Title: [Oh] Sold my car "as is" on Craigslist. After dealing with the title, he drove it back to his hometown and it broke down. Now he's holding one of my plates hostage. Am I liable whatsoever?

Question:
So,  after he test drove it twice and looked it over,  he decided to buy it. I was given money and I transferred the title over.  After driving on the highway,  it broke down and he tried to repair it,  to no avail.
On the ad, I wrote that it needed work done and that there were a fair amount of problems with it. I stressed that I wasn't a mechanic and that it's getting sold as is. He agreed,  or so I thought. After signing over the title and the break down, he came to my work a few times and hasn't stopped calling. He hasn't threatened to take me to small claims court,  but if it comes to that,  would he have any case at all?

And here's the kicker.  The front license plate wouldn't come off(damaged in an accident,  our screwdriver didn't work), so we agreed he would take it off and drop it off after figuring it out. Now he's holding it hostage.  When I transferred the title,  I also transferred the plates(or, plate,  rather). Now the car is sitting in a gas station parking lot, without tags, and he's refusing to give me the plate back without giving him his money back.  I've never posted here before,  but what are my options guys? I'm worried.

Answer:
 I assume you have proof you sold it, right?

Good. Tell him to fuck off. The car is his. Regardless of what's wrong with it, he has no case in court.

As to what to do over the front plate, I'm not sure. It was obviously damaged in the accident, or it would've come off. Can you ring the license folks and get a replacement? Answer #2: If he truly is withholding the license plate, he may be committing a serious felony under Ohio law. I speak to police about that.

Answer #3: Report the license plate as lost or stolen.  If you don't know where the car is and he won't give it back, it seems like a colorable argument it is lost or stolen.


Title: Do I legally owe rent if I move out "unofficially" ?

Question:
I live in a one-bedroom apartment in MA with one other person. I recently found out that my roommate has been using the closets in our apartment as a dumpster instead of throwing away the trash himself. I moved in halfway through the lease and didn't know about this until my name was on the paperwork.

I want to move out ASAP, but according to my leasing office's policy, my roommate needs to approve of me taking my name off the lease. I have already brought the trash situation to them but they still won't budge.

I'm thinking of moving out at the end of the month unofficially. This means all my stuff will be gone, I won't be living in the unit anymore, but my name is still on the lease. And of course, I won't be paying the rent for May or beyond. Is there anything my roommate or the leasing office could do to force me to pay the rent in this case? I really need to get out ASAP.

Answer:
 >  Is there anything my roommate or the leasing office could do to force me to pay the rent in this case?

Yes. They could sue you.Answer #2: >Is there anything my roommate or the leasing office could do to force me to pay the rent

They could sue you.Answer #3: You will be in breach of your lease if you leave on your own terms. Are you a month to month tenant? When is your lease up officially? Outside of receiving a restraining order against your roommate (which you wouldn't be granted) there is nothing you can do.


Title: College Friend Removed Wrongly from Campus and Defamed by University

Question:
Nashville, Tennessee
--------------------------
I currently have a friend attending Vanderbilt University who recently was caught (drunkenly) going to the bathroom in a bathroom designated for women that I am trying to help as this whole campus rights thing hits home with me. Anyway, a female student walked in and saw him. The next day, she accused him of taking pictures of girls in the bathroom: sexual harrassment. He has since been removed from campus and suspended for campus. Scarily, this is all within Vanderbilt's power as per their Title XI and sexual assault codes (I think). However, recently a school group called "Project Safe" has been calling in girls who live on this floor of the bathroom in to talk and informing them that they HAVE been sexually assaulted by this guy and they could press charges if they would like. Though I find the fact they threw him off campus absurd, they seemed to have some precedent. However, what ProjectSafe is doing seems to be in complete neglect of Vanderbilt's confidentiality policies and in fact, seems to actively be defamation of this guy as they have no proof he did this to any girls, much less girls outside the one who was in the bathroom while he was. Any legal advice on what he can do? His life is currently being ruined by this school over something he didnt do, and whats more, theyre actively spreading this rumor around campus. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Answer:
 Project Safe seems like a student group; they're not Vandy officials. They don't have to honor confidentiality (depending on the agreement).

>seems to actively be defamation of this guy as they have no proof he did this to any girls

How is this defaming the guy? He was *caught* going to a women's bathroom. Even if he was drunk, it still happened. He was subsequently accused of some nefarious stuff. You can try bringing an action with a lawyer's assistance (if one even took this case), and depose the girl to see if she's lying or not (depositions are taken under oath), but maybe your friend actually did it and was just drunk and stupid?

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.


Title: My ex is getting blackmailed into sex, please help immediately.

Question:
Hello Reddit throwaway for privacy purposes,

My ex is currently getting blackmailed by a person whom she met on a dating site. She told this guy about herself and gave him her number and insta. The guy is now using the information that he gave her to blackmail her.

I don't want to go into specifics because I have no idea if he's a reddit lurker. My ex can't leave her situation because she works at a place and the person is threatening the place and what she does. She has to stay because her bosses are out and have to watch over it.

The person has not met her yet, he's demanding that he get with her and I've been telling her no. After hours of talking, I finally got his information, his name, his pictures, and what town he goes to. I also have a photo of him forcing her to do things.

I'm not going to the police and I'm holding onto the information to be able to react in case the blackmailer does something. She doesn't want to do anything because she is petrified of what would happen if her bosses find out the police was called because the blackmailer had said she was damaging the business. Obviously, there's camera video evidence showing no such thing but she doesn't want anything to happen because her bosses are away and asked me not to do anything. They'll be coming back this Sunday and she plans to leave then. From what I've seen, this person is a sexual predator but not the human trafficking kind. He's young and doesn't know how to hide it too well and relies on intimidation to get the effect in order to get his victim to hide it.

What would be your advice for this situation, don't be afraid to suggest something that is against the current course of action.

I'm posting this on r/legaladvice and r/twoxchromosomes.

Answer:
 > What would be your advice for this situation, don't be afraid to suggest something that is against the current course of action.

**YOU** don't do anything.  You're a third party.

When dealing with blackmailers, you have essentially three choices.

1.) Do whatever they say forever.

2.) Ignore them and hope they go away.

3.) Go to the authorities.

I don't know which one I'd do, but I know which one I would NOT do.


Title: (CA) A supplier of my small business never charged us sales tax. Now they are being audited and want us to take the blame for them not charging sales tax, am I liable for this money they mistakenly did not charge me?

Question:
Hey guys and gals!

I own a small business in California where we produce t-shirts and such. One of our supplies are metal screens in which we use to put designs on and then ink through to make said t-shirts. I purchase the screens from a local company who imports thousands and thousands of them from China.

The first time I walked in there I told them my name, and the name of my business and asked what we could get the price down to if buying in bulk. They gave me a quote and we purchased from them for a year and some change. (1/3/14 to 8/12/15) with a total of about $3,000 spent with them.

Now they are being audited for sales tax by the state and have sent us emails asking for our resale number (which allows us to pass our sales tax charges onto our customers) so they can lay the blame on us for them not correctly charging us the sales tax.
My question is am I liable for this sales tax if I paid them in good faith thinking they were charging me what they were supposed to? I got X amount of screens and they told me a price. I never mentioned I was reselling them and I never have resold them.
It is not a huge sum, only about $300 or so, I am just wondering if I am responsible for paying it, or since its their mistake and from so long ago it would be their fault.

I debated on just calling the BOE but I have called places like the FTC before and been told they cannot advise me on laws and the nuances of said laws they have in place because they are not lawyers so I thought maybe the same thing would happen with the BOE.

Answer:
 NAL but accountant. Not sure if CA is different but I would be suprised if it was. In my state and surrounding states when you register a business you get documents one of which clearly states that the business is responsible for withholding and remitting sales tax to the state. As someone who purchased products it shouldn't be on you to worry about sales tax. If they had a problem with your resell number they needed to contact you. Answer #2: The seller is responsible for the sales tax not collected (from you) as he is located within California. If the seller was located outside of California, you the buyer, would be responsible for remitting use tax on the purchase of the goods.

A resale certificate number in this type of transaction is not valid as you are not reselling the goods you purchased from the seller. If you would have provided one, you would be subject to the sales tax/penalties/interest that will be assessed. If you would have provided an exemption certificate (for a specific purpose, eg. manufacturing), that could be a different story.

Please reference the CA BOE guide here: https://www.boe.ca.gov/pdf/pub452.pdfAnswer #3: Two things here.

1 - the seller is responsible for collecting and remitting sales tax

2 - You, as a California business, are required to file and pay a use tax on any purchases that you did not pay sales tax on. This includes items purchased for resale that were later converted, items purchased from out-of-state with no sales tax collected (like all your Amazon purchases), or in situations like this where a seller forgot to charge you sales tax.


Title: Pregnant Girlfriend Threatened and Attacked at Work in Mental Ward of Hospital

Question:
Hey guys,

&#x200B;

So my pregnant girlfriend works as a nurse's aid in the mental ward of a local hospital. They get all types of patients, from criminals to regular old crazy people. This week, she has had multiple issues with a particular patient.

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Saturday (12/15) the patient punched her in the stomach during an altercation where he assaulted multiple staff members and she was trying to assist.

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Today (12/17), he was discharged from the hospital after verbally threatening to follow her home, that he knew what vehicle she drove, and saying he was going to wait for her to get off work and hurt her.

&#x200B;

She hauled ass home after her shift was over and scraped all the stickers and any other identifying marks off her car and swapped cars with her mom to hopefully prevent the guy from finding her. She is understandably shaken up and I am royally pissed that the doctors and hospital employees let this guy out without sending him to jail.

