Title: [CA] My dad took his own life, but I believe the Police misled us, and could have prevented it.

Question:
This is difficult for me to write. But right now I'm dealing with many different layers and levels of grief, and I can't get this idea out of my head. I know that after someone you're close to takes their life, you constantly ask yourself 'If I had only done this...' or 'If I hadn't have said that...'. But I do want to know what sort of actions I can take to prevent this sort of thing in the future.

My Dad, who has suffered from depression for the last few decades, unfortunately lost that battle last month. My family and I are all slowly accepting and recovering together, and remembering him as who he was, and letting those happy memories stay wit us.

A quick overview of the day: He left the house by foot without telling my mom -- this immediately set alarm bells ringing (she noted that he was having a 'difficult morning'), and she called 911. The police took the event seriously, and started searching for him. My dad's therapist was called and gave the police everything she knew. Something important to note -- both my mom and his therapist told the police that he mentioned he would kill himself by going to the train station. When my mom brought it up for the 2nd time to the police, the officer said "Don't worry, those [trains] have been stopped a while ago". This put my mother, myself, and our family at ease.

Two hours later, they had a call from the train station, that they had found my dad. Words cannot describe the horror, shock, and grief that we went through.

It has now come to light, that the police were slowing down and searching stations for *one* of my town's train stations -- my town has *two* train stations. The other station in my town had *no* police. That is where my father went.

I'm not looking for someone to blame. It wasn't my dad who took his life -- it was the illness in his brain, the depression, which did it. However, I do feel as though this was mishandled. What are your thoughts?

Lastly -- if anyone who reads this is suffering from depression, or is feeling suicidal -- suicide is not the solution -- there are people out there who will help you.

Answer: I'm sorry for your loss.  You can complain to the city council and police department but there is no cause of action to sue anyone


Title: California, if I died could I leave my half of custody (for my child) to my husband?

Question:
Curious, if I had a living will would I be able to leave my half/part of custody over my child to my husband?

Her step dad. While her bio dad is still alive? She sees him every other weekend, without overnights.

I'm afraid of dying and having her whole world turned upside down and along with my husband not being apart of her life anymore and a change of everything. (Visitation area isn't bio's living area it's at a family members place) it would be a new everything for her and I wouldn't want that if I died.

Answer:
 No. Custody would fully go to the biological father, unless there was a strong reason not to (abusive, incarcerated).

If you want your husband to get custody he needs to do a stepparent adoption and the bio father needs to give consent.


Title: Aileen Schultz from Global Legal Hackathon is here, AMA!

Question:
We are joined by **Aileen Schultz (** u/Schultz321**)**, the co-founder and global organizer for Global Legal Hackathon, and the Director of Network Intelligence of Integra Ledger, a permissioned blockchain for the global legal industry.  Aileen is a Toronto based award winning business strategist with a  global footprint, and a passion for creating better systems for  exponential growth. She has a background in research, marketing, and  digital strategy, having worked with SME's across several sectors;  including, ecommerce, social networks, non-profit, gaming, health and  wellness, high tech, and a specialized focus in working with companies  and organizations across the legal sector.

The [Global Legal Hackathon](https://globallegalhackathon.com/home/) engages law schools, law firms and in-house departments, legal technology companies, governments, and service  providers to the legal industry – across the globe. It brings together the best thinkers, doers and practitioners in law in support of a unified vision: rapid development of solutions to improve the legal  industry, world-wide.

Teams develop solutions that fit into either of two streams: private benefit, or public benefit. [Winners of the 2018 Hackathon ](https://globallegalhackathon.com/#winners)included:

* revealu, which allows users to request GDPR data
* LexLucid, Providing unbiased attorney ratings for online contracts, helping  consumers make educated decisions about the products and services they  use, while motivating businesses to make fairer and simpler contracts.
* RightsNOW, providing trustworthy, consistent, and conversational access to legal information via voice.

Aileen will start answering around 2 PM EDT.

If you would like to contribute to the hackathon, [you can do so here](https://globallegalhackathon.com/contribute/).

Answer: What do you look for when interviewing and hiring new lawyers?Answer #2: Hey there everyone, feel free to shoot me questions about the global hackathon, legal industry transformation, or global legal innovation. Am here and ready to rumble :)


Title: [CA] Just received a subpoena to witness in a dui case in which I was the passenger.

Question:
Just received a subpoena to witness in a dui case for my close friend. I was a passenger in the car at the time of the incident and I really have no idea what to expect or anything... What sort of things will I be asked? What things should I say or not say? Etc...

Edit: the very last thing I want to do is say anything that could fuck things up for my friend further than it already is.. Of course I'm not saying I would lie or anything just never been in a position like this and would hate to be angled into saying something incriminating further.. Maybe this is unrealistic

Answer: Call whoever issued the subpoena -- it should say if it was issued by the state or the defense.  No matter what, just answer the questions asked truthfully and succinctly.  Don't try to guess what the asking attorney is wanting you to say.


Title: WV. My mom, who lives in WV is constantly harassed by her next door neighbor for money and frequently has her electricity stolen.

Question:
My mom, bless her, suffers from depression and is adverse to confrontation.  She is currently in the hospital being treated for atrial fibrillation and her next door neighbor has ran several extension cords from my mom's house to her house.

When I found out about it, I called the police, which then went to my mom's house, saw the extension cords and confronted the neighbor... Who then said my mom gave her permission to run the extension cords.

The neighbor called my mom, yelled at her while the police were there and my mom, who is adverse to confrontation, said this, "I gave them permission to use extension cords for fans but not while I am in the hospital".

I currently live in NYC, so I am wondering what options I have here to get justice for my mother?  She's constantly harassed by these people asking for money to help pay for the water and electric bills (which are currently turned off).  Do I need to hire a lawyer?  Get a restraining order?  Is there anything I can do on behalf of my mom or is she the one that has press charges?

Answer:
 She's going to need to learn to say "no." Before she seeks legal remedies, the first step is going to be to inform her neighbour, in writing, that

* they are no longer to enter her property for any reason,
* they are no longer allowed to use her power, and
* they are not to contact her regarding their bills.

To make sure it sticks, turning off the breakers controlling outside outlets is also a good idea. A security system or at least some trail cameras watching the place might not go amiss, either.

However, if the neighbours continue to harass her after that, she should call the police herself and explain that her neighbours are trespassing and trying to use her utilities without her permission. She needs to be firm on this, with the cops, and not buckle under pressure from her neighbours: it's their dispute, and they're in the wrong, but she's going to need to put her foot down. The police will generally advise them to stay off her property, the first time, but if it keeps happening they may escalate to a trespassing citation or criminal charges, and the reports will back her up if she seeks a restraining order.

If she doesn't feel able to assert herself, then you can help her by helping her get into counselling for whatever issues make it hard for her to stand firm on this. That may be anxiety, depression, or just plain not knowing how to proceed; professional counsellors see this pretty regularly, and can help. You can also help her by telling her you have her back, and being willing to stand beside her if she needs you to.


Title: WI, USA - Do both parties really need lawyers to have a Prenup hold up?

Question:
I have drafted a pretty straightforward and short prenup by using a template (we do not need anything complicated. Just his retirement accounts are his, hers are hers. )My fiancée and I are both fine with the language and we have fully presented each other our net worth and what we have with documents, statements, etc.

Do we still need to hire independent legal advice or would signing the prenup at notary be enough to make it valid if needed in the future?

Thanks in advance!
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: You should hire independent counsel, yes.  The reason for independent counsel is to prove that neither spouse was bullied or forced by the other, and an agreement you drew up would have tha tproblem.


Title: [US] Porn website where users can upload videos hosts child porn and refuses to remove

Question: For starters, it's a gay porn site. No idea how that could be relevant, but here goes. I found this site as a teen. It's similar to PornHub, but more geared towards gay twink porn. Every once in a while, some users upload questionable material. Sometimes, it's not even questionable, it's pretty infamous videos of children, like Justin Berry. I've reported these videos several times, and they never get removed. I finally brought it up, in semi-public (The website also has a community forum), and it seems like a lot of users are in on it and refuse to want to do anything about it. My question is, if I report this content to someone like the FBI, could I be held responsible for anything?

Answer:
 >could I be held responsible for anything?

Held responsible by whom? I assume that you are not uploading, downloading or spreading child porn yourself, just having an account on a website where other people are committing crimes does not make you guilty of their crimes.

Yes you should report the site to NCMEC and the FBI's IC3 to get this filth off the Internet and the perpetrators arrested.


Title: I need some help.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 We can't tell you whether or not you *should* take action.

We can only tell you if you *can* take action.

Which we actually can't do, because you failed to tell us where you are despite numerous prompts for your location.

50 states, 50 different state laws, 50 different time limits for prosecution.


Title: I am from the UK planning to visit my boyfriend from the USA. We want to share a hotel together but over there I am a minor.

Question:
I don't know if this is the right subreddit so let me know if there is a better place to post. Please no hateful comments.

Me and my boyfriend have been talking for over a year and facetime everyday.  I'm 17 and he's 22, he has been trying to get a passport but they have asked for more proof of id 5+ years old and he hasn't found enough yet.

For this reason, I am planning to go to USA to see him since I don't feel I can wait any longer. We both really feel like its time to meet, but we would rather be safe as here in the UK the age gap/relationship is legal but where he's from it isn't. I don't know much about relationship rules in America, is there a way we can get past this (without doing anything illegal)? For example, would it be legal if we were to share a room in a state which has a lower age of consent?

Again please no hateful comments or anything unrelated. This is a difficult situation and I don't want to risk anything if there isn't a solution to this or a way around.

