Security deposit question and working as a 1099 driver?

Hello,
I worked for a company out of chicago
They Took 2500$ as a security deposit (which at first he said it would only be 1500)
I have payroll documentsa nd evidence of the owner using my security deposit to buy a brand new chair for his truck. He says its worth over 1000$.

I returned the truck in the same condition it was given to me. He states I destroyed his chair and mirror and that constitutes taking a 2500$ security deposit.

The chair arm support broke while I was driving, not my fault.
The passanger side mirror support broke off and he states the truck needed an entirely new one.

Besides taking him to small claims,
What else can I do?

Also, it feels like he stole a bunch of money from the trips. He had the ability to doctor the documents he sent me stating the pay, miles, and charges.

 

For informations sake
This happened in 2021, worked over 6 months for them, and made less than 25k yet the documents state I was supposed to make way more.