Title: [MN] What will happen if a truant minor who hasn't been to school in four years tries to go back?

Question:
My friend is 16 and he's been "homeschooled' by his lazy autistic uncle since his mom died four years ago. My friend is a minority and was bullied by racists when he was 12, and school was too easy for him and had too many rules regardless. He was okay with not going to school when he was 12 and his uncle didn't want to take him for whatever reason, but he sees the value in a diploma/GED now at 16.

If he goes back and tries to register for real school now, will they let him back in? Will he go to jail for truancy? Will his uncle? Not a legal advice question, but how long will it take to get a GED if he only has a Wikipedia/random books education?

Answer:
 He's still entitled to an education in a public school, although he may be far behind the curriculum. It's possible CPS will be involved, as well, especially if his education in the last four years is _seriously_ lacking: his uncle may be investigated for neglecting him. However, he'll ultimately still go to school. If he applies himself, he can probably catch up on the curriculum: self-educating via Wikipedia won't cut it, but the _ability_ to self-educate like that strongly suggests he'll be fine once he's back in school.

Googling "[his city] school districts" should help figure out which school he should be attending. He can call the office and talk to them about getting enrolled. If his uncle won't take him to school, he should ask if there's a school bus he can use or if there's any other help available - and that may also lead to CPS getting involved.


Title: Can I refuse Entry To Landlord in GA

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >  Can I deny her access?

No.  She is required to give you notice, not get your permission.  You have no right to deny her access in this circumstance.

Answer #2: With reasonable notice, a landlord can enter. 24 hours is almost universally considered to be reasonable. This is a normal request and you do not have a legal leg to stand on.Answer #3: > Can I deny her access

No

> If she calls the police to escort her in, can I still deny it?

No

You can do nothing but allow her entry. You do not need to be present.


Title: Annulment or Uncontested Divorce?

Question: My wife of 1.5 years and I are looking to get an annulment or an uncontested divorce.  We have our license and paperwork in, but we never had a ceremony.  Our officiating priest (really a friend) turned in the paperwork to avoid paying the $500 deposit early.  We decided this after finding out that her mother’s crazy religious beliefs coerced her into thinking she had to be married to me to be living with me.  I think because on grounds of solemnization I may have an opportunity to just file for a marriage annulment?  I am looking for advice in what to look forward first before I make any plans to see a family law attorney.

Answer: Is solemnization an actual ground for annulment in Virginia? I don't practice there, but it's not on [this list](https://www.divorcenet.com/resources/annulment/annulment-basics/virginia.htm).


Title: Doctor refusing to refill Birth Control pills

Question:
sorry for the bad english

bit of context

my wife has been using the same BC pills since she was a teenager

it helps her body mentally and physically. her doctor never had an issue with refilling her BC pills

until recently when she tried to make an appointment for refills but he told her he wont be refilling them anymore and she needs to go see a gynecologist which she didnt have an issue with but she wanted to know the reason as why he refuses and he wont tell her why

so she called around and found a gynecologist that takes out insurance but the thing is we live in a really small town in Missouri and the wait time for the doctor is at least 3 months.

she still made the app then called back the doctor asking if she can just get refills until the date of the gynecologist which he still refusing with no explanation. the issue is that if she gets off her BC it messes up her body she starts having irregular periods and cramps and over all change in mood.

so she was very upset and started demanding an answer as why she needs to wait 3 months to get a refill

they ended up hanging up the phone and yesterday we got a letter saying that the doctor is dropping her from his office because she was "rude" to his staff

my question is this something thats legal?

i read online that if a doctor refuses service he as to legally tell you who can help you get what you need which he didnt do

any advice is appreciated

i hate seeing my wife this sad over something she has no control over

&#x200B;

Answer:
 The disappointing answer is all of this is legal. Physicians can refuse to write prescriptions for medications like this. Depending on your wife's age, the GP is likely not comfortable prescribing if she does not get annual exams.

There are situations where a physician cannot abandon a patient, but this is not one of them. It is legal for them to drop your wife from the practice based on her being upset or rude with them. Presumably there are other physicians who can treat her when necessary in the area. Answer #2: She had control over her temper. It is legal for a doctor to decline to continue refilling a medication and to refer her to a specialist. She should absolutely book an appointment with planned Parenthood or similar to get bc in the meantime. You have no legal case against this Dr.Answer #3: There are many reasons for not continuing birth control. Over 35, obesity, history of blood clots, hormonal disorders can all make the use of birth control pills more risky than the benefit.

Doctors do not drop patients for no reason. You are only getting one side of the story from your wife. Answer #4: Try this site.   I use to live in Missouri and a couple of friends used it.    [https://www.nurx.com/birthcontrol/](https://www.nurx.com/birthcontrol/)


Title: A friend is running a side hustle at his company and I cant pinpoint what is illegal about it

Question:
So I know what he is doing is definitely illegal but I'm not sure which category it falls under. Is it theft? Embezzlement? I dunno.

So here's the scam:

He works at a rental car place and has customers pay him cash to give them very cheap rentals. It started with them offering him free weed, so for example he'd take an 8th of weed and give them like a $200 discount in exchange.

A year later and its escalated into a thousand dollar operation. He started offering discounts for cash on luxury cars, cars that are worth thousands a month. So hell take $1,000 cash from a customer to give them a $3,000 discount on a car that costs 4k a month. So they end up saving 2k by paying him. Hes doing this with 10 recurring customers and is literally making about 6 - 10k a month just from this scam.

He is convinced he wont get caught and he said the worst that could happen is hed get fired...

So what kind of crime is this and... do you think his job would have him arrested if they found out? It's hard to prove hes doing it.. he covers his tracks well

Answer:
 Well buying drugs is illegal, so you could start with drug charges.

The details would depend on the jurisdiction, but I could see how it could qualify in many places as theft (taking the employer's money, if he's pocketing rental fees that belong to the company) or embezzlement (fraudulent conversion of the employer's cars, which he was entrusted with, for his own benefit).

I doubt he covers his tracks that well if he's collecting thousands of dollars a month. There's 10+ customers who know what's going on, plus he told you what he's doing, and presumably there's a bunch of fake paperwork being left behind, so someone auditing what's going on would see that something's up. This goes pretty far beyond a retail worker making a few bucks off their employee discount. But yes, I think many, but not all, employers would call the police if they found out an employee was making off with this kind of money. They might also be able to pursue a civil case against him for the money.Answer #2: I'm a bit confused about how his employer isn't noticing that one employee is consistently renting out $4000 cars for $1000.Answer #3: It's fraud, specifically honest services fraud. See my comment [here](https://old.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/bfhsri/what_are_some_dark_secrets_about_grocery_stores/elgfx9f/) where I talked about it in regards to grocery store employees taking kickbacks.


Title: Was in a car accident, the other party is threatening to sue and trying to get money I have no idea what to do or how to handle this any help is appreciated.

Question:
Throwaway because I’m insecure

Less than a year ago I pulled out to make a right turn and my civic was T-boned by an SUV. I really honestly didn’t see it coming it just came up so fast on me, but in reality it was probably just me being an incompetent teenager. I was knocked out from the crash and woke up to the other driver screaming in my face. I’m not saying I was in the right here at all I’m just saying he was very not injured. I have geico and was notified that their lawyer asked for the maximum to try and get money for an injury. My airbags were deployed, but the other driver’s didn’t.

Again I’m sorry to bother, any help is greatly appreciated thank you. I’m definitely not in the right in this situation and the mistake was my fault I understand that.

Answer: Inform your insurance. That is what younpay them for.


Title: Bee killing

Question: I’m in Arizona and my stupid fucking apartment complex just killed hundreds of bees. I’m absolutely livid and my heart is broken. There is NO REASON to do that. I looked it up and found a bunch of places that do bee relocations that cost about the same as killing them. I’m scouring the web trying to see if there’s any legal action that can be taken. I’m not very hopeful but I need to know. Any advice?

Answer: 8 species of honey bees where placed on the endangered species list. But unless you are able to identify the species there isn't much You can do


Title: Advice on dealership not getting me my car title?

Question:
So I bought a couple year old used car from a dealership in early 2017, and because of some software stuff at the DMVs here there was an estimated 3-6 month wait for the title so it kind of slipped my mind until a year later, and still no title. So I go and contact the dealership and finally getting to a manager, he says he will look into it, and have someone call me back. This has now happened like five times, and they say either they'll have their title clerks look into it and call me from corporate. And now that I need to go to the DMV and request a duplicate title. So I do that when I go to get tabs for my other car, and the DMV tells me that the dealership never submitted the proper and complete paperwork basically, and gave me the files the DMV had on the transaction and history which clearly states it wasn't submitted by them. Now I called them and told them this and got another "I will or someone from the title office will call you".  Now it's been almost three weeks or so since this last call, but no response. Are there any kind of laws or something in the U.S specifically MN regarding this? I couldn't find anything but it's a bit ridiculous maybe if I drop a hint of legal actions of laws maybe they'll take me more seriously and do something..
Thanks

Answer:
 What state do you live in, your state my have a dedicated dealer licensing board you can complain to. That will probably get your issue fixed real quick.

Edit: just saw I missed MN. you should complain to the Department of Public Safety. They handle car dealerships.


Title: [NYC] Worked at a sign shop for 3+ weeks 40 hours a week under a “trial period” only got paid $400.

