Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Minnesota

Housing

I live in a house my parents own and all the utilities are in my name.We rent out rooms in the house. 1 person moved out and had done extensive damage to property in the house. While leaving she also left something to be picked up at an extra cost by the garbage company. The garbage bill comes every 3 months. As a result of this and utilities being in my name, and the damage done to the property, the total amount she owed was not able to be determined until 7 weeks after she left. The amount she owed exceeded the damage deposit she gave at the beginning of the lease. She was sent a list of costs and copies of all bills and repair costs. She has now sued my parents for the amount she owed us (150% of the damage deposit) saying she is owed this money becuase she did not recieve her refund within 3 weeks. I would like to know what to expect in court and what is important and necessary to bring with in order to not have to pay her this money that she in actuality owes us (the part above her damage deposit) She was notified during the time she occupied the house how damage deposit refunds were handled at the time of leaving the property.

Thank you


Asked on 8/20/02, 1:19 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
David Kelly-952-544-6356 Kelly Law Office

Re: Housing

Your parents need to consult with a lawyer right away. They are playing with fire here and it's going to get worse not better. In addition to the penalties for which they are being sued, there are additional penalties for not refunding the deposit within so many days of being sued for it - so additional penalties may be added.

Besides that, nobody is much going to pay attention to the damage she did unless a counterclaim is filed on behalf of your parents, and I strongly suspect that has not been done.

I have heard a lot of bad stories from folks who get nailed with this stuff. They come in after it's too late. There's not much I can do by then. It's time for them to get to a lawyer now before there's nothing left of their rights at all.

This response is for general information purposes only and does not create an attorney-client relationship. You are advised to seek the advice of the attorney of your choice concerning the details of your case.

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Answered on 8/20/02, 1:28 pm


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