Fell onto a car

[quezplus4]

I recently fell into a car door and made a dent in it, among other dents. The owner is a person I know but decided to persue to get me to pay for it and has already taken it to a shop and had it fixed. The owner said he has a statement for me but has yet to give the statement to me and did not go through insurance. He paid out of pocket and had the whole door replaced which I did not damage the whole door just made a small dent. I am trying to figure out if I am liable for the door replacement or just the dent and if need be take the matters into the hands of the court system. Any and all help in this situation is greatly appreciated.

 

[army judge]

I recently fell into a car door and made a dent in it, among other dents. The owner is a person I know but decided to persue to get me to pay for it and has already taken it to a shop and had it fixed. The owner said he has a statement for me but has yet to give the statement to me and did not go through insurance. He paid out of pocket and had the whole door replaced which I did not damage the whole door just made a small dent. I am trying to figure out if I am liable for the door replacement or just the dent and if need be take the matters into the hands of the court system. Any and all help in this situation is greatly appreciated.

If you feel you don't owe, don't pay.

Let him sue you.

You have a right to see his receipts.

If the receipt indicates $500, and you feel it was worth $100, make him a counteroffer.

If he accepts, get his exact acceptance in writing and a signed receipt.

Otherwise, tell him you'll see him in court when he sues you.

Only a judge can order you to pay.

 

[mightymoose]

If he does provide a statement, find out where the repair was done. If the door was replaced then you might be able to locate the original and photograph the damage. You could also obtain an estimate from the same mechanic, or others, of the cost to repair the damage that you caused.
However, no, you are not responsible for damage you did not cause, and this person is certainly taking advantage of the situation. A judge will see right through it if it goes that far.