Legal Question in Family Law in Maryland
I am troubled and it involves my family that I love very much. On a visit to my family home last year, someone in my family took 24,000 from me and schemed and dramatized that they were robbed. At about the same time, two new cars appeared in the home with my sister and her daughter where I was staying. Since then I have investigated a little and staying back at the same place, I realize that a family member took my money and got herself into huge debt, and still has one of the cars. I called the car dealer and found out that she paid a 5,000 dollar cash down payment, don't know what happened to the other car, and that even the car dealer borrowed cash money from her. His advice to me was to tell her that I know whats going on after I told him that she bought the car with my money. I am torn up about all of this because it has led to countless other scandals that I can see that she is and was involved in. I don't want to get her into any trouble but I am wondering, what would happen to me if I just take the car and leave her a note explaining that I know what happened?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Let's get your main question out of the way first: If you just take the car, you open yourself up to criminal and civil liability. In other words, you could be the one who ends up in jail. DON'T DO IT.
IF your family member did in fact steal the $24,000 from you, she has broken the law, both criminally and civilly. IF you can prove your case, you can go after this family member in civil court for return of the $24,000. Even if this person doesn't have a job now, if you obtain a judgment from a Maryland Court starting that you are owed this money, the persons' wages can be garnished in the future for as long as it takes to pay you back. The Maryland Court can also force the sale of the car to help pay you back.
You also have the option of calling the police. Only you can decide whether you want to do this. You state that you do not want to get the family member "in trouble", and I assume that means with Johnny-Law. However, it sounds like this was not an isolated incident, so you may be doing this family member a favor by reporting it to the police. Unfortunately, sometimes folks don't get the message until they are faced with court proceedings, jail time, etc. It may be an opportunity for this family member to get their lives turned around.
Best of luck.
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