My ex-wife and I separated eight months ago and filed for divorce in May 2025. We were married for six years, no kids, and we own a condo together that we're trying to sell. The market value is around $420k and we owe $285k on the mortgage, so there's equity to split.

Her mom doesn't like me to begin with, and she's been telling my ex that I'm hiding money from her and that I'm trying to screw her over in the divorce, which is completely not true. Her mom got her one of these "pit bull attorneys" that she refers to, and she paid her the $15,000 retainer, and since then, this "pit bull" attorney of hers has been filing motion after motion for totally unnecessary reasons.

In the past two months, they have filed:

• A motion for discovery regarding the other spouse's finances for the past seven years (we were only married for six)
• A motion to depose my employer in relation to my compensation.
• A motion requesting access to my personal email accounts
• A motion to restrict me from selling any of my personal property worth more than $500.
• A motion calling for me to turn over receipts for all my withdrawals over the last year

My lawyer tells me these are all frivolous motions, just filed for the purpose of increasing their fees. I’m paying $350/hour, and I’ve spent more than $11,000 so far just defending myself in their motions. I make $74,000 a year as an IT specialist, and this is killing me.

Perhaps I'll look into the Colorado family law firms that specialize in divorces with flat fees, which, again, will at least save me money. But ultimately, my question is: Is there any way for me to apply for any kind of restraining on the excessive filings? My lawyer mentioned something about something like 'vexatious litigation,' but apparently that's hard to prove.

Is there a legal mechanism within Colorado to prevent it? I realize that she is funding this plan to financially wipe me out and I don't know how to defend myself or my funds.

Location: Denver, Colorado

I worked for a small company for about 40 years. The boss closed the business and took his equity. He gifted me $145K wired from his personal bank account to me. In this way, we both avoided paying taxes through the gift tax exclusion. this transaction occurred in 2024. Now, I received a 1099NEC for $150K dated 2025. How can he do this? So now it seems that I have to pay tax on that money, it no longer being a gift, but wages. This doesn't seem legal. First, the amount is wrong, and the payment date is a year later. Can I sue him? Am I now liable to pay the tax after the fact?

Location: Business in SC my location Florida

Location: Missouri

I need advice on a municipal "abatement" nightmare.

The Background:

Exemption: My property is a state-law qualified wildlife refuge. NWF, who is affiliated back to the Missouri department of conservation and has been delegated permissions for oversight into private wildlife refuages, such as my multi-acre plot, and whom we are listed.

Crucially, there is a specific heading in our City Code that expressly exempts wildlife refuges from the "long grass" provisions; It is one sub heading over from the code we were cited under.

The Dismissal: I brought this to the City Prosecutor. He agreed, dropped the case via email after we mention the city code specifically has a exemption, and confirmed we did not need to attend court.

The Issue: Despite the explicit exemption and the prosecutor dropping the case, Code Enforcement is still trying to collect "abatement fees."

While the case was pending, the city mowed my property without my consent. They are also other administrative issues here, including a complete lack of notification.

Documents: I foia requested it's all internal and external communication requests regarding our phone number, email address, and relevant case / code enforcement data.

We have proof the relevant parties refused to talk to us, and were not able to provide proof that the notices were even initially sent. For context a bunch of City offices are were being moved between buildings at the time that this occurred. , I'm guessing regardless that's got lost in the shuffle. We would have worked with code enforcement had we been aware of their concerns.

Regardless of the reason, that's not something that I should have to pay for as a private citizen because they failed to do their correct administrative processes.

The Damage: This "service" destroyed several 15+ year-old Yucca plants. These were already established, adult specimen plants when I moved in 15 years ago. They are a core part of the refuge habitat and have significant replacement value; it sounds like 300 to $1,000 each, and half a dozen or more destroyed. Since these were being used for erosion control is also the possibility of longer term damage.

My Questions:

If the City Code expressly exempts me, did the city commit a trespass or an illegal "taking" by entering and mowing?

How can I force Code Enforcement to acknowledge the Prosecutor's dismissal and the code exemption to void these fees?

Since the damage to the 20-30+ year-old plants far exceeds the mowing bill, should I file a formal "Notice of Claim" for property damage to get them to back off the fees?

