Title: In Texas state, I was the passenger of a vehicle that got pulled over for speeding but the officer wrote my info down on the speeding ticket and not the drivers...what typically happens in these scenarios?

Question:
Title sums it up:

* Friend was driving his truck that's registered to him
* I was merely the passenger
* Cop handed the citation back to my friend
* We just noticed the name, DL info was mine and not his

Thank you.

Answer:
 Have you bothered yet to call the police department that issued the ticket? That would be step 1.

If they are not willing to do anything, you contest the ticket and go to court with your identifying information and the driver as a witness that he was driving his truck when it was pulled over. You should be able to get out of the ticket. Your friend will not and he will get the fine/points. I guess you're about to find out how good of a friend you have.Answer #2: for future reference, you don't need to give them your information if you are the passenger. in texas, you only have to give your information to the police if you are arrested. ask if you're arrested. if they say no, don't say anything else.


Title: Credit Union is keeping wife's direct deposit to pay my debt.

Question:
This is in PA

Last year I closed my credit Union account.  They didn't actually close it, so an automatic payment that should have bounced off didn't and caused fees I didn't know about since they never sent notice.  We found out when they filed a claim with the magistrate, and the case was closed in our favor.  This was early fall of 2019.

My wife has never been on the account but a direct deposit from her school recently went there because of a mix up when entering Direct Deposit info (we both took classes).   Due to the CARES act she got a small refund for the Fall term and we expected it to be returned to the school.   After contacting the credit union, they have informed us that my account is still opened and therefore they are keeping the amount of the fees, and if we have a problem they will see us in court.

Is it legal for them to keep her direct deposit and is there some way to ensure they actually close the account?

Answer:
 If the check was not made out to anyone on the account and you can prove you closed the account then not legal.

File a complaint with the federal agency and the state.
https://www.mycreditunion.gov/consumer-assistance-center/complaint-process

https://www.dobs.pa.gov/Consumers/Pages/File-a-Complaint.aspx

If the complaint goes nowhere then sue them in small claims.


Title: How bad is it to not report income from my small etsy business? How likely am I to be caught?

Question: I have an etsy business that makes $100-200 per week... I realize I probably should report this income, but I don't want to. Am I likely to get caught, and what are the consequences for getting caught?

Answer: There's a decent chance of getting caught eventually. The consequences are, in addition to having to pay the past taxes due, plus interest and penalties, criminal charges for tax evasion, filing a fraudulent return and a couple other possibilities. Answer #2: $100-200 per week?  Get off Etsy and set up your own site, you're doing pretty good.  Also, pay your taxes.  The IRS kinda frowns on tax evasion.


Title: Fiduciary duty?

Question:
I am in a state/court enforced program in California. The people who run it are a private entity and have consistently screwed up my account including but not limited to  charging for excused absences, then after excusing them only removing half of the charge (against their policy and i think state law), not excusing a preplanned absence that ended up getting me falsely terminated (and causing me extreme stress) reisnstating me with a "whoops my bad" attitude, and now charging me late fees after i had made prepayments for that month (which i have already had to clear up with them twice before). As I said they are running under state guidelines and are screwing up left and right, I hear other horror stories all the time. Is there anything I can do to them legally? I want to sue for failure of fiduciary duties,but im not sure if i can or if thats even the write action.

Tldr: place I have to go to is obligated to maintain my paperwork which they screw up all the time, so badly and often i want to sue.

Answer: I assume you had an attorney represent you for whatever put you into the program. It is doubtful you have a viable lawsuit based on what you say, but speak to your attorney to see if you have any recourse.


Title: (Upstate NY) Employer expects me to work while furloughed and on unemployment.

Question:
I am an IT professional, but the company I work for is in the entertainment field, so we are as far from essential as it gets.

The company continued to pay us up until April 16th, but on the 17th I was furloughed and told to apply for unemployment.

Now my bosses are sending me constant emails expecting me to work on projects from home while they do not pay me and I collect unemployment. From what I've seen on the NYS labor website, this constitutes unemployment fraud.

The company has been fairly good to me and I don't want to see them fail, but I'm also not comfortable committing fraud on their behalf. Am I in the right here, or have I misunderstood something?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: You might consider emailing your employer and advising you'd love to do as much work as they have for you, but you cannot do so on furlough while collecting unemployment because to do so would likely constitute fraud on the State by you and the company.  You might also suggest they can resolve the issue by paying you an hourly wage for the work completed, which you'd both report against UI benefits.


Title: Does this guy have a legal foot to stand on? Attorney threatens to sue a restaurant over soup.

Question:
[Texas] Really bizarre: http://www.star-telegram.com/living/food-drink/article73421632.html

tl/dr: Restaurant ran out of soup. Attorney seeks $2.50 plus $250 in fees. Believes the restaurant was being deceptive.

Answer:
 he's all wet

>The menu is an offer for a contract by you,” Downing’s letter says. “I accepted the offer. This action … created a binding contract which is legally enforceable in a court of law. You then breached the contract by not providing the soup as promised by you on the menu.”

a menu or price on a shelf is an Invitation to Treat, not a contract offer. the offer is when you order or bring the item to the register, acceptance is when they take your money and you take the items.


Title: What steps can I take to take legal action against my mom for taking my mail.

Question:
Okay so I still live at home in Ontario, Canada. I've been struggling in the house and am planning on moving out once I have the funds. Literally just now mom told me that she has my gst cheque and won't give it to me until I show her which cheques I've deposited already. Thing is I've told her so many times that I've deposited all my cheques that I've had up to date except for that gst cheque she just mentioned and my disability cheque I get every month. What can I do to stop her from going through and taking my mail even though I still live under her roof? I just want to be on my own, and am doing quite well managing things on my own. Just need to learn how to cook properly XD

Thank you

Answer:
 Opening another person's mail, even if you live with them, is a federal offense. Even worse that she's withholding your money. Canada Post Corporation Act 48. If you can provide proof that she has been opening your mail, you can report her to the authorities. There should be a way to contact your postal service to report this as well.

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If you don't want to have that happen, there's an alternative, possibly. I'm unsure if there's a P.O Box option in Canada, but it would be in your best interest to get one as soon as yesterday. Then report to the company of your P.O Box so they can send the check directly to it. Your mom would not be able to get into it and the postal service cannot allow her access just because you're family. If you're not able to get a P.O Box or the company that sends the checks cannot send to a P.O Box, then reporting your mom to the proper authorities is your only solution.

I hope this all helps. I just learned a little more about Canada through all of this as well.


Title: Deployed Airman trying to keep his wife from taking his son.

Question:
Guam U.S.A.

Friend is deployed in the desert.  He will be filing for divorce upon his return.  Through some talk with some of his family/friends he believes his wife may take his son and fly off island back home.  Speaking with my dad who is a retired LEO he says the likehood of getting the child back to the islandthrough a court is slim to none.  He suggested to look at getting a protective order to try and stop her from leaving the island though hes not sure about how Guam law applies.  Not sure if it matters but they arent divorcing for any cheating/adultry reasons.  We are looking at getting me power of attorney (or whatever equivalent) as I am helping him out with filing paperwork as he is deployed.  Any action he can take to keep her on island?

Edit 1:  He is already in contact with a lawyer through email.  I am not trying to represent him or play lawyer.  Just seeing if theres anything I can do here or ideas to send his way to help out.  To my understand you file the protective order through the local PD.

Tl;dr Deployed airman wants to stop wife from taking kid off island before the divorce.

Answer: He needs to be talking to his unit's JAG office instead of asking his non-lawyer buddies and/or the internet.


Title: Amicably separated for a year, lawyer is insisting we go to court but we want mediation. What's the difference?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Objectively, you do not trust your lawyer, think she is not professional (unprepared), think she made a bad impression *on your behalf*, and think her suggestion for a default proceeding was a mistake.

**This is a lawyer you need to fire.** You can't afford the best; okay, I get it! But you came here because you don't trust this lawyer and think she's done a bad job so far. Your gut says to fire her, please listen.


Title: [Alberta] Bank put money into the wrong account, won't release without huge penalty or otherwise rectify their error?

Question:
This happened to my friend, and I'm asking here as a curious 1L (well, in September). We're in Alberta, Canada.

My friend had 10 000 in her checking account. Obviously this isn't ideal so she went to the bank and spoke to an advisor to open a TFSA (tax free savings account) to put her money into. The advisor said she should think about putting her money into a GIC instead (guaranteed investment certificate - money is put in for a predetermined term and cannot be accessed without being charged huge penalties. The tradeoff is you get a higher interest rate the longer term you agree to).

Because she was planning on traveling in the near future, she said she didn't want the GIC. The advisor continued to push the GIC on her and she continued to say no. Eventually he said he would throw her money into the TFSA and not the GIC. He started having issues with the computer system and moving the money and kept leaving the room to ask a more senior advisor questions. My friend said it didn't appear he really knew what he was doing.

Once he finally seems to figure out what's going on, he hands her some papers to sign. She signed them thinking it was very clear she wanted her money to go into a TFSA, but I don't think she read them in detail. She's 22 and was doing this on her own, so I think she assumed the bank wouldn't try to hand her something other than what she wanted (not the best assumption, but it is what it is).

When my friend went back to the bank ~5 months later to start moving money around for her trip, she was informed that all of the 10 000 was, in fact, sitting in a GIC for a one year term and would be inaccessible to her without a huge penalty, despite her constantly telling the banking advisor that she did not want her money in a GIC. It seems that the advisor went against her wishes and provided her with the wrong paperwork even though she explicitly expressed her wishes for a TFSA. The bank refuses to acknowledge this and will not release her money.

**questions**

- Does my friend have any legal recourse?