Question:
I got an interview at a sign shop and was told before being on the books id work for a little bit for a “trial period”. I worked full 9-5 M-F for 3 weeks and got paid $200 twice in cash. Now hes telling me it might not be a good fit but hell keep me going for a little bit longer. That’s obviously below minimum wage. What are the laws pertaining to training time or a “trial period”?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: You need to be paid at least minimum wage for hours worked. Do you have time logs?Answer #2: File a wage claim


Title: I want to buy a property and not share it with my boyfriend

Question:
A parent would like to give me my inheritance in advance. $300-400k, as a down payment on a property (to live in, not as an investment). (I live in a place where 600 sq ft condos go for 550k.)

I’ve been living with my boyfriend for almost two years. I do love him. But he has a serious mental health condition and some personality disorder traits. He’s getting treatment - is fully invested in improving his mental health.

But I’m still not sure whether we’ll end up married or not. I want to be sure he’s solidly on a path to stability in terms of mental health before making that commitment. (He also has a lot of debt.)

I think we may already be into common-law territory, though.

Now, he isn’t money-motivated (beyond wanting to be able to buy things related to his hobby.) I’m almost certain he wouldn’t ever try to make a claim on a home if I bought one, even if he were entitled to it.

But I want to be absolutely certain that this isn’t even possible. I want my inheritance to be mine. Just in case. I also don’t want to be on the hook for his debts.

If I buy a property in my name, and he lives with me, and contributes to say utilities and food, or even some part of the mortgage (I mean everyone has to pay at least rent somewhere), am I legally vulnerable? Would he be entitled to a piece of what my mother wants to be mine?

Could we make some agreement so that he’s my *tenant*? He’d sign something like that willingly, at least I think he would.

Neither of us have much else in terms of savings or assets. He may come into some money of his own through inheritance in the future. (Other than that, he’s broke.)

We are in Ontario, Canada.

Answer: If you buy property make sure the title is only in your name. If he lives with you draw up a lease that says he is only a tenant. Just charge him market rate rents for living on the property. If you plan to get married then talk to a lawyer six months before the wedding to draw up a prenuptial agreement.


Title: 9+ hour work days, 5 days per week, as salaried 40 hours/wk. Is this legal? (MO)

Question: I'm new to the salary world. Sorry if I'm just ignorant to how Missouri law works,  hopefully one of you could shed some light on the subject. My question is, I just landed an awesome salaried position at a job I love, and signed a contract at 40 hours per week,  5 days a week. It was my understanding that I would sometimes go over, if need be, and I have no problem with that. However,  I'm consistently scheduled 9 hour days 5 days a week. This puts me at an actual 45 hours a week and I still sometimes have to stay (by choice to get my job done). Their reasoning is they factor in a 1 hour lunch break,  which I can rarely take a full hour anyway because typically, as soon as I clock out I'm needed somewhere and end up working while I "take my break". Is this legal? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but if I'm salary,  does a "lunch break" really factor into this?

Answer: In general, if you are [properly classified as exempt](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/understanding-the-white-collar-exemptions.html) and make at least $455 a week, you can work 80 hours a week (or more) and not receive overtime pay.


Title: [Australia] Is it illegal to steal something that's already stolen?

Question:
Let's say someone steals something from someone and puts it in their house.

I have no relation to either party. I break into the theif's house and steal it. While I would be charged with breaking into their property, could I be charged for stealing? And if so who would press charges? The original owner or the thief?

Answer: Yes, that's illegal in all states and territories. Yes, even Queensland. I'm not a lawyer but i have some friends who've made bad decisions.


Title: Car Towed, 10 months ago. I sued both parties involved. They settled. What if car is unusable?

Question:
Car was parked in an advance auto parts lot.  Associated told me they don't tow. EVER.  guess what?  they towed me.

I sued the tow company and advance auto.  They settled. but that was almost 10 months ago. Still haven't had the final court date yet but i can pick up my car.

What if my car won't start?  Can I get any money to fix it,  what about the fact that i had to pay for another car during all of this?

This happened in Nashville, TN. any advice?

Answer: If you have all agreed to a settlement then the matter is generally closed


Title: Magazine Scam for a Children's hospital, Dallas, TX

Question:
I received a visit from a lady who supposedly had a 3 year old kid and a violent and abusive father. Being careless, I fell and accepted a subscription for $128 for a year and gave them a check. I checked them out immediately and they were fraud, so I canceled the check and stopped all payments. I'll probably change my account as well. Now can they sue me for opting for a service and not going through with the payment?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 When you say "you received a visit" do you mean they came to your home and solicited you at your door?

Texas law allows you to cancel such sales within 3 days and also have some pretty strict provisions for how those salespeople conduct themselves.

How much time passed between when they visited you and when you stopped the check? Have you talked to them since?

https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/the-3-day-right-to-cancel-a-purchase


Title: TX Bought a house, house starts showing severe foundation problems within a year. Is there any recourse?

Question:
I bought a house last year, and things were good for about 6 months. Cracks start appearing and moving quickly, so we hire a structural engineer. We have some serious differential settling, and it's got to get fixed asap. He's reasonably certain where piers have been placed, but the company that did the repairs won't return my calls or emails or the engineers, and we can't get the repair map.

We did not receive any disclosure of foundation problems or repairs during the buying process. I did receive a lifetime transferrable warranty for foundation repairs, but the previous owner and seller don't have any info on what repairs were made and when. All we know is that repairs were made, and we only know that because one of our neighbors told us about it, and the engineering report from the structural engineer.

I spoke to an attorney about the repair company, and we can send a demand letter to try and get the map and honor the warranty. Outside of that, is there anything we can do about the nondisclosure, or to get the repair costs covered? I wouldn't have bought the house if I knew the problems it has, and it may cost more to fix than we can afford.

Edit: The attorney visit was through a workplace benefit. There may be more options available, but a demand letter is all that's covered in this case through my benefits.

Edit: there are no permits on record with the county for foundation repairs or alterations, and no records with the warranty company for foundation work

Answer:
 If the buyer didn't know of any foundation problems, then they had nothing to disclose.  You'll have a hard time proving that they knew of foundation problems that were not fixed and withheld that information from you, unless you asked for a repair history of the house and they didn't tell you about the fixes.

You spoke to an attorney, so I would trust their advice.


Title: Terrified that my life is on the line

Question:
I'm from Texas, and I'm 18 years old.

I've been horrified of being charged for possession of cp. I've been having nightmares and constant paranoia of law enforcement showing up to my door and have been not wanting to leave my house anymore due to this.

I saw this one celebrity named Loren Gray, and I thought she was pretty so I downloaded pictures of her thinking in every one of them she was 18. However I learned this wasn't the case. None of them were nude photographs nor had any lewd exhibition of the genitals, but some of the photos were her in a bikini.

I've been horrified of my life being ruined when I'm about to go to college and make dreams come true.

But I'm terrified of the police arresting me and charging me with possession of cp. I've never been more scared in my entire life. I genuinely feel like death.

I have been diagnosed with having OCD, but I don't want to go to therapist in fear of them reporting me to the police.

Answer: None of this is CP. You should see a therapist.


Title: [OH] Custody and child support expectations

Question:
We're in Ohio. My boyfriend is considering pursuing full custody of his two children. Currently, he and his ex-wife share 50/50 custody. As his yearly income is higher than hers, in lieu of child support, they have an agreement in place where she is in possession of a credit card that is in his name and for which he is responsible for paying. The card is to be used for clothing, shoes, school/sports related activities, etc. Pretty much anything besides food and entertainment while the children are on their mom's time. She is not required to notify him of any purchases made on the card nor seek out his permission before using it, she is free to utilize it at her discretion. This agreement has been in place for almost 20 months.

Lately, his ex-wife has been becoming increasingly high conflict and threatening to take him to court for child support. Because of this, he is exploring the possibility of obtaining full custody. He has been documenting her communications and behavior in preparation for this, but he is also worried that even if he were granted full custody, he would still be required to pay his ex-wife some amount of child support because his income is higher than hers. He met with a lawyer at the beginning of their divorce proceedings who led him to believe this. We haven't been able to find a definitive answer online and are planning on contacting a lawyer directly eventually, but I thought I'd try to get a little more information here first. Would he be responsible for paying support to his ex even if he had full custody rights, and if so, what is the formula used to decide the amount? What other factors, if any, are taken into consideration when the amount is being decided?

**TL;DR:** Boyfriend is considering pursuing full custody of his two children, but is worried he will be responsible for paying his ex-wife child support since his income is higher than hers. Is this a true possibility, and if so, how is the amount calculated?

Thank you in advance!

**ETA:** We are aware that it would be extremely difficult to win full custody. I'm purposefully choosing not to include additional information about the nature of her behavior because it is not relevant to my question. Thanks to all who've replied so far.

Answer:
 1. Unless his ex is, like, an active and unrepentant felon, full custody is unrealistic. Courts are loathe to cut a parent out of a kid's life.

2. Unless the ratio of custody perfectly matches the ratio of income, some child support should be expected.

3. As the current gf, you need to stay out of it. Tell him to get a lawyer and then butt out. No offense, just explaining that you shouldn't expect to be involved. Answer #2: Your boyfriend really should consult with a lawyer to make sure his expectations are in line with reality. I think that full custody is extremely unlikely given the information presented.


Title: Child support is leaving me broke.

Question:
Hello,

I have recently been granted full medical disability from the US Social Security Administration. I will try to keep this short and to the point but my mental troubles make concentration and brevity hard sometimes.

I was ordered in my divorce to pay $435 per month in child support. I have no issues with taking care of the obligation of child support. I was let go from my job nearly a year ago and after a lengthy fight with unemployment and my old employer, I was not granted unemployment benefits. The lack of benefits caused arrears and back child support to build up. I was finally granted disability in May of this year.

Child support is taking right at 50% of my monthly benefit and I am struggling to not only pay my bills but to eat. I'm not here begging for anything more than advice on what I do. I have contacted the child support enforcement department and they only reinforce that it's an obligation I owe and that having no income doesn't make the obligation go away.

