Usage of Monetary Restitution........

[Mtngrl25]

Usage of Monetary Restitution......??

What is the name of your state? Tennessee

Hi all,
I live in Tennessee, but the crime I'm referencing happened in Georgia.

A house I own (which my mother lives in) was vandalized by three juveniles. They were caught, we went to court, and they all admitted to committing the crime. They were ordered to pay restitution for the damages (based on estimates from pros), which should be paid in full in the next five months or so.

My question: Is a victim obligated to use monetary restitution specifically for costs of repairs, or is the money to be used at their discretion? On one hand, the money is being paid based on the cost of restoring the property to its original state. On the other hand, if the victim chooses to do the work him/herself, s/he should be compensated for their time and energy for repairing their damaged property. Also, payout from insurance companies is provided in the form of a check and can be used at the policyholder's discretion, and restitution seems to fall sort of in the same catagory (to me, anyway).

Ideas? Thoughts?
Thanks in advance!
Mtngrl

 

[Mtngrl25]

Bump

 

[stephenk]

Did you receive money from both the insurance company and from the defendants? If yes, does the total amount exceed the total amount of estimates you received for repairs?

First, check with your insurance company to make sure they dont require reimbursement of money you receive from the defendants.

If no reimbursement, then you can do whatever you want with the money. fix the house, buy a car, go on a trip. do whatever you want.

 

[Mtngrl25]

Hi Stephen,

Thanks for your reply...
No, I didn't file a claim with my homeowner's insurance. After my deductible, they would have only paid about $200 out of $1,600 worth of total damages (some of the vandalism was on my vehicle also, which isn't covered by homeowner's and only has liability coverage).

Again, thanks for your reply and assistance

Mtngrl