My brother the lawyer told me to just settle and I refused

I had a dispute with a contractor over a $3,500 renovation job in Omaha where he did half the work then ghosted me for 4 months. My brother, who practices corporate law in Chicago, kept saying to take the settlement offer of $1,200 and move on. I went to small claims court on my own and got a $3,200 judgment plus court costs, so was I wrong to ignore his advice?

2 comments

2 Comments

ericschmidt4d ago

Wait, your corporate lawyer brother told you to take a $1,200 settlement when you were owed $3,500? That's wild. I get that he isn't in litigation, but telling someone to walk away from almost 70% of what they're owed seems like terrible advice. You proved that everyday people can win in small claims court without a fancy lawyer.

wood.john4d ago

I see where you're coming from, but taking a guaranteed $1,200 over risking nothing in court makes sense to some folks.