Title: Does anyone know if it's legal for a Suntrust bank teller to tell people's private account amounts at a party? (TN)

Question:
New to reddit, and not sure if this is the right place to post. I'm sorry if this is the wrong place. Askreddit deleted my post, so maybe someone here has some info. Coworker said reddit would know. He suggested "ask reddit" but they deleted my post. Is this the place to ask?

Anyway, my story: Was at a cookout gathering invited by a friend and friends of friends a recently and was in a group conversation and one guy who was talking about people's bank account balances in the community and daily deposit amounts for a local business. Personally I think it's highly unethical to say the least, but is it illegal? My friend said he worked at Suntrust. I only know his first name.

Just to clarify, he would say stuff like "oh yeah that guy's a dick and he's got $120k in his checking account. Idk how he gets it." Also mentioned a local business's account information as well. Can they just look up anyone's accounts they want? Kind of made me angry that this guy was bragging about knowing all this stuff about people. Should I report this person to Suntrust or am I blowing something small out of proportion?

edit: I would feel really guilty if I got a person fired from their job so I'm kinda torn. :(

Answer:
 >I would feel really guilty if I got a person fired from their job so I'm kinda torn. :(

Don't be.  Report this to the bank, they will want to know that their customer's information is being giving out like this.  Plus, think of it from your own POV, if it was your balance and transaction details, would you be ok with him telling everyone at partys?Answer #2: Illegal, most likely not. Definitely unethical and most likely a against Suntrust rules. Report him if you wish but you'll probably need more than a first name.


Title: Legal?

Question:
is it illegal to take down a number that called your job and harass it. I called a place of business, the employee took down my number. Then her and her friend call it on a blocked  number several times. I only realized who was because the last time they forgot to block the number.

Side note: I know these people personally so I know it was them.
Also they dis not know it was my number

Answer: Is harassment illegal? Yes. Yes it is


Title: Can my employer read my text messages on my personal cellphone and fire me

Question:
I'm in middle Georgia,  just south of Atlanta.   I have an app on my phone which allows me to receive my company's emails when I'm away from my desk. That is the only company issued/ sanctioned app I have on my personal cellphone. Recently, there have been rumors of individuals being asked to hand over their personal phones and that some have been fired due to personal text messages. How is that legal?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 In an at-will employment scenario, outside of union membership or binding employment contract, if your employer said, "Let me read your text messages," and you refused, your employer could terminate your employment.

>How is that legal?

It's legal because it's not illegal.  You're free to refuse; they're free to fire you.


Title: Reverse Mortgage/Cannabis Cultivation

Question:
I have a bit of a hard question, I am 68 years old and a resident of the state of California. I am also a cultivator of medicinal cannabis, which is legal in my state. I also have a reverse mortgage put on my house. If the appraiser/person who checks on the state of my house to see if it is being maintained from time to time sees my medicinal grow, will they have grounds to trigger the payment of the reverse mortgage?
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 Congratulations. You win the 'WTF? Title of the Day' award.Answer #2: Are you an SB420 cultivator who sticks to the six mature / twelve immature plants rule for your own use, or are you an "aggregate grower" for a collective ?

If you're an SB420 grower, you're almost certainly protected against criminal prosecution and therefore at no risk of a criminal conviction triggering any sort of clause in your mortgage, if any exists.

If you're skirting the edge of the law by participating in a "aggregate grow" operation, you're taking a risk of criminal prosecution.

You need to have somebody review your actual mortgage terms and see what can trigger a payment demand.

My guess (and it's only a guess) is that the principal risk is that you could have the house seized as part of a criminal enterprise, and that when you don't occupy it for a year the loan becomes due.

Internet strangers can't review the terms of your mortgage.   If you need help understanding specific clauses that address crimes committed on the property, you need to hire a California real estate attorney to review the documents.


Title: California Police trying to break into house?

Question:
My mother received a phone call yesterday saying the police would like to speak to me. I'm 23 years old and never had any trouble with the law, not so much as a traffic violation, so I can't imagine what this could be about. I received a phone call later in the day from a police officer saying they want to ask me questions. I do not answer, they left a voicemail.

I need to know what to do, considering I have no idea what this could be about and don't want to incriminate myself if I've done something I don't know about. Granted, I don't know how much a lawyer would cost and if I can incur those costs if that is what is recommended.

Now the creepy part. I was at my mom's house in the evening and all of a sudden I hear a giant shaking on the front door. My mom has a 8 ft wall and metal gate to unlock and get through before even getting to the front door so I have no idea why a cop would jump a wall like that to get to a front door. Then I hear what sounds like a crowbar on the front door and the door shaking violently. I dare not answer. There wasn't even a knock to begin with.

I can hear people talking and they give up on the door and jump over the next backyard fence into the backyard and this is where I see them. I'm crouched down on the floor and look around a corner and see two cops going to open the sliding back door in the back of the house. Before they can, my mom's two giant german shepherds make a bee line for the door and stop the cop's coming in.
They do a loop around the property and then go back out the way they came. Hopping fences as they go.

WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON? My mom is scared shitless. There are major crow bar marks on the front door and the knob is completely inoperable and completely loose. Strangely, the lock on the inside isn't connected to that knob so breaking it didn't do anything to unlock the door.

I am moving out of state in a couple weeks for a job. I've read online to not answer the phone when police call and told my mom to do the same. I'm honestly freaking out that the police would try to enter my mom's house, no warrant, nothing posted anywhere after they left.

I'm scared and have no idea what to do. This is crazy.

Answer:
 CALL. THE. COPS.

Report the attempted break in, report that you saw them and they appeared to be wearing police uniforms.


Title: [IL] Can owners require pet owners to spay/neuter their pets?

Question: My niece is fixing to move into a new apartment with her two dogs and the lease requires pets to be spayed or neutered which I agree with but she’s hesitant despite not wanting to actually breed said dogs. I actually looked it up but really couldn’t find anything that says yay or nay so I was hoping one of you could answer this question.

Answer: Yes, if it's in the lease they can require pets to be fixed.Answer #2: They can say no pets at all. They can also say that pets must be spayed and neutered. They aren't forcing her to do that to her pets, but if she wants to move into this apartment that's a condition of doing so.Answer #3: They can require this as a condition of accepting the apartment, yes.


Title: Can he be charged with a DUI?

Question:
If a guy breaks a restraining order on a persons property and as he pulls out of the driveway the police block him so he doesn’t get on the main road then they arrest him and notice he’s intoxicated, can they charge him with a DUI without the police seeing him drive on the main road? Since he’s on a private property can the police still charge him with DUI or can he fight it just so he can only be charged with violation of a restraining order?
Topic:
DUI

Answer: The Michigan Supreme Court [has held that you can be charged with DUI while in your own driveway](https://caselaw.findlaw.com/mi-supreme-court/1868822.html)Answer #2: Yes. He was operating a vehicle.


Title: Is this traffic ticket worth fighting?

Question:
I received a ticket for driving through private property to avoid traffic. The situation is this.

I turned and went through a light. Then a ways down past the light I went through I turned around in a business parking lot and went back to the same light so I could make a right turn. Traffic was jammed and I had to get to work. There was little to no traffic in the other lane to turn right. I didn't think this counted as avoiding traffic since I literally hit the light twice.

Is this worth fighting or am I misunderstanding the law?

Answer: Technically you can’t use a parking lot to help you turn around or skip a light, etc. That IS a thing, but many police officers don’t really enforce it. You just got unlucky tbh. Not worth fighting


Title: School gave away my health records and SSN to a stranger by accident.

Question:
I've recently graduated High School and had my transcript mailed home. The mailing address and name was under my credentials. After opening the letter and reading some of the classes, I realized I had never taken some of those in High School. They've sent me the wrong transcript. These documents include full names, family names, health records, and a social security number. My concern now is that someone else recieved my transcript by accident and I'm afraid of any kind of malicious intent.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 This is a FERPA violation. You should call the school district and report it. They should do an investigation.Answer #2: You can freeze your credit — https://clark.com/personal-finance-credit/free-credit-freezes/. It is useful for all types of data breaches.Answer #3: This is a FERPA violation and you have a few options:

1. You can report it to your school and hope they deal with it
2. You can file a complaint with the US Department of education (give the school a chance to handle it.  If they blow you off report them)

[https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/file-a-complaint](https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/file-a-complaint)

When an investigator contacts you offer to either give them the documents that were sent to you or offer to destroy them.  You can't keep those documents.  Your school has violated FERPA twice, once with your records and once with the records of the other person.  They are going to be in hot water.Answer #4: You should contact your school, let them know of the issue, and return the information that isn't yours.

You don't have a legal issue yet.  As of now you have no losses and nothing to ask for but their effort to see where your information went.  And perhaps an apology.Answer #5: Freeze everything bank related, report it to the school district, and return the mistaken information so that no action can be pursued against you.


Title: OD'd last night cops found drugs and have phone need legal advice

Question: Last night I OD'd on Fent, it was accidental. My sister found me and called the cops. The cops came and found the fent (about 250mg). I went to the hospital and was released that night. A cop tried to talk to me but I didn't give them any information as I was in a hazy state and didn't want to say anything that I would regret later. I'm now at home with no phone as the cops took it. I live in Wisconsin so I believe that I'm protected under the good Samaritan law but I honestly have no idea. Should I call the cops with someone else's phone to see if I can get mine back? What should I do? They also found a nic vape that they said they think wax was in it. I have used wax in it in the past but I cleaned it since then, that being said it's possible they found trace amounts. Any advice is greatly appreciated as I have never had any altercations before and have no idea how to handle this.

Answer:
 The Good Samaritan law protects the person who tries to help (your sister), not the person who OD'd (you).

