Title: Can i legally decide someone other than the father gets custody of my child when i pass.

Question:
I live in texas and have a 1 month old son. The father is not at all involved and was pissed when he found out i told his family about the kid. My mom passed away and my father is a felon who i don't allow in my life. I have an autistic brother and a sister who hates kids. Clearly i don't want to pass without a will as no obvious guardian would exist for my son. Would i legally be allowed to form a will stating if i pass before my son is 18 my aunt who lives in another state gets sole custody? The father's name is not on the birth certificate if that matters. I own my own home and i also want to find a way to leave that to him but i pay monthly HOA fees along with the yearly property taxes and yearly school taxes. So i don't know how he would pay that if he was still a small child when i passed.
I will be getting a lawyer for all of this soon but all law offices are still closed here and i would like to go in with as much legal advice on the matter as possible.
Thank you.

Answer:
 You can indeed name a guardian in your will. However, it is advisory only, The final decision will be made by a judge, based on the best interests of the child.

Your wishes will be given great weight, but so will the parental rights of the child's father, should the father choose to exercise them.

One way to make sure to provide financially for your child is life insurance. Another is to set up a trust to be used for the benefit of the child until the child is of age.


Title: [Texas] Negligent dog kennel, can anything be done?

Question:
I've worked at a dog kennel in Texas for 9 months now, and throughout my employment the conditions the place is kept in have been sub-par and disgusting. Nobody other than me properly cleans up after the dogs: The floors are frequently soaked with urine and covered in feces when I come in after a day where I haven't been working. This is both due to other employees not cleaning as well as they should, and due to a leaky drainage system.

Only about half of the dogs have proper bedding, and due to messes left in the kennels, I suspect that some employees aren't coming in to take the dogs out to go to the bathroom at night like they are supposed to.

The dogs aren't treated poorly: Everyone acts properly around them, maybe a bit short at times, but no direct physical abuse that i'm aware of. The issue is the unsanitary conditions in which the dogs are kept.

I've put in my notice already, so i'll be leaving soon. I'd like to know if there's anything I can do to make sure the business can't continue to get away with these unsanitary practices? It's unhealthy for the dogs, and i'd like to do something to stop it if I can.

Also, we don't keep proper documentation of the dogs' shot records. We technically require them, but it's very frequent that the owner won't provide any form of documentation, and they are accepted anyway.

TL;DR: Dog kennel has gross conditions, it's bad for the dogs health. Who can I report this to, if anyone?

Answer:
 I googled a bit but couldn't nail down WHO exactly to report this to so I would suggest calling your local Humane Society and asking who to report it to.Answer #2: A few options:

local SPCA or animal control

[APHIS animal welfare site](https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/banner/contactus/SA_Animal_Welfare) (they do some inspections of kennels, especially if they are large scale breeders)


Title: Questions in regards to my termination which I have a disability.

Question:
 Hello, I'm creating a throwaway account for the obvious reason. I have several question for you any of your HR folks that are out there.

Background of this story: I recently got fired from a private company for unknown reasons other than they want to go in a different direction with a new employee.

I recently had my psychiatrist create a letter of the many disabilities that I have and I'm looking to send it to a work email this week. I hoping by sent this letter to her email that may be I can give them a call to have my manager start thinking about it and getting callback.

One of things that I check back awhile ago when I first completed my online application that I answered to no I don't have a disability on the ADA portion of the application, and to top check off saying that I read the terms and fully agree to the answers I've submitted into my applications. I didn't want the company to discriminate me if I did have a disability. Did I hurt my chances legally of getting back into the company by doing saying no on the application.

Also, if an HR manager were to come across a doctor's letter from the employee what will come across there mind once they send that doctor's letter in the email.

I know having a lawyer would help my questions but I'm not sure if any HR folks have had experience dealing with ADA issues for employees.

I would appreciate you of all the legal advice I can get from a legal standpoint. Also, is it worth getting a lawyer. I'm currently applying to other jobs as we speak.

Answer:
 It is usually illegal to fire someone for their disability or initiating an ADA discussion. Since your employer had no idea whatsoever of your disability, your firing was likely legal. Sending a doctor's note after the fact will do nothing.Answer #2: Too late. You didn’t ask for an accommodation before you were fired. Even if you had maybe the accommodation wouldn’t have been reasonable or maybe your disability was not related to your deficient performance.Answer #3: Too late. You lied on your application when you said you didn't need ADA accommodations. You did not request accommodations when you knew you needed them.

You cannot ask for accommodations after you have been fired, even if you know/believe your (undisclosed) disability was the cause. That isn't how it works.Answer #4: Unfortunately, sending a letter showing your disabilities isn't going to help you get your job back. Especially after declaring you had no disabilities. I highly recommend to always disclose your disabilities when you submit your applications. It is against the law for them to discriminate when hiring you due to your disabilities but it would be hard for you to prove that they fired you for those reasons if you never declared yourself as having them, when you know you did.Answer #5: You don't really have any legal standpoint here... how can you accuse them of terminating you on the basis of a disability if you didn't disclose it?


Title: (SPAIN) Girlfriend was told she legally cannot leave the country until she's 21. Is this true?

Question:
My girlfriend is 17, and lives in Spain. Someone in her family told her that it is not legally possible for her to leave the country until she is 21. She doesn't have any criminal charges or anything that should prevent her from travelling, but her family member claimed that there was a law preventing her from going outside the border until she reached a specific age.

I've been looking online, and I can't find any mention of this.

**Is there a law preventing people under a certain *age* from leaving Spain?**

Having this confirmed/denied either for a vacation or for moving out of the country would be very helpful. Thank you for your time.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Spain is in Schengen area. No one is going to stop her from walking into France. Answer #2: According to [Article 315 of the Civil Code of Spain](http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/text.jsp?file_id=221319#LinkTarget_6366), the age of majority is 18. I have no reason to suppose that the suggestion that a person who is, for all other legal purposes, an adult, would require parental permission or accompaniment to leave the country, is true.


Title: Jury Nullification?

Question: Is jury nullification criminally punishable in WA state USA? I don't mean starting a campaign promoting it. Or even swaying others to my views. I'm talking about just repeatedly saying not guilty. Aside from the obvious consequences, is there a risk of confinement or a fine? While I find a great mixture of information, I find nothing specific as no one seems to want to discuss that right. Thank You for any input.

Answer:
 Jury nullification is an intentional dereliction of a jury's legal duty to determine the verdict in the case before them based on the evidence and arguments presented. It's only possible because there is no way to hold a jury directly accountable for finding otherwise: allowing prosecution (or even civil actions) against jurors for their decisions in a jury effectively guts the jury's role as a check on judicial authority. However, blatant jury misconduct can be grounds for an appeal.

Advocating for jury nullification - for the jury to move beyond finding facts and to determine questions of law as well - is often grounds to be excluded from a jury.


Title: Police took my 1p LSD (synthetic) lsd

Question: The police confiscated my 1p lsd, I live in Ohio I did not admit to consumption or distribution. Can I still be in legal trouble?

Answer: [Yes. Yes you can](http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/2925.11)


Title: Bought car in KS, went to trade it in, BRANDED TITLE. Told it's worthless. Should I get a lawyer?

Question: I'm the girl who wrote asking about her options to get rid of a car that was cosigned with an ex. I've took possession of the car, went to trade it in and there is a Manufacturer Buyback/Lemon Title Record coming up on the title. The dealership that was going to take my trade took my estimate down $5k after they found that out. The dealership where I purchased the car basically shrugged me off, told me the other dealership "has no idea what they are talking about" and blah blah blah. I am waiting on him to "find my paperwork" and see where he is willing to go from there. But I just know he is going to try and get away with screwing me more. I want to know what is ACTUALLY right. My lending company isn't standing behind me like I thought they would. They say they just loan the money, so apparently they don't care they got defrauded as well. Guess I'm on my own. Lawyers of Reddit what do I do?!

Answer:
 Was the condition of the title disclosed to you at the original purchase?  Where is your copy of the paperwork?  Do you have the car's original sell sheet?  Any correspondence with the dealer?

Take all of that to a local attorney for a free consult.


Title: 71yr old woman sprayed with hose pipe and knocked down...the catalyst...NSFW

Question:
I wouldn't believe it unless I read the police report I front of a panel of Marines. My student, recently generally discharged by the marines, had his character under the microscope that day. I know him well, having coached him in martial arts for 2 years. I gladly took the oath and spoke the truth. The marines gave him the general discharge because that was the smartest move on their part. If he gets his record expunged they'll easily switch it over if he proceeds in that direction. They had me read the police report before answering questions.
The short version is that a man(scumbag) who has an extensive criminal history sprayed a 71 year old woman in the face with a hose pipe while she was walking down the side walk, knocking her to the ground. This was admitted and in the report as everything I'll mention. My student then proceeds to make a terrible decision and follow his Moms boyfriend(mudafuka) to talk with the scumbag. During the conversation scumbag says," I'm going to get my gun and shoot you." They were on scumbags porch. This is the gigantic mistake. Mudafuka attempts to stop scumbag  by kicking the door open before he can close it. Thinking that scumbag and mudafuka are about to start struggling for control of a gun the true first mistake is pulled by my student and holds scumbag up on his own property. Students foot steps into the doorway. Over half of his body is inside the house after pulling the gun and he controls the situation until the police almost get there. 3rd mistake is made and he decides to ditch the gun. Mistakes were made and student with no priors tries to talk to the police thinking he did nothing wrong. They tell him that if he doesn't talk they'll have his career.
Well the career is had and the only charge the solicitors are sticking to him is 2nd degree burglary for 7 years...first time offender and no one was hurt, Monday is his day in court. What should he do? They gave him a two week continuance. I need him for my business to operate safely. He made a stupid choice but I know he's already paid mentally for it...he helps me with my inner city youth program as a volunteer...I need him for my business. Any ideas?