- Did she screw herself over by signing the paper the advisor gave her without fully reading it, even though she explicitly stated what she wanted?

Answer: Your friend had a legal obligation to read the fine print prior to signing.  Failure to read fine print is not a defence in Canadian law.  However, all she should lose by withdrawing the funds is the interest, and the interest would have been minimal had her TFSA funds been in a regular account.  Have her talk to the manager and see if she can get anywhere.  I've successfully pulled trust funds locked in GIC's without penalty before, so it's possible for the bank to not take away the accumulated interest.Answer #2: This is beside the point, but the "huge penalty" usually just means "all of the accumulated interest".  It's not like they're going to charge her $1000 for their error.


Title: Black mold house

Question: So our rental had black mold , we asked the owner several times to look at it but kept sending people to just paint over,after we paid $500 for pros to test, they suggested we move out. My family is sickly as of late and had to throw out a ton of my stuff. 2000 lbs. what can I do? I live in florida

Answer: Unlivable conditions is a valid reason to break lease. Refer to your particular state law to see the specifics. Tell your landlord what is wrong with the place.


Title: Are these knives legal to carry in California?

Question:
I've been looking online for some knives that are legal to carry for self defense (concealed). I've recently been mugged and would like to  invest in some knives for the future. I have found two knives on Amazon and wasn't sure if these would be categorized as switchblades or tactical knives.

https://www.amazon.com/TAC-Spring-Assisted-POLICE-Tactical/dp/B00UPBDLLY/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1469246367&sr=8-13&keywords=pocket+knife

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01815FUSW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Any help or information would be appreciated!

Answer:
 Are you an expert in close quarters combat in stress-filled situations?

If not, try pepper spray instead.  And a whistle.


Title: At fault for a car accident 4 days after my car insurance lapsed. How screwed am I? TN

Question:
So I left my 100% commission job for a more stable one and I couldn't afford my insurance for October.  I figured I had enough time to pay (I know I should have called)  Anyway the cutoff is 10 days and I missed it by 4 days when I crashed.  I had to take a detour because of road construction and it was raining, went down a hill I'm not really familiar with and got to a tight turn.  I felt the car slide a bit and over corrected which made it worse.  I began to drift into the oncoming lane and hit the front left corner of a Nissan Rogue. Didn't hit very hard but it was enough to deploy the air bags.  I got out, asked the driver if she was okay. No serious injuries but she had asthma and the dust made it difficult for her to breathe. Her daughter (who happened to be my high school teacher strangely enough) was nearby and gave her her inhaler.  1st responders came, my cheap old Cavalier was totaled but the Nissan fared a bit better, the front bumper and some exterior was hit.  Other driver decided to go in an ambulance for her breathing problems. Firefighter and a Police officer told me they think she'll be fine.  I feel absolutely terrible about this though, This was 100% my fault and my insurance lapsed.  I have a clean record and I'm looking for an attorney but I'm still liable for the cost of this.  But will they take  away my ability to drive and get to my job?  I feel sick to my stomach, what's going to happen to me?

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TLDR: Slid and caused a crash right after my insurance lapsed, Driver got treatment for her asthma after.

Answer:
 In Tennessee your car can be impounded and your license suspended for driving without insurance.

You should likely retain an attorney to minimize your penalty. That attorney is likely to suggest paying the costs related to your accident promptly as part of that strategy.


Title: Landlord/Tenant advice

Question: [deleted]

Answer: She asked if he could come by, and you consented. He came by and made the repair you requested. There's no legal issue here.


Title: Being falsely accused of sexual assault - California

Question:
Hello.

In June I participated in a consensual sexual relationship with a girl who was a bit unstable. Today I found out that she made a police report claiming that I sexually assaulted her. I have spoken to and seen her since then and this is the first I'm hearing of it.

The police report claims that I picked her up from her home, drove her to my home, we had consensual oral sex in the shower and afterwards she said she did not feel well and I forced her to either perform oral sex on me again or that I had sex with her against her will - the detective was not clear with me.

They are asking me to come in for a DNA test, but I am a felon so they already have my DNA on file so I am uncertain why they are asking for it.

I am seeking general advice on how to proceed from here. RE: the DNA test, do I tell them I am a felon? I was convicted in a different state and my records are sealed.

Answer:
 Call a lawyer ASAP you need one. Right now, don't go in for a DNA test without consulting with your lawyer first.

Also do not talk to the police without your lawyer present.


Title: Michigan Child Custody for Unmarried Parents

Question:
Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to read this and provide information.

My girlfriend and I recently split and it is not pretty. We have a 4 month old little boy and she claims I will not be able to see him anymore at all, and she wants to raise him without me in the picture. I am devestated but trying to figure out if I have any right to fight her for custody.

From the preliminary research I have done online, it seems that unmarried fathers in Michigan do not have any inherent rights to their children, however, there are some circumstances in our relationship that may change that?

My girlfriend is unemployed. She is supported entirely by her mother, and she raises our son at our house while I work. She has 2 DUIs in less than the last 7 years. Her last DUI, she abruptly stopped going to her "drug court" probation and just quit the program.

In March, she was driving to her mother's house while pregnant with our son and was pulled over and written a ticket for driving without a proper license (she was only allowed to go between work and home). She did not pay this ticket, and completely ignored it.

Two weeks ago, I was awoken by police banging on our door at 6:30 in the morning, and she was arrested because there were warrants out for her in our home city and also in the town over where she received her DUI. She posted bond and she is back home now. She has hearings from both of those warrants tomorrow. I am not sure if I will know the outcome of these hearings as she is incredibly hostile with me at the moment.

From what I have read, custody for unmarried parents in Michigan inherently goes to the mother, but the best interest of the child is always the primary factor. Does anyone have any knowledge of Michigan law regarding this? Do I stand a chance to take her to court. I just want to see my son. He is everything to me.

I told her that what happens between us shouldn't affect my relationship with my son but she disagrees. I don't know what to do and I am lost. Thank you for your help.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Are you on the child's birth certificate?

I think you are misunderstanding the links you read a bit and that is causing you to panic an unnecessary amount. Unless you have comitted heinous crimes against the child, you will receive some amount of parenting time with the child once you follow the proper legal procedure.


Title: Off duty cop shot my car

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Here's my advice IANAL: Absorb the inconvenience and get over it. Document every expense related to this. Relax. Let the insurance company handle it. Tell them you need a rental. Hire an attorney to write officer asshole a demand letter. If he doesn't respond in a way you like, sue him. Answer #2: >I will be talking to my lawyer

Great. He will be able to help you more than us.

It sounds like his department is taking this seriously. At most departments, officers are required to report any discharge of a weapon (outside a gun range or legitimate training) immediately. This officer will face discipline, up to possible termination, and I would urge you to cooperate with the investigations being conducted. That is the best way to ensure that he will be held accountable.


Title: Could I have accidentally embezzled money from my company?

Question:
[US Nevada] Logged onto the PayPal of my employer, I unknowingly spent roughly $2,000 on his account rather than mine. I reversed the charges the same day after I realized it, and the day after I was told I was being charged with embezzlement and was escorted off the premises in cuffs with my computer being seized.

What would be my best course of action?

Answer:
 You definitely need a lawyer but I have a hard time thinking any DA will pursue this if the story is as you explained. Good luck.Answer #2: You didn't cause any damage to the company and is reasonable that a mistake like this could happen. That may help your cause, but who knows what the DA will decide to do.

Your company is an asshole though. I have done this exact thing accidentally for a couple hundred bucks. I had my company card attached to my PayPal because I was buying equipment for work on eBay. I bought a couple personal items and the company card had become primary payment method and didn't catch it until filling my expense report. Went down to accounts payable with a check and gave my boss a heads up. They said it happens now and then, no big deal.

Had a boss accidentally buy thousands of dollars in furniture using his company card because it was the same color as his personal card. He didn't notice until days later and the company was fine with it although he was embarrassed.

Sorry you have to deal with this. It's scary that something like this could happen to any of us and I'll be even more careful in the future. Thanks for sharing.


Title: My ex told my 10-year-old that she could call her at any time and that I wasn't allowed to stop her from doing so [Massachusetts]

Question:
Is this legally the case?  We have joint custody.

My daughter was upset and wanted to call her mom (to complain about me).  I said she could after she did her homework (she was upset about me requiring her to go to another room to do it).

My daughter yelled that she felt uncomfortable and acted as if she had more authority over the situation because her mother told her this.

Answer:
 Not in this situation, no.

Generally, it is good policy to allow the child contact with the other parent while in your custody.  Looks good to a judge.  However, there are definitely exceptions, such as when the contact with said parent infringes on your time with the child OR your ability to parent as you see fit.

When you have custody, you are the parent.  That means you can do anything a reasonable parent would do, INCLUDING taking her phone away.  Heck, you want to run a hard line with her?  Some parents don't even allow their kids to have their cell phones while with them.  That's perfectly reasonable for you to do, especially if your daughter is having issues understanding appropriate use of her phone.

Parent as you see fit.  Just make sure to stay reasonable (such as making sure she has access to call emergency services if alone) and within the bounds of the custody agreement.


Title: Today eBay scammed me, they corned me, charged me and lead me on for 3 months straight. Please help

Question:
In mid August I listed my (2015) MacBook Pro for sale on eBay for $1,350.  For a few days I got zero bids and realized my price was too high, but I didn't want to lower it because the machine cost me almost $3k, additionally 2 weeks before I paid apple $400+ for a brand new battery (which requires a full body/keyboard replacement, hence the high cost).

While my listing was online I got a VERY obvious fraudulent eBay/bot message offering to purchase the mac offline with a cash payment at a greater value.  So me doing my part as a veteran eBayer (15 year account with a perfect status), I messaged them back simply saying "What's your #".  I was going to take the number and report it to the authorities as well as eBay's fraudulent account department.