You should get a lawyer.


Title: I was wrongfully accused of impersonating an FBI agent (MD)

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Troll Post

Answer: I would bet one dollar American that this is a fake post, but in case it is not, no, idiots should not attempt a legal defense of themselves in a criminal case, so you should hire a criminal defense attorney if you have actually been charged with a crime.


Title: I messed up and lost company files (all of them) California

Question:
I stupidly had unencrypted files (back up of all of the company's files, every conceivable info, from competitors, to ip, to investors) on a flash drive, which I lost. I am definitely fired, and am confessing to my mistake. The flashdrive fell off of my car keys, and literaly can be anywhere. I am willing to accept any sort of punishment. What sorts of legal action could I expect from my employers, as well as investors? I was told to be careful with this information, and fully understood the importance of keeping the drive safe. If I cannot pay any damages, could my parents be forced to pay?
edit: i was in charge of the device encyption, I neglected it

Answer:
 >unencrypted files

Not so bad...

>back up of all of the company's files, every conceivable info, from competitors, to ip, to investors

Hold up. You were carrying around the keys to the kingdom so to speak on an _unencrypted_ drive media? Who gave it to you? They should be the ones on the pike for this particular snafo...

As for the legal argument, barring any sort of NDA or other paperwork signifying your responsibility to this data the company will likely just fire you and that'll be that. If they end up suing you, it's best to retain a lawyer and keep your mouth shut.Answer #2: I can't imagine this data would be useful to anyone other than a select few people. And most of those people are going to be nervous about plugging some flash drive they found on the street into their computer.  Unless of course you lost it during a job interview with a competitor,  then you are boned. Answer #3: Are you over 18? (Assuming you are), then your parent are not responsible.Answer #4: Just keep your mouth shut, make yourself a new flash drive and encrypt it this time, and don’t store it on your keys... Chances are nothing will come of the other one being lost.Answer #5: Odds are very high that whoever finds the flash drive won’t understand or care about anything that’s on it. If you still have another copy of the data, weigh the risk/benefit ratio of confessing or continuing to operate as if nothing happened.Answer #6: Is it worth it to confess if the chances of someone nefarious finding it and damaging the company is probably like 1%?Answer #7: The guys at r/UnethicalLifeProTips/ might suggest reporting it as stolen.Answer #8: I'd start taking the car apart


Title: Help please

Question: Hey all. I made a bad call last night. Things have been kind of rocky lately but it seemed like they were finally looking up. I went out with some friends last night to celebrate this and drank a decent amount but it really hit me hard. I recognized this and wanted to leave the bar we were at. My friend and I ubered back to his place but when we were near, I got out of the car when it came to a stop. My friend was asleep so he couldn’t tell I left. Anyway, I seemed to have wandered around and eventually broke a window of somebody’s home and entered. I must have thought this was my friend’s place but I’m not sure, I wasn’t myself as I was blacked out. I guess the family locked themselves in a room and called 911 and I was arrested. I’m curious as to what charges you think I’ll be facing and what defense I could have. I have a clean record and I’m a pretty alright guy so hoping for some leniency. My court date is Monday morning and Im located in MA in the US. Please help me out in whatever way you can. Thank you.

Answer: This is very much attorney territory.


Title: My mom, a doctor, works in the same clinic as my doctor. Ontario, Canada

Question:
Since my mom is a doctor I’ve never really gone to my own doctor since I’ve never been very ill (just colds and such that my mom would be able to get my prescription from my doctor by telling her about it). But now I’m an adult and I want to go in to talk about stuff like birth control with my doctor. I’m very concerned about the privacy I’ll have though. I don’t believe that my doctor would tell my mom. However, I know that my mom has access to my patient file since they work in the same office and their computer system is connected and she could easily go in and see my chart. Is there any way I can stay with my doctor now and ensure privacy or will I have to switch offices?
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer: There is no way to 100% ensure your privacy. Switching offices will certainly help but I would suggest talking to your doctor, and maybe your mother, about your concerns. If they are worth their salt, they will understand and take steps to ensure your information does not fall into the wrong hands.


Title: Can an employer mandate lunch time?

Question:
Hi there, thanks in advance for your help. My work environment is quickly getting crazy controlling and the newest is talk of requiring employees to take a lunch hour. Is this legal?

Up to this point, many work through lunch and it hasn't caused issues so I'm not sure if their reasoning. But it doesn't feel right.

Thanks again.

Edit-very sorry I missed the location rule. I'm in Montana. Our office has always allowed for employees to work through lunch but that's being taken away.

Answer: Yup.  Might be illegal not to, in fact, depending on the state and the employees.


Title: Husband getting spoofed text messages from me

Question: Sorry if this isn't the right place to post this... I was wondering if anyone had any ideas of how to help me. I have an abusive ex-boyfriend who electronically stalked me for years after we broke up. I have a permanent restraining order in place and different judges have issued two other temporary restraining orders on other occasions. Things were pretty bad about 5 years ago and the police were trying to get enough evidence to convict him of felony stalking. Unfortunately he is very good at covering his tracks, and the DA had to drop the charges due to the fact that he didn't think a jury would be able to follow the technology trail. Things have been pretty calm for the past 5 years or so, with the exception of the occasional weird occurrence (i.e. phone connecting to strange blue tooth in the middle of the night, prank phone call, etc). I am now happily married to the most wonderful man in the world. However, recently my husband has been getting spoofed text messages that say they're from my phone number. I have not sent any of these. I have even been with my husband when he has received some and my phone is in the other room. They're always a downloadable link. My husband clinked on the first one he received because he thought it was from me obviously. There is no one else in either mine or my husband's life that would cause us harm (with the exception of my ex-boyfriend). It is most likely him doing this. Does anything know if there is any way to prove this is him? Do you think this is something the police can do anything about? We live in Colorado and have since moved about 3 hours away from where everything was taking place 5 years ago, so the police department where we live now is not familiar with the history. Thank you REDDIT! I honestly really appreciate any feedback anyone has.

Answer:
 Neighbor spoofing is common, and more likely related to scam artists than a stalker. You can report number spoofing to the FCC through their website.

I’d also recommend contacting your cell carrier. Spoofed calls are common, spoofed messages aren’t necessarily. Some operating systems or carriers have features that let you send and receive messages from more than one device associated with the phone number, like Apple Continuity or T-Mobile’s DIGITS. These typically have a way to see if other devices have been granted access to your number or account. If this is a case of hacking/stalking, getting the device info of any such connected devices would be a piece of evidence you would want to find and keep track of. Your cell carrier can help give you more info on these features (or Apple if you use continuity) and where you can see those specific details.

EDIT to add: IANAL but I work in the telecom industry.


Title: Building Changed Owners, New Owners Want Us To Move Out

Question:
Hello! I already asked this question in /r/personalfinance and was directed here.

I currently live in a 3BR apartment in New York City, and split the $1800 rent semi-evenly with my two roommates. Our lease is up in August, so I called the building owner about lease renewal, at which point he told me that he had just sold the building. I was later contacted by the new owner’s building manager (who said that I was the previous owner’s favorite tenant, yay! /s) who said he would like to meet with me and figure out how and when to get all of the tenants out of the building. He also said that he was willing to pay to help everyone leave so they can get their renovations done without a court case. It was not clear to me to whom he was referring when he said ‘everyone,’ and whether he meant just our apartment unit or all the tenants in the building.

Essentially, I realize that we’re paying far less than market value for the apartment, especially given the location, so the new owner wants to remove all current tenants, renovate the units, and then raise the prices. Before I meet with the manager in a few days, my questions are:

* Do I have any legal recourse to prevent this from happening if I’d rather just stay in the unit with my roommates? I presume I do, as the manager mentioned ‘avoiding a court case’. I have some reservations about going to housing court in NYC, as having a record of a court case makes it considerably harder to rent apartments in the city.

* If I don’t have any legal standing, what is my next best option? Should I angle for an out-of-court cash settlement that covers our moving costs? And, if so, what would be reasonable? Something like a multiple of our monthly rent? Alternately, the 1.5-month timeframe is very sudden, so should I ask for a month-to-month contract until X date, at which point we’ll take a lump cash sum and then move out?

Any insight or guidance is appreciated. Thanks!

# EDIT
Thank you so much for the advice, everyone! We've decided to talk to lawyer in advance of speaking with the building manager. The lawyer seems to think that this likely will constitute a buyout, since the new owner offered money upfront and unprompted. The consultation fee is $150, and the lawyer would take a percentage of the settlement. What are some good questions I should ask during the consultation? So far I have:

1. Will you agree to file a lawsuit if there’s no buy out?
2. Will you defend against an eviction if one is filed for that fee, or not?
3. What percentage do you take?
4. Will you pay the legal costs and only be reimbursed from settlement?

Thanks again, /r/legaladvice!

Answer:
 Does your unit fall under any of NYC's rent control ordinances? This is a hugely important factor. If you're not under rent control, then your landlord owes you 30 days' notice before the end of your lease that they will not be renewing it, and that's the end of the matter.

If you _are_ under rent control, you should speak to a lawyer. It's plausible you can at least be well compensated for moving out of the unit, and it's possible that you can straight-out refuse, but you need expert advice.Answer #2: One of the first things you should do is take a good look at your lease to see if there is anything in there saying what happens in the event of the building being sold. May or may not have anything included there but some leases do.


Title: How is it not illegal for uber and lyft to offer discounted or free rides to polling places on Election Day?

Answer:
 Um... what law would it break?

People take people to vote all the time, all over the country.Answer #2: Why would you think it's illegal for a private company to offer someone a free ride?

