La Puente, CA asked in Identity Theft for California

Q: My daughter's school lunch account has been misused by unauthorized user(s) at her middle school.

From her purchase history, it shows that her account has been used since end of September 2016 until February 2017. Upon my reporting, the school quickly caught one girl that was trying to use my daughter’s account for buying something at lunch. However, the school officials believed in what that girl said that she only used my daughter’s account two times. The assistant principal told my daughter that that girl is honest and she wouldn’t do that. I had a meeting with both school officials and they seemed to try to protect that girl and said that they believe there must be more than one person using my daughter’s account, so we are left with nothing except the $1 that girl put back to my daughter's account. The money we lost due to the theft from her lunch account is about $250-$300. The district director said we have to wait until the school conclude its investigation. All the school does now is to monitor the students who purchase more than a bag of chips. What is your advice?

Related Topics:
1 Lawyer Answer
Ali Shahrestani,
Ali Shahrestani,
Answered
  • New York, NY
  • Licensed in California

A: Is this a private or public school? It sounds like theft that should be reported to the police for investigation. If the school is acting negligently, you may be able to sue if negotiations or complaints are unfruitful. More details are necessary to provide a professional analysis of your issue. The best first step is an Initial Consultation with an Attorney. You can read more about me, my credentials, awards, honors, testimonials, and media appearances/ publications on my law practice website. I practice law in CA, NY, MA, and DC in the following areas of law: Business & Contracts, Criminal Defense, Divorce & Child Custody, and Education Law. This answer does not constitute legal advice; make any predictions, guarantees, or warranties; or create any Attorney-Client relationship.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.