Title: Gf and i got into an argument about money cops were called

Question:
this happened in tennessee
So this is a bit of a shit storm my  gf got me into. As stated above we got into an argument and the cops were called. my gf is an alcoholic, and started to tell the cops about how i hit her in the past even though these were very false allegations. now i wasn't talked to or even approached by the police. she signed a waiver stating she didn't want to have me arrested. we received a letter in the mail yesterday from the local police dept trying to get her to contact a detective to gather evidence against me to get a warrant for a crime i didn't commit. she said she would call them and let them know she didn't want to press charges or anything against me. should i lawyer up? can a case be built against me if i wasn't even talked to that night and my gf doesn't want to pursue it?

Answer:
 Legally, you're probably ok right now. The cops have no evidence except the recanted statement of an unwilling victim, assuming that your GF is telling you the truth. Make no statements, return no calls. Ignore them and they'll (probably) go away.

You need to seriously stop and think about your relationship, though. Do you really want to be with a girl that pops off at the cops about made up domestic violence stories whenever she gets mad at you?


Title: rescind and job offer after signed? Ontario

Question:
Hi everyone,

I recently signed an job offer to company B. But my current company A made me an offer. An I allowed to rescind my acceptance at company B? I did not start my new job yet and there is no minimum clause on how long i must work except there is only a clause for resignation that I must provide 2 week notice.

Thanks for the help everyone,

Code injection

Edit - Canada Ontario

Answer: Don't fall for this trap.  Expect to be replaced months after accepting the new offer from company A.  They are just trying to keep you on until they find a suitable replacement.  It's one of the oldest tricks in the book.


Title: My credit was affected because of a medical bill I didn’t know about. For 2 years it went unpaid, went to collection, but the insurance finally figured it & paid it (all without me knowing the bill even existed.) I only discovered this because we are trying to buy a house. How can I fix my credit?

Answer: Get a letter from your insurance stating it's been paid and dispute the entry on your credit report.


Title: [Illinois] Landlord wants me to pretend to be her nephew and says the property is not registered with the city. I haven't moved in yet but already signed the lease and paid rent/deposit.

Question:
I recently signed a lease with my fiancee for a two bedroom house in a small city in the Chicago suburbs.  With the lease I paid the first and last month's rent and a security deposit.  Move-in is set for July 1 which is just over a week from today.

Part of the agreement was that I will be responsible for paying the water/sewer/garbage bill through the city. Since I'm moving in soon I called the city today and explained that I wanted to switch the bill to my name.  They informed me that there is still an outstanding balance that needs to be paid before they can close the account and open it in my name.

I texted the landlord and explained this to her. She responded by text saying that if anyone from the city asks, I am her nephew and she is letting me live there temporarily.  She also said that the house isn't "registered" with the city and would never pass their inspections.  Finally, she said if I told them I was renting they would evict me.

I'm looking for advice on where to go from here.  I don't want to lose my already-paid rent and deposit, and I also don't have a backup place when my current lease ends in a week.  She has already let us move some boxes and furniture in and I already have a key.  I don't intend to lie to the city. What would be my best course of action?

Answer: I'd be throwing up red flags all over the place. Your best course of action would be for you to not do an of this, and honestly, if the building is not up to code, look into Chicago's tenant protections. There pretty tenant friendly and I would bet you'll get out of this with more than just your first mo./last mo./security if she rented you an uninhabitable apartment.


Title: [IL]My wife is on a psychiatric hold about an hour and a half away from me. Can I get her transferred closer to me?

Question:
My wife had an incident a few days ago and was put on a psych hold by the doctors.  The facility she's at is horrible.  I'm really disappointed with the treatment because they are extremely understaffed.  How would I go about getting her closer to where we live?  I really feel helpless.

Thank you for your time.

EDIT:  ~~Why was this downvoted so bad?  It's a serious question and I'm having a hell of a time right now.  I don't know where go for help.~~  It was heavily downvoted after I posted.  Thank you all for your help.  It's been a really rough few days.

Answer: Did you talk with them about this option yet?


Title: Is It Legal To Pay An Ex Spouse To Write A Character Reference Letter?

Question:
An ex husband offered to pay his 3rd ex wife money to write a character letter for a legal matter he was having with his 2nd ex wife. Even though the 3rd ex wife claimed she endured abusive treatment, she still agreed to write him the letter because she was desperate for money.

After the ex husband submitted the letter to the court, he refused to pay. The 3rd ex wife told the 2nd ex wife about the extortion via text, but the 3rd ex wife doesn't want to testify in court.

Could there be legal repercussions for either the ex husband or the 3rd exwife?
How might the letter affect the 2nd ex wife?

Thank you.

Answer:
 > The 3rd ex wife told the 2nd ex wife about the extortion

That's not extortion.

Did the 3rd wife *lie* in the letter?  If so, then she's potentially guilty of fraud, contempt of court or perjury.  If he asked her to lie, then he may be guilty as well; but primary guilt lies with her.

In your narrative, he didn't threaten her or force her.  He offered to pay her, which is generally no problem.


Title: Bus driver took my 8-year-old cousin to his house with him...

Question: My cousin and her son live in Alabama. The bus driver drove my cousin past his house to his house, changed his clothes (the driver changed his clothes), and took my cousin to his house in the car that he owns. Idk if this matters but my cousin is literally the only black kid in his school. Idk if that's relevant at all, but it is Alabama. My cousin is going to the school bored. I don't know if anything happened. Idk if my cousin has said anything about it.

Answer: It’s clearly inappropriate, but you would have to ask the 8 year old and the driver why this happened.


Title: Problem neighbors, landlord won't evict. [GA]

Question:
So, my husband and I rent a duplex. We love our house, but pretty much since day one, we've had TONS of problems with our neighbors.
The biggest issue is that they're loud at all hours of the day and night. Literal screaming, playing music outside, blowing car horns, general noise inside the home, etc. They also have several people over throughout the day.
Other than that, they are extremely messy. They leave trash and debris outside for months at a time. They also tend to leave it on our property, whether out of spite or lack of respect. (Including two instances on our steps - a raw, rotten chicken and a bag of used children's diapers.) Their dog barks at our guests and uses the restroom on our side of the property. I've caught their children looking in our bedroom window on more than one occasion. They smoke weed in the front of the house and just leave the paraphernalia behind.
I could go on and on. You get the idea. Basically, they are a huge nuisance.

We have complained probably dozens of times now. Our realty company (middleman for the landlord - they act on his part) has promised us on several occasions that they were actively being evicted. Then they told us that they could not legally evict them, despite their best efforts. They also said they cannot inspect the home because they have no key to the unit. This all makes no sense to me because I can cite tons of areas in the lease that they are in breach of. They've also told us that these individuals have ran out the past two tenants of our unit. Not to mention that we often get their delinquent notices in our mailbox, so I can't imagine that they're paying their rent on time.

Anyway, they told us a while back that they just weren't allowing the tenants to renew their full lease. The company said that they only let them sign a 6 month contract and that they would not allow them to renew it. They said the tenants would 100% absolutely be out by the first of October. Then, after calling and questioning about this many times, the company said that they never actually filed that, and the tenants were allowed to renew their full lease afterall. Supposedly it will run out in December, but I can't believe a word they say at this point. It's all very mind-boggling and frustrating to me.

They did offer one solution - for us to go ahead and get another property through them. But the only issue with that is that 1) We would have to sign a new 1-year lease with the same shitty company. 2) We love where we currently live and really don't like anything they currently have to offer.
The pro to moving would be not having to deal with the neighbors, but the downside would be everything else. More money for a place that we like less.

I mean, it's something, but do we have any other option here??

Answer: You can't force them to evict someone. If they are trespassing or breaking other laws you can call the cops. Otherwise you need to decide if you want to stick it out or tale them up on their offer to move you to another property.


Title: [VT, USA] I believe a man is stalking my girlfriend. Trying to figure out what she can do, and if necessary what types of self defense are legal in our state.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: I'm missing the part of the story where she called the police because she and a group of women were literally being forced to hide in a bathroom by this guy.


Title: Could I get in trouble for creating a website that encourages people to not buy property in my city/ neighborhood due to lack of broadband internet?

Question:
Just as the title says.. I apologize if this seems unimportant, but please hear me out..

 I have been plagued with having no broadband options at the property that my wife and I purchased over 2 years ago. We currently have DSL with AT&T, but suffer with constant outages, and horribly unreliable service.

It has just been so frustrating, and since we're stuck in a mortgage for the next few years, it just seems like there's nothing we can do to improve our situation. What's even more of a slap in the face of the fact that directly across the street (in the neighboring city) they have gigabit fiber.. The fiber service is only available in that city, with no immediate plans to expand into ours, due to difficulties in coming to an agreement with our city's council. As I understand, our city has certain "no competition" zones where they prevent other service providers from moving into AT&T's territory.

Ultimately, my end goal is to "shame" our city into revising their franchise agreement terms with ISPs to push them to expand their services further, and hopefully push them to allow the fiber service to cross the line.

So, could I get into legal trouble with my city, their businesses, or property investors if I publish a website that encourages businesses and homeowners from moving in, and instead suggest that they consider moving to the city that has fiber service?
Could this be considered slander?

Edit:
Thank you all for your input. I'm weighing my options currently, and have some research to do on the matter.
I may be filling another FCC complaint soon on account of ATT not providing us reliable service. I will also try to talk with the fiber co that provides services across the street to see if they've made any progress negotiating with my city.
I'm still very tempted to jump on the website, to at least lock it down. GoDaddy has a special right now on domain name, hosting, and exchange email for $1/mo for the first year.. Very tempting!