&#x200B;

I am confused as to what we do now. She has told me (and I haven't necessarily done research to dispute her) that she can't file a police report because he was a patient and the incident occurred on hospital property while he was still technically a patient. I told her to file a police report and get a restraining order because he was discharged less than 2 hours after the incident and a doctor had to say he was "mentally fit" in order to discharge the patient, meaning he must have been "mentally fit" when the incident occurred.

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Really just looking for advice as to what we should do because I am not a particularly big fan of getting up and looking out my front door every 5 minutes waiting for this guy to show up at our house. Thanks for any help.

Answer: These facts would not be sufficient to obtain a restraining order in South Carolina. Listen, these people have problems. This is common in hospital settings, and especially mental health settings. If you don't like it, then it's probably not the occupation for you.


Title: Interviewers asked for my medical history/medications, whether I was planning on getting pregnant soon, told me all about the previous employee's medical issues as well as the medical history of a waiting client. It's a small chiropractic office. Is this legal?

Question:
I just left an interview for a receptionist position at a small chiropractic and massage center. I was told to fill out an intake sheet when I arrived, and most of it was regular questions (job history, contact information, emergency contacts) but halfway down the page, there was a space which asked me to "list all medications you are currently on, or have been on in the past six months". I didn't see any reason why they needed that information, so I left it blank and continued to the math test on the back of the sheet.

When I turned in the sheet, the woman at the desk pointed out that I hadn't completed the question about my medications. I asked her (politely) why it was necessary that they know what medications I might be on, and explained that I didn't feel comfortable discussing my medical history with an employer unless it was pertinent to my job. She then said "Well, Jane Doe, do you know Jane Doe? Anyway, she was our receptionist before, she was diabetic and had to take medications X, Y, and Z, and we didn't find out until we saw her insulin pump one day, and after that we were constantly worried she was going to collapse or pass out at work, because she did once when she had her first miscarriage (she had two, you know), and so now we ask." I was shocked that she'd just told me all of that, but I told her that I had no medical conditions or medications that would interfere with my ability to do my job. But then she pushed it: "So no medications at all?" "Nothing that would interfere with my ability to do my job." "So you ARE on something, then?" "I don't feel comfortable discussing my medical history." "Hm. Okay. We really need to know if you're on any medications." "Unless you are going to be giving me medications and are worried about contraindication for some reason, I don't see why it's relevant." "No pain medications?" "...I don't see how any of this is relevant and I'd rather not answer any questions about my medical history."

First of all, it was extremely uncomfortable to hear someone's private medical history, especially since she told me the poor girl's whole name, but also - is it legal for an employer to release personal information like that about their employees?? I can't imagine that it is in any way. I was a paralegal for six years and I worked in the school system for three, and if I had ever told anyone something like that about a fellow employee I would have been fired immediately. But then she pushed me, repeatedly, to disclose what medications I might be on. I nearly walked out right then, but I'm going back to school and I really really need a part time job. They were extremely willing to work with my schedule, so I stayed and figured, eh, well maybe it was just her.

But then in the actual sit-down interview, with both the practitioner and the receptionist, the practitioner asked me if I'd met the man who was in the waiting room with me. I said no, and he goes, "Oh he's great. His name is John Doe, he's a security guard at ACME Warehouse, and he has a problem with X, Y, and Z, so every couple of weeks I realign him and get him back on his feet. He's a regular client here. You know, ever since he got clean he is living the healthiest lifestyle he can, isn't that great?" #...Bruh.

The icing on the cake was when the receptionist commented on my wedding rings. "Oh, your rings are so pretty! How long have you been married?" "Oh, a little under a year. I just got married this past October." "Any kids?" "Nope." "Any plans on having them any time soon?" I laughed it off and made a joke about how I don't even answer that question when my family asks, but then the practitioner cut in, saying "Well, we value reliability, and we're concerned about losing another receptionist. We like you! We'd hate to lose you to a baby."

My spidey senses are telling me that a lot of what happened was less than legal. Even though it's not technically a medical office, aren't they still bound by HIPAA? And isn't there some sort of law on the books that forbids employers from releasing personal (especially medical) information about their employees to the general public? Is it even legal for them to ASK for that information from me in an interview?? And the whole "We'd hate to lose you to a baby" comment - it seemed pretty obvious that if I'd answered yes, they'd tell me I wasn't a good fit. Isn't that discrimination of some kind This is just not right. It's definitely unethical, and if it weren't such a small practice (the practitioner I met with is the highest ranking person there, it's just him and a bunch of massage therapists) then I'd have reported it to their HR department or at least their supervisor. Is there anyone I can report this to? I'm worried about their other employees and clients, who certainly have no idea that they're just telling randos off the street their personal information.

Sorry for the wall of text, I tend to get long winded. Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 You should go ahead and nope right on out of there.

I understand you need a job, but do you need a job that is going to breathe down your neck and want to know intimate details of your life (That aren’t ok to ask anyway, since it could potentially be discrimination)?  Answer #2: This wouldn't be a breach of HIPAA unless they found out through her experiences as a patient there.  Marital status is protected under Virginia law, but it's not clear that the question itself is illegal (federally, it's often not illegal to ask the question, just to make decisions based on the answer).  OTOH, they pushed the pregnancy question far enough to be likely to be discriminatory, and the meds list is asking for serious trouble under the ADA.

However, if they're a small office the relevant federal laws may not apply to them, so it's the Virginia [Division of Human Rights](https://www.oag.state.va.us/programs-initiatives/human-rights)  that would operate in that case.

But if your question is just "Holy hell, was this illegal?" the answer is quite likely yes on the pregnancy direction and the meds list, and it's a sign that they don't know or care about laws that protect people.  So bail.


Title: Parents lost my money help

Question:
I don't even know what to put for the flair and maybe i'm just overreacting BIG time but hear me out as im stressed out.

I have worked for 2 summers including this one and i have a rough estimate of how much i have made. First summer about 2k and now i have only had 2 pay checks no more than 700 i think. So we'll say 2200 to be safe. Now i have spent avout 500 on clothes and various other thingd MAYBE 650. This brings me down to 1350. Last year one my parents asked for my permission to use 300 to 400 for an extra night at the hotel for our vaction i obliged. down to a 1000 they promised to pay it back in 2 months....its been a YEAR. My parents have just showed my account and i have only 500 in there and my parent said "its from your most recent paycheck" implying i blew through it all. HIGHLY doubt that and to add onto that my parent said sincr im upset about that and now want it in cash you won't be getting another cent from me for food or clothes. This entire arguement came about after we went out to buy me underwear and deodarent my parent goes this is coming out of your account. Im almost 17 and i feel this isn't fair! The parent just now added 200 to content me bring up to roughly 700/800. Sorry i know this is more than likely incohernet to read. And one final thing this parent lost 5k in crytpcurrencies!!!
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 If you know something is incoherent, don't submit it. Slow down, read what you wrote, and make it coherent so that people can help you.

They didn't lose your money, they likely spent it. They likely had a right to do that because you're a minor. It's $550+/-. You can either accept this as a fairly minor sum of money in exchange for shelter, food, etc., or you can die on the hill, shame them into possibly repaying some of the money, and run the risk that they'll cut you off financially. Winning the battle may mean losing the war, so to speak.


Title: Getting out of lease due to mental illness

Question: I live in Indiana and I have bipolar disorder. I have lived in my apartment for 1.5 years and I need out of my lease because this place is driving me crazy(er..). My landlord is very unreasonable and I was hoping there was some kind of FHA or ADA loophole I could use? I have documented proof of my illness and can get a doctor's note saying I need to move. Thank you for reading and replying!

Answer: How long is your lease? But no, there is no loophole I've ever heard of to get you out of your lease due to mental illness. The main reasons people can get out of leases are habitability issues or if they are in the military called to active duty.


Title: Possible puppy farmer or ignorant idiot.

Question: I live in the UK and my cousin recently purchased a puppy for her mother/my aunt. I was told today that this puppy is only 7 weeks old and is already in my aunts possession. I was also informed that the rest of the litter had already been sold on. Nobody will tell me the name of the person who sold her the dog and they don't seem to think there is anything wrong with this. What should I do?

Answer:
 First of all, you should post in r/legaladiceuk

Second, what exactly is the issue? Why are you entitled to know who they got the dog from and what would you even do with the information? Most importantly, why is this any of your business?


Title: Might have just overheard a murder..? [quick replies please]

Question:
I'm sitting in my apartment. I live on the 3rd (top) floor. My apartment complex is very soundproof. I have never heard my neighbors inside my apartment. I play guitar, and music, in my apartment and have never once been told to "keep it down."

About 30 minutes ago, out of nowhere, I started hearing the couple that live beneath me start **shouting** at each other.

The husband shouted:

"YOU HEARD ME! YOU HEARD ME! WHAT'S HIS REAL NAME?!!?! WHAT'S HIS **REAL** NAME?!!?"

Then I heard, what sounded like a very loud *slapping* sound.

Then I didn't hear anything.

I'm prone to anxiety and panic attacks, and I happened to be having bad anxiety tonight. So, I have had 4 beers tonight to help calm me down. I'm not looking for judgement, or advice on that, or whatever else... I'm just pointing out that I've had 4 beers.

Here's the thing though. *No one* lives beneath me. This couple? They live on the ground floor. So there is me on the third floor, nobody beneath me, and then there's them. As I said earlier? I have never heard my neighbors.

The fact that I heard them, as well as this loud 'slap' are kind of disconcerting.

The husband, or boyfriend, of these two; is actually a police officer. I've met him several times and we've exchanged small talk plenty of times.

