Title: Neighbor Stole Check from mailbox.

Question: So, here’s what happened to my father a few weeks ago. He tells me his paycheck didn’t come in the mail. We shrug it off and we both assume it’s simply late. Days turn into a week and he calls his bank to inquire. They say it’s been cashed. Meanwhile a 2nd paycheck just ups goes missing from our mailbox. AGAIN. Now I’m getting furious, this violation could begin to play with my fathers livelihood. A 3rd check goes missing...a tuition refund for a class that was cancelled. After urging him to call, we find out the persons name who has been endorsing it, it’s OUR DOWNSTAIRS NEIGHBOR. Now he said he called the cops. Talked to a detective etc. but quite frankly im not seeing ANY progress or gotten the notion that they’re investigating anything. Im at my wits end furious because A I have to see this person in passing and want to confront. And B my dad suffered a mild stroke twelve years ago causing him some minor issues, patience, short term memory, anxiety which causes major procrastination (so I decided to pick up the slack for him and call these so called detectives myself) Reddit, can you please give me advice and thoughts on this predicament? Location Illinois

Answer:
 Report it to the USPIS. Mail theft is a pretty serious crime. https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/the-inspectors/mail-theft.html

Cashing the checks fraudulently is also obv serious, but you said you've already reported that.


Title: Younger brother was out with his friend, and had his backpack (which contained some weed and paraphernalia, but more importantly his wallet, iPod, and Bose speaker in it) taken by his friends mom, and she is refusing to return the non-weed items as well. What can be done?

Question:
Basically, my brother (under 18) was going golfing with his one friend, let's call him 'D', who was driving there (also under 18).  D's mom must've been suspicious of something that happened recently, and decided to track D's phone and drive to the golf range they were at.

While there, she searched D's car (technically her own car, as per registration), and found and took my brother's backpack containing said items.  Nobody actually saw her commit the search, however, she then came into the course and told my brother he was not getting his stuff back, and took D and drove home with him, leaving D's car at the course.  My brother then went back to D's car, which was then locked, but could tell that his bag had been taken from the car.

Today, one day later, my brother has heard from D that his mom apparently turned over all the weed and paraphernalia to the police and may or may not have filed a report against my brother (which is ridiculous because her son is just as if not more involved than my brother, and this is also in NY, where small possession is decriminalized).  However, she is still in possession of the bag, and all of the valuables that were in it. What action can we take to retrieve these items?

Answer:
 > What action can we take to retrieve these items?

You can report the matter to the police.

OR

You can sue her for the items or value.Answer #2: You get your parents to call his parents and ask for the backpack back. I assume that because you are posting this question here your brother does not want to tell his parents about his marijuana use. While understandable, I'm going to guess they are going to find out either way.   Answer #3: If someone is holding your property against your will, go to the police. That's theft.Answer #4: Don't admit anything to the police regarding the weed etc. Tell D's mom you'll be filing a police report regarding your stolen property. If she doesn't return it, file the report (ex drugs). If nothing is done, sue her in small claims for the value of your property.Answer #5: Call D's mom and demand little bro's stuff back. Tell her she either gives him back his stuff or you call the police for theft.Answer #6: Call the police, report the theft of your items. Let them know she refuses to return them to you. Say nothing about the drugs. Answer #7: Tell your parents to call her and ask for the stuff back.  She will probably give it to them, even if she doesn't give it to him.


Title: I called my boss a nerd and today he fired me

Question:
So I’m a UPS driver, on Thursday my boss called me into the office to write me up because the day before on a “safety quiz” I put billy Joel lyrics for all the answers. My union representative told my boss that he can’t write me up for nonsensical things per our contract and the dude started freaking out, pounding his fists on the table like Mussolini! I told him that if we were in high school I would’ve stuffed him in a locker.
The entire argument negatively affected my anxiety, so i ended up leaving work early and called out Monday using my FMLA provision. Yesterday I slightly ran over some ladies grass, that was adjoining the roadway, during a rain storm where I couldn’t see anything to deliver a box. She called and complained about it and when I came back from my route I received a termination letter, no written warning or anything. They’re alleging that I had an accident and didn’t report it.
My question is should I seek legal counsel or let the union take care of and not seek further action. This is obviously retaliation.

Answer: You should discuss your options with your union rep.Answer #2: Call your union rep NOW.


Title: Employer telling me to remove truthful negative review in exchange for my wages. Blackmail or just bribery?

Question:
I'm situated in Scotland, UK.

I'm currently going through a dispute with my ex-employer. They failed to pay me on my first payday and, shortly after, they breached my contract by making me do work outwith the company. Then they made unlawful deductions by offering me less than 70% of my wages without informing me at all. Then when I made a big deal about it, they offered me £251.75 and told me it would be in my account within 5 days. Well, it wasn't. So I made a bigger deal about it and they said there was a cheque in the mail. Funnily enough, I recieved the cheque the day after getting back to them about it. However, the cheque not only wasn't the amount stated but my name was misspelled, meaning the bank wouldn't accept it. The amount on the cheque was £171.75 and they never told me they'd taken off £80. Their reason for this was because I hadn't returned the uniform, which seems fair enough, but, after I cleaned and returned the uniform, they claimed it was in "dire condition" and they wanted me to take it back and clean it before I got my wages. Not only that but they wanted me to take down my negative Google review before they paid me, too. What the ****, man? My review consists of "Lies, lies and more lies" and is completely true. I was told when I was working for them that I was on a zero hours contract but then, after I left, they claimed I wasn't on a contarct at all. They then claimed that I had only worked for them for 2 days when, in fact, I had actually worked 7 days over a week and five days. They also claimed that I wasn't employed by the company either. So, why was I working for the company if I wasn't employed by them, huh? Then they also claimed that I had turned up 30 minutes late on 2 occassions, reducing my pay further, which was a complete lie (you'll just need to take my word for it). NOW, they're telling me that I won't get paid until I take down my "Lies, lies and more lies" review. This can't be legal, can it?

Answer:
 Try /r/legaladviceuk

We're a bunch of handsome yanks here. Answer #2: You might have more luck asking in /r/LegalAdviceUK.


Title: While defending his sister, my son pushed an older bully knocking out the bully's teeth. Am I liable for medical expenses and pain and suffering?

Question:
New Mexico

This last weekend, my 9 year-old son was playing basketball with my 10 year-old daughter in the driveway. I was inside making their dinner. My son ran inside the house to use the bathroom, leaving his sister shooting hoops alone outside. One of the neighbor boys, 12 years old (henceforth known as "the bully"), rode by on his bike with a couple of his friends and started teasing and hassling my daughter. He has done this many times before at their school and has been warned against it by the teachers. He has also come onto my driveway before calling my daughter dirty names and pushing her, and basically being a bully. I've caught him before and warned him away from my property. I even mentioned it to his parents at a recent school event, but they either didn't care or didn't believe me (or both).

Back to the story: my son runs inside to use the bathroom and my daughter stays outside playing. The bully comes onto my driveway and starts calling my daughter names and pushing her and actually punches her in the arm and chest. She tries to defend herself by pushing back, but she is very small for her age, and he is quite big for his. My son who is also big for his 9 years, sees this as he comes back outside and runs at the bully and blindside pushes him causing the bully to fall onto his bike. There is lots of blood coming from the bully's mouth. By this time my daughter is screaming, my son is crying, and the bully is hovering between crying and getting angry, and I hear all of the commotion and I run outside. I ask what happened and I get 2 contradictory stories. The bully basically says he was hit by my son unprovoked, and my kids say otherwise. I tell the bully to stay there and I run inside to get a clean towel and some water to help clean him up. When I get back outside, he's gone. Home, presumably.

I calm my kids down, clean them up, and take them inside to eat. Afterward, I review the security cam footage that is running 24/7 showing the front of the house and driveway. The video pretty much 100% confirms my kids' story.

Last night, which is several days after the event, the bully's father knocks on my door and tells me that he had to take his son to the ER because his teeth were broken, and then later to the dentist. He wants me to pay for all of these expenses plus $1000 for "pain and suffering", otherwise he is going to the cops and press charges against my son for hitting his son and then sue me. I told him I had video of the event that showed his 12 year old son on my property (despite being warned previously to not ever come back) pushing and hitting my daughter who is younger and smaller than the bully and my 9 year old son running up to push the bully to stop him from hitting her. His son fell onto his bike which was the cause of the broken teeth because of the push. I then told him to pound sand and to get off my property.

Am I liable for covering this? I don't even want my homeowners insurance to pay him anything, if that is even covered. My son is allowed to defend his sister who was being physically assaulted, right? All he tried to do was push his sister's attacker to stop him hitting her. My son won't get charged for this, will he? Should I call the police first? I assume he hasn't yet, as I haven't heard anything from them.

Answer:
 Make sure to get photo evidence if there are any bruises from where he hit your daughter.Answer #2: I hope everything works out for you. Your son sounds like a good boy who stood up for his sister.Answer #3: You MUST report this incident via police report ASAP, as well as what the Father did. This is very important regarding how the school handles future events, as well as any future issues with this family.

DO NOT WAIT. You are not being a 'nice guy' for deciding not to report, you are harming your future selves (it is not what you know, it is what you can prove).

I would file a Trespass against the bully AND his family, AS WELL as a restraining order that the school MUST comply with.

Like mentioned, backup all the evidence, as well as getting statements from the teachers and school regarding prior behavior of the bully. This will support your side by identifying the bullies history of violence and harassment.

Answer #4: >  his 12 year old son on my property...pushing and hitting my daughter who is younger and smaller than the bully...He wants me to pay for all of these expenses plus $1000 for "pain and suffering", otherwise he is going to the cops and press charges against my son for hitting his son and then sue me.

