Title: [USA] If an employer “requires” an employee to break the law, what are potential consequences to the employee?

Question:
Strictly hypothetical question, but if an employer requires an employee to break the law on the companies behalf, what consequences could come about?

Not specifically civil laws (speeding, murder, etc..) but more so corporate laws (fudging books, not complying with business specific regs, etc..)

Are there any recent cases someone could link to? I’m curious where the line between business and personal lies.

Answer:
 Full criminal liability.

The law expects (demands) that you refuse to break the law, even if it means you get fired.  You may have recourse against your employer if this happens (depends on circumstances).

You will not have a defense to the criminal act simply because you chose to act illegally when ordered to do so.


Title: Australia: accessing someone's sperm after death (don't know the location of the sperm)

Question:
So, my defacto partner died at the start of this year. We never had children. During his first marriage he had a vasectomy but froze his sperm before getting it done. During his life, he told me many times that this sperm existed should I ever want to use it. The sperm was frozen about 25 years ago (I am 30 years younger than him -  please don't dwell on this fact too much). Would the sperm still be stored somewhere? If so would it still be viable to fertilise an egg? If so, what would be legally involved for me to find out where it is located and potentially get impregnated with it?

I don't actually know if this is something that I would want to do, but I am interested in the logistics of it... To be honest, I kind of hold on to the hope that some day I could potentially still have his baby... Not yet though, I'm still too fucked up in the head...

Answer:
 IANAL but I did recently do IVF in Australia and have frozen embryos. I had to agree in writing that my husband, who was specified by name could have them if I died. I'm not sure what the rules were back when he did it but he maybe signed something similar and named his ex wife?  (If he has one?) in which case she might be able to donate it to you.

It should still be fine. In terms of finding it you have to continue to pay for storage so once or twice a year there should be an invoice from the clinic where it's stored. He may have some of these on file. Otherwise I'm not sure.


Title: City run school with strict hair restrictions to boys only can I do anything about it

Question:
So I’m a student who isn’t a trouble maker and make all a’s all year. And my school has hair restrictions (off the ears, above the eyebrows, off the collar) my hair literally is slightly on my ear and slightly over my eyebrows and I have to get another cut after I got one tester day is there anything I can do about this.
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer: Is this a public or private school? Since you said "city" I'm going to assume public. The ACLU website says hair length rules that differ by gender can vary depending on the state. It suggests that you contact the local ACLU.Answer #2: I don't think your grades or your status as a trouble maker (or not, as the case may be) affects whether or not you have to abide by the school dress code.  You have to, just like all of the other students.  You could make a big stink about it but is that worth the trouble it's going to cause in your life?


Title: (Massachusetts) What can be done about extremely racist neighbors?

Question:
My lease says it can be broken early for 4 months worth or rent.

*Our neighbors moved in a few weeks ago. Our apartments are mirror images of each other so the back of our fireplace touches the back of there's, that's the reason we can here them. We have 14 months left on the lease and its way too expensive to break it. I work days and my roomie works nights so we're alone a lot.*

We can hear them through the fireplace sometimes. When it's  toddler throwing a tantrum or them having sex we can deal with it, we're all adults and apartments are never silent.

But what we usually hear are their conversations with each or friends. That's when things get scary, they are very racist. According to them anyone that's not pure white they hate. I've never heard so many slurs before in my life, I even had to google some of them to find out what they meant.

One evening my phone died on me and I had to call my boyfriend to tell him I got home safe so I asked to borrow her phone. She let me, as I was talking to my boyfriend a text popped up so I glanced at it. It was from her husband, it was just full of slurs and hatred got the people that he works with. I've also over heard his stories about beating a guys face in.

My roommate is half Brazilian(pardo) so she's super scared that they'll realize she's not totally white. She said that she got a weird vibe about the guy when they moved in but she just brushed it off.

Can I call the cops? CPS? I don't know what we should do.

Answer:
 Being racist is not illegal. Using the n-word in the privacy of your home is not illegal. Raising a kid in a racist environment is not abuse either, it's a moral issue and isn't causing the kid harm (unless they let it leak into public life in the wrong place).

Quite simply your best option is to tell your landlord you can hear conversations in the other unit and ask if sound-proofing can be installed. If that doesn't work, you can let them know sound carries, or buy a white-noise machine.


Title: Getting a CPO against Step dad? (KS)

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 > Can SO file a CPO or RO against the Stepdad, the one who actually left the kids alone, on behalf of his daughter?

Sure, they can.  It'll very likely be immediately thrown out of court.

Courts don't like being played off against each other, and they sure don't like when one party in a conflict tries to use a court to harm the other party.  Your friend can seek a change in the custodial order with the issuing court.  They may or may not get that, depending on what she asks for.  But she shouldn't attempt to use one court to play another; that's going to make her look bad to both.


Title: [UK] I was made redundant from a management role 1 month ago, they've just given the role to someone else.

Question:
The company I work for experienced some financial issues over the Christmas period. A result of this was the removal of half of my team. Because of this, they felt like they no longer needed me to be the team manager so I was made redundant from that role, given a pay decrease and then put back into the team as a normal member. This was around February - March time.

Today, another member of staff was given my previous role as manager, despite the fact that the team hasn't grown. I was never told that I wasn't doing a good job in my role so am annoyed that I wasn't even asked about taking the role back.

Is there anything I can do?

I'm in the UK for reference.

Answer: Speak to ACAS. I believe that if you were made redundant from a role, they can't appoint someone else to the position for a year. Also try the legal advice UK subreddit.


Title: Teacher being terminated over a crime even if it was cleared and he got his teaching credential?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: if state law permits an employer to ask this info and make a hiring judgement on that basis, it makes no difference what the licensing board chose to do.


Title: I have an active arrest warrant for something I didn't do, Texas

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer:
 Wouldn't this be considered aiding and abetting for driving the two individuals away from the scene of the crime?Answer #2: You have no option at this point.  You can't make the warrant go away because you don't want to have it - if people could do that no one would ever go to jail.

Hire an attorney, or call the local public defender's service.  Arrange to turn yourself in at a convenient time.  Work on your defense with them.


Title: GF quit fast food job because she felt bullied. Does she have grounds for a Hostile Work Environment lawsuit?

Question:
Hey guys, Reddit is part of my daily routine, been a long time lurker, first time actually signing up and posting.  I'll provide a little backstory.  I am full-blooded Asian and my girlfriend (GF) is half-Caucasian, half-Asian (relevant later).  We live together.  She just started at a fast food place (I won't name because I don't know if that's a violation) on August 13th right down the road from our apartment complex.

The General Manager (GM) brought her on with the intention of putting her in a position of management.  GM is a Caucasian male.  GM is planning on leaving August 19th for some personal time so this left a week to train her.  GM instructed an employee (E1) to start training GF on some daily routine tasks and play some manager-training videos for her.  E1 is an African-American female.  E1 replied "I don't want to be bothered right now."  The GM didn't say anything and told another employee to start training my GF and manager training videos were never played.  E1 starts training GF the next day.  During the training, she stated to my GF, "I don't like white girls because one slept with my husband and took my husband."

GM would show up daily 7:00AM-9:00AM.  He never trained her himself.  Instead, he got his daily duties done and would leave for the day.  He instructed Assistant Manager (AM) to start training my GF.  AM is an African-American female.  AM is best friends with Drive-Through Employee (DT).  DT is an African-American male.  He made GF aware that he was "in line to be manager."  DT is incredibly mean to GF.  For example, DT made GF walk to furthest ice bin to get ice because the closer one was "his."  The cook (C) is married to AM.  C is an African-American male.  C, upon hearing DT say this to GF, reports over the headset to AM that DT is making GF walk across the restaurant to get ice.  AM does not respond.

Fast forward to today.  DT lied to my GF saying the health inspector was coming.  He told her to start cleaning appliances that weren't part of daily routine even though he was not her superior.  Busy shift dies down and GF jokingly says to herself, "I'm going to need to go get prescribed Adderall to focus."  (GF has not been diagnosed, but more on this later).  AM overhears and announces to her best friend DT in front of the entire staff, "See!  I told y'all there was something wrong with her head."  They start to converse about my GF over their headsets.  This makes my GF sad and she starts crying in the back corner of the dining area.  She informed me that this was probably captured by one of the restaurant's cameras.  She then proceeded to go to the bathroom and cried some more.  Immediately following exiting the bathroom, she went and clocked out and left.  No one followed her to ask her where she was going or even if she was alright.

Human Resources reached out and spoke with my GF about what occurred.  HR asked if GF would like to return to work or be transferred to which she replied she would get back to them.  She walked out early from her shift, but I guess she still has her job?

My GF has never been diagnosed by a physician for ADD or ADHD.  She's been enrolled in Individualized Education Programs since Elementary School.  The Board of Education provided her with a copy of her IEP papers which indicate that she has an attention span disorder.

I'm sorry for the lengthy read, but do we have any substance for a real case here or am I just reaching out of anger for how they treated her?  Should we seek legal advice?  If so, would it be beneficial to go get diagnosed by a physician or is her enrollment in IEPs sufficient to illustrate a learning disorder?  What's our next course of action, if any at all?  Sorry again for the long post, thank you for your time and let me know if anything we've shared is against the rules.  Like I said, long time lurker, first time posting.

Answer:
 None of this comes close to meeting the standard for a hostile workplace based on a protected characteristic.

People who work in shitty jobs that provide nothing in the way of stimulus look for drama to entertain themselves.  This is a fact of life, not a legal case.


