Title: US pharmacy school denying graduation based on 2 unit "capstone/review" course that uses third party review program as course. Any advice would be appreciated.

Question:
Hi everyone,

I am a pharmacy student who has been given an "incomplete" for a 18 month, 2 unit review course for the board licensure exam (NAPLEX).  A 10% of my course grade was due to the fact that I missed the first deadline for the third party online assignments because I felt it was necessary for me to try to catch up during my industry experiential rotations for which the school did not adequately prepare me.  I have been given the chance to remediate the course by passing another practice exam in a week.

This is especially stressful because I have already secured a postgraduate fellowship in the pharma industry that is contingent on my graduation and I am in good academic standing with a 3.8 GPA.  In fact, I was not planning on taking the board exam at all as my career trajectory does not include clinical practice.

My questions/concerns are these:
1. Can a school use a third party vendor (akin to those SAT prep course companies) as part of a mandatory course?
2. I am skeptical of the 2 unit value of this course as there are 60 hours of online videos and ~80 hours of off-campus lectures all provided by the third party company and not faculty.  By calculating these hours and the online quizzes and practice exams, the course should be at least 8 Carnegie units.
3. The only faculty lectures include a brief orientation to this course and a 3 hour law review.
4. This seems like a ploy to bar students from registering for the board exam as we will not be able to officially graduate until a week after the school sends out its paperwork for its graduating students to register for the boards.  This is particularly important because when the school sends the cohort's paperwork in bulk, they are guaranteed a faster approval time vs independent submissions (10 vs 45 days).  Makes sense given we are a new school and our inaugural class last year had the second worst pass rate in the state.

Anyhow, I contacted some lawyers who said they could help but thought reddit would be a great place for some advice.  Thanks everyone.

tldr; Pharmacy school delaying graduation based on 2 unit course based on third party board review program and some capstone exams.

Answer:
 1. Yes

2. From my understanding the hours a course is worth is generally based off expected lecture time, not assignment time.

3. And?

4. Maybe, but that’s going to be difficult to prove.  You failed to do part of the work, you should not be surprised they are holding you back until you complete an equivalent.Answer #2: Courts usually are not interested in second guessing educational institutions when it comes to academic discretion and setting graduation requirements.

However, to answer the only question posed:

> Can a school use a third party vendor (akin to those SAT prep course companies) as part of a mandatory course?

Sure. I don't see why not. Colleges already grant credit for exams given by third party vendors (e.g. AP/IB/CLEP tests).


Title: (Maryland) About to go to bat for an employee that was let go and is having her unemployment request appealed

Question:
Looking for some advice.

A co-worker at my former employer was let go for being associated with me and having a discussion with me about looking for work in the future at some point.  I had already given my two weeks notice at this time and they let me go early (I expected) so I just enjoyed a week off before starting my new job.

However they let my former co-worker go for no other reason (definitely not performance related) than she was still friendly with me after I left and at one point said she might look for another job down the road.

I know Maryland is an at-will state.  I am planning to prepare a character testimony of some sort and attend her hearing last minute for her because she was a fantastic employee and the former employer is just being a douche-bag.

Any advice on what to say, not to say, how best to support this former co-worker of mine during this unemployment hearing?
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer: Based on what you have said here, your participation is neither necessary nor relevant. What you describe is not misconduct. The employer would have to show evidence of misconduct in order to have her benefits denied.


Title: A company placed a 6K order with my home based business. They refuse to pay. I need help!

Question:
Three months ago, a company approached me to perform some services for them (I am self employed). I was given an amount of time and amount to come in under. I beat both of them. Finishing under budget and faster than requested.

The company is refusing to pay me! They found the parts they had me repair (this was said via phone, not in writing).

They gave me verbal authorization over the phone. Emails have the company saying "Please proceed, we need it asap."

No formal order, no signatures, just verbal (useless, I know) and email typed authorization from their server, etc.

If I go with collections, I'll be lucky to collect half (collection agents want 60/40 split) and it might take months.

How do collect? What leverage can I use? They no longer need the parts I made (said over the phone they found them). This wasn't said to me until 15 days after I invoiced and started calling for my money.

I would appreciate any help.

Answer: Location would help determine the small claims limit.Answer #2: Hire a lawyer


Title: If you put a house in someone else name to avoid liens or taxes or whatever, can you get the house back?

Question:
I am watching a show about a man who put a house in his girlfriend's name due to potential liens that might arise due to some legal problems he was having.  He wanted to get the house back because of the problems he and the girlfriend were having.

Ultimately, things did not go well for the boyfriend in terms of his whereabouts.  But I wondered if you can get your house back, especially when you are doing it to get away with something that is probably illegal.  In fact, I'd like to know if you can get the house back under any circumstances?

Thank you

This reddit bot is telling me to add my location, but I do not think that my location is relevant to the question since it is not my house, so I will put New York, for purposes of the bot, but this is just a general question.

Answer:
 If you sell or transfer the house into someone else's name, then it's their house.

If they give it back, no problem. But you can't MAKE them do it.


Title: What can a tenant do when a landlord has given three days notice, even though the lease says that notice is to be seven days?

Question:
**UPDATE:** As of about 3pm on Sunday (the 9th), Sam had his key taken and has been kicked out; all his belongings (though strangely a bottle of apple cider seems to be missing) were taken out and left on the front lawn of the property. He called the local police; a couple of officers came out and spoke with him. They knocked on the door to speak to the landlord(s), but nobody answered (not sure if they were there or not). They recommended that he find somewhere else to stay for the time being, and that he call the Sheriff's department the next day, as they're the experts on eviction issues. He's currently staying with a friend.

**Original Post**

Asking for a friend (yea, I know, whatever :P), but I think I have all the details. Jane Smith is the lessor and Sam Jones is the lessee. According to Jane and her fiancée Fiona, they're both on the lease for the house. I changed the names obviously. The house is in Solano County, California; in the SF Bay Area but NOT in San Francisco.

*I understand that all discussion on this topic is for educational purposes only.*

**TL;DR:** As I read it, it seems clear that the lease specifies that seven days written notice will be given to pay or vacate the premises, but the lessor and her fiancée are saying that the sentence in question is referring to other violations of the lease, that as soon as the rent was late on July 2nd (Sunday) the lease was broken, and they're saying that they're only giving three days notice, to end at 3pm Sunday (the 9th).

**Details:**

Sam signed a lease on Sunday, June 25th to rent a room in the house currently being rented by Jane and her fiancée. At that time he paid $720 cash; $600 for the security deposit plus $120 prorated rent for June. Due to whatever, Sam was unable to pay rent on Saturday, July 1st. When speaking to Jane the next day (Sunday, July 2nd), he gave an estimate that he would have the money by next weekend. Jane suggested that Sam let Fiona know that he didn't have the rent and was expecting to have it by next weekend. Sam sent Fiona a text saying as much, and some hours later Fiona sent the following text:

> Late fees are as follows; 35$ initial fee and 5$ per day afterward. There needs to be at least half your rent paid by the 5th. Thank you.

Fast forward to the 5th (Wednesday); Fiona sends a text asking if Sam will have either a payment or the full rent that day, and Sam responds that he's still working on it and isn't sure if he'll have a payment that day. On the 6th (Thursday), Fiona sends the following text:

> Hi Sam, today is July 6th 2017. You are currently in an overdue status on this months rent that was due on the first. The late fees are as follows 35$ as of the second and 20$ for the four consecutive days it has been late for a total of 655$ due as of today. Also in breaching the contract I am obligated to inform you this message will serve as your 3 day notice. You have until Sunday at 3pm to pay your rent. Otherwise you will be asked to vacate the premises.

The text says that Sam is being given three days notice; however, the lease has the following sentence in section 2:

> Homeowner may terminate this Agreement with seven (7) days written notice (and a seven-day period to cure) if the Renter is in default under this Room Rental Agreement.

It seems like that clearly specifies that written notice is for seven days, not three, and that the renter has those seven days to rectify the late rent. Sam will be able to pay the rent before end of day on the 13th (the seventh day).

Jane/Fiona have mentioned that the three days notice would mean the 8th would be the last day, not the 9th. They've said even if they go by seven days, seven days from the 1st is the 8th. As I understand it, even if the three days notice is valid, the deadline would be at least end-of-day Monday, since it doesn't count the day notice is given, and the third day falls on a weekend.

Sam spoke to Jane and Fiona on the 6th, after the (valid-or-not) notice text; for what it's worth, the conversation and all the interactions have been respectful on all sides. Some things that were mentioned were that Fiona may be able to give three days notice, since she didn't sign the lease herself (only Jane did) and wouldn't be tied to anything about seven days notice. But also, Fiona brought up the compromise of 5 days, and another compromise of $300 by Sunday (the 9th) and $390 (remainder of rent plus late fees) on Thursday (the 13th).

Also, after both Jane and Fiona said that the sentence in question doesn't refer to a default of the rent payment, Jane (the one who provided and signed the contract) mentioned that she didn't even mean for that sentence to be there, and had just forgotten to remove it. I would point out that Jane modified the length of the without cause termination period from what it says in the lease template (see below for details) to 60 days from 30, but did not make any changes to the following sentence, which is the sentence in question.

In addition, the printed lease mentioned that first and last month's rent was due at signing, even though that was never the agreement. Sam mentioned the mistake to Jane some number of days before the signing, and she said she would correct it. When going over the printed lease before signing, Sam saw that it hadn't been corrected and asked Jane if they could cross it out and both initial next to it, which they did. However Jane never asked to correct the sentence in question, though she's now claimed it was a mistake.