Whelp, I can see who this kid takes after.


Title: Broke the lease due to bug issue and unprofessional staff

Question:
I broke the lease with the leasing office earlier this year,  but I don't think I should pay the early termination fee ($1,415) because I have to break it due to:

1) Roach issue: since I moved in I saw at least one huge roach every week, no matter how clean I am; an outside pest control technician said those roaches in my place live and breed in the outside, they enter my unit from some entrances - but the leasing office and pest control can't find them;

2) Unprofessional property manager: she made up reasons like "an open bottle of dried basil can attract roaches", "a tube of not tightly closed toothpaste can attract roaches" to lay all the blame on me, and told me those opinions are from the pest control technician. Later when I verified with the technician face to face, she told me she never said those things.

According tot the lease contract I signed, "the owner is responsible for keeping common areas reasonably clean and making all reasonable repairs, if the owner hasn't diligently tried to repair within a reasonable time, the tenant may terminate the lease".

I live in Georgia, according to GA lease laws, "if the landlord failed to keep the rented property repaired and allowed it to deteriorate it became an unfit place to live, and the property could not be  restored to a fit condition by ordinary repairs, the tenant is relieved of his obligation to pay rent."

All the above help me to conclude that I should not pay the termination fee. I reached out to the property management company, the reply I got is "sorry you had an unpleasant experience but you will not get the refund of the fee because the roach issue is not an infestation."

I don't agree with the reply, could anyone offer some advice? Any opinions you share will be very appreciated!

Answer:
 Seeing one cockroach per week is absolutely not an infestation. That did not create a habitability issue in which you'd have the right to break a lease.

Unprofessional staff is never a reason to break a lease.

You pretty much assuredly owe the termination fee.


Title: [IL&NC] Ex employee has created a facebook account called "The Real (place of business)" and has gone on an assault on the business reputation

Question:
This individual was a toxic nurse and had been recently terminated due to some med pass errors and violations. Since then, she has corralled other recently terminated employees to downvote brigade the business Facebook page with untrue allegations of what management was doing to endanger residents, etc. She reached out to family members of residents and has actively tried to disparage the reputation of the administrator by finding posts from several years ago where the Admin was ranting about the loss of mental health reimbursement for healthcare providers and that people with mental disabilities had no appropriate place to be cared for and that they are left to their own often times roaming the streets. This was then twisted, posted to several group pages and the page of the business to inform the public that the new administrator "hates mentally disabled people".

I contacted several family members who had posted concern via the FB page and spoke to several directly who indicated they had been contacted by a nurse to warn them of the poor care, no staffing, etc.. After doing so, this person got wind of my activity and decided to go on an assault on my character.

They then took it upon themselves to run a background check on me and posted that I was convicted of felony accessory to murder 20 years ago. This is completely untrue but they have chosen to post this all over social media. I have sent cease and desist letters but the activity continues.

I have contacted FB and reported all of the posts and each time was given the automatic reply that their terms have not been violated. So in a nutshell, this person was terminated, went onto the business page and got their friends and other people who have no interaction with the business whatsoever to down review the business taking it from a 4.2 rating to a 1.8 in 48 hours. After other employees came in to post their own positive reviews it settled at a 3.6.

They then chose to set up an account acting like another employee and sent friend requests to as many people as possible to disparage myself and the administrator. After talking to that employee and discovering it was not them, that page was reported and was ultimately shut down. Since then I closed the ability to leave reviews since this situation has been so distracting for our staff and had planned to open them up in about a month once this persons attention was directed elsewhere. Since then, they have opened the "Real (place of business)" page and have chosen to gather any negative comment or review, regardless of how inaccurate, along with the "story" of my background and the Administator's feelings about people with disabilities, and is actively trying to reach as wide an audience as possible with their allegations.

There has been other activity like calling in state surveyors with complaints about care (investigated and unsubstantiated), convinced CNA's to call off together to try and put us in a staffing crisis and calling the state alleging not enough staff, etc..

I am interested in a step by step to try and put a stop to this if anyone knows what legal recourse I have. We are a small company that takes great pride in providing care to the elderly and our reputation is directly related to the trust the community has in us and the care we provide. This person is actively trying to ruin the business and now works for a competitor.

For anyone wondering, I have a concealed carry permit, a pilot's license, and a nursing home admin license. All of which require background checks and the allegations would have been disqualifying convictions if they were true. As an example, I got a speeding ticket in FL in 1995 in a company vehicle while traveling through the state, the ticket was paid by the company ( so I was told ) and 15 years later I discover that it was not. I called the courthouse and the ticket was dropped about 6 years ago. On FB according to this person and their background check, I am a wanted man in the Florida. etc...

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 >They then took it upon themselves to run a background check on me and posted that I was convicted of felony accessory to murder 20 years ago.

 No, they just made up a ludicrous claim.

 You can start by writing them a cease and desist letter or having an attorney write one for you, in this instance, I'd do the latter.


Title: Unable to show up to jury duty AGAIN (Los Angeles, CA)

Question:
I was asked to show up to jury duty last April and I already had plans to work out of state (plane ticket bought too) so I had to postpone. This happened again in August and again I had to postpone. For a third time I got a date to show up at the same time as a trip (to Oslo Norway). While in Oslo I got an email with instructions to appear despite sending out an email asking for another postponement.

I returned to a letter saying I need to show up on march 1st for jury duty. Well guess what: I am in New York and will be until the night of March 1st. My job travels a lot and i cannot miss any work since it is rare (only 10 or so days every month). What can I do to a) not get in trouble for missing jury duty again and b) prevent conflicts in the future?

Court is US District court

Answer:
 Call them and ask if you can schedule your duty.

I would also ask them if you are allowed to postpone any further before you get held in contempt of court.


Title: Want to be a US citizen don' want to be deported... Fraudulently was registered as a U.S. citizen

Question:
In 2013, I was a full-time college student. There was a station to register to vote and the recruiters were insisting for all of the students to fill in the form and handed us the registration form and a pencil to use. They were very persistent and stood in front of me, preventing me from going to class. The recruiter said to fill in my personal information and hand it back to him. So, he could ask the questions in person pertaining to voting. I filled the form and specifically marked no to the U.S. citizen question because I know it is illegal and considered as a fraud to lie being a U.S. citizen and I could be deported.

I told the recruiter I was a legal permanent resident and NOT a U.S. citizen. He told me that I was entitled to vote, it was okay for me to register. Furthermore, he had told me that a permanent resident is the same as a U.S. citizen and wanted to change the answer to a yes. But I insisted him to leave my answer as a no.

Recently, I checked if I was registered as a voter and I was. So, I immediately went to the Registrar of Voters office to cancel my registration on June 11, 2018. They gave me certified confirmation letter  that the registration has been cancelled and shows my history of never voting.

    They have given me a copy of my registration form and noticed that the U.S. citizenship question was answered yes, and I clearly remembered marking no. I talked to clerk and explained my situation. One of the workers, at the Registrar of Voters, explained that recruiters would sometimes change people’s answers to gain profit from the number of people registered to vote. However, because I have shown no history of voting, I should be fine. But just in case they have also given me an Affidavit of Registration to prove I am in an inactive status.
            So far I have: letter of explanation, certified de-registration, and affidavit of registration
    Is it enough? I also cannot afford an immigration lawyer... Will I get deported? NEED ADVISE

Answer:
 I'm a Citizenship instructor who recently consulted with a USCIS official about this very issue for one of my students who found themselves in a similar situation.

Consult with an immigration attorney before applying to be a citizen.

BUT since you
1. Never voted in an election
2. Deregistered as soon as you learned of the fraudulent registration, then you may be ok.

There has been an ongoing issue with the DMV erroneously registering people to vote, and your are not the first caught in this situation. They're not automatically deported. But you may need an attorney down the line to get it cleared.

As long as the two things above are true, it may still be possible to become a citizen. I believe you also have you write a letter explaining the situation, and submit your complete voter records which will show you never voted (this is what the USCIS employee told me).

It will make your citizenship case take longer to process bc it's going to automatically be bumped up to a supervisor for review.

But don't give up all hope.


Title: Accidentally downloaded cp from tor

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 >I'm only 13 and want to have a good career and not end up in jail.

Then avoid the deep web.  Nothing good comes from there, especially for a 13 year old.


Title: Is there something like a divorce but for children/parents?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: I think that's just called moving out and not talking anymore.


Title: I've got some college parking tickets that I refuse to pay because they're unconstituttional. What are the long term consequences of not paying them?

Question: Guilty until proven innocent is a ridiculous scam and I'm not participating. That being said, I'm unsure of the total consequences for this stand I'm taking. How bad can it get?

Answer:
 Withhold grades/diploma, bar you from enrolling in classes, revoke parking privileges, etc.

If this is the hill you want to die on, be my guest.  However, you aren't winning this one.  Stop parking where you aren't allowed to, and pay your fines.Answer #2: I'm pretty sure that the US Constitution at no point mentions parking tickets. Answer #3: They can unenroll you/prevent you from signing up for future classes.

Pay them or risk being expelled. Answer #4: How are they unconstitutional? Answer #5: Every school I know of in this situation withholds (a) credits, (b) graduation credentials, or (c) both.


Title: 2017 High school grad, Ontario. Can my employer decide to not give me full time hours even when it was promised in the interview process?

