Title: My hometown is crooked and bleeding me dry. Please help!

Question: Hey guys this is ny first post here for ablong time lurker but i am seriously at a loss. I struggle with anxiety and i havent been able eat or sleep in weeks and i could really use some help. A few months ago my boyfriend and I were driving through Central City, Nebraska. He was driving and got pulled over doing 36 in 30. We had less than an ounce of marijuana on us and a pipe. They didnt take our insurance card or my id and almost immediately put me in the back of the car and started questioning me while he was being questioned across the street. I dont remember if my rights to me but I messed up and said it was "Ours" They gave him his second offense POM and Paraphernalia charges and sent us on our way. When he was sentenced they gave him 2 days jail time and max fine for such offense. About a week later i get a citation in the mail for ME. How can they do this? They didnt take my information or cite me at the time but instead the state rep. took it upon herself to pick up the case and file it. I just had court and they denied me a public defender with me working at a gas station making 11.22 an hour, no spouse, no outside income, barely a livable wage. And the lawer i talked to was "buddies" with the judge and basically told me that yes they picked up my case because they recognized my name and there really isnt anything i can do about it. And that im basically a habitual drug user and need to take responsibility for my actions (my only charges are Marijuana charges, this would be my second offense as well). I can barely finish writing this now because my anxiety is so high, i feel like im being targeted. Someone please help!

Answer:
 >  i feel like im being targeted

You can stop being targeted if you stop getting caught with illegal drugs.

Answer #2: >How can they do this?
>
>**We** had less than an ounce of marijuana on us and a pipe.

Because you BOTH possessed the marijuana. You even admitted it in your narrative.Answer #3: What is crooked about that? You had weed on you and got charged accordingly.


Title: Would it be legal to upload my university's (CT, USA) lectures to Youtube from Panopto?

Question:
Panopto is a service for recording lectures and saving them to university digital storage. At my school, the lectures are available to all students of that class or the entire university, given they log into Panopto with their university email. This decision is up to the professors themselves.

Because several classes fill up quickly, many students never have the chance to take some classes. They may also sometimes want to prep for a teacher's lecturing style before a class starts.

Thus, would it be legal to upload lecture videos from Panopto to Youtube, set to "public" so that anyone can see them?

Answer:
 No, don't do that. It is copyright infringement. Answer #2: You absolutely need permission from people to do that. Professors live or die by their lectures. Releasing them on the internet for free without their permission is a big infringement of their rights.

If the professors and university agrees then that's one thing. Just going ahead and doing it? That's going to end poorly.Answer #3: >Thus, would it be legal to upload lecture videos from Panopto to Youtube, set to "public" so that anyone can see them?

IANAL, but I am a college professor. I can assure you that if a student did this with my work, I would spend my time ensuring that appropriate disciplinary actions were taken by the university. My guess is it falls somewhere between academic probation and getting kicked out entirely, and I'd strongly push for the latter. Answer #4: No a university/professor policy to make lectures available to students does not give you the right to give it to the entire world without their permission.


Title: Advice for friend: Sexting while underage. Years later Ex is blackmailing.

Question:
My friend is 19 now.  When she was 15ish, she sent some nudes to her then-boyfriend.  Now he is threatening to post them online if she doesn't essentially become his submissive.  I know its illegal what he's doing.  However, I'm wondering if she goes to the police, will she get in trouble as she took the photos when she was a minor.  She can't remember, but he may have been 18 at the time of distribution as well.  Not sure if that matters.  So I guess the question is, if she goes to the police, will she get in trouble?

She lives in New York
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 State matters since it may be outside the *state* statute of limitations for her distribution but if he still has them then he is still committing the crime of possession of child pornography.Answer #2: Your friend should contact a women's crisis centre or sexual assault helpline near her. What this arsehole is suggesting is essentially rape  (along with a number of other serious crimes)

I appreciate your friends concerns which is why she needs to find somebody to help her when she contacts the police. She could also find a criminal defense attorney herself who will be able to help.

I'm fairly certain she's protected by the statute of limitations  (but I'm on my phone and my Google fu failed to bring up a definite answer). Even if she isn't an advocate should be able to push for her to not be prosecuted in the interest of pursuing the more serious crimes of the arsehole or, worst case scenario, a diversion  program that won't screw her up long term.

http://nyscasa.org/

Try that number or just google what's in your area until she finds somebody she is comfortable with.


Title: School district issues

Question:
I live in Long Island, NY
The School district of the town i live in has threatened to keep my kids from attending school, if I deny their private investigator from entering my home and take photos of my bedrooms as proof of residence.  Is this even legal? I submitted proof of documents that show I live at the address. Property tax bill, NY state issued license, Phone bill...The investigator got verbal proof from my landlord, the investigator even witnessed my children exit the residence and get on the school bus..After all of that the district says it is not enough proof . They demand photos of my childrens bedrooms.. I would like to say ok fine come inside, take the photos and leave but I feel the district is just abusing their power. I need advise please.

I have been living at the address for 7 years now. My oldest child has been enrolled in the school for 4 yrs ( kinder to 3rd grade) My youngest for 2 years (kinder to 1st grade)

UPDATE:  I got in contact with a Long Island Advocacy group and they confirmed the district has no right in demanding photos. They suggested I print out the NY State proof of residence requirements and submit that to the district.

Answer:
 Escalate this to the next level. Go to the boss of whomever is demanding this investigation. Answer #2: This certainly sounds invasive, and I'm not sure if they have the right to demand to take pictures of the house, particularly bedrooms.

If I were you, I would be looking for a lawyer, and sending a certified letter to every school board member.

The behavior of the principal and superintendent sounds egregious.  I can't say if they are breaking laws, but it sounds like they might be setting themselves up to find out in a courtroom. Answer #3: Our NY school district requires renters to get an affidavit from their landlord declaring that they are bona fide tenants.  Perhaps you can send such a letter to the district via certified mail.  It wouldn't hurt to have it notarized either.  I think you should look up when the next school board meeting is, and make an issue of this.

That being said, my childhood school district had problems with students attending who did not live within the district boundaries.  They did hire private investigators to follow children home after school, and make sure that they actually lived within the district.


Title: I think a job discriminated me because of my age and I’m not sure how to handle this.

Question:
To make a long story short there was an opening for the mascot at my college, and I went out and auditioned. We were told we would be notified if we got the position, which I did not get of course.  I emailed the people who auditioned me and asked what I was lacking, out of curiosity. The email read something along the lines of “You did a fantastic job during the tryout! However, we needed someone younger who could be the mascot for a longer period of time.” I am a sophomore (just finished sophomore year), which means a freshman clearly got the role. I told the people who auditioned me I would be more than willing to continue the mascot role through grad school assuming I get accepted, which apparently did not mean much. Was this discrimination, or am I just thinking too hard into this? Assuming it was, what are my options moving forward?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Age discrimination under federal and SC law goes one way: only people over 40 are protectedAnswer #2: It was discrimination but not illegal discrimination.   Age Discrimination in Employment Act forbids age discrimination against people who are 40 and over.Answer #3: Certainly this is discrimination as all selection processes are.

This is likely not unlawful or actionable discrimination.


Title: Do I have to answer questions from police for an investigation?

Question:
I'm in California.

My husband was just arrested a few hours ago. The detective asked if I knew what was going on and I told them I didn't know much, that I didn't want to know. The detective just called me and asked another question. I told him I didn't feel comfortable answering questions and I told him I think I need a lawyer. He said I'm not under arrest and I can get one if I feel like I need one. He said that by not helping the investigation, I could be seen as aiding and abetting. He also said he's talking to my husband "right now" but I feel like my husband wouldn't say anything without an attorney present. Also, he was arrested shortly before 930 and they asked for more information at 1230. Would he have a public defender that fast?

Am I under any legal obligation to give statements or information to police?

Answer: You never have to talk to the police.  They can certainly proceed with the investigation without your input, though.


Title: I won a substantial judgment in CA small claims court but the debtor has simply ignored everything and not paid for two years. How do I find a reputable credit agency to sell this debt to?

Question:
Hello!

I won a $6500 judgment two years ago. With interest, it's grown to over $7500. The debtor has not responded to any email or outreach since the original form where he offered to pay $500 a month. I hate conflict and am super busy, so I've been nice, but now I'm all done.

Is there a way to sell the debt to a credit agency? And how do I find a reputable one?

Thank you for the help!

Answer: Look at the links at the bottom where it says "ask the court for help". http://www.courts.ca.gov/1178.htmAnswer #2: Did you try to garnish his wages or his bank account? A collections agency is just going to give you pennies on the dollar.


Title: Can my mother be fired for something that I ask?

Question:
I'll make a very long story very short. My mother started working as the music director at a church in Texas and I've recently become a member of the church. The priest (her boss) creates a terribly hostile work environment and everyone there just cowers to him. I've recently been sort of finding my way back to my faith and the song somewhere over the rainbow was really major part of my childhood so I would love to play it in church. I play cello in church most Sundays and my mom mentioned to me that somewhere over the rainbow came up and our priest said no to playing it in worship. Now he does not like her much at all and I'm sure is looking for any reason to fire her, but I'd really like to send him an email personally asking to play it. In her contract it says that he can fire her for insubordination and she's worried that if I ask him he will see it as insubordination from her and fire her. We really can't afford to lose that job. This is the culture of fear he's created.

So I'm just wondering if he can fire her for something like that

Thanks!
Topic:
Labor Law (Unions)

Answer:
 He can fire her for that or for no reason. So please, don’t possibly put her in this position.

Actually if he’s so awful, I would suggest finding another church.


