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Theft

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w.bruno

Guest
What is the name of your state? Florida-Two years ago, my 26 year old sister moved to Florida from Pennsylvania. She showed up on my doorstep with her three year old daughter, a few boxes of toys, very little money, and a car that barely made the trip. My girlfriend and I agreed to let her stay with us, in our one bedroom apartment, for a couple of days, until she could find her own place. Two weeks later, she was still with us and had made no effort to find her own place. My girlfriend and I had already planned on moving, but, since the lease was in our names, we could'nt move out and leave my sister there. So, we decided to rent a house with my sister.
Since my sister had no furniture, and bad credit, she convinced me to open an account at a furniture store, in my name, so that she could buy bedroom furniture for herself and her daughter. The account was for $3000.00. She bought furniture totaling $2500.00 with deferred payments for one year. The first payment was due in Oct. 2001. In January, 2001, we threw her out for not paying her share of the expenses. She took all that she could carry but left some personal things, and the furniture, which she was not to take. She took her keys to the house and the garage door opener. I was going to call the furniture company to come and get the furniture, but on the day I planned to call, she came back, while my girlfriend and I were at work, and took it.(I will continue this in my next post, before I lose my internet connection).
 


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w.bruno

Guest
Florida-To continue, since the furniture payments were not yet due, I gave my sister the benefit of the doubt, and thought she might actually make the payments. By the time I found her, the payments were already 2 months past due. With accrued finance charges, the account was right at the limit, and late charges (I couldn't afford to make the payments myself) put the account over the limit, so that now, late charges are being attached. My sister did make a few payments, but they were always late, and never enough, so that her payments accomplished nothing. A month ago, her phone was disconnected, so I made the trip to north Florida, to her last known address, to repossess the furniture and return it to the store, but found that she and her new boyfriend had moved to Montgomery, Alabama. I managed to get a phone number for her, but every time I call, she hangs up on me. I have been unsuccessful in obtaining her new address.
Since there is nothing in writing stating our financial arrangement, do I have any legal recourse? I have a problem with buying furniture for my sister, especially since she does not care about what she is doing to my credit. Besides, I still can't afford it. The furniture is in my name, and the house is leased in my, and my girlfriend's, name. My sister had nothing in writing giving her permission to take the furniture. Nor did she have permission to come into the house when no one was at home, but, she did have keys. (We were not allowed, by the rental agency, to change the locks.) I realize, now, that I should have filed charges when she first took the furniture, but, she is my sister.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 

I AM ALWAYS LIABLE

Senior Member
My response:

First you get screwed by your employer concerning your child support withholdings, and now you're getting screwed by your own sister. My, you lead a charmed life. You don't even know when you're coming or going!

Next thing you're going to tell us is that you're girlfriend is pregnant, and you don't want to get married, and can't afford another child.

It's a wonder sometimes how people make it from day-to-day.

IAAL
 
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w.bruno

Guest
Florida-Well, I Am Always Liable, you don't know the half of it. Shortly after my sister moved down, her car broke down. So I let her drive my classic '79 Trans Am. Of course, she made no effort to get her own car fixed, since she had a car to drive. Two weeks before Christmas, 2000, she went to north Florida to visit some old friends, and totaled my car. At that time, we discovered that the reason she couldn't afford to pay her share of the bills was because she had started snorting coceine. My car had only liablity insurance, so it now sits in my garage, all smashed up, and after all this time, I still don't have a car to drive. My sister and I had always been quite close, but, apparently, she thinks that the world, and I, owe her a living.
Apparently, I am too trusting. Who knew that there was so much scum in the world? My girlfriend has already gone through menapause and can't possibly get pregnant. Besides that, she has done everything in her power to straighten out the mess that is my life. Things just keep happening too fast to maintain control, though. My problem is, that I tend to ignore problems in the hope that they'll go away. Of course, they don't. They just get bigger.
 

I AM ALWAYS LIABLE

Senior Member
My response:

Either you need a full-time attorney "on staff" for you, or you need to become a hermit. Better yet, hire a Conservator to take charge of your life. It's obvious you're not doing a good job with it.

Like I said, "It's a wonder sometimes how people make it from day-to-day."

IAAL
 
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w.bruno

Guest
Florida-We,, I AM ALWAYS LIABLE, things are not always quite so clear cut. First of all, I am foreman of my construction crew and, in a state where pay is generally pretty low, I probably make more money than anyone else in the same position. If I quit my job and go to another, I will undoubtedly take a considerable cut in pay. Of course, once the authorities are involved, I will have no choice but to find another job.
Secondly, if your sister showed up on your doorstep, would you turn her away? As for the furniture, she and her daughter had no place to sleep, and she nagged me, relentlessly, to help her out. What would you have done? I'm not psychic. She had never ripped me off before, and I had no reason to believe that she would do it this time, either, until after the fact.
I wrote in to get legal help-not smartass answers!
 

I AM ALWAYS LIABLE

Senior Member
My response:

You said - -

"Secondly, if your sister showed up on your doorstep, would you turn her away?"

