Someone is threatening to put chages on me for a laptop that was a gift
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Someone is threatening to put chages on me for a laptop that was a gift
I was gifted an expensive laptop as a birthday present. We broke up and I am still using the laptop for school work. Recently I’ve been getting phone calls of him threatening me that he’s going to put charges on me for the laptop he let me ‘borrowed’. I am a resident from a state away from where he lives. I still want to keep the laptop for school work and perhaps sell it to save a bit of money for school. Do you have any suggestions on what I should do?
Asked on March 21, 2016 under Personal Injury, Ohio
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 8 years ago | Contributor
Legally, if he gave or gifted it to you, it is yours--he can't get back it back or file charges for you keeping your own property.
Practically--can you prove he gave it to you? Do you have a gift receipt; an email; a card saying "enjoy the laptop!"; text messages; etc.? If you don't have proof and he is willing to lie, he can look to press charges and/or sue you for the return of the laptop. At that point, it will come down to who is more believable or credible--you'll have an advantage procedurally, in that the defendant does not need to prove his/her case, but rather the state (criminal) or plaintiff (civil) has the burden of proof. But if he would make a particularly believable witness, or can get other people to also testify for him, you could have problems.
You need to ask yourself, is he likely to follow through and lie? Who is more believeable? What proof do I have that it was a gift? Etc. It may not be worth fighting about.
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.