Florida Recent Legal Answers from Lawyers

IMHO, most of what is going on here is more issues of managing relations with your neighbors that may require practical rather than legal solutions, but there certainly are legal risks.  First, there will be some sort of city or county local ordinances on barking or nuisance dogs and/or noise ordinances, and you should familiarize yourself with them as neighbors may well make complaints to Animal Control or Code Enforcement, and there is a always the risk they could consult a civil attorney as to civil nuisance claims.  If you are renting, complaints to your landlord can easily result in the landlord deciding not to renew the lease and potentially in the landlord taking action prior to the expiration of the lease.  Finally, if you have neighbors who hate your dogs, you need to beware that if they accidentally get out, you are almost certainly going to be reported for the violation.  On the practical side of things, while you may know from the dogs conduct inside the house the dogs true temperament, all your neighbors know is that the the large dogs are of breeds that most people feel are dangerous and exhibit what the neighbors perceive as aggessive barking when both are in the back yard at the same time together.  As a practical matter, unless you are watching the dogs in the yard all the time, you have no first hand knowledge what is going on back there and if your response to neighbor's concerns is that they are lying, when they could be telling the truth, this is making things worse and not better.  If you are leaving the dogs outside for hours when you are not at home, it is always possible they are barking for longer periods.  No matter what the issue, it is always a bad thing to be involved in a hostile situation with your neighbors and it is well worth going the extra mile to keep things "neighborly" in the long run.  Possible solutions involve introducing neighbors to the dogs in a neutral situation, asking them nicely to go outside at a time when you can observe the dogs and what they are doing, even putting cameras in the yard so you can monitor dogs behavior, and finally making sure your fence is absolutely secure and there is no possibility the dogs can jump the fence.  Finally, as the owner of several Pitty/Staffy mixed breed rescue dogs, I know how sweet their natural temperaments are, but they have a terrible reputation, IMHO mostly resulting from by cruel and neglectful owners who mistreat and abandon them and/or good hearted but inexperienced folks who fail to appropriately train and socialize them with other dogs.  Good owners can be breed ambassadors by making all interactions with their dogs an opportunity for folks to see their true colors and sweet natures.  Best of luck.        ... Read Answer

I am sorry to learn of this difficult situation, however, under Florida law, the veternarian's office has an absolute obligation to provide you with your pets' medical records.  Florida Statute Section 474,2165(3)provides that "Any records owner licensed under this chapter who makes an examination of, or administers treatment or dispenses legend drugs to, any patient shall, upon request of the client or the client’s legal representative, furnish, in a timely manner, without delays for legal review, copies of all reports and records relating to such examination or treatment, including X rays. The furnishing of such report or copies shall not be conditioned upon payment of a fee for services rendered."    This means the records must be provided regardless of whether or not there is an outstnading balance due for vet services, but the vet's office may charge for the reasonable cost of producing the copies.  The full text can be found here: https://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0400-0499/0474/Sections/0474.2165.html    Since things have apparently become heated between you and office staff, it is prudent to make the request in writing, send it via certified mail, return receipt requested, and advise of the email address for electronic copy and physical address for paper copies.  It is also possible for any new vet's office to directly request the records from the former vet.  Best of luck.... Read Answer

You will need to retain a lawyer, at some expense, to review what you signed and the circumstances and work with you to figure out what options you have. There is no "YOU" doing anything at this point as you can already see the results of your "self lawyering" and there is no reason to expect you to make better choices to fix this issue. ... Read Answer

So if you injured yourself in the police pursuit by either the motorcycle driver or by a police vehicle, you may have a case for damages. You should consult with an attorney here in the state of Florida about possible contingency fee representation which means you pay nothing unless you win the case.     ... Read Answer

If you obtained your green card legally through marriage and disclosed that you entered the country illegally when you applied for your green card, that should not be an issue when you apply for your US citizenship unless USCIS or the US consulate made a mistake in approving your green card. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee & Arthur Lee, Esqs.’ (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 Answer

