Title: Someone stole a knife from our car [xpost /r/Advice]

Question:
So my husband and I forgot to lock our car yesterday evening (around 6 pm) and, lo and behold, this morning we went to the car and saw our spare change all over the floor of the car and outside the car. We then frantically went through the rest of the car and realized that my husband's folding pocket knife was taken from the center console (knife was probably 3 inches long). Thankfully, this was probably the most valuable thing we had in the car. My husband did have his savings account book in the car as well, but it wasn't taken. But for all we know, they may have written down his savings account #.

The suspicious thing is that some teenagers have been coming to our house lately, asking if we've gotten any mail from them. The "main" one (a ~15 year old boy) has "accidentally" sent three or four packages to our house, addressed to OUR address with HIS name. His excuse is that he "forgets" his address. After this happened three or four times, we got sick of it (also we were worried that he may be doing sketchy business using our address) and put "return to sender" on the box to send it back to China. This was a week ago. So, we're wondering if possibly the kid(s) got mad about this and raided our car as a way of seeking revenge on us? We know the kid's name and his address.

It was also strange how the "crime scene" looked. Our spare change was strewn all over the ground outside of the driver's side door and also spilled on the floor of the car. It was almost like they had meant for us to notice? Either that, or they started to go through our stuff and then for some reason panicked and spilled our change everywhere.

The police say they can't really do anything. Should we go question the kids? We do live near a "sketchy" area of town, so it's possible that it wasn't the kids but a random incident. I guess I'm just looking for any advice on this type of situation - we've never forgotten to lock our car before, and now this happens?

tl;dr Someone got in our car, stole 3 in. pocket knife and some spare coins. They may have my husband's savings account #. They spilled coins all over the place, like either they panicked or meant for us to see that they'd been in there. We suspect it may be some teenagers down the street. What do we do?

Answer: When someone steals from you, you call the police.  It doesn't sound like you have any evidence, at all, that the kids are involved, so it's unlikely you have a prayer for a civil suit here.


Title: A 15 yo friend of mine racked up a $900+ fine on his moms card (WA)

Question:
So, short(ish) story, one of my friends was buying some stuff on Amazon with what he had thought was his friends card, but it turns out that he was actually using his moms card (I don't know if it is debit or credit). He is now dealing with a lot of stress with the fact that his mom is threatening to press charges, can she legally do that? I know that fraud of any sort is considered a class c felony, but can his mom really press charges against him despite him being a minor? And if so, how bad can the punishment get since he is still a minor and this would be a first offense with no prior criminal history?
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer: Why would she need to do anything. Your friend would be paying the 900 to whoever the card holder is correct?


Title: Ongoing Sexual Harassment

Question:
This is a throwaway for very obvious reasons.

&#x200B;

I work for a large lingerie company doing customer service and handling escalated customers in a call center. 99% of the customers that we get are wonderful. However, almost daily, I get a call from men who are masturbating on the phone very obviously, ask inappropriate questions, are watching porn and describing it, making me read the descriptions of our underwear/bras/lingerie, calling me all kinds of names if I won't describe my underwear/bra/what I'm wearing at the moment, try to get personal information, and just overall harassment. The issue is, we are not allowed to disconnect from these customers unless they tell us they don't want to place an order. So I can be on the phone with the same man who is masturbating for 20 minutes as long as he keeps telling me which items he wants to buy or asks about products. Only after 4 attempts to place an order can we disconnect, otherwise we are written up. Is this legal?

Answer:
 I'm an Ohio lawyer, but not YOUR lawyer and I do not regularly handle employment cases.  That said, this seems to me to be creating a hostile work environment and may be sexual harassment.  There is a difference between knowing that this type of conduct occurs sporadically versus knowing that specific individuals call the company to conduct conversations of this type.  If I was advising the company, I'd be suggesting that caller numbers get blocked after the first instance of this and that employees be able to terminate calls as soon as a caller attempts to engage them in a conversation of an overtly sexual nature.  Four attempts to obtain an order seems excessive and could be interpreted as forcing an employee to endure sexually harassing conduct for longer than necessary or appropriate.  If I was advising an employee in these circumstances, I would suggest they follow whatever reporting policy is outlined in any handbook and expressly make the point that the multiple order attempts are forcing the employee to endure harassment.

As a purely academic question, I'd be curious to learn what percentage of these types of calls result in an order being placed and how many attempts it takes to obtain the order.Answer #2: Have you talked to HR about it?Answer #3: Getting harassed by clients or customers is still sexual harassment, and the company 1- being aware of it 2- doing nothing to improve the situation 3- directly telling you to simply put up with it could easily make them liable for it. You should consult with a lawyer, though.


Title: Mailing a family member their prescription within state borders.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 A pharmacy can mail a controlled substance via USPS, but a private individual cannot.

Unsure regarding FedEx, but I would lean towards no.


Title: [TX] Old job overpaid, now wants the money back

Question:
I worked for a tech start-up. They "ran out of funding" (March), and during a period of not getting a paycheck (at that point, they had missed 2), I asked for some money (mid April). They wrote me a $500 check.
I ended up quitting the job 2 weeks later (beginning of May, after not getting an actual paycheck for over a month and a half). They finally gave me all of the money they had owed me, but didn't take out the $500.
It has been 2 weeks since I received my paychecks, and now they have realized their oversight. I am still unemployed, and was only making $11.50/hr as a part time employee when working there. The company still hasn't received any funding, and giving them the $500 would be a big hit to my funds.
What should I do?
Edit: Is there any way I could hold off on paying them back, until I get a new job?

Answer:
 >What should I do?

You aren't entiteled to that money, pay them back.


Title: Injured in a car accident and put out of work. Am I doing everything I should be?

Question:
Hey everybody!
I’m a 25 y/o female in central Indiana, USA

I was injured recently in an auto accident (about 3 months ago) and I am in need of some unbiased advice. Sorry for the long post, and the sketchy grammar skills! (TLDR is at the end). So here are the details:

The Accident-

This happened in mid September while driving my boyfriends kids to school. The vehicle in front of me stopped for a child in the crosswalk, and I was at a complete stop behind them. The vehicle behind me did not stop, and rear-ended me into the car in front of me. The air bag was deployed also.

My vehicle (a 2007 Nissan Versa) was totaled and the other two vehicles (large, newer SUVs) were able to drive off.

Injuries-

My boyfriends daughter (8 years old) came away without any serious injuries, just a sore ankle. However, she has been affected mentally and has high anxiety while in a car now.

I spent about an entire week unable to move around very well with back and neck pain. After many doctors appointments and scans, I have two bulging discs in my neck but they aren’t bad enough to warrant immediate surgery. I have decreased strength in my shoulder and right hand, dizziness almost every time I stand up, numbness and a pinching pain through my elbow to my pinky/ring finger, as well as intermittent strong headaches originating from my neck.

I have gone through 4 weeks of physical therapy for lower back pain, and have four more ordered. I’m seeing someone in a local spine center for PT on my neck and to set up injections for the pain and numbness. There is still a possibility of surgery if this does not fix it.

Work/Life-

At the time of the accident I was working as a delivery driver for a pizza place, just working about 30 hours per week. I was earning about 14-17$ an hour while there. I returned to work the day after the accident (trying to keep my job) with a rental car that my insurance provided while they determined fault for the accident. After my insurance company determined the vehicle was totaled and I was NOT at fault, they made me return the rental and go after the other insurance company.

I have had no job for this entire period of time, and no vehicle to look for another job. Thankfully I am interviewing for a work at home position right now, but that is almost the only type of work I can get without a job/car/money to pay for an Uber.

Lawyer-

The insurance company of the “at fault” driver only offered me about $4000 total for my injuries. I immediately pursued a highly rated personal injury lawyer to handle this (and I’m glad I did), but they won’t do anything or draft a demand letter until I’m completely healed (which could be more than a year) :/

Is there anything I should be doing in the meantime? Should someone be covering a rental vehicle for me? Or do I just have to sit and wait to “fully heal” in a year or so? My lawyer seems to be very competent, but I’m getting frustrated with my situation and being brushed off until I’m done with treatment.

TLDR; My car was totaled in an accident (other insurance is accepting full liability), lost my job due to no transportation, currently have two injured discs in my neck, and no end in sight for my settlement. Advice for how to get into a new car or help speed up the settlement would be greatly appreciated!

Answer:
 It sounds like you're just misaligned in your strategy with your lawyer. Your attorney is doing the right thing to get you the most money in total, however long it takes, but you're expecting something sooner. The problem is that 'sooner' will imply reaching a settlement with them and will mean less money for you in the long run.

Your lawyer is presumably going to be paid on a percentage of your winnings, so of course he's going to want to go for the bigger payday next year (or later).

If you're in dire straits you need to talk to your lawyer and make it clear that you need money, even if it means settling for less than you could get if you waited.


