Do you have a right to open your spouse's mail?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:18 U.S. Code § 1702 - Obstruction of correspondence

Whoever takes any letter, postal card, or package out of any post office or any authorized depository for mail matter, or from any letter or mail carrier, or which has been in any post office or authorized depository, or in the custody of any letter or mail carrier, before it has been delivered to the person to whom it was directed, with design to obstruct the correspondence, or to pry into the business or secrets of another, or opens, secretes, embezzles, or destroys the same, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 778; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §?330016(1)(I), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)

I am willing to bet (unless there are extenuating circumstances) that there is not a DA in the country who would bring charges against a spouse for opening another spouses mail.

Is it considered delivered once it hits your mailbox? I always thought the obstruction was if you are a postal worker stealing mail or if you steal undelivered mail from a mail truck.

I think it is...

[Anonymous]

Yes, my spouse and I have the "right" to open each other's mail. But we almost never do. Occasionally, I open his mail accidentally or because there is a reason (like I'm home and he's away on business and we get a letter from the insurance company that should include a check that needs to be deposited, or is probably the gas bill that needs to be paid-- boring stuff). Nobody is hiding anything, no big deal. Bottom line: I trust and respect him too much to randomly snoop Or open things that are clearly personal, instead of household administrative. If he was snooping, he wouldn't find anything shocking, but I would wonder why, and be concerned we had a bigger underlying trust issue.

[Anonymous]

Is OP ever coming back?

[Anonymous]

I don't think my husband knows how to open mail, unless it's a birthday card that arrives within a week of his birthday. He doesn't even open anything at work--his assistant does it or he brings it home and gives it to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think my husband knows how to open mail, unless it's a birthday card that arrives within a week of his birthday. He doesn't even open anything at work--his assistant does it or he brings it home and gives it to me.

Why did you marry a baby?

[Anonymous]

DH never opens his mail so I do it. If it looks personal I hand it to him, but who gets personal snail mail these days?

I find op's reaction really odd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Financial and business mail, definitely yes. Private mail like a card or letter from a friend, no.

+1. We are each the account holder on different accounts that affect us both - bank statements, health insurance, utilities - obviously neither of us would get mad if the other one opened something like that. Or stuff that seems urgent/important, like if I got a letter from the IRS I would understand if my husband felt the need to open that immediately. Personal stuff, no. Packages, no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH who is still north of livid. I received a priority letter from an insurance broker and found it opened. This is not the first time something lime this has happened. Her response was that she has a right to look at anything that arrives at her house. I would never think of opening anything she orders online that gets delivered.

Am I overreacting? Feel like I am being controlled.

You're not overreacting.

One doesn't open someone else's mail unless it's something clearly relevant to the household, e.g. an utility bill that's in one partner's name but is clearly going into the "household money" category.

[Anonymous]

I think I have the right to, but I don't. Just as I think I have the right to look in his phone (and he mine,) but I don't. I don't think he does either. Wouldn't matter to me anyways. I'm not hiding anything.

[Anonymous]

These people stand ready to bust your spouses ass for opening your mail:

https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/

[Anonymous]

Neither of us ever looks at the name of the person to whom business mail is addressed. Whomever is dealing with the mail opens it all. We do not open each other's personal mail though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is OP ever coming back?

Good question....if not, I start to question the validity of this post.

[Anonymous]

Wife here. I open all the mail. Whatever he needs to see gets laid at his place at the dinner table.

[Anonymous]

I would never open a personal card or letter addressed solely to DH, but anything from the bank, insurance broker, health insurance company, etc. affects us both. Either one of us will open those.

[Anonymous]

Let her know that this is a Federal Offense & that she can serve time in the Federal Penitentiary for opening up your mail.

Just kidding. Sort of.

Yes, to answer your question here, she has absolutely no right to open anything sent to the house if her name isn't written on the envelope. It is just a matter of principle as well as respect.

Talk to her about it. Hopefully she will get your drift & refrain from doing anything like this in the future.