Title: Dog injured at boarding (pictures in post). What are my options?

Question:
Edit: WA, USA

https://imgur.com/a/HFNh4

Pictures of his injuries.

My dog stayed at a reputable boarding place over the weekend. I've left him there a dozen times before with no incident.

Today he came home with me and was panting a lot, which made me check to find a large, two inch gash on his side.

Took him to the emergency vet to get it looked at. Vet says it's at least two days old.

So he was at boarding, got in a fight with another dog, they didn't call me to let me know or ask about medical treatment for him and now it's been sitting like this for at least 48 hours untreated.

I realize the probable answer is "dogs are property" and so I might not have many options, but is it within my rights to at least ask for a refund of his boarding fees for the weekend or ask them to cover his trip to the emergency vet? (Since it's Sunday his normal vet is closed.)

I called the boarding place to ask if they had any idea what happened, but they said they didn't know and would have a manager who was on duty the whole weekend call me back when she became available.

I guess I'm just upset because you know how people get about their dogs. I'd like to know what my options are as far as getting reimbursed for any of his medical bills or boarding fees after being injured in their care and them not even noticing or caring enough to call me and letting him sit with the injury for days.

Edit: so far my running total at the vet is almost $300 just for the exam and pills he will need. If they decide he needs stitches then it'll be almost $600. This isn't a trivial amount of money.

Answer: Yes, your dog was injured while there, they are responsible for the injuries.  They should pay the emergency vet bills and I would demand a refund as well due to them trying to hide it from you


Title: [Atlanta, Georgia] Being evicted from rented home due to family feud

Question:
**UPDATE: [I was forcibly evicted](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/4uy4o6/atlanta_georgiaupdate_climax_of_family_feud/?st=ir5n1o3j&sh=85a33f79).**

**UPDATE (July 25th, 2016 9:46 PM EST):** Thanks to /u/Malraza for teaching me important facts about my local laws. Current game plan is to pack a few boxes of non-essentials, sleep off the initial anxiety from the news from my landlord, and request 60 days notice in writing as a tenant-at-will. I will be sending an email to make this request and keeping a recorder handy in the event someone gets combative. Will update.

---

I will open up with the important bit: I rented from someone without a lease. I understand this means I probably have no real recourse, and I already have chalked the below experience up as a lesson to get one in my next living arrangement. This post is only to ask if I have any options in spite of lacking a contract.

I am an Atlantan that rented out space in someone's house. Great deal, since the landlord (Let's call him Bob) needs money to prep it for sale. Arrangement is temporary, but not necessarily short-term. Expected to live here until at least December. Landlord owns 50% equity in the home, but did not tell me that until things went south. He promises 30 days notice in the event I must move out. I have an audio recording of him saying this, if that serves any purpose.

Last night his sister-in-law arrives with a lawyer. I don't know who she is. She scolds me for living there without Bob's mother (other 50% equity) knowing. Clear from her tone that she didn't care who I was; she wanted me gone. This is the first I hear of joint equity.

Bob proceeds to get into a screaming match with the lawyer and his SIL. By "screaming match", I mean I locked myself in my bedroom starting to fear for my safety. I heard everything. The issue was that Bob was hired by the family to sell the house, and he didn't clean out a section of junk because it wasn't his stuff and he wanted a signed statement saying he wasn't liable for any damages if he threw it out. Lawyer saw this as reason for house to not sell in time. Goes back and forth like this for a while.

They leave, and then I ask Bob about his mother, and he says that "is a true statement. She does not know [you are living here]." He assures me "You're fine," that there are no problems with me living there, and I will still have 30 days notice before evicting.

Tonight, Bob comes in and tells me I have to leave by the end of the month. Less than a week. Lawyer came back when I was at work and threatened to sue. Bob claims that is also being evicted (It's not clear if his eviction is involuntary or based on fear of being sued. Not sure I want to pry.).

Obviously, I've been kept in the dark about many things and I suspect there is nothing I can do because I was living here without a written contract. The only thing I have is a recording. For that reason I'm going to insist on some written agreement in the future and not play the trusting soul again.

To be clear, my immediate concern is not staying here, but having a means to handle the unexpected costs that come with this sudden change. If there is any recourse at all to mitigate costs related to this sudden eviction, what would I have to do?

Answer:
 GA laws regarding evictions still apply to a non-written lease. Without a written lease you're considdered a tenant-at-will. A landlord who has a tenant-at-will must give a sixty days notice to the tenant before seeking to terminate or change the agreement (eviction or raise rent).

[Here's a handy resource for you.](https://www.dca.ga.gov/housing/housingdevelopment/programs/downloads/Georgia_Landlord_Tenant_Handbook.pdf)


Title: I sell fashion accessories. Is it illegal to say something like this "We use the same suppliers as Hermes and Gucci" even if its true?

Answer: Why would it be illegal to say that if it were true?


Title: Could I get in trouble with my landlady for buying a bed for a cat that hangs around my apartment complex?

Question: I moved into this complex around 3 months ago and there has been this stray cat that sleeps on peoples doormats every night. It's been getting a little chilly (I live in California) and I've been debating buying him a bed. My boyfriend said I might get in trouble with my landlady because it's no pets allowed but if I buy the bed and it put in a hallway outside, would it be okay?

Answer: The only person who can answer this question is your landlady.


Title: [CA] Father slapped 16F hard.

Question:
So this post is for my friend, "M"

She was having oral sex with her boyfriend, "T", when her father walked in on them having sex.  Boyfriend is 17.  Now father has isolated her to her room, not allowing her to come out except for school.  He has taken away cell phone.

He has also started to slap M very hard to the point where someone can see bruises.  He has threatened to report T to the police and press charges if M reports him to CPS.  Father knows age of consent is 18 in California with no close in age exemption, and is hoping this will deter M from reporting father to CPS.

Anyone know likelihood of prosecutor bringing charges to T?

Answer:
 Well, “uninvolved friend”, since you seem more concerned with the consequences of T being reported than M being assaulted, you shouldn’t report anything.Answer #2: If you're not a mandated reporter, I would be strongly inclined to find out what M wants, before doing anything else. Her father is unambiguously abusing her, and if he's threatening a police report if she tells anyone, he knows it.

Prosecuting T is mostly up to police discretion, but if neither T nor M are willing to cooperate with the police voluntarily, there may not be enough evidence to convict T. Neither M nor T should talk to the police about alleged crimes they committed without an attorney - they have a right to remain silent, and should use it by being clear and direct that they will not speak to the police without a lawyer.


Title: Explain DUI

Question: So if the legal limit is 0.08, how can you be charged with DUI in Virginia if you’re under the legal limit????? Why is there even a set limit in the first place if you’re under it?

Answer:
 "When operating a motor vehicle, boat or watercraft
in Virginia, you are legally considered driving or
operating under the influence (DUI) if your blood
alcohol content (BAC) is 0.08 percent or higher. You
may be considered under the influence with a lower
BAC if your ability to operate a motor vehicle, boat
or water craft is impaired. If your driving is affected
because you are under the influence of any drug,
you may face the same penalties as driving under the
influence of alcohol."

-DMV of Virginia

The point isn't an arbitrary blood level.  It's to keep morons from killing people.  If your blood level is 0.05, but that's enough to impair your driving, you shouldn't be driving.Answer #2: 0.08 is not "the legal limit", that's a myth. 0.08 is the *per se* limit, meaning you are automatically impaired and no additional evidence is necessary to show that you were driving under the influence. You can still be charged and convicted of DUI under 0.08 if there is evidence of impairment.


Title: Did she violate our divorce agreement?

Question: I (m) have majority custody of our two teenage boys. Our divorce settlement states that my ex cannot her then boyfriend and boss to have any contact with our boys whatsoever. She had an affair with him and abandoned our marital houshold three years ago. She admitted to the affair in court and easily agreed to the no contact clause. Three weeks ago they flew to Vegas and got married. Last week she took my younger son (14) to her new house and her husband was present. Is she in violation of the divorce settlement? Should I activate a Gaurdian Ad Litem? My older son (16) refuses to have any involvement with him and wants to stay with me full-time. I have no idea if Inhave any recourse here.

Answer:
 Actually I don't know since they are "married" now. The court may say u can't expect the kids to never see her new husband. It's a totally different situation now. If he was still her BF. Then yes totally but being her husband I think u have no grounds to stand on.... I know in my divorce it says kids will have no contact with meaningless relationships as in I cannot bring a girl home from a bar and introduce her to my kids. And it also says once married the kids can have contact with the person. So u may want to look into that. Imo I honestly..... unfortunately....think u don't have any ground to stand on with that since she got married. So basically the kids would never be able to have contact with her new husband? Imo the courts won't allow that.

Again just to opinion and based off what my divorce states. I'm not a lawyer or anything


Title: The place I work gets in troble

Question:
First time asking advice here. And English is not my first language. So if you think I am not clear on something, tell me.

I work at a place that is weird (they locate in CA). They registered as hotel. But they tell everyone this is a student dormitory. I was hired as IT who help them build/fix their network and upgrade network equipment. But end up doing some of the front desk work as well. And for whatever reason they couldn't get enough of student to live in the building for a long time. So they began to find other customer. They found a company who does Birth tourism (WTF I told myself over and over again). And they soon move in with all their woman and cooks and caretaker. While there are still some student inside.

