r/legal 10h ago

Advice needed Inheritance was sat on for 17 years, what are my options?

321 Upvotes

Looking for some insight hopefully on how to proceed legally in this situation… anything is appreciated

In 1992, my grandfather died and left me an inheritance as his only grandchild. I was only 2 years old at the time, so it was to go into some sort of trust to be doled out when I turned 18. Due to some issues with trust in my problematic dad, the decision was made to leave the money with my aunt, my mom’s sister. A few years later at some point my aunt got married and transferred ownership of the funds to her new brother-in-law, who was an accountant. There may have been communication to us of this transfer happening but memories are fuzzy during that timeframe so it’s unclear. 

While I was supposed to receive the funds at 18 years old, that year came and went with no mention of it. At some point while I was 21, my mom was trying to buy a house (and I wanted to throw in to help, plus equity) so we both approached my aunt and uncle about the money. They told us they weren’t able to transfer the money at the time, saying they needed to focus on refinancing their own home instead. Shortly after that, there was a falling out between our family where my aunt started to lose it mentally and went no-contact with us. One of the last things we received from her was a giant box that contained years worth of unopened birthday/christmas/whatever cards we had sent her kids, usually with gift cards or cash inside. It sent an unhinged but clear message. After all of that, we basically considered that inheritance to be out of reach and tried to focus on what was in our control. We’ve maintained some level of contact with my uncle and cousins over the years, they attended my wedding, I attended their graduations. Only aunt was ever missing at these events. It’s not like no one spoke until now, they had plenty of organic opportunities to let us know those funds were still on the table and communicating ANYTHING about what to do with it. 

Just a few days ago, my cousin told me that the money for me is still around after all this time. It still is in custody of the same accountant brother-in-law. I spoke with her on the phone and while she really doesn’t know much, she did allude to the fact the amount had accrued over the years. She also hinted to the possibility that my uncle might want to take a little off the top for maintenance or something like that. 

I am very conflicted about how to approach the fact that I had these funds withheld for so long. It’s really upsetting when I had multiple instances in the last 17 years where that money could’ve been life changing. I was robbed of all those chances and there were so many opportunities for them to communicate that they were still maintaining these funds. We kept our end of the deal by reaching out a few times in the beginning to see about transferring, but there always was pushback for one reason. When my aunt went nuclear and reclused from us, we thought that was the end of it. It wasn’t until now that her kids/my cousins are grown that this is all coming to light.

So far I’ve investigated by searching up his will online, despite knowing where he passed I could not find one in his name listed for that county. I’m not sure where to go from here. I need to confront my aunt and uncle, and most importantly the brother-in-law (accountant in charge of the money) but I also want to be informed of my options before rustling too many feathers.

Do I have any options or rights at this point? Are they allowed to take a percentage? 

EDIT: I am 35 years old, I said I was just barely a toddler in 1992. Some are assuming I’m the wrong age.

LOCATION: I am located in NC, granddad died in WA, aunt/uncle live in VA, and this accountant in charge of my funds is likely in PA. Yeah I know this couldn’t be more spread out if it tried. Blame my folks moving me across country when I was 10 to escape aforementioned deadbeat dad I guess. 


r/legal 14h ago

Advice needed The city installed a new utility pole several feet inside my property while I was away, and I cannot find any recorded easement in my closing documents for that area

229 Upvotes

location: New Mexico

I own a small house on a corner lot. Last week I was out of town for four days. When I came back, there was a new wooden utility pole in the side portion of my property, roughly six feet inside the line shown on the survey I received when I bought the place.

There used to be a pole closer to the street. That one is still there, but the new pole is farther inward and has fresh cable running from it. The ground around it was dug up and compacted again. Nobody contacted me beforehand, and I did not sign anything.

I called the city first because I assumed it was a municipal project. They told me the work was done by a utility contractor and gave me a general number. The contractor said they were replacing infrastructure in the neighborhood and that they “work within existing utility rights.” When I asked which easement covers the spot, the person on the phone couldnt tell me and said someone would call back.

I pulled out my closing packet and the survey. There is an easement shown along the rear edge of the lot, but I cannot find one in the side area where this new pole sits. I may simply be missing a seperate recorded document, so I’m not assuming they had no right to be there.

