Can my now ex-girlfriend sue me for stolen property?
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Can my now ex-girlfriend sue me for stolen property?
My now ex-girlfriend had moved in with my in my apartment and is not on the lease. She is now gone. She was living rent free and on my dime. She now wants her stuff back that she has relinquished when she left and I have claimed as my own liquid assets. I have given her everything with her name on it such as documents, etc. What she is asking for is material possessions such as clothing and shoes some of which I have bought. I told her she could retrieve anything she can provide a receipt for.
Asked on January 10, 2018 under Real Estate Law, Indiana
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 6 years ago | Contributor
If it is hers, she is entitled to it--period. You cannot claim her belongings. Even if you bought them for her, once you gave ("gifted") them to her, they belong to her: once you give something to another person, it is their property and you have no more right to it. So yes, she can sue you for her clothing, her shoes, and anything else she owned or which belonged to you which you have stolen--and that is the correct word for what you are doing--from her.
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