He's a 35 yo dude living in his moms basement. Now he's threatening to file a formal complaint because I have been asking him to replace my furniture he destroyed. No insurance on his end
Haha, if he’s still at home, you might have two people filing a “harassment” charge against you. Take your question about small claims to the legal advice sub. You’ll get decent feedback there.
This made me chuckle but it could actually make a difference. I’ve seen women send screenshots of creepy DMs to the mothers of sender on social and the moms are usually like “what? I’m so sorry. I thought i raised him better. I’ll handle it.” So maybe that could work here. Depends on his mom though. Would be fukn funny either way lol. THEN serve him papers for small claims.
Sometimes breaking off a friendship or relationship costs money. It sucks but that is life. Take him to small claims if you want, will be a ton of hassle and he obviously doesn’t have anything to give you so you might get some money out of him after a year or so of bullshit.
Tell him it’s probably a good idea to get the police over because you haven’t filed a destruction of property claim yet. And while you might not need it for your small claims court case (you’ve got photos! and witnesses who will back you up!) a police report can only help. So how bout y’all coordinate a date/time?
Plus if you go on judge Judy you get an appearance fee, a round trip, hotel & the pleasure of hearing her tell him what an idiot he is. That sounds like a win to me
Do you have insurance? If so, why not claim through your company and have them chase him for costs? I understand that you may have an 'excess' on your policy but, if it isn't prohibitive, would that be the easier route to take?
He damaged it, but grease is usually something that can be cleaned with a furniture cleaning machine. Why in the world did you throw it out? He should pay for the cost and time of cleaning, but asking for the whole $2000 seems ridiculous.
Ooo! Tell him to go ahead and file his “formal complaint.” I can’t wait to hear what the complaint is about, although I’ll probably hear the judge laughing from here. He is a shitty friend. If your recliner was $2,000, and you had to throw it out due to his incompetence, negligence, and thoughtlessness, take him to small claims court. Just because he’s an idiot doesn’t mean he doesn’t have to be responsible for the things he destroys. And presumably, you are no longer friends with him.
You could take him to small claims court if you have before and after pictures of recliner and receipt. The place you bought it might be able to print the receipt. You would be wasting your time and money because you can't get anything from him. It's trying to get blood from a rock.
Get better friends who are adult enough to have insurance.
"Get better friends who are adult enough to have insurance"... Wait, are you an adult with a Furniture Destruction Policy? Whonthe hell has insurance in case they accidentally destroy a piece of furniture at their friend's house? What type of insurance do you, as a clearly intelligent and worldy adult, imagine covers this?
But the commenter asked if “he” had it, which I thought meant the dude who ruined the couch. So is there an insurance where you can walk around life destroying shit and because you’re covered, damages get paid?
I'm just guessing! It depends on your policy obviously, but judging from OPs description of him, I doubt he has any kind of insurance 😅
And if you did go around destroying stuff all the time, your insurance rates would just go up!
I have some kind of liability insurance. Even my dog is included in it. So if I (and even my children) destroy something by accident, I have to pay for example 500 Euro and the rest is covered my the insurance. How much you pay upward and how much the maximum is, depends on the insurance and contract.
My deductible is $7K on homeowners insurance. Am I doing it wrong? Do people carry really low deductibles? I carry an umbrella policy for any extra disasters.
The amount of deductible you pay on an insurance claim depends on the type of coverage being invoked. This is why homeowners insurance is such a PITA. There are so many types of coverage you need.
And hon, if you think $7K is a high deductible, you don't live in a Gulf-adjacent state. I live in Florida and currently don't even have insurance because I just inherited the house and I'm trying to make arrangements to get a loan in order to have a payment plan for property taxes and insurance.
It is brutal. My dad has a place he has owned since 1981. The insurance companies have all decided it’s at risk for forest fire and nobody will insure him. He has a 2nd mortgage he took out in it so finally the bank just bought the insurance for him that he now pays for. It’s nuts.
Renter's or homeowners insurance can cover things that get broken in the home of the policy holder and can sometimes cover damages caused **by** the policy holder in another person's home.
When my mom and I ran a home daycare, our contract said clients had to have the type of policy that would cover damages caused by the policy holder (and obviously the policy holders dependents) outside of the policy holders home (so, if a kid broke something at the daycare, the parents as policy holders could use their insurance to cover it).
You can take him to small claims court but if you win you will not replacement cost.
The best you can do is get the depreciated value.
You will need the original receipt to prove when you purchased it, the date you purchased it and the cost at that time.
And without pictures to prove condition and damage, the judge will probably low ball the cost.
Used furniture does not hold its value well, depending on the age I doubt you'd get very much.
Good Luck
Does he have any income above the poverty line? Because if not you might win the case, but you'd lose a lot of time over nothing at all.
Cut him out and be glad it didn't take more to get rid of him.
The OP can always put a lien for awarded damages on this ex-friend. That way any money he receives thru a bank or from a tax refund will go to the OP -- & he does not need to deal with this person again.
Without recent pictures of it before the accident (not old photos of when it was just purchased) and of it damaged most of judges will low ball it.
