Title: [Pittsburgh PA] Vacant neighboring property beeping every 34 seconds

Question:
I just bought a house, and it has a party wall on one side. The attached house is long-term vacant and owned by a non-local LLC who bought it a few years ago, according to tax records. There's a sign in the front window that says it was winterized.

The vacant house has a smoke detector that beeps every 34 seconds that I can hear from our bedroom. I think it's a chirp for a dying battery, but based on how long it's been ongoing, it is possible that it's an A/C powered smoke alarm with a backup battery, which means it could conceivably go on forever(?) although I was initially doubtful that power is on at a vacant house. I submitted a 311 request and they marked the issue as closed, and said that there's really nothing they can do about it but they can send someone out to investigate. Unsure if they are planning to do that or not.

I want the beeping to stop. I'm here for suggestions, commiseration, further questions, etc., if you would be so kind as to weigh in.

Answer:
 My suggestion would be to contact law-enforcement’s nonemergency number and file a noise complaint.   Maybe a call from law-enforcement will get the owners moving more quickly.

How do you sleep??


Title: Friend being framed for drug possession. Help!

Question: My friend was on the way to work this morning with a co-worker in his car and was pulled over for speeding. The officer then checked his vehicle and found it was clean but found "more than one but less than three grams of a controlled substance" on his passenger's person. The passenger is claiming the drugs belong to my friend and has blatantly asked him to take the fall for him and refuses to come clean. I've been told that they will both be charged if they won't agree on who the drugs belonged to. What can my friend do? He is on parole for something completely unrelated and I'm afraid he'll go back to prison for a long time over this.

Answer:
 He can hire an attorney.

He could easily go back to prison for violation of his parole since he was around someone doing/possessing drugs.


Title: Title company missed mortgage on house and sent us the check. Can we just not pay mortgage?

Question:
Edit: This in Florida and home was sold beginning of November of last year.

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Hi, we sold a home that is in an open estate. The home has a mortgage. The title company missed the mortgage and sent the check to the executor of the estate.

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An acquaintance of ours told us not to pay off the mortgage at this point, that the title insurance will have to pay off the loan.

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Is this true? If the title company pays off the bank, can the title company come after us/the estate to recoup their loss? Thanks for any help.

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Edit: What if we didn't pay off the mortgage and the new owner of the home sold the home immediately? The title insurance would have to pay off the loan, vs waiting to collect from us?

Answer:
 "Don't pay your mortgage" is generally terrible advice.

If this is some kind of lightning striking exception to that, I'm unaware of it.


Title: Neighbor dispute becomes felony vandalism and restraining order. Keep lawyer or hire a new one?

Question:
California
I showed my new neighbor the property lines and corners after he bought the house next door. I actually had the survey company do it bc they were out and he was asking what they were doing.  A previous owner had encroached in our land and we have been trying to rectify it. I then left the state for two years and rented the house to a friend. Came back to see lights and cameras installed on my property. Also he has cameras directed toward my home from his property.

The gate is a problem. It is unpermitted. One post is on his side and one is on mine. His doorbell callbox is on my property just beyond his easement.

I returned to Cali to find lightbulbs installed on the post on my side. I removed the bulbs and smashed them. On his side, He had turned the fixture so the opaque panel was toward the trees and the light is directed toward my bedroom. He obviously is trying to annoy me with the light.

I turned his light on the pillar so the opaque panel was between the light and my bedroom and went to bed. Every night was like this for two weeks. Finally one night I come home drunk to find the light shining on my bedroom again. I turn the light and it pulls itself off of the pillar.   A few days later I get arrested for felony vandalism.

The guy who sold my neighbor the house busted in my front door and wasnt arrested even for misdemeanor vandalism. Both neighbors are entertainment industry types so the coos kiss their ass.

My attorney has t been able to get the restraining order dropped nor the felony vandalism. He says they will give me a misdemeanor but not dismiss bc I violently broke my own light.

He wants me to take a deal. I want to go to court. I want to sue the cops who arrested me for this trumped up fake crime. I feel like my neighbor harassed me and filmed it to create a case. He is a movie producer so creating and selling stories is his thing.

I feel like the case and TRO should be dismissed bc, as the cops told me when grammy winning drummer busted in my door: “its difficult to prove intent.”

Do. i fire this atty and find a junk yard dog or not? Do I take the deal or go to trial?

Answer:
 You turned a civil issue into a criminal issue. You should have sued him in small claims reference the lights,not escalated it into vandalism.

I'm assuming the neighbor had surveillance cameras and that's how the cops positively identified you as the person that broke the bulbs.

It must have also been a considerable amount of damage considering the threshold for felony vandalism is 400 dollars. You have no chance to sue the cops.


Title: [New York] How to investigate a shady business

Question: The store I manage (which shall obviously remain nameless) does business in an incredibly shady and sketchy way that I'm about 90% convinced is completely illegal.  I've already done a bit of digging on my own, and discovered that one of our stores is actually rented as an apartment; another has no emergency exits.  Our business license is actually in the name of a contruction/real estate/401k company (yeah, if that sounds strange to you, you're not alone).  My question is this: how might I go about a proper investigation of their business practices?  I don't want to go to the authorities just yet, as I have no proof whatsoever.  That being said, I'd like to find out the nature and extent of their wrongdoing, so that I can decide if this is a company I really want to continue to work for.  Sorry if this is the wrong place for this, I just didn't know who else to ask.

Answer:
 You're really not giving enough I do to make useful suggestions to address the question.

And it's not your job. If you're not comfortable with them, find another job.

If you think they're evading taxes, call the IRS. If you think they're breaking drug laws call the local police. If you think the buildings are unsafe call the fire department or the building inspectors. Etc.


Title: FL - small business owner and father of 6 yr old dies without will, ex-wife and mother begins selling personal possessions

Question: A friend of mine is upset because her former boss, a local comic store owner, died unexpectedly and without a will. His ex wife has announced a garage sale in which she is selling all his "useless junk." That stuff will likely hold sentimental value for his daughter; she is six, and the ex is her mother. Is there anything that can be done?

Answer: Chances are the ownership falls to the daughter but the mother is the guardian of the daughter. Unless someone gains guardianship of the daughter then probably not much can be done.


Title: [California] Sending DMCA Takedown to Home Depot

Question:
Home Depot (HD) is currently using an image I took on a product page to sell products.  I've navigated the HD website but cannot find the legal contact to send my DMCA takedown notice.

Anybody have any info?  This matter seems too small to hire a lawyer (as DMCA takedowns can be sent by the copyright holder), but I do not want my image on their website, for them to make a profit, without any compensation.

The image in question is located here, it is the main image:  http://www.homedepot.com/p/Energizer-Fusion-Lantern-and-Compact-2-in-1-Combo-Flashlight-ENFMPUCHE/205960263?keyword=ENFMPUCHE

Edit:  Here's my original photo:  http://i.imgur.com/08c66b3.jpg

Thanks!
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 How certain are you that it's the same image? Is there something in the metadata which shows that it's yours? Was this part of a project you were hired to do for them, but they reneged on their end?

Product discription photos like this, by their nature, are going to look similar. How are you going to show that this photo is yours, in order to provide proof that you're the copyright owner?

Sending a DMCA takedown request doesn't cost you anything, but unless you've registered the copyright on the image, you're going to find it difficult to get any compensation from it, since you wouldn't be eligible for statutory damages and would have to prove your damages in court.


Title: [CO]Boss cut my hours and now I can't support myself. Is there anything I can do?

Question: Out of nowhere my managers cut my hours from 30 to 20 hours a week. I very subtle hinted about it to one of my managers hoping she would fix it but then when I saw the schedule for next week I was literally only scheduled for 3 hours the entire week. Is there anything I can do about this?

Answer: You can file for unemployment while you look for a new job. Unless you are contractually guaranteed a certain number of hours a week.Answer #2: You can find a new job.


Title: Hypothetical: If I get pulled over for something minor(speeding, light out etc) and they ask to search my vehicle, can I say no?

Question: So lets say a driver gets pulled over for something minor, a little speeding, a taillight out or something that is common. If the cop asks to search the vehicle, can the driver say no and how would one handle that situation, and for this scenario, lets just say that the driver of the vehicle is completely innocent (aside from the speeding or minor infraction) with no drugs, no smell of drugs or doing anything funny, also don't have any pedestrians and the driver is your theoretical near perfect civilian.. What is the drivers options to protect himself in case he is arrested? Im in Texas, but I think this can cover a broader area.

Answer:
 You can say no to any search. The officer will then decide if he has probable cause to search anyway. Or the officer can call and request a warrant.

If you are arrested you protect yourself by shutting up, being polite, then calling an attorney when able. Answer #2: Always say no, no matter what.

If they want to search your vehicle, home, or yourself. It doesn't matter if you have nothing on you.

Never consent to any searches if they cops want to search you they will. They will either have probable cause, make up probable cause, or get a warrant.


Title: Unsavory Neighbors Advice

Question:
I have a 65 year old woman who lives next door to me, and for the last year (since I moved in) she has been 100% quiet, with little to no activity at her house.

Two weeks ago, her LOSER son (45 years old) and his daughter (18?) seemed to have moved in.  Along with them, the daughter's boyfriend (late 20's) has also seemed to have moved in.

Almost every single night the last 2 weeks has been the same:

* Dad leaves around 7PM for his night shift somewhere
* All of her/his friends roll in around 12AM and go into the garage and make loud noise until 5AM
* People constantly coming/going (drug use?)

It wasn't until the last few days when I realized that they absolutely have to be dealing drugs - just due to the amount of strangers coming/going.

