Three auto companies and a bank have sued Suffolk County in federal court this week over the seizure of vehicles by police over the last two years.
Suffolk County police typically seize vehicles for forfeiture, search, or to be held as evidence.
A lawyer for leasing divisions of Hyundai, Nissan and Toyota say the county wrongly charged the auto companies for towing and storage an undisclosed number of vehicles. The lawsuit says authorities never gave a reason for seizure and are held without merit.
They call the police seizures “regular and systematic … unconstitutional practices.” A similar lawsuit was filed in June by Santander Consumer.
