Title: Florida transguy can't get his marriage license or birth certificate amended - WHAT NOW?

Question:
Hey guys! Hoping I'm posting this in the right place! I'm a transguy from the Tampa Bay Area (in FL) and I need someone to point me in the right direction here regarding two documents I desperately need amended. First being my birth certificate, second being my marriage certificate.

FIRST: I called the county courthouse for my area and spoke with a lovely supervisor, who all but told me I'm fucked in regards to having the name changed on my marriage license, despite the fact that, according to Social Security, the DMV, and the court system in general, the person my wife married technically doesn't even exist! Flabbergasted and dumbfounded here, friends. I NEED that marriage license amended for my wife's second round with USCIS in 1.5 years so she can get her permanent green card, as I was her primary petitioner, but in my OLD name; very fearful of that screwing with our case / invalidating our marriage!

SECOND: In regards to the birth certificate, I have a doctor who can vouch for me, in addition to my court order for my name change, but I cannot afford (and don't necessarily even desire) the complete list of gender confirmation surgeries Florida seems to require an individual have in order to have their birth cert. amended - soooo, I'm in a bit of a pickle here. The wife did some digging and found out that an underage transguy in Miami went to court over this, won his case, and to be honest, I'd be willing to go to court over it but I don't necessarily want to have this thing drag out.

So maybe I'm just missing something here, but does anybody know if there are any ways around these two issues so I can get my documents amended to reflect my actual identity? Any guidance or advice would be greatly appreciated!
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 > FIRST

You have the order for the name change. You just submit that order with the old docs.

> SECOND

Got a cite for that case? Either way likely it will be a drag out if the Flordia has specific rules for changing a BC.


Title: Is a 17mph speed limit sign enforceable? [NC]

Question:
There’s a sign on a public side road near my apartment that has a 17mph speed limit sign. Not 15mph, definitely 17mph. It’s posted on the side of the road, it’s facing the road and this is 100% a public road.

I’ve never seen a 17mph sign before in my life and it doesn’t look like regular speed limit signs (smaller and different font) but there aren’t any other speed limit signs on that road (it’s fairly short, maybe half a mile, mile tops). The police station is halfway down that road and I drove past a cop leaving the station earlier and I was doing 30mph and he didn’t seem too bothered but I’m curious if this is a legit sign or not.

Answer:
 A perusal of your state's vehicle code does not appear to disallow a 17-mile-per-hour speed limit, as long as there is an engineering and traffic survey to support it. However, speed limit signs are standardized in size and font/layout and the fact that this sign is not standard is an indication that it may not have been placed by the proper authorities. Also, establishing speed limits that are not divisible by five runs contrary to national standards.

Your state's vehicle code (scroll down to 20-141): https://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/ByChapter/Chapter_20.html

The national standards which include speed limit signing in chapter 2:

https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/

Link to the speed limit sign standard in HTML format (scroll down to Section 2B.13; note the language that read "The speed limits displayed shall be in multiples of 5 mph"):

https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2009r1r2/part2/part2b.htm

I recognize there is a section below the cited section of your state's vehicle code regarding school speed limits not being able to be set below 20 mph, but I don't think that applies here.
Answer #2: I have heard of odd speed limit signs being used on private property (e.g. industrial entrance roads) to get attention and be noticed. A 17 mph sign gets a higher compliance than a 15 or 20 mph sign.

Perhaps some county or town is trying the same thing.


Title: (GA) (19/F) Getting paid under the table, unbeknownst to me; what do I do?

Question:
I'm in college this summer, and in order to have the extra money to pay for college this fall, I have started working at a gas station nearby owned by a nice man, but from a foreign country. I mention this because he does not seem very familiar with U.S. laws.

I have never had a job before and my mom told me to make sure that I get a W-4 document to fill out for my taxes.

When I asked the boss about it, he claimed to not know what a W-4 was and that I can just ignore it, he will pay me cash every week.

It's been three weeks now and while I have been getting paid with no issues, my mom told me that it was super illegal and that the owner should definitely know about employment laws and taxes and things considering he has owned the store for a few years.

He also has lottery machines inside the store that I noticed him giving cash payouts for. I know that that specifically is illegal, and plan to refuse to handle it myself if he ever asks me.

How much trouble can I get in for being paid under the table like this and how much trouble can I get in if he is doing cash payouts and I know about it?

If either can get me in trouble, I'll just find another job. But am I already on the hook for responsibility for any of this? What should I do to protect myself? Is there anything I can do to start paying taxes on my income without getting the owner in trouble? He really is very nice, and I don't know if he is doing it on purpose for the W-4.

All advice appreciated.

Answer:
 You: accurately report your income on your taxes and pay the taxes owing. You may have to remit estimated taxes quarterly - talk to a CPA if you're unsure. As long as you accurately pay your taxes, you're fine. You may also want to keep good written records of your pay - hours worked, dates you receive your pay, and the exact amount received - so that you have records in case you need to file for unemployment or when you go to file your taxes this year.

You could also tip off the IRS that your employer is paying people under the table. If the IRS recovers a substantial amount of money (into six figures) from them and from any coworkers who did not report their income, you may get a reward.

You should expect to look for other work. While it's illegal to fire you in retaliation for reporting tax evasion, it may be a moot point if the IRS audits him and discovers he owes more back taxes than the business is worth.Answer #2: You should be filing taxes as normal. The IRS provides information for that [here](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/missing-your-w2-here-is-what-to-do).

The IRS and GA Dept. of Revenue will be unkind to an employer doing this.


Title: [South Carolina] My buddy got fired after reporting a threat on his life from another co-worker. Is this a wrongful termination?

Question:
If there's clarification needed or details missing that are important just let me know. Keep in mind this is coming from what he's told me.

Basic: My buddy "B" and a co-worker "C" had an interaction that ended up with C threatening his life. When B reported it to his superiors, they were both suspended with pay. A few days later his company informed him that they were terminating him.

Longer version: My buddy, "B's" girlfriend came by to drop off a pack of cigarettes during his break and his co-worker "C" stopped B to tell him that his girlfriend was hot and he wanted to "fuck her in the ass doggy style". B's girlfriend and mom both heard this and B told him that it wasn't cool and he'd crossed a line. B was obviously heated, but didn't escalate verbally and tried to walk away. C tried to escalate by taking his shirt off and saying, "what are you going to do about it? I'll fuck you up. I'm going to kill you and fuck your girlfriend". C had shown B his gun a few days earlier and C was obviously unstable so he took it seriously. As a side note, B says their manager saw C's gun as well in the past even though it was against company policy to bring handguns onto the property. Rather than escalate the situation, he decided to just take it to the office. He explained his situation to management and they suspended both of them until further investigation. He requested an escort to his truck and headed over to a nearby restaurant to meet up with his girlfriend and her mom for lunch. As he was waiting at the light to leave, C pulled up next to him, took a picture of him and his truck and did a hand gun point at him before driving off. B went to the police department to file a report just in case, but they didn't anything seriously. A few days later, he got touch in management at his workplace and they informed him they were terminating both of them. Their official reason is that they had witnesses that said that B was swearing loudly in front of customers, but B denies this and in fact the only two people within earshot were his girlfriend and his girlfriend's mom.

Is this worth going to a lawyer over? I've read that getting fired when reporting a workplace safety violation is illegal, but I'm not sure if this would apply in this situation or not. I know that SC is at-will so definitely sucks for him in that regard.

Answer:
 He can file for unemployment and start looking for another job.

Also, appeal if denied at first. From what I've read on here, it seems that unemployment is always initially denied.


Title: Child support issue

Question:
So about 15 years ago I was in love with a girl. I was 20 years old and I was in the Army. About a month into Basic Training she cheated on me and got pregnant. Being the idiotic, in-love twenty-year old that I was, I signed the paternity papers. After about 3 years, she and I were more or less over with, and she kept using the child against me (not letting me see him, etc.). I've been to several lawyers, none of which I can afford to hire and we've been to court a few times for support issues. She is now married.
My question is, is there any way for me to get out of this and possibly get my money back? I assume at this point I should just deal with it for 3 more years but I'm new to this subreddit and I wanted to at least ask. I'm sick of my paychecks being garbage all so she can buy cigarettes and pills (from the child in question directly). Any help/advice would be awesome. Thanks in advance.
EDIT: I'm located in Pennsylvania, USA.

Answer: It might be possible, it will not be cheap. Challenging paternity isn't a DIY type of proceeding. It'll depend on what the statute of limitations for challenging paternity is in PA. Either way you won't get money back, best case scenario is to get the kid declared not yours and stop the child support. On a related note, this will also be useful for estate planning if you don't have a will because the default rule will include all of your kids to inherit, so getting a court to find that this kid isn't yours will solve problems down the road as well.


Title: [Texas] Sister's bf dropped acid and got arrested last Friday. Apartment they're renting wants them out by Sunday.

Question:
My sister lives with her bf, they're both in college, I cosigned the lease for them. Last Friday the bf took acid, started freaking out and the cops had to be called. He was taken to the hospital then arrested.

The apartment they're renting told them they wanted them to leave by Friday but then extended that deadline to Sunday. It appears the reason they want them out isn't because of the drugs used, but because an official arrest was made.

I'm guessing the reason they asked them to leave voluntarily is so that neither of them have eviction records tied to their names, however, aren't they legally allowed more time to vacate? Shouldn't there have to be a formal written request to leave the apartment that is not an eviction notice? Obviously an eviction notice is a formal written request but before the level of eviction a written notice to vacate should be required and give more time than what was currently given.