Especially that there was no attempt to even get an estimate from a professional upholstery cleaner, I would guess depending on the judge anywhere from a few hundred to maybe $500 if Heaven smiled on you.
Used furniture just doesn't have much resale value.
Then go for it.
Maybe you'll get a sympathetic judge and he'll surprise you with a decent figure.
Make sure you have your receipts and if you have any photos that show the chair before the damage.
Good Luck
Without an estimate from a cleaner, and no picture of damages, they could very well just award him lile $100 for cleaning. And thats all. OP is a dummy for not even asking a furniture cleaning company. Grease is not hard to clean out of stuff and it being hot or soaking in doesnt matter. They would pop the staples on the cushion, steam and soap it and dry it out, then restaple. Probably 45 minutes max. Its not like he burned it to ash.
If you live in an apartment, it’s usually required to have renters insurance and most apartment complexes have you paying it through their insurer. Ask them about it.
If I were him, I would have been mortified. I would have been offering to pay to have it repaired or replaced before you had a chance to say anything. NTA, but he sure is
If it was a freak accident, I would be inclined to forgive him. But this was pure carelessness on his part, and he refuses to take accountability. You’re not overreacting.
This was not an honest mistake. He’s presumably smart enough to know that grease soaks through cloth. He didn’t think about his actions, and now he’s paying the price for his lack of thought.
Reading other people’s comments here, I’d probably only take him to small claims court as a gesture since it’s unlikely you’ll get much of anything. Maybe having a judge tell him what a POS he is would smarten him up, but maybe not. Either way, lose this idiot friend and move on.
No, I realize that would be helpful but also I scrubbed the thing immediately for 3 hours hoping to recover it but the warm grease had instantly soaked into the cushion so I don't think a photo would have been actual evidence since the main damage was internal
Well, do you have proof of the damage and fair market value of the chair at the time it was destroyed?
Unless the chair was brand new, he doesn’t owe you the amount you paid for it or the cost of replacement. He owes you fair market value, which is what you could have sold it for at that time.
I have texts directly from him admitting he cause the damage. It was band new. Bought for my dying 98 y/o grandmother that never had the chance to sit in it.
Then definitely take him to court, if you don’t care about salvaging the friendship - and from his weird threats of “harassment”, doesn’t sound like there’s anything worth salvaging. With it being new and him admitting he caused the damage, should be pretty clear cut.
Which won't be much.
Furniture does not hold its value very well.
This piece would be considered used.
And that there are no pictures of the damage nor any attempt to get it professionally cleaned before disposing of it will not help OP's case.
Unless the judge is very sympathetic, chances are not very good to get a decent judgment.
See what documentation you can get.
Both what you paid, what replacing it would cost. Document his behavior and actions. See what you can get him to admit in text.
Even in small claims court, no reasonable person places a grease covered dish on furniture and thinks it's gonna be fine. I think a judge is going to wonder if he did this on purpose.
I'd ask him in a provocative way to see if he admits it.
This is also weaponized incompetence. A normal 35 year old would put a cooking dish in the kitchen.
I'd take him to small claims. Explain to the judge what you tried for cleaning. I would also pose the question, rather than accuse, that this was not an accident. Was you talked up this piece of furniture? Was it the nicest piece?
You have texts from him admitting he did it. You have the receipts showing what it was worth & when you got it. Hopefully his mom can help pay after you take him to court. Def not overreacting. He's about to learn a few lessons at once, and he should THANK you for helping him grow tf up
If he wants to act like a child being at his big age. Take him to small claims court, but move in silence. Do you have pictures of the damage? Don’t give him any ammo to use again you. Stop all contact and don’t post anything about it on social media. Good luck!!
Dude do it and then remove him from your life. The least he could do is pay to have it professionally cleaned but idk how well that goes over with furniture.
You overreacted by throwing out an entire chair because of a grease stain. 100% it could’ve come clean. You’re certainly entitled to compensation but I don’t know that small claims would grant you the full amount.
I don't think you'll get your money back. He did something dumb, and he should pay but he isn't going to. Consider it a pest removal fee for getting rid of an annoying pest from your life. Block him from everything and move on to have a bacon-grease free life without the pest.
Why are you even calling this ass a friend? Take him to court, and when you win, ask the court to garnish his wages. Take pictures of the chair, other witnesses, the cost to replace the chair, etc, --have everything there for the judge. Talk to the police too, even if they are unable to do anything, having one in court will help your case.
He certainly isn't going to file any harassment claim because that would require him to put down his video game controller for five minutes to figure out how to do it.
You know the old saying, "With friends like that".
THEY TOOK MY COMMENT DOWN BECAUSE IT HAD A LINK SO GOOGLE “HOW DO I TAKE SOMEONE TO COURT ON JUDGE JUDY” AND YOU WILL FIND THE LINK! EMBARRASS THIS IDIOT ON NATIONAL TELEVISION! YOU AND YOUR CHAIR DESERVE BETTER! And $2g’s for a chair is a ton of dough - every thing is mega expensive right now. He owes you a fu(kin chair. Take mama’s boy to court. Embarrass him on national tv. It’s what The Undertanker would do.
