Title: Can you adopt your teenaged stepchild without them noticing?

Question: Most curious if you can do this in France, but I'd like to hear about the laws in other places too.

Answer: I feel like it's a TERRIBLE idea, even if it is possible.


Title: My job docked my pay for “ going over in my gas allowance” when there was never a budget set up for It

Question: My job has been paying my gas because they asked me to work somewhere 45 miles from home. So 90 miles a day. All the sudden today my check is short $180 I call out hr and she says our boss told her to dock me because I went over in gas when we never agreed on a budget. What legal standing do I have over them for ducking my pay? New York State If It helps.

Answer:
 They can't dock your pay unless you authorise it. But they can also sack you for not authorising it.Answer #2:  [https://labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/laborstandards/workprot/payofwag.shtm](https://labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/laborstandards/workprot/payofwag.shtm)

&#x200B;

>The only legal deductions from wages are those:
>
>Required by law(Social Security contributions and income taxes)
>
>That benefit you, which you authorize in writing:
>
>Payments for insurance premiums, pension benefits, contributions to charitable organizations, U.S. bonds, union dues, and similar payments


Title: I'm 16 years old and from the UK. Something has happened to me over the past year but I can't tell me parents and I can't tell my parents or have them know anything at all. But I need to go to the police for my own safety. If I report what has happened, will the police tell my mum?

Question:
If more context is needed then I will be happy to give some. I just know that it would ruin the relationship I have with all of my family members if I tell them or they are told what has happened.

But at the same time, I really need to go to the police because I feel like my safety is at risk as long as the offending person is still free.

edit: sorry for the huge typing mistake in the initial question!

edit: thank you everyone for your kind and understanding words, i have yet to get a direct answer to my question but I couldn't be more thankful to those of you who have encouraged me to tell my parents which means that I may not need an answer to my question. thank you all so much.

Answer:
  Some resources for you. Be well.

Rape Crisis London: 0808-802-9999 https://rapecrisis.org.uk/
Sexual Assault Referral Centre-01685 379 3100 http://www.newpathways.org.uk/sexual-assault-referral-centre/
Answer #2: You want r/legaladviceUK, what happened?Answer #3: Not legal advice:

It may affect your relationship with your family but your families main concern is going to be your safety. Go to them. That's what they are there for and you may get better results with them helping you.


Title: [MD] My ex owes me over $1k on an engagement ring. He changed numbers and moved away so he wouldn't have to pay me.

Question:
I still have text conversations and Facebook messages proving that he promised to pay me back for the ring because he used my good credit score to get it. Here we are, 16 months after the fact, and I've only ever seen $35 before he moved away. He kept giving me crazy stories about moving to new apartments with higher rent or working as a truck driver and not being in town to give me the monthly payment. Now the 12-month interest free period is up and I can't afford it on my own, I'm only working roughly 20 hours a week while I'm in school and that basically just covers my groceries and gas.

Do I have a case if I have the messages and texts? Would a lawyer be able to help me find him? I know he moved to Chambersburg, PA but that's about the extent I know.

Answer:
 > Now the 12-month interest free period is up and I can't afford it on my own, I'm only working roughly 20 hours a week while I'm in school and that basically just covers my groceries and gas.

 For the time being, contact the creditor and explain the situation. Ask for a payment plan. Alternately, get another interest free card and transfer the balance.


Title: Arrived late to exam.

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 If you’re well enough to go sit at the deans office for a half hour trying to talk to someone, I can see why they think you were well enough to take a test.Answer #2: So you weren't well enough to sit an exam, but you were fine to go to the Dean's office and sit around waiting?

I sort of see why you didn't get anywhere.Answer #3: That's how college works. Sometimes you're expected to follow through with your schedule even when you're not feeling well. Answer #4: Welcome to the world of academia, where the consequences are made up and the rules don't matter! Nothing they've done is illegal, and besides appealing to someone higher in the University, you're SOL.


Title: Is it legal to record the doorway of a school bathroom?

Question:
In my school they record people going in and out of the bathrooms, as stated on a poster on the doorway.

A few people have suggested that it's to catch vandalism, but if you think about it; it records people going in, and out. Just the doorway. You cant see vandalism or a vandalizer if you just only see them walk into the bathroom. Yeah you can see the suspect but you cant catch them in the act without breaking the law (?)
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: It narrows down the possible suspects of the vandalism because they can place who was in the bathroom at the time of the vandalism.


Title: Father of my Friends Child is Threatening to Kill her

Question: I am the godmother to my best friends son. The father has been threatening that he wants to kill her and wants to punch her and that he hits their son.  She has documented recordings of the conversations as well as conversations of the father saying he will hurt himself to get her to go to jail.  What should she do? I’m really scared for her and her son. Please let me know how I can assist her.

Answer: You go straight to the police with the recordings and get a restraining order as soon as possible. If she’s scared to do it, stress that this is her child’s life on the line. Answer #2: Call the police. Bring the recordings. Assist her in providing a safe place. If your friend lives with the father, you may want to help her accessing a domestic violence shelter with her child so they stay in a safe environment.


Title: Can my parents force me to waive my FERPA rights?

Question:
I don't exactly know how FERPA works, but I think it means that they do not have the right to my grades and health records.

My parents are saying that they won't pay for school if I don't sign it. I don't want to sign it, but I still want to attend this school. So if I sign it, can I later say that I never wanted to sign it making the waiver invalid?

If not, are there other solutions to not signing the waiver but still getting my parents to pay for this school? I'm open to other ideas.

Thanks guys.

My state is NY but the school I want to attend is in NY

The school is Cornell.

Answer:
 They aren't forcing you to do anything.  If they are paying for it, they want to make sure you are passing classes.

Answer #2: This isn't exactly legal advice, sorry, but it isn't exactly unreasonable for your parents to want access to your grades if they are paying for you to attend an expensive out of state university.

Edit:  I also wanted to add that if you have something you want to hide from your parents about your medical history that can be very difficult if you are on their health insurance plan because many carriers will not prevent the person who pays for the plan from accessing info about what the insurance covered.  You might be able to just pay cash price out of pocket or seek free services if you need an STD test or something that you don't want your parents seeing.  Answer #3: I don't think this is as much a legal issue as a parental oversight issue. Regardless of the legality of the waiver, it sounds as if your parents will stop paying for school when their access to your grades is challenged.

I'm guessing you're not the first kid that they've sent to school and they are just wanting their money spent well.

I think you're fairly at their mercy if you want free school. This is a pretty good example of the saying, "Nothing is free."


Title: [FL] How can we avoid being welfare checked?

Question:
Hello y'all, my husband and I need your help.

My mother in law has been going crazier each time since my husband and I went fully no contact with her. First she tried to keep contacting him directly, then she tried through my father in law, then through his best friend (by messaging on facebook calling my husband a "dicktator") and now she and my brother in law created fake LinkedIn accounts to spy on my husband's LinkedIn profile.

We called the police trying to make a report where he asked to not be welfare checked. He briefly explained the situation and the person on the other end of the line said that there was no way that they won't check on him. That regardless of the circumstances if someone calls to do a welfare check on him, they have to do it.

How can we prevent this? We think she is going to ramp up the crazy and go through that route.
Any info or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Answer:
 You probably can't.  The police will implement their departmental policy with respect to welfare checks when called in.

It is likely that after only a very few occurrences the department will figure out what is going on and solve the situation.  When they arrive for the check, greet them, smile, tell them you're fine and what's going on, and have a laugh with the officer about it.

Edit: typo


Title: [CA]Bank says I'm liable for payments to mortgage I cosigned even if house in question has been auctioned by the government.

Question:
I cosigned a mortgage for my son because he didn't have a good enough credit score to buy a house.

In October 2018 he was attacked by two assailants outside a bar, which put him in a vegetative state, which he still is in. The case is still open, and we're in constant communication with the detective.

He had a messy divorce a few months prior with his abusive ex-wife, anyway, she sued for custody of the children then sued for child support and lack of alimony payments, because of which the California Child Support Services took his house as lien and eventually auctioned it off.

The bank was unable to get the full mortgage amount and they have set a collection agency to pursue
 me for the money, since I had cosigned. Are they legally allowed to do that or are they trying to push me into giving the money? I am aware that if I make a single payment I'll definitely be liable for the entire amount, since I've accepted the role of payer.

Answer: Yes. If the house sold for less then was left on the note, the remainder money is still owed . It doesn't just disappear. The bank paid it and they want their money back


Title: Dealership repossessed my car (incorrectly) by using our other car to get into the garage. Is this legal?

Question:
Background: My wife and I live in Wisconsin but have been in Canada for two months due to her parents being in an accident.  Shortly after arriving, my debit card was marked for fraud because we were making charges in Canada.  They said we could only sort it out by going to a branch (in the US) so we started using my wife's account at another bank for our payments. I called the car dealer four days before my next payment was owed (which normally was done automatically every month on auto-pay) and gave them the info to switch it to over the phone, and asked for it to be set up for auto-pay and remove the old account for now.  They agreed, read everything back, everything was good.

It turns out that their system was down at the time, so they just wrote down my information to put in later. When they put it in later, they applied the payment to the wrong car: we have one car that was paid off 2 months ago, and one car that has 11 months left. They applied it to the car that was already paid off, but for the amount of the other car. That led them to just issue a refund check sent to our house, and we're not there, so we didn't know anything was wrong.

Meanwhile, my mom is staying at our house with our dogs and our paid off car is parked on the street so she can park her car in the garage.  Our car that we still owe on was in the garage.

