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 5 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.


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.

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