Title: Wife ran off and I want to file a divorce

Question: I don't know where to begin to get this done and if it will interfere with what my parents are doing since I have two kids with my wife who ran off.  My parents are going through the state to get custody of kids, who are living with them. What I really want to know is how do I file for a divorce with a runaway wife with children involved while parents are trying to get custody? And if it means anything there are court orders for both of us to pay child support. She's been avoiding it and I have been paying mine steadily every month. Sorry for poor punctuation and format I am on a bad phone. Is it going to cause a problem since I'm in a different state or do I have to contact the state the marriage took place? If it helps I'm in CT,  marriage took place in CA where parents and kids live.

Answer: For something this fact specific, talk to your divorce attorney.


Title: What can I do about my upstairs neighbor?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Generally, there's very little a landlord can do about a noisy tenant. If the lease requires them to have carpets or rugs to muffle the sound, and they don't, then maybe the landlord could do something. Or if the lease has quiet hours at night and the neighbor is yelling loudly at night, then that could be grounds for action. But beyond that, all the landlord can do is try to persuade them to be quieter.

Calling the police is certainly an option. Not sure if the police are likely to do much either, but they may at least talk to the neighbor.


Title: [OTTAWA,ONTARIO,CANADA] Is it illegal to fake a suicide under Canadian law?

Question: PLEASE no if's and's or but's. I already know I shouldn't do it and it's a bad idea, but trust it's the only choice I have. I will be living off the grid (cash only, nothing under my name) for at least a year before I come out again. If I get caught, I am in no way a criminal, insurance fraud etc. Is it illegal?

Answer: The why of having done so will obviously be relevant to the legality.Answer #2: If there is any financial upside for you or anyone else then likely this would be fraud.


Title: Someone returned food because it didn't suit his tastes

Question: I work in a takeaway, in New Zealand. We had an order of fried chicken nibbles and fries. We made the order and instantly give it to him. However, he comes back and says he wants a food return and refund. When asked why, he initially says it tasted "powdery", though later changes his wording to "it doesn't taste right". When asked what he means by that, he doesn't explain, only saying it " just doesn't taste right". Is he in the right by asking for a refund with a simple reason as that? I will elaborate any details that may seem fuzzy.

Answer:
 1.  It's completely legal for him to complain and ask for money.

2.  It's completely legal for you to tell him to bug off, and refuse to give him a refund.

3.  It's completely legal for him to post a review saying that the food was shitty & when he complained he was told to bug off.

4.  It's completely legal for the company owner, seeing the bad publicity, to fire you.

Pick your battles.  But you certainly are within your rights to tell him that you don't do refunds.


Title: Probation officer not answering the phone

Question: I haven't been able to report to probation for a speeding ticket since October because of home complications. Any attempt to contact my probation officer be it over the phone or in person has been met with voicemails and location changes. I'm scheduled for a court hearing at 10:30 am tomorrow and I don't know what to do. If I go to jail it will ruin me as I'll lose my job and in turn my home. What options, if any, do I have in approaching this situation? I can offer further details at request. This is taking place in Atlanta Georgia

Answer:
 If you have call logs on your phone and/or if you left your PO a message when you called you should be covered as far as proving you contacted (or at least attempted to contact) your probation officer.  Answer #2: Can you elaborate further? What do you mean location changes?

What are you appearing in court for (the speeding ticket or a probation violation)?


Title: 10-day suspension for under-the-breath threat to a student attacking me.

Question:
Hello. I'm 14 years of age and am currently attending a public high school in my freshman year. For the last 3-months, another student has been physically, mentally, and socially abusing me, whether calling me fat to sitting on me and pushing me out of my seat to sit next to his friends.

Recently, he approached me from the side and pushed his full force into me, which has about 40 pounds and 6 inches on me, to shove me out of my seat. My back struck the side of a nearby desk, causing bruising, as I blurted out a threat under my breath that if he didn't stop, I'd shoot him. It was in the moment, we don't even own guns nor am I a violent person. He had physical and social power over me, and it's all I could do to stop him.

The students reported the threat, along with saying that I was planning a shooting because I look at Airsoft Forums that have airsoft guns on them. They are all witnesses that are friends of the student who came forward, or people that heard about the situation and don't know the whole gist of it.

Long-story short, two-days later I'm now sitting on a 10-day suspension resulting in me being out of school for a 2 weeks. This'll put me behind in schoolwork substantially.

I am curious, he was physically assaulting me, had been harrassing me constantly, and is now getting off scot-free because his actions, for whatever reason, don't meet the classification of our schools definition as a bully.

How should we proceed, there is a hearing coming up in 2 weeks that'll decide if I get expelled?

Anything?

*EDIT*

I live in Indiana.

Answer:
 Have your parents hire an attorney if you have an expulsion hearing. That is the best thing to do at this point

Answer #2: This pattern of behavior by the other student is not acceptable. Have you been reporting it? It appears the school may have a legal duty to address it.

http://www.doe.in.gov/student-services/bullying-prevention-intervention-indiana

I haven't read it all but you might want to.

I'm not a lawyer.


Title: [MN] Prior owner of home harassing realtor

Question:
We are set to close on our new house in 2 days and I just got an email from my realtor:

"Just wanted to give you a heads up about something I spoke with the sellers agent on yesterday.
She said that the previous owner, 2 owners ago, of the home has been sort of harassing her and telling her that she cant sell the house because "he still owns it". He forged a fraudulent deed and submitted it to the city and has been convicted of that. Sounds like he is having a hard time letting go of the home he sold a while back! Anyway, the agent said that he hasn't bothered the current owners, or the owners previous at all, but that he just keeps calling her office telling her she cant sell the home. They just wanted to disclose that to you and guarantee to you that title has been cleared and guaranteed by both their title company and ours.
I'm sending over an amendment of disclosure now for you to sign.
If you have any questions about it, please let me know!"

Is there anything else I should ask for? Through my own googling, we are guessing he was foreclosed on. We found an article from 2014 announcing a public lien sale of his possessions out of a storage locker. I've asked for any contact info they have of his just in case we have any issues with him.

Anything else we need to do to protect ourselves?

Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 >Anything else we need to do to protect ourselves?

Do you have title insurance?


Title: College student in need of desperate help answering a direct question Google has not been able to provide an answer to.

Question: Today I was at a Nordstrom Rack to go shopping. I bought a couple of merchandise downstairs and paid for then. Not knowing they had a second floor to the buildingI decided to check it out. They had a lot of acessories, mostly shoe, ties, and socks. In short, I stole 3 ties that totaled 60 dollars and two men escorted me to a room to take my information and my take on what happened. I came off clean pretty much immediately. However, when they started to search my backpack, they found a pill bottle with around 20 xanax bars and 10 IR adderall. However, the man who was writing down the information visually looked at how scared and afraid I felt. On the sheet that he gave me as a sort of "receipt" I guess? Th only crime that he put on there was "Shoplifting" with the usual "do not come within 20 feet 0f a Nordstrom ever again. Should I be significantly worried about the situation? It was very unclear weather or not he was going to tell the police or not about the incident If there is anything that you guys could share, I would deeply appreciate it. Thank you. [PHILADELPHIA]

Answer: I'm shocked that Google couldn't predict what some Nordstrom Rack security guard might do.


Title: Ex has primary care of daughter, but he's no longer caring for her

Question:
Located in Iowa.

Currently my ex-husband has primary care of our daughter. Recently my ex-husband got divorced from his ex-wife. He moved into a house (has 4 bedrooms) with 4 males and another female. Since moving, his ex-wife now takes care of our daughter due to our daughter still living with her. She constantly leaves my daughter home alone (she's only 8) and she only sees her dad once a week on Saturdays. When she does go to visit she has to stay in his room, along with four other siblings. You would think that if her dad isn’t the one taking care of her, I should have primary care? Also, the reason it’s not 50/50 custody is because we live 1.5 hours away from each other.

Do you think these are valid reasons for contesting the current child custody agreement?
I would like to come to an agreement with my ex without going through the courts, but if I have to take legal action I will.

Sorry if this is kind of jumbled.

Answer: These are absolutely valid reasons for contesting, contact your lawyer/your ex and figure it out.  Anything else is probably beyond the scope of this sub, because it depends on the court and your previous custody plan.


Title: Girlfriend shoplifted at mall, I'm stuck with a $500 charge.

Question:
(CA) Throwaway account here. I'm 20 and my girlfriend is 19. We moved in together in May. I'm a straight edge type of guy who tries not to get in trouble. I thought my girlfriend was too. But the other day, she came to me telling me to sit down because she had bad news. She told me that in September, she was at the mall with her best friend and stole some highlighters from Sephora. Her friend wasn't in on it and didn't know she was doing it. Mall security followed my girlfriend and pulled her into the office and made her give back what she stole. They told her it won't go on her record and she won't have to go to court, but she would have to pay a fine that would be mailed to her later. And she is now banned from all Sephora stores for life. Apparently, she kept it a secret from me because she was embarrassed and thought it would just be around $50 and she'd pay it secretly. The problem here is that I bring in most of our money and she is a full time student with a part time job. I recently used up my savings on a car repair and now I'm worried we can't make rent. She only told me about this because she knows I'm the only one who can pay it. I'm pissed. I now have to pay $500 within the next couple weeks according to this letter. Is not paying it an option? Is there any way to fight this? Neither of us have the time or money for court. And I don't want it on her record. They are calling it a civil claim and it's from a law office. I'd give more information, but I don't want to give up our privacy. Please let me know what my best option is. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Let me know if you need any more information.

Edit: Borrowing money is not an option. Both of us don't have anyone to borrow from. We are on our own.

