MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The City of Memphis is looking to tackle rising rent and the stolen cars problem by filing lawsuits.
The city is calling this 'extraordinary litigation' and it's intended for Hyundai Motors, who manufactures Hyundais and Kias, as well as Real Page, a software company.
FOX13 has reported on the broken windows and stolen cars throughout the city.
This time last year, interim Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis told the city council just how bad the problem was. "Auto thefts are a serious problem in our city. We average about 35 to 40 cars stolen a day," Davis said during a press conference in November 2023.
A resolution passed by city council said the manufacturer of Hyundais and Kias "concealed the defects and failed to remedy such defects resulting in a dramatic increase in vehicle thefts".
The city also wants to target an increase in rent, saying landlords use RealPage software to set rent prices and "the absence of competition in the rental market has disproportionately affected cities such as Memphis."
A FOX13 Investigation showed you how this works - where Memphis has a renter population of more than 53 percent.
RealPage is also facing a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Hyundai has since offered free software and hardware updates to try to combat thefts.
Download the FOX13 Memphis app to receive alerts from breaking news in your neighborhood.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
Trending stories:
'I want your soul to burn': Family's 8-year wait for justice resolved after plea agreement Two men charged in 2021 death of teen accept plea deals Over 8,000 MLGW customers without power, MLGW says Mid-South Most Wanted Fugitives