Answer:
 He needs a lawyer. He made a decision that should indicate to everyone that he should not own a gun, or be allowed to stay in the military.

Also, does your inner city youth program not require that volunteers pass whatevery your location's version of a vulnerable sector check is? because I would think that arrest alone would cause him to be banned from volunteering at an organization that mentors at risk youth.


Title: Is damage from smoking "normal wear and tear?" [Rental - Round Lake, IL]

Question:
Question: Is the damage resulting from smoking "normal wear and tear" or is it damage for which part of a security deposit could be withheld?

Facts: I had tenants who smoked in the town home that I own during their 3 year tenancy. I was young and foolish when they moved in, and there is no clause in their lease specifically preventing them from smoking. As part of evaluating the property after their tenancy, I withheld about $300 for various smoke remediation costs (the bulk being from the rental of an ozone machine). I have since received a letter from their attorney calling foul. Looking online, many other landlords have withheld for this same reason, but I'm yet to find the legal justification for doing so.

My view: True, smoking wasn't specifically against the lease. Nor was raising chickens in the living room or putting a hot tub in the dining room. And you're darn right I'd withhold from the deposit for damage resulting from those activities as well. And as far as claiming smoking as "normal wear and tear?" I've always viewed that as the inevitable physical decline arising from living somewhere; smoke damage hardly seems inevitable (or, based on national smoking numbers, normal).

Answer:
 >Nor was raising chickens in the living room

Note to self: Add this clause to tenant lease.

Seriously, you're so right. You would think certain things go without saying but I could write a book about the things people are capable of doing when the property isn't theirs. Smoke damage is not wear and tear even a smoker will agree the smell is difficult to remove. I don't think $300. is unreasonable at all.

As long as you have your receipts, and a record of your time to clean (shampoo the rugs, etc.), you should be fine. Answer #2: Damages as a result of smoking are not wear and tear lol. Especially if the carpet has been burned or there are ash stains on walls or any other damage incurred as a direct result of smoking on propertyAnswer #3: Some hotels charge more than that as a penalty for smoking in non-smoking rooms.

You have expenses that are specifically due to the smoking and you should be able to recover them.Answer #4: If you let smokers smoke in your house for three years and only charged them $300 you are a saint. I would expect cigarette smoke to permanently ruin the carpet and paint in that time period. I'm very surprised an ozone machine made an appreciable difference.Answer #5: No, it is not normal wear and tear.


Title: A better understanding for my situation with a stalker who’s on Megans Law

Question: I know as of right now I can only document anything he does- but he’s going to use others to do his dirty work- that being said 2 of his accomplices I will freak out on if they message me- if I send them the link to the article saying what happened to the stalker and not say anything about Megans Law and tell them to do with the information as they please- could that come back to me saying I used Megans Law and not the news article in a local paper?

Answer:
 Your post makes absolutely no sense.

Start over, and explain your situation, and what legal question you want answered.


Title: Bought car at BHPH lot, suspected it had issues, but it had more than I knew about and broke down. Charge back or lawsuit?

Question:
Location Raleigh/Durham, NC. xpost personalfinance

Bought a car at a BHPH lot. Put $3k down on a credit card. Noted the sunroof was wobbly, salesman verbally stated it was okay. Sold as is (but what about implied warranties?) Within 5 days sunroof flew off in traffic. I agreed to pay $600 to have it fixed if they agreed to take away first and last payments. Got a payment receipt, then made second payment 20ish days early. Engine went bad a total of 6 weeks after purchase. Returned car to lot, called the next day, they stated they would not refund $3k and would file a repo lawsuit. A quick google search doesn't seem to show that they file any lawsuits ever. Do I have the grounds to issue a chargeback or file in small claims? I'm 90% certain that if I file a lawsuit they'll settle out of court, and 80% certain that I'll be more likeable in court, which is rare, but in this case true, and important since it will mostly be word v word.
Topic:
Small Claims Procedure

Answer:
 You bought an "as-is" car.

And that's what you got.

Unless there's something weird in NC that is different from most places, then you have no recourse.

It's a good idea to have a trusted mechanic look at a used car before you buy it for exactly this reason.

If you file a suit, you'll likely lose when it goes to court.  You agreed to buy a car as-is.  When you testify to that fact, I don't see how you win after that.


Title: “Accidentally” signed contracts to buy a car.

Question:
I’m 19 and live in Maryland.

So today I went into a car dealership to shop around for a used car. I sat down with the finance guy and he started showing me the numbers for the car I chose.

I said “great, I wanna get the details printed out for me so I can take them home and review them with my mother.”

So he started taking me through the process of signing a few documents, which felt kinda strange. He wants to get me all the details to take home I thought.

I stopped and asked, “does signing these mean I’m buying the car?” He said, “no, we are just going to hold the car for you if you decide to go through with it.”

I was thinking that they just needed a few signatures to hold the car for me - like he said. I didn’t really know what a car title looked like or what any of the documents meant. I tried to read as much as I could, but there were just so many papers and different things highlighted. (Ultimately my fault I didn’t read everything. I take full responsibility...)

I got that weird feeling again that I probably shouldn’t be signing all these, but I thought this guy wouldn’t just straight up lie to me. After all this was one of the largest dealership franchises in the country. They’ll be genuine. I guess not.

I called them back and told them I’ve decided to go with another car and they made me aware I was bound by contract to buy their car. I would rather not considering the other car was a MUCH better deal.

What’s my best course of action here guys?
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: Congrats, you own a car now!!


Title: [Dallas, TX] Received a voicemail about someone filing a case with Dallas County...is this a scam?

Question:
I received a voicemail this morning (My mother also received a similar voicemail) informing me that they are contacting me in reference to a case (case number) being filed through "Dallas County." They claim they are trying to locate me, and they claim they have the legal right to contact my employer to get my location. They then gave me a toll-free number to call (I looked it up, and it directed me to a cyber-security firm). They then claim that once the case is filed, that I would "forfeit all my legal rights."

A couple of things to note:
1) The number they called me and my mother on was through a VOIP.
2) They did not mention who they worked for, although she gave me her name.
3) I've never heard of this cyber security firm before.

4) I have not engaged in any illicit activities, however, I do have a couple of outstanding debts.

&#x200B;

Is this a scam? How should I proceed at this point? I am hesitant to contact the toll-free number, as I don't want to give them any opportunity to further scam me or my family, if this is a scam.
My first thoughts would be to contact Dallas County, but I don't know who to call. Maybe the Dallas County Clerk's office?

Answer: You aren't sued by phone. They have to serve you papers. It's definitely a scam. Don't call the 800 number at all. Just ignore them. If you do get court papers (and you won't), then come back here for further advice.


Title: Dogs & a will (CA)

Question:
Hi! My husband and I are starting to write our will in case of emergency. We live in CA. We have two questions:

1.) Can we write a joint will? It is our understanding that if something happens to just one of us, the other will automatically will get everything. However, our main point of concern is protecting our pets in the event we both die.

2.) It is our understanding that we cannot force anyone to take our pets in the event of our death by leaving them in our will to someone. Which is fine, we don't want to force someone to take our pets, we want someone who will love them. However, we are interested in leaving a set amount of money aside to take care of our pets for future expenses (food, medical, ect.). We would hate for our beloved pets to be put down because no one could afford to take care of them. What would be the best way to do this? We were planning on also making the language very general since we plan on being pet owners the vast majority of our lives (i.e. - any pets or living pets as opposed to putting pet names in the will).

Thanks!

Answer: A professional will, drafted specifically for you by a lawyer, is one of the cheapest and most worthwhile legal services money can buy. If you want your wills (because you should each have one) to have any effect at all, then this is not something you should be doing on your own.


Title: In Canada, The Supreme Court has said that a person cannot consent to an assault that causes bodily harm - How do sports like boxing, MMA, hockey get around it

Question:
Was reading this article - http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/the-ghomeshi-question-the-law-and-consent/article21315629/

and it stated: But, when it comes to BDSM – or at least its more intense versions – the law doesn’t actually care about consent. The Supreme Court has said that a person cannot consent to an assault that causes bodily harm. While the cases have typically arisen in the context of bar room brawls or hockey violence, other courts have applied the same reasoning to the sexual context. So, if a sexual activity causes bodily harm, a person cannot consent to it.

The article even points out hockey - yet people get body checked and harmed all the time.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 First of all, bodily harm isn't any harm. Bodily harm is a legal term with a specific meaning that excludes minor injuries or transient injuries.

Second, a Globe and Mail article isn't a legal opinion and summarizes the law of assault fairly poorly. Generally in sports, you can consent to things up to and including bodily harm if it is within the normal and accepted parameters of the sport. Normally, criminal convictions and civil liability only arise when the action exceeds the accepted norms of the sport. So think Todd Bertuzzi, think a boxer that continues to fight after the match has ended etc.


Title: Rights of Townhouse residents

Question:
We live in a 2 level townhouse with neighbors on each side of use with shared walls.

New neighbors moved in on one side at the beginning of the year.  This family has 2 children one of which is autistic.  This autistic child is constantly yelling and screaming and pounding and banging on walls.

I've contacted site management and she has spoken to them about this a few times now.  I've been asked to be patient and understanding but after 7 months now my patience has ended.  I've lived here with my girlfriend for almost 9 years now and I would like to know when my rights are.

