Jen Chiasson-Aronoff's Answers

Can my current employer give a potential employer a bad reference about me

It depends on what you mean by bad. An employer does open itself up to liability if it says anything that can be proved false and defamatory, or anything to intentionally interfere with your contractual relations with another employer. Many employers refrain from giving detailed references, opting instead to simply confirm dates of employment. If you become aware of anything bad that your employer says about you, you can speak with a lawyer about whether the employer crossed the line into...

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Court Summons

You can mail your response to the clerk, within five days. Given that you have already served it on the plaintiff, however, I recommend you put it in the mail to the court today. Why wait? You don't want that to fall through the cracks.

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Business verbal contract

If you have received notice of a small claims court hearing, then you should show up at the hearing and tell your side of the story. You may be entitled to keep the money under a "quantum meruit" theory, which is fancy latin for the idea that you should get paid for the work you did. Based on the facts you recited I can't tell if you will prevail, but if the amount of money in question is worth your time to spend a morning (and possibly longer) in court, then you should go. If you do not...

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What consequences could I face for firing my realtor before the end of the contract

I read this question a little differently, so perhaps it is unclear. I thought the seller wanted the list of people the realtor showed the house to so that she or he would know who had already seen it in order to avoid a conflict over whether the realtor had previously brought a potential buyer through. In other words, if the seller and the realtor can agree on the list of people the realtor showed the house to, then if the seller finds a buyer after the contract period there will be no...

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Breaking a lease due to medical conditions.

This will depend on whether you are a tenant at will or in a new one-year lease, which is unclear from your question. If you are a tenant at will, then you can simply give your notice and relocate. If you are in a new one-year lease, however, it is not so easy. Your lease is a contract, and it defines the rights and duties of you and the landlord. I am not aware of any law that would prevent the landlord from enforcing the terms of the contract based on your disability, even if you have a...

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If my former manager slandered my name, preventing me from obtaining gainful employment, do I have any recourse on this issue?

In order for your former employer's conduct to be actionable, the statement he made must have been false and also defamatory. Whether the statement is defamatory will depend on the words -- what sort of profanities are involved? Would his statement about you hold you up to scorn in the community? Do you have any way to know if his statement actually caused your potential employer to decide not to hire you? You should probably speak to a lawyer about the specific circumstances to determine...

What is my legal right in regards to deposition for former company?

From your description, it sounds as though you are not obligated to appear for a deposition unless you are served with a subpoena. Often, former employees choose to testify if the former employer asks them to in order to maintain good relations. However, because you are not a party to the suit, it seems that the company is asking you to appear voluntarily. It is up to you to decide if you want to accommodate the parties to the suit. If you force them to subpoena you, then unless the court...

Condo Issues

A claimed "reputation injury" in all likelihood refers to a claim for defamation. To prove defamation, the manager would be required to show that you published (in other words, told) a false statement about him to a third party (i.e., the other trustee) that was defamatory and that caused him economic loss. In order to determine whether this matter could lead to litigation, you will need to consider the specific statement that the manager complains of, in the context of the entire publication....

Small claims court against Condo Association who owe money and ignoring request

If you have filed in small claims court and a representative for the condo association has not shown up on the date of hearing, then you can ask the clerk magistrate conducting the small claims hearing for a default against the defendants.

Appeals for defendants /co-defendants

As long as your son does not miss any filing deadlines, there is always a chance on appeal. Whether he has a decent chance to succeed on appeal, by having his conviction overturned or his sentence lessened, can really only be determined by an appellate attorney familiar with the facts and the trial proceedings. It sounds as though your son has an attorney, and he should respond to the lawyer's inquiries as soon as possible.

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