A team of Atlanta attorneys is gathering clients for a possible class action lawsuit that could make them heroes with metro drivers.

They claim that immobilizing improperly parked cars using a tire clamp or “boot” is not allowed under state law. But the practice goes on in private parking lots all over the state.

Georgia law allows private property owners to tow away improperly parked cars, but the law and state regulations set up specific procedures and costs to do so. There is none of that in booting, where companies can hold your car hostage for hundreds of dollars, said Matt Wetherington, one of the lawyers working on several of the lawsuits.

“You can set whatever fee you want,” he said. “The police are doing nothing about this.”

Booting companies dispute the claims and say their practice is legal and protects the rights of property owners from abuse.

About the Author

Featured

Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

Credit: NYT