I asked plaintiff for a review and bid of previously done BAD construction work, which I could also use in a settlement conference. He aslso offered his servicxes if we had to go to court as a witness to the poor construction previously done.
He wrote a letter based on my court papers, code enforcement letters notes, inspection reports, CSLB letters and code violations that I gave him to facilitate his bid. (August 12) By Sept. 19 he had not given me the bid yet to give to my lawyer for the settlement conference and to redo my house. I also needed my paperwork back for court prep.
He emailed me stating that if I wanted the photos and letters back I would have to pay him $500 cash. When I did not respond, he left a message 2 days later asking for at least $300 cash for my paperwork. I considered this comparable to"extortion" but had no choice but to pay him since he had confidential information, credit card purchases, bank info., original building permits, blueprints, engineering plans etc.
That I needed for court and to redo my house and was afraid he might accidently "lose" or misplace the information. Since I paid him for my own work back, I wanted something out of it and still asked for the Bid that I could use in court. I never received it.
My attorney asked me for his phone number so that he could question him re: the findings at my house in case we actually went to court. Mr. Lindeke told my attorney that he was not available to help me. My attorney told me he was a flake and as a courtesy to email him that we would not need his bid or help in court.
We settled out of court. I emailed Keith politely telling him we would not need him further. 10 days later I got a threatening letter with a packet stating that he had done all the work.in the packet were backdated bids, dated on the date that I dismissed him, phoney backdated letters to my attorney stating that I had hired him. I had never seen these previously.
My attorney wrote a letter stating that we never hired him and that he never received the letters, again there was NO contract. He sent me a letter stating that he had done this before. Agreed to help someone and then they would not pay him.
My thoughts are that he does this habitually, charges for bids saying that they are "CONSULTING" fees. We went to small claims court, he lied and said that I hired him in the first 15 minutes of our conversation to act AS A CONSULTANT. He made up hours of work that he claimned to have done in preparation for court.
He said thatI made him review the paperwork over and over to get it right for court. We didn't even know if we were going to court, we hoped to settle out of court, which we did. He apparently thought he would slide by got to court and get paid for just talking (like a days wages) Then when we settled and I said I wasn't interested in his bid, since I had already waited 3 months for it, and he told my attorney he was not interested, he got MAD and decided to get some money anyway.
Since I had been involved for 3 years of a lawsuit, he knew I was NOT up for any more mental anguish and stress and figured I would pay him just to get him out of my life. I would have forgotten the $300, but was not willing to fork over $1800 plus court costs which he threatened in his letter. So we went to court, he lied. The judge gave me back the $300 and costs for damages that he did at my house, but said I had to pay him $1050 for all the consulting.
He has since sent me another threatening letter, stating that if I appeal he will get ME for perjury, slander, liable, extortion, and causing him to become disabled and pay for his hospital bills and lawyers fees.
He says he now has a witness nad is making all sorts of new crap. What do I do??? Court is in 3 weeks.
Thank you
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