Answer:
 You don't have to do anything. It was her mistake.Answer #2: > Is not paying it an option? Is there any way to fight this?

You can choose not to pay and risk that it will be prosecuted.

If she is prosecuted, the fines associated with her sentence will exceed the $500 Sephora is asking for. Answer #3: Your GF is the one who shoplifted so she's the only one responsible for the fine. She can try and beg the store to reduce the fine for her or she can just pay it. She needs to sell her stuff, get a second job, or beg her parents for the money but it's all on her to pay it. If you want to gift her the money to do it, go ahead, but there's nothing forcing you to do so.Answer #4: >I now have to pay $500 within the next couple weeks according to this letter.

It's not your responsibility. If she doesn't pay it, they can pursue her in a criminal **and** civil case. She will not only owe them for damages (which will likely remain at $500), but she will also have a criminal record.Answer #5: Why are you paying this? She can get another job or sell something to get the money. She certainly is not going to learn any lessen if she has no consequences.

She--not you--can call the attorney's office and ask for a payment plan. They do not have to agree. If she doesn't pay, there is a good chance the store will file a criminal complaint against your GF.


Title: I think I'm getting fired for not shaving

Question:
Hello all

Hopefully someone can help me out because I'm stressing pretty hard about my situation. I work in Oregon.

So a few weeks back I was told to shave my facial hair at work. I usually shave once a week with hair clippers because my skin in very sensitive. I've had issues in the past with previous employment and my facial hair so I've had to get doctors to sign off on my condition. Now my job knows this and they do have guidelines for facial hair as well as the type of uniforms/clothing we're allowed to wear while on the clock. It's a professional image thing. They knew about my hair condition when they hired me.

When my boss told me to shave I kind of laughed it off and was like "ok I gotcha" and went on with my day. Apparently he took my remark as being rude and wrote me up for it. During the writing me up meeting he told me that other supervisors had told me the same thing and I laughed them off as well. Which is not true but that's what he wrote down on paper.

This week I was called into the office with the company boss and they pretty much gave me my termination papers. The reasoning they are giving me is I was dishonest in my defending why I didn't shave my facial hair. Saying I lied that no one said anything and that even though I have a medical condition I am still supposed to keep my facial hair presentable, which I do unless my skin is irritated then I have to wait a few days to shave.

The issue is I'm on a probationary period and by their rules they can terminate me for any reason without warning, which is true by the Union rules. I made sure to check with a Union rep first. I feel like the reasons aren't very clear and I'm not sure what to do.

Thanks for any help

Answer:
 If you're in your probationary period they can let you go for any reason they like other than being a member of a protected class.  If they don't fire you for facial hair, they can fire you for having a shitty attitude with your manager.

The fact that your union isn't willing to go to bat for you is a pretty clear indication that you're in the wrong.


Title: [NYC] Being sued because lady fell in front of house

Question:
Parents house is in NYC, and this woman is suing us because she allegedly fell in front of the house, between two slightly uneven blocks on the sidewalk (there's no open crevice, it's all cemented down). No proof of her ever being at our house as she did not report anything that day to my parents, nor was an ambulance called. Weeks after they receive a notice claiming that she will sue them. Apparently the home owners insurance does not cover what she is asking for, an amount that hasn't even been disclosed to us.

I'm trying to wrap my head around all this because it doesn't make any sense to me. Anyone can claim they fell in front of someone's residence and sue, especially in NYC where all the sidewalks are bumpy and uneven. Her proof seems lacking, she has medical bills but how can we determine it's from the fall? We have a lawyer but being that the case was filed in NYC, our lawyer from HOI is in Florida and he isn't being very responsive. Any advice would be appreciated, thank you.

Answer: Look her name up in the court documents, chances are shes been falling a lot lately.Answer #2: Is it a public sidewalk or a sidewalk from the street to the front door?Answer #3: Is she actually suing you or just saying she will?


Title: Eviction of guest in Texas

Question:
Hello and thanks in advance for the help.

I have a guest living in a house that my wife and I rent from my dad. He is the landlord. I have a signed a lease but the guest has not. The guest pays no money at all. How can my dad remove her from the house? Can he just send her a notice to leave and then if she refuses go to court?

Answer:
 You keep using the term guest. If this a person who you allowed to live there, with ask their stuff, and they have no other home?

Your LL has to evict everyone in the home, they cannot file an eviction on this person. You are this person landlord, they are your tenant.  You can evict them legally.

Edit word


Title: MI- custody when one parent moves away suddenly.

Question:
My ex came by on Monday to "tell [me] something important".

He and his wife had their minivan packed up and came by to say goodbye to my daughter. They are apparently moving to OR.

Our court order states that the receiving parent pick up our 13 year old daughter for parenting time.

He seems to think because he is moving that I am required to put her on a plane if he buys a ticket. (That is what the previous court order stated, when he lived in TN)

My understanding is that if he doesn't show up to pick her up, I am not obligated to do anything, including take his calls. (I am willing to allow her to call him if she wishes, of course.)

Thoughts? Advice?

I'd really rather not waste time and money taking him to court unless he scrounges up the money to pay a lawyer to represent him in MI.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: He has never been so wrong. He needs to file for a change in custody plan. Likely will need it switched out to longer blocs and he will likely bear costs of travel assuming they even allow it. No one told him to move.


Title: My dad's health insurance said they would cover my child when he was born, then changed their minds. Now I'm stuck with the full cost of all my child's bills.

Question:
Frederick County,
Maryland, USA

When my wife had our first child, I was still under my father's health insurance, and my wife with her parents health insurance. So we we're planning on signing our child up with his own health insurance.

When it was time to sign my child up with his own, my father told my wife and I that our child could be covered under his health insurance. I did a little research and couldn't find any evidence of that, but when my father called his health insurance the phone representative did say my son could be covered under my father's insurance, so  we went ahead and signed him up.

A few months later my wife and I are getting letters in the mail stating my father's health insurance has started refunding their claims and now my wife and I are responsible for what is currently over $7000 worth of medical bills, and they have only refunded half the total bills, and we were told by the hospital they have about 2 years to get refunds on the rest of those bills.

We have been giving my father all this information through these past few months, and he claims to be hiring an attorney to fight the insurance company for fruad, but he is not willing to take any financial responsibility. It's been 15 months since my child's birth and these bills will be going to collections at the end of this month if I don't start paying them off. Is there anything I can do?

Answer:
 You should start paying on the money you almost certainly owe.

You're a grown up.  You have the obligation to verify *for yourself* what the insurance does or does not cover.

If a grandchild is not listed on the policy, then the policy is not going to cover that grandchild and you as the parent will owe the balance.Answer #2: In many states a newborn baby is covered for only the first 30 days. You must have insurance to cover the child after that 30 days.  Try to go to the hospital and fill out financial hardship. Ask for an itemized bill and scrutinize everything ask for a reduction of 95% of the bill. For self-insured. You’ll probably have to wait for next open enrollment before you can even add the child to a health insurance plan.


Title: Illegal renovations were made on our Brooklyn apartment and now we have to lose square footage, a wall, and a closet. Precious nyc living space

Question:
My friend and I just moved from queens to Brooklyn into a super cute apartment . The building is a smaller renovation with 6 units- 1L,2L,3L and 1R,2R, and 3R. We are in 2R. Today when I came home there were officials asking about our fire escape access .

It turns out, when the landlord did a gut renovation , the back bedroom was made bigger by moving a wall from 2L and thus giving our back bedroom (2R) an extra window and closet,and an adorable alcove that really helped sell us on the place.  The bedroom has 3 windows. The middle one and The extra window have access to the fire escape, which means that our neighbors in 2L have no secondary egress and would have to die a fiery burning death should a fire happen.

We just received a text from the landlord saying that it is an emergency and mandatory to move the wall back to its original position, and for our inconvenience our next month of rent will be free.

But, aside from at least 2 days of construction, the bedroom will be significantly smaller, losing a closet, window, and storage space. Not to mention, the inconvenience , dust, loss of sleep etc that happens with construction.

A month of free rent is nice, but that rent was based on the size of the apartment. Should we pursue legal action ? Should we ask for lowered rent ? Or is what he is doing out of our control?

Answer:
 When you say "illegal" did you mean the landlord did the renovations without permits? It is possible he did get permits and the emergency is that without a window in 2L, there is no longer a habitable space in that unit. That is not your problem, it is the landlord's and the tenants in 2L who must vacate that space.

If the work was done without permits and the authorities are forcing the landlord to undo the illegal work, the landlord is in breach of the lease. So, you have two options, you can terminate the lease and move out, or you can renegotiate the lease for a lower rent. Since the space will be uninhabitable during construction, you don't have to pay rent during that time, as well.

My advice is based on common law. New York landlord/tenant laws are very specific, so I would consult with a local lawyer or law clinic to be sure.


Title: My lawyer told me it would be easy to get a car loan during/directly after our chapter 7 is discharged. Is this true? IL

Question: My husband and I currently hold a loan on a car which is worth much less than what we owe due to rolling an old loan into this new(er) loan.  I asked our lawyer how feasible it would be to give up our car during the bankruptcy so my husband and I would no longer be upside down and be able to get a more affordable loan with a lower monthly payment.  He said that it's very easy to get a car loan at this time because the lenders know we cannot discharge the debt for another seven years or get out of it.  Most of the information I am finding online regarding getting loans during/after discharge disagrees with this.  I am hoping to get a second informal opinion on this possibility.  Thank you.

Answer:
 "It depends."

I've actually told people the exact same thing your attorney said.  However, every situation is different and unique.

