A judge in Michigan has ordered a couple to pay their son $30,441 for throwing out his porn collection. US district judge Paul Maloney’s decision comes eight months after 43-year-old David Werking successfully sued his parents over the collection of movies, magazines, and other items that he estimated totaled roughly $29,000. Werking’s parents will also have to pay $14,500 to their son’s attorney to cover case costs.
- Werking moved home for 10 months after his divorce. He moved back into the house in Grand Haven following the end of his marriage and stayed for a little less than a year before moving to Muncie, Indiana. It wasn’t until he was already in his new home that he realized that his porn collection was missing.
- His parents were unapologetic about tossing the collection. In an email, Werking’s father wrote: “Frankly, David, I did you a big favor getting rid of all this stuff.” This was likely because they described a lot of the items in his collection as “the worst of the worst” and actually worried if some of it might be illegal. It was just that obscene.
- The judge believed Werking had a solid case. In his ruling in December 2020, Judge Maloney said: “There is no question that the destroyed property was David’s property. Defendants repeatedly admitted that they destroyed the property.” However, his parents believed they acted as landlords of sorts and were within their rights.
- Just because Werking’s parents didn’t like the porn doesn’t mean they could get rid of it. As Maloney said: “Defendants do not cite to any statute or case law to support their assertion that landlords can destroy property that they dislike.”
