r/legal

LOCATION: Texas

So I had a 10x15 climate-controlled storage unit for almost three years. I set up automatic credit card payments on day one and never missed a single billing cycle. I kept my grandfather's woodworking tools, vintage instruments, and all my childhood photo albums in there while renovating my house.

last Saturday I went down to the facility to grab my table saw and my key code would not work at the security gate. I walked into the rental office and the manager told me my unit had been auctioned off three weeks ago for $420. He claimed my payments stopped processing in March because they migrated to a new payment processor that dropped saved cards.

I never received a phone call, a voicemail, an email, or a certified letter. The manager admitted their system had a glitch that failed to send out delinquency notices, but then he pointed to a clause on the back of my original paper lease stating their liability for lost property is capped at $200. He literally offered me a two-hundred-dollar Visa gift card and told me to sign a release form on the spot.

I walked out without signing anything. I should of checked the bank statements every month, but this feels like an ABSOLUTE criminal disaster. Doesn't state lien law require certified mail and public notice before they are legally allowed to cut a lock and auction your property? What type of lawyer handles this kind of conversion claim?

Location: Colorado, USA

Last winter I attended a weekend writing workshop run by a community theater. I wrote a twenty-minute play during the workshop using my own characters and brought in several pages I had drafted beforehand.

The organizer asked to include it in the final staged reading. I agreed by email to “one public reading on Sunday.” I was not paid, did not sign a contract, and never discussed transferring ownership.

Last week I discovered the theater had renamed the play and performed it six additional times as part of its summer program. My name was removed from the printed program. When I contacted them, the director said anything created in their workshop belongs to the theater because they provided the space, prompts and actors.

The registraton form only says participants allow photographs of workshop activities. It says nothing about scripts or copyright. I still have my earlier drafts, the email approving one reading, and a copy of the new program.

Does my permission for one reading function as a limited license? What should I preserve or send before demanding that they stop performing the play and restore my credit?

LOCATION: Illinois, USA

I left an antique accordion at a small repair shop to have two keys fixed. It belonged to my family, and I have dated photos plus the serial number. The paper receipt says completed instruments are held for 60 days before being treated as abandoned.

The shop called on July 27 to say it was ready. I went in on August 14, so 18 days later. They told me another customer had been given my accordion by mistake and had since stopped answering them. The owner first promised to retrieve it, then emailed yesterday saying I should deal with the other customer directly. They refuse to give me that person's contact information, which I understand, but they also wont explain what they're doing.

I still have the receipt and every message. I dont want a replacement because the family history is the entire point.

Is my legal claim against the shop, the person who received it, or both? Should I make a police report before sending a formal written demand?

LOCATION: Jacksonville, Florida

I'm not a resident but I was driving through Jacksonville a few days ago and got hit by someone who pulled out in front of me and I couldn’t avoid them. Police came we exchanged information and at the time I thought everything was pretty straightforward.

I called the insurance company listed on the card they gave me and was told the policy isn’t active. I double checked the information from the accident report and it all matches so now I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to do with that. My car is pretty badly damaged and I’ve been having lower back pain since the accident, so I’m starting to worry this is going to be more complicated than I expected. Has anyone dealt with this before?

My car along with others was towed from apartment complex in texas. The residents in 7 buildings were given notice via an app at 330pm to move vehicles by 9am the next day or towing truck would tow vehicle at owners expense in order for the apartments to have parking lines repainted. Is this legal?

Family sent over paperwork for my wife to sign that says she grants any claims to the property to me. Should I go see a lawyer and make a will or trust first before signing? What if something happens to me while this document is in effect? We’re a family of 8 siblings, all spouses are doing this to have the property only in the family

Houston, Texas

I had turned in my FMLA application to my employer about 2 weeks ago after I went to the docter and I was told that I needed hip replacement surgery because my hip bone has blood circulation cut off and the bone had started to die. I went to my employer and got the form which my docter filled out and he wrote that the estimated recovery period is 3-6 months. Today 2 weeks from my submission of the forms I got an email from my department head that said my application was denied because the estimated return date was beyond the 12 weeks that they were required to give. Im still in the process of getting ready for the surgery but now I have till tomorrow to either quite (im not going to) or get fired for job abandonment according to my boss. From my understanding the form is an application for 12 weeks. They should approve it and if my recovery after that 12 weeks requires more time then I woild be forced to quit or be fired. What should I do.

