Title: What's the legal way to handle someone who isn't physically touching you but will not let you proceed?

Question:
I've had this happen in multiple locations.  Basically where someone isn't on your property, and isn't touching you, but will physically block access either to your property or to a public location.  I had a prior landlord who would do this a lot - he would stand in the one entryway so he wasn't on the part I was renting, but so I could not pass into the apartment - intending to force me into discussions that I had already said were off limits.  And of course the answer was if I made any move to try to force my way past, he would call the police on me for assaulting him.

This particular landlord was in MI but I'd like general advice too, more than how I should have handled that specific situation.

Answer: Call the police yourself.


Title: I was lied to by an ISP, and now they are charging me.

Question:
I recently moved, and I had Pioneer Internet here in Oklahoma. When I moved I called to transfer service and the lady on the phone told me service is unavailable in my area (she didn't even check, I assumed she knew what she was talking about) so I canceled my service. Later that day I talked to my neighbor/landlord and he told me his has Pioneer Internet, so I called them back to uncancel. They told me that to get service back I now need to pay them 700 some odd dollars, and refused to remove the cancelation fees. Now I have no internet and a bill the size of one of my paychecks.

Is there anyway for me to just get the bill at least voided? I was forced into canceling off of a false premise.
I'm not sure if they will give me interent service now, or if I even want it at this point.

Answer: Don't know legally but first thing I would do is talk to a supervisor/manager wherever you called to get it sorted.  If upper management is competent enough they should realize what happened.  If that doesn't work then I would suggest whatever legal action others would suggest.


Title: [AZ] Was threatened with legal action for lying on a questionnaire, in order to donate blood as a sexually active gay man. Could I be held liable or prosecuted?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 Ignore the crazy homophobe.  She has no standing to bring "legal action" against you.  And if her brother-in-law is a semi-competent attorney, he'll also have no part in this.

As for the Red Cross facility, [this page should lay out if there are any issues.](https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/eligibility-requirements/lgbtq-donors.html)  But if you haven't been active with another man for 12 months, you're eligible to donate blood.  It's no longer a lifetime ban.


Title: Is it legal to ignore a wounded person?

Question:
As to my knowledge, it isn't legal in some places to ignore a person that is in need of immediate health help, and could have consequences if you neither help or call 911? Am I correct? If not, any similar cases where it is illegal?

Edit: I don't mean in any specific locations, I just want to know if at least in one state it is.

Answer:
 I typed out a great response to this before it was removed from the main sub. Duties of care are owed to family members. You owe no duty of care to the general public in most states. I believe that some require licensed doctors and EMT's to render care. You cannot begin caring for someone and then cease because you may prevent others from rendering care. You also cannot take actions that deter others from rendering care.

There is a well known and tragic case involving a girl being assaulted in a bathroom stall by a man and passerbys were ruled to have no duty of care to intervene.


Title: Fiancé got hit by an 18 wheeler yesterday morning, and we just found out that the police report is assuming him at fault

Question:
As the title states, yesterday morning around 5:30am my fiancé was on his way to work in Louisiana. He got on the interstate, and had traveled 3 exits down when an 18 wheeler drifted into his lane and hit the back of his car, causing him to spin in front of the truck, t-boned on the drivers side and dragged a little ways, then finally spinning his car into the median. We are so thankful that he is okay besides hitting his head on the window and the pain the accident has caused and the car being totaled, but this morning we found out that the cops are writing him at fault. Both vehicles ended up on opposite shoulders of the interstate, so two separate cops wrote the report and were also in a rush to rid of the early morning traffic & at the end of their shift. The cop handed him a pen and told him to write down what happened then to get his stuff out of the car, and simply left without even giving him the other drivers insurance information.

Anyways, writing his statement, fiancé described himself in the far right lane (TRAVELING LANE), when the truck hit him. From the exit he got on until the crash, there are only 3 traveling lanes and he had continued in the far right since he had gotten on the interstate, but where the accident happened is right after an entrance so there happened to be a 4th lane (MERGE LANE), and the truck driver told his cop that Fiancé merged into his lane, which is simply untrue. He had been traveling for about 5-15 minutes, and would have had no reason to switch into the ending merge lane. We feel when the two cops sat down two write each side of the report, that they are just making ASSUMPTIONS that fiancé was getting on at the exit they were near. The cops are also saying that there was minimal damage to the front of the drivers 18 wheeler but that there was damage near the front of the wheel, although there is CLEAR damage to the back of fiancés car, and also to the drivers side where the truck t-boned him after pushing his vehicle in front of him. We have plenty of photos of the car. When asked, the cops literally said "I don't know how that happened" about the extensive damage to the back of his car.

We feel at a loss and are planning to meet with a lawyer, but we just cannot understand how this has happened. He is worried that the lawyer that was previously interested will refuse his case based on the wrongful and inaccurate information in the police report. We are also concerned about insurance because this is what they take into account. What our are options, even though the police report is written and done, is it possible to get this straightened out???

EDIT: The accident did take place in Louisiana

Answer:
 >We feel when the two cops sat down two write each side of the report, that they are just making ASSUMPTIONS that fiancé was getting on at the exit they were near.

Close, but not quite.  They are writing the report based off of what they were told and what they determine from their own investigation...and who they believe more.

At the end of the day this is going to be a fight between insurance agencies.


Title: [KY] Can I take legal action against my mother?

Question:
So here's the situation...

I'm 16, living in Kentucky, and for my birthday a couple months ago my mom purchased concert tickets for me for a show this upcoming week. However, very unexpectadly, she has taken them away from me and "disposed" of them. She said this was because I was failed pretty much all my classes and regularly "disrespect" her, even though I simply demand to be treated reasonably. She is not able to grasp that grades are irrelevant to me because I plan to enter a career as a musician.

Anyway, I am obviously extremely heated about this and am wondering if there's any way I can take legal action against her for throwing away my tickets (such as suing her or something like that)? As far as I'm away, the moment they were gifted to me they became MY property, and she had no right to tamper with my things.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 You're underage, she can tamper with a lot of your things. Including, but not limited to, grounding your ass and refusing to reward your bad behavior and bad grades by letting you do fun things like going to a concert.

Improve your attitude and get better grades and most of your problems will resolve themselves.Answer #2: Listen, A Boy Named Sue Your Parents; grades matter a lot more than you think they do. Your music career may not pan out. Answer #3: LolAnswer #4: You're not being realistic. According to MusicTimes.com, [only 1.1% of all musicians are actually discovered](http://www.musictimes.com/articles/3563/20140121/youre-musician-chances-totally-undiscovered-new-study.htm).Answer #5: >even though I simply demand to be treated reasonably

Well, as a child you cannot demand anything.

>As far as I'm away, the moment they were gifted to me they became MY property

True, if you were an adult.Answer #6: OP, as others have pointed out your parents can confiscate your shit.

You can't sue them for it- but even if you could, would it really be worth it? The cost of taking your mom to court would likely be more than the value of the tickets

Speaking of court, how would you pay for it? Answer #7: She can refuse to allow you to go. You should listen to her and not fail your classes. Answer #8: NoAnswer #9: Basically, you should finish high school.... Get a diploma and thank your mom later.


Title: CA-CNN saying that it is Illegal To View Wikileaks

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Pretty sure CNN anchors aren't lawyers. In fact, I'm pretty sure CNN anchors barely qualify as news anchors.


Title: [Florida] Strange call at 8pm - wanting me to lease mineral rights I do not think I own. How I can find out if it is true?

Question: Land man from Oklahoma called wanting me to lease mineral rights on 80 acres that I never heard of.  I am lone surviving heir to first cousin who is owner on record even though deceased 8 yrs ago.  I was not in my cousin's will.  Land man says it wasn't probated in OK so I own the rights.  The caller had details like section/town/range.  He offered a $150/acre bonus plus 19% royalty for 3yr lease.  Is this possible or a scam?

Answer:
 Definitely possible.  My mom got a similar call in Pennsylvania last year over land that her great-great grandfather owned -- the grandfather sold off the surface rights, but the gas and oil rights were retained and are now split between approximately 50 1st - 4th cousins.  She's been getting a ~$200 check every 3 months.  Evidently, this is a common thing in some areas.

You'll want to have somebody look over the lease agreement.  In my mom's case, the original had a warranty that she owned the property, but she had no way of knowing that.


Title: I need help securing my $175,000 house from my partner post-split. I paid $20k and he paid $5k when we bought it. We are not married.

Question:
I’m a 31 y/o female.

I bought my $175,000 house with my significant other in 2015. I put down $20k and he put down $5k. We are both on the deed and named on our loan. The house is probably worth $230,000 now.

He has paid about $5,000 in repairs that I can think of, maybe more, and bought a $2,000 shed that now sits on the property. He wants to sell the house and split the proceeds 50/50 or me to pay him $40k.

(Potential triggers ahead! — I was sexually assaulted by a coworker last year, and I did not tell my partner for a long time. I finally worked up the courage to tell him, and he reacted by saying that I cheated. Our relationship blew up and we haven’t been the same since. (Yes, I reported the perpetrator. I even got a recorded confession that he came into my office, pulled out his penis, and masturbated even after I begged him to stop.) I’m currently caught in a legal process that will take about 2 years.

Anyway, my relationship crumbled around me and my partner and I can’t seem to communicate anymore. He said that he’s trapped and wants out. I am an emotional wreck and don’t want to lose him but he is firm on his decision.)

Partner says that he wants $40k to buy him out and then he will sign over the deed to me. I have about $10,000 in my checking that I could give him. I also have about $60k in retirement. I don’t want to sell the house because it is my absolute dream home, and I always thought I would live there until I couldn’t climb stairs anymore.

