Title: Thinking about junking my car but I have two citations.

Question: I live in Ky and I got pulled over and cited twice for no tags and or proof of insurance. (The first time I had insurance the second time it had lapsed.) I was wondering what would happen if instead of just registering it, I take it and junk it because it's slowly getting more and more issues but I don't want to do that if it's going to cause more problems than it's worth. (Power steering is gone, my engine will lock for no reason and more.)

Answer:
 One has nothing to do with the other.

You may junk your car or not, you are still responsible for the citations.

Two totally different matters.


Title: Concealed Carry vs Active Shooter

Question:
Assume that I, a law abiding and responsible gun owner, subdue or otherwise incapacitate an active shooter using my Concealed Carry weapon. Being law abiding, I also comply with all police orders as they arrive and give them. After handcuffs, car rides, and investigations, I am found not to be at fault (i.e. I'm not the shooter) and dismissed from being a suspect in the case.

Would, after all that transpires (depositions, investigations, trials, etc), my weapon ever be released back into my possesion? Would it be held in evidence indefinitely?

Answer:
 The correct answer is "As soon as your weapon was determined to no longer be relevant evidence, it would be returned to you".

The real answer is "you'll get it back when the cops want to give it back to you".

This is very location-dependent.  Some jurisdictions are very good about returning property.  Others are corrupt and will straight-up steal it.  There are forms and requests to file and complaints to be made, but the sad truth is that once a piece of your property finds its way into the hands of law enforcement, there's a non-zero chance that you won't ever see it again.


Title: What can I do about a potential scam

Question:
Thanks in advance. If this is the wrong place, could you point me in the right direction?

I’m from Massachusetts, live in Boston. The other person may live in New Hampshire? I’ve never met him in person or spoke on the phone, it’s all been through text.

Stupidly, I think I’m in the middle of a scam. Essentially, someone offered to pay some of my credit card bill, $600. He gave me his bank account information to attach to my card. He kept asking for me to tell him when it was completed. As soon as I told him it was, he said he needed me to buy him 5 $100 amazon gift cards. I told him if he needs it now he can just buy it online, but he insisted he needed them bought, with the codes on the back scratched off.

I forgot to text him back last night, and I woke up to a message from his “lawyer” saying if you don’t reach out to the guy I’ll be sued or something like that. It was sent about 7 times so I had to piece the messages together.

Do I just buy the gift cards and accept that I’ll probably be out 1200 (600 paid on card and 600 in gift cards) once he reports the charge as fraudulent on his account?

Thanks so much for your help.

Answer:
 You do not buy the cards.

You cancel that card immediately.

You make better choices in the future.


Title: I'm an out-of-state driver that got a reckless driving ticket in Virginia. My court date is next week. What do I need to do?

Question: Hey. I'm a 19 year old college student who received a reckless driving ticket in Virginia while driving home for winter break (a 94/70 ticket while driving on the interstate through the Marion, VA region). I'm from out of state (Tennessee) and my court date is next week. I need a bit of help figuring out what exactly I need to do, especially since I've heard horror stories about traffic court in VA and I can't afford a lawyer out-of-pocket. I've already ordered and printed out my driving record (clean), so I'm really just here trying to figure out what I need to say and how the process is going to work. Is a free consultation with a local lawyer enough to go it alone, and general other advice would be helpful. Help?

Answer:
 Hire an attorney.

The great thing about Virginia is that they enforce their speeding and traffic laws as a matter of safety(which is what they theoretically are) and not just a very disorganized/unfair method of taxation.

It will depend upon the facts and judge, but you could face jail time here. You need to know going into this that the Court is likely going to view this not merely as an opportunity to collect some money but rather as you deciding to put the safety of others on the road at risk recklessly.

So, get an attorney. You might just end up with a fine and a slap on the wrist either way, but you also might end up in jail.

Virginia does not play with reckless driving in general.


Title: (US - Texas) Honest question: My husband was fired from a damn good job. He had an excellent work history with them for 5+ years. Without proof, do we have any options legally?

Question: I understand that Texas is a "right-to-work" state and that we have zero evidence of discrimination. But they found some "reason" to fire him one weekend. He was getting sickly and racking up more medical issues and hospital time, but he was the most reliable, responsible employee they had. He was NEVER late or missed work unless he was actually in the hospital with proof. Not some guy who stayed home to watch a CSI marathon because he was hungover. His company even appealed his unemployment twice, and they lost both times because he did nothing wrong. I may be his wife, but I firmly believe they fired him because of (non-work related) health problems. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Answer:
 Being a "right to work" state has nothing to do with this.

Did he use paid sick leave?  Did he request FMLA leave?


Title: Oregon: Can you take from tips to balance cash registers?

Question:
So I have a very strong feeling that this is illegal, but I cannot find anything online that answers my question.

My boss has been doing this for an indeterminate amount of time, and he has told all of his management staff to do so. At least two others in management positions have done it, one for sure not knowing it may be illegal. I just found out, and it may have been going on for years. At least 6 months probably.

One person in a junior management position claims that my manager has done it with as much as $20.00 one time. If this is true, then I feel that my manager, and therefore my company, have been stealing from myself, and my coworkers, for at least 6 months.

If anyone can just help find the definitive text from the state that tells me if it is, or is not, legal, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks ya'll.

Edit: I've read through all this. I am going to contact a few Oregon offices and find out. Thanks for the tips.

Answer:
 OP, fellow Oregonian here. You need to contact BOLI immediately.

http://www.oregon.gov/boli/Pages/index.aspxAnswer #2: IANAL but no, it is illegal for an employer in Oregon to make their employees pay for a short till, they can fire you however.


Title: Abusive ex-gf called the police because I hit her in self defence, what should I do?

Question:
I had a very abusive relationship I got out of. We would argue and verbally fight often and at one point I was slapped and pushed around by my ex, and I slapped her back in self defense to neutralise her. She was left with a bruise on the cheek. Days went by and we had another argument and she called the police (this time nothing physical was involved). She told them a one sided story and I was arrested and now I am being charged with battery. I don’t know how to prove to them that it was self defense and to refute her one sided story. And on top of that, police confiscated my laptop because she told them I have her naked pictures and that they should delete them.

So far, I have Whatsapp chatlogs where she admits to hitting me but in the form of text, not screenshots.

She also sent the case inspector an official paper where she says she doesn’t want to press charges because we talked things through and she is cooperative

tl;dr: Ex gf hit me, I hit her back, we broke up, she called the police, now I’m being charged for battery

How should I proceed?

Answer:
 With a lawyer.

And by not hitting people.Answer #2: Is slapping her hard enough to leave a bruise to "neutralize her" as she's slapping and pushing around really self defense.  I get slapping vs. slapping, but unless she's just a beast, I can't imagine she was truly all that dangerous.  If OP could easily enough get away or hold her off, is self defense going to work?


Title: EX girlfriend threatening to press charges for theft. Bogus accusations. Advice needed!

Question:
So, ex girlfriend is threatening me. She's saying that they've "talked" with lawyers and police regarding pressing charges. They're telling me (they're being her+mother) that it's for 1)Checks that she WROTE to me 2)Money that they're saying I took out of a family jar while I lived there 3)For the remaining rent until the lease is up.

First question is, if charges go through, what are the chances that I get arrested or served papers? I'm completely okay with this going to court or some kind of mediation. I just don't want to get arrested and don't see how I can on these bogus accusations. Especially whenever she WROTE the checks to me. I have text messages where her mother even states this. And as far as the rent goes, she kicked me out of the house and I have texts that prove that as well. All have been saved. I understand that I may have to pay 50% of rent since yes my name is on the lease but the other things are just Bogus in my opinion.

Does anyone have any advice. Thanks.

Answer:
 > Does anyone have any advice.

Cease all communication with your ex- and her family. If you are served papers or contacted by the police hire a lawyer and don't speak to anyone but your lawyer.


Title: Business Owner Lying to a Client and Will Soon Be Discovered - Next Steps?

Question:
**TL;DR: Biggest client hit by Cryptolocker > paid the ransomer and successfully recovered the files > my business owner lied to the client and reported that we restored lost files from backup > client contracting an outside company to conduct audit of logs and backups; they will discover that he's lying > instructed by owner to clear logs and fabricate backups > likely going to be pinned on me > I'm preparing my resignation; don't know what next steps to take, legal liability, or legal responsibility.**

Hello everyone,

I'm the IT Director of a small MSP (LLC, sole proprietor) in the US.  I was hired to help transition the IT Services division from a time and materials model to a recurring revenue model and bring some order to the alleged chaos that was described prior to my hiring. I have been here less than a year.

When I got here, I discovered that things were *much* worse than what was portrayed. This business has established business relationships with its clients on verbal agreements *only*, defining no limits on service obligations while still billing T&M. Projects this place facilitates have no SOWs, as it's implied that we will be the sole service provider for IT related issues after any sort of implementation. Because we are T&M, we're constantly on-boarding new clients looking for more work and projects. Our average ticket load has increased from \~250 per month to over \~700 last month alone. I've lost all but one of my original team to the increased workload, and have had three walk-outs from new hires - two within two weeks, one within three days. I have ceased exercising a management role and have adopted a lead technician role just to combat the tide of service requests; management duties were absorbed by other members of the leadership team so I could focus on service requests. I've been searching for new employment for several months.

Because there's such a heavy emphasis on ensuring the growing client base is satisfied, there is no attention on maintenance: backups, monitoring, and patching are literally an afterthought of the business owner (BO) and because the primary source of friction between me and the owner. I've sat down with the owner of this business *many* times to outline the danger of this mindset and where the business is heading - that we are one unpredictable and uncontrollable event (for which we are unprepared) away from losing an unknown number of clients and other in their sphere of influence.

