r/legal • • 1d ago

Advice needed Our midwife left before my sons birth to get lunch and missed the birth completely. Refused refund.

3.0k Upvotes

You heard it right. We hired a midwife for 8500$ to do an at home birth. When she arrived, she said the wife was only 3-4 cm dilated, so she left to get lunch. Said she would be 15 minutes away tops. Ended up being gone for over an hour and 15 minutes… I literally delivered the baby on my own with the midwife and her assistant being gone getting lunch. We asked for a refund and they completely denied us. What do we do. By the time the midwife and her assistant returned, our son had already been delivered and was in our arms. They completely missed the birth we had hired them to attend. According to our Ring camera footage, the midwife and her assistant were gone for approximately 1 hour and 18 minutes, despite telling us she would be no more than 15 minutes away. This was an actual midwife business we hired in port Charlotte too.

LOCATION: Port Charlotte Florida.

P.S - For clarity, I’m sharing my personal experience and the documentation I have regarding my family’s experience with Summit Maternity Care Center. I have not asked anyone to leave reviews or contact the business on my behalf. Please make your own decisions based on your own experiences, and don’t post anything about the business unless it reflects something you personally experienced or can accurately substantiate. She’s reporting that bad reviews people are leaving anyways and having them taken down


r/legal • • 1d ago

Advice needed Can a contractor actually put a lien on my house over a "free estimate" I never signed?

4.4k Upvotes

Location: Ohio

Our heat stopped working two weeks ago during a freeze. I called a local HVAC company with great reviews. Their website literally has a giant banner at the top that says "100% Free In-Home Estimates."

so the technician shows up on a Tuesday. He opens the furnace panel, looks at it for fifteen minutes, and quotes me eighty-five hundred dollars to replace the entire unit. I told him I needed to get a second opinion before dropping that kind of money. He packed up his bag and left.

I ended up hiring a different guy who fixed the issue for four hundred bucks by replacing a single ignitor switch. Problem solved, right?

Yesterday morning I open my mailbox and find an invoice from the first company for three hundred and fifty dollars. The line item says "Advanced diagnostic fee." I immediately called their office and told the receptionist their site promises free estimates.

The owner got on the line and started yelling. He told me the estimate is free, but taking off the furnace panel is a diagnostic service. He said if I do not pay the invoice by this Friday, he will file a mechanic's lien against my home title.

I NEVER signed a single piece of paper. He never handed me a clipboard or made me sign a digital disclosure. Its pure extortion, but now I am terrified this guy can legally freeze my property title over a made-up bill.

How can someone put a lien on a house without a signed contract?


r/legal • • 32m ago

Question about law Holding a Trust for my Sibling

• Upvotes

LOCATION: Georgia

My father passed away about 5 years ago. He had 3 life insurance policies and assets. My youngest sibling is 18 years younger than me. She was 14 and in a mental facility when he passed, and has been struggling with her mental health every since, understandably so.

His assets were split evenly among his 5 kids. His life insurance policies went mainly to our mother to pay for our youngest siblings care. Her medical care has been very expensive over the years.

She is now 19. She has a car, a part time job, and lives mainly at our mother's house, but struggles with addiction and still has mental health struggles. She has access to what's left of the life insurance policies, which is still a large amount, relatively speaking, but is quickly running through it. She has no bills and no goals.

According to our fathers will, I am in charge of her trust. It can be used to pay for medical or education only, and can be released to her when she is 24. However, she's forgotten about it. I haven't touched it except twice to pay for private tutors when she refused to go to school. She ended up dropping out in high school and hasn't gotten a GED.

Is it illegal to continue to hold it but not tell her about it until she's stabilized in her life, or until she needs it? I suspect it likely is, I'm just concerned she's going to blow it all, and it's potentially a life changing amount of money. Like, down payment on a nice house, or completely pay off college.

Just to be clear, I have no interest in the money and can clearly track every penny that has left the trust. She has access to his will, but has never read it, and no one has told her about this trust.


r/legal • • 21h ago

Advice needed [Brazoria county TX] Landlord refusing to replace sewage-soaked carpet, refusing hotel costs, won't put anything in writing after apartment flood, what can we do?

41 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

My wife is the leaseholder for our apartment in Texas; I live with her but am not on the lease. On Saturday, Oct 24, our upstairs neighbor's toilets overflowed and sewage flooded our apartment. Sheetrock fell, furniture was soaked (couch, my daughter's bed/mattress), and the unit was uninhabitable. The complex paid for a hotel Saturday and Sunday nights only, capped at $150 total.