Title: Child Custody Advice for my fiance

Question:
Location: San Bernardino County, CA
I'll try to keep this as short as I can. When my fiance was 20 he had a daughter by a girl we all went to high school with. She was known to have drug problems. Their daughter was born and shortly after she left and left her daughter with my fiance. Everyone assumed she left to go do drugs and what not. Pictures of her smoking Crack surfaced and there was a few episodes of her causing scenes at my fiancés house. She's never had her daughter for more than a month. I met my fiance 2 years ago, and she was no where to be found and she never made contact. The wore got to her that my fiance now had at girlfriend and suddenly appeard claiming her daughter. Also, this woman was receiving welfare for her daughter which now has caused her to be investigated for welfare fraud. For the last 4 yrs my fiance was paying child support to pay off the welfare she was receiving. I'm glad to say that he was able to get the child support order taken away and no longer has to pay anything, and they also gave him credit for 2 years. As it stands now custody is 50/50 but as stated before she has never claimed her daughter on her days. She always finds people to blame. Last year she refused a drug test in court and the judge still gave her 50/50 custody. My fiance has been giving her 3 hours every Wednesday to see her daughter and has also allowed for her to take the child to girl scouts. So, it looks like she's pretty ok with only those few hours a week. This week has been different tho, her boyfriend confronted my fiance this Wednesday and was looking to fight in front of the child while the mother just stood there. For that reason my fiance rejected the exchange and took him and his daughter back home. Later that night we received a call from a police officer demanding that we follow the court order and exchange the child to the mother at the appropriate time and location (every Wednesday at 9 pm at the local police station), which hasn't happened in the last 3 years. Looks like she only claims to be a mother when it's convenient. We want to get full custody because it seems like we must keep her happy or else she brings out a court order she has refused to follow all these years. Between me and him we make enough money to support me and my kids from previous relationships and his daughter which I love like one of my own and he's also a great step father. I'm so proud of him for stepping up and raising a daughter all on his own, he's truly my hero. Is there any where we can go for legal help or maybe find a lawyer that can help us even tho we might not afford it?

Answer:
 >Later that night we received a call from a police officer demanding that we follow the court order

It is a court order. Not a request. It should have been followed all along. If she did not use her time he could have filed for a modification. He cannot choose when to follow and when not to follow the orders

There are very few pro-bono family attorneys. So your options are to save up money and hire an attorney or go it on your own. Legal aid may be able to help. There are links in the wiki to the right of the new tab.


Title: [CA] non-disabled person abusing parking placard

Question:
I'm aware of a CA resident who's not disabled yet has a placard and always parks in handicap parking spaces. This person is clearly able to run a marathon.

The issue is that the DMV Record of Complaint form INV\_172A asks for the license plate & DPPP number, neither of which I can provide. The town's Investigations Office phone number is robotic and says to fill out said form with required info.

How do you report or launch an investigation without key info? Just trying to help reserve the spaces for those who need them.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: They could have a disability that you just aren’t aware of. Not all disabilities are very obvious


Title: Neighbor issues

Question: I’ve been having several issues with a neighbor of mine. We live in adjacent buildings so we pass by each other from time to time. I got a dog in September which caused me to pay more attention to other dog owners. My dog is a pit bull mix. Recently this woman has started gossiping about my dog and how she’s dangerous and I need to warn everyone when I take her for a walk. But she’s always hanging out by the door to my building.  I question the motives behind those actions.... but anyway the main issue she always walks her dog without a leash which is illegal in the city I live in and I’m pretty sure the state too (Michigan). I don’t know what to do about it. I’ve reported it to the apartment complex and they’ve sent out emails but this behavior continues. I’m worried anything happening to my dog because she’ll be the one blamed even if it isn’t her fault. She will do things to bother us for a few weeks and leave us alone for a little bit and then it starts up again and so on and so forth. There’s so much more to this but it would take forever to type.

Answer: You could report it to local animal control. They likely will do nothing.


Title: Is it worth my time to go to small claims court of this fender bender? California

Question:
About a month ago I was in a fender bender in a parking lot.  A guy in a big truck backed into to me.  I filed a claim with his insurance, a discount insurance company with a bad rep online.  After a few weeks of them giving me the run around they finally agreed to accept all liability for the damages. I was told they would need to send an estimator out to take pictures of my car to estimate how much the damages were.

About a week goes by and their inspector never calls me.  I keep complaining and eventually on the phone the adjuster says the estimate is complete and the damages are about $450.  I asked how they came up with that without looking at the car and he said it was with pictures.  They had never received pictures at this point but I didn't mention that on the phone.  I just asked him to email me a copy of the estimate.  This is on a Friday.

I receive the estimate and while it has the correct claim number it has the wrong car, date, insured name, etc.  It was an estimate for a completely different claim.

I emailed the adjuster back letting him know this.  I also included estimates from two body shops both for around $2100.  I demanded $2500 to settle the case for my damages to my car, a rental car, and the time I would have to take off from work to deal with it.  I asked them to respond with in a week or I would file a complaint with the department of insurance.

On Monday their inspector calls me and comes by and takes a few photos.

On Friday I receive a letter dated Wednesday that they can't complete my claim because they don't have an estimate.   At this point I had already emailed them two and their own inspector had come by two days before the date on the letter.

A week goes by after I sent the email and no response addressing it so I file a complaint with the department of insurance.  I then sent the insurance a letter via certified mail informing them I filed a complaint with the complaint number, reiterated my demands, and told them if I didn't have a response with in a week I would file suit in small claims court to collect my damages.

After I mailed the letter I sent another email with a copy of the letter to let them know it was on the way.  They immediately respond back saying they are cutting me a check for $1400 and sent me a screen shot that it was on the way from some check processing system.  The date in the screen shot was right before they sent the email.  I emailed back and forth with the adjuster and they are not budging on the $1400.  The adjuster said if repairs cost more than $1400 the body shop can file a supplemental claim.  And there was a separate process for a rental car and my waisted time.  But at this point I don't trust them to deliver.  I was cordial and professional the entire time.

Thats where I am at now.  If I sue in small claims court I assume I am going to be out at least two days of work.  One for filing and one for the hearing.  Can I sue for those two days of missed work as well?  I am paid about $55 an hour so including my original demand that would come out to be $3480.  Is this a case I am likely to win or would a judge tell me to just work with the insurance?  The court has free small claims advisors I can talk to but would need to take a day off from work to do so. Should I just say fuck it and take the $1400 or deal with the hassle of going to court?

Answer:
 >I emailed the adjuster back letting him know this. I also included estimates from two body shops both for around $2100. I demanded $2500 to settle the case for my damages to my car, a rental car, and the time I would have to take off from work to deal with it. I asked them to respond with in a week or I would file a complaint with the department of insurance.

Good so far!

> If I sue in small claims court I assume I am going to be out at least two days of work. One for filing and one for the hearing. Can I sue for those two days of missed work as well?

~~Yes.~~ No, just court costs/filing fees.

>Should I just say fuck it and take the $1400 or deal with the hassle of going to court?

If I was in a situation similar to what you describe and that was the amount, I would sue.  You'd probably win. The problem would be actually collecting on the judgment although the other party's insurance would end up probably having to pay this for them.

But as /u/snkns noted, I also am assuming you don't have collision insurance.  If you do, you should work this through them and let them deal with the other party's crappy insurance company.


Title: Would it be false advertising to claim that Jesus Christ has endorsed your product?

Question:
Suppose I sold a product and I had on the packaging that Jesus Christ himself endorsed it. I even include a quote: "I never leave home without it!" - Jesus Christ

My support for this is that Jesus has told me so through a prophetic vision.

Would this be false advertising in any way?

Answer:
 1. Find a random guy named Jesus
2. Ask him if he likes your product (a $20 might help)
3. Put that on your box "Jesus himself loves my product"
4. ???
5. Profit.


Title: [TX] Getting Neighbor to Move Portable Basketball Hoop

Question:
I live in a small old house next door to a family that includes a number of boys (around ages 7-14).

Our houses are close together and are separated only by their narrow driveway, much like in [this photo](http://s33.postimg.org/o8cy14y8f/2014_03_29_10_32_06.jpg).

The parents bought the kids a portable basketball hoop and decided to place it in the narrow driveway between the houses. The boys, parents, and another relative all play for hours on end every day with lots of screaming. The problem is because the houses are so close together, they are always hitting my house. The noise has become unbearable. Whenever they hit my house, it is to the point where even my windows on the other side of the house shake, and the noise level is comparable to someone slamming doors inside my house. I am certain that if I hadn't installed burglar bar windows on that side of the house, they'd have broken those windows multiple times. People in my life have thought I was exaggerating about the noise until they came over to visit and heard it for themselves.

The playing has chipped away some of the paint on the side of my house where they play, though I think it might be hard to prove that it was their playing that caused that. I have ordered some security cameras because the crime rate is on the rise, so perhaps that might help.

Is there any legal route to take with this situation? I have tried asking them nicely to please move their setup away from my house or figure out a way to keep from hitting my home, but I just get cussed out. So trying to come up with a solution in an easy, reasonable way isn't going to happen with these people.

Some background: I also do not get along with these neighbors because I've gently asked them to stop the following, which have each happened countless times:

* throwing their garbage into my backyard
* letting their large dog into my backyard, who has chased and scared my small, blind and partially deaf 17-year-old dog when he was trying to do its business
* letting their kids hop the fence into my backyard without permission, especially when I had home repair supplies out (e.g., lumber)
* letting their kids pick off the few pieces of fruit I managed to grow and some of my flowers in the backyard

And I was sure to bring these concerns up politely. I do have a lot of patience (I work with special needs kids) and gave lots of reminders and did the best I could to keep it casual and non-confrontational. At first these people said these things wouldn't happen again and even thanked me for my patience with them, but after a few reminders they snapped, got aggressive, and denied these things were happening, though I've witnessed it all. But I digress.

I should note that I'm not at all asking them to stop playing on their property, nor am I asking them to instead play in one of the nearby public basketball courts. I can figure out a way to deal with all the screaming and the usual noises that come with playing a sport, but my main concern is just the hitting of my house and the excessive noise that comes with that. The only time I get any peace now is when it rains or around 11 p.m. when they stop playing. A break from this isn't even guaranteed when school is in session since the kids seem to miss a lot of school, plus the adults play a lot as well since they are almost always home (only one of the three adults who live there works, and they only work part time).

Note: I am saving up to put a privacy fence on that side of the house, but I think that will only alleviate some of the noise since the ball often hits pretty high and will likely still hit my house anyway.

Please let me know of any useful advice you might have. Thank you kindly.

