Q: Should I have to pay attorney fees from a case that was dismissed, from a crime I was falsely accused of out of spite?
My ex boyfriend lied to the police and accused me of a crime I didn't commit. His family lied and said they watched me do it, because he was angry with me at the time. I told police I was nowhere near the place when the crime occurred, and there was no way that it was me, and for the third time, he was only trying to get me in trouble out of anger. I ended up going to court, fighting the charges, and right before it went to trial, the person who actually committed the crime fessed up to it, and my ex's mother admitted to investigators that she lied to the police about seeing me commit the crime, so the case was dismissed. Now I am being sent a bill for $500, that is being sent to collections because I have no income and can't pay for a court appointed attorney for a crime that I didn't commit. How is this right? Is there anything I can do to stop it from ruining my credit? Shouldn't the people who lied have to pay? This has happened more than once. How is this fair? What can I do?
A: If the people who lied are not judgment proof, perhaps you could file a malicious prosecution action against them, if such a cause is available in your jurisdiction. The problem with that is that you will probably have to pay an attorney to do this.
A: You might be able to sue them, but it would probably take much more attorney fees than the $500 you already owe.
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