Question: I was hired in May, with the knowledge and agreement that when July hit I would be working 40+ hours a week. As a kid about to go to university I need money. I have requested more hours but nothing has changed, where I am only getting 2-3 shifts a week, what can I do? Please do not tell me find a new job, it is very hard in the middle of the season to find a full time job. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer:
 >with the knowledge and agreement that when July hit I would be working 40+ hours a week.

Was this guaranteed in writing?


Title: I was just issued an escrow refund check for my mortgage in my name "and" my ex's. He hasn't made payments to the house in 10+ years. Can I (or How do I) deposit the check fully in my accounts alone or get it issued in just my name?

Question:
I was divorced in 2010 whereupon my ex drafted a document (of his own creation) signing over title and ownership of the house I still live in to me. This was signed in front of and by a judge in legal court. For the past 10+ years I have been the sole payer of the mortgage on the house even though his name is on the loan. I was issued an escrow refund check for my money in his name "and" my name (not "or"). My Bank will not issue a check in my name only if I cannot get a signed Quit Claim Deed, except we have no contact and I have been told he is living out of country now but I do not know his address. What can I do? Is the signed document I have useful for anything?
Edit: New Jersey and Bank of America

Answer: Same thing happened to my mother. She simply called the mortgage company, sent them a copy of the divorce decree, and they re-issued the check in her name only.


Title: [NC] Mom experienced a hospital negligence, don't know what to do or how much to ask for compensation

Question:
TL;DR: Mom had a hysterectomy, was sent home with packing that was not taken out after surgery, backtracking her recovery. Hospital has offered(?) compensation don’t know how much to ask for or how to go about it.

I don’t know how to begin this or if this is allowed here, if it’s not ill remove it. But I need advice on how to approach this. My mother who I care for had a hysterectomy and other procedures done last week at a hospital (UNC). Surgery went well and everything, according to the resident Doctor who performed the surgery. She stayed the night and was released the next day midafternoon. She was sent home with a catheter and was told she would have to return in two days to have it removed since her bladder was still unresponsive and couldn’t void on her own. On the way home (three hour drive) and when we got home she complained a lot about pain. I didn’t think much of it and just gave her medicine as prescribed hoping she would feel better. That didn’t help much. When night time rolled around she was already in tears and said that she was in a lot of pain and couldn’t sleep. I tried assuring her that she was just sore from the surgery and the catheter and that it would get better with time. It didn’t. She was miserable for those two days. She didn’t want to eat or drink or do much, just turning over in bed was a challenge for her and she would break out in tears.

When we went back to the hospital for the follow up to get her catheter removed, the nurse was a little concerned because she hadn’t had a bowel movement since prior to the surgery. When it came time to see if she could void on her own, we were disappointed, she couldn’t. She was going to go home again with the catheter and would have to return to the hospital again for the trial. Mom did not want to take the catheter she said that it was what was causing her pain she begged the nurse and doctor to reconsider, but obviously that wasn’t an option. The doctor left, she was only there for a couple of minutes just to check on moms condition and see if she had any questions.

When the nurse was going to put in the new catheter, she said she was going to take a “peek” inside. When she looked, I saw her face turn serious. She said “I think there’s some packing in here”. She looked a little scared, got up quickly and went to get the doctor. The doctor came, looked and said “yeah, this wasn’t supposed to have been left in here. This shouldn’t have happened”. I was a little concerned, I thought “packing” was just like a piece of gauze or something, until the doctor put on some gloves and started taking out a lot of stuff out from her. I was horrified! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! It was like a long, rag, gauze type thing that she kept pulling out. I immediately knew that this was the reason why mom had been in so much pain!

The doctor had mom try to pee again to see if that was the reason why she hadn’t been able to, because of all that stuff blocking her. She was unsuccessful again. The doctor suggested that she was going to need more time as to let things return back to normal and heal more, and she said that the packing could’ve been the reason why she couldn’t have a bowel movement either. Doctor apologized to mom, took full responsibility for what had happened and said she would bring it up to her team so that it wouldn’t happened again. Mom said it she forgave her and said it was fine, we’re imperfect and we all make mistakes sometimes. She apologized to me as well but all I could do was let tears fall. I was still in shock. They left and scheduled a follow up for Monday, again. I told mom that this wasn’t right. She told me to let it go and that she wanted to leave. So we did.

Immediately I could tell she was in more relief, she was actually sitting in the car on the way back and seemed more content. Through the weekend this kept bugging me, none of this felt right. I still couldn’t believe that mom had been suffering this whole time because of their negligence. How did none of the surgeons or nurses have caught this?! Part of me felt like I had to say something. I wouldn’t be at peace knowing that I didn’t do anything after seeing my mom suffer the way she did, and just let everything be ok and act like nothing happened.

When we went back to the hospital I asked to speak to patient relations but they told me that the no one was available and they gave me a number to call and leave a message. A rep later reached out to me who works at patient relations for all of UNC hospitals and told I would have to put in writing everything that had happened in detail, including doctor names and also what I wanted as far as what I wanted for compensation and then email it and the hospital would get back to me. He said the letter could be informal, but I don’t know how to go about it. He said that for the time being they could reimburse me for gas money since we keep having to come back to the hospital and it is a three hour drive to and from; but I would need a receipt and even then it would take 6-8 weeks for a check to arrive.

I know that I could probably hire a lawyer and file a lawsuit or something. But that’s not something me and mom want to go through. She was approved for their charity care program, so she’s not paying for the surgery since she doesn’t work, doesn’t qualify for Medicare, and I don’t make enough to afford health insurance. But I do believe she deserves some form of compensation for her suffering and the negligence from the hospitals part. But how much should I ask for? All I really want is the hospital to assure me that she’s going to be ok after all this and that anything else that might affect her in the future because of this is going to be taken care of. I took off  5 days from work and would like to be paid for that, since I do believe mom’s recovery was backtracked because of them and I have to take a full day to drive to and back the hospital. Could I also ask for all the gas money I spent driving up there (4 times)? The hotel? Any other expenses I have made for the surgery, like the pre-op and appointments leading to it? I guess what I’m trying to say is how much can I get away with asking for without needing a lawyer but also not have the hospital delegate too much on it.

I just want this to be over as soon as possible and not jeopardize any future treatment my mom could need in the future. I feel like I should try for her sake. I know she doesn’t want to, since she doesn’t speak English and doesn’t want this to blow up more than it needs to be. But this has taken a toll on us. I don’t think anyone should get to see their mother suffer the way I did. And I know that if she would’ve known how painful this was going to be she would have chosen not to do the surgery. I feel guilty because I pushed her to do it too. This is going to haunt me, especially if she never heals completely. I just want to make it right for her, she’s all I have. But now I’m full of rage and sadness and don’t know if I’m taking the right steps, or doing the right thing. Any suggestions or comments are welcomed.

Answer:
 This is something your mother should speak to a medical malpractice attorney about. They usually offer free consultations.

Medical Malpractice is beyond the scope of this subreddit. Good luck.


Title: [GA] I signed my ex-boyfriend up for a KKK membership while high on Xanax, can I be convicted criminally for this?

Question:
*First of all, although I was high on benzos while I did it, currently no one knows I used them without a script (except reddit right now).*

Anyway, a few weeks ago while under the influence after recently breaking up with my boyfriend, I decided to try and get back at him for the trauma he caused to me during the breakup. I made the stupid decision of signing him up for the KKK [on their website](http://traditionalistamericanknights.com/Application.php) (if your wondering how I had his ID photo, it was because we rented a car a while back and needed to send verification).

Currently, he has been getting letters from them and told me he reported me to the police for harassment.

Can I go to jail for this? I realize this was incredibly wrong of me to do, and I have absolute remorse for it. I need to know.

Answer: yes, plus you could also be sued.


Title: Questions about illegal access to a computer/extortion/harassment case

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 “There was an account made”? Would another way to phrase that be “He made an account”?Answer #2: If he’s being charged, he should get a criminal defence lawyer, and a family lawyer, because revenge porn and / or extortion and / or hacking could have pretty concerning effects for his access to his child and life. As it should. Answer #3: Legal advice: he needs a lawyer.

Personal advice: photos of a woman breastfeeding aren’t inherently sexual.


Title: Please help!!!

Question:
I was let go today from my job. I work in Florida at an IT helpdesk. I am the best at my position and always get my work done. I got a phone call today saying I've been let go do to a complaint. Ive never been written up or had anything called into question. Ive always done my job and never have done anything wrong. Do I have a case or anything? All my co-workers are upset and my boss has threatened to quit. Im a great employee and feel like I'm getting fucked over for personal dislike. PLEASE HELP!!!!
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 >Do I have a case or anything?

You have a *great* case for unemployment insurance benefits.

Outside of that, in at at-will employment arrangement, you can be fired for virtually any reason, no reason, or a fabricated reason, so long as that reason isn't illegally discriminatory, or in retaliation for a select few things.

Nothing you have described amounts to anything improper, legally-speaking.


Title: Landlord not giving notice of inspection, also not willing to recognize emotional support animal, OR

Question:
I just want to start by saying I’m sorry if this rambles and/or jumps back and forth. My wife and I live in a duplex in Portland. We share the backyard with our neighbors. When we moved in we had one dog, the owner of the property agreed to the dog and the dog is documented on the lease, which is month to month. We’ve lived here for almost 6 years and have always paid our rent on time and if any upkeep needs to be done I usually just do it. About a year ago my wife was struggling with anxiety and stress from life and her job. I work 6 days a week at 10 hours a day most days, I was doing my best to help her but just couldn’t be there enough. She didn’t want to take medication so it was suggested that she try a trained emotional support dog. It has been hugely successful.

