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How can I prove i was coerced into signing a form?
Anonymous8 views2 answers
My landlord and the police are making my husband and I sign a form stating we will not sue our landlord for our moving expenses due to living in an illegal basement. Our landlord stole $1500 from us last month and agreed to pay it back if we didnt report him to the police. I did report him 2 weeks later after he refused to pay me when i asked for it. The landlord is now only willing to give back the money as "moving expenses" and only if we sign a form stating we cannot sue him for any hardships we incur due to having to move out and terminate our lease.
I have a receipt of 1 payment the landlord made to us for the money he stole. My question is how can i prove in court that i was forced to sign the paper forfeiting my right to sue
Get a local lawyer; something doesn't sound right. The landlord is looking for a clean release, and why the police are siding with the landlord is unknown except you "reneg'd" on the no reporting "deal" and must be ticked off and who knows what the landlord told the police about you!!!! If you've already signed the paper, you may be out of luck because on the face of it, there may be nothing suspicious except the circumstances -- but without seeing it and reviewing all the circumstanes (including what other evidence there may be -- police records, etc.) no one can really give you any kind of sound advice. If you are in economic straits, there are legal clinics that may be able to help you. The John Marshall Law School has a fair housing clinic, which has more to do with discrimination and so forth, but they may know an attorney in your locale who can jump in. Since fighting this situation may be costly and your lease may not give you attorney fees and you could lose....you need to decide however if you just want to cut your losses now -- but you should still see an attorney who can help you with the pros and cons.
The response given is not intended to create, nor does it create an ongoing duty to respond to questions. The response does not form an attorney-client relationship, nor is it intended to be anything other than the educated opinion of the author. It should not be relied upon as legal advice. The response given is based upon the limited facts provided by the person asking the question. To the extent additional or different facts exist, the response might possibly change. Attorney is licensed to practice law only in the State of Illinois. Responses are based solely on Illinois law unless stated otherwise.
The police can't get involved in civil matters, you need counsel, you have a right under the statute to notify him about the illegal unit and then sue him also for fraud, the statute allows you treble damages if he continues to accept your rent after that 30 day notice.