The amount I'm left with pays my bills and low co-pays at the pharmacy gets me my medications but the amount left over leaves me eating ramen. I am not eligible for SSI income nor am I eligible for food stamps as my monthly benefit is too high.

I'm often very confused and tired because of the medications I take. I just have the basics on utilities, power, water/sewer, internet, car insurance (I don't drive very often) and rent.

Am I out of luck here?

Answer: You need to go back to court and ask for a modification of the support order.  Nolo has a decent overview of your options.  http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/how-get-child-support-order-modified-because-disability.html


Title: Accidentally sold car with a salvage title thinking it was clean, now buyer wants to return the car

Question:
Okay, so this is in Iowa. I sold my 2004 Dodge neon for $1300 last night. It was given to me by my dad and the title was in his name. I never looked at the title and honestly believed that it was clean. My dad did not recall the title being salvaged either. Anyways, I posted it on Craigslist saying it had a clean title, and when the buyer came to test drive it I told her it had a clean title then too. This morning I get a text from her saying the title was salvaged and her insurance company won't insure it. The odd thing is, the title does say Salvage at the the top of it, but me or my dad never thought to look at it. The buyer never looked at the title at the time of transaction either, but she could have taken all the time she wanted.

I am wondering if I am legally obligated to return the car, or if the title saying salvaged at the top is enough of a notification for the buyer even though I verbally told her it was a clean title.
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 Most people don't look at the title until after you've completed the sale and are signing it over.

Yeah you're on the hook here because you even unknowingly lied. This happened last night, refund them and take the car back and sell it properly.


Title: My stepdad was murdered last night by his wife

Question:
He is Air National Guard on active orders in Indiana and his wife lives in Tampa, FL. He was on leave visiting her and she shot him in the chest while drunk after he wouldn't apologize to her father. She has been charged with 1st degree murder.

He raised my sister and I but we are not his biological children. His next of kin would be his brother who lives in England and is on his way here and will fight with us but what do we do about assets? The bitch had 2 children from a previous marriage and her father who started the initial altercation is currently in the Tampa house with them.

My dad had a lot of assets and we don't know what to do in terms of securing his cars, motorcycles, and gaining access to his house to get his documents before her family does something to them.

Please help me.

I plan on driving to Tampa tomorrow and getting in touch with the nearest Army base for legal help but what rights do we (speaking collectively as his brother being legal next of kin) have to his assets before she (or her dad) does something to them?

Answer: I'm sorry this happened to you but this is way way way beyond the scope of this sub. Contacting the army base to ask for legal guidance is a good start. If they can't help you then I'd look into a probate lawyer to help you with this. Answer #2: A lot of the assets are also hers. She'll be looking the liquidate quickly to pay for her criminal defense. You should talk to a probate attorney asap and try to limit what can be removed.


Title: /r/legaladvice, regarding the Minecraft EULA enforcement, are there any workarounds and/or flaws?

Question:
Dear /r/legaladvice,

Mojang, the creators of [Minecraft](http://minecraft.net) has recently begun notifying server owners of their [EULA](https://account.mojang.com/documents/minecraft_eula). This EULA specifically states that you are NOT allowed to make money off anything they made. This is a disaster for the server owners, basically removing their source of income, used for hosting the servers.

**The problem**

Many (almost all) Minecraft servers use microtransactions so that they are able to keep up with the costs of hosting the server. In return, players get something based on what they paid. This can vary from in-game virtual money, items or certain privelleges (such as joining a full server).

This model has been misused by some servers, providing packages which cost over $1000(!). Some even have packages where players can be unbanned, giving toxic or hacking players a way to get back on the server even after their misdoing.

**Mojang's [EULA](https://account.mojang.com/documents/minecraft_eula)**

Since December 2013, basically all servers having donation packages have been illegal. However, Mojang only recently started notifying users about this.

**Mojang's view**

Mojang does this to prevent large pay2win servers, and also to try and prevent servers from extorting players.

**However**, making purchases illegal stops all income from servers. The only ways owners can make money now are:
1. Asking for donations in the purest form, basically making servers a charity.
Or 2. Requiring players to buy access to a server.

Is there any flaw or problem with the EULA?

**Some legal information**

The [current EULA](https://account.mojang.com/documents/minecraft_eula) has been here since December 2013, however the majority of the players played before this.

A redditor has looked up [the history of the EULA](https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B_78I7qsftr5Mm5TT0lvUXllUkE&usp=sharing), showing that the "making money" has not always been illegal. Even the part that says they can change the EULA at any time has not been there since the start. For a more detailed description on the history read the reddit post [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/comments/27hg5f/minecraft_a_history_through_eula/).

Minecraft never asked you to accept the terms, except at the time you bought it. Only in the latest version of their server software, you have to accept it. (If I accepted the EULA before they added the part that they can change it at any time, am I bound to the current EULA?).

Mojang is in Sweden, so it is subject to Swedish and EU laws.

Speaking from myself and the community, **thanks** for helping us trying to stop what might be the end of the Minecraft server community.

EDIT: If, instead of players buying ranks, players "hire" the owners to give them items, would that bypass anything?

Answer: I doubt anyone here is going to read a EULA and find flaws for you. You are going to have to pay an attorney to do that. That said, my guess is mind craft also has well paid attorneys who wrote and will be enforcing their EULA. They don't want people making money off of them and are ready to enforce it.


Title: Mother asking me money for a mortgage approval loan. She's behaving oddly.

Question:
So my mother is asking me for a couple of thousands of money towards a mortgage application. Im a young adult with not much experience on these matters so I'm a little suspect to this whole process as well as her behavior towards me.

Here are some things I'm weary of:
- She's asking me to deposit money into a different bank account. (My bank account at another bank is link with hers there) (she told  the other bank account is for her paycheque)
- She hasn't given me any paperwork of anything other than a real estate sheet depicting the house being planned to buy and a mortgage sheet for me to fill out
- She's kinda been guilt tripping me. Saying stuff like "why don't you trust me you're my son" when I asked for paperwork

Is there anything I can do to protect myself in this situation? Draw up a contract? Ask for proof?

I'm just a bit skeptical.

Update: I live in Canada btw.

Answer:
 Something is clearly fishy there.  It sounds like she's trying to qualify for a mortgage by using your money to show she has a down payment or cover for some other deficiency.

There's not a lot you can do to prevent her from doing something other than refusing to give her the money.  I'd tell her you want to talk to the mortgage broker yourself or something to that effect.  But ultimately that probably won't work because she's up to something.

> Saying stuff like "why don't you trust me you're my son" when I asked for paperwork

People who get upset you don't trust them are always the least trustworthy people.  Be a lot skeptical.


Title: Asking for my girlfriend and her dad. Her nmother is supposed to pay my girlfriend's student loans but she stopped and now my girlfriend has horrible credit.

Question: So my girlfriend attended college for most of a semester and dropped out. She had to pay for the whole year. But it was decided between her parents while they were still married and living with each other that the nmother would pay for it, since she forced girlfriend to go to school. She attended college in fall of 2016 and her parents split in March of 2017 and officially divorced in August of the same year. Recently, nmom stopped paying girlfriend's student loans. Her nmom was all "don't worry, I'll take care of it, don't worry about anything" and it's gone to shit. Nmom set everything up. She won't give girlfriend login information so she can fix this herself. All mail for this gets sent to nmother's house (girlfriend lives with father) or their old house they lived in that the nmother still owns and checks the mail for. Girlfriend's maternal grandmother co-signed everything the nmom took out and she [the grandmother] is a little out there in her old age. Is there anything my girlfriend and her father can do? Nmom has ruined my girlfriend's credit (it's about 400 right now), she doesn't pay child support on the other minor children (joint custody). She doesn't help at all. Since nmom is the one that took out everything for my girlfriend and nmom only has the information for it, is there any legal action my girlfriend and her father can take against nmom? Bonus points if there is a way to incorporate slander, since nmom was telling everyone the dad left and he filed for divorce when she kicked him out and filed and continues to drag his name through the dirt. This takes place in Indiana and girlfriend wanted everything in her name initially, buy nmom did it anyways. Any and all help is appreciated.

Answer:
 1. this "nmom" thing is freaking hysterical.

2. Your girl friend is an adult and needs to start taking responsibility. Call the loan company, verify the information, and start a payment plan. It was nice of the mother to pay as much as they did. Now she's not. Move on.

3. Useless drama about the other kid is irrelevant. Answer #2: Maybe her Mother wasn’t willing to pay for a semester in which she failed and dropped out. Essentially, almost a year’s worth of school Answer #3: Gf can call the loan issuer using the information on the credit reports and set up a repayment plan and get the info to create a login. She can verify with her she number. Failure to pay the loans means they can put a lien on her banking accounts and seize tax returns.


Title: Driver had a heart attack and died, slamming into my roommate's car and totaling it. Insurance is saying he has to pay for it. (North Dakota)

Question: We live in Omaha, NE. My roommate travels for his job and while parked in a parking lot in Fargo, ND a lady had a heart attack, jumped the curb and slammed into his car totaling it. The lady ended up passing away. Her insurance company just called and said that her coverage won't cover all the damage that was done to the cars and property, and told my roommate that he has to pay for the impound lot, the tow, and the rental himself. He only has liability with his insurance if that matters. What can he do in this situation?

Answer:
 Oh wow. This is the kind of case that ends up in law school textbooks.

If the lady's insurance refuses to pay out, the only possible route forward is to file suit against the deceased. If the insurance won't pay you'll need to file a lawsuit to force them.