Thanks again to everyone that has provided their opinions so far!

Answer:
 You should have a discussion with the city manager, or someone at the city who manages the utility franchises.  Find out the real story and if the city is under prior contracts with ATT that give them an exclusive right or not.  If there is a pre-existing long term contract then get a copy of it and read it.  There is no use in spending a lot of time and effort, and risk getting people upset, if there is a contract that extends years into the future that is non-cancelable and prevents what you are seeking.

You can also contact one of your elected officials:  Councilman, alderman, mayor, etc. depending on the size and structure of your local government.  Discuss the matter with them and ask for their help.  You can even try going to any open meetings (like city council meetings) and asking about the subject.

Approach all these conversations in a nice cool, polite way.  Ask for their help in figuring this out as opposed to making accusations or blaming anyone.  You'll get a lot further using this approach than if you give them a hard time.

You're approach should be to get help to understand the situation and then to get help in improving it.  This may end up actually being productive whereas I don't really think a web site complaining about how the service in your area sucks will be well received nor do a lot of good.


Title: Legal Name Unknown (Indiana)

Question: My step-father and my mother changed my last name in the court when I was 8, with my father's consent. This was in 1988. Fast forward to last year when I attempt to get a license in Indiana. My birth certificate has my birth given last name. All my other documents are changed last name, this includes a license from another state. BMV informs me that I can't get license due to names not matching and they need the name change papers from the court. My father has passed away, mother suffered a stroke with memory loss, and step-father is dead to me. With some digging, I was able to contact the lawyer from 1988 but they can't find info. I contact the courts in the county which the name changed occurred and they find nothing. I called the state capital to check my birth certificate records, they have no documentation showing my name change. So, are I guess my only option is to legally change my last name? I guess I get to pick which name I want to go by? I can't think of any other options. Does this mean that my name was never legally changed? My SS has my changed last name. I've never had an issue with my birth certificate until I went to the BMV last year.

Answer: Do you have a US passport? That is [good enough](http://www.in.gov/bmv/2767.htm) by itself to prove your identity with the BMV.


Title: Neighbors out for blood after dog stabbing

Question: Neighbors in apt complex recently got this un-neutered 5yr old bulldog/pitbull mix. I have a 11mo old neutered, half-a-sissy, border collie long haired shepherd mix. Anyway in the month they've had it, it has mounted my dog, then tore off a tuft of hair, and most recently escaped their leash, grabbed my dog by the neck, and pinned him which led me to defend it and stab their dog til he let him go.. Unfortunately, their dog survived and since then they've been blowing up my name on FB and their go fund me or whatever they started for the vet bills. Since then I've had rocks placed around my car wheels, and today found an X marked next to my apt door. They WERE good people and their other dog and mine were buddies.. but now they're escalating things... I can't PROVE they did these sneaky things, but nobody else means me harm, of this I'm sure.. what to do? WHat to do.

Answer:
 Get cameras wherever you can, park your car so a camera cover it if possible.
Even if that means parking so you can cover your car with a camera pointed out your window.

Report everything to the police, every weird situation, report it.

Ignore and dont engage.


Title: Nevada: Terminated For Talking to Newspaper with Two Other Coworkers about health and safety.

Question:
From what I understand, this is covered under concerted protected activity. We (Coworkers and I) worked together from the onset to address these concerns, first with the employer, multiple times, but they shut us down and told us to stop talking about it, we went to OSHA, and then the [Las Vegas Review-Journal](https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/call-center-staff-worries-about-safety-with-crammed-workspaces-no-sanitizer-1990303/), who did not list our most serious concerns. The next day (today) we were fired explicitly for the information we disclosed to the LVRJ (they said that).

Given our concerns are reasonable, isn't this illegal?
Topic:
Labor Law (Unions)


Title: Child support based on new husband’s income?

Question: As a divorced Mom who’s 14 yo daughter lives with her father so that she can continue in the same school, I would like to know if the child support amount I pay would/could be raised based on my new husband’s income (his is much higher than mine was when the amount was decided by the court).  When my oldest daughter turned 18 my exhusband said “we’ll just leave the amount the same as you’ve been paying for both kids, unless you’d like to go back to court and see what the new amount would be since you make more money now”. Well, at the time (4 years ago) I was making a lot more money personally at 4 years post divorce than I was at the time of the divorce. Now, however, I am not working. I’m still paying the child support I was ordered to pay (for 2 kids) although only one is still at home.

Answer: Sounds like time for revision given all the changes.  It sounds like you shouldn’t be having to pay as much now given the changes/ages of the kids.Answer #2: Some courts say that only biological parents incomes are calculated. Some courts say that step parents income is a factor as well as new children on both sides. Location is extremely important to get the answers you want.


Title: Apartment complex will no longer accept packages from USPS

Question:
Location: New Jersey

My apartment complex historically accepted packages from USPS in the leasing office, then emailed tenants to come pick them up. UPS and Fed-Ex would make delivery attempts to tenant's actual doors and if unsuccessful would leave them with the leasing office.

The leasing office sent out a notice that they would no longer accept packages.  Tenants would need to sign up with a third party parcel service (http://parcelpending.com/).  The service essentially has lockers installed in the apartment and sends out automated emails when a tenant receives a package.  Sounds easy enough however this "service" costs $4/month with a $25 registration fee.

Tenants are not "required" to sign up for this service.  UPS and Fed-Ex will still make delivery attempts to tenant doors however USPS will not.  If a tenant has not subscribed to the third party "locker" USPS will hold the package at the post office for pickup.

None of this was defined in the lease agreement.  To be transparent the lease also did not specifically list out the leasing office's package handling services either.

Is there anything I can do?  Paying close to $75 bucks a year in addition to rent just to receive packages seems a little nuts to me

Answer:
 > None of this was defined in the lease agreement.

Well there you go. Your lease doesn't promise this service.

You aren't paying $75 a year to receive packages you are paying to cover the administrative cost of them handing your property. You can always get something shipped to a UPS center, Fedex center, or post office and held for pickup.Answer #2: Just to give you an idea of why places are starting to do this, a friend of mine works in a leasing office for a complex of ~100 apartments, and their daily package load has gone from 20-40 a day to over 300.  Over the holidays they had to rent a one of those temporary storage container pods to put in the parking lot and hold overflow packages.

A lot of places just literally can't handle the volume anymore.  In the newer generation of buildings and complexes around me I've noticed they build that function/feature into the front desk area, but older complexes are still catching up.Answer #3: Normal houses don't have a place for packages.. Having delivery attempted then forwarding to the post office for pickup is the norm for houses and for a town house complex. Sometimes we get small packages in the mailbox or even left on our porch, but that's rare. I always have to go to the PO with my slip.
Edit: Had a package dropped off on the porch today.


Title: [Syracuse] Landlord removed front door lock to apartment while still under lease

Question: live in New York (not NYC) for reference. I decided to move out of my apartment a bit early due to the poor heating at times. I moved December 8th, but my current lease ends December 31st. I still paid the current lease for December completely so I could clean up the place at my leisure. However, shortly after I tried to schedule a walk through with my landlord via email (which went ignored), I found out that he took the locks off of my apartment (10 days after). I still technically have two weeks paid for that he's ignoring. I haven't even given him the keys or my forwarding address, or told him he was allowed in. He did not give me any notice of this either. What should my next steps be? Should I have a lawyer write a demand letter for the last two weeks of this month, as well as my security deposit? Thank you for any advice you may have.

Answer:
 Get some proof of this, photos or text messages. Obviously get your stuff out. I would send your landlord a demand letter requesting your deposit and rent refund for the days after the lock was changed. If he doesn't pay it,,sue in small claims court. You can threaten to put a lien on the building if you win and are not paid promptly. I wouldn't do a lien without an attorney's help but it makes a fine threat.

You could have an attorney write the demand letter but you don't need to.


Title: If my automated garage door were to close down on a neighbor's pet, person, or someone else's property, would I be held liable?

Question:
I have the myQ app for opening and closing my garage door. I have enabled a feature which allows you to schedule the closing of the garage at 8:00pm, just in case someone forgets to close it themselves.

It occurred to me that in that later scenario, I wouldn't be able to make sure the garage door was clear before it closed. If for some reason it did close down and injured a pet, person, or maybe someone had something laying there in my driveway and the door damaged it, would I be held liable?

Answer:
 Did you remove the safety sensor?Answer #2: The MyQ system still uses the door sensors - it can't close if something is in the way.

But yes, if your garage door set up injures someone you would have liability. Whether that liability might extend to the manufacturer(s) of the MyQ and your actual garage door opener would depend on what failed.Answer #3: Garage doors have safeties on them, usually both a light sensor and a force limiter.


Title: Can my girlfriend be fired for running out of unpaid time due to being forced to use it while breastfeeding?

Question:
~~We live in KY, a state where you can't just be fired for any reason.~~

I understand she isn't required compensation for her time spent pumping, but she has a finite amount of personal unpaid hours for the year and HR is now telling her the time she spends pumping is being taken out of her personal unpaid time. We just switched from night shift to day shift and might shift's HR told us it was no problem and she was getting paid during her breaks. Day shift HR told her what night shift was doing was 'illegal' and it has to come out of her personal time. She'll run out soon so I wanted to ask for some help with this situation. We really don't want to be forced into formula feeding.

