Title: [KS] I killed my neighbor's cat on purpose (or so it looks).

Answer: You could be charged with animal cruelty you sick f*ck.


Title: Who legally owns concert tickets?

Question:
I know tickets are not an object that can be own, but rather a license/agreement between two parties. But for the sake of simplicity I titled it as such.

Tickets to a music festival went on sale a while ago and are currently in the process of shipping to the purchasers. The terms and conditions state that the tickets will only be shipped once and after that the original purchaser will have to pick them up at will call. It states only the original purchaser can pick them up. However, the ticketing company has been sending the wrong tickets to people and other people's tickets have been getting lost in the mail. But some of the people who purchased the tickets are now no longer able to go for whatever reason, and some of the people may have purchased tickets using someone else's card (parents, grandparents, whomever.) Since they can not authorize someone else to pick up these tickets they basically lost $400+ per ticket. Do they have any legal rights and are they able to file a charge back through their bank? Since they originally wanted their tickets shipped to their house but they were lost, stolen, received the wrong tickets, etc.

In addition to this, the company is saying they consider the "original purchaser" as the person whose name the tickets are under and not the person whose card was used. If the original card holder paid for the tickets and are not receiving the service they paid for can they file a charge back? Help would be appreciated!

Edit: the music festival is taking place in California, however the people who are having this problem can be from anywhere really.

Answer: No, you can't get your money back for your Coachella tickets.  The rules were posted, you ignored them.  They're in place to stop ticket resellers and scalpers from hoarding tickets.


Title: [NETHERLANDS] This could harm my future and I'm nervous

Question:
To start, I am a 21 year old international student currently studying in The Netherlands. I signed up to this gym, Basic Fit, in 2016 (around April) and then cancelled it before the 15th of June the same year due to the contract running the whole year, and we have months of summer so I would be unable to attend. I went in to the office to cancel my contract, and realised toward the middle of June that they had still been charging my account.
It was a struggle to get them to refund me, and they partially refunded me and acknowledged my termination of contract as the 15th of July, 2016.

Proceeding this, they charged me yet again, and I never managed to get a refund on that although I had tried numerous times, but was in a different continent and could not make easy contact. I was contacted again by the gym in March of 2017 claiming that I owed them around 70euros. I replied stating that I no longer was a member of their gym, and had not been since the incident of June/July 2016 due to the fact that I was not pleased with their service. I received no reply and assumed that was that.
I have now apparently missed my court date with them, yet had no indication of a court appearance. They now want me to pay over 500 euros, and if I do not then they will come to my residence and take some of my things. I can apparently no longer fight this because the court date came and went (without my knowing) and the court will not offer me legal aid due to the sum being too low. I am a scholarship student and thus cannot afford an appeal because the lawyer fees would be more than the actual settlement.

I am currently doing two BSc's and my career is extremely important to me. I am scared that this will go on my record (even though I am not guilty at all and have email proof of everything) and ruin my future prospects. I am curious if any of you could please help me with this situation?
Thank you for your time, and sorry if the reading isn't smooth, I'm a little rattled.

Answer:
 At this point you are not dealing with basic fit any more. You are likely dealing with a "gerechtsdeurwaarder" who acts on behalf of basic fit.

Gerechtsdeurwaarders are often open to payment plans. (The fact that they seem to be already at the stage of removal of goods tells me that you probably recieved a couple more letters that have gone unanswered).

This is just a civil procedure so nothing that would go on your criminal record.


Title: In Illinois, is a divorced parent allowed to claim child support if their home is not the primary residence?

Question: My wife is taking her child's father  to court for child support next week. Our daughter is nine and he has never paid child support before. In the initial custody agreement he was ordered to start paying child support as soon as he got a job, but he never did. Now my wife is taking him back to court to get him to pay his fair share. Today he called her and threatened that he has a lawyer and is going to make her pay child support since they have joint custody and we make more than him. Our home is her primary residence and he just has her every other weekend. Is this a possibility or is he just being a jerk like normal?

Answer:
 It's possibly just insanely unlikely. Every state does it differently but the gist is always the same: Basically they will take the two households income and figure out what percentage of that goes to/should go to care of the child (if combine incomes are lower than what state thinks a child is worth there can be problems, doesn't seem like the case here). Then you figure out the percentage of time each parent has the kid. Then you use that percentage to figure out how much from the joint "kid share" each parent should have in respect to how often they have the kid.

So its *possible* that you could have the kid for longer but still owe (honestly, it may not be possible. I got out of math to do law for a reason) but its unlikely. Cause fractions and percents.


Title: Reckless Driving in Virginia

Question:
I live in New York state, but a couple weeks ago I was attending a medical school interview in Virginia. On the way home, I was pulled over and given a ticket for doing 89 mph in a 70 mph zone and charged with reckless driving.

I recently got a new car, and this was my first big highway trip in it. As such I was still getting used to how my car felt at higher speeds, and coming from an area that is very flat, the hills were really messing with my fine speed control. I was clocked at the bottom of a hill that had a long, slow descent, and the incline was just enough for me to not realize that I was slowly accelerating.

Now I'm getting mail from law offices in Virginia saying that this is a misdemeanor and I'll have a permanent criminal record or even jail time. What should I do? Do I need a lawyer? Will I need to go back to Virginia to fight this?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 Ah the "I was incapable of operating the vehicle within the limits of the law" defense.

Get an attorney unless you want a criminal record.


Title: Tattoo of Magic art?

Question: Hey, I was just wondering. I wanted to get a tattoo of some art from Vincent Proce that was commissioned by Wizards of the Coast for Magic: The Gathering. Is there legal ramifications for that? Or do I need some kind of permission or something?

Answer:
 No one is going to hunt you down and try you make you pay royalties for reproducing something on your body. Answer #2: TLDR: Legally you need permission, common sense says you can just go ahead with it

Purely legally speaking tattoos like that are illegal. Any work of art is protected by copyright laws, and making a copy of it in any form or way (including 'with ink on a human') is an illegal reproduction, unless you got prior permission from whoever owns the rights to the artwork.

That being said, things like these are hardly ever enforced by the owner of the artwork. They too realize its free advertising for them. So you are most likely fine.Answer #3: I now have an image of a bunch of WotC employees going arounding asking "fire or blade" to anyone tattooed with their art.


Title: Did Child Support Enforcement Case coordinator commit contract fraud?

Question:
My son's mother and I have had a private child support agreement between us since he was born. There has never been any issue between us regarding that. Well my son and his mother receive Medicaid insurance. She was contacted and was told that since she is receiving child support from me, she would need to formalize our agreement (have it court ordered) in order to maintain her and my son's Medicaid (this is important to remember).

So we go to have our agreement formalized and while signing the agreement we are told when signing not to worry about reading through the entire agreement, it's all standard. We are told that everything is now good to go and Medicaid will remain in place.

I notice in the agreement that I receive in the mail a week later that the following language is in the contract: "I agree to provide health insurance coverage for my child(ren) when it is available at a reasonable cost. Reasonable cost is defined as employment related or other group health insurance. When insurance is available, I will provide health insurance policy information and written notice of any change in my health insurance status to Redacted*  County Child Support Agency. I agree that if I fail to maintain available health insurance coverage for my child(ren), I will be liable for any medical expenses incurred from failure to provide this coverage that would have been covered by medical insurance if it had been in force."

I decided to email our case coordinator to clarify as this contradicts what we were told when we signed the agreement. I receive the following response confirming again what we were previously told: "As far as insurance, because the child is on Medicaid the orders will have language that states that you are responsible for insurance should the child ever be taken off Medicaid.  IF that ever happens you and Ms. redacted will have the option of yourself carrying him OR Ms. redacted, it’s just how its spelled out."

Yesterday I received a letter from another case worker with CPE stating that our son is being taken off medicaid because my company offers private insurance. It's not that I have an issue with putting my son on my insurance it's the fact that he still technically qualifies for medicaid but now CPE is forcing it under what I believe to be false pretenses. We were lied to throughout the entire process.

I received an email today with the case worker apologizing for the misinformation and stating the contract language along with stating "The goal is to move the child off Medicaid if private insurance is available".

Now, I believe that we were misled into signing a child support agreement under false pretenses, were pressured into not reviewing the entirety of the agreement (particularly the part regarding medical insurance), we were lied to again (the response I received from the case coordinator in email) all with the intent to move our son off Medicaid. I believe the case coordinator committed contract fraud on behalf of the state. She clearly lied, I have proof that she lied, there was clear intent and motivation to lie and it would have affected the agreement if paying for health insurance was a part of it. From what I have read, it appears to be a felony that the case coordinator committed. Is this true?

Answer: No.  And the coordinator is correct.  If one of the parents can add the child to a group insurance plan, they aren't eligible for medicaid.  Medicaid is the insurance of last resort.  Answer #2: Lol hell no. You always have the option to read before you sign. The state won't provide for your child if you are able to do so.


Title: [MI] Dr orders random blood tests without informing me

Question:
Dear legaladvice,

Met with Dr and asked them for blood tests for cholesterol and testosterone. She said let's do them right now, and when I told her I already ate and the test might be thrown off by this, she said it'll be fine. For sake of comparing, she orders in December:

* Testosterone
* Lipid panel (cholesterol and a few others)
* Bioavailable testosterone
* Hemoglobin A1

Blood tests come back, they say I have the testosterone level of a preteen girl, and I proceed to have a midlife crisis (I'm a man in late 20s) until I remember testosterone levels are lowest after eating. Weeks later the nurse calls and says "hey, your doctor wants to redo your blood tests" and proceeded to schedule me to have my blood drawn again. Because I've had issues with the clinic doing the wrong blood test before, I specifically ask the nurse phlebotomist what she's going to do with it - she says "cholesterol and  mumble mumble" and I say to her "cholesterol and testosterone?" she says a resounding YES after which I tell her that I've had issues with them before and wanted to make sure the right tests are getting done.

