Title: Landlord/Roommate Locked me out and won't let me retrieve my things to move

Question:
Williamsburg, MI
I'm going to try to present this as unbias as possible.

I got a job in Traverse City and had to move quick, so I found a place on craigslist that was good. I talked to the person renting it out and we both agreed that we could get along for a short time that i would be there; and that in total it would be 550$ in rent for a month. I said that it was not permanent since I was moving again sometime in early fall when my SO came up. They were more then ok with this. There was no lease or contracted signed.

Well I was terminated in the first 90 days but I have lived there for more than a month. I took a break and went to visit my SO and decided the best option was for me to move back home and get a job and save up a bit. I told the roommate/landlord that i would be leaving and will pay them the days that I stayed for this month (about half rent) and will move out this weekend friday and saturday.

They came back to me stating I now owe them 1100$ in cash, for two more months, by thursday and have to have everything out by them if I want my stuff back (still in Ohio with my boyfriend till my parents can come help me pick up my things from there to move). The condo we shared is on a resort property that their family bought for them that has a hotel type key system. they told me my key doesnt work anymore and that is that.

What can i do? I dont want to draw this out nor have the time for it, but i want to go as civilly as possible without paying for two months of rent which was never agreed on! Am i in the wrong? I just want my things back
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 It's illegal for them to lock you out.  Contact the sheriff to report an illegal eviction.  [Link.](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/illegal-eviction-procedures-michigan.html)  Then you can probably sue them for damages.

You have to follow the agreement that you agreed to, or they can and will sue you for the rent you owe plus court costs.  If you agreed to a month-to-month tenancy then you have to give them 30 days' notice - [link.](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/michigan-notice-requirements-terminate-month-month-tenancy.html)
Answer #2: In a month-to-month tenancy:

1. You owe rent for a whole month at a time.

2. You must give your landlord at least one month's notice of termination of your tenancy. The beginning of the notice period is set by the "monthiversary" of the commencement of your tenancy, e.g., if your tenancy began on the 8th of a month, then the 8th of each following month is the deadline for you to give notice of the termination of your tenancy on or before the 7th of the next month.

3. You can't get a refund or credit for rent paid or owed for a period that commences before your tenancy termination date.

You didn't say when you gave notice, so I can't tell if you owe for October. But your landlord cannot charge you for November, nor can he hold your property hostage or deny you occupancy or access to the premises for a period prior to your vacation date.


Title: Sold something on FB Marketplace. Buyer didn’t pay in full. What can I do?

Question: I sold about $1000 worth of items to a woman on FB Marketplace. She came over multiple visits to pick things up, and would even send me payments on PayPal to hold items when she was wanted something and couldn’t come pick it up right away. I was moving out of town, so during her final haul, she saw a couple more things she liked, but didn’t have the full $300 on her. She paid most of it, then I drafted up an IOU specifying the items, amount owed ($115), and due date (4-1-2018). She has stopped replying to me, and hasn’t paid. What can I do?

Answer: This is a typical small claims court issue. You will have to sue her in small claims court (no lawyer needed) if you hope to recover anything. Depending on how far you moved it might not be worth it.


Title: My car was stolen from the high school I teach at by a student. What options do I have? [LA]

Question:
A couple of months ago, my car key was taken off of my key ring by a student during class. I noticed the keys were gone, but was unsuccessful in preventing the theft of my car. My purse, wallet, credit cards, etc were also in my car. I do not have access to a place to secure personal items so the car has always been the safest place for all of these things.

Police were notified and a report was completed. I was told by students who stole my car within 48 hours. Several students even wrote statements recounting the accused bragging, showing off the keys, and driving in my vehicle, etc. Several days later police located the vehicle wrecked and with absolutely all personal items removed. The legal process is slow and tedious given the accused being a minor. Even if arrested he will not have much consequence due to the sheer volume of non violent juvenile offenders in my parish.

The question I have is what is the liability of the school if any? The security cameras over the parking lot apparently don't work. This led to a lack of concrete evidence for police to more aggressively pursue the accused. No evidence and only having hearsay also resulted in the student still being enrolled in the school with minimal consequences.

In all, between insurance deductibles, having to buy a new vehicle, and replacing the contents of the vehicle I am in the hole several thousand dollars. That's money I do not have. I've taken a second job to help with the cost which is stretching me thin.

I have not approached the school about assistance because I don't know what to ask for or if it is even reasonable to go to admin or HR. I don't have a safe space to secure personal items. The cameras ment to provide security on the exterior of the building are not functional.

Do I have grounds to seek financial support from the school since the theft occurred on school grounds during the school day by a student?

Thank you in advance for any advice and guidance.

Answer:
 It you know the students identity you could pursue a civil law suit against his parents. Contact a lawyer for a free consult.Answer #2: Side note, if your car insurance covered the theft, they'll likely covered everything that was in that car at the time, as well. You should really only be out your deductible on this, if you have the right coverageAnswer #3: The odds are overwhelming that the school has no liability here.

You could seek compensation from the student and/or his or her parents if you want to get reimbursed.Answer #4: I’m so sorry this happened.  I would start asking for a place to secure your belongings at the school.  When I taught high school, I had gotten them to purchase used Steelcase equipment for each of our classrooms in my department that were kind of a locker with shelves to store my coat, purse, and classroom things.  This was after a student stole my jacket from my classroom.

I’m sure the school will claim no liability, but you can certainly sue the parents of the child who did it.  You can then garnish the bank account or wages of the parents if they don’t pay it, or put a lien on any property they own.

Good luck.


Title: CPA or attorney for tax audit?

Question:
My husband's step-mom has been doing his taxes for the past 20 years. For the first 15 of those years my husband used his own vehicle to drive to jobs- he works construction and needed his pick-up truck for jobs. Step-mom would always round up on mileage claimed but it was never anything crazy. For the past 5 years however my husband has been using a company truck and I guess this never got communicated to mom- oops.
     Well now my husband received a notice from the IRS that he's being audited for 2016; mom claimed 41,000 miles this year, he probably only drove maybe 500 miles in his own truck that year. He received $5500 instead or owing $2500, he made approximately $85,000 that year.
    We haven't looked at the tax returns for the other years he drove a company car but I'm sure it follows suit.
  So potentiallly we're looking at $45,000 in back taxes or even worse.
 Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 There's no nitty gritty legal issue in this that really requires in-depth legal experience.

It's essentially an erroneous tax return that is almost guaranteed to attract an accuracy related penalty. It's pretty routine really and a CPA or EA would be fine.

Now, if the IRS starts claiming intentional fraud, then you would need a lawyer to potentially deal with criminal charges.


Title: [IN] Housemate is doing cocaine in the living room, how do I protect myself?

Question:
Okay Reddit. I live in a house with 3 guys. One of the guys I will call Nathan (obviously not his real name). Nathan has a cocaine problem. We didn’t know this when we signed the lease with him. Okay, not really a problem. He uses it recreationally, but has been using it more and more.

The four of us are signed on a lease.

Please keep in mind I’m a very anxious, neurotic person and I’m in my early 20s. This is my first time on a lease with anyone. I am normally somewhat of a confrontational person, but I tend to be less confrontational with Nathan because I want to keep the house relatively drama-free.

Back about… hmm… I want to say six months ago, maybe less, was the first time I saw Nathan doing cocaine. I don’t why I didn’t say anything then. I think I was mostly in shock I was seeing someone do cocaine in front of me. (I am slightly sheltered and neurotic.) He didn’t make a regular thing of it so I just kind of wrote it off. My old roommate (and best friend) used to sometimes do acid and mushrooms while I was in apartment so I figured as long as nothing bad was happening, it wasn’t a problem.

Recently, he has been doing cocaine a lot. It was his friend’s birthday party and he had a little get together at our place. There were people I didn’t know who were doing lines in our living room. Now he’s doing it several times a week. He fucking says stuff like, “oh, man, I need to buy more blow *so I can do my homework.*”
I wake up early in the morning to go to work and I see the plate with the leftover cocaine dust and a rolled up dollar bill next to it. It makes me feel uneasy. This morning, that was waiting for me in the living room along with Nathan and one of his friends, who I have never seen before, passed out on the couch.

I feel really uncomfortable. I don’t know why it took me so long to realize that this is Not Good. On my behalf, I was going through some really fucked up things in my life and wrapped up in my own issues a lot.

Talking to trusted people and asking them basically “UH, is this normal??” has made me realize that This Is Definitely Not Good. That if Nathan were to get busted, we’d all be in hot water. The cops would ransack our house, break down the door?? Etc. Nathan is not a very smart person. There are other people who I don’t trust or even KNOW doing cocaine *in our living room*.

The reason this post got a little long is because I am trying to anticipate the replies that just say “Just tell him to stop” or "Why haven't you told him to stop already" and why that isn’t so easy/I’m not sure he will stop even if I ask him to.

The problem—Nathan and I are not on very good terms. I wrote a giant thing here about why we’re not, but for brevity’s sake, let me just say that our personalities are very different and I am often calling him out on his various culturally insensitive “jokes” and that makes him huffy. Plus he's just annoying-- he threw a fit when I asked him to wash his piles of dirty dishes that had been in the sink forever.

I don’t know how to approach him about this because of the tension between us and also because I haven’t said anything about it until now.

Another thing that makes me uncomfortable is that I a woman living with men. I always am afraid that when I bring up my problems, they perceive me as a shrill, nagging bitch because sometimes they react that way. Throw in my own admitted anxiety disorder (as in, something I have been in therapy and am being treated for) I am afraid I will be told I’m just being paranoid and worrying over nothing.

