The D.C. Court of Appeals said a trial court judge went too far when he ordered a teenage car thief to pay damages nearly twice that of the value of the car he stole and crashed.
A man identified only as X.E. in court records, was 17 years old when he stole a 1996 Honda Accord, fled from police and crashed into two other cars. The joy ride took place in the summer 2008.
X.E. was caught, charged and released, with an order that he and his mother appear for a later court date to discuss restitution. But neither X.E. or his mom came to the hearing.
When X.E.’s lawyer asked for more time, Family Court Judge Jerry Byrd said no.
“I’m sure I’m going to see this [case] again. … Today I am through with it. … They put themselves in the position not to be here to say, ‘I can’t pay that,'” Byrd said.
The Accord had more than 272,000 miles on it, and its value was estimated to be about $4,000. But that figure wasn’t solid, and Byrd instead said it was reasonable to order X.E. to pay the estimates on the damages, which same to more than $7,000.
Not so fast, said the appeals court. Byrd had an obligation to find out the “fair market value” of the Accord before awarding damages, the court said in a ruling Thursday. The court didn’t take a position on whether it was fair for Byrd to order X.E. and his mother to pay for damages without first finding out whether they could afford to.
Currently, a basic 1996 Accord in good condition has a value of about $2,000.
Assistant Attorney General John Woykovsky said his office was “disappointed” with the ruling. X.E.’s lawyer could not be reached for comment.