Even with the fact you can't file again, your financial situation may still be so bad that you're a risky applicant.  You may not own anything they can go after if you do default.

So, it just depends.  But the inability to file for relief under the bankruptcy code certainly looks good to lenders.


Title: (MO) Wife's car rolled three times, she was ejected out of the passenger window, side airbags didn't deploy (no airbags deployed).

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 She wasn't wearing a seatbelt and survived a triple roll over? She already sounds incredibly lucky. Answer #2: >only has a concussion and some bumps and bruises.

This would likely be why the air-bags don't deploy. They're miniature explosives in and of themselves, they only deploy if the crash is hard enough (and in the right direction), that they help more than hurt.

>The side airbags are supposed to deploy in a rollover accident.

What does the documentation *actually* and *specifically* say? Because I find it hard to believe that any and all rollover accidents would warrant airbags deploying.

In any case, if they didn't deploy, you can take them to someone to see if they're defective now.


Title: My brother died while on a SkyTrain. He wasn't found until end of service. His corpse may have been on the train for upwards of 6-8 hours. I need help navigating this. (BC, Canada)

Question:
(crossposted to /r/legaladvicecanada)

My brother was found unresponsive on a Skytrain at approx 1:25am on the 15th. He was found during a sweep of the train during end of service at Waterfront Station. The EMTs administered 2 shots of Narcan & CPR but it was of no use. When he was found, there was no drugs on him and they couldn't tell what happened but assumed he was another OD in the Opioid Crisis. The coroner has already done their job but they can't deduce what happened to him, just that there were no illict drugs in his system & some underlying health issues that may or may not have contributed to his passing. The transit police told my mom, his roommates & anyone else they needed to speak with he OD'ed. We're waiting on a more comprehensive toxicology screen to rule anything out just in case but the damage is already done. It's been a heartbreaking rollercoaster for my mother.

One thing I can't get out of my head is that, according to my mother, when he was found my brother's hands were blue due to livor mortis. My brother and I are Native American, with tanned skin to match, and he was found with f\*cking blue hands.... He would have been on that train, dead, for hours and hours. It makes my stomach churn to think that my brother's corpse may have passed my home 5, 6, 7 times or more before he was found... I need to find out what exactly happened to him. I refuse to let this lie. We promised each other if anything happened to either of us that we'd find out why it happened.

My questions to all of you is how do I go about doing this. I know that I am his immediate next of kin but I've never had to do anything like this before. I need to get access to the Translink PD's report, the EMT's report of when he was found & the coroner's report. I want to get any transit security film to be made available and any other info I can ie. what seat he was in, what car #, what position they found him. I have a copy of his birth certificate but that's about it. I'll be calling my mother in an hour to double check what info she has but don't want to upset her any more than she already is. She's been through enough already.

Please help me help my brother. This is the last thing I can do for him. This is so overwhelming and I don't know where to start.
Topic:
Canada

Answer:
 I'm a paramedic and respond to 911 calls. I never initiate CPR or administer narcan if the person has been dead for hours. Long before rigor mortis sets in a dead body will have pooling of blood and mottling due to a lack of blood flow.

Unless the responding EMTs didn't know what they were doing, they would not have tried to revive someone who was dead for several hours. When a person stops breathing they will become cyanotic (regardless of skin tone)

It seems like you are getting a lot of info 2nd and 3rd hand. You need to get the coroner's report before making a decision on what to do.Answer #2: You should be able to get copies of the police report and coroner's report just by asking. The reports may or may not be ready yet. The security footage you probably will never get without suing and you have no basis for a lawsuit.Answer #3: First place I’d look is his phone. Where was he going/coming from? Who was he with that day. His phone will likely clear up and eliminate a few potential causes of death.Answer #4: Technically your mother is his legal NOK. Parent trumps sibling...you may need her to help you get any info.Answer #5: Try and retrace his steps from that day - contacts get may have had, his job etc

You can maybe get a clearer picture of what he was doing before boarding the train.


Title: Is this a Sextortion Scam?

Question:
I'm 22 years old and live in Virginia Beach, VA.

So I messaged this girl on meetme, or maybe she messaged me first, I can't remember and she pretty quickly asked if I wanted to text after I asked if she wanted to get laid and wasted. There's only 3 pictures on her profile, but nothing turned up when I reverse image searched them. Profile claimed she's 19, her name is Kristi Love, and lives in Norfolk, Virginia. She asked for my number, I gave her my 2ndary number, which is attached to my T-Mobile account. She sends me a text (it was area code 803, even though her profile said she lives in Norfolk Virginia, sure, maybe she moved or something, I look up the number on Facebook and there was no match. I did find out that it's a MetroPCS number, so it's at least a real number. So we start texting. She asks me to send a picture of me, I do. It wasn't an explicit picture, although I tried to look sexy in it, so there's that. I know, dumb to send a picture with my face, but that was before she told me she was 17. I asked for a picture of her, she sent me one, again, not even suggestive. She then "admits" that she's 17, I had an (admittedly dumb) lapse in judgement and continued texting. She asked what I'm looking for, and I tell her sex, friendship, maybe more. Nothing I said was really that suggestive in my opinion. I asked how long it had been since she last had some, and it's clear from the texts I sent that I want to have sex with her. At this point, I'm still not truly convinced that she's 17. I considered asking for a picture of an ID, but didn't. Probably a smart move. She asks if I want a video of her in the shower, I said sure. I got a video that was sort of graphic? No exposed privates, but plenty of cleavage. We talk about meeting, I drive out to her general area, since I live rather close, in fact, I work near where she supposedly lives. We did not exchange addresses. No actual meeting arrangements were technically made. I just figured I'd drive over, maybe get some crap from the office, see if she says anything back, whatever. She never replied when I said I was closeby.

About an hour later, her "father" texts me from that same number saying:
"Son this is Christina's father and im bout to post all your pictures on the news and get a warrant filed for your arrest for sexual solicitation of a minor and also child pornography along with seven more counts of a felony with a minor. If i were you i would be giving me a call asap. You have 15 minutes to reply or else i wont think twice about locking your ass up starting now."

I call him, and he doesn't yell at me or anything, he sounds young, like, no older than 30. In fact, he talked EXACTLY how Chris Hanson talked to the guys in To Catch a Predator, down to the tone he was speaking to me with. He asks me to explain myself, and I simply say it was a lapse in judgement. He tells me his wife is crying and wants to know what I would do in his shoes. He tells me all these charges that I could be charged with, like, he was super specific. So specific, that I don't know why any parent would just know all of them. He may very well have spouted gibberish, but it was like he momorised a list of felonies that I could be charged with. Which is weir. Unless he's a lawyer. (or scam artist) I tell him that if I was in his shoes, I didn't know what to say, and asked how I can make it right, because I know no amount of apologies or convincing can truly "fix" it. I tell him it really was a one time lapse in judgement (I've honestly never done anything like this before) and gave my word that it would never happen again. Told him how I just started this new job and things are finally getting good, and how I didn't want one little mishap to throw everything away. He told me he would talk to his wife, calm her down, and try to convince her that charges don't need to be pressed and call me back.

He called me back saying she still wants to press charges, however, while it would have the potential to convict me of (multiple?) felonies, their daughter (for whatever reason) would also have to go through some juvenile type ordeal and be charged with a misdemeanor or something like that. He further explained that he gave his daughter the choice between jail and moving back to South Carolina and asked me if I'd rather take a chance in court or settle it outside of court. I of course chose outside. He told me that he is gonna put her in some school that's for I guess troubled youth or whatever and that the program is designed to really train her into becoming an adult, but admission would cost 4 grand. He said he wouldn't ask me for such a large amount of money, but said that 3 payments of like $600 would help a lot and that evrything would be fine. He even said that he's in the process of packing up right now and planning to leave to SC tomorrow... But they also supposedly just moved here? He asked me how soon I could make payments, I told him, and he told me he wants me to go to Western Union or use Moneygram. I asked if he's heard of Bitcoin, he claims he hasn't. He said he'll call me tomorrow. I'm going to try and probe for more identifiable information and try to do some personal doxxing on this guy. I think I'm being scammed and that this guy is a scam troll of some sort. But the pictures on her profile, the selfie she sent me, and even the crappy MMS shower video are all undeniably of the same person. Sure, the pictures on her profile were screenshots, but still. On the other hand, who can just up and leave like that, especially after just moving? He said he wanted to be back with his family, but even the most spontaneous move requires at least a couple days of planning!

Let's say that this is, in fact real, what happens if I block the number, cease communication, and he actually does get the police involved? Can it truly be proven that I even sent messages? I never showed up, so there's that, and the profile claiming that she was 19, which, btw, she really doesn't look 17. Do I have plausible deniability that it wasn't me that sent the pictures? In the phone calls, I was apologetic and scared, as one would be, but neither of us were really specific on what it was that I may or may not have done. I did not tell him my name over the phone, so even if the calls were recorded, it could have been anyone who answered the call. It could have been anyone who had that particular selfie of me who messaged her. I deleted my meetme profile, in hopes that he didn't get my first AND last name down. What are the potential repercussions? What should I do?

Answer:
 Holy fuck, this is the longest common scam post in the history of r/legaladvice.

scam, block, move on.  [Read this](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/4xxhdg/my_friend_was_chatting_with_a_girl_online_and/)Answer #2: Common scam.


Title: [CA] Can someone deny my id if it was on my phone instead?

Question: I live in Ontario and a while ago i lost my wallet and was not able to recover all of my missing id's. That being said, i started to only carry my visa card and some cash while going out especially when partying to not lose em again. I took pictures of them using of my phone to save them there and not to worry about losing them. My question is can someone reject my id because its not physical and if so what should i do instead? Like print a copy of my id instead?