Of course not, but that's not the issue.

The issue is that you cosigned for a furniture debt, and let her borrow your car - - two things I would NEVER have done. Then, she ruined both. And, after a few days, you allowed her to stay, and not pay you any rent!

Incredible, isn't it, how you allow people to run all over you? Don't you see a pattern emerging? Geez, this kind of crap has been happening all of your life. You so much as admitted that when you said, "I usually let things go, hoping they take care of themselves."

That's a great philosophy on life.

Get a Conservator for yourself. You can't handle life.

Next thing you're going to come here for help on - -

"My landlord is evicting me. What do I do?"

Oh, please. Deal with life like an adult - - not as a sucker!

Be a man, will you?

IAAL
 

Bravo8

Member
You have a paper trail showing the ownership of the furniture. Contact the police and report it.........

or contact an attorney and pursue it civilly.
 
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w.bruno

Guest
Florida-I AM ALWAYS LIABLE, I can see that you post, on average, 16.33 messages per day. Perhaps, before you tell other people how to live their lives, you should turn off your computer, and try living your own!
 

I AM ALWAYS LIABLE

Senior Member
w.bruno said:
"Florida-I AM ALWAYS LIABLE, I can see that you post, on average, 16.33 messages per day. Perhaps, before you tell other people how to live their lives, you should turn off your computer, and try living your own!"


==========================================


My response:

Did that make you feel better?

Your statement is not only ignorant (and I'll explain why), but it follows your pattern of allowing problems to "take care of themselves." Rather than focusing on what I've said to you, your response amounts to nothing more than another in a series of "I answer him this way because it allows me to duck the issue and to keep my head buried in the sand. It's so comfortable."

You see, my friend, if you had bothered to look at my "profile", you would have seen that I am an owner and senior partner of a 3-person lawfirm. I also have a staff of secretaries and paralegals that would choke a horse. In other words, my friend, and the reason why I'm telling you this, is because you think I don't "have a life." Unlike you, my time is my own and I can spend it in any fashion I choose. That's my luxury in life. I have enough money, and my firm generates enough income, where after nearly 23 years, I don't need to do much. The firm pretty much "runs itself." Oh, sure, every now and again, I do some administrative duties, or I'm in trial, or I may appear in court on a motion or two, but for the most part, I allow my minions to do most of, if not all, the day-to-day work.

So, take my advice and act like a man. Don't allow the people around you to keep trampling on your back. You don't look good with footprints on your back anyway.

IAAL
 
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w.bruno

Guest
Florida-I AM ALWAYS LIABLE, since you typed in your own profile information, you could have invented the whole thing, for all I know. At any rate, I was looking for specific answers to specific questions-not sarcastic, smartass remarks. If that's the best advice you can give, you must not be a very good attorney.
 

I AM ALWAYS LIABLE

Senior Member
My response:

Okay. Have it your way.

You can believe whatever you want about me. There's no other way for me to communicate my "profile" other than to write the information. But, in the final analysis, it doesn't matter, and it makes no difference to me what you do, or don't, believe. It's your life.

You've already been told what to do by others insofar as your employer's theft is concerned. However, what would you like to do about your sister and your car and the rent you believe she owes you and the furniture situation? Do you want to sue her? Do you want to swear out a criminal complaint? Or, did you just want to "leave it alone"?

I don't know what to tell you. I can't live your life for you. I don't know if you're just venting, or you actually want to take some action for yourself.

Have a good life, my friend.

IAAL
 
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HomeGuru

Senior Member
w.bruno said:
Florida-I AM ALWAYS LIABLE, since you typed in your own profile information, you could have invented the whole thing, for all I know. At any rate, I was looking for specific answers to specific questions-not sarcastic, smartass remarks. If that's the best advice you can give, you must not be a very good attorney.

**A: I happen to know that IAAL is a damn good attorney.

signed,
another damn good attorney.
 
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w.bruno

Guest
Florida-I AM ALWAYS LIABLE, I thought I was trying to take care of my problems when I posted here, in the first place. Apparently, I was mistaken. What I would like to do to my sister, and what I, legally, can do, are two different things. I would like to track her down like a dog and wring her scrawny little neck, but I'm pretty sure that would be a no-no. What I wanted to know is; can I file a civil suit against her since a) she had keys to the house, b) she has moved out of state and I do not, as yet, have her new address. Also, can I still file charges against her even though she took the furniture over a year and a half ago? I don't wish to pay to retain an attorney just to find out that I have no case.
As far as the embezzlement matter, have I sufficiently covered myself by actions mentioned in my previous posts, or is there more that I need to do?
 

stephenk

Senior Member
IAAL has to be a good attorney if he spends so much time on the internet. A bad one would have already lost his office lease and dsl connection. :)

I wouldnt be surprised if he has himself on a lounger with his secretary typing his posts and another one fanning him and dropping grapes in his mouth.

"It's good to be the king" M.Brooks
 

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