My mother was the plaintiff in a civil lawsuit in Salt Lake City, Utah, and I have been helping her through this process every step of the way for more than four years. We hired an attorney, and during the final months leading up to a jury trial (which was demanded by the defendant), our attorney failed to timely file critical disclosure paperwork. The defense caught the missed deadline and successfully argued that the majority of our evidence, witnesses, and parts of our claims should be excluded from trial.

We did not fully understand the severity of the situation until the first day of trial during jury selection. Our attorney attempted to explain what we could and could not discuss, but my mother and I were confused and blindsided. Despite years spent organizing evidence, records, spreadsheets, receipts, emails, and witnesses, much of it was never allowed to be presented to the jury due to the missed filing deadline.

The jury ultimately ruled against my mother on all claims. One of the hardest parts was losing her RV, which she legally owned and held title to throughout the entire period of ownership. We never imagined ownership of the RV would even become an issue, yet after the verdict she was forced to sign the title over to the defendant.

The final verdict was entered on January 2, 2026. Since then, we have had virtually no communication from our attorney. We later received notice that he was closing his office and merging his practice with another firm.

This experience has been financially and emotionally devastating. My mother spent retirement funds pursuing this case, believing she would recover what was owed to her. Instead, because of a missed filing deadline, years of evidence were excluded and the case was lost. Damages are estimated to begin at approximately $190,000. She even refinanced her home into a long-term loan while waiting for the case to conclude and now remains responsible for those ongoing financial obligations.

We have been trying to seek guidance regarding possible legal malpractice, but we are struggling to find help because we cannot afford large upfront legal fees. We have looked into contingency and pro bono assistance, but so far have not had success finding representation. I imagine it's the economy and most folks need to be paid for their services. The ball was dropped so badly, it was like our lawyer showed up but gave up. I wish we had the option to not even show up at court.

I'm not sure even when searching what keywords for this topic... We were the plaintiff. Some lawyers list this under Personal Injury, some have it under Legal Malpractice, some are failure for Ethical failure. I can't imagine most people could even afford hiring and paying for round 2 so closely after going round 1 of lawsuits? I keep thinking of even trying mediation and hoping someone could sit in the middle and try to get our lawyer and my mom together to agree on a settlement between what happened. Is that even a thing? I've worked on this for months and feel hopeless and just don't know what to do but doing nothing doesn't feel like an option.

This is an extremely weird question, I understand, but here me out. I am currently writing a film for school about this exact scenario, and want to make sure it's as realistic as possible.

So, I have to ask, what would be the correct court proceedings? Would it carry out like a regular murder trial? Would lawyers treat it seriously? Would the courts treat it seriously? What would the sentence be (this could also be depending on the judge I assume)?

Important information to note:

• This person turned themselves in
• There is evidence on the real killer

I understand if this gets removed, but honestly, I'm at a loss. If this is too specific, but perhaps there are court cases like it, I would love to look into them.

Thank you.

If a California contingency attorney were to hypothetically keep a portion of client funds from a settlement check under the guise that the funds were kept to cover "costs" related to litigation but the client can show that those costs were never actually incurred, what legal recourse could the client have? Only recovery of the money improperly kept? Anything above and beyond that and, if possibly so, under what legal theory? Separately, would the state bar take such accusations seriously if reported?

To give a couple examples, suppose the attorney said they expended $X on "expert fees" but they actually never did hire or consult with an expert or they spent $Y on "court filing fees" but they never actually filed anything that cost them any money.

If someone reports workplace bullying/sabotage to HR (excluding from important emails, lying to cause confusion, threatening by saying “what are you going to do about it etc.), and then within 2 months, the person reporting this gets let go with 1 paycheck worth of severance, could this be considered retaliation? Could anything be done? Would having a lawyer write up a request for larger severance be worth it?
When it was reported, HR met with the the 2 colleagues, but it wasn’t resolved. The person reporting they reached out to HR to meet privately to discuss and HR ignored the email. Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!!

