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Call Kurtis: My Car Was Repossessed, What Happens To My Personal Things Inside?

A Stockton woman had her car repossessed but she had sentimental items inside. We call on Kurtis Ming with what happens to your personal property.

We're talking about sentimental items that are irreplaceable and she wants them back!
So does she have a right to it?

Nine months pregnant and recently laid off, Jennifer Denniston got behind on her car payments.

"One day the car was gone," said Jennifer.

Surprised her car was gone, inside it... sonogram photos and a painting of her late father.

"They're everything to me, I can't replace them, it's the only thing I have left. It's the only picture I have of my father, he's been dead for over 20 years," said Jennifer.

"Generally you do have the right to remove any personal items in any vehicle that's been repossessed," said Russ Heimerich, California Dept. of Consumer Affairs spokesperson.

Heimerich says you have 60 days to claim your stuff but you may have to pay storage fees.

Jennifer says right away she called repo company Accurate Adjustments.

But she says they waited a week to tell her she'd have to pay $160 in "inventory and storage fees"

Attorney Jade Jurdi, who helps consumers with repos, thinks $160 is too high.

"The legal standard for these post repossession charges is reasonable fees... Which is very fluid... And it might be reasonable to one judge and it might not be reasonable to another judge," Associate Attorney, Kemnitzer Barron & Krieg.

Accurate Adjustments refused to speak with us but after we called them, they agreed to lower the fees to 75 bucks, a much more reasonable price for Jennifer to get back her irreplaceable items.

"Those pictures I can keep and I can show my daughter when she's older, that was her, that's her grandpa," said Jennifer.

Repossession companies must provide you with a "Notice of Seizure" within 48 hours of taking your car so you know who took your car.

Jennifer says she never got that notice but immediately called Nissan which told her who repossessed the car.

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