I get the results back, and the tests done were:

* Testosterone (which was in mid-high range btw)
* Testosterone bioavailable (normal)
* Folicule stimulating hormone
* Luteinizing hormone
* Thyuroid stimulating hormone

and a bill for $700 worh of blood tests, $423 of which I did not know were going to be done, as the doctor's nurse just said they are going to redo my blood tests and the nurse that took my blood lied to my face.

I confirmed with the doctor's office that THE DOCTOR ORDERED ALL THOSE, insurance won't pay for them (have an HSA PPO with BCBS in Mi) I talked to the healthcare network billing department who said the doctor has to change my bill, and I talked to the doctor's office who sent me straight to the billing lady who tried telling me:

* Talk to my insurance and ask why they won't pay for them | my response: what does the insurance have to do with tests I didn't want
* The doctor wanted these tests done | I didn't talk to her about NEW tests, just redoing the old tests. NO ONE informed me of any new tests to be done
* "It would have to come from the network billing department" at which point I was tired of arguing with her, she said she'd talk to them and call me back.

It's been a week and I haven't heard back. I was firm and polite with her. I'm kind of at a loss here because I'm out a $423 bill which I don't want to pay because I have bigger medical expenses to take care of with my HSA, the billing lady is being so uncooperative she's lied to me once, and is hardly ever in the office.

Things I've thought of doing:

* Calling every day at the doctor's office until they do something.

* Threatening with small claims court

* Paying a lawyer to send them an off-putting letter

* Asking the doctor to change the diagnosis codes so maybe the insurance will partially cover the costs?

* Asking my insurance for guidance

* making another list

* Asking over at personalfinance

I'm asking here because I'm not even sure who to turn to anymore for some practical advice. So far with difficult situations, my previous doctor's office was willing to work with me but between this new office's billing woman and the incompetent doctor I've lost faith. Searching for similar issues all I came up with was "call the doctor's office billing dept and have it fixed".

Thank you for reading my post.

TL;DR: Doctor ignores my concern and has to repeat blood tests. The blood tests ordered were completely different and no one informed me beforehand, I'm on the hook for original tests and a new set which I had no idea about.

Answer:
 Those are all garden variety labs to diagnose low testosterone/hypogonadism.

You received the services, you owe for the services. If you don't like how your doctor operates, your recourse is to find a new one.


Title: [USA] Car accident, local Judge said in the judgment "someone saying sorry no longer means they are liable and at fault as it is a normal and instinctive human response." Is this right?

Question: I was brought up hearing that if you say "sorry" in a fender bender or any car accident scene, that means you have admitted fault.

Answer: I agree with the judge. If you are at all an empathetic person, it's a normal response to say sorry when an accident happens, especially if someone is hurt. That said, I wouldn't *recommend* saying sorry because it's certainly possible that not everyone will see it the same way.Answer #2: I have never heard of such a concept, and find it absurdly funny. I appologize when my friend gets let go, is it my fault? it's common human decency.


Title: what would be the legal ramifications of this? what would be the charges?

Answer:
 Squirting someone with a water gun would be considered assault (or battery) in almost any jurisdiction in the US. Doesn't mean you'd be charged, but you could be.Answer #2: You guys are overcomplicating this.  At best, it is assault.  No prosecutor will take the case to a trial though if it was a small amount of water from an obvious water gun.

The practical answer here is, under most circumstances, no legal ramifications.  At worst, the police will threaten to arrest if you don't stop.Answer #3: It's assault. If someone gets mad enough you're going to jail.

Also you're asking to get your teeth knocked out of your head.


Title: Help me with this drunk girl

Question:
Can I call the police to arrest someone on my residence and then not press charges. Girlfriend has a drunk friend going ballistic. We can not handle her. Police is my last resort but I do not want her too actually suffer legal penalty. She is very violent and won't stop yelling. Repeatedly striking people and attempting to destroy the apartment.

Thanks. Nothing in life prepared me for this

Answer: You don't legally have a right to tell the police to press charges or not. If you call the police, she will get arrested and may or may not be charged based on their decision. If you do not want her to suffer any legal consequences, then do not contact the police and handle it on your own.


Title: Need help regarding the usage of a Montgomery G.I. Bill

Question:
Hi all, I am a 17 year old living in North Carolina getting ready to go into college (also in North Carolina).

The fact that I am also preparing to go into debt for the next decade or two is pretty spooky. My grandfather has a montgomery G.I bill, but we're pretty sure he can't use it on me since I am not next of kin. He's also technically not related to me- he adopted my mother.

Speaking of my mother, she has been gone for about three years. I called the cops on her after 14 years of abuse from her and I haven't seen her since.

Is there a way that my grandfather could get custody of me due to some absentee parent law so I could use the G.I. bill? My grandfather is entirely convinced there's no way it could work, because he tried to sue for custody once before and it didn't work.

Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks!

Answer:
 Your grandfather almost certainly cannot use his benefits for you, as the GI Bill from before 9/11 did not transfer, and he would have to be your legal guardian.

The "good" news is that you can become independent for Federal Aid purposes, which increases the amount of federal loan you qualify for, and probably makes you eligible for Pell Grant.

Pop over to r/studentloans for more info.


Title: Got caught underaged gambling in Atlantic City. Seeking advice...

Question: I got caught gambling illegally at the Borgata casino in Atlantic City New Jersey last night. I’m only twenty years old and I got asked to show ID after being spotted playing a slot machine. After not producing one I was escorted to the back where they took in my info and called the local police to make sure I don’t have a warrant out for my arrest. After they let me go they informed me of a court hearing I’ll have to attend. I googled the consequences and found that there’s a minimum fine of $500 dollars and a 6 month drivers license suspension. I was wondering if maybe with a good lawyer is it possible to just be fined and not have my license suspended  for something that has nothing to do with a car or the road.

Answer:
 Hire a lawyer.

But the license revoking is a punishment. It's meant to make this experience unpleasant for you so you don't do it again. Like getting your Playstation taken away when you talked back to your parents. Answer #2: > have my license suspended for something that has nothing to do with a car or the road.

Driving is a privilege granted by the state. The state can remove that privilege for a variety of things. Including this.

Contact an attorney. Listen to said attorney. Answer #3: Getting an attorney is never a bad idea. The reason they take your license away is because it's supposed to be an incentive not to do it. Answer #4: An attorney might be able to convince the prosecutor to rewrite the charge to a lesser offense that doesn't suspend your license, but don't count on it. Just because your license is suspended doesn't mean there isn't alternatives that would allow you to drive legally, like a provisional license or a route-restricted license. An attorney will be able to help you navigate the best option for you.


Title: [CA] Parents took and sold my car and won’t tell Me who to. What’s the best step to take from now.

Question:
First some background. I no longer get along with either of my parents. I won’t go more into it than it’s not reconcilable because of serious abuse. I bought a car when I was sixteen and still living with them, and they believe that makes it theirs. Title and everything was originally in my mother’s name but was transferred into my name for three years now. It is mine and only my car. When the family split my parents tried to call in what they called Debts of A Minor which they tried to convince me was a legal term saying if I took my support away from them then they had the right to recall all money involved in raising me.

I went away for two weeks in September and left my car with my brother who I still get on well with. He is still in contact with my parents. They visited him a couple of times while I was away and on the last visit they stole the keys to the car from him and drove off with it. My brother told me immediately and I said I’d deal with it when I got back (it happened a few days before I was to get back). I went to my parents to get my car and they said they’d sold it and the $8000 they sold it for was to go towards Debts of a Minor and they informed me I now have *only* about $180k to go before I’ve paid them off.

I called the police immediately to report it stolen and they seemed to prefer to listen to my parents who said the title was in their name. I have title in my name however. Advice from the police was to work it out between ourselves. Useless.

So where I’m stuck now is I have no car, I have no keys to it, it’s out there somewhere and my parents refuse to tell me where it is. It’s my car and I can prove it. Who do I prove it to in order to have it retrieved? Are the police right in that I have to beg the people who took my car (my parents) to give it back? Is this a job for a lawyer or court or escalating it with police? I’ve never had to deal with the legal system before.

Answer:
 Ok, So Cal police officer here with some advice.  The original officers may have not taken a report because nobody could show proof of ownership.  They would have called it a "civil dispute" and advised to provide proof of ownership. I know, some of us are lazy and don't like paperwork, but without proof we can't take a report.  We can and do get in trouble for falsifying a police report.

If you check with DMV, who does it say the car is/was registered to?  Is the registration only in your name or is one of your parents still on the reg?  Bring all documents related to your ownership of the vehicle to your police station.  If what you describe happened is 100% accurate (not saying it isn't), then there may be several crimes against you that were committed. Going to a station would be better because you could actually speak to a detective to get it worked out

I will say that disputes of this nature between family members and ownership of property toe a very fine line between being crimes and civil matters.  What police agency serves your area?


Title: Photographer took a picture of my dog without my consent, and I found it later online with water marks all over

Question:
So I take my dog to the dog park every weekend. This weekend there was a photographer there taking pictures of everyone's dog. I saw her take a few pics of my dog while we were there. I dont really care that she did, my dog is beautiful.

It really rubbed me the wrong way though when I found those pictures on facebook with water marks covering the entire photo. I never gave her permission, I certainly never signed anything, and now shes claiming this photo of my dog as her property.

I'm not going to say or do anything about this, but I'm just wondering if I'm justified in feeling this way. That's my dog, and I feel like she shouldn't water mark all over the pictures (I understand one or two so people know it's your work).

