Title: Child support and not the biological father.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > in other states a birth certificate is all that's needed to rule you for child support" and she's threatening to move to cause him to pay. Is this true?

If this has already gone to court in NC, it's exceedingly unlikely.  Once a decision has been made, there's a concept called "res judicata" which basically means "This has already been dealt with in court".  If she filed for support somewhere else, he could bring the court decision from NC as evidence and the case would almost certainly be tossed.  Even in family court, it's unlikely a judge would ignore a prior court's decision on this exact issueAnswer #2: Your brother can lose this. Family courts typically do what's in the "best interest of the child". If he has established that he was the child's father by signing the birth certificate and by living with the child a family court may rule that support is warranted. Answer #3: If he's not the biological father and has a paternity test proving this, he can file a motion to set aside acknowledgement of parentage. Most states have very specific deadlines for when this can be filled (ex: within 3 years of birth or 1 year of an order of filiation being entered). He should have done this the first time she tried to sue him, and she would have been blocked from trying again


Title: I was hired as a 'Mechanic Apprentice', but really the job entails detailing cars and transporting them.

Question:
I even saved the job posting from Craigslist and recently reread it to make sure I wasn't going crazy. Sure enough, there is not a single thing that mentions washing, detailing, or transporting cars. Sometimes when I finish cleaning a car I make my way to the veteran mechanic to try and help as an apprentice should and quickly I'm told to get back to detailing other cars. I have yet to so much as pick up a wrench. The posting specifically states that they are looking to train someone to become a mechanic. What should I do from this point?

It's $9/hr (minimum wage where I live) and the boss has never given me my two ten-minute breaks I'm supposed to get each eight-hour shift. Everything is just work work work.

Edit: If this information might be helpful, I recently spoke to a coworker who seems like a really cool guy and he told me that all the guys hired for my job in the past have all been hired from a temp agency and were let go within 90 days (after 90 days they are supposed to be considered regular full-time employees entitled to a higher wage and benefits as per employee handbook). I'm getting a strong feeling this is sort of a churn 'em and burn 'em situation.

Location: Northern California
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer:
 Sounds like you should be looking for another job.

You can optionally talk to your boss and say this isn't the job you signed up for.


Title: Can an interviewer say in a job interview that they'd prefer to hire someone that is in the local market?

Question:
I was interviewing for a role in a different city. It was a phone interview. The interviewer told me point blank that she would prefer to hire someone from [state].

This would be an internal transfer, I'm presently in a different city than the job. I work for a large corporation.

I'm American and I'm qualified. I feel like it's a form of discrimination. Can she legally say that?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: Legally, yes.  Preferring not to have to relocate someone is perfectly logical.


Title: Prescription pickup - Massachusetts

Question:
Transferred and picked up controlled medication for a coworker.

Turns out the prescription was forged.  I have a meeting with the detective tomorrow.  Do I go by myself or with a laywer?

Answer:
 Why are you meeting with a detective? You don't have to.

I'd ask a lawyer to contact the detective on your behalf.

Throw your coworker directly under the bus imo.


Title: Employer refuses to pay me my last paycheck

Question:
Hey everyone, so I recently quit a job and my former employer now refuses to pay me for my last two weeks of pay. Everyone else was payed Saturday, but he told me I need to come see him on Tuesday for it. So I went, and he said that the way I went about quitting was unprofessional, and as a result he'll be taking his time to pay me. He told me to give him a written notice of my quitting and that he'll pay me sometime after that, probably a week or so. He said I can try taking him to court if I want, but I don't have the money to make it worth it.

Beyond that, it's all under the table so I feel like he can pull some kind of nonsense and say I never worked for him if I did take him to court. It's a restaurant, and I do have friends that work there that would agree that I work there. What are my options now?

Edit: also a little side note, how can I go about reporting him for various illegal stuff he does? Tax evasion would be the IRS I'm assuming. He also disposes of the grease into our regular trash dumpsters to avoid paying for proper disposal, so is there anywhere that I can report that to? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Edit 2: not sure if this will help but he did have me fill out a w4 when I was employed. I'm not sure that he filed it or anything though.

Answer:
 Your can report him to the IRS and city for his violations. I assume you have been claiming all the income on your taxes and paying applicable taxes.

He is right that you have to sue him if he refuses to pay. You can sue in small claimsAnswer #2: You don't necessarily have to sue him. You can file a wage claim. Google [your state] and "wage claim" (unless you're in Florida, then you have to use the federal system). They will likely look at *anything* untoward that he's up to. Not the grease, but anything employee/payroll related.

> payed

That's if a ship has been sealed with tar so it will be seaworthy. The word you meant was "paid."


Title: Uber getaway driver

Question: What would happen if you’re an Uber driver and someone used you as a getaway driver without your knowledge?

Answer: Without intent, or even knowledge a crime was committed, you wouldn’t be charged with anything. You’d probably be asked to make a witness statement.


Title: Could I possibly Get Sued? Help please I am starting to freak out alittle bit.

Question:
So Background i work at a bank as a personal banker.
I had a customer come in yesterday with a check and we had a casual conversation i would say while i was verifying his transaction. This Gentleman was Hearing imparied or he appeared to be by his Hearing that. He pointed out the hearing aid to me and let me know the check was from a lawsuit he had won from said bank. I acknowleged and said thats great im glad they took care you and that new policies are put into place to prevent this in the future. As well i must of asked him what he did for a living which he told me was going to law school, which i replied with great!. Transaction done adv if of his account and if he needed anything else, Told him to have a great day and that was it. Then Today he Tells my service manager he wants to file a complaint. That i was discriminating for asking those questions and that he feels his rights were violated. This came out of left field for me and i and coming over complete with rage. I appreciate any help and im sorry for my bad grammar and writing. Thank You.

Answer:
 You're fine in terms of this guy can eat a bag of dicks if he thinks he can sue you based on anything you've provided here.

As for whether your manager thinks he needs to fire you, assuming you're at-will, that'll be up to the manager. Answer #2: Ask your manager to escalate this to the bank legal department, and DO NOT speak to him again. If he comes back into the branch or calls your line, say as little as possible and hand him over to the nearest manager.

If he sues, he'll be going after the bank for the deep pockets and the bank's lawyers will have to defend (or settle).

I don't think you did anything wrong, so don't feel bad. He's probably a lawsuit baiter looking for another bite of the apple.
[Source: was a personal banker at a bank once, too. Heard "I'm going to sue!" constantly from sketchy people]


Title: May have been scammed for 250k, but is it worth it to do anything?

Question:
I live in Canada.

My mom passed away in 2011 and left an inheritance of $250k for my sister and I.

My sister was married at the time, and soon after the word got out, her husbands aunt was there with a "Gift" because she loved our mom, and my sisters husband (who had also passed away). She is very wealthy from "investment stuff" and realty, as far as I know, and presents an investment to my sister that is basically advertised as a sure thing, once in a lifetime,  etc.. Given that they have a multi million dollar house and such, we assume they know things about money and this "gift" investment seems real.

We get a bank draft in the AUNT'S NAME for the money, as requested.

Im young and stupid and don't check things out. My sister convinces me to say yes.

They promise our investment back in 1 year and then 35k/yr thereafter and 3% equity in said company.

Yep. Young, stupid, naive, blindly trusting. We had just lost our mom and it was definitely a vulnerable time, in our defense.

The investment was in a tech software product that they proved existed, but since, the product has changed names, etc. It's a strange rabbit hole. Basically though, they valued this company around 9m, but there are 0 reviews of the product online and every article I find about it is written by the 2 people I know in my city, one being the aunts son.

I confirmed today that the numbered company we have the "class a shares in" dissolved in 2017. The product though, that we were supposably invested in, still exists.

It has been 7 years now. They were very dodgy in answering questions over the first few years. When we had asked for updates, they've set up a meeting with a "marketing" guy who shows us some sheets and such that make us feel okay. Never did the aunt meet with us. We'd go to a crummy office, they'd turn on a few lights (no one was working, even on a weekday. Just an empty office space.)

After a few years, my sister and her husband divorced and we considered the investment lost. To this day, we have not received any word of remorse, or condolence, or anything from the aunt or her close family. Not while they were married, not now.

TLDR, inherited money and aunt came in saying she had amazing investment opportunity that resulted in sketchy things and dodgy behavior. Company we have shares in has now dissolved but the product still exists under a different name.

Does this seem like a Ponzi scheme?
If they basically just mislead us massively and we willingly gave them the money, do we have any legal recourse?
Given that the draft was made out to her, could she be forced to prove it went to something and didn't just pad her wallet?

It feels as though she may have been trying to recoup some of her own losses in the product and just lied to us about it.

I really just want to be over the situation, does this seem like a situation worth investing my emotion, time and money into to try to pursue some kind of compensation?

Answer:
 For $250,000 you need to speak to an actual liscensed attorney.Answer #2: It's a significant amount of money and you should absolutely speak to an attorney.Answer #3: It's been 7 years. You definitely need to retain counsel ASAP and everything has to go through your lawyer. There's so many red flags that it looks like a flag parade from my end.

I would advice you to not have any sort of contact, formal or otherwise without the knowledge/presence/advice of your attorney. Definitely do not 'agree' to go down to their house for an 'explanation' etc etc

Everything should now go through your lawyer and in writing. In case of this being a Ponzi scheme, you being the first one in line when suing could be significant.

Be warned though that many Ponzi scheme have unraveled and basically left everyone destitute as all the funds have been spent.


Title: Damaged a rental car, have no insurance/coverage, what are my options?

Question:
I recently graduated college (so I'm broke) and I was having trouble finding a job, until finally I got a temp job as an analyst, which is what I wanted to do.

