Title: Bought a car out of state, dealer says I have license it in his state. (x-post from /r/personalfinance)

Question:
I (from Kentucky) bought a car at an Ohio buy here pay here. Took it home. Two weeks later I get Ohio title paperwork (only after I go to the dealer and ask for it). It was for Ohio only. This will not let me register it in Kentucky. The Kentucky office gives me a form to have dealer fill out and have notarized. I gave the dealer the form.

Dealer says they can't do anything until it is paid off and that I have to license it in Ohio. Once it is paid off and then I can transfer it. I am sitting on dead temp tags and need about 3 months before it is paid off.

My sales paperwork has my home address. The Ohio DMV said the paperwork they received had my partial KY address but then it was marked out and they put my friend's Ohio address on it. He is the dealer's neighbor and was with me when I purchased the vehicle. No idea why they did that.

Sounds kind of sketchy to me but first buy here pay here experience. I am afraid this is cause grief for my neighbor but it sounds like they screwed up.

update-I called the Ohio DMV and they told me to call the AG and call the dealer back and tell them to call the DMV and fix it.

Answer:
 The dealer is making up laws in order to cover their mistake.

They need to correct the address on the bill of sale to your KY address and talk to the DMV. You can show the sales paperwork with the correct address to the DMV as proof that the mistake is on the dealer side.

Whether the car is paid off has NOTHING to do with correcting the paperwork.Answer #2: Read over all of your sales documents very carefully. Make sure you have actually purchased the vehicle and not leased it.  There is such a thing as "lease here/pay here," but lease here/pay here companies can generally only lease vehicles to residents of the state in which they are located. You may want to make sure that you have indeed purchased this vehicle, and that they didn't fudge all the paperwork into a lease in your friend's name (who I am assuming is an Ohio resident.)

Under this sort of agreement, you are generally given the option to purchase your vehicle at the end of your lease term, and of course then you'd legally own it and you'd be free to register it where you live. Which could mean that the dealer is bending the truth in telling you "you can transfer it when you pay it off."

Most likely this is just a dealer who hasn't got a clue what they're talking about...but a couple things in the scenario you're describing are making me wonder if you're in a lease and not a purchase.

Edit to add: NAL. Previous experience in used car sales.


Title: [AZ] Child Support, Custody, & legal decision making.

Question:
Hi all, I’ve posted before and was told to come here for some legal advice. I will be taking my sons dad to court (with a lawyer of course). He’s stated he wants absolutely nothing to do with my baby, so can I ask for absolutely no parenting time?

I don’t want supervised visitation, nothing. I just want him (23) to pay his child support and go on about his business. I was told some men even if they don’t want anything to do with the child will try and ask for SOME TYPE of parenting/visitation. I don’t want this AT ALL.

Has anyone been through this? How did it work? Will he all of a sudden act like he wants to be his dad in front of a judge? He’s treated my child like he’s nothing. Will he told the judge all he told me? About not wanting my son, and not wanting. Anything to do with him? Should I bring that up?

Answer:
 I posted this on your other thread that you deleted, but I'll post it again.

You can ask. The judge doesn't have to agree to it. He or she likely won't unless there's something majorly wrong with the father. Despite how you feel about the father, the court is going to allow the father the opportunity to make a connection with their child if they choose to do so. I would rather have a contingency plan of what you are realistically comfortable with, rather than holding out for something the court might not grant.

You also need to think about it like this. You're in this for the long haul. You're going to be dealing with court for 18 years. You may be dealing with the same judge for 18 years. It's probably not best to come off as a person the judge doesn't favor. I always advise my clients to give the other parent enough rope to hang themselves with. Figure out a visitation schedule you're comfortable with, suggest that, let the court set that up, and then if dad wants nothing to do with the kid, you're golden. He has his opportunity, he's just not exercising it. Now, a year or two down the line, he can't come back and want to modify custody/support saying you never let him see his kid.


Title: [MA] My grandmother burned herself. Local hospital said they were 1st degree and to go home. 5 days later she was admitted to a regional hospital for treatment of 3rd degree burns.

Question:
I'm just now learning the details of this so I'll share what I know. My gram was cooking and her nylon blouse caught fire and she got burned. She didn't tell anyone for hours and she finally told my uncle and let him take her to the hospital. The hospital local to them told her it was 1st degree burns and to take some motrin and she'd be fine.

5 days later my aunt visited my grandmother and showed her the burns, at this point they were black (and probably infected). My aunt immediately called an ambulance and had her brought to a different local hospital. After a couple of hours at that hospital the wound unit advised her the burns were 3rd degree and that they would immediately be transporting her to a regional hospital that has an intensive burn unit.

She is still in the hospital and is going to need multiple surgeries/grafts and months of physical therapy. My grandmother is not one to complain about anything, however she has expressed that the pain she was in the passed few days has been immense.

My aunt is already talking to the family lawyer, however I'm not sure he's versed in medical malpractice or other similar situations.

Any specific information I should be giving to my aunts and uncles who are dealing with this issue more hands on? Tyia

Answer:
 Medical malpractice is too fact-specific for this reddit to be able to give you good advice, but most med-mal attorneys give free consultations. Keep good notes about who said what when, make sure somebody has copies of her discharge paperwork from the first hospital, and make appointments with a few local attorneys to get their take on her situation.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.Answer #2: Medical malpractice is incredibly fact specific and beyond the scope of r/legaladvice.

Medical malpractice requires two things 1. Deviation from the standard of care (exact wording is state dependent) and 2. Damages

Missed/wrong diagnosis alone does not mean medical malpractice occurred. It's dependent on whether standard of care was followed or not during the visit.

Damages are fact specific and depend on the nature of the case. I.e. did the actions of the initial clinician create a worse outcome than would otherwise occur?

Speak to a malpractice attorney. They usually offer free consultations.Answer #3: You need to talk to a malpractice attorney (probably even a few) to determine if there's anything.

On another note, while I haven't met your grandmother, the fact that she delayed seeking help after *being on fire* and then wasn't able to recognize a serious change in her condition is concerning, and may indicate cognitive decline. Please discuss this with her primary care doctor.


Title: (TN) Can somebody help me understand the fmla process? Getting the run around and I'm not sure what to do.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 [This guide might be helpful for you.](http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/employeeguide.pdf)  Your husband's employer has 5 days from when he notified them of his need to take FMLA leave to notify him as to whether he meets the requirements under the law to use FMLA leave.Answer #2: OK so you're confusing different parts of insurance and what FMLA actually is.

FMLA protects his job. It has nothing to do with health insurance, the two are unrelated. He needs to request FMLA through his employer. His HR department told him to call his insurance company. Some companies contract out their FMLA to insurance (or other) companies to handle. He'd have to check his benefits information, but it could be that whichever carrier handles his short term disability insurance also handles FMLA administration. But this isn't super common, so it's possible that HR is confused or wrong. which is VERY common. If his company's insurance is handled through a third party administrator, it would be better to call them, they might know better. If he has a packet of benefits information he got during annual enrollment or when he was a new hire, that might give a clue as to who to call about benefit information.


Title: Traffic attorney died in the middle of my case! [Orlando, FL]

Question:
I was issued a traffic citation in March of 2015. I hired one of the best traffic attorneys in town and after months of trying to contact him//never hearing from him- I get a letter from the state capitol saying that if I don't pay the citation within 17 days, I'm going to have my license suspended! He was a stand-alone lawyer, not a law firm. so, two things:

* can I somehow get the money back from the initial hiring?
* do I still have the ability to fight this citation?

Answer:
 - You can absolutely hire a new attorney. You or your new attorney can file for a continuance given the situation.

- You may be able to get a refund from his estate. You should talk to whomever is handling his affairs.


Title: Moved out, landlord keeping security deposit and demanding $1000 to repaint walls

Question:
Moved out of my rent house a month ago, security deposit was $1400 that I didn't expect to get back because the house was older and our landlords were real penny pinchers, so I assumed they would do everything to keep the $1400.  But they are now demanding an additional $1000 for painting the walls.

&#x200B;

They sent 6 pictures of marks on the walls they are calling "unsightly dirt", but in truth are just basic wear and tear type marks on the walls.  Most are roughly 6 inches in size, and I honestly don't know what caused them but it wasn't anything crazy on my part or malcontent in any way.  I never did anything to the walls other than hang a few photos, lived in the house for 4 years.

&#x200B;

The house is older, paint wasn't new when I moved in and honestly feel they are just trying to get another $1000 by threatening.  I have a walk through video the day I moved out showing the walls aren't trashed or anything, but you do see a mark or two.  They said the marks forced them to repaint all the walls because the paint was older and they couldn't color match after cleaning the marks.  They said the condition of the walls prevented the property from being leased again.

&#x200B;

I've gone back to them once in email stating the marks are "normal wear and tear", not damages.  But they wrote back quoting the lease that tenant is responsible for the "cost to restore walls" and to "clean, deodorize, exterminate, and maintain the property".

&#x200B;

What should I do moving forward?  Any advice greatly appreciated, cheers :)

Answer: Tell them to shove it.  You lived there for 4 years.  Re-painting is a given and is most definitely normal wear and tear.  If they sue you, they will almost certainly lose.


Title: Buyer trying to claim lemon laws on a used jet ski purchase. (TN, USA)

Question:
Buyer purchased jet ski as-is. A month later they are stating that there are issues he wasn't aware of when purchasing and that I need to either buy them back, or pay the repair cost ($1000). He's claiming that lemon laws will protect him. He lives in NC if that matters. Am I legally obligated to help him, or can I tell him that as-is means as-is?
Topic:
Consumer Law

Answer: I am unaware of a lemon law that applies to private sales.  As-is means as-is. It would only be an issue if you concealed defects.


