dirty laundry part 1

[photo2010]

 

I need to share what some of my relatives have been doing to me since my Mother

passed, even though I am embarrassed to admit I have these people in my family.

I'm hoping some of you can give me some perspective on this.

 

I have three aunts who are my Mother's sisters, living near me. One lives in my

building, two live in the highrise across the street. When my Mom had the stroke,

and had just been admitted to the hospital, she called me to say that one of her

sisters, I'll call her 'C', had taken a valuable necklace from her that she was wearing in

the hospital, and said she was going

to put a stone in it and hold i† for my Mother. 'C' had coveted this necklace for years,

and once I heard her literally screaming at my Mom and chasing her around our condo.

She had made up a lie that their Mother promised the necklace to her after my Mom

passed. I should add here that 'C' is a sociopath who causes arguments and fights

wherever she goes. She once whispered in my ear at the funeral for an uncle of

mine words to the effect that if she had my health problems she'd kill herself.

At the end of the services I told her to "shut up and stay away from me", and

she acted like she had done nothing wrong. My Mom and I left the service because

of 'C'. Apparently others noticed that something was wrong and there was a big

discussion about it. One of my cousins came up to see me and said it was the

worst thing she ever heard someone say, which made me feel a little better.

 

It gets worse. When my Mother passed away at home, I called my aunts to tell

them. 'C' came over, I was in my bedroom. I couldn't see my Mom like that. 'C'

stole every piece of jewelry my Mother had on at that moment. I didn't know

this until later. When I found out, I called my brother, who called 'C' and accused

her of stealing my Mother's jewelry. It apparently turned into an epic confrontation,

where even 'C's daughter told her Mother off. I feel that I need to add here that this all may

sound like petty stuff, but my Mother's jewelry is part of my inheritance, and because

I am disabled and live on SSDI, (Social Security Disability), which is below poverty

level income, my bills are quickly eating up the little savings I have. I have nobody

to leave the jewelry to, and I will unfortunately need to sell it to pay bills, if anything

is left after my aunts are done.

 

I feel a little bad about posting this stuff about my family, and may take this down

at some point.

 

End Part 1

 

 

[NatureJunkie]

Kevin, when your brother told C off about the stolen jewelry, what happened next? If he was willing to go to bat for you in that instance, is there any chance he would file a case in small claims court for you? (I know the jewelry is valuable, but the amount you can sue for in small claims court is sometimes suprisingly high, depending on the state you file in.)

[photo2010]

NJ, I will blog about the next part in part 2, but no, I wouldn't ask my brother to do that for a variety of reasons which I'd rather not go into here. I will say that he did a lot for me during that time.

[NatureJunkie]

Okay, I await Part 2.

[Pypermarru1]

Don't be ashamed.  I have a couple family members I wouldn't exactly trust to do the right thing.

 

Petty?  Stealing jewerly that doesn't belong to you is NOT PETTY.  You don't have to justify why she should't  take it, it's yours through your mother PERIOD.  If she came over and took all the food out of your fridge, would you say that's petty?  Clothing? Linen's, etc? I wouldn't.   If it doesn't belong to her she shouldn't be taking it without permission.

C is low, really low.  She took advantage of you and your mother in your time of vunlerability.

I seem to be rambling - Sorry.

[Marie]

If a stranger stole the jewelry, would you report it? Just because the thief is related - they do not get a pass. She has to prove her claim to a legal authority.

 

C has broken the law by stealing valuable jewelry from your mother's estate. Tell C to return the jewelry within 'x' days or you will be forced to go to the police and report the theft. Even better, If your mother's estate has a executor/trix, lawyer, or declared responsible person, have them talk to her and followup with letter if she does not comply. This is not a family matter, or something for small claims court.

 

I am not a lawyer, but have been an executor many times. It amazes me the crap people pull after a death. These bullies always back down when faced with the law.

 

I am so sorry that you have to deal with this after the death of your mother. My sincerest condolences.

[Marie]

To add... I guess I sound really mean, but I hate seeing vultures taking advantage of nice people like you when they are vulnerable. She uses her relationship and 'family status' an excuse, but it is still theft. She probably thinks no authority will care... I ran into that with one estate. The lawyer we used thought pursing the removal of the 'light over the dinning room table' was not worth it - until I explained that 'the light over the dinning room table' was an antique sterling silver chandelier with cranberry glass globes valued at over $30,000. We got it back for the estate.

 

All the best in whatever you decide to do. [[[hugs]]]

[photo2010]

Thank you all my friends I am working on part 2 of the story now. (((hugs)))