Well - that's happening. We had one of our biggest clients - a multimillion dollar conglomerate corporation - hit with by a Cryptolocker attack and we didn't know that their backup scheme had been failing since *November* because it wasn't configured to send alerts. I notified the client, took the affected files offline, and brought the situation to the owner who instructed me to pay the ransom. A company check was cut, cashed, and sent to the ransomer and they (thankfully) sent the decryption application. I warned the BO several times that this wasn't over and that the client will want details of the event that has been explained to them to be a routine, successful backup recovery.

A week later, the client asked for an after-action report detailing what happened, how, and details on remediation and future hardening efforts. Not satisfied with the BOs general explanation, they're having a second IT company conduct an audit on backups and looking through server logs and firewall settings to get a more accurate picture of what took place. I only learned this because I got a phone call from the investigator from the other company asking me for details. It's only a matter of time before this company discovers that the BO has been dishonest during both this event, but also that the company hasn't been keeping healthy backups or actively monitoring and patching servers and workstations.

After relaying this to the BO, he instructed me to simply "clear all the logs and tell them it's part of our backup restoration SOP," and fabricate backups from November forward - while instructing me to order two more employees to help plan and facilitate the act. I acted as if I was going to comply on the phone, but then immediately called the two named staff to let them know what I was instructed to do, the likely fallout of my refusal, and what they can expect to be asked to do after my departure (and that if they haven't been looking for new employment already, now is the time).

**While I'd love to immediately resign, I don't have the resources to do so for long. On the other hand, I feel that I've already been exposed to some sort of legal liability and it will only get worse by staying. From an ethical perspective, I'd like to contact the client and auditing IT company and let them know what's happening and what they can expect in their investigation, but I also want to defend the livelihood of my staff.**

Can anyone provide some guidance?
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: Holy cannoli, do not fabricate records! This dude might have other issues going on like fraud and other money schemes that's gonna get found out when the FBI comes knockin. Quit and retain an attorney if questioned. Run you fool!


Title: My Neighbour added all these beehives to our property access when he found out my other neighbour was selling her house to care for her ill father.

Question:
Hi Folks.

This is quite a difficult one. But the long and short of it is. I live in house that has a shared access. Each house owns part of the land in front of their house over which the access path crosses. So to walk to my house, I have to walk along a path that passes through some land that is technically my neighbours but the deeds state we all have right to pass unhindered via the public access.

Anywho. My next door neighbour decided she needed to sell her house to be able to move to live together with her father who had become quite ill. As soon as this happened my next door neighbour on the other side started adding lots of beehives to our access path.

Not only does this make access difficult but everybody who comes to view my neighbours house, immediately sees the beehives and whilst they comment that they really like the house, they would never think about buying it because of the problem with the neighbour, the access and the bees!

My question is this. Is there anything in law, that states one person cannot do things to make it more difficult for another person to sell a property. Should this be proved it's their intention.

Secondly are there any laws in regards to beehives being place on or very close by public access paths.

Thirdly, are there any laws as to the minimum amount of access one must be provided with?

FYI I'm in the UK.

Pics provided below.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dbs-M3JWsAYnw1z.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dbs-M3JW0AA6Oy3.jpg

Answer:
 Are those all active hives?  Seems like too small of an area for so many different hives to me.  Answer #2: Try /r/legaladviceuk Answer #3: Why is he trying to hinder the sale of the neighbors house? Answer #4: in the US, you may have a case for tortious interference with a business deal.

Looking at this easement, I don't know if the UK has an equivalent of the ADA, but "break your leg" and then try to roll a wheelchair through there. You probably couldn't, and could compel him to move the property blocking access per whatever ADA law you have. Answer #5: > but the deeds state we all have right to pass unhindered via the public access

Well, the beehives are hindering you, right? Unhindered probably needs to be interpreted, but to me (NAL) it means you can't block the path.Answer #6: Just to be clear, this is right next to the access path or ON the access path.  The pictures don't look like they're access to anything?

If they are next to the access path how far are they from it? More than 5 feet shouldn't be a problem for the bees.  More than 10 feet shouldn't be a problem for anyone unless they have an unreasonable fear of bees.


Title: An obsessed friend who I chose to part ways with has begun to post humiliating public ads about me. Help?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: Get a restraining order.


Title: Can I be forced to pay because the store made a mistake?

Question: Can they actually make me pay? I cashier at a place that I won't name to avoid trouble. Employees get a pretty good discount at the store. We got in some new chocolate and when I rang it up looking for something for mothers day, it was less than a dollar. All the others were more expensive with our discount. So I figured I would get my mom a bunch of chocolate for her birthday. I bought about 20 of the bars on my break. I get a text the next morning saying I need to return them all or pay the difference for what they were supposed to cost. Can I really be forced to pay that? I live in Colorado if that helps.

Answer: No but you could be fired if you don't.


Title: [KY] Sibling sexual abuse, non-custodial parent needs help

Question:
Siblings are 8M and 6F. Parents are divorced with joint legal custody; mother has primary physical, father has visitation.

Father went to pick up kids for visitation and was informed by mother that she was being investigated by CPS. She told him that 6F had been touching other children inappropriately at school. Upon being questioned by the principal, 6F revealed that her brother 8M had been coming into her room at night to touch her inappropriately and try to pull off her pajamas. Mother refused to provide any further details.

Father is currently losing his mind. The kids were previously removed by CPS due to physical abuse by mother's boyfriend, for about 60 days. Father lawyered up and pursued full custody. Mother pinky-swore to not let the boyfriend around the kids again, and CPS/judge let her resume primary physical custody. Based on the sexual nature of the incidents, Father is worried that sexual abuse may also have occurred during that time.

Father is consulting with a new lawyer Monday but would like some general advice in the meantime.
(1) He is considering filing for emergency custody of only one of the children, to separate them while the claims are investigated and keep 6F safe. Is it within the realm of possibility for a judge to split up the children like this?
(2) What right does Father have to receive further information from the school and/or CPS regarding what was said and the status of the investigation? He is shocked that the children remain in the home due to the severity of allegations.
(3) Is it advisable for Father to contact the CPS caseworker and ask what he can do to help the kids and help with the investigation?

Any additional advice greatly appreciated. TIA.

Answer:
 1- yes. Good idea.

2- all rights from CPs and all rights with school unless court orders say otherwise. Call the case worker for CPS

3- yes. Very much so.

Get custody of at least one of the kids. The boy has been sexualy abused by someone also. This is a learned behavior. Very counseling immediately. Get a forensic interview for both immediately. Get the police involved if they are not. Answer #2: NAL in KY. Father definitely has the right to information from CPS. Calling the case worker is a good idea, but on the weekend probably won't get far. Father's attorney will advise him as to the likelihood of splitting up the children, but in cases like these, it's definitely possible. Probably adviseable. The 8 year old needs treatment and help.

Did the mom know about the abuse and not stop it? That will be a huge factor in what happens here. Any indication if the 8 year old is acting out because he was abused in the past?

The kids both need counseling  probably ASAP.

Seeing a lawyer immediately is definitely the way to go. Answer #3: Document everything. Record, note any behavior whike children are with you.

Get them in counseling.


Title: My dad was involved in car accident in California with no insurance. Help?

Question:
Hey /legaladvice, this literally just happened so please forgive my hurried story.

So dad was driving (by himself) and accidentally merged into oncoming traffic. The other party and my dads vehicle were both (seemingly) totaled. Both parties were uninjured and only suffered whiplash, bumps and bruises (as far as we could tell on the scene). My dads coverage lapsed due to ~1 week of no payment and is thus uninsured. We understand there will be no coverage for our vehicle.

We know the other parties insurance company will eventually reach us and that's where we're completely unsure on what to do next. Dads retired and on social security with no other source of income.

What are the "should do's" the "don't do's" and anything in between that may help our situation? I apologize if this isn't the correct sub reddit and if there's a better subreddit to post in, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, any input would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: Well you're going to need an attorney and your dad's license will most likely be suspended.  This is going to hurt financially.


Title: Could Listening to North Korean music be labeled as treason in the USA ?

Question:
There is a lot of North Korean content avaliable all over youtube. This includes music, movies, cartoons etc.

I'm curious if an american citizen can face criminal charges for ''treason'' by listening or sharing this content.

Answer:
 From the Constitution:

> Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

So no. Listening to North Korean music is neither levying war nor providing aid and comfort. Even if it was providing aid and comfort, there’s a serious question as to whether any country counts as an “enemy” if the US isn’t in a declared war with them. People who passed atomic secrets to the Soviets at the height of the Cold War weren’t charged with treason because of this uncertainty.


Title: Becoming a landlord! How do I protect myself while creating common spaces for residents? (St louis)

Question:
We've been in our apartment for 3 years and now we are purchasing the building (4 plex). We've always really monopolized the yard but would like to work to make ita nicer common space. I also want to do things to make it nicer for my family (eg: wooden clubhouse instead of plastic swing set).  While Ican't see much harm from a raised garden bed, i don't want the stoned guys upstairs to burn themselves on the grill or fall out of the clubhouse and i especially don't want them suing me if they do. The building is fully rented and under lease at the moment so I'm wondering what Ican do that is outside ofa clause in the lease.

TL; DR: want a "use at your own risk" document for tenants who are already under lease.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Insurance. Lots and lots of insurance.


Title: Free company vacation leads to everyone being fired.

