Life
Couple still begging for their $35,000 3 years after accidental deposit in the wrong account
I can’t even imagine being in this position. That’s a lot of money just gone.
Emma Shallcross
05.18.21

Little Jacob Broda was on his way to becoming a star.

From toddler age, he was a natural in front of the camera, and it wasn’t long until got his first acting job when he was just 18 months old.

First Coast News
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First Coast News

Unfortunately, it just wasn’t meant to be, and after starring in just one advertisement for a cleaning product, Jacob’s acting career came to an end.

“He was not a very well-behaved toddler,” mom Jessica Broda explained to First Coast News. “After this one job was done, we just called it quits.”

First Coast News
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First Coast News

Jacob earned some money from his acting, and 15% of that (80 bucks) was placed into a sealed trust account known as a Coogan account. He would be able to access this money when he turned 18.

Soon after that, the family moved to California and quickly forgot about Jacob’s account- until one day.

First Coast News
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First Coast News

Jessica’s partner Jacob decided to purchase a Lexus for $35,000 from a dealership in Cleveland, Ohio- but the minute he brought it home, he realized that the purchase had been a mistake.

“The whole undercarriage was rusted,” Jessica said. “The brakes were completely bald – the car was a hot mess, basically.”

First Coast News
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First Coast News

Thankfully, the dealership agreed to refund the family once the car was returned- but this is where the problems began.

Jessica was depositing the refunded check using the Bank of America app, and was under the impression that the check would be returned to the couple’s joint savings account.

However, when she selected the “regular savings” option, the money somehow managed to transfer into Jacob’s Coogan account.

First Coast News
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First Coast News

Jessica immediately called up her bank, who assured her that the check wouldn’t clear in Jacob’s account, since it was addressed to David.

However, when the 14th day hit, Jessica noticed that the check had somehow made it into Jacob’s account.

“That’s a little terrifying,” said Jessica. “To see your money just gone. Now it’s zero balance with a negative $35,000 for months now.”

First Coast News
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First Coast News

Shockingly, three years later, the family still hasn’t been able to retrieve their money from their son’s account. They even went through a civil lawsuit.

$35,000 is a huge amount of money, and the impact on the Broda family was significant.

Both David and Jessica are nurses and work hard to support their children. With no access to the money, they no longer feel financially stable.

“It takes a long time to save up that money- and it was just taken from us. We had no access to it, no emergency fund,” David said. “So there’s just this weight on your shoulders.”

First Coast News
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First Coast News

After three years of attempting to get their money back, the family are having to turn to legal action. The case is heading for a jury trial, where the family are seeking lost income and punitive damages.

No one can understand why the bank simply haven’t just paid the family back their rightful money.

“You’ve got one of the largest banks in the country taking advantage of middle-class folks,” Nick Whitney, the family’s attorney said. “$35,000 to them is a big deal and affects their day-to-day life. For Bank of America, it’s pennies. So I can’t read the mind of the jury, but I would expect them to be shocked and appalled that it’s gone this far.”

First Coast News
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First Coast News

Threatened with a court order, the bank agreed to pay back the $35,000- but for the family, it’s too little too late.

“It’s just too late,” said David. “It’s a little too late now. We’re just angry. We’re three years into this. We attempted that in the beginning — multiple attempts in the beginning — to resolve it. And it obviously fell on deaf ears.” He added, “After being customers with them for 20 years, we’re now begging for our money back.”

We hope this poor family eventually manages to get their money back- and the added expenses!

Take a look at their interview below.

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