Title: Do my chances of returning to the US decrease if I am caught omitting information at the border?

Question:
My brother is about to get married in the US. His ESTA expired 2 weeks ago (he's been in the US for more than 90 days) and he was going to get married before it expired but they decided to wait for a bit so close relatives could attend.
He asked me to not say at the border that I'd be attending his wedding in fear he might be deported before he gets married. So the plan now is to simply say I'll be attending a friend's wedding or just visiting my friend. However, I'm extremely anxious about doing this and I'm afraid I'm doing something illegal.

It's my absolute dream to one day have the chance to work and live in the US. I do not want to screw it up with this. Is it possible this might affect me in the future, if my brother gets background checked?

Answer:
 "What's the reason for the visit?"

"In going to visit my brother is X city"Answer #2: I'm pretty sure they don't check your brother's information if you say you're meeting him. There shouldn't be any reason to lie.


Title: Recently fired for not telling my boss someone had concerns about a sexual assault he was involved in.

Question:
I was recently fired from my job partially for not telling my boss he was going to be investigated for sexual assault. As the story goes, one of my employees confronted me about an incident that happened before I was hired where she was locked in a freezer with another employee who sexual assaulted her while a third employee held the door shut. She took it to our boss and claims he brushed it off saying "Boys will be boys" and nothing was done.

I spoke with her about this as my boss was walking to his car. He didn't hear anything but he knew we were talking about something.

I decided there was no reason to get him involved myself because I had no idea as to the validity of this employees story and took it to Human Relations shortly after the conversation. I figured they would decide whether or not to investigate or if it had been investigated already and I was being lied to.

The next day my boss asked that i write a formal statement about the conversation and sign it. Which I did immediately and gave to him, signed and dated.

The very next day I was placed on Final Warning after no prior legitimate warnings partially for not telling my boss about what happened immediately after. He said "Fails to communicate properly with other members of the management team" or something very close to that affect. ( Ican provide the actual statement if this gets any ground. Where it stands now I do not have a copy of the warning on-hand but could attain one if need be).

A couple weeks later i was fired for something unrelated and also illegitimate but I'm not hear to rant. My question is is this a form of retaliation that would break their harassment clauses? For not telling someone they were directly involved in an alleged sexual assault that I was very recently made aware of? And if so, what can I do about it? I'm losing my home in a city i recently relocated too and no one will hire me because I was fired as a manager.

Answer:
 > Recently fired for not telling my boss someone had concerns about a sexual assault he was involved in.
>> A couple weeks later i was fired for something unrelated

??

> For not telling someone they were directly involved in an alleged sexual assault

 At what point was your boss accused of sexual assault?

 It sounds like you were fired for failing to comply with company policy and/or some other “unrelated” thing. Regardless, in most of the US you can be fired for just about anything, including for what you describe. Your location matters here. They aren’t “retaliating” against you in any meaningful sense of the word.


Title: How can my school's Exemption Policy be Amended?

Question:
My public high school has a finals exemption policy (a school policy, not a county or state one). Last year it used to require you to be an upperclassman and have an A in the class (before honors points) to exempt. This year, the school allowed all grade levels to exempt and now you only have to be passing the class (C or above). However, the school has changed some things that made the policy worse.

1. No exempting AP classes. This stinks because the classes are hard and you would like to be able to not take the final after working in such a tough class.
2. You cannot have more than 1 unexcused absence. This makes sense. Don't cut class. But, you also can't have more than 3 excused absences. This means if you are sick for more than 3 days, you are out of luck. This is not fair.

Needless to say, the policy isn't popular. However, today it got worse. All day administration was coming to classes deciding whether or not to "accept" exemptions. In my friend's case, even though he met the criteria (only 3 excused absences and not an AP class with a passing grade) the school denied him. They just went back on their OWN RULE.

So my actual question is: to what extent can myself and my fellow schoolmates argue over this policy. Maybe a petition? What steps must we follow? Again, I go to a public high school and the policy belongs to the school, not the county or state.

Answer: You can try. Considering skipping a final isn't anything you have a right to, they can make pretty much any rules they want to.


Title: Flight attendant served me the wrong drink

Question:
On Thursday I took a domestic Delta flight and requested a Diet Coke and was served a regular Coke. I didn't realize it until I took the first sip, and immediately requested the correct drink. However, after taking the first sip a few hours later I began to experience serious bowl movement issues and stomach cramping, which was definitely caused by the irregularity in my diet (I only drink Diet Coke, ever). How do I go about claiming compensation?
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer:
 Is this a joke?  What are your damages?

You do not have a cause of action because a sip of Coca Cola made your tummy hurt.


Title: Can my (IL) employer force me to use PTO to replace missed mandatory Overtime as a punishment?

Question:
I work in Illinois and my employer is requiring a mandatory 8 hours of overtime on Saturday’s. There was one Saturday that I was unable to make, and they forced me to use my PTO in place of that OT... I had 40 hours worked during the week and 8 hours of PTO on that Saturday. In other words they paid me NOT to work a mandatory Saturday as punishment and took away valuable PTO when I had a kid on the way.

Can my employer force us to use PTO as a punishment if we are unable to do mandatory overtime?

(Please link your source if possible)

Answer:
 What you're really asking is if your employer can pay out your PTO without your permission and the answer is there is no law prohibiting that.

> (Please link your source if possible)

It's not possible to cite to the absence of a law.


Title: I'm a co-defendant in a frivolous civil case. The opposing attorneys are threatening to publicly publish our names, along with false statements about myself and co-defendants. My (insurance company-provided) lawyer says this is ok????

Question:
This is from the human-services field.  I don't want to doxx myself, so I'm going to give you an exact analogy for what's happening.

&#x200B;

Imagine you are an assistant manager of a mechanic shop. Sometimes you subcontract out work to a specialty shop across the street.  Someone comes in needing repairs, and you refer them to the subcontractor, who can't fix the problem.  You suggest another shop instead.   You check-in with the person a few times, and find that eventually the other shop you recommended fixes the problem.  The customer tells you they are very thankful.

&#x200B;

Fast forward a few years.  The customer out of the blue is suing YOUR mechanic shop, YOU directly, your manager, and the guy that owns the chain of shops that you are a part of.  They claim that YOU keyed their car when it was first brought in and dumped sugar in the gas tank.  As a result they are now terrified of driving.  They submit print-outs of what they claim are emails that are purportedly from you, talking about deriving joy from keying people's cars and dumping sugar in gas tanks.  The emails are from YEARS after that customer brought their car in to you.

&#x200B;

There are multiple witnesses who would have HAD to see you vandalize the car, and they all state you could not have done it.  There's also issues with timelines / dates not matching up.  The printed out emails can objectively be shown to be altered, and the address was traced to another country (seriously).  As for damages, the person even admits to still driving and their car appears to be running fine with no sign of keying.  Your insurance company decides to try mediation, to avoid a costly trial, but the other side is making ridiculous demands, essentially 15x the replacement value of the car (that's still running fine).

&#x200B;

The opposing attorneys are now stating that they are going to go to the press and make sure articles are published talking about the trial, your shop, and you by name.  The stories ostensibly will include pieces of the fraudulent emails and false statements from the plaintiff. Essentially they are trashing your business, perhaps as a leverage tactic, but perhaps not.  If those articles get published you will never be able to work again in your field, regardless of the outcome of the case; your reputation would be destroyed.

&#x200B;

That's basically my situation.  I asked my attorney (insurance is paying for him) if I can do anything to prevent the opposing attorneys from getting these stories published.  I also asked if I can go after the plaintiff for defamation, considering the garbage-tier evidence they provided. My attorney essentially said that the plaintiff's side has the right to bring a suit, and to do what they're threatening to do (including telling the local press), and that there's no basis for defamation \*even if they go forward publicly. \*

&#x200B;

I don't have any money (the lawsuit is really trying to tie me to the employer, who obviously has insurance & cash of their own), so I can't afford to get another opinion.   But this just baffles me.  In the United States you can start a lawsuit, have multiple witnesses refute your story, have evidence that's clearly been compromised.....and then when you don't get a settlement offer you like, you can run to the press and ruin your victim's reputation forever??? And that's fully legal/unactionable?  If it matters, this is in Massachusetts.

Answer:
 I would contact the State Bar that licenses lawyers and tell them of lawsuit and threats from the other lawyer.Answer #2: (1) In most (if not all) jurisdictions I'm aware of, allegations made in court proceedings are excepted from any claims of defamation.  As long they don't stray from the allegations actually filed, the plaintiff or his attorneys can go to the media and tell them to read the filed complaint, and the media can write news stories about the complaint.  However, an argument for defamation could be made if the plaintiff knowingly made additional false statements about you or the business to the media or anyone else above and beyond the pleadings.

(2) Attorneys are permitted to believe their client's word over the word of an adversary.  Attorneys are entitled to challenge the opposing side's experts or fact witnesses, even if their client's witnesses are less credible.  Unless an attorney affirmatively knows his client's statements to be objectively false, he is permitted to be his client's advocate, even if his client's case is shaky.  Although they're on the aggressive side, your adversary's attorneys sound like typical plaintiff's counsel to me.

(3) Based on what you have provided, it sounds like your case is going to trial if it doesn't settle.  A judge is only permitted to dismiss cases before trial as to matters of law.  If there is a genuine dispute of material fact (which is a low bar), a judge has to send the case to a jury, even if the opposing side has the most unbelievable dirtbags this side of the Mississippi.   Answer #3: You will just have to follow your attorney's advice. No one here is going to tell you anything different because he has all the facts of the case.