Question:
Ive been working for a small tech company In Dallas TX that has around 10 senior employees for the past 4 years.

We have been going through some budget cuts as well as removing the company policy for new hires to “double 401k contributions” meaning if I put 10$ in my 401k my employer puts in $20, leaving me with a $30 401k contribution.

The company is now removing this policy but as our contract reads the 10 of us are pretty much grandfathered in to this clause amidst stealing company property or being drunk / high on the job. So if I stole something from the company my employer has an out to terminate the contract.

*******************Story*******************

Our boss recently took the 10 of us to Colorado for a week to ski on a company trip as a thank you. It is not unusual for him to thank us in these “big” ways. (In the past he has given bonuses, gift cards, ipads)

While we were in Colorado our boss brought us some “Special brownies” and we all decided to eat/ try them as we are all close and pretty much all friends and its legal in Colorado. One girl did not for personal reasons.

We had an amazing time in Colorado and enjoying the activities for the week. But that all changed when we got back to Dallas the following Monday.

When we opened up all 10 of us were met with a random drug test which was odd because our Boss just last week indulged with us in eating Marijuana brownies.

Well come to find out 9 of us have all had our 401k contracts terminated per the stealing/drug/drunk clause. The only person who still has theres is the girl who did not eat the brownies.

My question is:  is this even legal, do I have any course of action against what it feels like is  “entrapment”

**TLDR; We went on a company vacation, our boss bought us marijuana cookies and is now using us failing Mondays drug test to revoke our 401k contract**

Answer:
 he only pulled the ten of you for this trip, it just reenforces that this was all a set up to get you out of your 401ks. Next I would be having a lawyer contact the place you got this drug test at. See when this drug test was set up? Was it before or after the trip weekend? Or was this a test that was done at the company. If so when was the kits bought, and how was it determine who was tested?

Try to get the lawyer to also ask for a list of all employees that were tested that day. Along with all past list with the test results. If they went from testing 1-3 people on average to a bunch of you just this once it also makes it looks very fishy.

Also very easy to say, well the boss was doing it and we all thought it was part of a team building exercise. Like when the boss wants to go out for shots, you feel very pressured in going out and having a drink with the boss. It one of the things you sometimes end up doing to save face with the upper management.


Title: Car sale gone bad

Question:
I recently sold a used car to a young first time driver. I was trying to help her out and I essentially gift wrapped the whole process for her knowing she could not otherwise afford the car. I agreed to do a monthly payment plan with her and I got a promissory note and sales agreement on top of the bill of sale. We were waiting on getting the papers notarized due to me working inconvenient hours. Here are the rest of the details:

-I got the car inspected to sell a couple days before the sale, it passed after completing one repair.
-We agreed on a sale price and a monthly payment. I asked for a bit higher than it's value considering the monthly payments, recent inspection, and I was planning on including a set nearly new snow tires.
-She told me she didn't have a down payment for me when I signed the papers over to her and I trusted her when she said that she would give me one with her first paycheck from her new job.
-In the following days she got the car registered in her name and brought it to a shop. I was not expecting her to get it looked at considering I had just a few days prior.
-The info she relayed to me from her mechanic was the car was not safe to drive and should not have passed. This was not anything I could've predicted happening and I had previously told her anything I was aware of being wrong with the car before our agreement. I had trusted my mechanic to only pass the car if it was safe to drive.
-Since she received that info we have talked a couple times, but no money has exchanged hands yet. She told me her family doesn't want her to pay me any amount of money and they believe the car is worth over 200% less than my asking price.
-I have offered twice to buy the car back off her and she's declined. My ideal situation were for her to do this.
-She wants a much lower sale price than the original. I am willing to work with this and negotiate with her, but she doesn't sound like she'll budge from her unofficial offer of several hundred dollars. I know the car is worth more than that.
-I know she has the power in the situation because she has the papers and the car in her name now, but I also know she hasn't fulfilled her end of the contractual obligation because she hasn't given me any money.
-And to make matters worse she's taken to social media to drag my name in the mud. I've put a lot of faith into believing this young lady would fullfil her end of the deal and instead I'm getting harassed and treated like a scumbag.

Any info or advice is greatly appreciated, thank you.

Answer:
 Dragging your name through the mud = defamation of character/slander/libel.
I would call a lawyer, as she signed an agreement stating she would pay x monthly, plus deposit. She has failed to do that, and is using said vehicle (otherwise, she’d just reverse the sale/give it back).
I’m not sure if criminal charges apply, but you definitely have a case to get the value of the vehicle back somehow, or the vehicle itself, either in small claims or a civil suit.
She’s running a scam.


Title: Bank tells me an employee stole my personal info

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 IANAL, but:

why are you wanting to punish a bank that apparently did right by you in a) informing you of the fraudulent activity, b) clearing it for you without hassle, and c) went the admittedly useless extra step of paying for your credit monitoring?

what, exactly, are your damages?   they had a shady employee (probably already termed for malfeasance, and possibly prosecuted), but they did everything they reasonably could to make you whole.

perhaps the laws in canada are different, but i don't see you as having a case, here.  if you doubt it, think about the billions in settlements major corporations would have to pay out every time there was a data breach.  yet, they don't.

i'm sorry the 'bank' (quotes because it was actually some crook, not the bank) made your life difficult and stressful (by... informing you of fraud and protecting you from it?), but how much more difficult and stressful would it be if they'd followed the usual bank protocol and paid the horseshit bills and made you fight for six months to get it back?


Title: So I went to my job for my last check he told me I cannot get my check or leave with it without signing his papers. I have the whole conversation recorded to where he says I can't leave with my check. this happed about 30 mins ago what do I do?

Question: Update from yesterday post. I'm new to Reddit I'm in California btw

Answer:
 What you do is [file a wage claim](http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/howtofilewageclaim.htm)

Do NOTHING with the recording; california requires ALL parties to consent to the recording. Otherwise, you [run afoul of wire tapping laws](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_recording_laws). Delete it. You don't need it for the wage complaint.Answer #2: Assuming this wasn't a conversation you had in public, that's probably an illegal recording. Don't try to do anything with it.Answer #3: If you were an employee you can file a claim with the dlse. You may be eligible for waiting time penalties.


Title: Purchasing a duplex. Question about existing lease.

Question:
Location: Michigan

I will be purchasing a duplex (currently living in one of the units) and needed some advice on how I go about the current lease the other tenant has.

Essentially, must I honor the precious lease the tenant had with the previous owners, or can I draft a new lease, and increase rent?

Thanks!

Answer:
 The lease carries over with the sale, so yes, you must honor it until it ends. Answer #2: You can try cash for keys... basically bribe them to leave for a given amount of money. Answer #3: As a successor-in-interest to the previous owner, you assume all lease contracts in their current form.  If you're using a real estate broker or real estate attorney, they probably should have gone over this with you.  All the purchaser/successor does is substitute themselves as the lessor, in place of the prior owner.

In buying an income property, the relative value of the existing tenants should be part of the overall calculation whether the purchase makes financial sense.

You may be able to negotiate with the tenant, either to agree to end the lease early or to renegotiate terms of a new lease.  But in either case, the tenant has no obligation to negotiate or to accept an offer.  It's not uncommon for a new owner to offer to pay an existing tenant all the costs of moving *plus* a financial incentive to make it worth their while (called a "cash for keys" deal).


Title: Cautious Sugar Baby

Question:
Talk to me about NDAs and Confidentiality Agreements, please. I have an arrangement with an older person and it's going well, but for the sake of covering my careful ass, I'm considering asking that we sign an NDA just for the sake of discretion. We both have careers that are at least somewhat in the public eye, and while I don't see anything going south any time soon, god knows people can fuck each other up in breakups.

How can I make sure I stay safe and protected here? Any suggestions for an air-tight agreement that will keep the fact that my er gentleman friend and I did not meet under normal circumstances?

--Massachusetts

Answer:
 > Any suggestions for an air-tight agreement that will keep the fact that my er gentleman friend and I did not meet under normal circumstances?

No agreement in the world can cover up the truth. All it can do is maybe make it easier to win in a lawsuit if you have to sue him. But it doesn't guarantee silence.Answer #2: Contracts covering illegal acts are generally  unenforceable.


Title: [TX]- Falsely Accused of Assault

Question:
Today, while at work someone came into my job with their child. They started to be loud and rude to me as well as to the other people  inside.  She wasn't spending any money, so  I told her to leave. She accused me of racism because I told her to leave. She went outside called the police and accused me of calling her a racial slur and she said I assaulted her 11 year old daughter by throwing a stack of post-it notes at her. All of which is untrue, I had 2 witnesses. They even gave their story to the police.  Still to my complete horror I was cited for "Simple Assault" The cop knew it was a BS claim and said he really didn't want to write the ticket but since the lady kept pressing the matter and got a supervisor involved, plus since it involved a minor they wrote me the ticket to " let the courts sort it out"

I have 2 customers as witnesses, they both said that they will gladly go to court if needed. My question is, when this goes to court and gets thrown out, do I have any grounds to sue her for slander or defamation of character? She has potentially caused me issues at work with my employer.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 IANAL and not from Texas, so take this with a grain of salt!

From what I found by researching, you should be able to sue for false allegation of crime based on defamation of character, but only after you won this current case. You would have to prove that she willingly and knowingly accused you of a crime you did not commit, which shouldn’t be hard from what you described (2 witnesses + the proof that they are indeed false accusations from the original court case)
At minimum you could get back any attorney fees caused by this law suit and any other monetary losses due to it.
You also described that your situation at work has suffered due to the false accusation, which could be translated to "emotional"-damages (not the official term) which you could also get compensations for with a good enough attorney.

