You and your roommate are driving through a residential area when you see some furniture piled on the curb to be picked up by the trash collectors the next morning.As you pick up a chair,the homeowner opens a window and yells,"Get away from my stuff." Which of the following statements is true in this scenario?
A) You may claim the chair as lost property.
B) You may claim the chair as mislaid property.
C) You may claim the chair as abandoned property.
D) The homeowner retains ownership until it is picked up the next morning, so you must leave it.
E) The homeowner retains ownership of the property until you buy it from him.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In this scenario, you and your roommate may claim the chair as abandoned property. There is a rule that when someone has abandoned what they own, the first person to reduce it to possession owns it. The law determines whether or not someone has abandoned what they previously owned by measuring intent, whether the previous owner intended to abandon something. The law measures intent by the circumstances of the situation. If it looks like someone meant to abandon something, we say they intended to do it.

You and Your Roommate Are Driving Through a Residential Area