Ganter v. Kapiloff
Court of Special Appeals of Maryland
516 A.2d 611 (1986)
The Kapiloff brothers (plaintiffs) bought a valuable stamp collection in 1976, which was inadvertently transferred away from them and later found by Robert Ganter (defendant) inside a dresser he purchased from a used furniture store between 1979 and 1980. Ganter brought the collection to a stamp dealer for appraisal and sale, and when Bernard Kapiloff saw it advertised in 1983 and the Kapiloffs demanded its return, Ganter refused; the Kapiloffs sued for replevin and a declaration of true ownership, and the circuit court granted them summary judgment as the rightful owners.
Whether a finder of lost property retains a superior right to keep it once the true, rightful owner is identified and established.