The part I think they got trouble is the kitchen. They are only allow to "prepare" food there. Not cooking. But they want to save money. So they re-model a room to be the kitchen and put all kinds of cooking stove there using propane tank. Nothing is approved by anyone. They do their best to hide it. And I was told to hide it as well.

You see this coming. The county have regular check up to our facility. And this morning they find out the kitchen and all the food. I was found out lying to them about whether we are cooking food there and whether or not we have a kitchen.

Do I get any legal trouble for now? What kind of trouble? Do I allow to leave the state? (As I want to quit and find my brother in other state.

Answer:
 If you lied to government workers then yes, you could get in trouble. Unless you are charged with a crime you can leave the state.

Stop lying to cover other people. It can only come back to bite you


Title: Is there any law in Michigan against hitting someone else's vehicle (with your hand)?

Question:
My family and I were startled at a light by the sound of something hitting our car. A woman on a bike passed by--we weren't sure if she had bumped into us or had hit the car with something deliberately. As she didn't stop, my assumption was that either it was an accident and she was trying to bug out, or she had indeed done it on purpose because I was crowding the bike lane or something (I'm not sure whether I was or not, but it's my best guess for why someone would do that). I rolled down the window and asked her if she just hit our car, but she didn't respond and didn't look--perhaps she didn't hear, perhaps she realized she had just infuriated someone who was rolling next to her in a ton of metal. It wasn't much of an impact and my gut feeling was she had hit the car with her hand. We were late for a birthday party, and although I should have checked to make sure there wasn't damage then and there, I wasn't in the mood and decided to let it go. Once we stopped, I found a neat, dainty little hand print on the back window.

Now I spent a lot of my adult life on the west side of Chicago and watched a fourteen-year-old kid get shot and killed for throwing a snowball at someone's car window. I've seen several people get out of their cars with guns over someone cutting them off. If this was in fact deliberate, I don't take kindly to some privileged, suburban, fanny-pack white woman thinking there are no consequences for dealing with things in this manner. If I ever see her again I'm of a mind to tell her she needs to keep her hands to herself and use her words like a grownup, or get a motherfucking bell, but I would like to know if that would simply be my opinion, or if there is indeed a law that requires her to keep her hands to herself, even though it was my property, not my person, and there was no damage.

And if there is no law against doing this deliberately, I should be within my rights to put a matching hand print on *her* vehicle, right?

**Edit: Looking at these comments I thought I must have posted in the wrong sub at first. I thought this was /r/legaladvice, not /r/usolicitednonlegalopinions.  It's a yes or no question--is there a law against deliberately hitting someone's vehicle, or not? If I was interested in opinions about anything else, that's what I would have asked for.**

Answer:
 >And if there is no law against doing this deliberately, I should be within my rights to put a matching hand print on her vehicle, right?

Are you 12?  Jesus christ it's a hand print on your window.  Getting out because someone touched your window (when for all you know it could have been an accident, she may have lost balance and just reached out to right herself) to try to grab their bike and put your stupid hand print on it is asking for a fight.


Title: Amending the Constitution of the United States

Question:
Is it possible for the American public to alter the constitution through vote. If we were to get say 10 - 15 million voter signatures utilizing a platform such as this: [https://egalitarian.us/initiatives/](https://egalitarian.us/initiatives/)

Could it force a public vote on the topic in a general election?

Could this method work on local initiatives?

Thanks,

Answer:
 No, the public has no direct way to propose an amendment to the Constitution. An amendment can either be proposed through Congress or by a constitutional convention called by state legislatures.

https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/constitutionAnswer #2: Amendments are passed one of two ways:

Proposed by Congress with a 2/3 majority in both the House and the Senate and then confirmed by 3/4 of the state legislatures

or

By a new Constitutional Convention (which has never yet been done) proposed by 2/3 of the state legislatures.Answer #3: Within the structure of the system, no, as others have pointed out.

A sufficiently popular initiative might force Congress' and the states' hands, though, if the alternative is that the public ceases to recognize the legitimacy of the government and forms a new one (i.e., civil war and mass unrest).


Title: NY: Sup. I have a young daughter (1 year old). Her mom and I have 50/50 custody but my mom mostly takes care of my daughter. Baby Momma is pissed about this

Question:
So Im a college student. I had a baby girl with this girl a little out of college. My parents were cool with it and supported me. Hers took a while to come around but after our baby was born, they supported us too (she's too cute to abandon and they realized that they had a granddaughter, whats not to love?).

Anyways, we agreed on 50/50 custody and did everything that we needed to make it official. My mom is a stay at home mom and Im a busy college student (my university is a little far, about 45 min. but I do come home on the weekends and sometimes on the weekdays to help out) and she loves taking care of my daughter. She pretty much told me that I should focus on my studies and that she is more than happy to take care of my baby.

Dont get me wrong, I still love her and I play with her, buy her stuff like food and clothes and toys, and I will always be there for her but I am very busy and my mom is cool with doing a lot of the work.

Unfortunately, my ex has caught onto this and she has been threatening me that she will go to court and get more custody because "I'm not being a good father". Seriously, screw off. I am a good dad. Im just busy. And if she does go to court, my daughter will lose amazing time with her grandma. Thats not fair.

So Should I be concerned?

Answer:
 Unless the custody agreement/decree/order whatever it is says this is not allowed, then you’re probably okay.

But, if she hires a lawyer to try to modify the arrangement, you will probably have to hire one as well to protect your interests. I’m not saying that she will necessarily be successful even if she hires a lawyer, but having a lawyer represent you will help you advance the best arguments for keeping your current arrangement. Answer #2: My cousin went through this same situation, although not in NY, and the judge stated the baby’s grandmother was the baby sitter and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s your 50% and you choose how it’s handled. Answer #3: Not sure what the courts would say...but I think your time in college is best for your daughter at this time as you are preparing yourself to be in the workforce.

I would imagine the courts would not do anything about this as long as there is not any abuse. The courts are so local on this...


Title: [USA] Got a speeding ticket in May. Hired a lawyer for representation, but have not heard back from him since. This week I got a letter about a conviction and a late fee from the Municipal Court

Question: [deleted]

Answer: That's not acceptable, there's millions of people in each state, your identity is fine. Also you're being vague, did you go to your original court date? Is your state one where a lawyer can represent you without you being present? What was the ticket for? Did you contact the lawyer and not get a response at all?


Title: I'm planning a nude bike race to protest CO2 emissions. I have some questions.

Question:
1. Will the first amendment protect my rights to participate in this?
2. Nvm dumb question
3. Could bicycles be ridden on the road? Would there be any stipulations on this?
4. Would I need to get any kind of permit for this event?
5. Would there be any body parts that would have to             be covered?
6. Would posting fliers at my school be illegal?

I live in Mississippi (in the USA)

Answer:
 Maybe these people can help you organize an event that isn’t too “send me to jail-y”

[World Naked Bike Ride](http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org) Answer #2: 1. No
2. Do you enjoy federal prison?
3. Probably.
4. A presidential pardon would be good if you plan on this.
5. Yes. All of the ones that involve public nudity.
6. See 1-4. Answer #3: 1. No. Full public nudity in most states is illegal.
2. See #1.
3. Bikes are road vehicles in most places, doesn't change that for a mass event you'd likely need a permit.
4. Likely.
5. See #1.
6. Probably not, but depends on where you post them and if the school has a place for fliyers and things.


Title: Apartment was entered while we were away, we were not notified by management but by a neighbor.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Emergency entry is either covered in your lease or in state law.

In most states, *notice* is the requirement, not *consent*.  In an emergency, notice may not be possible, so its a secondary consideration to responding to the emergency.

Fear of out of control running water is an emergency.

If your apartment management failed to notify you of the entry, then you've got grounds for an angry phonecall to management.  If failure to notify of emergency entry happens repeatedly, it could maybe rise to the level of breach of contract.

Bottom line is FD was probably justified in entering your apartment.  If you suffered damage as a result of the entry, that's not your landlords fault and not caused by their failure to notify.  You contact your renters insurance (BTW, get renters insurance.  It's dirt cheap).

Only if the failure to notify resulted in damage worse than the entry itself would you have a beef against landlord.  Like if they hadn't told you, causing you to miss the chance to secure the apartment, which led to someone burglarizing your home and taking your TV.  But even then, you'd go through your renters policy (BTW, get renters insurance.  It's dirt cheap.) and let them decide whether to go after the landlord.

Answer #2: I'm curious - did you report this mystery "water turns on" to your landlord previously? That seems to be a weirdness they would want to address.Answer #3: Why would you not want them entering your apartment?  A reasonable person would have though that potentially all of your stuff was getting flooded and thousands of dollars of damages being done to the building and your apartment possibly becoming uninhabitable.

A utilities emergency like this is almost certainly covered somewhere in your lease.


Title: Just paid for a new room, signed tenancy agreement and received keys only to be told that the landlord has refused my tenancy application...

Question:
UK advice would be most helpful.

The letting agency had told me last week the application was successful and all I had to do was signed the tenancy agreement and pay my deposit + first month's rent.

I did these this morning and received my front doors keys. A few hours later the letting agency rings me to tell me the Landlord is furious and had no idea I was moving in. He has refused the agreement on the grounds that I did not provide sufficient evidence of my income (I was never asked to, by him or the letting agency)

Now the letting agency has agreed to refund all monies but I want to know exactly who is in the wrong here. They've said they'll return the money once I return the key but I am reluctant to do so; they have, after all, already lied to me once before.

Many thanks to all who can weigh in on the situation

Answer:
 Does your tenancy agreement say anything about these financial requirements or other reasons they want you to leave?

