Some people seem to make a hobby of tormenting their neighbors with baseless lawsuits. The worst offenders are often people who do it without lawyers—or even worse, are lawyers representing themselves.
What’s a defendant to do?
- Don’t ignore any lawsuit. Even if you are sure the plaintiff can’t win, you must respond or else he could win by default.
- Try to stay calm. It does no good to feed the plaintiff’s hunger for conflict and drama.
- Make a claim with your insurer if at all possible.
- Reconcile yourself to the fact that with or without insurance, this fight is going to cost you in time, money, and aggravation.
- If your insurer won’t provide an attorney, then you should consult one who can make clear to you what your defenses and counterclaims might be and the most cost effective options for resolving the case.
If you have problems with your real estate in New York, call Andrew Weltchek.
If you have problems with your condo or coop Board, call me, your NY condo/coop lawyer when you have problems with your Board.
From the desk of Andrew Weltchek 