Title: Sold a car (private seller and private buyer), signed title over, got paid all after a test drive and full disclosure of known issues. Same night, guy calls me back says transmission is skipping (not a known issue at sale), he'll have his mechanic look at it and he might want his money back...UGH

Question:
I'm sure this is not an unusual situatuon and please excuse me if this gets asked often, but now I'm freaking out because I need this money AND there is no way there is anything wrong with the transmission.

I had a rebuild done two years ago and it has not had a single issue. I drove my wife to work with it for the last three months without any issues at all. He test drove it and remarked how well it ran. Then he calls and says the above, I tell him "BS the trans. is skipping, also we already did the deal. Go ahead and keep driving it, but I don't see any reason the trans. could be doing that." he says he'll see to it in the morning.

If it is skipping, is it my problem? It was fine when I handed it over and he paid, how do I know what he did to it driving on the highway? I already put the money in my bank account. It will be basically gone beyond replacing by Monday.

I am about to text him saying all sales are final, dont contact me again. What should I do? Can he demand his money back? FML first time selling a car. I had the thing for 13 years. I'm in Nevada. Please advise and thank you anyone and eveyone for your time.

Answer: Used car sales are "as is."  He had the option having it inspected before purchase, he chose not to, his mistake.


Title: Can I rent out my HBO account?

Question: What is the legality of renting out my stream accounts such as Netflix, HBO when I am not using it?

Answer:
 You're looking at the wrong terms or at least focusing on the wrong bits.

Netflix:

>The Netflix service and any content viewed through our service are for your personal and **non-commercial use** only...
>
>During your Netflix membership, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, **non-transferable right** to access the Netflix service and view Netflix content through the service.
>
>Except as explicitly authorized in these Terms of Use, you agree not to ... **offer for sale** ... content and information contained on or obtained from or through the Netflix service.

Hulu:

>You may only access and view the Content personally and for a **non-commercial** purpose ...

HBO:

>You ... are only authorized to use the Service and view the Content for your own personal and **non-commercial use** ...


Title: (England) Dad is trying to sell a house that my Grandad left to me- but wasn't written in a will.

Question:
So recently my Grandad passed away. He had 2 houses which he wanted my brother and I to have- but he didn't put it in the will. Instead, he trusted my Dad (his son) to give the houses to me and my brother when we turn 18. I was fine with this. My Dad has said more than once that we would get the houses when we turned 18, and 3+ people know about this.

However, I was checking on the price of the property when I noticed that it was up for sale. I texted my Dad about this, asking why he didn't consult us first. He replied saying that  he would either rent out the house, or sell it and put it towards a house in Cambridge, a nearby city, which he would leave to us. While he says this would be more beneficial financially, the house doesn't have a mortgage, and the one in Cambridge will.

When I pressed further, he dropped this bombshell- apparently, I won't be going to get the house until my Dad dies- my Dad is in his mid-forties. It could be 40 years until I get the houses, which isn't ideal (I want to use the rent from the house to pay for university). Where do I stand on this? Can I make a case using word of mouth of witnesses who are equal ground in this situation? Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 Check out legaladviceuk

But I would guess that you have no recourse unfortunately. Your father can do with his property (the houses) as he pleases, barring restrictions your grandfather may have put in place during the inheritance. And it doesn't sound like there are any.


Title: Nut thieves

Question: I know this is weird, so bear with me. We're in Texas. My mom has several large pecan trees in her front yard. At this time of year she always has to shoo people out of her yard who want to collect the pecans. Today she came home to an entire family beating her trees to get to the nuts. She threatened to call the police, and they took off. She lives on a very busy street, so it's not like people can't see what they're doing. She works full time and lives alone, so there's no one else there during the day. I should also add that she lives in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood where people regularly ignore no trespassing signs and many of the people pretend not to understand English. (I worked in the same neighborhood for years and dealt with some of the same issues.) What can she do? I know bear traps are out of the question.

Answer:
 Post signs in English and Spanish, and call the police immediately instead of warning people.Answer #2: Does she have a neighbor who can keep an eye out during the day? I assume any no trespassing signs are in multiple languages?

It's not a minor theft either: they are around $3 a lb now.Answer #3: I have no useful advice for you, but now I really want pie.Answer #4: [This would qualify as criminal trespass](http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/PE/htm/PE.30.htm) if you posted signage at the edge of the property giving notice. A fence is also not a bad idea.

Notice is presumed if a sign is posted, so the defendant would basically have to take the stand and say they didn't see the sign, didn't understand the sign, and then thought it was okay to just come and take pecans from your tree.Answer #5: Put up a fence?

IANALAnswer #6: Security camera with a no trespassing sign.


Title: I was hospitalized for 6 hours due to a false suicide claim; can this incident affect me in the future?

Question:
I live in Australia, NSW. I am 16 years old.

I have depression and while on Prozac it worsened significantly - I like myself, but wanted to be dead all the time. At no point did I say or imply that I would hurt myself, just that I feel that way (wishing I was dead). I'd never self-harmed or anything, just didn't like being alive. Anyway, the police were called by my mum to make sure I was okay one night. Thing is, she knows how I felt, and has encouraged me to harm myself. She called the police because she wanted me to leave and I told her I wouldn't. She uses the police (and lies to them) to get her way.
I, and my siblings, no longer live with her for obvious reasons.

After talking to them, they agreed that I was fine, but then my dad showed some texts in which I had told him I felt hopeless and the officers said that, just to be sure, they would call the ambulance. I was hospitalized to make sure I didn’t hurt myself. The doctor I talked to later that night said he didn’t think I had to go there because I seemed fine (which I was, really).

I’m wondering if this hospitalization can affect me in any way, shape or form in the future? If I am ever arrested will the police know? Is there a record of this that can affect my life? Will it be harder to do things (legally acquire a handgun permit, etc.) If there are any ways in which this can affect me, please tell me.

edit: just for the record, my parents are divorced; my dad drove down after I told him the police were there.

edit 2: Thanks a ton for the support, guys. It means a lot. This account was a throwaway and I'm going to go to bed now (and turn off my computer) so the account will be fully inactive from this point onward. Also cheers to whoever's downvoting all the comments. whytho.jpg

Answer: You need to seriously look at separating yourself from your mom. If she's encouraging you to harm yourself that's not at all ok. Perhaps you can ask your dad about moving in with him or ask other family members. You need someone who's going to support you getting better and not support destructive behavior. I've dealt with depression myself and I can't imagine getting better with someone who's encouraged me to harm myself in the past. That being said, if police were to be in contact with you again they may know that they went on a psych related call with you in the past. They shouldn't know specifics though. As far as an employer goes there shouldn't be an issue. Prospective employers shouldn't know about anything medically related unless you tell them. Answer #2: Not a lawyer and not in Australia. I have three hospitalizations under my belt and they have never affected my professional life, mainly because medical records are private and I don't blab about them except on reddit. I can't speak to whether yours would be called up if you were ever arrested. I have never been. I have heard stories where if police were involved, it might affect ability to enter the US. Ongoing treatment for bipolar disorder is more likely to affect my ability to get a firearms licence (in Canada), but I can live with that. Not having a gun has saved my life a few times.


Title: Hopefully the final update to neighbor pointing gun at my head ...

Question:
Well first of all I can't pull I'll post because I'm doing this once again from a cell phone.

TL;DR: Nope! Chuck Testa!

I cashed everything in. I borrowed against things, and I sold a lot of my personal items which are semi-replaceable. I found a beautiful house, only 10-15 minutes extra driving to work, and I put in my offer, negotiated, settled on a good price and went forward. The hitch? The seller wanted a 6 week close. I thought ok. Didn't want to but the place is worth it. So I agreed. I had to. I thought I could survive this shit for a while longer but ... Silly me ...

He did it. He shot at me. He missed by a few feet. I watched him do it. Made eye contact, saw him draw the gun, and he pulled the trigger as I was diving behind my vehicle and to the ground. I heard two more shots go off and that was it for me ... I pulled my gun and made sure it was ready to go.  I'm trained. I know what to do ... Or so I thought ... So there I am on the phone, 911 on a Bluetooth headset and just waiting for him to come at me. I've convinced myself I am ok with whatever happens next ...

Another neighbor who is usually not home was. 911 was called by them and I almost simultaneously.

I'm trying to control the rush the anxiety and the adrenaline. Shaking a bit is unavoidable. I am screaming at 911 to get the state police because the town police are shit and someone needs to get here. They hear the second shot go off and ask who it was "HIM!  I AM BEHIND COVER! IF THEY DONT GET HERE SOON SOMEONE IS DYING TODAY!!!" I scream.

An eternity passed. What seemed like one anyhow. I was in this strange state of mind where I wanted him to show himself on my property because my yard was still unlocked and open and I would end this once and for all and put him in the ground. Then this other set of thought where I only wanted this to end with no injury. I didn't want to kill this man I knew was good once. I had been close with him and his family. His wife left him. His kid hates him and is barely there other than to sleep. They argue and we all here it ... This poor fucker ... He is about to do something he can't take back ...

I hear footsteps. I hear yelling. That's it! This is him!  I point straight ahead finger on trigger ready to fucking blow him away ... I know what to do!!!

His fucking dog!!!! Running at me wagging his fucking tail drooling like a moron! BOOM!

Tackles me. Licking my face and whining with happiness ...

I calm him. One hand on gun one hand on his collar. Now shits real. I almost killed a fucking dog and there isn't another one ... Only one other thing comes next ...

Sirens. Mother fucking glorious sirens of fucking rescue. I hope it's swat. I hope he gets destroyed and beaten by them I'm so mad.  I didn't realize at the time they were state police sirens!