She is meant to be a representative payee, but she doesn't ever want me to have a bank account or a job. She lives on my disability to keep the house and everything.

I do have a boyfriend who I don't know if he is still open to this relationship yet or what because we haven't had that call.

But he has complained about financial situations because it is a situation where he pays for everything and my mom has provided him with money. But it probably isn't enough.

And so I can't be in any form a provider and I have to go to my mom.

He has said "oh your mom's sweet, and I would feel bad transferring your funds without her consent."

I asked my mom as well what she would do if I made this official without her consent. She said that my sister would get involved. Which is just there's nothing they could do legally, like if my sister tries to force me back to mom then that's kidnapping so she will be wasting her time probably if she came all the way to get me back.

I don't want my mom going to prison or anything, but I do need independence. My mom has been financially abusing me and has refused to let me have a way out of this house or a way to make my own life. I don't want to have her face criminal charges for this because that does affect me as well, especially since she will have to post bail, which will come out of my money. She does have quite the criminal history and it has lead to harassment towards me by county police.

LOCATION: Alberta Canada

My cat approx 4-5 yrs old was spayed by a clinic that I am not familiar with just over a year ago, 2 months before I adopted her. 3 months after I adopted her she was showing signs of being in heat. I took her to my vet and they did a urinalysis, nothing came up but they give antibiotics for a suspected uti.
Unfortunately the problems continued and she was crying a lot so I brought her back to the vet with the same concerns. This time they did a vaginal cytology and it was overwhelmingly positive. At this point I contacted the vet that did the original spay and she was quite dismissive and told me to get a second opinion/ more tests. I am at a point where I don’t want her in pain, nor do I want to rule out “everything else” when we already had a positive test. I had my clinics reproductive specialist get involved and he went ahead with an exploratory laparotomy where they found ovarian tissue on the right side.
Labs confirmed this and hopefully this now fixes the problem but I spent $2272.94 and I don’t know if I have any legal leg to stand on for reimbursement? I don’t want this to happen to another kitty. I’m not sure where to go from here. I live in Alberta Canada, all vets involved are also in Alberta.

I have physical records of the following:
Certification of sterilization from the vet who originally spayed her
Positive vaginal cytology result indicating exposure to hormones*
Exploratory laparotomy with removal of tissue found on the ovarian pedicle, removed and sent to lab
Full pathology report indicating left side was only scar tissue but right side contained ovarian tissue
The reproductive specialist willing to speak with the previous vet about his findings and give as many details on the surgery as necessary

I would love to be at least partially compensated for this because it was due to the negligence of the previous vet but more than anything I just want to insure this doesn’t happen again.

LOCATION: Iowa, US

I recently bought a scientific research website from the owner for $500. The research firm has been closed for years, and the last owner is 87 with health issues, and no working computer. I'll be keeping the website up so the research stays freely available to the public.

Network Solutions owns the domain, and is requiring a judge-signed court order to transfer account access to me, because the previous owner lost all login info, and it's unrecoverable. They are refusing any other legal documentation.

I have reached out to 16 business law firms. Some have rejected me. Some haven't gotten back to me after a week and a half.

Is there any way I could do this in small claims court or some other avenue without having to find a lawyer? I have the signed and notarized bill of sale to present to a judge, and am happy to fill out whatever other forms are needed.

I really just need a judge to rubber stamp this as soon as possible. The website is down due to a cyber attack, and I need account access to get it back up.

Thanks for any advice!

