on forward looking investments. On October 25, 2021, Fields announced that Hertz will buy 100,000 Tesla vehicles citing his goal of fleet electrification and that Tesla is the "only manufacturer that can produce EVs at scale". In November 2021, the company went public again on the Nasdaq with symbol HTZ. In February 2022, Stephen M. Scherr was named CEO of Hertz. Accusing customers of car theft Since 2019, Hertz has been embroiled in a mounting controversy where numerous reports have emerged of Hertz falsely accusing its customers of having stolen automobiles which were under an active rental agreement. Many of the victims report having been arrested in full view of their families and at gun point. Victims reported being jailed for months before being released, resulting in loss of licensure, professional credentials and employment while their falsely filed felonies languish through the system, depriving them of income and their rights. Victims also reported that Hertz claims that outdated computer systems are to blame, local and corporate systems "not communicating correctly", but victim profiles have indicated that these false arrests are more likely to happen to minority groups. In February 2022, a judge forced Hertz to reveal that it reports about 3,365 of its customers to the police every year for theft. Hertz claims that such instances are only a "rare situation" as this is only 0.014% of their 25 million annual transactions in the United States. According to reports, 47 customers have filed lawsuits against Hertz for misreporting cars as stolen resulting in many false arrests and imprisonment. In December 2022, Hertz announced the settlement of 364 pending claims relating to vehicle theft reporting, bringing resolution to more than 95% of its pending theft reporting claims. In this settlement, Hertz agreed to pay approximately $168 million by year-end to resolve these disputes. Car rental locations and operation Hertz has approximately 12,000 corporate and franchisee locations in 160 countries throughout North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, the Middle East and New Zealand. History of franchising Wilford Gwilliam of Overland West purchased a portion of Hertz franchise in 1941. Overland West is the largest Hertz franchise licensee in North America, operating 27 car rental and four car sales locations in eight states. Gwilliam sold it to Devere J. Sparrow, who led the organization until selling it to his son-in-law, Jerry H. Petersen, in 1976. As the current owner,