It Starts With a Fender Bender. It Ends in Court.
- Casey Brothers
- Apr 1
- 1 min read
Most shops don’t talk about lawsuits.And insurance companies sure won’t warn you about them.
But what were going to be seeing more of.
Radar wasn’t calibrated
System failed
Accident happened
Lawyer starts digging
And the shop ends up in the courtroom
All because a repair was missing one step.
The Paper Trail Will Make or Break You
In these cases, the first thing the lawyer looks for is:
OEM documentation
Repair documentation
Scan tool reports
Calibration reports
Shop notes
Insurance communication
If it’s not there — or worse, if it contradicts the shop’s decisions — you’re exposed.
It Doesn’t Matter Who Paid for the Repair
The judge doesn’t care if the insurer refused to pay.They care who performed the work.And that’s you.
So if the customer drove off with incomplete repairs, and no one documented the risk?
You’re going to be answering a lot of uncomfortable questions.
These Lawsuits Aren’t Just Civil — They’re Personal
You’re not just fighting for your business.You’re defending your name, your license, and in some cases, your livelihood.
Headlines we anticipate seeing:
"Uncalibrated System Blamed in Fatal Crash"
"Body Shop Cited for Incomplete Repairs"
"Family Sues Over ADAS Failure After Collision Repair"
Don't let that be you.
Final Word: If You Skip It, You Sign For It
It doesn’t matter if it was minor.It doesn’t matter if no DTCs were present.It doesn’t matter if insurance said “no.”
If it was required — and you skipped it — you own it.
Don’t be the shop that learns this lesson the hard way.
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