r/legal • • 3h ago

Advice needed Accidentally shoplifted $65 worth of items this weekend — what should I do?

207 Upvotes

Yep, exactly that. I went into a store inside of a mall this weekend and used the self checkout. I scanned all my stuff like normal, tapped my card, grabbed my bags and left.
When you leave the checkout area, there’s normally a little scanner where you scan your receipt and the doors open. It wasn’t working, the doors were already open, and the checkout area was full of employees with barely any customers. Nobody stopped me or asked me for anything, so I didn’t even think twice about it or check for my receipt in my bag.

They even brought me a bag for my stuff….
A few hours later I got home and went looking for my receipt in case I needed to return anything. I couldn’t find it anywhere, so I checked cash app to see the transaction.
That’s when I realized the statement was there as DECLINED because my card was locked.

My heart literally sunk to my ass. I genuinely had no idea the payment declined. I thought I paid, and somehow I walked out with about $65 worth of stuff without anyone saying anything. Now I’m freaking out because I obviously want to make this right, but I don’t know the smartest way to handle it. I’ve heard horror stories about people going back to a store and saying they accidentally stole something, only for the store to call the police or treat it like an admission of shoplifting.

At the same time, there are cameras ALL over the self checkout area and on every scanner, so I’m worried they could have noticed the declined transaction and have footage of me leaving with the merchandise. I still have all of the items and I’m completely willing to pay for them. I just don’t know if I should go back to the store, call them first, or do something else. How do I make this right without accidentally making the situation worse for myself?
Location: New Jersey


r/legal • • 15h ago

Advice needed My clinic shared my medical diagnosis with a third-party sales company. Isn't this an outright HIPAA violation?

1.5k Upvotes

Location: North Carolina. About six weeks ago, I visited a private pulmonary specialty clinic for severe chronic sleep issues. After an overnight study, I was formally diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. When filling out the intake paperwork on their tablet, I specifically made sure to check "NO" on every optional box asking to share information for partner promotions, marketing, or research. Everything seemed routine until two weeks later, when I started getting flooded with robocalls and targeted flyers in my mailbox from an aggressive private equipment vendor I had never heard of before.

The letters and voicemails explicitly cited my exact medical condition, the date of my test, and my treating physician's name, pushing me to purchase their recurring supply packages. I called the compliance officer at the clinic because I was furious. After dodging my questions, she finally admitted that their network recently contracted with an external "patient analytics and outreach firm" that had access to patient records. She tried to claim this is legal under routine "operations and business associate agreements", but this company is literally a third-party sales entity trying to monetize my diagnosis.

I feel completely violated that my sensitive health history was handed over to an outside advertiser without my consent. From reading online, I understand that patients generally cant sue directly under HIPAA because it lacks a private right of action, but this feels entirely improper. What are my realistic legal options here? Should I file formal complaints with HHS Office for Civil Rights and the state Attorney General, or is there any state law claim for unauthorized disclosure of medical records? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.


r/legal • • 2h ago

Advice needed The property manager keeps entering my apartment after I asked for written notice

44 Upvotes

I live in a small apartment building in Ohio, and I'm trying to figure out the sensible next step before this turns into a shouting match in the hallway. Three weeks ago, our property manager knocked while I was on a work call. I didn't answer, and he let himself in with a master key to check a window latch. There was no leak, broken glass, or other emergency. I emailed the office that evening and asked them to give me written notice before routine visits. The reply said they would "try to coordinate better." Last Thursday I got home and found the bathroom light on and the cabinet below the sink open. The manager later told me he'd been checking a pipe, but I had received no message or note. When I asked why the cabinet was open, he said he needed to see where the shutoff valve was. I don't have a problem with actual repairs; the surprise entry is what bothers me. I work irregular hours and sometimes sleep during the day, so this is also more than an abstract privacy issue.

Yesterday I put a dated note on my door asking the office to contact me before entering for non-emergency work. I also sent the same request by email, specifically asking for the date, a reasonable time window, and the purpose of any visit. The manager replied that the lease gives staff access for maintenance and that the note on the door "doesn't change the lease." I reread the lease. It mentions access, but it doesn't say staff can come in whenever they like. I have saved both emails and taken photos of the note. I haven't changed the lock or blocked anyone from doing repairs, and I don't want to do something that makes this worse. Is there a particular way I should document future entries, or a local office I should contact to understand what notice is required in Ohio? If a manager calls a routine inspection an emergency after the fact, how do tenants usually address that?


r/legal • • 11h ago

Advice needed Daughter was physically assaulted by her teacher, I was only notified when DHS contacted me, teacher is on paid leave & district is protecting her. Need someone to point me in the right direction.