Title: CA: Canned food pull tab nearly took off my finger

Question:
This can of Fava Beans was made in china and imported by a company in Los Angeles. This is the result of [ trying to open it **NSFW**](https://imgur.com/gallery/WF2ivIF)

What can be done, if not to destroy this company, at least to do something to stop these shitty imports
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer: You can speak to a personal injury attorney who can tell you what your options are.


Title: [CA] Police want to give me back seized drug money. Can I be arrested?

Question:
About ten years ago in college (California) I got arrested selling drugs. I served time, completed probation, and paid my debt to society. I turned my life around and am now many years sober. I had put my past behind me until I got a certified letter from the sheriff’s department last week…asking me to come pick up a check for the $5,000 that was confiscated during my arrest.

My initial reaction was that it was some kind of trap, maybe some rouse to get me for an old warrant. But the phone number on the letter checked out to the sheriff’s dept, and I went on their website where you can check for active warrants, of which I have none. Besides, I have been pulled over for traffic violations in the past without incident. I havent been living in hiding, if they needed me they could have just knocked on my front door.

A friend of mine (who is definitely not a lawyer) told me that I could be arrested as soon as I pick up the cash.  I would now be in possession of drug proceeds. This sounds to me like entrapment, as I had absolutely no intention of doing this until the police reached out to me. But I hear the word “entrapment” thrown around so much on TV shows that I’m not sure what qualifies. So I guess my question for the Reddit community is two-fold:

•	Could I be arrested for accepting this money? It is 100% without a doubt “drug money”. I had drugs on my person when it was confiscated. And I have no way of proving that I made the money legally, which leads me to my next question

•	Would they require a proof of income? The arrest was roughly 10 years ago and I assume I got this letter due to some kind of statute of limitations that ran out.

For reference, here is the text of the letter:

>Reference Case Number: XX-XXXXXX

>This department is currently holding funds in the amount of $5,100 that have been authorized to be released to you

>To obtain these funds, you must call the Special Investigation Bureau – Narcotics detail. You must verify your identity with government issued photo identification. Failure to claim these funds will result in the funds being deposited in the general fund of the County of XXXXX.

>Sincerely,

>Assistant Sheriff

Answer:
 Someone posted something VERY similar within the last couple of weeks.  It's possible that the police have some OTHER reason that they want to arrest you (unrelated to any money of yours that they may or may not have), and that they don't know how to find you, so they are asking you to come in and pick up this money...

I seem to recall reading a long time ago that the police somewhere sent notices of found money or something like that to a bunch of people that they wanted to arrest, and then when those people came into the police station they were arrested.Answer #2: talk to a criminal defense attorney, this smells really fishy as most departments wouldn't sit on the money this long, they'd either seize (steal) it, or they'd have given it back long ago. Could be that they were waiting on you to claim it but they're trying to clean money off the books now or that as others said they need you to attempt to claim it in order to start forfeiture proceedings.

Who knows? this is really weird so talk to a decent lawyer and see what they think.


Title: (AK) She got a DUI. I blew triple zeros. Can i get into any trouble?

Question:
Hey, so i was invited to this party by a friend of a coworker. Any who i get to the party around 11:30 pm. Since i don't know anyone at the party i decide to mingle and meet new people. I end up flirting with this cute girl for most of the night. We then exchange contact information. As i decide its starting to get late i make my rounds before leaving she invites me back to her house which i accept. around 2am.

At this point i have only had 1 beer, i decided to drink less because i knew it would be a 25+ mile drive back home. To my knowledge she had two drinks while i was at the party and probably more before i even arrived. I offered to drive to my place to which she declined because she lived closer. She didn't seem too intoxicated so i let her get behind the wheel.

It was clear right away that i made a mistake because she was driving VERY erratically. She was pulled over almost immediately. Questioned, then made to do a field sobriety test and breathalyzer. I am assuming she did very poorly, because she was arrested fairly quickly. The police officer came to me. Asked how many drinks i had and if i could blow into the breathalyzer. I did it three times and blew zeros all three times apparently. They asked me to drive her car back to the party from which i came.

I called a cab home.

I am wondering if it is possible for there to be any backlash on me from this incident or if i am probably in the clear.

Also if you have any questions i will answer them as best as i can.

Answer:
 Nope, you're good.

You made a bad decision (to get into the car with an intoxicated driver) but that's not an illegal decision anywhere I'm familiar with.


Title: My 2 year old son's biological father had me served for visitation..his prison sentence ends soon.

Question:
So the court date is mid October. The last time he attempted any form of contact was just before Easter, when he was also incarcerated. When he's not incarcerated he doesn't show any interest. I spent the first year of my son's life trying to get him to be involved and he choose his drug addiction.

Over the last year he has been in jail for drug related charges twice.

We are not nor have we ever been married. He's supposed to pay child support but most of the time doesn't.  I got a notice from the court several weeks back stating that he was seeking to have his child support reduced. It wasn't fair for him to have pay for what he missed while in jail for his own choices apparently.

On the other side my son has some bad allergies to common foods (like apples) and has night terrors. He rarely sleeps through the night, so even if his biological father weren't a deadbeat drug addict it would be difficult for him to sleep anywhere else at all, let alone 50% of all weekends.

I have a wonderful boyfriend that lives a couple hours away. We've been dating for 8 months and have talked about marriage and me moving to the city where he lives. (we met when we I was 14, so about 9 years ago.)

This whole thing is stressing me out, and I've been reading everything I can find. Should I be worried? Based on what I can find (being in Minnesota) since we have never been wed it is supposed to be fully my right to decide if he gets visitation or not, but I have no idea what to do at this point. I've contacted a family law office that's local, but I doubt I can afford their help in reality.

I am sorry if this is all over the place or if I left out vital information. I'm just feeling extremely stressed and desperate. :(

To put into perspective the type of man I am dealing with,  the first time he ended up in jail he sold me to his dealer for sex in exchange for $200 of bail money.

Answer: Try looking on lawhelp.org to find your local legal aid office. Just because you two were unwed doesn't mean you will have the right to deny him visitation. That said, seems like you will be making an argument for limited visitation and possibly supervised. His record will be a factor in determining how much he gets and the quality of it, but as a dad he will get some (assuming he stays out of jail, no visitation plan will ever require you to bring a child to jail [unless something has changed])


Title: cyberstalker please help

Question: i am currently being cyberstalked by someone online and they have been harassing my friends and family as well. i want to report them to authorities, but i don’t know how.

Answer: You can make a complaint with the Brazilian police in the city where the person lives, but I'd hire a despachante and it won't amount to anything. Brazil is a country where 90% of murders go unsolved, and of the 10% that are, 90% do not result in jail time. I have no legal advice to offer other than when foreigners need something done by procuração and they don't need to or want to use a lawyer, they use a despachante.


Title: Ordered X and Got Y; Can I keep Y and Get X too?

Question:
LOCATION: I live in PA, Company based in NY

I ordered a product from a company, and received something I did not order nor want. I still want the item I actually ordered, but do I have the leverage to demand the correct item and keep the incorrect item?

Answer:
 >But do I have the leverage to demand the correct item

 Of course.

> and keep the incorrect item?

No.Answer #2: You do not.  They can offer it to you, if they'd like, but you have no legal authority to demand it.


Title: [TX][USA] My auto lender states they are no longer accepting additional principal payments. Can I do anything about it?

Question:
I want to pay additional to my principal to pay the loan faster, but now I cannot do that.
My sales contract doesn't mention principal payments or prepaying at all. I have reviewed it many times.
There is one statement about payments which says:

"How we will apply your payments. We will apply your payments in the following order:

1. earned but unpaid finance charge, and
2. to anything else you owe under this agreement."

Thank you

Loan is 18%, I had poor credit at the time, now have 740 credit in 3 years.

Answer: Sales contract and loan agreement should be two separate things.


Title: Global payments has taken £24,000 out of my dads account for no reason

Question:
Hello,

My dad has a small business and he takes card payments using global payments.

Yesterday they called and informed my dad that they had overpaid him by £24,000 over the last 3 weeks, which is almost the exact amount that was in the account.

Except they haven't overpaid him by a penny. The money in the account has accumulated over the last 12 months and is crucial to the business to buy stock.

He has tried calling and explained that they are wrong but they simply said they can't do anything until they have finished investigating.

This is very damaging for the business and my dad is at a loss of what to do.

Any help appreciated.

Update:

He has just been to the central bank to inquire and hopefully clear up this mess, they have informed him that only a bank manager can discuss the matter with him, and ALL 6 OF THEM are not currently working today so he will have to wait tomorrow...

Answer:
 Also if your situation involves that much money, you can afford a consultation with an attorney.Answer #2: /r/LegalAdviceUK Answer #3: > they have informed him that only a bank manager can discuss the matter with him, and ALL 6 OF THEM are not currently working today so he will have to wait tomorrow...

For some reason I keep seeing people make posts here in which they are shocked, SHOCKED to discover that the quality of service that they get from their bank matters, and that different banks have different levels of quality.

Legally, the bank is probably not liable for damages your business suffers because you temporarily lost access to the funds in your account during a reasonable-length investigation of potential fraud. "Reasonable-length" could be as much as a couple of weeks. Practically, go visit the bank once the managers are in, and be polite and reasonable. Discuss options -- ways you can verify your story, temporary lines of credit during the investigation, or anything else you can come up with.


Title: (Texas,US)Husbands ex-wife wants access to my bank accounts.

Question:
My husband divorced his ex-wife ~4 years ago. He and I didn't start dating until he was officially divorced.

He and I have joint accounts but I still have accounts open from before I moved to America, I deal with all the banking on that side because my husband only speaks English.As well as some that I use for overseas investments(100% legal). I left there in the 90's, I was lucky to get out with the clothes on my back, and due to the current political climate there my access to them is spotty at best.

