Title: Starting a Convent, but I'm a Witch

Question:
Just what the title says, my friends and I are a group of witches who want to move in together to practice our craft as a coven. We want some of the legal privileges and protections that should be equally afforded under the first amendment to all practitioners, but don't know where to start in being recognized on the legal end of things. Do we buy property together first or do we incorporate in some way? Do we have to have an established practice or belong to a legally recognized denomination?

Help?

Answer: If you're serious about this then you need an attorney. This isn't self help.


Title: Can I move out without consent If I feel unsafe?

Question:
I'm 16 and currently live with my parents and my 8 month old son. My parents will not allow me to get a job or car or see the father of my son for no reason other than because they don't like him. I'm mentally and emotionally abused by both parents and my mother is a drug addict (pain pills). I'm constantly being yelled at and humiliated and called names for no reason. For example, my mother told me to eat shit and choke on it because I didn't want to go to my sisters house. They also refuse to buy things for me (feminine products, clothes, soap, etc) and insist I pay for it with money I don't have because I can't get a job. I also haven't been to a doctor in 3 years because they refuse to take me anywhere but school and back. I'm a full time student and my mother watches my son while I'm at school, she smokes around him, gives him candy and pop and leaves him in clothes he wore the day before. I do laundry, clean the house, take care of my son, and they made me lie to WIC so I could get food as well as formula. I'm starting early college this summer to further my education as well as go to high school at the same time. I'm not allowed time to do my homework and then I'm yelled at when it's not done. My question is, can i leave without permission with my son so we can both be safe? I have a job referral, college set up, and a place to live. Can I just up and leave without permission and avoid legal trouble? Oh, I'm not considered adopted or a foster child but my parents are only my guardians because I was abused as an infant and they were given guardianship over me. Any help is very much appreciated. I live in Michigan if that helps.

Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer:
 >I also haven't been to a doctor in 3 years

Your guardians denied you medical care during your pregnancy and birth? That is abusive and CPS would be interested.Answer #2: > I also haven't been to a doctor in 3 years because they refuse to take me anywhere but school and back

but...

>my 8 month old son.

Did you not have access to any prenatal care? Or during the birth? If your parents were prohibiting you from receiving that I would call CPS. Answer #3: If you are not being provided with medical care and basic care items (like soap), you need to contact CPS.

In fact, the best way to go about doing so might be talking to your counselor at school. Go in and tell them you'd like to make a CPS report.

If you do decide to move out (for example, if you consider your child to be in imminent danger), you need to contact the CPS emergency number and it *really matters* where you're going to live.

You're leaving a lot of the story out here, like where you plan on leaving, how you could be "set up" for college, or paying for any of this.


Title: $10000 Water bill due to misinstalled radon mitigation system

Question:
I received a water bill for $10000 in the mail. We had the city come out and check our meter, which was working perfectly.  We also had a plumber come check the situation. Here's the background:

I had a company come out and install a radon mitigation system in the water sump after we found high radon levels in the basement. They installed the system in July. I noticed somewhere in the October time frame that they hadn't tightened a hose clamp and water had been spraying everywhere and the sealant had never dried on the sump cover, and the vacuum created from the radon fan created some holes in the sealant. After fighting with them a bit, they agreed to come back and reseal the sump cover. Fast forward to January, we get a $10000 water bill.

We have a plumber come out, and he says they people who installed the radon equipment had to uninstall and reinstall the sump pump and backup water powered sump pump and that they had installed the components incorrectly, including misplacing the gaskets that turn the backup sump pump on and off. So the backup sump pump had been running for that length of time.

So after talking to the city, they say they don't care who pays for it, they just want it paid. They did however offer a form to fill out to ask for some relief, but I doubt it will be much. And after talking to the radon mitigation company, they pointed to a clause in the contract we signed for the install stating:

Flooding/Water Damages/Sump Pump

Homeowner agrees to release SWAT Environmental from any all liability related to flooding, water damage, or moisture problems that occur at any point after the installation of the radon mitigation system. If there is a sump basin and/or a sump pump on the home, it is up to the homeowner to make sure that the sump pump is functioning properly at all times. Furthermore, the homeowner agrees to accept all responsibility and liability for any flooding, water damage, and/or moisture issues that occur at any point after the installation of out system regardless of the cause. This includes, but is not limited to damages caused by malfunction of the sump pump, failure of sump pump to activate, or water leakage within the plumbing system.

 So I'm looking for any advice on how to proceed here. Thank you.

&#x200B;

Answer:
 Just because they say that they are not liable in the contract doesn't mean the court will let them get off scott free.

You're over the small claims limit so you could contact a consumer attorney.Answer #2: 1) Get your system repaired ASAP if you didn't all ready. In the course of those repairs ask for a detailed written breakdown of all the errors that were made during installation.

2) Take your report to a lawyer. As a general rule, parties can't contract out of negligence and many governments have consumer protection legislation which will supersede the clause in the contract.

3) Listen to the lawyer. Answer #3: not a lawyer but could it potentially be argued that because the radon mitigation system was never working properly, it was never actually installed?Answer #4: NAL but that section to me refers more to if your basement floods or something rather than misinstallation and causing a high water bill. You may be able to get that squared away via demand letter or law suit. Just my take on it. Answer #5: Negligence is not disclaimable in all scenarios, and even if it is, a court might find otherwise. It shouldn't be terribly hard to make a case for negligence considering a plumber was able to document the problem as improper assembly vs. malfunction. If you didn't already, get a written statement of findings from the plumber.

Also, while it doesn't matter as much, they *did not* specifically disclaim high water bills, or damage caused by negligence or improper installation. The disclaimed property damage caused by malfunction/leakage.


Title: Boss changed time card to force me to take PTO rather than unpaid time off.

Question: I took a half day off last week to attend my son's play and put it in as unpaid time off as I made up those hours later in the week and then some.  I came into work this morning to find it was changed by management to PTO. Is this legal in the state of Oregon? They have a history of doing this.

Answer: Absolutely legal. They can pay you paid leave without your consent. In many companies the policy is that you must exhaust all available paid leave before taking unpaid.


Title: I leased a car but they have provided a 2015 model instead of the 2016 model specified on the lease.

Question:
I went in with all intentions of leasing a 2016 chevy malibu. Written on my lease is 2016 chevy malibu, but the vehicle they provided to me is in fact a 2015 chevy malibu.
This is a big error, not sure if malicious or not but I am paying for a 2016 model yet I have the 2015 model.

This just came to my attention and I will be talking with the dealership about this. I am just wondering since I have already paid money on this vehicle which they have not actually provided and instead given me an inferior product what are my legal rights? This is a fully authorized chevy dealership.

Thank you.

This is the US. I will check to see if the VIN number on the contract is the same as the vehicle. I am thinking it may very well be the same VIN. Rather they just totally screwed up the car. It seems quite spectacular and hopefully not malicious but I have had trouble with other dealerships owned by this company and they have tried hard to manipulate me big time before.

I appreciate your guys help!

Answer:
 Just walk right in and tell them, and demand they give you a different car.  Don't let them charge you any bullshit for the return of the old one, or upsell you for the newer one.

Car dealers are generally full of shit.  I would anticipate them telling you that the "2016" was just a typo and that if you actually want a 2016 you will have to pay more.  It's also possible they will say "we done goofed" and fix it.

Either way your first recourse is to go back to them.  Keep cool but firm.  The first level of escalation is to ask for the manager.  The 2nd is to threaten to call the Attorney General.

See how that goes and then come back and post an update.

This assumes you live in the US, since you didn't tell us where you live.

Good luck.


Title: Aunt threatening to sue for the wedding dress she gave my wife.

Question:
My aunt is threatening to sue my wife and I for my wife's wedding dress. She gave my wife the dress with no conditions attached. My aunt and I recently got into an argument over a family matter, during which she told me it was only for us to borrow and she expected us to return it. She says she promised to let a friend use it.
Seeing as how she waited 8 months after our wedding to suddenly need the dress (during a big hostile argument) I think her story is unlikely, and she just used it as payback, so I refused. She said she has no problem "letting a court of law decide."

My wife says when the dress was offered to her she offered to return it after, and says my aunt refused and told her to keep it. Wife also says two people witnessed my aunt tell her she could have it.

So, does she have a case? How much damage can I inflict on her (legally) for trying this, if any?

Answer:
 Nobody here is going to help you "inflict damage" on someone else.

Yes, she has a tenable case.  It's her word versus yours.  If you want to fight over this, knock yourself out.  Spend thousands of dollars defending the right to keep a dress that didn't belong to you in the first place and will never be worn again.Answer #2: You can't inflict any damage on her. Either the court will order you to give the dress back or say she is SOL. What is the purpose of hanging onto it? Just give it back.Answer #3: OP, if you don't want to explain the unique reasons you and your wife are willing to fight a legal battle for a wedding dress you got from your aunt - which is absolutely your right - don't expect useful answers.

The practical and immediate solution is to give it back to your aunt, because ordinarily, people assume that a wedding dress will only be used by a bride one time, and after her big day, you can  pay it forward to help another bride.

Apparently you believe there are other reasons that justify the behavior of you and your wife, and you have every right not to share those reasons with reddit. But based on what you have chosen to share here, it seems perfectly normal to conclude - just give the dress back to your aunt. Answer #4: It's a dress you're never going to wear again. Just give it back.

Is it really worth the fight?


Title: Attacked by roommate’s guest and I want to leave. I’m not on the lease, but we have an agreement. However, this agreement was not approved by the property owner. Is our agreement null and void now? Can I just leave?

Question:
Atlanta, GA
My roommate’s guest attacked me this past weekend because she was heavily intoxicated. It left me with a concussion. Also, is not the first time her guests have been out of control, so I’m deciding to leave.

