Title: Recently purchased a home in MD that was flipped; shoddy workmanship. Do I have recourse?

Question:
Hello, My wife and I purchased a home in Maryland in early 2014. The house was originally built in 1946, but was purchased and renovated by a real estate company, prior to selling. In this case, the seller and the real estate company were one in the same. Since our purchase, a bunch of problems have occurred to and within the home. Some of the smaller issues include the kitchen garbage disposal not being installed correctly which leaked water in some of the lower shelving units, shipping bolts not removed from clothes washer, and two closet wall shelves collapsing and being torn from their walls even though there was what I would consider to a reasonable amount of clothes boxes places on them. Several pieces of our siding has fallen off, or is partially off. More serious problems include a faulty rain drainage system in addition to poor general water drainage which caused water to enter our home during heavy rain on several occasions, in addition to issues we are now experiencing with our air conditioning unit, which was stated to have been installed brand new, and a water pipe bursting in the home, which was, according to the plumber that repaired it, due to an insufficient valve mechanism.

My question is: do I have any recourse against the seller/real estate company, or the contractors that renovated the home? Thank you for your time.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 Last year, my wife and I spent about 4 months home shopping and saw a few dozen "flips" in the process...and after viewing a few flips and being told what to look for, we saw a lot of big 'ole giant red flags on the quality of the workmanship.

According to our Agent, with the popularity of HGTV and the myriad of various flavors of home improvement and home flipping shows, now your average jackass with a few bucks to spend/borrow from their 401(k) seem to think that they can buy a home that needs some love, invest a few thousand into it, and turn a major profit.

Everytime we went into a house that was a flipper, our agent pointed out the immediate shit work that was done.  The problem he said is that those first time flippers lack the perspective on what is important to fix in a house and will skimp on the stuff that matters.  They will pay for someone to knock down a wall, but they themselves will balk at the cost of proper trim work (crown moulding, baseboards, etc.) and try to do it themselves (poorly).  Same goes with kitchen remodels.  They will pay for a new countertop to be put in, but will do the cabinetry, electric, and plumbing themselves (even though they have little to no formal training on the matter).  The end result is shit craftsmanship that ends up costing you a lot of money as the new homeowner months or years down the line.

Did you get a home inspection prior to putting an offer down?

My suggestion would be to get professionals out to your house, get formal quotes, and see what, if anything your homeowners insurance will cover.


Title: I’m intent on helping my 60+ year old neighbor who got fired after his second pulmonary embolism. There is a lot to this, but I need advice on where to start.

Question: I have barely known my neighbor. I’m going in over my head I think, to help him. He is clearly disabled, tech illiterate (almost completely), and is mostly unaware of many of the labor laws etc. He was a hard working, non complaining type his whole life. I’m insisting he sue his company for wrongful termination, back pay for many years of unpaid overtime, and he needs to get on disability. He has no one else in his life. Nice quiet man, always friendly. My mom advised Social Security as the first stop. I know getting on disability can be a battle not worth fighting, through a friend. He is so seriously disabled that it’s undeniable. I’m going over today, as I’m worried he will have difficulty walking next door to our house. He has some records, and I’m hoping he has at least kept up on his taxes. Ask me what you need to know, and I will answer to the best of my knowledge. Please help me keep him from becoming homeless.

Answer:
 You have provided no information.  It is not even clear what legal question you haveAnswer #2: Why do you think he was wrongfully terminated? People are only entitled to a limited amount of time off for medical issues, which depends on the size of the company they work for and how long they've worked. If he is significantly disabled, he may not have been able to perform his job duties anymore as well. These are both legal reasons to terminate someone.

He can file a wage claim for unpaid overtime with the department of labor. He can apply for unemployment benefits, but only if he is willing and able to work; you cannot be too disabled to work and collect UI. There are lawyers who handle disability claims who are paid from the back benefits the government pays when approved; he would not need to pay upfront.

I respect that your heart is in the right place, but I would strongly suggest you reach out to his relatives and adult protective services to try to connect him with appropriate resources rather than you guide him based on what you believe is the right plan.


Title: Military law. Anyone? Bueller? Buller?

Question:
I know this is long. I don't want to leave anything out. Also using gender neutral pronouns to be vague because I'm paranoid about screwing things up

So I need someone more savvy in military law. Then again, it may all be the same. Idk. No one at CID (criminal investigation division) or DST (drug suppression team) has been very forthcoming with information.

I'm a military spouse and another military spouse stole about 20 (legally prescribed) prescription narcotics from me.
I reported it to CID, ultimately getting to the DST. They knew this person by name, having a physical reaction when I said it. The investigator even said "It'd be great to finally nail them".

The theft happened and I reported it on 18 July and I have a taped confession from the thief (we're in a single party consent state). The confession was recorded and submitted to the investigators on 26 July. Since then the thief has stolen from at least one more person and apparently has been fleecing the entire area of pills for 5 years.
I've been told that my investigation is over and that it's with legal as of late September/early October. They say it's in legal opine and don't have a time table because their part is done. I've been given no contact information for legal.
The Captain in charge of making a determination said he'd call me and inform me of his determination, but never did.

Should I do anything? Should I contact legal after figuring our where exactly the case was sent to.

Thief also threw a Hail Mary to get the heat off them by claiming I was giving them pills 😒😒😒. I don't know if DST took that seriously, but I put in my sworn statement that they'd asked me for pills on several occasions and I said no*, which is the truth.

One last thing: People reached out the her more vocal victim and I have a handful of names of others the thief has stolen from. I started contacting a few before realizing I could screw the cace by looking like I have some sort of vendetta. I sent some screen shots to DST and, in our last correspondence, asked if they wanted more names. No one has answered. That message was sent on 10 October.

Help! This asshole is also running their mouth online, mocking other victims who'd talked about it, but have no proof.

*Chronic pain patients are getting their meds pulled constantly. I have an incurable and inoperable condition. Without meds I'm a crying lump of pain in bed. I also ended up in the ER when an military doc prescribed me a ridiculous dose of clonidine for withdrawals. I'm salty and hope this human refuse does time, especially with their history of stealing pills from others. Apparently I'm the only one with proof via confession, and all fhe other victims are women of color "townies". It's not a stretch to assume what nipped those in the bud.

*Why did I still hang out with this person when they obviously had a problem (and history of addiction to narcotics)? They'd take a taxi to my house and show up on the doorstep, crying, even though I'd asked them to not come over.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 > I've been told that my investigation is over and that it's with legal as of late September/early October. They say it's in legal opine and **don't have a time table** because their part is done.

> The Captain in charge of making a determination said he'd call me and inform me of his determination, but never did.

So the case has been moved to legal, and there is no timetable for resolution. The captain said he would call you with his decision when he made one, and hasn't called yet. The smart assumption is that he just hasn't made a decision yet. You have a lot of unnecessary details in the OP and it's clear you have no like for this other military spouse. It's all irrelevant and none of it will help the Captain make a decision faster.

Patience is all you can have right now. You can call to check in if a decision has been made, but they're under no legal obligation to keep you informed of their investigation.


Title: [CA] Is it legal for an employer to ask an employee to take a breathalyzer test?

Question:
If a business thinks that an employee may be under the influence of alcohol, can they, themselves, administer a breathalyzer test?

I have had employers send me to a clinic to be drug tested and have also received a breathalyzer test there, but would it be legal for my someone from my job (my supervisor, someone from HR, etc.) to ask me to take a breathalyzer test on the premises in their presence?

Edit: Should have said California instead of CA to not be confused with Canada.

Answer:
 They can ask.

You can refuse.

They can fire you.Answer #2: Yes legal.  And the fact they are asking should be concerning.


Title: [Canada/MB/Fed. Gov.] Tips must be "donated" to the institution?

Question:
My SO works for a National Museum that employs many front-of-house staff - hosts, tour guides, etc.  "Museum Policy" says that in the event that any of these people receive a cash tip from a member of the public, it must be donated to the museum via a public donation box.  Is this legal?

Employees receiving tips are generally rare, but there have been a few staff members who have received tips after giving a tour or other public interaction and were then forced to fork it over to the museum.

Non-monetary gifts under a certain value can be kept, but anything over that limit has to be turned over as well.

I know that an employer can generally forbid employees from accepting tips, or require that they be pooled, but requiring tips to be turned over to the employer seems to me to be crossing the line.

These staff are all officially Federal Government employees, if that makes a difference.  They're unionised, but I have no idea what the union has to say on this particular matter, or if they're even aware.

**Edit:** Thanks for all the info!

Answer:
 I work for a government department too, and our rules are similar (gifts are prohibited generally speaking, if it's chocolate it has to be shared with all staff). It's likely government policy - to avoid corruption and political incentives. Granted, it's a museum, but if they're employed by the government the same rules would apply. Answer #2: I have absolutely no legal knowledge in this area, but it doesn't seem odd to me that federal employees would be barred from accepting tips. I would speculate that there are laws barring ANY federal employee from accepting a tip of any kind, presumably not written with situations such as this one in mind, but there's no exception written into the law for it.Answer #3: First step I'd guess is ask the union.Answer #4: IANAL. This is bureaucratic ass-covering.

Forbidding tips is sometimes harder than you might expect. Some people press them on you, and it difficult, if not impossible to refuse without causing a scene.

This provision allows you to simultaneously not receive tips, and not cause a scene.


Title: CD idea

Question:
So I had a business idea where I could make custom CDs. Like you tell me what songs you want and I'd burn it to a disc for a price.
 Everything I research says this is illegal without asking permission which could cost thousands of dollars I don't have so I was gonna just scrap it but I thought I'd ask actual lawyers just in case.