A few days ago our landlord came by the property while we were both at work. We had received no notice that he was going to be coming by for any reason. The dogs usually maneuver the blinds open on the front window so needless to say he saw two dogs looking out at him. He then told us he walked up our driveway and looked over the fence and was as he put it “displeased” with the amount of dog droppings he saw. Like I said, we both work a large amount of hours a week and sometimes do let it get a little worse than we should. He then left notice taped to our front door that had two documents. The first being a pet violation notice for the second dog and the second document being a notice that he was going to inspect the property the following day, including the basement and backyard. We haven’t had any communication with him for about a year and a half or more when they came to install new windows.

When he arrived with his friend in tow to help him document any damage I could tell that he was a little fired up. He informed us that we were in violation of our pet agreement for having a second dog. We then told him that she was an emotional support animal and it is our understanding that under the American disability act and the fair housing act that she did not count as a pet, however if he required documentation we could provide it. He then said fine but then you have to get rid of your first dog. We told him no, we don’t, he’s on the lease. I could tell it was about to go into some unpleasant back and forth so I recommended that we just go through the property and he can document whatever he needs to. His only real complaints that he could come up with where two holes dug in the yard, easily fixable, the dog droppings, also manageable. He also said that he wants documentation for both dogs being companion animals.

I have 3 groups of questions. 1: It’s my understanding that your landlord cannot just come by unannounced. That they must provide 24hours notice. So was his first inspection unlawful? And what, if need be, actions can I take or can I use that information as a defense if he decides to evict us?
2: We are going to get our first dog registered as an emotional support dog also. If for some reason we can’t, can he still demand that we get rid of him even though he is on the lease? And since our other dog is registered she doesn’t count as a pet, correct?
3: Can our landlord decide to just give us notice to vacate the premises if he feels like it? I’ve read that in Oregon landlords can terminate a rental agreement for little to no reason whenever they want to once your lease is up and since we are month to month, that means whenever he feels like it really. Is there anyway to protect ourselves from being asked to move out or evicted?

Thank you for any answers or clarifications on this.

Answer:
 He is not required to accept an ESA until or unless you provide appropriate documentation.  You do not have an ESA, you have a pet.Answer #2: > It’s my understanding that your landlord cannot just come by unannounced

He only needs to give you notice to come into the property, he can come by and inspect the outside any time he wants so long as it doesn't interfere with your quiet enjoyment. Moreover, having excessive dog poop in the back yard is just gross, and can create other more serious issues. If y'all work too long so that you cannot be home to take care of your animals or take care of their excrement, maybe you need to make some changes.

> We are going to get our first dog registered as an emotional support dog also

this is exactly why people get so pissed about "emotional support animals". Either your wife has mental health issues and needs support (because she doesn't have coping skills or some other reason) or she doesn't. Stop BSing. You have a responsibility to follow the contract you signed.

>   Can our landlord decide to just give us notice to vacate the premises if he feels like it

Yes, generally. Your LL does not have to rent to you, but cannot illegally discriminate against you.


Title: Actual logistics of parental permission of minor (17) to marry a 18 year old. (Florida)

Question:
Hello. I won't be coy, this is obviously a situation I'm in. Now, before all the 'you shouldn't do this' posts, you really need to hear me out. My girlfriend has a... bad home life. If I explained in full detail, this thread would be filled to the brim with 'get CPS involved NOW'

Basically, we're stuck in a position where emancipation through marriage is the only way to get her out of there, for reasons I won't go into. I just would like to  know what exactly would have to be done, and what 'parental consent for marriage' entails.

Answer:
 Do you think that maybe there's a reason you'd receive the advice you already know you're going to receive? Your idea is not a solution, and creates more problems than it purports to solve.

CPS is not a panacea, and nothing is going to be perfect. But they exist for a reason, and she needs to use them.

Marriage is not a way to rescue someone.Answer #2: > Now, before all the 'you shouldn't do this' posts

I read the title and thought "You shouldn't do this."

Then I read the post and thought "Holy shit, you *really* shouldn't do this!"

This is an awful fucking idea that will bring you and her nothing but misery. You are not a social worker and you're not Batman. She probably needs both, but you'll have to settle for a social worker.

Also therapy. Lots and lots of therapy, for both of you, before either of you even consider getting married.


Title: Hey there someone I know was physically assaulted recently in the Los Angeles area but lives in Fresno (CA). They had to return to Fresno the morning after. Could the charges be filed in Fresno even though the incident happened in LA?

Answer:
 No.  The area where the incident occurred has the only jurisidiction.  Charges would have to be filed there.

Your friend could motion to have the trial moved to her area, but the chances of that are very very low.


Title: A pyramid scheme guy comes into my coffee shop everyday to recruit my customers.

Question:
So I work at a well known coffee chain that’s all about the customer experience. We have pretty much the same people come in on most days including this one guy we’ll call Carl. Carl comes in almost every day and plops himself down at one of our tables, sometime he’ll buy a coffee to justify using our space. He will sit there hours at a time and spark up a conversation with everyone unlucky enough to sit near him. Eventually he’ll move to talk about his “business opportunity” and quickly try to rope you in. He’s made many of our customers uncomfortable and he’s even tried to recruit some of our partners. I’m barista and I don’t know how to justify kicking him out. Any legal advice?
Topic:
Business Law

Answer:
 >I’m barista and I don’t know how to justify kicking him out.

Talk to your manager and point out that

>He’s made many of our customers uncomfortable and he’s even tried to recruit some of our partners.

They should be willing to ban him from the premises.Answer #2: You have the right to refuse service to problematic customers. Running a business out of your business certainly qualifies as problematic. Just ask him to leave.Answer #3: It's ok to come and sit for hours in your establishment.  It's ok for people to come to your establishment to discuss business related items arranged outside the establishment.

I do not believe your organization supports solicitation of business between parties that do not have an existing relationship.  I would tell 'Carl' that he's more than welcome to stay and enjoy coffee/music as long as he likes.  However, it's not appropriate to solicit other customers for his 'business' any more than say a Burger King manager going to a local McDonalds and setting up a table for 'interested job seekers' inside the McDonalds.

&#x200B;

If Carl has 'clients' that he's met outside of the establishement he's free to come and meet with them at your location.Answer #4: Starbucks, despite recent negative press, likely doesn't want solicitation on their property as that doesn't enhance the customer experience. Talk to your manager and ask if Carl can be asked to leave. If he's harassing customers and ruining their experience, that doesn't look good for Starbucks.

Also, Amway loves to peddle their monologue in places like Starbucks or Target, so it's definitely not just your store getting hit.


Title: Underage girl threatens to lie about me having sex with her.

Question:
Florida
To make this story short I’m 18 in high school about to graduate 18 and she is 15, we met because we had a class together and had a good friendly relationship. We hung out one time, and she ended up kissing me and nothing else because I told her we couldn’t because she was underage and it was illegal. I told her we could remain friends and she agreed. I thought all was well but 2 days ago she confronted me after school and she said she was gonna lie about what happened that day we kissed and tell her parents we had sex unless I agreed to go out with her. I said I would think about it... I have no way of proving what did or didn’t happen that day we hung out because we never talked about it through text nor did I tell anyone. I want to say she was bluffing but what if she  actually tells her parents or someone else and then they get the police involved and I am falsely accused?

Should I record our next conversion or find a way into getting her to talk about it through text and admitting she is lying?

Answer:
 Don’t talk to or interact in any way with crazy.  Ignore her.  Period.

Should anyone, cops, teachers, school administrators, friends, ANYONE, ask to talk to you about this decline to do so.  If it’s the cops the only thing you say is, I decline to talk to you without legal counsel.  Repeat that over and over no matter how much they say they just want to clear it up or that it will be easier for you if you talk to them.  Should the cops want to talk to you get an attorney.


Title: [NY] Possibly fired for buying a Tesla

Question:
A couple of months ago, after aggressive saving I finally purchased my dream car, a Tesla Model S. I was very excited, excited enough to start saving towards the car while in school. After purchasing the car, I didn’t go around showing it off nor did I even brag about it on social media. However, when my boss noticed I was driving a Tesla he started getting weird and asking questions such as, “how can you afford a car like that?” and, “do you know those things are unreliable?” He often brought up the Tesla a couple times a week, and I told him I started saving towards it while in college. I sensed a strong jealousy from him, and often I tried to avoid the topic and tried to park where he wouldn’t see the car.
Moving forward to this week, I got a text message from him that stated, “Clearly you’re doing well. Do not come into work tomorrow. Your final check will be mailed.”

I’m not sure what to do. I have enough money saved for 6 – 7 months under my current living conditions, and I’m sure I can find another position by then. But is what he did illegal? I feel like he is doing this over owning a Tesla.

Answer:
 That's a perfectly legal reason to fire you.

File for unemployment and look for a new job.Answer #2: Owning a Tesla isn't a protected class.  It's legal.Answer #3: It's no way to run a company, but it's not illegal.Answer #4: Legal Advice: NY is an at-will employment state. You can be fired at any time for almost any reason. Including owning a Tesla. However stupid that may be.

Practical Advice: I would try having a candid conversation with him to hopefully iron all this out.


Title: Florida - Daughter kicked in crotch and spit on by fellow student at daycare.

Question:
As title state. Daughter is 5 and other girl is 6. I am not looking to sue. Daycare is licensed.

My concern is the daycares handeling or lack there of.  Initially my wife was told via text there was a verbal altercation between the two children but it was handled by the teacher as it happened.

After my daughter was home with my wife, my daughter explains she was kicked between her legs twice and the girl spit on her cheek. My daughter stated the other child had cornered her in the classroom. My wife texted the teacher to verify this really happened.
The teacher confirmed this is what actually happened. Brusing (small) is now present.

