Miscellaneous

• Fireworks safety number one this Labor Day

  Chuck Boyk | August 28, 2007 4:47 PM | 0 CommentsToledo, OH

  Labor Day weekend is one of the last chances for Toledo kids and adults to set off fireworks this summer. Though fireworks can add thrills to an outdoor gathering, they also have the potential to cause personal injuries. Although consumer fireworks can be bought in the state of Ohio, it is against the law to discharge them, according to the Ohio Department of Commerce's State Fire Marshall...

• Honesty is best policy with your attorney

  Chuck Boyk | August 13, 2007 12:00 AM | 0 CommentsToledo, OH

  Not being truthful to your attorney is one of the dumbest things you can do as a client. The attorney's job is to help you solve your problem. Obtaining all relevant information, both good and bad, is critical to do that job.Attorney-client privilege allows the most sensitive discussion with the attorney to remain confidential. If the client does not feel comfortable disclosing sensitive...

• Keep personal information private - don't sign authorization forms

  Chuck Boyk | August 06, 2007 12:09 AM | 0 CommentsToledo, OH

  I often am hired to represent a client several months after the accident. The client has already signed a medical authorization for the insurance company to obtain medical records. Medical and personal issues that an individual would not disclose to anyone but their doctor are now open for scrutiny.I then send the insurance company a letter canceling the medical authorization and requesting...

• Land contract enforceable despite failure to record

  Dale Emch | July 23, 2007 9:11 AM | 0 CommentsToledo, OH

  In Ohio, state law imposes strict requirements on those who buy or sell property by using a land contract. This week in my Legal Briefs column in the Toledo Blade, a reader asked whether his failure to record a land contract within 20 days as required by law would stop him from enforcing the contract.Despite the requirement, various state courts have decided that failing to record the contract...

• Pay rent into escrow if you have a dispute with a landlord

  Dale Emch | July 09, 2007 5:39 PM | 0 CommentsToledo, OH

  Tenants who can't get their landlords to make repairs often threaten to withhold their rent payments.But tenants should be careful with this approach. In my Toledo Blade column on Sunday a reader asked what she could do if her landlord wouldn't make repairs. In Ohio, tenants have the right to pay their rent into an escrow account through a municipal or county court. That way, they can get a...

• Have a great Fourth of July holiday!

  Dale Emch | July 03, 2007 8:57 AM | 0 CommentsToledo, OH

  We hope you and your family have a happy Fourth of July!But as you're celebrating our country's independence, please make sure you avoid injuries by following the following tips offered by Ohio State Fire Marshall Michael Bell:- Adults should supervise children who are handling novelty devices.- Light only one sparkler at a time and hold it away from your body.- Place sparkler wires in a bucket...

• Arbitration clauses show up everywhere these days

  Dale Emch | June 26, 2007 12:01 AM | 0 CommentsToledo, OH

  People sign contracts everyday containing arbitration clauses, but I'm guessing most people have no idea that they're there or what they are.Sunday, I wrote about this issue in Legal Briefs, my Toledo Blade column that appears every other week. A reader wrote that she had signed a contract with a cell-phone company after receiving assurances that it would provide good coverage in her area. She...

• Judge who lost pants lost $54 million lawsuit

  Dale Emch | June 25, 2007 3:31 PM | 0 CommentsToledo, OH

  Justice prevailed today in a case where an administrative law judge had sued his dry cleaners for $54 million because his pants were allegedly lost.The lawsuit was an embarrassment for all lawyers - not just trial lawyers - because it did further damage to our profession. It allowed the people who are trying to curtail the rights of the injured and wronged to point to an obvious abuse as if it...

• Putting head in sand won't make legal problems disappear

  Dale Emch | June 18, 2007 12:18 PM | 0 CommentsToledo, OH

  Ignore legal documents you receive in the mail at your own peril.That's the answer I gave in my most recent column in the Toledo Blade to a reader who had received what I suspect was a complaint and summons more than a year ago. The reader wondered whether she still had to respond because so much time had gone by and she hadn't heard anything else.The problem with that approach is that the...

• Toledo grandparents can get visitation rights, but it's not easy

  Dale Emch | May 15, 2007 5:00 PM | 0 CommentsToledo, OH

  Dale Emch's newspaper column in the Toledo Blade on Sunday focused on two issues: property rights and grandparents visitation.A reader asked whether she had a right to visit her grandchildren. The quick answer is that in Ohio, grandparents can petition a court for visitation rights, but it may be an uphill battle. Judges base their decisions on whatever is in the best interest of the child.That...