Q: What steps do I need to take to sue someone in a different state
Old roommate broke lease when we moved out a month early, we paid rent to her for last month of lease and she moved out right after us breaking the lease which she was also on, we were sued and had to pay full amount plus interest and fees as she moved to California
A:
You don't have to sue her in California, you only have to get her served there. You can sue her in Utah. I would suggest going through the small claims court here. If you know where she lives, then file suit here, hire a process server to serve her the summons and complaint, if she doesn't respond you get a default judgement, then you will either have to collect here if she has assets (banks locally or has some real estate here) or domesticate it in California and collect there. The transaction arose here in Utah, so you can sue them here. Depending on how much money it is, I might say that it isn't worth the trouble.
I hope this helps.
A: You can sue them here and if you win, you can take the judgment to California to request that a local court there enforce the judgment. If they do, then you will have a California judgment, which hopefully follows the same laws as Utah, allowing you to garnish their wages in California.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