Thanks for the advise!

Answer:
 > I never gave her permission, I certainly never signed anything, and now shes claiming this photo of my dog as her property.

Yes, because it *is* her property. She is the copyright holder.


Title: Expired tabs results in k9 and officer search of vehicle

Question: [deleted]

Answer: The police officers did nothing illegal, so you have no grounds to pursue legal action.


Title: Restaurant taking tips after increase in minimum wage.

Question:
Hi, so here's a quick question for you guys.  I work in a sushi restaurant and I make minimum wage plus tips, with a fairly large tip out. (Have to tip out sushi chefs).

My tip out is essentially half my tips.  Now most serves make less than minimum wage plus tips so there is that difference from other restaurants.

Now this year and last year when the minimum wage was raised, my restaurant had increased the tip out and pocketed the extra money to compensate for the hike in minimum wage.  Is that legal?  I work in Colorado (the money they are taking goes to the owner/restaurant not to the employees).  They raised the tip out just enough to cancel out the minimum wage increase.

Oh this is on top of the fact that they raised food prices so I honestly believe they are using it as an excuse to take more money from the servers when they don't really need to.

Thanks so much in advance!

Answer: Restaurant can't legally take any tip money. The tips must go to tipped employees. There is some leeway as to how it's divided between tipped employees.


Title: I'm confused on my background checks...

Question:
I was informed that I don't need to put down the fact I was convicted of a felony. I did 2 years probation with no problems, got off and was free. I apply to jobs, I get called back for second interviews and they say they will run a background check then tell me when I can start. I thought it was adjudicated, I'm not sure now because I keep failing to get a job. Is there a way to quickly find out what's going on? Thanks for any replies.

EDIT: I am currently in Oh, the charges are from Fl.

Also thank you all for the replies so fast, every time I have questions on here, whether it be some small issue or one like this you guys respond super quick and it's extremely helpful!

EDIT 2: Dude! it says Adjudication withheld! https://vweb1.brevardclerk.us/facts/d_name_search.cfm?RequestTimeout=1000 Final Disp. says adjudication withheld. So I can put no! Still weird I got called for a second interview and offered the job then never called back. But that's ok with me now, you guys seriously helped me so much, it's cool to finally have this clarification.

Answer:
 > I was informed that I don't need to put down the fact I was convicted of a felony.

This sounds as if you were granted some sort of deferred adjudication or something similar.  If so, that would generally mean that you weren't convicted, so you could answer "no" to a question about conviction.

However, your record would still show the arrest and charge, which might be an issue.


Title: [CA] My ex-wife gave birth to a baby (who’s not mine) and gave him my last name. Is this legal?

Question:
I \[50M\] divorced my ex-wife (who’s 37 now) six years ago. We were married for two and a half years. She had a lot of emotional issues (BPD and the like), a highly dysfunctional extended family and near the end of our marriage, she started abusing drugs and to my knowledge still is. I was quite happy to get out of that marriage and soon found a wonderful woman who I’ve been married to ever since. I moved to a new city and have had barely any contact with my ex (who lives about 30-40 minutes from me) since.

My ex never remarried, but held on to my last name. While we were married she launched a lot of advertising as an independent contractor, all of it under her married name, and I guess thought it would be best for business/marketing to keep her name the same even after the divorce. My last name, just for some background, is a very distinct and uncommon one in the United States. Under ten people in the entire country share it, and they’re all descended from my paternal grandfather who immigrated here in the late 20’s.

I recently found out that through an old friend my ex-wife gave birth to a baby boy a couple of months ago. They sent me a couple pictures of the baby she posted on her Facebook. In the photo captions, I was shocked to see that the baby has my surname, even though I have zero connection (biological or legal) to him.

I Facebook stalked my ex a little bit, and found that there’s no father in the picture. Presumably there’s no father listed on the birth certificate, so I guess she figured she’d just pass on her current surname (mine) to the baby. When I sent her a message about this, she said that it makes things way, way more convenient for mother and child to share the same last name.

I do not approve of my last name being attached to a child I did not create without my consent. I feel *extremely* violated by this. Not to sound like an asshole, but I don’t have insanely high hopes for this kid in terms of a future, being raised by a BPD druggie mom, crazy extended family and no dad. I don’t want some loser or screwup bearing my (very distinct) surname and possibly being mistaken as my son.

I have a huge amount of regard for my family, my roots and my last name. Many, many great people came out of my grandfather’s (a notable World War II vet) line who have been a great asset to their communities and country, and who have earned us a fine reputation. I don’t appreciate my ex’s crazy family being able to use our surname and flush our hard-earned reputation down the toilet. She can give the kid her maiden name or the last name of the guy who knocked her up. But *not* my name.

Are there any steps I can take to make her change the baby’s last name, being that I have no connection to him and that she never received my consent to pass on my last name to him? How would I do this?

Answer:
 When you married her she took on your name- it’s now her name too.
She didn’t give her child your surname , she gave him her surname .

Ps you do sound like an asshole.Answer #2: Of course it is not illegal for a woman to give her child her last name. It’s exceptionally vain that you think her ensuring their names match has something, anything to do with you.Answer #3: I am no legal expert but I do not see any standing for you. People can name their babies pretty much anything. If she wanted to name him your full legal name she has the right to do that. Just because somebody has the same last name as you does not mean you have any connection to them. It is just a name. Best I could see is you just asking if she could change it. If she says no then that is it.


Title: Ran from abusive relationship, need advice on cars

Question:
Was married for almost 6 years, been wanting a divorce since the start of this year. starting nursing school has made it difficult, and having two kids attached to him makes it even harder. In the end, last Wednesday he tried to kill me. I'm left with many bumps, bruises, busted eye, and more. Thankfully nothing broken.

He's in jail. I have the kids, i've moved in with my parents. I have things rolling. I no longer have a job. I am now living in the Dallas metropolitan area, and will have to commute.

My question: we have two cars, both in his name, they are both leases. I have the smaller car because, duh, better gas   lower payment etc. Question is will i be able to keep the car even if it's in his name? i don't want him claiming it's stolen and then having no car anymore. any advice is welcome. Thanks.
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: Stop making payments. Let the car be repod. It's not your problem. Get your own car. You don't want any unnecessary ties to him.Answer #2: If he's in jail, he's unable to make the lease payments. Sooner or later both cars will be repossessed. I'd start making arrangements to get a new car.


Title: Neigbor won't stop plowing his snow on my lawn!!! He plows every single snow flake on my lawn. We don't talk for about 3 years because I asked him once to stop tossing his wood dust on my lawn. I contacted the city and police. They said there were no legal guidelines

Answer:
 Get some large decorative rocks for the edge of your lawn.

Either that or erect a very expensive fence monitored by cameras. I don't recommend this second option.


Title: Find a lawyer you trust and go back to him no matter the issue. If he can't do it, he'll refer you to someone he trusts.

Question: Lawyers can get into big trouble for taking work in an area in which they are not competent. The lawyer who drew up your will isn't going to take your slip and fall case, but he probably knows a good lawyer who will.

Answer:
 Referral fees woop woop $$$$$Answer #2: I've done this twice with very bad results.  I've gone to lawyers who I knew well and trusted but who didn't deal in the area of law I needed and was looking for a referral.  They convinced me to keep it in their firm with either them, or a partner, handling it.   Both time it came out very bad.

Won't do it again as I try to live by the maxim: "*Never make the same mistake three times*" ;)


Title: [Boston, MA] Can I patent a rocket design, even if I do not have a full scale/functional prototype?

Question:
I'm not very well versed in law or how patents work, I believe I understand what I can paten, but just to be sure I am hoping someone here can help me, before I potentially waste time and money going to a lawyer.

I am wondering if I can patent a shape of a rocket, nothing more than how rockets, and potentially missiles, will be shaped.

Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer: Prototypes are not needed to file patents but can be helpful in the process. Good luck with the invention being non-obvious though. Answer #2: That sounds way too vague to patent.


Title: [OR] State is demanding $5479 in back taxes for a year that I never lived there.

Question:
So, I moved to Oregon in 2002, bought a house in 2004. Took a job in Washington in late 2010, rented out my house and lived in an apartment in Washington state until I returned in 2013 and moved back into my house. I have filed a state tax return for every year that I lived in OR for even part of the year. For 2011 and 2012, I did not file a state return because Washington has no state income tax.

About two months ago, I received a letter from OR Dept of Revenue stating that I may owe back taxes for 2011. I contacted them immediately by email and supplied them with some basic info per their request, including a copy of my 2011 federal return which listed my address in WA. They wrote back and said they would be in touch if they needed further info. Next thing your know, yesterday I got the letter stating that I owe $3227 in taxes, $1613 in penalties, and $639 in interest.

It now says that either I can pay or I can file an appeal with OR Tax Court. So I guess I am filing an appeal, but I am wondering how serious this is, given that I legit lived in WA for all of 2011. Do I need to hire a lawyer at this point? Or can I just show up with things like, a signed lease from Seattle, or records showing that I voted in Washington elections (not sure how to get these), or employment records showing I was employed in Washington?

Can they make me pay this tax even if I have proof that I was not an Oregon resident? Is there still a way I can settle this without going to court? Is it worth hiring a lawyer?

Answer:
 It doesn't matter where you lived, it matters where you earned income. Since you rented out your house in Oregon, you earned income in Oregon and you owe Oregon tax on that income.Answer #2: > yesterday I got the letter stating that I owe $3227 in taxes

For what exactly? What type of income are you being taxed on? Your job in Washington, your rental income, or...something else?

Also /r/tax Answer #3: They probably think you earned income in Oregon.  If you live in WA and work in Oregon you pay Oregon income tax.  Just guessing but it likely relates to your renting out your property in Oregon since you mentioned your job was in Seattle.  If they're just plain wrong dispute it.


