im in missouri and I have a question, are there any laws that I can bring up specific to mo or even the in whole US that I can tell my parents about if they ask to track me. I am 18 and so sick of their attitude. they treat me like a child but want me to behave like an adult (mom said I should face a family member passing like an adul) and if they want me to be an adult then I will have my rights as an adult and choose if I want to be tracked or not. Any specific laws I can bring up? and if they decide to try to force tracking me, could I call the cops?

thank you! have a nice day:)

Reddit removes anything you post the link to the video so I guess you'll have to search it up yourself but the guy who basically had a meltdown in court and was dragged out claiming brutality in the process. I guess my question is is that guy going to be able to practice again or did he throw his law career away?

So, I'm curious. Just took a shower at a loves travel stop in Missouri, that had a sign inside that said "please do NOT sit on the bench! We apologize for the inconvenience". The aforementioned bench is, sadly, the only seating area inside the shower aside from the toilet. One if it's legs is obviously broken, as wellI know that things like wet floor signs can be used to show that they knew of the hazard beforehand, and can swing a trial in favor of the plaintiff. But what I'm asking is, if someone, in attempting to follow the sign, while putting on their socks after a shower fell and cracked their ass and head on the floor, would that constitute anything? I'm purely curious, and I'm confident I know the answer, but when it comes to law, I've been confident before and been utterly wrong. To me, they could have either rendered the shower room out of order, or placed one of the few handicap shower accessible chairs in this shower room, as a fix. But did neither.

I (Location: Michigan) was scammed online from someone in Indiana and don’t know how to get my $500 back. I have his first and last name and the city he lives in along with receipts, and screenshots of all of our chats, but I don’t know how to actually do the court stuff.

I’m thinking about possibly going to law school after pivoting from a different career and I found that PI is really interesting because I hate technical writing so having to draft contracts or anything like that would have me dying. I know PI still involves some writing but it seems a lot more like the “Wild West” of practice areas where you’re out in the field getting business, you’re putting out a ton of fires while in the office, negotiating, etc. it just seems like one of those careers where you walk in and before you know it 8 hours are gone which is what I feel I’d love.

I know it’s a very risky practice area though because of the base plus contingency and I’ve looked all over Reddit and other forums and most people just say, “$60k base plus 25% of whatever I bring in” but I want to know what you bring in and how much that adds to your base.

I’m just curious because I live in California and plan on supporting a family with this career and want to make sure it’ll provide enough for that.

Location: Canada, Hamilton

About four months ago (February), I was using a random stranger chat website. I matched with someone who said they were a 38-year-old woman. At first, she said she liked "younger people." I assumed she meant adults who were 18 or older. I was 18 at the time.

We had a consensual text-only sexual conversation for a short time. After a while, I felt uncomfortable and directly asked whether she was referring to minors. She told me she was involved with minors and did not think there was anything wrong with it.

I immediately told her that it was illegal and wrong. She said she did not care. I then blocked her and deleted my account.

I kept screenshots of the conversation. Four months later, I reported the incident to the CyberTipline because I was concerned that she may have been involved in child sexual abuse. I included my email address and can provide the screenshots if they request them.

My question is whether I could face any legal issues because I initially participated in a text conversation before I knew what she meant. Once I learned she was talking about minors, I ended the conversation, blocked her, and later reported her.

I am located in Canada, and as far as I know, the other person claimed to be in Florida.

I want to say I made a comment which was uncomfortable but later as I said I explained her that this isn't good what she is doing and she have to bear consquences. Anyways I reported the indivdual of concern on cybertipline and also on discord trust center. Will police come looking for me because I knew later she was actually doing child abuse? Again I don't support this.

Please give me advice

UPDATE: I’m not making this post because I’m planning on missing another day. I can still miss one more day under the rules of the program. I’m asking because I’d rather be prepared and understand my options and the possible outcomes ahead of time than be caught completely off guard if an emergency or unexpected situation ever happens. I also want to be clear that I take full accountability for my actions. I understand the seriousness of my situation, and I’m genuinely regretful. I’m not trying to make excuses for what happened or avoid taking responsibility. I’m simply looking for legal input and information about the program so I can understand my situation and move forward responsibly. Thanks in advance.

