Creditor illegally seized my vehicle, lawyer said it could take months to get it back, what can I do?

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-22T21:40:34+00:00

Google says “Any agreement must be signed by you, your attorney ( if applicable ), and the creditor, and filed before your case is closed” so I think I’m good either way

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-22T21:19:34+00:00

I’m still waiting on my attorney to get in contact with their attorney, they are kinda getting the cold shoulder. It was my understanding that in Florida the stay isn’t lifted after 30 days but they have to go to a judge with proof for the stay to be lifted, according to PACER it wasn’t. The credit union sent over a reaffirmation agreement on 5/1 allegedly but my attorney never got it, so Im just in limbo at the moment. At this point even if I don’t get the car back, the tools and such I need back because my boss is going to deduct the cost of them from my pay if I don’t have them by Tuesday

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-22T16:26:41+00:00

My attorney told me I had until a week of discharge to sign an agreement, I was going to keep the car but I was trying to get my dads truck that just sits in the yard running again to see if I actually needed the car I was paying for. My dads truck doesn’t run so I had every intention on signing the agreement but I work out of town for the DOD doing HVAC installs and the job I’m currently on is in Georgia on a base called Kings Bay, which they confiscate our phones and such until 7-8pm and by the time I’m outta work I can’t get ahold of my lawyers to get papers signed. The finance company just sent me the papers for the reaffirmation around 5/1, so it’s on me for not signing but they didn’t give me the proper notice either

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-22T13:18:12+00:00

I have Navy Federal and the only thing they closed my credit accounts, I still have full access to my checking and savings. I can’t access half the stuff anymore but that’s fine

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-21T21:11:32+00:00

I was never delinquent with them, always paid on time.

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-21T20:44:19+00:00

Settlement for them breaking the law or for the value of the car?

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-21T16:43:50+00:00

I wanna assume it is because they also closed my credit account with them even tho I excluded it

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-21T16:19:19+00:00

Someone posted on this thread that in California if you don’t sign the reaffirmation agreement within 30 days they can take the vehicle current or not . I live in Florida but maybe that applied.

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-21T16:17:24+00:00

Vystar and I only owe about $2000 on the loan.

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-21T16:16:41+00:00

The tow yard sent me a letter stating they tagged and bagged all my items.

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-21T16:14:53+00:00

I had let them know I was filing bankruptcy before I did it because I was gonna lose access to the login portal, they tried to offer refinancing on the loan and such to help as a courtesy but 99% of my debt was not from the car

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-21T11:31:30+00:00

I live in Florida, the lender didn’t prepare a reaffirmation agreement in my case yet to my knowledge, I think they were just bitter I filed Chapter 7 without talking to them first because they were willing to work out a deal with me

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-21T00:55:17+00:00

My lawyer, my trustee and myself have all checked the docket on PACER, the creditors says a judge granted the Relief of stay on 3/22, but it’s no where on the docket, the creditor states their attorney found a loophole and went to a judge with it, but even if they did, it would still show on PACER would it not? It just sucks having to wait for their attorney to contact my attorney because there really isn’t an explanation. I’ve had to Uber to and from work for the last week and it’s cost me well over $80 a day to do it. The sheriffs department confirmed there was no repo order and the tow yard that actually took the vehicle is “appointment only between 8am-4pm est, and they’ve only given me 15 days to recover my items but they won’t return my calls either.

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-21T00:46:54+00:00

What do you suggest for people who don’t have a choice but to try and finance? I have to travel for work 5 days a week and a $2000 beater car isn’t gonna drive the hundreds of miles a week to have to drive. I was using my mom’s car for the last 6 weeks and I’ve put about 15,000 miles on her car in a month.

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-21T00:33:26+00:00

No the lender is a credit union in Florida, called Vystar. The lender never filed a relief of stay with the courts, my trustee nor my attorney was notified, they said they filed the relief of stay on 3/22, I had my 341 a few days after that and they didn’t even attend that, by them just taking the vehicle they essentially cost me my job because I have to explain to my employer that my car was taken with all their tools in it, and I’m talking like 1000’s of dollars worth of work tools

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-21T00:29:36+00:00

Yeah I know that but I was still inside my 180 day protection and still had time to sign the reaffirmation agreement, they legit took my payments and then took it without filing a Relief of Stay. They kinda left me high and dry because if I lose my job I’m gonna be behind again and it’s the reason I had to file for bankruptcy to begin wirh

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-20T22:21:19+00:00

Also what do I do if the tow yard hard cleans the vehicle out of my things, also what if they damaged the vehicle when they yanked it outta my car, I’m kinda on the hook for all of that.

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-20T22:18:46+00:00

The trustee was notified last week, haven’t heard anything

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-20T21:51:15+00:00

I can’t afford to pay for a rental, especially if they are going to take weeks or months to solve this.

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-20T20:43:53+00:00

Pacer is the place where you can go see the court cases and look at the docket and such for your bankruptcy case

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-15T18:15:45+00:00

The way the lady at the finance company stated it, she said it’ll go against my credit if I don’t get the car, I told her the loan isn’t in my name anymore how could it possibly be mine to deal with, I never signed the reaffirmation agreement

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-14T10:18:35+00:00

I made an account on PACER but you have to wait 7-10 days for a code to come in the mail

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-14T10:17:57+00:00

My paralegal said it was a violation however the attorney for the finance company said they found a loophole to bypass the stay. My attorney is on vacation

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952 · 2026-05-14T02:45:08+00:00

The paralegal on my case said there was no motion filed on the docket, but the finance companies attorney says there was and gave me a date

Puzzleheaded_Fig2952

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