Title: [GA] Sister (21) intentionally damaged my car during meth withdrawal episode

Question:
## Background
My sister, aged 21, moved out to LA a few months ago. She fell into the wrong crowd and got mixed up in meth and who knows what else. She never displayed aggression or violence/ addiction prior to her move. We convinced her to fly back home for a health checkup and planned an intervention to convince her to go into rehab.

## The Incident
I picked her up from the airport two nights ago and noticed her withdrawal symptoms and mental illness. She slept for twenty hours, and last night all hell broke loose. She demanded my mother's car keys to get cigarettes in a threatening manner. When my mother refused, she charged at us from the garage- luckily I locked the door in time. She then proceeded to kick in my car door ([images attached](https://imgur.com/a/3xoy4)). We had no choice to but to call the police because we felt threatened and helpless.

## Property Damage
At this point, our adrenaline was so high and we were concerned she would _suicide by cop_, it escaped me to file a report on the property damage to my car. I plan to get an estimate on the repairs, but I have read I am out of luck with my auto insurance. I have one way auto insurance through State Farm. What are my options here?

__Edit: I only have liability insurance, I recently downgraded from comprehensive- talk about bad timing.__

Answer:
 If you have comprehensive coverage on your car, it should cover this. Just call your insurance and file a claim.Answer #2: If you only have liability insurance, then your options are to contact the prosecutor and ask about restitution as part of your sister's sentence for her crime, or you can sue your sister for the damages in small claims court.

Keep in mind, if your sister has no money or possessions, you might not ever see a penny even if you obtain a judgment. Answer #3: Not advice for going after her since that has already been provided, but advice about the car.

I'm no expert on cars by any means, but that looks like it may only be superficial damage to the clear coat. You may be able to pop the metal back into place (any decent body shop is going to have the equipment to do this) and more or less buff it out. In other words, it may not be very expensive to fix, so you at least have that possibility going towards you.


Title: A male colleague was offered 45% more $ than me for the same exact job, what would you do?

Question:
Several months ago, I had applied for a job at a corporation comparable in size to Disney.  The job I applied for would be the only one of its kind within the company.

Forbes, The United States Department of Labor, and various recruiter websites indicate that people with this job title in my area are making approximately 65k salaries.  This is the salary I requested when I applied for the job.

I went through several interviews and was confident the role would be an ideal fit.  The company offered me the job - but significantly below what I asked at 40k.  I had to deny the opportunity strictly due to the low number, which I politely provided resources pointing to where I came to my estimate. I told them that if they were to reevaluate the salary, I would be thrilled to accept.

I did not hear back but I just found out that after I refused the job due to the low salary, they offered a male colleague 75k for the same exact position about a month later.  To boot, he had requested the position for 70k.

I know for a fact that his experience is relative to mine.  He is one year older than me (we are in our late 20's) - he would have earned his degree a year ahead of me.

What would you do in my shoes?
Does this seem like a clear cut discrimination situation?
What should I expect to be up against should I pursue this legally?

Answer:
 Your issue is - can you prove discrimination? You have one data point. I suspect that you are correct in your suspicions but there is absolutely no way to prove it on the basis of just your experience. It probably isn’t even “she’s female, he’s male, we give a male more money”. They probably don’t even realize they have made this calculation. The whole “maybe he was better at negotiating than you” issue is in my view a red herring.

I would really urge you to file an eeoc complaint or at least start here https://publicportal.eeoc.gov/Portal/Login.aspx

And see if you might potentially have a case. It might not help you but it might help other women.


Title: [California] Roommate stole credit card, and we want him gone.

Question:
I recently discovered that a guy I live with used my credit card when I was out of the country. The credit card company has given me paperwork definitely proving it was him. (He shipped items to my address using his email/name, the local IP address, with my CC info and billing address.) After telling the other housemates about the credit card thievery, they want him gone. He's also unclean (hoarder status) and often late on rent.

He is a subleaser, not on any type of paperwork, under the lease holders (the other roommates). In the next few months, I am planning to move in with my boyfriend. I am planning to file charges once he no longer knows where I live for my safety.

I will be meeting with him and the other roommates soon to (ideally) get him to move out without hassle. How should I prepare for this to most effectively meet my goals of getting him out, filing charges, and staying safe?

Tl;dr Roommate steals credit card. Goals: stealing roommate gone, file charges, be safe. How do?

Answer:
 Report it to the police.  Now, not months from now.

Criminal acts against other tenants should be reasonable grounds to break his lease.  But unless he chooses to leave, you'll have to go through the regular eviction process, you can't just throw him out on the street.


Title: First arrest, 22 yr old male, CA, my friends and family think I was abused by the police

Question:
Manhattan Beach, CA I go out drinking with friend and her 6 coworkers around 6:30 PM at restaurant/bar near beach.  Having good time, but drink 6 alcohols in about 1 hour on empty stomach (was eating during though).  We leave at 9 when establishment closes and begin walking toward hotel we have rooms for the night in about a block away.  I become upset because subject of family comes up and I had been slapped by a very close family member for the first time the night before without reconciliation (as I left their house to go to my apartment immediately upon being slapped).  And other general life problems start pouring in and I start crying and getting more upset as one of the coworkers tries to help me feel better.  I get so upset that I sprint the 200ft to the beginning of the sand of the beach then turn sharply onto the asphalt bike path and continue to sprint along the beach, away from the hotel.  Relatively little time passes before I trip and fall on my face at very high speed.  I lay sprawled on the floor on my chest, I had 0 will to get up or even think about my surroundings or much of anything really.  I think I almost lost consciousness.  I do not realize it yet but my chin is split open such that I have to get 4 stitches to seal it later.

Police find me on floor, pick me up, handcuff me (very tightly too... still have a few marks that will take a couple weeks to dissipate), throw me into back of cruiser upside down on my head.  I am aware of what is happening but not really sure why anything is happening.  I don't really recall exact words but I remember being able to answer simple questions.  I am placed in a holding cell alone after they place a bandage on my chin that completely and totally misses the split in my chin.  A few hours go by and I'm still confused about things such as why I was in a holding cell.  I get upset so I pace to calm myself but eventually a female officer starts talking to me through the door.  I don't remember how the conversation went exactly but I remember being very upset and talking in an escalating manner about climate change I think until the female officer says "That's deep" or something to that effect and stops talking to me.  I get upset that she stops talking to me and I can't figure out why.  I think I was concussed when I hit the floor earlier when I fell and was suffering from some form of partial amnesia because looking back I was very lucid except I couldn't remember more than about the last three sentences or so of a conversation.  After 5 minutes or so of silence from the officer I look for something to do but I'm in a holding cell so I just start pacing again.

There is a toilet and a low wall blocking the glass door's view of the toilet but otherwise the room seems bare.  I am agitated because I can't remember things well.  I notice a smoke detector on the ceiling.  I instinctively climb onto the low wall, unscrew the smoke detector from the ceiling, and carry it down with me as I dismount the low wall.  I stare at it for about 2 seconds and automatically decide that the obvious thing to do is put the smoke detector in the toilet.  I might have done this because the officer was a climate change denier but I can't be sure for obvious reasons.  Definitely remember not thinking a single thought during this vandalism process though.

7-9 officers flood into the holding cell and demand that I put my hands in the air.  I do so immediately.  I am told to face the back wall and do so immediately.  I am told to spread my legs and do so immediately.  A couple of officers aggressively search me but find nothing because they had already evacuated my belongings when they originally put me in the holding cell.  During the search process I remember thinking that the officers all sounded like a flock of dodo birds from ice age, essentially just repeating the words "felony" and "vandalism" 20-30 times collectively, sometimes laughing, sometimes laughing insecurely.  They leave and I sit down on the floor and bring my arms into my blood-stained button-up shirt for warmth and wait motionless for about 4 hours until the clock strikes 6AM and they release me with my belongings and a citation to appear in court in two months for a drunk in public charge and a (4600?) misdemeanor vandalism charge.  I walk to a nearby restaurant to eat breakfast and get a coffee and check out what I look like in the mirror.  My face is almost more crusted blood than exposed skin, chin very very open.  Very large bump on right side of forehead, a real shiner.  Many smaller bruises on my body, rolled ankle, back hurts a bit, feeling a kind of nausea (which has persisted for 3 days now) that is unfamiliar to me (not like a hangover).  I go to my car parked at the hotel and look at my phone (which I had left in my car).  Message from my friend at 11:07PM telling me I had ran off into the night and that they had all spent about an hour searching for me on the beach but couldn't find me so she urged me to head to the hotel and to call her when I get there.

I message her briefly explaining what had transpired.  I drive to a Kaiser Permanente close to home in Santa Ana for urgent care and am stitched up by 11AM.  Doctor comments I am just in time to get stitches and prescribes antibiotics.  I go on with my day.

I start feeling more normal as the day progresses but the nausea doesn't really let up.  I stay up until midnight even though I am exceedingly tired.  I sleep all day the next day, waking briefly for breakfast and sleeping until 7PM.

Does all that sound right?

Did the police process me correctly?

If not, should I do anything about it?

This was my first arrest and I am a self-supporting US citizen attending public university pursuing engineering with no prior police record.  It shouldn't matter but the police asked me for my ethnicity so I'll mention I'm Caucasian.

I appreciate any advice at all.

Answer:
 The police did nothing wrong. In the future, you should avoid drinking so much that quickly. 6 drinks in an hour is just asking for trouble.Answer #2: It sounds like you got very very drunk and hurt yourself.  Where exactly do you think the police did something wrong here?Answer #3: Based off of your sketchy descriptions, I can't find fault in anything the police did.