They arrive he has his gun in his hand. He didn't hear them coming. They tackle him they cuff him. They scream at me to come out with my hands up. I scream back "HELL FUCKING NO! HE SHOT AT ME I DIDNT SHOOT AT HIM!!!"  I raise my hand with a gun in it above the car and say "LOOK HERE IS MY FUCKIN GUN! NO SHOTS FROM ME! DONT SHOOT ME! IM STANDING UP OK??? I HAVE A DOG HERE BY THE COLLAR IF I LET GO HE IS STUPID AND FRIENDLY AND WILL RUN AT YOU I ONLY HAVE ONE HAND TO RAISE!" And place the gun on the hood. I have a large suv just to give you all an idea ...

They say fine. I move the big stubborn dog past the bumper and shout "SEE? DOG!NO GUN NO WEAPON!!!" And slowly step towards the front of the car and up. 8 cops pointing their guns at me. Hand in the air. I look at the closest one and scream "PUT YOUR FUCKIN GUNS DOWN IM THE VICTIM! YOU PUT THEM THE FUCK DOWN NOW!" The neighbor comes running over screaming her head off about how I didn't do anything she called 911 and I was being shot at. They lowered their weapons. No idea how that would have gone if they hadn't.

One officer approached me. He softly apologized. Asked if I was hit or injured. I said no. Said he hit the grill over there. I was fine. He asked me if my gun was loaded I said yes. I said "I want my gun back if you're thinking about taking it" he said "Just holster it.  It's over now."

I realized. There was no way for this asshole to get out of this one. No way in hell.

Everything went from that point on exactly how you would think. They read him the riot act. They let me get some verbal jabs in on him. Not my best moment but I got him good and told him if he ever gets out and shoots at me again he better not miss because the cops won't be here in time to save his sorry ass. Then I thanked him for my new dog.

He lost his shit with that one. Spit at me. Broke free of the cop holding him (not a small guy) and charged at me. I dropped him. I don't even know how I managed to do it i sidestepped him grabbed him by the back of his head and slammed it into the cruiser 2' behind me. One swift move. It was some serious ninja shit. The cops pulled me off him I raised hands again said "I'm fine I'm fine it's good..." They had three cops on him and threw him in the cruiser.

Local PD shows up 38 minutes into this at this point.  They came straight at me screaming I was under arrest blah blah blah three of them. Four more local cruisers show up. All jump out. Two state police officers get between them and I and just say "we have this under control" one cop keeps at it until someone pulls rank I guess on him. I just remember a bunch of screaming and pointing at me. State PD flips out on local and sends them packing. GLORIOUS VICTORY IS MINE!!!

Sixteen hours later he made bail. I got a call that he did. Good to have friends I guess.

Today, I moved. The truck pulled up 4 hours ago. I'm riding in the backseat resting and writing this. 30 minutes and I will be in my new house.

Goodbye shithole town. Goodbye asshole neighbor. I don't even fucking care anymore.

This has shown me just how flawed our justice system is. How flawed police everywhere are. I'm happy and angry I guess. Disgusted as well.

My new life begins today.

Answer:
 Of all the things in the world that never happened, this never happened the most. Answer #2: Well I'm glad this creative writing/ anti police screed is over with.

You could've used 2-3 more passes though an edit as the narrative has way too many holes in it.Answer #3: Once police show up they want everyone to put their guns down. They are walking in to an unfamiliar situation and don't know who is the shooter and who is the victim. You should have put the gun down as soon as they grabbed the guy and put your hands up.

Glad it turned out basically okay.


Title: Can someone get in trouble for selling alcohol/cigs to someone that appears to have a valid ID but looks like a minor?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: They can get in pretty serious trouble for selling to a minor who uses a fake id. If they suspect that you may be a minor, they are doing their job by being diligent. If it's causing you a problem, consider carrying your passport with you, too.


Title: Fear of loosing my kids

Question:
Fear of loosing my kids

Alright, this is a pretty messed up situation so if this is the wrong place to post, I’ll take it down.

For those of you who haven’t read my last post, I’m a single dad of twin boys (five months old). Their mom passed due to complications during childbirth. Her parents blame me for this, and we haven’t spoken since.

This morning I received word from my boss that her parents had contacted the company I work for claiming that I was stealing from the company and I should be fired immediately. My boss told them that there was no money or equipment missing, and that I had a perfect record so no action would be taken. They responded by saying that they were taking me to court to have custody of my children so it didn’t matter that my boss wasn’t going to fire me because they had other ways to get to me (this was all via email so I have proof of their scheming should I need it)

My fear now is that they’re actually going to have my boys taken from me. My kids are happy and healthy, been accepted into daycare (starting at the end of the month), I can provide for them well, I work from home so I spend all my time with them so I see no logical reason why. Additionally, I never abusive to their daughter, I provided for her when she dropped out of school and her parents refused to support her (they claimed she was too lazy to finish school when In reality she just hated it and couldn’t justify spending the time and money on something she hated and wasn’t going to pursue a career in) etc. Im just afraid they’re going to paint an awful picture of me and I’m not in a mental or financial place to fight back. They come from quite a wealthy background so they can afford the best lawyers in the country until someone takes me down

Any advice Is appreciated. Can they technically do this? What would yall do in my situation?

Thanks In advance

Answer: You need to be speaking to a family law attorney. This is a situation you're going to want to get out in front of rather than react to.


Title: I am a contractor and have been contracting at Randy’s for 2 years. Randy’s parent company fires my contracting agency but doesn’t tell them, me, or my manager. I have been working at Randy’s for 3 weeks without pay or an employer. (TX)

Question: The parent company wants me to sign with another agency.  However the other agency doesn’t pay holidays or a week of vacation.  Can they just make me take a large decrees in pay?  They have been pressuring me to sign a contract at the lower wage so I can get paid and we will work it out later.  I am not stupid and will not be signing until it is a rate I am happy with.  Is this all legal?  I have been coming to work every day but I technically don’t work for anyone.

Answer:
 Your former employer (the agency) owes you your wages, not the company you're contracted to.  If nobody told you that you were laid off and not to work, then you were still employed and working.  Get the money from that agency.  If they're refusing, you'd file a wage claim against them.

As far as going forward: Yes, the company can do that.  They have no obligation to employ you or pay you any specific rate.  They have a contract with an agency.  When that contract ends for whatever reason, so does any minor obligation they had to you.  If you don't want to work at the new rate, don't sign


Title: [NC] Annulment based on impotency of wife

Question:
I will be consulting with a lawyer soon, but I just wanted to get a feel for how good my chances are.

First, wife and I have been married for 9 years. Marraige has Been unconsummated due to her having vaginismus (or something similar). Basically she CANT have sex. She refuses to get treatment (which is highly successful or so I hear) so I am really left with little other option than leaving. Did I mention 9 years? I have been faithful and supportive 100% of the time. No infidelity.
Under NC law if either party is impotent at the time of the marriage it is considered voidable. There are no time limitations listed in the law.

Do you think I have grounds for filling for annulment? Do you think a judge would actually grant it or just tell me to file for divorce?
Thanks

Answer:
 I'm sorry to hear that, for both of your sakes. It sounds like you've been a stand-up guy and you just got caught in a rotten situation.

You probably could get an annulment, but if you've stayed with her and supported her for this long, you probably still have at least some fond feelings for her. Since an annulment would involve putting all of this into the public record--not to mention digging around in your wife's medical records--it would probably be easier, quicker, cheaper, and less embarrassing for both of you if you just get a divorce instead of an annulment. It you want to keep being a stand-up guy and end your marriage with some dignity and respect for each other's privacy, that's the way I would go.

Again, I'm so sorry your marriage didn't work out. Best of luck to you.


Title: Flooded apartment lead to mold- not my fault

Question:
Wondering if I have a legal case here, or if people can point me in the right direction. About 30 days ago, a pipe sheared clean in half in my wall, and about half my apartment was flooded. Renter's insurance covered my hotel stay while the pipe was repaired and my bedroom (only room with carpet) had its carpet deep cleaned, deodorized, and dried. About 30 days later, I had people over who told me my apartment smelled really badly. I didn't believe them, but they tracked it down to my bedroom, and told me the smell was mold. I guess living here daily as it gradually grew was enough to keep me from noticing the smell myself, but now I can't stop smelling it. I realized it had daamged some of my clothing and my mattress as well, and the carpet is bizarrely somehow damp again. During this time, I had health complications- fainted 2 weeks ago and had a concussion, had to go to ED, was around $3,500. The following week a cold I had randomly complicated into a throat abscess, and I had to get a bunch of medications for that. Not sure how much that cost, since the ED visit hit my deductible, but the antibiotic was clindamycin, which is no joking matter, and the predinsone and other antibiotic they injected into my gluteals still hurt. My cat is also having strange discharge from one of his eyes, and I'm wondering if the mold could have played a role in any of this. I'm in California and not really sure what my rights are or what the tenant laws imply.

I already tried calling our emergency maintenance over the weekend twice just so they could come confirm it, but they told me mold wasn't an emergency, and that regardless I would be called back. I wasn't called back for either call. I've also sent an email saying the same thing this post is to my landlady, but with more of a "wtf" attitude.

Any help is appreciated- thank you!

Answer: Can't help you on the legal side (through I'd be very interested in responses as we went through a similar situation), but on the practical side, I would say do whatever you can to move out.  We had professional remediation done, and we were still having health problems from a mold issue in the ceiling.  It's not worth your health to try to stay in a place as they clean it, especially since it sounds like the landlady isn't being super responsive.


Title: Can a doctor's office bill me for missing a scheduled appointment?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >Can they bill me if I don't show up without cancelling or notifying them?

Yes. You made an appointment for their time. If you don't cancel with sufficient notice, they won't have enough time to fill that slot, and that is lost revenue for them.

>I can't cause their phone isn't working.