What advice do you have? I feel so lost. Thank you in advance.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 Ok I'm gonna play devil's advocate here.

40k to buy out seems very reasonable for a house that is valued at around 230,000 when he paid for a fifth of the house.

If the house is valued at 230,000 his rightful share is worth 46k. Take the deal, buy him outAnswer #2: If keeping this house is the main priority, I would schedule an appointment with a loan company to talk about refinancing into your name only- and the possibility of tacking on an extra 30k to the loan, that you would use to buy him out.

There is really no other way unless you can come up with the cash. They won't let you take his name off the loan unless you refinance, but even then as you say, you cannot afford to buy him out. You'd just be biding your time until he forces the sale.


Title: Launching a website that heavily relies on Netflix. Am i legally allowed to monetize my site?

Question:
Hello /r/legaladvice!

I am to be soon launching a website that provides Movie Drinking games based on what is on netflix. The website itself even has Netflix in the title. After going through Netflix's TOS, there isn't much about using their likeness on a website(however it does state no web scraping, so I am using a generic movie/tv show database, leading me to basically using "netflix" as a pseudonym for "movies"). However I am assuming there are so legal restrictions on this If I ever want to monetize my website via advertisement revenue. Could anyone give me an explanation on the legality of using Netflix's name like I am?

Answer: You cannot legally use Netflix's name. You will be issued a cease & desist near immediately.


Title: [Ontario, Canada] I accidentally and stupidly stole a tank of gas!

Question:
Thanks in advance for your help!

Earlier today, I was driving down the 400 Highway and needed to stop for a tank of gas. I put my card in the machine like usual, prepaid $50, but I guess I was tired when I pulled up because I parked too far away from the pump and the hose didn't reach my car. So I put the hose back, pulled up the car, pumped $38 of gas and was on my way.

Seems fine, right? Well, four hours later when I'm home I find I've missed two calls from the police and a message saying that I skipped out on my gas bill, and to call them back in the morning.  What??

Thinking about it, I'm pretty sure that replacing the pump while I repositioned my car cancelled the first transaction, leaving only the second one (which I obviously didn't go in and pay for). Sure enough, a look at the credit card statement doesn't show the $38. Well, shit.

Anyway, I just really wanted to ask some questions before my call tomorrow.

1) Am I correct in that intent is required to be charged with theft? I.e. if I'm too dumb to know how to pay at a pump properly, is that a complete defence?

2) What should I say to the officer on the phone tomorrow? Remain silent? I feel as if I would probably be arrested if I did that. Should I even return his call?

3) Would the credit card processor have a record of the preauthorization? Surely I could use this as a defence?

4) Anything else that could help me? I've never even really dealt with the police in any capacity before this.

Thanks!

Answer: Call and speak to a criminal defence lawyer BEFORE calling them back. Yes, intent is required but it would be hard to convince a judge you didn't mean to do that.


Title: [PA] Is my dad's soon-to-be ex-wife allowed on our property?

Question:
My dad's ex-wife showed up at 11pm last night after an hour spent calling our house phone and not leaving messages. She started ringing the doorbell and banging on the door so I (22F) called the police (non-emergency number) so they could send someone down. My dad wasn't there or available by phone and I had my two younger siblings in the house.

She has not been living here since October, although she does have some stuff here that she arranges to get from time to time with my dad always present. She had actually been there earlier that afternoon.

I want to know if she is allowed to be in the house as the police officer (that she was on a first name basis with as she knows him and all of the 6 officers in my small town) said that because they are not divorced yet that she is allowed in whenever she wants. He also said that if we call again that they won't come because it is a civil matter.

Some important points:

- she is not on the lease and never has been

- she has not held residence here in almost 3 months

- she lied about 3 things to the officer: leaving us a message that she was coming on our machine (she called 10 times but ever left a message), that my dad knew she was coming (he didn't), and implied that she was on the rental agreement

Is this legally sound? I am worried because I was able to handle the situation but I do not live at home and my siblings 15 and 17 will be here without me after tomorrow. She is not our mother and we are not adopted by her. She has been terrible to us and divorce papers have been serve. Please let me know if anyone has any advice.

Answer:
 Maybe. But all you need to do is refuse to open the door. If she doesnt have a key then she cannot get in.

Let your dad handle this in court. Answer #2: You handled it properly. Just make sure that your siblings know to call the police (not 911, make sure they know the difference) if she shows up. She is legally allowed to get her stuff, but only with accommodations. She cannot show up at 11pm without your father there and expect to be let in.

One thing to note: Call the police every time she does this, and keep a record of each time this happens. Make sure your dad knows of each incident. It may be of legal help to him.


Title: My boyfriend is legally blind. I have a question regarding reasonable accomodations for his exam at school

Question:
Topic:
Disability Issues

Answer:
 The key word in all this is "reasonable". Accommodations aren't limitless and schools (especially higher ed) aren't obligated to extend accommodations that they feel invalidate the integrity/purpose of the examination in question.Answer #2: Have you contacted the National Association of Blind Students? They may be able to help either with this idea or offer other ideas on how to accommodate the test. Answer #3: > My boyfriend's request is not unreasonable and I ask asking for LEGAL advice.

You nor your boyfriend get to dictate what is or what is not reasonable.


Title: DUI for prescribed meds??

Question: What do I need to bring to court to verify my prescription?

Answer: Nothing because if you were intoxicated, even because of a legal prescription, you absolutely cannot drive. Get a DUI lawyer today. It's not going to be as easy to get out of as you think.


Title: Can I hide my marital history from my death certificate?

Question: I'm married but I don't want my family to find out if I die, is there a way to hide that?

Answer:
 You didn't say where. But basically, no. For that matter, in most US states your marriage is public record right now.Answer #2: No. You're married.  It's going to be listed.

How are you juggling that?Answer #3: If the goal is to avoid family obtaining information about your spouse & any potential inheritance, you may wish to look into getting a trust set up. Find an estate planning attorney.Answer #4: Whaaat? Why!?Answer #5: you don't want your family to *know* that you died, or you don't want your family to find out that you're married if you die?Answer #6: In CA, yes you can get a confidential marriage license. The marriage isn't part of the public record.


Title: MICHIGAN: Received "Nice" Letter from CyberStalker, Can I contact police?

Question:
I Recently received a letter from a cyberstalker I've had for a few months now, The police have already been notified (About the person, not the letter.) and have everything on record. The thing is, the letter is a 'nice' one, He just says how nice of a person I am, and complements me many times, He also notes I have a second package coming that will include a special watch and bracelet for me. I Showed my grandfather the letter and he said the police can't do anything because the sender used a fake address and didn't sign the letter with his real name, and there are no threats in the letter. The letter is also handwritten fyi.

So If I call the police and show them the letter can they actually take action now or just turn me down?

Thanks!

Answer:
 If a person who has been stalking and harassing you initiates any form of contact, go ahead and update the police right away.

Don't worry about if they can do anything or not. That's their job. If you don't report it, they definetly can't do anything so you may as well take that chance. Plus, it lets you touch base with them and keep your situation in their minds as well as let them know it's still ongoing.

YOu can ask as well for advise on proper procedure for the package that is mentioned in the letter, and how to best get their help in dealing with it.


Title: Wrongfully accused of stealing from my workplace.

Question:
Hey reddit. I don’t get on here that much anymore except when I’m bored and need to browse for a couple hours, but I assumed I could receive the type of help I wanted here.

A small background of my workplace will help you guys best understand the situation so I’m going to do my best at explaining it.

I work at a small restaurant where we make eight dollars an hour plus whatever tips we make from customers throughout the day. At the end of each employee’s shift we divide the tips into equal amounts and everyone goes on their merry way.

About a month ago I was working a lunch shift (10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.) with another co-worker and the assistant manager of the restaurant. At the end of my lunch shift I split the tips into three ways. The total amount of tips was 51 dollars so the split amount between us all was 17 dollars each. I laid my co worker and assistant manager’s tips beside the cash register and clocked out of my shift.

The assistant manager was not there at the time of shift end so that’s why I just laid her’s on the counter and clocked out.

Later that evening I received a text stating “Hey. Did you do tips at the end of your shift?” I replied, “Yes. I sat yours beside the register along with (said co-worker’s). Did you not get yours?” She replies “No. I’m sure it’ll show up somewhere.”

The next I come into work with the assistant manager and the owner of the restaurant and the assistant manager asks our owner if he had seen her tips from the previous day. He replies no then proceeds to question me again about where her tips could have possibly went. I then sensed she had already assumed in her mind that I had stolen her tips so I replied “Check the cameras. I have no idea where your tips went.” (We have cameras facing in every direction of the restaurant. Especially the register for obvious reasons.) The cameras were then never checked and I proceeded to forgot about the event entirely.

Fast forward one month later I drive to my place of work to pick up my check for the past pay period and notice that there is a “now hiring” sign in the window. I’m slightly suspicious of the sign as we have plenty of employees and the last I had heard from the owner we didn’t need any employees. Despite the sign, I ignore it and proceed with my day.

At our restaurant we receive customer’s online orders through an app called “Wix”. I’m sure many of you have heard of it, but the orders are only accessible through the owners phone so we have to use the app on his phone to complete orders.

So today, I am completing an online order with said phone and a message appears from my assistant manager. While scrolling through the order I accidentally touched the message at the top of the screen.

This is where I need my assistance. I see a message from my assistant manager saying “I’m putting up a now hiring sign because I’m tired of Hunter (OP) stealing and lying.”