Answer:
 >KY, a state where you can't just be fired for any reason.

Uhm. Should we tell him, guys?Answer #2: It's certainly not illegal to pay her for her time to pump but that doesn't mean they have to. Can she make up the hours at the beginning or end of a shift?

http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs73.htm


Title: My landlord took the previous tenant to the cleaners. What can he do?

Question:
I am a fairly long-term tenant of my current landlord.  I've lived here for 2+ years now switching between units twice.  I started in unit #2 of the triplex, moved to unit #3, and am now living in unit #2 again with my family.  I talked with the interim tenant of unit #2 and as far as I can tell he was pretty much raped by the landlord.  I am familiar with the condition of the unit as it was left by me over a year ago (not so good), the condition on his move in (passable) as I helped him move, the condition on his move out (trashy) as I took his keys, and the condition on our move in (dirty).

The landlord took this tenant to court with a good attorney at his back and won approximately $5500.  This is essentially the former tenant's $1000 deposit plus his entire $4500 life savings.

Said tenant is best described as a 20-something black male with few resources.  He's a dependent of the foster care system (they provide financial assistance for things like rent even after you become an adult).  When he was living here he cohabited with his pregnant girlfriend and later his newborn son.  Their relationship soured after he moved out and financial stress (court-related) was probably a factor.

Given that said tenant has already been destroyed in court, what are his currently available remedies?  I can provide a tremendous amount of unique information to a judge that is in his favor.

Answer:
 What does he want to remedy? The courts already ruled against him. Unless there was wrong doing in the court process he doesn't have grounds for appeal.

I am not sure what your goal is here.Answer #2: >  I can provide a tremendous amount of unique information to a judge that is in his favor.

Why didn't you do this when he was being sued and needed the help?


Title: My brothers, ages 16 and 12, want to live with my dad instead of their mom. Oregon, USA

Question:
My half brothers, 16 and 12, have expressed desires to live with me, 25 year old male, instead of with their emotionally unstable (and possibly drug using) mom.

House is owned by my dad who currently lives out of state. I'd be more than happy to have them live with me. I recently started tutoring them after school and it's been a very positive experience, albeit very stressful as they're both very behind in many subjects.

What can we do?

Sorry if this is vague. I only recently moved here so we don't have Internet set up yet so I'm on my phone.

Answer:
 Is their mother on board with this?Answer #2: Your title says they want to live with *their dad*, but the post says live with you while your Dad lives elsewhere out of state. Which is it?

Has CPS been involved, or does your mother had a recent criminal record? I can't see a judge placing them with their brother if their mother objects, unless CPS is taking custody away from her. If your dad wants to fight for custody, he'd have to try to get them to live with *him* in whichever state he resides.


Title: Can I be sued for cutting my real estate agent out of a deal? Does this count as cutting them out?

Question:
xpost: https://www.reddit.com/r/Real_Estate/comments/3h0ttd/is_it_wrong_or_illegal_to_make_another_offer_but/

This is in California.  I get that the answer to this question will be "it depends on the language in the contract", but I am hoping you folks will know the answer because California has standardized forms which we are using.  I tried reading them and didn't see anything addressing this question.

I didn't have an agent, and I saw a house I wanted.  I found an agent specifically for that house.  Three days later we were in contract to buy the house.

Two weeks later I was unhappy with the repairs needed, and the seller was unhappy with the amount of repair money I was asking for.  We both compromised, but we were still about $10,000 away from making the deal happen.  We both had our lines in the sand.  *We cancelled the contract.*

A few days later, they accept an offer from another buyer. A few weeks later, that offer also fell through.  They have just relisted the house as active.

I'd like to make another offer on the house.    Having a buyer's agent added about $10,000 costs to the whole thing - if I didn't have one, maybe we could have made this deal work. I *do not currently have* an agent. I have no contracts with anyone at the moment.

I'd like to make another offer, but this time let the sellers agent represent both sides.  I think that leaving out the 2nd agent this time would save us $10,000.  Then maybe we can make this deal work.

If we do this, can my previous agent legitimately complain about anything? Can they sue me? Or the seller?  Will the seller's agent get in trouble for this?

TL;DR  We cancelled a previous contract on a house because the seller and I were $10,000 away from reaching a compromise.  I want to make another offer, leaving my previous agent (and the associated $10,000 of costs) out of it. Can my previous agent sue me if I do the sale without them?

Answer:
 Technically, if you use the same realtor, they can take the whole 6%.  Many realtors do not want to represent both sides because of the liability. Many times they would get someone else in their office to act as the buyers agent and possibly knock a few points off the deal for the sellers to make the deal happen.  That money will usually come from the brokers' cut.  The broker might take 50% of the realtor's cut.  If the buyer and sellers agent are in the same office, the broker could take 50% from both agents, but many times, they will take 25% from both agents and pass the remaining money to the seller to ensure the deal goes through.

In CA, this happens quite a bit because the house prices are so insane, the same work for a realtor in FL might net them $12,000, where in CA that could easily be $60,000.

You might talk to the sellers and see how long their contract with their agent is.  You could cut everyone out and do a ["For Sale by Owner"](http://www.nolo.com/products/how-to-buy-a-house-in-california-bhca.html).


Title: Were my employers in the wrong?

Question:
Background story: This is in North Carolina. I work as a summer counselor and 2 nights ago myself and 10 other co workers went to a gazebo in the woods which we typically do after the kids go to sleep. We talk and occasionally drink. During this night in particular we were drinking and I fell and busted my head open. It was a mixture of the ground being wet and me being a little tipsy. They rushed me to the ER and informed my boss (stupidly) to keep her in the loop. I ended up getting 5 staples in my head as well as being diagnosed with a concussion.

Yesterday, my boss asked for all of our stories. She found out we drank at the gazebo in which there is a no tolerance policy for on campus drinking. We honestly didn't know it was on campus because its so far away but they also said too many of us were not in the building. This is a chain-type camp so someone from the head of the corporation was called and came down to talk to us. Yesterday, He basically called us each in individually and fired all 11 of us. Some of them hadn't even drank they were just helping me all night but that's besides the point.

Here's where my question comes into play. They fired us all around 5pm and kept us in a room until 5:30pm. They told us we had to be packed up and gone by 7pm. Over half of my coworkers live in other states and weren't guaranteed any type of safety or place to stay. I, having a concussion, wasn't supposed to lift or drive but I had to do all of that with no help from anyone. Yes, I realize we fucked up by making that decision but the way they kicked us out on the street seems a little sketchy. Am I being unreasonable or not?

Answer: Once you employment is terminated you have no right to remain on their property.


Title: [DC] I own a small grocery store where I had hired a guy to help me with daily chores. However, He wasn't working properly so I fired him after 1 month. Now,he is claiming that he'll complain to authorities that I fired him because he was African American and it was discrimination. Any advice?

Answer:
 Let him. If someone investigates and asks you questions about his termination, answer truthfully.Answer #2: Wait until you have a formal complaint and deal with it? Hopefully you have some kind of contemporaneous evidence that he wasn't doing the job you employed him for. If you don't, sit down now while the whole month is fresh in your mind and make a list of things he didn't do right and times you told him to change his ways.Answer #3: Did you document the reason that you fired him when you fired him?

Did you ever say anything that could be construed as racist?

Is he demanding his job back or other compensation in return for not reporting you to the authorities?

Did he tell you who he was going to report you to?Answer #4: IANAL, but IAB, (I am Black)

If you're a racist, why would you have hired him in the first place? His threat makes no sense. Also if he came into work high on drugs, and that is part of the reason he was terminated, that should be documented in your records...


Title: Help reddit! Was in an Uber that was involved in an accident. What are my options? Need medical attention

Question:
(California) This story will be ongoing, and to be upfront I probably have already not taken the right steps, but I want to make sure that I'm making the right decisions in my communication with Uber.

Yesterday, my Uber driver rear ended another car at a stoplight. The other car was a brand new BMW (not even new plates yet) so the damage to his car seemed minimal (I'm not an expert though). For us however in a relatively older (maybe 2010 or something) Corolla, it was a big jolt, I was slammed forward with whiplash and an impact to the drivers seatback in front of me. It was an odd trip from the start, and it got weirder.

Here's where things got a weird. My driver was already a terrible Uber driver. It was a 3 mile trip and he already took maybe 8 wrong turns, was distracted, and would not stop speaking to me and getting all worked up. If I met this person on the street I would have assumed he was buzzed on something. When the accident happened, there was no check on me as the passenger, he just said that the ride was over, told us to get out and order a new one, and didn't even get out of his car until the BMW guy basically came over with a 'wtf' look on his face. Whiplashed, and running late I hopped out, gathered myself for a few minutes, and walked the .5 miles to my destination. I was pretty whiplashed and just flustered over how the Uber driver treated me and the situation. I sadly didn't think to get his insurance information (although his name and plate are in my app)

This accident may not affect everyone, but I have severe back problems, to the point that I already have a spine surgery scheduled for next week. I'm in more pain today though than I have been. I made an accident report with Uber, and they basically said they'd have someone reach out to me when they could, case resolved. Wow, lots of compassion there.

Now, I know I didn't a) call the cops and b) go to the hospital right away, but this accident has absolutely made my condition worse. I'm wondering, how much MORE physical therapy will I need, how much worse will be permanent condition be from back and discs in my spine being thrown around. I'm limping and unable to sit in a chair at work today, using a standing desk.