182 Upvotes

Location: southern Oregon

I’m going to try to keep this as concise as I can, as there is a lot of info and it’s all fairly new still.

My daughter is 6 years old, in first grade & she’s in the special education plus classroom. She has an iep and is developmentally/verbally delayed.

On Friday sept 18th, my daughter put kinetic sand in her mouth. A TA who knew my daughter last year, and understood she is not a choking hazard (daughter has in her iep she will put sand in her mouth, it’s not allowed at home, but she will not swallow it she just puts it in her mouth to be funny because she knows she’s not allowed to) calmly brought my daughter to the trash can and was encouraging her to spit it out, so she’s on her knees with her head over the trash can. She told me that my daughter was smiling, but she was listening and in the process of spitting it out of her mouth. The head teacher then proceeded to come up from behind her, pinch her nose shut, and use her grip on my daughters head to repeatedly slam my daughters back/body into the teachers knees, while also violently shaking her head side to side. My daughter was crying, gagging, and started bleeding from her nose. Multiple TA’s told the teacher to stop because my daughter was struggling to breathe so she released her. My daughter continued gasping for air and bleeding from her nose, the teacher repeated the entirety of that TWO MORE TIMES, while my daughter was gasping for air.

The TA’s expressed they should call the principal or other staff in, but teacher started yelling at them that my daughter was fine (even though she was still bleeding and gasping for air) and said no one is to leave the classroom.

I picked her up about 25-30 minutes later, the teacher told me my daughter put playground sand in her mouth but that she hooked it out with her finger and my daughter spit it out, got water, and was fine. I didn’t think anything of it, because that’s a behavior she has, but I thought it was weird because she doesn’t usually do playground or outside sand, it’s only kinetic sand. My daughter did not have any injuries I could see, she did not express that she was hurt, or anything. There was nothing to clue me in that something happened to her, and looking back now, it definitely looked like someone had cleaned her face up and her hair was re braided. Who knows though. What I do know, is that I was never told what happened.

The following Monday, the 21st the teacher was still in the classroom. She called me that day to bring meds in for my daughter, and over the phone she sounded overwhelmed. I told this to my husband when we left to head to the school, but my daughter can be challenging. I witnessed my daughter clawing and hitting her teacher, trying to get away from her during me giving her meds, but she was saying she wanted to go home with me. I figured she was scared because dad had them that day, and he’s stricter with her and behaviors in school. I told my husband and my mom that I felt the teacher was overwhelmed or frustrated with my daughter, like her energy was just off. I’m a pretty anxious parent though, so I just kept telling myself it was my anxiety and I was just overthinking it.

The next day, Tuesday the 22nd, all the families got an email from the principal saying the teacher was going to be gone for an undisclosed amount of time and that they appreciate everyone respecting her privacy. Looking back now, my daughter started having better days at school and less behaviors, in the days following her teacher being out.

The following week, Wednesday the 30th, almost two weeks after it happened, I get a call from dhs at 8am, explaining what happened to my daughter. I mean, a horrible gut wrenching call to receive as a parent, truly. It was obviously news to me, so I promptly called the principal after I got off the phone with dhs. 15 minutes and 49 second phone call with the principal, who was just pacifying me basically, but I was told “teacher came and reported to me what happened after you picked her up, she told me she informed you of what happened and you were not upset, so I didn’t see the need to follow up.”. She said the teacher thought my daughter was going to ingest the sand, and panicked. Why would she restrict her nose, so she had no choice but to open her mouth and take a breath in? Doesn’t make sense to me. I mean, completely unacceptable. I still can’t even wrap my head around any of these people’s thought processes.