If you think this is "vote buying" in some way, it's not. That would only come up if Uber/Lyft paid people for specific votes.


Title: Cops stole my weed

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >Cops stole my weed

ROFL

~~According to [NORML](http://norml.org/laws/item/massachusetts-penalties-2), you are correct~~ *The NORML website also says that forfeiture is allowed. According to the below letter written by the MA Secretary of Public Safety, this is no longer true.* I would still speak with a criminal defense attorney BEFORE filing a police complaint, so you don't get arrested. You should be able to get a free consult if you shop around.

If the attorney says you're good, feel free to file a complaint with the police department.

Edit: I stand by my answer: [Letter](https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3238663/Letter-From-Secretary-Bennett-Re-Question-4.pdf)

>It will also no longer be lawful for police to seize small quantities of marijuana for forfeiture, as has been past practice, as these small quantities will no longer be considered contraband.

G.L. c.94G sec. 7(a)(1) effective December 15, 2016

OP, How old are you? *(this is relevant to the law)*

Talk to an attorney ASAP.Answer #2: according to[ this source](http://norml.org/laws/item/massachusetts-penalties-2) it seems that all weed in Massachusetts is subject to forfeiture.

It can happen due to [this law](https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXV/Chapter94C/Section47A) according to the previously mentioned source.


Title: I'm being harassed by my employer for reporting drug use at work. Help.

Question: I work at a Great Clips in Illinois. I recently filed a complaint to my manager about two of her employees doing Coke on her office desk. I have proof that it happened, and I've shared it with my manger, the district manager AND the owners. Absolutely nothing is being done about it because the boss is friends with the girls. Now as a result, I am being harassed at work, the Coke users are "bullying" me and no one seems to care that they committed a felony. What rights do I have, if any, to protect myself and my job? Quitting isn't an option but I don't want to work in a hostile work environment. Any advice?

Answer:
 Whelp. This is a good lesson in "minding your own goddamn business".

You have no rights here.Answer #2: "People who report cocaine use" is not a protected class.  You have zero protection from being fired.

From your OP, it sounds like you should start looking for a new job.


Title: (IL) If a car is titled in the name of a mother and daughter and the mother passes, is the car then titled to the estate of the deceased or directly to the daughter?

Question: The title is missing but the Motor Vehicles paper work with both signatures when the title was filed still exists. Thanks for any advice!

Answer: The daughter can take the death certificate to the DMV and have a new title issued in her name only.  The vehicle does not go to the estate - it just becomes hers.


Title: 4th degree domestic assault-class A misdemeanor MISSOURI

Question:
My fiancé and I had a rough patch this past summer after being together for 5 years, we had been getting into some pretty physical fights me more so than him.
One fight in particular he was holding my son and I told him we were leaving since it was a hot summer and the house where my fiancé had been staying didn’t have AC and I couldn’t have the baby over heating there so he walks down the street with my baby. We were in a really sketchy part of town. I live in the kind of place where you don’t leave your house after dark and you certainly don’t walk around with a baby while there are drive by shootings frequently happening in the neighborhood. I chased after them and tried to take my son out of his arms and he extended his arm out to push me away and it left a bruise. I was fed up because of abuse that happened in the past and wanted a paper trail to get full custody (which didn’t even end up happening and we are back together and very happy at this point down the road) anyway I filled a police report and they took him in for a 24hr hold. Months have passed and the trial is tomorrow morning. I’m nervous. I live in Missouri and the possible penalty is up to one year in prison and or $2000 fine.
My fiancé does not have an attorney. He plans to plea not guilty. Does anyone know what I can expect to happen from this? Do you think they’ll try to arrest him again?

Answer:
 Obviously don't get married - this relationship needs to end.

Is he the father? If so, I'm somewhat surprised that you weren't charged with a domestic assault as well. It's very possible the police didn't want to arrest you because they didn't want to take custody of the child.

He should have already entered a plea and certainly needs to request an attorney at the hearing. He should not go to an actual trial without representation. The arrest itself is largely irrelevant, although it is inconvenient. A DV conviction is far more serious.


Title: (MN) Got fired on Friday, was never given more than a verbal warning. At will state. Do I have a case?

Question:
IANALs of Reddit, I need your help. After 15 months in my current position as an assistant manager of a call center, my bosses fired me without warning. They cited not being able to improve someones calls/hr within a month, sending a written warning to HR in error, and not having a "Fun Friday" (recognition event we hold once a month to boost morale) when it was scheduled.

I know MN is an At Will Employment state, so it will be more than challenging to prove Wrongful Term. In a meeting in the beginning of July, they informed me they needed to see improvement in the next 30 days for me to be considered for a full time manager position. I was never given any notice (Written or Final) that my job was in danger if these reasons were not completed, and the reasons for termination seem less than justified. I was given a Verbal Warning for missing deliverables in February 2018, but no other formal discipline since.

I am still a bit in shock, but fortunately I am in a good spot with finances for the foreseeable future. What are my options as it related to Wrongful Termination?

Answer: Nothing in your post indicates your termination was unlawful. File for unemployment and look for a new job.


Title: When is the right time to send a cease and desist letter–harassing neighbor. [FL]

Question:
For the past 4 years or so my neighbor has been harassing me. It’s gotten aggressively worse to the point where I’m no longer comfortable going outside at all. She’s now waiting the fence standing where it looks straight into my patio and backdoor (which is glass and looking into my dining room) in which the second I walk out she starts yelling at me. For the most part I've ignored her but yesterday she ambushed me.

Yesterday she was accusing me of throwing a bone into her yard, because her dog (apparently when she wasn’t looking) had one in his mouth? She kept berating me asking where her dog got the bone and kept going on and on to the point that I just turned back around and went inside. Like, wtf?

The harassment doesn’t just stop when she sees me. I have cameras in the front of my house and my offices faces the road and she’ll go to walk her dog and she’ll just stand in front of my yard–looking for like 5 mins staring. It’s fucking crazy. She did this same thing last week when I was going yard work in the front yard, she just walks out and stands there at the end of my yard on the road in front of my house.

A few years ago I posted about this on reddit (forgot the account name) about her. The advice wasn’t really solid, but I’ve tried to ignore her like most suggested and it’s simply gotten worse as time as progressed. She harasses me over everything, she YELLS “HELLO” over and over till I either walk inside or respond to her in which she’s got something to complain about. My husband and I have both started wearing big headphones just to give her a visual we don't want to be bothered.

I’m not a disgusting neighbor. My family and I are extremely quite, we don't drink, smoke, etc. We keep our yard looking nice. We mind our own business, but it’s getting to the point with this woman where I don’t feel comfortable living in my own home, like I want to move and rent the place out (she's be livid, but it wouldn't be me dealing with her). I don’t feel comfortable even going outside when she’s home. I got cameras out front because of her behavior and I’m planning on getting more.

Quite honestly, my husband and I were going to calls DCF on her home a because her son and DIL who were living there with there two kids smokes a ton of weed. Like, not quietly thought, like outside smoking weed.  It’s not legal in my state and the fact that there kids (a toddler and 4-5 year old that cries at all hours day and night) really got us concerned. Three adults in one home and the crying was nonstop. They'd have their bathroom window open and they'd be giving their kids a bath and they'd be crying and they'd just be telling them to shut up. It was really scary and we got worried for the kids. I believe the son is gone through, but that hopefully gives you an idea of how crazy this woman is–if we were out smoking weed and had kids crying I know she’s be on our ass about it.

It stated back in 2012: She got an attitude with me when I first bought our house imply that I “better not be renting it out” when she didn’t even leave next door to us at the time–her mom did. Renting isn’t illegal and I have every right to rent if I want to so. That's how she introduced herself to us.

About 6 month later: She got an attitude with me when I got a dog (a puppy) telling me “that dog is going to be a problem” as if I wasn’t allowed to have a dog. Our yard is fully fenced and secured. She has a dog herself that she just leaves outside by it’s self. She’s even admitted to my SO about her dog getting into a bunch of sedatives and almost dying, which apparently she thought was funny because she laughed.

2014 to now: Her mom died and despite all our silent wishing that she's just sell the house, she moved in her moms house less than a month after she died. Despite her threats that "we better not be renting" she loves having lots of new people over all the time for long periods, so much so that people have been tried parking in OUR driveway. Her adult kids even stay with her half the year along with their SO's. Again, I don't care or say anything, but this is very much the "pot calling the kettle black". Just painting a picture here.

The woman has a daughter that is very close to me in age, so I assume that she think’s because she’s older than me she can just boss and bully me around and tell me how to live my life as she deems? However, I’ve had it. It's caused me such emotional destress that I'm now having panic attacks and am afraid to even go outside in my own back yard. My husband had to help me cope as I sat there in tears after the crazy stuff she started accusing me of. I don’t know any other theory than this as to why she thinks it’s okay to what to do or how to live our lives on our own property and home.

I thought about calling the cops when she starts harassing me, but I don’t know what constitutes as harassment. I don't know what else to do. I just want her to leave me alone.

I read that I could send a cease and desist letter, but I don’t know if this qualifies? Does this constitute in sending a letter or do I just call the cops? I don’t know how to do, please help.

Edit: wording
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Honestly it may be worth your time to have a lawyer draw up a scary looking cease and desist letter.  A lot of the threads I've been reading on here point to scaring them shitless as an effective cure.


Title: [MA] Boss blocked promotion any recourse?

Question:
I doubt that there is anything that can be done but, any advice would be appreciated.

I am a retail store manager and about a month ago I interviewed for a position at our corporate office. The position came with a 10% pay increase and 20% bonus. Two weeks ago the corporate office called my boss and told him that they were giving me the position. My boss called me to tell me the news.