Answer:
 Your neighbour is very likely liable for the damage his kids are causing to your paint, if it came down to it. Texas attaches some liability to parents for the actions of their children:

> Sec. 41.001.  LIABILITY.
>
> A parent or other person who has the duty of control and reasonable discipline of a child is liable for any property damage proximately caused by:
>
> 1. the negligent conduct of the child if the conduct is reasonably attributable to the negligent failure of the parent or other person to exercise that duty;  or
> 2. the wilful and malicious conduct of a child who is at least 10 years of age but under 18 years of age.

If your neighbour won't keep his kids from using your house as a backboard and doesn't want to repaint your property, you could hypothetically take both parent and child to small claims.

However, it's almost certainly not worth it, for several reasons:

1. Outdoor paint has an expected life of seven to ten years. The older your paint job is, the more you were going to have to repaint anyways and the less of the damage is reasonably your neighbour's problem.

2. You could only reasonably recover the costs of repainting the actual damage with a matching paint, not repainting the whole house (or, likely, even the whole wall).

3. It's only going to antagonize your neighbour further. Assholes are _creative_ at finding legal ways to retaliate.

I'd say save yourself the headache and put the filing fees directly into your "privacy fence" fund.

One idea, though: if your neighbours' kids keep trespassing after you've told them to stay off your property, see if the local cops will scare some sense into them (or, alternately, arrest them for trespassing).


Title: Auto sales place is harassing me - any thoughts as to how I can make it stop?

Question:
This may not be unique, but I couldn't find anything like it on this sub, so if I'm missing something please tell me.

A year or so ago I had my car in a shop for getting fixed due to some issues. Get it fixed at the service location of this dealership and it didn't end well - I had parts of my car removed without permission and ended up storming out and never going back.

Fast forward a few months and I start getting calls for them wanting to purchase my car (I drive one of them thur hybrids that people want) and I told them no and why. I explained I was interested in being removed from contact lists and such. Thought nothing of it. Then another call happened... and a letter... and a third call... Then emails and more letters.

I've called them five times now demanding they remove me from call lists, list of affiliates or their family christmas cards. I have unsubscribed from email lists to no end but I still get emails. I've filed a complaint with the BBB but it's not helped.

Currently I've drafted a cease and desist letter and kept track of the last few correspondences from them. I'm building a small pile of paper for something like this, but I am a bit of a fish-out-of-water here (not my area of expertise at all). I've tried being patient and nice but it really got me nowhere. The last call I yelled like the angry Yankee I am and it got someone's attention, but apparently I didn't bark up the food chain high enough...

So, here's the question I guess - does this count as corporate harassment? I resisted doing a cease and desist as I would have wanted a lawyer to submit it themselves. Being a poor student, I am having to do it myself... is there any real case here or is it all hot air? I'm thinking I will ask a lawyer soon, but I want to honestly solve this without going to court... Any thoughts/advice/rage is welcome... What ya got, r/legaladvice?

And thank you ahead of time - I'm in Alabama.

Answer:
 Is this a dealership associated with a car brand? If it is, you can try calling customer care for that brand directly.

I did this once when my husband was dealing with some shady shit from a used Ford dealership. I called corporate, explained all the crap that they were doing and 6 months later the dealership was no more.

Major brands don't take too kindly to their affiliates tarnishing their reputation.


Title: Not allowed on flight -TigerAir

Question:
Last week I was coming back from a trip from Melbourne, AUS to Sydney,AUS with my girlfriend. Upon arriving an hour before departure (this is important later) we went straight to the checkin machine. But after confirming our booking, the machine said there were no tickets for us (this was not a last minute ticket, we had bought them months in advance). We asked one of the uniformed workers to assist us, but he only informed us he couldn’t let us on the flight and refused to give a reason. He then told us to see customer service.

Earlier, a flight before ours was cancelled and there was a long queue. By the time it reached our turn, the lady at the counter told us that we were too late and should of checked in at least 45 minutes earlier and refused to listen to our story. She said since it was our fault??? We could not be compensated in any way. She firmly pinned the blame on us and ignored us until we walked away.

My girlfriend also had a flight from Sydney the very next day, so it was imperative she get there. Since Sydney airport has a curfew (don’t ask me why), and this was the last flight of the night, we were forced to book a flight with another airline and accommodation for the night costing us around $2000. Mind you, as a uni student, this nearly broke me. This was 4 times more than I spent on this short trip. I tried calling support once I arrived home to no avail. I’ve tried to email them but with no response.

Is there anything I can do?

Thanks

Answer:
 https://www.aviationcomplaints.gov.au/aviation-complaints/airline-customer-service

https://www.choice.com.au/travel/on-holidays/airlines/articles/do-airline-complaints-work

You can, and probably should, try but TigerAir is shithouse and it will in all likelihood end up going nowhere.

Never fly TigerAir


Title: [NYC] Tenants staying rent-free. My Lawyer tells me I can not evict them despite giving them a 30-day notice. What can I do?

Question: [NYC] In one of my company's properties, we have tenants who have not paid their rent for a few months. On the first of September we issued a 30 day notice to the tenants asking for their payment of the outstanding balance, or to evacuate the premises. The 30 days have passed since the notice and the tenants are still occupying the space. We contacted our lawyers to ask if we had any legal right to change the locks where they're staying. We were told that we had no legal right to do so and that if we did, the tenants could call the police and have the lock removed forcibly. Apparently, our only option is to go through a legal eviction process that can take months; which means that the tenants currently residing will be allowed to stay there for as long as the process takes. Now I think that's bogus but I also have little to no understanding the legality of these situations. What can we do?

Answer:
 >We were told that we had no legal right to do so and that if we did, the tenants could call the police and have the lock removed forcibly. Apparently, our only option is to go through a legal eviction process

That's correct.


Title: Went in for job interview...Ended up wrongly labeled as possible sex offender.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >Is there any legal action I could take against the principal and the school for the way I was treated?

Two people thought you looked similar to a sex offender with whom you share a name. Nonetheless, they did not prevent you from interviewing. Correct?

What on earth do you think you are entitled to? Answer #2: It is not illegal for someone to mistake you for a sex offender, however unlikely the association might be, or for someone to refuse you a job on that basis. An organization that works with kids has a good reason to err on the side of caution, and while it's possible that they're overdoing it, they don't owe you a break or a job.

Humiliation isn't actionable, either. Your best bet is to put this whole situation as far behind you as possible - there's no point in going in on Monday to talk to them.Answer #3: Generally no you cannot take legal action.

I think the entire story sounds like horseshit, but suspecting you of something isn’t illegal.

Now if the principal goes through his Rolodex and tells people you’re a sex offender? That can be actionable.


Title: [NY] Is it illegal to watch pornography with a minor?

Question:
I've searched the internet and Reddit, but alas, have not yet found anything! Is it illegal to watch porn with a minor? To clarify it's not in person, but over the internet. As in two people in separate states (the minor being in NJ) watching porn at the same time together, with one being a minor and one not. No web-cams or anything like that being used, just IM'ing.

On a slightly related note; is it illegal to masturbate while voice chatting with a minor?

Any comments, helpful, or not, are welcomed!
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 If you're legally an adult and are considering doing anything sexual involving a minor, especially if it involves the internet:

1. Do not do that thing.
2. Return to 1.


Title: Lost a friend and a car.

Question:
Before I begin, I know that I did this the wrong way, and if anything, this has taught me how not to do business in the future. Please don't be too harsh.

A best friend of mine was going through a rough patch and during that time I happened to be getting rid of my car and so I agreed to sell my car to her for $1,000 (way under priced). She gave me $400 at the time of sale and said that she would get the remaining balance to me by the end of the month.There was nothing written down and since then she has not given me any money. Its been 2 months since she was supposed to give me the remaining balance. She has avoided me and although replying to my texts she is not following through on any of her promises. My question is, can I legally just take the car back? It's still under my name and I have the texts from her admitting that she still owes me the $600. I live in WA if that makes any difference. Thank you for any input.

Answer: You need to either sign the car over to her to get your name off it, or take it back and give her the $400 back. You are taking a huge risk because if she gets in an accident you could be sued. Are you still keeping insurance on it? If she has money problems she may have dropped hers. If neither of you have an active policy on the car and she causes an accident then you are really up a creek.


Title: Can I evict my roommate's subletter?

Question:
Background: I live in Florida in a hi-rise owned by some company. My roommate moved out of our apartment and subletted his room to a girl, even though our lease expressly says no subletters allowed. There is a third room also subletted to a guy by a different girl who used to live here. I am accidentally a subletter in a way, too. My two previous roommates moved in with a third, who left and whom I replaced. When I replaced the third for a month + a new 12 month lease, her name was still on the new lease, but mine was left off by accident and never fixed by the front desk. So basically there are two subletters and myself (again, I am sorta a subletter). I signed a new lease for this August with one of the current subletters and a different friend of mine. Recap: My former roommate, who is on the current lease that I am not on, is subletting to the girl, who is going to be replaced in two weeks by my other friend, who is on the next lease.

The female subletter was smoking marijuana in her room until I told her only on the balcony, as my former roommate had also told her. Fair enough until my front desk told me that this girl, who they think is a visitor and not a subletter (again, subletting not allowed), used both the lobby and pool bathrooms and filled them with marijuana smoke. They even confronted her, who lied to them.

I am not OK with this. However, the girl has not paid rent for her two weeks in July to my former roommate. He said there's no written agreement about the sublease. Not to mention utilities.

Assuming she pays rent to him soon, what are our options to kick her out ASAP without getting into legal trouble? She possesses a housekey, access card, and garage clicker btw.  My non-legal friend said we have to provide 30 days notice.

Answer: You cannot take action against a subletter.  Only the landlords can - either the main landlord or the person she subleases from.