It's about an hour commute and I don't have a car, so I used all the money I had to rent a car in order to make the commute.
Obviously since I'm in a bind for money I didn't get any extra coverage.

Fast forward 2 weeks and I guess the combination of having to make that commute and working a second job afterwards exhausted me, and on my morning commute I dozed off and swiped the concrete railing on the highway. Luckily it woke me right up and it wasn't worse, but I think I'm pretty fucked.

The front bumper is pretty badly damaged and I have no insurance since I've never had a car.

I'm not sure what to do at this point, I'm completely lost. If I return the car then I will lose the job because I'll have no way of getting there, and either way the damage is done. And I'm still paying daily for the car.

Please, someone give me advice.

In PA

Answer: Check with your credit card company that you used to pay the bill. They may provide coverage. Otherwise, if you don't have coverage, you need to pay for the damage out of pocket.


Title: I was issued a parking ticket after the spot became legal

Question:
I parked in a spot at 4:20 and it slipped my mind to pay for the spot (We do it online through honk and I was having a bit of a rough day, so it was easy to forget), which is obviously not OK, but they didn't issue the ticket until 5:06 and after five parking is free. Should I appeal this? I'm in Lethbridge Alberta, Canada.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 You could fight it. Take the time-stamped ticket and a picture of the sign showing free parking after 5:00.

I wouldn't mention that you were parked there earlier, but don't deny it if asked.


Title: [California] Woke up to no water in my apartment, have no late payments and received no notice

Question:
My roommates and I all put in our 30 day notice on April 11 and our move out date is May 11. We have clarified this with our landlord prior to this event. Yesterday, I got home late and used the restroom and noticed the toilet wasn't flushing properly. It's gross, but I was so exhausted I figured I'd deal with it in the morning. When I woke up, it seemed like it had sorted itself out, but when I went to brush my teeth/do my morning routine, all I could hear was a gurgling/spluttering noise from the faucet. I tried my shower, the kitchen and again, nothing. I woke up my roommate and she couldn't get her bathroom to work either. Our leasing office isn't open until 10, but I left a message for our emergency maintenance services after thoroughly sorting through all of our mail and email to check whether they had sent us a notice and to double check we had paid our rent/utilities on time. We had no late charges and had received no notice.

Since this is happening right now, I haven't received a response from them, so I'm not going to immediately go for a lawyer or anything. My question is, is this legal for my landlords to do?

Answer: It might not be their fault- check with your neighbors, see if they’re having a water outage. Otherwise, yeah emergency maintenance.


Title: So I know what entrapment isn't, but can I get some examples of real entrapment? Any cases or personal experience to shed some light on a fairly misunderstood legal concept.

Question:
My understanding is the police can lie, provide you with material support, commit crimes, persuade you and do any number of things that aren't considered entrapment. So what is entrapment. I'm looking for some classic/textbook examples.

Don't worry, not in any legal trouble or anything. Just was watching House of Cards and got really curious about it.

Answer:
 Entrapment is where a person is enticed into committing a crime he would not have done otherwise.

The police using a "bait car" by leaving a car unlocked with the keys in it, and then just waiting for it to be stolen, is not entrapment.  Most people wouldn't steal a car just because it was unlocked and had the keys in it.

Assume the same unlocked car with the keys in it, left there by the police.  A nun comes walking by.  An undercover police officer rushes out all distraught, claims that she needs an urgent ride to the hospital where a kidney is waiting for her transplant operation,  and if she doesn't get to the hospital in 30 minutes it will be too late to transplant the kidney.  Sadly, she cannot drive and has no car.  But hey, here's an unlocked car with the keys in it.  Will the nun please save her life by driving her to the hospital?  Nun does it.  This is entrapment.  Under ordinary circumstances, the nun would not have taken the car.Answer #2: I think in the rare case where an entrapment defense is successful, it's just the defense lawyer convincing the jury that the police or a third party badgered or coerced or begged or influenced the defendant to such a degree that it overcame defendant's law abiding inclination.

I don't think there's a "classic case" like bait cars or something.


Title: [SF] Tenant here. House is being foreclosed and auctioned today. A potential buyer walked in and said he fully plans to evict us using legal loopholes if he buys the house. What to do?

Question:
- We are a group of 18-24 y/o's living in SF.
- We are all tenants under one lease, which is for the whole unit.
- Our unit is rent-controlled.
- Our lease is month-to-month.

Two questions:

- He said he'd evict us by moving in. But we're not sure how he can do that since we have 100% of the unit under our lease, and no one has let him do so. Is it possible he could move into another flat in the same building but still attempt to evict us?

- He said if that didn't work, he'd attempt to evict us using the Ellis Act instead. If he does do this, is there any way we can fight it?

*EDIT* After doing much research, [this comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3tzkvg/sf_tenant_here_house_is_being_foreclosed_and/cxbjd17) contains the right advice and was confirmed by the SF rent board.

Answer:
 just don't miss your court dates. that's the best you can do.

there are no true tricks or loopholes unless LL plans to irl occupy or convert the whole building to condos.

you just have to be prepared to fight him and to stay on top of your court dates if he files.

you can hire a tenants attorney or seek legal assistance from a tenants advocate. you can possible get damages if he's filing frivolous suits.

you can also ask him to buy you out.


Title: Painter subcontractor claims wasn't paid by contractor, threatens litigation.

Question:
Upstate New York:

My wife and I hired a contractor to paint two rooms in our house.  The contractor was paid. Three weeks after the job was completed,we received a letter (without mentioning our names or the contractor's actual name) in our mailbox claiming to be one of the painters who was hired by our contractor to paint the rooms. He says that he has not been paid in the three weeks time after repeated calls to the contractor that we hired. He has come by our house aggressively knocking on our doors according to neighbors and is now threatening to contact an attorney if payment is not made to him immediately. The exact payment he requires is undefined, but he did leave a phone number and his name.

How should we proceed? Should we contact a lawyer? Should we contact this man?

Answer:
 >How should we proceed?

Ignore his demands, tell him he's not allowed on your property in the future. If he becomes threatening or refuses to leave, call the police.

>Should we contact a lawyer?

You can if you want. You don't really need to unless you're sued.

>Should we contact this man?

You can call him and tell him that his issue is with the contractor and not with you. If he persists, there's no reason to talk with him. A phone call may get him off your back, but no need to make it a big deal.

There's no reason for him to be coming after you, he needs to go after the contractor to get paid. Answer #2: Tell him to go ahead and contact an attorney and that you will only speak to him through is attorney since it seems he's been a little threatening coming to your house.  Or tell him he needs to contact the person who hired him to do the work as it's the contractor's responsibility to pay the subcontractors they hire.  If he continues to harass you, stop responding, get an attorney to send him a letter telling him that you will no longer be speaking to him and that all correspondence needs to go through said attorney.


Title: My stay in California was cut short. How to stop my lease early with the least costs.

Question: Started a lease in March because I was mean't to do a year long course in California. However due to some personal reasons I have to cut the course short and leave California. What is the least expensive way for me to cancel my lease?

Answer:
 >What is the least expensive way for me to cancel my lease?

Read the lease you signed.

We cannot guess what you agreed to.Answer #2: You are breaking a contract. You have to pay whatever costs are outlined in your lease.


Title: Are phone conversation recordings legal in divorce court? Wisconsin

Question:
Hi there. A friend of mine is in the middle of a divorce and custody battle in Wisconsin. Multiple Children. He has limited means so is relying on a public attorney.

He has been audio recording his conversations with his ex because she will lie about their interactions and attempt to manipulate him for his perscription drugs i.e. you can't see your kids unless you give me Adderall. He also has saved his text messages with her.

The lawyer has only said "keep all of it" in response to what he should do with it.

Will the recordings be admissable in court? Thoughs, concerns, resources?

Answer:
 “The remaining thirty-eight states (including Wisconsin), along with the District of Columbia, are considered “one-party consent” states. In these states, individuals may legally record a conversation to which they are a party so long as one of the parties to the communication consents to the recording. Because the consenting party in these states can also be the individual doing the recording, the conversation may be — and often is — recorded without the knowledge or consent of any other party. This is also the rule under federal law.”Answer #2: Wisconsin appears to have a bit of a wrinkle in their consent laws:

[https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/968/30/4/d](https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/968/30/4/d)

> Evidence of intercepted oral or wire communications can be introduced only if the interception was authorized under s. 968.30; consent by one party to the communication is not sufficient. State ex rel. Arnold v. County Court, [51 Wis. 2d 434](https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/courts/51%20Wis.%202d%20434), [187 N.W.2d 354](https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/courts/187%20N.W.2d%20354) (1971).

As I read this, you may legally record the conversations, but the recordings wouldn't be admissible.

Here is the exceptions cited:

[https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/968/30](https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/968/30)

I didn't read it all but the hill looks steep.


Title: [OH] Stepfather seriously want to evict me (19 year old incoming college student)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Were you given written notice to vacate? Once you are given written notice, you have to leave after the notice period or you can be evicted.

Here's the real advice, though. Stop playing music, and stay the hell out of his way. It's his house, not yours. Crawl back to him on your hands and knees and beg him to let you stay until you leave for school. Remember, he owes you nothing, and you are asking for a favor.


Title: [Ab] $490 has been withdrawn from my bank account. The bank says it isn't them. The collection agency that the payments are going to deny it is them as my loans they have been cancelled when I went bankrupt 10 years ago. The bank denies any involvement. What are my options here?

Question:
More info:
Money was taken from my account on 3 seperate occasions. $190, $100, $200. The most recent withdral was on July 12. The bank wants me to set up a new account as they claim these could be fraudulent. Why would some criminal be stealing from me to pay off an old loan that no longer exists?