His ex is now demanding alimony and access, complete with debit and credit cards, to all my foreign accounts.

I dont know how she even found out about them, our best guess is that she saw our wedding pictures somehow(probably facebook stalking one of his relatives) and googled me.I have no idea.

She has a lawyer.

Answer:
 You need an attorney. She may have a legit claim to see all the money since you are married and he could be hiding money in your accounts. Answer #2: I doubt that she is going after alimony in Texas.  What seems much more likely is that she is claiming fraud in the marital property distribution.  If prior to the divorce your husband transferred a lot of funds to your foreign accounts, and they weren't considered in property division, then she can claim fraud and get her share of those funds.  Answer #3: You say you have a lawyer  and that is good.

 Rely on him/her as they presumably know Texas law.

I know Illinois law. Tell your attorney that you want a protective order so that only the court can see your information and, if teh court decides ex wife has no right to it, neither she nor her lawyer  sees it. We call it an in camera inspection up here.

A lot depends on the  actual divorce judgement and property settlementAnswer #4: She wants bank records or she wants a debit card for the accounts? The former is normal, the latter "oh hell no"


Title: A company threatened me.

Question:
I'm a personal assistant to ~10 clients. Sometimes these clients ask me to speak with Comcast, Amazon, etc. in order to get things done. None of this relates to payments. I don't buy things or adjust bills. Just ask for a return label, inquiring about a bill, those kind of things. I was chatting with a company that I am not going to name. I filled in the clients info to chat (name, address, phone number) so the chat name said their name. The rep stated if I was 'Laura' and I said no, her assistant. They said this is illegal and they were going to report me. What's the deal with this? Laura gave me complete permission which I have in email. From here on out, I am going to require the clients to authorize me on the account but it is a hassle and a lot of clients don't want to do this.

What am I in for?
Pennsylvania.

Answer:
 > What am I in for?

My guess is absolutely nothing. In the future, getting your clients to authorize you on the account is a good idea. Answer #2: >The rep stated if I was 'Laura' and I said no, her assistant. They said this is illegal and they were going to report me.

For what? It's not like you were impersonating her, you blatantly stated you're not her at the first possible opportunity. Answer #3: I don't think anything will happen to you either. Just curious how to you charge your clients? Is it a set fee or do they pay hourly when they have you do something?


Title: My father died from an Oxycontin overdose in 2010. What sort legal action can I take?

Question:
As I've said in the title, my father died from an Oxycontin overdose when I was 10 years old (2010) in Arizona, United States. The specifics include that fact that he had obtained the lethal Oxycontin illegally but he his initial addiction had started years before as treatment for an injury that required him to get a hip replacement which caused him pain thus he has prescribed the drug. Near the end of his life, he wasn't able to get another prescription. His addiction pushed him to obtain the drug illegally and it was easy due to the fact that the town he was living in was a popular place to traffic drugs through the state thus there was a significant availability of the drug through illegal markets. After he obtained it he ground it up into a powder, diluted it, and injected into his body.  He later overdosed and passed. While he did not die from a prescription, OxyContin companies pushed him towards his addiction and his eventual death. I am one of many of the children who lost a parent to the drug. it has left me with mental issues including depression and anxiety. My mother has had to pay therapy and medication fees and I will eventually have to do the same. I am currently diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder but I have not diagnosed with depression.

Let me cut to the chase. With a recent mainstream focus on the drug, is it possible for my family to receive some kind of legal compensation or justice from these companies?

Answer: Your father died from an OD that occured from illegal drug use, I don't know who you would sue for that and you're likely past the SOL in any case.


Title: Forced lunch times [MN]

Question:
Hello!

I am here today to get some advice for my SO.

He works at a small company, he is one of 2 full time employees, not including the owner. There is one other man that works maybe 1 or 2 days a week depending on how busy it is. SO’s uncle is the owner of this company.

Uncles wife, runs the books. We had an issue last spring when she informed my SO he couldn’t work more than 40 hours a week and his uncle paid SO cash out of his pocket for any overtime worked since SO only works overtime when his boss asks and it’s needed and he didn’t want his wife finding out.

For the last 3 weeks SO’s paychecks reflect only 38 hours of pay for 40 hours actually worked that week. Uncles wife says she posted on their office bulletin board that everyone is to take a full hour lunch every day and instead of being there to relieve the employees of work and enforce they take that break she just automatically takes it from their pay.

Everything I can find so far is telling me that they only have to provide a 30 minute lunch in an 8 hour work day, I didn’t find anything stating they could force a full hour. Also, SO claims he rarely doesn’t work through his lunch, whether he’s answering phones or talking to customers between eating. From what I’ve gathered, a working lunch does not count as an unpaid lunch, I may have misunderstood that part but that’s what I assumed it meant. I just want to be sure that she has to pay him hours worked and can’t automatically dock his pay.

Any advice is appreciated and he and I are very prepared to take legal action if it’s an option.
Topic:
Labor Law (Unions)

Answer:
 Of course an employer can schedule a lunch break of an hour. That’s the job of employers, to set schedules. They have to actually take a break though, free from work.

The other stuff is wonky though. Cash OT payments?


Title: [Indiana] My brother, 31, stole $12k from my mom - how can I make sure she gets her money back?

Question:
Title says most of it, but the situation is this:

My brother stole a stack of checks out of my mother's house a few months ago.  He then proceeded to write checks to himself over the course of a month.  Along with that, he was nice enough to take a photo of her debt card and make charges on that.

After a panicked call to the bank when she was turned down at the grocery store, she got copies of all the checks and accompanying statements from her debt card.  Unsurprisingly, she didn't recognize the signature as her own on a number of checks written out to my brother to cash.  Along with that, there are things like payments to Comcast on her debt card that are obviously not hers (she gets internet through a local DSL ISP).

I've been encouraging her to talk to an attorney and so far she's trying to give my brother the benefit of the doubt, setting up a payment plan with him to repay her in full through weekly payments of $500.

After a family meeting, and his first payment, my brother has been less than reliable for the weekly payments.  In the second week, the payment was late and only $400.  It's slowly becoming worse as the weeks go on, a payment skipped, a payment of $300 instead of $500, etc.  She's now considering filing fraud charges against him, but I don't want her to be stranded without the money she's owed.  At her income level, losing $12k is life changing.  She's already been living frugally for some time, and that was essentially her only savings.  (please no comments about her keeping all that in her checking, I already told her).

So, my question:  Considering it's all documented, how can we take legal action, or what kind of lawyer should we talk to specifically, to make sure that her money is returned in full?

Answer: She can sue him herself or she can retain any general attorney that she wants, but she can't get blood from a stone.  If he had to steal $12K from his own mother, it's less than likely that she will get any money from him.  If he's not adverse to forging her signature, then she should make sure that she gets a copy of her full credit report to make sure that he hasn't opened a new line of credit in her name.


Title: Pulled over after driving home from a club - cops drove me home.

Question:
This is in North Carolina. I was pulled over and submitted to various road-side tests. I blew a .106 (legal limit is .08). The police officer explained to me that she was going to drive me home, and parked my car for me. She then took me to my home, didn't cite me and didn't tell me that I was being cited, arrested, or charged. She just handed me my license & registration back and told me "next time, call an uber".

&#x200B;

Can charges be brought at a later date? What should I do next? I'm freaking out.

Answer: You won the lottery.


Title: NJ Landlord refuses to return the security deposit. Sent a letter of damages of $6,600. Help

Question:
New Jersey tenant here. I have been renting at this house for 3 years and there are some minor wear and tear.
My last landlord sent over 50 pictures to my email over every wear and tear and damages we have not done. Today I receive a letter with ridiculous claims of damages exceding $6,000. Instead of returning the security deposit they are asking for more money. What should I do? What can I do?

Please any advice would be appreciated. Thank you

Answer:
 You have several options.

* You pay him.

* You don't pay him and dispute that you him the $6.000,-.

* You don't pay him dispute all damages and state that you want your security deposit back or will take him to small claims court. (In which case this case most likely ends up going to court and him countersuing you for an the $6.000,-)


Title: Incredibly easy to break into my apartment

Question:
I was locked out today and the landlady was out to lunch.

The good news is that I got in the apartment. The bad news is it's incredibly easy to break in.

I removed the fly screen (it's just wedged in the window frame, no screws) and then pushed the window up very easily (since it doesn't lock).

I figured it would be possible since I saw someone remove the screens to clean them the other day, and since I knew the windows don't latch. But this is no bueno. I didn't even break a sweat breaking in.

Do I have any grounds to make the apartment complex fix this? Install windows that latch or something?

Answer: Sliding window locks are about 10 bucks a 6 pack on Amazon.  Pick your battles.


Title: (Texas) Moved into a new place, previous tenant's electricity company locked the meter and will not allow power to be turned on by my power company.

Question:
My brother's girlfriend moved in with him, and my wife always liked her house so we applied with the landlord and moved in at the beginning of August. We were never roommates, and the lease documentation clearly states the she was to vacate the premises and is not a tenant. All this was followed; we never cohabitated.

I called my power company to transfer my service and she called hers to cancel hers on August 1. On the fourth of September, the power was cut off. Long story short, her power company applied a switch hold and blocked mine from transferring service, then cut off power. I called my power company, who said to send in a copy of the lease documentation and my last bill at the old place so they could send it to her power company to get the hold released. I sent this in.

They denied the request, stating that since I was "associated" with the previous tenant, it is against their policies to release the hold. We have had no power since then, and despite both of us calling, and the previous tenant paying her latest bill, they have refused to release the switch hold, because we are "associated" with each other, and their policy is not to remove switch holds at the request of an "associated" person. They've told her that the hold will come off if she closes her account and pays the final bill, but that won't be billed until the next cycle at the beginning of October. I can't wait that long to get power.