I am on good terms with the other two roommates. I will call them Brian and Hank. Brian really doesn’t like Nathan either and I just texted him my concerns today. He agrees that it makes him uncomfortable and that we could all get in trouble with him if he gets caught. Hank hasn’t replied yet because he makes a habit of not texting at work. I’m afraid of Hank not taking my side, though. He’s often annoyed by Nathan’s antics (like him having parties in the middle of the week that wake us up at 3 AM) but they’ve been really buddy buddy lately and spending a lot of time together.
Oh another thing. Hank is on probation for a reckless driving charge.

SO. Sorry for rambling so much but I really, REALLY want him to stop doing blow in our house. I feel uncomfortable with it. I don’t want cops here. I don’t want strangers in my house doing cocaine. If the other roommates don’t support me in telling Nathan to stop, I’m afraid he won’t stop or will do some weak ass shit where he says he’ll stop but not really, just be sneakier about it (like when I asked him to stop smoking pot in the house, or to stop saying racial slurs or making rape jokes….)

I have been thinking about the possibility of going to our landlord and telling him and getting him evicted if he doesn't stop after I tell him to. But I’m afraid that I would also be evicted or something, or that I would somehow be in trouble.

What are the laws in this situation? Would I be responsible? Would I be busted for possessing cocaine? Can my landlord evict me if I tell him about Nathan’s cocaine habits? How can I protect myself?

TL;DR: My housemate is doing cocaine in the living room and sometimes brings other people over to do it with him. He leaves the evidence in plain sight. I’m really uncomfortable with this but am on bad terms with him, and am afraid he won’t listen to me if I bring it up because he has a history of disrespecting me when I ask him to change his behavior. I’m worried about getting evicted as well if I bring this up to the landlord and want to know how to cover my own ass.

Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer:
 Your roommate is doing a highly illegal drug in your apartment, putting all of you at risk.  Going to the police is your best bet.  Before you do that, you need to protect yourself first, since this is repeated behavior that you've tolerated up to this point.  You don't want the police to think you're complicit with the drug usage and make your life difficult.

Contact the [Indiana Bar Assocation](http://www.inbar.org/) and ask for a criminal defense attorney.  They'll often offer a free consultation.  Find one, and listen to their advice for how you can turn your roommate over to the authorities without incriminating yourself.  I would not alert your other roommates you are doing this unless your attorney says you should.


Title: Job is trying to schedule me so that I have to miss school

Question:
Hello, legal advice. I'm going to try to be as clear about my situation as possible. I'm a 31/m living in WA, USA, specifically in the Seattle area. I've been working at my job for 2 and a half years, primarily on A shift. My job is scheduled into 3 shifts, A shift 0600-1400, B shift 1400-2200, and C shift 2200-0600. And there are 3 machines in my area that I work on, #2, #6, and #7. Only 2 people work on each machine, an Operator ( the senior guy) and the Assistant (the junior guy). My job is Unionized and under a contract, but my union is being extremely unhelpful so I was wondering if I had any legal ground to stand on.

My primary position was A shift #6 Assistant, when I started school 3 weeks ago, I let my job know since my class was from 0910-1040 Monday-Thursday and requested to be put onto another shift. (I was senior assistant, so I was under contract able to bump any other machines assistant and switch shifts with them. The downside of all of this is that when you are senior assistant, that puts you next in line for operator whenever the next position opens up. And since you will be at the bottom of seniority for operators, you arent able to bump anybody.

My work jerked me back and forth between C shift and B shift for the following 3 weeks, constantly jumping me from one shift to another every single week, and finally this week told me that since they fired the C shift 2 Operator and the A shift 7 operator quit, that I would need to move up to operator position, and that they would need to put me on A shift.

So now I'm in a position where my job is forcing me to choose between school or work and I was wondering if there was anything I could do legally, or if my only option at this point is to quit my job. Any advice would be greatly appreciated,  I have a backup job but if possible I'd really like to not have to quit this job, since it does pay fairly well. $24/hr with no degree or special skillset. Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted to be as clear as possible. Thank you very much in advance.

Answer:
 Do you have a union?

Generally speaking, workplaces have no obligation to schedule workers around outside commitments such as school. There are exceptions in some states for minors in high school, but none for adults.


Title: 6apr 8K loan offered to me for just my old car title

Question:
The private lender has offered to help me buy a car( the Nissan Leaf) and it seems like crazy good offer.  For collateral is a 2003 Pontiac Sunfire. What do you think? Will post the paperwork when I get it. Anything I should watch out for or be conscious of thank you.

S

Renton wa

Edit: Was a scam/phishing.
Also the Nissan Leaf is a vehicle that can Uber though you do need to get a 2013 or newer, this is advice from those that currently are using it as such. You can recharge it in 10 to 20 minutes depending on how low it is at any Nissan dealer. Free at most.

Answer: This is more of a /r/personalfinance question, but 6% APR on a secured loan is crazy. The actual amount isn't bad but typical car loans on a _new_ car range in the 2.99-3.99% range (higher if you have garbage credit).


Title: I'm being sued for more than 1 million dollar after a car accident.

Question:
I live in Canada Ontario. Last year on April, I rear ended a car that was stopped on a red light. I was distracted for few seconds and saw the red light too late, I hit the break couple seconds before the impact and managed to reduce down the speed to about 20-30km/h. Seemed like the other driver was in her late 50's or in early 60's, and she got out normally. I ran to her and kept saying sorry and asked her if she was okay, she said she was fine but not sure if her car was okay. I didn't take any picture at the time but the car's rear bumper got damaged and gotten loose. Anyway, after that we called police, traded our insurance information and i got a ticket for a careless driving, which got reduced to improper left turn at a court, and we parted. My car's estimate was 3 thousands dollar, but decided to get rid of the car since it only worth about couple thousands. The day after the accident I saw the lady at a collision center that my car was towed to. She said her body was bit sore but everything else was fine. Then after few months I got a call from my insurance company saying that the other driver claimed personal injuries. I thought it could be possible because of her age, but again, she walked out of the car fine and she even said she was fine several times, so i was little intrigued by it but didn't think much of it since it was a minor accident, and my insurance company was going to take care of it. I thought I just had to worry about how much of premium i was gonna pay.  Then today I received a letter from my insurance company saying that amount of damage she claimed exceed more than 1 million dollar, and my insurance only covers up to 1 million, i might have to pay the rest of them. And also mentioned that if I don't like how they are handling the situation, that I should get my own lawyer. I was reading the letter and I couldn't believe what I was reading. I thought I counted 0s wrong I counted them 3 times. Is it even possible? More than 1 million dollar?

I won't be able to hire my own lawyer and even tho I do I certainly won't be able to pay my bills.

What should I do?

Answer: Let your insurance handle it.  It, and the defense attorneys it employs, are very skilled at rooting out insurance fraud and making sure they don't agree to pay one dime more than is necessary.  There's no way this lady is getting $1 million without catastrophic life-altering injuries or death, so just be as calm as possible and let them do their jobs.


Title: Do cops have the right to search your car at a checkpoint.

Question: My friend and were talking and this subject came up and we weren't sure.

Answer:
 It depends on if there is probable cause to do so.

If you rolled down your window to speak to the officer and enough chronic smoke rolled out to get Jerry Garcia high (despite being dead for 20+ years), then that would be sufficient PC to search your car.


Title: [UK] Landlord stole my money and blocked me

Question:
Hi (this is happening in the UK)

I don't know what else to do. I'm a student so perhaps you understand that to me 600£ of deposit is a really big sum. I paid said deposit in cash (I have the cash withdrawals on my card statement and I have at least 2 people corroborating my story) and after months I was told to leave the house because the landlord sold it. He never put the money in any scheme or protection as required by the law. Also, he never provided me with a written contract as I asked many times. He would tell me that he was going to do it but then always delayed. Finally, I managed to get a piece of paper saying that I was paying 600£ of rent to him and his signature on it. After I left the house I wanted my 600£ of deposit back. He said he would give them back to me (this happened in April 2018) and now we are in November, almost December and he gave me back only 100£ after a lot of time and blocked me everywhere so that I can't contact him anymore. I tried to call him with another number but as soon as he realised it was me he hung up and blocked the other number too. He never contested the money or said he wouldn't pay me back. He kept saying I had to wait a bit more, that I would get them back. He would tell me to wait until x date but when the time arrived he would make up another excuse and delay more. I don't know what to do. Please help me, I'm a student, I know that to many 500£ are not a big sum but to me they are a lot and I see no reason why someone like him should get away with stealing like this.

It's important to note that I only know his name, surname, phone number and email. I tried in many ways to find out his address but I couldn't. He registered the house I was living in as his while he never lived there. This guy is into some really shady business.

&#x200B;

Should I go to court? if yes, how? I'm italian, I don't know much about how to proceed and the process itself scares me, I need advice, please help me.

Answer: r/legaladviceuk might be better help


Title: Former employer is refusing to pay me for hours worked the two weeks before I was 'let go'.

Question:
Hey guys, not really sure where to start. I just got off the phone with the business owner and am a bit shaky.

I worked for this company for a month, in that month I started taking a single class at the University they knew I was enrolled at, that conflicted with working hours, barely. Anyway, as soon as I knew about the class I met with the owner to let him know, and he said they would make it work, its only a 4 week class. Fast-forward to this Monday, I get a call from my boss telling me to not come in today, and to just give them a call when my 4 week class has ended. Great. Yesterday I went and returned my uniform, cleaned. I gathered my belongings and left. I was supposed to be paid Wednesday, and should be paid again this coming Wednesday, but I wasn't. I figured they were waiting to see if I brought the shirts back, to see if they could take that out of my final pay check. I emailed the company accountant twice, no response. Called her twice, only got her voicemail. So I called the boss today. He is refusing to pay me for the hours I worked, saying that they I wasted their time training me for a position I couldn't keep, so they will not be paying me.