If its still illegal at the end of the day I'll drop it no worries just thought I'd ask

Answer:
 It's legal if you pay for the license to sell the songs.

It also missed the viability boat as a business idea by about 15 years.Answer #2: Illegal and about 2 decades late, sorry m8


Title: Did I steal $500,000...?

Question:
I posted this elsewhere, and will condense the interesting question into one paragraph. The original post is below that if you're interested in more context. And there's a tl;dr at the very bottom, but this paragraph here is a good summary:

In summary, I acquired a long-lost computer from a cousin who died 8 years ago. Nobody was aware that there were Bitcoins on that machine. Who do those coins belong to? If someone gives you a book and there's a $100 bill it, there's a good argument to be made the $100 is yours. If the book contains login info to a bank account with $100, taking that money is  stealing. But where do these bitcoins really live and who possesses them... especially if nobody ever knew they existed?

\---

Original Post.

I cleaned out an old account to post this... consider it a throwaway for obvious reasons.

It’s a long story, but it needs complete context…

I’m an only child. So was my cousin… my dad’s sister son, also an only child. We were about 3 months apart, and we were close friends.

The families used to get together over the Summers… they lived about 8 hours away, but there was a lake near their place, so we’d visit and go there for a few weeks every Summer holiday. The best memories of my life, without question. And also the worst, because in the Summer of 2011, he drowned. He was 15.

Nobody knows what happened. Horsing around on a raft on the lake, lots of kids and adults around, and suddenly, hey, where’s Bobby. He’s here somewhere. Looked around, nowhere to be found, maybe he swam back to shore, he’ll show up, he must be kidding, hey Bobby this isn’t funny, where the hell are you…. annoyance growing to concern growing to panic, cops called, everyone searching… and the water was pretty deep and murky, but someone deep diving (20 feet) not too far from the raft found him.

And we never really found the cause. There was no evidence he hit his head or any unusual markings or anything. He just drowned, and to say it was devastating would be a big understatement. My aunt and uncle have never been the same, and for years, they kept his room intact, as if Bobby might suddenly show up. Apparently my aunt changed the bedsheets every so often, as well as dusting and whatever else.

Obviously, the Summers at the lake ended… in fact, I didn’t see my aunt and uncle for about 5 years. My parents went and visited a few times between 2011 and 2016, but without me.

On one of those trips, I guess they convinced my aunt to start letting go… and my parents came back with a bunch of stuff that had belonged to Bobby that they thought I’d want. I used his baseball glove for a bit after mine wore out, but it felt wrong. The rest of the stuff sat untouched in our garage for years.

Last year, I had a 3.5” floppy that I wanted to get a file off… and was scratching my head because I had no PC with floppy drive. Then I remembered Bobby’s old PC had a drive… the one sitting in our garage. I’d never bothered hooking it up at home. It was older and crappier than mine, and I knew it was nothing but a bunch of games which were already 5 years out of date when the computer arrived.

But it had that drive, and if I could boot that machine, great… so I hooked it all up and turned it on and yay, it worked. I hadn’t really figured out how I was going to retrieve what I needed. I initially just wanted to see if it’d work, and it did, but the computer wasn’t even hooked up to the internet… no need. I found what I needed and screen-shot everything I needed off the floppy, but before turning it off and packing it up, I started poking around a bit to see what might be there.

The short answer is nothing exciting, except… a Bitcoin wallet. Not with a million coins or anything, and at the time, pretty much worthless. From what I can tell, they weren’t worth much back then. I really have no idea where they actually came from. I suspect from the transaction log on the wallet that he downloaded the client, ran it for a while, got bored with it eventually and forgot about it and its measly roughly 47 bitcoins. There wasn’t much else except a short note with public key/private key and a recovery phrase and a backed up wallet.dat that I actually never managed to get into, but I was afraid to connect that machine to the internet in case those coins somehow vanished… it took me a while to educate myself about it, but long story short, those bitcoins now live on my phone, password protected and 2FA protected and wallet backed up and from what I can tell, there has never been an outgoing transaction from this wallet.

So, here we are. Roughly half a million dollars. Who does it belong to? Legally, I’ve brought it up theoretically with people and it’s always an interesting discussion. Is it like finding a physical wallet with cash in it, and no ID? Is it like finding bank log-in info and swiping the cash in the account? They gave me the computer; isn’t what’s on it mine? If someone gives me a book from a used bookstore and there’s a $1 bill in it, it’s mine, right? What if it’s $100? Still mine? What if it’s $100,000?

That’s a technical, legal discussion. Feel free to weigh in. The other is the moral/ethical discussion. Is it my aunt/unlce’s? Half of it? Some of it? Nobody in this equation is in debt or lacking money. All happy middle class folk… for whom this would all be a lot of money.

At present, I’m in school not racking up any debt because my parents have agreed to pay for my education as long as I take it seriously, which I am.

So… this all just sits there, but I bring this up now because I’d be lying if I said I’d never felt guilty about it. Of course, I haven’t absconded with it, and there’s all sorts of plausible explanations why only now I mentioned it… like, hey, I just hooked up Bobby’s computer and guess what… whatever. I bring it up now because we will be with my aunt and uncle this coming week, and maybe it’s time to say something. Or not. Or what.

Feels good to write about this because I’ve never mentioned it to anyone, but at some point, this needs to see the light of day.

TL;DR found a stash of bitcoins on my dead cousin's computer and haven't told anyone about it (yet?)

Answer:
 >Who does it belong to?

Your aunt and uncle.

>Is it like finding a physical wallet with cash in it, and no ID?

No. It's like finding a wallet with ID and then wondering if you can use the debit card.

>Is it like finding bank log-in info and swiping the cash in the account?

That's a better example.

>They gave me the computer; isn’t what’s on it mine?

The coins aren't in the computer, just the instructions to access them. If he had his PayPal account saved, would you feel like you could login to the account and take money out?

>If someone gives me a book from a used bookstore and there’s a $1 bill in it, it’s mine, right?

No. It's still there's just nobody ever kicks up a fuss about $1.


Title: Car dealership overvalued my trade it. Now they are coming after me.

Question: Long story short, I did a cash deal for a new car.  The trade in was brought in.  They independently inspected it and appraised it.  They made the offer for it which was definitely high but who is going to refuse it?  What they did was copied the odometer wrong by a long shot which was the source of their error.  I see now that on the paperwork that it was in fact copied wrong.  Additionally, I wasn't even present for the deal, I only signed the final paperwork.  It said sign here, here and here, one section of which had the odometer reading which specifically states "to the best of my knowledge the odometer reading is correct".  I Only know this now because of the dispute.  Here is another variable as if this didn't make it more complicated, my wife's name is on the bill of sale which she signed and paid in full for the vehicle the day before I picked it up.  Now her copy does not have the odometer reading at all on it.  So it is a done deal, I see the error they are referring to, so what do I do?  Note:  This happened in Alberta, Canada.

Answer:
 Car dealer here. Who bought the car, you or your wife?Answer #2: Can you be more specific on how they’re coming after you? Also what’s the time frame from when you signed to when the dealership called?

The fault is most likely on their side since they were careless in appraising the trade in.

It would be different if you were selling them the car, but the laws on trade-ins in Canada are different. Within 10 days after the sale they could cancel the contract of the trade-in and would have to give you back the traded-in vehicle, but that applies to buying cars through financing. Turn to the back of the contract and see if theirs anything that says “Sellers Right to Cancel.”


Title: [Minnesota] Friend pulled over. Did cop have probable cause (if even necessary)?

Question:
Early one evening, my friend thought it was a good idea to pull over into an empty parking lot and smoke a joint because he apparently thought that his house (literally 10 minutes away) was too far.

After finishing, he rolled down his windows to "air out" his car from the smell.

He gets back on the highway and a minute later a cop passes by him in the opposite direction.  The highway is 2 lanes wide with a grass medium dividing both sides so the cop car was 20 to 30 feet away when they passed.

The cop turns on his lights and drives across the medium and pulls my friend over.  When the cop approaches the car he tells my friend that the reason he was pulled over is because his windows were down and it 30F outside and that seemed "odd".  Nothing about speeding, swerving, lights not being on, etc.

Cop smells marijuana.  Searches car (without friend's permission).  Finds his pot. Yada yada jail.

My friend is wondering if the cop has probable cause to pull him over simply because his window was down when it was cold outside.  OR if probable cause is even necessary to pull someone over.

Thanks!

Answer:
 DA: Mr. Officer, why did you pull over Citizen?

Cop: The temperature on that night was 30F, two degrees blew freezing. As I passed Citizen I observed his windows were down. It being below the point in which the molecules of water align into a solid, I determined it was likely Citizen was either in distress or in some way inhibited either by mental state or influence to not be a safe driver on the roads of this fair nation. I executed a stop and upon approach immediately smelled the clear and indistinguishable smell of marijuana..almost as if it was smoked less than 10 min ago. This would of course explain why Citizen had his window down exposing his body to the cold harshness that made has sought since dawn of time to avoid. I asked to search his car, he refused within his legal rights, I explained to him that I would anyway cause, ya know weed, and found, ya know weed.

Answer #2: > he tells my friend that the reason he was pulled over is because his windows were down and it 30F outside

The cop was likely in the right to do this, if nothing more than as a welfare check.  It is odd to drive with the windows down when it's below freezing outside.

The cop then smelled evidence of illegal activity and proceeded accordingly.

Sounds kosher to me.


