I spoke to a lawyer and got a consultation a while back because my apartment complex had me sign a 4 month lease which I read and agreed to, then on move in day they told me "you have to sign a 12 month lease or you cant move in." the lawyer reviewed my original lease and determined there was no such thing mentioned and I could sue the complex and recoup my legal fees if I win. But here's the thing: I'm low income and if I take that $2.5K risk to retain the lawyer and lose for any reason, that's really going to hurt. It seems to me that by forcing me into this situation where I need to put $2.5K at risk just to pursue justice, the complex is essentially causing damage in the form of serious financial risk.
Could someone explain why I could or could not reasonably ask the court to award me damages, in addition to legal fees paid if I take this to court and win?
I'm in Florida.