Title: [Georgia, US] I am being accused of stealing because a friend I sold my car to stopped paying, and upon taking it back, I found out that he still had his stuff in it. Is this theft on my part?

Question:
About thirty-four days ago, I sold my friend a car. We signed a notarized contract basically stating that he would pay two-hundred dollars, twice a month, at each pay cycle, and that if he was late on payments, he would owe ten dollars a day until thirty days was up, then he was to return the vehicle. Honestly, I realized that the contract probably held no water, but I needed it to cover my ass, and show that it was a mutual agreement between the both of us with an actual witness present.

Fast forward three pay cycles, and hes only paid twice, on his own time, then stops paying altogether, and refuses to return the car, posting some passive aggressive vague-booking to Facebook. I then proceed to attempt to reach out to him, and he ignores me. By now, whatever water this contract probably never held, is made null and void, so I go to the house he lives at, which is leased in someone else's name, and get my car back. This is where things get dumb.

This guy never took his things out of my car, despite knowing he'd stolen my car, and I had no idea they were in there. The next day, he calls me flipping out, wanting his stuff back, claiming I stole it. I had no issue with *discreetly* mailing it back, despite knowing that there was no intent to steal his stuff, and having texted evidence that he admittedly left it in my car on his own volition. Also, I was in another state, and that, from what I can gather, no law(s) were actually broken. The problem is, the car is laden with junk; his friends crap etc. and I don't have the money to mail it back, nor do I feel the responsibility to. I know I can just toss the shit in a dumpster somewhere, and plead ignorance, but I'm not trying to do that, but this guy, who's begging for this shit back, wants me to pay for his fuck up, and says his friends are threatening getting police involved for "stealing" their stuff. It's even created a rift between other friends of ours who don't know much about the legal system, seem to believe it's the end of the world, and who genuinely believe I've stolen this stuff, of which I've made an active effort to return. Even worse, the guy accusing me of it, isn't cooperating, and is intermittently ignoring me.

Everything I've read says that I'm in the clear, but I need a real legal opinion on this one. It seems like a bunch of hot air on their end, but I need to be sure.

Answer:
 Oh what a dumpster fire this is, OP. You see now why private individuals generally don't sell cars through payment plans. Repo can be a bitch.

Please clarify this for me: did the guy violate the terms of the contract? It sounds like he had to be 30 days late on payments before you would have any chance of repossessing the car under the contract. Did 30 days pass since his last payment? Cuz if not, uh, you might have stolen the car in addition to his stuff.

You might seriously consider giving the stuff back PRONTO and praying to your favorite gods that the situation goes away.

I'm afraid to ask who holds the title. Sorry for the edits, this is a really, really messy situation.


Title: 'Family' used my name and wants me to pay their bills

Question: Long story short, Someone (who I believe is my family) has used my identity in a state I used to live in at a hospital. I never once saw a bill, but now they're in collections (its two bills according to the collection co). When I told them it wasn't me, they told me to send in proof I wasnt in the state the bills are and to make a police report. Only thing, do I make it in the city I was living in at the time it happened? Or do I make it in the city my identity was being used? Any help is really appreciated.

Answer: You can make the police report in either or both locations. Also check your credit. Answer #2: I wonder if you can call the hospital and have them put a note in your file requiring ID or something.Answer #3: You shouldn’t have to file a police report. Dispute the debt in writing with proof that you did not live there. It is the creditors responsibility to prove you were. Send it certified mail so you have a paper trail.


Title: Sexual Harassment in the workplace

Question:
At my former workplace (restaurant) , I had worked there for 13 months. I, (23F) was a star employee, only called out maybe twice (this being the 3rd), and just a great, hard worker. There was a bartender there, who also managed one night a week. We will call him B. B(45ish M) was a great guy, a hippie, musician, bartender, manager. Naturally, we became friends at the workplace. This quickly progressed to him hugging me, saying "oh hello mija!" (I am spanish) and forcefully kissing me on the head every time I came to work, or left for home. Once he felt comfortable with this, he would whisper to me that if I was older, my boyfriend would have some trouble on his hands, also staring at me at work and whispering to me "i just wanna bite you right now" to the next shift I work with him saying ".....I still wanna bite you". It got too much, officially when he pinched and smacked my ass, on 2 different occasions.

I am very passive and do not want to cause tension at the work place so I nonchalantly brought it up to the FOH manager, who was upset about B treating me in such way, and wanted to bring it up to the GM. Prior to doing this, my FOH manager told me "between me and you, another coworker just said the same thing about B"...We talk with the GM(Thursday), they say they will handle it next time B works, which is Sunday, as the closing manager, coming in at 5 PM, same time as me, to close with him being my manager. The FOH and GM both confirm they will take care of it prior, no problem to worry.

&#x200B;

Sunday comes, no word. I am at the beach with a friend, getting her point of view, and decide I do not feel comfortable closing with B on the same day they are going to bring his behavior to his attention.  I text my manager at 12 PM, telling him so. He responds "do not worry, we wont bring up your name!" I tell him this does not ease me at all, as it is obvious B will know who its coming from. FOH manager says, "ok, we can just bring it up another day!" I respond, no because then B will continue the harassment tonight, I simply do not feel comfortable working tonight" He says I am not able to leave the staff short for this reason, I need to come to work, etc etc. I tell him people call out all the time on BS and this is a valid call out. He says "You cannot compare your situation to others" I put my foot down, do not go to work that night.

&#x200B;

I end up getting black out drunk after this, and end up in jail. I do not get out until 10 PM the following day, missing my double shift on Monday however, I had 2 people call in for me, explaining the situation. When I am released, I see I am no longer able to see my schedule, or staff, I have been banned from the app. Usually when this happens, someone has been fired. So I call in the next morning, GM answers. I explain the situation, and he says sarcastically "Oh we know what happened! We know what time you went to jail, what time you got out, what you went for, etc. it is all public record, we havent said anything to anyone but hey, it's all out there. Me and the FOH manager believe you were taking advantage of the situation, that you planned on calling out the whole time, and have decided to not move further with your employment"

&#x200B;

To me, this seems like a "great" opportunity for the to deter my sexual harassment case, and get the blood off their hands. However, I just do not feel like this is legal in any way! I have tried to contact one law firm, to which my situation got denied however i feel like i have a real case on my hands? Am I correct? Or am i SOL due to me getting drunk/getting arrested?

&#x200B;

Thanks guys.

Answer: You were fired because you no-showed twice, not because you alleged harrassment. They were in fact willing to and planning to address that. This nonsense however, they are choosing not to put up with for very good reason. Always try filing for unemployment, even if it'll get denied, and even appeal though that will be denied. Might as well try. You have no cause for a lawsuit, and your only course of action is to move on and find a new job.


Title: Woman rolled into to me and said I rear ended her... what do?

Question:
So a few months ago I was in the right turn lane at a red light waiting for traffic to pass. One car in front of me. As soon as traffic passes, instead of moving forward the car in front of me rolls back into my truck. Hits it very lightly and no damage on either vehicles, but I stop anyway. We get out and before “are you alright” can even escape my mouth she has ran to the back of my truck to take a picture of my license plate. Her response to the previous question, in about the nastiest tone of voice you can imagine: “well I don’t know yet, I haven’t been to the hospital yet”. Anyways she starts cussing me out, waving her arms around, distinctly remember her saying “I know your young but I’m about to teach you a lesson”. At this point I’m extremely rattled and kind of worried she’s about to pull a gun out so I get in my car and drive home.

So apparently she calls the cops right then and they tell her they can’t write a report because there isn’t any damage to the vehicle or any injuries. So she goes to her doctor the next day, gets a report that says she has whiplash and calls the cops back to get the police report.
When they called me down to the station to get my side of the story, I denied it ever happening and told the officer this was an insurance scam. I declined to make a statement. I was kind of hoping that by not acknowledging this ever happened, the state wouldn’t press the charges against me given how weak the evidence is.

However, I am now charged with leaving the scene of an accident and careless driving. I got my own discovery and as soon as I saw it, things kind of became clear. She’s also seeing her doctor for depression, ptsd, migraines, sleep apnea, premenstrual syndrome, adjustment disorder, partner relational problems, and anxiety. So basically this woman is fucking nuts.

So what should I do? One lawyer told me to take the deal which is horrible but keeps my license intact. (Basically they’ll drop the leaving the scene if I do 40 hours of community service, take full responsibility for the accident, do a driving class and all related fees.)

Another lawyer wanted 10k to go to trial. I wanna just go to the trial and defend myself because I’m innocent... but I don’t want to get this leaving the scene charge because then I lose my license. The conditions of an accident weren’t met at the time of the incident so I feel I’m pretty straight there and then it’s just whether or not the jury believes I drove carelessly or she’s a scammer. Seems pretty straight forward and I should be able to defend myself right? I make too much for a public defender but this will cost me my entire vacation money to hire a lawyer.

Answer:
 > I wanna just go to the trial and defend myself because I’m innocent

Except the thing is (and this is important), you're NOT innocent.  You absolutely DID leave the scene of an accident.  And the police have only one side of the story because you declined to make a statement.

The list of your poor decisions here is extensive.  You need to find a lawyer and listen to his or her advice on this.  If you try to DIY it, you will be much much worse off in the long run.


Title: H-1B worker threatens to sue our firm for money

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Well since you didn't perform step 3 of the appropriate termination pathway for an H1B employee, quite possibly.

You haven't performed all 3 steps of the bona fide termination policy so, yes, you haven't terminated your obligation under the Labor Condition Application.

Have a look at this https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/global-hr/pages/caution-terminating-h1b.aspx

You need a lawyer.


Title: (us-ok) My mother's husband was married in another state and didn't divorce previous wife. She's wanting to divorce but not sure if they're are even legally married now.

