Loaned money to a friend

[cboden]

In September of 2004 I loaned a friend a sum of $1,400. We had a verbal agreement that she would pay me back in full the following January when she started back to college and recieved her student loan check for the spring semester. She never paid me in January because she apparently spent the money as soon as she recieved it. I told her that I was taking her to court. She told me that she would pay me $100 per month until May, when she would pay me the remainder - I agreed. She did not, however, pay me the remainder in May, but said she would keep paying me $100 per month and would try to pay me the remainder in August. She did not pay the remainder in August either. So far, she has only paid me $400. Some months she will pay me $100 and some months she won't. It appears now that she is trying very hard to get out of paying me the remainder. She has paid me with money orders. On each money order she wrote down the current balance of the dept minus $100 and then the new balance. Each money order has her signature on it and I have made photocopies of the money orders.

I have two questions:
i) can I take her to small claims court over this verbal agreement?
ii) she has recently taken a job in another county in Mississippi and I do not have her new address. The new job she has is with the state of Mississippi and the office is based in Meridian, MS. All I have is her full name and her cell phone number. Will I be able to take her to court under these circumstances or will I have to do the foot work and find her new address first? If I cannot find her new address, will I be out of luck?

Thanks!

 

[suchafool]

Question

Did you ever hear back from anyone? I'd be curious the answer.