Fascinating event

[Anon]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,449114,00.html

So....if this happened to you....how do you think the money should have been divided?

I personally feel the money belonged to the owner of the home. However, it would have been nice to offer more than 10% to the dude who found it.

They were stupid to have such a fight over it...because then they had to end up giving some away to all the descendants. Of course the woman greedily spent alot of it on foolish things.

What a mess. American Greed at its finest.

[John81]

Yes, it rightfully belonged to the homeowner. The one who found it should have freely given it to the homeowner with no expectation of receiving any of it and been pleased and thankful if he was given any.

The homeowner should have been happy to receive the unexpected money and offered whatever they felt right to the one who found it.

It's also a shame the courts seem to think they are so wise and able to make grand decisions over something that should have been a simple ruling (it was in the house, it rightly belonged to the homeowner).

[IM4given]

I agree with the attorney in this case:

"If these two individuals had sat down and resolved their disputes and divided the money, the heirs would have had no knowledge of it," said attorney Gid Marcinkevicius, who represents the Dunne estate. "Because they were not able to sit down and divide it in a rational way, they both lost."

I also agree with what the Bible tells us:

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

[Anon]

Right...both were stupid...my husband and I both agreed that were we the contractor, we would have accepted 10% (over $18,000!!!) and been fine with it. Were we the homeowner, we would have offered the contractor (as a friend...supposedly these guys were FRIENDS!!!) hopefully more than 10%, especially as he technically didn't have to be honest about the money and could have pocketed it.

They deserve what little they got, although the woman went on a fast spending spree.

[rancher824]

A few years back my dad and I were working on a burnt out house. Totaly gutting it to redo it for the home-owner. We were told when we went in that they had gotten everything out that was worth anything to them. Any thing we found would be ours. Well, we found a gold watch, and a couple of stashes of old coins. Technicaly, from what we were told, these things were ours. Well, our concious would not stand for such. We gave them to the lady. I am not saying this to brag, but rather to say that the contractor should have given it to the homeowner and expected nothing in return. Greed is one of the main things that is distroying our nation.

[Charbo]

This reminds me of a story in the news a while back. A man was inside a closet in his house (playing hide and seek with his children I think) and noticed an envelope attached inside the closet to the wall above the doorway. Inside were several thousand dollars. Technically, the money was his since he was the homeowner, however he tracked down the previous owner (who put the money there) and returned it.

Personally, I pray that I would have the Christian character to return the money to the rightful owner if I was ever in such a situation.

[Guest Guest]

Greed is one of the main things that is distroying our nation.

Yep...rancher. And, as IM pointed out the scripture...that is so true.

Friends...as kitagrl, said...WOW! :roll

Yes' date=' it rightfully belonged to the homeowner. The one who found it should have freely given it to the homeowner with no expectation of receiving any of it and been pleased and thankful if he was given any.[/quote']

I think so, John.



That is such a wonderful story---Charbo. :smile We have an old family heirloom (on my dad's side of the family) that someone had done the same thing with. He tracked down my oldest uncle...now deceased. It is a picture of my grandma's family from the Great Depression...all 9 kids. Joe and I have it hanging on the wall in our living room. Well..my mom had it restored along with the one from her mom's side of the family.

"Christian character"...you said it!! :amen:

[Anon]

Technically though, when you buy a house, its in the contract that anything in that house belongs to the owner...right?

I mean ok say we tear up carpets and we find a diamond ring. First of all, I'm not going to offer it to previous owners because obviously they are going to take it whether its theirs or not. Secondly, contractually it would be my ring, because I own the property and anything therein.

I mean....right?

In this case it was a friend...the homeowner definitely should have offered the friend more, although I think the contractor's desire of 40% was way too much for just his part in the find, seeing as how it did not by any stretch belong to him.

[LAF]

If it were me and I found it ,I would have turned it in to the homeowner .Same as if I find a wallet I turn it in to the police .If the person whom it belongs to wishes me to have a gift for finding it fine if not then so be it .