Free Truck Offered by LAPD to Women Shot at During Dorner Manhunt Would Have to Be Taxed, Will Get Cash Instead
Women's attorney says the free truck would've been treated as a prize for tax purposes
The LAPD promised a free truck to the women whose truck they shot up (at least 112 times, with one of the women being struck twice in the back) while hunting for the ex-LAPD officer Christopher Dorner, but taxes got in the way. According to NBC Los Angeles:
According to [the women's attorney Glen] Jonas, LAPD and Galpin Ford wanted his clients to pose for a photo opportunity and pay income tax on the truck. The women no longer want the truck after they were told they needed to fill out a 1099 form for the donation, Jonas said Monday…
Galpin Ford estimates the value of the truck – a 2013 Ford 150 SuperCrew – at $32,560. The dealership had planned on paying the sales tax, vehicle registration and title on the truck, according to a dealership spokesperson.
"It's really sad for us because we want to help these women move on with their lives, and help them move forward with that, we just can't get past the 1099 issue," LAPD Cmdr. Andrew Smith said. "The government has to take their bite out of it, I guess."
The truck was not a prize, the women's attorney noted. Could the LAPD have offered to pay the income tax on the truck? Maybe. Instead, the LAPD will pay the women $40,000 as reimbursement for the truck. The deal, according to the women's attorney and the LAPD, is just for damage to the truck, and won't preclude any litigation related to the incident. The women, who obviously look nothing like Christopher Dorner, are likely to sue, and neither has been able to work since the shooting.
h/t sloopyinca