24 hours later I received another scam account message with the same exact message. At this point I was aggravated and decided to take the item down from eBay.

Next thing I see, eBay hits my account with a restriction saying that I'm not allowed to sell my item offline.  I immediately called in and told them that there was no item being sold offline and that their bot system incorrectly identified me discussing with a scam bot.  They understood and assured me not to worry, but I would still be under a restriction due to the automated system identifying it as a "offline sale".

Next month (October 14) I get a bill from eBay for $135 for a "offline sale" for the MacBook Pro.  I immediately call in and explain the situation, they assure me that I'll be refunded and they apologized for the automated system's move.  At this point the scam account is deleted from the internal messaging, so there's no way to prove that the account ever existed...

Now, November 17th, I still see no refund for the $135.  I called back in, asked them why haven't I received the refund yet.  After nearly an hour on the call the resolution they returned is: We're sorry the system won't allow us to refund the $135.  All the agents they put me through (again re-explaining to each one what happened), agree'd that I should be refunded but they simply all ended with "The system will not allow us to refund you".

At this point I feel like eBay scammed me, what if those are accounts actually eBay bots themselves presenting the same way - where a good Samaritan is trying to contribute back to society by reporting a fraudulent account by gathering as information.  By then charging the user for "offline transaction" for an account that was never an actual human.

Please help me, I don't know what to do.  $135 might not be a huge loss, but this is more of a principal...

tl;dr: Listed a product on eBay via perfect score 15+ year account.  Scam bots reached out to me, replied to them by  requesting their phone #s so I could report them to the authorities.  eBay then identifying it as an external sale and charging me full fee price.  Then leading me on for 3 months assuring to refund me, finally concluding to a "system will not allow us to refund you, sorry no options".
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: Take picture of the laptop with your name and date on it. Send them the picture and indicate that it's still in your possession and was never sold.Answer #2: Ebay didnt scam you.  They flagged a message offering offline purchase.  You responded to said message and subsequently removed the item from listing.  Now, I think you should be able to work it out with them (assuming you didnt actually sell the item), but it is 100% your fault this was flagged.  There was no reason to write back for a #, if you weren't going to go with it.


Title: My friends' city wants to re-zone their neighborhood for an apartment complex and is threatening to increase property tax on them unless they sell them their house at 70% the appraisal price. Is that legal or just fear tacyics?

Question:
Edit: tactics*
Edit: this is near Seattle, WA.

Answer:
 Might be legal.  Here's the problem, the can take the house using eminent domain.  To do so, they have to pay fair market value.  The first step in eminent domain is to try to lower fair market value.  Re-zoning and higher property taxes is some tactics they can use.

At this point, lawyers should probably get involved.  If the city/developers are determined enough, this will get long and expensive.  Or you might get [something like this.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera_Coking)


Title: Summons has wrong address, served to minor next door, do I have to go to court?

Question: Stalker lady that videos my daughter from the sidewalk that police say can't help yet, is suing me after I posted a video on Facebook when I finally caught her doing it.  I did not post her name as I do not know this woman and just recently learned her name, nor did I say anymore than, "hey look at this weirdo!" or whatever.  She's suing me for Slander and defamation of character and is obviously not all there as I didn't even post her NAME.. anyway, she isn't even smart enough to get my address right after she's been by everyday for 3 weeks.  She only knows my name from protective order I filed.  The process server went to my neighbors house and gave papers to the 15 yr old and said, "You've been served," and left.  He didn't verify anything and she didn't know wtf was going on. So, I've not even been served, it's not my address, only my name, she is creepy and weird, and her claim has no merit whatsoever and is a waste of the courts time... Do I have to go to the court date, legally???  If I didn't talk to my neighbors I wouldn't even know.  Please help. I'm in Indianapolis, In

Answer:
 You're aware of the suit, and the process server is going to file saying service is complete. Realistically, you need to respond, even though service was defective, and in the process of responding you'll obviate the need for correct service.

Or, you can ignore this, and allow the case to proceed in your absence. A default judgement will be awarded (after all, the court's going to think you were served). You can try to get the default judgement set aside later because of service issues, but it's expensive, and not guaranteed to succeed if it's clear you were aware of the suit in spite of the issues with service of process.

There's no "ignore this and it'll go away" third option.


Title: [Ohio] Former roommate won't give me my share of the security deposit we paid for, how do I get my money back?

Question:
From the lease, "the landlord will only separate checks for a maximum of 2 tenants". Of the three other roommates on this lease, only one of them got the check and refused to give me any. Do I have any legal recourse?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: If you paid part of the security deposit, you can sue them in small claims court. Bring proof of how much you paid.


Title: Can my father stop paying this ridiculous loan? (FL)

Question:
Unfortunately my father got himself in a hole years ago and in an attempt to always pay what needs to be paid on time due to a misguided sense of responsibility he stupidly took out loans from regular Joes to cover expenses and since then takes out more loans to cover interest payments for the previous loans.

Eventually I chewed him out and he stopped doing this cycle and started paying off the loans.

Problem is some loans, particularly this one, charge ridiculous interest rates. These are loans given to him by random people friends of his recommended, in cash, not financial institutions. They'll draft some MS word contract he signs and he'll hand them a check for the loan amount as "collateral"

In this particular loan, a woman loaned him $2000 cash in January 2016, at a MONTHLY interest rate of 20%, and asked him to pay $100 a week as interest and the principal be paid in full. Since then my father has stupidly fished left and right for money to cover this woman's "interest" and paid her $400 a month for 18 months at a total of $7200 dollars. This woman continues to call and harass him when he's late for the week's payment and according to her he still owes the full amount.

It took me hours to convince him he's basically being extorted and played for a loan that's been paid 4 times over. I told him to not pay another penny and just move on with his life. Yet he's afraid since she has a check she can claim he didn't honor the check and sue him in small claims for $2000. I feel that this person going to court would only get them in trouble for usury, am I thinking correctly here?

Answer:
 100 per month for a 2000 loan makes it a 60% annual interest rate. Charging Interest rates in Florida greater than 45% is a class 3 felony.

Kindly remind this woman of this and stop paying. Alternatively consult a lawyer to see if your father has a case against this woman, or anyone else he has loans with.Answer #2: Yes- this violates Florida state usury laws, which limit interest to 18% *per year* in the presence of a contract. The lender has apparently committed criminal usury, given a p.a. rate of 240%.

The lender will have to repay *double* the interest collected, $10400, to your father under statute 687.04, as a penalty for usury. Furthermore, the lender is in violation of statute 687.071 para. 3, which says lending at >45% interest per annum is a third degree felony.

Report the lender to the police, and contact a lawyer to initiate an action against the lender for the overpayment.

Here's the statute, if any real lawyers want to give it a going-over:

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0600-0699/0687/0687.html


Title: Can I enter US tomorrow if my US passport expired today?

Question: Hi, I am flying back to US from Taiwan. I will arrive at 6/28/2014 but my US passport expires on 6/27/2014. Am I still able to go through customs with an 1 day expired US passport? Or do I need to delay my flight and renew my passport.

Answer: US citizens cannot be denied entry to the US by Customs and Immigration.  You may have problems getting onto the plane (the carrier won't be able to verify) and you might have problems waiting in Customs while they verify.  Best bet is to contact the local embassy or consulate.


Title: [Immigration] Is crossing the border through an alternate entrance illegal?

Question:
I have always had this question in my mind and no amount of google searching has given me a solid answer. Is it illegal to cross the U.S.-Mexican or U.S.-Canadian border without passing through an immigration checkpoint (This question only applies to American citizens, obviously if you don't have a VISA then it's illegal)

For example, if you to the southernmost part of San Diego's beach you reach the border wall. However, when it's low tide anyone can easily go around the wall and reach the San Diego side of the beach. If I, a US citizen, passes from Mexico to the US through the beach (or any other place where there is no border wall, the mountains, desert, river, anything) is it illegal?

I mean if I cross into the US it's not like the border patrol agents can tell me to go back, as that would technically be deportation and I can't be deported from my own country. Is there some law that states that you must cross through a border patrol checkpoint in order to enter the US?

I always assumed there wasn't because I know there are people that have property that extends from Canada to the US and they cross the border everyday without passing through a border patrol checkpoint.

Answer:
 Legality aside.

If border patrol spots you then they might detain you, ask a bunch of questions and take their sweet time checking id you are qho you claim to be before letting you go. (Asuming us-mex border)


Title: screwed out of a car

Question: my great grandfather owned a 1965 mustang coupe that he bought new in 1965 which he later passed down to my grandfather and then it was given to my father although the title still remained in my grandfathers name my father always intended for this car to be mine someday but sadly he passed when i was four years old. the car sat in my grandmothers garage for a couple years until my uncle who never drove the car never worked on the car and wanted nothing to do with it up until this point decided that he would fix it up with his new wife's husband who is a mechanic he put maybe $10,000 worth of work and parts into the car and now it sits in his garage driven rarely although in pristine condition. im not sure who's name is on the title at this time but is there anyway for me to own this car through a possible lawsuit or other legal channels. the laws would apply to the state of kansas

Answer:
 >decided that he would fix it up with his new wife's husband who is a mechanic

what


Title: Landlord Entered w/o 24 hour notice for inspections, found ash tray, fined me $150 for it. (Indiana)

Question:
Hey there helpful people.

Basically, on 5/11 this week, I received an email at 1:29 PM from our landlord, saying that they would be doing inspections the next day.  Today, I just received an email with a notice of a $150 smoking fine, which included a photo of an ashtray next to my window.

They are claiming that they entered to find the "odor of tobacco, and found an ashtray with cigarette butts and ashes".  Well neither myself of my roommate smoke tobacco.  The ashes were from marijuana, but no one had smoked the previous three days so there was no odor.

