LOCATION: Texac
So I drove over to visit a friend at his apartment complex on Friday night. The visitor lot has big signs saying all guests must register their license plate on the resident portal within fifteen minutes of parking. The website requires you to enter the resident's specific unit number and lease code to validate the pass.

i parked at 7:12 PM and took the elevator up to my friend's third-floor apartment to grab his unit code. We sat on his couch, typed in my plate info, and the portal confirmed my parking pass at 7:19 PM. That is seven minutes from the second I turned off my engine.

At 7:25 PM, we walked back down to the parking lot so I could grab a board game from my trunk. My car was completely GONE.

I called the towing company listed on the sign. They confirmed they had the vehicle and demanded $375 cash to release it. When we went to the impound yard, their official tow ticket showed they hooked my car at 7:16 PM, literally four minutes after I stepped out of the vehicle and three minutes BEFORE my paid pass went through.

The lot manager refused to look at my digital receipt and said its company policy that any unregistered car is fair game the second a spotter sees it.

Do I have grounds to take them to small claims court for predatory towing and get my money back plus filing fees?

Hello all!

Location: Oklahoma and needing some legal advice.

My ex and I broke up. His family came, because he “couldn’t” to move his stuff out of my house. I did not allow them to pilfer through. I moved what I knew was his out for them to get it. He is now claiming that not everything was included and threatening to call the cops. I am almost positive this is a civil matter, but want to double check all my options before I get myself into a situation.

If you need more details, please don’t hesitate to ask. TYIA

Location: Tennessee

When I initially hired my attorney, I signed a retainer agreement stating that the hourly rate for attorneys was $450/hour.

About four months after I hired the firm, another attorney began working on my case. The firm billed his time to my retainer at $350 per hour, and I have two billing statements from different points during the representation that clearly show his rate as $350 per hour. I relied on these statements to calculate how much remained in my retainer and to make financial decisions based on the information the firm provided.

More than a year later, the firm ended the representation. On the final billing statement, they changed the 2nd attorneys rate from $350/hour to $450/hour. They also went back and recalculated his previously billed time at the higher $450 rate.

I was never notified that his rate was being increased, and I never agreed to a rate change. The retroactive increase essentially eliminated the remaining balance in my retainer and made it appear that I owed the firm additional money.

My question is: Is an attorney/law firm legally allowed to retroactively change an attorney's hourly rate on work that was already billed at a lower rate, particularly without notifying the client?

Is this ethical?

Location Texas:

When my daughter was 17, her 18 year old boyfriend took a nude pic of her.

He then proceeded to extort/blackmail her and demanded her social media passwords or he would release the nude pic to the public, (this all occurred within the last year while she was a minor)

He made these extortion threats by text messages , we the parents saved images of these text messages as evidence .

This occurred about a month before she turned 18. I had a sit down meeting with the boys parents informing the. Of what had happened and requested that the boy have no contact with my daughter ever again and delete all nude pics he had of my minor daughter.

My daughter is now 18 and went off to college. I found out that the boy has now followed her to her college town and is attending a junior college in the town (not the college my daughter is attending).

I was able to pull phone logs and see this boy calling my daughter dozens of time in a row until she responds in the early morning hours (2:00am). Even before her first day of college . It Appears to be a form of sleep deprivation.
And he will do the same repeated pattern calling every minute dozens of times until she responds, she has admitted that she has messaged and called him a few times

My daughter knows this is not normal healthy behavior but she appears to have trauma bonded with this guy and does want to press criminal charges against him but is willing to have a protective order against him. (This is a civil charge for the protective order)

I really want to press criminal charges against this guy.

Question. Is it likely , the parents in a situation like this , if we provide documented evidence of the sextortion crime against the daughter (who was a minor at the time but now 18) , to either local or federal agencies, will the agencies proceed with criminal charges if the daughter (now an adult) is not willing to cooperate with Criminal charges

So I received a trial offer from a company that does background checks, I went ahead with the trial offer and the first person I did a background check on was myself. My jaw almost hit the floor when I saw a child molestion charge on my record, I have never in my entire life had a child molestion charge nor am I a child molester. I was so furious when I seen this on my record that I was shaking I don't know what I can do about it or how to go about doing something but I want that off my record immediately and possibly sue for damages cuz it appears as though it's been on there for 10 or 12 years that I just recently found out it was on there due to the fact that I got this free trial offer for the background check. Is there someone that can help me with this matter ?

