Scared of Landlord

My question involves landlord-tenant law in the State of: WI
My roommates and I have moved out of our apartment. Our landlord kept the security deposit of $1500. He came back two months later and requested an additional $1500. We paid him because he threatened that if we didn't he would garnish our wages and place a judgement against us to our employers, insurers, financial insituations and future landlords. While renting, we held a party that a neighbor complained to the police regarding noise and the police issued a noise violation ticket which we got reduced in front of a judge. After that the landlord came into our apartment when I was coming out of the shower and handed me an evicition notice. We were moving out anyway at the end of the month (which he knew) because he was raising the rent. I notified my parents that I was really scared of him because he had entered our apartment before without notice. My parents notifed the landlord to please relax as we were moving by the end of the month anyway. The landlord replied in an e-mail that we should hire personal body guards. My roommates and I can't afford a lawyer at $200/hour and neither can our parents. Is there something we can do?

not sure what you are looking to do. You state you have already moved out of the apartment and you gave him all the money he requested/demanded (why is beyond me but anyway), so I do not understand what you are looking for.

We're truly scared of him as to why we paid him. Could we take him to small claims court to recoup some of our money? He was threatening us if we didn't pay him by Sept 1.

Sure you can try but I have no idea if the demand for money was warranted or not. Why did he keep the deposit and why did he demand an additional $1500? It almost sounds like you skipped out on the lease early and that is money you owed for rent.

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Quoting Abela

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We paid him because he threatened that if we didn't he would garnish our wages and place a judgement against us to our employers, insurers, financial insituations and future landlords.

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If you're going to be a renter, you need to know that these are all things that a JUDGE can do in a COURT proceeding - NOT things that a landlord can do just because they feel like it. Two really big rules to learn are to (a) never listen to the legal opinion of your landlord in landlord/tenant issues, and (b) never listen to the legal opinion of a soon-to-be-ex in a divorce issue. In both cases, you're likely to hear a LOT of threats about what "they" are going to do to you - only a very small portion of which are within the power of that party to actually bring into being.

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the landlord came into our apartment when I was coming out of the shower and handed me an evicition notice. We were moving out anyway at the end of the month (which he knew) because he was raising the rent. I notified my parents that I was really scared of him because he had entered our apartment before without notice.

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Why are you notifying your parents? Unauthorized entry into your home is called a burglary, and that's why your tax dollars pay for police service. When people are entering your home without invitation or legal authority, you call 911 - even if it IS your landlord. Let the police show up and deal with the situation. NOT calling the police when the issue happened before only set the stage for him to continue doing it.

If the landlord thought you owed more money, you should have told him to sue you, in court, for any amounts or damages he sought. If you chose to just give it to him, rather than make him prove to a court that it was indeed owed to him, just gives him a quick mark in the "win" column. You can certainly attempt to go back now and sue him for a return of the amount, but if you willingly gave it to him without a fight, I don't anticipate the court ordering him to return it at this point.

No, the lease was month-to-month. We didn't skip out. We gave a notice. They haven't re-rented it yet, I'm assuming.

so, what was the justification for keeping the deposit and then the additional $1500?

Painting, carpet cleaning, and a window that was cracked. General cleaning (he says) including basement and attic (really?). Sounds like a case for a judge now that I'm writing it out. Doesn't that constitute normal wear and tear? I wonder what the cost would be to go to small claims court in Wisconsin? Do you know?