Lastly, regarding attitudes, Fiona is a lot more calm and reasonable about the situation, while Jane is more upset; she mentioned that there have been problems with the past few renters, and that it's wearing on her, which is part of the reason she doesn't want to budge from Sunday (the 9th) being the last day.

**So the questions are:** Who's right with regard to the length of the notice? What options does Sam have? Has valid legal notice even been given at this point? How would the fact that both Jane and Fiona are on the master lease, but only Jane signed the room rental agreement, affect the situation? What would happen with the security deposit? Assuming Jane/Fiona don't do something like lock Sam out (which seems pretty clearly illegal), but continue operating as if notice is three days, what happens if Sam tries to pay within the seven days but they don't accept it because it's already past the three days? Apologies for all the questions, but they're just aspects of the larger question.

**Lease:**

It appears that the lease was just copied from [this page](https://www.pandadoc.com/room-rental-agreement-template/) on PandaDoc; you can even see a couple of "Panda Tip"'s in there.

Edits from the text copy-pasted from the PDF provided by the lessor in advance: Trivial whitespace and formatting tweaks, and changed the names and address. The last name of the renter was handwritten into a blank space. Section 3 said "first and last month’s rent", but that was never the agreement, just (another?) mistake; Jane and Sam crossed out "and last" and initialed next to it before signing the lease. I removed the actual rules of the *Household rules* section since the formatting was weird and they're irrelevant.

> Room Rental Agreement

> This Room Rental Agreement is being made between Jane Smith and Sam Jones. It is a legally binding agreement that sets forth the rights and obligations of the Parties and is intended to promote household harmony.

> Renter is renting from Homeowner a room in the residence located at 123 Main Street Anytown CA, 99999.

> 1. Term of rental. This Room Rental Agreement is on a 3 Month agreement and following month-to-month basis beginning on June 25, 2017.. If this Room Rental Agreement starts partway through the month, the first month’s rent will be prorated and the month-to-month terms will then proceed from the 1st day of each month.
> 2. Termination. Either Party may terminate this Agreement with 60 days written notice personally delivered to the other Party. Homeowner may terminate this Agreement with seven (7) days written notice (and a seven-day period to cure) if the Renter is in default under this Room Rental Agreement.
> 3. Rent and security deposit. Monthly rent to be paid by Renter to Homeowner is $600 per month, due on or before the 1st day of each calendar month during the term of this Room Rental Agreement. The first ~~and last~~(SJ)(JS) month’s rent must be paid in advance upon the signing of this Room Rental Agreement. If this Room Rental Agreement begins partway through the month, the first month’s rent will be prorated. Rent must be paid in cash, money order, or cashier’s check. In addition, Renter will pay Homeowner a security deposit of $600 as security for any damages to the House caused by Renter. The Security Deposit will used for last month rent, less any deductions for damages, with an accompanying itemized statement explaining any deductions.
> 4. Utilities. Rent includes utilities, except as indicated below. Renter will be responsible for payment of the following percentages of monthly utility bills: Included in rent.
> 5. Household rules.
> Kitchen Use: Clean after yourself
> Cleaning duties: Clean bathroom every 4 days
> Common area use: Not allowed unless invited
> Study/quiet hours:No guest on weekdays
> Smoking: 420 Friendly - No cigarettes allowed the house
> Alcohol/drug use: No
> Overnight guests: No overnight guest
> Pets: No pets
> Sharing of personal items: No
> Panda Tip: If any rules are broken - deposit will not be applied to last month’s rent. If contract broken before September 25, 2017 - deposit will not be applied for last month's rent.
> 6. Conflict resolution. In the interest of household harmony, the Parties each agree to make reasonable efforts to maintain a peaceful environment within the House work together to resolve any differences.
> 7. Additional terms. Additional terms to this Room Rental Agreement are the following:[ADDITIONAL TERMS]
> Panda Tip: Add in anything else here that you want to make part of the Agreement.
> 8. Modifications. This Room Rental Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the Parties and cannot be changed unless both agree in writing to do so. There are not any understandings or representations that contradict any terms in this document. Signed and agreed to by the Parties as dated below.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: I'm interested to know why Sam rented the room when he doesn't have the funds to cover the rent payment.


Title: "Do not remove tag under penalty of law"

Question: Is it really a crime to remove a tag from a pillow or mattress?

Answer:
 That is for the retailer/manufacturer.

The consumer can remove it without penalty.


Title: Paying employer for vacation used by not accrued?

Question:
I shall keep this simple. I am a non-exempt hourly employee in the state of WI. I have been searching for a new job for a while and have several interviews lined up. My company has a vacation accrewal policy, but does not stand by it, they give us the vacation up front.

I have used about 140% of my total accrued vacation at this moment, IE 100 hours with 50 accrued (not accurate math, but point is the same). If I find a new job lets say by the end of the month, is there a legal holding that ill have to pay me employer potentially for two weeks of vacation time?

I have also tracked down the employee benefits guidebook I received two years ago and the same above is what is mentioned, but there is no mention of pay back if time is used but not accrued, just a statement that says time earned by not used will be paid out at end of employment.

My company, part of the reason why im trying to leave, can be SUPER inconsistent about internal processes and following their own processes. (IE, we cant go and work for a client of ours, or a direct competitor, but it has happened several times without anything being done)

Thanks to all :)

Answer: Your employer will be able to deduct the balance owed from your final check, as long as it doesn't reduce you below minimum wage.  In theory, it's possible they try to sue you to recover whatever is left, but it's very uncommon


Title: Will this get me in trouble? Financial question.

Question:
Hi everyone, simple question here that may involve some legal matters.

Here are the facts: I moved to Canada several years ago. Father owns a business back home. Some bloke owes him a large sum of money.
Apparently my dad invested some money with him, and it paid off handsomely. Dad says the guy imports goods and says it's all legal but my dad is an old, sweet, trusting man so he can be gullible, which is what me and my siblings are worried about. Basically, the guy said he has money in Canada with a partner of his, to which dad replied, 'great, i've a son there, wire me the $ into his account'.

When Dad calls and asks for my bank account I thought it'll be a small sum, turns out it's a whooping (at least for my broke ass) 30k. So here I am, expecting my account to get a decent bump any day now, but I'm getting quite worried because I'm not sure if this is all kosher (relevant throwaway username).
So my questions to you all are: 1- Is there any way this could get me in trouble? what if the source of the money is not entirely legal? what if the guy's partner is not entirely legit?
 2- What else I should be thinking about here? do I have to account for this money next time I file for taxes? (I am supposed to distribute this amongst me and siblings so I will end up with a portion of that).
Thank you all for any advice, in advance!

EDIT: Thanks everyone for your input. The money is not yet in my account. In fact, the bank does not seem to see any transactions on the way either. Which is also fishy.. I almost hope that the guy is trying to 'get away' from paying and lied about sending the wire.

EDIT2: I am going to see a lawyer tomorrow, to see what my options are. I would like this to be completely clean. Perhaps getting a letter from my dad saying that this is supposed to be a gift from him to me? not sure. I will keep you guys updated because it seems like this is not a trivial situation I've put myself in. Who would've thought that getting a gift from your own dad could be so stressful heh.

Answer: OP- This sounds a lot like money laundering (you accepting money that isn't yours on someone else's behalf). /u/AtariBasic's question is also the one I would ask you.


Title: (MD) Is it legal to not compensate a salaried employee for overtime?

Question:
My hours are 8:30am to 5:00pm. On a few different occasions, management has mentioned that we may need to stay late sometimes (it's not in my contract). When 5:00 rolls around, I'll finish what I'm doing and if I've got a large workload (excess client requests, rush jobs etc), I'll stay late. We work in a fast-paced company and after we receive a client request, we're supposed to get them a proposal within a business day. This is not always possible given the large volume of requests and clients with rush jobs (plus when I started, we had three people with the same job as me and now we only have two i.e. I'm doing the work of 1.5 people and they're not working to fill the position).

I usually stay 15-30 minutes late, sometimes it'll be an hour or more if I've got a lot of client requests, rush jobs, etc. (And I'm usually at work 10-15 minutes early.) They don't pay me when I stay late. I realize this isn't a ton of time, but the free labor is adding up for them.

This is an entry-level salaried position and it's my first full-time job, so I'm clueless if this is normal workplace stuff or not. I'm also not sure if it makes a difference that they're not telling me "Hey, stay late today" it's more of a "If you can't get your work done, you'll need to stay late" kind of thing.

I never really thought much of me staying late regularly until more recently when they started nickel and diming me for time. (I sent an email requesting 2 or 3 days to leave at 4:30 for some appointments over the course of a month and they said I needed to either use my paid time off or schedule to come in early or stay late...even though I already come in late/leave early, just not "scheduled")

Should I be compensating for the time I'm staying late (especially since they're having me use paid time off to leave early)?

Answer:
 Yep, it's legal.  If you are a salaried, rather than hourly employee by the standard definition, you do not get overtime pay.

Here is the applicable Maryland law: https://www.dllr.state.md.us/labor/wagepay/wpsalaried.shtml


Title: [AZ] Sold Wrong Dog Breed From Pet Store. Just discovered more than a year later.

