So today I had my court date. It was for small claims court. Back in December 2008 a woman t-boned my best friend and I in a sleet storm. It was an awful night, and my car was totaled. I found out nearly too days later I had a pretty awful concussion. Living over an hour away and not having a car, not to mention being more worried about the holidays and taking car of my daughter, I didn't go after them for damages. I cut my losses, and moved on. I heard from her insurance company once, to ask em for my side of the story. I told them exactly what had happened. They told me they would be in contact with me if they were coming after me for damages. I told them if they felt the need to go that route, I would be hiring an attorney. I never heard from them again. We moved an hour from there in June 2009. I never got anything else from them. Over a month ago I checked my credit score, to find I had a judgement against me for $4600 that had gone unpaid. Come to find out they waited until April of THIS YEAR to come after me, and never notified me at all. The DAY AFTER I happen upon this information, I ironically get a notice in the mail that I've had my license suspended because of my lack of payments on this... Needless to say I was shocked, and none too happy. So I petitioned to reopen, and thankfully it was, without a hitch. Today I had my husband take myself, and my best friend/witness to court. I brought my flash drive, to print out the pictures that proved a good part of my case, so we stopped at the store to print them first. OMG the flash drive is GONE. I was so nervous I wanted to just run out the door. (I have very bad anxiety issues, and this was definitely setting them off.) Thankfully the judge was very down to Earth, and absolutely amazing. The lawyer for the plaintiff rambled off a ton of info that had nothing to do with who was or wasn't at fault. He tried to tell me $3000 of the claim was in lost wages, and pain and suffering. He even had the insurance adjuster on the phone. She claimed to have been at this job for 13+ years, but did NOT get the paperwork from the doctor verifying the extent or cause of the plaintiff's injury. They tried to say that she had a fractured rib, that kept her from working... as a psychiatrist.... They gave the excuse that she couldn't show up to the court date because of a condition I can't remember the name of. When asked what this condition is, they could only say it causes the person to bruise more easily than others. So you can work? But you can't sit in a court room? The judge asked if we could get her on the phone at least. Apparently she was unavailable even over the phone. When I explained everything to the judge he was kind, he listened, he asked questions, he even took the time and patience to understand my explanation of the officer's poor drawing of what he thought had happened. The outcome? He DISMISSED THE CHARGES! I could not be happier! Want to know the kicker? The lawyer, that has been trying to bully me and has been just rude the entire time, and very, VERY cocky, had the nerve on the way out to tell me he will be sending me a copy of the form to take me to Circuit court over it... Excuse me, but is that really your decision? You work for an insurance company. They've paid you to go to court TWICE now, and you lost to the young woman that came in lawyer-less and without anything prepared, and STILL won. To assume that they would want you to escalate things, when I made it clear that I will be counter-suing if this is the case, is asinine. Saying it in a threatening manner, and continuing with your cocky attitude is ridiculous. THANKFULLY, my husband was sweet enough to take Barbie and I around to hit up some great deals, use some coupons, and have some fun before court started. Between the sales, deals, and outcome of court, my day was pretty much perfect:-D So I just had to get that out, and fill in a few people wondering what the court date was over. Now, here's a few pictures of the pile of stuff I came home with. Thank you Walmart for the random clearance sales that provided overages, Barbie for the extra coupons, and Dustin, my hubby, for taking us:-)
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