Hello I’m in Alabama and I applied for a loan through a company that I’ve used a few times before. I had an old debit card account linked to the loan profile I have and they refused to let me take it off. The bank account connected to the debit card had been closed for almost a year, but they said the only thing I could do was add a new debit card for the funds to be sent to. So I did, and I chose the new debit card when applying for the loan but they sent it to the old debit card. I called them and they say if it was sent to a closed account then the funds would have been sent back but they weren’t so I needed to contact the bank. I did that and the bank said they see no transactions going to my closed account at all and that if they did the funds would have been immediately sent back. So I call the loan company yet again and they said they needed proof of my account closure so I had to go to the bank and get proof of when my account was closed etc and take it to the loan office. And I did that..and then they tell me “well this isn’t enough, there’s nothing we can do until the funds are sent back to us by your old bank. They gave me all these reference ID numbers and authorization codes etc for me to go to the bank and have them track the funds. And send me some type of receipt showing that the funds were sent to my debit card but only showed the last 4 numbers. So I go to the bank and show them this and they said the bank code and branch code on the “proof of sent funds” wasn’t even their codes and they don’t have ID numbers and authorization codes so they don’t know where the loan company got any of this. They told me I needed to get in touch with the loan company and make them give me the full old debit card number that they have on file for me so I can cross check it with my info. I did that and they’re saying they can’t see the full number on their end only the 4 last. So no one can even confirm anything. The bank says they never received the money and the loan company says it’s the banks fault and I still have to pay the loan until the funds are sent back to them and there’s nothing more they can do for me and they’re going no further to help me. My question is what do I do here legally? I don’t want to pay for funds I never received but they take auto pay out of my new bank every 2 weeks. I provided the proof that I never received the funds and they don’t care. Any advice is appreciated.

(I literally just made this account to post this)
Edit: Meant ticket, my bad
Location: NC on I540
First time ever being pulled over, the officer said it was cause of my speed. I got a citation for going 90/70 on top of the tags being expired apparently. It’s my dad’s truck, whom apparently knew the tags have been expired since April but I didn’t. On the paper it says the officer had suspicion to believe I knew about the expired tags but he asked 0 questions, and I genuinely didn’t.
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My court date is in October and I’m extremely fucking anxious. I genuinely can’t tell when the truck goes faster than 60 because it feels like nothing. I don’t entirely believe I was going 90.. but I also wasn’t looking at the speedometer in that moment because I was trying to pass someone while making sure no other cars were in my way before I did. A lot of rambling but hopefully you get my point-
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I need advice. I don’t have money to hire an attorney right now. What do I do? Am I going to get jail time for this? I haven’t had my license for too long and my driving record so far is clean.

Location: Massachusetts

I’m dealing with a disputed sorority balance that was sent to collections, and I’m trying to understand what I should do next financially/credit-wise.

I’m not claiming I owed nothing. At the start of the school year, I expected to pay the full dues and asked to use installments because I could not pay a large lump sum at once. I was told in writing that my billing type could be changed after I signed the financial agreement and selected installments.

I did sign, but the bill was never actually restructured to reflect installments. I also was not clearly told that it had not been fixed. By the time I realized the balance was still sitting there unchanged, most of the semester was over.

Because the unresolved balance had also affected my participation, I later asked whether the amount could be adjusted. I spent months trying to resolve it with chapter leadership. A reduced amount was eventually discussed verbally, but I was never sent an updated balance, payment instructions, or a deadline. I also remember being told during that call that the billing website was down.

The organization now says I “never paid the amount discussed,” even though nobody explained that I was supposed to pay the verbal amount before the online balance would be adjusted or told me how to do that.

The full disputed balance — low four figures — was ultimately sent to collections. I have now disputed it with the collection agency and asked for validation, itemization of the balance, confirmation that the account is marked disputed, and whether anything has been reported to the credit bureaus.

There is also a separate fairness/governance issue: I was repeatedly told certain accommodations were unavailable because of “policy,” while members I personally know in very similar situations were given exceptions. I understand that this does not automatically erase my debt, but it is part of why I believe the situation was handled inconsistently.

