Pro tip: If your perverted son is moving out of your house and you find his extensive porn collection, don’t throw it out. Maybe have a conversation with him about your disapproval of the porn, but whatever you do, don’t throw it out. There’s a chance he may take you to court and force you to pay $45,000 for destroying his XXX stash!
Well, that’s at least what happened to this Michigan couple when their 43-year-old child moved out of their place. Beth and Paul Werking are being forced to pay $30,441.54 to son David Werking and $14,519.82 to his attorney for trashing what a judge described as a “trove of pornography and an array of sex toys.”
This whole mess apparently started when David was living with his parents for 10 months following a divorce. After leaving their place, he sent for his belongings and upon receiving them, noticed that some important things were missing. According to the lawsuit, over a dozen boxes of pornographic films and magazines and two additional boxes of sex toys were destroyed. Overall, the boxes totaled to 107 different porn titles.
“I do not possess your pornography. It is gone,” David’s father said in an email. “It has either been destroyed or disposed of. I may well have missed a few items that are now in your possession but, at this point, if you don’t have it, it is gone. Ditto for your sex toys and smutty magazines… Frankly, David, I did you a big favor getting rid of all this stuff.”
Expert Dr. Victoria Hartmann was hired by the son’s legal team and concluded that the lost collection of smut was worth $30,441.54. U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney apparently agreed with the valuation and ruled in December that the parents pay that total to David. The judge said there was “no question that the destroyed property was David’s property” and that the parents “repeatedly admitted that they destroyed the property.”
Yikes! What do you think of this thorny situation? Should the son have sued his parents over some porn? Do you agree with the judged ruling? Would you sue someone if they destroyed your massive collection of pornography? Sound off in the comments below with your hot thoughts.
43 years old and divorced, living with his parents, sends for his stuff, and wants compensation for missing property? The real mistake was the parents allowing their son to behave in this way at his age. And admitting they destroyed the porn. I wonder what he will ask for next!
You did see the part where it said he only stayed with his parents for 10 months while going through a divorce right? He wasn’t living with them up until he was 43 dude. And what if this wasn’t porn. What if it was say religious items totaling $30K but it was a religion the Parents didn’t agree with? Would it then be ok for them to have thrown out the items and he sue them for it? That fact is it was property that he bought and paid for. That’s what this oils down to. Doesn’t matter what the items were. They were his items. He paid for them Witt his money that he earned. The parents didn’t like the items and destroyed them. Doesn’t matter what the items are. If it’s not your property you have absolutely no right to do anything with the items. Period.
As a collector myself, I can understand the value that this guy’s collection had for him. With that said, I’m not ok with him suing his parents over this. Yes, they should not have thrown his things away; however, maybe minus some of the toys, I bet many of the films could have been replaced. Digital copies of films or even DVD/blue-ray copies of many films even vintage films are out there. I just hope that the son is ready to reap the repercussions that this will have on his parents and potentially the rest of his family.
No wonder he’s divorced, parents let him stay with them and this is the thanks. Wow only in America
Don’t be a dope. His parents let him stay with him then they destroyed his property. Whether or not they approved of the porn is irrelevant because it wasn’t theirs to destroy.
perverted son since when is PORN perverted ??? It’s considered SAFE SEX!!!
They it have gone trough his boxes of porn to know that he had it. I call that an invasion of privacy. They have no right to go through his things and throw out what they don’t like! He didnt go through their personal things and throw out what he didn’t like so why should they have the right?
I would never have left my significantly larger porn collection in the hands of anyone who might be so bothered by it to destroy it. That being said I think that the judges ruling was a good one. The writers tone seems to suggest opprobrium for the owner of the porn I found that a bit judgy and annoying.
It doesn’t say if the son left all his things boxed up and ready to ship. If they were , why did the parents open said boxes. I surmise they had to pack his stuff and they made the decision to dump it all. I can only speak for myself when I say ” If it were me I would have left ALL my tapes & toys boxed & taped ready to ship out . I’m not surprised what the Parents did. After all it was in their house. Bad move on both parts.
VHS? Really?
It’s ABOUT TIME!!!
Try reading the story. The 43 year old was living with his parents for 10 months following a divorce.
Yeah, we would hate for facts to get in the way of somebody forming an opinion.
Losers like you are the reason the world sucks. So why don’t you do us all a favor and kill yourself? I guarantee the world would be a much better place without you in it. Not very pleasant to read or think about is it dumbass wanker.
Only in America
That is a bit of a sticky wicket..I can understand the parents disapproving of the collection HOWEVER, on that same note their disapproval DOES NOT give them either the authority NOR the RIGHT to dispose of their son’s PERSONAL PROPERTY!
His parents shouldn’t have tossed his porno. They should pay for it.
you betcha
If the collector was a minor the parents might have had some possible justification. But he was a 43-year-old adult who paid for the material out of his own pocket. It was absolutely his property and his parents had no right to destroy it or withhold it from him.
As I understand it the judge used the replacement cost to assess the damages.
The article doesn’t mention whether or not he paid rent or contributed to expenses like food,utilities, or anything else.
I’m shocked by how many replies supported the parents on a porn site.
I would of counter sued the son, as a freeloader and sponge.
Then you would be an idiot because he was living with them for less than a year.