How do you know this?

>I am also a new patient so they only have my name, birthday, address, and phone number. What is the worst that could happen?

They could mail you the bill.


Title: I'm 18, I sent some dick pics to a 15 year old

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Are they asking for anything? This is almost certainly a scam.Answer #2: Nothing.  You do absolutely nothing.  Stop talking to her, don't defend yourself to them, nothing.  Stop all contact with them, ignore them, block them, everything.  If they create a new account to talk to you, block that one, too.

There's a huge chance this is a scam.  It's really common.  What they do is sign up for a site like Tinder on an account that says they're 18, trade sexy pics, then say "this is [whoever's] parents, she's 15 and we'll report you to the police.  Give us money and we won't do it."  That's extortion, it's illegal, and no one is going to turn you in to the police.

If it turns out this isn't a scam, then still say nothing.  In the extremely unlikely case the police contact you, say nothing, call a lawyer.  And when I say "nothing" I mean the only words that should come out of your mouth are "I'm not comfortable talking without first speaking to my lawyer," nothing else.Answer #3: Make print screens of the profile where it says she is 18. Keep all other information that says she is 18. Don't contact them.

Dit the parrents by any chance ask for money instead of going to the police?Answer #4: have you met the girl in person?

this is an increasingly common scam. if they ask for money, ignore and move on.

if it's real and they tell the cops, don't talk to the cops and hire a lawyer.


Title: My Roommate get's drugs delivered to the house, can I report him without getting involved?

Question:
So I live in a house with 4 other guys. One of the guys whom rents a room left yesterday without paying any of his bills for the previous month. On top of that, he owes many of us personally for things he's ruined or lost.

There was no contract upon him moving in (our names are on the lease, his is not), and trying to pursue this matter legally in the courts would be frivolous.

Him not paying his bills wouldn't be so hard to brush off (money isn't exactly and issue for any of us) if he wasn't ordering drugs from people through the mail on a monthly basis and racking up enormous bar tabs (hundreds of dollars) every weekend. He always seems to have money to party but never enough money to pay his bills.

We're sick of his shit and his excuses. We did so many favors for this guy, and he completely screwed us. And we would like to tip off the authorities about his business operations, but we don't want to be involved in anyway if this goes to court. We don't want to make any witness statements. We were hoping that the authorities might start tracking his mail and packages and catch him the next time a package goes through, but at the same time we have no these processes work and are afraid that police might question us or ask us for details that we are unsure of. Worse, we are afraid that this may backfire on us because these packages were being sent to a residence that we have our names signed to (lease).

If anyone is wondering, I will assure you that these drug deals absolutely have no connection with me or any of our room mates. None of our names are associated with these deals, and there are no messages/evidence/what have you that may incriminate any of us. Most of the stuff he gets mailed to him is weed/extracts, but I know he get's other stuff mailed to him (not sure what exactly). We live in a state where weed is decriminalized (MA).

Any advice regarding the matter would be great.
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer:
 >but we don't want to be involved in anyway if this goes to court

Anonymously report the tip to the police/crimestoppers then.


Title: Emotional support animal

Question: Is it illegal for my apartment manager to call my doctor to verify my emotional support animal? Me and my doctor have separately sent her documentation for my need for my ESA and she continues to message my counselor at her other office job regarding my ESA. My counselor has told me that she cannot reply to those emails because it is a separate job. I’m not sure what she is trying to talk to my counselor about? To verify my need? Isn’t that illegal? She has been given two different and valid documents for my animal. She is contacting my counselor outside of the email we have both provided her for contact regarding my ESA. She’s gone as far as googling my counselor and finding her office email and phone number to call and try to talk to her.

Answer: It’s not illegal to verify that the documentation was actually written by a medical professional who is actively treating your condition.Answer #2: It's not unusual for your counselor to be contacted to confirm that he/she wrote the letter and possibly to verify any ambiguities in the letter. There is no reason that your counselor can't confirm these things to the LL as you have already requested that your counselor communicate to the LL to confirm these things. Also, as a licensed provider your counselor will know not to reveal any unnecessary private or clinical information during this communication. Your counselor only needs to confirm the letter.Answer #3: What do you mean by counselor?  Like a licensed doctor?


Title: [OK] Trimming Back My Neighbor's Tree Overhanging My Property Will Probably Kill It

Question: My next door neighbor has a huge tree right on his side of the property line that is overhanging on my property about 25 feet.  I have decided to put up an Accessory Building and to do so I will have to cut off everything that is overhanging on my property. Trimming back will probably end up killing my neighbor's tree. My neighbor says he will sue me if the tree dies. What is my liability here?

Answer: In situations like this you hire a certified arborist. They are experienced in trimming trees so they don't die and carry liability insurance for if they do.


Title: If you’re legally disabled and can’t walk and part of a neighborhood watch program, can you legally use a drone, controlled from inside your home, for taking videos of potential suspects at night?

Question:
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 If you're legally disabled and can't walk, being part of a neighborhood watch may not be the best use of your time.

You can only fly a drone in a residential neighborhood if you keep it in sight. You would be unable to meet that requirement, so you cannot legally fly a drone in a residential neighborhood.

https://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=22615

>You must keep your drone within sight. Alternatively, if you use First Person View or similar technology, you must have a visual observer always keep your aircraft within unaided sight (for example, no binoculars). Neither you nor a visual observer can be responsible for more than one unmanned aircraft operation at a time.


Title: Can the city strong arm my coworker into selling them her house at their appraisal rate?

Question:
My coworker lives in Springdale, AR, and they just got notice that the city is sending an appraiser to appraise their house to purchase her property. They didn't say what it was for, but she thinks it's to do with reworking the sewer lines in the city, which a part of runs either behind her house or underneath it.

&#x200B;

They've given them less than 2 week's notice before sending the appraiser.

&#x200B;

In general, how legal is this if she doesn't want to sell her house? The house is paid off and the only ongoing payments are property taxes and insurance. Also, she'll be looking into hiring a lawyer. Is there a particular kind of lawyer to look for?
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer: You'll be wanting a lawyer who specializes in Eminent Domain cases (Takings Clause actions). She can attempt to fight this in court. But the realistically best outcome for her is to hire her an attorney, her own appraiser, get her own appraisal and see how much of a difference there is in-between the two appraisals. At the very least this will give her grounds to stall the government while they haggle over price if need be.


Title: A random lady accused me of a hit and run, even though there is no damage to either car. Should I call insurance or wait it out?

Question:
As the title states. I was driving and this lady on the lane to the right of me swerves a bit (gets close to the curb). I park because she's gesturing for me to. She accuses me of a hit and run when there was no contact with the cars and she really swerved for no reason. Do I do anything at all or give insurance a heads up?

Thank you for your time and your advice. :)

Edit: Location: California, USA.

Edit 2: Insurance agent said to notify police, so I'm going to do that tomorrow.

Answer:
 How did she think it was a hit and run if you pulled over and talked to her?

Also location?Answer #2: If there was no contact between the cars, there was no hit.  If she tries to file an insurance claim, an insurance examiner is going to assess the damage that didn't occur, since there was no contact between the vehicles.  I'd alert my insurance company to the incident as a possible attempt at fraud on her part.  Did you exchange any information with her, or at least get her plate number?Answer #3: I wouldn't do anything. There's no hit, no damages to claim, nothing.

Her insurance will laugh her off the phone if she tries to claim something actually happened.


Title: I [M23] just found out my son [M2] isn't mine. My name is on his birth certificate. What are my rights?

Question:
If you want to read the whole story, I just posted it [here](http://rr.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/38xnmf/i_just_found_out_my_m23_son_m2_isnt_mine/).

I am wondering what my rights are. He's almost 3 now. If I leave am I obligated to pay child support? If I leave am I still allowed access to him? Can I get my name off the birth certificate?

My questions are from two different points of view, because I am completely unsure of what I am going to do.

EDIT: I'm in NSW, Australia

Answer:
 You're not going to be able to establish paternity one way for child support and another way for visitation.

You can go the route of "this is not my child and I shouldn't owe support" or the route of "this is my child despite his genetics and I deserve visitation and custody," and have at least some chance of success with either, but you're not going to be able to argue both at once.

Which is more important to you? That's where I'd start.Answer #2: Australian child support information from legal aid NSW here http://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/publications/factsheets-and-resources/taking-action-to-question-paternity

Basically if you want out of child support you will need to go to court to get an order that you are not the father once you get the assessment. CSA won't just accept your DNA test.Answer #3: /r/auslaw may be able to help. Read their side bar carefully before posting. You want to talk about general concepts and not narrow it down to you.....

What would happen if... seems to work well.Answer #4: My reading on the section on Australia of http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paternity_fraud is that you might be able to avoid child support.


Title: Airbnb Rentals (NYC)

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You will be violating the lease if you either advertise for rent or actually rent the apartment.


Title: making underage teenagers sign a waiver for a party

Question:
(Gwinnett County, Georgia)

So the big thing around my area right now is for teenagers (such as myself) to rent out an event venue, get a dj, and host a party, charging kids to get in. However, as this has gotten bigger, some party hosts have gotten in trouble for kids bringing in alcohol and marijuana inside the party. I personally have only hosted one venue party so far, and didn't let kids bring alcohol or drugs inside although they were allowed to do whatever in the parking lot. The party went over great but I'm wondering:

If my team and I required teenagers to sign a waiver when purchasing their ticket that went along the lines of "by signing this you acknowledge that you are not allowed to bring alcohol and drugs into the premises and are solely responsible if you are caught with such substances," would that ensure that the event venue and I would not get in trouble if police pulled up and arrested kids with drugs/alcohol?

