Title: I need help with my job ASAP

Question:
Am I able to quit my job and collect pandemic unemployment until I can start my new job?

I’m in MA & I can’t stand the company I work for, it’s extremely harsh on my mental health we’re in thinking of just checking into a facility to take a short vacation where they can’t bother me. I’ve been here for 5+ years and recently interviewed for my dream job, there are 4 parts to this interview being an in person one which they stated could be a few months down the line due to the pandemic which I get. However can I leave my job due to health issues (they are also trying to force everyone back into the office at the same time) and collect pandemic unemployment until I can start this new job? I know it’s been that if you could not start a new job due to the pandemic then it was okay, I just am ready to up and quit drop my equipment off at the office and never look back.

Answer: No, willingly quitting a job because you feel it is too tough on your mental health does not grant you unemployment.


Title: (Missouri) Possible mistreatment of suicidal preteen by officer? Officer recommends "spanking, preferably with a belt"

Question:
This happened do to a family friend, just trying to get some advice and/or see if she needs a lawyer.

My friend has a 12 year old son who has some issues, not sure what they all are. He goes to a special school  for kids with issues like him. He has an iep and all that.

While the boy was at school he was threatening/attempting suicide. I'm not sure which, but I was told he attempted twice last week, not sure if it was at school. School put him in the padded isolation room while they waited for mom and cops to arrive. The cops were called specifically  to take him to be comitted to the psychiatric facility. Mom explained how to best handle her kid, don't sneak up behind him, say what's happening as it happens, do not touch him without warning.

Well they officer walked up behind kid without saying a word and touched him, kid freaked out, tried to attack officer, officer grabs kid, slams him face down, hand cuffs him. Says to friend "you don't discipline your son enough. You need to spank him, preferably with a belt, 3 times"

Friend calls police supervisor (not sure actual job title) and is told that officer had never dealt with, nor been trained in, mental health related thing, and that he sent him to kids school because "officers gotta learn somewhow!" And also agreed with officer  about spanking kid with belt, says its legal as long as you don't leave a mark.

The incident at school is on camera. The school is also upset, they don't want officers behaving like that in their school towards their students, and have told mom that they will see  what they can do about this.

So my questions, is spanking with a belt legal in Missouri? Did the police do anything wrong/illegal as far as treatment of kid? Should my friend get a lawyer, and if so, what kind? She's afraid of police retaliation if she were to complain more, as she lives in the town where these officers work. Or should she just do as school says and leave it to them?

Answer: Somehow I doubt this happened as described. You are hearing it from your friend who is highly biased to make the other party look bad.


Title: [NJ] Landlord is evicting me in December. I signed a lease with the "building manager" until next June. What are my options?

Question:
Edit: Thanks for all the responses. I'll post a follow up tomorrow, the situation is a bit more complicated than I expected

So I guess this is a multi-part question. I found this place through Craigslist last July and signed a lease until the end of June 2017. I later found out that the guy I signed the lease with acts as a "building manager" of sorts. Does this mean that my lease is invalid? It's still a legal document otherwise and I would assume that this "building manager" becomes responsible for upholding his end of the lease, which means providing me housing until the end date of my lease.

Anyway, the landlord (owner of the house, NOT the "building manager") is evicting my roommates and I December 31st. He has been trying to sell the house, and has been unsuccessful so he is evicting us on the grounds that having tenants is "impeding his ability to sell the house." My roommates and I have been aware of the fact that he is trying to sell the house, and from my understanding under N.J.S.A. 2A:18-61.1I (see referenced below) he can evict us AFTER the house is being sold. But there is no buyer yet so he is evicting us without cause.

What are my options? If my lease is valid then it means that the landlord is breaking my lease, but is the building manager liable? I also have not received any formal notification that any of us are to be evicted, only a text message. I'm thinking that I should request a written letter as it will give me more leverage.

Reference: NJSA 2A:18-61.1I
(1) The owner of a building or mobile home park, which is constructed as or being converted to a
condominium, cooperative or fee simple ownership, seeks to evict a tenant or sublessee whose initial
tenancy began after the master deed, agreement establishing the cooperative or subdivision plat was
10
recorded, because the owner has contracted to sell the unit to a buyer who seeks to personally occupy it
and the contract for sale calls for the unit to be vacant at the time of closing. However, no action shall be
brought against a tenant under paragraph (1) of this subsection unless the tenant was given a statement in
accordance with section 6 of P.L.1975, c.311 (C.2A:18-61.9);

Answer:
 You have a lease until June 2017 and cannot be evicted before then.  A lease by the building manager is totally fine.

In NJ, you can't even be evicted then as long as you keep paying your rent and behaving well.  This is different from the laws of most states.  Except that if your lease has expired AND the landlord is selling the property to someone who will move in, then you can be evicted.

You don't have to leave in December.  If you and the landlord want, he could buy you out of your lease and you could leave voluntarily in exchange for a large sum of money.

Answer #2:  He can't evict you. You have a valid lease and he has no valid reason to break it based on what you've said. Answer #3: You're covered either way, but just to be clear, is the landlord trying to say it's not valid because he didn't sign? It sounds like he was aware of you all being in the unit and had been communicating with you for a while. It would be messy if the building manager had just been leasing people into units without the owners authorization, but that doesn't sound like you're problem.

The landlord can authorize someone else to act  on his behalf , a few of my leases have been countersigned by someone else in the management company other than the owner.


Title: [MI] Do I have any recourse against the person who sold me my business?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 The real question here is how difficult is it to get the necessary licenses?  I am incredulous that you would buy a business and give a down payment without checking on the legality.
Answer #2: You trusted someone with a financial motivation to 'do the right thing' ethically without written enforcement.  Unfortunately, it looks like you've been burned.

This is difficult to answer because you've supplied no information at all about the written agreements between you.  He assured you, but where did he assure you and how?  Is this written down in a text message, or email?

Basically, unless you can prove that you were mislead in a way other than "he said she said" your only recourse is to dead-stop the paperwork and back out.  If nothing is notarized **and** nothing is filed, you may be able to cancel the sale although in most cases, notary is not required to complete a sale.

Alert your financing institution immediately.


Title: What to do in this situation?

Question:
**Edit:** Don't forget that I work from home. I make $100/hour... more in one month than she does in a year. Her false assumptions and at least attempted defamation does not sit well.

Also she does not live here. She comes to visit every other day, but never sleeps over. Her kids just come and make noise, cry and scream and wake me up and then leaves.

**Update:** There is some misunderstanding of the circumstances. This is not a standard apartment building like you might think. It is a 3-story house with a unit on each. I live in basement, other tenant on 2nd floor and landlord upstairs. She was yelling at the landlord about me in the morning, which woke me up and started all of this. A lot happened, but to keep a long story short both sides called the cops.

---

I have no friends and barely talk to anyone. Also, sometimes my sleep schedule gets messed up and I sleep during the day and work during the night (I work online). I am an internet marketer, so when this happens I often do not even leave the house for many days straight, as when I finish working I do other stuff like clean, cook, etc. and then sleep and repeat. As I have no friends there is no need to go out or do anything... and most of my entertainment comes from online gaming. I talk to my mother and coworkers online and aside from that keep to myself.

Today I overheard one of the daughters of the upstairs tenant getting irate about the fact I have not been outside for a few days (let's call it 5-6 days). She called me crazy and essentially slandered me to my neighbors and landlord behind my back and does not even pay rent. She bring her kids here multiple times a week who make tons of noise and cost thousands of dollars since I have been living here, yet does not pay a cent. I have paid $20,000 to live here - she pays nothing. She also parks her car in the other spot in our driveway despite paying nothing... it has not moved in *months.* She just leaves it there to take advantage of free parking and it is annoying as there is an alleyway behind te house and I am unable to easily park with her car being there. Not to mention her kids always make noise when they are here, and due to my sleeping schedule I am often asleep when they come over and their constant crying and screaming wakes me up.

My question is... what whould you do in this situation? I have never spoken ill of them nor done anything wrong, yet she slanders my name and essentially makes living here harder as my neigbors may think of me differently now. In any case, I want to know your view on what you would do if you were me.

File a restraining order? Sue her for slander? I don't know.

Feel free to ask questions. Thanks for reading.

Answer:
 Complain to your landlord about the parking and noiseAnswer #2: You can do 0 and should just not care about what other people say in the future about you. Answer #3: Short answer: grow up and move on.Answer #4: It does not sound like she is a threat to you, so I would not see a restraining order being approved.

You have no damages to sue for.

You may speak to your landlord about the situation.  But, he need not take action.

Only thing that stands out to me is the statement: "cost thousands of dollars since I have been living here".

Did it somehow, in a way that was not disclosed, cost YOU thousands of dollars?  If so, you may be able to successfully sue for those thousands of dollars.

Edit:  One other thing I missed.  If your lease grants you specific parking privileges which are being denied to you, then your landlord would have to correct that.Answer #5: Move? I mean if you say you make as much as you do, why deal with this situation. You have the means to do what you please.


Title: Married US citizen while on VWP - how best to apply for a green card?

Question:
Hi there Reddit,

My wife (who is a US citizen) and I (a Swedish citizen) got married in the US a while ago. We both live in Sweden so we went there on a short trip (about two weeks), and I had an approved VWP application so I did not need a visa. After that, we went back to Sweden where we live together.

However, if we would want to move to the US some day, I would need to apply for a green card as her spouse. I'm finishing my PhD studies in Sweden in a few years so we've discussed moving there as a possibility after that. How would we best go about doing that?

