My wedding planner cheated me and I'm willing to go to any extent to seek legal justice. I need some advice...

This husband and wife duo not only made my life hell for the few months during the planning by doing a very lousy job. They were very difficult to get in touch with as they refused to return calls or e-mails for weeks at a time after they received the deposit. They took forever to get things done and at the last minute, vendors even charged us late fees. We also found out that they lied to us about vendors' fees and misrepresented an inflated number to us as the quote which we later found out went into their own pockets. They thought we wouldn't find out because they had prohibited us from talking to the vendors but we did find out.
Now we are trying to sue them. Can anyone let me know what steps I would have to take? Should I take them to civil court? Would I need a lawyer? I tried to send them a demand letter (kind of a warning saying pay us back or we'll sue you) and they refused to sign for it and accept the certified mail. How should we make sure they receive the court notice?

Burkettmom3

You can sue them in Civil court without a lawyer you should beable to pick up a packet from the clerk of courts office where you live. A court notice will be served to them by a deputy sheriff or a process server and they will get it trust me. My husband is a cop and I work with the clerks office. Good Luck! Stop them so they dont ruin anyone elses special day! Mostly get your hard earned money back with interest and court costs.

hlstarch

You really need to go to a lawyer.

A lawyer will do several things. He or she will:
- advise you whether your case has any merit, what you are likely to recover and what your chances are;
- help you, if possible, to get some sort of settlement without bringing suit (a letter from an actual lawyer has a LOT more impact on most people than a letter from a disgruntled client);
- bring suit (if that's what you want to do) in such a way that you'll have some reasonable likelihood of success.

If you try to sue them yourself, there is a very high likelihood that you will mess it up. There is a lot to know, and a lot of things you can do wrong. One example is suggested by one of the answers above: if you file a complaint with the court and don't worry about giving notice to the defendant, nothing will happen. Yes, the defendant in a lawsuit gets served with a summons ... but it doesn't "just happen" - YOU, the plaintiff, have to arrange for it to be served.

bigmatlem

Just because you don't like someone does not entitle you to sue them.

If you have your contract hopefully written you will have to see what the terms were. That is your agreement and your only legal basis. As far as them incurring late fees for you if it isn't covered in the contract then you are probably on the hook for them. As far as kick backs go that usually is the norm. Now as far as them not accepting the letters you will have to have a process server serve them the court papers.

Now before you go to court I suggest you just cool it a bit and stop worrying about what did happen and move on with your life together. God forbid something really major happens in your life like an illness. Who are you going to blame then? Just some friendly advice from a retired lawyer.

scalloper

Report them to the BBB and your General Attorney's office. Wait for the outcome, this might be enough for them to settle, make sure in both instances you are specific about the amounts you want for your claim to be satisfied.

Kris L

You'll need to sue in civil court, and you will probably need to hire an attorney. Although this case is not common, this type of business IS quite common. Call your local bar association and ask for 3 referrals on attorneys who can handle this case. The attorney takes care of the 'notification' of suit, and they can be quite amazing if the people try to 'hide' from the process server who wants to give them their 'notice.' BE SURE that the cost of the attorney's fees and the 'incidental fees' (for the process server and other things) are INCLUDED in the amount you are asking for ... good luck.

Terry S

Report them to http://www.RipOffReport.com

Dave

You don't need to worry about them getting notice. Once you file, they'll get a summons. If they don't show, that's better for you. Depending on how much money is at stake, you can either take them to small claims court (no lawyer) or you may have to take them to civil court. For that, you'll need an attorney. You also need to let the people that referred them to you know what a lousy job they did. When you go before the judge, take every slip of paper that your dealing with them has generated. Judges like paperwork and documentation. Remember, it's not what you say, it's what you can prove.

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