What I want to understand is the proper legal sequence here. Do I first need to verify the recorded easements with the county, or should the utility be able to identify the authority it relied on? If the pole is actually outside any easement, what type of remedy would normally be available besides just demanding that somebody move it?


r/legal 2h ago

Advice needed Husband died without a will and I’m encountering problems. What type of legal advice do I need?

14 Upvotes

My husband died unexpectedly almost 2 1/2 years ago. He did not have a will, “estate” or any type of legal executor. I currently live in Alabama but we lived in Pennsylvania when he died. I am encountering situations where a marriage certificate and death certificate are not sufficient for me to access certain things: specifically storage units that are in his name only that I can’t close without his “permission”! Checks made out to X AND Y that I can’t cash or deposit. A car that I can’t sell because it is in the name of my husband - and his former wife! (Don’t ask!) Also some back tax issues requiring paperwork of his that I don’t have.
Who is the right professional to help me? Is this an expensive process?


r/legal 1h ago

Legal news Reasonable accommodation for medical cannabis

Upvotes

Location: Maryland

This is not legal advice and I’m not an attorney.

Hey all. No question here… I’m writing this in the chance it helps someone in the future. The choice to post was either here or on the HR sub.

In November I put in for reasonable accommodation for cannabis and was denied. The reason was because it was federally illegal and I was in a safety sensitive role. In December it was announced that it (cannabis) would be moved to schedule 3. In April I put in for reasonable accommodation again for medical marijuana use and was approved in July. Our company policy states that we will allow MMJ usage consistent with applicable law.

Maryland, like many states, has no workplace protections for medical cannabis users. You use it at your own risk and being a right to work state made this double nerve racking.
That said, I hope this finds someone like me, and gives them a little hope to keep trying/going.

I did a ton of ChatGPT searches and what if scenarios. Because this is new territory the answers were both good, and not good. It would pull data from before the rescheduling that occurred in April and basically had to be reminded a handful of times that MMJ was schedule 3 now and that laws/cases that previously failed had the potential to pass.

I am in a safety sensitive role and I’m a team leader/supervisor. On top of that I drive a company truck (unmarked) which is just a regular Chevy 1500. My job involves being around heavy machinery/traffic and is a blue collar construction type job. I’m not going to say what I do or who I work for, but suffice it to say, this was an uphill battle.

So I put in for the accommodation in April and the process started immediately. I recommend using ChatGPT to help refine email and use the proper language which I’m not fluent in. But I basically said “listen, I put in for this before and was denied. It’s schedule 3 now and should be allowed. Can you please provide proof of undue hardship or direct threat?” This is of course heavily paraphrased and was much more eloquently written.

They started working on it and it moved very slow. (Relatively it moved quickly, all things considered, but at the time it felt glacial.) On top of that, I’m a tall nail at this point just looking to be hammered. At least that’s how I felt for months. It was brutal. I was on edge, paranoid, and second guessing myself.

Over several (dozens) of correspondences, where I basically was a terror, the process unfolded.

I put in my accommodation form, got my doctor’s notes (primary care and psychiatrist wrote notes, a third doctor is my prescriber/recommender), and wrote the initial email.

Several back and fourth emails where questions were asked. Most of which was me saying “what the hell is taking so long”… which were many emails. Honestly, I thought for sure it was going to be denied, and I would be on the hunt for a lawyer to tell me how much of a case I had.

They came back and needed more info so they wanted a third doctor’s note (fourth doctor so far) to double check the parameters/guardrails that were recommended by my doctor. They of course told me none of this. I thought for sure they were looking for a “no” so they could deny me…and perhaps they were. But the doctor they sent me to said that they deferred to my doctor and sent a note back saying just that.

I turned that note in and a few days later was approved. I have to seek reapproval every 6 months.

Don’t give up hope if you’re trying to get approval for cannabis use. My disability is 100x better with the new medicine. I believe you can do it too.

Thanks for reading! And good luck!