Title: [TX] Woman hit my car trying to dangerously jump in front of me at red light because I didn’t let her in. Options?

Question:
My wife and I were in the second from the left lane at a stoplight (left turn lane on a 4 or 5 lane road.) The lady behind me had come out of a shopping center entrance, but her car was sticking out into another lane a bit. I inched forward until I was as close as I was comfortable getting to the car in front of me, about 2 feet but my wife says maybe less. The lady behind I’m sure appreciated it, but another lady came from the same driveway and got about a foot away from the passenger side of my car. I only realized she was trying to get over due to the fact she tried shoving the front end of her car into my lane. I felt uncomfortable letting someone try to force me out of their way, so I maintained my proximity to the vehicle in front of me, again, we were stationary and about 5-10 cars behind the red stoplight.

Well, the cars in front of me started to move, so I started to inch forwards, as I had no obligation to yield. As soon as we started moving forwards, the woman quickly accelerated and braked, and I instinctually braked too. This was all under 5-10mph, btw. I thought she may have backed off, but she very quickly accelerated again and hit the passenger side of my car, breaking off a portion of my mirror and causing several deep scratches and scuffs to my car.

The instant I realized her vehicle had impacted ours, however light, I immediately stopped to determine what she was going to do next. Oh boy...

She rolled her window down and shouted “you fucked with the wrong bitch today” and threw a full soda cup at our car, hitting the window. The window is fine as far as I can tell, it was just very childish. But I digress. I wasn’t going to move my vehicle until she was in front of me so I could see where she was going and also see her license plate. We were pretty much on the phone with 911 by the time we got to the light, which the driver attempted to break check me at, unsuccessfully. We told 911 dispatch the car make/model and a basic description, and then license plate. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, we were going to follow (we were going the generally same direction) to see if she planned on pulling over. She didn’t. So city Police Officers met my wife and I at the location we said we’d be waiting, and they asked basic questions. They gave us a case number and basic notes that were titled “Hit and Run” and the address.

Sorry for the long winded description, but I thought detail would be best.
My question is...what the hell do I do now? What CAN we do? We already talked to our insurance, but we’re not worried about the car very much. Honestly it’s lightly damaged, but we JUST bought this car about a month prior. Ironically, we bought the car because my wife’s car had been totaled by a Secret Service Agent, but that’s another story.
Can we sue for “emotional damages@ or anything like that? My wife is pretty shaken up about this, and extremely stressed over the whole incident:/

Thanks guys

Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: Emotional damages in car wrecks are not a thing unless your wife is so ill that she has to seek medical treatment, *and* the doctor states that the illness/injury is related to the collision. Let your insurance company handle it if you have collision. Does the police report list the driver's name? They certainly have the resources to find her if you have the tag number. If you cannot find her, then hopefully you have uninsured coverage.


Title: (Illinois) Is it legal for my school to close all of the bathrooms of only one gender?

Question: In my at highschool, the facility has closed down all of the male bathrooms except for the one next to the deans office, which is super far away from any classes. This is a major issue because we only get 5 minutes for a passing period and so there's no way to run to your locker, go to the bathroom, and be at your next class by the time the bell rings. They did this because someone was writing obscene messages in the bathrooms. They didn't, however, close the girls bathroom. Is this legal? It seems absurd that I, as a male, cannot use the bathroom which greatly prohibits my ability to learn because all I can think about is how badly I have to pee but the females can use any bathroom they please. Seems like gender inequality to me...Punishing the members of the entire male sex due to one member of the population being a criminal seems incredibly unfair.

Answer:
 I'm trying to think what would happen if they tried that at my old highschool.  I would give it  a few days before the garbage cans become urinals.  After that the power drills from home would be used on the locks.  I guess there are advantages to growing up in a hick town.

 Anyway OP should see about getting a lot of parents to raise hell.  The principal will cave if he gets enough adult push back.


Title: My Fiancée crashed someone's car: he argues it's a work car and so shouldn't have to pay the excess.

Question:
I'll start with I live in South Australia.

Ok so I babysit for a woman I know on a casual basis. She pays me to drop her kids off at school, and so we don't have to swap the car seats from car to car, I drive her car to school.

The other week I couldn't do the drop so my partner did it for me. He managed to reverse the car into another parked car and do some panel damage to the car he was driving and some paint damage to the other car.

The woman whose kids I babysit said she took it to a crash repairer and the insurance excess is less than what it would cost to fix the car so she will be making a claim. The other woman whose car got damaged also wants hers fixed so she'd be making a claim for that regardless.

My partner thinks he shouldn't have to pay the excess. He thinks that because he was doing a job for her that that makes the car a "work car" and it's her responsibility to pay for it to be fixed.

If he were to refuse to pay the excess, where would he stand legally? The woman I work for and I never had any sort of written contract, this is a casual job, and I never discussed the possibility of a crash.

Help me reddit! I don't know what to do!

EDIT/UPDATE: I paid...

Answer:
 even if he weren't clearly liable legally, I would think long and hard about starting a life with someone who acts/thinks like this. failure to take responsibility for your own actions is as red as flags getAnswer #2: Try /r/auslegal.

Your partner crashed her car, it's his fault, and he should pay. He was the one in the car. He messed up, he's at fault. Also, might want to really consider if this sort of behaviour is something you want to put up with. Answer #3: You should speak to a solicitor in Australia. In the US this would still be your husbands responsibility. Answer #4: Is he arguing that he is the employee?  Is your employer aware that he was doing the driving/dropping off, not you?  Is your employer OK with that?  Answer #5: Not legal advice but FYI most car seat manufacturers require seats to be replaced after any accident too. She can call the company and describe the accident to check on whether she needs to get new seats too. Answer #6: Is he even covered under her insurance policy? I would expect that your fiance will be on the hook for it all, because he won't be covered under the insurance policy of the car he drove. Answer #7: It's his responsibility. Are you or him 'legally' employed by this woman? I'm gonna say probably not! So he can try to get out of it but if she or the insurance company take him to court he will lose.

Hopefully this doesn't damage your relationship with the lady you baby sit for.


Title: Brother Totaled My Parents Car Tonight..DUI..Advice needed..

Question: My brother "totaled" my parents car tonight. Totaled is what the cops said, we haven't seen it yet. I'm sitting here with my parents completely numb. He was charged with DUI, marijuana, etc. He plowed into a parked car. We're thankful no one was hurt. Now we're worried that the insurance isn't going to cover my dad's virtually new vehicle. He still owed 11,000 on it. He had full coverage. Advice needed. We're located in Kansas.

Answer: Is your brother listed on the insurance policy as a driver in the household? If yes, the car should be covered unless there's a DUI exclusion on the policy, and that's not particularly common.


Title: Signed 1-yr lease starting 4/1/15. Found roaches last night. Other problems have been building up.

Question:
So I am doing my research right now, and I am posting this just to see if I can get an opinion from someone else. I understand that no one here is my lawyer, and I plan on getting one near me if it comes to that. I appreciate any responses. So here goes, and I'll try to be brief.

I signed a 1 year lease in Maryland that started on 4/1/15. I am writing this on 4/14/15.

So here's the thing: I want out of my contract. I want the contract I signed to be void. If the roaches were the only problem here, I would be willing to work it out with the PM / landlord. But there are several things wrong, and no one is doing anything about it.

I've notified management about window screens having holes in them, the carpet being too dirty to walk on with bare feet, and other things. Some of these are easy fixes, like replacing the window screens. But it's been almost 2 weeks, and no one has replaced them.

The final straw are the [roaches](http://i.imgur.com/qpU91lR.jpg). I saw a live roach last night, and immediately emailed the PM and landlord. I don't how many else there are. I notified them around midnight this morning. I'm in the Eastern time zone, and it's about 10:00 am. It would have put me at ease if I woke up and saw a voicemail / email from one of them or if they called me first thing, but I didn't get a response. I had to email them again this morning reiterating that I am making an effort to work with them before I get other people involved. Only then did I get a response. I feel like the list of things I'm letting them know about is getting longer and backlogged. At this point, I have little faith they will fix anything.

I am far from a lawyer, but in my brief research I found [things that mention](http://www.ncsl.org/research/environment-and-natural-resources/maryland-landlord-and-tenant-duties.aspx) "minimum livability standards" which includes "safe and sanitary maintenance of residential structures and premises". The next section describes a "Structure Unfit for Human Occupancy" which details a place that is "unsanitary, vermin or rodent infested". Finally, [here is the link](http://www.peoples-law.org/baltimore-city-implied-warranty-fitness) that makes me think there is a chance I can get out of my lease. It mentions that there is an "implied warranty of fitness" and if there is a breach of that warranty "the tenant may ask the court to rescind the contract, i.e., declare the contract void".

Can someone share their opinion on this? I'll be checking to answer any questions to clarify my situation. Again, I understand no one here is my lawyer. If you're a lawyer in Maryland that handles this kind of case, we can talk later. In any case, I appreciate everyone's time in this.

Answer:
 1.  put out roach poison
2.  Buy a vacuum cleaner
3.  Put scotch tape over holes in screen.

Answer #2: Generally speaking, there is what is called the implied warranty of habitability, which is where the "minimum livability standards" come into play. Examples of things that would make a rental unit fall beneath minimum livability standards would be: a leaking roof, no heat/electricity, broken plumbing, infestation, etc. I'm afraid a single roach, some holes in window screens, and a dirty carpet do not rise to that level.

I know you would rather not have these issues, but they are pretty minor-- nothing that a landlord should be expected to treat with high priority. Be patient, but continue to follow up with your landlord to get things taken care of.

