ROOMMATE GETTING AWAY!!

A friend is sharing an apartment with three other roommates. They hav all signed the lease and it doesn't end until the middle of this year. However the fourth roommate has abandoned them and refuses to pay rent for the rest of the lease. They want to sue the fourth roommate in a small claims court, but shouldn't the landlord take action against the fourth roommate becuase he signed the lease? Can the fourth roommate get away with not wanting to pay rent simply because he doesn't live in the apartment anymore? The rest of the tenants are thinking of breaking the lease, but won't that free the fourth roommate of the money he would owe them? What should my friend and the rest of his roommates do since they can't afford rent monthly without the fourth roommate for the rest of the lease? PLEASE HELP!!

It is likely your lease makes all of you liable jointly and severally, so you are responsible. Both you and the landlord can sue the person in small claims but your credit record may be on the line, or you could even be evicted for nonpayment, so you may have the greatest incentive to get the person to pay. And you may have to cover for him till he does. Or get a new roommate.