As soon as I knew I had to take a class that would interrupt my day, I told him. This class was required for my graduation. He told me that we would make it work until the class finished, and told me to continue coming in. So, if they wasted time training me, why did he keep 'training' me after he knew about the class? Either way, there was barely any training going on. The boss sat and watched YouTube half of the day while assigning me to organize their 20,000 SKU warehouse, with decades of dust and grime.

I'm a little lost, and will gladly provide any more details that would help explain my situation. What can I do? My wife and I were counting on that money to pay bills, and now our account is going to get over drafted.

 Thank you all in advance.

Answer:
 You're entitled to be paid for all hours you genuinely worked.

If your boss is shorting you, you can file a [wage claim](https://www.labor.nc.gov/workplace-rights/employee-rights-regarding-time-worked-and-wages-earned/how-file-wage-complaint).

Training an employee in the hopes of having a long\-term employee and then having that employee quit or be fired sooner than they expected is not a legal reason to withhold pay for hours genuinely worked.


Title: Contract says I owe my boss $33k if I quit within 3 years. Is this legal? (FL)

Question:
I am a Filipino occupational therapist and unhappy with my agency. :( They send me to places that I don't want to go. My contract is four years but states this: "After the maker has completed three months of the commitment period, the principal amount of $33, 320 shall be automatically reduced on the first day of each subsequent year by an amount equal to one-third of the original Principal."

If they just sent me a letter stating that my last day (the end of the four year contract) with them is May 29, 2018, does that mean that if I quit May 29 2017, I don't have to pay them anything since it says "reduced... each subsequent year by an amount equal to one-third... of principal"???

And do I really have to pay them anything if I quit sooner?

Answer:
 Follow the advice you were given in your last post and speak with a legal aid office. Google "Broward County legal aid". Answer #2: With $10,996 at stake (1/3 of the contract amount), you should consider asking your employer and/or consulting an attorney to review the contract for you.

The language seems somewhat vague, but a plain reading would suggest perhaps your commitment reduced to zero on 8/29/2016.  That, of course, presupposes there isn't additional language somewhere that would change that view (not an assumption I'd stake $11k on).

Did they pay for your education or do something that justifies such a large penalty for breach?


Title: AmazonBasics portable power bank killed all my devices and Amazon don't want to take responsibility for this

Question:
Hey guys, I need an advice how to move forward with my problem.

Few months ago I bought an AmazonBasics Portable Power Bank (exactly this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonBasics-Portable-16-100-mAh/dp/B00ZQ4JQAA)

Then I started noticing that my devices are dying, but I did not tied it to this charger. My Sony Wireless Headphones died first. Then my Sony PlayStation controllers died.

Finally, I noticed that the reason of all was Amazon product is when I connected it with a laptop to charge and laptop instantly turned off with no reaction afterwards. I tried many things to wake it up, but its just died completely. At the same time this Amazon charger died as well.

I asked Amazon customer support about this charger, and was surprised what they told me: "Upon checking here. I can see that this item is already reported and it was pulled out on our website already. Allow me to issue a full refund on the item. You may dispose the item without returning it."

WOW! Cool~ then I asked: who will repair my MacBook Pro 13' and my Sony Headphones?

Their answer: "We can take responsibility on the item (~battery). And we are only allow to refund the item since it was already as per policy of Amazon".

WOW! This is not just an item sold through the Amazon. This item manufactured by Amazon Inc. and labeled as AmazonBasics.

I tried to speak with two different Amazon customer support representatives, but got nothing positive from them.

______
To sumarize:
- AmazonBasics Portable Power Bank 16,100 was reported, and Amazon knew about problems with this item. Those chargers are literally killing devices of their customers.
- Amazon did not recall those chargers or even did not inform their customers about potential issues.
- Amazon keep silence and don't want to take responsibility for this item and all damage that was done by this item.
- AmazonBasics brand provides customers with fake confidence, but in fact their products doesn't properly tested

Moreover, those "device killers" are still on sale in the Internet on the different stores. There are few examples:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/132234961622?chn=ps&dispItem=1
https://www.chargerharbor.com/review-amazonbasics-power-bank-16100mah/

P.S. I am from California, USA.

P.S.S. I decided I also should put it here, just to clarify my personal opinion about Amazon as a company:

I am actually pretty satisfied with a service I receiving as an Amazon Prime member. Fast and comfortable delivery, flexible terms for returns, films, music, twitch and many more.
Additionally I would like to note and praise such initiatives as Lumberyard, Whole Foods and other great moves. I've seen Amazon warehouses; they huge, and there are robots everywhere. It was really memorable. There are also many business-to-business great things they are creating, and I believe they will grow significantly in the following 2-3 years. I just hope they will maintain the level of service or even raise this level to meet the goals.

Answer:
 You have a great claim. You may have to pursue it via small claims court. Answer #2: Do you have renters or homeowners insurance?  If a large cooperation will not pay you will have to sue them.Answer #3: So, I actually own 2 of these. The link to the product page is a 404 error. Where can I get info about this non- recall?Answer #4: Nal but I would still think you need to prove it was the battery that caused the damage.Answer #5: In the event that you are unable to get compensation for the Macbook, FYI - you can typically pull and reset the battery after a blackout caused by a bad power source, and usually it'll come back on, although you may have to replace the battery in the long run, as they don't seem to hold a charge correctly after the surge incident. Pulling it at home voids any remaining warranty, but it's better than a dead computer - you can recover your work and use of the machine.

Not legal advice, and you wouldn't want to do this if you were going to pursue Amazon for damages as it might invalidate your claim.


Title: [Hypothetical] Date rape drug reversal accidental death

Question:
I was reading a novel recently that takes place in the 19th century where a man knows he is about to be poisoned and so when his poisoner isn't looking switches cups with him. On trial he is acquitted.

I was trying to imagine how something like that would go down now and so thought of the following scenario.  A girl and a guy go out to a bar on a date, and the guy attempts to slip a roofie into the girl's drink.  The girl notices this, and when the guy isn't looking switches drinks with him.

The guy has had a lot to drink, and so the combination of the alcohol with the roofie causes him to go into cardiac arrest and pass away.  Now all this is caught on camera.

In this case, would the DA charge the girl?  If so, with what?  What are the likely outcomes?

Edit:  Location USA.

Answer:
 the smart move is to just slowly develop an immunity to GHB powder so you can win a game when death is on the line (even against a sicilian). Answer #2: There are so many possibilities and variables here...

I would put my money on the DA charging the girl with involuntary manslaughter. The girl clearly did not expect to kill him but had the much more reasonable options of simply getting a new drink or leaving. Her act caused the man to die, even if he was a potential rapist.

It's anyone's guess whether she would be convicted, though. Probably varies from state to state and on whether a self-defense claim would stick, or some sort of variant on clean hands.


Title: Is it legal for my boss to make us deny a specific customer a product?

Question:
So here's the backstory, I have a regular customer at my store that likes to play scratch-it tickets. She had a couple large winners ($500, etc) and bought around $300 worth of scratch-it tickets with her winnings (no big deal right?)

Today my boss pulled me aside telling me not to sell her a large quantity of these tickets anymore because he thinks she has a gambling addiction.

Is this legal in any sense of the word? I feel as if I cannot just deny a customer goods because they may have a gambling addiction

Answer:
 Location? You know bartenders cut off alcoholics all the time, right?Answer #2: You haven't given a location but I believe that it's perfectly reasonable and legal for a retailer to put a maximum limit on anything they sell. The reasons behind the restriction are irrelevant. Don't want someone to buy every single pack of gum in the store? You don't have to let them.

Having said that, your state lottery board/commission may have rules about this.


Title: Am I in the clear over rape allegation?

Question:
Back in July some girl tried to accuse me of rape, when it wasn't rape at all. But anyways saw the detective and said I wanted a lawyer, right after that, detective said I may leave. Never got a call back from the detective and haven't heard from no one.

Am I okay now? Because I read online that they have two years to prosecute me and all that, can they call back and send me to court? I'm in the US in Florida

Thanks.

Answer: Prosecutors have until the statute of limitations expires to charge you with a crime. For aggravated rape, there is no time limit. For sexual assault it is 4 years.


Title: TX: At fault in accident, other vehicle involved was speeding and recieved a ticket

Question:
My dad was performing a left turn at a legal median in the road (not a light or stop sign, was still legal), when he was hit by a speeding vehicle. Usually, the blame would be my dad's, but the cause of the accident, as my dad argues, was because he wasn't anticipating the vehicle to be speeding.

The driver of the other vehicle admitted to the officer that he was going 45 in a 30, when the officer told him the limit, he changed it 35 (which is still above the limit). My dad was told by the officer that the man was receiving a ticket.

Who is at fault in this case? What can we expect from the insurance?

Answer:
 Your dad is responsible to yield to oncoming traffic when turning left (absent an arrow).

He does not have to expect a vehicle to be speeding.  He just has to look and accurately judge if he can make the turn.  If he doesn't, he is almost certainly at fault.


Title: To drink or not to drink? Probation “ending” early.

Question:
I was arrested for a DUI in late 2017 and my one-year probation period began in February 2018. This included many stipulations- most of which I completed within the first four months of probation.

What remained was random drug and alcohol screenings and monthly probation visits. I just had my December appointment with my PO, who said our last meeting will be January 15, since my probation ends February 8.

She said on that day she will remove my name and offender number from the randomizer, which is what draws my name for the monthly drug and alcohol screening.

So after January 15, without screenings and visits, I’m led to believe I’m essentially “off probation” since really the only thing that could cause a bench warrant is getting a ticket. Or I’ll be in violation if I get arrested again for another offense.