The next day my boss’ boss called me and told me that, he thinks I shouldn’t take the job. I am “too valuable” in a store and corporate would not be the right move for me. I thanked him for his kind words but want to advance me career and take this new opportunity. He told me that he was calling the corporate office to talk to them.

Next day I get an email thanking me for applying but saying that they are moving in a new direction. Is there anything I can do in this situation? I’m really at a loss for words.

Thanks for the advice!

Answer:
 > Is there anything I can do in this situation?

There is nothing illegal about the situation you describe - your likely best recourse is to start job hunting, since you do not seem to have a great future with your current employer.

Do not be disgruntled on the way out though - handle everything professionally, since it's a small world and everybody knows everybody else.


Title: [CA] Male high schooler, trying to join female sports team

Question: I'm a male high schooler in California, and recently I tried into the girls volleyball team(we don't have a boys volleyball team). However, they said I could not get in because I am male. Am I supposed to be allowed to join and practice with them? How about playing actual games with teams from other schools?

Answer:
 > Am I supposed to be allowed to join and practice with them?

Segregating sports by gender is not legally contentious, although the rising awareness of transgender and nonbinary gender issues is slowly changing that, finally. A women's-only team run by the school likely doesn't have to enrol you. You can still play volleyball… but you might have to find an extramural league to play in if your school doesn't have enough people to form a men's team.


Title: Is this real or a scam?

Question:
I got a call this morning claiming something about my social security (CA, USA). I didn't pick up because I was asleep but here's the voicemail transcript:

&#x200B;

"Hello,

This call is from the legal department of social security administration. My federal batch number is: SSA \[4 digit number\]. The purpose of this call is regarding an enforcement action which has been executed by the US treasury against your social security number. Ignoring this would be an intentional attempt to avoid initial appearances before the magistrate judge or exempt jury for a federal criminal offense. So before this matter goes to federal claims courthouse or you get arrested, kindly call us back on our number \[10 digit phone number\], I repeat \[10 digit phone number\]. So get back on this number as soon possible."

&#x200B;

Is this a scam or should I call back?

&#x200B;

Answer:
 This is a scam.  The federal government will never contact you first by phone for a legal matter.  It'll come by mail.Answer #2: This is a scam. Google the number and I bet you'll find it doesn't belong to the government.

If the SSA wants you, they know where to find you. By mail.Answer #3: Scam, but to be safe you can call the SSA and ask, not the number in the vm. They’d probably like you to report it anyway. Answer #4: i assume it was a robotic voice, and its 100% a scam. my uncle got the same call the other dayAnswer #5: Scam, a federal agency would send a letter, not calling with treats. I would freeze my credit and put a fraud alert since your info, which they seems to have, can be used to apply for loans and credit. I would call the police at a non emergency number to file a stolen identity report, it will become handy if as it looks, your identity has been compromised.


Title: submitted a change of grade request while in good academic standing, university/professor retaliated with plagerism.

Question: [california] I lost my case and the plagerism charges that were intiated by the professor after I filed a change of grade request.. The charges have suck and basically ended my academic career Based on the charges dropped my gpa .5 degree at the school

Answer:
 You're spelling plagiarism as plagerism. You have probably recently read more instances of the word plagiarism than most people in the world. However you still consistently spell it as plagerism. It is entirely possible that you did not attempt to plagiarize or otherwise pull a fast one on your professor, but you sound like sort of a dull bulb. You don't need legal advice - you need life advice. Talk to your ombuds. If you have made any allies among the faculty talk to them too.

God speed.Answer #2: If I understand the situation correctly.. You submitted someone else's work ("by accident"), your professor gave you a 0 for the assignment (but didn't report you for plagiarism). When you saw your zero, you told your professor about this "accident" and offered to give her your "real paper". Then were told you'd need to "go through the proper channels" to have your grade changed. This was your freebie, OP. You should have taken this obvious statement to mean that you were being given a pass, and only an idiot would run an incident of clear-cut plagiarism up the academic ladder in hopes of getting a higher grade.

You fucked up, and you're very lucky you haven't been expelled. If nothing else, this should have taught you by now to quit while you're ahead (or in your case, while you still HAVE your head, at least).Answer #3: What is your question? You plagiarized material and you want to do what? You aren't going to get your grades increased because of that.Answer #4: So, you filed a grade change request, they took another look at your exam/paper, and realized you plagiarized?


Title: Legal ramifications of a modern day duel?

Question:
If party A challenges party B to a duel, and they accept and the duel is carried out, what if any legal punishment would there be?  I understand dueling is supposed to be outlawed but I don't understand what the 'charge' would be.

Details:
-1v1 single shot w/ a pistol from 30 yards
-Each duelers 'second' drafted contracts for both parties to agree to said duel(assume A/B agreed by signed contract)

I would like to know the charges they would receive if
1.) Nobody was hit
2.) The challenger was hit

Assume no collateral damage occurred to anyone/thing outside the duel

EDIT: Location, USA

Answer:
  Attempted murder

MurderAnswer #2: There's a reason boxing matches are these promoted sporting events that follow guidelines and are licensed, while two guys brawling in the street will go to jail.Answer #3: Even challenging someone to a duel is a felony in some states.  Here's New Mexico's law for example:

http://law.justia.com/codes/new-mexico/2011/chapter30/article20/section30-20-11


Title: Won a raffle at my job, ended up receiving duplicate prizes. Am I required to send the second one back?

Question:
As the title states, I won something in a raffle of sorts at my old job. I worked for a call center for a very very large tech company and before I quit I received my prize (valued ~$350). I received it and went on with my life. That was three months ago. So this morning the parcel lady knocks on my door, and has me sign for a package with my name on it. It's a second prize. Now as a college student, I immediately think I should sell it because we really need the money and I don't need two. But my question is, can I be accountable for "keeping" it knowing I may not have won twice? Is it my legal responsibility to fix their mistake (if that's the case)? Will a company with billions in revenue even recognize its missing?

EDIT: for info sake I live in Iowa. Not sure if locale matters.

Answer: Oh looks, it's that time of the week again where we get the age ole question of *can I keep this*. Yes, you can. Except they can also take action to recover it since you were entitled to one. Will they realize it? How the hell do we know? Do the right thing and return it, you'll sleep better.


Title: Can a manager do this in a restaurant?

Question:
Mistakes are common in the restaurant business. I don’t make them often and If I do, then I can fix it pretty quickly. There are 2 managers where I work, one who is newer- working less than a couple of months- and FOH operations. According to the other manager, who was both FOH and Bar manager, we don’t have a policy in place stating whether or not a server is financially responsible for said mistakes. Furthermore, none of the managers have ever spoken to the staff and said they’d be financially responsible for an incorrect order and it has never been the case that employees have had to pay for mistakes. A few nights ago, I rang in a $30 steak when it was supposed to be a chicken, and it was made before I could fix it. The newer manager made me pay for it. I’m very loyal to the company and the owner. They’ve been great to me. I would never do something like this to get ‘free food’ and it certainly wasn’t the case.

If it isn't in the employee handbook or the contract is an employee required to pay for it? How does one go about addressing this, if the manager made them pay for it? MA doesn’t have any clear info on this matter other than an employer can’t dock someone’s pay for a mistake unless they have a written agreement. The restaurant’s point of view makes sense—that if an expensive item is ordered and not needed the sever should be responsible for their mistake. However, it seems as though if it wasn't made known either in a staff meeting or an email, a manager or employer cannot make the employee pay for it. They can’t spring this type of thing on employees when it’s not been enforced in any way previously.

http://www.mass.gov/courts/case-legal-res/law-lib/laws-by-subj/about/wages.html
https://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/can-your-employer-charge-you-for-a-mistake

Answer: You answered your own question. No, they cannot charge you unless that was part of a pre-existing employment agreement.


Title: My last landlord is trying to charge me outrageous fees for "repairing" the house I rented and says I owe $3700.

Question: So I live in Texas and was renting a house until July 31st of this year. I had a security deposit of $1950 + $300 for the pet deposit. My landlord submitted a list of things he needed to fix on the 7th of August, but didn't send me any numbers for how much it would end up being or how much of my deposit I would get back. I asked about the deposit a week ago and he got back to me two days ago with a table showing that I now owe $3700. He's charging $4300 for damage to the wood floors, even though I only scratched the surface in two small 3x3 areas. It sounds like he replaced the floors for the entire house. He also charged $1200 for a few nail, screw, and staple holes in the walls. I'm not sure if I'm required to pay him because he took so long to get back to me about how much I owe. The lease says he has 30 days after I move out to get my an itemized list of things, but doesn't necessarily say anything about having to give me figures. It says I have 10 days to pay him after he asks me to cover any damages. Please advise.

Answer:
 Do you have any documentation of the condition the place was in?

You can take him to small claims to sue him for your deposit back.  He can counter sue you for what he thinks you owe and you can let the judge sort it out.

Edit:  you're right about the 30 day limit to itemize and return your deposit.  Take him to court.


Title: My girlfriend's former friend keeps taking her kid out without her permission. [Los Angeles County, California]

Question:
Please forgive me if this is a bit long.

Me and my girlfriend are both 25 years old and we live in Los Angeles. She has a 9 year old boy from a previous relationship and we have a good, stable home in the Los Angeles area.

Her parents live with her grandma in Long Beach and our kid always enjoys going down to see them as frequently as possible. He doesn't have to do chores and he gets to go to the park so he enjoys it and we like the day or two off from taking care of a child.

