Nutmegger

The Remington attorneys apparently responded to earlier discovery requests by counsel to the families by sending mountains of irrelevant paper, including hundreds of cartoons.

scrubbedexpat091

And here I thought that was just Hollywood but turns out lawyers really do that stuff.

Nutmegger

And here is the story:

https://nypost.com/2021/07/08/reming...-hook-lawsuit/

jjmb

Yesterday, my daughter got 2 demands in one envelope from the Texas Workforce, saying she was overpaid unemployment and she now owed more than a year of payments. The 1st 2 payments were more than she currently earns in a month! Obviously its a mistake but it feels like a real kick in the teeth as the tough year she has had since Covid reared its ugly head. I can see that this will be long struggle for her as the appeals process is not straight forward.

BristolUK

Yay...I made it.

BristolUK

I have no idea if this is any use - different country, different state and all that - but does it need an actual appeal. There might, for example, be something in between - like a reconsideration or review request. It's a "think again" opportunity for the deciding body to make a correction without a formal appeal.

Very often, the authority doesn't want to get tied up in an appeal any more than an appellant does and it offers a potential solution without the extra work.

For example, in my province in Canada for Property Tax, you can request a review of the assessed value that will decide your property tax. If you still disagree, then you can go to the Assessment and Planning Appeal Board.

So the idea of the less formal or, in between, stage is at least known in North America.

Admittedly in New Brunswick they describe it as the first stage of an appeal, but 'review' is the word used to describe it and from the description it's very much a think again opportunity (for the same people responsible originally) and if it's obviously wrong, it's easily correctable without the embarrassment of something more formal highlighting the cock up.

Nobody wants a mistake revealed to some higher body.

Nutmegger

We were recently hit with a big IRS bill for unpaid 2019 taxes -- for the exact same amount that we had paid on time last year. When we got no joy from the IRS, we contacted our congresswoman's office and an extremely helpful liaison person there got us in direct contact with someone at the IRS who made a review and ruled on our side. Perhaps your congressperson's staff may be able to assist your daughter -- it's worth asking.

jjmb

Thank Nutmegger and BristolUK for your replies. She seems to have it under control. Fifteen months of dealing with the Texas Workforce has trained her how to deal with this situation. Right from the start, she had issues even though she had worked for the State! It stems from her getting a part-time job in July and miscommunication with the e-verify system they implemented this year because of 'fraud' issues. They had all the required information already provided by the State department she was working at for 15 yrs. Hers isn't any isolated incident. In fact its rife and given this is Texas, probably deliberate. Read too many stories of people getting these letters. Also, their computer system was ancient and they had high turnover of untrained staff after years of cutting back. It will still be a while before its resolved no doubt, nothing is easy in the State of Texas!
As I said, she had a tough 18 months, but hopefully, things are turning around. She has two job interviews this week which will pay a liveable wage, unlike the $15 an hr she is on at the moment. But hey! It's a job that has given her back some of her self esteem, even if it is not where she thought she would be at the beginning of 2020.

BristolUK

Well that might make it a bit easier then; knowing the kind of language that is used. Inside knowledge as it were.

Lion in Winter

Wtf indeed.


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...olumbine-style

It just doesn't stop. Very fortunately, this one was stopped just in time but how did it come to this?

DaveLovesDee

Not reaching...

Lion in Winter

I like David Gardner already though.

DaveLovesDee

He's good, mostly...

scrubbedexpat091

I guess I have been in Canada too long because it took me a couple minutes to figure out what they were talking about, being shot by a cop wasn't the first thing that entered my mind.

It is interesting though watching police in BC pull people over, much more relaxed in general, the cops don't rest their hand on their gun life you often see in the US and often approach from the passenger side, not always but I have noticed this more here than in the US, maybe safer in general out of the side of traffic and can see the glove compartment more clearly.

I've always put the registration in the visor, and my wallet in the cup holder, the few times I have been pulled over, I had both ready to hand over, and turn the interior light on, only negative experience I have had being pulled over in either country was the border patrol, ass wipes took all the seats out, then I had to pay for a tow home because I lacked the tools to put the seats back in and they wont, pricks.

I am not talking at the border with USCBP but the border patrol with the green uniforms, I wasn't even at the border, but like 50 miles away but they had a check point set up, they found nothing as I don't transport nor use drugs, and it cost me a fortune to tow it back to my dads as it was about 50 miles away....

Looking back I should have no (I was only 21) as they didn't have probable cause and I was stupid enough to say sure search, didn't realize they were going to rip the seats out. I'd bet anything if I said no, they would have sent me on my way.

*when crossing the border the rules are different obviously, and I accept the small risk the car might be ripped apart.*

Steerpike

They can do that?!? That's quite amazing. They are under no obligation to restore the vehicle to the condition in which they found it, having not found anything?! I have been pulled over by those guys just once. They are 'serious'. They don't smile and they are holding serious weapons. I guess you don't argue with them.

Did they insist you get the car off their property even though they broke it? I would have thought 'fixing' the car (putting the seats back in, etc) would have been cheaper than towing it!