***My hope is that I can fight this.  My primary reasoning is that, they informed us of the inspection on 5/11 at 1:29 PM.  I was able to get the date and time the photo was taken, which was 5/12 at 11:25 AM.  Essentially the entered without 24 hour notice.  Additionally, they are adamant that they found cigarette butts, but there are none.  ZERO.  They don't exist as neither of us smoke cigarettes.

Do I have any chance to have them drop this fine?!

EDIT:  Just got home and read over my lease.  They owe "reasonable" notice, not "24-hour" notice like every other state I've resided in.  Thanks for your help and time everyone.  I will be asking them nicely to rescind the fine, and if not, I will be paying it.

Answer:
 Are you sure you want to fight it? I mean, you were smoking something illegal, INSIDE the house.

Might be easier to just pay it, and not have them look any deeper into what you were smoking.Answer #2: I don't believe there is a statute in Indiana requiring 24 hr notice for your landlord to enter, and smoking indoors is smoking indoors whether they could smell it or not. It's the residue on walls, ceilings and other surfaces that they are concerned about, that and fire danger and neighbor complaints. I'm not sure what your lease says, but it sounds like you were caught as good as red handed. Do you really want to end up in front of a judge saying you don't think you should pay the fine because it was an illegal drug rather than tobacco??


Title: Can you sell skittles on the Internet

Question: [removed]

Answer: Not sure if this question belongs to this sub, or Yahoo Answers...Answer #2: “Don’t take candy from strangers” has an “except on the internet” caveat?


Title: My sisters exhusband has been having someone follow/spy on her.

Question:
Theyre officially divorced but theyre still in court fighting over custody and estate.  Thats not the part that concerns me.   The part that concerns me is he knows information about her that is very private; like where shes been going... and whose shes been seeing...

Is there anyway to fight this in court?  I asked her if shes spoken to her lawyers about this and she said yes, but i have the feeling her lawyers dont give it much thought.

I feel like shit when she tells me stories of him telling her that he knows her private business.   Is there anything we can do to get this done and over with?  Were in michigan and the exhusband is in florida.

And as for social media, my sister doesnt have a facebook and rarely posts shit on instagram.

Answer:
 To fight what?  That he knows where she goes in public?

Maybe she needs to factory reset her phone and change all her passwords.


Title: Boss keeps asking me to do work outside my job description and threatened my employment when I said I didn't feel comfortable. What should I do?

Question:
I just started a new part time warehouse/event set up job for a small business in Pennsylvania to make some money cuse I'm broke.

Yesterday I was riding along with the co owner of the company for a show we were doing when our conversation got dicey.

His wife (the other co owner) is out of town for a while and he wanted me to do things in his home for when she got back. Things like paint his walls and make a Welcome Home Wife sign for when she returns. I told him that I'd prefer to stick to things that were on my job description and that I don't feel comfortable doing things I haven't been trained to do. He got a little flustered and asked if I could wash and wax the truck we use to move equipment for events. Again, I said I didn't feel comfortable doing things I haven't been trained on. I've never waxed a vehicle before and he just got done telling me how much he loves his $65,000 truck so the last thing I want to do is fuck it up.

He snapped and started questioning me asking if I thought that kind of work was "below me" and if there are any other hindrances I have that would prevent me from being useful to him. I said no and kind of panicking at this point I spat out something about taking pride in keeping my car clean so that work wasn't below me.

Some more back and forth went on where he wanted to know what was on my job description (which I thought he helped write since he's the owner of the company?) and to send it to HR, which is his wife I'm pretty sure. It ended with him saying ***"Well if there's such a big difference between what's on your job description and what I need from you then there might need to be a rehiring process."***

At this point I was shitting bricks for my employment so I kept pretty quiet and stuck it out the rest of the way there.

The only job description I know of is the job posting they had online that they've since deleted. It read:
*This position is responsible:*

*Provide assistance with loading, and transportation of production equipment*

*Assist with the setup of production equipment as per floor plan and event details*

*Return of production equipment*

*Maintain an organized and efficient warehouse*

Reddit what should I do? The position pays better than almost any other part time job around and I really enjoy what I've been doing so far. The wife of the owner seems understanding and that she likes me so I do have some trust in her, but since I'm new I'm not sure if I want to find out how much she'd really take my side over her husband's.

Answer:
 job descriptions are meaningless. employment is at-will in your state, meaning you do have the option to leave at any time if you disagree with what’s being asked of you. almost every employee on earth is asked to do duties outside of their job description.

you work for your boss, that’s your job description.Answer #2: Unless you belong to a union, or have an employment contract stating otherwise, your duties are whatever your employer assigns you. Unfortunately some small business owners lack an ability to separate personal and business, and employees get caught being treated like personal assistants, rather than their hired position.

Unfortunately, your employer is unlikely to stop making odd requests. Its probably time to polish the resume and start hunting. Answer #3: Time to look for a new job.

You are right to feel uncomfortable however  he's the boss (and in this case the owner) and folks want team players.

 Not everyone is like this but most small businesses and start ups are going to have this "get the job done mentality"

Kudos on standing up for yourself - while I would have gotten permission to have a service wax the car and otherwise taken care of that the stuff at his home was too out of bounds


Title: Parents our getting a divorce, locked barn on marital property is preventing my mom from putting the horse in barn stall for winter.

Question:
Title is confusing and probably a strange situation. I live in Upstate NY, to start. My mother is getting a divorce from my abusive father of over 30 years. She has an order of protection against him, but the judge has still allowed him to work at his auto shop on the property. Despite an invisible line he isn't allowed to cross, he still has pretty much done whatever he pleases and the police don't care.

This brings me to one of the outer barns on my parents property (the deed is not only for our house, but the auto shop bays, and two more outlying barns). One of these barns has a stall that houses our family horse for the winter time as it gets very cold here. My father decided he was going to put a padlock on the entrance to the barn (this same barn links to other places in the barn where he has expensive cars) and now my mother can't get in. She requested through her lawyer to have something done, and she apparently filed an injunction (I don't know what that is, just what I was told) to get my father to unlock the door for the horse's safety, but nothing has happened and this has been ongoing since the summer.

My mother's lawyer also said were she to try and break off the lock which is his property, despite the barn being marital property, my mother could be arrested. I don't really understand what is going on here, maybe small town politics and the fact that my father is well known in the community, but I really need some advice. My entire family is worried about this horse and the barn is where we have always put him in the winter time and now it seems like we don't  have any options. We tried last year to board him elsewhere when the divorce first started and my father refused to let the horse leave the property.

tl;dr: parents are in middle of divorce. Father has locked outlying barn on marital property where we board horse in winter. Need barn unlocked, lawyer says mother could get arrested if she breaks the lock.

Thanks for any advice!

Answer:
 You might have to stable the horse with someone else this year. It's not an ideal solution, but it's the right one for the horse. A judge familiar with horses will recognize that it is necessary, particularly if you're leaving it with a vet or professional boarding service. Ask your lawyer for details about how it must be done, it's entirely possible that the dad is trying to kill the horse out of spite but on the other hand it's entirely possible that the dad is doing what he things is best to protect his stuff in a contentious divorce and the threat to the horse has gone unnoticed until this point.

You can't just cut the lock off, the father (as much of a dick as he is) does have a right to property. The ownership of the barn and cars is jumbled at the moment so until a judge says "take the lock off" the lock needs to stay in place.


Title: I slept with my DUI lawyer & he's holding it against me...

Question:
I'm in the US.

Here's a quick rundown. I was pulled over on my birthday, refusal to blow so was automatically arrested and was released 3 hours later. My friend/now attorney is a DUI lawyer. I've known him for about 6 years now. So automatically when I was in jail he was the first person I thought to call & figured he'd take my case seriously. He has had a HUGE crush on me for several years and one night we ended up out, drinking and caught a cab home and we had sex.

Now he won't leave me alone. He texts me all the time about wanting to have sex again and I don't pursue it. He sends me pictures of his dick and lewd texts.

I finally told him that it was inappropriate and that im not interested in going down that path. Let's just be professional friends (if that's a thing)? That really pissed him off and he's very mad at me. Now he's saying things like "Remember who is handling your case - I can win or lose it for you." He's basically kind of threatening me to "lose my case". I've already paid him $4,000 for legal fees and I'm on a budget. I can't really afford to pay another attorney.

How do I go about addressing this issue. Should I just abandon ship and get a new lawyer? I really don't want the DUI on my record.

What should I do?

Background on my DUI case : I was pulled over for speeding. Had 3 beers over a two hour period and drove home. I have always been told if you're unsure don't blow. So I kind of fucked up and didn't. Had a full blown panic attack during the process so was visibly shaking and had a hard time taking the fst. I have a 6 year background of anxiety issues and I take 2 xanax a day. Was I drunk? No. Was in a state of panic the whole time? Yes.

Answer: Assuming you are in the US, this is highly improper.  Get a new lawyer and file a complaint with the state bar immediately.  Save all the evidence like call logs and texts.Answer #2: If you are taking two Xanax a day you shouldn't be drinking anything.Answer #3: Get a new lawyer, don't sleep with the new one. Review your life choices because you are making some really bad ones. Answer #4: A lawyer with integrity who cares about the reputation of his profession would help you burn this creep.


Title: I got caught driving without insurance in Idaho. I told them I was 99% sure I had insurance just didn't have the insurance card on me because I just got a new car. Need help, story inside.

Question:
I was going 8 over and a cop pulled me over. I told him my dad has been paying for my car insurance since I was 16 (im 22 now). I didnt have proof of insurance on me in the car because it is a new car. The cop said to call my dad so I can get the info on the card, my dad didn't answer. The cop didn't cite me for speeding and just cited me for no insurance. He said to bring proof of insurance with me to court to show that I had insurance the day I was pulled over and I'd be free to go.