I know she has to file an I-130 petition on my behalf, and I need to file an I-485 for myself. I've read the guidelines for this process. But could there be complicating factors? I did not overstay the 90-day period granted by the VWP, I did not go through any secondary inspection at the US border, and we were not asked at the border if we intended to marry while in the US. However, I did not have a K-1 fiancé visa, for instance.

Also, if everything is OK, could we do concurrent filing since I'm her immediate relative, or would we first have to wait for the I-130 to be approved before I file my I-485?

Thanks in advance for any advice you might have.

Answer:
 There's absolutely nothing wrong with getting married in the US while on the VWP or a tourist visa; thousands of Japanese citizens do it in Hawaii everyday. The trouble comes when people then overstay after the wedding and try to do an adjustment of status. You didn't; you properly left before your VWP expired, so it absolutely won't be held against you.

The fastest way to get to the states would be to file a I-129 for a K-3 spousal visa at the same time as I-330. Once you get the visa, you can go to the States and do the I-485 Adjustment of Status process.

But that's not strictly necessary - your spouse can file the I-330 and request consular processing in Sweden, and you can get your PRA status directly before you leave (the card itself will get mailed after you get processed at your point of entry).

The site most often endorsed by /r/immigration are the forums on visajournery.com. You can get a lot of great information there.


Title: Tree fell on my personal truck at work. Truck is totaled and boss doesn't want to accept liability. South Carolina

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 South Carolina does recognize "assumption of the risk" as  a defense. In other words, if you are aware of the risk of danger, and engage in the behavior anyway, it is possible that the owner's liability is lessened  because of your actions (fault); and it is also possible that your fault is greater than the owner's fault, which means that owner owes you nothing.

If her insurance is refusing to cover it as the primary source (meaning they want you to use your own car insurance), then you can't *make* them process the claim. The jurisdiction of South Carolina's magistrate courts is limited to $7500.00 or less. Any damages greater than $7500.00 must be pursued in the Court of Common Pleas (big court).


Title: Can I take paid vacation from a job and work another job?

Question:
I'm seriously contemplating leaving the job I'm at but not until I've found something else so I don't put my family in a bind. I know if I quit my job I won't get anything for all the sick leave and vacation time I've built up which is about 1200 hours. Could I find another job and then tell my job I need to take time off for family issues start the new job and then quit the old job when ive exhausted my leave time?

Edit: Sorry, yes I'm located in the US, I work for the state of Louisiana currently.

Answer:
 Yes, that's legal. However, your employer isn't required to allow you to take all your vacation time at once, or offer leave time for vague "family issues," and could fire you.Answer #2: Yes, it is completely legal to use vacation time to work at another job.

This assumes US as you haven't given a location.


Title: Am I allowed to display a political sign? [California]

Question:
I am renting a condo that is part of a HOA.  One of the HOA rules is that no political signs may be displayed.

Under California Civil Code Section 1940.4 landlords can not prohibit the display of political signs.

Which rule takes presence, California law or the HOA rule?

Answer:
 http://www.hoalawblog.com/2008/10/political_signs_and_community_1.html

>The answer is that pursuant to Civil Code Section 1353.6: The governing documents, including the operating rules,
 may not prohibit posting or displaying of noncommercial signs,
posters, flags, or banners on or in an owner's separate interest,
except as required for the protection of public health or safety or
if the posting or display would violate a local, state, or federal
law.

Here's the full code.

http://codes.findlaw.com/ca/civil-code/civ-sect-1353-6.html

Of note:

>(c) An association may prohibit noncommercial signs and posters that are more than 9 square feet in size and noncommercial flags or banners that are more than 15 square feet in size.

Will the HOA bitch at you?  Yeah, probably.  Can the HOA make you take it down?  Nope.  Is it worth the headache?  That one is on you.


Title: Can you ask a public defender if you can hire them ?

Question:
  If let's say one is taken into custody without having  a lawyer , then can one ask the public defender appointed to them if  they can be hired as one's criminal defense attorney ? Do some US jurisdictions prohibit this or is such a thing just not done ?  In other words would said public defender look at you as if you had two heads if you were to ask them such a question ?

 Also is it legal/not out of bounds to ask a public defender for recommendations as to which criminal defense attorney to hire , in case said public defender doesn't want to take on paying clients ?

Answer:
 If you are appointed a public defender, it's almost always because you can't afford an attorney on your own.

Some jurisdictions have a public defender's office the same way they have a prosecutor's office- you would not be able to hire someone to represent you privately if they work for an office like that.

In other jurisdictions, they may keep a list of lawyers who will do work at the PD rate- whether or not you could hire one of them would depend on the agreement they sign when they begin doing the work.Answer #2: In my jurisdiction the PDs are private attorneys who do PD work part-time.  They are prohibited from being hired on any case they work as PDs.  Feel free to ask to say, "My family would like to retain an attorney, do you have any recommendations?"Answer #3: In my jurisdiction you can’t hire a PD because we’re solely public defenders who work for the court. People do ask PD’s this, but most just tell them they aren’t allowed to take private clients. It isn’t a law thing, it’s a “the job won’t allow it” thing.


Title: Wife emptying house before financial settlement

Question:
I n the middle of divorce and financial separation, I find the removal men are coming this afternoon and it looks like most stuff is going to her new property.
Stuff she acquired, stuff I acquired, stuff that was mine long before the marriage.
In the UK what is the law?
There are one or two things I would like to keep
TIA

Answer: Try /r/legaladviceuk.Answer #2: Contact your divorce/separation attorney. They would best able to settle this in your interest. (Start creating a list of everything you remember and what has been stolen, this in addition to the demand accounting of every item taken should help you.)


Title: Help with child support threatening jail time.

Question:
I’m not sure if this is the right place to post it so if not please tell me where is best to post this. I’m just looking for any help and information on what we can do.  I also don’t want to make my husband sound like a deadbeat or absent father when he has tried to be there for her and see her all the time.

A little background to this is my husband has a child with someone he was with in high school and she’s done a lot of things to make it hard for him to see his child, from threatening to completely take her out of our lives to threatening him to sign over his rights so her boyfriend can adopt her.  She also took the child out of state without telling him when the child was 2.

He’s on child support of course and we have a kid together with another on the way so he’s been more of a SAHD so I can work full time and make it easier on childcare for us. He’s working on leaving to the navy within the next few months to give us and his child a better life.

Where I need help on is they’re threatening to send him jail for 6 months if we don’t pay $3000 by the end of this month. We’re scraping all the money we can together to show some payments and he’s getting a job as quick as he can to also show he’s trying but I’m worried it won’t be enough.

We have messages of her not responding when we’d ask to pick up the child but unfortunately no longer have messages of her saying not to worry about the child support rn or any of the threats since they happened so long ago.

I’m just not sure where to begin to figure out what we can do to avoid jail? And if that does happen if there is any chance of still going into the navy?

The child wants to be at our house when she does come over and never wants to go home. Her mom is telling her my husband is her step dad and tells her not to hug him or anything so we also want to look into more custody when we get this settled.

We’re in Texas.

Thank you for any help and if I need to post this somewhere else please let me know where.

Answer:
 Child support obligation and visitation are separate issues.

Yes, Texas will put out a warrant for failure to follow a court order if he isnt paying his child support obligation.

He needs to go back to court regarding the custody problems.

And he will need to get his child support paid up. The navy isnt going to take him if he is actively violating  a court order.


Title: California. Moving company would not release items until a waiver was signed promising not to post a negative review or report them to any governing agency. Non-disparagement clause was not discussed at all prior to selecting them.

Question:
A very close friend of mine's brother just moved from California to New York (by ground; the trucks drove through intervening states but don't know whether that's enough to establish jurisdiction). The contract was signed in California.

After his stuff (almost) arrived, he was given a bit of a runaround obtaining them (extra charges and whatnot, but this isn't necessarily germane to this question).  He was told that in order to receive his stuff, he'd need to sign a non-disparagement agreement, barring him from posting any negative reviews or contacting any regulatory authority. Needless to say he was pretty pissed.

My lay comment was that though it was certainly a dick move, and certainly wouldn't be enforceable by a court, the company likely knew that they could use the cost of courts against him to make writing a negative review not worth it.

But in following up out of curiosity, it looks like [AB 2365](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB2365) might offer some relief. Sections C and D make it look like he could bring a claim against them for either $2,500 or $10,000.

Is my very basic reading of that close enough to warrant him taking it to an attorney consult? Does the fact that they asked him to sign once he and his stuff were in New York have any bearing?

Answer:
 That sounds like either a scam or extortion. Answer #2: Has he signed yet? That sounds incredibly illegal. If he refuses to sign and they don't turn over his property, he could take them to court to recover his property.

Either way, tell your friend to contact an attorney. And then leave a very honest, scathing review every way possible.Answer #3: INAL but it sounds like the signature wouldn't hold up since it was signed under "duress," making the contract voidable, but not sure what damages he could seek.  Most consults are free, so if he's willing to take the time, he might as well chat with someone about it.


Title: (CA) Assault on a police officer and resisting arrest?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >She questioned why she was being arrested but he gave no explanation.

She has no right to do that.

>He kept repeating that he didnt need to give her a reason.

Yep that's correct.

>The police initially speaking to her grabbed her arm and dragged her out into the street, yelling to the other police that she was resisting arrest.

She was resisting arrest.  By failing to obey a lawful order counts as resisting arrest even if the resistance is 100% passive.

>Four full grown men attacked her, punching her in the face, kicking and stepping on her back. She ended up having to go to the hospital with two black eyes, bruising to the back, neck and chest.

This is where you need an attorney.  Whether this amount of force is reasonable depends on her actions.  It is highly fact dependent and far beyond the scope of this forum.  The mere fact that there were 4 male officers against 1 female suspect does not, in itself, make the force excessive.


