Can I take my negligent roommate to court?
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Can I take my negligent roommate to court?
i filed a claim against an old roommate for leaving my cable boxes in the house we rented together, then moving out, leaving the cable boxes to be thrown away by the rental company. is there a chance i could lose this case in court?
Asked on August 3, 2012 under Real Estate Law, Maryland
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
There is a good chance you could lose. You'd have to prove both that it was unreasonably careless of your roommate to leave the cable boxes behind, and that you were not careless in not doing something with them (e.g. why didn't you come and get them?) in order to prevail. Since cable boxes are often left behind when a person moves out of a rental property, it is unlikely that you can show that your roommate was unreasonably careless.
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
There is a good chance you could lose. You'd have to prove both that it was unreasonably careless of your roommate to leave the cable boxes behind, and that you were not careless in not doing something with them (e.g. why didn't you come and get them?) in order to prevail. Since cable boxes are often left behind when a person moves out of a rental property, it is unlikely that you can show that your roommate was unreasonably careless.
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