26 February, 2008 | Leave a Comment
I had a magical time in Paris - simply magical! The trip far exceeded all expectations. I’m working on my novel again (thank GOD!!!). There was actual sunshine and warmth all weekend, which was intoxicating (see photo above — with more to come!). But I will wait to write about all of this because I have some GOOD NEWS to share. Yesterday while I was in Paris my lawyer called to tell me that…
I WON MY COURT CASE!!! And I won it big, baby!
This was the perfect ending to my lovely weekend. The judge ordered the evil landlady to return the deposit and guarantie she has illegally withheld for more than a year. And there’s more! I was awarded 1200€ for my legal fees. And the icing on the cake…1000€ in damages for abusive treatment! I was stunned. My lawyer was stunned too, actually. She said that in France, it is not common to receive damages in a civil case. Even though lawyers ask for them, they are rarely awarded as they are in the U.S. courts. She also said that if there is an awarding of legal fees, it will usually cover barely half the legal expenses, whereas in my case, I have been awarded more than I’ve actually spent (at least so far). I never expected such a big victory and my lawyer was just so pleased with herself and kept saying, “You really deserve this ruling!”
Did I tell you this landlady was monstrous? I really wasn’t exaggerating. The judge saw the evidence. The judge is impartial. And she ruled in my favor overwhelmingly. This is the kind of vindication I’ve been looking for over this past year. It’s why I’ve fought so hard. This woman caused me an incredible amount of pain. She screwed up my life and took advantage of a person in a vulnerable situation. Now a court of law has condemned her for what she has done. I have a legal document with a seal and a judge’s signature on it and it says, in French, “Madame —- is condemned…” That alone is worth more than any amount of money.
In terms of money, I realize that in the grand scheme of things these sums are rather small (they aren’t small to me, however). But this is a big legal victory for me. What this woman now owes me in legal fees and damages equals more than the deposit she originally withheld. That’s the beautiful part. The judge has sent a clear message that she is being punished. What she owes me in total is equal to about $6000/£3000.
The big question now is whether I’ll get the money. She has one month to appeal this decision, but there’s a catch. In order to appeal, she has to pay me the total amount of the judgment first. If she doesn’t pay me every single centime before she tries to appeal (within one month), any attempt by her to appeal this will be thrown right out of court. My guess is that she won’t appeal, but will instead just ignore this verdict against her. Her chance of winning an appeal is slim, so why take the risk and pay me the money? This is just my gut instinct right now — I could be wrong. It’s clear that both she and her lawyer are completely nuts and operating in a sphere that is separate from reality, so who knows what they’ll try to do next. [BTW, this woman is about a year older than me and some sort of artist.] If she does ignore this judgment, then I will have to pay the bailiffs to collect the money from her. They use different means to do this (including freezing a person’s bank accounts). Still, I’m unfamiliar with how all of this works, so I don’t really know if I’ll get my money or how it’ll unfold. I’ll probably end up having to spend even more money on bailiffs and lawyer fees, but the most important thing is that I won.
It was quite fitting that I happened to be in Paris when I heard the news. This was a total fluke, as I was supposed to receive the judgment on February 18th. Despite my frustration at having to wait an extra week to get the verdict, I’m glad it worked out the way it did. I walked the streets of Paris all day yesterday just feeling so happy. I got funny text messages from French friends that said things like, “That bitch is going to pay now!” [My French friends, who don't necessarily know me that well, are very protective nonetheless.] I was sitting in a café in St. Germain drinking tea when my parents called from Florida, where they are on holiday, and they were so thrilled for me. My friend William even e-mailed me from Costa Rica before his hike up a volcano! Ahhhh! Everyone who knows what this woman put me through is just so relieved that I won. I walked the streets of Paris yesterday and I was smiling so much. People looked at me and smiled back. A charming man with a cute little dog walked past me and the man said, in French, “Mademoiselle is so happy!”
Yes she is.
Anglofille said @ 1:38 pm | paris life, personal |
- Comments RSS | TrackBack URI
-
anna t Says:
February 26th, 2008 at 3:23 pmha ha! that’ll teach her to screw with americans. doesn’t she know we love suing people?
this is awesome news. i’m so happy for you!
-
s. Says:
February 26th, 2008 at 3:25 pmThis is such fantastic news! I’m so happy that you found out about the case in Paris and I’m also really proud of you for standing up and fighting so hard for what you believe in! Inspiring! I wish that we could celebrate in person!
-
Anita Says:
February 26th, 2008 at 3:55 pmI had no idea we were talking so much cash! Good for you for fighting. You have a lot of spunk.
-
Congrats! You deserve it!
-
Lillie Says:
February 26th, 2008 at 5:06 pmExcellent news! Congratulations!!!!
Yippeee!!!!
-
Aloha Pineapple Says:
February 26th, 2008 at 6:04 pmCongratulations, Anglofille!!!
-
I wish I had a court victory over you know who but since I don’t I will celebrate yours as if it is mine! Yipee! Make sure you make a copy of the judgment and send it to that horrid apartment renting company who would not help you. Send it with a photo of your middle finger saluting the Parisian sky. Mwah ha!
-
Cav Says:
February 26th, 2008 at 7:27 pmCongratulations to you! What a sweet victory.
Glad you had a good trip to Paris.
Love the photo.
-
Hourra ! Hourra ! Hourra !
-
OMG!! I am soooo excited for you! Congratulations on your legal triumph! I’m glad your weekend in Paris turned out to be extra special. Salut!
-
samantha Says:
February 27th, 2008 at 5:25 amI can’t believe it, after all this time! Congratulations!
-
daniela Says:
February 27th, 2008 at 9:27 amhey! congrats! i hope this kind of sinalizes a new phase in your life because it was so clear that it was the pea underneath your pillow. of course no money in the world will bring back the time she spoiled with her evil maneuvers but here we go - now it is her turn. and i hope you have indulged in some of those beautiful colourful cakes you love so much - more than deserved!
-
Gregory Says:
February 27th, 2008 at 10:10 pmThe French don’t have the guillotine for civil cases these days, darn liberals.
“The big question now is whether I’ll get the money. She has one month to appeal this decision, but there’s a catch. In order to appeal, she has to pay me the total amount of the judgment first.”
That’s a neat trick, I’d like to try that out on Sheriff Joe Arpaio. He appeals issues into the next decade, the voters can’t remember what the eventual pay-outs are for.
Phoenix - News - Arpaio Über NichtSheriff Joe Arpaio loves to point out that his fame has spread beyond the United … story which ridiculed “the Lion of Metz” for his self-promoting (Arpaio …
search.phoenixnewtimes.com/1997-05-22/news/arpaio-uber-nicht/ - 50k -“I won. I walked the streets of Paris yesterday and I was smiling so much. People looked at me and smiled back. A charming man with a cute little dog walked past me and the man said, in French, “Mademoiselle is so happy!””
I hope she just pays you the money, I’d hate to think she will drag it out.
Winning is always cool, it is better than losing, you wouldn’t have went to court if you didn’t need to win. I’m glad you cleared that hurdle.
-
Rebecca Says:
February 28th, 2008 at 6:57 pmYAY! I am so pleased that you’ve won! I actually had a good feeling about it, but didn’t want to say anything for fear of jinxing it!
-
Huzzah! “Mademoiselle is so happy.” - particularly beautiful feedback on this whole ordeal!
-
¡Las felicitaciones en su victoria!
(pardon my spanish!)
-
Thank you so much everyone! You all rock my world, as always…
xoxo
