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needyman
Jan 21, 2010, 05:28 PM
I have a judgement against me for 4k. And that's only because I missed the court date.This case is over a year old now. I could have paid most of the judgment by now. But plaintiff's attorney won't allow me to pay unless I agree to pay the attorney fees. Which I have told the attorney that I absolutely will not pay. . I want to pay the plaintiff but this attorney won.t tell his client or the court what the real issue is. What should I tell the court next time I go to court?

Fr_Chuck
Jan 21, 2010, 05:54 PM
?? You have to pay exactly what the court order says you will pay, not a penny more, not a penny less.

Have you even gotten a copy of the actual judgement they won ? If the court ordered you to pay attorney fees you will be paying them also.

JudyKayTee
Jan 22, 2010, 07:31 AM
The Court ordered legal fees - that's standard.

It's not your decision what to pay or not pay.

I don't understand why there's a "next time" appearance if the Judgment has already been granted.

this8384
Jan 22, 2010, 09:12 AM
I have a judgement against me for 4k. And that's only because I missed the court date.This case is over a year old now. I could have paid most of the judgment by now. But plaintiff's attorney won't allow me to pay unless I agree to pay the attorney fees. Which I have told the attorney that I absolutely will not pay . . I want to pay the plaintiff but this attorney won.t tell his client or the court what the real issue is. what should I tell the court next time I go to court?

As everyone else has pointed out, you're not making sense.

The attorney does not dictate what you can or cannot pay. You cannot dictate what you will or will not pay. The judge ordered you to pay a set amount - if the attorney's fees are a part of that, then you owe it.

You may think it's unfair, but you should have gone to court to argue your case. It's too late now.

AK lawyer
Jan 22, 2010, 10:28 AM
The Court ordered legal fees - that's standard.

Standard if the contract being enforced provides for it, I believe.

JudyKayTee
Jan 22, 2010, 10:54 AM
Standard if the contract being enforced provides for it, I believe.


I've never seen one that doesn't - perhaps you have.

this8384
Jan 22, 2010, 11:26 AM
Standard if the contract being enforced provides for it, I believe.

Depends on state law. My state allows the plaintiff to be awarded attorneys fees - without a contract.

AK lawyer
Jan 22, 2010, 11:47 AM
Depends on state law. My state allows the plaintiff to be awarded attorneys fees - without a contract.

Mine too. But I was under the impression that this is the exception, not the rule.


...
The state of Alaska has followed a loser-pays system for decades.
...
In the mid-1990s, both Oregon and Oklahoma enacted statutes that applied loser-pays principles to significant categories of litigation in their state courts.
... PointofLaw.com | Loser Pays (http://www.pointoflaw.com/loserpays/overview.php)
American rule - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_rule)

this8384
Jan 22, 2010, 11:52 AM
Mine too. But I was under the impression that this is the exception, not the rule.

PointofLaw.com | Loser Pays (http://www.pointoflaw.com/loserpays/overview.php)
American rule - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_rule)

And you are, once again, making assumptions about the OP's location and starting needless arguments on the law boards.

Clearly, it is legal in the OP's case as the plaintiff's attorney is demanding that the fees be paid by the defendant/OP. The attorney isn't stupid enough to try and scam one guy out of a few hundred dollars... are you kidding?

JudyKayTee
Jan 22, 2010, 12:55 PM
If I posted that the sky was blue AK would post that sometimes it's grey. Without making assumptions what would there be to argue about?

this8384
Jan 22, 2010, 12:57 PM
If I posted that the sky was blue AK would post that sometimes it's grey. Without making assumptions what would there be to argue about?

... stuff :)

AK lawyer
Jan 22, 2010, 01:43 PM
And you are, once again, making assumptions about the OP's location and starting needless arguments on the law boards.

Clearly, it is legal in the OP's case as the plaintiff's attorney is demanding that the fees be paid by the defendant/OP. The attorney isn't stupid enough to try and scam one guy out of a few hundred dollars....are you kidding?

The OP is resisting payment of this judgment mainly because of the attorney's fees. What this board is all about is to let him know whether his position is justified. Some have suggested that, no, an award of attorney's fees is standard. That's not accurate. Unless there is a contract which provides for attorney's fees (which we don't know), or it is one of the relatively few states which allow the prevailing party to recover attorney's fees (which, again, we don't know), it's doubtful that a judgment should have awarded attorney's fees.

In fact, it is not even clear that attorney's fees were awarded in the judgment. A close reading of the OP's post would suggest that the plaintiff's attorney may be attempting to gouge the OP for fees not awarded in the judgment.

this8384
Jan 22, 2010, 01:44 PM
The OP is resisting payment of this judgment mainly because of the attorney's fees. What this board is all about is to let him know whether his position is justified. Some have suggested that, no, an award of attorney's fees is standard. That's not accurate. Unless there is a contract which provides for attorney's fees (which we don't know), or it is one of the relatively few states which allow the prevailing party to recover attorney's fees (which, again, we don't know), it's doubtful that a judgment should have awarded attorney's fees.

In fact, it is not even clear that attorney's fees were awarded in the judgment. A close reading of the OP's post would suggest that the plaintiff's attorney may be attempting to gouge the OP for fees not awarded in the judgment.

And as I already said, the attorney would have to be a moron to try and steal something as measly as a few hundred dollars.

And I don't read what you do in the OP's post. I see that he doesn't want to pay the fees, not the he doesn't have to.

JudyKayTee
Jan 22, 2010, 02:17 PM
In fact, it is not even clear that attorney's fees were awarded in the judgment. A close reading of the OP's post would suggest that the plaintiff's attorney may be attempting to gouge the OP for fees not awarded in the judgment.


Where do you read that this is attempt to gouge?

this8384
Jan 22, 2010, 02:26 PM
I have a judgement against me for 4k. And that's only because I missed the court date.This case is over a year old now. I could have paid most of the judgment by now. But plaintiff's attorney won't allow me to pay unless I agree to pay the attorney fees. Which I have told the attorney that I absolutely will not pay .BECAUSE I THINK HE'S TRYING TO GOUGE ME . I want to pay the plaintiff but this attorney won.t tell his client or the court what the real issue is. what should I tell the court next time I go to court?

Oh, there it is... silly us :)