So I take a picture of the texts (can provide) and then decide to confront the owner about the situation because I have never been a thief my entire life and that accusation is an extremely severe one, especially knowing for a fact I didn’t steal anything from the business. My boss then proceeds to tell me that he isn’t going to fire me, but that my assistant manager was referring to the time (a month ago) when her tips went missing. I asked the owner to review the footage from the cameras from the date I was accused of stealing but he refused stating “it wasn’t a problem. I don’t have to worry about being fired.”

I felt as if he just ignored the situation and there was no real resolution to the problem. I’m going to confront my assistant manager but I came here to get some advice first. Can I get her into trouble for wrongly accusing me without any proof or evidence? The statement that said “I’m tired of him stealing and lying” implies that I’ve not only supposedly stole not once, but multiple times.

That’s all the information I know to give on the topic so if you guys need any further information please ask. I really would appreciate some guidance on where to go from this point. Thanks guys!

Answer: In the US, your employer is under no obligation to investigate. They can fire you because they think you stole, even absent any evidence.


Title: [BC, Canada] Local business is effectively running a Ponzi scheme; why isn't anyone stopping them?

Question:
A business local to me is in financial trouble.  Their suppliers are refusing to fulfill orders due to their accounts being in arrears.  They have exhausted much of the stock they own and now cannot fulfill most customer orders.  The customers are angry and are asking for refunds.  Their website continues to accept orders.  When they receive new orders, they use that money to refund the most vocal of the angry customers.

1) Will filing a chargebacks be effective if the money is not there and the credit card issuer cannot recover it?

2) Is there a government body that deals with such business practices and if so what is it?

3) How many chargebacks will it take before the merchant services provider stops providing service to the company?

Answer:
 NAL but I briefly worked for a business like this once.

The answer to #1 is, most likely you'd get your money back on a chargeback and then it's between your card company and the retailer.

The answer to #3 is, they would need quite a few chargebacks, but not a zillion. Merchant services have a threshold beyond which they'll cut off services. That threshold depends on the merchant services company.

It seems like a ponzi scheme, but it's really just a retailer doing a poor job at staying in business.

Hopefully some actual lawyers will weigh in here.


Title: [USA, federal]questions regarding federal lawsuit and order of procedures

Question:
The best course of action for the situation I am in seems to be filing a lawsuit against several parties in various US states as soon as the holiday season is over and I am able to find a suitable attorney.  I am looking into other actions against the parties involved (complaints to the consumer protection agencies in the appropriate states and federally, complaints with a State Bar Association - since some of the parties involved are lawyers, and trying to get a criminal investigation started since the issues are very serious federal and state crimes across state borders).
&nbsp;

So my questions are as follows:&nbsp;

* From what I can see [here](http://litigation.findlaw.com/legal-system/federal-vs-state-courts-key-differences.html) my situation meets federal requirements ( *"Cases involving violations of the U.S. Constitution or federal laws (under federal-question jurisdiction)"* since federal laws have been broken, and it involves laws broken across state lines; *"Cases between citizens of different states if the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000 (under diversity jurisdiction)"* this is definitely the case) and additionally is confounded on the state level since the lawyers and several of the other parties are heavily connected to state level politicians, Bar Associations, and judges - several of the state level attorneys that have been willing to discuss the issue told me they wouldn't be able to take the case since they know some of the individuals involved, and since some of the parties actively participate in fraud I suspect that others simply would be 'friendly' to them.
&nbsp;
Therefore how do I go about finding a lawyer or legal help on the federal level?  Does this need to be filed in a particular state or in your opinion would it be better to talk to the lawyer(s) first to decide this?
&nbsp;

* Since other actions are being taken (complaints with the Bar Association - assuming that the ties the parties have won't confound this; complaints with consumer protection/regulatory agencies on state and federal levels; attempts to get a federal criminal investigation going) what might be my best course of action?  Might certain actions hurt others if taken first?  (ie if pursuing one of the other actions before  I find a lawyer for the case might it hurt the case?  Or even possibly help it (since complaints would already be filed and in the works)?)
&nbsp;

* Since several of the federal laws involved are US Federal Code (not to mention Civil and Criminal Codes in several states where - and across the state lines - the actions took place) have stiff criminal penalties how can one get an investigation started?  If I begin a lawsuit first might I hurt the chances of a federal criminal investigation?  Or would it encourage it to proceed perhaps?  I've contacted the agencies that seem most likely to prosecute and investigate the type of cases similar to this (based on precedents and past criminal cases) but they only seem willing to take down the information, should I inform them of exactly what US Codes and state codes, and full details?  How might one find someone willing to listen in depth on this?
&nbsp;

Thank you for your time, and I realize this is somewhat vague on details, but I've tried to be as concise and precise as is possible without giving away information that is sensitive to what legal action is going to be taken.

Answer:
 I'm not saying you don't have a case. I am saying you're using the same language as a sovereign citizen trying to sue some branch of the government for a perceived slight.

Without more detail, there's no realistic answer here past that.


Title: [AZ] Ex-boyfriend is restricting access to my son without any custody agreement in place

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Get a family lawyer. Petition the court for a temporary custody arrangement in an emergency custody hearing.

Edit to add that you shouldn't kidnap your son. That will go down very poorly.


Title: New Jersey. HOA board members have access to live video feed

Question: Living in an HOA run community in N.J.. We have a Clubhouse, Gym, and Pool. We are run by a management company since the first home was built 10 years ago. We recently got new board members and they gained access to keys to the Management office and remote access to the live and recorded video feed that is in our clubhouse gym and pool. This was never told to the community. I found out about the video access and keys last night.  We have been having community meetings in our clubhouse discussing removal of board members for other questionable acts. The president walks in stating he “forgot something here”. After his entrance the meeting dispersed and one of the homeowners said -he must have looked at the cameras and saw us here. That homeowner installed the cameras 3 years ago and told me that they recently got remote access to the video feed. Is this allowed? They are able to log into our system at anytime and watch us? Previously the video was only used if something bad happened and it was usually viewed by management and police. Now they have full time access without letting us know?

Answer:
 New Jersey's wiretapping law is a "one-party consent" law. New Jersey makes it a crime to intercept or record an in-person or telephone conversation unless one party to the conversation consents.

Since no one in the club house consented, and the other person was not a part of the conversations, then recordings are illegal.  I would argue that in an isolated areas like the club house, the expectation of privacy was high.

That said, the cameras were previously there and visible, right?   They were not hidden?

Then it begins to fail the privacy test, as you should have expected the cameras to work.    Someone was watching and\or listening right?

Answer #2: Lookup the model of camera and see if they actually record audio or not. Many cameras sold to businesses or communtities do not have that feature.


Title: The house I was renting was lost to a forest fire 2 days after I paid rent, do I get my rent back?

Question: So I lived in Paradise Ca, the town that was destroyed earlier this week by a forest fire. I had paid rent 2 days before this happened and was wondering if I'll get that back? I lost everything in the fire and every little bit will really help me. Ive asked friends that are lawyers and have gotten multiple answers. Some saying ask my land lord and others saying not to bring it up, what do I do? Also I assume ill be getting my security deposit back in full, am I right in that assumption?

Answer:
 Ask your landlord, there's no reason not to. Then go from there.

I'm sorry you'r dealing with this. Answer #2: Did you have renter’s insurance? If you do it’s time to file a claim. Do you happen to have a copy of your lease? Is your landlord a company or a private owner? First I’d request a copy of your lease if it’s a company but realizing they have also lost their offices that may be an issue for a time. I don’t think it would hurt to ask, though. The worst they can say is no. Answer #3: According to the California Department of Real Estate:
The rental lease will terminate, the landlord does not need to provide temporary housing, and the tenant can stop paying rent.
http://www.dre.ca.gov/files/pdf/refbook/ref09.pdf


Title: [Tennessee] Mother Won't Give FAFSA Information

Question: Hey guys, I'm an 18 year old who is currently going through the college process. I don't want to waste anybody's time, so in short, my mother has kicked me out of my home and am currently living with a friend and his family. My mother has cut almost all ties from me other than my cell phone line, which my uncle pays for, not her. I just got the rest of my stuff and mentioned that we needed to sit down and do the FAFSA but she says that she will not have anything to do with me and will not help me. I don't know what to do and didn't know where else to post. Is there any way i could still fill it out by myself. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Answer:
 Hey op, i was actually in the exact same position as you a while ago. My father had kicked me out of the house and had stopped supporting me, so when i went through FAFSA i filed for independant. The process does take a while, about 3 months is how long it took me. You should go to your guidance counsellor at your school, and ask her to help you with finishing it.

I had to get a letter from 3 people, one from the principal, one from the guidance counsellor, and one from a friend who was housing me. You'll need to provide proof that you're independant (i had to submit receipts for my room rent that i was paying)

It's a pain in the ass, but it's the only thing you can do at this point. Shoot me a message if you have any more questions.Answer #2: You can go to the financial department of your school and ask about a waiver. It isn't likely but not impossible.

Or you pay your way. I suggest starting at a community college.


Title: Is it illegal to distribute referal links for Darknet Markets and profit off of them?

Question:
I live in Germany, but I am interested in your general take on this topic. So even if you don't know german law, I would be very interested in your individual opinion.

Basically, there are Websites on the very privacy-oriented TOR-Network where illegal goods can be bought and sold. Imagine it like Amazon, with lots of private sellers. The goods offered there are not necessarily illegal, but in 99% of the cases are. You can buy drugs, guns, used underwear, anything.