If not, DO NOT return the key. You have a signed lease from the leasing company you are the legal renter of the home. YOU HAVE ALL THE LEVERAGE HERE. What you do now is dependent on what you want to do. Do you want to live there? Provide them any income verification they need. If they accept it's fine, you move in no more drama. If you do NOT want to live there or for whatever reason they don't approve you you have all the leverage. Does your agreement have any terms on ending the lease early? If so, you should start there? If not, on top of giving all your deposit and fees back they should pay you a sum on top of that. I would ask for the amount equal to your deposit and fees on top of what they owe you. The problem is between the leasing agent and property owner. You don't have to do the any favors.


Title: [London, UK] Neighbour photographed and shared pictures of me masturbating in my flat

Question:
Long story short; I rubbed one out on my sofa like I do pretty regularly but this time I accidentally left a background lamp on.

I'm part of the facebook group for the development I live in and woke up to a post with pictures clearly showing my face about 80 comments long where someone called me out for masturbating in plain view. The comments started out saying I'm filthy I am and showing general concern for "children" at 11pm on a Monday but my mate across the square commented condemning the person and the tide turned and more and more people called her out so she ended up deleting the post.

From my mate's flat across the square I know for a fact that the only way I could be seen is if one were *really trying* to see in and the angle of the photo suggests that it was someone from his building.

This has left me severely embarassed and I'm no longer sure I can walk around or attend social gatherings without being known as "that man who jerks off". Do I have any legal precedence against this person? My privacy has been completely violated but I'm not sure embarassment is a crime.

Answer: Your privacy wasn’t violated if you were wanking in front of a window. You should probably just let it drop or you risk initiating the Streisand Effect. And also buy some curtains.


Title: Lending a friend 10k for school, do I have to worry about anything legally?

Question: Taxes, etc? I trust him 100% to repay (assuming he's able), so that isn't an issue.

Answer:
 Most people who lend money are 100% sure they'll get paid back but lots of them don't. If you can't afford to lose the money don't lend it. Otherwise check what the usury rate is in your state and just make sure you don't exceed that.Answer #2: >  I trust him 100% to repay

So does everybody else who lends their friend a big pile of money and then posts in r/legaladvice asking how to sue them when they ghost.

That said, you don't need to do anything legally. He may have to pay some taxes.


Title: [NM] Recently divorced. Family of ex sent harassing letter to my house listing false allegations.

Question:
Recently divorced from ex. Have 50-50 legal and timeshare custody of bio kids. Ex moved out of home a few weeks ago. A family member of hers was aggressive and hostile to me and a friend who was visiting at the time but we just let it slide. I had my audio recorder going on the whole time to cover my ass, as my ex frequently would claim I said or did things that I did not.

Same family member sent me a 2 page letter alleging that I was abusive and aggressive with my ex and kids, that they're fearful of me and tell mommy that dad tells her that they don't love her anymore. None of this is true, but I worry about potential emotional abuse my young kids may be going through when they're at my ex's house.

Most recently, my daughter (5) told me she "tricked" mommy. I asked her how and she said she told mommy that sometimes she doesn't love me because it gets mommy to stop screaming at her and my son.

Really need to know if there's anything I can do to protect my kids legally in all this. I was told that 50-50 would likely be my best bet as far as custody, although I really did want to be custodial parent because of my ex's emotional issues. Given that there's the potential for manipulation and alienation, my fears have absolutely been through the roof.

- Is this harassing letter enough to get a restraining order against the family member?
- The false allegations are very concerning. She literally dares me at one point to give it to a lawyer, so that they can read the letter and see who I truly am.
- Given what my daughter has told me on Monday, and of the false allegations in the letter of what they said I've told my kids, I'm concerned what they're saying to them in order to manipulate them.

Answer: Do some reading about parental alienation, it is a crime in many states.  Find a lawyer that know all about family law etc.


Title: Was next door for minutes, someone entered my home. Want to call police but need advice. Children involved.

Question:
Some quick backstory - I was raised in an abusive home. Cut ties last year, ending with texts specifically stating to leave me alone and never come to my house again. I need to find it, but it included a text saying I'd proceed with legal action if birth mom kept showing up. Also I live in Ohio, USA.

This morning I was getting my oldest ready for school. I walked next door (same building) to get the sandwich stuff and a few of my things from my neighbors house. I was gone maybe 6 minutes. I came back and my birth mother was on the porch holding my 3 year old son. I have cameras at the door inside and out, and am able to piece it together from that.

My 5yo recognized her when she knocked on the door and told the 3yo to answer it. He did. She came inside, hugged them, then I came up and she was on the porch holding my son.

I want to call the police and file a report about it, but am worried about the fact I was at the neighbors while they were inside. It's the same building and the kids know how to get there, as we're all back and forth frequently.

Answer:
 Your mom didn't break the law here, but this incident should still be reported to the police.  Maybe you can use this as a basis to get a restraining order to keep her away from you and your children.

Don't worry about having stepped out of the house for a few minutes.

Does your camera show where your mom came from?  Is it possible she was watching the house and waiting for her chance?Answer #2: Yeah, dont call the police and say that you left two tiny children in a home unsupervised.

5 yr olds CANNOT babysit! Come on. You do not leave children that young inside a home alone while you go to someone elses home. Even if it is right next door.

And you left the door unlocked. ANyone could have walked in.

You need to make better choices here.

With what sounds like a bad family history, you might be best served with getting into counseling. talk about your up bringing and how you can keep from repeating family history.


Title: Landlord Came Into My Apartment Without Notice In the Middle of the Night

Question:
Hi there - I'm in Boston, Massachusetts.

My landlord has a problem with boundaries. He's actually pretty nice but he just doesn't seem to get basic social cues/boundary rules. It's important to note he lives above my apartment (it's a split house).

I have, however, had a problem with him before entering the apartment without giving me notice. There was a leak in the basement, so he went into my apartment while I wasn't there to look where it's coming from. I very clearly stated he CANNOT do that, and he fought me the whole way about how it counted as an "emergency." Since then, he hasn't bothered us.

However, just now, at 12:30 AM at night, he rang the doorbell. I happened to be awake and reading, but on any other Sunday night, I would've been asleep. I went to the door, assuming something was REALLY wrong, or someone from outside was ringing the doorbell. The landlord's door was open, but no one was there. I shut the door and went back into my room.

I hear my front door open. I open my bedroom door and my landlord is standing there, in my apartment, in front of my bedroom. He says he came down because he can hear my toilet tank running, and he had gone upstairs to get the key since I didn't answer the doorbell. I angrily tell him it's 12:00 at night and he can't be doing this right now, and say as nicely as I can that he needs to leave. He apologizes twice, but says the water bill could go up, and I again say, it's late, please leave.

He has brought up the toilet tank once before and said he entered the apartment to fix it, again, without notice and when I wasn't home. I let it go, but coming in this late at night when I could have been sleeping is too far. And just an FYI: the toilet tank runs seemingly randomly. At this point, I'm going to look into ways of fixing it myself without spending money, if that's possible.

But what the fuck do I do to get through to this guy to tell him he CAN'T do this shit? I'm typing this just after this happened because I honestly got into flight or fight mode from this situation, and I have an adrenaline rush. I do NOT feel comfortable having a strange man appear in my house and who apparently feels okay entering it when he wants. Thanks.

Answer: If there is a water leak the landlord can absolutely enter immediately with no notice regardless of if you are there or not. It is an emergency as a small leak can cause a ton of damage in a short period of time. The running toilet is harder to clarify as an emergency, but with adequate notice he can enter to fix it. Answer #2: Check the bathroom for video cameras.


Title: [Update]: Being cyber-stalked/harassed from a person in another country and he's exhausting all avenues to reach and threaten me

Question:
Link to original post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/aasjau/being_cyberstalkedharassed_from_a_person_in/?ref=share&ref_source=link

TLDR of last post: I've been stalked online for months by a former close friend who lives in New York, while I live in Canada. His threats have been increasing in severity and he knows my full name and address.

Massive thanks to the people who offered their thoughts on my first post, but things have escalated quicker than I expected since then. Again, things might be left intentionally vague but I can expand if necessary.

**Update:**
Yesterday I received an email from the man who had been cyber stalking me for months through what seemed to be a throwaway email. It entailed his suicide note, as he claimed to have attempted the day before and had plans to attempt again very soon.

To expand: In this note he blamed _mostly_ me for driving him to that point and he mentioned having booked a plane ticket for Canada in the near future. He then said he could not wait that long, so he tried to use a knife to attempt suicide the day before but failed, then went on to say something along the lines of _ but you can't make a mistake with a gun_. There isn't any proof of this plane ticket, just his word. But frankly, that absolutely cannot happen. I live with my family, and he sounded deranged in the email and mentioned having a firearm.

Due to the mention of a suicide attempt, I panicked and phoned his local police and from there he was placed on an involuntary mental hold. From there the doctor reached out to me and I forwarded him the note through email. Now that he has been hospitalised, I'm filled with many more questions and concerns. I have no doubt he's going to be furious with me for this, and I can't imagine how much more things can escalate.

I'm not positive if it's due to international limitations or not, but after speaking with the doctor I received two phone calls from the hospital and was immediately put on hold each time, then promptly hung up on. The third time I let it go to voicemail but no voicemail was left, which seems weird from hospital staff. I'm worried my phone details somehow got released to his family and that those were their attempts to reach me.