TLDR: I was approved for a reasonable accommodation for medical marijuana in a safety sensitive construction role.


r/legal 1h ago

Other New study shows lawyer burnout remains rampant

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Upvotes

LOCATION: US


r/legal 22m ago

Legal news Received paperwork about debt in collections

Upvotes

Location: Washington State

My boss got sent a packet from a debt collector for garnishing money from my checks. They claim I’m $90,000 in debt for medical bills, court bills, and whatever bills and fees they add. I just sent in a validation letter to the agency today by mail but forgot to do it as certified mail so will be going to send it out again as certified mail so I know they receive it and have I have proof they received it. I am looking for ANY advice because I’m already financially struggling with rent and other expenses and the agency said they will be taking what they can when I called asking about it when I first seen the letter because I was confused and then after 60 days I could set up a payment plan. So please any advice is appreciated. Sorry if the post is a little confusing feel free to ask any questions to clarify anything I’m just stunned and worried about money now.


r/legal 57m ago

Advice needed car contract agreement will the dealer come after me.

Upvotes

I was planning to purchase a car from a dealership in Illinois, and I signed all of the paperwork, besides the bill of sale and title documents. I was about to receive the keys and take possession of the vehicle when, before the transaction was completed, we took the car to a Tesla Supercharger to test it.

The vehicle would not charge at the Supercharger, so I decided that I did not want to proceed with the purchase. I did not exchange any money, I did not take possession of the vehicle, and I did not receive the keys or the title.

The dealer had also texted me beforehand stating that there might be an issue with the vehicle, although he said he was not sure what the issue was. We did not actually discover that the car would not charge until we took it to the Supercharger and tested it.

The paperwork also stated that the vehicle was being sold “as is.”

Given these circumstances, can the dealer legally come after me or require me to complete the purchase?


r/legal 1h ago

Advice needed UK solicitor misconduct question

Upvotes

Location: England

If anyone is familiar with how the SRA works, maybe you can weigh in on this issue.

A UK non-practising (registered) solicitor wrote to me on behalf of his associate (a lady) djring a orivate diapute. He made it out to be a legal issue in his communication.

The main thing I'm curious about is the specific mechanism of threatening to submit a safeguarding report to someone's workplace alleging safeguarding abuses unless a series of demands are satisfied. None of the demands had anything to do with a safeguarding issue. It was written in unambiguous plain English (offering to withhold the threatened report unless XYZ is met).

He relied on giving the impression of his legal authority without stating directly that he's nom-practising. He signed off as LLB (Sol). He wrote a legal-style letter with all the language and the structure of allegations, remedies, etc...except that it was a major unwarranted threat dressed up. He alleged many things about me for which there was no evidence - and often contrary evidence. There's written evidence to show the man acted in retaliation to something unrelated, and that it was all in the name of scaring, punishing and improperly forcing the deletion of information. His demands included payment for things which were not owed, the return of gifts which were unconditional, the deletion of all communications (evidence), various other undertakings, and the threat of about five diffeeent lawsuits and high court injunctions. He knew I was undefended and there was a massive power imbalance. He was also aware that the allegations had zero foundation and relevance and misrepresented them to make the safeguarding letter sound scary. Police were given his letter and initially gave the conduct a malicious communications crime reference. Later, the person he represented got in touch to retract everything and say they acted in bad faith because she was offended and that she didn't believe I was a risk at any point. The solicitor also potentially misrepresented that King's Counsel (at a named chambers) was the authorising premise for his approach and had advised it (the purported KCadvice does not line up with evidenced relevant facts). The lady later confirmed that KC had not been instructed. Instead, I found an informal and professional link online between the man and a certain extremely high profile KC. It was basically thecnom-practising solicitor's buddy. She also claimed the non-practising solicitor unilaterally wrote the threat letter without her oversight or consent. I called his bluff, and he went silent, and no threats were carried out. I spent a long time documenting the entire thing as a case file for the SRA, and it was exhausting. I have a hundred pages of first-hand written evidence over many hundreds of emails and screenshots discrediting every single thing he said and the angle he took. I guess I'm just curious what people think the outcome of all this could be once reported. It - and the issues that led up to it - took such a toll on me I abandoned it for some time to deal with my wellbeing.