If anyone has any advice on how to properly go through the right channels on communicating with Uber, or going after the driver, let me know. I've spent so much money (thousands and thousands of dollars) on my back and spine over the past 2 years, thinking of spending more because of a horrible 3 mile trip with Uber infuriates me.

I'll update as I get more advice and as Uber reaches back out.

Answer:
 Talk to a personal injury lawyer.

Uber provides insurance to its drivers, so this guy *is* insured, but it's through Uber.  However, you don't want them to low-ball you or brush you off, and you might have very substantial damages here.  Answer #2: This is not legal advice, but advice in general: If you have whiplash, it's going to get much worse in a day or two. I've been rear-ended twice and both times had whiplash. The first time I had severe neck pain and stiffness for well over a month and it was several months before I was back to normal. In both cases, the pain didn't fully set in until 2-3 days later.

I say this because right now you may say, "Oh, it's not that bad," and agree to something that you feel is appropriate. But you may be underestimating the effects and could end up with longer term issues or medical bills.


Title: Experiencing a little hostility about my military service at work.

Question: I am working in New York at a college and I recently enlisted in the Army National Guard. I am being sent for basic training a few months from now and because of basic and AIT combined I will be gone for upwards of 6 months. Now everyone including my boss has been in the loop about this since before I even went to MEPS and no issues or objections to it. I have given them the notice of my ship date which again is a few months from now and I know under USERRA notice has to be 30+ days before shipping or asap which I have done. Now I feel as if the closer my ship date comes I am experiencing hostility from co-workers/boss saying things like "really? you have to go in the fall when the school year is extremely busy? it kind of screws us while your gone 6 months is a long time" and stuff like that. I am a hard worker and I love my job but my biggest fear is them replacing me while im gone (which I know they cant do under USERRA) and just saying some other reason to fire me when deep down its cause me being gone is that bad. So does USERRA protect against unemployment AND reprimand? Because it seems kinda ridiculous I have to deal with this every day when Im making a huge life choice/sacrifice.

Answer:
 It's not illegal for people to be upset that you are creating more work for them. Maybe not patriotic but not illegal. People are allowed to have opinions you don't like and to express those opinions. If you are replaced/demoted or anything that might violate USERRA then you go talk to an attorney but I think you're getting way ahead of yourself.Answer #2: >Because it seems kinda ridiculous I have to deal with this every day when Im making a huge life choice/sacrifice.

Being annoyed at you isn't illegal. Now if they put official reprimands in your file...


Title: Friday Fun: Negligent Hugging lawsuit. Defendant is 8.

Answer: Wasn't this suit (suite?) just because the insurance company needed to see the suit to pay out for the injuries?


Title: We learned my mom didn't need chemotherapy according to her new doctor. What can we do?(California)

Question:
So my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. Luckily, it was caught early, but she still underwent a mastectomy followed by six months of chemotherapy treatments.

She wasn’t told how long she would need chemo when the treatments started. The Dr’s office told her they would keep testing her as time went on. After a few treatments, my mom was a bit suspicious at this behavior. She made friends with the other patients and it turns out that one of the women had been getting chemo there for the last 5 years.

My mom felt that was a bit suspicious since research had showed that even in really bad cases of leukemia, treatments usually never lasted more than a year.

My mother then went to another doctor for a 2nd opinion while she continued her treatments. The paperwork my mom had didn’t have enough information, so she was asked to get her full records from the doctor that was performing the treatments. The doctor also asked how long she would be on chemo. She was surprised to learn that my mother wasn’t given a set amount of treatments, so she asked her to find this out from the doctor as well.

When she went in and asked for her records from the chemo Dr, she was told that it would take a while. A week passed and my mom followed up. She again was told that it would take some time. This happened a few times before she finally started calling every day. The front desk finally came up with, “Oh, there is a lot of records and we have to charge $40 to gather and release the records.” So she paid the fee, and finally received her records after a month and a half of talking to the office.

During all the record gathering debacle, she also asked how much longer she would be on chemo. The front desk told her that she would undergo tests to determine how much longer she would need chemo. This kind of throws me off because the few people that I have known to get cancer and undergo chemo were told, “You will receive X amount of treatments for X amount of time”. It’s never been a, “You will get treatments until we tell you when we will stop."

Then one day, when the 2nd doctor was looking through her records, she stumbled upon some notes she couldn’t read, so she called the office that my mom was receiving her chemo at.

The next time my mom went in for chemo, the front desk asked if she had been going to a 2nd doctor. My mom let them know she was getting a 2nd opinion. When my mom asked again(same visit) how much longer she would need to be on chemo for, the secretary stated that it looks like she’s all done and doesn’t need any more treatments.

Fast forward eight years, my mother is now being seen by a doctor at a bigger hospital. Her new doctor asked for her records, and once delivered, determined that my moms chemo was unnecessary.

My sister is currently heading up talking to a lawyer about possible action against the original doctor. Chemo really takes a toll on the body and my mom has never been the same since then. After receiving this news, she broke down at the doctors office and was filled with sadness, anger and questions regarding why she had to go through what she did. Her body isn’t the same anymore. She hardly eats anymore, she’s sick all the time since her immune system was damaged with the chemo. Was the doctor taking advantage of people on government assisted medical programs? Were they just taking people in for chemo to get checks from the government? At this point we have no idea. All we want is this doctors license to be revoked and for justice to be served.

*edit*
Thanks for all the replies and advice. We will be looking for an attorney that specializes in medical malpractice. Much appreciated all!

Answer:
 For something this serious, I would certainly consult an attorney. But, chemo is not chemo is not chemo. Different protocols are used for different situations. The field also has made many advances and gained greater understanding in even the last few years. Operating from current knowledge for a presentation that happened so many years ago is problematic.

There are also going to be some statute of limitation issues regarding the timeline.Answer #2: You can consult an attorney, but the statute of limitations for med mal claims in CA is one year.Answer #3: There are government agencies that investigate possible incidences of Medicare & Medicaid fraud, http://www.cms.gov/Medicare-Medicaid-Coordination/Fraud-Prevention/FraudAbuseforConsumers/Report_Fraud_and_Suspected_Fraud.html


Title: Car was totaled and Ins co won't pay to replace it

Question:
I ordered a car brand new with all the features I wanted and it was rear-ended and totaled about 3 weeks ago. Fortunately, I was not hurt and didn't need any medical assistance. The repair estimate to fix it was north of 12k but the resale value of my 10-year-old car was apparently less than half of that (paid about 50k new). I paid off the car many years ago and it was on it's second engine. The accident itself was devastating but the disappointment in the settlement process - besides the insulting valuation they gave my car - was even worse in terms of lost work, time lost, and the entire hassle of it all.

I was unable to find a replacement at any price with the same features and am in the middle of personally negotiating the settlement with the at-party's-fault ins co (Allstate. Which seems like a conflict of interest since they want to pay me the least amount and I want it replaced to the same specifications that it was. Plus they are professional negotiators and I have no experience knowing if they're being fair or not - bottom line, who is looking out for my best interest?) My ins company won't negotiate on my behalf - which I honestly thought would happen - but since I've never been in an accident I didn't know they are 'hands-off' unless the accident was my fault (I have liability but not collision on this car).

Should I be okay getting 4k when the damage was over 12k? Can I demand that the ins company fix my car back to the way it was? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Answer: You're entitled to fair market value of the car prior to the accident. If that's 4k, then it's 4k. If it's not, then you need to find similar mileage/age/etc. cars on Kelly Blue Book and let them know the value of the car as you see it, according to local market value.


Title: Will my settlement get taxed? Oregon

Question: Hey all so I'm about to sign off on one of my settlement papers. The insurance company said they are going to send me a giant cheque instead of putting it into my bank account or something. All I want to know is if the state of oregon is going to tax my settlement? Understand that I know literally nothing about settlements so any and all info is appreciated.

Answer: It depends upon what the settlement is for. Medical expenses, property or vehicle damage, usually no. Lost wages, yes.


Title: Can the court actually get away with this?

Question: I received this letter after appearing at my hearing in municipal court and pleading not guilty. It statesi am not entitled to an attorney due to the fact no jailtime will be imposed I do not want this on my record and intend to fight the charge. Illegal search of my vehicle when the charge occurred.

Answer:
 Probably. The courts of **%MYSTERY_JURISDICTION** aren't about to pay the legal fees for public defenders for every charge of **%OFFENCE_CODE_HERE**

Now here's MISTER BLACK.


Title: Charging Lime Scooters at the Bike Racks off Campus but on School Property.

Question:
Hello all!

I'm a student at a UC school and I cannot work a normal job as I need to have my time flexible. I became a Lime Scooter Juicer and started locking these scooters to bike racks to charge then VIA a battery.  I am a resident at this very housing complex so the utilities are already being paid by me. After a month later someone in UC Uniform (not police) approached me and started taking pictures of me saying I cannot steal power from the University. However he did not realize I was charging the scooters by a battery. So a battery that is my personal property is charging these scooters, not the apartment's wall outlet. Sure enough, the same day I receive a formal email from the Complex Coordinator repeating a term in the contract I signed. " Hoverboards/Self-Balancing Scooters: Possession, storage, use, or charging of self-balancing, battery-powered boards known as hover boards, or sometimes referred to as electronic skateboards or scooters, and other similar equipment is prohibited ".

&#x200B;

So here is the problem, I make my money off of charging these scooters. They are parked outside on the bike rack, with no danger of catching anything on fire if they somehow combust. I don't own the scooters, nor do I use it at all.