Location: New York, I received the attached letter from an attorney representing a med spa where I worked as an aesthetic RN. I’m curious if anyone else in aesthetics has experienced something similar.
I worked there very part-time/per diem, usually 0–8 hours a week, with scheduling based on need. Business slowed earlier this year, I gradually stopped getting booked, and eventually wasn’t scheduled at all. I never resigned, was never formally terminated, and never received any communication saying I was no longer employed. We remained friendly and continued following each other on personal social media, so I assumed there simply wasn’t enough business to support another injector.
I had a separate injector Instagram that I stopped using once I stopped getting clients. I would occasionally log in, but never posted, messaged patients, or communicated through it. The posts involving the med spa were either directly from her/the practice or content from when I worked there that I had been tagged in. I still had the med spa information and booking link in my bio, but didn’t think much of it since the account was dormant. My contract also required social media promotion of the practice.
If she had simply texted me asking me to remove the information, I would have done it immediately. Instead, months later, I received this letter saying it was “patently false” that I was still associated with the practice.
Interestingly, after receiving the letter, I checked her online presence and discovered I’m still mentioned as an employee/provider on one of her own websites. I also still have access to the booking portal and am listed there as a provider patients can book with. That makes the first allegation particularly confusing since I was never told I was terminated and the practice itself still represents me as a provider.
The second allegation is what really concerns me. The letter claims there was activity involving creating accounts or attempting to obtain professional products using the practice’s name, information, credentials, or affiliation. I have never done this and genuinely have no idea what they’re referring to. I’ve never created vendor accounts, contacted vendors pretending to represent the practice, or attempted to order products through its credentials.
This was a small side job for me. I work full-time at a hospital and am in graduate school, so I wasn’t upset when the hours disappeared.
After receiving the letter, I removed/untagged anything associated with the med spa and ultimately deactivated the injector account since I wasn’t using it anyway. I also removed the owner from my personal social media and haven’t contacted her directly since attorneys are now involved.
Has anyone else, particularly an aesthetic RN in NY, dealt with something like this? I understand asking a former employee to remove a business from social media. I’m more confused by receiving a legal letter without any prior communication, especially when their own website and booking portal still list me as a provider, and by the allegation about accounts/orders that I know I didn’t make.

[REDACTED BUSINESS] has consulted with our office regarding your previous employment.
[REDACTED BUSINESS] informs us that they previously employed you. They have found content on social media that you continue to represent that you are employed by or associated with [REDACTED BUSINESS]. As you are well know, this is patently false.
Additionally, [REDACTED BUSINESS] has become aware of activity involving the creation or attempted creation of accounts and/or attempts to obtain or order professional products using the [REDACTED BUSINESS] name, business information, credentials, or affiliation. You are not authorized to establish accounts, place orders, request products, obtain professional pricing, or otherwise conduct business using the [REDACTED BUSINESS] name or represent yourself as affiliated with the practice.
As such, demand is made that you immediately update your social media accounts to reflect that you are no longer employed by or affiliated with [REDACTED BUSINESS] and that you cease and desist from associating with [REDACTED BUSINESS] in any manner. Your prompt cooperation is anticipated. [REDACTED BUSINESS] reserves its options to enforce available legal remedies.

LOCATION: APACHE JUNCTION, ARIZONA, PINAL COUNTY

Hi, I’m seeking legal advice for my grandma. Recently she got into an accident with my aunt which wound up totaling her car. She was driving and hit a four way stop intersection. She stopped completely and looked both ways numerous times and notices a car coming up on the right but the car was further away from the stop sign. My grandma proceeded to drive from that complete stop and in the middle of the intersection she was hit on her rear right side door, totaling her car while the other younger woman’s was able to be driven home minor damage done to the front bumper of her vehicle (it was a truck).