Later, via text, the teacher explained this has happened before with other girls.

Outside of a sit down with the daycare director, what should I do? What legally is the day care expected to do in these circumstances?

I've already told my daughter if someone hits you, run to the teacher, but if you cant, it then back as hard as you can.

I know kids will be kids. But this is not a situation like that. The thought has also crossed my mind that the other child is being abused.

Answer:
 You can report your concerns of lack of proper supervision an lack of notice of injury to your local child care licencing officeAnswer #2: Does the day care have cameras, and was this incident caught on camera? If so, request the footage.

>Later, via text, the teacher explained this has happened before with other girls.

Does that mean that other girls did this to your daughter in the past, or the child that did this to your daughter has done it to other girls?

>I know kids will be kids. But this is not a  situation like that. The thought has also crossed my mind that the  other child is being abused.

The childcare workers are mandatory reporters. When contacting the local child care licensing office, you might want to address a concern that they may not be taking this seriously either.


Title: Do i have a case?

Question:
landlord/ tenant issue.

So I moved to Spokane Washington to give my family a good head start. I made the decision when my buddy guaranteed me a job painting houses. I packed my family into my RV & moved across the country. So when I got here to my suprise this guy was slinging coke! Not the head start I wanted!! As I was packing the rv... again a lady offered me to work for rent. Awesome.

They gave us a key to a rundown office space. The floors smelled like piss but the place didn't need much just electricity water and a good once over; or so i thought. After a week there we realized the building was basically uninhabitable (no running water & our meter was red tagged.)& brought it up to PM. She (Rox) moved us into an apartment next to her apartment. This apartment had running water and electricity but no hot water no toilet and it boasted a gigantic hole in the bathroom.

After about three weeks I got a stove toilet and fridge. There was a hole in my apartment bathroom so I couldn't install the toilet. The 240V also didnt work. So we slowly moved into the other apartment. This apartment also didn't have hot water.

In the last two months I have repaired drywall, tiled bathroom floors and kitchen counters, scraped over 500sq of carpet adhesive and have done a bit of yard work for the Landlord.

So when I asked the old property managers for my deposit back the husband told me that to quickly ask his wife or else she would spend it.When I asked her she asked me to ask her again except mention that ive been without hot water for 2 months. This now promoted the new property managers to contact me. They told me to cut communication with them & that they were no longer in charge. ok.

So now the old property managers have left and the new property managers are claiming that the landlord is not taking my hours into consideration & they want me gone by the end of the month.

I had signed a lease stating that I could work for rent. Up to 50 hrs at 10/h. I have a signed copy of this lease. But the new property managers are saying it doesn't exist and that im not getting my money back.

I will be editing this to elaborate more in the future.

Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: What is your question, exactly?Answer #2: damn brah make this readable pls


Title: Can I get out of a lease if I never moved in? (Ohio)

Question:
As a general overview of my situation, I received an offer to relocate and live in city 1. I didn't really want to live in city 1, but the offer/salary were too good to pass up. I signed a lease to live in a multi-family unit and paid the ~3k deposit and pro-rated first month rent. When I told my current employer that I was leaving to live closer to family, they told me I could just work from home and live wherever I wanted. I didn't want to live in city 1 in the first place, so we decided to move to city 2 (closer to family, safer, cheaper). I never stepped foot in city 1, and the language around breaking city 1's lease is vague. When I asked the landlord what we should do, he said I can continue to pay until he finds a new tenant, at which time I will be off the hook.

After two weeks of advertising, he still has not found a tenant. I can afford to pay double-rent, but it is a bit silly to pay rent for a place I don't live and also have never even seen (my wife picked it out).

The lease essentially doesn't say anything about early termination, aside from stating that in the event of payment default, the landlord will charge the tenant $250 on the first offense, $500 on the second offense, and terminate the lease on the third offense.

By the sounds of that section, it seems to imply that I could simply not pay, be charged $750, and then the lease would be terminated. That would be a lot cheaper than paying him $1600/month until he finds a new tenant. I assume that would have negative credit implications, though.

Any advice?

Answer:
 >but it is a bit silly to pay rent for a place I don't live and also have never even seen (my wife picked it out).

Then why did you sign the lease agreement, then? Blindly signing something seems sillier to me than upholding a binding agreement you voluntarily entered into.

You need to discuss this with your landlord. Don't just assume the lease will be terminated upon nonpayment for three months. Answer #2: If you don't pay he can file a suit for eviction, which will make it very difficult for you to ever rent a place again.  He is right -- you owe the rent until a new tenant moves in.  See if you can negotiate something -- say paying 2 months rent up-front for him to terminate the lease.


Title: Charged with possession of a fake ID, marijuana, and paraphernalia. Please help

Question: I'm an 18 year old college student in New Jersey and I was trying to buy alcohol in a store with a fake ID. The lady knew it was fake right away and told another employee to lock the door and he locked it from the inside and was standing in front of it. She called someone and said her boss was on his way but of course there was no boss and the cops showed up. They took me outside, asked a bunch of questions and were actually going to let me go, but then they asked to check my bag as a final measure and found about 3 grams of pot and a bowl. They arrested me and took me to the station where they handled a bunch of paperwork and fingerprinted me and whatnot. Now I have a court summons in a couple of days for 3 crimes (fake ID, weed, and the bowl). This is my first time in any situation like this and I'm so nervous and upset I can't sleep. I called my parents and after listening to my mom cry for 20 minutes they said they would get a lawyer. I'm in this very selective pharmacy school that I worked very hard to get into and I know they do background checks in the later years and I'm mostly worried about having this stay on my record. What usually happens in situations like this? I just need some information please I can't sleep at night

Answer:
 > I'm in this very selective pharmacy school that I worked very hard to get into

If they're that selective, prepare yourself to be kicked out. At the very least, you should expect to be facing a student conduct hearing.

Also, if you're convicted of a drug related offense, kiss your federal student loans goodbye.

Don't talk to the cops, listen to your lawyer, and pray.Answer #2: Congratulations, you've graduated past the point where reddit can help you. You need an attorney. I'd talk to your parents.


Title: [MN] Employer shared personal medical information on a semi public space? Not sure if this a Hippa violation.

Question:
So, I have a health condition that I have been dealing with for 17 years. Recently, I came down with a virus, which ate up all of my paid sick days. Because of this, my manager asked me to reach out to HR about FMLA in case I needed unpaid time. I wrote an email to inquire about this, and explained my situation. So far so good.

The HR guy replied, and set up a time to sync on our work Google calendar. The big issue here, is that they literally copy pasted my email, containing my health condition and recent virus as well as FMLA inquiry into the description of the calendar invite. This basically means anyone from my company of 1500 people can access my calendar and find out all of this information just by checking my public schedule.

This is pretty upsetting for me obviously, but I am not sure if this is a HIPPA violation or something similar. Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer:
 Did you ask him to remove it?

HIPAA (one P, two A's) has a Privacy Rule:

> Generally, the Privacy Rule applies to the disclosures made by your health care provider, not the questions your employer may ask.

[Here is a page from HHS on employers and the Privacy Rule.](https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-individuals/employers-health-information-workplace/index.html)


Title: What to do before/when my GF tries to leave with my daughter. [Wa State]

Question:
My GF announced her intention to move out in February. We have an 8 month old daughter I want 50/50 custody of. The home we currently live in we purchased last march and have lived here since. If she is dead set on leaving I am not trying to stop her but I have received conflicting advice from a couple lawyers I have spoken too as well as my therapist - who while obviously not a lawyer sees these situations a lot - about what she can and can not do.

Can she just leave with our daughter or is this illegal since she is the one breaking up the current norm and this is our home, and we are not married? The place she wants go is at least 1-2 hours travel time away depending on traffic. Different school districts obviously, and too far for regular easy exchanges.

We are talking and working through a parenting plan that is 50/50, but I am concerned about setting a precedent of unequal time while our daughter is young and still breastfeeding a couple times a day. Do I need to call the police the day she leaves and get a report that I object to her leaving with my child if the PP is not complete in time? Something else? Do I let her take the baby stuff or demand she leaves half?

Anything else I need to do/know? Thanks

Answer: It's absolutely standard that time would not be 50/50 while breastfeeding. I don't know why any attorney would tell you it's illegal for her to leave the home with the child, I kinda doubt thats what they meant to say. You don't call the police, because it's not a crime. You should have a family attorney as of yesterday. Answer #2: Yes she can leave with her child. You cannot stop her from leaving. You can get a court order before she leaves to establish custody. But the police cannot doing anything about a parent leaving with their child.


Title: Can a beneficiary be asked to pay legal fees incurred by the estate (Ontario, Canada)?

Question: Long story short, I'm the only non-Canadian beneficiary (I'm in California), and the executor (Ontario, Canada) told me that she will be deducting the legal fees related to my "complicated" international disbursement from my share of the estate. Can she do that?

Answer: yes


Title: Sound like a scam to anyone else?

Question: So, my mother was at the car wash and was pulling out with a car blocking her view, she moved up very slowly only to have a guy on a handicap scooter pull up right to the front of her tire and it slightly bumped his scooter. He claimed she had broken his scooter but there's obvious rust underneath it from not taking care of it and judging by the look of negligence it was a broken piece of crap to begin with. It looks like he's honestly looking for a payout and I just wanted thoughts on this before I take over this situation and lose my temper and take care of it myself. This is Toronto, Canada if it makes a difference.

Answer:
 > before I take over this situation and lose my temper and take care of it myself.

