I was summoned to appear, was being sued in Small Claims Court by the local hospital for a bill from several years ago.
About twenty other defendants appeared prior to me, all there for the same reason.
I was the only one who denied the claim. I told the judge I was considering a counterclaim.
Then the hospital's attorney proposed an order that I had to file the counterclaim prior to the week before the bench trial.
The judge "asked" me to sign it.
Should I not have signed it?
Can I undo this lawyer's Order?
Did the judge in fact side with the other lawyer by suggesting I sign it?
Couldn't I have held off my counterclaim until I see if I can win the hospital's suit?
Am I screwed no matter what?
I will accept any advice as not legal advice per se.
Law, rights, and all that other lawyerese nonsense varies depending on where this is occuring. Doesn't make sense to give advice for California, U.S. when you're in Ontario, Canada.
Note: I'm not asking you reveal where this is if you choose not to. My advice is always the same, consult a lawyer or some other individual familiar with local law. But if you wanted to do that, you wouldn't be asking for advice here.
About twenty other defendants appeared prior to me, all there for the same reason.
I was the only one who denied the claim. I told the judge I was considering a counterclaim.
Then the hospital's attorney proposed an order that I had to file the counterclaim prior to the week before the bench trial.
The judge "asked" me to sign it.
Should I not have signed it?
Can I undo this lawyer's Order?
Did the judge in fact side with the other lawyer by suggesting I sign it?
Couldn't I have held off my counterclaim until I see if I can win the hospital's suit?
Am I screwed no matter what?
I will accept any advice as not legal advice per se.
J
Law, rights, and all that other lawyerese nonsense varies depending on where this is occuring. Doesn't make sense to give advice for California, U.S. when you're in Ontario, Canada.
Note: I'm not asking you reveal where this is if you choose not to. My advice is always the same, consult a lawyer or some other individual familiar with local law. But if you wanted to do that, you wouldn't be asking for advice here.
Thanks.
J
"If you don't hit your adversaries wile they're down, they might get up again." --Whipkeeper
"Victory favors neither the righteous nor the wicked. It favors the prepared." -- Lay of the Land