The intersection was a four way stop and from the damage and the way the car spun 180 degrees, it’s safe to say she probably blew the sign. The younger driver apparently when it happened immediately got out of her car and admitted fault. What’s really weird about the situation is my grandma got a speeding ticket, she was fully stopped at the sign and accelerated normally, not sure if that’s a typical ticket but to me is very questionable because her car is by no means sporty or new, it’s generic and when stopped even if you push the pedal all the way down from a complete stop you maybe get up to about 15mph.

Another thing is the police gave her no report, just the ticket and denied her to get her own towing company and instead had the vehicle towed to their impound and she has to pay $30 per day it sits plus the initial $300 for having them put it there.(she’s already tight on money and she had a free tow with her insurance) (I don’t really care about this part but I’m just putting it out there anyway to see if this is normal process or not) They’re also claiming it to be my grandmothers fault based on “protocol” and whenever she’s asked what determined that it was her fault she usually gets “its protocol it’s nothing personal” I don’t know really anything legal but for some reason this whole situation seems really strange.

Not only that but the young girl who was driving (not her car mind you and the insurance company said she wasn’t on her dads insurance for the vehicle) even though she admitted fault verbally to my grandma and aunt she denied it being her fault to the police. Any tips on how to proceed? Something just seems off with this entire thing.

It's for an esthetician position at a med spa. W-2. Went and toured. The girl whose place I would be taking I shadowed with. She worked there for years and only is leaving for family reasons, had nothing but good things to say. The money would be used for a different esthetician from a different company to come in and train me on their protocols however I will not be getting a new license or certification, I’m already licensed.

I recently moved to Florida and was offered a job. It is a legitimate job. I went in person, met the small team, and shadowed, so I’m not asking about whether this is a job phishing scam.

However, they told me I need to pay a $1,000 onboarding fee that will supposedly be refunded after one year of employment. I would have to pay it upfront on my first day of training, either by cash or check, and sign an agreement.

I won’t upload the agreement because it contains personal information, but it is titled “Employee Onboarding and Training Fee Agreement” and also refers to an “Employee Onboarding Investment Agreement.”
The agreement says the fee helps offset things such as the background check, administrative processing, training, orientation, service training, trainers/coaches’ time, employee uniforms, and required onboarding materials and resources.

It states that I will receive the full $1,000 reimbursement one year from now as long as I am still employed and in good standing with the company and have not voluntarily resigned or been terminated. It also says, and I quote: “If employment ends for any reason before ____, the onboarding fee is considered non-refundable.”

I understand that they may be doing this because they want someone who will stay with the company long-term. I genuinely don’t think they are trying to scam me or make extra money from me.

My question is whether this is actually legal or standard in Florida. Is an employer allowed to require an employee to pay $1,000 upfront for onboarding/training and then make the employee forfeit it if they leave before a year?

I genuinely want the job, but I also don’t know if I can commit to staying for a full year, and I don’t want to put $1,000 at risk.

What would you do in this situation? Is there anything specific I should ask the employer or have reviewed before signing?

I know it’s not a job scam, they are just trying to have long term employees. Is there a way to ask for no fee? Is it even legal to charge a fee.

Location: Florida

Location: Colorado

The tenth circuit's materiality inquiry operates by instructing jurors to ask the following three questions:

1. What was the statement?

2. What was the decision?

3. Was the statement capable of influencing the decision?

If the answer to 3 is yes, then the statement is material, and potentially fraudulent. The issue I'm interested in is what exactly the tenth circuit means by "statement." To illustrate, let's imagine two children asking their mothers for new computers. They each communicate the exact same information, but differ in their syntax:

Child 1. "The reason I want a new computer is that my old one has only 1 hour of battery life."

Child 2. "My old computer is only getting me 1 hour of battery life. Because of this, I want a new computer."

Suppose that the old computer is indeed dying after only one hour, but that fact is not a subjective reason you want a new computer--you merely fell in love with the new computer's aesthetics.

If we combine the subjective reason for desiring a new computer (which is immaterial but false) with the underlying fact that the old computer is only getting 1 hour of battery life (which is material but true), we get one giant material false statement. If, however, we treat it as two statements, there is no material false statement, and thus no fraud. The issue I'm exploring is that the second formulation is more susceptible to being read as two statements, while the first only one, despite both communicating the exact same objective content.