Hope I could help

Answer #2: Make sure you get a copy of surveillance video if it’s available Answer #3: >The cop knew it was a BS claim and said he really didn't want to write the ticket but since the lady kept pressing the matter and got a supervisor involved, plus since it involved a minor they wrote me the ticket to "let the courts sort it out"

I'm curious if this is even legal. If it's a false claim and they know it's false, they're now putting you through a 3 ring circus for nothing.


Title: [NY] I was approached & sold an exclusive story & exclusive pictures to a major tabloid (regretfully). I never received payment as agreed, which I have in writing from the reporter.

Question:
**I've posted every bit of the detailed story below, but for those who don't have time to read it, here's a shorter TL;DR version.** Last year I was a journalism student and shared with my friends on Twitter that I was would attending a Holloywood-esque event in NYC because I was so excited about it. A major tabloid saw my Tweet, and asked (since I was a journo student) if I would provide "coverage" for them of the event, as it would be good experience for my future career. I was told I would be paid $1500 for details of the event that would be used for a story, and an extra $500 if I could get an exclusive pic. I did both. The reporter thanked me profusely, asked for my bank info / address so they could send the direct deposit payment, but it never came. This was a year ago. Since then I have been contacting the reporter regularly and attempting to contact the media corp to resolve this and get paid, but am not getting ANY responses back to calls or emails. My story and photos were used (and are still on the site), but I was not paid (which I have in writing that I would be), and wanted to know the next step I should take to try to get this resolved and get paid for my work. I am unbelievably stupid for agreeing to do this. It seemed like a ton of money at the time for a college student, and I truly thought it would be good experience for me due to my major. Full details of the event and story are below. Thanks so much!

Hi Guys-

Last year I posted about how I was getting ready to attend an event on my public Twitter page. I was so excited. The same day I found out I was cancer free, I ended up being given passes to this pretty cool Hollywood-esque event in NYC. I have no affiliation with the entertainment industry, and have never even met a celebrity, so I was really pumped and wanted to share everything with my friends on Twitter.

A couple hours later I had a new follower who I didn't know, and they asked me to follow them back and DM them, as they had a question. Long story short, it ended up being a reporter for a major celebrity tabloid. I guess they had searched the event on Twitter, saw that I was going and contacted me. The reporter said he noticed on my Twitter profile that I was a journalism student, and wanted to know if I would be interested in "covering" the event for them since I was already going. I thought it was kind of weird because even though it was a Hollywood-type party, it wasn't a big deal, or something most people would even know about, but as a student was really excited at the prospect of providing coverage for an event for such a well known media site, as I had no experience yet. He also said that I would be paid for my work.

I asked for further information, and the reporter essentially said the entire time I was at the event he wanted me to text him. Tell him everything: who was there, what they were wearing and all the little details down to the food. He said he would compile it into a story. I asked if I would be credited and could help write it as it would be good experience for me and he said absolutely, as it would be great experience for my journalism classes.

He offered to pay me $1500 for my work (ie; texting him all the "inside info"). He also said he would pay me additionally if I was able to take photos to send to him. I told him I wasn't sure if cameras were allowed, and if not I wouldn't be comfortable taking photos as it would be extremely rude. He said no problem.

I went to the event, and as planned, kept in touch with the reporter all night. I began to regret it, as I was there having such a good time and celebrating my recovery, but he kept texting asking for more details on this, that, or the other thing (which I would provide him). Towards the end of the night he sent me a text that he just received a tip that there would be a surprise appearance by a MAJOR celeb who would be announcing exciting news of some sort. He said this celeb (and pictures of them) were always huge on their site and caused a lot of views. He asked me if I could take a photo. I told him no, since I didn't see anyone else taking pictures and wasn't sure if I could or not. He said he didn't think he'd be able to run the story without a photo. He then told me that if I was able to take a photo of the person, and immediately send him the photo so they could put it up on their site right away (therefore being the first to have a photo of the celeb/announcement news at the event, which would make it an "exclusive" which apparently is big in the tabloid world) he would be able to give me an extra $500. As a dumb college kid this offer seemed too good to turn down, so I took the photo, sent it, and just as he wanted...the photo and "breaking news" was on their site before any others.

When I got home that night I called the reporter, who thanked me for my "tireless effort" as he put it, and praised me for being so thorough with the job I did. I asked him when I should have my story about the event in to him and how many words he would like. He kind of "umm'ed" and "awww'ed" and said it wouldn't be necessary, because their team had been writing the story from the get go with all the info I was providing them. I was really bummed about that, as the main reason I agreed to do it was because I thought I would be providing coverage for them and writing the article (as I said above, the first thing the reporter said to me was he noticed I was journalism student, and later said I would be assisting to write the story which "would be good experience for my journalism classes"). That made me feel awful, and it seems like he was pretty much smooth talking me to get me to send him the details. He asked me to send him either my mailing address so they could send me a check for the information and exclusive pictures I provided, or give him my bank account direct deposit info. I ended up doing both, but asked for it to be DD since it would be quicker.

Long story short: I was never paid. Not by direct deposit, and not by check. After a month (which I felt was plenty of time) I contacted the reporter directly. I left him a message and he did not return my call. I emailed him as well letting him know I did not recieve the money as promised for my story (the $1500 plus the extra for the exclusive picture), and wanted to know when I could expect that by. Nothing.

The event was now almost exactly one year ago, and I have left 21 phone messages, sent 19 emails (I emailed several times in the first month and have been sending one per month). I've saved and documented each time I made contact. I basically say the same thing: I covered XYZ Event for you on XYZ date. I was promised payment for this, which I have in writing. I have not received my payment, and am not receiving contact back from you. I am going to pursue this legally if I do not hear back from you with X number of days." Still, nothing back.

I have also tried to go over the reporter's head and deal with the company directly. I have done SO much research, and their contact info is impossible to find (and I'm EXCELLENT at pulling anything from the internet, so it's definitely nowhere online, and even 411 doesn't have it). The only contact info listed online is their "Tip Line", which I have called. The tip line operator told me they are just an answering service, and provide the messages and contact information to newsroom staff. They are outsourced. I explained my issue to the tip line operator, and she said she would get a message to the newsroom. I asked for their contact info directly and she said she legally wasn't allowed to give it out. If she did she would most likely be fired.

So now I feel like the biggest idiot ever, and don't know what to do. Looking back, I cannot BELIEVE I agreed to work with a tabloid, and feel embarrassed about it. Lesson learned. Despite this, I want to be paid, because I provided a service as promised, every last bit of the info I gave (and only my info) was used on the story [which is still up on their site] as well as my exclusive pictures. The story was quite popular with several hundred comments, so it obviously generated the site a lot of money.

(Gosh, I just realized how long this is. Sorry about that- I just wanted to make sure I put down all the info. If you've made it this far you are seriously a saint). Is this worth pursing? HOW should I go about pursing it? The tabloid is operated in a different state than I am. Any type of recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you so, so much!

Answer:
 If this is a major tabloid, then they have a general counsels office.

After a quick Google to get you their info, print off all of your email logs with the reporter, an invoice for the amount, maybe some phone logs for good measure and send it registered snail mail to the address you find, care of the general counsel. Maybe add that you believe this was an oversight and would appreciate the general counsels office getting you payment before you have to waste both of yours time in small claims.

Answer #2: Small claims court. They will pay rather than show up, and if they don't show you can get a default judgement. Have your agreement and a copy of the article for the judge. Then contact another tabloid and sell them your story of having to sue to collect


Title: I had my car searched when I personally didn't commit any crime. Can I fight this possession charge? Illegal evidence?

Question:
ALBERTA, CANADA
I have court on the 4th for a possesion charge I got a couple months ago. I picked my friend up from a party & she told me some guys just gave her GHB. About 10 minutes later this chick isn't responding to anything im saying. Shes fucking out. Her breathing was really slowed down. I was scared she was going to die in my car. I had no cellphone so I immediately pulled over to this buisness & ran inside explaining the situation & they called 911 for me. The police got there & immediately acted like I was the one to blame saying how my story doesn't add up & insinuating that i'm the one that gave her the drugs. I wasn't. They put me in the back of the cop car, & put my friend in the ambulance (she stopped breathing & they had to perform CPR so its a good thing I decided to call them). Anyways, while I was in the back of the police car (for doing NOTHING illegal) the police searched my vehicle & found a bag of narcotics that I had. They gave me a possession of a controlled substance charge & sent me on my way. I did admit to the officer that it was mine, witch I am now thinking was a dumb idea. My question is, did they have the right to search my car? If not, wouldn't that make the narcotics that they found illegal evidence? What are my options? - thank you

Answer: Yes. There was a person in distress in your car, they had to go in your car to help her. Once they were in, they are pretty much allow to look anywhere inside the car. Next time, remove the girl from your car and lock your car. You need to get a lawyer now, unless you want to go to jail.


Title: Housing development company cutting down private property trees [California]

Question:
My parents own a used-to-be rural property in Riverside County in California. A private housing development company is currently building a tracked home neighborhood across the street from them in a formerly empty field.

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The road along the property used to be a dirt road, and is now going to widened and paved to make access to the new neighborhood. The company has issued a letter to my parents stating they are going to be clear cutting anything inside the first few feet of my parent's property line. Within this area are several 40+ year old, healthy trees, as well as some large bushes, etc. Some of these are simply massive, and while the company has stated they will "try to help with landscaping", I would like to help my parents navigate what exactly that would entail. If this helps, they are digging a trench for drainage, and when they started the construction plans they had a completely empty field and could have widened the road/drainage into their property direction. They chose instead to put the new houses as close to the street as possible and are attempting to widen into my parents side now. No houses are built yet, only the pads have been shaped out; construction is in early stage.