Question: I went to a pet store for a Shiba Inu about a year and a half ago. They had 2 cream colored ones and I chose my favorite. Since then, I have constantly gotten remarks about how he is way too big to be a Shiba. He is about 45 pounds and thin, and his birth certificate says his father was 25 pounds, and his mother was 20 pounds. Today on /r/videos, there was a video of a Jindo which looked exactly like him, which started me looking into it and realizing this is very likely what he is, as he is the most common color for Jindo, and looks identical to all of the ones I've been seeing. In my research I saw that Jindos are frequently used as scams, because they are a cheap breed, and are largely unknown in America. I love my boy more than anything, but it means I overpaid by more than 20x. Do I have any recourse? Would I need a DNA test, or would that not be any help? Thank you for any advice!

Answer: Have you contacted the pet store yet? What did they say?Answer #2: Pure bred doesn't mean well-bred. My in-laws purchased a sheltie from a breeder that had both parents on-site. Their dog ended up being the size of a Collie. Pet stores are notorious for selling badly bred dogs from puppy mills and even dogs with fake paperwork. Next time, do some research and find a reputable breeder.


Title: (CA) Illegal car shop inside a residence.

Question: Hello all. I am posting on behalf of my neighbors. They are older and both sick (one has stomach cancer and the other a brain tumor). Their next door neighbor just started a body/auto shop in their garage in a residential street. Banging, grinding, paint fumes all day and part of the night. I understand the "shop guy" as a felon and still reports to a probation officer. He rents the place from his mother in law. What can my neighbors possibly do to shut it down? Thank you!

Answer: Contact code enforcement.


Title: [GA] Gave false ID to a police officer, have to appear in court. Don't know what to do or expect.

Question:
For some kind of stupid reasons, I gave a fake name to a cop. I was parked in a parking lot saying goodbye to someone I was dropping off at their car after the business of said parking lot had closed and cops rolled up, I didn't give them my real legal name. I got taken to jail and the officer charged me according to city law instead of state, according to him he did so because I was cooperative and had nothing on my record. I was issued a ticket for the incident and when my bail was posted, the fine on the ticket was paid. However, I still have a mandatory court appearance. After researching the city code, I found that the penalty for giving false information to a police officer (classified as obstructing a police officer and falls under "disturbing the peace") is a fine no more than $1000 or up to 6 months jail time, or both at discretion of the court.

Obviously I want to avoid any possible jail time but I've never been to court before, have never been arrested before, so I'm just honestly scared and don't know what to expect. Or what to do when I get there. I have a little over two weeks so.. can you guys help? Do you guys need any additional information?

Thanks.

Answer: Get an attorneyAnswer #2: You're facing half a year in jail and a criminal record. You need a criminal defense attorney.


Title: Received instructions from the VASAP after reckless driving even though DUI was not a factor?

Question:
I was convicted of reckless driving in Virginia about 2 weeks ago. My understanding was that a fine and a temporary license suspension was the extent of my sentence. (Although it's possible I missed something because it all happened so fast.) Driving Under the Influence was in no way connected to this conviction. Yesterday I received a letter that stated the following:

>Our office has received your court assignment to VASAP from Campbell County General District Court. You must come to the office to enroll on or before September 5.

Then there was a list of date, location, and payment information.

>You are required to pay the fee when you come for enrollment.

>**BRING PAPERWORK FROM THE COURT WITH YOU AT ENROLLMENT.**

>If you were issued a DC 265, DC 260, or DC 359 form by the Court, it must be signed and sealed by VASAP within 15 days of your court date. If you were allowed restricted driving privileges, they will expire at the end of 15 days unless you have enrolled in VASAP. If more than 15 days have passed since your court date, do not drive; have someone drive you to this office.

>Please be advised that VASAP is mandatory on first and second offense DUIT conviction, so enrolling and completing VASAP will avoid return of your case to court and further legal consequences.

The front page of my restricted driving order is a DC-260, and the last two pages are DC-261. At the top of the first page are 5 bullets points with checkmarks. Points 2 and 5 concern my reckless driving conviction and my granting of a restricted license. Point 1 is about DUIs and is not selected. Point 4 is about being order to attend a program, and is not selected.

Is this letter something I can safely ignore, or do I need to something about this? And if so, what?

Answer:
 When a prosecutor agrees to a reduction or even when the Judge reduces a charge to a Reckless Driving, VASAP will still be ordered.

Never ignore anything a court or the state in general sends you. What was the original charge and did you have an attorney represent you? If so talk to them. But it sounds like you absolutely have to do VASAP.


Title: Repercussions of paternity

Question:
First post here. My brother Jim thinks he may have fathered a child. They had sex, she left next day to return to old boyfriend. 4 years later he finds out she has a kid, 4 years old, that looks a lot like him. He thinks he's the father. Old boyfriend (now husband) has raised the child as his own (name on birth certificate, too). He's had his doubts about his paternity, but never tested the kid, and has since fathered another kid with same girl. Jim (my brother) also has a 9 year old son from a different girl. Jim thinks he needs to get the kid tested to prove/disprove his paternity. He thinks if he does, he won't be responsible for past child support and that he'll just sigh his parental rights over and be absolved of any responsibility for future child support. I say leave well enough alone. Our questions:
If he's the father, can she get back child support? What about future child support?

Answer: Dont let him do it. All it will do is cause massive amounts of drama and possibly destroy a family(s). Especially if he doesn't want to be part of the child life and the other guy wants to be his father, biologically or not let him do it.


Title: Help

Question:
I was bored a few nights ago and downloaded a dating app called jaumo. I met a girl on it and things heated up and we exchanged nudes. She sent them first. She said she was 18. I am 17 but my profile said I was 18. I got a text from her dad a few minutes ago saying something about how I needed to contact him because he was going to press charges but I panicked and deleted my jaumo and blocked his phone number and deleted the text message before I even read it all. What should I do now? Do I have anything to worry about?

Thanks

Answer: It's a scam


Title: Ex boyfriend owes $4,00 share of credit card debt, refuses to pay.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You can pay it and then attempt to sue him in small claims court.

You should both stop using each other's accounts.Answer #2: > I authorized last month's minimum payment of $229.00 on his account

That was likely a felony.

> (his account info was entered by him previously

Doesn't matter unless he gave you ongoing authority to withdraw from his account.Answer #3: > don't want to go to prison for forging checks, however

But you are fine going to prison for fraudulently authorizing an electronic payment from his account?

If small claims in your area is capped at $2500, then you may want to just try for that.  You can try to get a free consultation with an attorney to get the idea of time/cost of taking it to "real" court; but if it comes out to be ~$1500, then you really haven't gained anything extra that you couldn't have gotten in small claims.


Title: [IL] I was given a ticket for a Waze police report while driving

Question: I was driving home tonight when I drove past three police officers that had pulled a car over on a one lane road. There was only one other car on the road that was in front of me. I have a magnet that my cell phone is on my car, and I use the Waze app to navigate. There is a feature on the app to report a police officer on the road, and apparently one of the police officers noticed someone reported them right after I drove by. They pulled me over and cited the Waze police report as evidence I was using my phone while driving. However I did not make a police report on the app, and a $75 ticket can mean the difference between having food for a few weeks or not. What are my options?

Answer:
 IANAL. Challenge the ticket. In the Waze app, you can click the magnifying glass icon in the bottom left corner, then click your name and select the Inbox.

Your inbox has a weekly summary of any reports you’ve made. You should be able to prove you made no such report.Answer #2: Can you be clear here, you didn't touch or interact with the phone or app in any way?Answer #3: challenge the ticket.Answer #4: If you choose to challenge the ticket, call ahead to the clerk of the Circuit Court in the county the ticket is in. Ask the clerk how to present evidence from your phone.Answer #5: I find this extremely difficult to believe. They likely saw you interacting with the phone as you passed.


Title: I (24/Fl) am at risk of being evicted from my home by my mother and am not sure what my rights are in an eviction situation. More details in post

Question:
I am an adult who lives at home and goes to collage in florida. I contribute monthly to bills with side work and also my student loans go directly to my mothers account each semester and she uses most of the money toward personal purchases but sometimes toward the house . I have no record that the money I contribute goes toward the household however as my name is not on any of the bills and Im not sure what it is classified as if I give money to the homeowner and they don't use it toward bills/the house.  Recently she has been saying she will be getting an eviction notice to kick me out but the way she is wording it she basicly just needs to hand me the paperwork and I have to leave on the spot. Im not in a good place finatally to move at the moment and I know that is is not how the process works but I am haveing a hard time finding info on laws for evicting a family member that are for the perspective of the evictee. I know that the situation is diffrent if you contribute finantally but Im not sure how I can prove I do if she tries to claim im not.

TLDR- I am being threatened with eviction from a family member and am not sure about my rights as an evictee
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 No that’s not how evictions work. It doesn’t matter that there’s no record of you paying anything. You live there. You’re a tenant.

Your student loan funds should be going to your own account. Answer #2: Your family member would need to follow the proper steps to legally evict you. This [link](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0083/0083.html) might help you get started


Title: Do I need the I.P. owner's permission to write a script for a remake of a film?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You can write whatever you want.  It's only if you try to distribute it or sell it that it could become a problem.

Presumably the studio that released the film is the current owner of the intellectual property.


Title: PARTNERS OVERWORKED AND MANIPULATED ME AT LESS PAY THAN STAFF UNDER ME, HOW DO I QUIT? AM I ENTITLED TO ANYTHING?