The only condition of my probation in regards to drinking was not to do it. It does NOT stipulate that I’m not allowed to purchase or possess alcohol or visit establishments that distribute. I haven’t anyway. I got pregnant in between the DUI and the sentencing so most of my probation I wouldn’t have been drinking anyway. I now have a two month old. I’m just a stay at home mom of three who made a stupid stupid mistake.

My question is whether I can have a drink after January 15 when all my reporting is finished. I’m not champing at the bit to drink. I honestly don’t really have the time. But my family is going on a trip out of town with friends at the end of January and it’d be nice to have a drink or two. I know it’s not much to wait a few more weeks, but it also be nice not to wait a few more weeks.

TIA!

Answer:
 After all of that? I wouldnt risk it.
Plus, your tolerance will be way down, so you could be drunk after 1 or 2 drinks. You made it this long, a few more weeks will be easy.Answer #2: How has alcohol benefitted you? Why drink?


Title: (Florida, USA)I signed up for STAMPS.com but never was asked to be charged. What can I do?

Question: I am a minor. Isn't there a law that minors can't sign contracts? The very rude woman on the phone told me that there was no way that they could rebate me my money even though I never logged onto my account one time in three months. I am going to my bank tomorrow to dispute the charges, but again, the stamps.com people say you have to accept the charges. Is my bank going to believe this BS? What are my options here? Sorry for the rant, and thank you in advance for your advice. :P

Answer:
 Here's what almost certainly happened:

1. You signed up for an account.

2. You agreed to the site's terms.

3. The site's terms include a clause that after a trial period you get charged unless canceled. You didn't read this.

4. You did not cancel your account and therefore got charged.

You have no grounds to dispute. You can try asking your bank but it is unlikely they will do a chargeback since it's a payment you agreed to make.

Minors **can** sign contracts. Minors can just cancel the contract at any time, which you failed to do.


Title: [California] How do I get legal signatures for freelance contracts from clients that can't physically sign them?

Question: I'm trying to start up a freelance animation/graphics business and I was wondering how I can allow my clients, who live far from me, to legally sign my contracts without the need of a fax machine.

Answer:
 There are services available for this, I prefer "Docusign", there's also one called "DealTap" that I've used.

That being said, a chain of emails is a binding contract in most cases, I only used the services above for things like real estate deals, not with my clients.


Title: [California] Trying to sell a vehicle. Have misplaced the title. Bank (which has since closed down) apparently still holds lien on vehicle)

Question:
Hello, I'm trying to sell an old 1993 Toyota pickup truck.
The title has long been misplaced, so we filed a lost title/vehicle transfer form. The buyer has received a notice that the transfer is unable to occur since a bank (which has since closed down) still holds the lien.

The exact message is "A lien satisfied is required from BK Santa Clara".

I'm not sure how to about this, since the bank doesn't seem to exist, and the vehicle has obviously been paid off for ages.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

Answer:
 Send a CERTIFIED letter requesting a lien release to the address of the lienholder that shows on the registration.  WHEN it bounces back to you, DO NOT OPEN it. That unopened envelope will be your lien release.

Take that lien release and your [REG 227, form for duplicate title](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/wcm/connect/7885d40d-4d2e-4fc0-b100-3ef8fe562bd7/reg227.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=) (filled out as much as you can, but leaving the lienholder's bit empty, let the dmv person help you out with that.)  And you should get your new paper title. I'm not clear if they'll print one out on the spot or not.

Edit: fill out section 1 and 3 if you just want a new title.  Section 1, 3, 4, and 6 if you're transferring/selling the truck, and you'll also need a REG 262 (basically a bill of sale) which you can't print out b/c it's on security paper.

Edit 2: Forgot to mention, the hard part is making sure the certified letter bounces back to you.  Call the place at that address and tell them to be expecting a certified letter made out to your lienholder, but since they're not them, have them reject the letter.


Title: Im sure I'm working for a moving company avoiding taxes and possibly worse.

Question:
Hey Legals of reddit, this is a throwaway for obvious reasons. I'm in USA Pot State of the mountains.

I work for a company that specializes on moving (Residential), I've been with the company for quite some time and this is what i've noticed.

- They hire all movers and office workers as 1099 private contractor employees, even though they require us to be at a meeting place at a certain time and they provide us with the truck and equipment. We don't get any health insurance or benefits whatsoever.

- They constantly short everyone on their checks, and won't do anything unless talked to over and over.

- The owner has been in legal trouble for a scamming company in the past.

- Their Permit required for moving people is in the revoked state, yet they use the same permit number in all the invoices the customers sign.

- All license plates for their box trucks are expired, have been for 2 months, and they claim they've taken care of it. I suspect they don't have insurance either based on the previous point.

- For office workers, they deduct a certain amount of money off their checks for typos in their writing.

- When a red light camera gives you a ticket, they take it off the check.

I'm just wondering who I could possibly talk to or legally do about the company since I plan on leaving soon. Thanks!

Answer:
 The employees who have been not paid in a timely fashion or have had inappropriate deductions from their paychecks can make complaints to the Colorado [Department of Labor and Employment](https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdle/wagelaw).   The same agency will investigate complaints of [1099 misclassification](https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdle/misclassification).

Similarly, a complaint about their expired mover's permit can be made to the Colorado [Department of Regulatory Agencies](https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dora/movers).

Maybe their fleet paperwork is in order, maybe it's not;  fleet vehicles are registered differently than the cars you and I drive, and movers have different fleet rules than other transportation companies.


Title: [NY] Are you legally allowed to vandalize a car parked in your driveway, on your property, without permission?

Question:
**Context:** I live in NYC where a lot of city/government workers have parking placards, which means they can park illegally in some instances and get away with it (i.e. blocking hydrants, in no standing zones, crosswalks, on sidewalks, etc). However, I don't believe they can park anywhere, which includes someone else property. Mayor Bloomberg (2002-2014) did the right thing and reduced placards from 60,000 to 11,000, and cracked down on placard abuse, but of course DeBlasio brought it back up to 50,000 to placate public sector unions.

**Story:** A friend of a friend woke up one morning to find a car parked **inside** her driveway, blocking her car. NYPD has to issue a summons first before a tow company would tow it away. When NYPD arrived (this is already about 35 minutes later), they refused to ticket it because it had a placard (for a public school teacher) on the dashboard. However, I don't think that's because it was legal, but simply NYPD culture/unwritten rules say not to ticket them for anything (correct me if I'm wrong). Bless her soul, she didn't key it or anything. Several hours later the car was gone.

Just hearing this story second hand infuriates me. Now if this happened to me, I don't think I would be so kind. Part of me would want to put a gloves and a face mask on, grab a hammer, and put some dents in it and break windows, but that would bring way too much attention. So realistically I'd probably want to slash all four tires and key it, or at the very least key it and smear eggs/trash on it.

So if I got caught doing any of this, either in the act or it being traced back to me, would I get in trouble? They way I intuitively see it is, **my property, my rules.** If I found a random ball on my property, and popped it, I wouldn't get in trouble; so why not a car's tires? In the same way car washes aren't held liable for vehicle damage on their premises, would I not be liable as well?

Of course, I'm not a lawyer so thats why I'm asking. **and no I did not actually do this.**

TL;DR: Friend of a friend had a NYC public school teacher park in her driveway; NYPD refused to ticket the car (which means a towing company can't tow it) because of it's parking placard, despite the fact that it was on private property and placards don't grant you the right to do that. Is there a charge if you got caught taking justice into your own hands?

**EDIT:** On another note, would I have a case to sue the city or the perpetrator themself if they caused any monetary damages because of this (i.e. losing pay, job loss because of lateness, or missing an important meeting or court date etc)?

Answer:
 No you cannot commit a crime legally. Should be self-evident.

Edit: Also "my property my rules" doesn't apply as the car would not be your property nor would parking it, illegally or not, on your property make the title reflect your ownership. "My property my rules" goes against centuries of common law and actual statutory law. If someone brings a dog into your house you cannot butcher it and serve it for dinner, as an example. Answer #2: >my property, my rules.

This is utter foolishness.Answer #3: Your "intuition" is not "intuitive" at all.


Title: Can a co-signer of student loan take legal action for repayment?

Question:
Co-signer has paid off the full loan amount and has now taken action with an attorney to make me pay the loan amount back to. I've received by letter certified mail outlining the repayment structure however I feel as this walks a grey area due to the fact that student loans hold both parties joint and severely liable. In the event the primary borrower is unable the co-signer assumes that responsibility. Can he take legal action to make me repay?

State: Pennsylvania

Answer:
 >I feel as this walks a grey area due to the fact that student loans hold both parties joint and severely liable

I really hope this loan wasn't for a law degree. You are primary borrower, and you are responsible for the loan. Your cosigner paid it so that his credit wasn't' ruined, but you now owe him that money.


Title: (MA) Emergency room visit for a work related accident. I'm stuck with a $3000 bill.

Question:
This happened 9/18/15

Cut off the end of my finger with a kitchen knife while working at a corporate owned restaurant.
I do not have health insurance.
Restaurant manager insisted that I go to the hospital for stitches.
I was assured that workman's comp insurance would take care of the cost.
They drive me to the city hospital
I was treated with an anesthetic, a heavy wash of the cut, and a bandage. No stitches.
Was given paperwork for work/ their insurance company to fill out.
I was told verbally that it would be taken care of.
The paperwork was never filled out.  I am now receiving hospital bills for the incident and I left the company on 11/1/15. I have none of these records myself, I gave everything to the restaurant manager. He verbally promised me that, like I said before, he would send them to the insurance company to cover the cost of my hospital visit. I have tried to contact him about this a few times since then, left voice mail, none of my calls have been returned.
It has been 5 months since the incident and I have not worked there for 4 months.

What can I do to relieve my responsibility for this bill?

Also I should mention that this particular company was bought out the week following my injury.