If they are forced to leave it appears they're still on the hook for the remaining months on their contract, but are they still responsible for the apartment during those months they aren't living there?

Answer: No. The apartment must go through the legal process. Tell the apartment to pound sand and call the police if the locks are changed. They need written notice to vacate. For drug use, you can get a shorter "pay or quit" notice, but it will still take weeks for this to materialize. Answer #2: Just adding that they should save a copy of the lease somewhere else other than the apartment in the event they get locked out.Answer #3: What does the lease say about this? An arrest is not proof of wrong doing. You can always fight an eviction in court, although in this case there clearly was drug use and an incident so he's not exactly innocent.


Title: [MA] Grandmother took a prescription that is now being recalled for it being tainted and causing cancer, which she got.

Question: My grandmother took the drug valsartan that was prescribed by her Dr. It's currently under recall for being tainted and causing cancer. Some time after taking the valsartan, she did in fact get cancer, and beat it thankfully. She asked me to look into seeing if there is a way to bring legal action. When you google it there are a few sites saying to call and they'll help. I've never done anything like this so just asking what are advised steps to getting my grandmother compensated for the trouble she went through.

Answer: I would look for companies already dealing in class action lawsuits about this and contact them.Answer #2: The drug itself does not cause cancer. Certain generics were improperly manufactured and contained a carcinogen. The first step is determining whether the exact prescription she had is under recall.


Title: (CA) I'm a writer who ghost wrote for a client's fitness blog. Much of my work ended up in a published book with a major publisher without any consent, compensation or credit.

Question: As for records, all I have are about two years worth of emails with all the attached pieces and various correspondences.  Unfortunately, I was hired by a friend so the contract remained verbal.  There are paragraphs and even pages in the newly published book that are, word for word, my own work submitted for the sole purpose of her blog.  The blog posts still remain posted on the website.  Thanks for any and all help.

Answer:
 Well, this could get ugly.  What you described sounds a lot like doing work for hire.  When you do work for hire, the copyright in the work is owned by the person who hired you (your friend).  They can use the work however they want and don't owe you anything for it unless your work for hire agreement says otherwise.

However, work for hire agreements have to be in writing.  The emails you have *might* be sufficient to count as a writing and they might not.  If they're insufficient, then the work isn't for hire and you would retain ownership of the copyright.  If they are, it stays with your friend.  You're going to need a copyright attorney to help you sort this out.


Title: [AZ] Odd question. Polygamy!

Question: So my SO and I have been toying around with the idea of adding another person in our relationship. This got me thinking of the legal implications of any marriages that happen within the 3 person group. I am sure there are still laws in place that ban polygamous marriage in the US but is their any way to get the same benefits of marriage in a polygamous relationship? Civil union or something similar?

Answer:
 No state has any legal recognition for polyamorous relationships.

You can cover some of the same things through use of powers of attorney/medical powers of attorney, wills, and some form of joint ownership of things.  Answer #2: No. Polygamy is illegal in all 50 states, you will not get the same benefits such as tax benefits. You can do things such as powers of attorney and will/estate planning, but that is about it.


Title: Issued a speeding ticket in Maryland for "passing a cop"

Question:
I was driving about 70 in a 55 in the middle lane of the highway. A cop was driving the same speed ok my left and we drove abreast for maybe 10 mins, and then I slowly advanced (I must have been going 1mph faster than him). He pulled me over and I provided my license and registration but did not admit guilt of any kind, just a lot of polite "I don't knows".
He told me passing a cop was illegal in Maryland, though he didn't know about CT (where my permanent address is and where the car is registered), and he issued me a $160 ticket for going 70 in a 55 which is obviously a ballpark figure.

Am I able to fight this with a decent chance of winning? What are these laws?
EDIT: Just looked at the ticket more closely, it's for 70 in a 50, which is neither factual nor what he said.

Answer: What on earth would your defense be? He cited you for 70 in a 55 and that's what you were doing?


Title: Can the IRS put your house up for auction on short notice?

Question:
I'm a US citizen living in Indiana. I'm not asking for myself but my boyfriend's household(by extension mine half the time). I don't know exactly how the IRS contacted them unfortunately (either phone or letter).

Their house has been paid off since 2011, which is the tax year in question. Apparently they thought the mortgage covered it for that year (again I don't have as much info as I would like on that), and they hadn't heard anything to the contrary since then.

Obviously until they contacted them saying that if we don't come up with 3,000 dollars in two weeks the house is being put up for auction. The original bill was 800 dollars. I understand interest is a thing, but all of this sounds very fishy.

This IS our primary and only home, by the way, and we have no way of coming up with that sort of money in two weeks. The house makes about 900 dollars A MONTH, most of which goes to student loans. So what can we do from here, and how do we know if this is real or not?

EDIT: Wow I'm a dumb it's not the IRS, it's definitely over property taxes. I'm sorry I'm a confusing mess honestly.

Answer:
 Why not just call the IRS and ask?

1-800-829-1040


Title: My ex-wife claims she has established residency with me after staying with me for over 2 weeks...is this true?

Question:
Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask this question. Let me know of a better sub to ask if possible.

My ex-wife just broke up with a verbally abusive guy back before Thanksgiving. She came to me and asked if I was interested in moving back to my hometown with our two kids.

Because I cannot, at this time, afford a house by myself we discussed moving in together. But in the meantime we would live together until we moved in the coming months. She moved all her belongings into my basement and she stayed at my house a few days when not working (she works in another city and stays with her cousin there during work).

Of course her mind changed and now she doesn't want to move. I asked her to leave my house last Thursday which she did. And she told me Saturday night to leave my door unlocked so she can get some of her belongings. When I told her no she said she had established residency because she was considered living here for over two weeks and that if needed she can break a window and I could not press charges for breaking and entering.

So I didn't know what to do and left the door unlocked. She never got anything. So I plan on locking the door tomorrow and was wondering if she truly has established residency? She is not on the lease, she is not on any utilities. She just has text messages from the weekend after Thanksgiving saying she would stay here until we moved. Can I lock my doors while I'm at work and not worry about her breaking windows to get her belongings until I am present?

We live in Missouri for further info. Thanks.

Answer:
 > she works in another city and stays with her cousin there during work

This makes it sound a lot like she has a residence elsewhere.

> I asked her to leave my house last Thursday which she did.

And this makes it sound like she already vacated your house, even if she was a tenant.

> Can I lock my doors while I'm at work and not worry about her breaking windows to get her belongings until I am present?

That's not a legal question. That's a crazy ex-wife question. The short answer is that if she breaks in, you should call the police. Even if she is a "tenant", she still cannot break windows or doors because it's not her property.Answer #2: >When I told her no she said she had established residency because she was considered living here for over two weeks and that if needed she can break a window and I could not press charges for breaking and entering.

She can't be that obtuse. Even if she were classified as a tenant, she can't simply destroy property she doesn't own.

She would have tenant rights if she pays rent, pays toward the household bills, or has changed her address **and** receives mail. If she satisfied any of those conditions, you will have to follow the formal eviction process. If not, she is an unwelcome house guest and can be thrown out at your pleasure.


Title: QA unemployment is after me...

Question:
(Edit: title s/b WA not QA... :/ )

Last year I was on unemployment for about 3 months. After I got a job I got a letter saying there was an over payment. At first I thought it was a mistake and being back at work I just didn't have the time to deal with that kind if BS. So I hoped it would go away. I thought that at some point I felt with the situation. Wrote a letter or something. Anyway over time and no more letters, I forgot about it. Now my wages are being garnished and I got another bit of mail saying I now owe them $1500 and something about judgment fees and interest. They want me to pay them $600 a month. I don't have that to spare! Like it will make me homeless to pay any bills then I already have...

I literally have no clue what to do. I can't sit on the phone for the hours it takes to get through to them. I have a job 8-6 m-f. Also there never was any overpayments! Why should I be held responsible for the governments fuck up? Payments stopped when I got a job.

What can I do? I am not taking time off work for gov BS, if they can't do their jobs they should be fired! Not me.

 Can I get a lawyer to deal with this for me? I read some stuff about class action lawsuit on this topic but I didn't see any details. Everything about this is massively unfair...

Answer: If you're being garnished then you must have been sued. Were you served? Did you ignore that too?


Title: [WI] Custody case is near the end but the money has run out

Question:
In summary:

I have two children with my ex-wife: 12 year old pre-teen girl, and 10 year old son with high functioning autism. My ex-wife is diagnosed with bipolar/depression and drinks semi often which counteracts her medication and makes her very unstable (constant yelling/arguing over small situations, delusions, fits of crying, etc). I divorced my ex after she had an affair and had a child from it. One paternity test and a long pro-se series of court dates later, we're divorced with 50/50 custody. A few years later she moves in with a guy. A year later she starts to fall apart. A few highlights to give you an idea of what I mean by that:

* She gave my daughter a small portion of her prescription Xanax to help her sleep. When confronted she said it wasn't a big deal because it was a small portion.

* Constant verbal/emotional abuse with both kids ranging from threats to slap them for talking out of turn to yelling and throwing things when my son was having meltdowns.

* Unofficially signed away her custody to me (non legally binding) at least three times going from 50/50 to 60/40 to 75/25 to 95/5. Mostly due to the kids going to school in my city and her self described inability to handle the youngest's morning routine.

* Sent us texts late at night asking us to come get the kids because her boyfriend was being abusive. She retracted those statements later on.