Question: I was hired to help build this business in Wisconsin and thought that all my vast skills and abilities in marketing, graphic design, carpentry, engineering, corporate management, finance, and many others would prove me worthy to earn a percentage of the company that my partners kept promising me. After 9 months of earning the meager wage slightly above minimum wage (I have university education), doing the job of 15 people, 80 hours a week, malnourished, risked losing my family, and many other things that happen when someone is overworked, they offered me 20% only because I have been the only person not to quit, steal, and have been more than loyal to them. Quite frankly, I am sure they just did not want to increase my salary and knew that it would take many years to even break even. I would cry to them begging them telling them that I was tired, overworked, and began to suffer from chronic anxiety, waking up with my left arm numb or hurting every morning, scary heart palpitations and that my body could not handle all this. I helped them out of the goodness of my heart since I admired them at first. All they could say was that one of them was sick (actually happened from trying to run this business for a month) and that they couldn't risk losing it and that i would be greatly rewarded for it. I was not allowed to leave the business during breaks, could not fully enjoy a complete meal without being taken from my break, was refused time off for my stitches to be removed, was threatened to be demoted from being GM and lowering my pay when I asked for some time off when I had 3 broken ribs. I was refused vacation time for over a year and guilt tripped if I ever even needed a break or mentioned that I was tired. They have hired people to replace me (I feel it is a discriminatory thing because of my religion since they openly used derogatory terms about other races in my face about other people before) They offer people with less experience and less hours more salary than me and then immediately give them high positions. I was asked to sign a contract for my partnership but I am afraid that after all this time and effort, I will be entitled to nothing of what I was promised since the husband of my partner is a bankruptcy lawyer with many firms. I have lifted their business and they keep doing things that make me wonder if its being done purposely to get insurance or some fraudulent profit out of it. When I asked them to please send more positive notes my way rather than negative my way(since all my staff sees how hard I work, my clients love me, and no one has 10% of the knowledge I have) I told them that they need to motivate my staff and me a bit more and that our business and sales are going up fast. Their reply was, "well, that's the bad energy that's keeping the business down and if it fails it will be you with your bad energy to bring it down" I was immediately terrified of their coldness when I have only gotten a few more dollars raise in almost 2 years. I want to quit but want to see if  am legally entitled to anything or if I can be held liable for anything if its not mentioned in the contract? I am so scared an confused but at this point, I just want to save my health and sanity and get out with no problems. Can anyone tell me what to do?

Answer:
 In Wisconsin, outside of any explicit, written agreements, you're not entitled to meal/rest breaks, PTO/vacation, a raise/promotion, ownership in the company, pay that is higher than any other employee, or a severance package.

If you want to quit, quit.  Give 2 weeks notice and quit, or simply up and quit.

This is assuming you're under an at-will employment agreement, and not under a binding employment contract.  If you are under a binding employment contract, then the answers to your questions would be within that contract.

If you feel that you were illegally discriminated against, consult an employment attorney.


Title: (California) My supposed 35 year old son wants to meet me. How can I meet him and protect myself?

Question:
Hello, I supposedly have a son from an old girlfriend I used to have when I was much younger.  My supposed son is now 35.

I took a took paternity blood test 34 years ago, and I never got the results of it.  I never paid any money in child support, haven't talked to my ex girlfriend in decades, and haven't met my supposed son.

He now wants to meet me.  He has sent text messages to my cellphone (my number is online).  I want to meet him too.  However, I am terrified of being sued for back child support or anything else.

I really want to meet him, but financially I have a family to protect also.

My questions:

1) Can he sue me for back child support or damages?  He's now 35 years old, so I'm assuming the statue of limitations are long up?

2) Can the State of California sue me for child support or damages.  Again he's 35, so hopefully the statue of limitations is up there as well.

This is my first time using this website.  Thank you.

Answer:
 1 - no. if there was never a court order there is no support owed. And nothing is owed to him. ever

2- no.

Edit: make sure your will is clear. If it just says : children then he is one of those children.


Title: Am i in the wrong?

Question: So heres my story: I was supposed to go on vacation with my girlfriend and her family, to Arizona in which her mother paid for the ticket and i was going to pay her back (no time limit just as long as i paid). I already put down 60 out of the large sum i have to pay for this ticket, then this happened. A huge fight went down, which resulted in me and my girlfriend not being able to stay in the house or anything. Obviously, my girlfriend no longer wants to go on vacation anymore, and neither do i, yet the mother insists i pay for this ticket, even though im not even allowed to go. She claims shes going to take me to small claims court in the next week or so and apparently she is going to win. Now, im no man of the law, but im assuming thats not even allowed correct? Why should i have to pay for a ticket if im not even going anymore, and she hates my guts. In the worst case scenario couldn't i just pay for the ticket and choose where i would like to go at any time? Just looking for some advice as i really can not afford paying that ticket right now. Pennsylvania. Thanks!

Answer:
 If the ticket is purchased? You can take the flight - arrange another vacation with your and your gf going in a different direction after the plane lands.

She can take you to small claims if you agreed to repay her (already giving her money for the ticket does make this look like a loan)

>Why should i have to pay for a ticket if im not even going anymore, and she hates my guts.

Because the ticket is paid for and you can still get on the plane. So can your gf if her ticket is paid for. You might as well take the vacation and plan a separate trip that happens to have the same flight plans as some people you don't want to be around.

> In the worst case scenario couldn't i just pay for the ticket and choose where i would like to go at any time?

If the airline allows you to credit the ticket to a future purchase. That will depend on the airline.


Title: [NYC] I needed to get out of my lease early. I contacted the property management company, I found a qualified replacement, but they failed to provide her with a lease agreement, and she moved on.

Question:
I lived with 2 other roommates sharing a 3 bedroom apartment in NYC. I needed to move out 4 months before my lease ended. I contacted the property management company and they gave me 3 options - find a qualified replacement, sub lease the room, or give them a 2 months notice and pay a one month of rent fee. I decided to find a replacement.

The girl applied with the management company and was approved. We arranged that she will move in on January 15th. I moved out at the end of December. I asked the property management company if I need to pay for half of the month of January since the new tenant will be moving in on the 15th. They confirmed that I only owe them half a month rent and the new tenant will be taking over the rest. I paid for half a month and moved in to my new apartment.

Today my old roommate contacted me and said the new tenant hasn't moved in with them yet. I contacted her and she said she's been begging the property management company for the lease agreement, but they failed to provide it. She assumed it was a scam and settled for her 2nd choice.

Am I still responsible for the rent? They haven't contacted me about this yet. I keep all email communication with the management company. I also suspect that their motives for not giving the new tenant the lease agreement in a timely manner may be discriminatory and race related.

Answer: i think you missed your chance. LL instructed you to sublet. that means an agreement between you and subtenant. not LL and subtenant. you shoulda given her _your own_ agreement.


Title: [NJ] My boss used his house as collateral to bail me out of ICE jail but he just got a letter about foreclosure.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: What were you arrested for? What is the current status of the case? Did you jump bail? Did they explain to him what the charges are for? Once the case was completely, the bond should have been fulfilled.


Title: URGENT: My sister is in Mexico and needs to fly home the the US and lost her drivers license. She still has her passport though. Can she fly with just the passport or does she need two forms of identification?

Answer: She just needs her passport, you’d be in more trouble if it was the passport she lost instead.


Title: Idiot Principal Hates Basic Eating Utensils

Question: Our student government  “decided” instead of just using sporks for lunch we should use both forks and spoons. However, 2 days later, our principal informed us kids were mixing up the forks and spoons, which in turn caused a “serious safety hazard”. The forks were in one container and the spoons in another, but apparently putting a spoon in the fork section when you accidentally grab too many would somehow lead to another edition of the Black Plague. We also live in Minnesota, for anyone willing to look up the health code. Is this a real law or is our principals skull just as thick as he is?

Answer: I’m guessing it’s cost.


Title: [NYC] Landlord kicking us out of rent stabilized apartment, lease is under grandmother's name

Question:
My boyfriend and I moved into his grandmother's apartment last month. She lived there from 1979 - Jan 2014 but is now in a nursing home due to medical conditions. The lease for the apartment is still in effect and my boyfriend's mom has been paying for the rent for the past year (without anyone living there). The landlord says we cannot continue to live there under her lease, but gives us the option to change it to my boyfriend's name. (He said if we keep staying here, he will get someone to break the lock) The apartment is rent stabilized at 700 - 800 a month and he is now asking for 1800.

We are thinking we need legal representation. Please advise!

Answer:
 You're not gonna get succession rights to the rent stabilized lease if you just moved in.  So start looking for a new place to live.

But LL can't break in and throw you out. He has to evict you (and Grandma) properly.

If LL forces you out, call the cops or go to the housing court in your borough and tell them youve been illegally locked out.

you can also try to contact legal aid and housing law aid agencies in your borough. you can look for those online or go to the housing court and ask for info about them. Answer #2: Come on, you knew what you were doing. You're not on the lease. He's well within his right. (maybe not on the whole break the lock part).


Title: Might be an odd one. Over at /r/thewestwing we are trying to figure out something related to a plot line where a journalist is jailed for contempt of court for not revealing a source - Journalist James Risen is going through this exact thing IRL now which confuses us about the topic/law. [MIC]

Question:
Hello all.

I apologize if this is not appropriate here, and if it is not, please let me know and I will delete the thread.

[This is the thread that we are in discussion about, and we need legal experts to help us out please.](http://www.reddit.com/r/thewestwing/comments/2bmoyt/greg_brock_going_to_jail_why/)

For anyone that has intentions of watching The West Wing or is in the process of, do not read further.

Toby Ziegler leaked a story to a journalist that is classified national security information about a non-civilian space shuttle for military use as there are 3 astronaunts stuck at the ISS and we have no way to reach them and they only have 2 or 3 days of oxygen before they will die. He is subsequently dismissed by President Bartlet, removed from the White House and the journalist that will not divulge his source is sentenced jail for contempt of court or obstruction of justice.