Title: My ex-FWB doent know I’ve given birth to his baby last week. Do I have a legal responsibility to tell him? Based in England.

Question:
I submitted this issue to another subreddit but they advised me to come here instead to find out the legal implications. For reference, I am based in the UK.

This is a horrible mess. My FWB and I got unlucky earlier this year as I fell pregnant despite having an IUD. We live in deifferent countries. He adamant that abortion was the only option and that was the only option he would consider. He also said if I chose to keep it then he would want absolutely nothing to do with it, and that I shouldn’t even tell the baby that he is the father. I wasn’t too sure. I was scared of the procedures and wasn’t sure if it was what I really wanted. After many rows and going back and forth, I told him that I had an abortion performed. I feel absolutely terrible for lying about it but I didn’t know what else to do. He tried to be supportive but his support only came if I agreed to have an abortion. My FWB and I are no longer speaking. Last week, I gave birth to a baby which I plan on putting up for adoption. But now I’m not sure if I should let him know what I’ve done. I feel awfully guilty, but I’m not sure what telling him would achieve.

 TL:DR; Got pregnant for my FWB despite IUD. FWB wanted abortion but I wasn’t sure so I lied and told him I had one when I hadn’t. I’ve given birth to his child last week but I’m not sure if I should tell him the truth.

Answer:
 Try r/LegalAdviceUKAnswer #2: As previously stated LegalAdviceUK will be more helpful to you.

You aren't required to tell him.

He is an unmarried father so he only has parental  responsibility if he is on the birth certificate. However, even if he is not in the birth certificate, if he finds out about your daughter and changes his mind about involvement, he could go to court to get an order of parental responsibility.

All parties with parental responsibility would have to agree to the adoption. If he doesn't have parental responsibility, you do not need his consent for an adoption.Answer #3: He wants nothing to do with the child, so I highly doubt he'll care that you gave the child for adoption.


Title: What if a random number texted you CP?

Question: I was having one of those moments where you just think about everything that could go wrong. This popped into my head. It could be some sort of horrific prank, an evil person trying to frame you, or whatever. What course of action would you need to take to avoid life in prison if this happened?

Answer:
 You're screwed. There's probably a SWAT team outside, and a solitary room with your name on it.

No seriously though, block number, delete image.


Title: My friend said he would let me tase him for $300. Is there anything I should lookout for legally, if I choose to take him up on this deal. State: Pennsylvania.

Question: I should certainly write up a contract, right? But are there any prhibitive laws in PA regarding this?

Answer:
 This is an awful idea but if you must, you should contact a lawyer and have them advise on the best way to not be sued.

FYI - Tasers can be lethal. If your gonna do this, be prepared to kill your friend.


Title: Water company over charged by a factor of 10, what are my options?

Question:
Hello, thanks in advance for any advice you guys can give me.

So, I received a very high water bill for my area of East Texas, 275.15 dollars. While that isn't that bad for other areas, this is a 32,000 gallons of water they are claiming I used. It is very simple to prove they are off by a factor of 10 by reading the meter and using past readings. I'll give the data and argument at the end. Either way, I tried to inform them of their mistake, and they double talked me, and forgot how math works. So basically no change. However, they did switch out the meter for a newer one so hopefully the issue is resolved for the future. Yet I've effectively paid for 56 thousand gallons of water I did not use. Reasoning with them in person is fruitless. What are my options? Or should I just drop it and take the damage.

 Reading date  | Current Read | Multiplied Consumption
----------------|-------------- | -----------------------
5/14 | 9870 | 5000
6/17 | 10000 | 13000
7/14 | 10100 | 10000
8/17 | 10450 | 35000

Actual current reading : 0,107,272.0 Gallons

So, what they claim is that they don't read the ones or tens places. Starting with the hundreds place, and only bill for the thousands place and up, only on the difference. They also use an electronic sensor to measure it, not actually reading the dial.

Now, if you look this bill and the meter reading is impossible. Unless the bill is multiplied by a factor of 10. Example: 9870, would be multiplied by 100, for 987,000. That month I was billed for 13,000 gallons. Which would put the meter at 1,000,000. Obviously this is above the current meter read of 107,000.  My claim is that there was a factor of 10 error, making the first read 98,700.0 with an increase of 1300 gallons, so the new meter would reader 100,000.0.  This of course lines up with what the dial actually says. I mean it is clear as day error on their part is it not?

Again, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 File a complaint with the Texas Public Utility Commission here:   https://www.puc.texas.gov/consumer/complaint/Complaint.aspx

Utilities take these complaints seriously, as the PUCs can approve/disapprove rate increases.


Title: Wedding cancelled, ex trying to claim all refunds for himself. (UK)

Question:
Sorry if this is in the wrong sub but I'm not sure where to put it.
Basically, my sister split up with her fiance approximately 2 weeks ago due to his abusive behaviour. She left him and took her 5 month old baby with her.
She is now living back with my parents and has been ringing around trying to ensure she receives half of the money they both paid towards the wedding cars, venue and church.
It turns out he has already managed to get a full refund for himself for the cars without them asking him any questions.
The church and the venue are unsure what to do in this situation and so are not paying out to either party.
I don't think either my sister or her ex can prove who paid for what as the money was paid out of a joint account.
Where does she stand with regards to getting her half of the money, preferably without involving another solicitor which she can't afford (we have already been in court once after he made up a load of allegations to try and keep his daughter to himself).
Any advice will be greatfully received!

Answer: I'm not a lawyer, but I would think that if they paid out of a joint account, the business can give either one the deposits. She would have to sue him to get them back. But if she broke off the engagement, a court might not side with her, no matter why the reason for the breakup. Answer #2: You might want to ask in /r/legaladviceUK.


Title: When does a dress code become discrimination?

Question:
I posted a couple weeks ago about how my workplace was being sold to one of its competitors and i was worried for my job.  Since then I have learned i will be keeping my job (but I have to take a pay cut) and everyone who is keeping their job was sent a copy of the new employee handbook.  and we all have concerns, namely, the handbook appears to be full of discrimination style policies dressed up to look like "hygiene" and "dress code" rules.

&#x200B;

Some of the rules include: Male employees may not have hair extended to should length.  No employee is to use gels or other hair styling substances.  Hair must be naturally coloured, no dyes, bleaches, or unnatural colouring allowed.  Female employees are to wear little or no makeup.  All employees are to wear white button up shirts.  Male employees may only wear black or brown shoes, black or khaki pants, and a black tie.  No employee may wear nail polish.  No employee may wear ANY form of branded clothing. (No clothes with name brands visible).

&#x200B;

And so on and so forth.  Theres pages on pages of this, and already we have lost about 6 employees who quit over this as they had dyed hair, or couldn't wear makeup, and as it happens one of those employees was trans.  I'm also upset over this personally as I like letting my hair grow out, generally letting it get to 12 to 20 inches before getting it cut, BUT, I have ALWAYS kept my hair clean and tidy, it gets washed regularly and is kept in a ponytail so it doesn't interfere with work.

&#x200B;

So when does "dress code" cross the line into discrimination?  It's a discussion that is being had at work by the employees right now, and we aren't sure.  Any advice is welcome.

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

EDIT: In minnesota, not sure why i need to include location for this.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 When you can convince a judge that it adversely impacts or targets  people because of their protected class

The transgender employee may have recourse, depending on more specifics about the situation, most importantly whether they requested to dress as the correct gender and were denied

> not sure why i need to include location for this.

What is considered illegal discrimination varies by jurisdictionAnswer #2: You’re being asked for a location because states have varying statutes regarding discriminatory work practices.

What specifically do you see as discriminatory here? It’s a strict dress code, yes. That generally isn’t illegal.


Title: Yet another HOA screw up, Texas

Question:
Ok so back in April my husband and I sold our home. At the time we were some $1200 or so behind in HOA dues. Now when the house sold obviously those dues were paid off out of the sale. Fast forward to this week we get bill in the mail for Octobers dues and attached is a letter stating we are behind on dues and it has been forwarded to such and such law office. Of course I'm like wtf. We sold the house in April and everything was paid off and transferred to the new owners. Or so I thought.

So I call the title company that handled the sale, she tells me after a few days that apparently the check they sent to settle was cashed but the check to transfer the deed was never cashed and the new deed never filed with the HOA. I called HOA management company and they say as far as they are concerned we will still be responsible for quarterly dues until this is worked out despite not owning the house or even living in the same state anymore. I called the law office and they say we are now only $246 plus fees behind on dues  and need to pay that before they will close our account.

So my question I guess is I have 3 different entities telling me 3 different stories and all I know is I don't owe them a dime so how do I handle this? If that makes sense.

Answer:
 IANAL but I work in the HOA management industry. Check your county appraisal district website. It will show the date ownership changed. Send that info to the lawyer/mgmt company. You are not responsible for assessments levied after you no longer owned the home. Answer #2: > I called HOA management company and they say as far as they are concerned we will still be responsible for quarterly dues until this is worked out despite not owning the house or even living in the same state anymore.

Call them back and ask if they know what the "HO" in "HOA" means. Point out that you no longer "O" the "H" as of April and that they can pound sand. Answer #3: NAL. I’m guessing that the management company or the Assn’s attorneys filed a lien filed on the property when you were $1200 past due. When you paid that amount the lien should have been released.

The fastest way for you to handle this is to email the lawyer a copy of the grant deed that was recorded when you sold the house. So long as your account was current at the time of closing, they should be able to bill the outstanding amount of dues and the transfer fee to the correct party: the new owners. Cc the title agent and their branch manager on the email and let the attorneys know they can contact them to obtain contact information for the new owners. If they did in fact record and release a lien, make sure you get a copy of the release for your records.