Now these markets are very advanced and offer referal programs. I can generate a link and give it to somebody. If the person registers via this link, I will get a certain percentage of the fees the site wants from the sellers for every exchange. So if a user that registered via "my" link buys something, I will profit of the exchange. I do not see what they buy.

While I personally don't want to trade goods there, a lot of friends of mine want. I am the IT guy that knows how this stuff works and helps people set up secure systems, sells bitcoins against cash, andsoon. I thought about giving people a linklist to the best markets, with referral links integrated. Is this illegal?

Answer: Are you going to pay taxes off this income? If no, you're committing a crime. If yes, how are you going to describe this on your tax declaration? You'll be admitting a crime. Depending on location (your, of servers you're posting these links to, of people using these links), you're looking at money laundering, living off the proceeds of a crime, etc. Wouldn't be surprised if some of charges even have "drugs" in their titles. Have fun!Answer #2: Yes, acting as the middle man in a drug deal is illegal and can get you criminally charged.


Title: Job offer rescinded after positive drug test for legally prescribe prescription medicine in California

Question: I was offered a job working with  The  Develop mentally disabled And I had to take a drug test.   I  informed the lab that I was taken several prescription medicines that will cause a positive drug test and they noted it. Today I got a call from HR of the company that I was hired for that they were rescinded  the job offer due to testing postive for opiates.I offered to show them my prescription that  shows thats its a legally prescribed medicine and they said that's not necessary. I believe this is against Ada law.   What are my options?

Answer: Would this job entail driving or operating machinery? The ADA means a business has to give reasonable accommodations, but if the job requires driving or operating machinery they maybe aren't able to give a reasonable accomodation for prescribed opiates.


Title: I was paid for a job I never had over the summer, now they're asking for the money back.

Question:
Background: I'm a college student. At the beginning of the summer I accepted a job offer for a seasonal summer job, but due to reasons I was forced to cancel my contract at the company before I  could start working there and get a different job closer to home.

I, being the idiot that I am, never checked my bank statements over the summer and assumed I was just receiving paychecks from my employer.

Today received an email from the company I was originally planning to work for saying that I needed to return a large chunk of money. When I checked my bank statements I saw that indeed they had payed me over the summer for a job that I did not do.

What are my options here? I'm very much in shock right now and any advice would help.

Answer:
 You have to give it back. Otherwise you’ll get sent to collections. Lol you knew that money was in there. No college student doesn’t check their account when they get paid and just doesn’t notice extra money. Answer #2: >What are my options here?

Your options are give the money back or likely be sued. You don't get to keep money that was given to you in error.


Title: [WA] Parents being evicted. Uncertain if they're allowed to be treated this way.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: What is the nature of this dispute with the landlord? Only in very limited circumstances can you withhold rent and not risk eviction.  Your mom should accept the papers, ducking service is pointless.


Title: Court date for check fraud.

Question:
Canada, Ontario

I just received a call telling me there is a warrant for my arrest, scheduled date to come into said jail already made, and will lead to a court date. The check fraud was all part of a scam and have already payed my bank for the bounced check(560$).

I was wondering should I plead guilty and pay the fine and how much will the fine be.

Answer:
 This sounds iffy. If, at any point, someone contacts you by phone or email and asks for money, then that's almost certainly a scam. It's possible someone got access to court records relating to your crime and is using them to try to trick you.

Have you had any contact with law enforcement yet?


Title: Boss is threatening to take losses out of my pay

Question:
Sorry for the quality, I’m on mobile.

I work at a gas station in Ontario, Canada. Recently the owner has been threatening to take losses, which he believes are at fault of the staff (cash registers are off, customers stealing, etc.), out of our pay.

Also, anyone who has worked at a gas station knows that drive-off’s are a common issue. Where I work, people frequently pump gas and some way or another end up driving away without paying for it. The owner believes that because the staff are supposed to be monitoring the pumps when this happens, he should not take this loss.

It doesn’t help that they are constantly messing up our pay. Every time cheques are distributed, at least 3 people have been underpaid.

I have been working there for a while, even before this owner took over, so I know that this is not allowed. He has brought this up to me before, threatening to reduce my pay. I didn’t think much of it at the time and always double checked my pay stubs afterwards. As far as I know, he’s never actually gone through with this threat.

But recently, we hired this young guy. He’s a super cool guy and a great worker. He approached me the other day and told me that the owner is making this threat to all of the new, younger staff. He told me he doesn’t want to work there anymore.

What can I do about the owner’s threats?

Answer:
 [Nope.](https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/tools/esworkbook/deductions.php)

Pertinent paragraph:
A deduction from wages, even with signed authorization from the employee, is NOT allowed if it pertains to:
A loss due to faulty work. For example, a mistake in a credit card transaction, work that is spoiled or rejected, or damage to company tools/vehicles.
A cash shortage or lost or stolen property if a person other than the employee had control over or access to the cash or property. For example, if customers leave without paying the bill (commonly referred to as “dine and dash”).

In Ontario, even with written authorization, a worker cannot have these losses deducted from their pay.

[Here are the Ontario Employment Standards contact numbers.](https://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/feedback/) Answer #2: In the USA, deductions can not be taken if it would cause your pay to be lower than minimum wage. With that said, is this a full service station? I'm not familiar with Canada but here most gas stations are prepay unless they are full service. If it's full service then there should absolutely be no reason for a drive off, not to say it doesn't happen but if it does that often then going prepay seems like the smart choice and the owner should make it, if not it is on him.


Title: Local Water Utilities is basically extorting all 3 of us for one person's screw up (FL)

Question:
I'm here to find out if it's even legal for the water utilities company to do this...

My boyfriend, myself and my mother just rented a new house together.  I called to setup the water, and gave my boyfriend's name, since he'd had an account with them before, and I hadn't (I wanted to avoid the $150 deposit, as stated on their website).

They pulled up his account, and says he has a past due amount from a previous account for just under $250.  They are demanding that we pay that immediately (they won't even offer a payment plan), or pay a $300 deposit if the account is put in someone else's name.

They said since he is living here, NONE of us can setup water until HIS bill is paid.  Unless, of course, we pay double the deposit that's outlined on their website.

Can they do this? Is this even legal? I'm certain they put a note on this address, so even if we told them we kicked him out and he no longer lives here, they're going to try to screw with us.  Not quite sure what to do, as we don't have that kind of money to pay in one day, and the landlords obviously want the water moved out of their names.

Any ideas/advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you!

EDIT:  Please spare me the obvious "pay the bill" comments.  If we could pay it that quickly, we obviously would, and we will be paying it, regardless.  I'm seeking actual legal advice.  If you're stating this *is* legal, I'd appreciate some kind of source to back it up. The same goes for if it's *not* legal.  Otherwise, I would've gone to an opinion-based subreddit instead of *legal advice*.

Answer: One solution would be for your boyfriend to pay his debt. Has he tried doing that?


Title: Grandma Wants to Pay for College But Cant Due to Medicaid Lookback

Question:
Hello r/legaladvice,

My grandma says she wants to pay for my college but can't  The situation I am in right now is that my grandmother, who has been living with my family (me, my parents, and my two siblings) in Michigan for about about a year cannot pay for my college with her money due to fear of a Medicaid look back in the future, when she will be in a nursing home. All transfers or gifts within 5 years of applying can cause penalties. She has told me that she believes that she will not live another 5 years so spending $8k to set up a trust wouldn't work, also untimely considering 2/3 grandkids would be out if college by then. The money is currently in a bank and other accounts in her home state of Virginia if that makes a difference. Is there anyway that grandma's money can make it's way to either my mother or her grandchildren for college tuition? What other mediciad exclusions are out there for our situation? We have looked into the possibility of setting up a Child Caretaker contract because she lives with us do maybe she could pay for rent/home care services and that would help get some of the money to us. Any suggestions would help. Very much appreciated. Thank you.
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer: Why is she paying for college if she needs welfare to pay for basic care?


Title: Wrongful termination? Stumbled onto unsecured email communications, fired when others abused it.

Question:
North Carolina - I work(ed) for a startup company that uses google for the majority of our communications (email, calendar, drive, etc) and about a year ago I realized that I could navigate into other google apps that weren't really being used (right from my gmail inbox). One of these is Google Groups. (If you're not familiar, you can go to groups.google.com and see what I mean)

Well it turns out that all of our distribution lists (sales@company.com, support@company.com, etc) were apparently being run from here. I could see the distribution lists that I already belonged to.

Normally this would be pretty boring stuff, but there is a search functionality, and as one does, I searched my name. I got several results that weren't related at all, but I found that there were unsecured inboxes for 'hr@company.com' as well as 'leadership@company.com' that had a separate email chain each time an employee was fired. Still pretty lame, but at least now I can stay up to speed on who has left the company without having to engage in stupid water cooler gossip in the break room.

I never thought to alert anyone about the lack of security, because frankly, I hadn't seen anything that was very private. Granted, I hadn't read every email, but there was nothing glaring like unencrypted social security numbers or credit card information.

Fast forward about a year: I've mentioned "Google Groups" in passing to a handful of people, maybe 5 or 6, but nothing more specific than departmental emails being in there, and being able to see who has been terminated. About once a week I might check to see if any of our remote guys have been fired.

I happen across an email in the 'leadership' distro that contains an attachment breaking down every single job title at our company, and pay ranges. To clarify, no one's personal salary information, just "Client Support: $50K - $60K" and the like.

Again, no alarms going off here because this is information that you would be able to find on Glassdoor if we were a larger company. I shared the document with one of my buddies over a smoke break, and we get about 5 minutes of entertainment about it and it's forgotten.

