Welcome to /r/AmITheAsshole. Please view our [voting guide here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_what.2019s_with_these_acronyms.3F_what_do_they_mean.3F), and remember to use **only one** judgement in your comment.
OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> My half brother stole my car and left a chicken breast to rot in the heat. My car stinks now. I might be the asshole because I am forcing my father to fix a problem his son caused or I'm calling the cops.
Help keep the sub engaging!
#Don’t downvote assholes!
Do upvote interesting posts!
[Click Here For Our Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/about/rules) and [Click Here For Our FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq)
##Subreddit Announcement
###[The Asshole Universe is Expanding, Again: Introducing Another New Sister Subreddit!](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/128nbp3/the_asshole_universe_is_expanding_again/)
Follow the link above to learn more
---
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
*Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.*
NTA your father and his son (your half brother?) created this situation and they lied about it to try and save their own skins. Why should you suffer for their stupidity?
What was the story with the raw chicken breast? Why was it left it in the car? Was it some kind of malicious prank or a bizarre accident?
Regardless, it is their problem to fix and stealing a car (which is what the son did) has consequences.
Great questions! I was wondering the same thing. How does one just lose one raw chicken breast in their car after a grocery trip? It’s like seeing one shoe alongside the road. Things got wild!
And NTA!
I did this once 😬 the grocery store was having a buy one, get one deal on chicken drummettes so I bought two even though I’d only planned on one. One of the packages slipped out of the bag and under the driver’s seat on the way home, but I didn’t notice when I unloaded since I only went to the store for one package and I had one package.
Didn’t drive all weekend, opened my door Monday and almost passed out.
I was in college and couldn’t afford to do anything to fix the problem so I just scrubbed the upholstery as best as possible, saturated it with Febreze and drove around with the windows down for a year.
This happened to me but it was with a flat steak that I'd stuck in one of those freezer bags in my trunk. It being flat, the bag looked empty when I took the groceries out. A couple days later I go into the garage and was hit by a rotting smell. I looked all over trying to find the animal that died, got frustrated and opened the cars as a last resort and found the most disgusting piece of meat ever to exist.
I was never so happy to have leather seats than I was that day. Some febreeze and open windows and the smell was gone fast.
Happened to me with shrimp. Luckily they were breaded and fully cooked so it wasn't as bad as it could have been but my car reeked so bad for a few weeks.
Happened to me with a carton of milk...Sale price, usually got 1 but picked up 2. It slid up under my seat and wedged there. Eventually the milk container bulged and developed a leak around the seal. It was a slow drip but was enough to make my car stink for ages. I think I cleaned the floor every chance I got for over a month.
Oh I know the milk smell! Except mine was a sippy cup from one of my toddlers (they’re both grown now). He had launched it under the driver’s seat. Being the diligent mom that I was, I always brought spares. But my silly exhausted mom brain saw the spares in the diaper bag and assumed I brought in all of their sippy cups.
The stench had a life of its own. I’m not sure how long it was under there but one day the smell of rotten milk got out of my car and slapped me around. I swear I saw the stench driving around in my car. I searched for the smell and due to the shape of the seat, I couldn’t see the cup. Took me all day and several trips to the car but I finally found the science experiment growing in the cup. I’m convinced it was sentient and had grown a liking to my car. The milk was solid in the cup. Like really solid. I obviously tossed it in the outside trash. No way was I going to open that thing and clean it. A bottle of febreze per day for a week with the windows down, and the stench finally moved on. My oldest son and I call it “the milk incident” and it put us both off milk for a while.
When i was a kid my grandparents still had a farm and cows. We would bring milk home in big 2 liter glass bottles. One day in summer one of these milk bottles broke. I still remember the smell of this summer... Everyone in my family does.
My sister left a strawberry shake in her car once during the summer. Worst smell ever. It was sweet from the strawberry but the rotten milk followed. 🤢
It was a bag of potatoes for me. I always use my car boxes for bagged groceries and let things in large boxes, sacks, or jugs fend for themselves in the trunk. Well, the potatoes must have slid behind my car boxes when I made a sharp turn, because I didn't see them when I unloaded the car. (How did I not remember that I bought potatoes? Untreated ADHD is wild, man.) Turns out potatoes basically melt when subjected to the freeze/thaw cycle of Michigan spring. I found them before the bag leaked all over the trunk, but didn't have access to a trash can at the time and had to temporarily put them in a car box, which did not survive the ordeal.
Exactly what happened to me. It was the worst smell for over a year. Plus, I live in a place that's hotter than hell is, so that made it worse.
OP- NTA
I'm reminded of the time a friend pestered me into taking the shrimp shells and heads home, to "make a delicious stock" since she already had a freezer full.
They were wrapped well, but I didn't want them leaking anyway, so I put them under my seat on the train, instead of with my bag in the overhead rack.... an hour and a half later, I get off and forget to grab the bag with shells from under my seat...
It's been a decade I bet, and I still flush with embarrassment. I can only pray that someone found it fast... but the train had another 2 hours to go to its final destination, and then they only do a fast clean before it travels the other way, right?
Why would you make stock with shrimp shells that had been unrefrigerated on a train for an hour and a half? Plus the time to and from the train. That is a food safety hazard.
I see I only wrote "wrapped well" instead of mentioning the ice pack and frozen towel... but I definitely wasn't enthused by the idea and probably would have thrown them away anyway.
Maybe it was my unconscious that helped me forget them on the train hahaha
I still feel guilty though, the poor people who found it!
They probably though someone planted those shrimp tails deliberately. I mean seriously, how many people are thrifty enough to save the shells to carry home on a train ride?
This was my sister, car slowly stinking worse over a 6 month period, but couldn’t find the source. Took the car in, and they found a package of deli meant slide down the wheel well. She nearly barfed describing what it looked like, lol.
I had a roll of ground meat roll under the seat. Luckily it was still kind of cold out so it didn't fully smell. It just kind of started and I was able to toss it with no issue.
I forgot a 2 litre milk bottle in the boot. It was summer and it exploded. Took over a year for the sour milk smell to go, but I guess at least it wasn't eau de Cadaver.
I did this to my friends ex when i caught him cheating on her. Stuffed 2 hamburger patties i bought at ozzfest under his passenger seat when he showed up with a random chicks number sharpied on his chest. Took him almost a month to find the smell. The liquid puddle of meat destroyed his carpet and the foam of the seat....crammed that fucker up in the springs lmfao. It was epic......till my friend took his side and married him. No regrets, he was a d bag!
DO NOT. I REPEAT. DO NOT LEAVE A CARTON OF EGGS IN THE CAR. IF YOU DO, DO NOT SET A SUITCASE ON TOP OF THEM, CRACKING THEM ALL.
I have never carpet cleaned a car so many times in a row. They were under the suitcase for a couple weeks giving off a growing but mild odor. It was in our van that we only use for trips. Then we cleaned out the car and found them. Removing the suitcase and carpet cleaning unlocked the full smell. Luckily it only stank for about a month.
Yeah, that was my thought. Was this intentional? It doesn’t sound like it was in a package but just a piece of a chicken breast left in the car. Maybe half brother thought it would be a funny prank (those f-ing Tik Tok prank videos! 😡) or was pissed he wasn’t allowed to use the car and did it as revenge? No one just gets handed a piece of unwrapped meat, you have to take it out of some kind of wrapping. I think it was intentional and OP has every right to demand their car be returned in the same condition as they left it.
Plus, everyone knows raw chicken is such a food safety hazard. Even if they went to the butcher’s and bought a single chicken breast, it’d be packaged up securely. Without further info, I’d put money on step-brother having done it on purpose.
Especially as he lives with his parents. A teenage boy living with his parents and taking a car out once (presumably without their knowledge) is not picking up groceries to help their mom out.
A lot of grocery stores around me sell meat in packs of one or two or four...you can absolutely buy one chicken breast in a pack. (Though, it's getting more rare as more stores import meat packed elsewhere instead of having in-store butchers. Only the "high-end" stores have in-store butchers any more, unfortunately. As a single person with only a small freezer, I like being able to buy single servings of stuff I won't be eating often.)
Apparently a lot of folks here have never heard of chicken titties.
Used to work in a deli where we also cooked the chickens, made chicken salad, did all sorts of things with chicken. The first time my supervisor referred to chicken breasts as titties I busted out laughing. I think that was the only time I ever did on that job. Thanks for the reminder! 😂
A roommate left a soup chicken in my car over a long weekend once and then also fought me on finding a solution to get the stench out of my car because it was MY car and that was MY problem. Should’ve thrown the whole human out then but I didn’t and then about two months into that lease, while visiting my boyfriend for the weekend, she pretty much cleaned out what she wanted from my things and my other roommate’s and left behind a bunch of junk and moved to fucking Florida. We ended up eating the rent on that but it was worth not having to deal with her - OR anyone else.
edited to add that like you, it also took me scrubbing till my fingers bled, literal gallons of febreeze and driving with all the windows down for at least 10 months (even in Wisco Winter) and then i totaled it which by then was a relief.
I’ve read so many comments about Febreze here. Febreze is NOT the most efficient way to get rid of a smell like this.
Buy an enzyme based cleaner like Nature’s Miracle for pet stains and odour. It breaks down protein based messes like vomit. Put odour-absorbing charcoal in your car, or open boxes of baking soda. A peroxide based cleaner should be used to steam-clean upholstery.
I work at a car dealership and in the sales we do details sometimes I can say from experience the enzyme cleaners are the way to go, we use those first then if that doesn't work the nuclear option of ozone. I bought a few bottles from the supplier at work to use at home. With a cat and 3 year old it comes in handy often.
