My boss has ostomy & parkinson disease. She has no child. Her husband died a year ago. she doesnt have any relatives or if she have, she doesnt want to get involved with them. I tried to encourage her to reach out with them but always end up into arguments. Telling me that she gave them their part & so. I does all the paper works for her, setting appointment with her accountant & filing her assets, utulility bills & statements of accounts. I also help her with phone calls if she need to make one. In short, i'm like her secretary. and then one day, she asked me to open all her cabinet to look through her closet. To make the story short, she have a box of jewerly. She wants to give it to me so I can give it to my daughter. I told her not to and give it to her relatives or a friend that deserve more that I nor my child. I told her that I'm afraid that when she's gone& someone will sue me accusing of stealing it. She said to me with tearly eyes that she doesnt have any relatives & those are her personal things & she wants me to have as a gratitude of helping her. There's a circumtances that shes begging me to have it because she afraid that someone get it when shes gone. Someone adviced me to take it, because its her will. And just ask her to make a letter as proof that she gave that to me with her signature. But im so scared & afraid. Can someone help me with this? Should i take it? If I will take it, is there any legal advice? Thanks
I think you're wise to consider the repercussions and perceptions of accepting gifts from someone who appears to be alienated from her family.
If her collection of jewelry contains family heirlooms or family pieces you can bet that someone will come out of the woodwork at some point wanting those items.
I commend you wanting to do the right thing. I have no legal advice to give. We don't give legal advice because we're not lawyers but to be on the safe side, if it were me, I'd find a way to graciously turn down her generous gift without hurting her feelings.
With the information you share about her you could face bigger problems: what if the items do disappear and you are accused of "accepting them as gifts." How will you prove otherwise??? I would get this resolved quickly so you are not caught in the middle. No jewelry is worth being accused of something you did not do.