Apparently not. That was about a month ago, and the salary doc has been slowly working it's way around the office and our CEO caught wind of it in the last few days after overhearing a couple dumbasses discussing/complaining in the open.

So I get called into the office while working from home today. I'm sat down with my manager and our department head. They ask directly, and I admit that I've accessed the distribution inboxes. Then I'm grilled about why I'm "trying to damage the company" and how the "company's been good to you, why would you do this?" I try to explain that I meant no harm, and that I genuinely just hadn't thought it a big enough deal to 'alert the proper authorities' but it doesn't really help.

Vague legal action is alluded to about "violation of privacy" and I'm accused of "teaching other employees" how to "access private information" and then I'm marched into the CEO's office.

I'm fired on the spot, but not before the CEO *tells* me that I'm going to "quietly go" my separate way or else he threatens that "if any information ends up online, I'm going to assume it's you, and I'm going to sic the corporate lawyer on you."

So, /r/legaladvice, do I have any recourse here? I understand *not* alerting the company to the lack of the security was dumb on my part, but that's really the biggest offense I've made, right? There was no personally identifiable information (that I found), and there was no malicious intent. Sharing salary information is (as far as I know) not illegal either, and nothing was marked explicitly as private.

I feel like it's going to come down to the fact that pretty much all current employment is "at-will" and there's no overt law that the company broke, so I'm shit out of luck.

But I thought I'd ask the internet...

P.S. - I know someone probably saw the email go out when I got fired today.

Answer:
 You knew you weren't authorized to read these emails, and you shared them with other people you knew weren't authorized. Maybe that's not *malicious*, but intentionally leaking sensitive information is a very good reason to fire you. You can file for unemployment if you believe you were fired without cause, but your company will almost certainly fight you on it.

For your future reference, nearly every company considers termination records and salary bands to be very private.


Title: (MASS) I was found not guilty on false accusation. Can I pursue perjury charges against the false accuser?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Only the DA can bring criminal charges, period.


Title: [NJ] I think my disabled family-friend has been involved in human trafficking.

Question:
Posting from a throwaway.
Backstory: a family friend of mine (we can call her Kate) only has the mental capacity of a 5th grader. Her father has been in denial since she was born and not allowed her to receive any services, or even be classified beyond "learning disability." She was allowed to be in an special classroom only for high school. Kate is now 18, graduated high school because she is unclassified, she receives no disability money or medicare.
Current situation: She was recently dating a 27 year old med student out of the blue, and often staying at his house/traveling with him. It later came out that he was physically and sexually abusive, and often involved 3rd parties. Since that relationship ended, she has been picked up at street corners every night, shuttled around to bad parts of the state, and brought back home around 8 A.M. Kate's parents claim "they can't do anything about it since she is 18 and unclassified," but her family and friends are worried and feel she is being taken advantage of.
Is there anything we/the family can do at this point, or is there nothing we can legal do to stop her since she is giving consent?

Answer:
 You think a woman with intellectual disabilities is being prostituted and you don't know what to do? Call the police. Call adult protective services.  Christ, this isn't rocket science.

Edit: I apologize for my snarky attitude and I hope it does not dissuade OP from seeking help. I am going to keep my original post as is and deal with any moderator or karma fallout.

Why did I come off this way? Because people need to use common sense.  If a person suspects a crime is being committed against a person and they  are pretty confident has an intellectual disability, immediate action and support must be given.  It irks me that this woman is possibly in danger and no one knows how to help. Answer #2: [NJ APS Contact Info by County](https://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/doas/home/adultpsp.html)Answer #3: Call the cops instead of posting on an online forum.


Title: Need advice on whether to take a settlement or not - Illinois

Question:
The house next to me is owned by a bank, and they recently sprayed herbicide to clean up the back part of the property and in so doing, sprayed it all over our garden, killing all of it. We figured up the damages, including the base price of everything we spent and put into the garden, including projected values of the harvest and the cost of our labor, to the tune of $5k. They countered and offered to settle for $2,600, assuming we sign a form that we won't come back after them for further damages.

My wife is incensed and basically told the woman to go screw herself, but I want to tread carefully; while I am furious for the damages and all the time we wasted on the garden that's now useless to us for this season (and hopefully JUST this season), I also don't necessarily want to go to court.

Essentially, what is the likelihood of a positive outcome were we to hire a small claims lawyer or represent ourselves in small claims court? At this point we'd be trying to sue them for roughly $2,200 in labor and emotional frustration/punitive damages. Is it worth it? Would it likely resolve in our favor? I'm not trying to rip the bank off (though fuck them, pardon my French) but we put more time, emotionally and physically, into this garden than the value of just the raw materials and outcomes of the growth.

Thanks for the advice in advance!

Answer: You're likely not going to get punitive or emotional damages. This sounds like a negligence case, unless they were doing something particularly egregious, you're not going to get those damages. Accidentally overspraying herbicide doesn't sounds like it rises to that level. You're also citing time and effort which probably isn't recoverable either. I charge a minimum of $1,000 plus expenses to represent someone in small claims court and that's probably a steal. If you're basing going to court over these damages, I'd honestly just take the offer because it sounds like you're just going to end up getting roughly the same amount.


Title: [Canada - Quebec] I am an unmarried, childless man. Some workplace colleagues are "mobbing" me with suggestions of being a child molester. Utterly untrue, and infuriating.

Question:
What legal recourse, if any, would I have in this situation?

If it continues, I plan to take it to HR, but I'd love to get a legal perspective.

I'll approach a local attorney if need be, but I struggle sussing out whether my situation warrants it.

It's becoming a false accusation, though, and I fear it will impact my job security.

Thanks in advance /r/legaladvice !!

EDIT: Thanks for your suggestions, everyone. I will approach HR this week. I apologize for the complaint: I received a downvote shortly after I posted and feared my post would tumble out of sight. I'm still fairly new at this.

Answer:
 Don't go to HR if it gets worse, go to HR  **NOW**

The sooner you go, the sooner it stops. Take as much evidence of the incidents as you have.

Whenever a co-worker makes such a suggestion, inform them that you do not appreciate it. They should refrain from saying those things again. If they say it's just a joke say it's not one you find funny, and you don't appreciate it. They should refrain from saying those things again, regardless of intent.Answer #2: Go to HR.

You can see a lawyer for a local consult as well to see if this meets the threshold of defamation - Under Quebec's Civil Code, it is a form of civil liability. It requires the demonstration of a fault and the damage caused by this fault. There must be a direct causal link between the fault and the damage.Answer #3: Why would you not go to HR now? If you don't take this seriously (by going to HR), why would your colleagues take your requests to stop seriously? No one will take this whole issue more seriously than you, so you need to treat it properly.Answer #4: Just popping in to say sorry, OP. I can't even imagine being on the receiving end of that sort of harassment. Those aren't jokes, your coworkers are idiots and have serious issues if they are CONSTANTLY talking about child molesters or child molestation.

..really, really sorry OP. Hope the appropriate persons shit all over your coworkers.


Title: Ohio - Man called 911, claimed that there was an armed black man in Walmart, police shot him dead, caller lied

Question:
Here is the article - http://gawker.com/witness-in-walmart-police-shooting-now-says-victim-neve-1633432558

Sad situation of obvious racism here on the part of the caller.  I am curious to see what will pan out for the police...I would wager much of nothing as they were acting in good faith based off a caller to 911.

So my question to you all is this: exactly how much trouble is the caller in?  What do you think he could be charged with? (if anything)

Do you think this will end up in civil court?

Answer: OP, the best legal advice I can provide, and I should state that I am a licensed and practicing attorney in the State of Michigan, is: stop reading Gawker. That is all.


Title: Mentally Ill Sister Being Abused And Neglected

Question:
My sister is 18 and I am 13. She was diagnosed with depression at age eleven but her meds (Zoloft) made her severely manic for two years. She became severely depressed for one year after that. She also battled binge eating disorder since the first grade and was anorexic in seventh grade but had body image issues well before then.

So last year in November her teacher repeatedly spoke about suicide victims going to hell and she had a traumatic flashback to her previous attempts (poisoning at age eight, hanging at eleven and stabbing at fourteen). By the way she was not given medical care except for being allowed to miss a few days of school.

She contacted the school counselor and our mother punished her by verbally abusing her and refusing to let her stay home alone.

Earlier this year she attended therapy and was told to do testing for bipolar disorder. Our mom began verbally abusing her and also took me to family events but told her “you don’t get to come because you’re crazy.” She also blackmailed her, threatening to contact her friends and her clients (she teaches art and fashion design) and tell them. My sister had a breakdown and heard voices calling her “crazy bipolar kid” “school shooter” and telling her to drink bleach and feed poisonous chemicals to our family.

Two weeks ago we were going to buy dresses for her birthday party and our mother started screaming telling her to take her measurements. She took her aside and explained she didn’t want to because of her anorexia. Immediately our mother screamed at her calling her weak, pathetic etc. This went on for two hours and then my sister tried to commit suicide but I took the pills away. We then bought the clothes. Our mother didn’t speak to her for the entire day even when she broke down crying and begged for support.

My sister was in an exceptionally good mood after that, and seemed on top of the world. She was smiling constantly, very social, etc. but also argumentative and staying up past midnight writing songs etc. This went for around a month. In the past few days she seems to have hit a wall, is crying constantly but is doing well at school. I borrowed her phone to look at rappers and football players and found suicide methods in her history. I don’t want to lose my sister, she’s been like a replacement parent to me at times. I don’t know what to do. CPS was called to our house a few times in childhood, did nothing. She has paranoid delusions and our parents exploit them to make her scared of the government, police and doctors. Also not to trust anyone but them so she has never really had friends. She has been the popular kid since grade 5 but never had any close friendships, only acquaintances. By the way she is going to college next year and will be free from her parents.

