Ask a Question

Get free answers to your Consumer Law legal questions from lawyers in your area.

Lawyers, increase your visibility by answering questions and getting points. Answer Questions
Washington Consumer Law Questions & Answers
2 Answers | Asked in Business Law, Consumer Law, Copyright and Internet Law for Washington on
Q: Is it legal to build software that crawls the public Reddit posts of someone and derives statistics/patterns from it?

Basic idea: while browsing online, people come across others that appeal to them in some way (insightful post, match in interests, etc). Normally, a long process of scanning through their content is then needed, to see if they match enough to be worth further effort.

My idea is to create... View More

Robert Kost
PREMIUM
Robert Kost pro label Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
answered on Nov 1, 2021

On the face of it, there is nothing in your proposal that would infringe copyright rights or constitute an invasion of privacy. None of the refinements offered in items 1 to 3 really affect the answer substantially. You will want to look carefully at Reddit's terms of service (including... View More

View More Answers

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law, Collections, Legal Malpractice and Small Claims for Washington on
Q: A random lawyer sued me for debt that wasn’t mine and I thought it was a scam but I now owe him. Isn’t this illegal?

My fiancé got handed a random court case with my name on it stating I owed debt to places I’ve never been to or had accounts with so I thought it was a scam, but I just got another set of papers in the mail that state I now owe money to this lawyer for the debt and I don’t understand how this... View More

Tim Akpinar
Tim Akpinar
answered on May 16, 2021

A Washington attorney could advise best, but your question remains open for two weeks, and those court papers your fiancé was handed could have relatively short deadlines by which a response is due. There could be a number of reasons for the court case, one being that someone made fraudulent... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law for Washington on
Q: I am involved in the Playtika Settlement case. Trying to find out when payout date is

This involves Wa. State gambling commission and various gambling sites

Adam Savett
Adam Savett
answered on Apr 13, 2021

According to the claims administrator's website:

"You SHOULD receive a check or electronic payment from the Settlement Administrator within 60 days after the Settlement has been finally approved and/or after any appeals process is complete." (emphasis added).

That...
View More

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law for Washington on
Q: I am involved in the Playtika Settlement and would like to know when payouts are. I thought they said 60days .

Final hearing was Feb. 11 2021

Adam Savett
Adam Savett
answered on Apr 13, 2021

According to the claims administrator's website:

"You SHOULD receive a check or electronic payment from the Settlement Administrator within 60 days after the Settlement has been finally approved and/or after any appeals process is complete." (emphasis added).

Things...
View More

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law and Copyright for Washington on
Q: Is the website PDFDrive legal to use?

I’ve been using it for a day or two now and I’m really scared I’ll face legal repercussions

Steve Charles Vondran
PREMIUM
Steve Charles Vondran pro label Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
answered on Oct 12, 2020

This is general legal information only and not legal advice. This is a very good question. It appears their site is a bit like google (where you can search for pictures and images. They allow you to search PDF's but this does not necessarily mean you have legal rights to reproduce, share,... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law, Contracts and Real Estate Law for Washington on
Q: A major issue is not disclosed to a home buyer by seller at time of purchase, how to recover costs?
Tim Akpinar
Tim Akpinar
answered on Sep 28, 2020

A Washington attorney could best advise, but your question remains open for four weeks. Although your question is straightforward and concise, these matters are not always simple. They could sometimes hinge on whether there was a defect, were representations of any kind made, inspections,... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law and Collections for Washington on
Q: we traded in our SUV for another SUV and dealership hasn't paid off our old loan. It's been 4 months, what can we do?

We traded in our old SUV for a newer one, we still owed about 7k on the old loan, dealership has been dragging on that they have sent the payoff and all paperwork needed to our old loan place, but i'm still getting calls from previous lender saying nothing has been sent and were behind 3... View More

Ana Maria Del Valle-Aguilera
Ana Maria Del Valle-Aguilera
answered on Jul 24, 2020

You should seek legal counsel immediately. It seems you have been given the round-around by the dealer and this will affect your credit score due to the late payments. If the dealership does not provide you evidence of payment and copy of the paperwork, I would have an attorney contact them... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law, Contracts, Business Law and Civil Rights for Washington on
Q: call a company and they are in a 2 party state and you tell them you do not want the call to be recorded, and they deny

if you call a company and they are in a 2 party state and you tell them you do not want the call to be recorded, and they say then we cannot continue with the call . is this legal? and what are we supposed to do next? we have a account business with them. if something comes up and its urgent or... View More

Bruce Alexander Minnick
Bruce Alexander Minnick
answered on Apr 10, 2020

Rather than just give you a short curt answer with no explanation, let's try to reason this situation out, OK?

In case you have not noticed, nearly every business on planet earth is recording every conversation had with every customer, about everything talked about, every day, all...
View More

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law, Products Liability and Business Law for Washington on
Q: I had a brake job done at Les Schwab. One of the Calibers bolts fell out because no lock tight and stripped bolt used.

My children were in the car with me, we were lucky the tire did not seize up on the highway or while driving and the caliber locked the tire up at a stop light.

Tim Akpinar
Tim Akpinar
answered on Mar 20, 2020

A Washington attorney could best advise here, if there were any state consumer laws that might be applicable. But your post remains open for three weeks. There wasn't a question here, but if you are wondering if this gives rise to a legal claim, there doesn't seem to be a significant one.... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Bankruptcy, Consumer Law, Collections and Social Security for Washington on
Q: I need to sue ORS in utah for illegally garnishing my concurrent ssd/ssi benefits for 7 years. How do i do this?
Timothy Denison
Timothy Denison
answered on Feb 8, 2020

Contact a competent debtors rights attorney near you who can lay out your options.