Title: [Amman, Jordan] My grandparents are senile and can't take care of themselves. Can I have them legally placed under my care?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: I don't think we have any experts here on Jordanian elder and guardianship laws. You'll likely need to speak to someone local.


Title: Update: Land Lord took 3 months to return rent deposit

Question:
Original here [http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2m2zzl/land_lord_took_3_months_to_return_rent_deposit/](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2m2zzl/land_lord_took_3_months_to_return_rent_deposit/)

They settled with us on the day before court for 600 dollars.

Thanks for the help.

Edit: This happened in Lansing, Michigan.  I must make the LocationBot happy.

Answer: Thank you so much for the follow up! I wish everyone were so considerate.


Title: are speed bumps angled like this legal

Question:
I live in florida, my appartment complex recently put in speed bumps of there own at all the enterences of my complex. they angled them so there is no good way to go over them unless no other vehicle is around so you can go down the middle. even if you go down the middle it's pretty uneven and completely unpleasant to drive over.
picture http://imgur.com/cjMw9W9
are these speed bumps considered okay?

Answer: I know of no general rule for speed bump angle. You may want to check with your local municipality. Also, slow down. I mean idle over.


Title: [TX] Girlfriend worked without employment contract and now she's not getting paid.

Question:
My girlfriend started her first job about a month and a half ago at an antique shop a lady owned. Her job was to take pictures of items and post them on Etsy, basically making her the social media manager. There was no formal contract, just a verbal one where they said she would be working three 8hour days per week, and her pay would be 8.50/hr every two weeks, but only for the hours where she worked in the shop. The first week went smooth, even though the manager of the shop didn't seem to like her much, and constantly complained about her work. The second week she worked just Tue-wed and half of Thursday, and before the end of the day they told her it wouldn't work out. She was instructed to leave an address so that her check could be mailed, but a week later she still hasn't received anything. She should've gotten paid at the end of the second week.

She hasn't called the shop or the manager yet, but I'm getting the feeling that she will never get paid because I've encountered these sort of people before and I know how they operate.  She doesn't want to sue or anything if it can be avoided, all she wants is to get paid for the hours and work she did on-site. Is there anything my girlfriend can legally do to get paid?

Answer:
 She can contact the shop and ask to be paid. That's literally step 1.Answer #2: She should write a letter asking the woman for the money owed by X date. If she doesn't receive the check, she needs to file a wage claim.

[Start here](http://www.twc.state.tx.us/jobseekers/how-submit-wage-claim-under-texas-payday-law)


Title: [IL] Somebody at my school died in a bicycle accident at an intersection where the walk signal was not functional

Question: This student is from China and I don't even know them. I just feel like someone should be held responsible and I don't know what to do.

Answer: Report it to the police. Call their non emergency number and say you have info on this and tell them.


Title: Apartment complex is charging me an electricity fee even though the apartment has been virtually vacant for months.

Question:
I live in FL. This place has been a nightmare from day one, and my lease, thank god, is over at the end of this month. I recently checked my account and saw that I have an electricity charge of $44. Utilities are included in my rent, which means that any utilities charge is a product of excessive use.

Thing is, I haven’t lived in my apartment since January. I moved in with my boyfriend due to safety concerns, and just continued to make payments to my complex. There are multiple rooms in my apartment, but all of them are on separate leases and utilities are allegedly charged separately as well. Even if they weren’t, two of the rooms were never occupied and the one roommate I do have is in a similar situation as myself - rarely ever in the apartment, stays with her boyfriend.

The utilities is handled by a third party company who is notoriously difficult to deal with. I know $44 isn’t a huge amount, but I’m in the midst of moving into a new place which has caused some financial strain. Not to mention I have used zero electricity, since I have not been there. Is there a certain way I should go about this? I guess I’m looking for a what/what not to do when speaking with the utilities company.

Answer:
 Just because you haven't been there doesn't mean there is 0 electricity use unless you flipped the breakers.

Your hot water heater is probably still running. Digital clocks on any appliances, things like that.

You should ask to see a copy of the usage. Every state is different, but I know when I was investigating stuff like this, landlords were allowed to only pass the charges to the tenant. They weren't allowed to make a profit.

Take a look at the usage and if it totals a $44 bill, you're probably going to have to pay.


Title: My brother stole $6000~ worth of tools from school; school called his work

Question:
My brother, 17.M, stole about a total of $6000 worth of tools from the school's autoshop recently. The school only charged him with a socket set, and my brother has since returned the majority of the stolen items. The court date is yet to be set.

The schools autoshop teacher, 24~.M, called my brothers work (a fairly big autoshop) about the situation and to give them the heads up that my brother had stolen tools from the school.

Would the autoshop teacher legally have been wrong in calling my brothers work? If so, what laws could he have broken? If not, then why?

(This is in the northern Illinois area)
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: It’s definitely is not illegal for the teacher to call.  It is not slander because it is true according to your statement here.Answer #2: 100% legal


Title: I am having some problems. I was arrested.

Question: I was arrested last saturday for a traffic violation. Thats not my question. I had guns with me, all are registered to me and i was carrying legally. So when i was arrested and my vehicle was left there, the police officer asked me if i wanted my guns left there or if he should take them and hold onto them so its not on the side of the road. I opted for him to take them for safekeeping and he put his card in with my stuff and said to call him when i wanted to pick them up. I called him today and now he said that i cant have them, the attorney apparently said that they need to be held until my court case is settled. Can this happen? They werent detained or anything he just said he would take them in and hold onto them and i could pick them up when i wanted. I am in North Dakota. Please help me out

Answer:
 Have your attorney call the prosecutorAnswer #2: It sounds like he is claiming that they are being held as evidence.
Go to the police station and get a copy of the police report on the traffic stop.
If this report does not list your guns get an attorney.


Title: My Biopsy results were shared with someone against my request

Question:
So recently I got a new primary care doctor for an issue I was having.

This primary care doctor was supposed to do a simple CBC but ended up doing  a million different tests I was not made aware of, and wanted me to follow up with a million different specialists.

This person also tried to "scare me" that this situation was serious and urgent.

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So I went for a second opion with my Gynecologist, that actually said I did'nt need any of those tests, and my situation seemed benign but we would do a biopsy to be sure. My gynecologist sent the referral for the biopsy to the radiology clinc.

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Upon going to the radiology office, I asked for the results to ONLY be shared with my Gynecologist, and NOT with my PCP.

If the biopsy came out malignant I only wanted to hear from my Gynecologist, and NOT from a PCP that tried to scare me into doing a million expensive tests.

The lady at the radiology clinic said that was OK, they would only share the resulst with my GYN. After she handed me the paperwork i found a sheet still with my PCPs name on it so I went back and I asked her AGAIN was she sure that this would only be shared with my GYN. She confirmed.

&#x200B;

Today I get a cal from my PCP. he told me he got my results and they were benign.

Obviously I feel happy, but I feel upset because i asked not once but TWICE I did not want these results shared with him.

&#x200B;

I feel the staff at the radiology clinic was really incompetent, is there any complaint i can do or a way to let them know so that this doesn't happen to someone else?

I'm in the US btw

Answer: Are your doctors part of the same health care system?  It may be that these doctors all have access to your files if they are within the same network.Answer #2: From my experience, my PCP has access to all the tests and stuff I do, whether by him or others in the same plan.  They are called "Primary Care Physician" for a reason.  They are your primary care and should be, in some capacity, a coordinator of care.Answer #3: It’s probably a HIPAA violation, but there is no private right of action for violations.  You can call the compliance officer for the practice and file a complaint with HHS, but there isn’t any ministry recovery for you that will come as a result of this.


Title: Employer has failed to pay me for my last two pay days.

Question: I've been sub teaching in a bush community in Alaska, and the principal forgot to send the information for me to get paid to HR so I was forced to wait another two weeks to get paid. I was supposed to get paid today, but I didn't. Should I contact my state department of labor?

Answer:
 >HR so I was forced to wait another two weeks to get paid.

HR can cut you a check any time they feel like it, you don't need to wait two weeks.
Answer #2: Yeah, that would be the next step.  Looks like you can do it by phone in Alaska:  http://labor.alaska.gov/lss/Answer #3: Call HR, tell them what's going on, tell them if you don't get paid within 48 hours you'll report them to the labor department. It sounds like the principal is the problem.  Depending on if your salary our hourly, they generally have to pay you at least one every 35(ish) days. Answer #4: You can also talk to HR about how you need to get paid for the hours you've worked, or else you have no reason to show up anymore.


Title: Signing a Non-Disclosure after I already told a few people?

Question: I was wrongfully dismissed at my workplace and of course, I told my closest friends at work what happened and I am sure they spread it to the whole office as well.  Initially, I wasn't paid severance, but my lawyer friend sent a demand letter as a favor for me, and now my old boss and I are close to settlement.  Now, there is a chance that I have to sign a non-disclosure agreement.  Of course, I wouldn't tell anyone else going forward, but can my old boss sue me for telling others what happened before he told me to keep it quiet, and before I sign this non-disclosure?  Should I even bring up the fact that I already told a few people?  Or should I just sign this agreement and get my cheque?

Answer: Are you getting money for signing this? If not, don't sign it. If you've already told a few people, have that in the agreement that they agree not to sue you for this prior disclosure and keep a copy of the agreement in a safe place.


Title: [FL] Campus has a sign that says "one car at a time. management not liable for damages to vehicle." at a car arm gate, it malfunctioned and dented a hood and was caught on dash cam.

Question:
So this is hypothetical.

Hypothetically my campus has a gate arm for the parking lot, and hypothetically the arm malfunctioned as I was going under and dented and scratched my hood pretty good (think when you hit a steel sheet with a peening hammer).

