Title: [NY,USA] Want to get my younger brother vaccinated, but my antivaxx mother doesn't give permission and is threatening to kick me out.

Question:
I'm 19 years old and have been living in an anti-vaxx house hold for more than half my life. I'm in the process of getting my vaccinations and I want my 11 year old brother to be vaccinated too. I informed him on all of the benefits and especially why it's necessary and he wants to be vaccinated too.

The only issue I'm having in this process is that my mother who's misinformed on vaccines that I've been trying to educate for the past year that always throws away everything I say and feeds me the bull shit articles she reads, doesn't want my brother to be vaccinated. She doesn't want to give me his medical insurance card and is threatening that if I continue that I will be kicked out. Is there anything that I could do?

Answer: You are not your brother's parent.  You can do nothing legally.


Title: I want to read a chapter of Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol on my youtube channel every week of advent.

Question:
As the title says, I want to read a chapter of Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol on my Youtube channel every week of advent until Christmas day.

Before I start recording though I want to make sure I'm not legally stomping on anyone's toes. I have no plans to monetize the video and it will simply be a not for profit gift of Christmas entertainment for my fans.

Is this legal or if not what can I do to get the proper permission from the Dickens' estate (or publisher) so that I can do it?

The story is over a hundred years old so would it be considered fair use?

Edit: Modbot says I should specify that I live in Nova Scotia Canada
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer: The text is public domain.  Knock yourself out.


Title: Best way to catch a thief?

Question:
Hello,

I live in a town where I am having someone who appears to be breaking into my vehicle, the first time it happened it was when we were parked on the side of the road, this last time which happened this morning happened in our driveway. We live in a city in Indiana.

&#x200B;

We are going to be getting a security camera, but just wanting to know what type of other efforts can we do to deter them?

I would like to try to stay up one day and actually bait them into my vehicle and call the police and hopefully catch them in the act so that way they will get actually caught. My main thing is, am I allowed to do what I have heard to as a citizens arrest where I hold them nearby until police arrive? Or do I just have to hope a police officer is close enough to respond before they leave my vehicle?

Am I able to run out and confront them with a weapon in hand, or will that be considered "deadly force" I know Indiana has a stand your ground law, but just not really sure how that all works? I feel so powerless and I feel like thieves have an upper hand because even if you set up a trap or something in your own home to protect yourself, you can still get sued by them for injuring them even if they are on your property and stealing your items.

Is the only real solution to just have security cameras? That seems so passive, like that we just have to let them steal our things and just hope that either (1) cops are nearby to show up during the few minute car raid or (2) let them take our things and just pray that our video is clear enough to identify this person in a city with a population of 100k+, which more often then not is just not clear enough to help, especially if they wear a hood or mask.

Answer:
 You're not batman.  Don't try to be batman.

Cops are getting shot and killed by people breaking into cars.

Get a camera, call the police if you see someone, and let them to the cop stuff.


Title: Fresh Complaint Witness in Sexual Assault Case: Do I need a lawyer?

Question:
I find myself being the "Fresh Complaint Witness" in a sexual assault case. The police interviewed me today to get the details as I know them. The asked if I would be alright being put under oath and recorded. I told them I would like to seek legal council first as I don't want to hurt the victims case if I can prevent it. Should I consult a lawyer prior to making an official statement? Have I already said too much without a lawyer present?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 You are free to have a lawyer with you during any police questioning, if you want.  However...

>  I don't want to hurt the victims case if I can prevent it.

Stop worrying about "hurting the victims case".  First, your job is not to make or break a case; that's the lawyer's job.  Your only job is to provide truthful honest testimony.

Second, you have no right to withhold testimony solely because you don't want to give it.  They can simply subpoena you, and you must testify honestly unless incriminating.

Third, if your testimony would harm the prosecutor's case, the defendant has an absolute right to know about it.


Title: Health Insurance Fraud [massachusetts]

Question: There is a health insurance company claiming I have a policy with them when I do not. I have no idea how they got my information or how this "policy" was instantiated. Multiple attempts at contacting them have been made by my insurance company (based in massachusetts), but they have not responded. This is making it near impossible for me to fill my prescriptions and is therefore endangering my health. What legal recourse do I have? They are based in CA, if that makes a difference.

Answer:
 i don't understand.

health insurance company claims you have policy with them, but you don't.

you have coverage with another health insurance, but you can't refill scripts b/c you have a policy with the first company and your health company can't contact the other one?  why are they even trying to contact them?

when you refill scripts, give the insurance of the company you are covered with and leave it at that, how does the other company claiming you have a policy with them come in?


Title: Sending Surprise Eggs in the USA

Question:
I am participating in Secret Santa this year and I decided to send the banned chocolate "Kinder Surprise Eggs" to my dude in the USA. I live in Austria and I would like to know what would happen if they notice it.

What happens with the package?
What happens with me?
What happens with the guy I sent the package to?

Answer: The package will be seized, and that's about it. Just don't do it.


Title: My boss has deducted $5,300 from my paycheck for bathroom repairs after I made lunch for the office

Question:
I work in Los Angeles, CA for a large business consulting firm (we occupy 8 floors in a high-rise office building). The company is split into units, with usually one or two units per floor, and an assigned unit director (basically floor manager) that route's projects between workers and upper management.

About a month ago, I, the unit director, was being considered for a promotion to upper management. My coworker, C, was also a candidate and ended up getting the job. There was a lot of tension between us during the interview process, but I felt that we had left it behind when he moved upstairs. Fast forward to a couple weeks ago, after C had left for his new job overseeing four units, including mine, I held a Taco Tuesday for the entire unit. I had catered taco items brought in for the floor including meats, veggies, etc. I thought it was just a nice thing to do, and have paid for catered lunches in the past, always on my own dime.

Word got around, and HR pulled me into talk with C, who had accused me of holding a fiesta party (he is of Mexican descent) to celebrate him leaving the unit. I explained that this was totally false, and pointed to my record of bringing in unit lunches.

Today, I find that my paycheck, usually about $6,300 after taxes, was issued for only $1,000. I talked to payroll who pointed me back to C. C explained to me that as a result of my Taco Tuesday, someone had clogged and flooded the bathroom in out unit, and that **I** am liable for the repairs. Is anything about this legal? It seems like it's simply a vindictive move by a new company officer with a grudge against me.

If I wanted to take legal action, what would be the next steps? What type of attorney can I speak with? I'm worried about the consequences of escalating this and directly emailing the partners, because I worry that they already have a negative view of me.

Answer:
 This has to be a joke, right?  Like, I'm not *that* drunk.Answer #2: Leaving aside the ridiculous idea that you caused this by hosting a lunch, it is illegal in California to deduct money from a paycheck for damage to the employer's property unless they were intentional or grossly negligent.

You could get a labor attorney involved, and you will probably get your pay with a suitably threatening letter. You might also want to file a claim with the Department of Industrial Relations. You should then try to get C fired, because he caused the company to do something that was obviously illegal out of some bizarre grudge against you. If the partners side with C and try to get rid of you, you could then get them in serious trouble for retaliating against the filer of a wage complaint.Answer #3: You're a troll.  I can just see the /r/bestof headline you're hoping to get out of this.  Get lost.


Title: what can I(19F) do about my problem?

Question: I am going to make this a short and simple as possible. I've been working at a furniture store for the past two months and it wasn't been making ends meet. I found a new job and so I let my boss know and put in my two weeks notice. The next day I come into work and the boss fires me in front of other co workers and makes a big scene out of it and instead of letting me ask some questions he makes me leave. So is there anything legal I can do about this or did I just run into a crappy situation. I live in Texas if that can help in anyway, like if there's some laws I do not Know about.

Answer:
 I remember the first time this happened to me. I thought it was so weird. It's pretty common, though. I've since had it happen at almost every job. I now plan on it.

I'd either try for a couple weeks on unemployment, or contact your new job and try to start early.


Title: I cashed a check written to my name by a bank. The bank called and said “I shouldn’t of done that.”

Question:
Hi all,
Not sure if this is the right thread. But a couple years back I had a motorcycle which was financed. About six months after having it I decided to sell it. I sold the bike to a dealership and they took care of the title transfer and sending a check for the value they purchased it for to the financial institution who had the lien. And I took care of the remaining balance on the loan. Last week I got a check payable to my name from the bank which lend me the money for the bike. I figured I had made an extra payment or something of that nature and now the bank was returning the money to me. I deposited and cashed that check into my bank account. Then yesterday I got a call from the financial institution that made the check payable to me saying that I should of not cashed that check because it was mistakenly sent to me. They did not give me an explanation as to what was going on and the representative on the phone simply said “I have to talk to my supervisor about this.” What do I need to do? Can I get in legal trouble for cashing a check I thought was valid and legit? Can I send the amount back to the bank?

Thank you for bearing with me through this long post!
Topic:
Consumer Law

Answer: You wont get in legal trouble because of an error. You may end up paying that money back though. Just ask them for a balance sheet showing payments and owings and proving it was a mistake.


Title: School holding my rent money- Colorado

Question:
Ok, I need to know if this is legal.

I live on a student loan, and my rent is due January 1st. I called the financial aid office today, and they told me I wouldn't get my money for next semester until AFTER January 9th. I explained that I would be evicted if I didn't pay my rent, and the bored woman in the office didn't care, she just said that the semester started on the 9th.  I can apply for an advance, but it takes "3 to 5 business days" and the office closes tomorrow at noon. She did tell me she would try to rush the advance, and I could pick it up on Tuesday the 3rd.

I cannot get evicted from my home because of this. How in the WORLD would I know that they would hold my funding arbitrarily? The school isn't open next week- should I try to talk to the Dean tomorrow? My uncle is a lawyer- do I have a case?