* Her boyfriend broke up with her, she continued to live in his house though and at one point she was texting suicidal notes to my current wife. Once we received those we went over to pick up the kids and I helped her voluntarily check into a mental hospital because she has made suicide attempts in the past.

* Upon the mental hospital scenario, we hire a lawyer to file a motion for primary custody. When she is served papers, she becomes highly aggressive towards us. To give you an idea, she was four hours late for pickup once when I confronted her about being late she told me she would get a TRO on me and yelled at me in front of the kids. This scenario went on for a few weeks.

* A month after, she texted my wife again telling her that she can't function properly and called up my daughter crying on the phone about what a failure she is as a mother.

* The crying phone calls continued to happen on a regular basis and I broke the custody order (I know I know, I did consult my attorney on this and she said it was a longshot) and kept the kids from her until our court date. Lawyer tried to argue in court that I did it for the kids benefit but the court commissioner read me a riot act. He granted her the custody she asked for.....One overnight, every Friday. I had the kids for every day the rest of the week.

So after all that, court appoints a GAL. This entire time I have saved every text, facebook post, email, phone call recording (I have her on recording saying "you can record me, I don't care"), I present all this evidence to the GAL and she starts going through it.

During this temporary order she:

* breaks the order (late pickups, late drop-offs)

* Leaves the kids at home so she can go out (leaving the oldest to watch the youngest is not a big deal but per the GAL she only has the kids for one day a week, so why would she not want to spend every moment with them)

* Continues with the emotional/verbal abuse (mostly throwing things)

* Brought her new boyfriend of one month to my son's therapy appointment (he's in therapy for trauma/autism)

* Insults the GAL on facebook calling her disorganized and unprofessional. Going so far as to call her a bitch, etc etc

* Has told the kids how much of a liar I am and given them details of the trial, also how she's going to move in with the new boyfriend after only dating for a month.

Those little details about her personal life, not as important, mostly just how it impacts the kids. Both kids have anxiety problems and I have had them in therapy since the divorce. At one point they were both pulling their hair out on a regular basis.

So the GAL did her research, saw everything that was going on and made the recommendation to the court commissioner: Dad has primary placement with final say on medical/educational, Mom has every other weekend Saturday from 11 am to Sunday at 4 pm. My attorney and I immediately agreed with that. Ex-wife was not pleased with this, she wanted 50/50 custody despite the fact that she isn't equipped to handle 50/50 (work schedule and she has three kids of varying ages sharing a bedroom). Court commissioner doesn't give a final order there and sends us to pre-trial to finalize everything with an evidentiary hearing.

So here's where I'm at...... I have been paying my lawyers bills on time. We go to court in three weeks. She wrote me an email telling me that she can't do a payment plan and can't represent me until I pay the full balance ($2k). I can pay that but it will result in maxed out credit cards and check to check living. Last court date, my lawyer barely said anything because the GAL did most of the talking. During that time my ex-wife verbally attacked the GAL in open court ("you're a liar and don't you dare challenge me" verbatim).

 I'm about ready to cash out my retirement savings to bankroll my lawyer until this is done but at this point I'm wondering if its even worth it. We're trying to buy a house right now and my ex is insulting court officials and pretty much unraveling herself in the court. The day after court she got back on facebook and blasted the GAL again. She also hasn't paid her GAL fees and the GAL is about to file an order to show cause to compel with her. The GAL expressed how frustrating my ex is. Ex will not return her calls at all and continues to blame the GAL (I have it documented) for her failure last hearing. I have heard the GAL say to my daughter "I wish I could tell your mom to grow up".

The question I have for all of you:

Should I soldier on pro-se and save my money for my family's future or drain my accounts to end this with legal representation which I will most likely end up paying for some time while I try to get ahead again.

Side note: Ex-wife is pro-se and has been pro-se this entire time.

Thank you for your assistance

Answer: This close to the finish line, do you really want to risk it?


Title: Going where the abuser is PPO

Question:
If I go somewhere and the person I have a PPO on is there do they have to leave ?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: The point of a PPO is to have your harasser/abuser/crazy ex not come to places you are. It seems like you are saying that you want to stalk this person, forcing them to keep moving. If that is true, you will lose that PPO.


Title: (FL) 15 Year Old Niece Being Abused by Her Mother

Question: I've just found out that my cousin is treating her daughter like complete crap, full on emotional and physical abuse. The situation has escalated to the point where hey continuing to live there is a safe or healthy option. The girl's father, divorced, is equally terrible and completely out of the picture. What can my family and I do to get her out of there as quickly as possible. Is emergency custody an option and how does one even go about obtaining that? The kid is freaking out and is planning to run away if we can't help her soon.

Answer: If she's being physically abused, [call FDCF.](http://www.myflfamilies.com/service-programs/abuse-hotline/howtoreport)


Title: Ireland-At what point am I at fault for failing to call emergency services?

Question:
I work as a security guard at a large retail store. Recently our regional manager decided that we could no longer call an ambulance for someone unless they request it or it is obvious that they need one but cannot ask for it themselves.

The definitions are in my mind too loose and leave the person dealing with any incident involving injury in a position where they have to make a decision based on something that is not an official instruction from our head office but a verbal one from our regional manager. I'm no longer on the first aid team (by choice, long story) but security is often called to help and we are asked for advice on what to do. For the most part management are advised by the stores senior management to avoid involving themselves. This leaves staff level employees to make the choice of if to call.

Last week a woman collapsed in the store of a suspected stroke. Security were called and the guard on duty informed them that since he could not offer first aid (not certified) and could not call an ambulance(not permitted) to get a senior manager to make the call. The manager attended and after waiting 10-15 minutes asked the guard when the ambulance was coming. He replied "..as soon as you call them because I can't do that for you..."

Should be noted that it wasn't me on duty, thank christ. I later found out that the customer fell into a coma and is not expected to recover. If an investigation was to occur who would or could be held at fault in this incident or one like it? We have a door leading onto a busy street and we do get people who come in and collapse/fall or become injured through violent incidents involving other people.

This could be awkward to answer I know but I'm looking for general advice on what to do. Personally I would have called an ambulance but he didn't and passed the job to someone who didn't have a clue about what to do.

Answer:
 Right sorry this isn't legal advice but just wanted to clear something up - how was he 'not permitted'? Following the rules you were given, he should have rang because she was unable to ask for herself.

For future reference, that delay may have killed this woman. The stupidity if people astounds me. I'm glad you're questioning this rule.

 http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2005/act/10/section/11/enacted/en/html#sec11  may be helpfulAnswer #2: Jesus. 10-15 mins probably cost that lady her life.

I don't think they are allowed to stop you calling, you might want to post to the U.K. legal advice sub though, more likely to have people familiar with this side of the world.


Title: Drug tested for work, came up positive for meth. I'm not on meth. How can I protect myself?

Question:
Los Angeles county, CA

My work recently decided to start drug testing all employees. I take Adderall, legally prescribed by my doctor, so it wasn't a surprise when my sample needed to be sent to the lab for further analysis.

Today the lab called me and told me I was positive for amphetamines and methamphetamine. I sent them the proof of my prescription, and they replied that they will tell my employer that I'm negative for everything except methamphetamine, as the Adderall is not accepted by them to cause a positive for methamphetamine.

In my amateur internet research since then, it appears that Adderall can indeed cause a false positive for methamphetamine, as can a cold medicine I was taking at the time of the test. Either way, I'm definitely not taking meth.

How can I best protect myself with my employer? I understand that they can fire me no matter what, but is there any action I can take to lessen that possibility?

Thanks for any help!

Answer:
 Did they do a confirmation test or only screen? If they say they detected methamphetamine and amphetamines, it sounds like they did a confirmation test which can differentiate between the two compounds and most likely isn't a false positive. The confirmation tests are set up to separate and identify all amphetamine compounds.

So this might seem like a random question, but have you used something similar to a Vick's nasal inhaler recently? These have a legal form of meth in them. The difference is in how things are connected, the easiest way to explain it is the two are like your hands, mirror images of each other. The left hand type of molecule is legal, the right hand isn't. If you have used one of these, you can request they do a chiral confirmation test on your sample. This is able to determine which form of meth you have in your system.

Source: I review confirmation drug tests.Answer #2: Get something from your doctor that this can occur. Answer #3: If it was an EMIT urine test, don't rely on what the internet tells you as a defense for anything simply ask for another urine test, and ask to see the results of the test.  I work in drug testing and most labs do not differentiate between AMP and METHAMP drugs, but some do, and it'll be interesting to see which this was.  Most EMIT tests are held in higher court as damn near infallible as long as they are properly calibrated and operated, but again, it'll be interesting to see which is which here.


Title: Car accident (car vs pedestrian) in NJ

Question:
So a friend of mine hit a girl with her car because as she was about to turn, a police car with his siren on came by and she had to stop. After the cop passed, she didn't check if there was a pedestrian in the middle of the road and when on and hit someone else. They exchanged information, they've been texting, and the other girl says she won't sue or file an accident report iether but she has an accident report form all filled out just in case. She's been saying that her head's been hurting and that she thinks she has a concussion. The victim went to the dr and got a ct scan and the dr said she was fine but gave her some meds for the pain. She's expecting my friend to pay for all of it as of right now but that's going to be around $2k. The victim is also planning on going for an mri because she thinks she has a concussion. My friend doesn't have that much money but she can cover some of the costs. They didn't call the police or anyone when the accident happened, there aren't really witnesses because no one's information was exchanged other than my friend and the victim, and they're still talking through it. What can be done to help? Is there any way my friend can get out of paying for anything? What can my friend do?