(California, USA)

Answer: Adult protective services can research cases involving abuse of people 18-59 years of age with a disability. Your sister sounds very disabled due to her mental illnesses.


Title: Accidentally used HOV lane because google maps told me to

Question:
The other morning I was driving to a new job site in an unfamiliar area and I was following Google Maps. Now I work part time delivering food so I've learned to follow Google Maps to a T when approaching interchanges with multiple on/off ramps next to each other, because I've taken the wrong one and added 10-20 minutes to my routes in the past. Google Maps told me to take the 2nd out of 3 on-ramps that were lined up so I did exactly that. I missed the single, small HOV lane sign because I was looking at my gps and back at the road to assure that I was taking the correct exit as I did not have time to take the wrong one. As soon as I turned the corner I saw the HOV diamond painted on the road and immediately knew I took the incorrect on-ramp. Boom there's a trooper waiting for me and gives me a citation.

Now clearly I should have been paying attention to the sign. I just want to get an opinion? Should I just pay the fine and get move on with my life? Should I plead not guilty? Guilty with explanation? It was a very stupid and frustrating mistake.  The trooper told me "call this number if you want to plead not-guilty." and walked away.  I called the number on the ticket but it directed me to pay for the fine.  What should I do?

Answer: Pay the fine. Following the GPS isn’t an excuse to break the law. If it told you to drive into a lake, would you?


Title: SSI overpayment HELP!!!!!!

Question: Anyone know much about this. Could really use some help- Fargo ND

Answer:
 Apart from saying: if you've been over payed you'll have to repay the money, there's little else that can be said with no information at all.

Depending on how the overpayment came about you might be looking at fraud charges (if you lied to obtain the money) or a repayment plan (if SSI screwed up) or something in between.,


Title: Former employer owes me money and I want to ruin their relationship with their clients.

Question:
I'm a graphic designer in Seattle. A company I worked with owes me at least $275. I quit and I didn't feel like negotiating for other work that did for them. The $275 is what I have confirmed pay in emails. I have every email archived. They were originally supposed to pay me in mid November. I was patient and they said they would pay me again on December 26th and again yesterday (January 11th.) I want to know if it's worth it to take some legal action to collect and how to go about starting this process. Here's a few other details.

1) Indemnity Clause.
    Does this mean that even if I do sue them and win they don't have to pay court and attorney fees?

*Indemnity. Contractor agrees to indemnify and hold Company harmless from and against any liability, loss, claim, demand and damage, including costs and attorneys' fees, resulting from or based upon any infringement or violation, default or breach of this Agreement, including without limitation the representations and warranties contained herein.  Company agrees to indemnify and hold Contractor harmless from and against any liability, loss, claim, demand and damage, including costs and attorney's fees, resulting from or based upon any infringement claims made against Contractor on account of any information, code, documentation or other material provided by Company to Contractor under this Agreement.*

2) This agreement doesn't list any projects, deadlines, or fees. It's a blank spreadsheet. I do have emails discussing work completed and how much I was supposed to be paid.

3) I want to be an unprofessional jerk and contact all of their clients to explain why their projects are now over a month delayed and will not be completed by me. Something like...

    To whom it may concern. I apologize for the delay with your project. I will no longer be working with *company*. My compensation for completed work is over 2 months delayed. I refuse to continue a professional relationship with them and I will be taking legal action. I understand your frustration and apologize for my part in this inconvenience. For legal reasons I cannot further discuss this matter with you and I will no longer be able to work with you. However, I am happy to recommend more professional marketing firms in the area and other local designers to help you move forward with your projects.

Can I get away with that with this?

*Confidential Information.
       Contractor agrees that in the course of working as an Independent Contractor for The Company, Contractor will at all times during and after the term of this agreement hold in the strictest confidence and will not use for Contractor’s or a third party’s benefit or disclose to anyone outside of The Company, without the express written authorization of an officer of the Company, any confidential or proprietary information of the Company, which shall be deemed to include, without limitation, Company methods and practices, any technical marketing, financial or other business information relating to released or unreleased Company products or Company research, process design, business plans, wholesale customers and/or suppliers and any other information that is deemed by the Company or under law to be a trade secret.*

Other stuff in that agreement.

6. Term.  This Agreement shall be effective for the period of 12 months unless otherwise extended by the parties in writing.

7. Termination.
i. Notice.  The parties agree that this contract may be terminated by 2 weeks notice of either party to the other.  At that time all outstanding commissions will be due and payable, if any.

ii. Breach by the Company.  Failure by the Company to make payments required under this Agreement shall constitute sufficient cause for Contractor to suspend services required herein until the Company resumes payments.

iii. Breach by Contractor.
Upon material breach of any provision of this Agreement by Contractor, the Company may, in its sole discretion, elect to either terminate Contractor’s engagement or notify Contractor of a period within which cure must occur.

I'm not sure where to start. I don't know if I care more about the money or getting petty revenge at this point. Let me know what you think I should do or if there's more information needed.
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 Intentional interference with business interests can be grounds for a lawsuit.  Doing it specifically to injure business relationships could open up punitive damages, depending on local law.

Very bad idea.


Title: (IN) i put in my 2 weeks notice tonight, if im walked out tomorrow am i eligible for unenployment?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: I don't think you'd be eligible for unemployment if you quit.


Title: [WA] FMLA Harassment?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: They are permitted to investigate anything they want to. If you are fired you can go consult with an attorney. If you clam up and refuse to cooperate it will not help a wrongful termination claim.


Title: CA - Found a Certificate of Deposit that matured in 1987. Bank claims they can do nothing for us since it's so old.

Question:
My mother recently passed and, in going through her estate, we found what appears to be a Certificate of Deposit from Wells Fargo for $100k made out in my paternal grandmother’s name, as well as my father’s name.  She managed the finances in the house, so my father doesn’t know anything about it.  It’s right around the time when my grandmother died, so there’s an excellent chance this is tied to the settling of her state.

The problem: the CD matured in February, 1987 and now Wells Fargo claims they have no record of it anywhere.  They’ve asked for my grandmother’s SSN, but my father claims she never had a social security number since she didn’t work and never needed one.  (She was born in 1898, well before Social Security was around)

So, at this point, the bank has basically told us to pound sand and that there’s nothing they can do.  My question to the legal experts here: Do we have any recourse here?  Is this worth hiring an attorney and trying to take on Wells Fargo?

Answer:
 For one hundred thousand dollars? You bet your tuchas you go talk to an attorney. Start with a probate attorney they would have dealt with this before. Answer #2: This is definitely something you need to escalate out of your local branch and run up the corporate Wells Fargo flagpole.

While you're doing that, I suggest checking the unclaimed property registry of the state in which she died, and those in which she have have created or deposited into the account.

Condolences on the loss of your mom.  Sorry you have to put up with the runaround in the midst of everything else you must be dealing with.Answer #3: There is a possiblity that it would have been forfeited to the state due to abandonment.  When accounts are inactive, the bank will send several notices to you. When they never hear anything back, the account and anything in it is then sent to the state.

>Wells Fargo claims they have no record of it anywhere

This very well may be true considering this CD matured almost 30 years ago, not to mention Wells Fargo might not have been the original bank to hold the CD because they have gone through mergers since thenAnswer #4: I mean, $100,000 is probably worth hiring an attorney over. Yes.

Tell you what, *I'll* pay for your attorney on the agreement that you'll split it with me 50/50, deal?


Title: Landlord refused to pick up property left by former tenants and I was given a ticket by city for code violation (ohio)

Question: So I just moved into a house a week ago, and on the front porch was a old gross couch left by the previous tenants. Upon trying to move it to the curb to be picked up on trash day, my roommate and I discovered a wasps' nest underneath it, leading to my roommate getting stung twice. It is also worth to mention that I am allergic to bees and if I am stung I have to go to the hospital most likely. So on that day, I went into the renters office and asked them to remove the couch and they told me they would send someone out next week (last week). After they didn't come the first two days, I went back in, and explained that we really need it gone because it is sitting in front of our house, and because of the bees I am restricted to only using the back door due to fear of being stung. Once again, I was told that they would send someone that week to pick it up. Finally, yesterday someone from the city code enforcement came and wrote us a ticket for furniture on the front yard. I am planning on going in today with the ticket and demanding them to remove the couch today and also to take the equivalent value of the ticket off of our rent. I was wondering if there is any other course of action I may take? I'm not sure if I could use the Americans with Disabilities Act to try to get something done. My father mentioned threatening to sue using that bill but I'm don't know if my allergy falls under that category. Any advice helps, thank you.

Answer: Does the ticket have your name on it?  usually tickets for improper trash disposal are just linked to the property.  ie property owner is on the hook.


Title: What will happen if I pull the fire alarm in school?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 You could be charged with a misdemeanor, which will include a lot of fines. You could also be punished by the school in addition to that.

Don't pull the fire alarm in school unless there's actually a fire.


Title: Picking up a shift for a coworker results in both of us having to work.

Question:
I picked up a shift that a coworker made available for swap or pick-up through our company scheduling system. Our company has a policy that shift pick-ups (even ones specifically designated to another employee) made less than a week before the shift in question pick up open shifts if there are any. in order to get out of a shift with less that a week to go, shifys must be explicitly swapped for another shift. I attempted to pick up my coworker's shift with less than a week to go, and now both of us are required to work. he is going to be out-of-town, a few states away.

