Consumer Law, Warranties Wedding Cancellation & Vendor Dealings

[bigdummy]

We canceled our wedding about two weeks before the big day.

The contract we signed with the hotel said we were liable for 100% of revenue for the event.

While I understand this is something we signed, it seems rather punitive to charge 100% of revenue. When I asked for profit numbers, the hotel immediately refused saying that this is what I signed. (They are charging the minimum revenue guarantee, which is $36k.)

My questions:
1. Is there a lawyer who specializes in this?
1a. If not, what sort of practice would you recommend I reach out to?
1b. How do I evaluate potential counsel?
2. How can I go about negotiating this? I understand that if we went to to court we could possibly pay for the hotel's legal fees as well.
3. What if I refuse to pay it completely?

Thank you!

(Apologies in advance if this is the wrong thread, I don't know exactly where this fits.)

 

[jharris352]

Agreements always seem less reasonable after you owe the bill. I know you don't like it now, but you signed a contract and it is going to be enforced against you. It is exactly punative, that's why they did it.

You can hire an attorney, but I doubt you will prevail against them. There is not a type of attorney that specializes in this, it is a contract law case. You need to find an attorney who will explain things to you. Do not look for one that will tell you what you want to hear or you will end up paying the attorney 10-15K and THEN paying the 36k+ attorney fees for frivolous litigation.

If you refuse to pay completely they will seek a judgment against you which will go on you credit and they will garnish your wages and assets until they are paid.

I wish I had better information for you. The only good news is that you are not in it alone. He is jointly and severally liable too. Good luck.