Answer:
 Former banker, not lawyer.  If you can’t figure out what the transactions are for simply call your bank and dispute the charges.  Doesn’t cost you anything, and often the bank will provisionally credit you the money while they investigate.  Just be prepared that if the bank finds the charges to be legitimate, they will take the money back with out warning.

If the bank finds the charges are legitimate, but you still disagree, then you are looking at small claims court.

And like the other poster suggested, the only way to stop future charges is to open a new account and close this one.  Even that’s no guarantee, but it’s the best you can do.Answer #2: I'm not going to comment about recovering the money, as idk what you should about that, but their advice to make a new account is certainly good. You should, however, take it a step further by making that account at a new bank.Answer #3: Who does the bank say it is?  I find it hard to believe they don't know where they disbursed the funds.


Title: [Toronto, Canada] Former Employer Owing $30k Suddenly Wants NDA

Question:
My [if you don't have anything nice to say...] former employer suddenly wants me to sign an NDA. Correct me if I'm wrong:

I've no obligation to sign that. Moreover, the document they provided offers no new consideration, making it unenforceable.

That said. I really don't care about any of their proprietary information. I just want to have the strongest position possible re: the $30k in outstanding wages owed to me.

Is there some other form (guarantee, promissory note, explicit repayment scheme, etc.) that I could have this NDA turn those wages into? Something that simultaneously improves my chances of ever getting paid, while making the NDA enforceable for this guy?

Or do I just request they add more future-money to the pile in exchange for my signing this?

Thanks :)

Answer:
 None of the above.  You refuse to sign the NDA without those funds in your hand.  If the company doesn't have that $30,000 in the bank account then any sort of future promise or repayment scheme means jack shit.

Having a broke company owe you $30 thousand is worth just as much to you as a broke company owing you $30 million


Title: [CA/Utah] ExMormon boyfriend's mom is threatening to call the police because we kissed in front of place of worship

Question: So my BF is 18 and I am 19[F].  My boyfriend was planning to move out without first telling his parents.   On the actual day of his moving out, which we did not tell his parents obviously, they both insisted he come to church.  So that their suspicions would not be aroused, he went with them and had hid his birth certificate and Social Security card his pocket.  He messaged me saying that he wanted me to pick him up with at the church.  I went there with a friend.  Anyways, after not seeing my BF in almost 2 years, we were both horny as hell.  We basically grabbed each other and started making out.  At this point we were on a public sidewalk in front of the church.  My friend, who was video recording us meeting for the first time in 2 years, recorded us humping each other, kissing, and grabbing each other butts.  The church is prominently featured in the video.  When we came back to LA (my BF is crashing at my place), she forwarded us the video and we put it on Facebook.  Apparently, my BF's mom found out and is now threatening to call the police for public nuisance and hurting her religious sentiments (fuck her religious sentiments).  Will the police do anything and is what we did violating any law?

Answer:
 The police will only laugh at the crazy lady. You're fine.Answer #2: It's unlikely you did anything illegal, but well, Utah does like to really stretch the definitions of public indecency. However you aren't even in thier jurisdiction to investigate anymore. You could get hassle if you return, but even that's unlikely. No police department in CA is going to even consider questioning you if Utah calls them.Answer #3: You're both legal adults. The cops may or may not laugh at your mom, but either way, they won't do anything. Making out with your of-age bf is not a crime.Answer #4: As a Mormon I can tell you, the police probably won't care that much.  If they caught you in the act (at a Mormon church or else where) of "humping each other" in public, you may have faced a fine or possible arrest.  Kissing is fine, but reserve the humping for the bedroom.Answer #5: >...and hurting her religious sentiments...

So is she saying that you hurt her relationship with God?

That's not only not illegal, it's not very practical from a religious standpoint.Answer #6: I mean, it's very unlikely that what you did broke any laws serious enough that the police would care, especially after the fact.  I wouldn't expect the police to do anything, even if she did report.

That being said, there's really NO excuse for any adult to ever be humping in public or publicly groping someone in a sexual manner.  In the future, you need to practice appropriate self control or yes, you could end up with issues.


Title: [CA, USA] Is it legal to identify as a Cephalopod?

Question: Thank you for everyone who answered and put up with this ridiculousness!

Answer:
 Did you just make a deal with Google or Wiki that you get a nickel every time someone Googles cephalopod today?Answer #2: That's like legally identify as left-handed. Answer #3: "God dammit lloza I told you to look for a job today."

-OP's dad's opinion.


Title: Someone damaged my car in a Target parking lot. Who is responsible?

Question:
Hi, /r/legaladvice! I was parked at a Target a few weeks ago. My husband and I were walking out to my vehicle and saw a lady smash her door into mine, causing 4 spots on the door. We exchanged information and I called my insurance just to make a claim that it happened so there would be proof. The lady said to send her the information and she would pay to fix it.

I took my vehicle to a few different places. The estimates were $1,200, $600, $350, and $250. The $1200 place said they would have to repaint the whole side of the vehicle to get the color right. The $600 place said they would have to get a new door handle and repaint. The other 2 said they would just fix and repaint over the spot. The $250 spot was shady and the place she suggested.

I sent the information over to the lady and she had her father, who is an attorney, email me and say the wind caught her door and it was a "no fault" situation. I checked the wind that day and it was 6mph on average. Her car was beat up and junky - not sure if that's relevant but from where I was, she just flung it open.

What can I do? Should I even respond to the dad? Should I get a lawyer involved?

**EDIT: I called my insurance. I went ahead and called a lawyer because I just want this woman to pay for the damage so I can move on with life. The lawyer responded that they want to make sure to have all the facts straight because her father is some high power lawyer in town. Must be nice to have a daddy that bails you out when you mess up.**

Answer: Claim under your insurance. When people start being difficult about this sort of thing, it's best to withdraw from the interaction. Answer #2: Even if the wind caught her door, she's responsible. You are liable for your door when opening it, wind or no wind. Child or no child. File a claim with her insurance compnay. If she refuses to give you her info, I'm certain your insurance company can illicit a response out of her :)


Title: [CA] Hired people to do yard work, fired them. Are extorting me now.

Question:
I had these guys doing yard work, and had to fire them. They were inconsistent, ill-equipped for the job and I ended up having to lend them tools and gloves and even paying, out of my pocket, for their drinks and cigarettes (which ended up being 20 bucks worth of) because they didn't bring their own.

From what I discussed with a friend in, in light of this "extortion", this wasn't official business and I don't owe them anything because we made an arrangement for under 600 dollars. I also live in California.

We talked in the beginning, before the work even started, and were set on a no. and that payment would be after the job was done. Shouldn't have, but gave them 80 after a "day" or so's amount of work because they asked and prodded. They weren't happy with 80 even though I reminded them we paid for their drinks and ciggs (not to mention gave them our own drinks the next day because they didn't bring any again).

Well, here's what happened. These guys "worked" for 6 days, but only did 9 hours of work total. I made sure they knew we'd be gone after 4PM, and they could only work from the morning, say between 6AM to until 4PM, and that they could not work while we are gone. They agreed. But these guys would come one day, and only work for 2 hours. And the next day, one hour and then it was only two guys working. The next day, 3 guys. The first day, there was 4. We never saw the 4'th guy again after the first 3 days and then some new guy shows up and says he is like "volunteering" to help the guys I hired and he knows them. But then he never showed up the next day. The few days they work, they are doing minimal work and not coming back for hours. So they stretched 9 hours out of 6 whole days and tried to say they did 6 whole days of work. I kept logs of hours because I heard they were a bad/iffy bunch and did drugs. My fault, was told they fluctuate when working jobs.

What prompted the firing was the guy supervising the rest came back to ask for more money and that he underbid and that he was originally going to arrange for like a thousand or something, but didn't because he knew we could not afford it.

Since the firing, we have been getting text messages, constantly, from one of the guys who worked in the yard. He's been pleading to be paid money and to be let resuming the work, and that the others need to be paid for their time. He messaged me for 2 or 3 weeks straight, which I ignored until he saw me in a grocery store and flagged me down. I told him we logged their hours and that he needs to take payment up with his "boss" because we had an arrangement that we could not change, and to stop texting us.

Another thing, which has caused us a lot of distress; we found out the supervisor is an ex-con and pedophile. We would not have hired someone like that. We hired this one guy(who i talked to in the store) because he's a friend-of-a-friend, but he brought his con friend to help him.

We also told him our neighbors were freaking out and crying to us because they know the guy, saw him while he at our property. He actually molested their children.

So now, fast forward to today, we get a text message from not our F.O.A.F., but one of the workers (but not the supervisor) threatening to report us to the county if we don't pay them all for their work. They know our yard is a mess and we could be fined for it. He sent the message from our FOAF's phone, and even left his number and full name.

Don't know if it matters, but after the messages initially stopped, the guy who used our FOAF's phone to contact us actually showed up at our house to collect and even offer to resume work. We also told him we found out about his boss's past/offense and that he tried to change our arrangement, and we didn't want to work with him or them. He just said there was no "communication" between him and boss guy and he didn't know what was up.

What can I do about this ? Sorry, for any excessive info or length. Been stressed about this and then this happens today.

TL;DR:

Hired guys to do yard work, but wasn't a legal arrangement. They worked 6 days, but only did 9 hours of work in total. They tried to change arrangement, they also underbid; Fired them because they wanted money before completing the job and said they actually would have charged more. They kept calling, we told them to stop, they show up at house or message me again wanting money or to work again. No messages/contact for 3 weeks, then we get a text today and they are threatening to report us to county if we don't pay them all. Also, were told they do drugs and one is an ex-con who we would not have hired if we knew to begin with. job was suppose to involve on one guy, but then involved 4 and then just 3.