I don't want to move as I shouldn't have to go through all that trouble when it isn't an issue I can control.  I've never called the polive and I don't want to call the police every time this starts happening.  I just want to live here peacefully and I would like to know what my rights are.

Would anyone have some thoughts on my situation?  Any help would be appreciated

Answer: If there is no HOA, then calling the police is your only option. You can also break your lease due to lack of quiet enjoyment. Other options haven't worked.


Title: My girlfriend and I paid our last months rent and security deposit upfront. But our landlord says I still owe rent for my last month.

Question:
My girlfriend and I paid our first months rent, last months rent, and security deposit upfront when our lease began.
We are now on our last month, I gave the proper notice that'd we'd be moving out after expiration.
Our landlord is insisting that we still have to pay last months rent, and we only get the "deposit" back after we've moved.
There's clearly a difference between last months rent, and a security deposit.
However, I was looking at the lease agreement, and no where does it mention our deposit or last months rent. It only states our monthly sum.
Will this turn into "he said, she said." Or is there some sort of action I can take.

Some notes:
-He sucks at giving receipts, he usually picks up our rent while we're not home.
-I've asked him to repeatedly take care of some health code violations, and he has not done so.
(Possible gas leak, red tag on water heater, insect infestations making it unbearable living conditions)
-We reside in Ohio.
I'm never late on rent, and all utilities are in my name except for the water bill, if that matters.

Answer:
 What matters is if you can show that you paid last months rent. You shouldn't pay it twice - that really doesn't make sense at all. The simple answer is not to pay it, and point out that you've already paid it. Preferably mention in an email (or other text communication) that you paid last months rent upfront when the lease began. Maybe the landlord will confirm it in his reply.

And you should demand your deposit back (assuming you haven't damaged anything). This is one situation where "take an insane amount of photos" makes sense. I simply videotaped an apartment walkaround before I left. They tried hitting me with damage to the interior of the freezer, so I'm glad I actually showed the inside of the freezer in the video. And apartment managers will charge for cleaning blinds and the tops of ceiling fans, so make sure it's in *pristine* condition.


Title: How would one prove they are Jewish? Regarding a HUD housing

Question:
Still connection to my mother..she lives in a building for elderly/disabled. She is a secular Jew, and living in Montana they cannot provide kosher meals. So, the management asked her to prove they are Jewish. Actually they asked her if there was LIST of Jews somewhere. Or if a Rabbi could tell them...there isn't a Temple anywhere near here, she ended up showing them pictures of her parents gravestones, which have the Star of David on them, they relented. Is this a legal question...may be a stupid question. Just think it is weird.

Edit: sorry, they provide meals, and charge people around 300 a month, she was seeking exemption because she sticks with Kosher foods. Therefore they wanted proof of the reason.

Answer:
 Apparently they are satisfied with what she showed them, so what's the issue?

(Also, if she is a secular Jew, why does she need kosher meals?  That's unusual.)Answer #2: Asking for lists of Jews rubs me the wrong way.Answer #3: >Actually they asked her if there was LIST of Jews somewhere.

That *is* weird, but I think it is just because some people request kosher foods because they think they will get better quality food by doing so.  The facility was just trying to weed out that happening.


Title: help my bank is holding my Bitcoin money (UK)

Question:
bare with my grammar but here's the story I bought 50 bitcoines about 5 years ago and have sold them to a private buyer the problem is the bank(Halifax) is saying that I have been paid with a fraudulent check and they have blocked my account for it to be closed and band me from using any of there associates' explained my case are asking if I have proof of entitlement which I don't really have any a couple of emails to a Gmail of the guy I was selling to the main issue is that they put the funds in to my back account and it appeared as available to me so I release my Bitcoins this is a lot of money to me and I have raised a complaint to my bank and they said that they will call me back I am wondering if there's anything to fight with as I feel they shouldn't of displayed the funds to me before the payment was official I've be scammed using there system I have contacted the buyer about this but haven't had a reply
any advice would be helpful Thank You

Answer:
 What's unclear about your situation?  You've made an electronic, irreversible transfer to someone from a far-off land, and you've been paid with a fake check.

There's no money. The check is fake.  So much for your 15 thousand pounds.

If you spent any of the money, now you owe it to your bank, who trusted you to deposit real checks and advanced you the money.

If you can identify the other party, you may be able to sue them.  Good luck.

You can also report this to the police, who are unlikely to do anything, especially if the other party lives in another country.

No offense, but anyone willing to send YOU 15 thousand pounds in real money on your promise to send them bitcoins is either a total fool or a scammer, with scammer being by far the most likely.  And scammer they were.Answer #2: > as I feel they shouldn't of displayed the funds to me before the payment was official

This is standard practices for banks and why when dealing with large and/or too-much-trust-requiring transactions people often use an escrow service.

Sucks, but your bitcoins are gone and there never was any money.Answer #3: > I have contacted the buyer about this but haven't had a reply

You will never hear back from this guy/girl, he scammed you using a pretty well known method. The banks show the funds as available but after connecting with the other bank and they find out that the check is a fraudulent check so they will come after the one who cashed it. This should be common knowledge by now (how it isn't is still a mistery to me).

You could ask for information over at /r/LegalAdviceUK but it seems to me that you are shit out of luck.


Title: Bait and Switch on a Loan?? Please advise

Question:
So, my friend (yes actually not me) signed a loan with a lender and the lender "forgot" a bunch of monthly fees on their quote. My friend already put their earnest check down for the place (TX, btw) and doesn't think they'll be able to afford it now with the "new" fees. This seems like a bait and switch tactic to me and I advised them to seek legal counsel but I wanted to get some advice for them too. Please let me know what you advise, and I'll answer any questions I can without giving too much personal details for them.

Edit: Real Estate Agent raised shit and got it fixed to their satisfaction.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 That's not what "bait and switch" means.

You should have received paperwork. Are the fees listed in the paperwork?


Title: [NJ] Child is bullying/harassing other children in summer camp

Question:
I work at a youth day summer camp in NJ and I currently have a child in my care that is causing concerns. The camp is fully licensed. The children in my care are 6-7 years old.

So to say in summary, this child has been continuously harassing the other children in our camp group since the program started over a month ago. This harassment/bullying has been a combination of the verbal, social, and physical types.

Some of the most concerning actions committed are listed:

* *Allegedly attempted to drown another child while at the pool.* The affected child claimed the other said "I don't care +...." while trying to drown him/her. The harasser claimed innocence saying "I didn't know, it was an accident".
   * Immediately notified one of my bosses, but nothing was done except for telling the child that is wrong to do
   * No witnesses except the children involved.
* *Inappropriately touched children of both sexes*. This child has grabbed/slapped the buttocks of a child of the opposite sex and not in an exploratory manor. The child also has touched the genitals of children of the same sex in what I assume *might* have been in a joking manor. This has happened while all of them were fully clothed in public settings.
   * Again notified my boss shortly after, but no action is being / has been taken to my knowledge. My boss was not for notifying the parents of the affected children. I witnessed the former action, but not the later (notified by affected children).

I have not gone a single day without multiple children complaining to me about this child touching them, yelling at them, teasing and taunting them, or trying to make other children upset by purposely leaving them out or by threatening to not be friends. In addition to this, I have not only witnessed, but also experienced this child attempting to manipulate me and others to get out of trouble, items from other children, or social power over others. This child habitually lies and is known to steal from other children.

**I would really like to know what legal options I may have regarding reporting this to relevant agencies/authorities.** My boss will not call this child's legal guardians to discuss his behavior nor is my boss going to call the parents of the children affected by the listed incidents to the best of my knowledge based off discussions with him.  The reasoning being that in the past, some parents have not done anything to help reduce inappropriate behavior and they come back to camp the same way. Plus, my boss also told me, in his own words, that extreme actions \[read: punishment, suspension, and expulsion\] would not be taken because it would be against the policy and mission of the camp. The most that my bosses/supervisors are willing to do is sit him in timeout by himself for a brief period of time when he misbehaves at an extreme level, otherwise its up to me.

Answer:
 >No witnesses except the children involved.

What were the lifeguards and other camp staff doing?

You have the right to kick them out of camp. Not taking action to mitigate the issue is putting your camp at deep risk, and if something happens and a parent sues, it will come out that your camp's management knew there was an issue and did nothing. Tell your boss "Imagine standing in a court room in front of 12 jury members, and tell me how you think it will go if you say "Well, he grabbed other kids genitals, but we didn't want to punish him because went against our policies and missions."

What you should do: [Contact NJ's Department of Children and Families and report this](https://www.nj.gov/dcf/reporting/how/).  Anyone who witnessed this and did not report, under NJ law, can theoretically be indicted as a disorderly person, which is similar to a misdemeanor in other states. Someone who has legal responsibility over someone who does not report may well have higher liability and civil liability.


Title: [KS] Gave car to co-worker temporarily, co-worker eventually gives keys to criminal who gets car impounded.

Question:
A short summary and my specific questions can be found at the bottom. Thank you everyone for your time.

I am located in Kansas City, Kansas. About two months ago I realized I could no longer justify paying insurance on my beloved first car that I had limited use for these days. I didn't want to lose touch with it though and decided to offer it to a friend and co-worker who needed a safe vehicle for his wife to transport their kids in. I offered it to him for free on the verbal condition that he offer the car to me first if he ever wished to get rid of it. He gladly accepted and so I signed the title over to him, completed a bill of sale, etc.

For the next month I hear little of it except that he's repaired a few of the minor problems the car had when i gave it to him. Then one day the car shows up at our workplace, I'm pleased to see it but a bit surprised so I ask my friend what he had it here for. He tells me that he had agreed to loan it to a friend of his that he was getting a job for here while that friend gets "on their feet". I'm not happy with him but know that there's little I can do so I simply ask him to not let me regret this.

