AITA for suing my ex and her boyfriend?

A father discovered that his ex-wife’s husband stole valuable, collectible LEGO sets from his home, claiming they were for the son. When confronted, the stepfather admitted to the theft, but the sets’ value exceeded what they could afford to replace. The father filed a police report and is suing for the loss, despite criticism for his actions. Read the full story below:

‘ AITA for suing my ex and her boyfriend?’

Three years have passed since my divorce. My ex-wife’s infidelity led to our split, but I’ve moved past caring about that relationship. The ongoing legal battle is focused on the actions of others, not her or him. We share custody of our 13-year-old son equally. He’s a wonderful child, and his interests have shifted significantly, as is typical for kids and teenagers as they grow.

My son was really obsessed with Legos for a while. He was always playing with them, and I believe they are an amazing toy for many reasons. I enjoyed playing with him, and I still collect unopened boxes as a hobby. After my ex and I split up, she ended up with someone who must have been even more passionate about Legos than my son, I suppose?

Anon12345: From my understanding, he’s passionate about crafting things and constructing the stages. I’m not bothered by it and it comes off as neat to me. There is something he does that I find extremely peculiar. He uses super glue to ensure the stages don’t fall apart or pieces go missing. I find this very strange. The problem is, I was away for three days last week for medical reasons, and my son wanted to retrieve his PS4 so he could play it at his mother’s house.

User1234: This is pretty normal, and because he has a key, he told me he was swinging by to pick it up. When I saw him on the entry camera, I wished him a good time. Her husband was with him, which isn’t allowed. I used the speaker to tell him not to enter and to wait outside. He seemed surprised but came inside anyway. I texted my ex and asked her to call him and warn him that if he didn’t leave immediately, I was calling the police.

He walked out of my house carrying a bag, but I didn’t give it much thought since my son also had his video games with him. However, later that night, my son messaged me saying he now suspects SD took some of my sets, although he wasn’t aware of it then. These sets are all vintage, and a couple of them are quite valuable. Upon returning home, I verified that the sets were indeed gone and then contacted my ex.

She was clueless, but he did see and grab them, intending for their son to have the sets to finish his collection. The problem is, their son is no longer interested in Legos and assured his mom he wouldn’t take them from his dad. His wife wondered about the replacement cost, which, sadly, surpasses their savings. In fact, it would require their entire house down payment, and then some.

I informed them that if payment wasn’t received within a fortnight, I would initiate legal proceedings and pursue criminal charges. The value of the stolen items qualifies as a felony. My former partner and her spouse are accumulating funds for a residence, which would offer my son additional room during his visits, but those items were intended to contribute to his future schooling or a down payment on a property. I’ve already lodged a formal complaint with the authorities and consulted with legal counsel, and we are proceeding with the lawsuit.

Everyone is calling me a joke because they are just toys, but I don’t get it. They are worth real money.. I’m not rich guys. I needed those to help with my sons future… but again taking this money does deny my son things at his moms house.. AITA here??

See what others had to share with OP:

[Reddit User] −  NTA. Looking at it from just a monetary value, I don’t believe your friends would be saying the same if he had stolen $XX amount of money. He shouldn’t have entered your house without permission and he shouldn’t have stolen the sets. He broke the law, he faces the consequences of his actions. Its about as simple as that.

pwndabeer −  Wait so someone who you didn’t want in your house entered your house and then took something from you. How are you anything but NTA?

tigerkitten_91 −  NTA. if wasn’t anybody’s to take. and if your ex struggles on providing, well they shouldn’t have stolen your s**t, should they?

abcwva −  The stepdad is a thief. He blatantly entered your home and stole from you. Sue him. NTA

HotAudience6110 −  NTA replace “legos” with jewelry and everyone would call it a felony. That’s exactly what he did, he robbed you and should face the consequences. As you point out, these actions have consequences beyond just the legos, they were going to help fund your son’s education.

Ensure your son understands your motivations, anticipating potential misinterpretations from his mother. Furthermore, considering the stepfather’s apparent negative influence, withholding access to him at his mother’s residence might be beneficial.

princessofperky −  NTA make sure you download the clip of you telling him not to enter your house. And notes of what your son said. I hate this phrase but don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time comes to mind. You’re not doing this to them. Him STEALING is what caused his situation

SlightlyTwistedGames −  NTA – your property was stolen. Your ex’s SO broke the law. Toys – especially older toys – are incredibly valuable. There are individual Magic cards worth over $3000. There are vintage dolls worth over $1000. It really doesn’t matter whether your stolen property was legos, jewelry, or cash. The law is that one person doesn’t get to take property from another person

leggomylego75389263 −  Yeah I have the video, texts, and my son saw the sets later in the evening at their home.

Nova_Lurker −  NTA. He walked into your house *after you told him to wait outside* and stole your property. Property that was an investment for your sons future. The only person to blame here is the ex’s boyfriend. Here’s a question though, why can’t they just bring them back? Did they do something to ruin the sets?

enoughwiththenames77 −  NTA. But thats easy to say when im not the one being sued and i dont know the people personally. I think its a good idea to sue not just because of the money but because it sets a very clear boundary and thats sometimes what people like this need.

Unkn0wnError:
These people will be a constant presence in your existence. The fact that they are “just toys” is irrelevant, and the legal system will concur. Furthermore, their behavior is undeniably reprehensible. They violated your established personal space by entering your home and then proceeded to ROB YOU. What the actual f***.

Is the parent within their rights to pursue legal action for the misappropriated goods to safeguard their child’s well-being down the line, or are they overstepping by involving law enforcement? Let us know what you think!