My boat caught fire when we were out of town. A slew of people showed up to get their hands in the pot. It was towed to a local yard then a salvage yard owner showed up to tell me he would handle the salvage and who my insurance carrier was. I told him I wasnt sure that I had the right insurance and not to move the boat until I could confirm. He now is holding the totaled boat hostage and is trying to get thousands of dollars from us for the disposal which we never agreed to or signed any contract for. He is now threatening us with legal action and will not negotiate. What do we do and can he do anything to us
Optional Information: Country relating to Question: United States State (if USA): Florida Already Tried: We have tried to negotiate rates with him and he does not budge. He wants rediculous fees for handling the boat and it was without our permission or consent
Thank you for your question. Be sure to go ahead and bookmark www.nateanswers.com for future questions.How much do you estimate the boat was worth at the time it caught fire?
The boat was paid in full. It was a 1982 Sea Ray and it was probably worth about $18K-$19K. The insurance we had would not cover any of this and we already paid the yard $500 just to lift it out of the water.
In that case, you would be suing the salvage yard for the scrap value of the boat. In exchange, you would then offer to drop the lawsuit if he drops his claim for the exorbitant and unauthorized storage fees. In the Small Claims suit, you would state explicitly that there was no contract and no authorization for him to have ever taken possession of the boat.Please remember to only rate my answer when you are 100% satisfied. IF you feel the need to rate "Poor Service" or Bad Service", please stop and reply to me via the REPLY TO EXPERT button with the issue you have. I am not paid unless I get a rating of 3 to 5 Stars/Smiley Faces. If I have helped you with your question, please give me an appropriate rating so that I get credit for helping you. Thank you!Nate
Experience: Over 8 years of legal practice.