Answer:
 How is the timing of your rent the financial aid office's concern?Answer #2: She wasn't that bored, if she told you how she could rush an advance through in two business days.

Your loan has standard disbursement terms, which are outlined on literally every document you received regarding these loans. Your school starts on January 9th, and the school has the legal right to wait 14 days to get you your disbursement.

It sounds like they're going out of their way to help you.


Title: [NC] Is it illegal to make a fake ticket to a concert/event?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 Yes. Yes it is illegal.

If you sell it, or attempt to sell it you are committing the crime of fraud and/or theft. If you attempt to use it you are also committing the crime of fraud. You may also be charged with something related to the forgery.


Title: [Walmart] Is there any justice for employees wrongfully terminated?

Question:
First time posting to this sub - occasional reader - and I truly appreciate all that you guys do.

I'm writing just to see if there's any hope for a friend of mine who is in a tough work situation with the corporate behemoth, Walmart. She is not a redditor, so I can only provide details on her behalf. I'm just trying to glean a little info from the collective knowledge bank here to see if her situation is one that could give her legal recourse.

My friend works at Walmart, as she is between career paths (has her BA in Biology, but has trouble determining the next step). She has been at this location for over a year. Worked her way up to supervisor position in a physically demanding role. She was injured, about a month ago, off-site. She was told she couldn't work until she received clearance from her doctor. She was told when she could return to work, provided her supervisors with that date, and took a picture of her schedule with this date on it. Today was her first day back to work, and when she arrived, she was told she was fired. She asked why, and was told that she "didn't show up" for work when she was supposed to. It wasn't until she pulled out her phone and showed the picture of her schedule that they gave in and started the process of putting her back in the system. She was literally told "you realize the first time you mess up, you're out of here".

No one would answer her questions regarding this "rehire", so I'm coming here (and she will obviously do her part in getting these answers from Walmart). This whole situation seems like wrongful termination to me. Can they really not schedule someone for any hours and then fault them for not working? Additionally, she had worked her way up to receiving benefits - shouldn't they have to reinstate those? Finally, Walmart has a policy regarding transferring store locations (or even positions) that requires six months of work in your current location before moving. She had been there for over a year but was looking to transfer within the next couple of months. Shouldn't they have to honor her year of work there instead of restarting the calendar?

I guess I just feel so bad for her and it seems so wrong. I know there are occasional cases of small claims against Walmart that go in favor of former employees - is that something she could even look into? I want to be hyper-realistic about this - I know she wouldn't make millions or anything, but even if she got a couple months salary to help her transition, that would be worth.

Thanks so much!

Edit: She lives in South Carolina.

Answer:
 She was an at-will employee, they could fire her for any reason other than being a member of a protected class, including no reason at all. Answer #2: >She lives in a southeastern state of the US.

I'm sorry but this isn't specific enough. We need the actyual state to determine if she has any recourse.


Title: My new step-mother might have burned my dad's house down.

Question:
My dad recently got married in November 2015, (very rushed...the family had 2 weeks notice) to a woman he met online. I adore her, the whole family does. Today someone broke into my fathers home, poured gasoline in three rooms of his house and lit it on fire. Absolutely nothing was salvageable. My dad's insurance agent just so happens to be his new wife. She was the last one to leave the house and left the front door unlocked after she left this morning. She's never had any priors and I have no reason to assume she would be a suspect other than her problem with spending. I think she's in severe credit card debt and I think she's kept that from my dad. I'm just curious if any of you folks out there have any experience with this.

After I wrote the above paragraph, my step-mother was arrested for shop lifting. She is currently incarcerated and my dad is Having to deal with his first bail bondsman bailing out his new wife. I'm trying to remain unsuspicious, however I keep remembering all these key factors. My step-mom was the last to leave the house at 7:45AM (It happened between 7:15AM (when my dad left for work) - 8:07AM when the fighters arrived due to ADT smoke alarm) as well as I just remembered that her shoes were melted!

My dad's neighbor has a VRBO next door and the owner (after today's events) offered them to live in the home until theirs was repaired. Since the VRBO is pristine I started to look at my shoes for signs on tracking in soot. I noticed my shoes were clean and looked over to see that my step-mothers shoes had a ton of shit on them. I said hey you might want to wipe those off as to not track in stuff to the rental. She walked into the kitchen and told my dad she must have stepped in a hot spot because her shoes were melted. We all walked into the home at the same time after the fire department and police cleared the area. No ones shoes were compromised but hers. Please, any advice would be greatly appreciated. I really don't want to jump to conclusions, but this isn't looking good.
Edit: Tennessee

Answer: I can't say I have any experience with a new stepmom suspected of arson in a fire at my father's, but this sounds like the plot of a Lifetime movie. I suggest you contact the police with this information rather than posting about it here.


Title: My hearing was damaged at a concert

Question: About 9 months ago I went to a Die Antwoord concert. The sound was so loud that my ear still hurts to this day. I never went to the doctor because I didnt have enough money. Can I do anything about this?

Answer:
 Wear ear plugs next time, perhaps.Answer #2: You would need to prove you have damages (i.e. a statement from a medical professional saying you have sustained some injury) AND you would need to prove it’s from an event that happened 9 months ago AND you would need to prove they were negligent in terms of the volume.

Shortly, no. You probably can’t do anything about it at this point.


Title: Lateness and how it relates to custody agreement. (TX)

Question:
Me= custodian
Ex-husband = joint legal custody

( And before I get yelled at unfairly for us not having share custody I'd like to note that a) he didn't even ask for shared custody as it doesn't fit his work schedule b) he and I both agree that I am better at doing the parenting grunt work like taking him to doctors appointments and after school activities. No one took our child from him or screwed him over in court. We presented our cases and what we thought would work and then our lawyers negotiated a compromise. I get a lot of hate mail for having primary custody on him in other subreddits that I've asked questions in and I am not understanding why as there wasn't a court battle, no one stole anything from anyone and no one "won")

He doesn't pay very much in child (2) support so I un-enrolled child from daycare, adjusted my work schedule, and found a babysitter to watch him in my home during my work time. My babysitter watches him for a very, very economically friendly amount. It is very helpful in making both my salary and the child support we do receive go a bit further for our household. She is honestly a life saver because it has allowed me to continue living in a fairly safe neighborhood that is close to my work and parks and a lot of community activities.

The only problem is that my babysitter has to leave every day she is there at exactly 4:15pm in order to make it to her classes. On my days, I have managed this by asking my workplace to alter my schedule 3 days a week for three weeks and then 5 days a week for one. I get out at 3:30 and get home in just enough time to relieve her. It works out perfectly for my majority parenting time.

 My ex-husband has an erratic work schedule that he refused to address in negotiations and instead opted to set his days firmly.

According to our custody agreement, he is to pick our son up at my house (previously at the daycare) at 4pm on thursday three weeks a month. That means he gets three days three weeks out of the month.

Before changing the daycare, which my lawyer and court agreed I could do as I had majority parenting time and his child support would not have covered even half of it, I gave my ex-husband a month to adjust his schedule/or petition to change his parenting time to fit the arrangement. He declined to.

For the last month he has been late or simply unable to show up on his designated pick up time every one of his scheduled thursdays. This has caused my babysitter to either have to miss class and stay late or for me to run home and leave work (which is a problem because I already took a huge risk in altering my schedule). He'll show up sometimes two hours later or he will call four hours later asking to meet halfway. One time, I had a meeting and had to go get my son from the babysitter and then have him sit at my work while I did my meeting.

He doesn't see it as a big deal but he doesn't have to pay the extra babysitter hours or alter his schedule.

When I asked why he can't be on time for his scheduled days, he said it was due to work. I work too but that doesn't seem to matter.

When I asked him what he suggested we do about the problem, he said I should put the child back in daycare but he is unwilling to either contribute half the cost or pay for the time he would use it, and he isn't willing to pay for another babystitter that could watch our son longer when he would be late.

His argument is that I am the custodial parent and when he can't be there it is my job to be there for him.  He suggested I go back to the daycare option and just use his child support, which is ridiculous because then I would have nothing else to help pay for the everyday things my son needs like pull ups, or to towards healthcare payments.

He is just very removed from the actual cost of raising a child nearly full time.

Now, he has decided he needs me to keep our son during the day on his fridays, because a) " you took daycare away and I have to work" b) you are custodial parent and it is your job.

Questions:

My ex-husband claims custody agreements are guides and not written in stone and that lateness is allowed when work interferes. If I am not working that day, I don't mind if he is late, but I hired a babysitter because I needed to be at work. I need him to be there at 4pm if that is the day he has chosen as his start day. How true is the flexibility of a custody agreement? Ours spells out everything, doesn't mention flexibility so I don't know if flexibility is implied?

I actually sat down and came up with days that might work better that would allow him time to be late and me not to have to adjust huge aspects of my life because of it but he doesn't want to move his days. Is there a point where his excessive tardiness could be used to go to court to get the days altered to better suit what is actually happening?

I don't want to take any days away from him but I do want him to try and be on time or choose days that won't be such a work problem for him.

Could he force me to provide a babysitter for his days?

Is that something that could happen legally?

Texas. Thank you!

Answer:
 If your court order is silent about lateness then there is nothing you can do other than to go back to court and modify it to say if he is x minutes late, his visitation is cancelled or some such. Or to modify the custody time so it isn't a problemAnswer #2: I think when you talk to your ex you should focus on how he's treating his own child.  I don't know how old your kid is, but if he's old enough to understand the concept of "daddy's picking you up at 4" then he's going to be massively hurt and confused by being stood up for 2 hours.  And him *calling* four hours later?  That's just skipping out on custody.  My daughter is 8 and her *bedtime* is 8:30, that would be missing the entire evening with her.

