Liability for Bicycle Damage: Who Pays?

Questioner

I come home from work tonight and want to put my bike in the bike rack in front of my door, but there is no room there so I walk to another bike rack a little further. There I put my bike in the rack and at the same time a bike that is outside the bike rack, not on its stand and against the bike that is next to me in the bike rack, falls over against a motorcycle. Resulting in a scratch on the motorcycle. The owner freaked out and holds me liable, while it is not my bike that was hit against the motorcycle. Am I actually liable for this?

Lawyer

The owner of the fallen bicycle is in principle liable for the damage, unless the damage was caused by your actions. If you caused the damage (indirectly), you must compensate the damage. The owner of the motorcycle will have to prove that the damage is attributable to you. If you cannot reach an agreement, I would be happy to look at your case.