Now my roommate herself is acting demanding and erratic. I said I would help pay for utilities, but she won’t show me the bills and is just telling me a random amount to pay. Also, she is saying when I move out, if there’s any of our stuff touching, she has to be there to watch me move it.

Of course, I’m going to ignore her because I know she cannot make this type of request and if she felt as if I will steal something, she can just report it and stop wasting my time.

I just wanted to make sure on the legal bit as well that our subletting agreement is not approved by management or owner, which does not allow illegal occupants. I’ve already paid for this month and the last two month. I will not be paying for Dec 1st because of the incident that happened. In our agreement, if I want to leave, I have to give a 30 day notice and have someone to replace. I gave the notice and I’m looking for someone, but when Dec 1st comes, I’m leaving.

I want to know if this agreement even has legal binding because it was never approved by the property owner.

Answer:
 Even if the agreement is legally binding, your roommate would have to admit they were illegally subletting to you, which would be really really bad for them, so I cannot imagine they will bring up a law suit.Answer #2: Did you report the attack to the police? Even if nothing comes of it you can use that fact to help defend yourself. Answer #3: This isn't legal advice. Move out. Safety always comes first. Don't even tell her you are moving out.

You can hash out the legal details afterwards. Just document every dollar you gave her and keep the police report/medical records. You can follow the other advice for challenging the lease/money you might owe after you safe.Answer #4: Yeah, you are bound by that contract, but if she's making it impossible for you to live there you can argue that she forced you out.  Whether you have enough is unclear.

You can certainly report the guest who assaulted you and seriously injured you to the police and sue her for your injury, though.

When you leave, take thorough photos of the condition of the apartment and all of your roommate's stuff, so she can't make up claims that you damaged things.


Title: Can I legally hire only veterans for my small biz in Texas?

Question:
I'm starting a small company and want to use a marketing angle to build trust that we only hire veterans. From my own research I think this may be okay since my hiring  practices wouldn't be discriminatory based on race, religion, sex, age, etc... I'd probably have a max of 5 employees in my first year if that matters.

I may be able to get employees without even making a job posting stating that I want veterans only based on current connections I have.

Am I setting myself up for a lawsuit or should I be good to g?

Answer: Yep - ask a lawyer. It can be sticky because Non Veteran Vince could say- "well they didn't hire me cause I"m not a vet ima sue for discrimunashun!." Cover yourself from all sides with solid, reasonably priced counsel that appreciates long term business and get a liability insurance policy for your business. Its cheap and totally worth it.


Title: Wrongful Termination, perhaps even Retaliation?

Question:
Location: Indiana

Hello Reddit, my mom has been working for the same company for 15 years. IN the last 5 years, she has had no written, verbal, or documented warnings or coaching of any type. She found a new job and works it weekends. But, they couldn't give her full time right of the bat, so she stayed full time with her previous company. Now the place she worked for is pretty close knit and there aren't to many workers. She had a doctors excuse for all her absences that she needed to do orientation in this new job.

Everything was fine until her boss pulled her in and told her she was fired. The reasoning was false according to my father, he was a supervisor and was also was screwed over by him in the past. The reasoning he gave was false because it occurs on a daily basis by all employees and is part of the job, as well as there is no policy against it, as well as there would have had to have been previous warnings or documentation to incite something as harsh as a firing . Now the boss is paying two people to do the same amount of work as my mother was doing. So he called her to his office, gave this bogus reason, and had her sign a paper.

She wasn't raised in America like I was so she didn't really read it. She even asked to take a picture of it but he said she wasn't allowed to, she never got a copy or anything like that. He told her it was so he could give her vacation pay and all that. So now she only has a part time job. I was hoping there was a case here for her for wrongful termination or perhaps retaliation. She thinks its because he knows she found another job, he's had cases brought against him all the time for this sort of thing, my dad gave his two weeks notice from him, and he wrote it in as a firing, and he didn't find out til 5 years later, when it could have effected his getting a job.

Anyway the very least I want to do is report this sort of unethical unprofessional behavior to the proper company, as well see what her options are legality wise. I'm just not sure how to get started or where to go, I wanted to help her in the morning to talk to some sort of advocate or lawyer or something. If you guys could give me your opinions and point me where to go I can take it from there. Thanks.

Answer:
 >She had a doctors excuse for all her absences that she needed to do orientation in this new job.

What?

Her employer can fire her for what ever reason.

Bringing in doctors excuses saying she couldn't work while she was attending orientation for another job is pretty much a reason to fire her.Answer #2: It's not illegal for them to terminate her for a false reason, or fire her but not others doing the same thing. They don't even have to have a reason at all. Answer #3: Absent an employment contract, your mother was an "at-will" employee. This means that she could be fired for any reason that isn't illegal discrimination under state and federal law.

Do you know the "real" reason that she was fired?


Title: Michigan. Urgent landlord tenant issue. He cut off my utilities.

Question:
Posted this this morning
https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3ovee9/ongoing_landlord_tenant_issues_michigan/

Calling a lawyer in the morning that I spoke with a few days ago regarding the retaliation eviction.

Background: rent a house from my ex. The house is in deplorable conditions.  He refuses to fix things. I put rent in escrow called code enforcement.  He filed for non payment of rent. Court was yesterday.  I won. Judge asked why I wanted to stay there I told him I'm trying to move. Rental market is shit.  He didn't give me a time frame to move. I don't owe any rent from escrow. He made it sound like I don't owe any rent until the house is fixed. Or til I can move. Which I hope is SOON.

Anyway. Right after court he texts me and blames me for him going to lose everything.  He lists the house for sale. Then says he has a buyer and will show on friday. That was my post this morning.

Now this post: I come home from work and the utilities are cut off. I check my bill. It's due tomorrow.  They're in his name. He cut them off to "protect his credit" says I'm not a tenant I'm a squatter and I don't pay rent so I won't pay utilities.  He claims I was 2 months behind on them. But I wasnt! I know he can't turn them off legally. He's also responsible for the trash bill.

Besides contacting a lawyer tomorrow what do I do? I'm not sure if I can get them on in my name without a lease. But my id has the address. I have my judgement.

Speaking of judgement he says the judge isn't a real judge because he was filling in. But no. This is the usual tenant judge....

I have a 5 year old and I'm freaking out. I do have a place to stay tonight though.

He's making it hard for me to move by trash talking to everyone about me.

Tldr: landlord cut off my utilities after an on going battle.  I don't know how to proceed beyond getting a lawyer. I don't want to be out of the house all weekend.

Edit: to add I did change the lock on the house. At this point I am afraid he will remove my belongings tomorrow. He said he was going to get me out of the house by any means necessary.  Cops won't do anything until he breaks in. I made sure he is aware he is NOT allowed in my home tomorrow.  That landlords can in fact be trespassing on their own property.

First morning update: called just now to seek emergency time off work to take care of business.  Was denie d but they're going to try and get me off of work after lunch. So I have 1 hour this morning to get business take,n care of.  At 8am. Have to be to work at 9. Open the store at 930. Est.

Going to seek a ppo as well.

Morning update 2: at the utilities office waiting for a CSR. Landlord has a notation on the account.

Utility lady can't turn them back on because it's not registered as a rental. Said try code enforcement.  Code enforcement is saying they can't either due to the same reason. Even though it's on the code violation sheet that he has to register. They told me to go to the court house.

Court house says the landlord judge is only in on Wednesdays. There is absolutely nothing the courthouse can do today. Call a lawyer.

I'm sitting at work waiting for my boss to send me coverage so I can go meet with the lawyer I called.

Then head back to the court house for a ppo. Ppo office didn't open til 9.

I feel kinda helpless right now.

Afternoon update: retained a lawyer with a lot of money.  Sent a cease and desist letter.  Has 7 days to respond.

I tried to get LL to meet me to hand deliver it. Says it's not a rental property and I don't have rights to utilities.  So I sent it express mail.

Then LL asked if I would like to buy the property. I laughed so hard. I really needed a laugh.

Answer:
 That is *SUPER* illegal. This is "Self Help Eviction" and proof of bad faith.

[Here](http://www.michiganlegalaid.org/alli3/index_html/landlord-tenant.pdf) is a PDF from Michigan Legal Aid that should help.

EDIT: You can call up the utility and explain that your utilities have been cut off illegally by a landlord as part of a dispute. They have to turn it back on. You can stay in a motel for the duration and your lawyer will help you get 3x damages or $200 (whichever is greater).

Please don't change the lock on the house. That's also illegal and will get you in trouble. *DO* call the sheriff (not the police) to enforce the court order. Keep on the Sheriff department if they initially say no, it's their job to enforce court orders.Answer #2: I am not a lawyer, this is just a question.

Could the fact that she has a 5 year old in the house play into this? Some states will not allow utilities to be cut off if there are young children and a lack of power/water/regular temperature can harm them. Answer #3: [P.13 - Michigan Tenant Rights](http://www.legislature.mi.gov/publications/tenantlandlord.pdf) (pdf )
>The landlord must never forcibly remove
the tenant (or occupant) himself or herself.
This includes things like changing locks,
turning off utilities, or some other act or
omission that interferes with the tenant’s right
to possess, use, and enjoy the rental property.
This is illegal.Answer #4: You need to relax. Having a clear head will help you in making the right decisions and assist in showing your landlord is the one who is crazy. The law is on your side. Good luck!


Title: Can a boss lie to you in order to get a confession?

