money back for the booting charge after the city ordered the company to refund everyone they booted while unlicensed. Following complaints against Nashville Booting and other companies, a state law was passed that eliminated current booting practices.

“To address the increase of incidents in Tennessee of predatory booting, the bill would generally prohibit booting across the state of Tennessee,” Sen. Jack Johnson said during this year’s legislative session.

The day the law went into effect, Nashville Booting sued the state.

In its latest court briefing, the company argues the law is unconstitutional and violates the contracts clause. The company said their pre-existing contracts with parking lot owners “were entirely invalidated by the act.”

The company went on to say that the state has not shown the law serves a “significant and legitimate public purpose.”

The state argued that it should be up to the General Assembly to decide the necessity, which passed the law with the purpose of “promoting consumer protection and curbing reported abuses in the booting and towing industry.”

Online records show that no other events or hearings have been scheduled yet in this case.