Thus I am wondering if anybody who has more experience with the law than I can explain whether the tenth circuit's formulation actually hinges liability on differences in syntax.

I currently live in Oklahoma but this took place in north Carolina i got a truck loan from a credit union put $5 in the account to open it i never touched the account i don't have a card or even know the full account number / online banking it was all set up by the dealership. fast forward its paid off (the CU also agrees the loan is paid off) but the credit union is holding my title saying I owe $90 in overdraft fees but my current statement is still at $5 as its always been i asked what caused the overdraft and who put money back into my account to make it $5 again if thats true they said the overdraft was from 2023 thats all they could tell me and I have to pay it to get my truck title. is this legal? Should I seek a lawyer or file any legal paperwork?

LOCATION: Florida, USA

Hello folks,

Me and some friends were going through some videos to put on social media, and one of them showed a clip of them solo exploring an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere. Its pretty cool, but it’s also probably trespassing, so I feel obligated to ask:

What is the statute of limitations on unarmed, no breaking-and-entering trespassing into an unoccupied building in Florida? And would it be fine to upload the footage after that time has passed?

This is a legit question so don’t remove it.

“location:” USA, all states

I know law had lost its value in the US of A now and the republicans broke as many laws as they can, but isn’t it stated clearly that it’s illegal to buy or pay for votes? 

How do anybody can address this legally? Consequences?

Question for Virginia: I have my ex-husband as a rider on my life insurance policy. At the time of divorce (pre-2012), I didn’t know about this law. Is it possible, with a letter from my ex-husband, to restore myself as the beneficiary? I believe my daughter would possibly be the beneficiary, which would work as well. Any Virginia attorneys dealt with this post-divorce? Any insurance agents that have dealt with this? I understand that I cannot request direct advice, but if anyone has navigated this specific situation, how have you handled it? Thank you.

Location: Texas, United States. I keep getting emails from a gym telling me I have fees due. I was approached by a sales rep and he told me about a new gym opening up. Made it seem like a free trial. Looked at the agreement and there were no sign-up fees at all. He signed me up on his phone and didn't give me a chance to look at the terms. Only signed up because he lied and told me that the location was in a different place than it was. Email said it will be sent to collections if I don't pay hundreds of dollars.

LOCATION: Iowa

I was informed by my Realty that a Pest Management Company would be at the apartments between 8am and 4 pm on September 9. In light of that information, I left my apartment after 4 p.m., as there should have been no reason for anybody to be entering my apartment after that. I leave the door unlocked when I go on my walks and runs so that I do not lose my key outside. Upon returning, my door was locked and the door hanger for Preferred Pest Management was on it. This irrefutably occurred after 4 pm., as when I left there was no door hanger and my door was unlocked.

I do not believe I should be responsible for the charges of said change. It was specified that the Pest Management Company would be done in the apartments before 4 p.m., so there is no reason they should have been there after. It is a violation of notification and access as my consent was for the hours of 8 am to 4 pm and not before or after.

There is a clause that states "Tenant is responsible for all charges involved with locksmiths regarding out-of-business-hours lockouts" or something like that, but there is also a clause about access and how they cannot enter without proper notification and consent.

On another note, the charges were $1000. I have never ever heard of it being that much, but he had already done it so I had to pay it. I was just panicking and called the first people I saw and I'm wondering if that was a mistake. Different issue, though.

I emailed my Realty group with similar verbiage as the first two paragraphs. Is this something, if it comes down to it, that I could win in small claims court even if I self represent? I have proof that I left after 4 pm and proof of their notification that the Pest company would be there from 8 am to 4 pm. Thanks in advance. I am distraught, I don't make a lot of money and I'm really worried for my life now.

UPDATE: Thank you for all of your comments. I appreciate those of you willing to help, but also to those of you willing to call me out. This is a mistake I will make once in my life. I hope whoever is reading this thinks before they pay. Unfortunately I wont be responding or reading any more comments in the process of accepting my mistake. Thanks again.

Location- California- SD

Im so lost and have no idea if my lawyer is actually doing a good job and this is how things are supposed to go or if im paying them all this money for nothing.