Title: Need help determining child abuse. USA/Illinois

Question: For years now, my mother has been taking my stuff (I am a minor), as well as blatantly claiming ownership of something that I worked for and purchased for myself. Is it legal for her to confiscate my stuff while I am a minor?

Answer:
 You do not have any stuff.  You are a minor.Answer #2: The short answer is "it depends". There are some ways for a minor to own assets that their parents don't automatically have a claim to.

This sub loves to blow its gasket whenever questions about minors and ownership arise, so prepare for an onslaught of angry posts.


Title: Can my neighbors force me to remove a wild honeybee hive from a tree on my property?

Question:
I’ve got a friend who has a large tree in the front yard that has a honeybee colony in it, and it has been there for many years, the bees are not aggressive in any way. Neighbor’s driveway is 5 feet away from it, and is between the hive and her front yard, and neighbors house about 50 feet from it. The bee highway is in the opposite direction of her house, so it’s not like they are flying around her. She insists on having it removed, which will be very complicated due to the way the tree hollow is.

Does it have to be removed? Southern Oregon

Answer:
 If the hive is something your friend doesn't want sabotaged I bring advice from a recent pecan tree post here - set up a camera on the tree, if the neighbors are disgruntled enough they may take matters into their own handsAnswer #2: > Does it have to be removed?

Only if the government or a court says so.Answer #3: If it's honeybees you can probably find a local beekeeper who will come remove it in a way that protects the bees.


Title: My car wouldn't start at a restaurant today, but they towed it before I could get it fixed. I live in it because I'm homeless. What do I do?

Question:
I'm in nw Iowa. I went to a restaurant today to eat for lunch because someone was nice enough to give me a gift card. I left my car parked and all was fine. When I tried to leave though it would not start and I just felt sick to my stomach. Sometimes the gas meter doesn't work right and I've run out a few times. Usually I'm good at keeping track of it, but I messes up. I explained to a manager what happened and told her it might take a couple hours for me to get a gas can and come back. I could tell she wasn't happy, but she said it was fine.

I should mention that I try not to "look" homeless especially when I'm job hunting, but sometimes it is hard. It's like a sadness you wear and it is hard to shake off. Still i didn't smell or anything and my clothes were decent. My car did look like someone lived in it honestly. There is a lot of clothes and bins in it, but it's not that bad.

Anyways usually I have a gas can in my car, but had taken it out when i cleaned last month so I left it in a storage locker. I took the bus there got it and rode back to nearby gas station. Walked to the restaurant and my car was gone. I was only gone a total of 90 mins. They had my car towed because the manager didn't think I was coming back and they needed the parking.

Now I was parked on the side of the building and there was plenty of parking. I always try to be courteous of others and not bother people because of me being homeless. I tried to explain that I needed my car. They said to contact the tow company necause there was nothing they cna do now. It took Everythimg I have not to cry right there. The tow company wants $145 but I definitely don't have that. There's also a storage fee every day. Most of my income is from plasma donation right now and I'm trying to get a better job. I am employed part time but I don't get paid until a week from Friday. I don't want to make excuses but my whole life is in that car. I'm terrified of what to do now because I'm not sure how ill get my car back or where to stay tonight.

What can I do to get my car back? Is there some kind of exemption since I live in it?

I just feel like no one cares and I really don't have the willpower to keep fighting. Can anyone please help me?

Answer:
 There's no legal advice that can help you here, unfortunately.

You may be able to approach local social service agencies though it's doubtful that any will be able to help with your car situation.Answer #2: > What can I do to get my car back?

You can pay to get it out. That's likely going to be your only option.Answer #3: Is there a local church you can go to and ask for assistance? Even ask if they’ll drive you to the tow lot so they can see you are not asking for money that could be used for alcohol or drugs.

I know the churches in my area would help someone who was homeless and asked for help.Answer #4: You mentioned working part time, do you have paystubs to show that and apply for a short term loan? The high interest rate you pay may be cheaper than the storage fees you’ll rack up.Answer #5: This isn't a legal question....that place had the authority to have your car towed and they did.  Who knows maybe the towing company will let you work odd jobs around their place to "pay" to get your car out.  Those places can be very unforgiving though because that is exactly how they make their money, they want your car to stay there as long as possible.  Jump on Craigslist and see if there are any day labor jobs that pay cash at the end of the day.....Best of luck to you.


Title: I have been doing person’s high school homework and papers all year, but they have completely betrayed me and screwed me over, could there be ramifications for me (in college) for taking revenge?

Question: Title, really. I have done all of their papers and research papers throughout the year, sparing you the exact details. They really fucked me over and have been lying to me for months about something, and I want to go nuclear. I want to email their teacher anonymously and tell them everything they have turned in has been plagiarized. Would I face ramifications for this if I was found out (which I would be). I’m in university in IN

Answer: You would probably both be expelled as you both should be.Answer #2: Possibly (probably) a violation of your college's code of conduct, so I imagine you would be disciplined, up to and including expulsion.


Title: B&E with Intent in Michigan, but hoping for much lesser charges...

Question:
After our last exam, we went our celebrating and I got quite intoxicated. I decided to walk home (obviously not driving) and twisted my ankle. It's quite bruised still today. I saw there were lights on at an urgent care center, and walked in. Someone comes out of an office and says "we're closed, what are you doing here?". I was surprised and panicked, didn't quite know what to do and what I said, and ran out. A block later I was arrested and booked with B&E with intent for larceny.

To complicate this, I do have a larceny under $200 on my record. Technically it's expunged from my record, this was 6 years ago and got it expunged through the court. In that case I took a beer (while intoxicated) at a bar that I didn't pay for.

I have legal counsel already, but what am I looking at? Lesser charges, or not? Jail time?

Answer: If what you said is true it'll be dismissed. The problem is you're leaving out a lot of detail that'd make you look bad and explain how a person who walked into an urgent care center after "seeing the lights on" gets charged with B&E. If you just walked into an unlocked brightly lite urgent care center it would be an obvious mistake and explainable. But someone walks out of an office and doesn't say "sorry we"re closed forgot to lock the door"? When the police arrived they would even see your point. Did you climb through a window? Did you break open a door? Did you "take" something and run? I think the devils in the details. You want advice but I feel you're not providing the full story.


Title: Revenge porn

Question: So my ex girlfriend moved to Kansas a couple years ago. We broke up there and she started seeing a guy for about 3-4 years. They broke up and we recently started talking. Her ex sent me naked pictures of her, some she had no idea where being taken, and sent them all to me. They were over 18 at the time, but there’s still laws against this right? It’s in Kansas. Thanks in advance guys I’d really like the help to see if there’s anything we can do to the guy.

Answer:
 It is illegal to take pornographic pictures of anyone without their consent. Answer #2: Yes, Kansas has a law against revenge porn. Answer #3: It's a breach of privacy. There are [laws](https://codes.findlaw.com/ks/chapter-21-crimes-and-punishments/ks-st-sect-21-6101.html) against revenge porn (section (a)(8)(breach of privacy))

As for what repercussions he would face, I found [This](https://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/revenge-porn-laws-by-state.html) site suggesting that:

>*First offense, presumptive probation, second offense, felony blackmail with up to six years in prison.*

See what others say as I am NAL but I would personally let the victim know about the situation and would not delete the images and messages before they have been documented as evidence. I hope this helps.

&#x200B;


Title: I tapped a guy's bumper and he got violent, so I drove away. Insurance is calling me now. What should I do?

Question:
I tapped the bumper of the car behind me when pulling out of a parallel spot. Just an accident, not serious.

The owner of the car was on the sidewalk yelling at his little girl. My girlfriend put her window down. I calmly apologized, and asked if there was any damage. I didn't get out of the car immediately because it was such a light tap I couldn't imagine it left any damage, but he immediately became really angry. He was yelling at me and being really threatening, cursing at us and pointing his finger at me with half of his arm in the car. My dog was on my girlfriend's lap and he started growling at the guy, so the guy took a swat at my dog. We felt threatened and the guy wasn't calming down as I sat there trying to reason with him. I wasn't about to get out of my car with that guy being so angry. I truly didn't think there could have been any damage, and I was scarred of this guy (if he was screaming at a 4-year old, at trying to smack a 15 pound dog imagine what he'd do to me) so out of fear for my safety, I drove away. In the process he banged the roof of my car with his fist (about as hard as I tapped is bumper) When I parked I looked at my bumper and it was pristine.

Now my insurance company is calling me. What should I do? Just tell them the truth? How much detail? How do I handle this quickly and in a way that won't raise my insurance rates a lot?

Answer:
 > I truly didn't think there could have been any damage, and I was scarred of this guy

So scared you called the police, right?  Right?

If you didn't, this looks just like a hit-and-run.  His actions after the fact don't change the fact that you hit his car.

It's up to you whether you talk to your insurance company.  If you don't, they may refuse to cover you.  Then a lawsuit would be solely in your pocket.

If you do talk to your insurance company, don't lie.


Title: Off-leash dog fines

Question:
There's a by-law officer in my area (Toronto) and although I keep mine on a leash I am curious how they can issue a ticket.

Example 1: I don't have ID on me.

Example 2: I don't talk to strangers.

How can they enforce for me to provide information to successfully open a case against me? What if I just stand there silently? "You are not obliged to say anything" is the Canadian version of the Miranda warning.

I gave dumb examples but I just want to know how far they can go to get information from me. Would they arrest me for not identifying myself even though being silent is ok?

Answer: In the US at least, if they catch you breaking the law and you refuse to talk, they can still arrest you and charge "John Doe" with a crime. I can't imagine not talking would work out any better for you in Canada.


