Missouri appeals court rules couple no longer owned Lexus after tow-truck driver took wrecked car and title

A Missouri appeals court has ruled that a couple who handed over their wrecked Lexus and signed the title over to an unidentified tow-truck driver in 2018 no longer owned the vehicle, even after it resurfaced years later with a $6,450 towing bill attached. The decision, in Lawrence and Kay E. Keener v. Somerset Apartment Management, LLC, turns on the legal principle of estoppel and the consequences of signing a title transfer, as per report on Justia U.S. Law.The case began when the Keeners’ Lexus was involved in a wreck in 2018. The vehicle was towed, and the couple signed the title over to the tow-truck driver, who was not identified in the court records.Years later, the car resurfaced with a towing bill of $6,450. The Keeners argued that they still owned the vehicle and should not be responsible for the charges, but the appeals court disagreed. Read more about it, as per the report, here:How the dispute startedThe Keeners’ Lexus was wrecked in 2018, and it was towed from the scene. At some point, they signed the title over to the tow-truck driver, effectively transferring ownership of the vehicle. The identity of the tow-truck driver was not established in the court records.