Edit: the victim is under a student visa and will be in the US for another 5 years if that matters at all.

Answer:
 Insurance. Use it. Stop screwing around here.

Your gf but a human with a multi ton vehicle. There is no Mulligan here. She needs to call her insurance immediately and let them handle this.


Title: [CA] Does this constitute a settlement agreement for child abuse I went through? Would it be enforceable?

Question:
I’m a victim of abuse perpetrated by one of my parents, whom I’ll refer to as “A.”  When I confronted A about it and threatened to sue A, A denied it, but then later agreed to pay me a sum of money per year. I drafted up a document because I didn’t want to scare A away by getting attorneys involved, at least not at that stage. At the top of the document it says “Promissory Note” and it then reads: 1. “For value received, I promise to pay [me] at [my address] x amount of money per year, beginning on [date] for a sum total of y. If y hasn’t been paid to [me] at the time of my death, the balance will be paid from my estate.
2. If the holder(s) of this note prevail(s) in a lawsuit to collect on it, the signer(s) agree(s) to pay the holder(s)’ attorney fees in an amount the court finds to be just and reasonable.”

The document is notarized by A.

--
So far A has made payments stipulated by the document for the past 3 years. These are my questions:
1.	Is this document enforceable?
2.	Does it constitute a settlement agreement?
3.	I have the original on hand, but what would happen if it became destroyed somehow? Would it be best to keep it in a safe deposit box with insurance or at home with a rider added to my homeowner’s policy?
I have asked a couple of attorneys these questions and they basically have said that they are not sure. I’m hoping to get some more opinions. I can provide additional details and/or context if that would be helpful.

Thank you very, very much in advance for any input you may have.

Answer: What’s the value received?  This kinda seems like a blackmail contract TBH.


Title: Hypothetical: What crime is committed if an American outs a Saudi as gay?

Question: Presuming they know it would result in consequences for the gay person, but in another country.

Answer:
 A crime against decency?

I don't know that there's a statute that applies. In the US, truth is a defense against libel. And in the Kingdom, there wouldn't be a penalty for something someone said overseas. The social consequences could be dire, because it's an incredibly awful and cruel thing to do. I mean, just about the entire internet would hate whoever did that, and when someone googled their name that would probably be the first thing that came up.


Title: Wife and Daughter Struck by Car Crossing Crosswalk

Question:
They are both Fine.  The Driver stopped at the stop sign, but then accelerated into them while they were right in front of her car.  She stopped when she heard my wife scream.  Driver said the sun was in her eyes, but she immediately got out of her car holding her cell phone.  From experience it is kinda blinding down that street at that time of day but she clearly wasn't paying attention.
Daughter, age 6, was knocked to the ground and hit her head and got a nice big bump but our doctor said she is fine, referred to it as about the same as a playground bump.
My Wife didn't fall to the ground but sprained her knee when the bumper struck her.  She's had knee pain come and go ever since, some good days, and some days it hurts more than it ever has.  She had xrays and everything looked good so hopefully that is the nature of a sprained knee and it will go away with time.

So far the only medical bills have been a couple Copays and prescriptions, about $150 or so so far.  The Insurance offered us $2400 to sign away the incident.

So my question is with an injury like that that doesn't seem to be serious, do we just sign, accept the money and hope it heals fine and there are no future issues?  I guess I'm just concerned if the nagging pain doesnt go away and becomes something she has to deal with the rest of her life.

EDIT:
Sorry, State is California

Answer:
 There's no huge hurry to settle right away.  You don't mention the state you're in, but the statute of limitations is surely at least a year.  Talk to your doctors about what, if any, long term complications there could be, and you might want to consult with a personal injury attorney.Answer #2: Ethically, I can't tell you whether or not to accept the settlement.

What I can do is to tell you to think about your options. If there is a problem in the future, do you think $2400 would be close to enough to cover it? Especially if a young child is involved.


Title: Student appealing academic dishonesty charge

Question:
i'm not sure if legal precedent of the real world can apply to school-specific bylaws, but i figured this was worth a shot.

i was recently charged with an act of impersonation which was later found to be groundless and minimized to a charge of inappropriate behavior. the grounds for my school's decision is that my actions caused confusion for my instructor and disrupted class activities.

my appeal is in 2 weeks and i'm putting together a case. here's what i have so far:
-- inappropriate behavior is defined as "disruption of instructional or class-room activities". i don't believe my actions caused any significant amount of distress to the people involved to warrant me the punishment that i have been dealt. (a 1-year blackmark on my transcript). using the grounds of "equal pay for equal work" i plan to flip it around as "equal punishment for equal evil" to minimize my punishment. i want empirical financial evidence that my actions caused actual significant distress on the parties involved.

-- the clause of "inappropriate behavior" is just a catch-all clause that is given arbitrary residual value to pass judgment on cases that a better defined clause is unable to used. the law itself is flawed because it just vaguely defines itself as any action that causes disruption in the educational environment. if someone were to be standing in the middle of the door way and therefore blocking the path of an instructor from passing and heading to their next class, would this also count as inappropriate behavior? i believe this ignores my constitutional rights to know what exactly i am being charged.

-- my actions were not intentional. my actions did not cause me to gain any unfair academic advantage over anyone else and therefore, there is no malice that can be spread to any other judgment. i don't think i should be charged with something that i only knew in retrospect could have caused disruption. (isn't this like estoppel or something? i can't remember what the legal term is called)

what do you guys think? any help and clarification on any misunderstandings are greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 We have not idea:

1.  What you did.

2.  What the hell you are talking about.

I'm assuming this is an administrative function of the school so all of what you wrote or are thinking is pretty irrelevant.


Title: You met a woman In Match.com, after dating in a span of two months, you make out with her. Next day she filed a rape case against you? How can the man defend himself?

Question: How can the man defend himself and prove the sex was consensual and the woman was not raped by any means?

Answer:
 "So we made out, and yada yada yada, now I have to prove the sex was consensual to avoid a rape charge!"

There's sort of a huge hole in this story. Lawyer up and talk it out with your counsel.


Title: [Ohio] I'm thinking about divorcing my wife but I want to make sure I'm not responsible for debt she took on in my name.

Question: Over the few years we've been married, she took out several credit cards and a personal loan in my name, because her credit score wasn't good enough to take on that debt. Now I want to divorce her and I want to make sure I'm not responsible for that debt. Is there any way to do this? Do I need to file criminal charges or sue her or what? Or is this handled as part of the divorce proceedings? What if I can't afford an attorney?

Answer:
 Debts you've been aware of for years are likely to be yours, or at least to be split in your divorce along with your assets. If you also forgave her (retroactively giving her permission to open those accounts), she can argue that you should not be able to take back that permission when it no longer benefits you.

Speak to a divorce lawyer, but put thoughts of _punishment_ aside for now and focus on fairly dividing your whole marital estate - including its debts.


Title: Labor Relations

Question:
 How should Employee Recovery Time ,After a Required Chemical Assault, Be Handled?
Question:Ok Reddit. I seem to be lacking in searching skills. I need, and cannot find credible sources for the following scenario:

I work as a prison guard. As required each year we get sprayed with pepper spray in our training. I have been doing this for ten years and in the past we were sprayed then given a full day to recover. This year a handful of us must be at our duties 6 hours after the assault or us benefit time. I have a problem with being chemically assaulted as a condition of employment then being forced to use benefit time to recover. I understand fully why we are required to endue this.

I have been sprayed annually over the past ten years (and a many times on accident as a result of inmate disturbances). **My issue is the forced use of benefit time to recover.** This “injury” is required by the employer.  This seems much like “getting hurt on the job.”

I am hoping a Redditor would be kind enough to search incidents and precedents set in the U.S. state of Indiana which I may use in an appeal to the judge (the local judge handles labor disputes.) We no longer have a union. II cannot find such information on the web. I’m sure this is a case of my poor Google skills.

Answer:
 First are you a member of a union?

Secondly are you using PTO or unpaid leave?Answer #2: Question - how come you're not getting sprayed while actually at work?  In my opinion, this type of training should be on the clock, during your shift.

Regardless of whether you're on the clock for this training, recovering from pepper spray takes at most 1-2 hours.  It sounds like the full day to recover is really an "atta boy" type of courtesy extended by your supervisor, and not necessarily a medical/safety requirement.  It's also possible that the full recovery day was not extended this time based on who will be on duty, availability of coverage, scheduling, etc.

If I were you, I'd either report for my scheduled shift at the appropriate time, or try to see if scheduling allows for this training while you're actually on a shift.  If I couldn't function 6 hours after being pepper sprayed (which is possible,) I'd cross that bridge when I came to it.

Its not egregious for your employer to act as you described, but I can definitely sympathize with your desire to get a comp day out of this.  Being pepper sprayed is not fun.  It would be nice of your employer to allow a full day recovery, but that's not necessarily a requirement.


Title: [VA]A man hugs her ex-girlfriend and grab her hands by the wrists after breakup. The man and her ex-girlfriend is involved in another dispute revolved around housing issues. The incident is reported to the police as a sexual harassment case.

