Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Ohio

Re: A friend owes me money

You have to put your demand for payment in writing and hope that you get paid. If you did not put the loan in writing it is your word against hers that the loan was not a gift on acocunt of that OLD friendship. A judge will not force her to pay you back unless you can prove that the transfer of funds from you to her was a loan and not a gift. If she does not admit the loan and you have nothing in writing to show that it was a loan, you have a problem. Now, she might not be smart enough to know that...but if she gets legal advise as you just did, she will. Try to get her to send you some small payment that would evidence her understanding that the transfer was just a loan. And try to get her to sign something in writing that shows she knows she has to pay you back. If she's cunning she'll smell something wrong and not sign, but you might tell her that if she signs the writing you won't sue her...and then sue her when she does. First rule of friendship...don't loan money.