From time to time, I volunteer pro bono legal services on a very limited basis. Basically, I provide legal advice for individuals who write in for legal advice to a nonprofit organization. It is frustrating, because many times I cannot help them, but occasionally even that limited amount does provide benefit for them. Anyway…
I have to chuckle sometimes about their typos, misspellings, and misuse of certain terms. Today, I have seen the following:
* Someone that is very frustrated said that they were at their "Whit's Inn." I have to believe that wasn't a bed-and-breakfast.
* Someone asking a probate question wanted to ask about the "diseased" person's estate. As far as I know, the person who died did so of natural causes, but was not afflicted with any particular disease.
* Someone who had some pretty good background in the law was asking about whether or not the time frame had expired for a tax to be collected. They wanted to know about the "statue" of limitations. I pictured the Statue of Liberty, holding a Internal Revenue Code, but I don't think that's the right term here (it's "statute," of course.)
* I don't really like getting real estate questions, because that's not my area, but these people are desperate and need any help they can get. Someone was asking about how to transfer property they own to their child. Of course, part of the reason I don't like getting involved in those questions is that sometimes that's a very bad idea. Could be a bad idea for income tax reasons later down the line (at least until implementation of a proposed change in the tax law); a bad idea for possible undue influence issues, and a host of other things. But in any event, they were asking about the possibility of executing a "quick" claim deed. I assume that is one that is done very fast, such that it may slip by others? Of course, what they intended to say is a "Quitclaim" deed, which provides no warranty of title to the recipient, but conveys whatever interest the grantor has in the property.
I think we've had a thread on funny misquotes before, so I apologize for starting a brand-new one. I just saw these four today and thought about this.