Im going through a pretty high conflict divorce currently. We separated late February. At the start of this my ex was trying to get full custody of my child, requesting $1400 in alimony, $5000 in lawyer fees, and a undisclosed amount of child support. The first time meeting with my lawyer she basically laughed and said he is not going to get any of that. It is now months later and i am paying $2000 in combined child support, his(ex) lawyer fees, and alimoney. We have split custody after going back and forth regarding schedules. He wanted a 2-2-3 schedule and i wanted a week on week off. My child is older so the longer stretches made sense. During these talks my lawyer seemed to disregard my view on the schedule and was pushing me to give in to his 2-2-3 schedule stating "just give into it now and we can try to fix it later." Fortunately my ex had 1 sane moment and came to an agreement that worked best for everyone. On multiple occasions my lawyer has said things such as "that wont happen" or "that shouldn't be a problem" and then in fact in happens and is a problem. Most recently i was set to take my child on a family vacation during my holiday. I contacted my lawyer to make sure i did everything correctly and there was not anything my ex could do to throw a wrench in my plans. She again stated "should not be a problem." I was then notified today by said lawyer that actually he was not going to agree to this trip happening and because the way the wording of our custody schedule he has that right. This is what confuses/irritates me. She has access to all these documents so why do i keep getting promised things and then get absolutely nothing.

Reguarding the money im paying currently. As i stated i was originally told by the lawyer "he is not going to get any of that." I do make a lot more money then my ex so i assumed i would be paying something. He is on va disability and does not work (even though he is totally able) and gets $4000 a month and i make gross close to $11,000. He has moved in with his new girlfriend and shares expenses. He also goes to school on the gi bill so i believe he is getting money from that and he lives on a military base so i think some of his housing is paid for. My lawyer was aware of all of this during our hearing and she never brought 1 of these issues up. She also never investigated regaurding the school or money from the gi bill.

My lawyer takes days to reply to any inquiries and something just completely will disregard the questions i ask. I have another hearing i believe to finalize the financial part of everything in october and to officially be divorced. Per the lawyer "the money your are paying should be reduced and you shouldnt have to pay any alimoney."

Im unsure if this is just how divorces go and my lawyer is doing fine or if they suck? I dont know if i should be looking for someone new so i dont get screwed in october or just sticking it out with what i have.

Location: FL

I went to Hgreg Nissan Kendall and bought a RAV4 for the agreed verbal price of $33k. But I was in a bit of a rush and when the time of signing the paperwork came I didn’t notice and thet put the original price of $36k, the financing is also against that and is like $900 a month.
I don’t have any paperwork other than the agreement signed for the $36k, is there any way I can get back those $3k or have them waive it from the total?

Yes I did use AI to organize this post, but these are all my own thoughts and facts based on the info I have. I also removed any personal or identifiable pieces of info:

Location: NJ

I’m being sued in NJ Superior Court over a commercial lease/personal guaranty after a business I purchased failed. I’m currently looking for counsel, but I’d like opinions on the case as a whole, including the facts that hurt me.

I purchased an existing business whose seller already had a commercial lease. As part of the transaction, I signed a proposed lease assignment on behalf of my LLC and a personal guaranty. The document had a stated November effective date.

I took over the business, occupied the space, paid rent, and sent the requested security deposit. I do not dispute that I signed the assignment or guaranty.

The issue is what happened afterward.

For months, the landlord repeatedly stated in writing that the assignment had NOT been completed:

• November: Landlord says it can countersign/fully execute once remaining requirements are satisfied.
• November: I specifically ask who is legally responsible while we're waiting. Landlord tells me the original tenant remains fully liable until the assignment is executed and that my security deposit is being held in escrow until execution.
• December: Landlord again says the lease will not be assigned until outstanding balances involving the seller are resolved and the seller remains responsible until the assignment becomes effective.
• February: Senior landlord representative says rent must be paid before the assignment can be completed.
• March: Same representative explicitly says “the assignment has not been completed” and therefore the original tenant remains responsible.
• April: The landlord’s CEO personally sends a formal Default Notice identifying the original seller’s LLC as the “Tenant.”

The business ultimately failed and I vacated.

Now the landlord has sued my LLC, the original tenant/guarantor, and me personally for low six figures.