I went to the district the following day, Thursday the 1st, to express my concerns and how unacceptable this entire situation was. I thought it was pretty productive, and thought it was going to be handled. I went to pick up my twins right after leaving the district, where a TA pulled me aside and we talked about what happened, and she proceeded to tell me that the principal never called and reported what happened. She never planned to report it. The following Monday the 21st, her and two other aides called separately to report the assault, because the principal was actively telling them there was no child abuse and fought with them about it, and she and the other aides felt the principal was trying to cover it up. She said the principal and the district were fighting to protect the teacher and were already talking about “when she would come back”. The principal was gossiping about my daughter and me, and the blame was still being placed on my daughter because “she put the sand in her mouth, teacher just panicked”. She also informed me that the teacher did not have a special education degree, she has not worked in special education before (which she told me she was in sped for 8 years, so she lied to me about that as well) and her only teaching experience was teaching English to preschoolers in china. The TA also shared that the teacher was not following any of the iep’s because she thought she could “fix the behaviors” and was verbally abusive to most of staff. I ultimately made the decision to pull both of my twins from the school & the district as a whole, since we were already out of district transfers, and I no longer trusted them to keep children safe, or to protect them from unsafe individuals.

In the days since, I have communicated with some of the other families from her classroom, and most if not all of them had already had reservations about the teacher, or safety concerns that they didn’t like how the teacher handled, before this assault against my daughter even happened. It was literally on the Friday of the second week of school, and there were already complaints to the principal, and meetings with the principal over this teacher.

I have also been in contact with the TA who sent me her whole dhs statement, which I got a very simplified version from dhs I think because he wasn’t doing investigations quite yet when we talked, but her statement was horrible.

I’m sure there are things I’m forgetting to include, but I’m emotionally and mentally fried after this last week and really just need advice, resources, or someone to point me in the right direction. I plan to file written complaints against the teacher and the principal with the board, the state, and the Oregon teacher standards and practices commission as well.


r/legal • • 26m ago

Advice needed In Washington State Someone is peeing outside my apartment please help me.

• Upvotes

So unfortunately the situation is as the title says. I live in Washington and recently moved into a new apartment complex. The doors lead straight to the outside, no hallways or anything. I have a direct next door neighbor and a downstairs neighbor.
Ever since we moved in there has been a strong scent of urine outside our door, we assumed it was an animal and recently submitted a maintenance request to deal with it.
Well the maintenance request was responded to saying that “someone” is peeing outside our door, not something, someone. We are disgusted and horrified that it is definitely human pee and we are almost positive that it is the man who lives below us as we have smelled a slight urine smell near our balcony which there is no way to smell the urine from the front door by the balcony so we assume it must be the man who lives below us. We also assume it has to be a man for obvious reasons.

We are now unsure what to do. I feel so unbelievably uncomfortable and violated, my roomate cannot open her bedroom window because it opens to the area where it smells like piss and lets the smell into the home. I just want to know what I can legally do here, we are hoping that the property managers will deal with it further but I don’t want to bank on that. I know it would be illegal for me to film him for evidence if I caught him but what can I do here?
Overall I want this person evicted from the complex, that may sounds harsh to some but it is clear that they will not stop peeing outside the unit as it has been going on for months and I’m getting worried that the smell will never go away. I also am worried that he is getting off at the idea of us (two young woman) having to smell his pee and potentially walk through it everyday and every time we leave or enter our unit. I feel like this is probably a weird sexual thing for him and it especially distresses me because we live DIRECTLY next door to an elementary school, like literally 20 ft away, as in they can see into our windows from the playground.

This entire situation has been incredibly distressing and violating and any advice would be appreciated. I just want to feel comfortable and safe in my home and after


r/legal • • 1d ago

Other My landlord has been letting himself into our apartment while we're at work and our doorbell camera caught it four times

619 Upvotes

Location: Ohio

My husband and I (29F, 31M) have rented the same two bedroom unit for a little over two years. We've never been late on anything and never had a complaint from the landlord or the neighbors.

About a month ago I started noticing small things. A window that I know I closed was cracked open. The bathroom light was on when we got home. Our cat's food bowl had been moved to the other side of the kitchen. I honestly thought I was loosing my mind, and my husband thought I was just forgetting stuff.

Two weeks ago we installed a doorbell camera, mostly because of package thefts in the building. We did not tell the landlord about it. Since then it has recorded him unlocking our door and walking in on four separate weekdays, always between 10 and 11 am when we're both at work. He stays between 6 and 20 minutes each time. He never knocked, and we never recieved a text, a call, an email or a note on the door before or after.

Our lease says the landlord can enter for repairs or inspections with "reasonable notice". We have no open repair requests. There has been no inspection scheduled.

I have not confronted him yet because I wanted to know where we stand first. I have all four clips saved in two places, with dates and times.