I don't know what I heard. It was very muffled. I heard those words very distinctly, and the slapping.. but that is it.

I went out on my balcony to see if I could hear anything better outside. Instead, I saw the husband/boyfriend (police officer) just closing the trunk window on his SUV and then proceeding to wipe his car off for about 2 minutes with a snow brush. It is not snowing. There was no ice on his car. He was not wiping the windows. He was wiping the exterior of the car. He had the engine on, but the lights off. Not at first, mind you. I think he might've heard me come outside. Then he turned his lights off, and proceeded to wipe his car down. Then he sat in the car for an additional 5-7 minutes. Then slowly drove away.

I wanted to go downstairs and check and see if she was okay, but I was afraid (panic attacks). I wanted to call the police, but I was afraid that if nothing was actually wrong that he might then know it was me who called (since he's a police officer) and that he might do something to me, or act in a way towards me that I do not want. I don't live in the ghetto per-say, but I also don't live in the nicest of areas.

I don't know what to do. I need quick answers here.

 [EDIT] I live in northwest indiana, 20-30 minutes south of chicago.

Answer:
 so call the police and report it alreadyAnswer #2: You can call anonymously and ask an officer to go check on them.

But the odds that you heard a murder are so small that they almost don't bear serious consideration.


Title: Kid with BB Gun - in city -Ohio

Question:
We live in the city - small town in Ohio... VERY small yards.   We have several feral cats around (all fixed/neutered and released) ...my husband and I have been feeding them for a long time and can actually pet one of them now!  We have built little houses for each of them and will care for them until they pass. We also have a very large 15' x 15' 'catio' built in part of our backyard (enclosed with high privacy fence) - this is for our indoor cats.

Last week, we saw a kid walking around (through yards) with a BB gun shooting randomly ... across yards and whatnot.  I only noticed the kid because I had just fed the feral cats and they didn't stick around to eat.... I am thinking he must have shot near them to scare them off (since he was about 25' from them he would have been standing far enough from them that they would not have been scared of him unless he walked closed).  I wasn't super sure if this was a BB gun, but saw him 'pull back the handle' as you would to load the next BB.  I have now seen the kid 4 times with the gun.... no sign of any parents.... and I am not really sure which home he lives in.  Every time I have seen him, he is crossing through yards, climbing over fences with his army fatigues and BB gun in hand :(

I am very worried for the animals outdoor with this kid.  I am also very worried about my indoor cats when they go out on their catio.

I don't know what parent would give their kid a BB gun in this area of town.... I live on a cal-da-sac street and there are 2 apartment buildings behind my house -the kid be from there.... in this area it is mainly older adults and we have not had to deal with kids roaming around (with a BB gun!).

Should I approach the parents?  Should I call the police?  I dread conflict with a neighbor since you know how people can be, especially when it comes to their angel children.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

Answer: If you don't know who's kid it is just report it to the police and let them find him.


Title: Can/should I name my LLC “Thanos, Ltd.” even though the name Thanos is trademarked? The company has nothing to do with Marvel/Disney/film/etc.

Question:
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 Can you?  Sure.

Is it a good idea to get on the radar of the most litigious company in history?  Probably not.


Title: Gym raised rates on us even though we have a contract. [Texas]

Question:
2 year contract was signed summer 2017 stating rate to be paid on a monthly basis. Recently noticed bank statements show gym has been charging a higher amount than the agreed upon rate. Called gym and was told they put up a sign in November 2017 stating rates were going up for everyone. Never saw sign due to not going to gym during that period of time. Gym also said that in the state of Texas they could raise rates even if people had contracts. Called around and was told you cannot raise rates on people who have contracts but the only way to resolve this issue would be through small claims court.

&#x200B;

Questions I have:

1) Is small claims court the only way to resolve this? If so, do I need a lawyer? The amount charged to us over the agreed upon rate is \~$120 so not really wanting to pay someone for that.

2) How does one go about small claims court? What's the process? What else do I need to know?

&#x200B;

Thanks in advance.
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 You could sue them in small claims for that amount. Whether it's worth your time is up to you.

For these types of business shenanigans, you can usually file a formal complaint with the State Attorney General.

https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/file-consumer-complaint

You can encourage your fellow gym goers to do so as well. More complaints often have a better chance of the office pursuing the matter.


Title: (UK) Crashed into a garden wall, Asked to pay for brand new one

Question:
I currently live in the UK, I have recently reversed into someones garden wall and knocked down about half of the wall.
The bricks the wall is currently built from are no longer made and would need to be repaired using new different colour bricks.
Owner of the house does not want it looking funny and is insisting i pay for a complete new wall, Do i legally have to replace the whole wall or only the part i have damaged?

Answer: until a UK attorney stumbles in, I'll answer it generally from this side of the pond - you'd owe for replacement of the wall (or if you can find the old bricks, just that section). you damaged property in a way that's cheapest repair to whole (which is a uniform wall) is to replace all the bricks.


Title: Very weak evidence of dui. Help please!

Question:
The other day I went into court for sentencing and learned that while under custody I had not been aloud to talk to a lawyer even though I had asked. This means all evidence they have while I was on custody has been dismissed (failing breathalyzer and admission).

In the court room the crown dropped charge b) failing the breathalyzer but are still going ahead with charge a) driving impaired. The only evidence aloud in court is the police report of the evidence that happened prior to the offense and their testimony. On the report they noted that my eyes were red (I had been swimming just prior and had nothing but swim trunks on while being arrested). Also that my speech was slurred (I have a speech impedement and a doctors note for it). They also noted a smell of alcohol but never specified that it was from my breath. Also the reason for getting pulled over was that I took a turn too fast.

This all seems like really weak evidence to me. What are the chances of a conviction? Just seems impossible that they could prove it beyond all reasonable doubt.

I live in PEI, Canada.

Answer:
 >This all seems like really weak evidence to me. What are the chances of a conviction? Just seems impossible that they could prove it beyond all reasonable doubt.

It is pretty decent evidence.  I have seen the many people be convicted due to bloodshot eyes, odor of alcohol, slurred speech, and poor driving.  Were any field sobriety tests done?


Title: is it illegal to take a picture of someone ?

Question: I wanted to find out if you can take a picture of someone without their consent ?My friend asked me for a favor to buy her a ticket , I went to her job where she works with her mom and dad to pick up the money and I notice her dad trying to take a picture of me as she handed the money to me, he made it so obvious. Is it illegal for him to take a picture of me without my permission ?

Answer: its not illegal to take a pic of someone when they are in a place where they do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy.


Title: Friend from non-EU country got cheated on by her french husband in France. They have a french child together. Anyone here know the french law and what rights she has? She is a foreigner, alone with her child and has no income or family in France.

Question:
My friend is from a small European country which isn't in the European Union. Two years ago she fell in love with a man from France, got pregnant and they moved to France because he insisted the child be born there. A week ago she found out her husband cheated on her.

She wants to separate before deciding whether to work on the marriage or divorce but can't afford to do so on her own. Her main concern is receiving monthly rental assistance, which they now get every month as a married couple, apart from her husband.What are her rights as a foreigner, single mother of a french child in France? She has a permanent residence and completed a french language course with a B1 certificate. In our home country she was an engineer and in France she completed several 1-month long internships in engineering firms as required from the state. I have no idea if this bears any relevance but I wanted to include as many details as possible.

Would she continue to receive child support and would it all go to her? What other rights does she have in general?

I don't speak any french so I can't help her out at all, so I was hoping that either someone here is from France or has some french lawyer friends. Any advice is very welcome!

Answer: The rental assistance /child support you mention are probably CAF (Caisse des Allocations Familiales) benefits. From the economic standpoint, the best answers for her are going to come from meeting with her local CAF office. Generally speaking, the funds will follow the child. [Here](http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=1110&langId=en&intPageId=2513) is a decent English-language overview of those benefits.


Title: So I pushed an old lady

Question:
I live in New York.

Quickly: After a lot of screaming in her part, the old lady threw water into my face out of her cup. I felt terrible 5 seconds after doing it, but I pushed her away and she fell on hey luggage. She disappeared afterwards. What sort of legal trouble can I expect. (she knows my name)

Answer:
 Depends on the old lady. If you did that to **this** old lady, a lot of trouble.

There's obviously a lot left out of this narrative though.


Title: [NC] The company I work for has been paying be less than promised for over a month

Question:
I am 16 years old and working my first job at a nationwide restaurant chain. During orientation I was told my pay would be 9.10 with a raise after 30 days. 9.10 was even written on papers under where it said "rate." But I very recently (after I was supposed to get my raise) checked my wage statements and saw 8.40 under the rate. I figured maybe that meant after taxes, but no. I did the math and multiplying it by the hours worked gives me what I made BEFORE taxes. I go into work today and I intend on talking to the general manager, but I'm very pissed off about this
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Don't be angry when you go in to talk to the manager. It won't accomplish anything.

Show him the paperwork with your correct wage and then show your check stub and ask why this is. Give him a chance to explain first. Answer #2: Speak to manager. If this was a mistake, it will get corrected. Are you sure you read the "papers" correctly? Perhaps you are to be paid a "training wage" or something similar first? Find out.

If they are actually screwing you over contact the NC Dept of Labor and [file a wage claim](https://www.workplacefairness.org/wage-hour-claim-NC).

You might want to start looking for a new job.


Title: [USA] Did I commit fraud?

Question:
United States citizen here.

To be brief, there is a certain restaurant chain that offers a free sandwich coupon to you every time you refer another person to their loyalty program. As a challenge, I constructed a macro that would send out my referral links, generate accounts to register to those, and send out more referral links, giving me a potential infinite (well, until the promotion ends) supply of sandwiches. I didn't even realize until I had collected thousands of sandwich coupons, and redeemed a few, that what I was doing might constitute fraud.

