small claims

[scooby]

A year ago a family member asked to use a credit card for a certin ammount and said that they would pay it off in a couple of months.I agreed to this and lent this family member my credit card but, Not only have they not paid it off but they charged aprox $700.00 more than they had asked for. Now the credit card company is calling me every day wanting paid. my credit is all messed up because of this family member. I was told to pay it myself then take my family member to small claims court. All i have is the bill from this credit card company and it doesnt state exactly what was purchased just a general discription of the items and the cost. If I take this person to court how can I be sure I will get my money back? If I get a lawyer can they be sure to get my money and the cost of their services. can I also sue them for messing up my credit. I have begged this person to at least make the minimum payments and they refuse to do so. I dont know what else to do. I live in Alaska and so does this family member.

 

[David J. Miller]

Take the person to small claims court. Do as the credit card company suggested and pay the bill. Ultimately whether you win in small claims court or not, you will be responsible to pay this bill.

Do you have anyone who can attest to the agreement you made with this person? If so bring this person with you to small claims court to back your story.

Most likely your deadbeat relative will not go to court and you'll receive a default judgement. Don't count on this happening though. Go into court planning to proving your case. Judgements are good for 20 years so while you may not get paid anytime soon, someday that person is going to want to buy something and will not be able to until the judgement is satisfied. There is also interest that accrues on judgements so the debt will continue to increase.