Robin D. from San Francisco asks “I understand that marijuana (cannabis) will become legal in 2018. Some friends and I are thinking of starting a retail cannabis store. We currently own a liquor store and want to know about the new laws, so we don’t get busted for illegal distribution.”
This week’s question comes from Harriette in Marin: “I entered therapy about 5 years ago to deal with some issues involving sexual abuse as a minor. I had struggled with relationships and self esteem for years. I wanted to heal and move forward with my life to establish safe, healthy relationships. My therapist was a man who works with a large healthcare provider. He said it would be good for my process to work with a man, as that is where my trauma lay, abused by a relative who was a man. After a year my therapist and I became intimate.
First it was in the office during sessions, then it progressed to meetings outside including my home. He was married but said he would leave his wife. I thought this was good for me, I felt loved by a man who was stable. I became pregnant and am having his baby. My best friend pressured me for the name of the father.
I resisted. Then he stated that he could not be my therapist anymore and questioned my fidelity accusing me of sleeping with someone else. I was crushed. My baby will be born in two months. My friend says I need a lawyer. Am I at fault? He didn’t rape me, I guess I consented, but I feel foolish and betrayed.”
Mike B asks “What happens if during a personal injury or medical malpractice case, the plaintiff succumbs to their injuries and dies? Does it cause a new action to be filed or simply the old one to be amended? And more importantly does it affect the damages that can be recovered?”
Mike, there are many variables to this complex question, and I can only provide a general overview in response. It is not legal advice. More facts are needed. If you have suffered a loss such as this, you should consult with a trial lawyer immediately.
This week’s question comes from Lionel T. from South San Francisco who writes:
“I went shopping at a major retailer in a mall with a friend of mine. We are young and he was being uncool and he took a cheap piece of jewelry for his girl and didn’t pay for it. He walked out and the alarms went off. He took off and security chased him while another one grabbed me in front of some nearby classmates. I hadn’t done anything. I told them to let me go and they told me to come with them and led me into a back room and told me to empty my pockets. I did, and I didn’t have anything stolen on me. They then told me to call my friend and get him to come back. I said no. They told me that they would call the police and tell them that I stole something.
I said I didn’t do anything and let me go. They said no and I walked to the door and a guard stepped between me and the door. After a while they called the store manager who came in. I explained that I had nothing to do with any theft and he told the guards to let me go. I feel they did me wrong. Do I have a case?”