Legal Eagles

Could someone please explain humans to me? 'Cause I just don't get them.

Here's the sitch:

I thought I had everything worked out for this summer. Someone was subletting my old apartment. I had put aside enough to pay the condo mortgage for the two months I'd be gone. And I had a fellowship to pay for my summer language lessons and living expenses in exotic Illinois. I'd even found an apartment to sublet that would allow Rowen to stay with me for the summer.

Yay!

I must be working off some bad karma. Because once again, my subletter flaked. This time, she was moved in already! But she called this morning and left me a voice mail saying that it "wouldn't work" and she had moved out. WTF?!?! Four days before the rent is due, she moves. With no notice. No warning.

So it looks like, come Tuesday morning, I'll be making a trip to the courthouse to start a complaint for small claims court.

Any legal eagles out there want to give me some advice? Being both incredibly stupid and incredibly busy, I hadn't gotten the sublease taken care of before Ms. Flaky Bitch moved out. BUT, I do have an e-mail in which I explicitly ask if she is committing to subletting the specific apartment for the specified dates and she responds, "OK. I'm in!" To my mind, that e-mail is a written (if unsigned) contract to sublet a specific property for a specific period of time. Anyone know if that argument will hold up in court?

I'm so frustrated with all of this. And I'm really just ready to give up on people in general. Is there no one out there who isn't entirely selfish and untrustworthy?