It sounds like you have a complex civil appellate matter. You should consult privately with an attorney who handles civil rights appeals. You can use the search function on this site and give a few a call.

As a starting point, you could contact the law office to learn something about the bill in terms of the amount due and what services it was for. If they are willing to discuss the matter and your explanation that you were told it would be taken care of and taking into consideration your position,... View More

I do not practice in Minnesota but your question remains open for four weeks. From what you describe, it sounds as if you might not be a party to the suit. It’s difficult to say exactly what context your name is involved in the lawsuit without seeing the summons and complaint. You could show the... View More

Generally speaking, an affirmative defense is saying "even if everything you say is true, I am still not responsible because of X." A good example is the statute of limitations: "Even if I breached the contract as you say I did, that was 10 years ago so it is too late."

I would prepare an "Amended Petition" with the correct name and just file it in the same case and serve the document by U.S. Mail.

In the context of successful completion of programming as a condition of probation (conditionally stayed jail or prison time), it not likely a judge will want to get into the details of why a probationer was kicked out of a program. I am skeptical that would be a fruitful approach. Rather, it may... View More

The process for a new trial involves appealing the conviction. The alternative is too seek post-conviction relief if the time frame for appeal has expired. However this would be dependent on "newly discovered" evidence. You should consult with an attorney about what your avenues to... View More

Yes, it is called a "statute of limitations" and the amount of time varies based on the claim.

If your brother has been served in a lawsuit, the time to respond is ticking and will expire quickly. If no response is given (and the response must be a proper response, which requires an attorney 99.9999% of the time), your brother risks losing the lawsuit by way of default and the other party... View More

The discovery rule (which varies by state) can apply to almost any tort. However, nothing in our question would implicate the discovery rule would apply.

I believe that Hennepin County has established a pilot program and Ramsey County is soon to follow. At this point, I beleive only certain law firms are involved in the program(s). You may want to check with your specific count to see what its timeline is, and whether you can file by fax.