Can I Sue for a Stolen Car?

Having your vehicle stolen from underneath you puts you in a difficult situation. And it may cause you to wonder why a thief would need your vehicle in the first place. A range of reasons might explain why your car was stolen. Some of the most common reasons include: 

Taking Your Car on a Joy Ride

For young perpetrators, the motive for stealing a car might be as simple as a joy ride. If you have an especially chic or valuable vehicle, this is a particularly common scenario. Fortunately, if your vehicle was stolen for a joy ride, it’s possible it will turn up somewhere, perfectly safe and sound. 

Taking Your Car as a Getaway Vehicle

If someone is in the act of committing another crime, they may steal your vehicle as a means of getting away. Since your car can’t be traced back to the perpetrator of the crime, it can be easily taken and later abandoned. 

Taking Your Car and Selling It for Spare Parts

Unfortunately, this is a fairly likely scenario and doesn’t leave much room for a happy ending. If a thief has taken your vehicle with the intent to break it down and sell it for parts, your odds of finding the vehicle in one piece decrease with each passing minute. 

Understanding why a thief might target your vehicle will help you better protect it against theft in the first place. Keep reading, and we’ll cover some more tips for preventing auto theft.

When it comes to protecting yourself against vehicle theft, there is a range of things you can do to better prevent the worst from happening. For starters, there are a number of common-sense decisions you can make, including:

• Lock all of your doors and windows whenever you park the car
• Keep your keys on your person — not in the vehicle
• Park in well-lit areas whenever possible
• Never leave valuables, such as wallets, laptops, or cash, inside the car

There are also a number of technical upgrades you can make to prevent the theft of your car. We recommend you consider installing the following:

• An audible anti-theft device, like a horn alarm
• A visible anti-theft device, like a steering-wheel lock or window etching
• Immobilizing devices that shut off the vehicle in the event of theft or hotwiring
• Vehicle-recover or GPS systems, so the vehicle is easier to find after a theft

You can’t avoid every bad situation, and some determined thieves will not be deterred. But with these safety tips in your arsenal, you are less likely to become a victim. 

The answer to “Can I sue for a stolen car?” is yes, depending on the situation. The truth is that you can file a lawsuit for just about any theft. But it’s important for you to understand the difference between a civil lawsuit and criminal proceedings.

If you win a civil lawsuit, the other party doesn’t receive a jail sentence or probationary time. Instead, they will have to pay you for the damages you received due to their actions.

In a civil lawsuit, you will have the burden of providing a preponderance of evidence that the crime took place and left you with damages. But remember that if the defendant doesn’t have many assets, you may not actually be able to recover any of the damages you are ultimately awarded. 

As you might imagine, these cases can be quite intricate and complicated. Your best bet is to speak with an attorney to determine whether suing over a stolen car will be worth the effort.

Unfortunately, only about one in five stolen vehicles are returned to their original owner. And because selling a vehicle for scrap parts is a leading cause of car theft, your vehicle may already be in pieces by the time you notice it is missing.
 

If you have to buy a new vehicle or make repairs to your stolen vehicle upon its return, you can sue for compensation for those damages. You might also sue for damages if you had to take time away from work or pay for a rental vehicle while your car was missing.

Any good attorney will withhold the fee until the case is won or successfully settled. At Morgan & Morgan, that’s why we say the fee is always free! You won’t owe us a dime until you’ve received the compensation we help you fight for.

Are you ready to learn more about automotive theft and find answers to questions like “Can I sue for a stolen car?” If so, then it’s time to reach out to the team at Morgan & Morgan. We offer free case evaluations to help you get started on the right foot. Simply fill out the contact form on our site to get started.