A woman, unaware that she was being recorded while texting for 20 seconds behind the wheel of a rental car, has launched a surprising lawsuit following a crash, claiming victimhood.

Gaila Palo, 37, has taken legal action against the car’s owner, Jose Arevalo, in Washington State’s Western District, arguing that he unlawfully filmed her actions.

Despite the footage capturing her illegal activity, Palo, a mother of two, argues her case even though Washington has prohibited texting while driving since 2017.

Palo, who works as a nurse, contends that her phone use was a ‘moment of distraction and panic’ when she drove the Nissan Leaf in August 2025, asserting that her decision to use her phone was spontaneous.

However, a clear recording shows Palo texting for approximately 20 seconds, focusing on her screen for a significant portion of that time. At one moment, she even drove without holding the steering wheel, entirely engrossed in her phone.

Her distraction led to the vehicle veering into a ditch and demolishing a mailbox, with the recording capturing her exclamations and expletives during the incident.

When officers from the local sheriff’s office arrived on the scene, however, Palo told them that another driver had cut her off and forced her off the road.

The 37-year-old mom-of-two, seen here inside the vehicle, remained on her phone for at least 20 seconds in the lead up to the crash 

She let out a scream as she finally noticed it drifting off the road and attempted to regain control of the vehicle before it crashed

Arevalo – who rented his car to Palo through the app Turo – shared footage of Palo’s disgraceful driving, which badly damaged his car’s motor, AC system and other vital parts, with costs to repair over $4,900.

Palo’s lawsuit, however, accused Arevalo of leaking the recording in an act of ‘revenge’ which led to her being harassed online. 

Palo is also suing Turo, Meta, Reddit, YouTube and two news organizations for their part in sharing the video, which hit the headlines last fall. 

The suit claimed that all of the defendants violated her privacy under federal law and asked for the social media companies mentioned to remove her image from their platforms. Her lawyer also filed the suit under the pseudonym ‘GP’ in an attempt to hide her identity.

According to Palo, she was not aware when she picked up the rental vehicle, a Nissan Leaf, that it had an interior dash cam and that Arevalo had failed to disclose it.

It added that she was ‘unfamiliar’ with the car and was ‘rushing to return it’ on time when she decided to start texting. 

‘In that moment – a split-second decision to glance at her phone to send a quick message about the return time – her attention lapsed,’ the suit claimed. 

According to the suit the collision with the mail box caused the air bag to deploy and left Palo ‘physically shaken and scared.’

It continued that, after the crash, Palo was ‘disoriented and confused’ when she ‘formed the mistaken belief that perhaps another vehicle forced her off the road,’ which she then told to two deputies from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.

The suit continued: ‘This account was mistaken. No other vehicle was involved. Ms. G.P.’s moment of distraction – her own error in judgment – was solely responsible for the accident.’

She let out a scream as she finally noticed it drifting off the road and attempted to regain control of the vehicle before it crashed

Palo is seeking a minimum of $500,000 after claiming her privacy was violated when the video was shared online 

She claimed that the collision caused her to form the ‘mistaken belief’ that someone had crashed into her

According to the suit she then called Arevalo to report the collision and told him what she believed had happened. 

He asked her, ‘Did you have the dash cam plugged in?’ After which, she described herself as being ‘shocked and confused’ that there was a camera inside the car. 

Arevalo added, ‘If you didn’t unplug it, it’s probably all on video.’ Palo claimed in the suit that she was still in shock and hoped the video would ‘validate her confused recollection of events.’

The suit claimed that Arevalo then made a ‘deliberate, calculated decision to punish’ Palo by posting it on his Facebook page. 

According to the suit his recording of her ‘constituted criminal and civil violations of federal law and Washington law.’

After it was shared online, where it went viral, Palo claimed her Instagram and Facebook were targeted by online trolls who ‘bombarded [her] with hateful messages and comments.’

‘The harassment was vicious, dehumanizing, and relentless,’ the suit claimed, adding that the comments were both ‘explicit’ and ‘sexually demeaning.’

After she watched the video, Palo claimed her life ‘descended into a living nightmare from which she has not fully recovered.’

This extended beyond her social media, she claimed, saying colleagues of hers would ‘whisper’ between themselves about it which created an ‘atmosphere of embarrassment and discomfort.’

Arevalo shared footage of Palo’s disgraceful driving, which badly damaged his car’s motor, AC system and other vital parts, with costs to repair over $4,900

Her lawsuit claimed that Arevalo had sought to punish her by posting the video onto his social media

Palo claimed that even one of her patients saw the video and joked with her, ‘You won’t text and drive on the way to my home visit, right?’

The suit claimed that she experienced anxiety, panic attacks, depression and insomnia as a result of the video going public.

Palo also claimed that for a time she stopped driving over fears that people would recognize her on the road ‘and react with hostility.’

The suit continued: ‘She lives in constant dread that new people in her life will discover the video and connect it to her.’ 

Speaking after he originally posted the video, Arevalo said, ‘I was shocked when I saw the dashcam.

‘I believed what she texted me and thought someone had really driven her off the road.

‘To see her so blatantly texting and then so clearly lie about it seemed so strange to me.’ 

When approached by the Daily Mail on Thursday, Palo hung up the phone. Her attorney was also contacted for comment. 

A spokesperson for Turo said: ‘Protecting the privacy and safety of our community is fundamental to how Turo operates, and we take any concerns in this area seriously. Turo has clear rules and policies to ensure we create a safe and reliable community. 

‘Additionally, guests are required to operate the vehicle safely and in compliance with traffic laws, including Washington state’s strict “hands-free” law. 

‘We will address the allegations through the appropriate legal channels if Turo is ultimately served.’