Title: Management at my employment says we can’t discuss wages. Is this legal? (Georgia)

Question: I work at an entertainment center. The management at my employment is insisting that we can be fired for discussing our wages. The managers I’ve spoken to have cautioned me not to get caught discussing my wages with anyone or I risk being terminated. Every time I try to tell them that I’m pretty sure it’s illegal, they debute by saying we signed something in a contract with HR saying that we agree to that. Is this true and is this legal?

Answer:
 NLRA protects your rights to collective bargaining (discussing pay) if you are a private sector employee that is not a supervisor, agricultural laborer, or employed by a company subject to the Railway Labor Act.

> **Sec. 7.**
Employees shall have the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection, and shall also have the right to refrain from any or all of such activities except to the extent that such right may be affected by an agreement requiring membership in a labor organization as a condition of employment as authorized in section 8(a)(3).

 The law does *not* cover government employees, agricultural laborers, independent contractors, and supervisors (with limited exceptions).


Title: HELP!!! I need to get away from my family. I need to be removed as my Aunt's POA.

Question:
Ok, so my aunt is a compulsive liar. For the last 8 years she had me in limbo on her work comp settlement. She claimed it would be huge. She had me over her finances, but basically used me to cash her checks, take my pay, then give her the balance. I paid some of her bills as well. Over the last two, I'd left her alone. Her checks also stopped because the case was over. Long story short she wanted me to start doing her finances again because she started to get her checks. I said ok, but did not want to.

This week she got back pay for 20k. She spent 5k in two days giving money to friends. Now she wants me to give her 7k on monday to give to her friend who drove her around. I told her that it was not right and that i wanted no parts in it. she got mad. She said its her money. I needed to take a break from her and did not answer the phone for a day. She left a message telling me her employer said they were behind and that her normal check would be 30 days late.  At first, I was not alarmed, but then I thought about it. Her sister checked my POBox, so more than likely she took the check out of my box. In any event, IM DONE! I want out. I'm sick of them. I want my life back.

If I'm her POA and she is now deemed incompetent, how do i get off? I looked online and says that I have to go to court, but I just started a new job. Can I just do a waiver and be out of it? I just want to give her, her balance and never deal with her again.

Her attorney for her case also has to deal with her for 7 years to pay  the remaining work comp checks, so can i just tell her to do the power of attorney part too. I mean my aunt is stressing me out and I want to be free. I want to focus on my new life. I'll do her funeral, but I can not deal with her in life, she lies too much.

I'm in Wheaton, IL

Answer: Are you her POA or her guardian? A power of attorney doesn't obligate you to do anything unless you've otherwise agreed to it... Just stop doing whatever it is.


Title: SiriusXM refuses to cancel 3mo trial for $2 because I used a virtual CC number that they couldn’t charge after trial ended, and want money for service used from now til trial expiration.

Question:
* My car came with a 1yr trial of SiriusXM.
* Trial expired and they sent me a letter saying they’ll give me 3mo for $2.
* Knowing how tedious it is to cancel, I signed up for the trial using a one-time virtual credit card number, so I wouldn’t have to deal with them when it came to cancel the service. They wouldn’t be able to charge me, right?
* 3mo trial has expired and sirusxm still works in my car.
* They called asking for a valid CC number. I told them I want to cancel. They said to cancel, I have to pay $52 first for the service I used since the trial expired. I told them I’m not paying them anything and shortly hung up.
* SiriusXM still works in my car.

I’m worried I’ll be forced to pay even more than $52 in the future if the service isn’t canceled.

Should I be worried?
Topic:
Credit Debt Bankruptcy

Answer:
 >I’m worried I’ll be forced to pay even more than $52 in the future if the service isn’t canceled.

 Entirely.Answer #2: Failing to pay doesn't get you out of the agreement you made. You owe them the $2 they were unable to collect and the additional payment you agreed to for the term of the contract you forgot to cancel. They're being somewhat kind in not additionally charging you the cost of collecting it, such as bounced payment fees or refund fees, but they'll win if they go to court over this, and you can expect that they'll send this to collection sooner or later.Answer #3: Your failure to cancel on time means you have to pay. Simply failing to provide a usable credit card does not relieve you of responsibility, pay the bill and cancel.Answer #4: The fact that they are unable to successfully bill you doesn't mean they don't have a right to continue to charge you for service you haven't properly cancelled. This often happens with people who try to leave their gym membership by canceling their credit card only to later get hit with some crazy debt collection amount.Answer #5: Using a one-time virtual card is kind of pointless when they have all of your information...

You're liable for the current (and continued) cost of the service, as you STILL haven't cancelled the account.

If you continue to refuse to pay and use the account without cancelling, ultimately they can send you to collections which will impact your credit score.


Title: How to ensure maximum punishment for an animal abuser (my cousin)

Question:
My cousin is a wasteful, lowlife, narcissistic piece of actual garbage. Just throwing that out there to start.

He moved out of his mother’s house this weekend; he’d been living there, along with his daughter, for three years, rent free. His daughter has been taken care of by his mother for the entirety of her (15 y/o) life. His mother couldn’t stand to let him neglect his daughter, and he refused to grant her guardianship (he loved having an extra $400 from child support in his pocket each month), so she found her only option to keep her granddaughter safe was to house the both of them.

He’s not to be trusted with his own child, so you can imagine how terrifying it is to think an animal might have to depend on him.

This weekend he left his daughter behind to live with her grandma; they’d all been forced to move due to eviction, and he found this the perfect opportunity to go live a bachelor’s life again. This had been planned prior to his departure, of course. What he failed to inform his mother or his daughter about was that he also planned to leave behind his 15 year old cat, who weighs 30 lbs, has a thyroid condition, and is named “Moose.” As he was walking out the door to leave in his U-haul, he announced that he couldn’t have cats at his new home, so Moose would obviously no longer be his responsibility.

Moose was adopted during one of his drunken adventures, and brought home mostly as a joke considering her weight. His mother was forced to do absolutely everything for this cat, as no matter how much she begged him, he always had more important things to do.

The abuse to the cat was not known to either of them until they found Moose’s adoption papers. Not only did they find a signed contract ensuring he would care for Moose and all of her needs, but ALSO a stipulation that he would ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO take Moose to see a vet in order to have her teeth taken care of. They’d recently found an infection, and it was quite painful for the cat. They were shocked to find this, as they knew without a doubt that he had NOT ONCE, ever taken her to a vet.

Moose had been suffering from pain in her mouth for three years, due entirely to his gross negligence.

Ultimately, Moose will be taken care of, but not by his mother or daughter; they simply do not have the funds considering his mother lives off of disability for her constant battle against cancer. They’ve yet to find the right home, but surely Moose will be taken care of.

This situation is current; mother and granddaughter left to do right for this animal where he had so deliberately done wrong.

Any and all feedback, suggestions, directions or assistance would be so deeply appreciated, and I hope this story didn’t bum anyone out. Moose is gonna feel better soon and be loved the rest of her life.

Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 Did he do anything to the cat other than fail to take it to the vet? If not, I don't see that you can do anything to get him punished. AFAIK animal abuse statutes only cover intentional harm to animals and refusal to take a cat to the vet probably wouldn't count. You could see if the place from which the cat was adopted wanted to go after him, but as I understand it most adoption places only use the contract to give them legal justification to remove a pet from a bad home if they find out about it. They wouldn't have damages in this case so they couldn't go after your cousin for money.

Tldr as far as I can tell from your story your cousin didn't do anything for which he can be punished.


Title: Doctor called my parents to try and get me to pay my debt.

Question:
So, real quick, I’m 29 years old. From Illinois, so obviously this is a US legal advice post.

About 7 months ago I had some emergency dental work done, and I couldn’t pay for it. I wanted the tooth pulled, because it would have been much cheaper, but my dentist told me that these are her teeth (wtf?) and that she wouldn’t allow me to do that. So she sent me to an endodontist to get a root canal (cost me a few hundred dollars) and then had me come back to her to get the cap put on by the dentist. When I went in originally, I still had insurance. When I went in for the fitting of the cap, I still had insurance. But by the time the tooth came in for her to put in my mouth, I had lost my job, and subsequently, my insurance coverage. I had known I was losing my job and insurance before this last appointment and had told her and she said that she would pre-date the bill to a date before my coverage was up if I promised to come back in and get it done on the appointment date. Well, all was fine and dandy, got my work done and I thought this would all be taken care of and I could continue to live my life. Well, I started getting bills in the mail from her, and admittedly I should have tried to call her back when I first started getting them, but I didn’t, shame on me I know but I digress. Time went on and I kept getting them, but the bill was over $500 and I just don’t have that extra funds just laying around, and I didn’t do anything with it because I have other debts that needed to be tended to. Well, fast forward to yesterday and I get a call from my mother who is livid because I still owe the dentist X amount of money, and they called her and told her all about it and that I have an outstanding balance and yada-yada-yada. I’m quite ticked off that she called my parents to discuss my medical information, bills and procedure and all that. My parents knew I had this work done, but that’s only because I had told them when it happened. My question is, is it illegal what she did, contacting someone other than myself, about my debts to her? I want to know because I am going to call her today on my break and I need to know just how angry I should be here, and what type of recourse I can take against her if she says she didn’t do anything wrong.

If there is any more information needed, just let me know and I’ll gladly tell you.

tl;dr. Had some work done on my teeth and didn’t pay my dentist because I couldn’t afford to and so she called my parents to tell them about my debt and to get me to pay her.

Answer:
 >she called my parents to discuss my medical information

It would seem that there may be a HIPAA violation here.  You can certainly report that to the practice Privacy Officer or HHS.

>is it illegal what she did, contacting someone other than myself, about my debts to her?

