Media, PA asked in Business Law, Small Claims and Tax Law for Pennsylvania

Q: Do we by law have to reimburse thitd party company who erroneously paid our taxes?

We paid our taxes last year and they were refunded back to us and told our mortgage co pd them. We do not have an escrow acct. so i called the mortgage co and they said they would not do that and didnt pay for us. Quite a mystery. A year later we get a package in the mail from a company we never heard of requesting money because they made a mistake and told another company to pay our taxes. They since reimbursed that company and are seeking reimbursement from us.

1 Lawyer Answer
Peter N. Munsing
Peter N. Munsing
Answered
  • Wyomissing, PA
  • Licensed in Pennsylvania

A: Depends who they are. There are two theories--one is called "unjust enrichment" and the other is called "volunteer"

See if a friendly local attorney will look at the documents and figure out your legal responsibilities. Morally, most would say clearly they didn't intend to gift you the money, you yourself were surprised and delighted but didn't expect it, so you were unjustly enriched. But maybe I'm missing something so chat with someone locally who can look at the document.

1 user found this answer helpful

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.