Am I responsible for court costs?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Am I responsible for court costs?
I owed an ex-roommate $200 and I sent him a check to repay him. He claimed I owe’d him $1000 and refused to cash the $200 check. He took me to small claims and the judge seemed to indicate that he agreed with me that he had no right to ask for the extra $800, however he has not yet made a judgement. Also, my ex-roommate admitted in court I sent him the $200 check. In the case that he only awards him the $200 (given I admitted I owed him it), will I be responsible for paying court costs even though I sent him the check (considering I “technically” lost the case)?
Asked on July 10, 2012 under Real Estate Law, Alabama
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
A party is not automatically responsible for the prevailing party's court costs. You'd be liable for them if either the agreement between you called for you to pay them if he had to sue you, or if he moves the court for an award of costs and the court decides to grant them. That is not necessarily likely unless the court decides that you could have avoided the necessity of litigation, but forced him to expend money needlessly.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.