What are the legalities if the USPS left a box out of my mailbox that was subsequently stolen?
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What are the legalities if the USPS left a box out of my mailbox that was subsequently stolen?
It delivered 3 parcels to my rural mail box on a Saturday morning. Only 2 would fit into the box so the mail person left 1 on top of the box. All 3 were stolen as a result. I’ve reported this to the local post office, the sheriff and the postal Inspector. I received an apology letter. The items stolen total $270. I feel that the USPS is responsible for the theft but apparently they do not.
Asked on April 7, 2014 under Business Law, Washington
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 10 years ago | Contributor
They are not your insurer: once they deliver it to your home, they have discharged their responsibility and are not liable for what happens next. That is the case even if the box could not fit in your mailbox, since that is not their fault--they neither sent the large (or large # of) packages nor set up a mailbox too small to handle all the deliveries.
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