There isn't anything in the law that would prevent the creditor itself from discussing your debt.  A third-party agency couldn't do this.  The creditor may be able to.

>but my dentist told me that these are her teeth (wtf?)

The dentist can absolutely refuse to participate in a course of treatment she doesn't find appropriate.  Even if her feeling is motivated by having cared for your teeth for years.Answer #2: A question please, as an aside, and not aiming anything at OP, but just to know :

&#x200B;

" I had known I was losing my job and insurance before this last appointment and had told her and she said that she would pre-date the bill to a date before my coverage was up if I promised to come back in and get it done on the appointment date."

&#x200B;

Wouldn't that have been insurance fraud, the back dating the bill to before the work was actually done?Answer #3: The doctor or any creditor can contact relatives and tell them about your debt. Your doctor cannot discuss your diagnoses or treatments with other people, not even your parents, since you are over 18. Here’s a link for filing a HIPAA violation complaint.

https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/index.html


Title: [LA] My parents may have tampered with my birth certificate

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > I'm not entirely sure what they did, but they came back with a new version of my birth certificate that listed my mother's new husband as my birth father and the hyphenated name as my surname. Was this legal?

It sounds like an adoption, and if it was done properly, then yes, it was legal.  She could also have done a name change, also legal.

I'm not sure whether you're trying to say your mother hoodwinked the relevant officials into changing your birth certificate, or that she doctored a copy of it.  If you want to know what your filed birth certificate says, order a certified copy of it.


Title: [California] Am I obligated to send my ex-girlfriend back her things?

Question:
The ex lives in Japan and her things have been laying around in my house here in California since 2012. Every few months she contacts me to send her back an item of hers and I do so every time, but now I am getting fed up with having to ship her things back in increments and having to deal with her getting the money to me for the shipments.

I have offered to send back all of her stuff at once but she does not want to pay for the bulk cost of $500~, so I've been doing payments of $20~$60 every time she asks me to ship her a pair of shoes or clothes.

She just has so many things here as she used to live here, and I do not want her to keep getting in contact with me and have her pester me about sending back her things.

She's the type who would go forth and sue if I were to just dispose of her things hence why I still have her things until now. My question is, am I still legally obligated to continue to keep sending her things back?

Answer:
 Giver her a reasonable deadline to pay you for the storage of her things, to make alternate arrangements, or to consider the property abandoned and disposed of.

You're not the one responsible for the storage of her property, or to pony up the money to send it back to her.


Title: Employer is requiring employees to use a tracking app on personal cell phones

Question:
I am a contract employee hired to drive non-CDL vehicles along set routes.

Recently the company installed GPS tracker systems in the vehicles. However, we received an email today that said we are required to download an app onto our phones and use it to log into the system each shift. This app requires permission to track our location and use cell phone data. Also, many of the drivers are older and not all have smart phones or data packages.

I would be fine with logging into an app on a data-enabled device provided by the company and kept in the vehicle, but I am uncomfortable using my personal cell phone and data. I do not know exactly what data is being collected from my phone or who has access to that data. Not to mention that I am being told to use personal resources without my agreement or any sort of recompense. Is this legal? Do I have a right to refuse?

Answer:
 You can refuse to download and use the app on your personal device.

Your employer can terminate your employment for refusing to download and use the app on your personal device.

No state restricts this kind of activity, and only one state requires reasonable reimbursement from your employer for using your personal device in this fashion (California) -- all other states allow your employer to require this kind of stuff as a condition of continued employment without any kind of reimbursement.Answer #2: Time for a burner phoneAnswer #3: They can legally require that of you.

However, you could say, I don't have a smartphone sorry. See if they'll drop it. Or get a 20$ smartphone and install the program. see if you get a fake number for it if you have to.


Title: [Florida] My coworker is accusing me of throwing an egg at her car while she was at work. She called the police and she says when they showed er the camera footage the guy who did it looks like me. What do I do?

Question:
So context, someone threw an egg at my coworker's CE this morning while she was at work. By this morning I mean around 6am according to the camera footage. The guy on footage is wearing a hoodie and has a beard like me but he's far away and that's really all I could make out of his face besides his car color. We've been going trough a rough patch at work (I have issues with her work ethic and her relationship with our manager) so I guess she thinks because of that I went to our job and threw that egg.

At that time I was heading to school. I have a class at 7am and the traffic at is horrendous in Miami so I get up a little earlier to get ready and go. I haven't been charged, but should I be worried?

Answer: Did they arrest you? Probably not. I wouldn't worry about this in a legal sense until something else happens, but fully expect her to tell your bosses all about this, and have a plan to either defend yourself or get a new job. Answer #2: They have motive, but they can't really prove it was you. You're not the only guy with a beard and a white car. I'm sure you're okay. It would sure help if you had an alibi, though.


Title: (US) can a judge ever throw out a plea deal while keeping your confession?

Question:
A while back a friend told me about a family member of hers that took a plea deal for a sex crime, but supposedly a group of citizens arrived at the court to protest the lenient treatment of anyone who committed his crime, and as a result the judge threw out the plea deal, but still convicted him based on the guilty plea that was acquired through the plea deal. So...

Is this a thing that happens?

And is this in any way legal?

Answer: What do you mean threw out a plea deal?  If you mean not follow the recommended sentence, then yes a judge can ignore the recommended sentence


Title: Coworker has bitten me 8 times and threatened to assault me after disagreements

Question: I’m a Male (20) that works out of the DPW building for my local municipality in Michigan. I’m a seasonal worker at this job and have worked here for a about half a year. One of my co workers (Male 70) was my grandfathers friend growing up. I’ve known him all my life. He and I get in frequent political disagreements while in the break room usually on what the news is saying that day. This usually leads to him calling me stupid and I calling him stupid. This has led to more than a few times him putting his hands on me. This includes hitting me on the back of the head, putting his arms around my head in a choke hold, punching me in the arm and worst of all biting me. He has bitten me about 8 times in many different locations on my body. This is not sexual in any means. He leaves a temporary mark every time he does this. He also threatens to kill me almost daily asking my manager if he needs me anymore. He also made a comment today about the package he sent me, this is based on the recent package bombs. My coworkers that has seen this usually laugh and ignore but I can’t stand it. I’m scared for my physical safety. My temporary boss said to just hit him today after he has smacked me over the back of the head. My boss said they’d all just turn there heads to it. This scared me into thinking they have told him this to and has made him think he won’t get in trouble. I don’t know a course of action to solve this. I’m afraid that if I turn him into my bosses boss that he will find out and actually harm me. Please help, if you need more info just let me know.

Answer:
 1) Stop arguing with this person.  Regardless of how wrong they are in their response, your easiest solution is to just stop having personal discussions if you know they're going to escalate

2) If he assaults you, call the police.  Answer #2: > My temporary boss said to just hit him

Okay, so you've exhausted your immediate option. Do you have an HR department you can escalate to?

Do not "hit back," and learn to disengage when your coworker insults or approaches you. Being assaulted does not justify assault, and self-defence against a 70-year-old is a dicey position to be in. However, if your employer is unwilling to put a firm stop to this, feel very free to start filing police reports when your coworker assaults you. If you're terminated for this, speak to an attorney about wrongful termination.


Title: [TN] I plan to move to start a PhD program and I'd like to get a roommate. The girl I'd room with is also joining the same program. Is there a simple roommate agreement we can find online and sign to hold each of us to our share of the lease?

Question:
As stated, I will be starting a PhD program with a prospective roommate later this year. Since we're in the same program, I know what day she is paid on and how much she's paid (since it would be the same for both of us). Now, I want to trust her but I also want peace of mind in the event that things out of her control happen.

The apartment only does joint leases, so we are both responsible for rent. Furthermore, they do alow for early termination that does not damage ones credit score if given 60 day notice. So my question is as follows:

Is there a document we can draw up or perhaps a sample one online stating that should one party be forced to drop out they are responsible for the 60 days of remaining rent? If say, she has a family emergency and must take medical leave, she would then be responsible for her share for 60 days, giving me time to notify the complex, early terminate, and find a new place without too much of a financial burden.

Answer:
 If the complex only does joint leases- do they not have one you can use?

Your lease agreement wouldn't be with each other but with the complex itself.

Also, get renters insurance or this subreddit and /r/personalfinance will come haunt you.Answer #2: You will both be jointly responsible for the entirety of the lease. If one fails to pay "their half" the other will have to cover the full amount. In that case, the one that had to cover rent can sue the non-payer for their portion. Answer #3: NAL. She will already be on the hook for her share because of the joint lease with the landlord. If something goes wrong and she refuses to pay her share, you'll still have to cover everything and take her to court to recover her part of the money. Having a separate agreement between the two of you won't change that in the slightest.


Title: [FL] The person I rent one of my rooms to refuses to vacate my home after countless of my requests

Question:
Ok, so here's a bit of context. I own my home here in Florida where I live alone. I have decided to rent out one of my rooms to someone that was recommended to me by a friend of mine. He's never given me any sort of issues until recently.

- He's constantly moving changing the thermostat settings after being asked not to

- He's gone banging on the neighbor's door if he considers that they are being too loud. I'm surprised he hasn't gotten the police called on him

- He refuses to pay the rent increase that I have forwarded him about

- He makes lots of noise at night after I ask him to not do it but if I come in a bit late he tells me to let him sleep because I'm violating his tenant rights

I've told him over the past 2 or so months that because of these behaviors, I thought it best for him to just leave but he just tells me that as soon as he finished day something that he can afford, he would let me know. That never happens.

So today, I let him know that the rent increase will go into effect as of January 1st. That being said I did tell him that if he isn't something that he can afford then he can live out the rest of the month which he has already paid for and that he can vacate by the 31st.

