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Tennessee couple wins $57,200 after belongings vanish from storage units

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Nathan and Devan Dickey placed over $28,000 worth of furniture, family heirlooms, and tools across two rented units in December 2019 before discovering both spaces emptied a year later. Owner Tim Posey had assured the couple of active surveillance and regular patrols, yet police records revealed ongoing theft reports at the facility dating back to 2015. Investigators established that the security cameras were entirely inoperative, while an unsupervised facility employee maintained access to undisclosed master keys for the renters' intact locks. The judgment awards the couple compensation for missing goods alongside substantial legal fees.

Key points

  • Facility owners face significant financial liability under consumer protection laws for m…: Facility owners face significant financial liability under consumer protection laws for misrepresenting security measures to renters.
  • Retaining master keys to locks sold to tenants without disclosure severely undermined the…: Retaining master keys to locks sold to tenants without disclosure severely undermined the business's contractual liability defense.
  • Failure to supervise staff with access to master keys contributed directly to findings of…: Failure to supervise staff with access to master keys contributed directly to findings of gross negligence and fraud.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

A storage facility is supposed to provide a safe place for belongings that cannot immediately be moved into a new home. But a Tennessee couple who rented two units after selling their house discovered that almost everything they had stored was missing, despite being assured that the facility had security cameras and regular patrols. Their investigation raised further questions about the locks, the facility owner's security claims and the handling of earlier theft complaints.

In a November 6, 2026,

decision available on Justia, the Tennessee Court of Appeals upheld a judgment against Posey Storage Solutions and its owner, Tim Posey, in a lawsuit brought by Nathan and Devan Dickey. The court affirmed $33,500 in damages and a separate award of $23,700 in attorney's fees and expenses. It found that the trial court had sufficient evidence to hold the owner liable for fraudulent misrepresentation, gross negligence, theft-related claims and violations of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.

How the couple's belongings disappeared

The dispute began in December 2019, when Devan Dickey contacted Posey about renting storage space. The couple were selling their…

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