Q: Can someone legally give away someone else's pet snake?
My cousin was housing her pet snakes at her friends house for a while and now that friend has given her snakes away
A:
Pets are property so this question could just as easily be, "my cousin was keeping her bicycle at her friends, and her friend has given it away".
The answer to the question is "no". Someone who does not have ownership can't give it away. If they do, then what they are in effect doing is "stealing" the property and then giving it away. We call that misappropriation. Your cousin could sue her friend for the value of the snake, in addition, she could sue the receiver of the snake for receiving stolen property if the receiver knew.
This is probably just a curiosity request, but I hope this helps.
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.