A couple of days later the car is still at work and so I ask my friend about it, he tells me that his friend whom he'd already given the car key to had been arrested and that he didn't know where he was. I'm furious but don't know what else to do so I move the car to our back lot at work which is enclosed by a chain-link fence topped with razor wire.

Four days later I am awoken at 5:00AM by a phone call from the police department, they ask me if I own X vehicle and tell me that it was discovered left in the middle of the road downtown with stolen plates on it. I'm still very groggy and try to explain what I have just told all of you to the police. They tell me they can't provide me with details on anything (although at this point I felt certain it had been used in a crime) but that they would have the vehicle towed.

I go to work a couple hours later and nobody there seems to have noticed anything wrong. I check the fences and discover that a section had been cut vertically in two places and along the bottom. Checking the security camera recording I can see a man cutting the fence and then driving the car backwards through the hanging chain-link and away up the street.

Over the next four days I visit the police station twice and both times no one is willing to give me any information on the car's location, what happened to it, or what they intended to do about it. On the fifth day my doorbell rings at 3:50AM, there are lights being shone through my front window and there is a police car out front. I cautiously go to the door and discover two very well equipped police officers who immediately ask if I own X vehicle. I tell them I don't honestly know and invite them inside, one of them sits down at my kitchen table with me but the other is unwilling to leave my front hall. I answer all of their questions and they quickly appear to decide I'm not involved with whatever happened. The only thing they are willing to tell me is that neither my co-worker nor his friend have ever made an attempt to register or license the vehicle. As they are leaving I ask one of the officers why they showed up at this hour and he mumbles something about it being safer that way.

After this I do not hear anything from the police although I contact them multiple times hoping for further details or to at least find out where the car has been taken. They refuse to tell me anything as they do not consider me to be involved.

This continues until two days ago when I received a letter in the mail from a towing company stating that they have my car and want over $700 for it or they will auction the car off in a few days. I visit the tow company who "apologizes" for the automated letter arriving so much later than normal. Despite this they are unwilling to let me see the vehicle or even tell me about it's status. They also state they do not have a set date for when my car will be auctioned.

I'm scared someone is going to scrap it.

**Short Summary:**
Gave old car to "friend", friend never registers car and eventually gives keys to criminal. Criminal steals car and ditches it downtown with stolen plates. Car towed to unknown location by police. Police refuse to share any details with me but show up at 3:50AM to ask questions. Tow company eventually sends letter asking for >$700 or car will be auctioned in a few days. Tow company unwilling to let me see vehicle or give me set auction date.

**Specific questions:**
**1.** Is there any way I can get my car back? I don't have $700 to drop out of nowhere but I really can't bear the idea of losing it forever.

**2.** Who legally owns the car right now?

**3.** Why did the police choose 3:50AM on a weeknight to ask me questions?

**4.** Is there any way to find out what crime happened with my car?

Again thank you everyone for your time, any advice you might have is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions I will answer them as quickly and accurately as possible.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 In Kansas you're supposed to remove the liscense plate of the car when you sign the title at the time of sale. Did you remove your liscense plate?

For future referance, you can fill out form TR-216, the Seller's Notification of Sale, in order to alert the state that you have sold a car. You can also get a prorated refund of your property tax by turning your plates in at the DMV.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, but I have dealt with transfering car ownership in Kansas.


Title: Property stored by company that went out of business ... now being auctioned off

Question:
I hired a pool company to open my pool for the summer. The package I purchased included storing my pool cover for the summer. Two or three days after my pool was opened, and pool cover taken, the company went out of business.

They emailed me and said all pool covers would be returned within the month. I immediately emailed them back asking if I could pick up my cover right away but did not get a response. Several weeks and several emails later I finally received a response back saying that all pool covers have been returned. Since mine was not returned I replied with a copy of my contract that stated the cover would be picked up. Did not hear back.

This afternoon I saw an ad for an auction of the companies' property including several pool covers. One of which appears to be mine.

What are my options for getting the cover back? They auction has an inspection period starting tomorrow morning. At a minimum, I'll be going down to inspect the covers.

Answer:
 Step one is probably to go down and talk to them. Missouri appears to be a one party consent state so you might also want to record the conversation. Bring a *copy* of any documents that you have showing that you own the pool cover. The email saying all pool covers will be returned is a good document to include plus any contracts, receipts, etc... Be sure to bring a copies and not the originals.

If they refuse to give it to you, the next step is to send them a certified letter stating that they're in possession of your property and you'd like it returned.Answer #2: Had a similar thing happen to me several years ago.
I worked at a auto dealership in the service dept.
We showed up for for work one day to locked doors.
I had a planned vacation to Jamaica scheduled the next week. Everyone was told to come that week to retrieve our tools. Because I was out of the country, I wasn't able to. A fellow employee was able to get my main tool box, but not a smaller one or some special tools that I owned.
After several failed attempts to retrieve my tools, I had to attend the auction and went straight to the auctioneer with proof that the tools belonged to me and not the dealership.
It took me almost 4 months to get those tools back. I had filed a suit in court in the meantime for damages due to being denied access to my tools.
I won the case, but was so far down the line of creditors that I never saw a dime.
BTW, no one who was owed a check that week was paid either.


Title: Legal to lie about sending wedding invitation?

Question:
So this is maybe a silly question.

Here’s the scenario:

A couple sends some people a save the date card for an upcoming wedding and then they choose NOT to send an invitation. The person who received the save the date later asks about the invitation.

The couple says, “oh it must have been lost in the mail” or something like that.

Again, this is probably a silly question here, but is any part of this illegal? Yes, it’s a lie and yes it’s a jerk thing to do. But what’s the legal perspective?

Answer: There’s nothing illegal there in the US.


Title: Apartment community is advertising amenities that no longer exist. [TX]

Question:
I live in a luxury high-rise that I've posted about here a couple times. They have been slipping big time and completely neglecting certain aspects of the property and many residents are very dissatisfied. However, today I heard something that may border on criminal, and I'd like to get a sense for what I can do.

I was in a common area with a neighbor today watching TV when one of the leasing agents came through with a tour. We heard her explaining to these prospects that the building has a complimentary shuttle service that will pick you up at he airport or drive you to destinations with a 15 mile radius of the building.

The problem is that the building informed residents in writing 3 months ago that this service was being discontinued, and it has been gone for almost 2 months now.

Building management here is super shady, and even though this particular thing doesn't directly affect me, I really want to stand up for people who may be getting suckered into a lease based on false information.

What can/should I do?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Next time it happens, pop up and say "oh, are you guys bringing back that service?  I've missed it in the two months it has been gone."  :)

In the end, the lease controls the relationship.  So unless they promise the shuttle in the lease, it's not part of the agreement.

It's scummy though.


Title: [EU country] Child porn on search engines, what can I [19f] do about it?

Question:
I recently moved to a small EU country, but I'd rather not specify. It is also probably not important cause this is happening online.

Idk if anyone else runs into the same problem but sometimes I use Bing images to find pornographic pictures using key words. I *never* ise terms like young or barely legal, just words like 'girl' sometimes.

Anyway, it's happened twice that while scrolling, I saw pictures of 8-13 year olds in a bathing suite. Once I saw a nude of a person who was obviously a pre-teen. When this stuff happens I just close out my browser.

I have two questions:

Can I get into legal trouble for seeing these images on a  Bing search? And is there any way to report the pictures without clicking on them to see the URL?

Answer:
 No you won't get into trouble. It's legal to browse for adult material online. You did not request CP.

Yes, you can report it to Bing, and they will immediately take it down.

i would be surprised if something like that slipped through though....


Title: I’m pissed off someone pissed on my car

Question:
I live in a city neighborhood with mostly families and old people. I don’t really know or talk to any of my neighbors and have never had an issue with any of them. I park only in front of my house and one neighbor’s house for alternate parking in winter (have been parking by their house for years without a word).

Someone decided the driver door and handle of my white car was an excellent place to take a leak. It’s been about 0°F around here so I discovered it frozen solid. It’s way too cold for a car wash too. I have no known enemies that I think could have done it.

My neighborhood has been vandalized in the past multiple times through other methods such as mass car break-ins/theft, keyed cars, hit and runs, smashed car windows without theft, nails placed under people’s tires, etc. However this is the first time something has happened to me.

I can only assume it was a random asshole who did it. Maybe a drunk or something. I’m not sure it was the neighborhood kids because the level of where the pee hit was a bit tall and plus I’ve never heard or seen any bad behavior from them.

Should I report this type of vandalism to the police? Could I get them to patrol around here more often? Any recommendations for dash cams that record when the car is off?

Answer:
 This is such a random, low-level "crime" I wouldn't bother the police over it.  Even if you found out who did this and could prove it in civil court, for example, there wouldn't be any damages.

Do you have a neighborhood watch program or active nextdoor.com community?  That would be more worthwhile, IMO.


Title: Quick question about child abuse laws

Question:
Edit: this is more of a question about general laws, I'm not necessarily trying to do this now. Sorry if this is the wrong subreddit.

Is it illegal for a parent to ignore consistent physical abuse by one of their children their sibling?

My older brother hits me a lot, and always has. I'm not talking about sibling ruff-housing. He hit me constantly, daily, for any reason, repeatedly. It would leave marks sometimes, and he'd dig his nails into my skin, making me bleed. I fought  back when I was younger but he's very strong and heavy and I was much smaller and weaker. It still happens now, even though he's 21 and I'm 19. It continued from when i was a toddler up until he left for college under my mother's custody of both of us, it happened right in front of her. She never made a significant effort to stop it, never sent him to therapy for his anger problems or anything like that. She'd usually just tell me to not be annoying to him, even though little kids are annoying and he'd hit me for other reasons. I remember getting the lyrics to a song wrong and he punched me.

