Wisconsin General Practice Legal Questions

You are not liable to reimburse the grandparents just because you paid part of the expenses, but clearly there is more to the story.  Do the grandparentsclaim that you caused the need for the medical expenses in the first place, for example if the person slipped on a loose board in your house?  Do they claim that you are contractually obligated to pay the expenses, for example an employer may agree to cover certain expenses?  Are you the person's spouse or parent, who might be responsible for their expenses in some circumstances?  In these or other circumstances you could be responsible.... Read More

Foreign substances in food cases are difficult to pursue and win. Insurance companies are highly suspicious of these claims because more often than not, people make fraudulent claims in an attempt to collect money from the insurance company. Certainly in your case, a dead mouse in a beer bottle is disgusting and enough to make anyone sick over. You don't really state whether you actually got sick over it, vomited, had to go to the hospital or have any other symptoms at this point. Therefore, without any sustainable damages, the case has little or not value to it from a legal perspective. The best you can do is document it for the company and get some free coupons (like you have stated) for some additional beer in the future. I am sure Budweiser doesn't want the publicity of your having found a dead mouse in one of their products.  If you decide to pursue the case legally in any way, the statute of limitations in WI is three years to sue for injury from the date of the occurence, or your claim would be forever barred.... Read More

You shouldn’t be talking to the insurance company at all about a settlement offer, while you are still treating for your injuries. Do you have photographs or witnesses who can prove the door way was faulty or have hired an engineer to review the premises to prove fault? Without that, if you have to file a lawsuit, your case may be very hard to prove. The statute of limitations for personal injury in WI is 3 years to sue; failure to file a lawsuit within three years from the date of your occurrence will forever bar your claim.... Read More

In Wisconsin, obatining a harassment or domestic abuse injunction is a two step process; (1) step one involves you to go to the court house and based on a signed petition, request a temporary restraining order. If granted the temporary restraining order is usually good for two weeks; You will need to have the respondent personally served with those papers. Once served, they cannot contact you in any way and it is subject to criminal sanctions if violated; (2) step two involves a contested hearing in two weeks. You both will testify and the court will decide whether or not they should turn the temporary restrainig order into a permanent injunction. For domestic violence, they can be granted up to four years. For harassment, they can be granted up to 4 years as well.... Read More

There are strict time guidelines for filing an EEOC complaint whether on the federal level or state level. Failure to file the grievance timely, may block your attempt now to pursue a discrimination case. It would be best to talk to an employment discrimination lawyer as soon as possible to determine if three years later, you can still pursue your case.... Read More

The law varies in different states on this, but in most it depends on which party broke off the engagement and why (at least as far as the engagement ring goes; I don't remember ever seeing a case involving a wedding ring where the parties had never married).  However, it doesn't really matter in your case since, whatever his rights may have been ten years ago, he let you keep the rings then, unconditionally gifting them to you, and can't take them back now.... Read More

Do you have insurance on your own car? If so, have your own insurance company pay for the damage to your car, less your deductible. If the car was stolen, and it is an exclusion under the policy and there would not be insurance coverage for the accident (driving a vehicle without the owner's permission). You can also sue the driver of the car directly, assuming a police report was made and you know who the driver is, but your chances of ever collecting money from a person who stole a car is probably not very good. I certainly understand how all of this may seem very unfair to you. ... Read More

if your daughter was injured in this accident, you can make an injury claim in her behalf. Since this would be a claim against a municipality, you must file notice of the claim within 120 days of the occurrence, or the claim would be forever barred. I urge you to consider hiring a personal injury lawyer of your choice to pursue the case for her and to avoid many of the technical pitfalls and time deadlines under the claim statute when suing a governmental entity in Wisconsin.... Read More

when a person opts to select a survivor benefit on a pension plan, it usually provides a reduced benefit during their lifetime, and guarantees that in the event of their death, that same benefit continues to insure that the surviving spouse continues to receive that same benefit. An example might be that if you don't' chose the survivor benefit, you would receive $3,000 per month during your lifetime, but that benefit would terminate upon the employee's death. If you opt for the survivor benefit, it would be reduced to $2,500 per month during their lifetime, and continue in that same amount after they pass. What was the amount your husband was receiving during his lifetime and what amount are they saying now you are going to receive? ... Read More

 Absent a court order, they have to make arrangements to retrieve their personal items on a day that you can be there or it is convenient for you to arrange to have someone there in your absence. Make sure your place is properly secured and if he attempts to come over or break in, call the police.... Read More

Your  situation is most unusual; I am going to assume from your post that you may have allowed a friend or family member to stay with you and somehow put them up in your garage and now they are refusing to leave. While not an expert in landlord- tenant law, I don't see why you couldn't go to small claims court and serve them with some type of eviction lawsuit to have them legally removed from your premises. ... Read More

      I am very sorry to hear about the tragic loss of your wife; no words can adequately convey one's sympathy to you or what you and your family have been through; unfortunately, the answer to your legal question is no; judges maintain immunity from civil lawsuits as well as governmental officials such as district attorneys  you might consider talking to a local personal injury lawyer to pursue a wrongful death case for you and if you feel strongly that the judge or district attorney did not act professionally, filing a grievance with the office of lawyer regulation and for the judge, to the judicial commission.... Read More

If I understand you correctly, the lawyer, in order to induce you to pay him/her money, claimed that he /she would do something while all the while knowing that it was impossible.  Based on this bery minimal and nonspecific information, the attorney may have committed fraud, and would be liable to you in damages, as well as being subject to discipline by the bar.  Also, again based on this minimal information, the attorney may have committed a crime, although I don't know what the specific charge would be under Wisconsin law.... Read More

Things may be different in Wisconsin, but where I practice a lawyer can't just "quit" a case wtihout the client's consent.  If you don't consent, the lawyer will have to seek the Court's permission.  If the case is that close to trial, he may not get it (although, to be honest, I very much doubt that the lawyer just quit for no reason, and the reason he quit will probably be sufficient for the  Court to allow it).  However, even if he does get permission to withdraw, the Court will give you time to get a new attorney and for him/her to get up to speed.... Read More