Source: worked as a legal secretary for a firm that handled HOA law in CA. Have also worked in Association management for a few (too many) years.


Title: French benefit fraud

Question: My ex of 5 years was living and for a while working in the UK whilst claiming benefits in France. I'm not sure which one but I think she feigned depression. And she won't give me back my the engagement ring. I hate being a dick but I'd be very grateful if someone could tell me what the punishment for benefit fraud in France is so I could tell her it would be in her best interest to hand back the ring.

Answer: Ianal, but I do deal with social welfare issues from time to time. In some cases, benefits are transferable within the EU, so she have been eligible for these benefits. While you may want to check on r/uklegaladvice, the ring may be considered a gift, therefore you would basically be extorting her.


Title: Apartment complex took advantage of me trying not to get evicted, now I'm facing homelessness?

Question:
This is in California.

My fiancee and I moved into an apartment complex last September. Times got hard, and about 3 months ago, we weren't going to be able to pay the rent.

I went to speak with the property manager, and they told me that if I was able to move out by the rent due date (2nd of the month, 5pm deadline), that I wouldn't be hit with an eviction on my record, as long as I can pay the difference over time.

They explained that since I was a wonderful tenant, they would waive most fees, and put someone else in the apartment so I was no longer responsible.

So I took action. With the help of some friends, we moved out 45 minutes before the deadline, and confirmed it with the property manager. We only had 3 days to do this.

We moved in with a friend and are living in their living room, because we aren't eligible for another apartment until this is cleared.

When the paperwork came, the total was almost $9000. It detailed that I was still responsible for the entire lease, including all the months they said wouldn't be my problem.

I expected $2K total in what I would owe, that's what they told me.

I returned to the office a little upset, but amicable, wanting to resolve the situation.

They say it's an error, and that someone is moving into my old apartment within the week, and they would mail updated paperwork.

This was months ago. The updated paperwork still never came. Google shows a phone number that no longer works, but the complex is still running just fine.

I feel like they took advantage of me trying NOT to get an eviction, and now I owe $9K before I can ever rent another place. I have a feeling they still moved someone in, and neglected to inform me.

In my position, $9K before I can ever rent again has ruined my life, and my fiancee was on the paperwork to, so even she is being affected by this.

Neither of us are eligible for a loan since we've never set up credit, we are both early 20s.

Neither of us have any family to fall back on.

Please help me figure out what is going on here

Answer:
 Go around in person and knock on the door, and ask the current occupants if they'd be willing to tell you what date they moved in. Make a note of it. Your landlord does not get to double-dip and collect rent from you while renting the unit to someone else.

Once you have that information, or at least once you've confirmed that the unit is re-leased, write your landlord back and dispute the $9,000 debt. Remind your landlord that the unit is leased, and that you absolutely will not pay for the new tenant's occupancy. You'll likely still owe the rent up to that date, though - you breached a term lease, and the lost rent is the damages from that breach - so you should be prepared to make a reasonable offer to settle that debt, whether that's to pay it in full, set up a payment plan, or to offer to make partial payment and hope for the best.

Owing this debt does not stop you from renting elsewhere. I have no idea what lead you to believe that. Your current landlord may refuse to give you a reference until you pay your rent, and that's fine, but you can still expect to find other landlords who are willing to rent to you even with that debt un-settled.


Title: My current roomate renewed our lease without the knowledge/consent of myself and our fellow housemate. Now, he will not let me, nor my housemate sign the lease unless we agree to his unfair price point.

Question:
Title explains it. This is kind of a long story, so buckle up. (Tl;dr at the end)

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For reference, I live in California

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For more context, we live in a two bedroom, one bath apartment extremely close to our college campus. There are currently two people living in each room (for a total of 4 of us), but my current roommate (I'll call him Richard) wanted his own room next year. Thus, we approached one of our housemates and convinced him to move out so that Richard would get his own room.

The two rooms are nearly identical in size, with the larger one (that my Richard and I are currently staying in), being only ~20 square feet larger. We currently pay $1600 a month, divided equally by 4 for a total of $400 a month each. Thus, each room technically pays half the rent, even though one is slightly smaller. But, next year rent is going up to $1700.

Before we even approached one of our housemates to move out, I told Richard I didn't want rent to go up a lot for me, and that it would probably be fair to keep it similar to our current situation, with him paying more since he was getting a private room. He assured me it wouldn't be a problem, so when it came time to renew the lease, I offered a new split that took into account the smaller room size. I proposed that the larger room (which myself and my other housemate would live in next year) pay $900 (divided by the two of us, so $450 each), while the smaller room (where Richard would stay) would pay $800.

Nearly everyone I have consulted, including my current housemates and even my landlord, has said that what I am offering Richard is a fair deal. Yet, he tried to demand that we split the rooms $1050/$650, meaning my housemate and I would have to pay $525 each.

I know that an extra $75/month might not seem like a lot to some people, but to me and my housemate (who I'll refer to as John from now on), it is. We've argued back and forth but have not made any progress on the situation in the past week.

Today, as I was going about my day, I had an odd feeling creep up on me regarding the situation, so I texted my landlord, and asked if the three of us could come in Friday to renew the lease (hoping to use the deadline to expedite a compromise). My landlord (Who i'll call LL from now on) replied, saying it wasn't a problem, but informed us that Richard had already renewed and signed the lease last week. Flabbergasted, I called up John and explained the situation to him. Thus we went into LL's office and asked to join on the lease as well.

This is where things got complicated. He couldn't find the new lease at first so he had to call Richard, who didn't pick up. He was about to give up when he found it in another file. LL pulled out the lease and was prepared to give it to us to sign it when Richard called back. LL explained why he called, and when he told Richard we were about to sign the lease, Richard asked if we needed his consent since his name was the only one on the lease. LL hesitated, but said yes, since he was technically the only one on the lease. Richard then demanded to not let us sign until he was present.

So, we waited until Richard came back, and told LL that we would hash it out and get back to him. To make an already long story shorter, Richard stated that unless we agreed to his price point, he would not allow us to sign the lease, effectively kicking us out of our own apartment.

Is there anything I can do in this situation? I found the place originally, and I'm pretty sure that my name is at the top of the current lease, so is he even allowed to sign it without everyone present?

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tl;dr: my roommate is a real Richard and is trying to kick me and my housemate out of our own apartment because he renewed the lease behind our backs, and we refused to agree to his price point.

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Edit: formatting & location

Answer:
 So he's planning on paying the 1700$ a month by himself?

I would tell him that you and your roommate have found a cheaper apartment and you expect him to return your portion of the security deposit, then see what he says.

Contractually most leases have what's called joint and severable liability. How it gets divided is for the tenants to work out but each person can be held responsible for the whole lease.


Title: My Sister (38) Kicked her Daughter, My Niece(16) out of her house 2 months ago, and now Demanding her to come back tomorrow or police will be involved.

Question: My Sister made my Niece move out from her Home about 2 month ago(kicked her out) because niece was looking to get Emancipated(Never got Emancipated), and for causing trouble(Being a Teenager).  My Parents, Nieces Grandparents, took her in and she is living with us.  While she has been living with us, she has been on her best behavior.  She is still going to her school which is 20 minutes away with us dropping her off and picking her up. Doing Homework and working as a piano tutor on and off,  and she is still going to Her Church on sundays, we, me and my parents, dont go to her church but we do drop her off and pick her up. She also asks My Parents Permission to go out, which is not often.  She hasn't had any problems here other than her mom bugging her to talk and move back home, Which Niece doesn't want to since she was abused by my sister and her stepfather.  well now, my sister is demanding she move back to her home or she will call the police calling her a run away.  So, my question is who would get in trouble if the police get involved?  will it be my Niece, my Sister, or me and my parents?  Location is Florida

Answer:
 They cannot keep someone else's child without a court order. So the grandparents could get in trouble for refusing to return the child.

If this isn't happening today, they should talk to an attorney tomorrow about filing for emergency custody or guardianshipAnswer #2: You can strip out all of the good stuff and leave it as this:

>Sister kicked 16yo out, wants her back

Don't get in the way. I hosted troubled friends as a teen and if/when the parents wanted their kid back, that's what the law says has to happen. One friend ran away/became homeless to prevent it happening.

The choices are simple:

* She can run away (bad)

* She can go back to mom (bad)

* You can contact a lawyer first thing Monday am after stalling your sister and getting time to put a plan together so you can go to court ASAP (good)


Title: Led Zeppelin vs. Spirit: Why would studio recordings be inadmissible?

Question:
I was reading about this case today, where the allegation is that the opening for "Stairway to Heaven" was plagiarized from Spirit's song, "Taurus".

Led Zeppelin won the case, but Spirit has appealed based their claim that the jurors should have been allowed to hear the studio recordings of both songs.

The studio recordings were deemed inadmissible, and instead, a guitarist played both songs based on sheet music from The Library of Congress.

Why would studio recordings be inadmissible?

I'm not asking anyone to go through the transcripts and give me the exact reason, but if anyone has some reasonable ideas offhand, I'd be curious to hear them.

EDITED: Typos

Answer:
 I couldn't say for certain without trial transcripts, but my guess is the Best Evidence Rule.  That rule says that if there's an original piece of evidence, you can't submit a copy as evidence, you *must* use the original.

In this case, the claim isn't that the studio recordings are plagiarized, but that the song itself is.  The written music would be the "original" in that case, and the recordings just copies.  If it needed to be heard, the right thing, again, would be to play it based on the original, which would be a live performance, as they had.

Again, that's just a guess, but it's the most obvious explanation I can think of


Title: My Boss trying to mess my life up under the disquise of caring about me.