They have both been emotionally abusive (screaming at me, manipulating me into feeling guilty, etc.) my mother has anger issues as well. I have mental disabilities that are diagnosed and I assume legally recognized (bipolar, stuff like that). I'm not sure if that combination makes things different?

I'd really appreciate any info, thanks.

We lived in the U.S.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: Unfortunately child abuse laws wouldn't pertain to this situation now because you are both adults. Try calling the police or family counseling to get down to why he feels the need to hit you constantly.


Title: Underage verbal sexting, who’s in the wrong?

Question:
So I, an underage teenage girl, began PMing with a much older, early middle aged, man through reddit after he found me through one of my posts (this is a 2nd account). The conversation took a turn and became very sexually explicit (think phone sex) despite him knowing my age.

I told him that I was ok with that but now I really regret it, And the whole thing really seems weird to me. Was it illegal for him to engage in that sort of conversation with a minor?

Also idk if I flaired this right sorry

Topic:
CPS and Dependency Law

Answer: At the least you should report it to Reddit.Answer #2: Depends on where you live, laws vary from state to state and country to country. If it was consensual on your part at the time, you never sent pictures, and he’s not harassing you or trying to get you to meet him, there is likely no law being broken. If you did send him nude pictures of you, you likely violated a child pornography law. The best you can do is learn from your mistake and make better decisions in the future.


Title: Calling in drunk driver

Question:
I’m not sure if this is the best place to post this question, if not let me know where to post.

My parents have a friend who has consistently showed up at our house drunk, and would go into our cabinets without permission and drink more alcohol. Everyone, including her family, are aware and says she is a “accident waiting to happen”. It infuriates me others are allowing her to drive drunk, and I’m very worried as she is a mother and has 2 kids. I’d rather not have a car accident  or her killing someone else be her wake up call.

I can go into detail more if needed, but my question is, would I be able to call her car into the cops to report a drunk driver anonymously without any consequences to me or anyone else? As in, since she has left either my parents house drunk or someone else’s house drunk behind the wheel, would there be any punishment for my parents or whose house she leaves if she is reported?

Thank you in advance!

Answer:
 I doubt there are legal consequences for turning her in, but your family might figure out what happened and there could be blowback.

If the family supports your family friend getting help, you might want to consider holding an intervention. Organizing it could be a more effective way to get her the help she needs before she kills someone. Answer #2: Google your state + “social host law.” Most states have absolved property owners from liability when an adult drinks there and then causes property damage. Some states, though less common, allow someone to be sued if they provide alcohol and then the other person is injured or causes damage. You should get plenty of google results that tell you what you need to know!Answer #3: REDDI reports are common although that is not what you are asking. If you do plan to call her in have the make, model, licenses plate, direction of travel, and time they left ready.


Title: Truck driver had heart attack died and his truck drove through back yard, shed, and part of house. Owner doesn't think she can get compensated

Question:
Dallas Texas, Family friend is the owner of the house. She got some money from her insurance but doesn't think they have a case. They are still picking up debris and rebuilding 2 months later. Her son was the one that was home and discovered the truck and deceased driver. He's traumatized.

She claims the state referred her to a personal injury lawyer but doesn't think she really has a case for compensation. Is this true?

Here is a (not very good) link that sort of explains what happened. Small time news

http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Driver-Dead-in-Mesquite-18-Wheeler-Crash-Into-Fence-Shed-388703162.html

Answer:
 > Family friend is the owner ... she got some money from her insurance but doesn't think they have a case

I am confused.  So did your friend contact her homeowners' insurance?  What did they say?

> Her son was the only one that was home ...

How old is the son?

> ... the state referred her to a personal injury lawyer ...

If she **wasn't home**, why would **she** see a personal injury lawyer...?  Was anyone injured?


Title: Someone sues me 200k dollars for some car scratches.

Question:
Hello, I really don’t know what to do now. I really need some advice about what to do. About a year ago I got into a car accident, it was only a minor car accident that resulted some scratches on the side of the other person’s car. We exchanged insurance and stuffs and she claimed my insurance the next day. I thought it wasn’t a big deal and my insurance will figure it out. After all it only some small scratches. I was wrong after more than a year, today insurance company called me and told me that she is suing. They briefly explained to me (my English isn’t very good so they will call back on Monday with a translator) that she want 100k-200k dollars and the insurance even offers 12k for the scratches. They said 12k is more than her car values and it wasn’t even a fatal total loss accidents. It only a few scratches. They told me that they could hire lawyers for me or I could hire my owns. I don’t really sure what is the different. I’m lived in Houston btw. I hope someone would give me some advice and if you would show me a lawyer that I could consults it would be awesome.
Thank you very much and have a great day. I’m sorry if my grammar isn’t good.

Answer: When you pay car insurance, part of your coverage is legal defense. Your car insurance company should be hiring it’s own counsel to handle the court case.Answer #2: Refer them to your insurance company. Send anything you get in writing to your insurance company. Do not say anything to the other driver or her insurance company, or anyone else, except for an attorney or your insurance company.


Title: Facebook friend and coworker is threatening me with a slander suit

Question: So today I shared a shitty meme about the Demi Lovato heroin news. I have a sister who was an addict for 10 years and have held strong on my beliefs on people who do heroin and other narcotic/opioids which I put in the comments. Fast forward to a coworker commenting on it about how I don't understand and a bunch of other nonsense, I post a gif of a guy giving the peace sign and disappearing after which she posts a picture she had saved on her phone of me with an edit that says "National Coming Out Day" underneath an out of context picture of me. I considered this pretty much using sexuality as an insult. I crop the picture of me with that caption and make it my new profile picture tagged her in it saying "(her name) Keep white-knighting and using gay as an insult" she has now claimed that I slandered her and she is threatening me with a lawsuit. Does she have a case? Was what she said not hate-speech? or at least intended to cause harm to my reputation?

Answer: This is all incredibly petty and childish. Just stop interacting with her before you both get fired.


Title: Legality of this sign for both the government and the private sector?

Answer: This is location dependent. In the US, the sign is almost certainly legal. People are permitted to write pretty much whatever they want. Actually booby-trapping the premises is pretty universally illegal though. Generally, where defense of property is permitted it must use only reasonable (not excessive) force. Death or serious injury is almost always unreasonable except in defense of imminent threat to life, regardless of whether there's a sign warning about it.


Title: Premature birth following minor car accident.

Question:
I was at fault in a low speed car accident a while back. The damage to both cars was pretty minor and nearly all just aesthetic. At the time of the accident we all said we were ok and I didn't expect any bodily injury claims because the sides of our cars had basically just rubbed against each other.

&#x200B;

A few months later and the other party is telling me they are seeking a lawyer because she was pregant at the time of the accident and delivered a child 3.5 weeks premature following the collision.

&#x200B;

So now I'm wondering what this means for me? Should I be hiring a lawyer? Should I be worried?

Answer: Is your insurance already involved? This is where you notify them ASAP. They will handle any liability claims.


Title: Canada's pornography laws

Question:
First things first, I apologize if I sound like a creep by bringing up this subject.  However, I am a bit confused with Canada's child pornography law.

First of all, I am aware that Canada's [child pornography law](http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/section-163.1.html) prohibits any representation of persons under age 18 for a sexual purpose, fictional or not.  This, as far as I know, clearly prohibits stuff like hentai/lemon fiction/smut/Rule 34/etc. of any human under the age of 18.  However, what I am confused about is what constitutes a "person" and "eighteen years" under this act.

An example where this law becomes confusing to me is with anthropomorphic animals/non-humans who age differently from humans.  [Brian Griffin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Griffin) from Family Guy is an 8-year old anthropomorphic dog, but anyone who has watched the show knows he is an adult and equivalent to say a 50 year old human.  Would erotic representation of Brian be considered "child pornography", considering he is 8 in human years?  Similarly, would it be considered child pornography if someone wrote a story about a 5000-year old character is of a human-like species who is equivalent to an 8-year old human in terms of physical maturity?

Another area where it is confusing is when it involves anthropomorphic animals/non-humans who age at the same rate as humans.  For example, if you know about [Sonic the Hedgehog](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog), you would know that he is age 15 and his buddy [Tails the Fox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tails_the_Fox) is 8.  It seems clear to me that humanizing and then depicting either of them sexually would be classified as child pornography in Canada.  However, if they were depicted in their anthropomorphic animal forms, would that still constitute child pornography?  Would that still apply for non-human characters who appear very human (ex. elves, faeries, etc.)?

Answer:
 The simple answer is, nobody really knows to what extent that part of the law reaches.

The complex answer is that while it absolutely covers, say, ten year olds, and it very probably covers "She looks 10 but she's really 5000!" it's not at all clear how it would deal with, say, a dog. Or a sentient plant. Or whatever.


Title: Psychologist abuse

Question: I am being verbally abused and not being given my patient rights with the psychologist that Kaiser is providing me. I do not have an option to change practitioners nor does she give me one, which I know is illegal. How would a recording from a concealed device hold up in a CA court to prove the abuse? Else it's my word against a "medical professional ". Thanks redditors

Answer:
 California is a two-party consent state. You cannot secretly record this person.

What patient rights are you being deprived of?


Title: Coworker did not honor a bet. What are my options? VT

Question:
For a little bit of background, I work part-time as a server. The party in question is a fellow server. He's 46 year-old guy who's considered an ass by everyone else at the restaurant, is always trying to hustle people, running his mouth and, of course, never backs up anything he says.

