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Questions Answered by Wesley Winsor
1 Answer | Asked in Elder Law and Health Care Law for Utah on
Q: Is it legal to yell and belittle a resident/patient of a care facility? Can a employee of a care center search a friend

Tell them of a situation that happened?

Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on Apr 10, 2024

In Utah, it is illegal and unethical to yell at or belittle residents in care facilities. State regulations, specifically under the Utah Administrative Code R432-150-12, protect residents from mental and physical abuse. Such actions can be reported to the facility management, the Utah Department of... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Contracts for Utah on
Q: I recently purchased a car. I had 3 vehicles that I traded for 1. I didn’t know the exact mileage of 2 of the vehicles

At the time I was working the deal

I guessed the mileage and stresses it was a guess. When signing the contract the dealership had me sign a blank odometer statement as again, I didn’t know the mileage off the top of my head. We completed the deal and the sales person accompanied me... View More

Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on Mar 7, 2024

Hey there,

It's essential to understand that preventing someone from filing a lawsuit isn't something you can do preemptively. The crux of the matter will likely revolve around the contract you signed. It's worth asking if there was a specific trade-in agreement or similar...
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1 Answer | Asked in Business Formation and Business Law for Utah on
Q: How do you start a self-employed private service provider?

I would like to start teaching cello but not accidentally commit tax fraud.

Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on Mar 5, 2024

It's great to hear about your interest in teaching cello! To ensure you navigate this new venture without any tax-related issues, it's crucial to meticulously record all your expenses and income. This will not only help you manage your finances better but also simplify your tax filings.... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Contracts and Landlord - Tenant for Utah on
Q: Can I renegotiate a lease before it’s expired?

My husband wrote a 3 year lease. We just got divorced. Can I renegotiate the terms and get his name off the lease? The HOA increased and the rent does not cover all cost associated with the property. Is there anyway I can change the lease to a yearly lease? Or increase the rent to cover the... View More

Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on Feb 26, 2024

Landlords may consider renegotiating a lease to adjust terms, such as increasing rent, but it's crucial to remember that tenants are not obligated to consent. This is because tenants currently hold an enforceable contract. Alterations to the lease terms require mutual agreement unless the... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Contracts and Estate Planning for Utah on
Q: I know my father had a family trust. I doubt he ever put me on it. How do I search just in case?

I wasn't notified when my father passed on. My father's favorite 2 children are still living, no contact. He didn't want 3rd girl, my other siblings both died in their 40's, medical issues. My father said way back he had a trust & I was on it but later returned to his... View More

Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on Jan 22, 2024

I understand your concerns regarding your father's family trust and the uncertainty surrounding your inclusion in it. Trusts are indeed private documents, and it can be challenging to ascertain whether you are a beneficiary without direct communication from the trustee.

To begin your...
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1 Answer | Asked in Business Formation, Business Law and Government Contracts for Utah on
Q: When referring to a DBA, is there any other legal term that can be used instead of "a company of.."? Like for websites?
Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on Jan 9, 2024

It seems like you're inquiring about alternative legal terminology for "a company of..." in the context of a DBA, which stands for "doing business as." Just to clarify, a DBA is simply a declared alias that a company or an individual is using for their business activities.... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Contracts and Landlord - Tenant for Utah on
Q: Is it legal for apartment management to get you sign a lease agreement for the next year before your lease is up?

They say they didn’t require it but they bribe with lower rent if you sign early.

Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on Jan 5, 2024

Certainly, it's within legal bounds for your apartment management to offer a lease renewal before your current lease concludes, provided they've been transparent about the process. This is often done to ensure tenancy continuity. If they've proposed an incentive for early renewal,... View More

2 Answers | Asked in Contracts and Landlord - Tenant for Utah on
Q: Is an addendum a form of a lease?

A non-resident rents a garage and signed an addendum , then the apartment wants to raise the fee 100%.

Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on Jan 5, 2024

It's essential to review the terms of the contract and the addendum closely. If the agreement specifies a fixed rate for a certain period, any increase that contradicts this would not be permissible. Ensure that the addendum, which is part of the lease, does not grant the landlord the right to... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Business Law and Construction Law for Utah on
Q: My previous client is trying to bill me for a valve he purchased. What legal standing does this have?

I have a very small tile installation business. I am both licensed and insured. I recently completed a shower for a client who claims I cut a hole on a tile "too large" and that the valve wouldn't fit. I cut the hole to a standard valve size which also matched the one below it. He... View More

Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on Dec 12, 2023

Hello,

You probably have nothing to worry about. The home-owner is likely trying to see if you will pay something. Until he gets an attorney involved, I wouldn't get too worked up abou it. Here is an anlaysis of it though:

In general, the legal standing of a client's...
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1 Answer | Asked in Business Law, Divorce and Family Law for Utah on
Q: If my wife helped me with my business and we get divorced am I obligated to keep paying her if she no longer helps?

The business license is in my name. She is considered an employee on taxes. I can do everything without her help. She can't operate the business without me. Its a strictly labor based business. Small home based business. Just us 2 working the business.

Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on Nov 6, 2023

Is she an owner of the business or just an employee? If she is an owner than every time you take an owner's draw she needs an equal amount distributed to her. I would have thought that the divorce decree would have addressed this issue. If it hasn't addressed this issue, then here are... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Contracts, Employment Law and Civil Litigation for Utah on
Q: When signing a contract for a specific amount of hours per day can an employer cut those hours without consent?

