Auto Insurance Claims: stolen property from car, stolen property from car

Question
The catalytic converter was cut off of my car and stolen earlier this week. I was parked in a gated parking lot under my residence. There are two gates, one was closed and you have to have a key card to get in. The other was left open. Also the security cameras were not on at the time. There is a police service stationed here all the time and no one noticed this happening except one witness. The person was able to drive in through the open gate and cut the part off without confrontation. Is the parking lot owner liable for this stolen property since the gate was left open and the cameras were not on?

Answer
Hello Miles,

Well, this would be a difficult claim to make. Most parking lots are very good at disclaiming liability. If this parking lot has told you in a sign or anything to that effect that you are liable for anything that happens to the car, then you may not have remedy.

If however, they are taking your money (you pay them to take care of your car), you can argue that they were negligent.

Remember, theft is an intentional act and showing the "connection" or the causation between the theft and the negligence can be very difficult. You do need to talk to your attorney on this because it may prove to be a hard claim to make.

Good Luck
Anne
http://www.quirogalawoffice.com/
http://www.spokanebankruptcy.org/