Since payments were not being made toward the car we owe on, they came after two payments to repossess it. Since it was in the garage, they got into our paid off car (parked on the street) to get to the garage door opener that was attached to the visor.  They opened the garage, went in and got the car we owe on out.

For that paid off car, we finalized and got paperwork for two months ago, so they no longer have any relationship to it; we own and have the title. So I am wary of them having the legal right to access it.

Since then: My mom found the car was missing.  Long story short, we figured out it was the dealer, got in touch with them, they talked to the person we had talked to about our account info, she figured out her mistake.  They apologized emphatically for reposessing it and delivered it back to our house. They are offering to make amends by offering us free oil changes and cleanings.

To top it all off, since they claimed they sent us notices, we asked my mom to go through the mail (she was opening important stuff and leaving the junk for us).  They sent payment notices and refund checks in envelopes that said "Your [dealer] newsletter and offers enclosed!"  Mom thought nothing of it, and they didn't try to contact us by phone or email.  They said we "should have" gotten calls on two dates, but when we said we had no record of it with our provider they looked into it and determined the person who should have called us was on vacation.

We are planning to pay off the car in full as soon as we return.  However, we are wondering if it was legal for them to get into our other car to open our garage, since we now own that other car in full and everything was finalized months ago?  If it is not legal, is there some authority we can file a complaint with?

Answer:
 Sure, call the police and see if they will charge the driver that repossessed your car with trespass for entering your other vehicle.

It may be difficult to prove that he entered that vehicle and the police department may also take into account the fact that he believed he was lawfully repossessing a vehicle.

Source: I'm a copAnswer #2: I would also make sure to check your credit (I usually pull one credit report at a time with four months in between each pull so I can monitor my credit more actively while still only getting the free reports) to make sure this doesn't end up hurting you there.  Perhaps they will pull any reports they have made about you missing payments, but you want to make sure that's not a nasty surprise for you to deal with later on.Answer #3: NAL but don't leave the garage door opener on your visor.  It's very easy for someone to break into that car to get access to your home.   Using stolen garage door openers is a common way for thieves to get into a house.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/garage-door-remotes-tops-on-a-burglars-list-042215.html


Title: 2 people painted parking lines completely wrong. Refuses to remove or refund. Blocked my calls, and do not answer emails. What can I do?

Question:
Hello all and thank you so much if you took the time to read this.

Two days ago I hired a "company" off Craiglist (yes, I understand this was a problem) to stripe my driveway. Basically paint the lines for parking cars and symbols for handicap spot/etc.

I had city approved site plans with complete dimensions for them to follow. When they arrived, I gave them the set of plans, reviewed a few times what exactly needed to be done, how important it was that the dimensions were perfect (as the city would want them) and they went after it.

I paid them $360 cash prior to it being finished (another error).

Once they left, I reviewed the work and saw that every single spot was the wrong dimension. Not uniform same wrong dimension, but just random sizes with wavy lines. Completely wrong (for instance if it was suppose to be 8 feet wide it would be 10.2 feet wide on one spot and 9.6 feet wide on another).

I called them immediately and they said they come back and fix it that night. Which would be very difficult, as there is now random paint all over our driveway. THey mentioned at the time that it might be impossible to get up the paint. Which would be needed to re-stripe the lines.

They never showed up. They said they would be by this morning to refund my cash. They never did that and now they have blocked my 2 numbers.

I am left in a worse position than where I started because I have paint that can't come up, randomly all over my driveway, that needs to be take up (which will cost $$$), then I have to get the lines down as they should have been.

What are my options? I have their cell #, a flimsy business card, their names, their license plate # (they seemed sketchy so I got this).

Do I call the police? Pay for removal and take to small claims court?

Any advice would be amazing

EDIT: This is in Austin, TX

**If it is clear that it is a small-claims court issue, how could that apply to this situation. I read on the small claims website that**
>"Small claims parties can only recover money. The court has no authority to issue an injunctive or equitable award."

Does that mean I can't recover the funds it would take to fix the mistake. Meaning, take the paint off?

http://smallclaimscourthouse.com/texas/travis-county/

**

Answer:
 This is a civil matter, police won't help you.  If you have the name of the company, small claims is your friend.

(And if you don't, consider this a $360 lesson why one should never hire "Forest Whitaker Painting Co.")Answer #2: I don't do legal but can help with the stripes. Rent a pressure washer and use the yellow tip (15 degree) to remove the paint. Let it dry then use a chalk box with red chalk to pop your first line. This will determine the rest of your measurements. Mark and pop these lines. Run blue painters tape to mask each side of your stripes. Buy a 3" roller/tray/cover set. Home Depot has striping paint in yellow for regular and blue for handicap. Estimated cost for everything is $100.


Title: Girlfriend took a fall at work, had a concussion, her line manager let a complete stranger give her a lift back to the school they work at (based in the UK)

Question:
Standard mobile apology.

I’ll refer to my partner as K

Her line manager as L

And the stranger as S

As the title says, my partner works at a private boarding school in the UK. During her weekend taking care of the kids they went to an ice rink, where she fell over supporting a child and badly hit her head. As we found out later she had a severe concussion and the fall instigated an anxiety attack meaning she definitely wasn’t in her right mind at the time.

L was the most senior teacher on site didn’t provide any sort of first aid to K during the commotion. A woman whom K had chatted to previously say the situation and she offered K a lift back to the school.

Thankfully S was not a bad person and didn’t take advantage of K during the lift back to school.

Once K was back at the school she was left alone, after a sever head injury and only after texting me of the situation and calling our non emergency number at my request did we find out the severity of the situation. Essentially the medic in the phone said to either get a taxi the A&E immediately or he would send for an ambulance. She got a taxi in and a couple of weeks off work.

But I’m deeply concerned about the way they handled the situation, not only because of the lack of first aid from the designated first aider L herself. But the severe risk put to K by sending her away, delirious and vulnerable, with a complete stranger.

Im not sure where to go from here, we both belong to a teachers union but we haven’t contacted them about the situation yet.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I’ll admit this is my first time experiencing something like this.

Answer: NAL but used to be a health and safety person for my teachers union in Canada. Contact your union as this school seems like they have no planning done what some ever. The union knowing UK laws will direct you to the proper process and should try to resolve all issues. This is not something you should just let go as your gf was in big danger and should have been taken to the hospital right away.


Title: Just found out my wife is entitled to a inheritance

Question:
[CT] So about three year my wife grandfather died, and just last year, her grandmother died as well. We were told by a family member who is also the Executor of the will that everything was left to them. Yesterday, we got a email from the family letter asking us to confirm that we giving up rights to the estate. This was quite a surprise to us, as we were told everything was going to them, and we were not entitled to anything. We contacted the Attorney and found out we are entitled to half of the entire estate!

My question now is, where do we go from here? How do we make sure we give half of the assets? How do we know what assets there was?
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer: Assuming you believe there are assets, it's time to hire a lawyer.  Don't agree to anything without your lawyer's advice.Answer #2: Approximately how much is it if you know?  The executor will be able to provide an accounting of everything.Answer #3: Hire your own probate lawyer if you think there are enough assets to justify it.  They can look into the executor's accounting and behavior and make sure you aren't being screwed.  Depending on the complexity of the estate they could also recommend hiring an accountant to double check everything.Answer #4: If the executor was lying about the contents of the will isn't that ground to have them removed?Answer #5: You need a lawyer. Generally there needs to be an accounting of the estate's proceeds sent to the surrogate court, which is public record you can view. In NY, A petition can be made directly to the surrogate court. If there are considerable assets at stake, the executor could be removed for breach of fiduciary duty. But that's a tough road and a high bar to prove, that takes time and money to litigate.


Title: Assistant manager googled doctors name on my medical excuse note and is now spreading rumors.

Question:
Sorry for the format I’m on mobile.

So a few weeks ago I was in psychiatric ward for my mental illnesses and the person I gave the excuse to is the assistant manager (AM). Well today a coworker told me that said AM googled the doctor on my note (the note was very generic only said where I was fro the dates I was missing and had a doctors name) and figured out that he’s a psychiatrist at the mental hospital and she is telling everyone where I was and that I’m crazy. I also found out that the day I went to the hospital she said she was going “investigate” to make sure I was really in the hospital. I’ve already gone up the chain of command and notified them about what’s but goof but I’m wondering if there is any legal route I can take considering she breached my privacy by googling the doctors name and by telling everyone information that she herself shouldn’t have known?

Answer:
 Breaching your privacy is not illegal, but harassing you about your disability is absolutely illegal.

Document everything you have done so far with going up the chain of command. If it doesn’t change, file a complaint with EEOC and speak to an employment lawyer.


Title: [ON, Canada] If a dog or a child ate poisonous berries that were on my property (front lawn), would I be legally liable for what would happen to them?

Question:
There were some poisonous berries on our property that we recently removed, but I was wondering whether or not I would be at fault if someone's dog or child came onto our property and ate them. This is only theoretical, luckily no one ate them while we still had them on our property, but I was wondering what would happen if we did and someone did eat them.

EDIT: Not sure what to tag this, so if anyone could tell me that would be great.

Answer: Yes, most definitely, you **could** be held liable (maybe partially, maybe full) but it's very fact and location dependant. There's no way for us to speculate. But yes, people have been held liable for in this type of scenario.


