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scor702002 · Jan 13, 2011, 11:51 AM

A few years ago I bought my mothers home with an agreement to let my brother stay. I gave him a list of bills that we would split and there were no intentions from him of leaving that was the only way I could afford the home from his money. He was fired from one job for a positive drug test and was not working for 3 months where I had to pay his half. When he got a new job part of employmentwas after a year of employment he can get free apt. Well the year comes and he doesn't say anything a out leaving until 2 WEEKS. Now I lost the home to short sale and have negative credit report. What can I do about him having to take responsibility about this.

smoothy · Jan 13, 2011, 11:53 AM

You can try and sue him for what he owed... but as you know... the damage is already done.

scor702002 · Jan 17, 2011, 01:06 PM

Can I sue? I live in nj so what are laws as far as suing him. I have a log of all the bills and payments given to me. Plus tesimony from him saying he did stay w me and wasn't working for 3 months. Think I have a chance?

smoothy · Jan 18, 2011, 05:50 AM

Look at it this way... your chances of winning remain zero until and unless you take some action.

And incidentally, I know two brothers that were in a somewhat similar situation. One was irresponsible... the other was very responsible... the house was equally divided between the bothers, the irresponsible one lived there, ran up bills, managed to take out a second mortgage which being an irresponsible person.. he failed to pay for. THe bank took the house and as a result the one brother screwed the second brother out of his inheritance.

You have to act on your own best interest here because its clear your brother couldn't care less about it.

Unfortunately it's a lose - lose situation... you would be suing you brother after all... and if you don't , you brother will be ripping you off.

Being Drugs are involved... I say sue him. Maybe it will be the wakeup call he needs to get his own life in order. Because he clearly doesn't care about anything his... much less what is someone else's.

AK lawyer · Jan 18, 2011, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by scor702002

... now I lost the home to short sale and have negative credit report. ...

Originally Posted by smoothy

You can try and sue him for what he owed....but as you know...the damage is already done.

I seriously doubt that you will be able to recover for a "negative credit report". You might, if you can prove it, get a judgment against him for money he should have paid and which you had to pay instead.

Fr_Chuck · Jan 18, 2011, 08:45 PM

I will assume you owned the house with only your name on the deed. So brother is just a renter and should have been treated as such. Is your agreement for him to pay certain bills in writing ?