Orphan/Guardian financial conflict

[jwgraff]

My girlfriend lost her father at the age of 6. She lost her mother at the age of 12. Since then, she has been living with her aunt. She recently turned 18 and has moved out. She had a CD that opened up before she turned 18 . The CD had about $5000 in it. Now there is $3000 left. Her aunt made a condition that for her to be a signer on my girlfriend's documents for the apartment, my girlfriend would have to leave that $3000 in a joint account. Without this, she wouldn't have been able to move out and her aunt would charge her an extortionate amount of money to stay at home after turning 18. Now her aunt has moved the money into a private account and has refused to return it. She is also threatening to use the money for her own rent and other miscellaneous things to control her niece's actions. We're both young and don't know what to do, please help.

 

[mightymoose]

Where did the $5000 come from?

It seems there may be something more going on that makes the aunt so controlling.

Her options here are to
either be nice to her aunt and hope she might see some of that money, or if she thinks it is hers and the aunt has no right to it she can sue her aunt in small claims court.

 

[jwgraff]

Where did the $5000 come from?

It seems there may be something more going on that makes the aunt so controlling.

Her options here are to
either be nice to her aunt and hope she might see some of that money, or if she thinks it is hers and the aunt has no right to it she can sue her aunt in small claims court.

The money came from her mom's life insurance policy. $5000 in a CD that opened when the girl turned 17. The aunt is rather abnormal as far as behavior goes.

 

[jwgraff]

The aunt is also in an extremely tight place financially. She has been using the government's social security money for the girl to pay rent and food, so the loss of that has become the source of much conflict.

 

[Betty3]

If the money in the CD is your girlfriend's money, she can try suing aunt in small claims court.