回复：There are several things you must clarify

真是非常非常非常地谢谢您,谢谢您如此详尽而又周到地解释和建议.也非常欣赏您干练的思维和英语能力.真是非常的谢谢.

一个小孩,刚刚出国,就要面临这样的事情,实在有些残酷,就连我们大人,都有些受打击.

1. When she left the suitcase to the landlord, what exactly did she do and what exactly did she say to the landlord?

小孩住进老头的房子后,老头对小孩很亲切,说在她身上看见了过去的自己.很关照她.
小孩就觉得自己遇见好人了.

临时要回国时,小孩退掉了她的房间,(因为占着房间的话,要产生不必要的租金),老头还有别的空房间,小孩准备回美国后,还住老头那里.所以她把行李箱托老头保管,直到她回美国后.老头也答应她的.说把她的行李箱放在自己家里的壁橱内,一直到她回来.

小孩也没有要老头写收条.

2. Did she owe rent?

没有.她住的几个月的房租在她走之前都付清了.

3. Is there any written lease?

我侄女说租房时有签约,但她把文件放那行李箱里了.

4. Is there anything in writing, e.g., email?

小孩回来后,老头和她有过email联系.但他们没有谈到行李箱的事.

直到前天小孩在email中问了一句,[行李箱没事吗?],结果老头回信说,已经没了,danated to Salvation Army了.开始我们还以为老头开玩笑呢,打国际电话给他,才知道不是开玩笑.

小孩的箱子有锁,但老头在电话中透露出他知道箱子里东西的内容,说明他已经把箱子给撬开了.小孩很受打击.想到那老头撬箱的样子,连我们大人都感到可怕.

在电话中,我们提出要老头赔偿,老头说,[你回来后,还住我这里,让你白住不就在了吗?]
我们很震惊,如此侵吞别人的东西,居然还能提出让小孩回去后还住他那里,不由地让人怀疑这个人的神经和意图,小孩说,那老头有各个房间的钥匙.实在是欺人太甚,实在是让人无法原谅.

之后老头就擅自把电话挂了,也不再接电话了.

现在唯一有的证据就是email了.那老头唯一露出的马脚.

>You did not tell which jurisdiction.

是纽约.小孩子本来就很辛苦.

>Under majority rule, even if your neice is a tenant in sufferance, meaning she retained the possession of the rental property after expiration of the lease without paying rent, the landlord cannot just go to the room, or otherwise she will have an eviction claim against him. Old days, e.g. , under common law, he may be able to use self-help to settle unpaid rent by selling personal stuff of the sufferance tenant. NOT ANYMORE in most jurisdictions. The landlord must go to court to get an eviction order or sue for ejectment.

>Assuming that is not the case, and your niece did not give the suitcase to him as a gift (apparently not), what she can do is to first, emial the landlord and tell him he wrongfully deprived her of the property and ask him to get it back from salvation army. Meanwhile, list all the property and their value in case she need sue.

多谢您的解释和建议.我们会叫小孩马上这样做的.

>When she comes back, file a police report for larceny or criminal conversion. She will need a lawyer to sue the landlord if she does not know the law or court procedure.

象这种事情,美国的警察会动吗?

其实,如果警察可以去老头家搜的话,一定可以在老头家里找到我侄女的东西的.都是有特征的.老头不可能圆慌.

但美国的警察接到报警后,会去搜家吗?

一个是在美国生活多年的美国公民,一个是刚到美国的外国学生.美国的警察能公平的处理吗?

>It is almost a sure thing to win.

您是说,这个case是我侄女能赢的case吗?

>Remember, the landlord has the burden to prove she gave the suitcase to him as a gift or that she abandoned the suitcase, which in this case it does not appear like because the landlord would not send the email to notify her if he thinks she abandoned the property. The claims against him would be trespass or conversion.

是的,我侄女回来后老头和我侄女有联系,也联系得上,如果要处理的话,最起码要事先通知她一声才是.

>The remedy is the actual value if she can reasonably prove it,

您是说,如果要打官司,或报警的话,我侄女必须要证明她箱子里有什么东西,价值多少吗?
需要怎样的证明才行呢?

>or a constructive trust to get the property back, or equitable lien to let the landlord pay for the value of the property.

看电话里老头的态度,我估计他是在吃我侄女,欺负人,当然一个刚出国的小女孩,是容易让他欺负的.估计那老头,不到万不得以,是不会轻易赔偿的.

>One thing you need consider is the economy. A lawyer may refuse to represent and may charge more than $300 an hour for the fee.

美国的律师是按小时计算的吗?有没有一个案子多少费用的套餐型的?

>How much would be the property worth and how much can you recover after paying the lawyer? If there is heirloom or something has great sentimental value or she can prove the landlord did it in bad faith so that she may recover punitive damage, go for it.

箱子里面的东西大约价值2万人民币左右.有些东西我估计将是我侄女一生的宝物.就如此被人轻易夺走,实在是有些不符人之常情.

真是非常非常非常地谢谢您热情和真挚的帮助.真是非常非常非常地谢谢您.