He told me that his "contract" isn't up until June (there is no contract, just a verbal agreement to the amount to be paid and when). Plus he said, I'm not paying more than 500.00 because that's what was agreed on.

He keeps telling me that he's not leaving until his "contract" is up but it's more like he simply doesn't want to leave and I'm a bit scared that if I call the cops, I don't know how he'll react or even if the cops will help me at all.

Answer: If he's a month-to-month tenant, then you can serve him written, 15-day notice to vacate, and if he fails to vacate after those 15 days, you can file for a formal eviction with the courts ("unlawful detainer").


Title: [Texas] I just started working at a call center they have me coming in on my days off to do mandatory overtime this is my 14th+day working in a row.

Question:
This would have been my 20th+ day in a row if I didn’t call off several weeks ago.
I understand in Texas you are legally required to have 1 day off out of the week. This isn’t just me but majority of my department is having to work all week. I never experienced stress pain or anxiety but yesterday I didn’t want to get out of my bed once I got home from work I was feeling pain all over my body I felt as if I couldn’t move. I know it’s the stress that’s hurting me.
I was just wondering if there was any legal action I could to stop this madness. I feel like I’m just a number/Slave To this company.

Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: I believe the Texas rest day applies only to retail employees.Answer #2: They can work you 13,799 days in a row if they want. Sucks but that’s legal as you are not a retail employee. Just make sure they’re paying your OT!


Title: Is it false advertising to have something on your menu that you don't actually carry?

Question:
My local Baskin Robbins has on their menu butterscotch topping for their ice cream. I, who like any sane person understands that ice cream can hardly be considered ice cream without adding butterscotch, try to order it whenever I go in, but I'm always told they're out.

Las time I went I asked if they actually ever carry butterscotch, and they said no, they don't.

Is this shop guilty of false advertising for luring in people with their promises of butterscotch with no intention of actually providing it?

Answer: if it is on the menu, call corporate. having worked in food, if you run out for the day and corporate finds out, you get in HUGE trouble, so if they intentionally dont stock items, id bet corporate would have a field day chewing out the chain of command in the area, down to assistant managers.Answer #2: Complain to corporate.


Title: [US,TX]I have a friend who has no birth certificate, no picture ID, no SS card

Question:
He misplaced or lost all his forms of ID and the only living relative he knows is his Grandmother who is difficult to contact.  He has tried to go to government offices to get new copies but he can't get any of them without copies of the others that he also does not have. We live in Texas.

Edit: He is not a stateless
 person, he just lost all forms of his ID

Answer: I'm fairly certain that someone can request a new copy of their birth certificate from either the state or the hospital they were born at without any physical identification. They just need to know their birth name, parents names, and SSN. From there it shouldn't be terribly difficult to get new copies of the rest of the forms. Answer #2: As in he is a stateless person or doesn't have copies of their identification?


Title: [CA] Can I do anything about my landlord removing a tree on the property?

Question:
I heard from our neighbor that our landlord wants to remove a mature tree on the apartment property because it's letting raccoons get into the attic.

The tree is in front of one of our bedroom window and provides shade and is nice to look at.

Assuming the tree is completely healthy, is there anything I could do to prevent this?

Answer: Other than asking nicely?  No.  It's the landlord's property.


Title: Legal Advice For Roommate Situation

Question:
I will try to keep this as short as possible and keeping it to the facts. I will add my own commentary at the end if you guys want to read it. I would like to know if my case is worth seeking professional legal advice. If more info is needed, please let me know. Thank you in advance!!

-Mid 2017, signed a 1 year lease with 2 other male roommates in state of CA in a major city

-Roommate#3, who is not a US citizen, received a new job offer outside of the country mid November. He will be leaving for the new job and country before end of 2017

-We are in the process of looking for a replacement roommate (FB, Craigslist, word of mouth)

-Roommate#2 and my requirements for replacement are:
    *Male (My personal hard requirement)
    *20s/30s (Roommate#2’s hard requirement)
    *Stable Income, ability to pay rent 1st of month (General Requirement)
    *Quiet, clean, respectful (General Requirement)

-Because Roommate#3’s deadline is so close, he has also been communicating with female respondees of his Male Only postings. Just very recently, he has found a female applicant who wants to sign on the lease.

Here is where I need assistance:

-Prior to finding the female applicant, Roommate#3 and I had a discussion where I told him I will not release him from the lease unless he finds a suitable replacement because we all signed a lease together. His own reasoning and explanation for not being able to find a replacement is that maybe 1) Price for rent is too high and not market competitive 2) Female requirement is too restricting. Regarding reason #2, he said that if he presents a viable FEMALE replacement he has fulfilled his legal obligation to find a replacement and has no intention of paying past December as he does not have enough money to cover double rent.

**Do I have any legal entitlement to give roommate preferences? If Roommate#3 ignores my male preference, proceeds with having her submit an application, and I deny his release and her signing on, does he have a sound legal argument to not pay past December? Should I seek professional legal advice and what do you guys think? Because he is not a US citizen, is it even worth my time to pursue anything legally?**

My own commentary:

- I do not think asking for a professional male in his 20s/30s is an unreasonable requirement, especially in a major city in CA. I did my own round of postings before leaving vacation, and was able to screen and forward to him 3 different responses for a tour of the apartment while I was gone.

- From speaking to him 1:1, I believe he is using whatever justification he can to not pay the rent past December. If he didn’t focus on the female requirement, it would then be the price, then another thing, etc. He told me he will not have money to pay double rent and that will not be an option no matter. Him leaving the country and not having any consequences to this is his fallback.

Answer:
 >he said that if he presents a viable FEMALE replacement he has fulfilled his legal obligation to find a replacement and has no intention of paying past December as he does not have enough money to cover double rent.

Your roommate is wrong. His legal obligation is to pay the rent. You have no legal obligation to let him out of his lease under any terms whatsoever, let alone terms you don't agree with.

If he stops paying, keep in mind that you and your other roommate are still on the hook for the whole rent. From the lease and landlord's perspectives, there is no "your share, my share, his share" -- there is just the rent.

On a side note: using "male" and "female" as nouns instead adjectives is off putting.


Title: Called by public defender investigator in regards to homocide committed by work friend.

Question: Tl;dr: I was with my friend for work at a bar about 45 minutes before he was involved in the killing of another man. I wasn't contacted by police, just the public defenders office. Do I need to take any precautions before talking to him?  Do I need to talk to the police as we'll?

Answer:
 Allegedly committed. Allegedly.Answer #2: It's the defense attorney, so they are trying to help your friend.  Most probably, they are trying to establish a timeline of the events, since you were with him immediately preceding the alleged homicide.

Answer truthfully, and do not lie about anything, not even to try and do your friend a favor.Answer #3: You don't _have_ to cooperate with anyone until you get subpoenaed by a court.  But the defense will just want to gather evidence from you, and maybe ask you to be a witness.

You only need to take precautions if there is a chance you could incriminate yourself.  If the defense calls you as a witness, you will be cross-examined by the prosecution.  Of course, if you get called as a witness, you don't have a choice whether to cooperate or not.  Double of course, if you get asked an incriminating question, you can plead the fifth.


Title: If two people sign a contract knowing implicitly part won't be held up, can one person challenge the contract later?

Question:
The title is crap. I apologize.

The ACGME mandates first year residents work no more than 80 hours a week with a few exceptions. I am signing a contract saying if these hours are not kept, I will tell my boss and if needed, the hospital and the ACGME.

I do not believe that clause at all. My boss knows full well this clause will not be upheld. I know I will be expected to work 80-100 hours a week. I will be taught how to falsify my hours. Attempting to make the residency program follow its own rules will quite literally ruin my career. Making waves in residency is not recommended.

But if I ever decided to torpedo my career and pursue some sort of action against the hospital, could my knowledge that the contract was full of lies be used against me? If the spirit of the contract is that a clause *should* be true but the signers had no intention of holding to it, can one signer force the other to follow the contract or penalize the contract holder at a later time?

To answer a question: I did not choose to go here. I ended up here because it was better than not getting a residency.

Answer:
 Not enough people have died for the government to do anything about it. Write your legislators; start a campaign. But the opposing lobbying organizations have more power than you.

I sympathize with you, but the reality is shitty, as I'm sure you already know.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jung_v._Association_of_American_Medical_CollegesAnswer #2: Is there a severability clause for unenforceable provisions?


Title: Alabama - Accused of religious discrimination for not allowing guest to pay for room with cash.

Question: State of Alabama.  Today, I had a person attempt to rent a room for the night.  During the process of looking at room rates, I asked the guest for his ID and credit card.  Guest stated that he is Jewish and the Torah forbids the use of credit cards.  I told the guest the hotel's policy: You may pay cash for a room at check-out however the owner requires you to check-in with a valid credit card that has sufficient funds to cover the entire stay.  We are a small (60+ rooms) hotel and there was no manager on duty at that time.  The gentleman left after about fifteen minutes.  Gentleman appeared not to be Hasidic (no long dark clothing, head covering, beard or payot)  With close to twenty years in this industry, this is the first time I've had this brought up.  Counsellors, did I screw up?

Answer:
 > Guest stated that he is Jewish and the Torah forbids the use of credit cards.

He's wrong; the Torah doesn't talk about this at all. Additionally, given how grace periods work, there aren't even interest based concerns if he wants to switch religions and bring the Quran into it.

You upheld your employer's policy; you've got nothing to worry about personally.

Answer #2: He was a scammer trying to bullshit you.