Question:
How would a divorce work, or are they even married?  Would he face charges for bigamy?

They have a house(she hopes to keep if possible).

He adopted my brother(still a minor but over age 12) when they got married. Is the adoption valid, and would she get child support from him or our biological father who is still alive?

They married about 10 years ago and he had married his first wife about 20 years ago, who also has remarried.

Mom say's he told her they got married in Vegas but didn't file.

So my mom looked it up through the court records site and it shows they did file it and were married.

My mom says she will talk to an attorney when she can but asked if I could help find more info about this situation, Thanks

Answer: Mom needs an attorney on this. If he didn't divorce his previous wife, then charges of bigamy and a marriage being invalid certainly apply.


Title: I know who stole my credit card info - what should I do now? (Wisconsin)

Question:
Hello!

Last night a cashier at a store in Wisconsin took a picture of my debit card or something and immediately went on an online spending spree after we left the store. I was able to get her name by looking at the store's social media and one of the online retailers confirmed that she used her name for shipping info.

I am getting ready to talk to the police, and I'm wondering what my civil options might be. She charged about $4k to my card before Chase shut the card down. All of the money has been recouped by Chase and a new debit card is on the way.

Any idea how I should proceed and what my options might be for a civil suit? Does the store that she works at have liability for an employee stealing from a customer?

Thanks!

Answer: You have no losses, so you have nothing to sue for in civil court.  However, you should file a police report so that they can investigate and take action.  They might not be interested unless you insist WRT the information you have on who did it.


Title: My landlord has given keys to my apartment to 7 other people to use the laundry.

Question:
I am renting a single-family single-story house with a basement. The basement has a laundry room in it. I am the only inhabitant right now if that matters (though my SO will be joining me here in December).

The landlord owns two other houses. One has 3 apartments and a laundry room. The other is a duplex with no laundry room. Previously the people who lived in both of those places all used the laundry room in the 3-apartment one which I believe had at least two washers and dryers. However there was recently a fire in the laundry room and the landlord is fixing it himself. He says it will take a long time to fix.

In the mean time he gave keys to 7 different people to my house so that they can go down into my basement and use the laundry machines that are there.   In fact I didn't even find out until I came home and heard someone down there. He's lucky he explained fast. I called the landlord and sure enough he says he gave keys to all his other residents "temporarily" but that he gave them explicit instructions to only go to the basement and no where else.  He says he has no other option because their leases say he is responsible for the washer and dryer for them to use, and he can't get their laundry room back in shape very fast, so he has no choice but have them use mine.

My lease doesn't say that I have exclusive use of the basement, but I thought it was implied, especially considering that to get to the basement you have to come in my entryway, through my living room, through my kitchen, through my back hall and then downstairs. To get to the laundry room you go through my office and family room. So that's someone walking all over my house basically.

The landlord says it will be "maybe 3 months to half a year" and can't give any more specifics.

What rights do I have? Am I screwed since the lease doesn't say he CAN'T do this?

If I DO have any rights how do I enforce them? Change the locks anyway?

Also I am in Iowa City, Iowa, if it matters.

Edit:  If it's not obvious I'm uncomfortable with this for a number of reasons. First of all because I like my privacy and don't want people walking through my house any time they want. Second because I own plenty of electronics and other valuables and I don't want to risk having them stolen (some of the people he gave keys to are not exactly upstanding citizens). In addition, 7 people doing laundry in my house starts to limit when I can use it myself - it has been 5 days so far and every single day when I have gotten home from work and gone to start a load, someone had laundry going.  So all of those reasons are why I feel this is inappropriate.

Answer:
 Whatever else you do: **Change your locks immedately.**

*7 completely strangers now have a copy of your house key*.  Even if they give them back to the landlord once this is resolved, how do you know they didn't make copies?  How do you know you won't come back from work two months from now to an empty house where the thieves backed a moving van into your drive way in broad daylight, unlocked the door with a key and took everything you own?  It's not that far fetched, with no sign of forced entry who is going to automatically call the police on a moving van?

Shit, I'd have trouble sleeping at night knowing keys to my house are just floating out there.  Even if they aren't involved themselves, who is to say they don't just sell your key and your address to someone for $500 with no question asked, for them to do with as they please, perferablable at a time when they have an alibi?

Giving a someone a key to your home isn't even something I'd do only with much consideration even for *friends* let alone *7 complete strangers*!  Many of whom you yourself said are 'not exactly upstanding citizens'.Answer #2: Iowa law professor (but, n.b., not a member of the iowa bar) here on a throwaway account, because I don't like reddit.

Iowa city is notorious for having terrible landlords, there's basically constant litigation.  Here's some stuff that might help:

legal aid has a primer on landlord-tenant law, here: http://www.iowalegalaid.org/resource/summary-of-iowa-landlord-and-tenant-law

this lawyer (who I've never met and can't vouch for) has a bunch of lawsuits going against numerous iowa city landlords, seems to be a pretty aggressive tenant advocate: http://www.ictenantsclassaction.com/


Title: FRAUDULENT DEBT COLLECTOR PRACTICES? CT

Question:
SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME ... DID THIS LOW-LIFE, BLOODSUCKING DEBT COLLECTOR/ATTORNEY  VIOLATE ANY CONNECTICUT LAWS?  Am I really powerless? The most recent letter arrived with Friday's mail but it was already too late to contact anyone.
I have 4/5 major issues with this whole ordeal. I've been in a state of panic all weekend and haven't slept, so ask me for clarity if you have trouble making sense of all this.
ERRORS (MAYBE FRAUDULENT CHARGES) ON BILL FROM ORTHO SURGEON (most charges were covered by health insurance)
ATTORNEY OF ORTHO SURGEON SUED ME FOR THE ENTIRE BILL (including amt covered by insurance)
I called him out on billing me for amount already paid by insurance and astronomical prices. I was not surprised that he called with an offer to settle out of court.
. LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT WE'D SETTLE OUT OF COURT
. ATTY WENT TO COURT KNOWING THAT MY ABSENCE WOULD RESULT IN JUDGMENT IN HIS FAVOR
. CASE WAS HEARD IN COURT AS SCHEDULED. I WAS ORDERED TO PAY $35.00 WK BEGINNING 1/15/2018
. BEFORE I EVEN HAD A CHANCE TO ABSORB ALL THIS, I RECEIVED ANOTHER NOTICE (ON FRIDAY NIGHT) A WEEK BEFORE 1ST PAYMENT IS DUE THAT THE ORTHO SURGEON PUT A LEIN ON MY HOUSE
Here are details if you’re interested:
3/3/2017 -- Visited w ortho surgeon (lump and pain in right hands).  He x-rayed, injected cortisone and provided me with a splint. I paid a dep. of $75.
***
3/16/2017 - I received EOB from Connecticare (health ins): Per EOB:
	Billed for:                                                        1,288.07
	Covered by CTcare:                                           827.59
            Amount Due from patient (me):                         459.82
 7/25/2017 - I received bill from Dr's office:       595.68
***
There were charges on that bill for two surgeries at $265.00 each. He did not perform anything that resembled surgery!  Everything else was legit, but the charges are obscene. I’m disputing it
***
8/10/2017 - I received letter from ortho surgeon's attorney demanding $1,413.07 -- THE ENTIRE BILL PLUS AN ADDITIONAL $100+.  As if the insurance hadn't covered it.  I was furious and left messages with both the atty and ortho -- no replies.
***
10/18/2017 -- notified of court date in small claims court on 12/19/2017.
***
11/30/2017 -- As instructed by court, I provided the court clerk and the attorney copies of all correspondence; the bill, the EOB, and a letter which clearly proves my case. Right?
I called him out on billing me for amount already paid by insurance and astronomical prices. I was not surprised that he called with an offer to settle out of court.
***
12/11/2017 -- VOICEMAIL from the Attorney with offer to settle the bill out-of-court (I have this VM saved) ***
12/15/2017 (4:52pm) LEFT VOICEMAIL with Atty that I was willing to settle. (call records saved) ***
Here is Thing #2:  I had no doubt that "out of court" meant that court date was off.  I didn't receive a "short calendar".  I thought I'd receive a call or notice regarding settlement.
***
12/19/2017ard in court as scheduled without my knowledge. My absence resulted in a "default judgment" to plaintiff (him)
***
12/29/2017 - received a notice from the court stating that I've been ordered to pay them $35.00 a week beginning.  ***Then on:
1/12/2018.   Letter from court: "Judgment Lien recorded against my house" But it is dated 1/9/2018 - A FULL WEEK BEFORE 1ST PAYMENT IS DUE**
I'm totally devastated.  I was fully expecting him to contact me about a settlement as it turns out, he lied to me to prevent me from showing at court.
***
I never thought that I'd be publicly complaining and considering a lawsuit (especially against a lawyer).  Really -- I don't like to go out of my way to make trouble for people but I won't be a pushover either. This is like a real-life nightmare!***
I'm almost considering suing for damages.  My husband and I endured some major hardships even before he was diagnosed with cancer. After his passing, I was inundated with bills and my credit rating was at rock bottom.
**
Been considering selling and moving to a decent little rental (maybe down south) in a couple years with a better credit rating.  But now, this is on public records.
***
Over the past year, I've been working hard to improve my credit and I'm proud to say that I was promoted to the “Fair” category.

AS FOR THE LIEN, I KNOW IT MEANS THEY GET EQUITY WHEN THE HOUSE SELLS (RIGHT?) BUT WHAT OTHER IMPLICATIONS COME WITH IT?

Answer:
 Making an offer to "settle out of court" is not a statement that the court date is off. Sounds like the lawyer did nothing wrong and you just misunderstood about the court date.

You should look into the rules of court for your state and see if there's a mechanism to set aside the default judgment or appeal. You may need to get your own lawyer for this.


