Borrowing personal belongings from family members can blur the line between generosity and entitlement.

What was meant to be a short-term favor slowly unraveled into a frustrating game of excuses when one cousin refused to return another’s bike.

The ensuing argument led to a lawsuit that threatened to heighten family tensions even further.

You’ll want to read on for this one.

AITAH for suing my cousin after he refused to give me back my bike?

I (27M) lent my cousin (26M) my bike about 4 months ago.

It was a decent mountain bike I had bought new a year before.

I use it for my daily travel and going to places, but it’s definitely not something I can’t manage without.

So when his cousin asked to borrow it, he agreed, but on one condition.

He asked to borrow it while his car was in the shop, and I agreed on the condition that he return it in a couple of weeks.

Weeks turned into months.

It became clear getting this bike back was going to be difficult.

I asked him several times to return it, and he kept giving me excuses — “he still needs it,” and he’ll give it back soon — but that day never came.

I even offered to pick it up myself, and he said I didn’t need to trouble myself and he’d bring it back ASAP. But he never did.

So it was time to start giving ultimatums.

Eventually, I told him if he didn’t return it by the end of the week, I’d have to consider legal action.

He laughed and said I was overreacting.

But he wasn’t joking.

So I filed a small claims case for the value of the bike.

Now he’s blowing up my phone and calling me a jerk, and his family members are saying I should have given him more time or handled it privately.

Playing nicely clearly didn’t work, though.

But I tried that.

So AITAH for suing him?

This is a tough situation for anyone to be in.

What did Reddit have to say?

Turns out, actions have consequences!

His cousin had poor intentions from the start.

If anything, his cousin is getting off too easy!

This redditor encourages the would-be plaintiff to not let up until he gets what he wants.

This irresponsible cousin thought family meant never being held accountable, but a lawsuit would sure show him otherwise.

Trust may be free, but earning it back is going to cost him.

If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.