&#x200B;

I signed the contract that says "Hoverboards/Self-Balancing Scooters" sometimes referred as electronic scooters. But not the scooter's itself. Does this phrase of the contract state only Hoverboards are not allowed? Or does it state that all those clauses are not allowed? I try my best to make it as seamless as possible by only placing the scooters there at 12am, and having them removed at 7am.

&#x200B;

Please help me understand what, " Hoverboards/Self-Balancing Scooters: Possession, storage, use, or charging of self-balancing, battery-powered boards known as hover boards, or sometimes referred to as electronic skateboards or scooters, and other similar equipment is prohibited " mean. Does it mean actual Electric Scooters are included, or are only Hoverboards not allowed.

&#x200B;

Thank you!
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: They mean you can't charge any type of electric "vehicle".


Title: Prostitutes

Question:
I have a coworker who takes sex vacations abroad and talks about them in detail. It’s gross. Coworkers and management probe for details as a way of belittling this guy to his face and behind his back. All of it is gross.
I don’t want to hear about any of it, but feel if I speak up I will easily be pinpointed as the source of the leak.

What should I do?

Answer:
 > Coworkers and management probe for details as a way of belittling this guy to his face and behind his back.

Please stop doing this before you get your employer slapped with a sexual harassment lawsuit from your gross coworker. Gross or not, he has the same rights you do with respect to not being subject to unwelcome sexual comments.

Instead, be direct with him: "I don't want to hear about your sex trips, and if you bring them up again, I'm going to speak to HR." Follow through on that.


Title: Can my landlord charge me for damages that are happening in another apartment because the pipes were leaking when I took a bath?

Question:
I just took a bath, I've taken plenty of baths and I know how to take one correctly.

If you have also taken a bath you probably know there is a drain higer in the tub to stop the tub from overflowing/flooding your apartment. Duh.

Apparantly when I took a bath and had some of the water drain out it started to leak in the apartment below us. First time this has even happened. I take baths pretty religiously.

He told us he would charge us for damages and tried to tell us it was our fault it was leaking and that it eas because we were flooding the tub.

How are we liable for the pipes breaking and not doing what they are supposed to?

Can he really charge us for damages?

I can double check our lease but we've been month to month off the lease since Feb 2018 if that changes anything.

Answer:
 I woulda say that's perfectly normal use and he needs to fix his plumbing problem.Answer #2: Can you clarify what happened? Was it that the water drained into the “overflow” drain and that pipe must have had a leak, and thus leaked into your neighbors apartment? Or something else?

Were you aware of any pipes having leaks prior to the bath that did the damage?Answer #3: The source of the leak you described shouldn’t happen anything that goes in the overflow goes down the same drain see this https://www.plumbingsupply.com/images/tub-overflow-diagram.png

Meaning his faulty plumbing or something else caused the leak.Answer #4: I’ve had this happen, your overflow is probably not hooked up to anything or hooked up incorrectly and any water that goes in it just dumps out on the floor inside the wall and then water goes downhill from there. Overfull drains for the most part hardly ever get used so it’s likely the issue was never uncovered. There is no way you are responsible for the water leakage as you were using the tub normally and not in an inappropriate manner. He needs to get a plumber in there unless he wants it to happen again, it should be a relatively easy fix depending on access, sometimes you have to cut into a wall or ceiling to get to that part of the tub. It’s in his best interest to fix it unless he wants to keep remediating the water damage and dealing with mold issues.


Title: Please help me get my Mother in Law her stolen $15,000 she lost through a scam or at least help these crooks be brought to justice

Question:
I will begin by saying my mother in law is one of the nicest most kind, pure hearted people I’ve ever met. She looks for the best in everyone and is very very trusting. This somewhat led to her current situation.

So she lives in France which adds a really difficult element to this because I’m in the US and familiar with US government agencies.

About 5 months ago she wanted to invest in Bitcoin. She contacted a man she found online who worked for what sounded like a credible Bitcoin dealer. (I have a little knowledge on Bitcoin but she didn’t tell me about her interest in buying until it was too late)

She sent him $15,000 to purchase Bitcoin and when she wanted to pull her investment out because at the time it was skyrocketing he refused. He maintained contact and asked for more. She had other “Bitcoin accounts”  that would contact her from this same shady company and they all had weird phone numbers. I think she said they had British Country codes.

She was on a forum and I guess this company has committed fraud against many many others and allegedly is traced to another country.

What can she do?
Thanks in advance
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 She can contact the police in France and make a report.

How likely they are to find these guys depends on how much information she can give them.

The money is likely gone forever.


Title: California - I was hit by a driver with a suspended license and need advice

Question:
Here's my situation:

I was hit yesterday by a girl who recently got a DUI and doesn't currently have a license. The car is insured and the guy who owns the car and is the guarantor of the insurance would like for me to not report the accident and pay to fix my car on his own.  They work at a dealership and are trying to assure me that they can take care of everything.  I don't want to do that because that doesn't protect me as much as going through insurance, it could screw me over if I'm unhappy with the work, and it doesn't take into account the depreciation of my car's value as a result of being in an accident.  I haven't reported the accident to my insurance yet and am planning to do that tomorrow or after I have heard some responses.

My questions are:

Am I even allowed to meet with them privately and negotiate some sort of deal prior to going to my insurance? If so, what am I allowed to say and how much time do I have before I get myself in trouble?  Right now, I believe she is completely at fault and I have no problem going through insurance, but I do feel bad about her situation even though she shouldn't have been on the road.  I understand that reporting to insurance is probably the smartest thing to do to cover my ass, but if they were willing to give me, say 15k or something along those lines, would it be legal for me to take that deal? Is it extortion (or something along those lines) if i try to negotiate and then decide i would rather go through insurance? For some context, my car is probably worth ~5-6k and I have reason to believe that the insurance company could total it even though it is currently drivable.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: She has a DUI, was driving on a suspended license, and hit your car.  Go through your insurance - you feel bad about her situation?  You have got to be kidding.


Title: City Forcing Tree To Be Cut Down

Question:
My friend lives in Bell, CA and she was notified that her tree would have to be cutdown. As it is touching wires.

Is there anything that can be done? We've tried looking up tree law but can't find anything.

It's an Avocado tree that is about 10 years old.

Thank you

Answer:
 IANAL

>Power companies are authorized to maintain easements for electrical transmission lines. When tree limbs grow into the easement or lines, then the company will trim the branches back to the edge of the easement. A homeowner has no recourse when the power company trims back a tree that is on the homeowner's property. The homeowner receives notice of the proposed action but the safety and continued operation of the electrical service take priority.


Title: Ex Says I'm Stalking her [NC]

Question:
-Ex and I broke up around 4 months ago, absolutely no contact for almost 3 months.

-Never remotely violent during relationship or after.

-She is an artist, I am not; I would say that my research benefits from talking to artists about their creative process.

-I went to what I guess you could call a public meetup of community artists the other day. Ex shows up, threatens to call the cops if I don't leave (because I'm stalking her), so I leave.

-I believe that she essentially does not want me participating in the local artistic community at all, because she feels that it would be detrimental to her emotional well being.

-I'm fine staying away for now, I'll give her time to heal or whatever; but my question is, at what point does her threatening to call the cops constitute harassment against me?

Answer:
 It doesn't constitute [harassment](http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bysection/chapter_14/gs_14-196.html) or [stalking](http://www.ncleg.net/enactedlegislation/statutes/html/bysection/chapter_14/gs_14-277.3a.html) by either of you.

As long as you don't cause her substantial emotional distress (being annoyed at your presence does not appear to meet this test) or make her fear for her safety then you can go wherever you please.

Keep in mind that she can still report you to the Police as a stalker, but as long as you can show that you didn't breach either of those laws you're golden.Answer #2: Go to whatever events you want. If you see her, ignore her. If you're notified that she got a temporary restraining order against you, then avoid her temporarily, but be sure to show up at the hearing to stop her from getting a permanent one.


Title: Can I legally be charged for a service that I am not allowed to use?

Question:
I had a very interesting call w/ADOBE today. So I worked for a tech company, and had a photoshop account w/ my work e-mail attached. I was laid off from the company, and no longer had access to that e-mail.

I called ADOBE to request access to that account. They told me, and I quote: "I can not give you your login information. We can only send the login information to your e-mail. If you no longer have access to that e-mail then you will not receive your login information."

So I asked to cancel the account. Unfortunately, the payment already processed. So here we are, I have paid for a service I can not use. They have refused a refund, but at the same time its an outsourced Indian call center and its obvious the operators are just going through the motions w/o any real ability to deviate from the standard procedure.

**My question is this:** If ADOBE absolutely has no other way of providing me my login information, other than e-mailing it to an account that no longer exists, then am I still liable for the charge, since they are billing me for a product that they are not allowing me to use?

It would make sense to me that if ADOBE absolutely can not provide me the login information for my account, then I should not be charged.

Answer:
 Your problem is not Adobes fault and they owe you nothing. They are giving you access the exact way you requested, through your email. Your lack ability to access that email isn't their fault. Answer #2: Why do you need to be able to receive email to log in? Shouldn't you be able to log into the account with the email address and password, then change the associated email/username in account settings? You shouldn't need access to the email account to accomplish that...Answer #3: Let me see if I understand what's going on here:

1) You worked for a company that provided you with a company email address.
2) You used this company email address to access an Adobe Creative Cloud account on a company computer.
3) You no longer have the company computer or the company email address.
4) You paid for the Adobe CC account using your personal credit card.