Title: Ex-boyfriend gave me a bass guitar for safekeeping. Do I still have to give it back?

Question:
In Alabama, my then-boyfriend entrusted me with a bass guitar to keep over the summer, since he would be abroad the entire summer. Now, he doesn't and hasn't ever played the bass guitar (I do, however); he just bought it to impress me. He never actually practiced. However, as you might expect, we didn't actually make it through the summer as a couple. I have attempted to return the guitar, although he doesn't try very hard to pick it up. My ex has all my contact information, so I'm not running away with it. It's just obvious to me that he doesn't have any use for a bass guitar. Should I try harder to return it, or can I consider myself the proud owner of a Fender Squier and bass amp? Thank you for your help!

EDIT: To make my question clearer, what do you do in a situation where you have someone else's property and they refuse to take it back?

Answer:
 OK, did nobody actually read OPs post?

It's obvious they know to return it, but the issue is the ex is not attempting to retrieve his property. The legaladvice question is, what do you do in a case where you have someone elses property and they don't take it back.


Title: Las Vegas, NV Gated community non residential parking in the street

Question:
I live in a decent sized house with my family of 6 and the HOA has been constantly harassing us with unjustifiable warnings about the way our house looks. Recently, they passed this rule where residents are not allowed to park on the street anywhere in our small gated community. Since I have a big family, we have a lot of cars and a boat. Also, my dad has a company car that changes constantly. Our community has less than 30 houses and a tiny park in the middle of the square and it's located two miles away from any high traffic area.

The history that my household has had with the HOA were many petty things like one of our cars needed to be washed, the boat engine was turned on all day (we start the boat once every few months to make sure that it's ok and leave it on for no longer than 5 minutes), and Christmas lights being on our house on the 26th of December. I even heard from a neighbor that they got a notice for their children playing on the streets too loudly at 4 PM.

Apparently, the president of the HOA had a few lawyers looking over this no on street parking rule and it was deemed completely reasonable. Every member of the community is irritated and inconvenienced by it. Any advice?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 > Any advice?

Tell your dad to read up on the hoa rules and stick to them. He should go to the meetings, run for the board, be active in the community he agreed to belong to. Or sell and live somewhere with no hoa.


Title: Can I get a restraining order against someone in my college?

Question: I (20F) have recently been having a problem with a guy (40ishM) in one of my classes. He was initially just very talkative during class and it was distracting and annoying and then made some sexual advances I was uncomfortable with. I was told by other girls and friends in the school to not tell the administration as they would not handle anything and would make things difficult for me, like not filling forms I turn in or ignoring order requests (I'm a club treasurer) so I simply told him to stop these advances and that I didnt want to be bothered and he's since become very aggressive and has threatened me. I dont feel comfortable going to the school and I want to get a restraining order from him. Would I have to leave my college? I really love this school and I've worked so hard to get here. How do I go about this?

Answer:
 There is a long list of people you need to tell about this person's behavior. This includes the police most importantly, but also your teachers, the dean of your school, and any other administrators who are in charge of keeping you safe. There's probably some sort of sexual assault counseling available on campus. You should approach them too for resources.

You should absolutely file a police report. That may not be sufficient to getting a restraining order but it certainly will be a start. If he has any threatening messages sent to you in text, email, and any other media, screenshot them, save them somewhere in the cloud, and bring those with you to the police. You'll probably get the run around because the police are legendarily terrible at addressing this kind of thing but maybe you'll find someone who believes that a 40-year-old man is possibly going to assault you. you'll probably be forced to go to the campus police but you know what? Also go to the local police. Maybe this dick bag has a record.

You should not leave your school. In the meantime you should see if public security can escort you. If the dorm has somebody at the front door who lets people in and out, they should be alerted that he is not allowed. Tell your resident adviser, etc. Lots of information to lots of people is your friend.

If your administration retaliates against you for reporting these actions, you should find a lawyer and file a title IX complaint. However maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised when they perhaps respond positively to an older man threatening younger women.


Title: Terminated while on maternity leave

Question:
I have been working for 11 years with the same company specializing in IT project management in Calgary, Canada. I’m currently on maternal leave due to resume work in January 2020.

My company got in touch with me saying that there have been significant changes while I was away and they don’t see a future for me in my original role.

While there are posts in this forum about negotiating on severance, I want to understand what my options are considering I am currently on EI.

Also, I’d appreciate if anyone could suggest me a lawyer for seeking advice. I wish to part amicably with the company.

P.S: I had posted this originally on /r/Calgary and was advised to post here too. I was unable to cross post.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Your employer must provide you with the same position, if it still exists, or a comparable position if it does not exist. You also have the right to salary plus increase, accrue seniority, and right to be free from reprisal. This comes across as constructive dismissal, and a violation of the Employment Standards Act.

While I am not a lawyer myself, rather a student studying employment law, you may want to talk to the Ministry of Labour.

As for a separation package, if you wish to depart, you may negotiate severance and termination pay with your employer before going to the MOL.

As for your entitlements, under the Employment Standards Act you would be given 8 weeks termination notice (pay in lieu of notice) and 11 weeks severance pay.

You may be entitled to more under the common law, based on: length of service, age, availability of similar work and other economic factors.


Title: Kidnapping of a Child

Question:
Facts of the case are:

A woman comes to you with a 16 year old girl you presume to be her daughter.

She then asks to talk to you privately. She tells you that she actually took this girl from a hospital 16 years  when she was high on drugs. She thought that having a baby would make her a better person. And it did make a better person. She is now a rich mother with two biological daughters of her own. That 16 year old girl does not know that she was kidnapped.

This mother does not want to go to jail. But she wants to let the biological mother know that her child is in good hands.

What should we advise this kidnapping mother?

Answer: To see a lawyer if it were real. It is hard to believe that it would be possible for some random person on drugs to manage to steal a baby from a hospital and then not be discovered for 16 years.Answer #2: Surely you’ll be able to find a news report about this in google pretty easily if it’s real. If so, go to the police, I don’t care how she’s got her life together, she’s ruined the lives of the parents and family and stolen the last 16 happy years from them, instead filling them with grief and heartbreak.


Title: Victim of a check fraud scam. No idea what my full options are.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 That's too much to read. Everybody knows how that scam works even if the details aren't always the same. You owe the money to the bank. Who is saying you may face criminal charges? Answer #2: Start with a police report, immediately.  This is a very common fraud, but YOU are the VICTIM.  Fraud requires intent.  You did not intend to defraud, you didn't benefit from the fraud--based on what you have said and done--there is no reason to suspect you.

You are on the hook for the money, but it is highly unlikely you are going to jail.


Title: Ex apparently filed a restraining order on me...

Question:
We broke up two weeks ago after having been together for a year. She dumped me on my bday (3/23) after I found out she was cheating on me.

I didnt handle it well. I called her too much, and sent emails and took it too far, but
Anyways. I moved back to my hometown which is an hour and a half away from her, 3 counties over.

What if i dont show up to the court date?
Will I be issued a warrant?

If i call the judge in that county and basically let him know i dont even have a means to get there? (ive been having to use the bus) and let him know I will leave her alone for good?

I figured I just wont go, i mean yeah i wasnt nice by any means. And i get that i took it overboard, but is there any way i can make this go away?

Im not a bad person, i had never hurt her (physically or mentally) and i have absolutely no records, not even speeding tickets to my name.

Will the judge understand that it was just a nasty breakup, and I will leave her alone forever?

I really dont know what to do. An officer called me yesterday telling me i had a date on the 17th of this month - but i guess im just asking what i can do to help myself.

The only reason I blew up on her like i did was because she did me dirty. Ive never been hurt like this before, and i just... lashed out.

Any advice will help. thanks for reading

Edit: I live in East Tennessee btw

Answer:
 If you don't show up, she will get her permanent restraining order. Calling the court won't help. The judge won't talk to you. If you don't want an order on you, you need to show up. You can call and ask that the date be reset to give you the chance to make travel arrangements. That's reasonable.

Having a RO against you can interfere with other parts of you life. Like getting certain jobs, having a firearm (sometimes), etc. If you decide to not fight it, keep that in mind.


Title: [MI] Our rental came with an oven. The actual oven portion is dying, is our landlord responsible for replacing it?

Question: Title, pretty much. Do we have a leg to stand on in expecting him to replace this oven? Probably won't actually buy one, just let my mom reduce how much she gives him for rent, or skip this month altogether. Either one works for us, him buying it or just foregoing/reducing rent for the month, we just don't know if we're even right to be asking.

Answer: Unless there's anything that explicitly states otherwise in the lease they have to either repair or replace. That's one of the benefits of renting: not being responsible for household repairs. As long as something you did didn't damage it (it's probably safe to say it's age?) you aren't responsible. My landlord had to replace our stove a couple months ago because of this exact same problem!


Title: Browsing NSFW reddit, clicked link that made my ipad go haywire, ruined my week

Question:
Last week I was viewing some NSFW pictures here on reddit.  I've never had a username on here until now; I really only came to the site to view NSFW subreddits like gonewild and on/off.  While I was mindlessly clicking links there last week on my iPad, one of them, which had a thumbnail and title like all the other postings, sent my iPad haywire, redirecting me to all kinds of things and opening several different windows.  I clicked out of the windows that popped up before anything within the windows had loaded except the titles to them at the top of the window.  So I don't actually know what the windows would have displayed.  But I remember at least one of the titles to the windows was really disturbing, something about "young nephew and aunt" (though thinking about it, I guess this doesn't necessarily mean it was CP, but it made my stomach churn). I was really confused, as I've used reddit for at least a few months and nothing like this had ever happened.  At first I assumed my iPad had been infected somehow so I clicked on some other link to see, and nothing happened.  Like an idiot, I then assumed what had originally happened somehow occurred because I clicked the wrong thing, so I carefully clicked the original link to see if the picture in the thumbnail would now come up.  (I know how stupid this part sounds; this all happened in a few seconds and I thought surely there wasn't a link on reddit redirecting/taking me to this stuff!).  Again my iPad started redirecting like crazy, and this time I ultimately got the FBI phishing scam page, accusing me of all kinds of terrible things.