My girlfriend (let's call her Anne) grew up with a friend (let's call her Brooke) and they were best friends up until a few years ago when they had a falling out. While growing up, however, Brooke had become a "member of the family" and Anne's family still loves Brooke and they invite her to things. Brooke also helped raise the boy when Anne and Brooke were younger. It's come to a point where if we find out Brooke will be there, Anne and I won't go to the family event. The family doesn't have a necessarily strong bond and are't what many would consider a traditionally good family. There's theft, manipulation, and other drama between all the members.

Often, when we leave the boy with the family in Long Beach, Brooke will happen to come to town when Anne and I leave and she'll take the boy out for the day. Brooke's excuse is always that the parents/grandma were fine with it and that our permission wasn't necessary. Our boy doesn't necessarily mind Brooke but he's uncomfortable with being forced into a position where he has to either lie to his mother and me or cause a rift between his grandparents and parents.

Is there any way we can keep Brooke from taking our boy out while he's out of our care; or, do we have to simply accept is as a part of leaving him in Long Beach and if we don't like it we don't leave him there anymore. I'd like to file a restraining order if it's appropriate.

We've tried to resolve this for a year or two now but it's come to this. We don't want to cut off ties with the boys grandparents/great grandma but if there's no legal solution we'll be left with no choice.

Thanks for your help, everybody. I really appreciate it. Happy Thanksgiving.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Well, have you told the grandparents not to let this person take the child?

The only other option is not to let him go if the grandparents are not willing to follow mom's wishes

You cannot find an RO because the grandparents, that mom let be in charge of the kid, let someone else take him. She isn't harming himAnswer #2: Sounds like you have to lay down this law with grandparents. If they want access to their grandson,  these are the rules. If they can't/won't follow that then i wouldn't let them near my childAnswer #3: I'd have a talk with her parents, and just tell them that you're not comfortable with Brooke taking your son anywhere. If they object, or "don't see the big deal", then you let them know you're serious by not sending him there until they agree.

You should probably also contact Brooke in writing and warn her to stay away from your son, that she's not allowed to be with him unsupervised.

Everyone is telling you to figure out if it's worth it, and that's up to you and your girlfriend. If you guys are that uncomfortable with it, it's time to tell her to stay away.Answer #4: You absolutely can do something about this. You can give Brooke notice that she can no longer take your child out without express permission from you and that you will contact the authorities if she continues to do this. You'll have to notify her in writing and the caregiver.
Is she really hurting the child?
Does she love the child?
Is this something you really want to do?


Title: [Debt Collection]Is the information in this screenshot correct?

Answer:
 NO.

No matter who owns your debt, you still need to pay it. It's easier to negotiate with collector companies since they bought your debt for less than what it's worth, but that does not mean you can ignore the situation. This is Sovereign Citizen woo-woo meant to sucker you into thinking that all your debts are magically gone if you "withdraw consent". See *Meads vs. Meads (2012)* for a run down of the crazy tactics these people try.


Title: Falsely Accused of DV

Question: Hi everyone. I broke up with my girlfriend a month ago, and blocked her number. 3 days later the police show up at my place saying they're "here to see if I'm ok" because my ex called in reporting she "hasn't been able to contact me and worried I might be hurt". Obviously I was fine and the cops left. I have maintained no contact with my ex. Yesterday the cops showed up at my place again, this time to arrest me on another call from my ex. This time she is claiming DV and that I held her prisoner! The entire situation is completely a lie. I'm currently out on bail now and hired a reputable lawyer. It's her word against mine and I'm sincerely concerned with how this will play out. I never touched her. Have any of you heard of similar situations and know the outcome?

Answer: It's very common, get a lawyer and don't talk to anyone including the police. Only talk to your lawyer, no one else.


Title: is this illegal?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Are you seriously asking if it's legal to use a cracked code you came across on a site you specifically described as shady?


Title: I stole from walmart in nashville tn

Question: They caught me. What should I do? What will happen? It was my first time ever doing this. It was only like $45 dollars worth of stuff.

Answer:
 You're going to need to give more information.

Did they ask you to sign something? Did they call the police? Did they give you a ticket from loss prevention? Were you arrested?


Title: Out of state parolee, not supposed to be out of state from Georgia. Currently in South Carolina

Question:
A friend is being led down a very dark path by a parolee from Georgia that is not supposed to leave the state, yet she is here in South Carolina creating severe havoc within my friends family. (while also destroying my friend)

My question is as follows, who should be contacted to report on her being out of state? She is clearly out of control and leading my friend down the same path and we can't talk her out of it.

Answer:
 The parolee's parole officer in Georgia needs to be contacted. It is possible she could have a travel permit. How do you know for sure she is out of state without permission? How long has she been in South Carolina?

Go to this site and you can figure out who to call.

http://dcs.georgia.gov/offender-supervision-0


Title: How possible is it to get convicted of rape based on false allegations?

Question:
My family member’s ex girlfriend has come forward to police and made up a crazy and completely false story that he raped her. This girl is severely mentally unstable, a compulsive liar, and has mentioned many times that she loves doing anything for attention. He was 16 at the time of the alleged abuse, and she was apparently 13, although she had lied to my family and said she was “15, about to be 16 in a month”, so he’s being charged with a whole bunch of nasty felonies. When they broke up over a year ago, she continued to stalk my family member for a year (going as far as to make fake social media accounts to try and get him to meet up with her), and he repeatedly told her to leave him alone. Just a few weeks after he had told her for the last time to never talk to him again, she went to the police with her fake story. All the investigation has is her story, no other evidence, and he never spoke to the police. They asked him to come in for an interview, but my family immediately got a lawyer, so he never gave them a statement. As soon as the lawyer let the police know that my family member would not be speaking to them, they arrested him and he’s been in jail ever since. We have a evidence that she was actively pursuing him for the past year, and the investigation has nothing besides her statement. I guess it’s pretty hard to compile evidence of a crime that never occurred.

Can someone actually get convicted based on a (false) statement alone? With her story being a complete lie with nothing to back it up with, is there a chance the prosecution will catch on to the fact that she’s lying? How easy is it for someone to get convicted of something they didn’t do that there is no evidence of?

Answer: Innocent people have been found guilty, and guilty people have been let go. It's not a perfect system. If you're ever accused of a serious crime you shut up and only talk to your lawyer. It's nearly always true that somebody talking about a case they are only seeing from the outside are not aware of all the facts.


Title: Warranty on Mouse

Question: I am a PC gamer who ordered a gaming mouse around 15 months ago. until a few days ago, there were no issues. But, recently I have been having an issue where the right mouse button stops functioning randomly. I contacted the company and they said that they shipped out a new mouse and that I have to send out the defective one. Buuuut, my nephew needs a mouse and he cant afford a decent one, so I was thinking about just giving it to him instead of shipping it back. Is there any sort of repercussions to me doing this? I know its a really stupid thing to ask, but please be nice anyways.

Answer: Sure. They'll bill you for the price of the mouse.


Title: My uncle passed away during a personal injury lawsuit and his lawyers now say they can't continue his case.

Question:
My uncle was injured in a car accident that was determined to be the other drivers fault. When he first went to the er they told him he had cracked his sternum and broken a few ribs so he gets a lawyer for his injury.

This lawyer sends him to another doctor about two weeks later where they did an mri and some other scans. The dr calls him back after his appointment to tell him he needs to go to the hospital right away as his scans revealed a blood clot in his lungs. While waiting on a ride to the hospital he ends up suffering a heart attack and spends the next 10 days in a medically induced coma before he passes away.

The whole time he's in hospital his son is in contact with uncle's lawyers and they keep his case going. A few days after my uncles death his son called them again and they are now telling him that since my uncle passed they can't continue to work on his case.

What should my cousin do next? The lawyers didn't really tell him much except that they cant continue without the person who was injured. Can he file the suit again in his name? Is it just because they are injury lawyers and he will need a different type of lawyer? We've never dealt with anything like this before so we're all pretty lost on what to do next. Is there anything at all that can be done?

Answer:
 If your uncle passed as a result of his injuries in the accident then this case may transform into a wrongful death suit with his heirs as the plaintiff.

If he passed for unrelated issues there may no longer be a loss to pursue but medical bills your cousin has no stake in.

Your cousin can seek a consultation with an attorney for more.


Title: [MD, US] Brought in rare classic car for maintenance. Got a call saying it caught fire.

Question:
I just purchased a relatively rare classic roadster, but it needed a fair amount of work. I knew this upon buying it and was willing to put in the money to get it running well again. I found a reputable classic car service shop and paid to have the vehicle towed there.

Well, that was an hour ago, and I just got a call saying my car had caught fire. I'm fucking furious, y'all. There's no way it should have caught fire. It did just fine when I test drove it at the time of the purchase and I haven't turned it on since. I asked for an explanation and they just told me it caught fire as they were moving it into the garage. They hadn't even done anything to it yet. I hate to point fingers, especially since this shop is well known and trusted, but I don't think there's any other reasonable assumption of who's at fault here. How do I get started fixing this mess?

Answer:
 Pay a visit to the shop to see the car. You'll want to verify that a car really did catch on fire and that it's your car. I can see a potential scam. Answer #2: Go in and check the various VIN spots to make sure it's your car that caught fire. Answer #3: Call your insurance and also ask the shop for their insurance info.

Proving that the shop caused the fire will be hard. Even new cars can spontaneously catch fire due to a numver of reasons and this was an older car needing work.Answer #4: Yeah the chances of an old car that needs "a fair amount of work" catching fire are extremely high. Frayed fuel lines could have caused a leak and caught fire on combustion of the engine. Could be an electrical fault with dodgy wiring or shorts.

But yeah call your insurance and get an assessor out to look at it.Answer #5: Do you have any proof, any expert testimony or anyone other than yourself that can testify that the mechanics did something specific to cause the fire? Depending on the value, it might be worth it to get it checked out by a professional to determine how the fire actually started (not just your own opinion).

