I got served papers by my ex-bf parents... PLEASE HELP!!!!?

Brianna

Learn this lesson well, allow no agreement to be verbal only, but put all in writing from here on out!

It's your word against theirs. Find any and all witnesses you can, see if your ex boyfriend will tell the truth of the situation... not all ex's are nasty. Fight it. Go to the civil court and explain the situation as well as possible. Don't try to use legal terms, don't try to wow a judge with legal jargon or trying to act too good. Be yourself, but do so in a very respectful manner. Don't use slang, don't swear either. The judge will probably rule in your favor since you say you didn't sign anything... therefore there should be no signed documents that you owe them anything. Did you sign something saying you'd pay rent? If not, they cannot legally collect rent.

No, you won't go to jail for this. It's a civil matter. You'll be just fine.

Justin L

no, but you can go to court, if you don't think you owe them, let the judge decide

killer_instinct

you can't go to jail.

show up and fight the in small claims court.

without a lease i doubt they will have anything to stand on. and the fact that they are parents of your ex the judge will not give their side much credence.

don't admit to anything. dont talk to them. just show up in court and tell the judge what you told us.

the onus of proof is on them not you.

just_me

You need to get a lawyer and file a counter law suit. Think about it, since everything was verbal they have nothing on you either.

Go talk to a lawyer asap

I don't think you would go to jail for something like this, this is like small claims court.

p.s. consultations with lawyers are free

wizjp

No debters prison in the US. Worst case they get a judgement and you have to pay them; and odds are you don't have the cash, so they will have to settle for some type of payment plan.

Talk to legal aid ASAP

spokenforalready

Did they serve you legal documents? If you did not sign a lease with them, then you do not owe them a dime. I use to be a property manager, and if I took someone to court, I had to have the agreement the tenant signed showing that they agreed to pay XX amount each month. They're just trying to scare you.

Note: I am not an atty, this is just my opinion.

They need to produce a written contract signed by you that you owe them this money. They can't prove it otherwise. Deny completely and consistently that you ever agreed to pay them any money, no matter what they or their jailbird son say.

Where is the rental agreement? There isn't one? Then they have no case.

justme24202

you need to call a lawyer ASAP chica. this could get ugly.. ur not gonna go to jail u'll be fine. but instead of listening to ppl on here, call an attorney.

good luck.

christy_lou05

no...if you can't settle it outside of court you'll just go to civil court..each side will tell its story and the judge will decide what to do..you may want to seek an attorney if things get too ridiculous with them!

just_c0wb0y

lol no silly you cannot go to jail , and just as you said you have no papers showing this , well they dont have anything showing you as having signed anything agreeing to pay them for living in it

Gisela V

You can't go to jail for this.

If there is no written agreement then it will be up to your bf's parents to prove you owe the money. Just tell the judge that you don't owe the money and that you DID NOT verbally agree to pay it back.

Mike

Def wont go to jail. In all likeliness, that $2100 will get drastically reduced, to something around $450. Just make sure you don't talk about any details with the people suing you, and you only discuss it with your lawyer. You never know when they could be recording what you say.

that girl

If nothing was on paper, they should have as hard a time as you proving you owe them anything, right?
I mean, as long as the apartments still in pretty much the same shape it was when you moved in (meaning you fixed holes, not a lot of paint scars, carpet/tile is clean, no rodents, etc.) they shouldn't really be able to force you to pay anything over what you already have.
Plus, if you did pay, with a check, you can get copies of the cashed checks from your bank, if they're saying you weren't paying up.
Hope that helps a little!

roobee

NO, you can't go to jail. The worst they can do is take you to civil or small claims court and since there is no paperwork, they have nothing to back up their side either.
Call you local legal aid or even call the law dept at a local college and get some advice. I'm telling you, this is BS and you did nothing wrong!
Sorry its happening, but I'm sure that they don't have any ground to stand on. They are just mad.
(And stay away from this douche when he gets out!!!!!)

KARI W

If they have nothing in writing from you they are completely out of luck. I would not admit to owing them a dime. And no, there is no way you can go to jail for this. Even if you did owe them money, this is a civil matter, not criminal.

It doesn't sound as though you can afford an attorney, but I would try to contact legal services to see if you qualify for some pro bono help from an attorney. Many times attorneys will volunteer their services.

Good Luck!

angelheart

If they do not have any thing written and sign from you , They can't
do nothing , Judges do not want to hear...he said she said.
Don't worry they are wasting their time.

crempel2007

I doubt you could go to jail, but it sounds like you are probably going to end up paying. I would prepare for it, and be pretty subtle in court. Don't do anything that might make the judge mad at you! With nothing to back you up, it will be hard to win. Consult a lawyer perhaps, but not one that is too expensive...