I completely reset my iPad.  I've since realized that the picture links to some site I've never heard of, rather than imgur like almost every other picture on those subreddits, and I created a username and reported to posting.  I haven't clicked on it since then, for obvious reasons, so this is all I know about it.

It's sort of ruined the last week for me.  I don't know what to do.  I mean, here I was just trying to view some on/off or gonewild nsfw postings as I always have, and now I am in a panic that I'm going to be accused of illegal activity because I didn't pay attention as to where the link was taking me.  Is there anything I should do?

Edit: I'm in the US.

Answer: You're fine. Stop clinking on sketchy links. 99.9% of the people who post this question got there because they click sketchy links.


Title: [California] Car is parking in my spot, what are my options?

Question: I rent from an apartment complex, and I pay $75 / month for a parking spot. Sometimes, another car will be parked in my spot. The spot is numbered and says "Reserved". It's not always the same car but there is a repeat offender. I have taken photos and brought it to the property manager's attention, but they have refused to ticket or tow the offending car. What are my options? Can I have the car towed myself? Can I take action against my landlord for refusing to take action against the offending car, but continuing to charge me $75 / month for the parking space?

Answer:
 Yes, if you're not getting your parking space you can demand a partial refund for each day it's unusable. Start keeping records and pictures.

Though before you go that far you should ask for a different spot or leave a note threatening a tow.


Title: Car Dealer now coming back to me for sales tax after paperwork signed [Location: Virginia]

Question:
I leased a car from a reputable dealership 2 years ago, and just purchased the car outright a few days back (with financing from a credit union).  As the car was used, I had to go through their used-car section, which was much shadier.

They received the check from the credit union today and called to say that forgot to include the sales tax on the buyer order - now asking me for an extra $800.  I could have gotten this financed with the buyer order, but now I am out of pocket for this amount.

This is their foul up - do i have to pay?  My concern is they they will simply not register the car (they say they need the payment to register the car with the DMV).

Thanks for the help.

EDIT: Thanks for the help everyone - I am emailing with them now, and will update when I know more.

Answer: If you paid the contracted amount, they're stuck with it.


Title: [PA] Long term engagement ending, need advice on her living in my home

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Assuming you don't have a written lease, look up month-to-month leases in your area. In other words google what the laws on month-to-month leases in PA are, and if you're in a large city that may have its own laws (i.e., Pittsburgh or Philly), look up those too.

Probably it will say that you have to give 30 days' notice in order to kick out someone who is on a month-to-month lease. But make sure.Answer #2: So, if I offer to give her 60 days notice to move, and tell her beyond that time she will have to pay rent, that would be my best bet?  Answer #3: Is your fiancee on your mortgage or title? Is the house solely in your name?

If the house is in your name alone, you are her landlord and she is protected by your area's tenancy rights. This applies even without a written lease. Without a lease, she is treated as a month to month renter.

If things go badly, she is protected against being kicked out (eviction) by PA's tenancy laws for a month to month renter. Usually this means you need to give her a minimum period of time to vacate and you must provide written notice.

PA does not allow you to change the locks or remove her possessions to hurry her along.


Title: Is catfishing illegal under these circumstances?

Question:
I am fully aware that my post history is not consistent. It's a literal roller coaster in other words.

But I promise yall, I am not lying about any of the stuff I say in my posts. I just use Reddit alot and I go through the emotions alot.

Ugh, but I had to ask someone this.

I only have like 480$ in my bank account and I really need some easy money. I could get a job, but schools starting soon and I haven't managed both at the same time so I'll figure that out later.

In the meantime, I need easy money and I think I found a dishonest way to get it but oh well I'll figure out how to get away with it sometime later.

Anyways I am very active on the app kik. It's like a messaging app but the main draw for me is the public groups. You can make a public group and it is identified with a hashtag. Random people can join and its basically a public group chat for a particular subject, like a TV show or a video game.

I have my own group. I created #cougarshungryformoney about three weeks ago, but it's dead asf now. The group is literally me just ranting and sending memes so feel free to join. I chose that username as an inside joke.

Anyways, I get a lot of straight men joining the group chat because they often think it's an actual place to meet cougars. One of them joined yesterday. He pmed me and then left the chat.

He started calling me cute and sexy, and I got confused. Then I checked my profile pic and remembered it was of a particular celebrity I love. Her name is Madelaine Petsch and she's on a popular TV show.

The guy said his name was Pete, and he's 29.

I was gonna tell him it's not me, but then I took advantage of the situation and made a plan. Catfish him with model photos of Madelaine Petsch and ask him for money cause I recently went bankrupt.

I felt bad about it so I went back to the gc and told my friends the plan and they agreed I should do it.

So at this very moment I'm trying to figure out where he should send the money to.

How much trouble could I be in if I got caught? I mean I probably won't because I'm clevver but just incase?

TLDR: I'm catfishing a 29 yr old male for money, I'm sixteen, is this illegal?

Answer:
 You mean is fraud illegal?

Yes. Fraud is illegal. You should stop frauding.Answer #2: /u/LocationBot recallAnswer #3: Well glad to see you are clever. Fairly certain no one in prison thought the same, they thought they had bad plans to defraud people and were right.

I mean it could lead to you spending longer than you have been alive in prison, but I'm sure this plan is foolproof. And again, you are clever, so even though you literally haven't thought it through I'm sure it will work out great.

I do love the "I know my history is inconsistent" part though.

Seriously though get a job.Answer #4: *Your post has been removed for the following reason(s):*

**Removal Reason**

* OP is seeking help to commit fraud.

*Please [read our subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/wiki/index#wiki_general_rules).  If after doing so, you feel this was in error, [message the moderators](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FLegalAdvice).*

*Do not reply to this message as a comment.*


Title: 0L student starting in August and got into a bar fight and cited twice yesterday.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Stop. Don't try to work this out on your own. You need two separate attorneys.

1. Criminal defense. Whatever you can do to minimize this, do it. That means getting an attorney.

2. Professional responsibility. You will need to disclose this to your law school. You need advice on exactly when an how/what to disclose.


Title: How long do I have to leave if my landlord terminates my lease? Oakland, CA

Question:
This is in Oakland, California. I got an emotional support animal shortly after moving into my apartment. I had to get the help of a lawyer for my landlord to approve the ESA. He called me a fraud and threatened to sue my doctor. (He assumed I got an ESA letter from somewhere online for $50. This was not the case, it was from my primary care physician.)

&#x200B;

He made it clear that if my dog was a nuisance, I would be asked to vacate. A neighbor has complained to me about my dog barking, and we tried to resolve it ourselves (trainer, bark collars, anxiety meds, we've tried everything.) But the neighbor is fed up and told me he's going to contact my landlord. My lease ends in 54 days and i've lived here less than 1 year. So far I've paid my rent on the 1st every month I've been here, and had no complains or communication whatsoever with my landlord since moving in. But he was very aggressive on the phone while I was asking for approval for my ESA, so I'm expecting a similar reaction once he has a complaint from another tenant. I'm already looking for a new place, but would ideally like to finish this lease.

&#x200B;

I've read my lease over and over and I think my dogs barking would give my landlord reason to terminate the lease.

"QUIET ENJOYMENT: Resident and Resident's guest(s) shall not violate any criminal or civil law, ordinance or statute in the use and occupance of the premises, commit waste or nuisance, annoy, molest or interfere with any other person on the property, or neighbor. Any such action may result in the immediate termination of this Agreement as provided herein and by law."

&#x200B;

My dog will sometimes bark during the day, at worst for an hour straight, at best for 10 minutes or so. This violates Oakland Ordinance  **8.18.010.** He could also argue that my dogs barking annoys or interferes with my neighbor. I think he has enough reason to terminate the lease.

&#x200B;

Here's what I'm confused about;

 \-If the lease is terminated, how much time do I have to vacate?

\-I dont quite understand the difference between terminating the lease and filing an eviction lawsuit. From the laws I've read, he doesn't have just cause for eviction unless I've been given written notice to stop the violation of the lease. But can he terminate the lease without some written warning first?

\-With such little time left on the lease, do you think he would even bother trying to evict/terminate? I know the eviction process doesn't happen overnight and has costs associated. If it's more than 24 days of filing and red tape, my lease would be over by the end of a 30 day eviction notice. How does that differ when terminating a lease with just cause?

&#x200B;

Any advice is appreciated, happy to answer followup questions if needed. Thanks r/legaladvice!

Answer:
 He's not going to spend the money to evict you with less than 60 days left on the lease.

You need to address your dog's barking.  It is completely unfair to your neighbors, and you'll find yourself in the same situation in a new place unless you take action.


Title: [USA - TX] Can a property/apartment complex prohibit a leasee from having a firearm in their apartment?

Question: I'm renting an apartment and my lease begins soon. When I asked point-blank they told me that they do not allow firearms. However, on no papers that I signed does it prohibit firearms. As I understand, Texas property code does not allow landlords to prohibit items *within* an apartment. Can I be evicted or my lease be broken if I have a firearm? Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 >However, on no papers that I signed does it prohibit firearms.