Title: girlfriend drove drunk and her car is damaged; doesn't remember what happened.

Question:
Hey everybody,

My girlfriend recently went out and had a few too many whikseys.  She thought she caught an uber ride home - we're far away at the moment and when I talked to her the next morning, she was ready to go walk to her car.  She had a very specific memory of an uber driver helping her figure out where she lived.

Turns out that she did not.  She went back to get her car and found it gone.  Called crime check to see if anybody had found it.  As she walked home, she saw her car.  The right front end is smashed up (body damage only), and she has no idea what happened.  She drove home (doesn't remember leaving) and parked the car.  The uber driver she thought she had was someone who found her wandering the street, lost.

She is obviously freaking out.  I am too - I want to help her and don't know what advice to offer (Aside from the 'we need to discuss your drinking habits' conversation)  Does anybody have any guidance?

(for reference - WA, USA)

Answer: This isn't really a legal issue yet. If she's contacted by the police then she can get an attorney and follow their advice.


Title: What to wear to court

Question:
No legal advice needed just some advice from people who have been in or are regularly around courtrooms. I’m a male who is going to court for a couple things I won’t tell on here ( a misdemeanor and another petty crime that I seriously regret) I have never been to court before and I’m not really sure how I should present myself. I don’t have any nice clothes but willing to invest in some. I’m from Canada btw.
Edit: thanks for the advice everyone I truly appreciate it ,I actually wasn’t sure what to wear and I’m 100% sure my ripped jeans and plaid shirt wouldn’t fly there lol.

Answer: Acceptable attire varies widely across the country, but if you're wearing pants that aren't jeans and don't have holes in them, and a shirt without writing or pictures, you're probably ahead of the curve.


Title: If a drug deal goes bad and someone gets shot, what would you be charged with (if anything)?

Question:
What happens if you arrange a drug deal with someone, they show up with a gun instead of the drugs to try and rob you, and you have no choice but to kill them to save your own life? Would you get charged with anything, or would all the blame be on the dead guy?

>It appears you forgot to include your location

I didn't forget, I'm just looking for general information. If this kind of thing is legal in Texas but illegal in California then someone can mention it, or give some examples of where it would be legal / illegal, but I don't think the possible charges would be THAT different depending on the state. This is just a 'what if' cenario I was wondering about and wanted to throw it out to people who know more about the law than me.

Answer: This is common. You could be charged with murder or manslaughter and would have to prove self-defense.


Title: KY - Does you have to quit your job if someone with a DVO against you starts a new job too close to your job?

Question:
I have been working the same job now for 4+ years, in the same location the entire time. A girl I had never had relations with accused me of rape and during the ongoing pre-trial period, I have 1) An order of no-contact and 2) she got a DVO against me.

It's been 18 months since the order was put into place and I have just found out that she has started working at a business 250-350 ft from my place of employment. A simple google search has not yielded anything useful. Surely, there must be protections for the restrained against the restrainer? They can't just move in to the house next door and force you to move, can they?

Answer:
 Ask your lawyer.

I assume you have one based on the rape allegation

If not you need one.Answer #2: Generally a restraining order restrains both parties. You can't go near here but *she can't go near you either*.

There may be an exception for work.Answer #3: Do you believe she already knew where you work?

I agree, you need to run this by your lawyer *today*.


Title: [US] - Etsy Crafts Store Copyright Infringement (?)

Question:
My mom runs an etsy store that specializes in handmade jewlery/crafts and kits. Recently she posted [this image on her social media page](http://imgur.com/a/PF69I). The earrings below the red line are made by her and she is selling both the earrings themselves in addition to kits w/instructions+supplies to make those earrings. The bracelet that you see above the red line were made by someone else. In her post, she credits the maker of the bracelet for giving her the inspiration to make the flower pattern on the earrings.

A couple of days ago, my mother received a personal message from the maker of the bracelet requesting that the earring kits be taken off the etsy store on the basis of copyright infringement, though she mentioned that the earrings themselves can remain in the store. From my understanding, the maker of the bracelet sells kits/instructions on how to make the flower pattern bracelet. However, my mom simply saw the flower pattern and was able to "reverse-engineer" the pattern based on what she saw. My mom doesn't know if the method or materials she uses are the same as the original bracelet maker. My mom also doesn't know if the bracelet maker has an actual copyright.

So my questions are as follows: are instructions actually copyright protected? Is this copyright infringement? why/why not? if yes/no, how should she respond to the message?

EDIT1: Sorry for not mentioning, this is in MA

 EDIT2 (UPDATE): Mom sent a message trying to compromise. Other party filed a DMCA with Etsy. Currently debating whether to drop it or consult  a family friend who is a lawyer (not IP but better than nothing) and file a counter claim. Mom thinks she should just file a claim, though I am worried about this line

>I swear under penalty of perjury that I have a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled by mistake or because of misidentification of the material

hence why I want her to consult a lawyer. Though as most of you say, she's probably in the clear, but want to be 100% sure

Answer:
 Not a lawyer.

In the US, something generally has to actually be *copied*  for it to be a copyright infringement. Reverse engineering the bracelet pattern may count as something like [clean room design](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean_room_design). However, the bracelet is much simpler thanany things that are reverse engineered in this way, and it may count as a copy rather than as a reverse engineering.

I really doubt the bracelet maker would have much of a case. Many handmade jewelry patterns and techniques are very widely used, and without directly copying a very unique technique or style, your mother has probably done nothing legally wrong.

Etsy advice: Did the bracelet maker know about this before your mother put the earrings and kits up for sale? I know that she was credited, but I could see someone getting annoyed if "their" design was being copied and sold without their input. Regardless of whether the bracelet maker has a legal case, you should try to settle this amicably. Perhaps take down those earring kits and r place them with something that's made the same way, but with very differeny colors or bead shapes.

Even if the bracelet maker is being a little silly about all this and probably wouldn't win a lawsuit, you don't want her getting angry and calling out your mother on social media or something. That could actually damage her Etsy store quite a bit, and probably wouldn't be worth the fight.


Title: Signing an Animal Addendum but dont have an animal?

Question:
So cut me some slack here as I am a college student who has never signed a lease before but I have a question.

My lease is electronic and requires that I sign an animal addendum even though none of the residents in the apartment will have an animal. It has my name but it doesnt have any animal information entered in the box. At the top it says "to be completed only if an animal will occupy the dwelling unit", but it wont let me advance if i dont sign.

Here is part of the page https://imgur.com/D9EX98G

Answer: Call the office.


Title: Hostile workplace? GA

Question:
Worked in marketing for a nonprofit for 2 years.

Assistant to the CEO is the person I am having a problem with. She is more of an Admin. assistant, but not my assistant. She has been there 9 years, I think.

She hadn't been answering my emails and communicating with me. She would just straight ignore me so I asked for a sit down between her and her boss. She hasn't been openly hostile and I have never felt threatened but I know she doesn't like me because she always leaves when I enter a room.

Thinking I could problem solve I went to my boss to have a sit down with her.

She was quiet while I explained my problem with her and then ( I am going to try and quote it as much as possible) she was asked how she felt. She said this meeting was ridiculous and that she was ignoring me because my requests were ridiculous. She then said:

" I don't like you. You are like a black hole of emotion. I can't function around you or with you in a room because you kill anything but just depression. You are a terrible human being. I am not even talking about your work. I am talking about you in general. You have no redeeming qualities as a human being. It frightens me because I have never met anyone like that. I am disappointed in you as a person. I get physically sick around you. You make me want to die. Being in your presence kills me inside. I am less for having even looked at you. You speak and it is like this shrill cry of death. Being around you is like hell. I am dying inside and it is all your fault. I hate you."

Boss was a little shocked but he explained it as her going through a hard time right now. Plus, he mentioned she was a writer and was always slightly overdramatic. Told us to try and get along.

Then as we were leaving I tried to talk to her in her office. She stared blankly at me for a minute and then said

" I can't even be around you for twenty seconds without wanting to slit my wrist. Like I want to shoot myself in the face rather than have you stand here looking at me. I am dying inside. You are slowly killing me just by being near me. I don't know what is wrong with you but it is something. I can't... I can't even. You suck the life out of a room. I am dead inside. I can't."

I said at this point, " What if BOSS fired you because of this?"

And she said, " I hope he does. I will beg him to if that means having to be around you for another year. Because I am slowing dying inside. Because of you. You are like this...thing. I can't explain it. I hope he fires me before I jump out that window. Because you make me want to. I'm dying. You are slowly killing my whole life. I'm this close to smashing my head into the desk repeatedly. Can you not stand close because it is just sucking the life out of me? Can you go to your office? Can you leave me alone and just step back? Because you are slowly killing me.  "

Then she slowly closed the door to her office.

I am considering going to HR but I don't know how to approach this as an office problem. I don't feel threatened by her but I can't do my work and if I can't do my work, then I am going to get fired.

I just don't feel really safe there. Could I not do something about her? Legally?

Answer: There is no law against a coworker not liking you.


Title: Accused of being a school shooter, what should I do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 If anyone, of any stripe, asks you anything about any of that, 1) you say you refuse to answer any questions, and if that person is a cop, 2) you want a lawyer immediately.

Remember, there should be only two phrases in your entire vocabulary:

"I refuse to answer any questions."

"I want a lawyer."


Title: [NE] Landlord is misinterpreting email and is assuming we are leaving; is advertising and showing apartment

Question:
So not sure where to start as there have been multiple problems with this particular landlord, but the latest exchange with the property manager has left me infuriated and I'm not sure what I can do.

The lease was started between my girlfriend, her dog, and the landlord, and her dog went to live with her mom when I moved in, so the lease changed from her and her dog to her and me on the lease.