However, there is a hypothetical sign right next to the arm that says "One car at a time. Management not responsible for damage to vehicles"

Let's say this person hypothetical has dash cam footage of the arm failing and falling onto the hood, and then the car backs up, leaving a nice solid scratch.

Hypothetically would management still not be liable for the damages?

Answer: If the sign, hypothetically, had an unqualified disclaimer of: "Management not responsible to damage to vehicles," this would not *necessarily* prevent liability for damage caused by a malfunctioning automatic gate.  The fact that the disclaimer is hypothetically qualified by the preceding instruction for only one car to proceed through the gate at a time, then, hypothetically, the management could be responsible for any damage that resulted when there is proof that only one car was proceeding through the gate at the time the damage occurred.


Title: [IL] Business reported my income as nonemployee compensation on a 1099-misc and is now saying I was never "officially hired."

Question:
Hi. I appreciate any help with this.

A rather large company that I worked for during a school break has reported my income as nonemployee compensation, making me liable for self-employment tax. I emailed their payroll department about it and they said that since I was never "officially hired by [company] as an employee", I am indeed liable for self-employment tax as an independent contractor. I believe this is incorrect as, even if I did not fill out the correct paperwork, I absolutely do not fulfill the requirements for an independent contractor. I had regularly scheduled hours in the office, I had a direct supervisor who gave me specific tasks each day, I had to follow the dress code and other office-specific rules, etc. At no point did I work from home or any other location besides the office, and I earned wages per hour that I worked. The fact that I didn't know what paperwork needed to be filed does not change the terms of my employment.

What should I do about this? My mom works at this company so I know that they have done really shady/illegal things to save money in the past. I know I can submit a form with a bunch of questions on it justifying my status as an employee--should I just go ahead and do that?

Answer:
 I would call the number on the following IRS instructions for a missing W-2 form:  http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Form-W2-Missing-IRS-Can-Help

Tell them you received a 1099 instead of a W-2 form and that you do not believe this is correct as you believe you were an employee.  Tell them you want to report this and if you can get a W-2 form or file a substitute w-2 form instead of using the 1099 form.


Title: (TN) Not telling someone you're a virgin

Question: Could this be considered fraud or deception? Is there a legal obligation to volunteer this information if the question never comes up?

Answer: I can't think of any situation in which it would even be important, much less illegal.


Title: Is it legal to sell puppies from an accidental litter? [Alaska]

Question:
A woman I work with is a raging narcissist and a liar. Last week she lied about her husband attempting to kill himself. Everyone at work hates her. I only mention this because I absolutely do not care if she knows I was meddling or if she gets in trouble.

She has a husky and a mastiff mix that were apparently not fixed, because the husky just had a litter of puppies. She is now telling everyone that she is going to sell the puppies in a few weeks for $250 each. I don't know who would pay that much for a mutt but I am worried nonetheless.

I know that in some states you can't sell puppies until they are 6-8 weeks old. I have told her this but she doesn't give a shit. I also asked her about getting shots for the puppies before she sells them but she didn't even know what I was talking about. She is just keeping all of them in her apartment with the mother until they are ready to go. She has no idea how to raise puppies and she's not doing any vet visits.

Is there ANY legal reason she can't do this? And if so, who should I report her too?  I cannot find anything on laws in AK on this. I know that if she makes a profit off this she is going to keep letting her dog get pregnant over and over again because she's broke as hell. I used to work at an animal shelter and it is because of selfish dumb asses like her that we were constantly overrun with homeless dogs.

Answer:
 Alaska doesn't a minimum age at which you can sell a puppy law.

The chances of her being able to sell a husky/mastiff/who knows what mix for any money is small. But there are stupid people out there, so I'm not going to say vanishingly small.

Unfortunately I don't think there is much you or anyone can do.

> I used to work at an animal shelter and it is because of selfish dumb asses like her that we were constantly overrun with homeless dogs.

And you are right about this.


Title: (Illinois) I foolishly signed a contract with a Real Estate Buyer's Agent without realizing it.

Question:
My wife and I were looking to buy a home being built in a new development. I contacted the listing agent, assuming she was a selling agent only. Yesterday, she gave me a form / contract when I was distracted by my crying toddler and I signed it.

The contract is two pages, I only signed the second one. The first page states that she will act as a duel agent between myself and the seller, she failed to have me sign this one although there is a place for my name. The second page states that she will take a 4% cut of our total upon closing, unfortunately I did sign this one.

We were hoping to save some money by not having a Real Estate agent to represent us in closing, and it would be easier to go forward with the builders without any agent acting as a middle-man.

Is there any hope out of this? Thanks for any insight.

*** edit to add some more details:

* She has been a crummy realtor, so far only doing two things for us and doing them wrong - providing misinformation, and showing up 20 minutes late to our only showing.

* The builder also would have preferred to handle our case without a realtor.

* 4% is a loss of $32k for us. (The house is 800k b/c it's in suburbs of Chicago, literally the same house sells for 250k in other parts of the country).

* We have a lawyer friend who would have handled the closing for us, I'd much rather have sent the money his way.

Answer:
 I'd recommend consulting an attorney that handles contract issues to read over your contract and give you some advice. It shouldn't be prohibitively expensive to get a quick read-over and tips for moving forward. Generally speaking however, you're bound by the contract that you signed. Answer #2: I'm not familiar with the broker/agent processes in Illinois, but it sounds like the first form may have just been an acknowledgement confirming that she informed you that she's playing the dual-agent role in this transaction. The second one is where you basically hired her to represent you in this transaction and pay her 4% commission.

I'll tell you something I know first hand though. Any agent worth their weight doesn't want a client who doesn't want them, regardless of what you signed. Lots of shitty agents will make you sign representation agreements and hold you to them, but good agents will either let you walk if you want to, or won't even make you sign such an agreement. My wife is a realtor and she would never make a buyer sign an agent contract. It's just bad business and comes off kinda shady and desperate to the buyers. If you're a good realtor, they will want to work with you regardless. You shouldn't need to bind them to working with you.

My advice is to talk to the agent and let her know how you're feeling.


Title: (MA) Sold a watch online on consignment company never paid and company filed bankruptcy.

Question:
I sold my mothers watch online for 6000 dollars through a consignment deal with an online watch broker who was well known in the business at the time. They had sold the watch and were suppose to have paid me. It took many responses to get back to me and said they would pay. The company was headquartered in the State of Georgia.

I later find out that they filed bankruptcy (chap 7) and would not be paying me the money owed based on our consignment deal. They have many creditors including the IRS, banks, and other consignment people. The state of Georgia launched a civil investigation to try to suspend the bankruptcy proceeding but decided not to peruse the matter further.

Do I have any recourse here ?

I also found the watch listed with another company in the same city based on the case and movement number. They also repaired the items in the condition report ? Would I be able to get the watch back ? Would it be considered stolen property ?

Thank you

Answer:
 I filed Chapter 7 years ago.  I eventually had a meeting of creditors where no creditors showed up to contest my debt to them.  I asked my Lawyer at the time if any creditors had shown up what would have happened.  She said usually CC companies and businesses normally don't show up because they write off the debt.

NLA: So in your case I would ask a lawyer about it and maybe you could be on a list to eventually get your money since you're a individual and not a business or so forth...


Title: My wife wants to postpone divorce until she gets her (immigrant) Green Card. <serious>

Question: We've been married about five months, and are not compatible.  She has asked me to wait until after she gets her Green Card to file for divorce.  She says that I shouldn't have to worry about supporting her for a long time if we divorce before the "removal of conditions" process.  I'm concerned about problems that might arise if we don't "pass" the first Green Card interview.  (We are in the U.S.)

Answer:
 What's your question exactly, you didn't state one.

I'm not familiar with the green card process, but I bet if you'd have to lie to pass an interview, that would not be a good idea.

Sounds like the whole reason she married you in the first place was for the green card.


Title: What legal action can I take? Where's a good lawyer if I can take action against university/nursing school?

Question:
I was a second year nursing student in good standing. I'd never been in trouble before and I had good grades.  I was also an accommodated test taker meaning that I have time and a half as well as distraction free testing environment while taking my exams.
So, at the beginning of my second year of nursing school, they made the announcement that exams would no longer be giving in the nursing department building; instead, the exams would be given in the testing services department. However, when I went to take my first test, my distraction free accommodation was not honored as the student employee went around shuffling chairs and turning lights on and off during our exam.  I asked the student to please honor my accommodations and was told that we were not the only ones testing that morning. Unbeknownst to me, that was strike one. The nursing department deemed my asking for my accommodation to be honored as "aggressive", yet no nursing instructor, program director or mentor contacted me in any way to let me know.

A few months passed and I finished that class with no further issues whatsoever. I began my second class of the semester. Everything was going well and I was looking forward to clinicals.

The first clinical, I and two other students were assigned to shadow our respective NICU nurses. The nurses had not met us previously. The first two entered with no issue. I had to wait as my clinical instructor did not have me assigned to my NICU nurse yet. When I did get in, the nurse I was assigned to became upset because she didn't know that students were going to be on the floor.  I called my instructor to come deal with the issue at hand. The instructor apologized to me and told me that the nurse was being abrasive. However, the same instructor turned around and, behind my back, told the nursing department that I was the one being abrasive. That was strike two and still no one counseled me.