Alternatively, you can sue in small claims if the car is worth less than $5000. The problem here is going to be that, by your own admission, you knew that the car had issues. Used cars are generally sold As-Is. It's on you to prove that the car shop did something wrong.


Title: [17F] being harassed

Question:
I am being harassed by 18M
He threatens me and threatens to kill himself if I do not get back in a relationship with him.
I want to get a restraining order
I live in Victoria, Australia and I am worried that my evidence of his threats is not strong enough. I also want to know if my parents need to present during the court hearing (is there one?) and if I need to tell them everything that has happened since there a few things I would prefer them not know.
Thank you

Answer:
 Call Legal Aid on 1300 792 387 and speak to them. Without getting you to go into detail (which I won't) about the threats it's impossible to know what a magistrate will do.

Even if you don't get an IO though, sometimes a firm talking to by the constabulary is enough to scare someone off.

I'm not 100% sure if you can apply for one on your own. I know you can for family violence orders but not sure about intervention orders.

Speak to Legal Aid - they will know.

I've attached a link for you to read with some info.

https://www.legalaid.vic.gov.au/find-legal-answers/personal-safety-intervention-ordersAnswer #2: Let him threaten to kill himself. Turn in the threats to the proper authorities, and let them deal with him. See about a restraining order if you feel you want it. Tell your parents! You did nothing wrong! Parents need to know about this type of shit, embarrassing as it is, you are not the one to need be embarasses. That 18M whom is acting like a 5 year old, throwing a tantrum that one of his toys (not implying you are one) was taken away, should be.

You are not his toy. You owe him nothing. You are not his savior. You do not need to light yourself on fire to keep him warm. Answer #3: If he threatens you, call the cops.


Title: [CA, USA] Can facts be copyrighted?

Question:
Can facts in 1-2 sentences be copyrighted? Facts like these for example?
http://www.kickassfacts.com/25-kickass-random-facts-list-217/

Answer: I am not a copyright lawyer.  That said, you can copyright original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or communicated.  The key bit there is original - you can't copyright a fact, only something with some creative element.  You might be able to copyright a particular explanation of a fact, but you'd probably need more than two sentences to create something original.


Title: Police officers came and took Cousin and put him in a mental institution even though he is not a danger to himself or society. Is there anything i can do? [Australia]

Question:
Cousin has been admitted to a mental hospital in the past (2 years agoish) because father seeked help, she jumped the fence and ran off, was on the run from police for a couple of days until the whole thing blew over and everything was normal again.

2 consecutive days earlier a couple of counselors came to her house (because she does nothing all day, no job, she doesn't even want to even get welfare so her father asked in her stead) and wanted to speak to her, she did not want to speak and simply walked out the house to the nearby park and sat there until they left on both occasions. Next day the counselors came back yet again and this time with police officers who took her and just put her in a psych ward where she is staying until now. She is allowed visits and her father goes there multiple times a day to give her food/company and she blames him, putting emotional stress on the father and physical stress since its a 1 hour drive to the hospital basically ruining the entire family.

She is currently still there right now, the doctors have spoken to her about her childhood, past schools and jobs etc. today (Monday) and said they won't release her until she's completely cleared. I will be speaking to them tomorrow via the telephone, right now they are not working.

As for my cousin. She is not a danger to society or herself. She has never self harmed. She is jobless and isn't even on the welfare due to staying at home all day. She does have a past criminal record although nothing serious. She does chores around the house most of the day, watches TV, cleans up, computer. Sometimes she does infact stare blankly into a wall (thousand yard stare). And she has ADHD. I know you probably don't need to hear all this but i want to be  really detailed and need help. Her father goes there to visit her twice a day for the past 3 days, he is tired, stressed and i feel so bad for my uncle and he blames himself because in the past he seeked medical help and they put her in a psych ward.

TLDR: Is all of this legal? She's not even a dangerous person, she might have a very mild form of mental sickness but she's put in a fucking institution to what she calls 'a prison'. The whole place is grim, the food there is bad, there's nothing to do there, she's only allowed to drink water from the taps and worst of all she's put in an actual environment where there are actual mental people..

Answer:
 I hate to be the one to break it to you, but your cousin is mentally ill, and if she has been admitted to a psych ward for longer than a mandatory 72 hour hold (especially if she has not self harmed), she has a serious mental illness, which probably, given your failure to acknowledge it as a problem, has been ignored long term by her support network.

That counselors (or more likely social workers) were interested enough in her welfare to come back on three occasions, suggests that more is going on than you know, and that despite the fact she is not happy there because she has to drink tap water, she is probably in the best place for her to get the help she needs.


Title: [FL] Roommate is threatening to sue me in court for running a rooming home unless I "pay him $1000 to leave". He's had his "lawyer" call me several times, saying the case is filed but he (the lawyer) can retract it if I pay the roommate $1000. I'm sure he's not a lawyer. What laws are they breaking?

Question: I'm 99% sure he's not a lawyer. He's probably a cousin or friend of my roommate. I don't know what state he's calling from.

Answer:
 Impersonating a lawyer is also....very bad. Like felony bad in Florida if I'm reading correctly. Answer #2: You are being [extorted](http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/extortion.html). You can call the police and report your friend if you like. Don't record the call though, as IIRC, FL is a 2-party recording state, meaning that all parties to a conversation have to agree to have it recorded. It is otherwise a crime.

Ignore him until you are served with a lawsuit. If you are (you won't be), don't ignore it and deal with it appropriately.

There is no lawyer. Lawyers don't make demand phone calls, nor do they engage in extortion.Answer #3: In addition to what other commenters say, I suggest looking up the name of the alleged lawyer and reporting this to the Bar if it doesn't check out. Answer #4: He's just trying to get money from you. Don't worry about it unless you are actually served.


Title: [Very Serious] Being set up so spouse doesn't have to give me anything through Divorce

Question:
So some back story first, my marriage has been failing. We moved around for my spouse's job without me being able to get anywhere outside a slightly higher minimum wage job. I was to raise the family, that was our agreement when we had our first child. Our household currently consists of us, our second child \(local college student\) and several pets. We have been married for over 20 years if that matters.

I am out of a job currently, and my spouse made me use all the money to catch up on bills as they have an addiction to gambling that plagues many people. He left without telling us for a few weeks and we go jobs to pay for the bills \(wasn't enough compared to his 6 figures\).

He was at risk to lose his job a year or two ago and threatened to kill me. We've had our arguments before, and he did become physical sometimes, but this is the first time he's threatened something like.

So payday comes a long and he's yelling at me to get a job to pay his credit card debts. Of course I knew he always talked bad about his family, even to my own family they mentioned it in the past. His family has been unstable and he himself by calling the cops to check up on us/him over the past few months. Most recently however, two cops came to the door for another wellness check very early in the morning. They mentioned his boss and an email about him leaving the state because he feels like his life is not safe with me.

I am the one that has been going through abuse for a long time now, and this was just the worse. Confronting him, he said that he told his workers and boss that he was thinking I would poison him. I feel like he is setting me up, poison himself and blame me so I go to jail and he doesn't have to pay me anything.

We're about to begin going through the divorce procedure, but I am not sure exactly what I should be asking for/looking out for.  Should I be doing more than just that? I have no job and no family nearby to live with. At best I can go out and get a minimum wage job, my kid is willing to also help out but still wants to attend college. Our pets cost a bit too and not many places will accept more than one\-two pets right?

We're a military family if that matters in what kind of lawyer I should go to. I know I need to see a lawyer, this situation is unbearably insane. I am so worried about being put in jail for a fabricated story he is setting up.

Please help, beyond talking to a lawyer I do not know what to say or do.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 We need a location.

There's no reason not to get a lawyer here. He's clearly manipulative and he'll probably get more than what he deserves.

Because he has been the primary bread-winner here, it's likely that he'll have to foot the bill for your lawyer. His earnings plus your earning go into a shared pot. The bills get paid and then you are both equally entitled to 50%. Any lawyers fees will come out of what is left. This is great for you because your earning will have already been spent on your bills and the rest of the money, money he earned, will be used on your lawyer.

Contact a divorce lawyer today to get this going. It'll get better. Answer #2: I recommend you contact your nearest domestic violence center for resources and advice. They can help you with documenting his threatening and abusive behavior and advise on how to protect yourself from false accusations.


Title: [ON-CA] Software Developer in a "Facebook" situation

Question:
Hey guys, I'm a young software developer, currently working for a startup that is starting to see some money come in (through investors, we haven't officially launched yet).

We have no written agreement thus far with regards to payment, I have been working (alone and for free) on this software since August of last year.

We just started receiving some investment money and are starting to get organized. The other guys took me out to dinner and explained that they were willing to give me some money for the work I've put into the project thus far ($7500), and that when their office is ready, they were going to bring me on full time (with employee share options) to work on the software.

They handed me a contract that seeks to treat me as an independent contractor for the work I've done thus far. However, this contract includes some clauses that could be used to "Facebook" me out of the company, that is, to pay me $7500, receive my source code, and offer "no guarantee of employment" (or employee share options).

I would value the source code I've written at much more than $7500, and would hate to see my hard work go on to flourish as a million-dollar company and get so little in return. I don't believe they want me out of the company (we have a good relationship), I just think they may have pulled the contract "out of a bin" without fully realizing what it entailed.

Additionally, there is a clause that states "Any and all Intellectual Property made or created by the Contractor [me] during the course of the Contractor's work engagement by the Company, whether at the Company's place of business or otherwise, shall remain the exclusive property of the Company the Contractor shall have no right, title or interest therein even though the Contractor may have created or contributed to the creation of the Intellectual Property". I design websites (pays for my school). I feel like this clause means anything I make would be their property, and I'd hate to lose ownership of my clients websites due to this contract.