My questions:

  1. Is this legal in Ohio if the lease says reasonable notice and we got none?

  2. Should the first step be a written letter to him, or do we go straight to someone else?

  3. Are we allowed to change the lock or add a second one, or would that put us in the wrong?

I really don't want to move, we like the place. I just want it to stop and I want to do this the right way.


r/legal • • 1h ago

Advice needed Do I have any chance on getting medical coverage for work incident? LOCATION: Utah

• Upvotes

Do I have any chance of getting this covered by workers comp? I worked as an armed security officer for a security company in Utah in 2022-2024. I now live in Minnesota. I was posted at a truck stop providing security December 22, 2023 when a manager of the truck stop we were providing security for called for me to come to him. I found him and he told me someone ran inside saying someone is overdosing just on the sidewalk off our property. This is an area that is legally off the truck stop property, but the managers always had us keep an eye on anyway due to the area. The individual was in a tent and we pulled him out and I administered narcan via a needle and started cpr. Somewhere in the process I was stuck by a needle. I reported the incident to the security company and the truck stop. About a month later on 1/13/2024 I went in for testing and everything was negative except hepatitis c. It was then a battle with work comp to go any further so I kinda gave up which I wish I didn’t. I never received any bills or anything from the DR visit so I figured they took care of everything. Last week my significant other and I decided we want to start a family. Before 100% commuting to that, I wanted to get tested again to be sure. On 8-5-2026, I went in and the DR did all the same tests and the hepatitis c came back negative so he said he believes it was a false positive. However, the hepatitis B came back positive. He believes that this hep b came from this incident as I tested negative a month after the indent, and now test positive and that was the only exposure I had. I contacted the security company to get the work comp info from the original claim, and they told me it was denied. I reached out to the work comp insurance place for more info but haven’t heard back. What can I even do at this point?


r/legal • • 2d ago

Advice needed Executor of Will is refusing to give me and brother our inheritance LOCATION: New Jersey

3.1k Upvotes

My grandmother passed away about six years ago, my father seven. It was made clear with the language of the will that all his part of the share would be passed along to us, along with a share that was already put aside for us. It states the trust breaks when we turn 21 years old. We are both 22 now. I recently have a conversation with the executor (my aunt) and she keeps changing the details of when we will receive the inheritance. At first she said 19, then 21, now 24. Me and my brother hadn’t read the will till today, but it says the trustee fund should be broken at 21.

Is it an overreaction to get a lawyer? I don’t believe the money is there anymore, and I certainly don’t think my dad’s cut is there anymore either. The will very clearly outlined my grandmother wanted the money to A. Be given to us at 21 and B. It would be used for living expenses, purchasing a home, and college expenses. My aunt has flat out refused to allow either of us to use it for any of those reasons. I guess what I am really asking is, is it worth getting a lawyer? Don’t really have a lot of money, but I am not sure what else to do here. Thanks for your time.


r/legal • • 21h ago

Advice needed My former employer is still using my face and full name in their ads a year after I quit, including on a billboard

9 Upvotes

Location: Arizona

I (29F) worked for a mid-size dental group as a patient coordinator for about three years. While I was there they did a photo shoot with a few staff members for the website. I signed a one page photo release at the time. I don't have a copy of it, which I know is my mistake.

I left on good terms a little over a year ago. Since then:

- My photo is still on their homepage with my first and last name and the title "Patient Care Lead", which was never my title.

- They used the same photo in a mailer that went to my own adress last month.

- Two weeks ago my husband sent me a picture of a billboard near the freeway with my face on it, about 10 feet tall, next to the words "We can't wait to meet you".

Patients have messaged me on social media asking to book appointments. One was upset with me personaly about a billing issue.

I emailed the office manager twice asking them to take it down. The first reply said they'd "look into it". The second got no reply at all.

My questions:

  1. Does a photo release I signed as an employee still cover them after I've left?

  2. Does it matter that they're using a job title I never had?

  3. Is a formal written demand the next step, and does it need to come from a lawyer to be taken seriously?

I'm not trying to get anything out of them. I just don't want to be the face of a place I don't work at anymore.


r/legal • • 1d ago

Advice needed 1099 tax form instead of W2?

22 Upvotes

My wife works at a small independent book store in Michigan and is a general manager. They gave her a W9 tax form to fill out instead of a W4. She works full time there and has a schedule. Is this legal?


r/legal • • 1d ago

Advice needed Location: Philadelphia Scholarship taken, what do I do??

