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Should i sue? Im 19 i need help asap!!!!!

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BaileyOrdoyne

Junior Member
Should I Sue in small claims court in Louisiana?
I recently was given a life insurance policy of 14,000 dollars. Me being only 19 and recently kick out of home, I moved in with an older male role model of mine who was there for me when I need a place to stay. Well when the policy came I didn't have a bank account to put it in. So me and the guy I was staying with went to the bank and set one up. Now I did put him on my account but I thought it was only if something happen to me he could take the money out. Well a day or two went on, I paid some bills, bought a new TV and some other things. I checked my online bank register and he wrote a cash check for $10,000 to himself!!! Now when I found out I confronted him and a verbal fight when on and I ended up being kicked out. About 5 days went by and he deposited a check for $6,900 and then the next day he deposited $100 cash. So when I question him via text he said "You got your money" Well finally I got in touch with him on the phone and a police answer and told me I can't keep asking him about the other $3,000. So I asked the police officer about it he told me that he(the guy I stayed with) said $3,000 was for damage to his house. Now while I stayed at his home for a month, I re-painted the room I was staying in and he asked me to pull the carpet out so I did. We had a dog there too. The dog belong to one of his friends who couldn't keep it. Now one morning when I woke up to go to work I saw the dog on the sofa, when I came home that when the guy I stayed with said the dog chewed the sofa. All I said was, "okay" I told myself its not my dog so its not my problem. That's is the ONLY thing that was wrong with the house while I was sleeping there.
What should I do?
 


Proserpina

Senior Member
Should I Sue in small claims court in Louisiana?
I recently was given a life insurance policy of 14,000 dollars. Me being only 19 and recently kick out of home, I moved in with an older male role model of mine who was there for me when I need a place to stay. Well when the policy came I didn't have a bank account to put it in. So me and the guy I was staying with went to the bank and set one up. Now I did put him on my account but I thought it was only if something happen to me he could take the money out. Well a day or two went on, I paid some bills, bought a new TV and some other things. I checked my online bank register and he wrote a cash check for $10,000 to himself!!! Now when I found out I confronted him and a verbal fight when on and I ended up being kicked out. About 5 days went by and he deposited a check for $6,900 and then the next day he deposited $100 cash. So when I question him via text he said "You got your money" Well finally I got in touch with him on the phone and a police answer and told me I can't keep asking him about the other $3,000. So I asked the police officer about it he told me that he(the guy I stayed with) said $3,000 was for damage to his house. Now while I stayed at his home for a month, I re-painted the room I was staying in and he asked me to pull the carpet out so I did. We had a dog there too. The dog belong to one of his friends who couldn't keep it. Now one morning when I woke up to go to work I saw the dog on the sofa, when I came home that when the guy I stayed with said the dog chewed the sofa. All I said was, "okay" I told myself its not my dog so its not my problem. That's is the ONLY thing that was wrong with the house while I was sleeping there.
What should I do?

I'm not entirely sure why you need help; you basically allowed him to use the money within the joint account as he saw fit. You're lucky he's not keeping the entire amount - he appears to have the legal right to do so.

What is your end goal here?
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
I agree that the older gentleman did not commit a criminal act. That does not however, mean that he is free from civil liability.

You need to take that money out of that bank account ASAP (and close the account) and set up a new bank account in your name only.

You then can sue him in small claims court for the return of the $3000.00. You may not win that suit, but its worth a try. He knew that he was on the account for emergency purposes only. He knew that the money was yours. He may then counter sue you for the alleged damages, but he will have to prove those damages and if he proves them, prove that they were worth 3000.00.
 

BaileyOrdoyne

Junior Member
I agree that the older gentleman did not commit a criminal act. That does not however, mean that he is free from civil liability.

You need to take that money out of that bank account ASAP (and close the account) and set up a new bank account in your name only.

You then can sue him in small claims court for the return of the $3000.00. You may not win that suit, but its worth a try. He knew that he was on the account for emergency purposes only. He knew that the money was yours. He may then counter sue you for the alleged damages, but he will have to prove those damages and if he proves them, prove that they were worth 3000.00.
I'm try but I don't want it to cost me $3,000 to win $3,000. Like I said the damages done were by a friends of his dog to the sofa.
 

BaileyOrdoyne

Junior Member
I agree that the older gentleman did not commit a criminal act. That does not however, mean that he is free from civil liability.

You need to take that money out of that bank account ASAP (and close the account) and set up a new bank account in your name only.

You then can sue him in small claims court for the return of the $3000.00. You may not win that suit, but its worth a try. He knew that he was on the account for emergency purposes only. He knew that the money was yours. He may then counter sue you for the alleged damages, but he will have to prove those damages and if he proves them, prove that they were worth 3000.00.
And, I'd like to point out that the guy on the phone wasn't a cop.
I wish you were right but I know it was a cop because me and the cop on the phone grew up together
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
I wish you were right but I know it was a cop because me and the cop on the phone grew up together
Then you likely have a valid complaint with the department. What he did was outside the bounds of his professional duties.
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
I'm try but I don't want it to cost me $3,000 to win $3,000. Like I said the damages done were by a friends of his dog to the sofa.
Small claims court does not have those kinds of fees. I might cost a couple hundred, but that is all.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
Small claims court does not have those kinds of fees. I might cost a couple hundred, but that is all.
Heck, in Shreveport (as an example), the fee to file is $66 + $50 for each additional defendant beyond the first.

http://www.shreveportla.gov/index.aspx?NID=1044
 

eerelations

Senior Member
OP thinks he needs to hire an attorney. OP, you don't need to hire an attorney.

(Aside - at 19 I certainly knew what "joint account" meant, heck I knew what it meant when I was 12!)
 
Small claims lawsuits can be initiated for somewhere between 50 and 100 dollars in most States. Sounds like your best route. Don't ever open a joint bank account with anyone else unless you intend on them having the same rights to the money as you do.
 

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
Small claims lawsuits can be initiated for somewhere between 50 and 100 dollars in most States. Sounds like your best route. Don't ever open a joint bank account with anyone else unless you intend on them having the same rights to the money as you do.
OP got the actual cost to file for his specific state in an earlier post.
 

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