Question: I have been working as a contractor with a company. The hiring manager ends up being a pastor. I helped him open up his church. Finnancial  and physically out of Love and the will to help People. I also quit my previous churches as a pianist which was paying a great amount of money. Back to the story, I was working from 8 am to 5:30pm. The travel time to and from work ended me up waking up 5:30am  then getting home by 9pm roughly. I was not getting enough sleep and I asked for a raise. They made me feel like I was asking for too much. Finnaly they agreed and gave me a raise of 50cents. Because of the lack of sleep and overworking myself I ended up being heavily depressed. I had an emergency situation and went to the ER. My hiring manager told me I should not tell the Owner of the company. I felt this guy was abusing me and manipulating me heavily out of the disquise of Love. I'm working as a contractor. I have always felt he hired me on this condition that I had to help him with church. I had another emergency situation and ended up not making it to Church one Sunday and couldn't get to work the following Monday without being able to call out. He fired me and called my Landlord that right now I'm jobless. The Landlord told me I  had two months to move. This really messed me up Psychologically.  I tried to move on but I apologized heavily to the Owner and they took me back. Now I also apologized to this Pastor to consider talking to my landlord again that now I have my job back. I ended in ER again because I was being suicidal. They tried to keep me in this psych facility but the Doctor was really nice and called my hiring manager. He told him he really likes me as a brother and luckily they discharged me. Now he wants to talk to my psychiatrist and threatening Rehabilitation. What should I do. I don't want him in trouble but I feel that he is trying to make my life a living hell.

Answer: How exactly is your mental health your boss’ responsibility?  How is he “messing you up”?  Answer #2: No, you don't need to let him talk to your psychiatrist.  You should look for a new job Answer #3: All sorts of boundaries are being muddled here. Look for a new job first, then find a new apartment and a new church. You should be able to deal with your mental health issues privately.


Title: Subrogation letter, what to do?

Question:
My situation is a bit weird. I got my car totaled 3 months ago. Nobody but me was involved. My insurance covered the hospital bill (I was on my dads plan during that time). About a month later, my dad took me off his plan; so I enrolled and Im on my own plan rn, same company. My dad got a subrogation letter today saying:

“BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF ILLINOIS is committed to sharing information with you regarding the event referenced above. We want to notify you concerning our right of reimbursement and/or subrogation under the above named patient’s health care plan.

Your healthcare plan includes a reimbursement and/or subrogation provision. If [Me] and/or his or her covered dependents has received or will receive an award of settlement for medical expenses resulting from the patient’s injury or illness that occurred on [date of accident], then there is an obligation to reimburse the member’s health care plan for any related benefits that we provided.”

Im guessing since Im off my dads plan, his insurance co. is trying to make me liable for the medical expenses. What should i do? Im anxious, but im going to give them a call im the morning to see if I can sort this out.

Answer:
 The health insurance carrier is just saying that if you get paid by a third party for this car accident, they are entitled to reimbursement from anything  paid to you by the third party.  However, it was a single car accident and no one is going to pay you because you were at fault. You can disregard this letter.

If someone else caused the accident and paid your medical bills after those bills had been paid by your health insurance, your insurance is entitled to be reimbursed; you don’t get a windfall double payment.

(Edited for clarity)


Title: So my father passed away when I was 14 and I’m 20 now and he and my mom were divorced but he left all the my money to her until I turned 21 in a few months but my mom recently kicked me out cus I lost all my scholarships in college so I was wondering if there’s anyway I can get that money sooner.

Question: If anyone can help me I would really appreciate it! You can ask me more questions or whatever else!

Answer: If it's in a trust then no, period.


Title: [Utah] Reporting HIPAA violations from a life insurance MLM.

Question:
I cant reveal to much as I am still affiliated with the organization for a few more weeks, and there are not many of these organizations. I have insider knowledge of the horrific state of security on approximately 2,500 patient histories (all HIPAA sensitive). Some of the violations include employee*S* traveling with an unencrypted hard drive containing the records, exterior doors that dont lock between the records and the outside world, and many, many, many more.

I have raised concerns to the organization and there is ZERO effort, ZERO care, and active disregard for securing the records.

What is my obligation if any, and to who would I report this to?

Answer: I think OP is in for a big surprise when they find out almost every organization sucks at data security.


Title: My boyfriend is using drugs

Question: I took most of his methamphetamine to prevent him from causing more serious harm to himself should I turn this over to police or is this going to make me guilty of posession when I walk in... also how do you remove a drug user who shares a lease with you

Answer:
 To be clear, this is illegally obtained meth, not a prescription for adderall, etc?

If you feel he's a danger to himself or others call the police.


Title: (California) I got a traffic ticket for crossing an intersection, walking of course, when the do not walk signal was on.

Question:
I need some help how to fight a ticket. It is my first ticket ever that I got so I do not know how to contest a ticket.

The violation code: VC 21456 (b)
You know how In some intersections there is a four lane crossing street and a two lane crossing street? I was crossing the two lane where it is not even 20 feet and takes me like 7 seconds to cross it.
The issue at hand is that i was crossing when the do not walk signal was on. When I was about to step down from the sidewalk that’s when the do not walk signal started to flash red. As I crossed the intersection it stopped flashing and as soon as I put both feet onto the sidewalk that’s when the light turned yellow and then red.
An officer then stopped me with his vehicle and issued me a ticket.

Although i wasn’t given a price, I was given a court date two months from now. I googled the violation code and it seems to me like it’s gonna be $197. Being a broke college student I do not have the funds for a violation that seems really ridiculous. can anyone help me what to do to avoid paying?

Answer:
 You can certainly go to court and plead your case, but I'm not sure what your defense would be. It sounds like you were given the ticket appropriately.

FYI in some jurisdictions at least, you aren't supposed to start crossing even if the 'don't walk' symbol is just flashing.


Title: Fair Use - Reviewing Netflix movies in the style of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Question:
A group of friends and I stream content on Twitch.tv. Our audience asks us review many things from books to music to movies. We've wanted to stream a Mystery Science Theater 3000 -esque show which involves displaying the movie while we review it and crack jokes.

We are located in the United States. Is this something we could do under protection of Fair Use? I was planning on contacting Netflix to find out how they would feel about it, and then contacting Twitch to inform them of Netflix's response should we get approval.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: Thanks for all the replies. Looks like I'll have to do a lot of foot work before my pipe dream can become a reality, or scrap it altogether.

Answer:
 Netflix almost certainly does not have the rights to allow you to do this, even if they wanted to allow you to do this.

Their licenses allow them to stream content to their subscribers, not to allow others to repurpose it and stream it via another streaming service. They would also not want to do this, even if they were able to do this, because they would likely view it as competition.

Now if this was something that Netflix itself produced, something that Netflix owns the rights to, then it is possible that they might allow you to do this, but there are a lot of steps and it is unlikely.

Otherwise as has already been posted on this thread, you would need to contact each individual rights holder independently. And get their permission.

Edit: GrammarAnswer #2: You likely need to contact the movie copyright holder. That is who would sue you for distributing their movie without consent.


Title: [TX] Small company: Manager/Sales rep undervaluing materials the company purchases, taking the profit. Is this legal?

Question:
Location: Texas - Obvious name changes.

This is a very small company, owned by a much larger LLC. Manager/sales rep/ guy in charge "Jack" pretty much runs things, and is friends with owner of LLC "Bill". Jack owns no part of either.

Here's the issue: Jack is doing very shady things for his own personal profit. I wanted to know if any of this is illegal:

* Jack repeatedly orders sample items (which means the company pays for them) then takes them for himself, or his family. Sometimes he will sale these items to a customer for full price, but since these items are marked as "samples," the company is not paid their cost from the profits.

* Jack will undervalue the price of materials and labor we use in order to carve himself out a higher profit and larger commission.

* Bill has a special arrangement with Jack. Jack, unlike other sales reps, gets paid whenever he makes a sale, even before the company gets paid by the customer. Then Jack refuses to let our accountants try to collect on unpaid invoices from Jack's customers. In other words, Jack is getting paid from his sales, but the company is not. Bill knows this, and does nothing.

* Making employees work on his personal things, which have nothing to do with company orders, to the detriment of the company's orders.

I guess it's worth mentioning the accounting department knows that this is going on, but is actively blocked by Jack and Bill on going after unpaid invoices of Jack's customers. The company has fallen on hard times because of this, and nobody seems able to do anything about it.

Is any of this illegal?

Answer: Bill is free to run his company how he sees fit. If "into the ground" is the direction Bill has chosen we can only applaud his vision.


Title: Apartment neighbors smoke weed and it fills our apartment.

Question: I have a family of five(four kids under 7) and we've lived in our current apartment for about 6 years. About a year ago, we had new neighbors move in. Almost from day one they've been a problem; smoking weed inside and outside the apartment. Our units are connected townhouses, and somehow whenever they smoke weed, it manages to seep into our adjacent rooms. We started reporting it to our landlord from almost the first instance nearly a year ago. Our landlord has pretty much just strung is along, saying he would do something but nothing has changed. We were hoping they would move or be told to leave, thinking they were in a one year lease. Unfortunately, it seems like they're lease has passed and they're still here. At this point it's frustrating and causing me major anxiety. I would have moved long ago if I had the money to do so. I really don't want my kids to be exposed to this anymore. I have a one year old who sleeps in the room that regularly is inundated with smoke.  I realize that my hands are pretty much tied, but my question is if this could become a legitimate case against our landlord? Advice would be greatly greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 Smoking weed is legal in CA. There is no legal issue here.

You can ask them to stop. You can complain to your landlord. However, your landlord is not required to do anything about it. Even if smoking is not permitted by their lease, you cannot force your landlord to enforce someone else's lease.