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Ideally, we would like to know if there is any way to save the trees. The company has claimed they have "city right of way", which I understand to be 3-10 feet within the property line (can't find any laws online from the specific city so please correct me if you know), but are they legally allowed to cut down our trees? So far they have not produced any actual city documents/permits, just the company letter warning about the cut down next week.

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If they do end up proceeding with construction, would my parents be entitled to monetary compensation for the loss of trees? To have a tree that size be replaced would cost thousands and if there's any legal way to make the company pay for this, I'd like to know how/where to start. Thanks in advance for any help.

Answer:
 I would check your title to see if there are any easments. Then why not pay to have a consultation with a lawyer familiar with property law.

I would make sure to send a certified letter back saying you do not approve and you are speaking to a lawyer. I would also email or go down to your county's department that handles Building and Construction Permits to inquire on the project.Answer #2: Check your deed or maybe talk to title to see if there are easements or road right of way within your parents property.  If the property is part of a recorded map that may show easements and right of way as well.  Check with the city or county planning department and see what clearing limits have been approved on the improvement plans and if they show those falling with your parents property. If the location of the line or trees in relation to the property line is unclear, call a surveyor. The construction company has a surveyor and they will be marking the clearing limits and probably the right of way at some point as well.Answer #3: Take photos and videos of the trees now.  Then check for easments and consulate a lawyer.


Title: Contractor demolished my place, stole 19K, wrote hot checks to subs. What do I do? (Austin - TX)

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 Holy wall of text, Batman!

The TLDR sounds like a garden variety case of "theft by contractor", which is a crime [according to this webpage](http://www.bhwlawfirm.com/texas-contractor-convicted-for-theft-upheld-by-high-court/). So call the police.
Answer #2: Not a lawyer, but have a question that comes to mind that wasn't asked.

Since the subcontractors had (presumably) contracts with the prime contractor (Dick), can they go after OP for the money? Can they put liens on OP's home despite not contracting with OP?


Title: (MN) Catfished by a 15 year old, am I facing legal trouble?

Question:
I'm an adult man, and I met a man on a gay dating site who said he was 20 on his profile. He looked young, but then again, I'm not the best judge of age.

We talked for a long time without ever talking about sex or exchanging any pics.

Then he asked if I want to meet in person and added, "By the way, I'm 15"

Am I facing legal trouble for this?

Answer:
 You may get a nasty email or phone-call tomorrow from the "father" demanding money for counseling or in exchange for not going to the cops.

It's a very, very common scam.


Title: [Texas] Struck by a truck in my apartment complex, he's denying it was his fault and his insurance took his side

Question:
Last week, my husband took my car (he is an insured driver on my policy) out to buy some groceries before I woke up. As he returned to my apartment complex, a driver on the wrong side of the road struck my passenger side with his passenger side. My husband took clear pictures showing he was on the wrong side of the road and his windows were completely frosted over. The guy who hit him did not speak English, and provided my husband with incorrect insurance information (it was the wrong vehicle on the insurance).

He came home to wake me up, and we immediately called the police and filed a report. The police looked into the truck (without opening it) and found the correct insurance information, which we jotted down. We contacted both our insurance and his insurance.  Our insurance has been very helpful, but his insurance has been horrible. It took us calling our first assigned person 27 times before she answered (spread out a period of 8 hours). I had to call the insurance's complaint department to redirect the call to our representative. After that, our representative was changed, and this guy is even worse.

He went on vacation immediately after getting assigned our case, and it took him a full 8 days to get the driver who hit us's side of the story. It turns out the guy claimed he could see fine out of his frosted windows, and the accident was our fault. The rep flat out refused to admit his culpability, and finally conceded it was "both our fault" since him being on the wrong side of the road meant we should have both tried to avoid it.

Our insurance promised to waive my deductible if the damage is over $1,000 (it definitely is) and will tow my car tomorrow to finally be fixed, but I currently have a rental that they won't pay for (I had rental coverage for my last car, but it didn't transfer over; my fault for not checking), and my husband was injured (minor, thank god) in the accident as well. Above all, I am absolutely furious with the guy who hit me and insurance company. This should be a black and white case, and we're getting shafted.

Could I get some help identifying my next steps? Thanks!

Answer: Your insurance will go after his insurance. This is what you pay them for. They are covering your damages. Don't get emotional. Do you have medical bills?


Title: Need advice concerning school district & residency

Question:
In Connecticut, USA.
My dad's girlfriend and her 13 year old son moved in with him and my siblings some months ago. He continued to attend the same junior high, in the same town they moved from, Deep River, while discreetly living in Guilford. My father's crazy ex-wife somehow caught wind of this, followed his girlfriend one morning to find out where her son is going to school, and then reported the situation to the school in an attempt to have him kicked out due to residency issues. It basically worked, and the school is now telling her that her son must register with the Guilford school system within the week. It's worth mentioning that they still have a house in Deep River, which her daughter continues to live in. Her son just doesn't sleep or have a room there. My dad's girlfriend drives him to school every morning and picks him up every day. It seems unfair to uproot this kid's social life, connections, sports teams, etc. just because my father's ex-wife is jealous of the happiness he's found. Is there any way to get around this without following one of the two obvious options; her moving out with her son and back to Deep River, or taking him out of their school system and into Guilford school system? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you Reddit!

Answer: The rules are pretty straight forward in most locations. There's really no magical legal trick to get your kid in a school that he/she is not entitled to attend based on residency. Answer #2: Not a lawyer, just a teacher... Many schools offer "special transfers" in cases like this. In my area that means the student must maintain grades, behavior and attendance in exchange for a waiver to attend out of their area. The family is responsible for transportation. His mom could ask if his school offers something similar, although if they've already given them notice to transfer schools within the week, this may already be off the table. Can't hurt to ask.


Title: [CA] Can I cancel a lease that hasn't started?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: No. The lease is a contract from the moment you signed it, not from when tenancy begins. You can try telling the owner now and maybe they can work something out. You should read your lease to see if it includes any relevant information.


Title: The snow is melting here in Canada (Sask) and my neighbor says the water is running into his property and wrecking his "stuff" says I need to pay for pumping it away

Question:
So really flat properties being in Saskatchewan, the snow is melting and now there is water. Neighbors want me to pay for pumping it off his property...

 Whose responsibility is this?

Answer:
 "Did ya see what GOD just did to us?"

Unless you left out something huge that involves you doing something to cause the runoff he's on his own.Answer #2: This is the responsibility of YHWH, Mithras, Ganesh, Buddha, the Cosmic Turtle and 4 elephants, Allah, Jesus, or whatever particular deity you choose to assign it to.

Tell neighbor to pound sand, kick rocks, go for a stroll, meditate on the meaning of ownership, or to fuck off, whichever you prefer.

If, as some whack jobs are prone to do, he sues you, respond to the claim. Ignore him until then.


Title: Ex-Wife refusing to pay her portion of debt from divorce. Divorce in MN, she lives in TX, I live in IL.

Question:
Hi All,

About 10 years ago now I divorced my then-wife and we had consolidated student loans under my name (lesson learned). As we couldn't un-consolidate these loans, they remained under my name and as part of the divorce, she agreed to continue paying her portion of the monthly payment for 10 years. I paid this loan off many years ago as I didn't like having it there on my credit, and was able to secure a job that afforded me to do so.

As we are now reaching the end of the agreed upon period, she fell behind and the balance is still approximately $3000, and is refusing to pay any more, stating that because I paid off the loan, it isn't her problem any more.

Clearly this isn't a valid argument, but I'm not quite sure how to compel her to pay the remainder of her loan - who has jurisdiction here? I'm not quite sure where to even start, especially given the spread out locations.

I'd all but written this off as the hassle just wasn't worth it to me, but I've had a change of heart and decided that I should get the money I'm owed. Negotiation has failed at this point, and I think legal action is required. Any advice appreciated!

Thank you!

Answer:
 This situation is why the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act exists. You have a judgment from MN, where you live now is wholly irrelevant because those courts won't have personal jurisdiction over your ex, and your ex lives in Texas. You need to get to authenticated copies of that judgment from MN. This is NOT the same thing as a certified copy. It's a special form the clerk in MN will sign. Then you'll have to take those copies to the county in Texas where your ex lives and have them filed. Boom, now you have a judgment that's enforceable to the same extent as a judgment from a court in Texas. Which means you can file a motion of contempt for her not paying, or get a writ of execution on any non-exempt property, or a few other methods.

If this seems like a pain in the ass,cell that's because it is. Don't bother unless it's a really large amount of money and you think she has the assets to actually pay. It'll eat up attorney hours crazy fast, which you'll have to pay for up front. So consider that element first.Answer #2: Do you still have the paperwork for the divorce? Proof that you paid off the loan? The exact amount that she owes you? If you do, file in small claims court.


Title: Upstate NY Realty Company had a thieving employee, now claims they're no longer responsible for refunding a security deposit, because of said employee. Am I out of luck?

Question:
Signed rental agreement with upstate NY realty company in Jan, 2013. Get military deployment orders, notify realty company, successfully move out July, 2015. I conduct final inspection in late July, 2015. During the walk-through, the inspector (also part owner of company) tells me about how his business partner stole a lot of money from him, out of the company's security deposit account. But he assures me not to worry, I will get my deposit refunded in 4-6 weeks. Weeks pass, I deploy, no refund, so I call. *"We lost the copy of your deposit receipt, can you send us your copy?"* I have to dig through boxes, but I find it and email a copy. No reply. I call and ask what is the hold up? They tell me that the local District Attorney is investigating the employee who stole the money, and therefore they were no longer responsible for the refund. I should take it up with the DA's office. I email for further clarification, receive a response from their lawyer, reiterating that I am out of luck and that it's no longer their problem. Take it up with the DA.

