In 2017, we represented a woman who lost over $100,000 worth of valuables after a banking institution misplaced the safety deposit box she had used to safeguard her property. Despite the bank’s negligence in protecting her property, the personal injury case was lost on a technicality – the statute of limitations to bring forth a lawsuit had run out. Her valuables were lost forever.
Or so we thought.
Chance and Luck Combine to Recover Lost Valuables
In 2019, a chance glimpse at a news report led our client to an auction being conducted by the Florida Department of Financial Services’ Unclaimed Property Division. A friend happened to see a news report on the upcoming auction, forwarded the clip on to our client, who then noticed one of the necklaces up for auction was one she had stored in the safety deposit box.
The client contacted us immediately and we rushed to the auction site armed with the affidavits, appraisals, and court documents that had been used in her case against the bank. Amazingly, all of her missing safety deposit box valuables were there. Somehow, her items had been turned over to the state as unclaimed property.
“We were fortuitous and lucky that our client’s friend saw the news segment. Her property would have been auctioned off underneath her nose without her ever knowing about it,” Andres Beregovich, Esq. said.
In the end, our client was able to recover all of her lost property.
Click here to read the full story in the Orlando Sentinel.
Perseverance Pays Off
This case is a perfect example of how perseverance and chance can sometimes combine to influence a case outcome. It was chance that led our client to check her safety deposit box in 2016, only to find her valuables missing. It was perseverance that helped us bring the case to court. It was chance that the friend saw the news report and perseverance that drove the client and attorney Andres Beregovich to the auction site, ready to recover her property. It was by chance that all of her property was still intact and together and it was perseverance that meant The Beregovich Law Firm still had all of the case files and proof of ownership needed to recover the property.
If you are in need of legal representation in a personal injury case, contact The Beregovich Law Firm today at (800) 631-9009 or email us to arrange a consultation to discuss your situation. We will provide you with an honest assessment of your situation and advise you of your best options.
