As I write on my blog, I have recently signed onto coach for the Denville Baseball organization and I spent the weekend with my state championship winning team. The Division All Stars, and the other teams in the township, were invited to sing the national anthem before the New Jersey Jackals played. Three selected teams would be honored with a parade as the pre-game show and the Sizzlin’ Summer Rewards Program was distributed. These three teams were selected because of their record in leagues and tournaments around the township. My 9 year old son is a member of the team.

My team and I have been practicing together since May and the 15 of us are now a close-knit group. Teamwork, responsibility, consideration of others and respect are an integral part of the Lang Team’s attitude on the field, at practice and at games. As I see it, the Lang Team is a part of a community, Denville Baseball. Not much different than when citizens come together to build a community, a legislative body creates laws to help direct and create a structure of property and economic opportunity. The excitement of a child delighting in a home run is no more different than a child securing an academic scholarship or being recruited by a college.

Of course, there are times when players experience great disappointment, just as there are times when real property owners experience adversity. Sometimes that property is excluded as an asset in a divorce. In other times, a vacation home becomes uninhabitable or a landlord seeks to evict a non-paying tenant. Regardless of the “inciting incident”, North Carolina abandoned property law applies to all those over whom the state has jurisdiction. Like the baseball team, the state creates a structure to protect its citizens. North Carolina statutes are divided into articles, section numbers and general category headings. North Carolina statutes concerning abandoned property are separated into three articles. These articles dictate what may be deemed abandoned under North Carolina law. Unmarried parents who do not have custody of their children may be somewhat familiar with the notion by reading North Carolina General Statute 48-1, a statute concerning the rights to abandoned or concealed children. Knowing when a property is abandoned is important and it is equally important that an owner take steps to secure possession and title. According to NC Department of the State Treasurer, the Department of the State Treasurer receives unclaimed property. Another way of stating “abandoned property”. All businesses must report property that has not been claimed in three years. The criteria for claiming property is:

  • A person must visit the Department of the State Treasurer to claim cash or securities.
  • There are taxes and fees, which may be associated with the funds.
  • Property that cannot be returned to the owner is sold at public auction.
  • A person can claim an unclaimed property form online.

While the State does not provide legal representation to a citizen, it may be necessary to seek the advice of an attorney to prevent North Carolina laws from acquiring a claim over property.

Just like that single and double play, there are exceptions to North Carolina’s abandoned property laws. Required proofs and forms of documentation exist in certain circumstances. In the case of abandoned safe deposit boxes, a bank must send a form releasing the owner’s liability to the Department of the State Treasurer. What is the point of this blog, you may ask. I want the reader to connect the principles and ideas from youth baseball to that of North Carolina law. Find a team, join it and play!

For more information on property laws, you can visit Wikipedia on Property Law.

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