stolen bicycle

"Dmitriy" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Has anybody ever tried to sue a school (university) over a stolen bike
in New York (or elsewhere) and with what results?

Is it the schools responsibility to lock it up?

Pete

"Pete" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Dmitriy" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Has anybody ever tried to sue a school (university) over a stolen bike
in New York (or elsewhere) and with what results?

Is it the schools responsibility to lock it up?

Pete

A "not me" would suffice. Any one else?

Dmitriy said:

"Pete" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Dmitriy" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Has anybody ever tried to sue a school (university) over a stolen bike
in New York (or elsewhere) and with what results?

Is it the schools responsibility to lock it up?

A "not me" would suffice. Any one else?

Not me. I haven't had a bike stolen (why, yes, I do lock my bike), but
I've had components removed from it while parked at a college. But I
kind of doubt the *college* stole them. Besides, I'm confident any
lawsuit would result in the college saying, "By your presence on our
campus, you implicitly agree to our policy that The College is not
responsible for your personal belongings."

--
-------- Scott Eiler B{D> -------- http://www.eilertech.com/ --------

"It seemed an unlikely spot for a sensitive songwriter from Greenwich
Village... She ordered the 20-ounce steak."
-- Lin Brehmer, Chicago DJ, describing his meeting in a steakhouse
with Suzanne Vega.

Scott Eiler <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Not me. I haven't had a bike stolen (why, yes, I do lock my bike), but
I've had components removed from it while parked at a college. But I
kind of doubt the *college* stole them. Besides, I'm confident any
lawsuit would result in the college saying, "By your presence on our
campus, you implicitly agree to our policy that The College is not
responsible for your personal belongings."

They could argue that. But one could also argue that a policy that
forces only certain students leave their personal belongings on the
street is discriminatory. Not to mention that before a university can
argue about anything, they would need to hire a $100-$200 per hour
lawyer. In case if the bike's worth is only $200-$300, simply
settling would be much cheaper for the school.

Dmitriy said:

But one could also argue that a policy that
forces only certain students leave their personal belongings on the
street is discriminatory.

Do they allow the motorists to take their personal transportation
into the classrooms with them?

"Dmitriy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Not to mention that before a university can

Quoted message said:

argue about anything, they would need to hire a $100-$200 per hour
lawyer. In case if the bike's worth is only $200-$300, simply
settling would be much cheaper for the school.

It's likely a university would already have legal counsel readily available
and would not want to set a precedent that could end up costing them a lot
more.

Dave

I can understand why everybody's posts are so discouraging. But I am
still surprised that with bicycle theft being such a wide spread
problem, there was not a single positive answer to my original
question.

"Dmitriy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I can understand why everybody's posts are so discouraging. But I am
still surprised that with bicycle theft being such a wide spread
problem, there was not a single positive answer to my original
question.

That's because it's a ridiculous idea. The University has no responsibility
for your personal property.

Dave

The point was not to find out whether a university is responsible or
not. I know that it is not (especially if the bike was stolen from a
public sidewalk). But universities have created policies that keep
them from being responsible, and, at the same time, provide no
security to the students. The question was very general. I am trying
to find out if anybody has tried to sue a school over a stolen bicycle
using _any_ premise. Like I said, discrimination is one possibility
(by the way, motorists are not forced to leave anything on the
street). There may be other arguments.

(Dmitriy) said:

Has anybody ever tried to sue a school (university) over a stolen bike
in New York (or elsewhere) and with what results?

I'm not a lawyer but that certainly never stopped me from throwing in
my two cents worth. If a car was broken into while on a U.S. military
base the military used to reimburse for the damage to the vehicle and
any items stolen. I don't know if they continue this practice since
it has been some years since I served but I do remember that the
vehicle had to have been locked at the time of the incident. If the
military police found evidence that showed the vehicle was unsecured
the victim was not reimbursed. I believe the idea was since the
military base was closed and protected by the federal government, the
government assumed responsibility of the items on it. To fully enjoy
the benefits of the government's responsibility the vehicle owners had
to comply with the basic security measures directed by the post
commander, such as locking the doors when the vehicler was parked. It
is probably stretching a bit to try and apply the concept to a college
campus but it might make the administration stop and think for a bit.
If it is a closed campus and the college provides security, which I
will assume in New York, and the college provides bicycle racks then
the "not responsible for private property" waiver may not be as strong
as the administration would like to believe.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Has anybody ever tried to sue a school (university) over a stolen bike
in New York (or elsewhere) and with what results?

Did the school steal the bike? Do you have witnesses to prove the school
stole the bike? If yes, then you have a good case.
-------------
Alex

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

The point was not to find out whether a university is responsible or
not. I know that it is not (especially if the bike was stolen from a
public sidewalk). But universities have created policies that keep
them from being responsible, and, at the same time, provide no
security to the students.

What policy is that?

Quoted message said:

The question was very general. I am trying
to find out if anybody has tried to sue a school over a stolen bicycle
using _any_ premise. Like I said, discrimination is one possibility
(by the way, motorists are not forced to leave anything on the
street). There may be other arguments.

Unless you see the University actually stealing your property, I don't
see how you can sue. Actually, I can see how you can sue. I can't see
how you would win. Would you sue a store because you parked your bike
outside the store and it got stolen? Do you not want to take responsibility
for your own actions?
------------
Alex