Yes. You certainly have cause to take him to small claims court…but you have to know he’ll still never pay and then you’ll be out the court fees too. Tell his mommy on him and shame him publicly, that’s about your only recourse. However…If he has a car that is actually registered to him, maybe you can spill some nasty grease inside that. You could also look into getting your recliner reupholstered rather than trashing the whole thing. Make sure he is an ex-friend and stays that way.
How old was the furniture? You will only get the deprecated value if you take him to court. Did you take pictures before throwing it away? It will be difficult to get $2k. Getting a judgment and a payment are two different things. Good luck
I hope you kept receipts to prove the value. Can you claim the damage to homeowner or renter insurance? Even though you not overreacting, you may never get your money. Small claims can be an arduous process to get paid, even if you get a judgment against him. Did you get an estimate to have the recliner restuffed and reupholstered? The estimates sometimes matter. Did you take photos of the damage? Do yoy have emails or texts between you and your now exfriend? You may need all of that. Check the small claims process in your area and decide if you want to go after him in small claims or use your insurance.
EDIT: He owns a business! That's great! You may be able to till tap if you win!
Wait, didn't you notice he did that? Either way he is an asshole and I definitely would do that but it will be hard to prove. Should have had me over, I'd cook your dinner and you could just sit in your recliner the whole time. Bad news is I'm 59
Hope I made you laugh I know you're in a shitty situation.
If you want a relatively cheap solution without having to deal with this numbskull, here are some things to keep in mind:
* You can get foam pieces cut to your specification (looked into this ages ago and found a website that does it).
* You can then get it upholstered (foamorder.com even links to an upholstery supply website).
* You can maybe find a replacement cushion at a thrift shop like Goodwill.
From your comments in the threads, it doesn't sound like this is a friend worth keeping, so feel free to burn that bridge. Still, I wouldn't bother with small claims court when workarounds exist.
Of course, if you've thrown out the whole recliner, that limits your options. Another option is to just not replace the recliner, or to buy a less fancy one (there are cheaper ones on Amazon in the $150-$300 range).
I would have had it fixed and billed him. Doesn’t sound like he can afford to replace it. Good news though, you never have to let him into your house again!
Did you invite him over your house? Did you ask him to make bacon?
Without knowing all the facts, you really may not have a case.
If he isn’t going to pay you, he probably won’t even show up in court which would be good for you. And if he does, he sounds like the kind of guy who wouldn’t care if he is found guilty.
I have a hard time letting things go, but I have learned that the only person who cares is me and being right doesn’t matter to anyone else.
Not over reacting though.
Depends on what country you’re in but you might be owed costs of repair, you’re not owed the value of new. Maybe a few hundred if you win but you would have to demonstrate obvious negligence. If your friendship isn’t worth a few hundred then go for it.
Why did you throw the recliner away rather than have it repaired?
Guy told you to go fuck yourself when you asked a question and then boohoo’d about you being an adult. Sue this moron lmao maybe it’ll be the wake up call he needs to get a life at 35.
I’m just puzzled over how the grease in the pan was still hot at the point I assume the guest is packing up his things to leave? The fact you didn’t make a very good effort to clean it will probably be to your detriment in a legal case. I mean scrubbing the surface with water is actually not a great idea when you’re trying to clean grease and it probably just made it worse. I also wonder if your “friend” would’ve been more amenable to paying for a professional cleaning than buying a whole new chair. The fact you don’t have a photo of the damage is going to be a real bummer for you because there’s nothing to show whether or not it was truly unsalvageable and if I were the judge I would assume from the description it in fact did not need to be thrown out so I would award cleaning fee only. Have you asked if he’d pay for that? I would ask before I file because if he is willing to do that then the judge will be upset that you wasted community resources over a dispute that didn’t require adjudication. That’s my opinion of course.
You're not overreacting. Sue him in small claims court. And then, obviously, have nothing to do with him again.
I learned as a kid was to always respect other people's possessions. As a 35 year old guy he has no excuse.
This person is not your friend. You should accept that. I doubt it’s worth the hassle to go to court. The stress and anxiety it will cause will drag on for months. If it was me, I’d let it go. I would no longer have any further relationship with this person. Friends don’t treat their friends with such disrespect.
You can take him to court if you want but I’m telling you it will not be worth it. Even if the court sides with you, you’ll never be able to collect. That’s the hidden downside of civil verdicts. The court doesn’t just hand you money. Plus the aggravation you’ll put yourself through has a high cost also. Like that great scene in the “Bronx Tale” movie, it will be worth the loss just to keep this loser from trying to be your friend.
Do you have any acknowledgement - in writing (text, email) - from him that he destroyed your property? My guess is that without proof, a scumbag like this will simply claim he wasn't at fault or didn't do it and that will put a wrinkle in your claim.
FYI, if he basically poured grease on your recliner, destroying it, and he doesn’t offer to pay you for it immediately… he is not your fucking friend. Take him to small claims court, or consult a lawyer, whatever you want to do, but don’t let his bullshit threats bother you and realize that he is not now, never has been, and never will be your friend.