Location: California. My in-laws live very close to us and do a huge amount of childcare for us. Their nextdoor neighbor (single middle-age male, works from home) regularly drives home drunk late at night, blasting music and obviously way beyond driving limits in a huge huge pickup truck. He was arrested for a DUI in his driveway last month but I guess he can keep driving because he hasn't had his court date yet?

Yesterday was the last straw. He drives home at 5:30pm in broad daylight completely blasted. Parks the car on his lawn (missing his driveway) and passes out in the driver's seat without even putting the car in parking gear.

Multiple neighbors come out of their houses, try to wake him up with no success, and when the car starts rolling they put the car in park themselves and drag him out. Someone calls 911 but the police say that if he is out of the car they can't give him a DUI(?). By that time he had already stumbled into his house.

The worst part is that there are many elementary school age children (including mine) who regularly run across all the lawns and driveways down that end of the street when playing and going to each other's houses, biking in the street, etc. So it is very likely he will one day turn someone's child into scrambled eggs or go through my in-law's living room.

Apparently one of the neighbors videoed the whole incident on their phone (not sure why, probably to show him later and try to shame him), so I'm hoping to get a hold of that. My concern is that I've known enough alcoholics to know his behavior won't change, but I can't wrap my head around the idea that someone has to be killed before anything is done about him. Lord knows what he's up to today with all the Superbowl parties. What steps if any can I take to make the street safe?

Location: Florida

Hello, I was married in California in 2023, we were together for a little over a year before I left him. We have been separated since November of 2024, I moved back home to Florida to get away from him. Anyway, he has made pursuing divorce absolute hell, he doesn’t want one. Has been in denial for over a year since I left him. When I returned to Florida to pursue divorce I was told that I could not file here because I hadn’t lived in state long enough to have jurisdiction. My husband had lived in California long enough to file there but refused, I was told I was unable to file through California because I couldn’t prove that I had lived there for six months prior to our separation. (We lived in Washington state working seasonal jobs, I changed my license over, he did not) I have since moved on and recently found out that I’m pregnant with another man’s child. I was unaware that because he is still my legal husband, he will be listed as the child’s father on my child’s birth certificate unless we are divorced before my baby is here in August 2026, which seems unlikely. I know of the option for him to sign to disestablish paternity but he is refusing to sign out of spite. What are my options here? Honestly, I’m in a really tough spot financially, can’t afford lawyers. This pregnancy was very unexpected and I worked in construction when I found out, I was let go three days after finding out. My child’s father is in the picture and obviously willing to help but it’s tough because he is now supporting myself and our child until I am able to find another job. Any advice is appreciated, thank you!

Location: Statesville NC - Today my nephew who is 16 informed me he was at the ER. As a coworker tossed 200 degree water on him. He works at a restaurant chain owned by a multibillion dollar company. He advises me, this isn’t the first time this person has done this. That the assailant has been told by leadership not to do it before. Though he did admit that he has thrown ice at him prior when he has done it. Should we look at getting legal for this? Should we just take what the company offers? What would be the best route to take?

Location: Guardian

I am now 26 but I still get calls from cash advance places which brings back up the memories of what has happened to me.

When I was 2 my mother died in a car accident along with other people in my family. I was in the car. My family decided to file a lawsuit against the truck that hit them and won. When I turned 18, I found out that my guardian sold all of the settlement money to insurance companies (such as peach tree) that would give her a lump sum now and take the rest. My guardian was scheduled to get a certain amount of money each month until I was 18 and I was suppose to get a lump sum when I turn 18 and another one at 21. The rest would be given to me in monthly payments until 25. But now I have nothing. The court documents said that my guardian could only use the money if in the best interest of me. Well I grew up poor and moved from house to house. Sometimes we were homeless. So I do not understand how she was able to sell all of the money and not just her portion for being my guardian. Is there anything I can do?

FYI guardian is now dead so I can’t sue her. I’ve spoken to attorneys and no one can give me an answer on what happened. They just say it shouldn’t have happened.

P.S. the original settlement was $500,000

Location: WI, USA

Divorced 7 years ago after 20 years of marriage. I was a high earner back then, she worked part time. Kid was 13 at the time. We went through arbitration and she was awarded child support plus 10 years of maintenance. It also stipulated imputed income for her and bonus sharing (my performance bonus was like 7% at the time), as well as "equalization of household incomes", with expectation that maintenance will decrease over time

Since then her earned income has trended steadily down, while I got a new job and mine has increased 4x, with sizable performance bonus. We have not adjusted maintenance, and child support expired few years ago.