Good news is there's little evidence to suggest that second hand smoke (especially marijuana smoke) is actually dangerous. It might be annoying, if you don't like the scent, and it might upset your allergies, so I understand why you're annoyed by it. If that's the case, and it's unbearable, you might need to move.Answer #2: What does your lease state about smoking?


Title: [WI] Wife in violation of court order, currently drinking in the house with my daughter

Question:
My step-son just messaged me and said that my wife is currently drinking alcohol in her home with our daughter.

This is a violation of two parts of our temporary custody agreement, mainly "No use of alcohol or drugs by petitioner or respondent under any circumstances", and "The parties shall not consume alcohol or illicit drugs six hours prior to exercising periods of physical placement"

My step son tried to get a picture or a video of her drinking, but hasn't been able to so far.

Can I call the police to go over there? If I get the video or proof, do I have to wait until I can file a contempt complaint with the judge.

Update: My step-son got a video of her drinking. Is it admissible as evidence?

Answer: The police aren’t going to do anything.  You need to call your lawyer Monday and start contempt proceedings.


Title: Baby abandoned 30 years ago

Question: My parents abandoned a baby 30 years ago at a hospital in Iowa. This is news to me and I’m researching and looking into all possibilities of how to handle this information. Reading through news articles about the abandonment they state that the parents could be charged with child abandonment and/or neglect/other abuse charges. I’m concerned that pursuing contact with my biological brother could bring legal trouble to my parents. Any information on whether that is a valid concern is appreciated before I get myself further invested in a search. Thank you.

Answer:
 This may be helpful: https://www.mccarthyhamrock.com/criminal-defense/iowa-criminal-process/statute-of-limitations/

My reading of it suggests that after 30 years the statute of limitation for any of the applicable crimes has expired. If it we're me, before taking the risk of digging into it I might pay for one hour of a lawyer's time to confirm that.Answer #2: There are legal ways to "abandon"  a baby, as I understand such as dropping them at a fire station. How was thos child abandoned exactly? Answer #3: Statute of limitations are almost certainly expired.  Where did the abandonment take place?  This could be answered with certainty with that information.

The other issue is you want to meet your sibling but your sibling may not want to meet you.  I would after making sure your parents are free of legal ramifications go to some database and put in the info you know.  That way if your sibling wants to connect they can find you.Answer #4: Non-legal advice:

Others have told you that the statute of limitations on any possible charges have run out.

As an adoptee, I'd recommend that you try to find your sibling but also be very sensitive to his wishes re contact.

I was reunited with my birth family and it was (mostly) wonderful. Others feel otherwise. So, please do be sensitive.


Title: Scammed buying nudes

Question:
Canada

Welp I just sent money to a girl off insta for some nudes, she took an interac e-transfer and didn't send anything.

When i questioned her she starts claiming she's underage and she'll go to the cops. She never told me she was underage and her instagram didn't say her age, she recently changed it to show her age after our email exchanges.

she says if I call my bank she'll call the cops, can the cops do anything to me?

Answer:
 She's likely not underage, and you're likely not talking to a girl. This is a *very* common variation of the sextortion scams that pop up pretty frequently on here and r/scams.

Keep your correspondence and appropriate screenshots, but you are likely going to be fine. I don't know what an interac e-transfer is, but I would suggest reaching out to your bank (if that's where the transfer happened) *after* consulting with a lawyer in case this individual does decide to go scorched earth on you to make a point.

Personally, I would let that $200 go as a $200 lesson learned. It would not be worth the headache for me.


Title: Never paid an old hospital bill from 2013, today I received an overpayment check.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >not receiving any care. Their "doctor" told me to see my family doctor and left the room.

Oooh, a consultation AND a referral!


Title: [Georgia] Girlfriend got random call about submitting drug test for alcohol. She has been on probation but had that condition waived several months ago. She is panicked, please help

Question:
Her lawyer stated very clearly several months ago the rest of her random drug testing was waived. She got a call this morning from her probation officer stating she has to submit for a random drug test. She is panicking at work.

How can I best help and be supportive? I advised to call her lawyer ASAP as this appears to be a big miscommunication. She did call him and is awaiting his callback. I feel this is 100% on him to at least try to get this postponed due to a clear and serious miscommunication. We are 99% sure there is a photocopied document signed by the judge waiving the rest of the random drug testing.

I’m trying not to overwhelm her at work currently. Any help and advice is much appreciated. This is all very confusing and honestly appears to be a big miscommunication. We shared bourbon drinks to celebrate the college football championship last night as she went to one of the schools.
Topic:
DUI

Answer:
 Does her probation state that she's not to use alcohol regardless of the random testing? If not, she's really got nothing to worry about.

If it does say she's not to use alcohol, she still should not have anything to worry about because she's being responsible and following the orders of the court while she's granted the privilege of showing she can follow the rules and be a productive member of society.... right?

She needs to get a hold of her attorney, and prepare for the fact that she may have to face the consequences of choosing not to abide by a court order.

> I feel this is 100% on him to at least try to get this postponed due to a clear and serious miscommunication.

What you feel doesn't matter. This is 100% on her and her decisions.Answer #2: If this was truly waived try to postpone the test. Find that paperwork and keep a copy on her person. Keep calling the attorney and remain calm, call the probation officer too and ask about it, but don’t under any circumstances make it seem like she is going to fail, be polite, probation officers aren’t always scary (work as a youth advocate with juvenile probation officers).

In the meantime if she is panicking about a random drug test for alcohol she needs to stay off it. I am not aware of what the “circumstances” are, but I suggest you find another way to celebrate. Violating probation is a serious offense.Answer #3: Probation is a sentence from the court.  If a condition of probation is being drug and alcohol free, she is obligated to comply with that condition.  You are mad at the wrong people.  Source - I am in the biz of dealing with criminals.


Title: (West Virignia) Is it legal to call 911 to report drunk drivers?

Answer:
 Yes.

It is not only legal it is encouraged. Where I live there are signs everywhere imploring people to call 911 if they see a suspected drunk driver.Answer #2: [From the DMV website in WV](http://www.dmv.org/wv-west-virginia/safety-laws.php).
>If you suspect someone is driving recklessly or while intoxicated, call 911 or the West Virginia State Police for instructions.

Answer #3: I presume you are supposed to pull over>? or is this one of those times that cops let you use the cell phone in the car?


Title: Requesting Leniency for assault/family violence TX

Question:
In July I was arrested for assault/family violence (first assault charge). I know there is strong evidence against me (only the state is pressing charges, not the"victims") and I am not denying any of it. I committed the act, albeit under the influence of alcohol, and have since seen the error of my ways.

Since the incident I have quit drinking completely (2 months sober), I have sought counseling from my church, and worked with my doctor to control my bi- polar disorder. I am also working toward my masters Degree and working 2 jobs, all in an effort to avoid the activities that lead to my arrest, and I feel I have really made tremendous progress.

I plan on requesting counsel at my arraignment, as I cannot afford an attorney, so I only have a few quick questions.
1. How do I plea at my arraignment?  Not guilty?
2. Should I request leniency at this appearance?
3. Should I get letters of recommendation from the victims in this case?

Any assistance is appreciated. Thank you.

Answer: You plea not guilty and ask for a public defender.


Title: Windshield Flyers Fused to Windshield (TX)

Question: Recently a nearby business came to my apartment complex's parking lot and attached flyers to windows and windshields to all the cars. These are thick cardstock with lots of ink. It rained that night, and the next morning was very hot, being in Texas and all. As a result, these flyers are fused to the windows and windshields of about a dozen cars in the lot. Attempting to peel them off leaves behind half the card, like a sticker that refuses to come cleanly. Is there any legal action I/we can take against the business?

Answer:
 Get a quote to get it repaired/cleaned. Go into the bushiness with a demand letter. If they refuse to pay sue them in small claims.Answer #2: Some cities in Texas have local ordinances against these because it creates litter.   You can call and see if your is one.

As for your windshield,  I recommend rubbing alcohol and a razor.


Title: [Police recording] If there is a risk a corrupt police department would change a report to fit the video, should you encrypt the video and only hand it over to the DoJ?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: There's no need to encrypt the video, just keep a secure copy of it.  If you believe that someone (a particular police officer, or a whole police department) may make up evidence or provide false testimony regarding the events in the video, then you could give the video along with your concerns to whomever is "above" that person/entity.  Of course, unless there is something REALLY obvious and incriminating in the video, whomever you give it to may just pass it on to whomever is "below" them or deem it not worthy of investigation.


Title: [CA] Landlord gave me a rent discount and now wants W-9 to report 1099 payment?

Question:
I received a rent discount/concession for referring someone to my apartment. (Actually, they found the apartment and asked to use my name to get the discount and split it 20/80. I paid the other tenant cash after receiving the discount.)

Now the apartment is requesting a W-9 to report my discount as income (obviously problematic considering 40% total income tax rate in CA). Is this legal? I’ve googled extensively and everything I’ve found says only *employees* compensated with discounts is reported, not *customers*.

FWIW, I already received a ton concessions/discounts when I moved in and those were not reported as income. None of the concessions from previous apartments I’ve lived at were reported as income.

The leasing manager is unknowledgeable and unhelpful. Completely ignorant of basic tenant law, let alone tax law.

Answer: Whomever is requesting that is an idiot. Don't provide them any information. If you get a 1099 anyway don't report it on your tax return but keep a copy along with a note to yourself of what happened so you remember it. If you get a notice from the IRS in a year or so (or 2 or 3) claiming you owe more taxes follow the dispute process.