Beating the crap out of someone on a handicapped scooter (which is how I read your comment) is unlikely to fly very well in front of a jury.Answer #2: Woah, calm down. Just wait and see if he takes legal action.Answer #3: The last thing this "situation" needs is some hot-headed boob "taking it over".


Title: Landlord inspection - is this reasonable?

Question:
I've just started a year-long lease.  My landlord sent notice that he is going to be inspecting the property.  He said that I had to remove all furniture (he didn't say to where) so he could inspect the floor.  He said this is because I have a cat, and "cats pee and poop on the floor."  I have never seen my cat go outside of the litterbox.  He said if I don't move the furniture that's proof I'm trying to hide damage from him and he will charge me the cost of new carpeting.  He also said since I have a cat I need to be vacuuming daily to keep the place completely free of cat fur.  There's a clause in my lease that if there's any damage during the lease I'm responsible immediately to pay for it.

Can he do this?  I'm in MI.

Answer:
 Not a lawyer, not in MI.

First, check your lease. Most leases in my experience have a general statement about pets and pet damage in the main body of the lease, land then have a more specific pet addendum you are required to sign. Read both of you have both.

Is there anything about this inspection in the lease? There other thing to check for is agreements about entry and access to your apartment while you are a resident. He may be trying to fudge this "inspection" under some other clause within the lease.

Next, get familiar with your local A) state B) county and C) city tenant laws. They can get increasingly protective depending on where you are.

Just because something is written within a lease does not make it legal or enforceable. Most tenant laws include something about access. Where I am at it's quite strict and the definition of emergency access in practice has been pretty well defined by the local city agency. Neighboring city, and neighboring counties can have differing laws.

When in doubt, most areas have tenant rights' advocacy groups that are either associated with a city or state government, or operate as a non-profit. Look around for one of these, they may be able to answer the question for you or recommend a reasonably priced lawyer you can consult with for an hour.

This smells fishy to me, but I have never lived within MI, so it maybe legal there but I am 85% certain this would not be legal where I am at in WA.


Title: Sent myself some sensitive information from company laptop prior to quitting

Question:
I work at a tech startup. I recently sent myself some sensitive information (a csv file) from my work laptop to my home laptop to do some work. I understand that some companies track everything you do on their work stations. I won't be leaving the company with good relations so I am a bit concerned that they'll want to audit my computer.

How do I avoid legal issues? Is it kosher as long as I destroy all these files on my home computer prior to leaving the company?

Edit: I forgot to add my location. CA, USA!

Answer:
 depends on how sensitive the information was, and if the company actually has the systems in place to track what you do like that. California is notorious for not ~~prosecuting~~ enforcing non-compete violations, but this is more of stealing corporate secrets. Ethically, you should absolutely delete it. To cover your ass, I'd delete it and let them know "I made sure to delete all sensitive information from my personal computer" before you leave. If possible, get it in writing that you notified them. It really depends on how big they are. If they are big enough to waste money on it, they could lawyer up and try to fuck you. But I doubt that. Most companies still in the first or second seed round don't have the time or money to pursue something like this.

Also, delete the e-mail correspondences. The cloud, yo.

edit: prosecuting vs. enforcing. I know startups but I don't know lawyerism.


Title: [Update] Found my stolen items for sale on eBay

Question:
[Original post from a few days ago](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/8u137u/cact_absolutely_certain_i_found_my_stolen/?utm_content=title&utm_medium=user&utm_source=reddit)

So I found some stolen items of mine on eBay that had been taken from my car two weeks prior on a trip to Los Angeles (I live on the east coast). After talking to a detective and finding the buyer's OfferUp page and social media, he pursued recovering the items. Got a call today that he confiscated the main item, a camera, thanks to the serial number I provided. Unfortunately the re-seller (who voluntarily brought the camera in) claims the other items I found that I'm sure are mine (lenses with identical damage, uncommon versions, irregularities) came from a different seller, with the camera being bought alone at some garage sale. The detective agreed that it's not easy to take his word for it (seems to believe my claim that other stuff matches), but that at least he turned in the camera (he bought it for $400 apparently, was reselling for $750) and will look into the garage sale lead but doubts he'll wind up finding the original car thief (probably changed hands several times).

Should I let this go, or should I contact the re-seller and explain the situation? I'm concerned that technically I cannot prove ownership since these other items don't have serial numbers like the camera does, but I'm certain beyond any doubt that at least a few of those items are mine. But now I feel like it'll end in a loop of he-said she-said, since this guy gets his stuff in cash off-the-record before selling it online, and he'd lose even more money if he gave up this gear (this stuff plus the camera would put him out about a grand, depending on how cheap he got them).

Side-note: I did submit an insurance claim for the whole set of items I lost (some of which have not turned up, such as a laptop), but there's no certainty they'll cover anything so I'm recover anything in prep for a worst case scenario.

Answer:
 >I'm concerned that technically I cannot prove ownership since these other items don't have serial numbers like the camera does

Are you certain about that?

I'm a photographer and all but my oldest lenses have a serial number on them, on the bottom of the lens barrel near the mount.

I mean obviously that doesn't do you any good now if you didn't know that and write them down prior, but in the future it may be worth looking a little more closely. The serial numbers are usually in very fine print.Answer #2: > Should I let this go, or should I contact the re-seller and explain the situation? I'm concerned that technically I cannot prove ownership since these other items don't have serial numbers like the camera does, but I'm certain beyond any doubt that at least a few of those items are mine.

News for you:  this guy is a fence, he won't care. Theoretically, though, if he has a pawnbroker's license, he should be keeping records of where he bought each individual item.  Don't know if the police checked those records.

How much money are the remaining items worth?  I know (from personal experience) that good glass can be very expensive.Answer #3: Check the meta data for your camera. It might have serial numbers on it.


Title: Felon wants to help his cousin out

Question:
I'm currently serving a 10 year felony deferred probation in Oklahoma.
So my cousin needs my help moving out of his apartment into my grandmother's house. But he has warrants out for his arrest.

Am I risking prison time by driving him around or being in the same house as him?

Thanks in advance for any comments

Answer:
 Does your probation agreement talk about associating with known offenders?

Spoiler: it does and this sounds like one. Answer #2: Unless you want [another ten-year felony](http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=69162) on your record, I would recommend against it.


Title: Report filed too hastily

Question:
Ok, long wall of text incoming and I don't have time for a throwaway so consequences be damned.

Essentially a couple months ago girlfriend and I had broken up, lots of fights, drinking, etc. But we had one really bad fight one night where she attacked me and I wound up with a few injuries so I called 9-1-1 in the morning when things settled a bit. The police (Travis county, Austin Texas) came down and got a statement from me and went to get a statement from her, but she'd already left for work (we are roommate) so they just left. Fast forward a couple of weeks, I finally talk to a detective and repeat my statement, and insisted I don't want to press charges, I just was aiming for a protective order so I could break my lease and leave. They informed me the state may still press charges on her and at the time I didn't care, we were separated and still hostile. Long story short, fast forward to now, we patched things up, but the police just came by and picked her up with a warrant for her arrest. Basically I don't know what to do, I regret filing the paperwork and don't want her to go to jail. What are the standard procedures for someone getting arrested and taken away, and what can I do to take back what I did and help?

Answer:
 > don't want her to go to jail.

tough. She violently assaulted you. That's a crime against all of society. What you are trying to do is precisely why people don't have the power to stop charges from being filed. Domestic abusers must be punished.Answer #2: > What are the standard procedures for someone getting arrested and taken away, and what can I do to take back what I did and help?

You can't do much.  The officer was correct - you don't decide whether she's charged, the state does.  While they will take your wishes into account, they can proceed without your permission.

You can try to talk to the prosecutor and make your wishes known; otherwise, your best way to help her is to find her a good attorney.


Title: Neighbors horse is always in the loose

Question:
Within the last six months the neighbor has forgotten to close her gate at least twenty times, we’ve marked dates on the calendar, each time her horse runs out. We live in the country on a very busy road curve and worry someone going 60mph is going to smash into this horse and lose their lives due to her negligence. Police say they cannot do anything about this, not even issue a citation, until someone get’s hurt. Is there anything we can do?
We are located in Texas

Answer: I'd try an animal welfare angle -- try Animal Control or a horse rescue next time the horse is roaming.Answer #2: I had this problem not too long ago. We kept calling the cops and made a report to animal control and they took care of it.


Title: Can I runaway at 17? (TX)

Question:
Is there anything that my parents could do about it legally if I just walked out the door and went to live with friends?

It's ~1 month until my 18th birthday.

Answer:
 Wait the month.

When you're legally allowed to leave, it's not called "running away" anymore- it's called "moving out."


Title: If I’m wanted in Canada, and I’m flying domestic in the US, and my flight is diverted to a Canadian airport, can I be arrested?

Answer: Yes


Title: [CA] Aunt is hiding the location of my grandmother from us / potentially more (long)

Question:
Hello r/legaladvice -- hoping for some advice in this situation since I’m not sure how to proceed. Advance apologies for the novel-length post!

**tl;dr:**  My grandmother’s location (Mother’s side) is being hidden from me and my parents.  She is currently 96 years old with really bad dementia.  From what I understand, my aunt (Mother’s sister) is the executor of her living trust, to which my mother + I are beneficiaries.  For the past 16 months my aunt has refused to disclose any information to us regarding my grandmother's whereabouts, health, or finances.  This is wrecking my family emotionally, and my main goal is to find out my grandma’s location so we can again have weekly visits.  What is the legality of my aunt’s actions?