I thought maybe it would work itself out if the Dad caught wind of anything, but on Saturday he didn't have work and he was in the garage with them partying all night.

Then last night, my Survelliance Camera above the garage picked up the boyfriend on the phone talking to someone else:

* Saying he didn't have his money
* Saying he will "lay him down"
* saying he will shoot him with his AR-15
* Talks more about the guns he has and what he'll do with them

So now it's gone from an annoyance to a seriously dangerous situation.

We are planning on contacting the police about this - but MY QUESTION FOR ALL OF YOU:

How do we go about this in a way where the neighbors don't catch on to the fact that it was us who tipped off the police?  Is there a way to request that the police keep us completely anonymous?

The biggest issue is that we are virtually the ONLY number with both eyes/ears on them (no one across the street and no one on the other side - its the end of a street).  So I worry that they would know it was us/retaliate.

Thoughts/advice?

Answer:
 You can ask the police not to tell your identity to them, and if they're not idiots they'll keep it from them for as long as possible. But definitely call the police.Answer #2: You might also want to see if the police could bring in Adult Protective Services — just to make sure your elderly neighbor isn't being taken advantage of.Answer #3: Call the police to make noise complaints. Call every single day they make noise. Call every hour they make noise after the police have left.  Keep calling and calling. The squeaky wheel gets the grease and all of that.

As for the drug stuff... you should be able to anonymously report it.


Title: Apartment Landlord threatening to evict

Question: [Omaha, NE] So I've been at this Apartment complex for little over 2 years now its a nice place they're quick with maintenance and I haven't had any issues until just recently. One of the women that work in the leasing office is very cute and nice we talked a few times and i asked for her number and we've texted and I actually just got back from having coffee with her. Earlier when i got home though there was a notice on my door saying that i have violated the terms of my lease by seeing her and talking to her in the office and that if it happens again i will be evicted. I reread my entire lease agreement front to back and no where in there is anything about talking to or dating an employee. If they if out we went on a date can they actually evict me? Could i fight this if it came to that?

Answer:
 Are you sure it was from the landlord and not a jealous ex?  I would take it to the rental office and show them/her.

If this is really from them, a polite email reminding them of the law and your lease terms may be in order.

The idea is ridiculous, but if you are served, you must show up in court to avoid a default judgement.


Title: Filing a police report for rape

Question:
First of all, I'm in California.

Tomorrow morning I'm filing a police report for a rape that happened about three weeks ago.

I wrote up a report in case the police want it, describing me, the perpetrator (I have his contact information), date and time of the crime, location of the crime, Google map satellite photo of the location (the location is a little strange), our text messages, emails, and a summary of what happened that night.

Is it a good idea to give all of that to the police? I've never filed a police report so I don't know what's going to happen. I'm going to be going in with a Victim Advocate. What should I look out for when they question me? Should I bring a copy of the Judicial Council of California Criminal Jury Instructions for the crimes he committed?

I really appreciate any replies. Thank you.

Edit: In my description of the crime, I made sure to keep it not emotional. It's super factual.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 >Should I bring a copy of the Judicial Council of California Criminal Jury Instructions for the crimes he committed?

Definitely don't do that, they'll think you're really weird.

Bring in whatever factual information you have.Answer #2: ||Police redditor here with 8 years in the sex crimes/child abuse unit.

Suspect contact info, crime scene data, text messages & emails.  I only wish that I had victims that were as well prepared.

The only thing you might want to hold back on his your narrative.  The reason I say that is because you do not know how that agency likes to memorialize victim's statements.  When I was a detective we always used audio.  It is good because it captured the victim's state right after a sexual assault and that always played well to a jury if it was admitted into evidence.  Secondly, unless you have been sexual assaulted before you do not know every question that the investigators will have for you.  There was always a few questions I had that were designed to illicit a particular response.

Finally, unless you would walk into your doctor's office with the PDR I would not walk into the police station with a law book so that you can educate the cops.  I can attest that the one thing 99.9% of all cops do not like is being treated like they are doughnut munching morons (even if they are, in fact, doughnit munching morons).  You need to realize that you absolutely need the detective in your corner and willing to fight for you.  I have seen what happens when a detective does not like the victim.  They have several dozen cases to work and only 40 hours a week to work.  You do not want to be on the bottom of their priority list.


Title: How can I stop my driver's education program from cancelling my driving test appointment? Is it legal for them to do this?

Question:
So I signed up for a 400 dollar Driver's ed. Great program no issues.

However, they signed up for the road test FOR me. Using my DOB and my New York State learner's permit ID (the nine digit code on my permit)

Now, the date ended up working perfectly since I would be coming back from vacation and my father would have off that day.

However, now I've been told unless I pay them 100 dollars and use the driver's ed car, they will cancel the appointment for me.

I've tried logging into my account on several different browsers at once, and sadly the site allows you to be logged on despite being at several different locations at once.

Does anyone know what I can do to stop them from cancelling my appointment? I called my local DMV and I just got a robot saying information about my appointment.

I was thinking of calling the driving school and lying to them that I would take their car and that the appointment date is good to go. But I don't know...

edit:

TO CLARIFY. The driver's ed was 400 bucks. thats over now its all good and dandy. but NOW the same people who run driver's ed are offering a deal where you pay 100 bucks and use the car you used in driver's ed (i guess for kids who are scared to use their parent's car idk)

however, if you dont pay that 100, they cancel your appointment aswell...

Answer: Whats the 100 bucks for? Answer #2: So they set up an account on the DMV's site for you? Change the password so they can't mess around with your information, and if you can't get a human on the phone, try to get to a local DMV office to talk to someone.Answer #3: There doesn't seem to be anything stopping you from setting up your own appointment with a car that you provide.


Title: Florida- My Coworkers And I Think We Need To Call The Dept Of Health On Our Workplace. How Do We Do That?

Question:
Reasoning?

Cockroaches.

I work in a call center infested with cockroaches. Management says they spray but it never happens, ever.

I've had cockroaches crawl across my desk while on a call before. Other coworkers have had cockroaches crawl up their legs. They're frequently spotted on walls. More frequently spotted in bathrooms.

The bathrooms aren't up to code. The doors don't lock (they have a lock, it doesn't work) and the toilets are frequently unusable because of pee on the seat and in the bowl. They're also little toilets, like for a preschool.

A coworker walked into the bathroom one day to find 3 cockroaches on a toilet seat.

One coworker, working overtime, noticed a cockroach on the floor in her cubicle, stood up and pulled the seat back, and noticed at least 10 to 20 cockroaches scattering.

i know the real solution is just to 'not work there' and i'm working up to that, but in the meantime, what is there to do?

also, is there any regulation re: employees coming in with contagious illnesses and being forced to work through their shift, even if they can't hold a conversation due to hacking and coughing, and/or frequently vomit? i know that sounds petty but it's a bit dangerous.

i AM looking for other work (for me, this means acquiring a wheelchair, so i can work somewhere typically thought of as a standup job) but i'd like to keep the job if we could...you know...not be crawling with cockroaches.

Answer:
 Just get on your phone and call the health department.   Not complicated.  Answer #2: IANAL but I have lived in Florida and know about the roaches.

My gut instinct would be to get [OSHA](https://www.osha.gov/) involved. Roaches and dirty toilets can get you sick; no good.

Again, not a lawyer, just suggesting a possible place to start. I wish you luck and a clean bathroom. ;)


Title: Threatening to sue over a $100 contest

Question:
Back in July, I hosted a contest to promote my mobile app. The contest was to encourage people to play the game to reach a score threshold, and the qualifying scores would get put into a hat and randomly drawn. The app is a free app, so no one has to buy anything.

The contest ends and I draw the winner. I contact the winner the only way that I was able to, which was through facebook, to get some information so that they can claim the $100. However I don't get a response or any kind of inquiry. I waited, but ended up having to draw another person in another contest a month and a half later because the first contest winner didn't claim it.

But then the winner of the first contest contacts me 2 days ago asking for it. I tell him that its long past because he didn't even inquire about it at (since mid July 2015). He's complaining that I didn't properly contact him, mostly because he didn't provide any more information for me to contact him other than through facebook.

He's threatening to sue for false advertisement and I guess emotional damage. Now, I don't mind giving the dude the $100 just to shut him up, mostly because I'm leaving for the military soon, and if I have something like this on me I'm pretty sure it'll stop me from going, but I'm wondering if I am legally obligated to pay out? And how long, because now, he's wanting it immediately. And by immediately I mean... like within an hour. Which I couldn't do because I wasn't at a computer to do so at the time, and plus I wanted to know if I legally have to pay it out. Unfortunately, I didn't put an expiration to the claiming the prize, but at the same time, he didn't give me the information needed in order for him to get said prize, nor did he ask about it for 6 months.

Edit: I'm in NC, but I don't know where the guy lives.

Edit2: Just found out that the guy lives in a different state up north. From some things that I've read, to file small claims, one would need to serve me while I'm in their state, or vice versa, which the chances of that are near zero. And as I understand it, one would need to file the claim with the court in my county, correct? If that's the case, the fee for that is $97... I'm increasingly starting to feel much better about this. And apparently, if the person aren't able to follow the directions of a simple contest, chances are, they won't be able to file a claim correctly.

This would fall under small claims and not false advertisement, correct? Because I didn't falsely advertise anything. He just didn't do what he needed to do in time.

Answer:
 So, first, you should look to the terms and conditions of your contest (you do have them, right), to make sure that you were allowed to do what you did.

