On a Lighter Note: Valet Service Companies Needing to Take Crash Course on Contracts

Earlier this month, Los Angeles-area media reported a somewhat humorous of a valet service that gave away a relatively expensive new car to a random guy claiming that he had “lost the [valet] ticket.”  Yup, the valet service actually just gave the car to the man who was sporting an Ohio state tattoo.  (Of course, this story is not funny for the frustrated car owner).

But wait, the story gets weirder than that (it is, after all, LA, where we worry a lot about our cars…): the valet service sent the responsible employee home and referred the customer to his insurance company.  Initial reports indicated that the insurance company did not want to pay for this loss as no theft had occurred… as is always the case, however, the media did not follow up on the end of this story, to the best of my knowledge.

Another valet contract that you must read and that was shared today on the AALS listserv for Contract Professors reminded me of this story.  Hat tip to Professor Davis!

Valet companies may have to brush up on their contract writing skills soon…