---
title: Should new condo owner be responsible for back assessment legal fees?
description: New Illinois condo owners held responsible for back assessment legal fees, including court appearances.  Should they be?
---

[Condo Q&A ](https://www.condoassociation.com/blog)

# [Should new condo owner be responsible for back assessment legal fees?](https://www.condoassociation.com/blog/tabid/19257/bid/108665/Should-new-condo-owner-be-responsible-for-back-assessment-legal-fees.aspx)

 Written by [stephen polinsky](https://www.condoassociation.com/blog/author/stephen-polinsky) | Sat, Oct 25, 2014 @ 12:00 PM

My husband and I recently went into a contract for a condo unit in Chicago. It was a messy foreclosure that Freddie Mac owned. We recently received the condo assessment letter from the condo association, telling us that we will need $12,567 due at closing! Our attorney told us we would have to pay the six months of back assessments, which we are fine with. However, $9,700 is for ‘Legal Fees – Collections’.

When the invoices finally came, it's clear that a majority of the ‘Legal Fees – Collections’ are for appearances in court. We are under the impression that we should not be responsible for them. The following are examples of invoice charges: appearance; preparing correspondence to client ($355), prepare for plantiff's jury; prepare plaintiff's statement of the case and jury instructions ($470). Are we liable for the $9,700 even if majority of invoices are for appearances in court? These invoices date back to 2008!

[View full post](https://www.condoassociation.com/blog/tabid/19257/bid/108665/Should-new-condo-owner-be-responsible-for-back-assessment-legal-fees.aspx)

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