Ok, I have a question that I am hoping I can get an answer on here from someone. First let me say... Yes, I should have known better! Now after saying that ,lol, I posted bond twice to get my soon to be ex-brotherinlaw out of jail within the last couple of years. The first time it was $500.00 and the second time it was $250.00. When I went to the jail, they took my cash, but did not take my name as the person paying the bail money. They told me that it goes directly under the party who is in jails name. Stupid me, I did not have him sign any type of contract or promise to pay letter or anything. Everything was verbal between us as to the arrangements to pay me back. I didn't have him sign anything because he was family and dumb enough I trusted that he would not abuse that. He had promised me that he would pay me back within a couple months, but he really needed the help to get out of jail or he would end up losing his job and would not be able to pay the bills for rent and utilities and so forth for his family. The only reason I helped him out is because of my niece and nephew and my sister. To this day, he has yet to pay me back any money, and now my sister and he are in the middle of a very ugly divorce. I refuse to walk away from this money he owes me. The first time I had to get an additional loan from my bank on my open line of credit so I've been making payments on it that also include finance charges. The second time I ended up going to one of those check cashing/loan places so I had to also pay a fee for the amount I got on the loan. The only other person besides him and I that knew about this arrangement is my sister. Do I have any leg to stand on in the courts to sue him to get my money back? I don't want to try and take him to court and the court look at it as this is all due to the ugly divorce that is happening now and them think that my sister would back me up on all the facts just because they are divorcing. There have also been times that I have loaned him money to pay his utilities and he did pay portions of the money back, but never has he paid the money back in full. What can I do? I am talking in over the last 5 years with the bail money and utility money he owes me over $1000. Can someone please help me out with this????
Oh ya, I do have the papers from the jail when I posted the bond even though my name is not on them. Would that help me out at all?
Thank you in advance
SJCFD196

I can understand this is a frustrating situation for you. Have you checked the requriements in your area for filing a small claims action to recover the money you put up for his bail? In most states you do not need an attorney to file a small claims action.