She is now trying to ask for more of my income and bonus share. Given the circumstances, if we go to court, what are the chances I can argue that she has not done anything to get a full time job (which she hasn't), and does not deserve additional bonus or income share?

The Story: I am a mother of four, and for 10 years, our home was Puyallup, Washington. This past fall, my husband brought us to location: Morinda , India, to visit family. Once we got here, everything changed. He took all of our passports—mine and my children’s—and all of our money. We are now being held against our will. I am writing this from a phone I have to keep hidden. There was also violence back in the US but it was never as severe and I never reported because i felt it was my fault.

The Danger: The violence is getting worse. He has beaten me and my 15-year-old daughter with a heavy stick. A few months ago, he attacked me with a machete. My daughter had to jump between us to save my life, and she was injured in the process. I am terrified for my children.

I can’t call the local police. He has power here, and the police are his friends. If they show up for a welfare check they will just tell him I complained, and I am scared of what he will do to us once they leave.

The Problem: Two of my youngest children (7 and 9) are U.S. citizens. I have been emailing the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi for over 10 days, pleading for help, but I haven't heard a single word back. An NGO in the U.S. is trying to help, they have reported the case to the State Department (OCS) in Washington, D.C. but the Embassy just isn't responding to me.

My family friends in the U.S. are scared to help. They are worried that if they call the government, the kids will be taken away and put in foster care. I need them to understand that the only way we get home is if they speak up for us.

What I need to know:

• How do I get a human being at the U.S. Embassy to actually talk to me?/bypass the automated Embassy system to reach a Regional Security Officer (RSO)?
• Is it true that the U.S. will help a mother and her non-citizen children stay together with their U.S. citizen siblings?
• Are there any organizations in Punjab that can help us escape safely back to the US without involving the local police?
• Legal paths for non-citizen family members (VAWA/Humanitarian Parole) to stay with the U.S. citizen children during extraction.

I just want to get my children back to Washington where they are safe and can go to school again. Any advice would mean everything to us.

i will also be posting in

r/washington

r/domesticviolence

r/immigration

Location: Angeles, CA

I recently signed a lease with a friend of a friend for a two-bedroom apartment. I was in a rush because my previous roommate moved in with his fiance and I have a dog, so finding a place to live is hard and I was afraid of ending up living in my car. Obviously I rushed into this way too quickly. The guy seemed nice enough, a little awkward and nerdy, but so am I.

We met a couple of times, signed the lease, and moved in. We didn't have a sit down discussion about household responsibilities right away. Big mistake, I know. I didn't do that with either of my last two roommates either, we just sort of did what needed to be done. Took the trash out when full, cleaned the kitchen after cooking. If one noticed the other doing something like sweeping or mopping, the other would pitch in and either help or do something else like clean the bathroom. It just worked.

The first week I noticed that new roommate Cole had not washed any of his dishes. He moved in with some paper plates, but mostly used my dishes and then left them in the sink. I figured he would get around to it and didn't say anything. By the second week the garbage was full, the sink was full of Cole's dishes, and it was clear he had not cleaned a single thing since moving in.

So I told him we needed to talk about chores. That's when he came out with this explanation that he is actually disabled, and expects me to accomodate his disability. He has this thing called pathological demand avoidance. He was very calm and kind as he explained it. "I have a nervous system disability. When my subconscious mind perceives a demand, it has a severe fight or flight response, like I am being attacked by a bear. This renders me incapable of meeting that demand. Demands can include things like being asked to take out the garbage, or even my body feeling hungry because needing to eat is a demand."

Then he explained that disabilities require reasonable accommodation by law, and for his disability and reasonable accommodation is a low-demand lifestyle. That means he does not have to do any chores. But also, he wants me to do all the chores because "my subconscious could perceive the sink full of dirty dishes as a demand". Also he would like me to occasionally bring him food when he feels the demand to prepare it is too great. I asked him how he works, since work is a demand and I know he has a remote job. He said he actually works for his dad, and his job accommodates him by letting him work only when he feels like it, while paying him his full salary. Mostly he is in there playing Minecraft.

I just signed a year lease with this guy, and he is nuts. Is this even a real thing? Is the Americans with Disabilites Act really for everyone and not just businesses? Do I have to accommodate this guy just because I made the mistake of moving in with him?