In that case they don't prohibit them; it doesn't matter what someone says--it matters what's in the lease you signed. There are certainly no state laws against having firearms in apartments (exception: state university dorms, which typically prohibit it as a matter of school policy).Answer #2: Is the apartment you are looking to rent subsidized in any capacity (even a minor reduction of rent) by either the State or the Federal Government?  Answer #3: It's not their business. If it's not in the lease don't ask don't tell.  There is nothing to be gained by barking up that tree.


Title: VA Teacher- fair use and YouTube

Question:
I am a teacher in the state of Virginia who maintains a YouTube account for my students.

I put together a video for my kids recently that has a bit of a time travel theme to it. It uses clips that I have pulled offline from various time travel movies, including Back to the Future, which is the clip giving me issues.

When I uploaded my video, it was blocked worldwide for copyright purposes.

The first clip they snagged was Back to the Future 3- but it's TV America Peru claiming ownership rather than Universal Studios.

The second clip is footage of Hurricane Katrina, with a voiceover detailing a person's own experiences with the event.

I would like the video to be somewhere easily accessible online, so I wanted to be sure that I meet the fair use laws.

Neither clip is more than 2 minutes (22 minute video). It's for educational purposes, and makes zero profit off of views.

I actually went back to edit the Back to the Future clip out since it's the more questionable of the two, but several of the files that I was working from to edit the final cut have since been deleted; I can't edit out that section without losing more of the really important content of the video.

Just a teacher trying to do something cool for her students...

Answer:
 One of the criteria for judging whether a use is fair is that the use is actually necessary and/or irreplaceable for a valid purpose. Educational purposes are valid, but "I wanted the video to be fun" isn't an appropriate explanation for why you must use the non-free content vs. some other free content.

Ultimately, a court would decide whether a use is fair, but I'd recommend against including non-free clips in an educational video for gratuitous purposes. Best practice is to use them only when directly relevant.


Title: Going to Jail

Question:
So I have a warrant for my arrest for possession of marijuana and for not showing up to court. I don't know how it's going to work out, but my overall goal is to get the case dismissed or to get a not guilty plea from the court as this is a purely victim-less crime and my conscious is clear, as I believe I did no wrong, as pot smoking is no different from drinking. I understand that I can have a bench trial. If i lose the bench trial I still have to right to a jury trial, then later on appeal if I do not like the verdict. I wouldn't mind a plea held in abeyance if the overall costs do not exceed 100$, because in California, that's typically the cost. But if none of this works out, I don't mind sitting in jail as a total F U to the system, as I only go to school and it'd cost more for society to jail me, than the fine I'd have to pay. It cost about 100$ a day to hold someone in jail. Hopefully in jail they might let me read my books on partial differential equations, latex, fluid dynamics, etc... I plan on turning myself in on tuesday or wednesday, and bail is set at 500$ that I don't really have, nor do I want to pay...
Does anyone have any suggestions? Does anyone know if I can bring in books when I turn myself in? Does anyone have any advice? Please help as I want to be well informed before I no longer have any communication to the free world. I'll probably turn myself in around tuesday or wednesday, after I clean my room, organize files on my laptop, and finish writing up my resume.

Answer:
 OP you're unbelievably naive. It hurts to read your comments. Just wise up and get a damn lawyer so you don't ruin your chances of getting a job for the rest of your life.Answer #2: LOL!  Oh geez, this was a fun read.

Follow advice and get an attorney.Answer #3: This thread has been linked to from another place on reddit.

- [/r/bestoflegaladvice] [I think weed is morally the same as alcohol, so I can just go get my possession and FTA charges dismissed, right?](https://np.reddit.com/r/bestoflegaladvice/comments/35htwv/i_think_weed_is_morally_the_same_as_alcohol_so_i/)

- [/r/iamverysmart] [Dude in /r/legaladvice gets busted for weed, wants to play the system or at least bring his fluid dynamics books to jail](https://np.reddit.com/r/iamverysmart/comments/35jev5/dude_in_rlegaladvice_gets_busted_for_weed_wants/)

[](#footer)*^(If you follow any of the above links, respect the rules of reddit and don't vote.) ^\([Info](/r/TotesMessenger/wiki/) ^/ ^[Contact](/message/compose/?to=\/r\/TotesMessenger))*

[](#bot)


Title: my neighbor won't stop driving on my lawn, though I asked him not to - Michigan, US

Question:
House photos are old, car and trampoline in back yard are no longer there.

http://imgur.com/qdexCGw

http://imgur.com/rcI29fg

We have a shared driveway, and neighbor's portion is 6" higher than mine. Behind both our houses we each have 2-stall garages and grassy yard. The yard has no dividing line other than implied line continuing from shared driveway/curb; there is a cedar bush that appears to be on his property. I've lived there for 8 years, he's lived there for 6 months. Neighbor rarely mows, has trash lying around in back yard, obviously doesn't care how his property looks. His gf lives there, separate car, is never outside, never said a word to me, had a baby recently (based on how pregnant she was when they moved in). Aside from his driving on my lawn, the trash in back yard and lack of mowing, they are quiet and acceptable neighbors.

Full Story (numbers correspond to numbers on pictures):

* Neighbor's gf parks at front of house (1). To avoid moving her car each time he wants to drive in, he asked me if he can drive up my (left) side of the driveway, up the curb, into his driveway. I said that's fine. They have ample room to drive, turn around, park both vehicles behind their house. Their driveway is bigger than mine.

* Neighbor is friendly, comes over to my side of the yard to pet my dog if he sees us outside. Seems to be enamored with my dog, offers to babysit her whenever I need it. I allow my dog to run into his yard regularly. She pees and poops there, but I immediately pick up the poop. Because he can't even mow more than 3x per summer, leaves trash sitting around, and never spends time outside, I figured this wasn't a big deal and he never said a word.

* Months pass, one day neighbor sees me outside pulling weeds and putting down grass seed in my back yard, edge of my driveway. (2)

* Next day, I see tire tracks in the dirt where I put down new grass seed. I set 3 - 5gal buckets on edge of my driveway to get across the point of "don't drive here". (3)

* Next day, I see him back his car out of garage, get out, move buckets, drive over my lawn, get out, put buckets back in place, drive down my driveway. I go outside and say "can you please not drive over my lawn, I am trying to grow grass here." He says "oh, ok". (4)

* Same day I put 3 - 18"L x 8"H white plastic fence pieces on the corner of my yard/driveway to get the point across "don't drive here". (5)

* As a few months go by, he backs into his own yard regularly (trampoline area) and ends up breaking one of the plastic fence pieces. (I file a complaint with the city because his grass is too long and he's had months-old piles of trash behind the house. It works and he mows, picks up most of the trash.)

* I remove all 3 fence pieces, thinking "he's got the point not to drive in my yard."

* A few days go by, I see long tire tracks in my yard (6), grass flattened. I put long branches on my yard (2nd image), at the implied divider line to get the point across "don't drive in my yard."

* Next day, I find a note on my front door that says "While your [sic] making boundaries, please make sure your dog stays on your yard! Next time I see you walk her in our back yard or see her shit I'm burning rubber on your grass!" I called the police non-emergency line to ask for advice. I can't file a harassment claim because that requires 4 events to happen (not just 1). Police advised me to "let things die down and talk to him; settle it amicably so it doesn't escalate". I have not contacted neighbor, I don't speak to him. (I'm very non-confrontational and frankly a bit scared of him because he responded with such anger at my branch-boundary. I take my phone with me outside all the time now, with the voice recorder running, in case he's outside, to capture any conversation.) Obviously, I no longer allow my dog into his yard.

* Next day, he parks his gf's car in the street in front of my house (7), wheels just on the curb (grassy easement between sidewalk and street. I leave for work. I come back from work and see 3 new tire tracks in my front yard, grass flattened. Appears that he backed up and ran over my yard a few times while moving his gf's car.

* A few weeks go by. This morning I find tire tracks in my back yard, near my garage (8). I don't have proof that it's him, but who else would it be?

I'm so tired of this. I don't know what to do. He's doing this on purpose. He has ample room to maneuver his car in his own driveway without even touching my property. There is ZERO reason to be driving close to my garage and on my yard. I probably can't confront him until I have proof, which means setting up video cameras? I just want him to respect my property and not drive on my lawn.

I worry about winter. I assume he will be too lazy to even shovel his driveway--he has no snowblower. But I can see him shoveling his snow onto my side of the driveway. I would have to confront him then, and the snow would be proof, correct? (Probably would take appropriate pictures of our driveways each time it snows and I remove snow, just in case.)

What should I do?

A coworker suggested replacing the branch-border with large rocks, and put them where my lawn and driveway meet (2,3,4,5,8). I assume this will prompt neighbor to continue driving on my front easement.

Another coworker suggested I bury spikes in my yard. I don’t know if my coworker is serious or not, but he suggests this every time I complain about neighbor. I imagine that if neighbor’s tires popped on my lawn, even though he would be at fault, he’d show up at my door with a gun. I don’t put it past him.

Do I put up video cameras on my front/back yards and then confront him when I have proof that he's driving on my lawn?

Do I try to just "let it go" and not let it bother me? I don't like this because he's disrespectful, in the wrong, and will continue to do what he wants....but it could be worse.

I assume that no matter what I do, neighbor will retaliate with something.

tl;dr: Neighbor purposely driving in my yard after I asked him not to; left me a nasty note. I don't know what to do.

