Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Michigan

I let my friend and her husband use our cottage for a weekend while we were away. The key to my jet ski was put away in my clothes drawer in my room, with it being none that noone has ever been allowed to drive this jet ski (I have had it for only 1 month) but myself. My friend and her husband took it upon themselves, without my approval or contacting me, to go through my stuff and to find my key. They then took it upon themselves to take my jet ski out on the water and then ALSO let their friends (whom I do not approve of) use my jet ski also. Once again this was without my consent or knowledge. Well, their friends ended up doing over $4000 in damage and basically totaled the jet ski. Could you please tell me who is legally responsible for this. I believe that it is My friend and her husband as they were the ones using my cottage, used the jet ski without permission and then lent it out to someone else without any permission. I would truely appreciate your advice on this as I am just beside myself that a friend would misuse such trust and faith. Thank you in advance. ~ Laurie


Asked on 9/15/10, 11:55 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Shelly Schellenberg MI & FL private practice

Laurie,

you can count these folks as your ex-friends. File a complaint in small claims court against them. Take your jet ski and other repair bills and any other documentation you have with you to court. Tell the judge your story. If your friends feel that the other party is responsible, it is up to them to file an action against them. Since you have a $4000 loss, and MI small claims is limited to $3000, you would be smart to hire an attorney to collect the full $4000 in District Court. An attorney is likely to get better results for you than you can by yourself.

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Answered on 9/24/10, 10:16 pm


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