Animal Legal Questions

There is no defamation case here as much a contract dispute. End all is that you made an agreement to pay a nominal amoutn of money and appear not to have done so for a signficant period of time. If she simply told the truth, that you did not pay her, or expressed opinion, about reason not to do business with you, these would also likely be protected as not defamatory. Best way to resolve the issue is to pay her what you agreed ASAP and hope she simply lets it go. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact our office at 1-800-922-6442 to schedule a FREE consultation.... Read More

Its possible that they may still have issue with a service dog that its deemed an "aggressive" breed. Much of this will depend on the nature and circumstances for the dog as a service animal. If its an emotional support animal, as opposed to a "seeing eye" dog,  for example, there will be a greater likelihood that a challenge to this may arise. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact our office at 1-800-922-6442 to schedule a FREE consultation.... Read More

There are likely a variety of defenses here. You will need to hire a lawyer to defend the lawsuit if one has been filed as most of these issues are beyond the handling of the ordinary person. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact our office at 1-800-922-6442 to schedule a FREE consultation.... Read More

There is a disconnect here that is problematic. Either you make "your living" selling birds and are just shining her on for $500.00 you dont want to pay after 7 months or ......you are living on less than $500.00 for 7 months,which is unlikely. Your priority should be to pay your obligation before anything else if you dont want your name ruined. This stated, this justifies NONE of what this other person has done and arguably she has violated Fla. Stat. 559.72. Bigger issue is whether she has any money to pay damages. If you have questions, you can always call our office for a FREE consultation. 1-800-922-6442.... Read More

You have responsibility for any damages caused when your dog bites someone. If it happens off your property,you are likely not covered by homeowners insurance so you wouldhave to pay out ofpocket for damages and also for lawyer to defend you or handle the matter. You can call our office 1-800-922-6442 for FREE consultation on this issue if you would like. ... Read More

You should review the laws and ordinances of the area where you live. Almost all of them prohibit the "outdoor cat" concept and treat them as strays. In many instances, strays are simply destroyed where the animals with collars generate a call to the owner to come pay exhorbitant fees to retrieve their animinal lest it be destroyed. Your best bet is to make your cat an indoor cat because they cant take off the street what isnt there.... Read More

Hello, My office specializes in dog bite cases and has more than 30 years of experience in personal injury law.  Dog bites are very different than many other types of personal injury cases as the owner of the dog is typically held liable for any damage or injuries his or her animal causes.  Your case is especially troublesome, because the owner of the dog knew the animal's propensity to attack. Please call my office to discuss further. Thank you, John Pomykato Pomykato & Pomykato (617) 423-0001... Read More

Your "friend" is violating so many laws I don't even know where to start.  What you had was an oral contract for a bailment, where your friend was entrusted to care for your property for a certain period of time.  I don't know if you were paying her anything for this or not, but I assume there was an understanding that the cat would be returned to you at some point.  If you have not already done so, I suggest putting your request in writing and giving her a deadline to comply.  After that, you may want to file a Warrant in Detinue in the General District Court, to request the return of your property (your cat).  Unfortunately, if she won't give back the cat, the court can only award you the alternate value of the property and cats are not worth much actual money.  However, she herself has valued the cat at $5,000, so you could try for that. Your other alternative is to go to your local magistrate and bring criminal charges against her for theft and extortion.  Just be sure not to threaten her with criminal charges in order to gain an advantage in the civil case - that is the worst thing you can do.  Then you would essentially be guilty of blackmail.  Either bring criminal charges or don't, but don't use them as leverage.  I think your biggest hurdle in all of this is proving that the cat is yours.  What document or evidence do you have that the cat belongs to you?  Can you overcome any assertion she makes that you gave the cat to her? This answer is given in accordance with the laws of Virginia and may not be applicable in any other state.  It should not be construed as legal advice, as that would require a more thorough analysis of all of the facts involved in a specific case.  If you need further information or assistance, please feel free to contact my office for a consultation. Case results depend upon a variety of factors unique to each case. Case results do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any future case.      ... Read More

Probably yes. What made you think it was a good idea to bring an animal to a house showing or not secure it? As a practical note, there may not be any real damages so it may just be more of a angry mom threat that legal likelihood. If it was your house, you should notify you homeowners coverage if a formal claim is made immediately.... Read More

Merely, "blowing the whistle" doent stop defamation claims. It all depends on what you say, to whom, and when. Generally, if what you say is provably true, that is always an absolute defense to defamation. What you desribe is not a whistle blower to the government, but telling his customers you view of his service. You should be cautious in what you do and say to be sure.... Read More