In case you're wondering why I did it, I had checked previously for open shifts on that day and there were none. they got added after I checked.

I feel like I shouldn't be required to work this shift, since I didn't agree to work the open shift, just my coworker's.

Answer: This is up to company policy. There is no law preventing this system from being in effect. Failure to follow company policy can result in termination.


Title: Why are so many accounts that post on /r/legaladvice suspended?

Question: I've been going through a lot of the top posts and a significant number of the accounts are now suspended. Why is that?

Answer:
 I don't know about "significant number".  I went through the first dozen or so and only saw one suspension.

As is, we can't guess, generally speaking, why something got suspended.  Suspensions, for those of you not aware, are not done by mods.  We have the power to ban someone from our subreddit, but that is invisible to everyone else.  You can't see if someone is banned, only the mods can.

Suspensions are done by the admins.  They only do those after significant issue with a particular user or users, and generally only when someone complains.  That suspension could be because of bad behavior on that account *or* because of bad behavior by a linked account.

So, in short, we can't guess why someone got suspended.  My personal theory is that someone created a throwaway to ask a question, and then did something bad on their primary account that got both suspended.


Title: (US) Why won't law office websites publish their schedule of fees?

Question:
If I ever need to decide who to hire as an attorney, I'd need to know what their fees are in advance, and what monthly installment payment options I'd have.

So why do law office websites seem to hide their fees from the online public?

Answer: Because every case is different and there are a lot of variables to a lawyer's fees.


Title: [CALIFORNIA] Own a motel and currently have a guest that is about to hit the one month mark. As a motel owner I do not want to be converted to a landlord for this guest. Should I be worried that this guest will be converted to a tenant?

Question:
I know California has a law where a guest becomes a tenant after staying somewhere for 30 days. This guest originally rented the room for 2 weeks but has extended it for 2 weeks. This guest is a week from hitting the 30 day mark. There was no prior agreement of him being a long-term guest, he is just extending his stay.

I do not want to deal with eviction or any other legal protocols which would be required of a Landlord. Is there some sort of exception for hotels and motels in the case where guest is becoming a long-term guest?

Answer: I thought California motels do not allow guests to stay past 28 days for this very reason. Ita illegal to permantly live in a motel. This is why people who live in motels move back and forth between two and call it "the 28 day shuffle". You should not have let him rent the second full two weeks.


Title: Bullied into resigning for reporting overtime

Question:
This is my first time posting here, but I will try to follow the guidelines.  I live and work in Tennessee.  Recently I was bullied into resigning, for reporting overtime hours.

I worked (a number of hours overtime), and when I reported them to our payroll person, I was informed that they were told to only report X hours (which is a significantly lower quantity of hours than I worked).  So, I asked my immediate supervisor what I could do with the remaining hours (trade them for other compensation, like time off, hours off, etc).

Next day, I am called into the office of the BIG boss (of that facility) with other people.  He asks them who went behind his back about those hours.  Long story short, due to me reporting them, I am giving the option of working my current job (with lower compensation), or resigning.  This doesn't seem right to me.  I was already underpaid for what I do, so I took this chance to stand up for myself, and resigned.  Is this legal?

Thanks

EDIT:  I have already resigned.  This was the last straw over a long period of time, and I just snapped.

Answer:
 > Is this legal?

If you're paid by the hour and work X hours, you have to be paid for all of them. **Do not** resign lest you potentially (but not always) hurt your chances of receiving unemployment. Also, keep a voice recorder in your pocket from now on. In TN you can legally record a conversation with just your consent. The other parties don't even have to know it's happening. This will be incredibly useful to the TN Department of Labor (or an employment lawyer) if you get fired because you reported the correct number of overtime hours.

EDIT: Oh, and I hope it goes without saying that you should gather all documentation which shows your reported hours versus what you actually got paid. This is crucial for filing a wage claim to get your back pay.

EDIT #2: I just saw your edit with the fact you resigned anyway. Take whatever evidence you have and file a wage complaint to get your back pay. File for unemployment and appeal it if it gets denied.Answer #2: Absolutely file for unemployment. Not paying you what you are due is good cause to quit especially given the circumstances.


Title: In jail for missed child support payments? (NY)

Question:
This is not mine or a friends situation, and isnt exclusive to my state of NY.  But I was curious, what are the legal grounds for incarceration for missed child support payments?

Doesnt this amount to a debtors prison which is illegal?

Answer:
 Yes it's a thing. You aren't going to jail because you owe money you're going to jail for contempt of court.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/jail-time-unpaid-child-support.htmlAnswer #2: To build off /u/swalsh411's answer -- this is like failing to pay any other court-ordered fee, fine, restitution, or other obligation. It's what ensures that people with speeding tickets, court costs, child support, city fines, etc., actually pay what the justice system has determined they need to pay. Thus, it's nothing like being thrown in jail because some crooked loan shark got you on a crazy interest rate.


Title: Work is not paying my department [AZ]

Question: My company recently lost a major customer and is currently undergoing a lawsuit with another. The situation has gotten a bit tense, but upper management announced today that wages are being withheld indefinitely. Only the secretary in my department is being paid for this month. Furthermore, it was revealed to me that the employees under me had not been paid for the previous month. We're all salaried engineers, but I know several people do not have the savings to go an entire month without pay. What are our options for getting back pay?

Answer:
 In addition to filing the complaint, once you have actually not been paid on time, file for unemployment look for a new job.Answer #2: You can file an unpaid wage claim with the Industrial Commission of AZ, or file a lawsuit.

Realistically, it's time to quit and find another job.  This statement:

> wages are being withheld indefinitely

means they are out of money and have no idea when they will have more.  My guess is, a lawsuit will be a waste of time because they'll be bankrupt soon enough.


Title: [MI] I won a small claims suit, but (of course) have never collected a penny. The defendant is couch-surfing so I can’t “serve” papers. Also, I’m supposed to “serve” the state Treasury in order to have this garnished from a state tax return. I have her SSN/birthdate. Is there anything else I can do?

Question:
I would like to file paperwork ASAP in case she is due a state tax refund this year. The judgment is for $1600 so it’s worth my time to try each year, but it’s a very helpless feeling when the instructions give me nowhere to go.

I don’t know where she works (if she works at all) so I don’t have hope of having wages garnished.

Is it possible to garnish federal tax returns with a small claims judgment? She has a kid so with the child credits (especially in 2019) she’s likely to be getting something back.

Thanks!
Topic:
Small Claims Procedure

Answer:
 If you are trying to garnish the state for a state tax return, then you need to serve the state with that (you can simply mail a copy to the defendant's last known address).

If you know where the defendant has a bank account, then you should also try to garnish that bank.

>Is it possible to garnish federal tax returns with a small claims judgment?

Garnishment of a federal income tax return is only possible for some types of judgments, and your judgment is likely not one of them.Answer #2: > Is there anything else I can do?

You can request that the court issue a subpoena for a judgment debtor exam. That would require her to go to court and answer your questions about her income and assets, which you could then use to garnish wages and bank accounts.


Title: A Crowdfunding Platform Disabled My Campaign Without Warning Nearly Causing Homelessness

Question:
In an effort to transition away from handouts after a not\-at\-fault medical crisis and being able to work part time again, I came up with a temporary offer. On 3/20/18 I posted a 50&#37; discount on my work that lasted only 10 days. The next day, the crowdfunding platform disabled my campaign without warning, and froze all donations that were in route to my bank account.

This resulted in being late on my phone bill \(and other issues related to not being to able to receive calls for my business\), late on a tax payment \(which created a $237 penalty\), causing a NSF overdraft fee, and double the work to get the word out to my community of how I needed help to make bills and rent.

When I contacted them to reinstate the campaign and better understand why they disabled the campaign without a fair warning, they cited that I crossed a boundary in their terms and conditions. Here's a copy of what they said 3/21/18:

"Your campaign is in violation of our terms and conditions we cannot process payments for *"annuities, investments, equity or lottery contracts, lay\-away systems, off\-shore banking or similar transactions, money service businesses \(including currency exchanges, check cashing or the like\), debt collection or crypto\-currencies."*

I followed their recommendations that removed all information related to the discount on my work that they requested be taken down, and it took until the 3/28/18 to get the campaign back up. But by then, the donations couldn't help me because they take 3\-5 days to process before showing up in my account.

This is a huge gray area for someone like myself, recovering from a traumatic brain injury. I read their terms and conditions. I followed their policies to the best of my ability. The entire time the campaign has been up, I've offered three different rewards levels that are all related to discounts on my work, and they've never had a problem with that over the course of 8 months.

This situation severely compounded my financial issues, and buried me in a deeper depression than I was already in at the time. A crowdfunding platform designed to help people like me nearly made me homeless.

Can I take them to court to sue for damages? If that's possible, what do I need to present to a small claims court here in Oregon that would help my case?

Answer: You have no case.  This website has no obligation to provide this platform to you.  Period.Answer #2: Even if you had a claim against the platform, which you don’t, your damages would be limited to the amount of already donated money they froze. Under no circumstances would they be liable for your late payments, penalties, etc.


Title: Store wants to take money from our tax returns (NJ)

Question:
My owner just informed all of the employees that he did not pay enough taxes on the store and that it will be mandatory for all of the employees to give part of their tax return back to the store to make up for it.

I was just curious as to whether or not it is legal for them to take any of our tax money or if they're required to show or give us any type of paperwork as proof that we are supposed to give some of it in. Thank you in advance!

TL;DR store owner did taxes incorrectly, is requiring employees to pay for it...I think?

Answer:
 What the hell?

