Talked to some lawyers today, and am now convinced that contracts are worthless.

[tridim]

This is in reference to my post last month..

"I terminated a work contract 30+14 days ago and need some free legal advice"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=224&topic_id=3453

Every lawyer I spoke to said I had an open and shut case, they all said I'd win easily. They also said I'd most likely never recover my money.

Wait, what??

The guy I'm suing owns a $450,000 house, yet all he apparently has to do is shut down the company, declare bankruptcy and walk away. Game over for me. I'm out my legal and lawyer fees and get nothing.

Well my friends, that is unacceptable. What is the point of a contract if it never has to be paid?

I've lost all hope and will now be homeless if I can't find a new job in the next 20 days. This fucker STOLE $34,000 from me and he's going to walk. Not because he has expensive lawyers (he doesn't), but because the law is stacked against the worker. I feel like I will never be able to sign a contract again.

Fuck this legal system. It's worthless.

[aquart]

1. Try one of those TV ombudsmen.

Or your state's wages and hours office. Although I don't know if they would deal with contract labor.

Did you contact your local representatives? State and city government people? Next year we have local elections which should make them helpful, and letters from them have occasionally worked wonders.

[tridim]

4. One lawyer I spoke with was one of those TV lawyers

At least he sounded like one.

He cut me off 5 seconds into my story and said, "Come on in, bring your contract and $750 dollars. I'll get you 3 times what you're owed". :eyes:

I haven't tried the state rep idea, but I talked with all the government based labor agencies I could find and none of them deal with contract employment. Apparently we don't exist.

[northzax]

2. who was your contract with?

a person or a corporation? if it's a corporation, well then, yeah, that's the breaks, if the firm goes away and likely has no assets, you won't see a red dime. if it's with the person, you can take it from them.

this is why, in my consulting days, I operated my own LLC that I was a proprietor of, this way my clients and I were on the same legal footing.

[tridim]

3. The contract is with my employer of 7 years

The contract itself is only a year old, written when the company restructured.

I only took deferred payment because I was promised at the time that "new funding was secured" and regular paychecks were only "a week away". I know now that verbal agreements are as worthless as contracts.

[varkam]

5. Did he not pay you anything?

If not, I'm understanding why you can't sue him off the contract in quantum meruit and attach his house - but then again, I'm not an attorney. But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Oh, and you're right - a lot of contracts aren't worth the paper they're printed on.