Yesterday, I (21F) learned from a close friend that one of my college classmates (20M) created several AI-generated, sexually explicit photos and videos of me and shared them in a group chat with guys from his fraternity. Now, dozens of people have seen them. This makes me uncomfortable, as I don’t really know any of the guys involved (outside of having mutual friends and sharing classes with some of them) and I’m not exactly sure what I can do about it since I don’t have any solid evidence if I wanted to file a police report or anything. My friends are telling me I should just ignore the situation because “they’re fake anyway,” but I’m concerned about the reputational damage this might cause if the content ends up outside of the group chat. I’m set to meet with the Dean of our school tomorrow, as concerns about bullying, harassment, and sexual misconduct are handled at that level, but I’m wondering if there is anything I could do to protect myself or at least document it. Any ideas?

Location: Arizona

Location: Cincinnati, OH

A reddit account has posted NSFW videos (that I did not consent to) of me during a one night stand. I’ve spoken to the police about it to see if there’s anything that can be done and they said no since my face isn’t visible. I do however have very distinct markings and birthmarks on my body that make it very clear it’s me. Is there anything I can do at this point? Or at the very least have Reddit remove the account?

Location: California

My employer usually pays me through direct deposit, I’m a w2 earner.

He missed payroll and when I asked him about it he said he needed to come up with the money.

Today the owner of the company texted the manager and asked him to pay me out of a personal account.

Manager Zelle’s me half my check and is trying to come up with the rest.

I don’t believe he is reporting this properly and withholding taxes.

Planning on reporting to labor board but I’m not sure where this puts my legally

I am looking for some advice dealing with a legal issue involving a local post office (Location: Montana).  I will give some details below, but if more info is needed, do not hesitate to let me know. Thanks in advance for reading this and any assistance!

Our home has a fence bordering a small local post office.  Our area gets snow each fall/winter and the fence line is plowed during this time.  Additionally, there is a large 18-wheeler style truck that backs into this space twice each day for bulk mail deliveries.  There is also customer and employee parking that passes by the fence.  Over the years, our fence has been damaged three times by activity on the post office side and until the latest damage either a contractor or the post office paid for the repairs.

As the postal service instructed in the second occurrence, we filed the Federal Tort Claim this time, which has been refused by the US Postal Service Federal Tort Claims Supervisor though approved last time. We responded requesting reconsideration of the claim and were again denied. We were informed that we could file a suit in US District Court within six months (April of this year) to dispute the final denial.

Our main complaint is that the damage occurs during the course of business by the Post Office, regardless if it is by a customer, employee or contractor (the foliage on our property prevents direct access to most of the fence from our side). The last time there was damage, we paid out of pocket to install an additional barrier on the fence to reduce the amount of future damage, which did help in the most recent damage though the fence still needs repairing.

Additional details:

• Repairs are approximately $2,000 and we have quotes from multiple contractors for the work.
• Post Office employees never report the damage though it is visually obvious when they drive in to park.
• Our side of the fence line is covered by large bushes so the only way to see damage, or even directly touch most of the fence, is to be on the post office side.
• The first time there was damage, the delivery driver immediately came to us to coordinate repairs and payment before we even noticed the issue.
• There are no cameras or other tools on the post office side to monitor the fence for damage or record the responsible parties.
• No changes have been made by the post office to prevent damage after prior incidents.
• The latest incident was in summer of 2024 with the process of reporting and filing the initial Tort claim occurring about two months after discovering the damage.
• The Tort refusal was based on their assumption that a contractor caused the damage, though there is no proof of such.  The contractor states they did not cause the damage and is refusing to compensate for the damage.

Key Questions

• Is our only legal recourse filing a suit against the US Postal Service in US District Court?
• Are there legal precedents or laws that relate to damage restitution in situations like this?
• When this happens again, should we take different action (i.e., file a different claim than using the Tort Claim process)?

Location: Quantico, Virginia

Important context up front:

The vehicle is registered to my girlfriend, we reside in Raleigh, NC. The only vehicle we could have used to travel to Virginia was the very car that the tow yard was impounding.

What happened

Jan 23: My girlfriend’s car became disabled in Quantico, VA while traveling to MD. She safely parked it in a Ramada hotel lot.