When observant orthodox Jews have a kosher restriction (no ripping toilet paper on the sabbath), they find their own way around it (buy pre-separated toilet sheets). They plan ahead or they *themselves* are dishonoring God. Answer #3: you did this right. even IF the torah or any teachings made this an issue, your discrimination was based on a legal allowance, not anything illegal. as such, you're good.


Title: Real estate advice: are we screwed? Have been paying for a condo that isn't actually in our name

Question:
My husband and his sister bought a condo together 15 years ago. Her name is on the paper work but they had a verbal agreement that they will split the cost of the condo in half and ownership in half. After 5 years, she moved away and stopped paying anything on the property (HOA fees, etc). She occassionally goes there to stay a night or a week. She still gets mail there. We have been paying for the condo (e.g HOA, Taxes, etc). Now, we want to know what our rights are to the condo and anyway to recoup the money we invested.
Thanks for your input!

Answer: No they didn't buy a condo together. He bought half her condo and has been paying her taxes and fees ever since. Real estate deals have to be in writing.


Title: A "friend" that stayed at my house kept using my dropbox after I let him use it to transfer files, now he is suing me for deleting his videos.

Question:
About two months ago, a new friend I had stayed at my house for about a week. During that time, he complained that he didn't have enough space on his computer, and was using my computer to make Youtube videos. So I told him he could use my Dropbox account to transfer videos from my computer to his, while he was here. I never said he could continue to use it to store videos he made more and more over the next month and a half. I later received an email from Dropbox that the space was low. Mind you, i had a good 20+ GB in my storage of free space before he started using it. So I logged onto Dropbox and saw a bunch of his videos. Not knowing that they were recent (as I didn't look at the time stamp), I deleted them, because I did not know he was using the Dropbox still, or that he would need them, as I thought he had more than enough time to remove them. He messaged me last night very upset about this, and I apologized and restored them (as Dropbox saves deleted files for up to 30 days). He is now saying that we made an agreement for him to use the Dropbox, and that I stole his intellectual property and he is taking me to court over this. I have since restored the videos, and even per his request, I compressed them all in a folder, and have sent him the link to download that zipped folder. I have also given him 72+ hours to download the videos before I delete them myself, as I do not want them taking up space on my Dropbox. There was no agreement that was made, and it's not my fault he has no space on his computer or cell phone (which I also gave him a 16GB micro SD card FOR FREE).
Does he have any grounds to sue me on at this point? I have given him the chance to retrieve his videos and given him a time frame to do it as well.
I live in Southern California near LA.
This is just stressing me out, because I hate him so much already for mooching off me while he was staying here by eating all our food, using our water and electricity and abusing our kindness overall, and now he turns and does this to me.

Answer: He can try and sue you, but there's no way this doesn't get thrown out of courtAnswer #2: Your 'friend' is a moron. If he sues you, then there's no way that it holds up in court. I would cut him out of my life and move on.


Title: [FL] Maid company trying to get me to pay $227, even though they didn't even come to my house

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 You didn't cancel according to their policy. If I make an appointment at the doctor and miss it, they can charge me for a visit although I didn't show up.

You need to understand that $227 is probably half of their work day, and when you cancel without giving a decent notice, you leave them out in the cold.

You owe them the money.


Title: Is putting dog poop in dumpsters trespassing?

Question:
I walk my dog almost every day. When she poops, I bag it and deposit it in a nearby dumpster or trash can. This is usually one of my apartment complex's dumpsters, but sometimes I venture farther to other complexes or residential neighborhoods. So, there are two situations I'm concerned about.

Firstly, when I encounter other dumpsters, they sometimes have signs that say something like "For residents of **** only, violators will be prosecuted," but also signs stating that dog poop must be collected. If I am not a resident of that complex, is it illegal for me to drop the poop in their dumpster? Could I be prosecuted for trespassing, or theft of services?

Secondly, if I am in a residential neighborhood, is there implied consent for me to drop the poop in a trash can that is in the street, or a dumpster that has no restriction signs on it? Could this be prosectued as trespassing or theft of services?

Would any of this be different for a business' dumpster, with or without signs?

I am located in the US, but am wondering more specifically about Michigan, PA, and Ohio.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Technically leaving poop in someone else's trash can be trespassing/vandalism/dumping. If it's private property, you shouldn't dump garbage there without permission.

Answer #2: > Secondly, if I am in a residential neighborhood, is there implied consent for me to drop the poop in a trash can that is in the street, or a dumpster that has no restriction signs on it?

No. You're supposed to clean up after your dog and dispose of it at home. Granted, any community (public or private) that wants to keep itself clean should be providing public trash cans, but the lack of such is not a green light to use private ones.


Title: Had to kick in my door

Question: So I just got home and arrived to a new door and windows due from construction on my apartments. The new door was locked and my keys were inside so after losing patience with the 'maintenance emergency' line who wanted me to contact a locksmith at 7 at night, I decided to to swiftly knee my door in causing minimal damadge to casework. Im really just curious what the repercussions may be since the construction crew has already damaged existing walls with their install. Also I had left the door unlocked this morning with their entry in mind since the complex gave a very vague description on when work will take place. In Oregon thank you for any information just really curious I know its not a lot of damage or cost but I just want to see where others think I stand in the situation

Answer:
 Well, you'll need to pay to fix the door.  Probably a few hundred bucks.

Hope you don't have valuables in your apartment -- deliberately leaving the door may mean that your insurance won't cover any losses.  Of course, if it had been kicked in, I'm not sure what good locking the door would be.Answer #2: You left it unlocked with your keys inside. Fix the damage you caused.


Title: (MD). I had a conversation online with a 16 year old. Have I done anything illegal (explanation below)?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: It's unlikely you did anything illegal here, but in the future you should avoid having sexual conversations with children.


Title: [Texas] I attend UT and was given judicial amnesty for underage drinking; however, do I have to file in some way for Texas amnesty? (Also possible marijuana charge)

Question:
During Halloween I went out to a party and went back to my dorms and felt very ill/throwing up. Roommate called the ambulance and the paramedics, an RA, and the police showed up. When the police officer showed up at one point asked me if I smoked pot that night. I was pretty inebriated and answered "I guess", had a lot of trouble understanding and answering questions.

Later I had to appear for judicial review at UT, and was fortunately granted amnesty by the University. During the judicial review the counselor never mentioned anything about marijuana, I guess the RA never reported it.

Questions I have

1. Do I have to appear in court or something to receive Texas amnesty(not the UT one, government amnesty). Or will I just not be contacted again?

2. Will I receive some sort of formal charge in the mail about the marijuana? I didn't have it on me. I figured if the cop was to ticket me he would've just given it to me since I was in my room.

3. I checked the [UT](https://www.utexas.edu/police/crimelog/crimelog.pdf) and [Austin police incident](https://www.ci.austin.tx.us/police/reports/alt_search.cfm?choice=criteria&Submit=Submit) report page and nothing came up for my date/name.
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer:
 >Do I have to appear in court or something to receive Texas amnesty(not the UT one, government amnesty). Or will I just not be contacted again?

The amnesty applies for your student status within the university; it has nothing to do with criminal charges by the government. It only focuses on the part in the student handbook where it says something like "don't get so drunk that you start throwing up, because if you do, you'll be put on academic probation/suspended/expelled".

You don't do anything to "receive" amnesty with the government. The government just decides not to bother charging you with anything.

>Will I receive some sort of formal charge in the mail about the marijuana? I didn't have it on me. I figured if the cop was to ticket me he would've just given it to me since I was in my room.

Probably not. You were in your own dorms and the officer was just trying to figure out what was going on for your health. "Having smoked pot" is not really a crime unless you toy with public intoxication, and that is really only for when you're being disorderly. If you did not receive any sort of paperwork (ticket, summons, etc.) then you are in the clear for now.

In theory, it is possible that you could be mailed a summons, but I seriously doubt that would happen. If it does, you just go to court.


Title: (NYC) Signed and return lease renewal, landlords claims they never received it and are trying to kick me out.

Question:
First off, thank you in advance to anyone who reads/responds.

I live in a large (~100 units) apartment building in Brooklyn, NY. About half of the units are rent-stabilized and half are at fair-market (mine being int he fair market category). I've been in the building for 4 years and I've never missed a payment and I would imagine I'm in good standing with landlords.

In August, they sent me a lease renewal form, which I signed and sent back in to them. In past years, they have signed it as well and sent me a copy back to show that they have agreed to the lease renewal.

This year, I never received the lease renewal back, so weeks before my lease expired (it expired on November 1st) I reached out to check up on it. They claimed they never received it. I pushed the matter over the course of a month, and they kept responding that they would "look for the lease renewal" but wouldn't give me any more info. Today I got "30 day notice of termination" of my lease taped to my front door and no other contact.

What can I do in this situation? I'd love to stay in my apartment. Thanks again ~

Answer:
 Time to go there in person and get the situation resolved.

Tell them you reached out on <date> to confirm they received your lease renewal, they were going to look into it, and you've yet to receive a response.  Then ask to sign the renewal right there.  Ask them to look at your history as to why they should let you.

They're not obligated to let you renew your lease though.


Title: What is the general rule on US Extradition law and constitutional rights? Can the US extradite someone to the EU if it is 1st, 2nd or 4th amendment violations by that EU Country?

Question:
Topic:
Update

Answer: Elaborate


Title: Am I allowed to blare porn or annoying noises out my bedroom window to make the basketballers go away?