Answer: Sounds like he's lying. Why can't he get a passport? Ask him details and prices and what papers he needs. It's quite simple actually, the hardest part is waiting. With that being said, I wouldn't even TRY to come to US until you're 18. Some states have age of consent at 16 but you still need to be within a certain age range to be able to legally fornicate. Most states I believe have a 3 year grave period. Aka if your 16 then your bf can be 19 but not a day older. I'd check the laws of the state he lives in but pretty sure you're SOL


Title: Wife (separated) is 8 months pregnant and will not communicate about anything including pre natal updates, where she plans to deliver etc. How bad will this look on her in the future custody case? (VA)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Three children from different fathers is irrelevant.

Refusing to share prenatal info isn't great on her part, but standing alone isn't going to be enough to win custody for the dad.


Title: Doctor's office failed to properly coordinate insurance

Question:
Hi, I have a friend who has been going through IVF treatments.  The insurance surrounding IVF is complicated, but basically there is a lifetime maximum on the benefit.  As they were going through the process, the clinic advised them that they would coordinate all of the insurance.  Because of mistakes on the part of the clinic -- namely, clerical errors and poor record keeping -- they did not calculate benefits paid out for previous treatments.  The clinic represented that they had communicated with the insurer and that there was remaining benefit (note: it is unclear at this point whether the clinic actually communicated with the insurer, or if they just communicated inaccurate information to the insurer).

As a result, the clinic pursued Treatment A instead of Treatment B.  Had they chosen Treatment B, insurance would have covered the cost; however, they had maxed out their benefit for Treatment A.

Bottom line: my friend and her husband were presented with a bill for about $7500.  Attempts to resolve the issue directly and amicably with the clinic have not been successful.

Question: Is there any legal recourse available to them?  Specifically, I'm wondering if they sued for $5000 in Small Claims Court ($5k is the statutory maximum in Virginia), would they have a leg to stand on?
Topic:
Insurance

Answer: They would have signed something as a new patient agreeing they are responsible for the costs of any treatment not covered by their insurance. With something as expensive as IVF they really should have been tracking their own benefits/limits concurrently. Hopefully the treatment is successful.


Title: [UK] Went to a paid apartment after a night out. Owner wants us to pay a lot of money or threatening contacting police

Question:
Basically after a night out we went back to an aprtment that was paid in full in cash (£169 including £50 deposit). Morning After the place was in a mess, there were clothes everywhere and vomit in various places, we expected a fine.

She messaged me a list of 'damages' to various items which need to be replaced/repaired

Overall she totaled it at £2275 and says we need to pay very soon or she will contaxt ppolice saying 'criminal damage is an arrestable offence'. She bumped it up to £2500 a few hours later (there now)

what is the smartest approach to this? Should we pay the overpriced amount? What will likely be the consequences if we dont?

If its any consellation she doesnt have any information apart from a phone number and first namw and CCTV footage of us.

Thanks

Answer:
 I'd ask her for a list of the damages, but you should be aware that "vomit in various places" can cause a lot of damage. Rugs are expensive, as are couches. The smell will take a while to get out. You are responsible for the damages you caused.

Source: I did $1000 in damage all by my lonesome one time when I drank too much and then ate bad food.


Title: Vegetarian finds meat in food

Question:
As the title suggests, I have been a vegetarian since 2013. Everytime I go out to eat I ask if there is any meat in what I am ordering. If there is I usually ask them to exclude it. Sometimes they do sometimes they dont. When they dont I bring it to their attention and just let them know I dont want it sent back and just take it to go for my dog (she eats better than i do lol). I dont send it back because I am scared from the movie waiting. I dont leave because just because i am not enjoying my food doesn't mean my friends cant enjoy there food. If I can avoid the place i dont go back. Today i order a breakfast burrito (rice, eggs, bean and cheese with veggies) and half way through my burrito I found a piece of "carnitas" staring at me. I opened the burrito and found more pieces of meat in it. Can I sue for this type of negligence and if yes what would inmeed to have a good case? Would I need photos?

Thanks for reading and sorry but I'm on my phone.

Answer:
 > Can I sue for this type of negligence and if yes what would inmeed to have a good case?

Not successfully, no.


Title: I ran over a pedestrian on my motorcycle a year ago [Texas]. He was at fault. Can I still sue for hospital bills?

Question:
Last year Mid summer of 2014, I ran over a drunk jaywalker that ran across a 50 mph 3 lane street at night. we both ended up in the hospital. I had to spend 200 dollars to fix the bike so that I could ride it legally, but I ended up selling it due to the bent frame some months later and in need of vehicle, I sold it under market prices due to damages. I tried claiming the accident through my insurer asap but they said they could not issue me any money for my damages since I did not hit another vehicle but a pedestrian. My insurance company said I was not at fault, and the police report says the pedestrian was at fault.

I had minor injuries (miracle) so I didn't stay the night in the hospital, but the bill is still 23,000 dollars and my helmet was destroyed as well as my backpack. growing knee pains are starting to present themselves as well since the accident.

Can I still sue?
Should I sue?
If so who?
What are my options?

Answer:
 Not sure what the statute of limitations is on Texas.

But it occours to me that a person who makes decisions like that may not have anything for you to collect on even if you win the lawsuit.  Keep that in mind for when you talk to a lawyer about this.


Title: Does this qualify as an unlawful eviction? If so, how strong is our case?

Question:
(This happened in the State of Georgia.)

I had been subleasing with three other subleasing adults at a house for four months until this past Monday. The over-tenant also lived at the house with us. Our sublease agreement with the over-tenant was month-to-month with a signed agreement form (but not one that had been prepared by a lawyer). The landlord (a real estate management company) had been made aware that subleasers had been using the property; however, this month, six months into subleasers  having lived on the property, the real estate management company decided they didn't like the fact that subleasers were present. They began discussing the issue with the over-tenant via email.

This past Monday, my roommates and I were awakened at 9:30 AM by the police in our house who had accompanied an eviction crew. The police gave us just a few minutes to get dressed and get out of the house with a one-bag allotment of our items and then did not allow us to re-enter the house. We watched as the eviction crew broke apart new and valuable antique furniture, poured bleach on our clothes on the front lawn, and threw out food from the fridge.

A locksmith showed up and set a lock on the door. The eviction crew and the police then left, and the rain started. We all struggled to salvage our items and hurriedly get these belongings into rental trucks.

Looking through the windows of the house, we could see that the movers had left many items behind inside that we were not allowed to retrieve.

As we rifled through our belongings and sorted these items in storage, we realized that many closed boxes of jewelry and valuables had been opened and expensive items were missing. I work from home and my home office was torn apart and many valuable rare books that I sell as part of my business are now either destroyed or missing.

Talking with the over-tenant who was caught unawares by all of this as well, we learned that the real estate management company were now claiming to have sent her an eviction notice via regular mail. However, the over-tenant never received this, and there was no signature confirmation for this supposed eviction notice so the real estate management company has no proof that it was sent--other than saying they sent it. Additionally, all of us had pre-paid for the month of July (the subleasers paying to the over-tenant and the over-tenant paying to the real estate management company). The real estate management company allegedly started the eviction process not because of lack of payment but because they suddenly did not want subleasers living on the property. Furthermore, despite knowing that there were four adults other than the over-tenant living on the property, the real estate management company only claims to have served the over-tenant and not all adults living in the house.

We all are out the rent we already paid for the month of July; the over-tenant is trying to refund us our money as possible but her money had been put forward to the real estate management company and they're refusing to answer her calls about the money she already paid for July.

The majority of us who were in the house lost upwards of $1,000 in valuables, food, clothes, and other items. Additionally, we are out for the month of rent we paid for July as well as the money we are all having to pay for temporary lodging. My home office was destroyed and I have been working as well as possible remotely from cafes while we try to find places to stay.

I am keeping receipts for all expenses: storage, rental trucks, motels, AirBnB, etc. Right now, we are just trying to organize everything and get to our respective workplaces. Next step then is to move forward with a lawyer.

My questions about this issue are (1) whether we have a valid case for unlawful eviction and (2) what some potential points would be to focus on with the lawyer to have the greatest chance of being reimbursed.

Answer:
 If this happened anything like the way you describe you should contact a lawyer.

Your description of events is so outrageous it's hard to believe there's not something overwhelming missing.  For example, there is no lawful process in which pouring bleach on your clothing would be allowable or appropriate.

>what some potential points would be to focus on with the lawyer to have the greatest chance of being reimbursed.

Don't go to your lawyer preloaded with crap someone on the internet said, or an agenda to steer them.  You hire a lawyer to ask you the right questions and determine the right way to proceed.  Answer #2: You do probably have an illegal eviction case against the Master Tenant, who functions as your landlord.

The MT would have claims of improper service against the Landlord (who’s notice should say “MT et al”). But I wouldn’t necessarily take their word for it. The police don’t show up without a court order, and that means the MT was summoned at some point and a judge indicated service of process was sufficient.

Just go to a local lawyer any talk this all through.


Title: Landlord is trying to make me pay rent for GF's place

Question:
Hey legaladvice! I need some help. I'm in Oregon, and this last year I spent a lot of time at my girlfriends. We didn't realize there was a clause that says you can't have someone occupy your space for more than 10 days, so we fucked up, and now her landlord is trying to make me pay partial rent for those months as a "squatter." But I pay rent somewhere else. Any advice?

Edit: forgot to mention, my girlfriend moved out, and is not currently under a lease with this landlord.

Answer:
 Ignore him. He has no claim against you.

He may have a very weak claim against your girlfriend, but you are in the clear.


Title: Is a hit to the head child abuse?