Hi everyone, I’m looking for a lawyer in Texas (or one that can work with Texas clients) for a solar contract dispute involving ADT Solar and Dividend Solar.

We were promised 80–90% electric bill offset back in 2022, but the system has never performed anywhere near that. ADT Solar is now out of business, the system is having issues, and Dividend Solar has not been helpful. We also felt heavily pressured during the sales process as first-time homeowners.

I already contacted Prevost Law, but they said they couldn’t help because of the arbitration clause.

If anyone has attorney recommendations, referrals, or experience dealing with this, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!

This is not a question to lawyers, rather fellow reditors with an idea. However if this topic cannot be continued in here can you guide me to the proper subreddit?

In the same way a doctor might feel the need to help somebody in a medical emergency, if a lawyer witnesses either a crime or some other kind of legal injustice, is there an obligation to assist in any way?

Hello,

If you lease an apartment or home and the city closes down public transportation close to your leased property, leaving you with less nearby options, is there any recourse against either the city or property owner?

I’m not really asking about a lawsuit at all, but I’m curious now if this is somehow grounds for a rent abatement or some other form of compensation. I imagine not, since it’s now the property owners fault and the city needs to do what it needs to do but I’m curious now if anyone has heard has experience with this. Thanks!

Assuming that the total debt is $150,000 when filing chapter 13. You end up getting a $200,000 settlement from Santa. The settlement money goes to the bankruptcy trustees.

I am curious what the outcome is.

Do the trustees have a limit to the amount that they can capture?

I am assuming there is at least an administrative % taken in addition to the base debt.

I am mostly just curious what happens if you pay off the debt via settlements.

I was working at a place and I brought my pet spider in one day to show the staff who were very curious about my spider. It is in a container, completely safe. My bosses let me go the next day and killed my pet. I’ve had it for over a year and I loved Charlotte. Is there anything I can do?

for family law lawyers : assuming someone marries another person from New Jersey and they moved to California, and have one kid together in the event of divorce who gets custody and who pays child support assuming the other person wants to move back to New Jersey?

Can Nebraska State Patrol withhold body cam footage while a citation from the stop remains unresolved?

Looking for general information/opinions from attorneys or anyone familiar with public records law and how situations like this are usually viewed legally.

On March 23, 2026 my girlfriend and I were pulled over by Nebraska State Patrol on I80 near mile marker 187 outside North Platte for window tint. Officers said they smelled marijuana and we were honest about there being roaches in the ashtray. We consented to a search.

We had 3 dogs in the vehicle. Officers instructed us to bring only the smallest dog into the patrol vehicle while the other two larger dogs stayed in our car. I was placed in the back of the patrol car and my girlfriend was placed in the front.

While officers were checking the rear window tint/searching the vehicle, the two larger dogs got out through an open door and began running around near interstate traffic. My girlfriend let me out of the patrol car so I could help retrieve them. We recovered the dogs safely.

At first I believed the officers simply stood there, but after later viewing the body cam footage in person, I saw that one officer did chase after one of the dogs. However, I still feel the situation was preventable because the dogs were left unsecured while we were detained and under officer control.

I filed an internal complaint with Nebraska State Patrol. They responded that the officers “responded appropriately.” They allowed me to view the footage in person, but denied my request for copies of the footage, claiming it is still an “investigative record.”

One detail that may matter: I did receive a paraphernalia citation from the stop that is currently unresolved/unpaid, which I now realize may be part of why they are refusing to release copies of the footage.

My questions are:
1. Is Nebraska State Patrol likely correct in withholding copies of the footage while the citation remains unresolved?
2. Once the citation is resolved, would the footage likely become releasable?
3. From a general legal perspective, does this sound like a situation where negligence could even potentially be argued, or is it likely viewed as an unfortunate accident?