Answer:
 File a claim yourself. Don't rely on other people to do something you can do yourself.

http://www.mass.gov/lwd/workers-compensation/Answer #2: MA has the best statue of limitations for work related injuries. However, your debt may rise the longer you take trying to pay this off. Seems like a pretty standard case.


Title: Colorado - Woman wants me to impregnate her. NSA

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Talk to a clinic about doing this.  You should probably also consult an attorney. Answer #2: The agreement will have absolutely no effect. You will  be liable to everything the laws of Colorado say you are liable as father. This is a horrible idea. If she wants sperm there are banks out there. Current laws do not allow someone to directly donate sperm and  waive parental obligations. You MUST use a legal intermediary. Answer #3: Jesus christ, dude. Does this woman know about your proclivity for meth usage?Answer #4: You need to go through a clinic


Title: If a clown were to be blocking the road and threatening me, would it be legal to hit them?

Answer: If you got out of the car and hit them with a rubber chicken it would be likely reasonable.


Title: I Have No Clue What To Do

Question:
Alright so this is a really long story- please bare with me.
I dated a guy for a very long time and broke up with him mostly due to the fact that he had sex with me while I was ODing during a suicide attempt (sleeping pills and alcohol). We didn’t remain friends after, but I never had any interest in coming forward with having a substance problem or reporting him since we were still in the same social circle. I did however, make him put it in writing that he raped me just in case I ever wanted to report it, which he was more than willing to do. Anyway, he started dating someone else who I also knew which was fine- I had explained to him what he had done and how it was wrong and he had apologised, and I didn’t feel like his behaviour was predatory so I never felt the need to tell the girl what had happened. So, when he starts dating this new girl she starts contacting me about how they’re dating (which I told her was fine- and that since I had ended the relationship I didn’t care who he was seeing). She was coming over to my apartment (which I had expressed discomfort in but I had roommates who were still friends with her and my ex so I let it slide). Anyway, they ended up breaking up and she blamed me for the breakup- here’s where it gets weird. I had nothing to do with the breakup, but my ex and I remained in the same social circle so we still sometimes saw each other. At some point my ex told me that he worried for both of our safeties because this girl was beyond obsessed with us- and that he thought we should transfer schools to get away from her. I brushed it off and continued on with my life. A week later he calls me and tells me to never contact him again because he was getting back together with this girl. I was confused because we weren’t ever in constant contact and he had told me he was worried for his safety because she had threatened him previously. I call him back to figure out what was going on and he sounds like he’s in some kind of hostage situation and he says that she’s threatening to accuse of him rape if he doesn’t stop talking to me. I asked if he did it- he said no, and since he had completely admitted to what he had done before I believed (and still do believe him). I was shocked but thought he might just be fucking with me so I moved on. The next week I get a call from the sherif’s office telling me that they’re outside my family’s house attempting to serve me with a restraining order. I was confused, and it turns out it’s from his new girlfriend, who I didn’t contact once or ever try to use third parties to contact her. I got a lawyer as the restraining order listed my school as a place I was banned from going, and was able to very easily get it overturned as she had no evidence I’d ever contacted her. At this point, I felt beyond harassed by her, in court she had around 30 pages of screenshots of random posts on my various social media profiles as well as one of my roommate’s profiles. But, I was just thankful I was finally able to legally attend class and that my parents were able to shell out the $4000 needed for a lawyer on top of tuition expenses etc. and just forgot about it. However, about two weeks after her mother starts texting me pictures of stuff my father was saying on social media attempting to blackmail (?) me with it, telling me to leave her daughter alone and learn how to move on with my life- even though the tweet in question from my dad was just about me attending a music festival (and talking about how people at the music festival were taking drugs). I ignored the message and let my dad know to not tweet about me anymore. A few more weeks pass and I start getting text messages from what I was able to confirm were a burner phone sending me pictures of my own tweets telling me that I force and pay people to like my tweets, I ignored this message. However the messages continued to escalate, one of them telling me that I needed to shut the fuck up and meet the sender in person to see if I act the same, calling me a coward and psycho bitch amongst other things. I called the police and attorney to see what my options are and both advised me to tell the sender to cease contact. The only response I sent was to “cease contact”, which was when the sender really escalated- sending me a very long message using my full name, address, transportation patterns (what bus I take) describing how they were going to stalk and kill me and my friends since I had slept with her husband (which is untrue). A few days before this, my friend who also rides my shuttle said that he had seen my ex’s new girlfriend waiting outside the shuttle, so I had stopped riding it before this. I called the police and filed a report and let them know that I believed the sender was my ex’s new girlfriend due to the language of the text, and the fact that . Since I had dated this guy for so long, I had a fairly good relationship with his family and had remained somewhat acquaintances with his brother, and at no point post break up had I ever contacted them, but I decided to make the hour drive to go see them and try to explain what was going on. They told me that they had suspected the girl was blackmailing their son, and told me of several very odd encounters they’d had with the girl and her family. They told me they were going to essentially try to force their adult son to go to the police with me on this, and they were able to. My ex and I both filed police reports and OOPs (both of which were denied). During this time my ex explained to me how her family had threatened him with physical violence into making a video tape saying he had sexually assaulted her, with the intent of blackmailing him with it. He told me that the only request when they made him make the tape was just that he cease contact with me as well as provide the girl and her family with my family’s home address as well as my
College living address. He told me about how the girls mother would pick him up once a week and make my ex prove he wasn’t in contact with me. He broke up with her the day we filed the police reports and that’s when everything really started. She showed up to his apartment and banged on his door screaming about how he had sexually assaulted her and how she was going to be reporting him. I genuinely have never doubted a victim’s claim before this moment however, I feel like this girl is lying and attempting to use this as a way of getting back at my ex for breaking it off with her. So, I dropped out of school temporarily because I couldn’t really focus and was beyond stressed that someone who hated me and wanted to kill me knew where I lived. I moved out of my college apartment and moved back home, where this girl’s mother showed up. Nothing happened she just left after a few minutes and no one was home. My ex boyfriend lost his job as he is currently under investigation by our university and the local police for rape- based on this girl’s accusations. My name has apparently come up quite a bit and this is where I need the legal advice. Is it legal for me to say that my ex boyfriend never raped me in order to avoid helping the girl who is literally stalking and harassing me- or if when I’m called in do I have to tell the truth? I’m in the midst of a legal complication with the stalking and harassing stuff as it is so I would like to just simplify my life if possible and not have any part in the other girl’s rape investigation- how do I avoid perjuring myself but also not help this psycho girl?

Answer:
 This is so fucked up. I'd definitely not admit that he raped you. I'd try to distance yourself from it entirely. This sounds like a horror movie.

Edit: also, there's zero chance of you getting a perjury charge for saying that he didn't rape you.Answer #2: I don't know, but a sexual assault hotline might. The people there know your rights a rape victim (like whether you have to disclose it if asked in court). I hope you don't. You should have every right to keep things that happened to you private.Answer #3: Perhaps you consider legal protection methods for yourself.

I'm not joking.Answer #4: Could you possibly put paragraph breaks in this? It's extremely difficult to read.


Title: (Reno, Nevada) jiffy lube drained my transmission fluid and ruined my car, now they won't accept responsibility

Question: On Sunday, 5 days ago, I went for routine oil change and tire rotation. Afterwards, my cars transmission went way out of whack. I returned to jiffy lube, their mechanic that they sponser in Reno told me it was a bad transmission and quoted $4500.00 to fix it. Another mechanic, one that I trust, looked at the car and told me my transmission fluid was 4.5 quarts lower than it should be, and that caused irreparable damage to the tranny. Jiffy lube now has reviewed their own video and claim they did nothing wrong, but refuse to give me a copy of said video. They will only show me the video in the store. Whats the best way to go about holding them accountable?

Answer: Have you taken them up on their offer to review the footage yet? It genuinely could be a coincidence. Have your mechanic show you how/where the transmission fluid is drained vs oil before watching to tape so you can recognize it, if you see it.


Title: [FL] Lost my health ins. 18mos ago, but therapist offered to continue seeing me on sliding scale. Now, after counselor and I both left the practice, the office is trying to get me to retroactively pay the full rate for 40+ sessions; says therapist wasn’t authorized to offer a lower rate

Question:
I lost my job and health insurance in January 2019, and was in mental health counseling at the time. I immediately told both my therapist and the administrator that I had lost my insurance and that I wouldn’t be able to continue therapy. My counselor and therapist offered to see me at a reduced cash rate because “it was unethical to abandon a client at a time of crisis.“

I continued therapy for a year, paying the new cash rate each time. After one year though, both the therapist and the administrator left the practice so I was unable to continue there. Now, six months after my final session, the office is calling me demanding payment in full for the remaining balance of the sessions. Apparently, they were attempting to bill my insurance for the sessions over the last 18 months even though I told them I had no insurance, and the insurance company and/or the office is demanding that I pay in full.

The new administrator, who I’ve never met before, says that the therapist and administrator before were not authorized to offer me a sliding scale rate and that I now owe them for services rendered since the insurance company has refused to pay. My understanding was that I was paying a cash rate, unrelated to insurance.

It’s odd to me that it took them 18 months to notice that my insurance hadn’t been paying them, since they had been being paid every week for several years before I lost my job. I’ve paid exactly what the therapist and administrator said I owed for a cash rate; now they want me to almost triple it retroactively.

Am I up a creek here or should I fight?

TL;DR: Lost my insurance. Therapist offers to continue therapy at a lower cash-only rate. Office mistakenly continued to bill non-existent insurance and is now demanding I repay for the sessions at a higher rate rather than the one agreed to by therapist, administrator and me, saying that the therapist and administrator lacked authority to offer me a lower rate. Both employees are gone from the practice now.

