Woman Plans To Sue Niece For Ruining $20k Coat

Ashley Hunte
A woman wearing a luxury trenchcoat.
Unsplash | Bundo Kim

Have you ever been gifted something really special by a relative, only to have someone else completely ruin it? Whether that item was worth a few dollars or a few thousand, there's nothing worse than the sting of knowing that someone disrespected you so much, they'd be willing to ruin your property for whatever reason.

This exact situation happened to a woman who, using a throwaway account, posted to Reddit's Am I The Asshole sub about how she wanted to sue her 16-year-old niece and her family. Why? Because the niece ruined a $20k coat as a "prank," and her mom won't pay for a new one. Now, the woman is wondering if suing is the wrong course of action.

The User Shared The Story Of How She Got The Coat In The First Place.

A user explains how she was gifted a $20k coat.
reddit | throooowaaaayt

The user's teenaged niece ruined it as a prank.
reddit | throooowaaaayt

According To OP, The Coat Is From Her MIL.

Fur coats lined up on a rack.
Unsplash | Charisse Kenion

She was gifted the coat by her MIL as a Christmas present last year. OP didn't even ask for it; she saw the mother-in-law wearing it, commented about how nice it was, and the MIL told her it was a gift.

OP's sister's daughter (her niece) was the one to figure out exactly how much the coat cost. But when OP was visiting her sister, the niece decided to "prank" her by throwing paint on the coat. The niece took a video of it, posted it online, but ended up taking it down later. OP has the video saved and said that her sister needs to pay her back for the coat. The sister refused, and now OP is planning on suing the family.

The Comment Section Believes OP Has A Case.

Users debate how bad of a prank it was.
reddit | WaywardPrincess1025

It seems like the niece does not even care about how she harmed her aunt. The comment section overwhelmingly agreed that OP was in the right in this situation, given how both the sister and the niece are reacting.

Many Were Angry Over The Niece's Idea Of A "Prank."

More users discuss how it's more destruction of property than a proper prank.
reddit | TaratronHex

This seems more like a crime (think destruction of property) than a harmless prank. The fact that there's video evidence of the crime being committed means that OP has grounds to win a potential lawsuit. And the comments agree that she should be suing.

Either Way, The Niece Needs To Learn That Her Actions Have Consequences.

Most agreed that the niece needs to learn a lesson.
reddit | voiceless_lemon

People were also pretty outraged over the sister telling OP to just ask her husband to buy a new coat for her. It seems insensitive and audacious.

And to answer the burning question on everyone's mind, OP confirmed in the comments that the brand of the coat is Loro Piana. Apparently, it isn't even expensive by rich people's standards. They truly do live in a different world.