It definitely WAS against their terms of service to do this, since they only allow one person to register one account, but is it legally prosecutable?

Answer: Yes, that is almost certainly fraud.


Title: In hospital, lost job because doctor gave details of medical history to boss

Question:
throwaway account in case this turns to legal action.  same with vagueness.

Boss is a former alchoholic and "found jesus", has no sympathy for "consumption of devil water".  but i had always performed so no big deal, right?

i am an alcoholic who was sober until i lost someone just before labor day.  went on a bender, but was "fine to work" by tuesday.

yeah... by wed night im in the er for an issue that "can" be caused by drinking,  not DT related. needed surgery. called boss to say i needed time off for surgery.

well he came down pre-op to give best wishes.  apparently talked to Dr, who told them it "may have been caused by alcohol" (paraphrasing, obviously).

boss immediately fired me for bein a drunk. specifically said my doctor "revealed his lies". At will state, so firing really cant be challenged.

now... i know hipaa somewhat, but obviously not a lawyer.  a doctor cant reveal to a third party any causes of a disease or injury, right?

do i have any recourse against hospital?

At wi

Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer:
 Doc should not have given ANY information to anyone that was not immediate family, health proxy, had a court order, or listed as an emergency contact. So unless your boss is listed as your emergency contact, your health proxy, or is your brother he should not have been told anything at all. Not the cause, not the treatment, not the prognosis, nada.

Doctors refuse to give police information without court orders so wtf makes your boss so fucking special?


Title: Do I have to identify myself?

Question:
In the state of New York, if I am asked to identify myself by a police officer, do I need to do so? What must I include? Does refusing to do so put me at risk for additional actions against my person by the officer?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 Yes, NY has stop and id laws.

[Wikipedia link](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_and_identify_statutes)

Edit

[Link to law](http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/nycode/CPL/TWO/H/140/140.50)

[And added part of the law that I think is missing from other link](http://www.criminaljustice.ny.gov/legalservices/c176.htm)


Title: [CO] Boyfriend's 2 y/o daughter got into our edibles. His ex-wife came to get her and found her eating them and called 9-1-1. Is there anything I can do for him? Thanks.

Answer:
 Pray? That is likely a felony charge as well as CPS issues (for both of you if you live together) and loss off all unsupervised time with his kid.

If you two have kids then expect more problems. Answer #2: I hope you realize how serious this is. This is maybe a half step down from her finding a loaded unsecured gun.Answer #3: No you can't at this point. You are probably going to be in quite some hot water over this, you may want to speak to a lawyer.


Title: Are forum administrators on a proboards forum site legally liable if someone posted illegal content even if it was deleted?

Answer: Dude. Stop asking differently worded variants of this question. You've asked plenty of times.


Title: My(at the same time uncle and boss) has not paid me overtime for an under the table job. We're talking 12 hour days 7 days a week for about three months straight. Anything I can do?

Question: We're in Florida. He owns a small business with about 150 accounts. He claims one family related worker on his taxes. He has a whole crew with him, including me, under the table year round. He has worked me non stop paying me 10/hour under the table for the past three months. Is there anything I can/should do since he has fired me?

Answer:
 You can report him to the IRS for tax fraud.  You can complain to the US Department of Labor for unpaid overtime wages.

You should honestly report all of your earnings to the IRS and pay taxes on the income.


Title: Can Cellino & Barnes sue me for writing and performing a play about them?

Question: My comedy partner and I wrote a play about famous injury attorneys Cellino & Barnes and we are performing it at UCB in Los Angeles in February. We were having a debate on whether they could actually sue us for writing a play about them. For those of you that don't know they are very successful injury attorneys based out of Buffalo and have offices from NYC to LA. They are known for aggressive marketing and a catchy jingle (Call 888-888). They are celebrities around Buffalo and NYC. They are going through a pretty public breakup and they are in the courts right now to dissolve the firm. We've already performed it in NYC and Buffalo. In theory could they come after us if they wanted to?

Answer: It seems to me, if you're going to take a chance, lawyers would be a bad first choice.


Title: 16[M] Am I eligible for emancipation?? [NV]

Question:
FINANCES: I work nearly full time at sonic as a carhop. I am making 8.25/hr (and $30+ in tips every day I work) my estimated income per month is ~$1,000(not including tips) I will be talking to my boss very soon about a .25c pay raise. My budget is as follows (somewhat rough estimates)
  Healthcare : 172.59
  Rent: 278.33 (sharing a 3 bdr appt w/ 2 others)
  Food: 100
  Car insurance: 325.30
  Utilities: 80

This leaves $43.78 for me to put into savings. This does not include the tip money, which I will be spending on gas for my car to go to and from work and school.

(My bad If it’s long) CURRENT LIVING SITUATION: I am living with both of my parents. Although they are not physically abusive, my dad is very mentally abusive. He screams, throws a fit, and calls you name if you turn off the fan(not even kidding). He is constantly tracking my location on my phone (which I’m fine with except for when the location glitches and I get yelled at home for “not being where I am supposed to be”)
         Approximately 6 months back, during a depressive state, I told a mother at the park that I was having suicidal thoughts. She soon called the cops and later that day, two officers knocked on the door. They informed my parents that I had told the lady that I was suicidal. Long story short, my parents both had told me they would get me mental help.
  Fast forward to my birthday. I am going through another episode of depression. My mom told me they were still getting me treatment. 3 months later and nothing happened.  Keep in mind I wanted and was seeking treatment. I just didn’t know how to go about it. I relied on my parents for mental help that I was promised but never received.

it wasn’t until they found out I had been smoking when they entered me into a mental hospital where I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder. And when I got out, my therapist said she thinks I may be bipolar. She had told my parents and my psychiatrist. Both simply ignored it and I never heard anything from it since.  I believe it’s obvious that neither of my parents are able to care for me mentally. I do not feel comfortable talking to them about how I feel. I am not sure if their inability to get me the help I needed falls under neglect.

SCHOOL: I am currents enrolled in the top high school in Nevada with an average GPA of 3.25. I plan on staying in this school after emancipation. Next school year I decided to take two AP classes. In which I’m sure I’ll do very well in.

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT NETWORK: Although it may seem that I am mentally unable to move out, my parents are a major cause of my depression and they never helped anyways. I have a wonderful group of friends, coworkers, and some family members I can always talk to about how I feel. With my emancipation, I would not have to rely on my parents to receive the help I may need (I know I will never be as depressed as I was earlier) which will be near to none.

WORK ETHIC: At both work and school, I display good work ethic. I do what I am told to do, when I’m told to do it. My boss would describe me as a hardworking and so would my teachers. I plan on keeping my job and listening to my boss without question!

Do you guys think I’m eligible for emancipation?
I can clearly support myself financially. Emancipation will also boost my performance in school due to the removal of my mentally-stressful parents.

Answer:
 I think you’re underestimating how little 12,000/year is. No judge is reasonably going to believe a high school student making 12 grand a year can support himself.Answer #2: Chances of being emancipated making $8.25/hr are slim to none.Answer #3: Sonic has male car hops now?

[Here](https://www.shouselaw.com/nevada/family/emancipation) is the first google result for emancipation for NV.  It says you must already be living apart from your parents to petition.  Until you can do that, I doubt you will get emancipated.  Also, no one will rent to a 16 year old.

The chance any courts grants you emancipation is minimal.Answer #4: OP, if your goal is to get mental health treatment why not share your concerns with a trusted adult at your school?

Your income also leaves no room for any financial hiccups--getting sick or injured and being unable to work, or a car breakdown or accident.


Title: Stepdaughter's father is trying to shut us out of parent-teacher conference

Question:
The father is located in Spartanburg, SC. He is the primary custodian.

My wife (alias Jane) and her ex husband (alias John) have joint custody of the daughter (alias Sally).

There is a parent teacher conference scheduled tomorrow morning. These conferences are led by the student, who gives a short presentation, followed by a Q&A with the teacher. A precedent has been set that all the parents (biological and step parents) attend these conferences together. We were notified last week that a schedule request form went home with Sally, and we trusted John and his wife to set up the meeting.

Yesterday, when Jane asked John what time the conference was, John refused to say, and said that if we wanted a conference with Sally's teachers then we needed to set it up ourselves, and if we wanted one while Sally was present then we needed to set it up during Jane's custodial time. Jane never has custody of Sally during school hours.

Here is my question. Our plan is to show up at the room at the time of the conference (which we determined by contacting the school) and attend the conference regardless of John's objections. Is this within our rights? Will the school be able to eject us?

Thank you very much in advance.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 I think if you show up and an argument follows, the school will eject *all* of you.

Talk to the school, hopefully they can help mediate this and will explain to John why they want you and Jane included.  And if not, they will surely be happy to set up an alternate conference time.


Title: is AC a right?

Question:
We have lived for about two months at a new apartment complex. Mostly things are fine, except twice in less than three weeks, our AC has completely stopped working. There is no way to contact personell for help whatsoever. You can only send in maintenance requests via email.  (and even the website is down right now.) We are supposed to be able to call an emergency line for help, which was recommended to us last time this happened.  And we tried that and the company on the other end said they do not work for our apartment complex and couldn't help.

This is fucking august and each time, our apartment has reached over 85 degrees, even in the middle of the night. We're in Utah.

Answer: AC is not something that makes the unit uninhabitable in most (if not all) states. However, if your lease states your entitled to a working air condition you may be able to call them on it. If it doesn't mention the AC in the lease you're most likely boned.


Title: I just got hit with an unexpected $800 utility bill...