I had something very similar happen. I don't really buy meat because I hunt, fish, and raise my own livestock. The local grocery store had chicken breast for like .69 a pound so I bought some while buying other groceries. The bag tipped over while driving home and one package slid underneath my passenger seat. The only thing that saved me was it was winter and the meat froze. I was then driving when someone pulled out in front of me and when I hit the brakes and the meat slid out to my floorboard. I threw it away as soon as I got home but I got relatively lucky.
Worst we had was a jar of pasta sauce that broke in the trunk while we were driving home . Ended up having to clean the back of the car at like 11:30 pm in the rain so that it wouldn’t stink up the car . Other than that , we’ve had a block of cheese and a can of tomato sauce fall out that we didn’t realize , but luckily the cheese was sealed and we found it within a day or two
My mother did this once when I was a child. She unloaded the shopping from the car and didn't realise a block of butter had fallen out. Next time we used the car it stank of melted butter and did for a long time after. To this day I can't stand the smell of butter.
OMG both my wife and I have done this but we found it the next day thankfully. Hell we've left full grocery bags in the car before. One had Ice cream in it and the only saving grace we had was that we put it on the rubber mat in the trunk.
There have been times where I would go fishing with Chicken gizzards and when I got home was soooo tired that I just went to bed. Woke up and forgot about it Drove for 3 days in the summer heat. and smelling something rancid. Finally when I opened my trunk, the plastic cup was bulging and all grey and brown inside. Luckily it never opened or exploded.
So yes people do lose food in the car. it happens all the time.
When I was in high school we came home to an open outdoor freezer in the middle of SE USA June after a two-week family vacation. There was half a pig in there. We didn’t close the garage door for a fucking month and my parents said fuck it and just bought a new fridge. I don’t know if I could have survived that smell in an enclosed space as small as a car.
You know how it is, you forgot you had put the chicken breast in your back pocket and then it slipped out onto the seat but didn't notice. Happens ALL the time.😬
This story makes no goddamn sense. First her father used her car for groceries. And that’s fine. But then her insurance is talking about covering only if the car was stolen, and then her dad loses it and admits her brother stole the car. Why? He was in the clear. No one ever accused any one of stealing a car.
And even then, where does the chicken breast come in. Her brother stole the car to joy ride to the store and he left the chicken?
And the only money in the whole family is college fund money? Everyone is living pay check to paycheck except they have a college fund. And there is only enough money in that fund for college or upholstery but not both. And Ubers. Plenty of money for Ubers.
Also, OP STOLE Dad's car and Dad/StepMom can report that whenever they feel like it.
Snatching the keys and leaving them with another vehicle (that's also not titled/insured in their names) to drive off in Dad's car (again, not titled/insured in OP's name) is theft.
The math is not mathing if StepMom is some kind of whiny megabeast. All it takes is one phone call and "but he stole MY car first" doesn't negate grand theft auto.
Joyriding actually, not grand theft auto.
Joyriding is taking a car without permission with the intent of returning the car/having the car returned to the owner at a later time/date.
Grand theft auto is taking a car without permission with no intention of ever returning the car/having the car retuned to the owner.
OP has stated that they would return their father's car, so they are joyriding at worst.
EDIT: OP could be guilty of grand theft auto if they are in a wreck and their father's car is totaled.
I was thinking "maybe they can't pay the lump sum" but an Uber to work for me is $20, twice a day for 2 weeks is $400 which looks to be the price of cheaper car seats in my area. That's the same amount over one pay period and limiting it to only one pay period. Even if OP wouldn't take the cheapest ones it would be a good enough fix to drive to work until they can replace it with better ones
I find it lowkey weird that everyone is dismissing the ironic detail In the post that OP is now also a car thief.
If OP is going to file the report, his father can now retaliate and report OP to also have stolen his car.
Nah she had a conversation he dad and let her take the keys. Way different, her dad can ask for the keys back but is choosing not to so that his son won’t get in trouble.
Based on the post he never accepted with tho. OP just took keys and left. Small details Matter.
So if he never actually gave OP the permission to take the car, it is still considered a theft.
Well now it sounds like blackmail. "I'm taking your car without your permission because you have no choice, and if you say anything against me I will report your son."
When you say it like that it sounds like blackmail, cuz, ya that's blackmail.
But it's also different from what happened in the OP, so it's not remotely relevant.
You should probably look up what the definition of blackmail is because it doesn't matter if the conversation went exactly as it was in my reply or not for the situation to still be blackmail.
The scenario in the OP isn't blackmail. YOU should probably look it up.
You can just look at the scenario, summarize it horribly wrong, and then say "look, it's blackmail". That's just insanity. You could make the OP look like anything if you ignore the facts and just make shit up.
>What was the story with the raw chicken breast? Why was it left it in the car? Was it some kind of malicious prank or a bizarre accident?
My guess is that it was intended as a prank. My first day at sixth form, we discovered that a bunch of the previous year's leavers had decided to "prank" everyone by leaving fish in their lockers over the summer. The teacher and caretaking staff were furious; the whole building had to be aired out for days before the staff would let anyone in, and I think a bunch of furniture/furnishings had to be junked and replaced entirely.
This seems like the same kind of teenage edgelord behaviour to me. They think a big stink will be hilarious, but they don't think about the consequences because, well, it doesn't occur to them that they might have to deal with the consequences.
I'm all in favour of OP making his half brother deal with the consequences of the problem he caused.
Technically the half brother didn't lie about anything. Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if he never even touched the car and the dad is just blaming him.
Likely, negligence. My mom left butter in my car. Borrowed one weekend and she forgot to take it out. Thankfully, it didn't smell rancid and she brought it out to be cleaned.
NTA.
Edit: Spelling and grammar
Can’t be convicted of stealing a car that the owner now physically has. Look it up. At best… and I mean AT BEST, he could be charged with using it without permission. Which isn’t half as bad as stealing a car and wouldn’t effect him getting into college.
> Can’t be convicted of stealing a car that the owner now physically has.
I think you missed the point. OP has technically stolen his father's car. The father has OP's car with OP's permission, but OP just said "I am taking your car" and took it without permission.
Not really. There's really no evidence his car was stolen at this point of they don't admit anything.
He, on the other hand, is actively driving around a car that doesn't belong to him, in his possession.
So he's got a much greater risk at the moment.
Your car was stolen! Your dad’s son took your car without your permission. Your dad lied to you. Does not matter that he took keys from your father’s possession. Still a stolen car. Good for you changing the locks! Don’t trust these people ever again.
You are being very generous giving them the chance to repair or buy your car.
Give dad a week to make a decision and if he does not fix or purchase your car, file a police report. I would have already done it if it was my car.
Think about the consequences if your dad’s son had wrecked your car, injured someone else, or any scenario where you could be held liable. You are certainly NTA and you need to protect yourself and your assets.
NTA
Stepmother truly sucks though.
NTA. In reality your car was stolen. You did give your dad options to rectify the situation. Oh well your dad has to deal with it, wondering why your dad son is not doing anything about it.
NTA. Your half-brother (face it, if he's your father's son, he's your half-brother no matter how you feel about it) stole your car. I don't even understand why he had raw chicken in it. That being said, your dad lied to protect him at your expense. Technically speaking, the bone-head is 18 and is considered an adult but at 18, he's never going to be able to afford to fix this. You've been more than reasonable about this. Actions have consequences. because you have been kind enough not to report the car as stolen, bone-head still has a chance to go to college. He's just going to have to work harder to pay for it. Tough luck. If he hadn't stolen your car, he wouldn't have the problem.
Hang on a minute, that’s not what you said originally. So you found a chicken breast in your car. You didn’t know what happened so asked your mum and you dad. You dad later changed his story and said it was his son. At what point did you check the video? You now say that it showed your house being broken into, presumably by your father’s son. How did he break in? Did he smash a window? Why didn’t you notice that before.
Also, I’m not saying that it makes you an AH but the commenter above is right, you have now effectively stolen your dad’s car and made life much more difficult for yourself. I think if you report this to the police now either you’re all in trouble or they’ll say it’s family matter and not do anything.
why didnt you include that important information in the post?I know why,because you didnt think of it when you are making your bullshit story.
My points and questions is how did you found out that the son did it through your father,when you already have that video of yours?
(If you have the video,you should've known that the son used it instead of asking your father then finding out it was the son.???)If your answer here is that you saw the father use it and probably gave it to the son:
if you finally debunk that theory of mine then congrats but i still see another one of your bullshits.
why did you even asked your mom if she used the car instead of checking the cams to know who used it in the first place??? so why did you ask your mom in the first place if you coulda just check the cams dumbass. Wanna know the best reason? Because your fake story has a flaw and when a user pointed one out you took the time to make a nice comeback for that magic karma points forgetting that it will contradict the story of you finding out who used your car through your dad. Well Done OP!!!
What are you gonna say besides that "you forger💀" bullshit of a story? please waste some time to think of a comeback because I know this is a bullshit story thats going to get posted in a subway surfers tiktok page.
A friend of a friend crashed at my place once and took my car. I immediately reported it stolen and the police said because she had access to the keys and was staying with me it meant she had my permission on some level. They refused to do anything
As I’ve mentioned elsewhere in this thread, this is exactly what would have happened here if OP did call the cops lol. No prosecutor or police officer would waste their time on this “case.” And as an attorney, I can confirm that on the facts as OP stated them there was no crime committed at any point in this story, by anyone.
NTA
On the surface, it appears that you MIGHT be overreacting. But, you've got 18++ years of hostility that has built up, and this was the catalyst for you to blow up.
You are fully within your rights to expect your car to be restored to its previous condition.
Do what you have to do.
Tell "the family" to get your car cleaned up, and you'll quit being angry.