This seems overall wrong and amateurish. I did not sign a contract with their employee. I signed a contract with the company, which still exists. How is it my burden that their employee acted unethically? Do I have any legal paths to recouping my security deposit?

Answer:
 Absolute nonsense.  They are not absolved of their landlord responsibilities because they hired a sketchy employee.  If they won't refund you willingly, you'll probably have to make a small claims case against them.

Alternatively, [this](http://www.brickunderground.com/blog/2014/06/ask_an_expert_security_deposit) article says that you can file a complaint with your local attorney general.Answer #2: Yeah, if you loose your rent money to a mugger, you still owe rent to the LL.  Works both ways.
I'd stop by a lawyer and see how much they'd charge to send a letter for you calling them out on their BS.


Title: 30something man "in a relationship" with 17 year old for >1 year. in TN

Question:
friend’s bio sister is living with and has been in a romantic relationship with a 30something man for over a year; in tennessee.

sister turned 18 last week- in other words, for the past year a 30something year old man has been living with and having sex with a child.

i fully realize the grossness of this situation. i have been torn between not being a narc and calling the TN police (or whatever). i know his name and i know their address. also, said man moves hella weight of pot. like - rn he + a friend have 50k in the two apartments + trailer they rent.

i know you can’t tell me what i should do, but please discuss my options and provide as much advice you are legally able to. fuck this guy. i am more than willing to do whatever i can to help \~authorities\~

ETA: if there is a more specific subreddit i should be asking, please direct me there\~\~

Answer: Do you have any proof they had sex before she was 18? They will both just deny it.


Title: Am I putting myself at risk by selling (or giving away) old playground equipment? ( USA - Oklahoma)

Question:
I have a large wooden playground set that my kids have outgrown. It's old and in my non-professional opinion just needs to be re-stained and have a few bolts tightened up and should be fine for kids to play on. I'm a 200 pound man and can climb around on it with no issues.

I'd like to sell it cheaply or even give it away to whoever agrees to disassemble it and haul it off. I'd obviously tell them that while I THINK it's fine, they should check it over themselves and they and their kids would be using it at their own risk.

What's my potential liability if something happens with the equipment after they buy or take it away free? Does selling for cash vs. giving away for free change the liability at all?

Thanks!

Answer: Used items are generally sold as is. Unless you make a claim you knew to be false ("Hey man this thing is rock solid it will never break!" when you know it is defective) and someone based thier purchase on that claim you should be fine. You can always download a boilerplate liability release form off the internet and make someone sign it


Title: Canada: Fake ID?

Question:
I was using a VPN to stream a soccer game that wasn't available in Canada, and this VPN scrambles it's IP address every hour so my IP's were all over the place. Unknowingly, I forgot to turn off the VPN after it was finished so when I was browsing eBay, my account got blocked for all the suspicious activity (multiple IP's, different countries).

Here's the catch, I needed to submit ID to verify my account, but I'm 17. So I flipped the 9 in "1999" upside down on photoshop so it became a "1996", and sent that in, and it worked.

How much trouble am I in? I was reading the law on forgery and the definition of making a false document is below:

Making false document
(2) Making a false document includes
(a) altering a genuine document in any material part;
(b) making a material addition to a genuine document or adding to it a false date, attestation, seal or other thing that is material; or
(c) making a material alteration in a genuine document by erasure, obliteration, removal or in any other way.

Since it's virtual because it was a picture and I edited it on photoshop, and not altered in any material way (never printed it out), am I technically OK?

Thanks for all the help guys.

Answer:
 No, you're not technically ok.  You made a false document by altering an image of a genuine document which is distinctly covered in the law.

It is not terribly likely that this will be discovered.  If it were discovered it is not terribly likely that the consequence would be more than eBay canceling your account.  Though you have now created a a database record with the wrong birthdate for you which may cause some problems down the road in terms of matching you true identify against your now falsified identity, especially with eBay and their partners.


Title: Buying a used car.. transfer of title seems fishy

Question: I'm in CO. I'm buying a used car from a person tomorrow. This is my first time buying a car. He says he bought the thing for his son, who never got it and ended up getting another vehicle instead, and so he drove it around for about 8 months and now he's selling it. But he didn't ever sign the title transfer because it was for his son. So he wants me to sign it saying I bought the thing 8 months ago or so for less money. How does the bill of sale play in? I don't really know how this works but when I walk into the DMV, what's going to happen? He seems like an honest person and I really like the vehicle. I don't wanna screw this up!! Any help is appreciated, it is beyond my pea brain.

Answer:
 > But he didn't ever sign the title transfer because it was for his son.

Nope. Not unless he has a dealer license.

Have you had this checked out by a mechanic?

>How does the bill of sale play in?

That will be a mess.

>He seems like an honest person and I really like the vehicle.

And this is how people end up with cars they can't title.

Don't buy that car. If he wants to sell it he can go get the title put in his name - based off the transaction he did - and then he can sell it. But he doesn't legally own the car at the moment. And we wants you to lie. He has a bill of sale and an outdated transaction that he doesn't want to play with.

Sounds like he is trying to "flip" cars on craigslist without a dealers license.

I would say 100% NOPE.


Title: Guy accused me of hitting his car [IL]

Question:
Hey all, I’m not sure if this is the right place for this but hear me out. So today while pulling into a parking spot with my fiancé, the guy in the van next to us got out and started looking around his van.
My fiancé and I were still strapped to our seatbelts when he knocked on the passenger window and said “You hit my van.”
I immediately knew this was not true. I’ve had my Jeep Wrangler for 7 years and I know exactly where my range of motion is and where i can and can’t get into.
I got out and looked at his van. He did have a scratch but that could have honestly been from anything. I looked at my jeeps front bumper and I saw no paint from his blue van, there was nothing there that would indicate I had hit him.
I told him several times “I did not hit your car I would have felt it” he says

Van Guy “I felt my van sway when you came into the parking spot. I was just going to say it’s okay and for you to just say sorry or apologize but you keep telling me you didn’t hit me”

Me “I’m not going to apologize if I did not hit you.”

Van Guy “I wasn’t going to do anything but now I’m going to get your plate number”

He proceeds to take a picture of my license plate and tells me that his Van is only a week old and I just scratched it up.
(It totally was not a week old)

My fiancé then spoke up and said
“Okay let’s get the police involved” and she asked me to call them but as soon as the guy heard this he was like
“You know what it’s okay whatever”
He got into his car and drove away.
I still got a picture of his license plates and where the I supposedly hit his car.
I’m not sure if should be worried though. It seemed like a scam to get like $200 out of me but you never know. If someone has any advice that would be great
Thanks guys!

Answer: Yeah, he was trying to scam you. Your fiancée is smart. Do something nice for her. She deserves it.Answer #2: There is nothing else that needs to happen here. If you're contacted again you can turn it over to your insurance.


Title: Stuck in a Title IX case, can't afford a lawyer but should I take out a loan to afford one?

Question:
I'm located in California. Reposting because I posted this at midnight and it didn't get a lot of traction.

Hello, I am being accused of participating in non consensual sex with my ex girlfriend. In her accusation, she states that she gave me permission to put the tip of my penis inside of her, but I exceeded her welcome by going further than the tip. She was on top of me and she was in control, so I don't understand this accusation. Additionally, she is accusing me of touching her without consent while we were dating. I assume she is acting like this because her current boyfriend became verbally abusive to her when he found out she was no longer a virgin, and I have texts from my ex showing that he was yelling and her and telling her that she didn't deserve to live because she slept with me. I don't know if those texts are relevant to the case though because this is only a theory.
I have my first meeting with investigators Wednesday afternoon. I didn't think hiring a lawyer would be necessary until recently. I come from a very poor family and I am also struggling financially myself, I am already in debt because of dental work and I am afraid of going into a bigger hole by hiring a lawyer. Would hiring a lawyer be worth it in my situation?

Edit: I'm not sure if this is relevant but she has forced herself on me while I explicitly told her no multiple times and she admitted it on the phone several months later.

Answer:
 Yeah I'd get an attorney. These are serious accusations. Think of it this way, how much is a college degree worth to you?

There's also criminal implications here so I would definitely be represented by at attorney before I opened my fat mouth.


Title: Gym cancellation fuckery

Question:
1. My annual contract for my gym was up in April. I wanted to cancel, and called them to figure it out. They told me I had to do it either in person or by mail. I don't live there anymore, so I chose to do it by mail. I sent two letters, and they claimed to not receive both. I switched cards on them ( yes, a mistake) since they kept charging me monthly and refusing to cancel. They finally cancelled me because of nonpayment, but I owe them two months of membership fees plus the annual fee they charged me after my first cancellation attempt. Do i have any legal recourse?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Answer: Certified mail next time. Then they can't say they didn't get it.Answer #2: Do you have proof you mailed them the cancellation notice, like a return receipt?


Title: [GA] Should I tell my former employer I'm going to sue him, or let him keep talking to me until he gets the court summons?

Question:
This is in relation to [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2r8eqn/ga_my_employer_is_retroactively_refusing_to_pay/) and [this update](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2t37vw/ga_my_employer_is_retroactively_refusing_to_pay/)

The tl;dr is that my employer tricked me into working for about a third of what we originally agreed to in an email, and shat on my reasonable compromise attempt. He owes me $4300.