I would like you to look carefully at your choice of friends though. Given how much you drank, and your subsequent actions, I'm willing to bet that there were plenty of warning signs before you actually ran off. We've all had bad nights; nights on a knife edge that could have tipped one way or the other, drastically altering our lives. Fortunately, I've been lucky enough on those nights to have a good group around me that can notice when I'm nearing a line, and pull me back from it or watch over me until it's passed. Ultimately you're responsible for yourself; but a good friend to watch your back is totally invaluable.

Along the lines of all of us having bad nights - if this is ordinary enough that you're asking if the police did anything wrong, instead of looking at your own actions, I'd really suggest talking to someone about your relationship with alcohol. A one time mess up is one thing, but that level of drinking isn't healthy or sustainable on a regular basis. Answer #4: >Does all that sound right?

That you got crazy drunk and did a lot if stupid things?

>Did the police process me correctly?

Likely. Nothing sounds crazy other then your drunken antics.


Title: Anyone know anything about booting regulations?

Question:
I work in a shop adjacent to a store which owns a large parking lot. Unfortunately we, along with the other stores in the area, don't really have parking lots (just some spaces in the back, not particularly clear or easy to find). That being said, anyone who parks in that parking lot has been booted relentlessly, within 1-2 minutes of parking in the area. The booting company set up camp in the corner of the parking lot, and boots anyone who does not go directly into the store. This has been going on for months, even before that store has opened, and since it was an empty lot and the store was closed, anyone who parked there was booted immediately. Cases include people walking into our store and inquiring about parking, and walking back out after we tell them to find their car has been booted. One case even involved someone stepping out of their car to use the atm on the lot corner and being booted for it. My question is, is there a time limit before they are allowed to boot your car? Is it legal for them to boot a parking lot for which there is no store open? Can they claim that they know for sure you were not going to go to the restaurant that owns the lot after say, getting a bubble tea from our store which is next door? Thanks for the help!

Edit: The location is Austin, Texas. Sorry about that!
Edit 2: I don't know if this helps, but there's not a specific fee specified by any of the signs either

Answer:
 >My question is, is there a time limit before they are allowed to boot your car?

No. If the parking lot is owned by the store, they are allowed to limit parking there to explicitly visiting the store.

>Is it legal for them to boot a parking lot for which there is no store open?

Just because the store isn't open does not mean someone doesn't own the lot.

>Can they claim that they know for sure you were not going to go to the restaurant that owns the lot after say, getting a bubble tea from our store which is next door?

If they see you not go directly into the store, and the lot is only for use for that store, they can boot you.


Title: UT - Officer stops Driver in a parking lot after Driver was already out of their vehicle. Officer makes questionable demands before giving Driver a ticket. Was his behavior legal?

Question:
Driver: White female, average build, mid-30s
Officer: Big-ass Samoan male, early-30s
Location: Gas station parking lot in a poor Utah neighborhood

Driver pulled into a gas station parking lot and parked near a parked police car. She got out of her car, locked the doors, and started walking toward the store entrance.

The officer turned on his lights and quickly flipped the siren on and off to get the driver’s attention. The driver turned around to see what was going on.

Officer: “You need to get back in your car.”

Driver: “Why? What’s going on?”

Officer: “Get back in your car!”

Driver: “Okay. Why are you yelling at me?”

Officer: “I said get in your fucking car or you’re going to end up in cuffs.”

Driver got in the car and lit a cigarette.

Officer: “Close the door and put out your cigarette.”

Driver: “I’m in my personal vehicle on private property. I don’t have to put out my cigarette.”

Officer: “Put out your fucking cigarette.”

Driver set down the cigarette and picked up her cell phone to call her husband.

Officer: “Put your cell phone on the dash.”

Driver: “I need to call my husband.”

Officer: “Put your cell phone on the dash!”

Driver put her cell on the dash.

Officer: “Did you know your registration was revoked?”

Driver: “I don’t know what that means.”

Officer: “Can I see your license, insurance, and registration?”

Driver: “That’s why I wanted to call my husband. I left that in his truck.” [I don’t know why it’s on her husband’s truck. They’re dumbasses. Her husband is a controlling dickhead. He probably insisted he keep the records in his truck for safekeeping.] Driver had no idea their insurance had lapsed and didn’t know her registration was revoked because of the insurance lapsing.

Officer stomped over to his vehicle. During this time, driver turned the engine off but left the heater running. A few minutes later, the partner came over to the car. Driver opened the driver side door because the battery had died while she was waiting.

Partner: “We can’t find your license in the database.”

Driver: “Because it’s from another state.” [Yes, I know she should have updated it. See Dumbass statement above.]

Partner told driver they will look into that. Driver told Partner the other Officer is a fucking dick. Partner said, “I know. I’m sorry.”

Driver: “I’m trying to log onto my insurance’s website. It needs the odometer reading, but my battery died. Can I go into the store to see if someone can jump me?”

Partner: “You can’t, but your passenger can.”

Officer: “You need to close your door.”

Driver closed the door.

Officer: “Roll down your window.”

Driver: “I can’t. My fucking battery died.”

Officer let Driver open the door so he could give her a ticket for no registration, no insurance, and no license. Then they left.

Obviously, Driver should have been aware her insurance and registration was an issue. But her husband takes care of those things, so she just assumed everything was okay. Also, she should have had her license updated when she moved.

Officer wasn’t breaking any laws just by being a jerk. But was anything he did illegal (assuming Driver is telling the truth)? Can he stop someone who is already out of their vehicle? Does it being on private property change anything?

It should be noted the store’s security cameras caught the entire interaction. Driver contacted Officer’s supervisor to file a complaint. Hopefully his body cam didn’t malfunction.

Also, Driver promptly paid her insurance and reinstated her registration.

Answer: no, officer did nothing illegal.  Of course officers can stop people outside of a vehicle.  And laws are applicable on private property


Title: Got caught smoking weed. Don't know what to expect/do. Haven't told anyone. [NC]

Question:
This happened today. I will start by just describing the day that I've had since it ties in as to why I can't come clean.

Some important info: I'm a male, 20y.o, living in NC.

I'm a college student, I was supposed to had gone to class today, but I chose to skip class instead because I had stayed up last night and wanted to sleep in... Plus the class is an easy class so I thought I would be okay (little did I know this decision would end up fucking my life). Anyways, I couldn't sleep in because I was woken up by my dad saying that we needed to go to my younger brother's school because something had happened.

I threw some clothes on then we headed over to the school. Once we got there, we met with a counselor from the school and another lady from some agency. Once we sat down, the counselor said that the reason for which he had called us in was because my younger brother had confessed to him that he had been planning to commit suicide by the end of December.

To add to this, my parents had just found out that he was stealing alcohol from them. Because of this, once we were there my dad went through his bag and found evidence of this.

I don't want to discuss that issue any further but my brother is spending the night at the hospital and won't be home until tomorrow.

Now, after having dealt with that, I was pretty stressed out. I'm not trying to excuse my actions or trying to blame it on my brother's situation. I know what I did and that I shouldn't have, seeing as it is illegal in my state. However, I had been smoking for about a year now and I had found a place that I liked where I could park and smoke. Sadly, I became too comfortable with this spot which is why I think I was caught.

I was smoking in my car at this parking lot around 1pm. I had done this multiple times before so I didn't think much of it. The reason I think I got caught is because someone that frequents the area might've already seen me smoke in this same spot before and didn't like that, so they waited until they saw my car and me smoking in it again to call the cops.

So, here I am smoking in my car when the next thing I know is I have a cop tapping on my window and asking for my ID. After the whole process and everything I got a citation saying that I was charged with the possession of weed and drug paraphernalia. What I had in the car was: a grinder, probably less than 1 gram of weed, and and gravity bong with 2 sockets+caps for the water bottle.

The cop was pretty helpful and nice, and as much as I was hoping he would let me toss the weed out and give up everything else; that did not happen. The most he could do, and I am still thankful for it, was scheduling my court date around a time that could work best for me since I had been very nice, cooperative, and since this was my first offense.

Now, the reason I can't come clean to my family is because of my brother's situation. Tensions at home have been high for at least the past year and my brother's situation was just the cherry on top for 2018, or so I thought. I do not feel comfortable telling anyone because it would put my own well-being at risk.

I am 20. I know that I should've already moved out of my house. The thing is that I pay my own tuition out of pocket (can't receive financial aid since I'm still living with my parents and they don't qualify for it) so all of my money is going towards that. The only way that I could move out is if I dropped out of college and got a pretty cheap apartment. I also don't know anyone who I can trust to move in with. A lot of people my age aren't mature enough and I don't want to move in with someone who is going to abandon ship at any given minute.

The reason as to why it would put me at risk is because I'm pretty sure once my family finds out I will be kicked out of the house. I will end up having to drop out of college just to be able to find somewhere to leave. I didn't have a job for about a month until the start of this month so I am not at the best place economically speaking. I don't know when or if I could be able to find somewhere to stay. I am also scared that I will be fired from my job. I am a delivery driver and if I remember correctly my trainer had told me that even though our company did not drug test, that they would do it if I did get caught and that if I got caught I was supposed to come clean to them because of my position.

I tried looking up similar stories and I read that first time offenders are usually able to attend an educational drug class and that after the class the charges would be likely dropped.

I do not know if that's going to happen to me. I don't know if I should get a lawyer (some stories said they didn't) or if I should just see if I get lucky and get the option to attend the class. Either way I am in no position to afford a lawyer.

Another problem that I have is that I will start receiving tons of mail from different law firms. I will try and check all of the mail in order to keep it from my parents but I don't know if I'll be successful... My mom also likes to open my mail even after I've told her multiple times that I am not comfortable with her doing that so I'm pretty sure that if she got a hold of any of the letters she would found out easily.

The only thing I have been able to come up with is coming clean to my dad. I feel like he could maybe guide me into what to do while also providing advice. If I'm not wrong he has also been charged in the past with similar charges. My mom cannot find out. She's like a ticking time bomb. You never know when she'll explode, and once she does, one can only hope for the worst.

