It depends. Was your house locked? Who had the keys? Do you have kids or a friend with kids that had access to it? If only you had access to your house keys and if she has a witness to the fact it was left at your place, she can sue and she can win. A police report isn't required because it's a civil court! The rules of evidence don't apply the same way. If she does her homework and can prove you were responisible for the laptop, you're screwed. My best advice is to find whoever took it. I can guarantee you it was someone under 30, male, and probably a student or druggie. Statistics say it's almost always someone you know well... Food for thought... If it were me, I'd lay a trap. Whoever swiped it would readily steal something else. If you have a GPS locator on your cellphone, you can go down to an electronics shop and pick up a small GPS tracking chip and put it inside something, like a non-working I-pod or some other tastey tidbit. When it vanishes, you simply trace it to it's new home. Odds are it'll be sitting right next to the laptop...