I've finished drafting up an email telling him I will sue him. The email first summarizes all the efforts I've made to resolve this amicably and fairly, and how he has made no good-faith efforts to resolve this.

It then says I will sue him for the money, and details the evidence I will use as well as saying that I will subpoena is phone and email records for evidence as well.

The email then says I will contact the Department of Labor to report his failure to pay minimum wage, failure to keep any kind of logs, attempt to misclassify me as an independent contractor instead of an employee (thus saving him hundreds or potentially thousands on taxes). It also says I will be contacting the IRS for his failure to issue a W2, and his attempt to misclassify me (and his past misclassification of others) as contractors. He made the mistake of admitting via text message he was aware of the tax implications but called it "negligible," (the total amount of missed taxes is at least $500 for me, so the total over all employees past and present could be in the thousands) which seems like he may have just admitted intent to evade taxes.

The email then summarizes why this would be a bad time for the company, which is already struggling, to face a lawsuit and investigations by two government agencies.

The hope is that after reading the email he'll realize it's in his best interest to pay me $4300 and get this over with, so I won't have to go through all the effort and hassle of court (even though I'm confident of my case). However, throughout our emails he has basically admitted to a bunch of stuff that will make it harder for him to lie in court/weaken his case. In a previous emails and texts, he admitted that he agreed to the amount I'll be suing for, that he never kept logs of my work, that I should be classified as an employee rather than a contractor (after I showed him the Dept of Labor's definition of an employee), that he was a bit deceptive with how much money he'd actually raised from investors, etc.

So I was wondering whether I should just file the suit, and let him keep talking and admitting stuff that can be used as evidence, and let him wait for the court summons. Someone else (who isn't a lawyer) said that by outlining my whole strategy in the email, it could give him time to find ways to wrangle out of it.

Any advice?

Answer: Your email sounds dangerously close to an extortion attempt. You probably shouldn't send it until you've paid a lawyer to look over it; ideally, you'd hire a lawyer to write and send a letter themselves.Answer #2: Don't send him anything until you get a lawyer to review your case. If you send that letter in its current form, you could be opening a can of whupass on yourself. Let your lawyer do the talking.


Title: How can I get financial compensation from United Airlines for a misplaced check-in bag?

Question:
San Diego, CA.
As the title states my bag is missing, possibly stolen, due to a handling error by United Airline.
Firstly, the bag got delayed at San Fransisco Airport so I decided to have the bag delivered to my home address and the delivery service which specifically states that they do not deliver after 10pm delivered my bag at 2am outside a wrong apartment. The apartment  in front of which the bag was delivered is fairly close to where I live so I went too check if the bag was still there and unsurprisingly the bag was missing. The leasing and parcel office for the apartment haven't seen any bag of the kind, and the apartment owners say they didn't see any bag at their doorstep either. I have already filed a police report stating this situation and they are contacting the airlines to know further details.
Additionally, the hold times for the baggage resolution center for United Airlines is around an hour every time I call which is a major pain.
I plan on claiming compensation for the contents of the bag however  the claims process on their website shows it takes around 6 weeks to complete and I genuinely cannot wait that long. Is there any way I could get a faster resolution of the process due to the amount of inconvenience it is causing.
Thanks,

Answer:
 You already have the appropriate process: call them and wait on hold for an hour, then wait 6 weeks for the reimbursement.

If that fails you can go to small claims court, but if there is an established procedure to get reimbursement and you try small claims court *instead of* following that process, the judge may find against you, and then they’ll owe you nothing.


Title: Elder Abuse- help me get my gammy out of this

Question:
Hello, I live just outside of Baltimore in Maryland. The current situation is as follows:

My father is a failed lawyer. He has his own private practice that he continues to run out of his home (even though he hasn't had a client in over a month). My grandma has been living in his basement (mother-in-law suite) for 5 years. My Grandfather passed away 7 years ago and my grandma gets about $1200/month from his old job. This money goes straight into my fathers pocket because he picks up the mail and she never sees the money. Any  money I give to my grandma to help her out, she gives to my father. My father recently totaled my grandmothers car and bought a new car with her money. He has maxed out her credit card and his own and I just found out today that there phone lines have been turned off. Her living conditions are horrible to say the least. There is black mold growing on her ceiling and she is unable to clean her own bathroom and lives in filth.

I would not like to take my dad down by suing him, plus he is a lawyer so I don't think I would have much of a chance. Is there anything I can do? Any legal suggestions?

Answer: You can also call adult protective services (APS). If someone is taking the money from your grandmother that she's entitled to, and she feels pressured into handing over her money, then there's an issue. More importantly the black mold issue is making the living situation dangerous for her.


Title: My fiancée was hit by a bus while cycling home from work.

Question:
Hi guys,

Yesterday around 4:40pm, my fiancée was hit by a DC Metro bus on her way home. I wasn't there, but am retelling her story and not sure what sort of legal steps to take next.

She was riding through a yellow light and the bus was on the oncoming side. She said it had already stopped, and that's why she decided to keep going—but then, it made a left turn as to try and beat the red light.

Apparently, the bus itself hit her left shoulder, then continued and hit the back end of her bike causing her to fall to the ground. Luckily, she had her helmet and a backpack on that she keeps her work stuff in. Both shoulders have pretty serious abrasions/cuts on her. As does her right elbow and right ankle.

The bus stopped, but the driver never got out. Several passengers got out and rushed to see if she was okay, and asked if she needed an ambulance. For whatever reason, I'm assuming because she was embarrassed and at the time just didn't want to involve anybody else, she got up and biked home.

As soon as she got home, she started breaking down a little bit and was still kind of in shock. She regretted not staying at the scene and calling the cops, but she just reacted strangely.

We didn't know what else to do, so I called up DC Metro first to see if it had been reported. She was still a little shaken-up, so I called for her. After being transferred a few times, I spoke with an individual at the Bus Command Center who told me "10-4." He immediately started to explain that "everything is hear-say" and because he and I weren't there, we didn't know what really happened. I attempted to ask maybe if we could know what was reported, or what we should do, but he rudely interrupted me. He kept cutting me off saying "Sir...Sir..." and would repeat what we "didn't know."

After letting him talk, it started to become clear that he was surely there for Damage Control, and covering their own end. So I tried to get his name, and he only told me a number. I'm assuming it's his work ID number or something, but he refused to say what the number was or give me his actual name.

That's when we decided it's time to take legal recourse. And once she calmed down, she called the local police to make a report.

We've never dealt with anything like this and don't know what we should do. We're currently seeking an attorney, but not sure which specific attorney to get or anything.

Any help, advice, or input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

-----------
-----------

EDIT - So yesterday, my fiancée was seen by a physician and given x-rays. We spoke with a Personal Injury attorney and will be meeting with him over the weekend to discuss things further. Not entirely sure if the specific DC bus had cameras, but I obtained the specific bus information (route, bus number, operator name) and made a FOIA request for the interior/exterior video/camera footage during the specific time of the incident.

From the both of us, thank you SO much for all the advice, information, and support! I'll try to keep things updated if we run into anymore issues or reach any sort of resolution.

Answer:
 > We're currently seeking an attorney

That's putting the cart before the horse.

Contact DC Metro, ask them how to file a claim with their insurance company.  That's likely all you need to do.Answer #2: When we all go to hell, DC Metro will be the devil's transportation contractor. The worst transportation I have ever seen in a major city in a developed nation.

That said, I am so sorry this happened to her.

Yeah, do get an attorney, if only to have as a sounding board for the Metro's bullshit.

If I remember anything about NY or DC (haven't lived there in a few years) it was the number of cameras around. In buses, on streetlamps. If she remembers what intersection it was at, and at what time, there has got to be some way to track it back to the driver.

Might be worth going to urgent care. Take photos of her wounds, keep copies of whatever documentation you get from the provider. Answer #3: Nobody's mentioned it yet, but DC has Contributory Negligence, and the bill to repeal that hasn't been voted on yet (October):

http://wamu.org/news/16/06/28/dispute_between_dc_council_members_could_derail_contributory_negligence_bill

So, while your fiancée can file a claim with WMATA, it looks like there's a good chance she'd be denied compensation based on your description of the event. Still, best of luck.Answer #4: Do she have car insurance?  If so, that covers any injuries sustained while biking.  My first call would be to them, so they can explain any coverage she may have.

I'm glad it wasn't more serious.  I'm a DC biker and those buses scare me!


Title: [CA] - Someone came over and broke a 10,000USD antique

Question:
Asking for a friend, who I will call Q.

Q invited a friend over to her house. This friend, R, invited a man, Z, over to Q's house.

While Q was in another room, she heard a crash. She came back to find one of her 10,000 dollar antiques broken on the floor. Later, R will admit that it was Z who broke the antique. Q has these admissions in text and audio.

However, both R and Z refuse to pay Q for the broken antique - first saying they will "buy a replacement" (the antique is beyond repair) and now refusing to do anything at all.

In this situation, what should Q do to get her money back?

Answer: Did Q have insurance for her $10 000 antique?Answer #2: She should contact her insurance company. Since she was surely wise enough to pay for a rider for this highly valuable item, the insurance company will pay out under the policy.


Title: Last summer my friend crashed my motorcycle and died. Today I got a letter from a lawyer (and an email from my old motorcycle insurance provider) saying I was being sued. Where to go from here?