Answer:
 Your non-verbal cues to him to stop driving on your lawn are obviously not working. You need to speak to him directly. Answer #2: NO SPIKES IN THE YARD FFSAnswer #3: The easiest solution is to physically block your yard. I'd plant some bushes or trees, but you could also go with a fence like you tried before. If your neighbor destroys these, you can sue them for the cost of replacing them. If they "burn rubber" in your yard, they can be sued to replace the sod. If you want any kind of proof, you should put up a camera. Answer #4: Do: Talk to him about it. Passive aggressive shit doesn't work, and whether you like confrontation or hate it, you need to talk to him and make yourself clear. Your dog went on his lawn, you'll stop that from happening. His car goes on your lawn, he needs to stop that from happening. Be polite and civil, but make sure he *knows that you're bothered*. He may very well be completely ignorant of what is upsetting you.

If that doesn't work, I'd just drop a couple concrete posts in the yard. It's cheap, it gets the point across, and he can't "accidentally" knock them over by backing into them.

Don't: Spike trap your yard. That's not legal.


Title: 21[m] College student in Oregon, worried I may have accidentally committed Snap Food Benefit Fraud. Can someone help me out?

Question:
I recently transferred to an Oregon university from an Oregon community college, At my CC I received a work study award that allowed me to qualify for SNAP food benefits. My award ended in June and I spent the summer helping out on my grandparents farm (unpaid).

I assumed I would be able to get another award at University and would not have to worry about anything until my yearly renewal interview, but I did not receive a federal work study award for this year.

I intend to try and find a job, but I am not sure I will manage the necessary 20 hours a week to keep my benefits without work study.

So what should I do now? Will I potentially get into some trouble here?

I'm having a very difficult time finding any information on what to do here. Are my SNAP benefits supposed to run through the year, or should I have contacted someone when my work study job ended?

Any information of this would really be appreciated!

Answer:
 Relax. You're probably not going to get arrested over this. Prosecution is expensive. Usually they'll have you pay them back and everyone is happy.

Call Oregon DHS and ask them what to do.


Title: SO was screwed out of an inheritance... What next?

Question:
My SO and I have been together for about 5 and a half years now.  His mother died a few years before we got together and at the time she was living with Bob.  She and Bob had purchased a mobile home on a half acre plot together before she passed.  When she passed he continued to live there for a few years then decided to move.  He knew we were looking for a place at the time and he offered it to us.  He said if we paid him $375 a month (for the mortgage) we could draw up a contract for a rent to own type of agreement. We met on two separate occasions, having the same conversation and agreement(once with a mutual family friend present). He said he really wasn't concerned about the money for the place because he was going to be receiving a large inheritance from his father's estate, which was one of the reasons he was moving.
 So we packed up and moved 3 hours away to the Arkansas Ozarks :Enter Beverly Hillbillies reference here:  So, Bob moved to southern Ar and we paid him $375 each month deposited into his account.  Every time we asked for a contract he brushed us off and said he'd get to it.  We didn't press the issue him being like family and all.  After 9 months or so we get a call.  Bob had sold the place back to the previous owners, who happened to be friends with him and my SO's deceased mother.  Apparently he didn't get as big of an inheritance that he thought and decided the needed the money.  Oh, and we needed to be out by Friday... it was Tuesday.  We asked if the people who bought the place would let us stay until we could find somewhere to go, which was especially difficult seeing as how we had 2 cats and a dog at the time, they gave us like two weeks. Anyway, we found a place, but @ $550 a month, moved on with our lives......

Some months later, while awaiting the birth of our only child, my SO gets a phone call from his brother. Turns out, both of their names were put on the land title by their mother for when she passed. And, EVERYONE involved in the sale of the property out from under us, knew this. The only reason the brother found out, was because the new "owners" tried to resale it for profit, but were blocked bc of the kids names being on the title.

Long story short, the "owners" were asking for the kids to just sign over the title to them. Plain and simple, no compensation. For avoiding a long distance hassle, the older brother chose to just sign off on it. Now it is down to only my SO.......oh, my.......

oh, first you should no. The being forced out from our own property thing, didn't go over so well. The actual move out day there was a slight "confrontation." After entering our house uninvited, things got uncivilized with them. Let's say, my SO was making promises they didn't wanna hear, while I was on the phone with Bob giving him a piece. So, picking back up, things were far from civil between all of us when they were asking this. Well, their lawyer was asking for them...

After awhile of thinking it over, my SO decided to offer to sign, in return of all the payments we made towards the property ownership. That was all. They declined, more months went by, the actual "owners" themselves texted my SO somehow? They asked again, my SO thought it over again and called their lawyer back. Both my SO and the lawyer said they just wish it would go away, he said they were "annoying." So, my husbands said fine, tell them to give me 1k and I'll get this over with. A week goes by, SO gets a texys from the "owners" they told him to shove it and that he was "blackmailing" them, their exact text!! My SO just stopped reading their texts, all dies down.....

....A year passes, and they just called and texted, offering the 1k for him to sign the title over to them. And here we are. And my SO has decided not to accept the 1k. We are thinking over our next move, ideas, advice?

*Additional information: This all began around the beginning of 2013.

**Thanks for all the input, you've all been very helpful.

Answer:
 The "owners" are upset at the wrong people. They shouldn't have paid Bob without checking that they could get clear title. This is Bob's wrongdoing and their mistake.

Best to get a lawyer on your side. They'll at least be able to redirect the fight to where it belongs or negotiate a higher payout for your SO. Answer #2: Talk to a lawyer.  If she owns half that property, and someone is interesting in buying it, that is probably worth more than $1000.  That rent you paid to live on property owned by your SO is probably unjust enrichment too.Answer #3: I'm seeing a few issues with respect to what I presume was tenancy in common ownership of the property by your SO and Bob. A tenant in common has a right to full use of the premises - so Bob had no right to charge rent. It also appears that he may have done so through fraud.

His conveyance of your SO's interest to a third party should be void, which would make your SO a tenant in common with the new owners - Bob could only convey what he had, which was a partial interest in the property. So the new owners should have to pay your SO out if they want fee simple (total ownership) title to the property, or get Bob to make a payout.

Take Bob to small claims court for the back rent - or threaten to if he doesn't give you your money back. And if the new owners won't pay you the 2500, take them to small claims court for rent. If they've ousted your SO from a tenancy in common, they'll have to pay him rent for the privilege.


Title: [IL] I (14Ftm) want to sue my rapist, how should I go about this and how will it affect my school life?

Question:
I have been looking into suing my rapist and their family, hoping to get some sort of compensation or something through it, including a no contact order since he’s stalked me before by pretending to be someone else to get info out of me.

I have screenshots of her admitting to the rape, an audio recording of her “apologizing to me” and a bunch of friends who have went through the same thing or almost same thing with the same girl, along with a detailed description of what she did to me and made me do.

Also sorry idk what to flair this as.

Answer: Have you told your parents or the police?


Title: Daughter, weed, at-fault car accident

Answer:
 The only real unknown that I see here is whether or not your daughter is going to have charges filed against her by the prosecutor for her drug use.  If she has a prescription for the marijuana, that would help, but I'm guessing that's not the case.  If she is arrested, tell her not to speak to anyone until you can get a lawyer.  It's probably not a bad idea to have one ready if you have any sense that charges are coming.

As far as the accident goes, that's a lot easier.  Your insurer pays for the damages to your car, and the other driver pays for the damages for theirs.  If the boyfriend or your daughter has injuries that manifest themselves later, your insurance will pick up those costs.


Title: My Netflix account gets leaked on the internet and someone uses it, is it illegal?

Question: If my account gets hacked and putted in one of those huge lists that you can easily find online, can the person that uses my account be punished?

Answer:
 Another party accessing your account without your permission is criminal hacking. Penalties would vary. Answer #2: Can you not just change your password?Answer #3: *If* the person is in the USA or another country with similar laws, *and* they can be positively identified then they could probably be punished. Identifying the actual person could be very difficult.

It's much more likely that Netflix would spot the account being used simultaneously from different locations and lock it until you can verify who you are and change the password.


Title: Elderly friend broke her hip at a resort in Mexico, $30,000 out of pocket and needs help navigating insurance.

Question:
I am a owner of a time share in Loreto, Mexico and brought my friend to the spa for a birthday treat. The receptionist at the spa failed to have her sign a release form regarding the wet/spa area. We were giving her a surprise 70th b-day party that evening; unfortunately she missed it because she was in the hospital.
The floors at the wet spa are of polished marble and very slippery when wet. My elderly friend slipped and broke her hip in 2 places. She lives in Mexico, from Canada and has no insurance. The medical system is very different in Mexico because one has to prepay for all procedures and people are required to stay with you in the hospital to bring you your meals. Ambulances are very expensive and she ended up taking 10 rides total. Today she has a new hip and is walking with a cane and getting physical therapy. I'm helping her file a claim, but no one from the resort is returning calls, or helping us in any way. From what I understand we have one year to sort this out before the time runs out. My friend is seeking to get reimbursed for some of her medical expenses, her bills total roughly $30,000 out of pocket.
We are trying to understand how to navigate this, any help would be much appreciated. Thanks Reddit!

Answer: I can virtually guarantee you they won't be responding unless you file a lawsuit. I have no idea how that works in Mexico.  You should meet with a Mexican attorney.


Title: NJ - do the red light cameras have 100% accuracy when detecting if someone runs a red light, even if by a second?

Question: Hypothetically if someone runs a red light by a second will that person be detected by the red light camera 100%

Answer:
 Nothing is 100% accurate.
They are supposed to be configured so that they have a 0% false positive rate by letting people within their accuracy limits off, even if they actually did break the law.Answer #2: You ran through a red light today didn’t you?


Title: [US] My 9 year old daughter complained about sexual harassment by the athletic directors son and his friends to the school counselor, worried about retribution.