Title: [ON] Landlord’s spouse is trying to move in with us

Question:
Our landlord’s spouse has unexpectedly moved into a vacant room on the property without notice. We are uncomfortable with his presence on the property, and it was not negotiated into our leases. This is a residential dwelling shared by three students an seperate fixed-term leases, one ending in three weeks, one in four weeks, and one at the end of December. Our landlord has cut all contact with us on the matter, claiming that her spouse is now the sole landlord, despite her name being the only one on the lease. I do not know who the owner of the house is. He is claiming that he is here to do renos on the empty room, but he is only there outside of the hours for legal entry, and spends all night in the room. He has not given a timeframe for these “renos”. He pointed to the fact that our leases state that the bedrooms are the rental units, and the rest of the property is shared space, and claims that he therefore has full access to the shared space under all circumstances, however, the lease did not mention that this space could be shared by the landlord and family. I also know that sharing the space with the landlord and family means we lose protection under the RTA. We intend to speak to legal services, but cannot do so until the work week. While I do not feel like I am in immediate danger, there was an instance where one of the girls called him in the evening about repairs, and he became very angry and aggressive with her, and I do not want to furthur antagonize him. He also decided to park outside the property with his car to blast music outside my room, singing along loudly, until the girl above me asked him to stop.

Edit: ON means Ontario

Answer:
 If the rooms were all rented separately, you really don't have a lot of control over who moves into the other rooms.

However, if your landlord was hoping that this would mean _your_ tenancy no longer falls under the Residential Tenancies Act because you now share a kitchen with the owner, they're in for a rude surprise: the Landlord and Tenant Board generally considers that a tenancy begun under the Act remains under the Act even if it later meets one of the section 5 exceptions.

Take your landlord at his word that his wife is now representing him. Pay your rent to her as directed, and keep receipts. If he's harassing you in your room or in the common areas, or disrupting your use of the property with noise or other noxious behaviour, petition the Landlord and Tenant Board for an order that he cease, but otherwise treat him like any other roommate.Answer #2: I'm not familiar with Ontario tenant law but I think it's going to come down to exactly what your leases say. From the fact that you said they end at different times, I'm guessing that the "landlord" is correct about you only renting a room in the house so he would be free to move into an empty room if he wants. On the other hand, if your lease is for *the house*, then he can't just move himself in and must give proper notice before coming by, etc.


Title: Gender discrimination in IT field

Question:
Hi /r/legaladvice,

I have been working at my job for some years, and the company has slowly started to create programs centered around attracting Women to IT. I didn't pay any attention to this, till it has started to negatively effect me and my colleagues who have worked tirelessly and see others gain advantages based on gender. The question I have, my company has a few programs designed for ONLY women, to offer training and guarantee promotions + possible management positions. When I checked [https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/practices/](https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/practices/) it was very clear that this is against the law. I fear that if I bring this up, I may be fired due to how aggressive they are pushing these programs. (The CTO has sent mass emails about these several times to our entire company).

&#x200B;

Am I right, that this is against US law? What course of action do I and others have about this?

Answer:
 Whether you're right depends on the content of these programs. If they really are offering 'guaranteed' promotions, that would cross the line, but most such programs are not designed to artificially advance women, but rather to correct for the disadvantages they otherwise face.

You can open a complaint with the EEOC, or consult an employment attorney, but yes, you could face employment consequences for making enough fuss about this.


Title: Bought a car - just got a letter of credit denial for a loan 2 weeks later. [Mississippi]

Question:
Context: First car, brand new. About 2 weeks after getting it, get a letter saying a loan was declined. First payment was not supposed to be until next month. Need to know my options if they lied to me about being set up on financing.

On June 10th, I went into a car dealership and talked for a few hours about the cars there. We got me set up in a brand new car, but I wanted to wait overnight to sleep on it. On June 11th, I drove the car off the lot, down payment made. Within a week, I had my tags and insurance, costing me a good bit.

Today I received a letter in the mail stating that my financing for a motor vehicle, submitted by the dealership, was declined. Now, I'm not sure if this is one of the financing options they looked at and declined, or if this is the actual loan on my car and they lied when they said everything was set up and ready to go.

If this turns out to be the actual loan on the car, and they lied about it, what are my options for getting reimbursed?

I have not yet talked to the dealership, because a review posted RIGHT after I bought my car had a similar situation, and when she confronted them about it, they tried to strong arm her into signing a new contract with increased payments. I want to know my options and know if I'm getting all excited over something easily fixed.

Answer:
 You may want to try applying for a car loan at a credit union. Rates are usually good and you may have some opportunity to convince them why you would be a good risk.

It may turn out that this is more car than you can afford.


Title: [Florida] My Ex is threatening to “make me famous” in my home country [Northern Ireland] by publishing sexual videos/pictures online.

Question: I have his threats documented on Email, i do not know wether to contact law enforcement in USA or UK. Or if the law will be able to do anything as he is overseas. He has been torturing me for months, i feel unsafe in Florida. i have him blocked on every method of communication possible. I am currently in UK and he is in Florida. I am very concerned as he has previously done this with another girl but she did not contact the police. All advice would be appreciated.

Answer:
 Revenge porn is a crime in florida, and in fact his statements are likely to help overcome one of the major weaknesses in Florida's law, mainly the requirement to prove it was posted with the intent to harm you.

Some info https://www.wptv.com/longform/floridas-revenge-porn-law-is-it-working

And one other oddity in florida there is not a 'state police ' which nearly all other states have in one form or another.  Do you know what County or city he lives in, the county sheriff's office would be the ideal agency to report him to.

If you know the city/town but not the county here is an official reference.  http://www.stateofflorida.com/cities-with-county.aspxAnswer #2: INAL, but under Florida's sexual cyberharassment law, it can be a crime to post nonconsensual pornography or sexually explicit images of another without consent.  Regarding NI, revenge porn was criminalised in 2016, and carries a penalty of up to two years in prison.

From what I've read it is very unlikely that NI authorities would be able to do much about a crime being committed in the US, so I would advise contacting police at his location immediately, creating a paper trail of these threats (especially if he is asking you for money or property, or to do/not do something 'or else', as that is extortion).

On a more personal note, I am really sorry you're going through this.


Title: (WI) Just signed a lease with my girlfriend. 24 hours later, she admits she cheated on me - how can I get out of this?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Contact the leasing office and ask to be let out of the lease. They’re not obligated to do so, but with this much time before the lease actually begins they may be willing to work with you.


Title: Accidentally broke hole in hotel room wall

Question:
I’m in Illinois, USA

My friends and I were fucking around and one of us fell and broke a hole in the wall, and now we have no idea what to do

Answer: Call the front desk, report the damage and pay the fees associated with it. It’s called being an adult. You have no legal question presented. Confront the issue now; the hotel will end up charging you either way.


Title: Management pushing me to mediation with coworker whom I filed a sexual harassment complaint against.

Question:
In a nutshell, a new employee started work in my department 3 months ago. From day 1 he was abrasive, invasive and offensive. I shared a two person office with him. He frequently used profanity for no reason (or possibly because he liked testing boundaries/seeing ladies be flustered) - things like loudly using Mother F*er in common spaces, calling his wife a "real c*nt when she's on the rag" etc. all in his first few days of employment. We all hoped his behavior would calm down and he would acclimate, but it kept getting worse/more frequent/more public. The final straw for me was when he grabbed and held his genitals in his hand (over his pants) for a solid minute while talking with me about waterproofing his basement. Like Michael Jackson without the pelvic thrusting. Like he was cupping a little bird in his hand, except the bird was his penis. This is not normal behavior, and in light of his other language and behavior I was pretty certain that he was sexual-boundary testing because he is titilated by acting inappropriately in front of ladies.

I thought he was beyond redemption and filed a formal complaint with my management, with the idea that as a probationary employee 7 weeks in already displaying this behavior, we should all just cut our losses and move on.

Management disagreed, and they separated is and asked him to watch the language and please not grab his junk at work where people can see him.

So I am upset that I stuck my neck out for no reason, but also ready to just forget it and move on as I do like my job otherwise and just want to get back to normal.

However, our head administrator is pushing me to mediate with this person. I have already declined mediation and she brought it up again today. I don't see the point, as this is just a personality conflict. Also I worry that he would further get his jollies by hearing me describe his behavior and how it effected me. And he is probably pushing for mediation to either further see what he can get away with or just make himself feel better about his terrible behavior. I can't see anything in this for me other than more stress.

Fwiw, I've already agreed to be cordial and not interfere with his ability to be successful at his job. I'll just avoid him and be polite but distant when I can't.

So, should I reconsider and participate in this mediation? Is there something I'm missing here, or am I right that there's nothing to mediate?

Edit: I'm a federal employee in the US.

Answer: They can't force you to mediate. I would ask that they put in writing that they want you to mediate and what they hope will be accomplished. If you want, but don't feel required to, I would submit in writing a statement that you do not have a personal disagreement with the fellow but a professional one in that his behavior is inappropriate for a workplace/professional environment and it seems they agree some corrective action needs to be taken.


Title: Dealership sold me a car in an accident after telling me otherwise(md/va)

Question: Back in June, I bought a 2015 Dodge Challenger. I thought I was getting a good deal on it. Clean car fax, 20k, decent condition. The dealership told me it was "never in an accident" and I have a text message from the salesman saying exactly that. I tried to trade it in the other day, and SURPRISE! An accident showed up on the carfax. "Disabling damage" reported in March. My trade in was only worth 14k, as opposed to the 21k I paid to put it on the road. Is there any legal recourse k can take for misrepresentation or am I up a creek without a paddle? I live in MD and bought the car in VA.

Answer: Do you think they falsified the carfax?


Title: Bought a gift certificate to a spa for my wife and it's "expired" so they refuse to honor it. What can I do?

