Legal Question in Civil Litigation in California

I am a private contractor who used a company laptop for work. When I signed the laptop out, I signed a lined notebook with my name, date, and a device description. Before I quit, I returned the laptop - but the bartenders working could not find the notebook to sign my name off. I have since quit this job. it has been a month, and now my former employer is contacting me because the laptop was never returned to her. The bartenders deny ever receiving it. My former employer is demanding that I reimburse her $450 forth laptop, but I maintain my innocence tht I retuned it, and it I'd no longer my responsibility. Can she force me to replace the laptop? She has not out rightly accused me if theft, but she is questioning whether I returned it or not. Does she hav ny grounding her, legally speaking, to force me to replace the device?


Asked on 11/30/13, 10:06 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Kelvin Green The Law Office of Kelvin Green

My first thought is that if they provided a laptop, I seriously question whether you could be considered a contractor...

Let's see if I can summarize this... You did not turn the laptop into the employer (boss), you turned it Into a bar tender, you did not sign it in, you did not get a receipt, and there is something in writing that shows you received it...

Yes based on the above you probably are going to pay for the laptop. Unless you can figure out which bartender you turned it into and they will testify they received it... you probably ought to pay the money out and replace it...the$450 would be tuition for the school of hard knocks...

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Answered on 12/01/13, 6:47 am


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