You’ve just been sued. Before you panic, here is an overview of how you can respond to a lawsuit filed against you in Wisconsin Circuit Court. Remember, anyone can sue you, but they can’t win if they don’t have the facts and the law on their side.

Although Wisconsin Law gives the landlord broad authority to deduct rent and damages from a tenant’s security deposit, it also severely punishes landlords who don’t follow the appropriate rules.

If tenants leave or are evicted after their lease term ends, the landlord has 21 days from the day they learned the tenant moved to mail the tenant a security deposit withholding statement which itemizes all deductions made from the security deposit and returns the remaining portion.