Answer:
 They did work for you, so you have to pay them. You can pro-rate it based on the days or even the hours they worked, but you need to pay them for their labor. Doesn't matter if there's a written contract, or if they're a felon, or they asked you to buy them cigarettes.Answer #2: Determine what percentage of the work they bid on is completed. If you can't do this yourself due to lack of expertise, have another contractor come out and determine this. Pay them for whatever percentage of the work they completed.

I.e. Say you were paying to have a concrete pathway removed and replaced, and they have removed it and partially framed for the replacement. Then an expert determines that it is 50% completed. Pay them $300.


Title: If a team decides to terminate a player's contract, does the team need to pay out the performance and appearance based bonuses as well?

Question: I would love an answer relevant to football(soccer). If a club no longer wants to keep a player and decides to terminate his or her contract, does the club have to pay out the bonuses as well?

Answer: There would almost certainly be terms in the contract around this as it is not an unusual occurrence.


Title: [Canada] Wanted to go to school in the US, but instead got detained and phone searched

Question: TIFU. Not really today but it was a couple of years ago. I wanted to go to school in the US with the help of a family member who lives there, but instead they got suspicious of my one way ticket (family member provided the ticket) and sent me into immigration office. They didn't believe my story, went through my luguage and phone and found some pictures of marijuana, they took my phone to the back, asked me some questions and gave it back to me at the end. I was way to shook to remember what they told me about leaving the country again, but I had to sign a piece of paper that again I had no memory of and told me to go back to the place I was staying at. Now I was wondering if I'm ever allowed to leave the country? And what do I need to be cautious about? BTW after that incident I went to school here in Canada, got another job and continued with life.

Answer:
 Your post doesn’t make much sense.

>but instead they got suspicious of my one way ticket (family member provided the ticket) and sent me into immigration office.

I assume that by they mean US immigration?

>Now I was wondering if I'm ever allowed to leave the country?

US immigration can’t prevent you from leaving Canada, they can only stop you entering the US.


Title: Evicted without notice, she's trying to take everything

Question:
I broke up with my girlfriend yesterday. She called the landlord and has had me taken off the lease. All bills for the home are in my name. She wants to drop off my things at my parents house if I don't get them in a week. I just paid rent so I don't have the money for a place. She has our 2 cats and dog, along with my clothes/furniture, and miscellaneous other belongings. I don't even know what kind of a lawyer to contact, or whether I have a case. Any advice is appreciated

EDIT: This is Tennessee, United States

UPDATE: night 2 in a hotel room. The landlord knows of the situation, and wants us to work it out between us. Apparently the ex had convinced her that I wasn't goijng to fight any of this, and was going to begin a new lease. I informed her that I just paid rent, I am on the lease and have nowhere else to live.
The ex reached out to offer to buy me out. Give me my rent back, get everything in her name, etc. She swears everything I left behind is safe. She also took the opportunity to inform me of exactly what she thinks of me, and inform me if I step on that property without her previous knowledge and consent, that she will call the police.
I'm tempted to take the offer. This doesn't necessarily have to get any uglier. I just want this over. 3 days ago she was telling me she loved me, and yesterday she called me so many horrible things. I just need to be able to move past all this.

FINAL EDIT: In case anyone is still checking this, here's the last update. To make an extraordinarily long story short, this last week has been difficult. After 24 hours notice , I went to get me things. She calls the cops, I explain what happened, why I'm there, my name is on everything, etc. They let me back in to pack, I get my things. I'm the way out she asked me for a week before I cut off utilities and such. I told her that she had until I had the time to go to the offices and cancel, but I would give her as much notice as I could. She got pissed until I pointed out that she kicked me out of my home and tried to hold my stuff for ransom. She was quiet after that.

My name is no longer on anything. She got the house, the pets, etc. She hasn't contacted me or tried to follow through on any other threats.
Thank you everyone for the advice. This is without a doubt one of the most painful things I have gone through in recent years.

Answer:
 That's not how this works. If you're signed on the lease with her you have just as might right to live there as she does and she can't just "remove you" without your consent. If you're listed as an occupant then she may be able to kick you out, but has to give you notice which is usually 30 days. Answer #2: This is an illegal lockout. Start by going to the police and saying you've been locked out of your home by your roommate and landlord. Ask them to help you get back in. If you pay rent on a monthly basis, the landlord needs to give you 30 days written notice at least.

Further, if you are actually a party to the lease, the landlord cannot remove you from the lease without your permission. The lease gives you the right to occupy the home until the lease ends or is terminated.

You are looking for a lawyer who handles landlord-tenant cases. And yes, you have a straightforward case.Answer #3: Congratulations, illegal lockout just about everywhere entitles you to triple damages.


Title: My neighbor's dog attacked my sister's dog on my property. Vet bill exceeds small claims limit. What to do?

Question:
**TL, DR**: *Neighbor's dog attacked dog on my property. Vet bills exceed small claims limit ($5000). Can I sue for vet bill that I paid for and my sister sue for punitive damages to make up the difference?*

Disclaimer: I am not anti-pitbull, I am anti irresponsible pet owners. Using "pitbull" instead of her name in case neighbors are on Reddit.

Long time listener, 1st time caller.

On Father's Day evening, my sister was visiting my home with her chihuahua, Anna. I let Anna out into my fenced in backyard to do her business and went to do my own, informing my sister that I had let her dog out. Not 2 minutes later I hear my 5 year old boy get my sister's attention to look outside. My sister starts screaming. I somehow knew what it was by her scream.

I exited the bathroom, told my boy to stay in living room, run to the safe, and grab the loaded .177 pellet rifle, and run outside. The pitbull was guarding her "kill" and Anna was upside down in the submissive position, not moving and her eyes wild with fear. I approached the pit, shouting, and she lunged at me. Before I knew it, I am also cornered with Anna. If I moved the pitbull lunged and growled differently. My sister started screaming thinking I was going to get mauled to death. The pit then went after her, veering off last second as my rifle landed just in front of her (I threw it at the dog). I ran & picked it up & when I had a clear shot, I took it and hit the dog in the shoulder, she yelped, jumped into the canal, and swam away.

Now we could get Anna, which my sister did, and left my house to go to vet ER. I stayed behind & locked up the rifle, made sure my kid was okay, called 9-1-1, and waited for LEO to arrive. I also called a few neighbors to let them know the pitbull was loose.

Report was made, LEO then went to pitbull owner's house, then LEO left the scene. The pitbull owner approached me while LEO was still sitting outside of his home and I was in my yard speaking with another neighbor, blamed his wife for letting the dog out, and drove off. No apologies yet, and probably none coming.

The vet bill was close to $6,000, (which I paid without hesitation) with a grim prognosis. Unfortunately, Anna died shortly after the operation.

The pitbull is being quarantined **in the owner's home** for 10 days. That is the extent of what can be done by Animal Care & Control.

I am planning to write a letter demanding he pay me back **AND** have the dog humanely euthanized - with proof, within XX days or we will take him to court. This will be sent to him certified. I anticipate zero action from him after XX days.

Where do I go from here to be compensated for the entire vet bill?

Can I file for the Florida max. of $5000 in small claims and have my sister file her own small claims suit for punitive damages for the remainder amount?

What else can be done?

**OTHER STUFF**:

This pitbull has been a neighborhood nuisance for over 12 months. It attacked my dog when he was being walked on a leash. It has charged my elderly neighbor. It has attacked another chihuahua a few houses down. Each time, the owner blames his wife and says he will get rid of the dog or put the dog down, which calms everyone down. But then a week or so later, she is out roaming again.

This has been ongoing to the point where I, along with two other neighbors, fired him from being our lawn service provider. We all used to be friends and definitely gave him too much leeway, in an attempt to remain on good terms and in hopes he would take action. I feel so stupid now and sick to my stomach because now a sweet little dog is dead and next could be a child, my child.

A year ago, I re-homed my dog to my friend's house because I walked him 2x a day and had to carry weapons to do so and watch over my shoulder. (I still go hang out with him, take him for walks, and pay for his care.)

The pitbull owner's wife was attacked in 2017 by another neighbor's loose pitbull, her calf was torn off, and they sued and recently settled for $130,000.

There is a small child of @ 2 y/o in the home of the pitbull.

That pitbull has attacked the owner's wife during an argument with her adult daughter, told to me by the wife several times.

The wife and the daughter do not want that pitbull, but the husband refuses to hear them, told to me by the wife several times.

We are all afraid to be outside, especially my little boy. We drive home scanning for the dog and run into the house & vice versa. We used to feel safe in the backyard and my boy has said he doesn't ever want to go in the pool again - his favorite.

Answer:
 First, follow up with the city prosecutor and ask if they are prosecuting for dog at large. Ask for restitution to be rolled into the order amd indicate your willingness to support prosecution.

Second, always call tbe police and animal control. A demand that the dog be killed will likely go nowhere, so report the thing every time it is out, threatening someone, etc.Answer #2: I'd contact a lawyer at this pointAnswer #3: File a claim against their homeowner's insurance. There's probably a limited amount of coverage, but they won't care about Small Claims limits.Answer #4: Your choices are to sue in small claims for the jurisdictional limit or to sue in a higher court, probably with an attorney.

I don’t hear a claim your sister may have nor any claim for punitive damages.

My guess is you’ll come out ahead in small claims. Your mileage may vary.


Title: Suied over nudes

Question: Can someone get sued becuase he got nudes when he was 13 and now he turned 16 and girl wants to sue him(but in fact they are not real nudes) croatia

Answer:
 Can someone be sued? Yes

Can a minor sue another minor? With parents, sure

Should a minor admit in a court document that they created and distributed child porn? No

And I have no idea what they would sue for


Title: What court case or cases has ever been won by any freeman or sovreign citizen?