Question:
I live in the Uk, I was accused of stealing money from the till which i was ready to argue to defend myself when he said "we have footage of you pocketing money, before walking off camera, without putting money back into the till". Im confident that i would remember taking someones money without clearing the situation up, considering ive been making mistakes and solving them for the last few weeks, i would never steal money willingly. Once he told me this i just said i had no recollection of it but was willing to pay if i did it without realising, which he took as a sign of guilt. Is it legal to lie on record about having this footage to attempt to get someone to confess? There was no extra money in my wallet and the till was only 5 pound down, when i supposedly stole 40.

sorry if this is in the wrong subbreddit

Edit: Can i just say the issue isnt the money for me, im worried about this hindering future jobs if im labled as someone who steals from there employers.

Edit 2: I spoke to him today and it turned out i put vouchers in my pocket (they looked like notes on camera) before putting them in the jar at a later point, hes apologised and i’m no longer suspended, thanks to everyone who took the time to give me advice

Answer:
 Legal? Almost certainly.

Try /r/legaladviceUK


Title: My former employer leaked my fingerprints online

Question:
a few years ago I worked for an employer that recorded our fingerprints. I was initially against it but I had to fall in line. they were used instead of keycards to allow access to different areas of the company and to register the timecards.

the owner of the company died of cancer and the company was liquidated. today a former coworker said he found our prints online. The entire company database has been leaked. no encryption. plain image scans of our fingerprints with our names attached to them and the timecards.

I am not worried about the time cards but I am very worried about my fingerprints. I can't change these. What if some criminals use my fingerprints for fake passports and other terrible crimes.

how fucked am I from a legal point of view?

can I declare my fingerprints legally invalid because they are now public?

I live in Paris France.

Answer:
 You aren't fucked. Any ID that requires finger prints also require a photo. The likelihood that someone that looks like you and used your fingerprints to get a passport, etc. is very low. You can't declare your fingerprints invalid because they're still on your fingers.
Answer #2: >can I declare my fingerprints legally invalid because they are now public?

That isn't a thing

And fingerprints and not private info AFAIK

Life is not the movies. "Stealing fingerprints" is not something criminals do


Title: Small Claims advice for Homeowner of No-Show Landscaper?

Question:
I live in Massachusetts.  I have used the same lawn service for years.  Last year we had some disputes with them over billing, but they were fixed and the service continued to mow our lawn.  This year we contacted them in April and confirmed with them that they would be mowing our lawn.

I was planning on attaching the emails between myself/husband and the company, but can't get the formatting to play nicely.  Here is the breakdown:

**April 5th**- Husband emails them to confirm lawn service start.

**April 7th**-Landscaper responds yes, they will mow.

**May 12th**- Husband emails asking when lawn will be mowed, states "lawn is getting tall"

**May 12th** - Landscaper says they will be in that week

**May 19th** - Husband emails asking where landscapers are

**May 19th**-  Landscaper -"They will be there in week, I'll check on day"

**May 20th**- Husband "Any word on day"?

**May 20th** -Landscaper "Your day will be Fridays"

**May 23rd** -Me "I am wondering when you will be here, it is 4pm and we are
having company this weekend. Please call and update me"

**May 23rd**- "They will be in. We had our main machine down earlier today. Either later today or tomorrow""

**May 23rd**- Me "Thank you for your quick reply!!"

**May 23rd**- Landscaper "Your Welcome"

**May 24th**- Me "I would love to talk to you about changing some of the plantings in the back yard.  I am not sure if I will be around today when the crew is here, or if you plan to be with them, however, if you look at the backyard I would like to remove the plantings (mostly hosta, evergreens and rhodies) and put in something smaller and taller.  We will be changing the fence and want to recapture some of that lawn.  Especially in the corner the borders my neighbors new garage.
Also, I think it best we do weekly lawn cuttings as we have two young children running around.  Do you guys have room in the schedulle for that?  Also, what would the cost be?

**May 24th**- Landscaper "Can you meet with Paul next week? Early mornings?
Yes we can put you on a weekly schedule. I will check with Paul for the price but I am pretty sure it stays the same."

**May 24th** - ME "I am available most mornings before 9am. Also, when is the crew getting here?  It is 1pm and they have not shown up"

**May 24th,4pm**- ME "Is the crew coming as promised?"

-----------------------------------------------------
Here is my problem.  My lawn is VERY VERY tall now.  I cannot mow it with a regular mower.  I wanted my lawn mowed before the holiday weekend.  There is no way I am going to find a lawn service on Sunday before memorial day.  Also, I am not sure a lawn service won't charge extra for grass that is so long.  I'm frustrated, I would have found a new service weeks ago.   I feel like they have been messing with me and that is clouding my judgement.

If a lawn service charges more to come out asap to cut our extra-long lawn, do I have any recourse in Small Claims court to get some money from landscaper?  Thank you!

Answer: No. It was your obligation to "vote with your dollar" and use another service when they didn't show up after X tries.


Title: Doxxed and hacked, what are my legal options?(Canada)

Question:
So i recently wrote a controversial post on another subreddit, which attracted the vitriol of a certain group, over the course of the last 2 weeks, my RL name, Address, Facebook profile, and email have been leaked over 2 "news"(emphasis on the air quotes) sites, and three subreddits.
Well last night my email was also hacked from a proxy server in brazil, and the hacker has spammed my entire contact list by impersonating me and sending incredibly deluded and radical hate speech to them.
What are my legal options? do i have any? is there any way to get this to stop?

Answer:
 "Doxxing", as a general rule, is not illegal. It may be against reddits policy, and get those users banned, but generally there are no possible civil or criminal penalties.

Unauthorized computer network access usually is a crime. Defamation could be a potential civil tort (depending on what they said). But the difficulties of doing it overseas, combined with the Striesand effect, make it unlikely for you to see any success.


Title: Is it true that when you post one of those signs like "beware of dog" you are acknowledging its dangerous and a potential issue, even if its a tiny harmless little pug?

Question: which can only go against you when say an asshole neighbour says your dog bit him. (if you are wondering, this is hypothetical, my dog couldn't bite through a wet paper bag)

Answer:
 If you are negligent and, for example, leave the gate open and the dog gets out and bites someone that sign may help to show you knew the dog was dangerous.

If you are not negligent and someone breaks into your house and gets bitten, such a sign might help you if the house breaker tried to sue you.

The sign might help deter burglars.

Answer #2: Seriously, pugs are dangerous. I used to sleep with one eye open waiting for the moment little Aldous would crack a chair over my back to prove he's alpha AF and take all his treats from me.


Title: My younger brothers crazy girlfriend won't leave our apartment.

Question: My brother let his girlfriend move in with us without asking. She is not on the lease and is causing not only himself to go into debt, but she is now causing me to. She was supposed to get a job and leave, but its been almost 5 months now. Do I have any rights to get her removed and where do I start? We live in Kansas.

Answer: 5 months, she is now a tenant. You have to evict her the right way.


Title: (Boston, MA) A friend's vindictive ex called her workplace over the weekend. She was fired and escorted out the door the next Monday with no explanation or opportunity to explain.

Question:
She dated this guy for around two months, and thought it ended fairly amicably. He returned to his home country after the relationship ended.

On Sunday, she got a surprise call from her ex, saying "I called your workplace and told them to fire you." She thought it was an empty threat. Apparently not, because when she arrived at work this morning, she was immediately escorted out of the building and fired.

She was not told how her ex-boyfriend slandered her, or given a chance to refute his claims. They didn't even let her get her belongings out of the office.

If it's relevant, the ex called the workplace while he was still in the U.S., but didn't notify her until he was back in his home country.

This seems like disgusting behavior on both the ex boyfriend and employer's part, and I'd like to know if she has a legal case against either (or both) of them.

Thanks!

Answer: Her employer didn't break the law. It's not illegal to fire somebody over an accusation. She can file for unemployment. She may have a case against the ex but if he's not in the US that makes it substantially more complicated and maybe impossible. Answer #2: She can file for unemployment and look for a new job. Trying to sue the ex over this is likely pointless since he's outside the country.


Title: My vehicle is parked in a community garage underneath my condo complex. I own the condo, and pay $425/mo. to the HOA. The garage ceiling is cracked and is damaging my vehicle.

Question:
So there is a crack in the ceiling above where my vehicle’s parking space is. Whenever there is precipitation, the water will leak through the crack in the concrete ceiling and drip down the side of my vehicle, leaving hard water stains that are very expensive to remove. I contacted the HOA the first time this happened, and they sent somebody out to seal the cracks. Just recently I noticed a lot more hard water stains and that the cracks are still dripping onto my vehicle. At what point, if any, can I begin seeking compensation from the HOA? I thought the HOA was responsible financially for everything outside of the interior of my condo.

Thanks in advance for anyone who takes the time to read/respond; I realize there are bigger fish to fry on this sub Reddit. 😉

Answer: You should keep contacting the HOA and make a big enough stink that they fix it. In the mean time can you put a tarp or something over the cracks to keep the water from dripping onto your car?


Title: Problem is rife with controversy, anti-abortion sentimentalists please move on.

Question:
I was abused by a doctor who performed an abortion on me.  (I'm not going to explain why I decided to get an abortion, it's irrelevant to the immediate problem)

There was an old nurse present, but she did not intervene.  He sedated me.  I waited for the brief pain of the cervical injection, but it never came.  He did not numb me.  He forcefully opened my cervix and then proceded to brutalize me with the vacuum.  It was excessively forceful.  I was unable to fight back because of the drugs in my system.  I was unable to cope physically for weeks.

I believe he has irreparably damaged my uterus.  While I have no intention of having another child anyway, it causes pain flare-ups that bring flashbacks that are intense.  I tried getting an IUD afterward, because I didn't want to take a chance of getting pregnant again, but my uterus rejected it.  My doctor, after two months of flareups that had me in the ER, shaking, sweating, incapacitated with pain worse than full-blown labor, fever shooting out of control... she pulled the IUD and told me to never try another intra-uterine device.  Ever.  She had ordered ultrasounds and they could confirm that the IUD was in position, but not what was causing the problem.