Question:
So, to start things off, I've been living in my 12-month-leased apartment in Seattle, WA for roughly ten months now and have never received a physical utilities or electricity bill. I hadn't assumed it was ever included in rent, but I definitely didn't set up anything, and my girlfriend who lives with me didn't either. When I asked my landlord why I never received a bill, even though I had asked her multiple times throughout my time here, she said she never receives account numbers or anything of that matter. She only receives the vacancy and past-due notices. I'm very confused how this non-existent account that neither my girlfriend, myself, or my landlord created is now just giving me a bill as i'm nearing my move out date.

tl;dr the Seattle city utility is making me pay up for bills I never received.

Answer:
 You're responsible for setting the utilities in your name when you move in. Your utilities still worked likely because they were in someone else's name, who noticed the mistake and verified that they haven't been living there.

This is on you. Regardless of the circumstances, you owe for the utilities you used. Unless your lease specifies that utilities are covered with the rent, you will have to pay this bill.


Title: Restaurant put ex-employee's expensive speaker in trash compactor and banned him from the building.

Question:
Hi, first of all, my friend lives and works in Ohio, USA. He was a manager for a popular chain restaurant.

He quit his job on bad terms- he actually walked out during his shift. However, he did not cause a scene, was not violent or threatening, or aggressive in any way. He turned in his keys and left.

After this event, he was banned from the store and all employees were told they had to refuse to serve him. As he was banned from the store, he was not allowed to come collect his personal items, such as his expensive speaker he brought there. Some of his friends who also worked there attempted to get his speaker for him, but were immediately stopped and reprimanded. His close friends also began to be treated differently (worse) than other employees. I don't think any of this is legal, but I'm not sure. Did they have a right to ban him from the store? Did they have a right to keep him from taking his speaker back?

Finally, just this past weekend, one of the other store managers took the speaker and threw it in the trash compactor, completely destroying it.

Is there anything my friend can do? Does he have a good case to make if he gets a lawyer? I'm just not sure if the restaurant was within their rights or not. The restaurant is not a franchise, it is corporate owned, if that matters.

Thank you for your help.

&#x200B;

Answer:
 He doesn't need a lawyer. He can sue them in small claims for the value of the speaker.

They can ban him from the location. He can be charged with trespassing if he returns.

They can not unreasonably deprive him of his property. Failure to return his property is a civil matter that can be resolved in small claims. Since they've now destroyed it, they owe him it's market value.


Title: What would be the legal consequence of killing a police officer in self defense?

Question:
The semi-recent videos of gamers on live streams getting "swatted" by police has had me thinking...

Hypothetically, if a swat team, police, etc. entered your home, and in the confusion, you killed an officer (without getting yourself killed) what would the legal ramifications be? Assuming that you are innocent and the police had been wrongfully called of course.

I live in Ohio, but I was wondering how this would play out in other areas as well.

EDIT:

Thank you to everyone who answered.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: The legal consequence is that you would almost certainly be charged with murder.  Self defense is an "affirmative defense," meaning that it is up to you to prove it in court.


Title: (Massachusetts) Standard support scam almost worked on my dad, they called both his number and our house number, what can be done?

Question: Medium-time lurker, first-time poster. My dad, who is an older gentleman, almost sent these scammers $200 to unlock his computer that they were holding hostage through teamviewer. Fortunately I was able to disconnect the computer from the internet, rolled back the computer to recover files, and uninstalled teamviewer. Since then the number has called both his personal cell phone and our house phone. I've blocked the number on both but I'm worried they will start using different numbers. Im also wondering if there is more that can be done. The number was based in Washington state but after doing some research it looks like a proxy. During the call the scammers were presenting themselves as Microsoft employees but it was clearly fraudulent, can anything be done?

Answer:
 What exactly do you want done?

You can make a police report about the attempt to defraud your father for $200. And you can help educate your father about these scams to make sure he doesn't fall for them.


Title: Pedophile report help i guess

Question:
 So basically a bot tried to get nudes from a friend so we made a fake acc with some random girl's pic to add the bot as a friend to fool around , so we got some invites and asked for pics of lizards(not a dick joke just a lizard lmao) for a joke. So
this dude invite's us and he asks about our address so we give him some random street (we set the location to another city). So after trolling around with him thinking he was a troll too because he didn't have much posts. We ended up figuring out that he's really an offender. He tried to call us and even sent a voice message with instrucitons how to get to his apartment. So we know how to report him but using pictures of a person without their permission is illegal so if he goes down we go down too. Any tips on how to report him without us getting in trouble?

Answer:
 > So we know how to report him but using pictures of a person without their permission is illegal so if he goes down we go down too

Using pictures of a person without their permission is a significantly lower level crime (assuming it really is illegal) than a sex offender propositioning children for nude pictures and sex.

Call the cops.


Title: I believe my father lied about my income in order to have me co-sign a home loan. Is this fraud?

Question:
All events took place in Arizona.

My father had me co-sign a home loan with him in either 2015 or 2016. I have learned recently that in that process he may have lied about my income so as to benefit from me being on the loan. I say "in either 2015 or 2016" because I don't remember, due to a chronic mental illness that that leaves rather large holes in my memory.

I learned that he may have lied about my income when I went to him about getting on disability after a recent hospitalization. He wouldn't really give me a straight answer, but when asking about my social security credits he said "because of your income with [his small business] you definitely have enough." Thing is... I don't actually work for his small business, but apparently I've been on the books as earning income there since at least when the loan was signed. I also don't remember any details of the loan, due to the aforementioned memory issues.

My questions are:

 * Can I get in trouble for this, since I was physically present and signed the loan documents myself?
 * Can he get in trouble for this? Is it as bad as I suspect it to be?

I'm sorry that this post is sparse on details, but, like I said, the memory issues thing means I don't really have a full grasp of the details myself. So if there's any information that would be needed to give an answer to my questions, just let me know and I'll do my best to provide it.
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 If you signed the paperwork, then you may have also committed fraud.

And if you're "on the books as getting income" from the business, you may owe taxes on the income you didn't really get.


Title: [VA] Roofers installed the wrong type of skylight, now we have leaks

Question:
We purchased our home in Northern Virginia in May 2018 and on our closing walkthrough, a drip of water splashed down right in front of my wife as we were walking through with both realtors. After many conversations with the sellers, realtors and the roofing company, the roofing company agreed to repair the leaking skylight under the roof's warranty (installed August 2016, warrantied for 2 years).

We had another roofing company come out to give us a second opinion and see if the work was done correctly and to see if we'll have any more leaks, and the second roofing company told us that these skylights were installed incorrectly. In fact, they're the wrong type of skylight for the application (deck-mount skylights on a flat roof when they should have been curb-mounted). We called the original roofers and asked them about it and they said that they told the previous owners that it was incorrect, and the previous owners said to move forward with the installation.

Now its November 2018 and we've had a total of 3 leaks, we've ripped the ceiling open once (paid for by escrow), painted over a second time and will now have to rip the ceiling open again to fix this issue.

Is there anything we can do to go after the original roofer, or the previous owners for negligence? They knew it was installed wrong and I have a very hard time believing that this hasn't leaked once in the two years since it was installed.

&#x200B;

Answer:
 Dealing with something similar right now. If this was in your contract then supposedly you can go after seller for breach of contract.

Depending on warranty wording with the roofing company you can go after them as well.

If possible send the roofing company an email and get what they did in writing. Just in case you need evidence in court going on.

Have you asked the roofing company to fix it and install the right one?


Title: If someone gives you a 15k gift, do you have to claim it on your taxes?

Question: Santa Rosa, California.  It's all in the title.  Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/frequently-asked-questions-on-gift-taxes

The donor pays the gift tax. "Gift" is defined on that webpage.


Title: A relative is trying to stop my mom from getting lfie-saving treatment. (NC)

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 If the hospital takes _any_ treatment directions, whatsoever, from someone calling up the hospital and making claims about a patient, the patient or their family have a golden goose of a malpractice lawsuit on their hands. Lawyers will be lining up to take it on.

Hospitals are extremely risk-averse organizations, and withdrawing treatment is a particularly high-risk decision for them. Without a paper trail leading back to either the patient, to someone authorized to make health care decisions for the patient such as a legal guardian or medical power of attorney, or to the attending doctor, the hospital is not going to withdraw treatment.

You and your mother can warn the doctor about this and provide the hospital with a copy of the restraining order if you want to be extra sure that nobody takes direction from Aunt Crazy, but this is a much smaller risk than you might expect.


Title: [GA] Eviction showing up when apartment complex tries to submit my application... I've never been evicted

Question: So I'm trying to move into a new apartment, this is my first time on my own. The problem is that the system they're using is pulling up an eviction when they submit it. They sent me the public record that the system pulled up and everything, the person has the same name as me, but it ends there. It doesn't show up on any of the credit reports that I checked or anything like that. I don't know what else to do. They tried overriding the system, but even that wouldn't work. Do I have any options here? I don't really have an option for someone else to sign for me either.

Answer: You need to go to the court house that issued the eviction to find out if this is you or someone else. If it isn't you then contact the credit reporting agency the property management used to dispute it with the court documents. Could you have been evicted from an rental as a child? For example, was one of your parents evicted from a rental?


Title: [IL] Being blackmailed by boyfriend/partner of a domina

Answer:
 don't do this again. stop contacting them now.

that's all you need to know/do unless they actually do file.


Title: (GA)Landlords refusing to rent to anyone other than a single family. Allegedly, each person that is not a part of the nuclear family is considered a family according to them.