But, second, I would just ignore this guy.  For $100, it's just not going to be worth it for him to go after you.   Often, the people who complain and threaten the most are the ones who don't actually end up doing anything. Answer #2: He'll spend more money setting up to sue you than the 100$ he's fighting for.

Doubt he will

Not a lawyer so you might have better responses
And idk if its legal or not


Title: (MN) Can my uncle who is a convicted felon get in trouble if he is with me and I am lawfully carrying a firearm?

Question:
My uncle will soon be released from prison for second degree murder. I have been planning on getting my cc license for awhile, and it just so happens that the day I turn 21 and the day my uncle is released are pretty close to each other. I told my uncle about it awhile back and he recommended against getting a gun (he is very anti-gun).

He told me that part of his release means he can't be around someone who has a gun for at least a year. I wouldn't put it past him to make this up (he really really hates guns). I just wanted to know if this was to true. If so then I would be willing to wait a year.

TL;DR - title

Answer:
 It's a bad idea for him to be around one, sure.  First, many states do prohibit felons from being around guns and people who carry guns.  That's intended to keep them away from the bad elements that may have gotten them in trouble in the first place.

Second, as a felon barred from having guns, he needs to be concerned about the possibility of "constructive possession" of a gun or gun-related object.  As an example, if he's found in your car and you have, say, a box of bullets or a magazine, then he could be charged with that.


Title: Upstate NY- A package arrived today on my doorstep with $10,000 in cash, in an amazon box. It was only marked "Current Resident"

Question: [removed]

Answer: Probably counterfeit money ordered by someone planning to grab it off your step.  Call the police.


Title: Polk County FL: Brother just hit my mom, mom won't press charges

Question:
Background: My parents, my brother and I all live together in the same house. My brother is a deadbeat who refuses to leave the house for any reason and refuses to chip in. He's been here for over two decades now. He's also severely mental ill; he thinks my parents are part of a grand conspiracy with all the doctors in the state to destroy his reputation, he thinks the apocalypse has happened/will happen soon, etc. I don't just mean "he says goofy things," he's been Baker Act'd before, and he clearly has trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality. Unfortunately, he's also really smart, and has a Master's degree in psychology. He's managed to convince every medical professional so far that he's perfectly fine, and won't even discuss the prospect of going back. I've only learned now that he's gotten violent with my mom before, but she never told me. My parents have told him to leave multiple times, but he refuses.

The event: I heard my mom scream from across the house, so I ran to see what was happening. I saw my brother holding my mom against the wall with one hand and slapping her with the other. I shoved him off and punched him in the face. They argued some more, he moved toward her and I shoved him back again. Things cooled off, my dad and I consoled my mom, and I urged her to call the police. I tried as hard as I could, but she doesn't want the family to lose face. I argued that bit as hard as I could, but she was resolved. My dad agreed with her, and said "we'll just have to wait for him to work through his issues."

My questions: Is there anything I can do if she won't press charges? I'm scared he'll get violent again, and I want to prevent anything from happening to my mom. I'm ready to call the cops any second now, but can they do anything now that the situation is over? I'm also worried that he'll use my punch as legal ammo. I busted his lip, so there's physical evidence. I know he's smart enough that if there's any way he can spin this and make himself the victim, he will. Finally, is there any way to have him permanently removed? He doesn't pay rent, and my parents have threatened him with rent several times, but haven't actually enforced it. I've tried reading the laws on eviction but I don't know if he counts as a tenant or not. Does this event make it easier to have him removed? Thank you everyone in advance for any help. I'll post any additional info needed.

Answer:
 Moms don't press charges, DAs/prosecutors do.

You can call the police to report a crime. They'll likely investigate. Whether or not charges are pressed won't be up to your mother. They can arrest your brother. They can also arrest you for assault, which is what you committed.

Whether or not you call the police is up to you; you do not have a legal responsibility to do so. You will need to balance to risk to you (in terms of your family, and legally) against the benefits.

In terms of eviction, if he's 18 or older they can give him a written 15 day notice to vacate and if he does not they can start legal eviction proceedings.


Title: (X-post from r/Orlando) An Orlando police officer has take my friends dog and refuses to give it back.

Question: An Orlando police office has “rescued” one of my friends dog, did not take it to a local shelter but instead gave it to a friend and now refuses to return it. Please help!!

Answer:
 Talk to a lawyer Immediately.Answer #2: Can you please tell us more about the rescuing ?
Answer #3: Cannot comment on Florida specifically but your friend 100% has a right to that dog. He was actively looking for her, and even if he hadn’t been, they did not make any attempt to list her as a found dog. Unless there is some special “finders, keepers” law in Florida, they’ve stolen a dog.Answer #4: Is your friend able to provide any proof of ownership? Answer #5: I would go to his precinct and ask to speak to his superiors. Show them the proof. Most states have laws that you have to follow when it comes to rescuing animals, and as an officer, he should know them. Also has your friend tried to contact the person who has the dog, and tell them it’s their dog?


Title: I did something very stupid (dined and dashed)

Question:
Hi everyone,

First, as the title says, I'd like to make note that I very well know how stupid this was.

What I think was a little over a month ago, I went out to eat alone. I still don't know why I did it, but I dined and dashed on a bill that was probably only $30.

As if that wasn't stupid enough, I went back to the same restaurant yesterday (alone again). The manager recognized me. She came up to my table and had said "I am the manager here, I wanted to talk about your visit last time. You had ordered __ and ___ and did not pay the check. We will need to request your credit card before ordering today, and we will charge you for last time".

I freaked out. I have a bad case of anxiety, and I felt the on-set of a panic attack. When the manager left to go get the waitress (and then collect my credit card), I left. I got up and fast-paced walked right out of there. I wasn't even thinking, my heart was racing.

I drove away, and since then I have been freaking out that they will "find me". Is it possible? I know there is a possibility of security cameras, etc. but I am freaking out that I will be arrested.

Any thoughts? Again, I know how stupid this was.

Answer:
 Why didn't you just pay when they gave you a second chance?

They probably aren't going to bother looking for you over $30. Needless to say, consider yourself banned from there.

If the police contact you, don't make any statement without consulting an attorney. Answer #2: >"I am the manager here, I wanted to talk about your visit last time. You had ordered __ and ___ and did not pay the check. We will need to request your credit card before ordering today, and we will charge you for last time".

That manager sounds way cooler than I'd be. Go back, apologize, explain what anxiety is and bring money. Pay your bill, tip your wait staff generously, apologize, and maybe you can get out of this without being arrested.Answer #3: If you stop stealing from people you won't have this issue or the worry to go with it.

You can try to go pay the bill. Based on your story so far that seems like a not great idea, but I'm stunned the manager didn't just smile and nod at you then call the cops.

You could also never go back to this restaurant and get an attorney if you're later arrested. Answer #4: Police officers always say they don't catch the smart ones.

It sounds like the restaurant is willing to let you pay your bill without pressing criminal charges. You might want to hire an attorney to talk to the restaurant about settling your debt; that may help you avoid a criminal conviction.

Don't steal food anymore.


Title: My husband's life has been ruined because someone didn't do their job correctly in his youth.

Question:
So this is kind of a long story but bear with me, I am truly looking for some advice in how to handle the situation since we've decided to seek legal advice.

From the ages of 9 to about 13 my husband and his brother were molested by a babysitter. She used to make them do things to each other. Because they had done this from such a young age they both thought it was a normal way to play around so whenever the parents weren't home they'd play this game, even though the babysitter wasn't there anymore.

Well at 13 he and his brother were caught by their mother playing this game. And her first reaction was to call the police. Not only was he charged with a crime but he was also put into foster care by his parents and sent to a state school. When he left the state school around the age of 14/15 he was immediately started to be registered as a sex offender. And that is where the trouble begins.

From the time he left the state school up until he turned 18 he bounced from foster home to foster home and eventually ended up in Oklahoma. He had to register up until 2005. He was arrested for failing to register as a sex offender, even though he had asked a police officer if he had to based on the circumstances and he was told no. The state prosecutor in the case realized it was an offense committed as a minor and dropped the charges. Since that time he has not had to register in the state of Texas.

Flash forward to this month and he has been let go from his job of 8 years and looking for something different. A background check is done at a local staffing office who was looking to fill an office position and it comes back with his Texas record. He fills the lady in on the situation and she stated that if he were to call the Texas Department of safety and have someone provide some sort of documentation that he is not a risk to society he could very possibly have the job.

He calls, gets a bit of a run around until a woman answers his answers and she does not understand why his case is not closed, as it was an offense committed as a minor and it should not affect him as much as it has in adulthood. Two other people he's talked to in the department of safety confirm that they do not understand why he is popping up on the department of safety page in the state of Texas and why his record is affecting him the way it has as an adult. The last person he talked to recommended we get a lawyer to help.

That's where the issue lies, we live in Oklahoma, we just recently bought a house, I'm in nursing school. There's no way we can just relocate to be able to handle this. I need help in finding some sort of way where we can start to take care of this from home, we can commute back and forth from Texas and Oklahoma for hearings if necessary. I need guidance, any and all information you can provide will be extremely helpful. Thank You.

TL;DR: Husband molested by a babysitter for many years. Mother caught him and his brother playing the "game" their babysitter taught them. The police were involved and they charged a 13-year-old with a crime. Fast forward 18 years later and its affecting his ability to get a job after being let go. Three people in the Texas department of safety have said it should not be showing up on a background check and affecting his life. Need advice on how to handle this from the state of Oklahoma.

Answer:
 He does need a lawyer, and shouldn't try to navigate this on his own due to the subject matter and offense at hand. He needs to do this right, so he doesn't have to be answering for this any longer.