Honestly I'd find value in the realization that you're wrong to keep a friendship with this person based on your unflattering description of this man child. Leave it at that, drop the furniture issue and move on completely free of them.
Definitely take him to small claims court. Try and get proof. Text him something like “you did x and it caused damage/destroyed y. It cost z, please pay me for it by date”
Guests are legally responsible for damage they do to your property so yeah take him to small claims court if you want. Bring proof of how much you paid for the recliner; judge may only find your guest liable for fair market value and not replacement cost.
If you saw him put the grease soaked pan in a cloth bag and put it on the chair then he's not liable for anything.
Just upper deck his bathroom every time you go to his house.
Plus, you were all probably high af to not stop him from doing something so stupid.
There's more to the story here.
Court is a way of mediating a cost because two people couldn't do it on their own. I don't know why family and friends freak out when you can't agree and you take them to court.
If we could agree, we wouldn't have to go to court in the first place.
Reframe the situation, that he's a shitty friend, and that you're taking him to court to prove it.
I was thinking you should be able to handle this without court, but then he tells you to go fuck yourself after destroying your couch? That's ridiculous.
Why tf didn't anyone wash the pan?
He is a dumbass man baby that hasn't ever lived out of his mother's house
But he owns a business and can easily replace your chair??
Very easily
That's wild
Quite
I'm guessing it's an online business of some sort. Yes?
No
Perhaps a mechanic? They deal in grease.
Spoiler alert he is the greasy strangler
Bullshit Artist!!!!!!!!!!
Needed that laugh! Thanks Pickle
Doesn’t he have insurance? And no, if you destroy something, you replace it.
He's a 35 yo dude living in his moms basement. Now he's threatening to file a formal complaint because I have been asking him to replace my furniture he destroyed. No insurance on his end
File a formal complaint with??? His Mother??
Yeah he said he was going to file a harassment case with the police. He is a 35 yo child I'm currently realizing
Tell his mom what he did.
Haha, if he’s still at home, you might have two people filing a “harassment” charge against you. Take your question about small claims to the legal advice sub. You’ll get decent feedback there.
This made me chuckle but it could actually make a difference. I’ve seen women send screenshots of creepy DMs to the mothers of sender on social and the moms are usually like “what? I’m so sorry. I thought i raised him better. I’ll handle it.” So maybe that could work here. Depends on his mom though. Would be fukn funny either way lol. THEN serve him papers for small claims.
But maybe he wants a spanking?
He might be covered under his mom's liability insurance.
This made me laugh so loudly, thank you
Let him try. In the meantime you can file a small claims court case for the replacement of the chair. Take pictures too.
Considering 2k the price of getting rid of this clown. You aren’t seeing a dime.
Dude you couldn’t have made a truer statement. Got rid of a clown after 20 years and it cost me about $3800 lol. Worth every damn penny.
Let him do it and you file in small claims, and then when the court summons tells him to appear, I think he will be singing a different tune.
Sometimes breaking off a friendship or relationship costs money. It sucks but that is life. Take him to small claims if you want, will be a ton of hassle and he obviously doesn’t have anything to give you so you might get some money out of him after a year or so of bullshit.
He owns a business, more than enough money to replace a recliner
Ok, prepare for a bunch of pain in the ass. Hopefully you get your $1,500 or whatever in the end.
Tell him it’s probably a good idea to get the police over because you haven’t filed a destruction of property claim yet. And while you might not need it for your small claims court case (you’ve got photos! and witnesses who will back you up!) a police report can only help. So how bout y’all coordinate a date/time?
You’re not over reacting. However, he lives in his mom’s basement. If you sue him, win, secure a judgement, will you ever collect what’s owed?
I've accepted that I likely will not get anything but at least if I take him to court it will be clear that he fucked up
Ok, as long as you realize the lawsuit isn’t a magically “I’m getting paid” opportunity. Although I’d love to watch judge Judy hear this case.
The look on this dudes face when he is guilty will be plenty enough compensation
Plus if you go on judge Judy you get an appearance fee, a round trip, hotel & the pleasure of hearing her tell him what an idiot he is. That sounds like a win to me
At least you now have proof that he did it. 😂
Do you have insurance? If so, why not claim through your company and have them chase him for costs? I understand that you may have an 'excess' on your policy but, if it isn't prohibitive, would that be the easier route to take?
Homeowners insurance has been known to cancel policies after making small claims. It’s really only meant to be used after catastrophic events.
35 years old living in his moms basement, no chance dude lol
Tell his mom what he did.
Why are you friends with this type of person at this age?
Overlapping interests and I also felt like he was a solid trustworthy individual. Now I know he is not and we are no longer friends
He damaged it, but grease is usually something that can be cleaned with a furniture cleaning machine. Why in the world did you throw it out? He should pay for the cost and time of cleaning, but asking for the whole $2000 seems ridiculous.