&#x200B;

After the restaurant closed last night, we were both having some shift drinks at the bar with a couple of other coworkers, and he started running his mouth about what great shape he's in and how athletic he is. He said he could run a mile in six minutes and thirty seconds, which I called bullshit on. He got very angry and, characteristically, asked me if I wanted to bet $250 on it. I was hesitant, which made him even more aggressive, and he angrily demanded we bet $1,000. After a few minutes of me hemming and hawing, offering to accept the bet at the original $250 amount, and him getting so enraged he punched me in the shoulder, I ultimately agreed to and shook on a $1,000 bet, knowing I had a very high chance of winning. This entire exchange had several witnesses. We agreed the mile run would happen the next day at the restaurant after our shift, with one of our coworkers adjudicating as an independent third party.

&#x200B;

Fast forward to the next day. I bring the cash and show it to him, and he says I'm crazy and refuses to follow through. He won't negotiate any kind of reasonable buyout offer, claims I somehow took advantage of him, tries to unilaterally change the terms of the bet by running at a later date, and attempts to weasel out of it through various other means. He eventually flat out refuses to honor the bet.

&#x200B;

I'm frustrated that I put $1,000 on the line with no upside. We had a clear agreement and, while he was drunk, so was I, and if anyone was pressured into the deal it was me. Even if the contract is void, I paid the bartender to push drinks on him throughout the night, which gives me a quasi-contractual for which I feel I'm entitled some collateral compensation. What's my best course of action? Small claims court?

Answer: You have no recourse. Move on. Answer #2: Co-worker never ran the mile. He wouldn't be honoring if he ran it, missed the time, and didn't pay you. Plus, drunk people generally lack capacity to contract.Answer #3: You have no recourse for compensation. You were illegally gambling at best. Answer #4: Sure. You could file a small claims court case. Please see if you can get a pic of the look on the judge's face when you explain that you're suing the guy for backing out of a drunken bet, and that you would like the amount you paid for drinks back (since arguably that would be your ONLY damages). I'd bet it'll be a cross between trying to keep from bursting out in laughter and anger that you're wasting the courts time with something like that.Answer #5: You began by saying he’s an ass, always trying to hustle people.. so you proceed to make an honest bet with him? How are you surprised with the outcome here ?


Title: I just want my sweet boi back.

Question:
While an hour away from home to pick up heroin, I got a call from my apartment management informing me that they had taken the liberty of coming without notice to replace the air filter that they forgot to replace several months ago; and, upon letting themselves into my locked apartment, stumbled upon the fugitive cat I’ve been harboring despite their no-pet policy, and copious drug paraphernalia. I was told that I didn’t need to worry about any police involvement and simply that I needed to vacate the apartment due to my various lease violations; however, upon returning to my apartment and driving through the parking lot (without stopping), I saw an officer walking away from my door and got out of there, swinging by periodically. Once I saw that the squad car was no longer in the guest parking space it had been in previously, I decided it was clear to park and enter my apartment where I discovered the entire place ransacked and a copy of the search warrant that had evidently been issued and executed after all. While they left the syringes, spoons, empty prescription bottles not in my name, and lots of other illegal materials, they did decide to confiscate all the used foils, my bongs, pipes, about half of my remaining recently prescribed gabapentin out of the bottle (?), my fucking cat and his crate (????!!!!), and all my kratom, which I’m sure isn’t illegal to possess here. Does anyone know how long to expect before they’ll get an arrest warrant, or if they might even decide not to worry about it since they didn’t find any actual possession of narcotics (which is what the warrant was issued to search for in the first place)? Does anyone know where my cat might be if he isn’t at the humane society or animal welfare, and if they’ll charge us anything to reclaim him being that he’s microchipped in my girlfriend’s name; or if it could possibly be police policy anywhere to confiscate a cat? Lastly, I was just approved literally two days ago for a new apartment but have only paid the application fees, and the $200 deposit to hold the apartment so it won’t be leased to someone else. All we still have to do is deal with renters insurance and make the pet deposits and can then presumably get our keys and start moving in out stuff and getting it out of the current apartment that we need to vacate by the end of the week. Does anyone think that this eviction will somehow have any effect on the status of our previously approved applications to the new apartment? Thanks to everyone for any replies and helpful information, guessing, or just sympathetic thoughts, all is appreciated right now.

Tl;dr: Cops stole my cat💔

Edit: I’m a resident of the United States in the state of Oklahoma

Answer:
 Oh, for crying out loud.Answer #2: If the cat’s got a warrant then the cops probably arrested him when they went through your place.

Lol, jk. Serious advice: you have bigger problems than your missing stray cat and stolen kratom. Have you considered seeking an inpatient program to treat your heroin addiction? It may help alleviate your imminent legal problems.Answer #3: You need a lawyer. Don’t talk to the cops without one.


Title: Neighbor in basement apartment blaster air horn in my dogs face as we walked by then as I yelled at him to stop he blasts me in the face for 10-15 seconds from 5 feet away until I kick it out of his hands. What can I do? Am I in trouble?

Question:
Here’s the long version:

My hands are shaking and stomach is in absolute knots right now.

I live in an apartment building with 5 1-bedroom units. 1 unit is in the basement and accessible via a short stairwell that leads to the front door. There are windows above-grade by a couple feet too.  There are about 15-20 of these exact building on a dead-end street that culminates in an enormous condo complex that could have 50+ units in it. There is a row of garages for the tenants to use behind the apartments and an alleyway the connects every single garage and driveway that is between each unit. The alleyway is at the top of the stairs for the tenants in the basement. This is a semi-densely populated area.

I have a small apartment and a big puppy dog so I take him on lots and lots of walks. I usually walk on the sidewalk but sometimes I walk down the alleyway. No matter where I walk though, there are stray cats everywhere. And for a 1-year old black lab, that’s like having a million furry friends to say hi to. Well, it turns out, the reason there are so many cats is because a neighbor in a basement unit 3 buildings over throws out cat food for them in the middle of the alley. The cats are everywhere. They always walk all over everyone’s cars and leave paw prints. They piss and shit in people’s hallways because they get trapped inside random apartments (happened twice this summer). They constantly fight each other in the middle of the night. It’s super annoying.

Anyways, about a month ago the owner of the cats bursts out of his apartment as Lincoln (my super gentle loving dog) and I are walking by in the alley one morning. On his front stoop his head is about 2 feet above ground level or about  the height of Lincoln’s face. He immediately makes a weird yelling growling sound and flailing his arms right in Lincoln’s face. I’ve walked by this guys apartment 1,000 times with my dog.  I’ve seen his open window with literally 17 cats crawling around in his apartment. I know he’s crazy. Lincoln looks at me really confused as I stare at the man really confused. He runs back into his apartment and I say to myself “we really need to treat mental disorders as a disease in this country” and then walked in living my life.

Fast forward to maybe a week and a half ago. Lincoln and I are going for a walk down the alley, just like we do every day. The army of cats in front of the old cat mans apartment scatter as usual before we get within 100 feet of them. Lincoln and I get up to around the dudes apartment and he runs out with an air horn and with the most evil face and just blasts it at Lincoln, right in his face, and I just kinda freeze as he turns and points it at me with an evil stare that I will never forget and shakes it in my face for 5 seconds and then runs back inside.

I’m floored. It’s like 7:15 in the morning. I call my wife, tell her what happened, that my ears are ringing and I can’t imagine how the dogs must be feeling.  She is super non-confrontational so she said to just let it slide. I wanted to call the cops then and there. He assaulted me and my dog. I take my hearing very seriously and always wear ear protection to everything. I love music too much to lose my hearing.

Anyways, my ears were ringing for like 4 days but it went away and I stopped getting headaches from the ringing. My poor puppy must have been feeling like crap too.

So, fast forward to today. I got home from work and took my dog on a walk. I went down the public alleyway with Lincoln as I was on the phone with my dad. We get near the guys apartment and then I remember what he did and put my phone in my pocket because I see the old man running to his door with the air horn and try to cover my ears. He blasts Lincoln in the face as I yell “stop that right now!!! Stop!!!!” That evil face just turns to me and starts blasting me with the air horn from 3 feet away. 3 feet. 10-15 seconds just blasting me. I can’t run because I have the dog there so I’m just getting blasted while I’m screaming in a way I never knew I could scream “stop it right now!!!” And he just wouldn’t and I’m just freaked out at this point and instinctively kicked the air horn out of his hand. I can still feel it and it was a hard kick. It felt like it all happened in the blink of an eye. After I kicked it out of his hand I yelled I’m going to call the cops as he’s flicking me off and telling me to fuck myself. I got my dog and took off to my apartment and called the police.

It’s been about 2 hours and they haven’t shown up yet. I have absolutely no idea why, but I’m shaking a lot and my stomach is in knots and I’m having that weird type of breathing people have where it’s like a shiver when they are about to cry. My ears didn’t hurt at first but as time has gone on and I’ve settled down a little my ears are ringing so badly it sounds like a constant ring and I’ve got a massive headache. My poor dog must be feeling like crap too. I’m just so mad and shaken up by this.

Am I going to get in trouble for kicking this guy? I don’t know what’s going to happen when the police show up. Should I not have called them? What do I do about my ears? I value my hearing so much.

To make matters worse, I told my neighbor about it both times and she said she saw the guy walking down the street with a gas can towards the gas station...and he doesn’t own a car.

