Location: MO- Lawrence County

My husband and I just received a certified letter from a legit lawyer firm with the intent to sue us. We know nothing about a dog attack or an accident on or in front our property. We have indoor house dogs and only go outside with one of us when we go outside to do chores or their regular potty breaks within our fenced back yard. We actually put one dog on a zip line because that dog likes to run around and not come back in, so this is the easiest way to catch that dog. The other minds very well. The dogs don't go out front unless by our side and that's very rare, like maybe twice a year, and that's for fear of being hit by a car. We are heading to the Sheriff's office to ask if there is any police report regarding this incident. I already called our circuit court and there is nothing in their system. We've been told to check the casenet daily to see if anything pops up. We do live in the country and neighbors on both sides of us have multiple dogs that are aggressive, that do come on our outer property sometimes. Do we wait for them to actually sue us or do we need to find a lawyer now. The letter is vague and really just instructs us to hand over to our insurance company. I see no need to involve our insurance company to pay out money and raise our rates for something that never happened. We don't have the money for this, but do have a credit card to get a consultation. Thank you for any input or knowledge you may have.

LOCATION: CT, USA

We had some smoke and water damage from a furnace issue last winter.
Called insurance and they hired a restoration crew to clean the place out.

Apparently they found asbestos and gutted the house to the ground, wooden floors, plumbing, electrical, etc. over kill if you ask me. They even took my water tank?

Unfortunately they didn’t take out a demo permit. The building official told me we’ve not activated a 50/50 rule because we’re in a flood zone. Meaning we have to convert our raised ranch to be FEMA compliant. So we have to either raise the whole house, or fill in the second floor which is making me lose half the square footage of my home which is my workshop where I run 100% of my business.

My plan was to build a top floor to compensate for the loss of the bottom. Well, the town won’t let me because they have a height restriction of 30’ and I’m at 22’.
We can’t build off the side, we’d have to build in the backyard but we have a septic system. Building outwards and pouring foundation is way more expensive than building up.

This has caused me so much grief it’s unbelievable. To get back that space we’re looking at way more than what our insurance policy cap is.
Not quite sure what to do. The town’s building official told me that if the demo company would have pulled a permit, they would have warned them about triggering the rule.
I did sign off on the restoration company, but I never knew how far they would take it or that they wouldn’t pull permits.

Location: Colorado. I rented my place to someone who did quite a bit of damage to my place and never cleaned it when he moved out. Naturally I withheld most of his deposit to cover the losses. Now, his mother and father who are real estate lawyers in Virginia have contacted me saying they represent my tenant are disputing the amount of the expenses and are threatening legal action. I have estimates, receipts and documentation for the damages and they are all legit.

My question is, can his mother and father claim to represent him when they are not registered with the Bar in Colorado? This seems like harassment to me since they have no legal standing in Colorado. Should I make a complaint to their Bar Association? I've already sent him an itemized list of damages and partial deposit refund.

So when I was 11 my sister (14) and I were put into foster care but now that I’m older and looking back at the situation, I think it’s really odd how it was handled and that the whole staff at my school and the parents knew of our situation and conveniently it was my best friends parents who were the ones to take us in. It just feels like that was a total invasion of privacy especially bc those parents could tell their kids and I would have to face my classmates. It was just a very embarrassing situation that was put on blast to my school and I just think it was a fucked up way to handle it.

LOCATION: Seattle, WA

LOCATION: FL So I went in to this dentist around June, he’s one of the only ones that does full sedation dentistry for the primary part of the work, so I couldn’t really go elsewhere.

At the time we drew up a plan to get my teeth worked on in sets of 4-5 at a time, I’d pay for each set as I go (I really don’t like “payment plans” so I rather pay up front for costs).

I got the first set of work “done” but they put temporary caps on and said they were going to let my bite adjust before they put the permanent ones in like a month or two later, and I needed to get a teeth cleaning like a week in advance of that.

Fast forward to teeth cleaning, and the hygienist that did it wasn’t even aware that I had temps in, was very rough, and ended up causing one to come loose, but weren’t aware of it at that time.

The day came to “scan” them to have the permanents made (not even ready to put in, which I thought was odd). They proceeded to tell me that wasn’t going to happen either!

Because my temp was loose they glued it back in, and told me my teeth were “deteriorating faster than expected” (which from a second opinion appears to be a lie), and I needed to move up my timetable in order to save my teeth.

