Posted on 06/13/2009 8:28:29 AM PDT by george76
For four decades, the 1-ton safe sat in the back of a family shoe store, and as the years rolled past, its secrets were seemingly forgotten. When the family closed up shop, renting the building to a shoe repairman, the safe stayed put. No one remembered the combination. No one knew what to do with it.
Now, everyone is rushing to stake a claim.
Dumped in a vacant lot in neighboring Lawrence last November as an obsolete, oversize nuisance, the old-fashioned vault was discovered to hold a small fortune - $178,496 in crisp currency. The money was packed in blue bank envelopes, wrapped in old Daher's Shoes shopping bags and a white Nike T-shirt, and tucked in a locked compartment.
The surprise discovery is the target of an intra-family court battle involving four competing parties, though none can explain why someone would stash so much money away and apparently not tell anyone.
John Belko, the widower of Joyce Belko, who ran Daher's for years before dying of cancer in 2003, believes the money rightfully belongs to her estate. Joyce Belko's brother, Ken Daher, who bought the property in 1996, says it belongs to him.
Even the tow truck driver who was paid $200 to haul the vault away says he should get the money, as he is the last person to possess the safe. And the state government, after learning about the contested windfall in local press accounts, is chasing the money...
Amid all the competing claims, the police department has had enough. Last week, the department filed a petition seeking to have Essex Superior Court take the money and determine its rightful owner.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
It seems to me that title passed to whoever accepted the safe as scrap. The lot owner gets the money.
Forget it.
No matter who “wins”....
Attornies will get it all.
And what’s left goes to the State for taxes.
Seems pretty obvious that it belongs in the dead woman’s estate, which the husband inherited.
A real life version of the movie “It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World”.
In a society where Government is King, legal issues aren't very difficult. Government always wins.
The last time I heard of an interpleader action was in a Civ Pro textbook.
Yup!
THAT MONEY IS MINE!
I had that safe in the backseat of 1988 toyota tercel. When I left the ‘Fall and Crawl” tavern, I noticed the back windows smashed out. I did not think anything of it then. When I sobered up, about 20 miles down the road, I though WTF! Where is my safe full of dollars?!?
(So, do I fill out a form or somthing to get it back, or what?)
Good thing they found the money now before Obama makes it worthless.
Give it to the Jimmy Fund
Sincerely,
Jimmy
It’s your money, is it?
OK.
So now the State assumes it is illegal drug money. And you must provide proof you obtained it legally.
Failure to do so means the cash is confiscated by the State.
Cool, huh?
Give it to the Human Fund.
Sincerely,
George Costanza
as a recently hired employee of “the state”, please forward the cash to me by quickest available conveyance and I’ll eventually make a decision as to whom it belongs..you can call me to check the status at anytime by dialing BR549..
Forty years ago? Nike?
And since it is my only income and under $250K, I don't have to pay the huge taxes. (My business is all cash, unless I take a drug dealer/pimp/hit man bail out and the administration appoints a czar to keep my salary down.)
I think there are laws on this....”rightful” is probably the key word.
I will forward the cash immediately. By bank transfer.
Please freep-mail me your bank account number and routing number.
I promise and assure you I will live down to your every expectation.
Somebody needs to learn to keep their mouth shut.
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