It has been almost two years since the abortion.  It's approaching the statute of limitations for medical malpractice.  It is beginning to keep me awake at night and give me anxiety attacks knowing that he is getting away with it.

I tried, when I got home the very next day, to report it.  To the state.  The lady that I talked to was extremely unhelpful.  The tone of her voice told me she thought I deserved it for having an abortion and wouldn't take my words into the report.  She wanted me to confirm that I wanted to report a botched abortion.  I tried to tell her that the abortion worked, but that he damaged something and didn't numb me.  She didn't file it.  I gave up and didn't tell anyone else for two reasons:

1)  I'm not sure there is anyone who would want to help.  So many in Indiana think abortion is so abominable that they literally think I deserve this.
2)  I don't want to bring more heat down on Planned Parenthood, despite the fact that's where this doctor is working.  I don't want to stir up an anti-choice shitstorm.

So when I made no headway reporting it, I tried to call the clinic itself and report the incident.  The nurse defended the doctor fiercely.  Claimed she SAW him numb me.  But I know that's a lie.  Because I waited for it, that was supposed to come next but it never did.  I wasn't put to sleep, I was just given a sedative to stay calm and detached.  But you can't stay calm and detached when you're being ravaged like that.

A few days after I reported it to them, they called me and told me I had chlamydia and that it causes uterine pain.  That's why, they said, it hurt so much.  SO I apologized.  Was willing to accept that I had made a mistake.  I didn't request an STD test, they said they do them with every abortion.  I went to the local clinic to get the antibiotics for it, and that's when things started to get REALLY weird.

They wouldn't give me the antibiotics.  The lady pulled up my file and insisted that I had been given the antibiotics THAT DAY.  But that didn't make any sense.  Because I didn't even know they did an STD test at all, and I sure as hell wasn't given medication for anything.  So now I'm getting suspicious.  I told her to check and make sure she had the right file pulled up.  She did.  So then she called down there and asked about it.  They swore up and down they gave it to me.  I had to fight with her, it wasn't until I said, "What do you think we're going to do with these ANTIBIOTICS!?  Sell them in the PARKING LOT??"  She got her manager to approve the sale of the medication... but by then I was starting to piece together what had happened.

The doctor either intentionally did this to me, or he really fucked up and was covering his ass.  So I contacted everyone I had slept with ever, regardless of when I had last been checked.  Everyone was negative.  And the two that didn't know went and got checked and came back negative.  My boyfriend had only slept with one other person, who was also negative.

They lied.  He did something terrible to me.  I know he damaged me.  They covered it up.

I don't have insurance (that's why I went through PP) so I haven't been able to have my uterus actually examined to confirm what damage has been done... but my question is this:

if I pay out of pocket to confirm there is damage, can I still pursue this?  I read the statute of limitations allows for a time beyond 2 years if there was no way to find out about the damage sooner.  Since I don't have insurance and have no way of paying for medical expenses, would that qualify?

If not, how do I at least have it investigated?  I can't be the only person he has done this to.  And it keeps me up at night thinking about him doing it again, continuing to get away with it.  Especially with that old nurse that... WATCHES him do it!

If you're anti-Planned Parenthood, anti-abortion, or otherwise here to be a troll or cruel, you're not changing anything.  If I could be swayed by your ideas, I wouldn't have sought an abortion.  They're silly, I've done enough research into the matter to feel more than comfortable with the abortion itself.  It's the abuse that is haunting me at night.

Answer:
 > I believe he has irreparably damaged my uterus.

Have you been examined by a doctor to determine if this is the case? The rest of it sounds all in your head. (which can be treated, but it's not a medical injury). Are you in counseling?


Title: What are the chances of prosecution hiring a private detective over an abi-fm strangulation case on the defendant?

Answer: 73%Answer #2: Why would they need to hire a private detective? They have the police and likely have some detectives specifically assigned to the prosecutor's office.


Title: X post from /r/legal advice - Does this sign constitute copyright infringement, or nah?

Question:
/u/b00nz0r is insisting [this](https://imgur.com/yBpazmp) is not covered under parody laws and is grounds for a lawsuit. What do you think?

Location: United States

Answer: It's certainly not copyright infringement, because that just covers works created. That said it could fall under trademark, but I doubt it because it's obviously not trying to convince people that their church services are in fact marvel productions.


Title: Question about dash cams in Texas

Question:
I'm a nanny in Tarrant County, Texas. My employer's neighbor has done/said several things that make me uncomfortable, and has initiated several altercations as I am walking to and from my car. I have a dash cam in my car, and I have a supplementary battery pack that could power the camera all day in order to record potential future confrontations as well as any retaliation on my car.

Is it legal to leave the camera set to record all day, even when I'm inside the house working? My car faces in the direction of the neighbor's house, because it's the only space available on the curb - the neighbor's house may be in the camera's view (if that makes a difference).

Answer:
 >Is it legal to leave the camera set to record all day, even when I'm inside the house working?

Generally yes because there is no reasonable expectation of privacy in a public/open area.


Title: Does my friend have to give back an engagement ring?

Question:
Her bf went off the deep end a little while after they got engaged and she broke it off. The ring is quite valuable and his sister is threatening theft charges.

im from Ohio

Edit: typo, location, format

Topic:
Small Claims Procedure

Answer:
 Generally, the engagement ring must be returned to the man. It is a conditional gift. The condition is that she gets to keep it if she gets married to him. She broke it off and needs to return it. Answer #2: Ohio definitely treats engagement rings as conditional gifts.Answer #3: https://www.google.ca/search?q=ohio+engagement+conditional&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-ca&client=safari

Give the ring back.


Title: Debt collector calling saying if I don't pay it goes to legal action. What do?

Question:
This is a collection agency calling me. It is for a store credit card I got and used to buy a ring at a jeweler. I have not paid on it at all. The charge was from probably 5 or 6 years ago. The collection agency calling me is saying that if I do not pay or make arrangements to pay that they will send it to their legal department for further action.

My question is what can they do? Can they sue me for it? I am thinking that the charge is getting ready to be written off and they are trying any tactic they can to get the money before that happens and aren't really going to do anything.

I am in PA and the charge was for <$1,000 (800 something if I remember correctly).

EDIT: They keep calling me at work. I NEVER give out my work number to ANYONE, not eve my wife, so I have no idea how they got it. I don't know if that makes a difference or not.

Answer: It also may be in your best interest to inform your wife of legal action threatened to be taken before you go to reddit as it will affect her life as well. Sincerely, YOUR WIFE


Title: My bachelor party is next week in Canada and my best man just got charged with a DUI and suspended license for 3 months. Not sure if he can make it to Canada. Help please, need him there.

Question: I hear you cannot get into Canada with a DUI record. He's got a passport of course, but is there anyway between now and next Wednesday we could find a resolution to get him into Canada. Your help is much appreciated.

Answer:
 >I hear you cannot get into Canada with a DUI record. He's got a passport of course, but is there anyway between now and next Wednesday we could find a resolution to get him into Canada.

If I were you, I would plan on not having him there.  I don't mean to drop an anecdote on you without more research, but a friend of mine is 45 years old and he caught a DUI when he was 18.  He's had a spotless record ever since, but he still can't get into Canada.


Title: What to do in a case of wrongful termination in Pennsylvania?

Question: I work in construction and on Friday night i received an email saying i was terminated from job, the reasons listed were for harassment of another co worker. when i called human resources about the issue they said an investigation was conducted and they heard i was harassing my co worker from multiple people. Now here is my side of the story, HR only spoke with 3 other people 2 of which wouldn't have ever heard any arguing between me and my co worker, the 1 co worker who would have heard anything was an instigator in the matter. I honestly never harassed the cop worker in question it was always typical back and forth insults none of which really crossed the line.I never received any verbal or written warning just an email saying i was terminated. and i really don't understand how they can fire someone completely based off of hear say. i want to know what rights i have and what steps i could take to right this wrong against me.

Answer:
 That isn't wrongful termination.

If you feel people lied then you can sue them for slander.


Title: Have the reporters that entered the Capitol commited a crime?

Question:
For example this footage: https://youtu.be/270F8s5TEKY

They entered restricted grounds illegaly right? Is there an exception in the USC for this case? If they are prosecuted, is the judge's duty to sentence them and let the president pardon them?

Answer:
 There is no general legal exemption for the press.

I would expect the US Attorney to exercise prosecutorial discretion and not bring charges when it is obvious that the illegal entry was made to further a journalistic purpose. But if, for some bizarre reason, that was not done, “Bit I’m a journalist,” is not a legal defense against a charge of illegal entry.Answer #2: What if a random historian ran in order to try and save the art from the rioters?Answer #3: I think most, if not all, of the journalists who documented the riot were already authorized by House Administration to be in the building. Right now, the House Periodical Press Gallery is in charge of issuing special credentials that allow reporters special access to the Capitol.Answer #4: That's interesting. The press often goes into combat zones, and this was one. I personally wouldn't punish press who only reported. After all they make it easier to punish those who should be.

Also, press is often allowed in many of those areas.Answer #5: There’s no journalist privilege to trespass. But they can argue consent if the police let them inAnswer #6: Despite not being immune to laws, their purpose as a reporter probably means they would only be charged with something like trespassing and not theft, vandalism, attempted sedition/murder or whatever since they were only there to report.


Title: I got caught by a online sexual scam and I’m having an anxiety attack because I don’t know what to do.