Title: Is it legal for me to buy my underage friend a dildo?

Question:
My friend is turning 17 soon and as a joke me and my friends want to buy her a dildo but I want to make sure it's legal.

Minnesota

Answer: IANAL, but I think it would be wise to save that idea for next year. I'd be very concerned that there's *something* you could be charged with here.


Title: Convicted Sex offender moved in next door. We have a shared back yard. Breaking my lease. (AR)

Question:
I've lived at that apartment for about 5 years ( year lease each time- 7 months into this lease). I have a 5 year old and an 14 year old.

He moved in three months ago but I didn't find out he was convicted and served time for some sexual offenses (he got out about three years ago, I think).

We don't live near a school or a park. We have a shared back yard though which my children love to play in.

I actually found out through another neighbor, verified his information through some searches and then talked to the landlord who did know.

Landlord doesn't think it is a big deal since the guy explained it was all "misunderstanding". There was apparently an adult victim and a child victim (age 10).

I believe, but I could be wrong, he is allowed to live close to children. On the state registry site, his address is listed as something different so he isn't registered at his current address but I don't know if it takes time for the system to update or whatever.

I don't know how these things work but he some sexual offenses, repeats, not just one time things.

I don't feel comfortable having a shared backyard with him and living right next to him, and I'd like to move.

My landlord is unwilling to let me out of the lease and thinks I'm overreacting (maybe I am) and I probably don't have any recourse here other than just offer to pay the remaining months and move.

My 14 year old daughter gets off the bus and stays home by herself for an hour before I get home. I just don't feel comfortable having her do that or having her anywhere near him really, or my son.

On the off chance there is some obscure law someone else might know, I thought I'd ask before I just up and moved and drained my savings.

I don't have any recourse for a registered ( even if he is registered at a different address) and convicted, repeated sex offender moving in next to me while I have tow children in the house?

If I move without notice, and my landlord sues me, would I have a good defense? Or I am being really stupid here?

His risk level is listed as 3 which according to the ACIC website is as a HIGH RISK.

Answer:
 In Arkansas, a sex offender has to notify local law enforcement 10 days before they plan to relocate. Local law enforcement has 3 days to mail or fax the paperwork to the ACIC, and then they have 30 days to get it updated.

So, even if he properly registered, it would not take 3 months to update. Failure to report an address change is a Class C felony. Answer #2: Personally I would contact my landlord and tell him about the offer to babysit. I would give him two options, let you break the lease or evict the other guy. Otherwise you will wage a campaign with the local everything (schools, churches, crime watch etc.) and you will inform the media that he knowingly rented a duplex to sex offender and put your children at risk.

Also find out who the this guy's parole officer is, them contact them and let them know about the babysitting offer. I'm 100% positive that would violate the terms of his parole. Answer #3: OP, the offer to babysit made my internal alarms start screaming.

Please be careful and keep us updated on this.Answer #4: you want out of your lease. Bottom line. Offer your LL to help find someone else to move it, offer to pay for some ads or something. LL likely does not care much where the rent comes from, just so long as it continues.


Title: [MA] My friend's Boston apartment building caught on fire (not due to her actions). Her lease has been terminated and suffered some damage. Where is the line between renter's insurance and obligations by the building owner?

Question:
I can certainly see this from both perspectives. Quick background info - apartment floors above caught on fire. The fire department came and out out the fire, but now the building is condemned and lease terminated. Damaged include:

1. Loss of housing and associated costs with temporary lodging
2. Switching costs to new apartment
3. Lost possessions (moldy bed, clothes, etc.)

Property owner liability perspective: this shouldn't be a renter's insurance issue because my friend is in no way culpable or liable (i.e. getting robbed, unlocked door, leaving window open to storm damage etc.). Building insurance would cover damages and then pay out to injured tenants? I believe landlords are potentially culpable for all tenant actions with negative externalities? Also, Boston / MA has ridiculously favorable tenant laws.

Renter's insurance perspective: just as my friend is not culpable, neither is the landlord. Building insurance will pay out for damages to building, but not tenants.

I'm guessing the answer lies somewhere in the middle - what can be done? Thanks!

Answer:
 If the fire was not the building owner's fault, that's the end of the analysis.  His liability is zero - and it probably makes that clear in the lease agreement.

If one of the neighbors was negligent in causing the fire, your friend could sue that neighbor.

Otherwise this is exactly what insurance is for.  Your friend will be out of pocket to some degree, but the insurer will cover property losses (and ideally some relocation expenses).

Insurance tends to be a reasonably efficient business.  If her renters carrier thinks the landlord is liable, they'll sue him for indemnity and his insurance will kick in.  That should be completely transparent to your friend.


Title: [UK] At the end of my tether...

Question:
Hi Reddit,

First time posting in this sub, I am close to breaking down at this stage so please excuse any errors.

3 weeks ago I put my notice in to leave my job, as I had accepted a new position in a new city, with a chunky raise.  The following day I was pulled in by the MD and Chairman of the business and torn to shreds, bullied and lied to for 20 mins.

<1 week ago, I found out there may be deductions from my final salary, for training in the last 12mo.  I disputed these as the business does not pay for its training but uses credits we get for buying hardware, my manager always brags about not paying for training.  My disputes (2 separate emails) have been ignored, and the full amount of deductions have just been taken from me totalling over £1500.

I am getting married in under two weeks and moving shortly after for my new job, do I have any hope of seeing this money again?  How can they deduct while a dispute is on going and even ignore me to this extent.....

I don't know what to do and can't even afford proper legal advice at this stage, I actually could curl up and cry.

Answer: Hi there! This board is mostly for rebelling colonists who do not know the difference between a solicitor and a barrister, apologetic Northerners, and upside-down convicts. Try /r/legaladviceuk in order to get advice regarding the laws of Her Majesty's Government.


Title: "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone." - Why do I see these signs everywhere in Washington state?

Question: I lived in the Midwest (Illinois) my entire life, just moved to Washington state. Most restaurants I've been to have a clear sign saying "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone". Is there some particular law in place or case that happened in Washington to warrant these signs? I haven't seen them anywhere else, but maybe I'm wrong.

Answer: I think I've seen them in just about every state that I've been to, including more than a couple in Illinois.Answer #2: I've seen them everywhere, but depending on what part of Washington you are in, they could be in response to homeless people. Homeless people are also allegedly sometimes the reason certain restaurants drop their dollar menus.


Title: [OR] Strange freight train related legal questions

Question:
So my girlfriend came up with the crazy idea to jump on a freight in Eugene and see where we go. Most likely hop off and try and catch a bus home that evening. My concern is what's the legal worst case scenario. For instance if someone at a train yard catches us could there be serious legal ramifications? I'm all for spontaneity, but I want to know what our legal risks are first. This is my first time posting here, please let me know if I didn't format correctly. Thanks for all your help!
Edit: The bot doesn't think OR stands for anything, I'm in Oregon if anybody needed it spelled out :)

Edit 2: thanks all, we've changed our minds after you've helped us realize how dangerous this is. We'll probably just catch a bus to a random city instead.

Answer:
 The legal risks are the least of your worries..

Very little is shipped in old timey box-cars with doors on them, and what little there is is short-line. Even if you hop one, you're going to go five miles through town and stop again.

The rest is all intermodal, hoppers and tanks, which means if you hop the train, you're stuck hanging on to a ladder or on a tiny platform for dear life. There's no sleeping, there's no slacking off, there's just holding on.

What happens when you fall off? Best case scenario involves broken limbs, ribs, and a concussion. The most likely outcome is that your corpse turns up when it starts attracting carrion.

(Source: Used to be a manager at a freight yard and had to look at all the reports of dead riders up and down the west coast.)Answer #2: You could be arrested and charged with a crime. Trains are private property and simply being on the tracks is trespassing. Answer #3: Terrible idea. What if the train you catch isn't going across town, but rather across the country? What if the car you are on gets decoupled for two days in the middle of nowhere? What if the load of rebar in the car with you shifts and crushes you? What if someone else who is riding the train decides your girlfriend looks nice and you are an inconvenience?

Don't do this.


Title: Is my workplace doing something illegal?

Question:
Hey everyone--

I began a new job around 3 months ago and am already finding things that annoy me to the point of no end, especially what I'm about to tell you. I work at a hospital in a smaller Midwestern city in their Foundation/Education department. According to one of our directors, "we aren't allowed overtime." However, my coworker has so much on her plate that she desperately needs it. If she doesn't work over 40 hours a week, she simply cannot do what is required of her. This would lead to the demise of very important fellowship and residency programs here.

However, because we aren't allowed overtime (I don't know why as other departments definitely are), my coworker goes into the online system and changes her hours, so she only gets paid for 40 but works more than that every week. The leadership know she does this, yet they haven't done anything to help her out in the past 9 months. They merely turn a blind eye. In this way, she's more or less forced to change her hours in the system otherwise she would get in trouble for taking OT. This sounds super illegal to me....thoughts??

This is just the tip of the iceberg with where I work unfortunately. :(

Answer:
 It's not illegal in the slightest.  They're telling her to only work 40 hours.  She should only be working 40 hours.

If she works more, she's correct that they may discipline her for that.  The answer there is to not work more.


Title: 60+ years ago my wife's great grandfather died and the executor of his will didn't send his money to her great grandmother

Question:
Long story short - My wife is from (born) in Slovakia and recently moved to Canada. Coincidentally her great grandfather immigrated to Canada back in the 30's to make money and send home to his family. We were curious and had a lot of fun researching a bunch of info to the point where we found his tombstone, his immigration records, and even got our hands on his ACTUAL WILL (legitimately the exact paper and court documents everything was written on and stamped, not copies)

He died in 1952 and the will stated that his friend was the executor of the will, and her responsibility was to make sure that his wife back in Slovakia was to get all of his assets (a few thousand dollars back in 1952).

