Legal Q&A Topics
Browse published legal information questions. Pages are sorted by recent reader activity.
What are my rights if the officer mumbled the Miranda warning and I could not hear it?
In general, Miranda warnings are meant to inform you of important constitutional rights before certain police questioning. If an officer mumbled the warning, spoke too quickly, or otherwise made it hard to hear, that may...
How do I request child support if we were never married?
In New Mexico, a parent who was never married to the other parent can usually still ask for child support. The key issue is often not whether the parents were married, but whether legal parentage has been established and...
How do I challenge statements made after hours of questioning without food or sleep?
If a statement was made after hours of questioning while a person was deprived of food or sleep, it may be possible to challenge whether the statement was voluntary. In criminal cases, courts usually look at the total ci...
What are my rights if a security guard used too much force and injured my shoulder?
If a security guard used force that was more than reasonably necessary and you injured your shoulder, you may have a civil claim under general Kansas law, depending on the facts. In broad terms, a security guard is not a...
Is it legal for police to question me in the patrol car after a DUI arrest?
In South Dakota, police may sometimes question a person in a patrol car after a DUI arrest, but whether that questioning is lawful depends on several facts. The main issues usually include whether you were already under...
Can I copyright a children’s book if AI made the illustrations but I heavily edited them?
In general, a children’s book may include copyrightable material even if some of the illustrations were first generated by AI, but the answer depends on how much human authorship is actually present in the final work. Un...
Can a Gym Charge Me After I Tried to Cancel My Membership?
In general, a gym in California may still charge you after you tried to cancel if the cancellation was not completed in the way the membership contract requires, if the gym had a lawful right to bill for a notice period...
Can a Hospital Bill Me Years After the Visit?
Yes, a hospital may sometimes send a bill long after the visit, but whether it can still collect depends on several legal and practical factors. A late bill does not automatically mean the charge is invalid. It may happe...
Can I record my landlord threatening me if I am worried they will deny it later?
In California, the answer is often: maybe, but you need to be very careful. California is generally considered a two-party consent state for confidential communications, which means recording a conversation without permi...
Do I have to pay restitution if I am charged with criminal damage to property in Minnesota?
In Minnesota, restitution may be ordered in a criminal case involving damage to property, but it is not automatic in every case. Restitution is generally a way for the court to require payment to a victim for losses that...
Do I have to split a personal injury settlement in divorce?
In Oregon, a personal injury settlement may or may not be split in divorce, depending on what the settlement is meant to replace and how the money is characterized under Oregon property rules. In general, divorce courts...
Do I have to report unclaimed property from a small business I closed five years ago?
In general, you may still have reporting duties after closing a small business, including in Oregon, if the business held money or other property that became unclaimed before it shut down or while records were still acti...
Is it defamation if someone says “I think” before making a false factual accusation online in Indiana?
In general, adding the words “I think” does not automatically protect a person from a defamation claim in Indiana. If an online statement still communicates a false factual accusation, a court may look at the whole conte...
What happens if we bought a house before marriage but paid the mortgage with marital income?
In Michigan, a house bought before marriage is often treated as separate property at the start. But if marital income was used to pay the mortgage during the marriage, that does not always leave the property unchanged fo...
I left a bad review for a local business and now they’re threatening to sue. Should I take it down?
A bad review does not automatically create legal liability, and businesses often cannot sue simply because they dislike criticism. In general, a review is more likely to create legal risk only if it contains a false stat...