I don't understand how a company I've never had an account with, and who I don't owe a dime, can legally prevent me from acquiring power, or how they can penalize me for the actions of my brother's girlfriend. I'm not liable for her bills just because she's dating my brother, am I? is there anything I can do?

Answer:
 I really think you need to insist your LL fix this problem. Do you have a lease? Does it address utilities?

Read [this](https://www.puc.texas.gov/consumer/complaint/Rights.aspx). While it doesn't appear to me to exactly address your problem, it seems to come close...the first reason they list as to when a provider *cannot* deny  service is noteworthy:

>Utilities cannot deny service for...:
>>previous occupant's failure to pay utility bill."

 So they couldn't deny you service on the very same basis they're using to prevent you from acquiring service elsewhere.

 You can try contacting the PUC:
 https://www.puc.texas.gov/agency/about/contact/Default.aspx

 I had to edit this to read better, sorry.Answer #2: Maybe this is a Texas thing, but how is one residence under the purview of two different power providers?Answer #3: NAL This situation happened to me in RI. I was required to have a current, signed, and notarized lease without any of the previous utility holders names. They started a new account under my name as soon as I submitted it. That said, I don't know how your Texan utility works but give them a call, explain the situation, and they can explain the next steps. If the previous account holder (friend's girlfriend?) is no longer on the lease, they should work with you.


Title: Being sued by property buyer, how can I best prepare to help my Attorney (once I have one)?

Question:
Got served papers on Thursday night, being sued by the people that purchased our home 8 months ago.   Much of what they are saying should have been identified in the inspection, but they are saying there is mold and a leaking roof (which was new prior to us moving out).    They are accusing us of concealing the leak, which we knew nothing about.    We have opened a claim with our prior insurance company and will find a lawyer this week, but my question to the community is how can I best prepare things for the lawyer?   Is there some ordering or numbering of documents I should use?   Should I prepare a timeline in advance?   Anything else I can do to be prepared?

Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 Timelines are helpful, and a list of questions you have would also be good to help you keep your thoughts in order. Gather all your documents, but don't stress about what you have and how to organize it. Your lawyer will have his or her own opinion about what is needed and how to organize it. Answer #2: Did you have a real estate agent represent you when you sold?  If so, let them know too.Answer #3: It took 8 months for them to notice this stuff?

And yeah, they have to prove that you knew about these conditions and tried to conceal them. You'll really want a lawyer for this to cover yourself.Answer #4: Pretty sure it would've all been in the home inspection. So you might be in the free and clear. Answer #5: their inspector didn't catch it and it took 8 months to become an issue? I don't know if they can even prove it was a problem before the sale let alone that you knew about it.

were the papers you got served prepared by a lawyer or are they pro se?Answer #6: NAL and don't know the location, so take this with a grain of salt.

They are going to have an uphill battle. In my state, it's very much an As-Is and buyer beware. Things must be disclosed that the average, competent person would notice but are of material interest. They would have to prove that 1- You KNEW there was mold and a leaky roof and that 2- You knowingly made an effort to conceal that. It can be very difficult to prove what someone knew.

Definitely get a lawyer to help you.


Title: Vasectomy Gone Wrong

Question:
So I'm asking this on behalf of a friend....

My friend had a vasectomy done in May. He ended up with a hematoma shortly after, took some meds to clear it up. Now, several months later, his one testicle is still pretty firm, very close to his body and the entire bottom part of his scrotum is still very discoloured (purple) and even goes up the length of his penis in a straight line of bruising. Obviously, he's frustrated and feels that his junk has been ruined and wants to sue the doctor as he's asked around to his buddies who have had the procedure and did not have this problem. Does he have grounds to sue? If so, what kind of documentation would he need? I told him he should go and see his family doctor first to get a second opinion.

Answer:
 Medical malpractice is beyond the scope of the sub.

To have a case your friend would need to have experienced an outcome outside the ordinary range of outcomes, attributable to an error or deviation from a standard of care, that caused him a tangible loss.

He can consult with an attorney if he thinks all of those may be true.


Title: [NY] T-shirt bearing a celebrity's name and likeness

Question:
I have an idea for a t-shirt that I would like to have custom silk screened. The shirt design would involve an image combining a picture of a famous actor's face (from a still from a film) with text that is a pun on said actor's name. I have extensively researched this, and have not found any evidence of somebody else already having thought of this design or the pun. I would be making this composite image myself and then having it silk screened onto a shirt. I would have the shirt made for my own personal use and would not be selling shirts bearing this design, or otherwise trying to monetize it.

My question is twofold:
1) Since the image/text design is my idea, can I patent it to make sure that the person that I hire to silk screen it doesn't turn around and reuse my design to sell shirts? Could I get in trouble with either the actor or whomever owns the film rights for claiming the design as my intellectual property (even if I have processed it in making the design)?
2) Leaving the patent issue aside, am I even allowed to make a custom t-shirt bearing a celebrity's face, even if it will only be used as part of my personal wardrobe?

Answer:
 >1) Since the image/text design is my idea, can I patent it to make sure that the person that I hire to silk screen it doesn't turn around and reuse my design to sell shirts?

You can't patent a t-shirt.

>Could I get in trouble with either the actor or whomever owns the film rights for claiming the design as my intellectual property (even if I have processed it in making the design)?

Yes.  You are potentially violating the owner's copyrights and trademarks, and the actor's right of publicity.

>2) Leaving the patent issue aside, am I even allowed to make a custom t-shirt bearing a celebrity's face, even if it will only be used as part of my personal wardrobe?

The legal problems are the same.  But as a practical matter, if you can find someone to print one and only one shirt for you, the likelihood of it coming to the attention of anyone who would care is infinitesimally small.


Title: My former roommates are being evicted from the house I moved out of six months ago and the landlord is trying to put it on my record as well.

Question:
I live in Oklahoma. I moved into a house in February 2016. It was a year long lease. I moved in with my boyfriend (at the time) and his previous roommate. When the boyfriend and I broke up, the roommate (who was on drugs, which i assume was what led up to this) kept trying to start fights with me, locked me out a lot, pulled a gun on me, etc. I asked the landlord if there was anything he could do, but he said he legally couldn't kick him out unless he didn't pay rent, or did damage to the house. Fair enough.

So I moved out in July of 2016. The leasing office of the apartments I currently live in even called him and he told them that I broke my lease early.

But now the ex boyfriend and ex roommate are being evicted because ex roommate did not pay his half of rent for two months, along with breaking three doors, two door frames, shot a hole through a wall, and some cosmetic damage.

My ex and I are still on friendly terms, and he sent me a picture of the note the landlord placed on the door, including me in the eviction. So the ex boyfriend text him and asked him why my name was on it when I moved out months ago, and asked him to change it. But the landlord os saying that because I signed the lease, I'm legally obligated to be considered evicted as well.

I want to know if it's possible to
A) Fight this and
B) If there was a way I could maybe take it to small claims court or something and sue the ex roommate to pay for ALL the damage+rent he didn't pay for, and to have the eviction erased from mine and my ex boyfriend's record.

I'm trying to move across the country and I don't need an eviction from a house I haven't lived in for months to be on my record, keeping me from being able to get a new place.

Thank you in advance for any help i may receive.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: The landlord is correct. If you want to keep this from ruining your rental history, you need to pay the past due amount in full and try to negotiate with the landlord to keep this from being filed in court. Answer #2: I agree with the other advice here. Just wanted to point out that you probably don't have anything on the record to erase yet. The note is probably just the first step in the process, which tells you how long you have to pay what you owe to the landlord before you can be evicted. If you pay the landlord what is owed, he won't have cause for any court action anymore and nothing will go on the public record because of it.


Title: Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) Response

Question:
I have been with my current company (very large financial firm) for about 18 months. The first 14 months went well, as I worked with the manager who brought me in. In the time he was my manager he wrote me a good performance review (although not detailed and I only have one). He then left to take on another role and I was left with an interim manager who I did not get along with. She wrote me a performance review which had an overall rating of "Met Expectations" but with lots of negative points. That manager soon left for another position and we just got a new manager last month.

Right off the bat this new manager has been very negative and aggressive against me. She singles me out on the team and tries to make me miserable. I believe she read my last performance review and probably spoke with my old interim manager. After one month of a negative relationship (the entire time since she joined) with her she has issued me a 90-day Performance Improvement Plan. I believe she is trying to manage me out but I am not sure. The terms of the PIP are actually reasonable but they are subjective. I have read that you should always counter a PIP. Ideally I would be given 4 months of paid leave to find a new position either internally or externally. I am not sure they will give me this. I have a written a PIP response stating that I refuse to sign the PIP because I believe I am working in a toxic relationship and that some of the accusations on the PIP are exaggerated and that I would like to have time away from her (perhaps severance) to find a new position.

Main concerns are - Although my last performance review was overall neutral, it has a lot of negative points on there which may make finding a new position internally difficult. (I do not have a big network at the company).

Should I just go along with the PIP as well as I can and hope she shows some mercy on me? Or should I always counter to try and get it off my record with the agreement that I will leave in 4 months? I am searching for a new job aggressively regardless.

Answer:
 This is more job advice than legal advice. I would write a counter statement to the PIP. Keep it brief as possible but hit these points.

1. Point out anywhere where it's wrong of misleading.

2. Your strengths, accomplishments,  and areas where you are improving, and potential to improve even more. Don't say anything about a promotion right now, this is you trying to save your job.