Any lawyer can generally represent him on his behalf in Texas, without him needing to be there.


Title: [Oklahoma/California] Just found out I might have a ten year old son

Question:
tl;dr Ex cheated 11 years ago while doing meth, I left, she got pregnant, they got clean, got their shit together but are getting divorced and she told me I'm the father.

So I got contacted by an my ex today.  We had dated in High School in California and afterwards a few years.  She got caught up in meth with her coworkers and started sleeping with a dude.  I found out and left.  Turns out she got pregnant and had a baby.  They both cleaned up and apparently are pretty successful, but they are getting divorced.  She had a hunch a few years ago apparently and thought I could be the dad so got a DNA test (I understand I shouldn't trust her word) and found out the dad isn't the biological father.  He knows but he had already raised the kid for 8 years at the time (the kid eill be 10 soon) and considers himself the dad.  Meanwhile I am married with 2 kids of my own and live in Oklahoma.

She claimed that she doesn't want anything from me, she thought I should know and wanted to know if there was anything in my medical history she should know about.  I brought up a DNA test since I have no reason to trust her and she was willing to allow it.  The kid has no idea and I'm torn whether or not I should try and be involved.  The kid had a dad who loves him and I have my own kids too.

My legal questions are:

Should I get the DNA test?

If I am the biological father, what financial responsibility will I be on the hook for since the other guy is claiming the father status, on the birth certificate, has been the financial provider the whole time, etc.?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: [Here](http://www.okbar.org/members/BarJournal/archive2014/AugArchive14/OBJ8520Keele.aspx) is the information you need to understand your position. As far as the law is concerned, you are not the child's father. The only way paternity can be rebutted now is if your ex, her ex and you agree to do so.


Title: Trouble in South Carolina

Question:
Okay so about two weeks ago, me, my boyfriend and my friend were all visiting this old school house in South Carolina. We went to the river near this old schoolhouse first and then decided to go inside the schoolhouse. The schoolhouse is overgrown and has not been used in over 60 years. Inside this schoolhouse there is lots of graffiti on every wall and there is a wall where people have thrown rocks and it has made smaller holes in the wall (about 4 inches in diameter). My boyfriend chose to throw rocks at the wall and all of a sudden we heard "So you kids like to destroy property in your spare time?". CRAP. So we all go out of the schoolhouse and went to the cops' car. My friend and I got warning tickets and my boyfriend got an actual ticket. Although, this ticket was for trespassing, not vandalism or anything. The ticket code for the law on trespassing is 16-11-600. Whenever you look up this law, it says the law is: "SECTION 16-11-600. Entry on another's pasture or other lands after notice; posting notice.

Every entry upon the lands of another where any horse, mule, cow, hog or any other livestock is pastured, or any other lands of another, after notice from the owner or tenant prohibiting such entry, shall be a misdemeanor and be punished by a fine not to exceed one hundred dollars, or by imprisonment with hard labor on the public works of the county for not exceeding thirty days. When any owner or tenant of any lands shall post a notice in four conspicuous places on the borders of such land prohibiting entry thereon, a proof of the posting shall be deemed and taken as notice conclusive against the person making entry, as aforesaid, for the purpose of trespassing."

This schoolhouse does NOT have any "No trespassing" signs anywhere. We have been here before with no trouble. No one that we know of has gotten in trouble either. The ticket (after he called today) will be $475. Is it a good idea to go to court about this and talk to the judge about it? Or not since the cop could also tell the judge he was destroying the property? PLEASE help.

Other important info:
-there were no "No Trespassing" signs
-the schoolhouse was in a different county that we live in
-he has never been in any trouble before

Answer: What's your defense? You were trespassing. There doesn't have to be a sign.


Title: Our landlord is lying to us about the police.

Question:
There are some relevant pieces of background information I will quickly address before getting to the most recent developments in this story. First of all, we live in an apartment, which we have occupied for ~5 years. Each year, when we renew our lease, we sign a contract as one might expect. A point made in this contract is that if the police are called on you, you will in most cases be given an eviction notice. Additionally, our buildings enforce “quiet hours” after 10pm. This is in the state of Missouri, if that’s relevant at all.

Now, in the five years we’ve lived here, we haven’t had any really bad neighbors (definitely nothing to contact law enforcement about) until recently. We have new couple living next door who routinely get in yelling matches, throw things against walls, and break furniture, usually in the early morning hours. We’ve called the local police department ~10 times now for domestic disputes and noise disturbances.

The most recent of these calls was made a few days ago. After the call was placed, but before the cops arrived, the female left the apartment with a duffel bag. It was in the parking lot that she was confronted by the officers that were just arriving at the scene. There are two versions of the story after this point:

The side of the manager: The manager called my husband this morning to tell him that the police were suspicious that we were calling in false reports because when the police confronted the woman in the parking lot, she said that she was just getting home from work and that nothing had happened. She then went on to say that she would be calling other tenants in the building as witnesses to confirm our claims, as a sort of in-house investigation.

The side of the police: My husband called the police this evening to address this concern and ask if there were any other steps we could be taking to make our calls more credible. The officer cut him off though to tell us that when he confronted the woman in the parking lot, she didn’t say that she was just getting home from work but that there had been an altercation and she was headed elsewhere for the night, since she didn’t feel safe in her own apartment.

All comments are welcome, but my main frustrations are as follows:
- we’re continuously having to deal with a toxic living environment and noise disturbances with no end in sight
- the building has broken contract, in that these people have not been asked to vacate
- the landlord straight up lied to us about a legal issue

We plan on confronting the landlord tomorrow about the lies, but are there any legal steps that could be taken to alleviate any of my aforementioned concerns? Thank you all in advance.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Just because it says in your lease that you will be evicted for the police showing up to your apartment does not mean that they also have the same lease. Leases change from person to person and also depend on when you sign. The best thing for you to do would be to record (keeping in mind local laws) the situation even if its just audio. Then after you have that go to the manger and demand something be done. If your building enforces quiet hours and the incident happens during that time they will have to take action if not during that time then I would still bring the evidence anyways and go from there.


Title: Old employer is demanding I sign patent assignments after quitting. (I bet this will be easy for you guys)

Question:
I got a new job a few months ago and was the principle tech guy at my old job.  I’m now at my new job and my old employer is demanding I sign assignments for new patents they are applying for based on ideas and stuff I had while I was there. I signed a generic NDA and some other agreement when I was hired that states all work I do while I’m there belongs to them. And they were always really vengeful and unprofessional, so I really have no expectation or desire to be involved with them or their dead-end technology.

My question is do I have to sign this stuff and is it even necessary?  These have to be noterized, so it’s a pain in the ass to get it done. And they are patent happy, so I anticipate this happening several times a year. They are offering to pay the notary fee, but nothing else for my time. Like I said, I already signed something while at the company that states all the IP belongs to them.

The owner has a long history of not being thorough and getting into situations where people are taking financial advantage of him. So is the lawyer just milking unnecessary billables?

Answer:
 > my old employer is demanding I sign assignments for new patents

Or what? They'll fire you?

You have zero obligation to do anything for your old employer outside of contractual obligations with your severance/NDA. Answer #2: It sounds like the lawyer is doing the right thing.

You can tell them to take a flying leap (which they can paper over), or you can tell them you want to be compensated for your time in reviewing the patent application & signing off on documents.  Pick one.Answer #3: If you no longer work for them, and don't have any other contractual obligation to do this, then they can't make you do anything at this point.  If you don't want to deal with this, don't.  They should have dealt with that before you quit


Title: (TX) - Is a public school allow to not let a student take a class?

Question:
I have two cousins at a public school in Texas. One was not allowed to take algebra 2 and one was not allowed to take pre-calculus.

Is that legal to not allow a student to take a core math class and instead have them take an easier math course?

I can answer more questions as necessary. This is my first legal advice post.

Answer: Things like placement tests and prerequisites are completely legal and normal.  Teachers and counselors are also allowed to exercise their judgment.  They aren't required to let a student take a class if they don't believe the student can succeed.


Title: Restaurant served us fake meat burgers without our knowledge and then insulted us with a coupon

Question:
This happened in California.  Riverside County in case it matters.

I went to a restaurant with my family last week.  My wife and I both ordered burgers, my 8 year old son got a kids meal with pizza and fries.

After we had paid the check and were ready to leave, the chef came out and rather apologetically told us that he had made a mistake and served us impossible burgers instead of the burgers that we ordered.  We didn't know what that meant but he said they were some sort of alternative burgers.  We didn't really know what to say and kind of just stared at him.  He offered to prepare two new burgers for us to take home, but we declined because we don't really care for eating day-old food.

So anyway we left, and the next day I looked up impossible burgers online, and needless to say neither of us had any intention of eating anything like that.  We paid for real burgers and we got some sort of fake imitation thing.  So I called the restaurant and asked for a refund.  At first the employee said they couldn't do anything, but I insisted on talking to a manager. The manager refused to give a refund, but said we could have 20% off our next meal, which I consider an insult because one I didn't want to eat fake burgers, and two I have no intention of going back there again.

So am I entitled to a full refund here since we didn't get what we ordered?  The total bill was about $43 with tax and tip, and $10 of that was for my son's pizza, so we are looking at about $33 here, which I know is a small amount of money but it's really the principle for me.

Answer:
 No.

They gave you food. You ate it.