I have been trying to do my homework in order to distract my mind but I couldn't make any progress as I kept zoning off thinking about it.

Will i not be able to go to college anymore? If I get convicted I wouldn't be able to receive any financial aid, so once I move out (hopefully mid 2019 if I don't get kicked out) I wouldn't be able to apply for it.

What should I expect during court?

Will it be on my record forever keeping future jobs from hiring me?

I haven't had any problems with the law before so I don't know what to expect or what to do.

I'm sorry if this should not be in this subreddit. If that's the case, please guide me to the correct one.

Answer:
 Step one - Get a PO Box. Change your address with usps to the P.O. Box. If parents ask why you got one, tell them porn. They will stop asking.

Step two - use all of those lawyer advertisements to find one that will take a payment plan. Hire that lawyer.

Step three - Listen to the lawyer and follow the advice.

Then cross your fingers and hope for the best. Answer #2: They're is way too much unnecessary storytelling here. What is the specific charge you got?


Title: (FL) Minor waiving miranda rights and providing confession without lawyer or parent present

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer: The fact that they are juveniles doesn't automatically mean the confession will be thrown out. There is no requirement for juveniles to have a parent or lawyer with then anytime during questioning. The admissability of it will depend more on if they actually understood their rights. Answer #2: It would likely depend on if this was voluntary or not, which will be extremely case specific. As it was with Dassey. Their attorney will know, and they are likely the only person who could know at this point.


Title: In Florida: Ex-boyfriend threw a cement block at my house window, no actual proof

Question:
Hey everyone. I'm going to make a long story short.

My ex boyfriend was mad at I'm moving on so he sent me a text saying "Watch your back, I'm coming for you" and "Contact me before I find you." 30 minutes later, I'm doing homework and I hear what sounded like a gun shot. I find that my office window is smashed but not broken all the way through because it's a hurricane resistant window. I go outside to see that my neighbor was outside. She saw my ex's hair, the color of his shirt and him drive away in an old Cadillac, which is his car.

I call the cops but they don't do much because they don't have actual proof. They say a detective is gonna call me but he never did (this happened last Wednesday). I go to the court house to file a restraining order because there has been an incident in the past where he got physical with me after drinking and left bruises on me.

I have since gotten an attorney. I have pictures of the threatening texts, a USB drive with the surveillance video of my gate where you can see his car drive in and out but it's grainy so you can't see the license plate, his face, or that his shirt is red. I have pictures of my bruises from the past incident and my neighbor has agreed to go to court with me, which is next Wednesday.

I was granted a temporary restraining order (injunction) but my attorney says I do not have enough evidence to get him for the window. I can't and won't pay for my window. I did not do it.

What else should I do? What other pieces of evidence might I have that I can use? Do you think I will get granted the permanent restraining order (or even a restraining order for one year?) Any advice is welcome!! Thanks everyone! This is a crappy situation and hopefully I won't have to deal with any more stuff soon.

Answer:
 You have plenty to get the restraining order, from the threats to the good likelihood that he was the person who threw the brick.

For the window, file a homeowner's or renter's insurance claim.Answer #2: Usually this sub does not second-guess the advice of your attorney, who knows the situation and you much better than we do.

I'd also ask the attorney about how best to follow up with the police or the DA about the criminal charges that the cops are reluctant to pursue.


Title: I have been a bad landlord.

Question:
I'm in Florida.

Tenants were constantly late and behind on rent.
I offered to let them out of the lease and they accepted.  They signed a lease termination agreement and I used the security deposit for rent they owed me.

They then did not move out and this is where I have seriously screwed up.

I told them I did not want to do an eviction so...

I offered to give them money to stay at another place for a week.  They accepted.

I asked them if I could change the locks.  They gave me a key and I did change them while they were there.

I assured them their stuff could stay in the house and that the only thing I would do with it is put in in a pod and they could come get it and I'd give them the lock combo.  They said that was fine.

They are now angry and I'm terrified I've started a wrongful eviction.

What is my next step?  I have seriously fucked up.

Answer: You done messed up, but your not totally screwed yet. The cops/ their lawyer haven't contacted you yet. Unlikely the termination agreement is going to be binding. Go get a lawyer to start a lawful eviction tomorrow.


Title: (USA, TX) Will my friend be eligible for unemployment? If so, what does he need to show?

Question:
My friend has worked for a full year in this job before he was terminated. He was given a "week to improve" and fired as a result of "poor performance," but we know that a bunch of other people were fired the same day, so my friend has reason to believe that the "week to improve" and "poor performance" were an excuse on the company's part to let him go.

ASSUMING THAT his performance was fine (which -- I understand -- is a big assumption, especially for randos on the internet), what kind of proof would he need to show to Unemployment Benefit Services to demonstrate that he is eligible for unemployment, and to demonstrate that the company's real reason for terminating that number of employees was downsizing (as opposed to poor performance on all their parts)?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 The only proof your friend can show is telling the people what happened.

He will file, it will likely get denied, he will have to appeal.  At the hearing, they will provide their evidence, your friend will have to provide his evidence, and then go from there.


Title: Michigan Run Away

Question:
Hey I posted yesterday about this a couple days ago about me running away from house because my step dad threaten to fight me. Today my mom sent this email to my dad.

I spoke with Mr. ******* today with the Ingram County Friend of the Court regarding our current situation. According to him, I have the right to file a motion and involve law enforcement to forcibly remove Jackson from your home to return him for his parenting time at mine. I'm fairly certain that Jackson, as well as you and I do not want to do that and do not want to put Jackson thru that. However, promoting the idea of Jackson never coming home to me or being in my house is not healthy and not a mature way to parent. Regardless of Jackson's supposed "fear" of Steve, the court states there is no evidence of any neglect, abuse or even threat in my home. Therefore it is recommended that Jackson go to counseling to help him work thru this difficult time.
I am willing, per the court, to make an agreement with you to allow Jackson to stay at your house for the majority of the summer, as long as he is also put into at least weekly counseling and I still have parenting time with him of every other weekend-(the weekends that I would normally have him). If you would like to agree to this, we will need to have an agreement in writing, signed by a Notary Public, and it would have to only include the remainder of the Summer, and we would re-evaluate circumstances with the court in the fall when school resumes.
If you do not agree to this, I will file a motion with the court to address this custody situation and they will be notified that you would not agree to this compromise.
Also, beginning Monday, if Jackson does not come home for my parenting time when I pick up Kayti , I will be filing a Parenting Time Complaint for each day that he is not home, as per the court recommends. As well as I will be filling a complaint for child support not paid in a timely manner.

You will need to respond to this via email as I also have stated that I will no longer speak to you over the phone or in person as I find you threatening and harassing and if you do not agree to keep communication primarily as email, I will be forced to pursue a protection order, in order to stop the phone calls in which you yell at me or threaten me.

Shes threatening my dad through this email by saying if he does not comply with her demands she will revisit this in the fall in a sense if my dad complies with this she will say it wasn't a big deal because he came back to my house on the weekends. My father called his lawyer the lawyer said I shouldn't go over there at all and that email that she sent would say that yes i feel safe with me going over there and then in the fall my dad is screwed because he allowed me to go back over there. Its a bait in the sense we also called our case worker. The case worker said that my dad needs to file a ex party relief. I have audio proof of her saying "all men do this" refereeing to my 36 year old step dad to fight with a 15 year old. My question is do you think we could win this case or if not win it what should we do?

Answer:
 What everyone is saying here is:

Neither you nor your dad should contact her by email. Do not respond because it can be used against your dad and/or you. Your dad needs to talk to the lawyer and do exactly what they say. The lawyer can respond to your mom's email.

Hope this clears it up a bit.


Title: Mistakenly deposited Life insurance check into an estate account instead of a personal bank account. What to do now?

Question:
Hello,

Background: My dad just passed away from a very aggressive cancer and he left a life insurance policy and other assets with only my mom named as a beneficiary. My dad’s Will has gone through probate and my mom is the sole beneficiary of everything they owned. At the same time, my mom opened an Estate/Trust checking account in TX \(with my mom as the sole executor\) to be able to sell their house and deposit the house sell money in there as well as it was considered part of the estate.

Problem: I mistakenly deposited the insurance policy check in the Estate checking account instead of on my mom’s personal account. I have no idea what to do now, my mom needs that money to survive and as far as I know, that money now belongs to the estate and not to my mom. My mom has access and control of both accounts \(estate and personal\) and nobody is fighting who owns that money.

Can I just transfer the money to her personal account without incurring in huge taxes or any other problems considering this was an honest mistake? The check was named with my mom’s name and the insurance company can verify the beneficiary of that insurance.

Can she just take some money monthly from the estate account for her day to day living without it considered income? \(life insurance money does not pay taxes as far as I know\). Or do I have to transfer it to her personal account first?

My mom has also an irrevocable will that will have to be re\-adjusted to name her kids as the beneficiaries now instead of my dad.

Eventually I would like to move some of that money to a financial advisor to help us with some investments to keep her money growing.

Please help. I am lost here. I worry about the taxes that she will incur for this mistake.

Thank you very much!

Answer:
 Contact the bank, explain the error, and ask them to reverse the deposit.

If they won't, contact the executor, explain the error, and ask them to send the money back once the check clears.

Misdepositing the check doesn't, on its own, constitute giving away the money. You're allowed to fix a mistake, and the heirs and creditors shouldn't profit from a simple error. The executor should check in with their attorney before returning the money just in case, but as there's no dispute, it likely won't be an issue.


