Title: I found a flyer about me left in a 7-11 by a schizophrenic stalker (Denver-Co)

Question:
This guy has been harassing my family and friends for years.  He never threatens anyone, but he clearly is looking to create emotional distress.  Now he is leaving flyers about me in public places near my job.  The flyer does not name me, but it has a poorly photo copied picture of my face.  Can I take legal action against him?

Edit: I filed a police report.  Thank you for helping me think this through everybody.

Answer: What does the flyer say?


Title: Seeking Arrangements Legal Risks?

Question: Hi, i’m looking for advice on a well known app called “Seeking Arrangements”, and basically its a bunch of retired old people who will pay you an allowance to talk to them/ travel with them. It seems pretty legit however for my own safety of my banking information and myself I wanted to know if there would be any risks on this app where an old person could possibly be doing sketchy stuff. So someone legit offered me 300 a week to just talk to them, non sexual, just a platonic friendship. My question is can you dig up anything that could go wrong with this, could someone be trying to clean money or is there anything I could get caught up in. ie, money laundering or something of the sorts. Thanks I dont wanna get in trouble

Answer:
 >Hi, i’m looking for advice on a well known app called “Seeking Arrangements”, and basically its a bunch of retired old people who will pay you an allowance to talk to them/ travel with them.

A rare percentage of SA people will settle for that. Most will ask for more - just FYI.

>It seems pretty legit however for my own safety of my banking information and myself I wanted to know if there would be any risks on this app where an old person could possibly be doing sketchy stuff. So someone legit offered me 300 a week to just talk to them, non sexual, just a platonic friendship.

Could be legit - if it is, there is nothing illegal about this.

>My question is can you dig up anything that could go wrong with this, could someone be trying to clean money or is there anything I could get caught up in. ie, money laundering or something of the sorts. Thanks I dont wanna get in trouble

Start reading /r/Scams.

Tone of people on SA and similar sites are scammed and lose tons of their own money.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/comments/9nf8l7/rscams_common_scam_master_post/

Fake check scams are the most popular - in a nutshell, never, ever share your banking information with anybody, and if someone promises you lots of money but also asks you to send money to them or a supplier, shipper, etc - you are being scammed using a fake check scam or a variations thereof.

Bluntly - anything other than cash in hand, be extra wary. And even then, make sure that ALL they want is a platonic relationship... cause that is NOT the baseline on SA or similar sites.


Title: Right-to-work? Former employer accusing my current employer of "poaching" me.

Question:
I worked as a cook at company A. My former head chef (with conpany A) went to work for another company (B) and I followed him to said new company.

Today conpany (A) HR called my coworker (formerly head chef) and it accusing him of poaching me.

As far as I know were are under the Right-to-work? We each can go work for whoever we want that provides for the better. Conpany B is even offering me a manager position at a new store opening next month.

Do they  any grounds to sue? I work in Minnesota.

Answer:
 > As far as I know were are under the Right-to-work?

That's not what right-to-work is.  You are "at will", meaning that you can quit at any time and your employer can fire you at any time.

If you didn't sign a non-compete agreement, then there's no issue with you going to a competitor.  However, that doesn't mean that your old boss cant' take offense, or that your new boss can't fire you because your old boss took offense.Answer #2: Right to work has nothing to do with anything here. Whether they would be able to sue would depend on if they signed a non-poaching agreement.  I am fairly certain those are not the norm in the restaurant industry.Answer #3: This sounds the most like your coworker (former head chef) had a non-solicit agreement, not a non-compete.

This means that he is/was not allowed to approach you about leaving company A. But, it does not mean that you were not allowed to approach him (or anyone else at company B) about a job! The only thing that can stop you (or incur penalties to you) for working at company B is if you yourself were under a non-compete, which is unlikely.Answer #4: Barring a NCA or an agreement between companies regarding hiring of one another's employees, Company A can piss in the wind.

A Noncompete would depend on the verbiage in the agreement.


Title: I paid my rent late today. I paid in full using the online portal for my complex. When I came home I found an unconditional Notice to Vacate. Since I technically paid before receiving the Notice am I bound to it?

Question: I live in Texas

Answer:
 It looks like Texas is one of the rare states where the landlord isn't mandated by law to accept the late rent and cancel the eviction.  So they can still hold you to the notice to vacate if they want to.Answer #2: Odds are good that this is something they put out because your name came up red on sone daily report in their rental software, because your payment has not actually cleared your bank.

