Q: Lost a restraining order lawsuit against someone and his lawyer filed a motion for me to pay his fees, what can I do?
this is in California, amount request 14k
A:
You have several options available to you:
1. Negotiate with the lawyer for the best terms you can get;
2. Hire and pay your own lawyer to defend the claim, in which case you'll most likely end up paying two lawyers;
3. Defend the case either with or without an attorney, and try to get to a settlement conference before the court or otherwise try to get the judge's help settling the claim on the best terms you can get; and, finally,
4. Get immediate legal counsel to advise you whether a bankruptcy petition might help you, or find other ways of dealing with the situation.
None of these options is very attractive, but the best advice I could give you is to talk to an attorney right away to see if the fee claim has possible merit and could succeed against you, or at least try and get some professional advice on what strategies are best for you under the circumstances.
Good luck to you.
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.
