Whatt o do if I had a company vehicle stolen from my home overnight and the vehicle was recovered but all personal/company tools were stolen?

Get Legal Help Today

Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Whatt o do if I had a company vehicle stolen from my home overnight and the vehicle was recovered but all personal/company tools were stolen?

The company requires that we take the vehicles home. It is now stating that it has always been policy that employee tools are their personal responsibility but does the instance of an employee getting reimbursed previously set precedence? Also, would the fact the company has had vehicle theft in the past and have refused to install alarms on vehicles institute any negligence?

Asked on November 2, 2012 under Employment Labor Law, California

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 11 years ago | Contributor

1) Your company is not responsible for personal goods stolen from a company vehicle (or company property) unless it contractually agreed to reimburse you and/or was at fault in some way.

2) The fact that the company may have voluntarily chosen to reimburse in the past does not obligate them to reimburse now; no contract was created with you, that they would pay for your stolen tools.

3) No, their choice to not install alarms would not be sufficiently negligent--unreasonably careless--as to require them to pay for  yoru tools. Bear in mind many or most vehicles lack alarms, so there is nothing unreasonable about not having one.


IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.

Get Legal Help Today

Find the right lawyer for your legal issue.

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption