Q: My ex illegally evicted me, I was homeless for 4 months. Can I recover $6000 it cost me + pain, suffering in small claim
He was psychologically abusing me for months, when I finally confronted him about him intentionally changing our moving plans at the last possible moment, and postponing the move for ridiculous reasons, He left me in the desert 40 miles from anything. I had to hitchhike for hours and found him at a casino. He evicted me from our shared residence the next day, without filing any kind of paperwork or giving me notice. He put all of my things into 2 storage units, which would have fit in 1. He surrendered my 2 cats. I was homeless for about 4 months, and it cost about $6,000 to re-establish a residence.
A:
Yes, Texas recognizes a lawsuit for wrongful eviction. Because the damages are $20,000 or less, you should file this case as a small claim in the justice of the peace court where the premises are located. In JP court, you do not need an attorney. The cost of an attorney would ordinarily be more than such a small amount of damages.
Read up on what you must prove in order to show that your eviction was wrongful and on what evidence you will need to tender to prove your damages.
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