Legal Question in Civil Rights Law in Georgia

Can they go through the trash?

What is the law that prohibits people from going through your trash and mail?

My apartment complex has valet trash pick-up. They claim that I left a bag of trash outside on the wrong day and that there will be a $50 fine. I have no knowledge of this ''alleged'' bag and they claim that they WENT THROUGH the trash bag and found a piece of paper with my name on it!

Also, there is no mention of the valet trash policy in the lease or any other documentation I have that entails the rules of the service or the consequences of deviation from those rules.

Have I been violated? What rights do i have in contesting this fine?


Asked on 9/09/02, 9:31 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Charles Aspinwall Charles S. Aspinwall, J.D., LLC

Re: Can they go through the trash?

There is nothing which prohibits people from going through your trash. The law is that one has no expectation of privacy in items which have been obviously abandoned. Your remedy is to shred all documents which you don't wish others to read from your trash - shredding is a great idea anyway, as it prevents identity theft.

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Answered on 9/09/02, 11:04 am


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