**Question 1.** Are phone details of a closely related party able to be disclosed to a patient's family if they're above age (over 21), or would that be a privacy concern?

**Question 2.** The doctor gave me his details in the email and I'm considering asking for his advice regarding a no contact order, as I don't believe this situation is resolved. Would this be a good idea?

**Question 3.**  What measures do I take to get a restraining order from Canada in a situation like this? As in, would this be something I would need to go to court for? I need to ensure this man does not have a chance in hell to get on that plane and torment me or my family.

Answer: I hate to scare you because what you did was with good Iberians, but by involving yourself in his life, you have now inadvertently given him the message that you are involved and care about him. This puts you in an even more dangerous position than you were in before. And as someone who has worked in the field of temporary holds for suicide attempts, chances are he will be released after three days back to his home. You need to take action to protect yourself now. Have you taken any of the advice given to you in your previous post?


Title: male employee unlocked door and entered room while I was pumping...can I sue?

Question:
Hi all,

I normally work from home full time but after my maternity leave I was in the office for some training. I was in our designated lactation room pumping with the door locked one day and a male employee unlocked the door and entered the room. He did not knock or stop when I said "I'm in here" as he opened the door. He opened the door, looked at me for a minute, and then left without saying anything or relocking the door. I was mostly exposed at the time and I believe it may have been intentional because there is absolutely nothing in that room other than a few couches, so no reason for him to go in there. He also would have heard my pump as he opened the door, and he unlocked it immediately without even trying it and seeing it was locked first.

I immediately let my boss know what happened and she informed his boss and our HR person. I finished out the week at the office and then came back home full time. I was never contacted by HR and there was no follow up or resolution. This was in January.

Now I am being brought back to work in the office part time and I am extremely uncomfortable with the whole situation. I feel that it was not taken seriously when it happened and there is nothing preventing it from happening again.

Do I have any legal grounds here that might allow me to stay home full time or get them to actually take action to resolve the issue? Am I just SOL?

TIA for any advice you can give me.

ETA I'm in Texas btw

Edit Lots of downvotes happening here. I can only assume many of you are men and thus don't understand how violated I feel. It is not unreasonable for me to hope that there could be a way to at least get my employers attention and get resolution.

To clear up some common questions: The room is a designated lactation room that even says "nursing mothers ONLY" on the door. When the incident occurs I did suggest that he not have the key or that they install a deadbolt but no action was taken. He looked at me for about 10 seconds which was plenty of time for me to see he did not have anything in his ears and for him to see my bare breasts.

I have never been in a situation like this before at work and I appreciate those of you who have given advice without judgement. Unfortunately the corporate world is not very friendly to working mothers and some of you have done a wonderful job of demonstrating that.

Answer:
 It happened once. How is it harassment?  You are assuming a lot here. 1) that he intentionally went in there 2) didn't hear you 3) didnt hear the machine.

He probably goes in there to chill out on the couch as not many women probably use the room, just caught you at the wrong time.

You should talk to HR but not sure what you want here... money? the guy being fired?Answer #2: Why would you sue? What damages would you sue for?Answer #3: >and there is nothing preventing it from happening again.

I would request that the door to the lactation room be re-keyed and that particular individual not be given a key.

Edit: username checks out.Answer #4: Is there a sign on the door that it's for lactation? I wouldn't assume ill intent here. Maybe he was looking for a meeting room and when he heard "I'm in here" he thought it meant "you have the right room for the meeting". Then when he realized you were breast feeding he was mortified.  What sort of resolution are you looking for her? The guy may feel awful about this.Answer #5: It's terrible that you don't feel comfortable in the workplace and what this guy did to you is probably a form of harassment, but a lawsuit won't even begin unless you can demonstrate that you've suffered some form of damage.


Title: Neighbor smokes in her garage and the smell infiltrates my house (VA)

Question:
We rent a condo and have had issues w our neighbors ever since. They somehow seem to have a problem with everything we do, but we’re not gonna talk about that.

So this lady smokes cigarettes in her garage every night and it somehow makes our house smell really bad. It literally smells as if we had been smoking in the house. I can’t stand the smell of cigarettes and I have a 4 month old who I really don’t want to be smelling that.

We texted the landlord and he texted them about it, but told me that they pretty much told him to fuck off.

What can we do? We have an HOA. Is there anyway to complain?

Answer:
 It depends on what the HOA bylaws say about smoking. Technically, it's her private property, so unless the rules she agreed to say otherwise, there's no much you can do to stop her.

You may want to consider hiring a HVAC consultant or someone similar to see if there is a way to seal off your home to keep the smoke/smell out.


Title: Police are using my driveway at a private home as a speed trap kind of thing. (USA NC)

Question: is this legal? I'm tried of waking up every morning and seeing a cop in my driveway. not that i really care just annoying.

Answer:
 I'd consider the pros and cons before asking them to leave.  I live on a relatively quiet residential street, but we still get the occasional idiot who ignores the stop signs, tearing down it at 50+ mph.  I would personally be glad to have someone around who could put a stop to that.

Having to ask an officer to move ~once in the AM seems like a small price to pay.  IMO.


Title: Employee stole from me. She admitted, but now it's a "civil" matter

Question:
I manage a corporate run convenience store in Utah, USA. Any cash shortages in the store are taken directly from my paycheck.

I had an employee that would open my store, count the cash, take our daily deposit to the bank, etc. She is a mother and has had money problems ever since I hired her. She was often short for rent (or so she claimed) and I fronted her the money before pay day a couple of times. I gave her a lot of chances when I should have demoted her, calling in a lot, leaving early and things like that, because I knew she needed to support her family. Well, this past week she quit without notice, saying she was leaving the state. She opened the store, took the deposit to the bank, and let me know later that day that she would no longer be coming to work. A few days later I found out she had stolen cash from the deposit. At least $400, I suspect more.

I alerted my corporate boss, and confronted her.  I informed the police, and an officer tried to speak with her but could not find her. I finally got in touch with her and she fessed up. By the time I got her to admit to taking the money (I have video, but no explicit footage of her pocketing money) her final paycheck had already been processed. My boss then wrote up a short contract for her to sign, admitting that she took the money and agreeing to pay it back. I met with her and she signed it.

I know she has no money and will likely not make any effort to pay me back, so I spoke again with the police officer. He broke the news to me that, because I tried to resolve things with her and came to an "agreement" it was now a "civil matter" and there was no further action he could take. He wouldn't even speak with her, letting her know the police were aware.

So according to him, my only option now is to wait until she defaults (the contract gave her until 1/30/15 to pay) and sue her. This seems crazy to me. She committed a crime, whether she agreed to make recompense or not. How is it solely a civil matter? Despite what I did wrong or should/shouldn't have done, what are my options now? Will she basically get away with this? And if she does end up leaving the state, will she be out of the jurisdiction of anyone who can help? The officer mentioned asset seizure, but that is five months away at best, and I'm afraid she will have disappeared by then.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: formatting

Answer: Your options are to sue her civilly. The police have no obligation to arrest/charge/prosecute anyone. Since you decided to handle it, they do not feel the need to also pursue it criminally. That is their choice.


Title: How can I prevent Grandparents right [Canada]

Question:
First of all, I this is an alt to my main (which you guys know well in BoLA) to prevent said soon-to-be-grandparents (aka my family) to know that we are pregnant. I do not want to go too much into details but i cut contact with them a couple years ago for very good reasons and I want to know how to protect my family from them against [this law](http://www4.gouv.qc.ca/en/Portail/Citoyens/Evenements/separation-divorce/Pages/droits-acces-grandsparents.aspx).

Thanks in advance

Answer: The best way to prevent the Grandparents from suing to maintain a relationship with a grandchild, is to never allow a relationship to be established. Go no contact with the relatives in question.


Title: I am concerned for my daughters safety and am refusing her father’s right to see her. How should I go about this?

Question: My eldest daughter, whom is 17, is with me every week and her father every other weekend. However, she recently informed me of her father offering her marijuana, cigarettes and alcohol. She also says her father is abusive, mentally and physically and claims she no longer feels safe around him. She also says he makes ‘inappropriate jokes’ towards her and amber siblings though she did not elaborate on what exactly they were about. While I most certainly do intend on speaking to an attorney, my daughter is supposed to go with her father this weekend and he has recently threatened us with court, should I not oblige to him letting her see her. After what she has told me, I absolutely refuse to let him see her but am worried of how this might play out. Should he contact the authorities, as he claims, what should I do? What would I say? Once again, I will most definitely be seeing an attorney about this but will not be able to before the weekend. Thank you in advance. (We are located in the state of Texas.)

Answer: You cannot just decide to end his custody. Contact CPS if you feel the children are in danger with him. Consult a lawyer before you do anything else.


Title: Father (diabetic) got dizziness while driving and hit the guard rail on the freeway ramp - received failure to control ticket. Fight it?

Question: Wanted to get an opinion on a situation. Located in Central Ohio. My dad who is in his 70s - was driving in the snow/rain last night. He has multiple health problems (high blood pressure, diabetes, gout) but none of which inhibit his driving. He felt slightly light headed last night and as he was attempting to get off the ramp, slid into the rail and totaled the vehicle. Airbags deployed. Luckily, he's fine but when he called and I arrived - we checked his blood sugar and it was lower than normal. Felt much better after receiving orange juice and crackers. We didn't call the police but a bystander must have called and later cited my father for failure to control. Court date is settled for next week. 2 points on record + fine if we don't fight it. Will documentation from the hospital/ER help him fight this in court? Thanks!

