What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Connecticut
I was in a car accident which was the other guy's fault. Basically the police called a tow truck, and that person towed it to a "highly recommended" shop. Long story short, before leaving the shop, the guy tricked me into signing this form which included a sentence for authorization to perform repair. A few days later, after discussing the situation with my insurance company, we decided to tow the car to a shop closer to my home. But the auto shop guy refused to release it, saying I had signed the document and he had "already begun the work and ordered parts", when he most likely hadn't. Regardless, we figured instead of fighting, we would let him fix the car.
That was about 2 months ago, and ever since, there has been little, if any progress in the car repair with the guy constantly saying "we are waiting for parts". My insurance co car adjuster has gone several times to follow-up, but the auto guy often refuses to let him see the car and makes demands like wanting my insurance company to pay for the repairs as they happen (my insurance company refused).
Of note is that the car is registered to my brother, not myself, so I don't know whether my signature meant anything. The body shop guy has since called my brother asking for his signature, but he refused. My insurance co. suggested getting a lawyer involved.
I need to get my car out of there and get it fixed asap. What kind of legal ground do I have to stand on? Is my signature enough for the guy to just take as long as he wants on the repair (I know he charges a daily storage fee)?
I was in a car accident which was the other guy's fault. Basically the police called a tow truck, and that person towed it to a "highly recommended" shop. Long story short, before leaving the shop, the guy tricked me into signing this form which included a sentence for authorization to perform repair. A few days later, after discussing the situation with my insurance company, we decided to tow the car to a shop closer to my home. But the auto shop guy refused to release it, saying I had signed the document and he had "already begun the work and ordered parts", when he most likely hadn't. Regardless, we figured instead of fighting, we would let him fix the car.
That was about 2 months ago, and ever since, there has been little, if any progress in the car repair with the guy constantly saying "we are waiting for parts". My insurance co car adjuster has gone several times to follow-up, but the auto guy often refuses to let him see the car and makes demands like wanting my insurance company to pay for the repairs as they happen (my insurance company refused).
Of note is that the car is registered to my brother, not myself, so I don't know whether my signature meant anything. The body shop guy has since called my brother asking for his signature, but he refused. My insurance co. suggested getting a lawyer involved.
I need to get my car out of there and get it fixed asap. What kind of legal ground do I have to stand on? Is my signature enough for the guy to just take as long as he wants on the repair (I know he charges a daily storage fee)?