Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Maryland
i have a question!
I filed a $15,000 lawsuit against a franchised auto center. When I returned to pick up my vehicle the day after it was repaired the service center didn't have possession of my keys and my vehicle was broken into and vandalized.
Several of the store's employee's were questioned about taking my keys from the service center but everyone gave the typical answer of not knowing anything. The attorney who represented me said that I was only entitled to compensation for damages to my vehicle but I later find out from the person in charge of the companies claims division on the phone in the presence of the attorney that my vehicle was reported to the company as abandoned by the store manager who also stated in his report to the company that an employee had been given the keys to my vehicle. The company offered a settlement for my vehicle damages but, because of the managers report and the terms stating me as negligent and the cause of the break-in I refused the offer. If I have documents showing that my vehicle was in left in the care of the service center when my keys were given to an employee and assuming that nothing in my service agreement allows the company to give or loan my keys to an employee am I entitled to more?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: i have a question!
If it can be proven that the service department supervisors knowingly allowed an employee to take your vehicle for personal use, you might be entitled to punitive damages. But if it was the bad employee who did this without the knowledge and acquiescence of the store manager, you should accept the offer of repairing your vehicle. It's usually hard to prove enough to get extra damages in cases like this, short of an outright admission by the store manager that he
violated a company policy which directly led to the vandalizing of your vehicle.
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