Answer:
 >My question is can someone reject my id because its not physical

Yes, of course they can.

>and if so what should i do instead?

Carry your real, physical ID.Answer #2: None of those are valid identification, so yes they can reject them. Usually only the original ID is accepted, because a number of anti-forgery features are implemented within the ID.Answer #3: They don't and shouldn't accept them. The reason being is becauSe IDs,credit cards, and debt carts have physical security markings like holograms, digital codes ect that ensure their legitimacy. I recommend going and getting new cards that's the only real way.


Title: Divorce question!!

Question:
Ok sooo I will try and explain as best as I can.
My aunt who is in Bosnia wants a divorce because she knows her husband is cheating on her and also suspects him of trying to poison her last year. Over the years that they have been married he has been able to convince her to have everything in his name. He pays for nothing, takes his earnings and uses them on his mistresses, my aunt pays for everything. She doesn't want to fight for everything she just wants 50/50. She wants to be able to keep her clinic that she has run for the past 20+ years. Back home he is a director of the hospital and everyone in the community knows him. One of his family members is married to a sibling of the head judge in the area. Now my concern is that this will be ruled unfairly, my aunt will lose everything and nobody will really listen to her reason for the divorce. There are not any lawyers from the town she lives they are in the cities but how do I go about helping her find a divorce lawyer who will help her in her case and what if anything could be done about the judge?

Answer:
 Start with the bar association of Bosnia and Herzegovina: http://www.hg.org/bar-associations-bosnia-and-herzegovina.asp

Once your aunt finds a lawyer she can ask him all these questions.


Title: Being sued for credit card debt (MA)

Question:
So I received a summons today from my county sheriff. I’m being sued for a debt I incurred when I was about 18 yrs. old. Discover gave a youngin like me a credit card with a $6000 limit which I very foolishly maxed out right away. It’s about 3 years later and for many reasons I was unable to make the minimum payments and now they are taking me to court. I plan to answer the summons but I’m seriously considering bankruptcy as an alternative as I won’t be able to afford rent and bills while paying this off. This is the first company to sue me and I assume it won’t be the last as I unfortunately owe roughly 20k in debt (not including student debt...)

Can I start the bankruptcy process now and have it apply to this debt? Or am I too late?

Topic:
Credit Debt Bankruptcy

Answer: Do you really want a bankruptcy on your record? Is it possible you're jumping the gun on this like you jumped the gun on maxing out a credit card at 18? Bankruptcy won't just wipe your slate clean. It will prevent you from a myriad of things that you might want to do in a few years like buy a house. And it won't change the behaviors that put you 20k in the hole in the first place.Answer #2: Your bankruptcy could discharge this debt. It may be too late to prevent judgment from entering (depending on how fast you go and what your lawyer does). But you can still very likely discharge the judgment.


Title: [VA] Is there any legal requirement of time between shifts in Virginia, like if I get off at 11 at night do they need to give me time between my next shift?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Labor Law (Unions)

Answer: There is no federal law or state laws that regulate time between shifts, except if you work as something like an airline pilot or truck driver. The only thing the laws say is that you have to be compensated appropriately if you are working overtime. Additionally, there are no laws in Virginia that require employers to give you meal breaks.


Title: [Virginia] Being accused by ex roommate of stealing bank card and driver's license after they vacated

Question:
Long story short, they had not paid rent in months, I made a formal notice of what they owed, and they had until the end of the month to pay it or I would file for 30 day eviction. On Saturday, they voluntarily vacated the premises and had other people bring their things outside. 2 boxes were left behind that the other party claimed they would retrieve (still on the front lawn, I have not touched them).

It is now Monday, and I am being accused of stealing their driver's license and ID. I was watching the entire moveout and did not see either item.

I thought about voluntarily asking the police to search the apartment to clear me of any suspicion, but that may actually be the wrong move. I do know the person who helped move out their things, and he can verify that everything was removed.

What is my best option in this situation?

Answer:
 like they can't find their IDs and they're claiming you stole them?  ignore them. if the cops come (likelihood = ~0.001%) deny it (if that's true) or just say nothing.

or are the IDs in the boxes?  then tell them to come get them.


Title: Sexually Assaulted in the Locker Room

Question: Freshman year, I played water polo at my school and I was sexually assaulted on a weekly basis by two of the upperclassmen. Not understanding what was happening, I never reported it to the school. I realized that I had been sexually assaulted when the “Me Too” movement came around, that’s when I really learned what sexual assault meant. It continued with one of the upperclassmen into gym class my sophomore year, escalating into a daily routine for him. I now plan on reporting it to the school. The two have now graduated. Is there anyway that they can get legally punished without filing a lawsuit against them?

Answer: How old were you at the time and when was this? And in what state? You could also file a police report. And contact RAINN.


Title: Is this illegal discrimination?

Question:
My computer science department sent out an email promoting a paid research position with one of our professors. The email ends by saying

"Female students or students from underrepresented ethnic groups will be preferred, but not a requirement."

Is this considered discrimination against a protected class? This is in Ohio if it matters.

Answer:
 > Is this illegal discrimination?

No. Minority status can be favored. It just can't be an excluding/including test. See [*Grutter v. Bollinger*.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grutter_v._Bollinger)


Title: I am extorting someone who is committing an illegal act. But, what I am requesting/demanding is that the other party cease the illegal action. Am I also breaking the law?

Question:
I am reading (listening to) an old favorite book of mine, *Reflex* by Dick Francis. One of the plot points, is that a character was extorting all sorts of people after catching them on film in compromising situations or committing illegal acts. But what that character requested/demanded of his victims was that they stop committing the illegal act. If the demand of the extortion is to simply cease the illegal act on part of the perpetrator, is this actually extortion?

My head tells me that it doesn't matter what the request is, that it is extortion simply by threatening to expose the compromising material, and that the request doesn't matter. Am I correct?

Answer:
 Just agreeing with this definition.

>It doesn't matter what the request is, that it is extortion simply by threatening to expose the compromising material, and that the request doesn't matter.

I think you are right.


Title: Parking War with Neighbors?

Question: A family with 5 cars recently moved into the house across the street from me. They've got some weird living situation where they'll just disappear for a few days, then pop back up for a few more days before disappearing again. That's fine and all, they carry on with their business and I'll carry on with mine, except that they've taken to parking their cars allllllll along the street. Currently they're spread out in front of their own next door neighbors' houses, my two next door neighbors' houses, and they just started parking in front of my house. I wouldn't mind them parking in front of my house if they left room for my car, but they refuse to. I've confronted them politely about this, and they've said that they will move their car, but haven't. Now I have to park far down the street from my own house. What can I do to resolve this while maintaining what peace is left between us?

Answer: Is it public street parking?  Are they parking in legal spots? Iirc It's not illegal to park in front of someone's house on a public street. Answer #2: You don't have a right to park in front of you're home if it's a public street


Title: Flight delayed over 12 hours, due to weather. Am I entitled to anything from Delta?

Question: Im staying at a $80 hotel for the night since we are leaving tomorrow at 8am.

Answer: No. Weather is outside of their control, as per their contract of carriage.


Title: [CA] Can I Hold My Landlord Liable For Vehicle Damage Arising From His Failure To Make Good On His Rental Agreement?

Question:
The rental agreement states that "all utilities [are] paid." By my understanding, this means that the landlord should be paying for trash service. The landlord does not pay for trash service. When I raised this issue with the landlord, he said it was okay because he would personally cart away any household trash, but he has not made good on this pledge, either. Because of this, trash is allowed to accumulate on the premises. Because such conditions can become unsanitary and unhealthy I have taken it upon myself to periodically haul the trash bags out to the local landfill. During my most recent trip to the landfill, my truck was totalled by another driver who ran a stop sign.

What I am wondering is, because I would never have been in that accident had the landlord abided by his own contract, do I have any basis for a small claims suit?

Answer:
 No.

Your landlord likely owes you a rent abatement commensurate with the cost of providing garbage service. That you undertook providing your own garbage service is a valid choice, but it also means that you're responsible for the consequences of that choice. As with any other auto collision, you and the other driver should each file claims with your insurance and let them work it out; your landlord isn't involved.


Title: [BC, Canada] My girlfriend is home sick and her teacher won't stop texting her to come do her presentation.

Question:
Her teacher got her number from one of the students and texted her asking to come in to do her presentation. I told her not to respond because I'm pretty sure it's illegal, or at least breaking some rules, since I know teachers aren't allowed to be friends with students on Facebook. Then her friend texted her asking where she was and her teacher responds with,

"So you'll answer him but not me? "

What's the best course of action for this? She's sent her 4 texts now.

Answer: If she wants it to stop just answer and say no. Report it to the head of the department or however its set up at this school. Principal I guess if its just highschool. Is she even sure its the teacher and not just someone whos number she didn't have in her phone messing with her


Title: Made all payments to bank, however they repossessed my vehicle anyway?

Question:
I've checked and re-checked all the paperwork - all payments were made on time for the car-loan. However they repossessed my vehicle an hour ago. The bank when I called is closed - and when I call the main bank they tell me to wait until tomorrow and talk to the local bank.

&#x200B;

What can I do? Is there anything I should do?

Answer:
 Gather all of your records showing you paid it.  Call the bank tomorrow.Answer #2: Are you sure your car wasn't just stolen and they said repo to keep you from reporting it right away?Answer #3: Are you sure it was the bank that repossessed it?  Is there any other party on the title to the vehicle?  Do you have any outstanding liens or judgements against you?

The tow company, who hopefully you got their information, should be able to tell you who contracted them for the repo.Answer #4: You will have to wait until tomorrow.


