[TR] Restoration expert stole my car

[Steve Thornton]

Brian et al-


I agree that you should have a police report filed and an investigation
started. That may cause a criminal case to be developed against the
restoration "expert." However, I caution you to not use the criminal process
to gain a civil advantage. In other words, don't use the criminal process as
a collection agency. If you do, in Kentucky at least, that can also be a
crime or give rise to a civil action called abuse of process.

I would certainly hate to see you victimized twice. Scam artists often seem
to know how to "work" the system and this is one way they often do it.

I would suggest employing an attorney on a contingent fee basis, where he or
she receives a portion of the money recovered. I suspect there might be
several attorneys that are car friendly who might be willing to help.


Steve Thornton
Bowling Green, KY

-----Original Message-----
From: triumphs-bounces+sothornton=stevethorntonlaw.com at autox.team.net
[mailto:triumphs-bounces+sothornton=stevethorntonlaw.com at autox.team.net] On
Behalf Of pethier at comcast.net
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2007 8:15 AM
To: brian fitzgerald; tr3driver at ca.rr.com; triumphs at autox.team.net;
british-cars at autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [TR] Restoration expert stole my car

From: "brian fitzgerald" <bfitz241 at hotmail.com>
> Just wanted everyone to know, that after paying a "restoration expert"
over 
> $17,000 he has disappeared.  Got evicted from his shop, disconnected his 
> phone and won't answer my letters [I think I have his address]  He also 
> still has my 1960 TR3A...Anybody ever sucessfully sue in similar
situations? 
>   If so, was it NY and can I have the lawyers name?

I'm curious as to why you have not been shouting from the rooftops his name,
his shop name, and his shop location.

If it happened to me, I'd make sure everyone in the car world would know
everything I knew about him.

--
Phil Ethier  West Side  Saint Paul Minnesota  USA
1962 Triumph TR4 CT2846L, 1992 Saturn SL2, 1993 Suburban,
1994 Miata C package
pethier [at] comcast [dot] net    http://forum.mnautox.com/forums/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pethier
I decry the textmessagization of the American-English language.
_______________________________________________
sothornton at stevethorntonlaw.com

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