Hertz to pay $168 million for falsely accusing drivers of stealing cars

Hertz customers who said they were wrongly accused of stealing cars from the rental firm will receive about $168 million to resolve almost all the claims they have filed.

Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr earlier his year blamed the mistake on a “glitch” in the company’s data systems. The parent company, Hertz Global Holdings Inc., said today that it would settle 364 pending claims related to the erroneously filed reports, resolving more than 95% of them.

“As I have said since joining Hertz earlier this year, my intention is to lead a company that puts the customer first. In resolving these claims, we are holding ourselves to that objective,” Scherr said in a statement.