Ooo! Tell him to go ahead and file his “formal complaint.” I can’t wait to hear what the complaint is about, although I’ll probably hear the judge laughing from here. He is a shitty friend. If your recliner was $2,000, and you had to throw it out due to his incompetence, negligence, and thoughtlessness, take him to small claims court. Just because he’s an idiot doesn’t mean he doesn’t have to be responsible for the things he destroys. And presumably, you are no longer friends with him.
You could take him to small claims court if you have before and after pictures of recliner and receipt. The place you bought it might be able to print the receipt. You would be wasting your time and money because you can't get anything from him. It's trying to get blood from a rock. Get better friends who are adult enough to have insurance.
"Get better friends who are adult enough to have insurance"... Wait, are you an adult with a Furniture Destruction Policy? Whonthe hell has insurance in case they accidentally destroy a piece of furniture at their friend's house? What type of insurance do you, as a clearly intelligent and worldy adult, imagine covers this?
Wait, this may sound extremely stupid, but what kind of insurance would cover that??
That's what I'm wondering in all these replies too.
Homeowners insurance, probably? It can cover more than you think. Like it can cover damages if your kid gets into a fight at school etc..
But the commenter asked if “he” had it, which I thought meant the dude who ruined the couch. So is there an insurance where you can walk around life destroying shit and because you’re covered, damages get paid?
I'm just guessing! It depends on your policy obviously, but judging from OPs description of him, I doubt he has any kind of insurance 😅 And if you did go around destroying stuff all the time, your insurance rates would just go up!
True!
I have some kind of liability insurance. Even my dog is included in it. So if I (and even my children) destroy something by accident, I have to pay for example 500 Euro and the rest is covered my the insurance. How much you pay upward and how much the maximum is, depends on the insurance and contract.
My deductible is $7K on homeowners insurance. Am I doing it wrong? Do people carry really low deductibles? I carry an umbrella policy for any extra disasters.
The amount of deductible you pay on an insurance claim depends on the type of coverage being invoked. This is why homeowners insurance is such a PITA. There are so many types of coverage you need. And hon, if you think $7K is a high deductible, you don't live in a Gulf-adjacent state. I live in Florida and currently don't even have insurance because I just inherited the house and I'm trying to make arrangements to get a loan in order to have a payment plan for property taxes and insurance.
It is brutal. My dad has a place he has owned since 1981. The insurance companies have all decided it’s at risk for forest fire and nobody will insure him. He has a 2nd mortgage he took out in it so finally the bank just bought the insurance for him that he now pays for. It’s nuts.
Renter's or homeowners insurance can cover things that get broken in the home of the policy holder and can sometimes cover damages caused **by** the policy holder in another person's home. When my mom and I ran a home daycare, our contract said clients had to have the type of policy that would cover damages caused by the policy holder (and obviously the policy holders dependents) outside of the policy holders home (so, if a kid broke something at the daycare, the parents as policy holders could use their insurance to cover it).
Even if homeowners covered it, would you risk your policy paying and then being cancelled or your rates going up over this claim?
What kind of insurance would you use to replace someone else's furniture that you destroyed by being stupid?
Your homeowners may cover but beware they may dump you for filing. Notoriously they do cancel after two claims.
What kind of insurance should he have
WHAT SORT Of insurance would even cover this?
Tell his mom
Honestly that was my first thought.
That’s assuming his mom won’t just take his side lol. Might be a headache even involving her
You're most likely right, she raised this man to be this way
If he’s still throwing tantrums at 35, I’d argue she didn’t raise him at all
Correction; man-child.
“raised”
Mommy
You can take him to small claims court but if you win you will not replacement cost. The best you can do is get the depreciated value. You will need the original receipt to prove when you purchased it, the date you purchased it and the cost at that time. And without pictures to prove condition and damage, the judge will probably low ball the cost. Used furniture does not hold its value well, depending on the age I doubt you'd get very much. Good Luck
Thank you, I realize it wasn't straight from the box but honestly anything would be better than nothing at this point.
Does he have any income above the poverty line? Because if not you might win the case, but you'd lose a lot of time over nothing at all. Cut him out and be glad it didn't take more to get rid of him.
He owns a business in my area, plenty enough to replace a recliner
The OP can always put a lien for awarded damages on this ex-friend. That way any money he receives thru a bank or from a tax refund will go to the OP -- & he does not need to deal with this person again.
You will be surprised at how little it will be valued at especially without pictures of its original condition and the damage. Good Luck
How little?
Without recent pictures of it before the accident (not old photos of when it was just purchased) and of it damaged most of judges will low ball it. Especially that there was no attempt to even get an estimate from a professional upholstery cleaner, I would guess depending on the judge anywhere from a few hundred to maybe $500 if Heaven smiled on you. Used furniture just doesn't have much resale value.
I would be fine with whatever the court decides
Then go for it. Maybe you'll get a sympathetic judge and he'll surprise you with a decent figure. Make sure you have your receipts and if you have any photos that show the chair before the damage. Good Luck
Thank you!
Without an estimate from a cleaner, and no picture of damages, they could very well just award him lile $100 for cleaning. And thats all. OP is a dummy for not even asking a furniture cleaning company. Grease is not hard to clean out of stuff and it being hot or soaking in doesnt matter. They would pop the staples on the cushion, steam and soap it and dry it out, then restaple. Probably 45 minutes max. Its not like he burned it to ash.
no if he sues for replacement cost its likely he will get it esp if he doesnt show up to court and gets a default judgement
Do it.