Question:
Starting from the beginning, I have several online dating accounts and on one of them I met someone who was fairly attractive and I had a very normal conversation with her. Until suddenly she jumped the gun and asked me if she could add me on Facebook. Usually I like to keep my private life separate from my dating life until one or two dates in so I declined and asked if we could just continue talking on the dating app or maybe talk on kik. But she insisted on either Facebook messenger or else Skype. So I decided to make a Skype account with a throwaway email and started talking to her. Then suddenly she sent me a webcam invitation while typing that she was lonely and was feeling really horny. Since I just got off from work I was in the mood as well, so I got up and started stripping down because she asked me too and on both sides of the camera we were masturbating. 5 minutes into our cam session she turned off the camera and asked if we can meet in person, which I replied yes and she asked me what my address was. I gave her the general vicinity of my location and told her that I live with people so that it wasn’t a good idea but  I could come to her. She agreed and said that she would meet me outside only if I give her my number so that she can call me. So I gave her my number and suddenly I get a text saying that I’m screwed and that his “team” (the scammers) is on a mission to ruin my life. They sent me a video of myself masturbating and threatened to send it to everyone I know, posting it on facebook, YouTube and every form of social media. This sent shivers down my spine because I don’t want my former classmates or family to see it (I was previously a victim of bullying and if people I know were to see it I would definitely get bullied a lot more now). So they gave me a offer to send them money or else the video will never be deleted. I’m honestly so scared right now and embarrassed, I don’t know what I can do, I hear people sext and snapchat sexual things to strangers all of the time and even masturbate over webcam so I thought I was safe but it turns out I’m not. I ended up privating every social media account I have but there might be some that I missed (old accounts I forgot I had). The number that texted me is 100% fake and was generated from some app. But yeah I’m in a real tight pickle and I feel so naive, stupid and sad because there was a lot of red flags but at the time I was blinded and desperate.

TLDR: I’m a little scared and freaked out because I got catfished by someone on an online dating website and they recorded a video of myself masturbating and is now demanding a large sum of money or else they will send the video to all of my friends, family and post it on the internet.

Answer:
 Block and move on. There is no "team".Answer #2: Don't worry about their threats. Forget about it and move on.

If anyone confronts or tries to bully you about it, turn it back on them and ask them why they're watching videos of you masturbating.


Title: Ski trip gone sour

Question:
Hi I live in Ireland and im organising a ski trip for me and some friends. Everyone gives me the money ,I book it and then  I pay for it.  One friend invited her cousin. He gave me money and paid for his part of the trip.  Recently he hit on my girlfriend so I kicked him off the trip and said that I'll give him back whatever the travel company will refund me for his part of the trip.  Now he is demanding that I pay him the difference out of my pocket.  I said I would not. But am I under any legal obligation to pay him back?    Thank you for your time.

Edit : been on to a few people and I've informed the person that I will be paying him back in full.  I've been angry the last few days and I needed some outside input to help me see thins clearly.  Thanks for your comments

Answer:
 "Me and my gf don't feel comfortable with him on the trip."

Sounds like the best solution is for you and your girlfriend to not go on the trip.  Answer #2: Oh no your pride got hurt. You can't handle a little competition?  A chance to prove your worth? What you did is the act of a very small and insecure person. Maybe she's better with him and not you. Anyway, either allow him to come on the trip or refund him all his money.Answer #3: Yes you are. Pay him back.


Title: Family Forgery Scheme

Question: I’m 20. I lost my mother to cancer back in April, and since she did not have a will (nor did I have any legal knowledge whatsoever), my sister and I signed over jurisdiction of her estate to my aunt and uncle so they could retrieve it through court. Once they did, we all found out that my sister had forged and backdated my mother’s checks and wrote them out to herself, all of it coming out to around $34k. I was supposed to inherit about $17k of what she stole, and she made it clear she didn’t intend to share once she was caught. I’ve already settled that I have no problem prosecuting her for it, however, it’s my aunt and uncle who have access to the account showing that she indeed forge the checks, and they don’t think I should report her because she’s “family”. How can I go about reporting this if I have no physical evidence?

Answer:
 If only we paid people whose job it was to investigate criminal allegations...

If you don't want to report it to the police, speak with an attorney who practices estate law and pay the $50 (or whatever) to send a kindly worded demand letter informing the trustees of the estate (your aunt/uncle) that their firmly held beliefs about non-prosecution are about to cost them $17,000 plus costs, since they failed their basic trustee obligations and now owe you money.Answer #2: This is the correct answer.  Simple 2 step program for recovery.

Report the thief to the police. Hire an attorney to pursue the breach of fiduciary duty.

Because it doesn’t seem likely that you are comprehending this, your aunt and uncle are likely complicit, meaning they have stolen your money from your dead mother, or helped your sister steal your money.

Attorney time.Answer #3: Google your local police department.  On their website, find their non-emergency number.  Call that number, and ask them how you go about reporting a crime.  Then report the crime and let the police and District Attorney's office subpoena the evidence for their case.  The evidence doesn't just go away because the criminal wants it to--otherwise no one would ever be able to be prosecuted.


Title: [NJ] Vacation requests are being ignored, company's policy is "use it or lose it" by December 31st. I purchased PTO days.

Question:
Throwaway for privacy. State is New Jersey.

I am a full-time salaried employee in a large corporation. As part of our written policy, at the beginning of the year, I was given 15 PTO days with the option to "purchase" up to 5 more. The purchasing system operates by deducting an amount from each paycheck equivalent to 3 days' worth of my gross earnings divided by the number of paychecks per year (26).

Currently, I have 5 days of "regular" PTO left, which expires at the end of the year, and 3 days' worth of purchased PTO which expires a few weeks earlier. Last month, I requested time off in December for all remaining PTO this year. If I don't take the PTO, it will not carry over to the next year.

My multiple verbal and written requests have been effectively ignored by my management and our departmental admins. I have several managers who have pointed fingers at each other for the signoff, and the local admin is supposedly "waiting on approval" from her higher-up admin, which is not a normal part of the process. HR has been CC'd on the requests and won't weigh in. It has never taken this long and my gut feeling is that they are trying to run out the clock.

For some background, our upper management has recently announced major budget cuts to our department (naturally, to appease shareholders). We are already critically understaffed and I am doing the work of my position as well as several other people in the group who have left this year and will not be replaced. We maintain critical infrastructure and are guaranteed to have realiability/integrity issues in the future from underbudgeting and understaffing.

Can the company really just deny me PTO, including purchased PTO, by ignoring me until it expires? If not, how do I tackle this?

Answer:
 There is no legal prohibition against this in NJ.

>We are already critically understaffed and I am doing the work of my position as well as several other people in the group who have left this year and will not be replaced.

This is likely the reason it will not be approved. I dont know if you would want to do this, but maybe you can ask them instead of actually taking the time off, could they just pay you out the days.

Also, on another note, if they are critically understaffed and you're doing the jobs of multiple people who they do not plan on replacing, AND they are giving you the runaround on your PTO, maybe start looking somewhere else.Answer #2: Read the policy. If it says you lose them if you don't use them and they have the right to deny it, there's nothing you can do about the 5 days. You should push for the 3 you "purchased" to be rolled over or cashed out, however, because technically they'd be withholding pay from you if they didn't.

If they've involved someone else in this process that's likely what they're trying to figure out. I'm going to assume this situation (with the purchased days) doesn't happen often and they're trying to figure out what the correct way to handle it is.Answer #3: Couldn’t you just call in sick for those days? Darn I’ve got the flu.


Title: Landlord/grandpa is insane

Question:
This may be long. Sorry in advance.

So my boyfriend and I are renting from his grandfather. It’s a nice house and we couldn’t find the same quality place for the same price anywhere else.
We have lived here since August and he has caused problems ever since. We are in North Carolina.

The agreement when we moved in was that if we had any issues we went through my boyfriends parents and if his grandpa had any problems he told my boyfriends parents. So we technically rent from my boyfriends parents. We even give them the rent for them to give to the grandpa.

We have two dogs, that are outside during the day and inside at night. He was aware of them before we moved in and agreed it was fine. We even built our own electric fence per his request.

The first incident happened about a month after we moved in. I was sick, so it made it even worse. I had come home from the doctor and he had entered our house without any notice to fix our bathtub (which was apparently leaking, but we weren’t aware of it). No one was home at the time so he let himself in.
After this incident, we told my boyfriends parents and they were upset. They confronted him and reminded him that he was to tell them if anything needed to be fixed or if he had any concerns. He agreed and we thought that was the end.
We changed the locks and gave new keys to my boyfriends parents.

The second incident happened a few weeks ago. This is the worst. We have a back porch that makes our fenced in yard accessible so that our dogs can come in and out. I was home alone (he seems to never come over if my boyfriend is home)  and my dogs were outside. He knocked on the door (without a notice) and claimed he needed to power wash our back porch since the dogs had tracked up mud. I didn’t think it was a big deal so I let him do it. He then walks back in and says he was going to fix the gate that kept them from getting on the porch. I thought he meant he was going to make it sturdier since it was just something we had thrown up there for the meantime. After about an hour I didn’t hear him anymore and I looked out to see that he had hopped the fence and left without saying anything. He had literally ripped our stairs down and patched up the railing so that my dogs could no longer get onto the porch or inside the house at all. I couldn’t even get down to them. This obviously did not go over well with anyone in the family. So now we have wonky stairs leaned up so we can get our dogs in and out.

He also demands constant check ups on our house because he says that our dogs are ruining the house. Which they in no way are. They are house trained and do not chew on anything. My mother in law always comes in and gets annoyed because he makes her when there is no reason to.