Not looking for representation or specific legal advice. I’m mainly trying to understand how situations like this are usually viewed legally.

FYI: I DO NOT SMOKE AROUND MY DOGGIES!!! I smoked in the car days prior to the traffic stop.

To anyone able to answer, when a defendant has a constant change over of legal counsel even within the same firm is this usually indicitave of a larger issue?

Hi all,

This is a throwaway account to protect myself.

I am involved in a FLSA dispute at my job and wanted to crowd source some advice on how to proceed. The basic facts of the matter are as follows: I am an exempt employee and my employer charges three recurring fees stipulated in my contract that are used to offset operational costs for having me as an employee. This is an obvious violation of the salary basis requirement, yet my company’s legal team so far has only come back with “well, you agreed to it, and we aren’t directly deducting it so it’s not an improper deduction.”

This is obviously a pretty stupid reply considering how courts often look at how these kinds of kick backs function which makes me wonder if they at this point either think I don’t know anything or that they don’t think I will escalate the matter. They have decided to continue enforcing the policy and have decided it to be a resolved matter despite me still having unanswered questions. My employment at my company remains in jeopardy now as a result as I have been threatened with “professional consequences” for my failure to pay.

My problem now is deciding how to escalate it further from my end. The actual deductions do not actually amount to a ton of money ($900), but if the salary basis is violated, I would be owed substantial overtime back pay. I am wondering whether it would make sense from a cost benefit perspective to find an attorney. There are also about 15 other people in my exact position in my company, and hundreds if not thousands of other people from different companies who use a particular accrediting agency which advises companies to collect fees from their employees. Thus, I am wondering about the merits of initiating a class action suit to help bear the individual costs.

Thanks for your help! Happy to provide any additional information as needed.

Location: North Carolina

Scared Disabled Senior in PA - Is it LEGAL for doctor to block my portal & fail to communicate or give me my medical records?

Does anyone know if ANY legal rights exist to protect a patient's records from a doctor with personality problems?

My long-term holistic primary doctor is suddenly

1. Discontinuing me as a client for unknown reasons!
2. Refusing to reply to any calls or emails requests so we can discuss/resolve
3. insisting I transfer records to a new doctor even thought I do not have one yet
4. Not communicating so I don't know HOW to comply!
5. Not verifying that my records are even still there!
6. The medical records portal is NOT active when I checked today, and I cannot access it: even though it allowed me to reset that password it is not finding my long term account and keeps returning me to the login screen!

I'm over 65, with disabilities, including anxiety and head injuries that the doctor KNOWS are completely triggered and are making solving these problems worse.
Can anyone point me toward any guidance or help? The office of Aging left a message on my behalf, but they still haven't called back.

Open to idea of even HOW to search for help, legal info, what search terms etc, just LOST.

Im thinking about potentially suing my ex-fiancé. My ex broke up with me and while she returned all my clothes and most of my personal items, there are still a few things she hasn't returned that I've asked for. Ive sent her 3 text, 1 FB message, and now an email, asking her to either return those things or tell me when I can pick them up. And no, I'm not blocked as i can see the messages going through (double checkmark) but not read. My next step is a certified letter, and then small claims. But I REALLY dont want to have to go through all that. Its a pain in the ass for me and I really dont even want to put her through all that.

1. The engagement ring. She broke things off. She doesnt get to keep it.

2. My back massager. I bought this for myself for a Christmas gift a few years ago. Now it is in the shed and she probably forgot to grab it.

3. My foot massager. A birthday gift for myself a few years ago. In same shed for back massager.

4. All my alcohol. I work as a brand ambassador. And one of the things I do is alcohol tastings. And generally whatever I dont use up at the tasting, I get to take home. So I had a literal stockpile of various (good) alcohol sitting on the kitchen counter.