Answer: in your opinion how did your father not fail to control his vehicle?


Title: ISP gave me an obscene quote to lay cable to my house, effectively denying me cable internet in an urban area of Arkansas. Is there someway to fight this?

Question:
My house is approximately 800 feet from a major road according to the ISP in question when they quoted me $30,000 to lay cable to my house. If I lived in a rural area I would be more understanding, however I live on a small farm in the middle of town with subdivisions (that have cable) all around me, and the funniest part is i can literally SEE one of the ISP's brick and mortar stores from my house. Can that ISP effectively deny me service or do I have a legal leg to stand on to get a realistic quote?
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 That is a realistic quote.  That shit is expensive.  There are permits, labor, heavy equipment, materials, and all the other stuff involved in a not insignificant construction project.

You're not being denied service and you have no legal claim against the company.  If you want a different quote, call a bunch of construction companies and see what they would charge to do an equivalent job.


Title: [VA] landlord/tenant: lease breaking due to mold

Question:
Mold has been present on our windowsills for the past two years we've lived here. I've always just cleaned it up with bleach.

Recently, I discovered a corner of a bedroom has mold growing all over it. I've contacted my landlord about mold on the windowsills before and she's always said to just clean it up with bleach. I emailed her about the corner mold last night but haven't heard back yet.

What remedies do I have?

Answer:
 Clean it.

Mold and mildew grow just like dust accumulates. Unless you can tie it to a leaky pipe/roof or some other significant underlying issue, it's not your landlord's problem or a valid reason for breaking the lease w/o consequence. If it's a drafty window causing the problem, your local hardware store offers many cheap options for improving/correcting the seals on the windows.

If the mold is black, you can contact the local health department / building inspector, or a private company, and ask to have it tested. Don't assume it's the infamous "Black Mold". In the unlikely case that it is, then you can force your landlord to take immediate action.


Title: Can Maintenance Force Me to Let Them in the Apartment I Own?

Question:
I live in Alberta, Canada.

Tonight at almost 10 pm, there was a loud banging at my door. It was a man from the apartment complex maintenance demanding I answer. I was in the middle of getting ready for bed and had to answer the door in my pyjamas. Before even approaching the door, I yell out "Who is it?" and received the reply "Emergency situation. Open up!" As I'm getting dressed, the man calls to me a few times to answer the door quickly, and we communicate back and forth a little as I hurried. At one point his yelling and banging freaked out my cat and she started meowing, to which the guy starts actually talking to my cat saying "yeah, she should open up."

As we talk back and forth, I yell to him and ask what is this in regards to? He tells me there's a maintenance issue and I need to hurry. I finally get to the door and I go into the hallway and close the door behind me so he can't enter my apartment. He tells me that the apartment below me is having a water leak and he explains exactly where the leak is. Thinking he's accusing me of causing the flooding, I explain to him that I have no water fixtures in that spot, and start to tell him where the closest one is (literally going to point it out as it was on the wall that lines the apartment hallway) but he barks at me and says he knows where my fixtures are.

He then tells me that he needs to come inspect the wall to see if I'm having a leak. I'm a young woman who lives alone, wearing only pyjamas, being intimidated by a much stronger than me, strange man, plus my phone is currently unavailable as I'm in the process of setting up my brand new cell phone when he interrupted. Hell no am I letting this man into my apartment alone with me.

I ask him what it is I need to look for, and he explains. I return into my apartment, him yelling after me "your walls are soggy, floor is warped, water is dripping, or you can let me in to check and confirm it. Tell me what you decide."

I go over and the wall is bone dry, floor not even a drop of water. I return to the door and tell him so. He doesn't believe me, pushes more with "there's no water?" "No smell?" Finally I convince him and he swears and storms off to the apartment next door to me. As I'm locking my door I hear him banging on the door and yelling "Operations! Open Up!"

Now, I do own my apartment. I pay condo fees and whatnot, but the property belongs to me, the deed is in my name. If a maintenance worker employed by the condo association the apartment I own belongs to tells me there's an emergency situation and he needs immediate access to my property, am I legally obligated to let him in?

Answer:
 If there's potential that a common area or someone else's property is affected by something going on in your unit, then the answer is probably Yes, they can have emergency access in order to address the issue to mitigate a worse problem.

It's likely spelled out in your HOA's rules.Answer #2: Ask him for some sort of id to prove that he's actually the maintenance guy. Or see if you can get in contact with the people in the unit that's su[posedly flooding.Answer #3: Not Legal Advice, but HoA/CoA Advice:

Condo associations usually have language in their master deed/declaration of trust/covenants that they can enter any unit (and even force the door open) to stop catastrophic damage from things like water leaks.

Sometimes the leak is inside a wall, behind the shower tile.  You'll never know it's there, but it's constantly dripping out and leaking into the lower unit.  Now, those are slow and probably don't rise to the level of "bang on the door at night and demand entry", but I suppose if the water built up for a while and then some dry wall gave way, it could seem like it is raining buckets.

In the US, you can be liable for all damages to other units, as well as common area damages, if a leak from your unit causes damage elsewhere.  I strongly advise you to get condo insurance, at the very least you can make a claim on your condo policy to pay the building's master policy if there's hundreds of thousands of dollars damage due to leaks.

You pay ~$500 in deductible, your policy then pays the $15,000 master deductible, and then the master policy pays to fix everything.


Title: Neighbor keeps parking in shared easement [Washington State/King County]

Question:
Hi there, r/legaladvice.  Long time reader, first time contributor (with a throwaway.)

I have a problem that I'd love to get your perspective on.  It relates to real-estate, easements, and neighbors.   I live in King County in Washington State. I already have a lawyer that I am speaking with about this.

The facts relating to the easement:

* I am a new owner of this house as of May.
* The lots are fairly deep (250 ft deep) with a shared driveway between them going to the back that lets my neighbor and I reach each of our buildings in the back.
* There is an easement that describes that neither party has exclusive use of the driveway.
* I wrote the neighbor a letter asking him to please keep the easement clear so we can both use it freely, and included a copy of that easement.
* I've asked him to not park in the easement.
* He tells me that he didn't sign anything, and it's always been his to use.
* He and his family continue to park in the easement, making it so I have to get his permission by way of asking him to move vehicles to get back to my building in the back.

Additional details that surround the situation:

* He does not have a registered business as a gunsmith at the address, and seems to not have a federal firearms license.
* He operates as a gunsmith out of his house (and his customers have knocked on my door.)
* There is bb gun damage to the windows of my shop building in the back, which has line of sight on the neighbor's back deck.  I don't know if they happened before I moved in or after, but I noticed them a couple weeks after moving in.
* He used to live in the house I now own.
* I have found his customers parked in my yard.

Here's some more subjective / opinionated parts of this:

* My neighbor seems to be an alcoholic.
* He has accused me of being "a shithead" and "unneighborly" for wanting the shared driveway kept clear so that we can both use it freely.

Unsubstantiated suspicions:

* One of the tires on my trailer was cut, and was parked in the back area where he might have had unobserved access to damage it, and I think he may have done it.
* I think he shot my windows.
* I think he's an unlicensed gunsmith.

So, r/legaladvice:

I'm aware that there's plenty of room for this situation to escalate if I keep pressuring him to not park there. I don't want to be beholden to him moving his truck and his daughter's car out of the way.  I am concerned, but partially self-servingly so, that he's operating an illegal gunsmith operation, violating federal law. I'm aware that there are certain risks with reporting a potentially alcoholic gunsmith to the ATF.

What do you think I should do about this?

Edit:

* I hear you all want a diagram, here you go - http://imgur.com/VanpsNC

Edit #2:

* A trip to city hall confirmed that he does not have a business license.  So, he's definitely operating as an unlicensed gunsmith, no doubt about it.

Answer:
 OK so there are a lot of different legal issues here. If you think he's illegally operating a gunsmith, [report him to the ATF](http://www.justice.gov/actioncenter/report-crime#atf). That's not going to solve your easement issue though. I can't really help with that one.

Set up a security camera that can see his porch. You'll be able to see if he's shooting your deck. If so, sue him for the damage and call the police.

Answer #2: You may get a better response if you include a shitty MS Paint drawing of the situation.

In any case, document everything. Install a camera or take pictures when he parks on the shared driveway. Put a fence around your yard and no trespassing signs so that you can call the police for trespassing on any of his customers parking in your yard.

If the situation continues you'll probably want to consult with a lawyer on taking legal action. It sounds like a case where even just a strongly worded letter from a lawyer may help and it wouldn't damage the neighborly relations as much as actually going to court.Answer #3: You should be able to look up his address to see if there's an FFL on file for the location. An FFL is not difficult to acquire, could you elaborate on why you think he doesn't have one?


Title: My husband and I want to raise my 11 year old brother from here on out. How can we best protect him/us from my parents screwing us over?

Question:
Long story short, my parents are remarried with other kids, and really never put much effort into raising me after I was 10 years old. It was actually pretty rough and I've since had abandonment issues along with not being NEAR where I thought I would education wise. An example of the disfunction that is my parents is when I was 14 and again at 18, I desperately needed an emergency root canal (because I wasn't taken to the dentist when I said I needed to go) and nobody would pay for it/take me because "your [MOM/DAD] needs to cover it". One tooth ended up falling out and my bf at 18 payed for the other one... My parents are also NOT anywhere near the poverty line...
Anyway... I have talked a little bit with my Dad before about him living with us and the plan being, instead of sending child support between each other, they send it to us. So I'm not worried about them all of sudden wanted to raise/care for/wanting my brother back... But they can't even send each other $$$ without a court order, how can we ensure they wouldn't leave us hanging? (Which they do with promises on a consistent basis, especially financial). I really don't want to rely on for $$$ at all, but my husband is in grad school, I, undergrad, and we have a 6 month old baby. I feel like it would be the only fair way to give my brother a decent life (his own room, decent clothes, etc.).