The last incident happened this morning. I was still asleep and woke up to him banging on the door. It honestly scared the crap out of me. He, again, did not provide notice that he was coming. When I opened the door he noticed I had just woken up but insisted that I let him in to fix our toilet which he said was running too much. I asked if he could come back and he demanded that he had to do it now. I told him to give me an hour and shut the door. A couple minutes later he just walked in and said it would only take him 15 minutes and went to fix the toilet.
I called my boyfriends parents and they tried calling him but he kept ignoring their calls.

I honestly have no idea what to do. We’ve been looking for other places to live but there’s no where for us to rent that we can afford. We’re trying to keep the peace but he just won’t stop. What can we do? We never signed a lease or anything and there wasn’t any written documents. I’m not really wanting to take legal action but this is getting ridiculous.

Answer:
 You didn't include a location, but generally speaking, your recourse in a situation where a landlord doesn't provide proper notice of entry repeatedly would be to terminate your tenancy without penalty and move. You said you can't afford to move elsewhere, so what do you want here?Answer #2: You said you're getting a deal?

Now you know why.

Move somewhere else or deal with things that come when renting from family.


Title: If the real culprit is found during another person's trial, can they be declared guilty in the same trial, or is a new one scheduled?

Answer: A new one has to happen. Each trial is a proceeding against a named defendant or set of defendants. If the government becomes convinced that the accused is not guilty, they dismiss that case and start over against the new target.


Title: My husband is keeping my son from me.

Question:
We are separated in NC. I am working as a travel nurse in VT. We do not have a formal custody agreement drawn up but a verbal agreement that we would have joint legal and physical custody over our 3 year old. He is a veteran going to school on the GI Bill and gets some disability from VA. Otherwise has no income.  I still financially support him through paying the mortgage which has both of our names and any other bills pertaining to the house.

We had a pre-planned trip for October 10th through 17th. (Irrelevant but my birthday is the 15th). My son would fly here with my mother and stay in my apartment.

Ex is now saying no to the trip and I can't see him unless I go to NC and that he's issued papers but won't tell me what kind to outline visitation and also that as long as I'm in VT he won't allow 50/50. He also says I have to go to NC to sign the papers. This doesn't make sense  to me. What about this is legal verses illegal?

He also says this can't be sorted out legally prior to the trip on the 10th. I'm a mess and scrambling to find a way to ensure my son can come up here.  He thinks I'm going to keep him up here once he's here but I have every intention of honoring our 50/50 arrangement.

I can't travel there prior to the 10th and I won't agree to any less than 50/50 which he says he won't agree to now. Please help. I'm desperate.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 It sounds like your soon to be ex has visited an attorney and is now following their advice.  That means the best advice you could receive is to retain your own attorney in NC (since that is likely to be the jurisdiction) and start following the advice of your own counsel.

Until you have a court ordered custody agreement, however, all of this is fully legal. Not only that, it's a solid strategic move.  By refusing to allow you the opportunity to remove the child from the state and become the de facto primary custodian, he is making it easier for him to keep the child in the state going forward and making it more likely that he will be awarded primary custody.  He's also making it more certain that the jurisdiction of both matters remains in NC, which is better for him.

I'm sorry you are going through this.  Please hire the best attorney you can get, because it sounds like he's got both a good and aggressive one.  Answer #2: He doesn't have to allow you to see the child, just as you don't have to allow him. This is why a custody and visitation agreement is required.

Your verbal agreement is meaningless.Answer #3: >We do not have a formal custody agreement drawn up

Then he does not have to give you the child. You need to get a custody agreement drawn up. He likely does not want you to take the kid to VT as he may be concerned that you may take the kid there and not return.


Title: How do I legally adventure outside?

Question:
This is probably a dumb question, but after a recent...  I'm going to say 'mishap', it has come to my attention that I can't just go anywhere in the woods or anything.  I understand that hiking trails exist, but what do I do if I want to climb stuff or the sort?  Is walking off the beaten path legal as long as no clear barriers are willingly ignored?  Or is walking on clear intended paths the only real way to avoid potential legal trouble?

I apologize if this question doesn't quite belong here.  There's not really a subreddit for finding subreddits to my knowledge.

Answer:
 Who owns the woods?

There are few limits, for example, about where you can go in a national or state park.


Title: [VA] Reckless Driving Ticket for making a mistake. Not speeding. Out of state and can't go to court date to contest the ticket. What are my options?

Question:
I was turning left out of a strip mall area last night (~9pm) and didn't realize that there was a median that would prevent me from just making a clean left turn.  I realized this too late and was forced to drive about 50ft in the wrong direction to get to the other side without just flying over the median or stopping and reversing.

There was no traffic present, and as soon as I was to the other side I was already being pulled over.  The officer seemed immediately angry and didn't want to say anything more to me than to get my license and registration.

He wrote me a ticket for reckless driving and said that because I'm from out of state he marked it so that I can call on Monday and find out the fine to avoid having to come to court in October.  He said that he could have added other charges, but because I was polite (overly polite as he got mad at me for telling him before I started reaching for the glove box) he didn't.  I have no idea what other charges that could have been.

----
What are my options as far as getting this changed so that it isn't a misdemeanor?  What kind of fine would I be looking at?  I haven't seen anything for non speeding reckless driving cases.  How bad is a misdemeanor on your record for future employment etc?

Answer:
 "Reckless driving" doesn't mean speeding.  It could be, but doesn't have to be.  Going 50ft down the wrong direction of traffic can certainly qualify as reckless driving.

>What are my options as far as getting this changed so that it isn't a misdemeanor?

Best bet is to hire a lawyer.

>What kind of fine would I be looking at?

What is the code provision that you were cited with?

>I haven't seen anything for non speeding reckless driving cases. How bad is a misdemeanor on your record for future employment etc?

It just depends on the employer.  This may look bad to a position that involves driving, but I doubt an office would care.


Title: HOA Board member has been monitoring me and others on the security cameras...

Question:
I'm on a voluntary committee appointed by the Board to recommend renovations to the clubhouse. Naturally, there are residents who want to upgrade and residents who do not. This particular Board member, "Perv," is against upgrading the place. The committee issued a survey, which reflected a majority of residents want the gym expanded from one room to two rooms. To do this, one room which has a poker table and a pool table, which would be moved to a room with card tables. Of course that would make the card room more crowded, but there is plenty of room to play cards. This is the simplest solution.

The entitled card players (who also do not want upgrades) are having fits, and complain to Perv about the proposal. Perv decides on his own that he is going to conduct his own "survey" of how much I and the people using the gym really use the facilities. Perv told another committee member that he's been watching me on the security camera and said that I have not played pool in more than two weeks. Perv told me that he counted only five people in the gym at any time during the week and seven on the weekends, and he said the gym should stay one room.

We have only 250 homes in our little community. Rumors run rampant because Perv and others make up claims to bolster their efforts to leave things as is. We're just an ad hoc committee trying to do our job.

I get it - if he were to sit in the gym or the pool room all day and tally up the users, I suppose he could. He'd still be a perv, but at least he would be doing it for all of us to see.

But I am totally weirded out by Perv watching my activities in the clubhouse, and I am offended that a Board member is using the security camera to monitor the activities of other residents for a purpose not related to security.

What do you think? Just a Perv? Or is there something more?

Answer:
 It's someone trying to prove a point. Do you have a legal question?Answer #2: So this person is using the surveillance to determine number of people in the clubhouse and what their activities were.  That seems like a totally legitimate use of video footage to me, especially in the context of what to do with that space, so I'm not sure what you think the problem is.

I think you're taking this too personally.Answer #3: Unsure where the charming nickname comes from, do you really have anything to suggest he's doing this to get his jollies off you in the gym and not for his clearly stated reason?

Be careful with spreading those 'rumours', and it's perfectly legit to check occupancy in the gym by a camera, just as if he were sat there (as you yourself say).Answer #4: YTA. Oh wait, wrong sub.

The other board member isn't doing anything illegal, in fact he, I am assuming the board member is a male considering your disposition against them, is admirable in double checking/verifying the utility on increasing a gym which no one apparently uses despite what the initial (botched/doctored) survey conveyed.

&#x200B;

The only entitled one here appears to be you, not the "card players" which apparently actually involve themselves in the community and use their facilities regularly. The board member isn't anymore a pervert than anyone else that can access the cameras that are situated in public areas. The board member isn't a pervert for simply going through X amount of days of security footage and getting a quick and efficient tally instead of wasting a week doing the more *honorable* thing by sitting in a chair and writing down a tally as people walked in and out.


Title: Boyfriend was victim of indentity theft, was sued and had a default judgement rendered against him

Question:
Title basically says it all.  My boyfriend just received a letter from a law firm stating that a default judgement was rendered against him in August 2015 concerning an automobile collision that occurred in Reno Nevada (A place he's never even been to) in January 2013.  According to the documents he obtained from the San Diego superior court (where we live), it states papers were served to an address which he did not live at any longer and accepted by someone he does not know, and thus he was never aware that he had been 'served'.  Thus, the hearing took place in August 2015 and a default judgement was entered when he was a no show.

He now has a $9,000 default judgement rendered against him and on his credit report.  We have no idea what recourse we have to correct this.  We understand that the burden of proof is on him to prove that he wasn't in Reno at the time, but how can that be definitively proved?  He was not employed at the time so there is no employment record.  Thank you so much for your help!

Answer:
 He can go to court and ask them to set aside the judgment, since he was not properly served.  You can't just give documents to random people and consider it proper service.

Where do you live?


Title: What recourse does the NFL have if an entity uses the term "Super Bowl"?

Question:
Curious about this as the Super Bowl approaches and we hear the commercials that talk about "the big game."

Obviously the NFL isn't after social media users or small blogs who talk about the Super Bowl, but what recourse does the NFL have if an organization were to use the Super Bowl in an advertising and/or social media bit? Or let's say a company is involved in events at Super Bowl (like a party planner or DJ or technology company or anything else) but not an official partner/sponsor, posted a press release about being there, what recourse does the NFL actually have?

