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I agreed to pay too much

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fayesplease

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? VA

I promised somebody in writing that I would pay the amount they asked me for. I found out later that he gave a value of only 20 - 40% of what he is asking me to pay to someone else. Am I stuck paying too much or is there anything I can do? I have already paid 20% of what I promised to pay and I'm fine with that. Thanks.
 


TheGeekess

Keeper of the Kraken
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? VA

I promised somebody in writing that I would pay the amount they asked me for. I found out later that he gave a value of only 20 - 40% of what he is asking me to pay to someone else. Am I stuck paying too much or is there anything I can do? I have already paid 20% of what I promised to pay and I'm fine with that. Thanks.
Then you need to pay them what you promised in writing (aka a contract). :cool:
 

latigo

Senior Member
Then you need to pay them what you promised in writing (aka a contract). :cool:
Wow!

0NLY if the other party also agreed - IN WRITING - to accept the payment of such amount in full satisfaction of whatever it is/was for which the other party was demanding restitution!

(a/k/a “mutuality of obligation)
 

TheGeekess

Keeper of the Kraken
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? VA

I promised somebody in writing that I would pay the amount they asked me for. I found out later that he gave a value of only 20 - 40% of what he is asking me to pay to someone else. Am I stuck paying too much or is there anything I can do? I have already paid 20% of what I promised to pay and I'm fine with that. Thanks.
Wow!

0NLY if the other party also agreed - IN WRITING - to accept the payment of such amount in full satisfaction of whatever it is/was for which the other party was demanding restitution!

(a/k/a “mutuality of obligation)
Alrighty then. :cool:
 

BL

Senior Member
It sounds like there's more than 2 peas in this pod.

Why would you agree with this person to pay another person ?

Explain the situation .
 

latigo

Senior Member
It sounds like there's more than 2 peas in this pod.

Why would you agree with this person to pay another person ?

Explain the situation .
I can't explain it. But your humorous footnote (which I will originate some opportune time) brings reminiscence about one particular recalcitrant, non-owned shaggy-dog.
_____________

Years ago we had a family Chesapeake retriever (ducks/geese/chickens and any variety of an absent famer's farm yard fowel). Purchased 3 years prior for my daughters 5th birthday – wanted a back Lab, but none available at the time.

One late afternoon I received a call from Max, a dear family friend (routinely heavily into screw-top, fermented fruit juice by that time of day)-

Gruffly announcing that “our” Chesapeake was in his alley upending garbage cans. So I put the phone down and looked to see “Abe” asleep in his kennel.

When I got back to the phone it were “dead” and “busy” and prayed that Max weren’t busy getting dead by interrupting the unknown dog’s meal – before I drove the 20 minutes to his house.

Too late! Max was on his way to ER to get his T. shot and his forearm stitched back together.

(But this Chessie was a piker. Abe would have chewed up both arms.)
 

OHRoadwarrior

Senior Member
Perhaps they felt you had a greater obligation or means to pay. These are risks you run, when you agree to something without qualification.
 

swalsh411

Senior Member
I would also like to know why the OP agreed to pay this person a certain amount for "damages". If the amount was unconscionable, or agreed to under duress or coercion, there may be valid reason to void or amend the contract.
 

fayesplease

Junior Member
Hello. Thank you all for your replies. I'm sorry I didn't include enough information in my post.

I started an unpaid internship. My mentor let me use his client's property but I made a mistake and ended up owing money within a week after I started my internship. The amount certainly pains me and I did feel that he was probably taking advantage by trying to get me to pay right away which he began doing two business days after I made my mistake. My first payment offer of 4% a month for 25 months was probably too low anyway so I don't blame him for rejecting it. My second offer was 10% a month for 10 months and he said he would run that by his clients. I guess they didn't accept that because it was either the same day or the next day that he resumed talking about how I needed to pay all the money right away. I came up with a third payment option on my own. Three payments of 10%, 10%, and 80% over two months and began to pay within two weeks. I didn't know until after I'd made the second payment a month later that he probably asked me to pay too much. I only found out because I have been using this two months to try to find a solution before the final payment is due.

