• FreeAdvice has a new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, effective May 25, 2018.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our Terms of Service and use of cookies.

Verbal contract - collecting money

Accident - Bankruptcy - Criminal Law / DUI - Business - Consumer - Employment - Family - Immigration - Real Estate - Tax - Traffic - Wills   Please click a topic or scroll down for more.

M

Motor11

Guest
What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?This question refers to small claims in Louisiana.

Three years ago, friends who had just come into money attempted to give us a beautiful dining room table as a gift (they received a sizable sum due to an on-the-job injury, and the friend knew that my wife loved the table). I felt that this was too extravagent and did not accept the gift, much to my wife's chagrin. They bought the table anyways and insisted that we take it (they claimed that it could not be returned and they had no use for it). We eventually agreed to buy the table (as opposed to simply accepting it as a gift) and made a large intital payment as well as numerous smaller payment over time -some of these transactions were cash and there is no record of them. We did however pay all the monies owing on this table.

Recently, my wife and this friend had a falling out. Now they are demanding money for the unpaid portion of the table (to the tune of $600). We did pay for the table in full. This was completely a 'handshake' type agreement. We have been contacted by their lawyer and I suspect we will be asked to go to court.

Note that there are really no written records for this transaction, not the initial agreement, and not the various payments to our friends over the course of about a year.

We received a letter from their lawyer stating what is owed. I suspect this is an intimidation tactic, but what are my options? Is the court likely to rocognize the payments that were made in cash or am I likely going to have to pay the amount that they are asking?

Thanks for your help,
Ryan
 



Find the Right Lawyer for Your Legal Issue!

Fast, Free, and Confidential
data-ad-format="auto">
Top