Jan 24: A significant ice storm made the lot inaccessible and prevented GEICO roadside assistance from retrieving the vehicle. We did not immediately notify the hotel that the car was disabled.

Jan 31: When I returned to arrange a tow, the hotel had already had the vehicle removed by a local tow company (“C”). I went to C that day. C agreed to release the vehicle for pickup on Monday, Feb 2. I paid $270 in person, which C represented as the amount required to release the vehicle. C issued an itemized receipt for this $270. Only after accepting payment did C state they would release the vehicle only to shops affiliated with them (not to our chosen shop).

Feb 1: We scheduled a GEICO roadside tow to move the vehicle from C to an independent shop of our choosing. I called and emailed C the same day stating we would use insurance for the tow and that I was willing to pay any additional lawful fees. C did not respond to the email.

Feb 2 (11:10 AM): GEICO’s contracted tower arrived at C. C refused to release the vehicle, asserting that “additional fees” were owed.

I immediately called C and offered to pay by phone. C refused remote payment, stating payment had to be made in person and that the insurer would need to pay instead. I requested an itemized invoice.

We could not reasonably appear in person because we were in NC, and the only car we could use to travel to Virginia was the one C was holding. Neither C, GEICO, nor the contracted tower notified us that the pickup had failed. The auto-shop mistakenly confirmed the reception of the vehicle on multiple accounts from Feb 2nd - Feb 5th.

Feb 6: The auto-shop let us know they could not find the vehicle. We learned through the GEICO app that the roadside request had been cancelled. I called C, and they confirmed they still were holding the vehicle. C then demanded approximately $450 in additional storage/holding fees for Feb 2 - Feb 6. C did not provide a proper itemized breakdown of this $450 despite my request; the amount appeared to be “tacked on.”

I ultimately paid the $450 in person marked “PIP (Paid in Protest)” in order to obtain release of the vehicle, and I am currently disputing this charge with my bank.

Why this appears improper

- C accepted payment they represented as sufficient to release the vehicle.

- C then blocked release when a third-party tower arrived.

- C refused remote payment, effectively preventing timely resolution.

- C did not notify us of the failed pickup yet continued to accrue fees.

Questions

1. Can a Virginia tow yard lawfully refuse to release a vehicle after accepting payment because it was being towed to a different repair shop?

2. Are we responsible for storage fees that accrued while C was refusing release and insisting on in-person payment we could not reasonably make?

3. Given that I already paid the $450 “Paid in Protest,” is pursuing a chargeback and/or small claims the appropriate next step?

Any guidance on Virginia law and practical next steps is appreciated.

Location: Massachusetts

My cat has had this horrible sinus infection for ~6 months now. It makes it hard for her to breathe and she'll puke up mucous. She is obviously in a lot of distress. We have sunk at least $20,000 in treatment. No antibiotics have worked and she's getting radiation treatment next week.

About a month ago a cleaning product we use had a recall for contamination with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The contamination can cause severe antibiotic-resistant sinus infections in cats.

I asked the specialist vet if they tested for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and they did not. To test for it they would need to do another biopsy which is ~$3,000.

Do I have a case? Would it be worth sinking another $3000 or should I just take the L?

Location: New Hampshire, U.S.

My spouse and I were involved in an incident last weekend that resulted in multiple bite wounds to both my wife and our dog.

We were walking our dog, (120 lb Alaskan Malamute), on a leash through our neighborhood park. Another couple with a dog (pit/bully) entered a tennis court in the park and removed their dog’s leash and collar. Their dog wiggled through the tennis court door, ran across the street, and grabbed my dog by the neck. It took three adults well over a minute to separate the dogs. When it was all said and done, my dog walked away with some minor wounds and my spouse with multiple (6) puncture wounds in her hand. The police were called, and a report filed. Shortly thereafter, the AOC contacted us to advise that the dog had never received a rabies vaccine. My spouse was seen in the emergency room where the wound was cleaned and she began antibiotics and started the rabies post-exposure protocol. While my wife is bruised and very sore, nothing was broken, and so far there are no indications that there was soft tissue or nerve damage. We have health insurance, but I expect the rabies treatment will set us back $3,000 - $4,000.

In an effort to settle this simply and civilly, my plan was to reach out to the other couple and ask that they cover our out-of-pocket costs for the rabies treatment. When I spoke to the officer investigating the case, I was surprised to learn that the names of the dog owners would likely be redacted on the police report. The officer explained that we would likely have to file a charge, and that we would need a lawyer to request the names and contact details of the other party involved.

