Legal advice- Can they sue for damages?

I'm in Washington State if that matters.

Washington state is uptight liberals whose favorite pastime is tort lawyer robbery. They just love that. Don't ask if they CAN sue you, or if they want to. Of course they do! The only question is will they find a better victim than you and maybe let you off the hook.

Tort lawyers are absolute swine and the riots in the streets should be about them, not the cops

You should see a lawyer if she sues, but here's my guess as to how things will go down.

Landlord/tenant law is set up to screw landlords. Normally she's required to return your security deposit within 30 days with an itemized list of things she has deducted. IF there's no deposit to return she could sue for those damages but it's up to her to prove them. She'll need before and after photos or something like that.

If she sues you will counterclaim for wrongful eviction. She locked you out during a period you've paid for, instead of giving you notice and at least a month to look for another place. Frankly, maybe you should sue her for that no matter what.

I think that you need a lawyer here, they will help you for sure

I am not sure about the specifics of how Washington state handles disputes between tenants and landlords where there is no formal agreement in place.

My impression is that she may be in tort for having locked you out before the lease expired and without giving any advance notice. Even if your agreement was not in writing, if you regularly paid a monthly rent you are still considered a tenant and you should have access to the properties if you have paid your monthly dues. In all cases, I suspect that then it would be fairly difficult for her to sue you and unless you did damages for several thousand dollars, it won't be worth the hassle anyway. Since this is a coworker, I would try to handle this as smoothly as possible. If you are really concerned about getting sued, consult a lawyer.

Go on Judge Judy, at least you'll get a free hotel room and the damages paid for your trouble.

Thankfully I found a new job and am moving across the country in few weeks.

I appreciate the insight.

OP.

1) Was romance involved here? Or is this somehow about unrequited love? I'm just not getting this. You have a huge disagreement at work - what does that have to do with living with each other?

2)Did you damage the room or not? You know if you did.

3) Don't hire a lawyer. That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Lawyers are hundreds of dollars an hour. We're talking a few hundred bucks here. It's not worth anyone suing anyone else as the lawyers will take all the fees. No one would do it unless they are trying to prove a point.

1. No romance at all. I wasn’t sure I wanted to stay in the area long-term so renting a room seemed like a decent option. She offered because I’m guessing she and her husband needed the cash.

I was extremely pissed about how she treated a client. I work the medical field. It was shameful and I didn’t want to speak with her or see her.

2. I left it a bit messier than I should, but it was not damaged. I was planning to clean before she pushed me out early. She’s a bit compulsive about her house and probably shouldn’t have boarders.

3. That’s a valid point. I was still pretty upset when I made the post. I guess I wasn’t thinking clearly.

I have to admit I got myself into a very strange living situation.

It sounds like a very empty threat. Filing a lawsuit is prohibitively expensive, and would never be worth doing over a few hundred, or even a couple thousand dollars. Alternately, she could take you to small claims court. In which case, I agree you file a counterclaim for wrongful eviction.

Bottom line, you have your stuff back, and 99% chance this just goes away.

It sounds like her threats for damage are a lot of bluster. If she talks to a lawyer, she'll realize that she made a mistake changing the locks without doing a proper eviction with the proper notices.

Ask her for the rent money back that you paid for staying there when you couldn't stay there, because she changed the locks. Have her sign a writing that states that upon her paying you $x she will owe you nothing further, you owe her nothing, andher payment to you is being made to settle all claims between both parties.

There are loads of free legal aid clinics that provide guidance on landlord tenant issues. I would definitely give one of them a call to get a better idea of where things stand under WA law.

I do not know WA landlord tenant law, but state codes are easy to find on the internet and to look up. You can also read up and get a better idea of the law.

There are some differences from jurisdiction to jurisdiction on lockout rights. Some jurisdictions consider a lockout an eviction and require a forceable detainer action (court eviction proceeding) before a landlord can lockout a tenant. Other jurisdictions do not consider a lockout an eviction, but only allow a landlord to lockout a tenant under specific circumstances. Check WA law to see where they come down on this.

Also, generally speaking, a landlord can sue a tenant for damage to the leasehold. Most jurisdictions have very specific requirements that a landlord must take before deducting damages from a security deposit. Without a security deposit, a landlord would have to go to court and prove up a claim for damage to the leasehold in order to get a judgment against a tenant. Most courts would require the landlord to document the damage and cost of repairs.

Finally, when there is no written lease agreement, most jurisdictions presume a month to month tenancy, meaning you still have rights as a tenant. Check WA law on this as well as there are differences in jurisdictions on termination of a month to month tenancy.

My experience with jerky landlords is that they know that they are not following the law and are reticent to show up in court to sue tenants for damage to the leasehold. But some people are just dumb coming and going. So, best thing to do is consult with a legal aid clinic so you have some piece of mind going forward.

Did you sign a lease? If so, did you have to fill out an inspection before hand? What damages is she claiming?

I have a feeling its a hollow threat. If she offered her place to you without a lease (or binding document) and you didn't actually damage anything (thinking paint/walls/etc) then she is just being vindictive as a result of your work dispute.

Refuse to pay anything, especially if she doesn't provide any receipts or anything.

Let her waste her time taking you to small claims...probably be a while before anything happens with COVID.

Tell her to pound sand if she asks for money. This is assuming you left no unusual or purposeful damage. Honestly, from your description, it sounds like you would have a better case against HER.

She can withhold your security deposit and sue you for damages and theres nothing you can do about it. It would cost you a lot to get a lawyer, but a lawyer wouldn't even help. you are screwed, you have to pay up.

It will likely cost her more to hire a lawyer than she would get from you. Unless there are some serious damages in the tens of thousands of dollars, I would say she is bluffing.

Do you have renters insurance? She may try to get insurance money, but it doesn’t seem like that is cut and dry either.

She is the landlord, and without a signed agreement, the law is typically pro-tenant.

Just get your stuff and move on.

What was the disagreement about? That whole grab-ass thing?

You are screwed, man. Legally screwed. You need to learn. Or you will keep getting boned up the ying-yang, legally. Smarten up. Have you learned nothing of our great country? This is America. Love it, or leave it.

If you paid rent through the 15th (of October?) why did she ask you to remove your stuff? The rental period isn't expired. I don't think anything would come of her threat since you had no written agreement so if it came down to it it would be a he-said she-said situation with no way to prove anything. Just be informed though that in this country there is no such thing as lawsuit insurance. Anybody can sue anybody else at any time for any reason. All it takes is money and a lawyer. Doesn't mean they'll be successful, but in this country there's no real impediment to lawsuits.

I've been on both sides of landlord tenant issues. My advice is just walk away and move on. Getting the legal system involved isn't going to help anyone.

Let her threaten. Just don't respond. She'll stop as time defuses the situation