Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Virginia
Grand larceny
I had my home cleaned by a home-based cleaning company. Unfortunately, the next day, I discovered their idea of cleaning and mine were 2 different things. I had app $5,000 jewelry missing. Although it was reported to the police, no fingerprints were found due to the person wearing gloves for sanitary reasons. The police detective does not have any proof and his gut feeling is 50/50. I am thinking of the OJ Simpson case, where he was criminally found not guilty, but was found guilty in a civil case...can I sue and what type of proof do I need other than no one besides my husband and I and the cleaning company was in the house the day of the incident??
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Grand larceny
Yes, you could probably sue the cleaning company and the workers in small claims court under a theory of tortiously removing property from your premises and interfering with your right of possession to such proeprty(conversion), but whether you would have sufficent proof to sustain your claims by a preponderance of the evidence could be problematical. (The company itself could have liability for the actions of its employees under the doctrine of respondeat superior.)