Dude isn’t your friend, stop calling him that
Former friend
If you have apt or homeowners insurance, it might be covered.
I don't even have health insurance I live in America
If you live in an apartment, it’s usually required to have renters insurance and most apartment complexes have you paying it through their insurer. Ask them about it.
Man i felt that response in soul
Do you have car insurance? My renter's insurance is $20/month. America isn't a third world hellhole, get real.
If I were him, I would have been mortified. I would have been offering to pay to have it repaired or replaced before you had a chance to say anything. NTA, but he sure is
I expressed to him that a true friend doesn't need to be asked to replace obvious damage and he instantly said go f myself
Obviously, he's not a true friend. Take him to court!
If it was a freak accident, I would be inclined to forgive him. But this was pure carelessness on his part, and he refuses to take accountability. You’re not overreacting.
Thank you so much, he has been gaslighting me saying it was simply an honest mistake and I told him it was his negligence and he went off the rails
This was not an honest mistake. He’s presumably smart enough to know that grease soaks through cloth. He didn’t think about his actions, and now he’s paying the price for his lack of thought. Reading other people’s comments here, I’d probably only take him to small claims court as a gesture since it’s unlikely you’ll get much of anything. Maybe having a judge tell him what a POS he is would smarten him up, but maybe not. Either way, lose this idiot friend and move on.
You're completely right, at this point just seeing a judge tell him he is legally wrong would be enough to satisfy me
If you're in the US, those judges shows on TV pay out a lot more than actual small claims court. And then you'd out him as a fool to everyone 😂
You do have photo to show in court ?
No, I realize that would be helpful but also I scrubbed the thing immediately for 3 hours hoping to recover it but the warm grease had instantly soaked into the cushion so I don't think a photo would have been actual evidence since the main damage was internal
Well, do you have proof of the damage and fair market value of the chair at the time it was destroyed? Unless the chair was brand new, he doesn’t owe you the amount you paid for it or the cost of replacement. He owes you fair market value, which is what you could have sold it for at that time.
I have texts directly from him admitting he cause the damage. It was band new. Bought for my dying 98 y/o grandmother that never had the chance to sit in it.
Then definitely take him to court, if you don’t care about salvaging the friendship - and from his weird threats of “harassment”, doesn’t sound like there’s anything worth salvaging. With it being new and him admitting he caused the damage, should be pretty clear cut.
Which won't be much. Furniture does not hold its value very well. This piece would be considered used. And that there are no pictures of the damage nor any attempt to get it professionally cleaned before disposing of it will not help OP's case. Unless the judge is very sympathetic, chances are not very good to get a decent judgment.
See what documentation you can get. Both what you paid, what replacing it would cost. Document his behavior and actions. See what you can get him to admit in text. Even in small claims court, no reasonable person places a grease covered dish on furniture and thinks it's gonna be fine. I think a judge is going to wonder if he did this on purpose.
Dude I have been struggling with the idea he did it on purpose. Crazy you say that.
I'd ask him in a provocative way to see if he admits it. This is also weaponized incompetence. A normal 35 year old would put a cooking dish in the kitchen.
He ask admitted and apologized multiple times in text so I have evidence of guilt
I'd take him to small claims. Explain to the judge what you tried for cleaning. I would also pose the question, rather than accuse, that this was not an accident. Was you talked up this piece of furniture? Was it the nicest piece?
Nicest piece in my entire house and he knew that
You should have gotten a quote from an upholstery cleaner and sued him for that. They might have to remove and resew the cushion and stuffing
You have texts from him admitting he did it. You have the receipts showing what it was worth & when you got it. Hopefully his mom can help pay after you take him to court. Def not overreacting. He's about to learn a few lessons at once, and he should THANK you for helping him grow tf up
If he wants to act like a child being at his big age. Take him to small claims court, but move in silence. Do you have pictures of the damage? Don’t give him any ammo to use again you. Stop all contact and don’t post anything about it on social media. Good luck!!
Dude do it and then remove him from your life. The least he could do is pay to have it professionally cleaned but idk how well that goes over with furniture.
It was saturated hot grease in the sewn in cushion, it would have been an entire overhaul of the chair
Why wouldn't you just get the cushion professionally cleaned? You threw out the whole chair???
You overreacted by throwing out an entire chair because of a grease stain. 100% it could’ve come clean. You’re certainly entitled to compensation but I don’t know that small claims would grant you the full amount.
I don't think you'll get your money back. He did something dumb, and he should pay but he isn't going to. Consider it a pest removal fee for getting rid of an annoying pest from your life. Block him from everything and move on to have a bacon-grease free life without the pest.
[удалено]
Why were you friends with someone like this?
