In an uncharacteristic move, the internet is on a “mother-in-law’s” side (Sorry, MILs, the bad apples give you a bad rep). One mom took to the “AITA” subreddit to find out if she would be an a*hole for suing her “DIL”. In actuality, it is her son’s girlfriend, but she referred to her as her DIL (daughter-in-law) since it was “just easier for the sake of storytelling.”
Not sure why that would be, but we digress …
She explained in her original post that her son, a 26-year-old attorney who is starting his own firm, and his girlfriend had been together for two years, and that she and her spouse have an amicable enough relationship with the girlfriend. One day, this MIL and her husband had takeout with their son and his girlfriend. The girlfriend ordered from her phone, but the parents wanted to pay, so they gave her their credit card information.
“We thought it goes without saying this was to draw an amount once,” she said. “However, [the girlfriend] apparently put our card into her Apple Pay and has been using it since.”
The couple didn’t notice this for several months (umm … how?), and by that time, the girlfriend had racked up a bill of $17K (yup, you read that right — 17 thousand!), reportedly consisting of big meals and outings, new clothes, pieces of jewelry, and handbags.
The woman called her to find out “why the hell” she had been using the card. Why the hell, indeed?!
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“She got very defensive, tried to deny it, and eventually said she was entitled to it, and why do we care since we haven’t noticed her use it for over 4 months. We told her she needed to pay us back immediately or we’d report her for theft.”
The woman said neither the girlfriend nor their son had the funds to pay them back, but she said it “isn’t about the money for us” (must be nice!), but rather about the audacity of taking so damn much.
“While we are comfortable and it took us time to notice, we still recognize the seriousness of stealing $17,000,” she said. “Our son has completely dismissed [his girlfriend’s] behavior and excused it as her being stressed. She’s taken no responsibility, and we’re honestly wanting to go forward with the police report to teach her consequences for her actions.”
Abso-freaking-lutely she should, said the sea of commenters. Pressing charges and suing would not make this MIL the a-hole.
After all, this was “NOT the occasional oopsie,” and “was 100 percent calculated for months.”
“I would sue in a heartbeat,” one commenter said. “And your son needs to open his eyes and close his zipper.”
They encouraged the woman to take action now, even if it causes trouble in the family, rather than let this disastrous relationship continue “[until] they get divorced in 10 years after having two children and a mortgage.”
While the internet agreed the parents were NTA (even if it is outrageous that it took them so long to notice the charges), they don’t think the girlfriend is the only questionable character in this story. What about their son, a supposed attorney, who seems OK with this case of theft?
“Can we talk about their lawyer son dismissing her illegal actions as ✨ stress ✨??” said one commenter.
“The son’s willingness to accept the behavior, particularly as someone starting a law firm, makes me wonder about his own ethical boundaries,” said another.
Reddit waited with bated breath for an update on the spending saga, and they finally got it on Wednesday. Mom and dad were “completely shocked” by their son’s reaction to the situation, and after he ignored their calls and texts, they confronted him at work.
“We told him our side of the story and, to say the least, he was SHOCKED. He apologized profusely, cried a little, and begged for forgiveness.”
Supposedly he was “blinded by love,” under the impression his parents had “gifted” the money, and that it was more in the ballpark of 3-5 thousand dollars.
“His girlfriend had apparently told him that we wanted to spoil her, as our future DIL, and that we gave her carte blanche to buy herself nice things as a way to welcome her to the family.”
This MIL says her son was “livid.”
Some might say this is a convenient change of heart for the lawyer whose moral compass and legal judgment was under question. And which one is it: the girlfriend took the money because she was stressed? Or because it was a gift?
And if the son really did think it was a gift, one commenter said the way he handled the situation is “bollocks.”
“If your son believed you had given her a card to use for anything and everything, he would have mentioned it in conversation with you,” the person said, echoing others who can’t believe the son never thanked them. “I would be very, very careful around him and money.”
The “MIL” said her son was actually the one who convinced them to pursue legal action, and that he helped them call the police on the spot. Afterward, the trio went back to the apartment — where the girlfriend was living rent-free and was not on the lease — and packed up her stuff.
“We offered to stay with him for the blowup, but he wanted to handle it on his own. From what he’s told me she didn’t take this lightly,” she said. “So our son’s EX has now been pressed with charges, and we’re awaiting further information. Our bank has also been informed, and we’re told we’ll likely get our money back.”
*Hold for applause!*
As one commenter simply summed it up: “GOOD.”
The mother went on to say that the girlfriend “blew up on the entire family,” but that no one except the other DIL (perhaps a real DIL this time?) is taking the girlfriend’s side.
“Other DIL is a whole story, for another time perhaps, but we are now glad to officially announce that we are thief-free in the family!!!”
Once again, “GOOD.”
Now that this mess is being tidied up, we couldn’t agree more with the commenter who is just as invested in drama as we are:
“Well, I want to hear about the other DIL. Keep the updates coming. :)”
Before you go, check out these wild stories about Reddit’s most horrific mother-in-laws.
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