Cafe Liability: Stolen Coats? Get Free Advice

Questioner

Dear, A short time ago my coat and that of a colleague were stolen from the safe of a cafe. The lockers were 2 euros and the coat had to be hung up. In other words, it was either leave your coat in the locker or in the cafe. I got back to my locker, opened it and both coats were gone. This concerns a jacket of 850 euros and a jacket of 150 euros. A combined value of 1000 euros, excluding the contents of the jacket pockets. The cafe reacts moderately to badly and tries to brush this off. I also haven't seen any signs anywhere that they don't take any responsibility, if that would even hold up in court. My question, what can I do about this? My coat is gone, while I pay them to keep it. In my eyes they have not fulfilled their agreed service. Namely, making sure that my coat (and my colleague's) are safe. I would like to hear from you whether it makes sense to take steps or whether I have no chance. Thank you in advance,

Lawyer

There is a custody agreement between you and the cafe owner. Now that you have also been forced to hand over your coat, the cafe owner has failed to fulfil his duty of care and is liable for the damage. He is usually insured for this. I advise you to hold him liable in writing with receipts for the coats. If you cannot reach an agreement, please contact me.