On Sunday, the neighbor turned the water back on and caused more damage. No remediation crew came Sunday.

On Monday, Oct 26, the manager told my wife:

- The carpet will only be cleaned, not removed (the pad was eventually partially replaced (but the remediation crew said that moving furniture is not their job) and the carpet sanitized (only in certain spots), but the carpet itself was not replaced).

- No further hotel payments, period.

- Sheetrock will be replaced without drying time.

- Moving furniture for the work is our job, not theirs, but we physically cannot move furniture.

- The office will not put anything in writing, including whether the unit is habitable.

We emailed the property management company today objecting to all of this. We applied for legal aid but were denied because our income is too high. We have photos and video of the damage and the work. We are sleeping in the unit tonight because we cannot afford more hotel nights, not because we believe it is habitable.

Questions:

  1. Can a landlord in Texas refuse to replace sewage-contaminated carpet and refuse hotel costs while the unit is uninhabitable? Are we entitled to a rent credit for the days we cannot live there?

  2. What can we do when the landlord will not confirm habitability in writing and wants to close up sheetrock without drying?

  3. Does the fact that I am not on the lease (my wife is) affect who can make these complaints or pursue remedies?

Any guidance appreciated. We are not looking for a lawyer referral, just what our options are.

Thank you everyone!


r/legal • • 17h ago

Legal news Batmobile lawsuit in Indiana/California-whatever happened?

13 Upvotes

A few years ago, a group of police officers traveled from California to Indiana, essentially as a mercenary force, to do a favor for a wealthy friend who had a civil complaint about a Batmobile replica he had purchased.

Whatever happened with that? Were the officers held accountable for their actions?


r/legal • • 1d ago

Question about law Can DA refuse to release stolen property?

156 Upvotes

I am in Arizona.
My truck got broken into and some items (with serial numbers proving that they belong to me) were taken. The got was caught and had my property in his possession when he was arrested. He was recently sentenced so I reached out to the police department asking about getting my stuff back. They said they could not return anything until the DA released it.

Can they keep my stuff? There is no question of ownership. The serial numbers prove everything belongs to me.

Update: Thank you all for your comments. I have received a call from the DA. It would seem that the guy made a deal and they are keeping all of the evidence for 90 days to ensure that everything goes through as planned.


r/legal • • 16h ago

Question about law New NFA rules as applied to Wisconsin

3 Upvotes

LOCATION: Wisconsin 941.298(3)c Firearm silencers.

(2) Whoever sells, delivers or possesses a firearm silencer is guilty of a Class H felony.

(3) Subsection (2)) does not apply to sales or deliveries of firearm silencers to or possession of firearm silencers by any of the following:

(c) Any person who has complied with the licensing and registration requirements under 26 USC 5801 to 5872.

Following federal court rulings and updated policies, the ATF suspended enforcement of National Firearms Act (NFA) prior-approval and registration requirements for suppressors.

Does the lack of a federal requirement mean possession of a silencer in Wisconsin, without a tax stamp, is now legal?


r/legal • • 9h ago

Question about law SC-134 Remote appearance question

1 Upvotes

Location: SC but case is in CA - USA

I'm currently in SC and my won case is in Cali, I'm going to be filing SC-134 next week. My question is if entire case was done remotely (default judgement and motion to vacate denied)) will SC-134 be able to be done remote as well, or should I play it safe and file remote appear request too? Its through Superior Court of California, County of Orange Courts, impossible it seems to get through to court clerk to as directly lol.


r/legal • • 1d ago

Advice needed Noncompliant ex-spouse with property settlement agreement.

16 Upvotes

Location: Arkansas
Papers finalized in January. I was to be either bought out of the house or participate in good faith with sale of the house, with me being entitled to one half of the net equity, by June. I was ordered to pay for the appraisal. Paid $600 at end of April, report made May 6th. No effort by ex spouse to refinance or sell, and now it’s almost November. She in fact stated in text no plans to sell until April. I could file for contempt of court, but after another arduous and costly process with the courts, what tangible punishment/consequence would she be even subject to? Could she simply continue to be noncompliant with court orders? What other options do I have to free up my equity?


r/legal • • 15h ago

Advice needed Pet Insurance - Undocumented Prexisting Condition? LOCATION: PENNSYLVANIA

4 Upvotes

So about a month ago I took our 6 year old dog to the vet for a wellness check-up. I had noticed a small lump on the side of his body and asked the vet to take a look at it. The vet brushed it off and said it was too small to aspirate and didn’t document any of this on my dogs vet records. The lump has now gotten significantly larger in size.

