Title: [IL] Gf was run over by a commercial vehicle 2.5 years ago. Her lawyer said she's screwed and might be able to get 10k. I have a few questions.

Question:
Thank you for looking. The most important thing here is her health. After some time in a wheel chair she can walk and run. Not without pain but were just glad it wasn't worse.

Two and a half years ago my girlfriend was walking to a train in the city.  She was crossing the street when she saw a commercial vehicle coming and she realized it wasn't going to stop. She attempted to stop walking and back up when her legs slipped from under her. It was raining so the pavement was slippery. She landed in her bottom, with her legs out in front of her and the van ran over her legs. She had a broken bone and had surgery. Luckily it missed her knees and ankles.

This is the tough part. She says she was not in a rush, walking in the crosswalk and started walking while she had the pedestrian signal. Although I believe her 100 percent because she remembers seeing blood on the white lines of the crosswalk and people walking in front of her. The witnesses apparently say she darted across the street not in the crosswalk. Which if you knew her she would absolutely never not use a crosswalk whether she was late or not.

So obviously nothing we can do about the witnesses. Our first lawyer actually dropped her because they were to busy. We thought that was fishy. We went to another lawyer and he said no problem an easy case. He got the suit filed against the insurance company 2 days before the 2 year deadline. It was for 150k  Their insurance came back with a 10k counter offer.

Now just recently the lawyer calls us and says yeah you're screwed. The witnesses say she bolted across the street.  We'll be lucky to get 10k.

So I have a few questions.

1. Even if she did bolt across the street, I drive a commercial vehicle, if I ran someone over no matter the situation. I know we would be getting sued for a much larger amount. Why does it seem so low?

2. Why wouldn't the lawyer look at the whiteness statements or talk to them from the start?

3. Where can we go from here? Who's liable for the hospital bills? If she does get the 10k minutes lawyer fees. Will the hospital or insurance ask for their share?

4. Are we able to sue the company/driver or has to much time passed?

Thank you very much for any help. We appreciate it.

Answer:
 > if I ran someone over no matter the situation. I know we would be getting sued for a much larger amount.

You can be sued for anything.  What matters is whether you're liable.  In a case where someone runs out in front of your vehicle without right-of-way, you generally aren't liable.

> Who's liable for the hospital bills?

Your girlfriend, as the patient, is liable until or unless a court declares otherwise.  The court/settlement process is to reimburse your girlfriend for her damages.

> Are we able to sue the company/driver or has to much time passed?

You've already done this.  You didn't sue the other insurance company; they don't owe you anything.  You sued the driver or his company or both.  They're offering you $10,000 of what we like to call "go away money".  They probably don't owe you anything, based on the witness statements, but they'll give you $10,000 just to go away.


Title: Fire in apartment below us - never told by landlord

Question:
Location: San Diego, CA

I'm still trying to gather information about this incident and I'll update as more information becomes available.

Background: I work weird hours \(2 PM \- 11 PM\) and I spend most of my time at my boyfriend's house. However, I'm the primary lease holder for my apartment, and my roommate \(best friend that I've known since 3rd grade\) and her two small dogs are home often.

Last night I got home late from work, and my neighbors that I'm pretty familiar with mentioned that 3 firetrucks were at the apartment directly below ours earlier this week \(Wednesday\). Apparently, the tenants had left the gas stove on and left the house for hours. I'm not sure the extent of the damage, but it can't be too bad, because the tenants are still there.

However, my concern is that we were never notified of any of this, including the fact that there was a gas stove on for hours directly below us, and our two small dogs were home. We haven't noticed any damage or health issues with the dogs, but I'm more concerned about the "what could have been" and the lack of communication from our landlords.

I haven't been able to find anything in my research on the requirements of notifying tenants of events like this, and this isn't the first time that our landlord has withheld information from us.

I appreciate any advice, especially links to relevant tenant and landlord law. Due to our past experiences with these landlords, we're not planning on renewing our lease in October, and I may consider requesting that they allow us to break our lease without penalty and keep things as amicable as possible.

Thanks in advance!

Answer:
 Your landlord has no responsibility or legal requirement to tell you about damage in other units unless it has caused damage to your unit or structural damage that could impact your unit.

The law does not care about "what could have been"

As a dog owner and apartment renter I understand why you are concerned but take away the positives from this and move on. Your possessions and animals remain unharmed, your unit is not damaged, and because of this you get to avoid the enormous headache of recovering your life as a fire. Count your blessings and move forward because there is nothing else to do here.Answer #2: They're not obligated to inform you of other tenants' misadventures unless they need to take remediation actions in your unit. If there is immediate danger to life or limb, the fire department or utilities company will coordinate with the landlord to notify others.

The law generally stipulates what is *required,* and then what is *illegal*. There's a vast middle ground of things that are essentially controlled by your lease and contract. Items like this fall into that vast middle ground. Now, depending on municipality, you may be required to have a functioning smoke detector \(provided by landlord\), CO detector, and/or fire extinguisher, but you won't find anything in the law about "Obligated to disclose neighbors' misadventures."


Title: My parents took out a student loan for me without my signature (not really “advice”, more like “questions”)

Question:
So as the title kind of says, my mom and stepdad took out a student loan for me, without my permission, knowledge (until a month or so after), or signature. I have absolutely no recollection of signing anything or going to this location before. I’ve been out of school for about a year, and now I’m getting emails that my student loans are up for payments. $12,6XX.

So now that I’ve gotten the load of fluff in like I usually do, is this legal? Am I legally obligated to pay for this loan under my name that I am almost 100% certain I didn’t agree to? What should I do, just say “heck it” and pay?

(I say “almost certain” because my memory of this time period is incredibly spotty due to my depression hitting especially hard.)

Answer:
 The first step would be to contact whoever is servicing the student loans, and tell them that you need copies of the original contracts and signatures.

Generally speaking, you can't be held responsible for a loan you didn't sign off on.  SO you need to find out definitively whether you did sign off on this, and move forward from there.Answer #2: Just be aware that if the loans were fraudulent one or both of your parents is likely in legal trouble if you report it. I’m assuming that’s the source of the fraud as strangers don’t typically sign up for fake loans that get paid out to you.

If you don’t report the fraud you’ll have to pay the loans in your name.


Title: Has Facebook Violated my right to Freedom of speech

Question: I made a comment to an article & I feel my freedom of speech has been violated.  I will paste my Original post here, just so you guys can get an idea.  I think after you guys have a read it'll make even you guys question How they have their polices setup.   A few days ago I had seen a news article that showed a Police officer had shot a unarmed & naked man four times, that isn't okay nor is it right.  I was outraged by this and posted a comment that stated "Would've been better to put the cop in his shoes.  See how they feel about being naked & shot four times". Before you all jump on the bandwagon of "oh it's Hate speech", it's not, there's an expression that goes along the lines of "You'll never know what somebody's been through till you've been in their shoes".  That's exactly what I was implying in this case, I wasn't threatening anyone, I wasn't bullying, nor was I using any hate speech like i had previously mentioned.  I was simply using an expression to get my point across.  By Facebook banning me for 72 hours & being unable to even appeal the decision to so as explan as to why I had said that, i feel that is a Violation of my Freedom of speech.  We all have a right to have a voice when we are being accused of something, even the Justice system In Canada is better set up then Facebook is.  So, what are people's thoughts on this matter? Do you think it was a Violation of my right to freedom of speech?  Considering the constitution of the United states says: "Speech need not take the form of written, audio or visual media. Many expressive acts are protected by the First Amendment if they are intended to convey a message. For example, the act of burning the American flag, or dancing in the nude, are both covered by the First Amendment as expressive activities." Just wondering if I Possibly have a legal case? I've tried giving Facebook the opportunity to work something out with me & they have been choosing not to reply, so trying to see what options I have available, if any.

Answer:
 > trying to see what options I have available, if any

None. You have the right to express yourself. Facebook has every right to decline to host that expression. They have no obligation to "work something out with you"; why should they? What's in it for them?Answer #2: Nope. Facebook is a private business, not the government. The government isn't restricting your speech or punishing you for speaking; Facebook is. Facebook is not bound by the First Amendment and can decide what speech to allow on their own website. Here's [a brief article that explains that](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/06/opinion/twitter-facebook-first-amendment.html).

You're free to start your own website with its own moderation policies if you wish.

> even the Justice system In Canada is better set up then Facebook is.

Well, yes. Because the justice system in Canada is, well, a justice system with courts and judges and laws, while Facebook is a private corporation trying to make money that has no particular obligation to consider concepts like fairness or due process and has an army of underpaid moderators looking at thousands of pieces of content a day.


Title: [UT] ex requests money owed for a car repair done 3 years ago

Question:
I live in UT and he in MD

We broke up 3 years ago

Randomly out of the blue I get massages from my ex asking how my job is going, what I like to do now and if I could pay him back the $600 for the car repair he helped me with 3 years ago.

I feel I have spent enough reciprocated during the relationship to make this a void factor since I payed for everything.

What can I do? Should I suck it up and pay it even tho it will put me in financial trouble or tell him to leave me alone?

What legal recourse could be coming my way if I do tell him to pound sand?

Answer:
 >What legal recourse could be coming my way if I do tell him to pound sand?

Most likely, none. Just ignore him. Feel free to FedEx him a small rubber mallet and a bag of sand for him to have fun with.


