Legal Question in Personal Injury in California
I was getting off of work and tossing my friend a pair of keys, and they accidentally hit a woman's window and broke it. The car is a 1994 bmw, and the estimate from the dealership is about twice as much as the estimates i got. Which one do I legally have to pay her?
1 Answer from Attorneys
You have to pay the reasonable cost of replacing the window at a shop that is properly licensed and has the personnel with the skills and experience to do the work professionally. It does not have to be at the dealer. You need to discuss the matter with the woman to arrive at a fair settlement. If you are not able to arrive at a settlement then she might sue you in Small Claims court and the judge will decide what the fair and reasonable amount you must pay. Since neither one of you want to go through all that delay, expense and hassle there is an incentive for both of you to work things out informally. You might have to pay more than the estimates you got and she might have to take less than her estimate.