Question: I am trying to find another place to rent as my lease is about to end with my slumlord and most of the places I have come across refuse to rent to me and my friends who are a couple. They even refuse to rent to me alone on the basis of that I don't have kids and a partner to live with me. Is this tenant discrimination under the Fair Housing Act? I see it says that discrimination based on familial status is illegal, but it doesn't say if that counts towards single people being discriminated against. It is becoming very aggravating in my search and it seems to come primarily from independent property owners. I never encountered this issue with apartments or duplexes.

Answer: Is this place you want to rent an owner occupied unit with 4 or less units or a single family house being rented without the use of a broker? If yes to either then Federal anti-discrimination housing laws do not apply.Answer #2: Is the area possibly zoned "single family housing" under a local ordinance? I've seen this before, especially in college towns where they want to keep college students from renting in certain neighborhoods.


Title: [CA] getting sued by relative, legal costs spiraling out of control

Question:
Location: California

For background, I had a family member go to prison many years ago, and my mom helped pay her expenses (i.e. mortgage, property tax, lawyers fees, etc.), letting the relative know that the money needed to be paid back. The money had racked up after many years of payments, and my mom became ill with cancer. Since she had power of attorney, she decided to write herself several checks to get the money back. She passed away and I inherited the money.

That relative has since filed a suit against me and my mother’s estate, claiming that my mom stole this money from her. Naturally, I hired a lawyer immediately to take care of this, but the costs are getting prohibitively expensive. Here are some of the facts:

-We have several letters in that relative’s handwriting to my mom saying that she is happy to let my mom take the money out of the account to pay her back. That relative has also admitted to writing these letters.
-Sadly, I cannot find the power of attorney.
-The lawyer that relative has hired doesn’t seem to be the best. He does not respond in a timely manner, and he doesn’t seem to know the full story (he didn’t even know about our letters initially).
-This case has already dragged on 2 years with essentially no action.
-This relative has also filed many other cases while in prison, attempting to get money

My concerns are that I am still in the process of pursuing higher education, so I can’t really afford spending so much money. I seem to have inherited a problem that I was never even involved in. My lawyer wants to continue going through the process of deposition, discovery, etc. She believes that a summary judgement would get disputed out too quickly.

My questions:
-What is the best way to speed up the process cheaply? The legal fees are adding up quickly.
-Would it be a viable strategy to just wait out the statute of limitations?
-I’ve talked to my lawyer about how expensive this is getting, and she has offered to find me a lawyer with a lower hourly fee. Would it be a bad idea to switch lawyers in the middle of this case?

Overall, this situation seems ridiculous to me, and I don’t think this case has any standing. What has been particularly exasperating though is that I’m spending far more money defending against the lawsuit than the plaintiff is spending filing this. Any advice?

Answer:
 How much money are we talking about?  Small claims size, or big-boy court sized?

> Sadly, I cannot find the power of attorney.

Unfortunately CA doesn't require that POAs be filed or recorded unless you're dealing with real property.  Are you sure one actually existed?


Title: Can I invoke my right to speak to a lawyer when questioned by the police even if I have not been detained or arrested?

Question: Can I invoke my right to speak to a lawyer when questioned by the police even if I have not been detained or arrested?

Answer: If you aren’t detained or arrested there isn’t a reason to speak to the police


Title: Involved in car accident, not cited or ticketed by police, insurance company for guy who hit me says i am 30% liable

Question: So last monday i was tboned while driving to get dinner. It was 5:15pm in denver and traffic was very heavy. I was on a 4 lane road, 2 lanes traveling either direction, and a shared middle lane to make turns. As i entered said shared turn lane, a nissan xterra exited a parking lot,crossed 2 lanes of traffic, and struck my passenger side tire/ passenger door, pushing me into oncoming traffic lanes. My front right tire was folded under car, and passnger door jarred open, drive train sitting on ground, i am immobile. He (young man who hit me) pulls into parking lot. Police are called. Fast forward an hour, police arrive, take our licenses and registration. Officer comes back and gives me my belongings, hands other guy a ticket for negligent driving and failure to yeild right of way. Also given points on his license. I was told he was at fault, and officer gave me all her imfo and said she could testify if need be. My car gets towed and i get a ride home. Now mind you, my wife and i just moved to denver from maryland for my job. We have an 8 month old daughter and this is our only car...that is no longer driveable. We both work full time and now have no way to get to work or babysitter... Later that night im on the ohone with his insurance adjuster. I have liability only insurance (no collison coverage) so my insurance company wont do anything for me...had i had collison this would be null and void...sadly thats not the case. So his claims adjuster proceeds to tell me that because i was in that turn lane and my destination was more thane 200 ft ahead (he claims he measured this on google maps, real accurate tool) that i was 30 percent liable for damages to my car,so they would only pay 70 oercent of the car rental,tow,storage and repair/replacement. Seeing as though we just relocated across country our cash flow is kind of tight so we dont have the ability to cover that 30%. I have been fighting them for a week. Unless i accept that offer they are refusing to pay anything... Ive attempted to contact attorneys but because no injuries occured they arent intrested... What is my next step? How do i move forward to get full payment? How can they legally do this when i wasnt charged by police in the accident(was told police report is irrelavant) please help...we are losing money not working and cant provide for our daughter...what do i do...

Answer:
 > What is my next step? How do i move forward to get full payment?

The insurance company is offering a settlement.  This is a negotiation.  You can make a counter-offer.  If you don't like their final settlement, your recourse is to sue the other driver.

> How can they legally do this when i wasnt charged by police in the accident(was told police report is irrelavant)

The report isn't irrelevant, but it's certainly not the final word on the matter.  There's a difference between criminal and civil liability.  The police said "You didn't commit a crime".  That's *different* from "you weren't responsible at all".  The insurance company is admitting that their client was mostly at fault; they're just saying that you were partially at fault.

You should talk to a local attorney to determine whether suing for that extra 30% is worth your time and effort.


Title: Another question about coal rolling. TX

Question:
Based on the previous coal rolling post this past week, I wanted to ask: just who do I report someone coal rolling to?

I just drove behind some asshole who decided to coal roal pretty much every minute on the minute down a road and at every stop light.

I have video, and his license plate number.

All I can find after a cursory online search is that it's an EPA issue, and might have a fine attached to it up to 5k.

But who do I report to? The EPA? The DMV? Local PD's non emergency line?

Answer: Local PD non-emergency would be a good place to start. If they can't do anything, they can tell you where to take it next.


Title: Our move-out bill got sent to the house we moved out of...

Question:
[WA, USA] My former roommates and I just found out we’ve been sent to collections for the move-out bill from our last place without ever having recieved the bill (despite asking the landlord for it on several occasions). Well, it turns out the landlord sent it TO THE HOUSE WE MOVED OUT OF (the house that the move-out charges were being applied to) and not the forwarding address that was listed on the lease upon our signing. We never got any form of notification or follow-up communication to our requests for the itemized bill. She just sent it to her own property that she knew we vacated, waited, and then sicked a collection agency on us.

It’s legally required in the state of Washington for the property owner to send the bill to the most recent known address, which OBVIOUSLY isn’t the house we just moved out of, but the provided forwarding address. Do we have legal grounds to disputed the charges, take the landlord to small claims, or dispute the credit damage we received for being sent to collections for a bill she knew we’d never get?

Answer: You didn't put in a change of address with the post office?


Title: [Minnesota] A 3rd party food delivery service is selling my restaurant's food without authorization.

Question: I work at a local pizza place in Minneapolis, and today we were informed that a 3rd party delivery service (a la bitesquad, grubhub, etc.) is selling and delivering our food without our authorization. We already have delivery drivers. Is this legal?

Answer:
 While they can legally resell your food, there may be a permit they need to handle food and deliver it within Minneapolis. You may be able to call the business licensing board in your area to check that. Answer #2: It becomes their property once they buy it from you, no different than a pair of socks from Walmart.  You might be able to do something if they are representing themselves as working for you or being an "official" delivery service for your restaurant.Answer #3: May I ask from a business perspective why you don't like this? You essentially get to sell delivery with someone else picking up the tab for additional staff. If you guys don't have additional delivery fees, this is a great deal for you guys.

Legal issues aside, you guys aren't in competition and actually both have a motivation for the other to do better.


Title: Spanked at home, CPS won't help?

Question:
I was recommended to post here. My parents are religious and believe in spanking me (14) and my siblings regularly for little stuff.

CPS was called and came out and talked to us and saw the marks and told me "your parents are allowed to spank you as long as you're a minor."

I believe the way they administer it is humiliating and borderline abuse and I'm wondering what I can do.

Edit: I'm in the U.S.

Edit: a few additional points, since some people claim that they know what's going on without even asking me. I get spanked with wooden implements for about 5 minutes per time. It happens about 2-3 times a week and I have to take off clothes from the waist down for it. Sometimes my siblings will see. It leaves some bruising. My dad is an attorney and CPS basically said they wouldn't go after it cause of how powerful he is.

Answer:
 If they injure you it's a different story and you should call cps again.

Spanking is a very controversial topic with regard to psychology. Try not to let it bother you too much and hang onto your beliefs as you enter adulthood.


Title: My wife’s restaurant is failing

Question:
My wife owns a restaurant and is unable to pay her bills.  She has hung on to it for far too long because of her emotional attachment to it and is now deep in debt.  She finally realized we need to get rid of it so I want to understand our options.  We are in Canada (BC) by the way.

1.  Ideally we would find a “greater fool” and sell it.  We talked to a real estate agent who said she can’t list it on the MLS unless we give her last years financials.  But we can’t produce last years financials until last years debts are paid, and that isn’t happening any time soon.  Something doesn’t add up to me about this.  Why can’t we just list it and explain to any potential buyers that there are outstanding debts that we would either assume responsibility for, or work into the purchase price?  Right now this is a roadblock that I suspect doesn’t need to exist.