Title: I supported my (now ex) boyfriend for 4 months while he was unemployed, with the understanding that he would slowly pay me back his share once he had an income. Upon getting a job, he left me and is refusing to pay me back. Options? (Texas)

Question:
My now ex boyfriend was fired from his job for stealing, and I became the sole income earner. He refused to file for unemployment for almost 2 months because he 'didn't understand how to do it' or 'didn't feel like it that day'

At the time, he was living an hour and a half away, in a property that this parents owned and he had no living expenses-- his parents paid for all the utilities. I had moved in with him short term until my lease started in the city he lived in, and then he lost his job and decided that we just HAD to move back to the big city I was currently living in. During this time, I was paying rent on my apartment back in big city as well as utilities, but living in small town with ex and working there. Offered to pay a share of the utilities to which he refused.

Moving to big city was expensive, especially since I was on basically minimum wage and he had no income. I found a new job in big city, moved back into my apartment while making plans to move ex and myself into a joined apartment closer to my job. Because I was the only one with income, I had to pay the deposit on the apartment and set up all the utilities in my name.

For four months, I completely supported him. Rent, utilities, groceries, everything-- because he couldnt find a job and was bringing in no income. Every month I had less than 50 dollars in my account after all the bills were paid, but I held out hope that it would get better once he started to work again. It was during this time that the expenses were adding up, and we had a discussion about how I was shouldering all of the debt. We had so little money that bills were going on my credit card just to keep the lights on and food in the fridge. We discussed that once he found a job, that he would start helping me chip away at the debt from putting our bills on the card, until that chunk of expense was paid off. He even suggested that since I had supported him for a few months, that he would support me for a few months. We agreed that he would give me a set amount every month towards the debt from supporting him, but he never once payed.

We were both in the hospital for food poisoning, and since he didn't have an income I had to pay for his ER copay. Shortly after this time, he started receiving unemployment checks. He doesnt have a credit card either, and he was supposed to be in his best friends wedding and was very upset that he couldnt afford to go. I put the flights on my credit card with the understanding that the next unemployment check would pay me back for that. I felt like a failure that we were so poor that he would have to miss his best friends wedding, so I used the last of my credit to book those flights. It sucked to do, but it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

Then, he found a job and promptly broke up with me. "Just wasn't happy anymore" but it was very convenient timing. He believes that he shouldn't have to pay me a cent because 'everything I did was out of the kindness of my heart.' That 'he didn't even want to go to the ER' that 'I lived with him for free for 10 weeks (when he wasn't paying for anything, his parents did)' . He's trying to give me his furniture 'to pay for it' but none of it is worth anything if I did try to sell it. I can't give the credit card company a couch. it doesnt me no good.

I have the records/transactions on my credit card and where they were spent and for how much. Theres a few light bills on there, and few grocery store trips, the ER trip, his flight and bag from the wedding, the rental car from the wedding, the fee to break the lease in small town to move back to big city. Im not asking him to pay the entire thing, but there are things he should pay his half for (the groceries and utilities) and a few he should pay in full (his ER bill, the flight and bag). I also feel that he should pay his half of the rent for the 4 months I support him, where are not on my credit card but I have proof of paying it.

I don't believe I had any kind of written conversation from when we agreed about his slowly paying back the debt, only a verbal contract. I wasn't married or engaged to him, only dating, and I feel like I shouldered a lot of responsibility supporting him (because thats what you do when you love someone, right?) to have him spit in my face and say its not his problem. I can't afford to take such a large hit financially, especially when he has an excellent paying job now (and his parents are still paying his living expenses! at 35 years old!) and the total of what he owes me is almost $2,000.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Edit to add: This was a very serious relationship. We had plans to get married, buy a house, have kids, the whole package. Im not an idiot who supported some new fling because I wanted to fix him. I saw this as getting us through a rough time on the longer road of our life.
Topic:
Douche

Answer: Sue him. Maybe you will win. Good luck collecting. Make better relationship choices. You got played.


Title: Police kicked in my door while I was out of town

Question:
I work in the oil field so Im never at my apartment & left for work yesterday afternoon (5 hours away) and this morning someone tried to break into my place.

I get a call from The Fuzz saying that someone was breaking into my apartment and that my neighbor saw a lady standing in my doorway with the door open(important). She bolted as soon as he started to call the cops & the neighbor says he thinks there is someone hiding inside because the door is now locked.  So, they call my landlord to open the door but she says she is with her granddaughter and wont come. So I give them permission to kick my door in so that I don’t come home to a cleaned out apartment plus a couple missing guns which would bring on a whole new set of problems. They end up not finding anybody in there but better safe than sorry.

Now my landlord says its my fault and that I have to pay for the door frame but she could have just came and opened the door without doing any damage? Is this my responsibility or hers?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Do you have renter's insurance?


Title: my drug dealers mother is threatening to call the cops on me

Question:
it may not be their mom but who knows. they have all my texts from asking about buying weed and she's threatening to use them against me.

is there anything she can do?

Answer:
 Who knows if they are serious or not, but it's best for you to have a completely clean house.

No drugs, no pipes, no rolling paper etc. Make sure your house and car are clean.

You won't get charged on texts alone. Ignore them and stay off drugs and you'll be fine.


Title: Got laid off after 17 years. Only 3 months severance. Do I fight for more? Also, what are the restrictions about talking about my company online?

Question:
Hi,
I worked 17 years for a company. One day, they eliminated my position and gave me 3 months severance. Anyone who worked more than 7 years got that same payout. I only make 50k a year and figure its not worth fighting a legal battle for more $.

Secondly, I have to sign a contract saying I won't talk about them poorly on social media. I assume I am protected enough by law that I can still write vaguely about them. Instead of McDonalds, I can say "The restaurant" or "The gas station" instead of "Shell."
And I can't name anyone by name.

Does everyone agree with me?
This lay off has really thrown me for a loop and I'm about to lose my house because of it. So, I appreciate all the advice you can give.

Answer:
 Unless you had an employment contract then are within their rights here. Silence for the severance is standard although they would have to Sue you to retract statements.  They could Sue for more than the severance.

Take stock of what you have. You should have had this event planned for 12 years .


Title: Ex-wife from marriage in another country sent sons to NY to collect child support from my friend (CA)...

Question:
TL;DR: My buddy's ex-wife from a marriage in another country is planning on collecting child support from my friend. Need advice to help him out...

Here is the story:

My buddy was married in Georgia (formerly part of the USSR) and they were divorced in Armenia. The marriage resulted in 2 boys. After the divorce, my buddy moved to California where he later married and had 2 more children with his new wife.

He brought his kids (from the original marriage) to live with him and his current wife and kids, as permanent residents in order to provide a better life for them. The younger boy stayed with my buddy and his family for a few months while the older boy stayed for almost 2 years during which time my buddy paid for all of his sons expenses, housing and well-being.

The youngest went back to Georgia, along with the eldest. A few years later, my buddy finds out his sons are in New York and had been there for a while. He later learns that his ex-wife will be joining the boys in NY for the sole purpose of retrieving the child support while the youngest boy is 21. During this time she is planning on  defrauding the government benefits even though she has income from her current marriage in Georgia.

How can my buddy help himself? and how can he protect himself?

He is not a bad dude, no matter what the story suggests. I just feel bad for him because he has 2 kids in his current marriage a girl whos 5 and a boy who is 1. They need his income more than the cheating assholes from his previous marriage.

Any advice will be appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 > How can my buddy help himself? and how can he protect himself?

If she files for child support, he should get an attorney.  It's unlikely he'll get out of child support entirely.  If he has evidence that she's defrauding the court or misrepresenting herself, he can bring that to bear.

> I just feel bad for him because he has 2 kids in his current marriage a girl whos 5 and a boy who is 1. They need his income more than the cheating assholes from his previous marriage.

Your friend needs to correct his attitude immediately.  His older children are still his children, and still likely need support.  This exact scenario is one of the reasons child support orders exist: so that Dad's older kids don't get kicked to the curb when Dad gets some newer, younger kids.


Title: For my cake day, I want some legal advice.

Question:
The advice I want is:  Can we please get rid of "Ask the reddit legal professionals*" in the title of this subreddit?  It is not cute, it's misleading.

Happy cake day to me!

Edit:  Principality of Sealand

Answer:
 You are asking legal professionals.... but you're also asking random strangers, criminals, and /r/gonewild regulars.

Answer #2: Fun fact: you actually only ask /u/Zapopa. He either deigns it unworthy and ignores it, or he gives you the best advice you can have this side of the galaxy (and only because Evil Zapopa resides in the other half).

The rest of the replies aren't worth reading.

(I kid: there are ofcourse plenty of knowledgeable people here that actually are in a relevant position)


Title: Package left at leasing office picked up by different person (Georgia, USA)

Question:
We went to pick up a package today at our leasing office and they said that someone picked up two packages yesterday (but it definitely wasn't us).

On the wall it said they have to check IDs against the package, but apparently they didn't.

Who is liable for the package? Are we SOL? It wasn't anything worth much of value, but one of the packages was a gift for my mother who is leaving today, so I'm pretty pissed.

Thanks.

Edit: It also may be worth noting that packages are normally marked with the apartment number to make things quicker when people are picking up packages.

Edit 2: Also, the current management company is being changed come January 1st – so if the management company is liable, I'm guessing I'd have to move quickly

UPDATE: Leasing office called and apparently the wrong apartment number who picked up the packages came and brought them back! YAY!

Answer:
 File a claim with whichever shipping company you used. Honestly that's about it. Don't hold out too much hope of getting those packages back :(Answer #2: I deliver for a shipping company and one tip I can tell you is to leave a note at your door to avoid having package left at the front door or at the leasing office to avoid packages from being taken by the wrong recipient. Generally most leasing offices won't sign for packages because of situations like this. Being that you live in an apartment, ask for a direct signature or retrieve package form the shipper facility.

