A recent court filing in San Francisco has ignited a legal battle over a car accident that left one man severely injured. On September 5, 2024, Jose Pedro Soto Vergara filed a complaint in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, against Shutterfly, LLC, Avis Budget Group, Maya Louise Davis, Natalie Nieves, and unnamed defendants.
According to the complaint, Vergara alleges that on September 8, 2022, he was driving his 2022 Toyota Corolla at the intersection of California Street and Stockton Street in San Francisco when his vehicle was struck by a Jeep 4x4 owned and operated by the defendants. The plaintiff claims that the defendants were negligent in their ownership, management, maintenance, and operation of the vehicle. "Defendants so negligently owned, entrusted, managed, maintained, drove and operated Defendants’ Vehicle so as to cause Defendants’ vehicle to collide with Plaintiff's Vehicle," states the complaint.
Vergara further accuses Shutterfly, LLC and Avis Budget Group of negligent hiring practices. He asserts that they failed to properly vet their employee Maya Louise Davis before entrusting her with a company vehicle. "Shutterfly LLC and Avis Budget Group did negligently hire, train, supervise and retain its employee Maya Louise Davis," Vergara alleges. He contends that Davis lacked the necessary skills and temperament to safely operate a commercial vehicle.
The plaintiff also claims that Davis was acting within the scope of her employment at the time of the accident. This makes Shutterfly LLC and Avis Budget Group liable under the doctrine of respondeat superior for any injuries caused by their employee's negligence. As a result of this incident, Vergara says he has suffered severe physical and mental pain which may lead to permanent disability. He has incurred significant medical expenses and anticipates future costs for ongoing treatment.
Vergara is seeking various forms of relief from the court including economic damages for lost wages and medical expenses as well as non-economic damages for physical pain and suffering. Additionally, he is asking for pre-judgment interest at the maximum legal rate along with post-judgment interest.
Representing Jose Pedro Soto Vergara is Quinn D. Graham from Rafii & Associates P.C., while no information about defense attorneys or judges presiding over this case has been provided yet. The case ID is CGC-24-617821.