4 days ago I sent an email asking for clarification on when our actual lease term was up, as I wasn't 100% sure it was up at the end of March or April. The email went as follows:

"Hi! Just wanted to ask if you could clarify for us when our lease date is up, is it at the end of March or April? I know it's in that time frame 😅"

I finally got a reply today, 4 days later, January 6th, that went as follows:

"Hi! Your lease ends on March 31. I will make a note that you already gave your notice and will plan to be vacated and have the unit cleaned by that date. Make sure to let me know your new address so I can get the deposit back to you.

I will also start advertising it asap, and hopefully start showings too. I will let you know the day before I show it though.

Thanks!"

I am furious. I know that tenants are required to give 30 day notice with intent to vacate, but to me there is absolutely no indication from my email that we intend to move. (We do, it's just hard finding an apartment with my girlfriend's dog breed)

I will give notice within the legally required timeline.

My biggest question is, if I reply back that my email was not an intent to vacate, can they still show the apartment with 24 hour notice? We have a camera installed so I would know if they did, but I'm really not comfortable with showing of the apartment this far out from the lease date (our apartment is a mess).
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: First of all stop being furious that won't help. What you have now is a miscomminication not a legal issue. Have you explained to her that you are NOT giving notice now and she misunderstood you?


Title: Can i be fired for using cane?

Question:
I don't know if I should post this here or elsewhere.

I work for a print office owned by national delivery company that has an arrow in its logo. I have a permanent injury that is leading to my need for a cane. Because I know HR will try to force me to go on disability, I won't be using my cane at work not for any reason.

My question is can I be fired if I'm seen on the street on my way to or from work using my cane while I'm wearing my very recognizable uniform? Or in street clothes? I'm kind of well-known and I know how my company gossips and I don't want this info getting back to HR if I can help it.

But it's getting to the point that I will no longer be able to walk unassisted when I'm not at work

Answer:
 They can't fire you for using a medically neccessary cane anywhere. You should request an ADA accommodation to use your cane at work even if you don't need it. Explain that you don't need it at work but might occasionally have a bad day that requires it.

Then, if they fire you for using a cane outside of work you can point to the disability they were aware of and speak to an employment attorney. I would bet that attorney smiles a lot in your meeting.


Title: Keeping the crazy ex at bay

Question:
My fiance and I just bought our first house. We both have a kid from a previous relationship and had one together. My fiance's ex is the problem. She's the mother to his daughter. She has been spiteful since we got together (4 yrs ago) and has steadly hated me. She's called DCF on me saying I've molested their daughter. Went to court saying im a raging drug addict. Shes tried to have her cousins "beat me up". Anything she can. We keep her at a long distance for obvious reasons.
There is a custody agreement in place; Every other week. But now that we have the house we want her for the summer and mom gets weekends. We dont want her to know our address as shes not rational or sane.

Can we legaly keep the address from her? Do we need proof to keep her from knowing?

Answer:
 > Can we legaly keep the address from her?

No, the court is not going to allow you to keep your address private. Even if you got a restraining order, she would need to know the address to stay away from.

She will know your new address as soon as you file for a change in the custody agreement. If she harasses you, contact the police.


Title: (NY) Landlord not returning deposit charging us for what I believe is "normal wear and tear"

Question:
Hey folks, so like the title says, I've been trying to get our security deposit back

First, per our lease, our land lords had a maximum of 30 days to return our deposits or send us a list of charges. It took them 2 and a half months, about 75 days of us reaching out to them. They then finally send us a bs list of damages that I believe is normal wear and tear. The apartment was left pretty clean. It was pretty much a blank slate. Compared to the tenants below us who destroyed the apartment, we left ours in great condition.

Below I will list the "charges" and their responses.

Drain clean out kitchen and bathroom- "The bathroom drains were clogged and we're draining slow. Cleaning crews had trouble cleaning out the tub and we had to get the drains cleared. They were filled with hair"

Kitchen bath cleanup- "we hired a cleaning crew, in the condition it was in we could not have people move in"

Living room orbital cleaning- "we needed to do an orbital buff on the living room for the ground in dirt"

Living room patching - "the walls opposite the TV had scrapes on them and had to be patched and sand down"

Oven ring replacement- "Oven rings were removed and replaced"

Replace radiator covers- "There's were a few covers thay were damaged, most likely from furniture movement"

Tile repair kitchen- "There's were a few cracked tiles"

Alot of these stem from basic apartment wear and tear. We didn't break stuff, we just lived in the place.

We paid almost $2000 deposit and are currently being offered almost $500 back...

Answer:
 Basically nothing you describe is "normal wear and tear".  Wear and tear covers things which are:

a) Not cleaning-related and,

b) The inevitable result of use.

So wear patterns in a carpet are wear and tear.  Stains are not.  Sun-fading in wall paint is, scuff marks or dings are not.  Drains slowly getting rusty *might* be wear and tear.  Being filled with hair is not.


Title: Police arrested wrong person, now being faced with prison time for resisting arrest.

Question:
This is going to be a long one, so bear with me…

Around the time my brother was 17, he was molested multiple times by a man in our (at the time) cult of a church, and my parents kicked him out of the house for not complying with these psychotic rules that were placed by the cult. He had nowhere to go, and no one to help him. So, he wasn’t in a very good head space, obviously, and ended up addicted to Xanax in only a few months. One night, while he was super high, he broke into a few cars and stole some random things out of them. He doesn’t remember really any of it, but he ended up trying to settle everything out of court. All was well, and nobody was going to press legal charges (We lived in the hood at the time, so people understand around here). This event also acted as his wake up call, and he got completely clean that next month (he’s almost six years clean now). Fast forward three, yes, THREE FULL YEARS after this incident, and a squad of police come into his work and tell him he’s under arrest. We was broke at the time and couldn’t afford a lawyer, so he got a public defender and got the book thrown at him. He landed himself a felony charge for Grand Theft in a plea agreement. We both knew he shouldn’t have taken the deal, but the judge seemed pretty determined to ruin his life for some reason. He ended up doing three months in jail and two years probation on house arrest.

Everything was going fine for a year and a half on house arrest. No problems, no complications, no breaking parole. He ended up moving into an apartment with his girlfriend and some of his buddies, and was doing much better. Then one night, They all hear their upstairs neighbors fighting. Like, really fighting. One of the other neighbors must have called the cops because a few minutes later, there were five police cars outside. Cody didn’t want to be a part of anything, so he started walking outside (his ankle monitor allows him to walk to the trash bins and such) so the police wouldn’t question him.

As he was walking, a police officer yelled at him to stop come back. Cody told yelled back that they are looking for the guy upstairs and he wants to be left alone. The officer kept approaching and told him to stop, but Cody kept walking, telling him he didn’t want to be involved. Then, the officer, without warning, pulled out his taser, electrocuted him and tackled him to the ground. He asked for his name, but Cody only responded with “figure it out”. He told me that he was scared that if he gave him his name, is was a direct ticket to jail. He never fought any of the officers, the most he did was wriggle of the floor because he had multiple screaming cops on top of him. The police ended up getting the actual wife-beating neighbor, but they also took Cody to jail for “resisting arrest” even though he wasn’t the guy they were looking for and, as far as I know, was completely in his legal right to not talk to the officer.

He had court the other day, and they arrested him and took him to jail. He called yesterday and told us that they are going to charge him as a felon with resisting arrest and give him three years in prison. And to top it all off, his court date is set for May 16, so just a month away. He straight up told me that if he gets sentenced for the full three years, he is going to kill himself. And I believe him. We have seen each other through some pretty rough spots growing up, but I have never seen him sound so empty.

Guys, I honestly have no idea what the fuck to do. I have no idea how this can be legal to do to someone. Cody was a mentally and emotionally fucked up kid who made a mistake when he was barely 18 and has done everything he can to make it right for five years. Then, a shitty cop can come in and ruin everything by being too fucking angry and trigger happy. I can’t lose my brother guys. He’s one of the only positive things I have in my life, and I just don’t know what to do.

Answer:
 His decision not to stop and identify himself to the cop, while on probation subsequent to a felony conviction, did a lot to put him in harm's way. I understand his reasoning, but he would have been much better off confirming his identity or staying in his unit. Too late now, though.

At this point, he needs a lawyer. Either the PD that defended his original charges, or a new attorney (whether a public defender or a private attorney with your help). Going by your narrative, it sounds like he may not have resisted arrest, but he should also be concerned that he may have violated his probation, which will see him in jail just the same.


Title: A question about the age of majority.

Question: My girlfriend lives in Alabama, when she turns 18 she will not be considered an adult in Alabama, but if she were to go to Georgia (or any other sane state) where it is 18, would she be considered an adult?

Answer:
 If you're talking about traditional "age of majority," i.e., when a person becomes a legal adult, children are bound by their state of origin. They can't simply cross state lines and become a legal adult.

If you're talking about the age of consent, what matters is the law in the state you are currently located. Though it's also worth noting that it's a federal crime to transport a minor across state lines for the purpose of having sex.


Title: Need advice on how to buy video game IP from my business partner and make it legal. (California -U.S.A)

Question:
I've worked for over a year on developing a video game with one other individual. Due to complicated circumstances, my partner is no longer interested in continuing development now. We have reached an agreement about him selling his rights to the last year of his work. I do not trust my partner anymore and would like to ensure that the agreement we make will stand up legally. This is the first time I've ever had to write a legally binding document like this and I'm unsure what to do to make the agreement correctly.

Is what I'm trying to do legal? If so, what do I need to know to make this agreement solid. Additionally, I am expecting to be told to talk to a lawyer and I'm unsure how to find a lawyer that could help me with this issue, any advice?

Thanks in advance, this is a wonderful subreddit.
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 You really need an attorney. It shouldn't cost more than a few hundred dollars. Any contract you write or find online isn't going to cut it, and we can't do it for you.