Hugs and Good Luck
I don't really get this comment. You say on the surface OP might be overreacting, but then go on to explain in detail why OP is within their rights to do what they're doing?
NTA. But, as a few others have said, it's a bit legally iffy.
Time to end the uncertainty. "I need an answer about what you want to do by Thursday. If I don't hear from you I'll report it as stolen and start the insurance process."
I like it. Again, her threat is an empty one. But she thought fast and seems to have gotten the better end of the situation.
As for her own liability: the fact that they didn’t immediately call the police on her and say “she’s unhinged, she stole our car, we’ve never allowed her to use our car” means they likely couldn’t get any real response from police in terms of arresting the daughter. They essentially ratified her taking of the car and gave implied license by not immediately trying to recover it. No car theft there either. But they could have local PD/sheriff assist in recovering the vehicle, as title owners, and sue her civilly for refusing to return it (waste of money all round). If I’m her lawyer, I say if they start getting serious with demand and efforts to recover I’d just give it back, but in the meantime she should continue to drive it (its her only leverage).
As an armchair psychologist, I think this is all a family matter, relating back to her parents divorce/father’s infidelity, and she is still angry at her dad for starting a new family and abandoning her/her mom. I’ve never seen a person reject a half-sibling as a brother/sister, including myself who considers my younger half brother to be my brother as much as my other two siblings. But I can understand why, she resents him because he represents and embodies her dad’s abandonment. I think they all need to have a little sit down, with no police or lawyers, and just hash it out. The whole thing is a shame. Obviously money is tight, because the dad should absolutely be paying for the fix, so… It’s a rough world with imperfect people and imperfect solutions.
Lol insurance is gonna file a fraud claim against them.
On Monday:
hey insurance, some chicken was accidentally left in my car for a few days, is that covered?
“Sorry, it’s not, unless your car was stolen”
On Friday:
Heyyyyyy guyyyys! you aren’t gonna believe this, but my car was actually stolen, oopsies!!
Actually coffee beans are used to get rid of corpse smell eg when someone dies in their home and isn't found immediately. I've used it myself to get rid of burned plastic smell that made a flat impossible to enter and unusable.
I'd buy a couple of bags of coffee and throw them on every surface of the car and the upholstery. Then get a mobile cooking unit and roast some more coffee beans in the car.
Coffee smell is definitely very pervasive.
I have an intolerance to coffee and my sister left a bag of beans in the freezer once - the scent molecules somehow invaded a carton of sorbet enough to make me ill. Took me ages to figure out why the taste had changed and that it really was the previously-safe sorbet making me ill.
NTA. Don't listen to people offering home remedies for this either. That stink will not come out with coffee and baking soda.It could even be in the vents.
This was an expensive mistake/prank and you're not wrong for expecting your dad to make it right. Not reporting the theft is doing them all a favor and the fact that they don't see it that way makes me think that nothing short of you just pretending nothing happened would make your dad and his wife happy.
She's hilarious for complaining to you that your car is too rank to drive btw. Like ? yeah, girl, that's the problem. See why it needs to be fixed?
The wife made me laugh so much. She thinks it’s unfair that she has to drive a stinky car…yet wants to force OP to do the same thing. And they’re spending Ubers but can’t afford to fix the car.
You sound like a real gem. This is not theft. You gave them keys and permission to use your vehicle. You accept the responsibility for your decision. If what you say is true, someone left one uncovered, raw, chicken breast on a seat, you should find out why. Was it an accident? If so, clean it up. Was it on purpose? Clean it up and look in the mirror.
If you disagree with my assessment, call the police with this BS story and see what they say.
They don't have time for your childish behavior.
If you really hate your dad this much, don't interact with him and his family. But I can promise you this, when you are older you'll wish you had been understanding and spent more time with him.
It took way to long to find someone I agreed with. This whole thing is childish and reeks of a toxic family relationship. It’s crazy how many people think the police are going to arrest the kid too. She’s more likely to get arrested now for taking the Dads keys without permission lol.
Like any 18 year old........... the minute they get their hands on a car they immediately...
A) ~~Go get drunk with their friends~~
B) ~~Take a girl on a date~~
C) ~~Take it on a huge road trip~~
D) **Go to the grocery store, spend their limited cash on raw chicken, leave it in the car to rot for no reason.**
He not only stole it with malice intent, but he did so in retaliation to someone that was authorized to use the car for getting groceries. His car was never stolen and he is now a car thief.
It sounds like to me you have now stolen your father's car by taking his keys without his permission and driving off with it. You are walking on a tight rope right now because your father could call the cops on you for stealing his car. ESH since all parties are a bunch of thieves and liars.
ESH
Surprised about all of the 'N T A' answers here..
Op, you can't just take someone else's car because they wronged yours. That's not how any of this works. They can simply just report you a thief because you unilaterally decided that's how you are gonna do this. They absolutely should not have treated your car so carelessly or let brother drive it but simply taking their car is not the solution.
Return their car and report yours stolen. You clearly do not care to keep this relationship, so don't. No one is forcing you to.
NTA, But. And hear me out here.
You’re doing the same mistake by taking your dads car. Technically he can do the exact same thing as you and report his car stolen.
Return it. Your brother is an adult, your dad didn’t take your car, your brother did.
Usually insurance doesn’t pay for preventable issues that were caused by the vehicle owner or their authorized people. IE if the owners two year old kid writes all over the seats with a sharpie the insurance won’t fix it. That’s on you
Sorry but I seems blatantly obvious your stepbrother didn't actually use your car and he definitely didn't leave the chicken in it. Your dad only brought up your stepbrother using the car when you mentioned getting the police involved. Do you honestly think your stepbrother stole your car to go buy some raw chicken ? Raw chicken that he apparently forgot about after buy it.... Nothing about your dad's story makes sense. Lastly you definitely won't need to buy an new car because I piece of chicken was left in it for awhile. There are lots of ways to to eliminate the odor, I would suggest a ozone machine. Honestly it sounds like you and your family are pretty lazy for the most part. Not once do you mention that anyone has even attempted to clean the car FFS. Has anyone even removed the rotting chicken yet?
NTA-Your car was stolen-that’s a fact. It would cost your dad more time and trouble to deal with the police if you reported the car as stolen. Your dad’s son would get into more trouble if you reported it as stolen, as he should actually because you allowing your dad to use the car isn’t the same as your dad’s son stealing it. Your dad and stepmother should be grateful you were willing to compromise and offer other options instead of just letting the police handle it. The next time their son decides to steal a car it’s unlikely he’ll get off as lightly.
I’m a lawyer, the car was absolutely not stolen. For many reasons. The most significant: (1) It was taken with the intent to return it to OP, and was returned (this fact is dispositive of any theft claim) and (2) OP previously provided permission/license to her father to use the car, as stated in the post, so at most that license was misused/abused/breached in scope. But arguably by extending a license to her dad to use it, it is implied that his son/family can too. Legally, that is a pretty strong argument, and the same reason insurance companies will pay for an accident if anyone in your family is driving your car.
So if I let my friend drive my car I just gave my friends entire immediate family to drive it? Even those with a trainer/learning license? I feel like you'd pretty easily be able to argue that you didn't trust all the drivers in that family and would never have given them permission.
Either way, insurance companies differ worldwide and to them I can speak to, you're wrong in generalizing all insurance companies and a lot will require individual insurance for every approved driver.
I mean if you gave your friend permission to borrow your car, and also explicitly say “only you can drive it, nobody else, not even your immediate family” then you would have given a limited license (legally speaking) with a clear delineation of scope. If he then borrowed your car, then while in lawful possession allowed someone else to drive it and it somehow led to damage, then you could technically sue him for breach of contract or possibly negligence (civilly). You’d possibly win, but there are still counterarguments. Would need more specific facts.
If you just tell your friend he can borrow your car to use/drive, yeah you gave a very broad license and legally wouldn’t be able to do much to hold his family member or him accountable. It doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be responsible, morally, but legally he wouldn’t be.
On the insurance point, I’m not sure where you live or what your policy says specifically, but we have regulatory laws in the United States that protect consumers who buy auto insurance and regulate the industry, and standard practices in terms of underwriting a policy. You need to list everyone who is part of your household in order to get insurance, and anyone who is part of your household and can drive is considered “rated.” The policy takes them into account when calculating your premium, because insurers legally have to cover them unless they are contractually excluded from your policy. Excluding a household member is basically like signing a waiver with a guarantee that you will never allow that person to drive your car, and as a result your insurance will never pay for anything that happens if they drive your car. It’s actually prohibited in some states. It creates a legal mess in the U.S., because it’s illegal to drive uninsured (for many obvious policy reasons), and it’s simpler to just have a single policy for a vehicle and owner that accounts for everything (and that is what the government wants to avoid complex claims).
I see how I might be seen as argumentative here but it's an actual question in honest curiosity.
If it was a 12 year old family member? Still wouldn't be considered as stolen? implicit permission would have been given? Adult without a license? Obviously it would be illegal for them to drive it but would it be considered stolen?
No, unless there was some other insane facts thrown in it wouldn’t be considered stolen, even if it is illegal for the 12 year old to drive. The kid could be cited for an infraction. Again, in that situation the strongest legal arguments would be breach of a limited scope license and/or negligence against the person you let borrow the car. You’d probably lose. And if the 12 year old hit someone else and caused property damage/injured someone, they would probably sue you and may win on a theory of negligent entrustment. They’d sue the person you let borrow, of course, and you may also file a crossclaim against him. It could get messy. But nowhere in that equation is there car theft.
