Is if it is financially of benefit to me to file suit and pay for an attorney, if an e-roommate owes me $1080?
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Is if it is financially of benefit to me to file suit and pay for an attorney, if an e-roommate owes me $1080?
I an on a lease with a girl who lived with me for 2.5 months. She has moved out and never paid any rent or utilities. She will not communicate with me on a way to pay me back and I an interested in taking her to court. There is no way to get her name off of the lease. I have record through my bank statements and money order receipts that I have been paying everything including her half of all rent and utilities.
Asked on December 7, 2012 under Real Estate Law, Texas
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
Your best bet, for that amount of money, is probably to act as your own attorney and file your suit in small claims court. While lawyers vary in what they charge, assume that a reasonable rate is between $100 and $150 per hour. Assume that if the lawyer files the summons and complaint, does some preparation, and then appears in court, it will total to 3 - 5 hours of work. You will likely incur costs of $300 (3 hours at $100) to $750 (5 hours at $150) for the chance (since a lawsuit is never certain--and even if you win, you still have to collect) to win $1,080. That's not necessarily a good bet.
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