I need a lawyer. I need help!!!?

Question

5 months ago, I bought a condo in Illinois.Three weeks after I moved in, I recieved a letter by mail from the management of the building. They notified the owner of the unit (me!) that the severe damage in the foundation that they talked about before, was getting worse. They confirmed that the damage was so severe that might cause the building to shut down for safety purposes. They asked the unit owners to pay for the repair. They asked me, also, to pay $12,080 for the repair ! The total cost of repair is $604,000 by estimate. Because of the "fraud" and "knowingly failure to disclose the true condition of the property", I sued the seller. 3 month later, court told me that they couldn't find the defendants, and as a result I have to find their address, then I can sue them! I know they moved to Palatine recently. I can not afford a lawyer. I need help to find them, and invite them to the court of Law. Does anybody know how can I get help? Can anybody help me represent my case in court?

Answer 1

When you had the contract for sale drawn up, did it include a clause that there were no known pending assessments on the property? Did you review the association minutes to see if anything out of the ordinary was discussed? Sometimes a pending assessment will even show up in a title search if the attorney for the condo assoc. has filed it in an attempt to alert potential buyers to that possibility.

You can file a form with the post office that says you need their new address in order to serve them with a subpoena. Some states even allow you to send in a request to the DMV for a current address for process of service.

Didn't they put their forwarding address on their 1099 certification form at the closing? You could also do a property tax search in their current town to see if they own any property and have them served at that address.

"most lawyers will give you thirty minutes to figure out of you've got a case or not (they're looking to see if they can make money with it). " Oh please ... time is money and no one gives money away for free. These types of matter are NOT taken on a contingency basis. Very few cases are taken on a contingency basis, and 95% of those are personal injury matters or workers comp. Those are the only two matters that are virtually guaranteed to get a free consult.

Answer 2

Call information and ask them for the State Bar Association. It is the agency that regulates and licenses lawyers. Many state bar associations have lawyer referral programs. You can ask the State Bar if the attorney you select has any reprimands or charges against him/her. Also, most lawyers will give you thirty minutes to figure out of you've got a case or not (they're looking to see if they can make money with it). If you consult with several lawyers and they don't want your case, odds are that your case wouldn't win and you would be wasting your money pursuing it. If a lawyer 'jumps' at the case, ask him/her how much it will cost to resolve it and call a different lawyer and compare prices.
When you go to a lawyer, bring your hard evidence for him/her to examine (contracts,sales slips, the smoking gun, etc). They will need it to determine whether they can help you or not. If you don't have any evidence, it will be hard to prove to a judge what has transpired. Paper supersedes verbal words almost all of the time (because people have memory lapses, lie, cheat etc). That's why we ask and get things in writing.
I hope this helps!
Good luck.

Answer 3

I'm sorry to hear that you are going through this. I read a few of your older messages, and I'm also quiet and shy, and people often take advantage of that. Ok, go to zabasearch.com, and type in their name. It will provide you with their new and old addresses for free. If the new information has not been updated on zabasearch as of yet...try this:

Look on your paperwork, there should be a 14 digit property tax ID number, or PIN provided to you from the couple who sold you the condo. That number identifies your condo. Go to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds Website below, and type in that 14 digit number here:

http://www.ccrd.info

That will provide you with the full correct name of the owners who sold you the property. From there you can click on their name, and if they have purchased new property in Palatine, IL it will provide you with that new address, and any old property they may have owned.

Also, if you have their name, you can type it in the Grantor or Grantee section at the link below, and the same information will come up.

http://www.ccrd.info

Not that it's important, but you can view a picture of where they live now, at the Cook County Assessor's website below, by plugging in their PIN and/or Property Tax ID number here:

http://www.cookcountyassessor.com/filings/searchflat//search.asp

That way you will recognize the property if you drive there to hand them the summons to attend court.

Also the Cook County Treasurers website will tell you their home or business address where they receive bills to pay their property taxes here:

http://www.cookcountytreasurer.com/payment.aspx?ntopicid=3

All you need is the property tax ID and/or PIN. Good luck!!

Answer 4

Well, I can suggest that you try
www. prepaidlegal.com.
This is the co. I used when I needed a lawyer for the probate of my dad's last will and testament. You may be a bit iffy at first but read over the history of the co. If you like the history read the page on how the co works. If you really like that-- then first fill out the app., and just submit your debit/ credit card number. You will be put into contact with a lawyer in your area. He is your lawyer for as long as you need him, and they withdraw $26 a mo. Cancel at any time( in writing) and no gimmicks. Promise. You and your lawyer will take it from there just discuss the matter over the phone with him/her and if it can be solved over the phone ok...if not, he will reccommend you come in to meet counsel.


Hope this helps!

Answer 5

You are going to have difficulty in winning this case--I believe it lacks subject matter jurisdiction, meaning if you bring the case in whatever state you are in, that court has no jurisdiction over people in Palastine (or any other country). It would be nearly impossible to have them extradited into the United States, especially over a breach of contract.

Answer 6

☻☺☻☺☻☺☻

Pete and Repeat were on the fence. Pete fell off.
Who remained on the fence?

OK☼

Pete and Repeat were on the fence. Pete fell off.
Who remained on the fence?

OK☼

Pete and Repeat were on the fence. Pete fell off.
Who remained on the fence?

☻☺☻☺☻

I was riding in a taxicab this morning and there was a female dispatcher on the two-way radio. She was dispatching the cabs to various addresses and the usual dispatch chatter was going on. Suddenly, the dispatcher asked? ... Michael Hunt, are you out there... Mike? Do you read me? ... Mike Hunt, Mike Hunt... Come in.... Come In... Come in Mike Hunt.

I don't know why this is so funny to me- it was just a cab ride.

I couldn't stop laughing.

☻☺☻☺☻

Mott Marvin Kornicki, Realtor®
http://www.WaterwayRealty.com
Beach House Waterway Realty, PC

It's not as bad as you think! Go to the courthouse and brush up on filing a lawsuit and proper service- obviously, you are not alone- try a class action litigation and share the legal expense or pool your resources to obtain the necessary legal acumen in order to prevail- there are MANY self help books and websites also available to us all. Try http://www.NOLO.com for starters and you'll be amazed before you get half way to the answer!