Game Account Sale Went Bad -- Legal Issues Incoming?

[DistressCall007]

I sold a gentlemen an online game account a couple weeks back. We agreed on the price of the account which was cash via Western Union and another account that he owned and was giving to me as additional compensation.

As of today, the account that he had given me in the deal had be recalled (take back in the possession of a previous user), but I still have the money he paid me.

Therefore, I recalled the account that I sold him and I sold it to someone else.

He found out about it and is now looking to file suit via JAG (he is military obviously). He has my phone number and he may have my address (not exactly sure on that one).

What kind of legal issues could I have in this matter? According to the people I spoke with, since the merchandise is not tangible, there is no way to track where the "account" is and who has possession of it.

 

[ndragon]

The only thing he can sue you for is the amount of money he paid you via Western Union. He can't actually do this via JAG because it is a civil matter. If I am not mistaken, JAG only covers cases within the military legal system. I think The best he tcan do is file a small claim.
If you both withdrew from the deal, why not just give him his money back and chalk it up to a deal gone bad? This would avoid any potential legal action against you.

-Nick

 

[dee_dub]

What kind of legal issues could I have in this matter?

Well, you have his money, and he got nothing from you. You could face a lawsuit for the return of the money, and he would be reasonably likely to win. I agree with Nick: give his money back. You have no right to it.

According to the people I spoke with, since the merchandise is not tangible, there is no way to track where the "account" is and who has possession of it.

The ethereal nature of the subject matter of the transaction, and potential difficulties he may face in proving what happened, do not make it acceptable for you to keep the money. (I am also sceptical about their assertion that the ownership of the account cannot be tracked - intangible internet stuff excels at being tracked.)

 

[Michael Wechsler]

I don't understand. Why didn't you just tell the military man that the account was recalled and that he should pay you the difference? If you are saying that this "breached" your agreement then you should be sending him his money back since you have no right to that money. There is a "mutual mistake" as to what each of you sold and the agreement is voided. I agree with both Nick and dee_dub