3 Potential Ways to Sue a Repo Man
If you've fallen behind in paying your bills, you may have had an unpleasant visit by a repo man. You should know that repossession men are not government authorities, nor are they associated with the police. In certain situations, you can even sue a repo man for damages.
The laws regarding what repo men can and cannot do are typically provided in state statutes. So depending on where you live, you may want to talk to an attorney to see if the repo man violated any laws.
Generally, some ways to potentially sue a repo man can include:
- Breach of peace. Some repo men do some truly awful things to intimidate you and repossess property. Repo men may threaten you, bully you, and sometimes even physically assault you. Depending upon the conduct of a repo man, you may be able to sue for a variety of torts such as assault and battery, harassment, breach of peace, and even stalking.
- Damage to property. Repo men have never been known to the gentlest of men, nor are they professional movers. So when they repossess your property, there's a fair chance they may cause some collateral damage to your other property. In this case, you may be able to sue for property damage.
- Impersonating a police officer. Many repo men like to act like they are authorities of the law. They are not. If a repo man does more than throw his weight around and actually impersonates a police officer, he may actually be committing a crime. For victims of an unscrupulous repo man, this can potentially be used in a civil lawsuit for damages.
Dealing with a repo man can be extremely unsettling. If you believe that you have been injured through some dealing with a repo man, you will want to talk to an attorney.
An attorney can help review the facts of the case and evaluate whether you have a valid claim, An attorney can also go over the possible damages you can collect and help keep the repo man off your back.
Related Resources:
- Deep in Debt: Your Options (FindLaw)
- Filing a Lawsuit: Should you Sue? (FindLaw)
- Bow Wow Sued for Repossessed Orange Lamborghini (FindLaw's Celebrity Justice)
- The Rich Aren't That Different - They Have Repo Men Too (FindLaw's Legally Weird)