Now, the devil on my shoulder says "modify the nasty parts out of the contract and sign it without telling them, knowing *they* won't read the contract over and just blindly sign it", but I think this is really sneaky and don't want to resort to these kinds of games.

Could anyone give me some ideas on how to proceed? I spoke to a law clerk, who forwarded this to a professor friend of theirs (who offered to read it over the weekend and give some advice). I'm not looking to screw the other guys over or anything like that, I have no problem working with them, and I am very passionate about this project.

Thanks for reading, I know this was a long one. I can post a photocopy of the document if it aids in understanding
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 Safest bet:  Hire a corporate attorney, preferably one with experience in software development, and have him review the contract, offer suggestions, and generally negotiate on your behalf before signing.

Less Safe but Cheaper Bet:  Negotiate on your own behalf.  Ask for more money, and refuse to sign over any already-designed IP to them without a bigger cut or an ownership stake or something else.  Don't sign anything you aren't comfortable with.


Title: Can I get a FULL name change?

Question: I live in texas. Unfortunately I have a really shitty foreign first name..and middle name..and last name. I won’t say for privacy reasons but literally all three are the names you laugh at and tell your friend “this guys name was ____ holy shit lol!”. It’s not just a normal foreign name - it’s the most ridiculous thing and has burdened me my entire life. I’m aware you can change your First and Last name, but can I change my entire name to a more Americanized name, including first middle and last name? Would I have to do them all separately? Thanks. (Texas, US)

Answer: Yes, you change all of your name at once. First, middle, last. In Texas you can do it yourself at your local county courthouse. Forms are easily found online. Answer #2: Yes of course you can.  I changed my entire name recently.  The hardest part, honestly, is notifying all the entities that need to be notified afterwards (jobs, credit cards, banks, social security, dmv, etc).Answer #3: As long as you’re not trying to change your name to defraud anyone, you can change your name. But remember to ALWAYS put down your previous name on ALL documents when asked if there are any other names you may have been known by.  Even after 10, 20, 50 years. Always.


Title: CA- Sue a college and college professor

Question: I was falsely accused of plagiarism. I REALLY didn't plagiarize. I am basically dealing with an asshole professor, and a school system that automatically agrees with the professor. I passed the course with a C-….but what pisses me off, is that I can't get reimbursed by my company. So I am out about $6K for this BS course. I want to sue the school or professor in small claims court to obtain my $6K in tuition back. Should I hire a lawyer to assist? Or just do it solo (in CA I read that you can't have a lawyer during your small claims hearing, so it seems like hiring one is a waste of money)

Answer: Did you try to appeal to anybody? Department head? Dean? Provost's office? My school has several different appeals committees. Answer #2: Sue for what cause of action?


Title: [OH] Doctor restricted me from doing my job; boss at one put me on "two-week suspension" punishment.

Question:
I realize that there's probably nothing legal to be done about this, but then again I'm not entirely knowledgable on how this works. So just in case. I certainly feel a bit overwhelmed.

So, I work two jobs; both part-time. One is factory, the other is a coffee shop. On Sunday, May 15th, I was rear-ended by somebody and was not at fault for a car accident that resulted in some intense back pain. That Monday, I went into the doctor to be checked, and they determined that I should take off work until Thursday, May 19th - and have a restriction of lifting no more than 10lbs until Thursday, May 26th. They wrote me out four prescriptions, and gave me the doctor’s note for my employers.

The factory was understanding (as I never miss days of work), and I came back in on the 19th, and they found me work that involved no lifting. When it came to my job at the coffee shop, though, I had to text my boss to explain the situation and to tell her about how the job requires us to push 30lbs of pressure when we tamp coffee (this is common with coffee shops that press their own espresso). On top of that, our shop is setup so that there’s only one person working a shift at a time - so by doctor’s orders, I wouldn’t be able to do anything but stand around and serve brewed coffee; unless my shift was shared with someone else who could be there to make the espresso drinks.

She never responded to my text.

The coffee shop’s policy, par boss, is that the employees are entirely responsible for getting their shifts covered by other employees (I've also never missed a day here in the two years I've worked). I texted around, and was denied by everybody (all of whom I’ve frequently covered for in situations that weren’t medical/sick). When it came around to my first scheduled shift at the shop (Thursday, May 19th), I received a text from my boss “Did you get your shifts covered?”

I replied that I tried and everybody either declined or never responded.

I then wasn’t able to come in the following Saturday, but on Sunday, my shift was shared with another employee, so I thought that something could be done there. That I could work, if the other person knew I couldn’t make the espresso drinks. But then the boss closed down the entire shop for Sunday, and told someone else that she did it because she didn’t want to risk me “not showing up again”.

Then, I didn’t receive the schedule - via email - from the boss. I texted everyone else to ask if they got their schedules, and I’d get read receipts and no responses. I then texted the boss, and she responded the following day telling me that it was my responsibility to get those shifts covered, and that I was on a two-week suspension and that she would talk to me when she’s back from vacation (which isn't until next week; the end of the suspension).

I’m sitting here in a daze, because I realize the United States is an at-will place in terms of scheduled hours and even termination, but I was ordered by a doctor for this, and my restrictions from the doctor prevented me from working there, and I tried my best to make the situation easy for the boss - but now I’m put in a position where I’m losing even more money because of my auto accident injury.

Any advice? Anything to learn out of this experience?

TL;DR: Car accident led to injury; injury led to doctor restrictions; doctor restrictions led to me not being able to work my job at coffee shop until certain date; boss put me on a "two-week suspension" because I couldn't come into work or get my shifts covered.

Answer:
 You're aren't being punished for having restrictions--you're being punished for not showing up.Answer #2: So you had a shift Thursday which you couldn't work for, and you were supposed to find someone to cover for you.  You couldn't find anyone, but instead of telling your boss that in advance, you didn't show up.

Next time, text your boss as soon as you know you don't have coverage.  "Hey Boss, I've checked with everyone else and nobody can cover for me.  Do you want me to turn up and only serve brewed coffee, or stay home?"Answer #3: Question for lawyers:  if OP had shown up to work, but declined to make espressos due to doctor's orders and was then suspended or terminated, would he have any cause for action against the employer?Answer #4: unless you qualify and apply for FMLA, you have no legal guarantee that your employer will not fire you.


Title: [PA] Received an unsolicited note on my apartment door propositioning me for sex. Decided to ignore it but inform my landlord. My landlord told me to report it to the police.

Question:
This morning when I came back from walking my dog I found a hand written not on my door from someone who claimed to have been watching me, told me they "want me now," asked if I would be interested in that, that they had a "girl" so it would have to be kept a secret, and that if I wanted to set something up to to write a note and place it where I found the last one (in my Christmas door decoration). This person could be any one of the 6 men in relationships in my building, someone from the other building whose keys also work in our building door who has seen me walking my dog around, a joke, or a paranoid girlfriend/wife.

I decided the best course of action was to ignore it and let my landlord know. He wants me to call the police. I don't want to do that. Should I? Do I have to? Also, isn't this something that he should handle?

Answer:
 Tell your landlord first off that this is your business and to please not get involved. if he insists on calling the police, tell him you will not let them into your apartment or answer any questions.  I don't even see how this is a police issue unless you feel threatened. It's not illegal for an adult to proposition another adult for sex.Answer #2: What do you expect the LL to do? Nothing illegal has happened. Personally, I would leave a note in the door telling them that if they contact you ever again, you will report it to the police. Take a picture of your note before you place it. Save the note from the randy neighbor.

Or---leave a note in your door that says "Smile, you are on Candid Camera"; *after* you set up a small camera aimed at your door. I guess this shows my age:(Answer #3: >Also, isn't this something that he should handle?

How do you expect him to handle it? He cannot file a police on your behalf.


Title: Internet Pop-up led to Illegal Website.

Question:
So this just happened 5 mins ago and I'm extremely worried. I'm a young teenager and I was looking up pornography. Anyways, as I was browsing I saw a site that looked legitimate so I clicked on it and as I navigated it   I found what seemed to be a good video and I clicked on it. Then it led to some other website and a popup came saying I had broken viewed underage pornography (site hadn't even loaded at this point yet) and it listed my IP adress ( not sure if it was actually mine). I panicked and exited the page and all I remember of the popup is that it said something about the years I could go to jail for and stuff. I was thinking it could be a fake popup asking to pay a "fine" or be arrested but I'm scared that it wasn't. I have no idea what to do or what will happen. I'm hoping my future isn't destroyed because I was to stupid to stick to familiar porn sites.
TL;DR: Clicked on suspicious pornsite and its possible I might have alerted the authorities for paedophilia. Not sure what I'm asking for, just putting this out there.

Answer: It is a scam to try and separate you from your money or to scare people. Answer #2: Stop worrying. Get Google Chrome or Firefox and download Adblock plus. Stay away from dubious porn sites. Pornhub.com, Xtube.com, redtube.com are all relatively safe places to look at porn if you're of age. Also, if you're underage...don't go to those sites.


Title: [MN] - Landlord wants to switch from month-to-month to year lease

Question:
My landlord is thinking of switching from a month-to-month lease to a year lease with the option of month-to-month for more money. Our current lease starts with a year commitment (we are currently about to finish that year, so our current lease I assume would expire) and then the option shifts to month-to-month.

The wording I'm curious about is: "If Tenant remains in possession of the Premises with the consent of Landlord after the natural expiration of this Agreement, a new tenancy from "month-to-month" shall be created between Landlord and Tenant which shall be subject to all of the terms and conditions hereof including that such tenancy shall be terminable upon sixty (60) days written notice served by either party and that the landlord may raise the rent."

