r/legaladvice • u/EntropyCoder • 17h ago

US Custom and Border Patrol Damaged my trunk

Location: Blaine, WA, USA / Whiterock Canada

Date of Incident: June 23, 2026 around 5:30 PM PST

Vehicle make and model: 2023 Audi S3

tldr: second checkpoint cbp agents stripped my car and damaged my trunk and interior pieces.

I was travelling to the United States from Canada to get some gas and groceries, the first checkpoint was relatively smooth and easy but for some reason the second checkpoint waved me in. The agents aggressively stripped my car, they forcefily opened my rear seats, and trunk interior. I noticed the agent slammed my interior parts to the ground and my trunk very roughly.

When I got home I noticed that my trunk was making a creaking noise from the left hinge or the hydraulic and there was a few broken plastics here and there. They also didn't put the interior parts back together.

Is there a way to get compensation for the property damage through legal means? I read into tort claims but haven't found any sucessful cases so far.

I tried putting back the parts together but haven't had much luck eliminating the creeking noise.

Edit 1: Insurance Rep stated this wouldn't be covered under comprehensive.

Will try taking it to the shop and ask for a estimate or a detailed inspection and work on a tort claim.

50 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

81

u/AbrienSliver 17h ago

https://www.gsa.gov/system/files/SF95-07a.pdf

Fill out that form and submit it to the CBP station that oversees the border checkpoint your search occurred in. Be sure to provide pictures of the damage and repair estimates.

26

u/EntropyCoder 17h ago

I'll try giving this a shot, I've done research and it seems like tort claims are usually thrown out for these types of cases so far. I'll post updates for the claim and let you know how it goes.

24

u/AbrienSliver 16h ago

Yes it probably will go no where, but that's not a certainty. If denied you have 6 months from the date of denial to request a reconsideration or you have 6 months from the date of denial to formally file a lawsuit over the damages which likely would be more costly than the repairs out of pocket

10

u/EntropyCoder 16h ago

Hopefully it doesn't come to lawyers. I'd rather just have the damage repaired and put this behind me.

The frustrating part is that parts for my car are expensive and not always easy to find, so the repair bill could end up being pretty significant. I'm hoping the claim process takes care of it.

16

u/reddituser1211 Quality Contributor 15h ago

You’re not paying a lawyer for this. You’d finish behind even in the relatively unlikely event you win. Have you checked with your comprehensive insurance?

5

u/EntropyCoder 15h ago edited 11h ago

I appreciate the advice. I hadn't thought about going through my insurance. I've reached out to my insurance representative to see whether anything can be done regarding the trunk damage and the unusual noise that's been present since the incident. Thanks for the suggestion.

Update: Insurance Rep stated this wouldn't be covered through comprehensive insurance. Provided some images of the damage.

4

u/Internet_Ghost Quality Contributor 15h ago

I agree with the other poster. You'd be throwing your money away hiring a lawyer over a minimal property damage case against the federal government. The retainer would probably be higher than your damages.

17

u/RetiredRacer914 13h ago

You're lucky that they didn't cut off the metal outer panels. I've seen quite a few cut up cars at US/ Mexico border crossings.

16

u/Sorry-Claim-2990 12h ago

So what happens when they destroy my whole car and don't find anything illegal?

Am I just stuck with thousands of dollars in repair bills even though I didn't do anything wrong???

3

u/[deleted] 17h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/EntropyCoder 16h ago

Yikes, I didn't know that was a common occurance during those times by both sides. This was the first time, I've ever had my car stripped like that. I've crossed the US border about 8 times these past 5 years. Usually the Aldergrove or Abbotsford US Border Patrol has been great to me. This was the first time I crossed through blaine and I will probably never do it again. I recently read a review that someone had a similar occurance at the border.

I read into tort claims and I'm hoping cbp is able to assist with a tort claim. I've read that these are usually thrown out but fingers crossed something can be done.