According to my wife's family, the only thing they received was a suitcase full of clothing and a death certificate, no money whatsoever.

Without trying to give you a headache explaining the family tree, we are wondering if anything could be done about this? Even a few thousand dollars back in 1952 would make a Slovak family pretty wealthy (and they lived very poor lives).

Answer: It's incredibly unlikely anything can be done so long after the fact


Title: Negligent nurse gave shots to the wrong child.

Question:
Lawyers or those with experience in medical malpractice claims in Kansas, I need some advice.

I had my two sons at the doctor's yesterday for their "well-child" visits. My four year old"R" was scheduled to get a set of four vaccines, and while my five year old "D" was just getting a belated flu shot. R was screaming his head off in anticipation of the shots. His sweet older brother volunteered to go first. R still screaming. D gets one poke. I am distracted by screaming. D gets second poke and he and I are both like WTF did you just give him 2? He was just supposed to get the flu shot! She had given him the varicella and the tDap, thinking he was supposed to get the set of four year old shots. Never checked full name or bday, never verifying shots with me. I am a health care professional, so I know what a huge infraction this is and how terribly such mix ups can turn out.

The doc swears my son will be ok (he already had these same shots last year when he WAS four, of course), but I can't help but be worried. Also I want to make a big enough stink that something like this doesn't happen again.

So what can I do? What should I do? Any advice is welcome. Thanks.

Edit: Include location and fix a typo

Answer:
 Right patient, right drug, right dose, right method. It's literally the first thing you say before you even pick up the tray.

Hm, I'm a poet.

Yeah it's negligence, but you've suffered no damages so a suit is out. It may be that a mistake like this is a reportable error where you are (you'd know that better than me) but if not then it may be worth a quick call to your local health care regulatory board.


Title: Received a call from the FBI and was wondering if it was real or a scam...

Question:
I live in Texas and received a call today. When I answered, the caller asked for me and then proceeded to tell me that I had an affidavit filed against me. He told me to hold while he transferred me to his supervisor who would explain the situation further. I waited on hold for a couple of minutes, panicked, and then hung up.

 I quickly looked up the number online, and sure enough, it was the Austin FBI office. I lived in Austin about 6 months ago, but I now live in Houston.

As soon as I hung up, the same number started calling me again and I didn't respond. I was worried that this was a scam at first, but seeing as the number is legitimate, I'm not sure what to do next. Should I call the number back and ask for an explanation? If it isn't a scam, is there someway I can look up who filed the affidavit or what it's concerning? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT: Called the FBI office and they confirmed it was a scam.

Answer:
 "You're a human?  Please hold while I transfer you to an associate."

Scam.  If you are concerned then look up the number yourself for the Austin FBI and call that number.
Answer #2: It's possible to spoof a phone number on caller ID. Feel free to call the Austin FBI and tell them what happened. If there is an affidavit they want to talk to you about, it'll get figured out.Answer #3: Anyone can change the number that shows up on caller ID to anything at all.  I can call you from my home phone and make the White House switchboard number show up on your phone handset.  Do not trust that number for any reason.

It is conceivable that the FBI wants to talk to you.  If they do, you should politely decline to answer their questions about any subject, and consult an attorney.

Calling the Austin FBI office seems to be a reasonable way to separate "scam" from "FBI actually interested".

As a reminder, the FBI does NOT want your credit card information or for you to purchase pre-paid debit cards or for you to wire money to anyone.
Answer #4: As someone whose family has been investigated by the FBI, I can confirm they do not do it by phone.  You're being scammed.  Answer #5: >  I had an affidavit filed against me

I'm pretty sure that doesn't actually mean anything.Answer #6: >I had an affidavit filed against me

That's not even a thing. They don't file affidavits against people.  Good call on hanging up.  They were eventually going to ask you to pay a "fine" right then and there on the phone, otherwise if you wait, they'll claim you'll be arrested.


Title: [Canada] Was illegally arrested and charged with public intoxication last night

Question:
I was walking home last night with a glass bong and less than 1 gram of marijuana ( I do not have a license to legally carry marijuana but my understanding is that the evidence was obtained illegally so therefore it shouldn't matter), when 2 officers in a car pulled up beside me asking for my attention. I know that I don't have to answer their questions or stop to talk to them so I kept walking (I had not and was not committing a crime). They got out of their car and after asking a couple questions one of them threw me to the ground and handcuffed me. After detaining me for about 30 mins they let me go with a "public intoxication" charge which includes a $65 ticket. I was not breath test or sobriety tested at all, nor did I say I was intoxicated. I want to know how I should precede with this I am currently leaning to taking it to court as it is fully within my rights to walk away when not partaking in a crime whatsoever.

Thank you.

Answer:
 You must have accidentally submitted your post before you typed out the part where you were illegally arrested.

> as it is fully within my rights to walk away

That would have just made it even worse for you.Answer #2: >I do not have a license to legally carry marijuana but my understanding is that the evidence was obtained illegally so therefore it shouldn't matter

Why do you believe it was obtained illegally?Answer #3: We can't help you because we don't have all the information.  We don't know what information the police had when they arrested you.  I note that you did not say "I had not been drinking and using drugs and was completely sober" in your story.

Contact a lawyer and follow his or her advice.Answer #4: You have described nothing illegal. And you can't just keep walking, provincial law in all provinces requires you to abide by a policeman's lawful order ("asking for attention" is lawful). And in what universe are you a court? Only a court can decide if you were doing anything illegal or not. Not even the cops get to decide that, they can arrest you on *suspicion* of committing a crime but you, me, them... none of our opinions matter as to whether or not someone is doing something illegal or not.

In any case, please describe what *they* did that you believe a court will determine was illegal.


Title: victim impact statement

Question:
My younger brother was murdered last year, and I have the opportunity to write a victim impact statement. I have no idea where to start.

&#x200B;

I am mainly curious if these ever actually get used in the justice system? Is there a point in writing one other than a feeling of closure? I don't really want to go through the trauma again unless the statement may actually prove useful down the road.

&#x200B;

Any input, as well as advise on how to write a 'good' victim impact statement, would be greatly appreciated!

Answer:
 During sentencing you will have the opportunity to read/say it.  So it is used in the sense that it will be heard and the defendant will have to sit and listen to you say it.

As to what to put, it's common to talk about the relationship with your brother and how the actions of the defendant have robbed you of that relationship.  There are videos of them on Youtube if you want to see what other people did - but obv they are kind of a hard watch generally and even more so in your case since they will make you think directly of your loved one.


Title: Oil company mistakenly pumped a few gallons of oil into our basement. We asked them to pay for items lost and repairs. They're refusing to pay for repairs.

Question:
Hello /r/legaladvice, I'm hoping someone could help me. I'll try to make the story short and include as much information as I can.

On January 11th an oil company mistakenly came to our home and pumped 6 gallons of oil into our basement. We found the oil 6 hours later and our house absolutely reeked of diesel fumes. The driver left a receipt on our front door and it had the total gallons, wrong house number, and date/time on it.

We contacted the oil company and got ahold of their environmental cleanup person. He immediately got a 3rd party environmental company to come out and move our things and do some cleanup. The next day they came out with a dumpster and helped us get rid of the things that were damaged or not salvageable and they kept an inventory and gave myself and the oil company a copy. They then came several times after that to do some more cleanup because the smell was still strong.

Meanwhile, I had to miss days from work and also left early some days so that I could let the environmental cleanup people come and do more cleanup. They had to rip out part of my steps, drywall, insulation, and wall studs because they were soaked in oil. Also, part of the door way into our laundry room was removed because of the same reason. My wife's parents only live 15 minutes away so they were gracious enough to let my wife, my 10-month old, and I stay there for several weeks. We just moved back in a few days ago because we were very cautions of getting our son back into the house because of the strong odors.

We asked the oil company to replace the lost items, pay for the amount of time my wife and I had to take off work, and pay for the repairs needed to fix our basement steps. They dragged their feet for a week and a half and then told me that they would cover the items that were lost but denied the amount that we asked for to repair the steps and also denied several other expenses that we asked for. Their solution to getting rid of the smell was to keep our windows open. They installed a big fan which we had to keep running 24/7. We live in Pennsylvania and during that time it was cold so we were using extra heat and electricity. We asked them to include that in the amount but they would not cover that either.

We were told that in Pennsylvania if a homeowner transitions from oil to gas and don't cut off or cap the feed line the oil company is only responsible for the cleanup and we will have to go through our homeowners insurance to get compensated for the lost items. We bought our house in 2009 and it was already transitioned to gas. Last year we had to replace our HVAC system because someone tried stealing our condenser and dropped it.

I wanted to know if the representative for the oil company is telling the truth and can I take legal action towards the oil company?

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Answer: Have you reported this to your homeowner's insurance? You might be able to get the rest of it covered, and only have to pay the deductible.


Title: [CA] Friend being "sued" in Small Claims by tow company for "removal" of a vehicle she does not own.

Question:
Back story: 10 years ago, my friend "C" was dating "A". C owned a motor home that was in C's name at the time. When C and A separated, C transferred the title over to A.

About a month ago, C gets a bill from Jimmy's Towing, for $1500. The motor home was left on the side of a highway, caught on fire and abandoned. The police called the towing company to remove the motor home. Turns out that A never filed anything with the DMV so for 10 years, C had no idea the motor home was still technically in her name.

As soon as C realized that the motor home was still in her name, C went to the DMV and refiled the paperwork and mailed it to Jimmy's Towing.