So I think him being late is a parenting issue.  It's crappy to treat your kid like that, the kid deserves better than a parent who is hours late all the time.  So I agree with the others here, you should have no problem getting the order amended so that if your ex is later than a certain amount (say 30 minutes) then visitation is cancelled.  But I *do* think that the economic burden his lateness imposes has to fall on you, especially when his visitation gets cancelled.  So you need to find a backup babysitter for those nights.


Title: Bought used car on ebay. Seller won't transfer title.

Question:
Bought used car on ebay from seller in Utah. Seller said car didn't have a title, but that I could obtain one in Idaho. I went to the DMV to see if I could get the title transferred and they said no, seller must transfer title to me.

I did research and found on the Utah DMV that sellers must legally have the title in hand before selling the car. LINK: http://www.dmv.org/ut-utah/buy-sell/selling-your-car/paper-work-when-selling-a-car.php (under "documents required to sell your car) I believe Ebay Motors also requires the title in hand.

I do have an attorney on retainer if it comes down to it.

What are my options?

Answer:
 How about the Ebay dispute process? Ebay is notorious for siding with a buyer-- granted I have only purchased little stuff on Ebay. Answer #2: Be careful.  It is possible there is a lien on that car that you won't know about without the title to check into it.

I would not give the seller a single cent until I was certain there were no liens on the car.

Seller needs to follow the process for getting a lost title and stop being a lazy shit.


Title: Person leaves country to avoid legal consequences. Any hope in returning?

Question:
Person A was involved in an altercation with Person B.  Person A did not provoke, but the fight resulted in Person A being charged with aggravated mayhem.  Both were intoxicated and both at fault.
Unfortunately, Person A was stuck with a crap public lawyer and ended up "losing" the court battle.  Person A is an Australian citizen and finished college in the US -- stayed in the country under a visa.

Aggravated mayhem carries a sentence of 25 years to life.
Court ordered Person A to pay $25K within a specified time period which was near impossible.  Therefore, to avoid the risk of facing a possible 25 to life sentence (especially with a weak lawyer), Person A leaves country.

Person A would like to return to the states and can still potentially contact Person B (and B's lawyer).  Ideally, and obviously, Person A would like to find a way to return, monetarily pay his dues, but avoid any prison time.

Is it possible to work a deal with Person B & Lawyer B in order to allow Person A to come back to the states?  What kind of a lawyer would this person need to look for to get more legal guidance/advice?

Event occurred in Los Angeles, CA.

Answer:
 > Is it possible to work a deal with Person B & Lawyer B in order to allow Person A to come back to the states?

No.  Person B is no longer the issue; if Person A was charged and convicted, it's the state that's at issue here.  He'd very likely be arrested the moment he touched down on US soil.Answer #2: Aggravated mayhem refers to a permanent disfiguring or disabling injury.  It's for things like eye-gouging, ear-ripping, curb-stomping, deliberately breaking someone's leg or knee, cutting a cheek open.  It's hard for this kind of thing to come out of an ordinary fistfight or drunken brawl.  Not impossible, but hard.  The prosecutor likely believes that the injury itself was intentional and not merely an unforeseen consequence of a fight.  Something that goes beyond the concept of "mutual combat".  It's a serious violent felony.  It will not go away.

Neither B nor B's lawyer can prevent criminal prosecution if the DA wants to go through with it.Answer #3: They should contact an attorney in the jurisdiction they were convicted in. Do what the attorney says.  Don't come back until the attorney says it is OK

Person B and their attorney have nothing to do with it. A has a felony warrant for his arrest for running I would guess. A needs to deal with the courts.


Title: Police drug testing

Question:
When are cops allowed to drug test you for weed if you are under 21?
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer:
 Real broad question here - care to provide the context so that people have a chance of answering this without writing 5+ paragraphs?

Also where is this happening?


Title: Stumbled upon something that might be illegal, I don't know what to do.

Question:
I was best friends with this guy for some time awhile ago, but he ended up fucking me over and we are no longer friends. This is besides the point though. While we were friends he gave me his passwords for a lot of his online profiles. A few days ago, for some reason, I was bored and logged into his Instagram. I saw in his PM's he was asking multiple girls to send in nude photos to an e-mail for a piece in vogue about the free the nipple movement, and the "photographer" was offering 7,000 dollars.

I knew this guy very well and I knew it couldn't be legitimate. I put in the username of the e mail he said and tried his usual password and it worked. A lot of the girls agreed and sent in photos. I'm pretty sure one of them is underage.

I know it was wrong of me to go into his Instagram profile, but I feel some need in letting the girls know what happened.

EDIT: Miami, Florida

Answer:
 1) You aren't under any obligation to report this to police.

2) You will be admitting to illegally accessing his online accounts. Whether one is underage or not does not matter, unless they find out you intentionally opened images of a girl you strongly believed to be underage.

I would recommend logging out and forgetting those passwords.Answer #2: Odds are, while entirely sleazy, your "friend" likely isn't breaking the law; or at least, not in a way that will send him to prison for a really long time.

The most common child pornography statute is federal: 18 U.S.C. §2251(a). Under the *Dost* test there are several [non-exhaustive factors](http://scholarship.shu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1132&context=student_scholarship)
which must be present for an image to be considered child pornography. Without a lewd or lacivious exhibition of the genitals, sexual poses, or some of the other factors, a topless picture, even of a minor, isn't child pornography.

If he was misrepresenting himself, or entering into a contract with people fraudulently, those could be separate legal issues.

You've likely broken several federal computer crime statutes yourself though; so I'd be careful about what you do next.


Title: [IL] Landlord refuses to pay for gas service

Question:
Per the contract/lease, it clearly defined which utilities would be paid for by the tenant or the landlord. Gas services was “unchecked” for tenant responsibility (as well as several others). I just found out the landlord has not been paying the gas bill (3 months later...) and the gas company has notified me they will turn off the service. I spoke with the management company and he says I am responsible and that the issue is a typo in the contract (and he remains firm on this position).

I obviously don’t want my gas turned off (Chicago is cold this time of year...), can I pay the gas bill and deduct from my rent check? That’s what my 2 hours of research recommends.

Edit: thank you all and happy Thanksgiving! I think I got the answer I need. Shoutout out to xpostfact for his quick work :).

Answer:
 Keep a copy of your original lease.  Make a copy and store off site.
 Save digital copy to the cloud.

You have no right to withhold rent in IL.  Keep records of the communications.  Keep copies of any texts or emails.  Make notes of any phone calls, date/time and what was said.

Go ahead and pay the past due.  Try to convince the landlord it's their responsibility, perhaps with a certified letter.  Continue to pay for the gas service, and then sue your landlord in small claims court at the end of your lease, which has a $10,000 limit in IL.


Title: Neighbor Painted Our Side of a Shared Brick Post While We Were on Vacation

Question: We live in Toronto. We share a brick post with our neighbors (semi-detached house). We had our house painted last September. Before painting, the colour of said post was the colour of the neighbor’s house. When we painted our house, we wanted to paint our half of the post the same colour as the rest of our house. Our neighbor said that would look “trashy.” (The post being two colours) She told us to paint the entire post the colour of our house. I advised her that the colour we are using is big and bold, and are you sure you us to paint your side of the post? She said yes. We went on vacation last week. They painted the entire post back to the original colour. I don’t care what they do with their side, but they did not ask permission to paint our side. Even though this is a shared post, is this considered trespassing and/or property damage?  What can we do about it from a legal point of view? We are not on speaking terms because of other issues that have arisen over the past couple of years.

Answer:
 Really having a hard time visualizing this. Can you do a quick MS paint, or find a similar looking situation on Google image search?Answer #2: Technically it's vandalism if they paint your property without permission, I don't see much being done unless it's part of a larger pattern of harassment but you can make a police report.

If it's something you consider worth your time repaint it, take pictures, send them an email or text telling them not to mess with your property (but phrased much nicer) and call the police everytime they do anything to damage or alter your property without your permission. In most cases it's difficult to get police or courts interested in minor disputes between neighbors unless there is a long-term issue with lots of documentation so start building a paper trail and communicate with them through written means as much as possible.Answer #3: How much will it cost to have half the post repaintedAnswer #4: The number of Toronto homes with two colour brick posts is massive, your neighbors are dumb.

If you want to go hardcore hire a lawyer to write a letter and paint your half back.Answer #5: take a picture, bro. This is hard to visulaize


Title: Doctors' notes contain misinformation.

Question:
**Preface**: I've been trying for months to get treatment for excessive daytime sleepiness. I have cataplexy. The reasonable assertion would be narcolepsy, but I didn't hit REM sleep enough times during the Multiple Sleep Latency Test. I don't much care what they call it, provided they actually treat it.

**First Neurologist**: She somehow got it in her head that I have a history of anxiety and manic episodes. This is not the case. (I spent a lot of time seeing psychiatrists and the like when I was a kid, and eventually wound up diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.) When her tests first confirmed excessive daytime sleepiness, she suggested that when I get tired at work, I should "take a bus home, take a nap, then take a bus back." I don't need to explain how wildly impractical that advice is. She demanded that I see a psychiatrist before she would treat me, get assurances that narcolepsy meds would not trigger a "worsening of anxiety and manic symptoms." (Which, again, I don't have.) Legally, no one can guarantee you won't experience a particular side effect. Worse, when a psych office (20 miles away, and I don't have a car) finally did call back, she had referred me for "Autism Services," despite this never being discussed. It's not okay to willfully diminish someone's agency like that. I scheduled an appointment with her supervising physician.