Also how can we approach things like medical bills and unexpected expenses? Should we just be saving for that out of the monthly check?

TLDR; How do we not allow my parents to completely wash their hands of responsibility of my brother if my husband and I become his "parents"?

Answer:
 Do you have custody or guardianship of him already?

Saw your edit: absent a court order you cannot force them to do anything. You can sue them for expenses if you want but that takes a lot of time.

You can file for guardianship and support but they can just say he can return home and problem solved.
Answer #2: I am a Lawyer.

This absolutely must be done through the courts. You need formal guardianship and probably adoption. There must be a court order saying who pays child support to whom.

If they are neglecting him the way they did you ( failure to provide medical and dental care is neglect), Child and Family Services in your state will help.

It will be easier if both parents agree, but to avoid their changing their minds and screwing everyone over, there absolutely must by court orders.

Legal Aid, Child Protectice Services  and some of the law school legal clinics can assist with low cost representation.

You are a good person and this is a fight worth fightingAnswer #3: Three ways.  1) they consent.  2) CPS determines that there is abuse and places him with you 3) you go through probate and probate determines a transfer of guardianship is I'm your brothers best interest.

2 is not going to happen unless there is significant abuse.  3 is not going to happen unless there is significant neglect or abuse.  You need to shoot for 1.

Assuming you are successful, you will have to sue them for child support.  And then if they don't obey you have to get the order enforced.

All of this requires an attorney.


Title: [PA] Was hit by another car and they are adamantly denying responsibility

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >Does my car insurance company take care of it?

Yup. Let them know that there's a threat to sue you, and once you are served make sure you get everything to the insurance company ASAP. Answer #2: Inform your insurance company that you are being sued by the other drive's insurance company and let them handle it.


Title: [Fl] Father Wants To Cancel Lease Due to Troubled Situation

Question:
Hi there,
First time posting here and looking for some advice to help my father out to get out of a lease.

A little bit of information of what's going on is that someone in his apartment building called the FBI to leave a tip saying he shared similar physical traits to the bank robber. The manager of the apartment building called my father over to the office and that was when he was approached by FBI agents and was asked questions. They showed a picture of the bank robber to my father and from what I'm told, the robber and my father shared a somewhat similar chin but that was it. They wanted to search my father's apartment unit and his vehicle to which my father denied them. He feels uncomfortable with what happened,wants to leave the apartment complex and live with me at my house.

The problem is that he signed a 1 year lease contract but never got a copy of it after 3-4 months of not getting it. I told him to obtain it. Now he is going to make a letter and deliver it to the manager in person. I told him to try to either talk to the manager about ending the contract or finding an early termination clause in the contract. I am not familiar with the renting laws in Florida so I really don't know how to help my father in this situation. I did tell him to get a lawyer just in case he gets confronted again by the FBI.

So I want to know if there is any action that he can/must  do with this ongoing situation or will he just have to wait til the contract ends and just suck it up.

Answer: This will not allow him to break a lease. Also, it is absolutely not the landlord's job to ensure that your father has a copy of the lease. He should have ensured that he got a copy the moment that it was signed.


Title: Got a girl on a work/school visa Pregnant?

Question:
Hello, If I got a girl on either a work visa or a school visa pregnant what are my options? We are not together and her visa is up in March. Do I have to send money to her country? Do I get to see the baby?

Edit: She currently lives in Nevada and I live in California

Answer: You are going to need to talk to a family law attorney who has experience with international custody.  So much depends on where she is a citizen of and what she intends to do.Answer #2: Very good chance this is a scam. Answer #3: Does she live outside the US normally? Many countries have reciprocal agreements for recognizing child support and custody. You'd want to confirm paternity when the baby is born. Then you'd figure out custody and visitation through the courts.


Title: Neighbor's yard smells unbearably of dog feces. Need options.

Question:
My neighbor breeds and sells Rottweilers. That's fine. However, the female lives indoors while the 4-5 males live outdoors in a fence barely big enough for one small pup. This is in the Atlanta area, so all seasons, these poor Rottweilers are outdoors with no cover. That's the thing I'm most upset about.

However, I can't enjoy my patio or yard because every time the wind blows toward me, my nostrils are burned with weeks worth of poo smell. And, when it rains, the runoff from their yard pools in my backyard, washing the waste and making it my problem.

The one time that animal control actually came, they just mentioned to the humans of the house that I complained. The neighbor confronted me when he saw me outside one day. What are my options to have this handled without having an angry neighbor until I move (I own the house and don't want to move)

Answer:
 Code Enforcement will do more than Animal Control, due to the run off issue. If they react or get in your face about it, call the police.

Also, is Animal Control okay with that many animals in one property? Most codes limit to 2 or 3 dogs per household due to the issues you are experiencing.


Title: Wife threatens to call police and tell them I have hit her.

Question:
I haven't, if that matters. But if she does, what will likely happen to me? Richmond, Virginia.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 So you're moving out, right?

This is the kind of threat you let your lady or man make once -- to your back, as you walk away. If this is the kind of relationship she wants to have, you have no relationship. Answer #2: The police will come investigate the report.

If they develop sufficient evidence to establish probable cause then you will be arrested and criminally charged.

The only defense to this threat is to either

1.) Videotape every moment that you are together.

2.) Never be alone with her ever.


Title: not sure where to start... please help!

Question:
I'm in a situation that involves some back story so I'm afraid this may be a little long. When I was 13 I was molested by my grandfather. He groped my chest. I told my parents who then told the rest of my family who proceeded to call me a liar. Nothing else was done. Then about six months later he did it again but this time it was down my pants and he touched my privates. I told my parents again and my mother believed me but my father didn't. My grandfather is my father's father. My dad handled the situation poorly and asked little 13 year old me, over and over and over again,what happened and if it was the truth. After hours of him questioning and not believing me I just broke. I told him what he wanted to hear. He made me go to where my grandfather was living at the time and forced me to apologize to everyone in the house hold. There was about 10 people living there at the time. I was totally defeated.

Shortly after, I started getting sexually abused by a cousin who was the same age as me, but he was twice my size. He would lure me into an area so he could over power me. He would stand behind me, hold my arms down, and force his hand down the front of my pants. He even made a sick game of it.

I never said anything to anyone just because of how everything was handled with my grandfather. The abuse continued until I was a junior in high school. That's when I moved with my parents to another city.

Fast Forward to now. My cousin has now got a family of five. Him, his wife, two children and one step child. My cousin was recently removed from his home due to his step daughter claiming that she has been being abused by him. The problem is that the only people who are believing her is the professionals. The counselors and psychologist that shes seeing. I myself feel so bad for her because I know how she feels.

The only way I can think to help this child is to testify against him. Tell the judge and jury my side of the story so that way it can help the case against him. I just don't know where to start. Do I contact the police in the county where this is going on? Please help me so I can help her.

TL;DR I was sexually abused by my cousin , didn't tell, now he's abusing his stepchild and I want to help her and don't know where to start.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Call the agency that handled the call, ask to speak to the detective assigned to the case. Tell them what you just told us.


Title: 16 year old of divorced parents, need advice

Question: I am a 16 year old with divorced parents, a mother and a remarried father. Recently I had a severe burn injury, and my father seems to be going through some type of PTSD, but refuses to go to counseling or get any help. He has been angry and sad, punishing me for virtually no reason and getting angry when I ask why. I play video games a lot and am kind of antisocial, but I am perfectly healthy and active. My social awkwardness has always been a big point of embarrassment to me. With my dad's recent mood change, he has begun to go so far as to call me a 'Little bitch' and a 'lazy shit' repeatedly, just because I am reluctant to partake in social activities. This usually ends up in me feeling like trash for the rest of the day. My mom, on the other hand, has never called me a rude name in her life. We have a great relationship and she is perfectly capable of caring for me. When my parents were divorced, my mom got custody, and had it until I was 11, when her house burned down, putting her in a very difficult financial position. She gave custody to my dad, and I have been there since. I now want to try going back to live with her, since I am losing sleep and becoming incredibly stressed out because of my dad's behavior. I care about his feelings, but sometimes I feel like he doesn't care about mine. How do I go about transitioning back into my mom's house? I live in North Carolina, btw.

Answer:
 Your mom needs to go to court to get the custody arrangement changed

How does the burn injury play into your story? If you are afraid at home or your father is not getting you appropriate care, call CPS and/or the police.Answer #2: As was already said, your mom will have to either work it out with your dad or go to court to have the custody order changed. If it’s the latter, the good news is that at 16, the court will take your wishes into consideration.


Title: Brother drove my car under false pretenses

Question:
For the past week I have let my brother (uninsured) drive my car from home back to work on a daily basis.   This time however he drove  it out of state without my permission and he got into a minor accident. My car body is damaged, and the other driver is out of a bumper. My brother acknowledged his mistake and said he would be for the damages.  I have him on file saying this on SMS.  However since then he has backtracked everything he said and refuses to pay for the damages.