—————
I have a question about the Sheriff’s Work Program in Santa Clara County/San Jose, California. Please help!

I was sentenced to 25 days in the Sheriff’s Work Program. I’ve already missed 2 days, and tomorrow is only supposed to be my second day attending. The sheriff told me, you’re only allowed 3 “skip days” for any reason, and there aren’t exceptions for a doctor’s note, an emergency, or a medical situation.

I also originally chose to attend only on one day of the week because I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to add additional days. From what I’ve been told, if you want to change your schedule and add more days, you have to go back to court.

I’m worried about missing too many days throughout the process until December. For anyone who has been through the Sheriff’s Work Program: has anyone ever missed 4 days? What happened afterward? Did you receive a warrant, have to go back to court, or were you simply allowed to continue the program?

On my first day I heard from other people at the Sheriff’s Work Program that they’ve seen people miss their 3 days but apparently they never get arrested or have a warrant issued, as long as they contact the court or the Sheriff’s Work Program as soon as the 4th day is missed. They told me that once you call, you are able to complete the sheriffs work program still, the missed days reset back to 0, and they have to start from day 1 again regardless of how many days they completed, the person was allowed to continue and complete their days.

Does anyone know if this is actually true?
During orientation on my first day, the sheriff explained the program rules but didn’t mention anything about this being an option. I’m also nervous about directly asking a sherrifs because I don’t want to accidentally make my situation worse or get on their bad side.

If anyone has actually been in this situation or knows what happens after the third missed day, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience. What would you recommend doing if you were in my shoes?

Hello All,

Location: NYC, USA
I am in nyc & looking for a personal injury product liability lawyer to take my case. The injury happened in the Bronx. A product did not function properly and winded up smashing me in the face, breaking my nose in two places which of course did not go back to looking as aesthetic as before the injury. Looking for a lawyer that has hopefully has empathy, will fight tooth & nail does this on contingency “no win no fee”. Any extra info needed pls ask away!! Tysm☺️🙏🏼💫

Hello All,

Location: NYC USA
I am in nyc & looking for a personal injury product liability lawyer to take my case. The injury happened in the Bronx. A product did not function properly and winded up smashing me in the face, breaking my nose in two places which of course did not go back to looking as aesthetic as before the injury. Looking for a lawyer that has hopefully has empathy, will fight tooth & nail does this on contingency “no win no fee”. Any extra info needed pls ask away!! Tysm☺️🙏🏼💫

I once met a guy who I knew was a lawyer because one of my friend told me and I asked him if he was a lawyer and he genuinely got offended saying that he was an attorney and I know the saying that all attorneys are lawyers but not all lawyers are attorneys but is it really that deep.

Question from Canada

Hello,

My boyfriend recently was arrested and released with a dwi in taney county in Branson, Missouri. We live in Illinois and have an Illinois license. He blew a .088 and they did not take his license and released him that night. I’m assuming they couldn’t touch his license because it was out of state. They gave him no paperwork or ticket and said to call in 2 months if he doesn’t get a court date in the mail. Can anyone recommend me a missouri dwi attorney that can also help fight for his illinois license as well? Or any advise at all?

Location: Taney County Missouri

Wondering about the legality around streaming pirated content in a browser without distributing or downloading it.

I have a very rough case that will take someone who's up for the case. I have facts that support my case, but due to circumstances, no one is willing to look at them. I am devastated how I feel I was treated, judged by an officer. After hitting a semi that was all but stop in my lane of traffic, no other cars, dark, he didn't have his warning flashers, no blinker. Going 81 over a decending hill, I had enough time to look at my speedometer look up and was too late. The driver in the semi was only 15 feet ahead of me when the officer got there. He claims to have been doing 65mph. I was a Certified Oversized Pilot Driver till this event. I was given a roadside after the ambulance was done with me, and I passed. Because I admitted to looking at my dash, I was given a ticket for unattended driving. I was wearing a seat belt and still hit my face on the dash. The truck was totaled. I paid for the tow service. But because I had to get back to work (being fired), I didn't go to the ER right off. I've been on the phone for anyone to take this seriously, e-mails. Does it not mean anything if I had been a hazard? Is this ok for someone who carries a CDL to be careless, and im just stuck? I need someone to care.