My main questions are:

• What should I be doing now to protect my credit?
• Does the fact that the amount was still disputed before it was sent to collections matter?
• Should I be checking all three credit reports?
• If the collector reports it while I am disputing the amount, what should I do?
• At what point should I talk to a consumer-law attorney or file a consumer-protection complaint?

I’m not looking for a way to avoid paying something I legitimately owe. I’m trying to figure out whether the amount sent to collections was handled correctly and what my next steps should be.

Location: Gainesville, Florida

I lived in a commercially owned apartment complex for the past six years. I’ve had roommates come and go, and a lot just kept happening, so I decided to finally leave after a whole black mold incident was extremely mishandled by management. The management team was new this year, seemingly all of the general managers and assistant managers that had been there for years were let go at the beginning of 2026 and they brought in all new people.

My lease ended on July 22nd, but I ended up moving out a little earlier on July 15th. On July 27th they sent me a bill for over $400 claiming that the unit was dirty and a mess and filled with so much trash that they had to hire a cleaning crew, as well as requiring a wall repaint. I sent a dispute email asking for proof, photos, the inspection report, and vendor receipts from the cleaning company they hired. I also explained to them that I moved out before my roommate and any object left behind was not in any way my property. I also made them aware of the fact that I informed them multiple times previously, verbally and in writing, of property multiple past roommates, as well as their own maintenance team, had abandoned in the unit. They removed the charge for the wall repaint “as a courtesy”, but said they will not be removing any other charges and would not supply any of the documents or proof I asked for.

I sent them a follow up dispute email with photos taken from the day I moved in and photos and videos from the day I moved out, as well as photos of some of the things they were trying to charge me for. I also sent them screenshots of past emails where I brought up some of the issues. I again asked for any proving documents and an explanation based on evidence I provided. They are refusing to reply and have seemingly blocked me. Every time I try to send another email, I get an undeliverable return message, but yet they keep sending me notices to pay up. When I call their office, they refuse to speak to me and say that they will only talk about it in writing.

What can I do to get them to reply? Can they actually force me to pay when they are refusing to show proof or give me any explanation of the charges at all? Will I get charged late fees and will it affect my credit if I wait for their response?

And no, there is no security deposit. It was not required to move in, and they never asked for one. This is a move out fee that they are trying to charge like it’s a utility bill or a month’s rent. Yes, there was an inspection, but I was not able to be present for it, and they won’t share the inspection report with me no matter how many times I ask.

I’m looking for advice regarding a commercial tenancy in New York. I operated my café/deli from the same location for approximately 11 years.

In April 2026, the premises suffered a flood and the business had to temporarily close. We did not voluntarily close the business or abandon the premises. We were waiting for repairs and dealing with our insurance claim, with the intention of reopening.

The original landlord subsequently passed away and the property passed to his family. We were then informed that they did not intend to continue our tenancy and apparently intend to sell the building. We had been operating month-to-month after our original lease expired.

However, the tenancy has never, to my knowledge, been formally terminated through an eviction proceeding, and a substantial amount of our business property remains inside the premises.

This includes commercial kitchen equipment, refrigerators/freezers, coffee equipment, furniture, inventory, business records, register items, and other property. There were also personal belongings belonging to staff inside.

The situation has now escalated significantly.

Contractors began entering the premises and performing construction/demolition work while our property was still inside. Initially, one of the entrance locks was changed and I was not provided with a key. My attorney contacted the landlord’s attorney in writing and specifically stated that we still had possession of the premises, that changing the lock and withholding a key interfered with our possession, and demanded that our access be restored.

Despite that warning, all of the locks have now been changed and I currently cannot access the premises or my property.

There has been no court eviction proceeding that I am aware of, no warrant of eviction, and no marshal or sheriff has removed us.

At the same time, contractors have continued working inside.

