How to represent myself in court by kedster

"A scary experience I'd care not to repeat."

How I did it: I sued my landlord for violating Minnesota's Tenant's Right to Privacy.  She repeatedly entered my apartment to do dishes, wash countertops, make my bed, etc.  It was creepy and an obvious win for me, which is the only reason I represented myself.  I had a ton of evidence in the form of audio recordings of phone calls, photos and a police report, but I didn't necessarily know how to admit evidence in court.  

I sued her in District Court and we settled in court for everything I was entitled to.  I wanted for $1,200 for 12 violations of the statute (each permitting up to $100, or so I thought).  Turns out it was only $100 per each type of violation, and there were four.  We settled for a termination of my lease and I got $400.  We split the filing fee.  While I didn't necessarily "win," I feel like I did because I got everything the judge could have ordered anyway.

Lessons & tips: I would probably not sue someone without an attorney again.  My landlord's attorney tried pulling dirty tricks by quoting irrelevant statutes and ignoring the core facts, and he was just doing his job.  Had I not won/settled, I could have been liable for attorney's fees.

Resources: Minnesota Statutes, sample filings


 

Nov 07, 2009, 10:58AM PST | 0 comments


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