Greensboro Chronicle Investigates: Are the Tow Companies Plotting a Defamation Ambush Against a Disabled Veteran?
By Lorene Hardy, Investigative Reporter
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Behind closed bay doors and law office conference calls, whispers are swirling: Are the same tow companies accused of predatory, discriminatory tows now gearing up to flip the script and sue their disabled veteran accuser for defamation?
Court documents, affidavits, and rebuttals reviewed by The Greensboro Chronicle reveal a stunning pattern of escalation — from unauthorized tow requests to alleged falsified records — and now, the faint but growing tremor of retaliation cloaked in legalese.
At the heart of it all stands Ms. Lawanda Boddie-Slack, a decorated disabled veteran who has become a lightning rod for controversy since filing a sweeping Fair Housing and Civil Rights complaint against Kirk’s-Sineath Towing and Battleground Tire & Wrecker Service. Her filings accuse the companies of negligence per se, unfair and deceptive trade practices, civil conspiracy, and retaliatory discrimination — heavy charges backed by tow records, USPS confirmations, HUD filings, and sworn affidavits .
But according to multiple insiders and legal observers, the tone of recent correspondence from the companies’ attorneys has shifted — from defense to offense. “It’s the classic power play,” one civil rights attorney noted anonymously. “When the facts are ugly, some defendants reach for defamation threats as a silencer.”
From Towing to Threats
Ms. Boddie-Slack’s filings tell a story that reads more like a screenplay than a civil docket. Tow trucks allegedly called by an unauthorized HOA member, Joni Garrett, repeatedly appeared in front of the veteran’s Greensboro home, hauling away vehicles that bore valid Disabled Veteran plates . The tow logs, she claims, were later filled with false notations such as “no tags” and “fraudulent registration.”
When she filed formal complaints with both the North Carolina DOJ and HUD, the response wasn’t remorse — it was resistance. “Instead of addressing the discriminatory towing,” she wrote in a September 2025 letter, “they doubled down, denying everything and misrepresenting the record.”
Now, as the court cases advance, murmurs suggest that the tow companies are preparing to recast Ms. Boddie-Slack’s social-media posts, public filings, and investigative interviews as defamation.
“If they try this,” says one First Amendment analyst, “it would be a dangerous game. Her statements are privileged as part of judicial and journalistic processes. The optics of suing a disabled veteran plaintiff mid-civil-rights litigation? That’s a public-relations meltdown waiting to happen.”
A Veteran Under Siege
Boddie-Slack, who relies on VA-issued medical technology and documented accommodations for her disabilities, has already endured unlawful evictions, lost self-employment income, and targeted towing documented across multiple pleadings .
In one court motion, she accused opposing counsel of “fraud upon the court” for continuing to file motions despite undisputed service records and vacated dismissals. Another filing shows she worked 48 hours defending frivolous motions — hours she says stole from her livelihood and medical care.
Yet amid the filings, one thing is clear: Boddie-Slack refuses to be intimidated. “This is not defamation,” she told the Chronicle in a brief statement. “This is documentation.”
The Legal Irony
If the tow companies truly pursue defamation, it could backfire spectacularly. Under North Carolina law, statements made in judicial proceedings and in complaints to agencies like HUD and the DOJ are absolutely privileged. Attempting to sue her for such speech could expose the companies to retaliation claims under 42 U.S.C. § 3617, the very statute at the center of her original case .
“Imagine filing a Fair Housing complaint,” one advocate said, “and then being sued for talking about it. That’s not just intimidation — it’s retaliation in real time.”
The Bigger Picture
The Greensboro community is watching closely. Public sentiment has tilted heavily toward the veteran, whose meticulous documentation and public transparency have won her a following among housing-rights advocates. Meanwhile, the tow companies’ silence — paired with the growing chatter of defamation plans — is feeding public suspicion.
As one Chronicle editorial put it: “If your truth can’t withstand public scrutiny, maybe the problem isn’t the press — it’s the conduct being reported.”
For now, no official defamation filing has appeared on the court docket. But insiders say drafts are circulating. If true, it would mark the latest chapter in a saga that began with a tow truck’s flashing lights — and may end with a courtroom showdown over truth itself.
COMING NEXT:
“Hooked, Hauled, and Harassed: The Hidden Industry of HOA-Sanctioned Towing in North Carolina.”
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