Title: Emotional Support Animals and women's shelter

Question: My friend is in an abusive environmen and as much as I want to open my door to her I can't. She might go to a shelter but she will not leave her cat. She has BPD and other mental health issues (diagnosed) and we want to get her cat certified as an emotional support animal. The shelter said they would have to understand the whole story from her but the problem is that unless I can get a firm YES from someone she won't try. She is feeling totally hopeless and tired of disappointment from previous attempts to get away failing. So is there a law we can point to that says they can't turn us away because of an ESA?

Answer:
 If she needs to escape to a shelter, the cat should really be the least of her concerns. Have someone board the cat or take care of it temporarily while she gets on her feet. Answer #2: There is no law saying shelters have to take an emotional support animal.  An ESA isn't even a thing in most places, it's a gimmick that lets people sneak animals into places they aren't supposed to be.

You cannot get a service animal for BPD and even if you could it wouldn't be a cat.  Your friend is much better off trying to find a place that will take it.  You didn't post what state she is in but reach out on facebook to local animal rescues, you will probably be able to find a rescue that can help if you explain the situation. Answer #3: Just ask and explain situation. People who run these shelters are the same people and/or in same circle as the people who fight for people to have ESA and other ADA issues. That said, its honestly better to find a board. They will likely say "sure, bring the cat but the cat needs to be crated, can only be taken out with owner in speical room and has to be walked" all reasonable conditions. This is not best for a cat that isn't a real ESA.


Title: UK. What are my rights if I make a Reddit loan

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >so on r/borrow I lent some money and the borrower agreed to pay back on a certain date and sent a picture of him and his ID.

Wow, is that really a thing?  Do people really lend money to other people that they don't know and who they have no collateral from and who - Oh my god, I need to know more of the morons out there...

Good luck filing a lawsuit against this person, serving them, winning a judgment, and collecting the judgment.

PS.  If you loan me $2,000 then I will help you... <end sarcasm>


Title: [Texas] Can I legally change my named to my partners last name if we are not "legally" getting married?

Question:
So my fiancé and I plan on getting married soon. I have never wanted to get married through the state. I know I'll have to eventually but in the mean time I would like to avoid the government. Mainly because I'm in school and I pay for school and because I'm a single woman who's "poor" I get more assistance and I have only 2 years left. If we get married I won't qualify anymore. So I'd like to avoid that.

But we plan on getting married before then and I'd like to change my name it his last name. We are going to have a civil ceremony for our friends and family.

I was wondering if I could change my name to his last name once we have our ceremony. What steps would I have to take?

Thank you!!!

Answer:
 http://statelaws.findlaw.com/texas-law/common-law-marriage-in-texas.html

Don't *ever* claim to be married until afterwards. You're bordering very closely on fraud.

That includes *everyone* in your life. Family, friends, pastors, waitresses, escorts, strangers, etc.

I would be very surprised (and moderately disappointed) if this didn't not automatically trigger a review of your financial condition. You're essentially asking how to game the system (get "married" but not for real). That is incredibly close to benefits fraud.


Title: How can I get my misdemeanor expunged? When I call the court the lady says I have to do it online since they don't have the forms and doesn't know a link or help navigate me to the page.

Answer: Did you really think you could not provide a location?


Title: School not heating building so students freeze (MT)

Question:
This may be completely the wrong place for this, and nothing can probably be done, but i thought I would at least ask.

I graduated from a high school last year, but my siblings still go there, so I talk to then often about their school issues and shit. Today, I called my sister and she told me that the school building is so cold that her and other students fingers actually turn purple.

Because this is montana, it is always VERY cold in the mornings and students should expect to have a warm place to study, right? The principal said that it was the "students responsibilty" to keep themselves warm during the day and that they should be wearing school approved jackets, which are upwards of $40 each, and aren't even warm.

The school is private, so that might also add to nothing being able to be done.

My question is: is there any legal ground for a school to be warm enough for students to be comfortable? I feel like there should be, but I guess that's why I'm asking here and not just giving my sister advice, lol.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: Purple fingers sounds far fetched as the teachers aren't complaining and I'm sure they have some older people teaching but there's really nothing especially since it's a private school, I go to a private school and the issue was also brought up at our school but they explained they had no obligation to do anything


Title: My Mom found pictures of my Dad with another woman. Half naked photos and them on vacation while he was on a "Business Trip". My Mom is thinking of getting back together but I want her to get a divorce. What should I do

Question:
So yesterday I heard the worst news I had in a while. My Mom answered one of my dads phone and went through his phone and found pictures of him cuddling with a younger girl. And then more photos of her in underware and lingerie, and then photos of them hiking together. We had high suspicions about it, my dad has a high paying job in the auto industry and moved to China about 5 years ago, my mom noticed immediately that something changed after he came home for a year .

He started going on "business trips" where he would be gone randomly for weeks, leaving my mom alone. Then he started buying gucci and versace bags and telling us that he was buying it for his coworkers in China. He even left us during christmas with our family for "business".

I'm not really sure what to think of it, its hard digesting what I just learned. My mom is planning on doing an intervention with me and my sister and confront him about it incase he starts doubling down on his lies. I'm also gonna take the photos we have of them and save it onto a hard drive just incase.

My mom also said that she hopes that dad will ditch the girl after confronting him and they could get back together and go to marriage counseling. However I told her that wasn't a good idea and that she should put herself first more than anything. That if she wants to let go she can let go.

I'm more curious of what I should do legal wise. I know to lawyer up and we have a bunch of photos and I'm planning on getting more evidence from my Dads phone. Its just insane going through all of this pretty quickly.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: There's really nothing you can do, it's not Dad vs Family in divorce court and your mother doesn't even want one from what you've said. I get that you're hurt and upset but cold truth is this is between your parents and their marriage and not actually any of your business to get involved in.


Title: Landlord hesitant to give me receipts for rent payments

Question:
Hello! I am a 25yo woman living in North Carolina.  I recently moved to a 2br/2ba house in the beginning of August and this is my first time living on my own.

For the past 6 years, in college and post-college, my various roommates and I have always tried to make it a habit to get receipts when we drop off our rent payments. It has proved beneficial as several years ago in another city, a property manager claimed we never paid rent and owed a late fee in addition to the rent, however we showed them our receipt and the issue was resolved.

My current landlord has me mailing my rent to his daughter who manages his bookkeeping in another NC city several hours away. At the very beginning of the month she has been sending me a mail merge type letter and an empty envelope addressed to their P.O. box.

I have never had to mail my rent in before so the situation made me nervous. I have been getting bank checks to send each month where the money is taken from my account at the time of purchase rather than when they cash it. In my rent for September I included my phone number and a note saying something along the lines of:

"Hello! Enclosed is my rent for the month of September. I would like a written receipt for my records. Thanks!"

I heard no response at all but figured they would contact me if it had not been received. I received another mail merge letter at the beginning of October with no acknowledgement of the previous rent or my note. I mailed the rent again and included a second note asking for receipts for September and October. Again no response.

This month at the beginning of November I received another mail merge letter but this time in bold it said "We acknowledge that your rent for September 2015 and October 2015 have been received."

I called and spoke with my landlord yesterday to ask about the issue. He wanted to know why the letter wouldn't suffice as a receipt. I told him that I could type up the same piece of paper and that I would like something with their company name and a signature. He said that would be "a pain" for his daughter to have to mail me a receipt each month (yet I have to mail rent?) and that no one he rented to has ever asked for a receipt before. He said he would text me his daughter's phone number when we got off the phone and maybe she could send me an email each month instead. I'm yet to hear back from him.

As I said, I've rented for years and I've never had any issue with getting receipts for rent. If I'm handing you $850 I would like some kind of legit acknowledgement that you got it, to cover my ass as well as yours. My coworker said it's possible he might not be reporting the income and is just avoiding the issue hoping I'll drop it.

Am I wrong for asking for receipts for our transactions? I'm going to see if he sends me his daughter's number by Monday and if not I'm going to call him again.  What, if any, legal standing would I have? I do not want to piss off my landlord and make this more difficult however I would also like to avoid them claiming my rent was never received.  His hesitation makes me nervous and I would appreciate any and all input.

TL;DR - I want receipts for paying rent. Landlord said it would be "a pain"

Answer:
 It's much safer to send checks through the mail than bank checks. If one gets lost, what would you do? You'd be out $850.

Send it with that green form so they have to sign for it and the form is mailed back to you. That can stand as a receipt. I think it's only 50 cents more or something.

Also having her email the receipts is a great idea.


Title: Wife is in collections for an uninsured hit and run on a car we don't own

Question:
Hi LegalAdvice, my wife and I received a collection’s notice in the mail last night for around $4000 for an accident that happened 9 months ago in a town about an hour away from where we live. After speaking with the Insurance Agency this morning, it sounds like a guy she knew around 15 years ago was involved in a hit and run accident and wasn't insured.

After the police filed a report, my wife's name came up as a co-owner of the car despite her never having signed anything. She did know the guy around the time that he bought the vehicle and now it sounds like he may have forged her signature as a co-applicant because his credit was so bad at the time.

We're working with the insurance agency now, but it sounds like they have every right in our state (Washington State) to come after her for the money since she's listed as a co-owner on the title.

I'm thinking we might have to Lawyer up on this one, but what protections do we have in this case? The dude is an absolute loser that she cut ties with a decade ago and I don't see any value in trying to sue him for the money or anything because he's the kind of guy who will just not show up in court and ignore any mailings or subpoenas.
Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 First of all, if she's working with an insurance AGENT, then she's wasting her time since that individual likely can't help at all.  If she's working with a claims adjuster or similar person at an insurance COMPANY then she might be able to get their help.  But that would be the entity that sent her to collections.

