Ohio homeowner who found money in walls bankrupt

As a contractor, what right do I have to cash found in someone else's wall?

strange days

people find things in other peoples houses and they think they should get some of it!  I don't even know how a judge could even award him some of the money.     funny world

I guess the next time someone does work on my house, and they go into my bedroom, open my dresser drawer, and find $500 cash, they are entitled to it.

Ok, but some idiot leaves all this money in the wall and forgets it or dies or whatever. The guys an idiot for telling anybody.

The contractor may have found the money but it isn't his house. She was generous enough to offer him 10%. Not bad money. He got greedy and now he gets nothing. What an idiot.

too bad they both got greedy-she wouldn't have known if he didn't tell her.  She had no idea there was money in the walls.

Like other folks have already commented, the contractor didn't have a right to a dime of that money. It belongs to the homeowner. I would think that after all those years the money should have been regarded as abandoned and the descendants shouldn't have gotten anything.

I know what I am going to do next time I find heaps of money in the wall......

Or the odd antage of saying to the client since you are having such a rough time, and when you hired me you were sighting bankruptcy for one of the properties you owned, and just for old time friendships sake, let me do the job gratis. The contractor may have even recieved an added bonus of a free meal to boot.

Oh well so much for Monday quarterbacking?

Why doesn't the reporter say how much the contractor received?  It says a court awarded him something but offers no basis.  Kind of relevant.  I don't think the contractor should have received anything either.

I've done handywork.  If I found anything it would belong to the homeowner in my mind.  If they wanted to share, fine, but I would not expect and certainly not demand anything.

As a contractor, I find it ridiculous that the contractor expected a share. I personally would have handed the entire stash to the homeowner.  I would think a smart person would just hand it all over or say nothing and take it all. The Judge is a moron, the homeowner shouldn't have hand anything over. A good look at real estate law will show that if she bought the house free and clear she is entitled to every nail, stud and money in between.

yeah when i'm close to bankruptcy and find a huge stash of money... i take a 14000 dollar trip.  I wonder how she got almost bankrupt??

I am sorry everyone, but I can't hold back any longer.  WHAT A GREEDY B***!!!

I love it. They both start arguing, the estate get's involved and they both end up with squat. Except her. She went to Hawaii and claimed 60K was stolen. Two fools and their money are soon departed.

The home owner bought the house and everything contained inside at the time of sale.  The home owner EMPLOYED a contractor to do repair work in HER home.  The contractor (employee) found money in HER home.  The homeowner offer the employee $18,200 of HER money as a thank you.   Disgruntled employee gets upset and wants MORE... Doesn't get more and sues (tries to steal more).  PEOPLE wake up!  You are agreeing with the contractor on this?  Honesty was always the best policy when I was growing up, not what I could get for nothing.  He was doing what he was paid to do which was do repairs.  He could have received an extra $18,200 for doing nothing but being honest, but being greedy has cost him his honor and future business contracts.   However, the true greed is from the previous owners.  They had no claim to the money and if you think they did then you owe the natives of this land you are on half of what you have now so start writing checks or be grateful for what you have.

The present owner of the house should be the rightful owner of the contents of the house. If she felt she need to give a finder's fee, sobeit. Also, if she verbally agreed to "share" the money with the contractor that is a verbally binding contract. Otherwise, all previous owners of the home, present owner and descendants of the man that actually placed the money there, plus the contractor should all be equal. Of course, did the money legally belong to the man that put it there or was it illgotten? A lot of questions that really aren't necessary. Ultimately I believe the present owner is the owner of anything in the house.

Sounds to me like she would be a great CEO for some company. She is terrible with finances(has multiple houses and can't survive),takes lavish vacations-when she can't afford it, does nothing but hire an individual to DO THE WORK for her, worker stumbles across huge cash and she screams mine mine mine back to work peasant-heres a measly 10% to keep your mouth shut and by the way have you seen where i put the other 60,000 Iseem to have misplaced it orrrrr did YOU steal it-------I wonder WHAT IS WRONG with this country.

If they aren't married themselves, then they should marry each other, after all greedy stupid types such as this deserve each another.

If they aren't married already then they should by all means marry each other. After all, Greed meets Stupid. A marriage made in heaven. And you can't think they don't deserve each other. She'd find her 60K and he'd get his 40% of nothing! Perfect!

I don't know how I would have reacted ... I think I must be prescreened when it comes to any luck like that.

One thing for sure... I ask homeowners if they would like to do thier own tear out to lessen the over all costs. It is one thing that just about anyone can do or atleast oversee with cheaper labor than I am.

I would love to see what Randy Cohen, the guy who writes "The Ethicist" column for the NYT, would have to say about this.

Let's shift this into a different realm though for grins.  Say I sell you a car that I inherited from a deceased relative.  Hidden inside one of the body panels are some neatly stacked and wrapped $100 bills that add up to $150,000.  I apparently didn't know about the cash when I sold it to you.  You certainly didn't know about the cash when you bought it from me.  You have a fender-bender in the car.  When you take it to the body shop for repairs a guy working in the shop discovers the money hidden there.  The guy at the body shop does what he doesn't have to do.  He calls you and tells you about the money. 

Do you split any of the money with the guy at the body shop?  If so, in what ratio?  If not, why not?  Do you contact me as the former owner to tell me about the money?  Do you offer to split any of the money with me?  Do you just claim all of the money for yourself?