Apartments are a hot spot for theft and it's unfortunate that they didn't check ID.

The company I work for allows a package to be released only if it's a residential. But if I give it to the leasing office or person in charge, someone other than the recipient, I would ask for a signature to prove that i gave it to someone. The person who signs for it generally picks up responsibility for holding onto the package until the recipient gets it. In this case, I would hold the management liable since they didn't check ID, although it was pretty sloppy on both ends.


Title: [PA] Can my mom be an American citizen if her father is an American who served in the Vietnam war?

Question:
I don't know if this is the correct place to ask. I'm just wondering.

My mother is an Amerasian, or biracial who has a Vietnamese mother and an American father. She was born in 1971. She went to the US with the help of the Amerasian Homecoming Act in 1989. I don't know the details, but my grandparents were separated due to the war and my mother never met her father (or she has but doesn't remember?). All pictures of him are gone when they were escaping their home.

She is currently a permanent resident. She's been working ever since coming here in 1989 and recently expressed to me that she wants to finally be an American. I was wondering if being an Amerasian help her in any way? If not, that would be fine.
Topic:
Immigration

Answer: If she has a green card she is already eligible to become a citizen.  Once you are a PR for five years you are eligible to apply for citizenship.Answer #2: This isn't my area, but your answer to my question may help others advise you better -- does she have any official documentation that her father was an American? Answer #3: She may be able to become a citizen another way, but her father being a citizen will not help her in this regard. She's too old, and her mother wasn't American. http://www.uscis.gov/us-citizenship/citizenship-through-parents


Title: Suspicious Police Activity

Question:
Ok r/legaladvice,
I am a 20 year old college student in a college town in Kansas, USA. I am living in a house with 4 roommates. We aren't "squeaky clean" (meaning we drink and smoke regularly) but we are not by any means running any sort of illegal operation out of our house.
That being said, yesterday, my next door neighbor who is a trusted friend, said he saw a police officer in uniform in a marked cop car pull up in the alleyway behind our house and take two bags of garbage from our garbage can, throw them in the trunk of the police car, and drive off.
I don't know exactly what they suspect us of doing, and at most the trash had a small amount of ashes in it from smoking.
How worried should we be? Should we call the police station and ask them directly what they were doing since we have nothing to hide?

Thanks

Answer:
 This is pre-search warrant behavior.  Take this as your little glimpse into the future.  Cops are trying to gather evidence to get a judge to sign a search warrant for your house.  See what happened to these folks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5aNU9bW-DU and google for the thousands of other people this has happened to.

My advice: Clean the shit out of your house today.  Don't throw anything in your trash cans (or anyone else's, for that matter) that might even look possibly like drug paraphernalia.  Note in the video above that "tea leaves" were assumed by cops to be marijuana and used as the basis for the search warrant.

Don't talk to the cops at all.  Not one word.  If they knock on your door, don't answer.  If they have a warrant or a right to be inside your home, they wouldn't be knocking on the door.  They'll kick it in.  Trust me on this.

It is my personal opinion that what you decide to do in your house is your business assuming you're not hurting anyone else.  That, however, is not the law.  Stop the parties.  Stop the underage drinking.  Be firm on the pot use.  Tell people cops are watching.  They'll leave.  Stop breaking the law.  You're about to be busted and you have the opportunity now to protect yourself.


Title: SUV determined by policed to be at fault for accident with motorcycle. Motorcyclist who was not wearing a helmet (in State that doesn’t have helmet laws for riders over the age of 18) suffered traumatic brain injury.

Question:
I’m just curious if any exerts have experience with cases like this? The accident recently happened when an SUV traveling in the opposite direction of the motorcycle made a left turn at an intersection when the bike that the right of way. Four witness statements all agreed the motorcycle had the right of way. When giving a statement the SUV driver said they had a green arrow, but in the report the officer noted telling the driver there were no arrows on the traffic light in this intersection. The SUV was issued a citation for failure to yield right of way.
The motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet when they crashed into the vehicle and was taken by ambulance to the hospital and received emergency surgery.
Even with the absence of helmet laws, I am curious how much fault the motorcyclist may have for not wearing a helmet?
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer: It's a pretty basic principle of the law that you take your victim as you find him. Although the lack of a helmet increased the damage, that had nothing to do with how the accident happened. So, the motorcyclist is not at all at fault.


Title: $1500 damage deposit taken for nudity on houseboat

Question:
Hi,
This past weekend my friends and I rented a houseboat for a bachelor party on a lake in Canada. At one point during the weekend we drove the houseboat to the local marina to pick up three friends who were joining us for the day. When I drove the boat to the dock I did not know that there two of the guys on the boat were naked on the top deck. We pulled in to the marina and our friends jumped on and we immediately reversed. There were only two other boats at the marina with one being a family who had a child who was around the age of 12-14 and they became upset about the two naked men on the top deck. After we left we thought nothing of it and continued to houseboat around the lake for another two nights.

When we arrived to drop off the boat on the last day, the owner of the houseboat company called myself and two other members of my group into the back room and told us that he had received phone calls from those people expressing their anger with us for having naked people on our boat but they did not contact the police. The houseboat owner basically said that we had damaged the reputation of his company and that he was going to take our $1500 damage deposit due to this incident. We also had to pay an extra cleaning charge of $100 but the group had no issues with having to pay for that as we signed a contract stating that he could charge us for extra cleaning on the boat.

In the contract it states that he can end out trip and make us take the boat back to the marina for the following reasons, drunkin misconduct, excessive noise at night, and driving the boat dangerously. The thing is, he did not contact us about this incident and he easily could have as the entire lake has cell phone service and he had the cell phone number of all 18 guys on the boat. Nowhere in the contract does it state that he can take our damage deposit for nudity or drunkin misconduct. When I told him that the contract did not state this he told me, "If I had to put every possible incident that could arise during the trip on the lake, the contract would be to long and no one would read it". I replied by saying "well isn't that what contracts are for? If it stated that in the contract and we did not read it, that would be our fault".

We are considering getting the credit card company to back charge the houseboat company due to fraud, but are worried that he might inform the police of the nudity. This would essentially be a he said, she said situation if the cops were involved as we would all deny the nudity and there is no photo or video proof. Should we just let him keep the $1500 in case someone gets charged by the cops? or should we take the money and deal with the potential of a police charge if he tells the cops about the incident

(edit) we are in British Columbia, Canada

Answer:
 Dispute the charge.  Never admit to the nudity.  If questioned, your response is, "Even were there nudity, there was no damage caused to the boat."  The security deposit is for damage to the boat, not damage to his reputation.Answer #2: I would not pay for the "damage" to his reputation, since that is not what the deposit is for.  Send him a letter demanding it back.  If you don't get it back, look into the court process where you live.  I believe  Canada has a small claims court similar to the US.

You can't charge back the cost through the bank, because that is only if you did not receive the service you paid for, or if you never authorized the charge.  You did authorize the payment of the deposit, and you did receive the service (the use of the boat).  The credit card company most likely will not get involved in this kind of dispute.Answer #3: Man, he's shaking you down. There's an implied - I'm going to charge you $1500 to not tell the police. He received phone calls, the police aren't going to do much off that. There could be video or something but I doubt it and it's probably not good enough quality to have anyone charged. Get your $1500 back, that's bullshit. Answer #4: I would be very surprised if the marina didn't have security cameras as well as Mum and Dad on the other boat recognising the boat you were on enough to contact the owner.Answer #5: I'm just curious:  Did you guys make a facebook group called Sausagefest 2015 or anything like that?


Title: Is it legal for a business to limit the number of kids allowed in a store?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Yes. Being a teen is not a protected class.


Title: (NY) Landlord changed rules of lease due to law that was already in place, now roommate is forced to find new place and rent goes up 300$

Question: So I've been living in a house that leases 4 separate rooms for my first semester of college. Just as we were getting ready to resign the lease for next year, the landlord informs us that due to local city ordinance, only up to 3 individuals that are unrelated can be on one lease. I was aware of this law, and it was absolutely already in place while we were staying here for our first semester. However, he is now telling us that next semester only 3 people can be on the lease, and we all have to pay more rent. He told us we could keep the fourth roommate and have him off the lease illegally, but he will not be able to use the payment system and now I have to work out a way for that roommate to pay his part of the rent to me, for me to pay to the landlord. Do we have any legal recourse? I understand I don't have to resign the lease but he suddenly dropped this on us after a year of residency and this law was certainly already in place.

Answer:
 >  I understand I don't have to resign the lease

That's correct, and that's all there is to it.  The new lease doesn't have to be like the old lease.  New lease is for three people - either take it or don't.


Title: [Update][GA] Bought house with cash, didn't sign anything related to HOA, HOA threatening to sue over nonpayment of dues?

Question:
Here's the original thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2x8r6k/georgia_bought_house_with_cash_didnt_sign/

It's been a few months since I last heard from the HOA, and I see how much you guys like updates, so I figured I'd let you know where things are now.

I've had some back and forth with the property management company that runs the local HOA. After my initial email, they replied saying that they didn't have a phone number on file for me, and wanted to talk to me about the situation. I declined, requesting that the exchange go through email to keep a paper trail.

They replied with this:

>First and foremost, I would just like to apologize for any miscommunications you have experienced. Just for a heads up, you will probably received another letter by Monday, but no response is necessary as we have your e-mail and are still researching this issue.