Answer:
 You have a solid argument that you had an agreement, they provided the service, you provided payment and they accepted the payment. If they have a problem, they should take it up with their (former) employee. For that reason, I would wait to see what they do next. If they sue, hire a lawyer to represent you.

Do you have any emails/texts negotiating the new price or any bills or statements from their office? If so, keep them.

And as with any disputed debt, do not make any partial payments.Answer #2: NAL, but I would post this over in /r/insurance as well.


Title: *UPDATE* Getting sued for a car I sold in NJ

Question:
[Here is my original post.](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2vnwx0/getting_sued_for_a_car_i_sold_in_nj/)

So today was my court date. I spoke to two separate lawyers who both told me that with the amount of evidence I have I should win the case and did not need a lawyer. The trial started and the plaintiff told her side of the story. Saying that she bought the car from someone in New York. The judge asked her if I was the person that sold her the car to which she replied no. At this point the judge allowed me to give my side of the story which I did. I told him that I had text messages and emails to support my claims and he refused to even look at them saying that I could easily have fabricated them. He ruled against me and has ordered me to pay $5542.

Answer:
 /u/oddmanout come on and claim your award for pegging this situation at 100% accuracy.

OP, you're in a horrible spot. Your option is to sue the real person you sold the car to,  but that will be near impossible now.  Shitty lesson learned.

Unless you can pony up for an attorney who can figure out a way to appeal this current case for you,  but time is ticking on that. Answer #2: Sorry you were the victim of this scam.

I guess this teaches all of us to take care of the paperwork, make a detailed bill of sale, and keep copies of both title and bill of sale (easy enough with cameras on phones).  And notify the DMV of the sale.


Title: What’s a Child with Autism Legally Entitled to?

Question:
Hi Y’all,

Longtime lurker and all that...I need your help. I hope it qualifies for this sub as it does have to do with what one is legally entitled to, or entitled to apply for, through public programs. My apologies in advance if this is the wrong sub.

Location: San Jose, Ca

In short I’m asking what waivers/programs are currently available for children with an Autism Diagnosis in the state of California. I have a two year old with an Autism diagnosis whose undergoing behavioral therapy and speech therapy. I have a private health insurance plan for him through Kaiser

The copay I’m responsible for and his health insurance come to nearly a thousand dollars a month. Child care is a steal at only $500 a month.

Problem is I’m currently a single income provider for a family of three making only 50k a year.

Are there any programs or waivers we should be looking into? We have relatives with good paying jobs that pay nothing out of pocket.

And does our private insurance plan help us or hurt us with all of this?

If my wife returns to work, making around 35k a year realistically, would we lose any possible access to waivers/programs?

As for long term planning...Christ I don’t even know where to start.

Thanks for your time and consideration. Anything contributed here will make a big difference to a family and a sweet little boy.

Answer: Look into the Katie Beckett program, which will allow your child Medicaid benefits. We still carry primary insurance on our child who qualifies (not required), but it picks up the co-pays or therapies not covered under our primary insurance.


Title: Dress Code and the 1st Amendment

Question: My girlfriend attends JopCorps. Their website is a .gov, their parent department is the Department of Labor. They have a pretty strict dress code and are threatening to discharge her if she doesn't change her hair color (purple). Is this a violation of her first amendment rights since its affiliated with the government?

Answer: no


Title: (NV) Got charged w/ 4 misdemeanors including a DUI as a minor

Question:
I was charged with impeding traffic, possession of paraphernalia, possession of marijuana(under an oz: like 2gs), and a DUI. I wasnt high when I was driving: I was just dumping my bong water when I thought no one was around because I didn't want it to spill it on my car.

I failed my sobriety test (except the eye test) because I was confused on his instructions, nervous and scared, and the weather wasnt very great that day either. On the statement papers the cop marked "found green on his tounge" which doesn't make sense and I know is a lie cause for fucks sake: I wasnt high.. Although, he was granted to take my blood sample and I know it's gonna come up shwoing up THC in my system because I did smoke pot days before. He also stated me possessing other things such as a scale and bags which makes me worried on my defense.

This was during January and now its been 5 months and I'm still waiting for a court date. I have called several times in between but the court apparently still doesnt have a date. I will be an adult soon and worried about being charged as an adult and loosing the privileges to seal my juvenile records.

Help me please. Thank you.

Answer:
 Yes, you flunked the field sobriety tests. These tests are not designed to help you and you usually have nothing to gain by taking them. The officer administers them as a way to collect evidence against you.

You absolutely need to consult with a criminal defense attorney...yesterday. You're looking at fairly serious charges which if you are convicted of, could have lasting implications.

Also, for fucks sake, you can stop using illegal drugs now.Answer #2: How would bad weather cause you to fail a sobriety test? Was it actively snowing (hard) or downpouring rain?Answer #3: The only reasonable advice you're going to get is to call a lawyer.

It isn't going to look good that you were dumping bong water as that kinda assumes you had been smoking prior. It looks like NV has some fantastic pro-smoker laws but you being a minor, they won't help you at all.

So yeah, get a lawyer and have them start navigating this for you.


Title: Fell at a UPS shipping center due to no deice

Question:
Short of this is the local center had no deice, salt, anything and right st the customer door (which has a handicap sign on it) I fell and hit the door, while trying to go in.

One employee saw, ignored. The other got mad when  I mentioned it. Ups has been very weird with me.

I'd like help with this but not sure who is best, I've called about randomly but didn't get far and I don't do well on the phone anyway. (that's why I love reddit)

Anyway, I ended up at the hospital. Have some injuries. And a large company that gave no shit about safety.

They are directly across from a lowes, so ice melt wasn't far.

Location: Colorado. More details if needed but not sure what to say really.

Answer:
 Slip-and-fall injuries in front of a store are taken on a case-by-case basis. A business that welcomes customers onto the business’ property has a duty to act reasonably to provide for the safety of the customers. This duty does not mean that businesses will be liable for any injury suffered by a customer. Courts understand that a business could never prevent all injuries, and the cost of coming close to that standard would be overly burdensome. Therefore, courts impose a reasonableness standard on businesses. The requirements of this standard can vary based on the context of any given case.

Is it reasonable for a Colorado business to expect ice during the winter? Probably. If you have any medical bills that weren't paid by your insurance, ask the UPS store in writing (certified mail is key) to reimburse your costs. If they don't respond or refuse, speak to a lawyer to see if you have a case.


Title: Manager made me work off the clock without me knowing about it. How illegal is this?

Question:
This happened a few weeks ago but it just resurfaced in my mind. I work as a host at Cracker Barrel and the event happened on a busy Sunday afternoon. Whoever was doing the shifts for the week screwed up and scheduled all the hosts out within an hour of each other, which, as you could guess, doesn't work very well. I'm a minor, which means I can't work more than 5 hours at a time without getting a 30min break. Well, I had already worked over 4 hours and it was getting dangerously close to my 5 hours, so I asked my manager, who we'll call Dumbass Fathead III, if I was good to clock out.

When I went to clock out, however, the computer said I needed manager authorization since I was an hour over my scheduled out time. I radioed for a manager, and Dumbass Fathead III came over to give the ok, but instead of clocking me out, he told me to go check the bathrooms. I told him the guy who left just like 20min before me already checked them, but he insisted that I make sure they were clean first before he clocked me out.

So, I went and restocked a single stack of paper towels, then went back to clock out. When I tried, however, it said that I was already clocked out. Dumbass Fathead III had clocked me out when I walked away to clean the bathrooms without telling me, which meant I worked off the clock against my will or knowledge. Is this illegal? And if so, what are the ramifications?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: It is definitely a problem. You have to decide how big a deal you want to make over it though. I’d start by saying something to the manager, then working your way up from there. You could file a complaint with your state’s appropriate wage entity as well.


Title: Thief made a fraudulent purchase with my bank account, bank won't reimburse money

Question: Towards the end of last year, I noticed that a random $323.64 fee was placed on my account from TigerDirect, and luckily I called my bank (Chase) right away and got the fraudulent purchase settled and my money reimbursed. However, recently my bank statement seemed off, and upon looking, Chase reversed the reimbursement, and withdrew that amount from my account. I called Chase, but they said that the person who had my card information had enough information on the order that Chase decided that my claim was not a fraudulent purchase. They said they can no longer do anything, and I would have to talk to TigerDirect to sort this out. However, the rep from TigerDirect told me that since they were just bought out by another company, they no longer have access to those records and are of no help. I called Chase one more time, but they still said they could not reimburse my money, but this time I got the name and address that was addressed on the order form from TigerDirect. With this information, what steps can I take? Call the police department for that jurisdiction and try to open a case?

Answer: You can [file a consumer complaint](https://forms.federalreserveconsumerhelp.gov/secure/complaint/complaintType) against the bank.  These are taken pretty seriously, and I find it gross that the bank would have allowed this purchase to have occurred even after the card hold identified it as a fraud.


Title: My manager is forcing me to buy expensive designer shoes for my minimum wage retail job. (BC Employment Law)

Question:
I live in BC, Canada and work at a designer retail store full-time as a Sales Associate.

Background::
As a SA I am entitled to a clothing allowance up to a certain amount each quarter, and one pair of free shoes for the year. I have zero say in what these clothing items or shoes are, the manager picks them out.

I have already been given my shoes for the year, the manager picked a pair of high heels for me. In November I was hit by a car  and took a sick leave from work to heal a broken leg and bad road rash (my leg was run over by a truck). As of last week, I have been approved by the doctor to return to work, but to wear flat shoes and take it easy.

My manager is telling me that I *must* purchase a pair of flats from her store in order to continue with my job. I explained to her I cant afford to spend $100 on flats.. expecially after being on EI for two months, but she just repeated herself like a robot "You must either buy *BrandName* flats, or wear the heels that we provided for you."