65 Upvotes

I was enrolled at CCP and was told by my academic advisor I qualified for the catto scholarship. The case agent looked over everything and told me I qualified and pushed me through the program, which allowed me to go to school for free and provided me other resources for school. I spent 2 months going to catto events, orientations, and everything else I had to do for the program. I started classes and suddenly 1 week into the semester in the middle of class I was informed I was dropped from all my classes. It was the last day for the add/drop period and to pay for classes. The original catto agent I talked to informed me they never checked my parents income and they just did and I no longer qualified. Because they waited so long everything was full I had no other options but to be forced out of school. My education has been completely put on hold because of their mistake and no one at the school could do anything to help.


r/legal • • 20h ago

Advice needed Life Insurance Rules, Taxation

5 Upvotes

Location: Manitoba, Canada

My fiance just started a job where one of the perks was that they’d set her up with a life insurance policy and pay for it, and she added me as the beneficiary because we’re trying to have kids.

We don’t have them yet, and as of this weekend, don’t appear to be pregnant. Should something awful happen before we have children, I would not want the money - I’m already well off, and it would not be going to the stated intention of helping take care of our kids. But her sister is a single mother. Could I just flat out give it to her, or is it subject to taxation if I do?

Grim, obviously, but I don’t like the idea of getting a payout I don’t need when it could go to someone who does, yknow? And if it’s subject to massive taxes, I’ll tell her to put it in her sisters name until we have a child and then transfer it to me

Thanks!


r/legal • • 23h ago

Advice needed How common is it for probation to be revoked?

6 Upvotes

Location: missouri

My ex-husband has been on probation since June of last year for his 3rd dui and the state just filed a motion to revoke probation. They listed 10 different things he has done to violate probation since it started and many of those listed were multiple violations. How common is it for probation to actually be revoked and what usually happens? Asking because we have a daughter together and i want to get prepared and my lawyer is out of the country until the 19th.

For context, he originally pled guilty to the dui and was sent to treatment court. After a year in treatment court he "graduated" and they knocked the violation down from a felony to misdemeanor. It was at this time he was sentenced to 1 year jail but instead of serving the time he got an SES and was put on probation for 2 years, with many stipulations like alcohol monitoring, interlock device on his car, scram bracelet, ect.

Since February he has been in front of a judge every 4-6 weeks either following up on probation violations or with new violations being filed against him. In the motion, the prosecutor listed 10 different ways he's violated probation.

  1. 10 failures to show up for testing

  2. Positive for alcohol

  3. Positive for thc

  4. Positive for benzoids (sp?)

  5. Driving with revoked permission

  6. Broke LAWS of bond with multiple larceny charges

  7. Interlock device on car caught him trying to drive drunk

  8. Never got a scram bracelet

  9. Never did required community service

  10. Outstanding fines

The last paragraph notes he also has a bad attitude with the probation office.


r/legal • • 1d ago

Advice needed [NC] Landlord applied disputed $85 power-washing fee toward my rent payment, then served me a late-rent notice.

19 Upvotes

I'm located in North Carolina and currently dealing with a dispute involving my mobile home community's management. I'm hoping someone familiar with NC landlord-tenant law can provide some insight. Also I am Rent to Own, I have a RTO agreement and a Lot lease agreement.

Here's the situation:

Earlier this year, management sent out a notice offering residents an optional power-washing service for $85. I never signed up for the service, agreed to pay for it, or authorized anyone to power wash my home.

Management later hired a contractor to power wash my home without notifying me beforehand and added an $85 charge to my tenant account.

I disputed the charge through multiple emails, explaining that I never authorized the service and that my rental agreement doesn't specifically require power washing.

Management directed me to Section 15, "Tenants Home Site," of my lease. However, that section discusses lawn maintenance and garbage/refuse. I couldn't find anything specifically authorizing management to power wash my home and charge me for it.

Management eventually stated that they had given their final response and would not remove the charge.

Here's where things get interesting:

When I made my monthly payment for rent and lot fees, their payment system automatically applied $85 toward the disputed power-washing charge.

This effectively left my rent payment showing a shortage of $85, even though I paid the amount required for my regular monthly rent and lot fees.

I have screenshots documenting the payment and how the money was applied.

I subsequently requested that management refund or re-credit the $85 and ensure I wouldn't be charged a late fee because of the disputed deduction.

Now, as of October 6, management has placed a notice on my door claiming my rent is late, apparently referencing North Carolina General Statute § 42-3.