I'm not familiar with the law in MD in this regard, but in some places, you are allowed to take remedial measures for yourself if the landlord does not, and then offset your costs in doing so against your rent. So, for example, if your rent is $1,000/mo. and you have to spend $300 to get the carpets steam-cleaned, the screens replaced, and have an exterminator come out, you could deduct it from your next month's rent and pay your landlord $700 and include copies of your receipts. I'll leave it to you to do the legwork to see if that is a viable option in MD.


Title: Im trying to drive to my high school for a couple of days and park without a parking pass. If I get caught what’s the most they can do?

Question:
My moms leaving out of town for a couple of days and is leaving the car and I’m trying to use the car to avoid taking the bus in the morning and get my self some extra time at home (to sleep, finish homework, etc.) but I don’t want to buy a $60 or so parking pass to use it for only a couple of days. So if I sneak in and get caught what’s the most they can do?

(And i apologize if this is the wrong sub to post on I have no idea any where else to post this)
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 Worst case:

They can tow you. You won't be able to get the car out of impound, because the car is not in your name. Your mom needs to get the car out and pay hundreds of dollars. She is so disappointed in you that she gives you up for adoption. You're now living in foster care.

At least you can fall back on your studies and get a great job, right? WRONG! You've been expelled by your school for breaking parking facility rules! You now have no home, no familiy, no education and no job. You thought this was a victimless crime, but you realize you were the victim all along. FIN.

Disclaimer: Aside from being towed and not being able to get the car out of impound, some parts may have been embelished.Answer #2: You can be towed. Towing ain't cheap. You can be banned from using the lot in the future.


Title: Employer is making a co-worker come to work despite having pink eye (and having the access to work remotely without problems) and still contagious. Can I refuse to come in?

Question: I am a cancer survivor, having two stem cell transplants and being classified as immune-compromised. Can I refuse to come in and be protected against retaliation? My employer is very good at retaliation and I want to be as safe as I can. I am looking for a new job asap, but for insurance reasons I can't just walk out. Thoughts? Thanks in advance :)

Answer: Location, location, location!!


Title: [California] With the current wording of my lease, will I be in violation for growing a marijuana plant?

Question:
Pretty much what the title says. Both adults who live here have our medical cards and this is in Alameda County, CA. The relevant points are as follows:

* "Tenant...shall not engage in criminal activity, including drug-related criminal activity, on or near project premises. Drug-related criminal activity means the illegal manufacture, ... of a controlled substance (as defined in section 102 of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802))."
* "Tenant...shall not engage in any act intended to facilitate criminal activity, including drug-related criminal activity, on or near project premises."
* "Tenant...will not permit the dwelling unit to be used for, or to facilitate, criminal activity, including drug-related criminal activity, regardless of whether the individual engaging in such activity is a member of the household or a guest."
* EDIT: "Violation of the above provisions shall be a material violation of the lease and good cause for termination of tenancy. A single violation of any of the provisions of this addendum shall be deemed a serious violation and a material noncompliance with the lease. It is understood and agreed that a single violation shall be good cause for termination of the lease. Unless otherwise provided by law, proof of violation shall not require criminal conviction, but shall be by a preponderance of the evidence."

Based on this wording (and what I know about the legality of growing a marijuana plant for people with medical cards) I don't believe they have cause to evict us. They do 1 inspection a year, random but (I'm assuming) we would have reasonable notice of their intent to enter.

We haven't started to grow anything yet, because I'm a bit paranoid and want to make sure we are in the clear before growing one little marijuana plant.

Answer:
 Actually, 21 US 802 pretty clearly prohibits marijuana growing.

They certainly would have cause to evict, if you grew pot.  Reality is that they SHOULD evict, considering the risk there is in seizure of property used in illegal activities ([Reference for your edification](http://www.cannalawblog.com/asset-forfeiture-why-your-marijuana-leasehold-is-key/)).


Title: [Los Angeles, CA] How can I make this warehouse into a place to live?

Question:
Recently, my uncle passed away (he was a drunk, a misogynist, and a wife beater, we do not mourn his passing) and left me a piece of property. This property happens to be a large, empty warehouse.

Now, I'm an artist and having this much space would be amazing to live and work in. Is there any possible way that I could legally live here and if so how would I do that?

Answer:
 You have a complete warehouse in Los Angeles?

Forget living there, become a landlord and use that as an income while you establish yourself.  Depending on size and location, warehouses run like $4,000+ each month.

Turning it into a livable space is going to be extremely expensive, if zoning even allows it.Answer #2: Most of the warehouse conversion for development in LA were done under the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance; [here is the handbook (PDF)](http://www.downtownla.com/pdfs/econ_residential/Adaptive-Reuse-Book-LA.pdf).  The Department of City Planning is going to be where you have to go for whatever you end up doing.  Presumably your main problem will be whatever zoning exists for your property, which probably currently prohibits it from being used for residential space.


Title: Need help regarding a Missing Kids case

Question:
Hi, I want some very simple advice on what's going to happen on an issue and what I can do about it.

I am 17 years old, live with my little brothers and my Dad. My dad recently divorced my mother, due to her abusing and neglecting us kids, and he won full custody of us.

Only problem was, my mother wouldn't stop calling CPS and the cops on us, and sending them to the door constantly and messing our lives up.

We don't live there anymore, actually we moved to a different state where family are located.

So this is what's going on currently. We live at a friends house, and have no address for my mother to look my dad's name up to find where we live. However, she knows what state and county we live in since my dad had to file with courts down here to show he has full custody and about owed child support from my mother.

The only contact information we have from her is on the Internet (and my dad's cell number, but he rarely uses it and won't answer her on it anyway), and I usually talk to her on a weekly basis. She has been asking me where we live, and I just ignore her every time she asks.

Well, just a few days ago, she told me she had come down to my county, and she is in my area. She keeps asking where we live, and I just ignore her.

Well, just today my dad checked his phone and he had received a missed call about a 4 missing children investigation. He didn't call back yet because he is scared that my mom will find out where we live and start sending CPS and the police to our door AGAIN and have us go to court and drain all of our funds.

So, to conclude, what do we do about this situation? The only crime my dad committed in his life was a traffic violation. There are no "4 missing children" and I am scared what the police can do.

Will she go to jail for this? What will happen if my dad just ignores the phone calls? I know this is not really considered legal help, but you guys know about this kind of thing so I am sure you can help. Thanks.

Answer:
 Don't let your dad ignore the calls. As mentioned before, he either needs to contact the police or a lawyer to contact them for him.

Right now, the police are looking into the possibility of 4 missing kids. The only info they have is your dad's number and last known general location. Your dad not calling back or answering is not going to convince them that you're *not* missing, but it may make them lean towards believing your mother.Answer #2: Was visitation addressed in the custody order? What did it say?


Title: Is it illegal to cover someones sign with yours? Is it blocking free speech?

Question: I go to a public school in Texas and there are some protestors advocating for the abolition of abortion. Some members in my community have decided to hold up signs with messages to distract from the graphic images that the protestors are holding. However one protestor in particular has said that its illegal to cover his sign, and that its blocking his free speech. Wouldn’t it also be their right of free speech to block the protestors sign?

Answer:
 Freedom of speech protects you from the government infringing on your right to speak. It has nothing to do with someone else screaming louder than you. Answer #2: Free speech is between you and the government, not you and random other person.Answer #3: You have a sign, and they have a sign. If you stand in front of them, I suppose they could move so that they're standing in front of you. None of this is a first amendment concern unless you forgot to mention that you're a government employee.

It's potentially a dick move, and a particularly risky one if this repeated repositioning leads to a physical altercation. For that reason, I imagine police officers (if present) would probably ask the two groups of protestors to separate.


Title: Bought a pillow, turned out to be a different pillow inside the packaging when I brought it home. I have the receipt, just worried I'm going to be detained on suspicion of theft when I ask to return it. (PA)

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Stores generally don't do this for liability reasons. The product would have to expensive enough to justify such accusations and they'd have to prove that you were trying to steal something. Just be truthful. Bring it right back and explain what happened and they should process a return. If anything while you're at the checkout counter open the package to make sure you didn't get a switcheroo again. Worst case they say no and try to send you on your way. At which point feel free to exercise your right to call corporate and file a complaint after getting the manager's name and store number.


Title: My ex held me down and dry humped me until he came in his pants. Told me "don't say no" after I said no repeatedly. Do I have any legal recourse?

Question:
Almost three years ago, my ex sexually assaulted me. It happened in January 2014, more than three months after we broke up. He came over to my apartment and saw that I was upset. The guy I had been casually seeing told me he didn’t want to date me. Seems silly now, but it was the first time I experienced rejection and it was devastating. Rather than comforting me, my ex got upset because I had slept with someone else.

He asked me if I had given the other guy a blow job. I said yes. This was upsetting to him because he thought blowjobs were something special between us. I told him they weren’t, and that they were a normal part of sex. He then asked me to have sex with him. I said no. He asked if I could give him a blow job. Again, I said no. He asked if I could at least touch him or let him see me naked. I said I had no interest in getting naked or doing anything sexual with him. Finally, he asked if I could cuddle him. He was crying a lot, so I said yes.

After cuddling for a bit, he got on top of me and held my arms down. I told him to get off of me. He said, "don’t say no." He proceeded to hump me with our clothes on and did not stop until he came in his pants.

I didn’t cry or scream or physically struggle. I just lied there and waited for it to be over.

This happened in Texas, where there is no statute of limitations for sexual assault. However, it seems Texas defines sexual assault as penetration or direct contact with sexual organs ([https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.22.htm#22.021](https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PE/htm/PE.22.htm#22.021)).

Do I have any legal recourse even though I was not penetrated nor came into direct contact with his genitals?

Answer:
 Report this to the police.  Now.  The physical restraint itself is a crime.

