An employer is typically responsible when the employee was acting “within the scope of employment.“ This means the accident happened while the employee was doing their job, at the direction of their employer, and for the employer’s benefit. Common examples include making deliveries, traveling between job sites, or running a work errand. If the employee was on a personal detour or commuting directly from home to a fixed workplace, the employer usually isn’t liable. The key question is whether the trip primarily served the employer’s interests.

Landlords must make “reasonable accommodations” to rules and policies to allow a disabled person equal use of their home. They must also permit, at the tenant’s expense, “reasonable modifications” to the physical unit. For example, a landlord must allow a guide dog in a “no pets” building (accommodation) and permit a tenant to install a grab bar in the shower (modification). Newer multi-family buildings must have accessible common areas and accessible features within the units themselves.

Yes, you can often recover additional damages. These can include costs for temporary repairs, increased utility bills from the faulty system, damage to your personal property (like ruined furniture or flooring), and expenses for temporary housing if the home is uninhabitable. The goal is to financially put you back in the position you would have been in if the work had been done correctly. You generally cannot recover for purely emotional distress unless the negligence was extreme.

You can sue for malicious prosecution if government agents (like police) initiated a criminal case against you without probable cause, and with malicious intent, and the case ended in your favor. For false arrest, you must show you were detained without legal justification. These claims address the harm of being subjected to baseless legal processes. They are separate from the criminal case itself and seek compensation for the damage to your reputation, emotional distress, and legal costs.