Back in February, we reported that an insurance company had sued the U.S. Department of Justice claiming it was stonewalling responsibility for an FBI agent wrecking a stolen Ferrari F50. Turns out the FBI can wreck your sports car — as long as the agents are on the clock.


U.S. Federal Judge Avern Cohn dismissed the lawsuit by Motors Insurance on Monday, ruling that while the wreck of the F50 with an FBI agent at the wheel was "certainly unfortunate," federal law grants immunity to the government for damages to property in law enforcement custody. The car had been stolen in 2003, declared totaled, then recovered in 2008 — but federal authorities had held onto it during the trial of the thief.


The insurance company had claimed the F50, which had been recovered by the FBI after it was stolen, was worth $750,000 before a short joyride cracked its carbon-fiber frame. It may be the only instance where it's appropriate to feel sympathetic for a Ferrari owner.