Go to your state bar website and look for a nearby lawyer that specializes in Intellectual Property (IP) or general business law.


Title: Medical marijuana and probation

Question:
r/Michigents
Medical marijuana and probation
u/Govegansmokeyourgr
Hi everybody!

Unfortunately, I am in a little situation right now.

Several years ago I was diagnosed with PTSD. Along with it comes severe anxiety and depression, and along with most PTSD diagnoses, came the prescription medication. I was on a few different antidepressants, but they had some really negative side effects-basically I wasn't myself anymore. And then I found cannabis-I began self medicating and the results were absolutely incredible. I had been struggling with anxiety for as long as I could remember and the amount that cannabis has helped with, I can't even put into words. So unfortunately, a few months ago I was arrested in Michigan for possession, as I stupidly did not have my medical card yet. I had a couple court dates, where my court appointed attorney recommend that I get my medical card here in IL so I could continue treating my PTSD, which I did so now my card should be arriving any day. Michigan is a medical state too and PTSD as also a qualifying condition. My last court date was a few weeks ago, where I was put on 6 months of non-reporting probation, and I will have to take a drug class/test in July-the judge said that I can't consume cannabis during my probation even though I have legitimate medical status. I really feel like my court appointed attorney let me down in my case, as one of my most basic things (my medicine) is now being compromised. I want to file an appeal so I can utilize my medical card. Like I said, cannabis has been essential in treating me and I am terrified to go back on prescription drugs. Has anybody experienced anything similar? What would be a good first step to take?

Thank you so much!

Answer: I'm not sure you're going to have much luck. First, you chose probation. Probation is the voluntarily choice of a defendant to give up constitutional freedoms, like the right to consume legal substance, in exchange for a lesser sentence. You could have taken your conviction or taken you chances at trial if you plead guilty but you chose to forgo that by taking probation, which comes with it's on set of rules. Second, appeals take time. You're likely going to be done with probation by the time your appeal is even considered.


Title: [CA] Friend destroyed my phone and refuses to pay me what I need to replace it

Question: Quite recently, I was at the beach with my friend and unbeknownst to me, they’d brought my phone into the ocean. Nothing too bad, just ankle deep. However, they proceeded to drop it in the water and didn’t retrieve it for \~10 seconds. Result? It was completely destroyed. I thought it was reasonable for them to pay for the replacement, as 100&#37; of the reason it broke was because of them. She’d offered to hold my phone when we were in the sand (at least 100 ft away from the water) but for reasons I don’t understand, she decided to bring it into the ocean, where it subsequently broke. Anyway, I do my best to pursue the cheapest option to replace that same relatively old phone model and it comes out to around $200 or so. They’ve been willing to pay about half but they don’t think they have to pay the full amount. Do I have recourse here (likely through small claims), or is it a waste of my time to try and get the rest of the money?

Answer: You can go through small claims but they probably won't be your friend anymore


Title: Maid found some weed chocolate and ate the whole bar. She then went to the hospital after because she was too high. How do I protect myself?

Question:
6 months ago a maid who cleans the apartments of many in my complex approached me to clean mine as well. Shes and old lady and does great work so we pay her cash without any sort of paper trail. Recently she stumbled on some "special" chocolate that was laying out in my roommates room and got sick. She had to go to the hospital (because she ate the whole bar) and could not work for a week. She just knocked on the door and asked a bunch of baity questions and I noticed her phone was on- like it was recording- in her shirt pocket. I didn't admit to anything, but now I think shes trying to set up a case. What should I do and how can I protect myself and the roommate? Does she even have a case?

In los Angeles

edit-additional Info:
The roommate does not have a license. The chocolate bar was labeled as a marijuana chocolate bar.
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer:
 California is a two-party consent state.  She may have committed a crime by attempting to record you.Answer #2: Interesting scenario.

She would not have much of a claim for stealing & ingesting someone else's legally owned medicine/drugs. I can't really see her going to the DA with that one, either. (Hope it's legal, if not, you might get a not-too-friendly visitor.)

In either case, it's worthwhile for your roommate to contact an attorney just to queue it up, in case things go badly.


Title: My alma mater in Virginia is holding my B.S. degree over an "alcohol violation" that I was not a participant in. They are requiring me to do community service and attend substance abuse recovery meetings, despite me having no involvement in the violation. Is this legal, or can I pursue legal action?

Answer:
 >Is this legal?

Probably. But you need to give more information about the alcohol violation. Were the police or courts involved? Were you somewhere that alcohol was being served against school rules, or to those under 21? Were you under 21? Were you arrested? Were you ticketed? Is this a case of "constructive possession"?

Or was this incident a party that happened while you were in another city, that you truly had zero participation in?Answer #2: A dry campus and your dorm room had booze in it. Seems like you were correctly written up. If the BA degree is important to you, you should probably do the community service.Answer #3: Totally depends on the details - basically, if you violated a rule in the student handbook/code of conduct policy (or whatever they might call it), then they can legally withhold your diploma. If you think they've made the judgement in error, you will need to appeal to their internal structure and get some details on what exactly they are accusing you of. From there, you can either sue or comply as you wish.


Title: Quick Pre-Nup question

Question:
Hey everyone.  I am looking into pre-nups for marriage since I am now engaged.  I come from a background FULL of divorces that ruined lives and families, so I always convinced myself to have a pre-nup no matter what.  I adore my soon to be wife, and never expect anything to come between us, but things happen and people change so rationally I know I need to just get one.

How do they work, and is there an average cost?  I live in southeastern USA.

My fiance and I have a rather big income gap (25k vs 120k)

I need something basic
1.  finances stay separate throughout marriage
2.  house stays mine (and I always make all of the payments).
3.  No alimony in the event of infidelity or other at fault situations.
4.  Pre-arranged child share for visitation
5.  Pre-arranged child support financial stuff (I disagree with the current way the system works, where one person pays the other a huge chunk of money and gets no say in how it is spent.  I want to have a bit more control in the event of supporting my children with an ex-wife.  This is to ensure the money is spent on their quality of life, and not general bills or a lifestyle that is unnecessary).

Anyone got any generalized quotes, advice, things to consider, or anything that might help me out?  We are getting married in 7 months.  Currently there are no kids, but I hope to have some in the next year or two.

Answer:
 Pre-nups are designed to handle mostly financial issues.  Certain aspects of separating finances and your house situation are very common.

Alimony is trickier, some states do not allow waiving alimony, but  that can vary.

As to visitation and child support, those issues *generally* can't and/or won't be covered in a pre-nup. Again, this can vary state by state but those issues will almost exclusively be decided during the divorce process.

You'll each need to hire your own attorneys to go through this process. However, I can't really give you an idea as to a cost. You should each schedule a few consultations and work with the attorneys you like the most whose fees are reasonable. It should not be prohibitively expensive.

e: accidentally a word


Title: (Georgia, US) Apartment burnt down, lost everything. No renters insurance.

Question: A buddy of mine didn't have renters insurance  (not required in GA) but his neighbor started a fire in the apartment next door and it burned both of them down. Without insurance he's unsure he will have anything to get back, but does he have grounds to sue (and win) for something like this?

Answer:
 The neighbor's own renter's insurance may pay for their liabilities related to damage to neighboring units.   Your buddy may be able to make a "third party claim" directly to that insurer.

If the neighbor was also uninsured, then your buddy would have to sue, win, and collect from someone whose home was just destroyed by fire.


Title: Advice on how I should handle someone that might be sending illegal packages to my property.

Question:
Hey guys. I'm wondering if someone can help me with this. I have an apartment in another state that currently no one resides in. There's an individual whose not my friend, or close at all to me that knows I'm currently not living in that apartment. He's recently been asking me very suspicious questions like "when you getting back?"

Today he just asked me (through Snapchat if that matters) if packages I receive in my apartment go to my P.O. Box or are placed outside of my apartment. I asked why he needed to know this information and advised him to not send anything to my apartment. He then asked if he can use my PO box, assured me that packages were "safe", and that he would quote "hook me up". I told him not to even get close to my apartment. I'm afraid that he still might choose to do so, what can I do? Should I contact authorities? I just want to not get in any legal issues, and want to be safe in the process of doing so.

Edit: the apartment is in the state of PA, I'm currently residing in the state of Florida.

Answer:
 Aside from telling your "friend" not to send anything to any of your addresses by mail, and telling him that you will give any suspicious looking packages that you receive to the police, there is nothing that you can do to stop him from having packages mailed to your addresses.

Submit a mail forwarding order for your unoccupied apartment to the USPS so that any mail sent there will be forwarded to your current address - that way you will know what is being sent to your unoccupied apartment (at least anything sent by the USPS - I don't know if there is a similar procedure for other shippers, like UPS, FedEx, Amazon, etcetera).  Also let your friend know that this you will get any mail sent to this address (due to the forwarding) and again let him know that you will bring any suspicious looking packages to the police.Answer #2: If you want to bust him, this is one of the few cases on this sub where USPIS might actually help.

He’s ordering drugs, maybe from the darknet I dunno.

Fuck him because he’s using you as a cover for ordering drugs, and there’s a non zero chance that you would be charged for these drugs instead of him.

Contact the US Postal Inspectors.  They care about drugs in the mail.


Title: Just got power of attorney over my elderly father, but he's signed destructive contracts prior to this. Is there anything I can do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 "Power of attorney over him" doesn't really mean anything. "Power of attorney" means you have the right do to his business as if you were him, but doesn't remove that right from him. He can STILL enter contracts even now.

You might have to look into conservatorship. You might also need to consider some sort of competency determination.

As for contracts already signed, you're probably going to need a lawyer.


Title: My friend is trying to get back custody for his daughter.