Your wife’s H-4 EAD is for open market employment, and she is not restricted in her job opportunities as long as they are not illegal. It should be made clear on the tax return whose income it is that is derived from the short-term rental since that work is not authorized for you. You can discuss that with your accountant. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee & Arthur Lee, Esqs.’ (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 Answer

You need to report this to the correct insurance carrier. If your "mistake" was made because you do not have insurance coverage, you will need to hire a civil lawyer to defend the lawsuit at your expense. If you are being sued, the other side disagrees that there were no injuries or damages. ... Read Answer

It’s unclear what you mean by “file a claim for a beneficiary.” Are you referring to a situation where the beneficiary has already submitted a claim and the insurance carrier is denying it? If the claim appears to be legitimate, the beneficiary should consider contacting an attorney who handles life insurance disputes on a contingency basis—meaning they pay nothing unless the case is won. Attorneys on this platform cannot solicit cases from people that ask questions. However, you can research our backgrounds and reach out to one of us.     ... Read Answer

You generally cannot, other than having the board address the issue or spending a lot of money to hire a lawyer to sue and try to get a court order for the inspection if he won't allow it otherwise. That stated, there is no such thing as a "sewer rat" as opposed to a Norway other species of urban rat that, among other places, is found in sewers. Any reputable pest control service would advise you that access points like exposed roofing, appliance accesses or pet doors is the most likely means for rat intrusions, especially inside walls and cielings. It is rare that they would be associated with "broken pipes" in interior plumbing as the obvious issue would be the water intrusion of the lower units when the pipe was used. This sounds a lot more like you have a whole lot of other issues with the upstairs owner and are trying to weaponize this issue to "tangle" with him. If the rats are in the common area walls, you will need to address the pest control issue with the board not the upstairs neighbor. ... Read Answer

If the lease was terminated due to bat infestation- LL should return your advance rent and security deposit w/i 30 days of you vacating the property. They are no responsible for your hotel expenses and YOU need to remove your personal items, as leaving beds behind will typically result in the landlord doing so but assessing charges against your sec-dep or seeking collection from you.... Read Answer

Any interested party—including a family member or a boyfriend—may serve as the personal representative of a decedent’s estate. If appointed, he may recover reasonable compensation for his time and duties performed in that role. This includes administrative tasks and expenses directly tied to managing the estate.However, unless the boyfriend qualifies as a statutory survivor under Florida’s Wrongful Death Act, he is not entitled to a share of the wrongful death recovery itself. His compensation is limited to administrative fees and personal representative expenses—unless he also has a valid contractual claim against the estate.To find out what’s happening with the case, look up the case number in the county where it was filed. Identify the attorney of record and speak with them directly.If you’re not represented, consult a qualified attorney for specific legal advice.... Read Answer

The problem may not be with your having been illegal in the US, but rather the way that you answered the question before the officer. You can be denied naturalization on the basis of a finding of no good moral character where you have not told the officer the truth at the interview. It should also be kept in mind, however, that any misrepresentations should be material – meaning that the misrepresentation should relate to a possible problem on an issue that matters affecting your immigration case. Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee & Arthur Lee, Esqs.’ (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 Answer

If a lawyer withdraws from a personal injury case during litigation, he must get the judge’s permission. If the client fires him, he may be entitled to a quantum meruit fee for the value of work performed, enforceable through a charging lien. But if the lawyer withdraws voluntarily, he generally forfeits that right. ... Read Answer

Your rights revolve around the terms of the treatment plan and any agreements you entered into. Most of the time patients are provided estimates not a guaranteed rate. The issue with the lab going out of business may or may not be the responsibility of the dentist, again, depending on the exact situation. By example, if the lab went belly up and the new lab charges more is different than if the old lad went belly up and didn't deliver what was already paid for. You will need to retain a lawyer to start sorting this out. ... Read Answer

No possible way to answer such a question as there are too many variables. Obviously, the other driver doesn't share your version of what occurred and the notion that you had to go the wrong way in a round a bout and apologized profusely suggests you are down playing your role in what actually occurred. This sounds likea road rage incident that thankfully did not escalate beyond cross words. ... Read Answer