Legal Question in Business Law in Maryland

What is theft of service and how do you get a client to pay for services rendered?


Asked on 5/24/11, 6:09 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys

G. Joseph Holthaus III Law Offices of G. Joseph Holthaus

File a complaint in District Court and serve the Defendant. Depending on the amount of your claim you may need to file in Circuit Court. Contact me to discuss.

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Answered on 5/24/11, 6:57 pm
Robert Sher Wagshal and Sher

If someone tenders a check they know is bad due to insufficient funds or because it's written on a closed account, for the purpose of inducing the performance of services, it can be prosecuted as theft of services. Once the check is returned unpaid, you should notify the client that if they don't make good on the check within 10 days you will refer the matter for criminal prosecution to the state's attorney. The prosecutor must be convinced that the person knew at the outset that the check was bad and had the intent to defraud you, not just that they wrote the check and it later bounced because they didn't keep good track of their balance. This is where the 10 day period comes into play.

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Answered on 5/25/11, 6:34 am


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