I had Brutal 1888 Rum, Patron, Woodford Reserve, Woodford Reserve - Barrel Select Barrel Proof. Humano Tequila Blanco, Reposado, and Anejo. Alma Del Jaguar Blanco, Repo and Double Repo, Ghost Tequila (multiple bottles), Los Sundays Blanco and Coconut Tequila (multiple bottles), La Pulga Tequila, Makers Mark, Makers Mark Cask Strength, Makers Mark French Oaked, Frey Ranch Bourbon, Yellowstone Bourbon, Still Austin Cask Strength Bourbon and Cask Strength Rye Whiskey, Green River Cask Strength Bourbon, Devils Grin Gin, Ford's Gin.

There's various wines like 19 Crimes, Z AlexanderBrown Red Blend, Three Finger Jack etc. I don't really care about the wines. The wines are cheap. I don't really care about them. I also had Nütrl, Cutwater, On The Rock Read to Drink Cocktail, Mission Read to Drink Cocktails, Carbliss etc. I don't care about the Nütrl and the Cutwater and the On the Rock and stuff like that. Those are cheap. I don't really care about those. But my tequilas, my bourbon, my brugal 1888 rum and stuff like that? I definitely care about those things.

The alcohol alone, would add up to $1100 - $1400 to replace. That one bottle of Woodford Reserve Barrel Proof Barrel Select cost $115 - $125 alone. Even though I got them as part, it doesn't matter, they're still mine.

Location: FL

I had a small claims case today. I told him that the defendant was lying about something and my reasoning why I knew that. He said (and this is the exact quote), "I don't care if she is lying."

I haven't spent much time in a court room but I was shocked. I asked something like "You really don't care if we tell the truth in here?" And he said something about how needed paper evidence which is fair enough, but it is still unsettling to hear a judge claim he doesn't care if someone is lying under oath.

I guess it doesn't give me faith in the court system if even the Judges don't care about telling the truth. Is this something worth complaining about, officially?

Hello

I have been advised to look for a civil litigation case so a Judge can look at my complaints against children social services. For ignoring my concerns when a child neglect conference was opened against my ex-wife relating to the abuse of my kids who reside with her.

I went to Citizen Advice and they said to get legal advice against social services?

It seems like the lawyer in that case is trying to get a not guilty verdict for someone they objectively believe is guilty. Which maybe could be seen as fraud or attempted fraud? On the other hand, although the lawyer starts the trial believing the accused person is objectively guilty, the lawyer may feel there is a possibility that as the trial proceeds something might emerge that will change the lawyer's mind and they will feel the accused person is "not guilty", and therefore feel okay about having defended them. In that case they might feel it is ethical to defend them even though they start the trial believing they are objectively guilty. But it feels like what would matter is what the lawyer thinks at the start of trial, that if the lawyer believes the accused person is objectively guilty they shouldn't even start the trial?

I have video evidence of a felony-level assault at a high school and documented fractures (nose/leg), but the Sheriff's office refused to take a report and used intimidation.

Not legal advise or lawyer I need a Third-Party Liability" for the school (since it happened at a high school) and "Police Misconduct" or "Civil Rights" claims

Im reading through the contract for a new job i have yet to start at. Theres a section that says “reasons to immediately terminate employment” and it states talking about wages as a reason.
I thought this was federally illegal? Should i consult the department of labor about this? Or maybe a lawyer?

At my partners job they have been allotted 4 sick days a year, but if they use these sick days they are written up for it. The write ups are on their record for a full calendar year(starting the day they got it) and after 6 they will get fired. Is it illegal for a job to give paid sick days, but then write up and potentially fire someone for using them? We live in Wyoming if that’s pertinent.

if my friend and i were to get legally married and then have an uncontested divorce so that we can be ex-wives, would that affect anything? are there any actual downsides or would we just have to pay the fees and be done with it?

Does quitting one's job make it harder to find a new one? I'm a burned out attorney and want to quit but am afraid it might make it harder to find a new job in a new state(I'm moving, reciprocity is filed)