Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Missouri
Theft Complaint
I sent a clock to Missouri to be repaired six months ago. In August the repairman emailed that he was behind but would get to the work the next week. Since then I have sent him numerous emails and made numerous telephone calls to check the status, with no reply from him. The clock is an antique valued at $1200, auction value. How would I pursue a criminal or civil complaint? In what jurisdiction?
What are the steps?
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Theft Complaint
Any civil or criminal action would have to be in MO. I would advise you to contact an attorney in the city where the repair person lives. I think I understand that you have posted your question so that it will be viewed by MO attorneys. If you don't get a response from one of them, you will need to find one on your own. You might check out MO bar associations, which you can find at: http://www.findlaw.com/11stategov/mo/associations.html
Re: Theft Complaint
I can only imagine how frustrating this must be for you. I would recommend that you contact an attorney located in the area where the repairman lives/works and have the attorney make a phone call and/or send a letter on your behalf informing the repairman of your desires, whether it be to simply have the clock returned, have the clock repaired and returned ASAP or otherwise. Once the repairman knows you have a local attorney involved, I suspect he will be more apt to resolve the matter. If he is located in the Kansas City metropolitan area or outlying communities I would be happy to assist you. If he is located elsewhere I would be happy to recommend an attorney in the general vicinity. Best of luck with the situation.