There's no guarantee that anything will happen given how much time has passed, but I guarantee that nothing will happen if you don't report it at all.Answer #2: Yes. Call the police.

You may also want to speak to [RAINN](https://www.rainn.org/) or call their National Sexual Abuse Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673).Answer #3: It honestly seems like you are rationalizing the cuddling as some sort of good thing which leads me to think that you were probably starting to get uncomfortable at least and outright scared at worst. After you said no to everything that he asked he should have stopped advancing. He used your weakened state of mind and his own pathetic urges to completely violate your wishes. And then holding your hands and saying repeatedly “don’t say no” is probably enough to warrant an “aggravated assault charge”. That is threatening you by saying that if you say no it could get worse, or at least that’s how I see it. Rubbing his genitals on you until he ejaculated is absolutely sexual assault and possibly rape. Call the police so he doesn’t harm anyone else Answer #4: file a police report. even if nothing directly comes of it, it could be useful for the police to have a report against him if he ever does something like this againAnswer #5: Even if it is not classified as sexual assault, at the very least will be a physical assault as well as false imprisonment. Report it.


Title: Caught buying 3 tabs of acid. How serious of an offense is that?

Question:
I bought 3’tabs of acid today and was arrested. The cop was rough with me when he arrested me. When I asked for a lawyer they ignored me and took me to the station. They let me go but after I told them what happened and why I bought it. Will I be locked up? I’m so fucking scared I can’t sleep.
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer:
 > The cop was rough with me when he arrested me.

They carry weapons, not pillows. Unless they crossed a line and you have injuries, this is moot.

> When I asked for a lawyer they ignored me and took me to the station.

You don't get a lawyer on the streets....

>  I have court date next month and no money for a lawyer.

Apply for a public defender. Acid costs money though. There's some savings for ya. Answer #2: Possession of LSD is [regulated under this law in New Jersey](https://law.justia.com/codes/new-jersey/2013/title-2c/section-2c-35-10). The max punishment for that is between 3 and 5 years and a fine up to $15,000.

People are unduly concerned with the ride (the arrest) and are far too dismissive of setting themselves up well to defend against the rap (a criminal conviction). The fact that they let you go is immaterial. They likely gave you some documentation stating that you were being charged with a crime. You seemingly confessed to all elements of the offense, so you certainly cut your lawyer off at the knees.

You can request an attorney at your first hearing. In the meantime, you ought to avoid making statements to the police without first speaking to the public defender's office.


Title: Angry partner created addendum that ceases my Guaranteed Payments.

Question:
This is an event taking place in Portland, Oregon,

This was over a small argument in which I suggested we get a real attorney to go over some sticky parts of our LLC and the thin Operating Agreement that was written by the angry member. There is a land deal included in the business, and he assumed buying my shares of the company (10%) meant he owned the land as well. I  tried to tell him we were personal guarantors on the land, but not as an LLC... even though we could write that into the OpAg if it would make him happy.

The next day I was "fired" by him under this statute of the OpAG:
"Section 10.6 Member Employment.
Members may serve as employees to the LLC.  In this case, the member shall be compensated at market rates for similar duties.  The employment agreement must be approved by all members."

We had already agreed unanimously on our payments. He presented a piece of paper that said "Mr. X doesn't approve GP for Intensive Porpoise."

So.... Even if the revised Operating Agreement was in effect, Section 10.6 does not give an individual owner the right to terminate another owner's employment.  It only says that all members must agree on an employment agreement.  Intensive Porpoise was already employed and had no need for an employment agreement so there is nothing to approve.  Nothing in that clause, or elsewhere in the Operating Agreement, gives one member the power to terminate another.... correct?

I could have cut everyone's pay using that logic, but didn't.

What should I do here? This is my family's livelihood.

Answer:
 You should go directly to a lawyer for help untangling this mess.

Sorry to be blunt, but there's not much more to do. Your lawyer can help you either negotiate an exit package or to help you deal with any relevant lawsuits, whether filing against your business partners or filed by your business partners.

Your state bar association runs [a referral service](https://www.osbar.org/public/ris/).


Title: Personal illness as a defense for voiding real estate sales agreement- seeking information

Question: My wife and I are trying to purchase a home in Oregon, have a signed sales agreement, and we have secured financing.  The sellers are now trying to claim that the wife is too sick to be able to move out and they want the sales agreement rescinded.  Anyone have any experience or references for using personal health problems as grounds for "impracticability" in order to be relieved of contractual duties?  Information for either side would be appreciated.

Answer:
 It entirely depends on what the contract actually says.

  If you hold a copy up to your monitor, someone will be along shortly to read it.
Answer #2: While possible, such matters are in most's experience nothing more than a few pages in a law book.

Tell them you will sue (if you actually intend to) and let the judge decide. Such an argument they are making on these facts is far beyond the normal interaction of the way people do business. I think a loser, but it is theoretically possible.


Title: (US - TX) Caregiver not told about HIV person

Question:
Someone close to me has been working a job for the past few months where, 5 days a week, he picks up a group of mentally handicapped elderly men in the afternoon and takes them to a house to care for them and feed them overnight until he takes them back in the morning. He was randomly offered this job by a customer at a previous job and he has no prior experience to this type of work.

He has seen a general lack of care for the staff and clients, but just recently finding out that one of the men has HIV was the last straw, and so he quit the job. He has had to clean up feces and urine from the men as well as take them to a hospital if they injure themselves through falling or some other means.

**Question:** Should he have been told about the HIV condition prior to his acceptance of the job offer? This whole position has sounded really sketchy to me from the beginning.

*Edit:* Thank you all for your answers.

Answer: He should have been trained in using Universal Precautions, which "treat all human blood and certain human body fluids as if they were known to be infectious for HIV, HBV and other bloodborne pathogens".


Title: [CA] Confronted by undercover cops at BevMo

Question:
Myself and four other friends stopped by BevMo to get some booze. Two friends (call them Sara and Jane) went in. Both are 21. I'm also 21. The other two (Ethyl and Patty) are not 21. Ethyl, Patty, and I stayed in the car waiting. When Sara and Jane came back, they put the booze in the trunk, got in, and BAM! Three plainclothes cops surround the car. The main cop says, "You guys look pretty young and I saw you bought alcohol let me see your IDs." He only took mine and Sara's IDs. Obviously we had legal IDs and they let us go.

My question is, did they have the right to do that? What if they had asked for Ethyl and Patty's IDs? Would it have mattered?

Answer:
 > did they have the right to do that?

Yes.Answer #2: Yes. Purchasing alcohol for a minor is illegal.


Title: CA - Commercial space rent to be increased by almost $3000/month - new owner admits its 20% over market value. Is this legal?

Question:
My parents are renting a commercial space in California.  They are on a month to month lease (as the lease wasn't renewed after the initial 2 years). The owner of the building sold it without letting them know and the new owner wants to increase their rent, as of next month, by $3000.  The new owner told them that he got that number by looking at what other commercial spaces were renting theirs out as ($100/square foot) and decided to go higher ($120/square foot).  Is this legal?  Do my parents have any legal protection from this?  Their livelihood depends on it.  They are in the Orange County area if this helps.
(I am Canadian so i know nothing about American laws in this area - any pointing in the right direction would be helpful).  Thanks!

Answer:
 Welcome to what gentrification does to commercial spaces in America. Commercial spaces aren't rent controlled so yes it's wholly legal.Answer #2: They should have signed another 2-year lease when their last one ended. *Or* sign another lease for a discount today.

Otherwise, it's month-to-month. They can pay or leave or negotiate.Answer #3: Only if thier lease has restrictions on rent increases. Very few government protections on rent for commercial properties.


Title: I got pulled over tonight. Cop said some questionable things; could it be considered slander? (Indiana)

Question:
"Your car is now marked. We can give you tickets for doing anything. We can give you enough tickets to make you sell this car."

That seemed kind of a strange thing to say, and it kind of got me upset. I'm not going to take it to court or anything (if it is slander) but I was just curious.

EDIT: Here's a backstory to as of why we got pulled over.

We were on our way back from Greenwood; if you've ever been there on a Saturday night, there are all kinds of really sweet cars lined up as far as you can see: Supras, RX7s, fastback Boss 302s, basically any kind of car you can think of was up there.

Anyways, we're on our way back home. We took two cars up there with a total of 7 people. I'm following my friend in the other car back home. Some lady starts tailgating me with her brights on (right lane at this point, could've passed me), effectively blinding me. I had to turn all of my mirrors down. I knew they were her brights because she had flipped them off for a split second and then turned them back on. I get angry because she won't stop. I have my friend in the passenger seat of my car call the other car to go 45 in both lanes to block her in. She kept on tailgating me with her brights on, so I never got over and let her pass. She eventually moves to the right lane following my friend. Occasionally there were other cars that wanted to pass, so I'd get over in the right lane and let them pass us. She never once attempted to pass us when we were both in the right lane.

Long story short; the lady gets angry and calls the police on us. We got pulled over about 2 miles from our hometown. She apparently told the officer that we were holding up 20+ cars (which is a lie, she was the only one. And when other cars would come, we'd let them pass).

We were being assholes and definitely got what was coming to us, no doubt. The whole situation just kind of sucked. I'm not liking how she gets away with traffic violations and I didn't.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 Umm... I don't think you know what slander is.

Nothing illegal, but you're welcome to complain / file a report to his superiors. Answer #2: She might be a dipshit, but from her point of view what you did could easily seem menacing.  Two cars full of young men crowding her on the freeway?  I'd probably call the cops too.


Title: As a 24 year old who still lives at home, what resource do I have if I'm being emotionally/mentally abused at home?

Question:
Location: San Diego, California

&#x200B;

I used to work but in order to focus on school I quit my job. I am currently looking for a job, but I am extremely financially dependent on my mom/dad.

