Originally Posted by
Night Crawler
Not true all it cost is 150 $ or so to file a civil suite. A lawyer to handle it would be under a grand. If he one the guy that screwed him would pay all fees as well as money owed.
I know I just went through one.
Plaintiff files suit.. Filing costs $150
Lawyer charges $1000 for 4hrs of his time at an average of $250/hr.
Plaintiff answers lawsuit contesting it.
Judge orders pretrial negotiations to attempt to resolve it early.
Plaintiff's delays pretrial for whatever stupid reason they can come up with.
Lawyer asks for another $1000.
Pretrial negotiations take place with no result.
Then we have discovery and depositions.
Lawyer says its going to drag out for a bit more.. Need another $5000.
See where this is going? I comes down to the state laws.. In states where the loser must pay winners legal fees, this crap doesn't happen... but in states where each side is responsible for their own fees, it is the rule, not the exception.
And, if the defendant has a relative or good friend who is a lawyer, then you're really screwed.
Our legal system is a joke.. the only lawsuits that work are those in the high five figures or more. Under $10k? Forget it...