Question:
It didn't start out as a big deal.  My daughter was sick of hearing them talk about sex and generally inappropriate stuff on the school bus on the way home.  She went and talked to the counselor at school about it but apparently didn't really say too much of what they were saying just that they were saying a bunch of bad stuff and the counselor pretty much just pulled them to the side and told them to be careful what they talk about that little girls are around or something along those lines.

Well we didn't know exactly what she told the counselor or what the counselor had done so we stopped by their house yesterday just to mend bridges and told them we had told our daughter in the future to confront the boys and tell them that she is uncomfortable before going straight to the counselor.

Well apparently the parents didn't know anything about it and that's when we found out our daughter hadn't said much to the counselor... but the parent that is the athletics director called the counselor to ask what was said, and told her what we were saying our daughter was complaining to us about.  The counselor then told us that since it was that type of stuff she is going to have to make a report to the school admins and there may have to be action taken...

My wife is now worried the athletics director will retaliate, try to take action against our daughter since she is in sports in the school system, and maybe even try to get her off the bus since it seems likely the others will be.  The bus thing doesn't bother me much, but the prospect of them  retaliating at all pisses me off because she did nothing wrong; whereas the boys were saying some nasty shit.

I don't think they would be stupid enough to do anything to retaliate but can I get any legal advice for if they do?

Answer:
 Your daughter did exactly the right thing and it’s weird to me that you would put the onus on a 9-year-old to think she needs to deal with this stuff herself before asking an adult for help. It sounds like a great way to dissuade her from speaking up next time. You should be telling her how great it is she felt brave enough to tell someone about it.

I doubt there’s much point in trying to preemptively get advice about any possible consequence that might happen before there’s any reason to think something will happen.


Title: CA: I have water pouring out of my bathroom ceiling. Help!

Question:
I live in a first story unit with one unite above us.  For the past 18 months, there have been leaks from the unit above in our bathroom.  They told us that it was because the children in the unit above were making a mess while playing in the tub.  Eventually they did replace the ceiling.  Since then there have been more leaks, and they have been worse.  Right now, there is water pouring from the light fixture in the bathroom, and from the door.  I have tried to get in contact with the managers but they are not answering.

I feel that they should be making a bigger effort to fix this, but they haven't, and keep saying that it's the tenants above us letting things overflow etc.  I am extremely annoyed and stressed out over this and I just want it fixed.  If it is the people above us being negligent, I feel that they should be moved to a unit where they are not causing problems for other tenants.

We just signed a year lease last month, and I do not have the time or money to move right now.

What can I do?

Answer:
 Is there an emergency contact line for your landlord? Or is there some sort of maintenance crew or groundskeeper for the property? If so, contact one of these.

Any sane landlord will take water leaks extremely seriously. Water damage is extremely expensive to repair. In a worst case scenario water damage can lead to toxic mold that could make the structure uninhabitable. It is absolutely in the interest of any sane landlord to fix water leaks ASAP.

This is also one of the things that trumps the normal required notification for a landlord to enter. A water leak is sufficiency emergency that no advanced notice is required. Water leaks are that serious.

Fortunately for you, the costs of it aren't your problem. Move your stuff away from the leak so it doesn't get wet and continue to contact the landlord, property management, or maintenance.

Only an idiot landlord would ignore a water leak.


Title: Are divorce papers that were signed in 2007 but never filed still valid?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: They have zero force and effect until ratified by the judged and issues as an order along with the divorce decree. At most, it shows evidence of what you agreed to back then.


Title: Employer might be incorrectly using 'labor law' against me for lunch breaks.

Question:
I'm an hourly employee; my coworkers are salaried. Many of us take lunch every day. My coworkers take longer lunches, but I have to clock in and out every time I take a break or leave the office. This is cumbersome and I would prefer to take the exact minimum so that I do not lose money and stay at my desk. The same goes for doctor's appointments, etc. Anything I do is directly proportionate to the money I make; I know this is the nature of the hourly employee, yet my coworkers come in and out and encourage me to do the same.

I asked my manager if I could forego a lunch break and leave a little early or a little later to avoid traffic. That would go within the terms of the policy. They said no, it's 'federal labor law' that we all have lunch. I'm pretty sure that's incorrect and I'm getting a little annoyed with the constant clocking. It creates a divide between my employees and I (some of whom are junior to me yet salaried) and I would like to know what they're resting on that they claim is sourced in federal or state law. Furthermore, can a company policy require an unpaid lunch break?

Answer:
 Frankly, it doesn't matter if it's a violation of labor law or not; if they tell you to take a break, take a break.  It's fully up to them how to handle your schedule.  You can't force them to let you take a shorter break.

The federal system doesn't generally require breaks.  It does for some occupations.  Some states require breaks.  Since you haven't told us what you do or where you're located, we can't answer further.Answer #2: Lack of location means lack of answer


Title: My mom is being scammed. Someone is overnighting her a money order and asking her to send it to someone else in bitcoin. What should she do when she receives the money order?

Question:
[OH] Long story short, my mom has been talking to a scammer for a while now. She recently went through a divorce and someone found her online and started preying on her. Through this conversing she sent some intimate photos to this scammer. Eventually she agreed to have the scammer send her a prepaid money order and then transfer the money as bitcoin to someone else.

After I found out about this today I absolutely blew up on her and explained how dangerous this is not only because shes basically aiding in some sort of crime, but now the scammer has her address.

The scammer also sent her a picture of the receipt they used to pay for the money order which has the debit card, location the money order was purchased, and he tracking number for the overnight shipment.

The money order has been shipped already, so there is no stopping that. What should she do with the money order when it arrives? If she does not send this money (and goes to the police), the person will more than likely get mad and send these photos to friends and family (which they have already done). If she does send the money, she is more than likely doing something very illegal. If she cashes the money order and doesn't send the bitcoin, they will also probably retaliate.

Another question would be that if my mom cashes the money order, keeps the money, and is willing to accept the risk of the photos being release, is she doing something illegal?

Any help would be appreciated, as the money order for $900 is arriving at her house tomorrow.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 It's FAKE.

Don't try to cash it or deposit it.
Burn it.Answer #2: The money order is a fake - - If she cashes it, the money will eventually prove fake and the bank will take those funds back (or, if she has spent some, it will take the whole $900 back anyway and your Mom will owe the balance). She can't do anything about the photos if they are already *out there*.

Her best play is to not cash the MO and block the dude. Ask her why she thinks someone needs HER to buy bitcoin instead of just buying it themselves...Answer #3: Rip it up and ignore any further emails or letters about thisAnswer #4: At this point the police need to be involved.  Take the money order, screenshots & whatever and go to the police.

Do need have your mom “threaten” to go to the police or play games, this unfortunately has escalated.

Do not worry about retaliation over the pictures - likely the scammer wants to remove themselves from the entire situation to focus on other prey who are currently complying with their scheme.  It’s not worth their time to escalate.


Title: Government Contractor here. Apparently several coworkers made "anonymous" phone calls stating that I had brought a gun to work. Complete lies. Access to my office has been suspended.

Question:
Keeping details minimal as I'm not sure how much of this information I'm supposed to have:

I've been in a 6-month long HR battle with a coworker turned supervisor. I'm fairly certain he's responsible for the accusations. I came in to work on Friday and was met at the door by 2 guards who escorted me out and confiscated my access badge, CAC, and all media. I was told that I would be contacted by someone to let me know what's going on. 36 hours later, no calls. Immediately after it happened, I contacted my company HR and my functional manager. Neither had any idea what was going on.

&#x200B;

Fast forward to today and I'm told from multiple sources that I'm being pegged as an insider threat. There were 3 reports to our CERT team that I had brought a gun to work and had threatened people. There is ZERO evidence to support this because it simply isn't true. COMPLETELY fabricated. I suspect it is an escalation from the ongoing HR battle I have the the aforementioned coworker.

So here I am, getting all this information second and third hand, with no one telling me officially what's going on, what's been said, who's saying it, or even asking for my side of things.

Given this is a government agency and I am but a contractor, I hesitate to contact a lawyer just yet. I have a call with my functional manager tomorrow morning, then I'm reaching out to my company HR and FSO again on Monday morning.

What chain of events can I expect from here?
What does an investigation of this type entail?

When this kind of thing happens, even if completely unfounded, could I still be screwed?

Answer:
 It might be in your best interest to get in touch with a few lawyers for a quick consult, bring them up to speed, ask them their opinions. Don't authorize any action on your behalf. Keep a business card for your chocie of them on you from now on. If something happens, contact them immediately. I'd look towards employment attorneys, and potentially criminal defense, but that seems unlikely if all information is accurate.Answer #2: >Given this is a government agency and I am but a contractor, I hesitate to contact a lawyer just yet.

I would call a labor/employment lawyer NOW.


Title: I don’t get paid for going to work, only when it’s busy?

Question:
So. I’ve posted this question here before but I feel like I need to ask it again and I’m sorry. I really need legal advice!! I apologize in advance for how chipped up this is.

I’ve worked at a company since May of this year and this has been happening every day.  So some info, were a corporate chain company, closed on Sunday. A few days ago I finally addressed this problem I have with showing up to work on time and not being allowed to clock in.

Boss said it’s not a problem with anyone but me. Other employees have a problem but no one is going to say anything. I don’t deserve to be paid unless we’re busy. I am NOT allowed to clock in unless we get busy but I am REQUIRED to be there at my scheduled time. So a few days I’ve sat around for an hour waiting. He told me that that’s just how the company runs and if I wanted to clock in as soon as I get to work I can BUT he’s going to make sure I’m the first person to get sent home if we slow down even a little.