Does action from the NFL depend on the size of the entity and if it is worth it for them to pursue for a portion of money associated? No idea how trademark law plays here.

Answer:
 Are you asking what they do, or what actual remedy they have?

They tend to send out cease-and-desist letters broadly, even in cases where their claims are tenuous at best.

The NFL is a bit of a bully about this -- that's why everybody uses euphamisms like "the big game."   Even if you have a winning case, nobody wants to fight the NFL in court.

Why would there be a winning case?  Because "Nominative Use" is a fair use of a trademark.  You're allowed to refer to something by name.  I can say "We will have extra drivers on call to deliver your Pizza during tomorrow's Super Bowl," for example.  But, something like "Try Bob's Super Bowl Pizza" is going to be a problem.   The NFL, however, has a history of going after both types of use.


Title: Is Declaring Sovereignty considered a joke in court?

Question:
I would like full ownership of myself, my freedom, my body, and my natural rights.
The US constitution was written like 200 years before i was born. So it's a contract i never consented to.
if you say I'm environed into obedience to it, then it is a direct violation of my right to liberty, which is a right the constitution itself agrees I have.

Answer:
 It's not taken seriously.  A judge is unlikely to think it's a joke, and if you push matters you may wind up sanctioned for contempt.

>I would like full ownership of myself, my freedom, my body, and my natural rights.

I hear Somalia is lovely this time of year.Answer #2: "Joke" doesn't begin to cover it. Sovereign citizen/freeman on the land arguments are legally nonsensical.

For instance-

>So it's a contract i never consented to.

This is a philosophical argument, not a legal argument. If you want to be an individualist anarchist, more power to you. *The Moon is a Harsh Mistress* is a fantastic book. But this reasoning has no *legal* merit whatsoever.

If you'd like a full-length examination of what Alberta Associate Chief Justice J.D. Rooke calls "organized pseudolegal commercial arguments" and why they are legally meritless, [check out](http://www.canlii.org/en/ab/abqb/doc/2012/2012abqb571/2012abqb571.html) *Meads v Meads* 2012 ABQB 571.Answer #3: I'm sure this has nothing to do with [your earlier post](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3cbzyu/first_time_arrest_charging_me_like_crazy_what_do/) in which you're being charged with drug crimes.

Stop reading conspiracy sites, retain an ACTUAL attorney, and deal with the very real problems you've got at the moment.

If this were a viable strategy, don't you think more people would use it?Answer #4: You're only sovereign if there's gold fringe around the flag in the courtroom. If there is no gold fringe present, you are considered a citizen and can't do anything about it without getting tazed.

But if that gold fringe is present, you're all good. Just declare to the judge that you are a citizen of your own free will, and he'll have no choice but to dismiss in full. OH, and also make sure you write "SOVEREIGN" on your drivers license, or else the police will ticket you anyway. Fucking sheep, man.


Title: (NYC) Con Ed has not given me a bill since October but still has taken money out of my account

Question: I have paperless billing and automatic billing where Con Ed takes money out of my account every month for gas and electric used in my apartment. I still log on every month to see my bill so I know how much to put into the account along with my roommate (we split it and transfer the correct amount to the account every month) However when I log on it always says there is no balance due (comes up as $0.00) and says my last bill was October (which would be for September's usage). However, looking at my account, money has still been taken out every month for the past three months for around how much I expect to pay for electric and gas. The problem is, how do I know it is the correct amount if they say I have owed nothing since October and just take the money? Couldn't they just be taking any amount they deem reasonable and how am I expected to plan without billing? I also feel I should be able to have these bills as a record. My coworker also lives in an apartment in NYC and Con Ed has been behind on sending her a bill as well. Do I have any legal recourse on the amount taken from me over the past three months and can I get access to my bills? Thank you!

Answer: What happens if you call ConEd and request copies of the bills for those months?


Title: [Alabama] My 3mo niece abused. How to proceed.

Question:
I was living away from my parents around August. My little sister(20) and her babies daddy (17) were, and still are staying with them. I've recently moved back in because my father had a stroke. My mother had been more stressed than usual and had let me know that while I was away my sister's boyfriend (currently on probation) had gotten into a fight with my sister and in the process forcefully slammed his 3 month daughter, my niece, onto their bed. My sister subsequently chased him out of the house with a shotgun. The next day our mother said that he couldn't stay here. My sister packed up the babies things and went to his mother's house. About a week later my sister calls about a domestic violence incident between his mother and his mother's boyfriend, and asked if she could come back home to which my mom said yes. My sister's condition was that her boyfriend had to come back.
I'm at a loss for what to do. My obvious initial reaction is to take justice into my own hands but I've calmed down and came to reddit for some support. Any advice on how to proceed?

Answer:
 You should call CPS to deal with this.

Also, she is 20 and he is 17 now? If she got pregnant before he turned 16 she may have more issues to deal with.Answer #2: You can call child protective services and report what you have been told. You really have no first hand knowledge of any of this.


Title: (Canada, AB) Ex-boss wants me to pay for tow fee

Question: I worked as a salesman for a cleaning company, I was driving the company car, and got into an accident ( Didn't hit any cars, went into ditch). Originally he didn't say anything about it, and after I went to the hospital and was checked, after that I called him and said that I am quitting since I didn't want to risk my life again (have been going on long road trips 3-9 hour drives, terrible road conditions and car had no winter tires.) And after i quit he wants me to pay for the towing fee for the car. Hes been harassing me to pay for the fees. Am I obligated to pay the fee or not?

Answer:
 Generally if the company gives you the car, pays the insurance, pays the gas, they pay.

Contact Alberta Employment Standards they will help you.

Contact


Title: Fired: Poor Performance - No Performance Review, Ever

Question: Recently I was fired (in the state of NJ) for poor performance. Here’s a little bit of a back story for clarification - I was hired 4 years ago by my boss at the time and was given regular, annual reviews of my performance for 2 of those years (middle of the road, “you’re doing fine” reviews). After year 2, my boss was fired and replaced by another. This new boss had it out for me from the beginning of his taking over. Not once under this new boss’ tenure did I review ANY type of performance review at all (for 2 years in a row). He would occasionally send me bullying emails such as “WHY WAS THIS NOT DONE?!” etc, etc, but never once actually talked to me about my performance or gave me any insight on how to improve my performance. I’m baffled that I can not find anything about this searching the internet. I find it hard to believe that I would not have SOME kind of legal case - Fired for performance without any type of prior performance review or suggestions on how to improve. Please help!

Answer:
 > I find it hard to believe that I would not have SOME kind of legal case

Well, start believing. Answer #2: You have no legal case.  Your performance or lack thereof isn't a legally protected class.


Title: Ex wife threating to claim the morgadge interest on 2018 taxes.

Question: We have been divorced for 6 months and separated for 2 years (her out of the house). I have made all payments, improvements, etc. The deed is in my name from the divorce. If she claims the write-off on her taxes do I have a legal case against her?

Answer:
 Her claiming the deduction doesn't prevent you from also claiming it. Most likely you'll both be audited and asked to prove which of you rightfully claimed it, and the other person will have the deduction disallowed and have to pay the difference plus penalties and interest. No lawsuit necessary. Answer #2: You don't have a case because you are not harmed. The IRS might go after her though, if the expense is fraudulent. You are not harmed because nothing is keeping you from correctly claiming the mortgage expense on your tax return. If both of you claim the same expense, IRS will likely investigate, and since your expense is legit and hers is not, the pain should be hers.

The IRS doesn't care directly about who is on the deed. They care about whose bank account the money came from. Your case might be complicated if "we have not refinanced" means "both our names are on the mortgage." But as long as you can show that the payments came from an account with your (and only your) name on it, and that your wife did not reimburse you (i.e., that it was a genuine expense), then claim the expense and let your ex get herself in trouble.


Title: My brother sold me a car and told me one thing but the contract was for another thing. I signed without reading it. Is there anything i can do?

Question:
So about 2 years ago my wife and I bought a car from my brother who was and still is a manager at a large dealership in our area. Every 2 or 3 years we go and buy a new car from him. He put us in a SUV I wasn't a big fan of a 4 years ago, so I got rid of it quicker than usual. The SUV we bought he admitted he screwed up on that deal charging us too much and that he would correct it on this deal. So he left to work out the new contract, when came back he said he could do an even swap for the 2 year old SUV and the new car, payments would be the same, but the new loan would be for a shorter term taking 3 years off the loan. So I agreed and signed the contract without even looking it over. It was my brother, never thought he would screw me. Well a bill came in and I don't look at it, usually my wife just takes it and pays it. This time I decided to look at what we owed and it wasn't much less than what I was told the loan was for 2 years ago. Confused I pulled out the contract and sure as shit my brother added 10k into the loan and kept the length of the loan the same as the SUV. I called my brother and he won't admit to what he did and the contract is written like there is nothing I could do. Trying to figure out if there is anything I can do.
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: Most likely not here since you signed it. Just seems like your brother is not looking out for your best interest but his here. What probably happened is you turned your other car in, was upside down on it at that point and they just added what was left after trade in to this new financed car. It happens all the time. Bet bet would be to pay this one off and then go to a new dealership when you want a new car.


Title: Fined in Italy

Question:
About 30 days ago I got a fine in Italy for having an expired bus ticket. It’s a 55 euro fine that I have 60 days to pay from the date of the ticket. Anyone know what would happen if I just didn’t pay the fine? I live in the US and don’t plan on going back to Italy anytime soon.

I more or less plan on paying it, I’m just wondering if it’s a viable option to say fuck it.