>I'm not sure if you are aware of this history we have had with this neighborhood. We started the property management with a local company, who then sold the property to a national company, and within that national company we have had 5 different contacts in a very short period of time. I apologize for delay in getting you a final answer, but we are still trying and will hopefully have an answer for you soon.

>Sorry for the inconvenience,

On April 1st. I haven't heard anything since, so I imagine the matter is closed. I sent a follow up email today, which reminded me that you guys might like an update.

Answer: I hope it's resolved, but good job staying diligent in getting written confirmation of the status.     Lots of problems get bigger when people assume they are resolved and think "no news is good news"Answer #2: It might not be a bad idea to throw some extra money into escrow or a separate savings account in case they decide to sue for back fees.Answer #3: Love me some updates Answer #4: Dude rock the freedom, f HOA's


Title: US-ID-Roommate trying to kick me out when my lease is not with him?

Question:
I've recently (past couple weeks) become very sick, unable to eat, carry anything, etc. Doctors are working on trying to figure out what's wrong. My roommate and I have been living together for about a year in an apartment. He moved in here in 2012 with a different roommate, who left, was removed from the lease, and I was added onto the lease via addendum on June 10th 2014. The addendum says "Starting on 6/10/14 (name redacted, apartment complex name) will be adding said tenant (name redacted, my name) to the household as a tenant. Terms and conditions of the lease agreement will remain unchanged. Said tenant will be subject to the lease and all addendums starting on 06/10/14."

I have no broken any rules. My roommate says he is "uncomfortable" with the amount of time I've been spending at home (I still have a job, I am currently on doctor's leave) says he doesn't want to have to be my father while I'm sick (most days I clean up after him not the other way around, and I haven't eaten in a couple weeks due to the illness so there's not any dishes or anything to clean up) and he "wants me out" and gave me notice (verbally, not in writing) that I have to leave in August. I went and talked with the apartment manager (she's new and seems to be new to the business as well, since she seems a bit confused about the lease itself and couldn't really explain it to me), she says that he gave a different reason for wanting me out and that he told her he gave me 60 days notice. She also says she's pretty sure he's allowed to do this, as it is on a month to month agreement and he was living here first. It is extremely difficult for me to move around due to the pain I am experiencing, let alone carry anything (I had trouble carrying a gallon of water up the stairs). His girlfriend is also living here, yet she is not on the lease (although we are splitting the rent equally between the three of us). There is a clause that he is specifically breaking by allowing this (although she did try to get on the lease and I think it's the manager's fault she isn't because she just keeps forgetting to finish the paperwork.)

A. The wording on the addendum seems to me as though I have as much right to the apartment as he does, and more so than his girlfriend. There is nothing listed on the original lease about "primary tenant" vs "secondary tenant," both of the original tenants were just "tenant."

B. Is he allowed to kick me out for being temporarily disabled (since that was the only gripe he made to me) or am I covered by the fair housing act, or is that only for when considering renting something out?

I do have a copy of the lease/addendum so if you need specific wording to answer a question please let me know and I'll write it down.

It's an uncomfortable situation I'm in, and I will be trying to move, but my family doesn't live close and I would have to move all my stuff myself... which I'm not physically able to do.

Thank you in advance for your responses.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: You have a lease agreement with the landlord, not with your roommate.  He does not get to give you notice to have you kicked out.  The apartment manager is an idiot and you should speak to her manager and ask the manager to correct her inaccurate interpretation of how a lease works.


Title: [PA] Found out that I might be a father. Mother gave baby up for adoption.

Question: I could really use some advice on what to do. I was notified today that the mother had the baby a month ago and that the baby was adopted. I did not know. I am not sure if I am the father. I would like to know and if I am what I can do to get my child back.

Answer: This is well beyond DIY territory, so I think the best advice for you is to contact a family law attorney.


Title: My adult sister has severe anorexia, and I have been living in fear that she will die for years. What can I do to help her, if anything?

Question:
My older sister had been in treatment for anorexia off and on since she was 12. Now she's in her 20s. There's been a pattern for the past 6 years: her weight drops into the 60 pound or below range (she's 5'5, to put this in perspective), then after weeks of convincing she will seek treatment. She stays in treatment for a few months and gains a bit of weight, but leaves before any real progress can be made on her physical or mental state. The process of weight loss begins the moment she leaves treatment and is out on her own again.

She's back to looking like a skeleton at present and looks worse every time I see her. I am worried sick. No one in my family has access to her medical records, permission to speak to her doctor, and she insists everything is "fine" and she is "turning things around." She refuses to grant anyone else access to her medical information or to speak to her doctor or therapist and becomes more defiant and angry anytime anyone asks.

I have been trying for years to convince my parents to seek guardianship of her, but they refuse. They don't want to betray her trust by doing that, it takes too long, it'd cost too much money, etc. There are a bunch of reasons they name for not doing it. Given that her life is at risk and I have very little money to spare, is there any legal way I can help her ASAP? I feel completely powerless right now. I can't stand by and watch this happen to her again or watch her die, but I have no idea how to begin this process or even what it entails. I am barely an adult myself. Please help!

Location: Illinois

Answer:
 If your sister is mentally competent, you can't force her to do anything she doesn't want to or convince a court to award anyone guardianship over her. Answer #2: Encourage her to write a will.

My cousin was a junky. His parents made him write a will. It helped encourage him to sober up.


Title: I (MA) and being threatened by my ex's brother (NH) over comments I made about our relationship on Reddit. What is my legal recourse here?

Question:
Long story short, my girlfriend's brother finds my Reddit account by sleuthing a bit on the internet behind my back. Find things I post about our relationship at the time plus some things about my past (nothing illegal). They come from a conservative family, so this seems a bit scandalous to them, I assume. What he didn't find was how wonderful my girlfriend was and how much she meant to me, but that's neither here nor there. He tells her about some things I posted, she calls me; a heartbreaking breakup ensues. As soon as she leaves, he enters the bar and becomes quite confrontational with me. He essentially threatens me with physical harm ("you know what my family is capable of")if I ever talk to his sister again and leaves.

The next day, he texts me and says I am to remove all Reddit posts relating to his sister or his family. I block his number and eventually delete the posts. Yesterday he calls me and leaves a voicemail and says he's still looking at my Reddit account and says the posts are still up (I assume he's looking at cached posts because all posts are gone regarding the family). Again he makes some vague threats. I have the transcript on Google voice.

Today, he calls from a landline and I decline the call and assume he's still looking at cached posts, at this point becoming obsessive over the ordeal and obtrusive in my life.

What are my legal options here? I would hate to get a restraining order(if that's even possible) put on him, but it appears headed that way. In addition, am I in any way liable for libel or slander or any type of legal dilemma due to my past posts? In all honestly, they were fairly tame by Reddit standards. It would take a fair bit of work to connect my name to my Reddit account.

Thanks for all your input.

Answer:
 Just keep a record off all his threats and his contacting you in general. If you ever are legitimately scared of impending violence call the police. If this continues to go on with him contacting you and making threats you could likely get a no-contact order.Answer #2: >In addition, am I in any way liable for libel or slander or any type of legal dilemma due to my past posts

No one here could possibly tell you that for sure without both seeing the posts and knowing way more about your situation than you should put online. But one of the elements of a defamation claim is identification of the plaintiff, so unless what you posted ID'd your girlfriend in a way that readers could ID her IRL, it's unlikely you'd be on the hook for defamation.


Title: Amazon or a third party is using Amazon to sell my copyrighted music without my permission. How do I get my music removed from Amazon and receive the money that was made from the unauthorized sale of my music?

Question:
I am an independent musician, and since I began my current music project in 2010, all my music has been released without a record label. I have always released my music on Bandcamp.com exclusively (usually using the "pay what you want, including free" pricing option). My music is also copyrighted and it says so on my Bandcamp page (I will admit I don't know much about how copyright works besides a little bit regarding sampling laws and fair use, since I am an electronic musician who samples music sometimes).

Today, I came across a page on Amazon selling downloadable digital copies of my albums in mp3 format. I have never approved any sale of my music outside of Bandcamp.

So, I have a few questions:

Does anyone have any idea how my music ended up there?

Who is getting the money from the sales? How would I figure this information out?

Who exactly put my music up for sale on Amazon? Was it the company themselves, or a third party using the site to sell my music?

How can I get it taken down?

How can I get the money I am owed from the sale of my music on Amazon? If it is a third party selling the music on Amazon, how do I get whatever profit they made from my music?

If Amazon is being use to distribute my music via a third party, I have to assume that they take a percentage of sales that are made. What would be my hopes of getting that money? I suppose that Bandcamp would have gotten that money had it been a legitimate sale. Should I contact Bandcamp at all?

Would getting the money I am feel I am owed require a lawyer/legal action?

What would be the best way to pursue legal action?

Would legal action be worth it? Over the years, I have gained a modest sized fan-base and have made a non-insignificant amount of sales through bandcamp page, as well as playing live shows (not sure if shows i've played are relevant, but I mention it just in case it is relevant that my work was semi-popular within a niche genre for a period of time).

I should note I know very little about the legal side of music distribution or the laws surrounding things like this, and the law in general. That's why I never pursued a record label, hired a manager, etc. I just like making music and releasing it. In hindsight, my lack of legal knowledge is the reason I should have a manager, and see where there would be a value in releasing my music through a record label.

Am I correct that that pressing charges against Amazon would be futile because I am just some small time musician and Amazon is Amazon. Would that depend on how many unauthorized copies were sold?

I am sure I can contact Amazon at some email they provide and ask them to remove it, but from what I have read, people have had difficulty fighting copyright infringement with Amazon.

