Imagine that you are living in your car. One day, it's stolen for a joyride, abandoned and eventually towed away. You get a court order for the return of your car, but then discover that your very home, your 1991 Camry, has been sold for $175. Later, you find out that the towing company has the car back in their possession and holds it hostage for over a year, accruing $21,684 in storage fees.

Amanda Ogle didn't have to imagine it because this happened to her in 2017. To help navigate the bureaucratic nightmare, she enlisted the help of Kevin Eggers, J.D. '17, who had just graduated from UW Law and was providing legal aid through the Northwest Consumer Law Center. Ogle's case was Eggers' very first out of law school.

After a Seattle Times reporter wrote about the situation, Ogle was contacted by screenwriters who wanted to make her story into a movie. "Tow" premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and opened in theaters nationwide on March 20, 2026. Directed by Stephanie Laing, it stars Rose Byrne and features an ensemble cast including Octavia Spencer, Demi Lovato, Dominic Sessa, Ariana Debose and Corbin Bernsen.

In this episode of Discovery, we talk with Eggers and Ogle about the towing dispute and their experiences with the real-life case turning into a movie.