**Second Neurologist**: Supervising physician of the first. He dismissed the excessive daytime sleepiness as a problem entirely, tried to stick me on Prozac for the cataplexy. (That's off-label, by the way.) When I got a copy of his notes, he states that I "denied sleep attacks, sleep paralysis, and hypnagogic hallucinations;" of note, we never discussed any of those things. He says that I "did well" when I was working 1am-9am, but that was not the case at all. Half the store called me "zombie boy" because I was constantly dazed, half-dead. I was slamming energy drinks and, when working 40 hours per week, I was only awake for about an hour a day outside of work. He stated, and I quote, "he just gets tired when he doesn't have caffeine." I didn't drink caffeine for two months because I was worried about my blood pressure. If I'm not at work, I take multiple naps per day. I struggle to stay awake when I am at work, and energy drinks barely do anything.

**Ramifications**: Apart from being plainly libelous, these two have wasted months of my time. Their notes can and do prevent further treatment. Although I have scheduled an appointment with a new neurologist (in another town, despite not driving), it's two months out. I'm left untreated, and I'm terrified he's going to take one look at their notes and dismiss me. They have endangered my livelihood and well-being; if I can't stay awake at work, I'm going to be fired. It took me months to find a job here, and I can't afford to be unemployed for any length of time. I could wind up on the street because these people lied and refused to do their jobs.

**Current State**: I don't know what to do. I called the nurse advice line through my insurance and they told me to go to the ER. ER doc took one look at the notes and dismissed me. The tests confirm the problem, but I can't get treatment now. I called a law office, but they said that since I didn't suffer any physical injury, there wasn't anything they could do.

**Question**: Is there anyone who handles this sort of thing? As far as it was explained to me, no one will address the issue unless I'm physically harmed. I have been put at risk by their behavior and feel it needs to be addressed. I just don't know how to do so.

(Edit: Currently located in Pennsylvania, USA.)

Answer: You have 0 control over doctors notes, and there are no invalid opinions here. You can go to another doctor if you don't like their opinions. They're right, you really don't have any damages here, if *two* doctors have suspected the same thing, there's something not right about your story here.


Title: What's the point of getting a marriage license?

Question:
Hello,

For context, I am in Ontario Canada.

If I had a wedding ceremony with my girlfriend, and gave her a ring, and all that -- then what's the point of getting a license and  getting a proper officiant and making it "legal".

No one would ever know or question the "validity" of our marriage.

I truly dont understand why we need to involve government and go through some bureaucratic process.

Thank you

Answer:
 >No one would ever know or question the "validity" of our marriage.

Except the government and the courts, if any of a thousand different issues arises. What if one of you is hospitalized? Would you want to be able to visit each other? To make medical decisions for each other? What if you break up? What if you have kids?

There's an enormous legal difference in Ontario between being married and just living together. Answer #2: If you want government benefits that apply to married couples, you would need to follow the proper channels to have your marriage recognized by the government.


Title: Employer’s Overreaching Vehicle Policies

Question:
The Employee Handbook at my job has several weird rules concerning vehicles and driving policies. Are these legal? It states these apply to company owned and personal vehicles.
A. All traffic violations, whether on company or personal time, must be reported to the manager within 24hrs.
B. Employer will review all motor vehicle reports annually.

Several retroactive conditions that would disqualify an employee from driving on company business (personal vehicle and company owned) even if occurred prior to employment:
C1: Any violation less than 3 yrs old for an alcohol related driving offense.
C2. More than three moving violations in past 3yrs.
C3. Refusing to take breathalyzer
C4. Passing a stopped school bus
C5. Racing

Is this overreach by company? It seems like they want to know if, for example, I got a speeding ticket on vacation in Italy 2 years before I was hired. Is that legal?

Answer: yes. Especially if you're driving anything for them. Their insurance likely will need to know all of that before they will insure you.


Title: There's an annoying alarm going off on a building behind my house. It's been going off for days, can I sue them? Can I destroy the alarm? What can I do?!

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Time for you to start making noise complaints. Look up your local noise ordinances. If they start at 6PM you should be on the phone with Code Enforcement at 6:01, and 6:06, and 6:11, you get the idea.

Somebody is going to come in Tuesday morning to a big fat fine if you're lucky. Money always motivates when good sense and common decency don't.

If I were you I'd also be taking your complaint up the chain. Call district managers, call corporate, call their landlords, have yourself some fun.


Title: Wrongful Termination Grey Area - CA

Question:
I worked as in a position similar to a resident monitor. My job was to report any residents who were breaking the rules of the premises.

This is where it gets a bit tricky. I am also a resident, and adhere to the same rules and all that.

I was terminated because I am dating one of my roommates. This is confusing because I am both at my place of residence and "employment", so I am not sure as to this situation breaches my rights of privacy as an employee.

Although the contract specifically states that I am in no position of authority, and I verbally made it clear to everyone in the house of that as well.

Answer: What makes you think that the termination was wrongful? Termination is lawful by default. To make it wrongful, the termination must be for an unlawful purpose.


Title: My car was unlawfully towed from a private parking lot, and I'd like to seek legal action.

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 I feel like [this is your sign](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/7sjl45/did_you_know_that_you_are_in_fact_a_dickless/), yes?Answer #2: You should be looking for no kind of lawyer.  Here's what you do:  You state your case to the leasing office and say, "You owe me $XXX.XX for an illegal tow due to YYY and ZZZ reasons".  This establishes them knowing that their tow service is violating their terms of service.  Now, if its an independent tow company without a contract, you say the same to them.  If you do not get your money back/fees removed, you take this to small claims court with the tow company as the defendant and sue for fees+court costs and present your evidence.

As to your car woes....its a police matter based on dash cam footage/proof.Answer #3: A civil/personal injury attorney.

You will need to prove the following elements to prevail in a civil action:

1. The person(s) you are pursuing owes you a legal duty of some kind.

2. They breached that duty in some way.

3. The breach of duty caused you to incur a loss you would not otherwise have.

4.  The loss you incurred resulted in monetary damages.

Are your damages high enough that the cost of an attorney is warranted?Answer #4: IANAL but if this is your note you posted, you many want to take it down because of all the threats of violence that could land you in hot water

https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/7sjl45/did_you_know_that_you_are_in_fact_a_dickless/?st=JCTGLP17&sh=68228b9f


Title: Are you legally required to provide aid to bigots if you don't feel safe?

Question:
I just saw [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/HumansBeingBros/comments/nqjf2s/although_these_people_were_being_harassed_at_sea/) on r/HumansBeingBros and was wondering if the boat with the pride flag are required to provide assistance to rye boat in trouble?

Personally I would not feel comfortable having someone who was harassing me and giving me the finger, just because I have a pride flag, on my boat. I would feel unsafe and threatened.

So would I still need to provide assistance? If so, what is the minimum assistance that must be provided to not get into trouble (could I simply call the coast guard and not pick them up from the water/put the flames out)?

Answer:
 It would depend where it happened. Some places have a duty to rescue; some don't. Pretty sure you can toast marshmallows over their burning boat 'til the last ember sinks, though.Answer #2: The International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (IMO 1974) states that “the master of a ship at sea, on receiving a signal from any source that a ship or aircraft or survival craft there of is in distress, is bound to proceed with all speed to the assistance of the persons in distress informing them if possible that he is doing so.”

So, at sea, they would have an obligation to render aid. They are not required to endanger themselves in so doing, but a fear that bigoted passengers will make trouble once rescued is not particularly endangering and probably wouldn't extinguish that duty.

However, this treaty doesn't cover the specific situation in that video, because it only covers international waters. Coastal and inland waters are generally governed by national and local laws, not international treaties. Depending on where the events depicted took place, the vessel's crew may or may not have had any duty to rescue the occupants of the burning boat. It's also somewhat likely that contacting the Coast Guard or any local rescue service and standing by would be adequate, but not guaranteed.


Title: [FL]Legal way to dispose of unwanted ammunition?

Question:
Hey all. I am in Jacksonville, FL and a few years back I inherited my father’s old gun collection; included in it were some store bought boxes of bullets for two handguns and a hunting rifle.

Now, I am not really big into shooting, so I really haven’t found a lot of need for these bullets.The guns are heirlooms, so those are t going anywhere, but the bullets mean nothing to me.

 My main concern is that I have pets in my home that could be put in danger if there were ever a fire, or that the firefighters would not be willing to come near the home thanks to them.

So, with that said, I would like to find a way to simply give them away or dispose of them. I’m really not interested in selling, as I know nothing about how to tell if ammo is still good or not and don’t want to take on any unnecessary liability. I had heard that taking it down to the local police department was a method, but I wasn’t sure if that was actually a thing, and didn’t want to walk into the department with a bunch of ammo and get myself in trouble.

Any help would definitely be appreciated!

Answer: Just bring them to your local gun shop or club.Answer #2: Bullets aren't actually all that dangerous when not in a gun.  I doubt your local firefighters would care in the least if there were boxes of ammo in a burning building - they will still put out the fire.Answer #3: Just google a local gun club. I'm sure they would be happy to take ammo off your hands. If I was closer, I would gladly accept free ammo from you!Answer #4: Call your local police department and ask if they will take it.


Title: [CA, USA] Hired a national plumbing company for a little over $18,000 for a full house re-pipe. Damage occurred to my house, due to their work. They are not offering me a refund even though their site says they offer 100% refunds.

Question:
I live in Riverside, CA. I hired a plumbing company for over $18,000 for re-pipe and replacing fixtures. It was a Monday-Thursday job, April 9-12. Starting Friday (April 13), there were issues regarding the new plumbing, that is still continuing today.