Just talk to the manager and bring proof you paid.  If you saved the confirmation number, you're in good shape.  Better still is if you can show where your bank has already pulled the funds or has it listed as pending.

A notice to vacate isn't an eviction, it's the first step that they have to take in case they need to evict you should you fail to pay.

Unless they are really trying to clear the complex out of renters, odds are good that a simple chat will make this go away.  A complex with a management company isn't in the business of returning rent, paying to evict you, and then having to refill your unit just to make a statement about late rent.


Title: Discharged a firearm in my apartment. State of Virginia

Question:
Last night I negligently discharged my pistol when I was cleaning it.
No one was hurt.
I live in a three story apartment complex and I'm on the top floor. The bullet went through the roof.

I called the police without thinking and now I've been slapped with both a class 2 and class 1 misdemeanor for discharging a gun within city limits and recklessly handling a gun. I've never been to court and have a clean criminal history.

What is my best course of action? Do I have to worry about jail time?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 Well you definitely need a lawyer, there is no way around that. And as the resident gun nut here I would love to shake you and smack you around a bit. Ive been handling guns safely since I got my first .22 at six years old to take care of the raccoons in our chicken coop. That was 55 years ago. And do you know how many accidental discharges I have had? Zero. There is absolutely no excuse, ever for such an act no matter what you convince yourself of. Get a locally connected criminal defense lawyer and put your guns away. You are not ready to have them yet. I think jail is highly unlikely but your lawyer will know for sure. Your actions are rallying the left against my second amendment. Stop it. Smarten up.Answer #2: Yes, get an attorney.

I do want to say that I really commend you calling it a negligent discharge and not an accidental one. There is no such thing as an accidental discharge.

Also expect to pay the cost to repair the damage to the roof which may be extensive. You may also be evicted.Answer #3: > I called the police without thinking

That was very dumb. Get an attorney. Yes you could go to jail and have a criminal record the rest of your life.


Title: Navy messed up and telling husband he owes them money (VA)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I spent 10 years in the Navy.  There's no way in hell he didn't know he was getting married bah over single bah.  The amounts are quite a bit different.

He's either clueless as hell (I don't mean to be an ass but sorry,  that's just how it is) or he played dumb.

Either way,  yes it is legal.  He was payed money he was not owed and now he has to pay it back.

The good news is I've never seen a dispersing department that wasn't willing to work with a service member and set up a payment plan.  The key here though,  is he needs to set up that payment plan.  Otherwise there is a chance they will do it for him and it may be much more than he can afford each paycheck.

But please please please.  Do not expect this to go away on its own.  He must deal with it. .


Title: Hypothetically, does the 13th amendment prohibit slavery and indentured servitude from being considered cruel and unusual punishment under the 8th amendment?

Question:
As a layman, I presume that older amendments are overridden by newer amendments. If this weren't true, we would still have prohibition.

So, the 8th amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment but doesn't define it, leaving it upto the people to decide for themselves what's cruel and unusual. Certainly today we would consider slavery and indentured servitude both cruel and unusual.

The 13th amendment prohibits slavery and indentured servitude EXCEPT as punishment for a crime. This seems like the Constitution is explicitly stating that slavery as punishment for a crime is legal and allowed.

Does the 13th amendment explicitly declare slavery to be a constitutional punishment and thus outside the judgement of the 8th's cruel and unusual clause?

Obviously the SCOTUS would jump through any number of hoops to make this not the case in reality, but from a purely consitutional theory point of view...is slavery as punishment shielded from the judgement of the 8th amendment by the wording of the 13th amendment?


Title: Job holds me after shift everyday, is it legal?

Question:
I work as a cashier at a Midwestern superstore chain. I am held after my shift is over every single day. It is not an option, it is an obligation. Working past the end of your shift is expected, and if you say you can't, the response is essentially "tough shit." Basically everyday I have to work an extra 1-2 hours. It was something they conveniently didn't mention when i applied.

The thing that seems incredibly shady is that, if im going to be held longer than the scheduled end of my shift on such a regular basis, why don't they just publish my schedule with the extra time attached? They print my shifts to appear shorter than they will actually be. Is this legal?

Answer: So long as you're being paid for it, this is perfectly legal.


