Old 01-29-2016, 01:40 PM
  # 20 (permalink)  
LexieCat
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: South Jersey
Posts: 16,633
Whew, just got home. The dep itself was 4.5 hours (well, 4 hours if you take out the short breaks). It went GREAT--thanks in no small part to the good vibes from all you nice people! I felt very confident, prepared, and in control. As my lawyer reminded me, part of what you get from a deposition is what kind of witness the deponent would make if the case went to trial--are they likable, sympathetic, people whose side a jury would be on. So I dressed up (not to the nines or anything--just wore what I'd wear if I were presenting a training), did hair/makeup (hey, most work days I schlub around in a t-shirt/sweatshirt, jeans and slippers), and walked in confidently. Kidded around (in an appropriate way)--at one point I made a joke about my "crack problem" (foundation cracks, get it?), and everyone laughed and told the stenographer to keep it out of the record. The stenog was neighbors with a former colleague and we knew a lot of people in common. It was far less painful than I feared. The lawyers were all pretty professional about it (I always dread dealing with jerks). There are three sets of defendants so three lawyers asking questions, but most of them were just the first guy, representing the engineers. Hopefully I gave them enough to get a decent settlement offer.

The disconcerting news (which was withheld from me till after the dep, so as not to distract me) is that my lawyer is closing his doors in two weeks. The man is 81 years old and I kept hoping we'd get this resolved before he retired or (god forbid) died. His young associate, who handled the deposition, is looking for a new job and hoping he can keep my case. Barring that, they will recommend a few people to take over.

This has all actually been going on since 2009--I wasn't even sober a year when I discovered my house was falling apart (literally). I only bought the place in 2006. I'm tired and I've spent $35,000 in legal fees so far, and about $8,000 in engineering fees. My $219,000 house (what I paid for it) was recently appraised at $62,000.

So yeah, I'd like to get this resolved. Hopefully one step closer.
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