Question:
Long story short, I bought a $300 spa day for my wife for Christmas back in 2015. We misplaced it in a move last year so it "expired" and they are refusing the certificate. Now my understanding is that gift certificates and gift cards that are paid for up front cannot actually expire because the service was pre paid. What kind of legal action can I take to get my money back or the certificate honored?

Edit: forgot to mention I am in North Carolina.

Answer:
 Federally:

>*...thanks to the federal Credit CARD Act of 2009, gift certificates issued after August 22, 2010 cannot expire for five years. However, gift card issuers can still charge an "inactivity fee" if the card has not been used within twelve months.*

[Source.](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/question-legal-gift-certificates-expire-27997.html)
Answer #2: Looks like you might be able to still use the card or certificate depending what's printed on it

N.C. Gen. Stat. §116B-53(c)(8)
Any gift certificate or electronic gift card bearing an expiration date and remaining unredeemed or dormant for more than three years after the gift certificate or electronic gift card was sold is deemed abandoned. The amount abandoned is deemed to be 60 percent of the unredeemed portion of the face value of the gift certificate or the electronic gift card.

N.C. Gen. Stat. §116B-54(b)
A gift certificate or electronic gift card is not abandoned property when the gift certificate or electronic gift card: (1) Conspicuously states that the gift certificate or electronic gift card does not expire; (2) Bears no expiration date; or (3) States that a date of expiration printed on the gift certificate or electronic gift card is not applicable in North Carolina.


Title: Grandma moved into an assisted living facility Saturday. Now they want to change the terms of the lease. I'm pretty sure this isn't legal?

Question:
My Grandmother moved into an assisted living facility on Saturday. All the paperwork was signed and checks were written. I don't have the lease on me at the moment as I'm two hours away and it's heavily snowing. But we privately paid for a one bedroom apartment for a month at $5,875. She will be going on Medical Assistance through the state next month. Rent just for the apartment is $4,700.

The managers there called me today and said they want to move another person into her room tomorrow. I'm not happy about this as we've already paid and set up her room with all of her furniture. I'm fairly certain this isn't legal since we're currently privately paying and have the signed lease. They will only lower the rent by $1,000 instead of by half. The person who runs the place is supposed to call me in a bit and I just want to make sure I'm on solid ground before I refuse.

Thanks for any advice.

Edit: This is in Minnesota

Update: After 6 hours and several phone calls I finally was able to contact the director. She said that for some reason they had on file that Grandma was already on MA instead of private pay and that another resident moving in with her would not be moving forward.

Thanks for all the responses.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 They can't unilaterally change the terms of the lease -they have to wait until the end of the lease.
Read your lease-does it permit them to add another person to the room? Answer #2: You need to read the lease.  Anybody providing you other advise based on what you have posted should be ignored.


Title: Got into a minor car accident. Who is at fault?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 Why are you driving without insurance?

Either way, no one here can tell you who is at fault because we weren't there and we don't know all of the facts. It's quite possible that both of you share some of the fault but again, we can't possibly guess. Normally, you'd let the insurance companies deal with this, but since you weren't insured her insurance company will make their own determination, then sue you if they think you have any fault here. You will need to either defend yourself or hire a lawyer to handle your case for you when it comes to that. You can also be proactive and hire a lawyer now, then sue her if you believe she is at fault. No one can tell you whether or not such a suit will be successful though.


Title: I think I got herpes at a student dental clinic.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >  I got the cold sore literally the same day,

It takes a minimum of 2 days for a cold sore to appear after exposure. So it wasn't the dentist. Not much to do about it really other then wait it out. Avoid oral sex though as it can be transferred to the genitals.


Title: The superhero Shazam and age of consent laws (What would happen if Shazam had sex in terms of legal consequences?)

Question:
So for those unfamiliar, Shazam is a superhero that is actually a kid (let's say he is 13). By saying the word "Shazam", he turns into an adult man but his mental state is still unaltered and he's technically still just 13.

So let's say Shazam in his adult form decided to have sex with an adult woman? Could the adult woman theoretically be charged with statutory rape?

Or let's say Shazam in his adult form had sex with a girl the same age as his real form (13 years old). Would he have committed statutory rape?

Answer: Didn't this also happen in "Big" when 12 year-old, but adult-ified, Tom Hanks slept with Elizabeth Perkins?


Title: (TX) My dad plans on leaving me the house, not his wife. What else do I need to prepare?

Question:
I (27/F) live in Houston  (unincorporated Harris County.) My dad and his wife have a difficult relationship. In the event that he passes, he wants the house to go to me and not her. We've already filed a Quitclaim Deed, he thinks that's all he needs to cover our bases.

I'm not too convinced, especially since he refused to answer my question about whether he consulted anyone. Anyway, I recently heard a story of a similar situation where the husband died and the kids were trying to claim the property but couldn't because the wife (widow) still lived there and couldn't be forced out of the house until the widow remarried or passed away.

If that's the case, I'm wondering if I could possibly be held liable for payments, mortgage, etc., all the while not even having an option to sell the house? I guess I'm really wondering what I've gotten myself into with this deed and if I should consider consulting an attorney just to know what to expect if that day comes sooner than later.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 Did your dad own the house before he was married? Was it paid in full or still mortgaged?Answer #2: A quitclaim deed was already recorded transferring ownership from him to you?

Was she on the deed before? Was the house bought before marriage? How long have they been married for?


Title: Found out my boss is lying about his age and being a Vietnam Veteran. What should I do in this situation? If I ignore this, will I get in trouble?

Question:
My boss always wears a Vietnam Veteran hat, always talks about his time in Vietnam, and uses it as sales leverage.

Then, I had to make a copy of his drivers license for a contract and saw that he was born in 1963. The Vietnam War ended when he was 12. There's no way he could have been in that war. He acts/looks like he's about 10 years older, which is why everyone thought that was plausible.

If I know the truth and allow him to keep lying to everyone (especially to clients who are actual Vietnam veterans), can I get in legal trouble? How should I report this? I don't think its right to just ignore this situation. I'm also currently looking for a new job as I can't trust him (also frequent late paychecks).

Thanks!

Answer:
 You are under no obligation to counter his untruths.Answer #2: It's called stolen valor.
You don't have to do anything he will get caught in a lie eventually


Title: I was sexually assaulted/raped a year ago

Question: I am a male and the perpetrator is also a male. He was a friend I shouldn't have trusted. One night me and a handful of friends got together for a movie night at my friends place who lived a few stories below me. We all drank beer and at one point a few of us did a small amount of ketamine. Real stupid I know. It was a small amount of K but enough beer to send me up to my room with my close friend and said perpetrator. I trusted him at this point. I would find myself over the toilet with them with me for support as I puked guts. I was also crying about how alone I felt due to a recent break up and I said I didnt want to be alone. After I finished, my best friend slept in the other room and I told the perpetrator he could sleep in my couch, as my roommate was out of town. Now not surprisingly, the drug combo had put me into a comatose state which I probably would have slept through if the perpetrator hadn't came, uninvited, into my room and bed. I was unable to speak or move and wouldnt say a word or move a muscle on my own. He weasels his way into my bed and pulls my arm around him and puts me on my side in a spooning position. Now details here are fuzzy but there are facts I'm certain of. This "spooning" went on for some time and I believe he may have said words but with no response from me. I am sure that he was aware of the state I was in as he had full control of my movements and body positions. I was awake and remember parts of it but at one point her would move his hand into my pants. Eventually, he would work his way down and start attempting to give oral. I was maybe semi erect semi flaccid and he may have attempted to go at it for 5 minutes before stopping and realizing that I wasnt going to get more erect and he eventually went back to the couch. He would come back in to do the spooning thing again before returning to his room by morning. Now I know this guy, not a great character, but in his head, I'm sure that me crying over the toilet saying I didnt want to be alone was his invitation into my room. But that was not the case. I'm embarrassed to say in retrospect, as it seems like I should have known this was coming, but he has very intentionally tried to get me to agree to letting him give me oral a handful of times in the past which I returned each time with a very stern no. He was a flirt and had "been around" in the friend group so I dismissed it and kept our friendship as usual, thinking that he'd respect the stern no. He took this opportunity to take advantage of me. It's been a year and it keeps me up at night. I wanted to forget it and put it in the past but I really want him to pay consequences and not have more victims. I am convinced that I can get him to confess over facebook messenger as I really dont think he thinks he did anything wrong. That would be the only hard evidence I have other than my best friend who was in the other room and would hear my story come morning. My best friend knows the perpetrator as well as I did and may be able to provide a testimony on the perpetrator's character to reinforce the story. If I get a confession in the form of me attempting to rekindle our friendship on the account that he admit what he did and what he did was wrong, would that hold up in court?

Answer: Just so you know, being raped by a man does not make you gay, even if your body had a biological response. Contact RAINN, they have great resources. I'm sorry this happened.


Title: CO: Is it legal for my employer to tax my tips in large lump sums because they submitted them late instead of with the payroll they belonged to?

Question:
I live in Denver and work for an independently owned coffee shop. The owners use a personal CPA and a private payroller to keep track of finances. It was announced in March that we would have to personally keep track and submit our daily tip amounts to the owners, so that they would be submitted with payroll and taxed accordingly.