Question: Serious question. I live in compact West Hollywood (basically Los Angeles but separate) and I’m between a quiet residential street but next to a busy street. There is a tiny law office across the fence from my bedroom window. Recently they set up a pop up basketball hoop and every Sunday I am forced to listen to the sound of MULTIPLE balls bouncing all around in a cacophony, but I am telling you, it is akin to being able to hear just the bass of someone’s music. Instead of being cute and endearing it is driving me mad. They are playing in the middle of the day so I can’t call it a noise complaint. But I’m also wondering if they can legally put the hoop there on their properly albeit it 10 feet maybe even less from my bedroom window. IF they ARE allowed to... can I fight back by... being annoying myself on my apartment property? blare porn noise or air horns or something? The people playing basketball are probably between 16-25 years old. Can’t tell. Thoughts ? Legit question lol. I promise I’m not being petty or ornery. It’s unbearable. No amount of tv or music sounds can stop it.

Answer:
 >	I promise I’m not being petty or ornery. It’s unbearable.

Yeah you are. In any event, you would need to look and see if there are local ordinances about amplified sound. Just being during the day isn’t a license to make whatever noise you want.Answer #2: Ask them to be quiet. You will probably get in trouble for blasting an air horn on a consistent basis and you have no idea if “porn noise” would drive these guys away. Go down, introduce yourself and ask them if they can move the hoop farther away from your window.


Title: Need advice on to handle an allergy issue

Question:
My mom has terrible food allergies, ranging from nuts to root vegetables to mushrooms. She is usually very careful with checking labels and knowing what brands she can eat. Recently she was eating a can of tuna packed in water, when she started having a reaction. After getting things under control, we started investigating what could have caused it.

On the tuna can label, it says "packed in water", but under the ingredients it lists "vegetable broth" as the packing liquid. The label only warns against soy and tuna. We called the company's 800 number to ask about the broth ingredients, and they could not tell us what exactly was in the broth.

This could have caused a serious or even fatal issue for my mom and others with food allergies. We'd like to open a case, if not for money then just to have accurate labeling for those with allergies. Or more easily obtainable/transparent ingredient lists.

Do she have a footing? And what are the correct channels for going about this? We are in New Jersey.

[EDIT] Just adding in that I don't live with her, and her allergies survaced fairly suddenly. Admittedly, I don't know much about FDA food regulations. So I figured this would be the best place the ask.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: If your mom has that many severe allergies, she needs to be extremely diligent about reading ingredient lists.  I don't believe the company did anything wrong here.  Feel free to consult a local lawyer.


Title: Fight in the lane, Dad is coming! Is it legal or it does not respect the law?

Question:
Hello legal advice, sorry for the bad English. I live in the US, but English is not my language. I live in Florida.

Earleir has two people fighting in our driveway. One picks up the other and slams the man into our car! My father grabbed a baseball bat and drove them away, caught it on the road. He did NOT hit, but he swung many times. I wonder if what he did is illegal and troubling? Can he have trouble? Thanks Partner!
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 You could argue that they were trespassing and damaging your car, but I think threatening them with a bat may be excessive force relative to their crimes.

In the future, the best thing to do is to lock your doors and call 911. Let the police taze them; you don't need to fight them yourself.


Title: Dad Is Trying to Blackmail Me!

Question:
So, SUPER long story short. I am a 22 year old male, and when I was 16 my mom and dad both split to buy me a car. At the time, they were both divorced, but this relationship has been super rocky, including the one between myself and my dad. This past May, he missed my graduation and we fell out for good and a lot of things were said. He took me off his phone coverage, and claimed to do so with the car insurance too.
Now here's where it gets tricky. My dad bought the car, and is still in possession of the title and registration. I have been the one paying taxes and everything else on the car, and clearly it's in my possession and is mine. But, since everything still points to him, he is telling me he wants certain things from me, or else he will claim the car is stolen, or just get it towed back to him etc. Now, I cannot change the title or registration because he has to sign off on all these documents. I cannot change insurance because it is all under his name still too. I am unaware of what to do, especially with the fact that I am leaving this weekend for graduate school.

Please, anything said will be helpful!

Answer:
 Save him the tow and go drop the car off at his house and get a ride home.

You don't need this in your life. It's his car, he can't legally declare it stolen but he can have it towed or show up with his keys and take it. Answer #2: A claim that you stole the car won't go anywhere, but legally speaking it _is_ his car. The best you can do is give it back and tell him it's his problem now: it's very unlikely you can force him to turn the car over to you, and I can't see any obvious reason you should be compensated for the payments you made.


Title: [Georgia] Divorce expectations and path forward?

Question:
My soon to be ex-wife and I will divorcing over the next year.

Got married young and things didn't work out. We have been relatively amicable with the proceedings and we've separated for a few months now. Here are the details of our marriage:

* Marriage time period - 16 months
* Separation period will be - 6 months
* Income A: 75k
* Income B: 45k

No children, no house/property, serparation was done through lawyers legally with documentation and notarization
Currently separated

Bank accounts were always separate throughout marriage with shared access between couple to all accounts

We were both working and I made more money during the marriage. Does this entitle her to my assets (401k, stocks, HSA, etc.)? What is she legally entitled to by the law?

She moved back to Georgia since there is only a 6 month wait period from separation to finalize the divorce. I am not sure if she will be getting a lawyer lined up and going for any specific compensation. We have taken our respective assets and accounts separately and both want to have a simple divorce.

Looking for expectations on divorce settlement and best path forward.

Answer: You had a lawyer do the separation but you want to do the divorce pro se? Don't be dumb. Hire an attorney.


Title: [California] It's common in my area for businesses to illegally charge a surcharge for using credit cards. Can I sue them?

Question:
What about sending them a demand letter?

For example: I buy $20.15 worth of items, register says $20.15, I pay with a credit card and I was charged $20.65 without them asking me or notifying me.

Please note: I said 'illegally' -- I'm aware it's possible to legally have a surcharge. I'm only referring to illegal surcharges. Please answer assuming I know the difference between an illegal surcharge and a legal surcharge.

Answer:
 You can send them a demand letter. You can sue them. The former is unlikely to receive a response. The latter is unlikely to pass the de minimis bar.

Your best bet would be to inform Visa, MasterCard, or Amex of the merchants that are doing this.


Title: A night out ended with only smashed phones and cops, need some advice on what to expect and how to proceed.

Question: I am from Wisconsin. So, i have a friend let's name him H, overheard some girls, A and B, bad mouthing his wife, W, and continued to confront them about it and then an argument insued with others getting involved, keep in mind W is nowhwre near this commotion. Of course, there was alcohol involved so no one really knows what exactly happened. During the argument, girl A kept instigating for H to hit her, and he never laid a hand on her. But for some reason she pulls out her phone to call the cops on him for assualt, and H's dumbass in takes the phone outta her hand and smashes it. And then B pulls out her phone and H does the same thing to the phone as well. And when the cops arrive, H is nowhere to be seen, however this is when W hears about what happened and goes outside and apologize for what her husband did offers to pay for the phones. Even after she apologized and offered to pay for the phones, they outright refused her and are still pressing charges to get money for the phones. However, police have not yet contacted H and W, so they are unsure of what to do.  Also A and B have been posting many different stories about what exactly happened that night on social media, and was wondering if that makes a difference.  So the question is, what can H and W expect, and how can they best solve this, and if possible, will they be able to fix their image after this?

Answer:
 "Pressing charges" means calling the cops, the cops aren't going to resolve a civil matter. That's what lawsuits are for. The girls are misinformed. Refusing W's reasonable offer to compensate them may not play well in court; judges don't like to be asked to resolve complaints in an unfair way when a fair offer is already on the table.

e: oh yeah and H has a good chance of getting charged with disorderly conduct, drunkenness and whatever Wisconsin calls mischief to property; he should probably get some counseling for his rage thing.


Title: Fraudulent Amazon order, Amazon charged me, I didn't order or receive it. (IL)

Question:
So this whole ordeal started back on October 25, 2017.  My wife noticed a charge from Amazon for $2107.99 and let me know.  I immediately called my bank and they said they would cancel my debit card and dispute the claim.  After a lengthy conversation with them they told me they would refund my money, which they did, and put a stop on the delivery, which they apparently did not.

Fast forward to today.  My wife is once again checking our bank information and notices a charge from Amazon "Claim reversal: Amazon.com AMZN.COM/BILL WA" for $2107.99.  They recharged us the money 2 months after the initial charge, without notifying us of the charge or contacting us at all regarding this issue.  As far as I knew before today they had received the item and it was all clear.  I immediately called Amazon and they are telling me I received it, but did submit it to their claims department.  I then called my bank to dispute the claim.  They told me they could not do anything because Amazon provided my bank with all the documentation to prove I ordered the item.  Lastly, I called UPS to see if they could provide me with any information regarding the delivery of the item, and this is where it gets even more interesting.

The gentleman at UPS told me that the item was delivered to an address on my road that does not exist, but is similar to my address.  The package was signed for by squigly lines, but the printed name is CHERNYSHOV (nowhere near my name).  UPS sent me a document with all of this information.

I have no experience in this matter, so my question is if Amazon tells me they will not refund my money, what should my next step be?  Lawyer up?  Contact police?  If there is any other information I can provide just let me know.

Edit: I have filed a police report based on the advice below.

Answer: File a police report, then send a copy to Amazon demanding a refund. If they refuse, contact the bank and have them reverse the charges and block future ones from Amazon.  Answer #2: My debit card information was stolen in February 2017 and used to make several online purchases, two of them being from Amazon. I notified my bank and the debit card was cancelled. I called Amazon to report the fraudulent transaction and was given the details of the order-  the thief had opened an Amazon account with my personal information but had used a different email address.I then went to my local sheriff's department and filed a police report for identity theft. The bank returned the money to me. You should request information about the transaction from Amazon and file a police report. I also don't see how the bank can just charge your account if your credit/debit card that was linked to Amazon was cancelled. I'm sorry this happened to you. It's incredibly frustrating, to say the least.Answer #3: First stop is the police station. Get a police report, which you will need to use as the basis of a fraudulent purchase.