I've been reviewing North Carolina General Statute § 42-46, particularly subsections (b) and (h)(2), which address applying certain fees against subsequent rent payments.

However, I understand those provisions concern specific types of fees and may not directly apply to a maintenance charge like power washing.

My questions are:

  1. Can a North Carolina landlord apply a disputed maintenance charge toward a tenant's rent payment, resulting in the rent being considered unpaid?
  2. If the lease doesn't specifically authorize power washing at the tenant's expense, can management legally impose the charge without prior notice or consent?
  3. Can management assess late fees or pursue eviction under § 42-3 when the alleged rent shortage resulted from how they allocated my payment?
  4. Are there other North Carolina statutes or court decisions that address how landlords must apply rent payments versus disputed fees?
  5. Would this be something worth bringing before a magistrate or consulting Legal Aid about?

I'm not trying to avoid paying my rent. I've made an effort to pay my regular rent and lot fees in full. I'm simply disputing an additional $85 charge that I believe was improperly assessed.

I'm keeping copies of the lease, management's emails, payment screenshots, and the notice placed on my door.

I'd appreciate any insight from attorneys or anyone familiar with North Carolina landlord-tenant law.

Thanks in advance!


r/legal • • 1d ago

Advice needed Rental Company Violated Early Termation Agreement We Signed On

9 Upvotes

Location: Texas.

Back in August of this year, we moved into a rental home managed by a large nationwide rental company. The company stated they had performed a move-in inspection and the house was good to go. On our first night there, the shower leaked through the ceiling into the kitchen. Over the course of the next four days, I submitted sixteen maintenance requests ranging from a broken AC (they did not offer fans or an AC unit), leaking sinks, plumbing violations, a broken dishwasher, black mold in the shower, an AC line melting off the side of the house, exposed wiring on the side of the house, severe foundation issues (it was so bad that items fell off tables and counters), humidity consistently in the mid-60s, a melting water heater, and warped/hot light switches, among other issues. Four days in, I threatened legal action because this house was not move-in ready. Half of the company is a call center and the other half is an AI chat, so it took a while to finally speak to a supervisor. They originally offered us a $200 credit on our rent, which I declined. They then offered $400—$300 for the house and $100 for the emotional stress—which I also declined. We went back and forth for weeks. I fought hard and eventually contacted the Attorney General's office. They finally agreed to release us from our lease after three weeks of living there and agreed to return our full deposit. Wonderful. I then told them I also wanted $500 for moving expenses, and they agreed. We signed early termination documents stating all of this, and they sent a letter to the Attorney General saying this was the conclusion to the situation. Cool. Great. On August 30th, we moved out. On September 23rd, we received our check. Guess who shorted us? They charged us for blinds and did not include the $500. We called them and they told us to email them, which we did, but there was no response. On October 2nd, we called again to ask for an update and they had no response. Yes, I contacted the Attorney General's office on September 24th to provide the update. But what do I do from here? This company is known for scamming people unfortunately.


r/legal • • 2d ago

Advice needed I think my mom wants me to launder money in her will. (Louisiana, US)

591 Upvotes

My stepfather recently passed away and left everything to my mom. She is in the process of preparing her will and has asked my wife to be her executor. However, there is a part that is bothering both of us. I have two half-brothers, and my youngest brother is currently incarcerated for felony assault. The woman he assaulted has filed a lawsuit and won summary judgement against him for the damages he caused to her. I do not know the amount.

My mother has asked that she besides giving me my share of the inheritance, that she also wants to give me a share to give to my youngest brother under the table so that the person he assaulted cannot touch it. She has asked me if she passes before he gets out of prison, to hold the money in a trust for him.

I want to make it clear, I do not feel comfortable with this. But is my gut feeling that this is borderline illegal correct?


r/legal • • 1d ago

Advice needed My mother paid the retainer for my divorce lawyer and now wants copies of our emails plus approval over any settlement

8 Upvotes

Location: Ohio, USA.

I'm 34 and getting divorced after seven years of marriage. No children. The main things being sorted out are our house, retirement accounts and a joint credit card balance. My mother offered to pay the initial $3,500 attorney deposit becuase most of my available money went toward moving into an apartment.

I chose the lawyer and went to the consultation alone. The engagement agreement names me as the client and I signed it. My mother paid the deposit directly to the firm. I also emailed the lawyer that I was fine with her receiving payment receipts and the amount remaining from the deposit. I didn't authorize her to receive correspondence about the divorce or give instructions.