The doctor then proceeds to try every which way he can to scare me into taking an appointment the very next week just the day before a neurologist appointment and a gastroenterologist appointment two days later. During which he would be doing 11 MORE teeth and the full cost of $50k to go with it.

Additionally, the doctor kept saying I could do a loan from him personally to be paid as I go (which seemed sketchy as hell), and I asked them to send all the paperwork to me via email to review. The rest of the week passed and I got nothing from them.

After the weekend, still no emails. I called that Monday and asked for it again, they said they were still getting it together.

I told them I had to cancel the appointment, still 2 days in advance, because I wasn’t comfortable with it plus I had 2 other appointments I’d been waiting months to get into. So they said ok and canceled it.

NOW: three weeks later they still won’t answer my calls, and I have 2 temporary caps from the initial work that are starting to come loose again.

Do I have any legal standing to get them to at least finish the initial work?

Location: Virginia

I live in VA, and I just got a summons for court for overdue toll fines. The issue is I owe $406.55 for the tolls themselves, and $5975 for the administration fees. Does anyone know how I should go about getting the administration fees removed, if I even can? To pay over 12x the toll amount in fees is stupid.

I apologize if this is the wrong sub, please point me in the right direction of the correct one if so. Thank you in advance!

Location: MAINE

I'm pretty sure I have fallen victim to a rental scam of sorts.

There were some glaring red flags from the beginning, yet out of desperation I took a "room rental" for $1200 (no security) in Portland, Maine. A room in a house- live in land lady. However it's literally JUST a room rental. She wants you up in your room and theres a bathroom upstairs which she advertised as private yet "she'll use it if shes in the upstairs gym" she said no guests no KITCHEN access no living room access because shes "very particular and gets annoyed when things are out of place"

Pretty much since I moved in new "rules" keep popping up. My car needed some repairs she told me she was going to get my car towed if it sat outside for beyond X amount of days. If I left a glass on the counter outside my room she'd put it in my shoe sitting outside my door. During our interview she said back porch access was cool. She took my sandals from back deck and physically threw them into my room. Several times now she has gone into my bathroom while I'm at work and moved my things (regular stuff- dental floss, hair comb) throws them into the drawer. The other day it was 70 degrees so I left my bedroom window cracked while out at work. She texted me when I was at work saying she went in my room to close the window due to the house losing heat and will continue to do so- again it was 70+ degrees.

I finally snapped after that and told her she needs to stay out of my room I gave her $1200 fucking for literally ONE room and shes invading that space. She told me she'd call the cops and have me removed if I disrespected her in her house, that the agreement for the rental she sent isnt legally binding since no signatures, etc and that she wont be refunding me anything (I had only been here a week at this point and paid the $1200)

At this point I feel like my hands are tied I got scammed and this was not what was advertised. Just now for literally no reason she cut the wifi off and she knows I work from home. Literally havent interacted with her all day. Like shes mental.

I get the feeling this is what she does. Takes desperate/vulnerable positioned peoples' money, then harasses them daily until they either retaliate or leave- and she gets what she wants- which is to have you pay her mortgage and be out of her sight and house. There was a poor woman here before me who during our interview (which she wouldnt show the room said it was full of stuff- gee I wonder why) she told me would be there til end of month. Mysteriously the room opened up almost 2 weeks sooner- she said I could move in the lady had something come up and left. So I feel like this is what she does.

What is my recourse here? Can I file a dispute with my bank for misrepresentation of services? Ive never had to do something like that before. She threatened me with police said shes good friends with all in town so that plus other things make me not want to call cops. What can I do here? I want my money back and to safely exit rather than get harassed each day

Location: Michigan, USA

I know everyone is going to tell me I’m an idiot for not just keeping my mouth shut, but my conscience wouldn’t let me. Now I’m caught in a nightmare.

Two weeks ago I bought an old wooden dresser for $60 at an estate sale after an elderly woman passed away. While deep-cleaning the drawers yesterday, I found an unmarked envelope taped to teh bottom of the middle drawer containing $3,500 in old hundred-dollar bills.