Friday: Multiple leaks occurred in my attic from where they laid PEX. Ceiling and wall has water damage. Over 20x20 square foot area of where new ceiling and wall needs to be replaced. When I first called them, they said the bubbling was not caused by them. They said it was from kitchen steam and grease. They didn't check the PEX. Then, when the bubbles tripled, they came back and went up and said the connector was leaking. They replaced it but the damage was done.

Sunday: One of the toilets they installed was leaking where the connectors are located. Not a **huge** problem but for over $18,000 I expect a certain level of professional work that does not include leaky toilets.

Today: The new water heater is dripping from an unknown source. They came back and said that it was *probably* animal urine. And, again, deflected any possible fault of their own.

I asked for a refund but they keep sending me to different representatives and are deflecting answers about refunds.

How can I proceed with getting my money back?

Answer: Have you received a second opinion from a different plumber?Answer #2: You can probably turn it into your home owner's insurance, and let the insurance company go after the contractor for the water damage.Answer #3: If you paid by credit card, you can dispute your payment. If not, you can retain an attorney to start writing them nasty grams and sue them if necessary.


Title: [FL] Are there any repercussions for a retailer who wrongly accuses you of theft and subsequently searches you/your bag?

Question: The reason I ask is because a friend used to work in Loss Prevention at a major retailer and their team would be penalized for pursuing people who haven’t actually stolen something.

Answer:
 It would be a bad look to be wrong multiple times by accusing people of theft.  It might lead people to not shop at your store.

Legally, you don't have to consent to the search.  There are [shopkeeper's privilege](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopkeeper%27s_privilege) in the USA that can keep your short visit to the store much longer.


Title: Got into a car accident, no insurance. Both drivers are at fault (in police report). Other driver threatening to call police on us if we don’t meet with her to figure this out (aka give her money). We should get a lawyer, right?

Question:
(Texas)
Husband and I rear ended a car parked in a driving lane (other car ran out of gas, driver was unbuckled in passenger seat). Other driver (OD) went to the hospital because she claimed she was having leg pain. We think that OD car is totaled at this point, and our car has minimal damage (still driveable). Our insurance had just expired and we were looking at new insurance. We have since found insurance, but somehow OD found our current insurance and filed a claim, which was denied of course. OD then called us directly saying that unless we were going to take care of this, then the cops would be called to our house. Should we meet with the OD? Or get a lawyer, then meet with OD?

Answer:
 The police aren't going to be involved in this (outside of maybe giving you a ticket for not having insurance).

Who is paying for what will be hammered out in civil court if you guys can't come to an agreement yourselves.


Title: [New Jersey] Step-son keeps photoshopping pictures of me in blackface and sending them to employer, tired of finding new jobs.

Question: Title sums it up. Trying to convince my current employer I was not wesley snipes for Halloween '99. Thanks.

Answer: Well, you have a claim for defamation and harassment, but you don't need legal advice. You need relationship advice.


Title: Wife threatens divorce, don't want to lose my son

Question: Hi, I am from California, US and me and my wife have a one year old. We have been fighting a lot and whenever things go out of hand she threatens me that she'll divorce me and won't let me see my son. She's always the aggressive type, will start hitting herself, throwing things in home etc. I always back down and apologize/beg for her to calm down because my son starts crying whenever she does that and I don't want to lose my son if she walks out of marriage. She knows my son is my weakness, and using him as leverage to get her way works every time. I just wanted to understand my rights if anyone has experience with custody/right to visit for very small kids \~ 1 year olds ? Maybe I should approach a lawyer, but before that I wanted to ask you guys on ideas.

Answer:
 If there is no custody order in place, you both have equal right to your son. She doesn't have more rights because she is the mother.

If you do divorce,  get an attorney. You will need a custody arrangement.   She doesn't just get to keep the kid away from you and not let you see him.

Document everything and backup those records.

Talk to a lawyer.  If she continues to harm herself, threatens to harm herself,  or does either to the baby, call the police.


Title: I'm trying to get a custom T-shirt from custom ink and they said this: i’m wondering if I am in the wrong or custom ink is, I got permission from Bethesda and I reviewed what commercial purpose means and custom ink is in the wrong but I’m not sure can anyone help?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: The T shirt company doesn't have any way of knowing whether you're selling these for a profit and is within their rights to deny your request.


Title: Failure to yield to emergency vehicle-infraction

Question:
[Kansas]

So tonight i was making my way down the highway, and was on my way to my significant others house. i was running a little late, and was maybe going 8 to 10 miles over the speed limit (70). This highway happens to be in a very hilly part of kansas; so, as i am making my way there, there is a large hill and i am behind an SUV that is clearly going under the speed limit, so i switch lanes to the right lane right as i approach the top of the hill, and obviously from switching lanes i have just accelerated, thus raising my speed.

Literally right as i am going down the hill, i can vaguely see a cop with his lights on, on the shoulder (on the right) and appears to be helping someone. he pointed to switch back into the other lane, but as i tryed to slow down, that silver SUV was directly to my left, therefore not allowing me to switch lanes immediately. i probably could have slowed down alot and waited, but i was very  confused in the moment.

Then, the cop turns his lights on and pulls me over for "failing to switch lanes for an emergency vehicle" and says that he is "cutting me a break since i was going 10 over" which would have taken my $305 ticket to around a $500 ticket. This guy seemed to kind of be an asshole, as he was kind of blunt and rude, and pulled someone over before me, then right after me he pulled someone over.

the reason for this post is to ask, should i even contest this situation in court? will i even have a chance? I guess i just dont understand why he was so angry as i was doing just about all i could do. Granted, i probably done more to avoid this situation but i wonder, what is the best possible outcome of me contesting this case in court?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 He was angry because actions like these lead to the deaths of first responders. There's a reason that it's a law. Trying to overtake someone in excess of 10mph with reduced visibility (hilly, you said) is a recipe for bad news.

Speak to a traffic attorney. They are cheap, usually do a quick free consult and give you an idea of how likely they'll be able to reduce the fine or drop it to a non-moving violation (no points.) It depends on the attorney, the judge, and your driving record.


Title: Property dispute- feeling threatened

Question:
My boyfriend at the time moved into the house my roommate and I leased. My boyfriend at the time was not on the lease.

A few months later, his father gave us a metal wire rack shelf unit to use for our pantry.

Fast forward to end of February. My boyfriend at the time moved out, taking most of his clothes with him. We agreed on a day for him to get the rest of his stuff: a Sunday. My roommate and I told him he is not allowed in the house without one of us present. The Saturday before the move out date, he came to the house without our permission and gets more of his stuff. There is still stuff left. We argue but finally agree that he is giving me the rest of the furniture (the metal wire rack shelf unit, the bed, the Bowflex, the dining room table, etc.). We agree on a date for him to retrieve the rest of his stuff.

Two weeks later, my ex and his father come to the house and pick up the rest of his stuff, excluding the aforementioned furniture. This is March 25th.

On May 8, I get a message from my ex. His dad is requesting the metal rack back. Considering his past behavior, and his statement that I could keep the things he left, I ignored it. He called me. I ignored it. His dad texted me. And texted again. And again, saying that if "If I don't hear from you by 5:00pm tomorrow evening, I will have to take another course of action to retrieve my property. Please don't cause it to come to that. Thank you."

This man knows where I live. I do not feel safe at my home alone now. The metal rack is $100 and available on Home Depot's website. It is not an invaluable piece of furniture or a family heirloom.

Does he have any legal right to the shelf considering that he and his son left it behind on March 25th and it is now May 25, two months later. It was first requested more than 30 days after it was left behind.

My roommate and I are considering just dropping the unit off at his house, but I don't want to set a precedent for him threatening me and harassing me as a way to get what he wants. I am also considering filing a police report.

Any advice?

I live in PA, btw.

Answer:
 Dad can take you to small claims for the (Depreciated) value of the rack.

It's going to cost him $40 to file. And he's going to have to prove that the rack wasn't a gift and he was expecting to get it back. And get a judge to not hate him for going to court over a year old baker's rack from home depot.

Inform him that the rack is yours, if he wants to sue for it you'll see him in court, and that if he or his son attempt to illegally enter your home and steal your property you'll call the police.

Then follow those instructions and block their numbers.


Title: Wisconsin: hit a deer going 70mph, and airbags didn't deploy

Question: So basically what happened is I was driving 70mph on a highway and hit a deer head on. The car is completely totaled, and luckily me and the passenger had no injuries. The problem is the airbags never deployed. So if there was any broken glass or something I could of been injured. I just want to know if I should go after the car manufacturer even thoe no body was injured.

Answer: Nope, tort law hasn't completely changed since you last asked the question. If there's no injury, there's nothing to sue for.


Title: Virginia: malicious wounding vs attempted murder

Question:
Local news posted a comment on their [story about a guy who'd stabbed his girlfriend:](http://go.socialnewsdesk.com/2/37801b96-18ab-4e93-a9f8-c6721b654e04)

>Hello everyone... [...]  I asked Commonwealth's Attorney Wes Nance why there was a Malicious Wounding charge in this case, instead of Attempted Murder. Here is his answer:                                                       Attempted murder encompasses the same facts as malicious wounding but has less punishment and lower guidelines.  Attempted murder only carries at 10 year maximum while malicious wounding carries 20 years.
The reality is attempted murder sounds like the better charge, but in VA, it is not.  We charged as aggressively as we could with the fact scenario that we had.

So my question is, could anyone explain *why* malicious wounding is a stronger charge than attempted murder?

There were a few people asking about it, or commenting on how strange it seemed that attempted murder would be a less-serious charge, but no one giving any answers. I was also curious, so I figured I'd see if any of you guys knew. ^(besides, the conversations, discussions, and debates are enjoyable to read.)

Answer:
 >So my question is, could anyone explain *why* malicious wounding is a stronger charge than attempted murder?