Question:
I apologize if the description in the title is a bit confusing. So here's the situation:
My friend's ex-girlfriend broke up with him weeks ago. Since they both signed an lease to the same apartment and his ex does not want to live in the same apartment with him, she tried to ask him to move out (swapping the lease with one of their friends). However my friend decided not to move out. After my friend told her he wasn't going to move out, she reported to the police that he sexually harassed her about three days ago when they were having a conversation in the leasing office after they broke up.
While they were at the leasing office three days ago, my friend tried to hug his ex while she was not willing to give him a hug. Nevertheless, he finally hugs her (maybe without her explicit consent) and she patted on his back telling him it is okay. After talking for another while, my friends grabs her wrists (not in a forceful manner) and tried to rescue the relationship. He let go of her when she tried to free her wrists.
The reason I have to describe the incident is that these are all videotaped by the security cam and could potentially be an evidence to the DA/Court. Do you think the police/DA would follow through with a sexual battery/simple battery charge? If so, what are the possibilities if this goes to trial?
Apologize again if the description is confusing. It's my first time posting on this subreddit. Please feel free to ask for more info if you need in order to understand the situation.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 Battery is any unlawful offensive physical contact with another person, with or without his or her consent. The contact does not have to be violent for the crime of battery to take place, it can be merely any offensive touching.

She clearly expressed she did not want to be touched and he touched her anyways, multiple times.

We cannot determine who the DA will prosecute, but he clearly broke the law and it is a strong possibility that they will press charges on him if the girl reports the incident to the police.


Title: Ex trying to get out of $19,000+ debt by filing for bankruptcy

Question:
I'm in VA.

So a few months ago I won a ~$20,000 case against my ex for numerous debts I had to cover for her. She was ordered to pay a certain amount within 60 days and then a certain amount every month thereafter. She makes $90,000+ dollars a year, owns a ~$30,000 car (not paid off) and has no other real debt. Her first payment was due to me last week, however I did not receive a check. I contacted my lawyer and he informed her that if I did not receive a check in a few days, he would be filing a show cause for non-payment. She informed him that she had moved out of state and was filing for bankruptcy.

I did a bit of amateur research and just wanted to check with anyone here that had experience with this sort of thing. I doubt she will qualify for it, but was wondering if it is possible by some extenuating circumstance she could be granted it? Also, I read found [this](http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/11/5/II/523) - it seems that debts incurred due to "false pretense, false representation, and actual fraud" are not dischargable. In order to do this I would need to ask the federal bankruptcy court to except the judgement from discharge. A major portion of the debt is due to a loan I took out for her under the agreement she would pay me back in full...I also have proof of this agreement. Would this be considered false pretense if she no longer is willing to pay?

Answer:
 ***not legal advice***

You should probably tell you lawyer to move ahead ASAP with the show-cause hearing, while simultaneously figuring out where she moved and domesticate your judgment there asap (your lawyer will understand, but probably not a DIY thing). Unfortunately, probably expensive, but probably necessary.

Bankruptcy is a tricky thing--if she truly has a lot of debt, a judgment like yours may be dischargeable (bad news). Depending on the nature of the judgment, you could be paid as an unsecured creditor, which could be bad. However, if she truly does not qualify, her bankruptcy might be dismissed, or you could be paid in full rather than in installments. Consult your lawyer, YMMV. And, you'll want to see what causes of action you received a judgment for. It may or may not affect whether your debt will be discharged in bankruptcy.


Title: [ON, CANADA] I placed trust in the wrong person, and didn't write down the terms of an agreement to babysit her child. She is now trying to change said terms.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Your "friend" cares more about the $200 than your friendship.

Tell your mutual friends that she's a deadbeat.

You can sue her in small claims for the original amount you two agreed on.  Or let it go.


Title: My aunt has passed away, the apartment that my father bought to her is now going trough court

Question: My father bought apartment for his sister. He died about 18 years ago, and since then that apartment is completly hers ( he didn't legaly put her name on that apartment but is considered as hers). Now about 4 years ago she died, and since she never had a husband or kids, and she didn't make a will about who will inherit apartment after her death, we had to go trough court. Now, my aunts sister, she didn't want that apartment since she thinks that it belongs to my family, but another aunts sister claimed it. And since than it has been about 3 years, and court is not doing anything and that apartment is just falling apart since noone takes care about it, and just recently someone broke into it. My family can't afford lawyer so what is the best option? I think that it should be ours since my dad bought it, and she didn't have anyone unfortunately, so my family was always taking care of her, apartment is not that great but it is worth about 50k or something like that. I am currently 19 years old and don't know what to do about this. Location Serbia

Answer:
 I don't think you're going to find anyone familiar with Serbian law here, unfortunately

See if you can find a lawyer that will work on a payment plan. If your father never actually gave/willed the apartment to your aunt (with legal documentation), there's a good chance your family still owns it


Title: Can I legally own a train?

Question:
Hey there reddit, this may be a stupid question and the wrong place to post but I was wondering if with the correct training, if I'm able to own and operate a train.
My thought process behind this was the way in movies and video games you see private militaries and organizations owning trains and transporting stuff like gold and weapons. So I thought, if I have training in operating a train and I purchase an old freight yard to store it, can I legally own a train?

Answer: Sure but without permission of the railroads you couldn't take it anywhere. Answer #2: Even easier would be buying your own private rail car, you can pay Amtrak to move it around for you. https://www.amtrak.com/privately-owned-rail-carsAnswer #3: Probably. Individuals owning private trains is not unheard of.Answer #4: You have to pay to move it across all of the privately owned railroad tracks and comply with their rules. As well as be a FRA certified engineer


Title: Recorded sexual harassment via phone call recording app - what can I do with this?

Question:
So my wife has been getting harassed by her ex (also the father of her two kids) pretty much every other day for about a year now. She hasn't done really anything about it because we've had trouble getting evidence on it since it's always phone calls and just vague texts that can't really be used for much. We recently got one recorded, and now I'm wondering what I can do with it? Is this even legal in California? Can this be used for a restraining order at the very least? We're looking to take it as far as we possibly can. The only problem is, on the recording she doesn't openly say "stop" just that she can't talk because she was at work (she answered because she thought it was concerning the kids). Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. Sorry for the formatting I'm on my ohone

Answer:
 > Is this even legal in California?

No.

> Can this be used for a restraining order at the very least?

No.  California specifically bans illegal recordings as evidence in all proceedings.

She can still seek a restraining order, if she qualifies, but the recording is unusable.


Title: (NE) Help! I can't find clear information on Paternity and Birth Certificates!!

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You need to speak with a lawyer and establish custody.


Title: My puppy was neglected by the boarding service I used and was returned to me in extremely poor health. I signed an agreement with them and need advice.

Question:
http://imgur.com/a/Mo46e

My wife was hospitalized and I had to board the dog because I had to work and wanted to be with my wife when I could. So, I ended up boarding him at this place for three days (2 nights). I had signed the above document like 6 months ago when I was taking him their for daycare for a few days before I ended up switching to a different place. When I went to pick up my dog the person working their handed him to me and I carried him to the car, then when we got home and it was time for him to walk into the house he could barely move and I noticed his eye was swollen shut, all 4 of his paws were bloody and red and had discharge... I called the Emergency Vet and they said it could probably wait until morning... Took him in the next day and he had infections in all 4 of his paws and his eye was more or less OK but he needed ointment for it. A week later he still is still limping and still has wounds on his paws. I'm going to have to take him back to the vet again... It is possible he will need surgery was he may have a foreign object in-bedded in his paw. But as you can imagine with my wife being hospitalized and me taking a couple days off, boarding the dog, vet bills, etc etc... This is causing a serious financial burden for us.

I'm basically hoping that there is some way I can still take this to small claims... Or that because they list their services at the bottom of the agreement and "dog boarding" isn't included that that may not be included under the "activities" mentioned in the agreement.

I did talk to the owner who didn't even apologize, basically told me shit happens and then hung up.

The other thing I am curious about is the non-disparagement part... I am wondering if I can word a yelp/google review in such a way as to not violate that... I don't want this happening to other people.

I just realized that I don't know what is listed on the agreement that I actually signed under "activity" "dates(s) of activity)" and "location"

but almost certainly nothing like "boarding" and any date near this one because I signed that thing specifically for doggy daycare sometime last year.

Any advice is appreciated... All I want is fair compensation for the injury to my dog and I want to prevent this from happening to other animals. I would have been happy if they had just told me my dog was getting sick/was injured there because I would have taken him to the vet earlier or picked him up earlier... Thank you.

Answer:
 I don't think non-disparagement clauses like that hold up. They're basically saying you can't even talk about this to a judge or jury. We had a similar case in Texas and it was thrown out (prestigious pets).

There may be some information in my link on their legitimacy. I'm not very familiar with the bill so read through it. To my understanding these types of clauses are meant for employment contracts and not small businesses and customer relations. I'd be surprised if a state like WA allowed this (they're banned in CA).

You can certainly file in small claims. I'd argue your point about the contract, information from your vet on why this happened (unsanitary conditions, bacteria, foreign objects in paws, lack of cleaning, etc), failure to mitigate your damages by ignoring his injuries. I can't say you'd win but my company has a contract stating what you can't sue us for and we get sued for them all the time (and often settle).