Also, I am located in Illinois.

Any other advise about this issue?

Thanks for any reply in advance.

Answer:
 Contact Amazon and report copyright infringement.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_14061711_claimcopyright?nodeId=201140760Answer #2: Amazon should be able to tell you who they’re paying royalties to and you would report the copyright infringement to them. It may or may not be worth pressing charges. Did you happen to register the copyright of each song being sold? Basically you have a copyright once you create a new work, and it entitles you to recover any money anyone made off your work (these amazon sales) but that’s it, no attorney fees or punitive damages. If you registered the copyright then you can be awarded punitive damages and recover legal fees. Also you likely won’t be pressing charges against Amazon, it’ll be against whoever claimed they owned the songs to distribute.Answer #3: I'm an IP lawyer, and unfortunately giving specific legal advice on the internet is a bad idea.

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But what I can do is point you into good resources that can give you specific and tailored advice.

&#x200B;

First, nearly every state has an organization called 'lawyers for the arts'. The one in [Illinois can be found here](https://law-arts.org/). They offer pro bono legal aid on all matters relevant to artists, including copyright and IP law. I highly recommend every professional artist, from musicians to painters to photographers and graphic artists to find their local lawyers for the arts.

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Second, nationwide, this group, [new media rights](https://www.newmediarights.org/),  is great at helping artists dealing with copyright issues and offers free/low cost legal aid on copyright.

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Additionally, being in Illinois, there are a number of law schools which hold clinics and have legal aide groups. U Chicago, for example, as an [innovation clinic](https://www.law.uchicago.edu/clinics/innovation) where something like this would interest them.


Title: My girlfriend had a porn leak from a past hookup and he refuses to remove it from his sight.

Question: She contacted him and asked him to take it down, but he declined, saying she had "No right" since it was his video. He told her "to just forget about it and move on." Which really upset her because now everyone she knows is seeing it and she feels helpless. I won't give names but I'll say it occurred in Arkansas. What can we do?

Answer:
 Arkansas [has a revenge porn law](ftp://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/acts/2015/Public/ACT304.pdf). It makes distributing intimate images a criminal offence (i.e., call the cops) if done so with intent to "harass, frighten, intimidate, threaten, or abuse another person." It's not clear such intent exists, but let the police worry about that: it's likely a visit from the cops will get his attention, regardless.

Tell her not to threaten to call the police, and just call the non-emergency number and make a report.Answer #2: Out of curiosity, was the video made professionally?  As in, was she paid to make it?  I only ask because if there's someone who is hosting porn on their own site, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume they're an amateur pornographer.  I'd imagine that would make it more difficult to show that it's being distributed to intentionally impact her negatively.


Title: What to do if you catch a vandal at your house.

Question:
Today I caught a group of 4 minors (16 or 17 years old but pretty much as large as adults I only know they are minors because they looked like they were on the way to school) vandalizing my car in my driveway.  I ran outside to chase them off and they got violent. I grabbed a stick and told them to leave with no intent of harming any of them.  Just didn't want them to hit me.  They left and said they would be back.  Now I'm not in any way afraid of these minors but obviously I would not want to harm anyone.  So the question is what do I do when they come back? If i chase them away and they attack me can I defend myself in the state of New York? Even on my own property?

Edit: Just noticed its sunday and this happened at 7am so I dont know if they were kids or adults.

Answer: Call the police.Answer #2: If you are attacked you can defend yourself but it will be up to you to show your actions were justified as in any self defense situation.Answer #3: Invest in some wireless security cameras. If you have a garage, garage your car until this blows over.Answer #4: What did the police tell you when you called them?


Title: After I backed out of lease, landlord said she would keep my security deposit. How do I get it back?

Question:
Went to sign a lease on an apartment today. There was a small hole in my door, the documents the landlord wanted me to sign were in Minnesota (I live in Virginia), and the landlord was 30 minutes late to the meeting. I said I would not be signing the lease. She said she was keeping my $450 security deposit, which is different from the $25 application fee that I paid. (The application fee is nonrefundable, that's fine, but I never lived there.) I never lived there! How can she keep my deposit?

What can I do in this situation? I know small claims court is a thing. What do I do?

Answer:
 Why did you pay a security deposit before signing the lease? Whatever you DID sign when you paid the security deposit should give you information about it.

If not, if you just gave her $450 with no documentation, then just file in small claims court (after sending a demand letter of course).

It sounds like you did this bass-ackwards. But regardless, in VA [here is the security deposit law](https://www.thebalancesmb.com/virginia-security-deposit-law-2125094). Without actually having a lease I'm not sure what that payment really was though. Just demand it back in writing and if she refuses, sue.


Title: Family member got called out for some racist shit from the past

Question: Hi everyone, my whole family is freaking out right now because a girl from the high school my younger brother just graduated from just posted some screenshots from a snapchat group chat in which my brother and a few other white guys said the n word. The tweets are getting more traction than I thought they would and the college he was accepted to has been made aware of the situation because they’ve flooded the school with emails about it. I understand that this is an extremely sensitive time and that word is never ok, but the chat is from multiple years ago at this point. Is it possible my brother could lose his acceptance to his college over this and can/should we take steps to get this taken down

Answer:
 >Is it possible my brother could lose his acceptance to his college over this

Absolutely.

>and can/should we take steps to get this taken down

There's nothing you can do at this point. There is nothing illegal about them posting screenshots of a racist saying racist things. Perhaps your brother should have considered not being racist.


Title: [IA US] Urgent help needed, insane landlord stalking and harassing me.

Question:
throwaway account because, well, you'll see.

Hey everyone, I'm a 30 yo male and I am having a huge issue right now and I'm hoping I can get some advice on this. It's stressing me and my partner the hell out as well as some of my family members as we are being targeted by the insane tactics of a former land lord.

This is long so I apologize.

Background:

I moved into a house without a lease. The landlords were looking to sell the house eventually but were renting it out in the mean time while they got their ducks in a row. It seemed like a great deal and was really affordable, plus I was in dire need of a place as I was from out of town and had accepted a job in the city.

The landlord and his wife do not live in the same state, but had been renting it out to people I know for a couple years. Seemed great.

I wasn't able to move in the day that I said I'd be able to (FEB 1ST) , because of some serious health issues with someone close to me. I made the mistake at first of thinking that I'd be able to just chill and move in a week or so later.

FIRST RED FLAG. The wife of the landlord, who I'll call Nancy, is whom I interacted with for the entirety of time living here. She emails me super angrily, saying that if I didn't pay immediately, I'd be kicked out of the house. I figure, "oh shit" and apologize, explain my tardiness and tell her I'll pay within the next two days. She accepts this, and I pay. No problem.

Now, since the inception of this informal living arrangement, I'm required to send a check or money order to their home address for rent each month. No problem. I didn't have a bank yet as I just moved to the area so I opt for cashing my checks and then mailing a money order. This is also the case for the utilities bills. The only difference is that I never see an itemized or actual utility bill, I only ever get a friendly reminder once a month from Nancy each month what the bill is. No big. Chill or whatever.

I haven't had any issues at all, never missed another payment or anything. However, in June we (the random other guy that lived there) get an email that a realtor is going to be showing the house to prospective people and they'll give us a 24 hour notice before any showing. This is fine. A little inconvenient when it's 8 am on a Sunday, but hey, its super cheap rent and i'm a relaxed, flexible guy.

This also results in random home inspections from like radon guys, and general contractors to make sure everything is "up to code". Standard.

In July, we get an email letting us know that the house has been sold and we'd have until the 31st to find new homes. Also okay. I'd met a girl a few months beforehand, we'd started dating, got serious and her lease was up August 1st and we'd been thinking about moving in together anyway. She's also chill. So we start looking for places, find one and hurry to get my stuff out. I will stress that she did not live with me at all during this time, as she lived an hour and fifteen minutes away and had her own (super awesome apartment).

RED FLAG TWO: Cue the day after move out. I am just settling in to my new apartment and I get the angriest email from Nancy. She absolutely COULD NOT BELIEVE I'd left some of my belongings in the house and that it "almost tanked the sale". It was a long email and full of vitriol and rage.

I calmly explained that I'd gotten all of my belongings out and that I didn't appreciate the tone she'd taken and accusations she'd leveled at me. The house had been occupied by MANY people over the years, and anything that was left I just assumed belonged to them.

Again, she apologizes and realizes it has been a mistake. it's whatever. I don't like the way she handled it, but I was basically free from them anyways save for some final utility bill she'd vaguely mentioned would be forthcoming.

The day after she apologized, Nancy emailed again with the "final" utility bill. It was easily five times as much as any other utility bill (at almost 400 dollars) and was apparently "my half" (the other half having been paid by the random guy that was my roommate). I think to myself, "hmm, this seems a little weird." But, hindsight is 20/20, and I'm just happy to be living my best life with my partner in our new dope ass apartment, so I don't press the issue much. Once again, no itemized utility bill, no proof or anything, just an email.

My job has their busiest two weeks of the year right around then. I'm working 10-12 hour days 6 days a week and trying to sleep as much as I can and spend time with my boo. So I forget about the utilities for those two weeks.

Then I remember.

3rd RED FLAG: I get another angry email from Nancy, asking why I'm dodging the final utility bill and that she's sick of playing games with me. I apologize, it's definitely my fault that it's late, but I had so much going on in my first month. No excuses here, just an explanation. I tell her what's up with the stress and she emails me back sounding halfway understanding and chops fifty bucks off of the bill if I can get it paid as soon as possible. I ask if two even payments two weeks a part would work. She says yes. Dope.