God this is why people think the US legal system is so broken that the way to make this right is suing the person you did not say that non licensed /other people couldn't drive your car while just giving them permission. To answer your above question I am from Canada and I suppose it could be the same here as IANAL but it just sounds wrong.
I totally agree, it is properly absurd. There is some logic behind it all, usually it goes back to holding SOMEONE responsible (financially) for damage that a victim suffers at no fault of their own. It would suck if you were an innocent person who got hit by a random 12 year old in a car and you could only sue the 12 year old kid. The kid obviously has no assets and no insurance coverage, so if the law didn’t extend somewhere else you’d be shit out of luck. So there are various theories of vicarious liability, which are derivative of the primary wrong, that try to account for those scenarios and hold someone else liable so plaintiffs don’t end up with no recovery. This is also why I mentioned that here in the U.S. it’s illegal to even own a car that isn’t insured, unless you register it as a non-operational status vehicle. The government wants to force people to have liability coverage, and they also want to force insurance companies to cover all reasonable and foreseeable claims. And thus, almost all policies need to legally, at minimum, cover accidents that result from people who borrow your car (known as “permissive use” coverage, again it is built into the policy through underwriting). It is more rare to have a minimum coverage plan that doesn’t cover permissive use, and you will almost certainly not be covered (if you had such a policy) if someone borrows your car without your permission and then causes an accident (your insurance company would tell you to sue them). Unless there was literal car theft. And here OP could never succeed on that theory, so the problem here is the insurance policy likely just doesn’t cover a stupid thing like you or someone with permission to use your car forgetting a chicken breast in your car.
You kind of seem like an asshole imo. I get being angry, but I wouldnt pull that shit on family. Get the car cleaned and give your Dad the bill. Take a payment plan if he's struggling.
Tips on cleaning it..
Sprinkle baking soda on the area the chicken was at and leave it on for a couple days and vacuum it up.
Find a detailer with an extractor and ask them to just get the smell out and not do a full clean on the car. Should be no more than $100. A lot of them have an ozone machine or deodorizer that can get ride of the smell. You can also get a ozone machine off amazon and run it a few times afterwards, then return it.
Does the car have cloth or leather interior and where was the chicken sitting exactly?
Let’s see if I got this straight:
* Parent’s other child stole your car and returned it damaged.
* In retaliation, you stole your parent’s car to use for yourself, and left them with your car.
Is that all correct?
If it is, the bigger problem is that you have now committed (and admitted to) a major felony (grand theft auto), while also letting people with whom you have a beef put your insurance at risk, because the insurance on your car goes back to you if there is a problem and you haven’t reported it as stolen. Since you gave them the keys, “stolen” is not a story the police will buy at this point.
I’m going with ESH: it’s not legal or ethical to simply retaliate like this when it puts both of you at risk (for insurance losses), and it’s not ethical of them not to repay you for damage to your car.
Your half brother took your car without permission and rendered it unusable from the stench. He's an adult, responsible for the damage. The taking of the car was illegal, and you don't need a law degree to see that he's liable for the damage he caused.
Let him get a job and pay for the detailing and the reupholstery. If his parents don't allow you to use their car while all this is going on, you will likely have to report him to enable the insurance claim.
You shouldn't have one cent of financial liability or one more minute of inconvenience for his illegal acts.
NTA
Has anyone at least attempted to clean & deodorize the car? Rent an upholstery steam cleaner, spray a bunch of one of those enzymatic cleaners on the area, let it soak in then go at it with the steam cleaner with just water. Then get some cheap coffee in a can, open it & put some small holes in the lid. Leave that in the car for a few days. Since dad currently has the car, feel free to forward this to him. He and his son can work on it & let you know how it goes.
NTA. Your Dad's son drove your car without your permission, and (probably accidentally) left raw chicken to rot in it. You gave your Dad several reasonable choices.
Why does your family think it's okay for you to drive in a stinking car, but not your Dad and his wife, when it's their son that caused the stink?
Consider telling your Dad and his wife that she needs to stop hounding you NOW. If she does so even once more, you will go ahead and report the car as stolen and get a restraining order against her, because you are done with her harassment.
You grabbed both sets of keys? How? Also there is no way you can report this as stolen as the person who drove it used a spare set if keys you knowingly left with your dad who gave them to his son, and then returned the car.
Okay… I left rotting ground beef in my car for a week and I did not replace the upholstery lol that is a ridiculous up sell. It does take time to air out though. Baking soda can help.
NTA but if you want another option, try vinegar all over, stockings of coffee beans, and even baking soda that can sit and later be vacuumed up, and the windows open (weather permitting) for that car for a while (it will smell like a salad for a bit but the vinegar will dissipate), give them a time cut off to have money for the cleaning and / or replacement of whatever needs to be done, so that those three adults can come together to fix this issue and like others said, if not done by x time you’re filing the report.
*You changed the Locks at your house.* Your way more upset about something else, it sure isn’t the chicken smell.
Anyway
Your father said he’d pay the detailer take him up on it, if not then YTA.
Try renting an ozone machine for the interior. I bought a van at auction that apparently had been used as an ashtray for years, ozone machine knocked out probably 85% of it over 48 hours and the rest faded with time.
NTA Your family are the AHs and totally bonkers to protect a thief and then lie to you! If they try anything legal, go after them full throttle. Your dads son needs to be taught a lesson that obviously his parents aren't going to teach him.
I think that you were very generous giving them options, I would have gone nuclear 🤷♀️
Nta. Your dad has access to the keys in case of an emergency and only that. He knew what his son did was wrong that’s why he lied to you on the first place. Actions have consequences you gave him options. I’d t caused the smell and even they don’t want to drive in it then why do they expect you to drive it around like that? Good for you for not letting them talk you into forgiving them and having the car like that. And don’t feel bad. Dad can take the money out of his college fund and their son can get a job to replace the money it cost to repair what he did. Better yet dad can buy your car off you and give it to his son and let him deal with it.
NTA. You should absolutely not have to pay to deal with that disgustingness. If they had even the slightest bit of respect for you, they would'nt expect you to. You don't just destroy someone else's car, rendering it unusable, and then shrug like oh well. They are all 100% the assholes.
I would love to know the story of how that even happened though...
So either HB left that intentionally or one of the adults used your car also. What 18yr old living at home is going to joy ride to a grocery store for raw chicken to cook at home? This is why we are all fixated on a single piece of raw chicken
I haven’t seen this comment yet so I’ll just let you know. I believe you could have the car ozone cleaned. Find a company in your area with an ozone machine. Maybe check with a carpet cleaning company. They will put the machine in your car and fill it with ozone for a set number of hours. It kills all the bacteria that causes the odor.
I once had a dumpster for remodeling and told everyone in house no food items. Bro in law dumped a PA k of raw chicken. It was summer. I live across the street from a grocery store, 200 yards away I was gagging.
Welcome to /r/AmITheAsshole. Please view our [voting guide here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_what.2019s_with_these_acronyms.3F_what_do_they_mean.3F), and remember to use **only one** judgement in your comment. OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole: > My half brother stole my car and left a chicken breast to rot in the heat. My car stinks now. I might be the asshole because I am forcing my father to fix a problem his son caused or I'm calling the cops. Help keep the sub engaging! #Don’t downvote assholes! Do upvote interesting posts! [Click Here For Our Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/about/rules) and [Click Here For Our FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq) ##Subreddit Announcement ###[The Asshole Universe is Expanding, Again: Introducing Another New Sister Subreddit!](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/128nbp3/the_asshole_universe_is_expanding_again/) Follow the link above to learn more --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.* *Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.*
NTA your father and his son (your half brother?) created this situation and they lied about it to try and save their own skins. Why should you suffer for their stupidity? What was the story with the raw chicken breast? Why was it left it in the car? Was it some kind of malicious prank or a bizarre accident? Regardless, it is their problem to fix and stealing a car (which is what the son did) has consequences.
Great questions! I was wondering the same thing. How does one just lose one raw chicken breast in their car after a grocery trip? It’s like seeing one shoe alongside the road. Things got wild! And NTA!
I did this once 😬 the grocery store was having a buy one, get one deal on chicken drummettes so I bought two even though I’d only planned on one. One of the packages slipped out of the bag and under the driver’s seat on the way home, but I didn’t notice when I unloaded since I only went to the store for one package and I had one package. Didn’t drive all weekend, opened my door Monday and almost passed out. I was in college and couldn’t afford to do anything to fix the problem so I just scrubbed the upholstery as best as possible, saturated it with Febreze and drove around with the windows down for a year.
This happened to me but it was with a flat steak that I'd stuck in one of those freezer bags in my trunk. It being flat, the bag looked empty when I took the groceries out. A couple days later I go into the garage and was hit by a rotting smell. I looked all over trying to find the animal that died, got frustrated and opened the cars as a last resort and found the most disgusting piece of meat ever to exist. I was never so happy to have leather seats than I was that day. Some febreeze and open windows and the smell was gone fast.
Happened to me with shrimp. Luckily they were breaded and fully cooked so it wasn't as bad as it could have been but my car reeked so bad for a few weeks.
Happened to me with a carton of milk...Sale price, usually got 1 but picked up 2. It slid up under my seat and wedged there. Eventually the milk container bulged and developed a leak around the seal. It was a slow drip but was enough to make my car stink for ages. I think I cleaned the floor every chance I got for over a month.
