I just had a few questions about my rights as a previous tenant in the state of california.
I moved in with my sister in california in october of 2003. It was understood I was going to find work as soon as possible to help with the rent, but in the meantime my sister agreed to cover the rent. We both signed the 1-year lease.
To cut a long story short, my sister got very jealous of me hanging out with her male friends, and would start viscious arguments that would occasionally lead to threats of kicking me out or physical injury. I landed a very short job at a modeling agency for about 4 weeks in october, but after a while I discovered the agency was "not legit" and had many complaints from the Better Business Bureau. I gave her all of my paychecks except for maybe $20 a paycheck. I finally found a decent job starting in December, but my grandmother from Ohio sent me a plane ticket for Christmas.
I was very excited getting a job because I had been agressively looking for at least a month. I told my sister I had absolutely no problem staying to work thru the holidays, because money was so limited. She strongly urged me to go to Ohio. The job I had gotten was fine with me starting in January.
However, while I was in Ohio, with hardly a dime to my name, she called my father and i, and told us she did not want me in "her apartment". Pretty much kicking me out via telephone!!!! She even called my grandmother and told her to cancel the return airplane ticket. There was nothing I could do, I did not have any money at all, and even if I went back... the living situation would have been a nightmare.
In the mean time, all of my belonging are there, including my High School Diploma, my laptop and other electronics I had brought from Ohio.
I started a new job in Ohio in Mid-January, and was prepared to move on with my life, without my so called sister.
Come to find out in November 2005, a telephone landline was opened up under my name and social security number in December 2003, and was never paid for and now it is showing up on my credit!!!!! OH NO SHE DIDNT.
I never authorized a land line, I have my own cell phone.
Now I am in the process of filing a dispute with the phone company. The account began to go delinquent between february and april 2004. I only lived there for 2 1/2 months.
Do I have a right to dispute this bill even though I am on the lease?
Am I responsible for past rent, If I was kicked out?
Should I file a police report?
By the way, I never received any of my properties left behind in California, all I had left was the clothes on my back and in my suitcase. And my dad tells me she still has my laptop.
I have not heard anything from my sister, I never knew about this bill. I definately do not feel responsible. Should I just take it as a loss since rent was paid?
what are my rights?
P.S. In the Identity Theft Affidavid the phone company gave me to fill out, they require me to show proof of residency by providing certain documents such as bank statements, car insurance policy, etc. Because my mail was still going to my PREVIOUSLY permanant address in ohio, but I am still on the California lease, would it be purjury to send those documents in claiming to live in Ohio during those delinquent months. I dont think so, since i was LIVING there.

