Am i responsible for structure damage: fire broke out in my kids bedroom last week. i dont know what caused it. but aparently i m being held responsible for it. what can i do? fire damaged 3 bed rooms and a bath. we were told to move our belongings out asap. also we were told that we will recieve bill for the damages. what should i be doing at this point
Mark's answer: You should definitely not sign anything at this point. If you have renter's insurance, that will cover your loss of your personal items. If the landlord's insurance company tries to claim that you are responsible for the fire, you should hire counsel immediately. If that happens, I would be glad to assist you and would do an initial evaluation without any charge or obligation.
Am I owed commission in Maryland if I resign?: Situation: I work for a large media/advertising corporation as an Account Executive..selling advertising. In our industry we have quite a few clients who purchase 6 month to year long agreements of which I am paid commission each month. For example, a client can sign an advertising contract from January to December at one time. I am then paid January's commission in February and so on. I have already closed several contracts which will last throughout 2012 and have completed all the necessary tasks it takes to close a contract. The only issue that might arise is if the client needs to change their artwork. This is a simple step which takes virtually 10 minutes to complete as it involves two pieces of paperwork. Am I owed commission for the remainder of 2012 even though I will not be there?
Mark's answer: If you have an employment contract or there is an employee's handbook, this may be dealt with in those. If not, this will be a question of intepretation. I would discuss this with your employer before you leave. You might want to agee to a short non-compete in return for payment of commissions if the clients honor their contracts. Contact me for further information as I handle many employment matters in Maryland.
What damages can I seek as a former corporate officer in a NY corporation if corp has forged my signature after I left?: I was president of a business incorporated in New York. The business needed a vendor license, which was under my name. I left the corporation. I did not think to take my vendor license with me. Now I found out that last summer the corporation renewed the vendor license by forging my signature. I left the corporation in summer 2010 and the forgery occurred in 2011. I would like to know what action I can take against the corporation and against those who forged my name? Can I seek any damages?
Mark's answer: Unless you actually had damages, it is not worth filing a lawsuit. However, you should forward a letter to the corporation, affirming that you have resigned as President, noting the improper signature and advising the corporation that it should not, in the future, have anyone sign on your behalf or forge your signature.