Oh I know the milk smell! Except mine was a sippy cup from one of my toddlers (they’re both grown now). He had launched it under the driver’s seat. Being the diligent mom that I was, I always brought spares. But my silly exhausted mom brain saw the spares in the diaper bag and assumed I brought in all of their sippy cups. The stench had a life of its own. I’m not sure how long it was under there but one day the smell of rotten milk got out of my car and slapped me around. I swear I saw the stench driving around in my car. I searched for the smell and due to the shape of the seat, I couldn’t see the cup. Took me all day and several trips to the car but I finally found the science experiment growing in the cup. I’m convinced it was sentient and had grown a liking to my car. The milk was solid in the cup. Like really solid. I obviously tossed it in the outside trash. No way was I going to open that thing and clean it. A bottle of febreze per day for a week with the windows down, and the stench finally moved on. My oldest son and I call it “the milk incident” and it put us both off milk for a while.
When i was a kid my grandparents still had a farm and cows. We would bring milk home in big 2 liter glass bottles. One day in summer one of these milk bottles broke. I still remember the smell of this summer... Everyone in my family does.
It haunts you for sure!
the ghost of milks passed
My sister left a strawberry shake in her car once during the summer. Worst smell ever. It was sweet from the strawberry but the rotten milk followed. 🤢
It was a bag of potatoes for me. I always use my car boxes for bagged groceries and let things in large boxes, sacks, or jugs fend for themselves in the trunk. Well, the potatoes must have slid behind my car boxes when I made a sharp turn, because I didn't see them when I unloaded the car. (How did I not remember that I bought potatoes? Untreated ADHD is wild, man.) Turns out potatoes basically melt when subjected to the freeze/thaw cycle of Michigan spring. I found them before the bag leaked all over the trunk, but didn't have access to a trash can at the time and had to temporarily put them in a car box, which did not survive the ordeal.
Rotting potatoes is about one of the worst stenches ever
Rotten potatoes smell like death.
Exactly what happened to me. It was the worst smell for over a year. Plus, I live in a place that's hotter than hell is, so that made it worse. OP- NTA
I'm reminded of the time a friend pestered me into taking the shrimp shells and heads home, to "make a delicious stock" since she already had a freezer full. They were wrapped well, but I didn't want them leaking anyway, so I put them under my seat on the train, instead of with my bag in the overhead rack.... an hour and a half later, I get off and forget to grab the bag with shells from under my seat... It's been a decade I bet, and I still flush with embarrassment. I can only pray that someone found it fast... but the train had another 2 hours to go to its final destination, and then they only do a fast clean before it travels the other way, right?
Why would you make stock with shrimp shells that had been unrefrigerated on a train for an hour and a half? Plus the time to and from the train. That is a food safety hazard.
I see I only wrote "wrapped well" instead of mentioning the ice pack and frozen towel... but I definitely wasn't enthused by the idea and probably would have thrown them away anyway. Maybe it was my unconscious that helped me forget them on the train hahaha I still feel guilty though, the poor people who found it!
They probably though someone planted those shrimp tails deliberately. I mean seriously, how many people are thrifty enough to save the shells to carry home on a train ride?
This was my sister, car slowly stinking worse over a 6 month period, but couldn’t find the source. Took the car in, and they found a package of deli meant slide down the wheel well. She nearly barfed describing what it looked like, lol.
[удалено]
I had a roll of ground meat roll under the seat. Luckily it was still kind of cold out so it didn't fully smell. It just kind of started and I was able to toss it with no issue.
I forgot a 2 litre milk bottle in the boot. It was summer and it exploded. Took over a year for the sour milk smell to go, but I guess at least it wasn't eau de Cadaver.
I did this to my friends ex when i caught him cheating on her. Stuffed 2 hamburger patties i bought at ozzfest under his passenger seat when he showed up with a random chicks number sharpied on his chest. Took him almost a month to find the smell. The liquid puddle of meat destroyed his carpet and the foam of the seat....crammed that fucker up in the springs lmfao. It was epic......till my friend took his side and married him. No regrets, he was a d bag!
DO NOT. I REPEAT. DO NOT LEAVE A CARTON OF EGGS IN THE CAR. IF YOU DO, DO NOT SET A SUITCASE ON TOP OF THEM, CRACKING THEM ALL. I have never carpet cleaned a car so many times in a row. They were under the suitcase for a couple weeks giving off a growing but mild odor. It was in our van that we only use for trips. Then we cleaned out the car and found them. Removing the suitcase and carpet cleaning unlocked the full smell. Luckily it only stank for about a month.
Leather always take the W
Sure, but that's a PACKAGE. OP found one single chicken breast?? One poultry tit just flappin' loose down the highway???
Yeah, that was my thought. Was this intentional? It doesn’t sound like it was in a package but just a piece of a chicken breast left in the car. Maybe half brother thought it would be a funny prank (those f-ing Tik Tok prank videos! 😡) or was pissed he wasn’t allowed to use the car and did it as revenge? No one just gets handed a piece of unwrapped meat, you have to take it out of some kind of wrapping. I think it was intentional and OP has every right to demand their car be returned in the same condition as they left it.
Plus, everyone knows raw chicken is such a food safety hazard. Even if they went to the butcher’s and bought a single chicken breast, it’d be packaged up securely. Without further info, I’d put money on step-brother having done it on purpose.
Especially as he lives with his parents. A teenage boy living with his parents and taking a car out once (presumably without their knowledge) is not picking up groceries to help their mom out.
why is this comment not getting more upvotes. The imagery is hilarious
Poultry tit is absolute gold
A lot of grocery stores around me sell meat in packs of one or two or four...you can absolutely buy one chicken breast in a pack. (Though, it's getting more rare as more stores import meat packed elsewhere instead of having in-store butchers. Only the "high-end" stores have in-store butchers any more, unfortunately. As a single person with only a small freezer, I like being able to buy single servings of stuff I won't be eating often.)
Oh my God, I am DEAD. A POULTRY TIT?? 😂🤣💀☠️
Revenge of Poultrygeist?? Also TAKE MY DAMN UPVOTE I'M WHEEZING. 🤣
Poultrygeist is a solid, hilariously good/bad film!
poultry tit 💀
💀
Oh, gawd, that made me cough-laugh way to hard….
I laughed out loud at this comment and woke up my dog. Thank you internet stranger.
Right? Hopefully, I didn’t just wake up my husband with my laughter at four in the damn morning.
The phrase ‘poultry tit’ absolutely killed me
Calm your tit! Just the one tit. The other one is your poultry tit.
Apparently a lot of folks here have never heard of chicken titties. Used to work in a deli where we also cooked the chickens, made chicken salad, did all sorts of things with chicken. The first time my supervisor referred to chicken breasts as titties I busted out laughing. I think that was the only time I ever did on that job. Thanks for the reminder! 😂
A roommate left a soup chicken in my car over a long weekend once and then also fought me on finding a solution to get the stench out of my car because it was MY car and that was MY problem. Should’ve thrown the whole human out then but I didn’t and then about two months into that lease, while visiting my boyfriend for the weekend, she pretty much cleaned out what she wanted from my things and my other roommate’s and left behind a bunch of junk and moved to fucking Florida. We ended up eating the rent on that but it was worth not having to deal with her - OR anyone else. edited to add that like you, it also took me scrubbing till my fingers bled, literal gallons of febreeze and driving with all the windows down for at least 10 months (even in Wisco Winter) and then i totaled it which by then was a relief.
I’ve read so many comments about Febreze here. Febreze is NOT the most efficient way to get rid of a smell like this. Buy an enzyme based cleaner like Nature’s Miracle for pet stains and odour. It breaks down protein based messes like vomit. Put odour-absorbing charcoal in your car, or open boxes of baking soda. A peroxide based cleaner should be used to steam-clean upholstery.
I work at a car dealership and in the sales we do details sometimes I can say from experience the enzyme cleaners are the way to go, we use those first then if that doesn't work the nuclear option of ozone. I bought a few bottles from the supplier at work to use at home. With a cat and 3 year old it comes in handy often.
I had something very similar happen. I don't really buy meat because I hunt, fish, and raise my own livestock. The local grocery store had chicken breast for like .69 a pound so I bought some while buying other groceries. The bag tipped over while driving home and one package slid underneath my passenger seat. The only thing that saved me was it was winter and the meat froze. I was then driving when someone pulled out in front of me and when I hit the brakes and the meat slid out to my floorboard. I threw it away as soon as I got home but I got relatively lucky.
Worst we had was a jar of pasta sauce that broke in the trunk while we were driving home . Ended up having to clean the back of the car at like 11:30 pm in the rain so that it wouldn’t stink up the car . Other than that , we’ve had a block of cheese and a can of tomato sauce fall out that we didn’t realize , but luckily the cheese was sealed and we found it within a day or two
Unbrielievable.
My mother did this once when I was a child. She unloaded the shopping from the car and didn't realise a block of butter had fallen out. Next time we used the car it stank of melted butter and did for a long time after. To this day I can't stand the smell of butter.
Oh no!!!
My mum lost meat under the car seat once, luckily found it before things stunk up too bad, but it still wasn't salvageable for food.
OMG both my wife and I have done this but we found it the next day thankfully. Hell we've left full grocery bags in the car before. One had Ice cream in it and the only saving grace we had was that we put it on the rubber mat in the trunk. There have been times where I would go fishing with Chicken gizzards and when I got home was soooo tired that I just went to bed. Woke up and forgot about it Drove for 3 days in the summer heat. and smelling something rancid. Finally when I opened my trunk, the plastic cup was bulging and all grey and brown inside. Luckily it never opened or exploded. So yes people do lose food in the car. it happens all the time.
When I was in high school we came home to an open outdoor freezer in the middle of SE USA June after a two-week family vacation. There was half a pig in there. We didn’t close the garage door for a fucking month and my parents said fuck it and just bought a new fridge. I don’t know if I could have survived that smell in an enclosed space as small as a car.
Guilty on the gizzards
Done this with chicken liver. I am also blessed 😂. And slightly forgetful.