Impossible burgers are more expensive than regular meat.Answer #2: It was a complete mistake by the chef. He did the right thing by apologizing  where as I am sure at many places the chef would not come forward about that. Also, imo you are exaggerating the impossible burger as what seems to be some deadly poisonous piece of shit from the way you described it. It is just a burger in which no meat is used. Next, $33 dollars? Really? Your fighting over 33 dollars and you did eat the burger so technically you paid for what you got. If I were you I would calm down and take the coupon. Next time you go back remind them of the scenario and request for something extra. I was a waiter for 2 years and I would be happy to support you if you explained the scenario.Answer #3: Seriously? It's one meal, you wouldn't have known if they didn't tell you. Carry on with your life.Answer #4: Did you notice any difference when you were eating them?Answer #5: They should comp your meal but short of suing them you can't make them.  You haven't been damaged in anyway, it's not like they sold you rotten meat.


Title: $1000 worth of virtual goods stolen.

Question:
***For all who were wondering it's Runescape and the private server is Ikov.***

So there's this game that I'd like to keep anonymous for now. This game is rather popular and people can make their own private servers using assets of the game (idk what else to call it). So I played a private server and decided to purchase some in-game money using my real money. I purchased about $70 worth. I proceeded to gamble with this money until I had ~$1000 worth. I start to sell this money and then I find out I've been banned. So I contact the owner and he says he "couldn't find any log" of why I've been banned and where my stuff went.

I'd like to mention that you can actually "donate" to his/her private server and receive in game items. But it's against the rules to buy from anyone else. I bought from 2 people that were not the owner of the private server: a reputable dealer, and a random person.

This happened ~5 months ago and I only recently checked to see what I had back then would be worth. The items had nearly tripled in price and were now worth $3000+. I'd like to take action against the owner if possible, his/her private server if possible, get ALL of my in-game goods back if possible, or take action against the owner of the site that I bought the items from.

One last thing that may be of interest is that I talked to one of the employees from the original site and he mentioned that he could get me unbanned (meaning he "knows" somebody in my eyes). He did get me unbanned and that's when I noticed my stuff was gone.

I feel that the owner is only letting certain people buy/sell these virtual goods. And is most likely making money off of all of this.

Answer: I would hazard a guess that your private server is not a legally operated server, in which case your recourse legally is absolutely nothing, because you would be the digital equivalent of a meth dealer asking the cops to go after someone who stole their illegal drugs. Except the cops wouldn't even care to go through the effort to arrest you because they don't understand what this is.


Title: New electrical outlet broke my toaster oven

Question: I rent an apartment in New York City. Last week, the building super told me that he would have to bring in electrician in and change out every outlet in the apartment. That was completed on Friday. On Sunday, I tried to plug in my toaster oven, and found that the plug was pretty tight. After struggling for a minute, I got the plug in the wall. But when I was done using the toaster and pulled the plug out, the round of rounding plug stayed in the wall. So now my toaster oven, which probably runs about $50, is broken. The new plugs that the electrician installed appear to be shitty and not equipped to handle appliances. How should I handle this? I think that I should be reimbursed for the cost of the toaster oven. It also seems like they need to bring in outlets and get them changed again, since these don't even accommodate plugs. Do I tell the super that I'm going to take the money to buy a new toaster out of next months rent?

Answer:
 It called a tamper resistant outlet. installed it to be code compliant http://ecmweb.com/content/tamper-resistant-receptacles-rules-have-changed

Depending on the manufacture of the outlet some can be a bit hard to plug in, but as they are used they become smother. In reality your appliance was the at fault item.


Title: [USA North Carolina] Neighbor cut down my tree, I won in district court, he appealed to Superior court...

Question:
Neighbor admitted in District court to cutting down my tree (tree trunk is ON the property line, so law says it's jointly owned and needs BOTH peoples permission to cut it down.)

District court awarded me $4,700 to replace the tree and convicted neighbor of a misdemeanor (damage to real property).

Neighbor's lawyer submitted appeal to Superior court.

They are offering a settlement to have a nursery replace/install a new tree, but they're only offering a 4 ft tree that's worth $400. The tree they cut down was 18 ft tall.

Neighbor is age 78.

District Attorney told me this is a very low priority case and jury trial won't happen for 1-2 years, since he needs to have murder etc cases done first. If neighbor dies in meantime, I get nothing. He said the court only does 12 weeks a year for trials.

**The DA also said he thinks I only have a 30% chance of winning, even if neighbor admits doing it again, and if the jury thinks he's guilty they will say not guilty since they'll feel bad for the old man**

Do you agree with the DA? Or is he only saying that to try to get me to drop the case so he has less work to do?

**What should I do? Should I sue in small claims court for the $4700 since it will be faster?**

Answer:
 So, this was a criminal case, and the guy was ordered to pay restitution.

Yes, you should sue in small claims court.  Bring in a transcript of the testimony in District Court -- that will be admissible in Small Claims.  You will need to have some evidence of the value of the tree.  An 18-foot-tall tree is likely worth a lot more than $4700.

If you win that, then it really doesn't matter if he dies -- you'd have a claim against the estate.Answer #2: > If neighbor dies in meantime, I get nothing.

No, you get restitution from his estate.Answer #3: What's the basis of the neighbor's appeal? Most courts don't accept "But he didn't know it was wrong" or "He's an old man, we shouldn't punish him" considering that this is a class 1 misdemeanor.Answer #4: Now that you have a judgment with a dollar figure attached use that as your basis of any future settlement discussions.

For example, if you feel you have a 60% chance of winning, then you might consider settling for 0.60 x $4,700 = $2,820.

You won’t get the tree back so what would make you whole again? If it is the full $4,700, then pursue what you can get, but take into consideration that there is some value in just being done with it. Answer #5: You seem to be confusing a criminal case for which the DA could get you restitution and a civil case which you bring.

Sue in small claims, get a judgment. If he dies you collect from the estate.


Title: School dosent allow bathroom use in between classes. [NY]

Question:
My high school, due to the vaping epidemic, has closed off use of bathrooms during passing periods and only allows 1 person in each bathroom at a time. There are over 500 kids in my school using 3 bathrooms.

Is this legal? I haven't been able to go to the bathroom because I don't want to miss class material and some one is always in front of me.

If it is legal, could I stop them from doing this? I'm just kind of stressed about having to miss important class material to wait on a bathroom line for 15 minutes.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: These kind of questions have been popping up a lot lately and the general consensus on here is "tell your parents." It may or may not be legal, but either way you won't be the one to get it resolved. Tell your parents and they can and should be the ones to complain if there is anything wrong going on.


Title: [AL] Trying to take employer to court due to unpaid wages, spoke to lawyer, and all of a sudden employer knows

Question:
I'm trying to keep this vague as much as possible.

I am attempting to sue my employer due to unpaid wages.

After months of silence from the employer, I called around to speak to a lawyer, maybe spoke to 2 or 3.  One told me that the amount wasn't worth the time to litigate.  One asked me a lot of information (I asked regarding conflict of interest and was told no), and then, within 2 hours, my employer admins as well as their attorney have opened up my emails again (read receipts) at the same time.

There's no way this is a fluke or they decided to open up this e-mail.  I guess I'm a little concerned about this.  I wrote an e-mail to the last attorney I spoke to, wondering if he said anything to their side already (why would he? we had one phone call), so I'm waiting to hear back.

Thoughts?

Answer: The odds of an attorney risking their license to practice over your case are slim to none.  It’s likely a coincidence, no matter how much you think it isn’t.


Title: (TN) Neighbor Owns Trailer but Lot Owner is Denying All Potential Buyers

Question:
Our neighbors, nice and hardworking folks, own their singlewide trailer and recently moved to Maryland. The trailer park owner, who owns the lot it sits on, is a real jerk. It's abundantly clear his game is to deny every potential buyer and continue collecting lot rent until our old neighbors give (not sell, give) their trailer to him.

Our neighbors recently had some relatives come in to do remodeling, but were given a 1-day eviction notice a few weeks in. The relatives were going to live in it, but their application was denied by the front office. They were also told just today to remove the "For Sale" sign on their trailer, not the yard, or else face a fine from the office. The lease has rules about signs in the yard, but says nothing about on the trailer.

How much protection do these homeowners have in court against such shady practices?

Answer:
 Mobile homes generally have special protection in the law, since you can't just pick up and move the home if it's more than a few years old. Thus, eviction and applicant screening -- even if we're only talking about lot rental for an owned home -- are often more tightly regulated by the state than standard landlord / tenant issues.

I don't know TN's laws, so Google "Tennessee mobile home lot rental laws" and go from there.


Title: I've been evicted

Question: I've been served a 30 day notice to quit. I live in a three unit apartment building.  It was explained to me by my landlord that in order for the new buyers to secure financing they must have proof of a vacant unit in this building.  He explained to me that the bank could not write these people a business loan to aquire the building.  They could however write them a home loan as long as they could prove they had an apartment they could move in to. My question is~ Is this legal and ethical on the part of the bank, the real estate agents involved the buyers/seller? Thank you for your time. Edit; I do not have a lease and I live in Maine.

Answer:
 If you don't have a lease and they've given you 30 days notice, you have to leave. The reasons why they want you out don't matter.Answer #2: You are missing a whole lot of information that is necessary to answer your question, such as where you live, whether you have a lease, when the lease ends, and so on.

Landlords generally do not get to break leases just because they'd like an empty building.Answer #3: Do you have a lease or are you month-to-month?Answer #4: Without a lease they are within their rights to end your tenancy, for any reason. They must give you a 30 day notice based on your starting date.

For example, if your tenancy began on the 1st of the month, and they are notifying you today (the 6th), they can give you notice to leave by the 1st of December. If they gave you notice prior to the 1st of this month they can notify you to vacate by November 1st.