When I previously gained access, I discovered that our belongings had been moved around extensively. Items that had been stored upstairs were removed and brought downstairs. Cupboards and storage areas had been opened and emptied. Items from the kitchen had been moved. Staff belongings were moved. Register floats/cash-related items, food, supplies and equipment were among the property that had been moved.

Construction has also been taking place directly around our commercial equipment.

There is significant construction/sheetrock dust throughout the premises and on/in our equipment. Our HVAC equipment was apparently not properly protected during the work. I have photographs showing dust and debris inside equipment, including inside a commercial toaster, and covering kitchen equipment and other items.

I am extremely concerned about contamination and damage to food-service equipment, particularly equipment that may now need professional cleaning, inspection, repair or replacement before it can safely be used again.

We have extensive photographs and videos showing:

• The condition of the premises and equipment
• Contractors working around our property
• Construction dust/debris
• Equipment that was not covered/protected
• Property that was moved
• The condition of the premises before and after the work
• The changed locks/lack of access

We also have communications between our attorney and the landlord’s attorney documenting that we requested continued access and objected to the lock change before all of the locks were subsequently changed.

We are currently moving the business to another location, but that does not mean that we abandoned the old premises or our property. We still need access to inventory our belongings and remove our equipment.

This situation is also causing significant financial losses. The business has already been closed since the flood, we have an ongoing insurance/business-interruption claim, employees have lost wages, and we are now facing potential cleaning, repair/replacement and moving costs associated with equipment and inventory.

I have now learned about NYC Administrative Code §§ 22-902 and 22-903 regarding commercial tenant harassment, including provisions concerning changing locks without providing a key, preventing a commercial tenant from entering, removing/moving a tenant’s personal property, and certain interference caused by construction.

I am trying to retain a NYC attorney who specifically handles commercial landlord-tenant litigation / commercial tenant harassment and damages, because the attorney who had been assisting us does not handle litigation.

My main questions are:

1. Does changing all of the locks and denying us access while our business property remains inside potentially constitute an illegal commercial lockout or commercial tenant harassment?
2. Does it matter that we were month-to-month rather than under a current long-term written lease?
3. Can the landlord legally have contractors performing substantial work inside the premises while we still have possession/property there, particularly after being notified by our attorney that we objected to the interference?
4. Could the landlord potentially be responsible for damage or contamination to our commercial equipment caused by construction dust, debris, moving equipment/property, etc.?
5. What is normally the fastest court procedure for a commercial tenant in NYC to obtain emergency access to retrieve/protect property after being locked out?
6. Should we be seeking a temporary restraining order/injunction preventing further construction or movement of our property until we can document and remove everything?
7. What damages could potentially be recoverable — damaged equipment, professional cleaning, lost inventory, moving/storage expenses, lost business income, employee-related losses, etc.?
8. I’ve also seen references to RPAPL § 853 and treble damages for forcible or unlawful removal from real property. Is that something that can apply to a NYC commercial tenant in circumstances like these?

I am not looking to break the locks or take matters into my own hands. I want to handle this through the proper legal process, but I am concerned that every day contractors continue working inside increases the possibility that our property will be damaged, contaminated, discarded or disappear.

Any guidance from NYC commercial landlord-tenant attorneys or people familiar with commercial lockout/tenant-harassment litigation would be greatly appreciated.

what's the difference accessory vs conspiracy? from what i understand conspiracy is planning a crime with multiple people and then once you've gone thru with it you've commited conspiracy. eg:

Mr. A, Mrs. B and Mrs. C, all plan to murder Mr. D, they go to sleep that night and the next morning they all turn up at Mr. D's house and then kill him.

but i can't wrap my head around accessory. i understand accessory after the fact which i believe is someone committing a crime and then admitting it to you afterwards. eg:

Mr. Blue steals a car and two years later admits to Mr. Red that it's stolen. If Mr. Red dosent report the crime that's accessory after the fact. but what's accessory? if anyone could explain preferably with examples i'd really appreciate it! thank you!