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr5111/textAnswer #2: I am not a lawyer but many times I've seen in this sub that waivers of liability do not cover negligence. If it were shown that you hired them to provide basic care for your dog, they were definitely negligent in providing that care, and you incurred bills as a result of their negligence, I would be quite surprised if they were not responsible for paying those bills. Answer #3: Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer

15 USC 45b (the Consumer Review Fairness Act) very likely prohibits that nondisparagement clause. You're extremely likely (but would want to consult a lawyer to be certain, since I'm not one) to not be liable if you keep your scathing review of the shitty service completely honest and truthful.

http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title15-section45b&num=0&edition=prelim


Title: DWI Austin TX (First Offense)

Question: So I decided to take a risk on a friday night and drive from one side of downtown Austin to the other side. I didn't get far because of my headlights where off I was not drinking I smoked a blunt on top of a parking garge an hour earlier. It was well lit so I never noticed my headlights were off. So I got stopped went through the whole rigamarole of a sobriety test and failed due  to nervousness and fear taking control. Went to booking had my blood drawn was read my rights and told the officer nothing more than he already knew. I have clean record only two traffic tickets in the past one being drug paraphernalia charge other a speeding ticket. My question is what is the worst that's gonna happen to me? I'm scared I won't have a dime to pay for the expenses of probation and jail is really scary. 😟😳

Answer:
 > and failed due to nervousness and fear taking control.

Or, you were high.

> My question is what is the worst that's gonna happen to me?

Theoretically, heavy fines, jail, substance abuse classes, and license suspension.

You should hire an attorney.


Title: Do I have to accept a child support check covered in literal shit or otherwise if it is made elaborately hard to get?

Question:
My ex-husband was ordered 3 years ago during our divorce to pay child support. Before I get a bunch of hate PMs -- I work, I didn't ask to keep the kid more. He didn't want more time. I don't enjoy never having any time to myself and always having to do everything on my own. It sucks, ok. I would gladly pay him the $350 he is required to pay me a month to get any sort of break on healthcare, child care, or even not having to use every single vacation day of work for a sick day or because school is out. Do you know how great it would be to just have to pay $350 a month for all child related expenses. It would all be worth $350 because that is nothing compared to the cost of a kid. I spent $100 on shoes the other day. Shoes. He needed shoes for school and water shoes for water activities and nice required shoes
for graduation. I swear to god I just bought him shoes 3 months ago that don't fit now. So before you come at me with the collecting child support shame just think for a second about how much it costs you to live and double that. Double all your costs. It isn't easy on one income. It isn't easy on two incomes.

My problem is my super pissed ex-husband who sees his kid the last weekend of every month likes to make it uncomfortable or hard to get my child support. In the last year, he has stuck the check in an actually bucket of slop, he has stuck it in a zip lock baggie of dog shit, he has taped it to my roof, he has tried to get me to play an elaborate scavenger hunt, he has driven to my son's elementary school on a day that isn't his custody day and stuck in my son's backpack and not told anyone and when I asked him where it was he has said " guess where?" which lead to an elaborate search of the house and two days of a guessing game (it was well hidden in a tiny pocket in the backpack and my son had no idea his dad even put anything in there, he has buried it in my back yard with my son's help, he has hand delivered to my HR department at work with "for the bitch" on the envelope, paid me cash in all $1, he has threatened to pay me in change (which he has not done yet), and he has written me 350 different checks for $1 each.

It is always something and it is getting old. I have not accept checks before (the ones covered in things) and he has eventually written me new ones after giving him a hard time.

I am exhausted. This is annoying. He doesn't work a consistent job so often times a garnishment would be hard. He always pays on time without hesitation but this is insane.

How much of this do I have to put up with? Is this just something I have to deal with for the next 11 years?

Answer: I feel like this could be considered harassment, too. Definitely get in touch with someone who can control the way you get your child support.


Title: [AL] [Huntsville] School gave us laptops. They ran TERRIBLY, eventually inserted more RAM into the laptop. Charged with dest. of school property + premeditation, theft of school property, and vandalism.

Question:
Hi there! Long time lurker on this sub. Very first post ever; had to create an account - sorry for formatting mistakes.
*There is no TLDR, you really need to read the whole thing to understand.*

So, roll way back to the 2015-2016 school year - the school announced that they would be giving us new laptops. Lenovo ThinkPads, but with a meager 2GB of RAM. With all the extra programs and textbooks that the school had loaded onto there, they were OK at first, but with use they became slower. Nest school year - this one - the laptops have slowed down CONSIDERABLY now that I'm in high school (having to load too many more programs on). So, to solve this problem, around 3-ish weeks into the year, I replace the built-in RAM with a new stick of 8GB RAM from NewEgg. Before doing this, I asked the IT people in the building on their opinion, and they said that this doesn't harm the computers, proceeded to check the code of conduct, and told me I was good to go, as long as I had my own RAM.

After I got home, I took a screwdriver and very carefully unscrewed the back and put the RAM in (Before doing this, did my research on the RAM, tested it on an older computer, was DDR3, compatible with the laptop etc). Turned it on and nothing was ruined, nothing happened at all (except Windows adjusting to the new RAM.) Loaded a few games onto there *that were explicitly approved by the principal and the IT dept. beforehand* and left it at that.

About a month later, the IT person left, for completely unrelated reasons (something along the lines of finding a better job, nobody really knows where or what it was for). New IT person comes in, takes her place. Much more condescending and enforcing. Since the previous IT person had cleared my RAM interests, I didn't think to clear it with the new one.

Fast forward to about a week and a half from now. My charger port is broken - IT said they just have to fix it by unscrewing the bottom of the computer and realigning it. But when she was about to put it back together she saw that the RAM was different and asked me about it. I told her that the previous IT person had cleared it, checked the code of conduct, etc. and had no qualms about it.

After a rather heated conversation, she came to the conclusion that I had intentionally, maliciously tampered with the computer with the intent to destroy (somehow). She also saw the laptop stickers on the front of my computer, citing vandalism (even though literally every single other student has them, hello, we're an ART magnet, get over it) and wrote me up for vandalism and destruction of school property.

The IT tech lady proceeded to confiscate my computer for "reimaging" and "hardware restore". I asked her to give me my RAM back, telling her that she and I both know well that the computer can be reimaged without the RAM card.

The problem is, to try and show her that I didn't destroy anything, I took out the RAM stick. I had the RAM stick with me at all times, in a protected box that I carry around (has my phone, charger for my phone, etc) in my backpack for this exact reason. The RAM was well protected, with computer cloth around it and tucked away from things that can break it.

However, instead of seeing that I didn't damage the software, hardware, the computer, or anything at all, she confiscates the RAM as well, ALSO citing me for theft of school property. (which I can understand, but still think it's unfair.)

At this point, I give up. I get issued a loaner laptop, so I can still get schoolwork and homework done. Nothing goes wrong with this one, works like a charm. Just before Thanksgiving break, IT calls me into the room with the on-site SRO, saying that my parents will be contacted, I will be responsible for paying the fines (I have a job, min. wage), and I finally get my computer back, sans 8GB RAM. I don't notice it at the time because I can't open up my laptop to check. But once I get home to get my RAM back, I notice that the old 2GB RAM is back in - but with mine nowhere to be seen. Since it's Thanksgiving break, I can't do anything about it - school's out.

Now then: here are my questions:

* Do I need to take them to small claims? I highly doubt it, and if not what do I do to reclaim my own RAM?
* Is it possible for me to get the dest. of school property charge dropped, as it wasn't destroyed + previous IT technician OK-ed it?
* Is the theft of school property charge valid?
* Is putting stickers on the laptop back vandalism? It's not barred anywhere on the code of conduct, and even the principal does it.

Thank you SO MUCH for your help!

EDIT: Formatting fixes

EDIT 2: Got into contact with 2nd IT person. What should I do now? (she seems nice.)

EDIT 3: Feeling drowsy,so I'm going to bed. Will answer questions in the moring!

Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 INAL - You will need a lawyer if you are actually charged with a crime. I would not speak to police or the school any more about this without your parents or your lawyer present.

If you are charged with a crime then I would call the non-emergency police number and file a report for theft since they did not return your memory. You cannot threaten to do so in order to get them to drop this as that may be a separate crime in and of itself (extortion). Just do it if you are so inclined.

I take it you returned their memory to them?Answer #2: Track down the former IT guy. LinkedIn would probably be a good place to start. See if you can get him to back up your story.


Title: [VA] Won small claims judgement against debtor, unsure of how to proceed

Question: I gave an acquaintance a $2800 loan over the course of several smaller loans because he made it seem like he was desperate for the money (trying to close a business deal, etc.). After my final loan and a a couple weeks without any word from him, I realized he was just trying to milk me for more money before breaking off contact. I filed in the small claims court and won (he didn't show up). Now, I have no idea what to do. I know where he banks but I think he might have taken all of the money out of that bank. I know where he works but the company is located in Georgia and I couldn't find any offices in Virginia. I think this guy has done stuff like this before and I am concerned about spending a lot of money on court fees, especially since I could end up not getting my money anyway. Any advice?

Answer:
 You need a skip tracer. They’re sort of like private investigators that specialize in finding dead beats.

You might need to go to court again either to compel this guy to list his assets or to get the court to add the cost of enforcing the judgment to the judgment.


Title: Surveillance cameras found under table at work in state of WA. Is this legal?

Question:
Washington State. Family owned company. Two incidents.
Cameras were purchased for surveillance outside of the building. I was included in the camera hardware purchase decision.
The first time we found a camera, it was taped to an air purifier under the break-room table. Second was atop a computer tower under a desk. Both times definitely plugged in and hot from running.
Both times, the discovery of the camera wrecked office morale and productivity. This time there is a note of offense and anger in the air.
How legal/illegal is this?

Answer:
 Upskirt? probably a violation of [the Washington voyeurism law](http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9A.44.115).  Were these placed such that they would be looking up a female staff member's skirt - if so I'd report it to the police, and find a better job.Answer #2: Were these cameras positioned to view up employee's skirts / dresses / shorts?

If so, call the cops.


