Hello All My house was broken into last tuesday by the next door neighbor kids and his frineds . The stole a safe containing my girlfriend diamond engagement ring and all of my car titles , two ferraris a porsche and a mercedes . also in the safe was the red key fobs for both ferrais . In addition to allof this they stole teh factory raidos and tool kits . The cops arrested the withing 24 hours and were only able to recover the ring which was tossed to the road . The cops said since they are under 18 there is not much that will happen to them in the end and that since they are under 18 there is not much luck in getting any payment for the items stolen . The replacement value of the items is around 30k including replacing the alarm ecus in cars . Iam looking for a civil attorney that would file a case against all of kids involved and help me get some of my money back . Thanks Bill Wann
Wow Bill, I'm real sorry to hear of your problem. I would think that the parents of the little bastards would be financially responsible for their behavior/damages. I think that you might want to find an attorney known in Lake county, rather than Chicago. I might contact a village/town prosecutor that serves a number of villages, to see who they might suggest. There must be a way to jam it back at the families of the young criminals. Best of luck, Bill
This is correct. Although the kids may not have to pay, the parents will. You could go after their assets if need be. Considering they are your neighbors, I seriously doubt that they'd want to go through the headache of all of that, have you spoken to them directly?
Out of curiosity, why was your "girlfriend" (fiance' ??), engagement ring in a safe, and not on her finger??
Good question , she is away with her parents and did not want to risk loosing it or getting it stolen , would have been safer with her . It seems for the info from the cops that most of the kids involved families do not have much money , he suggested not to bother and just forget about it . I tell you its a wonderful place where kids can come into your house , steal what ever they want and get away with it with just a slap on the wrist because they are under 18 . The really sad part is that I have to tell my girlfriend that all of the letters she has written me over the years and all of the pictures we have of each other that we were trying to keep safe have been stolen by a bunch of dirtbags and burned . You cant place a price on stuff like that .
Doesn't your homeowner's insurance cover the loss? If not, I suggest you call your insurance agent right after you call the lawyer. My wife is taking the bar in July; can you wait a few months? Ken
Great advise from the cop. Perhaps next time when I get pulled over for speeding I'll tell him I don't have that much money and just to forget about it..
Sorry to hear about your troubles. Nasty stuff. Regarding the pictures I recommend to digitize them going forward (unless you already have a digital camera). It is a painful process, but I have digitized every shot and keep copies on DVDs in various locations. Aside from burglars water and fire damage can always ruin your life's memories. A safe goes only so far.
File a claim with the insurance company along with a copy of the police report. After the insurance company pays, you will likely only have to cover the deductible yourself. If your deductible is small, you can sue them yourself in small claims court without the need to get your own attorney. The insurance company is likely to subrogate your claim against the families, meaning they might sue to recover their losses they paid to you for the thefts.
Sorry to hear about that...hopefully you are made as whole as possible. Worst case is: if it doesn't turn out like you wanted, go to the local news station.
Definitely go after the parents unless they are completely judgment proof. Parents need to teach their kids some responsibilities.
Bill, I just had a thought, not that I know anything about it but, have you spoken to the county police or DA. Considering the value of the items stolen, maybe they can be criminally charged as adults.
All parents of kids under the age of 18 are responsible for the actions and damages caused by their kids when their actions are deliberate (not an accident). Sue the parents and file for criminal charges against the kids. While they will be tried as juvenals, might as well send the message early to them. Sue the parents to recover damages for the loss of your items, damage to your home and repairs. Include punitive damages if the law will allow. Contact a lawyer first for consultation. Contact the police next and file whatever charges you can. If you have at least some relationship with the parents, talk to them first and see if they will pay for the damages and your loss. If not sue them and sue them hard.
Sorry to hear about you lose. I've done many burglary jobs over the years and 24 hours isn't a bad turnaround. At the same time, with only 24 hours after the crime I'd say that I have a hard time with the lack of items recovered. As far as trying to seek compensation for the items that were not returned to you there are several choices you have: 1) You can sue the parents for items. Basically you would need to provide documentation of the items worth. This is not always what you would get because the award is actually up to the judge. 2) You can have you insurance company cut you a check for you lose and then sue the parents for the deductible amount. 3) Try local pawnshops and resale stores. We've located many stolen goods this way. Don't over look eBay either. The have a very good fraud department and work with law enforcement very closely. Hope it turns out good...to bad you weren't home when they broke in.
You need to know "people who know people".... Sorry. That sucks. Your profile says 2 F's and porsche. You must live in a decent neighborhood. Their parents HAVE to have something to go after! Or, as above, let your insurance company duke it out with them. Still sucks.
Hi sorry for your trouble. I have an attorney to recomend that happens to be the current "Super Lawyer" in Ohio (voted to that title by all other law firms in the state of Ohio) for the last two years in a row. He also has an office here in Chicago. He can help. Call me and I will give you his number. Gene (847)275-4363