I am hosting parties in secluded-ish venues and yes I know that the best course of action is to enforce no alcohol and drugs but where's the fun in that? I am simply asking for an answer to my question and any alternatives / suggestion you may have. Thanks for your time!

Answer:
 >would that ensure that the event venue and I would not get in trouble if police pulled up and arrested kids with drugs/alcohol?

No.


Title: Am I required to mow adjacent property that I don't own?

Question: I am in Johnson County Kansas. Cities of Overland Park and adjacent Lenexa. There is a piece of land adjacent to my western border that extends about 50 feet over to the edge of the street. It appears to not be platted. I have been mowing it because the property line is not marked, and I don't want it to become overgrown. As I age, I will be increasingly unable to care for the extra space, and don't want to pay someone else to care for it if I don't have to. How do I determine who is responsible for its care, and get them to take over the mowing? I have considered just stopping mowing it, and wait to see what happens, but I fear the results will be to my detriment.

Answer:
 If you don't know where your property line ends, get a survey performed. They are usually only a few hundred $, and well worth the money. Then, mow only your property. You can call the city counsel or city management and advise them of the lot becoming unsightly.

EDIT to add: there is also the theory of adverse possession. How long have you been mowing the grass? Have you ever seen anyone else on the property to inspect it, or make improvements, or maintain it? Litigating adverse possession can be long and expensive sometimes, FYI.Answer #2: ...Are you unsure if it actually is your property or something? Because if you know it is not your property why on earth would you think you're responsible for it? That's not to say that the city will mow it if you don't, or anything (they may in fact inform you that if you want it maintained your option is indeed to continue to maintain it yourself), but *required*?? I doubt it.


Title: My life was destroyed over a 2 year period I was facing 6 felonies (no evidence ever offered) do to an angry ex, and an incompetent detective, prosecutor, and judge. Do I have any chance of winning a suit against TN, or the city to get something back?

Question:
I've tried to rewrite this a few times but it always sounds like I'm just wanting sympathy. That is not what I want, I'm looking for advice on any chance to at least get back some of the money the screwed up legal system in Tennessee cost me. And I know many will mention it but my ex wife has no money.

I fought this for over 2 years, I lost my job at the phone company for being arrested and counting lost income as well as legal fees, bond and travel and hotel expenses, this has cost me over $150,000. I'm deep in debt and my credit is shot to h#ll. I had a few nervous breakdowns, resulting in very obvious scares on my wrist I now have to hide, as well as other stress related health problems. And even with my record technically expunged, my arrest and mugshot will always be online for anyone including possible employers to find.

The short version

My ex wife got mad, her daughter I hadn't seen in almost 2 years suddenly accused me of repeatedly raping and beating her, including beating her with a chain but being adamant no marks were ever left on her for others to see. After an investigation of questioning only 3 people I was arrested, and the judge doubles my bail when I'm trying to bail out, and comments about my guilt.(I did finally make bail) At trial the detective says they always assume guilt until they find evidence otherwise, and military records saying I was in Afghanistan for over half the time she was claiming didn't matter or prove anything. I spent 2 years fighting this with the prosecutor delaying and offering deals. I think the whole plan was to scare me into a plea deal.

The longer version

A year after the divorce my ex started calling. I told her we would never get back together. A few things happened after this that resulted in me blocking her on Facebook. A few months later, a detective contacted me and I find out I've been accused of molesting my ex's daughter.

A couple months later I'm arrested on 6 counts of rape, a max of 150 years. After finding a bonding company, the judge doubles the bail. Demanding property to go with the money. Repeatedly making comments about "what he's done" referring to me being guilty. Once out, my lawyer says he's never seen such a thin case file. About 6 or 8 pages, many only half pages.

The judge changed 3 times before trial. At trial the detective during questioning says they "always assume guilt until they find evidence of innocents when investigating" and his entire investigation was talking to me, my ex, the school counselor, having an expert question the daughter, and checking to see if I had a criminal record. "Nothing else" When my lawyer showed military orders proving I was in Afghanistan for over 12 months of the 2 years she was claiming rape, he said it "doesn't matter". My ex denied seeing or knowing anything. Her daughter suddenly couldn't remember 4 of the 6 accusations, and described being violently beaten but pointing out no marks were ever left on her that others could have seen, even with a small chain. It ended in a hung jury with a couple saying I didn't prove I was innocent.

Six months later at the next trial, the charges were dropped. I heared my ex and her daughter refused to come back to court.

Answer:
 You could try to sue your ex for the damages relating to filing a false police report. The police and prosecutor all sound like they were doing their job Answer #2: Talk to a lawyer.

No one can give you even halfway accurate advice without access to all of the relevant information.

Lawsuits against the police, prosecutor, and courts are only very rarely successful.


Title: My professor is failing me because my grandfather passed away.

Question:
I'm currently a full time  nursing student that was supposed to graduate this Spring. My grandfather got very sick on the third week of school, so this caused me a lot of stress over the quarter. he had passed away in late Oct almost close to finals so this made school a little hard. I let my teachers know ahead of time before I left for the funeral and let them know my circumstances. Most of my teachers were lenient about the situation and gave me extensions except for one. Professor X apologized for my loss, advised me when the withdrawal date is and that she will need an obituary before discussing extensions. I asked for 3-7 days of leniency and refused to work something out with me. I sent her the obituary directly after it was finalized two days prior, to which she requested a "hyperlink" of the document. I rushed to get the death certificate to mitigate the scrutiny, to which she was content, but she only gave me points back for two assignments. The rest of the assignment I only got 1/3rd of credit for.

At this point my grade was failing even though I got B's on all of my exams and an A on a final project. I contacted the dean students and explained my situation to her and she had a conversation with professor X. After this meeting professor X failed me for an assignment that was a reflection, she stated that it was plagiarism even though it's almost not possible at all. Fast forward to post finals week I see she failed me for the course. Classes begin next week and I just learned that my appeal got denied. I don’t know what to do. I've been trying to work with the Dean of students and she's been incredibly helpful but I’m convinced I have to get a lawyer. I’m being failed for something that was completely out of my control, what can I do?  I’m in Minnesota.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: I don’t think legally the professor did anything wrong. Morally, maybe, but legally they aren’t required to give you leniency for something of this. If your appeal is denied I don’t see much more action to take


Title: Best friend bought a house, inspector passed it with minimal fixes, turns out there are HUGE problems that the seller tried to mask (and hard to believe that inspector didn't see). What can best friend do?

Question:
Hello! My best friend and her fiancé just closed on and moved into their house. The inspector found 6 things that needed to be fixed prior to closing, which were somewhat taken care of (not everything was fixed, but it was passable for the buyers it seems).

However, after moving in and using the house for the first time, they realized it had some big problems.

\- Friend ran the washing machine, turns out it was draining straight into the wall. Not into a pipe through the wall, but into the wall to where it wasn't seen. She found out when there was a huge mess - wet floor, wet wall and water dripping through cracks outside - upon using the machine. This was clearly hidden on purpose, there is no way this was an oversight. The house listed a functioning "washer and dryer area."

Somehow, her fiancé had the contact info of the sellers. He text him immediately upon figuring out the draining problem, and the sellers said that they'll "send their plumbing guy to check it out." Seems fishy.

\- Bathroom adjacent to washing machine drains into wall as well.

\- Master bathroom drains into a pipe in the wall, which empties into a hole outside the house. The hole contains a pipe into which the water is supposed to drain into? They don't know where this pipe leads, and it was covered by leaves and debris so the top wasn't visible. Her handyman dad found this when moving them in. When you flush or use the master or kitchen sink, you can see the water empty immediately outside.

\- There is significant, visible mold growing up the wall where the plumbing empties. Friend thought this was external mold from sprinklers or roof dripping, but it's growing from the bottom up from the multiple improper drainings. There is no way the inspector could have missed this?

Friend is now facing a huge dilemma - she signed the paperwork to close, but the house sold was not the house described. The inspector also didn't perform a proper job, as he missed absolutely glaring problems. This is a small-ish town, maybe the inspector and seller were working together?

She is thinking about contacting an attorney to write a letter that states "pay for these damages and repairs, or we will take you to court," however, she has no idea if this is even the right path, or who is liable in this situation. Can anyone offer some direction?

She's currently putting together a paper trail of all texts, documents, pictures, etc. for proof.

They're really lost - anything helps. Thank you!

Answer: I'd talk to an attorney about backing out of the sale completely at this point. That house probably has a lot more things wrong with it and the sellers are clearly unethical.


Title: [NV, USA] Found neighbors dog dead in my backyard.

Question:
I found my neighbors Yorkie dead in my backyard. I discovered my gate was broken off it's latch and pushed open just enough for a small animal to creep through, but my animals could not get out. I have two dogs. Ridgeback and a Black Lab, both mixed with German Shepard.

Since they got their Yorkies, they have forever been barking up a storm. Our dogs will bark at each other through the wall for a few minutes at a time randomly throughout the day. I came home to find one of their Yorkies passed away in my back yard.

At the discovery of my gate being broken and pushed open, I saw their gate completely open. I called Animal Control to come pick up the dog and help investigate. Animal Control wasn't operating at that time, so they sent police instead. The police investigated and determined that the dog did not die from a violent attack. Which I know to be true because the dog was in no way bloody, or mauled to death in anyway. Police took the dog away. Later, once I saw the neighbors frantically looking for their dog outside after they had discovered their gate completely open. I informed them of what had happened. They immediately said my dogs are extremely violent and have attacked their dogs in the past and that my dogs killed their dog. I do not know of any situation in which my dogs have attacked any person or animal. I asked them when this happened and why wasn't it reported to us. Did my dogs get out somehow? They said "No, they attacked our dogs through the wall and we wish we had told you about it now".

