A 33-year old man threatened to take his older brother to court after he refused to refund his money when he backed out of their family holiday over an emergency with his dog. Now internet users have sided against him.
The man’s 40-year-old brother said in a viral post shared in March, under the username u/Moist_Ad4128, that he and his family, including his wife and kids, his brother and his own family and their parents, planned a holiday to Maui, Hawaii, in May 2025, which he booked and paid for with his own credit card.
“Final payment occurred last month, and at that point could not be canceled. These shared costs were put on my credit card and I was fully reimbursed by all parties for their share,” he wrote.
However, a few weeks later, his brother called him saying that his dog, a 6-year-old black Labrador retriever, had died and that he was no longer joining them on holiday. He also said that he would need his money back to pay the veterinary bills for the pup’s extensive treatment.
“Needless to say a disagreement occurred between us. He thinks because he canceled he should be reimbursed. My family and our parents will still be going. The trip can’t be changed at this point. But I’m not reimbursing him, I’m not about to pay another 7K [$7,000] out of my pocket.
“I told him absolutely not. He’s called me an a****** and threatened small claims court. It’s been a pretty toxic last few days. He refuses to consider going citing finances, emotional distress from the dog, and he doesn’t want to be around me. Am I the A****** here?” the post continues.
Florence Ann Romano, personal growth strategist and author of Build Your Village: A Guide to Finding Joy and Community in Every Stage of Life, told Newsweek that because the vacation wasn’t refundable, the poster isn’t at fault.
“I heard it once said that you never lend money thinking you’ll ever see it again. In this case, the money wasn’t borrowed—it went toward a mutual occasion. The sibling doesn’t owe the one who backed out anything,” she said.
But according to Christian Bumpous, a licensed family therapist and owner at Therapie PLLC, this is not only about money.
“Sometimes it is more about feeling hurt and supported than money,” he told Newsweek. “The big question is: Were the expectations made clear upfront? Because if they were, the sibling who backed out took on that risk.
“From a terms and conditions perspective, the booking sibling is not obligated to pay the money back from their own pocket.”
However, he added that it’s not black and white.
“Family dynamics are not just about what is fair,” he said. “It’s about the relationship you want to have going forward. So if able, the sibling could choose to absorb the cost if they care more about keeping peace and keeping the relationship going forward more than being right.”
He added that open communication is going to be the best approach, acknowledging the stress that is happening on each side and realistically talking about how this can be resolved.
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The video quickly went viral on social media and has received more than 6,200 upvotes and 561 comments on the platform.
One user, Dubbiely, said: “Tell him he should ask his travel insurance to reimburse him. If he doesn’t have an insurance that’s bad luck because you don’t have one either. If he goes to small claim court, he is going to lose also the fee for the court because there is no way he could win.”
Mfruitfly wrote: “NTA [Not The A******]. These were nonrefundable costs, and that is how life works. I assume any trip I back out of, I am not getting a refund.”
Ok-Cheetah-9125 commented: “NTA [Not The A******]. You aren’t keeping his money. The money was non-refundable. It’s [unfortunate] that he lost his puppy but you didn’t have anything to do with it.”
Newsweek reached out to @Moist_Ad4128 for comment via Reddit messages. We could not verify the details of the case.
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