In one of the very last scenes in the series, the last thing President Bartlet does before leaving office is issue pardons (which many Presidents do), which after much internal turmoil he pardons Toby.

If the journalist (Greg Brock) was still in jail at that time, since the actual leak was pardoned, wouldn't logic say that the journalist being held for contempt/obstruction be released?

I know, odd question. One of the main reasons the topic has come up is related to an actual case right now that has been being battled since 2005 with a journalist named James Risen. You can read about an under 30 day updated article in the [New York Times here.](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/28/us/case-of-james-risen-times-reporter-poses-dilemma-for-justice-department.html?_r=1) which if anything here is a very very interesting legal/political read.

If any criminal attorneys here would like to weigh in we would certainly appreciate it.

Again the [post is here](http://www.reddit.com/r/thewestwing/comments/2bmoyt/greg_brock_going_to_jail_why/) and I sincerely thank you for your time.

Toby

Answer:
 > If the journalist (Greg Brock) was still in jail at that time, since the actual leak was pardoned, wouldn't logic say that the journalist being held for contempt/obstruction be released?

Legally, no.  First, the pardon of Ziegler doesn't mean that what he did is not a crime.  It just means that his conviction is vacated.  One person can be pardoned of a crime, while others are still convicted.

Second, contempt of court is different than whatever other proceeding is going on at the time.  Even if Ziegler was found completely not guilty, the journalist was still in contempt for ignoring a court order.  The two matters are unrelated.


Title: [NYC] Received Six $65 Parking Tickets in three days for using a Motorcycle Cover in New York City

Question:
Hello All,

Your advice and suggestions are appreciated.

April '17 was a rainy season in New York City and I left my Suzuki with fully valid license plates and registration sticker on the streets of Astoria, Queens (borough of NYC) protected with a motorcycle cover for a few days of heavy flood.

Came back less than a week later to find not one, not two but SIX $65 parking tickets hand written by local NYPD officers for "plate covered" and "obscured VIN". The bike was parked on the street that is unaffected by street cleaning and otherwise did not obstruct anything else as far as I am concerned.

* 3 x tickets: Code 74 $65 - "Missing/Improperly Displayed Plate (j)(2) with 'Plate Covered' comment
* 3 x tickets: Code 94 $65 with 'Sub Section 09 Obstructed VIN' comment

Has anyone else dealt with fighting these tickets? Should I try to have some sort of traffic lawyer fight them off or go in myself? Outside of checking whether everything is legible and present on the ticket is there anything else I can use? Can I request the judge to pay some of the tickets and not others? Any other advice you may think may be applicable in reducing or throwing away the fines?

Feels like this was a target by the precinct during a quota week because I used the cover for weeks prior without any issues. Walking by the bike during the days in question did not give me any impression that there were any tickets after. They were all "neatly folded" and stashed underneath the safety of the cover. All of them were written by the same officer that just kept coming back to write two tickets daily.

Any feedback or advice would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

Answer:
 Were your plates and VIN covered?Answer #2: This was not a target, you broke the law, you got fined.

Legitimate NYC parking tickets are notoriously difficult to fight. You should appeal all of them, but with 99.99% certainty your appeals will be denied.

I'd start getting $400 ready and in the future follow the law.


Title: Fired Due to Bad Posture?

Question:
This event took place in Indiana.

&#x200B;

I was recently fired due to the fact that I was slouching in my chair. I work in a IT Call Center where I provide remote troubleshooting assistance for multiple clients. I had came back from a week long vacation, I didn't receive a call from my supervisors that when I came back to work after vacation, we would be having VIPs touring the facility. VIPs are potentially clients or future clients so they enforce we dress appropriately (ie, wearing our uniform polos with our company logo), and even though there was an email sent about it, I was on vacation and I don't check work emails off the clock.

&#x200B;

Anyways, predating this back in 2016, I have existing issues with my spine and my tailbone and sitting in chairs for a long time. It's in my documented medical condition but my hip is at an angle, and due to having my bottom being very small, I sit on my tailbone and sitting for a long time causes pain. I had brought this up with my supervisor in the past and had requested an accommodation. At first they denied my request and suggested I find a better chair around the facility. I ended up finding one but it would make loud sounds and one of the arm rests was broken off. It wasn't an issue because conveniently, my filing cabinet next to me was just the right height for my arm to rest on and I got used to it.

&#x200B;

Fast forwarding into 2017, we had desk moves and I went from the first floor to the second floor. I was able to bring my chair upstairs but during the move, it was noticed by HR and some of the managers walked by the facility before a VIP visit and noticed my chair with the missing armrest and they threw it out. This took place after I had left work and upon coming in the next day. Because of this, I talked to HR again (this time, this was a new HR person that does not know about my 'condition') and although I had asked for the same/identical chair or accommodation, they advised me to find another chair. Unfortunately there was not a chair but HR was able to find one close in their office. So I sat with that one and then eventually, that armrest was broken as well, and then was tossed, again. This time, there weren't any more chairs and I ended up sitting in a chair that was really firm and kind of painful to deal with at times. Because of this, I ended up slouching pretty deep down in my chair to alleviate the pain off my tailbone and butt. It's been this way since then all the way up to 2018.

&#x200B;

Now, a lot of people who walk by, know that I slouch in my chair often because of this. I don't have a track record of being bad at my job and I would say, I'm highly regarded. I show up to work on time and I rarely call off. To my knowledge, I didn't think I have issues with management because I had been working there a couple of years. Moments before I had gotten fired, I was slouching in my chair, it was the day I had gotten back from vacation, VIPs are coming in the building, I was slouching in my chair. The VP of the company had caught me in my chair and my posture of slouching. He tapped me on the shoulder and said "You need to sit up in your chair" and walked off. shortly after, my reporting manager, along with another manager, told me that they need to escort me out the building and take my badge. They said to not come into work and that they would call me once they do "an investigation" on what to do with me. Technically, at the time of this post, they didn't call me. In fact, my friends that work there sent me a picture of my termination and to disable all access.

&#x200B;

I have done things to try to help with my pain with my lower back; I had requested a standing desk, a chair, a cushion, anything to help with the pain. The farthest I have gotten from HR was filling out an ADA form for this so the company can order a chair. I had given the form to my HR but ironically, that HR person had eventually stopped working for the company shortly after and nothing went from there. I do not have a medical doctor or a family doctor that I see for any kind of check ups. All I have in terms of proof, is an xray shown by a chiropractor I had gone to find out I have these issues. I can most likely get in contact with my chiropractor I visited a few times to get a copy of my xrays but they dated back I believe 2016/2017. I'm not sure if that would be valid.

&#x200B;

I'm not looking to go back to my company, because I've always been treated like garbage there, and if I were to go back, they'd put me through hell and it would be a war of attrition. However, I was curious to see if I have a case solid enough to sue because of this. I'm from Indiana, we don't really have unions and it is an "at will" state, so if there is anything I can try to get some kind of justice from my previous job, I would like some or any advice.

&#x200B;

Thank you for hearing me out!
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 You might have a case due to the fact that you started the process of requesting a formal accommodation, but it probably doesn't help that you didn't follow up on it.

My advice (not a lawyer) is to apply for unemployment and start job hunting. Answer #2: Take a look at the EEOC.gov website, and look up the section for Reasonable Accommodation, Disability, and Retaliation.

You might have a case for Failure to Accommodate (not getting you proper chair) and Retaliation (firing).  The challenge will be to prove that you were fired for slouching and not for a performance issue.

Google for local legal clinics, usually free, run by the city or local universities.  See if they have a specialty in Employment Law.  Or google for the local Bar association and usually they will allow you to speak to a lawyer for a low fee for 30-45 minutes.

There is a time limit so look quickly.

Good luck.


Title: Small accident settled outside of insurance, now he’s threatening me for more $$

Question:
I was involved in a small accident a couple weeks ago. I backed into a guy at like 5 miles per hour. Only damage was an offset front bumper, with no scratches. Neither of us took pictures.
It was with my bfs car so I ask to just pay without reporting to insurance, as I was not covered under his insurance. He gives me an estimate that includes the bumper reset and paint. I say hey there was no paint damage, he says fine just pay me “$x” and verbatim “pay that and let’s end this”. I agree and pay immediately under the assumption it’s over. (all in writing)
A few days later he tells me pay me more or he will report it to insurance or sue me if my bfs insurance won’t pick it up. Even though we already agreed upon an deal to end things and the deal was fully paid out.

What options or rights do I have here?

Answer:
 Typically when you settle a debt with someone you get the other person to sign a "Release of Liability."  This is a contract where the other person gives up their right to sue in exchange for whatever settlement they received.

The question is whether the insurance (or a court) would take "let's end this" as a complete release of liability.  I think you've got a good argument that both parties intended the statement to be a release.

I wouldn't pay the guy another penny.


Title: My (24F) friend is going through a real life Cinderella situation, please help. Thanks in advance for any and all advice.

Question:
Hello r/legaladvice,

My friend "Sarah" needs some legal help. Her father passed away a little less then 3 months ago. Ever since her father passed her step-mother has been making her (and her brothers) lives a living hell. We live in South Florida,  and I'm not sure how I can help her.

Her stepmother has been very cruel to her during this time, and it is only escalating. I want to know what questions I can ask her to find out what the best course of action is.

She is currently living in the house that her father and stepmother purchaed, but I'm not sure if they are renting or have a mortgage. As far as I know Sarah doesn't know anything about any life insurance, or a will, and the stepmother is actively avoiding these topics.