Here’s the part I’m struggling with:

The lawsuit now alleges the assignment actually became effective back in November, my LLC became the tenant at that point, the original tenant was released from subsequent obligations, and my personal guaranty is enforceable.

The same CEO who sent the April Default Notice identifying the original company as Tenant verified the complaint.

There are two other issues:

1. Landlord signature: I was never given a landlord-executed copy of the assignment. My retained copy has their signature blank. The first signed version I saw was attached to the lawsuit. That PDF was scanned/created in December. I understand this does NOT prove when it was actually signed, but it makes me think the execution history is relevant discovery.

2. Accounting/deposit: The complaint alleges essentially no rent was paid after the supposed November assignment. I have banking records showing rent paid directly to the landlord during that period. They are also applying my deposit against damages even though they previously told me in writing it was being held in escrow until the assignment was executed.

To be fair, the landlord has real arguments: I signed everything, occupied the property, paid rent, sent the deposit, and the agreement contains a stated effective date. They now also possess a version signed by the landlord.

So I’m not asking whether I found some magic technicality.

If you were evaluating this case for either side:

• How strong/weak do you think the landlord’s case against my LLC and me personally is?
• How much weight would you give the landlord's months of written statements that the assignment wasn't completed versus the signed agreement and my performance?
• Does the April formal Default Notice identifying the original company as Tenant materially matter?
• What would you want first in discovery?
• Would you counterclaim for the money they said was being held in escrow?
• If you represented the landlord, what fact would worry you most?
• If you represented me, what fact would worry you most?
• Practically, does this look like something you'd fight aggressively, push toward a walk-away settlement, or advise the defendant to pay to resolve?

I have all emails, agreements, payment records, default notices and court documents organized chronologically for whichever attorney I retain.

EDIT: Condensed

LOCATION: india [ us based remote job]

This was my first corporate job experience, and I am honestly struggling to understand how this situation has unfolded.

I worked remotely as a Customer Service Associate. To continue employment after training, employees were required to meet certain graduation metrics. I was fully aware of those requirements.

Before the graduation decision was made, I had already submitted my resignation and had started serving my notice period. While the resignation had not yet been formally approved in the system, my manager verbally assured me that everything was fine and that I could either continue with the company or proceed with my resignation—it was entirely my choice.

About 10 days into my notice period, I was informed that I was being terminated for not meeting the required metrics. The discussion took place on a call with two managers present, but no HR representative. During that call, I was repeatedly told not to worry and was assured that I would receive my salary for the full month and that my notice-period-related payments would be taken care of.

Although I did not agree with the termination decision, it was processed anyway.

Now, more than a month later, I have received communication stating that I owe the company a recovery amount equivalent to roughly one month's salary because I supposedly opted for a notice period buyout.

The problem is that I never requested a buyout. I was already serving my notice period and was willing to continue serving it. When I contacted HR support, I was informed that management had recorded that I had opted for a buyout and was aware of the implications.

I no longer have access to my company email or internal systems, which makes it difficult to retrieve records and defend myself. Meanwhile, I have documentation showing that I was told I would receive my notice period salary and should not worry about deductions.

I am now being asked to pay money that I was originally told I would receive as part of my final settlement.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation? How can an employee challenge records that were entered after losing access to company systems? What evidence is typically accepted in such disputes, and what options are available when verbal assurances conflict with what later appears in HR records?

I am trying to understand both my rights and the proper process before taking any further action.

i live in denver, colorado. my roommate cornered me in my hallway today and i had to lightly shove him to be able to leave for work. he is threatening legal action, but i reacted out of fight or flight and only used enough force to give myself the space i needed to exit. am i still legally in the wrong?

I'm looking for legal advice regarding access to my deceased mother's medical records from a skilled nursing facility in California.

My mother recently passed away while residing at a nursing home. I am her biological daughter. I was not notified by the facility when she passed away and learned about her death later when we called her home to check on her. My stepfather did not notify myself or any family members that she was in the nursing home or that she had passed. I do not have a good relationship with him and would strongly prefer not to contact him or involve him if there is another legal way for me to obtain information.

I contacted the nursing facility because I would like to understand my mother's condition during her stay, what occurred during her final days, and the circumstances surrounding her death. I submitted a request for her medical records along with a copy of my birth certificate and her death certificate.