Answer:
 Sov cit law doesn't work.  If you're considering getting in to it: please don't touch the stove, it's very hot.
There, now you can't say I didn't warn you.Answer #2: They mostly believe that the law is governed by what are essentially magic incantations.  Lawyers and politicians get power over the system by saying the right things in the right contexts, and they think they can do the same.  Add in an entire ecosystem of scam artists selling books and even a few true believer gurus who spread misinformation, and you get sov cit nonsense.

They think that if they failed, it's because they got the incantations wrong, not that their entire approach is flawed.


Title: So this was posted as a joke, but I think it begs a good legal question...

Question:
This was posted on Imgur today. http://imgur.com/gallery/NJQImuh

It is a joke, of course, but in the comments section, we got into a discussion of whether or not this would actually be legal to do.

The location on this is open to all states, but let's assume USA.

**The question is this**:

If you still have keys to a house you lived in a long time ago, and no owner since has changed the locks, is it illegal to enter their home?

For the case of this theoretical situation, we'll assume the following:

* The current owners are not home when you enter. (also assume no pets).

* You enter the house unarmed, unmasked, not looking suspicious or as though you intend to commit a crime.

* You enter the house with the intent of seeing what has changed since you lived there.

* You take nothing, you break nothing.

* The only things you move are the doors (to open them).

* You put everything back as it was when you entered.

* The current owners come home as you are leaving.

**Here's what I would argue**:

* The usual laws that would be broken entering someone else's home uninvited, such as "breaking and entering" would not be violated in this case. Because you have a key, no breaking would take place for you to enter.

* Not changing the locks when you move in could be considered to be *at least* allowing someone else to have a key, if not giving them a key.

* Allowing someone to have a key to your home could be considered consent to allow them to enter your home at any time.

* The house was not entered with the intent of burglary, vandalism, or any other crime, nor were any of those crimes committed when you were inside.

* No physical harm was done to anyone by entering the house to look around.

Are there other laws in the US that you would violate if you did this? I'm not a lawyer (which is why I'm asking), but I can't think of any.

Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: trespassing is illegal. no need to come up with the weird consent theories that would obviously never workAnswer #2: It's still B&E if you use a key, and you can still get charged with burglary too, the courts aren't mind readers.


Title: Need serious advice for writing a will with an odd request.

Question:
My best friend since childhood and I made an agreement many years ago that, if possible, the first of us to die would bequeath a portion of his mortal remains, specifically 500 grams of muscle tissue, to the other, delivered as quickly as possible in a sanitary, airtight, refrigerated container.  Would this violate the human-remains laws of California, or the federal government?

We are both resident citizens of the USA.

Answer:
 I'm sure someone will be along shortly with an answer.

But seriously... Why?Answer #2: A will wouldn't work I don't think: most wills don't get even looked at for several days after the death.


Title: Does game companies have the right to ban players for nothing?

Question:
Hey!

If you are familiar with CS:GO you can skip a head to the bottom, else you might need to read it all to understand the situation.

Some of you might be familiar with the Valve game, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

It is a fps competetive game.

Anyhow, it is quite common that people download cheats to this game and they most often get banned from the game. This ban includes that all of their virutal items gets locked onto their account. They cannot trade them or sell them for money (which only can be used in their store to buy more games on steam (game platform)). I am 100% aware that they are allowed to do this since it is stated in their terms of use.

These cheats gets detected by their automatic anti-cheat system "V.A.C."

As you know no automatic system is bullet proof and therefore it is very rare that innocent people gets inbetween and get unrightfully banned.

**Now it is time for my question, if you jumped a head. Start here!**

Last month I got an unrightful ban.

I have a value on my locked account of around $200 which now I cannot use. Therefore I have to add even more funds to my account in order to buy games. I can not use the ones I already have in virutal items.

Their support wont answer me. They even blocked me from using it after I asked why I got banned.

Is this legal? Could I write them a letter and threaten them to hire a lawyer if they wont seriously look into the issue?
I mean, after all they have "stolen" $200 plus the game. (which isn't that much and a lawyer will cost more. But I would rather pay a lawyer to do a job than let a company steal from me.)

**TL;DR:** Does Valve have the right to block anyones account and prevent them from selling their virutal items they bought for real money even if they did not break their terms of use?

P.S Sorry if my english is weird from time to time. I'm from Sweden :)

Answer: At least in the US, pretty much, yes they can. You can continue to try working through their support but Valve/Steam has a reputation atrocious customer support. I hear sometimes emailing Gabe Newell can get a response.


Title: TLDR: I broke my leg. I'm a single dad with 2 kids, worked for Uber, and am effectively homeless. What the heck do I do?

Question:
First off, if anyone knows a better sub to post this in please let me know of it.

I was at the Housing Authority where my grandma lives and I slipped in the mud and landed on my leg/foot. my foot just went sideways, and apparently I snapped my fibula and damaged a ligament.

I work for Uber so I am not getting any sick days. I'm homeless by my kid's school's standard, as we are doubled up sharing a room in the basement at my sister's house.

My kids are from Canada so I am working on getting their social security numbers so I can get assistance with them, and day care so i can get a real job. So I am operating off of exactly zero government support, despite being homeless and barely working since no one is ever available to watch my kids.

I don't know what i do now. Can i apply for disability or unemployment? My bank account will certainly go into overdraft in a week of me not working. I'll lose my car at least, which is all I really have.. My family can only help so much.. Unfortunately my support network needs a support network. We were all born into poverty and haven't escaped it yet.

Is there something other than disability that can help? I have no idea what my options are or how to find out what my options are..

Please let tell me if you know anything that could help my situation or if you know a subreddit that could assist me better.
Topic:
Disability Issues

Answer:
 https://www.211ct.org/

Above is the link to 211 for your state, ran by UnitedWay. I would call them and they can help provide you with referrals to any and all organizations local to you to help in your time of need.

I am not from your state, but used to work with low income families in mine and the information 211 can provide can really be a game changer for families in situations like yours. I would also suggest you contact your local JFS/state ran organization for families. Many times, these organizations have programs to help families who are concerned that the issues they are having may *lead* to JFS involvement if not rectified. Basically , you can call and say 'hey, my kids are safe, and I can provide for them *now*, but I'm in *THIS* situation and I'm afraid that if I don't get help, I will struggle to provide for their needs....can you help'.

I know it can be unnerving,  contacting state agencies to say that you are in a rough spot, but they truly are there to help families just like yours, and have more resources at their fingertips than many people realize.

Stay strong, and I hope that things turn around for you. You are obviously a very caring parent to reach out for guidance and help like this...I know it isn't an easy thing to do.


Title: Charged with DUI. What’s my most likely outcome?

Question: This took place in Sacramento, CA.  Spent the night in county jail. This is my first offense and I blew a .07 which is just right under the legal limit. Obviously I’ll be pleading not guilty since I was under the limit. How do cases for first offenders like these play out?

Answer: The limit is simply a presumption that anyone at or above the limit is impaired to a criminal degree. Someone blowing .07 needs an attorney and honestly was almost certainly impaired.


Title: Reckless (102 in 65 zone) Prince William Va, Texas Resident.

Question: My friend is in VA temporarily for work and he just earned himself a reckless driving ticket on 95N in Prince William County for doing 102 in a 65mph zone. He is *very* concerned he's going to jail over this.What are the odds that could really happen? Can the VA DMV suspend or take away his license? If they give him points with they impact his Texas driving record?

Answer:
 Your friend picked basically the [worst state to speed in](http://jalopnik.com/what-every-driver-should-know-about-speeding-in-virgini-1669902845).

For over 100, although it is not guaranteed, [he should be prepared for a few days in jail](http://jalopnik.com/never-speed-in-virginia-lessons-from-my-three-days-in-1613604053). The court date is a mandatory appearance. If found guilty, the points will transfer over through the DLC and his license will officially be suspended in Texas for a 30 day minimum. Virginia may also suspend for a few months, but that will only apply within Virginia. He will probably see his insurance premiums be bumped up by around 20% and he will now be the proud recipient of a misdemeanor conviction. That means he has a criminal history, and in Virginia, it is permanent. That's what would concern me more. The temporary job in Virginia may be a lot more temporary than he expected.


Title: Asked to move out by Oct 31st and threatened with eviction over false noise complaints (Texas)

Question:
I've pretty much resigned to my fate but I figured it is worth a shot to ask what I might be able to do here.

We live in an apartment. About 3 months ago we got a new downstairs neighbor. Since then we've been receiving notices about noise and having police called on us regularly. An hour ago apartment management handed us a notice saying we have to move out by the 31st, at which point they'll start the eviction process.

Here's the thing. We don't listen to music or watch tv. When we're home we aren't stomping around, we're sitting in front of our computers. Our "noise" from early this morning was listed on this notice despite the fact me and my roommate went to bed at 11pm and prior to that we were calmly talking with each other on the couch.

When I call the apartment management they just tell me that multiple neighbors filed complaints. This doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me because we lived here between October of 2017 to July of this year without receiving a single noise complaint or having the cops called on us.

The last time the police showed up and we answered the door to them they told us our downstairs neighbors had specified about extremely loud music. This is impossible as the very first time we received a notice about noise we unplugged our music systems. If they lied to the police about that I feel they are lying to the apartment complex as well, I just don't know how to prove it.

Our lease ends in December, we were going to hand in our 60 day notice today. This is extremely frustrating and terrifying. I really cannot see how we lived here for 9 months without any issues at all but suddenly in August we became loud enough to get kicked out.

Answer: I don't know about Texas but tipically they cannot end your lease without a 30 days notice. What does your lease says about early termination?


Title: [WI] Rent deduction for working as apartment manager, but total hours worked and the deduction don't meet minimum wage requirements.

