CAN I TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST MY PARTNER?

I have been fleeced and betrayed by a man I’ve been seeing. I gave him a lot of money as he promised to pay me back, but he hasn’t. He owes me thousands. The gardaí aren’t interested as it’s a civil matter. I had suspicions that he was also seeing someone else and he finally admitted to having a sexual relationship with a colleague. He made some awful remarks about my body and told me he hated holding my hand; he then told me how wonderful sex was with this other woman and that he loved kissing her. If he doesn’t repay the money I think I will have to start a legal process to reclaim it, but have no idea how to do this. Can I do it on my own or do I need to seek legal advice? If a man keeps asking you for money, I’m afraid it’s not you he is interested in but the contents of your wallet. This man has behaved appallingly and I’m so sorry for you. It is different if you have known someone for years, love and trust them and want to help when they get into difficulties, but I would advise any man or woman to never give in to someone who asks for money, especially early on in a relationship, because you can get badly hurt – both financially and emotionally. It sounds as though this man is angry and trying to hurt you – he has been dishonest and made cruel and unkind remarks. Remember that this is just him being vile and the horrible things he says are not true. You are much better off without him – as you know. You could make a claim through the small claims procedure if it’s less than €2,000 but from your letter it sounds more substantial so it would be better to seek legal advice as the process could be quite daunting to carry out on your own. Also, if he knows you have instructed a lawyer he might be more likely to settle the debt without risking having to go to court. Visit lawyer.ie to get started.