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law and Products Liability for Washington on
Q: LG keep trying unsuccessfully to fix my refrigerator since May 8 but they refuse to refund or replace it. What can I do?
Tim Akpinar
Tim Akpinar
answered on Sep 30, 2019

Your question could involve state consumer law issues that a Washington State attorney would know best, but it remains open for four weeks. As a general approach for any jurisdiction, review the warranty information and other contract documentation. Bring your concerns about the number of attempts... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law, Contracts, Personal Injury and Products Liability for Washington on
Q: Express Editorial of the Washington Post the week June 12, 2019, DNC and Bernie Sander how I can find court opinion?

Washington Post/Editorial Express in the Week of June

Peter N. Munsing
Peter N. Munsing
answered on Sep 3, 2019

I suggest you see if a law librarian at one of DC's law libraries can help you. There isn't enough information there to figure out if it is a case that is being reported or what.

you may have in mind the following which isn't a suit by Sanders but by a group of supporters:...
View More

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law, Bankruptcy, Foreclosure and Real Estate Law for Washington on
Q: How could misapplied mortgage payments found after an agreed tpp be rectified on borrowers behalf?

I found a payment that was applied to principal curtailment that in turn caused late fees and missed payments. Other fees down the road could the error change the outcome of where i am now?

Timothy Denison
Timothy Denison
answered on Jul 18, 2019

Yes. Dispute it on your credit report and with the lender. You should get on this ASAP bc it can materially affect your credit rating.

1 Answer | Asked in Business Law, Contracts and Consumer Law for Washington on
Q: Hi- I purchased a used car out of state. I signed a contract and paid in full, but have not taken delivery of the car.

I became aware of the fact that I cannot register this car in my state due to emission laws. I have repeatedly asked the dealer if it would pass in my state and received vague answers. I want to unwind the deal. Again, the dealer still has the car:(

Bruce Alexander Minnick
Bruce Alexander Minnick
answered on Jul 15, 2019

You are wasting your breath asking the dealer if the used car complies with Washington laws because the dealer is in a different state. Try asking the authorities in Washington.

1 Answer | Asked in Banking and Consumer Law for Washington on
Q: My debit card was skimmed at an ATM and I am having difficult with the bank investigating and refunding.

I reported the 2 fraudulent withdrawals immediately to the fraud department and was told an investigation would begin right away and the card would be de-activated. I also reported it to my bank by email and by phone the next business day. When I received no communication in regard to it, I was... View More

Bruce Alexander Minnick
Bruce Alexander Minnick
answered on Apr 23, 2019

Simple question, simple answer: If you ever expect to get any of your money back you will have to cooperate with the bank, because they are the only ones who can help you (now). it does not matter where you on this earth you are or will be, or how many days they should have to start the... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law and Lemon Law for Washington on
Q: I recently bought a used car from a dealership. Within 3 days it had electrical problems and turned off while driving

I was able to start it up just enough to pull into the dealership since I was close by. They said they fixed it after one day. A week later the same issue happened again, three more times it did not turn on. The last time nothing on it came on at all. I called the dealership and they've now... View More

Greg Freeze
Greg Freeze
answered on Mar 1, 2019

The Washington statute covering the "lemon law" is RCW 19.118 et. seq. The "et. seq." means "and what follows." Basically, you can start reading at RCW 119.118.005 about the "intent" of the legislation put into law, and when the 19.118 series of statutes... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law, Personal Injury, Legal Malpractice and Medical Malpractice for Washington on
Q: How do I track down the attorney that settled my suit out of court?

I'm trying to apply for SSDI and the judge needs some proof of the dental malpractice to prove mercury and other toxic compounds that seeped into my system causing neurological issues today. The case information dissapeared when bank foreclosed on my home instead of the home next door in 2011... View More

Tim Akpinar
Tim Akpinar
answered on Feb 22, 2019

As a starting point, one option could be to contact Washington Courts (https://www.courts.wa.gov/) and ask them about any case information they might maintain. There are a number of legal tools for searching state and federal databases (some of these charge fees for their use); these might be... View More

2 Answers | Asked in Consumer Law, Contracts, Copyright and Products Liability for Washington on
Q: How do I go about looking into a idea I have that's related to bail bonds and something I want to possibly invent safely

I have a idea that would be something you can pay into with a bailbonds company and want to look in to making this idea work if its possible and so how would I do that without getting my idea stolen but I don't have much money and don't really have any to put into this project I think its... View More

Ali Shahrestani,
Ali Shahrestani,
answered on Jan 24, 2019

Local law libraries provide ample self-help resources re: Intellectual Property and Business law. Typically a Non Disclosure Agreement is a great tool to help prevent disclosure of confidential information re: your ideas. You might need to ultimately file for a copyright, trademark, and/or patent,... View More

View More Answers

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law for Washington on
Q: States a portion of profits go to charity. How much exactly is that??

It is important to me to know when buying specifically for the donation part!

Thank you so much!

Tim Akpinar
Tim Akpinar
answered on Oct 16, 2018

Organizations sometimes provide the percentage they donate. If a figure is not provided, it’s an unknown. If it’s important, as you mention, you could ask the organization.

Tim Akpinar

1 Answer | Asked in Personal Injury, Consumer Law and Contracts for Washington on
Q: I am being spammed by a multi billion dollar company based in Seattle.

I was once associated with this company, about a year ago.

And I used to make money with them. But later on they ended my contract and refrained from paying any dues. I lost a considerable amount under breach of contract. I am/was ok with that.

I was financially very weak then and... View More

Peter N. Munsing
Peter N. Munsing
answered on Sep 17, 2016

Consult a commercial law attorney.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.