Title: How is "1000 feet from school" determined for drugs? (Illinois)

Question:
When figuring out if somebody was dealing within 1,000 feet of a school, is it a straight line, or based on a route actual people would or could take between them?

My idiot cousin is being charged with possession with intent to distribute within 1000 feet of a school. He was about 900 feet from a school if you draw a straight line (through walls and the like), but if you actually walk the streets between the two points, its almost 2000 feet.

Follow up: Does it matter that it was a private school?

Answer: As the Nazgul flies.


Title: Previous owner wants domain name back

Question:
Hey Everyone,

I'm from Denver, CO. I just purchased a domain name from a GoDaddy auction. The previous owner who runs a business through the site contacted me and said that he accidentally let it expire and wants it back. Am I allowed to sell it back to him? Thinking of asking for 10k. What do you think?

Answer:
 You're the legal owner. You can charge whatever you feel is appropriate.Answer #2: He's bullshitting you. When a domain expires, you're given anywhere between 30 and 75 days to renew before it goes public. That's just ICANN rules. He knew, and it's his own stupidity for ignoring the 48293 emails Godaddy probably sent him before it truly went expired. Answer #3: You're generally allowed to sell the domain to him, unless it's against any agreements you may have.

He may be able to acquire it via ACPA or UDRP if he owns a trademark related to it.Answer #4: Depending on what the TLD is, if he can convince a [WIPO](http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/) panel that you are domain squatting to sell it back to him, he could conceivably get it taken back from you.  Your best course of action would be to tell him that you acquired the domain to use it for personal use, and don't really intend to sell it, but $xxxx is enough to make you change your mind.

It could even help you to put some web page on the domain, though that is not required.  My company filed a WIPO suit against a guy who owned a *<a noun>.com*, and that was our company name.  He has no webpage on the site, but did claim to be using the domain for other purposes, and showed DNS entries to back it up.


Title: [Kansas] Roommate moved someone into my room while I was away

Question:
I am still in college and away at an internship. I had left some stuff in my room over the summer, just so I wouldn't have to ferry it back and forth when moving back out.

I found out last night that one of my roommates moved a girl he was interested in into my room. He didn't tell or ask me until I said that I was going to visit next weekend. I am very upset at the breach of trust and manners of someone I thought I could trust. They also don't want to pay me for the room since I wasn't going to be using it anyways.

Other than small claims court is there anything I can do? The lease only continues for another month, but the roommates are renewing their lease for the next year.

Answer:
 Small Claims is the only option here.

Don't renew with them for next year


Title: What are the implications of living with someone on felony probation for a drug charge in the state of California?

Question: As above so below, any experiences or info is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Answer: Very little protection from the law searching your house and common shared areas, for one. As a condition of probation they generally waive those rights, normally. Anything you own that they legally can't own or access can get you in trouble, such as a firearm. If they slip up, or otherwise there are drugs found on the property you can be charged through something known as constructive possession, which basically means even if you don't have the illegal items in your possession (like holding them) you can be convicted of possessing them. There could be others, but those are a few.


Title: Is this pregnancy discrimination?

Question:
This is NC/US

My parents own a small business with 3employees.  One of the girls has been working for them for 3 years and just recently got pregnant for the second time. She miscarried the first time after a few months and had to take some time off which we gladly gave her plus some extra bonus money so she can relax.

.The nature of the job is being on her feet for 5-6 hours and walking around helping customers and restocking shelves (things like shampoo). However, due to her complications on her first pregnancy she’s being VERY cautious and sitting every chance she can. She’s only been pregnant a month and we were expecting something like this to begin happening further out maybe like 4-5 months. We’re worried that it’s just going to be more days off, less doing important aspects of her job like helping customers. The problem is that my parents are old like 50-60. They hired help because they can’t do things like that all by themselves. They also have other responsibilities and can’t cover for her when she needs to sit down. These days not only do they have to take care of themselves, they have to take care of this employee. We love this employee and she has been with us for years but my parents health just can’t take the hit right now. It’s been only a few weeks and my mom is already tired trying to run the business on the back end and the front end.

So they cut the pregnant employee hours by half and brought on another employee to cover her availability since she’s already requested days off for her appointments. When my parents told me this I got concerned for any violations . Would this fall under pregnancy discrimination even though we are a small business of now 3 employees?

Answer:
 Only applies to employers with 15 or more employees.

(obligatory NAL.)


Title: How to report inappropriate behavior of a prosecutor?

Question:
US - Michigan : I'm tangentially involved through family and friends with a second degree murder charge. I'm friends family with victim. The county prosecutor appears to not only be incompetent but not even care about this case. He repeatedly tries to make a deal for well well under the sentencing guidelines and is very motivated to keep this from going to trial at all costs. Repeated closed door meetings with judge and defense council. The victims family had been paying 3rd party investigators to do the police and Justice system work for them, obtaining black box auto data and keep uncovering more and more proof that the underage defendant has a repeated history of drug and alcohol abuse, has been served in many area establishments, regularly drives drunk, had repeatedly violated probation by driving drunk, on the night in question he was going 90 in a 40mph road, while intoxicated, and lost control of his vehicle, veered of into the ditch and plowed over a 16 year old kid in a bike, killing him instantly while his little brother watched.

Does 2-5 years in county jail seem reasonable? For a charge of murder 2 with a defendant that has a long history and rap sheet of blatant disregard for court orders? ( There is a bunch of fb posts by him, of him, drinking at a bar, while 20 years old, after he was released on probation - so this is fact, not my opinion)

Any lawyers out there point me in the right direction? Do I or the victims family have any recourse to at least report the prosecuting attorney? The court assigned victim advocate is useless, she just repeats the prosecutor verbatim and then leaves every time a question is asked by the victims family.

Thanks for reading my long rant and any info is helpful at this point, just feeling lost and bounced around by the system.

Answer:
 Most of what you mentioned is not admissible in trial.

2-5 years isn't reasonable, but the law often isn't.  In my state killing someone via drunk driving is punishable by up to 8 years.  I've told many families to contact their state legislature to change that.


Title: Can they do this?

Question: Florida, admitted myself to a rehab facility in Orlando for ptsd. Had my rights restricted as in I wasn’t allowed to leave my first few days. Volunteered comitted myself, am not a acute patient. Are they allowed to do this?

Answer:
 [Take a look at this flow chart.](http://www.cchrflorida.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Baker-Act-Flow-Chart-Tabloid.pdf)

It succinctly describes what happens during a voluntary admittance to a hospital under the Baker Act.

If you were deemed incapable of consenting due to your mental state, they can involuntarily commit you which sounds like what happened.

You've provided almost no details though, so it is impossible to know what really happened.


Title: Launching a peer-to-peer gay cam site. Could it be a legal nightmare?

Question:
I'm a software developer in California making a website for men to "meet" each other via webcam. Think ChatRoulette + Skype, for men who are interested in men.

Technically, my site will just be a broker for making direct connections between users, like a phone operator. Cam traffic would not be going through my servers. I establish a direct line between two users then relinquish control over what happens between them.

I'm concerned here about how I could be liable for people doing dumb crap, like underage kids broadcasting themselves, or even using the site for sex trafficking. Are cam-to-cam sites even legal? Are the participants technically "models"? Is it dangerous to brand the product as a porn site, or should I present it as an innocent chat site for gay men?

I know very little about business or law. Should I form an LLC to protect myself? Is there a particular type of lawyer (or ideally, some kind of online legal advice service) that I should speak with?

**TLDR:** Launching a gay cam-to-cam site. How do I cover my ass ^(^...legally)?

Answer:
 You hire an attorney.  Particularly with recent changes to federal law which remove some protections that site operators had in the past there is no way to do this without retaining an attorney.Answer #2: With the new laws, anything having to do with meetups is now not allowed where I work. Before, non-sexual meetups were not a concern. If your service is used to facilitate a meetup, that could leave you vulnerable. Even if you aren't hosting anything, you are providing the platform on which person A and person B interact. Definitely speak to a lawyer but don't be shocked if they don't know exacts since SESTA/FOSTA is so new.

Source: I work for a site similar in nature


Title: Dropped at gunpoint by police in Arches National Park yesterday

Question:
Feeling pretty low and depressed right now. Was taken into custody yesterday in front of hundreds of tourists for bullwhip cracking in Arches National Park. My girlfriend (Who has zero criminal record whatsoever) & I were dropped at gunpoint with AR15s as though we were violent offenders, handcuffed, and sat down on blazing hot asphalt for over an hour in 97° direct overhead sunlight with no shade while we were repeatedly questioned and searched. They even played Good cop/Bad cop with us. I am a disabled veteran and feel like I was totally taken advantage of.

According to the National Park Police, it is illegal to crack a bullwhip in any national park. I was cracking at Double Arch, which was where they shot the opening scene of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It was supposed to be a simple homage. Also according to them, a bullwhip is a 'weapon meant for striking' (They are incorrect -- Bullwhips are meant to be cracked in the air above an animal, so the sound ONLY scares them). Eveidently, there were petrified tourists. Because I yelled at a non-citizen for repeatedly getting in my shot, even though I got applaud from others on site. The latter is who called the police. Not even the guy I yelled at. Was cited for Disorderly Conduct - Threatening language/Display/Act.

They were incredibly unclear on whether or not they were confiscating my whips because they were considered a weapon in the park, which they said there were no weapons allowed in the park, even though the NPS website gives information about how to legally carry a firearm in the National Park system as a visitor, or whether or not they were confiscating them as a direct result of the incident.