Last week I received a startlingly low check and reached out to the owners to ask whether or not this was a payroll mistake. They said that they were not sure, but that they would cut me a personal check for the hours not accounted for before they left for their vacation. They did, but today they sent out an email to all employees that says this:

"Unfortunately because we now have to declare all of our tips, your paychecks will now reflect that. The previous pay period was actually correct. They didn't let us know they were going to do this on that pay period, otherwise we would have warned you.
You are now being taxed on how much you make in tips. But, because I did not send them the tip summary with every pay period it is now being taken out in a large sum. I am so sorry for this inconvenience.
From now on it will be sent with payroll every time. Unfortunately, for now we have to play catch up. So, your check this pay period also reflects this. (My Name), because we thought your check was wrong, and they were actually correct, those amounts will be taken out of your next 2 paychecks. I know this sucks and sounds unfair, but it is correct."

My first question is: is this legal for them to do? And if not, do I have any reasonable recourse?

Second: If I were to quit now, would I still be on the hook for these past tip-taxes when I file my return next year?

Thanks for any help or advice, I feel pretty lost in this at the moment!

Answer: It's not unfair, you should be declaring tips as it is.


Title: Family member killed at the hospital due to medication they were given. What can I do?

Question: [removed]

Answer: How did they come by this information, seven years later?


Title: Our mortgage doubled this month and it’s not our fault

Question: We bought our house on Jan 31 2016, so last year basically. When we bought the house, it was 238,000 and now appraised for 258,000 (yeah we live in the STICKS.) We had put down a significant down payment because of the house I sold in a larger more affluent area/state, and expected a low monthly payment (it came to around $700/m). Suddenly this month, after a year and a half living here, our mortgage payment more than doubled. My husband is a spec ed teacher and I have been a freelance designer for 10 years, and we can’t afford that! We were so careful buying this house, knowing the payment would be lower than what I paid on my old house for years, but they out of no where raised it to double. And it’s way more expensive and less awesome than my old house. We will lose our house and be homeless if they do this. We called the mortgage company, they blamed property tax. So we called the county assessor, and they said our property taxes only increased by around $600. Wtf? We called our mortgage company back and they said April of 2017, (we bought the house officially on Dec 31 2016), the property tax reduced from around $3100 to $400. We never received this info and never paid less to our mortgage company! No credits, no hint something was weird. So where did all that extra money go, and do they really have the power to take our home, even though we just kept paying what we were supposed to pay all this time?

Answer:
 So get back on the phone with them and get them to do an ELI5.

You're either paying tax/insurance into an escrow account (which should then be showing that balance and what's going on) or you should be owed money by your mortgage company.

If your tax rates went up they went up. Since you have a ton of equity in the home you could also look into a refi to stretch out and lower your payments. Answer #2: Ask your mortgage provider for a statement of your escrow account.

Your lender is allowed to keep a buffer of 2x rent in your escrow account.

This is PROBABLY a one-time thing: your escrow account didn't have enough money in it to provide that buffer, so they charged you enough to create that buffer.

Also, check to see if your homeowner's insurance has increased -- that's the other thing that your escrow typically goes toward.

And, finally, do you have an adjustable rate mortgage?  If you do, it may be that it adjusted.


Title: Got scammed selling Bitcoins. Help?

Question:
I have a chequing account with CIBC (Canadian bank). I have been using my account to send and receive large amounts of money over Interac E-Transfer, for purchasing and selling Bitcoin on LocalBitcoins.

I got a call from the bank today telling me my account was being investigated for fraud. Apparently someone had sent me an E-Transfer from a stolen account. I was told not to spend any of the money I had received, in case I have to pay it back.

Although this is clearly unethical, is there anything bad that will happen to me if I withdraw all my money, close my account, and go to a new bank?

My reasons for doing this include:

1. I already spent most of the potentially fraudulent funds
2. My E-Transfer privelidges have been revoked. They won't tell me why, although I'd assume it's because I was using e-Transfers for business purposes instead of personal purposes.
3. There is a 0% chance I will get my Bitcoin back even if I do come up with the money to pay back the amount owed.

Any advice?

EDIT: I'm 16 years old and the amount under investigation is $2000 CAD/$1600 USD

Answer:
 The bank will come after you for that money. Closing the account won't stop that.

Time to talk to your parents about this


Title: can a organization sign a kid to play fortnite

Question: Hi im a fortnite player and ive been training a lot to work on my career. Im planning to play the online fortnite tournament  soons and if i do good i wonder if a org can sign me or if i get paid. I live in PA

Answer:
 A minor cannot enter a legal agreement.  Their guardian signature is required.  You can be signed but your parents will have to sign.

If an organization tells you it's not required they are wrong.  It's only legally binding if your parents/guardian signs for you.  Answer #2: Yes to both, but you'll want your parents to handle this and talk to an attorney to both protect your rights and do it properly, but also to manage your winnings and pay until you reach the age of majority.


Title: My Family is in Crisis, Unfair Texas Child Support System

Question:
Hi, I am desperately seeking help.

I am married and we have a 2 year old daughter.
My husband has 2 separate child support cases with over $65,000 in arrears combined. There are 2 adult children from the first case, and a 13 or 14 year old in the second. He hasn't had a modification since 2012 when he had a job that paid way more than his current job.
He lost that job in 2012, was homeless and no job for 3 1/2 years and even tried college but dropped out since he was homeless. While homeless, his other children and ex wives did not suffer at all.
Now more than half of each of his paychecks are being taken away.
He takes home $570 every 2 weeks, barely covers rent alone.

We have been living in Austin, TX for a little more than a year, his current job brought us here. My job was a contract that lasted a year and ended on July 27th, my last check was a week later. Right now our daughter is with my mom in another city in Texas almost 300 miles away so I can look for jobs and go to interviews. We can't afford food/rent/childcare/other bills. Our 1 bedroom apt bill ends up costing $1100. We have a near empty kitchen, and we don't qualify for food stamps.

No office of attorney general is willing to help since he has an attorney. They say it will take at least 6 months without an attorney. We first asked his attorney to help over 2 years ago and again in the past couple weeks, no word from him since then. He is a semi retired attorney helping us out pro bono. I'm not sure if anything will get done in time, or ever.

I feel like my daughter is being let down by the state of Texas and Office of the Attorney General.
She needs her parents and she cries for her Daddy, and we need to be able to buy food for us all to eat. :'(

We don't know what to do or who to ask for help. No way we can afford an attorney. We think we are going to lose our apartment the end of this month. I filed for unemployment, but it won't come in time for rent and utilities.
I even tried contacting my state representative.

My daughter needs representation, she is the one most affected by all this. Can anyone help us? Please

Answer:
 I am unsure if your complaint.

Your husband's had four prior children that he was/is court ordered to pay to assist in supporting. All children have a legal right to financial support from both parents.

Back in 2012 he could have requested a modification but didn't. But he still would have owed something to support his children.

He should get a second third or fourth job to pay his debts


Title: Failure to Yield to Pedestrian in Crosswalk Interpretation

Question:
I was turing left onto a 2 lane road, and the pedestrian was 80% across, and clearly out of the lane I was turning into. I was cited under CA Vehicle Code 21950 (a) for failing to yield.

"21950.  (a) The driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk or within any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection, except as otherwise provided in this chapter."

To me the key words are yield and right-of-way. Simply put, that means "give priority" (to the pedestrians to cross the road). Which, to me, I did, since I did not hit them or cause them to react to my vehicle in any way, and the they continued to cross uninterrupted.

Some people (cops) say that pedestrians have the whole crosswalk. I do not see that explicitly stated. If someone is crossing an 8 lane road, and it in lane 7, almost across, it doesn't make sense for the person turning right into lane 1 to be prohibited from making the turn. It doesn't seem like that is the true intention of the law.

I'm curious to get some input into this from a legal perspective.

Answer:
 I disagree. Your interpretation is skewed by you to justify what you did. Scenario: You're at a stop sign and another car is adjacent to you. That car crosses first. Right-of-way doesn't mean you just wait for the car to get out of the lane crossing Right-of-way means you wait till the car completely crosses and then you can cross.

I know in real life, we rarely wait. And police rarely enforce the technicalities of the law. But technically, you failed to yield. The right-of-way doesn't just refer to a specific section of road. It refers to the entire section until the crossing is **complete**. If you want to fight it, you can try. But it's likely you'll end up just paying the ticket.


Title: IRS is threatening to put a lien on my house but isn't open/available to discuss payment options. Have I legal case to dismiss a lien when the IRS isn't available to take payment due to the shutdown?

Question: [Seattle, WA]

Answer: Probably not, since the shutdown is ending as we speak.


Title: Is this legal in Texas?

Question:
So, today I went to a supermarket and immediately after entering, It stroked me that I had forgotten wallet in car. So, I was exiting and immediately a mall security officer rushed in and shoved me. I fell on floor. He said it's illegal to exit through entry door. I was pissed off. I said there was no need to be violent he could have simply told me. He said he yelled at me, but there was too much background noise, so I missed it.

Is this legal to assault me like this? I talked to his supervisor but he says I was at fault.

Answer:
 No, that's assault/battery.

You can call the cops right now if you want, but next time if it happens immediately call them. Answer #2: Exiting through the wrong door is not equivalent to consent to be assaulted.


Title: Theft of inherited estate and life insurance payout

Question:
I'll try to explain this best i can.. In 2013 my father passed with no will, no partner, no wife. None of that. Just two kids. Me (15) and my sister (22). Keep in mind i was already on shaky ground mentally so i just shut down and had no idea i was supposed to receive anything because i wasn't told. (pretty much locked myself away) Just recently i've been informed that being one of two surviving heirs i'm supposed to get half of the estate's worth and the life insurance policy.