2.  What would happen if she just locked the door and closed?  She would be breaking a lease with her landlord, there is some other leased equipment (which could presumably be returned?), plus other outstanding debts.  The largest of which is to her parents who lent her the money to buy the place, so that would really suck but not in a legal sense.  Also around 5 employees would be without work if that makes a difference.  She owns the place as a sole proprietorship so if she were to declare bankruptcy could I somehow be unaffected legally/my credit rating etc.?  We do own a house together  (both on the title) which worries me.  But if that is possible we could use my good standing to move forward.

I’m racking my brain for any other solutions so please share any ideas.  I’m going to have a consultation with a local lawyer about this soon but I want to get some background first.
Topic:
Credit Debt Bankruptcy

Answer:
 > But we can’t produce last years financials until last years debts are paid

Why?


Title: Hey Reddit, My school had a bomb threat today, and the Administration is attempting to cover up a few important details..

Question:
I go to Rogers High School in Rogers, Arkansas. Today at 8:15 AM, the school and local police department were made aware of a bomb threat to take place at my school, and presumed to have class, beginning at 8:25 AM and onward. At approximately 8:50 AM, my class and all others were informed of an 'Intruder/Armed gunman' drill and further told to get to the back of the room, turn off the lights, and remain quiet. The intercom came on to assure everyone that this was "Just a drill." However, the way teachers were told about the 'drill' was through text-messaging, and this is odd due to that all teachers are notified of drills a week in advance, through a mass e-mail. Today, the 'Shooter' drill did not come through e-mail, and was executed into action immediately, not the following week.

We sat in 'drill' lockdown for ten minutes. So what? This drill must last longer than a fire drill or a tornado drill, no big deal. Ten more minutes. Suspicions arise, I get onto Twitter on my phone and see that other students are starting to note that teachers are confused, and I note that my teacher as well is not aware of what to do. Ten more minutes. By this time, Twitter and Snapchat communication between students have come to a consensus that there may actually be a shooter on campus, as a girl in one of the upstairs rooms with a window view to the parking lot tweeted a picture of several police cars. My teacher calls the principal, as his room is out in the field house, disconnected from the school, and asks if we still need to be doing the drill. My teacher wasn't aware of any protocols or schedules for this drill. Upon talking to other students later, few teachers actually knew what to do in this situation, and the ones that did came from other schools. It's important to mention that this is the first 'Shooter' drill my school has ever had, and barely anyone was prepared.

So an hour goes by and it's now 10:20. Teacher gets a call and informs us that our parents can come and check us out, several kids with stay-at-home parents leave before I get curious as to why we are STILL on lockdown if people are allowed to go to and from the school. Now, I like school, so I had no intention of leaving, until I realize that I could do some research. I'm also emancipated, so no adults would need to sign anything so that I could leave, so I ask my teacher and he doesn't know, so he calls the superintendent and I speak with him. He sounds frustrated, not anxious or busy, like someone would be if they were leading a drill for the first time. He gives me permission to sign myself out and I walk out into the parking lot like I'm about to go to my car. I get a text from one of my friends saying that the teachers got an e-mail from the administration to have students call/text their parents that this is "Just a drill." This baffles me, primarily because the school isn't directly contacting parents, but secondarily because it's a blatant lie, and I know this because..

Now I see dogs. Police dogs. Bomb-sniffing police dogs. I check the local news from my phone while hiding behind some white girl's jeep, and this article from the station pops up [HERE](https://38.media.tumblr.com/f4e7e0e120e864917e9b6040210bcb40/tumblr_nbt4r19zuq1s229rco1_500.png). Everything begins coming together. So this isn't a drill. It never was a drill. Administration lied to the students, lied to the teachers, but also lied to the media.

The school claims, to the media, that this was initially a drill. That's not true, as the teachers were not at all informed in advance on the 'drill', like always. I wait outside for about an hour and one of my friends texts me that classes have resumed, so I go back inside. This article follows-up from the previous one [HERE](http://www.4029tv.com/news/rogers-hs-on-lockdown-after-threat/28028794)

To recap, the school lied to the students, which in this case could be understandable, as to not escalate the situation and get the students to remain calm. But the school also lied to the teachers, and so they assumed this was a drill, and were not prepared to act or even knew that there may the possibility that they'd need to act if anything actually happened, which, since this was a real threat and not a drill, could've been the case. They inhibited the teachers' ability to do their job. Further, they lied to the parents. They had students assure their parents that this was a drill (few students actually did, as we pretty much knew by that point that administration was lying to us), and didn't directly inform the parents that their children could potentially be in danger. They also lied to the janitorial and kitchen staff, the campus yard/lawn crew, and special aids teachers, who all walked on campus and filled out their duties normally, (as they don't always have to participate in the drills, they have a separate drill day on teacher-inservice days), which put THEM in danger. They lied to the media, trying to grasp the last few remaining pieces of credibility by saying that this was a "drill that turned out to be a threat" EXCEPT, the 'drill' in question wasn't a bomb threat drill, this was a shooter drill, and further that the drill wasn't even a valid, scheduled drill.

Now onto my question; I'm not trying to sue the school, I'm not trying to get compensation, but I do want the administration to be responsible for the awful and potentially dangerous way they handled the situation. I thought about going to the school board and stating the events, I thought about petitioning, but in both cases I don't know what to do from there. Do I go to the media? Who can hold them accountable? All I want is for the students, teachers, faculty, parents, media, and community to get the answers they deserve. The school understandably could've called it a drill just to keep students calm, but they didn't debrief ANYONE on the events of the day. Teachers got no explanation, the media was lied to, parents were avoided, we deserve answers. The school made a mistake, and is now trying to cover it up, and it's not right, had there been an actual detonation, who knows who could've been hurt, so many people were at risk today. What can I do to get answers to those who deserve them? I know a few teachers who might be willing to speak up on our behalf as well, if that makes any difference in the matter (like if they have access to people/information that I do not.)
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: even if this wasn't a drill, the school is well within their rights to call it such to prevent panic and worry if the threat turns out to be fake.


Title: Is it legal to marry a total handicapped person? Oklahoma

Question:
I have a family member who had a massive stroke earlier this year. He can't speak, can barely walk, and can't move his right arm. He can't work or even feed himself. He uses a wheelchair and a cane (with help from another person) in order to get around.

His long time girlfriend within 6 months of his stroke had him practice writing his signature. She then immediately married him. Is this legal? He can't even speak. I verified that they are officially married. How is this possible? Within 6 months of a debilitating stroke she married him.

She has also banned some of the family from visiting him. She has made plans to also divide his possessions to give to her children. I personally visited him just the other day and his now wife told me face to face that my family member that had the stroke will be adopting one of her daughters soon.

Is all that is happening in this situation legal? I repeat though, this man had a stroke 6 months ago. He can barely walk, he can't talk, or even feed himself, but yet his girlfriend married him, banned family, is dividing his possessions to give to her children, and he's supposedly going to adopt one of her daughters?

Any advise for this situation would be greatly appreciated. If you have any questions or need more details please ask.

EDIT: I'm going to contact Adult Protective Services. I will no longer reply on this subject from either comments or PM's.

Answer: If you are concerned call Adult Protective Services.


Title: Had a coughing attack while driving; blacked out and ran into a telephone pole (no damage done to pole). Being charged a 400$+ fine for driving on the sidewalk/not maintaining the right side of the roadway. CA. PLEASE HELP.

Question:
I was leaving the doctors to go get my medicine for this horrible cough.  As I was driving I had an attack and started to pull over when I blacked out and ran into a telephone pole.  I was going slow enough to not damage anything but my car.

Cop determined I was good to drive home once they assessed what had happened.  Also, the doctor said I shouldn't worry about the cough and driving before hand.  The blackout was a completely unique phenomenon cause by my medical condition.  Now they are fining me for not maintaining the roadway/ driving on the sidewalk (CA traffic court).  I have court on wednesday and I am defending myself.  Wondering if there are any legal "medical "clauses" I can use to my advantage.

At this point I'm just going to state that the professionals around obviously thought I was capable of driving and that I was let negligently driving since I couldn't anticipate blacking out.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 I think that "defense" will lead you straight to the DMV reviewing whether you should have a license at this time.

Pay your money or take your chances.Answer #2: Having a medical condition where you blackout doesn't permit you to crash into telephone poles. It could actually mean you lose your license.

Lawyer up.


Title: Emancipation

Question:
I'd like to start off saying I am making this post for a very close friend of mine as she does not have reddit.

my friend (16F) is currently wanting to be emancipated from her abusive mother (non-physical). Her mother recently went through her things and discovered she has sex with her boyfriend and smokes weed and because of her finding this out, she destroyed my friends phone and flushed my friends anti-depressants down the toilet (my friend is currently communicating through an ipod her mother is unaware of).

 I've already advised my friend of the basic things she needs to do for emancipation (proof of supporting herself and, in this case, proof of abuse) but she is wondering if she would be able to move in with her boyfriends (16M) family before her emancipation is final. As something that is most likely important, the boyfriends family has already given the all-clear for her to live there. She would be living with them already, but she is afraid her mother will report her as a runaway.

extra information that I assume is important: I've told her to have her boyfriend get clean for a bit before she files incase her mother tries to pull the card of them smoking weed as it's illegal in our state; friends father is deceased so she cannot move in there; friend is currently looking for job and expressed she is NOT going to file until she gets a steady job. we are located in the US - Tennessee for specifics

tl;dr - friend wants out of abusive home, wants to know if she can move out before she files/gets ruling in her favor
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer:
 Emancipation is going to be extremely unlikely.  She needs to already be supporting herself, including rent and bills, so staying with her boyfriends family wont' qualify.Answer #2: None of this is abusive and none of this is reason for emancipation. The flushing of the anti-depressants(presuming they're legally prescribed) is concerning but does not rise to the level of abuse.

