Bicycle Issue

A cogent point, and the main reason I began to wonder whether Jimmy started demanding a bike from Eddie or whether Eddie started worrying about if he owes Jimmy.

The bike is worth a few hundred dollars. Eddie told Jimmy six months ago the bikes were being put in the basement. There is no hostility or demands for reparations but Eddie feels responsible.

The latter.

Then tell Eddie to get an old phone he no longer uses, put a security camera app on it and point it at John's door. Don't even need a data connection, just a little storage space. When Eddie catches John on camera coming out with the bike, he's got him. No new bike required.

Also JohnDB is right. Jimmy really got off better with one still-functional bike than he deserved.

Odd that JohnDB wouldn't take "John's" side in this though...

Thanks everyone for your insight 😊🙏

Admit it, you're Jimmy.

Am I right? 😉

Since Eddie put them in the complex's storeroom it can be inferred that Eddie has something to do with the complex. Otherwise he has no right to use the complex's space outside of that he has rented.

John is not a thief because he was told to use one after inquiring about a bike. John did not just grab one and run. If anyone is a thief it would be Eddie who told John to use something Eddie has no right to give away.

If Jimmy intended to come back for the bikes at a later date he should have had a storage agreement with someone attached to the complex. Absent that he abandoned them.

John should not be lying about having the bike. he's in the clear by stating that Jimmy abandoned them and Eddie authorized his use of one.

To keep the peace, John should give the bike back.

And Jimmy should learn a lesson from this.

Stealing. And lying about it. Why mo cops?
Dude left his bikes behind and told he would be back for them. Just because he took longer than other think he 'should' have doesn't make them any less his.
Nor does it mean he needed to be taught a lesson about responsibility. The guy Stealing is the one that needs to learn the lesson. How the thief is the good guy and the person that communicated his plans and intents is the bad guy is backwards.

Only an apartment employee had any right to touch the bike for removal from the property. Anyone else touching them has zero right.

It depends on the unique state law.
What does the law determine qualify, time frame , so to determine what constitutes abandonment of real and personal property?

Or maybe bring back The Three Stooges 😒

Quote from the OP:

Last month John had his bicycle stolen so Eddie suggested to John that he use one of Jimmy’s bicycles

How does that make John a thief?

Because he’s refusing to return Jimmy’s bike by pretending he never used it, all the while he’s in possession of it

There's no need to be THAT condemning about it.

But he didn't just take it. He was invited to use it. If my neighbor invites me to use his car that doesn't make me a car thief.

Now, as to denying having it, that makes him a liar, but not a thief.

Refusing to return it - not sure what you would call that. A sore loser? Again it would go back to whether Jimmy legally abandoned it. Which I think he did. And that removes any claim he has to it later.

Have you guys talked to John and explained the situation to him?

Yes, he cut me off and said he didn’t know what I was talking about. I repeated myself and he did it again.