They can always pay you to leave.

Heh.

One guy I talked to at the Metropolitan Tenants Organization said it sounds like my landlord is trying to get me to panic.

Well, it's more like they got me to be really depressed, in a "I don't wanna go to court, I just wanna stay curled up in the corner" kind of way. But I'm feeling a little better about it now.

One guy I talked to at the Metropolitan Tenants Organization said it sounds like my landlord is trying to get me to panic.

That's exactly it. They're trying to bully you out. But there's no way they can make it happen before your lease is up.

And I wasn't kidding about having them pay you. It happens all the time.

I think in many small-issue situations, "We're going to sue you" is only used as a scare tactic. Because it sounds so scary! I had the collection agency trying to collect a fraudulent charge on my Macy's account threaten that, and it sent me into a total tailspin (including totally inappropriate emails to bon bon...). Of course we worked it out without lawsuits. By which I mean, I stood my ground and insisted that they were wrong, when they were.

I think in many small-issue situations, "We're going to sue you" is only used as a scare tactic.

Yeah.

The woman at the rental office sounded so unhappy with me when I told her I was gonna find out what my rights were and get back to her (when she asked me if I was going to move out).

Sorry about the whole apartment situation.

With all the details you've given us, tommy, I am rooting for you to kick their asses.

A lame excuse, but it does point out the problem with the hysteria about steroids. A lot of players - especially bullpen pitchers - were taking steroids in the nineties because it helps repair muscle damage more quickly. That is, it does have a beneficial and defensible effect as well as as performance enhancing.

As I understand it, the repair of muscle damage is a big part of the appeal of steroids. You can train much harder and more frequently if your recovery is shorter.

I think its time to fib, Tommyrot.

Send them a letter saying "I've consulted an attorney and have been advised that you have no damn case and that I'll win if I fight you. I'd rather, however, just leave at the end of my lease. If you would like me to leave before then you can buy me out."

But more legalishly

I was just reading about the muscle repair issue with respect to Rick Ankiel. Back when he was still pitching, he had Tommy John surgery and as part of his recovery, his physician had used HGH to aid in recovery, but at the time, it was not a banned substance and Ankiel has been open about it, so he never suffered any penalties or backlash because of it.

And when you send that letter Trudy's recommending, be sure to cc it to someone at every tenants' rights group you've spoken with (if you can get specific names, that's even better), and a lawyer. (I had to do something similar once, and I cc'd a tax attorney friend of my mom's--the rental co. won't know who the lawyer is, it'll just scare them stupid to see that menacing "Esq." at the end of the cc list.)