Question:
I'm asking this for my friend because he won't do a damn thing for the situation he's in. Recently, my friend, call him Adam, had a (surprise) child with his at-the-time, call her Eve. He ended up proposing to her before having the child, but the wedding date was never set. They end up having the kid and within a few months they broke up (rather explosively) and Eve took the child with her. Adam has been having trouble not only being able to see his daughter (even in public places) and but also take care of her. Their daughter is almost a year old now. Eve has also filed for a restraining order which got overturned by Adam. She says that Adam is violent and his marijuana smoking causes him to not be an adequate father. Both Adam and Eve have a lot of friends on their side, meaning Eve has a lot that say Adam is violent and a bad father and Adam has many that say the opposite. What could either of us do to get back rights to her?

This is in Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America

Answer: if adam won't do anything then it's none of your business to interfere, nor will you have cause or standing to do so.


Title: [Virginia] Is arguing with my manager Gross Misconduct?

Question:
Edit: to clarify, the Gross Misconduct question is related to the hearing I have next week with the unemployment agency. If this is considered Gross Misconduct, I won't get unemployment benefits, which is what I'm primarily worried about.

I had a job that was primarily focused on entering information into databases in an FDA controlled environment. The day before I was fired, I received an email request to change a certain bit of information, which I did. It was a moment of bad decision making and I immediately knew I shouldn't have, because the request didn't include the proper documentation. I was about to change it back, but my manager had been remotely monitoring me and was already at my desk, being very aggressive and pounding the side of her hand against her palm, asking me questions like did I even know what my job was.

This was in full view of all my coworkers.

I am very bad in situations like this and my two responses are to either start crying or literally bite down on my tongue and just nod yes or no. I even offered to change it back (this was no way a permanent change) and she said not to, insinuating but not outright saying I had made the bad decision and now I had to live with it.

The next day I was called into a meeting with her and her supervisor, in which she accused me of being belligerent. I said I couldn't have been belligerent because I was staying as calm as possible and saying as little as possible.

Her supervisor started to say, "Maybe when [manager] was trying to help you --" and i cut her off and said, "She wasn't helping me! She was belittling me! She was pounding her hands together in my face!" My tone of voice quite upset, and the "in my face" part was a bit of an exaggeration, but as soon as I said that, she said, "Ok, you're fired then."

Is is gross misconduct? This is normal behavior from my manager by the way.

Answer: Are you asking about for unemployment? If so, a single incident of yelling in a meeting doesn't rise to that and will not disqualify you.  Your employer would need to show a pattern of disruptive behavior/insubordination and that you had been warned. Getting upset at somebody in a meeting isn't enough.


Title: I'm a student (19) on F1 visa from Malaysia, how many cigarettes can I bring into the US without paying fees?

Question:
Cigarette prices in Malaysia is cheaper (rm15~usd3 per pack) than in the US so I was wondering what the limit was to bring into the US.

Also, is it possible to bring duty free or cheap cigarettes (contraband i think due to duty not paid, costs rm4~usd1 per pack, illegal to smoke these in Malaysia but most do it anyways) into the US without having to pay anything.

If there is anything to pay what is it called (for research) also how much would I have to pay?

Answer: You can bring 200 cigarettes into the country. [Here](https://www.ttb.gov/applications/pdf/tax_and_fee_rate.pdf) are the fees for anything in excess of that.


Title: Friends car was keyed while it was street-parked. He knows who it was, but he doesn't have proof it was her. She also threatened him about leaving his car there again.

Question:
My roommate came out to his street-parked car this morning to go to work and found that it was keyed. While he was inspecting the damage, one of our neighbors came out from her house and yelled "have fun leaving your car there tonight." She also said that she had been "saving the spot for her mom." I should note that I wasn't there at the time, so there could be more she said.

He's planning on calling the cops tonight after he gets home from work, but I was hoping reddit could provide us with some advice on how best to approach this.

He doesn't have proof that it was her, although it clearly was based on her behavior. Will that be enough for the cops to take action? Can he do more since she also threatened him about leaving his car there again?

Located in MA

Answer:
 >She also threatened him about leaving his car there again.

Juicy.

Get a camera and leave the car in that spot again. If she's dumb enough to burst out of her house to taunt him then she's surely dumb enough to do this again. Answer #2: Make the police report, at least your friend will have something in the system and he can make an insurance claim if he wants. Maybe consider get a parking dashcam. Answer #3: Unless she is stupid enough to confess if the cops call, they will just open a file and that's it. She didn't even confess to your friend, she was just a douche about it. As others have said you need cameras on the car and to catch her in the act.


Title: Sibling's therapist betrayed my secrets

Question:
Essentially wondering how far patient confidentiality reaches. I don't plan on suing, but I'm worried about it.
Sibling is in therapy for depression and told the man that i have depressive episodes where i harm myself. Sibling found out through an unfortunate episode. Therapist then turned and told our parents about it, something I would never wish.
Sibling being a minor I don't know how what he says stays private or not but am I correct in thinking that the therapist should not have mentioned me and my episodes to people who didn't know? Am I protected by the law?

This is in Australia btw.
Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer:
 The therapist has a duty to disclose information such as this.

No you are not.

Go see them.


Title: Am I legally required to receive mail?

Question:
USA, NYS.

I was wondering if I'm legally required to receive mail. Let's say I never want to receive any mail ever again. I assume I should just be able to remove my mailbox then go to my local post office and request to no longer have any mail delivered to my address.

Would it be this easy, or is there is a specific process for this?

In addition to this, is it possible to request to receive no mail but still receive packages?

Also, I'm aware this seems like I'm making a Seinfeld joke, but this is a serious question.

Answer: No, but there is a legal presumption in some cases that putting stuff in the mail means it was delivered. You will also lack any defenses when stuff happens to you when you deliberately avoid the mailAnswer #2: There’s a whole body of law that deals with this. Service of process. The short answer is that the govt can’t force you to accept mail. But if you don’t, life falls apart. No utilities will serve you, no banks will open you accounts. No one will ever lend you money. And yet the govt can still serve you via personal or notice process. So no, you don’t have to accept mail if you want to be a vagrant.


Title: I was recently sexually assaulted while both parties were under the influence and trespassing property

Question:
This Saturday I went with a group of friends to a small park by our houses. We ended up smoking weed and a few of my friends ended up drinking (we are all under age). We also ended up going to a local church and my friends suggest we break in. I of course said no and stayed back with two other friends (both male and almost 18).

After about 30 minutes we got bored and went back to the park. They ended up smoking more and I told them I wanted to go home. They both physically forced me to stay and what happened was what I believe to be me being sexually assaulted. I ended up staying with my friend group to walk me home.

I have no idea what to do or how to pursue legal action.

Answer: If you want to report, you call the police.


Title: "Dog at large" in Virginia

Question:
I live in rural area. My yard is 1 acre fully fenced. The other day someone was walking their dog in front of my house and my dog jumped my fence (first time he got over the fence) and bit her dog. There were only minor injuries to her dog (no surgery or stiches) but she is pursuing "dog at large" which is a class 4 misdemeanor in VA with a max fine of $250.

Just wondering what my chances are given that she was walking either on my property or the road in front of it and my dog was in my fenced yard. I have no witnesses for if she was walking on my property or not. Am I SOL and just have to pay the fine? Can I contact her and ask her to drop the charges if I settle out of court?

Thanks

Answer:
 Once your dog jumped the fence, he was a “dog at large”. There’s no way around that.

She cannot drop the charges. Only the local prosecutor can do that. This is a criminal matter, not civil. Answer #2: Dog jumping the fence sounds like a dog at large. Answer #3: It's not up to her to drop them. It's the state's case because it's a criminal matter.


Title: Is my job adding housing cost to our paycheck and making below minimum wage legal?

Question: I live in Washington state, where if you make tips your employer still must pay you minimum wage. My job provides housing and adds the value to our paycheck and uses this to justify paying us $7.21 an hour. Is this legal?

Answer:
 Housing is a benefit, not part of your wages. Your employer may not count the value of your housing against your wages when ensuring that they meet minimum wage laws.

File a wage complaint with the [Employment Standards Office](http://www.lni.wa.gov/Main/ContactInfo/WorkplaceRights/default.asp) if your employer continues paying below minimum wage.


Title: [Poland] Rented a flat with 2 flatmates and they didn't pay their share on the electricity bill. Now the company sends me to trial

Question:
Location: Poland

Hello,

It is the first time that I come around this subreddit and I would be very grateful to get some insight about my situation. I hope this post respects the rules of the place as well.

Three years ago I rented a flat with two other persons in Cracow (Poland, this might be relevant) which rent was divided between the monthly payment to the owner plus 1/3 of the expenses in electricity and gas by person.

There were some issues with those flatmates, who fled back to their countries having paid only the part belonging to the owner, leaving the 2/3 of the electricity bill unpaid.

Since I was the first tenant, we changed the papers of the contract with the electrical company at the beginning in order to be the new adresee of their letters (previous one was the previous tenant), so looks like now the electrical company comes after me to get their money back.

Me I paid my share of the contract (rent to the owner plus my fraction of electricity bills). Does this mean I will be obliged to cover the 2/3 of the electricity?

I happen to have all the documents that prove my payments, as well as the copy of the contract the flat I rented. What would be my changes in a trial face to face with the electrical company?

In a situation like this, could I make the rent contract prevail in the dispute?

I could provide more details by PM if necessary but I would be happy to see what to expect from now on or what routes I might take.

Thank you

Answer: If the account was in your name you owe the entire bill. The utility company doesn't care and doesn't have to care about any arrangements you made with roommates.


Title: Dentist office lied about insurance coverage and then raised the price of a procedure after I made my copay. Now they want me to pay in full what the insurance company denied.