Question:
A friend of mine is going through a tough breakup and from what I can tell, there were control issues and emotional abuse at play. Recently she confided in me that the ex (not her son’s dad) hit her son once about 3 years ago on the head as a punishment. The son was about 10
at the time and it ruptured his ear drum. (His dad ended up taking him to the ER but no one mentioned it being caused by the hit.) My friend was pretty upset but was trying to get in line with her then SO’s stricter style of child discipline so she let it go after he promised he wouldn’t hit the son again, which she says he didn’t. I told her I think this is child abuse and should be reported, but she’s reluctant to as her ex has a teaching position at a university. Since the ex is out of the picture should this be reported? What would happen if it is?

Answer:
 Striking a child in a way that results in physical harm, especially physical harm that can still lead to lifetime problems with hearing, would absolutely be considered child abuse. If he's a university professor, he should still be reported. Having a good job doesn't mean you are above the law. Answer #2: Uh, yeah, rupturing your son's eardrum is DEFINITELY child abuse.Answer #3: There's absolutely no way you can hit a child hard enough to rupture their eardrum without that constituting abuse.

The ex 100% should be reported. If anything, having a teaching position at a university is more reason to report him, not less.Answer #4: From what I am seeing, the SOL is 2 years, but I may be wrong. I hope I am, actually. Hitting the child that hard on purpose could absolutely be abuse. He's gone. She shouldn't let him around the child again. I don't really know what else she can do.


Title: [PA] PFA ex-parte hearing - why doesn't the judge listen to the "evidence"?

Question:
My STBX recently filed for a PFA against me.  STBX claimed that I threatened her.  Judge granted a Temp Order.

Sheriff showed up at my home and took my guns.  I had to pay to have an attorney represent me.

At the final hearing, STBX played the voicemail and there was nothing threatening about it at all.  STBX also lied about some other things and then STBX's mother got on the stand and told a bald-faced lie, too!  They, of course, face no consequences whatsoever for filing a frivolous PFA and lying in court.  The PFA was dismissed.

The thing that really makes me upset is that if the issuing judge had just listened to the voicemail he would have known that I made no threat and he wouldn't have had to reverse his own order!.  The Sheriff wouldn't have had to be sent out to come pick up my guns and I wouldn't be out the money I had to pay for a defense in addition to having to take a day off work to go hang out at the courthouse.

This system is so broken.  I get that there are people who NEED PFAs.  I truly do.  But there has to be some sort of check and balance whereby innocent people aren't dragged into the system because no one looks at evidence.

Is there ANYTHING I can do to get my attorney fees paid?

Answer:
 A voicemail doesn't negate the fact that you could have threatened them.  That's just the way procedure works with an ex\-parte order. You don't have to have the best evidence, you just have to have some evidence. That's the entire point of a PFA, to be able to get a quick order and to protect someone. If you had to have a full blown hearing before they stepped in every single time, people who actually need PFAs would probably be injured or dead.

It sucks, but we have to strike a balance somewhere.


Title: My employer is taking away my drive-home vehicle- this was one of the main reasons I took the job 4 years ago. [OR, USA]

Question:
I chose my current job over a previous, similar position at another company.

One of my stipulations for accepting employment was driving the company vehicle home (about 10 minutes from the office).

Now, three years later and under a different manager, they are telling me that I will no longer have that privilege.

What recourse do I have? Should I expect to be compensated financially for this loss of benefit?

It wouldn’t matter so much, but I purposely arranged my life around not having a second vehicle because I stipulated that this benefit would be a requirement for me to be an employee.

Any advice or suggestions would be truly appreciated

Answer:
 Barring an employment contract (which are fairly rare outside of unions), your employer can change your job responsibilities and job perks at any time, even without notice. They do not have to compensate you for taking away your company car.Answer #2: Unless you have a written employment contract, they can reduce your benefits or your pay, at any time.  You have the right to quit.

It's not unlawful for them to reduce your benefits unless they do it with a discriminatory or retaliatory motive. Like if you were a 65 year old black lady in a wheelchair and your new boss took away the car because he hates old black disabled women and because you complained about him groping you, that would be unlawful.

But otherwise, it's perfectly lawful to reduce an at will employee's pay or benefits, it's part and parcel of the power to fire an at will employee for no reason.


Title: What are my options for dealing with an abandoned house?

Question:
**TLDR** - The house across the street is abandoned.  Where can I go to find out who legally owns it and what other options might have to deal with this?  Am I putting myself in a play where I'm legally responsible for cleaning the property if I pick up some trash over there?

I'm in Wichita, KS.  Long story short, the guy across the street decided to off himself about a year ago.  His son and his family ended up moving in and last Sunday, they loaded all their furniture on a truck and left town.

Now, my neighbor was good friends with the guy who offed himself so I went over to ask her about it.  She tells me that the guy had wanted to leave the house to her, but there was no paper trail of this.  Apparently the people that moved in made no payments or few payments and the house may be in foreclosure at the moment?

She says that the previous owners have some kind of 6 month right of redemption (does that make sense??) but I'm not sure how that works if the house was owned by a man who is now dead???  She says it's in legal limbo.

First question - where can I go to find out who currently owns this property so maybe I can contact them and see what the current status is?

Second question - The property was left is disrepair.  There is trash everywhere. The neighbor and I went over there tonight and walked around the property and found the backdoor was completely off of it and leaning against a wall in the back room.  We got some tools and re-hung it so critters won't get in there.  I am planning on cleaning up the trash that's laying around the lawn and backyard.  Will this potentially make me legally responsible for maintaining the property in some way?
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 >First question - where can I go to find out who currently owns this property so maybe I can contact them and see what the current status is?

Your county keeps title records and tax rolls, so you can research the ownership through them.  The current status might be harder, though you should be able to see if it's actually in foreclosure.

>Will this potentially make me legally responsible for maintaining the property in some way?

No.

Whoever handles code enforcement in your area may also be able to help with this.


Title: A Hairy Situation...

Question:
Okay so I'll make this as brief as possible...

About a year ago our dog had puppies which we adopted out. Come a year later and my wife sees one of the dogs posted for sale online. We contacted the new owner and eventually got her to give us the dog so she could "take a break" because the dog was destructive in her home. About ~10 days after we got the dog we came to the agreement with the former owner that my wife and I would find a new home for the dog and pay her the rehoming fee before rehoming him and that was that.

We have now had the dog for well over a month (Since May 31st). We hadn't heard from her for about a month as well. My wife has posted online looking for a new home for the dog and the former owner saw one of those posts and didn't like it. Now, out of nowhere, she is demanding we give him back. We don't want to do that because he acts as if he has been beaten (freaks out if you pick up any cylindrical object and even turn towards him) and we don't want him to go into a situation where the owner doesn't even want him. We are still looking for homes but we were wondering about the legality of keeping him from his former owner given that it has been so long and she told us to find him a new home, which in my opinion is relinquishing the dog to us.

Lastly, we are located in North Carolina.

Thanks for any help.

Answer:
 IANAL

You guys made an agreement with the previous owner that you would find a new home for the dog. That agreement said nothing about how you would do that, or to whom. You haven't violated the agreement, and you don't have to honor the original owner's demands to give the dog back.

Document everything you can, especially any conversation you had with the original owner regarding the original agreement. Don't bother taking anything she says seriously, unless she serves you legal papers.

I'd still keep up your agreement to pay her a rehoming fee, if you haven't already done so. You want to keep your noses as clean as possible in this situation.


Title: Ex-Wife Agreed to take over Mortgage, 12 months later, I'm still on the mortgage, and the house is about to be foreclosed (Ohio)

Question:
Back in 2006, my wife (now ex-wife) and I purchased a house.  Her credit was shot, so my name was the only one on the mortgage...but both of our names are on the deed for the house.

&#x200B;

Our marriage soured, we have no kids together, and no assets other than the house.  I wanted the house sold, she did not, and she indicated that she would fight it out in court for the house as well as spousal support if I didn't allow her to take over the mortgage and sign over my ownership in the house to her.  Not really having the money for a lawyer and not wanting to pay support, I moved out of the house so we could eventually file for dissolution of the marriage.

&#x200B;

Filed the dissolution last year in 2018.  As part of the separation agreement she agreed that the mortgage was a common debt and that she would pay it.  She also signed off that she would get the mortgage in her name within 12 months.

&#x200B;

13 months later, the mortgage is still in my name, and to top it off I received a foreclosure notice in the mail from the mortgage company with an intent to foreclose next month.  I have not filed my quit claim deed yet because I was waiting until the mortgage was out of my name.  I want absolutely nothing to do with this house.  I bought a house of my own after the dissolution was finalized.

&#x200B;

My questions...

(1) What is my exposure here with the mortgage?

(2) I know that I can take her back to court to hold her in contempt of the separation agreement but what exactly can the court force her to do?  Can they force her to agree to sell?  Or force her to agree to give the deed back to the mortgage company?

(3) If I pay the money to clear the default and bring the mortgage current can I go after her for that money that I'm spending since she agreed the mortgage was common debt and was releasing me from any financial liability?

(4) What kind of lawyer would best be able to assist me...not just with the situation with the ex-wife, but also with the mortgage?

&#x200B;

Any advice is greatly appreciated

Answer:
 Your exposure is significant. You need to file for contempt now. The court can force sale.Answer #2: It does not matter what kind of agreement you came to with your wife. You made an agreement to your lender to pay your mortgage. You need to get current so that the home is not foreclosed on. Your credit is certainly shot.

Then you need to go to court to compel the sale of the home and see about deducting the amount you had to pay to get current from her payout.


Title: [IN] Asshole divorced dad has control over my trust fund for my education.

