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The Illinois Commerce Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to revoke the Lincoln Towing Service's state license, effective immediately.
Lincoln Towing, however, maintains that she should be able to function while she is appealing for a decision that would put an end to the company's famous decades-long towing patrol on Chicago car parks.
The commission's order comes about two months after an administrative law judge recommended that the North Side firm retain its license despite hundreds of alleged violations.
ICC President Brien Sheahan issued the order quashing the judge's decision, citing a preponderance of evidence that Lincoln Towing "did not conduct business with honesty and integrity" and that he was unworthy to detain a commercial vehicle movers license.
Mr. Lincoln was instructed to "immediately stop operating a towing business in the state of Illinois," said Mr. Sheahan at the meeting of the commission at Chicago.
The order took effect at 3:04 pm Wednesday when the ICC officially notified Lincoln. After that, the company was banned from towing additional vehicles, said Victoria Crawford, spokeswoman for the ICC.
The towing company can challenge the final order of the ICC, consisting of five members, in circuit court.
Allen Perl, a lawyer representing Lincoln, said Wednesday afternoon that the firm would exhaust its administrative appeals to the ICC and planned to seek an injunction and an injunction from the circuit court to remain open.
"Our position is that we have the right to stay open during our call," said Perl.
Owners whose vehicles have already been towed by Lincoln must follow normal procedures and pay fines to recover them, said Crawford.
ICC staff alleged that the company committed 831 violations of the Illinois Towing Act between July 2015 and March 2016. But Lincoln argued that the alleged violations were "inconsistencies" between the company's records. and the commission.
In her draft order of July, the administrative judge Latrice Kirkland-Montaque sided with Lincoln, saying that the argument of the services of the ICC that these inconsistencies were violations of the law was "unfounded and not supported by the file ".
The commission's decision made "substantial changes" to the proposed order, stating that Lincoln was not able to hold a towing license.
"The privilege of holding such a license is important because it allows the licensee to seize the private property of others without his knowledge or consent," said Sheahan. "The solemn obligation of a licensee is to strictly abide by the laws and regulations of Illinois and, in order to prevent public injury, to do so with honesty and integrity."
Nicknamed "Lincoln Park Pirates" in a 1970s folk song, Lincoln is the largest towing service in the state. Spurred by years of consumer horror stories and numerous citations for allegedly transporting cars illegally, the state launched an investigation in February 2016.
ICC police forwarded 154 citations to Lincoln during the period under investigation. Lincoln was found guilty of 21 citations, 22 were voluntarily resolved and 111 were dismissed, according to the commission.
Offenses range from inappropriate signage to the relocation of authorized vehicles.
Lincoln Towing has traveled the Chicago car parks for nearly 60 years, finding himself at the center of lawsuits and political pressure throughout his history.
The firm became infamous for its ruthless tactics under founder Ross Cascio, who owned it from 1960 to 1981. Cascio died in 1987.
The current owner is Protective Parking Service Corp., an Illinois corporation since 1992, whose principal is listed as Chris Dennis by the Secretary of State's office.
Although Lincoln Towing's unparalleled reputation is now part of Chicago folklore, it is not the only towing company whose license is at stake for alleged violations. In March 2016, the ICC launched a similar investigation on Rendered Services, a towing company based in Bridgeport. The next hearing in this case is scheduled for Thursday.
Twitter @RobertChannick
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