Your friend is not eligible for emancipation as she is not supporting herself.  Emancipation is available to those who are **already** supporting themselves fully.  Moving in with her boyfriend's family means she isn't supporting herself - they're supporting her.Answer #3: unless the mother consents, she can't live with her boyfriend.  nor is a mother disciplining her daughter when she becomes aware she is sexually active going to be found to be abuse.Answer #4: >) but she is wondering if she would be able to move in with her boyfriends (16M) family before her emancipation is final

No, and if her plan is to do this to love in with her boyfriend she won't be granted an emancipation anyways.

If she is still at the step of looking for a job she will turn 18 before she qualifies for emancipation so she should forget that option and just focus on saving some money to live out once she turns 18.


Title: I'm having a child with someone I'm not married to - what do I do to make sure I have some fatherly rights to my child?

Question:
Without getting into all the personal stuff my gf and I are not married. She's pregnant and we will have a baby in about six months. Our relationship isn't the worst but it certainly isn't the best and looking ahead I'm wondering what would happen if we were to break up. Because it isn't outside the realm of possibility.

So basically the kid is going to have her last name.

Are there any papers that come up during the hospital visits / right after the kid is born that I absolutely need to make sure my signature is on or anything?

I guess I'm worried about things going south like five years from now and her wanting to run off with our kid and don't want to be screwed. What can I do to protect myself here?

Answer:
 The first step is to make sure your name is on the birth certificate or you petition for a paternity test to make sure it's legally established you are the father.

Then....

Go to court and get in in writing.

And as the child grows and things change go back to court and get the changes in writing.

Even if you both think you agree on what's going to be best - **get it in writing**

The only thing that can actually be enforced is a court ordered agreement.

Even if you both agree - both get your own lawyers to make sure you do it properly. It's not that expensive and it's going to be a lot cheaper to do it before there's an issue than after there's an issue. Answer #2: You’ve got lots of great info here OP.

One thing I just really want to emphasize is: get everything settled in court ASAP. Not when/if things go south.

I have a friend who’s got a kid with a girl he’s not married to. He insisted on getting every detail done and written up by a lawyer and signed off by a judge 50/50, child support etc.

They were living together and acting like any family. Until they broke up.

Now he’s got his parenting time (got adjusted due to circumstance), pays CS and he can enforce seeing his child, etc. it saved a lot of stress. And a lot of hurt.


Title: I've been given $5,000 to buy and fund a Bitcoin ATM and have NO IDEA where to start?

Question:
I'm wondering on which type of attorney I need to speak to? Maybe a Tax attorney. Does anyone have any experience with this to share? I'm in over my head right now.

I just know Bitcoins and Taxes are complicated.

Answer:
 You don't. This is a legal morass.

Operating a machine like this legally would require a money transmitter license, and would require you to keep records on your customers. In practical terms, a MTL for this application is impossible to obtain, and even identifying your customers reliably is difficult, let alone keeping sufficient records to satisfy KYC laws. Most of the existing operators in the industry are running outside the law.

The primary application of Bitcoin ATMs is money laundering. This is not a business you want to end up involved in. Get out while you can.

Further reading:

https://www.networkworld.com/article/2167059/malware-cybercrime/bitcoin-atm-is--horrible-for-money-laundering---co-creator-says.htmlAnswer #2: $5,000 isn't enough. That doesn't even buy you 2 BTC.Answer #3: glucose-fructose, I'm saying this as someone who cares.

I've taken a look through your post history and I honestly feel like you'd be better off using that money for your living expenses while you look for a new job rather than spending it on this very poorly thought out idea.

You seem to barely be one step away from homelessness so it's really not a good idea to think about starting a business right now. You should prioritize getting back on your feet and then maybe revisit the thought of starting a business once you're a *lot* more financially secure.

**Please** consider what I'm saying to you here. This is important.


Title: Neighbor claims we're ruining his life with noise... and he's monitoring us 24x7 in our own home.

Question:
[UPDATE](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/4oz5bj/update_neighbor_claims_were_ruining_his_life_with/)

In Maryland.

**The Story**

New neighbor moved in to the townhouse next to ours a few months ago. We've only ever spoken to him once or twice when he first moved in to introduce ourselves.

In early May I was on my back porch cleaning my bicycle and he came out on his back porch as well. I attempted to say hello to him; but he simply glared at me and walked back inside. I thought this was odd, but I let it go.

Then on Memorial day I saw him outside again and tried to say hello and was again met with a blank stare. I asked him if we had a problem and he looked at me like "you know what you did"... I spent the next 2 days wondering what I did to this guy. Eventually my wife and I decided we should try to make whatever it was right, and left him a neighborly note apologizing, and asking him to let us know if we'd done anything to offend him to let us know so we can fix it.

Then Saturday, he dropped off a packet. 2 full pages of complaint and then 7 pages of diagrams and figures... He claims that we're deliberately and violently making noises to piss him off. He claims we're slamming things into walls, "howling in rage", dropping things, and "jumping heavily from step to step down the stairs, with both feet" and apparently we're doing all of this just to make him angry.

All of the things he claims we've done are either completely fabricated or grossly misrepresented or exaggerated. A lot of the complaints he has are for dates and times when we were either asleep or not home.

The most troubling thing is that he also informed us that he has been **"subjecting you to 24/7 surveillance monitoring across the walls adjacent our homes"**. He then proceeds to provide screenshots of the audio surveillance he's been conducting, along with some examples he finds particularly egregious. These noises he claims to be hearing are all 55db or below... which is the volume of a typical conversation (not loud at all).

He threatens repeatedly in his letter that if we don't discontinue "your aggression towards us" he will file a harassment charge and a restraining order... he also threatened to pursue civil damages for the welfare/health/financial stress we've somehow subjected him to. There's a lot more crap in this letter he sent, but that's the gist of it.

**What we've done...**

* Contacted our landlord - we've been here for 2 years without incident - we know them; they're on our side. They've contacted his landlords as well, as they're good friends.

* Filed a police report.

* Called the police to take a statement from us and talk to him. They're also on our side.

The police thought he was just nuts, and told us to avoid contact with him, which we'll definitely do... but I need to know if there's anything else we can or should do to protect ourselves from this guy. I feel like if I close the refrigerator too hard he's going to snap.

He's monitoring us 24/7 (isn't this very illegal??), and we don't currently feel safe in our own home...

What do?

Answer:
 I don't know if I could help myself from messing with this guy if I were you in your position.

You definitely shouldn't. But Jesus, I would be farting at the walls all day.Answer #2: You say that a lot of these claims are while you're sleeping or away...I wonder if he has a working Carbon Monoxide MonitorAnswer #3: > These noises he claims to be hearing are all 55db or below

which is about the noise level of an average refrigerator
Answer #4: NAL, just someone who has been in a situation like yours.

When I was in your situation, I was most concerned about my neighbor recording me in my bedroom.  I knew that he wasn't going to have his lease renewed by his landlord, so I just had to deal with the crazy for a finite amount of time.

So, my landlord paid to have a few sound dampening foam tiles temporarily installed on my bedroom wall.  I also setup a white noise machine right next to that wall.

You may have a clause in your lease that calls out the right to quiet use.  My landlord used this clause in my lease to justify the dampening tiles.  He wrote them off on his taxes, and I got some peace of mind.

I think you did the right thing by bringing this to the attention of your neighbors landlord.  There is a really good chance of his lease not renewing now, because he's harassing you.


Title: Family member has temper tantrums, starts arguments over trivial matters and eagerly escalates them. Into violence eagerly, and recently slashed my forearm. Police report, what will happen if charge him with Asslt w/ddly weapon? (Indianapolis)

Answer:
 You don't decide if charges will the pressed, the District Attorney does. You can certainly contact their office and *ask*.

Do you live with this person?


Title: Can he be forced to participate in jury duty?

Question:
My husband has a small private medical practice that he owns and he is the majority bread winner for our family. He also has only 3 employees, however for 2 of these 3 it is their only source of income (they are not salaried). If his office is closed they do not work.

He was summoned for jury duty six months ago and put in a request not to attend because he proivdes income not only for our family but for other households as well. The judge granted this request but only for six months and said that he would be required to participate the next summons.

My husband received a call today for jury duty.  Is there anyway for him to not have to be forced to attend? It would be putting a financial burden not only on our family but other families if he were picked to be on a jury, God forbid a Grand Jury case.

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 Your husband can explain the burden of jury service and see if the court is willing to release him.

Yes.  The court can force him.  Jury service is inconvenient for most of us.  Some more so than others.  But the system doesn’t work without jurors.


Title: [TX] Co-Signer on car refinanced without my permission.

Question:
Three years ago I got into an accident and had to get a new car. I had to get my dad to co-sign on the car with me cause my credit was not very good.

I have had the car for 3 years now and I was going to pay it off come tax time this year... but found out my dad refinanced it through a different loan company and left my name off of it.

He also got the title changed to have my name stricken from it as well. I have 100 percent paid for everything on this car. He paid nothing. He was just a name and a credit score as far as I was concerned.

I was going to pay off the car, but now I can't yet as they charged him 1500 to write the new loan. Is there any way I can get this undone? The change to the loan happened friday so it has not been very long.

Answer: How is the car titled? It's bizarre that this person was able to get a car loan without presenting a car title with their name on it.