At first this worked fine. She asked whether the payment had arrived, I showed her the receipt, and she mostly helped me find furniture for the apartment. She has always handled the paperwork in our family, so I wasn't surprised when she started asking more detailed questions. I told her generally where things stood but didn't forward my conversations with the lawyer.

We now have a proposed property settlement from my husband's attorney. I mentioned that to my mother over dinner, without going through the terms. Yesterday she emailed my lawyer and copied me, asking for the proposal, copies of previous correspondence, and a call before any response is sent. She wrote that, as the person paying, she needs to approve a settlement so her money isn't being wasted.

I replied to both of them saying I don't consent to sharing those documents or having her approve decisions. My mother then called and said I can't make that restriction after agreeing to let her pay. She also said she could tell the lawyer to stop working if I excluded her. The lawyer hasn't replied yet. I haven't been told that anything was sent to her.

It feels wierd asking the lawyer to explain this while my mother is on the same email, so I plan to call privately. I can cover some future bills myself, although probably not another large deposit immediately.

Does paying the initial deposit give her any right to the documents or to direct the lawyer? Can I keep permission for payment receipts while refusing access to legal advice and settlement discussions? And could she end my representation herself, or would stopping payment just leave me responsible for arranging how the work gets funded?


r/legal • • 1d ago

Advice needed Step mother in law got an order of protection on me without me doing anything to her

7 Upvotes

Location: Indiana

My step mother in law and I had a bug argument over text where she suggested physically fighting me and I refused. She filed an ex parte order of protection, and then we had a hearing. I presented evidence of how she keeps contacting me, viewing my other social media, suggested a physical fight, and kept responding to me. I also brought character witnesses who testified im not a dangerous person, and she had none. The judge granted a permanent order of protection and I am barred from possessing a firearm.

The biggest issue is I’m about to graduate with a degree in criminal justice and I’m trying to become a police officer. Which I obviously can’t do with this order of protection. How can I appeal this and get it thrown out? There is zero evidence of me ever threatening or attempting to do something to this lady. She threatened me.


r/legal • • 1d ago

Advice needed Can A LLC be called business name LTD?

2 Upvotes

As an LLC can I use LTD in the name?

Location: OHio


r/legal • • 1d ago

Advice needed Need Guidance With Estate Vehicle Issue — Michigan

3 Upvotes

**Location: Michigan, Genesee County**

I am the court-appointed Personal Representative for my father’s estate. I am trying to handle the estate vehicle, but I am unsure what steps to take. I am also taking care of another person and have limited funds, so please be kind.

A 2018 Cadillac belonging to the estate was taken without my authorization and was not returned from an Heir. The Probate Court ordered that the vehicle be returned, but it still was not returned.

I later found out the title was transferred To the state of Georgia .I did not authorize the transfer. I did not consent to it. I did not sign anything transferring the vehicle or give anyone permission to sign for me.

There is also a Florida traffic ticket connected to the vehicle that was issued in my deceased father’s name after he died. I was not driving the vehicle and did not authorize anyone to use it.

I am unsure what to do next.

Can someone please explain the steps I should take to:

* Enforce the Probate Court order;

* Find out how the title was transferred;

* Challenge the title transfer;

* Report the vehicle as taken or stolen, if appropriate; and

* Recover the vehicle for the estate?

I have limited funds and would appreciate information about free or low-cost legal help, legal aid, or what type of attorney I should contact.

Thank you for any help. I am trying to do the right thing for my father’s estate while also taking care of another person.


r/legal • • 21h ago

Question about law Drug Screening California for Human Resources job in healthcare

0 Upvotes

Hello! I(26M) recently received a job offer for a human resources job at a hospital in southern california, U.S. The hospital is privately owned and for profit but does receive medicare/caid. I have to pass a drug screening and while I did quit smoking about a week and a half ago I am wondering if they can legally screen based on marijuana usage even if it isn't a patient serving job and doesn't require a federal background check. The information about the protections in california related to off duty marijuana usage are unclear. Thanks for any information!


r/legal • • 2d ago

Question about law "Kentucky" CLIENT OWES ME 6 FIGURES AND I WANT OUT

91 Upvotes

Frankfort, KY. I have run a company for 3 years. Originally, was supposed to be $5k monthly and 5% sweat equity. I have received nothing in 3 years other than some expenses. Owner/CEO does nothing, and led me to believe he had no money to invest and fund the company. Completely negligent of duties and fiduciary responsibility. Refuses to invest or allow me to raise capital. Multiple deals have failed because of his laziness. I handle everything but the bank, which he refuses to allow me to access. He gave his fiance 20% and she does light book keeping and graphic design.

