As a lawyer and a vigilante, Daredevil does everything he can to dispense justice both on the streets and in the courtroom. Usually, these two identities don't intersect much. But when Daredevil was sued by a disgruntled civilian, Matt Murdock was the one who ended up taking the case against himself.
This trial of the century takes place in the 2001 storyline "Playing to the Camera," which started in Daredevil #20 by Bob Gale, Phil Winslade, James Hodgkins, and Chris Chuckry. This issue sees a man named Samuel Griggs hiring Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson to sue Daredevil. Griggs states that Daredevil, while fighting the ninjas of the Hand, broke into his greenhouse and destroyed his plants, as well as the greenhouse itself. Matt knows he didn't commit this crime, but he doesn't have any real reason to turn down the case or evidence against it. In addition, being closer to Griggs will let him figure out who did commit the crime. While it's eventually revealed to be a conspiracy to mess with Daredevil, the fact remains Daredevil is also technically guilty of this crime.
Matt Murdock Is Hired To Bring A Case Against Daredevil
As Matt goes about trying to find out who actually committed the crime, a witness comes forth to accuse Daredevil of a similar crime, destroying his car. While stopping a bank robbery, Daredevil absolutely wrecked a civilian's car in the fight, leaving without paying any damages. While it's revealed that Daredevil was innocent of the greenhouse destruction, the fact he destroyed a man's car shows Daredevil is still a bit guilty of this crime. The comic even goes further by having Daredevil hear an alarm, assuming a robbery is happening. He bursts in through a skylight, only to see it is a tech demonstration.
Daredevil Is Guilty Of Destroying A Civilian's Car
The story brings up a good point about the destruction vigilantes can do and how there isn't really any way for regular civilians to hold them able. While Daredevil is innocent of the crime Griggs accused him of, he isn't innocent of the other two, and the only reason he takes responsibility is because of the lawsuit he's involved with from Griggs. The lawsuit is eventually settled after Daredevil has Spider-Man pose as him, so Matt and Daredevil can be in two places at once. This is further complicated, however, when a third Daredevil shows up. All of this works to put doubt on whether the Daredevil Griggs saw was the actual one he is suing.
While Daredevil is ultimately not liable for the damage he is being sued for, this doesn't change the fact he destroys property several times throughout the story, only taking responsibility because of the lawsuit he is involved with. While Daredevil is a great hero, he's not the best when it comes to respecting private property.