So if I opt not to switch to the year lease and continue on month-to-month and my landlord says on June 30 that he/she wants me out, am I forced to move out on September 30 even if I want to stay?

Also, if the landlord charges me rent on the first month of the month-to-month period, does that set the precedent for the following months, or can he/she raise the rent at any time after that? The current lease wording just gives the landlord the option of raising the rent, but there is no specific amount.

I'm not trying to get too crazy here, I just want to know where I stand legally before I decide what to do.

Answer:
 >So if I opt not to switch to the year lease and continue on month-to-month and my landlord says on June 30 that he/she wants me out, am I forced to move out on September 30 even if I want to stay?

Yes.  Actually, end of August, I think.

>Also, if the landlord charges me rent on the first month of the month-to-month period, does that set the precedent for the following months, or can he/she raise the rent at any time after that?

The rent can be raised at any time with proper notice.


Title: Accused of a prior charge that i didn't do

Question: Couple days ago I was charged with possession of cocaine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia. i have no prior convictions or charges but they are accusing me of a charge in 2012 for attempt of murder in the state of washington. i live in kansas and have never been anywhere close to the state. There is another person with the same name as me and almost same birthdate. This is bad for me as i am a perminant resident and they are trying to deport me. how can i get this fixed?

Answer:
 You can contact an attorney and follow his or her instructions.

This is well beyond the scope of the sub.


Title: Constant Harassment from Neighbour Despite Legal Agreement [MD]

Question:
In Annapolis, MD.

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This is kind of a clusterfuck, but my roommates and I are exhausted, broke, scared and out of ideas.

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I rent a room from my long time best friend and their husband. We live in a nice, mostly quiet neighbourhood, save for the guy right next door. A few months before I moved in, the neighbour was heard yelling at/with his fiancee, and there was some physical violence. They called the cops, and the guy got really angry about it. No idea if anything came of it, save for him developing an instant grudge.  (Turns out, the guy likes to hit the sauce. A lot- and is rather explosive because of it)

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He harassed us over a month with insults, stalking me and intimidating me in his truck (he waited for two hours in his truck for me to get home so he could flare his brights at me and rev his engine when I tried to back into my parking spot) having a shouting match with my roommates where he insulted them, and all they were asking was for him to get off our lawn.  We went to see a movie and came back to the yard near our house reeking of PISS. I went to my car to go to work and found a huge wad of spit on the windshield. We all bumped our car insurance to full coverage because we were worried he'd try to vandalise our cars, and to try to deter him. We ended up getting a camera for our front door and that actually made him EVEN ANGRIER because he started ranting to his fiancee about not being able to do anything due to "being recorded." (The camera only pans fifty feet around the front door, so he had no reason to be mad unless he was wanting to do more shit on our property.)

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We took him to court for a peace order, but our lawyers managed a settlement between us in which neither party is supposed to interact with the other, under penalty of fines and having to pay for the other's legal fees resulting from any violations. His lawyer suggested this because apparently, this guy has other peace orders, harassment cases and other such bs against him (and we're pretty sure he's the reason that the previous owners moved and sold the house at such a low, below market value price), and he's a contract worker, and he's trying to keep his clearance. We just want him to leave us ALONE so we agreed, hoping he'd stick to it.  However, he's NOT.

&#x200B;

He's finding constant loopholes in order to harass us. He yells stupid things in our direction when he's outside, or purposely kicks the bottom of the fence we share in order to rile up our dog, loudly calling us the "Asshole neighbours" to his friends and the like. He also decided to get a cable laid down, but instead of using the easement in the backyard, he had the contractor mark up our front yard and we barely avoided having our front yard and driveway torn up by telling the contractor we didn't consent to having our yard dug up. His anger over this led into a HUGE fight with his fiancee that went on until 2am where he yelled about us, about her, and there was more physical violence, and he even ended up locking her out of the house and causing so much commotion their alarm went off. They both yelled about US calling the cops on him/for her, but we stayed out of it. We have audio recordings of it, but we don't think showing it to the cops will do anything about it, save for making him pissed off more at us.

&#x200B;

His latest caper is getting the HOA involved by sending an email to the entire HOA with some passive aggressive bs that backfired on him, but the point of the message was to get AROUND the legal restrictions of no communicating with us because it was about some crap sign in front of his house that he keeps moving so that he is back to parking in front of our house again. *(We get the street is public, we can't stop him, but he's doing it on purpose, because his fiancee parks in front of their house, and they leave their driveway empty*) And on top of that, he's STILL occasionally bitching about "being recorded" so we're worried he still wants to do things to us and our property.

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All of the stuff he's doing is indirect and is using loopholes, so we don't have any recourse on this, and we're frankly, tired and don't know what to do.  We've spent over two thousand dollars on a lawyer, more security measures, and increasing our car insurance to cover potential vandalism.

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Any advice is welcome- including recommendations for cameras I can install in my car because he's been slowly pushing his truck further and further in front of our yard, which is eventually going to have my car out of range of our front door camera, and it's making me paranoid that he's trying to push it out of range so he can do something to it.

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**TL;DR:** Neighbour is an abusive, obsessive alcoholic who is finding loopholes to get around a legal agreement to harass us, and we just want him to leave us alone, but we have no proof of direct harassment, and after spending money on lawyers/security measures, we can't afford a lawyer a second time to get him to stop. Advice on what to do is highly appreciated, we're wearing thin on patience and sanity, and tired of waiting to see what worse thing he might pull.  All we want is this guy to LEAVE US ALONE but he WON'T STOP.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Have you been calling the police every single time he harasses you?Answer #2: IANAL
Have you tried contacting your lawyer you used when trying to file for the restraining order? Although he uses “loopholes” it might still be seen as harassment and violating the agreement. Perhaps a second or third camera on different corners of your home could help deter him more.
Whenever you witness physical violence or even just the screaming matches he has you can contact the police for a domestic disturbance.


Title: Unwilling to send me copy of contract, is there anything I can do?

Question:
To give you some background, I'm from Ohio. I hired a dog trainer to rehabilitate my dog.

During the contract singing exchange, the other party just provided me with a blank copy of the contract (and contract extension) and he kept the signed copy (and contract extension). He let us know that he would scan it and send it to us at another time.

I have 1 picture of the signed contract extension, but don't have a picture of the original signed contract.

I have been contacting the other party daily to remind them to scan me a copy, but the other party has been ignoring my messages altogether (I know he is ignoring it because he answers my other messages, just not the part about sending me a copy of the signed contract).

I may have to take this to small claims court because the person did not fulfill his portion of the contract, but unfortunately I don't have a signed copy of it to bring to court.

Is there anything I can do regarding this issue and will this affect my argument in the small claims court if I don't have a copy of the signed contract?

Answer: The only issue is if the signed version that the other guys has varies in the wording in question from what you have.  If he's somehow committed fraud and attached your name to a different contract, there could be an issue, but otherwise you should be fine since you can attest that the version you have is identical to what you signed.  Answer #2: Most contracts do not have to be in writing. In this case, the unsigned writing you have, combined with your testimony and the extension, will be VERY strong evidence that there was a contract according to the unsigned writing's terms. That's all assuming the other guy refuses to bring the executed contract with him if sued.


Title: Warrant for my arrest for not showing up to court over a year ago. What do I do?

Question:
Hey guys, so long story short i was pulled over with some pot in the car, it wasn't on my person but I was still in the car with it so the cops assured me I'd be having to go to court for the issue. Never received anything in the mail, never got a call from anyone, and reached out to my county court and got nothing. Here I am a year and a half later and apparently there's an arrest warrant for not showing up to a court date I had no idea about. Has anyone gone through something like this before, does anyone know what to do? I don't know where to start really, so any kind of advice would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: I currently live in New Jersey where the arrest and the warrant were both issued.

Answer: Go turn yourself in and make sure someone can pay the bail. Then make sure you hound them for a court date if they dont give you onw.


Title: If someone offered you cash for doing something illegal, can you take the money without fulfilling the request?

Question:
For sake of argument, let's put aside possible (illegal) retortions for not delivering, money tracking (they pay cash), and duty to report crimes (requests/intentions).

This question is not even tied to a specific location, I just wanted to get a feeling about the legislative inclination toward a case such as this around the world...

Would that depend also on the type of crime you are asked to commit?

Providing drugs, providing confidential information on your company or work for "insider trading", killing someone... etc...

Answer:
 Taking the money would generally qualify as an overt act in furtherance of a criminal conspiracy even if you never deliver the goods/services.Answer #2: Generally, no.  Taking money under false pretenses would be fraud.  It's possible that the person wouldn't want to report it because it would also incriminate him, but it's still illegal.

Also, of course, stealing money from criminals can carry its own kind of risks.Answer #3: Follow up question: is it illegal to accept the money and request then turn the guy in to the police and surrender the cash? I know I know don’t talk to the cops but like what if?


Title: Is it illegal to report someone for what they post online?

Question: I’m in college right now but I discovered a teacher at my old highschool has been posting really racist and sexist things online. There’s a lot of far-right, MAGA stuff when the school she teaches at has 90% Hispanic students. I pointed this out in a social media post not really thinking anything would happen, but a lot of people have found it unacceptable too and are planning on reporting her to the school tomorrow. I know I’m probably being paranoid, but I’m kinda of scared the teacher could come after us for libel or something. Is reporting her hate-speech filled tweets to the principal legal?

Answer: It is not hate speech unless she is advocating violence against someone. You can report her to the school board and if they find something objectivel about her posts they can discipline or dismiss her.