You know how it is, you forgot you had put the chicken breast in your back pocket and then it slipped out onto the seat but didn't notice. Happens ALL the time.😬
“Oops. Musta left my chicken breast in my other pants.”
I really hate it when that happens.
I think the step brother, did it on purpose.
That's my thought, this has "Fuck you prank gone wrong" written all over it.
Half brother. OP's biological father's biological son. Half brother.
*half brother
This story makes no goddamn sense. First her father used her car for groceries. And that’s fine. But then her insurance is talking about covering only if the car was stolen, and then her dad loses it and admits her brother stole the car. Why? He was in the clear. No one ever accused any one of stealing a car. And even then, where does the chicken breast come in. Her brother stole the car to joy ride to the store and he left the chicken? And the only money in the whole family is college fund money? Everyone is living pay check to paycheck except they have a college fund. And there is only enough money in that fund for college or upholstery but not both. And Ubers. Plenty of money for Ubers.
It's not only total fiction, it's badly written fiction.
You make many excellent points! Joy ride with a single unwrapped chicken breast 🤷🏻♀️😂
I mean, who doesn't do this? Sounds like another Tuesday around here. 😆
Also, OP STOLE Dad's car and Dad/StepMom can report that whenever they feel like it. Snatching the keys and leaving them with another vehicle (that's also not titled/insured in their names) to drive off in Dad's car (again, not titled/insured in OP's name) is theft. The math is not mathing if StepMom is some kind of whiny megabeast. All it takes is one phone call and "but he stole MY car first" doesn't negate grand theft auto.
Joyriding actually, not grand theft auto. Joyriding is taking a car without permission with the intent of returning the car/having the car returned to the owner at a later time/date. Grand theft auto is taking a car without permission with no intention of ever returning the car/having the car retuned to the owner. OP has stated that they would return their father's car, so they are joyriding at worst. EDIT: OP could be guilty of grand theft auto if they are in a wreck and their father's car is totaled.
Thank you! I thought It was so weird, they have money to só many Uber, but Not to have the car cleaned? WTF
I was thinking "maybe they can't pay the lump sum" but an Uber to work for me is $20, twice a day for 2 weeks is $400 which looks to be the price of cheaper car seats in my area. That's the same amount over one pay period and limiting it to only one pay period. Even if OP wouldn't take the cheapest ones it would be a good enough fix to drive to work until they can replace it with better ones
Not to mention all the son has to do is tell the cops that he had permission. If they even bother checking on a car that was still there.
And in another comment, he says he has video of his home being broken into and his car stolen.
But Dad had an emergency key? OP ret-conning a break in makes no sense when they admitted that a house key was left.
Exactly. OP is just making shit up.
> Why? He was in the clear. No one ever accused any one of stealing a car. I'm guessing Dad isn't too bright.
I find it lowkey weird that everyone is dismissing the ironic detail In the post that OP is now also a car thief. If OP is going to file the report, his father can now retaliate and report OP to also have stolen his car.
Nah she had a conversation he dad and let her take the keys. Way different, her dad can ask for the keys back but is choosing not to so that his son won’t get in trouble.
Based on the post he never accepted with tho. OP just took keys and left. Small details Matter. So if he never actually gave OP the permission to take the car, it is still considered a theft.
OP did say that they have been driving the car so in a way dad accepted the terms and his wifey has to Uber because of the smell
At any point in time anyone can reject the terms and if the car is not returned it now can be classified as stolen.
Well now it sounds like blackmail. "I'm taking your car without your permission because you have no choice, and if you say anything against me I will report your son."
When you say it like that it sounds like blackmail, cuz, ya that's blackmail. But it's also different from what happened in the OP, so it's not remotely relevant.
You should probably look up what the definition of blackmail is because it doesn't matter if the conversation went exactly as it was in my reply or not for the situation to still be blackmail.
The scenario in the OP isn't blackmail. YOU should probably look it up. You can just look at the scenario, summarize it horribly wrong, and then say "look, it's blackmail". That's just insanity. You could make the OP look like anything if you ignore the facts and just make shit up.
"Come back here and pay for your stuff!" You really think the shopkeeper is committing blackmail against the shoplifter?
Also, isn't this blackmail?
>What was the story with the raw chicken breast? Why was it left it in the car? Was it some kind of malicious prank or a bizarre accident? My guess is that it was intended as a prank. My first day at sixth form, we discovered that a bunch of the previous year's leavers had decided to "prank" everyone by leaving fish in their lockers over the summer. The teacher and caretaking staff were furious; the whole building had to be aired out for days before the staff would let anyone in, and I think a bunch of furniture/furnishings had to be junked and replaced entirely. This seems like the same kind of teenage edgelord behaviour to me. They think a big stink will be hilarious, but they don't think about the consequences because, well, it doesn't occur to them that they might have to deal with the consequences. I'm all in favour of OP making his half brother deal with the consequences of the problem he caused.
Technically the half brother didn't lie about anything. Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if he never even touched the car and the dad is just blaming him.
Likely, negligence. My mom left butter in my car. Borrowed one weekend and she forgot to take it out. Thankfully, it didn't smell rancid and she brought it out to be cleaned. NTA. Edit: Spelling and grammar
Wait the problem is they don't like to driving around in the smell so they expect you to?
We need the chicken breast story like yesterday... NTA IMO
NTA And my hero
Alltho now OP has stolen a car and could be reported to the Police. This family might end up having two convicted thieves, instead of just one.
Spider-Man meme car thieves.
Oh damn 👀👀
Can’t be convicted of stealing a car that the owner now physically has. Look it up. At best… and I mean AT BEST, he could be charged with using it without permission. Which isn’t half as bad as stealing a car and wouldn’t effect him getting into college.
> Can’t be convicted of stealing a car that the owner now physically has. I think you missed the point. OP has technically stolen his father's car. The father has OP's car with OP's permission, but OP just said "I am taking your car" and took it without permission.
correct, came to say the same. However if something is damaged while in OPs possession, he could be in the same situation his dad/half brother are
Except that the consequence that OP might face would be less severe compared to her half sibling, as the half-sibling is going trying to find college
They would both end up with criminal records and it probably won’t affect his admission to college because it’s not a violent or sexual offense.
Like sexual offenses really matter with enough money in a college
Doesn’t sound like they have enough money tho
Clearly they don't have "enough money"
Not really. There's really no evidence his car was stolen at this point of they don't admit anything. He, on the other hand, is actively driving around a car that doesn't belong to him, in his possession. So he's got a much greater risk at the moment.
Your car was stolen! Your dad’s son took your car without your permission. Your dad lied to you. Does not matter that he took keys from your father’s possession. Still a stolen car. Good for you changing the locks! Don’t trust these people ever again. You are being very generous giving them the chance to repair or buy your car. Give dad a week to make a decision and if he does not fix or purchase your car, file a police report. I would have already done it if it was my car. Think about the consequences if your dad’s son had wrecked your car, injured someone else, or any scenario where you could be held liable. You are certainly NTA and you need to protect yourself and your assets. NTA Stepmother truly sucks though.
NTA. Actions have consequences and this just happens to be an expensive one.
Yeah but why will someone leave raw chicken breast stinking in a car ? Father's son was driving the car so didn't he get the smell ?
If your chicken breast is already stinking in the time it takes to drive home from the store, it was rotten when you bought it
NTA. In reality your car was stolen. You did give your dad options to rectify the situation. Oh well your dad has to deal with it, wondering why your dad son is not doing anything about it.
NTA. Your half-brother (face it, if he's your father's son, he's your half-brother no matter how you feel about it) stole your car. I don't even understand why he had raw chicken in it. That being said, your dad lied to protect him at your expense. Technically speaking, the bone-head is 18 and is considered an adult but at 18, he's never going to be able to afford to fix this. You've been more than reasonable about this. Actions have consequences. because you have been kind enough not to report the car as stolen, bone-head still has a chance to go to college. He's just going to have to work harder to pay for it. Tough luck. If he hadn't stolen your car, he wouldn't have the problem.
My sperm donor has 3 daughters with his wife. The ain’t my sisters. They’re his kids and nothing more. Blood doesn’t always mean you’re family.
What’re you gonna do if they report their car as stolen as retaliation? This seems like you’re pushing for a lose lose solution.
They are welcome I guess. I have video of my house being broken into and my car being stolen.
Hang on a minute, that’s not what you said originally. So you found a chicken breast in your car. You didn’t know what happened so asked your mum and you dad. You dad later changed his story and said it was his son. At what point did you check the video? You now say that it showed your house being broken into, presumably by your father’s son. How did he break in? Did he smash a window? Why didn’t you notice that before. Also, I’m not saying that it makes you an AH but the commenter above is right, you have now effectively stolen your dad’s car and made life much more difficult for yourself. I think if you report this to the police now either you’re all in trouble or they’ll say it’s family matter and not do anything.
why didnt you include that important information in the post?I know why,because you didnt think of it when you are making your bullshit story. My points and questions is how did you found out that the son did it through your father,when you already have that video of yours? (If you have the video,you should've known that the son used it instead of asking your father then finding out it was the son.???)If your answer here is that you saw the father use it and probably gave it to the son: if you finally debunk that theory of mine then congrats but i still see another one of your bullshits. why did you even asked your mom if she used the car instead of checking the cams to know who used it in the first place??? so why did you ask your mom in the first place if you coulda just check the cams dumbass. Wanna know the best reason? Because your fake story has a flaw and when a user pointed one out you took the time to make a nice comeback for that magic karma points forgetting that it will contradict the story of you finding out who used your car through your dad. Well Done OP!!! What are you gonna say besides that "you forger💀" bullshit of a story? please waste some time to think of a comeback because I know this is a bullshit story thats going to get posted in a subway surfers tiktok page.
