Q: What are the legal options in order to force a freelance client to pay me the money that they agree they owe?
I have a freelance client that agrees that she owes me $220. I wrote a set of articles for my client. They were supposed to be paid for within 30 days of submission date (Jan). After I wrote the articles she stopped answering my emails. I kept emailing her in December to get the best email address for invoicing. It took her about a month to respond. I had to send her messages on Twitter, and on her company website in order to get her to respond. Since then she has said every week, and sometimes several days in a week that she will send payment or partial payment. She never does and the next day I send her an email asking her to pay me. Then she promises to pay again. Basically every day for 3 months she made promises of payment. I have everything in writing, do I have any legal options? I realize that it's not a lot of money, but it's money I worked for and keep getting lied to about.
A:
The fact summary sets out a “quantum meruit” claim, or “unjust enrichment.”
A written agreement and evidence of breach has a higher chance of success, but her email admission of the claim can be presented in small claims court, where you should file this case. Request all of your losses and costs as damages.
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