What is important for Sarah to know in order to help her? What kind of records does she need to find copies of, and how can I help her find them?

Thanks again to anyone that reads this, I have no idea what I'm doing but I don't want my friend to have to deal with this all by herself.

Edit: Sarah is also 23, just in case that means anything.

Answer: She is 23; tell her to move out. She can contact an attorney about the will, inheritance, etc.


Title: Virginia - restraining order on someone who robbed me?

Question: My house was burgled; the guy was caught with our stolen gun. We do not know him, he lives like 4 blocks away from us. Would I have luck requesting a restraining order on him so that he can't even come near me again? Or is it more for people that personally targeted you?

Answer:
 I am not a lawyer but believe a restraining order can be added into the sentencing. It's a reasonable request.

My attorney requested the judge require a five year restraining order to where the perpetrator needed to stay away from me and all my family members. The judge agreed and included it while handing down the sentence.


Title: Work-related injury, employer told me I couldn't go to ER, quit the job

Question:
I live in Tennessee.

I had a meat slicer fall on my hand two weeks ago. I immediately informed my manager on duty, but he didn't file a report because no blood was drawn. I stayed over an hour later than usual to finish my shift after it happened.

In the morning, I was supposed to work. I texted my department manager (separate from the manager who was previous at the time of the injury, and separate from the general manager) explaining that I wanted to go to the ER because my fingers were extremely swollen. She told me that I COULDN'T go. Now, I am pretty sure that's illegal, so I went.

I did not file the hospital visit under workman's compensation while at the hospital, and I was diagnosed with contusions and told I could work the next day. However, my discharge instructions did not coincide with working.

I turned my doctor's note in to the general manager, and he did not say that I would lose my job for not showing up. I did not inform him of the text my department head sent, and I quit the job the next day with no notice because she had tried to tell me I could not receive medical treatment for a work-related injury.

I am now in contact with the corporate office about a follow-up because my hand is still injured. I still have the text message from my manager stating that I had to work instead of seeing a doctor. Do I have any kind of case with OSHA? Or can I tell the corporate woman about what happened and potentially keep the same job at a different location?

Also, they did not initially drug test me during my first examination. It has now been two weeks since the injury. Do they have a right to test me at the follow-up, and do the results have any kind of validity after such a wide window?

I have thought of contacting a lawyer, but I can't really afford one.

Answer:
 First of all, have you seen a doctor and gotten xrays?

You need to file a workers comp report if you have not done so already.  You can do this without your employer's help. If  you do not you will not receive any workers comp insurance assistance for medical bills or lost wages.

http://www.tn.gov/labor-wfd/wcomp/employees.shtml

You should not have quit your job. That was not the appropriate response given the situation. I would tell your employer now that you expect to return to work when able. If they won't let you once you are medically cleared to go back to work, file for unemployment. If it is challanged you can claim you "quit" in a moment of frustration, didn't really mean to quit, asked for your job back, and was told you could not come back to work once your hand healed.


Title: Boston: (M20) Had sex with a girl (F19), she's distraught, I tried to talk her down, she revealed she had problems much larger than what I could have possibly given her, and now I'm worried about what to do next.

Question:
So, this happened in the US on a university campus. Heads up, I'm broke, and don't have legal representation so this will be fun if it gets to it. Anyways;

Lonely guy, meets girl on tinder. Girl seems amicable to advances, and guy happily invites her over, she agrees, she comes over, have a few drinks each, and bang. Guy bangs her without a condom (yes, stupid, duh). She says shes on birth control (b.c.), and the guy only half believes her. Then she asks "But don't you trust me? How can you fuck me and not trust me?". I insist on seeing evidence of her on b.c. in the form of her packet, and it blows up with her getting angry, and saying shes on it but that she doesn't have it with her. We get dressed, and I lead her out of my dorm, past a security guard (circa 3AM). Proceed to walk 1 block down while trying to console her about not trusting her, and she continues to try to manipulate me.
"Everyone doesn't get me. Except for you"
"Why don't you trust me?"
"I don't understand, I never lie, why don't you believe me?". Then within 5 minutes of leaving my dorm's premises, she reveals she had dumped her boyfriend two weeks prior and she continued by saying that she didn't have any friends in boston, and that nothing matters, and on and on. She continues on with this, and I realize that based off of her reaction, she might be in need of professional help. Stupidly, I try to talk her down, and tell her she needs to talk to someone, and suggest calling the police. She gets more upset. She continues to try to manipulate me into believing her and questioning why I am trying to walk her home with "why can't we go back to your place?" or "I don't want to cry in my room with my roommate again". This was at 4 am on a college street with dorms everywhere, and she was yelling the whole time.

I should have left earlier, but I didn't (stupid). I let her leave after she didn't want to get help anymore, and as soon as she was out of sight, I went into the nearest school dorm, and called the campus police non-emergency line. Told them the same thing as here, but I left out the drinking part.

I'm freaking out here. Should I call the police and mention the alcohol? Should I lay low? Should I talk to someone other than the police? I'm scared because I've stuck my dick in crazy, and now I have no idea what I am doing.

Answer:
 Your entire situation is exactly why people get to know each other before starting a sexual relationship. If you choose not to do that, you can expect a myriad of legal issues in your future.

And go get STD tested.  Who raw dogs a stranger on the first date?  That's just gross.


Title: Signed a lease for a condo and now landlord is saying they made a mistake in not adding a utility and wants to change the terms. Am I responsible?

Question:
Hello all. I wanted to see if I could get some insight to my situation as I am not well versed in law whatsoever.

Last month my sister, brother and I went searching for a new place to rent since our current lease ends at the end of February. We visited an apartment complex and found they had one 3 bedroom condo available that worked perfectly for us. It was the only 3 bedroom condo in this complex, the rest of the units are 1-2 bedroom apartments. We got a tour of the condo and agreed it was the best fit for us so we went forward with the application process. We went through all the proper motions: paid the application fees, filled out the application, got approved for the condo, paid the fee required to secure the space. A lease was sent to me via email and their website, all three of us looked it over thoroughly. In the lease, it ~~clearly~~ stated that us tenants ARE NOT responsible to pay for gas. **(EDIT: The lease states "The tenant will furnish and pay for the following utilities:" then it lists the utilities. The ones we are responsible for (electric, cable, phone) have check marks next to it indicating that is what we are responsible for. Gas, sewer, water, trash are listed but have NO check marks next to it.)** This was a selling point to us as the less utilities we had to pay the better. Everything matched up to our expectations, so all three of us signed the lease. All was good...or so we thought.

As our move in date approaches (Feb 25th), we have been making the transfers of our renter's insurance, electric bills, and gas bills to the new location. This week my sister was taking the steps to transfer our gas bill into our new place's name since it was ~~included in our rent~~ not checked off under utilities we were responsible for, as per the lease. When she called in and asked how they would like it set up, the property manager (PM) informed her that we were responsible for the gas bill. PM stated that she hadn't realized it until this phone call, but she made a mistake in our lease and the condo did NOT include gas, only their apartments included gas. My sister stated that we signed a lease that stated we were not responsible so we were not paying. The PM responded that she didn't know what she could do for us since the condo had never included gas and we needed to pay it. The PM would not budge and my sister got frustrated and said she needed to talk to us to see what to do.

My sister informs us of the situation and we were all livid. What was the point of signing a lease if they were going to make changes to it after signing? My brother called back and didn't back down. He said we would not pay, we signed a lease that stated we do not have to pay gas and we are not legally obligated to agree to a different term. It is not our fault that they made a mistake. It is irrelevant that the condo has always had the tenants pay the gas. Our lease stated otherwise and that is what we were honoring. PM responds she will think about it and let us know what her decision is the next day, which is today.

My question is, is there a legal loophole for them to make us pay this? Or is there a way they are allowed to deny us access to move in if we do not agree to pay the gas? We are set to move in Feb 25th (which PM is aware of, we have a move in document that we signed that states this and what money is needed at move in date), but their office is by appointment only on Saturdays and a move in time has not been mentioned due to this conflict. What should we do if they do not give us keys to move in? What do we do if they do not honor the lease we signed? Are there any loopholes they can use to get us to pay the gas? Any and all insight is appreciated. We live in Michigan.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Do you have a copy of the lease they (and you!) signed stating the apartment complex covers gas?Answer #2: > it clearly stated that us tenants ARE NOT responsible to pay for gas

This is different than saying that the landlord shall pay for the gas. What is the exact wording?

>It is irrelevant that the condo has always had the tenants pay the gas.

Not necessarily.


Title: Can a restaurant legally trash outside food or drink without your permission?

Question:
I was recently at a coffee house I bought a coffee sat down to chat with a friend and took out some crackers and cheese I had just bought from the nearby grocery store, after my friend left I went to the bathroom leaving my food at the table along with a few other odds and ends. When I came back my food was gone; I went to the front counter and asked if they had seen if anyone took my food, they said that they had took it and that outside food and drink wasn't allowed, I asked for them to return my stuff and then I would leave, however, they told me that they tossed it out, when I was leaving the manger snarled at me that this wasn't a picnic spot.

I live in New Mexico, was what they did legal?

Answer:
 You brought outside food into a coffee shop? Are their restaurants in the world where you can bring in food from another place? This seems like a special kind of stupid.Answer #2: You abandoned your food at a table then it was thrown out. They can ban outside food in a restaurant or coffee bar. Answer #3: You are typically not allowed to bring outside food to other food establishments. You have no recourse. Answer #4: In principle, no, that was theft, and you could go to the police or sue for the value of some cheese and crackers. The appropriate thing for the coffee shop to do would have been to kick you out, not to throw out your things.