I am concerned now that they are going to try and find some way to take legal action against my dogs. Even though they didn't do anything wrong. Even if my dogs somehow killed their dog via shock because they are so much bigger than their Yorkie. Their dog was still on my property in my backyard. The gate that the dog seemed to enter my backyard through hasn't been used or opened in nearly 10 years. So I am pretty sure the latch broke due to rust.

I spoke with the husband the night of the incident and he was telling me that there landscapers left their gate open the day before, and that is how their dog got out. He also said he talked with the officers and the officers told him that there was no blood and no visible wounds that would have resulted in death to the animal. He was also mentioning to me how that dog has breathing problems and has had past surgery's on it's throat and that their dog could have just passed away from lack of air.

Any thoughts and advice on the situation? They apparently came over to my house last night after I had left for work and wanted to talk with me some more. Another guest in the house, who was not present at the time of the primary situation, said I wasn't home and that they did not have any details. They claim now that their dog died from 1 bite mark.

Answer:
 Your dogs were in your backyard when a creature that does not belong to you trespassed into your backyard. This is just instinct. If sued respond but this is not your faultAnswer #2: My dog caught a yorkie sized bunny last week.

Alas there was obvious damage to the bunny and blood on the fur and ground.

There is no way your dogs killed the yorkie and the police did not see evidence of that. (Maybe if they scared it to death?)


Title: Landlord is possibly illegally renting out the basement of the single family home that my family rents (New Jersey). Also, we are possibly paying for that tenant's hot water.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >he admitted that there was only one, but "the meters are separate.

That's total BS.

Anyway, call the city to report the illegal apartment.Answer #2: Local government official here, definitely check your municipal ordinances. The town I work in (in PA) makes it VERY difficult for a basement of a single-family dwelling to be even a bedroom, let alone a separate apartment. We follow BOCA, which requires two direct forms of egress (this does not include stairs to the first floor, so it would require the door to the basement from the outside, and specially certified egress windows). When in doubt, calling code enforcement to ask what the standards are "hypothetically" and anonymously and seeing if the unit fulfills them would be a good place to start.

Edit: Said second floor when I meant first floor.


Title: NJ - Can an employer force you to bill a timecard to vacation time if you're working?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: No not legal as you do not get to charge some time to vacation and some time to work. If it would not fly in office, then it won't fly when working from home.


Title: Contractor abandoned his remodel job at my house along with tools and equipment. Four months later, can I get rid of them?

Question:
I'm in Oregon, USA. Last August, I hired a contractor to do remodeling work on my house. What should have taken no more than one month, dragged on through the end of the year. It was always, "I'll finish it this week." He hasn't been to my house since the first week of November and the job is about 80% done (I haven't paid him the full amount we agreed on, but paid him most of the money).

Since November, I've repeatedly asked him to come finish my place. After the most recent round of false promises, I texted him:

> It's clear to me you're not finishing my house. I need you to come pick up your tools. If they're not gone in one week, I will consider them abandoned and sell them.

He texted me 6 days later (Sunday), saying he just got back into town after a week out and that he would be over to pick up his tools the next day (Monday two days ago). He didn't show up Monday and instead texted me, saying he'd call me Monday evening. He didn't call. I texted him Monday evening saying, you can still pick up your stuff.

**If he doesn't show up in the next few days to claim his stuff, can I sell it on Craigslist? (i.e., can I consider it abandoned property and now mine?)**

TL;DR  Contractor left job 80% done and tools/equipment at my house. After repeated requests for him to retrieve his stuff, if he doesn't get it, can I consider it mine?

Answer:
 No, you may not simply consider it yours or sell it for profit.

First, you know it is his property and he has not waived his ownership of it.

Second, while you may no longer want it on your property, that doesn't make it yours if he fails to pick it up.  If you'd like to lien it for unfinished work to offset your deposit, that's a different issue.

Third, even assuming he had "lost" or "abandoned" the property, which he has clearly not done, you would still be required to follow Oregon's laws regarding such property, here, before you could assert a claim to the property.  *See* http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/98.005

Finally, I note that /u/beholdmycape has been downvoted to oblivion.  He's absolutely, 100%, totally correct, and this is the answer I would give a client if asked.
Answer #2: Research your state laws RE: Abandoned property. Usually requires posting some notice in a paper (there are cheap "legal notice" papers specifically for this purpose) and if they are not retrieved within the guidelines of the law, yeah they could be yours. You could make a good argument to count from your first text of "pick up your stuff".

What kind of contractor wanders off without his tools?


Title: [cA] Legal Guardian Wants Me to Pay Half the Bills. Threatens to Throw me Out if I Don't.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > I've since contacted that social worker on Thursday who's made some calls.

That's the best thing you could do in this circumstance. Follow up on Monday or Tuesday and ask what's happening: your legal guardian may be abusing you, and absolutely can't throw you out into the street. If your legal guardian does throw you out, call the police. Have you talked to your social worker or your school guidance counsellor (who is, incidentally, a mandatory reporter) about your mother trying to get you to lie to psychiatrists?

However, your legal guardian _can_ withhold your money from you until you turn 18, and recovering your minimum wage pay back from her two years after the fact is, shall we say, unlikely.

I don't think your guardian can compel you to get a job against your will, beyond disciplining you for refusing to work. You'll have to decide for yourself whether the employment experience is worth the headache, or whether you'd rather wait until you turn 18 and control your own finances before you get a job. You've got plenty to focus on between now and then, between schooling and your personal development.


Title: Being denied raise and promotion because of religious beliefs

Question: So I'm posting for my mother because her work is getting out of hand but I would like to know can a employer legally deny you a raise or a promotion based on religion? My mother has been a devote catholic for 55 years, she has worked at McDonalds for 20 and they already knew this but they harrass her constantly to work on Sunday because they are short people, they always say she is lazy and making excuses even though she works 10 hours a day 5 days a week, when she went to the general manager, she flat out told her that she can not get a raise or promoted because she doesn't want to work Sunday which is her sabbath, she went to the owner of the franchises son who also works as a general manager told her the bible is a buffet and Catholics just pick and choose which rules they want to follow, he said people go to church in the morning and then work after. I wont even bring up the nepatism even though the store manager only Hires her family members and gives them all the raises and let's them do no call no shows but anyone else who does it gets fired. Do I have any type of case or? Because my mom has tried to transfer to another and they refuse to sign off on the papers that would allow her to because she is a manager herself. Sorry if this was jumbled, I dont even want the money, I just want my mother to be treated fairly, thank you.

Answer: She is not being denied anything based on her beliefs. She is being denied a promotion because she is not willing to fulfill the duties of a higher position. She is entitled to a reasonable accommodation for her beliefs but a fast-food manager not working a full weekend day is likely not "reasonable". (Also, nepotism is not illegal.)Answer #2: Well, the thing to keep in mind is that they are denying her a raise because she doesn’t work Sundays, not because she’s Catholic. If they actually said “You aren’t getting a raise because you’re Catholic” then that would be a clear case of illegal discrimination.Answer #3: She should be allowed a reasonable accomodation for her religion, is she not able to work at all on Sunday? That is not a common Catholic stance.


Title: [Florida] Landlord posted notice of entry on my door in the middle of the night, is this reasonable?

Question: I live in an apt complex in Florida, and I know that the landlord must give 12 hrs notice to enter. However, last night I got home at 8pm and went to bed around 10pm, got up in the morning and when I went to leave for work, there was a notice on the door that they were coming for an inspection today. They had to have put the notice on my door after 8pm when I got home, which could technically be a 12 hr notice if they come after 8am, but if they left it before 10pm, they didn't knock or make any effort to let me know they had dropped off the notice. Is this legal or considered reasonable notice?

Answer:
 Reasonable if slightly last minute. My complex usually posts notices the weekend before they come if for things.

If you're worried about your landlord being shady, clean up anything your worried about in plain view and get a little camera. The landlord has the right to inspect the apartment, not search through all your things.Answer #2: Tell your landlord politely that you need to be called next time since a note on the door at night will not be seen in time. Get a camera if you are suspicious in any way of unlawful entry.Answer #3: Sounds totally reasonable.


Title: [CT] Tenant next to me in apartment complex smokes in violation of his lease and the strong smell permeates my apartment. LL refuses to do anything about it. Options?

Question:
I've spoken to the neighbor, who refuses to stop smoking, and to the LL stating that he is violating his lease in doing so. He smokes his own hand-rolled cigarettes that have a very strong smell that carries over into my bathroom. If the LL is refusing to take any action do I have any options?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 First of all, in terms of leases, your lease covers you and your neighbor's lease covers him. You have no recourse against your landlord merely for not enforcing portions of the lease he has with your neighbor. If *your* lease says the entire complex will be smoke-free however, then you need to bring that up with your landlord.

This is an evolving area of law. AFAIK there are no laws in your state there are no statutes dealing with this, and no case law either. There have been lawsuits [in other states](http://healthieralexandria.org/SmokeFree/content.aspx?id=66114) but that doesn't help you. (And in at least one of these cases, Ewen v. Maccherone, the smokers won their case and were allowed to keep smoking.)

The most progressive state in this regard is Oregon. It does not prohibit smoking in apartments/condos but it requires landlords to [inform tenants of the smoking policy](http://www.fhco.org/pdfs/sf_renter_fact_sheet.pdf). You're not in Oregon but this is an illustration of how states are *starting* to get proactive about this issue.

