Contractor, Homeowner Feud Over Money in Walls

[dark_shadows]

Dearest Taximom,:blowkiss:
Thank-you for the thread.
The Contractor went to the home with a specific purpose.
When a person hires a Contractor, they expect the Contractor to perform duties specified for a specific amont of monies. A Contractor should not expect a payment price greater than the price agreed upon, especially when the price of the item found is greater than the contracted price of the work being done.

So much Love and Respect for you,
dark_shadows

 

[BirdieBoo]

I believe that whenever a person buys a house, they own whatever is inside the walls at the time of purchase as well.

With the price of copper wiring, could the former owner come back and reclaim all the wiring, claiming that they sold a house but not wires? I don't think so.

The contractor should go pound sand. It was nice of the homeowner to offer 10% and he should have taken it, instead greed has come along and he isn't going to get anything.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I believe that whenever a person buys a house, they own whatever is inside the walls at the time of purchase as well.

With the price of copper wiring, could the former owner come back and reclaim all the wiring, claiming that they sold a house but not wires? I don't think so.

The contractor should go pound sand. It was nice of the homeowner to offer 10% and he should have taken it, instead greed has come along and he isn't going to get anything.

I totally agree. When you buy a home...you pay for everything from the top of the roof to the ground and below including mineral rights unless you live in an area where the Native Americans own those. This gives exclusive rights to the homeowner for anything found on their property by anyone. The found money is no different than if you bought land only to find it was a rich diamond mine! You own it outright.

They offered a finder's fee and the contractor should have taken them up on it. He sounds like a greedy bastid!! :bang:

 

[JanetElaine]

I thought they were closer than just former classmates - I think the article made it sound like they had been friends since school.

Let's say they were friends, then why is the contractor the one taking his friend to court? The homeowner didn't do anything wrong, in fact I still think they were generous with the 10%.

Does your hubby need a break from doing stuff around your house, by any chance? I'm pretty good with a hammer and nails, and tearing up walls. *walks off humming 50-50*

 

[southcitymom]

Southcitymom, what would you do if you were the contractor? Would the 10% finders fee of up to $50K be enough? or would you drag your former classmate to court alleging that the entire find was yours?

I'd take the 10% and thank my lucky stars. Money doesn't turn me on enough to get lawyers involved!!

 

[nappy2]

The owner bought the house and it should be his money and if they dont want it Ill take it

 

[PaperDoll]

I'd take the 10% and thank my lucky stars. Money doesn't turn me on enough to get lawyers involved!!

You are right, besides, they take most of the money anyways.. hehe

 

[Taximom]

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/15231842/detail.html

A homeowner locked in a legal feud over bundles of Depression-era currency totaling $182,000 found stashed behind her bathroom walls said she no longer has most of the money.


Amanda Reece told a probate court magistrate Tuesday that about 90 percent of the money is gone -- she declined to say how it was used. The remaining $18,000 is in her mother's safe-deposit box, she said. (more at link about previous homeowner etc)

 

[golfmom]

Originally, the articles stated that there were no heirs, hmmmmm

Since then, heirs of Peter Dunne, a businessman who owned the home during the Depression, have hired attorneys to stake their claim to the cash.

Egidijus Marcinkevicius, an attorney for Dunne's heirs, sued Reece last month and said he intends to find what Reece did with the money. Most of the currency, issued in 1927 and 1929, was in good condition.

Patrick Dunne died a widower in 1966 and left the house to sister-in-law Agatha Gannon. She died in 1974, leaving a $600,000 estate to her nieces and nephews.

 

[golfmom]

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plain...uyahoga/120229035625000.xml&coll=2&thispage=2

Once the standoff made headlines, a Euclid firm that tries to link unclaimed money to its rightful owners went to work.

Larry Morrow and Ray Whitaker of Worldwide Finders Inc. say they found 20 nieces and nephews named in Gannon's will. The self-described forensic genealogists, hoping for a cut of the found money as a reward, dug into records, jumped on the phone and tracked down seven living Gannon heirs, plus numerous descendants of the other 13.

"We had people identified within 24 hours of seeing the article," said Morrow. "It's been fun."

The heirs and some public records portray Dunne as an Ireland-born businessman who came to Cleveland from Chicago around 1910 with his wife, the former Mary Gannon - who also was Dunne's first cousin - and her younger sister, Agatha Gannon. Here, he prospered as a business partner of Cleveland Browns founding owner Arthur "Mickey" McBride, and reportedly owned shares of the Browns, Thistledown, Yellow Cab Co. and a publishing firm.

Patrick Dunne died a widower in 1966, and left the house to Agatha Gannon.

She died unmarried and childless in 1974, leaving a $600,000 estate to her nieces and nephews.

 

[angelmom]

Yeah, when you have to get a forensic geneologist involved, it's hard to say, "I can't believe you gave away my precious Aunt Suzy's things!"

The contractor sounds like a greedy jerk. I'm so shocked.

 

[golfmom]

Yeah, when you have to get a forensic geneologist involved, it's hard to say, "I can't believe you gave away my precious Aunt Suzy's things!"