However, it's the pettiest possible theft claim, and nothing further will come of it. The police have literally anything better to do, and going to small claims will cost easily an order of magnitude more _just in filing fees_ than buying another piece of cheese and another box of crackers would.

It's somewhat possible the store has a defence in that they believed you had abandoned your food there and threw it out as part of their blanket policy of throwing out leftover food when bussing tables, too.


Title: If someone jumped out at you to scare you, and you punched them in response, who would be in the wrong legally?

Question:
[Example](https://youtu.be/ghrzxvRxCIo)

Could either of them press charges that’d hold up in court?

Answer:
 So much of the law comes down to feeling threatened, and what a reasonable person would do.

I'd have a hard time believing that the puncher would get into any trouble here.


Title: Should I take my landlord to court over mold?

Question: We signed a 1 year lease on what we thought was a beautiful 2 bedroom apartment last July. Turns out the apartment we received is different, everyone is shown this pristine "show apartment". Water has been forming on the windowsills turning to rot. Landlord simply had repair put plastic over the windows which turned to mold. We both have been ill since about a month after moving in, including lack of sleep, constant asthma related symptoms, etc. We started packing 3 weeks ago and found a growth of mold in the closet. The landlord literally blamed us for it. There is a ledge in the closet we lifted up and found black mold growing under the wall in the closet which goes into both bedrooms. The landlord is giving us the option of breaking our lease, or "fixing the mold" which is basically painting over it. However the mold goes clear into the foundation which would not be fixed by paint. I am thinking of taking the LL to small claims for $2,000 for our deposit and damage to our health. Besides that, a family moved in 3 months ago that has kids that ball their eyes out all day long, and despite making complaints, we can't get a good nights sleep anymore. I am in Iowa.

Answer: You are all over the place here.  You have no cause of action against your landlord because some other tenant's kids cry and you can't sleep.  You can't sue your landlord to recover your security deposit, unless after you leave the landlord keeps your security deposit  for an unjust reason.  You can't sue your landlord regarding your illness, because it will be impossible for you to prove that anything your landlord did or didn't do caused your illness.  If you rented an apartment that you didn't actually see, then that's your fault.  If your landlord is going to let you out of your lease, then that's likely the best you can do.


Title: Question regarding a bookie that won't pay up

Question: So I got involved with a sports bookie through a friend, and he owes me $1500 and is now dodging me by blocking my phone number and Venmo. I know through my friend that he has a past criminal record with drugs and has a parole officer. Given that this sports book was being run (I'm pretty sure?) illegally, is there any way I could threaten to report that to his parole officer? Would I get in trouble myself for having participated in this sports book? Are there any other feasible ways to get him to pay up? Thank you

Answer:
 This has to be a trollAnswer #2: Just to be clear, you were participating in an illegal activity with someone with a known criminal record, they're refusing to pay the debt they owe you from said illegal activity, and now you want to extort them in order to receive the funds from the aforementioned criminal activity?

If so, there's no super secret legal loophole that will provide you any legal remedy for this situation.  You can't triple-stamp something that's double-stamped illegal to make it suddenly legal.


Title: Drugged at a strip club by the staff and lost $30K

Question:
First things first, this happened in Poland and I have no knowledge of their legal system.

I don’t know much of the details since I have just recently been made aware of this, but as far as I know, a small group of people went to a strip club for a special celebration, and the victim was the one paying for all their drinks.

The employees where drugging at least the victim, and making use of their credit card. They could see their pin whenever they paid, and apparently, the employees would enter the pin-code for them and took their hand to swipe the card on the scanner.

The following days, the victim sees that they have been charged with $30k for that one night, but they do not remember much more than the first couple of drinks.

The victim had inherited most of that money and had not planned to spend even close to that amount. Furthermore, he is paying off a pre-purchased apartment, but because of this incident, he had to take a loan in the bank to meet the required amount every other month. They do not have a good enough financial situation to make up the lost income.

 My question is now, does the victim have any case against the club?

I have been told that this is not the first time that a person has lost a lot of money due to drugging at that club.
Topic:
Alcohol Related Other than DUI

Answer:
 What evidence exists that the person was drugged?

What evidence exists that it was the staff that did it?

What evidence exists of who used the credit card?


Title: Philadelphia, PA - Towing company tried to take my car from a questionable spot and broke it

Question: They picked up and dropped the vehicle, and left it sitting half way into the street. Vehicle is undrivable. I filed a police report, and the towing company eventually returned to the scene and admitted fault. What is the appropriate way to handle this, I have already reported to my insurance, I tried to contact them for their insurance today and they have refused to give it to me.

Answer: Let your insurance take care of this. That is what you pay them for.


Title: Need advice on a speeding ticket (31mph over limit) should I hire traffic attorney?

Question:
Hey guys so I'm super new to speeding tickets and I'm not sure how it really works.

This is my 4th ticket but first speeding ticket. (first was for ignoring stop sign, second was for illegal use of special left turn lane, third was for rolling stop) the first two were from over 5 years ago and I did a course for the first one.

But this one I was going 86 in a 55 on I-290 in Illinois.

I was in the left lane (3 lane highway) and the state police was on the left shoulder and he tailed me once I passed him and put his lights on so I pulled to the left shoulder and then he told me to pull to the right shoulder saying he would close the highway.

As he put his sirens on while I crossed over a truck hit another car and once I pulled to the right shoulder he sounded frustrated and accused me of causing the accident then went to deal with both of them and then finally came to me and gave me the speeding ticket but didn't write anything about the accident or anything saying I was responsible for it.

However it does say court appearance required. It's $150. I heard this is might be a misdemeanor since it's over 25. I'm considering hiring a traffic court attorney to handle my case to lower so it's not a criminal offense at least. What do you think I should do reddit?

Also about how much should I expect in lawyer fees? I don't wanna get ripped off since I've never hired a lawyer before.

Thank you so much!

Answer: Yes, you're likely to lose your license and have a criminal record without.Answer #2: You need a lawyer for this charge. Shop around until you find a traffic lawyer you can afford. Answer #3: I‘m not sure is there DUI missing or are you just terrible driver/person ? This could influence things.


Title: [USA, CA] - Potential employer is asking to see my pay-stub from old company, is this legal?

Question:
USA- California

Hello, I just recently had a job interview and everything was going great, except now the company wants to see my old pay stub from my previous work place.  Now we haven't negotiated my salary yet and this company is already requiring me to show them my old pay stub, even though I told them twice this is confidential information, and I already provided proof that I indeed worked at my old company .  Anyways, this company say they are authorized to view my pay stub and will not proceed with the interview if I don't provide them any information.  Is this legal ?

Answer: Legal for them to ask, yes.  Usually a good sign to pass on a potential employer who does though.


Title: Deposed for previous employer

Question:
I was previously an HR manager for a company that is now being sued for how it handled a certain situation. I am no longer employed by them, but have done some contracting work for them since I’ve been gone.

I have been in talks with their attorneys in preparation for being subpoenaed by the plaintiffs legal team.

This has taken up a considerable amount of my time and will continue to for the next month or so. While this is going on, am I able to bill my previous company for my hours worked on this? Would it be at the rate I’ve done all contracting for?

Answer: You an ask, it'd not unreasonable. A subpoena forces you to testify, but you are not obligated to meet with their lawyer to prep beforehand.


Title: I'm concerned I could be charged for breaking obscenity laws

Question: When I was eighteen or nineteen, I had some conversations with a 14 year old that leaned toward sexual. We were NOT hitting on each other, not sexting, not sending nudes. Our relationship was platonic, we merely got into a bit of clinical conversations, such as how to masturbate, and they were mentally ill, had multiple personality disorder, and I discussed a kink of mine (not in detail, and not with the intention of sleeping with them) with two of their personalities that were legal age. Could I be charged with obscenity or violating consent laws? (All convos were online, we were not in the same state, and I am unsure if they still possess these skype logs, but I ended our friendship eventually and they hated me for it, I am also mentally ill and in counseling and may be officially diagnosed as autistic). I also MAY have linked them to some literature that had sex, not about sex, not porn, but possibly had written sex, I am entirely unsure if I did this, or not, it was some time ago. If I did I likely warned them how to SKIP the sex scene as I did not want them viewing such things. I live in NC, USA, and is there any kind of statue of limitations for this?

Answer:
 first of all, the ACTUAL legal age of this person (14), not the alleged age of "other personalities" is the important thing here.

given that this happened several years ago, I doubt you are actively at risk for arrest. you can always talk with a lawyer.

however, this should be a lesson to not talk about sex with people who aren't 18. if someone under 18 asks you about sex, refer them to http://www.scarleteen.com/ or something.


Title: Ontario: m(16) Parents kicked me out of the house and took all of the money out of my bank account

Question:
My parents kicked me out on the spot today after some stuff happened at school. When we argue, it normally ends in me getting kicked out. But this time I am kicked out for good.

The money in my bank account is the money that I earned from work and birthday all put into one account. They withdrew well into the thousands of all money that belonged to me and only left $50 in the account. Is this even legal? I know because I am 16 that they don't legally have to give me food and shelter (according to a police officer that they once spoke to), but regarding the money that they withdrew, what can I do?

Answer: Speak with a trusted adult, like a school counselor, about the situation and aid. Keep in mind that the "cop your parents spoke to" may not be real, and even if they are, never take legal advice from the other party.


Title: Friend is getting evicted.

Question:
CA.

My friend roughed out a rent-to-own plan for a home in San Diego via email with a landlord/part-owner of the property.