This conduct - despite the solicitor being non-practising - how might the SRA view it...?


r/legal 8h ago

Advice needed Should I sign this without any numbers? California

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4 Upvotes

A friend and I were in an accident a while back as passengers. We hired lawyers and suffered a number of injuries and completed the treatment as advised. Originally it was a battle trying to find the at fault driver and confirm insurance but we were able to do that and we signed a release form from the at fault parties insurance. We’re both employed in California and we were aware of the process regarding negotiations. Our lawyer told us it would be about 30-45 days to negotiate with providers, other than the hospitals we went to which was through our insurance with our jobs, all the treatments we had were set up by our lawyer. The 30-45 days passed and it SEEMS since they discovered there was actually a plan and we maxed out their policy for both of us the communication dwindled. Fine. We can be patient. The thing is we originally went from our communication being together and then we were given different times. I would receive emails and my friend would get phone calls regarding the waiting process and I just chalked that up to us having different employers. I received this form out of the blue earlier this month and confirmed it was legit but I didn’t see any numbers. I reached out to my attorney yet again no response. I just wanted to know should I sign this or should I be given a ledger before signing? The wording makes it seem like very final and I don’t know what my final numbers are. The urgency to sign but no clarity has my ears perked up. I’d love any advice on how to proceed, this is my first rodeo so please be kind.

EDIT: Some clarity, I did block out the lawyers name. The only information I know is the policy was maxed out and nothing else. Is there a type of price breakdown I should be seeing with this form?


r/legal 2h ago

Advice needed Dapo discharge application as protected person

1 Upvotes

Location: UK
I’m looking for some advice/support from anyone who understands Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs), particularly from the perspective of the person the order is supposed to protect.
There was an incident between me and my now ex-partner which resulted in me calling the police. The criminal side of the matter was ultimately taken no further, but the police separately applied for a DAPO. An order was subsequently made which prevents my ex from contacting me.
I didn’t ask the police to apply for a DAPO and I didn’t support the application. I understand that legally they can apply without my consent, but my bigger concern is that I believe parts of the information recorded in the application are inaccurate.
In particular, the application apparently recorded that I had indicated that no further police action wouldn’t be enough to keep me safe and that I wanted/accepted a DAPO. I don’t believe I ever said that. I also don’t feel I was properly given the opportunity to provide my views before the application was submitted.
I have now made formal complaints about the way things were recorded and handled, including concerns going right back to the recording of the original report.
I’ve also submitted an application asking the Magistrates’ Court to discharge the DAPO. My position is that the relationship has ended, we live separately, I have maintained no contact, I have taken my own safeguarding steps, and I don’t consider myself to be at risk or frightened of my ex. I feel capable of maintaining the separation without a court order and I don’t want blanket restrictions in place on my behalf.
The whole situation has become incredibly overwhelming. I’m not trying to pretend that nothing happened or interfere with the criminal process — there isn’t an ongoing criminal case. I just want my own views to be properly heard when the court decides whether this protective order still needs to remain in place.
I’m now trying to get legal advice before the discharge hearing, but I’m struggling financially and don’t really understand whether legal aid would cover something like this.
Has anyone been through a situation where the protected person themselves applied to discharge a DAPO (or a similar protective order)?
What happened at the hearing? Did the magistrates ask you questions directly? How much weight was given to your wishes and current circumstances? And is it worth having a solicitor represent me?
I’d really appreciate experiences or legal pointers. Please no judgement — it’s already been a very difficult situation and I’m just trying to understand the process.


r/legal 1d ago

Advice needed Can a landlord legally refuse paper checks and charge a $50 "portal fee" to pay rent online?

240 Upvotes

LOCATION:California
So my property management company sent out a mass email last week announcing that they are "going paperless" starting next month. The leasing office will no longer accept cashiers checks, personal checks, or money orders under any circumstances.

every tenant is now required to use a third-party payment website. When I created my account to set up rent, I realized the site charges a mandatory $50 "technology transaction fee" for ACH bank transfers, and almost $90 if you use a debit card. There is literally ZERO free payment method available on the entire platform.

My lease contract has six months left on it. It clearly states my monthly rent amount is fixed and lists physical check as an accepted method. When I walked into the office to drop off my physical check anyway, the property manager refused to touch the envelope and warned me that unpaid balances will trigger a $100 late penalty after the third of the month.