The second clinical, I and two other students were assigned to shadow our respective labor and delivery nurses. We went into the unit at the same time and we meet up with our nurses at the same time.  My nurse told me from the get go that she does not talk to students. For the next two hours, I followed her around with no instruction or communication. I watched the other two students with their nurses giving instructions and taking the time to explain the patients chart to them as well as just talking to them.  It was going to be like this and I wanted to know how I could learn about the patient given that I had to do paperwork later that evening on her.  I called my clinical instructor to come and help me figure that out.

The clinical instructor came and pulled me into a room. She yelled at me with the door open telling me that I needed to learn my place was below the nurse, below the patient, below the other student nurses, and below everyone else.  She said that the nurse was stressed and now had a student to deal with. The clinical instructor then escorted me to the locker room and told me to wait there. The instructor returned 10 minutes later to tell me that she had phoned the nursing department and told them that I had backed her -the clinical instructor- against a wall. When I challenged that there in the locker room, the clinical instructor simply reiterated what she said and then sent me home. That was strike three.

When I went before the professional conduct counsel, they said their reasoning for not approaching me 4 months ago was that they were simply too busy and had not known of my existence until 6 months ago. They told me that they had to protect their relationship with the institution I was doing clinicals at and therefore had to release me from the program.

I had feel that since I had asked for my accommodation and for guidance without so much as raising my voice that I had done nothing wrong. I was simply doing what I  and others had done in the past with no issues whatsoever both for testing and in clinicals.  I was terribly upset that they didn't approach me sooner.

Is there any recourse that I can take?

Answer: There is nothing you can do legally. It sounds like this was a toxic program. Look into the policies on discipline. If they were too busy, they might have violated any internal policies on timely action. Other than that, good luck.


Title: (Ohio) Neighbors accused me of cutting their Christmas lights and apparently have video of me doing it. Not sure what action to take.

Question:
Hello r/legaladvice,
tonight I was leaving for my run and running towards my friends house whom I was running with when the neighbors that live on the corner of my court called me over. I had only talked to the wife once so I was kind of suspicious. They asked me how university was going and I said good. They then asked me if I was studying electrical engineering at the university I was going to and I corrected them to mechanical and then they asked me if they taught mechanical engineers how to cut christmas lights at my university and proceeded to accuse me of cutting their Christmas lights 3 times with apparent video evidence.

They said they know it's me since I usually run late at night( they are always on their porch late at night and have probably seen me leave to go for a run about 50 times) wearing black and that the people they have on video were wearing black late at night as well. They said this has happened 3 times and they were about to call the police but did not say when any of the events occurred. I only returned from university on Friday after finals and have been doing mostly nothing but playing fallout 4 and have not found the time to cut anyone's Christmas lights. They said that apparently on the video that my face is visible and I'm wearing some kind of sweatshirt that they apparently have a picture of me wearing while shoveling snow. It hasn't snowed this year so I am having trouble believing this and also wondering why the fuck they would take pictures of me shoveling snow. Other than that they said that on the video there are like 4 of us and at least one of them had bike. I've only ran three times since I've gotten back, one of which was tonight when they accused me.

I'm not sure what to do. They said this was my "warning" and that if it happened again, they'd "make sure I never get hired anywhere after university." I'm tempted to go over there with my parents (since they obviously won't believe me) and ask to see the video and everything else they apparently have. Should I just ignore it?

Edit: I feel I should also add that I have texts on my phone with the friends who I run with and one has a gps watch that recorded one of the runs that I went on since I got back where we did not go near my neighbors house. I feel like no one could believe that I went through such elaborate steps to possibly get away with cutting the christmas lights of some people I've only talked to once.

Answer:
 > Should I just ignore it?

Yes, because they sound nuts. Do not engage.

Don't talk to them, and if they try to talk to you simply ignore them. If they come to your house ask them to leave. If they begin harassing you involve the police. If they file a civil suit or attempt to involve law enforcement hire an attorney immediately.Answer #2: I am a lawyer, however I am not your lawyer and I cannot represent clients in Ohio. If I were in your situation, I would not talk to them any more and ignore them until they contact you again, then I would call the police and file harassment charges. If you are served with a civil suit, you must respond or else you will have a judgement default against you and you will have to pay with whatever damages they decided to make up.

In addition, if you do have to engage with them again, use your phone to record the conversation. Ohio is a one-party consent state so you will have no problem using it as evidence. If they make threatening statements towards your college career, it will be useful to file a counter-suit if they decide to file their own civil suit.

Answer #3: if they had what the claim to have (they don't).. they would have called the cops....   keep running.. and avoid these people..

you're smarter than they are.. you'll be more successful than they are.. just laugh it off.. it makes for a good story over drinks...

Answer #4: For the lawyers here, might it be a good idea for OP to secure the text and GPS data in case these nutters do go to the police?


Title: USA-Will dating/having dated foreign nationals prevent me from getting security clearances?

Question:
I am in grad school for public health, but am interested in governmet/consulting type jobs, some of them require public trust or secret clearance. the problem is, I've lived abroad. So here are the strikes against me:
1. Ex boyfriend of a foreign country (scandinavia, so not a problem)
2. Best friend from russia, visited it with her and met a bunch of friends.
3. many other "foreign contacts"

I'm thinking of dating a guy who seems great but his country is really on america's no-no list. It may not be a serious thing so I wouldn't want to ruin my chances for a fling. Thoughts?

Answer: Disclose them and honestly participate in the process. There are thousands of people who have been awarded security clearances having grown up in foreign countries.Answer #2: My buddy was recently cleared for his TS//SCI, military intelligence. Girlfriend is a Russian national. Disclose all connections & be honest. Answer #3: Red flags pop up when you don't disclose information a lot more often than if you're honest. Answer #4: It may take a little longer for it to come through, but disclose everything. Lying is worse. I know many friends with foreign contacts, intimate relationships, spouses, even relatives and it has not been a problem. Also be sure to disclose social media contacts, most agencies require this also.


Title: Florida Landlord - Tenant

Question:
 Can My Property Management Legally Require Residents to Have Pets DNA Databased for Fecal Identification?
Question:Hey Reddit, saw a similar older post--but want to see if any new items have come up in the areas of legal precedence and list some additional concerns.

Quick Summary:  Large condo complex implementing pet DNA screening ($50 fee) to identify unclaimed feces around property.  Positive identification results in $250 fine. I have a list of questions I have presented to them, which have not been answered.

The you in this list from an email refers to property management.

1. Would you please notify me of the third-party company you plan on doing the testing?
2. Would you please send me the verbiage within new leasing agreement outlining this policy? I would like to have it available for third-party review.
3. How will DNA samples be collected? Will you please send me the standard procedures you plan on using for third-party review.
4. How will my dogs DNA be tested? Where will this DNA information be kept? Will it be secure from tampering?
5. Will there be a animal welfare specialist, or a veterinarian present to ensure you cause my pet no harm during your DNA collection?
6. Will you be installing security cameras to verify no other pets deficated on top of the sample(s) which you, or a third-party collects?
7. With respect to the $50 charge to have my pet’s DNA databased, will you be providing an itemized receipt for this charge from the party mentioned in question #1?
8. Are other properties managed by your parent company enforcing such policies, if so, will you please forward me their contact information?
9. Will there be a formal dispute process for a secondary test in the event of a primary positive?
10.  For a positive result, how will I be able to witness sample collections, to ensure they are valid and untampered with? Will all sample collections be recorded via video, and verified by a third-party that no contamination or tampering with occured? Will pet owners found in violation of aforementioned policy be provided this video, verifying validity of sample collection?
11. Would you provide me with the scientific basis that fecal DNA can be scientifically identifiable to a reliable measure after being exposed to the harsh elements of the Florida gulf coast, to include extremes in temperature, humidity, and precipitation.  What is the uncertainty window which the company reports as positive?
12. What if my pet is a registered service animal and I refuse to comply?

__

13. (For reddit!) Are you aware of any legal precedence for using fecal DNA exposed to the elements being used as a means of identification for human legal cases?

I jog around my property at nights, so I hate uncleaned (hard to see) animal waste as much as the next person, but this just seems like a pile of BS and a cash-grab.  I have a bit of analytical lab work background in a previous life, and I throw the BS flag on the validity of fecal DNA accuracy holding up in a court.

In all reality, I likely won't even be renewing my lease as I'll be moving--but the principle of the matter REALLY irks me.  I'm lucky enough that $50 won't kill my monthly budget, but I can't stand when "luxury living communities" nickel and dime you--on top of a non-refundable $300 pet "deposit" you don't recover, a $30/month pet fee, and a $1300-$1500 exit fee to have your carpet replaced (depends on apartment size).  This feels like an extension of the old, "The car is only $10,000*! The delivery, paper processing, mats, and other fees are $5,000."

Lastly, in the event the answer is yes, I have to get my dog DNA tested, I will likely be bringing a friend's dog who doesn't live on property out of the principle of sticking it to the man.

Edit: In their notification, breed identification is not mentioned. Also, once I get the company information, I plan on contacting them as a property owner to learn more about their process, and ask them if their tests have stood up in the courts to see what they have to say. Also, I want to find out how much everything actually costs so I can call the property management out on any inaccuracies they present.  I've also emailed a general customer service line for the Florida Department of Housing for my county (Okaloosa), but I'm assuming they will just email me contact information for lawyers licensed in the field in my area.

Yes, you're correct this really pissed me off.

Thanks!

Answer:
 They aren't going to answer your litany of questions. If you don't want to, don't get your dog sampled. If this isn't in your lease they won't be able to evict you for non-compliance. Then just move when your lease is up. Answer #2: I love when this scenario is posted. Just clean up your dog's shit and you'll be okay.