Generally, because malicious wounding literally involves an actual wound (stab, cut, etc.), but attempted murder can include just taking direct steps towards killing someone, and doesn't require any actual wound or harm.


Title: When they were 13 she sent nudes. They're 18 now and he still has them. Can she do anything? [IA, USA]

Question:
Title is the tl;dr. My girlfriend willingly sent nudes to a bf when they were freshmen in HS. There is evidence that he still has those pictures, but he is 18 now (she's a few months younger, still 17). She wants to charge him for Child Pornography because she has been asking him to delete them for years, but he still hasn't done that. He has also sent them to others, if it matters. I've asked her to wait just because I'm afraid that she may also have to serve some sort of legal punishemnt, because she did technically send them.
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer: I’m not sure what you think waiting will do to help her.  Assuming the images meet the definition of child porn (that is they are sexually explicit or focus on her genitals - meaning just pictures of her breasts with no sexual underpinning might not be child porn) she has created and distributed child porn herself, that’s not going to get better with time (at least on the federal level there is no statute of limitations on creation/distribution of child porn crimes).  On the other hand, if he is actively distributing them now or has used them to try and blackmail/coerce or harm her in any way, the police will likely be more interested in his actions than her own.  She might want to talk to an attorney who works on revenge porn cases who can better advise her about her potential liability/her ex’s issues.


Title: Felony Injury to Child-- Boise, ID --

Question:
My friend was recently charged with Felony Sexual Abuse of a Child under 16. After hearing what he had to say about the situation I am convinced that this charge is garbage. He comes from a low income background with little to no family support so hiring an attorney isn't an option. After turning himself in approx. 7 weeks ago he is still in jail. I know his public defender was working to get the charges lowered. Yesterday after checking in on his case I found that the charges had been dropped to Felony Injury to Child. The entire premise of the first charge was that this was a crime of a sexual nature. My friend plead guilty to the second charge. I now feel even more strongly that the original charge was garbage and that my friend has been forced into a plea deal in order to speed the process up for his public defender. What are his options aside from hiring a lawyer? Are there lawyers in ID that do pro bono criminal work? A felony is a big deal. I don't want to see my friends life ruined because he isn't capable of paying for an attorney. Please help reddit!!

Situation as I was told:
Girl 15 yoa sends him 2 snapchat images of her in her underwear. He (stupidly) responded, conversation lasted approx 1 hr. He claims to have not sent any images. Never had sex. Never touched. etc. I've known the guy for going on 10 years and I strongly believe him.

My thoughts are... If the prosecutor so easily gave up on such a heinous charge, how much further would the charges have been dropped if he had the means to get out on bail and fight this with an established attorney.

Edit: For more info on situation.

Answer:
 I can say with near complete certainty that you do not have full knowledge of the facts. You are not a lawyer and surely have not examined all the evidence the prosecutor would have brought to trial. Your friend made his choice. You can visit/write to him in jail/prison and send him money for his commissary account.

edit: fixed jumbled sentence


Title: Jax, FL (27m) assaulted at a tacobell ended up with broken and wired shut jaw.

Question:
 I was on the way home in a uber(taxi) with my gf my friend n his gf, we stopped at a taco bell to enjoy some food before we get home. As we waited in line i saw two guys on bikes drive past asking people to help them buy tacos since they wont take people on bikes i wasn't able to wind my window down to help so i just let it be. Now at this point im looking at the menu preparing myself. when i see one of the guys on the bike fall n start running away n notice two military guys  jump out of a car and punch one of the dudes on the bike knocking him out as the other dude that fled fell off the bike to where the two guys ran over and repeatedly kick punch you name it to this guy in the fettle position.

  I got out the car and ran over yelling to stop and just leave to no avail. i run back get my phone and remember my battery dead yell for someone just watching to call for police. friend gets out picks the guy that's still knocked out up out of drive thru and i walk back over trying to get these guys to leave i look down to see one the assaulter just straight punching this guys in the head as hes yelling for them to stop next thing i know i got punched in the face knocked me down n as i got up i noticed they ran back to there cars where two females had jumped to the front seats to take off.

  i notice i had two bottom teeth missing and im bleeding bad at this point they people are gone n im guessing the adrenaline kicked in cause im not in pain im talking police get there n im noticing there pulling me towards the ambulance saying i need to go to the hospital. the ambulance people tell me my gums split down the center n i need surgery. the other guys declined medical treatment and was released. after xrays n such comes to find out my jaw was broke n 3 places having to be wired from  Aug 25,2015- Oct 5,2015. happened on the 23 of august. but while this was going on some random guy came and took the actual licence plate off the guys truck before they took off and thats how i have the information on the guy due to them running his tags.

 I was really wondering what steps n actions i can take iv been out of work now since it happened cause i have to talk to people and talking with my jaw shut is quite difficult. They asked me for a line up i pointed the only guy outa the group that i noticed which happened to be the driver of the car, and the guy that hit me. The cops have said they needed that for a warrant to arrest him which im confused if we have his plate n security footage wouldn't that be enough. and how long does it usually take for something like that to happen. I hate thinking these guys think they can just assault anyone cause there trained by the military and be able to walk free.

Edit: sorry for typos on some medication hands are tingly.
Edit 2: Questions, How long till they serve the warrant and will i be notified when it happens.
           Can i sue taco bell for negligent security, and him for damage i will have to deal with for a long time.
           And any actions on the military side due to him being in the army?

Answer: I'm not a lawyer but you contacted the police, they followed up, you picked him out of a lineup, and they are now waiting for a warrant for the arrest of the person who assaulted you if I read that all correctly. Sounds like things are going as they should. It can take a couple of weeks to get everything sorted out. In the meantime I believe you could contact a personal injury lawyer and discuss the possibility of a civil suit for the cost of your medical bills.


Title: I want to sell a second-hand car here in Massachusetts, but I don't want the prospective buyers from "injuring" my car (i.e. slamming the door, over-revving the car, over-accelerating, etc.). What can I do?

Question: Should I make them sign something? If they do violate my clause preventing them from abusing my car, can I fine them?

Answer: If your car is in good mechanical condition a little hard driving won't hurt it. Gotta know what the baby can do after all. Slamming the doors won't hurt it either. If they purposefully cause damage you can sue them.


Title: Can the local HOA restrict my friend from putting solar panels on new house? (Utah)

Question:
So my friend will be moving into a brand new house.  It will be ready to move in next month. They are doing the finishing touches right now.

He's kinda of a green conscious kind of guy. He really wants to put solar panels on the roof of his new house.
He's worried about the HOA saying no to him. He thinks they'll either tell him it will reduce the value of the other houses or look ugly or both.

All he wants to do is save money on his electric bill and better the earth in his own way.

It's a pretty new development he's moving into. The oldest house in the big development I think is 10 years old. If you're from Utah. He's moving into the Daybreak community.

He's not a redditor so trying to help him.
What can he do?

Answer: He can ask the HOA if they will allow it, but depending on the HOA agreement, they can probably refuse his request.  He will have to read his HOA agreement (or have an attorney read it) to be sure of what they can prohibit.Answer #2: I'm in CA, so I'm not sure if it was a state law, but I nought it was a federal law that HOA's can't stop people from putting up solar panels regardless of what it says in the CC&R's.Answer #3: His only option is to ask the HOA's permission.  Generally, if you don't like an HOA's rules, you shouldn't buy the property.


Title: [TN] Tenant hasn't paid 3-4 months worth of rent and has abandoned his truck and some of his belongings. Can we sell them to compensate for our loss of rent revenue?

Question:
Good afternoon everyone,

Our tenant didn't pay rent for October and November. We took him to court on November 29th to get the rent + some money for the damages he has done to the house, but he never showed up. we still gave him until December 7th to get everything out of the house.

He finally moved out of the house and turned in his keys around December 7th but he still has a shit ton of stuff in the driveway including a non-running truck. This whole process has taken way too long and I am wondering if I can sell his truck and belongings to make up for the $4000 or so that he still owes us.

Answer: You may re-enter and sell abandoned property provided you follow the rules. TN has a statute directly on point. Read Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-405.


Title: Do I Need A Lawyer?

Question:
In October I was in a car accident in Boston, the other driver was charged with DWI. This morning I got a call from the DA saying that the case would be going to a jury trial and that they would "...need [me] to participate" and would be mailing me a summons.

If I'm being called as a witness, wouldn't they issue a subpoena rather than a summons? Don't they normally depose witnesses before having them give testimony in open court? Do I need my own lawyer?

Answer:
 It's possible that the DA misspoke and that they will be sending a subpoena and not a summons, or they are sending you a courtesy copy of the summons and asking you very nicely to show up at the appointed date and time.

They may or may not depose you. If your function as a witness is to validate the facts in the police report, it probably isn't worth anyone's time to do a deposition.

If there is no deposition and they just want you to testify, appear at the time and date commanded and tell the truth. You can be sure that the DA will prepare you for your appearance.Answer #2: No need for a lawyer but you may want to let your insurer know.  If for some reason they think it's important they would send a lawyer to represent you.


Title: I want to get a restraining order against a person who's basically stalked me down after 3 years, but the police won't let me?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Douche

Answer: You might want to read both [this](https://www.lawanswers.com.au/blog/restraining-orders-domestic-violence-orders-and-intervention-orders-protecting-yourself-qld/) and [this](http://www.courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/162174/dv-fs-guide-to-completing-an-application-for-a-protection-order.pdf) source to figure out if you actually would quallify for a restraining order, but based on what you presented here and what I read whilst skimming over the first source I doubt that you would quallify.


Title: My employer holds our checks hostage every week.