Title: Question about my kids and ex husband

Question: Ok I have 2 boys with my ex husband ages 11 and 7. I left while pregnant with our second child because he was abusive in every way a person could be to another. When my youngest boy was 4 he told me his dad was silly because "he took off his pants and told me to suck on his pee pee. I didn't because that's bad." My new husband and I immediately filed a police report but nothing came of it because there was no evidence, just my son's word against his father's. Luckily after that my ex pretty much stopped trying to see them unless he just happened to stop at his mom's house while she had them but as far as I know she never left them alone because he was off his meds and potentially violent. Back in June it came out that he raped both his stepdaughters and he was arrested and charged. She recently bailed him out but he can't live with her because she lives too close to his victims. She contacted me today and asked to get them this coming weekend and admitted her monster of a son will be there and wants to see them before his trial. She seems to believe he's innocent despite the extremely fucked up details of the case and the mountains of evidence against him. My question is, is there a legal reason I can give her to refuse to allow him anywhere near them? My gut tells me he's going to run and might try to take them with him or at the very least do something horrible to them because he has no one else to lash out at. I know I can just tell her no but I'd rather have a legit legal reason to try to avoid a fight. Since he's not staying at her house she's paying for him to stay in hotels which means he's unsupervised all the time and that gives him the freedom to come to us and do "I-don't-even-want-to-think-about-it" things to retaliate

Answer:
 “No” is a full sentence.

If there is no court ordered visitation, it’s up to your discretion. Answer #2: Ahh, sorry, the kids have a friends surprise birthday party sleep over this weekend.

If you want to be nice, you can say, "we'd love to just meet with you at olive garden for an early lunch on Saturday"... But if you don't want to meet with her, just keep it with the birthday party, and being too busy. Answer #3: You don't have a court order with her. Tell her no.


Title: Public Urination in NJ

Question: Last night after drinking a good amount I decided to walk back to my dorm. I went behind some bushes on the way and pulled my weiner out to pee but a cop approached me right away and pulled me aside. He then wrote out a ticket for public urination. I never actually urinated. On the back of the ticket it says the fine is only $165 which isn't terrible. Is there any type of defense I could make for this or should I just pay the fine? I am consulting a lawyer later today but any additional advise would be awesome

Answer:
 > Is there any type of defense I could make for this or should I just pay the fine?

What statute or ordinance were you charged with violating?  Your defense, if any, would have to be based on that.


Title: Landlord is selling apartment building, I paid in post-dated cheques, they gave me these back without saying anything, am I at risk of being evicted? [Ontario, Canada]

Question:
My landlord is incredibly non-communicative, and is in the process of selling the apartment building that I currently live in - since my apartment building is infested with bed bugs, cockroaches, and mice, I'd be happy to move into a new apartment building - I've actually been looking for a new apartment for this reason.

Last week, my landlord slipped all of my pending rent cheques under my door without saying anything - no note, nothing - I'll have to double-check the last cheque that they intend on cashing.

Anyway, am I at risk for immediate eviction if the apartment sale goes through? Or, do I have to be given some sort of humane notice, like, a month to find a new place under the RTA?

Answer:
 When the building is sold, the new owner inherits the leases. Your lease will continue on the same terms and the same conditions, and the landlord will have the same obligations.

You will however pay a different landlord, so it is good that the landlord returned your cheques.


Title: So I got caught stealing at work. However, they let me keep my job on a final warning. Should I still be worried?

Question:
So I work at a red retail store in the US (IL). I was stupid and desperate so I took some gift cards customers left behind to buy some food. I eventually confessed because they had me on camera. They gave me an option to walk or stay on a final warning. Meaning if I screw up again it means I'm canned.

 Should I still be worried about legal action though. They had me sign a paper to agreeing to work on a final warning. What should I do?

Answer:
 What should you do?

Don't do that again.

The only reason you still have a job is that you didn't cause any actual loss of inventory. You *just* used a gift card that was left there. Next time a customer leaves anything behind, give it to a manager.


Title: Landlord wants checks made out to his name

Question:
I'm not sure if this is the right sub, so direct me if it's not.

For reference, I am in Texas.

My landlord has always had his checks and money orders made out to "Butch Cassidy Realty" (Obviously, not the real name), but just sent out an email stating that those would no longer be accepted. It could only say "Butch Cassidy." This seems really shady. We are not with Joe Schmo down the street. As far as I can tell, it is a legitimate business with several properties. I checked their business licence online and it says it's valid until late this year. Is there any honest reason that they would need to so this?

Answer:
 It might be evidence that he’s up to something shady, but could also be for a legitimate reason.

As his tenant, send the checks as per his instructions.  Save a copy of the email he sent in case there are any misunderstandings later.


Title: (CT) Is dog bite insurance policy and admission of guilt

Question:
I don't want to get into the specifics of why I am seeking this advice due to privacy reasons. However my friend asked a dog trainer their opinion on supplemental dog bite insurance and they suggested that the mere act of obtaining a policy such as that could be used against the dog owner in court. By obtaining the policy one would essentially be signaling they have a "dangerous dog" was the trainer's response.

So, is it better to obtain additional protection in the form of a supplemental policy or to hope homeowners insurance will cover any incidents? Does it matter if the dog is a Pitbull? Thank you.

Answer:
 Dog Law specialist here.

There's a reason that person is a Dog Trainer and not a Dog Law Specialist. They are completely full of crap.

To reframe your question: "I have fire coverage on my renters insurance, is that a tacit admission that I'm an arsonist?" Answer #2: Whoever said that is an idiot. [Federal rule of evidence 411](https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/fre/rule_411) explicitly prevents introducing insurance evidence to prove liability. Every state has a similar law.Answer #3: Only /u/sorthum could answer this accurately.


Title: [TN] Employer passed on a candidate for a hipaa related position because she posted detailed medical information about a surgical procedure she had done on her public Facebook page.

Question: I don't believe this violates EEOC as the candidates  page was public but she is upset about it. Does this candidate have any legal ground?

Answer: That's a perfectly valid and legal reason not to hire somebody, especially for a position with access to sensitive medical information. They likely felt it shows poor judgement.


Title: Marina let me take my boat in to live aboard. Change their mind and say I need a boat over 35 feet or they'll fire/evict me. Which makes me homeless

Question:
This February I started a new job at a Marina in the San Francisco bay area.  One of the conditions of me starting work there was that I could take the 25 foot sailboat I live on into the marina as a live aboard. I took my boat out of another live aboard status slip in another marina that I had spent 7 months on a waiting list to get in order to move it to where I currently work.  It is very difficult to find a live aboard slip in the bay area.  Pretty much impossible to find one without a waiting list.

 After working here for about a month I was told that I actually need a boat over 35 feet if I was going to live in the Marina, and that I have 60 days to do so or I would be evicted and fired.  My 25 foot boat suddenly wasn't good enough.  If they terminate my employment and kick me out then I will be homeless. I only make 20k a year which is nowhere near enough to purchase a 35+ foot boat.  Especially with NO CREDIT HISTORY I just moved to the USA from New Zealand.

What are my legal options here?  Can they really just kick me to the streets like this?  If they really can then that makes my only option to take my boat into another marina as a regular boater and sneak onto my boat every night.  Which is very illegal.

Answer:
 Finally, a genuinely legitimate question about admiralty law!!!Answer #2: Nail a 10ft board to the front of your boat and call it good.Answer #3: Do you have an actual employment contract or lease?  If not, then they are free to alter your employment conditions or boat requirements. Answer #4: This sounds like a situation where estoppel might be relevant. Given the unique nature of waiting lists for live-aboard moorage. Regardless you should get yourself on another waiting list ASAP.    Answer #5: Ok, so you're in SF.

If you're truly broke, a few places worth trying are the various legal aid groups in SF, some of which specialize in this. Also worth a try are the various law school clinics, which in SF proper include UC Hasting, U of SF, and Golden Gate. There' also several more with a bit of a drive, including Boalt (UC Cal) Stanford, and Santa Clara.

Your case is interesting so might be a good case for a clinic. Otoh it's nearing the end of Clinic season so it might be hard to get help that route.Answer #6: Do you have any written proof of this deal? Answer #7: One thing I don't understand is why they are doing this.  They agreed to give you a slot, so what difference does it make what length of boat is in there?


Title: Company Created a Fake Union and is Collecting Union dues

Question:
Ontario, Canada

In short, the company I work for as a Manager created its own union last year. We have employees all spread across different sites getting approached by different unions which can really make business in our industry a pain. The company decided to discuss a CBA with a union I never heard of (although I couldn't name more than a few) then held a vote at our head office for us to get unionized as a company as opposed to individual locations. I never really thought about it but then I realized (probably missing or ignorant to a crap load of warning signs) how obvious it was after I went to the website. An employee contacted me for the Local # and the website hadn't been updated in over a year with the news section being completely blank (new news on March, 2018!). No social media presence, a PO box for mail with no office and the only address listed is our head office for meetings. Hell, even the president is another employees brother.

If I am somehow wrong about this I would be shocked, but we are charging union dues to 800+ employees ($35 a month) and after skimming the CBA it looks like basic employee rights and I haven't noticed any changes since it was implemented.

What do?

Answer: You should speak to a labor lawyer.Answer #2: You're unlikely to get good advice here due to the American focus of this subreddit. Labour laws are both weaker and stronger in different parts of Canada than the US.


Title: Contractor threatening to put a lien on my home.

Question:
I've paid CarpetOne half the money to install some carpet in one room, remaining balance being ~$1000.  I didn't pay them the remainder because I already had scheduling issues etc with them, so I wanted to make sure the work was done right.  Couple days after install the seams near the tile were lifting and noisy, so I told them I wasn't going to pay the remainder until they fixed the problem.  They're telling me they won't fix it until I pay.  Now they've threatened to put a lien on my house.  This company has been a disaster to work with.  What are my options?