3. If something negative is correct, acknowledge it and pledge to do better.

4. Anything unique of value you think you bring to the organization.


Title: Pharmacy gave GF generic form of a medicine she was prescribed without prior consent

Question: As title says, a large chain pharmacy gave my girlfriend(22f) the generic version of a medicine she was prescribed without her giving consent. She took it anyway, after doing quick research to make sure it would help alleviate the symptoms she was showing. She is currently having more or less adverse side effects, and I would like to know what course of action to take going forward, if any. Location is New Jersey. If more information is needed feel free to ask.

Answer: Substitution laws allow the pharmacy to dispense a lower cost generic drug unless the prescriber specifically says not to, as long as they're considered exactly equivalent by the FDA. If she wants the brand name she has to get her doctor to prescribe it and indicate to dispense as written. However, having side effects is normal and is unlikely to be due to generic substitution, so getting the brand drug is probably not a good idea. She should talk to her doctor if she can't tolerate the side effects. No laws were broken here.Answer #2: Not a lawyer, but work in the medical field. If the doctor checked "product selection permitted" on the prescription, the pharmacy is allowed to replace it with a generic equivalent unless the patient objects. I'd have her ask the Dr to write for brand name only.


Title: Would I get in legal trouble for sowing wildflower seeds on land I don’t own?

Question: Background: I’m on an American college campus (southeast US) and, to be honest, it’s a little plain, all grass and dirt, and I had the idea of doing a little guerilla gardening and sowing some wildflower seeds in preparation for the fall. Assuming it’s all native plants, would I face any sort of legal repercussions if I did this?

Answer:
 Yes it's a crime. You don't own the land. If they figure out it's you, you might be on the hook for costs to mitigate the nuisance you've created.

That's the short answer you were looking for. Answer #2: This question sounds like an 17th century sex question to a judge/priest. Answer #3: It's called guerilla gardening and nobody has enough time to investigate people making something nice. Worst case scenario is that your plants get removed prematurely which is disappointing particularly if you know the guy knows who planted it but they don't offer you the chance to take back your plants after making the area pretty helped them get the next step organised. Answer #4: You could get in trouble, but you're unlikely to be caught and this isn't something anyone is going to devote a lot of resources to investigating.

Unless you plant an invasive species then you could be fucked.Answer #5: Is the area maintained and mowed regularly? Or is it over grown field/prairie grass? You could probably get away with scattering wildflower seeds if it's just over grown grassland. If it's mowed and we'll taken care of it probably wouldn't matter anyway due to it being mowed.Answer #6: This happens in Seattle all the time.


Title: WA - Leaving my car at Airbnb owners driveway for a month while I fly home. Liability of owner for potential break-in?

Question:
I will be flying home tomorrow and leaving all of my possessions in my car which will be in her (Airbnb owner) driveway for about a month.

I've been living at this Airbnb for about 6-months for work. Now I am in the process of relocating and will be flying home and returning with my larger items in a Uhaul.

So my question is what is her liability if something were to happen to my car, like a break-in, while I'm away? It never crossed my mind that I would pursue damages from her if a break-in happened but she seems concerned. Would it be a bad idea for me to sign something releasing her from liability?

Answer: Nearly none, unless she breaks into your car herself. Renting a parking space doesn't oblige the owner to act as a police force.


Title: I just proposed to my girlfriend. She's an Aupair in the US until next year. Advice?

Question:
Hey all,

I just proposed to my girlfriend of almost one year.

To avoid a crazy long story I'm going to jump straight to my question.

She's here on a J-1 Visa that expires next year. Before starting she agreed to a two year home country thing that pretty much means that she has to return to France once her contract (visa) is up, and stay there for TWO YEARS.

We've talked to a bunch of people who have had their spouses stay in the US after getting married on similar visas but no one is able to give us specifics on how the accomplished it.

I was wondering if anyone here has been in a similar situation and had any more information for us, or helpful guides. We'd like to avoid relying on a lawyer as neither of us has a lot of money, but if it is necessary we can figure it out.

Thanks for reading and I appreciate any advice provided!

TL;DR: Fiance is from France on a J1 visa, she is required to go back to France for two years once her contract is finished. How can I make it so she can stay in the US with me?
Topic:
Immigration

Answer:
 Talk to an immigration attorney, they will be able to best advise you on how to move forward. Answer #2: My wife works part time as a sort of interface person for an *au pair* company, though her main job is as a therapist.  (This is more of a hobby where she gets to interact with folks from other cultures.)  Regardless, apparently you can get waivers and transfers in order to deal with this sort of situation, but it is advisable to consult with an attorney on it before taking any action yourself.

Some folks, however, literally cannot get waivers for whatever reason so they end up having to get married in the home country then come back here after the waiting period.  This is rare, according to her, but then again she isn't dealing with the same company, most likely, nor is hers all that significant of a sample size.


Title: [Montana] My neighbor's kids are being raised in a white supremacist pagan cult

Question: My neighbor is an avowed white nationalist. He's also a pagan that lives off the grid. They worship animals like bears and moose as well as Nordic Gods like Odin. He has six kids and none of them are in school. His wife homeschools them but she is, not trying to be mean, a bit touched. She is also a white nationalist. I know their views, while reprehensible, don't violate the law, but what about their children? I don't know when she actually "schools" them as they are outside playing most of the time. Also I'm not sure he has a job. I know his wife doesn't (they value traditional roles for women i.e. staying home).

Answer:
 If you think that the kids are not going to school CPS may check on that but as long as they are following homeschool regulations for your state its not an issue.

Parents are allowed to raise their kids to be white supremacists or pagans if that is what they believe. That's the same freedom everyone has to raise their kids Christian, or muslim or as flat earthers.


Title: Assault at Library

Question:
I’ll try to keep this short but my girlfriend (7 months pregnant) was babysitting my little cousins and went to the library to read and play on computers.

They entered the sensory room (play room for kids) and were followed by an employee who was in his early 60s. She didn’t think anything weird of it because she thought someone had to be in the room with them while they played.

A while after playing with toys the older man looks at the kids and says “want to see something funny?” and proceeds to headbutt my girlfriend directly in the stomach. My girlfriend was furious and thought maybe the man had mental issues. She told the kids to hurry and pack up so they could leave. She then bent down to help clean up the toys and was shoved on her butt by the man.

She made a complaint to the librarian and the lady commented that he’s had some “mental problems lately.”

I’m obviously beyond furious about the incident because it could have caused damage to my unborn child. We have the employees first name and the branch. At the moment I’m leaning towards pressing charges or suing the library.

My question is, what should be my first course of action? She’s calling the OB tomorrow to schedule an appointment to get the baby check out and also to record the incident. Would you guys call the district manager and complain? Get a police report first? See if the incident was caught on camera?

I want to make sure that this employee is fired and no library customers are ever around this man again.  I don’t care about money compensation, but I want the library to understand they are at fault for letting this man around the general public knowing he’s had “issues”.

Answer: File assault charges immediately. This man is dangerous. If he could do this to your gf (I’m assuming is visually pregnant) than he is capable of causing harm to a child or anyone. I wouldn’t wait until tomorrow. ASAPAnswer #2: If it is your town library immediately call your town hall and explain what happened. Go to the highest level of authority in this case.Answer #3: Police report definitely. Lawsuit is premature at this point, because it is unclear whether there are any real damages to claim.


Title: Is my employer taking advantage of me?

Question:
I am a pizza delivery driver at a very small chain in California. My employer regularly schedules drivers to be on call from 11am-4pm in case they get a delivery request. Mornings are slow so they don’t really need a driver there. If you are not called in then you start your normal shift at 4pm. The catch is, if you get called you must be at work ready to take the order to the customer within 20 minutes of getting called by a manager. We do not get paid unless we get called in and at that point we would clock in and go from there. When on call we obviously cannot drink alcohol and would face disciplinary actions (including possible termination) if we do not get to work within that 20 minute time period. Should myself and the other drivers be paid our regular hourly wage during the time that we are on call if our employer has the mentioned stipulations in place?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 This is where controlled standby vs uncontrolled standby comes into play.  (Or as it's called at the Federal level, engaged to wait or waiting to engage.)

With a 20-minute time to be *at work* that is almost definitely controlled standby.  You could clearly demonstrate that you are heavily restricted from "attending private pursuits."

The DLSE would ultimately decide, but I can't see how it would be uncontrolled standby with that kind of window.


Title: Can an employer who routinely reimburses employees for meals during travel refuse to reimburse "snacks" or food eaten at "non-standard meal times"?

Question:
This is mostly for my own curiosity. I process travel expense claims, and purchasing requires itemized receipts for meals in order to reimburse. Previously they would reimburse anything as long as it was not alcohol and did not exceed the daily maximum budget for food costs.

Recently, they have been kicking back claims and refusing to pay for things like coffees, or what I would consider a small meal (coffee and croquettes, for example) citing that these are "snacks". They have also been refusing to pay things if the receipt is timestamped for what they consider a "non-standard" meal time, especially if this is also a small item that they don't consider a meal.

My question is regarding the legality of this relating to medical issues. I know (through casual conversation) that some of the employees have medical conditions that require them to eat small, frequent meals. Right now I am looking at receipts for one such employee, where the total for the day is about $30 (per diem rate is well over $60 for the city they were in) but it's spread over 5 receipts.

I am sure they are going to refuse to pay this, and I am wondering if this is a form of discrimination? Do they have the right to tell people what kind of meals they must eat and when they may eat in order to be reimbursed?

Answer: There's no requirement that meals be reimbursed in the first place so the employer can set and policy they want to provide it does not result in illegal discrimination.Answer #2: They may consider requesting a reasonable accomodation to receive reimbursement for smaller more frequent meals. Without this there is no law I know of that prevents the company from managing their policy this way.Answer #3: In most states, they do not have to reimburse anything as long as after the expenses you make over minimum wage.


