I had a contract with a consignment shop to sell hammered copper art but it unexpectedly close and I haven’t gotten $2000 of my goods back?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
I had a contract with a consignment shop to sell hammered copper art but it unexpectedly close and I haven’t gotten $2000 of my goods back?
The store owner closed the store without informing me 6 months ago. The phone numbe, and standard contact information to contact the store owner are no longer valid. I am short as to options that I can pursue to retrieve my merchandise. Any suggestions? Can this be considered a criminal matter?
Asked on June 11, 2015 under Business Law, New York
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 8 years ago | Contributor
It's almost certainly not a criminal matter, because it is unlikely that the owner had criminal intent--more likely, his business failed on him more quickly than he'd hope. It's also very unlikely you could get the police interested in this.
Try contacting the landlord--the building's owner, who rented to the shop. Explain who you are, provide some documentation that the art is yours, and offer to executed an indemnity agreement that if someone else later shows up claiming that they own the art, you will protect the landord from a lawsuit for giving it to you. If you do that, there is a very good chance the landlord will let you retrieve your art, IF it still exists--after 6 months, it may have been disposed of by the landlord has having been the abandoned property of the store owner. In cases like these, you generally have to act quickly to get your property back.
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.