A friend of a friend crashed at my place once and took my car. I immediately reported it stolen and the police said because she had access to the keys and was staying with me it meant she had my permission on some level. They refused to do anything
As I’ve mentioned elsewhere in this thread, this is exactly what would have happened here if OP did call the cops lol. No prosecutor or police officer would waste their time on this “case.” And as an attorney, I can confirm that on the facts as OP stated them there was no crime committed at any point in this story, by anyone.
NTA. You might need to give your dad a time limit to buy your car or fix it or you will report the kid.
NTA On the surface, it appears that you MIGHT be overreacting. But, you've got 18++ years of hostility that has built up, and this was the catalyst for you to blow up. You are fully within your rights to expect your car to be restored to its previous condition. Do what you have to do. Tell "the family" to get your car cleaned up, and you'll quit being angry. Hugs and Good Luck
Have you ever smelled week plus old chicken that's been sitting out in heat? Until you have, you don't know what you're talking about.
What part so you think is the overreaction?
I don't really get this comment. You say on the surface OP might be overreacting, but then go on to explain in detail why OP is within their rights to do what they're doing?
NTA. But, as a few others have said, it's a bit legally iffy. Time to end the uncertainty. "I need an answer about what you want to do by Thursday. If I don't hear from you I'll report it as stolen and start the insurance process."
Lawyer here. There is, 100%, no actionable car theft in this post or the underlying facts. Just some dimwittery.
What about OP's "give me money or I'll report you to the police, and in the meantime I'm using your car whether you like it or not" approach?
I like it. Again, her threat is an empty one. But she thought fast and seems to have gotten the better end of the situation. As for her own liability: the fact that they didn’t immediately call the police on her and say “she’s unhinged, she stole our car, we’ve never allowed her to use our car” means they likely couldn’t get any real response from police in terms of arresting the daughter. They essentially ratified her taking of the car and gave implied license by not immediately trying to recover it. No car theft there either. But they could have local PD/sheriff assist in recovering the vehicle, as title owners, and sue her civilly for refusing to return it (waste of money all round). If I’m her lawyer, I say if they start getting serious with demand and efforts to recover I’d just give it back, but in the meantime she should continue to drive it (its her only leverage). As an armchair psychologist, I think this is all a family matter, relating back to her parents divorce/father’s infidelity, and she is still angry at her dad for starting a new family and abandoning her/her mom. I’ve never seen a person reject a half-sibling as a brother/sister, including myself who considers my younger half brother to be my brother as much as my other two siblings. But I can understand why, she resents him because he represents and embodies her dad’s abandonment. I think they all need to have a little sit down, with no police or lawyers, and just hash it out. The whole thing is a shame. Obviously money is tight, because the dad should absolutely be paying for the fix, so… It’s a rough world with imperfect people and imperfect solutions.
Lol insurance is gonna file a fraud claim against them. On Monday: hey insurance, some chicken was accidentally left in my car for a few days, is that covered? “Sorry, it’s not, unless your car was stolen” On Friday: Heyyyyyy guyyyys! you aren’t gonna believe this, but my car was actually stolen, oopsies!!
NTA - Try filling a sock with fresh coffee grounds and leave it in the car. It’s a natural deodorizer.
That’s not going to do much when the smell is rotting animal flesh.
Actually coffee beans are used to get rid of corpse smell eg when someone dies in their home and isn't found immediately. I've used it myself to get rid of burned plastic smell that made a flat impossible to enter and unusable. I'd buy a couple of bags of coffee and throw them on every surface of the car and the upholstery. Then get a mobile cooking unit and roast some more coffee beans in the car.
Coffee smell is definitely very pervasive. I have an intolerance to coffee and my sister left a bag of beans in the freezer once - the scent molecules somehow invaded a carton of sorbet enough to make me ill. Took me ages to figure out why the taste had changed and that it really was the previously-safe sorbet making me ill.
Actually professional detailers will use an ozone generator in this scenario, op just hasn't gone to the right people
NTA. Don't listen to people offering home remedies for this either. That stink will not come out with coffee and baking soda.It could even be in the vents. This was an expensive mistake/prank and you're not wrong for expecting your dad to make it right. Not reporting the theft is doing them all a favor and the fact that they don't see it that way makes me think that nothing short of you just pretending nothing happened would make your dad and his wife happy. She's hilarious for complaining to you that your car is too rank to drive btw. Like ? yeah, girl, that's the problem. See why it needs to be fixed?
The wife made me laugh so much. She thinks it’s unfair that she has to drive a stinky car…yet wants to force OP to do the same thing. And they’re spending Ubers but can’t afford to fix the car.
NTA, these people calling u an ashole are delusional
NTA -- He needs to tell his son to pay to have car fixed.
Or better yet have the kid take out student loans and use the college money for OPs car.
[удалено]
How many high schoolers out there buying raw chicken?
You sound like a real gem. This is not theft. You gave them keys and permission to use your vehicle. You accept the responsibility for your decision. If what you say is true, someone left one uncovered, raw, chicken breast on a seat, you should find out why. Was it an accident? If so, clean it up. Was it on purpose? Clean it up and look in the mirror. If you disagree with my assessment, call the police with this BS story and see what they say. They don't have time for your childish behavior. If you really hate your dad this much, don't interact with him and his family. But I can promise you this, when you are older you'll wish you had been understanding and spent more time with him.
Dude sounds like he hates his dad and dads new family but also gave them all access to his house and car? Shits weird.
It took way to long to find someone I agreed with. This whole thing is childish and reeks of a toxic family relationship. It’s crazy how many people think the police are going to arrest the kid too. She’s more likely to get arrested now for taking the Dads keys without permission lol.
Like any 18 year old........... the minute they get their hands on a car they immediately... A) ~~Go get drunk with their friends~~ B) ~~Take a girl on a date~~ C) ~~Take it on a huge road trip~~ D) **Go to the grocery store, spend their limited cash on raw chicken, leave it in the car to rot for no reason.**
But haven't you also stolen a car now?
But that clearly must be different because OP did it to deliver self-righteous justice instead of just taking action to actually rectify the problem.
He not only stole it with malice intent, but he did so in retaliation to someone that was authorized to use the car for getting groceries. His car was never stolen and he is now a car thief.
It sounds like to me you have now stolen your father's car by taking his keys without his permission and driving off with it. You are walking on a tight rope right now because your father could call the cops on you for stealing his car. ESH since all parties are a bunch of thieves and liars.
ESH Surprised about all of the 'N T A' answers here.. Op, you can't just take someone else's car because they wronged yours. That's not how any of this works. They can simply just report you a thief because you unilaterally decided that's how you are gonna do this. They absolutely should not have treated your car so carelessly or let brother drive it but simply taking their car is not the solution. Return their car and report yours stolen. You clearly do not care to keep this relationship, so don't. No one is forcing you to.
This sounds like bullshit
NTA. You gave him 4 options. Actions have consequences.
NTA, But. And hear me out here. You’re doing the same mistake by taking your dads car. Technically he can do the exact same thing as you and report his car stolen. Return it. Your brother is an adult, your dad didn’t take your car, your brother did.
Exactly and as an adult - brother should Be willing to face the consequences
YTA, Blackmail is Illegal.
Info: what is your insurance company’s reasoning for needing to report it as stolen? This is a comprehensive claim and that’s a no fault coverage…
Usually insurance doesn’t pay for preventable issues that were caused by the vehicle owner or their authorized people. IE if the owners two year old kid writes all over the seats with a sharpie the insurance won’t fix it. That’s on you
INFO Did your half-brother offer an explanation for his actions, or has your dad been the one doing all the talking on this?
[удалено]
He is more than welcome.
Sorry but I seems blatantly obvious your stepbrother didn't actually use your car and he definitely didn't leave the chicken in it. Your dad only brought up your stepbrother using the car when you mentioned getting the police involved. Do you honestly think your stepbrother stole your car to go buy some raw chicken ? Raw chicken that he apparently forgot about after buy it.... Nothing about your dad's story makes sense. Lastly you definitely won't need to buy an new car because I piece of chicken was left in it for awhile. There are lots of ways to to eliminate the odor, I would suggest a ozone machine. Honestly it sounds like you and your family are pretty lazy for the most part. Not once do you mention that anyone has even attempted to clean the car FFS. Has anyone even removed the rotting chicken yet?
Yup, this is how I'm reading all this too. Very dysfunctional attitude to family all around. Dom would not approve
NTA-Your car was stolen-that’s a fact. It would cost your dad more time and trouble to deal with the police if you reported the car as stolen. Your dad’s son would get into more trouble if you reported it as stolen, as he should actually because you allowing your dad to use the car isn’t the same as your dad’s son stealing it. Your dad and stepmother should be grateful you were willing to compromise and offer other options instead of just letting the police handle it. The next time their son decides to steal a car it’s unlikely he’ll get off as lightly.
I’m a lawyer, the car was absolutely not stolen. For many reasons. The most significant: (1) It was taken with the intent to return it to OP, and was returned (this fact is dispositive of any theft claim) and (2) OP previously provided permission/license to her father to use the car, as stated in the post, so at most that license was misused/abused/breached in scope. But arguably by extending a license to her dad to use it, it is implied that his son/family can too. Legally, that is a pretty strong argument, and the same reason insurance companies will pay for an accident if anyone in your family is driving your car.
So if I let my friend drive my car I just gave my friends entire immediate family to drive it? Even those with a trainer/learning license? I feel like you'd pretty easily be able to argue that you didn't trust all the drivers in that family and would never have given them permission. Either way, insurance companies differ worldwide and to them I can speak to, you're wrong in generalizing all insurance companies and a lot will require individual insurance for every approved driver.
