Texas Law

[admin]

They use financial harrasment as a means of trying to "break" people so as to fill their own pockets.

[admin]

Me and a close friend of mine moved to Austin TX in 2002 to goto school, and our apartment needed a guarantor before we moved in. Well my "close friend's" father signed as the guarantor so we could move in. Well...only 2-3 months into the lease my "close friend" left me. Take into mind I didn't have a car, and he had the only computer. One day he says he needs to move home, the next I am all alone in my apartment. Well, I took on some more hours at work, and busted my tail and payed all of the bills for the next 6 months without a roommate. I had to have my mother wire me some money a few times, for which I had to pay back. Well there was 1 month on the lease and I was forced to move out. I didn't have enough money to eat, so I realized this wasn't healthy. So now it is 2005, and I get a call from my "close friend" saying the apartment had hired an attorney and they were going to take us to court for $3000, for breaking the lease. I was on the phone with one of the representatives from the law firm when they found the guarantor page, and realized they could go after my "close friend's" father. Well, he settled out of court for the full amount. He sent me a copy of the settlement, and basically called me an ass and said how dare i put him in this position and pay half of it. Does he not realize how much the settlement would have been if I wouldn't have held the lease for the 6 months I did? $729 over 6 months is more than the total settlement he payed, so it would have been double. When he picked up his son's furniture, this wasn't a concern of his. I refused to pay, trying to explain all the out of pocket expenses I had to endure because of his son, even having my mother speak with him about the expenses she incurred. I got a certified letter today, and was shocked to find out that he is taking me to small claims court. He wants half of the settlement, which is about $1500. I have requested a copy of the guarantor page from the attorney's that settled the case, and they seem to have misplaced it. I have to be at small claims court a week from today, and need some legal advice. Since he signed as guarantor...can he sue me and win? I thought the reason we needed a guarantor was because of something just like this. Legally, where do I find the information I need when I goto court? Do I need to hire an attorney? Please help this poor college student.