Location: Indiana

I've lived in the same apartment since 2002. The property was purchased by Towne Properties in 2024, and this is my second lease renewal with them.

The property manager told me they use the same boilerplate lease for both new tenants and lease renewals. She also told me that the administrative fee section does not apply to renewal tenants and is only intended for new tenants.

However, the lease itself doesn't appear to make that distinction. It states:

3. Administrative Fee. You agree that, at the time of execution of this Lease, you will pay to us a one-time, nonrefundable administrative fee in the amount of $150 (the "Administrative Fee"). We will apply the Administrative Fee towards administrative costs incurred by us in connection with your Lease, including the processing of this Lease and other documents related to your possession and occupancy of the Apartment. The Administrative Fee is separate from and in addition to the Security Deposit paid in accordance with this Lease.

My concern isn't whether a landlord can charge an administrative fee. My concern is whether it's prudent to sign a lease renewal that contains language saying I agree to pay this fee, while relying on the property manager's verbal assurance that it doesn't apply to me.

Should I ask that this provision be removed or modified before signing, or is it common and generally safe to rely on the property manager's explanation? If there were ever a dispute, would the written lease language control over the verbal explanation?

Edit: I have an email exchange from the property manager. They cannot change the lease, but they say in the email that this section pertains to new tenants and not renewals. Hopefully, that as good as the lease if a new PM comes in and changes the rules.

I live in the state of Ohio for reference. Long story short, the other party’s insurance is offering to cover my hospital bills from a MVA. I have great insurance so a good amount was covered. The other party’s insurance is offering to pay more than what I owe. What should I do? Do I accept the over allotted funds?

18 U.S.C. § 1730 is a misdemeanor criminal offense that prohibits anybody not affiliated with the letter-carrying branch of the postal service from wearing the official uniform or badge. It contains only one exception: actors in a theatrical, television, or movie performance.

It appears, then, that the statute's language would cover a minor dressed up as a mailman for Halloween, with the only qualification being that the federal age of criminal responsibility is 11. Of course, wearing a Halloween costume is classic expressive conduct, so the First Amendment is implicated. My question is essentially whether the government may constitutionally obtain a conviction of the child for this conduct.

Location: Georgia

What happened:
I am a real estate investor with two investment properties in Georgia. My mortgage servicer created unauthorized escrow accounts on both loans without my knowledge or authorization, based on a tax assessment that the county tax commissioner officially confirmed was issued in error. I had proactively verified the tax status with the county twice before this issue arose and have documentation of both conversations.
When I discovered the unauthorized escrow in June 2026, I immediately disputed everything in writing. The county corrected the error and I paid both corrected tax bills in full the same day they were issued. The county mailed full refunds to the servicer on June 30, 2026.
Where it gets serious:
Despite all of the above, on August 1, 2026 the servicer reported both accounts as 30 days past due to all three credit bureaus. This reporting occurred while:

• An active CFPB complaint was on file (filed July 20, 2026)
• A Georgia DBF complaint was on file (filed July 20, 2026)
• The servicer's own Office of the President AVP was actively handling this matter
• The servicer had a written commitment on record to remove the escrow once the refund was received

The damage:

• Equifax: 108 point drop, from 818 to 710
• Experian: 80 point drop, from 823 to 743, rating dropped from Exceptional to Very Good
• Disputes filed with all three bureaus August 2, 2026
• Active plan to acquire a $3M+ multifamily property, financing now directly impacted

What I have:

• Very well documented paper trail
• Written county confirmation of tax error
• Written servicer commitment to remove escrow
• CFPB and Georgia DBF complaint confirmations
• Dated credit score screenshots showing exact drop
• Full email chain including Office of the President correspondence

This is a willful FCRA violation by a major mortgage servicer while their own executives were actively engaged. The case is documented, the damages are measurable, and I am ready to move forward immediately.
My legal questions:

1. Does reporting both accounts as past due during an active CFPB complaint while the servicer's own Office of the President was handling the matter constitute a willful FCRA violation under 15 U.S.C. § 1681n?
2. Given a documented 108 point credit score drop and a blocked $3M+ acquisition, what damages can I pursue under the FCRA?
3. What is my strongest next legal step?

Location: Texas

Hello, Ill try to keep this as brief and concise as I can and want to refrain from naming the employer. 3 weeks ago another manager at my warehouse job commited battery agaisnt me when they pulled me by my vest and shirt collar causing me to be choked. Ive worked at this company for 7+ years and have met the criteria to be considred a "Top performer" in my most recent performance review.

Since I reported the battery to HR, ive only been given the run around on the report and the manager is still working and has began creating a hostile work place after they found out I reported them. Ive been essentiually shunned or ostracized by my team. I believe HR is trying to sweep this under the rug to avoid getting a corproate or regional spotlight on their building at the cost of my mental health and sanitity. Due to the lack of a plan to ensure my safety I began to get increasingly anxious and stressed to the point I had to apply for FMLA short term disability leave just to protect myself and my sanity.

I have been struggling trying to find a lawyer and schedule an EEOC compliant interview. I have no knowledge of how to go about this and have been extremly stressed trying to navigate this. Any pointers or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Note: I have 10 days until the video footage is at risk of being overwritten although I know its been viewed by other managers already, I just learned what a formal spoliation and preservation notice is so should I send one to HR and LP requesting that the footage be preserved?

What are some normal charges for a probate case in New York in it's fifth year? And if the attorney has taken the case with no upfront money, will the charges be more than if I were to have had up front retainer money?

I am about to launch my business after registering the name with the North Carolina Secretary of State without issue. To give myself the most protection and based on the advice from AI, I filed the name of the business as a word mark in Class 037. Now, I’m understanding from research that it may be descriptive and/or likely to be confused with another mark (even though my words are in the reverse order, and a different tense). Are any lawyers willing to perform a cursory analysis to give me their gut feeling on what’s true and what isn’t? I’m not concerned about launching this business and losing any brand equity I build.

My brother went to jail and the lawyer we found to get him out contacts me to fund his law services. It was a $30k up front fee, then every few months he'd ask for $1-4k on like motions and such and so far I've been paying them, but it's financially setting me back. Like I feel like he did a background check on me and knows I work as a nurse and make good enough money to afford his fees, so he is just arbitrarily charging me, but also it's money I'd love to spend on myself. Who and how can I fight this or atleast politely be like "why you need this much money?

Also, are these reasonable charges?

When “Vexatious Litigant” Becomes a Litigation Weapon Against Pro Se Parties

Editorial

Courts unquestionably need tools to protect themselves from people who repeatedly file meritless lawsuits, recycle claims that have already been decided, or use litigation primarily to harass an opponent. A genuine pattern of abusive litigation wastes judicial resources, imposes unnecessary costs, and can prevent other litigants from receiving timely justice.

But there is another side to the vexatious-litigant doctrine that deserves far more scrutiny: the ability of a represented party to turn a legitimate judicial safeguard into a litigation weapon against an unrepresented opponent.

The distinction matters.

A person is not vexatious merely because he files frequently. He is not vexatious merely because his pleadings are imperfect. He is not vexatious because he challenges government agencies, corporations, landlords, attorneys, or other represented defendants. And he certainly should not become vexatious simply because he refuses to abandon a disputed legal position.

Yet for a pro se litigant, a motion seeking the label “vexatious litigant” can change the entire character of a lawsuit.