The first stop is the state to see if she's listed as an owner on the vehicle.  If she is, she needs to report him to the police for identity theft.  Based on your narrative, it sounds like the state thinks she co-owns the vehicle.

I definitely think that you need to get a lawyer.  You're probably going to incur those costs and never get them back, but your wife needs to make sure that she's legally separate from this guy as fast as possible.  That should be your priority because if you don't, you run the risk of this debt becoming yours.

It should go without saying (but obviously can't because here I am saying it) that you need to immediately start monitoring your credit both past and present and see if there are any other surprises out there.

edited to add: you should also look into notifying whoever insured your vehicles at the time of this accident.  You may be able to get that insurance company to at least assist in making this current demand in going away.  Answer #2: If she is found at fault then she can sue him for the costs incurred (which he may have no money to pay) and file a criminal report with the police for forgery if that's what happened.


Title: What happens when one person wants to bail on a shared lease?

Question:
State is Oklahoma.

I signed a yearlong lease in May with one other person. (Both of our names are on the lease, and both of us signed.) Now the other person wants out of the lease.

He sent in a notarized termination-of-lease request to the landlord, which the landlord says will release him from the lease after 30 days. Does that simply mean that I am left as the sole signer of the lease, and fully responsible for rent? Is it possible to remove one person from a signed contract without permission from another signer? And in fact, will the old lease (with two signers) still be valid after these changes are made, or will the landlord be required to get me to sign a new one?

Answer:
 OP- The landlord cannot unilaterally make changes to the lease (such as releasing a tenant) without the agreement of all parties to the lease. He's effectively broken your lease agreement by altering it in this way without your approval.

You should contact him/her and confirm your 'new' rent amount (half of your old amount) in writing (via email or written letter). If they refuse to alter the rent amount, then you need to start negotiating to have them cover any costs you're out due to finding a new place to live.


Title: What to do if aunt won't vacate property that was left 50% to her, 50% to her sister (my mom) in inheritance

Question:
The house and my aunt are in New Jersey.  It has not come to this *yet* (where she is officially refusing to vacate or list the property), i just want to be prepared in case it happens, which I am anticipating based on past behavior. My mom is in Florida. I am in NY.

My grandma died almost seven years ago. She left her house 50% to my mom, 50% to my aunt. My aunt and her husband have been living there rent free this entire time.  She has paid the taxes on the house, and her husband did improvements (which i imagine cost about $10k but am not positive. They may have done improvements which were unncessary, like building a deck. Her husband is a carpenter so he did the work).  Rent would have fetched about $2200 a month, I'd imagine. I figured if they didn't make improvements in a year (can't remember what the time frame was, I did the math 7 years ago), it would be better if we just hired someone to make the neccesary improvements and sold the place. I told them this from the beginning but since I am not directly involved, I have no power and they ignored me.

They have been living there this whole time rent free, and have another home which they don't yet want to sell because of capital gains tax. Meanwhile my mom is losing more and more money.

Anyway, my mom is very passive and hates confrontation. She has allowed them to stay all this time rent free, that's on her. She had no formal agreement with them. So she can't ask for back rent or anything.

But now she is starting to get upset. For months, she has been telling them "we need to list the house now" but my aunt will say "We will, but we just found mold in the basement. We have to  fix it." Two weeks later, "I want to list it, but we have to redo the floors." Two weeks later "My husband messed up the floors, now we have to hire someone to fix it." This has been going on for months...and I predicted in advance this would happen. She is stringing my mom along.

Now my mom is starting to get really annoyed but she doesn't know what to do, and neither do I.

We are in three different states.

If my aunt continues to put off listing, or selling the house, what should we do?

Answer:
 Your mother can force the sale or division of the property by suing for partition. This is not a cheap process, and she absolutely needs the help of a qualified attorney in the jurisdiction where the property is.

The usual partition suit outcome is for a trustee to be appointed to oversee the sale, ether at auction or at the best offer received by a fixed deadline. Your mother can buy out your aunt at that time, if she has the cash or financing to do so, or offer to sell your aunt her share. I would expect her attorney to save that as a last resort, and to attempt to negotiate with your aunt first: even if your mother ends up buying your aunt out at over market or selling out at under market, she may save money compared to the cost of going to court.

If you love your kids, don't give them joint ownership of real estate in your will.


Title: I just got a reckless driving ticket for going 51 in a 25 mph area

Question:
I'm in New Jersey. I just got issued a ticket for speeding and reckless driving for going 51 in a 25 mph area.

From what I've found online, reckless driving is an extremely serious charge. I have no points on my license and have never gotten pulled over for anything before, does this seem unusually harsh?

I understand I was going significantly over the limit, but this was an empty straight road with no residences or schools nearby. I'm not trying to make excuses, just saying that it seems very disproportionate to be hit with a charge that can carry jail time.

What should I do now?

Answer:
 > What should I do now?

Contact a lawyer that specializes in traffic violation defenses. You don't really have a defense, so it's probably a matter of pleading down.Answer #2: No, getting this charge for going more than double the speed limit seems fair.

It's time to get an attorney.


Title: Car stolen in New York. Police needed car for investigation. Bill to get car out now $1500 dollars.

Question:
Over a month ago my brothers car was stolen from his place in White Plains. There was a lot of confusion with the investigation and the police really didn't seem to know what they were doing, so the investigation ended up taking over a month, so now the bill to get the car out of the tow yard is $1500 dollars. Is there any free legal advice services that anyone knows of in the state of New York, or does anyone happen to know what steps to take to either reduce or remove the charge. It is totally agreeable to have to pay for the initial tow charge, but the charge for all that storage (which was only warranted due to the investigation) seems a bit ridiculous. Hope you guys can help!

Note: The car is a 2012 Honda Civic with I think 80k. It was in a golf ball hail storm in Colorado and is thus totaled, but only due to body damage.

Answer:
 Contact the DA’s office and ask for a letter requesting the car be released without penalty because you were the victim of a crime and the fees are a result of the investigation. You shouldn’t have any further problems after that. Answer #2: Sounds like a mix-up. You shouldn't have to pay for storage fees. Have you called the station to ask about this?

Also, if the car is totaled, why are you trying to get it out of the tow yard?


Title: Kid whose parents go missing deleted their account

Question:
There was [this thread](https://np.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/8h8huo) from a week ago. I put a watch on it because I was curious to see if they ever find their parents.

Was there an update I missed? Did we determine whether or not it was a troll?

This post really got my attention because of how bizarre it was.

Answer: The story itself didn't raise many troll flags (more than usual, at least) until the kid says they contacted grandparents who weren't going to come down because everything was "fine" for now. Either that kid hit the worst caregiver jackpot across multiple generations, or it was a troll. I would imagine that even family members who *hated* the kids would end up coming down for fear of getting in trouble with the authorities for not doing so.Answer #2: I’m glad that I came across this too no was wondering what happened. The other post I wonder about is the private investigator that was hired to find a biological dad. He thought he found him but that he was unsure what to do because he discovered the guy that hired him may have unknowingly married his sister. I just wonder what happened.


Title: Husband was arrested. Need help.

Question:
I live in Indiana.

So no one in my family has ever been in any sort of trouble so I have no idea what to do here. My husband was pulled over last year and got a ticket,  I guess never paid it, so they placed a warrant for his arrest. Anyway, this past Friday he was pulled over in County A and was arrested but the warrant was for County B. So County A has left countless messages to county b saying he needs to be picked up, and no response. I've called and they pretty much say it'll happen in time and County A will hold him until county b gets him no matter what. But county a says they will only hold him 10 days.

Does anyone have any experience with this? I know he technically is in the wrong but I can't believe he's sat in jail for a week for a traffic violation.

I'm sure this post sounds confusing, but feel free to pm me if you can give me any advice.

Answer:
 He's not in jail over a traffic violation, he's in jail over the failure to pay the court system money, which in turn means he failed to appear at court and ignored its rulings to pay them.

The quickest way is to get in touch with the court he owes money, pay them, and get them to quash the bench warrant out for him, at which point whoever is holding would cut him loose.  If you have a reason payment wasn't made you  can of course go before a judge in that court and see if you can't get some of the late penalties reduced or waived, but that could add time onto the release process.


Title: [GA] URGENT signed a lease to move in today and got a call an hour ago from the apartment manager that the people changed their move-out date and I'm out of luck

Question:
Signed my lease in early March and was given a set move-in date of April 10. Today they call me and tell me that the previous residents have changed their minds and are moving out May 2nd, and the earliest I can move in is May 8 due to having to repaint/new floors and cleaning. So that means they've known for at least 6 days since they have to get it clean and didn't tell me until the day I'm supposed to move.

I'm sitting here with a moving truck full of my stuff with two angry cats and no place to go because today is the last day of my lease for my previous apartment. Can they do this? What are my options?

Answer:
 You need to read your lease. Most leases contain language absolving the landlord of any liability if he is unable to deliver possession of the unit, or at least address what happens if he is late delivering possession for whatever reason.Answer #2: Read your lease. Pay attention to any clauses that may apply. Absent those, if you have a lease signed by both parties for that date, then you can sue them for damages. That can include the increase in expenses in lodging and storing your belonging for that time. Alternatively, you can sue them for the difference in rent in finding a new place that is comperable.

I'd talk to the office again and talk to them about it. Someone on their end massively screwed up. It shouldn't be a situation where the current tenants 'just decided to stay'. The current tenants should have given or been given notice to quit before a new lease for the space was signed.Answer #3: Read the lease OP. You stated that you don't have a copy. But go, in person to the office of the new place (if you can) Ask to see a copy of your lease.