I send the first one, same way, money order. Don't hear anything from her. Send the next one. Wash my hands of it. Or so I thought.

One month ago, I put a product up on Amazon, and posted about it on my Instagram feed, being I was super excited. At around midnight that night, I get a notification that "nancylandlord001" has liked my photo.

Now, I don't follow her on Instagram, and as far as I know, she doesn't follow me. I didn't even add her on Facebook. I go to check which photo is liked, but it's gone when I go to check. Weird. She mustve quickly unliked it. Doing some silent creeping I assumed, but whatever, maybe she wanted to know what I was about since we never physically met.

TODAY:

I'm hanging out at my partner's family's house for a birthday when she leans over and says to me, "do you know who this is?"

I look at her phone, it's open to Instagram. She's got eightish notifications that look like spam because they all say the same thing, from the same person but then I take a closer look. Every comment is on a different picture and says the same thing, "PENSQUILLS OWES ME 400$ AND YOU NEED TO TELL HIM TO PAY UP!!!" it was a little less eloquent than that, but it definitely said "tell him to pay up". The poster of the comments? nancylandlord001

I was shook, guys. I just look at my partner and silently shrug my shoulders. "Thats my old landlord..." is really all I can say. Luckily, my girl is chill, like I said. She just goes, "why is she posting this on my instagram?" super calmly. I tell her I don't know. I check mine. Same thing, many comments saying the same thing, but more personal to me.

We both report it as spam and block her. Inside I'm fuming. What the fuck? Why would she put that? Why would she do that on social media? When we get in the car to head home, I make sure to check my facebook and hunt her down and block her before she can do it there too. Terrified that she'd done it to other people connected to me, I call my mom and dad. My mom says she hasn't heard anything. My dad says some guy claiming to be my landlord messaged him a few days ago and asked him if he was my dad and if he could pass a message on to me that I owed 400$ in utilities. He told them "I can't help you", and didn't respond beyond that. Good ole pop.

I'm steaming.

I don't know what to do. Why, if they hadn't gotten any payment did they not try to contact me before doing this? I want to email and explain that what they are doing is harassment and I'd call the cops if they didn't leave me alone. If they had a dispute why didn't they get in contact with me or AT THE WORST make a claim. They live 16 hours away from me, so maybe they feel protected by the anonymity of the internet.

However, I didn't email. I was too fucking mad, and knew I'd unleash an absolute ass ton of sassy nonsense that would probably not be as clever as I thought and would not help matters at all. So I decided I'd wait until tomorrow. Then tonight, as we are getting ready to go to sleep, my girlfriend goes "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

She shows me her phone. Instagram again. There's a TON of new comments on her pictures. They say "YOU ENJOYED OUR HOUSE TOO, TELL PENSQUILLS TO PAY UP. YOU'RE STEALING FROM US AND NEED TO TAKE CARE OF THIS." etc.

I look at the user. Their name is "pensquills_steals" and they stole a picture of me from my personal instagram and were using it as their picture on there.

This is next level stalking/insanity/harassment. At least to what I'm used to. We report the user, and block her, then we make both of our accounts private. I have to point out that under no circumstances did my partner live there as well, so that's a total fabrication. In fact the only reason I can think of that she would know my partner's instagram is because I tagged her in a picture two days ago.

Like holy shit. I'm terrified that she and/or her husband are going to start typing insane shit to my friends and family and I'm really concerned about them calling my job and harassing them.

The worst part is that I am frantically looking for the receipts for the paid utilities, but I don't think I have them as it's been months since I needed them. Im sure they're somewhere, but without them, I don't have much proof. Stupid, I know, but hindsight and all that.

With this insanity going on. What the fuck am I supposed to do? this is definitely harassment right? I am afraid to even interact with her through email because of how obviously nuts this whole reaction is. What are my options. Seriously, what do I do? I'm so stressed about this, and I'm sure I sound like a whiner or something, but I'm a bit out of my depth.

Please help me.

TL;DR: Insane landlord stalking and harassing me and loved ones on social media, claiming I owe money I've already paid and I'm afraid of further harassment.

Answer:
 Ask them for proof of debt. Ask for copies of *all* utility bills they've asked you to pay. Remind them you've paid what they said was the final bill.

You could also tell them you will take legal action if they continue to harass you or your family.


Title: Landlord taking forever to repair leak. What action can I take?

Question:
Hello Reddit!

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Context: I live in the glorious armpit of the USA known as New Jersey. Landlord company is Middlesex Management (terrible reviews). They own many complexes in the Tri-State area. My bathroom window has been leaking for months and I first noticed something wrong as far back as March 2018. The window is on the wall with the bathtub so it leaks into the bathtub. I noticed the tub being wet and it wasn't until sometime in May that it was the window that was leaking. I had a separate maintenance request to get my AC fixed and I showed the repairman who told me he would send someone out to fix it but no one ever did. My earliest hard record of the leak is 6/2/18 which is the attached video. I could've sworn that I filed several maintenance requests over the months but the earliest email confirmation is dated 7/11/18.

VIDEO: r/https://gfycat.com/AmplePeskyIchidna

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I've called every 2 weeks since July and they always say they'll send a roofer out or that the roofer just came out and it should be fixed. Still leaking as of 2 days ago. Huge rain storm coming in this weekend and I don't want to be showering with rain water preferably. It's not a HUGE deal since it leaks right into the bathtub but still plenty frustrating.

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I've heard that I can call a third party contractor to fix the issue and "withhold rent" from the landlord as reimbursement. I know there is also a lawsuit option where they refund me the difference of the evaluated rental value of the property or something. I also heard something about calling state inspectors. What should I do?

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TLDR: Leaking window for over 3 months. Landlord isn't fixing. Need help.

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Answer: This is a good example of an issue where withholding rent is appropriate.  See the [NJ Landlord Tenant guide] (http://www.lsnjlaw.org/publications/pages/manuals/tenantsrights.pdf), page 36, for detailed instructions.  Be *sure* you keep all the rent money you're withholding in case your landlord tries to evict you.


Title: Possible probation sanction for kratom, NC

Question:
My husband is currently on probation and is in Drug Court. As a result we are subject to warrantless searches at any time. He is not allowed the use of Kratom or energy drinks in drug court. One of these searches occurred a couple nights ago, and they found an old bag of kratom that I bought at a convenience store about a year ago, that I forgot about. When they conducted the search they found it obviously and an energy drink can in the trash-both of which belong to me. They are considering sanctioning him for the kratom, but not for the energy drink. My question is, if they are going to sanction him for the use of a legal substance that he has never tested positive for (9 months of squeaky clean screens, yes they test for kratom) wouldn't they also have to sanction him for the energy drink as well? I am also on a controlled medication that obviously belongs to me as well. Wouldn't they have to sanction him to my meds as well? I'm wondering why it is that they are picking and choosing. I accept full responsibility either way, however I find it unreasonable that they can put him in jail for something that I have expressly taken responsibility for.

I should note that it is our belief that the search occurred due to someone overdosing and then having a clean screen, they couldn't get him on any drug charges due to the clean screen but he admitted to energy drinks and kratom use in court, the attorney was livid that they hauled this guy off to jail and made quite a fuss that they can't sanction him without evidence that he used a controlled substance, and they stated that they weren't sanctioning him for the opiate overdose but the admission of kratom energy drinks instead. The man is going to jail for a few months over it. It is our belief that they searched specifically for kratom and energy drinks to make an example of how "right" they were to arrest the other guy.

Thanks for any advice, this is getting pretty ridiculous if I may say so. This is in NC incase you missed the title.

Answer:
 The concept of constructive possession applies here, because the most common defense is "It wasn't mine, it was my roommate's/friend's/SO's/mailman's/dog's drugs!"

When someone in the house is on probation, they can get in trouble if **anyone** in the house has possession of a forbidden item.

Your controlled drugs are generally exempt so long as a.) you have a prescription and b.) you aren't getting extra for him/he isn't caught with them/he isn't caught selling them.

That said, you may be able to argue that it was old - if they can determine it was >1 year old, they might be forgiving. Or they may not give a shit, and don't want to spend lab money on it.


Title: CA/NY Moving Company Messed up their own scam and stole property

Question: I am 100% disabled combat veteran, i just relocated from California to New York to be closer to family and have a better care system. My mother and Wife/Caretaker ,facilitated and arranged the move, we hired a company to avoid the stress but in the end this has been one of the worst months of my life. We hired a company called All State Van Lines, who bid out the job to another smaller company. This smaller company came and loaded our stuff and made an inventory sheet and the driver failed to have me sign or approve before departure and i didnt sign. He gave me the 2 weigh station tickets with the weight and said the inventory would be given to us on delivery but didnt get my signature in the box saying that i agreed with the inventory list and the condition of our property when loaded, so they attempted to forge it and its very evident. We assume they get people to sign the sheet and refuse to give carbon copies so they can alter the paperwork after the fact and add/change things. Now we got our stuff delivered after weeks of delay and no contact. I am missing pretty much everything from my garage that had value like high end drone components,  a 3d printer, 2 shifter kart engines, the locked tool boxes have been pryed open , . I refused to sign the paperwork on delivery and now both companies are harassing me to sign. I have made a claim with my renters insurance, but need to know how i can go after these people. The owner of the company said some pretty messed up things about my military service and related disabilities. Which has really made this ordeal even worse. I would think if the scam went as planned we wouldnt be getting calls from these people and they would have crawled back into the holes they live in. All in all our estimates for the missing items is easily over $20k replacement value for the Kart motors and the 3d printer. Any input or advice would help, i dont know what specific questions to ask, besides where to file the police report? I can provide further details if needed.