That about sum it up?

So, assuming all of the above to be true I have the following questions:

1) Was access to Adobe CC required for your duties at the company?
1a) If so, why was the company not paying for the Adobe CC account?
1b) If not, why were you using company resources (email address, computer) for personal business?

Regardless, you should cancel the account, if you haven't already.  Then, if you want to recoup the subscription fees for the time you have not been able to access the account, you can contact your credit card company and dispute the charges.  You will probably get your money back.


Title: Purchased a flight from Ontario Canada to Norway on expedia.ca that is non-refundable. Then got news I was being laid off with final week at work same week as flight. Is there anything I can do?

Question:
Sorry if this isn't the type of thing /r/legaladvice is designed for, but before I go to the site and see if they can refund me my non-refundable flight (and get rejected most likely) I was wondering if there was any sort of legal loophole or if anyone had experience with a situation like this:

I purchased a flight to go visit a friend in Norway at the end of May.. I made my purchase about 2 weeks ago. On Friday I was informed by my company that they were closing my branch and I, as well as my staff would all be laid off at the end of May. I qualify fully for EI, and will be given a small but very helpful severance package, assuming I remain in good standing with the company until the closure date.

Not only is this crappy news for my career, it also means I cannot go on my Norway trip. Financially I dont have the money for it, but more importantly, I have to be at work during the time the flights are scheduled or it counts as job abandonment. This means I lose the severance, and it legally consitutes quitting rather than a lay-off, so I wont qualify for EI.

Is there anything I can do or say in my initial email to expedia.ca or the airline itself that would allow me to be refunded for the trip?
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: Did you purchase the trip insurance that they offer? If not, then you are pretty much out of luck. Non-refundable means non-refundable. Don't count on major corporations having a heart. But, it can never hurt to at least ask.


Title: Accidentally "stole" a hand truck (dolly), how do I make this right?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 This seems like much ado about nothing.

The most likely scenario is that they're grateful you returned it because things go missing all the time with rentals.

I'd worry about the other things if and when they happen. If they reported it stolen, they have your information and could or would track you down anyways.


Title: My friend's HMO (or PPO) told him to sue me over something that happened 8 years ago [California].

Question:
8 years ago in California, my friend and I were 15 and still in high school. We got into a slight altercation when I took his water bottle and he punched then me in the arm. I didn't fight back and had no sustaining injuries other than a bruise. He seemed to hurt his wrist pretty bad from the single punch. From what I remember he just bandaged it up and put a splint on it for a few weeks. It got better for the time being.

5 years later when he's about 20, he has pain in his wrist and has a doctor check it out. Turns out it had a hairline fracture the whole time and needed to have multiple surgeries over the next few years.

Anyways, today he texts me saying that Kaiser (the HMO or PPO) wanted him to sue me over it and have my insurance cover it. He says he told them no, but the thought will always be there.

My question is: is this even a case? Should I consult a lawyer? What can come of this as there are no witnesses and its my word vs his?

EDIT: there's no record of this happening with the school or hospital
Topic:
Insurance

Answer: Your friend is most likely misunderstanding something he was told, and almost certainly doesn't have a valid claim. Personal injury lawsuits in California must be filed within 2 years of the injury or within 1 year of the discovery of the injury.


Title: [WA] Fraudster used forged state ID in my identity to get $2500 worth of iPhones from local Go Wireless store under my Verizon account, Go Wireless is refusing to send security footage after 4 months of requests from myself and law enforcement

Question:
On 1/07/19, I received emails for fraudulent purchases that I hadn't made a Go Wireless store a few towns over from mine. The fraudster used my birth name, which I legally changed in 2012 and have not used since, and my current address without the apartment number on the finance paperwork. Verizon's customer service allows access to the account with only the first name and the account PIN number, which is individually set by the customer. I had set mine to my birthday (stupid I know, I didn't realize Verizon doesn't require more authentication than the PIN number and the first name on the account), which is available on the internet.

The fraudster used my identity to finance new iPhones on my Verizon account, including upgrading my current line, allowing them to take control of my phone number used for 2-factor authentication on the majority of my financial accounts at the time and disconnecting my mobile service. I reported the identity theft and fraudulent activity to Verizon that night to regain control of my phone number, both with Verizon customer service and the Verizon fraud department, but getting the fraudulent line and all associated charges removed from my account has required me to spend about 15 hours of speaking to different customer service reps. The total amount of the fraudulent transactions is around $2,500.

I reported the identity theft to the county sheriff's office, and the deputy assigned suggested I go to the store and ask for the footage. I went to the Go Wireless location on 1/09/19 under his suggestion to give my information, Deputy Poteet's information, and to request any footage or other documentation they might have in relation to the case. There was no manager on duty, but the employee working was the same employee who had serviced the fraudster. He stated that they had shown a forged state photo ID in my birth name during the transaction, and that they have working security cameras. He called his manager for assistance on getting the footage. His manager requested that the employee send over contact information for both Deputy Poteet and I, as well as the incident number, and that they would reach out to corporate and HR and be in touch with both of us.

I filed a BBB complaint in order to get in touch with Go Wireless district management. They issued a credit to my account for the day I had to take off work to deal with some of the identity theft issues, but as time went on and no footage was received, I had to reopen the complaint twice as it was my only method of communication with the district management. I reopened it on 2/25, and the response to the complaint was that the footage was sent over on 2/26. I double checked with the deputy and he had not received any communication or footage from them. I reopened the complaint again on 3/25 stating that the deputy has not received anything from them, and my complaint was closed with the generic "We understand you are NOT satisfied with the business's response, and have noted your dissatisfaction in our files. While we regret we were unable to reach your desired resolution, the business has provided BBB with its position. This matter is now closed in BBB files, and will appear in the company's BBB Business Review as: "Answered - the business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer remains dissatisfied."" This closed my line of communication with district management, and any other time I have attempted to go to the Go Wireless store, there has been no manager on duty.

As of today, the deputy has still not received any footage or communications from Go Wireless. He has even gone to the store and requested the footage in person, to which he was told that they would be in touch with the fraud department and the fraud department would send it over, but it never occurred.

What are my next steps here? I'm running out of ideas in what I can do to compel them to send the footage with confirmation to both myself and the deputy, and I have no idea where to even start legally in a situation like this, especially considering the fraudster has forged government ID in my identity that is convincing enough to pass a $2500 financing deal.

Answer:
 If the only thing you’re looking for is criminal prosecution, then it’s out of your hands and you should take this no further. This is a police matter now and they can get a warrant if they deem it necessary.Answer #2: You yourself cannot compel them to hand over anything.  They don't have to hand over the footage to law enforcement without a warrant.  The deputy should know this.Answer #3: straight forward - cops dont actually care ab this stuff, its gonna be 100 percent dealing with vzw fraud department. this happens hundreds of times daily at every carrier. keep working with the fraud department it sucks but its how it goes. vzw will eventually remove the charges. forget bbb, forget go wireless, file a notice of dispute first, fcc complaint if necessary. not that it’s comforting but remember this happens to THOUSANDS of ppl. the fraud in wireless is rampant and totally out of control.

notice of dispute: https://www.verizonwireless.com/dam/support/pdf/Notice_of_Dispute.pdfAnswer #4: The BBB is useless; they're just Yelp for old people. The real issue here is that the deputy hasn't gotten a court order to force Go Wireless to hand over that footage.


Title: Lost my wallet at 7eleven then got it back without the money inside

Question:
I have dropped my wallet at a 7 eleven (or probably in front of it not sure) within 30 minutes I went back to the 7 eleven to ask if they have seen my wallet and they did, they had my wallet and they gave it back to me.

The problem was all the money i had in my wallet (about $400) were all gone.

I need that money and i am very confused about what should I do legally. I never filed a police report and I am not sure how or even if I should or shouldn't do so in this situation.

The question here is, should I file a police report? If so, how do I do it? (Any additional recommendations are appreciated)

Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 You can file a police report but I wouldn't get your hopes up of ever getting your money back.Answer #2: You can file a police report by either calling the non emergency line or stopping by the station.  However, don't expect to see the money again and don't expect this to go anywhere.  Literally anyone could have taken the money before the wallet was turned in, and it's unlikely there's any suspects or trail to follow.  Everyone known to possess the wallet is probably going to say there was no cash in it, and who is to say if the cash was gone by the time they handled the wallet, if they took the cash and they are lying, or if there never was any cash and you are trying to shake someone down.

For the future, this is why carrying large sums of cash is discouraged. If these funds were electronic, you would have FAR more options and could possibly have your money returned to you in short order.  Going forward, keep your cash on hand to immediate needs only and store your money using safer method.


Title: Copyright? MD

Question: We own a roleplaying gaming community and we all came from another roleplaying gaming community. We made our own rules but took inspiration from their rule-set and now that we're starting to gain popularity, the owner of the other gaming community is telling us to take down our rules/change them more because they look similar to his and that is copyright infringement. I feel like this is a set of rules, that have been changed many times. None of our rules are exact copies other than the basic ones that every online gaming community should have. Not sure where to go from here.

Answer: Just talked to a lawyer, he said there is no case. Ones specific rules for their specific "community" doesn't fall under copyright protection as it could be a system or "method of doing something".


Title: My landlord is attempting to evict me because I won’t pay for a $4300 bed bug treatment for my apartment and the ones surrounding me. What can I do?

