Is it possible to sue for reimbursement after a robbery?

[iker]

At the end of August my apartment in South Dakota was robbed. They took 2 laptops (one almost brand new and worth $1200 alone), a Wii along with games, controllers, etc, an iPod, several DVDs, a digital camera, and let my pet ferrets out, one of which either was stolen by them or ran away and was never found. The thieves cost me well over $2000 as well as lost me a beloved pet.
I didn't have renter's insurance as I had just moved in there not long before and hadn't set it up [stupid, I know, but I can't do anything about it now]. The digital camera has now been recovered and the detectives know who did it, but none of my other things have been located.
What I want to know is if I can take the robbers to small claims court or anything and sue them so that would have to reimburse me for the items they took and the money I lost?

Any help is greatly appreciated=]. Thanks.

[crosbey]

Yes, you can sue. However, there is no guarantee they will actually pay even if you are successful. That is a chance you will have to take, as you will have to pay filing fees ($160 in my area).

[caffar]

Yes, you can sue. However, there is no guarantee they will actually pay even if you are successful. That is a chance you will have to take, as you will have to pay filing fees ($160 in my area).

ROBBERY- When a subject uses force or the threat of force to forcible take money from another.

BURGLARY- The illegal entry into another's structure with the intent to remove property.

Bottom line, you can sue anyone for anything.

But, if they had any money, do you really think they'd be doing burglaries?

[chen12]

First, there is a difference between robbery and burglary. You might want to inform yourself before going to court ao you don't look foolish.

Yes, you can sue. You might win. Might not. Bit if you do, the hard part is collecting.

[zadok]

Yes, if you can prove that they stole these specific items. Having evidence that they stole the digital camera is not sufficient as proof that they stole the other things.