Question:
Can I sue my former roommate/landlord for putting my belongings outside, and not returning all of my things?
2011-09-20 23:56:12 UTC
In June of 2010, after graduating from college in CA, and moving back to TX, I moved in with a family friend, someone I also viewed as a mother figure. This was suppose to be a 6 month stay to help me get back on my feet after college, as well as a place to stay rent free while I looked for a job. I finally got a job 4 months later, in late Sept of 2010. Through out my job search my family friend made many comments about how I had until "June", of 2011. to stay and that was it, her doors "were closed". On the morning of February 2 or 3 after making my breakfast and lunch to leave for work, my family friend tells me I need to "pay rent or move out", out of the blue with no explanation besides "we can't afford this" and that the kids "buy their own bake goods and sodas and liquor". After telling her we could talk when I got home so I better understood what she wanted from me, as far as move out date or dollar amount for rent, she never brought it up again, which made me feel really uneasy. Come next month March 7, 2011 I ended up moving to another city, for personal reasons, with the understanding that I would return for the rest of my belongings in June, which was originally a verbal agreement, but I have emails from the family friend stating I had until June or whenever I called to make arrangements to get the rest of my things. After sending her multiple text and phone calls, with no response, the week leading up to July 4th weekend, I sent her an email to document I tried to get a hold of her to let her know I planned to pick up my belonging that weekend with no response. Due to circumstances out of my control, which I also have documentation to prove that it was an outside issue preventing me from coming to get my belonging when I said I would. Around 2pm on Saturday July 2, 2011 I receive a text from her telling me that she has been waiting for me all morning and that she has put my stuff outside. I immediately called my best friend, and asked her to specifically go pick up my clothes, the things I wanted most, and she did right around 3:30 pm. It was then that my best friend informed me that my things were not outside at the end of the street but outside at the top of a very long driveway probably about 10 of 15 feet, mind you the house is in a very nice neighborhood, million dollar homes easy, at the back of the neighborhood at the end of the street, which happens to be a coul de sac. I then had my mom and my other best friend go and get the rest of my belonging that Monday. I also texted my family friend to tell her look the rest of the stuff will be picked up Monday the latest and she just responded with "they need to be gone asap" They only things that were left were a huge painting canvas and two nice chairs that my other best friend and my mom could not fit into their tiny cars. Which I received phones calls from them both telling me that. So through out July and August I made two trips back down to Houston to get my things from my two best friends, as I work weekends and had to plan accordingly to make time to drive down there. On good faith I just assumed my mom had the rest of my things. So I made my last trip September 3, 2011 to get the rest of my things, only to find a bunch of stuff missing. I contacted my family friend and said Ill be intown next month to pick up the rest of my belongings that you failed to put outside for me. Which then preceded in her telling me that my stuff had been out there for a week and that a bunch of different people had gone through my things and that I had no idea what was packed and what was not. Even though when my best friend got there at 3:30 on July 2nd she said the boxes were neatly stacked up. She also insinuated that someone had stolen stuff but why would they only steal some stuff? And when I lived with her she gave stuff that was not her to her kids and she also happens to have a daughter my age that could fit into some of my stuff that would be missing.

And the following might be helpful information on why I believe she would have stolen it. Regardless, I don't think she should have left it outside, and should have let me pack it up so I could make sure everything was there, and the fact she has given away others belongings who used to live there also does not give me confidence in what she did with my things. She refuses to take responsibility for my missing items.
Five answers:
2011-09-21 00:23:08 UTC
WOW you are a lawyer and all that happened to you?



What law firm do you work for?



Is it like this one?



http://youtu.be/9tC8yiFbyRg
?
2011-09-21 00:16:01 UTC
Based on your agreement, she was to hold the items until the end of June... from a legal perspective those items were left at her house & could have been considered her property (possession is 9/10 of the law)



I don't think you would get a favorable response in court... you would be told it was your responsibility when you left and absolutely before the end of June



What happened to items when is irrelevant. The fact that her daughter is the same size as you is also irrelevant (and based on speculation)



I am sorry that you don't like my answer & I am sorry that some of life's lessons are learned the hard way



It is obvious that she was generous allowing you to stay there & at some point she realized it was beyond her budget to keep doing it (even though she originally intended a longer stay... she has a right to change that at any time... with you as a guest in her home



Consider that she paid for your needs... even after you got a job... you had a job from Sept - Feb & didn't contribute voluntarily... that is just not the way to treat people who have been good to you.
Χαλαρά
2011-09-21 00:40:06 UTC
Honestly, you're out of luck for several reasons.



You have nothing in writing, you don't even have rent receipts to show you actually lived there.



The agreement as you tell it was that your things needed to be collected by June. They weren't. Every state has different abandonment laws in which a landlord/members of a household have to care for the belongings left behind by someone that moved out. Going back to the lack of a written agreement- what can likely be proven is you moved out in March, while the extension to move your belongings until June can only validated if they acknowledge it.



You'd also have to prove that you owned the things in the first place, and that the only reasonable conclusion is that they stole it.



Verbal agreements are legally binding, but without the exchange of money or services to show the agreement existed and execution started, you'll have to rely on them telling the truth to get anywhere.
compostella
2016-11-09 14:51:25 UTC
No. Their abode became into no longer your guy or woman storage facility. They notified you which you had till June and that they waited till July. in the adventure that your issues have been so useful you've gotten made the attempt to get them.
2011-09-21 00:09:25 UTC
if you were working in September why weren't you paying rent from Nov-Feb?



anyways you are responsible for moving your stuff.


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