Thank!

Answer:
 Do you plan to ever visit Italy again, or for that matter anywhere in the EU?

If they have sufficient ID (e.g. passport number) then it's possible that you'll go into "the system," you know, the system that never forgets anything.


Title: CenturyLink is billing me $230/mo for service when I was quoted $77 over the phone.

Question:
I have been a CenturyLink customer in Colorado for over 7 years, and have always been extremely frustrated with their billing process. The  fact that nobody can actually tell me what my bill is going to be when I sign up for a new service has alway baffled me, and I don't understand how it is even legal.

I recently moved to a new county (within Colorado) and for  some reason related to CL's absurd billing system,  I had to close my account and open a new one for the new service area. Being extremely jaded at this point from my previous experiences,  I decided to record the entire conversation, during which I was told my bill would be  $71.92 plus "about $5 in taxes" for internet and prism tv.  Sure enough, my first bill came through for a whopping $230! A 200% increase!

At this point, I don't even know that I want them to fix it, CL are such crooks that I would prefer to dump them and pay more for a different service. Given that I am supposedly signed up for a 12 month commitment, what are my options? Is the recording enough for me to justify not paying this bill and any future ones? The sales rep I spoke with was very clear about what my bill would be and I had her repeat it several times. What are the potential legal ramifications if they refuse the let me out of my contract?

Thanks!

Answer:
 Well, you probably need to actually look at the bill. First bills with cable companies often include a prorate (you usually pay for the upcoming month with your service, so that first bill can include 60+ days of billing) and also include any installation costs for that first visit.

If the bill is wrong, your first recourse is to call the company and ask them to fix it. A billing mistake (if there is one) isn't going to be enough to justify not paying a bill or letting you out of the service (but should be fixed, obviously).

Call customer support and have them explain the bill to you. I can guarantee that you are misreading it.

(fwiw, all cable companies require new accounts when moving since accounts are coded to your address and service packages are different by county)


Title: Question about Border Patrol stations and marijuana smell?

Question:
I'm visiting family in the Rio Grande Valley very soon, and on the way back to Houston there are Border Patrol stations that stop you and ask if you're an American citizen. Sometimes they have drug dogs. I've vacuumed my car well enough, but I fear there might be some weed I've missed. My girlfriend in New Jersey has medical marijuana, so if a dog started barking, my plan was to say:

"I was just in New Jersey a week or two ago, with my girlfriend who has a medical marijuana card. I've tried to get rid of the smell but it's gonna take a bit of time. If she dropped a small amount in the car, and that's what the dog smelled, then I have no way of accounting for it."

If I should even say anything other than "lawyer," would this explanation hold them off? Obviously if they ran a drug test, they'd find that I'd *also* been partaking of her medical marijuana, but do they even have the right to make me piss in a cup? Thanks. I'm really not looking to get arrested by Border Patrol for a brainless injustice like drug possession.
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer:
 They won't care what you say.

Dog alerts on the car, the car gets searched.

Don't want Border Patrol to search your car?  Don't take a car that smells like dope across the border.


Title: [PA] Lowes.com won't honor price mistake after purchase went through

Question:
I purchased a stove that costs $1150 for $300 on lowes.com. The transaction went through and I was even allowed to sign up for a delivery date. Lowes then canceled the order in an email stating *"due to a technical error, we recieved more orders than available units for the clearance inventory on the following item(s) you ordered on Lowe's Digital and are unable to fulfil your order"*

When I went on the website to search the item two weeks later, it the same model number was in stock under a different item number. I called customer service who insisted it was not the same item but offered me a 15% coupon. I then wrote to corporate and they called and said it was an internal error and offered a $50 gift card.

Do I have any recourse to make them honor the price I purchased it for?

Answer:
 NoAnswer #2: They do not have to honor a mistaken price. You have no recourse to force them to do so.

Take your coupon and your gift card and count it as a win. They had no obligations to even offer you those things.


Title: Legal advice for underage narcotics

Question:
Recently my friend was pulled over and caught with an e-cig being underage. The cop took that and searched them and found a wax pen and thought it was another e-cig so he confiscated it. My friend said that it belonged to me so the cop told my friend that I can come get it because I am of legal smoking age. Now if I go in and the pen was discovered to be a wax pen and not a mod can I be accused and charged of an MIP or worse. Live in Utah.
TL;DR - cop caught friend with mod and wax pen, thought wax pen was second e-cig, need advice for when I go to pick them up.

Answer:
 >Now if I go in and the pen was discovered to be a wax pen and not a mod can I be accused and charged of an MIP or worse.

Yes.   The moment you pick it up off the counter, you're in possession of marijuana and paraphernalia, both misdemeanor crimes in Utah for any amount.   You could even be charged with providing it to a minor, which is a felony.

Let it go, man.   It's gone.


Title: (US) Do federal anti-discrimination laws for protected classes apply to unpaid/paid interns?

Question: I have a meeting/interview with a large church for a summer internship, and as an atheist I am wondering if they can legally ask about religion during the interview, even though it is a protected class.

Answer: Religious organizations are generally allowed to discriminate on the basis of religious beliefs.


Title: [AL] Is this a legal way of kicking me out?

Question:
Okay, so for context, back in April, my buddy wanted me and my girlfriend to rent a home with him and his pregnant girlfriend. Before we moved, we talked about how me and my SO would not be there for only maybe 6 or 7 months or so, which is a good bit after their baby was to be born, and we understood that. Only a few days after moving in was it hinted at that we may would have to leave a bit earlier than that. It wasnt talked about much and was kind of a dismissive conversation. Both of us pay half and half on the bills. (($500 rent+ power+ water+ internet)/2). He said he would take care of the entire deposit even though I offered to cover my half and he didnt ask me beforehand. I thought this was fine at the time because I knew this was not a permanent location for me and my SO. Anyways, fast forward to about the middle of June when he told me one night that me and Maegan need to try and find somewhere else to live because their baby is coming and they want the house to themselves and they need the third (our) bedroom for whatever purposes and such. I told him that I understand and that I would start to look, but there was no guarantee that we would be out of there by the date he gave me (August 31st) and that it MOST LIKELY WOULD NOT happen. He agreed and said he understood. Fast forward to about two days ago when he asked if we had started packing yet because its getting close to the date and he could give us maybe one or two more days after the day to leave but that was it. I told him that the 1-2 more days is laughable and I began telling him that we have every right to be there after that date, but that doesnt mean that we werent trying to get out of there. They proceeded to go off about how they own the house and they can do what they want to with it and that we are the subtenants and that they are the main tenants, even though all of the bills are (50-50) and we both deal with the landlord directly (to pay bills and such). They then threatened to move all of our shit out themselves and I told them that they had better not touch our shit. We eventually just began ignoring and avoiding each other but when I got up today, I found [this](http://i.imgur.com/PtpbUI7.jpg) on the fridge. I was just wanting to know what rights I have as a tenant (with no contract or lease) and what parts of this can really be done. Thanks and feel free to ask any questions.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 I can't tell you what the law says for notification periods, but he'd have to go to court and get an eviction order before he can "physically remov[e]" you from the house. That includes locking you out or throwing your stuff out.

You may want to expedite your search for a new home, though. I've heard evictions are bad for your rental record.


Title: Can my web series about finding friends as an adult have the same name as a porn site?

Question:
From what I understand I can since I won't be taking away any business from them but I wanted to be sure.

If not, could a simple fix like adding "The web series" or making one word plural work?

Edit: location New York

edit edit: UPDATE: I am gonna rename it. I'll keep this up if anyone has a similar question so they can save their karma.
The Answer: No because it is trademarked...it's also bad for your SEO/Google searches.
love you all

Answer:
 You can check here if it is trademarked: http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=searchss&state=4805:5y87z7.1.1

By my quick search it appears to be. There definitely may be a chance of confusion. You would be opening yourself up for a trademark infringement lawsuit.


Title: [GA] I live in a gated apartment complex. Lease says card and remote are provided. Management wants to charge for remote.

Question:
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. My girlfriend and I have lived in the same gated apartment complex since September 2014. The main entrance to the complex is off a busy main road and both the card and remote open this gate. There is another access gate located off a less busy side road, and it is right next to our apartment building. This gate can only be opened with a remote. The PM company that owned the complex when we moved in gave everyone a card to access the apartment, but charged $85 per remote. We never bought a remote, because the gates were always broken. Anytime they fixed the gate, we would think about buying a remote, but then the gates would break again a few days later and we wouldn't need a remote or key card.

Earlier this year, our complex was sold to a new company. We renewed our lease in August. The new lease states that everyone on the lease that is over 18 will get both an access card and a remote at no cost. The new owners have made fixing the gates a priority, and have completely replaced them. They required all tenants to come into the office and have their cards and remotes reprogrammed. When my girlfriend an I went in, I asked about receiving a remote control for the other gate. They said that we would have to pay $50 for each remote control. I pointed out what our lease stated and they said "we use a standard universal lease for all of our properties, and some of our properties only have remotes. We can't change the lease for each property. When your lease says 'remotes' it actually means 'access cards'." When I pointed out that the lease had separate language for both remotes and access cards, I got a stare and a shrug. I was referred to the property manager, so I sent her an email this morning.

If the property manager doubles down and refuses to honor the lease, what are my options? I don't really want to make too much of a fuss over this, but it also really bothers me that parts of the lease can just be ignored like this. It makes me wonder what other parts of the lease they might choose to ignore.

Answer:
 "You know, it would be a lot easier to give me a remote as per the lease terms than to show up in small claims court and try and convince a judge that your being too lazy to update the lease agreement for each property somehow releases you from contract law and bad faith breach of contract."

If she doesn't budge, your choice is to live with it or take it to court.