Title: Posted on gonewild...now he has my facebook and phone number

Question:
Help me! I posted on gonewild, and now this guy has my facebook account and phone number...please, I'm very scared. What can I do to protect myself?

I am from CA, by the way.

Answer: Also message the admins if there's any identifiable reddit information you could give them to ban this guy.


Title: Sweet 16 Money

Question: My sister had a sweet 16 in may and she forgot to deposit all her checks. Is there any way we can still deposit them? BTW we are from the U.S, NY

Answer: As long as whoever wrote the checks hasn't cancelled them.


Title: Drunk uncle messed up big time.

Question:
Maine

Posting on an alt

So my uncle has been staying with us for a few weeks for the holidays. While I was at class today, my uncle got belligerently drunk. (barely makes sense while talking, constantly is stumbling over things)

We have an old barn on part of our property that is going to be torn down soon and it’s maybe 100 ft form our house(right side of barn). If you are standing at the front of the barn looking into it, there’s a field about 100 yards long that goes all the way to the woods, the woods go on for tens of miles.  Still standing in front of the barn, if you look to your left you will see a small field (maybe 50 ft) then the end of our property, then about 500 ft past that, there’s a small development community thing with a bunch of houses around an oval shaped road.

If you sit in the barn looking straight out the back doors toward the huge field, you can use that direction as a firing range.( imagine a cone shape stretching out from where he’s sitting to about 20 miles into the woods. The cone wouldn’t hit anything because any houses are either 90degrees to the left or right of the barn.)

Here’s the mess up.
While my uncle was shooting his rifle (.300 winmag) drunk AF while nobody was home, a mouse ran past him along the left hand wall of the barn. He told me what happens and that he “blasted it 2 times for good measure” and I basically shit my pants. I went to look at the holes in the barn and they line up perfectly with the development. I just got back from the development and I knocked on a few of the houses that I thought could’ve been hit but didn’t get an answer on any of them. There was only a handful of people even home in the whole development.

So... what do I do now? I don’t think anyone is hurt, and I still can’t find any holes by looking at the houses from the road and beyond the back fence. There’s just too many houses and I don’t want to walk through people’s property to get a closer look. I would be very surprised if none of the bullets hit any house because of the amount of houses and the direction he shot. What do I need to do?

Topic:
Alcohol Related Other than DUI

Answer:
 Don't talk to the police without an attorney present is what your  reckless uncle should do.Answer #2: You can’t detain him. And honestly you shouldn’t let him shoot on your property anymore.

2 wild shots from a 300 winmag at a rat is so wildly, outrageously dangerous I can’t even begin to imagine what would have to happen for him to have permission to shoot there ever again. Answer #3: If someone was hurt, the bullets did property damage, and police are involved, you can bet they'll do ballistic analysis and pinpoint the origin of the shot.

Tell your dumbass uncle to retain an attorney and not to speak to the cops without him/her.


Title: Im being forced to use unsafe equipment at work

Question:
At my job I have to deliver parts for a dealership. The parts van I use has a bad differential which if it finally blows, will lock the rear wheels and cause a major accident. It could kill me, seriously injure me, or kill somebody else and they know this and still make me use it. The other day they said they would finally fix it but it's going to take a couple weeks and I still need to drive it in the mean time. Today my boss said to me that if I keep on complaining about using the van that they're going to find someone else that will, basically saying if you don't use the broken van well fire you. His reasoning behind the van being safe is that it's been used for 2 years without a problem so it must be fine. Multiple technicians have told me the consequences of what happens if the differential goes and they refuse to drive it. What should I do? Could I get charged with man slaughter if this thing breaks and kills somebody else?

Edit: im in new jersey

Edit 2: Hey guys thanks for all the amazing advice. Im most likely going to call OSHA and if I get fired then so be it. It's their loss for losing a great employee.

Answer: Call OSHA?Answer #2: Contact OSHA, it is point blank illegal for them to fire you, under those circumstances, especially for reporting unsafe work conditions. Mind you, I'm sure they would if they caught wind, in which case I'd bite the bullet, and get a lawyer.


Title: Fostered dog that ended up biting guests - Legal recourse?

Question:
We fostered a dog a few months ago and immediately the dog had aggression issues. We notified the agency but they did nothing. We signed a general foster waiver which has a "at your own risk" statement, but also says they will make arrangements for aggressive dogs, etc.

A few months later and the dog is much improved but still has issues and we still bring it up. One night we have guests over and follow the same protocol we always do but the dog ends up biting our guest and we have to go to the ER. The agency agrees that night via text message to pay the deductible/co-pay.

Now they appear to be ghosting me. Ignoring calls and requests for payment. Is this something we can pursue in small claims? This is in NC.

Answer: Depends a lot on what that waiver says. Did you ask them to take the dog back? Or did you just report that it was aggressive?


Title: My brother-in-law's dog was attacked by an off-leash Pitt Bull. His dog almost died. Vet bills amounted to over $20K.

Question:
BIL lives in Virginia, incident happened in VA, but trucker lives in MN. He has a picture of the trucker and his license plate number.
Is there any way to recoup damages from this man's off-leash dog?

Answer:
 Dog Law specialist here.

File a complaint against the pitbull's owner with the animal control office in VA, for starters. That will help with the civil suit for your brother in law's damages (the cost of the dog's vet bills). Answer #2: I think the order of steps is like this.

1. Find and contact the trucker, ask he pay the bill.

2. If he refuses, do the thing the other poster said about reporting his dog. It will likely be put down (which is why i think you should ask him to pay the bill first, he definitely wont cooperate once you report him).

3. Do what animal control tells you if they offer you recourse.

4. If not, sue the trucker (likely will need a lawyer at this point).

5. Sue the trucker a second time to collect on the judgement after he refuses to pay (probably will be able to foreclose on his truck if he owns it.

The hope is he cooperates at step one so that you can avoid 2-5. Maybe offer a payment plan with interest. Get the agreement signed.

I am not your attorney.


Title: Terminated my first day back after the birth of my son, any recourse?

Question:
I've been with a 22 person, lucrative beauty company for 9 months. I was approved to take a 3 week leave for the birth of my first son. I requested a specific range of dates. My wife was one week late so I asked for permission to work until the baby comes. The CEO was very clear that I must be back on the same date I originally requested. I worked 3 days that I would have been out - Monday, Wednedsay and Thursday. My wife had extended contractions on Tuesday but the baby didn't come. The delivery was a C section. After a few days, we went home from the hospital.... for just 4 hours. The baby's high fever brought us back to the hospital for another week. Luckily, everything was okay health-wise, no meningitis. We were scheduled to return home on a Saturday. Since I was due to return to work the following Monday, I requested another week to bond with the baby. Also, my wife has some health issues and needs my help. This request was approved by my manager.

On my first day back, I was called in by my manager and told that my employment was being terminated effective immediately. I was given no real reason. The first hint was very offhand. Reading between the lines, I thought this could mean that there would be restructuring of the department into a manager and 1-2 clerks instead of staff-level personnel. Another comment was that I was not doing well and was not a good fit. This is not my impression at all. I have taken on progressively more difficult projects and have performed admirably. I have always gotten along with everyone at the company, with my usual friendly attitude, loyalty and commitment. Do I have any recourse? State of California FMLA protections only work those employed 1 year I was told.

Answer:
 > FMLA protections only work those employed 1 year I was told

Yes, and not that it helps, but also the company has to have more than 50 employees. You could legally be fired for being *too perfect* of a fit or for wearing the wrong brand of shoes. File for unemployment and congratulations on the new (now) healthy baby! Look into COBRA too, or coveredca.com w/subsidies.


Title: [Texas] Stolen game system and games sold to a game store.

Question: My brother stole some old games and game consoles from my dads room and sold them to a local game shop. I know the game store won't return them to me if I just went in and asked for them, but technically the items are stolen goods. Is there any way I could get the items back without having to buy them off the shelves? Could I just prove it was my property? Thanks.

Answer:
 Call the police, they'll seize the games as evidence and (eventually) return them to their rightful owner when they're no longer needed to support the charges against your brother.

If you mean "without my brother going to jail," though, no.Answer #2: You probably can't do anything without a police report listing the items as stolen. Otherwise, there would be a whole lot of sibling pairs getting cash for games and then getting the games back.


Title: [North Carolina]Receiving constant phone calls and voice mails at work number from former employee's creditors.

Question:
I have spoken with various levels of supervisors at my company and no one has been able to figure out a solution.

My job is in the patient advocacy field. I have a caseload of clients and the job is phone-heavy. I replaced a woman over 5 years ago and she had given the phone number/extension that I was assigned (which had been her's previously) as a contact number to many creditors.

I have never met her and have no idea how to contact her. But within a couple of months of starting, I began receiving calls and voice mails from her creditors. Initially it was 1 or 2 calls a week. This has gotten steadily worse over time. Some are real people, some are robocalls. If I answer and tell them wrong number, she doesn't work here and I don't know her, they simply terminate the call, and call again later.  When there are voice mails with reference numbers or contact names to call, I tried calling those for awhile and telling them the same thing, but they just terminate the call (and continue to call me).

I guess her situation is escalating because I'm now receiving upwards of 10 calls a day. This is becoming a real problem since I rely heavily on the phone and voice mail. My voice mail is always full now - I can't stay on top of it, and at least half of the messages are for her from her creditors regarding upcoming legal action. So I'm missing important callbacks that are actually work-related. Also, I can get in trouble for my voice mail being full (though hopefully, by keeping my managers informed of this issue, I won't).

It's probably a long shot posting here, but I am curious if there is anything at all that I can do to make this stop?

