James Haynes Burnett's Answers

Spousal maintenance for 1 year of marriage, but a 16 year relationship in WA state

I believe the court would look favorably upon a maintenance request from you, so the short answer is that he would probably have to pay some amount of maintenance for a fairly short period of time. Some of the facts to consider are these; 1) have you worked outside the home during some or most of the 16 years the two of you have been together?; 2) Are you able to return to work following your surgery and recovery?; 3) If you haven't worked outside the home but are able to (following the...

Hi got 4 year old son been seperated from mother for 2 half years.seddenly she ask for maintenance but i take my son 3 days a wk

You don't mention whether you and the mother were married, which could make some difference. However, Washington courts don't generally approve maintenance for a former spouse UNLESS the spouse didn't work outside the home during the marriage (especially if it was a long term relationship) and was dependent on the working spouse. If the non-working spouse does get maintenance, it will generally be limited to a reasonable amount for the purpose of helping the non-working spouse either find...

Is a landlord allowed to sue past tenant for repair costs caused by tenant's vandalism

In Washington state, a landlord may sue for both the costs of repair as well as any lost rent which could have been reasonably earned during the repair time. Having said that, there are several things you do need to consider. First, if the rental unit is an apartment, and you have other apartments available for rent during this time but which didn't get rented, it will be more difficult for you to show a court that you could have rented the damaged apartment ( without damage, of course)...

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Is a landlord responible for tenants that have a personal physical altercation...can the tenant sue the landlord

Anyone can sue anyone else for anything. However, unless the landlord is somehow responsible for the actual altercation (by providing the alcohol and encouraging the assailant to attack the other tenant, for instance), there's probably no basis for a law suit. In Washington state, a landlord can take steps to evict a renter for committing a crime on the property, or engaging in domestic violence against a relative or significant other. You would need to find out if there are such provisions...