I sympathize, this can be very frustrating. If you Here are two more resources: [1](http://changelabsolutions.org/sites/default/files/CLS_CondoOwners_FactSht_FINAL_20120517_0.pdf) [PDF] [2](http://www.tcsg.org/sfelp/apt_condofact.htm)


Title: My teenage niece got arrested for sending inappropriate photos of herself to people and then blackmailing them (Florida)

Question: I'm using a throwaway for obvious reasons. My family is reeling and my brother and SIL are devastated and we have no idea what to do. My teenage niece got arrested, it is alleged that she sent inappropriate photos of herself to people and then told them she will go to the police and have them charged with child pornography unless they gave her money. The police searched the house and took their computers, her phone and other things from her room. We are all shocked, she has never been in trouble and is a model student at school. She isn’t mentally ill or using drugs as far as we know. There is talk that she could be tried as an adult. She has been charged with multiple crimes from this. Everyone is going to pitch in to help pay for a lawyer but we don’t know what else to do for her. I don’t even know if and when she can get bail. How is it determined if she is charged as an adult? What can we do to help her? Sorry if this is all over the place but I am shocked about this.

Answer: If she did it, she deserves what she gets. That's really, really messed up.


Title: How do I seriously stop a particular company from knocking on my door? Many failed attempts.

Question: I live in Ontario and I have had at least 12 agents from an energy company knock on my door. They come as early as 11am to as late as 8:30pm.  I have asked all of them to stop coming back and repeatedly said I am not interested. I have called twice and both times asked to be placed on the "do not knock" list I even emailed them and every single time I get the "oh, okay we will stop asking" I am beginning to lose my mind with these people and I need to know how to get this company to just leave me alone! Please, please help!

Answer:
 In many American jurisdictions, door-to-door solicitors need to register with the local police before they can canvass the neighborhood. In my area, they'll revoke your permit if you knock on no-knock doors.

I don't know if this is the same in Canada, let alone in your particular town. Still, I'd call the police non-emergency line and let them know what's up. Be warned, this can end up with a canvasser in the back of a cop car.

Source: I've been a political canvass director in the back of a cop car.


Title: Fired for being pregnant what do I do now?

Question:
I’m a 26-year-old female that was recently fired from my job because I’m pregnant. I clean offices. And to top it off they had me train my replacement before they let me go. My manager pulled me into a linen closet and fired me because the security guards supposedly helped me carry out the trash which is not true. I asked her since I was doing such a bad job why did you have me train my replacement? She told me to get my stuff and get out! I work in a right to work state I’m not sure what I need to do
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Right-to-work has to do with unions.  You mean "at-will."

If you were terminated specifically because of your pregnancy, you can get in touch with the [EEOC](https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/pregnancy.cfm) and/or an employment attorney.


Title: Placed an order online, cancelled it, the company shipped it anyway. I never received the item but DID receive a bill three months later.

Question:
I live in Georgia.  Back in January I placed an order for a new computer from a reputable online company. Two weeks later, they still had not shipped out the item NOR billed me for it.  I found a better model through a different online vendor for a comparable price, so I cancelled the order with the first vendor.  I did this online and called the next day to confirm the cancellation.  When I called, the associate helping me mentioned that they ship through a third party warehouse so my item might arrive, and if that happened to refuse delivery.  I never received any shipping info or correspondence after that, so I forgot about it.

A week or so ago I received a manual bill from the first vendor, claiming the item shipped on March 27th. I emailed them to let them know I had cancelled the order and never received an item nor signed for any packages.

I received this response:

>
We apologize for the inconvenience. We understand that your original order was cancelled on January 20th. However, the order was still ship out by the third party vendor and cause to generate a manual bill. The tracking number is ******* and it shows as delivered no Wednesday,  01/28/2015 at 16:56 left at porch.

>Since you mentioned that you have not yet received the item, we will initiate a trace on this order with the carrier. This process can take up to 10 business days at which time the manual bill will be void depending on the outcome of the investigation by the shipping company.

>

>We will investigate further in this matter. In this case, we highly need your full cooperation in this investigation. Kindly fill up the form and fax it at ****** or forward it to my email at *******

The form mentioned in the email is a claim form for missing or lost merchandise, which is not the case in this situation. I emailed back and politely explained that I cancelled the order a week prior to it shipping (according to the tracking info it shipped on 1.26 and I cancelled it on 1.20), and do not feel comfortable filling out the form for missing or lost merchandise as this is not a matter of me claiming items I ordered were not delivered.  It's also suspect that their manual bill claimed the item shipped on 3/27, but then they claim it shipped two months ago.  I also explained I would not pay for the item and I would launch a chargeback through my bank if any charges were made.

I live in a duplex in a transitional area of a major city and our neighborhood is very trafficked with people and cars.  It concerns me that the carrier allegedly left it on our porch without requiring a signature (the time delivered is 4:50, when I was at work), particularly if the box gave any indication as to what was inside.  At any rate, the package was likely stolen from our home, if it was even delivered.

My question is this: The fault obviously lies with the carrier in this case.  What if he forged a signature for the delivery (as I am sure they required a signature on a high price item like this) and I am on the hook for this? How can I fight it if they decide to send me to collections?

**EDIT:** Another thought - if the computer was stolen from our porch, would there be a way for them to track it based on whether or not the OS key had been used? I didn't think this was likely, especially since they sourced the computer from a third party, but it's worth a shot.

Any advice would be appreciated.  Thanks in advance!
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 I would wait to see what happens, I imagine a reputable computer company has computers lost or stolen every now and again.

As for the form, you can write a paragraph or two instead, giving them all the info you're comfortable with sharing, and also explain the situation as you did here. Then fax them the page instead of or with their form.

~~also did they not insure the package? computers are usually not inexpensive devices.~~ fuck it, not your concern. let the computer company report it to the police if they can't find it.


Title: Acquired a cell phone

Question: I happened to acquire a cell phone that contains texts proving the owner is a drug dealer and a prostitute  (a filthy whore really, and she's fucking her lawyer for free services). However, I got it out of the owner's garbage. Legally, I can do nothing with it because of how it came into my possession, is that correct?

Answer:
 >I happened to acquire

So, you stole it.

Hey, can you do us all a favor and pass on some advice to whoever this "whore" is? Please tell her to file for a restraining order against you and your thieving self. Thx.


Title: Married, Divorced, Ghosted, Help

Question:
Obligatory for my good friend (we'll call him James), but we are both trying to figure this out.

&#x200B;

At 23 James married \[Dec 2015\] his sweetheart (we'll call her Katie) in NY when he was (and still is) serving in the military. The military relocated him and her to Florida \[2016\] for an assignment. Katie realized the military wife life isn't for her, and was nowhere to be found when James returned from a several month deployment. 4 weeks later, Katie shows up with a friend to pack her things and go back to NY. \[July 2016\] She initiated a verbal agreement saying divorce was the next step and that James would remain in Florida for his assignment, she would go back to NY, and she would send him the papers.

&#x200B;

The agreement for both parties to divorce was mutual and amicable. Two years later \[2019\] that is not the case.

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He has tried to reach out multiple times to hash out the divorce, he just wants this done with. She does not come from money so she was trying to get this done without big expenses, but since going dark we don't know what the deal is. She does not answer phone calls, does not return texts, nothing.

&#x200B;

James paid for a LegalZoom service ($949) to finalize the divorce online, he filled his side out, she will not.

&#x200B;

She has been dating someone else for over a year and says she is divorced around town, also, James' dad died recently and her and her entire family were silent, so I don't think she is trying to work things out here.

&#x200B;

Given her lack of response, what are James' options to get this divorce finalized? The plan right now is to contact a lawyer and see what they have to offer, but we are hoping the internet has some insight into this situation.

&#x200B;

Disclaimer: No kids, James owns his own car, has a 401k, career military guy w/ GI bill, life insurance, overall well situated, but no other assets. She works at a grocery store, and is paying off the car in the name of James' late father, otherwise no other assets.

Answer: US Military has legal advocates for just this type of situation.  James needs to avail himself of their services.


Title: [BR] My League of Legends account was permanently suspended and they won't provide evidence

Question:
My League of Legends account, one I've spent thousands of dollars over the 6 years that I played that game, was permanently suspended two days ago under claims that I used "illegal programs", aka cheating. I've been trying to resolve this matter over their support center, but they won't provide me any context *at all*, and are now saying they won't respond to any of my messages anymore.

I know what you're thinking: "dude probably hacked and wants to get away with it", but that's not the case at all. In fact my account was recently permanently suspended for that exact same reason, however the ban was lifted because it wasn't actually me who was playing on it (passwords leaked, someone got into it, etc). It would be terribly stupid of me to start doing those things after I had to go through the nightmare of explaining to them what happened.

Anyways, is there anything I can do about this? They won't tell me when I used cheats and won't discuss the matter with me anymore. It's honestly not even about the game as I barely even play it anymore, but I feel ashamed as a human being that they're treating me like this.

Thank you.

Answer: Why do you feel that you have an inherit right to play their game?


Title: Nicotine testing while on probation at 18?

Question: to make a long story short, i got caught up with a vape and a small amount of marijuana at school three weeks ago. because of the fact that there was weed involved, i now have to go to court, and most likely will be put on probation. i'm currently 17 years old, so i got three different misdemeanors: possession of marijuana on school grounds, possession of tobacco products on school grounds, and possession of tobacco products as a minor. my court case is next month, and i turn 18 less than two weeks after my hearing. is it legal for them to put me on probation and test for nicotine because i had a vape with me? and if so, will that be changed after i turn 18? location:michigan

Answer:
 > is it legal for them to put me on probation and test for nicotine because i had a vape with me

Sure. If you don't like the conditions of probation, the court would probably be willing to confine you instead.


Title: Should my dead sister's husband get a share of my parent's life insurance payout? [CA]

Question:
My dad died in 1991, my mom in 1998. I had two sisters, the eldest died in 2006.

Last year my dead sister's husband informed me that he had discovered a $4000 life insurance policy from my parents. He needed for me to fill out some portions for it to be dispersed-he presumed he was entitled to a third. I did not have the policy in hand. My living sister discovered that there were more monies from an insurance policy. Worth closer to $20,000. She informed me that according to her discussion with a discovery company that there were no other policies or monies undispersed, and not to bother with the policy my dead sister's husband had identified.