Question:
According to my grandfather, my trust is worth about $41,000 over all four years of undergraduate school, allowing me 5k a semester. I am a junior and over the past three years he has been making me send receipts for schooling and books. He only provides money for certain aspects of my school as the fund states that the money can only be allocated for things that contribute to school credit. I am an aviation major and school is expensive. Flying is part of my education that contributes to school credit, and so is being able to live at the university, yet he only pays me around $1875/semester. Should I have access to that full 5k to pay for all aspects of my education without having to send him receipts and have the payout be at his discretion?

Thanks!

Edit: Bot didn't like my [IN] tag. I am living and going to school in the state of Indiana.

Edit 2: I am YesDelirium's boyfriend using her account.
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer:
 Depends entirely on what the trust says. Trusts are all different.

I will say that requesting receipts is not only legitimate, but prudent.


Title: [CA] Got in car accident. Guy totally lied in his testimony. His insurance said I was 100% liable. What do I do?

Question:
Hi all,

First accident ever and it was the guy’s fault completely.

I was stopped at a red in the lane closest to the sidewalk when he was either making a lane change or coming out of the plaza behind me when he hit the left corner bumper area of my car. It scrapped the entire right side of his car and flattened his right front tire.

2 passengers came out of his car and walked away. I didn’t think he knew them because he was Middle Eastern and they were 2 young korean guys. Possibly he was doing uber or lyft maybe? I couldn’t catch them or flag them down. No one stopped or came out of the stores in the plaza. So no witnesses.

I filed for insurance that day (accident at 3p, I filed at 4p). He texted me that night asking me to call him and I did. He asked me not to file and to work things out ourselves. I decided not to but didn't tell him that. In fact, after that phone call I didn't contact him anymore and neither did he.

I gave my side of the story to my insurance and his. His insurance told me that we had to give him 14 days to give his testimony, which I took to mean that he didn’t even talk to them yet. So, a week had passed when his insurance contacted me and he hadn’t taken action yet. My insurance said that I was not at fault.

Today his insurance called me and told me that I was 100% liable and that because there were no witnesses, it becomes a “he said, she said story.” I read his side and he said that I was making a lane change and that’s why he hit me, which is ABSOLUTELY FALSE. I was going to turn right anyway, why would I make a lane change left????

I’m really scared and I don’t know what to do. This has never happened to me before and I cannot believe that he just LIED to his insurance company. What should I do next? Go back to the plaza and see if the corner diner saw anything? Try and see if I can track down the 2 Korean guys?

I feel like it should really go against him that he didn't file an insurance claim until later, as if he was forming a story to make blame on me. The accident happened 3p and I filed at 4p with my insurance. Plus, the damage clearly shows that I was hit from behind/left back side. And if he did swerve into other lanes, he would've hit other cars seeing how it was 3p on a Friday so all lanes were full.

Any advice would be great, I feel sick to my stomach right now and I'm freaking out.

Answer: You have insurance. They are the ones that should deal with his insurance, not you. Of course they are going to say you are liable, they don't want to pay. Your insurance will deal with their insurance, and they will fight it out. Talk to your insurance, don't ever trust theirs.Answer #2: Of course he's going to lie to his insurance. An insurance claim is an argument between your insurance and theirs,speak to yours and let them battle it out.


Title: should i lie about a misdemeanor charge on my job application?

Question:
so i've basically got the job, i just need to turn in a job application. it's a pretty small, 10 hours a week job, but its for a large university/college. It asks if ive been convicted of a first-degree misdemeanor or been enrolled in a pretrial diversion program, which i have. it also says that i wont be automatically removed from job consideration. It says it takes in mind the nature, job relatedness, severity, and date of the offense in relation to the position. I was charged with marijuana possession (2 grams) and it was over 2 years ago when i was 18. So im not sure if i should just be honest and hope for the best, or lie and say no, but i feel like a large university might be more willing to do the background check on that.
edit: it also says a criminal and employment and background check will be conducted on all applicants selected for hire.

This is a great job for me, because its involved with something i like, its involved with the school, and its very flexible in work hours while i am taking classes. I'll be so pissed at myself if a dumb mistake 2 years ago ruins this for me. any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Answer:
 No, you should tell the truth. Obviously.

What kind of response were you expecting?

EDIT: Lying on a university job application might not only put you at risk of losing the job, but also getting kick out of the university for violating a student behavior policy. Totally not worth the risk for a $10/hour job, IMO.


Title: [Canada, Ontario] My Elderly mother is being harassed by mall security and being banned for no cause - What recourse do we have?

Question:
Thank you for your advice in advance and sorry if I'm posting in the wrong thread. I am using a throwaway.

My mother who is in her early 60's has been told by mall security to not enter the mall and to get her groceries and banking done somewhere else. The closest grocery store is over 8km away from where she lives. Being low income and frail she cannot go elsewhere.

Mall security is acting maliciously as she has done nothing wrong and are playing with her because English is not her strongest language and they think she can't do anything against them.

My mother is a pleasant person (not saying this because I'm her child) and usually keeps to herself.

There was a juvenile at the mall who started to stalk her but repeated talks with security nothing was ever done. A few months ago she went again spoke to security and they deemed that she was harassing them and told her that she would not be allowed in the mall for at least 6 months. (If you're wondering why I'm posting now it's because she didn't tell me then as she was ashamed and has never been in "trouble" before, this absolutely wrenches my heart.)

My mom tells me that she now has to sneak into the grocery store and mall so that she is not screamed at by security. When we called the mall manager she told us to speak to the security manager. The security manager instead of listening to my mom or myself said that we were harassing by calling him and the mall manager and advised that the ban is now permanent.

I have never witnessed such abuse of power ever, and want these people punished for tormenting a little old lady because they can.

I will be heading back to the province shortly as I'm away for work. Who can I contact for help as these people are acting unreasonably.

I left a message with the Ministry that handles security guard certification but they haven't responded yet.

May I ask for your help please?

Thank you.

Answer:
 The mall can ban whoever they want as long as they do not violate anti-discrimination legislation.

Malls also don't just ban people at random so likely there is an inaccuracy in what she is telling you happened. She should stop going there before she gets charged with trespassing.


Title: I was bit in the face by my neighbors dog and ended up needing stitches. What do I do now? [NH]

Question:
As the title states, I was bit in the face by my neighbor's dog.  I saw her struggling with 4 large dogs and approached her slowly to ask if she wanted/needed any help and one of the dogs jumped up and bit me in the mouth and chin.  I went to Urgent Care after initially believing I was fine and ended up getting 6 stitches in my chin.

I filed a police report, they came and took pictures of my face after I got stitches (I have before photos I took while in Urgent Care) and got copies of the vaccination records from the dog owner's vet proving that they are completely up-to-date on everything.

I have health insurance which covered my visit and the antibiotics and the dog owner has offered to pay for my medical expenses, so I figured that would be the end of it.  My boyfriend pointed some things out that I hadn't thought about and so I wanted to

The doctor told me I'm almost definitely going to have a scar, which a part of me is actually fine with.  The problem is the suturing that they did left my chin slightly open and the teeth marks on my upper lip weren't deep enough to need closing.  I had to miss out on a nights worth of work to visit Urgent Care.
 I cant really afford to stop working until they heal and currently I work as a cleaner, a job which I feel like puts me at a greater risk of possibly contracting an infection.

I have also been job searching pretty heavily lately.  All of the jobs that I have applied for have been Customer Service and Office jobs.  I wouldn't feel comfortable going to a job interview with my face looking like this and even if I did, I would understand why a hiring manager might not want to hire someone for a position dealing with the public whose face is bloodied up, bitten up and oozing.  I could potentially lose out on future work because of this injury.

I've had a couple people tell me to get a lawyer and other's telling me to just let the insurance handle it and I honestly don't know what to do.  I feel like my boyfriend made very valid points about the potential loss of income or possibility of infection from my job, but that wouldn't be an issue until I'm actually forced to turn down an interview or if I actually get sick.

I have literally never been in a situation like this before and want to make sure that I'm handling it in the best way possible for everyone.  I don't want them to be held responsible for anything outside of what has already happened, but I want to be prepared for the "what if" as well.

Do I need a lawyer or do I let the insurance companies handle this?

Answer: NAL: The only thing you are really entitled to is compensation for demonstrarable damages like your medical bills and missed time at work. Beyond filling a claim with the dog owners home owners or renters insurance policy, that's about all that you can and should really do. Sure you can sue her, but you're going to have to demonstrate your damages. Just get comped for medical and missed work and move on.


Title: [US Constitutional Law] Can a president effectively isolate himself from scrutiny by the press?

Question:
Since it seems there is a very real possibility of it happening in the next 4 years I began to wonder: What kind of freedoms do the press actually have when attempting to gain information of the Presidents actions?

I know the first amendment provides some broad protection for free speech, but it doesn't mention freedom to obtain certain information. FOIA works in a way, but timely information is key for disseminating information on how an administrations actions will affect the public.

Any constitutional lawyers out there that can chime in?

Answer:
 The President doesn't have to cooperate with the press, at all.  Neither does anyone else.  "Freedom of press" doesn't mean "Press gets whatever they want".  "Freedom of speech" includes the right *not* to speak in most cases.

There are some regulations that require releasing of information, and FOIA/sunshine laws can be used to require release of most non-classified info.  If the administration wanted to, they could follow those regulations to the letter and greatly slow down the flow of information.


Title: Landlord threatening to kick EVERYONE out if one person continues to smoke??

Question:
TL;DR Landlord threatening to evict everyone if my neighbor continues to smoke.

For context, the apartment building I live in is run by the city (we live in Michigan) and there’s 3 apartments. My friends live on one side of us and an older lady lives on the other.

