What steps do i take?
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What steps do i take?
I was hired by a salon owner as a stylist independent contractor and while I was out of town dealing with a family tragedy she closed the salon without any notice and took all of my tools, products, and even my state required license. She’s not responding to any types of communication yet is active still on social media. She has also filed for bankruptcy and rebranded herself.
Asked on November 15, 2018 under Personal Injury, Ohio
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 6 years ago | Contributor
Normally, we would say to sue her for the value of what she took, since a lawsuit is how your recover property (or the value of the property) wrongfully taken by another, but the bankrutpcy wil complicate that. To oversimplify, you can't generally file a lawsuit after someone has declared or filed for bankruptcy for a claim arising from something she did pre-filing. What you can do is:
1) Contact the bankrutpcy court and ask about the procedures to put in a claim against her in the bankrutpcy: you can put in a claim for the value of what she took.
2) What she did is a crime (theft) as well as something you could ordinarily sue over: therefore, contact the police, file a police report, and look to press charges for theft. That may encourage her to return your items.
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