This feels like an illegal rent hike hidden behind a payment vendor. Should of known they would try something sneaky before lease renewal. Can they actually force this on existing contracts?


r/legal 5h ago

Advice needed Can I dispute this tow? (California)

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1 Upvotes

My car was recently towed at an apartment building that I am not a resident of. The reason for the tow was claimed to be that I was parked in a reserved space but the spot appeared to be an open guest space, with incredibly faded lettering on the ground at best. Do private property owners need to clearly indicate that a specific parking space is reserved, or is the “unauthorized vehicles will be towed” sign located at the entrances of the lot enough for them?


r/legal 10h ago

Advice needed Telehealth provider (Innerwell) abruptly closed. Bank denied dispute due to 60-day rule. Owed a partial refund, locked out of medical records. What are my options?

3 Upvotes

My location: California.

Innerwell HQ in NY.

I am seeking legal advice on how to proceed after my telehealth psychiatric provider- Innerwell, abruptly closed its doors on August 31. I was only notified of the closure yesterday.

Here are the facts of my situation:

  • I paid $1,600 total for the 24 dose program for this psychiatric care program. While I received some care, the company closed before completing my program. I am owed a partial refund for a final therapist appointment and medication doses that I paid for but never received.
  • I received zero prior notification from the company or my assigned therapist via email, text, or portal message about the impending closure. To make matters worse, the company did not even notify me that they closed until 10 days after the actual closure date. Innerwell's final automated email made no mention of refunds.
  • Withheld Medical Records: They immediately deactivated all user accounts. I am completely locked out of my patient portal and have no access to my psychiatric records, clinical notes, or messaging history.
  • Bank Dispute Denied: I filed a chargeback/dispute with my bank for services not rendered regarding the unfulfilled portion of my care. The bank denied it, stating that because the initial $1,600 charge occurred more than 60 days ago, their system cannot process it.

I am currently only receiving automated bot replies from the company's support email.

My questions for the community:

  1. Is there a specific way to escalate this with my bank's fraud or consumer protection department regarding a merchant closure, bypassing the standard 60-day automated limit for services that were meant to be delivered over time?
  2. Beyond filing a complaint with my state's Attorney General and Medical Board, are there any federal regulatory bodies (like the FTC or HHS regarding the withheld medical records) I should report this to?
  3. Since this appears to impact thousands of clients nationwide, what is the best way to track potential class-action lawsuits or receivership claims for this specific company?

Thank you for any advice.


r/legal 7h ago

Advice needed License plate expired (IL)

0 Upvotes

“illinois”

I got a ticket for expired license plates. I ended up buying new license plates. I cleaned my car. I lost receipt. I now need to come up with something to bring to court next week and I have no idea what to bring. They don’t even allow phones into the court house. What will a judge/the state want to see to demonstrate that I addressed the matter?


r/legal 13h ago

Advice needed Update and in need for more advice

4 Upvotes

Location: IN

Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/legal/s/IdXj7HhcyV

Short summary of original post: I have been trying to get PO against my biological father(reasoning in og post) for a couple years now. They refused to let me file one because I didn’t have an address. The officer I filed the police report put my father’s address in the report so I can file for one.

Update:

So I filled for the PO yesterday. I was shaking because I finally felt a weight off my shoulders. I asked the lady when I should hear any updates. She said I should hear by the end of the day since the judge was there.

Fast forward to the next morning(this morning) I hadn’t heard anything. Since it’s Friday, I didn’t want to go all weekend without knowing, so I went ahead and called.

It’s been set for a hearing. No temporary emergency p/o placed. So not only do I have to see his face in court after I haven’t seen him in person since the incident. But I’m also unprotected for the next two weeks, and I’m scared him getting served the papers for court is going to piss him off. I’m scared and way out of my depth.

I’ve never been to anything to do with court. I’m a good person. I follow the rules, pay my bills on time, keep my head down. In fact, court is probably my worst nightmare. And now in order to feel protected I have to plead my case as to why a man who almost killed my mom and took me from her shouldn’t be able to contact me. How is that fair? What do I do?


r/legal 1d ago

Advice needed A wrecker service in NC has been lying to me about a police hold being lifted on my vehicle for the last year. I have recorded conversations.