Question: I reported a bed bug infestation in one of our rooms because our contract said that pest control was included. They can’t prove that we brought them in even though they didn’t start showing up until months after we moved in. I’m at a loss. We can’t afford this and we really can’t afford to move. Please help.

Answer: I am from Alabama. I had a clause in my lease that states of I caused a bed beg infestation I would be responsible. It's easy for bed bugs to travel on you without you noticing and they reproduce quick. Do you have renters insurance? If you do you can contact them and they will cover it. Did anyone else report an infestation in their units?Answer #2: Unless the landlord can somehow prove that you caused the infestation, the treatment is their responsibility. Here is a resource on renter rights in your state that may be useful. If they try to evict you over this I would imagine the judge would read them the riot act. https://centralalabamafairhousing.org/


Title: How do i go to the mental hospital and get help with air duster use without getting arrested?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You don't get arrested for admitting to a drug problem at a hospital. Answer #2: I don't think you will be turned in for use. If you go to the ER or a mental health facility, they are prohibited by HIPAA for disclosing past behavior.Answer #3: It's not illegal to have a drug problem. It's illegal to buy, sell, possess, use or make drugs.

Also, I've never heard of a hospital calling the police on someone who showed up looking for help with an addiction problem and wasn't violent/disruptive. Answer #4: I can tell you that at my hospital in Missouri, we have patients leave the floors, shoot up heroin in the parking lot, sometimes on video, and generally  the only thing that happens to them is we try not to leave IV access for them to use to inject. I can't say for sure that it's the same everywhere, but every medical facility I've ever had contact with wouldn't report drug use, especially in someone trying to get help. If you steal medical supplies that's a little different, but otherwise? Doctors aren't the police, and mostly they genuinely want to help.


Title: Am I liable if a bird attacks someone on my property?

Question:
I have a reef on my front door, and a bird made it's nest there. There are now baby birds in that nest, so I don't want to move it. Am I liable if the mother bird attacks someone who gets too close?

Btw I'm in United States, Virginia

Answer:
 If it's your specially trained attack chicken? Yes.

If it's a wild animal who might attack someone anywhere under the same situation? No.Answer #2: Stick a sign on your front porch warning that there's a bird next on the door.  Then enjoy having baby birds nearby.Answer #3: Is it hidden in a way that a reasonable person would recognize the danger?  If so then you might have some duty to warn, but otherwise no.


Title: advice: constantly being harassed by an ex- customer creating unlimited google accounts to post negative reviews on our google site. He has created countless accounts pretending to be different people.

Question:
advice: constantly being harassed by an ex\- customer creating unlimited google accounts to post negative reviews on our google site. He has created countless accounts pretending to be different people.\(small appliance repair business\) our ex customer had a leak, that our insurance company took care of. he is trying to extort more money from us. i have contacted google with the proof of email from threatening to close our business down by posting unlimited negative reviews under different names.some have been taken down, but each and every day new accounts from him have been posted.

this is affecting my business deeply, and i am desperate for advice on how i can fix this.

thank you !

Answer: This is the point where you need to get a local attorney involved, who can send a cease and desist letter, and file a lawsuit if necessary.


Title: Father-in-law in landfill

Question:
In January 2017, we had a house fire. Lots of heat/smoke damage. Our insurance adjuster said 90 days from the date of the fire was the time we had to retrieve anything from inside our home that we wanted to try to save & the restoration company that did the initial clean up & all that would put those items through an osmosis cleaning system. The restoration company was also the contractor we used for determining whether or not the house structure could be saved, so they asked us to wait until they were done with their end of things before came in to retrieve our stuff.
At that time, only a week had passed, so we agreed & would come to the house to see what progress was done.
In February we had a job interview in Hawaii, & were there for 5 days. By that point-in-time it had been almost one month since the fire...ALMOST.
On February 21st my son called me & said, "Mom, I just came out to see if we could get our salvageable stuff out, & EVERYTHING is gone! Even the sheet rock! The floors. Everything. GONE."
We have now decided we need to talk to an attorney about this. Several items were taken to the landfill, the main item being my father-in-law who had died in September 2015. One of the reasons we were in Hawaii was to get permission to spread his ashes at Schofield Barracks where he served during the Korean Conflict. There were several other items from deceased family that we lost due to this restoration company. The company admitted they, "dropped the ball" on contacting us. And then they didn't say another word.
Can anyone help me with this? I'm not even sure what kind of attorney I need for this.
Thanks~
Topic:
Consumer Law

Answer:
 You need to speak with a civil litigation attorney.

Has the insurance company not been helpful with replacing items the contractor discarded? I realize the ashes are absolutely priceless, but generally when an insurance contractor screws up, the insurance manages that claim as well, since they are liable to you for it. (Assuming insurance contracted them.)

I am so sorry this happened. Reach out to civil litigators in your area. You can ask any lawyer you know if they recommend someone, but if not, you can contact the state bar association. They have a referral service and can give you names of attorneys near you who do this type of work.

Take care and best of luck. Answer #2: Try to do some digging on reddit as there was an insurance adjuster that made a great post on how to phrase things during claims for items in the house.  Example:  Most people would fill a claim for an say, "Bathroom 1, $50 in toiletries" and he would recommend, "Ralph Lauren loofa sponge, $25, Hoity Toity perfume, $125, etc."  Mind you, this isn't about trying to fraud, but claiming actual value as insurance companies are on the hook to replace with **like and kind** .....so if you put down "toaster", you get $8 as that's what they run at Walmart, but if you put down the you had a Cuisinart toaster SKU: CUI1499, you get $80 as that's the real value of your real toaster as its really not just a "toaster".


Title: [Ontario] Employer is requesting medical information to provide benefits

Question:
Hi all,
My employer is relatively small, with just a dozen or so employees. Instead of signing up for a group medical plan, they've decided to reimburse all medical expenses, up to 5% of an employee's salary. This means I have to pass along any prescriptions or medical bills directly to my manager, something I would prefer not to do. Isn't this a violation of my privacy?

Answer:
 > Instead of signing up for a group medical plan, they've decided to reimburse all medical expenses, up to 5% of an employee's salary.

They're about to discover why insurance costs what it does, then.

You don't have to provide your medical information to your employer. However, it's likely that your employer can deny claims against your purported medical benefit if you don't demonstrate the validity of your claim. Personally, this is so flagrantly idiotic I would be looking for a new job: any employer who thinks it's cheaper in the long run to do reimbursement themselves is delusional.


Title: Using vacation time for maternity leave.

Question:
The folks over at r/advice suggest I try this here instead.

So here's the situation: My wife and I are expecting our first baby in about three weeks. This is the way maternity leave works at her company: Starting from the due date there will be a two week period that is unpaid. She can choose to use 40 hours of vacation time during those two weeks. Then from what I understand, Liberty mutual will pay out (as short term disability) 4 weeks of regular pay followed by 2 weeks of half pay (I'm not sure about the specifics on this part as far as how many weeks, but don't worry that's not where my concern lies.).

At my wife's company everyone earns vacation time as you work throughout the year, it's not just given at the beginning of the year. Employees can elect to take vacation time in arrears meaning she can take it now but will have to 'make it up' over the course of the next few month.

So here's where things get sticky. She's not planning on going back to work after the maternity leave. If she takes that 40 of vacation time will we be required to pay it back? Under normal circumstances I think they would just take it out of her last paycheck but since she'll be on leave for 12 weeks after her last paycheck I think it will be way to late for them to take it.

The reason she doesn't want to ask her employer about it is because she doesn't want them to know that she's leaving and then have them deny her maternity leave.

Sorry if I'm rambling, I just want to make sure that if she takes the vacation time that there won't be any legal ramifications or that they won't somehow dip into her checking account since this is an ethical gray area. Also, thanks in advance for the advice.

Answer:
 Yes, you'll be required to pay it back. It's not a gray area. If it isn't earned yet, she'll have to pay it back. Answer #2: >If she takes that 40 of vacation time will we be required to pay it back?

Yes. Nothing in life is free. Sorry.


Title: Was it legal or “justified” to “run” a red light?

Question: I was sitting at an intersection in the far left lane waiting to make a left turn. I had a red arrow, I saw an ambulance approaching me behind me. The two lanes to the left of me were both about 5-6 cars deep and I was the only one in my turning lane. The ambulance came up right behind me and alternated his siren noise (to get my attention I’m assuming) I quickly judged that it would Be safe for me to make a quick U-turn around the center divider to allow him to pass through my lane. I guess the center divider was too high for him to drive over and maybe he had someone behind him so he couldn’t turn around? I don’t remember those details. Anyways, if a cop had seen me.... would I have been “legally” free to “run” that red light?

Answer: You were yielding to an emergency vehicle.  No one is giving you a ticket for that.


Title: Please help - Girl plans to harass me

Question:
I don't know if I'm in the right subbreddit, if not, let me know where to direct this elsewhere.

Okay, let me start off by saying I have recently broken off things with this girl who planned on visiting me this weekend.  She paid for her plane ticket, and I sent her a money order for reimbursement.  I block her on everything because I knew how she would react, by calling me, texting me, etc etc.  She doesn't want to accept it.

She borrowed her grandma's phone and texted me saying "I'm still going up there, whether you want me to or not. I'll see you at your office or your house."  She has both of these addresses.

What the hell do I do if she shows up at my office like a sociopath?  The last thing I want is to create a scene at my place of my career by calling the cops if she shows up.  Are there any other options or ideas.

