is holding property until payment is made legal

me and my mother were living with a friend for 1 year and 4 months until my mother and her friend a falling out and the friend demanded my mother leave we were paying rent of 400$ per month and paying one bill of 85$ just over half the total rent. My mother moved out but was unable to take all her stuff with her but it was all in the single room we were living in I still live there and pay 200-250$ per month. At a previous date before the falling out the friends husband had been arrested and I put forth 220$ of the 750$ of the bail when all court stuff was taken care of my mother who was homeless (sleeping in an apartment she was cleaning at the permission of the landlord), cashed the bail money (she was the one who actually posted the bail) and used it to be able to live with other friend for a month. Previous friend demanded their portion of the bail back 530$ and decided to hold my mother's stuff ransom until paid. has paid 370$ all stuff is in room I pay 4