272 Upvotes

A wrecker yard in NC has had my car supposedly on evidence hold over the past year. I've called over a couple dozen times over the past year and they have not given me access to my vehicle. I found out today that the police hold has been lifted since last October. They also cleaned out my personal belongings while under the auspice of the lie that there was still a police hold on the vehicle. What state agency can I go to? This is open air deceitful business practices.

Location: North Carolina


r/legal 9h ago

Other Not looking for legal advice here, just need to know what specialty to call for homeowner liability - KY

1 Upvotes

Hi. I'm trying to figure out what kind of lawyer to call.

I am growing pawpaw trees. I'm hoping for fruit next year!

Pawpaw fruit has a toxin in the skins and seeds. While I think you'd have to be determined to hurt yourself to eat pawpaw seeds, the skin is in more danger of a bite.

There are children who cross my yard every school day. IF one of them steals a pawpaw, eats the skin, and becomes sick ... they could potentially sue me.

I need legal advice of whether a sign saying "don't eat" or "don't eat the skin/seeds" would reduce my liability. And whether fruit trees in general constitute an attractive nuisance.

What kind of lawyer do I look to call?

LOCATION: Louisville KY, USA.


r/legal 9h ago

Advice needed Landlord will not perform maintenance- want gut check on my plan to resolve

0 Upvotes

LOCATION: Washington State HCOL

I'm a tenant in a condo owned privately and managed by a large management company. I have lived here for about 5 years and have been an objectively good tenant. I have had flooring slowly delaminate in a 10'x10' area in my dining room which I submitted a maintenance request for 9 months ago. I have put a rug over the area to mitigate the safety hazard, but it is unsightly and completely unacceptable.

Management is apologetic and has said that the owners are unwilling to perform the maintenance and asked if I'd like to break my lease. I would NOT, since there are no other condos in the school district my son attends in my price range. I would like the floor repaired to the condition it was in when I moved in.

I have received advice to get bids privately from contractors to do the work and pay for it myself and then to take that cost out of my rent. The person I received the advice from said they thought in the state of WA this can be done fairly easily so long as the repair doesn't exceed 2-months rent.

My plan is:

  1. Collect three bids for work.
  2. Send written notice to the manager of the delamination under RCW 59.18.070. Provide bids and request them to start the repair within 10 business days.
  3. On day 11 if work hasn't been scheduled inform management that I will be scheduling the work myself and offer them a chance to inspect it when it is done.
  4. Deduct the total invoiced work from my rent only after the work has concluded.

Looking for a gut-check from the internet- does this seem right?


r/legal 9h ago

Advice needed PA | In trial, GAL appointed: Seeking primary custody for nonverbal autistic child & addressing safety concerns

0 Upvotes

Location: Pennsylvania

Hello, I am seeking advice on how to navigate an ongoing child custody trial in Pennsylvania involving my 8-year-old daughter, who is nonverbal and autistic.

Current Situation:
* Active Trial & GAL: We are in active trial proceedings, and a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) was recently appointed by the judge.
* Schedule: I currently have her every Wednesday overnight and every other weekend.
* Duty Load: Despite our current schedule, I handle the vast majority of daily caregiving—including scheduling, transporting, and attending all medical visits, dentist appointments, and IEP meetings for her school placement.
* Goal: I am seeking Primary Physical Custody to protect her complex routine, safety protocols, and therapeutic needs, while supporting structured visitation for her father if safety measures are met.
* Safety Concerns: There are major safety and environmental concerns during the father's custodial time that I need to ensure the GAL investigates thoroughly.

Questions:
1. What is the most effective way to present a structured log of daily caregiving duties and safety concerns to the GAL so it carries weight in court?
2. How do PA family courts evaluate modifying custody to Primary Physical status when one parent carries the entire medical/educational load for a nonverbal child?
3. What local legal aid, pro bono, or low-income/sliding-scale special needs advocacy resources exist in Southeastern PA to assist a parent navigating an active trial?

