Can I sue?

[dam4l]

I am living in Florida and I got myself into a bad situation with a roommate. She needed a cheap place to stay so my girlfriend and I allowed her to move in with us, knowing that it would just be a temporary arrangement. We did not add her to the lease and all the bills are in my name. We made a verbal agreement for her to pay $300 a month in rent and 1/3 of the bills (utility and cable). During her 4 month stay, she was late giving us money for bills, and got into an accident in my girlfriends car. She agreed to pay the $250 insurance deductible to have the car repaired. The roommate found a new place to live and gave us 2 weeks notice. At that time, we made a list of money she needed to pay for the bills and the money for the car. I showed it to the roommate and asked her to please pay before she moved out.
On the day of the move the roommate said that she was just going to run to the bank and come back to clean her room and bathroom, return our key, and give us the $400 owed for bills and the damage to the car. That was the last time that I heard from her. I made several attempts to call her for several days after she moved and finally gave up once I realized that she was just simply not going to give us the money.
So, can my girlfriend and I take her to small claims court? Would she be responsible for the money she owes us? Can we sue her for the entire cost of the car repair, including what was paid by the insurance company? What can I do????

 

[Betty]

Yes, you can sue her in small claims court for what she owes you though it would have been best if you had an agreement in writing. Regarding the car - you can sue her for the deductible she was to pay but not what the ins. co. paid to repair the car -- you would be getting pd. twice.