My living sister put me in contact with the discovery company who then had me fill out information regarding my relatives-my parents parents, mine and my sisters kids, my aunts and uncles, cousins-pretty complete. I included my dead sister's husband.

My living sister informed me that my dead sister's husband was not entitled to any funds. I've since received a check for about $7000 which I deposited.

My question is if the policy specified that equal portions should go to siblings is my dead sister's husband entitled to a share? If this were true I would certainly want to be sure he got his share.. I'm not even sure how I would try to track this down. I do have contact information from the discovery company.

Sorry if this seems boring or trivial, it's just been nagging at me. Thank you very much

Answer: He's not a sibling.Is he arguing that since your sister was alive when your parents died and he is her next of kin, he's entitled to a share? Answer #2: Life insurance should be distributed to whomever is the beneficiary of the policy (not part of the probate estate).  If all three siblings are equal beneficiaries of the policies, since sister was alive when parents passed, deceased sister's share would become part of sister's estate, to pass according to her wishes (or intestate, if she didn't have a will/trust set up).  I'm not sure what the discovery company is or what their role is, but the life insurance company should have distributed the money according to the beneficiary language.   Answer #3: In our state (IL), the dead sibling's spouse will get the dead siblings share of the will/life insurance. My parents found this out after my brother died. If they hadn't changed their wills/life ins, then my dead brother's widow would have received his share. They had to change their wills and life insurance so that wouldn't happen. Answer #4: IANAL, but I am an insurance broker. If your sister was named as a beneficiary, than she should have received her percentage when the policy paid out. The money should have been hers while she was still living, and being so, would then become part of her estate when she passed. If her husband is entitled through law or will to any of her estate, that would include the life insurance money.


Title: Home was listed 400 sq ft larger than appraisal

Question:
I purchased a home in oct of 2015.  The home was listed 400 aq ft larger than the appraiser measured.  Is there anything I can do?

I live in Oakland county in Michigan if it matters.

Answer: Didn't you have the appraisal *before* you purchased the home? If so, did the appraisal list the correct square footage? If so, then you were on notice of the actual square footage.


Title: Can I get out of my lease to avoid smoking neighbors?

Question: I live in Alabama, America. My boyfriend and I live in a no smoking apartment but have had issues with neighbors smoking marijuana. We have talked to the people smoking and our landlord. The people smoking were given a fine and the problem seemed resolved. The neighbors have since moved out and now someone else is smoking. We don't know who but have contacted our landlords. The smell of the smoke is very strong in our apartment (we believe it is coming in through the vents) so we really want to get this resolved. Since our apartment is no smoking, would we be able to get out of our lease with no penalties if the smoking persists? We are willing to involve the police if the landlord doesn't handle the problem, since marijuana is illegal here. Any advice would be welcome.

Answer: It's on your landlord to enforce lease violations by anyone they're renting to, including your neighbors. Them violating their lease is not grounds for you to break yours.


Title: [US] Cancelled honeymoon to Hawaii with non-refundable costs at approx $9k due to a loss of a close family member of new spouse. Third party trip insurance denied claim and USAA is silent.

Question:
Background:

I got married in March with a huge 400+ person wedding (a small Indian wedding) and I had been planning a huge 2-week honeymoon to Hawaii. I lived there as a child and my family has made several visits back, so I was more excited about the honeymoon with her than I was about the chaos of a wedding reception. We arrive on the island of Oahu and check in to our hotel in Waikiki and 5 hours later, she gets a call. She is immediately crying and not talking. So I walk her back to the car and she is able to tell me her 18-year-old cousin, that she sees every week and loves like a brother, has walked out into traffic after getting into a car wreck in an act that looks to be an apparent suicide. This family member was an usher at the wedding 2 days ago, a good friend to me, he looked up to me and we always talked about his future together. This makes state news within hours since it was a well-off community, and we can't help but read the details. For the rest of the day, all we can do is pull the curtains to hide from the painfully happy beach out the window.

At 3am, I make phone calls to the trip coordinating company and the trip insurance companies. I had gotten coverage on a whim through USAA and thought it might help us. There was no possibility of either of us not being traumatized by 2 full weeks of honeymoon when this happened. I was told by either the trip coordinator or trip insurance company that it would be fine to go back home and they would try and refund and cancel everything they can. I made the agent cry which made me cry for the 1st time too, sinking in that I lost a close friend.

Fast-forward past rebooking flights costing hundreds of dollars and finding out a lot of services were nonrefundable, we make it back to help with the funeral and costs. We get congratulations on the wedding and compliments throughout the service of this 18-year old who committed suicide and asked constantly about how nice it was for us to come back from Hawaii. Nothing felt good.

Submitting the Claim:

I then apply a claim in early April with all the supplemental documentation, costs, receipts, and the certificate. I hear back after 2 weeks that they have my paperwork. A couple of days later, another cousin (in-law) commits suicide. I was at his wedding last year in Oregon and it was the nicest trip I've had with my wife. Now all I remember is hearing that he shot himself while his new wife was at work and found him. So my wife goes to Oregon to support family and I can't afford to go to support her, so I work. I then hear back a month later that the claim was not sufficient for the amount of $9k and all they could do was give us $250 per person because he was not a sibling or parent. I attempted to discuss this further with the agent on the phone but they did not allow for extenuating circumstances of a $15k honeymoon canceled because of the horrific suicide of family. I submitted a formal grievance to USAA with similar points as above, but included that this third party was representing USAA terribly by:

1. Not having any allowance for extraordinary occurrences

2. Having a policy quantifying the care we are allowed to have over other people

3. I was under the impression "it would all be fine" as the agent discussed on the phone prior to me deciding to leave the trip.

They never responded and now I'm left in a situation that is hard to act. I got mailed the $500 dollar check in the mail, and I haven't opened it. We're trying to move on now and buy a home and maybe even try to go back to Hawaii for closure, but money is tight. There is $9K that I wasted and I feel robbed and I can't talk to anyone about it. How selfish would I be to asked about money when thisi has all happened?

What can I do? Can I try and appeal to USAA's humanity? Fight the insurance company's inhumane policy? Or do I have to accept another loss?

Answer:
 This is all about what policy you were paying for, which likely defines when an family emergency can be used as a reason for a payout. It also likely restricts the definition of family to immediate family. Cousins, even ones you would call sibbilings, do not qualify as immediate family.

Without your policy in hand, I'd assume that their offer of $500 is them paying out the maximum they can, by your purchased policy.

TL;DR: $500 is likely as much as you can get. You may get better information by checking what family emergencies are covered by your policy.Answer #2: You can file a complaint or speak to your state’s department of insurance. But if the language and definitions in the policy are clear, you are probably not going to get anywhere. You should probably chalk this up as a life lesson that insurance is not a blanket safety net but a narrowly defined contract with catches.  I’m sorry for your loss.Answer #3: Did you buy through a cc?  You can try to see what their travel insurance might cover.   But likely going to run into the same issues


Title: Gratuity and theft

Question: Pretty straightforward question. We have video evidence of a customer stealing from our employee tip jar. She paid using a credit card, but we enter tips retroactively before the night is over. Are we within our right to apply the stolen tip (we know the bare minimum amount, so nothing beyond that) to her ticket?

Answer:
 No.

You can file a police report, or you can sue her for what she took.  But you can't just make up an unauthorized charge on her credit card.  And, among other things, doing so would violate your merchant agreement and could cost you your ability to accept credit cards.


Title: Help me , I don't know legally what I should do and what my rights are

Question:
Location , State college Pennsylvania.

So I've been given a supeona because I filled a harasemnt site against some creep who followed me home after work .

Some guy followed me home blocked me in and harassed me , I was terrified but I got his plate number and I called police I kept calm to the very end and i broke down crying because I was so scared I was alone and it was almost midnight and it was a rough day to begin with ,

I am pressing charges regardless if he said sorry to me, He told the officer he lost his cool and he was sorry but now he's plead not guilty and now there's a trial ,

he had a nice car and looked like a stuck up rich guy so I'm assuming he has a good lawyer and he had his entire family in the car with him who could possibly lie for him ,

I was alone and terrified. Other details: he yelled at me for running two stop signs but the location from were he started following me to where my home his had no stop signs just stop lights and I did run thru a yellow light to get him to stop following me because he was directly behind me with his high beams on.

My question is , just how do I deal with this or go about doing this thing in court without looking like a crying child, I've never dealt with court before I'm 23 and I have a super clean record.

Answer:
 You're the alleged victim. You're being subpoenad as a witness. You're not in any trouble; the other guy is.

They just need your testimony. Answer #2: Legally, there aren’t any issues that I could see coming up on your side. You aren’t in trouble at all. I think your biggest obstacle/fear here is that you might cry in court, if I’m understanding it correctly. I would go to your schools club directory, and see if there’s a public speaking, mock trial, or similar club, go to a meeting, and ask them to coach you on some basic skills to help you hold it together. That’s the only advice I can give you, because that’s the only real problem I see.


Title: California Innkeepers Act - Messy “Guest”

Question:
We have a “guest” (I will no longer call him a roommate because of reasons.) who has turned hostile because he wouldn’t clean his shit. Now he’s just being intentionally messy out of spite until he moves out.

Problem#1: In our lease, it states that if a guest stays in the apartment for more than 14 days, we are violating our lease. We super fucked ourselves up on this one. We were planning on adding him to the lease but shit kept happening.

Problem#2: California Innkeepers Act. I tried researching this but I couldn’t understand the legal terms. I just basically want to know if I can force evict this guy without notice.

Problem#3: Are there any repercussions to us being evicted? Financially or when looking for a future home?