Question: Located in Texas. As title says, dentist office gave me a quote back in February for a service that I had back on September 11. I payed my part ($350) in full and I was told my insurance would cover 50% as agreed back in February. This week I got a letter stating that my insurance denied the claim on the 24th with the price of the procedure going from ~~$750~~ $700 to $1,014.97 on the same day with me owing the denied difference in full, $664.97. I know it’s my responsibility to know and double check my benefits and exclusions, but are they allowed to raise the price like that a month later on the same day the claim got denied?

Answer:
 $700 was the total amount paid to the dentist including Your out of pocket cost and what is paid by the insurance company. That amount is set by the insurance company if the claim is covered. If not, actual cash price will be higher. Dentists, medical doctors, pharmacies make very little profit if any at all when insurance companies set the pricing. Since your claim was denied you have to pay the actual price the dentist charges. You could possibly ask for a discount.

I am Not a lawyer. But Work in health care.


Title: My Work Wrote Up Every Employee in the Store

Question:
So first off, I live in California, which is an at-will state so I don’t think there’s anything I can do about this but I’m gonna ask Reddit anyway because maybe there’s someone I can contact through my work that can help.

To get to the point, today two department supervisors took it upon themselves to write up every single employee in my store (I work at Home Depot). And apparently they stopped giving physical copies of write ups and it’s all going to be through the computer now through an app called “My WorkDay” so we don’t even have the option to sign a write up now, they’re just left on our personal account for us to review.

Their reasoning for writing up everyone was that “we have observed everyone having non-work related conversations at work at some point last year” so even if you had this conversation in January 2019, you were still written up. Because of this, many people were fired because this would be their final write up. Others will only have to be late by a minute one more time to get fired because of this write up. Lucky for me, I’ve never been written up before and I’ve never been late to work the two years I worked here. Still, this really stressed me out and obviously upset me and many others. The manager of the store is new and is terrible but that’s another story. I feel like they only did this so they would have a reason to fire people and hire new people for less since many who lost their jobs are transfers who make up to $4 more than everyone else. I don’t know, anyone have any advice at all or are we fucked because this is California?

Answer:
 > are we fucked because this is California?

California has some of the strictest worker protections in the country. All state (except Montana) are at-will. That said, none of this sounds illegal, unless it's a surreptitious means of firing people 40 or older.Answer #2: there’s nothing legally preventing them from doing this. even in california, which has the most restrictive worker protection laws out there.

that said, i’m sure HR and corporate would not like this very muchAnswer #3: write ups are a matter of company policy. you don't have to be given a copy, or sign them. thats more an issue if you claim unemployment and they dispute it saying you were fired for cause.

i agree with the other user that says to talk to someone outside the store like a district hr or company hotline as practical advice.Answer #4: Sounds like maybe an end run around WARN Act provisions to me.  I guess it comes down to whether or not the site is still running at current staffing levels in the future, or if this was a first step in down sizing or shuttering the facility.

As of today there isnt anything you can do.  But if the place shuts down or there is a significant reduction in staff then you may have some recourse in the future.Answer #5: They didn't even need to do that to fire you. Like every state but Montana, California is an at will state. They can fire you for anything that isn't a legal category of discrimination or retaliation. Being paid more is not one.

It's a shitty workplace going downhill fast it sounds like but there's nothing illegal about that either.


Title: DUI Entrapment?

Question:
I just sent this little email to my attorney for a DUI case. You'll get the gist from it but a little background -- I wasn't driving recklessly, didn't crash into anything, wasn't falling over drunk or anything like that. I was pulled over because I didn't left turn into the immediate left lane in a very strange and dangerous, atypical intersection in my town.

The night before the traffic stop, after *insert bar name* had closed, I was in my car making out with a girl in one of the parking spots directly in front of the bar. After some time --  a flashlight and a knock at my window. I opened the door and got out. A police officer said, "The windows are fogged up, the car's shaking, don't you have a better place to do this? You have to leave here." I said, "I agree, sorry" and walked her to her car.

My night had not turned out as planned. I paid my tab long before actually leaving and was pressured to stay by said girl (because she had put herself in a bad situation with another patron at the bar). I do not drink and drive or frequent bars, and I didn't want to that night either. At this point in the story, though, I find myself stranded with the police command that, "you have to leave." I was panicked and embarrassed and it was late and very cold out.

Knowing I had to leave I (stupidly) attempted to drive myself out of the situation. I noticed a car with police-model lights following me soon after leaving the parking spot on main street. The same car follows me across town to the stop at Towanda and Rowe -- and the officer who stopped me is (you guessed it) the same officer that just told me to leave, minutes earlier, from downtown *town name*. I don't know if it's a big deal or not I just found it interesting that he made no mention of just seeing me downtown during the stop, and made no mention of the prior incident in the police report.

It would stand to reason that if he so quickly thought I was intoxicated during the traffic stop, that he also would have thought so when I stood before him, outside of *bar name*, at 0130 hours, making out with another drunk girl in my car. Although I was not involved in any illegal activity (just kissing), he made us leave, pressuring me to drive drunk, following me to the other side of town before pulling me over while playing ignorant of having just told me to leave my parking spot minutes earlier. I have no idea of whether any of this is legally sound, but it sounds like borderline entrapment.

Answer:
 This is certainly a novel situation, but it's almost assuredely not entrapment.

First, he didn't order you to drive.  He ordered you to stop what you were doing, and to leave the area.  That doesn't have to be by driving.

Second, entrapment requires a lack of predisposition.  That means that you have to do something you had no plans to do.  The fact that you were behind the wheel **and** that you had no alternative indicates that you planned to drive drunk.

Third, the officer is not required to prevent you from committing a crime.  There's no issue with him waiting until you're DUI before stopping you.
Answer #2: Please see the wiki for a great comic that defines entrapment. (Wiki is to the right of the new tab)Answer #3: Not even close to entrapment. Telling you to leave the area does not mean, "Drive you car home while you're drunk." You could have called a cab or even a friend to pick you up. Also, from your comment that you stopped over the line at a stop sign, it sounds like the officer had at least reasonable suspicion to pull you over.

You may be able to get a wet reckless plea (or something similar depending on what jurisdiction you're in) if your BAC is around 0.08. It really depends on where you are, but none of the facts you've mentioned helps you get a lighter sentence.Answer #4: I bet he could articulate why he stopped you, i.e. weaving or other erratic behavior.


Title: Overprotective parents? How do I deal with them

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If you're under 18, you need to just suck it up and deal with it. If you're over 18, move out.


Title: Letting roommate stay with us rent free, he won't leave what do?

Question:
Ok, so my wife and I are letting a friend of ours stay with us rent free for awhile.  He just got out of the military and was going to school nearby.

Things happened and he wound up not completing the program and got into a depressed funk.  He didn't get a job, never leaves the room and he just sleeps and smokes weed all day.

It's been several months and nothing has changed.  We gave him a hard date to move out, that day came and went and he's still here and nothing has changed and he gave us a sob story that unfortunately we bought.

I'm almost certain he isn't going to leave.  What options do we have now?

Am I correct in that he's now a tenant  (even if he isn't on the lease), so if we want him gone we have to serve a formal eviction notice and give him 30 days?  Is that correct?

EDIT: I live in Medford, Oregon

Answer:
 Yes, he has gained rights as a tenant.

What state are you in? eviction proceedings vary from state to state. Generally, you'll be able to give him a notice to pay or quit, at which point you can then begin the eviction process.


Title: I keep getting called by scammers and I want to scare them by saying I will sue them.

Question:
Hello. I live in Canada and I have gotten three calls this week from a fake tax revenue agency telling me to call them back or a arrest warrant will be put on me. I have blocked the numbers but I keep getting the calls so I want to call them back pretending to be a lawyer of a client wanting to sue the fake agency.

&#x200B;

any tips, advice or legal speak I should know so I can really try and scare them into not not calling me.

Answer: Nothing you say to them will matter they won't stop.


Title: Police busted into my apartment. What do?

Question:
Ok, so I had a bit of a situation this evening. I went out to a local bar earlier this evening and when I returned I found several cop cars and ambulances in the parking lot of my apartment building. I had a sneaking suspicion what it might be for and that it concerns me and my apartment, but I choose to ignore the situation entirely and just return to my place, locking the door behind me.

I live at the top of a 3 floor apartment complex. Apparently, my toilet had clogged and caused the two apartments below me to flood from the ceiling. My initial suspicion turned out to be correct. Before I had left the for the bar, I took a dump, flushed the toilet, but never actually checked to make sure it went down.

Anyways, the cops come to my door and begin knocking on it very loudly.  I figure they are there because of the flooding but refuse to answer because I have some *personal belongings* that I would prefer they do not find.

Since I refused to acknowledge their knocking, the cops decided to bust down the door.  Right before they were about to enter my apartment, I opened the door, stepped outside and closed it behind me.

At this point, I am scared half to death and thinking to myself to speak as little as possible and under no circumstances to consent to their entry.  They, on the other hand, are now quite pissed off and starting to become suspicious.

There were around 5-10 cops and firefighters outside of my door that began to ask me all sorts of questions. Initially, the most  I was able to get out was, "this is where I live" and "I do not consent to  a search."

They began to question me further and stated, "we are here because the apartments below you are flooding" to which I responded, "Shouldn't they be sending the maintenance men instead of the cops?"  They didn't seem to like my little quip and I decided once again to shut my mouth.

After some back and forth, one of the cops said something about, "obstructing an investigation."  He then proceeded to tell me to stand against the wall and decided to enter my place despite my protests. After a minute or so, they asked me to come in and show them my ID. I complied, they asked a few more questions regarding my toilet overflowing and finally left.

It seems like the coast is clear, but I'm still paranoid. Did I make the right move by ignoring their knocking and refusing entry?  Do I have that right considering I'm only renting and don't actually own the apartment?  Should I be worried that they will be monitoring my place now and possibly looking to obtain a search warrant?  What do I tell my landlord in the morning about the door?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer:
 This story stinks to high heaven.