I have perfectly acceptable plain black flats at home. Can she fire me for not buying the shoes? I really like the company, but she seems to be a bit of a nut job.

Also, I am working at a different location for two weeks. The manager there was fine with my personal flats.. until my manager came all the way across town to check up on me and harassed me again to buy the flats.

Answer:
 IANAL, but I know its not always that easy to fire someone in BC. Here are a couple of things that might help you:

https://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb/facshts/justcaus.htm

http://www.cbabc.org/For-the-Public/Dial-A-Law/Scripts/Employment-and-Social-Benefits/280

Edit: ok I found more information for you. This information is from here: https://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb/employers/faq.htm#termination

> Can I require employees to wear a uniform or special clothing at work?
>> Yes, but you must pay for the uniform and clean and maintain it.

> What constitutes a Uniform?
>> Any clothing that identifies an employee as part of the employer's business and is usually the same for all employees. For example, a golf shirt with the company logo on it or pants of a particular style made by a specified manufacturer or required to be bought from a specific place.
**Any clothing the employee has to buy from the employer for work is considered a uniform.**

I bolded the important one. It sounds to me like she is obligated to pay for your new shoes if it matters that much to her. You have a medical reason for not wearing heels.

Answer #2: Probably not. The law in BC says that they must make reasonable accommodations, as long as they won't cause the employer undue hardship. I would think letting you wear your own flats would be reasonable and wouldn't cause your employer any issues, let alone "undue hardship"

I would be calling either the Employment Standards Branch and/or  the Human Rights Tribunal for a qualified opinion. Often a quick call from either of these groups to your boss telling them to pull their heads in is all it takes

https://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb/

http://www.bchrt.bc.ca/


Title: (CA, USA) My wife's boss wants her to sign a new company policy which would make the small business a "right to fire" workplace. Is this legal in CA?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Your wife's employer has the right to fire her any time, with or without cause, whether or not she signs a policy saying so. There are only a few specific reasons the employer may not use to fire her.

If you have an active complaint against the employer she might review the current changes with whomever is handling her case. Answer #2: The boss already has that right whether your wife and the other employees sign or not.


Title: Is this a good legal letter?

Question:
Hi please advise. He was arrested before on domestic abuse, awaiting trial. I had the no contact order lifted but now he slaps, hits, and calls me a c***. Last time he strangled me and the police and paramedics were involved. It's now or nothing time for him. I hope to not call the police because of how much more that makes my life a mess. His problems should not be my burden. We have a kid which complicates things.

Ontario, Canada
                                                                                21 July 2016

To whom it may concern,

I, Xxx, commit fully to maintaining a violence-free environment for Xxx and Xxx.

I understand that committing any form of violence against Xxx or Xxx is a violation of the Criminal Code of Canada and the child abuse policies of the Children's Aid Society of this jurisdiction (Ottawa, Ontario). This includes committing any act of violence against Xxx in the vicinity of Xxx.

I agree that I will refrain from physical violence (including, but not limited to, grabbing, shoving, slapping, hitting, choking, etc.) as well as from emotional, psychological, or verbal violence (including, but not limited to, name calling, swearing, insults, gossiping, disparagement within or out of her presence, etc.).

I, Xxx, will immediately take the steps necessary to ensure that I maintain this commitment. These steps may include, but are not limited to, counselling, refraining from alcohol, treatment from a physician, or other action. I understand that it is my full responsibility to ensure that I take whatever action necessary to ensure that I do not commit any acts of physical, emotional, psychological, or verbal violence toward xxx or Xxx under any circumstance.

I fully understand that any violation with the intent of this contract will result in the immediate removal of myself and that further legal action will be taken.

___________________________
Xxxx

___________________________
Date

___________________________
Witness

___________________________
Date

Answer:
 No, it is not "good" as it will accomplish nothing.

It's time to consult a divorce lawyer before he kills you.


Title: Making a Murderer dumb question: Why didn't the defense fight for a change of venue or judge recusal?

Question: You'll probably be getting a ton of questions like this about that show. Location: Manitowoc, Wisconsin

Answer:
 The defense did.  IIRC, the first jury was brought in from out of the county, and the second trial took place in another county entirely.

You can only ask for a judge to recuse themselves if there's a clear reason for bias.  "Ruling against you in this or that" is not a clear reason for bias.


Title: Ex-Employer Calls My New Clients And Slanders/Defamation About Me

Question:
Hey Reddit Legal,

As always there are some layers to this. Short version:

I worked for a company(A) as a project manager, while doing so I had horrible management so I ended up learning the business on my own. After Working there for a year my company's owner had major legal issues which lead me to leaving the company.

After leaving, I decided to start a business in the same industry. I enjoyed the work but my previous employer was untrustworthy and clearly into illegal activities so I was comfortable with running the business. I went out and found my own clients and months later I had another vendor(B) do a small install for me. This company(B) has done work with my ex-employer in the past and somehow company(A) got my client from company(B). Company(A) then called my client and told them a bunch of false information about me and my company which is resulting in me losing business.

Do I have anything here?

Thanks!

Answer: Maybe. Were they opinions or were they actually things you are prove are not true?


Title: [Work] Employee Badge reveals SSN - is this appropriate?

Question:
My employer requires me to wear a badge.  The barcode on the badge is my social security number.

So anyone who takes a picture of me is able to decipher my SSN.  Is this appropriate?  I feel like this information should be MUCH better protected than just a bar code.

Is there any law prohibiting this?

USA, Illinois

Edit: I should note that the SSN is *not* my employee ID.  I have a separate employee ID #.  So why is my SSN necessary to display at all?

Answer:
 The Social Security Administration recommends that employers use a different identifier.  [Link.](http://www.ssa.gov/phila/ProtectingSSNs.htm)
Answer #2: I wish I could go with you to HR, my phone (blackberry) comes with a combination smart tag, QR, and bar code reader, that demo of pointing the phone at HR goons badge and having his ssn pop up on screen would get that fixed in a jiffy.

See if you can get a free universal barcode reader app to demonstrate how dangerous that setup is.Answer #3: Perhaps bring up this fact, and ask if HR would be willing to assign free credit monitoring for all employees and former for x years after their employment is over. It's a way to point out the issue. Answer #4: Is anyone who has actual expertise in this field going to provide actual legal advice? He didn't come to ask, "How should I ask my HR department to not do this."Answer #5: Back in the day our state had our SSN on our drivers licenses. People didn't like that because you had to show it when cashing checks (before debit cards). It took several years to change the licenses. So careless on the part of the state.


Title: I GOT A DWI FOR DRIVING A TRACTOR ON MY OWN FARM WHILE DRINKING A CAN OF BEER. You heard it right gentlemen. I own a big chunk of farm in rural Texas.I drank a can of beer and started riding my tractor in my OWN farm. A cop nearby saw this. and I got DUI. Is this legal?

Question:
I thought DUI only applies to a) vehicles b) public roads. How in the hell it is applied for Farming equipment  used on MY OWN FARM?

For the record, I never drive a vehicle under influence of Alcohol. It was just I was feeling sleepy and had to do lot of work in farm, so just took little beer to make my mind alert.

Answer:
 >For the record, I never drive a vehicle under influence of Alcohol. It was just I was feeling sleepy and had to do lot of work in farm, so just took little beer to make my mind alert.

FYI - coffee usually works better for this. Try it out sometime.Answer #2: Oh, Texas.


Title: What do you think about the new law that was recently enacted in Iceland which makes it illegal for companies to pay women less money than men simply for being women, and which requires them to prove that any gender pay Gap is not the result of discrimination?

Question: Would you support a la like that in your country? And with such a la make it easier to win lawsuits alleging pay discrimination, since such a law will shift the burden of proof from the employee to the employer.

Answer: I think guilty until proven innocent is a very dangerous concept.Answer #2: Sounds great for trial lawyers and rough for everyone else. Answer #3: What do i think?  About damned time, that's what.  I'd absolutely support it here, but that's' probably a non-starter in the US for a while.


Title: Crazy aunt + Money =/= good times... Help!

Question:
My Grandpa died in November. There are some issues with my aunt (executor of his estate and his caretaker while he was still alive) and we think she is hiding the will from my mom and her other siblings.

So... I'll try to keep this short, but we'll see how that goes

My aunt took care of my Grandpa in his final years of life. They lived on the same property (different houses) and when he got sick and needed in-home help, she moved in and took care of him. That sounds great and wonderful and like anything a child would do for their parent. But my aunt always had dollar signs in her eyes. ALWAYS.

When my grandma died in 95, she did everything she could to pad her inheritance (she was executor for her estate too and was the main person there as my grandma was receiving cancer treatment near her). She told my mom that since she and my grandma each paid half for the home they shared that my mom could keep the house (this was before my dad got remarried to the woman I call mom, my bio mom died when I was young) but money was coming out of her share to pay for it. That money should have gone back into the estate, but it went to the aunt.

A few years ago my aunt came to visit my hometown... And pick up a new truck for my grandpa. My aunt was heard getting super excited because now SHE gets my grandpa's pretty much brand new truck.

When I was in talks to go see my grandpa shortly after finishing college, we had discussed how he would pay for my ticket... By getting my aunt to send me a money order to cover flight and rental car plus gas. I got together all the information and let him know. My aunt called me a couple days later saying there was no way he was sending a money order for that amount and that I needed to just let her book the ticket. I was fine with that until she said that I didn't need a car while I was there and that I was only coming to take care of him... I didn't need to leave the property or have anyone else come. I had to pull out of those talks because my aunt was making the whole thing stressful. I have 3 others of my mom's siblings and their families that live nearby and my grandpa and I had talked about me visiting them as well.

