If I rented 2 TV’s from rent a center but returned them broken, can I be arrested?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If I rented 2 TV’s from rent a center but returned them broken, can I be arrested?
My fiance broke them and I stopped paying on them. They keep calling me and my mom also. They go to mom’s house looking for me. They tell her and or me that if I don’t call them or continue to pay. That they going to have me arrested even though they have their merchandise. Can they do this?
Asked on May 21, 2014 under Criminal Law, Florida
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 10 years ago | Contributor
If you did not yourself deliberately break them or assist your fiance in breaking them, you should not face criminal liability: criminal liability is based on not just a criminal act, but also on having the requisite criminal intent. You may, of course, be sued for either the amount you still owe under the contract (since you breached it, by not continuing to pay) or for the value of the TVs (since they are broken), whichever is greater; they could also sue your fiance (and if they sue you, you could potentially sue your fiance to get him to pay you any amounts which you have to pay the RAC, since your fiance was the one who broke them). Your finance could potentially face criminal liability, if he deliberately broke the TVs.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.