I’m not a thief so I texted the daughter who ran the sale to let her know I found some forgotten family money and wanted to give it back. She was super grateful and said she’d come by today. But an hour later, her brother calls my cell screaming. He claimed their mother’s estate is in contested probate, accused his sister of hiding assets, and threatened to sue me personally if I hand it over to her. Then a cousin messaged me claiming it was his.

i am literally just a guy who bought a $60 dresser. I dont want any part of this family feud. Can I just drop the cash at the local police station and let them deal with it, or can these people actually drag me to court?

Location: Virginia

I live in VA, and I just got a summons for court for overdue toll fines. The issue is I owe $406.55 for the tolls themselves, and $5975 for the administration fees. Does anyone know how I should go about getting the administration fees removed, if I even can? To pay over 12x the toll amount in fees is stupid.

I apologize if this is the wrong sub, please point me in the right direction of the correct one if so. Thank you in advance!

Location: Portland, Oregon, USA.

I had a cleaning scheduled for September 30, 2026. On September 27 I cancelled it through the patient portal on the dental office's website. The portal showed the appointment as "Cancelled by patient" and I got an automatic confirmation email the same minute. Their posted policy says cancellations need at least 24 hours notice, so I was well whithin that.

On October 6 I got a bill for $95 labeled "missed appointment fee". I called on October 7 and the front desk told me portal cancellations "don't always go through" and that I should have called. When I said I have the confirmation email, they said they'd "look into it" and call back. Nobody called. On October 13 I got a second notice saying the balance is due October 31 or it may be sent to collections.

My questions:

1. If their own system confirmed the cancellation in writing, can they still hold me responsible for the fee?

2. Should I pay it under protest to avoid collections and then try to get it back, or refuse to pay and send a written dispute?

3. Is there anything specific I should put in a letter to them before October 31?

My insurance isn't involved since it's their fee, not a treatment charge. I'd honestly like to keep going there, they're close to my work, but this feels unfair. Thanks for any help.

So I believe enough time has passed for me to talk about this and I'm mostly just curious if this was actually illegal because it felt like it was. But basically I work for a Missouri based 7 brew coffee shop and back in March of this year a police officer was shot and killed a few hours away from my location, he was a regular or something at different franchise location which is sad and I wish his family the best but from this situation, 7 brew the company decide to donate all the cash tips earned by the employees for a whole weekend to this police officers family (this happened at multiple locations that they took tips).

Which is nice of 7 brew, except it wasn't actually their money to give away, right? Like the exact wording was that "the 7 brew employees has graciously offered give their cash tips made from this weekend to help his family" which was not true. We weren't told anything until like the day before, we weren't asked to make a donations or anything, they just did it and acted like we're so nice for not getting a choice in keeping the money we work really hard for. And when everyone brought up whether it was actually allowed, it was just kinda danced around lol.

I know nothing can really be done but the fact that a company as big (and growing in popularity) as 7 brew wants to take tips from their workers instead of idk just making a small donation to his family, it really frustrates me. Like the whole situation is sad but I don't think it should fall onto some random high school/college baristas from not even the same town, to help a family that is already receiving money from the state, especially without being asked.

LOCATION: California

I'm in Washington state. I rent a small locker at my gym month to month. About a week before the billing date, I told the front desk that I would not need it after the end of the month. The employee said they would make a note. I emptied the locker and returned the key on the last day. Two days later my card was charged for another full month. The gym says locker cancellations must be submitted through an online form, even though nobody mentioned that when I spoke to the desk.

Their terms do mention the form, but it is in a link that I only found after the charge. I have a photo of the empty locker from the last day and a message from the desk confirming that they received my key. The locker is now being used by someone else. I asked for a refund and they offered a credit toward membership fees, which isn't useful because I may cancel the membership soon as well. Does returning the key and telling an employee matter if their written policy specifies a form? I want to keep the discussion calm, but I don't understand why they can charge for a locker they had already reassigned.

Defense side, PI case where the plaintiff's prior treatment history is fuzzy. Someone suggested a hospital canvass to find prior visits, but I'm not clear on what it can legally find vs what needs a subpoena.

Has anyone used one? What did it turn up, and was it worth the cost compared to just subpoenaing the records you already know about?

Location : Kentucky

Vehicle is in Michigan. GM financial refuses to remove the lien, it has been three years since the vehicle is paid off. I am now unable to sell the car because of this. I have called repeatedly and the operators have been of no help. I requested a written lien release in the mail and they lie, saying one was mailed to my address (which never arrived).