If you cannot do this, i would look up lawyers to see if any will give you a free, or low cost consultation. Then follow their advice.

You probably have a case for some damages here. But let a lawyer help you with that


Title: Please advice what I can do - neighbors pool water flooded our backyard - he has WAY TOO MANY criminal records and NO assets

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Just because he filed bankruptcy doesn't mean he has no assets. If he has been building pools and additions onto his home, legal or not, he has money somewhere. Call your city zoning commission about the latter.

The idea of selling your house over this is a rather large overreaction. You have plenty of cards to play. Next time they are loud at night, contact the police. Surely your city has noise ordinances? And the next time someone uses your driveway to park their vehicles, call the police for trespass.

Answer #2: You also need to pressure the HoA as to why they haven't exercised their right to foreclose on his house over HoA payments.Answer #3: Contact your home owners insurance and your localalties building and zoning departmentAnswer #4: Presumably the HOA has rules in place to prevent many of these things, and this is why you move to a neighborhood with an HOA to begin with, so I would start there.

If he has not paid his HOA fees and is violating the HOA rules, they can put a lien on his house and eventually foreclose on it.  Why haven't they done this yet?  Put pressure on them, have your lawyer notify them in writing of the problem and insist that they address the ongoing issue.  If they refuse, and the issues remain, you could potentially sue you HOA for the damages and/or lost value in your house resulting from them not fulfilling their obligations.


Title: [TX] Server at a buffet. Employer takes away $5 from my credit card tips everyday to "pay busboy"

Question: I've been working here for just over two years. I make my money mainly on tips but a lot of people leave a tip on the credit card which I get the next work day. My money will have a receipt with the amount of credit card tip but I'm always five dollars short because my employer says they use that money to pay for the bus boy. Is what's going on here legal? $5 taken away every work day adds up after a while. I used to work five days a week, sometimes more picking up an extra shift here and there. After I brought up how I didn't think it was fair they were using our money (servers) my hours got cut and I only work 3 days a week now. Also the money they take from us adds up to more than what the busboy ends up getting. He gets his check every two weeks getting paid minimum wage. Any advice on what I can do? I would love to be able to get some of this money back. Thank you.

Answer: The employer can do a tip share to other service employees like the bus boy, but the employer is not allowed to keep any of it.


Title: Update. Over 300 stolen from ATM. Oklahoma.

Question:
The bank had the pictures. It was my boyfriend. He went to five different banks and stole over 500 dollars. I pressed charges. He also has recently disasembled my motor in my car, smashed in my windows and opened the sun roof, hood, windows and trunk while it's pouring rain. Even though I told him explicitly to not touch my car. But the police won't be able to help me there because it's at his house and I'd need something that would take two weeks to get to have them escort me to go get it. There won't be a car by then.

Update: Sheriff is taking me to get my car. Also he was charged last month for sending inappropriate pictures to someone. If it weren't for our baby, I would be suicidal. But I will get through this. I hate him.

Answer:
 [Link to original thread](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2yrs1v/over_300_ran_up_on_4_atms_with_my_debit_card/). Sorry to hear the update, that sucks. In addition to pressing charges, you'll also be able to sue him in court to recoup any damages you have. The limit for small claims courts in Oklahoma is $7,500, so if the total damages is under that you can actually take care of it yourself.

Document everything. Keep copies of the police reports, the pictures, any texts or e-mails he might send you. It will come in handy.Answer #2: Wow, I'm so sorry this happened. The original thread seemed to have a few people who went through a similar ordeal, all because of their (ex)boyfriends as well. Good luck with everything, update again when more happens!


Title: Backed into a car

Question:
I know I made a ton of mistakes in this situation, please do not judge, I just want it over.

Sometime about May 8th I backed into a car in a parking lot.

I struck his car backing out of a parking spot at about 1 mph.

The owner of the other car way over reacted and my response was to just not argue one bit.

My car was not damaged at all, a smudge literally wiped away with my hand.

His looked the same but I did not dare touch his car.

I let him photo my DL, insurance, gave him my number and let him verify it was a correct number then went home. I did not take his info except his # (I know, mistakes)

I did not hear from him for a few days and on that Sat I texted him and let him know I was leaving town for a couple weeks (ended up being 5) and that I would not have phone access. I provided my email address and asked that he send me 3 estimates and I would do my best to get this settled. I reminded him he has a mailing address.

I never heard from him in any way.

Today he showed up at my mother’s (address was on my DL) and is quite irate. I was not there.

He says something about 6k in damage and also mentions his buddy and $200.00.

My mother felt frightened and threatened.

I called him and we go nowhere. I was very upset that her scared and yelled at my mother.

He stated he paid for repairs but would not confirm he had a receipt. He then stated he would “get” all the estimates I need. When I asked him how and why he would get an estimate for a car that was already fixed he said a bunch of incoherent things.

This little accident happened at a liquor store, I was purchasing alcohol for later that evening. He stated I was drunk, I was not. He stated there are witnesses and video that would back him up. He stated I am lucky I did not get a DUI and lucky he does not get me busted with the video and witnesses. I was not drunk.

So I am supposed to meet him tonight but I am not sure what for. I have asked for estimates and he said he would get them, again I am not clear if he has any or not. My mother asked him and he said he did not bring them.

I think he just expects me take his word that he got his truck fixed and wants me to pay him.

I am still not sure if he has estimates or a receipt, I do not think so.

I guess I will meet him once.

If he demands money I am not sure if I should refer him to my insurance or get a lawyer.

Please advise.

Answer: Stop talking to this person and notify your insurance company.  This is what we pay insurance companies for....so we don't have to deal with this shit.


Title: My (20M) ex girlfriend (19F) is claiming I raped her and causing issues when I go out in public

Question:
I was in a really toxic relationship senior year of Highschool with this girl. But we did all of our first sexual encounters with each other including sex. I never ever once pressured after a “No.” when it came to anything.

Sometimes I’d say “okay. Stop giving me head” and she would insist that I stay and let her finish till I’m finished and would even chase me around the room to continue. Whatever, she’s weird as f*** and I shrugged it off.

We lost our virginity summer ‘17, she wanted sex more after that, then we broke up a month later.

Fall ‘17 we got back together, I went to her dorm and had sex with her, had sex in her moms car, my car, everywhere. She asked for it and it was all good.

We later split, I joined the Army Reserves, she got a boyfriend, so forward to this week.

My local skate rink is closing down and I went to the 18+ night along with most non college kids here and ran into her boyfriend whom I used to be friends with. I said hello what’s up good to see ya all casual and stuff and he said it back. Once I left, he told a mutual friend that he wanted to “beat my ass” and that “he raped my girlfriend how dare he show his face here”. Then he told his friend group “yeah, Hollow Choke definitely raped my girlfriend when they were together”

So I’m not concerned with the physical safety of running into these people since they couldn’t say it to my face, and I only travel with my MMA training partners when I’m out. I’m more concerned with how I handle this and stay out of legal trouble. My ex was a notorious liar, attention seeker, and problem starter. I have big career goals and again... NEVER RAPED HER. Not even ever was anything close to that.

Can I contact a lawyer first? Should I? What are ways to handle this? I’m 20 and on my own and don’t have too many adults to really discuss this with so any advice would be greatly appreciated
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 >What are ways to handle this?

Frankly speaking the best way to handle this is likely to ignore it when possible and politely but firmly disagree with pressed.  "I'm sorry she feels that way, but that's not what happened."

You can, of course, speak with an attorney.  As a legal matter, she's generally entitled to her perception of your sexual encounters.  Including that she was pressured or did not give a full and enthusiastic yes.  And to share those perceptions.

Moreover, you're more likely to draw attention or even worsen your situation than make it better through litigation or letters from an attorney.

>Sometimes I’d say “okay. Stop giving me head”

Be careful about your account of the situation.


Title: (Canada) Help! Parents are going to purchase a house soon!

Question:
Hi everyone sorry I am new to this sub so please bear with me.
My parents are really forcing themselves to purchase a house worth of $435,000 that there's no way they could afford. They made a $11,000 down payment (way less than 5%) and they are planning to add me to the title of the house and also include me as a guarantor if there's something bad happened. They really need to include me because their credit score is not sufficient enough to purchase it. I am 23 y/o and I have no idea what to do. What are any legal consequences of accepting this and will this affect my future? I really love my parents and my mom is really forcing me to do it and I can't say no anymore. Please help! I am so scared this will affect my future.
Thank you.

Answer: Please tell them you want nothing to do with this and absolutely refuse to sign **anything**.


Title: Fire alarm triggered by smoke from burned food, now my dorm charges me about €400

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Non-US

Answer: It's very expensive to have the fire department come out because they are going to treat every alarm like an emergency.


Title: My teenage friend was kicked out of her home, and is now staying with me. What are the legalities for this arrangement?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Do you know the odds that I'd have let a 15 year old girl stay with me as a 20 year old male, even if we were "just friends?"

#NONE PERCENT

Call child protective services- they will find a place for her to stay.  You're not a relative.  You're not a close friend of the family.  You're a 20 year old that she met on the internet and all it takes is her parents saying that she ran away to live with you and you are looking at serious prison time.


Title: Ex-boss using my name for google reviews.

Question:
First reddit post. Not sure if on right board =/

My old boss is using my name to put false 5 star  google reviews for his clients. I quit a month ago, I’m concerned he’s using my name for other things as well. How do I stop him? Is it even legal for him to be doing that?

In Salt Lake City, Utah.

Answer:
 You get an easy out!

https://searchengineland.com/negative-reviews-ex-employees-finally-googles-guidelines-288390

You're an ex-employee, and reviews purporting to be from you can be removed! Simply select the review pretending to be you, click the three dots to the upper right to "Flag as inappropriate" and select "Conflict of interest" on the next page.