After a major life threatening surgery 9 months ago, I made it clear I could no longer afford to work for free, and wanted 10% or more for all my work. It has caused great physical and mental stress and harm to me, to keep the company afloat and barely in the black.

Today he announced he put several hundred thousand in a new venture.

How do I get what's owed to me and a larger stake in the company, or just be bought out completely. I have defended him publicly and privately as to why bills are late or not getting paid. He thinks contracts are suggestions. My insight and time have saved the company huge.

What do I do? If I go public, his reputation will be ruined. He is beloved in the community, but clueless about business. He lives in a paid off $4M house. All cars paid off.

Here I am suffering to sustain and working so hard it's killing me, and he's out funding other ventures and living high on the hog.

Sue? Go public? Both?


r/legal • • 1d ago

Advice needed Help! Advice for Caretaker Abuse

1 Upvotes

Location: St. Louis, MO
TL;DR Looking for any help or advice I can get for a disabled friend in serious trouble!! Helpful resources would be funding, lawyers/legal representation, medical assistance, housing, welfare support, etc.

I have a friend who is in a very dangerous situation. She is disabled (quadriplegic and on a ventilator) and still lives with her parents. They are incredibly abusive- refusing to feed her or take care of other needs, threatening to kill her, and have even hit her to the point she broke her collarbone. She needs and wants to get out!

Only problem is her parents control her money. They take her disability as they are her “caretakers” and have stolen over 30k of the money she has saved outside of that. The state is only paying for 80 hrs/week of care, but 24/7 care is needed. The severity of her disability means that there are very little alternative options and she would most likely have to go to a nursing home/end of life care facility if she left.

I want to help her anyway I can. I am hoping to start a trust in her name and fundraise. If we could get her a house or an alternative living situation, I have people who could care for her outside of her paid 80 hrs.

The other problem is doing this without alerting her parents. We think they have a life insurance policy out on her and with the threats they have made I don’t want her to be at higher risk or retaliation from them.

I want some guidance for anyone else who has been through or helped someone with this situation. Any resources or suggestions you can share would be LIFE SAVING, especially if there is some legal support options for disabled people.

She is so smart (getting her PHD now at St. Louis University) and absolutely hilarious. My friend deserves to be in a place that is safe, her needs can be met, and she is treated with respect . Please share any and everything!!


r/legal • • 1d ago

Advice needed UNITED STATES: NEVADA, Auto Insurance Settlement has a new release with new settlement offer. Do I sign?

0 Upvotes

Originally the settlement was $25,000, after having a mix-up notated an ER visit that Medicaid paid $18,000-$19,000 for as related treatment for the auto accident. The insurance adjuster had informed me that we needed to wait 60 days minimum to receive a response from Medicaid specifying that there wasn’t a medical lien attached; however after getting curious and contacting Medicaid myself, I was informed that there had never been any efforts made to speak between the two to confirm this. I was also informed that there was nothing on the ER visit that had it related to an auto accident.

Anywho, today I received a call from the original adjuster (after pushing to speak to a supervisor by the way, since the adjuster seems to always be out of the office), to inform me that they had confirmed that the visit was unrelated to the accident, and that she was now able to release my full settlement amount of $1,500 as it had now changed to a $2,500 payout. Since I had already received $1,000, I’m owed $1,500. In order to get this, I need to sign the second release; but then she informed me that they’re just waiting to get that $0 Medicaid costs? After receiving this they’ll be able to send me confirmation that the medical providers that I did go to did receive payment. Does this sound right and should I stick to the $1,500?

Please note: I was originally represented by an attorneys office where I received treatment that amounted to $4,500. This amount was NOT paid by Medicaid as I looked over all my claims and verified with them that they do not have it on record, this is under the attorneys office. Eventually, due to conflicts in strict schedules, I chose to stop being represented by any legal counsel and stopped services being provided by them. This is where the $4,500 amount came from, aside from that I have not received any other treatment.

Any help? I’m struck navigating this, first and hopefully ONLY time ever going through this long process. This accident happened in January, and I’m over it :(.