Lawyer Sues for Valet Giving His Ferrari to Wrong Person

By William Vogeler, Esq. on January 26, 2018 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Levi Miles said he was trying to impress his date.

So he asked the valet for the keys to a yellow Ferrari parked at the hotel, and the valet gave them to him. "That's not stealing," Miles told police later in his best Ferris Bueller impression. "The valet gave me the keys."

Miles was charged with grand theft auto, but that was only the beginning of the legal drama. The Ferrari belonged to a lawyer who was stranded at the hotel.

$300,000 Oops

James "Skip" Fowler, a partner at Fowler, O'Quinn, Feeney & Sneed, was wondering where his car went. He had been at the hotel for a convention when his $300,000, Ferrari 458 Spider disappeared.

Luckily, police recovered it after they pulled the thief over on a traffic stop. Miles apparently couldn't figure out how it worked because, police reported, he was driving with the lights off and had "difficulty" driving the car.

Miles and his date told the cops a story, including an explanation for the cocaine on the console. Fowler got his car back, but he wasn't done. He sued the valet company and the hotel for letting Miles steal his Spider.

In the negligence complaint, Fowler says he "spent significant sums" on car inspections, repairs, and legal fees. He also claims the car's value has been diminished.

What, No Tip?

Marriott International and 717 Parking Enterprises will have to sort out their responsibility in the case. The valet, for his part, figured it out pretty quickly.

He said Miles pressured him, demanding the keys and insisting the claim ticket was in the car. The valet said Miles and his date sat in the car for "quite a while" before he stopped paying attention.

Eventually, according to reports, the valet just "figured he wasn't getting a tip." When Fowler showed up, he didn't give him a tip either.

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