Legal Question in Civil Litigation in California
Once a letter is mailed, to whom does it belong?
I have a small store where we recieve mail for customers (rent post office boxes out). Recently, we received a call from someone who said that they inadvertently included confidential information in a letter they sent to one of our post office box holders. The caller asked us to pull the letter and return it to them rather than delivering it as addressed. Should I?
4 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Once a letter is mailed, to whom does it belong?
No, cause opening someone else's mail is a federal crime.
Re: Once a letter is mailed, to whom does it belong?
Once a letter is put in the mail, it is considered to have been received by the recipient.
Also, tampering with the mail is a Federal crime.
Based on the above, I would not intercept any mail. You could include a copy of the request in the mailbox for the recipient, and you should probably warn the sender that you cannot stop the delivery.
Re: Once a letter is mailed, to whom does it belong?
Not unless you like the taste of prison food. That would be a federal felony, tampering with the mail.
Re: Once a letter is mailed, to whom does it belong?
I believe the letter belongs to the recipient. Your obligation is to your customer. You might put a note in the box telling the customer what the caller said, and let the customer deal with it.
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