Question:
So I am asking this for a friend of mine who was telling me about how she works for an apartment complex as an apartment manager.  She has had this side job for the past 3 years.  Her general responsibilities include general maintenance of the common areas(vacuuming hallways, cleaning, etc), lawn care around the building, snow removal for light snow, showing units to potential tenants, and cleaning apartments after tenants move out.

So I have a couple questions about what is happening.  The only pay she has been receiving is a $200 reduction on her rent each month.  However, her average hours worked is close to 60 hours a month.  This would mean she is only making $3.33/hr.  Doesn't this break minimum wage laws in the state?  The other big issue is that apparently the landlord is charging the tenants a per hour fee of close to $40 from their security deposit for the cleaning that she does, but she doesn't get paid any of this money to do that.  So if she cleans for 4 hours after a crappy tenant moves out, the landlord is charging $160 and pocketing all the money for free labor(well basically free minus the $200 rent deduction).

Is this legal?  It seems like she has been shafted and just didn't really know better for the last 3 years, so when I heard all this I told her I would try and find out options.  Would she have a claim to be able to take him to small claims court for back-pay of the 3 years she has been working for way less than minimum wage?  It seems like she has been an under-the-table employee for this rent deduction without any benefits(workers comp would be a big one if she got hurt maintaining the old building).

What would be the general options here and what kinds of things should she bring up if she ends of talking to a lawyer?

Sorry for the long post, but I appreciate any insight.

Answer: I don't see any reason why your friend would be exempt from minimum wage laws, which are pretty liberal in Wisconsin.  The issue I imagine will come up is proving the hours your friend is working.  See http://www.workplacefairness.org/wage-hour-claim-WI for how to file a claim.  Just keep in mind that once your friend complains about this, your friend is probably (rightly or wrongly) going to lose the gig your friend has as soon as the employer has any excuse to do so.


Title: Is public use of a video game system illegal?

Question: I want to open a bar where the draw is retro video game systems like the original Nintendo, Super Nintendo, N64, etc. If I own the systems and games, but have them set up for people to come to the bar to play them, am I doing anything illegal? If I charge a cover charge or a fee for play time would that be illegal? I'm not even sure what to look into to find out, would it be copyright laws? Thank you! I live in Ohio if that helps.

Answer: Yes. This would be a public performance of the games. For an arcade-style game actually sold for this purpose, you’d likely be licensed. But for ordinary game consoles and the games played on them, you would not be licensed and it would be copyright infringement. True whether or not you charged for it, but worse if you do.Answer #2: A bar recently lost a battle here in BC Canada because video games were not allowed under their liquor license (attraction to kids). This is another thing you would need to check but Ohio might be more forgiving.Answer #3: You'd probably need a special public performance license to do this, just like you need a one to play music or show a movie in a public place of business. I'm not sure how you'd get a license like that, though - there's enough demand for public music and movie performance that blanket ones for those are easy to get, but video games, I dunno. You might have to contact the publisher directly about it.Answer #4: Contact Nintedo's legal department.  With the popularity of esports, Twitch streaming these days lots of games publishers allow for some public performances of games.  I know back in the LAN party days you could write publishers and they'd send you a packet about it.


Title: Fired for stealing from work

Question:
I was fired because I was stealing from work. I did it, and I accept responsibility for it, but I'm just looking for options.
I took small amounts (10-100) at the end of a shift for quite some time (5-6 months). The total number I was given was about $8500. I didn't think it was that much, but I'm not really in a place to argue that. In my state (NJ) anything above $400 is a felony. They fired me but decided not to press charges pending repayment. They've given me 12 months to pay it all back, but require half up front. There's just no way I can pay that much, even if I borrow from my parents. Can anybody give me advice on what I should do?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: If you cannot pay it back, expect charges to be filed. If they are filed, get an attorney and do not speak to your former employer. They seem to be giving you a chance to avoid a felony, but otherwise, expect them to contact the police about the manner if you cannot live up to the repayment terms.Answer #2: What should you do?  In your shoes, I'd negotiate -- I'd give them as much as I possibly can right now, even if you have to borrow it, and tell them what you're going to do to pay them the rest.  Things you should do: get a second (or third) job, sell stuff, reduce your expenses to the bare minimum, etc....   It is a ginormous favor not to have the felony charge.  If they were to charge you, you'd be paying a lot of money to a lawyer, still have to pay them back, AND have a felony rap.


Title: Did this cop think i was suspicious ?

Question:
i know this is dumb but i got stopped on my bike today for being too close to the road. this cop passed me and told me i cant do that and i yelled back sorry. continued to where i was going, got there. all of a sudden he pulls up in the fucking parking lot and im literally having an anxiety attack. he gets out of the car and asks me why i drove off. i said sorry and that i didnt know he wanted to talk. then he just basically says i was obstructing traffic, just wanted to make sure i knew i was in danger. i was kinda brief, basically just like alright sir sorry i get it. then he weirded me out. asked for my name, gave him it. then he asked for my last name and i hesitated bc i was just like ??? why the hell do you need to know. gave him it though. THEN he asked where i lived, and i just got fed up so i replied with 'not far from here.' all he wanted to know is if i could get home safely/if i needed to cross the highway to get home, thats it. but for some reason it seemed like he was fighting me for something. my address maybe? i didnt give him it cuz i dont have to. anyway, i asked if i could go home and he started to piss me off , he replied with "i dont know. where is home?" all sarcastic.

 long story short, i told him i could make it home fine, he left. the whole thing just really made me anxious though. why did he ramble for so long? is this normal? im a minor btw.

TLDR; rode too close to the road, cop stopped me and told me what i was doing wrong, then he just started a small investigation it seems like. wtf? can anyone explain

Answer: Usually, that line of questioning means the officer intends to run your name to check for warrants.Answer #2: Asking your name and address is not really an investigation, even a small one. Hesitating, evading, and resisting may have made you seem more suspicious.


Title: [USA] [OH] 99% sure kid down the road stole my dad's gun, need advice

Question: So, about a week ago, we came home after a late night to find my bedroom window cracked open and my dads backdoor left wide open. His gun was stolen, along with 3200 rounds. The gun was a mossberg 715T, its a shitty little 22LR that barely holds 12 a mag. However, its a gun nonetheless.  We made a police report and such immediately. Multiple people have described the gun to me, and said it was him who stole it. I relayed this in a police report to follow up the next day and an officer told me "that cant be a coincidence because his neighbors called the police and said he was seen out back holding what looked like a machine gun. But, they came back with an airsoft gun and said that he was just playing out side with it." However, the cops arent doing ANYTHING to follow up as far as I know. I know where he would be hiding it IF it were still on his property, and have debated just going in there and taking it myself, but I wanted to take one final step back at all of my options to see if there is anything I can do. My father told me to offer the kid 200 bucks for the gun back (it was barely worth more at MC Sports), because he just wants it off the streets once and for all. He hasn't gotten much sleep due to his anxiety on the situation and we just want the gun out of his hands at this point. Thoughts, opinions? thanks.

Answer:
 >I know where he would be hiding it IF it were still on his property, and have debated just going in there and taking it myself

Definitely do not do this. The last thing you want to do is risk some kind of physical conflict with a gun involved.


Title: [VA] Want to change the name of my infant son, unmarried baby's mother signed his birth certificate without me.

Question: The mother of the baby and I are unmarried and she is living in a different state than I. The baby was born in Stafford V.A. and his mother signed the birth certificate and wrote his name on the certificate when I was off the floor getting food. The name has been a point of contention between us since his birth, and I removed my name from the birth certificate for unrelated interpersonal reasons. Is there any way I can have a court order to have the name changed? Do I have any rights now that I have removed my name off the birth certificate?

Answer: You can file for paternity, custody, support, and a name change. Know that both parents have a say in the name but if you are unable to compromise then the judge decides, and you might not like that either.


Title: Does this crazy lady have any claim against me for giving her the finger?

Question:
Pittsburgh, PA

So I was taking my girlfriend back from getting her wisdom teeth out. I didn’t know the road and was going by her directions. After she was late telling me to get over, I sped up to clear some space after putting my turn signal on. The car in the lane to my right proceeded to speed up to block me. I barely got over as she nearly hit me. The lady proceeded to lay on the horn. I slowed down a bit and put my window down and gave her the finger as she was the one who nearly caused the accident. She sent one back to me and proceeded to take a picture of my plate and immediately put the phone to her ear, presumably calling the police. Is there any way I get in any trouble for this?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 Nal but guessing not,  all she has is a picture of some car infront of her.Answer #2: Not for the finger, but maybe the poor driving.

In all likelihood this is just a case of two road-ragers trying to one-up each other, and law enforcement is probably not very likely to become involved.  But it's possible.


Title: My dad (late 50’s, 19 years with company) was laid off today and offered 52 weeks severance. Deal or no deal?

Question:
My Dad (lives in Ontario, Canada) is in his late fifties and was just laid off today. He has worked for the company (non-unionized) in an administrative position for 19 years. He has been offered 52 weeks severance. He has health challenges (slurred speech, lack of balance) which I fear will make finding new work very difficult. My parents have nowhere near enough savings to consider retiring.

Can someone provide some advice? Should he decline the offer and ask for better severance?

Answer:
 A lot of people posting here are in the US, which does not require severance.  In the US, 52 weeks is fanstastic. In Canada, I'd think he could get 2 years. He needs to talk with an employment attorney.

Here's a calculator to find out how much me.may be entitled to.
https://www.severancepaycalculator.com
Answer #2: It never hurts to talk with an employment lawyer  before making these kind of decisions.   It will probably cost your father around a thousand bucks to get a fair opinion.   19 years, and 52 weeks and his age and condition makes me recommend a talk with a lawyer. Answer #3: One year severence is around the upper limit for someone in an administrative position that was laid off after an extended period of employment. Not only is it far above the statutory minimum in Ontario, it's well in line with what one could expect from a wrongful dismissal suit.