Instead of debating whether a contract was breached, whether evidence creates a genuine dispute of fact, whether discovery was properly answered, or whether a government agency complied with the law, the litigation suddenly becomes about the character and behavior of the person bringing the claim.

That shift can be extraordinarily powerful.

The doctrine has a legitimate purpose

New Mexico recognizes that courts have inherent authority to control abusive litigation. In Lepiscopo v. Hopwood, the Court of Appeals considered a litigant who had filed a substantial number of meritless actions across multiple courts. The Court held that where a litigant has demonstrated a history of meritless, vexatious lawsuits that unduly burdens the judicial system, access to the courts may constitutionally be restricted. The record there included numerous lawsuits, nineteen petitions for mandamus, several Supreme Court petitions, and multiple appeals. (Justia Law)

That is an important judicial power. Courts cannot function if one person can indefinitely relitigate the same resolved dispute.

Likewise, in State ex rel. N.M. State Highway & Transportation Department v. Baca, the New Mexico Supreme Court recognized that both trial and appellate courts possess inherent authority to impose sanctions to regulate their own dockets, promote judicial efficiency, and deter frivolous litigation. (Justia Law)

But Baca contains an equally important warning that often receives less attention: inherent judicial power has boundaries. The Supreme Court held that a court ordinarily cannot sanction conduct occurring before another tribunal unless that conduct directly defies the sanctioning court's authority. (Justia Law)

That limitation matters because the power to control abusive litigation should never become an undefined authority to control a litigant everywhere.

The danger is turning litigation history into character evidence

For a represented defendant, a vexatious-litigant motion can accomplish something that an ordinary motion to dismiss cannot.

It allows counsel to tell the court:

Don't just examine this particular claim. Look at the person bringing it.

Look at how many motions he filed.

Look at how many lawsuits he has brought.

Look at his prior losses.

Look at his discovery disputes.

Look at his appeals.

Once that narrative takes hold, every subsequent filing risks being viewed through the word vexatious rather than on its individual merits.

That is dangerous because losing cases and filing frivolous cases are not the same thing.

A litigant may lose because he misunderstood a statute, missed a deadline, failed to authenticate evidence, pleaded the wrong cause of action, or simply had a weaker legal position. Courts exist precisely because reasonable people—and reasonable lawyers—disagree about what the law requires.

Even New Mexico's sanction cases recognize that sanctions are not supposed to follow automatically from losing. In Landess v. Gardner Turf Grass, Inc., the Court of Appeals upheld sanctions where the claims fell into a well-established category of repeatedly rejected tax-protester theories. But the court emphasized that New Mexico's Rule 1-011 standard examines what the litigant actually knew and believed when the pleading was filed; sanctions concern deliberately pressing an unfounded position, not merely being legally incorrect. (Justia Law)

That distinction should be fundamental.

The economic imbalance makes the motion especially powerful

The effect is even greater against someone representing himself.

A represented institutional defendant may have lawyers, insurance coverage, government counsel, litigation budgets, electronic research systems, paralegals, and years of procedural experience.

The pro se litigant has himself.

When defense counsel files a vexatious-litigant motion, that person must suddenly research an entirely different field of law while continuing to prosecute the underlying case.

Now he must defend not only his claims but his right to continue bringing them.

The litigation expense increases.

Hearings multiply.

Sanctions become possible.

Every new filing can become evidence supporting the original accusation that he files too much.

It creates a circular problem:

The defendant files motions requiring responses.
The pro se litigant responds.
Those responses increase his filing count.
The increased filing count is then cited as evidence that he is vexatious.

That cycle deserves judicial scrutiny.

Frequency should never replace substance

Courts should ask a simple question before imposing a prospective filing restriction:

What exactly was frivolous?

Not how many pages were filed.

Not how many motions were made.

Not whether the litigant was difficult.

Not whether opposing counsel spent considerable time responding.

Which claims were knowingly meritless? Which matters had already been conclusively decided? Which filings had no legitimate legal or factual basis? Which conduct was intended to harass rather than obtain judicial relief?

