[GA] Can I eat this watermelon in my fridge without being sued or charged with a crime????? legaladvice

Throwaway account used for obvious reasons.

Yesterday I discovered watermelon I had not purchased in my refrigerator. I live alone. I immediately realized that one of three scenarios must have occurred:

1. The house cleaner, who visited that day, put it in there to keep cold and forgot about it
2. My cat, after 15 years of freeloading, has finally started doing a little grocery shopping
3. I am being spied on by the NSA, the FBI, or other shadowy TLA government organization, who have cunningly concealed their network of surveillance devices in the watermelon chunks in my refrigerator

Under the assumption it was option 2, I emailed my house cleaner, but I have not yet heard from her.

So, what are my legal rights and obligations here? Do I need to store her watermelon indefinitely? Can I charge a nominal storage fee? Should I send her an abandoned watermelon notice? Do I need to put it in the freezer, as when she returns in two weeks it would surely be rotten otherwise?

Alternately, can I eat the watermelon without risking being sued? Is exposing myself to potential criminal liability (petty theft)? Should I consult with a lawyer first before eating it? Would I possibly risk being sued, and forced to repay her for the value of the watermelon? Also, if I had to repay her, would it be current market value or the market value when she bought it? Because watermelon was on a 'BOGO' sale at the local supermarket last week, so we're talking a cost of $2 versus $4 here, that's 100% price increase if I have to reimburse her later at current market cost!

tl;dr: Should I lawyer up before eating the watermelon left in my refrigerator????

Submitted July 10, 2015 at 04:37AM by WatermelonWhisperer http://ift.tt/1LURKdb legaladvice