so, i went to court. it was the stupidest thing ever. i had a hearing time of 9:30. i showed up at the place at 9. i checked in, head over to the waiting room thing. too packed to get in. so, i stand out in the hall with like 20 other shmoes that are waiting. this blows.
finally at about 10:30, when they were finishing up the 9 oclock hearings, i managed to get in the waiting room and grab a chair. woo! so i sat until 11, at which time a mediator came to talk to me. he works for the 'tenant resource center' in madison which is actually a really cool place. they help with any landlord problems at all for free.
so the mediator takes me back to this room where the lawyer for my landlord is (he's also in there for about 15 cases today, so i'm just one of many) and we sit down and the mediator tells me who he is and such. i'm so-and-so from the tenant resource center and we just wanted to see if we could sit and talk out an agreement (stipulation) so that we don't even have to bring this to court. like, maybe we could agree on a move-out date so they we don't have to go through with the eviction? what do you think about that?
me: "i haven't lived there. for almost two months. i moved out at the end of may. i don't live there."
lawyer for the landlord: "oh.[looking through papers] well they didn't know that."
me: "i called them the day i left and there was no one there. i left a message telling them the keys were in the apartment on the counter."
lawyer: "oh well...[snidely] AND I'M NOT SAYING YOU DIDN'T CALL THEM but they didn't get the message."
mediator: "ok, well what we can do is just write up a stipulation with a moveout day of today then we don't have to go through with the eviction."
me: "whatever."
lawyer: "ok, that was easy."
mediator: "ok, you guys sign here and i'll go get the commissioner to sign it."
mediator: "ok, that's it."
me: "cool." [exit stage getthefuckout]
so, now i'm wondering if they'll sue me. but i don't think they will cause i have a pretty good case against them. wisconsin law is if i default on the lease (like i did) they have to do all they can to re-rent the place before seeking damages from me. well, they didn't bother trying to re-rent it they just waited and tried to evict me way after i had left. i have some proof of when i left, so fuck them.
in summary, things are alright for now. the bills pile up and get later and later, but i managed not to be "evicted." pft. whatever.
finally at about 10:30, when they were finishing up the 9 oclock hearings, i managed to get in the waiting room and grab a chair. woo! so i sat until 11, at which time a mediator came to talk to me. he works for the 'tenant resource center' in madison which is actually a really cool place. they help with any landlord problems at all for free.
so the mediator takes me back to this room where the lawyer for my landlord is (he's also in there for about 15 cases today, so i'm just one of many) and we sit down and the mediator tells me who he is and such. i'm so-and-so from the tenant resource center and we just wanted to see if we could sit and talk out an agreement (stipulation) so that we don't even have to bring this to court. like, maybe we could agree on a move-out date so they we don't have to go through with the eviction? what do you think about that?
me: "i haven't lived there. for almost two months. i moved out at the end of may. i don't live there."
lawyer for the landlord: "oh.[looking through papers] well they didn't know that."
me: "i called them the day i left and there was no one there. i left a message telling them the keys were in the apartment on the counter."
lawyer: "oh well...[snidely] AND I'M NOT SAYING YOU DIDN'T CALL THEM but they didn't get the message."
mediator: "ok, well what we can do is just write up a stipulation with a moveout day of today then we don't have to go through with the eviction."
me: "whatever."
lawyer: "ok, that was easy."
mediator: "ok, you guys sign here and i'll go get the commissioner to sign it."
mediator: "ok, that's it."
me: "cool." [exit stage getthefuckout]
so, now i'm wondering if they'll sue me. but i don't think they will cause i have a pretty good case against them. wisconsin law is if i default on the lease (like i did) they have to do all they can to re-rent the place before seeking damages from me. well, they didn't bother trying to re-rent it they just waited and tried to evict me way after i had left. i have some proof of when i left, so fuck them.
in summary, things are alright for now. the bills pile up and get later and later, but i managed not to be "evicted." pft. whatever.
VIEW 13 of 13 COMMENTS
I'm moving out of my apartment at the end of the next month, and I'm afraid that they're going to try to stick me with a lot of charges. Oh well. Your struggle gives me hope. FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT, MY BROTHER.