Jimmy's towing sent C a bogus small claim court order, claiming to be suing for the cost of the tow, clean up and storage. They only sent her pages 2 & 3 out of 5. They wrote in a fake court number, false court room info and bogus dates for the appearance.

Nothing has been filed with the court. There is no info with a date of when it was filed, no stamp or signature from the court clerk either.

I know that, for small claims cases, they need to be filed with the court before being served either by mail by the court house, or served personally by a third party.

What can I tell her to give her piece of mind. I know this is a scare tactic and they are bullying her by making her think they are suing. Can they legally make up a fake court summons and send it out. Does that count as falsifying court documents?

Help?

Answer: I would think the real court would love to know about the fake one. Impersonating a court / court official would, at least in my mind, be a one way ticket to contempt of court charges.


Title: At work we were just told that if we clock out after our scheduled time, that time will be docked. Despite this our store manager wants us to stay past our scheduled time to ensure the store is clean. What can I do about this? I dont need to sue or anything, but I cant let it continue.

Question:
Also, as a manager I'm constantly scheduled till 9:00pm for closing, but it takes at least 15 minutes for the closing procedure, so I'm guaranteed to work unpaid for 15 minutes every single night.

What organization can I contact about this?

Answer: Your state labor board would be a good place to find info on this sort of thing. They would also probably be who you report this issue toAnswer #2: File a wage complaint. You must be paid for all time worked, no exceptions.


Title: Scammed out of 450$

Question:
Ok I bought something through a selling app, I was using PayPal buyer protection, and had sent the 450$ but they put a hold on the money 21 days or something, so the seller told me he was going to cancel the request and he did so he could send it out sooner, ok cool I thought I got my money back and now I will send another way. So we decided on an app I’ve never used before cash app, and I sent the money, goes through everything’s good he says he will ship in the morning
Morning comes around and he says he’s at the ups store, but says something along the lines of I want to verify I got the money even though he already received it, he sends me another request for 450$
Of course I tell him I’ve already sent the money, and to send me the shipping information he tells me to wait and I haven’t hear back since, this was this morning, I have chase, how can I get my money back as the transaction has been in the past 24 hours. The app is part of square space I guess and says I can get refunded I’m in California but I cannot find any links to get it started can I call my bank or something?
Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 You can call chase to see if they can do anything, but realistically that money is gone.  PayPal putting a hold on the account should have been your warning that this was a scam.Answer #2: PayPal put a hold on the money you sent him because his account is new to selling. That is standard practice. That's not your fault. The money would have been released to him in probably about a week.

Someone, either you or him are being deceptive or simply confused. Try and get the transaction reversed through whatever payment gateway you used.


Title: Could there be a malpractice lawsuit out of this?

Question: 6 months ago I broke my collarbone in a wrestling match. I went to the ER right after and they told me nothing seemed out of the ordinary and to follow up with an orthopedic 6 weeks later. 6-8 weeks pass, I go to an ortho and he tells me everything is healing fine and I should take about another month off... I went back there a month later and he told me everything seemed healed up and I was cleared for all contact sports and I could get back to wrestling. I was happy that I could finally go back but the day after I got cleared, I was practicing very lightly and I took down someone and I heard a crack in my collarbone. about a week later after that injury, I went to an urgent care place to get it x-rayed, and surprise, broken collarbone again... I was wondering if I could file a lawsuit on my ortho for malpractice because I was clearly not ready to go back to contact sports even though he had cleared me for it. Doctors are not cheap and the bills have been racking up to almost a grand and I am going to another ortho next week to make sure if I need surgery or not. So is there a legit lawsuit involved in this or no?

Answer:
 "You're clear for contact sports" does not translate to "you can participate in contact sports and it's impossible for you to get hurt."

I fail to see how you breaking your collarbone again is your doctor's fault.


Title: [CT] I did NOT speed, yet got a ticket for speeding. Advice appreciated

Question:
I was driving in a highway with 65 as its speed limit at about 9pm. I made sure not to drive over 65, especially after seeing the cop from at least quarter mile away and being behind a pick up truck most of the way. Yet he proceeded to pull me over and said I was going 85 or 90 when he measured me. He claimed how his speed gun was calibrated, how he wouldn't argue with me and gave me a ticket for going 71 to 'go easy on me'

What complicates this issue is my registration was not up to date, and I have a relatively bad driving record. I understand how it makes me look not trust worthy. but I swear to whatever holy entity I did not speed and I shouldn't have to pay $335 for something I did not do because of my past. I have no idea what the issue is with the registration, but I will take care of it asap. I have no real way to prove that I was not speeding above limit as well. If only I could submit my own unaltered memory as evidence.

Anyone have an experience like this, or got an advice for me?

Answer: I would contest it. Most officers are expecting you to be compliant and pay the fee. Within reason, contesting the ticket will have it dropped.


Title: Should I take fight back for $800 worth of towing fees from HOA?

Question:
**Location: CA, USA**

**Incident #1: ~3 weeks ago**
 I came back from college for a weekend to visit my boyfriend at his condo. I parked my car where I usually did, in his spot with his condo # painted on it. A couple of hours later, I came out and my car had disappeared without a ticket or a warning. I thought my car had been stolen since I'd parked here numerous times before without issue but I finally thought to call the towing company and it turns out they towed my car because the security run by the HOA at night time stated that there was a new regulation they forced the landlords to implement that ALL resident spots needed parking permits now, which was funny since my boyfriend received no prior formal notice about this rule and the only notice he'd gotten was a note posted on his door by the management office the day that my car was towed and he certainly did not receive any parking permits in the mail or at his door. I also noticed that none of the cars parked next to mine had permits of any sort either. I ended up paying $385 to get my car back.

**Incident #2: ~last week**
I'd officially gotten out of school and went to visit my boyfriend again. Aware that I wasn't allowed to park in his spot anymore, I parked in a 24 hour guest parking spot. (The sign literally is like this: http://puu.sh/wdL8q/b39d9f9039.jpg). Thinking it was perfectly fine for me, as a guest who planned to leave in less than 24 hours time, it was apparently a mistake because I came out to go back home at around 2 am (I got there at 4 pm) my car was again missing. However, the same cars that were parked in the guest parking were still there. I was so outraged that they towed my car that I talked to the leasing office the next day (where the landlord's company is) and they found that it was preposterous that they towed my car because I wasn't a resident and I was there for less than 24 hours. They gave me the number to call the HOA office and after speaking with them, they informed me that I needed a guest permit as even in a guest parking spot and that they told the landlords to send out information about this new policy. However, when I spoke to the lady in the leasing office who works for the landlord company, it seemed like she wasn't aware that guest parking spots also needed a guest permit in order for someone to park there. They basically played a blame game with each other about HOA enforcing certain rules that the landlords didn't execute properly. Again, I had to pay $385 to get my car back.

To sum it all up:

**1. I don't care who's fault it is. I want to know why my boyfriend received no formal email, mail, or even phone call from the leasing office/landlord and/or HOA about this changed policy.** HOA argued that they told the landlords to send out permits, but if the landlord didn't do so or send out any notification about it, how can my boyfriend be liable for not telling me about the rules? The post taped on his door the day it happened was NOT a sufficient warning or notification.

**2. At this point I would like to take this to a small claims court.** Would it be okay for me to file the case even though I'm technically not a resident? Or would be it better for my boyfriend to do it even though it's my car?

I just want to know that I'm not being unreasonable and outraged over nothing. Is it worth fighting for because at this point, especially after the second ticket, which was COMPLETELY unreasonable I don't think I can keep letting them walk all over me like this. And just to put it out there, my boyfriend is a very responsible person and he abides by and takes these things very seriously. If he had known about these new regulations he would have informed me without question.

Has anyone else had issues with a similar situation before?

Answer:
 Incident 1: He got notice on his door that parking permits were now required. Nothing to see there.

You may have a case to file for the second parking ticket, but the first was totally legit. You would need to file the small claims case, not your BF.


Title: I rear ended someone, no damage was visible but now they want $200

Question: [deleted]

Answer: It's indeed unlikely that the vehicle was damaged, because if it *was*, it would almost certainly cost a lot more than $200 to fix. But yeah, she could report to the police that you were driving without a license.


Title: To run from a family court warrant or not.

Question: I recently missed a court date. I want just released from Lexington ct. And was homeless. So I had to go to a shelter and stay. The only problem was the next day I had family court in another county. Being homeless and immobile I couldn't make it to court. So a warrant was issued. I'm curious if I run from the warrant will I have to serve more then the 33 days I had on the shelf?

Answer: Nothing good can happen from running.


Title: ADA Accommodations (USA, OR and MO)

Question:
I don't know if this is the right place to ask this question, but here goes:

My wife currently has a job that affords her ADA accommodations for a non-obvious disability. We are thinking of moving states, from Oregon to Missouri, and with that a job change. What can we expect to happen regarding her accommodations when she changes jobs?

Thank you for any and all insight, and I can potentially provide more details if necessary.

Answer: You can expect to have to inform the new employer of the need for a reasonable accommodation for a disability.  Assuming the new employer is subject to the ADA they will have to provide A reasonable accommodation, but it might not be the same as the one she currently gets.Answer #2: She would have to reapply at her new job.


Title: [NJ] Debt Collector Provided Copy of Contract per FDCPA, but it Does Not Match the Original

Question:
An alleged unpaid balance from a former gym I was a member of has gone to collections.  I have just received the collector's copy of the Membership Agreement and it is substantially different from the copy in my files.