My mom is a stay-at-home mom and my dad is the primary breadwinner in the family. However, my mom pays all the bills and handles the finances.

&#x200B;

I have a very old car, which I pay roughly half for. It's both in my name/my Mom's name and she also pays the insurance. The phone I haven't payed for at all. My laptop I haven't payed for at all. My desktop gaming computer was personally paid for completely by me. However, I have never paid debt.

&#x200B;

The abuse has gotten to the point where I am seriously afraid to come home. Not for physical reasons, but because I am afraid of what she will say to me, and also because I'm pretty certain she will try to take my keys/phone. Without those, I will be truly fucked.

&#x200B;

I am afraid if I don't come home tonight and sleep at the school library (open 24 hours) she will call the police out of spite to have them take my car/phone away from me. Again, the phone I haven't paid for at all, and I half-own the car. Can she do that? Report the car/phone as stolen?

Answer:
 You can move out.

That's the answer.

You're an adult.  You can move out if you want.  There may be financial repercussions for that.  There may be relationship repercussions for that.  Welcome to adulting.


Title: Known scary dude, can I stop him from moving to my complex?

Question:
My husband used to be friends with a guy, Tom. I never trusted tom. He always made me feel uneasy.

Now, to make a long story short, Tom has no problem breaking laws. He tried to get my husband to be his partner in crime, so to speak, but i told him that was a very bad idea, and he was going to be used as a fall guy.

Their friendship started to naturally disintegrate, but one of the major turning points is that tom may or may not be responsible for his late gf's death.

See, she got pregnant and he absolutely did not want to have a child with her. He actually tried to poison her to lose the baby. She was too smart for him and didn't eat the food.

Months later, however, she was hit by a train. A lot of people suspected foul play, but it was ruled as an accident.

I still have my suspicions and overall this guy makes me feel unsafe. I just found out he is trying to move into/ has applied to my apt complex.

I'm not sure if he would actually do anything, but I feel very unsafe. He has never done anything to us, personally, but sometimes he and my husband (they work together) disagree and I could see it getting heated and him coming to my home- which I DO NOT want to happen.

I'm not sure, legally, what I can do here, but I would like to stop him from moving in.

Answer:
 i.) Be careful about discussing your concerns with others, always indicate that it's your opinion and don't speculate. While unlikely, you could be sued for defamation if you post on-line and discuss widely any unfounded speculation.

ii.) You can avoid contact with him and not let him into your house.

iii.) You can discuss with your landlord your concern about this tenant. Your landlord may choose to heed your advice; depends on how discriminating he is in his tenants.

iv.) You can discuss with the police your suspicions about the case, though it doesn't sound like you have much. You may also potentially incriminate your husband (or at least alert him to the police) if you discuss too much.

v.) Your best and safest legal option is just to move.


Title: ExBF has my old laptop, texts my dad, harasses my friends - do I have enough to file a Restraining Order? (USA, California)

Question:
Hi all. I'm kind of new to this Reddit thing and just came across this sub and was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction.

I was in a five year long relationship (approx 2008-2013). My ex is a registered sex offender (making child pornography for his own use). I thought he was a reformed, great guy, blah blah blah, made bad decisions as a 20 year old that I sincerely regret so much now.

Long story short, he has my old laptop (which he promised to clear the hard drive of, but recently it became apparent that he didn't) that I want to get back ONLY to get all my pictures/tax documents/other sensitive information off of, he keeps harassing my friends (and insisting that it's not harassment, only his warped view of friendship), I moved state lines because I legitimately feared for my life and my current SO's life (but of course, ex never made explicit threats that I could report to the police), and apparently is texting my dad asking for money and saying that he has some of my stuff that he wants to return (and I'm afraid that those things are old pictures). I have blocked him off my Facebook and texts only to find a dummy account on my "people you may know" list despite us not having any mutual friends, which makes me think he is cyber-stalking my account to try to find out where I have moved to.

I have no idea what kind of attorney can help with these issues, if I have enough for a restraining order, or if there is any recourse at all. I just want to stop living like I'm the fugitive.
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 You don't need an attorney for this, IMHO.

If he's stalking you, you can report it to the police or file for an order of protection.

If he has your stuff and you want it back, you can sue him in small claims court for it.

None of those options require an attorney, generally.


Title: Somone stole my beats from my bag at work

Question:
I Was working today and my beats solo3 special edition silver headphones ($300+ retail) were taken out of my bag.

I realised once I got home and have contacted my supervisor and manager. The manager claimed when I was hired that all worksites (we move cites often) have cctv. He told me this and said they’ll know who did it if we steal something from a workplace. My work Friends are confident that this workplace does not have cctv.

I have already enquired about cctv to my manager and supervisor and am currently awaiting reply.

I’m in Western Australia if it helps.
what is the best course of action so I can either get compensated or get them back?

Answer: You can call the police. If they never find the person you're likely out of luck.


Title: (CA) Petty theft. Searched and ticketed.

Question:
I was ticketed for petty theft. Found on me was a pair of running shoes retailed no more than $65. I have one previous petty theft record from 5 years ago (I think it was for ~$30.) For that ticket I was allowed to complete community service without fines. Is there hope for me to get a public defender and ask for a lesser charge, possibly with community service and no fines? Should I try to push back the court date in hopes the cops or LP witness will not show? Surely I can't claim not guilty because they found new shoes they sell on my person and I cannot afford a lawyer.

Thanks for the help. Really dreading this and not proud.

Answer:
 You can always plead not guilty.  "Not guilty" doesn't mean "I didn't do it" it just means "I'll make the prosecution prove it".

Hiring an attorney would be very smart.


Title: Louisville, Kentucky - children's mother is planning to take my children without consent

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Your custody agreement isn't a legal agreement. Less a legal document, your ex can take your children and refuse to let them see you.


Title: Diagnosed a melanoma as breast cancer

Question: Not anyone directly related to me, but gf's grandmother. About a year ago, she was diagnosed with a very aggressive strain of breast cancer. Went through some of the strongest possible chemo, etc. Nothing seemed to be working and her condition just steadily declined. Needless to say, about two months ago they gave up and gf's family moved her to a hospice. Everyone was more or less awaiting the inevitable but a few weeks ago, she started to miraculously recover (no more pain, etc). Then, in a routine checkup or something to that regard, that doctor acknowledged that it was a misdiagnosis and it was actually just a melanoma? However, issue stems now that she is too weak to be able to receive the required treatment for said melanoma. Obviously everything is still being confirmed as they're rushing her for second opinions. This has got to be a lawsuit of some sort right? They pumped her full shit she didn't need for over a year and it all comes down to the wrong diagnosis?

Answer:
 From the Legaladvice medical malpractice Wiki page (medical malpractice cases are very nuanced and tough to give advice about):

## Medical Malpractice

*Do I have a malpractice case?*

* Malpractice is more than just the fact that a procedure did not work or a diagnosis was missed. The medical professional had to do something against medical standards and that no other professional would have done.
* Malpractice is very fact specific. If you feel you have a case you should take your medical records to a local malpractice attorney for a consult. Most malpractice consults are free.


Title: Car maliciously parked too close to mine...

Question:
The other day I was riding in my girlfriend's car back to her apartment complex. As we pulled in I saw a guy taking a picture between my car and his. When I went to leave I realized the reason he was taking a picture was because he parked his car extremely close to mine. He had plenty of room on the other side. The **only** way for me to get in my car was to push my door against his and wedge myself in. What would be my legal liability if his car were to be damaged? What if I could prove his parking too close was intentional? This is in Tennessee, btw.

*Edit: There are no lines at this apartment complex and he had a lot of room to his left. There was a lot of available places to park.

 No, I can't climb in from the passenger side.

I'm asking for help in case this scenario occurs again.

Answer:
 I'm not sure why people are having trouble visualizing this. If we take OP's story at face value we get something like this:

http://i.imgur.com/rPM4d1X.png

Note that OP saw the guy taking the photo before going into the apartment and only sees how close the cars are parked and that there is space to the side of the offender's car AFTER coming back out. Perhaps there was another car in that spot at the time so the offender had to park very closely in between OP and another guy's car (to the left in the diagram I drew). Then this 3rd party left before OP and OP comes out to see the very close cars. Answer #2: You would be civilly liable for any accidental damage you caused to his vehicle.

If you did it on purpose, you would have criminal liability as well.

Was his vehicle legally parked?Answer #3: Joke's on him!  Your car has at least 1 door on the passenger side.  You should just go in that way, hop over the console, roll down your windows and laugh maniacally as you drive away.  Answer #4: Was he inside his lines?  If so then he was legally parked. He probably took a picture to protect himself.Answer #5: Could it have been a rental car? I'll sometimes take pictures of the car when I get out to help remember what it looks like and what the license plate info is. They don't put that on the keychains any more.


Title: Pennsylvania - This is a letter I'm sending to an individual who has not paid back personal loans. How is the wording?

Question:
**The Letter**

Hello,

Because I have not received any payments or action from you in regard to personal loans made to you by oral and notarized agreements, I have opted to seek legal counsel.

If you would like to settle this matter out of court, I would be happy to discuss a resolution with you. If, however, I do not hear from you, or if we are unable to reach an agreeable settlement of this dispute, I am prepared to pursue charges for fraud and/or file a complaint in either Small Claims Court or Court of Common Pleas as necessary and present my case to the judge(s).

Enclosed:
-copy of notarized document of a personal loan made to ???
-copy of cashed check referred to in notarized document

Not enclosed and to be provided at a later date as necessary:
-copies and records of checks, credit card purchases, an cash advances made to or for ??? and/or her residence of ???
-copies and records of interest incurred as a result of above
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 I'm a fan of setting deadlines in letters.  "Unless you make a payment of $X by Y date, ..."