It’s not always an hour but look, this is money I’m being cheated out of and being taken advantage of. I have the right to be paid. If I’m expected to work then I’m expected to be paid.  I dont have any of this in writing.

Let me be clear on a few things. I can not clock in as soon as I get to work unless we are busy. I do not have to clock back out  if we get slow and wait around to see if we get busy. If it is slow he will occasionally send someone home to “control labor” but this rarely happens. He says he has every right to control who can clock in and who can’t. I’m at my wits end with this job. I work a limited amount of hours on purpose and DO NOT have other days of the week where I can make up lost time like other employees. He says because I say I feel I deserve to be paid for every minute of my time, I’m wrong.

Location is Michigan. I’m sorry if I’ve left anything out but I am supposed to return to work next week but I don’t know if I’m going to. I need to know how to address this and what I need to do before Friday at 5.

Answer: File a dispute with the state department of labor for unpaid wages.  If you are required to be present then you are required to be paid.


Title: (OH) Pregnant woman in November gave me a resume after I posted a job listing. I didn't even consider her for the job and now she says she was discriminated against?

Question: My office does income taxes and this woman would have been giving birth in early February. I need all of my employees full time from January-May so she wasn't even considered. My office isn't huge, we're only a few people so I can't afford to hire someone then have them on leave for months not doing anything. This is kinda out of the blue too since she dropped the resume off at the end of November and I simply told her I'd put it with the others and never called her back. I didn't ask about the pregnancy or due date. She just wouldn't stop talking from the moment we met to when she left and I barely got a word in edgewise beyond telling her we'd call if we wanted to interview her further. I don't even know when she had the kid or anything like that, but she contacted me by email saying she was discriminated against and she'd be coming after me. What she's coming after me for I'm not sure, her email was very vague but it seems she wants financial compensation for something. Should I just ignore her or is this actually an issue?

Answer:
 OP, Just wanted to echo and further what others said - your original post sounds like you exactly discriminated against her for the pregnancy and might be worth editing to indicate that she was not at all qualified for the position from the get go, as you eventually further elaborated upon in the comments.  Answer #2: Well, you just admitted that you discriminated against her, by not even considering her.   It doesn’t seem like you have enough employee or it to matter.Answer #3: I know this isn't advice, but I'm curious. Would OP be able to say that the woman wasn't hired due to her schedule not being what they were hiring for? Like if I come into an office and say I'll only work Monday to Friday but they need weekend help, isn't it kind of like that?Answer #4: Delete this postAnswer #5: If you have under 15 employees, it appears you’re not obligated to follow certain federal anti-discrimination laws. [Here](https://www.eeoc.gov/employers/smallbusiness/requirements.cfm) is what I came across when I did a little poking around. Your state may have additional laws though.

Edit: changed some wording. Answer #6: You got your advice.

Make this post disappear ASAP. The person involved in this matter can figure out who this is and use this post against you. And you can bet your ass that Reddit will comply with any subpoena.


Title: [TX] Pulled over for speeding, searched and arrested. Charged for POM<2oz.

Question:
At 3 AM on March 8, I exited the highway to make a stop at 7-Eleven. I didn't slow down as quickly as I should have and was pulled over for speeding on the access road.

I handed the officer my license & registration and when he came back, he informed me that he smelled marijuana and asked me to step out of my car.  I followed his directions, he patted me down.  I had nothing on me.

He then told me that he had probable cause to search my car (because he smelled marijuana) and asked if I had anything to tell him before he did so.  His partner/backup made small talk with me and some time later, he presents to me a few small, resealable bags of marijuana and a pipe.

I was taken to jail and processed.  I was charged with possession of marijuana < 2 oz, which is a Class B Misdemeanor and carries a fine of up to $2000 and imprisonment up to 180 days. 10 hours later I was later released on a PR bond.

I was told by the bonds company that I shouldn't bother getting an attorney, to plead guilty and to accept whatever consequences come with the conviction.

* Should I even try to hire an attorney? Is the cost of an attorney worth it for a first time offender?

* Is there any chance that I could have this expunged from my record?

I've read that first time offenders in Texas usually only receive a fine, probation and community service.  Is that to be expected without hiring an attorney?  Should I play it safe and get one?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this and an especially huge thanks to anyone that can help me to understand my situation better.

Answer:
 > I was told by the bonds company that I shouldn't bother getting an attorney, to plead guilty and to accept whatever consequences come with the conviction.

They don't have your interest in mind. They want the case closed.

You want a lawyer. For real. Go get one. Now. Seriously.

Remember, there are only two people on your side: You, and your lawyer. Everyone else is either in it for themselves, or out to get you.


Title: Thinking of going for full custody of my child (Seattle, WA)

Question:
Hi /r/legaladvice,

I am a single mother to a 4 year old girl. My ex-boyfriend and I have an unofficial (read: not a legally-bound parenting plan) agreement about visitation for our child. She lives with me for most of the week, but she stays at her father's home on some of his weekdays off (usually just one per week) and spends the night every other weekend from Friday afternoon until Sunday night. He is a great parent and takes great care of our daughter, but there are some REALLY concerning things in his life that make me think that my daughter is not safe.

The most concerning is my ex's wife. She has been around for about 3 years, and they married just months after meeting. This woman goes from 0 to 10 in seconds, and is quite mentally and physically abusive, even if she isn't angry. I have heard her tell my ex to "shut up" multiple times, and often makes fun of his weight. She has once said "no wonder you aren't with him anymore!" to me while making fun of his clothes and weight. I have talked to him and told him that this isn't healthy, but he makes excuses about her being hormonal or it being his fault, etc.

This past Sunday was the last straw. My ex arrived at my house to drop my daughter off for the week, and I noticed that he had bruises and cuts to his neck and cheeks. When I asked what happened, he said that he and his wife had a spat and she whipped and cut his face with her keys. This happened in front of my daughter, and the police were called, only for them to not take it seriously and leave. I told him that he needed to leave her, or she needed to get help or whatever, because I was no longer comfortable with him having our daughter. Of course he was upset and crying about it, but I can't feel comfortable sending her there anymore. He said he would *think* about leaving her (WTF?)

That conversation was not within earshot of my daughter. I asked her about the situation, and she recalled the situation in the way that my ex told me. She is scared of her, and I do not want to expose her to this violence at all. I am very upset that my child is frightened.

Now, where do I go next? I suppose that I would try to get full custody, but I feel like shit keeping my ex away from his child. He loves her to death. Who do I go to? What do I ask for? Is there a possible "middle ground" so that my daughter doesn't have to be exposed to that woman, but can still have a relationship with her father?

TL;DR: ex-bf's wife is abusive, and my 4 year old witnessed some serious physical abuse on her father. Not comfortable at all having her in this situation. What to do?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Absent a court order, you don't have to let your daughter see him, at all.  If you don't, he can file for custody/visitation, and you can let the court hash it out.  Or, you can file for it at any time.

Realistically, it's unlikely that you will get full custody with no visitation.  At best, you can hope for limited visitation, where she's not allowed to be around your child.  The courts are unlikely to take a child away from her father solely because he's a domestic violence victim.


Title: Landlord asking for money I don't believe we owe.

Question:
We (Girlfriend and I) finally moved out of a lousy apartment from an untrustworthy landlord.

We live in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

I apologize for not being the best at explaining, or the wrong subreddit. I will delete and repost elsewhere if needed.

Our old landlord is asking for money because of holes, painting and cleaning. However, he entered the apartment before we were done moving out and hsd it cleaned while we were not present. He cleaned the apartment and disposed of around $100 in cleaning supplies, a modem owned by my ISP, plus 18 bottles of homemade wine, around $5 per bottle.

We only got the modem back, late, after my ISP was mad for not having it back yet.

When we moved in, there was no walkthrough inspection, the holes were always there. Usually theres a paper with a list of known issues and the tenant signs it at the start. No such thing exists this time. Plus I believe landlords are supposed to paint between tenants regardless.

He's trying to charge us for cleaning, but we weren't 100% moved out yet and were still in the process of cleaning. We had time left in the lease to do so, about a week and a half left. The holes were always there, plus no walkthrough inspection so I believe we aren't responsible. Lastly painting again isn't our responsibility, I believe.

We probably won't bother to try and get the rest of the cleaning or wine back.

Can he hold us responsible for this stuff?

Answer:
 Did he **tell** you he was going to clean? Did you *agree*?

Or did he just come in and do it without notification?


Title: [FL] What can I do if my neighbors are nonstop banging and making loud noise constantly late at night, early in the morning and throughout the day?

Question: I live in a student apartment near campus. I consider myself a pretty tolerant person but it really has been happening for months on end, non stop. Very loud noises, jumping, banging, and has started to deteriorate my life by losing me sleep. I'm not one to complain but this is starting to affect my grades in school and developing circles under my eyes.

Answer:
 Call your landlord and complain?

Call the police and report the disturbance?

Knock on their door and ask them to keep it down?


Title: Fake document for visa/ Vizede sahte belge

Question:
Türkçesi aşağıda.

Hello,
Posting with a throwaway just in case. This is regarding Turkish law, but I can't post in r/Turkey because of a 50 karma requirement, so I thought I'd try my luck here since there doesn't seem to be a specific subreddit for Turkish legal advice (I'd be happy to know if there are and I missd it).
Someone I know from college was talking about how they used fake documentation (saying they graduated from a more prestigious school since they thought it would give them better chances) to apply for a Schengen visa. What would be the consequences of this? Would it be a criminal charge or just rejection of the visa (and further applications)?
Thank you.

P.S.: I'm honestly not "asking for a friend", I'd like to get this person nailed to the wall.