No one has a suspicion that they flooded apartments because they "didn't check" whether their shit was flushed.  That is entirely unrelated to flooding.

And yes, in an on-going emergency situation the police absolutely have the right (even the duty) to enter apartments.

You should not have refused their entry.

That said, they likely don't give a shit about your drug stash.  But just in case, clean up your place, and don't have anything illegal in your apartment or car.  (A generally good life policy, but particularly when you've just spent time pissing off people who already had to deal with flooded sewer water.)


Title: Comapny will not accomodate disability

Question:
Hey everyone, I'm looking for some advice for my girlfriend. I want the company to remain anonymous for now, so I will be slightly vague. Here's the situation:

My girlfriend is a Chemistry major in a small college. She is a senior and has been one of the most involved chemistry students in the department.

Recently she had been accepted to an internship  dealing with water quality chemistry.  She would have been working full time for about 6 months, and was willing to relocte to do so.

However, she has low vision. She can still see, but her doctor has not permitted her to drive. Occasionally, she uses a cane to help her navigate an unfamiliar or dark area. At no point has this stopped her from being one of the best students at her university.

During the interview, she was told that she was the top candidate for her position, and she was ecstatic when she was accepted. It should be noted that at no point was she ever told during the interview that her responsibilities would include driving.

Because she is blind, she needed to fill out paperwork for her reasonable accomodations. In her letter, she mentioned that she could not drive herself to work and that she would need to use her cane on occasion. She was willing to use the local bus service everyday to get to work, even though it would have cost her $14 a day.

She went over her accomodations with an "abilities manager" in the company, who seemed very uninformed about this kind of situation. The manager sent her requests to HR and chemistry department of the company.

Yesterday she recieved a call from HR. The man who called her reviewed her requests. She was told that it was unreasonable to hire a driver ( which she did not request) and that she could not lift 50 pounds if she needs a cane (wrong kind of cane). Furthermore, she was told that she needs to drive a company vehicle, which the interviewers did not say. During her interview, she asked a lot of questions about the job, and driving was never mentioned.

The driving part does not interfere with her ability to do the chemiatry. She tried to explain that she could do many different aspects of the job, but the HR rep already had another candiidate lined up. She was not gven the opportunity to discuss possible accommodations for this with the department managers.

We are very confused as to what happened. Decisions were made without her input. We are getting the impression that they did not even try. This would have been her dream job and she is devastated. I can't stand to see her like this. She would like to get the position back if possible. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Answer:
 If driving is part of the job and she can't drive then they aren't denying her a reasonable accommodation.Answer #2: If the job requires driving, and she cannot drive, there's nothing you can do.  They don't need to tell her during the interview that the job requires driving, so it doesn't matter that they didn't.

I'm sorry that your girlfriend has to deal with this disappointment, but based on what you've written I really don't see anything actionable.


Title: Company wants part of pension settlement back, 3 years later - California

Question:
Live in California. A friend of mine got a letter stating the company wanted to offer a lump sum of 110,00 to buy out his pension.  He took the lump sum rather than the payouts later. Now 3 years later they are stating that they overpaid him 25,000 and he needs to pay that back. He had been asking for more info, got none and now he has a collection agency threatening to garnish his wages. Can they really expect payback after the agreement was finalized? Also its been 3 years  and was unemployed so that money is gone.
Thanks

Answer:
 The first step in case of a bogus demand to repay debts from a collections agency is to ask for a validation of the debt.

This will a) give you more time to gather information and b) might solve the situation in case the settlement offer and received money are the same.

As others have said, look for the statue of limitations. Overpayment on the payroll (wages) have a 2 year SOL, not sure about this kind of case. Answer #2: The first thing your friend should do is read the papers regarding the settlement in detail. That may provide the key as to if it is a done deal or if there was an error. Answer #3: Did they overpay him, or did they pay him what was agreed to?

Any collection agency has to have a judgement in order to garnish wages. Smarter people will come in and tell you how to C&D this mess.Answer #4: He needs to ask for verification of the debt. Then go back and see exactly how much he was paid and cross reference that with his settlement agreement.


Title: What to do with Viral Video

Question:
Hello Everyone, If this is not the right place to post this please let me know.

Sunday afternoon I posted a video on Twitter that has gone viral - currently sitting at 4.5 million views- 95.3k RT's and 322K Likes.

Someone (claiming to be) from DailyMail reached out and asked for my permission to share the video - I said they could use it for $150.00 thinking they would tell me to pound sand. However they agreed and said I need to send them an invoice including my  routing and account number as well as address and email address. Should I do this?

They have a phone number and email address that seem legit. Just not sure what to do. How can i verify that this (and potential future requests) are legit?

Answer: Don’t do it. Whenever a company asks to use a viral video, it’s sketchy. They will pay you but they will make it extremely difficult. Don’t bother


Title: Police officer parked in my driveway (personal vehicle) LOS ANGELES, CA

Question:
So, this police officer lives near me and parked on the street, but his truck is hitting my driveway, do I have any recourse? It's saturday and the city is closed until monday but from the picture attached (https://i.imgur.com/4zYCVqr.jpg) he is over my driveway, I can still get out (he is the truck I am the honda) he is on the left of this photo, can I call a tow truck to have his car removed?

edit: I called triple A to check out the situation they sent a tow truck, that scared him and he moved his truck. Triple A said they could tow his truck and bill him.
https://imgur.com/ebSqlAm

Answer: I'm confused about the picture, did you park in front of your driveway, or was it just for the pic? If you park in front, blocking your driveway that is illegal as well. Source, I missed that question on the DMV test (only one I missed!) and it irks me to this day. Answer #2: You can call the police but based on your picture he's barely past the curb into your driveway. Cop or not I doubt anyone is towing his car. Answer #3: Call a tow and tell them it’s blocking your driveway. They will tow it. Tow companies are open.


Title: Felony for kratom?

Question: Is it in any way possible to receive a felony charge for kratom? Specifically Alabama. I would call local lawyers, but I forgot it is Sunday.

Answer: Alabama is one of the states where you can be charged with a felony for possession of kratom


Title: Can I be charged for stalking?

Question:
I am under 18. I have msged this one person(also currently under 18) 4-5 times on seperate occasions through various social media sites over the course of the last 3-4 years. Each time the conversations last for at most 1 hour, she tells me to never msg her again and feels very unconfortable and unsafe during the conversation. She also blocks me on that account. I have never made any threats to her,only simply asking her to talk to me. We live in different cities in california. I have not interacted with her in real life during this time period.

So can I be charged for stalking?
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: Yeah... Leave her alone.


Title: Reimbursement for Court fees

Question:
I work for an appliance repair company and this guy submitted a request for service on the 12th of May (I spoke to him and he said he would call back), got the repair done on the 25th (had someone else schedule his visit) and then recently attempted to sue, he put a claim into the courts and was attempting to claim almost a $1000 in damages.

He reports the claims were dropped but wants to reimbursed for the court fees.

Is he an asshole? He's a major asshole right?

Answer: Yes, but more importantly, don’t believe him about dropping the case until you see an order from the court that says so.  That’s a classic scam to get a default judgment.  Answer his complaint and follow all court orders until the court says it’s over.


Title: [Florida, USA] A company sent me the wrong item. Is this considered an unsolicited good and am I allowed to keep it?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You are obligated to return it, and I think you know that.


Title: Believe someone is trying to claim the apartment building I live in through Adverse Possession

Question:
I'm in NYC living at 555 Rainbow street.
For the past 3 years the tenants living in the building have been maintaining the property as the Landlord has gone ghost.

The city has provided assistance when were not able to and there are multiple leans on the property. The lawyer representing the bank that was placing the building in foreclosure stated that everything is currently at a standstill because they have not received the go ahead from the bank.

On two different occasions individuals have entered the apartment building, claiming to be the new owners of the building without any proof or documentation. Turns out they were lying.

Last week two gentleman arrived at the building and changed the locks on the two doors to enter the apartment building.(I was not home) They provided keys to the tenants and claimed they are the new owners of the building, under 555 Rainbow street Housing LLC.

I changed the locks back and the gentleman returned yesterday morning. I asked them to provide documentation, they provided a letter with a glaringly **copied notary stamp** stating they purchased the building from the previous owner.

I called the cops, they said the copied notary stamp was sufficient documentation, and had the locks changed back.

I called the lawyer representing the bank, she said the building has not been sold and anyone who says so is lying.

The gentleman are now demanding rent from the Tenants, but have not stated how much the rent is or shown any indication or knowledge of how much rent each tenant had been paying previously.

One of the Tenants has said we should have the first right to co-op the apartments in the building. We have an official Tenant's Association with a Tax ID number that has been active throughout 2016.

I am of the opinion that this is another scam.
What is our best recourse of action?
Topic:
Removed - PII

Answer:
 This is not legal advice, but did any of your neighbors see who changed the locks?  If it was a locksmith from a reputable company they would have required proof of ownership before doing the job. This doesn't help you if they changed it themselves, but if they saw a pop a lock van then its more probable that they do have some sort of paperwork. Answer #2: First: there is no 555 Rainbow street in NYC - I went to look up the owner and history to help out, so let's just operate under the assumption they filed a fraudulent deed.

This is a thing in NYC:

* http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/nyc-homes-swiped-wave-deed-fraud-schemes-article-1.2516815
* http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/02/22/dirty-deeds-theft/
* http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/nyregion/real-estate-shell-companies-scheme-to-defraud-owners-out-of-their-homes.html?_r=0

I could go on for days.

There is a hotline to report deed fraud, and apparently the DA cares about this right now:
http://www1.nyc.gov/site/finance/sheriff-courts/sheriff-tax-evasion-deed-fraud.page