The DNA tests are usually from loose hair on the dog's coat, your dog will not be injured from being brushed, right?

And like you said, you're moving anyways so it's a non-issue.


Title: My family was falsely evicted and supposed to be back in our old house, but we are being held back. Help? (Crosspost from /r/homeless)

Question:
First of all, I am a 16 year old teen from San Antonio Texas speaking on behalf of my family; however, I've got a pretty good grasp on how all this works thanks to all the times it's happened to me in the past. Anyway, about a year ago it was revealed that my stepdad was a con man and had not only started up some kind of twisted sex business on Craigslist, but had also been plotting to steal our money and leave us homeless, which, in his mind, would "force" us to go to North Carolina with him after he fled Texas, which would have probably left my mom in his basement with his 5-10 other "wives" who are probably still brainwashed and sticking by his side. Point is he wasn't very mentally stable. Of course my mom was never whisked away to a sex dungeon or anything, but he did succeed in somehow evading paying our rent, despite the fact that he promised us and the courts that he was. On September 24th, 2015, my former stepdad was long gone and we were left to dry without our home. My mom was forced to take us to our biological dad's house to live there until we were able to get our house back. As for her, she is still having to stay at a family friend's cabin way up in San Marcos. My dad isn't as fit for full time parenting despite the fact that he tries, so needless to say it's been very hard living in such an small decrepit house; I'm essentially stuck in my room all day, home alone while my dad is at work and my sister is at her dance team practice. There's food, but it disappears quite fast. I lived like this for a while and was able to visit my mom when she had enough to pay for a hotel closer into town, and Joel has been dealt with by the courts for the most part. from October to January the courts tried to help us get our house back until finally we were on what seemed to be the last step; supposedly, all we had to do is schedule an appointment with an assigned locksmith company so they could change the locks on our house (they had to stop someone from moving in back in december due to the ongoing case) and give us the new key. They were supposed to do this on February 18th, after some renovations in the kitchen tiles due to the people living there causing a slight mold problem. We excitedly drove to our house and waited for hours, but the locksmith never showed up or answered any of our calls. A few days later, they finally apologized and said they're working on scheduling an appointment. The next time we're scheduled, we drive there and yet again, no one shows up. This has gone on for months now, with approximately two appointments for our case being "scheduled" every month. I knew something was up for a while until I realized one thing: our case was a non-profit case. Despite the fact that we were supposed to be the next ones they scheduled, they have instead been taking up the other cases they had filed that actually payed them. Basically they were ignoring any non-profit cases. We have constantly called them about twice a week telling them how much we've been through, but not once have they helped us out. Ever since June they have either ignored our calls or just said "We're working on it" and told us to call again next week. It's been ten months now and I am still stuck in this old little house, miles away from my mom. We can't harass the locksmiths each day or else we'll be reported. We have also confirmed there is no one living in the house now, but the landlord makes stops there sometimes to clean it up and sometimes give his grand-daughter a place to sleep for a few nights. None of this is in the way of the locksmiths' work. All they have to do is drive about 15 minutes and change a lock with a 24 hour notice, but they are seemingly too lazy to do even that if no money is involved. Is there anything at all my family can do to get them to move us in there already?
TL;DR: We were falsely evicted but figured most of it out; however, a supposedly lazy locksmith company refuses us service due to the fact that they are not getting paid for our case.

Answer:
 Not to be an idiot but you said "Rent" after almost a year of not paying them rent (I am assuming you were not paying rent for a place you were not living in ? )Why not live somewhere else, why is this house the only one in the word you can live in?

I'm also a little confused as to how it was a false eviction since your step dad wasn't paying the rent and there was an eviction? (he told the court he would pay the rent , yes?) in process.  Why would the locksmith be working pro bono , wouldn't the landlord who improperly evicted you hire a locksmith ...would the landlord who is having construction done so has access just give you a key? Also changing a lock when you already have a key is one of the most basic repairs any handyman could do it in about 10 minutes.


Title: [NYC] Why is it not considered littering for business to put countless unwanted flyers, catalogues, coupons, and menus on my house every day?

Question:
Every day I come home there's another coupon booklet from Kohl's or a dozen other stores within a 10 mile radius. They pile up all week until I can put them out with the garbage. I had a sign that said "no flyers etc.." but it was ignored.

I see these people with a shopping cart full of catalogues that they walk around and toss on everyone's front porch. How is this not littering? How do I get them to stop?

Answer:
 I had a similar issue with our local paper putting out a free edition every Thursday that they would just toss on the driveway of everyone in the neighborhood.  We travel a lot in the summer and I don't want this shit piling up advertising I'm not home.  I also feel like you shouldn't just be allowed to throw shit on my porch when I've asked you to stop.  It took me calling their circulation dept every Thursday for about six weeks demanding that they stop, rather aggressively at the end, and documenting the name of every person I spoke with.Answer #2: Do you have a "no tresspassing sign" and do they walk on your property? Answer #3: I also don't understand putting flyers on people's cars. You dropped your shit on my window, and now I have to either carry it with me or litter in the street to get rid of it. Answer #4: I am in TX and have the same problem.
Phonebooks, menus, flyers, etc.  They just keep hanging them on my door or putting them in front of it.

I consider it littering, but dont know how to stop it either.


Title: Really shitty move by a doctor or something more?

Question:
Posting for my friend who does not use Reddit, she lives in Oregon. We are not sure if this is legal, and just a shitty thing for them to do or if she does have a legal leg to stand on.

She was on her way to go to her doctor's appointment when she got a phone call from the secretary, an hour before she is suppose to be there. The secretary says the doctor is sick and they need to reschedule. She was rescheduled for 2/23/2016.

However as of 2/20/2016, she revived a letter in the mail stating as follows:

Dear my friends first name,

Upon receiving this letter today, I am withdrawing medical care for you. I have found it necessary to withdraw care.

If needed you can receive medical care from Urgent Care while you are selecting a new provider. With your approval, we will make available your new physician your case history and information regarding the treatment you have received under our care.

Sincerely,

Doctor's first and last name,DNP,FNP

Yes, it was written just like that. The only change I made was omitting names.

The reason we are wondering if this gets into legal territory and not just shady doctor territory is the reason behind the appointment. Without sharing too much of her medical history, two years ago she had x-rays taken. These x-rays lead her to be on medication that she really doesn't want to be on due to the side effects. Not only that, the medication was not working for the problem she was having, so she wanted to investigate further.  She has come to find out that the original x-rays had been messed up. The ones that her medication was based on, for the last two years. When she asked for new x-rays? The above happened.

So not only was not not being treated correctly for her issue, due to the side effects she cannot just stop taking the medication. So not only did this doctor not fix the problem, they created one.

Does she have any legal standing here? Or is this just a case of a shitty doctor?
Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer: Just FYI if the letter was signed "DNP, FNP" it means your friend was seeing a nurse practitioner, not a medical doctor. DNP = Doctor of Nursing Practice and FNP = Family Nurse Practitioner.


Title: Melodramatic idiot turns in mean note to the police?

Question:
So I’m quitting my job soon and there’s a total axe wound we work with who nobody can stand and she just particularly has it out for me. I’m sick of it and I’ve decided, fuck it, I’m not gonna bother with that “taking the high road” shit because this idiot really needs to be knocked down a peg. So because she often comes in after me, I’ve decided hey since this bitch likes to leave nasty little notes all over the place, why not leave a little note of my own for her to find?

But before I go doing that, I do know this bitch’s MO and it’s highly likely that after she throws her little tantrum to management, she’ll quickly find out that’ll get her nowhere because I quit and she’ll refuse to let it go and do something drastic if she has to. And one of the possibilities is that she’ll take my note to the police and cry “Harassment! Threats to me and my family! Boo hoo!”

So I’m wondering if this idiot does indeed to crying to the cops about my note, is there any legal action that can be taken if the note is simply just mean and there are no threats?

Answer: I have a feeling we're not hearing the whole story here based on how you're referring to her.


Title: (CA) Ticketed for moving violation for being on cell phone while stopped; cop put down that I was going 35mph

Question:
Hi /r/legaladvice,

Today I was stopped at a red light behind around 4 or 5 other cars, meanwhile the train crossing sign was down so it was an extended stop. During this time I pulled out my phone to look up an equalizer setting I saw on another subreddit and was fiddling with my car stereo at the same time to copy the setting.

A cop pulled up right next to me and saw this and I was promptly pulled over.

I actually didn't know that a driver couldn't be on a phone while the car was stopped, but I know now and I am OK with that citation because I was in the wrong. So not arguing that.

However, the officer wrote down that I was travelling at 35mph on the ticket, when I was definitely stopped.

My worry here is this sort of violation would be more expensive/potentially add a point to my record vs. if he actually put down 0mph which is the truth. Should I fight this? Do I have a case? Or does that 35mph not make a difference?

P.S that equalizer setting wasn't even good :(
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 Whether you're going 0 or 35, the fine is the same. They only look at the little box that's checked (ie. speeding, operating mobile device, etc).

That being said...most cops only mess with the paperwork when they do actually see you driving and futzing with the phone. They see you do it and then pull up beside you so they can get it on camera. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you don't have your phone properly mounted...probably use it for calls, music? So, it's highly possible the cop did see you traveling at 35 mph at some point. Answer #2: Does the ticket say you were traveling at 35 mph, or could the ticket say that you were pulled over on a road with a posted speed limit of 35 mph?


Title: My mom was caught flirting with one of her superiors over text.

