Vehicle Damage From Construction Next Door

[ssimon86]

Hello,
How are you? I had an incident in Los Angeles California and would greatly appreciate some advice.

I have a 1 month year old car that I park in my employer's lot (private). Next door, they are doing some major construction on a hotel and aside from the dust falling on the cars, everything has been fine. On Friday, I came bak to my car after work and noticed white specks everywhere. I didn't really mind as I was planning on getting a car wash anyways. After I had my car washed, the car still had every white speck. Upon talking to a body shop, they informed me that an exterior detail was needed in order to get the specks off (about $150).

I came into the lot today, and notice a bunch of other cars that had plaster or whatever it was all over them. I informed the parking attendants and they said that they were aware of it, and the construction manager next door did not care. I went next door to talk to them as well, and the construction manager told me "I will keep plastering. Don't worry, be happy".

Is the construction company liable for this damage even though their building and my lot are on private property? What is the best way of ensuring they take care of their mess, and that I am (hopefully) reimbursed for having this fixed?

Thanks so much.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

You can do a similar exterior detail for about $10.

 

[quincy]

Hello,
How are you? I had an incident in Los Angeles California and would greatly appreciate some advice.

I have a 1 month year old car that I park in my employer's lot (private). Next door, they are doing some major construction on a hotel and aside from the dust falling on the cars, everything has been fine. On Friday, I came bak to my car after work and noticed white specks everywhere. I didn't really mind as I was planning on getting a car wash anyways. After I had my car washed, the car still had every white speck. Upon talking to a body shop, they informed me that an exterior detail was needed in order to get the specks off (about $150).

I came into the lot today, and notice a bunch of other cars that had plaster or whatever it was all over them. I informed the parking attendants and they said that they were aware of it, and the construction manager next door did not care. I went next door to talk to them as well, and the construction manager told me "I will keep plastering. Don't worry, be happy".

Is the construction company liable for this damage even though their building and my lot are on private property? What is the best way of ensuring they take care of their mess, and that I am (hopefully) reimbursed for having this fixed?

Thanks so much.

Yes, the construction company can be held liable for damage done to cars in the parking lot as a result of the company's construction work.

You would have been smart to take "before" photos, to show the white marks on your car. I hope you have witnesses who can testify to the white marks on your car prior to the car wash (I imagine other car owners can testify to damage to their cars, as well).

You can submit the bills for any work you have done on your vehicle to the construction company for payment or reimbursement of your costs. If they do not reimburse you, you can sue.