After that appointment we signed up for pet insurance, if I were to take my dog to another vet and the lump was cancerous, would filing an insurance claim be fraudulent? I think yes, my brother thinks no. But we knew this could be a problem even if the first vet brushed it off and didn’t document it.


r/legal • • 1d ago

Question about law Indoor Manufacturing Threatening to Replace Restrooms with Portable Toilets

48 Upvotes

Location: Mississippi, United States

Hi all. I work in a 300,000 square foot manufacturing facility with almost 500 employees, none of them contractors. Recently, management has had to begin repairs to our indoor plumbing due to foreign objects being flushed, like latex gloves and plastic ear plugs. During a meeting with the whole staff, the facility managers expressed that, if this were to continue to happen, then all restrooms across the facility would be permanently closed and instead, we'd have to use portable toilets placed in the parking lot.

My concern is the legality of this "solution". From what little I've managed to find on my own, port-a-potty stalls can be used as a temporary measure while repairs are being done but they can't permanently replace on site facilities. They haven't implemented this yet, but two of our ten restrooms (five men and five women) have been shut down for close to two months. Also, this would remove any hot and cold running water from employee access.

Is this something I should be concerned with or am I just overthinking it? If I should be concerned, should I take any sort of action with documenting or recording anything?

Any advice is appreciated.


r/legal • • 3h ago

Advice needed How can i start a private Internet safety group?

0 Upvotes

Greetings. Im 20 Year old. i do a little bit of Lewd modelling so I do end up in nsfw groups and servers to obviously promote my business. But i see so much disgusting shit happening in plain sight, ive done like 7 tips to the FBI website and im like 90% sure they didnt do shit. Even when you post your pics on Twitter. Bots under ur post plainly sell illegal material forcing you to actively delete comments or posts and its just a mood ruiner.

I have tons of internet knowledge since ive been online since childhood. i want to Bust these People and give these reports straight to authorities.

Is there a way i can start?

LOCATION: NOT APPLICABLE


r/legal • • 12h ago

Advice needed Is it safe to pay a private landlord through Zelle/Venmo? (Baltimore, MD)

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone! My boyfriend and I are in the process of renting an apartment in Baltimore and wanted some advice before sending over the security deposit.
We met the landlord in person, toured the apartment with him, and he had the keys/access codes to the property. He told us he owns and manages the building himself, rather than going through a property management company.
We were initially a little hesitant about sending such a large amount directly to an individual through Zelle, so we did some digging:
We checked Maryland’s official property records, and his name is listed as one of the owners of the building.
The mailing address in the property records matches the address on the lease.
The property has rental licensing records on Baltimore City’s official housing portal, including a completed renewal, although we haven’t confirmed the current expiration date.
We found an established real estate professional profile associated with his name.
The Zelle account shows his full name, matches the email on the lease, is marked as a business account, and has been active since 2021.
We received a detailed Maryland residential lease through an online signing platform, which we’ve signed. We’re requesting a copy signed by both parties before paying.
The lease lists a property entity as the landlord rather than his personal name, although the property records also show a historical connection to that entity.
The rent is $1,575/month, with a $1,575 security deposit. He’s asked for the deposit and first month’s rent, which seems pretty standard.
The issue is that Zelle has a $500 limit for new recipients on our account. He suggested Venmo or Cash App instead, and we’re considering splitting the deposit across a few transactions if necessary.
We’ve also asked him for the current rental license, lead inspection certificate, and written receipts for payments.
Everything we’ve checked so far seems legitimate, and he hasn’t been pushy or suspicious. We’re just nervous about sending that much money through payment apps with limited buyer protection.
For anyone familiar with Maryland rental laws or private landlords, is this a normal and reasonably safe way to pay a security deposit? Are there any additional checks we should make before transferring the money? Would a check or another payment method be safer?
Would really appreciate any advice. We’re trying to be careful without overthinking what may be a completely normal private rental arrangement!

Location: Baltimore, MD


r/legal • • 1d ago

Advice needed My company pays out $.40/mile but federal is currently $.76.

118 Upvotes

OREGON. Wondering about laws regarding mileage payout. My company pays everyone out at $.40/mile but I recently read that the federal minimum is $.76. Is my company using a loophole or are they flat disregarding the law about this? Thanks for all advice!

