Q: Insurance company sues after leaving USA. What are the immigration consequences on next visit?
My friend rented car. I met with accident driving that car without licence.
Police gave me ticket for Driving without licence and friend got ticket for wrongful entrustment.
We both plead guilty in court and paid court fine and charges.
As I was not authorized driver (No driving licence and not added as co-driver on rental agreement), insurance company denied paying the claims for the damages caused. Claim amount is more than 25k.
As of now we have not received any letter or payment option from insurance company.
The problem is both me and my friend who rented car leaving USA next week. We came to USA for work with H1B visa.
What if insurance company sues me after leaving USA ?
I have plan of coming to USA after 4-5 months. Will I get opportunity to appear in court or entry will be denied at border?
A: A civil suit should not affect your admissibility; however, if you are sued and do not show up for court, the court will enter a default judgment against you and you will owe the 25K. Upon your return, the now very frustrated lawyers will claim you left the country to evade the judgment. The court will probably believe them, and come after any money you have in US bank accounts, US registered property, and your wages. Get a lawyer and get things sorted out before you leave, or at least leave settling the issue in your lawyers hands so no one feels you ran away. It's not a one way street. Particularly if you can pay what is owed, this should be easy to sort out. I don't hear you denying responsibility nor do you indicate that $25,000 is over stating the damages (it probably is and you should negotiate a lower figure). If this is really just about you arranging to pay for the damage you caused, you can start the conversation. There is no need to wait to be sued.
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