Title: My son’s dad pays child support, but is refusing to provide his son basic necessities while he is in his care. [NORTH CAROLINA]

Question:
I’m going to try to make this as short and sweet as possible because I’m literally trying so hard to find a way out.

 My son’s father pays me $300 a month for child support. He says that since he pays child support, whenever our 19mo son goes to his house on weekends, he does not have to buy him clothing, diapers, wipes, or do anything other than feed him. I this possibly child neglect?

Even if it’s not child neglect, he tells me constantly he does not have to do anything because he pays me $300 a month (such as make/take him to doctors appointments, or provide him with proper day care). Can I use this as a way to get out of this situation?

It’s a very abusive situation, my ex will not leave me be, constantly verbally abuses me, allows his girlfriend to bully me about our child, and has told me multiple times that he intends to replace me with her as our son’s mother. He has tried to not give our child back as well.

I need as much help as I can get. I know I need to go to court but I cannot afford a lawyer. Please give me any advice you can I am desperate.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 No. He is required to provide necessities during his time. The money he gives you is to help because you (presumably) have the kid more often.

You are not obligated to talk to his GF. Block her.

Every time he sends you a text that is abusive, save a screen shot. Back these up. One parent being abusive or uncooperative can be used to get that parent's parenting time reduced or in very extreme circumstances, eliminated.

I am assuming there is an order providing for visitation. When was that entered? How old is the child? How much time does he have with the child? Other than not wanting to.buy diapers and necessary things, how are his parenting skills?Answer #2: You need to get a court order. Also as this is an abusive situation I highly recommend connecting with a domestic violence shelter. They will be able to help create a safety plan for yourself and your child. DV shelters often have the ability to offer resources and aid to someone who is not residing at the shelter. Also I suggest applying for interm custody as you have recorded threats of having your son removed from your care.  Please remember that the most dangerous time for a survivor of abuse is ACTUALLY after they have left the situation and are working on becoming independent and cutting contact with their abuser. Stay

I work at a DV shelter (in Ontario Canada) and we alway push to ensure that in custody orders the words "police must enforce" are included. Or else if the terms of the agreement are not met you will have to wait for court to have a custody order enforced. Answer #3: you need a written order from the court. ASAP.


Title: Is it illegal if I take a bicycle that has been sitting all day on a rack without any lock?

Question: There was a nice bike infront of my workplace yesterday, cherishing the simplicity of it, I noticed that it is not locked in anyway, it's just sitting there. What are the legal repercussions if I would have taken it?

Answer: Taking things that don't belong to you is called theft. The repercussions depend on how much the bike is worth.


Title: Can I continue on with a trial if the opposing parties lawyer keeps rescheduling? Texas

Question: Its a child support case. The mother's lawyer has cancer and has to keep rescheduling for chemo. I'm sick of having my time wasted and time I could be modifying the days spent with my child. Is there anything I can do? I don't have an attorney at present.

Answer: You should not be going into this without a lawyer. If there is anything you can do to move the trial along, you'd probably need a lawyer to do it right. Get a lawyer.


Title: Could I sue Nintendo for placing a pokemon on my property? [MA]

Question:
You can obviously sue anyone for pretty much anything, but I was curious what argument there would be for bringing a suite against Nintendo for placing a pokemon on my property, hence potentially encouraging people to trespass, etc.

For the record, there are no pokemon on my property. I am just trying to make my Monday more exciting.

Answer:
 What statutes did Nintendo violate by "placing" a pokemon on your property, or what damage have you suffered as a result of nintendo's violation of statute/common law?

(Hint: None).


Title: Minor fender bender with a twist - victim claiming injury

Question:
Location: Pennsylvania

So to make a long story short -

My girlfriend was driving this past week and had a minor 5 mph fender bender (she was at fault). There was only a tiny amount of paint transfer to the bumper of the car she bumped into. More damage to my girlfriends vehicle. Police officer witnessed it (as did I since I was in the car with her). The lady and us declined medical attention and there were no injuries on scene. Funny part of this is that the lady worked at the jeweler where my girlfriend bought some expensive pieces in the past 6 months. The BIG TWIST here is that the lady who my girlfriend bumped into was the APPRAISER of the jewelry.

Now the lady is claiming that she has back pain and needs treatment for it. The collision was so minor that the lead car didn't even move and as I said there was almost no damage to the front car.

We suspect that the woman is doing this (after being super nice on scene) because she remembered appraising or went back in records to find the value and thinks that my girlfriend and her family have money. What is the next logical thing that should be done to try to call this woman out? Or should my girlfriend and her family just take this without fighting back?

Answer: Your opinion of her medical condition is irrelevant. This is why you have insurance. Let them handle it.Answer #2: You're not a doctor,  so you have no ability to call out anyone.  Your girlfriend should let her insurance company know about the accident and what not.


Title: [serious]Trying to rent an apartment in Chicago when the guy I'm renting from is starting act sketchy. I need help please...

Question:
Ok so first off I'll introduce myself and the purpose of me moving to Chicago.

 I am 21 year old film major who is going to Second City Improv center to learn from the best of the best. In the meantime during this summer I worked and saved up cash for an apartment in Chicago. I started posting ads in the "for rent" section on craigslist( i realize Cl is not a good option but it worked for me while i was apt searching in South Carolina), and looked at numerous sites (apts.com,frent.com, etc) but the best response (out of 11 or 12) I got was from a gentlemen, we'll call him "Dan". Dan had an apartment in the Villa Park area in Illinois and I really didn't want to travel an hour to work everyday but his communication and overall presentation was exceptional so I said yes to his offer after thinking about it.
 I was scheduled to leave in early August but a family issue came up so I called Dan to let him know. He was kind of aggravated because I did promise him I was leaving in August and I would have rent money when I arrived to hold my end of the bargain. He said he wanted to move on and find another person to rent out a room to, but I let him know I was very serious in this decision and to not move on. After about an hour of talking on the phone we both agreed that my lease could start in September instead. I told him I would send him 1st month and 2nd months rent to show my commitment to the apartment. I sent the money via moneygram and walmart2walmart on 2 separate occasions coming out to a total of $1450. I have the receipts that I sent, but I'll get to that part of the story in a bit.
. . .

So here's where it gets a little weird:

 I was scheduled to leave this upcoming Sunday, but then I get a call from Dan he cannot sublet an apartment out to me and that some problems went on at the apt complex with him doing that. He then tells me that he has another place that's closer in the city near Addison and Clark, and he's going to transfer me there as it's another property that he and his gf owns. He has mentioned that at anytime I want a refund, then he will refund me back no questions asked. After this phone call i got to thinking what would have happened if I had stayed in the apt and all this stuff was going on in August? I then decided to call the Villa Park Police dept and they said he's under investigation for subletting previous times. The detective did tell me though, there is no criminal evidence for what he has done but he said that my instincts were somewhat on the right path. As of right now he told me that there is nothing criminal until I move on sunday. He said he sounds like  a good person who just makes some dumb mistakes, but he also said he could be a mistake in general. Every police dept in the area (4 of them) I've spoken to has explained that nothing criminal has happened UNTIL I go up on sunday and found out there is no place for me to stay. then and only then, can they take action and take him to court for a refund and possibly more as long as I have those 2 reciepts showing my money order that he recieved. But however if it does work out then I have absolutely no worries.

I feel like I'm making either a really good or bad decision because Dan has communicated with me very well, but these recent events have caused me to 2nd guess my decision and this is why I need legal advice.

Answer: This is an extremely common scam that Craigslist warns you about. You most likely won't get your money back. All you can really do is make a police report and find another place to live. If you find out who he lives and where he is, you can sue him in small claims for the money.


Title: My friends in some deep shit with intent to sell mushrooms and i need help

Question:
My friend got caught with mushrooms, a scale in his car, talked to the cops without an antorny and is being charged with a bunch of things, he got pulled over for speeding in NH i was just wondering if theres anything i can do to help him, anything would be good like a link to relevant loopholes or something.

Know its a long shot but i cant sleep without asking

Answer:
 Your buddy would have got a misdemeanor charge were it not for the scale. Since it is now intent to deliver instead of simple posession, he has been charged with a felony. Even though psilocybin's health benefits are now being recognized, similar to marijuanas CBD, it is still a class I drug. For a first offense your buddy is looking at anywhere from 0 to 20 month sentence.

Since 0 is still on the range, he may get a deal with provisions and avoid doing any time at all. His public defender will have to take it from there and see if the search was legal, etc.

Best of luck
-not a lawyer


Title: Witness in a divorce.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: I'm guessing there's some information you're leaving out. In my experience its very rare for the court to appoint another attorney for the children unless there's a serious concern about safety with one or both parents. Do you know why the attorney was appointed? Likely that has something to do with what your wife's witnesses will testify about. Regardless, these are questions for your lawyer who knows your case much better than we do. Ask him/her these questions.


Title: [CA] My check was cashed by someone else, what to do?

Question:
Hi r/legaladvice,

&#x200B;

A few months back my school had sent me a check for a refund on my tuition. Without notice. (insert eyeroll.)

&#x200B;

Apparently it had arrived a week after I had moved out. As far as I know my ex-landlord still lives there, and so does my ex-roommate. The check was either cashed or deposited (school staff said cashed) around two months later after it had been sent to my former address. For records, my ex-landlord is on VERY bad terms with me.

&#x200B;

While no evidence has been found yet, I am 99% sure it was my ex-landlord who cashed the check since it was not returned from that address. I just found out about the check and contacted the financial department at my school. The staff said she will start an investigation, and gave me the copies of the records that the check has been sent out.