Answer:
 I'm no lawyer, but this looks like pretty straight forward theft. Someone has stolen your things, I would suggest a police report, and at that dollar value for the goods stolen, you definitely need a lawyer, and possibly a lawsuit.Answer #2: What you do might depend on the contracts you have with the companies.

If you used the All States Van Lines I found online they are a brokerage company. They do no moving themselves they actually charge you a fee and then put your job out for bid to actual movers.

So the question becomes who you can sue and who is liable.

Allied talks about Moving Brokers on their website, as they are competitors but a respected company the info is probably reliable but might be missing some things to make them look like the better option.

[Here it is](https://www.allied.com/moving-resources/realtors/moving-broker-vs-moving-companies)Answer #3: You need the FMCSA to step in on your behalf because theft, fraud, and missing paperwork on interstate moves are unfortunately too common.  The FMCSA regulates all interstate motor carriers and has very strict regulations on 'Household Goods' carriers - which movers are.  A complaint to the regulatory body should at a very minimum get the ball rolling, and will also likely result in fines to the carrier.  Complaints are taken very seriously.

Here is the webpage https://nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov/nccdb/ComplaintEntry.aspx?choice=CONSUMER

On here, you'll select 'Moving company (Household Goods)' and then enter the data that it asks for.  The sections you are likely looking for are Shipping Documents, Weighing, and Loss or Damages.

If you're more comfortable calling, I believe you can do that too - 1-888-DOT-SAFT (1-888-368-7238).

Good luck!

*Not a lawyer, working in trucking with a company that has Household Goods Authority*


Title: Ontario/Canada - Nephew was sabotaged during his drivers test (G) and told now he has to start from scratch.

Question:
Good day.

I am wondering the legality of this and if there is anything we can do.

My nephew took his G test this morning. (Full license test)

Near the end of the test the tester told him to complete a 3 way turn into a driveway to turn around so that he can head back. So he pulled into a driveway, backed out and headed back the other way. Apparently, this is -20 and not a legal road move...
"She told him it is against the law to do a 3-point turn into a driveway and he should known better)

next she asked him to parallel park on a flat road, as he did she said "fail! You didnt turn your wheel!" He told her he wasnt on an incline, She replied that you always need to turn the wheel when you park, regardless.

Next she told him "in the car" that effective immediately he no longer has a license and must start back from the written test. He has to inform his work he can no longer drive and someone needs to come pick him up from the test center.

He made no other mistakes and I cannot understand how this is possibly valid or legal. If he fails is he not allowed to retake the test after a few weeks? If he indeed can no longer drive then he will lose his job. Please help!

Answer:
 The tester is absolutely allowed to fail him (they do look out for that wheel thing, which is dumb).

It's very common to have to take the test twice, I did, and the majority of people who I know who took the test as teenagers had to take it twice, but I don't know a single person who had to take it three times. It is reasonable to suspect that they do this on purpose to maintain their workloads, but there's nothing that can be done about that.

I've never heard of the tester being able to revoke a G2. That sounds ridiculous. Did the tester give him some sort of written notice of that or confiscate his license? I would check with MTO. It is typical to be allowed to retake the test.Answer #2: You can schedule to retake a road test after 10 days. His G2 license cannot be taken from him by the instructor.

Apart from being a complete dick, the instructor was correct in their grading of your nephew. It was a little underhanded but it is the instructor's job to ensure that the driver is aware of the rules of the road.

He will only need to re-take the written test if his current license expires which if I remember correctly is 5 years from the date the G1 was first issued. Answer #3: Parallel parking is standard practice for a driving test in Ontario. Turning the wheel to or away from the curb, depending on the roadway, is a basic skill. Your nephew wasn't sabotaged.


Title: All my grandmother's mail that isn't a bill getting returned months later with nothing inside

Question:
This is taking place in Peachtree City, GA.

Over the course of several months, any card/handwritten letter sent to my nearly 90 years old grandmother in assisted living has been sent back as undeliverable, open, and missing any cards/gift cards, etc. Typed bills and the like are delivered just fine with the exact same address but anything of potential worth is pilfered. I can post pics if needed.

 My mom filed a complaint and was directed to her local office, but this mail is coming from several states and always open but "unable to deliver."

While I know we can't rule out her living facility, where are the proper channels to report this? I sent her this link from what I could Google but am unsure of what is best, she might not be here much longer and these are precious cards and photos.

https://www.uspsoig.gov/form/file-online-complaint

Any help is appreciated!

Answer:
 Did your mom speak to the local postmaster? If so, escalate to the regional postmaster. It seems staggeringly unlikely that the issue is anywhere other than the assisted living facility’s mailroom, but the postal inspectors should be investigating this regardless.

For what it’s worth, the postal inspectors don’t mess around, and generally get their man. This is a felony, and once they’re aware they should take it very seriously.


Title: Is it legally safe to accept this job?

Question:
I live in Chicago, IL, and have been offered a job as a local courier/shipping manager for a company based in Russia. Basically they would send me large packages (to my home), I separate them and repackage them into smaller packages, then ship them via FedEx to addresses given to me by the company.

They would like to pay me $2000/mth via PayPal. I am worried about two things:

1) I don't know much about the company yet, if there is anything illegal in the packages, what risk am I facing? I have no reason to believe there is anything illegal, other than the fact this job seemed easy to get.

2) If they pay me directly via PayPal, am I committing some sort of tax evasion?

Thank you in advance for any advice, I understand this is pretty vague but I have little experience and would appreciate any suggestions.

Answer:
 > I am worried about two things

You should be more worried about the huge likelihood that this is a scam.  It's called a "reshipper scam", and it's very very common.

Whatever they're offering you, it's almost assuredly a complete fabrication.  Answer #2: No April Fools dude. This is a scam. They use stolen debit and credit cards numbers to order items from USA stores to be shipped to you then you ship the items to them using your money and you're never reimbursed. Any money you receive through paypal will be reversed once the account holder realizes the thieves took money from his account and sent it to you. https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/radDocs/consumer/ReshippingScam.html


Title: Visitors Visa for Gmom, illegal relatives

Question: My grandmother is applying for a visitor visa from mexico to the us. I as her grandson will be paying for it. She has several daughters that are here illegally. Will there be any repercussions to the daughters if I list them all in the application?  Will she be denied even though im requesting it. I only want her to visit for a month and Im legal and she plans on returning to her home.

Answer:
 I would NOT mention anyone who is in violation of US immigration law.

You do not want INS to formally know they exist.

You do not want INS to think Granny might emulate them.


Title: Debt Collector refuses to prove debt, now what?

Question:
I had a collection placed on my report by IQ Data for supposed damages and cleaning to my previous apartment. I disputed it but they responded to the investigation by just confirming the total. They finally sent me a "proof of debt" which was just a check off list with no totals. I then sent IQ Data a letter return recept requesting that they prove how they got to the total of about $4,500. I asked for invoices, hourly rates and pictures of the damages since I have pictures of the apartment myself. They responded to my letter only saying that what they provided (the check list) was good enough and they will not be removing the debt or sending the documents I requested.

What can I do now? This debt is the only collection on my reports and is making it so we can't get a home.

Edit: Location, California

Answer:
 I assume you didn't get your damage deposit back either? I would start by suing the apartment owners in small claims court. If/when you that, you can use it as proof that you don't owe.

According to [this site](http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/landlordbook/sec-deposit.shtml), "The landlord must send the itemized statement, copies of invoices or receipts, and any good faith estimate to you at the address that you provide." if the total is more than $126.

It sounds like they didn't do this, so you'll probably get your deposit back.


Title: Flynn Guilty Plea Megathread

Question:
This morning former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn [pled guilty](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/michael-flynn-charged-with-making-false-statement-to-the-fbi/2017/12/01/e03a6c48-d6a2-11e7-9461-ba77d604373d_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-banner-high_flynn-937am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory) to lying to federal officers.

#WHAT WE KNOW:

* He pled guilty to violating [18 U.S. Code § 1001](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1001), which is to say he has admitted that he lied to federal officers in connection to his contacts with the Russian Ambassador.

# WHAT IS PLAUSIBLY SUSPECTED

* He made this deal to protect both himself and his son.

* This deal is very favorable to him because he has agreed to turn completely on Trump. Generally violations of this sort are only charged when either they are a very favorable plea deal or they have nothing better to charge the person with. In this case the former is suspected.

* 10 Takeaways [about this plea](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/01/opinion/michael-flynn-guilty-plea-takeaways.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fopinion) from the New York Times.

# WHAT IS RANK SPECULATION

* Almost everything else.

This is the place to discuss this issue. This isn't the place to hate on the president, or accuse the media of being fake or anything else that is stupidly political and fails to add to the debate. Try to keep your questions related to the legal issues, as there are other subreddits to discuss the political implications.
Topic:
Megathread

Answer:
 How effective will any testimony Flynn offers in exchange for a plea deal for lying to the FBI? Would his testimony be highly suspect if it was given in exchange for a guilty plea for making false statements?

From the filings, Flynn essentially asks the Russian ambassador to not escalate after the outgoing Obama's sanctions are levied, to which the Russian ambassador confirms they would not do. Could someone explain how this would violate the Hatch act?

I dont think we have any idea what Flynn has testified in return for the plea, but if he could confirm Trump was actively engaging in quid quo pro, what charges, besides the political process of impeachment, could he be facing?


