Valet Gives Ferrari Keys to the Wrong Person but Does That Diminish the Car's Value?

TopSpeed

By Kirby Garlitos

Published Jan 29, 2018

Don't try to steal somebody else's car, people!

Just when you thought your Ferrari 458 Italia Spider would be safe in the hands of a valet, guess again. An owner of the luxury Ferrari found that out the hard way when a valet at the Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club gave the keys to his prized supercar to another person last summer. Now, the real owner of the car, 73-year-old James “Skip” Fowler, is suing the resort and its parking operator, 717 Parking Enterprises. Given the tale of this unusual caper, we don’t blame Fowler for the lawsuit.

Imagine being the owner of this Ferrari 458 Italia Spider. You not only find out that the valet gave the keys to the wrong person, but you find out later on that the person didn’t know how to properly drive the supercar. You’d be upset, too, right? Unfortunately for 28-year-old Levi Miles, he stole from a practicing lawyer who also happens to be a senior partner in a law firm based in Orlando. So Fowler did what he always does: he filed a lawsuit against Vinoy’s parent company, Marriott International, and 717 Parking for negligence and gross negligence.

According to the lawsuit, Fowler “spent significant sums” on car inspections, repairs, and legal fees after his Ferrari was stolen. On top of that, he claims that the episode caused the car’s value to “diminish.” While I agree that he needs to be compensated for the inspections and repairs, it’s had to imagine the car’s value “diminishing” after what it went through. All signs point to the car not receiving any significant damages, and, contrary to what Fowler may think, his prized 458 Italia Spider now has an interesting story to tell, something that very few of its kind have. He’s right to file the lawsuits, though, because heads need to roll for this.

As for Miles, he’s facing charges of grand theft auto, habitually driving with a suspended or revoked license, and possession of cocaine. The latter charge stemmed after police officers found cocaine on the car’s center console when they apprehended Miles and a woman friend, 24-year-old Chloe Rimmer, who he just met that night. Apparently, Miles tried to jack the 458 Italia Spyder because he wanted to impress Rimmer, who was none-the-wiser about the ordeal.

Here’s a lesson for all of you: don’t steal a car, even if it means trying to impress a girl. There are better and far safer ways to do that.