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**The long story:** When I went away to college in 2007, my parents moved in with my grandmother to take care of her.  My grandmother has owned her own house in Los Angeles since the 1950s -- she was still vaguely lucid at this point, but her memory was slipping.   I should note that my parents do not own any property, so this scenario worked out as a win-win situation for everyone at the time.

This arrangement worked out well until my grandmother’s mental state began to really slip.  By 2011 my dad switched to work from home so he could take care of my grandmother full time, since she couldn’t be trusted to be safe alone.  By 2013, my parents and aunt mutually decided that a live-in caretaker was necessary since her needs were beyond my parents skillset (24/7 monitoring, bathroom assistance, etc).

Unfortunately, live-in caretakers are really costly and my grandmother’s account didn’t have the funds to sustain this, so something needed to change.  There was a long period of arguing how best to pay for her care -- philosophically and financially, my parents and aunt disagreed on just about everything.  Long story short, my Aunt evicted my parents and sold my grandmother’s house.  This wasn’t an ideal move in my family’s opinion -- although I understand it to a degree since the money had to come from somewhere.  Since then my aunt and parents no longer talk unless absolutely necessary.

After that my aunt has sent my grandmother to multiple (3-5?) different nursing homes.  Originally we knew where my grandmother was and would visit often.  Despite this, my aunt wouldn't miss an opportunity to send out slanderous emails to extended family + friends stating how little my parents were visiting and how they were stealing funds from my grandmother's account (a whole separate issue, but I’ve seen no evidence of this).  Sample excerpt from an email from April 2015:

*“The staff at [nursing home] have indicated that visits with family are a really positive thing for any of their residents. Even if [(my mother)] is sick and cannot visit [(my grandmother)] right now, it would be good if [(my father)] could go visit her soon.  As of tomorrow, it'll be two weeks since your last visit.”*

Things went on like this, until later that year when she moved my grandmother again (September 2015), and now refuses to tell us where she is.  The only condition in which we are allowed to see her is if we email my uncle and set up an appointment at an outside location (such as a coffee house) and have a supervised visit (this means my uncle + a caretaker are present).

My aunt’s current reasoning is that seeing my mother or father reminds my grandmother of her house, confuses her, and sends her into depression for days (despite this, we’re still allowed to see her in a restaurant for some reason).  The logic doesn’t quite make sense to me.  Nor does this explain why I personally can’t know my grandmother’s location.  We’ve requested either a doctor’s note or the ability to at least speak with my grandmother’s doctor to confirm this, but haven't received anything for a year now.  Of course if our visits were actually sending my grandma into a depression, we would respect that and not visit.  But I don’t believe that is the case.

At this point my parents have given up any financial arguments, since it’s all out of their hands now.  My mother doesn’t expect to see anything money-wise once my grandmother passes away, but that’s beside the point.  Really all she’d like to do is visit and see her mother while she still can. Is there any way we can pursue this, or is what my aunt is doing as executor completely legal?

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On my side of things, I would love to know where my grandmother is, as well as an update on my grandmother's finances.  We still haven’t been notified how much the house was sold for, and I’m concerned my aunt is mismanaging the money in my grandmother’s account.  She paid “out of pocket” for some of my grandmother’s care while the house was being sold, and is still “reimbursing herself in the neighborhood of $40,000” (excerpt from another email).  Am I entitled to this knowledge as a beneficiary?  I also fear that my grandmother may not be getting adequate medical care, since I have little faith in my aunt at this point.

&nbsp;

**I was thinking of sending a registered letter requesting:**

1. A doctor’s note or proof that visiting my grandma is adversely affecting her health
2. As one of it’s only beneficiaries, a summary of my grandmother's account and current financial expenses.

&nbsp;

Would that be the proper way of moving forward?  To draft + send a letter like that, should I simply go to a local law office?  Is there a specific type of lawyer I should seek out for this?  Alternatively, as a second thought, what would be the legality of simply arranging a lunch meeting and hiring a PI to follow my grandma and uncle back to find her location?  I apologize if that is a ridiculous suggestion (or against subreddit rules).

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WHEW, sorry about the wall of text.  I can add (many lol) more details if needed, it’s a complicated mess.  Really I’m just hoping to see my mom + dad be able to visit my grandmother before all of the opportunities have passed.  As I’m way over my head, thanks for making it through this post, and thanks a ton for any advice or help you can offer!

Answer: You can locate your grandmother without your Aunt's help. Hire a private investigator, and (if needed) schedule one of your supervised meetings in a restaurant. That doesn't *necessarily* mean you can get on the guest list at her current location, but it certainly improves your position.Answer #2: Does your aunt have legal guardianship (I believe California may use the term "conservatorship") over your grandmother? The Living Trust gives your aunt power over your grandmother's assets, but not the power to make personal decisions for her. You need to know if your aunt has the requisite documents in one form or another.


Title: Ex-boyfriend suddenly asked me to "re-pay" him money I didn't borrow and is threatening to take legal action against me

Question:
A few years ago, my boyfriend at the time offered to help support my living expenses by gifting me $150/month for approximately a year. He *never* mentioned verbally that it was a loan of any kind (I would not have taken the money otherwise). He voluntarily offered, and I accepted. It was as simple as that.

A few days ago, out of the blue, he messaged me saying he wants all the money back. I never signed any written contract with him saying it was a loan, nor was it previously discussed through verbal agreement that it was a loan. He also threatened to take legal action against me.

So now my question is, will he be able to successfully take legal actions against me?

&#x200B;

TLDR: Few years ago, ex-boyfriend voluntarily gifted me $150/month for about a year. There was no verbal nor written agreement/contract stating that it was a loan. Ex-bf suddenly messaged me few days ago saying he wants all the money that he had "lent" me or he will take legal actions. Will he be able to take any legal actions against me?

Answer:
 https://law.justia.com/codes/california/2005/civ/1146-1148.html

>.1148.  A gift, other than a gift in view of impending death, cannot
be revoked by the giver.

Your Bostonian boyfriend's bahkin up the wrong tree.Answer #2: Gifts never turn into loans.

If he sues you, you would need to respond, but his chances of recovering any of that money are incredibly low.


Title: bought a lemon on craigslist, need some legal advice!

Question:
About two weeks ago I bought a car off craigslist from a individual. The car seemed fine on the initial drive. I asked her about maintenance, she told me the car has never been in an accident and she claimed to have paided about $5k into maintenance, but could not provide any paperwork because her "dad" did the maintenance. Her reason for selling it was to pay off a lien that was put on the car which we paid off in cash at a checking cashing office next to where we test drove, the transaction was done on camera.
Over the past two weeks, I have spent over $400-500 on the radiator, distributor,
spark plugs, and cables with a full tune up. From a professional opinion, the car has had the front bumper and driver side fender replaced which leads me to believe the car was in an accident and what it seems like a fire occurred near the battery.
Today the car finally gave out and I'm looking at $1600 in repairs from the timing belt snapping and possibly major damage to the pistons.
Is there anything I can do in small claims court to correct this? I'm frustrated with the amount of time and money I have put into this car, and I would like to hold the previous owner accountable. Please help /r/leagaladvice, you are my only hope!

Answer: You test drove the car and had a chance to have a mechanic inspect it. You really have no recourse at this point unless you can prove that the seller purposely lied or misled you.


Title: Did my psychiatrist's office violate HIPAA and how should I react?

Question: I saw a psychiatrist in NY in November for the first time in several years (I had been a regular patient there years before). In the time since I have been married and moved out of state. My insurance has also changed. He told me to fill out a new information thing and I was billed as a new patient (which was more expensive). When I was previously a patient, I was a young adult (not a minor) living at home and covered by my father's insurance (he lived at a different address). Well, long story short, the office sent a bill to my father's name and address. He of course opened it and saw that I went to so and so for a psychiatric evaluation. This has of course been extremely uncomfortable for me and has come with a lot of questions from my father who is now worried I relapsed. I have no idea how to proceed. I'm not interested in sueing if that's even an option, I know it was an unintentional mistake on their part, but at the same time I feel they were very careless. They clearly used my old records (not that a bill ever should have gone to my father even in the past, I was not a minor) despite asking me to fill everything out again and charging me extra. A secretary just called me about my outstanding balance for the first time. I haven't done anything about any of this because the whole situation and talking to the secretary and explaining is (very ironically) giving me anxiety. I'm tempted to just pay the bill to make it all go away, but at the same time I feel like they really messed up. How should I handle this?

Answer: Pay the bill and move on. HIPAA does not allow for a private cause of action. Not paying your bills does, however.


Title: CNAs used Lysol Wipes on my Grandmothers Genitals.

Question:
California
Two weeks ago we hired a home health company to provide 24/7 in home care for my elderly grandmother (the care costs about 18k a month). She has chronic pain, mobility issues, and memory/confusion problems (but is not yet diagnosed with dementia)

We went down last week to check on her and things seemed ok. She had some complaints about the care-givers but they seemed more liek petty issues- nothing crazy seemed to be going on.

Well fast forward to this week. My mom is down there right now visiting her and has just fired the service. My grandmother was complaining of anal pain and said they were using wipes on her to clean her. Well they were using lysol wipes. The kind of wipes you use on kitchen counters. On top of that, she hasn't been bathed since we last saw her.

There are other small issues as well. The fridge has not been stocked so I'm not sure what they have been feeding her. She missed her hair appt earlier this week because the care giver "Didn't want to wake her" and didn't think to call and cancel the appointment so the hairdresser was pissed. And there was trash piled up in the trash can (like bags on top of bags because no one thought to put the bags in another trash can for some reason.) and rubber gloves and avocado peels littering the ground around the trash can outside.

