Want To Sue For Money Owed

[legallychallenged]

Hello:

I loaned a friend a large amount of cash when he was arrested in 1999 by paying his bail and atty fees, which comes to over $15,000. Stupid me, what a painful lesson. We both lived in CA at the time (I still do) but he was arrested in Minneapolis -that is where he was charged, convicted, and served time, starting that same year. He was released 2 years ago, during the last week of 2005 - is presently on parole, which I believe he will remain for a very long time.

He contacted me a while after he was out, to say how much he learned from this experience and he's sorry for putting me in this situation, and he would pay me, he has changed his ways, blah, blah, blah. I was skeptical but I had nothing to lose but to try to work with him and hopefully get paid what he owed. I've spoken to him many times since he's been out....I now realize he is a liar, and didn't learn a thing by his incarceration. Truthfully, I don't know why he even bothered to contact me after release - he has never asked for anything, nothing at all, since release. If he had no intention of paying me, I don't understand his motive. That's why I figured I should try to work with him.

I have his phone number, no address. He is in the system, of course, I have been able to search him in the Minnesota system and can see his info. He has managed to send me 2 or 3 checks ($100 each) in his supposed attempt to repay, which he was to increase monthly once he was regularly employed. He has been regularly employed now for quite a while. Also, if I dig real deep, I may be able to find one paper he signed regarding repaying money. Also, I have several docs that show I paid legal fees, bail, etc.

I have been so upset over this, as you can imagine. I wish I could just move on but I cannot seem to walk away - I keep thinking about it! I have thought of suing but it seems like such a huge ordeal that I felt too overwhelmed - particularly due to the distance from CA. But I believe I have given him enough time to do the right thing and now would like to know what my recourse is and how I would proceed, what would be involved.

By the way, there is no romantic involvement. He was an old brief flame that became just a long time friend that I was out of contact with for several years until about 6 months before he got arrested.

Any help/advise offered would be greatly appreciated. I even thought of seeking legal help but wasn't even sure what type of practitioner would be appropriate.

Thank you for your time.

[LawResearcherMissy]

Contact your local Bar Association and ask them to recommend an attorney for you.

S/he will be able to tell you, after going over all of your information/documentation, whether or not it's worth your while to sue.