Recently, we’ve been having trouble with the older lady smoking cigarettes and we (my friends in the other apartment and my boyfriend and I) agreed to finally bring it up to the landlord (let’s call her Carol). Yesterday, when I dropped off my rent check, I mentioned to the girl who works for Carol (Carol wasn’t in her office) that my neighbor has been smoking in her apartment and the smell is wafting into ours and it’s bothering us. She said she’ll mention it to Carol. I leave and assume that’s the end of it but here’s where everything goes to shit.

I get a call from my friend next door who decided to bring up the smoking to Carol as well, telling me that Carol was saying it was my boyfriend and I who are smoking because there is no possible way they could smell smoke that bad from the older lady’s apartment and it had to be us because we live directly next door to them. Yada yada. I suppose that makes sense but I really didn’t like that she accused us like that.

So I decided to talk to Carol and bring up the smoking again. I said something along of “hey, not sure if anyone told you about what I said yesterday but our neighbor is smoking and it bothers us”. She went on a tangent about how she has zero tolerance for smoking and then told me everyone will be getting a warning letter on their door today.

The letter says that if the smoking doesn’t stop she will go to the “city’s lawyer” and have everyone evicted.

My question is, can she kick anyone out without proof?

Furthermore, if my neighbor continues to smoke, and talking to her doesn’t change anything, is there anywhere else we can go to get this situation handled?

I would really appreciate any and all advice you guys have. Thanks so much!

Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: NAL but to me your landlord seems to be blowing smoke.  That being said your landlord cannot just kick you out.  She has to go through the eviction process like everyone else and prove you violated your lease. Answer #2: If you have a lease check it, if they violate your lease (entering your apartment w/o consent by the terms of your lease *to check in on whose apartment smells like smoke and fine them*) seek professional help if you want to terminate your lease or sue for trespassing.


Title: Friend(canadian) is moving in with her boyfriend(american) to the USA without legal papers

Question:
My friend (20, F) is moving to the US for her boyfriend (american) without having any legal papers. (She and I are Canadians).

I know that, to keep our canadian citizenship and healthcare, one must be at least 6 months a year in Canada. She plans to move in with her boyfriend in Massachusetts without much of a plan: she doesn’t have any legal papers to immigrate and she plans to work under the table to have some revenue.

In what kind of legal trouble she can be stuck into? Will the US kick her out when her 6 months will be finished? Or can they do something before? Can she be in trouble right now since she already started her moving out?

Topic:
Immigration

Answer:
 If she shows up at the border without a return ticket and without a clear plan to return to Canada, the border agent is fairly likely to refuse her entry to the country. Furthermore, staying in the US past the end of her visa is grounds to see her deported back to her country of origin if it comes to the attention of US immigration authorities, as is working without legal authorization such as an employment or TN visa.

She's also probably going to end up dodging her taxes in both countries, which is a separate problem that can be quite complicated to sort out.

In other words, she'll have a very precarious life, and all it'll take will be a tax audit of her employer or a badly-timed traffic stop to see her on the road back to Canada.Answer #2: It’s only a matter of time before she’s caught. I wouldn’t want to live here without papers. Its not an easy life. Oh and good luck to her finding a job that pays under the table. Answer #3: She’s going to have a lot of trouble if she does that. Why doesn’t she marry him? It’s a much easier and also legal path for her to take.Answer #4: How is she planning on getting to Massachusetts from Canada - driving, flying? I assume at the border she will be stopped and asked what her plans are and a timetable to return. If it's sort of vague, they may pull her aside for further questioning.


Title: (NC) Robbed at an ATM. Any way to recover the money?

Question:
I was robbed at gunpoint at an ATM, and forced to withdraw and hand over $800.  I filed a police report, and contacted my bank (Charles Schwab), however they said they are not liable for the money.  Is there any way to recover the stolen money?  I had thought Schwab would have some kind of insurance for this, but it seems like they only cover loss related to fraud, like someone stealing your pin number and entering it themselves at an ATM.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Answer:
 You can contact your local victims assistance to see if they can help you. But no, the bank has nothing to do with this and owes you  nothing. Answer #2: Sorry this happened to you :(. But your bank is correct - as long as it's actually you withdrawing the money they're not going to get in the middle of this other than maybe providing the video to police (which they should do, and which might help, so I hope someone's looking into that).Answer #3: Some homeowners or renters insurance policies will cover muggings, but I have no idea whether this would be covered. You could call your insurance agent and ask.Answer #4: No - glad you are safe though Answer #5: If you have home insurance, it may cover this. If not you probably won't get anything. The only way you'll get your money back is if the person is caught. You could take him to small claims court, although it's unlikely they will be caught. If you're afraid of this happening again, you can ask your bank to put a limit on ATM withdrawals.Answer #6: If the robber is caught by the police, he will be liable for the amount he stole from you (he is actually liable regardless, however the chances of pursuing him without him being caught are effective nil).

The situation you describe is very similar to if the robber took your wallet with $800 in it a month after you withdrew $800 from the ATM.


Title: [Washington, D.C.] My employer is asking us to sign into work. My HR rep says its not legal. Who's right?

Question:
I work as an exempt, salaried employee in D.C. I log my hours into a digital timesheet for every two week period. Recently, in an attempt to curtail the habitual tardiness of a few specific employees, our CEO has also implemented a sign-in sheet. He sent out an office-wide email telling everyone that they must sign in when they arrive to the office every morning.

I have no real problem with this but our HR rep has been going around telling people ~~they are not legally obligated~~ **it is illegal** to sign the sheet. She mentioned something about being exempt employees but I didn't really catch it.

Some quick googling hasn't turned up anything but I'm curious if anyone here knows if there's any legal basis to my HR rep's claim?

EDIT: Thank you all for the swift replies! I know hour-tracking for exempts is standard, this isn't my first job in the district, all of my previous employers required a timesheet as well. I was just curious about the legality of a sign-in sheet on top of that.

Also my wording before was incorrect. My HR rep was specifically telling people not to sign and that it was illegal. Also, I have no problem signing the sheet ( I generally get to work before most people in my office), I'm just curious what the HR person could possibly be referring to.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 I'd be interested to hear your HR rep's reasoning here.

Literally every salaried person I know, even those in DC, tracks their hours.  It would be illegal to vary pay on an hourly basis, while still treating someone as exempt; but simply tracking those hours, and how they're used, isn't an issue.

Answer #2: Tell your HR rep that you didn't hear what she said properly, and ask her to go over it with you.

We don't know in full what your HR rep's claim is, so it's hard to say if it's true or not.

Edit: not legally required/obligated is not the same thing as not legal. Answer #3: Does anyone else find it strange that the HR person is contradicting and undermining the CEO like this?  I would think if there was a legality problem they would go to the CEO directly about it. Answer #4: Technically your HR rep is correct. You aren't required to do anything at all. But you can legally be fired for not doing as you're told. Lots of salaried exempt people complete timesheets with actual hours worked. For some government contracts it's a requirement. The HR person should remember who butters their bread.  Just because your weekly salary doesn't vary based on hours worked doesn't mean you can't be required to track your hours.Answer #5: Non legal advice: Your HR rep is saying it's legal not to sign it, not that it's *illegal* to ask you to sign. If you value your job and get to work on time there's really no risk in signing.

Side question: Is the HR rep habitually tardy?


Title: What’s the best type of attorney to call after killing someone in self defense?

Answer: A criminal defense attorney who is registered to practice and has experience practicing in the state in which the event occurred.


Title: [PA] Can a school actually keep you away from the elementary school given no reason?

Question: Could the administration of a school district not allow you to participate in community service activities at the elementary school ?  Say they give no legal reason, but it's implied they know something.  People aren't supposed to know since the records are sealed but word got around.   Now people are afraid to let you be around little kids.

Answer:
 Yes, they can ban you for any reason they choose.

Based on your post history you should talk to a therapist about this issue and stop trying to hang out around elementary schools.Answer #2: As has been said: Yes, they can ban you. I will add, if they have evidence that you are attracted to children (as your posts imply), then they have a very, very strong ethical duty to keep you away from the kids in their care.

Legality aside... **no**. Don't try, don't go there, don't go *near* there, don't think about it, just stay away. You wanting to do community service doesn't supercede the safety of the children. There's plenty of community service opportunities that are available that **don't** expose kids to you.


Title: I fucked up badly - Stunting (Ontario, Canada)

Question:
Yes I know there is no valid reason for what I did, I'm not arguing with you there. I know I'm going to take my lumps and I deserve it.

I was driving home from work, was on autopilot and thinking about the stuff I had to get done tonight before I could call it a night. Was off in my thoughts when I was pulled over. The officer had me tagged going 155 in an 80. I was completely respectful through the process and the officer said he would indicate how compliant, respectful and remorseful I was in his report.

 I fully intend to comply with the process, I just need to know my chances of:

- no suspension of my license
- no jail time
-likelihood of it being dropped to a 50km/h speeding ticket rather than stunting

Answer:
 None of us are going to divine the future. There are going to be a ton of factors that go into that. 155 in an 80 is seven points and usually a mandatory suspension of your G license for two years. The MINIMUM fine for stunt driving is two grand. You doubled the speed limit at almost 80 over. There is little chance of getting the ticket reduced to under 50 over.

Non legal penalties include what is called "one star high risk insurance". Unfortunately, even if you get your license back, it is going to be very expensive to insure your car.

Was this your first stunting? Do you have a clean record? If this is your second stunting then you face a ten year suspension.

You should head to the courthouse and ask for a pretrial hearing to see if you can get a reduction. I highly highly recommend you meet with a lawyer to discuss your options.


Title: My landlord withheld that the shared washer and dryer is on my electric line, what can I do?