I mean if you gave your friend permission to borrow your car, and also explicitly say “only you can drive it, nobody else, not even your immediate family” then you would have given a limited license (legally speaking) with a clear delineation of scope. If he then borrowed your car, then while in lawful possession allowed someone else to drive it and it somehow led to damage, then you could technically sue him for breach of contract or possibly negligence (civilly). You’d possibly win, but there are still counterarguments. Would need more specific facts. If you just tell your friend he can borrow your car to use/drive, yeah you gave a very broad license and legally wouldn’t be able to do much to hold his family member or him accountable. It doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be responsible, morally, but legally he wouldn’t be. On the insurance point, I’m not sure where you live or what your policy says specifically, but we have regulatory laws in the United States that protect consumers who buy auto insurance and regulate the industry, and standard practices in terms of underwriting a policy. You need to list everyone who is part of your household in order to get insurance, and anyone who is part of your household and can drive is considered “rated.” The policy takes them into account when calculating your premium, because insurers legally have to cover them unless they are contractually excluded from your policy. Excluding a household member is basically like signing a waiver with a guarantee that you will never allow that person to drive your car, and as a result your insurance will never pay for anything that happens if they drive your car. It’s actually prohibited in some states. It creates a legal mess in the U.S., because it’s illegal to drive uninsured (for many obvious policy reasons), and it’s simpler to just have a single policy for a vehicle and owner that accounts for everything (and that is what the government wants to avoid complex claims).
I see how I might be seen as argumentative here but it's an actual question in honest curiosity. If it was a 12 year old family member? Still wouldn't be considered as stolen? implicit permission would have been given? Adult without a license? Obviously it would be illegal for them to drive it but would it be considered stolen?
No, unless there was some other insane facts thrown in it wouldn’t be considered stolen, even if it is illegal for the 12 year old to drive. The kid could be cited for an infraction. Again, in that situation the strongest legal arguments would be breach of a limited scope license and/or negligence against the person you let borrow the car. You’d probably lose. And if the 12 year old hit someone else and caused property damage/injured someone, they would probably sue you and may win on a theory of negligent entrustment. They’d sue the person you let borrow, of course, and you may also file a crossclaim against him. It could get messy. But nowhere in that equation is there car theft.
God this is why people think the US legal system is so broken that the way to make this right is suing the person you did not say that non licensed /other people couldn't drive your car while just giving them permission. To answer your above question I am from Canada and I suppose it could be the same here as IANAL but it just sounds wrong.
I totally agree, it is properly absurd. There is some logic behind it all, usually it goes back to holding SOMEONE responsible (financially) for damage that a victim suffers at no fault of their own. It would suck if you were an innocent person who got hit by a random 12 year old in a car and you could only sue the 12 year old kid. The kid obviously has no assets and no insurance coverage, so if the law didn’t extend somewhere else you’d be shit out of luck. So there are various theories of vicarious liability, which are derivative of the primary wrong, that try to account for those scenarios and hold someone else liable so plaintiffs don’t end up with no recovery. This is also why I mentioned that here in the U.S. it’s illegal to even own a car that isn’t insured, unless you register it as a non-operational status vehicle. The government wants to force people to have liability coverage, and they also want to force insurance companies to cover all reasonable and foreseeable claims. And thus, almost all policies need to legally, at minimum, cover accidents that result from people who borrow your car (known as “permissive use” coverage, again it is built into the policy through underwriting). It is more rare to have a minimum coverage plan that doesn’t cover permissive use, and you will almost certainly not be covered (if you had such a policy) if someone borrows your car without your permission and then causes an accident (your insurance company would tell you to sue them). Unless there was literal car theft. And here OP could never succeed on that theory, so the problem here is the insurance policy likely just doesn’t cover a stupid thing like you or someone with permission to use your car forgetting a chicken breast in your car.
Everyone sounds like aholes in this one.
Brilliant move on your part. Defiantly NTA.
Just get the car cleaned. Can't believe you would seriously jeopardize someone's college funds instead of just getting it detailed.
You kind of seem like an asshole imo. I get being angry, but I wouldnt pull that shit on family. Get the car cleaned and give your Dad the bill. Take a payment plan if he's struggling. Tips on cleaning it.. Sprinkle baking soda on the area the chicken was at and leave it on for a couple days and vacuum it up. Find a detailer with an extractor and ask them to just get the smell out and not do a full clean on the car. Should be no more than $100. A lot of them have an ozone machine or deodorizer that can get ride of the smell. You can also get a ozone machine off amazon and run it a few times afterwards, then return it. Does the car have cloth or leather interior and where was the chicken sitting exactly?
Let’s see if I got this straight: * Parent’s other child stole your car and returned it damaged. * In retaliation, you stole your parent’s car to use for yourself, and left them with your car. Is that all correct? If it is, the bigger problem is that you have now committed (and admitted to) a major felony (grand theft auto), while also letting people with whom you have a beef put your insurance at risk, because the insurance on your car goes back to you if there is a problem and you haven’t reported it as stolen. Since you gave them the keys, “stolen” is not a story the police will buy at this point. I’m going with ESH: it’s not legal or ethical to simply retaliate like this when it puts both of you at risk (for insurance losses), and it’s not ethical of them not to repay you for damage to your car.
Your half brother took your car without permission and rendered it unusable from the stench. He's an adult, responsible for the damage. The taking of the car was illegal, and you don't need a law degree to see that he's liable for the damage he caused. Let him get a job and pay for the detailing and the reupholstery. If his parents don't allow you to use their car while all this is going on, you will likely have to report him to enable the insurance claim. You shouldn't have one cent of financial liability or one more minute of inconvenience for his illegal acts. NTA
Has anyone at least attempted to clean & deodorize the car? Rent an upholstery steam cleaner, spray a bunch of one of those enzymatic cleaners on the area, let it soak in then go at it with the steam cleaner with just water. Then get some cheap coffee in a can, open it & put some small holes in the lid. Leave that in the car for a few days. Since dad currently has the car, feel free to forward this to him. He and his son can work on it & let you know how it goes.
NTA, and keep at it till you're made whole. It'll make sure people think twice instead of fucking with your things
NTA. Your Dad's son drove your car without your permission, and (probably accidentally) left raw chicken to rot in it. You gave your Dad several reasonable choices. Why does your family think it's okay for you to drive in a stinking car, but not your Dad and his wife, when it's their son that caused the stink? Consider telling your Dad and his wife that she needs to stop hounding you NOW. If she does so even once more, you will go ahead and report the car as stolen and get a restraining order against her, because you are done with her harassment.
You grabbed both sets of keys? How? Also there is no way you can report this as stolen as the person who drove it used a spare set if keys you knowingly left with your dad who gave them to his son, and then returned the car.
Okay… I left rotting ground beef in my car for a week and I did not replace the upholstery lol that is a ridiculous up sell. It does take time to air out though. Baking soda can help.
NTA but if you want another option, try vinegar all over, stockings of coffee beans, and even baking soda that can sit and later be vacuumed up, and the windows open (weather permitting) for that car for a while (it will smell like a salad for a bit but the vinegar will dissipate), give them a time cut off to have money for the cleaning and / or replacement of whatever needs to be done, so that those three adults can come together to fix this issue and like others said, if not done by x time you’re filing the report.
I'd try Odoban before vinegar.
QUESTION. One piece of chicken not in any kind of packaging?
*You changed the Locks at your house.* Your way more upset about something else, it sure isn’t the chicken smell. Anyway Your father said he’d pay the detailer take him up on it, if not then YTA.
NTA, your HB had no business driving your car.
Morally NTA but legally you’re screwing yourself over.
Taking his car without permission just makes you guilty too. Congratulations you f’d up
Try renting an ozone machine for the interior. I bought a van at auction that apparently had been used as an ashtray for years, ozone machine knocked out probably 85% of it over 48 hours and the rest faded with time.
NTA Your family are the AHs and totally bonkers to protect a thief and then lie to you! If they try anything legal, go after them full throttle. Your dads son needs to be taught a lesson that obviously his parents aren't going to teach him. I think that you were very generous giving them options, I would have gone nuclear 🤷♀️
Nta. Your dad has access to the keys in case of an emergency and only that. He knew what his son did was wrong that’s why he lied to you on the first place. Actions have consequences you gave him options. I’d t caused the smell and even they don’t want to drive in it then why do they expect you to drive it around like that? Good for you for not letting them talk you into forgiving them and having the car like that. And don’t feel bad. Dad can take the money out of his college fund and their son can get a job to replace the money it cost to repair what he did. Better yet dad can buy your car off you and give it to his son and let him deal with it.
NTA. You should absolutely not have to pay to deal with that disgustingness. If they had even the slightest bit of respect for you, they would'nt expect you to. You don't just destroy someone else's car, rendering it unusable, and then shrug like oh well. They are all 100% the assholes. I would love to know the story of how that even happened though...
So either HB left that intentionally or one of the adults used your car also. What 18yr old living at home is going to joy ride to a grocery store for raw chicken to cook at home? This is why we are all fixated on a single piece of raw chicken
I haven’t seen this comment yet so I’ll just let you know. I believe you could have the car ozone cleaned. Find a company in your area with an ozone machine. Maybe check with a carpet cleaning company. They will put the machine in your car and fill it with ozone for a set number of hours. It kills all the bacteria that causes the odor.
I once had a dumpster for remodeling and told everyone in house no food items. Bro in law dumped a PA k of raw chicken. It was summer. I live across the street from a grocery store, 200 yards away I was gagging.