I'm located in Florida.

Answer:
 You have to abide by the contract you signed, and so do they. Although no one here can know what you signed I'm willing to bet there wasn't a clause in there saying you can not pay if you don't like the quality. IMO you need to pay them and then deal with the quality issues. If you get no satisfaction from talking to management etc, then you can sue them in small claims court to get your money back.

They very likely can legally put a lien on your house and you really don't want that. It can make problems for you when you sell some day or want to refi. Pay them and then escalate your issues to management.


Title: Update II: Taking a dog rescue to small claims court in NC (they appealed our win, question about settlement offer)

Question:
[Original post](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2bx6wt/taking_a_dog_rescue_to_small_claims_court/)

[Update from when we won in small claims court](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2de05c/update_taking_a_dog_rescue_to_small_claims_court/)

I'm back with another question. I've been overwhelmed by how much support I've gotten here regarding this case, so I wanted to update y'all as well.

The dog rescue appealed our win, so we lawyered up. He's been talking to the rescue's lawyer about a settlement, and they've been dragging their feet. They finally agreed to consider a settlement at their next board meeting, so he sent us a draft settlement offer and asked what we thought.

Because we're really emotionally invested in this case, and increasingly annoyed with how rude and cocky the rescue's lawyer is, we're understandably bristling at the thought of giving them *anything*. So I figured I'd post here and see what you guys thought of the different items on the table.

They are:

* We pay the standard adoption fee (between $100-$400 based on the dog's age)
* Maybe we make an additional (tax deductible) donation to the rescue?
* We pay for the medication, dental, and vet care received (but not the spay/neuter or any other elective treatment)
* We pay something toward boarding (let me know what you think is fair here)
* We agree to two welfare checks (one every 6 months for a year) to be sure that the dog is being adequately cared for (and we have some pretty detailed requirements, to remove as much subjectivity as possible) - if we don't meet the standards, the rescue gets the dog back. After the two 6 month check-ups, they have no further right to the dog.
* We agree that, if you have to surrender the dog in any permanent way (no money, you die, etc), you'll surrender him to the rescue

We both mentally screamed "NOOOOOOO!" when we read this list, but we also understand that we need to offer them things if we have any hope of settling.

We know we would win in court, but if we don't settle, we're looking at ~$5000 in lawyer's fees, and the cost of two trips from Tennessee to North Carolina (rental car and hotel), since cases under $15,000 go to mandatory arbitration.

Are there any things on that list that stick out to y'all as justifiably "nope, no way, you shouldn't even offer that"? Or any reasonable revisions to any of the items?

Thanks in advance!

Answer:
 There is no way you should agree to their terms. Just no way. Is your lawyer suggesting your agree to this?

Any food, board or medical care should be cut off from the date you discovered the dog was in their possession and demanded him back. Their failure to mitigate their damages makes this their problem, not yours.

Your lawyer should counter with the settlement agreement that they immediately return the dog and dismiss their appeal and everyone waives their costs and goes home.

The fact that you have won in two separate courts in two separate states speaks to the strengths of your case. Their lawyers know this too. If they lose they will likely lose the dog and have to pay for your attorney's fees as well as their own. It's a huge risk on their part to keep fighting.

At the very least your attorney should counter with them immediately returning your dog and you making a donation. That's it. No other conditions or payments. Answer #2: As others have said, your lawyer is taking the "lets get this settled so we can all be on our way" approach to settlement.  This isn't a bad idea, especially when your client doesn't have a lot of money to throw at lawyers.

Personally I prefer the "Y'all fucked up, either do what's right, or we'll have the court force you to do what's right" method of negotiation.  My demands would look something like:

* Give us the dog.

* Drop the appeal.

* Pay our filing and legal fees.

* We agree not to sue you.


Title: 2-Year-Old Daughter Nearly Killed Due to City's Neglect

Question:
This happened on Saturday evening in Mableton, Georgia (in the US).  My two-year-old daughter and I were out for a walk in our neighborhood.  An oncoming car in the road forced us into the yard we were walking by.  We came upon a sewer ledge in the yard, and stood on it waiting for the car to pass.  I was facing the road, standing between my daughter and the passing car, with her just behind me.  She let go of my hand and took one single step...and then I heard her scream.

I whip around just in time to see her literally falling through a hole in the earth.  It's a freeze-frame in my mind.  She is falling through the manhole cover.  Her hair is flying straight up above her she is falling so fast.  She was already falling as I was turning around, but somehow...I made the most lucky grab I have ever and will ever make in my life.  Screaming, I just reached out blindly and grabbed as tight as I could.  It took me probably 5 seconds to realize that I had caught her wrist, and that I was holding onto her.  Her head was all the way beneath the level of the manhole, and only her arm which I had grabbed was sticking straight up over her head.  She was suspended and dangling by my grasp above the chasm.  It was a ten foot drop below onto concrete.  No ladder on the wall.

As soon as I realized that I had grabbed her, I pulled her up.  We were both terrified, obviously.  She got some pretty bad scrapes from the edge of the manhole when I pulled her up out of it, but somehow that was it.  No dislocated shoulder from the grab, no broken bones or lost life from the potential fall.  It is the luckiest I hope to ever have to be.

Now, a woman was at home with her child and they came out when they heard the yelling.  I explained what happened.  We looked into the hole.  As it turns out, there was no manhole cover there at all.  There was only a fitted circle of wood.  It was waterlogged and completely rotten.  My daughter weighs less than 30 pounds, and a single step from her onto this piece of wood covering the manhole sent it plummeting down into the sewer.

This fitting was put over the manhole by a construction crew working for the city.  They have been replacing the fire hydrants in the neighborhood, so they have ripped up about six feet of everyone's yard by the streets.  When they got to this sewer ledge, and did whatever they had to do to it, I guess they just put a fitted piece of wood over the hole and went about their business.

I took pictures of the wood piece at the bottom of the hole.  I took pictures of the hole itself and the sewer ledge.  I took pictures of my daughter's scrapes.  At the time of the incident, I was far too shaken to call the police or to do anything else that I logically should have.

I went back to the home this morning, and the homeowners had already called the city's emergency line.  The city had already sent someone out, and there was already a steel manhole cover on the hole.  The man said that he had called in to the city about the wood fitting on July 2nd (11 days ago), but nothing had been done until he called the emergency line this morning and told them what happened.

Now, given all of this, I am wondering if legal action against the city and/or the contracted construction crew would be warranted.  And if so, would steps I would need to take.  There was no significant personal injury.  There was no significant damage to property.  However...my daughter could so easily have died yesterday.  If I had been a millisecond slower...if I had been standing half an inch further away...if I had reached an inch to the left or right...she very likely would be dead right now.  Because somebody thought it would be okay to leave a flimsy piece of fitted wood over a manhole for weeks.  Somebody paid by and doing the work of the city that I pay taxes to.  My sleep last night was nightmare-ridden, as I'm sure tonight's will be.  My daughter keeps talking about falling in the hole, asking if there will be holes at her birthday party.  I want to be clear about one thing: this is not about money for me.  But I have to think that something should be done here...some message sent that says "this is not acceptable"

I am very sorry that this has turned out so long.  I am still very shaken up just thinking about it.  Traumatized, actually.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  Please keep in mind that I have zero experience with legal issues, so I need step-by-steps.  Thank you.

Answer:
 You should contact the local news outlets and your local government. But you have no legal case. Sorry. But I am glad you have great reflexes.Answer #2: >Now, given all of this, I am wondering if legal action against the city and/or the contracted construction crew would be warranted. And if so, would steps I would need to take. There was no significant personal injury. There was no significant damage to property.

Without damages, you don't have a case.  Civil law (in this context) exists to compensate for physical injury and damage to property;  what actually happened, not what might have happened.

> this is not about money for me.

That's what civil law is about, though.

You should feel free to consult a personal injury attorney in your area, but I am pretty confident they will tell you the same thing.Answer #3: I've got a two year old girl too, and if this happened to me, I'd want someone's head on a platter. I completely understand. However at the end of the day, you've got nothing here.

Frustrating, yes, but legally speaking you're up a creek.


Title: Roommates claim I "entrapped" them into signing a lease

Question:
Not sure where to post this just looking for advice.
Location: California

Had a falling out with a roommate, him and his girlfriend want to break lease and move out immediately. I have told them that they are free to do so, but they need to find someone else to pay rent in there absence. They claim I entrapped them into staying here because of the lease the girlfriend signed. They claim to have no copy of the lease now, even though the company emailed a pdf copy to us when we signed it. They want to break lease and leave me and my other roommate to dry. I don't want to have bad credit because of these jack weasels.

Answer:
 Worst case scenario and they leave, you still are required to pay the rent.  You can sue them for their portion of it.

They can claim you "entrapped" them into a lease all they want.  That is not an excuse to break a lease that they signed.Answer #2: You didn't "entrap" them. They signed a lease, they "entrapped" themselves. Tell them if they leave you on the hook you will sue them for all expenses related to their departure.


Title: (Denver) Just saw what I thought was a man braking into vehicles in my apartment complex. Actually was a tow truck driver looking for cars to tow. Once he noticed me observing him, he was quick to hockey check me to the ground. I was assaulted, how do I respond legally?

Answer:
 Call the police. Is it really that hard to figure out?Answer #2: 1.  Call the police.

2.  Call the tow truck company.

3.  Call your apartment management to let them know there is an illegal tow operator on their property.

Answer #3: Report it to the police


Title: Broke up with gf, now she wants some things back. Is taking me to small claims court.

Question:
This is in New Mexico.