Title: Ending Lease Early Question [CT] (for landlocked apartment, MS Paint diagram inside!)

Question:
**Background**

I was renting an apartment in CT when I got a great job across the country.  I was in the middle of my lease which I needed to break so I could move and take the job.   My lease stated that in order to terminate the lease early, I’d have to give a 60 day notice and I’d forfeit my security deposit (equal to 1 months rent).  Normal so far, right?

So I gave notice on May 1st (having already paid May's rent) that I’d be ending my lease my June 30th, and I have a confirmation email from the landlord notifying me that they received my notice.  Problem is, the new job wanted me to start on June 1st, so I had to be on the other side of the country by then.  So what I did was pay June’s rent (have cashed check as proof), but actually moved all my stuff out and did the walk-through with the landlord and returned my keys on May 30th.

**Dispute**

Now the landlord is saying because I moved out before the end of my 60 day period, that I broke the lease terms, and so they’re trying to hit me with huge fees, in addition to June’s rent I already paid plus the security deposit I forfeited.  I’m arguing that because I paid June’s rent, I still fulfilled the lease terms and I still technically was leasing the apartment even though I had already moved out.

**Legal Advice?**

The legal advice I’m looking for is who is in the right here?  Is the landlord correct that I broke the lease terms and can charge me more, or am I in the right for giving notice then paying 60 days of rent plus forfeiting my security deposit, even though I moved out before the 60 days?  If I'm in the right, how do I handle this if they won't budge?  Is there any legal code that covers this?  Do I just take them to small claims (this is what I'm thinking)?

**Small Claims Questions.**

If small claims is the answer, then I have several questions:

* Do I pay them what they claim I owe, then take them to small claims to recover it?
* Or do I take them to small claims first without paying anything, but go to small claims to get the charges dropped?
* I know you can be reimbursed for small claim filing costs, but since I'm on the other side of the country now, could I fly back to CT to go to small claims, and then add in these travel costs in to the judgement? (The cost of a round trip flight would be less than what they're charging me, plus I have friends/family I can stay with for free, but if could charge them for a hotel and rental car too, all the better).
* Apartment building is in  CT, there's a local leasing office is in CT, but it's owned by a company out of NY (that's who I pay the rent to every month).  Would I just serve the people I've been dealing with in my leasing office, or the faceless corporation I sent my rent to every month?  [According to the CT small claims website](http://www.jud.ct.gov/faq/smallclaims.html#11), if I serve an out-of-state entity, I can serve the in-state agent of service, can that be anybody who works for the company (like the people I've been dealing with in the local leasing office), or is that a specific person?

Did I mention my apartment building was landlocked?  Yup surrounded by land on all sides with no coast line in sight, nothing but concrete roads and driveways leading to my apartment, no water at all.  [As promised in the title, here's a pic outlining my situation made in MS Paint.](http://i.imgur.com/x5bFk3L.jpg)

Answer:
 absolutely do not plan to pay them and then try to get it back in court.

if you're lease says something about keeping it furnished or remaining in occupancy or something (I can't imagine what) then maybe they have something.

otherwise, you pay rent for a complete possessory interest in the property limited only by non-illegal terms in the lease.

if you paid rent and gave the proper notice, tell them to pound sand.

if they sue you (they won't), demand costs when you go to court to defend yourself. Answer #2: Yeah, no.  No court is going to see his claim as credible.  All you did was surrender possession early.  It would not make sense to expect you to hold the keys until June 30 in order to avoid paying extra money.Answer #3: It's not illegal to be in two leases at once ...even if one is empty, you paid for it, so unless the agreement says otherwise you don't _have_ to occupy it.


Title: If I have a craigslist seller fill out this form, could this be viable in any legal standing if things go south?

Answer:
 Sorry but reviewing whole contracts is beyond the scope of this sub. If you need clarification on any particular part, somebody should be able to help you.Answer #2: you do realize that 100% of craigslist sellers will tell you to go sit on a cactus if you present that to them.

craigslist = in cash, as-is, don't call back.


Title: [Ontario, Canada] My friend is being fined for $235 by the transit commission for not having a $5 card

Question:
I'm hoping someone could give me some advice to tell my friend as we are only second year students and never encountered anything like this before.

In my city, when you use the new streetcars you are required to have some form of proof of payment. This can range from a receipt from your cash fare, a stamp on your ticket, or presenting your metropass when required. When you arrive to the station from the streetcar you may come across individuals called "fare inspectors." When my friend and I encountered them they asked for our proof-of-payment. I presented my stamped ticket and after asking me to prove my birth date I was allowed to pass. When my friend was asked to present his proof-of-payment, he presented his metropass. After presenting his pass the fare inspector asked for the transits post-secondary photo ID to prove that he is a post-secondary student (post-secondary passes are cheaper). After my friend failed to present the ID card (He didn't know that they existed up to this point) the fare officer said that failure to comply to present the ID card is a provincial offence. He then ticketed my friend for $235.

Since receiving the ticket my friend has three options

Option 1: Plead guilty and pay the fine in full.

Option 2: Request a meeting with the prosecutor

Option 3: Take it to court

As a broke university student, $235 is a lot of money to him. That said, he doesn't really know what to do. If anyone has any advice it would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: He should follow the guidance on the ticket and undertake option 2 or 3. He also should carry his post-secondary photo ID with him. Any transit system that offers a discount to student's that I have ever taken explicitly states that you need to keep that ID on you so I do not know why he didn't know this.


Title: My Mom tricked me when I was a kid to give my life savings to her, and now it’s all gone.

Question:
Hello, so when I was born until I reached age 10 I was given savings bonds varying in final growth price, but amounting in total to around $18,000. When I was 12 my divorced mother told my brother and I that if we didn’t sign all of our bonds over to her we would have to move out of the house we were currently living in, meaning new school, new friends, new lifestyle. My brother instantly complied, but I hesitated and my mother then threatened to ground me and home school me, so I reluctantly complied. She is a very heavy alcoholic and has significant health problems brought forth by her drinking, causing her to stop working, and eventually forcing us to move to a new city regardless. I find out many years later that all of the “Child Support Payments” she received from my father were spent fueling her drinking problem, I was only bought one pair of shoes in 5 years, and the money she had taken from our bonds to “save” the house all went not only to her drinking, but what I am now finding out to be gambling. Is there any legal action I can take?
Topic:
Business Law

Answer: How old are you now?  Does she have any assets?


Title: Advice on Potential Job Opportunity

Question:
I was looking for some advice on the following position that an individual on LinkedIn sent me. Below is the job offer/description.

Monthly Allowance: $3000 + 5% Commission on any completed transaction

Duration of Contract: 12 Months

Job Type: Contract/Part-time

Work Time: 3-5 hours per week

Job Role: Account Receivable Agent

Hello hobbes0451,

Thank you for your quick response.

Given the opportunity to export our goods into United State & Canada, our current major activities such as electric power, transportation, housing & architecture, plant construction, environmental protection and resource exploration. We are interested in employing your service to work with us as our payment agent who can help us establish a medium of receiving payment from company’s, product consumers in the mentioned region.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

As we expand our progress and business coupled with the high demand of our products in your region, we look forward to establishing representative offices and sales centers in North America. Until the centers are established, we need a reliable company (irrespective of the business type) that will stand as an intermediary between our customers in your country and China Machinery Engineering Company . Hence we wish to contract your enterprise as our "Intermediary" or "Account Receivable Agent" in US and Canada.

Such persons/Company's responsibility would be to;

1. Maintain effective communication with China Machinery Engineering Company, this is to say that such person/company must respond to emails or call backs within 12 hours and not later.

2. Work with China Machinery Engineering Company  Ltd to seamlessly reach goals.

3. Receive and process payments (wire transfer & checks) on behalf of China Machinery Engineering Company  Ltd. Please note that Our reason for opting such person/company to receive check on our behalf, is that we cannot process checks drawn out of a US/Canadian Bank in Hong Kong/China as this may take over a 6-12 week period to be cleared.

4. Maintain proper financial record of all transaction.

5. Keep proper record of China Machinery Engineering Company funds until it is needed.

6. Collect funds already owed to China Machinery Engineering Company for previous business transactions.

FYI: It might interest you to know that we have over $10 Million dollars owed to us by different companies in US & Canada alone. Such person/company would be responsible for retrieving & receiving these funds.

JOB TYPE

This is a part time job that is estimated to only take about 5 hours of your physical time a month and 3-5 hours of your electronic time a week (permit me to use that phrase). The 5 hours of your physical time a month is the time spent in going to & fro the Bank, while the 3-5 hours of your electronic time a week is time spent in sending emails and probably making/receiving phone calls.

ALLOWANCES

The company or individual is entitled to 5% commission of each completed transaction (received payment) plus a $3,000 monthly salary.

WORK STATION

Business communications shall be mostly conducted online (exchange of emails) and on phone, hence this will not affect your current job.

Thank you and have an excellent day ahead.

Answer: [Scam](https://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=136885). Scam scam. Scammy scam.


Title: (OR) Moved into townhouse on Friday, April 26 and the unit doesn’t have hot water.

