Heated parking dispute settled in court after a punch or slap causes damage

Feb 27 2023, 7:39 pm

After a series of unfortunate events and a punch or a slap, a parking lot dispute found its way to a BC court.

The dispute was between the applicant Donald MacLeod, who was suing for damages, and William Cornish, who didn’t dispute causing damage but refused to pay for it.

Cornish parked next to MacLeod in a grocery store parking lot. When Cornish opened his truck door, the door hit MacLeod’s car but caused no damage.

Things needlessly escalated from this point on.

The court documents from the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal state that while the truck door didn’t cause any damage to MacLeod’s car, “it did cause an argument.”

During the argument, MacLeod smacked Cornish’s truck, which “also caused no damage,” however, Cornish retaliated by “punching or smacking Don’s car, denting it.”

The punch or slap cost MacLeod $300 in damage in the parking lot dispute in the form of a deductible for repairs.

MacLeod also alleged that Cornish had actually agreed to pay to fix the car, which Cornish denies. Cornish asked the tribunal member overseeing the case to dismiss it.

The court documents outline in detail how the situation escalated after the truck door hit MacLeod’s car. First, MacLeod shouted that Cornish’s truck door hit his vehicle so hard that it shook. Then, after Cornish pointed out that there was no damage, MacLeod slapped Cornish’s car and said, “So it’s okay to hit a person’s car as long as you don’t do damage?”

Cornish then “became ‘furious,’ balled up his fist, and punched a dent into the side of MacLeod’s car. Knowing he caused damage, Cornish immediately calmed down and apologized, ending the confrontation.

Because MacLeod could prove how much he had paid for repairs, it was a fairly open-and-shut case.

The tribunal member ordered Cornish to pay MacLeod $300 in damages and $125 in tribunal fees.

Amir AliAmir Ali

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