Answer:
 There is nothing you can do at this point to prevent her from showing up at your office. There is no "I cybered some internet rando, got cold feet, and now they're harassing me" police. If she does show up, tell her to leave and call the cops if she doesn't. Answer #2: >What the hell do I do if she shows up at my office like a sociopath?

You tell her to leave, and if she refuses, you call the police because she's trespassing.  Or, you contact whoever is responsible for the property of the business, explain what's happening, and have them call the police.

>The last thing I want is to create a scene at my place of my career by calling the cops if she shows up.

If you do not want to call the police in a trespassing scenario, then you're left to deal with it without the police.Answer #3: As much as possible, have a witness to every encounter with her, and have the witness recording video. Do not be alone with this woman under any circumstances.

Your first words to her need to be "I told you our relationship is over, and told you not to visit me. Please leave." Repeat that as necessary.


Title: Toddler noise in upstairs apartment (NC)

Question:
I have a 3 year old son. Like most children, he runs and jumps a lot - even for normal activities. We do our best to tell him to walk and not jump, but... well... he is 3. We keep our play times normal and get him settled down by 730-800. He usually wakes up around 700.

However, at night he tends to wake up and run to our room. This is solidly 5 nights a week. It lasts all of 30 seconds max, but it can be at odd hours (2 am, 4 am).

I received a phone call from the apartment office today that they complained (apparently for the 2nd time) and they mentioned him running at 3am. I admitted it happens, but is under 30 seconds.

We have 12 months left on an 18 month lease. This building is brand new. I understand it can be loud and we do our best to keep him quiet - but its an apartment. They have a dog who barks in the middle of the night at times, I never thought much about it since its an apartment, but apparently not everyone feels that way.

I initially wasnt concerned, the manager seemed sympathetic, but I am interested if I have any legal standing. I know thr Fair Housing Act protects discrimination against familial status, but he did emphasize the running was during "quiet hours." Managers come and go quickly and if we already have 2 complaints on file Id hate to be caught off guard in a month.

Answer:
 It’s not discrimination if you are causing a disturbance. Get rugs. Answer #2: Im sure they hear noise all day until 8pm as well which may trigger why they are quick to call for the over night running even though it does not last long. I have two kids, the people above me have 3, they run, jump and bang all day long sometimes into the night, yes I complain on them. With my two they are not allowed to run and jump in the apartment. They have to go outside. The people under me say they don't hear anything
Answer #3: Toddlers have no understanding of how to move quietly.  The thudding that you hear reverberates and echoes within the structure and sounds like a herd of stampeding elephants.  Get some nice thick rugs and make sure you put underpadding under them.


Title: [KY] Liable for spilled coffee damage...?

Question:
I'll try to be brief, because this is really dumb.

The scene: a group study session at the local University library. A few of us leave to go to the on-premises coffee shop. Upon my return, I set my coffee on the table directly behind my materials. A friend turns his laptop to show me a powerpoint slide, unaware of the (in hindsight) precarious proximity of my latte to his computer on the crowded table. Cue spillage, exclamation, and the subsequent immediate shutdown of a second friend's laptop.

The friend with the fried computer didn't shell out for the extra spill and drop protection plan, and is now harassing Captain Klutz and threatening him with damages claims if he not just pays up but pays out the full amount for an equivalent replacement. Both I and my friend have offered to assist with partial compensation as we are able, because we feel bad about the situation, but the guy's hard-lining and feels entitled to completely new hardware.

I'm pretty sure this whole thing is the definition of "frivolous," but IANAL, which is why I'm posting here.

tl;dr is there a valid legal damages claim between two private entities for accidentally spilled coffee frying a computer?

**clarity edit:** I put my coffee on the table, amid stacks of papers, bookbags, other coffee cups and, importantly, about 8 inches behind Friend 1's raised laptop screen. Friend 1 then, at a later point, attempted to shift and turn his laptop - directly into my coffee. It spilled directly all over most things behind his computer, including several papers and, sadly, Friend 2's laptop. Friend 2 is now aggressively pursuing Friend 1 for restitution, over and above the current re-sale value of identical hardware to Friend 2's ruined laptop and more on the order of its original MSRP. No other electronics were damaged, and all other damaged goods were easily replaced or cleaned the same night.

Answer:
 I'd suggest taking a look at [this post](https://np.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/641joo/sat_down_on_my_friends_macbook_and_broke_it/) that covers a wide range of damaged laptop issues and responsibilities.

Captain Klutz is responsible to make the guy whole. That's buying an equivalent (not new) replacement OR repairing the machine.

Edit: Also the [update](https://np.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/6dh9vh/super_awesome_update_sat_down_on_my_friends/) in which things went poorly for the person demanding new shit.


Title: [TX] Mechanic intentionally unplugged my O2 sensor during inspection

Question:
My normal mechanic doesn't do inspections because his emissions test machine broke a while ago. So I have to go somewhere else for inspection.

Shop B passed my inspection, however as soon as I got into my car, I noticed the airbag light was on. A few ways down the highway and my check engine light comes on as well.

I take it to my mechanic (whom I've known and had a great relationship with for 4 years), tell him about my inspection and the two light. He takes a look and fixes the seatbelt light, saying it's possible they tugged on it too hard or something (don't remember exactly what he said, but he was able to set it back correctly).

Next, he asks me more about the inspection and then tells me "There is no way this came unplugged on it's own. This was intentional." He tried to reset the sensor twice but the connector was damaged while unplugged and no longer works. He did all of this twice without charging me anything and told me to let me know if the lights came back on. They did both times and no I will have to get a new connector and have it installed.

It's a small chunk of money, but it is slow season in my industry and I have been dealing with medical bills with my dad and  a few other stresses, so need to be very frugal. I feel angry about this companies shady practices, and so even more than the money, I want them to face repercussions and be called out.

What are my options?

Answer:
 You could sue the shop in small claims for the cost of repair, the return of the money you paid them and applicable court filing fees.

Of course, that's assuming they don't already offer to cover the costs. Get in touch with them and let them know.Answer #2: Mechanic here. Maybe during the test he unplugged it and forgot to reinstall it?
Emissions inspections deal with the o2 sensors.
Id go and talk to them, a 02 harness is a cheap and easy fix. Legal action seems excessive?


Title: They’re claiming “bodily injury” from a 3mph “accident”

Question:
The other day i was driving back from Kentucky to Ohio Traffic was horrible on the highway and i was stressed and let off my brake some and tapped a ladies bumper. There was no damage, but she got out and just looking at her i knew she was going to be trouble.

I hit her going maybe 3mph but she’s trying to claim she and 2 other people in the vehicle have “bodily injury” when there were only 2 people total in the vehicle. So she lied and said there was a 3rd person.

My insurance ended up paying them $2,200 each for “bodily injury”. This happened on Saturday and it’s Monday. I know they’re lying.

Is there a way to fight this or take it to court? I did hit their bumper, but there was no damage and i feel wronged that they’re trying to get money out of me.

Answer: If this was an accident on Saturday, there is just no way your insurance has paid anything yet.


Title: Are schools legally allowed to make you clean their microwaves

Question:
They made us do it when we've never used them.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 Can they force you? No.

Can you be told to do it and punished if you do not? Absolutely.


Title: [MN] Car seized after DWI...HELP!

Question: I am wondering if anyone knows what to do when they seize your vehicle after I got a DWI. I don't have my first court date until the 14th of December and I can't afford a private attorney so I have no clue what to do. I still owe a bunch of money on the car and I really need to have a vehicle because my husband and kids need to get around...please help!!

Answer: Did you try calling the police and seeing what the status of the vehicle is?


Title: [CA] Contact card left on door from Police Department

Question: When I got home from work there was a Police Officer's card left on my door with a case # on the back and a message saying "call". I haven't called the Police Officer yet. I haven't knowingly done anything illegal nor can I think of a reason a Police Officer would want to talk to me. I hear all the time that you should never really talk to a Police Officer because it won't help me in any way. I do plan on calling the Police Officer so I can at least find out what this is about. How should I proceed with the call? What precautions should I take? What should I expect?

Answer:
 This could be the start of a scam. If you do decide to call, don't call the number on the card. Call the station directly and ask to speak with the officer. Either they'll connect you through, or they won't recognize the name and you can let them know what's going on.

It could also be something as simple as the officer leaving the card on the wrong house. Better safe than sorry, though.


Title: My husbands ex wife ditches her son but still takes child support. Any help?

Question:
My husband is divorced and has two kids with his first wife (daughter 25 and son 14). They have split custody for son since he’s still a minor. One week he’s with us and one with her. Daughter lives alone with her boyfriends but before she was living with us since mother didn’t want her daughter to live with her since she “takes long showers and eats a lot”.
Mother also receives full child support and we nothing. Also worth knowing, we’re living in Belgium and there law is very strictly always in mothers favor. The thing is, since few months ago, mother never spends time with her son, when he should be with her, he’s with his sister. She doesn’t give them any money, we pay for everything. It’s like she doesn’t even want to have anything with that child (except for child support). I feel terrible for the little guy since his mother whom he loves a lot looks like doesn’t want to have anything with him. I don’t think we should report her for being neglect mother but nothing better falls to my mind. She only calls her children when they need to help her clean or transport something. Literally. I wish I was exaggerating. What’s the wisest thing to do here? Any advice will help. Thanks.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: Assuming everyone involved is a citizen of Belgium, you should probably try /r/legaladviceEU.