I broke up with my gf a few months ago. She makes five times what I make. During the course of the relationship she bought a used sailboat for us to use. She paid 2k for it, I believe in cash. We registered it in both our names at her request. And the title states (my name) OR (her name) not AND. I understand that to mean that any transfer of title only requires one of us, not both. For a year we used the boat, but I took care of it. I spent at least 500 dollars on maintaining and upgrading the boat amd trailer. Since we broke up, I have had the keys and have been paying the storage fees. I have used the boat. She didn't want anything to do with it, but held the papers. She has texted various things over the last few months, depending on her mood. Once she said I can buy the boat from her with payments, then the next week, she demanded it back so she could sell it to anyone but me. Two weeks ago she said I could just have it and she wanted me out of her life forever. She mailed me the title and I now have that and the registration paperwork in hand. Now she decided she doesn't want me to have it so she is taking me to small claims court. In addition to the boat, she bought my daughter a 130 dollar bed, ski clothes, and children's books and has listed all those things in an email that she will be suing me for in small claims court.

I'm not sure what to do. We had agreed on payments at one point, but she did this before I sent the first one.

What kind of experience can I expect in small claims court? Do I have any standing to just keep the boat since she offered it to me by text and sent the paperwork to me? Would a judge recommend we proceed with the payment plan? If the boat is returned to her, do I have any recourse to the money I spent on boat storage and maintenance?

Answer:
 Have you actually been taken to court?  Sounds like more drama to me.

How much of that "I'm giving you the sailboat"is  in writing?  If in writing I'd say
you are golden. As for the stuff she gave your daughter that sounds like gifts to me.    Unless you have the actual sailboat document in your name with her signing off on it at the BMV or by notary you are on shaky ground there.
Unless she signed off on the actual document or you have her intentions in writing that's going to be a tough one to get around.Answer #2: >  What kind of experience can I expect in small claims court?

Go to the same small claims court where your case will be one day far in advance and observe the proceedings.  This, along with some internet research on defending a case in small claims court will help you a lot in figuring out what to expect.

You can also contact a local lawyer and hire them for a consultation to advise you about how to defend your case.  While you might not be able to hire them to represent you in court there is nothing wrong with paying for an hour or two of their time to help you prepare yourself.


Title: (Virginia) Landlord won't fix heat

Question:
My boyfriend and I have been living in our apartment for about 2.5 years. The first two years, we didn't contact our landlord for anything. If something broke, we fixed it. Unless it was expensive or complicated. Basically we tried our best to be low maintenance tenets.

This week the thermostat dropped down to 51 degrees at the lowest point. Currently it is at 53 degrees. My boyfriend called the landlord yesterday and they sent someone out who checked the air filter (we already did that) and poured a bucket of hot water on the heater outside (that raised the temperature from 51 to 56 over 7 hours). We woke up to 53 degrees this morning, called the landlord again, and they sent someone over. He walked in, didn't look at anything, said that we don't need any repairs and that "lots of people are dealing with this. It's a cold winter." It's not unfathomably cold. It's 17 degrees outside right now. I don't expect it to get up to 70 in here. Just warm enough that I don't need multiple layers and blankets to keep somewhat comfortable. Also, it's important to note, it's an old building so the insulation is not great but we haven't dealt with this in past winters.

Is there anything we can do as tenets? I want to get a hotel and send the bill to the landlord. Do I have that right legally?

Answer:
 >"lots of people are dealing with this. It's a cold winter."

Sure, a lot of people with slumlords. I live in Virginia and my 50+ year old gas furnace has been pumping heat just fine.

Keep calling and start threatening that you will start deducting rent because you'll need to stay elsewhere.


Title: Getting kicked out by Roomate w/ a 3 day heads up (Miami)

Question:
I rent a room in this house, and moved in during the summer time. Roomate is an old woman and has bitched at me the entire time. One day I snap and told her that I can leave since she seems to have a real problem with me. She says that we are fine and she doesn’t hate me, but to let her know what I decide. I got busy w/ school and such so I kind of forgot about it. The other day she calls me and asks me about it, I tell her yeah I’m not moving out. She says she already promised my room to somebody else. Then today she tells me I need to have all my things out by today since she needs my room empty by Monday.

My question is, did I technically give her my notice to leave? And what can I do about this? I don’t have family here and I’m alone in this city. So I’m gonna be a hobo.

Answer:
 If you have clothing and stuff at the residence, and you pay rent there, then you have established residence. She will need to give you 30 days notice, or evict you which will take even longer. She could call the police but they will tell the same thing, and it’s a civil matter. She cannot just throw you out.
You should start looking for a new place to live ASAP.


Title: Threats made to come to my house. Happened in KS.

Question:
A little background, my woman has a crazy jealous ex. We don't live in Kansas anymore, but go back every so often and sometimes, randomly see him. I've never had a genuine conversation with the guy. He just gets pissed and starts cussing me out and threatening to kill me everytime we cross paths. This has been going for about 7+ years.

I usually think, he won't do shit. Until last year, I see him at a gas station, he stares me down and pulls up his shirt to show off what looked like a .380 pistol.

I filed a police report and they said the DA didn't want to pursue it, though I pushed for it since the guy brought a gun into the situation.

Now, last weekend we see this guy as we're preparing to leave the gas station. My gf is putting something in the trunk when this fool walks up to her. I hop out and walk between him and my girl, ask him to leave.

He says something like, "fuck off," and jumped at me like he was gonna hit me. My reflexes got the best of me and I punched him in the face. I think he hit me, then I slammed him. We tussled on the ground and I came out on top.

Bystanders break us up, I let go, but he tries to choke me as everyone is holding onto me, not him. Finally he let's me go, guess he realized his arm was around my head, not neck. Anyway, I  get up, people are between us to keep us separate, then he tries to come at me and says, "I know where you live! I'm coming for ya'll!" He said that a few times, really loud.

I go to hop back in the truck, when I see he's yelling at my gf in the trunk again. Idk, what she was trying to get, but damn. So I go back and say to him, "just get the fuck outta here man!"

He directs his attention to me, but is moving kinda slowly in my direction. I back up to around the driver's door and he's still approaching with his hands real low. Not up high like he was trying to fight. So, I reach for my hip. He sees this and yells, "hes got a gun!" Then, he runs off around the side of the building.

My chick was just hopping in, so I hop in and we leave. At some point when we were tussling, someone who worked at the gas station said they called the police. So when we were leaving we pass the cops.

We end up giving them our statement, and they basically said, "we have to pull camera footage and let the DA sort it out."

I call today to get an update. The DA is out til Wednesday. Possibly another week because of some commissioner meeting bullshit.

My biggest concern is the threat. It's very possible he knows where we live because white pages and other similar sites show our address if you google her name. Or my name.

Police just don't seem to give a shit. They say we can get a protection that has to be served to him, but no guarantee it'll be granted. Though I know this guy doesn't care about a piece of paper. He previously told me, "I don't care about doing life for killing you!"

I've locked down the house. Prepared my guns for quick access when I'm home.

Just seems like the police won't care til he burns my house down.

Do I have any options? Especially since he threatened to come to my house?

Answer:
 Get the order of protection, if for no other reason than to document that he  is on record as being the type of violent person that needs an order of protection on him.

If you believe that this is going to end in a citizen-involved shooting, stsrt talking to a lawyer now. They may even have recommendations for getting the cops to do their jobs here - the whole business about the DA not wanting to prosecute sounds like a load of bullshit to me. Answer #2: You went to the police and they're not interested, and you're calling a lawyer.  Beyond that, you own guns and this person has threatened your lives.  Sounds like you're doing what you can, hopefully you don't end up having to shoot the guy to get this to stop.


Title: Burglary NC

Question:
My house was broken into three weeks ago and around $3,000 worth of items were taken. I immediately knew who it was and confronted them, thankfully they are stupid and admitted it to me via text. I filed a report with police, showed them his confession along with other messages stating they saw him there or selling our things. I also managed to hack his Facebook and found dozens of messages of him talking about it, I understand why those would be inadmissible as evidence, but still thought it would help their case in some way. I got an update a week later saying they couldn't arrest him off his text confession, okay understood. The problem is that they have not made any efforts in questioning witnesses or even making the trip to question him. It's ridiculous and I'm frustrated, I feel violated, I have never had to feel like I should fear being in my home until now. My question is, is there any other way I can go about this than my towns sheriffs department? The big kicker is that they are telling me only the officer who took the police report can work on the case and he works 2-3 day a week and has avoided my calls for two weeks.

TD;LR my house was robbed, confession, cops won't do shit.

Answer: You can complain to a superior. Apart from that the police have no obligation to investigate the crime.


Title: [Canada] Mother of my SO's son has plans to move overseas and take his son away from him without getting permission or even notifying him. Please help.

Question:
Ontario, Canada.

Found out today that my SO's ex (mother and custodial parent of SO's son) is planning on moving to Europe. Saw this on her friend's social media account, but no idea on timeframe. We are 99% sure she will not ask permission or give notice or contact info and just plans on disappearing.

Background: My SO has a 2yo son with an ex (never married/common-law) and they have a final order for custody and access. He is entitled to 4hrs/wk visitation, and pays support through FRO. The mother obeyed the arrangement for a little while then ignored my SO completely and will not answer at her last known address or phone number, and deleted all social media when he tried to contact her. It has been 9 months of no contact with his son, or the mother, we have completed a Motion to Change and were planning on filing it with the court and hiring a process server on Tuesday after the holiday.

Other than filing the Motion to Change, should we be filing anything else to get any emergency considerations since we have reason to believe she may be impossible to find soon?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Then your SO can challenge this in court and needs to talk to his attorney.

>It has been 9 months of no contact with his son, or the mother

Um. This should have been addressed before that point.

I understand that you support him but take the WE out of it unless you are married and have rights to the child.

