Cengage Advantage Books: Business Law 9th Edition by Arnold Goldman ,William Sigismond

Exercise 11

The Mitchells owned a small secondhand store. They attended an auction at a place where they often purchased merchandise for their store. One of the items for sale at the auction was an old safe that had a locked compartment but no key. The safe was part of an estate and sold at the auction for $50. After the auction, the Mitchells took the safe to a locksmith to have the compartment opened. When opened, the compartment contained over $30,000 in cash. The locksmith called the City of Everett police where the Mitchells lived and where the auction took place. The police then temporarily impounded the money until the rightful owner could be identified. Both the Mitchells and the estate that initially owned the safe laid claim to the money. Who was the rightful owner of the money? (City of Everett, Washington v. Mitchell, 631 P.2d 366)