I've never been to see a lawyer or in front of a court, never received anything from a life insurance company and the sibling in question dodges my question saying things like my father didn't "own" anything (he fully owned a vehicle if it even matters, as well as stocks and a 401k) and that the life insurance company is based in florida therefore because he "didn't own anything and has no estate" they won't payout.... 2 years later.

Given this information and that she had been for those 2 years unemployed yet bought a brand new truck and was living it up in arizona before moving back here, getting a fast food job and telling me she hasn't gotten any money either.. I have reason to believe there's some shady shit going on here with money that could really help with college, transportation and so on.

She's been saying that she has been seeing a lawyer and they're taking care of it. Refuses to give me the lawyer's name, flat-out ignores my texts and pretends she didn't receive them.

Should i see a lawyer immediately? Is it too late?

Edit: Living in California.

Answer:
 You need to contact a probate or estate attorney immediately. When people die their estates are settled in a system called probate court, which examines wills (or lack thereof), settles debts, and distributes assets to heirs. Life insurance policies and retirement accounts would have been paid out directly to the beneficiaries named on the accounts, unless he named no beneficiaries in which case they would have also passed into probate.

There are several possibilities:
1) your sister is correct and your father had no residual estate after settling debts. If his retirement accounts and life insurance payouts passed into probate, creditors could have made a claim on the money.
2) your sister and/or attorney filed for guardianship of your share of the assets as you were a minor at the time of death. It is possible  that this money is sitting for you in a trust somewhere or that she misappropriated it not for your benefit. If she or another person did so that could be a civil or criminal matter.
3) the estate remains unsettled because your sister did not handle it through the probate system, which is not easy to understand or navigate for laypeople. It's very possible your sister just took whatever cash and assets she could get ahold of and assumed there was nothing left to worry about.

Bottom line, contact an attorney immediately and investigate further to find out what happened to your rightful share of your father's estate.


Title: Non-Profit Forcing People To Use Their New Pharmacy

Question:
We've been an operating Pharmacy working with a non-profit across the street for about 15 years. The Non-Profit recently opened up a Pharmacy of their own in the same name. For example they are called something like Hadouken Heath Clinic and the Pharmacy is named Hadouken Pharmacy. Hadouken's doctors are telling our longstanding patients they have to switch to the other Pharmacy, as well as sharing their records with their Pharamcy. Patients of ours have told us they want to stay with us, but they still give us and the patients resistance.

1. Is there a conflict with running a Non-Profit like this? If there is what can we do about it?

2. Obviously it is the patients choice, but is there a way to combat them essentially forcing the switch?

Answer:
 Damn, this was hard to find. [Here's the link](http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/pharm/pharmelectrans.htm).

**10. Can a prescriber direct a prescription to a particular pharmacy?**

*Answer:* **NO.** Patients have the right to choose the pharmacy where they wish to have their prescription(s) filled. Practitioners who exert undue influence on a patient (known as steering) to have a prescription filled at any one pharmacy over another whether electronically transmitted or via a written or oral prescription are subject to charges of unprofessional conduct.


Title: Bought a used car, noticed the tires were a little worn and asked the dealer about them, they said they were fine?

Question: Bought a used car, noticed the tires seemed a little worn and asked the dealer about them, they said they were fine. About two weeks after buying the car we took it in to be looked at due to a noise from the engine, mechanic said they shouldn't have sold them with these tires and the alignment is off. Just wondering what our options are?

Answer: Location isn't optional. You shouldn't expect a used car to be free from defects. That's why you get them inspected, or you take the risk.


Title: When the plaintiff dies during a lawsuit...

Question:
So, we’re working with a firm to enter a class action claim against Johnson and Johnson for their baby powder and shower to shower, which resulted in my mother’s ovarian cancer. There’s now a clear memo about the products containing asbestos. I have all legal POA, I’m the beneficiary for her accounts, etc. I’m her primary caretaker.

She is terminal. We just found out it’s in her brain. She wanted to bring this case to provide a legacy for her grandchildren, but there’s a very real possibility she will not live to see the end of this case.

What happens? Would I need to bring a new case? Can I be a co-plaintiff?

I would ask the firm, but we’re still in the intake phase. I know it’s a few weeks off, but I like going into things with a general knowledge.

Thanks

Answer:
 Not sure what jurisdiction you are in but usually the case would continue as is but in the name of your mothers estate. Contact the lawyer who is handling your class action, it’s their job to answer your questions and they are usually happy to do so!Answer #2: You should get an estate planning attorney to do a will or trust for your mother not only for this but other assets.

It depends on your state but the litigation can be taken over by her estate where you as the executor are substituted in as a party. Or it is a wrongful death case where the heirs become the parties instead.

In my experience as a probate attorney, civil attorneys don’t think about this until it is time to settle the case and they realize the need to open probate. Answer #3: I have no legal advice for you but I wanted to drop these off for you and your family ((((((((hugs))))))))).  A friend of mine beat cervical cancer 2 years ago, which was related to J & J.  I'm so very sorry.


Title: (Alabama) Kicked out of a theater while following directions.

Question: So I went to a theater to see my friend who worked there. Her and her coworker were cleaning. Her coworker invited me into an empty theater with the lights on and the movie credits rolling. An assistant manager came in shortly after and said that I couldn't be there. When I walked out she said that I had to go to the front and stop bothering her employees. When I went to the lobby, she came to me and asked if I was buying a ticket. When I said no, she just told me I had five minutes to leave. I went back and talked to the manager and he told me that her word was over any customer complaints (this place gets many complaints by the way) and the police agreed with him when I required them to come. Is this ok for a business? The manager would not give out employee names either. According to him, the asist. manager told him nothing about her kicking me out the building when I went to the lobby, and she also told him that I asked my friend if I really had to leave even though I stayed silent.

Answer:
 You seriously called the police because you were asked to leave a place of business for which you hadn't purchased admission?

Anyway, the manager and the police are right.  The theater can ask you to leave for pretty much any reason under threat of trespass.  Bothering employees, or interfering with them doing their duty, regardless of how well-behaved you claimed to be, is a perfectly legitimate reason to ask you to leave.


Title: Petty parking lot incident

Question:
Hi, this is my first time posting here. I’m hoping to gain some clarity regarding an incident that occurred in a gas station parking lot.

There was a car parked next to me which was parked ON the yellow line, while my car was parked well within the yellow lines.

As I was getting into my car, my door accidentally bumped into the car next to me. The owner of the other car got out and started screaming, demanding that I give him my insurance information. I denied his request, which caused him to become more agitated, angry, and aggressive. At this point, I invited him to call the police, which he did.

After waiting for about 15 minutes, the police called this gentleman back and said that they were not going to come and tend to this trivial matter.

After learning that the police were not coming, this gentleman continued to harass me for my insurance information. I refused again, saying that if the police don’t even care to stop by that it’s not a big enough deal for me to give him my info/I didn’t break the law/I owe him nothing. His anger and agitation continued to the point where I didn’t feel safe. However, I also didn’t know whether or not I was allowed to leave the scene and did not want to get into trouble for leaving, so I called the police as well so that I could learn my rights.

When the man learned that I was on the phone with the police, he swiftly got into his car and left the scene.

The dispatcher said that I do need to give him my insurance information, and I told her that he just left and I have no way to contact him. She also said that I am now responsible for filing an accident report online. I asked what would happen if I didn’t, and she merely responded that it would be “against the law.” I pressed to find out what the penalty would be, to which she had no response, other than “it would be up to your insurance company.” She did say that if such a thing should happen again that I should just give the person my info.

My question is, what will happen to me if I don’t file a report online or report the incident to my insurance company?

I think this whole thing is ridiculous. Dings in parking lots happen and life moves on. Every car  gives and receives dings in parking lots. In my (uneducated) opinion, it’s neither a police or insurance matter, and this guy acted completely inappropriately.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 > Dings in parking lots happen and life moves on.

Well, with assholes like you, they do. You were in the wrong, you damaged someone's vehicle. The police shouldn't have needed called, but since you weren't acting responsibly, they were.

The person you hit will most likely give your license plate information to his insurance company and they'll come after you via law suit for whatever it costs to fix the damage, plus all the processing fees and legal fees it takes to handle the suit, etc.Answer #2: When you have an accident you must give your drivers license and automobile insurance information to the other driver on demand. You should file the report as required by law. In some states failure to file can lead to a suspension of drivers license and maybe other possible criminal charges. If you don't feel safe you can call 911 and/or go to the nearest police station. Answer #3: Next time you damage someone’s car please give them your insurance information. I highly doubt you will get a ticket, but do file a report so he can recover his damages if he does the same.


Title: Do I have enough cause to break my lease without paying 2 month's rent?

Question:
TLDR: We have lived here for 1.5 years, paying over $2000 a month.  New management complains when we pay rent early.  They also focus on upgrading amenities but not fixing problems.  There is only 1 washer for 120 units.  We get “24 hour” notices by placing a flyer on our door when we are already at work.  Complaints about neighbors do not get resolved.  They do not provide us with consistently hot water.  Is this enough to break the lease without paying 2 month’s rent?

My boyfriend and I have lived here for the past year and a half.  It was great at first and we planned to stay for a couple more years.  The area is a sketchy part of town but we grew up here so we know where we should/shouldn’t go.  It is also a 10-minute drive to both of our jobs and a 15-minute drive to our parents’ houses.  It is cheap for the area.  We pay $1,887 for rent and an additional $200 for trash, water, gas and electric.  It was then bought out by another property management and it has gone downhill since then.  We are now desperately trying to get out.  Our lease is up in May 2019.

