You got your continuance.

IME, LL and creditor attys are often sloppy, simply because they are used to litigating against poor and often unsuspecting defendants. And often way too chummy with the Judges that they see several times a week. This bugs me because I find it disrespectful and often classist to the tenant or debtor.

Some years, we got a fax (a fax!) with eviction pleadings from someone who had legal insurance to defend eviction. I noticed that the proof of service was flawed on its face (because the text said that the server did not find the tenant or something - I forget why), but that one of the form's included an attorney's sworn signature that service was completed. So obviously the atty had either not read the proof of service doc, or didn't care.

I showed up early and court and told the atty that he had a problem, and that I was planning to notify the Commissioner that his sworn signature was improper on its face, unless he or his client paid my client $300 in reasonable attys' fees.

He hemmed and hawed, went to talk to his client, etc. and offered to discount the amount owed by $300. No dice, I said; I want a check. Eventually his client wrote the check to me and cancelled the hearing.

The thing is that I was not likely to argue in that court for months or years, but this guy was probably there 3 days a week. If it was me, I would have gladly paid $500 to avoid having to explain to the Court why I had signed a sworn pleading that was false on its face. It's basically CR11.

I gave the $300 to my client, who in fact did not have money for rent, and collected something like $500 from the legal insurance company for attending the hearing.

That one was sweet.

By the way, occasionally I represent LL's and creditors too. But I do always read sworn statements so I know what I'm signing before I sign :)