Fast forward two weeks I finally get around to calling my dad, thinking nothing of it because once I get proof of insurance, I'm good. Turns out he cancelled my insurance around 10 months ago because he was having financial trouble with paying child support and other bills. He just never told me he cancelled it. So basically I'm fucked, I get insurance right away and pay for it. My dad then sends me the insurance card so I have insurance now and I'm just waiting to go talk to a prosecutor in a couple weeks.

The thing is, on the insurance card, it says I had insurance this entire past year, even though my dad just added me onto the plan a couple weeks ago. Can I go into the prosecutor, show him the insurance card that says my dad and I have been on the same insurance plan since september 2015 to septemeber 2016, and get away with it? I got caught speeding/with no insurance in may of 2016. Thanks for advice.

Answer: Your insurance card is not going to cut it. You will need to bring a letter from your insurance company stating that you were covered on the day you were pulled over. If you cannot get that letter from your insurer, you'll be found guilty. Do not lie to the prosecutor.


Title: Highway Turtle Murder (Nashville, TN)

Question:
Today during my commute I noticed that a woman was holding turtle out of the window of her car. Thinking how strange this was, I decided to take a few images and a video of it. This was at a red light for a left turn to get onto the highway so there was no danger with getting my phone out.

As I was getting my phone out, she pulled the turtle back into the car so I thought she was just letting it relieve itself. But she then proceeded to through a napkin onto the road and hold the turtle out of the car again. At this point I took a few images of her holding the turtle, the napkin on the road, and her car/license plate and a video of her holding the turtle.

My initial motivation for this was to show my friends a video of some weird woman holding a turtle out of her car. I figured she would put the turtle back into the car once we got highway. Contrary to my expectations, she continued to hold the turtle out of the car as we sped up on the highway.

Once we were on the highway, going about 55 mph, the driver with the turtle jolted to the side of the highway and jolted back. I assume she threw the turtle at this point but I did not have a complete visual on her car at this point since there was a truck between me and her.

If she did throw the turtle, it most certainly is dead at this point since the turtle would have been flung at a speed greater than 55 mph when it hit the side of the road (not the actual road but the grass by it).

I am considering reporting her for littering since Nashville has a website to report litterbugs. I would report her on the accounts of the napkin and the turtle by using the videos and images I took and her car license plate. Before I do this though, I wanted input for:
1. Is this a good idea?
2. Is there more that I can reasonably do beyond reporting for littering?

I will appreciate any advice given.

Answer: I think calling the local non emergency line with the information you have might be your best option. I don’t know what they will do but at least you did your part. Good luck!Answer #2: You can call the police non emergency line but I doubt they'll be very interested. By the way, a turtle could survive landing in the grass. Also IMO the term "murder" should be reserved for people, not animals. And I'm a HUGE animal lover.


Title: Guy said he could sue me for tortous (?) interference and adultery for sleeping with his wife (FL).

Question:
No morality comments please, I know I'm a piece of shit.

Ok, meet a woman via r/RAOMD. Texting the day before we first meet, she says "by the way I'm married, does that matter?" Nooope.

We see each other probably five times. She leaves me a voicemail at 2am one night saying her husband found out, we can't see each other again, it was fun, bye.

Around 9am this morning I get a call from an out of breath screaming dude. He says he's her husband and if I contact his wife again I'll be in serious legal trouble. I just say (paraphrasing) "hey man I didn't know she was married and the whole thing was a mistake."

He says she confessed that she warned me a head of time and he's an attorney and he could sue me for tortous interference. I ask what the hell that means and he says "You interfered with a marriage contract asshole." He also says adultery is against the law in Florida and he knows the district attorney or something (he's in some association with the district attorney?). He sounded hysterical so not even sure he is a lawyer.

I'm getting a sinking feeling in my stomach and as a casual r/legaladvice lurker I tell him I don't want to discuss anymore without an lawyer of my own and I won't go near his wife again. He hung up on me.

Am I in at risk of being sued or going to jail for something? So many affairs in this country (not saying it's right) but how could this happen if I've never heard of it before.

Answer:
 No.

As a state attorney in Florida (we don't call them district attorneys in florida), I can tell you adultery is a crime. But it refers to openly living in a state of adultery while legally married. Also it's one of the laws that's on the books but hasn't actually been prosecuted in decades. Also, because I looked it up, a single act of illicit sex is not adultery according to the last case to address the statute in 1979.

In 2017 we finally got rid of the law that said it was illegal for men and women to have premarital sex. It was declared unconstitutional in 1979, but remained on the books all the same.

Anyway, for tortious interference, I can't think of or find anything in Florida where that's been applied in this sort of situation.

If he calls again, remind him that if he went muff diving more often, then his wife wouldn't need to troll reddit for some action. Answer #2: >He also says adultery is against the law in Florida

He is right. It is against the law, but it is very rarely prosecuted. Also, unless you are also married, you didn't commit adultery, his wife did. Answer #3: ~~Well it looks like Florida does allow suits for alienation of affection, so he could possibly sue you and win.~~

Next time I'll look harder...that got abolished.


Title: [NJ] My friend's roommate was supposed to take care of everyone's rent, and didn't. Now they all face an eviction notice -- what charges can be pressed?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 If the roommate took the money for themselves and didn't pay the rent with it, that's fraud.  Contact the police or the DA.  You roommates can also sue the bad roommate for the money he owes you and for damages (penalties for late rent and move-out costs, probably).  See an attorney.
Answer #2: Something is not right. My wife & I have a practice that does L/T law in NJ. I've never heard of a landlord going 7 months without being paid. What are you not telling us?


Title: Need advice arguing a speeding ticket in court

Question: In my state, the posted speed limit on the interstate is 70mph, but everyone drives 80. I got pulled over for going 81, along with the flow of traffic. Is there any way I can fight this? My court date is tomorrow.

Answer: Ah the "everybody was doing it" defense. You can show up, look nice, be respectful, and ask for leniency.


Title: Received a letter about a conservatorship hearing for a complete stranger

Question:
I’ve tried google but I’ve found no luck. I arrived home today to a letter from some attorneys office in San Francisco notifying me about a hearing regarding conservatorship for an elderly lady who suffers from dementia. I’m not required to attend, so the letter just serves as a notice. Evidently, she is unable to take care of herself, and her direct family seems to have abandoned her. It’s tragic, but I have never heard of her in my life.

We share the same last name, but it’s one of the most common names on the planet. The document provides a list of the conservatee’s relatives.  I don’t recognize a single name on this list - they are not my family.

What’s troubling to me is that I’m listed #7 of alleged family members, but the notice indicates #s 1-6’s relationship to the conseratee - there’s sons, daughters, nephews, etc - but for #8 and myself, it vaguely states “first degree relative”. It has my full name and address listed.

I plan to call the attorney on Monday and ask how they got my name, and why it’s listed here, but to say I’m troubled by this is an understatement. I was wondering if anyone had some advice on what to expect, whether this is common, and what to do next.

Answer:
 Here’s my guess- the conservatorship law requires notice to family.  The Attorney ran the lady’s name through a database such as Transunion TLO to try to find this lady’s family.  The database guessed you were a relative (I have one of these accounts, and they produce lists of likely first degree relatives, likely associates, neighbors, etc).  The attorney was trying to notify this lady’s family about the conservatorship, which is the right thing to do.  You can ignore the notice, but if you want to stop further notices, you can call the Attorney and tell them you are not related.

Edit to add,  i am a lawyer, but not in Cali, and these databases are frequently wrong. Answer #2: Beware possible scam.  Check in advance if the attorney's office is legit, and don't provide them any more information than is shown in the letter you received.  For example, they probably don't have your mobile phone number and you should avoid giving it to them.

Good luck.Answer #3: I was an appointed conservator for a guy because he had no known family. The attorneys did something similar, they investigated and looked for any know family members, even sent letters to Europe (where he was born) to try and find someone who would be willing to be a conservator/ would have a right to his estate (once he passed away) since there was no will and he said he had no one. You could probably just email them saying your not a relative, or call, or ignore. Though if you dont respond they may try contacting you a few more times.


Title: Bridal shop threatening to sue over poor Facebook, Yelp, and Google reviews

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Removed - PII

Answer:
 This brings back so many memories of Amy's Baking Company.  How well did her attacks on the clients, threats, and "we've been hacked", attempts work for her?  I think you are going to be fine.  They fucked up with a very unprofessional thing to do, and worst of all, it was the owner, so there's no recourse (like firing the employee).Answer #2: They're citing a [statute about cyberbullying by elementary, middle, and high schoolers](http://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2010/title-20/chapter-2/article-16/part-2/subpart-2/20-2-751-4)? How appropriate and laughable.Answer #3: The bridal shop should think about the Striesand Effect if they want to push the issueAnswer #4: Tell her to pound sand.

Respond if you actually get documents from a court.  Save all the communications you've had in a couple of places just to be safe.

I personally would update my reviews with the information that rather than address my valid complaint like an adult owner threatened me with legal action for an accurate depiction of what happened. You can't be successfully sued for writing accurate reviews. If you only wrote 1 review on each platform there's no harassment. You're correct those laws were enacted to deal with students. No reputable lawyer is going to touch this with a ten foot pole once he knows all of the facts.Answer #5: IANAL, but I don't think you can be held responsible for someone else's reviews unless you made them post the review.

As /u/AtariBasic said, truth is an absolute defense to defamation.  Perhaps this will make them check the "To" lines in their emails before they click send.Answer #6: They have no case.  You or your fiancee should reply to them and say that some hacker is sending stupid emails from their account.