Perhaps they felt you had a greater obligation or means to pay. These are risks you run, when you agree to something without qualification.
He knows I had money to pay since he had asked if I would invest in his business and I said I would in September. I told him I'm getting money in September and I guess he expected me to try to access that money a few weeks early but in the end I refused to do that. I tried to ask my lawyer about this but the person that answered the phone told me that my lawyer doesn't handle these types of cases. He helped me do the paperwork when I started my business and that's really the only contact I've ever had with him. This weekend I saw on his website that he does handle small claims cases so I emailed him. He hadn't gotten back to me Monday or Tuesday so I called him earlier today. I just called him again. The person who answered the phone says he's been in meetings and closings all day long.

I would also like to know why the OP agreed to pay this person a certain amount for "damages". If the amount was unconscionable, or agreed to under duress or coercion, there may be valid reason to void or amend the contract.
I agreed to pay because I knew I messed up and I felt he was entitled to be compensated. I don't know about duress or coercion. He tried to make me feel bad by saying his clients were pressuring him to pay them for their property and his contracts would be in danger if he didn't get the money from me so he could pay them. I did feel bad and verbally promised to pay him all the money within two weeks but I went back on my word anyway. When I gave him the first payment and my notarized promise to pay he tried to say his clients wanted him to give them my name so they could come after me for the money but that didn't scare me and I told him to just give them my name and I would pay the money directly to them on the exact same timetable. He then said he would use his own money and my first payment to pay the client to get them off his back and that the rest of my payments would be going to pay him back. He did insist that I use his client's property in the first place but I should've just stood my ground and said I would obtain and use my own.

I feel like there might have been other times that I could've come out of this saga having to pay less but I missed those opportunities. That's why I want to know if his telling someone else that his real damages are less than half of what he's asking me to pay means anything for me, or if I'm stuck since I already wrote a letter saying I would pay the amount he asked for.
 

Antigone*

Senior Member
Hello. Thank you all for your replies. I'm sorry I didn't include enough information in my post.

I started an unpaid internship. My mentor let me use his client's property but I made a mistake and ended up owing money within a week after I started my internship. The amount certainly pains me and I did feel that he was probably taking advantage by trying to get me to pay right away which he began doing two business days after I made my mistake. My first payment offer of 4% a month for 25 months was probably too low anyway so I don't blame him for rejecting it. My second offer was 10% a month for 10 months and he said he would run that by his clients. I guess they didn't accept that because it was either the same day or the next day that he resumed talking about how I needed to pay all the money right away. I came up with a third payment option on my own. Three payments of 10%, 10%, and 80% over two months and began to pay within two weeks. I didn't know until after I'd made the second payment a month later that he probably asked me to pay too much. I only found out because I have been using this two months to try to find a solution before the final payment is due.



He knows I had money to pay since he had asked if I would invest in his business and I said I would in September. I told him I'm getting money in September and I guess he expected me to try to access that money a few weeks early but in the end I refused to do that. I tried to ask my lawyer about this but the person that answered the phone told me that my lawyer doesn't handle these types of cases. He helped me do the paperwork when I started my business and that's really the only contact I've ever had with him. This weekend I saw on his website that he does handle small claims cases so I emailed him. He hadn't gotten back to me Monday or Tuesday so I called him earlier today. I just called him again. The person who answered the phone says he's been in meetings and closings all day long.



I agreed to pay because I knew I messed up and I felt he was entitled to be compensated. I don't know about duress or coercion. He tried to make me feel bad by saying his clients were pressuring him to pay them for their property and his contracts would be in danger if he didn't get the money from me so he could pay them. I did feel bad and verbally promised to pay him all the money within two weeks but I went back on my word anyway. When I gave him the first payment and my notarized promise to pay he tried to say his clients wanted him to give them my name so they could come after me for the money but that didn't scare me and I told him to just give them my name and I would pay the money directly to them on the exact same timetable. He then said he would use his own money and my first payment to pay the client to get them off his back and that the rest of my payments would be going to pay him back. He did insist that I use his client's property in the first place but I should've just stood my ground and said I would obtain and use my own.

I feel like there might have been other times that I could've come out of this saga having to pay less but I missed those opportunities. That's why I want to know if his telling someone else that his real damages are less than half of what he's asking me to pay means anything for me, or if I'm stuck since I already wrote a letter saying I would pay the amount he asked for.
I still don't get it. Did you damage property?
 

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