Title: I was at an ATM at my bank with a wad of cash and I deposited around 1700 dollars and the machine took my money and gave me my card back without depositing it in my account. The bank is telling me if I don’t know the exact amount the money will be taken out of my account. What do I do?

Question:
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Well if it’s never in your account then it can’t be taken out. They count the ATM weekly at the very least so they will know what it is over. Especially if you know the time of the deposit etc. if you are talking to someone in the branch, I would just call the number on the back of your card. They will be the ones that can actually help. If you’ve already called and that’s what they told you, then try calling again until you get a person that actually knows what they’re doing.Answer #2: This makes no sense.  How do you not know how much money you deposited?  Didn’t you count it and enter on the screen?   Why wouldn’t you go into the bank to deposit such a large amount?


Title: How to get a deported refuge status brother to Somalia, back in America.

Question:
I have a brother that got deported 2017 July for petty crimes trespassing , domestic violence 4 for argument with his wife , we both are from Somalia we came here 2001 he is 32 years old.

My mother helped me get my citizen but unfortunely he didn't get his stuff in order he chose the american dream of chasing money and didn't take advantage of America for what it really is a place of opportunity to succeed and be anyone you want to be.

He got deported from County jail not prison he has prior conviction and felony records from years ago.

Is there any chance he would be able to return? I didn't think a Refuge status here in America is eligible for deportion we left Somalia because of War and violence and now he got deported back to it.

What can he do in his situation to get out of Somalia? He shows me videos of being out there the violence and war still going on it's a horibble place to live.

It breaks my heart to see him there. i want to help him return here I think he got deported illegally.

Answer: Criminal immigrants, no matter if they're green card holders, asylees. or refugees ***can*** be lawfully deported from the US.


Title: Walmart donut holes had pieces of plastic inside. Am I entitled to compensation?

Question:
I found 2 pieces of plastic inside the bottom of the container of donut holes I bought at Walmart. They were sticking to the donuts, so I’m hoping they were the only pieces in there. The container the donuts were in was fully intact so the pieces did not come from that. Basically I don’t know if have eaten any plastic and there is no way to prove such. However I have a picture of the 2 remaining pieces of plastic and the container with the unfinished donut holes. [Exhibit A](https://imgur.com/a/hYZe48g)
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer: Did you suffer any loss to warrant monetary compensation? You’re entitled to a refund of the product.


Title: Fell for a job scam

Question:
Hello. Repost from r/personaladvice.

First time posting here. I hope its the right place. I really don't know what to do, I really need advice. The problem is the company "Lex-Sale"

Some background, I was just a 24 year old looking for a new job so I can leave the dealership I was working at. Too far and only making minimum so I started looking towards the end of March. I used Indeed a lot so thats where I went to. Put my resume out, applied a few places, got some interviews and everything seemed swell.

2 weeks later and I landed 3 new jobs. I'm poor with bills so I took everything I was able to. 1 job was a lot attendant, second job was graveyard shift at a newspaper warehouse. 3rd job was a work at home for "Lex-Sale" as a "Quality Inspector" for packages people bought at their online store. I got hired all within the same week, and started as quickly as possible.

But 3 weeks later conflicts began. Mainly my lot attendant job telling me if my other jobs affect them, they will fire me. Later turned to them telling me I can't work multiple jobs and that I have to either quit them or quit my other 2 jobs.

Considering they were the farthest job driving wise, had to drive in 110+ degree Phoenix heat and I was working outside 90% of the time in the heat with 0 breaks during the 9 hours, I quit the lot attendant and kept my other 2 jobs. Figured more money so it made sense.

I started as a "Quality Inspector" for Lex Sale the second week in. All I had to do was report the packages that got dropped off from UPS or Fed-Ex via an internet portal. Take pictures to inspect them, report any damage and etc. Then my manager uploads a new shipping label. I download the label, apply it to the package and drop it off to either UPS or Fed-Ex. Rinse and repeat.

When I got hired they told me I'd get paid once a month for $2,000 a month. Not bad for a stay at home job. Its more than minimum wage. [Here](https://i.imgur.com/Qox2am4.jpg) is the email of them hiring me. [Here](https://i.imgur.com/YJKWo3V.jpg) is them instructing me to proceed with the web cabinet where I pretty much do everything. Also every morning my manager calls me to inform me what needs to get done.

So a month goes by. I buy supplies to repackage all this stuff. I get stuff like Motherboards, Dyson Vacuums, VR headsets, headphones, Laptops, car Intakes, etc. Its a lot of stuff. Buying the supplies like tape, ink , boxes and the foam shit with the gas driving around I easily spent like $400.

Now my payday was suppose to be July 15. But my Manager messages me saying its delayed a week because he could not reach out to me for 7 days. I got a different number the last week. I called my manager everyday after I got my new number several times. Never answered. He emailed me, I emailed back with new number. Calls me. That's when he tells me its delayed.

After my payday, he tells me twice payroll will call me. They don't. He tells me hes going to talk to them. He doesn't. Now today I was kicked out of the website portal where I do my work.

https://lex-cpanel.com/login.php

My log in doesn't work anymore. He doesn't answer the phone or Email. The HR email they used to hire me doesn't reply. The number on their website doesn't work. Fucking nothing. Here's there website.

http://lex-sale.com

So i don't know what the fuck to do. I got rent to pay and people are getting mad at me. Phone. Car insurance. Everything. I was waiting all month for just the 1 $2,000 check and they just disappear on me.

I don't know what to do. Who to call. If there's anyone even to call. I know you can't hire someone and not pay them. So what the fuck? I've been sitting here in my room crying because of how pissed I am and how much I got fucked and the bills I can't pay because of this.

I don't know. I need help. What do I do?

Edit: I'm now aware it was a scam. It should have been obvious. I don't know. I just wanted a 3rd job.

So how do I get out of any legal trouble I might be in?

Answer:
 You've been participating in a re-shipping scam. The items sent to you were likely purchased with stolen credit cards. Keep all your documentation, since you're going to need it when the cops show up to question you. There was never any job, and you're not going to be paid. Answer #2: The first clue to a scam like this is their grammar and word usage.  Second clue is that you never meet anyone in person.  Thirdly, if it sounds too good to be true it usually is.  Good for you that you want to work hard, sorry you got scammed and don't make the same mistake again.Answer #3: http://www.fedex.com/us/security/report-fraud.html

https://www.ups.com/one-to-one/fraudAnswer #4: Since you now know you have been a "shipping mule," you also now know you're not going to see any payment.  Ever.

You're not only out the $400 (which, again, you'll never get back) but you are also part of a laundering operation, albeit unwittingly.  You completely NEED to save ALL correspondence and show it to the police.

I strongly suggest you get an attorney on retainer at this point.

It is possible you may be arrested and/or criminally charged.

This is not said to scare you but to let you know the reality of what's going on.

I honestly would not go see the police without an attorney present.  You may end up saying things you don't want to, or, worse, shouldn't.

I wish you the best with all of this.


Title: My friend’s ex-boyfriend is trying to ban her from public spaces

Question:
Context: My best friend was dating this POS for over four years, and finally broke up with him back in January. He did not take it well, and he has consistently been the aggressor throughout this whole ordeal. She was open to having civil conversations about why she broke up, but then they would break out into yelling matches. He would then text her paragraphs detailing why he finds it unfair, calling her every nasty word in the book, so she stopped responding after one last attempt at laying out her points. She eventually blocked him for a while, and then later got a three page letter again of him berating her how she caused all this pain for him and how much he hates her.

The ex works for a booking agency that manages shows at most of the major venues in the city.

Two months after she got that letter without anymore communication with her ex, she wanted to see a concert that her ex happened to be managing. She went with a group of friends (myself included), and overall, had a good time. The ex was in the back or outside smoking, and she was on the other side of the room. There were no interactions whatsoever.

She thought that night was a success where it was a way of her showing that he will not control what spaces she can be in. That is, until she got a text from him saying, “don’t come to any of my shows again.”

Keep in mind, that he works for a booking agency that works with the vast majority of venues in the city. It is completely in feasible for her to know where he will be and when without knowing his schedule. She did assume he would be at this venue that night since he is friends with the band members.

At this point, he clearly is not letting go of this, and I have two questions. Does he even have any legal bounds to enforce kicking her out of public venues when she is not instigating and wants to enjoy her time out? And two, what can she do to protect herself, and avoid getting into any further trouble—be it getting kicked out of a bar, or protect herself from him?

Would really appreciate any advice since I don’t see him backing down anytime soon and I fear the worst.

Answer:
 I think you're confused as to what are public spaces and private spaces.  It sounds like these are all private spaces, and thus the owners can choose who is allowed on them or not.  If the owners feel like banning your friend from these places, because they'd rather maintain a good business relationship with your friends ex, they are well within their rights to do so.Answer #2: > Does he even have any legal bounds to enforce kicking her out of public venues when she is not instigating and wants to enjoy her time out?

Maybe. If the venue allows him to blacklist patrons, then he is allowed to blacklist patrons, so long as he doesn't do it based on any protected class status like race or religion. (You know the old signs, "we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone"?) If he's merely the booking agent I don't see how he would have any authority over entrance to a venue, but the venue might accept his request to ask a patron to leave.

> what can she do to protect herself, and avoid getting into any further trouble—be it getting kicked out of a bar, or protect herself from him?

There isn't anything for anyone to do unless she goes to a show and is is asked to leave by the venue. (If she refuses to leave she could be arrested.) In the event she is asked to leave, she can consult an attorney to find out what her options are, if any.