Something like $2500 month, $1000 goes towards equity. Firend will improve the property and will pay the current market value (400k) plus half of any increase in appraised value when the purchase is finalized.

My friend had recently started a new company and wouldn't qualify for a loan for about 1 1/2 years.

Landlord says "O.K. I'll run it by my investors and get back to you. For now just move in and start paying $2000/mo.

One year goes by, and my friend has put in about 10k in improvements, paid on time and in full. Then the landlord reaches out and says "Investors want $600k now, or you're out at the end of June"

Nothing was signed, no lease, just emails.

Is my friend a tenant this point? An owner?

Has he been making rent payments, or house payments?

Have both parties entered into a contract effectively?

In what grounds can they kick him out?

What are his options?

Answer:
 By far not an expert, but your friend may be in for a harsh lesson in why you should sign contracts and have real estate lawyers involved when talking about acquiring half a million dollars in property.

Considering what is now at stake, it's probably *well worth* his time to go find a lawyer for consultation.  That's the only possible advice for him.


Title: [USA, FL] Dealership could not finance returning car

Question: I have purchased a car (Roughly 10k after fees and tag + tax) with a $1,000 down payment. After having the car for less than two weeks my dealership is telling me the financing is not working out and I have to refinance. I'm already at a stupidly high APR (~23%) as I am new to credit. I would like to return my car and get this over with. What should I do?

Answer: This is called 'spot financing' or 'yo-yo financing.' What does the dealership say you can do?


Title: Is it illegal if I show a minor a tattoo on my upper arm?

Answer: Why would that be illegal? Where do you live?


Title: Girlfriend's older brother forced her to sit down and watch certain videos which are against her religious beliefs. Is this domestic abuse?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 >what happens if I report this to police or CPS.

 They'll think you're just mad that your girlfriend won't  have sex w/you unless you get tested and wear a condom. Answer #2: Define forcing her. If she *literally* could not leave the room under fear of physical harm, if he threatened to harm her, or if he did harm her, she should call the police. Answer #3: How did he force her? What were the videos exactly?Answer #4: What was the content of the videos?


Title: Got shot, marrying soon but going to USA for asylum

Question:
I got shot on December 20, I've got the paperwork(police report and such) ready and translated by a certified translator, my soon to be wife and myself got tourist visa, we are planning on leaving thiS country on behalf of security (I am confined to my house, I cannot leave, because of the homicidal attempt on my life),
We live in [Honduras], And we are leaving together to The US because we're terrified here, should we seek asylum once in my relative's home or at the airport upon arrival?
, Thanks in advance

PS
We are going to get married in a private wedding at my house, and I Will Also certify the marriage certificate

Answer:
 You're going to need very good immigration representation for this. Coming to the US on a tourist visa with intent to claim asylum as a refugee is not unknown and it's serious business. They would give you the best suggestions and ideas on how to approach this.

If that is utterly impossible, try to get in touch online with any asylum assistance group. There are many of them in the US.


Title: Attorney called my daughter after dropping off paperwork threatening to hold her in contempt of court

Question:
This isn't specifically me, but I hope to get some advice for helping out my daughter. She has a custody dispute with the father of her child. There was never an order enforcing any parenting time. The order states only that she has full physical custody. This attorney showed up at her residence today with a signed motion in hand from the Circuit Court. Later, the father texted to have the child dropped off. She declined, letting him know that she was contacting legal counsel and would be appealing the motion. The attorney for the father called a little bit later, and was screaming at her on the phone, demanding she turn over her son to him. She was notably upset, and I got the phone from her. He then told me I better make sure her son gets to the father otherwise he would hold her in contempt of court. I know that these things always come off one sided. She had been working with the father to arrange visitation, but when he became angry and threatening, she decided not to let him take their child. This is a man who has several felonies for armed robbery, assault, and larceny. He has lashed out in physical violence against her in the past. She is a bit naive, and keeps trying to make sure her son has a relationship with the father.

So here is are my questions:

1. Can a signed motion to the court be enforced before there is an opportunity to file an appeal? (We feel strongly about this for the implied safety of the child)

2. Can an attorney contact another party, and aggressively make threats only a few hours after delivering the paperwork that we had no idea ever existed before? (I fell like there is an ethical issue here)

3. What is the best way for her to get help? She has little in the way of financial resources, and she is on medical leave from her work due to her pregnancy with another child.

EDIT: Michigan

Answer:
 > Can a signed motion to the court be enforced before there is an opportunity to file an appeal?

The filing of a motion does not mean that the motion will be heard or that the person who filed it won.

It sounds like what you have is a court **order** - that is, that the court has agreed with his motion and ordered the child to be turned over.  If that's what you have, then yes, you follow it.  They're court orders, not court requests.

> Can an attorney contact another party,

Yes.

> What is the best way for her to get help?

She hires an attorney and defends the motion, or files more motions.  Answer #2: Yeah this sounds like a RULING.  Did she perhaps not respond to his request for custody?

She needs a lawyer, yesterday.  Answer #3: > Can a signed motion to the court be enforced before there is an opportunity to file an appeal?

Depends on the wording of the motion. So yes, the motion should tell you if a hearing is scheduled and if the order is in affect now or is subject to enforcement after the hearing.

> Can an attorney contact another party, and aggressively make threats only a few hours after delivering the paperwork that we had no idea ever existed before?

Yes as long as party doesn't have an attorney. If they have an attorney no. The aggression is more of a professionalism issue not ethics.

> What is the best way for her to get help? She has little in the way of financial resources, and she is on medical leave from her work due to her pregnancy with another child.

Get an attorney. Lawhelp.org look up local LSC.


Title: Arkansas, found 10 ft boat while kayaking

Question: Down some creek. There’s no reason for a boat to be where I was. I mean there were points where I had to step off the kayak and move it by hand to get across some patches. The boat was halfway in the water, I managed to drag it out of the fallen trees it was stuck in, half way under water. I dumped the water and it floats great. I did however see stencils on the side, so it’s registered? It looks like it’s been there for years. Especially the channel I was in. I highly doubt anyone has traveled it in years. Theres no boat ramp. It’s literally a creek, river sized creek. Deepest parts may be 15 feet at the most, 15 f-20 feet wide.  Majority of the time maybe 4-5 ft   Anyway. Can I salvage this boat? No motor? 10 ft. Aluminum boat? Or do I have to take some steps?

Answer: There has recently been historic levels of flooding in parts of Arkansas. It may be possible that the flooding deposited the boat where you found it, depending on the location.


Title: Can my software include a feature that allows users to import data from a competitor's software?

Question:
I'm based in Michigan. I am currently working on some software (to be available worldwide as a website) which performs a function that only one other piece of software (that I know of) in the world will do right now.

I want to know if it is acceptable to add a functionality to my site such that users may grab all of their data from the competitor's website and import it into mine to make it easier for new users to switch over to my product.

Thanks.

Answer: Assuming their process is not patented (unlikely), it's just fine to write software that can process your competitor's data format. The website's terms of service may forbid scraping the information in this way, however--be sure that it's your users doing the information retrieval and not you, so that you avoid this problem.


Title: I got arrested for marijuana DUI, was urine tested but no blood test, no police video and arresting officer has since been fired. What are my chances of winning my case?

Question:
In June of this year I was pulled over for running a stop sign as I pulled into a gas station. The police officer pulled in behind me with his lights on as I was getting out of my vehicle. He asked me if I had seen the sign and I admitted to running the stop sign.  He then walked to my open door and shined his flashlight in to see my passenger and he spotted a gram of marijuana in my seat.  He asked whose it was and neither of us claimed ownership. He then asked me to do a sobriety test which he said I failed (lost balance during line walk and eyes not following his flashlight properly) and arrested me for DUI (I was completely sober btw). He then took me to the county jail where he gave me a urinalysis and put me in the drunk tank.

The big factors in this situation are
#1. Since the time of this arrest the arresting officer has been terminated for an unrelated incident. Therefore he will not be able to testify against me.
#2. He was the only officer on scene.
#3. There is no video footage of the sobriety test.
#4. There is a urine test but no blood test.
#5. I will fail the test for THC, AND probably benzo's and opiates.
#6. The prosecuting attorney told me that a law was passed earlier this year in Kentucky that a blood test was needed to prove timing of a drug DUI.
#7. My passenger is claiming ownership of the marijuana.

I've talked to one lawyer already and he said that I have a lot of "wiggle room" in the case and am meeting with another on Wednesday. So what do you guys think?

Answer:
 > Since the time of this arrest the arresting officer has been terminated for an unrelated incident. Therefore he will not be able to testify against me.

This part, at least, is not accurate.  His status as an officer is not relevant to his status to testify against you.  They can, and probably will, bring him in to testify.

>The prosecuting attorney told me that a law was passed earlier this year in Kentucky that a blood test was needed to prove timing of a drug DUI

If this is true, then the prosecutor should've dropped the case, as a necessary element is missing.  Since he didn't, it's probable that you misunderstood his statement on the matter, and a blood test is not required, but more a good idea.

Your issue here boils down to 'reasonable doubt'.  Depending on what the officer noted, and can testify to, you may have some wiggle room.  However, the strikes against you are numerous:

1.  Clear violation of obvious traffic law.

2.  Failure of sobriety test

3.  In possession of marijuana

4.  Failure of urine test

Your story will then be that you took marijuana, benzo, and opiates at some unspecified time in the past, and you had marijuana in the car *that night*, but that you failed the sobriety test and ran the stop sign for some other, random reason.

You may have wiggle room, here, but it's definetly not a home run.