Question:
I am renting in New Orleans and I only have a signed copy of an email stating my lease agreement, really basic stuff like how I can't get my deposit until after a year, 45 days notice to move out, etc. Even though it's informal, it is signed and has served as proof of rental address with banks and the sewage and waterboard.

I pay all my utilities and there is a shared washer and dryer in the back yard connected to my Entergy line. There are about six people including me using it, and I really don't want to have to pay for other people using my electricity. My landlord never told me this in the beginning and there is nothing regarding it in the email that is signed.

Is there anything I can do? Apologies if I left out any information.

Answer:
 If your landlord refuses to rectify it then turn off the breaker inside your place when you're not using it. Answer #2: I would start by contacting the landlord. I would write them (keeping my own copy of the letter) to say that I had discovered an error in the electrical wiring: the shared washer-dryer, which ought to on a separate circuit, was erroneously being charged to my account. That I realized it might take them a little time to correct the problem and I wanted to be understanding and accommodating so I was open to discussing how we would handle it until then. For instance, I would explain, I would be open to reducing my rent each month by half the electric bill (until the common appliances were properly placed on a separate circuit), or I would happily consider other reasonable and fair solutions since I understand that a landlord cannot always correct issues immediately.

Unless your lease specifically requires you to pay for common utilities you are not responsible for them. It is easier to let the landlord know that and let them fix it than it is to sue them, to contact the electric company yourself, or to have your power cut off to force your landlord's hand.Answer #3: You can't get your deposit until have a year?

6 people use it? How long have you been paying?


Title: Father died intestate. Mother is horrible and wants every last penny. They're divorced, I'm the only next of kin. What do I do?

Question:
This is in Washington State

As the title said for the most part. We were estranged up until the end of his life. He made no will but told me verbally that he wanted me to have everything. He has a bank account, and some physical assets which are being mailed to me. His funeral was paid for with an earmarked bank account aside from the one he wants me to have.

He has no real estate aside from that. No car, no property or anything like that. I called his bank and the "representative" gave me the verbal equivalent of a shrug. I really have no idea what to do. I've tried googling around for info but I just find the WAC's and RCW's that just say where things go. Is there somewhere I contact? Is there anything I even do or do I wait for them to find me?

Thanks for any and all help.

Answer:
 If your father and mother were divorced, she no longer gets anything of his unless the divorce decree stated otherwise.

Contact a probate attorney who can handle the execution of his estate for you.  If your father's estate is that simple, it won't cost too much.Answer #2: The other posters are right.  She has no claim to anything, and you may need an attorney to walk you through probate, but contact the probate court or a service like [this](http://www.wa-probate.com/) first and see what you can do on your own.

Each state has Rules of Intestate Succession that state who gets what when someone dies without leaving a will.  I've never seen an ex on any of them.


Title: Can you be fired for refusing to show up to work because of a mandatory evacuation?

Answer:
  It, obviously, depends on state and the exact order. For example, in Texas, there is a statute that prevents evacuated employees from being fired.

https://northtexaslegalnews.com/2017/08/30/texas-statute-prohibits-firing-or-discrimination-because-of-an-evacuation/

Unfortunately, in Florida, thousands of employees WERE fired because FL is a dumpster fire for employees.

(And NO it is NOT a "right to work" state thing. That has to do with UNIONIZATION not "at will employment" which is the phrase you're looking for.) Answer #2: Is it legal to ignore a mandatory evacuation?  If so, why is it called mandatory?  Or if it's illegal, does it imply the employer is ordering the employees to do something illegal?  Isn't it a crime for an employer to order employees to do something illegal?  What is that crime called?


Title: Creepy Emails going around in my sorority asking for pictures without clothes on. Police said it's out of their jurisdiction

Question:
Some girls in my house recently got an email with a name very similar to another one of our girls.  The email said something along the lines of "I need your help for one of my classes.  I'm trying to see different people's impersonations of the Wicked Witch from Wizard of Oz."

One of the girls thought the email was legit as the name matched one of our sisters so she emailed back asking what exactly they meant.  The response was similar to "Just something with your clothes slowly coming off of you"

She ended up asking the girl in person who said she never sent any email out.

They emailed the person back saying they know it was a fake email account and now they've made a new account with the second girls name and once again started emailing girls in our house.

It's clear they got our email list from somewhere, and we've already spread the word to look out for suspicious emails.

Is there anything else we can do? We spoke to the local police department but they simply said it was out of their jurisdiction and there was nothing they could do.

Thanks for any light you can spread on what our options are from here

Answer:
 Anyone can create an email account with any random name. It's not illegal to email and ask for pictures.

Ignore this person and make sure your friends do the same.


Title: My Grandma is Being Catfished by a Fake Facebook Account

Question:
My grandma has been talking to a man on Facebook by the name of Stephen (I forgot his last name)  and my family has had suspicions of him being a fake by the look of his page. All the pictures were professionally taken and there was nothing else on the page, no post, no info. We've expressed our concerns to her and she told us it was just harmless conversation about the weather and how their days went. Since she lives alone and probably just wanted to talk to someone we decided to let her go and we didn't want to push any further and hurt her feelings.

I recently went to her house and this is the first time I heard about her "friend" from her. She said he was a widower who had to sell his house in Florida to work on an oil rig for 9 months (which he now has 3 months left) and they couldn't have phones so he could only message her on an old computer in a special room. This morning I found out that she sent "his son" whose birthday was a few days ago a PlayStation game and he sent her a message thanking her for the game saying that she was a good mother to him. Now our family is starting to get really worried because I already had proof he was a fake.

The pictures he was using are of a man named Stephen Saad, "the chief executive of Aspen Pharmacare, the largest producer of generic medicines in Africa" (quote from google) My sister has access to my grandma's accounts so she blocked him on everything. My mom wants to take legal action to make sure he can't interact with my grandma because she fears that he could be trying to use her or worse. Our family is going to talk to her about it but we want to know what is the right way to take action and who we should talk to. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you for your time.

(while writing this my mom told me she wants to contact the FBI and that the man is offering to get them a house together)
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: You can report Facebook profiles for not being of real people, I'd start there.


Title: Son (13) sexually abused unconscious non-relative girl (3). I need help with legal definitions and advice (King County/Washington). Please help.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Just read the title and the last sentence: This is shut up and listen to your lawyer territory right here, you don't want to contact the police without having your attorney on your side. Also don't talk about this on the internet.


Title: Question regarding horror story birth (TX)

Question:
The whole labor and delivery was a nightmare, my question is regarding the final paragraph, but I’ll post the whole story.

My wife had to get a cerclage at week 16(stitch around her cervix to reinforce it) as her longest prior pregnancy Essentially fell out on its own at 17 weeks. This incident is her 4th pregnancy and also the first actual live birth.

We had the cerclage removed (by a different doctor) at 36 weeks. They decided to induce her at 38 due to other complications, such as diabetes. We came in at 7 as we were told. They started the IV drips to start the labor at 10. They have her the epidural around 2 and went to break the water at 3 (while also being dilated to 3)but felt something weird in her cervix. Two nurses and two doctors later, they found out that the cerclage wasn’t fully removed and there was still a stitch in her cervix. (Side note, they can and do rip through your cervix, and it is just as pretty as you can imagine it.) They finally found, cut, and removed it. Pretty soon after she was at a 5.

Fast forward through waiting for her to dilate and then changing her position every hour or two to make the cervix go away. (Their words) she finally dilated to a 9 but had a flap at the top (their words) that wouldn’t go away. They fought with that for a couple of hours then they had her start pushing to see if that would make it go away. It didn’t. So they tried more positions. (Note they had her try pushing for maybe 30 minutes). They finally got another nurse in there to give a second opinion. They decided to just go ahead with the birthing process as it should move out of the way.

She pushes for MAYBE an hour and a half. One of the nurses (not the doctor listed on the birth certificate at least) gets forceps and says they’re going to use them. Didn’t ask. Didn’t explain other than it was to assist with the birth and prevent a caesarean. They insert them into my wife, and her next contractions they have her push and they pull. But they didn’t have them in right. So they have her continue to push without them. Next contraction they have them back in and connected properly. My wife pushes. They pull. Hard. They lowered the bed and put their knee on the bed and were pulling with all of their might. I was holding my wife’s leg to support her. I ended up holding her from being pulled off of the end of the bed because they were LIFTING HER ALMOST ENTIRELY OFF OF THE BED. my son came out the second contraction they were pulling like that. (So 3 sets of breaths/pushes from my wife and 3 sets of pulling like Thor from the nurse per contraction. Meaning they lifted her up by the baby in her vagina 6 times!)

My baby boy was born. I was freaking out. She was freaking out. And they tore her a lot. I followed my son to the nursery. He had a bruise on his cheek, swollen cheek and eye, bruised nose and ear, and a cut on top of his head.

Since then (born 8:04 am Thursday) I’ve looked into the forceps in birth. Found out that they’re intended to be used to guide the baby out and not pull in any manner.

As I’m posting this my baby is only showing bruising. My wife however can barely get out of bed or move without crying and she’s on Motrin and hydrocodon.

Main point: Is there anything to be done about being put through the horrible experience of watching my wife being lifted by the baby in her vagina?

Answer:
 Birth can appear to be a very brutal, traumatic experience, even when it goes relatively smoothly. You’re going to need a malpractice attorney with a lot of expertise to determine whether or not you have a case, and even then, if your wife or child don’t have severe long-term issues beyond moderate temporary pain and suffering, it might not be a battle worth waging. Your state’s bar association can help you find the best lawyer for your situation.

Congratulations on your new son, and I hope both recover fully very quickly.Answer #2: Malpractice is very fact specific, and merits a consultation with a lawyer. They's be able to tell you whether there is something to pursue.


Title: Portland, OR water bill says more than 75,000 gal water used.