Umm - are you sure it's not that he didn't subtract and remit appropriate federal and state withholding taxes from your paychecks? Because that might be rather different (although you may still have protections).


Title: Had dog spayed, being billed for spay+microchip, they never mentioned it beforehand or asked if we wanted it done.

Question:
We took our dog to the vet a few weeks ago to be spayed.  Before the procedure they talked to us about "extras" they could do while the dog was under such as checking for remaining baby teeth and removing them.  They did not mention microchipping at all or ask if we wanted it done.

After it was done and we received the bill they included $55 for microchipping.  We explained we didn't need the microchipping done and asked them to at least remove it from the bill and they said we should have said so before the procedure because it is "common knowledge" that microchipping is done during spaying.

I know it's only $50 but I'm obviously not thrilled about paying for something that we weren't given an opportunity to decline on the assumption that we would just "know" it was going to happen.

We had unrelated issues relating to the spaying and poor response from the vet and have decided to start using a new vet for our dog's care from this point forward.

I paid the bill minus the microchip cost so far and am curious what if any legal consequences there would be if we leave it at that?  Small claims or liens or anything along those lines? Headache with credit score?

Edit:  Denver, CO

Answer:
 >I paid the bill minus the microchip cost so far and am curious what if any legal consequences there would be if we leave it at that? Small claims or liens or anything along those lines? Headache with credit score?

They could always continue to bill you for it, send it to collections, and then the collection agency will report it when you don't pay them.  Obviously they could sue you for it, but unlikely.  Anyway, if they send it to collections, dispute it in writing and then sue the reporting agency if they don't remove it.

Oh, and while microchipping is commonly done during a spay, that doesn't mean shit -- if you did not tell them to do it, and they did it, then you don't have to pay for it.


Title: [MA] Is it legal for employers to conduct background checks on employees without their knowledge?

Question: My work was broken into recently and our window was smashed, safe was stolen, things were broken, etc. The police do a small investigation, taking fingerprints and such. A few days later my boss tells me that they ran background checks on everyone that worked here. I have no criminal record, i am just slightly offended they had a background check done without my consent first. Is what they did legal in Massachusetts?

Answer: Unless there is a very specific law in MA that prohibits this, it's generally lawful to run a background check on anybody without their permission if you have their information. Everything in there is public record.


Title: Why would 3 cops show up at my apartment complex?

Question: Well it’s a pretty big apartment complex but I filed a police report against someone, so maybe it’s wishful thinking the person got arrested. I saw 3 cops talking to the concierge and the person at the front desk definitely looked nervous. I thought I heard them say arrest, but I’ve never seen cops there before. Were they probably arresting someone, or maybe the cops were going to someone’s unit? It was probably like 2 pm. Am just curious regardless.

Answer: Nobody on this sub is psychic


Title: My daughters(7F) father cheated on his new family

Question:
My daughters father got in a relationship 4 years ago with a woman who also has a 7 year old daughter. He has my daughter call her mom despite it being in our agreement not to. Also calls her daughter her sister.

We have 50/50 custody with my daughter in my school district. She goes there 3 weekends a month and every Wednesday with pick up and drop off at school.

This weekend he calls to tell me he cheated on his girlfriend and they are no longer together and he’s staying in a hotel.  That he wants to give me every other weekend now with my daughter.

I texted her asking if she was ok and she wanted to talk to me ASAP. I called her and she told me she has been wanting to talk for a long time but he had threatened her.

Long story short she told me he cheated on her with a dozen women( no surprise there. He cheated on me and his previous relationships) she said he is a sex addict in and out of therapy. That he threatened and attempted suicide. That she is extremely concerned for my daughters wellbeing in his presence and will do anything to help me get her away from him. And that she is putting her daughter in therapy to help her because she is having a very hard time with everything that’s happened.

Today he tells me they are working it out that it was all lies and that my daughter will be fine and nothing is to be changed with custody.

My question is how do I go about bringing this to court and changing custody? I have a court appointed lawyer and he doesn’t put any effort into my cases. Ive emailed him and he still hasn’t gotten back to me. We have an upcoming court date because he hasn’t been bringing her to her soccer games on the weekend and he is consistently late bringing her to school.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Why is she worried for the child's wellbeing because he cheated and is depressed? It sounds like a whole lot of drama she is trying to kick up to get revenge on him.

If you want to attempt to change custody, you hire a lawyer and they will file a motion to do so. If you already have a lawyer for your upcoming court date, advise them of the situation and they can provide advice.


Title: Tenant above me was evicted, and destroyed their place and flooded it. I have 3000 in damages and no renters insurance.

Question:
This is in the US in Arizona. I spoke with my office  today as this has been a issue for 2 days now, they have emergency maintenance numbers, and emergency after hours office number. NEITHER WORK NOR HAVE . No resident I'm aware of has working numbers either. I'm aware they are not responsible for the damages. But in the landlord tenant act 33-302 part c I believe talks about negligence. And would make the landlord responsible if they knew about a situation with the tenant and allowed it to happen with no ability to contact them. The police were here 3 times from other tenants. So far they are telling everyone the same thing that its their problem. And are at lost. But this is the definition of punitive damages. So what are my options other than civil court.

EDIT :And yes Ik. Get renters insurance I suck. Would've made this alot easier. Only my second lease as a college student. And previous landlord was not insane. Would it be wise to look into campus resources as I'm a student as far as legal advice?

Answer: Any option you take will require civil court.


Title: I was robbed( at atm )

Question:
Hi,  So a little backstory I sell tempo installations.  (car shelters)  I went to the door to get paid by a customer , and 2 males  ( one at the door , and who was hiding close to my car ) told me to get in my car  and to drive with them .  they took photos of my liscence plate , my liscence the whole thing  (have my address and everytihng ) we went to a bank . and they told me to pullout 600 dollars at the bank . and to give it to them and they would leave me alone.  So i did being scared.  I had my sister e transfer me the money and then i pulled it out inside the bank...  They said they have my info if I try anything..

my question is . What can I do . can I call my bank and tell them I was robbed? will i need to start a police investigation .   ?

any general information would be appreciated .  Ive never pulled out that much in my life at an atm. ive never pulled out at another bank chain in my life. ive also never been in that part of the city.   i looked shook if theres camera and the ywere parked out side . any info would be nice

TDLR - got robbed 500  and want to know what to do about it .

Answer: call the police.  how is that even a question? after that, contact your bank.Answer #2: Yes, you should report this to the police to begin with, and then to the bank.


Title: Poisonous plants and how legal they are

Question:
This is purely hypothetical, and prompted by the fact my mother has foxglove plants growing in her garden. If I planted foxgloves, or even deadly nightshade, what are my legal obligations? Would I have to put up a sign warning that the plants are toxic if touched/ingested? Or could I just rely on the fact that people shouldn't be trespassing?

I'm in Ireland, but I haven't planted anything as I live in a flat. Just curious about the legality in various places.

I tried to post on legal advice itself but was told hypothetical questions aren't allowed.

Answer:
 In the US the plant would be legal, but if someone was injured by it your liability would probably depend where you grew it and whether it’s foreseeable that someone would come into contact with it.Answer #2: Are you planting it as sometimg ornamental in your flower beds.  Or are you just setting up a patch of death as a natural booby trap?Answer #3: Can’t speak to Ireland, but I imagine trespassing wouldn’t be much of a factor if someone was poisoned or otherwise injured by your plants (or anything else), for all the same reasons you can’t booby-trap packages, your property, etc.Answer #4: Would it be worth your mother getting a nice-looking placard or something that says, "These flowers are are Foxgloves, which are used to make Digoxin, a life-saving heart medicine.  Please don't touch.  They are delicate and a deadly poison."?  A pretty fence around them could also indicate that they're best not touched.  (Not that any fence or sign could overshadow a foxglove in full bloom.)

Looks like there is a poison garden at Blarney Castle, as well Alnwick Poison Garden in England.  You and your mum might contact one or both to see if they have any recommendations for displaying the flowers in the safest place possible way.  The Blarney garden caretakers might be able to point you towards some legal information sources as well.


Title: Wife's biological mother is dying and not sure what to do

Question:
So long story short, my wife's bio mom abandoned her and her siblings 30 years ago, and they have never had a relationship of any kind (wife is 32). Bio mom is in a hospital in Kentucky and going to die in a couple days,  we are in illinois.
Bio moms parents got a hold of us today to ask her to sign papers about the decision for cremation or burial and something about power of attorney.
We have no idea if she had any life insurance or anything that would cover the cost of end of life services or anything. Her bio mom has been in and out of jail her whole life and we have next to nothing for information about her.

Questions:
Who is responsible to pay for end of life services in this situation?

If bio mom does indeed have life insurance,  who decides where that goes and how it is used?

Is there any responsibility on my wife's part even though they have had nothing to do with each other?

I'm sure I have more questions,  I'm just confused and way out of my depth here.

Answer: Your wife has no duty to do anything now or after the mom dies.  If the mom has life insurance the money goes to whomever she designated as the beneficiary.


Title: Wife was told her bonus was reduced due to her taking maternity leave

Question:
During a meeting with her supervisor, he indicated that she made great contributions to her company, was very happy with the work that she had produced, etc. however due to her taking maternity leave her bonus would be 80% of what last year’s was. Was also told that the rest of her group received a similar bonus to last years.

Do we have grounds to pursue a discrimination suit? We live in Minnesota if that matters.

Thank you for your help!

Answer:
 I would think bonuses are at the discretion of the company and are fair game to throttling. There’s also an argument to be made that if she wasn’t there working, should she really be entitled to the bonus.
That all said, if she was on protected leave, her base salary should be intact.