Stolen property under lease
My ex-boyfriend left me at the end of March, almost exactly 2 weeks after I bought for him (myself as buyer and him as cosigner due to credit reasons) a $6000 vehicle to get to a job he lost the first day he went in. He took the car without my permission to Alabama (we were living in Colorado) and nearly got it repossessed, making no payments until the very last minute. He refuses to refinance it, and now the dealership is harrassing me and insisting I sign some new bill of sale, which I am not willing to do unless I have some sort of agreement that he will get my name off that car or give it back, one of the two.
Also, when he left I was in Oregon for my sister’s 4th birthday. I came back to CO at 3 am from the airport to find my apartment ransacked — he said he would take a couple things, but this was shocking. Everything that was left was off the walls, in piles around the apartment, all the lights were on, and the door was unlocked.
He also said (and signed a paper stating) he would pay half of the bills for that month and his half of the rent for the remainder of the lease, which was 2 months, and he only paid one rent payment and lied about the rest. I am going to owe about $4000 to collections from him.
What can I do?
Re: Stolen property under lease
Morning,
Sorry to hear about the issues. Some of these issues could be criminal and the others are civil. Contact the police about the claimed theft.
As to the car, you are going have problems. You co-signed for the loan so you are, ultimately, responsible for that debt regardless of your agreement with your ex. They can sue you for every penny of that debt and likely will. Try to negotiate something and contact an attorney before you sign anything.
As for the rest, you could sue him for breach of your claimed contract. Don’t expect much to come of this because even if you prevail you still have to collect, which will be difficult.
The sad reality is that these are going to be hard lessons. Contact the police and see about filing small claims. Good luck.
Robert Murillo
Murillo | Associates
1942 Broadway, Suite 314
Boulder, CO 80302