Title: Is it illegal to push someone else into water?

Question:
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 If they are on fire, it could be lifesaving and you get a mention in the paper and certificate from the mayor.

If they are in a wheelchair, it could be attempted murder.

Otherwise, it could be an assault.


Title: (VA) My employer claims that he cannot offer me a salaried position because a new Virginia law mandates that salary only be allowed to those that manage 2 or more people

Question: Ive been working for the company for 5 years on an hourly wage and upon my yearly review, I proposed a possible salary for me. He shut me down on this, claiming that I must supervise 2 or more people for that to be granted. I’ve done some limited research on this online and can’t find anything, is anybody clued in on this supposed law?

Answer:
 There is no "new law" that I am aware of. That's a bit of an over-simplification, but essentially if the position doesn't meet one of the exemptions from overtime pay then it cannot be salaried and exempt. This can include supervising employees. What would your job duties be in this position?  A change from what they are now?Answer #2: Your boss seems to be confused about the law.

You can absolutely be put on salary.  The question is whether or not you'd be classified as "salaried exempt" (meaning you don't get overtime pay, among other things) or "salaried non-exempt" (meaning you do qualify for overtime pay, among other things).

One of the factors in determining that classification is whether or not you manage/supervise two or more employees directly under you.

You're not entitled to be put on salary, though.  If your boss wants to keep you hourly, they're generally within their rights to do so.

Here's some information on the FLSA, which governs these classifications (PDF warning):

https://www.dol.gov/whd/overtime/fs17a_overview.pdfAnswer #3: Your boss is likely talking out of his ass regarding a law, but he's doing nothing illegal. Not a VA lawyer, but most states follow pretty closely to federal rules regarding who is "salaried exempt", but that is a rule to allow companies to not pay you overtime, and has little to do with how your company chooses to compensate you.

That being said, my non-legal advice is to stop seeming "salaried" as more prestigious than hourly. Unless "salaried" comes with a raise, you're better off being an hourly paid person (as long as they give you enough hours, of course). It really isn't a benefit to you when they make you salaried with the expectation that you're logging 55 hours a week.


Title: Wills, vulturous kids, verbal contracts and $100k

Question:
tl;dr at the start: Grandma bought house with me with right of survivorship and had me paying her $1k/month. After death I paid $1k/month to her kids. My dad took all the money in her bank accounts because he was listed with right of survivorship, despite her saying on multiple occasions how she wanted it divided. Am I legally or ethically obligated to continue doing so?

Location: Missouri

Cast of Characters:

* Dad – Never held a stable fulltime job, musician + partying was life, had a shack of a house
* Uncle 1 – Non functional alcoholic/druggie
* Uncle 2 – Functional alcoholic former druggie but now only “recreationally”
* Grandma – Great person
* Grandpa – Great person, worked hard his whole life and budgeted accordingly.
* Me – Grew up with nothing, worked hard, studied hard, got a good job, making lower 100k salary. Not all self-flattery, I also suck at budgeting and can be a bit of a dick.

Starting from the top.

Grandpa wrote a will, simple division across the 3 kids:

* House ($90k)
* Other real estate ($20k)
* Cash and Investments ($245k)
* Dad is executor of the estate.

Years pass

I take a gig making what I consider crazy money ($95/hr) – I live in a different state from family

Grandma diagnosed with cancer for the 2nd time, has to go to chemo. Grandpa is fairly healthy, can get her the 45 minutes to the chemo place.

Grandpa falls and goes into a vegetative state. They send him to a hospital in a city 2 hours away. Dad is going to take Grandma back and forth to visit since she can’t drive.

Week goes by, I come in on the weekend to visit

Sunday morning I’m having coffee with my Grandma before I take her to church. Phone rings, Dad was out playing music and got a DUI on his way home, needs bailed out. I go bail him out and lecture him about responsibility, he was my Grandma’s ride to see her dying husband (his parents) and to chemo.

His license is revoked.

I quit my current gig and take a work from home gig making $45/hr so I can move in with my Grandma, take her to her appoints and to see my grandpa. Plus, she needs help around the house.

A few weeks later Grandpa passes away :( he lead a good long life so I’m not too upset, more proud of what all he accomplished.
Over the next year had many conversations with my Grandma and she wanted to create a new will. She wrote it and had me type it.

