can i get my personal items

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can i get my personal items

I lived with Rick for 5 years and he died suddenly. His ex wife has locked me out of the house. All I want is my clothes and personal items. Do I have any rights?

Asked on November 4, 2016 under Real Estate Law, Indiana

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 7 years ago | Contributor

Yes, your belongings--those things bought by you with your own money, brought by you to the relationship, and/or gifted to you--belong to you and she has no right to keep them from you. (She has a right to require you to schedule to pick them up in advance at some mutually agreeable time--you can't just come over whenever you want to get them--and to accompany you while you retrieve them to make sure you are not taking anything not yours, but she *must* let you get your belongings.) The way to force her to let you have your items is to sue her for the value of them (ideally in small claims court, if the value of your items comes in at or under the small claims limit): that lawsuit can then be resolved by her allowing you to retrieve your belongings. Unfortunately, a lawsuit is the only way to get your items (or if she disposed of them, compensation for them) if you and she cannot work it out amicably.


IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.

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