They were originally going to confiscate all of our recording equipment as evidence, because witnesses said we video recorded it, and they wanted to potentially use it against me, citing that they would have to obtain a warrant to get into our phones, so we would have to leave the state of Utah and continue on our road trip across the country with neither of our devices. This also included a bag with three of my girlfriend's film cameras & two of my GoPros.

Only after I had a panic attack while in handcuffs, did they shift gears and tell us that they were only confiscating my two bullwhips (One of which never even came out of my bag until they removed it), and released me with a federal disorderly conduct citation & mandatory court appearance next month, and released my girlfriend without incident. They even had a local Grand County Sheriff's deputy come out, and attempted to get the sheriff's department to prosecute me separately, which the declined to do.

If anyone has any suggestions as to what I should do (I am contacting an attorney next week), please throw them my way. This really sucks, was a way over the top response, and was over a total misunderstanding. Thanks for reading.

Answer:
 You were doing something which scared the hell out of hundreds of people. Obviously you were not in an isolated area otherwise there would not have been hundreds of people there to witness your arrest. You showed very poor judgement. Get an attorney and only talk to them about this.Answer #2: >Eveidently, there were petrified tourists. Because I yelled at a non-citizen for repeatedly getting in my shot,

I can't believe that this is anything other than a troll post. Nobody is truly so tone deaf that they would fail to see the problem here.Answer #3: "Because I yelled at a non-citizen for repeatedly getting in my shot"

Parks are for everyone to enjoy unless you have a permit you can't yell at people to move while you crack a whip around for a picture. I second that you used really bad judgement here and feel like you don't really grasp the severity of your actions. Even if bull whips aren't meant to actually strike (which every article I looked at said it's under debate), you definitely COULD have, which is why people called the cops. Talk to a lawyer in the area that's familiar with these kind of federal park issues.Answer #4: We're done here based on OP's attitude.


Title: [Ca]Car wash employee damaged my car at work

Question: I work in an office building in Pasadena, California.  Every tuesday a company washes cars for the tenants on the roof of the parking garage. Last tuesday I left my car for them to wash. When I returned to my car after work no employee was to be found and I noticed there was a [dent on my bumper](http://i.imgur.com/rOJrYNa.jpg). I know that my car was not damaged when I arrived to work and I have the [video](https://youtu.be/P1fssO-r9Hs?t=8s) of me entering that morning into the garage. However, there was no camera on the roof where they washed my car.  I have tried to contact the car wash company with only the response of "do what you have to do." What should I do next?

Answer: You have no proof the car wash people did it. Anyone with access to that garage could have damaged your car. You can fix it yourself or file a claim with insurance.


Title: [NY, USA] Fair use question

Question: My friend and I were thinking of opening up a small business based on pokemon. We would be making money off of 3D modeling based on the cards. Since we are making the 3D models ourselves, would we be protected under the fair use laws?

Answer:
 Nope, it's not even close to fair use.

The fair use 4 prong test:

* the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
* the nature of the copyrighted work;
* the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
* the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

You fail on all four prongs  You are using it commercially, the nature of the work is highly creative, you are using an entire copyrighted work, and your work may have a negative effect on pokemon characters released by the copyright holder.

Four out of four means that you don't even have the tiniest shred of a claim to fair use.


Title: Ex Refuses to Change Address for Mail

Question: Hi, i'm in NJ. I have a final permanent restraining order against my ex. It has now been 3 years. Our family home is still in both of our names. He refuses to change his mailing address so picks up mail daily. I just notified him I will no longer sign for any packages that come for him forcing them to be returned to sender. That does not, however, stop the USPS from putting mail in the mailbox. How can I get his mail forwarded without being cited for illegally tampering with the mail? Thank you.

Answer:
 Is he violating the restraining order when he picks up his mail? You could call the cops about that.

If it was me, I would get a locking mailbox so that he can't just get the mail out on his own, and then write "does not live here, return to sender" on anything that comes for him and give it back to the post office.

However, if he still owns the home, he may still have a legal right to get mail there and you may have to live with it.


Title: Washington State: locked out of our work-traded shop space and materials/tools trashed or taken. Do we have any legal options?

Question:
I'm going to try to keep this as simple as possible. I am in Washington state.

My SO and I were close with a woman who ran the RV park we lived in/worked at for about 2 years. He did a lot of handyman/carpentry/landscaping work for her. She offered to let us rent out her extra garage as a workshop for him and since he did so much stuff for her without pay, she eventually just let us work-trade for the storage/shop space. No agreement was ever signed because we were friends with her at this point. Probably the biggest mistake.

After almost two years of using this space, which includes  no longer living at the park, we got into a huge disagreement with her. Basically she let the manager of her RV park destroy roughly $2000 of material we bought/sourced/provided for a project there and then refused to reimburse us for it. Once my SO asked her to pay for it, she told us it wasn't her problem.  The next day my SO immediately started clearing out the workshop because he knew things were going to dissolve. She told me he didn't need to empty it and that things were fine, but we had an inkling that wouldn't last so he spent the next week working on clearing stuff out.

The start of the second week of moving tools and materials from the shop, she called and told us she was having the locks changed and anything that wasn't out was getting thrown away.

Before he could finish getting all of his stuff out - she had the manager of the RV park come to the workshop, take our stuff from the shop and trash it, and a locksmith changed the locks.

A few days later, someone we knew who was still living at the RV park contacted me and told me they had overhead a conversation between this woman and the RV park manager that they had actually kept a bunch of our stuff for use at the park. They had seen them unloading some tools - such as our old wood lathe - and a bunch of our lumber.

Now, we have assumed that since there was never a written agreement and there isn't a real paper trail for a lot of that material and the tools that were either trashed or taken, that there isn't really any legal action we can take. I'm not sure if our losses would even be considered theft?

If I am wrong, I would appreciate a suggestion for what type of action we could take - a starting point.

Answer: This is theft plain and simple. Call the police, tell them everything you said here and they should investigate. I'd definitely start with them, and in the future you might want to look at a civil suit (if these are shop tools it will likely be more than what small claims is capable of), but take the criminal route first and see where it goes.


Title: Employee Stealing Money and perhaps more...Please Help!!!  We are at wit's end.

Question:
This is my first time posting on reddit, and I am relatively new, so please bear with me!
My father is the owner of a small business.  He gave his credit card to an important employee, who would buy necessary items for the business.  We found out that this employee has been using the credit card to buy personal items through Amazon.

We contacted Amazon, and they refuse to tell us what items were bought and how much money was used on the card, despite us continually verifying that we are the cardholder.

Can ya'll give me any advice on what we should do?
Should we contact the police about this?  How do we confront the employee?  The employee was trusted until now, and important, and knows quite a bit of personal information about our business.  How can we prevent him from sharing this information with others after we fire him?  Can we salvage any of the money?  Is there any way to verify what he used our credit card to buy?

My dad is the nicest man ever, and does not seem to want to take legal action against this guy.  Is that a problem?
I'm fairly young person, and don't know what to do.  I'm really angry though, and want to punish this guy the most we can.  Especially because we trusted him.  It's also important that he doesn't leave and share our company's blueprints and information.

Thank you very much for everything!

Answer:
 This really isn't legal advice, just my opinion.

At least start by calling the credit card company and reporting the card stolen (I mean, that's what the employee did, in essence, was to steal your card).  Many card companies will remove the charges if you state they are not valid purchases.  If the card company won't do it, see if your business insurance will cover it.

Personally, I would report it to the police.  Your dad might think he's being nice by not giving this guy a record, but that just means this guy can turn around and hurt someone else.


Title: [UT] Am I obligated to pay rent for "lost time" after deciding not to rent a property?

Question:
I was looking for a place to rent and found a place that seemed good. I was able to go see the property on August 1st. The key was under the mat and I was told to just let myself in. Some things needed repairing, so I told the landlady. She said her husband managed that property (they're a team), so she would let him know and they would make sure everything got fixed. I tried two or three times a day to get in touch with him, (nothing crazy, I would text once and call once or twice but not leave a message) asking if I could get an application. It took him days to respond, but I did get an application and I filled it out. A few days later, he texted me saying they had selected me to rent. I replied asking about repairs, but no response. I tried to call, and as always, he didn't pick up.

He eventually sent me a contract with a move-in date of August 15th, or two weeks after his wife told me they would fix up the property. I told him I was still waiting on the repairs, and he told me they had not even started. This was around the 10th. I said I would not be comfortable signing anything until repairs were done.

Since he was not a good communicator and seemed to be playing off the need for repairs, I began to look elsewhere. I found a fantastic place that is cheaper, nicer and bigger, it's just a bit farther from the city. I applied and today I was picked to rent that property. I told the landlord of the first place that I had decided to take the cheaper, larger property since we had not signed a contract yet. He was livid, to say the least. Repairs have begun, but are not yet finished, according to him. He implied that these repairs are being done just for me, despite the fact that the property really should have been fixed no matter if I were renting or not. Later in the day, he told me I need to pay him for this month's rent in order for the "commitment" to be taken care of, as he feels he could have had someone else renting this month if I hadn't been "stalling".

TL;DR: I signed an *application* to rent "Home A" and requested that repairs be made. Landlord was difficult to reach and did not respond to my concerns for a long time. I decided to rent "Home B". I never signed a *contract*. Am I obligated to pay Landlord for "lost time"?

Answer: Assuming everything you said above is true, you neither signed a contract nor made a verbal agreement to rent the property. You are not liable. Ignore him. If he sues you, do not ignore that and deal with it appropriately.