I am livid. I'm not sure what to do. The guy we talked to on the phone from the company asked if we expect to be compensated and we said yes and he said "okay like what?". I really don't know like what. I feel like the lysol wipe issue is a major problem. I can't believe we are paying almost 8 thousand dollars for this BS.

Answer:
 I work with APS!

Are they a state funded program?

Your first step, if you truly suspect that abuse or neglect has been occurring, should be contacting adult protective services. You can find their local number online and the process is very straightforward.

You should call with your mother's name, date of birth, address, phone number, name of the abuser (the agency phone number would also work because they are obligated to investigate internally), the dates of supposed abuse or neglect, the material consequences of the abuse or neglect (in this case, your mother's injuries from not being bathed, Lysol wipes etc.), and the dates on which the abuse or neglect occurred. This can seem daunting, but APS will be happy to launch an investigation even if you aren't able to pin down names or dates. Answer #2: Most home health care agencies are licensed.  You can report them: [https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHCQ/LCP/Pages/FileAComplaint.aspx](https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHCQ/LCP/Pages/FileAComplaint.aspx)


Title: Swindled out of $500 by NetSpend

Question:
hello,

recently I purchased a netspend card thinking it was a gift card by accident, I registered the card with fake information initially as they required many information that I thought was excessive, I did not realize that this information would be required in order to access the funds. I entered in a fake name along with a fake social security number, after noticing that it needed to be valid  I called the customer service hotline to reset the information. They told me they couldn't reset the information and that I wouldn't be able to access the funds on the card without providing the required information(fake), despite me saying that I couldn't because it was fake, they told me the information couldn't be updated and after telling my plight to a supervisor he transferred me back to the automated machine which told me the same thing. Is it legal for them to just keep my money because I cant verify the information?

Answer: You were not swindled. This was an own-goal.


Title: [CO] After moving out, my landlord opened my mail without my permission and paid all of my bills, then deducted that amount from my deposit. Is that legal?

Question: Title says it all. I moved out of the house I was renting on the 30th, and a few days later my now ex-landlord told me he couldn't move the utilities back into his name because they still had a balance owed on them. I told him that I had purposely let them go late to help with moving costs, that I was fine with paying any late fees incurred, and that I would have them all taken care of by the end of the month, I just needed to get paid again. Instead, he opened my mail, used the account info therein to call the utility companies and pay the balance, and then sent me a check for a few dollars along with photocopies of my bills and said the total bills have been deducted from the deposit. I told him, again, that the reason I hadn't paid them yet was because I needed that money to make it to my next check and he had no right to open my mail or spend my money. His reply was that he can't rent the house with outstanding bills, and I said that he and his property manager both told me that they weren't putting the house on the market for months, so that shouldn't be an issue, and he didn't reply. Also, I called the utility companies to ask them about it and they say utilities have been put back under his name since the 6th, before he spent my money, so saying he had to pay them to get his name on them is a verifiable lie. Do I have any legal recourse here? Opening my mail without my consent regardless of the circumstance is illegal isnt it?

Answer:
 He committed a federal offense. I *hope* you report him to your local postmaster.Answer #2: [Here](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1702) is the actual code. So yes, it is illegal to open mail that isn't addressed to you. The issue you'd probably have is proving that his intentions lined up with any of those mentioned in the code. I doubt the Postal Inspection Service is going to spend much time on a case with no damages.Answer #3: Contact your local postmaster ASAP.  It is absolutely illegal to open your mail regardless of his 'intentions'.  Stop talking with him about it.

&#x200B;

Look up your postmaster here:

  [https://webpmt.usps.gov/pmt002.cfm](https://webpmt.usps.gov/pmt002.cfm)Answer #4: Former property manager.  Its pretty common to take unpaid bills from a deposit. Utility companies often will not turn service on if there is an outstanding balance on the current address.

 Whether or not you had *intended* to pay later it was causing an inconvenience to the landlord and they only have 30 days to return the deposit so this is reasonable. Your unpaid bills were preventing the use of the property. What you had believed he *intended* to use the property for is not a contractual obligation.

Are you sure he opened mail? That would be a different subject altogether and its separate from using your deposit for unpaid services.

There would be no need to open mail to pay these bills. You don't need an account number anywhere that I have ever been, just an address and sometimes a name. This information your landlord already had access to as your landlord. I've done this several times ( paying off an outstanding balance so utilities can be switched over) and never once needed to do more than give an address and name to the cashier.


Title: just got subpoenaed/sued for being a passenger in a car crash that killed someone [IL]

Question:
I would like to keep it vague which is why I'm on an alternate account. This incident happened more than 1 year ago and the police had ruled it an accident. The driver and I have not been in contact for many months now. I was served a week ago and have been panicking this whole time. I don't have money for a lawyer and  I have no job. Their asking for a maximum of 100,000 dollars and it is being handled by a a giant law firm that is very well known in the regional area. What are my options?

Edit: with more information. I was 19 the driver was 16. We were friends. They are going after me for not calling 911 fast enough because we called the drivers mom before 911 and she met us nearby. 911 was called 10 minutes later. I am being sued as I am a named defendant. I have medical bills from inpatient psychiatric care. Could the claim be made that I was not in a reasonable state of mind at the time since I had just gotten out of inpatient hospitalization a few days prior to the incident?

Answer:
 As per an an insurance lawyer: If you were the passenger in the car then you should be able to obtain legal representation from the driver's Insurance Company. So contact them immediately. I agree with some of the other people who commented hear that there is no civil liability for failure to assist. Which includes calling 911. If there were any liability you could just write down every single license plate that passed by an accident and sue them for failure to act.Answer #2: You *need* to get representation. They are absolutely within their right to sue for 911 delay and it sounds like there's a good chance you'll lose even though you weren't driving the car.

 I found a place to help you get legal counsel but you might want to do more digging on your options.
http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/about/probono.htmlAnswer #3: RELAX! You are judgement proof. You have no assets and no income. Suing is one thing, collecting is another.

When things come out like this, they sue everyone and see what sticks. I assume owner/driver of the car you were in has insurance. They should already know and you need to contact them and tell them whats going on. They will provide you with lawyers.

Answer #4: Do you live near a university with a law school? Sometimes they will do pro bono work for people without financial resources.


Title: [UK] Lent my car to my ex-girlfriend for a week. She kept it for 3 weeks and when returned it is damaged

Question:
When me and my girlfriend split up it was moderately civil and I still wanted to help her out with her job needs. I allowed her to borrow my car (which she was insured on as a second driver) for one week to travel to her shows as required.

As the week went on the civility deteriorated and she refused to bring the car back insisting I travel to the Midlands (roughly 3 hours on a train) to collect the car. I was adamant that she bring it back.

Long story short 3 weeks went by until she finally dropped the car off at a train station car park 20 minutes from my location. This was yesterday evening so it was dark when I checked the car for damage and after a quick check I couldn't see anything drastic.

Today however in the light I noticed several cracks on the rear bumper and a poorly done tape job on the underneath of said bumper. She is ignoring messages and refusing to reply or acknowledge anything.

Do I have any legal grounds here to take it to a small claims court or something or do I have to suck it up and pay for the repairs myself?

Thanks

Answer: /r/LegalAdviceUK Answer #2: Can you use the insurance to pay for the damages? You said she was listed on the policy.


Title: A crazy lady rear-ended me today and her story confusing and shady. Need advice on how to proceed (CA)

Question:
In my car: my 2 kids and me.  She rear ended us while we were stopped.  She was going perhaps 10 mph, enough to do some damage to the car, but we, the occupants, were uninjured.

After a ton of questions from me and sussing through her statements to "hook her up," that she's cold, that she was coming from, or going to, a funeral, needed to be at her destination by 6 pm, and god knows what else, I finally got the following facts:
 a) the car is a rental from Budget, b) she may or may not have insurance on her own, c)she claims to have purchase the insurance offered by budget, but doesn't have the paper work.

I took a picture of her driver's license, and the license plate, we traded phone numbers, and left.  She called me later this evening and asked "how we gonna do this?"  She couldn't find her rental agreement for the insurance info, but stated she does not have other car insurance.

She wants to meet tomorrow at Budget when she returns the car.  I kind of don't know what to do at this point.  I'd rather not pay my deductible, so I am inclined to go meet her at Budget to see if she's covered.   Thoughts?  Advice?

Answer:
 IANAL, but a similar thing happened to me: Guy in a rental rear ended me and gave me a story about it's a rental so they have insurance.

Not sure if it was his rental agreement or the norm, but it turns out the rental company did NOT have insurance on it; he was supposed to be carrying his own.  I got a massive letter from the rental company stating it wasn't their fault and they wouldn't cover anything and their renter had to cover it all.  (It was Hertz or another big-name company, so this wasn't some ghetto fly-by-night deal or anything.)

In my situation there was virtually no damage and I didn't feel like pursuing him so I just let it slide, but I would HIGHLY recommend getting your insurance company to figure this out first thing tomorrow, and it might be worth going with her when she returns it to verify in person if they will pay or not, as it could help alleviate headaches later.

Edit: I'm in CA as well FWIW.


Title: [MA] Are Dorms held to the same legal standards as rentals?

Question:
Hi guys,
I live in a dormitory in Boston, and for about a week our suite has been consistently sub 65 degrees during the day (sub 60 at night). Does the school have a legal obligation to properly heat the premises like a landlord does to heat the apartments they own? Or is a school/dorm situation legally distinct and they are held to lower standards? This is mostly out of curiosity, since they've stated they are working on it, but if anyone had any insight, that'd be great.

Answer: while they are different in most aspects the habitability rules generally apply to both.