Chapter 20 - THE CREDIT-CARD SETTLEMENTNina sent Brian and Melissa a demand for $9,420.
Not because every dollar had gone to Eli.
Personal restaurants.
Streaming.
Gas unrelated to my errands.
A weekend hotel.
Clothing.
Then child-support-related expenses.
Brian disputed the number.
We negotiated.
Final amount:
$8,100.
Payment plan.
Twenty-four months.
No interest if timely.
Why not sue for punitive damages?
Because there was no need.
Why not call police for elder financial exploitation?
Adult Protective Services reviewed after my bank made a referral due the combination of age, authorized-user spending, and household relationship.
They interviewed me.
Reviewed messages.
Concluded I had capacity, had voluntarily granted card access, and had clear evidence of some misuse but was not dependent or under ongoing coercive financial control once access ended.
The district attorney did not pursue criminal charges on the card use.
That annoyed one cousin.
“Why should they get away with it?”
They didn’t.
They repaid me.
Lost housing support.
Lost my trust.
Faced paternity support.
May you like
Criminal law is not the only consequence system in society.
Sometimes it is not the correct one.
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