&#x200B;

The question is, what else can I do asides from waiting the process out? Should I go to the police or the bank? How long will the process take? What are the chances of getting my money back and finding out who the culprit was? What are the chances of being able to successfully take legal action upon the said culprit?

&#x200B;

Thank you in advance for all of your replies.

Answer:
 You can and should go to the police ASAP, since this is a crime, and also since the easiest way to get the money back is "before it is spent."Answer #2: When you pursue this with the bank that negotiated the check for someone other than you, they will likely want a police report, so I would start with the police. The police might also have an easier time getting information on who negotiated the check than you as a private citizen would, due to privacy regulations.Answer #3: The process is that the school will request a copy of the cashed check. You will review and confirm that you did not cash it. There will be an affidavit of fraud that the bank will have you complete and swear/notarize. I can't remember if it goes through the bank that issued the check or the bank that cashed it. But the affidavit is sent back to that bank which has a period of time to investigate. Once their investigation is complete, if they agreed it was cashed in an act of fraud/forgery, they will reimburse the amount of the check.

This process is a loooong one. Typically at least 90 days and sometimes up to 6 months.


Title: Friend in US High School being given failing grades when they have been struggling with Major Depressive Disorder.

Question: Most teachers were very accommodating with giving extensions on assignments and being overall very kind and understanding about the situation. But one teacher refused to even acknowledge one of my friend’s solutions to getting the credit for the class (which isn’t even necessary to graduate, just ruining their once-great GPA). And if anyone is familiar with this super-severe form of depression, those F’s aren’t helping the motivation to even keep going to school. Now for the legal part: I know schools are very scared of lawsuits, so is there anything that we can use to threaten the teacher or the administration? Anything that we can quote?

Answer: So you want to threaten a lawsuit because your friend is failing a class? Life is going to be very hard for you.


Title: Terminated from job for actions while not on the clock, part time labor, NC

Question:
I work 4 jobs on my universities campus.  1 for an Leadership office, one for our programming board, one for our student centers and one for our libraries.

For the programming board, I am responsible for the films on campus as the Film Committee Chair.  Along with this comes with ordering supplies with for popcorn, including popcorn as well as cups for popcorn.

I work for our student centers as a building manager.  (this is the job I was terminated from)

For the leadership office I am helping program a leadership event.  I only state this because my advisor in this office is who notified me about the popcorn issue to which I responded (see below).

I additionally work in the libraries, this is unrelated.

Last night, I got out of a meeting a responded to a message about issues with a partnership with the leadership office film I had offered to provide free popcorn though the programming board.  This is a common occurrence and we've hosted previous events that have been successful together (popcorn and all).

I was notified that the concessions stand had run out of popcorn cups, I offered to bring some down so popcorn could still be given out for the film.  I did so in the capacity of the programming board's films chair with my name tag on.  Upon doing so, I gave the student centers staff, who operate and run the cinema and concession, and inquired if they were following procedures I had establish as programming chair with the student centers admin and reservations team.  After they said no I asked to speak with their supervisor, a building manager for the student centers.

During the time we waited for the building manager to arrive, I when to the person from the leadership office and apologized on behalf of the programming board about the popcorn issue and that I would work with the student centers to ensure she would not be charged for the staffing due to the issue.  (as the programing board, we have had continual issues with the student centers at films especially with concessions stocking issues)

While I was talking with the rep from the leadership office, a student centers staff person (in uniform and working from behind a counter where only student centers staff were allowed) began yelling and cussed at myself and the leadership office rep.  I asked him to stop because I was in a conversation with another person and that I would be able to talk with him and his supervisor later.

When the building manager arrived, I asked for the employee who shouted at us to be documented because yelling at paying clients is wholly unacceptable.  I also asked for the building manager to follow up with their supervisors (full time staff) to ensure the failure with films was properly reported again.

After this I went home believing everything to be solved.

This morning I wake up to this email from my Student Centers supervisor saying this:

>My name

>I was extremely disappointed to hear about the way you handled the popcorn situation at (cinema location) last night. As we discussed in your evaluation on (date), this disrespect will not be tolerated by any of our employees, especially those in a leadership position. I am terminating your employment with (name of university) Student Centers effective immediately.

>Student center supervisor

At no time, during was I scheduled to be clocked-in, in uniform, or working for the student centers.

I was there on behalf of the programming board, wearing my name tag.

I believe to have been terminated for actions that took place while I was a client within the student centers rather than working for the student centers.

Was this a wrongful termination under North Carolina law (NC is an at-will state, but the supervisor provided a reason)?

Tl;dr: terminated from a job due to actions that occurred while not on duty for that job.  Do I have anything to work with here?

EDIT: all jobs are part-time, full time student currently

Answer:
 To be able to sue for wrongful termination, you need to show being fired violated a specific law or terms of an employment contract.

LPT:  When you are in a leadership role, your behavior, even when clocked out, is important.


Title: Costumer fell after I mopped and the wet floor sign was right next to her. Could we still be sued? and if so would I lose my job?

Question:
I'm using my throwaway out of general paranoia. This took place in Connecticut.

Today at work my manager asked me to mop right when my shift started at 12pm which is two hours after open. It was fairly busy and my manager was hanging out in the back so it took me an hour to mop since I was helping costumers as well. About 5mins after I finished mopping a lady came in, by this time my coworker has clocked in as well and was on the floor with me. We greet the lady and caution her that the floor is wet (it usually takes about 15mins max to dry) since I had just finished mopping. Not even 1min after we warn her she falls literally right next to the "caution wet floor" sign. The fall seemed overly dramatic but I still rushed to her aid, my manager and coworker who were on the floor as well came over as well. My manager asked if she was alright and if she needed us to call anyone, which she said no. I helped her up and proceeded to help her shop and grab the items she wanted since she didn't want to walk on the wet floor, all the while complaining at me about how we were so negligent. When we finally get to the register she complains some more and me (feeling really horrible) gave her some free samples.

Should I be worried about my job? I've never even had a complaint before and I do enjoy my job even if it is retail.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Yes, the store could still be sued and you could lose your job in most of the US, but your location is relevant. The store's insurance should be involved if a claim is made.Answer #2: Sounds like its quite possibly a con-artist trying to make a quick buck.  Either way you should bring this up with your manager and run him through the full series of events.Answer #3: You can be sued by anyone for virtually any thing.  It sounds like you followed the company guidelines by warning her and having a cone out, so I don't see that you did anything wrong.  Hopefully your manager keeps the store video and has you write up a statement.

And yes, you can be fired.  But in reality, your company is probably aware that they will need you to testify on their behalf if she sues.


Title: [wa] how to deal with this unhinged tenant

Question: One of our tenants gets really upset about people smoking in the non-smoking areas of our community and has a history of getting unhinged when dealing with the staff regarding this issue. Things were peaceful for a few months but when some new tenants moved in that started "chain smoking everywhere" she became unhinged again and has been filing daily complaints and stealth pictures of them smoking in the non smoking areas. It's true that they're smoking in places that they're not allowed to but it's a bit much and when the manager told her to cool it the tenant lost her shit and sent a terrible email to the manager insulting her with the most derogatory and obscene language and also describing in way too much detail how she hopes the manager dies a slow and painful death. We have her marked as a non-renewal but we're stuck with her for another 8 months unless we can find a way to boot her. Is a letter full of wishing someone an incredibly painful death and calling them derogatory names enough to evict someone on? The manager is offended but not really worried because "that's just how she is" and there aren't any direct threats of violence but she verbally attacked and deeply hurt another colleague, A, a few months ago and since then A is terrified of her and this is only making A's fears worse. Can A get a restraining order and will that get this tenant off the property? Can we evict her for a "threatening" letter or rain down other legal issues on her to see about getting her out?

Answer:
 If the apartment complex has no smoking areas and people are smoking in them, management should be enforcing those no smoking rules. They exist for a reason, and a tenant complaining about repeated violations isn't "a bit much." It's unacceptable that they are being allowed to smoke there on a regular basis without interference from management.

What is your job position? If your manager has decided not to do anything about this tenant, and you are not her superior, you have no say in the process.


Title: Walking away from a house

Question:
Throwaway account for legal reasons. My family is walking away from our house. We had the extremely bad fortune of buying a house months before the housing market crash and in addition to that, the neighborhood has gone way downhill (in property value, but more importantly in terms of safety). We're about $20k underwater on the house. For my children's safety and their education, we are leaving and are going to rent instead. We already have the new place secured.

I don't really care a lot for my credit. I'm prepared to declare bankruptcy if that is what's needed (I know this doesn't absolve me of bills, but could help make payments affordable). What I really worry about is:

1. Most importantly, I don't want to get sued and be stuck for the full remainder of what we owe on the house.
2. How should I present this to the bank and the municipality in which I live? I do not want to be stuck paying fines for issues with the property when we move (grass height and the like).

This was an FHA loan, so we did pay mortgage default insurance for 5 years. Does that help us?

This is for Missouri.

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Answer: Try the personal finances sub


Title: (GA) Are pizza delivery drivers considered commercial drivers under the law?

Question: So just found out my friends aunt who works at domino's  is being forced to deliver pizzas in hazardous weather conditions tonight. I know that commercial drivers (truck drivers and such) are covered under law, was just wondering if they had any such protection? What can I do for her? I feel so awful that she's put in position between paying the bills and risking her life...

Answer: No, because a commercial drivers license is not required to deliver pizzas.


Title: I believe I’m in a very common pickle.

Question:
I moved in with my partner 10 months ago. This is her house, I lived in with her. I’ve always paid rent l, I clean, I supply all of the dogs (4 of them) things. All of the furniture in the house is mine.