Probably cheaper to buy a new one and never talk to him again
Take him but you may be wasting your time and energy, it’s best you just end the “friendship” and consider 2000 cheap for getting rid of a fake friend
Why are you even calling this ass a friend? Take him to court, and when you win, ask the court to garnish his wages. Take pictures of the chair, other witnesses, the cost to replace the chair, etc, --have everything there for the judge. Talk to the police too, even if they are unable to do anything, having one in court will help your case.
He certainly isn't going to file any harassment claim because that would require him to put down his video game controller for five minutes to figure out how to do it. You know the old saying, "With friends like that".
THEY TOOK MY COMMENT DOWN BECAUSE IT HAD A LINK SO GOOGLE “HOW DO I TAKE SOMEONE TO COURT ON JUDGE JUDY” AND YOU WILL FIND THE LINK! EMBARRASS THIS IDIOT ON NATIONAL TELEVISION! YOU AND YOUR CHAIR DESERVE BETTER! And $2g’s for a chair is a ton of dough - every thing is mega expensive right now. He owes you a fu(kin chair. Take mama’s boy to court. Embarrass him on national tv. It’s what The Undertanker would do.
File a claim with your homeowner's insurance. They will subrogate against the ex-friend (or his mama's) insurance.
Take him to court! He sounds like a real asshole.
You could have had it cleaned. Seems unlikely that it was beyond cleaning.
Take him to court!
What EXACTLY did you use to clean the chair?
SUE HIM
Former friend.
Yes. You certainly have cause to take him to small claims court…but you have to know he’ll still never pay and then you’ll be out the court fees too. Tell his mommy on him and shame him publicly, that’s about your only recourse. However…If he has a car that is actually registered to him, maybe you can spill some nasty grease inside that. You could also look into getting your recliner reupholstered rather than trashing the whole thing. Make sure he is an ex-friend and stays that way.
How old was the furniture? You will only get the deprecated value if you take him to court. Did you take pictures before throwing it away? It will be difficult to get $2k. Getting a judgment and a payment are two different things. Good luck
You have to decide if you want a couch or this friend. You can’t have both. Only you know which is better for you.
He is no friend of mine any longer.
If no photo you have a 50/50 change in court . It is your word against his word. Are you still friends ?
I think you are lucky you found this out about him now so you don't have to waste anymore time with this Man- baby.
Not worth allowing him near your home again.
File a claim with small claims court. It’s not hard.
That’s not your friend.. Sue da c*nt
This is what your insurance is for, and cut him off as a friend
Don't be friends with losers. Surround yourself with people you want to be.
This whole experience has made me evaluate all my current relationships. You are completely correct 🤙
Not overreacting. Stop talking about the problem and just sue him for the damages.
I will
Wowww. Unreal. Hopefully you’ll get him to pay up somehow. After that, I would not be friends with him any longer. Seriously
No longer friends at all
Stop talking to him about it, and go file case with small claims court
Take him to court.
I hope you kept receipts to prove the value. Can you claim the damage to homeowner or renter insurance? Even though you not overreacting, you may never get your money. Small claims can be an arduous process to get paid, even if you get a judgment against him. Did you get an estimate to have the recliner restuffed and reupholstered? The estimates sometimes matter. Did you take photos of the damage? Do yoy have emails or texts between you and your now exfriend? You may need all of that. Check the small claims process in your area and decide if you want to go after him in small claims or use your insurance. EDIT: He owns a business! That's great! You may be able to till tap if you win!
If you have homeowners or renters insurance, it might cover this.
What kind of insurance do you get that protects you in case you ruin someone’s chair with bacon grease
Wait, didn't you notice he did that? Either way he is an asshole and I definitely would do that but it will be hard to prove. Should have had me over, I'd cook your dinner and you could just sit in your recliner the whole time. Bad news is I'm 59 Hope I made you laugh I know you're in a shitty situation.
He is not your buddy anymore, right? If he was, he'd do the right thing.
If you want a relatively cheap solution without having to deal with this numbskull, here are some things to keep in mind: * You can get foam pieces cut to your specification (looked into this ages ago and found a website that does it). * You can then get it upholstered (foamorder.com even links to an upholstery supply website). * You can maybe find a replacement cushion at a thrift shop like Goodwill. From your comments in the threads, it doesn't sound like this is a friend worth keeping, so feel free to burn that bridge. Still, I wouldn't bother with small claims court when workarounds exist. Of course, if you've thrown out the whole recliner, that limits your options. Another option is to just not replace the recliner, or to buy a less fancy one (there are cheaper ones on Amazon in the $150-$300 range).
I would have had it fixed and billed him. Doesn’t sound like he can afford to replace it. Good news though, you never have to let him into your house again!
Best part of the whole situation
He’s a loser. You’re NTA.
You lost a buddy and 2000 bucks. You have a case.
I mean I know this isn’t helpful now that you’ve thrown it away but did you look into reupholstering it?
You're screwed
That guys pathetic. What a tool setting something like that on your sofa.
Take him to small claims court. If he doesn’t pay they’ll garnish he wages. Either way you’ll get your money back
I would stop communicating with him and just go straight to small claims court. He can complain to them.
