Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Maryland

claiming broken abandoned property

I found a broken laptop in a cabinet at work, and both my supervisor and the IT department say it does not belong to the company. Evidence I've collected seems to indicate it used to belonged to a former employee who left it here over a year ago.

The laptop was deemed useless and unrepairable by IT, but I have been able to fix it with my own time and money. Am I entitled to keep it for myself?

And if the true owner were to suddenly show up, could I ask for money I spent repairing it?


Asked on 3/14/08, 2:42 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Robert Sher Wagshal and Sher

Re: claiming broken abandoned property

You can keep it as abandoned property, due to the passage of time since the owner left it behind. If somehow he could establish that he "lost" it and never intended to abandon it, you'd be entitled to recover the money you put into it.

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Answered on 3/17/08, 2:16 pm


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