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Man sued for $30K over $40 printer he sold on Craigslist
What a nightmare.
Man sued for $30K over $40 printer he sold on Craigslist
They got the story from the Indianapolis Star (warning: obnoxious pop-up. Several of them, in fact):
He sold a $40 printer. Then he was sued in Indiana for $30,000.
Kristine Guerra, kristine.guerra@indystar.com 1:34 p.m. EDT June 6, 2016
Selling a used, black-and-white printer through Craigslist seemed simple and straightforward to Doug Costello. ... It wasn't.
What the 66-year-old Massachusetts man didn't know then is that he would spend the next 6 ½ years embroiled in a complicated and confusing legal dispute in Indiana over that printer, which, according to its buyer, was broken. ... would find himself liable for about $30,000 in damages. He would pay a lawyer at least $12,000 in his battle to escape the legal mess.
....
The printer's buyer was Gersh Zavodnik, a 54-year-old Indianapolis man known to many in the legal community as a frequent lawsuit filer who also represents himself in court. The Indiana Supreme Court said the "prolific, abusive litigant" has brought dozens of lawsuits against individuals and businesses, often asking for astronomical damages. Most, according to court records, involve online sales and transactions.
....
In 2010, Zavodnik sent Costello, who also was representing himself in the lawsuit, paperwork asking him to admit that he was liable for more than $30,000 for breach of contract, fraud and conversion. The trial court dismissed the case, along with 26 others filed by Zavodnik, who appealed all of those dismissals, court records state. .... Zavodnik also had sent Costello two more requests for admissions. One asked Costello to admit that he conspired with the judge presiding over the case, and that he was liable for more than $300,000. Another one requested Costello to admit that he was liable for more than $600,000.
....
Gersh Zavodnik poses in a room in his home, Tuesday, May 14, 2013, that is full of files for the vast number of lawsuits he has filed. (Photo: Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar)
....
On March 23, the appeals court issued a sharply worded 13-page opinion in {Costello's} favor. ... The $30,000 in damages "had no basis in reality," Chief Judge Nancy Vaidik wrote.
....
IndyStar reporter Tim Evans contributed to this story.
Call IndyStar reporter Kristine Guerra at (317) 444-6209. Follow her on Twitter: @kristine_guerra.
Kristine Guerra, kristine.guerra@indystar.com 1:34 p.m. EDT June 6, 2016
Selling a used, black-and-white printer through Craigslist seemed simple and straightforward to Doug Costello. ... It wasn't.
What the 66-year-old Massachusetts man didn't know then is that he would spend the next 6 ½ years embroiled in a complicated and confusing legal dispute in Indiana over that printer, which, according to its buyer, was broken. ... would find himself liable for about $30,000 in damages. He would pay a lawyer at least $12,000 in his battle to escape the legal mess.
....
The printer's buyer was Gersh Zavodnik, a 54-year-old Indianapolis man known to many in the legal community as a frequent lawsuit filer who also represents himself in court. The Indiana Supreme Court said the "prolific, abusive litigant" has brought dozens of lawsuits against individuals and businesses, often asking for astronomical damages. Most, according to court records, involve online sales and transactions.
....
In 2010, Zavodnik sent Costello, who also was representing himself in the lawsuit, paperwork asking him to admit that he was liable for more than $30,000 for breach of contract, fraud and conversion. The trial court dismissed the case, along with 26 others filed by Zavodnik, who appealed all of those dismissals, court records state. .... Zavodnik also had sent Costello two more requests for admissions. One asked Costello to admit that he conspired with the judge presiding over the case, and that he was liable for more than $300,000. Another one requested Costello to admit that he was liable for more than $600,000.
....
Gersh Zavodnik poses in a room in his home, Tuesday, May 14, 2013, that is full of files for the vast number of lawsuits he has filed. (Photo: Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar)
....
On March 23, the appeals court issued a sharply worded 13-page opinion in {Costello's} favor. ... The $30,000 in damages "had no basis in reality," Chief Judge Nancy Vaidik wrote.
....
IndyStar reporter Tim Evans contributed to this story.
Call IndyStar reporter Kristine Guerra at (317) 444-6209. Follow her on Twitter: @kristine_guerra.
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
Something doesn't pass the smell test here. 