Question:
I moved into a townhouse on Friday, April 26. On Saturday, April 27 I discovered there is no hot water. I put in a maintenance request stating so and the property management’s online portal says the request has been received. On Monday, April 29 my husband called the property manager (PM) to ask when it will be fixed as we haven’t been able to shower, do laundry, or wash dishes since moving in and they said the local plumber would be contacting us by the end of the day. On Tuesday, April 30 after not hearing from the plumber, I called PM and they told me the exact same thing they told my husband the day before, “the plumber put you in their schedule and will be contacting you by the end of the day.” Nope. It’s now Wednesday, May 1 and I still haven’t heard anything from this plumber and I’m now on day five of not being able to shower in my own home. I’ve resorted to heating water up on the stove and washing myself in the kitchen sink. I left one more voicemail with PM this morning asking to give me an exact date of when the water heater will be fixed because this is getting ridiculous. Nowhere in our lease did it state the water heater is our responsibility or that the unit doesn’t have hot water. As I understand it, hot running water is a basic necessity that is required by Oregon state law.

Is there anything I can do other than just wait for this fabled plumber to contact me?

We’re in Klamath county if that makes a difference.

Answer:
 I would start making calls that speak about reduced rent for this month, as the apartment is not habitable. They know they are in the wrong, and need to fix it, but if they can take their sweet time it won't be as expensive or urgent.

Looking at your state's laws, you must give them 7 days from notice. However, if the lack of an essential service seriously and immediately threatens your health and/or safety, you can shorten it to 48 hours. I don't particularly believe this to be a serious threat, unless you have a medical condition that warrants access to a shower regularly. If they fail to do this within 7 days you may decide to get your deposit and all prepaid rent and you can terminate the contract.

For your sanity:

One way to get access to a shower is to join a gym. Some gyms are incredibly cheap or even offer a free one-month trial. Use the gym a bit, shower there just for the barebones access, and cancel the membership if you decide you do not like it. Not saying this is a legal solution, but one that will help quality of life while you deal with this.Answer #2: Have either of you gone to check the hot water heater to see if the pilot light is on or if the gas to it is turned on. This does assume it’s not electric heat for it. If the gas was off there should be an easy way to light it once the gas is turned on.


Title: Tried to send a certified letter to non-custodial parent (who hasn't seen children or paid child support in 10 years) to formally inform them of the upcoming move out of state. Letter was returned today. What to do?? (Louisiana,USA)

Question: The certified letter was sent to the only address available, his mother's home. The note on the returned letter said it was rejected because he had moved and that there was no forwarding address available. The move is less than a month away. What now??

Answer:
 What does your court-orderd custody agreement say in regards to moves out of state?Answer #2: Do you have a custody order through the court?Answer #3: Notify via publication?

Edit: DEF not a lawyer.


Title: [OH]Neighbors stole my friend's shoes 3 months ago

Question:
My friend ordered expensive shoes ($180) that were "never delivered" (as far as he knew). After contacting UPS and them telling him that they WERE delivered, he was confused as he never got them.

They were delivered during a time when he was at school and his parents were at work, meaning no one was home. He was issued a refund from the vendor, but UPS never managed to track down what happened to the shoes... until now.

UPS just today left a notice on his door step that said something along the lines of the shoes were delivered to an address that was not his - it was his neighbor's address across the street.

Now, the neighbor's across the street have taken my friends families' things before - clothes for his sister, dress clothes his father ordered - all of which were clearly marked as for my friend's family, but were accidentally delivered to the wrong address.

The shoes are now worth around $1,000 because they are no longer sold.

What's the best way to do something about this problem? My friend wants to sue them for the $1,000 dollars (which I told him isn't possible because you can't sue someone for market speculation and he was already refunded the $180), go over to their house and confront them with some of us as "backup", or go to the police (probably the best option).

However, this was 3 months ago so I'm not sure if that applies anything to this.

Edit: I appreciate all of you guys helping out. For those asking what the shoes were, I was told by him not to say in case someone somehow recognizes this situation.

He's talking with his parents about the best way forwards right now. If I remember to, I'll try to keep everyone updated!

Answer:
 Not a lawyer, and it sucks, but might want to let it go. He got a refund and doing anything will make his neighbor want to make his life more difficult. And since it was $180 I have a feeling the police likely won't do much, likely just be a fine as it would be petty theft.

I'd be livid, but he isn't really injured and it likely won't be worth the aggravation.Answer #2: Best course is to speak to the neighbour, also contact the postal service and delivery service to why your parcels are getting sent to the neighbours address Answer #3: I'd try to figure out why things are continually delivered to the wrong address, and fix that.  Or maybe get everything signature required.Answer #4: He should talk to the UPS guy and make sure his deliveries actually go to him.  It is worth his time to contact the postal service, etc. to ensure that ALL deliveries go his address and not someone else.

He can certainly talk to his neighbor but it may not go well.  At a certain point it's just not worth it, though if the shoes are worth it to him it might be worthwhile.

I wonder if the neighbor isn't "accepting deliveries" for multiple people and it might be worth contacting the cops and telling them that there is a person accepting deliveries that aren't theirs.

EDIT: Though I do not recommend brigading, apparently this is a known issue and if you contact the company involved they may be able to help.


Title: (Fairfax County, Virginia) Cars towed from residential area night before snow storm. Advanced notice from HOA by email only. Is this legal?

Question:
I live in a residential area run by a certain Home Owner's Association (HOA) that has very strict rules on parking which is enforced by predatory towing.

For example, you can't park in front of a mailbox (even your own mailbox in front of your home) at any time (i.e., after mail delivery, overnight, Sundays, holidays, etc.). Virginia state law also states that you can't be parked less than 10 feet from a driveway when parking on the street. We have observed the tow truck driver actually get out of his vehicle and use his own feet to measure the distance and tow cars away.

Because of these rules, parking is VERY limited and is such a problem that people park their cars horizontally behind other cars in driveways because of fear of being towed. There are many stories of guests coming to visit a neighbor's home only to have their car towed within minutes after parking.

During winter storms, "sometimes" the HOA will have a truck or two plow the streets. Last year, they put flyers up on  everyone's door stating that if any car was on the street after 2 a.m. before an upcoming storm, they were going to tow that car. Residents were HIGHLY upset and complained because parking is limited as is, but they moved their cars. After they trucks finished plowing, they never stated when people could park on the streets again or if the trucks were finished, so everyone was really nervous for a day or so after about parking on the street again. There have also been a few minor storms where no flyers went up at all, no trucks came and nothing happened.

Well, a few nights ago before an upcoming winter storm (5 to 8 inches), I was parked on the street right in front of my house as I normally do every night. There were other cars parked on the street, too, because again, parking is limited. However, I'm worried because of previous practices by this tow truck company and the HOA, so I decide I would rather risk parking in a neighbors driveway rather than getting towed (I later learned that other people actually did this). I step outside my home around 3:30 a.m. and observe the tow truck leaving with my car in tow. I try to chase and flag him down, but with no luck.

The next day I found out from a neighbor that a day or so prior, the HOA sent an email to everyone who was registered on their system and warning them that after 2 a.m., they would start towing cars because they were going to plow the streets. There were no flyers or signs posted anywhere on any street or door. It was all in an email. And only the people who had registered their email address got the warning. A total of 17 cars got towed that night.

I'm so done and sick of this HOA that I am moving this summer. What I want to know is: Is this legal? Can they tow a car in the state of Virginia without any warning signs or flyers posted and only an email? Is it possible for me to take the HOA company to court and get my money back for the two? Many residents are very upset and feel helpless, but no one is taking any action. I really want to do something about this, but have no idea how to go about it. I have never sued anyone before.

For some added info: I am considered essential personnel (federal government job). I can't rely on public transportation because of my work hours, and since this was a snow storm, was limited in my options on getting to work. My job was understanding considering the situation, but can I use this info somehow if I decide to bring up a case against the HOA?

Some additional info. Even though the cars were towed starting at 2 a.m. (with the tow truck constantly watching from that time onward), the snow plow trucks didn't show up until 6 p.m. that day. I saw other cars that were parked on the street and I knew they were going to get towed, but I had no idea who they belonged to, so I couldn't warn them (I really wanted to).

Would any of this information help my case? I really have no idea how to go about this. Thanks for all your help in advance!

Answer:
 I'm going to address the bigger problem here, not The legal one.

An HOA is representative of the owners of the property. If truly everyone is upset about this towing practice, everyone needs to start attending the HOA meetings and get it changed.

If the board members aren't responsive, the board members need to be replaced at the next, probably annual, election.

The problem tends to be that nobody wants to put in the effort to be on the board except petty tyrants and mean tempered old people, and this is what you get.Answer #2: Have you already picked up the car? Ask the tow company if they have a written request from the property owner.

For reference, Fairfax municipal code:

https://library.municode.com/HTML/10051/level3/THCOCOFAVI1976_CH82MOVETR_ART5STSTPA.html#THCOCOFAVI1976_CH82MOVETR_ART5STSTPA_S82-5-29REDICEUNVESADIPR

"...however, that no such vehicle shall be so removed from privately owned premises without the written request of the owner, lessee, or occupant thereof."

Answer #3: When a business contracts with a tow company, is there normally an agreement that the business gets a cut from each vehicle that's towed?Answer #4: Here is the complaint form to fill out. http://www.oag.state.va.us/images/consumerProtection/OAGTowingComplaintForm.pdf


Title: Rental property not thoroughly cleaned - landlord refuses to clean it

Question:
I'm renting a house in Colorado and when I moved in it wasn't cleaned thoroughly. The main issue is the collection of what is likely decades of dust on large wooden beams that run across the living room below the ceiling. When I moved in I requested the beams be cleaned because the entire house gets dusty when the ceiling fan is on. Cleaning them requires a ladder and a vacuum with a hose attachment. The landlord is refusing to send a cleaner to do this, nor will they approve me to hire a cleaner and deduct the cost from my rent.

What are my rights here as a tenant? Thank you so much for your help!

Answer: Unless the lease promised that the unit would be cleaned to certain standards, you have none.  If you want it cleaned, get yourself a ladder and start scrubbing