I started working for a program that advertised and was written in my onboarding documents as paying 16 hours per day. They have since asked for the same level of comitment and hourly work but only will allow me to report 13 hours without getting approval beforehand for overtime. I never signed any... View More

Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on Oct 6, 2023

Hello,

Utah is an at-will employment state. Meaning that either one of you can terminate the employer/employee relationship at any time for any reason.

From your description, I am not sure if you are a 1099 employee or an actual employee. Unless you are on salary I don't see...
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3 Answers | Asked in Probate for Utah on
Q: Does a person appointed as “attorney-in-fact” have any authority after the one who appointed them dies?

When our mother died, one brother had been appointed “personal representative”, and at the same time I was appointed “attorney-in-fact”. Does the the attorney-in-fact have any authority or say so in the handling of the estate or is it solely up to the personal representative to see that the... View More

Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on Sep 1, 2023

You are right in your understanding that any power of attorney that has been given by the principal (the person who is giving the authority to an agent) expires upon their death. The reasoning for this, is that you cannot be an agent for a dead person. There is no way to see whether the agent is... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Business Law, Insurance Bad Faith and Landlord - Tenant for Utah on
Q: Covered business claim, landlord is forcing to evict because of utilities

I am a business owner, and my building had a covered claim under my landlords policy. A water heater broke. This happened in feb 2023. The insurance company refused my contractors, and used the ones they picked, along with the ones my landlord chose. The building is still not accessible in terms of... View More

Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on May 31, 2023

The first step would be to look to the lease agreement. It should speak to what happens if there is a breach in the agreement and how to move forward from there. It may even speak to a situation where you are disallowed occupation of the property due to some repair work and what their duty is to... View More

2 Answers | Asked in Contracts and Employment Law for Utah on
Q: As an independent contractor, how do I go about after clients who don’t pay after agreeing to a contract?

I was working online remotely for a company based out of California as an independent contractor and they were due to pay the remainder of what they owed us and they never did. The total came out to over $9000 and all attempts to get them to pay have been met with dead ends.

Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on May 30, 2023

You mentioned in your prompt that they agreed to a contract. I assume that means that you have a contract signed by the company regarding the terms of your services. First look to the contract and see what it says under default.

If you are just using the word "contract" as a...
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3 Answers | Asked in Tax Law, Business Formation and Business Law for Utah on
Q: how do I sign on behalf of an LLC if my Scorp is the member?
Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on Mar 20, 2023

Hello,

Depending on what you are signing. Normally you would set up a manager for the LLC and have the person sign in their capacity as a manager.

If you are signing the articles of organization, then the S-corp manager would sign in their capacity as a manager.

I am...
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1 Answer | Asked in Arbitration / Mediation Law, Business Formation and Contracts for Utah on
Q: I live in Utah and signed a contract with an LLC located in Nevada. Where do I file for arbitration?

They have not fulfilled their end of the contract and now owe me $12,000. They are no longer answering my messages and I would like to get this money back as soon as possible.

Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on Nov 21, 2022

You will first need to look to the contract provisions to see what they say about arbitration. If the other party is nonresponsive, then you could likely set up the arbitrator, give them notice of the time and place of arbitration and if they don't show up then the arbitrator can give you a... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Estate Planning and Real Estate Law for Utah on
Q: In utah my stepmother and father co-owned an LLC.Father died. Is the LLC added to the total estate or is it separate?

In Utah this is important because anything inherited by my stepmother through joint tenancy offsets what she would inherit of my father's other assets that were solely in his name.

Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on Nov 14, 2022

You should look to the operating agreement (if there is one) to see how the decedent member's interest is handled. If there isn't one, then an LLC interest is considered personal property and if acquired during marriage would be considered as being held in joint tenancy.

I hope...
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1 Answer | Asked in Business Law, Civil Litigation and Contracts for Utah on
Q: If sales rep lies about a POS system and put us on a lease but we returned it w/in a week do we need to pay a buyout?

We request services from clover for our online business that has a rolling menu. We were under the impression we needed this device in order to help build a website and receive payments. The agent explained to us that it can do this and the monthly cost was roughly only 45$ a month. When asked what... View More

Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on Mar 1, 2024

"Hey there! Ah, the classic tale of signing up for something that sounded as sweet as a rolling menu but ended up rolling you over instead.

2 Answers | Asked in Personal Injury and Medical Malpractice for Utah on
Q: On my third donation, there was not enough blood flow for some reason from either arm, so a staff member came over⬇️

He told me despite trying both arms he was just going to “unplug” me because they weren’t getting any plasma from me. He turned off the machine, and immediately after, another worker standing by realized he had turned off my machine before giving me any of my blood back. They hadn’t... View More

Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on Aug 22, 2023

I would guess that you were donating plasma. I have personally been through that process and I know that you have to sign waivers and acknowledge that you are taking certain risks associated with the process. I think it would be an uphill battle, but you may want to talk to a medical malpractice... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Business Formation, Business Law and Tax Law for Utah on
Q: Can I start a business entity that offers analytics services for free? Just for experience now, but may charge later on.

Hello! I would like to start a business entity that offers business analytics services and business process recommendations for free. I'm doing this because I want experience doing analytics and consulting not to make money right now. Is there a business entity I can set up that reports no... View More

Wesley Winsor
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Wesley Winsor
answered on Aug 16, 2023

yes, you can provide free services to people. Tax returns are required for businesses and individuals who make income.

A simple business to set up would be a single member LLC.

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