Title: [Ontario] Landlord physically, emotionally harassing me

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 First, start looking for a new place. Now. Because you don't have a written lease, and the RTA likely doesn't apply to you (I'm assuming you share amenities with the landlord like kitchen a bathroom) there is zero requirement to give notice. You can cut and run. I suggest you do.

Second, you can and should call the cops. This guy needs to spend some time in jail and you can make that happen, despite what he may tell you.

Third, Ontario has some very helpful social services available, and there's no shame in taking advantage of them if you're in need. Which it sounds like you are. You can start here: http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/

Good Luck, Commander.Answer #2: Physical assault is illegal. Call the police.

If he's forced himself on you, then mean rape. That's illegal. Call the police.

You are worried about being homeless. You should be more worried about a sexually transmitted infection. Like HIV.


Title: Why are there not more female prisoners?

Question:
Like there are over 2 million prisoners in our country but 94% of them are male.  Is it that females don't get caught as often?  I would think that more women would commit crimes and get caught.  It's not often that you hear that a white woman goes to prison.

My state is New Jersey!

Answer: There are prisons out there full of women. It's just that men are more likely to commit violent crimes so get more media attention.


Title: Investigated by police because of purchases I made after store was robbed(CA)

Question: [deleted]

Answer: you definitely need a lawyer, and do not talk to the police again until you find one. the California Bar Association would be a good place to start looking for listings of lawyers in your area of the state.


Title: How is it legal to change the EULA on a product I've already purchased without offering a refund if I don't agree?

Question: I bought Starcraft II a while back.  Today Blizzard changed their End User License Agreement.  What are my options?  I can agree to whatever they put there or never again use the product that I've already paid for.  This seems incredibly one sided and unfair.  How can it be legal for one party to dictate terms to the other parties with no recourse?

Answer:
 > How can it be legal for one party to dictate terms to the other parties with no recourse?

Thats how all contracts work. You dictate a term, and the other accepts or rejects it. Like they said, the EULA agreed to likely contains a Darth Vadar "This agreement can change further" clause. So yes, Blizzard is the dark side. Nintendo is the path of the Jedi. Answer #2: What were the changes? I saw something on the launcher this morning, and then stopped caring.


Title: (Nevada) Estranged relative was charged with raping his 13 year old daughter. A few months after he was acquitted and released from custody she had his baby. He has not seen her since his release. Can he be re-charged now that the police know? He belongs in jail

Answer:
 Surely there is something about this case you don't know.  It seems unlikely the state would fail so completely in establishing the guilt of a child rapist when there was dramatic and incontrovertible evidence of his guilt.

But given the facts as you've stated them, no.  If he was acquitted, he cannot be retried or recharged even with new evidence.  See also: OJ Simpson.  Answer #2: Something in this story does not add up.Answer #3: Question for the board - If the guy was acquitted of rape, could he now be charged with incest?

Also, if the guy took the stand and said that he didn't have sex with her, presumably he could now be charged with perjury.


Title: Can we terminate our lease effective immediately?

Question:
Hey guys I have just recently found out most of this news right now so I’m freaking out a little bit.
On Sunday 06/31 my roommates and I found out news about a white man threatening to shoot minorities in the neighborhood where we currently rent a house. Here is the article (https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/crime/article232126547.html). Long story short he was arrested and they found multiple guns in his house.
Luckily we were all gone for the weekend when he was arrested but today (07/03) the police came to our door to notify us that he was released on bail.
What I’m wondering is can we ask to terminate our lease with our renting agency effective immediately? Our lease officially ends in August 2019 but we no longer feel safe to live on the same street as this man. We are scared (we are the very minorities he threatened) college students and since this news first broke out we have not heard ANYTHING from the agency. We found out about this from the news and police only. We live in California and would appreciate any feedback.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 You can ask.

They are under no legal obligation to let you.  Your landlords have nothing to do with the crime other people commit.  As distressing as the threats are, they are not legal grounds.


Title: {Chicago} Want Girlfriend off Lease, without her taking my dog.

Question:
Okay. So here's the deal. My GF and I of 3 years just split. We share an apartment together in Chicago but I have recently moved out to ease tension and tempers.  I am still paying for the rent. My GF however just lost her job. I would like to get her off the Lease (we are both the primary signers) and get her out of the apartment. Is there anyway I can go to the management company and make a case saying that since she has no job and I do (I could pay for the apartment on my own) I would like her off the lease and out of the apartment. My big problem is I don't want to inform her of this until I give her her notice of getting her out because she has my dog and I'm afraid if I tell her she needs to go before I get all the paperwork in that she will up and run and take my dog with her. Please help. Kind of desperate.

TL:DR Girlfriend has dog. Girlfriend lost job and can't pay for apartment anymore. How do I get her name off of the lease since she can no longer afford to pay rent and I can. Thanks!

Answer: Not a lawyer but I watch alot of Judge Judy and can tell you that she is just as entitled to living there as you are.


Title: Use/posses w/intent to use drug paraphernali into human body... won't stick, will it? (plus moving violation[s]) KS

Question:
There are 4 charges including the one in the post. I'll go over each briefly siting the charge and the context plus any additional details I feel are necessary.

* Got pulled over: 53 in a 45; didn't see the sign (w/e, I got the short end of the stick this time, first ticket in 3 years, "Deal with it!" Is what I'm telling mtself.)

* Driving w/o drivers lic in possess; it was in a coat pocket in the back seat rather than where it usually is so I got flustered from twisting and turning up, down, left, right looking for it in places it should of been, gave up, and just gave him my information before getting the misdemeanor charge and finding it later.

* Fail provide DMV w/change of add/name w/in 10 days; I've been homeless for 4 months sleeping in my car. I just had an official piece of mail with another viable address mailed to my brothers house and it arrived a few days after the misdemeanor charge was given to me and and changed my address then. Willing to bite the bullet because I'm in the wrong but sympathy here would be nice and I hear if you change if fast enough or you are in the right (it actually hadn't been 10 days yet [it had]) that the charge can drop. (W/e "Deal with it!" I tell myself to suck it up again.)

*Finally*

* Use/possess w/intent to use drug paraphernali into human body: a clear plastic bag in a cup holder holding to ear taper pieces... about 1x2 inches that "tested positive" for meth; I've got a few plausible causes for not being guilty on this one, bare with me. I've never used meth in my life. In the back seat pouch in the car I have one large ziploc bag containing at least 8 other small clear plastic bags all with ear piercing pieces in them at least one the exact same size as the one seized by the officer (gave me the ear-rings; kept the bag) all perfect industry examples (at least from my experience at the local shop that sells them) of over the counter ear-ring bags with about a 90% chance that the bag in question did in fact come from the store (I'll have to check if they carry that size currently and there's the slimmest chance the one that tested for drugs came from a friend but I'm only ever made two ear ring trades with friends, one in a much larger bag and one hand to hand no bags involved if my memory serves me.) Ok, I bet that the bag never even tested positive for meth residue, that the cop was just looking for a lead or pumping me for information and that when I show to the hearing, the retest from a lab (and not a roadside kit) will show no such evidence of drug residue; rant over but if that bag does have meth on it somehow I'm about to get the most bullshit charge ever.

Just to explain myself, I'm willing to take guilty charges to all of these but I'd like to hear other's sides to this story, without fighting against you tooth and nail for the hopes of a better case, just to better emotionally ready myself for what's about to happen. I haven't talked to a lawyer in my town yet but I'm about to. I just needed a week or two to cool off from the events of getting charged with these charges after a few years of staying on the as straight and narrow as possible and just getting the short end of a stick after slipping up on vehicular speed for an instant.
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer:
 So you were speeding, were not able to produce a license when asked, failed to change your address, and had drug residue in your possession.

Yeah, really you need an attorney. No one here can help you beat these charges since there is evidence of all of them. False positives for meth are really really uncommon.


Title: Can I get in trouble for something that comes up in court that I was NOT charged with?

Question:
Hi. I'm an eighteen year old in Williamson County, Tennessee. I and two of my friends were caught trespassing and smoking weed. Here's the story.

My friends and I went to a business park and climbed an uncovered ladder to the roof of a building so we can hangout one last time before we go to college. I brought a box with a couple pipes and some weed in it. One of my friends, Grayson, brought a backpack with lots of weed. We smoked using one of my pipes and Grayson's weed. After a while, a cop car pulls up to the building. I hide my box under an AC unit. The cop comes to the roof and catches us and finds all of Grayson's weed and paraphrenalia. He does a sweep of the roof and miraculously does not find my box. He cites each of us for criminal trespassing and he cites Grayson additionally for possession of marijuana. He then lets us go. I left the box on the roof.

We all have the same court date, are we going to be in the same hearing or will we have separate ones? More importantly, if it comes up in the hearing how we smoked and we say it was my pipe, will I get in trouble? Should I get the box from the roof and dispose of it?

Answer:
 You need an attorney.

Admitting to committing crimes in court (outside of a structured plea deal with the prosecution) is generally a terrible legal idea.Answer #2: You should take the person's name out of your post unless it's a made-up name.

Retrieving the box at this point would be another trespass, and possibly destruction of evidence.  No one is going to advise you to break the law.

If evidence comes up at trial that is sufficient to prove a charge against you that's not already charged, yes, you can be charged with it as well.  It sounds unlikely from what you've said, but it could happen.