Wade H

Lets for the sake of liability say I know a fellow that broke up with his "girl".

She was mob.

He wasn't.

Being in jail is one indicator of mob activity.

This fellow had to have allot of time in the hospital.

But he might live, though his kneecaps will never be the same and the bullets through the brain and groin might not have improved his disposition or attractiveness all that much.

Now, does jail sound all that bad?

DON'T DATE HOODLUMS. THEY ARE ULTIMATELY BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH.

Not that your boyfriend is a hood, I'm sure he was framed.

Hey, it happens, I know.

And that's not to say you framed him either; I'm sure your a very nice girl with only the highest moral upbringing.

PEOPLE NEVER ASK FOR IT.

But, STOP ASKING FOR IT.

Please, your hurting my eyes to read such things.

You remind me of the girl who jumped; I had to jump after her of course ~ now, I'm labled as a jumper...go figure.

So don't jump.

And don't write things that might give anyone the idea that you might (God Forbid) ~ cause with your boy in the slammer he might have freinds (no not him I'm sure ~ he's a nice guy or you wouldn't have been seen with him).

Cause hey some dumb shmuck might jump in after you...

The girl I knew was told to jump.

Me and my fellow got her out.

I was shot.

She jumped again.

DON'T DATE HOODLUMS, THEY AIN'T GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH.

Or for that matter the dumb schmucks that love people like you.

HippieChick

You will not go to jail for this...just relax...the best advice i can say is to get an attorney to help you fight this. If anything you guys will eventually work out some sort of money monthly payment arrangement in order for you to pay off the debt if the court finds out that you owe money.

If there is nothing in writing and you are not on the lease, i can't see how they can go after you financially.

Go through the phone numbers that are probably listed in your summons with phone numbers for legal help for Lawyer Referral or Legal Services. Depending on your state, you can even look for free legal represntation. Call your State and County in order to determine where to start, or even google "free legal service" in your state in order to help too! Some lawyers also go with payment plans too...

It seems like if these parents are suing you and their son is in jail, they dont' seem like they are 'winners' in my book. good luck fighting them hope they don't get squat!!

that or pretend to get back together with your boyfriend and then break up with him after you move out AFTER they drop the charges! And don't call them or their attorney directly...the parents will use it against you and the attorney will only try to get money out of you and be a really hard *** to scare you into paying. get someone else to handle it.

TELLING IT LIKE IT IS

Well what are they suing for? Rent? Damage? Did you live there with the boyfriend?

Marie H

If you've already been served then there is nothing to do but keep your court date. The good news is that if you only had a verbal agreement then thet will have a tough time proving that you owe them anything at all. The most damning evidence they will have will be any records of you paying them from your account on a regular basis in the past. Hopefully, most of the rent was paid through your ex's accounts. Find all the records you can on how rent was paid, whether through your bank or his etc. and go over them. Then, simply maintain in court that the rental agreement was made with their son, not you and so you are not responsible for it. You may have to pay something if they can prove that you were the one who paid it regularly before.
MOST IMPORTANTLT: Do not contact his parents. Don't send e-mails or messages or anything. They can use this against you in court.
I hope things work out for you and I hope I helped.

Paradox

What do they want the money for? It sounds like they have a lawyer so you will need to get one too.

Mrs. Amazing

call judge judy. i think its cheaper that way ;) .

hmmm.... I think you can defend yourself. you might not have to pay any legal fees.

bam....

No the most they can do is win the suit against you and put a lean on your property or bank account. Make sure you go to court and answer the law suit.....most times you have to file a answer in the court, make sure you do this! Answer the judge truthfully and you should be ok, if it was verbal the judge will see through them

Casey G

i'm assuming you owe that because of rent. who's name is on the lease? that name should be the one held reliable.

~~eddie m~~~

well as you say nothing went down on paper,so i would stand your ground and not pay anything.
it would be a hard job for them to prove anything.
good luck.

I don't know law but it seems to me if it was all verbal then they do not have a leg to stand on.

Sophie B

Unfortunately you will need a lawyer, if you have to go to court....

If you had the 2100.00, it would be worth that, to never have to see any of them again.......

~Due May 17th 2009 With Baby #2~

They can't do anything until he's out of jail. It's between you and him only. Call your local prosecuting attorney if need be.

chuck

Verbal agreements are never upheld in courts which is why various institutions use contracts to promote various activities.

Jasdeep G

Did you pay the rent? Or did they? (while you two were broken up)

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