My Grandpa took a turn for the worse at the beginning of October and was moved into hospice. I had a job where I could afford to buy a ticket at this point and, since I had never met him in person, I wanted to make sure I got that chance and that he knew I would be there for him. So I went.

I found out that my aunt had told the doctors that no one else was allowed to come see him. My uncle showed up to see his dad and they turned him away. When Grandpa found out, he told the hospice center that he 100% wanted people to come see him. My aunt wasn't happy.

She kept upping his pain meds after I left.... Telling the nurses that he was in too much pain and needed it. They gave it to him. He was pretty much asleep the last 3 weeks of his life.

After he died, someone made a comment about seeing the will... My aunt lost it. She said it wasn't anyone's business and that it was "locked" in the office and they lost the key.

My parents and I think she's trying to hide the will from everyone so she can keep all the money. We don't care about if we get anything... We just want what my grandpa wanted to happen with his stuff to happen. My Grandpa had money and almost no bills, so we know there's stuff there.

Is there any way we can make her give us a copy of his will? He was in North Carolina. I've done some research but the Clerk of Court's website isn't really clear. I know in some states you have to put out a public notice so any debtors can come forward, but I don't know if that's the case where he was.

TL;DR Grandpa died and left aunt in charge of his estate. Family has reason to believe aunt is hiding the will. Can we do anything?
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer: Your family needs to get together and get an estate lawyer, and see if they can get your aunt removed as executor. Also, they will let the judge know there is a known copy of the will that she is hiding. Good luck, hope to hear of a good ending.....Answer #2: With an estate this size (multiple homes) and your aunt trying to do what she is, it’s probably time to get a lawyer. Your parents/yourself/any uncles you really trust could probably split the cost of one. And take that lawyers advice on what to do.


Title: [OR] - Person I was supposed to live with bailed on me after I set her address on my ID - this is getting serious and now I need serious advice.

Question:
Original Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/73aezo/or_person_i_was_supposed_to_live_with_flaked/

So now this woman is trying to tell me that she is going to take me to "court" to have me sued for 7000 dollars and apparently give me a felony for "falsifying" legal documents. She's saying that because I put her address on the ID forms that I committed a felony? Even though prior that that we had both come to an agreement that I would be living at her address.
This makes no sense to me; how could she possibly take me to "court" over something she's claiming is a criminal offense? wouldn't charges have to be pressed via the police?

The Police had her mail my ID to my mom, but instead today she's telling me she's mailing it to the DMV? I don't understand how someone who was literally trying to extort me two days ago now has the audacity to claim I committed a felony --- I have text message proof and other evidence of her trying to extort me for my ID, and that we were supposed to move in together with this BS about a down payment.

It makes me consider whether or not this was her plan all along? To lure me into making my ID out into her address then to cancel on me right after to try to abuse the fact that I had made my ID to
her address?

what is the legality of putting someone elses address on an ID anyway? She's trying to ruin my life, and shes even messaged me now saying that she's literally trying to intentionally ruin my life as "revenge" for calling the police on her to get my ID back?

Answer:
 >what is the legality of putting someone elses address on an ID anyway?

It is indeed a felony in Oregon to knowingly submit false information to the DMV with an intent to defraud. Fortunately for you, you didn't do that: you provided the DMV with information that you believed to be true. Even more fortunately for you, it appears that the police are already aware of the situation and appear to be on your side.

There is virtually no chance of you being charged with a crime for this, and in the vanishingly unlikely event that you are, there absolutely no way that the prosecution will be able to prove that you are guilty. Moreover, the criminal statute does not provide a private cause of action, so there is absolutely no chance of this person successfully filing a civil lawsuit.

Get your driver's license back, change your address, don't ever contact this woman again, and hope she gets the help she needs elsewhere.


Title: Termite Infestation in Apartment complex.. Is the apartment complex responsible for cleaning/damaged furniture?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: If you are renting an apartment, you SHOULD have renter's insurance.  File a claim, they would be the ones to handle any monetary disputes with the property management company, but typically any damage to your belongings in the rented unit will be able to replaced under the policy.


Title: Fire drill compliance

Question: My workplace just held their annual fire drill. My account is always exempt from the fire drill since it happens during open enrollment and we are a customer service call center for a state run marketplace. We don't take calls while the alarms are going off, but we stay at our desk so we can start taking calls again as soon as they stop. One of my colleagues at the other call center said that was illegal and we should sue. I have no intention of suing, but I'm just curious if that's actually illegal. I can't see why it would be, since this is a private business.

Answer:
 NAL, I just hang out in the LA subs a lot.

The first question I would have is "What are her damages?" If she does not have any damages, there is not much to sue over.

If the company is breaking the law, then the local Fire Marshall could impose fines for non compliance. I can't imagine a private citizen would have grounds for any legal remedy.


Title: Boss forcing me to use up paid time off before the end of my employment

Question:
I am a lab technician in Mississippi. I have beeen accepted to a medical school and have submitted June 24th as my last day at work. In the meeting discussing my last day, my boss (who genuinely hates me, not hyperbole) didn't ask but told me that "you will take all of your off time before june 24th." As a technician I am paid from nhs grants but I'm also an employee of the hospital.

I've been treated terribly during my time working for my boss and I have no intention of forfeiting my just compensation by taking the off days when I would otherwise be compensated for the hours I have accumulated. It will come to around $800 or $900. Will my boss have any legal ability to force me to take off time? Or cancel off time I have on the books?

Edit:

1. My company policy is very clear that accrued time off is to be paid in full after the end of employment.

2. There is no formal notice procedure, but I have filed June 24th as my last day in our employee beauracracy intraweb, Lawson. My end date is pretty much set in stone.

My question is whether or not it is possible for my boss to negate my accrued vacation time or force me to take it off before I leave work. From the replies it seems to me that this is unlikely, by which I am relieved. Thanks folks.

Answer:
 If your company has a policy that states they pay employees for accrued vacation time, then they are legally obligated to follow that policy. If they do not have that policy, then they are not legally obligated to pay you for your accrued vacation time.

So after we determine if your company has that policy, then we move on to your boss's options. He can tell you that no notice is required and let you quit now and pay you for your accrued vacation time, but he cannot force you to use your vacation time while you are working there. Answer #2: Yea, you haven't stated affirmatively that you would receive this apparently earned vacation. While MS does require earned vacation to be paid, it does allow an employer to contract out of that obligation. Check to see the policy. Then Contact HR of this issue.Answer #3: Have you talked to HR?


Title: [California] How do I forfeit receiving anything from a will/being involved in contesting a will?

Question:
My grandfather died recently. He was quite well off and as soon as he died the fighting began. In the "official" copy of his will I was left money and property. However there have been multiple challenges to this will, other family members have claimed it was forged or that he wasn't in his right mind as well other things which would make the will invalid. Many other copies of other wills have been “found” as well. Now the court challenges have begun and the whole family, his wife, his mistress, his ex-wives and his business partners are all going to be contesting the will in court. Until the challenges are resolved no one is getting anything. Sides have been taken and my family hates each other and won’t speak to each other.

I had left the family 10 years ago and have mostly not spoken to any of them in that time. I don’t live off family money or my trust fund and I had no idea any of this was going on until I was contacted by a lawyer about being left things in his will and then later contacted again about the will be contested in court. Truthfully I don’t want to receive anything from his will or be involved in the (presumably years long) legal fight over it. I am wondering how to go about forfeiting my share of any money/property/ownership of his company/anything else, and how I opt out of any challenges to his will in court. Do I just write a letter to the judge in charge of the case? Or do I have to get a lawyer to help me with this? My grandfather was born in, mostly lived in and died in California and the will and court challenges are all happening there.

Answer: The simplest way is to do nothing, take whatever you get when this is all settled (which could take years and years) and donate it to charity.


Title: (NH) I just found out that my company's benefits include $200/mo added to paychecks if you don't use their insurance plan. I have worked for 3 years and have not received a dime of that benefit. Is there any way to get any of that money back?

Answer:
 >When I asked the new HR rep if there was any way I could get the money my company failed to give me, she said there was nothing she could do

Bullshit on her. If they *overpaid* you that amount, they would go right after it, as they would be entitled to.


Title: Arrest Warrant (Michigan)

Answer: That is legal


Title: Dad is planning on leaving me all property that he owns, but not in a will.

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer:
 A will is how your father can have his wishes enforced. Without a properly done will, his wishes aren't worth anything and the intestate laws of the state will rule. Which likely means his assets will be evenly split among his children, spouse or both (after his debts are settled).

If your father wants everything to go to you he needs to contact a lawyer and formalize it in a will.Answer #2: Has your father spoken to an estate attorney about this? There are ways to set up assets to bypass the estate and go to the beneficiary/co-owner directly, so a will becomes unnecessary

But if it's not set up correctly and there's no will, then it could become part of his estate, which you and your sibling will split equally. His intentions don't matterAnswer #3: If he transferred the properties to a trust and you are the beneficiary of that trust, should be fine and won't matter what his will says. He should really speak to an estate planning attorney to make sure everything is handled correctly and his wishes are carried out.


Title: (Florida) She lied about abortion, am I going to have to owe child support?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Yes, yes, and none.

Congrats, Dad!


Title: Doctors performed surgery on me without my permission, help.

Question:
I tried to kill myself via overdosing on pain meds and alcohol, I was brought to hospital where I was sedated. Upon waking up I noticed they left what looks like a metal rod inside my arm, I didn't give them permission to perform surgery on me. What can I do?

[A photo of my surgery.](https://i.imgur.com/M2t4XOg.png)

Answer: .... and troll


Title: (PA) I am 17 and receive a large settlement when I turn 18. Is there anyway I could get a court order to access some of the money early and purchase a vehicle?

Question: Title.

Answer: Who controls the money? What does the court order say?