Question: Basically summed up in the post. Was riding with my friend when we swapped bikes for a bit, he crashed mine and passed away. Now I got a letter saying I'm being sued because I should not have let him ride my bike as he wasn't able to handle a slightly bigger bike. Anyway my old insurer got in contact with me and we are going to talk on the phone tomorrow. Will my insurance be handling everything for me? Do I need to personally get a lawyer? Am I personally getting sued, or is my insurance company getting sued?

Answer: You are personally getting sued but your insurance company should handle this.


Title: (MA) am I allowed to used my sick days to take paternity leave?

Question: Having a baby soon and my work is telling me I'm not allowed to use sick days to cover my leave. Is there anything I can do?

Answer: Does your employer meet the requirements to be a covered entity under the [Family and Medical Leave Act](https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/1421.htm) (FMLA)? Generally, that means a government agency/school, or a private employer with 50+ employees.


Title: [Cali] judge kept interrupting during testimony. Any cases we can cite in appeal?

Question:
When trying to provide testimony judge would interrupt and ask anything else?  Did not allow us to finish providing our point of view.  Trying to appeal now.

Are there any cases similar to this one?

Please let us know.

Answer:
 The polite answer is to consult with your attorney.

The less than polite answer is that judges generally cut people off when people start ranting or don't answer the question that was asked. Usually pro-se.


Title: Our apartment neighbors are trashy and management won’t do anything about it

Question:
Hey all, I’ve been having some issues lately with our neighbors at our apartment complex. We live in a location where 2 doors face each other upstairs and downstairs. Me and my neighbor who is causing problems both live upstairs.

When they first moved in, they were fairly nice and we would say hello to each other. The problems first started when I came home one night and my neighbor was sitting on the staircase smoking a cigarette. First off, there is a 0 tolerance policy for smoking of any kind ( except e-cigarettes) at our complex,  and to add insult to injury, she kept smoking it as I was walking past her up the stairs.. we complained and management said they’d take care of it.

Fast forward a couple weeks, they got 2 new dogs. Ever since they have had these dogs they leave their windows open. It smells like wet dog, poop, and seafood mixed with trash... and it floats all around the building. Eventually they had a sign on their door that I didn’t read but noticed it said something like “correction in 3 days or eviction”.

After cleaning up, things were fine for a couple weeks.... then I started notice the dogs piss spots on top of our deck. I let it slide because... well stress. Not too long later, I’m walking up the stairs and there was a fat dog shit sitting on the staircase. We complained to management and nothing happened after it happened 2 times again.

Well fast forward again to a few days ago, I was having a drink on the sidewalk ( outside of our complex) and I notice a motorcycle coming down the way..... it was our neighbors riding their bike down the sidewalk and proceeded to ride it through the complex to their parking spot. I just rolled my eyes at it...

Today was the last straw for me. I woke up this morning and upon opening my door to get some fresh 7 AM air, there were 2 fat dog shits, one on our mat, the other about 2 feet away. I took the shit using a bag and placed it on their doorstep, I also posted a note that said “CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR DOGS SHIT!!!!!” On their door.

I’ve had it with these people, management isn’t taking action fast enough, we live in NorCal, the complex has a lot of units, is there anything I can do to maybe put a fire under management to help stop these issues? Even some homeless people are cleaner than these jerks.. I’ll provide more info if needed!

Answer: I'm confused because you said they aren't doing anything then listed a bunch of circumstances in which they totally did something. These things don't rise to the level where you could break your lease so basically you just complain until something is done then move at the end of your lease term. You can't ever force the landlord to act on lease violations, they are not legally obligated to do so.


Title: Stolen Phone

Question: So I was playing basketball and the gym and left my phone on the sideline, came back and the phone is gone. Someone said he say the person steal it but they are not a member of the gym as he said they had snuck in through the side door. My question is can the gym be accountable for this guy sneaking into the gym and stealing my phone.  The location is Ontario.

Answer: No. *You're* accountable for leaving your phone on the sideline.


Title: My father is a lift driver and feels like he was cheated by police.

Question:
My father is a lyft driver and had just dropped off someone at the airport. Immediately after he dropped off the passenger he heard a knock on his window. He rolled down the window and a very scraggy looking individual asked him to take him to a nearby town for 80 dollars, since he had been dropped off at the wrong location. He initially said no but the man insisted, so he accepted and opened his trunk so the man could put his bag inside. Immediately an officer came up to his window with a badge and asked for his license and registration. He told him that he had broken the law by soliciting a ride unlawfully because he is not liscensed to in the state of New Jersey. To me this feels very close to entrapment since there was really no indication that he would have committed the crime if not for the police officer soliciting. I would really appreciate it if someone could help me out because this whole thing just feels slimey. Thanks!

edit: I was unclear about this the first time, the scraggy looking guy was an undercover cop.

Answer:
 Taking a brief look at some American phrasings of entrapment law, as I'm in Canada, it looks like your uncle/father (??) needs to prove that the officer's conduct forced your uncle/father to commit a crime based on trickery, persuasion or fraud of the officer.

At the end of the day your Unclefather could have just said no, I'm not licensed to take passengers. Tell uncle father to speak to a lawyer. Answer #2: Entrapment is not the same thing as merely providing an opportunity to commit a crime. Far as I can tell, the officers in this case merely provided an opportunity.Answer #3: Here's a classic comic about entrapment. This particular portion is a similar situation to your father's.

Hint: it's not entrapment

http://lawcomic.net/guide/?p=646

Your father was not unduly coerced. Had the police officer not have been there, he would have committed the crime.  He just got caught.


Title: I just got scammed for the first time. What do I do???

Question: First time posting something like this and it’s on mobile so sorry if it doesn’t look right. Anyway it’s my sons (8) birthday and all he wanted was Tickets to go see a Vikings game. Well at this point they are very expensive so I went on Craigslist I haven’t had an issue before so I really didn’t think anything of it. I talked to this guy he seemed legit (but I guess they always do) I sent him the money via money gram thinking at least you’ll have to show your ID right? Well as soon as he received it the phone is disconnected (I’m sure this is his plan). So now I’m out the money with no tickets and an 8 year old who thinks he’s going to a game... HELP what do I do from here..

Answer:
 You can take this as a lesson learned. Craigslist even specifically says anything involving western union is a scam.

The money is gone. Answer #2: You call the police and try Craigslist again (I wouldn't), buy legit tickets, or come up with another birthday plan. Answer #3: There are a lot of scumbags out there. Craigslist is for in-person cash sales only.  This is a painful/expensive lesson for a lot of people to learn.Answer #4: For future reference, if anyone asks for money via money gram or western union or anything like that, know that they're scamming you.Answer #5: Craigslist is not compatible with moneygram, anyone that asks for it is a scammer, Craigslist states that it is only for in-person cash sales only. There is nothing you can do about this, because you did not follow Craigslist's main rule, which is very clearly posted on almost every page.


Title: [CO] The hotel I work has guests who've been in the hotel since July. They pay their room rate every day, but they've become disruptive and the GM wants them out but is unsure if they're classified as tenants now under the law. Can we just boot them like a normal a normal guest or must we evict?

Answer: The GM should speak to his supervisor.


Title: Is this right?

Question: I went to a job interview and I had to get a pre employment drug test I smoke weed and went to the drug test place and I just walked out after I realised they watch me pee then the place where I tried to get a job at called me the next day and said she can re schedule it I said yeah because I smoke marijuana but I stopped about 5 days ago then she said okay then she called back and said sorry we cant Hire you because you operate heavy machinery and this and that but I dont smoke weed I said I stopped

Answer:
 Seems reasonable to meAnswer #2: Yes, it is very legal for them to do this.

First, they could have not hired you due to not taking the test.  Most places, that is an automatic fail.

Second, you admitted to drug use and they don't believe you will quit.  They don't have to.  They don't have to hire you.Answer #3: Perfectly legal.


Title: [IL]What can I do if I'm being forced to work in a hostile environment?

Question:
Hi everyone,

In recent weeks, a customer has come in and caused some problems at my work. Two weeks ago, he called my manager a bitch because she kicked out the woman he's having an affair with because she has caused a lot of problems. He's been bad mouthing us to other customers at other stores and they've told me, which I've told my boss.

Earlier this week, he came in and when I told him he wasn't allowed in til he talked to my manager, he went crazy on me. He started screaming at me, called me a bitch, said he'd get me fired. Not to mention, he's before made sexual comments, tried to get me to go out with him, and closed my laptop on me while I was at work. All of which my boss knows. My boss was on the phone for the second half of him screaming at me, while the whole time I'm telling him to leave.
He calls the next day and "apologizes" to my boss for how he acted. So, they have me come in and he "apologizes" to me, which wasn't an apology, it was just him trying to justify his actions.

I made it clear that I would not allow him in the store because I felt unsafe and uncomfortable, which is something they always told me to do. They're saying I have to let him in, but I know by law in Illinois, I have the right to refuse service, which I've said to them. I also know that if they fire me over, I could totally sue.

My question is, if they force me to allow him to come in, which it very much seems like will happen because I'm suppose to talk with my DM soon, do I have any legal grounds to sue or is there anything I should know?

TLDR; Guy verbally abused me at my work places and my bosses changed their minds from not letting him in so I'd feel safe to letting him in because he "apologized." Do I have any legal grounds to do anything or is there anything I should know?

Answer:
 > made it clear that I would not allow him in the store because I felt unsafe and uncomfortable,

You don't have that right, unless you are the business owner.

>My question is, if they force me to allow him to come in, which it very much seems like will happen because I'm suppose to talk with my DM soon, do I have any legal grounds to sue or is there anything I should know?

No. You have grounds to quit your job, though, and probably should if you feel this unsafe at your workplace.