Edit- Thanks to all who responded personally and in the chat! I had no idea that is how it works. Appreciated all!


r/legal • • 9h ago

Advice needed i was assaulted at a mental health inpatient facility, what are my rights and how do i sue them ?

0 Upvotes

i am just 19 years of age and was assaulted by a man in a mixed gender inpatient facility that i stayed at for about a week . i want to sue them because this stay was involuntary-i didn’t consent to go their my family didn’t believe it was necessary either but i was sent there because i had previous history of being inpatient in hospital twice before . although that was two years ago . i left feeling more traumatized and heartbroken by my assault than when i entered .

how can i sue this place and get my dignity and respect back and make sure they’re held accountable ?

location: for context im in new jersey and this place has extremely low ratings anyways- it wouldn’t be hard to prove they’re negligent towards patients .


r/legal • • 22h ago

Question about law Need help with basic understanding of restraining order

2 Upvotes

Location: Ohio
Someone I know (a therapist) received a restraining order from someone else for a “sexually oriented offense.” I saw this restraining order in passing and they hadn’t told me about it. My first reaction was to freak out because is this person sexually harassing someone?? But then I thought maybe I’m misunderstanding the nature of this, since I don’t know anything about restraining orders. Does receiving one automatically mean you’ve done something wrong? Can a therapist receive something like that from a patient if they are mentally ill and confused??


r/legal • • 1d ago

Advice needed Car registration under my mom name.

10 Upvotes

Hi,
Location = Illinois
My mom put her name down on my brother car registration couple years ago because he didn’t have a driver license. My brother is a huge piece of shit and should be banned from driving because he get so many tickets and fines. All the tickets and fines are under my mom name. My mom asked my brother several times to pay for the tickets/ fines or to even meet up at the DMV for her to remove her name from the car but nothing. Last month my mom driver license was suspended because of fine/ticket and no insurance on the car. We don’t know where my brother lives and he is not responding to my mom call or text about this issue. My question is, how can we remove my mom name from the car registration without my brother being present? My brother is mad at my mom for kicking him out of the house ( brother is 33 years old)
Thanks


r/legal • • 1d ago

Other How likely is the TSA to confiscate Kinder Surprise eggs already your possession when boarding a domestic flight?

17 Upvotes

LOCATION: US. I know Kinder Surprise eggs are obviously illegal to bring in through customs in the US, but let’s say you already had them in your possession (already in the US), and try to go through the TSA to board a domestic flight and you bought your eggs with you?

Will the TSA recognize them being illegal and confiscate them, even though they aren’t customs, or would they alert the customs in the airport, or would they only focus just on their job of no weapons and liquids and not care about your eggs, despite their technical illegality?


r/legal • • 22h ago

Advice needed Breach of contract or nuthin burger?

1 Upvotes

LOCATION: MICHIGAN

I bid on an item on an auction site and win the item (have screen shots). After a few days, I saw the item re-listed on the site. I contacted the auction company and they said the had to cancel the item due to not having a title yet. It was immediately re-posted on the auction site and is currently for sale again.

No one ever contacted me, I have screen shots of being the winner, the highest bidder, and I would have waited for a title.

Do I have a case?


r/legal • • 23h ago

Advice needed our interior designer is refusing a refund and threatening us

1 Upvotes

we recently wanted to undergo interior work for our new home and looked into this one interior designer who seemed trustworthy at the start and we even deposited rs. 1lakh for an advance, but later he never communicated with us properly and now despite a month of discussion he hasn't shown us the final drafts and design plans.

so we decided to opt out and find someone else.

But now he's refusing to refund us the money, despite the transaction only being last week, And he's practically threatening us saying he has political connections.

What should we do?

LOCATION: India


r/legal • • 2d ago

Advice needed Someone hit my car, and her insurance denied my claim. What should I do?

288 Upvotes

Hi, I had a car accident on September 19 in South Bend, Indiana, on Notre Dame game day, when the shooting at a nearby bar happened.
My car was parked on the street near the shooting area, and I was sitting inside minding my own business when a woman backed up and hit my car, damaging the driver’s-side door and front fender.
There were a lot of police officers in the area because of the shooting, so I informed one of them about the accident and asked for a police report. However, he insisted that it wasn’t necessary because they had a more important situation to deal with at the time. He gave me the woman’s driver’s license and insurance information instead. I also recorded a video of the officer explaining why he couldn’t file a report.

