retrying...

[pissandvinegar]

los angeles, CA

over the 4th of July weekend, I noticed as I parked my car that the garage gate of my building's parking garage was
not closing behind me.

In the morning, we woke to find that 5 of the cars in our building had been burglarized, but even worse, the spare
key which had been in my roommate's car (also broken into) to my car could not be found.

All day long, the gate remained open. I let my roommate use my car to go to work as his car was not working from
having all his wires cut from the burglary. He returned at 5:40pm, the garage gate still not being closed. The
manager called me to inform me that the gate was fixed at 7:30pm. When we went down to the garage, my car had
been stolen.

What I want to know is, can I hold the building management liable for the burglary items (totalling upwards of $4500
total worth of stolen items from both our cars) as well as for negligence - not repairing the gate, essentially leaving
the door open for the theives to come take my car?

I am really pissed off... please let me know if there is legal action I can take.

 

[court watcher]

there are too many missing facts to get a really good answer - for example, how long was the gate broken, was this the first time it was broken, what part of city do you live in, how is the crime in your area, how is it that you had $4,500 of stuff in your car, why did you have that much money in stuff in your car, do you have real receipts for the missing items, do you have your own insurance to cover the loss (either renter's, homeowner's or auto coverage) of response.

I know that you can try your hand in small claims court up to 5,000. On the other hand, you can hire a lawyer and pay an hourly rate (any award would not include attorneys fees). Of course, you could try to find a lawyer to handle this on a contingent fee, but I bet that would be tough.

If you want to take action, do not wait, start now. If you want a lawyer, look right away. Any delay may hurt your case.

 

[pissandvinegar]

there are too many missing facts to get a really good answer - for example, how long was the gate broken,
>It was broken at least 2 days the time my stuff was stolen

was this the first time it was broken,
>No, it's reliability if very shady, it's been on the blink for at least 2 months

what part of city do you live in,
>LA, Santa Monica border

how is the crime in your area
>>Car theft is common, apparently

, how is it that you had $4,500 of stuff
>Golf clubs, rollerblades, CD's and stereo equipment add up

in your car, why did you have that much money in stuff in your car,
>It's supposed to be a secured garage, and I didn't think twice

do you have real receipts for the missing items,
>why yes, I do ($3600 of it, for the 36+ CD's no)

do you have your own insurance to cover the loss (either renter's, homeowner's or auto coverage) of response.
>alas, my auto doesn't cover it, and I don't have homeowners or renters insurance.

If you want to take action, do not wait, start now. If you want a lawyer, look right away. Any delay may hurt your case.[/QUOTE]

 

[court watcher]

You have the right to file a claim. But, this is a very hard case to win. Its hard because you have the burden of proof and to get the facts to win the case will cost alot of money.

So, I suggest you try to find a lawyer. If you are willing to pay a lawyer on an hourly basis, it will be easier to find a lawyer. On a contigent fee basis, it will be much harder. If you cannot find a lawyer, then you can try small claims court (up to 5,000). good luck

 

[pissandvinegar]

Thanks for your opinion. I figured this would be the answer, and that is this: I have a case, but it will cost me. And it will probably cost me more money than the amount that I have lost. therefore, it's not worth expending the time and money.

I appreciate having a place like this to run quick questions by.