Larger periods of severence or notice tend to require factors beyond a lengthy period of employment, such as very particular job skills which are not easily transported to a new employer, or some form of wrongdoing on the part of the employer.

Given what is on the line I would advise that your father talk to an employment lawyer to go over the circumstances of his termination and his employment contract. However, I will say that the offer is rather generous and would suggest that the attorney be consulted primarily to ensure that everything is above board.


Title: [Pennsylvania] Am I required to show my license to a police officer who pulled over to assist with a flat tire?

Question: Question kind of says it all (I tried both the search bar and google, but wasn't 100% sure).  I had a flat a few months back on a state highway, and the officer, who was otherwise somewhat helpful, asked for my ID.  I gave it to him because I was flustered enough with the flat and having to pull over in a less than ideal area, but I'd like to be prepared in case it ever happens again.  My google research says that they can ask for an ID if they have a suspicion of illegal activity, but I literally did nothing the entire time except attempt to put the donut on my car, so I think I could have said no.  Is this correct?

Answer:
 >  § 1511.  Carrying and exhibiting driver's license on demand.

> (a)  General rule.--Every licensee shall possess a driver's license issued to the licensee at all times when driving a motor vehicle and shall exhibit the license upon demand by a police officer, and when requested by the police officer the licensee shall write the licensee's name in the presence of the officer in order to provide identity.


Title: If I were to, say, create a functioning candy gun and use it during Halloween, could I get in legal trouble?

Question: If that was vague or confusing, this is my plan: Put together a bunch of marshmallow shooters, and cover them so it looks like a shotgun, or a rifle, or some kind of gun. Likely one from Fortnite, to stay cool with the kids. If I make it and shoot candy out of it at kids, can I get sued for anything? Maryland, if that helps.

Answer: Do you consider being shot by a cop to be “legal trouble?” Answer #2: If a kid got injured by it somehow, like if it hit them in the eye or it startled them and they stumbled and fell down and split their head open, then yes you could be sued for that.


Title: Do child labor laws apply to volunteering? (PA, USA)

Question:
Hello, everyone! I recently got my certification to be an EMT and I would like to volunteer past midnight. However, my local (PA) fire company would like me to refrain from volunteering outside of the time limits set by the PA Child Labor Laws because they are afraid that those laws apply to me. My question is, since I am strictly a volunteer without compensation, do the PA Child Labor Laws apply to me?

I am a seventeen year old who has not yet graduated high school, so if I were working for money, they *would* cover me.

My thought is that since I am not working for money, the laws do not apply to me. In Section 2 of the act (linked below), "employ" is defined as "To hire, permit or allow a minor to work for compensation to the minor or any other person." Since it seems that I am not being employed, does Section 7, Minors serving in volunteer emergency service organizations, apply to me? My argument for why I believe the child labor laws don't apply to me is because 1) I don't think I fit the definition of an employee, and 2) The PA Junior Emergency Service Compliance Manual (linked below) uses the word "employ" as does the child labor act in many parts where it defines the time restrictions.

However, **the argument against me** is that the child labor act (Section 7) uses the word "serve" rather than "is/are employed" making it a bit of a gray area.

What do you think?

**Links**
•[PA Child Labor Law text](http://www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/LEGIS/LI/uconsCheck.cfm?txtType=HTM&yr=2012&sessInd=0&smthLwInd=0&act=0151.&CFID=341765195&CFTOKEN=69173171)
•[PA Junior Emergency Service Program Compliance Manual](http://www.osfc.pa.gov/SiteCollectionDocuments/Junior%20Emergency%20Services%20Program%20Compliance%20Manual.pdf)

Answer: It sounds like the fire company is playing CYA. I think the path of least resistance here is to be accommodating to them until you turn 18. I think your cause is noble, but if I was in your shoes I would focus on the long game.


Title: (Indiana) Had a bad hit of a golf ball that struck a moving car during a school golf practice. Being harassed by insurance agency to pay for damages of a shattered window. Am I at fault?

Question: Hello everyone. A few months back at a school golf practice, I was up to tee and had a bad strike of the ball. The tee is directly next to a road (no nets) and as a car went passed my ball took a bounce and struck a car, shattering the windshield. No one was hurt and the window has since been replaced. As the shot was just that, a bad shot I don't believe I should pay as I previously believed that you have a reasonable expectation when driving next to a course that that is possible. Since then I have been called and threatened with legal information by someone working for an insurance company. Multiple calls later (where he had not even called the golf course or my school) he said I have 24 hours to pay or he will take legal action. I'm just 18 and have no clue legally what to do. Am I at fault? What should I do?

Answer:
 Are you really saying that it's the driver's fault because they should have had a reasonable expectation that their car might have gotten hit by a golf ball and chose to drive a different route to avoid the damage?Answer #2: You're absolutely responsible. If you get sued you will almost certainly lose.Answer #3: See if the school has insurance to deal with this, or possibly the golf course. Otherwise you may be responsible.Answer #4: Well, you're responsible because you broke the window.

But

> Multiple calls later (where he had not even called the golf course or my school) he said I have 24 hours to pay or he will take legal action

This seems...odd for an insurance rep/agent. Usually there'd be things like written demand letters, invoices, etc.

What are you being asked to pay for exactly? And how much/how was this amount arrived at?Answer #5: I think you're getting confused about the concept of someone who buys or builds a home on a golf course.  Here in Florida, if you own a home on a golf course you don't get to sue if your home is damaged by an errant golf ball, unless here is negligence involved.  That's different from a car driving by on a public street.  Yes, it was an accident, but you caused the damage.  You didn't do it intentionally, but a complete stranger was damaged because of your actions.  You need to pay them.  You could give suing the golf course a try.  An argument could be made that they should have some minimum protection agains golf balls hitting cars.


Title: 18 year old sister is getting charge with misdemeanor from undercover alcohol selling sting. [Oklahoma]

Question:
My 18 year old sister works at CVS and just last Thursday, a group of undercover police agent along with a kid that is under 21 came in and did a sting where they asked the kid to try and buy alcohol. My sister rarely deals with alcohol sales so she is not familiar with looking at other people's license and identifying their age.  She accidently mistaken the kid's age for being over 21 and entered in the wrong birthday into the computer thus finalizing the sale. Afterwards the two undercover cop came over and brief on how she just commited a misdemeanor and took a photo of her, her ID, and asked for her social security number. Both of those agent did not display their badge during the encounter. Afterward they wrote her a "paper" stating that she has the option to surrender herself in and plead guilty for selling alcohol for a minor. She would then had to pay the fine and perhaps get a misdemeanor on her record. The main reason why she does not want to get a misdemeanor is because she is about to start her first year of college within a few weeks. Just the entire ordeal had shooken her up both emotionally and physically. She hasn't been eating and has been crying ever since. My sister is a good person and she made an honest mistake. She is a straight A student that wants to become a neurosurgeon one day. We do not want this small encounter ruin her entire career as it will in a way affect her scholarship eligibility and med school. Is there anything we could do to get this dropped or avoid getting a misdemeanor? Thank you all.
Topic:
Alcohol Related Other than DUI

Answer:
 She should get a criminal defense attorney. They may be able to work out a plea deal or get her into a diversion programAnswer #2: She needs a lawyer.

It doesn’t sound like a scam unless they asked her for cash.


Title: NELNET Student Loan lender saying I owe on Student loans that I did not take out

Question:
I took out a student loan in 2013 to attend trade school with a company called TFG and we paid those off in full. Now - 4 years later - NELNET is calling me saying that I have a student loan that is delinquent and will need to pay or it will start affecting my credit.

I know for a fact that we never took out federal student loans. What do I do?

Edit: I am in CA now but the private loan was taken out in Florida

Answer:
 Check your credit report to see if a loan was taken out using your identity.  If so, you need to call the police about identity theft and follow up with the lender with the police report so they can go after the correct person.

Ask for the debt verification, which means they'll have to provide you a paper trail showing the origination of the loan and that you owe the money.  They may have purchased a loan that was already paid off, and didn't realize it.


Title: Can an employer fine an employee? (NC)

Question: I work at a convenience store where we sell cigarettes and alcohol. State laws say I have to card anyone who is under 27 for tobacco products and 35 for alcohol. The store just got bought out. The new franchise says we have to ask everyone (even elderly) their ages and card anyone under 40 and they will be holding company stings to make sure cashiers actually do this. If a sting happens and you don't do this you will get a write up and fined $100. I work minimum wage ($7.25) and only work 20 hours a week, so this fine would be almost a months worth of pay. Is this legal? I joined before this policy was put in place if that matters

Answer:
 An employer can't fine you, or remove money from your paycheck for failing to card someone. They can, however, fire you for failing to do your job, which, considering the retailer would be liable for selling to a minor, would be very likely.

Also, no it doesn't matter when you joined.

 If they do fine you or someone for failing to card someone, bring it up with the state DOL.Answer #2: Look here:

http://www.nclabor.com/wh/fact%20sheets/deductions_from_wages.htm

Two thoughts:

1) This seems like an easy rule not to break. Why not just card everyone and be done with it?

2) What a crappy company to work for. Threatening to fine you? Governments fine people, not companies. Your employer has a legitimate business interest in ensuring that you card people, and the rules it's imposing are reasonable and calculated to ensure there's no violation of laws on alcohol and tobacco sales. But do you want to work for a company that thinks the way to discipline low wage employees is to take their money?