We always paid rent 2 weeks early.  This was never a problem with the old management.  The new management complained we paid rent too early so now we pay on the due date.

The new property management is more concerned about upgrading amenities than it is about fixing the problems.  For example, our laundry room has 5 washers and 8 dryers. For as long as I can remember, only 1 washer works and all dryers works.  Multiple tenants have complained.  There are 120 units and it is impossible to do laundry when there is only 1 washer.  Instead of fixing the washers, they built a gym.

They also wanted to paint every unit’s front door. This required us to leave our front door open while it dried.  This raised two concerns because my boyfriend and I both work full time: 1. We have a dog. 2. We live in a sketchy part of town. They gave us a “24 hour” notice by placing a flyer on our door at 8AM.  By this time, we both have already left for work.  We discovered the notice at 6PM stating the painters would be there at 8AM the next morning.  We had asked if anyone would be watching the front doors as they would be wide open. They said no.  We scrambled to find a babysitter for our dog and to watch the front door.  Because it was so last minute, no one was available to sit at our apartment all day.  My boyfriend had to call in sick the next day so he could stay home.  The management then rescheduled the painting 3 times: 9/28/2018, 10/3/2018 and 10/10/2018. My boyfriend had to take 3 separate days off for someone to paint the front door.

Complaints about neighbors has also gone nowhere. Our upstairs neighbor smokes cigarettes on his balcony.  He then tosses his cigarettes over the balcony and onto the front lawn. Sometimes, he misses and the cigarettes fall into our patio.  We have to constantly pick them up because we do not want our dog to eat them.  After numerous complaints to both the tenant and management, it still happens.

The worst problem is that we do not have consistently hot water.  My boyfriend and I both wake up between 4:30:5:00am and are usually out of the apartment by 6:30-7:00am.  The problem started on October 3, 2018.

On October 3rd, we did not have hot water.  I called in and informed the office and they told me a couple of other units have also complained about this.  We had hot water by the next day.

On October 10th, we also did not have hot water.  I called and informed the office.  She asked for permission to enter the apartment and I denied.  We have a dog and no one was home.  I also informed her that we overheard our neighbors also complaining about hot water so it is not just our unit.  Our walls are thin so I could hear my neighbors’ conversations.

On October 18th, no hot water.  I called the office.  I asked what the problem was because this was an on-going issue. She told me it was because everyone was trying to take a shower at the same time.  I told her that we usually take showers between 4:30 and 5am and I do not believe that most of the complex is waking up at 4:30 to shower.  She then told me it was because it takes a long time for the water to get to me because the complex is so big.  We kept going back and forth so I accepted her answer.

On October 30th, no hot water.  I took her advice and left the water running for 30 minutes.  No hot water. I tried calling the office twice. Left messages and no one got back to me.

On November 5th, no hot water.  I called the office and left a message.  No one has gotten back to me.

On November 8th, no hot water.  Called twice.  Left messages.  No one called back.  I emailed management and they assured me that a plumber would be out today and I would not have to worry about this problem in the future.

November 10th and 11th – no hot water.  Office is closed.  Sent two emails.  I suspect that we will not have hot water tomorrow either because no one is here to fix it.

Is this enough cause to break the lease without paying 2 months’ rent (as written in my lease agreement)?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: No, the only way to get out of paying or a 60 notice to vacate is for your unit to be declared uninhabitable due to lack of hot water. You need to report and document each time your hot water is out in writing, via certified letter, email is not considered sufficient documentation.  Also, contact your city’s code enforcement office regarding your hot water issues.  Sometimes a visit from the code enforcement officer will be enough for management to agree to release you. If they do, make sure you get it in writing so they don’t send you to collections after the fact.


Title: Age discrimination against a hotel that would not rent a room.

Question:
Hi! Hopefully you all can help me out here! A few months ago a minor calls our hotel and asks if he could rent a room even tho he is 17. The front desk clerk says "no, you cannot rent a room unless you are 21" The minor then says "But I turn 18 tomorrow and i wont need the room until August" again the desk clerk states the age for rent at the property is 21. Fast forward to today and there is a lawsuit against the hotel for age discrimination. It does state that if we settle out of court for 8XXX dollars it will be dropped and if not they will go to court. It seems like they are just looking to make some quick money. But I am on the fence if he is completely right for the age discrimination thing or not. Legally I would assume 18 would be the legal age to rent a room but have also read that it hotels can set policies in place because they do not want to be liable for what could happen if they rent to someone younger. But I also feel like this was setup just so he could file this lawsuit and thinks he will walk away with quick and easy money. I live in Southern California if that helps any. Thanks for reading and hopefully giving me some things to think about!

UPDATE: WAS A FAKE. LOOKED REAL BUT IT WAS A SCAM. LEGAL HEADERS AND ALL BUT NO SEALS, CHECKED WITH THE OFFICE THAT "SENT" IT AND IT WAS NEVER DOCUMENTED. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR ADVICE!!!

Answer:
 Did a lawyer send you this letter or the person trying to rent a room?  18 year olds are not a protected class, and I believe age discrimination doesn't kick in until a person is 40Answer #2: Surprisingly, it looks like under California and a few other states' laws, you cannot blanket refuse to rent to minors.  You can require that an adult agree in writing to pay any associated charges. The concern being that a minor could void the contract and refuse to pay upon checkout.

* http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2010_3rd/Aug10_PromNight.html
* http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=civ&group=01001-02000&file=1859-1867
* http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2001-2002/billanalysis/House/htm/2001-HLA-4627-A.htmAnswer #3: > there is a lawsuit against the hotel for age discrimination

So they filed a summons?  Or is it just the threat of litigation?

If It's been filed in Superior Court you should probably go consult with local counsel just to be sure, there are procedural things you will need to do to defend yourself whether or not his claim has merit.


Title: Old Medical Bill Coming Back to Haunt Me

Question: 18 months ago I had a hospital visit. I was billed for my portion of the anesthesia that insurance  did not pay, and I paid that bill in full. Now, 18 months later I am getting another bill for an additional amount. When I  called them they said my insurance had previously  overpaid their portion,  and that I am responsible for the amount they overpaid. Can they do this? I can't find any sort of legal rules for this kind of thing. Thanks in advance.

Answer: Contact your insurance company and find out what's going on.  Also, ask them if their contract with the doctor prevents them from billing you this far out.


Title: International Child Custody Question - A 14 year old Mexican girl is mistakenly identified as a kidnapping victim based on a similar scar on her face and forcibly returned to the victim's mother in USA. [USA, TX]

Question:
This is based on an event in recent international news. (See one English source here:  http://news.yahoo.com/joy-anger-family-mexican-girl-wrongly-sent-us-052215268.html)

The facts are as follows:

- A Mexican court ruled based on a similar scar, facial features, and a same first name that a 14 year old Mexican girl was a kidnapping victim and ordered her returned to her mother in USA. The Mexican court refused to require a DNA test.

- The girl was dragged out of court kicking and screaming at the top of her lungs in a very disturbing video.

- She took a bus to Houston, TX with the kidnapping victim's mother and legally entered the U.S. with the Mexican court order and the kidnapping victim's birth certificate.

- The video went viral on Mexican social media and prompted international media coverage and several high ranking politicians to intervene and demand DNA testing.

- DNA testing proved her Mexican parents were her real parents and she was returned to Mexico a week after being taken.

What recourse would she and her family have had if the story hadn't went viral on social media and prompted high ranking politicians to intervene? Would she have had any chance of being legally returned to her family in Mexico before she turned 18? If so, how long would the process take? What if her family didn't have access to much money for a lawyer in USA? What if she went to the nearest U.S. border patrol agent and informed him that she was in the U.S. illegally and gave him her real identity?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: Who knows. There isn't a prescribed formula for this kind of thing. Answer #2: Not legal advice but this really makes me think of King of Hill. Answer #3: Wouldn't the mother realize immediately that it's not her kid? Wouldn't she want to send her back as much as the family wants her back?


Title: Sandwhich bait and switch.

Question:
So I work in the kitchen at a family owned resturaunt where things are done 'the old fashioned way' and aren't always quite up to code.

One such instance (without getting too specific) We sell a meat product that contains none of the meat specified but instead a completely other meat in leu.

I'm not really planning on staying here much longer but I was just curious of the legality of this, I know it's unethical, and I'm sure the FDA/dept. of health or whoever would have issue with it. My question is am I an accessory by making the product and selling it under the direction of my employer? Am I liable for anything?

Answer:
 > I'm sure the FDA/dept. of health or whoever would have issue with it.

I wouldn't count on it unless it creates a health issue or this isn't food fit for human consumption. At best the people who bought it thinking it was something else might have a claim but it's not a health issue.


Title: Received multiple items accidentally after ordering online? Can I keep them?

Question:
Hi. Asking for a friend, and I believe I know the answer. She ordered a laundry basket online and when it was delivered, there were 6 baskets instead of 1. She called her credit card company and confirmed she had only been charged for the 1, and the order confirmation only had 1 item. She can keep the 6 though right?

Living in Ontario, Canada

Answer: Of course not. If she mistakenly paid $60 instead of $10 for the laundry basket, would the company get to keep the extra money? She should contact the company.


Title: I was (unofficially) diagnosed with OCD. Should I specify it on a job app?

Question:
I am applying for a job with a government-contracted firm. One page asks if I have a disability and says they must "reach out to, hire and provide equal opportunity to people with disabilities."

It lists many things including "Major Depression" and OCD and says you should choose yes if you have "history or record" of anything on the list.