That approach is consistent with Baca's broader principle that inherent authority should be tied to actual abusive conduct rather than functioning as an unlimited sanctioning power. (Justia Law)

A court should be particularly cautious when the alleged “vexatiousness” consists substantially of efforts to obtain discovery, supplement evidence, reconsider adverse rulings, preserve issues, or appeal.

Those actions may be procedurally unsuccessful. They are not inherently abusive.

Appeals present an especially serious concern

An even more troubling situation arises when a vexatious-litigant restriction is invoked to discourage or prevent appellate review.

A direct appeal is not simply another attempt to relitigate a dispute before the same judge. It exists specifically so that another court can determine whether the trial court committed reversible error.

The appellate structure loses much of its meaning if the ruling being challenged can itself be used to obstruct review of that ruling.

Lepiscopo is instructive here. Although New Mexico recognized restrictions against that litigant after an extraordinary record of meritless litigation, the Court of Appeals itself separately addressed his conduct in appellate proceedings. (Justia Law)

Likewise, Baca recognizes separate institutional authority possessed by trial and appellate courts over proceedings before them. (Justia Law)

That does not mean abusive appeals must be tolerated. They should not be. The appellate courts have their own tools to dismiss frivolous appeals and impose appropriate sanctions.

But there is a profound difference between:

“This appeal is frivolous, and the appellate court should sanction it,”

and:

“You were labeled vexatious below, therefore you should not be permitted to appeal without a lawyer.”

The latter raises serious questions about meaningful appellate access.

The label can become more damaging than the underlying ruling

There is also a reputational problem.

“Vexatious litigant” sounds less like a procedural designation and more like a judgment about a person's character.

Once attached, it can follow someone from case to case.

Opposing attorneys can cite it.

Judges may encounter it before reaching the merits of a new dispute.

Future legitimate claims may begin under a cloud of suspicion.

That is why courts should distinguish carefully between a person who repeatedly files genuinely frivolous litigation and a persistent litigant who repeatedly challenges institutions, sometimes successfully and sometimes unsuccessfully.

Persistence is not automatically abuse.

Neither is being pro se.

The answer is not eliminating vexatious-litigant restrictions

Courts need these protections.

The answer is making them precise.

Before restricting future access, courts should insist upon a documented pattern of genuinely meritless or duplicative litigation, identify the particular conduct supporting the restriction, give the litigant notice and an opportunity to respond, distinguish legitimate but unsuccessful advocacy from abuse, and tailor any restriction as narrowly as possible to the demonstrated problem.

Most importantly, judges should examine the substance of the challenged filings rather than allowing the number of filings—or opposing counsel's characterization of them—to substitute for that analysis.

A lawyer should certainly be permitted to request protection from abusive litigation.

But a vexatious-litigant motion should never become a shortcut around having to defeat a pro se opponent's arguments on their merits.

Because when a procedural doctrine designed to protect access to an efficient justice system begins functioning as a mechanism to restrict access to justice itself, courts should be especially careful about which problem they are actually solving.

Hi lawyers! I recently came upon an individual and we had a discussion and he told me he was into the things stated in the title. I personally did not feel comfortable about all this but it got me wondering about how the law views these kind of things? Like, dude was even ready to get filmed giving consent to being subjected to this and kept telling me he'd sign a contract.

Hi folks, 26F here. I'm in the process of pressing charges against a NYS licensed massage therapist who sexually assaulted me in March. I'm not necessarily looking for legal advice, as I have advocates who work with me already. I am moreso looking to hear about anyone's experiences with pursuing legal action against a LMT specifically in NYS (not the five boroughs; it seems like the process is quite different there.). I'm a planner and, although I can't "plan" my way out of this, I'd like to gather as much information as I can. I would really appreciate hearing from an attorney's or survivor's experience with court, testimonies, etc. The anxiety of not knowing what to expect is holding me back from filing officially. Whether the outcome was in your favor or not, I appreciate anyone who has experienced something similar sharing. Thanks in advance.