Q: If I object to the referee’s decision not to attach any monetary value to my default judgment, would a judge overturn it
I got a default judgment in conciliation court; however, the referee did not attach any monetary value to the judgment. It was a contract between the defendant and me stating I would receive 80% of the profit on my four rental cars each month, and he would receive 20%. The cars were under the business’s name. He only paid me the first year, 2022. He gave me a 1099 for 2022, and I paid taxes on my profit of $14,000. The referee cited the Minnesota Statue of Frauds as a reason for not awarding me any compensation on the default judgment. I looked up the statue and discovered a breach of contract had to be in writing. The defendant and I had an oral agreement. Because this was conciliation court, the defendant never answered the complaint or showed up for the hearing, doesn’t the referee have to decide the case on my merits alone? Should I file an objection to the referee’s decision , or is it unlikely the judge would overturn the referee’s decision for $0 compensation? Suit was $20,000
A: The SOF means the contract needed to be in writing not the breach of the contract. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/513
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