He needs to be involved and get his lawyer involved.Answer #2: The longer you wait the less likely it is that you will get custody back, especially at that age.  A 2 year old  barely remembers anything, and it sounds like your SO hasn't seen the kid since he was barely 1.  Not cool.  And it makes it damn hard for the judge to buy the "I am an involved parent, and seeing the child is important to me" line of argument.

Go talk to a lawyer.  It's time to go back to court.  Raise the issue of visitation, and potentially of moving.


Title: 16m needing advice on what I can do to change a co-parenting plan. My father is becoming more and more abusive and I am told there is nothing I can do to change my situation.

Question:
For the past 2-3 weeks my father and I have been arguing more and more. It's to the point now where he will scream cuss words at me and he pushes me around. I am getting bruises on my legs from being shoved into my room or ripped out of the car.

Today I involved the police after he picked me up from my mothers house and took me home. When we got here he said he was going to search my clothes bag I brought and he pushed me into my dresser and took my bag off of me and went through it.

The police sided with my father, stating that he can do it because he "wants the best for me" and "calling the police won't get me out of trouble"

I understand him grounding me for arguing with him and I did take my computer from his house after he stole it. But he keeps becoming more violent and violent and I just want to stay with my mom.

I have started taking pictures of my bruises and scratches I get from him pushing me around. He also is diagnosed with mental illnesses like bipolar, multiple personality disorder, and OCD.

So Reddit, what can I do to change this awful parenting plan that he refuses to agree with? What other evidence can I get to make a case? From Georgia, USA.

Answer: Shoving you into furniture and pulling you out of a car to the point you have bruises is child abuse. Contact CPS.  The police officers you talked to possibly just didn’t want the effort of making a report, but they were in the wrong. Answer #2: Your mom needs to step up and file to change the custody arrangement.


Title: Connecticut -- Is a police officer allowed to pull me over based on information he obtains from a License Plate Scanner?

Question:
Hello /r/legaladvice,

I was recently pulled over by a police officer in Connecticut. Upon being pulled over, he did not indicate that I had made any moving violations (e.g. I did not run a red light, I was not speeding), but instead told me that my registration had expired. I was given a ticked for "Failure to Renew Registration." I had indeed failed to renew registration, but my question is whether the office is allowed to pull me over based on only reading my license plate. I have reason to believe he used a license plate scanner, or "ANPR" (Automatic Number Plate Recognition), as the angle his cruiser was at would have made it difficult for him to read my plates.

Now that I have typed it out and done some research, it sounds like this is legal, but I will post it anyways. If a cop can read my license plate with his eyes, then I don't see why it would be illegal for him to use a scanner. It just feels pretty bullshit that they can just read license plates automatically, without the driver actually committing any moving violations.

Thanks for any help.

Answer: He likely ran your license plate when you saw you, they do that all day long and its perfectly legal.  Not renewing your registration is pc for a stop 24/7/365.


Title: [26F]CA,USA. My employer/manager gossiped and divulged confidential medical information about me to the people at my second job.

Question:
Basically, I got pregnant (unplanned) but almost 3 months in I had a miscarriage. Unfortunately there were complications with my miscarriage so I had to go to the hospital and they gave me a note so I could have a week off to rest and get better.
The whole experience was very upsetting to me and I only told a few people, namely my managers at both my jobs. I made it very clear to them that they could tell whoever they needed that I was out sick, but the nature of my condition was to remain private. The manager for my first job is Debbie, and the manager for my second job is Carol. Both of my jobs are located extremely close to each other but they are completely different.
Today, I returned to work at my second job, and I found out from Carol that Debbie came over and tried to start a conversation while there were customers and co-workers around. She was like "Oh its so sad what happened to [me], but can you believe she got pregnant? what do you think? Do you know when she's coming back?"
Of course Debbie never asked me directly anything. I haven't heard from her all week, so I was surprised that she didn't just call or text me, especially since I have been texting her with updates from the doctor.

So Carol told Debbie that its very unprofessional to talk about an employee like that and basically told her to leave.

Oh and by the way, I've had many problems with Debbie in the past, including a time where I called HR on her and they told me that they would keep my report anonymous. Lo and Behold when I was talking on the phone with her about my decreasing hours before my miscarriage happened she basically got mad and said "If you need to make another report, go ahead, bye" and hung up! I tried calling HR that day but i kept getting disconnected so I stopped trying for the day, then the next day I got sick with my miscarriage.

So of course right now I am very angry, and I feel like I would not be able to resist confronting Debbie about what she did. Please reddit, can you help me? The job that Debbie manages is a pharmacy store, like Rite-Aid, CVS, and Walgreens.

Answer: What's your legal question? No laws were broken here.


Title: What happens if you exchange nudes with someone underage that claimed to be 20? Can the parents press charges even though she was using a fake account?

Question: Before anyone gets judging, this is happening to my friend and he’s freaking out and I’m just trying to calm him down.

Answer: It's a scam. There's no girl.


Title: How can a 17 year old get himself emancipated in the state of Indiana

Question:
I believe I have been abused by my parents who have lied to me and gone behind my back on multiple occasions. My mother also yells at me and tells me I'm a horrible person for being depressed on at least a monthly basis probably closer to a biweekly basis. I am a bad person for being depressed because "it makes me seem like I failed as a parent". They lied to me again tonight and it was the last straw and then got my brother to go back on his word to cover their asses.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 At 17, it is best to wait until you are 18.

Are you experiencing physical abuse?

You should speak to a school counselor about your depression.


Title: Prepaid for hotel weeks in advance, but got to hotel and there weren't any vacancies - Oregon

Question:
Please excuse formatting since I am on mobile.

We booked a hotel for a two night stay this weekend (memorial day weekend) and prepaid. We had to fly in from California and then drive 3 hours to the hotel. We arrive around midnight and there is a no vacancies sign on the door. This is a chain hotel

This is fine since I have a reservation. The receptionist asked if I have a reservation and I can see in his face he was ready to turn me away if I didn't.

I said yes and give him my ID. He starts getting everything together and makes the key cards. Then he let's me know there is a possibility that the room isn't available. The room with my reservation isn't showing empty for some reason. He checks the room and it is locked.

He makes a few calls and there isn't anything I can do. It is 1230 at this point and I have to find somewhere else available.

We find one hotel that has 1 vacancy out of all the hotels we called which is about 15. The whole town is booked and the only reason they had one was because they booked with a 3rd party and canceled, but it didn't show in her system. She had actually turned down multiple people already before she caught the error. Even motel 6 and the other local motels/bed and breakfast places were full.

The hotel is 315 dollars for the night and that is more expensive than the two nights we booked. Prices went up due to demand and we werent prepared for this.

This is the guarantee from the originally booked hotel -
GUARANTEE POLICY

This is a non-cancellable rate plan. Once your reservation is confirmed, cancellations or changes are not allowed (including changes to the guest's information). No refunds or credits for early departure, cancellation or no-show. The room(s) you have reserved will be held until 7:00 AM the morning following your scheduled arrival date. If you do not arrive, your credit card will be charged 1 night's stay plus tax.

What are my options? This caused me a lot of distress having to find a hotel around midnight/1am on a holiday weekend. We nearly had to sleep in the rental car.

Planning on asking the hotel to reimburse me for the hotel I had to find, but I am not sure if that's okay. Suing has been on my mind, but I would be satisfied with just getting reimbursed and never stay at that hotel again. I have tweeted their corporate Twitter account, but no reply.

Tldr - prepaid a hotel month in advance. Told that our room got booked somehow. We call around late at night and manage to find one at double the price, but no choice unless we slept in the car. Haven't spoken to a manager at hotel 1 yet.

Answer:
 This procedure, where a guest is put up at a separate hotel due to overbooking, is called "walking".  When a guest is "walked", the cost of the new hotel, in full, is covered by the old hotel.

This should have been handled by the front desk person.  You will have to provide a credit card for incidentals at the new hotel, and they may put a hold for the full value of the room, but you shouldn't have to pay for it.  If, by chance, you do, then contact the old hotel for reimbursement.Answer #2: I work in the Hotel world. Over booking and other things that mess up reservations happen all the time. They should have "walked you" - called around town and found a room and covered it.

From your story they didn't. Which is against standard operating procedure of the whole industry. Probably due to a manager cutting corners to save money or a front desk employee being poorly trained or lazy.

Either way escalate to the manager of hotel 1. If he doesn't help. Find the distract or regional manager and continue to escalate. I'll be shocked if you don't reimbursed pretty quickly.


Title: (VA) Boyfriend stole everything and completely disappeared. No money and no family to help!

Question:
Hello everyone, I'm (20F), currently attending VCU, and I have... well.. Had a boyfriend (21) who is a manager at a local store. I never noticed anything weird about him and I genuinely believed  he was the one i would spend the rest of my life with. Today, however, I return to my apartment from school and realize he's not there, which he usually is. I call several, and he doesn't pick up. weird. I go into my room and see that almost everything I own is gone. Clothes, Jewelry, and all of my cash savings. My wallet is no where to be found and my books and computer are gone as well. This is when I panic. At first I think I was robbed, but then I saw that my boyfriends key was on the floor, meaning he was in here and most likely did this. I check my bank account and see that almost all my money is gone from an ATM and all my savings up to that point was gone. I have nothing. I don't know how I'm gonna get to work and school tomorrow, now that I don't have money for gas either! What do I do in this situation? Can the cops do anything? I'm almost certain he's doing this to go to China and live in a small Chinese village, as he always used to bring up how amazing it would be. Please help. I'm desperate. I don't know how I will get through tomorrow!. Any advice is appreciated. thank you!
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: He's gonna have a hell of a time getting on a plane to China with a warrant out for his arrest. Call the police. You've been robbed. If you have renter's insurance, call them second, otherwise call your family or your most trusted friends for immediate help. If anyone's going to make sure you don't starve between now and Monday, it's them.