Title: Marijuana Consumption in Public (Boulder County, CO)

Question:
Two weeks ago I was behind a bar and took a hit of marijuana from someone I had met that evening. Apparently someone called the police while the other person continued smoking, and I received a ticket for "Possession/Consumption of Marijuana Prohibited" sec. no. 10.36.110.

I didn't even think about it being illegal to smoke in public (I know how dumb that is now), but when the officer was issuing my ticket I was very compliant and forthcoming with my information. He basically apologized and said they were required to issue a ticket since someone had called it in, but then directed me to the back of the ticket and told me to call the court in two weeks and I should be able to pay the fine without a court appearance as he would include how compliant I was in his notes.

Today was two weeks since the ticket. I called the court and as soon as the clerk entered the ticket number she said I could not plead guilty beforehand and would have to make a court appearance.

I've never even received a traffic ticket before so I have a few questions regarding this. One, is it worth double checking with the court in person as to whether I can pay the fee to avoid court? Two, the statute says I could receive a $100 fine, 15 days in jail, or both. If I plead guilty is it likely that I'll face jail? Lastly, I have had a trip to Paris planned for months now, and my court date is about a week before I'm set to leave. If there's any chance I could face jail time, should I try to get my court date moved to avoid interfering with my non-refundable trip? I know, first world problems, but this is the only thing I've had to look forward to in years.

Any advice is appreciated, thank you.

Answer:
 You should go to court if you are able to. It would make everything a lot easier. You most likely will only have the fine to pay but it’s really up to the judge. I wouldn’t worry too much about the date of your trip. Your court date wouldn’t be the day you go to jail if they decide to push 15 days of jail time Answer #2: Call around area lawyers to see if any will do a free consult to tell you what your options are. If you hire one plan on a $2-300 plus the fine.

It is highly likely Boulder has some sort of routine plea-bargain procedure to keep these things off people's criminal record. You could try going to the clerk's office a few days before your court date and asking if they offer any plea bargains. Several Colorado counties, including mine, do this with petty offenses to keep people out of court.


Title: Relocated from abroad after accepting a job offer then rejected on first day of work without receive explanation

Question:
I had a legal dispute with my previous boss in Panama for my mandatory (inalienable) unpaid benefits. During that time, my boss started an intimidation campaign, saying that he is friend of who would be my new employer.
At this point, I thought the new company (corporation B) would know how to handle this kind of situation. So, I decided to not to give up and do the right thing.  At the end we got an agreement where they paid.
Once relicated in the US, surprisingly, the afternoon of my first day of work at the new company, the principal told me that after a background check, I couldn't keep working with them.
They refused to say what was the reason or if it was related with my previous job.
I am sure there is nothing wrong with my background. So I wrote a letter explaining all the situation and sent proof of everything, asking for a reconsideration, which was denied.
Now I am a experienced professional architect living in a hotel room with my wife and four years old son, in a city where I know nobody, trying to find a job desperately.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Every time I've had a background check for a job, there was language saying I could request the results of the background check. That's worth a try. Still, many states have "at will" employment laws that make it very easy to fire anyone at any time for anything.

You didn't happen to have an employment contract, did you?Answer #2: Did you agree in writing to the background check? The FCRA imposes multiple notice and authorization requirements on employers who intend to obtain, or do obtain, information from a “Consumer Reporting Agency” about an individual for use in making an employment decision about that individual, such as hiring, promotion, or termination.

What sort of visa are you in the US on?


Title: Storm Damage for Renters

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 uh no, it does not seem like they are trying to pass anything but good advice, which is you should have renters insurance, because their insurance doesnt cover any of your things.

and timely notice of storm damage is just good policy.

Answer #2: Report the damage to the owner/manager of the property and then wait for them to fix it. Reasonable storm damage is in no way the tenant's responsibility.

Get renter's insurance you dummy. It's dirt cheap and protects you from all sorts of problems.


Title: Landlord calibrated Sprinkler System for excessive use [TX]

Question: A friend of mine is renting a house in Texas and is getting hosed by the water company. The house he is renting had the Spinker System set incorrectly for the first few months he was living there and used 74,000 gallons of water because it was switching on 3 times per night. This resulted in 2 x $700 bills before they understood it was happening and shut it down. Since they've used 6,000 gallons in the same time frame. The landlord calibrated the spinkler system and he didn't check it. Does he have any mechanism for recourse with the landlord to cover a % of the bill?

Answer: Has he talked to the landlord? A waterline to my house broke this summer and resulted in ~$100 higher in water bills. I paid them and my landlord reimbursed me.


Title: [NYC] Deposit Return?

Question: So, TIFU by losing my job and putting down a deposit of $850 down a few days prior. I pulled my application, found a cheaper place and am looking for a job. Do I have any options to get it back? They found a person to take it, but at a lower price and they paid the owner the difference with my deposit...so. I'm probably fucked.

Answer: Non-refundable deposits are illegal. Ask for it back.


Title: [Japan] I collided with a Japanese person on a run in Japan. He called the police at the bottom. Now he is saying I need to buy him a new board and that he has a neck hernia.

Question:
I collided with somebody on a run two days ago - both of us were moving, it was a low speed collision where the only contact was snowboard-to-snowboard, and neither of us fell. He caught up with me at the bottom and called the police. I took him and the police to my place of work here, so someone could translate the conversation. He then started to claim that the collision had damaged his board badly, and that he had neck pain. We swapped email addresses, and parted ways.

Now, today he has come back into my place of work to arrange a meeting with me. He is now claiming he has been to a doctor, and that he has a hernia on his neck, and that the damage on the board is sufficient that I should replace it (I have photos of the board that show the damage to be minimal).

What should my next course of action be? Should I meet him? Does he have any legal recourse?

Answer:
 The vast majority of contributors here have understanding of US/Canada law.  There's not likely to be anyone here that knows Japan law.  You are advised to get a Japanese lawyer.  If you deal with this on your own, what happens when he comes back with more medical bills?

There's also a lot of scams in some Asian countries.  Are you sure that your run-in was an accident?  Anyway, best to pay for a lawyer to have this settled correctly.  Or find advise somewhere else, perhaps a Japanese legal board.
Answer #2: So called "claimers" are a huge problem in Japan. Get a lawyer fast or this can get expensive. Answer #3: You're going to need a local lawyer ASAP. The Japanese legal system is very different from the US legal system and trying to navigate this situation yourself is only going to end up costing you way more in the long run.


Title: [USA-FL] My boss has a weird BDSM obsession, also my boyfriend might have made it worse with potential blackmail?

Question:
Okay, so I work at a very small company Boss(owner), Clerical/Receptionist(me), "Warehouse"(two employees that are not involved at all). I work in an extremely niche "industry" getting LTLs(Little tiny loads) onto trucks with spare room and time heading in the same direction that the LTL needs to go. I am 24F and my boss is 56M.

I started working here two months ago because the pay was very decent with little to no experience needed ($14/h and 55 hours a week). I did 2 interviews then started. It all was pretty good, it's kind of slow work with a decent amount of downtime but it pays so well and I get paid about 1/3 of the time to be surfing the net or playing games on my switch so I can't really complain. It's pretty much just me and the boss all day and until recently he just sat in his office by himself watching Netflix/Amazon in the downtime and we didn't speak much besides work when we had to.

That all changed a week ago when he started talking and talking and talking throughout the entire day, it didn't really bother me and I figured it just took him a while to get comfortable with me. I learned about his life, family and he learned a bit about mine but he kept steering it towards my boyfriend, sex life, and really focuses on fetishes. I told him several times that's not appropriate and he dropped it for at least an hour before brining it up again focusing pretty heavily on BDSM. I'm not a stranger to kinks but I'm not going down that road discussing it with my boss, whom I spend almost 60 hours a week with entirely alone with the rare in office visitors (a person comes by maybe once a week for 15-30 minutes).

It got to the point 3 days ago I finally told my boyfriend and I was trying to not tell him because he would of course be upset and probably want to speak to my boss. He's not the super jealous type or the macho man go hit him type but with how far my boss was taking it he probably would. The day I finally told my boyfriend what my boss was doing is when I left work early because my boss sat me down with his laptop and starting playing the movie "The Secretary", I've seen this movie before and if you haven't it's a BDSM movie where a boss makes his secretary his slave. (NSFW obviously, don't Google it if you can get in trouble). While he sat there expecting me to watch this movie he showed me his briefcase that had handcuffs, a crop, rope etc in it like he fully expected me to be his sexual slave after watching the movie. I noped out of there and called my boyfriend as I was leaving, he left work early also and then went to my work to pickup the things I left on my desk because I was not going back.

My boyfriend assured me he wasn't going to hit him or do anything stupid except get my stuff and tell him I quit. Fast forward to today and I got an email from my boss telling me I have been given a raise, $24/h and I can work from home just putting the info from the emails into the Google doc spreadsheet like before.... Obviously I'm thinking wtf why did he just give me a 100% raise and I can work from home? I just had an interview scheduled through a friend for Monday.

I talked to my boyfriend after he got home from work and asked him wth happened at my job when he went to get my stuff and quit for me. Turns out my boyfriend in his infinite wisdom told this old pervert if he didn't pay me a severance he was going to tell his wife what he tried to do... I wasn't expecting a severance because I barely worked there and just wanted my last check. I guess the old guy took it a bit further and doubled my pay and let me work from home to keep his crazy movie fantasy a secret??

Where do I even begin here to fix all this crap? I don't want to work for this guy but I don't know the legalities of what my boyfriend may have inadvertently just did.

Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 >	I don't know the legalities of what my boyfriend may have inadvertently just did.