Question:
Her boss that hired her is not aware, but my mom is afraid he will be after the wife of the person she was texting threatened the tell him. Can she legally be fired for flirting with a superior (who is married, not sure if it matters) at work? Nothing physical ever happened, just texts. She might have been using her work phone, does that change anything? Thanks.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Yes, it is perfectly legal to fire her for that, or any non-discriminatory reason, unless she has a contract or union that states otherwise.

Assuming US as you failed to provide a location.


Title: [FL/UK] My email but not my loan

Question:
I have an email address like firstinitial.lastname@gmail.com. As you'd expect I get many emails intended for other people. [Obligatory XKCD](https://xkcd.com/1279/)

For the past 6 months one company has persisted in emailing me even after trying to get them to stop.  So far they've sent 64 emails - 8 in the past two weeks.

The backstory appears to be that the intended recipient got a car loan but constantly pays it back just before it becomes a month overdue, so I get alert emails every few days saying the loan is past due. They also frequently email saying he has incorrect or no insurance.

So far they've sent me details of the person who took the loan out, including his name, address and how much is owed.

I've tried contacting the company via several different email addresses and social media with no response. The only other contact details available are their physical address and phone number.

I'm in the UK, the company is in Florida. Contacting via phone or letter isn't an option, partly for the cost and partly because I'd have to do the British thing and be polite while quietly seething inside.

What can I do to get them to stop constantly emailing me details about someone else's debts?

Answer: Block their email address.


Title: Brand new Field Grade officer in our unit got arrested for shoplifting at AAFES PX on his first night.

Question:
 Guy flew to a European base location from California, travel took almost 30 hours, and he had not slept for about 48. He takes an Ambien and prepares to go to bed early for the evening. No script on record for the Ambien, but a few left over for when given during a deployment so they were legitley acquired. Also takes Wellbutrin, so two medications mixed. Tries to run to the PX before they close after taking the meds. Grabs some items, and sticks two in his pocket, not thinking, nor intending to actually steal them. Says he doesn’t even remember why he put them in the pocket or many parts of the events (common for window of wakefulness after Ambien has begun to kick in). He leaves the store and goes next door to the commissary. Buys some items, and on the way out is met with by a loss agent. He tells the guy he didn’t mean to take the items and would pay for them, and explains the situation. Dude has a big dick, and apparently tells him he is “going down.”

Now it is up to CID or MPI to conduct investigation, etc.

I have not seen the film, but camera shows him technically commit the act.

The guy is freaking out, thinks his career is done for an admittedly stupid decision to take the Ambien and stay awake, but a mistake none the less, especially considering all aspects of the situation.

He is going to meet with the JAGs on Monday, I think he should get civilian representation also, but not sure what they do at this point? He has not been interviewed as part of investigation, but did give a statement at the MP station. Which I saw, and says basically what I typed above.

The guy has an impeccable record, and has never had even the slightest negative mark of any kind. I am really torn up for him, and not sure what to do to help him feel better about he potential outcome here.

Any suggestions / recommendations?

Ultimately from what I am told, after the investigation is complete, CID will submit findings to “the lawyers” and they will make a determination and recommendation to the Battalion Commander and ultimately it will be the 1 Star Generals final decision since he is a field grade officer. Also considering this is taking place in Europe, can a civilian with military experience even help him since it would most likely be remote?

Im just trying to help the guy keep a level head but also hopefully he can best protect himself.

Tl,DR

Guy traveled on no sleep for a few days, took an Ambien, and wellbutrin like an idiot, then ran to the PX. At some point there, and unintentionally put some items in his pocket and left the store. Got hit up by the loss agent out front, and now is scared shitless for his future. Impeccable record, multiple time commander, never had anything negative in his life, and certainly not a thief. Need recs going forward.

Answer: The Ambien was likely not legally taken because no valid Rx existed. He should speak to a lawyer and decode where to go from there.


Title: Former worker threatening to sue claiming she's underpaid

Question:
Location: Washington State, Kitsap County

A former waitress at my dad's restaurant had an attorney send a letter claiming she was not paid for the full hours she worked. Her and my dad had a verbal under the table agreement where part of her pay will be in cash and the rest in legit paycheck with adjusted hours. (i.e. she worked for 10 hours, but only paid $70 on her paycheck, and the hours only adds up to the $70 while rest was covered in cash)

She's claiming that she worked more hours than the paycheck stated. She doesn't have a timesheet, so technically she doesn't have proof that she worked longer than the hours on her actual paycheck except for other waitresses' words. The letter was sent to me by an attorney with numbers that pretty much doubled her paycheck hours, I'm not sure where she's getting this number from. The letter is telling me to either respond by paying or it will invite "legal actions" and the offer to pay will be open for 20 days. ( it's well past the 20 days since my dad just told me)

I would like to resolve this without having to go to court, but how strong of a case does she have? Technically, wouldn't she be in trouble too if this were to go to court? How should I respond to this attorney, if I should respond at all.

Answer: It is always problematic when someone creates an illegal relationship with an employee. Paying someone under the table generally results in a failure to pay appropriate taxes. This, in turn, can result in substantial fines for the employer. I strongly recommend that your father speaks with a tax lawyer as well as an employment attorney. You should not respond, because anything you say can get your father in trouble. You folks need proper legal help.


Title: I am being evicted and I dont know my rights. I just need some clarification. Please help.

Question:
Greetings r/legaladvice

I live in the state of CA and I've been staying with my mother and step father since about last August or September. I'm one month away from my savings goal and moving out of state. My mother and I simply do not get along and she is under the impression that she can just throw me out onto the street and therefore upend my plans and severely screw up my life in the process. She has never proposed any monetary rent agreement. It goes without saying that she has asked me to do some things around the house as well as help out with groceries and stuff. I was more than willing to keep that up. Last night she told me I have until Sunday to have myself and my property out or she has threatened to have me forcibly removed. I don't have any knowledge of the laws here but am I entitled to any sort of tenant or licensee rights? 30 days notice or anything? My plan was to be out at the end of May/beginning of June so if she just drops it everything will be fine. Also, I'm not doing anything illegal in her house. Nor am I posing a threat to myself or anyone else there. Please shed some light on this for me. I have no where else to turn.

Answer: Technically, she's supposed to give you 30 days notice but if she doesn't, and you call the police, there's no guarantee they will be able to talk her into letting you back in. You may end up with no recourse other than suing them for an illegal eviction. Your best bet is to recognize you're not wanted there and find somewhere else to stay ASAP.


Title: Maybe wrong sub, but need help getting my house off the offender registry

Question: The last tenant in my house moved out in March of 2014, but he apparently hasn't re-registered with his new address and a search for sex offenders in the area still brings up the house I'm living in. :-/  I have no idea where this guy went, but his bills still come to this address. Is there anything I can do? I have a kid and I don't want funny looks when we're out in the yard. (Indiana, rural Pulaski Co)

Answer:
 I don't know Indiana but when you say rural I think call the Sheriff's Office and ask them. How small is your county? Is this a situation where maybe they can get in touch with someone that is supposed to be monitoring his location?

No idea but I'm going to spitball an idea.

You can make some of the bills stop by writing "not at this address" and dropping it back in the box. Some of the bills will always come. I still get mail addressed to people who moved 20 years ago.Answer #2: He is supposed to update his address with the sheriff's department but obviously doesn't want to do so.  I suggest you get in touch with them yourself and tell them to track him down and force him to update his address.


Title: My parents are forcing me to become obese (TX, US)

Question:
Let me preface this with this: my parents have never been emotionally or physically abusive to me ever before this.

I am overweight for my age, and so I have decided that after being bullied and teased at school to do something about it. I've been eating healthier and exercising more, and weight. However, in the past month or so, my parents have began to force me to become obese. They will cool normal meals for themselves, but make something unhealthy for me an make me eat it. They limit how much I exercise to a tiny amount, and only let me have sugary drinks. As a result, now pretty much all I've gained in my hard work is gone and I am even more fat than I was prior to my exercise. What options do I have legally? Can this even be proven as happening to CPS or anyone else? I just really don't know what to do or what my options are.
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer:
 You should talk to your counselor at school, he or she is a mandatory reporter and will report your parents to CPS (assuming this rises to the level of neglect/abuse, which I think it does), as well as advise you about what else you can do.Answer #2: Have they said why they are doing this? Do they claim you have an eating disorder? Have you been given this diet under supervision of a doctor or nutritionist? Answer #3: Do they restrict your access to water?

What kinds of "unhealthy" foods are they making for you?

I ask because weight loss starts in the kitchen. Don't drink their sugary drinks. How old are you? If they are restricting your access to water that's a major problem. But making you a PB&J when they get a there course meal isn't abuse, but it is shitty and I'm sorry it's happening to you. Answer #4: How old are you? Do you have a part-time job? How are they making you eat unhealthy foods (are they refusing to let you leave the table/punishing you if you don't finish your plate)? Also (and answer only if you are comfortable), how obese are you?


Title: My father is unresponsive and passing away. I’m 25 and the last living relative except for a girlfriend. She didn’t call me for two days while he was in the hospital, so that she was next of kin to talk to, and claims her 3 year old son is his. Unresponsive father can’t deny claim. How do I contest?

Answer:
 Get an attorney and try to have paternity testing done (through legal means, ofc) on the child with reference to your father's DNA. That will settle the issue of "next of kin"
Answer #2: Talk to the hospital doctor. Tell him the situation. As his son you are the decision maker unless he signed her to be. Best in person. Get a DNA test done before he passes.

Lawyer now where dad is located to make this go faster.  You need to lock the financials down now. Answer #3: If your father didn't have a will, contact an attorney yourself, preferably before he passes away, and have yourself appointed as the administrator of his estate. Before he passes away, make sure that his girlfriend is not listed on his bank account or make sure she doesn't have access to his debit card or anything else.