Am I in trouble to kicking that guy? What do I do? Should I avoid talking to the police? My

Answer: You acted in self defense to an assault.  Air horns can lead to permanent hearing damage.  Talk to the police and tell them about his assault on you and then call your doctor and get your hearing checked.Answer #2: Aside from the air horn incident, have you called city animal control about the cats? If the guy owns them it doubtless breaks your city ordinance for how many pets one can have (I think most cities have this). Even without any law, 17 cats is animal hoarding. If he doesn't claim them but is just attracting them with food, a rescue group might help with trap/neuter/release and relocating some ferals where they're useful.  Also: tell the landlord about the cats and your neighbor! Surely everyone's leases have something to say about animals.  I love cats and dogs a lot, but that many cats unmanaged except by what sounds like a crazy person is a problem.Answer #3: i wouldn't think you would be in any trouble, if you did it out of self defense. The guy sounds like a straight up loon! He is a total douche- canoe for doing that twice to you and your poor pup. If you're concerned about your pups hearing i'd say take him to a vet. Answer #4: You should call the cops. What you did was totally justified, and I bet they’ll see it that way too. Also, people like that are often known to local law enforcement already. As other people have said, mention the cats, someone will want to check that out (I worked briefly for a humane investigator). Walk your dog elsewhere until this is straightened out. Sorry about that, it sounds really shitty.


Title: Can I sell shirts with famous musician's album art on them.

Question: Hello, I am 17 and trying to make a little bit of extra money besides the money I already make in my job. I want to start selling shirts I custom make on the shirt creator in Gildan on sites like Ebay and Amazon. I recently noticed that people were taking album covers of famous musicians/artists, copy pasting them onto a shirt, and selling them. I was wondering if this is legal.

Answer:
 No.

Album covers are copyrighted.  You can not reproduce them without permission.


Title: [WY] Do I have any legal responsibility to report suspected sexual child abuse?

Question:
I don't want to go into details here, for my own safety in addition to the safety of the family member in question. While fixing a family member's computer, I happened to come upon a large amount of child pornography.

I immediately gave them their laptop back and told them that I wouldn't be able to fix it. I did this because I would technically be in possession of Child Pornography every second I had their laptop with me.

I just want to forget this happened. I know that what they are doing is wrong, but I don't want to see them go to jail over this, so I'd prefer to just keep my mouth shut, as long as I don't run into any legal issues by doing it.

Can I be held liable for not reporting them?

Answer: Wow, Wyoming has a law which makes all residents mandated reporters if they have reasonable cause to suspect child abuse is occurring.  It's possible that possession of child pornography alone isn't sufficient to suspect abuse if they don't have children in the home.  But it's not a gamble I'd take if I were you.  Answer #2: Wyoming has a law requiring you to report this crime. Any efforts to help him conceal this crime would make you an accessory.


Title: Employer making me book all annual leave a year in advance, only left with 2 weeks (I have 5 more to take) available...

Question:
So, Throwaway.

I work for the NHS, our annual leave is taken in blocks of a week, April to April. My boss had said back in October to give every annual leave request to them by this month so they can share it out.

I went by the calendar she had put in our rota, and eveey week there is one staff member of my same job role off, and they have mentioned that out of the entire year, only 15 weeks can have 2 person of the same job title off. That has apparantely been reached, and every week bar from 2 has got at least one of the same job role off, so basically there aren't enough weeks to be able to give everyone their annual leave, due to this strange "Only 15 weeks where 2 of the same job role can be off" has been reached

Sorry if it doesn't make sense, I'm happy to clarify with questions, but I find it difficult to explain!

Any help as to where I stand will be much appreciated, as I'm having a meeting with them on the 28th so would like to go in prepared

Answer: Did you ask them how they expect you to take 5 weeks vacation in a 2 week period?Answer #2: Try /r/legaladviceuk


Title: Reckless driving ticket in VA, first timer help

Question:
I just got pulled over in the 64 freeway in Richmond and need any legal advice. I got clocked 78 on a 55. I am gonna drive in that area to verify the limit but I saw some 65 signs after. Should I get a lawyer? I just need the best way to save money here.

As someone who doesnt have experience here, I was planning to plead guilty and maybe ask for a low fine as its my first time. Ive been here in VA for a little over a year and drove in CA for 10 years. My only ticket there was illegal lane change and I went to traffic school then so I wont get any points added.

Answer:
 Virginia has some pretty strict laws here.

Going 20+ over the limit in VA automatically constitutes reckless driving, which in the state of Virginia is a misdemeanor criminal offense (i.e. being convicted will mean it's on your record. Foreevvvvver).

You likely, as a first time offender, could simply plead guilty and recieve a hefty but not unreasonable fine. Do so knowing that this is pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge, not a citation.


Title: (Pennsylvania) My ex-lover has been stalking me and is now trying to sue me for sex toys he purchased for me.

Question: I met this guy on Adult Friend Finder. We saw each other for about 2 months, usually twice a week. What was supposed to be a friends with benefits situation quickly changed on his part.  He would call and text me constantly asking where I was what I was doing. He is ex-military  and would always carry a gun on him which freaked me out a bit. I learned he is married  so I cut off the relationship.  He started texting and calling constantly. The first few sentences would be about how much he cared about me  and missed me and then the last few sentences would be threatening.  I never once responded to any of the threats or messages and the last few days I thought maybe it was finally over.  I left my house to run a few errands and got a panicked call from my sister.  He had been at my house with my children there and gave my sister a letter to give me.  It wasn't threatening at all but in the letter he said I have 10 days to respond otherwise he's going to sue me for the purchase of sex toys he had bought me during our relationship. I honestly don't want the damn toys but I am not giving this crazy stalker  toys that have been inside of my body.  The whole thing just seems so weird and creepy.  I never asked for any of these items he just bought them for me.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: If you feel threatened, call the police. Mention the texts, the threats, the stalking, and that he carries a gun. They will investigate.


Title: Need help with a dumb traffic violation citation that I refuse to pay.

Question:
Ok, I will explain it in as much detail as possible. I live in Kansas, USA. There is a law in Kansas that if a police officer has pulled someone over, you are not allowed to drive in the lane closest to them (on the highway).

So, I saw a cop had pulled someone over, and I was in the lane closest to them. I also saw, however, that my lane turned left, as did all the highway lanes, and not a gradual ROUND turn, but a quick, roughly 30 degree angle turn to the left. this caused the shoulder on the right to increase in size like a big triangle. The police officer was about 25 ft into the triangle from where the lanes turn.

Now, I thought that the officer did that on purpose, so people DIDN'T have to change their lane. So I stayed on my lane, and when I passed them there was still about 15 to 20 feet between us. Much larger then a highway lane.

This inspired the officer to leave the person they were with and start following me, looking for a chance to pull me over. And they did.

But here is the stupid part, and a part that I do not understand in the SLIGHTEST. The officer, who was female, called ANOTHER officer (male) to assist her, and HE was the one who cited me, while the original chick sat in her SUV.

I tried to explain the situation to this other officer but he didn't listen. He gave me a court date and I asked them both for their badge numbers and names and told them I was going to fight this in court and I wasn't going to pay this ticket, ESPECIALLY one written by an officer that wasn't there.

To which the officer replied, "Oh, should I arrest you? Are you telling me that you aren't going to show up on your court date?"

i said, "Did you even hear me? I CLEARLY said I was going to the court date."

well, now im just blabbering.

I feel like this officer was just feeling all big and mighty and entitled, and decided to pull me over for something this stupid, and when she realized that it was stupid, she called another officer to cite me, maybe out of embarrassment, I dont know.

I want to fight this ticket. BUT I also dont want to hire a lawyer that will end up costing me  more then the ticket. I have no idea how much they are going to charge me for.

reddit, what should I do?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: Fight the ticket then. I don't see any grounds but an attorney might. If you win don't pay.  If you lose then you pay or you lose your license.


Title: [VT] My landlady just tried to kick me out of the room I'm renting so her son could stay there.

Question:
This just happened. I rent a single room in a house, and have a lease agreement.

About a week ago, my landlady asked if I could temporarily move up to the attic (which is a finished, but very small space) so her son could stay in this room (which is a spacious, nice room) for a few weeks while he visits. I was a little taken aback, and told her no. I thought that was the end of it.

I came home from work today to find maybe a third of my possessions packed up in cardboard boxes, and sitting outside the door. She was out at the time, and still is out. I just brought the boxes back in and unpacked them. Nothing broken, but I'm very uncomfortable.

My agreement requires 48-hours notice if she wants to enter the room for any reason.

I'm not sure where to go from here, aside from searching for a different housing option immediately. Do I have legal recourse? It feels like she's trying to forcibly evict me.

Edit: I've called the police. They're on their way; no idea where this will go. I also may have found a couple options for housing. Going to get the fuck out of here ASAP.

Answer:
 Get a lock for your door unless your lease prohibits it.  If she tries to kick you out again, call the police. Answer #2: This is an illegal eviction, you should call the police and ask for assistance.  You can replace/rekey the lock in the presence of the police if possible and get them to note this in their report.Answer #3: Not legal advice but I would remove anything valuable or irreplaceable like photos or the lease contract to at least your car.

This wouldn't be the first landlord to pile all your stuff in the street if she feels like it (legal or not)Answer #4: Termination of Tenancy If Renting In the Landlord’s Home
If the tenant rents one or more rooms in the landlord’s personal residence that includes the shared use of any of the common living spaces, such as the living room, kitchen or bathroom, then either party may terminate the tenancy by giving written notice of at least 15 days if rent is payable monthly and at least seven days if rent is payable weekly. At this point it is not clear what effect this law will have in situations where there is a written lease that does not allow for early termination, or that has a different time frame for termination.

https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/sites/default/files/LeadProgram/RENTINGinVERMONT.pdf#page31
Page 33Answer #5: I would call the cops.Answer #6: If I were you, I'd also press charges for theft of your belongings.Answer #7: Take inventory and document all your belongings in case they get moved out without your permission.  This will make it easier to probe damage or loss later.


