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I had a course in business law back in the very early 80's. I don't think that the following has changed, because it is a very fundamental principle of law (maybe a part of "common law").
If I take a book, for example, and I throw it in the garbage, anyone can come along and take it. It then belongs to him. However, if I am walking down the street with the book, and it accidentally falls out of my hand, and I don't realize it, a person walking behind me cannot claim it as belonging to him. It all comes down to intent. If a person or company discards something voluntarily, then it belongs to anyone who comes along and takes it. If, however, the person or company accidentally loses something, someone coming along and takes it does not own it, it still belongs to the person or company. The old adage "finder's keepers, losers weepers" is not a legal principle.
Now what a person's responsibility is if he finds something of value and does not know who the owner is, I can't answer that. That may vary from state to state, anyway.
So, unless the law has changed (and I very, very, very seriously doubt it), the books that my cousin dug out of the dumpster would belong to him then.
The only way that I see that he could be in trouble is if he was guilty of trespassing. I think the laws vary a little from state to state--I don't know what they are in Alabama. But here in Florida, a person is not considered trespassing unless there are "no trespassing" signs posted. BTW--I never remembered seeing any at this distribution center, which was very close to a major city road. But, I was just a kid, and could have not noticed them.
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