Question:
My sister lives in Portland, Or. She told me that her water bill was $500 more than normal. She spent a ton of time on the phone with the company asking questions about the bill, but really had no idea how insane that is.

Today I learned that Portland charges 1¢/1.5 gallons, so the company is saying she used 75,000 gallons more than average for her. There is no possible way this happened. For reference, my Louisiana August water usage when I planted 3 new flower beds was less than 6,500 gallons.

She's giving up on the fight bc the company "told her about a low-income discount" as a gift for her patience in dealing with the problem. I say like hell give up on fighting this bc I won't let her pay it, nor do I want to. It's wrong!!

What can she do?

TL;DR: Water company alleges my sister used over 10x a reasonable amount (over 75,000 gallons) and refused to consider they made some mistake.

Answer:
Ask the city for the previous meter reading to this one and confirm that the most recent meter reading is correct by actually looking at your water meter. They could have read the meter incorrectly. (for example, they could have added an extra zero by accident.)

If the amounts are correct, your sister needs to check for a water leak in her property (particularly in the service line, between the meter and her house OR in her irrigation sprinklers.) The earth can absorb a LOT of water, so there is no gaurentee you'd notice it.

In my town these are things the town will advise you to do if your water bill is abnormally high, but portland might not care.


Title: [CT] Do tenant's laws apply to children?

Question:
Hey guys. I'm posting this on behalf of my dad and younger brother. My parents recently got divorced and it didn't end well. My mom recently told my (14 year old) brother that when he's with my dad (parents have 50/50 custody of him) he's not allowed to go into my mom/his house. However, my younger brother's legal address is my mom's house. Is she allowed to say he can't enter the house when he's not in her custody? Even to grab a jacket or his laptop for homework or something? I want to say something to my mother but I need to make sure I know what I'm talking about first.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: Had a hard time choosing a flair for this one. Lingered for a long time over the "douche" flair.


Title: Blackmailing me, and threatening family with pictures, and video of me screaming "profanities", after online game with person on "Grand Theft Auto V". What can I do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Why would you contact the FBI? I don't get it.


Title: Anyone on Reddit, is there anyway to get my job back?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 They can fire you for just about any reason thats not related to a protected class which families aren't

The problem with families working together is they tend to bend the rules for each other.  It sounds like thats exactly what your father did and he put the entire restaurant at risk by allowing you to drink underage on their liquor license. You guys could have lost everyone their jobs and quite honestly should have all been fired.


Title: [CA] - if I file a restraining order against my old roommate, will I have to see her again for it to be filed?

Question:
Probably a dumb question but the answer seems unclear to me online and it makes a difference in wether or not I'll even try to file a restraining order against an old and violent roommate who hasn't stopped harassing me via text/email/phone and who now apparently has my new address (she would be the type to sneak into the building and be a major threat).

however my question, since I've never filed a restraining order before and have no experience with this, will I  have to see her again at any point in the process? some of what I see online mentions a court hearing - what does that involve and is it a me vs. the restrained person fighting it out or is it just a judge hearing out why I'd want to restrain this person?

Answer:
 > will I have to see her again at any point in the process?

Very likely, yes.  Your roommate would have the right to contest the order, and both you and your roommate would need to be present for that.


Title: [WA] Bought a used car from a dealership. Temporary tags expire today and I still don't have plates. Dealership failed to have previous owner sign a release of interest.

Question:
We bought a used car 45 days ago from a dealership. It seems they failed to get the previous owner to actually sign away his interest on the trade-in so they can't send away the paperwork to get our new plates. The previous owner doesn't seem to be responding to them at all.

After a lot of phone calls, our temporary plates expire today and we still don't have permanent ones.

What are our options? The dealership has offered a rental car but I want to drive the car that I paid for, not some random rental.

Any idea how to fix this issue?

Answer:
 I used to work for the DOL in WA. The dealership can give you a 3 day permit (they can give you more than one to cover more time if necessary). Since they failed to get a release of interest they also call dealer services to see if they can reissue you the 45 day temp.

Also you should file a complaint with the DOL about this dealership. 45 days is more than enough time for them to get this paperwork together and they should've gotten a release from the previous owner when that person traded in the car.

 You can file a complaint here:https://www.dol.wa.gov/business/vehiclevesseldealer/dlrcomplaint.htmlAnswer #2: Ask the dealership about renewing/extending the temporary plates. Most states, if not all of them, allow temporary plates to be extended/renewed at least once, and sometimes more than once, while issues like this are worked out.Answer #3: Returning the car for a refund is likely your best bet. They didn't sell you a car with a clear title.


Title: [Tennessee] Speeding ticket and totaled my car (under 18)

Question: A few weeks ago I was pulled over by a state trooper going 89 in a 55. He gave me a citation and I have court tomorrow. Friday (a few days ago) I was coming down a hill and lost traction and totaled my car by hitting a tree. Nobody else was involved. I understand it was stupid and I've learned my lesson, that's not what I'm here for. The officer said I was probably going around 65, I'd personally say 55 to 60 but he knows better than I do. He didn't write me a ticket but he told me to inform the judge of the accident. What are my likely consequences? Will I get my license taken? Driving school? Fines?

Answer:
 -- "...it was stupid and I've learned my lesson"

Yes it was and no you haven't.


Title: Sister (16F) sold laptop online and now buyer is not sending money

Question:
My sister sold one of our old laptops on an app called Mercari for $350 - the guy stated he would pay her $400 if she express ships the items because he "needed to get it in time for his nieces birthday party". She ships the item, sends him the tracking info, he then says he sent the money via PayPal.

She gets an email from PayPal saying that there was a technical order with the payment because their server is being upgraded. She's suspicious so she calls PayPal and they basically tell her it's a scam and that the email wasn't sent from them. They can't do anything on their end because there is no formal transaction.

How should we proceed from here? Now she is out $350 and a laptop. She's tried calling the guy multiple times and he picked up once saying that he will send the money once his account is unlocked but he's obviously lying. He won't pick up any calls now but we have his "name", phone # (which may not be his real number, may be generated from an app?), shipping address and proof of text messages saying he'll send the money.

Obviously she could have handled the situation better and not sent the laptop before receiving some sort of formal payment however she's 16 and doesn't know better. Please let me know on how to proceed! Thanks in advance :)

Answer: She got scammed. She's not getting the money.Answer #2: She can report it to the police but the chances of her recovering the laptop or the money are practically zero.


Title: (ADVICE) i feel furious about what happened to my mom

Question:
Might be a long post but any help/advice (legal/consoling my mom) is greatly appreciated. Thank you all in advance. **This took place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada**

TLDR : My mom (broken english - asian immigrant now canadian citizen) was physically threatened and pushed by a sublet contract employee working for ULTRAMAR who tried to force her to sign a contract for an installation that was done without her knowledge. The bill totalled $3000 while she expected only ~$100 for an inspection. He ran away when he saw me and when my mom called the cops.

My mom was a complete mess for a while even now long after the police had left. I feel really guilty and frustrated about what happened. I feel like i should have somehow prevented this from occuring at all.

To give a small context, my mom is a canadian citizen now but she originally came from Asia. Her english is broken but understandable and her french is quite basic. On the other hand, the oil based heating system in our house has been in need of repairs for years. We only bought the house about 2 years ago and the previous owner told us we will eventually need to replace the furnace upon purchase. So my mother planned to have the whole system replaced to an electric one by the end of November of this year.

However, the oil tank wasnt completely empty and the company that came to inspect it told us that they will replace the system when the oil was all used up (there was approximately $500 worth of oil left in the tank).

Then as it got colder, we tried to use the heating system but found that no hot air would come out. So my mom contacted ULTRAMAR (who was in charge of the oil refills of the house for many years) to come and see what the problem was.

This morning, i was upstairs in my room and i did not know that the worker from ULTRAMAR was coming at all. Then all of a sudden, i heard my mom yell for help. I went down to see my mom in an altercation with a guy who was holding her arm and trying to yank a paper out of my mom's hand. It turned out to be a bill of $3000 for an installation that was done by the worker without the knowledge nor consent from my mother. Understandably my mom got confused and refused to sign, he then tried to force her by intimidating her. (Later on i was told that the worker snapped at her to leave him alone and not bother him when she wanted to see what he was working on in the basement where the furnace is).

When i ran upto them, my mom pulled out her cellphone and threatened to call the police. The worker let go of my mom (he did not know i was in the house) and ran back to his car while calling my mother a mental case and saying other profanities in french. As the police was called, he left the driveway in his white repair van.

what course of action do we take from here? Others have suggested a civil lawsuit but we have no knowledge of where to even start or if it is even possible at all. Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you for reading to the end.

Answer: Did they install a whole new system or somehow do $3000 worth of repairs to the oil setup? From what you said one person changed a furnace within an hour? That sounds like 100% bull to me. Answer #2: Contact the company directly, speak to HR and let them know what has happened. Should speed up resolution time.


Title: Getting stiffed by Geico

Question:
I got side swiped while going about 40mph by a Chevy Silverado while I was driving my Mini Cooper a few weeks ago. The other driver has Geico for insurance, and told them it was a light impact accident. I told Geico that of course it would be a light impact to her when she's in a truck that's 4000 pounds heavier then my car. Also, the impact occurred right on my driver's side front wheel so there isn't a huge amount of damage since he wheel took the brunt. I went to the doctor twice so far for neck tightness and lower back pain, which is still present. The doctors just said that this occurs in an accident when you stiffen up to prepare for impact, so it should go away over time. So, Geico has been trying to settle with me at $600 for doctors appointments, and $400 in my pocket, and is threatening to open an investigation for a light impact accident and not settle with me at all if that's what they conclude. I don't want to settle at this time since my back is still bothering me and don't want to be stuck with some dr bill if I have to get it checked out any further.