Title: Ex-wife liquidated my checking account. Am I screwed?! Please please help, Reddit!

Question:
i'll try to keep this brief but detailed. im incredibly upset with my bank (BofA) and my ex-wife and her family who seem to be defending her. This happened in South Florida, and not that it's important, but for context I am also a woman.

Her: drug addict; just off probation in March; domestic violence charge against me on her record; probably bi-polar; basically went missing after getting off probation

The account: checking account opened at Bank of America by me alone; partner was later added to the account after getting married but, I realize now, not removed after divorce; its been my sole checking account since the divorce; the only money in and out of the account has been by my use; I get weekly direct deposits from my job and use the funds to pay rent/bills/utilities/CC/etc; we had a joint account opened together, but I guess I forgot/didnt realize she was added to the account in question

3 days ago, my ex walked into a Bank of America branch and totally liquidated the account and went back to being missing. knowing her, the money was most likely spent on drugs and motel rooms. I called the bank, who said there's nothing I can do since she was added onto the account. Like I said above, the only money into the account has been from my job. She also almost certainly didn't have a debit card for the account, so she had to have just given them her ID to find the account. How are there no red flags here in their system?!! I am beside myself (and $2500!). I also called my divorce attorney who said there's nothing I can do since she was on the account, but I feel like he's covering his ass since he's potentially also responsible for not handling this part of the split as well!!! IM SO PISSED AT EVERYONE!!

From reading a couple similar posts on Reddit, I plan to file a police report and use that to attempt to get the bank to reimburse the funds. Is there anything else I can do, or am I SOL?

The cherry on top was that BofA would "consider waiving the $8 fee to close the account." Merry fucking Christmas!

Answer:
>How are there no red flags here in their system?!!

If your exwife was an owner of the account, she has every right to the funds inside according to the banks rules and state banking laws. Police aren't going to be helpful here, it's her account too.

Did you have a divorce agreement which was finalized that this would be violating?


Title: Parents locked up personal documents; I've moved out and they won't give them to me

Question:
I need some advice (obviously, as I'm on this thread). I moved out of my parents' house a week or so ago, from Tennessee to my grandmother's house in Texas. The reason is because I wanted (and have for years) to go to a college here. I told my parents a month before that I was planning on leaving with her when she came down to visit; I had my stuff all packed up and ready to go. However, the day of \- a few hours before she left, in fact \- my mom told me that I wasn't going to go. She said that I would be 'ripping the family apart' and so she absolutely wouldn't allow it. I'm 18, by the way, almost 19. I told her that I'd already enrolled and so I had to go. She argued with me for a full 3 hours before 'giving up' and letting me go.

However, I'm going through and unpacking everything and I found that a lot of my personal documents are missing. I called my sister and she verified that my mom had taken my birth certificate, my social security card, my wallet with ID and bank cards in it, and around $3000 dollars that I've had saved, and locked them all in a safe. All I have to prove that I'm 'me' is my 2017 tax return and a credit card that I had in my phone case. I probably should have put them somewhere safer, but I honestly didn't expect my mom to basically steal my personal documents. I obviously need all of them \- and soon. I called and messaged both of my parents, but the only thing my mom said is that "You're not getting them back. If you're so independent, you can obviously do without them."

What do I do? I seriously doubt they'll just hand them over, but I hate to get the authorities involved. I have some little siblings and I'm worried about them. My sister said she'd try to get the documents and send them to me, but I doubt it's going to happen. My mom keeps it locked all the time.

(Side note: according to the FAFSA, I'm still legally a dependent, but I have no way of getting my parents' tax return for 2015 as the FAFSA requires. Not sure what to do about that either.)

Please advise. Many thanks!

Answer:
 Start by calling the police and filling a report for the theft of the $3000.

Side note: Speak with a financial aid counselor at your university. They will lead you through what to do.


Title: [Ireland] Is it legal for a group to use self defence against an individual?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: In that scenario all of the people who beat one dude to a pulp would be arrested and sued for his medical expenses. The dude who got beat to a pulp could also be arrested but probably wouldn't depending on how bad he got beat and how severe his initial act of physical aggression was.


Title: My brother, suffering from bipolar mood disorder, has been living with me. He had a maniac episode and created havoc. Destroyed a guy's camera and other stuffs. They are demanding that I should pay for it or they'll gonna sue. What to do here ?

Question:
[Location : Newark, NJ]

A little bit background. I am 30 and living with my wife in Newark. I have a younger brother, aged 26, who's been suffering from bipolar mood disorder. He had excellent academic record and graduated from a reputed engineering college. He then went to pursue M.S., however due to stress, pressure or some other unknown cause, he started showing signs of psychological problems. He was diagnosed as suffering from Bipolar mood disorder and has been following various treatments, but he isn't getting his mood stable. He had to drop out from college eventually and as he had no other place to live, he asked if he could live at my place and I agreed. He's been living with us for over 2 years. He is in constant touch with his psychiatrist and takes his meds regularly. He isn't able to work due to his unstable mood and anxiety.

Few days ago, He had a, what doctors called, maniac episode. This is something that happened first time with him. He never had such thing before.

So, it was evening, and suddenly he rushed downstairs from his room, he was shivering. I was watching tv with my wife. I asked him if he was ok, but he didn't reply and started punching the wall. My wife and I tried to stop him, but his maniac episode was so powerful that we couldn't manage to stop him. he then kicked the flower vase on shelf and broke it and ran outside the house. We called 911 and asked them to send help.

My brother was totally out of control, he pelted stones at neighbor's cars and houses's windows and damaged them pretty badly. There was a guy filming his wife in his yard, he jumped over the fence, grabbed the camera furiously, and smashed it on the ground, totally destroying it. He then went on to destroy lawn decorations of neighbors. That scene was very chaotic. Hearing all the noises and screaming, people had gathered. I along with other 3 people eventually grappled him and wrapped him in a mattress and chained him till paramedics arrived. He was even resisting to go into the ambulance. After a lot of efforts, he was taken to the hospital, albeit in chained condition. They sedated him and thus he was in control.

He is still at the hospital under psychiatrist's observation. Doctors are trying to figure out what provoked the maniac episode. He has no memory of that incident. He is saying all he can remember is waking up after heavy dose of sedation.

Now the legal part.

Damage was done pretty badly. Neighbors are claiming he destroyed total stuff worth approximately $2000 including camera, windows glasses, windshield glasses, lawn decorations, a dog house, outdoor chair etc.

As he has no assets, they all have unified and demanding that I should pay to them or else they'll gonna sue. Their argument is that as he was living with me, I am his guardian and caretaker, so I am responsible for damage caused by him.

I don't think I should be held responsible, because I did nothing to provoke the maniac episode in him, nor did I directed him to do damage.  It was just an unfortunate incident.

What should I do ? Hire a lawyer ?

Answer: I am a lawyer, not yours. You are not your brother's keeper, legally speaking at least.  They could sue you, but unless he was under your legal guardianship the case would be over relatively quickly. If they press it you should notify your homeowner's insurance policy.  They can sue him, and win, but there is probably no legal basis for a claim against you.


Title: [ALABAMA] Girlfriends roommate is trying to sublease to a male.

Question:
As the title states, I'm looking for any law or reason why this may not be allowed. She's extremely uncomfortable with the idea of having to share a living space with an unknown man. The individual rooms don't lock and the other roommate wants to transfer universities and just wants to sublease so she doesn't have to pay rent. Any and all advice would be appreciated.

P.S. I'm calling a tenants rights lawyer in the morning and going through the lease right now, anything else I should do?

Answer:
 If the roommates lease allows subleasing there isn't anything your girlfriend can do but move out.

She should contact her landlord to find out whether he knows about this, and make him aware of her feelings.


Title: My *friend* gave my number to a creditor who is calling me constantly to get a hold of her.

Question:
[Ontario,Canada]

Hello everyone.

I am at a loss. I keep getting calls from a creditor asking me to get *friend* on the phone because she owes them money. I have told them MULTIPLE times that she lives no where near me and that I want nothing to do with this.

I gave them her number but for some reason, they just keep calling. How do I get them to stop? Do I need to call the police or something? They dont take *do not call this number anymore* seriously and it seems to be a different person every time.

Thank you

Answer:
 NAL - I use to get those for a former friend all the time, I finally told them "I had a falling out, she is not my friend anymore, please stop contacting me". And then block the number, or just block the number and ignore it, either one is fine. Answer #2: They aren't allowed to keep calling you.

Here's a page on your rights and what to do:
https://www.ontario.ca/page/collection-agency-your-rightsAnswer #3: Simply block the number


Title: My wife was forced to resign from her company after filing for partial unemployment when her hours were cut. This is in Texas.

Question:
I apologize for the terrible title and formatting issues. I'm on mobile and I don't really post on reddit that much. Mostly a lurker.

So, over the last month and a half my wife's hours dropped from a steady 40 to around 20-25.  This normally wouldn't have been a problem, but our savings have been wiped out trying to visit my terminally ill mother.

Last week my wife was supposed work a full week. Her boss called twice last week saying there wasn't enough work so she couldn't come in. She was also told she would only work half a day that Friday.

I decided to do some digging about unemployment and found out you can apply for partial unemployment. My wife agreed to file to help out our finances. This was on Thursday last week.

On Friday my wife's jeep broke down and would not run. I was already at work and couldn't leave to bring her, so her boss came and got her. The jeep wasn't a huge deal to me because our schedules lined up perfectly to share my car.

