One of the drivers of a Brink’s tractor-trailer was asleep inside the big rig, parked near a remote Southern California rest stop earlier this summer, when thieves broke a lock and stole millions of dollars worth of jewelry and gemstones.
LOS ANGELES — One of the drivers of a Brink’s tractor-trailer was asleep inside the big rig, parked near a remote Southern California rest stop earlier this summer, when thieves broke a lock and, according to a lawsuit filed by the security company.
But Brink’s, in a federal lawsuit filed Aug. 4 in New York, stated that the pickup manifests signed by the jewelers reported a total of $8.7 million worth of merchandise in the 22 stolen bags. Brink’s is seeking to limit potential payouts to the jewelers, who say their cargo was worth $100 million and that the security company is trying to deny compensation to its customers for a theft “its drivers practically invited to happen.”
A spokesperson for Brink’s declined to comment to The Associated Press on Tuesday, citing the pending litigation. The Los Angeles County sheriff’s sergeant who is investigating the case did not respond to a request for comment.Brink’s lawsuit states that the driver left his partner in the big rig’s sleeping berth while he went to get food — a move the company says was “per Department of Transportation regulations.