Found an issue on this page? Let us know and we will look into it as soon as possible.
Do I need a civil or criminal lawyer?
Anonymous5 views5 answers
I had a friend who came to me saying she needed a place to stay. While taking her to my place she was telling me her ex boy friend, who is a cop, was having people follow her. She said she new this was true because of the fact that when she rode the bus one day the lady next to her opened a notebook and her name was in it. Fearing she was on meth or having a schizophrenic episode I talked with a friend and they said she needed to admitted to a hospital for observation. She gave me her dog and I turned it over to someone else to watch it. The people watching the dog said it was abused and the vet could prove it. She wants the dog back and I have asked the people to return it. They refused and told me to never contact them again. Am I legally responsible for returning it.
Give your friend the contact information for the person holding her dog. You exercised your best judgment in the care for the dog, so you should be able to defend yourself sufficiently if she were to try to take you to court.
I disagree with my colleagues: you had a duty of care for the dog, you improperly transferred that duty of care, and while the new caretakers would say they have rescued the dog, they actually have stolen it. I would advise you tell your friend what happened, including that the third parties claim it was abused, and let her decide whether to report the theft of the mutt.
Robert Vance SalterDivorce / Separation LawyerWheat Ridge, CO ·
I would agree with Atty Rosmarin. I think you may have some responsibility in the matter. If the people you gave the dog to believe the dog was abused by your friend (which would be a stretch for any vet to establish - even if the vet could establish past abuse, how could a vet determine that your friend was the abuser and not the rescuer of the dog) then they are within their rights to contact the police or animal control. They do not have the right to steal her dog.
Since you made the decision to turn the dog over to the thieves you may have some civil liability if the matter ended up in court. You have not committed any crime, but you do need to provide your friend with the information on the people who took her dog so that she can contact the police or courts to get her dog back.
The answer to your question is that you would need a civil lawyer. Since you are not the person that stole the dog it is highly unlikely that you would be charged with a criminal offense. I agree with several of the other posts in that you may have some civil liability for giving the dog to someone else. This will be a question of fact. I would also advise you to provide the information of who currently has the dog to the owner and get out of the way.