* My name has been edited from [First MI OldSurname] to [First MI NewSurname OldSurname]
* New credit card information has overwritten the original contract information
* Additional clauses have been inserted above my signature
* My signature has been reproduced and inserted under new clauses

My original agreement stated

>[Gym] reserves the right to alter these rules and regulations

but later states
> This agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties and may not be modified unless in writing

This gym has previously gone in front of the NJ Division of Public Affairs and settled over writing an unenforceable contract (which my original categorically falls into), but I fall outside the period wherein the the Division would have automatically handled this for me.

This all seems *highly* illegal to me. The alleged balance is not substantial, collection fees included. Is it worth my time to try and sue these guys? CAN I sue these guys?
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 Illegal as hell.

Probably not worth suing, though you certainly can.

However, totally worth going to the DA or Division of Public Affairs or Trade Commission and getting this assholes nailed to the wall.

This is the kind of thing that law enforcement was made to do.


Title: My (29M) ex gf (27f) will not move out (CA)

Question:
I will keep the details brief, because if I told you the entirety of the insanity, I am sure some people that we know would be able to tell who I am.

&#x200B;

She is not on the lease, and I have not given her "formal notice", other than text messages/DMs/etc.

&#x200B;

I dated my ex for \~8 of the past 9 years. We were each other's first for basically everything. Talked about marriage, kids, etc, after only about a year. For one reason or another, it never happened, and we broke up after she cheated on me. After dating other people for a year, we eventually got back together after a few on-again, off-again spouts. Long story short, our relationship was okay for a long time, but I don't think it ever got back to being good. Then, we moved together to a new state when I got a better job (10x pay). Things got real, real bad then.

&#x200B;

She didn't work, didn't clean, didn't eat, didn't leave the apartment. She basically became depressed. She started having more and more relationships with guys that crossed boundaries. I told her this made me uncomfortable, and she never stopped. Eventually, I looked her in the face, and without a specific example, I told her that I was unhappy. She said we can talk about that some other time. I tried again every few nights, but she never wanted to talk about it. I broke up with her about a month later, and she seemed shocked.

&#x200B;

The initial part of the breakup was hard for me; I kept telling her things could potentially work out in some future if she got her shit together and actually learned to care about me as a person. She was still staying at my apartment at this time (living in another state than her family and friends with no money; I felt bad for her). This clearly didn't work out, so I told her she was no longer welcome to stay. She flipped out, but eventually started staying somewhere else. I didn't immediately pressure her to pack her things, but after a few weeks, I told her that it was weird that her stuff was still here. She gave me every excuse in the book; some warranted, some not. Eventually, I convinced her that she needed to pack her things.

&#x200B;

It's been about six weeks now, with her packing while I am not home, and I she has basically put a few things in boxes. She is also trying to take everything that I own because "I can buy another." For example, she feels entitled to all of the dishes, even though she won't have an apartment wherever she goes. If I press her about the items not being hers, she complains that she picked it out and that all I did was pay for the item, and I don't deserve it. If I tell her that she is being ridiculous, the items magically end up broken and in pieces all over the apartment. My apartment is an unlivable mess, and its really getting in the way of my personal life. She comes over and leaves weird, manipulative things all over the place.

She has a key, and according to my landlord, if she won't give that back, I am pretty much SOL until my lease ends. What should I do? She has told me multiple times that she will be done by some point, but it never happens. "I will get everything out by NYE", "I will come get the large boxes this weekend", "I will get everything out by the end of January" -- it seems every time she makes a promise, negative progress is made. For context, we broke up **over three months ago now.**

&#x200B;

What is my best course of action?

Answer:
 OP- Assuming her name isn't on the lease of the place you currently live, you can give her 30 days *written* notice that she needs to formally vacate. It doesn't sound like you've done this, so you should do it now. You should google "\[Your city/county name\] + notice to vacate template". Issue her the notice, along with a succint second page that advises her belongings will be disposed of at the end of the 30 days (note that you shouldn't actually dispose of her possessions at the end of the 30 days if they're still there).

Alternatively if you want to make it a cleaner break, you can do a 'cash for keys' setup where you agree with her (in writing) that she'll return her key to you and move out immediately in exchange for a cash payment from you.

Those are probably your two best options.


Title: Royal Caribbean just food poisoned me. What can I do?

Question: Ate a piece of plastic under the food and Im feeling sick

Answer:
 Why did you eat the plastic? You clearly saw it under the food.

Go to a doctor if you feel sick. Even without knowing your location, and from the limited fact, I highly doubt you have any claim for anything.


Title: [OH][House Rental] Landlord wants me to pay for the full month but move out on the 15th.

Question: My lease ends July 31st, and my landlord is telling me I have to move out on the 15th so that they can get the house ready for new tenants. They also expect me to pay for July. Can they do this?

Answer:
 What does your lease say about it?

If your lease says you have and agreement till the 31st, then you are allowed to be there till the 31st.

I am going to wager that the LL does not want to miss a months worth of rent.  His possible financial loss is not your concern and you should tell him that.

Tell him to get lost or allow you to end the lease early without suffering a loss (50% of your rent).  Making you pay for 50% of the month so he continues to earn an income while putting you out is not fair.  Answer #2: Tell him his request was good for a few laughs and direct him to your lease where it says you have occupancy until 7/31. I would ask, if you would like me to be out by 7/15 you can gladly waive July's rent as penalty for breaking the lease early and you will be out by 7/15. Turn it around on him and he can pay for the privilege of having you out sooner.Answer #3: No. If your lease ends July 31st, then that's when you need to be out. You can always negotiate though, if you're willing to move out earlier and your landlord is willing to pay you to do so or give you a break on July's rent. Answer #4: They cannot tell you to be out before your lease end date. You can stay until the 31st if you want. If you want to move out on the 15th, then explain you will be out on that day but will not pay for the rest of the month. Then get it in writing.


Title: Someone Hacked My Facebook Account

Question: Someone Hacked My Facebook Account. Facebook gives you the IP address where someone logged in. I found the house using a website. Found the phone number and person living in it using yellowpages. That person for obvious reasons isn't picking up my phone and if I show up to the doorstep they saw my facebook profile photo so it's obvious they won't open the door. I'm in the GTA in Ontario, Canada what can I do to get this annoying piece of human garbage?

Answer:
 There is a 0.1% chance you pinpointed the house via IP.Answer #2: There is a roughly zero percent chance that you've locked down the right house.

Take steps with Facebook to recover your account, change your passwords, enable two-factor authentication, move on with your life.Answer #3: You can contact Facebook about recovering access to your account, then take the time to go through and audit the authorized apps, change your password, and set up two-factor authentication. Do the same on your email account.

You could file a police report, as it is against the law, but the RCMP has better things to do and the report likely won't go anywhere.


Title: How to get myself removed from my parents health insurance?

Question:
I need to be removed from my parents health insurance for privacy reasons since I was abused, and I'm wondering how?
I'm under 26

I applied for medicaid and got it, I just need to get off of theirs.

&#x200B;

I'll do whatever I need to to get off of it even if I have to go through the legal system somehow.

Please no comments about "heres how you can contact your insurance company to get x privacy protection" I just want off of it so theres no chance of them seeing my new legal name or anything.

Answer: You really do need to contact them and tell them you're covered under a different policy.


Title: Got cited on the bus today, and attempting to protest...

Question:
California, San Francisco.

I was cited today on the MUNI by police officers for fare evasion because I accidentally left my wallet at home. By some stroke of luck, I found a MUNI card on the bus today that someone had dropped, and had $9 left on it. However, I did not use any of it and stupidly handed it over to the fare inspectors.

However, I am also a student of the University of San Francisco, and we have little stickers on our university ID's (and I have said sticker on my ID in my wallet at home), with the expiration date set for January 20. Because it is January 15, I have decided to protest my citation on the grounds that I was not "avoiding fare", but rather I know that I have evidence of paying my fair (through my university) and that just because I do not have it with me, I can void the citation.

Similarly, a couple years back, a friend on Caltrain had been cited for "Fare Evasion" when he had paid for a Caltrain monthly ticket - it was just not on him. He went to protest and had his citation voided on the grounds that he had already paid his fare, and that he was not avoiding paying fare because he was able to provide proof later that he did pay for the fare and the evidence was just not on him.

So, any advice? Please?

Answer:
 You are not "protesting" the charge.

You are pleading not guilty and you have a defense to the charge.

Will it work?  Maybe.  All you can do is try and see what happens.


Title: Mens Rea, Actus Reus, and Child Seduction Indiana

Question: A local Child Seduction case involves two parties who were involved in a relationship and who both were over the legal age of consent. Assuming both parties were willingly involved in the relationship on their own accord, without either party using authority or position to gain an advantage in the relationship (to make it happen in the first place) and assuming both parties had no idea they were involved in a potentially illegal act, how would the prosecutor come forward with the charges that have been filed? Another question would be how would the defense prove lack of acts reus and/or mens rea and does either apply to such a crime?

Answer: You say that neither party used authority or position to gain an advantage, but were either party in a position of authority during the relationship?


Title: Required to pay back scholarship

Question:
I received a scholarship from the National Science Foundation for about $80,000 for the last 2 years of my college education. The scholarship was paid out for the years 2010-2011 and 2011-2012. There were a bunch of requirements for the scholarship that had to be completed throughout my time at school, such as specialize in cyber security, write a security thesis, do cyber security internships during the Summer, participate in scholarship activities such as hackathons, etc. I completed all of these. The big requirement after college is to work for the government for 2 years. They say you can work for a federal, state, local, or even tribal government agency. Also, federally funded research labs are acceptable. On top of that the job must be cyber security related.

&#x200B;

I have been working for a cyber security company for 3 years now. It is a private company. Our only customer is the federal government and we work closely with certain agencies within the government. I tried petitioning for a long time to get this job to count towards meeting the scholarship requirements. The point of this scholarship is to get more young people involved with cyber security in the US government, which I believe I am doing.