There’s been a lot going on. She’s manipulative and controlling, so much so, I would up in a hospital for major depressive disorder and for the past month and a half, have been juggling new medications to find a proper fit. I’ve also put myself into therapy - where I have talked about our relationship. I learned what gaslighting is and how that is exactly what she’s doing to me.

I stay in the room a lot, I watch movies, sort through things on the computer. I just mind my own business lately because it feels safe for me.

Yesterday, the day before, all she did was come in the room and yell that I don’t care, I’m not doing enough. But in reality, I’m in this emotional situation because of her. She is the one who told me I needed to get off of medication “for our relationship, for her, I need to feel things” but I was safe on my medications because in February of last year, I had a suicide attempt. She has basically dictated my medication and mental health ever since we’ve been together and no matter what, I’ve never been enough.

Yesterday I told her it was over. I had already spoken to a lender to purchase my own home and all I need to do was save up money. I asked to stay as roommates until May at the latest. That’s the latest, I project I’d be out way before then. She told me she wants me out in 30 days.

I don’t have family here. I don’t have friends to stay with. She knows this. She knew this when we started dating.

Does anyone know the landlord tenant laws in Knox, TN? I know they can vary county to county here.

Thanks for listening. I’m so stressed.

Answer: She owes you *written* [notice](https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/2010/title-66/chapter-28/part-5/66-28-512) of thirty days. Having said that, you don't need to be in that environment, regardless. You need to start looking for some place else to stay that you can afford.


Title: Violated my parking probation at my University, please help.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: This is not a legal question. It is school policy. They can follow their policy, which likely includes suspension since you refuse to follow school rules


Title: [PA] Signed up for a scam vacation package. Wanting to get out. What kind of lawyer is best?

Question:
The company is Sundance Vacations and their lending company Tri State Financial.  The vacation company charged me over a month early for my first payment.  On a closer inspection of the contract, i found a "binding nature and modification" clause that says the contract is not subject to any "right of rescission" and " may not be cancelled".  The presenter made a point of going over each area to "make sure I understood it, but never mentioned the cancellation clause (or lack there of)

My girlfriend was with me at the time and can confirm what I was told.

I have changed my debit card which has not been charged yet, and  allerted my credit card (which was charged prematurely) that I feel the charge is fraudulent.

Should I cancel my credit card as well?

Answer: Why do you think this is a scam as opposed to just a rip off that you shouldn't have signed up for and didn't read carefully?Answer #2: You signed the contract man. You're out of luck.


Title: Selling Vehicle Without Title

Question: My father passed away recently and I am selling a truck he had purchased a few years back as a project. My problem is that I don't think he ever transferred the title to his name and lost the title a few years back. Well I have a person interested in buying it but he wants the vin number to check the car fax and see if it has ever been wrecked. He is aware that the title is lost I've been up front about that fact but I'm worried that if I give him the vin number he can potentially get a title behind my back and steal this truck out from under me. Is that possible or am I just being too paranoid?

Answer: Get the car titled in your name before you sell it. You didn't list your location, but in many jurisdictions, this is not legal to sell a car without it being titled in your name. You also may risk future liabilities if something happens before it get retitled by a future buyer. Trust me it happens. It's a fairly regular query on this sub.


Title: So on saturday I woke up handcuffed to a hospital bed...

Question: Friday night I was out with some friends in Fort Collins, Colorado at a house party. We were there from 10:30 pm to 12:15 am They said as we were walking home that I said I was going to get some food and went off on my own to do so. This was around 12:30 am. Next thing I know its 5 am and I'm handcuffed to a hospital bed getting stitches/staples. I was charged with 2nd degree burglary, criminal mischief, and minor in consumption of alcohol. The officer said a couple called the police after they heard their glass door break and found me lying unconscious in the broken glass. The thing is I only drank about 7 beers (enough to be drunk, but not blackout for 4+ hours) and I have never been someone to get drunk and do crazy shit like that. Im wondering if the felony (2nd degree burglary) will likely stick? I am 19, never been in any sort of trouble before and was released on a PR bond saturday afternoon and have my first court date this tuesday. Thanks of any advice!

Answer:
 > Im wondering if the felony (2nd degree burglary) will likely stick?

That's really hard for us to say.  It depends on the facts of the situation.  Colorado defines second-degree burglary as:

> A person commits second degree burglary, if the person knowingly breaks an entrance into, enters unlawfully in, or remains unlawfully after a lawful or unlawful entry in a building or occupied structure with intent to commit therein a crime against another person or property

It seems pretty clear that you've done the first part.  I don't know what crime they're saying you broke in to do, but it's probably not a stretch to prove that either.

You need a lawyer, absolutely.  A charge of felony burglary can be very, very damaging to your future.


Title: My workplace has one bathroom between 10 female co-workers and clients and the toilet has been consistently broken for weeks now

Question:
I have to go to the bathroom. I work 9-10 hours a day with no toilet. They have had plumbers come out to “fix” it but always insist they do the bare minimum to “fix” it and it’s broken again within hours.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: Contact zoning enforcement for wherever you live. It's probably illegal to have people working in the building without a working toilet. Since you failed to provide your location it's impossible to be any more specific. Is there a mens room with a working toilet?


Title: Wages withheld

Question: UT! So a few months ago, i was involved in a car accident in LV in a company truck (Not my fault.) Their insurance wouldn’t cover the accident, for some reason. Not to mention they only had liability insurance as well, anyway. I was working for this person, and they decided to keep my check to cover the damages done to the company truck. I know that can not be done, so what should i do? I’m sorry if i didn’t explain this right, if you need more info I’ll be more than glad to give. Thanks!

Answer: Wages can only be deducted pursuant to a federal, state, or local court order, or with the express consent of the employee.  So no, they cannot do this.  You should contact your labor board and file a wage complaint.


Title: [FL] What are the risks / consequences of me marrying my foreign girlfriend so she doesn't get deported?

Question:
Dating this girl for a couple months, a few weeks in she tells me that she has stayed past her visitor's visa, she is working but getting paid "under the table", she applied for asylum and even though her asylum case is BS her immigration attorney told her it would probably buy her a year or so. This did not turn out to be true, and her interview regarding her asylum application is coming up in a few weeks, and she doesn't expect it will go well. She's made an arrangement with someone who she is supposed to pay a large sum of money to over several years in exchange for marriage long enough for her to apply to be a permanent resident.

I'm aware of the risks and consequences to her and her potential spouse, she gets deported and can likely never return, he gets up to $250,000 fine and/or 5 years in prison. Or maybe he just takes the money and screws her over.

So my thought is, why don't I just offer to marry her for free? I don't have any respect for our immigration laws and I don't generally care about the sanctity of marriage as an institution, so morally it's not a problem for me. I'm not sure whether or not this would be illegal in this context, and assuming it is legal, I'd want to know what the consequences were.

I actually have an ongoing romantic relationship with this woman and I hope it works out to be a long term thing. I'd be marrying her because I want to continue that relationship, which would not be possible if she were deported. I wouldn't be doing it for any financial gain beyond what you normally get out of a relationship (living together and sharing some costs of living, etc.). Under normal circumstances, I would never get married this quickly into a relationship, and the sole reason I would consider marriage this soon is to avoid her being deported, but again, I don't want her to be deported because I legitimately want to pursue a romantic relationship with her. Is this illegal? Does it count as a "fraudulent marriage"?

Assuming it is legal, what happens if a few months or a year down the line it doesn't work out? Say we discover we just aren't that good in a relationship, it isn't working, but I don't want her to get deported just because our relationship doesn't work out. Does it then become illegal for us to stay married (again, assuming I'm not getting any financial gain)? How well could I insulate myself financially with a prenuptual agreement in case she turns out to be an awful person? I don't think that's likely, but I've only known her a few months.

In the alternative, what happens if she goes through with this paid marriage with this guy, and a year down the line I decide I want to marry her "for real"? Can she divorce him and marry me without consequence?

Answer: One important thing worth noting is that marrying her right now would not even necessarily prevent her from being deported. Often when you marry, you continue to live in your home country (or on another approved visa/whatever) until the process which can be numerous months to over a year. So it's very possible that she'd be deported, then apply for spousal visa and be denied because of her previous situation of overstaying illegally in the country. So before you do anything radical, at least consult with an immigration lawyer to discuss everything.


Title: I have documents from a lawsuit that was settled 19 years ago, do i need to keep any of it or can it all be shredded?

Question: It was around 99-00, and was from a car crash. I'm fairly confident i no longer need them. Just looking for verification.

Answer: You likely don't need it - just scan it into Google Drive or an equivalent service and shred the hard copies.


Title: Got out of military and into trouble. DUIs

Question:
Got out of the military in October of 2011 with a drinking problem. After being out for a year and starting to go to college in College Station, Texas I began bartending. On Nov. 10th, the Marine Corps birthday I celebrated a little too hard and got a DUI.

I chilled out, was going through probation fine, paid off all my fines and then I had a string of bad luck. My mom died. I took time off to go home and deal with it which resulted in me losing my truck, then my job, and then my apartment. I moved home and was in a pretty bad place mentally. A few months later my 16 year old niece shot herself in the head. I started drinking again to deal with it. Got a second DUI.

I stopped going to probation, but then I started going to the VA for psyche help. After a few visits they prescribed me some bipolar meds and tried some other stuff while I hid from law enforcement. I was in such a poor place mentally that I decided I had to just get away.

I moved to Florida 2 years ago and have been cleaning my head up. I've been at the same job the whole time I've been here, I'm in a good place mentally and I'm ready to fix my legal issue.