Title: [Minnesota] Car dealership messed up on the sales price.

Question:
Do I have to sign the new loan for a higher price? They just emailed me the following.
"It looks like I screwed up some of the numbers on your car deal. I accidentally double dipped a couple rebates, so I need you to come in and re-sign your paperwork, unfortunately your payment is going to go up a bit. If you want to stay at 60 months your payment will be $321, if you want to stretch it out to 72 it will be $285.
Let me know when you can come in and help take care of this."

Answer:
 When I bought a car, the dealer tried this as well. Called me and said we had to give them an extra $1000 because a secretary mis-typed the numbers.

I told them that I had a signed contract. If they want, they can take me to court. I'll show the court the contract signed by the dealer. I said if they think they can win, feel free to sue.

They hung up on me and I never heard from them again.


Title: Ceiling fan fell on my friend

Question: So my friend just moved into new a new apartment (2days ago). As she was making her bed yesterday the ceiling fan fell on her. Shes okay thank goodness but has a sore and bruised neck. Im asking for advice because wed like to know the best way to approach this? Should she deal with them, like get rent discounted or for a chiropractor visit?

Answer:
 Her first step should be to get a medical exam from her primary care physician. Injuries can sometimes take a long time to make themselves known, and this is the best way to begin to deal with any that exist. If she has any substantial injuries, I'd speak to a personal injury lawyer.

Her next step should be to take and preserve pictures of everything: the fan on the bed / floor, debris, the hole in the ceiling, everything. The landlord may claim this is somehow her fault.

If there are no injuries, and after she has way too many photos, contact the landlord and let them know what happened. Tell them you'd like it fixed as soon as possible.


Title: Does US copyright law apply to work that was done outside the US? Overseas worker is trying to claim copyright

Question: To be brief, I hired a person through the Boston Craigslist. Of course, since he replied to my ad, I thought he was based in Boston or at the very least in the US. It turns out he’s based in Sri Lanka. The synopsis is I gave him specs and designs for code, along with pre existing code to work with. I’ve been paying him invoices for months and he has not uploaded anything to my server (I’ve only seen the code on his server— and it was broken code at that). He refuses to send me what I’ve paid for and is now saying that he owns copyrights to everything. I want to file a lawsuit against him (because he’s threatened me with one after I asked the invoice company to refund me). My question is— do US copyright laws apply to work that was done overseas?

Answer:
 The other party was producing the code in a work for hire relationship? You were paying them to write the code?

The copyright is probably yours.Answer #2: My gut instinct says that US copyright law would only apply to works created in the US or to works that where the contract specified that US copyright law would control. But that’s actually good news for you, because under US copyright law, unless you specifically stated in the contract you had between you and this guy that this was a work for hire, you’d have a hell of a time arguing that you had the copyright over whatever code he produced. A “work for hire” requires an employer/employee relationship where you demonstrated control over some manner/means/schedule/etc., and from your description it sounds like you didn’t have a ton of control over this guy’s process.

Fortunately for you, it appears that Sri Lanka’s copyright laws lean more in your favor. See [here](http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/text.jsp?file_id=128549#P341_23448), specifically Sec. 17(3). From my reading, it looks like copyright rests with the person who commissioned a work, regardless of how much control they exerted on the author of a work.

All that said, I’m not an international lawyer, nor an intellectual property lawyer, and I’m certainly not your lawyer. If you really want either your money or the product you commissioned from this guy, you’re likely going to need to find a real lawyer.


Title: Roommate keeps opening our mail and the mail of the previous tennants. How can we put an end to this? (US, MN)

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: He's committing a crime by opening your mail. Make a complaint with the US Postal Inspection Service. They are essentially the mail police https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/contactus/filecomplaint.aspx


Title: How much trouble would I be in if caught working as a marijuana delivery driver in San Diego?

Question: I'm an autistic female and really need the money...

Answer:
 Quantity?

If it's a substantial amount, you are looking at a felony conviction and multiple years, if not decades in a federal prison. You don't need the money that bad.


Title: Falsely accused of sexual assault

Question:
I went on a date with someone I had just met. We had a very minimal amount of drinks (she had one mixed and a half) and then went to the beach for a couple hours. We went back to my place and started to talk and fool around for about 2 hours. Before we had intercourse I stopped and asked her where she wants to go with "us." She responded saying that she gets whatever she wants, whenever she wants. I immediate stopped in my tracks and suggested she went home so we can both think about things before we did anything serious. She refused to leave, was screaming outside my house at 1 am, so I called the cops.

She repeated brought up the fact that her father is a police chief (a different state) she's a teacher , and this never happens to her. (I assume these are her motivations for what she did)

The officer shows up, I tell the officer that I need to go to bed because I have finals in the morning, I don't want to press charges on anything and I just want her gone. I'll pay for an uber, or taxi, or whatever. The officer said she would deal with it and I went to bed.

An hour later I get a knock on my door and it's 3 more officers that were called because she told them I sexually assaulted her. I never actually had sex with her, in fact my boxers never came off. She had hickies. They got both of our stories and left.

Since then the girl added me on IG and sent me a vague threat that I screen shotted both and sent to the detective.

What should I do? Should I be worried? It's been 3 days since.

Answer:
 >What should I do?

First of all: STOP TALKING TO THE POLICE. Yes that is in all caps because you can only damage your case and not help.

Secondly: I don't use IG but your best course of action is to keep records of everything but to not reply to her.

Answer #2: As others have said, STOP talking to the police NOW.

It sounds counter intuitive because you know you are innocent, but you have to understand, they don't know that.  And anything you say to them whatsoever will be used to build a case against you.

Links are not allowed here but you need to google "Don't talk to the police" and click the first result.  Watch that video and then you should understand why they are not on your side, even though you have not committed a crime.


Title: [LA, California] My car got broken into, my garage has signs advertising that they have CCTV but the cameras are broken, the manager threatened to call the cops on me for asking for a refund

Question:
Hi new friends.

On Saturday night, someone smashed my window and broke into my car. Why someone would break into a Mitsubishi Mirage is beyond me. I had parked in direct view of the security cameras for this very reason.

I filed a police report and contacted the garage about getting the footage. I was told the cameras don't work and the manager said so what, it wouldn't help anyway. I told him that I wanted my money back because there are signs saying that there's CCTV and I parked by the cameras on purpose. He offered me a half a month to leave but when I kept talking (since he didn't have the cash, I'm still paying for my spot) he threatened to call the cops.

Do I have any option of legal recourse here? It's messed up to have cameras and signs about them but not tell anyone they aren't working.

Answer: I think the sign is there more to scare away criminals then to guarantee that your car is going to be protected from any kind of damage or theft.


Title: Underage friend posted on a sketchy backpage claiming to be a prostitute. Dayton, Ohio

Question:
An underage friend of mine was posted on dayton back pages, she's been flooded with texts and calls about it until she got her number changed.
She knows exactly who did it but doesn't have any documentation of proof to show.
What's the next step she should take?

Answer: Call the policeAnswer #2: Go to the police station. If someone reports her for prostitution everyone is going to be in a world of hurt.


Title: (Ne) Can my landlord evict me for having an extra occupant?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: It depends what the lease actually says.  Most leases restrict occupants to those named on the lease.  Sounds like they have cause.Answer #2: It seems by the terms of your lease, it is indeed legal for them to ask your boyfriend to vacate.


Title: Rental company is trying to charge me for something I don't think I should be.

Question:
I signed a lease that started on the first of the month. But the rental company called me a week before the lease started and said I could move in(sweet that's awesome, otherwise I was gonna be crashing on a friends couch for a week.) They never made any mention of any additional charges.  I went and picked up the keys and moved in. Now they are trying to say I owe money to pay rent for that week (which is outside the dates of my signed lease. ) The lease doesn't state anything about having to pay extra rent if you move in early.

My question is will I have to pay rent for that week? I'm currently fighting with them about it.

This is in wisconsin

Answer:
 Did you actually move in for that one week "early" period?

If so, why would you think you *wouldn't* have to pay?  All you were told is that the unit was available to move in, not that it was "available at no cost to you".


Title: Maryland-Landlord/Tenant court summon was posted on my door for wrong person/wrong address; what is my responsibility?

Question: I live in Maryland. It seems like an obvious mistake, where the deputy(?) came to the wrong building# in an apartment complex and posted a court summon for an eviction case. Am I obligated to notify the plaintiff/defendant?

Answer: Not legally.  But as a citizen of the human race, I hope you'll contact the listed parties, or the court at a minimum, to notify them of the mistaken service.


Title: My brother was one of the 5 on Patterson rig 219

Question:
I'm on mobile so sorry for any formatting issues.

The accident happened on Monday and on Tuesday the mission changed from rescue to recovery and his remains were found. It is my understanding, that under Oklahoma workers compensation law in gas and oil, that you can't sue the operator or drilling companies. This law was changed on the Tuesday of the recovery to where you can now hold the operator liable. I'd like to get your guys take on this. Which law applies to my brothers situation? The old one or the new. No one in my family has been contacted by the operator.
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer: You need a lawyer versed in wrongful death litigation.


Title: Ex husband trying to cause pain

Question:
Please help if you can.
My girl friends ex husband has been doing everything he can to make her life miserable. The day before Christmas he somehow hacked into her Facebook and messenger account and blocked all her friends and tried to post some bad things about her but even worse. ----->>>> He saw pics that were taken in our conversation in messenger where she was naked and showed those to their children in an attempt to degrade their mother. Now he is threatening to show others these private pics and conversations that we shared that he broke into her account to get. What can we do and is there any recourse for what was already done and how can we go about stopping him. It is in the state of Utah. Thank you I greatly appreciate all advice.