Problem#4: Can we renew our lease for a different room in the same apartment? I understand this question should be asked to management but I want to see if this is a part of anything under the law.

Problem#5: Can we just call the cops on this guy?

—

If there are no repercussions, I honestly wouldn’t mind being evicted so we can avoid the buy-out fee ($3,439). I really want this guy gone by Tuesday but I know there’s another law that states any tenant has 30 days to move out after eviction, but I don’t know if that applies here since he’s not under the lease.

Any help would be great. Thanks!

Answer:
 IANAL. If you are evicted it will show up on your record with the courts, so any future landlord that does a background check will see you were evicted.  As a process of the eviction you also may be court ordered to pay any fees the manager had to pay in association with the eviction. If you don’t pay, and the managers have an attorney working for them doing the eviction, they will likely record an abstract of judgment with the county recorders office. This will keep you from getting the deed for any property you may purchase in the county, and if they get word you might be trying to buy property in other counties then they’ll record abstract of judgments there too.

You cannot call the cops on someone for being messy. If you post some of the legal words you don’t understand from the innkeepers act, I or someone else might be able to explain them to you but I’m pretty sure you can’t evict someone without notice. Basically it sounds like you’re stuck with this guy until he moves out or you properly evict him.


Title: Quick question about a 'house guest' and removing them from the house

Question:
If I have a house guest, she's been at my place since late December, we have no lease agreement, written or spoken.  She's given me exactly $100 for 'rent' in April.  I've also not seen her for the past 2 weeks and have had no communication.  What's my best course of action?

What I want to do is, change the locks, notify her that she can get her stuff whenever I'm home and go about my day.

Answer:
 >If I have a house guest, she's been at my place since late December, we have no lease agreement, written or spoken.

You don't have a house guest, you've got a tenant.

>What's my best course of action?

Exactly the opposite of what you are planning on doing because that would be an illegal eviction.

[You owe your tenant one month of notice \(written\)](https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/michigan-notice-requirements-terminate-month-month-tenancy.html)
Answer #2: She may be considered a "tenant" by now (a "month to month tenant," specifically), which means you'd be obligated to give her advance, written notice to move out (generally 30 days, or "one month" in MI), and if she refused to move out, then you'd move to evict her through the courts.

If she is a tenant, changing the locks on her or otherwise denying her access to her residence would be illegal.


Title: [Denver] Sold my car. New owner has failed to register the car in their name 3 months later. The kicker? They're still using my old license plates.

Question: I know. I screwed up. I didn't have the ability to remove the plates when I sold it. I took their word that they would remove them at their house and register it asap. That was late June. I only know this because I received a photo enforcement ticket from this month. I'm worried about the liability of the vehicle still being in my name and having my plates. What are my options? I texted the new owner about the ticket and they said they hadn't had time to register it... Is there a way to CYA in case something were to happen with the car?


Title: (AR) Family member is spreading harmful rumors

Question:
Ok, forgive the strange title.

I'm married and have a 2 year old. We are both very close to our immediate families (brothers, parents, grandparents, etc).

A family member/ex roommate (female) has been cornering immediate family trying to tell them that my husband and I are seriously addicted and actively using hard drugs. Also saying that I give my child my medication for anxiety, and that I am, specifically, often found to be too drugged up to care for my child. This individual has also told family that we sexually exposed ourselves to her and tried to forcibly involve her. She has gone to my inlaws house with these claims. My brother-in-law has been stopped at his work by this individual multiple times with these claims.

My in-laws and my family have the good sense to know this isn't the case but this has come back around to me from those outside the family.

She has made threats to call CPS on us and have our child removed from the household.

This is the direct result of us asking her move her belongings in a timely manner after she had agreed a month previous to be moved out. The initial split was very friendly and agreed upon by all parties. She was already living somewhere else but her belongings were taking up almost 3 rooms for a month.

We are concerned because she has taken these claims to her own parents and they have even encouraged the idea of having our child removed from our home.

Our home is safe. We don't do drugs and our child is beyond happy and healthy.

I'm just at a loss as to what to do. What can I do to protect my family and myself from this?

Answer:
 > A family member/ex roommate (female) has been cornering immediate family trying to tell them that my husband and I are seriously addicted and actively using hard drugs. Also saying that I give my child my medication for anxiety, and that I am, specifically, often found to be too drugged up to care for my child. This individual has also told family that we sexually exposed ourselves to her and tried to forcibly involve her. She has gone to my inlaws house with these claims. My brother-in-law has been stopped at his work by this individual multiple times with these claims.

Okay, that might meet the threshold for defamation _per se_, meaning you might not have to show actual damages to pursue this in court.

However: what do you want to have happen?

In particular, do you believe that your family member will voluntarily obey an injunction to stop making these statements?Answer #2: You may report [criminal harassment](https://law.justia.com/codes/arkansas/2010/title-5/subtitle-6/chapter-71/subchapter-2/5-71-208/) or [stalking](https://www.arlegalservices.org/files/FSStalkingLaws.pdf) to the police.

Unfortunately in Arkansas it’s unlikely you would qualify for an Order of Protection as it requires the threat of physical harm. A no contact order is possible, but only if the police charge her.

You may sue her in civil court for defamation per se, but the process is expensive.

You may send her a [cease and desist letter](https://jux.law/cease-desist-harassment-intimidation-example-template-letter/) letter as a warning. This may or may not escalate the situation.


Title: There is a 1965 Pontiac GTO on my families property and I want to register the car in my name to restore it.

Question:
Edit: Sorry, I meant to put the state in the title. Even though the state is stated in the text and the TL;DR, I will put it promptly at the top of the post so it is easily viewable. The state in question is **CALIFORNIA**.

Alright reddit, I need some help here. Here is the story, but be advised that it is a bit lengthy:

So, sometime in the 1980's, one of my uncles towed the GTO to my grandmother's property. It has sat in the exact same spot for close to thirty years, so (once I got out of the military) I decided that I want to restore this car. Here is where the problem comes in though. My uncle hasn't contacted my grandmother in over a decade, and hasn't been in contact with my mother for over two decades. Nobody knows where he is (or if he is still even alive) and nobody in my family has any idea how to contact him.

I want the title to the car, but since I have no idea how to get into contact with him to either buy the car or simply get the title transferred to me. So, I went to the California DMV today to attempt to get some information on my uncle (an address to send mail to or something). I was told, to get any information, I had to submit ~~one of the forms necessary to start a lien sale process~~ the [INF 1126](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/wcm/connect/84f848e2-73c3-427c-aa51-3a57def3cfe2/inf1126.pdf?MOD=AJPERES) form to get a DMV printout stating known owners and interested parties to the purchase of the vehicle. The results came up negative; there is no known owner in the DMV computer system (which is expected considering they purge their records periodically). Now, since the vehicle is in an interesting situation, that makes me wonder if I even have to go through the lien sale process or if I can simply re-register the vehicle under my name.

I guess my question is simply: What do I have to do to get the title? Go through a lien sale process, re-register the vehicle under my name since there is no record, or is there some other process to get the title that I have no idea exists?

I apologize if this has been covered before, but my Google-fu is weak and I can't find any information on this topic. The California DMV website is even less helpful as California is under this interesting notion that an abandoned vehicle is considered a nuisance and nobody in their right mind would want to assume ownership of the vehicle; they make it really hard to assume ownership of an abandoned vehicle.

TL;DR: Uncle abandoned a vehicle on my grandmother's property. It has sat for close to thirty years and I want to assume ownership of the vehicle to restore it. California DMV has almost no way to assume ownership of an abandoned vehicle, however, and I wonder if I have to go through a lien sale process, or if I can just re-register the vehicle (which has no record at the DMV) under my name.

Edit: Found the form I submitted to get information.

Answer:
 Not a lawyer, just a car guy.  [Broadway title](http://www.broadwaytitle.com/how.htm) is one of several companies that will basically sell you your own car and provide the paperwork so you can register it in your state.  The have a "How our services work" page which should do a much better job of explaining than I.  This is very commonly used for situations where the car was never titled or the title was lost 30 years ago etc..

I've used them three times with old cars that never had a title (or weren't known to have a title) and it worked fine in all cases.  In ours though it was known who the owner was and the owner, or the owners surviving spouse, was selling the vehicle.  Your case makes it more complicated since you know who the owner is but can't contact him.  If you did this and spent all the money restoring it I can see him showing back up and demanding return of his car.  The real lawyers can probably tell you more if he's likely to succeed in that demand.Answer #2: Might be obvious, but have you tried putting the VIN through the DMV when you went down there?


Title: If a random refund were to appear on my CC what would happen if I dont get it corrected?

Question: So I purchased something around May and it stopped working after 2 weeks. The company sent me a new one free of charge as long as I returned the defective device and paid shipping. The new one has been working perfectly since so I have had no complaints nor further contact w the company's customer service. Just recently I saw a refund amount on the CC I used to purchase the item for the same price as what I paid. What would happen if I just take the refund?

Answer:
 Just wait and let it work itself out.  Accounting processes are slow.  If it was an error they will fix it.  Just be ready for it to get fixed.

My guess is they processed the refund for the returned item.  They have so far not charged you for the new item.  They may not if it is a policy for items below $XX to keep you as a happy customer.

I assume you sent in the old one and that triggered the refund?Answer #2: Depending on where you are and the policies of the payment processors/credit cards involved, the refund may be undone (and the charge reapplied), or you may receive an invoice for the refunded amount.Answer #3: Don't count on it, but you may end up getting to keep the money.  I've had a couple that worked out this way.  In one case I had a $5 refund on my debit card from a gas station I had never been to.  I called the card company and cancelled my card, but they were baffled when I asked about returning the money.  Eventually decided they had no way to make their system do that.