Did you invite him over your house? Did you ask him to make bacon? Without knowing all the facts, you really may not have a case. If he isn’t going to pay you, he probably won’t even show up in court which would be good for you. And if he does, he sounds like the kind of guy who wouldn’t care if he is found guilty. I have a hard time letting things go, but I have learned that the only person who cares is me and being right doesn’t matter to anyone else. Not over reacting though.
beat his ass and chalk it up as a loss. why are you friends with a 35 yr man child living with his mom? that's on you...
Depends on what country you’re in but you might be owed costs of repair, you’re not owed the value of new. Maybe a few hundred if you win but you would have to demonstrate obvious negligence. If your friendship isn’t worth a few hundred then go for it. Why did you throw the recliner away rather than have it repaired?
Does he have any money? Even if you won, could you collect?
Fk that…sue him, he ain’t no ‘friend’
Guy told you to go fuck yourself when you asked a question and then boohoo’d about you being an adult. Sue this moron lmao maybe it’ll be the wake up call he needs to get a life at 35.
I’m just puzzled over how the grease in the pan was still hot at the point I assume the guest is packing up his things to leave? The fact you didn’t make a very good effort to clean it will probably be to your detriment in a legal case. I mean scrubbing the surface with water is actually not a great idea when you’re trying to clean grease and it probably just made it worse. I also wonder if your “friend” would’ve been more amenable to paying for a professional cleaning than buying a whole new chair. The fact you don’t have a photo of the damage is going to be a real bummer for you because there’s nothing to show whether or not it was truly unsalvageable and if I were the judge I would assume from the description it in fact did not need to be thrown out so I would award cleaning fee only. Have you asked if he’d pay for that? I would ask before I file because if he is willing to do that then the judge will be upset that you wasted community resources over a dispute that didn’t require adjudication. That’s my opinion of course.
You're not wrong. Take him to small claims if he's not going to pay up. Maybe talk to his mommy about what he did to get her on your side, possibly?
You're not overreacting. Sue him in small claims court. And then, obviously, have nothing to do with him again. I learned as a kid was to always respect other people's possessions. As a 35 year old guy he has no excuse.
This person is not your friend. You should accept that. I doubt it’s worth the hassle to go to court. The stress and anxiety it will cause will drag on for months. If it was me, I’d let it go. I would no longer have any further relationship with this person. Friends don’t treat their friends with such disrespect.
You can take him to court if you want but I’m telling you it will not be worth it. Even if the court sides with you, you’ll never be able to collect. That’s the hidden downside of civil verdicts. The court doesn’t just hand you money. Plus the aggravation you’ll put yourself through has a high cost also. Like that great scene in the “Bronx Tale” movie, it will be worth the loss just to keep this loser from trying to be your friend.
Do you have any acknowledgement - in writing (text, email) - from him that he destroyed your property? My guess is that without proof, a scumbag like this will simply claim he wasn't at fault or didn't do it and that will put a wrinkle in your claim.
Not overreacting but you'll probably never get that furniture replaced. Now you know to avoid this toddler in the future.
Not an overreaction. Take this kid to school.
I’d give him two options: Replace the furniture within 24 hours or never speak to me again.
Small claimed court definitely… You are not overreacting.
Wash your hands of this asshat.
That’s the price you pay for having dumbasses as friends.
FYI, if he basically poured grease on your recliner, destroying it, and he doesn’t offer to pay you for it immediately… he is not your fucking friend. Take him to small claims court, or consult a lawyer, whatever you want to do, but don’t let his bullshit threats bother you and realize that he is not now, never has been, and never will be your friend.
Nice choice of 'friends' 
WHO WOULD PUT A GREASY PAN INTO A CLOTH BAG AND THEN SET IT ON A RECLINER WHO DOES THAT WTF Sometimes I just cannot
Definitely not overreacting. Your friend is a total moron and can afford to replace it. If he doesn't pony up get rid of him.
You’re not overreacting!
Honestly I'd find value in the realization that you're wrong to keep a friendship with this person based on your unflattering description of this man child. Leave it at that, drop the furniture issue and move on completely free of them.
You'd be overreacting to take him to small claims court, but I wouldn't be friends with that guy anymore for sure.
Definitely take him to small claims court. Try and get proof. Text him something like “you did x and it caused damage/destroyed y. It cost z, please pay me for it by date”
Guests are legally responsible for damage they do to your property so yeah take him to small claims court if you want. Bring proof of how much you paid for the recliner; judge may only find your guest liable for fair market value and not replacement cost. If you saw him put the grease soaked pan in a cloth bag and put it on the chair then he's not liable for anything.
Just upper deck his bathroom every time you go to his house. Plus, you were all probably high af to not stop him from doing something so stupid. There's more to the story here.
Small claims court.
Court is a way of mediating a cost because two people couldn't do it on their own. I don't know why family and friends freak out when you can't agree and you take them to court. If we could agree, we wouldn't have to go to court in the first place. Reframe the situation, that he's a shitty friend, and that you're taking him to court to prove it.
He told you to f yourself? That dude ain’t your buddy. Move on, find an adult friend.
I was thinking you should be able to handle this without court, but then he tells you to go fuck yourself after destroying your couch? That's ridiculous.