I checked with the state of MI as to the status of my title, it still has a lien on it. This was 2 weeks after being told by GM financial there was an "electronic" lien release.

Any recommendations? I feel at this point hiring an lawyer is the only option.

LOCATION: England, UK. In the spring I bought two tickets for a concert in Leeds through a ticketing website. Last week the organiser announced the show is moving to a venue in Manchester on the same date because of "production reasons." It's a two hour trip for me each way and I can't take the following day off, so attending isn't realistic.

The ticket site's email says the event is "rescheduled, not cancelled," and that customers who can't attend can request a credit voucher valid for twelve months. There's no mention of a cash refund. I paid around £140 including fees with a debit card.

Is a change of city treated the same as a change of date here, or could it count as a significant change to what I bought? I'd like to know what to say in my message to them before I accept anything, and whether contacting my bank is an option if they refuse. I'm not trying to be difficult, I just didn't buy tickets for a different city.

Ellensburg Washington: We had a contractor do work and they left a yard size cement mixer and a commercial outside spray painter. It’s been on our property for 2 months and I’ve emailed and texted to let them know that they can come get them any time. At what point can I either sell them or dump them?

Location: CA, USA (or other states in the US)

Hi everyone! I'm a student at ASU working on an entrepreneurship project exploring how law firms can improve their operations, particularly in regards to communication with their clients.

I'm hoping to interview a few people who have worked on the plaintiff's side of a civil litigation matter. This could include employment disputes, personal injury, medical malpractice, or other types of civil litigation.

I'm looking for volunteers for a brief 15ish minute phone or video call. This is solely for a school project, not a sales pitch. There's NO need to share confidential information or identifying details about your cases.

If you would be open to chatting, please comment or send me a private message. I'd really appreciate your help!

I live in a rural area in Maine where it is very common for people to leave items on their front yard for people to take for free. These items are always marked with a sign, usually homemade, which just says “Free”.
Is it illegal to take the sign?
Whenever I see these signs I’m always more interested in the artwork of the sign than the items in front of it, the sign says free, may assume I can take it without any possible legal backlash?
Edit: if this is an issue, which I still question, then what if the items in front of the sign have been taken and it’s just the sign left? Is this an advertisement to take the sign?

Location: Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

On September 18, 2026 I put down a $1,000 deposit by debit card to hold a used car at a dealership while I sorted out financing. The salesperson gave me a one page "deposit receipt" with the car's VIN and the amount. Nothing on it says non-refundable, and I never signed a purchase agreement or any financing paperwork.

On September 21 my credit union offered a worse rate than expected, so I called the dealership and said I wouldn't be buying the car and asked for the deposit back. The salesperson said no problem and that it would be refunded "in a few business days". Nothing came. On October 1 I called again and was told the deposit is non-refundable because they "took the car off the market for me". On October 10 the sales manager emailed the same thing.

My questions:

1. If the receipt doesn't say non-refundable and no contract was signed, do they have any right to keep it?

2. Should I send a formal demand letter before going to small claims, and is there a specific deadline I should give them?

3. Would a dispute with my bank work for a debit card charge that's almost a month old?

I have the receipt, my call log and the manager's email. Thanks in advanse for any advice.

Location: Denver, Colorado, USA. Local move within Denver.

On September 10, 2026 I signed a written binding estimate with a moving company for $1,450. The estimate lists the number of rooms, the big furniture and says the price won't change unless I add items. I didn't add anything.

The move was on September 20. When the truck arrived at my new place, the crew lead said the load was "heavier than estimated" and that I owed $2,050 before they would unload. It was 8 pm, I had nowhere else to put anything, so I paid the full amount by card and wrote "paid under protest" on the receipt they gave me. I have photos of that receipt and the signed estimate.

On September 22 I emailed the company asking for a refund of the $600 difference and a copy of any weight ticket. On October 6 they replied that the estimate "does not cover additional labor time" and refused. No weight ticket, no breakdown.

Questions:

1. Is a binding estimate actually binding in Colorado, or can they add charges like this?

2. Should I file a chargeback for the $600 with my card, or go to small claims, or both? My card issuer gives me until around mid November.

3. Is there a state agency I should report this to that actually does something?

I just want the $600 back. Any guidance apreciated.

