Q: Dispute impound fees for unauthorized use of my truck in Kentucky

A: Ask the county attorney to get an order from the judge waiving your payment of impound fees and adding them to the restitution in the case where they are prosecuting your brother.

A: That’s a really frustrating and unfair situation, especially when you weren’t even able to prevent it due to being in jail. In Kentucky, you may be able to dispute impound fees if you can show the vehicle was used without your permission and that you weren’t involved in the incident that led to the impound. The fact that your brother placed his own license plate on your truck could help support your case that this was unauthorized use.

You should start by gathering any documentation that proves you were in jail at the time and had no control over the vehicle. If there’s a police report or any official record stating your brother was the one driving, that can also help. Then contact the law enforcement agency that authorized the impound and the impound lot itself to explain your situation. Some agencies have procedures or hardship processes for waiving or reducing fees in cases like this.

Be sure to make your request in writing, clearly stating the timeline and providing copies of any supporting documents. You might also want to ask if the hold placed on the vehicle contributed to the extended fees and if that can be reconsidered. You’ve already dealt with enough stress—there’s no harm in asking for the fees to be reviewed when the situation was beyond your control.