This wasn’t inadvertent, it was explicit blackmail. So what you are going to want to do here is briefly tell the guy that you are not going to continue working there any longer and leave it at that. If your boyfriend is contacted by the police he should inform them that he will not talk to them without an attorney and should then hire one. He committed a crime and there is nothing you can do to undo that other than declining the benefits of his criminal activity.Answer #2: The sudden increase in talkativeness and the inappropriate oversharing and inquiries actually make me wonder if he was coked up or on amphetamines, or having a manic or hypomanic episode.

Your boyfriend needs to butt out of this, but you should speak to an attorney about your next steps. Your boss has seriously overstepped, and has disregarded fairly blunt requests that he stop discussing his sex life with you: he's now into territory that (edit: in a larger company, at least - thanks, u/ops-name-checks-out!) exposes the company to an EEOC complaint or a lawsuit.

Your boyfriend's actions have likely complicated the situation, but as you never directed him to blackmail your boss for you, that's his problem. Your problem is whether you are willing to tolerate him exceeding your boundaries like this, which is more of a relationship issue than a legal one.

^(Secretary is great, but Secretary's more vocal fans are the absolute _worst_.)


Title: Office spraying insecticides without notifying or getting consent from employees. No information provided to employees regarding contents of spray and possible adverse effects. Legal?

Question: Title pretty much sums it up. My office will have pest control come in unexpectedly and spray the carpet, corners of cubicles, etc during office hours. I feel uncomfortable with insecticide just wafting through my cubicle and by my feet and really would appreciate HR informing employees about when spraying was happening, or better yet, spray after hours. I’ve brought this up to my supervisor and he told me that it was safe and to essentially drop it. Is this legal?

Answer:
 Of course it's legal.

If it was toxic, don't you think the professional would be like "by the way, everyone has to be out for 3 hours"?

Your supervisor is correct, and you need to drop it.Answer #2: Unless you plan on drinking it modern pesticides are perfectly safe to be around.


Title: College student being sued by a bank for credit card debt, an attempt to serve me papers failed, can anyone please help?

Question:
So, I don't live in NYC anymore. When I was there I had steady employment while I worked and was able to keep up with my credit card payments without a problem.

I then moved and was unable to find a job due to not having a car in my new location so I was forced to use my CC to stay afloat for a few months. I accrued debt that I couldn't pay (I believe it was 1800) and stupidly forgot about it. About a year and a half later (now) my younger brother called me to tell me that they tried to serve me papers a few days ago but since I don't live there anymore I couldn't receive it. I don't know who's suing me, I think it's the bank that I had but it could also be a collection agency.

What is the best way for me to remedy this? I don't have a job right now, but I'd like to not have to file for bankruptcy or go to court. I don't get financial support from my parents, I provide for myself albeit poorly. I have plans to move to a different country next year and will subsequently pursue my phD. Could anyone please help me, this is completely foreign to me.

Answer:
 > What is the best way for me to remedy this?

The best way is to pay the debt.


Title: (Russia) I think my dad might have killed a person, and I dont know what to do

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: Yea this is not the place for this. Go see the police. Dont you feel like your whole family is possibly in danger. Poverty can be changed, death cant.


Title: My driving permit is Expired. Can I still drive though with my mom on the otherside? (I am 18)

Question:
Hi there reddit.
I live in the state of Illinois, and I got my first driving permit back in novermber 2014. I have not got a driving license yet because I was so busy studying AP tests and ACT tests and extracurricular(Im asian so...yea my parents expectation is higher). But since Im senior in high school right now I have a time to apply for driver license. My question is can I get one? Because it got expired. Im pretty sure it did. Do I have to take another test to get a permit?
I am 18 years old and I have completed behind the wheel class. I have over 50 hours of driving record

Answer: You'll likely either have to renew your learner's permit or apply to get your license. Call the DMV and find out. Either way, you can't continue to drive with your mother with an expired learner's permit.


Title: [USA, MA] Tried to rent my home, it has turned into a nightmare. Please help.

Question:
Hey guys,

Alright, so my husband and I own/lived in a home in Massachusetts for years. Great home, but because of a job opportunity we had to move away. We decided the smart thing to do would be to try and rent out our old home to make money off of it.

This might have been a massive mistake.

We rented to a single mom with three kids. She had a great credit score and wealthy parents so we thought it would be a safe bet. Instead, she cannot do things other adults are capable of. She has called us because of 'mushrooms growing in the driveway.' She takes 5 hot showers in a row and then a bath so she runs out of hot water and calls us, blaming us. She can't work the thermostat, I'm not exaggerating, we've had to call people over to the house to **adjust the thermostat** because she says it is 'too hot.' She says there are fleas in the home, even though when we left we didn't have any carpets, we had the house professionally cleaned, *and she owns two cats*.

I could go on forever, but you get the idea. Because of all this trouble, we're trying to just sell the house. We're worried that because of the renter, we will have difficulty doing so. Can we break her lease and not allow her to renew? Can we show the house to potential buyers while she is still living in it?

She has threatened to sue **US** and declare the house 'unlivable' and cause a shitstorm.  We are very nervous, we want to get her out, sell the place, and move forward as soon as possible. What can we do?

Please help, any advice is extremely appreciated!

Answer:
 1.  Terminate her lease through whatever means you can.  Let the lease expire and tell her you're not renewing, offer to buy her out, evict her if she's violating the lease, whatever.

2. Hire a property manager to handle tenants for you.  Mine cost 8% of rent a month and a one-time startup fee.  Good tenants are like a cactus: you don't have to pay attention to them and they'll thrive.  Bad tenants require constant attention.


Title: I can prove without any doubt that my Bank has lied to me 20+ times over major events in the past few months. Their blatant lies have destroyed me financially, what options do I have (OH)

Question:
Hi Guys,

So I have multiple checking/savings as well as a credit card with a bank, lets call them FUBank.  FUBank recently got a major reward for being the "most honest bank of the year", however I have been lied to, slandered, and overall just bent over and fucked with a sandpaper condom by them.

Ive been with them just shy of a year, and in that time their lies have been like miniature nuclear bombs on my credit and finances.  I am able to prove a massive chain of lies and deception by their customer service, dispute, and customer advocate departments.  These lies were told over the phone, on recorded lines, and I would have no issue showing how these lies have cost me not only money but how they have negatively impacted my emotionally.

In addition to continuously lying to me I have been called a Liar by their company, right after proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was correct.  In this particular case a dispute agent claimed to call me and leave a voicemail before closing a dispute.  After explaining I never received it I was called a Liar, I then had my phone carrier print the phone records and low and behold, they never called.  I then sent them proof they never called and was called a liar again.  That one cost me a few hundred.

So I am at the point I want to retain a lawyer and subpoena the recorded calls, all correspondance, etc so that I can build a case. My questions are:

1) Should I be looking at lawyers locally or near their corporate headquarters?

2) Would I be wasting my time sending a letter to their legal department laying out my accusations and intent to try and settle this before getting a lawyer

3) How many legal hours would get tied up in this?  There is probably around 15-25hrs of audio to go through

Thanks as always!

Answer:
 I would *love* to hear this story.

By the by, do be aware that unless you were emotionally traumatized to the point that your daily life is impacted and you have hundreds, if not thousands of dollars of therapy bills for the months or years of documented therapy sessions you've received, odds are really high that no one will care if a dispute with your bank
> negatively impacted my emotionally.

So if you're thinking of suing for that, you likely want to lower your expectations.Answer #2: Could you prove beyond a doubt just one of those 20+ lies here so we can get a better grasp if you have a case?Answer #3: So, I'm trying to understand:

A.  You disputed an item on your credit card.

B.  You lost the dispute.

C.  They said they called you to tell you that you lost the dispute, but they didn't.

Is that right?Answer #4: (1) Locally;

(2) Probably, since it's entirely unclear what your cause of action against them would be;

(3) No one can answer that question, since no one here actually understands what you'd sue them for.Answer #5: What did they lie to you about? It's going to be difficult to advise with no info.


Title: My adult brother is schizophrenic and refuses to get help.

Question:
My brother is 23 and diagnosed schizophrenic.  He does not shower, he is very anxious, he hardly leaves his room.  He was hospitalized once after calling a help line and eventually decided to move back in with my parents.   He also says that he is transgender, male to female, in no way am I trying to disrespect my sibling by calling them “he”,  I am bringing this up as I feel it’s relevant to my story.   As the years went on things have gotten worse.   I have found doctors that specialize in LGBT for him to see and he always seems to go in with a positive attitude.  But once they tell him he needs to work on his anger and accompanied symptoms and they put his transition on the back burner he “hates” the doctor and will not go back to see them. When he was in the hospital they put him on antipsychotics and he seemed really embarrassed by his behavior and was starting to develop a relationship with my parents.  My parents weren’t the best, we were homeschooled by a schizoaffective mother. My dad has always tried to keep us a real family and he copes the best that he can while not being too educated on mental illness.

My family lives in Maryland and my parents are wanting to get POA over him.  They have financial struggles and I don’t know what their options are.  I’m hoping that if I can give them some options that they can get my brother help and he can live the life he deserves.   My parents aren’t keen on him wanting to transition and that’s one thing I am worried about. I’m hoping that if he gets treated he can become independent and happy. I’m not sure how all of this works! Any advice given is greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 > are wanting to get POA over him

A POA is granted by the person that it is over. You're talking about a guardianship.

The standard to get guardianship over an adult man is high. Unless he's a danger to himself or others your recourse is to talk to him, not to try to force things upon him.


Title: [IL] Not sure what to do, just got a paraphernalia ticket.

Question:
I have a clean record and I just got a paraphernalia charge in my dorm at my university. I was told there is an optional court date and given a ticket for:

720 ILCS 600/3.5(c) - Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

Answer:
 That law has a good amount of leeway depending on the actual circumstances of what happened; what you did or said; and what was seized.