Title: [KS/MO] I posted about a bad interaction with a local person on Facebook and it went viral. They/their friends won't leave me alone now. Is this harassment/libel?

Question:
Throwaway because of the harassment issues.

I had a very unpleasant personal experience with someone who lives in my general area (the KS/MO border). This person said some very discriminatory (the joys of being gay and non-white...) and inflammatory things in regards to myself for no apparent reason, and some of the things they said were unbelievably hurtful. I had enough control over my emotions to just reply politely and try to diffuse the situation ("understandable have a great day" kind of stuff) but this person kept egging me on, even admitting that they were really trying to piss me off. Shortly after this I just stopped replying, and they got bored and left me alone. I posted the worse parts of our interaction on a local neighborhood rant/vent group, with a caption along the lines of "it's sad some people are still like this," and went to bed.

When I woke up I realized that my post had somehow gone viral within the community. I noticed that some people were posting stuff about how they were going to find said person in the comments, so I immediately put up an edit saying nobody should message or otherwise interact with said person negatively based on my post, I didn't condone any sort of hate speech or attacks towards this person, and how everyone should just take it as an example of how not to interact with others and leave it at that.

A few days later I started being bombarded with extremely threatening and hateful messages from this person's friends and family. I ignored most of them or were just tritely polite, although I did have a pretty good conversation with one who initially sent me a bunch of death threats but ended up apologizing to me.

After these people noticed I wasn't taking their private messages seriously, they started posting absolute nonsense about me on local law enforcement/buy and sell/job search forums. Some of the posts were incredibly racist and otherwise just offensive, but what worried me was that some were straight up lies. Three examples come to mind. One was a claim that the local PD had labeled me as "unstable and dangerous" and was launching an investigation about my mental health. Another was a claim that I and my work-related friends were career criminals in our very specialized line of work, which I think is an incredibly harmful lie because it may directly affect my job opportunities and career, especially in such a small town. And yet another was a claim that I was stalking the person I had initially made the post about, which is again untrue because I know nothing about this person other than their Facebook name which may or may not be their real name. I work very long hours... I really don't have the time to be, nor am I interested in, stalking this person that I know nothing about other than the fact that they were unbelievably nasty to me over a buy and sell post for no reason.

Now I really didn't want to make this a big deal at first, but the problem is that I am really worried that my career will actually be affected severely by these false claims. The claim was something that had an extremely bad social implication (like claiming that a vet tech was secretly a dog fighter, or that a doctor was secretly a drug lord, or that a pre-school teacher was secretly a child porn distributor). Not to mention that these people have tried to paint me as some sort of deranged mentally ill monster who was being hunted by the police. I am also still receiving very nasty messages that are obviously inflammatory on purpose so that I might snap and say something bad (I've kept all my responses pretty much limited to "ok bud"). Would this count as harassment/libel, and what are my chances of being able to take them to court and clear my name?

Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Accusing you of a crime (or being a career criminal via your line of work) is defamation per se.  Every other false statement is defamation if you can prove that you have damages from them.

Rather than escalating it straight to court, you could hire an attorney to send them a cease and desist letter.  If they do not stop, you may have a viable defamation case to take them to court.


Title: Needing advice in California

Question:
Back story: my husband and I have no jobs we were living with my in laws until he started the police academy. Husband and I have been argueing for quite some time and today it got a little violent. The police were called and he went to jail, this all happened this morning.

I don't exactly know what charge my husband is going to receive but it might be something like child endangerment. I told the police I was not pressing charges on what happened. But since my husband pushed me hard and my daughters head hit the wall behind me they are taking that seriously. My husband called me from jail and said he never wants to speak to me again. my in laws called cps on me saying I kidnapped their grand daughter. So cps called me to set up an appointment. If my husband divorces me I know his parents will give him all their money to get full custody. Is he even able to get full custody? I breastfeed and am the sole care taker of my daughter, she screams when I leave the room. My family is telling me to get a restraining order and start now trying to get custody. Is a restraining order even needed? I love my husband I don't want us fighting I just want to be together but everyone is telling to contact a lawyer. Thank you for reading this.

Answer:
 Sorry you're going through this.

> I told the police I was not pressing charges on what happened. But since my husband pushed me hard and my daughters head hit the wall behind me they are taking that seriously.

It's now between the state and your husband - you can request that the DA not prosecute, but they probably won't listen to your request at all.  That's because in many criminal cases, especially domestic abuse cases, an abusive husband could just coerce the battered wife into saying she doesn't want to press charges.

> Is he even able to get full custody?

He just got arrested for child endangerment, right?  Highly unlikely.  You may be able to make sure he gets no custody.

> My family is telling me to get a restraining order and start now trying to get custody. Is a restraining order even needed? I love my husband I don't want us fighting I just want to be together but everyone is telling to contact a lawyer. Thank you for reading this.

You should call a domestic abuse hotline to get more personal advice than you're going to get here:  http://www.cpedv.org/domestic-violence-organizations-california has phone numbers.

He was violent toward you and your daughter and has violence and anger problems.  Call that hotline and get more information about how you can best figure out what your options are, particularly if you're jobless.


Title: can i legally live in an office space that i own?

Question:
I recently had to shut down my business, it wasn't working out. i wasn't making any money, but i own the office space i was working out of. this was three months ago.

last week, i broke up with my girlfriend and we will be moving out of the apartment we are currently renting on July 19th.

the space i own is pretty large. the bathroom has a drain on the floor so i can most definitely build a shower in there no problem. shouldn't take me more than a couple hours work, and it'll look decent when i'm finished.

there is a small room in the back i used to use as my office, i was thinking about moving my desk and putting a bed back there. there is also a break room that already has a refrigerator, toaster oven, and microwave. i don't need more than that for a "kitchen". anything i cook is in the toaster oven or microwave.

that leaves the rest of the space for me to "live" in. can i legally furnish this place up and just live here for a bit? i live in florida if that matters

Answer:
 If it's zoned as retail you (or anyone) can't reside there, legally.Answer #2: I knew a friend of a friend that tried this in college after he blew an inheritance on trying to run a vape shop/hookah bar that failed spectacularly.

He owned that particular space but the property management company that handled the leasing of the rest of the spots in the strip mall noticed in less than a month after investigating lights being on at all hours of the night.

Got hit with a pretty decent fine and was out on his ass for his trouble. I'm not sure if there were actual criminal charges or not.

If you live in a high traffic area, especially around a college campus that is bound to have more foot traffic, you're gonna get noticed.


Title: Where would I report someone for giving out medical advice and claiming to be a doctor in North Carolina?

Question: I've searched google and cannot seem to pin down an exact place to do so. Where would I report someone for pretending to be a doctor and giving out medical advice? This is a "I'm googling information" type of thing and here's what I think sort of thing. I don't want to provide any further details if that's okay. I hope you can understand.

Answer: I think you should give a heads up to your states medical board. They will know what to do and most likely do it themselves


Title: Game account suspended for 'chargeback', company never informed me of a declined card when purchasing

Question:
Alright, so this is a bit of a long story to explain. TL;DR will be at the bottom to summarize, but I recommend the long version if you want to give input.

I live in Texas, and as a student I enjoy playing videogames when I'm not crying my eyes out over quarterly exams. One game I frequent is World of Tanks, it's free and I like the idea of tank warfare. The game DOES have microtransactions, and they're used to get in game 'gold', which is a currency in the game that is used to gain premium equipment or items. I don't do this usually since I'm not rich, but something caught my eye one day, the company (War Gaming) offered a gift card reclamation service. This meant that I could give them a gift card from a list of other retailers and get the card's balance equivalent in gold. I look around and find I have a leftover BestBuy giftcard that I never use, so I decide this is how I'll use it.

I send them the $10.00 card by giving the card's security code and ID number. I wait a few seconds and get an alert saying the transaction has been confirmed, no problems! I toss the card, get my gold, and go on with playing. I spend the gold within the week and buy premium with it, which just helps XP earning and such. So a week passes and the gold is gone. I wake up to play a match before classes one day and find a nice little message saying my account was suspended on a chargeback issue. I send them an email to figure out what the problem was and get one back a week later saying that the company managing the card's 'refund', Paygarden, had done the chargeback, causing War Gaming to deactivate my account by assuming I did something wrong like provide a fraudulent card (somehow?).

Now here's the issue, I can't get the account back without paying the amount I 'owe', which is crazy because I don't owe anyone anything, the issue is not with me, it's with Paygarden. I wanted to know if there's any way either company is overstepping boundaries, because this seems incredibly unfair. I'm being punished for an issue I can't even control. War Gaming is completely absolved of guilt because they can just blame Paygarden, and Paygarden seems to have a reputation of not being helpful with issues people have. To top it off, I was NEVER informed of there being an issue until AFTER the transaction was made and all the gold I had received was spent, after which they decided to inform me of the issue, ban the account, and demand money for the 'loss'. To me it just looks like a bait and switch to suck money from me, where Paygarden gets the card's value, Wargaming doesn't, and they get to demand a chargeback from me and get extra money to let me keep playing a FREE game.

Any advice would be really appreciated. I'd be happy to provide any extra information and answer questions since this is really getting on my nerves.

tl;dr

Gave War Gaming a giftcard from another company that they said they'd accept, waited a week to tell me the card didn't come through, banned my account, blamed Paygarden, Paygarden has bad rep for customer service, this shit looks like a bait and switch.

Answer: You should pay wargaming to get your tanks back, then if the card isn't refunded go after paygarden.