Why wouldn’t the appellate court recognize Abel’s title to the painting that he purchased from the Salvation Army, which had obtained possession of the painting from Rick Kenyon?

Hill, Justice
This dispute concerns the ownership of a painting by the noted Western artist Bill Gollings. Rick Kenyon (Kenyon) purchased the painting, valued between $8,000 and $15,000, for $25 at a Salvation Army thrift store. Claude Abel (Abel) filed suit against Kenyon seeking return of the painting, which had belonged to his late aunt. Abel claimed that the Salvation Army mistakenly took the painting from his aunt’s home when the box in which it was packed was mixed with items being donated to the thrift store.