City of Bellingham faces lawsuit over alleged unlawful seizure of ‘junk vehicle’
A Bellingham woman filed a federal lawsuit against the city on Tuesday over allegations that her RV was unlawfully towed and impounded, leaving her homeless for 10 months.
Plaintiff Courtney Blomeen alleges that the city seized the motor home in which she lived on Oct. 17, 2023 while she was away apartment-sitting and registering the RV with the Department of Licensing. She was not given any notice before it was towed, according to court records obtained by The Bellingham Herald, and no paperwork was left behind.
Blomeen initially thought the RV was stolen when she returned for it on Oct. 18, but witnesses said they saw Bellingham city employees towing it the day prior. The lawsuit alleges that city parking enforcement employees confused Blomeen’s vehicle for another that may have been inoperable or in violation of the 72-hour limit for parking in one spot in Bellingham.
Blomeen contacted the Bellingham Police Department, according to court documents, and they directed her to Bellingham Public Works. Public Works allegedly refused to provide her with information about the tow and hung up on her multiple times.
A Public Works parking technician named as a defendant in the lawsuit allegedly left Blomeen a voicemail on Oct. 20 stating only that her RV “‘has been sent to be destroyed.’” Blomeen was able to track the motor home to a scrapyard, but an employee said they could not release it to her because it was a junk vehicle.
The lawsuit states that this was the first time Blomeen learned her RV was towed due to a junk vehicle affidavit that was signed Oct. 3. However, Blomeen did not purchase the RV until four days later, according to the lawsuit. The affidavit also mentioned damage to multiple doors, and Blomeen’s RV only has one door.
The affidavit was later voided, according to the lawsuit, and Blomeen called the scrapyard to coordinate the release of her RV. She then learned that employees had already broken her RV with a forklift, and it was no longer roadworthy.
When Blomeen went to the scrapyard to inspect the RV on Oct. 23, she was “shocked” at the damage. Court records allege that there were broken and missing exterior panels, broken windows and red Xs spray-painted across the side.
The lawsuit also alleges that Blomeen’s valuable possessions — including thousands of dollars in tools, recreational equipment and electrical equipment — were gone. The cupboards were damaged, according to court records, and her other belongings were “strewn about and destroyed.”
Blomeen was eventually told she could drive her RV off the scrapyard’s lot if she signed a settlement and release agreement. The agreement required Blomeen to “stipulate to facts which she knew to be untrue,” the lawsuit states, so she refused to sign it.
Without the RV, Blomeen became homeless. She lived in vehicles without heat, water or sewage, according to court records, and experienced domestic violence. She eventually obtained stable housing in November 2024.
The lawsuit accuses the defendants, including the city of Bellingham, of depriving Blomeen of her constitutional rights to due process and freedom from unreasonable seizures and cruel and unusual punishment. The city is also accused of conversion, trespass to chattels, negligence and a breach of bailment.
Blomeen is seeking general, special and punitive damages in amounts to be determined at trial. She is also requesting an injunction requiring the city of Bellingham to provide “adequate notice” regarding junk vehicle determinations and develop policies to “adequately protect the due process and liberty interests for citizens living in vehicle residences.”
A spokesperson for the city of Bellingham said the city has not yet received notification of the lawsuit and therefore can’t comment on it.
The city settled a similar lawsuit in Whatcom County Superior Court related to the alleged improper seizure of a motor home that occurred less than a month before Blomeen’s vehicle was towed. Two Whatcom County residents were paid $150,000 as part of the June 2025 agreement, which did not constitute an admission of liability by any of the defendants.