Edit: I posted this in a comment below: My main concern at this point has to do with my patients/clients - I work with a very specific group of patients, many of whom are homeless with no phone or permanent address. They are also in a different state, so for many of them, we have a standing phone appointment where they will call me every Friday at 2 from a pay phone, for example. If I can't take the call, at the very least they can leave a voice mail. It's the only way to maintain contact with them. Very frustrated to think I may be losing contact with them due to this issue.

I've received good advice to try to get my company to retire my extension and assign a new one, but I'm still interested to know if there are any other ideas because of this specific issue.

Answer: Is there any way they could give you a new extension and put a voice recording on the old extension that says:  If you are calling for greenkey901 please press *xyz* now, for any other matters please press whatever now.  *xyz* would be the sequence needed to transfer out of voicemail and to your new extension.Answer #2: I dealt with this before. You have to talk to these people enough to find out the company name.  Then google and send a letter to addresses you found on Google. I used a template "stop calling" letter found on some debtor forums but modified it to say that the person no longer worked there and the company prohibits sharing further information. I kept a log of this and had to send a few again and marked them "second request". But in the end it worked. PITA but it worked.


Title: Wife took kids

Question:
Location: Washington.

My wife took the kids, but the circumstances in which she did it are kind of weird. I would like to know what I could have done, if anything, to prevent this from happening without getting arrested.

Here's the synopsis of how it went down. She called the cops, cops showed up and confronted me to find out what was going on (we've had some arguments lately, but there was no violence and no threats of any kind). While this conversation was happening, someone she knows showed up and she started packing some things and the kids into the vehicle. I asked the cops if I could intervene and they said they were there simply to 'keep the peace'. However, they were trying to impress upon me that it was best if I just stayed cool and let her go. In retrospect, I wish I would have done something to prevent it.

She's bringing the kids back home soon (or so she says), so I didn't immediately go get a lawyer and initiate a divorce. However, if this occurs again, I would like to know if I can do anything in that situation (i.e. she's trying to take the kids and I'm on the premises) to prevent her from leaving with the kids. They all have dual citizenship elsewhere and so my fear is that she will flee the country and I'll have a hard time getting the kids back here. Not to mention it's an incredibly difficult thing emotionally to see my kids be taken away from their home. I've been very sad for about a week now because of it.

What can I do? Can I simply pick the kids up in my arms and tell her she's not going anywhere with them, and we all just stand on our heads until she's calls it off?

Thanks in advance..

Edit: Seems like I'm simply hosed in that situation. I do appreciate the advice everyone. I guess if there is a next time, I'll at least feel better knowing that there is nothing I can do in that situation.

Answer:
 While you are married, you have equal rights to take the children. Once you are divorced, any custody agreement will dictate who can take the children where.

You could not have done anything, legally, to stop her, and absent a custody arrangement, you should not interfere with her right to leave with the children, lest you be charged with assault/battery, etc. if it becomes physical. Answer #2: In the situation you described: nothing. The cops came and said she was talking the kids. That is it. You cannot have a tug of war with the kids. That would be illegal.

So now you file for custody and ask the judge to make an order that they cannot leave the country or state


Title: [Spain] (Although not from the US, all help is appreciated) Parents of GF registered her phone without permission, saw all pics and conversations, want to report me to the authorities

Question:
I know this subreddit is mainly for US people but I need help. I'm under my country's legal age, though over minimum for sex age. My girlfriend is two months away from the minimum sex age but there is an equals clause that makes sex between us not illegal.

They have seen everything. My pics, the pics she sent me (I mean sexual ones), conversations, everything. In my country, it is illegal to possess that kind of photos if they have a minor in it, but juries are usually understanding that we are just two stupid teenagers.

Should I speak with the parents? What should I do?

[here](http://www.noticias.juridicas.com/base_datos/Penal/lo10-1995.html) is the civil code of my country, in spanish. You can use google translate. Around Article 180 onward is where this kind of laws are.

Sorry about bad english, I'm near a panic attack and obviously english is not my main language.

Answer: I'm not a lawyer, but speaking to your parents might be the best thing you can do before this gets out of hand.


Title: Requesting Child Support after removing a parent from the birth certificate.

Question: My friend got his heart broken last year when his son and ex wife sued him to have his name removed from the birth certificate, giving up all parental rights. Now she is suing for back child support. She had refused any and all child support in the past, since she did not want anything from my friend. Do they have the right?  They live in NC. Thanks for any advice!

Answer: Well, were his parental rights terminated or not?  "Went to court for" is not the same thing as "court ordered/decided".


Title: Pulled over in Virginia for going 79 in a 65, vehicle is registered in North Carolina and have a NC drivers license. What are the penalties I'm facing?

Question:
I've had zero moving violations in the past 3 years and this is my first speeding ticket. A few things I'm curious of after googling for a half hour and not getting any real definitive answers:

1. How many points will this add to my drivers license?

2. What is the total cost of this ticket (ticket fee + court fee) not including insurance increase (do you pay NC cost or VA cost)?

3. What is a likely average for insurance premium increase after this ticket?

4. What would be the cost of pursuing a PJC and is this something worthwhile?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 1. 10-14 MPH over is 4 points.
2. The *most* you could be fined for a regular traffic ticket is $250 + court costs (~$70) Do you pay NC cost or VA cost? I'm assuming you are referring to the fine + court fee, and that would be VA cost.
3. Depends. I've seen them increase from $50-300 per six month premium.
4. Virginia does not offer PJC, so unfortunately that's not an option.

Did the officer lower your citation in regards to your speed? (If not, then you're pretty good coming in right under the 15mph)

It would be worth the money to speak with a traffic lawyer. The costs of the fine, fee, insurance premiums, and the trip back to Virginia for court will be far more in the long run than a lawyer.


Title: (RI, USA) We petsat for girlfriend's parents. They were late getting their dog and our dogs mated. Now they want us to pay for all expenses including raising puppies.

Question:
My girlfriend (we live together) has this big loafy golden retriever she never got neutered. I wanted her to, she didn't. (She is getting him fixed now.)

Her parents are the same way with their golden (unrelated to ours). They talked about breeding her but never did. So she is not fixed. Well, about a month ago they asked us to petsit for them in an emergency and dropped their dog off. We have watched her before and just keep them separate, and make sure we stay home to watch them.

They were supposed to get their dog back on a Friday but couldn't get her until Sunday. We asked if we could kennel her as we wouldn't be home Saturday (we canceled plans that week so we could be home 24/7 just in case). Only kennel that would take her on such short notice wanted $120 and they didn't want to pay that, and thought it was mean. On that Saturday the dogs got to each other and mated by some freak accident because their dog Houdini'd out of her room and inflamed ours until he broke out of his crate and bedroom door.

Now she is definitely pregnant. They already have homes lined up, but they want US to pay for everything even though we were just doing them a favor.

What are your thoughts on this?

Answer:
 In the interests of civility, it's probably worth pitching in on the vet bills. If your relationship with this girl sticks, you'll be dealing with her family for a long time - no point in sabotaging that relationship for yourself.

Legally: I don't know. Did her parents know your dog was unfixed? Did you know theirs was unfixed? Were your efforts to keep them separated reasonable? There's a lot of room for responsibility to fall in varying proportion on each of you.Answer #2: Sounds so convenient that their dog was ovulating (lasts 5 days out of a heat cycle, with dogs having a heat cycle about every 6 months) at the moment they had to leave her with your intact dog.

With that being said, was the bitch actually in heat? They can tie out of heat and puppies won't be made / fertilized..

They do have abortion shots for dogs. I think it's like 80 but has to be done in the first 2 weeks.


Title: [AZ] Roommate decided to throw a party while I was gone without informing me. While he was passed out on the floor drunk some of his "guests" entered my unlocked bedroom and stole $2000 worth of electronics. Does he have any legal responsibility to pay me back?

Question:
I'm going to try to be strait with my facts.

I was on a short buisiness trip and came back yesterday. Roommate says he threw a party friday night which got out of control. He ended up getting so drunk he passed out on the kitchen floor. While he was incapacitated someone got away with my gaming computer, headphones, monitor and other accesories. They also took his TV, laptop and playstation. There were so many strangers over he has no idea who might have done it. He reported the items stolen and when I got home yesterday I did the same.

The issue is he won't accept any personsl responsibility. I feel he should pay me back if everything isn't recovered but he insists its my fault for not locking my room. Is there anything I can do here?

Answer:
 well you could sue him on the grounds he had a duty not get so drunk he passed out at his own party and you may win. No crystal ball on that one.Answer #2: (1) The easiest solution is to report the theft to your renter's insurance and then let them deal with it. If you don't have renter's insurance, then for goodness sake go get some!

(2) The party most responsible is the thief. Obviously, you could sue that person, except that realistically there's a really good chance that you never find out who it is. You roommate might be liable based on the argument that he took unreasonable risks by inviting people into the house for a party and then failing to supervise them. Whether that argument works depends on whether the judge thinks that is negligent behavior or not (there might be some case law that would guide this) -- I would guess there's a decent chance, but I wouldn't be certain.

(3) I would be surprised if anyone bought into your roommate's theory that YOU have responsibility because you failed to lock your room. Most people do NOT consider it negligent to fail to lock a room within a house.Answer #3: file a police report, then contact your renters insurance. you have renters insurance right?


Title: Company auto renews contract, makes you mail a letter to stop auto renew but won't provide me an address

Question: I'm in Ontario and I have a contract ending in November and I don't want to continue but every time I call, email, or live chat they always tell me to call a number which either won't call back or won't give me information by going in a circle. Is there anything I can do?