Answer:
 Hacking into another person's social media accounts is, in most cases, to be both a state and federal offense.  If you can substantiate that it was indeed the ex, then I would recommend speaking with both state and federal law enforcement agencies.  As to the nude photos being shown to minors.  This is absolutely a chargeable offense, by both state and federal authorities.Answer #2: I am not a legal professional but isn’t showing naked pictures to children the same as showing porn to them? Because naked pictures are porn? If I were you I would start there.

Side note, that’s sickening, he sounds like a monster. I hope at the very least they reduce or eliminate his custody. If he’s willing to do that disgusting of an act, I’m sure he’s very manipulative and abusive towards the children. Answer #3: NAL, but wow, he's an idiot. Normally it'd be hard to prove who hacked an online account but he's openly admitting to it by sharing the materials and making threats. He's committing multiple crimes, possibly including sex offenses if the children he's showing those pictures to are still minors. Document everything you can, got to the police ASAP. How has he been making those threats? Text?Answer #4: In addition to what others have said, You can call both the police and CPS to report a parent who shows pornographic pictures to children.Answer #5: If he is demanding anything as a condition of him not sharing the pictures with other people, that's extortion.  It can be a very serious felony, especially in a "revenge porn" situation.


Title: UPDATE: Landlord keeping first month's rent after house was not ready for occupancy - Florida

Question:
[Original post](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3k89xj/landlord_keeping_first_months_rent_after_house/)

At the suggestion of the fine people who frequent here, we sent the landlord an email and certified mail letters to the addresses we could find for him. On 9/11, we sent this:

>The $1400 paid on 8/18 was rent for September 2015(see attached) with a move in date of September 1, 2015. We were unable to move in on September 1 because the kitchen still had no counter top or sink, the A/C was failing to cool the house properly and pooling in the garage, mold by the A/C, and there was storm damage to the paneling on the rear of the house. As of today, 9/11, the house still has no kitchen sink, the A/C was set to 73 but the temperature in the house was 83 with pools of water in the garage, mold by the A/C, and the paneling still had not been repaired.

>We expect a complete and full return of our rent no later than September 25, or we will file in small claims court for not only the amount of rent paid but for filing fees and any further counsel we must retain.

>A copy of this letter has been sent to you via certified mail at both [addresses redacted.]

Today, I received an email reply from him as follows:

>My attorney, [redacted, lives 4 hours away according to Google] indicates that it may be more economical to split our financial differences rather than he show up to defend any claim you feel you have against me. I am prepared to pay $700 effective today to settle this matter without further discussions.

I don't personally feel I should accept his offer, as he failed to uphold his end of our verbal contract when the house was not ready for occupancy on Sept 1. Once we paid the rent for September at the new house, we gave notice to our current landlord that we were vacating at the end of September. We've since spoken with them and they'll let us extend our stay through October, but they're charging us an extra $100 for 'month to month' because of the inconvenience (they had already laid out plans to travel to inspect property and get ready for leasing again, I guess.) While we haven't had to pay any lawyer fees yet, no place locally will offer free consultations for landlord/tenant issues, and the cheapest we've found is $275/hr and thinks they would bill 3-4 hours for the whole thing.

What do I do from here? Should I call his lawyer that he name dropped and tell him that we expect the full refund or we will seek the initial $1400 and lawyer fees of $750+? Is he liable for the $100 our current landlord is charging us because we weren't able to move out when we had told them to?

Again, thank you all for your help. Money is tight this year and it only gets tighter towards the holidays, especially since we're expecting our third child in the beginning of December.

Edit:

Thank you for all of your replies, we may have to file to get him to give us a full refund but if it goes to court, I'm confident we will win.

Edit edit 9/23 11am EST):

He's replied this morning:

>On advice of legal representation, I consider your payment in the amount of $1400 forfeited as you decided not to enter into a lease agreement for the premises at [address]. Your check clearly indicates it was for rent for month of September 2015. I do not know whatever influenced your decision not to lease the premises but I do not plan to suffer the financial loss.  I will still honor returning half the amount paid but beyond that being acceptable to you, I recommend you do what you need to do.  I will vigorously defend any suit brought against me in this matter.

So it looks like we're going to court.

Answer:
 It's your call if it's worth the additional $700 to take him to small claims. You don't need a lawyer for small claims, so I'd go ahead and sue for the full amount.

I believe you could absolutely sue him for the $1400 + the $100 your current LL is charging you + any temporary housing costs associated with the unit not being ready.

I wouldn't call the lawyer. I'd respond to the landlord via snail mail and CC the lawyer (send him a copy as well) with your response.Answer #2: Do not call his lawyer. You can either send another letter explaining that is not acceptable (and it isn't) or you can file in small claims on the 25th like you originally indicated you would. He may be liable to the extra costs you have accrued due to the property not being available when promised.

At this point I would also seek to move somewhere else. Answer #3: >My attorney indicates that it may be more economical to split our financial differences **rather than he show up** to defend any claim you feel you have against me

An attorney advising his client *against* billable hours? What universe did I wake up in?

Seriously though, I'm guessing he doesn't actually have an attorney; he's just trying to scare you into not fighting. If he does have an attorney and he really did suggest that, it's because *he knows he's going to lose*.

Take this bastard to small claims. I'm sure you're not the first person he's done this way, and unless the judge can put him in his place you won't be the last.


Title: When a defendant who testifies in his defense is found guilty, could he be charged with perjury for saying he didn't commit the crime?

Question:
Say someone is charged with murder. The defendant is called to testify in his defense and states he did not commit the murder, he was out of town on the night the murder took place, and he hadn't seen the victim in several months. Witnesses for the prosecution testified that they saw him in town with the victim just hours before the body was found and his fingerprints were on the murder weapon. He is found guilty.

Could someone in this position subsequently be convicted of perjury for making these demonstrably false statements even though the sole purpose was to defend himself?

Answer: Theoretically possible, but rarely happens. Prosecution is usually happy with the pound of flesh it got from the conviction and has no interest in pursuing perjury charges. Proving perjury basically means doing the whole trial over again--to prove he lied, you have to prove he was guilty. Also, it's often the case that proving perjury is even tougher than the substantive crime, because you have to show that the defendant knew he was lying, not just confused or misremembering.Answer #2: Can you prove the defendant knowingly lied(that’s the crime). Being found guilty doesn’t mean the defendant knowingly lied under oath. It means the prosecution made a better legal argument. No more, no less. There is a difference. The terms guilty and innocent(which isn’t even really a term. It’s guilty and not guilty) are far too connected in English understanding for the courtroom to continue to use.


Title: My Former Student Was Taken to Iraq Against Her Will

Question:
Hello everyone. I'm posting here because I don't know what to do or who to ask for help and I know Reddit is full of good people.

I'm a teacher in the northern Virginia region.

A student of mine that just graduated in June was told by her father that they would be taking a family vacation to Turkey.

By the time she caught on to the fact that the promised vacation to Turkey was just a ruse, it was too late, and she had already boarded an airplane to Iraq.

The student is a 21 year old female. After growing up in Iraq, she came to the United States three years ago and just finished high school.

The current situation is that at this very moment I have been led to believe that she is locked in a room in a house with her father. The father will not let her leave the room, and has taken her green card and passport and any identifying documents away from her.

I am really worried about her because in the United States she had a Latino boyfriend and the father, who is very religious and devout, was not happy about the relationship having taken place. Just to make this short, I am worried that the worst possible things could happen to her.

What can I do? How can I help her without making her situation worse? What rights does she have?

Answer:
 I've spent a lot of time in Iraq. I'm really sorry man. That culture regards women as property, either of thier father, or thier husband, who is usually chosen by the father. She functionally has next to no rights as a person in that place and there is pretty much nothing anybody can legally do about it.

Theres a guy, they called him the beekeeper. I think his real name is Abdullah Shrim. He was specialized in recovering women kidnapped by ISIS, I think his rescue operations usually cost between $3,000 and $15,000. He doesn't keep it for profit, just uses the money to pay for the resources needed for the rescue. He specialized in rescuing ISIS sex slaves, but maybe he could help.

Its a long shot, and I have no idea how to contact him, but he's been in the news. Maybe if you contacted the reporters who wrote the stories they could get you in contact with him.Answer #2: Contacting her discretely through email or facebook is the best choice.  Making a fuss, contacting the family, ect. could make things worse.Answer #3: Unless you can afford to hire mercenaries to get her back (which is something people have done before) I'm afraid there's nothing you can do.Answer #4: In regards to your edit, please be very careful about who you contact over there. Communication with the wrong person is a good way to get yourself targeted by security agencies for being in contact with extremist or fundamentalist organizations/individuals.Answer #5: Unfortunately because she's not a citizen your options are DIY or mercenaries.Answer #6: Post in r/iraq. Maybe you’ll get lucky and find something in that sub who is living close to where your former student is staying. They can at least verify she’s ok.


Title: [SC] Husband listed as nonsmoker on health insurance policy, picked up smoking after obtaining the policy

Question:
My husband's employee health insurance does charge a monthly fee of $150 for being a smoker (at least, I'm fairly positive it's monthly).

What sort of legal ramifications might he be subjected to should the insurance company discover he is a smoker with a nonsmoker policy?

Answer: Aside from the insurance implications that have been mentioned, your husband's employer could choose to fire him if they find out.Answer #2: So, under the ACA, the insurance company can't cancel your policy or anything if they found out he was smoking. The most they can do is try to collect the extra premium he would have paid as a smoker, starting from the month that he started smoking.


Title: Lying on resume

Question:
Hello everyone, I’m in the United States (New York to be exact.)