Also of specifying that you tried to contact them, not just that you haven't heard from them.

Your letter is most likely to elicit a "well, fine, I'll go find a lawyer too," which I don't think is your goal.

Goal is generally to have the issue resolved without a lawsuit.  Lawsuits are expensive for everyone, and you don't get your lawyer's fees back.


Title: Our landlord asked us to move out early, does this constitute termination of lease? (MO)

Question: Our landlord requested for us to move out early via text because the new tenants wanted to move in early, landlord prorated the rent, we moved early, and it was a win-win. However, in my state, landlords must provide the security deposit or a letter stating how the security deposit was used within thirty days from the end of lease or the tenant is owed the full deposit regardless of damages. It has been over 30 days since the requested move out date, but not over 30 days from the end of the original lease. Would the mutually agreed upon move out constitute a modified lease agreement?

Answer: Your lease terminated on your move-out date.


Title: (WI) 14yo in middle of custody battle, wondering what to say to GAL to convince him my dad isn't fit to have custody (long)

Question:
 I've posted things relating to this twice before this. So here's the story. Just to clarify, my parents are separated.

 Around March of last year I stopped visiting my dad after he accused me of two things.

 1. I was in the bathroom, and my dad was in the room outside of it. He heard me cough, and when I came out, he asked me if I had made myself puke. I said no, but he kept insisting I had, and urged me to tell the truth. I could tell he was drunk, and that he wouldn't take no for an answer, so finally I said yes, and made up some fake sob story about how I had struggled with my weight, so that I could go to bed( it was around 11 pm).

 2. One month later, my dad had left to go to a friends to play a poker game down the road, and my little brother was there. I was on the phone with a friend, and I noticed my brother crying. I asked him what was wrong, and he said that his tooth hurt, I asked him which one, but he wouldn't answer. I left him alone because there was nothing I could do about it. I sat down, and my dad got back about five minutes later, and saw my brother crying, so he goes and asks him what's wrong. My brother didn't say anything for whatever reason, but just pointed to his mouth. My dad asked me what happened, and I told him that he said his tooth hurt ( I was still on the phone at the time). My dad then started flipping out and asking me what really happened. He screamed at me to go in my room, and I did. He then came in later and again screamed at me to tell the truth, and when I told him nothing, he slammed the door so hard it nearly fell of its hinges. Later my mom got there to pick us up, and she asked me what happened, and I told her the same thing. I then showed my dad the phone information/log, and that I was on the phone the whole time he was gone, then he wouldn't stop apologizing, and told me he thought I had sexually abused my younger brother. That was the tipping point, then I refused to see my dad.

 So I hadn't seen him in about 10 months, save a few occasions. But my parents had an outdated joint custody agreement, so he took my mother to court, and got a temporary order for me to see him from 10-5 on Sundays. I've had to do that for about a month and a half. My mom asked me if I wanted a Guardian ad litem, and I said yes because she had been seeing him a lot, and they had an on and off relationship, so it seemed to me like a conflict of interest.

 I was wondering what I could tell the Guardian ad litem that would convince him that my dad is unfit to have custody out of a list of things that he has done that I will put below.

 The things above

 My dad is an intensive alcoholic, to the point that if he drinks  10 hours before my visitation, I can leave

 He has accused my mom of cheating with my married uncle

 He has been arrested twice recently

 He has two DUI's, and countless other times he's drank or been drunk while driving

 He thinks that multiple government agencies and casinos are sending people to follow him

 He's extremely narcissistic

 He believes that my aunt (her husband was the one he accused of cheating with my mom) is conspiring against him for letting us (my mom brother and I) live in her house

 He constantly screams about things, so much so that at my families past three gatherings, he's been kicked out of the hosts house

 He's been snorting aderol for about 2 years, and occasionally some harder drugs

 He likely has schizophrenia, which coupled with his narcissism and drug/alcohol use, makes an extremely bad combination, as he thinks he's one of the smartest people he knows, and can't accept that his delusions might not be real.

 I'd really appreciate any advice anyone can give me.

Answer:
 You can tell them exactly what you just wrote. Keep in mind that being a poor father and an unfit one are very different. That said, anytime you ever feel threatened, never hesitate to contact the police. Answer #2: Screaming at you, keeping you up late arguing over accusations of an eating disorder [ie refusing to let you sleep] and door slamming that causes damage - those all seem relevant. Does your younger brother have access to medical care?

If you do get forced to see him again, you can call the police emergency or non-emergency number at any time if you feel unsafe. "My dad is yelling at me and i do not feel safe."

Or, you could ask for supervised visitation only- they have a paid third party taking notes,  lol. Your dad is unlikely to want to do that for long.Answer #3: You tell the truth and explain what's going on.


Title: Motorcycle Accident TX - Insurance finding me at fault

Question:
I was in a motorcycle accident in October of 2015. I was riding my motorcycle down a four land road in San Antonio. Two lanes in one direction, two lanes in the other direction (oncoming). I was in the right hand lane coming up on an intersection. Traffic at the intersection was stopped with cars backed up in both lanes and stopped. As I was approaching the intersection, I put my right turn signal on and began decelerating and moved to the right on the improved shoulder to turn into a parking lot driveway. As I was turning into the driveway, a truck stopped in the right hand lane tried turning into the driveway and collided with me. The right side of his truck near the front of his passenger door collided with the left side of my motorcycle (specifically the crash bar) and forced my motorcycle to the ground. Police showed up and filed a report and told me they couldn't determine who was at fault and it was 'up to the insurance' to figure it out. The police report says "due to conflicting statements, I was not able to determine who was at fault"

The insurance called me and took a recorded statement a couple days later in which I told them what happened. In the recorded statement I said I couldn't remember if he had his turn signal on or not. About a week later, they called me and told me they found me at fault and were going to process the other drives damage claim against me.

At the time I tried telling the agent I thought the decision was wrong and argued on the phone to which the agent told me that since I stated in the recorded statement that I didn't remember if the other vehicles turn signal was on that I was at fault and that I hit him. I was upset at the determination and told them I was going to look for a lawyer to dispute it and hung up. Life got in the way and I didn't do anything about it and never followed back up with them.

Now... My insurance policy is about to renew and they're going to double my rates because of the accident. I tried disputing the claim against me again and they connected with me the same agent that handled the claim and told me the same thing "you said in the recorded statement you didn't remember if their turn signal was on or not, so we determined that the other vehicle had the right of way because they were in front of you and vehicles in front of you have the right of way" It was going exactly nowhere, just as the first time they told me their decision.

Pics I threw together showing how the accident happened: http://imgur.com/a/Moig7

You can see in the second to the last picture our collision, then in the last picture approx. where me and my motorcycle ended up on it's side.

Is there anything I can do to dispute the decision? Is it worth trying to hire a lawyer?

$25/mo. full coverage to increase to $50/mo ; $300/year increase.

Answer:
 Based on your narrative and your photographs, you *were* in the wrong.  You tried using the shoulder to pass traffic on the right.  That's wrong.  The shoulder isn't a drive lane.

As is, you can't really argue your insurance company's assessment of you.  Even if you proved that you weren't responsible at all, they can still raise your rates.  Your recourse is to find a new company.Answer #2: >  moved to the right on the improved shoulder to turn into a parking lot driveway

You can't do that. The shoulder is not a traffic/travel lane.  You are at fault for the accident because you were somewhere you shouldn't have been.Answer #3: Clearly, the truck was in the right and you are at fault. Truck was in a LANE. You were not in a lane, you were on a shoulder.


Title: Is it okay to mail Kinder Chocolate to the US?

Question:
I'm wondering if it's alright to ship Kinder Chocolate to the US. I'm not referring to the Surprise Egg, but to the chocolate bars. I want to be very careful as I'm buying candy from Mexico and I don't want to do anything wrong. I'm shipping it within the US to a friend, from California to Michigan. So again, is there any problem bringing and shipping Kinder Chocolate bars within the US?
I'm an extremely cautious person!

Answer: I recently took part in the snack exchange and sent every type of Kinder except the surprise egg, including the new Joy egg which has a surprise inside, to the US from the UK. There was no issues with it going through and I checked and double checked in case there was an issue with the Joy. I sent the Joy, Bueno, and Happy Hippos.  Answer #2: You're fine. The FDA prohibits the *sale* of the eggs because of their  embedded non-food item, not their mere ownership. The chocolate is free to sell.


Title: Can someone who is looking to get hired be denied because there is a "volunteer" working the same job for free?

Question: Hi r/legaladvice, I am working a job at a local afterschool as a TA (I'm still in HS). I recently started working there after the staff(my mom is friends with one of the teachers) resorted to begging my parents to have me work for free because no one else is stupid enough to work for free at a for-profit business. Because I am a minor, I don't really have a say in whether or not I can work there so I have been working for free for the past month or so. This job requires me to spend 6 hours every weekend to help, and another 3-5 hours outside of class to correct the kids assignments. The owner of the place treats me like shit and it's seriously getting on my nerve. Anyway, I recently read online that a for-profit business cannot have someone volunteer for free if their is someone else that can get paid for the job. I have heard that there are at least 2 other kids who have tried to apply but got denied because they have me as a volunteer. Is it legal for them to do this? I'm hoping that I can get paid for the job I have done or atleast find a way to quit. Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 The regulations for volunteers would fall under the [Fair Labor Standards Act](http://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/whd/flsa/docs/volunteers.asp).  For example, "Under the FLSA, employees may not volunteer services to for-profit private sector employers."

You can use [this page](http://www.dol.gov/whd/america2.htm) to find your local wage & hour division and check with them.

Do you know if you're classified as a volunteer or an intern?  There's some regulations on interns as well.