I'll try to make this clear and concise but this situation has me a bit frazzled.

Location - Michigan, USA

I resigned from my job a few months ago due to the work environment being very toxic and some unprofessional behavior from my managers. I can elaborate if needed but what's important for context is that a few things happened that caused me and 4 others on the same team to all resign within a pretty short window. Me and the 4 others who resigned all started in the same training group, except for me. I started about 7 weeks after the others because I took the national exam for the certification needed for the job on my own and hence did not need the training for it. I took the test needed for this on my own while working at another job and covered the training material and exam costs from my own pocket before even applying to the job that I'm bringing up here. I moved across the state to work at said company and also covered relocation costs out of pocket as well.

So when I begin work at this company, I started as what's called a "fast-track". I started the training classes with the others once they had passed their national exam. However, I still needed my exams for each individual state which is something by law I am not able to do independently. For the job that I was doing, it's required to be sponsored by an employer at the state level. An exam and online course is required for each state, totaling between $50-$350 for each state. They start by giving everyone 2-8 states and you get more states as time goes on. By the time I left I had 14 states total. It's very important to note that the states you're able to have depend partially on your credit score and credit profile. At the time of beginning the program (and now), I have very good credit.

The training program is intended to last 6 months total. Some people graduate in 5 months while others might take a bit longer. However, me and the 4 others previously mentioned were all graduated very early at just 3 months in training. We were told this was due to our performance being great and we were also told that this was a promotion. We (the 5 early graduates) were also all put on a new different compensation plan than anyone else at the company. Part of the issue with the job starts here because after us 5 were graduated, we soon learned that our pay for the same amount of work was essentially going to be cut in half. This alone caused 2 out of our 5 early graduates to resign.

At this point, I did not quit but I felt trapped to be there. I knew that the company that I was at was known for coming after people for training costs and putting these costs as a large collection on your credit if it isn't paid. This is something that I knew before I started working there, but I had planned to stay at least a year and a half, maybe even more. The reason for this is because the training reimbursement document that we signed says that they only ask for training reimbursement if you leave before 18 months. I understand that I did sign the document and it was something that I shouldn't have signed. This document was the only thing keeping me and those other 2 remaining there because, like I mentioned, the licenses are effected by your credit so a big balance on your credit could really limit your earning protentional in this career.

Fast forward to a couple of months later and the situation at work got worse. The behavior of our manager and higher ups became concerning and uncomfortable to the point where me and the 2 remaining people decided that we could no longer stick it out and we had to leave. All three of us resigned but stayed in touch and still do. The two others went on to work at a different company in the same industry but I have taken a step back from that industry for the time being.

Now we get to the present situation. It's been a couple of months and I finally received my letter for the training reimbursement that I had been waiting for. The amount that they are asking me to pay is $19,200. This was higher than I expected them to ask for especially since I was graduated from training 3 months early and me being a fast track. I was curious to see what the other two who resigned received so I reached out to one of them. He said that his bill was around $18,000. This was confusing to me because mine is higher even though I was a fast track and needed less training during the program. I wanted to call the company to clear up my confusion and also to set up a payment plan to start paying it off so that it won't ruin my future career in this industry.

I called the number on the letter that was sent. It was the number that was listed specifically if you want to set up a payment plan or have questions. There was no answer and it went to voicemail. So I left a voicemail but I didn't receive a call or email back. I tried calling the next day and the same thing happened (voicemail). I have now reached out 6 separate times with no response. I have also emailed both the email listed on the letter as well as the HR department for the company. I haven't heard back and it's getting closer to the date that they say they will put it on my credit or "take additional legal action".

So that's the situation and I really need some advice. Is $19,200 worth hiring a lawyer for? Should I negotiate the amount that's being asked for? What do I do if it's put on my credit? I'm not trying to get out of paying any costs back but I don't know the best way to move forward at this point. Any help is appreciated and I can answer any questions needed in the comments below.

Edit: Thank you to everyone who commented. I have an appointment with a lawyer coming up and I won't be contacting the company in the meantime. If you're interested in hearing how this situation resolves, I do plan on making an update post whenever this is all over. If my lawyer says that it's okay then I will also be naming the company in that post. Hoping for the best and PSA: don't sign vague contracts! I learned the hard way.