Sometime that day, my wife told her boss that she filed for partial unemployment. Her boss lost it after that. She told my wife she had to resign and slammed a piece of paper and a pen on the table.

My wife was so upset she, unfortunately filled out the resignation how her former boss wanted her to. She made her write that she was resigning due to transportation issues, which is obviously not true because we have a perfectly working vehicle.

Do we have any rights or legal recourse here? This seems like retaliation for her filing for partial unemployment.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

Answer:
 Not really, no. She resigned. They could have fired her, being an at will state, had she refused.

She needs to move on.


Title: Questions about divorce settlement [MA]

Question:
I"m currently in the middle of a divorce and I suppose I"m trying to figure out what is the best way to handle things. We've been separated for over a year, and there's a huge disparity in our incomes. He makes 3x what I make, and according to the law, would owe me a substantial amount of money if we went with the default judgement. On the order of about 80k due to the way our assets are distributed. I am working, but not doing well and am having trouble with my bills and keeping food in the house.

His offer to me was 15k, a good chunk of his savings. I am having a really hard time with a lot of what's going on, as in, I don't want to ask for help and I have a lot of guilt over feeling like I need help. I could take this offer and make things work. Barely.

He's told me that its' wrong for me to ask for more, that i'm a bad person for not accepting his offer right off the bat.

Here's what he said that really got to my head. That my lawyer likely is not looking to be "fair" in this divorce, that he's looking to keep his numbers up. Being able to say that he gets X percentage on average during these cases.

He's told me that his lawyer is certain that I won't be entitled to anything more than what he's offered and if he wanted to push the issue would likely be able to get away with paying nothing. My lawyer has assured me the opposite, that it's extremely unlikely that I would get something other than the default judgement if it was to go to court without us both agreeing on it. Is my lawyer overlooking something? or is his lawyer trying to get around the default divorce judgements by having him get in my head?

Answer:
 Trust your lawyers.  As someone who works in a large family law office, I can tell you that no lawyers cares about x percentage average of cases.

We care about winning and losing.  Winning as in we get the best possible situation for our client.

$15k is a very low ball figure for an $80k equalizing payment.  Although this number can fluctuate depending on your years of marriage.

Your husband is trying to intimidate you into a deal, this is common when trying to settle cases when there is a disparity in income.


Title: Roommate spent 7 thousand for a new engine install in his broken jeep, and it was defective when he got it. Nobody's owning up and asking him to pay all over again for a new rebuild (California)

Question:
Hey /r/legaladvice,

Looking to see if there's anything legally we can do. He asked one local lawyer who said something about different states and all he can do is write a threatening letter (more on that later)

So my roommate's jeep engine blew last christmas. After shopping around, he took it to a local shop here in California and settled on a quote for a rebuild. He ordered the new engine himself from a place in New Mexico, and got it sent directly to the shop. The jeep sat at the shop for 4 months after the engine arrived. The shop kept postponing saying "It's gonna be done next week", "Oh a part broke we got to buy a new one", etc always an excuse

It finally got done rebuilding, and he picked it up, drove around and within 100 miles a part started clicking extremely loud. The first shop said the clicking was from the transmission. He got it looked at by another shop for a second opinion, and they said it was coming from the lower end, and he needs to stop driving it otherwise the engine will sieze. Can't tell if it's from the installation, or a defected engine.

The shop agreed it was a faulty engine. They called the engine company, addressing the problem, and they want him to either send the jeep to Arizona, or the engine to New Mexico to get it fixed. All of this still charged as labor to my roommate

He called the engine seller who answered immediately, and they told him they'll pay for shipping and cover only $20/hour for the engine swap labor (which is $95/hr). But after that first call stating the problem, they stopped answering the phone and replying to emails.

He has a few emails between him and the seller, where he says that [quote]"They were bullshitting him"

He went to a local lawyer's office to ask what can be done, and the lawyer said that since the shop is in New Mexico (we're in California) he can't do anything about it, other than to write a "scary letter" for several hundreds of dollars.

It's been a year since he's driven the jeep, and now they're asking him to pay out of pocket to send it to New Mexico and pay for another rebuild

Is there anything that can be done legally? He barely could afford it the first time, and now they're trying to get the jeep sent to Arizona, and he's going to have to fly there and drive back, and it's going to be another 1600 for something that should've been fixed the first time

Answer:
 Talk to a better lawyer. Being in a different state doesn't protect you from lawsuits. They sold and shipped a product to CA and I'm sure they do frequently. They have purposeful contacts with the state sufficient to warrant personal jurisdiction.

Edit: I should also say that there might be a forum selection clause or something in the contract, in which case you would have to take action in AZ. So maybe your buddy showed him the contract and he was basing it on that.


Title: Officer searched my car while friend was in it, found small amount of Xanax. Do I have a solid defense? (CA)

Question:
Good afternoon all,

So the other night, my buddy dropped me off at work in my car, on his way home.  We had just visited a medical marijuana dispensary, and there was a clone plant in the backseat of the car (I had no space in my trunk to store it).

Instead of then driving home to drop off the plant, my buddy decided to doze off in the car.  He was awoken by two officers knocking on his window, asking him to step out.  He did so, and the officer asked who the plant belonged to, if my buddy had a medical license, etc.  She then asked my friend if she and her partner could search the car, to which my friend replied along the lines of "it's not my car, I can't give you permission."  They searched the car regardless, and in he trunk found ten 2mg Xanax bars.

At that point the officers came and pulled me aside from work to ask me about the bars and write me a ticket for a court date.  I was told no information other than when to appear, and no rights were read (though I'm not sure if any apply).

My court date is in about a month and a half.  Do any of you have any suggestions on the next move I should take?  I suppose it should be noted that I'm not a recreational drug user, and the Xanax was a one time scenario that I never in a million years expected to be as serious as it has become.

Thank you all for your help, and have a great day!

Answer:
 > Do any of you have any suggestions on the next move I should take?

Plead not guilty at your arraignment.  If you haven't already done so, find yourself a criminal defense attorney.  You're going to need one.Answer #2: > the officers came and pulled me aside from work to ask me about the bars

~~What did you say?~~

Edit: Why did you speak to the officers? Did you incriminate yourself?

> Do I have a solid defense?

You don't suggest *any* defense in your post. You need a criminal defense attorney to try to plead this down or get you into a diversion program if such a think is available. Plead not guilty at your arraignment, do not argue your case there (or to anyone, radio silence from now on until you speak with your attorney).


Title: Competitor asking for business address to send letter from their lawyers

Question:
We just received an email from our biggest competitor asking for our business address to 'send us a letter'.

A bit of background to this competitor: I run a business with my sister who used to know the woman behind our biggest competitor. She recently messaged my sister personally and accused her of copying her idea and thus began the feud between our two businesses.

Our personal address cannot be found on our website (I'm not sure if it is legally required for it to be, but she states it is). And we also have our domain registration details set as private - we are in the process of removing this though and making it public.

Should we not reply to the email and see if her lawyers contact us themselves or should we ask for her lawyers to contact us directly?

Answer: You do not have to reply, legally. Wait and see what happens. But if they are suing you, it will happen eventually either way. Answer #2: FWIW stealing an idea is not a legal issue unless they have patented it or you signed an NDA. There isn't any reason to resond to them at this point. If, however, they actually start legal action (which sounds like it is unlikely) you do need to respond and you will need to get a lawyer.Answer #3: You've registered an agent of service with your state's secretary of state, right?


Title: Received a notice that Manga (makers of minecraft) removed my app from the amazon app store without my permission. They claimed copyright infringement on something that never even says minecraft.

Question:
The app just has a similar art style. And the gameplay is nothing like minecraft in the least. No where in the description, or keywords, or title do I have the word minecraft. How do they have any legal ground to stand on.

http://imgur.com/a/ouSr8

Could I countersue for this ridiculous accusation, and getting one of my top money earners taken down???

edit - in the USA

Answer:
 Hahahahhahahahaha.

Good luck with that.

You clearly based your 'app' on minecraft with the intention of customers associating you with them.

Counter sue one of the most profitable game companies at your own discretion.


Title: Father Passed, oldest child completely disowned the family 5 years ago. Do we notify oldest child of father's passing?

Question:
So oldest child disowned family the first time for more than a decade ago. No contact at all, and was angry when they were contacted once by phone about father's medical emergency.

Well, father gets better, and a few years later oldest child tries to reconnect for like a year, then again goes completely no contact, to the point of not attending Mother's funeral. The last contact was about 4 years ago.

Now Father has passed leaving behind 3 adult children (spouse passed 4 years ago). The oldest is still no contact, while the younger 2 have remained in contact and taken care of Father. So my question is, is there a legal obligation to try to let the oldest child know of the Father's passing? Morally I feel there is no need to, but I realize this situation is different now that an inheritance may be involved. I'm pretty sure there is a general will, but I dont think all the details are worked out.

Answer:
 The executor will almost certainly need to notify the estranged child at multiple points during the probate process, even if the deceased left them nothing. Failing to notify them may leave the estate or the executor open to a lawsuit down the line if they do not receive something they should have, or if they have an issue with the estate that they would have raised and are denied the chance to do so.

The executor and an attorney can work out the details; the notice is pretty formal and mundane, and will not create grounds for the estranged child to argue that they are being harassed if it's handled correctly. If they don't want to be involved, they don't have to respond, and if they want the estate to stop notifying them of relevant developments, they can ask for that in writing.

There's no obligation to notify the child that their parent has died, outside of that. It's a matter of public record, and I assume the family is having an obituary published anyways.