You’re On Your Own
Many years ago, I was representing a tenant in an eviction case. The landlord wanted to demolish the home due to substantial and irreparable foundation cracking. The tenants claimed it was a rent-to-own agreement, that they were not in arrears, and presented a signed agreement of purchase and sale and a receipt for the deposit signed by the realtor.
They further had an engineer’s report on the foundation issues, an invoice marked paid for their repair, and a second engineer’s report claiming all deficiencies repaired. Finally, they gave me a copy of a $200,000 Superior Court claim which they had brought against the landlord that had all of these documents attached as exhibits.
My first order of business on arriving in court that morning was to make a motion to either stay or dismiss the landlord’s application for eviction on the grounds of jurisdiction and open questions as to the ownership of the property. It was at that point, I presented the above-named documents to the court. This is where it all started going wrong.
First, the judge pointed out this was the third time the matter had been called. I was told it was the first time. The judge also said that the jurisdiction questions had been answered twice prior. I asked the judge for clarification and she provided me with a known copy of the landlord’s signature. At that point, I realized everything in my hand was a blatant forgery.
Not even good ones. They were clearly made without the benefit of an actual reference signature. It was at that point I informed the court that “a situation has arisen which would prohibit me from continuing to act for this client” Read also, “Client, you are on your own,” and was excused by the court. I walked straight out.
Story credit: Reddit / Ilmachia_jon