
Quoting
aardvarc
Was this a lease with a landlord, where both of you were on the lease? If so, then your contract was with the landlord and only the LANDLORD could have released you from the lease. The roommate could no more legally absolve you of that contract than I could.
If you've got something that shows that the roomate made a contract with YOU where they'd be responsible, then you can certainly take that evidence before a court and request the court to hold them to their agreement.
The punative damages to the credit report will be a little harder issue - because the agreement between you and the landlord wasn't impacted by the new agreement with the roommate - and it's THIS breech that caused the hit to your credit report.
NEVER NEVER NEVER take a roommate's word for changes in leases that involve a landlord. If you don't get it IN WRITING directly from the landlord, you've got to assume that all contracted agreements between you and the landlord are still in complete effect and enforceable. In other words, when you contest the amount owed to the landlord, you can bet that the landlord will show up in court with your name still on the lease. Unless you've got something signed by the landlord to contest this, the landlord has a valid complaint and avenues of collection.