I contacted her insurance company, but after a long wait, they told me they couldn’t cover the damage because she was using her personal vehicle for business purposes.
I then contacted my insurance agent and explained what happened. He told me my insurance might not cover the damage either, but suggested contacting Uber because its insurance might cover it, depending on what she was doing for Uber at the time.
The evidence I have includes my dashcam footage, two witnesses who saw the accident happen, the woman’s driver’s license and insurance information, and the video of the police officer.
The repair cost is approximately $3,500.

What should I do in this situation? If Uber refuses to cover the damage, I’m afraid the driver might not pay for it either. How can I recover the repair costs, and what are my legal options in Indiana?


r/legal • • 15h ago

Advice needed Can you tell an overzealous fire department to leave your property?

0 Upvotes

Location Ohio, during certain months of the year Ohio has burn regulations.

Now what these are meant for is Farmers doing large-scale open Burns in a field and to prevent unnecessary spread. What they are not meant for is people having a campfire in their backyard...

A friend of mine who lives in an HOA And as a neighbor who likes to haul and make plates against him constantly had the fire department called on him when he was using his store-bought fire pit in his backyard.. And they forced him to put it out..

I told him the usual, keep a pack of hot dogs with you and tell him to get lost but he didn't want to do that either..

The only direct experience I have with this was I had a whole bunch of Wood and large branches, and I started stacking it up like a small log cabin near the front of my yard, 40 ft. From the street, and by by small log cabin I mean it was probably 5 ft square and close to 8 ft tall when I got done and when I lit it up, it definitely lit up...

Not long after the fire department showed up and asked me what I was doing, I said well. Obviously it's a campfire, they got a bit pissy and then said I at least had to bring my garden hose nearby. Otherwise they were going to put it out..

Ohio Revised Code 1503.18 Prohibits most open burning in unincorporated areas in March, April, May, October, and November between 6:00am and 6:00 pm. Open burning during these times may be permissible if conditions outlined in the exclusionary text are met. This code is under authority of the Ohio Division of Forestry.

OHIO EPA INFO You may have a fire for cooking, warmth, pleasure, ceremonial or similar purposes without notification and/or permission from the Ohio EPA and Green Fire as long as: • burn only clean, dry, seasoned firewood; • the fire is no larger than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet high; and • fire is not used for waste disposal.

Larger ceremonial fires are allowed with these guidelines: • use only clean, dry, seasoned firewood; • the fire is no larger than 5 feet in diameter and 5 feet high; • the fire burns no longer than 3 hours; and • fire is not used for waste disposal.


r/legal • • 1d ago

Advice needed My special needs coworkers dad keeps stealing her meds and credit card. Help.

9 Upvotes

LOCATION: Michigan

My coworker is lower on the spectrum, she’s 21 and her unemployed father who’s an alcoholic keeps stealing her credit card for weed and alcohol and just recently started stealing her adderall.
She only works 12 hours a week so she doesn’t make a lot of money but he’s been secretly maxing out her credit card.
She called me today asking if she should file a police report but also she doesn’t want her father to go to jail.
I think he should, but I digress.
What steps can she take, she lives with him so I’m worried.


r/legal • • 1d ago

Advice needed Restraining order violation CALIFORNIA

3 Upvotes

Has anybody on here violated a restraining order ? Can you tell me what was the outcome? I’m in San Bernardino county


r/legal • • 2d ago

Advice needed Can a repair shop charge me for storage when they never told me the repair was finished?

38 Upvotes

I'm in Ohio, USA. I dropped off my laptop at a local repair shop on September 18 because it kept shutting down randomly. They gave me a written estimate of $180 and said they'd contact me before doing anything that would cost more. I paid a $40 deposit and left it there.

On October 3, I called to ask for an update since I hadn't heard anything. The guy told me the laptop had actually been ready since September 25 and that I now owed an additional $90 in storage fees. Apparently they charge $10 per day after a repair is completed. This was the first time anyone mentioned that policy to me.

I checked the receipt and there's nothing about storage fees on it. There's a small sign behind the counter mentioning uncollected items, but I honestly don't remember seeing it when I dropped the laptop off. The shop says they tried calling me twice, but I have no missed calls or voicemails from them.

I emailed the owner on October 5 asking them to waive the fee. He replied on October 7 saying the policy applies to everyone and they won't release the laptop until I pay the full amount.

I need the laptop back for work, so I'm considering paying and disputing the extra charge afterward. Is that a reasonable approach legally, or would paying make it harder to challenge the fee? Also, can they actually refuse to return my property over a storage charge that wasn't included in the original paperwork?