Latest posts
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Debt Collection Rights: FDCPA Protections, Cease and Desist Letters and Statute of Limitations
By LegalHelpOnline.org Legal Research & Editorial Team What the FDCPA Covers The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is the main federal law that limits what debt collectors can say or do when they try to collect a debt from you. It bans abusive, unfair, and deceptive collection tactics, gives you the right to demand…
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Identity Theft Recovery: Reporting Steps, Credit Freezes and Available Legal Remedies
By LegalHelpOnline.org Legal Research & Editorial Team What to Do the Moment You Suspect Identity Theft Identity theft recovery starts with three actions: contact the companies where fraud happened, place a fraud alert or credit freeze with the credit bureaus, and file a report at IdentityTheft.gov to get a personalized recovery plan. From there, federal…
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Tenant Rights: Security Deposits, Habitability Standards and Protections Against Illegal Eviction
By LegalHelpOnline.org Legal Research & Editorial Team Quick Answer Tenants generally have three core legal protections: a right to a livable, safe home (often called the “habitability” standard), a right to get their security deposit back on time and in writing if money is withheld, and a right to be evicted only through a court…
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Civil Rights Complaints: Where to File Discrimination Claims by Category
By LegalHelpOnline.org Legal Research & Editorial Team Where Do You File a Civil Rights Complaint? Where you file depends on where the discrimination happened. Job discrimination goes to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Housing discrimination goes to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). School discrimination goes to the Department of Education’s Office…
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Lemon Law Basics: What Qualifies, Filing Deadlines and State-by-State Variations
By LegalHelpOnline.org Legal Research & Editorial Team What Is a Lemon Law and What Does It Cover? A lemon law is a state law that protects buyers of new vehicles with a serious defect that the dealer or manufacturer cannot fix after a reasonable number of repair attempts. Every state has its own lemon law,…
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Elder Law Basics: Guardianship, Conservatorship and Less Restrictive Alternatives
By LegalHelpOnline.org Legal Research & Editorial Team Guardianship vs. Conservatorship: The Quick Answer Guardianship and conservatorship are both court processes that give one person legal authority to make decisions for another adult who a court has found cannot make those decisions safely. In most states, a guardian handles personal and medical decisions, while a conservator…
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Wage Garnishment: Legal Limits, Exempt Income and How to Challenge Excessive Withholding
By LegalHelpOnline.org Legal Research & Editorial Team How Much of Your Paycheck Can Be Garnished? Federal law generally caps most creditor wage garnishments at 25% of your disposable earnings, or the amount your pay exceeds 30 times the federal minimum wage, whichever is less. Higher limits apply to child support, and some debts — like…
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Medical Debt: Patient Rights, Hospital Financial Assistance and Billing Dispute Process
By LegalHelpOnline.org Legal Research & Editorial Team What Are Your Legal Rights With Medical Debt? You have specific federal protections around medical bills: the No Surprises Act limits certain out-of-network balance billing, nonprofit hospitals must offer a written financial assistance (charity care) policy, and credit bureaus no longer report paid medical collections or small unpaid…
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Landlord Retaliation: What It Looks Like, State Protections and How to Document
By LegalHelpOnline.org Legal Research & Editorial Team Landlord retaliation is illegal in most states when a landlord punishes a tenant for using a legal right, such as reporting a housing code violation or joining a tenant group. If your landlord raised your rent, cut services, or threatened eviction shortly after you complained, you may have…
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ADA Disability Rights: Workplace Accommodations, Public Access and Enforcement
By LegalHelpOnline.org Legal Research & Editorial Team What the ADA Actually Covers The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal civil rights law that bans discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, state and local government services, and businesses open to the public. It became law in 1990 and was strengthened by the ADA…