Title: [TX] Dad's ex-girlfriend is stalking him at his work and home

Question: My Dad just got out of a relationship. His ex-girlfriend has threatened to destroy his career, to kill herself and go to the police with baseless accusations because she thought he looked at her 10 year old daughter in a "weird way". Recently, she followed him to work and around town as he ran errands, and set off the alarm at his house and moved the spare key in a way to imply it had been copied. After this last incident, the police were called and the locks/alarm codes were changed. He is rightly terrified and unsure about what actions to take to protect himself. Any advice on legal measures he should take?

Answer: File a TRO at the county court house ASAP. hire lawyer and make it permanent before it expires.


Title: Teacher touched me

Question:
My history teacher thought i wasn't listening in class,because i always put my head down, so i didn't take a test from him so he said i have to do it... now,  i hate writing and so he said he will write down the answers, i give the answers and i got a 94 failed only one question... teacher is surprised I got an A,
a day passes and right when he gets in the class he comes next to me. i was at a place where we have a tight space so i couldn't see 360 degrees... my teacher was next to me and touched my lower waist with a small pinch, i had all kinds of red flags going off, just yelled out loud "nope nope nope!" And ran out of class... he has a family he is our fave teacher and i would feel bad to do something... what should I do?

Answer: Best bets is it was either an accident or probably not intended sexually. It only happened once and it seems like your teacher puts up with a lot of your bullshit (not wanting to write/take your own test? Not staying attentive? I'm sure you do a lot more that teachers wouldnt put up with given what you shared in this dialogue) if it happens again then maybe do something about it but to me, seems like a very small thing that could potentially ruin the guy's life especially if it was just an accident or a joke gone wrong. Could always try to talk to him about it as it seems you are close/ he is your favorite teacher. Obviously if it happens again then maybe go try to do something about it but automatically assuming your teacher is a perv is a bit ridiculous, no offense.


Title: [Texas] Got a bad floor installed in my home - tried to sue, our lawyer retired on us, now we're being sued by the Flooring company.

Question:
Trying to keep this to just facts, I can expand on most of this, but I want to get the basic story out.

In about November 2014 of last year I purchased a home, and we hired a Contractor to install a new hardwood floor. The floor was incorrectly installed and has bubbled up, buckled, etc. to create a very crummy-looking, hazardous floor with gaps and unsecured boards. We refused to pay the remaining 50% of the agreed upon amount due to the complete failure to install the floor correctly.
The bad install was verified by 3 other contractors we brought in to get their professional opinions - all agreed that several crucial mistakes were made in the installation.

In January-February of 2015, we hired a lawyer to handle what we thought would be a small claims situation. Signed a contract with him and his associates, and were told to hang tight, told not to contact the Flooring company. A letter was sent to the flooring company by my lawyers stating our case to them and what we'd like done about it. We were told this was the process for approaching a business with a claim such as ours.

I hear nothing for several months. In September, I receive an email from our lawyer saying he has retired as of April 2015 and his partner will no longer be taking our case. We were completely left up a creek without a paddle by these people. At this point I've started researching how to handle small claims myself.

Fast forward to today, I received a letter from the lawyer of the Flooring company stating they will be suing us for the remaining amount owed on the contract, about $2500. The letter states the debt must be paid by the 15th of this month (3 days).

My questions -

What kind of lawyer do I need?
How the f&%# can my lawyer retire and not tell me for months?
Is there a case I can win here?
How can I avoid getting screwed over any worse than I am?

Any other information on this would be most appreciated.

Answer: You're just simply gonna have to get a different lawyer. Anything he told you up to that point, continue following it until otherwise.


Title: How does emancipation of a 16 year old work? Iowa

Question:
My sister in law turned 16 last month and she is mentally and physically abused at home. When my wife saw bruises on her sister, she confronted her mom and her mom said that she would call DHS and say that we abuse our kids if my wife said anything. Her mom has been arrested multiple times for drug possession and controlled substance and does drugs constantly. She has been living with us for the summer, but my wife and her mom are fighting about her staying with us.

My house is big enough for all of us, she has her own room and we feed her and give her everything she needs. She babysits our kids while we are at work. I guess my questions is, can she be emancipated and live with us now that she is 16? If she can, who do I need to talk to?

If she can't be emancipated, how can we report her mom to DHS and how does that all work? Thanks in advance, we live in Iowa

Answer: If a child is being abused you call DHS.  Full stop.


Title: [TX] Can my government employee contract be terminated if I dozed off at work because I have sleep apnea or is this grounds for a lawsuit?

Question:
I informed my employer months ago that I was experiencing sleep apnea and seeking help from the VA.  They still have not issued me a cpap machine and won't until after Jan 24th.  Someone at work complained that I had been snoring which was only for a few minutes, but they fired me anyways.  My company is a sub-contractor to a prime contractor.  I told them I might be better off on day shift instead of night shift and asked them to just keep me on the books through February on unpaid leave, but they refused.  They're supposed to be an equal opportunity employer.  They have someone else on staff with a chronic cough, but she wasn't fired for her disturbing other employees.  I told them already I cannot fully control if I doze off sometimes, even if I got a "full day" of sleep.  Its not restful sleep. I almost always wake up with a sore throat or a headache or something that was a sign of breathing problems during the night.

What can I do?  What should I do?

Answer:
 Telling your employer about your disability isn't enough. You have you ask for accommodations. In your case, I doubt any accommodation would have worked if you were falling asleep at work.  Allowing an employee to sleep on the clock is not a reasonable accommodation.Answer #2: Employers make *reasonable* accommodations for health conditions. Allowing an employee to fall asleep while on the job is not a reasonable accommodation. It not only means the company is losing money (you are not performing any work duties), but in many situations it is dangerous. Coughing is not at all comparable- it is annoying not dangerous, and doesn’t constitute time theft.

You need to find a job that works with your condition, meaning you will not fall asleep while at work.


Title: [Alaska/Labor] Employer pays regular time but takes 12 hours for one day of PTO, do I have a say?

Question:
Hi,

I had a quick question regarding labor laws in Alaska and Paid Time Off. A normal working day at my job is a 12 hour shift; 48 hours a week minimum. I'm paid regular pay for the first 8 hours and overtime for the following 4.

We accrue PTO hours and 1 day off costs 12 hours of PTO. However, I'm paid regular pay for all 12 hours of PTO.

I'm curious if this should be 8 hours regular pay + 4 hours overtime pay as well. However, I think PTO is a voluntary perk employers can offer so I'm not certain if I have any rights here outside of a discussion with my employer.

Any help is appreciated, thank you!
Topic:
Labor Law (Unions)

Answer: If your shift is 12 hours long, and you're calling out for that shift, it makes sense that they'd take 12 hours of PTO.  You don't get overtime for PTO because you're not working overtime.


Title: (California) - Landlord seeking to add tenant's adult child to lease

Question:
**Context:** Multi-family property is located in Los Angeles city. Recently took over ownership of parent's buildings.

We have a tenant who has been living in our building for over 20 years. When they first moved in their son was a minor, now he is in his 30s. He is currently listed in the agreement as a child.

We requested the tenant to sign an amendment to the rental agreement to add their son as an approved adult, but they are not complying.

Even with the annual rent increases, their rent is extremely low. We have really tried to be lenient with this tenant, but lately, they have been giving us problems. There have been some other incidents including:

* Changed locks without permission and refuse to provide copies of keys (violates current agreement)
* After annual rent increases, they damage the property and claim damage was a defect which needs repair.

At this point, we would like to part ways with this tenant. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it is my understanding that a tenant is entitled to a thirty-day notice to agree to new terms. Would refusing to sign an amendment be considered a refusal to sign a new agreement or do we have to draft up a whole new agreement? Would this fulfill the "just cause" requirement for a rent-controlled unit? At which point should I serve them a three-day (or sixty-day) notice?

Answer:
 Do they have a yearly lease they continue signing? Or are they currently month to month?Answer #2: > Changed locks without permission and refuse to provide copies of keys (violates current agreement)

Is this still the case?Answer #3: > Changed locks without permission and refuse to provide copies of keys (violates current agreement)

Hire a locksmith to replace the locks every time they do this, and send them the bill (make sure they get a key immediately). CA may allow you to deduct this from their rent, but I am not sure.


Title: Is it legal to inject or snort Methylphenidate (Ritalin) if it is prescribed?

Answer:
 Abusing drugs in itself is legal. Possessing prescription medication is legal when stored at all times in its appropriate pharmacy issued bottle, labeled..with your name, the name of the medication etc.
That being said, I cant see how slamming Ritalin would be enjoyable. Make sure to practice proper harm reduction measures at the very least.


Title: [CO] 16 y/o with permit only had a car accident. 3 citations issued.

Question:
My son who is 16 and has a learners permit in Colorado was in a car accident on Friday.  He was the driver and the other occupant of the car was a licensed 17-year-old. Both cars a likely totaled, both my son and his friend had injuries that required an ambulance ride to the ER, and one of the occupants of the other car also needed an ambulance.  The worst injury was a mild concussion.  My son was given 3 citations - driving without a license, failure to yield, and careless driving causing bodily harm or injury - and we were given a court date.

I guess this is a two-parter:

1. Do we need a lawyer for the traffic violations?  What kind of penalties are we looking at?

2. How does the liability aspect of this work?  We have insurance, but my understanding is that it doesn't cover my unlicensed son.  My son's friend had insurance, does that cover this situation?  What if the policy limits are exceeded?  Should we file our own claim?

Thanks.

Answer:
 I am assuming your son was at fault for the accident?

he should get a lawyer to deal with the traffic violations. It looks like careless driving causing bodily harm or injury is actually a misdemeanor, so it's not just a traffic ticket.

The other driver's insurance may cover him. If it does not then your son is liable for whatever damages occured, including to the car he was driving and the passenger in his car.