stolen bicycle



D

Dmitriy

Guest
Has anybody ever tried to sue a school (university)
over a stolen bike in New York (or elsewhere) and with
what results?
 
"Dmitriy" <[email protected]> wrote
> 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 protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> "Dmitriy" <[email protected]> wrote
> > 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 wrote:

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

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.

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 protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> 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.
 
On 17 Jun 2004 13:11:34 -0700, [email protected] (Dmitriy) wrote:

>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 protected]>,
[email protected] says...

>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 protected]>,
[email protected] says...
>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?

>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