When a person compensates someone for damage he has caused to that person’s property, it is called restitution. Which of the following situations is the best example of restitution?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Tom borrows his friend’s camera. He fails to zip the case, the camera falls to the ground and the lens shatters. When he returns the camera, he tells his friend that he will pay for the damage.
Restitution has two parts: someone has damaged another person’s property, and he pays the owner for that damage.
In Option (2) Tom’s carelessness breaks his friend’s camera lens, and Tom offers to pay for the damage. Both parts are present.
Why the other options are incorrect
Option (1) Tom borrows his friend’s car and returns it with an empty petrol tank. He apologises and tells his friend that he will fill the tank tomorrow. — Incorrect. Using up petrol is not damage to the car; Tom only replaces what he used.
Option (3) Peter asks Tom to stay in his flat while he is out of town. When Tom arrives, he finds that a pipe has burst and the flat is full of water. He calls a plumber and pays for the repair. — Incorrect. Tom did not cause the burst pipe; he only gets it repaired.
Option (4) A pothole in the parking area of Peter’s company causes a flat tyre on his car. He tells his boss and expects the company to pay for the repair. — Incorrect. Peter is the one who suffered the damage; nobody has compensated him yet.