My Roommate Used A Fake Lawyer To Evict Me And Got Me Fired. He Didn’t Realize I Found Proof His Girlfriend Had A Secret Apartment. Now They Owe Me $45,000.
Going on the Offensive
Craig sits forward and his voice gets really serious. He says he’ll take my case on a payment deal where he gets paid from whatever we win. We’re not just fighting the removal attempt anymore. We’re going after Brock, Sienna, and Harrison for planning fraud together, trying to illegally kick me out, and Harrison’s fake lawyer act.
Craig explains I have grounds for a lawsuit against all three of them. But first, we need to report Harrison to the state bar group that licenses attorneys. Craig says they take fake lawyers very seriously. He also thinks we should talk to the police because this might be more than just a civil case. This could involve criminal charges.
I ask what happens next and Craig starts making a list: Emergency motion to throw out the removal case based on the fraud, formal complaint to the state bar about Harrison with copies of everything, police report about the threats and fake legal advice. Then we file our own lawsuit going after all three of them for damages.
He estimates we’re looking at tens of thousands in potential damages between my lost wages, emotional harm, legal costs, and punishment damages for how bad their behavior was. I can barely process what he’s saying. An hour ago I was drowning in debt and facing homelessness. Now I have a real lawyer who believes me and wants to fight back.
Craig starts working immediately. He pulls up legal forms on his computer and begins filling them out while asking me questions. He needs exact dates for everything. When did Harrison present himself as Brock’s lawyer? What specific claims did he make about tenant law? What documents did he show me? What threats did he make?
I answer everything as clearly as I can remember. Craig types fast and keeps muttering about how obvious the fraud is. He prints out the emergency motion to dismiss the removal proceedings and it’s thick, maybe 15 pages. He’s attached copies of all my evidence about Sienna’s real apartment: the utility bills showing she paid for electricity and internet somewhere else, the neighbor statements, the photographs, everything that proves she never actually lived with us as her main home.
Craig also prepares the formal complaint to the state bar about Harrison. He includes the business card Harrison gave me, copies of the documents Harrison presented while claiming to be a lawyer, and my statement about what happened during that awful kitchen table meeting. Craig explains that the bar investigates people practicing law without a license. If they find Harrison guilty, he could face criminal charges.
Craig files everything electronically right from his office. I watch him hit submit on the emergency motion, then submit on the bar complaint. Each click feels like I’m finally fighting back instead of just taking hits. Craig prints copies of everything for my records. He tells me to keep these somewhere safe. Maybe make digital backups too. This is our evidence and we can’t lose it.
3 days after Craig files the bar complaint, I get a call from an unknown number. A woman introduces herself as an investigator with the state bar. She says they received my complaint about Harrison and they want to talk to me. Apparently, Harrison has been on their radar before for practicing law without a license. This isn’t his first time doing this.
My complaint, combined with the detailed evidence Craig provided, triggered an immediate investigation. The investigator asks if I can come to her office to give a statement. I take time off from my temp job and go meet her downtown. Her office is small and plain with filing cabinets everywhere. She has me sit down and starts asking very specific questions.
Did Harrison explicitly say he was Brock’s attorney? Did he present documents that looked official? Did he make specific claims about the law? Did he threaten me with legal action? I answer yes to everything and explain exactly what happened. She takes notes the whole time and records our conversation with my permission.
The investigator tells me that pretending to be an attorney is a criminal crime, not just a rule break. She’s gathering evidence to refer the case to the district attorney’s office for possible criminal charges. She explains that what Harrison did—using fake legal power to threaten and scare someone about their housing—is taken very seriously. Housing is a protected area under state law. You can’t use fraud and fake legal threats to force someone out of their home.
She thanks me for coming forward and says the investigation will continue. She also mentions that if criminal charges get filed, I might need to testify. I say I’m absolutely willing to do that.