Can I get the police involved?  I live in Northern VA

Answer: Police will likely say it is a civil matter. Small claims court can handle this.


Title: [NYC] Mom fired, denied unemployement, now employer offering job on day of hearing.

Question:
Hi all

About 2 months ago, my mom was fired from her job. The owner of the business ordered her to leave the building ASAP (Though, she was on the phone with my mom's manager and not physically there). My mom didn't do anything malicious or worth denying unemployment. However, her claim for unemployment was declined because the employer submitted a statement saying that my mom resigned.

She has a hearing scheduled this Monday. Well, earlier this week my mom received a call from a someone at a different site of the same business to get hired. My mom said yes she'll start, but cannot work Monday because she has a prior engagement. They told her to go visit the site today and she did. There, she reiterated that she would not be able to work Monday and asked that the person relay that information to the business owner. Later, she received a call to come into work on Monday.

At this point, my mom isn't planning to start the job and instead attend the hearing for the 2 months of unemployment that she was owed. Will that hinder her unemployment hearing in any way? Such as "we offered her another job and she didn't take it".

The reasoning for going to the hearing instead of starting the job isn't really for the 2 months of pay but instead because she'd rather not work for the business owner after the false unemployment statement, and the *convenient* starting date for her job.

Or should she just go to work on Monday and for get about the 2 months of unemployment (to a max of 6 months) and have a job indefinitely?

Answer: Thinking that all will be well if she goes to work seems like something she would regret. I think her best bet would be to go to the hearing. IANAL


Title: [HI] Selling a house that currently has renters?

Question:
I own a residential property in Hawaii that has long-term renters in it; they were originally on a 12 month lease, but have been month-to-month for some time.

I'm considering selling the property in the next 6 months, but want to make sure I handle it both legally and reasonably.

* How much advance notice should I give my renters before listing the place?
* What should I expect as far as ability for my realtor to show the place while the renters are still there?
* At what point should I notify them (and how) of a sale?
* What else should I be thinking about?

I'm not 100% sure that I even want to sell, but I do want to understand what it would look like if I do.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: If I were the renters, I'd like to be offered the house to buy, before you list it.


Title: [Detroit, MI] Is it legal to pay for a Windsor prostitute to cross the border and perform their services?

Question: As the title says, is it legal if a Detroiter were to pay a Windsor escort to cross into Michigan and perform their services in Detroit? The transaction would be to Windsor. What is the legality behind this?

Answer: A crime occurs wherever any part, no matter how small, takes place. So it would still be a crime, and probably a federal one at that.


Title: I have over $2800 on my student meal plan and my university will not let it roll over to next year or refund me

Question:
This year i put on the maximum allowance of money for my meal plan and ended up, due to torn acl and family emergencies, commuting and going home a lot. Therefore, I was never able to use my meal plan as planned.

Now $2800 is pretty much a small scholarship so I had asked my counceler if there was anyway to get the money back or atleast some of it. My University apparently says that they won’t refund me no matter how much is in the account. That it is clearly stated when putting money into the account.

Is there any way I can try to get the money back? So far I’ve thought of writing to the dean of students?
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: Do you have convenience type stores on campus? My university has similar rules, meal points were non-refundable and couldn’t roll. So, at the end of every semester you would see students going to the convenience stores on campus that accepted meal points buying stock of toilet paper, toothpaste, non-perishables, etc. to use up the money.


Title: My uncle's neighbor complained to the village about his old car he keeps on his driveway and now he has to keep it covered. What legal action can the village/neighbor actually take against my uncle if he doesn't want to? [IL]

Question:
My uncle's car (His first car, not his current one) is old and beat-up. He keeps it out on his driveway because he doesn't want to get rid of it and there's no room for it in his garage. I'll admit it's definitely not the prettiest thing to look at, but it's just a car. It's not like it's hurting anybody. Because his neighbor complained to the village he now has to keep it covered. Is there is any legal action the village/his neighbor can actually take against my uncle for an uncovered car on his own property?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Does the car have active license plates? Some cities have ordinances against storing vehicles in the open w/o active registrations.


Title: [PA] Two months since I got laid off from my job. Missing 60+ hours and in desperate need of my paycheck. Department of Labor being no help.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >They admitted to me in an email that they are having "financial issues" which I could understand, yet I talk to someone who still has a job in another location who states he is still being paid.

Devil's advocate, but it still seems plausible. Paying active employees (ones that keep the business running) is a much higher priority for a company in distress than paying ones who have already left.

>For about 3 weeks now I am bring ignored and the department of labor seems to be busy doing other things.

Wage cases aren't resolved in 3 weeks. They take a lot of time. Government bureaucracy is not geared for fast results. I would expect at least a month or two, possibly more.

>I felt the answer itself was a little rude when it was a simple "this is what we are doing" kind of answer I was looking for.

It's a government investigation - they can't really live tweet it, you know. They will let you know when they need your help.

Unfortunately there is not a lot you can do to expedite a DOL wage claim. These things do, indeed, take time.


Title: [Pennsylvania] Am I entitled to any of my estranged wife’s inheritance?

Question:
My wife and I separated at the beginning of July. We don’t have any formal papers legally separating us, but we do have a word doc agreement outlining how we planned to handle custody, belongings, etc. one of the tenets was that our finances would be separate after July 1.

We separated somewhat amicably, agreeing not to move our kids and that we would share custody and expenses 50/50, alternating every other week. After 18 years we just weren’t good for each other any more, we both have our faults. It is something we talked about for months before moving forward.

This week, her mother passed very unexpectedly. It is very sad for our family. Her father passed a few years ago and they only had one other child, my wife’s brother.

It turns out her mother had several hundred thousand dollars in savings, haven’t heard about life insurance policies or what is actually in her will yet. Despite our separation, I’m trying to help my wife sort through what happens now, it is up to her to plan the funeral, etc.

My question is: how binding is our word document agreement? I’m not really after money that her mom left, but I’m afraid now that she has more disposable resources she will hire attorneys to try to force a change in our custody arrangement.

If she tries to alter the deal, is it fair to fight fire with fire? We haven’t filed any type of divorce, so are still legally married, but I’m not interested in a reconciliation even if she would be.

I want to make very clear I don’t want this money. I didn’t earn it and we agreed to separate finances. I just don’t want to lose custody of my kids.

Answer: No, you're not entitled to any of the money.


Title: Update: Landlord threatening to evict me for having (gay) sex in my apartment. Good news!

Question:
Well, here's my update! And with good news!

So first of all, I just wanted to say: wow. The amount of support I received, both in replies and in PMs, was absolutely amazing. Everything from fantastic advice to hilarious commentary. The person who said "Sand is a weird name for a guy" had me in stitches.

That said - I feel like people assumed a much worse picture of my landlord (people telling me to buy cameras, etc). He's a nice enough person, but has some very problematic views. He grew up in rural (Arkansas, I think? That or Alabama) and came to MA later in life. This was his first time being a landlord, so he still had the idea in his head that it was "his house", so to speak. That, coupled with the fact that up till now he'd avoided even talking with people who were openly gay, led to a lot of ignorance.

I know some of you were hoping I'd screw him over for all he's worth, or torment him with daily updates of my gay agenda, but alas, I decided to take the calmer approach, and it seemed to work.

Yesterday I sat down with him, and first laid out the various information that you guys helped me find. Everything from sexual orientation being a protected class, treble damages, and the fact that those old laws and 100% completely unenforceable. He realized VERY quickly that he was in the wrong, and he has fucked up bad. He also admitted that even he didn't know what he defined as "the sin of homosexuality", or how he'd enforce the fine. He just kneejerk reacted to the (to him) shocking news.

We ended up chatting for about 2 hours then, and it started with me dispelling a lot of misconceptions about gays (some of his notions were comically bad - like, if I weren't having the conversation with him I'd think he were a caricature). He's a lot older than me, and his kids recently moved across the country (and he was renting their house for him), so I think he had some notions of being a father figure to me, and thinking he could "lay down the law" or "set me straight". He seemed genuine, and seemed to be legitimately concerned for me and my soul. I reminded him to hate the sin and not the sinner, and that seemed to resonate with him.

He still doesn't agree with homosexuality or my lifestyle, but he's willing to accept it. He seemed to be earnestly trying, and in my mind that counts for a lot. He agreed to write both me and my boyfriend a letter of apology (which I will be keeping copies of in case this matter comes up again and needs to go to court).

The past few days have been super stressful, but it seems to be resolved. If things go well, I might even potentially renew the lease come September. I'll still be on guard for any shenanigans, but I think I'll leave the issue where it lies for now. If this was all a ruse or him backpedaling, I'll go at him with everything I can in the future - but for now I'm satisfied. I'm truly appreciative of all the people who offered advice and moral (and immoral!) support in the original thread.

Answer: For those interested, discussion of this update is ongoing in [this bestoflegaladvice thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/bestoflegaladvice/comments/7mo9wq/laop_lays_down_the_law_and_changes_the_mind_of_an/).


Title: [MA] Water damage in condo. Home owner's insurance says condo insurance should pay, condo insurance says home owner's insurance should pay. Should I sue them both and have a judge decide who is responsible?

Question:
A little over a year ago there was some water damage in my condo due to a frozen pipes. From what I've come to learn, in Massachusetts the liability is determined by the condominium by-laws. Unfortunately for me, the adjusters for my HO6 policy (home owner's) and the master policy (condo building) have different interpretations of the by-laws and are pointing fingers at each other.