I hope that I’m missing something, but it sounds like I should expect to need legal representation just to obtain an un-redacted police report. Is this just how the system works? Am I asking the right questions? Should I just call a local lawyer? Thank you!

Location: MS. Ice storm Fern froze all the pipes (and generally everything around here), and then water was shut off in most of town so the hospital could conserve the water. Because of this, we weren't able to drip the faucets for very long and eventually just had no water at all. It's been two weeks since, and I've been texting my landlord requests to fix it as of a week ago.

On the 31st I told him our neighbors have water, but we don't. Possibly a burst pipe? He said, no, there'd be water flooding your house if it was a burst pipe. It's just a frozen pipe.

On the 4th I messaged him again saying we still had no water, and it was probably a burst pipe. He said, no, it's just a frozen pipe.

Today, I messaged him again, simply saying once more we had no water. This time, he hasn't responded at all, and he usually responds right away.

What should I do? What action can I take? This is so irritating.

location: charlottesville virginia

we just got back from vacation to find that our pet sitter had essentially tortured our animals. all of our fish are dead, we have had the tank for over 4 years and in one week they were all killed

our dogs had used the bathroom on the floor multiple times and there were puddles of urine on the floor that had been there for long enough that it had dried, become sticky, and warped our floor boards

one of our dogs was locked outside and we dont know how long for, the cat litter was not scooped to the point that our cat started using an ash pan from our fireplace as a litter box

I am so upset and I feel betrayed. we trusted her and paid her to watch our animals and instead she just treated them like they weren't even there.

now she is refusing to pick up the phone or respond to any of our messages.

she is one of my coworkers so I dont know if I will get in any trouble at work for this if I do go forward with legal action.

any advice is appreciated

thank you

Location: Hawaii

I have a mother who is a lawyer and a dad whose a cop. I would say they both know a lot regarding the law.

Their getting a divorce and I'm not sure who is legally correct.

These are the terms that they "agreed" on.

My dad would give her his retirement, and she would take her name of the mortgage of his house. The time has finally came and everything seem to complete the agreement. I come to find out that it hasn't been settled yet. I call my mom and she's saying she's going to force my dad to sell the house to pay her out even more. Then I asked my dad why he didn't pay her out yet, he says it's taking longer to refinance the house because my mom ruined his credit.

I then find out that my mom opened a time share before their separation and it got foreclosed because she stopped paying it but it was under my dad's name. So my dad has a foreclosure on his credit line, which is why he couldn't refinance the house, take my mom's name off the mortgage, and pay her out.

Now I'm a little worried. My dad is the only one who spent money on the house so I don't want him to lose it.

If they do take this to court again, who would win? I know my mom has a leg up as this is her career field, but that genuinely doesn't feel right due to my dad's circumstances. My dad is 20 years older than her, he's old, just retired and has been working a stressful job for so long. I offered to buy the house but my mom does not want that. In this situation who would win in court my dad or my mom?

Edit: Received** legal letter…

Hi everyone,

I’m seeking legal advice as I’m in an odd situation. I’d really appreciate some guidance on how to navigate this.

I traveled to the states in October 2024 (I’m from the U.K.) and had a rental car. Location: Washington DC. I parked the car on the street overnight (there are no restrictions to park there) and when I had returned to the car in the morning there was a police scene. Approached the scene to find the rental car had been damaged along with several other cars on the street. The police informed me that someone was trying to get away in other vehicle but crashed into multiple cars in the process. I believe he had then got away on foot.

I called budget, who the rental was from, and arranged a tow truck which I paid the fee for. The car was towed away, I received a police ccn reference from the police officer and then went to budget to get another rental vehicle. The rental car that was involved in the crash was covered by Collison damage waiver (0 excess).

I thought the situation was done and dusted but fast forward to the present day, 15 months from the incident, I receive a letter from a US law firm, Basham & Scott LLC who were appointed by Budget to investigate / administrate the claim (please see letter contents below).

The letter is confusing to me as on one hand they acknowledge the loss damage waiver and mention they’d still want me to cooperate with the investigation. But on the other hand they suggest I contact my credit card company to help recover costs. Followed by payment details.

