Newly uncovered court documents reveal that Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who announced a U.S. Senate campaign earlier this month, has a car rental scandal in her past.
Crockett rented a car in 2006 with a convicted robber, who then crashed the rental – and it led to a costly lawsuit at the start of Crockett’s legal career.
Crockett and Texas resident Soweto Hoilett reportedly rented a Hyundai Sonata from Budget Rent A Car System in August 2006 in Harris County, according to court records obtained by The Daily Caller.
Hoilett was listed as an additional driver on the rental agreement, which the two claimed was for “personal” use.
The deal came after Hoilett had already been convicted of robbery and possession of a controlled substance. His relationship with Crockett remains unclear.
The car rental quickly turned into a legal nightmare for Crockett.
On November 6, 2006, Crockett called Budget to tell them that Hoilett had taken the car to Louisiana and a friend of his ended up finding the vehicle, according to the company’s accident report. The car was totaled from the damage.
The car company sued Crockett in 2007 for refusing to pay for the damages. The congresswoman, who had become a licensed attorney just one month after the accident, represented herself in court and claimed the rental agreement was “invalid.”
Crockett accused Budget in court filings of trying to “obtain money by false pretenses and fraudulent representations.”
The rental company criticized Crockett for missing multiple filing deadlines in the case.
“Defendant did not intentionally miss the deadline, but instead made a miscalculation of the deadline due to a mistake regarding the Good Friday Holiday,” one of Crockett’s responses said.
A judge approved a settlement of $10,407.12 in October 2008, and forced Crockett to pay around $4,000 more than what she initially offered.
Hoilett’s legal troubles continued throughout the case. He was charged in Harris County with resisting and evading arrest in August 2006, just weeks after the rental car agreement with Crockett.
In April and November 2007, while Crockett’s lawsuit was ongoing, Hoilett was arrested again in Harris County. Authorities said he first trespassed into someone’s vehicle and then refused to return a van from Dollar Rent A Car.
Crockett, who is challenging Republican incumbent Texas Sen. John Cornyn, has not publicly commented on the scandal.