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A man from Oakland, California, is facing tens of thousands of dollars in parking fines and other tickets for a car he no longer owns. According to The Daily Mail, Soubhuza Williams is on the hook for $38,000 in fines that were racked up after he sold the car. Williams sold his 2008 BMW X3 in 2023 to a club promoter he frequently encountered at parties in San Francisco and Oakland. The buyer agreed to pay $1,015 via Apple Pay, and they completed the exchange at a bar, with Williams handing over the keys.
Williams expected the buyer to handle the necessary paperwork to transfer the car's title, but weeks passed with no action taken. The car remained parked in front of Williams' house until it was towed away. Despite filing release of liability forms with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Williams continued to receive parking tickets for street cleaning infractions and sidewalk violations.
Williams repeatedly contacted the buyer, who assured him that the title transfer would be completed. However, the promises remained unfulfilled. By March, after receiving a court summons, Williams grew increasingly concerned. Despite another attempt to resolve the issue by submitting a release of liability form in June, his name remained attached to the vehicle in DMV records.
By December, the fines had escalated to over $38,000. The California DMV has strict rules regarding vehicle title transfers, and Williams' situation highlights the importance of ensuring proper documentation when selling a vehicle.