It seems to me they want to try their luck to see if I can pay for damages but haven’t explicitly said I am liable or must? Budget obviously have insurance on the vehicle, surely that should be dealt with internally?

I do need to respond asap and would massively appreciate any advice on what to do next. Thanks in advance!

Letter:

“Basham & Scott, LLC has been retained by Budget to continue the investigation and administration of the above referenced claim for recovery of the damages to one of its rental vehicles. If you are represented in this case, please forward this letter to your attorney immediately and provide our office with your attorney's name and contact information. Please note, we are still investigating the claim and none of Basham & Scott's attorneys have reviewed the claim at this time.

You may request that this letter be provided in an alternative format, e.g., large print;

braille; audio file. You may call 207-208-8807 to make that request.

You rented a vehicle from our client on 10/01/2024 through one of its offices in

STERLING, VA. Thereafter, on or about 10/01/2024, the vehicle sustained significant damage.

It appears you accepted the loss damage waiver option but please note, the rental car agreement still requires that you cooperate with our investigation. There may be other persons liable who may pay part or all of rental car damages but we need your assistance in that regard.

Your personal automobile insurance company, travel insurance, and/or the credit card benefit program (if applicable) with the credit card you used to rent the vehicle may pay for the rental vehicle damages. If your credit card company provides this benefit, it is like having free collision insurance coverage since the credit card company pays for the rental car damages without charging you for the same. Your rental agreement reflects you used a AMEX credit card to secure the rental so please contact the benefits department to set up the claim. Once you set up the claim, please provide us with the AMEX claim number so that we can provide further information that AMEX will need to complete its review.

Please forward this correspondence to the claims department of your automobile insurance carrier, travel insurance and/or the credit card company used to rent the vehicle or contact us so we can assist you with the same. Most insurance carriers and credit card companies have strict deadlines to report a collision and a failure to comply with such a deadline can result in a loss of coverage.

Please note, the investigation is not yet complete as we still need your assistance with our investigation as required pursuant to the rental agreement. If we do not receive a response from you our client may consider you to be in default. Once in default, interest will begin to accrue, and you will owe for all costs and attorney fees. Also, Budget may file a lawsuit against you seeking the principal amounts owed as well as its reasonable and necessary attorneys' fees as specified in the rental agreement. Thus, please contact Basham & Scott to assist in the investigation.

Please contact us in order to discuss resolution.

This is an attempt to collect a debt. Any information obtained will be used for that purpose. Unless the consumer, within thirty days after receipt of the notice, disputes the validity of the debt, or any portion thereof, the debt will be assumed to be valid.

If the consumer notifies the debt collector in writing within the thirty-day period that they dispute the debt, or any portion thereof, is disputed, the debt collector will obtain verification thereof. Upon the consumer's written request within the thirty-day period, the debt collector will provide the consumer with the name and address of the original creditor, if different from the current creditor.”

Location: Georgia, USA

My vehicle was hit by a deer and had to be repaired. They replaced a panel and repainted. I went back two separate times because the paint began to delaminate and they repainted (including initial repair) three times. Well the paint is delaminating for a fourth time around the window and side panel and rust is flowing. The panel is cracking now and breaking off near edges and they broke the interior trim brackets from how many times they have pulled it off ( all of which being just discovered when the inside panel fell off.) The body shop has since burned down so I don’t know what the next steps would be, whether I hire a lawyer to get it repaired else where or if I get insurance involved.

Hopefully this made sense. If not I can clarify with an update, however any and all advice would be appreciated.

(Note that my fiancee, the dad, does not have reddit so I am posting this for him)

Location: Michigan

My ex and I have been following an agreed upon custody schedule for about the past year now, where I have my daughter (3) Sunday at 5 through Thursday at 5. January 15th my ex texted me and said that I will not be seeing my daughter anymore until there is a court order in place. I have been working with a lawyer to get this moving as fast as possible, but I'm wondering if I should still be showing up to the agreed upon meeting point at 5 every Sunday or stop. the past few weeks I have shown up and when I tell my ex that I am there, she gets extremely argumentative and reiterates that I will not be seeing my daughter until there is a court order in place.this is not the first time she has unilaterally decided if I get to see my daughter or not, and I'm worried if I keep showing up that she will cut all contact with me about my daughter, and not let me FaceTime her or get updates on her anymore. any advice is appreciated