Merhaba,
Tanınma ihtimaline karşın atımlık hesaptan yazıyorum.
Üniversiteden tanıdığım birisi Schengen vize başvurusunda sahte evrak vermiş (öyle rezervasyon belgesi felan değil, daha prestijli bir okulda okumanın daha kolay vize almasına sebep olacağını düşündüğü için sahte diploma). Yakalanırsa bir şey yapmanın sonuçları ne olur? Resmi evrakta sahtecilik suçuna  girer mi? Konuyla bilgisi olan ya da beni alakalı kaynaklara yönlendirebilecek olan var mı?
Şimdiden herkese teşekkürler.
P.s.: "Arkadaş için soruyorum" muhabbeti değil, söz konusu kişinin cezasını almasını isterim.

Answer:
 If they're not in the EU currently: Given hostile relations between the EU and Turkey, there's little chance they'll be arrested or extradited for any crime. But he would most likely be black listed from entering for at least a certain number of years, if they decide it was an attempt at fraud rather than an error. This would probably apply across most EU nations since there are shared travel databases.

If they were in the EU, it would vary by country. False travel documentation is usually grounds for arrest, but it's unlikely the same is true for (legitimate) travel documentation that's obtained under false pretenses. And the time it takes to run proper background checks is unknown, and could be months, so the odds of him being arrested during the small timeframe of his stay is minuscule. So report him now if you want to see results.


Title: (FL)(General Manager)My legal options regarding prayer at Mandatory work meetings?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Just stand there and be quiet. Nobody is forcing you to pray. If you job wants you to stand be quiet while some words are spoken then you stand there and be quiet while some words are spoken or you find a new job if you can't handle it.

>  so I didn't push them too hard to remove it.

Who the hell do you think you are?


Title: For my friend: My friend has been going through the employment process for a TSA job. She just got confirmation that she has failed the drug screening, but hasn’t got the results yet. She hasn’t touched a drug in her life and didn’t even consider this a possibility. What can be done?

Question: Can she fight this claim? The only possibility we can think of is that she was drugged at the bar. She has been looking forward to this job and it’s really screwed her up. I have know this person most of her life and I know for a fact she has not touched a drug and looks down on them. The only other thing is maybe they mixed up the drug screenings. Is there anything she can do?

Answer:
 Or she didn't disclose a legal medication that she takes, that false-positives for some controlled drug.

There are a lot of over the counter drugs that can false-positive. Even some bagels can cause false positives.


Title: disabled parents house in foreclosure in florida

Question: My parents house has gone through foreclosure twice and been dismissed as a mass dismissal.  My father had a stroke and my step mother has been diagnosed with Alzhiemers...Foreclosure proceedings are moving forward again and we have just been turned down for a loan modification.  My father is Vet and they have 1200 dollars a month as income.  I am doing everything i can to keep them in the home.  Any suggestions?

Answer: Have you asked if you can short sell the property?


Title: Is this apartment rental application more of a sign up sheet for identity theft?

Question:
http://imgur.com/a/khFCd

A few friends and I are looking for a new apartment and came across this perfect place.  The real estate company has probably fifteen properties listed on their website, so they seem to be reliable.  One of the guys called and left a message, and got an automated call back saying to email them at their email address.  He asked about the apartment and was told there was a lockbox at the door with the key, and gave us the combination.  They also described the application process, which was a $50 non-refundable application fee, and we had to mail it and the application to a PO box.

We looked at the place and loved it, everything went smoothly for the most part.  There was a couple looking already when we got there, and right as we were leaving another couple showed up.  So we decided we should apply as soon as possible.

We went on the website and printed the applications, but as we started filling them out we got pretty weirded out.  The application asks a lot of personal questions, like SSN, driver's license number, employer and supervisor information, insurance, bank account number, credit card number, etc.  Let me know what you think, because right now we're thinking we'll skip this place and just keep looking.

This is in Freeport, IL.

http://imgur.com/a/khFCd

Answer:
 They're going to run a full background check on you. I would be surprised if you found a place that would rent to you *without* filling out a form like that. I usually leave the bank account information off--they always ask (and always get) a copy of my last pay stub so they know I can afford the rent on the place, and it's no business of theirs where I keep my money. They want your SSN to run a credit check though, and I've always provided that.

Edit: I would leave all the stuff off for bank accounts, and I definitely wouldn't give information about my doctor and if I owned firearms. Otherwise, looks legit.


Title: Wife got into an accident, other driver lied to insurance, now we are at fault

Question:
[Throwaway account]
On September, 2016 my wife got into an accident on our hwy in Toronto (Ontario, Canada).
On that day, without any warning a vehicle travelling in left lane merged into my wife’s lane without ensuring a safe distance before lane change and put on the brakes. Unfortunately, my wife couldn’t not avoid the collision. The driver admitted to the attending OPP officer in front of my wife that he was switching lanes as the collision occurred. An officer who attended the scene of this collision advised my wife that she was not at fault and asked them to proceed to the collision center for further investigation. While still being in the state of shock (my wife has never been involved in MVA before) she did her best to re-construct the mechanics of the collision. But the report only contains her name, the driver’s name, and brief description of the accident where my wife is stated at fault.

Later that day we contacted our insurance company and learned that the driver of the other vehicle changed his words and instead of saying that he was changing lines, he told his insurance company that he was already in the same line as my wife and it was my wife’s fault for not keeping the distance.

It took us 6 painful months to try to get some evidence of her innocence. We contacted the office of Freedom of Information to obtain the video from the HWY to try to proof that the third-party vehicle driver was not telling truth and committing insurance fraud. Unfortunately, the hwy camera didn’t record the moment of the accident.

We also contacted the attending officer (we kept records of all our communications) but the response was that he can’t provide any information and unable to provide any information regarding the accident.

We even tried to contact our local news company to seek help in resolving this but no luck.

We have pictures of the accident (included with this email) where it is apparent by the damage, that the driver of the other vehicle wasn’t driving in the same line as my wife. Unfortunately, our insurance company doesn’t want to take any pictures into consideration and just put my wife at fault of the incident.

Please give us advice if we have any chance resolving this in our favour...

Here are the pictures of the cards right after the accident: [our_altima](http://imgur.com/jamuyEE) and [other_guy_mercedes](http://imgur.com/wagxsqd)

Answer: You can sue the other driver and have it resolved in court. The insurance company can not agree with you if they want to.


Title: Ex-boyfriend charged with stalking, harassment, and conspiracy to harass. His court date is next week.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 First and foremost, you have got to tell someone in your family about this. Do not continue to attempt to handle this on your own.

The man has dug his own grave here, and will almost certainly be facing some pretty big penalties. That's not your problem, and you can't control it.

Have you been assigned a victim's advocate? You can request a victim's advocate through the court, and have them help you figure out the best ways of protecting yourself and your family.

Get the support you need, family included. Answer #2: If you fear for your family's safety, you need to tell them about this situation. It sounds like you might also need their support.

If anyone in your family is threatened, or any of his family threatens you, call 911 right away. Plus, now might be the time to look into self-defense and become scrupulous about your safety habits. The police can often give you some advice about staying safe.

Best of luck to you.


Title: I got raped two years ago and now she's trying to get child support.

Question:
It wasn't like a violent rape. At the time I was at a party and I had been drinking and I took ketamine for the first/last time and I went to lay down because I couldn't stand. My arms felt like they were 120lbs weights, I'm a big guy 5'11" at 180lbs but I couldn't get up or lift my arms. Well the girl in question came in and took off my pants and started going down on me, when she climbed on top I tried to push her off of me but I couldn't even reach her, no fight, a 6 year old kid could have beat my ass. The next morning I wasn't 100% it happened until I heard about it from a mutual friend. It was partially my fault, she could never have raped me if I didn't put myself in that position. The only bright side to that having happened is two years later I don't use drugs and I never get drunk. But my first course of action is to get a paternity test, getting someone pregnant from one time having sex has got to be pretty low. But just in case, on the off chance it was my kid, what do I do? I want to be entirely honest this is her telling me this over social media to get me to pay child support or help raise her kid, I guarantee it, we're talking a 99.99999% chance that is not my kid and this whole post is irrelevant. As of this moment my plan is to take her for coffee, have my mom watch the kid under the pretense of meeting her grandson and having her do one of those paternity swab tests from wal-greens and then we'll send it in and see where I'm at, but worst case scenario, what do I do?

>oklahoma

Answer:
 It she had unprotected sex with you, even once, the chances are not low that the child is yours. If you're determined to be the father, you will have to pay child support and can also apply for joint custody. Even if you had gone to the police about the rape, you still wouldn't be off the hook for taking care of your child.

Edit: Why am I being downvoted? If there's something incorrect in my advice, go ahead and point it out. Answer #2: OP, I've been raped, too, I sympathise with you. You seem like you have it together. You are thinking the right things and going about this the right way. What you do now is keep making sound decisions based off of the welfare of this child and your own well-being and peace of mind. I think, in addition to a paternity test, you should look into getting your mutual friend to make a statement about what happened, you should also look into whether or not you need her consent to audio-record your meetings w/her.  I would keep every written message she sends you, as well.Answer #3: Those tests, while reliable, are not admissible in court. If she still claims you are the father you could be ordered to submit a sample for a true paternity test.


Title: Can I patent the concept of a device without technically or scientifically knowing how to create that device?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You can't patent ideas, you can only patent inventions.

To patent something (in the US) you need to show that it is new, useful, and non-obvious.

For something to be useful, it has to be functional. The entire deal with a patent is that you get a 20 year monopoly in exchange for disclosing the way that something works/is made to the public.

In the patent, you need to explain to a person having ordinary skill in the art how to make your invention, that's the entire point of patents.