The contractor sounds like a greedy jerk. I'm so shocked.

I completely agree on both accounts. IMO, the money was clearly the homeowners. However, I'm shocked she's "spent" the bulk already ... estimates were coming in at $500,000 as to the rarity and condition of the money found. That's a lot of bucks to blow.

 

[Paladin]

She either lying or she's an idiot for spending money that is actually worth more than the paper it is printed on.

Money is bad; turns people into scumbags.

 

[dbmthur]

To be a contractor, you have to make promises you don't intend to keep and then not answer your phone when people call to check on stuff.

Your husband could advertise as "Contractor Repair" like Sears does about it's appliance repair. WE REPAIR OTHER'S MISTAKES.

Sounds like you have had a bad experience with a contractor. Not all contractors are "evil" . My Father in law is a contractor and one of the most honest men I know. We live in a small town and he is constantly being bombarded with work. The man never stops. He used to be a carpentry school teacher and built lots of houses around our town. His dad used to be a carpenter too. I have never heard a single bad word about either of their work or of anyone having any bad experiences with any of them. Just letting you know that not all contractors/carpenters are bad people.

 

[gman20001969]

I say 50/50. Only because if it happened to me, I never would have known about it unless the walls were knocked down. I might had to force open my hand to release the dough though...

 

[angelmom]

Sounds like you have had a bad experience with a contractor. Not all contractors are "evil" . My Father in law is a contractor and one of the most honest men I know. We live in a small town and he is constantly being bombarded with work. The man never stops. He used to be a carpentry school teacher and built lots of houses around our town. His dad used to be a carpenter too. I have never heard a single bad word about either of their work or of anyone having any bad experiences with any of them. Just letting you know that not all contractors/carpenters are bad people.

That just tells you something about the general reputation of contractors!

When I find one I like and can trust, it rarely lasts long b/c they are in so much demand that they either go on to bigger and better things (working with a developer to build homes) or you can't reach them anymore b/c they are so busy.

I am not kidding when I say that the name of a trustworthy and qualified contractor is a well kept secret in my neck of the woods. I would only share with a really good friend.

You are right that they are not all bad, but it isn't just a few bad apples spoiling this bunch. Unfortunately anyone can call themself a contractor and there is no good way to know who you are dealing with in regards to skill or morals.

 

[LinasK]

I voted for Dunne or his heirs. If there aren't any or they can't be found, then it's the homeowners. Giving the contractor an extra bonus or something would be cool.

No way is it the contractors, IMO.

This is what I think too...

 

[golfmom]

http://www.clevescene.com/2008-02-13/news/the-wall-of-greed#comments

But first there was the question of how much money was left to get. Reece's lawyer, Skip Lazzaro, told the court that most of the money was gone.

Brown turned to Reece. "How much is left?"

"About $18,000," Reece said sheepishly. It was stashed in her 71-year-old mother's safety deposit box in South Carolina. She refused to say how she spent it.
...........

In the end, nothing was settled. Marcinkevicius asked for the rest of the money to be transferred from Reece to a joint safety deposit box, held in the lawyers' names. "No. No. I won't do that," Reece hissed from her front-row seat. "You can't do that." But Lazzaro shushed her, holding up his hand to motion for her silence. Eventually the three lawyers agreed to have the money rest in a safety deposit box until the story was sorted out. Only they'll have access to the cash.

Reece left the courtroom, stoic and silent, and soon Kitts left quietly too. The lawyers stayed behind for a bit, to hammer out a date to come back to court. They seemed chummy as they talked, and when they left, they were all smiling.

 

[angelmom]

http://www.clevescene.com/2008-02-13/news/the-wall-of-greed#comments

But first there was the question of how much money was left to get. Reece's lawyer, Skip Lazzaro, told the court that most of the money was gone.

Brown turned to Reece. "How much is left?"

"About $18,000," Reece said sheepishly. It was stashed in her 71-year-old mother's safety deposit box in South Carolina. She refused to say how she spent it.
...........

In the end, nothing was settled. Marcinkevicius asked for the rest of the money to be transferred from Reece to a joint safety deposit box, held in the lawyers' names. "No. No. I won't do that," Reece hissed from her front-row seat. "You can't do that." But Lazzaro shushed her, holding up his hand to motion for her silence. Eventually the three lawyers agreed to have the money rest in a safety deposit box until the story was sorted out. Only they'll have access to the cash.

Reece left the courtroom, stoic and silent, and soon Kitts left quietly too. The lawyers stayed behind for a bit, to hammer out a date to come back to court. They seemed chummy as they talked, and when they left, they were all smiling.

Of course the lawyers are all chummy and smiling - they're the only ones who win in cases like this!!!

DUH! I'm surprised the judge doesn't get a cut. After all, they're just more experienced lawyers.

 

[KarlK]

I don't know who the money legally belongs to but after reading this thread I sure as Hell know that the simplest move would have been for Kitts to pocket the cash and keep his trap shut.