Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Florida

I am being sued in small claims court and the plantiff is saying that we made a trade and I owed him a balance of $800.00. we made a trade for a boatmotor and I was giving him a boat. when in fact it was suppose to be an even trade. there was no documentation about this trade we made. he made many repairs on the boat and in fact the boat had alot of work and he purchased the products for repairing the boat. he now has his boatmotor back and i have my boat. but now he is suing me for 5,000.00 b/c he claims that i should pay him for the repairs he made on the boat, and the work he put in on it and the work he put in on a motor home that i had(that was being stored on my property and wasnt even mine).I never hired him and i never made any deals that i would pay him any balance.we now have our stuff back...is this legal/legitimate claim he is making? do i need a lawyer? i really cant afford one..........


Asked on 12/24/10, 8:44 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Shelly Schellenberg MI & FL private practice

If he can prove that you were unjustly enriched, at his expense, he may have a case. With all the "he saids" and all the back and forth of this transaction, it's not likely that any court will be able to make heads or tails of your case. You can each tell your side of the story to the judge. The judge will decide whose version makes the most sense. Small claims court is for folks who cannot afford an attorney, when you go before the court just remember: Keep it simple.

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Answered on 12/29/10, 9:40 am


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