Title: Jerk Professor takes off 20 points for each mistake. These mistakes are often not given to us before hand. My best friend will lose her scholarship/Financial Aid because of this

Question:
In North Carolina. Obligatory: Professor has tenure. Additionally: There are grammar errors in this post. That's because this is Reddit, not a college essay.

&#x200B;

Over the summer my best friend and I are taking a class online for the month of June. It's a technical writing class for our discipline, and it's supposed to be very hard.

However, not this hard.

Every single day, 4 days a week, there are two assignments. Each assignment will have 10 or 20 points taken off for minor errors. While this is outlined in the syllabus, there are tons of ways these errors can be "manifested." Additionally, if these errors are repeated, he takes even more points off the next time. However, he doesn't give us our grades back until after we do the next assignment, so it's impossible to make any sort of grades. I haven't got anything above a 60 yet, and she hasn't scored above a 70. Granted, many of those errors were lined out, but his behavior is incredibly unprofessional.

&#x200B;

Additionally, the class is structured to replicate a normal class. As such, "in-class" assignments can ONLY be taken in certain set 2-hour periods, from 10-12, 3-5, and 7-9. Is this legal for an online class?

&#x200B;

We are both 4.0 students, who are known for being some of the hardest working students in our major. While I was fortunate to have my education paid for, she is relying on scholarships, many of which require 4.0 GPA. I'm honestly not even mad for myself, but for her. This is wrong.

What action can I take to make this right? We're both rising seniors, and honestly, we'd rather not get expelled. However, this is just wrong. Not one single student I've talked to, not even the really brilliant ones, have said they got an A in the class from previous semesters.

I'm planning on recording every single piece of correspondence, and going to the chair of the department (whom I know), and if that doesn't work we may try to go to the Vice-President of the school, (whom she has met with before). However, let's get real. The professor has tenure.

Answer:
 The scholarships require you get a perfect GPA?

That doesn’t sound right. It’s totally unreasonable.

Professors have a ton of ability to decide how their grades are give out.


Title: Hey Reddit,

Question: So yesterday I was at a Mall near me playing an “Arcade Game”. The point of the game is you move around a stick and try and win a prize of an Iphone Xs Max.  After playing for 20 minutes I finally got the prize and the second I won a security guard too the prize, told me I was cheating the game for playing so long and kicked mr out of the mall and threatened to call the cops. After i said to call the cops bc they had just robbed me they restrained me and kicked me out. I am 15 btw, what can i do against the mall and how do i get my Iphone back.

Answer: Oh man you were robbed, call your local non emergency police line ASAPAnswer #2: Yeah, that guard completely robbed you for that iPhone. Call the cops as soon as you can


Title: Can I get fired?

Question: So I work at a drop in child care and this one family has 2 little boys (3M and 5M)the littlest one doesn’t like coming to the drop in he cries and will not get out of the car so the mom always has to take him with her to work. I went over once to babysit for them and both boys absolutely loved having me over so the mom asked if I could watch the boys Monday-Wednesday while she went to work. I said yes and I’m getting payed more than the day care, I still work at the drop in along with my third job. My boss is really pissed off which I understand but also i think it’s really shitty she’d prefer to make money over keeping a little boy from crying and mother from getting work done and losing out on these children getting taught. She said that she will be letting everyone know that from this day forward employees will not be allowed to babysit for families that come to the drop in during business hours (even if you’re not working that shift) or consequences will happen. She said she would let me slide for this family but not others. I had a few families that looked like I would be babysitting for and several other girls. Is it possible for our boss to fire us due to taking a babysitting job in our free time for people who are members at the day care? I can’t remember what she called the act of my watching these children but it started with an ‘M’

Answer:
 Moonlighting?

Depends on the location, but most places in the US allow for you to be fired for any reason (except protected classes such as race, religion, old age, etc) at any time.Answer #2: >  Is it possible for our boss to fire us due to taking a babysitting job in our free time for people who are members at the day care?

Yes, it is.  Stealing work from your place of employment is an excellent reason to fire employees.Answer #3: Location matters, but in the US you can generally be fired at any time, for almost any reason. So yes, they can fire you for this.

You're also acting as, essentially, a direct competitor to them, so it's not that strange they don't like that.


Title: FERPA

Question: I took a recently took a course that was highly competitive. We were made to trade tests between other student to grade during class.  Our names/identities were not concealed.  Would this fall under FERPA of being not permitted?  If educators can not release information about student, wouldn't this fall under that?

Answer: No. There's a specific exemption for Peer Grading.


Title: Property of Deputy seized, to be sold at auction to pay off shooting victim. Can someone help me understood this? (FL)

Question:
Link here:

http://www.leoaffairs.com/news/deputys-property-seized-sold-auction-pay-off-shooting-victim/

I'm not understanding how in a good shooting a deputy can have his property seized. How isn't the city backing him up here?

Answer: The jury awarded a 22 million dollar verdict against him.


Title: [FL] Got married on monday, and just realized today my maiden name is on the marriage license. Has my name changed? If not how do I go about fixing this without spending a lot of money?

Question: This is so frustrating, I specifically asked the clerk if my maiden name would be in a separate box on the license or if I would just take on my Husbands name automatically, she said automatically, now i'm reading that that may not be the case. Please help me to understand, very stressed out new wife over here. Thanks in advance!

Answer: First, go to the SS office with your marriage cert and get your name changed there. Then you can go to the DMV (give it a few days to get in the system) and change your name there and get a new ID. And then you are legally name changed. Woot! Congrats on the marriage.


Title: SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY since 2015 what can I do!!!!

Question: In 2015 in Ohio I hit the back of someone's car and someone hit me. The cops came and told me I was okay to go, only asked for my name, license, and gave me his card and I was able to go. I moved quite a lot during that time and never received the letter about going to court. Fast forward to now, court happened. The insurance company sued me for 10K and suspended my license indefintely. I cannot get my license until I pay 10%-20% down( I cannot set up payments for this amount) and set up 200 monthly payments until the remaining amount is paid. I desperately want to get my license back, no I cannot get any loans, I don't have anyone that can help me financially with this. I currently live in NYS, and I have tried going to the DMV, I have reread the court documents and I have tried contacting the DMV for more advice and they only tell me to contact the law office that has the debt but when I call the office is stated as a collection agency. Im just confused and feel as if there is no chance of me getting my license back. Please help me

Answer: What are you confused about? You caused an accident and damaged someone's property. They sued you. You moved so much and, I assume, didn't update your address with the DMV or otherwise were unreachable. You lost. You owe money and the courts suspended your license as incentive to pay. A collection agency (which is also an attorney office) holds that judgement and you need to pay.


Title: Amazon is a bunch of mindless machines and should I sue?

Question: I ordered a used 1500 dollar lens through Amazon... an order guaranteed by their A-to-Z Guarantee.  I received a notification that the item was shipped about 10 days later only to find out that according to the tracking number, the item was delivered the week before in my town.  After a lot of research it turns out the seller attached a tracking number of a package with baking mat sent to an address in my town. I filed a claim and appeals with Amazon, but "The seller has provided us with the USPS proof of delivery for this order which confirms that this package was delivered at your address with signature confirmation".  I finally filed a claim with my credit card but who knows how that will turn out... can I sue Amazon?  Maybe small claims court.  I'm from Illinois.

Answer: Your recourse is against the seller. If the chargeback doesn't work sue them. Answer #2: Have you contacted the Post Office about this signature?


Title: My girlfriend is unable to work Sundays for religious reasons. Can her boss force her to come into work with threat of being fired if she doesn't go in? (New Jersey)

Answer: It is going to depend on the nature of the work and workplace to determine whether it would be an undue hardship on the employer.


Title: My mom has a warrant for her arrest for something she didn't do

Question:
My mom's (now)ex boyfriend gave her permission to use his card for stuff that he needed but they had a big falling out because he was abusing drugs in our household. He is now claiming that he didn't give her permission and they had pictures of her taking money out when he said she could use his card when they were together. She now has a warrant for her arrest in which the cop said she could turn herself in, in the morning.

The detective came to our house the other day and basically wanted to see her side of the story. We told him that he let her use the card to get stuff he needed(I've personally heard him say she can use  it). He left and he told us he would keep us updated but now she gets a call with this. But I want to know where we go from here. I don't really know what to do.

We live in New Hampshire.

Answer:
 Your mom needs a lawyer right now.

She should absolutely not talk to police. Absolutely, positively not talk to police.


Title: US- Ohio- gas company destroyed mature holly bush

Question: Last fall, the gas company was doing some digging around my house and in the process destroyed a mature holly bush that was about 6 feet tall, and had a diameter of about 4 feet.  While this bush was very pretty, it also helped protect the corner of the house.  I asked them to replace it with another mature holly bush, but their subcontractor said they are unable to find one.  Are they obligated to replace it with a similar bush, or compensate me for the loss of my bush?  I've included a MS paint diagram [here](http://imgur.com/XjwLOeM)

Answer:
 IANAL, but know a tad about public utility easements. Basically, under your property where the gas company has their service line running to your meter is free for them to do whatever maintenance they deem necessary and prudent. If the meter or line was anywhere close to the holly bush, you might be out of luck. From the Columbia Gas website on easements:

It’s important that property owners not install any structures, store anything that could be an obstruction, or
plant trees or shrubs along the right-of-way. Normal gardening
and agricultural activities are generally acceptable.

I think if you wanted to pursue the replacement of your holly bush, you'd need to prove that they damaged something that was not in their right-of-way or easement agreement. Some easement agreements can allow them to dig or disturb up to 25 feet away from their line, so you might want to look that information up before trying to get them to replace or reimburse you for the bush. Otherwise they could just point you to the easement and tell you to pound sand. I believe the easement should be listed in your property deed or title paperwork.