Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Pennsylvania

Re: Lost and Found

Ahh, you seek to validate the rule of finders keepers, losers weepers.

Can't help you.

THe law of trover is very mixed. It depends on the value of the item, whether the item was lost, misplaced, stolen or otherwise separated from the true owner. As a rule, the finder of an item can assert ownership "against all others except the true owner."

Accordingly, a finder is bound to make a diligent effort to locate the true owner of property in accord with the value and the likelihood that the true owner would seek it's return. For example, if one found a dollar on the side of a trail no one would expect any effort to find its true owner. But if one found an envelope containing $1,500 dollars in the same location one should go to considerable effort to locate the owner. There are laws that dictate what must be done with property and after what time it reverts to the finder. But man's law does not necessarily jibe with the moral law.

So, try to find the owner, depending on the property you may report it or place it with your local police department. If it goes unclaimed its yours, eventually.

But then there was the story recently about the guy who went to the police to claim a duffle bag that he had reported missing. Only problem was that it had contained a substantial amount of drugs. When he claimed ownership of the bag he was arrested for possession of the drugs.

Just had to share that.

Regards,

Roger Traversa

email: [email protected]