Connecticut Recent Legal Answers from Lawyers

Mr. Bergeron, if you want to sue big tobacco for COPD related to cigarette smoking, certain elements must  be established pursuant to the case of Engle v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.: 1) You must prove that the person was addicted to cigarettes; 2), you must prove that the cigarette adiction caused one of the smoking-related illnesses specified in the original Engle case (COPD is enumerated.) 3)  You must establish that the illness was discovered or diagnosed by November 21, 1996. These elements must be met or the case will be dismissed by the Court.  Please contact me if I can be of further assistance. ... Read More

You are still a minor and the responsibility of your custodial parents or whomever has legal guardianship of you.  You can file for emancipation from your parents, but I doubt you have enough time to get anything done before she takes action or should take action.  You should go home and tough it out for 2 months and then return.  Otherwise you could possibly talk with a Probate attorney regarding other options that may assist you.  Good luck and make sure to take your prenatal vitamins if you are pregnant and planning on having a baby. ... Read More

You have been charged with interfering with an officer and by your own admission, you fit the statute.  From the little I have gleaned from your question, I think it would be a good idea to use your AR.  Here is commentary on the statute that further elucidates the predicament you find yourself in. Please feel free to contact us for further information.  Good luck.   Refusal to comply with police command to provide identification following a “Terry” stop may constitute a violation of section even if such refusal is unaccompanied by any physical force or other affirmative act; statute broadly proscribes conduct that hinders, obstructs or impedes a police officer in performance of duties, irrespective of whether offending conduct is active or passive. 280 C. 824. Re 2003 revision, Appellate Court's determination that evidence was insufficient to support defendant's conviction and that defendant lacked requisite intent was improper in case where defendant, when asked to produce license and registration, swore at officer and left scene, and potential applicability of Sec. 14-217 to present case does not preclude conviction under this section which was drafted expansively to encompass wide range of conduct. 285 C. 447. Evidence was not sufficient to convict defendant under section due to state's failure to pursue a theory of guilt predicated on threatening language and where the trial court did not instruct the jury on the true threat doctrine. 321 C. 729. ... Read More

In order to answer this question,  I need to know exactly when the judgment was acquired. I need to know if you own any real property, keep any money in the bank, and/or get paid salary or paychecks.  If there is a judgment, it stands to reason that an attorney will try and execute on it by way of garnishment of pay or liening property or executing on bank accounts.  However, it is possible they dropped the ball and may have passed the statute of limitations.  Please feel to contact us for more information. 203.870.6700... Read More

You need to come up with the 1800.  An attorney might try to make calls or send letters but the cost of their time will inevitably not be worth it for you.  Perhaps you can take a small bridge loan or borrow from family.  Otherwise, if you came to my office, I would charge for a consult and make some calls and see if we could get this straightened out.  Please feel free to reach out to us if you need further assistance.  Good luck. ... Read More

If they are false reporting to your credit report and you can show an actual drop in your score as well as other real world consequences,  you may have a Fair Credit Report Act matter. (FCRA) This is a federal law that requires the a correction by the bad reporter after your first contact to them and also allows for actual damages when the reporting is not removed or continues to be wrong and damaging.  There are few lawyers in Connecticut handling FCRA.  I would reccomend Daniel Blinn in Rocky hill, Sergei Lemberg in Stamford, and possibly my office in Stratford.  Good luck. ... Read More

My office could take this as far as you want it to go.  However, you need to be prepared to pay substantially more for your attorney fees than if you take a deal. Also, there are no guarantees about the outcome of such a case.  Please feel free to contact us today about this matter.   You can ask for my partner William Whewell who handles matters like this regularly. Please mention my name and this website.  Our number -203.870.6700. Good luck. ... Read More

First you have to file a partition action on the property to seperate your competing interests in the property. After that you will have the option to pursue other remedies to make yourself whole.  My firm handles files like this very regularly and has a great deal of experience in this type of matter.  Please feel free to contact us for further assistance. 203.870.6700. Good luck.... Read More

What is the problem? Are you unhappy with the school's practices? I don't believe you have a private right of action and I don't know what your claim would be. You need to offer more detail and explain how you feel wronged. If the teacher is goofing off, contact the school. If they take no action, contact the Board of Education. Good luck. ... Read More

It can take several weeks especially with Christmas in between.  I would give it a month.  You should have a lawyer for a matter such as this.  It will only get more complicated i the future.  Feel free to call Attorney Monaco or his paralegal Robert Gilchrist at 860-447-3171.... Read More

The answer to your question is yes. The garage shop can be responsible if it failed to take appropirate actions to prevent an employee from driving customer cars.  Were employees specifically instructed about this?  Were the car keys kept in a secure place?  Because someone was killed, there may very well be a lawsuit.... Read More

The general rule of thumb is "buyer beware".  This is why it is important to obtain a inspection from a reputable company.  The seller is only responsible for covering something up that you could  not find out about, or fraud.  The other recourse is against your inspector. They should have told you that there was certain testing that they could not perform.... Read More

Your lawyer is entitled to receive 20% as a legal fee on your temporaty partial disability benefits.  You will be required to perform job searches while you are on light duty. If you are displeased, you can find another lawyer, but you former lawyer is still entitled to received a portion of the legal fee, ie. you new lawyer will have to share the legal fee with the old lawyer.  If there is not a lot of money involved, this may make it difficult to find a new lawyer.... Read More

An individual in F-1 status is allowed to invest monies, but not allowed to take part in the operations of the enterprise, in your case a restaurant. Under those conditions, you should be able to work under your OPT status in the field of your degree. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee, Esq.'s (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.  ... Read More

If your have a loan agreement and a promissory note with a mortgage recorded in the county deed records, your loan will be repaid out of the proceeds of the sale.  If your sister then has no more than $2,000,she will continue to qualify for SSI.  Since she may have more, she may want to consult with a local elder and special needs lawyer about putting the house (and thus, later, the money from its sale) in a special needs trust.  The viability of this approach varies partly by county.  She can find a local attorney who specializes in this area through the Special Needs Alliance or by using the Find a Lawyer function on the website of the National Academy of Elder and Special Needs Law Attorneys (www.naela.org).... Read More

Tara, you can still sponsor him for his green card but you may have to enlist a joint financial sponsor to file an affidavit of support. Transfer payments from Uncle Sam can not be counted in your own affidavit towards the minimum income requirements needed to act as your fiancés sole financial sponsor. Discuss your case with counsel anywhere in the USA. ... Read More

Yes.  Absent a contract limiting an employer’s right to terminate someone’s employment, an employee can be fired for any reason not prohibited by statute (e.g. race, nationalit, age).  The good news is that saying someone is acting like a dick is a statement of opinion, not fact, and thus not actionable as defamation. ... Read More