Q: Legal actions for verbal house purchase and threats.
I bought a house from a friend through a verbal agreement and paid him $18,000. He was supposed to pay the back taxes, but he didn't fulfill this obligation, and now I'm at risk of losing the house due to unpaid taxes. I also discovered that he didn't own the property nor was it in his name. He promised to get a contract but never did. Moreover, he has threatened me and tried to hire my friend to burn down the house with me in it. I have text messages where he offers 10% of the insurance money to someone to carry out these threats. What legal actions can I take?
A:
If the conveyance was by a warranty deed, the seller breached one or more warranties and you could sue to enforce the warranties. There may be a claim for breach of contract as well.
The criminal matter should be referred to the police. You could sue him based upon the threats of arson and murder, but I suggest that the seller belong in prison where he will be less able to arrange for you to be murdered.
A:
OK -- what a mess. If you "bought" a house with a 'verbal agreement', you didn't really buy the house. A sale of Real Estate REQUIRES a written document. Did you even get a deed?
I concur to the extent there are threats of criminal activity, you need to contact the police especially if you can actually prove that. For now, all I would suggest is that you contact a LOCAL attorney, sit down with whatever documentation you have and see if there isn't something you can do. But it doesn't look good.
Good luck,
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