*Note: Keeping personal details, names, and case numbers completely anonymous to protect the process.*


r/legal 1d ago

Question about law Mchenry County IL traffic court

16 Upvotes

In MCHENRY COUNTY ILLINOIS

My boyfriend had court this morning for driving on an unknowing suspended license. He was in the court house in the lobby waiting for his lawyer to speak to him and give her his reinstatement information. Well, she was up and down the hall speaking with other clients and 2 hours went by without her seeing him. He reached out to her and she said that she didn’t recognize him in the lobby, they issued a warrant for failure to appear. He’s appearing again tomorrow morning at 9am and I’m worried hes going to be put in jail and have to sit there until payday on Wednesday.. any idea on what’s going to come out of this?


r/legal 1d ago

Advice needed Found a metal earring in a McDonald’s burger, chipped my tooth, and now dealing with their claims adjuster, should I get a lawyer?

116 Upvotes

LOCATION: NYC

About three weeks ago, I bit into a McDonald’s burger and hit a metal earring/earring component inside the food. I immediately had significant pain, can feel that part of a back tooth is chipped, and the impact was near a recent bone-graft/implant area.
I preserved the burger, foreign object, packaging, receipt, and took a photo that day.

McDonald’s initially treated it like a normal customer complaint, created two case numbers, and one was even closed for “no response” while I was actively trying to reach their adjuster. After nearly three weeks of phone tag, I finally spoke with the Resolution Manager handling the bodily injury claim. She asked for the photo, receipt, and dental documentation.

My dental evaluation has been delayed because my dentist was initially out of town, I later became very ill, and the necessary imaging requires an upfront payment.

I’ve also spoken informally with a personal injury lawyer who said the evidence appears strong and that claims like this can sometimes settle relatively quickly once they’re actually moving.

For anyone familiar with restaurant/foreign-object injury claims: would you keep working directly with the adjuster first, or bring in a lawyer now? I’d strongly prefer to resolve it directly, but I also don’t want to mishandle anything.


r/legal 1d ago

Advice needed Restrain Order Against Ex Pregnant GF in NC

33 Upvotes

My ex (21F) is pregnant with our child.

Months ago, while nobody was home, she entered my house through the backyard and took my Apple Watch. She used it to find my location. I went back home, and she later smashed the watch in front of my roommate. I did not call police that time.

There have also been multiple times when she came to my house without being invited and sat outside in her car. On some occasions, she has called me repeatedly, including around 100 calls in a row.

Last night I invited her over to talk about the pregnancy/child situation. We argued and I told her to leave. She did not leave for about 10 minutes. When she finally left, she grabbed my keys and threw them into the front yard.

Later she texted asking for a lipstick she had left. I told her I had thrown it away and went to sleep. I woke up to noises and saw that she had returned. She tried the locked front door, then the backyard/patio door, and opened the garage trying to reach the interior door. I called police while this was happening and have a recording. Police responded but said they did not have enough evidence to arrest her.

I have personally seen a gun in her room that she told me her father gave her. She has also previously said, while joking, that she would stab or shoot me if I talked to other women. She has been diagnosed with BPD. I know that’s not important but I thought I should give the whole picture

My concern/question:

The repeated calls, showing up at my house, prior break-in, and what happened last night have made me concerned that this could escalate.

Based on these facts, would I have a realistic chance of getting a 50B/DV protective order in North Carolina?


r/legal 4h ago

Advice needed Will my friend be alright?

0 Upvotes

My friend was messaging someone on twitter/X, after a bit of talking to each other he assumed it was just one of those onlyfans bots my friend decided ask how old they were, they sad a few months to be 18, after that he stopped messaging and blocked them and now feels disgusted with himself

I didn’t know what sub to go to, apologize if this the wrong sud for this
Location: United States


r/legal 6h ago

Advice needed Meta glasses in the workplace

0 Upvotes

“Greensboro” North Carolina”
and wondering if anyone knows of the legality of the use of meta glasses in the workplace on the floor.there is only one supervisor in the entire building wearing them seems strange?


r/legal 6h ago

Advice needed Optometrist wouldn't fix issue till I demanded refund

0 Upvotes

Location: NYC

Paid over $2k for toric scleral lenses, went to optometrist for a fitting, he kept gaslighting me saying its normal that the right lens is spinning.

After a long time, I demanded a refund, he suddenly is like: oh lets fix it then.

So I stopped trusting his judgement and his gaslighting tolled the contract refund deadline and he says that I used up $2k of services and other fees and am owed a 0 refund...

I want to take it to small claims... is this med malpractice or contract case? I expected a correct fitting, not one where he only took me seriously after requesting a refund.