My question involves landlord-tenant law in the State of: Virginia
I live in virginia, and my landlord won't return my $600 deposit. I moved out upon termination of the lease having payed all of my rent on time. after 90 days of not receiving my deposit, i had a local clerk send a certified letter saying that i needed to be informed of damages, or have my deposit returned. she replied and said she was sending my deposit, but it never came. I filed a suit against her in small claims court and she hired a lawyer, so i enlisted a free lawyer as well. now all of a sudden, more than a year after the fact, my former landlord is sending me a list of charges for repairs to damages that never happened. the letter is dated for the day that my lease terminated (despite referencing a later date within the text.) and is clearly falsified. i've spoken with a former roommate who renewed the lease for another year. she said no repairs were ever attempted and that she had never seen a list of damages. Based on fraudulent evidence, my lawyer is encouraging me to drop the claim. I've already checked and my landlord doesn't qualify for VRLTA. she's also worded (and likely altered) the lease agreement to diminish what rights and protections i would have as a tenant. What are my rights? I'm a current college student and could desperately use the extra money, but even more importantly, i would hate to let my former landlord get away with what she is doing. thanks in advance.
- - - Updated - - -
any thoughts? anyone?