Question:
I work for a trailer plant. I’ve been here for a while now. When I started, we were paid on Thursday for those who had direct deposit and Friday for those who got physical checks. We’ve had new management come in and they have been moving our checks farther into the week for everyone, over the span of a month. They scrapped direct deposit. Gave everyone checks on Thursday. Then they moved our pay day to Friday at lunch because people kept missing fridays at work. Now it’s been moved to the end of Friday and only if we meet a certain quota that we’re likely not to meet. If we don’t meet it, everyone stays until it’s met. Nobody but management is told of these decisions until the day of.  Last week I was left with bills that needed to be paid and no money on hand. Is this legal? And if it is, is there some path of recourse for me and my fellow employees?

Edit: I’m in Georgia, the state, not the country.
Topic:
Business Law

Answer:
 Run, do not walk away.  The business you are working for is running out of money, not enough to meet payroll.Answer #2: You're required to be paid for the time that you work. Go to your state's labor board. Answer #3: You are required to be paid for hours worked.

Moving paydates and weird demands like this is generally not a sign of a functioning business. Look for a new job because I really doubt your company is going to exist much longer. Answer #4: >If we don’t meet it, everyone stays until it’s met.

Is everyone getting paid appropriate overtime for this?  And what happens if someone leaves before the quota's met or doesn't come in to work that Friday?

Everything you've said is questionable, but as long as everyone can get their paycheck within two weeks of the pay period ending and is getting paid for all worked hours, I don't think there's anything illegal about it.Answer #5: I would be looking for a different job, but I would also be focusing on getting off of a paycheck to paycheck cycle. We have had errors occur at major companies that were not having financial difficulties that caused a paycheck to be a week or more late. That type of thing can happen, and as far as I understand, as long as we were eventually paid, it wasn't anything we could go after the company for. Thankfully, we had savings to be able to cover things without any trouble.


Title: Cop never gave back my ID after I got pulled over for speeding

Question: I didn't realize he didn't give it back till after I drove off. What should I do? I live in North Carolina if that matters.

Answer:
 Cop here, we do this all the time.

Call the station (not 911) and tell them what happened and they will get a hold of the officer. Answer #2: Just call the station and ask for it.Answer #3: Call the non emergency police line and explain the situation, that cop probably still have your ID in possession, you should have no problem asking for it back.


Title: Diminishing 15 minutes rule at my place of work

Question:
Hello! I'm just curious about this more than anything...

My company has a "diminishing 15 minutes" rule for all hourly employees (I'm salary so it doesn't affect me). What this means is if you clock into work <=15 minutes before your start time or clock out <=15 minutes after your scheduled out time, you don't get paid for that extra time. If either of those is >15 minutes though, you get paid. I'm in Idaho. Is this legal? Could anyone point me to rules about this?

I'll just point out that I love my job and my company and I'm not looking to get them in trouble; I just love learning about working laws and such as well.

Answer:
 The FLSA allows rounding but it has to go both ways. So minutes 1 - 7 can be rounded down, but then minutes 8 - 14 must be rounded up. What you are describing, always rounding down, is not legal per the FLSA.

http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs53.htm

*Some employers track employee hours worked in 15 minute increments, and the FLSA allows an employer to round employee time to the nearest quarter hour. However, an employer may violate the FLSA minimum wage and overtime pay requirements if the employer always rounds down. Employee time from 1 to 7 minutes may be rounded down, and thus not counted as hours worked, but employee time from 8 to 14 minutes must be rounded up and counted as a quarter hour of work time*


Title: My university installed an aggressive firewall on the dorms internet and now i cant access discord or steam

Question:
They've also blocked porn websites, but what's bothering me the most is that I cant access discord or steam unless i am using a vpn. I'm an international student studying in the country of Barbados. I'm not familiar with the laws but I was never informed about this decision to install such an aggressive firewall. I want to know the legality behind this move.

When trying to access restricted websites, it redirects me to a portal by a company called Cyberoam

&#x200B;

Thank you

Answer:
 In general, private network operators are under no obligation to provide service and can set (and enforce) rules as they see fit, unless there's a contract that would control.

If you don't like the school's network rules, use your own internet connection.


Title: Helping my Dad tax evade...

Question:
Hello Legal Advice,

I must say that this is my first time on this subreddit, I was redirected here from /r/personalfinance . So here is the story,

I am looking to get some advice as to how to proceed with my current situation. My father (not US citizen) who lives abroad rents our summer home also abroad, for around 100K every summer.

He lives in a country with major financial trouble right now and he too, has defaulted payments on everything (shows 0 income and 0 savings). He is basically hiding this income from the tax services in said foreign country by depositing this cash on our shared US account.

Is this taxable revenue I should report to the IRS? Can this get me in trouble with the IRS at all, right now I have not reported this anywhere? What do yall thing about this? Should I get off the account? If I leave the account could I still get in trouble by helping him tax evade?

personal finance post link: https://redd.it/53u00x

EDIT: 1) I currently live in Michigan. Father lives in a country in the EU.

Topic:
Tax Law

Answer: IANAL.  $10,000 is the threshold at which the bank notifies the IRS.  At that point, they will come knocking and want to know where this money came from.  I believe it triggers some other agencies as well.  Will defer to the real attorneys as to which agencies that might be.


Title: [NYC] Call from a stranger claiming I'm the father of her unborn child. This is completely impossible. Best course of action?

Question:
So I still have no idea how I got caught up in the middle of this, but here we are.

On Saturday night I got a call from a local (NY) number. On the other line was a woman who (if I recall correctly) said that she was a day late and that she believed it was mine. This was at 1:30 am so I basically said I've met/heard of you before and hung up the phone.

The weird thing is, I believe she knew my name (I don't remember all of the details of this call - it was 1:30 am and I out drinking with friends). I also have a west coast number rather than a NY number so this wasn't completely random - she knew that I was living in NY.

The next day I call back to see what in the fuck is going on. The woman will no longer answer the phone (says she's visiting her gran with Alzheimers so can only text) but calls herself Charlene and says that that we met a few weekends back - she saw me stumbling when trying to hail a cab and tried to help. Cabs weren't coming and we started talking and when a cab finally did come we went to her place. Now she says she's pregnant and going to the doctor tomorrow (this was yesterday, so tomorrow would be today).

I pushed for more details and again she says we met a few weekends back ("coming up on a month" but still no specific weekend) around "the village, don't remember which bar exactly". I think that this can only mean Greenwich Village. She says she's getting an abortion because she doesn't want to ruin her life or mine.

EDIT: While I was typing this she texted me and said that she went to the doctor, who said she's three weeks pregnant and that we met 3-4 weeks ago. She specified that we met on a Saturday (definitely not possible, I spend weekends with the GF who I think would notice if I went home with someone else.

Okay but a lot of things don't add up:

*Number one, this straight up didn't happen - at least not to me. I have no memory of this at all, I've had a girlfriend for nearly three years and have never cheated.

*Number two, for much of December I wasn't in New York, and the weekends that I was in New York I know what I was doing and who I was with. Furthermore, I don't go out drinking alone so either my GF or my roommates would have to have some recollection of this happening. I also have no credit statements from that time from any bars in that area.

*Number three, she gave me a fake name. She called herself Charlene, but I reverse searched her phone number against both Spokeo and Intelius and both engines said that the number belonged to a woman named LaShawnda. I also searched my own number to check accuracy and the engines were able to identify me.

*Number four, it strikes me as suspicious that I got this call at 1:30 am on a Saturday - that's not how someone normally breaks that kind of news. Furthermore, she's a day late on Saturday night but has an appointment with a doctor on Monday? Doesn't make sense, some cycles are just a day late.

I have no idea who this woman is or what she wants; she hasn't asked for money. She hasn't asked for anything. But something is definitely wrong here. If I'm being scammed I want some kind of justice. If it's a mistake I just want this woman out of my life.

What do you all think? Sorry for the wall of text!

TL;DR: Got a call from a stranger claiming to be pregnant with my child. This is completely impossible. What should I do?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 It's probably a scam. Ignore "her".

This isn't legal advice, but don't answer phone numbers you don't know. If the call is that important, they will leave a voicemail.Answer #2: You are not legally obligated to do or pay anything unless and until you are ordered to do so by a court.

Unless and until you get served with a paternity suit, then you ignore it.

If you get served with a paternity suit, appear in court and present a vigorous defense- that should be easy if you are not the father.Answer #3: 3 weeks pregnant means conceived last week and hasn't missed a period yet. The 3 weeks refers to the date of her last period.Answer #4: Not legal advice. This definitely sounds like a scam.Answer #5: Drop the phone number into Facebook's search box (in the format of (XXX) XXX-XXXX).  That may get you more accurate information as to who owns that number.  Spokeo and such are pretty unreliable.Answer #6: >"Jane. You met me at a party about 6 to 8 weeks ago and you said I was a real good sport."

>"Oh, Christ yeah. How are you, Jane?"

>"Pregnant! And I'm gonna jump out the window!"

>"Say, you are a good sport, aren't ya, Jane?"

lol, j/k. Block her number until you get a notice from her lawyer. And if she does try to get child support, get a paternity test.


Title: I have to layoff my staff in MD for 6 weeks. How can I set them up for success?

Question:
Hi all,

My store is closing for 6 weeks for renovation and I've never had to lay off people before. Ideally, we'd like to set them up with unemployment + a retention bonus upon return. Unfortunately relocating them isn't an option.

I'm wondering what I can do / tell them from a legal standpoint to best set them up for success. Anything I can tell them, maybe some FAQ. Since we know the exact dates of the process, maybe any amount of lead time they should file any paperwork.

I'm in MD, Staff is only 8 people with 7 of them receiving FT benefits. They receive tips that are fully taxed, even cash tips.

Thanks for any help!