We just had a baby on 9/1, and really don't have the money for a lawyer, but should I lawyer up?

Answer:
 DO NOT ACCEPT ANY MONEY FROM GEICO.

Contact a personal injury attorney. They will most likely work on a contingent fee basis, meaning you don't have to pay anything up front.

Edit: Word. And congratulations on the new addition to your family!


Title: Purchased merchandise then company accidentally refunded me, they are asking for payment after I've received the product.

Question:
This is Pennsylvania. The company is doing business out of New Jersey.

I ordered a several hundred dollar item from a company and used PayPal as payment. Then I had a discount code that I emailed and asked them if I could have applied to my order. They somehow refunded me the full amount instead of just the 20 percent difference and then about week later shipped the product to me anyway without charging me. Now they are asking me to pay for the item. Do I legally have to pay them?

Thanks!

Answer: So you want something for free?


Title: I filed a restraining order against my roommate

Question:
TDL;DR my roommate was harassing me, and now his girlfriend is pissed he’s in jail and being erratic and violent.

Last week, following a disagreement on an already agreed upon date for payment of rent, my roommate began harassing me and sending threatening texts. After informing him he’s harassing me, he continued to text me and told me to contact the cops because he wasn’t stopping.

He falsified information to file an eviction notice against me, which he can’t do as he’s not the landlord and didn’t provide demands for rent and I also am not late on rent, even the owner of the building has confirmed this.
The police directed me to file a restraining order against him, and it was granted. He was told to leave the apartment, but squatters rights have kept his girlfriend in the apartment and I have been unable to return to the house in almost a week.

He violated the order 10 hours after it was served, and is in county for the weekend currently.

Yesterday I brought an officer to the house with me so I could get belongings and before the officer arrived, the girlfriend was standing on the porch screaming at me and preventing me from entering the house. When the officer arrived she began acting erratic, screaming at the cop and at one point punched the cabinet off the wall.

Despite being granted access to the home, her behavior has prevented me from safety returning to the house, and if she behaved like that in front of a cop she would have been much worse alone.
She has been posting on Facebook pictures that my roommate and I are tagged in, posting harassing messages and trying to get me to argue with her, which I’ve ignored.

Tomorrow is his arraignment for the violation of the order and Friday is the court hearing for the permanent order, and I intend to request a permanent order as well, but I need some advice based on how to handle this all. I’m not sure how the cops have let her get like this without any action, and how humans can behave like this in general.

Answer: File a restraining order against her too. That will get her to leave the property. Answer #2: Contact your landlord.  Tell him you are being prevented from getting your things and he needs to make arrangements for you to enter and retrieve your belongings.


Title: Game Gold site asking me for money back when I was a victim of a scammer

Question:
Long story short, a guy had told me he would pay me if I helped him by buying him gold and sending it to his accounts, he said he needed me for this because of gold sites buying limits per day (it was a lie). I bought the gold from different sites of game gold and sent to him. After a few days, I start getting chargebacks about "transactions not authorized" and my Paypal went to negative. I tried to contact the guy and he dissapeared, that's when I realized I was scammed, he had used hacked/fake paypal accounts to screw me over. I talked with Paypal and they ignored me, so I just let the account burn. But then a few days recently, one of the gold sites I had bought from, contacted me practically threatning me to pay up what they lost, apparently Paypal had reversed my payment to them after all this time (not sure how), so basically they lost the dispute with Paypal. And now they're telling me I should pay up "or else", they will send my ID, address and all that to police (I provided that information to them because almost all gold sites request that). Do they have legal rights to ask for money back? Do I really have to be stepped on like this without no help from anyone not even paypal? Both the gold site and paypal refuse to open an investigation on the scammer.
My location: Portugal

Answer:
 I don't know Portuguese law, but most places you can go after the person who made the fraudulent transactions.

In this case, you can go after the person who scammed you, and Paypal as well as the game sites can go after you.

You agreed to buy the gold, and you agreed to Paypal's terms and conditions.  Unless you can track down the guy who scammed you, you're on the hook for everything.

You might be able to get the gold you purchased cancelled or tagged as stolen.Answer #2: Unfortunately, in most countries and in most scams, the ultimate victim (ie. the person or company that actually lost real money, which in this case may be the "gold site") can sue the person who feels that they were the victim of a scam (ie. you in this case) to recover their loss.  It's not the "gold sites" fault, nor PayPal's fault, that you participated in a scam or that you were scammed, and they are not obligated to do any kind of investigation into whether or not you were scammed nor by whom.


Title: [ON, Canada] My mom went to the dealership for repairs and they talked her into buying a $20,000 car. She has very poor English. Can I use that to cancel the agreement she signed?

Question: I don't know much about law but there's no way a contract signed by someone that doesn't understand what they're buying holds... Does it?

Answer:
 When did this happen? Some places, at least in the US, have whats called cooling off periods/cancellation periods. Not sure about Canada, let alone a car. But some allow contracts be voided if you cancel in writing in the first day or two.

But unless there is some sort of law like that if she is in good state of mental health her poor English will not be a out.

EDIT:
Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council

OMVIC runs a call centre for inquiries (416-226-4500, toll-free 1-800-943-6002)

Cancelling an Agreement
https://www.omvic.on.ca/portal/Consumers/ConsumerProtection/CancellinganAgreement.aspx

Not looking good but call them and see if anything can be done. Answer #2: When she signed the contract, was she told she was buying a car, or was she told it was a contract for repairs? If the dealer actually told her it was not a contract for sale, then she may have a defence. But from what you’ve said, it sounds like she was persuaded into buying a car and knew she was entering into a contract to buy a car, even though she could not read the precise terms. Then she is likely out of luck.Answer #3: Does the contract have a cancellation clause? If not, then probably not.Answer #4: Regarding your question, yes the contract can still hold even if you didn't understand what you're buying. No one forced her to sign and if she didn't understand something and decided to sign anyways that's on her.


Title: How are values of stolen items calculated in larceny cases?

Question:
Posing it here because it's entirely hypothetical, but I was curious about how the value of items is calculated in larceny cases. I would assume that in most cases it is a question of the MRP of the item- but I'm more ineterested in cases where the retail value of something is **massively** overestimated.

For instance, suppose a charity is giving away a $5 potted plant with every donation of $500 or more, but rather than offering potted plant with donation, they're selling it as a $500 dollar potted plant with an understanding that $500 (or $495) will go to the charity. If a person were to steal ten of those potted plants, would they be committing grand larceny or petit larceny? Could an overzealous DA reasonably expect that a charge of grand larceny would get somewhere, or would it immediately be laughed out of court?

Answer:
 NY guy here.

So the NY Penal Law has a section directly addressing your question, [Penal Law § 155.20](http://ypdcrime.com/penal.law/article155.htm#p155.20), that really provides guidance.

However, because value is an element of the crime, it would still have to be proven to a trier of fact (jury) beyond a reasonable doubt.  The prosecution can allege the value in the complaint, so long as its based on a permissible source under § 155.20.

I don't want to fire up westlaw right now, but for your example it would not be grand larceny in NY, just because the market value is admittedly $50.


Title: [OH] Sextoys and Minors

Question: Okay this may sound bad and it is. But I have bought a sex toy for a female minor[16.5]... Im 19. Catch-22 is I still have it but have shown her a picture of it. In my lapse of judgement I realized how bad this can be. Is it too late for me? How much trouble can i be in just for this? Please help... I dont want to be in prison...

Answer: [you’re Brian ](https://i.imgur.com/QOQNMcx_d.jpg?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium) Answer #2: If the sex toy you bought is the only picture of sextoys you have sent her, then you may be ok, but if I were you, ... no more pictures. No suggestive language or attempts to hook up. Radio silence, as you are the responsible party. You are at the bottom of poo mountain on this one. Best to not let little Throwaway99999922 do any more thinking for you.


Title: Can my dad make me cancel child support backpay? [Oregon, USA]

Question: I live in Oregon, USA. I am 20 (21 in a couple weeks). My mom and dad divorced when I was little and my mom remarried (and is now divorcing). I moved out of my moms house when I was 19 and I re-instated child support for my dad since I was in school. He was ordered to pay $287 a month. He hasn't paid every month and has accrued $3k in child support. Now I am filling out FAFSA and since my dad is kind of paying child support, he supports me more than my mom so he's the one I should use on FAFSA. I ask him and he hasn't actually filed taxes since 2012, because he doesn't owe. I asked if I could file his 2016 and 2017 taxes (he wont do it himself) so I could do FAFSA. He is only willing to let me do that, if I cancel my child support (which will stop accruing in two weeks anyways) but also cancel my $3k in child support. He's always hated me and we've never had much of a relationship.... but is he even allowed to do this? Should I just do it for the sake of FAFSA?

Answer:
 Does this help at all?

https://www.fastweb.com/financial-aid/articles/what-can-you-do-if-your-parents-won-t-file-the-fafsa-or-help-pay-for-college

I think there is a way to get around the requirement when the parent won’t file their taxes.

Please reach out to people at your school. Answer #2: How do you "cancel" your child support?  I assumed it was paid to the mother, not the child.  Answer #3: NAL.

He will have no incentive to file his taxes once you sign away.  I’m guessing him filing taxes is no simple nor cheap task for him, it could even be far more expensive and illegal than you can imagine. But I’d bet it’s cheaper for him to flat give you the money for support than for him to file years of taxes.  He’s proven to ignore his obligations.  You do things on the up and up, leave him to sort out his legalities.  If you’re concerned that your mom will be on the hook, she is your mother.... (maybe you could make it up to her if that did happen)