BALTIMORE -- Two Farms Inc., the parent company of the Royal Farms chain of convenience stores, is being sued for charging customers for air, said the Associates Press.
The class-action lawsuit was filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court on Monday under a little-known but longstanding law that requires all gas stations in Baltimore to provide at least one air pump to customers free of charge.
The case arose after Rebecca McCray of Owings Mills had to pay 50 cents to inflate her tires at a Royal Farms gas station in September. The lawsuit could end up including thousands of plaintiffs. The company operates dozens of gas stations throughout Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
The lawsuit seeks to recover money for anyone who has paid to use air pumps at the 20 Royal Farms locations in Baltimore in the past 12 years.
"One hundred percent of what was collected was illegal," Stacie Dubnow, an attorney who represents the class, told The Daily Record.
The company did not respond to AP's request for comment.
The lawsuit also seeks to require Royal Farms to provide air free of charge at its Baltimore locations.
Citing federal statistics, the lawsuit alleged that failing to provide free air for customers' tires "jeopardizes consumer and motor vehicle safety."
The Baltimore-based convenience store chain owns and operates approximately 160 convenience stores in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Virginia.
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