Hypothetically speaking, if I lied about my work experience on a resume will I face jail time? Is it a crime? Has anyone ever lied and got away with it?

Answer:
 You could get fired immediately.

It will truly embarrass you.

You won't go to jail.

They might think you know the skill set and send you on a business trip.

Or a meeting / conference or something where you are introduced as the company expert?

If you cost them money or embarrass them?

They won't be happy, to say the least.

All kinds of things could go wrong.

Maybe you should study up on the subject matter?

Or don't lie on your resume?


Title: Friend’s divorce lawyer was a dud who gave terrible council resulting in reduced visitation rights and highly skewed support. Does he have any recourse?

Question:
Title has most of it. My friend has no issues with being unfit or anything, but got a boatload of terrible advice from his first lawyer. His second said, by the time they took him on, “the damage was done”. Now that the divorce is finalised and he’s been shafted, does he have any recourse?

Thanks.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 If he thinks the first lawyer failed to live up to professional standards, he can report the attorney to the state bar.

Having a bad lawyer isn't a reason to get a "do over" of his trial in this case. To be sure, he should discuss it with his current lawyer.


Title: [CA] Taking a picture in the locker room of an unsuspecting subject, then posting it online

Question:
Playboy model Dani Mathers took a picture of a naked woman at her gym then posted the photo on [Snapchat](http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/36793908/playboy-model-dani-mathers-apologises-for-body-shaming)

The gym notified the [LAPD](http://www.tmz.com/2016/07/14/dani-mathers-gym-pic-photo-police-report/)

What charges does she face?

Answer:
 A quick look tells me california has peeping Tom laws in their Penal code. I believe it's a violation to secretly record or photograph another person in a private room in order to view that person's body and another violation to intentionally distribute intimate body parts of that person.  Penalties...up to 6 months in county jail and/or $1k in fines. CA Penal Code 647.

On a less legal note. How fucked up is this.  She had the audacity to say on twitter that she wasn't a mean and hurtful person and she needed time to process her actions,  i hope she has the chance to do just that,  for at least a few days,  in county.


Title: Protecting Recipes I developed

Question:
I live in Utah and I was hired by a restaurant to run the kitchen. while I was there I developed some new recipes. It was agreed that I would give up ownership of the recipes for $1,000. It has been at least 4 months and I have not received any payments. I am leaving the restaurant for a new job in a couple of weeks. how can I protect my recipes if they don't pay?
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer: You can't take back the giving of the recipes to the restaurant, so your recourse is to sue them in small claims court for $1,000 plus court costs.  Look up the small claims court process in your state and county, and bring all the evidence you can that this contract existed.


Title: [Oklahoma] We have had record flooding here. Stuff that has never flooded before is flooded. So obviously a lot of people didn’t have flood insurance. If you’re outside a flood plain do you still have to have flood insurance to be covered and what does FEMA do when it’s enacted?

Question:
Topic:
Insurance

Answer: Check your insurance policy to find out for certain.  However, it's pretty likely there's a clause there saying they won't cover flooding-related damage unless you specifically buy flood insurance coverage.


Title: My friend assaulted someone while he was delusional. What will happen to him?

Question:
My best friend has been having some mental problems lately and yesterday he was paranoid and delusional and ran over someone. He ran over her and then drove away. He was charged with Assault 2nd, fleeing and evading along with a couple other charges. He wasn't in his right mind though and was recently diagnosed schizophrenic. He's in jail now and I haven't been able to get in touch with him. Does anyone have any idea what will happen to him? Those charges could carry 5-10 years if convicted. I'm worried for him, so please help me out.

Edit: this happened in Kentucky.

Answer: He needs a lawyer stat. Have you been in touch with his parents?


Title: I'm 16 my boyfriend is 18 is it okay if we have sex?

Question:
My boyfriend and I met in Bali when he was 16 and I was 15, he moved to Australia and I moved to California.
He is now 18 and I'm 16, he's coming to visit for my 17th birthday, and I was wondering if he would get in any trouble if we had sex here in California (we've already had sex before) we're only 1.5 years apart.
Location: California
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 California age of consent is 18.  There is no close in age exception that would make it legal.

There is a close in age exception that reduces it from a felony to misdemeanor.


Title: Question About New Oregon Legal Smoking Age?

Question:
Oregon just passed a bill that will come into effect at the start of 2018, which will change the legal age for purchasing, and possesing tobacco from 18 to 21yrs. I am 18y/o.

I just bought a vaporizer, which is for some reason considered a tobacco product even when no nicotine is present(which is what I am doing). The new bill mentions that the retailers selling the products will be fined, and that no criminal charges will be brought against those who are currently using it.

Do no criminal charges insure that I cannot have my vaporizer be confiscated by the police? Oregon is not a stop and ID law state, how can they know if I am of legal age? Do I have to worry or, or is this new bill nothing I should worry about going forward.

Answer:
 According to [this news article](http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/08/oregon_becomes_third_state_to.html), it is illegal for anybody under 21 to possess tobacco.  The article does mention the law is meant to crack down on sellers and not buyers.

HOWEVER, based solely on the article, it makes it clear that anybody under 21 in possession of tobacco is illegal.  If the police have suspect you are under 21 and in possession of tobacco, of course they can request identification.  They can request identification anyways.


Title: [USA - NJ] 12 year old in bad living situation with divorced father, anything I can do?

Question:
Alright, so I know the chances of me being able to do anything are slim to none . However, thought I'd give it a chance. My parents have been legally separated for 2 years now and just got officially divorced about a month ago. They have been splitting weekends for over a year now, and starting splitting weekdays in march. My mom moved out 6 months ago. My dad has not helped me get through this at all. For the last year or so, he has constantly berated my mom and me. I don't know how to describe it, and honestly can't. I often have to lock myself in my room just to get away from him. I have audio, texts he has sent me, and my mom has things I have texted her about my dads behavior and actions. I know it may seem like it is just a close to teenage son and his father having issues, and while it is somewhat that, it roots in his inability to take any responsibility for the divorce, and constantly blame everything in his life on my mom. My younger brother and I often become stuck in this one sided war. We both hate our fathers parenting time. My mom and dad currently have 50/50 custody. Is there anything I as a 12 year old can do to change this? And would I be putting my mom in a bad spot if I chose to go to my moms house during my dads parenting time? Thanks for any help in advance. This was somewhat of a rant/vent, but I also need some advice.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Can/will Mom help with this?

Talk to Mom, be 100% fair and honest in conveying what your Dad says and does, and don't let Mom put words in your mouth--make sure she understands the FACTS, try to leave emotion out of it. (If you believe your father is being abusive, or is a danger to you, that's a different thing--tell Mom immediately if that's the case and she can get you out of that situation today.)

Having done that, Mom can decide whether to pursue full custody in court. Know that generally, courts tend to come down on the side of mothers over fathers, so you have that going for you.

It's unfortunate your Dad is denying responsibility. Taking fair, honest responsibility makes the process much easier and faster--source: I'm a divorced Dad, been there, done that.


Title: Mom used money from my minor brother’s accident and now is claiming she “paid him back” but there is money missing

Question:
When my brother was in 2nd grade, his school went on a field trip to a science museum. The kids took turns on an “air chair” (You sit and there is a lap bar. The chair shoots up into the air then comes down). When my brother finished his turn, the bar got stuck. He panicked and kept pulling up on the bar. It finally released,  but broke one of his front teeth in half. The museum gave him $10,000. As far as I can remember, my mom didn’t have to go to court or anything to sue for the money. The museum willingly gave it to aid in repairing my brother’s tooth.

My mom immediately used the money to buy new, leather furniture and insisted she would pay my brother back. He had to get the tooth capped and replaced over the years, then had braces. My mom also paid for some repairs to his car recently, as well as for his car insurance.

Now my mom is telling my brother (who is now 19 years old) that she has paid him back in full and now he owes her money. My brother went through the figures and believes there is still $2,000 missing. He found at least one inconsistency: a repair she claimed cost $800 was actually $500 and my brother has the receipt from the shop. He has asked her for exact figures and she just keeps telling him she doesn’t have the time for that. He still lives with her.

My mom has a history of not being honest with money. She tried to withhold my tax refund from me this year because she didn’t want me to save it for a career opportunity. She lied about when she got my refund and I had to give her an ultimatum before she at least dispersed it to my student loans, but she never showed me any paperwork to prove it was the correct amount. I haven’t lived with her for about 2 years and an financially independent, save for health insurance through my dad’s work.

Does my brother have a case here? He is now looking to move out just to get away from her, then he predicts he would be ready to take legal action against her if necessary.

Answer:
  Based on the figures you’ve given here, he doesn’t owe her any money. Is there a specific reason she’s saying that?

 Unfortunately, it sounds like the museum gave *her* that money... .

 Why is your mom getting your tax return?


Title: [TX] Child destroys expensive hardware. Is the parent liable?

Question:
Been staying at a friends house for a month or so now. Came home one day to see the friend sleeping on the couch while his kids played with the eviscerated remains of an expensive drawing tablet. Costs about $450 before tax.

I asked him to be responsible and replace it with no hard feelings and he refused. I'm wondering if he's legally liable to replace it if I go for that.

I haven't the first clue about this kind of stuff so any help's appreciated.

Answer:
 Depends on specific facts.

You live in the house.  You know that there are kids there.  If you left the tablet out someplace where you could reasonably expect the kids to get it, then your own negligence contributed to the problem.

But, if it was locked in your room and the kids entered and grabbed the tablet, then you have a claim of negligent supervision.

"eviscerated remains" makes it sound like a paper tablet.  $450 makes it sound like an electronic tablet.  Which one?