&#x200B;

I have spoken to someone higher up about this about 3 years ago and got a decision about I want to say a year and half later. They decided not to count this and want me to pay all the money back. When I spoke to the person 3 years ago we talked about me paying back half of it in the case they wouldn't fully count it. But now, they are saying to pay back all of it. I am currently waiting to speak with the person I spoke to those 3 years ago to ask about what we initially talked about (since it was so long ago and it is possible they forgot), which it has been a few months now. I'm having a hard time getting anywhere and just want all this to be done with. I am not really getting responses by email anymore.

&#x200B;

On top of paying back the scholarship, they said there would be interest. I was reading through the contract and don't see any mention of interest or fees or anything like that. Can they decide to just tack on interest? They assure me interest isn't accruing during this waiting period of them making a decision and me waiting to speak to someone, but it still bothers me that they could request interest for the past almost 10 years even though I am trying to resolve this. They have only told me this by phone and not in writing which is bothersome considering I was also told by phone that I would pay back half of it as a worst case scenario. I am not saying they are going to try and screw me over as I really don't think they would do that. Everyone I have dealt with has been super nice, it is all just very frustrating.

&#x200B;

Also, the statute of limitations for contracts in my state is 10 years. I don't think this applies to me though since I have kept contact with them all this time which would basically reset the time every time I contact them about it?

&#x200B;

Has anyone been in a similar situation before, any advice?

Answer:
 Is it too last for you to switch to a government job to meet their criteria?

I'm not sure why you would even consider a contractor position as being sufficient. You're not employed by the government, contract or not.


Title: (Massachusetts) got caught with alcohol and I'm 18 just wondering if anyone can tell me what the consequences are. I looked online but cant find anything useful

Answer:
 In Mass? Up to 5 yrs in Prison.

JK.  It's a [misdemeanor](http://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/resources/criminal-defense/crime-penalties/massachusetts-minor-possession-alcohol-charges-p#) with a typical punishment of $50 fine and you might lose your license for a few months.  If it is a first offense you might be able to handle it with a diversion or deferral.


Title: Girlfriend apparently inheriting a lot of money from a rich friend who died, has to pay $4k to a lawyer, I can’t shake the fear that it’s some elaborate scam.

Question:
Ok I don’t know a whole lot of the details of this situation, so bear with me here. We live in California. My girlfriend was good friends with an old woman who has been hospitalized since they met, while she was doing some kind of volunteer work at the hospital. Apparently she didn’t have any family left and was left about $7,000,000 by her late husband, who made that money off some properties he owned. I guess my girlfriend was the best friend she had towards the end of her life.

My girlfriend says that this friend contacted her via email while she was near death and told her that she was going to leave the money to her. She also says that she did communicate with her via the same email account in the past, and that other people she knows have mentioned her passing away. For this reason, I feel like this is legit and I’m just being paranoid, but I’m not sure.

Suffice to say, this whole “I’m going to be a millionaire” situation came as quite a shock to me and raised bullshit alarms in my head. My girlfriend has no doubts at all that this is real. After the woman passed away, she received an email from a bank, which I guess I can’t state the name of or link to their website according to the sub rules, saying she has to submit certain documents as part of the process of receiving the inheritance money. She also was exchanging emails with a “Barrister [guy’s name].” I googled the name of the barrister and “is [bank’s name] legit,” no results.

So the issue is, she apparently has to pay about $4,000 to a lawyer, who she says was picked by the bank, for him to help submit all these legal documents, which has to be paid up front before the process can start. She doesn’t have that kind of money lying around and is asking me to help, which I’d be glad to, but only once I’m more confident that this is legit. I have no idea how these legal processes work, does anything about this seem like a scam? Apologies if there isn’t enough detail, this is about all I know.

Answer:
 > she apparently has to pay about $4,000 to a lawyer, who she says was picked by the bank, for him to help submit all these legal documents

That's almost certainly a scam

> Barrister [guy’s name]

Attorneys in the US don't typically use "barrister", because that's not a meaningful designation here

If he's claiming to be an attorney in California, you can always search the [state records](http://members.calbar.ca.gov/fal/LicenseeSearch/QuickSearch?ResultType=0&SearchType=0&SoundsLike=False)Answer #2: 1000% sounds like a very common scam


Title: [WA] I’m 19 and I was just told I’ve been “clopening”

Question: [removed]

Answer: According to the [Washington State Department of Labor](https://www.lni.wa.gov/WorkplaceRights/Wages/HoursBreaks/Breaks/Default.asp) you are required to get both breaks and meal periods during these shifts.Answer #2: No, it's not legal. Your employer is required by law to give you a thirty minute meal break per five hour shift and you can't be required to work more than three hours without a break. You can file a complaint [here](https://www.lni.wa.gov/WorkplaceRights/ComplainDiscrim/WRComplaint/) with the Washington DoL. You can't be fired or punished for filing a complaint.


Title: Left a job site following employers abusive words. He says I legally quit. Is this true?

Question: I am a climbing arborist in So.CA. My employer says that I legally quit following his verbal lashing where he stated "I don't believe a fucking word that comes out of your mouth. Do you know that, Mike?". He said this to me after I had explained to him why we ran one hour overtime to complete our last tree for the day. He had left early at 4 PM and had told me to complete the tree that I was about to climb. our 8hr time for the day would be up at 4:30 PM, but this tree was obviously going to take more time than that. He is also an experience climber and knew this. He is also an experienced climber and knew this. He is my close friend and employer. I was emotionally crushed and could not safely conduct my duties for the day. (A personal performance issue)  He has a history of emotional instability, and frequently verbally attacks his employees during an emotional outburst.

Answer:
 > I was emotionally crushed and could not safely conduct my duties for the day.

LOL, what?

You walked off the job. You may not have meant to quit, but you abandoned your job and he can fire you for it **[EDIT FOR THE PEDANT:]** and the EDD may consider it quitting anyway.Answer #2: Yes you quit.  If those "abusive" words were enough to melt you, you should get counseling to work on yourself.Answer #3: Yeah, this can be called constructive quit.  Meaning walking off the job site was tantamount to quitting, even if you never explicitly said so.  It's also very much going to prevent you getting unemployment.


Title: Leaving a lease early in Maine due to feeling unsafe

Question:
I told my landlords that I'd be moving out early because I felt very uncomfortable in my living situation. My roommate deals a small amount of pot from our house. He smokes in the house constantly and it can be smelled from outside our apartment. He also gave his friend a key to the apartment so that he can smoke in our living room as well.  His girlfriend is over almost every night. They all have very poor boundaries when it comes to my space. He enters my room when I'm not home to access the back porch.

 I have not been comfortable enough to sit in our living room since I moved in. So, I decided that I needed to find a place that was better for my health and safety (and I have). But I am still trying to find someone to take my place.

I was told that I was responsible for finding my replacement in the apartment and Have been trying diligently to do so since mid February. No one seemed to meet my roommate's criteria. I have found qualified people, but my leasing company is unwilling to sublet. My roommate's girlfriend is allergic to cats, and that has eliminated a large group of people, despite the fact that pets are allowed in the building. Her needs are being put above my own and she doesn't even pay rent. The people I have shown the place to have been interested in the room, but have been turned away by my roommate's actions. Despite being told about showings in advance, he will invite three or four of his friends over and smokes a bong or drinks during the showing (if he even shows up at all). He is making it nearly impossible to find a responsible roommate. I feel like he is intentionally making it difficult for me so that he will have more space in the apartment at my expense until my lease is up June 30th.

From my understanding of Maine Law, landlords are supposed to provide reasonable help filling the space. My landlord hasn't even advertized the room. I have pages and pages of email exchanges and text conversations regarding setting up apartment showings. I have shown the place to over 15 people.

Do I have some sort of right to stop paying rent? Are there any loopholes I should look into? I can't afford to pay 2 more months of rent, especially if I am being sabotaged in my attempts to fill the space.

Answer:
 Your landlord has a duty to mitigate, but they do not have to go above and beyond their normal procedures for advertising space for rent.  If they don't normally place advertisements, then they don't have to place advertisements for you.

The landlord also does not have to prioritize your space over others.  He has to treat your space as a normal vacancy and fill it by his normal procedures.

As long as he isn't treating your property differently, he is not sabotaging your space.

Have you notified the landlord about your roommate dealing drugs from the space?  Seems like that would be an easy way to get him to agree to terminate the lease.


Title: Louisiana: How do price gouging laws apply to rental housing?

Question:
So our parish is still going to be in a state of emergency until Sept 25, and I know price gouging laws apply through 30 days afterwards.

I've read through the laws and they are really, really vague about how price gouging is defined.

A friend of mine just finished a very nice 2 bedroom rehab and had already planned to rent it out for $1200.

The issue is, there's a vigilante "group" on Facebook who are reporting pretty much every rental as price gouging because rentals are scarce and they have declared no 2 bedrooms should cost more than $800 and 3 bedrooms should be $1000.  This is completely ridiculous, but I'm concerned that the vague laws plus multiple reports could mean trouble.

So does anyone know if there's any guidelines to stay on the legal side of things?  I looked at HUD's section 8 guidelines but the prices are WAY under even pre flood prices and don't account for amenities or anything.

Answer:
 Yeah, those people are insane.

a) The law only covers goods or services being sold.  A lease for real estate is neither.

b) Even if real estate were included, the law says that you cannot charge prices which "unreasonably exceed prices normally charged for the item in the same area."  If the apartment went for $1200 before the emergency, it can go for that much during a state of emergency