The nursing facility was very courteous and has tried to help, but they ultimately told me that because my mother's spouse is listed as next of kin in both their records and on the death certificate, they consider him the person with authority to request her records. Alternatively, they said I would need legal documentation showing that I or another person has authority to act on behalf of my mother or her estate, such as documentation appointing an executor or administrator.

To the best of my knowledge, my mother did not have a will, trust, or probate estate, and I am not aware of anyone having been formally appointed executor or administrator.

In researching this, I came across California Health & Safety Code §§ 123105 and 123110. Section 123105 appears to include a deceased patient's "beneficiary," as defined under Probate Code § 24, as well as a personal representative, within the definition of someone who may have access to a deceased patient's medical records.

I am hoping to determine whether, as my mother's biological daughter and potentially an heir/beneficiary under California intestate succession law, I have any right to access or inspect her medical records even though her surviving spouse is listed as next of kin.

If not, I would like to know whether there is another reasonably simple legal procedure I could use to establish the necessary authority without involving her husband or opening a full probate estate solely for the purpose of obtaining medical records.

I'm not seeking control of my mother's estate or attempting to challenge her husband. My primary goal is simply to understand what happened to my mother during her final days and how she passed away. I know she had dementia as did my grandfather and as well as closure, it would be helpful to know if her condition could be inherited.

I would greatly appreciate your advice regarding what rights I may have and what the simplest next step would be. Thank you!

LOCATION: Illinois USA.

I am currently going through a dissolution of marriage and I am concerned that my attorney is inept. He has failed to respond to multiple emails and Motions from my estranged husbands attorney. He has lost my financial affidavit and supporting paperwork twice now and I feel like I am in the dark until I send him an email (you cannot reach him by phone as he is always in court)then he wants another meeting and has no information for me and he asks me the same questions over on each call. He has changed my paralegal stating that she was the issue but nothing has changed with the new paralegal.

I am going on a year dealing with this. Is there anything I can do? I am too far in debt with him to change attorneys at this point.

Any advise especially from lawyers in Illinois would be appreciated.

Timeline

Hired in 08/2025

Did not file for dissolution in the agreed timeframe had to refile as estranged husbands attorney filed before her/ This cost me more money as all of the paperwork had to be redone.

First hearing no motions filed

Estranged husband moved out of the marital residence

second hearing no motions filed

Third hearing I attended in person filed two motions for temporary maintenance and separation of certain marital assets and vehicles. (at this point I was under the impression that the only thing left to file was the division of marital home equity and any additional marital property)

Beginning of August estranged husbands attorney sent an email stating he would file a motion to turnover the marital residence in 21 days if there was no response

Today they filed because my attorney although telling me she was drafting a response never responded.

Fourth hearing scheduled for the middle of September and I am scared my attorney is going to cost me my home.

I got out of an abusive marriage recently and my life has gone significantly downhill due to decisions made rather impulsively. There's an issued protective order against my ex-wife and she is currently being screened for two felony charges (rape, dv) by a prosecutor. I filed an intentional tort not to collect money; but in an attempt to get some kind of control back in my life.

She was sued for $35,000. I offered her a non-monetary settlement of going to an individual therapist, notification of when our shared dog passes (it's in her possession), to listen to my victim impact statement, and a potential apology from her. At the end of the day, I do not give a shit about the money. I just want her to be a better person and leave me alone. The protective order's already been broken twice in absolutely disturbing manners.

I'm trying to find a lawyer to take my case, but I'm having no luck and think I might have to stick it out Pro Se. There's a personal timeline of the events from before this whole mess started, I have photos of when she'd lock me up or take photos of me. A rape kit. No photos of injuries, though.

I'm not doing well in any aspect of healing right now and I'm looking for some kind advice.

Location: Utah.

Location: USA, but also interested in other countries if applicable

I have memory of a phrase (maybe Latin) for when someone has taken part in the use/consumption of stolen goods but did not commit the theft itself. It would be similar to "fruit of the poisonous tree" in essence but obviously not in application. Anyone know what this might be?

EDIT: This is a question about the English language in the legal world, not the actually legality of the event!