How can I enforce a verbal agreement?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
How can I enforce a verbal agreement?
I am a tenant and I fell off my landlord’s porch due to a broken railing. My landlord promised to pay my hospital bills because she didn’t want to go through her insurance company. How can I protect myself if I move and she stops paying my bills?
Asked on March 7, 2011 under Real Estate Law, Illinois
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
If she stops paying, you can sue her: you would be suing for breach of an oral agreement, since an settlement of potential liability (you presumably giving up your right to sue or not suing, in exchange for the payment of medical bills) is an agreement, and agreements, including oral agreements are enforceable. As a practical matter, it may be difficult to prove the existence of an oral agreement or its terms--which is a big part of the reason ALL important agreements should be in writing--but legally you may enforce it. As noted, however, the way to enforce it would be via lawsuit, which may or may not be worth it, depending upon how much money is at stake when or if the landlord stops paying.
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.