Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Wisconsin

My daughter recently had a wedding reception at a large hotel. The wedding representative at the hotel had the wrong plate count and said he would take care of the refund after the wedding. In addition, pre-wedding meeting he esablished a room discount for all guests at the wedding and the guests just needed to give the brides last name. We were embarrased when the clerk refused to give the discount and the wedding representative was nowhere to be found the next day since it was his day off. He did not even return phone messages. In addition, the ballroom was to be made available at 8:00 AM the day of the wedding for decorating by our people. It was not available because it was a mess from a wedding the night before. We did not get access until 10:30 AM causing several relatives to miss the church ceremony. Lastly, there was a disturbance at the hotel and hotel staff made a false claim that one of the wedding guests hit somone with a car that caused police to storm a room with a senior citizen who was in bed causing severe anguish. This can be verified with a police incident report. I want to litigate this case and need to know if I have a case.


Asked on 9/16/09, 10:39 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Jonathan Safran Samster, Konkel & Safran, S.C.

My first question would be whether you had a contract which spelled at the issues of the plate count, room discount, and room availability time. If there was a written agreeement and contract, and if they violated the contract, you certainly have a claim to bring. I would first speak with hotel management about this issue to see if it can be worked out without the need for litigation by a law suit. However, you can sue in Small Claims Court in Wisconsin,without an attorney, and the maximum recovery is $5,000.00. If the claim is for more than the $5,000.00 you will be forced to proceed in Large Claims Court and will need to have an attorney to represent you. If there was a contract involved, there is normally a six-year statute of limitations which requires you to settle your claims or commence suit within six years from the date of the contract breach.

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Answered on 9/21/09, 1:42 pm


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