I live in UT. I live in my mother's house. My children are adults. They called my husband and I one day, last Nov 2014, in a panic after arriving at their rental home locked out by their landlord with all of their stuff on the lawn. They asked us to bring a trailer and bring their stuff to our house until they could find another place to live. In their stuff was an old washer and dryer and freezer. We had no where to put all of their stuff except outside on the patio.
We told them we were very upset about having it all there and that we wouldn't allow it to stay their for very long in view of the neighbors and HOA that were already threatening to sue us for the kids 5th wheel trailer being in our yard as well. They promised us it would only be a few weeks until they could figure out what to do with all the stuff. A few days later they decided to stay and live with us.
The washer, drier and freezer belonged to our daughter-in-laws parents. We told the kids repeatedly over a 10 month period that we were going to get rid of the stuff on the patio and that if her parents wanted it, they had to come and get it. Finally, we were having a big social event at our house this last September 26, 2015 and told them they had two weeks to get rid of it or we would. They said they had been telling her parents for months to come get it or we would get rid of it. They never came, even after the two week deadline.
So we got rid of the stuff right before the party. We took the washer, drier, freezer to a used appliance shop in hopes they would give us a little money that we could give to the kids to give to her parents. But the shop would not give us any money because the stuff was too old and missing parts and not working. They did give us a piece of paper that says we have a $50 credit their for future purposes. We have no interest in using it. We never wanted to profit from their things even though we feel like they should owe us for storing it for that long. All we wanted was a clean space to live in.
We left it at that and forgot about it. Now, yesterday, Nov 8, her mother told her she wanted to come get the freezer and our daughter-in-law finally told her we got rid of it. She called me yelling profanities and saying she talked to the police and that they told her she had every right to keep her stuff here because her kids live here and that she can press charges.
What can happen to my husband and I for this and what can we do to protect ourselves?
We told them we were very upset about having it all there and that we wouldn't allow it to stay their for very long in view of the neighbors and HOA that were already threatening to sue us for the kids 5th wheel trailer being in our yard as well. They promised us it would only be a few weeks until they could figure out what to do with all the stuff. A few days later they decided to stay and live with us.
The washer, drier and freezer belonged to our daughter-in-laws parents. We told the kids repeatedly over a 10 month period that we were going to get rid of the stuff on the patio and that if her parents wanted it, they had to come and get it. Finally, we were having a big social event at our house this last September 26, 2015 and told them they had two weeks to get rid of it or we would. They said they had been telling her parents for months to come get it or we would get rid of it. They never came, even after the two week deadline.
So we got rid of the stuff right before the party. We took the washer, drier, freezer to a used appliance shop in hopes they would give us a little money that we could give to the kids to give to her parents. But the shop would not give us any money because the stuff was too old and missing parts and not working. They did give us a piece of paper that says we have a $50 credit their for future purposes. We have no interest in using it. We never wanted to profit from their things even though we feel like they should owe us for storing it for that long. All we wanted was a clean space to live in.
We left it at that and forgot about it. Now, yesterday, Nov 8, her mother told her she wanted to come get the freezer and our daughter-in-law finally told her we got rid of it. She called me yelling profanities and saying she talked to the police and that they told her she had every right to keep her stuff here because her kids live here and that she can press charges.
What can happen to my husband and I for this and what can we do to protect ourselves?