Answer:
 Tell your bank to stop allowing the transaction.

 Upon calling, emailing or live chatting have you told them that you have been unable to reach the party you're trying to? Have you expressly stated to the representatives you've reached in the above ways that you want to stop payment? Go ahead and do so now if you haven't.


Title: (Texas) 20yo Son caught with drug stash, needs help.

Question: He just turned 20 and I'm scared for my boy. The other day the cops showed up at a place he had rented with a warrant. I had no idea he was involved in any of this kinda stuff. They found 4g of MDMA and a big bag of speed, I forget how much. Apparently he's been selling this stuff for a long time. He's in jail right now, I don't know what I can do to help him.

Answer:
 You can hire a criminal defense lawyer for him. That's all you can do. Answer #2: Be there for him, talk to him, ask him about it, try to understand. Don’t be judgmental, let him know your disappointed, but don’t turn your back or let him go on his own, he’s in over his head. He’ll most likely have no where to go or anyone to turn to. Parenting doesn’t end at 18, it’s a lifetime commitment.

He needs a lawyer, therapist, family, parents and friends. His life isn’t over. Support him to get clean, change his life.

I’ve been around the world twice, few world fairs, seen a couple whales fuck. Made plenty of my own mistakes but life doesn’t end, it’s just a little more of an upstream swim at this point.

Don’t let him talk to the police, don’t admit responsibility, no social media, texting etc


Title: Uncertain about whether nurse violated HIPAA (Alabama)

Question:
Hello, thanks for reading my post.

A couple details that might be relevant:

I am significantly hearing impaired, wear hearing aids, and have visible tattoos.

Yesterday I went to an urgent care clinic to diagnose an issue with an ear infection.

I’ve been to the clinic once before and was treated very nicely.

This time was different and left me feeling pretty uncomfortable.

The nurse came in after more than an hour and immediately mentioned my being on medicare/Medicaid. Not sure why, since it’s never been brought up before at any doctors visit unless I said something.

I was asked about my ear and the nurse (I was not seen by a doctor), during the course of conversation asked about whether I was sexually actively, using birth control, and so on. I’m not sure why she would ask. She did say she thought I had a yeast infection in my ear, but still, seems like a strange jump from ear infection to sexual activity.

I had explained that I went swimming in a pool that wasn’t clean and wear my hearing aids at all times except when in water or sleeping (relevant because aids can trap bacteria or promote growth).

I later asked about specifically non-narcotic pain relief for menstrual cramps- she suggested 800mg of ibuprofen and I asked if that’s potentially damaging to livers. She asked me if I had OD’d on drugs or had hepatitis before and at this point I felt pretty annoyed. I explained that I had a suicide attempt over a decade ago that damaged my liver and I’ve been extra cautious since. I told her I wasn’t an addict, didn’t do drugs, and I don’t drink (I just don’t like to drink or do drugs. No judgment on other people & what they do).  I asked for non-narcotic because I didn’t think narcotic level pain relief was necessary.

She explained that ibuprofen was fine and we discussed my mental health (it’s fine), and we continued on with the visit.

I left feeling pretty profiled and discomfited and explained to my husband when I got home. He thinks it’s a HIPAA violation, I don’t think a presumptuous nurse is violating anything but I read through the HIPAA website which didn’t seem to address this type of situation.

Am I wrong?

TLDR: went to get my ear infection checked out, asked questions about sex life when not relevant to the discussion and then assumed to be an addict based on a conversation about liver damage. I don’t think it’s worth anything beyond maybe a complaint to the clinic but my husband thinks otherwise and I would like to be certain before this goes any further.

Thanks for your time & any advice!

Answer: No, a nurse taking your history is in no way, shape, or form a HIPAA violation. Even if you don't see the connection between the symptoms and the questions.


Title: Charged $175 for a 5 minute visit to medical tent at a concert

Question:
About 6 weeks ago, I was at a concert in Wisconsin and started having a small anxiety attack. I talked to a worker and he said there was a medical tent nearby where I could go to relax and calm down. I went and explained what was happening and one nurse began taking my information down while another just took my blood pressure and said it was normal. That was the only service rendered. After they got all my information, I said I felt better, they gave me a water bottle, and I left.

Now fast forward to today. I get a bill in the mail for $175 because of that visit. It's absolutely rediculous. I was never told that there would be a cost (it was a tent for Christ sake). I just called and explained myself and she said I'm not going to get out of paying. I told her I want to speak to her supervisor and she said she will have her call me later.

What should I say further to get out of this? It was very predatory the way they operated.

Answer:
 Normally in these situations, you would have had to sign something saying that you agree to pay.  I would say "I don't recall ever agreeing to pay for anything.  Do you have something I signed saying I would?"

This is NOT like walking into a doctors office, where you know that there's a charge (but you don't know what it is) and willingly accept service. Answer #2: I've never heard of a first-aid tent charging people.

This is one of the rare cases where I'd complain to the media (like an alternative weekly that covers music) or the city that issued the event permit. Answer #3: UPDATE: Called in again this morning to follow up and the receptionist looked up my case and said it was written off, mostly because I "was only in there for 7 minutes."

Thank you lawyers for the ammunition, always a win-win when I don't have to use it!Answer #4: Just a quick update: I still haven't heard back from the supervisor, do I call back again tomorrow demanding to speak with him/her?Answer #5: Do they have any hard proof via txt or any written agreement you agreed to these services? If not, you could fight it in court.


Title: Grandfather wants me to buy his house.

Question: So to make a long story short my grandfather moved to Tennessee from Pennsylvania. He kept his home and rented it to his ex wife for a year. He is now living with his girlfriend in Tennessee and is quite happy. However, since his ex wife is moving out he would like me to buy the home "when I can". Meaning I will live in it pay the bills and once I have enough money saved I will buy the home for the remainder of the mortgage. My father and mother are very supportive and told me to do what I want, and will make me happy. They told me to get my name on the deed if this was something I would want to do, and to speak with a lawyer about his girlfriend potentially being common law. My question I guess is does Tennessee recognize common law marriage, and what issues would I have getting my name on the deed vs drawing up a contract saying that if he dies before I purchase the home I get it.

Answer: There are a lot of ways to do this right. All of them involve a lawyer. You don't want to be accused of financial exploitation down the line. Hire a lawyer, maybe even one for each of you – and get this drafted up correctly.


Title: [Chicago, IL] Ex-girlfriend refusing to return SSC.

Question:
With arguing back and forth towards the end of our relationship, she took all of what she believed was her belongings without going through stuff with me while I was out of town.

When I returned home, I immediately went to check if my legal documents were safe and intact. My birth certificate was fine, and I carry my license with me. I did notice my social missing, so I contacted my ex in regards to that asking if she took it by accident and to please check for it. She claimed to have checked, and after I contacted her again asking she said she did not find it.

I gave it time so I could search for it. No luck. Around sometime 2-3 weeks ago, I receive a video sent through Facebook Messenger from her sister showing my social inside one of a PS4's game case. There was another dispute about the PS4, since I asked for it to be returned for me because I paid for it.

I believe I might have put the social in the case of the game believing I would open it when I set up the system. However, she took the games for the PS4, with my social in it. I've contacted the sister several times trying to make some kind of agreed meeting to return my social. In return, she wanted something in return. At first, she said if I want it to bring her sister's comforter, which had been lost since October. The next time she asked to bring back the one game that was still in the system. The last time I asked, which was today, she told me to give the PS4 for my social-- which I paid for. After I refused to give her something I paid for in exchange for my legal document, she pointed out that I could just get a new card, that it isn't "rocket science". Obviously, that wasn't the issue. The issue is them having the official physical document and how dangerous that is for me. Once I argued that, she blocked communication with me on Messenger. I have no problem with that, but I even contacted my ex directly hoping to deal with some civility, and she is obviously ignoring me as well.

I don't want to take this any higher than it really needs to be; I know the process of identity theft is lengthy, and I have a lot going on otherwise.

 What should be the next step in securing my identity, making sure my credit isn't screwed, and dealing with this situation?

Answer:
 You can report the card as stolen to the police and show them the video/photo. Considering that's ID, you have a reasonable right to want it back and the police may help.

You could also just go down to the Social Security Administration office and order a new one.


Title: Police "lost" the assault report I made?

Question:
I'm a white guy with a black girlfriend, we live in Pennsylvania. We were walking through the downtown district to a New Jersey city when we got ambushed by some guys who began to throw eggs and rotten fruit at us. They shouted lots of racial slurs at us, mostly my girlfriend. It seems they were against us being together due to us being different races. I tried to fight back but I could barely see anything in the dark and with stuff in my eyes.

We drove to a police station we found and filed a report. The cop could barely contain his laughter. He thought it was funny. The experience seriously traumatized me and my girlfriend. This happened a week ago. I called recently to ask about the progress on the case but the cop I spoke to says he can't find any report!

What does this mean? Do I have to go back to New Jersey to re-file it? Is it possible it got misplaced? Can I report the officer to his superiors for being unprofessional?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: It's possible that a report hasn't been finalized yet, or that the officer you spoke with looked in the wrong place. Go in and ask to speak to one of the higher ups, talk to them about your experience with the officer, and ask them if they can locate the original report.


Title: (WA) How does no dogs but cats OK work for exotics.

Question:
I'm looking for an apartment. I found one with a no dogs policy. They have an option for up to 2 cats where you pay a fee. I have a bird and 2 turtles. Is this a loophole or is the no dogs policy the same as a no pets except cats policy.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Why don't you just ask them?