What are my options here? Should I sue my HO6 and the condo building insurance and let a judge decide who is responsible? Are there any state agencies I can go to that might help me here?

Note: If I have to sue I think I can do this in small claims court. The damage total was just over $12k, and I already got a check from the HO6 for $5k to cover the master deductible. (I haven't cashed that yet though.) The MA small claims limit is $7k, which is just under the difference between the damage and the payment already issued.

Answer:
 > What are my options here? Should I sue my HO6 and the condo building insurance and let a judge decide who is responsible?

Pretty much. Ideally, they would sort this out among themselves and not leave you in the lurch.

You'd be well served by making an appointment with a local attorney familiar with condo litigation for a consultation to discuss who is likely responsible, whether small claims is appropriate, and how to frame your claim in court.


Title: [Canada, ON] I've been told an ex in-law is planning on killing me. How can I handle this without escalating the situation?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Keep documenting everything and reporting it to the police. Evidently the police will ask them to come to the police station to be question.


Title: State Highway Patrol said I was doing 98 ticket says 91 worth fighting?

Question:
Title pretty much says it all but I was pulled over on the turnpike (70MPH) I was in the far right lane and pulled over and the statey said he clocked me doing 98 I told him that I don’t think I was going nearly that fast ( I was doing 80 tops with cruise control set) then issued me a citation with my clocked speed at 91MPH. Personal appearance in court is not mandatory but I am considering going since I believe the statey lied to me. Do I have a fighting chance or should I just pay the ticket online?

Edit: location Ohio

Answer: What? You want to dispute the fact that the ticket was *less* than what the officer said you were actually going? How do you think that’s going to play out for you?Answer #2: I do not think that anyone has ever asked how to have the speed on their ticket increased to reflect their actual numbers.


Title: [OR/AZ] A friend and I had a falling out, now they're threatening a source of my income.

Question:
Hey there /r/legaladvice. Using a throwaway here.

Around the beginning of this year I was contacted by a friendly acquaintance I had known for years asking me if they could stay with me for a convention in the area that we would both be vendors at in February. I told them that sure, they could, and I had no problem with it. Convention comes and goes, and then about a week afterwards there was some fallout and we decided to go our separate ways.

The fallout had nothing to do with the convention but of a personal matter.

This person made it clear in no uncertain terms that they didn't want to have anything to do with me anymore, and I respected that wish and never contacted them again.

I've never once talked about this person online, blasting them, or even "vaguebooked" about them.

During the time this was happening, and every few weeks like clockwork, this person would send me some very nasty texts and emails, commenting on what a horrible person I was, etc. I never replied (in kind or at all) and just let them rant and rave. It finally died down a bit until this last week.

Here's where the income thing comes in.

We're both members of a fairly niche convention circuit. There's about half a dozen shows over the next few months we're both supposed to be vendors at. As far as I was concerned, the matter was closed; I sell my stuff, you sell yours, and we have the professionalism to ignore each other and get on with our lives.

Two days ago I got a very long text message filled with more "commentary" and a threat that if this person sees me at the next show, that "there will be trouble." I have no intention of interacting with this person and I finally broke my silence and emailed them, stating that I had no desire to have anything to do with them, but I wasn't going to cancel my spots at the next few shows just because they were going to be there. I also stated that they were not to contact me again, and if they did, I would consider it harassment and do what I needed to legally protect myself. I blocked this person on all social media, blocked their email, and blocked their number from my phone.

I got over this whole thing months ago, and I've already moved on from it chalking it up to a lesson learned.

This morning I have a few showrunners for this next event and a few after it contact me to "get my side of the story" because this person is now reaching out to them saying they feel threatened by me. In short, they're trying to get me booted as a vendor from these shows. If this happens, I stand to lose a lot of speculative income, and I'll lose the very *real* income of the thousands of dollars I've paid to secure my spot at these shows.

This person has more "pull" in the circuit than I do. They've been doing it for a few years and I've only been doing it for a little over one, and upon doing some digging, they have indeed gotten people banned from shows. I don't know the circumstances behind those, but I do know it's been done.

I'm unsure what to do here. I've taken a lot of written abuse from this person (all of which I've saved) off and on for months now but simply let it roll off my back because I've had other things to focus on and I never made any reply to any of it until the email I sent last night.

This convention circuit is a source of secondary income for me but it is the *only* income this person gets. I'm not trying to get this person banned from any shows "before they get me banned" because I absolutely *do not* want their income to be affected. I was willing to let all the verbal abuse go, but now this person is seriously making threats that could affect my income.

I just want to be able to sell my stuff in peace. That's all.

What's might be the best way to handle this? I'm in AZ, this person is in OR.

Answer: Be honest with the showrunners; show them all communications you've had with this person. If this does end up getting you removed as a vendor at the convention, you may have a claim against this person due to damages for slander/libel.


Title: [Raleigh, NC] HELP! Had a disagreement with my attorney and now I'm 3 days away from a court date with no lawyer (DUI)

Question: As the title shows, I am in a huge pickle. I truly felt that my attorney did not have my best interests in mind and we had a falling out yesterday evening, I'm now without legal representation and my court date is 3 days away. What can/should I do!

Answer: Hire another attorney.Answer #2: You should seek out another attorney immediately. What kind of court date? You may be able to get a continuance, but if it's just a status conference or a pretrial, you may not need to as there is not a ton of prep required for a newly retained attorney to appear at one of those.


Title: Getting threatened over facebook

Question:
[Washington State]
I've been getting threatened over Facebook messages by my girlfriends ex. He's been saying things like when I leave my place of work I will be shot, and he has told me that he is going to harm my family, or have people harm me and my family. I'm just wondering what to do, I'm worried going to the police will only make him more upset and cause him to actually do something.

Answer: If you don't want to call the police, you can try batman, superman, or the superhero of your choice. I'd recommend the police though.


Title: How much notice is typically required for not renewing an apartment lease?

Question:
My lease is up 8/15 and I emailed my landlord notice that I'm not renewing and she replied I need to give 60 days notice.

I don't have a digital copy of my lease so I have to wait until I get home to confirm it reads 60 days.

I'm giving her 54 days notice and that extra 6 days doesn't seem like a big deal.  But I was curious if this is enforceable.

Answer: If you agreed to 60 days, that's the end of that discussion. You didn't agree to almost 60 days.


Title: Harassed by computer at work only.

Question:
I am located in the United States in Virginia.  I work for a local municipality as a civil servant.  I come in contact with many people a day and sometimes do not give good news.

I started receiving emails from a gmail account on the 12th saying I was having an affair with her husband.  I was also receiving phone calls on my work phone where the caller ID came up 000000000.  This person gives no names in their threats.  They say that I'm divorced (I'm not) and that I am currently in a committed relationship with another man (only my husband of 13 years) and that my children know and lie for me.  She will not give me a husband's name because "I must be cheating on so many men I can't remember and she will not tell me".  She gets my name right when she calls me and knows my name when she is emailing but that's all she has given me other than generalizations.

She threatened to email my peers and family if I didn't "fess up".  Of course there is nothing to fess up so I didn't.  She proceeded to find the email directory and emailed every woman I work with telling them that I should watch out for me around their husbands and boyfriends.  I am so embarassed!

I asked management to work with me on coming into work so I could make sure someone walks in with me because I am afraid.  They said they basically only cared that I punch in on time and they would not assign another employee to walk in with me because it is not their problem.  It is my problem.  My walk into the building to the time clock is not their concern and neither is my time after I punch out.  In the meantime I am getting threats on my city computer and city phone.

I have made a report and the Police are doing all they can.  They have had to send a summons to Google to get the IP address and information of the person who is emailing me.  In the meantime, I dread every day coming into work and am fearful that they will also make good on their threat to harm me and my family.

I called the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry and was informed they only handle workplace violence when they are all internal employees and since my harasser is unknown, they could not help.  They agreed the City has no obligation to help me but should WANT to help me. It's just basically a dick move they aren't helping.

Is there anything else I can do in the meantime?  I feel so  helpless!

Thank you for any suggestions.

TL:dr - being harassed and emailed at work at a local government office by an unknown person.  Feel helpless and hope for suggestions on what to do.

EDIT:  I have told my family about the emails and the ridiculous accusations and threats.  My husband, children, family and friends know that I am not cheating on my husband and are very worried and supportive.

Also, they have threatened me with physical violence and threatened to confront my husband and children.
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 > Is there anything else I can do in the meantime?

Talk to your superiors about blocking that email address.  That's a trivial thing for your IT guy to do.  Same with the telephone number.


Title: Hotel is telling me to purchase google play card in order to receive refund

Question:
Hello reddit.

I recently had a very bad experience with a hotel by the name of Paramount hotel. I called customer service to explain the situation and they told me the only way I’d receive a refund is if I’d purchase a google play card for the same amount of money I spent on the hotel for the refund number and they would refund me the money of the hotel and the money of the card.

Is this a scam? How will I know they will send me the money they have promised?

Thank you.

Answer:
 This is very very scammy.  No legit customer service would ask you to buy a google play card just to get a refund.Answer #2: The Paramount Times Square is a major hotel. Created by Ian Schrager, and with fine dining restaurants.

Not sure how you reached "customer service" but this is absolute fraud. If they've hired an agent engaging in fraud, they'd certainly want to know.

Go up the chain of command. It's currently owned by RFR Hotel Group, so if no one in Paramount's customer service will respond to you, contact corporate.