I don't know how though. I don't have the resources to pay for anything. Should I turn myself in? Should I get a lawyer? Can I arrange something? Can I get leniency due to circumstances? Help! How fo I fix this!

Answer:
 You need to get a criminal defence lawyer, there is no question about that. From there you can ask for their opinion on what you can do.

I wish you the best of luck with this and your issues. Getting help is hard but it's what needs to be done.


Title: Chances of assault and resisting arrest charges being dropped with public defender

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > I wasn't told I'll be charged with that after I was arrested, so can I assume that I still won't be?

No. They have several years to charge you if they want, and they don't have to tell you up until the moment they charge you (if they wish).

> I assume I'll get a public defender.

You will need to request one. At your arraignment, plead "not guilty" and then ask the judge to appoint for you a public defender.

> It may be possible for me to get my parents to hire a lawyer, but if that's not necessary, I would rather not.

However you get a lawyer, do so.


Title: Question about IP regarding custom cakes

Question:
A friend works for a custom bakery as a decorator. She signed NO contracts at all when she was hired. She decorated 90% of the cakes they made and also photographed them all for social media, etc. Now she would like to use those examples of her work to make cakes on her own. Absent any kind of contract, does she own the right to use those photos of the cakes that she made to advertise her abilities? Thanks!

EDIT: Sorry, location is California!

Answer:
 ^^^IANAL

Was she an independent contractor or employee?  Did she take the pictures while on the clock?  Was taking pictures for social media part of her expected duties?


Title: Bittrex Witholding 60k of My BITCOIN For Many Months.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Here's the thing: US regulators have been tightening down on money laundering through Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and have dramatically increased the enforcement of existing anti-money-laundering/know-your-customer laws against Bitcoin exchanges and brokerages. If they do business without verifying your identity, the company could face substantial fines.

If you want your bitcoins out, comply with their identity verification process. They're not going to bend on this and if the only reason they're not processing your withdrawals is identity-related you likely won't win a lawsuit over this. However, given the amount in question, a brief chat with an attorney wouldn't be out of line - just don't be surprised if your attorney tells you the same thing.Answer #2: If you want your money, you need to follow their KYC/AML policies. That's all there is to it.


Title: Someone has been going through my mail

Question:
Got video footage a little over a month ago of a black SUV pulling up slowly to my house after I checked the mail, then slowly up to go to the mailbox, then backed up to the other side of the driveway again to wait a minute or two before leaving.

Got some good res shots of his son, not so much of the guy.

How much time do I have to report this? Illinois

Answer: A month is not too long.  Go report it now.  The last thing you want is some illegal thing arriving at your doorstep, which is the likely explanation here.  Answer #2: Report both to the local police and the postal inspectors. If these guys are using your address for illegal shipments, both agencies will want in on it.


Title: Wife's friend is asking us to deposit $3000 of her cash and then write her a check for $3000

Question:
Ok, here's the details I'm aware of, as well as my suspicions:

* Wife's friend works at a restaurant and gets paid cash under the table
* Wife's friend claims to my wife that she declares $2000 income a month to the IRS and pays taxes on that income
* I suspect that wife's friend's actual income is higher, closer to $3000 a month (tax free)
* Wife's friend is asking wife to deposit $3000 of wife's friend's cash into our shared bank account
* Wife's friend would like us in turn to write a check to her for $3000
* I suspect that wife's friend is asking several other trusted friends for this same favor in order to convert all of the cash that I assume is hidden under a mattress somewhere

My wife's friend claims she is asking for us to do this for her so that she will have the funds in her bank account to make a down payment on her house.

I'm no legal expert, but hearing this sort of request really just throws up a bunch of red flags for me, and I'm hoping you guys can tell me how or why doing a favor like this could come back to haunt us.

Money laundering?  Aiding and abetting in tax evasion?  Or, could a transaction like this just be considered tax-free gift income, with the outbound check considered the same for wife's friend?

Thanks for any help.

Edit: This is in Indiana

Answer:
 This is literally (poorly done) money laundering, likely for the purposes of tax evasion.   If the goal was just to get (legitimate ) cash into a bank account, she could walk into her bank and deposit it.

If she is receiving multiple large transfers in a short period of time, this would likely trip the bank's BSA monitoring system and then you could end up in the sights of Fincen or other LE agencies.

DON'T DO THIS.Answer #2: You are being asked to launder money. Do not do this. Highly illegal and the person asking for this is no friend. Answer #3: This is like a poor-man's attempt at money laundering. Instead of using a tax haven, she is using her friends that aren't smart enough to realize that the only fathomable reasons to do this are all illegal. Answer #4: >My wife's friend claims she is asking for us to do this for her so that she will have the funds in her bank account

So she's going to deposit the check?  You know what else she could deposit?

The fucking cash.

Seriously nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing good can possibly come of this.Answer #5: The answer should be

"No"

"No"

"No"

"...and if I wasn't clear, No"Answer #6: Is there any potential that the money could be counterfeit? That seems like another option, but if that's the case, the"friend" is far from being anybody you'd want anything to do with, much less be friends.


Title: Fired from work due to Gross Misconduct.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Yes, it's perfectly legal to fire you for theft, even if they don't fire others.  "He did it too!" isn't a defense.Answer #2: Absolutely. You still stole. You were just unlucky and got caught.  File for unemployment. That they don't fire other people who steal (if you can prove it) helps your chances of getting unemployment.

edit: My answer assumes you're in the US.


Title: [IL] Can a court order a DNA test on a surviving son to prove paternity after death?

Question:
Father in law passed away. A woman is now stating her 10+ year old son is my FIL's. Since were 99% sure this is not true, my husband, FIL's only surviving blood relative, told her he is not going to hand over his cheek swab. She is claiming she can talk to a lawyer to obtain a court order for my husbands DNA.

Does anyone know if she would be able to do this? Thank you!

Answer: It's possible. But she would need to petition the court for paternity of the child first.


Title: Someone turned my Dad’s life story into beer. (ON, Canada)

Question:
My dad is not famous, but he is notorious in certain circles. Let’s say (fictional example) that he opened a popular sci-fi bookstore in Chicago in the 70s called “The Purple Smith Corona Typewriter”, where the publishing and writing world liked to hang out for a while.   If you are of a certain age, from Chicago and into sci-fi books, then you would be familiar with my dad.

Last week my husband came home with a beer:  “The Purple Typewriter”.  Huh.  That’s a cute co-incidence.  I turn over the can, however, to find “The Sci-Fi bookseller brewery” Wait a minute now...The blurb on the back references: dates, locations, and events that are unique to my dad’s life.  There is now no question that this beer is about my dad.

I assumed that my father had met these people and told him about those times.  He has not owned a “bookstore” in many years and is now older, with all of his crazy stories well behind him.  When I texted him and my sister, they had no idea.  My brother and father called the brewery and had a long conversation with the owners.  The owners said they had “Googled it” and found a university paper that referenced the “bookstore” and also details of my dad’s life.

Reactions:
Brother wants money.
Mother is livid.
Dad is both flattered and freaked out.

Thoughts:
This is a very small brewery with only three draughts.  The beer is not likely to take off in any serious way.
The blurb is written in an autobiographical voice, as though they ARE my father, or are intimately connected to him.  I don’t like that.
The matter of the “bookstore” is public record, and my dad never filed rights to the name that I am aware of.

Questions:
 The brewer had the legal savvy to remove “Smith Corona” from the label.  Do they owe my father a similar debt to remove personal details (dates, locations, events) from the blurb on the back?
Does the brewer owe my father any financial recompense for using details of his life story in their brewery name (“The Sci-
 Fi Bookseller”) and in their blurb?
Are there other legal ramifications/perspectives that I have not considered?

With thanks!

Answer:
 Oh, you're Mad Tom's son?

One: the actual name of the shop is likely eligible for some level of trademark protection. However, ownership of that mark almost certainly rests with the current owner of the business, and your father has no way to know whether they've given their OK to the brewery to use it, and it'd be up to the owners to decide whether to follow up even if they haven't given permission.

Two: Canada does have fairly broad [personality rights](http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=uwojls), but if the label neither uses your father's identity nor suggests that your father endorses the product, they don't apply. Factually describing your father's life is questionable, but it's not obvious that it's over the line. Something as generic as "The Sci-Fi Bookseller" would almost certainly not infringe, at least.

If your father's serious about pursuing this, he should speak to an attorney who deals with intellectual property and related issues. The Law Society of Upper Canada can refer him. I somewhat suspect that while the brewer has been rather rude by not talking to your father, they may not have broken the law or owe your father much, if anything.


Title: My neighbor is threatening to sue.

Question: My girlfriend and I were playing with her 2 year old daughter in the middle of the afternoon. Her downstairs neighbor came up to complain about the noise on Saturday afternoon at 5pm, and my girlfriend was apologetic, and explained that it was her daughter running around and playing. This afternoon at 3pm she came upstairs again to complain, and I answered the door and reiterated that I was playing with a child and she said that we would be hearing from her attorney. We live a condo complex, and my girlfriend owns her unit. She's lived here for almost a year and a half and has never had a complaint about anything. The woman was very irate and said she owns her unit and was laying down to rest in the afternoon on a weekend. Does she have any grounds to sue? My girlfriend is anxious because she's never had an issue with a rude neighbor, and can't afford to go to court. Any help or advice you have would be wonderful. We live in the state of Florida.

Answer:
 Many people threaten to sue. Few actually do. If your neighbor tries to find a lawyer to take the case, she probably won't.

Forget about the threat until you are actually served with court papers--which you more than likely won't be. If you are, get an attorney to respond to the suit.Answer #2: No attorney thats sane will take the case.