I had filed a suit against my old roommate about 2-3 weeks ago. She did not pay for about 3 months of rent, and she caused over $1000 worth of damages to the apartment.
1) I know I can sue her for the rent she didn't pay (which is what I did), but I'm assuming there is no way of me suing her for the full amount of damages? Am I correct to think that I am stuck paying for half of it? I don't know how to prove I didn't do them, besides having a witness with me (and I could bring one if it would make a difference).
2) I don't believe that she'll actually pay me, even if the court tells her to. I was recently told that all they can do is tell her to pay me, but they don't follow up and make sure she did. Is there a way I could request they garnish her wages, instead of getting the full amount at once? I feel that is the only way that my money is guaranteed.
3) She even said she didn't have any intention of giving me my money back (via text message). Should I print out the text and bring it, or will that even make a difference?
4) I know I should bring a copy of the lease, a copy of the payment history, and the receipt for the damages I paid for. Should I highlight the times I paid for her? There is some math involved (adding and subtracting) to try to figure out the final balance due. How should I go about showing that?
5) Is there anything else I should bring?
6) Is there anything else I should know?
7) Can/should I bring somebody with me?
8) How should I present my case to the judge?
Thank you so much in advance for taking your time and effort to read and answer this. I will appreciate any information you give me.
1) I know I can sue her for the rent she didn't pay (which is what I did), but I'm assuming there is no way of me suing her for the full amount of damages? Am I correct to think that I am stuck paying for half of it? I don't know how to prove I didn't do them, besides having a witness with me (and I could bring one if it would make a difference).
2) I don't believe that she'll actually pay me, even if the court tells her to. I was recently told that all they can do is tell her to pay me, but they don't follow up and make sure she did. Is there a way I could request they garnish her wages, instead of getting the full amount at once? I feel that is the only way that my money is guaranteed.
3) She even said she didn't have any intention of giving me my money back (via text message). Should I print out the text and bring it, or will that even make a difference?
4) I know I should bring a copy of the lease, a copy of the payment history, and the receipt for the damages I paid for. Should I highlight the times I paid for her? There is some math involved (adding and subtracting) to try to figure out the final balance due. How should I go about showing that?
5) Is there anything else I should bring?
6) Is there anything else I should know?
7) Can/should I bring somebody with me?
8) How should I present my case to the judge?
Thank you so much in advance for taking your time and effort to read and answer this. I will appreciate any information you give me.
