A woman is being dragged online after she took her relative’s rings and refused to return them, garnering a lot of harsh criticism.
The now-viral Reddit post, titled, “AITA for taking legal action against my family,” has been upvoted 12,000 times since it was shared to the subreddit “Am I The A**hole” on June 7. Redditor @Capital-Some shared the post, and it has been getting a lot of attention ever since.
Some people are fortunate enough to be given an inheritance in the form of money or other items, such as family heirlooms or jewelry. SWNS Digital reported that a OnePoll survey for Shinola found that 54 percent of respondents’ most prized items were a piece of jewelry. In addition, an engagement ring was the most popular item people in the United States hope to inherit.
The original poster (OP) revealed they live abroad, and they recently came back into town to see their grandmother who is both “bedridden” and in the “last stage of dementia.” The Redditor’s 92-year-old grandfather is in “good health” with a “sound mind,” so he acts as his wife’s power of attorney. They also hired a friend of the family to be the woman’s caretaker.
The Redditor recently learned that their grandma’s rings were missing, and after doing “more research” they were told that their cousin, their grandmother’s great-niece, “had taken them” after she was given the rings by the caretaker who said she got them from the grandfather.
Apparently, the cousin has the OP’s grandma in a recording saying that she can have the rings when she dies. The Redditor pointed out that their grandmother isn’t dead, and that their grandma told “a lot of people” that they could have a ring “one day, but most importantly, she is not in a good mental state, and my cousins are nowhere in her will.”
“My grandfather is very upset about his missing wedding ring, and even a ring that my late father purchased for her before he died,” the Redditor explained. “My cousin will not return them because of this verbal confirmation she claims she received to take all of my grandmother’s jewelry, and I’m a bit irate.”
The OP spoke with lawyers the previous day, and because their cousin has a “nasty tone about it and refuses” to give the rings back to the OP’s grandfather, the Redditor admitted they are ready to call the cops and “file a stolen property report.”
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Over 400 comments poured in over the viral post, and people are bashing the OP’s cousin for taking their family member’s rings, and some people advised the Redditor on what to do next. Others thought the caregiver needs to go as well.
“NTA [not the a**hole], your grandmother was not of sound mind when she made that promise, so it’s pretty much void,” a Redditor said. “Take your cousin to court and fire that ‘friend.’ Get back your grandfather’s stolen property.”
Other users didn’t mince words, and one such Redditor thought the OP’s cousin “is a thief and a con woman. Press charges, she is not in the will, and also have the caregiver thrown in jail too as they were a part of this scam too.”
Numerous people advised alerting Adult Protective Services as well as law enforcement, and one Redditor told the OP that after they are finished with the police, they “need to call adult services. This is classic elder abuse, and she needs to be reported. NTA.”
While a Redditor thought the OP needed to take action, adding that the woman “stole from your grandmother with dementia, and it sounds like the caretaker is an accomplice. She needs to be fired, and they both need to be charged.”
One user said that the woman is a “thief,” and the “fact” that she won’t return the “stolen items” proves it even more. They advised the OP to speak with a lawyer on the “best steps” in the situation, and they didn’t think the OP should “hesitate” to get the police involved.
“I would give your cousin a warning that if the items aren’t returned you will involve the police and the court,” they said. “Not that she deserves a warning, but maybe it pushes her to return the stolen items.”
Another user pointed out that the OP’s grandmother can’t make the choice because someone else is her power of attorney. “This is elder abuse from your cousin taking advantage of your grandma,” they insisted. “It is sad that you have to have legal battles with your family, but that is all on your cousin, not you.”
A Redditor weighed in by saying the OP’s cousin “stole” from the woman who is “unwell” and also “unable” to fully comprehend what’s going on. “She took advantage of an extremely vulnerable person,” they said. “There are consequences to her actions, and she should face them.”
Newsweek reached out to Redditor @Capital-Some for comment.
This isn’t the only viral moment involving family. A man was praised for cutting off his grandma’s streaming service. A father was supported for treating his son like an “outsider” after his divorce. In addition, the internet is slamming a dad who kept his daughter a secret.