The only advice here is to plead not guilty and get a lawyer.  The fact it occured within a university dorm could carry other academic implications beyond just the civil fine, so it may behoove you to spend that money on a lawyer.


Title: I am being falsely accused of Libel Defamation by my past employer, over a factual Google review. She has responded with false statements meant to defame me. How do I proceed?

Question:
I left a google review on my last employer/place of employment due to my very real concern for the health of the customers.
I also stated factual happenings that point to her poor/unfair business practices, and was very careful not to make any conclusions or bend any truths.

She left a response stating that she is moving forward with a libel suit against me.

She goes on to state that she fired me, (I walked out) that I have had "friends" leave bad reviews, (which, to be brutally honest, I have none of) that I have been "harrassing" her, (haven't had any contact since picking up my final check) and that I was in a legal dispute with another previous employer when I started working for her.
These are all just outright lies.

I need some help knowing how to proceed from here.

Answer:
 Truth is ultimate defence against a libel suit.

It would be wise to keep all communication you've had with her so far (e-mails, text messages, ...) backed up and not to contact (or put on another reviews etc) her any further. You obviously can respond, it just might not be the wisest course of action.

If she sues, do show up. Until she sues you have nothing to do about it.

> my very real concern for the health of the customers

If it is a restaurant or something like that and the concern is real, you can also report it to relevant authority (I'm assuming that there is something like Department of Health for Portland).
If they'd find issues it would backup your claims, however the business might be on high alert right now.
And you're also risking further antagonisation.


Title: Are you able to subpoena a priest to testify on things he heard during confession?

Question:
I know that you can subpoena psychologists if their patient has confessed to things that include illegal activities, but does this rule work with priests?

This is not a personal advice post, I just have heard answers on both sides to this question, and wanted to hear from an actual professional.  If this is the wrong subreddit, let me know.

(I live in MD, USA in case that is relevant)

Answer: Nope. It's privileged. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confessional_privilege_(United_States)


Title: Building neighbor posted an offensive note regarding my dog on the buildings hallway

Question:
Hey guys. How are you? I need help regarding the situation I noted above. I own a doberman and everyone on the building hates him just because of his breed. Today I arrived from a family trip where he came with us. When we opened the elevators door on our floor, a big yellow note next to the thrash said "throw your dog•s poop on your restroom please and thank you". Because supposedly we throw his poop on the service hallway trash. Our dog never poops inside our house. We already had problems with those people because they said the same thing and we told them we are not doing this. We have another neighbor with a baby so he is probably the one who throws the diapers.

My mom took it as an offense saying that everyone on the building might have seen the note as we were on holidays and that they make her look as a dirty woman in front of the whole building.

Is there somethibg we can do?

Sorry if I have any grammar mistakes as english is not my first language.

Thanks a lot!!

Answer:
 I haven't had the chance to share this link in almost a week!

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2714617/Hurt-Feelings-Report.pdfAnswer #2: Nope. There is nothing you can do.

That said, you need to take ownership.  Everybody doesn't hate your dog because of it's breed. There is some other reason - does it bark all the time or snap at people? Are you and your mother possibly rude or condescending to your neighbors, or could they think that?


Title: Broken PS4 - Was I Negligent?

Question:
Hey all,

My roommate recently broke my ps4. He broke it after tripping over a cord, and ripping the console from its shelf. He tripped over the cored because it was strung in front of a walkway, about 1 foot off of the ground. For what it's worth, he also used to wire in his ps4 in the exact same way, and the cord is bright yellow.

Did I create a tripping hazard or is he responsible for breaking my ps4. At this point, I'd be happy to loose money winning a court case because he's been so childish about this
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 You created a tripping hazard by stringing a cord in front of a walkway.  It was stupid to set up your PS4 like that.  The way that he used to wire his console doesn't matter

You wouldn't win a court case for this.


Title: [Illinois] My sister-in-law won't leave after housesitting and is accusing me of stealing to do so

Question:
A PM from /r/relationships suggested I post here to see what I need to do in regards to my crazy SIL. Below is the link to the /r/relationships post but I will provide a quick rundown because it is very long.

My SIL came to housesit for us while we were on a two week vacation on July 24th. We got back on August 9th and a few days later she manipulated my husband to let her stay a few additional days since she was job searching in our city and was close to getting hired. We originally gave her two weeks but after some horribly inappropriate behavior shortened that to a week and paid for her train ticket back to home. Right before that date she launched an attack on me and my marriage, which has since distracted us from getting her out of here, shifting attention on to me. I am a recovering kleptomaniac and she has used this against me by accusing me of stealing. She is ruining my marriage and making me dread living in my own home. Today is the 30th day that she has been staying with us, how do I get her out of here? We live in the city of Chicago if that makes any difference.

Do I have any other legal options against her? She has accused me, and has framed me (only to family), of stealing from both her and an actual store.

x-post from /r/relationships: https://www.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/3i3xqz/my_sisterinlaw_29f_is_trying_to_turn_my_husband/

Answer:
 You give 30 day notice to vacate and then go to court to evict if they won't leave.

http://chicagoeviction.com/2011/06/roommate-guest-and-family-member-evictions-in-illinois/Answer #2: Sit down and talk to your husband and family. Tell them what is going on, make small concessions to demonstrate that you are serious. I don't care if it means doing something uncomfortable like signing on to a kleptomaniac support group, you need to cut this line of attack off at the knees. You're going to need their support. The only way to have that support is to build bridges faster than she can burn them. Don't get hostile if it can be avoided.

Give her a notice to vacate, and prepare for a fight. It's probably going to be messy. If she doesn't get out you're going to have to take her to court, and that's going to be ugly but it's the legal remedy to get her out of your home.Answer #3: Have you tried calling the police?


Title: Airport won't let my brother board plane to Mexico with just Passport card, says he needs regular passport. What should he do?

Question: He's in Houston right now still trying to figure it all out. He paid extra money to get that card.

Answer:
 > The passport card cannot be used for international travel by air.

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/card.html

He should get his passport.  Sorry :(Answer #2: He will not be traveling any time soon. He should have read the law before trying to travel internationally. Answer #3: IANAL, but those cards were explicitly created for border crossings by car to and from Canada/Mexico only. He will need to obtain a real passport if he wishes to travel via Aircraft.


Title: My dad is possibly going to be accused of child molestation by a neighbour

Question:
Location: Windsor, Ontario.

We've got a neighbour (lives behind us, lets call him T) who doesn't like us very much. There's been an ongoing feud (which he started) for about 3 years.

Earlier today, as my parents and another neighbour (who lives beside us) were having a discussion, T came out of his house and started yelling and insulting my parents.

T said something about being able to see in our bathroom window at night and watching a man (has to be either my dad or me) urinate. He also said he's going to call the police and accuse my dad of child molestation because *his* kid has to see a grown man urinate every night.

Thanks.
Can he do that? How serious of an accusation is it? Would it go anywhere in court? This guy has obviously been watching us (and he even said he was going to harass us whenever we go outside, or something like that). He seems to know way more about our lives than he should. What's the best course of action?

UPDATE: Cops showed up. Agreed that this guy is insane. All is well for now.

Answer:
 That's not molestation.

IANAL, but what you're describing sounds more like your neighbor will be seen as a peeping tom than your father as a "child molester". Why is your neighbor peeping into your father's bathroom? Answer #2: UPDATE: Cops showed up. They basically said the neighbour is a weirdo and out of his mind. Answer #3: I'm not a lawyer but get some curtains, there are crazy pervs living nearby!Answer #4: For one, thats not child molestation, second of all, there is no way that can be construed as lewd or abnormal behavior, which takes the vast majority of crimes off the table.

Third of all thats going to make the cops forever judge that neighbor for being creepy as all hell and they will likely side with you in future disputes.

Fourth of all get some drapes for christs sake.


Title: Dad wants to sue his kids

Question: My mom passed away and my dad is trying to sue my sister and I for my mom’s money. Long story short, my mom transferred the ownership of her house to my dad and they sold it. The money was then deposited into an account as per my mom that only has my sister and my name. My mom dictated where the money would go when she was still here but now that she’s gone, my dad wants a lump sum of money and leave us. He said he was going to sue us if we don’t give him his share. If he sues us, what’s going to happen?

Answer:
 You get sued and pay what the judge orders.

You need to go talk to a probate attorney. Answer #2: This is really a mess and you need a lawyer involved in this fast. I could see an argument being made that he has claim to at least part of the money.Answer #3: if he sues then you get a lawyer that will tell the judge thay your dad isn't entiteled to the money because ABC and that he can go and pound sand.

afterwards your dad can figure out for himself why he doesn't have a relationship with his kids anymore.


Title: Can a Chicago landlord who allows dogs suddenly enforce a breed ban?

Question:
I've been subletting in Jefferson Park for 4 months now. My roommate is an old friend from college, and her Dad is the landlord. The neighbors below us have a dog, my roommate has a dog, and I've fostered pitbulls here and there.

Her dad has suddenly told my roommate that I cannot have a pitbull, and if I get one I have to move out.

There is no dog restriction on the lease, in fact there's no weight restriction either. He's doing this specifically because he's her Dad and wants to be controlling.

What rights do I have here?

Answer:
 If you're month to month, then your immediate landlord -- your roommate -- can give you 30 days' notice to leave for any reason at all. Her landlord -- her dad -- has no landlord-tenant relationship with you, and likely can't end your tenancy at all, beyond leaning on his daughter to do it for him or ending his daughter's tenancy.

If you have a term lease, then your landlord is no more able to change it mid-lease than you are.

Edit: wait, who's the other party named in the lease itself? Your roommate, or her father, or both of them?