I historically suffered from severe depression but have recovered. I as also  told by a doctor that I have OCD, but I don't have any record of it.

Should I choose yes or no?  I had these things, but do not have record of them and never went through official diagnosis with a shrink or anything.

Answer:
 "Should you" is sort of subjective. I wouldn't, mostly because the person doing the hiring decision might use it against you even if they aren't supposed to. I'm uncomfortable with the stigma of mental illness in this country, so that's my issue. Obviously they can't legally do so, but they can chalk up a rejection to so many things.

I also would not list any disability that I do not need accommodations for, but that's a moral choice.


Title: [So Cal] Got hit by a truck while riding my bicycle and the assessor told me there is no coverage.

Question:
I got hit riding my bicycle on the way to work just over a week ago.

I was on the left side of a business park street (on the sidewalk) and I noticed a Suburban over the sidewalk up ahead looking to exit from a public storage facility. The driver sat there for a good chunk of time so I assumed he was on his phone or waiting to pick someone up. I slowly proceeded to transition from sidewalk to street so I can pass and get to the end of the block to my parking garage. Shortly after I began riding on the street next to the curb, I start to pass the truck only to see him hit the gas and send me falling backwards. No police report was filed. I have the driver's full name, phone number, policy number, and the license plate of his rental (issued by his insurance company). I know I should have taken a picture of his drivers license, but I wasn't thinking straight most likely due to the adrenaline.

My shirt got scuffed and is dirty. My mountain bike did not have any visible damage. I still ride it and have no issues.  My knee cap was sore and I lost some skin due to a rug burn caused by my jeans, however I went to a local urgent care for x-rays and they were negative. Knee is in good shape now. Paid co-pay and I'm expecting an invoice for my digital x-rays any day now.

I filed a claim  with the driver's insurance shortly after the accident and gave a deposition to the assessor the next day. The assessor informed me today that there is no coverage for my claim. All I want is reimbursement for my urgent care bills and shirt damage. Is this possible or even worth it at this point?

Answer: Not from the insurance company if they've determined there's no coverage. Sue the driver in small claims court


Title: Immigration agent threatened to arrest or deport my boyfriend because I argued with him on the phone, can he do that?? (Utah, USA)

Question:
I'm sorry this might be kind of long but I hope at least one person reads this :(

First, some background. My boyfriend is a refugee from Iraq, he came to the USA in 2008. In 2010, he purchased a smoke shop and sold a substance called "spice". Spice was legal at the time but what he didn't know was that an ingredient in the spice was illegal. He sold this substance to an undercover officer and was charged with substance distribution and eventually pleaded guilty on this charge in 2011 and received 6 months probation and a fine as well as 2 days jail time.

We both thought this case was over and done with. This happened well over 4 years ago and he hasn't even had so much as a traffic ticket on his record since. We both agree he was stupid for ever selling spice, but he was young and naive and he has learned his lesson.

Now, a couple weeks ago, immigration got wind of his charge. They are saying we "evaded" them by not notifying them of this charge and he could be arrested or deported. He must see a separate immigration judge at an immigration court and try his case all over again. I asked if this is double jeopardy and they said no, immigration court is different.

I frequently call immigration on my boyfriend's behalf because English is his 3rd language and he has trouble understanding legal jargon. I called the ICE Agent we were referred to and asked where we should go to finish his paperwork since he was "released on his own recognizance" and must go report his current address, etc. the man on the phone gave me the address, I wrote it down, and repeated it back to him.

The next day, my boyfriend and I show up at the address he provided and it's obviously the wrong building. It's a real estate building. I call the ICE Agent I talked to yesterday and said "I'm sorry but I think I have the wrong address 2245 Whatever Street." The ICE Agent asks me what side of the freeway I'm on and I get confused and tell him "I'm not on the freeway, I'm at 2245 Whatever"

and he says "you are avoiding the question! Just answer me, what side of the freeway??"

And I tell him "I am East of the freeway at 2245-"

and he stops me and says "I told you 2246. I would never tell you 2245."

And I say "I'm sorry that's just what I have written down from yesterday"

And he says "are you arguing with me? You know what, I'm going to come arrest your boyfriend right now. I will deport him immediately for this."

I say "you can't do that!!! You're talking to me not him! He hasn't done anything wrong you can't arrest him for no reason!!"

He gets very angry with me and says I can't speak on his behalf because I'm not his wife. I told him "then I shouldn't be talking to you at all I'm hanging up now" and I hang up. But the damage had already been done...

We find the correct address for the immigration office and they start signing my boyfriend up for monthly phone call appointments to check in since he has been released. In the middle of the meeting, the immigration officer stops and says "wait... I just got an email from the ICE Agent... He is switching your boyfriend to a GPS device..."

So that asshole ICE Agent made him wear an ankle bracelet because of an argument I had with him. I have no doubt he will do everything in his power to get my boyfriend arrested. I don't think he can actually deport him, that might be an empty threat, because my boyfriend is a refugee.

My question is, can he do that? Can he punish my boyfriend for an argument I had with him? Can he be tried for the same crime twice? We are both really young but not minors so I don't know if this is standard practice. I would really like to complain to the agent's supervisor for his behavior. I'm just so confused and angry and I feel like I am completely powerless.

TL;DR: I argued over the phone about an address an ICE Agent gave to me. He told me he will come arrest my boyfriend for this and immediately gave him an ankle bracelet as punishment.
Topic:
Immigration

Answer:
 > Can he be tried for the same crime twice?

He's not being tried for the same crime twice.  His immigration status and his criminal charge are two separate matters.  Generally, when an immigrant commits a crime, his immigration status is reviewed.  That's what's happening here.

If HSI has the authority to order GPS bracelets, there's likely nothing you can do here.  You should hire an immigration attorney and discuss all of this with them.


Title: [FL] Currently Suspended pending "HR investigation" if I am fired what should I do, if anything?

Question:
I am a sales rep for a company that sells our product only inside of a big box retail store.  M-F 7-330 I work at a specific one of their store locations.  I am there to find new and assist current customers who are professional contractors (anyone except DIY/Homeowners pretty much)

I showed up friday morning and my boss was there and said "HR says I have to suspend you.  They wont tell me what it is about they just say its an HR investigation".   But in fact he did know what it was about it was about the incident Ive written about below and he asked for my written statement on this.  I was extremely stressed and had high anxiety during this time so I didnt put as much detail in the statements.  I have since sent HR all the details like I have listed here below.

The day in question my boss says that he was "looking all over for me" at the store during the timeframes of 11:50-12:40 and 2:30-3:30pm.

The first timeframe i was on a 15 minute break nextdoor at another department store.  Our employee handbook says "you are to leave the premises during your break".  Then 12:09-12:35 I was on a phone call with a customer then I clocked out for lunch at 12:35.  He never called me until 12:35 30 seconds after I clocked out for lunch. Then again at 12:41.  I am on lunch and not obligated to answer his calls.  I texted him 20 mins later and said I was on my way back to the store and asked if he was there?  He said "nope just had a question I got it answered from someone else" So how were you "looking all over for me" if you A. didnt even call me and B. You told me you werent there.

My boss says that he was looking for me all over the store 2:30-3:30 pm.  I was sitting at a table next to the self check out terminals on my laptop doing online research in the area and also looking at reports on our Salesforce.  The department head for the front end cashier section, came into the store around 3:15-3:20pm and said hello to me and made a comment about the Halloween decorations on the table I was sitting at.  He can confirm this as can one of the other cashiers who also made a comment to me about those decorations.   I was in the department that our product is sold in from 145-240ish before going to that table.  That department head was the only employee currently working.  When I was there he made comments about a girl wearing a Snow White outfit and how he always thought he'd be the dad that didn't let his kids do that but sometimes if his son "wants to be a cowboy for the day and that's going to get him out the door then he can be a cowboy for the day".   I also texted My boss a picture of one of our products that I had never seen before and just spotted in my store. I sent this text around 2:20-2:30.  Within the same time frame that he claimed he was looking for me.  So I was in the department that sells our product and he was "looking all over the store for me" but he didn't go immediately to that department and again didnt call me? Seems a little odd.  He replied with "I am at a store in <Insert city 50 miles away> right now and I only see the regular black ones".  So was he at my store looking all over for me or was he at a store in Tampa?  If he was actually at my store but told me otherwise  would fall under the legal category of "employer entrapment".  Both of these incidents with the department heads and one cashier confirming that I was indeed at the store at the time that he said he was "looking all over for me" takes away a lot of his credibility and to me make his claims all circumstantial with this issue on this given day. He stated twice that he was in fact NOT at my store so he either was or wasn't.  If he was not then that could be seen as "employer entrapment" on two separate occasions.  If he wasn't, then he has no proof that I was not in the store at the times he claims and would just be making it up for whatever reason.  I however do have concrete proof of where I was from three separate  employees who would back up my claims of our conversations and the times they took place.

Also both my punch outs and punch ins are tracked via gps.  Those show I was there at the store location.

So now I am suspended and HR told me I would know something Friday.  I still have my work phone and work tablet and all my devices and emails still work.  I wasnt asked to sign any paperwork HR never even called me about any of this my boss was the one who took down the statement.  Isnt that conflict of interest???  If I am in fact fired what rights do I have?  All of my evidence supplied is physical evidence where as my boss is just his word which is entirely cirumstantial.  No phone calls to me during the times I was clocked in.  And the texts telling me that he was NOT at my location and was in another city.

Answer: Your narrative is highly confusing. Assuming they are not firing you for an illegal reason they can fire you despite you not doing anything wrong.