Hi everyone! I'm going through a divorce in California and representing myself.
We were married for 2 years, no kids or shared assets, and he makes about 60% more than me. I filed for divorce in December 2025 after finding out he was cheating.
During our marriage, I had knee surgery covered by his employer's insurance. In May 2026, while our divorce was still pending, he removed me from his health insurance without notifying me. I only found out when I showed up for a medical appointment and was told my coverage was inactive.
I've since lost access to my surgeon and have had to pay additional medical expenses.
I didn't initially request spousal support but left the option open. Our divorce is close to being finalized, and we have a court conference coming up.
My questions:
Was he legally allowed to cancel my insurance while we're still married and the divorce is pending?
Can I request reimbursement for medical expenses or ask for spousal support now?
Is there anything I can do before our upcoming court conference?
I've handled all the paperwork myself and would really appreciate any advice, especially from California family law attorneys or anyone who's been through something similar. Thank you!

Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA.

On September 14, 2026 around 6:40 pm I rented a bike through a bike share app and docked it at a station near my apartment about 25 minutes later. The dock light turned green, the app showed "Ride ended" and I got a receipt email for $4.35 the same evening. I still have that email and a screenshot of the ride history.

On October 2 I noticed a $150 charge on my card labeled as an unreturned bike fee for that same ride. I contacted support through the app on October 3 and sent the receipt and the screenshot. On October 9 they replied that "the bike was not detected at the station after the ride" and that the case is closed. They did not explain why the app and the receipt both said the ride ended normaly.

My questions:

1. Is the ride receipt enough evidence to dispute this with my card issuer, or should I go back to the company one more time in writing first?

2. My card issuer says disputes have to be filed within 60 days of the statement date. The charge posted on October 2, so I think I have until roughly early December, but should I just file now?

3. If they send this to collections, is there anything I should do now to protect myself?

I'm not trying to avoid paying for something I did. I just don't want to pay for a bike that someone else probably pulled off the dock after me. Any advice apprecaited.

Location: Colorado

My friend owns a house with his sister. She lives in another state and she’s never made any payments on the house. He has already paid off the house and he has receipts of every single payment he has made on it. He’s lived there since the house was bought. Now, he is on hospice. He is able to make decisions and still able to get around a little but he’s declining and so there’s no telling how much time he has, but it seems like months.

He wants to create a will and leave the house to his nephew. However, primarily he just wants to make sure that when he passes away, his sister doesn’t automatically get the property by a right of survivorship. From what I understand since they have a joint tenancy, that is exactly what would happen even if he leaves his portion to his nephew in the will. I don’t think that he would have enough time or resources to try to fight for the entire property legally.

So would filing a quit claim deed at least allow him to change the joint tenancy to tenants in common so that he can at least pass along his portion to his nephew. It’s doubtful that the nephew will try to fight this in court or do anything other than live in it and hopefully pay property taxes and utilities. But would the sister at least be prevented from evicting the nephew or selling the house?

Location: Illinois. I graduated from a local community college back in December and have been job hunting pretty aggressively. A few weeks ago, I applied for an entry-level logistics role through a third-party recruiting firm that partners with our school's career center. Everything seemed totally normal during the first phone screen, but yesterday I had a follow-up call with the recruiter that completely caught me off guard. The guy casually brought up an "incident from sophomore year" where I had a minor dorm alcohol policy violation, and then literally asked if the mental health accommodations I had through disability services would "affect my attendance during busy shifts".

I was completely stunned and asked him where the hell he got that information, since none of it was on my resume or anything I ever submitted. He hesitated for a second and admitted the college's career office had sent over a "comprehensive student background file" along with my degree verification. Turns out someone in administration just dumped my entire internal student archive to this private agency. It included disciplinary records from years ago and actual intake notes regarding my anxiety diagnosis and extra test-taking time. I never signed any broad waiver or release form authorizing them to disclose medical or disciplinary recodrs, only a standard checkbox to verify my degree and GPA.

I called the student affairs office first thing this morning, and the lady on the phone sounded genuinely terrified once she pulled up my file. She stammered about a "system processing error during file transfer" and said someone would call me back next week. Meanwhile, the recruiting firm rejected my application two hours ago stating I wasnt a good fit for the company culture. I am beyond pissed off. Is this a blatant FERPA violation, and what kind of lawyer should I even contact before the school tries to quietly cover their tracks?