Answer:
 Not legal advice, but professional: give them each customized letters of recommendation for them to give prospective employers. Give them a physical copy and email them a PDF so they can reprint it as needed. It'll help when employers ask why they left their most recent position. Answer #2: Sorry - but at the expense of sounding like an idiot .. I thought I would ask you why you will be laying off the team since you will only be out for 6 weeks.  I know that paying someone for 6 weeks for doing nothing is a big expense but assuming that you're very happy with your staff; did you think about the opportunity costs that you will be going through? You will need to hire again in 6 weeks; you will probably have to find new people; there is a reasonable risk that some of the new hires will not be good enough so you would need to hire again and retrain.

As opposed to keeping your staff and once you re-open than they will all hit the ground running.

Sorry if am missing something obvious - am just thinking 'aloud'.  What I learnt over time is that finding the right team is difficult so once found try your best to keep it.Answer #3: I'd consult a local small business attorney to help you with your "retention bonus about return" agreements.Answer #4: Any way you can keep one senior employee through month and a half? Losing a full staff won't be easy to replace for the reopening.


Title: Bought a used car, three hours later the check engine light came on

Question: So I live in Yakima county, Washington State. Today I bought an 07 Ford expedition from a lot. I took it for a test drive yesterday, it drove fine. I bought it and today I drove off with it and the next time I started it right when I hit the gas it was real jolty and the check engine light came on. I took it to AutoZone and the guy tested it with the Gizmo they use and he tells me the catalytic converter is going out and needs to be replaced..I went back to the dealer and he said there's nothing he can do for me. Am I just shit outta luck? I'm bummed out this thing is gunna take me five years to pay and I'm already having problems on day one.

Answer:
 What did the mechanic who you paid to inspect the vehicle before purchasing it have to say?

What does your warranty say?


Title: [MA] Is it illegal to buy stolen goods from the thief?

Question:
Let's say I know somebody had stolen some goods from a store. If they offered to sell it to me, would I be liable in any form? Like legally do the police have a right to confiscate it and leave me at a loss of value? Or does the seller just have to pay for the "damages?"

Does it matter if I know it's stolen or not?

Answer:
 Receiving stolen goods is a crime.

The police could recover the goods from you, whether you know they're stolen or not, and your recourse would be to sue the thief.Answer #2: So you are coming to /r/legaladvice to ask us if fencing is illegal... welcome.

Yes, knowingly buying stolen goods is illegal in MA (and everywhere else_)

http://www.mass.gov/courts/docs/courts-and-judges/courts/district-court/jury-instructions-criminal/6000-9999/8600-receiving-stolen-property.pdf

The jury instruction above explain it pretty nicely for you.

And even if you had no idea the $1,500 TV you bought in a parking lot for $200 was stolen, the police will recover it from you and you will have to sue the thief in order to get your money back.

Do not buy stolen goods, and I would suggest you do not buy goods from questionable sources (if you want to avoid legal and financial trouble, that is).


Title: If two people go on the run, what happens to their child?

Question: Doing some research about a musical. In the show, a kid’s parents go on the run after (presumably) being found guilty of money laundering. What would happen to the kid? (He’s in high school in the show, but definitely still a minor.)

Answer: She grows up to be the greatest forensic anthropologist and best selling author ever.Answer #2: He'd probably be put in foster care, either with a random family or possibly placed with a family member or family friend. And he'd probably be questioned by police to see if he knows where the parents went/is contacted by them while they're on the run.


Title: Qualified coworker being passed over promotion because they pastor a church

Question:
They were talking about possibly suing, and I just wanted to pick this subreddit's brain on whether they have grounds for it, and what those grounds might be, or why this wouldn't be a good course of action.

The promotion typically requires nearly full availability. If someone calls out, this position is the one that would have to deal with it.

That being said, the coworker was told by HR that because they pastor at a church, and wouldn't be able to work sundays, that they can't get the position. They're not paid for their pastoring, they see it as their religious duty.

If it matters, this is in California.
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer:
 It sounds like they are being passed over for having a conflicting obligation, not a *religious* conflicting obligation. If the position requires 100% availability, that's what it requires. This isn't religious discrimination.Answer #2: Your coworker is not being passed over because they're a pastor.  They're being passed over because they can't handle the job duties.

Legally, the employer cannot take action **because** of one's member of a protected class.  If the need to work on Sundays is a legitimate one for this position, and your friend can't work Sundays, there's no problem with denying him the position.

Your friend can explore with the company potential alternatives.  He can also discuss the matter with an attorney, to see if there is a possibility of a suit.  Realistically, though, if he's being held to the same standard as everyone else that may be an uphill battle.


Title: [N.C] Can My School Schedule Lunch Breaks for Less than 30 Minutes?

Question:
So a little background. I go to one of the largest schools in North Carolina. Recently the school implemented a new lunch schedule which gives students only 23 minutes for lunch. I did some research and found that NC House Bill 609 requires (Section 115 C-270.5 Line b5) that lunches be at least 30 minutes long. Does this apply to my school? If so, how could I go about getting the lunches extended/changed back? Thanks in advance.

Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: That bill is still in committee. So it is not law.


Title: [Burlington, VT] Can a landlord charge for cleaning services for an open house?

Question:
Can a landlord charge for cleaning services if the apartment isn't up to acceptable standards(his standards)?
Nowhere in the lease does it say the apartment must be kept a level of cleanliness (aside from at the end of the lease).

Answer:
 Anybody can charge anybody for anything. The actual question is whether you have to pay. Unless this is in your lease, and the apartment is reasonably in order and not a dump, I would say no. If he wants it extra clean to show it, he needs to pay. Answer #2: What you owe the landlord is spelled out in the lease. If it says nothing about this situation, my opinion would be that you owe nothing. If they try to say you're short and move to evict you make sure you show up at the hearing; I can't imagine you'd lose.

Also most states regulate how much notice a landlord has to provide when entering your apartment unless there is an emergency. This can be over written by an agreement in your lease, so check your lease for that. If they want to be a dick about charging you to clean then be a dick back about not allowing entry without proper written notice etc (or whatever your lease or state law states).


Title: [NJ] If my employer gives me a vehicle to drive to work, that i can only use for work, am i on the clock when i get to the job or when i get in the vehicle?

Question: basically they gave me a truck that i can only use for work related purposes. Since the only time I use that truck is on behalf of my employer, am i on the clock when i leave my house?

Answer: Generally, no.  If you were on-the-clock when you arrived at work before, then you're on-the-clock when you arrive now, regardless of how you get to work.


Title: Caught driving with suspended license in FL

Question:
I couldn't afford to pay some hefty traffic tickets I got several months ago. I'm 20 years old. I drove with a suspended license for a while because I live in my own and have bills pets other priorities. I also have a job I go to 5 days a week.
I knew it was suspended, I simply couldn't afford to pay and still needed my car. As I mentioned I'm 20 with not a lot of money.
I got pulled over today driving with a suspended license. He didn't arrest me, but he did take my license plate and give me a ticket to appear in court within 30 days.

I plan to pay my traffic fines within a few days with help from my parents (who I was too proud to ask for help before) and then plead guilty in court because It would be hard to convince someone that I'm not, I knew what I was doing.

Would pleading guilty help decrease my sentence? Will my license still be suspended even after I go to court? Will I go to prison?
I'm very Afraid and have no other offenses on my record aside from some speeding tickets.

Answer:
 Firstly, [stop breaking the law](http://gph.is/XSLmxv).

Secondly, consult a traffic lawyer.  If you plead guilty, they'll give you at most 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.  A lawyer can try to look at all the angles and see if everything was up to snuff.

Thirdly, if your not able to make ends meet after working 5 days a week, pick up a second job or look to see if you qualify for public assistance.  You can also head over to /r/personalfinance to learn some budgeting tips and identify where you're spending money when you shouldn't be.

Fourth, ask your parents to help you pay for a traffic lawyer.  You don't want to walk into court unprepared.


Title: Restraining order even though I stopped contacting him?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You only stopped after he went to the police, so it's not like you stopped long ago and now this is coming out of nowhere.

You need to show up to the court appointment to defend yourself. I wouldn't suggest using the tactic of saying "Well I need closure!" and all of the other things you've mentioned.


Title: (NC??) Was sexually assaulted by uncle when I was 15 (20 now), and I want to know what legal action I can take at this point in time.

Question:
I would assume at this point it is something in civil court as I am somewhat sure it is outside the time in which I could report it criminally. But I want to know what I can do. I recently reported him to child protective services but I am unsure if anything came of it, as they are not a criminal organization.

This happened 5 years ago when I was 15, and it happened in the state of New Jersey. I am 20 now and live in North Carolina. I have never lived in New Jersey and lived in North Carolina at the time this happened, and was visiting when the assault occurred.

Answer:
 I was 9 when my uncle first started assaulting me. It started with just touching and then went into full on rape. I was 12 when I finally told someone. It was a counselor at school. She called cps. The next 3 years of my life was a whirlwind of cops and counselors and court just for him to get out early.

You can always file a police report. There will always be skepticism. "Why did you wait so long? Are you sure it was him?" Just stick to your story. You will have family that will hate you. You don't need them. Find counseling. Find support. Trust me you will need it. There is a small chance he won't be convicted because it was so long. That is not your fault. All you can do is try. You know it happened and that is all that matters.

If you don't want to file a report, yes you can sue him civilly. There are millions of people that have. I was sadly talked out of it by my mother. In hindsight I wish I would have. But it will be harder prove. Not saying it is impossible, just harder. You need some evidence. Facts. Times, dates. Does he admit it in any way?

Above all that there are tons of resources for people like us. RAINN is a big one. I hope you get whatever closure you need. Just remember you are a strong, amazing person, and none of this is your fault. None of it.