New will consist of:

* House ($90k) – Uncle 2
* Other real estate ($20k) – Dad
* Cash and investments ($245k) – Few thousand to each grandkid ($15k), I told her to leave me out of that because instead of money I would rather have the genealogy records and pictures.  Build a steeple for her church and divide the rest between the Dad and Uncle 2. Uncle 1 receives $100 because she thinks he would just spend it on booze and drugs.
* I’m to be the executor of the estate.

I meet a girl (daww) she has a few kids.

A year goes by, I ask her to marry me and she says yes. (woo hoo) I need a house. I find a house but need about 150k more than my savings to buy it. I get approved for a loan but my Grandma says she would rather give me the money and I pay it back $1k/month.

She buys the house with me with **right of survivorship**.

I move out and tell her that since my Dad will be doing some of the running for her that she should remove me as the joint on her accounts and put him so he can take care of things when she needs. She does. Joint and the default is **right of survivorship**

Year goes by, she falls and passes away :(

Shitstorm of vultures kick in. Night before funeral my cousins arrive, Uncle 2 tells them to go through my grandma’s jewelry and whatever else taking what they want.

Nobody can find the new will that my grandma had me type up, or the handwritten copy. (she didn’t want to pay a lawyer) The Dad is the executor of the estate since they have the original will.

> Dad finds out about right of survivorship on the bank account and says “She put right of survivorship because she wanted me to have the money as repayment for all the help I’ve given”

Remaining:

* House ($90k) – Split between Dad and Uncle 2
* Other real estate ($20k) – Uncle 1
* Cash and Investments ($245k minus roughly $140k for my house) - Dad
* They close probate and never mention my house or the $140k (they want it cash to avoid any taxes)

Dad tells me to pay the $1k/month as $500 to Uncle 1 and $500 to Uncle 2 until I can refinance and pay them all off. I begin paying.

Due to my poor budgeting and overall sucking at paying bills on time while trying to adjust to having wife and a handful of kids causes my credit to tank to about 585 (back on track and steadily increasing now) but damn it dropped fast.

Over the course of the next 2 years I get hounded for additional money constantly from Uncle 1 and Uncle 2. I tell them no because I know once I start pouring it out to addicts they won’t stop. Dad, Uncle 1 and Uncle 2 begin telling me how much scum I am and how I used my Grandma just for money and free rent. How I’m greedy and only care about my materialistic life.

Uncle 2 dies. He has 2 kids.

Now, I’m getting ready to sell this house and move with the family to another state. We are tired of this whole environment and just want a fresh start. Initially, my plan was to sell it, pay them the remaining $100k(ish), and be done with that whole part of my family. But then I started thinking…should I?

I’m thinking maybe I should just say “fuck them they are vulture scum” Selling the house, giving each of the grandkids a few thousand each (like my grandma wanted) and building a steeple on my grandparents’ church. The way I see it, the executor of the estate (my Dad) set the precedent that “right of survivorship overrides by taking the bank accounts. Since my house was bought with my grandma and listed with right of survivorship then legally do I have an obligation to pay? How about ethically?

Answer:
 Tl;dr:  OP bought a house with Grandma, titled with rights of survivorship.  Grandma fronted $150k for the purchase with the verbal agreement that OP would repay Grandma $1000 per month.  Grandma died.  Family did not list the remaining debt in probate, but OP continued to pay the $1000 per month (now split equally between two uncles).  OP wants to sell the house and wants to know if there is a legal requirement to repay the ~$100k remaining on the debt.

IANAL, but recommend that seeking a consultation with a probate attorney may be well worth any associated fee.


Title: Is a tap communal or private?

Question:
Okay, so i have a legal question. Basically, every year i put my pool out in the summer. We have a communal field at the back where i put the pool out. There is also a tap out there, but one of the neighbors claim it is their tap. Because of this, they put a 'Lockatap' lock on the tap which prevents anybody from using the tap unless they have the key to it. This all happened last year. My question is, is this tap in particular their tap, or is it for everybody to use. If so, do i have the right to take off the tap lock... with force?

&#x200B;

Many thanks.

PS. See picture attached.

[picture](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/532677497678987274/580448048899948554/unknown.png)

Answer:
 >. My question is, is this tap in particular their tap, or is it for everybody to use.

How could a bunch on internet strangers know who owns a tap in YOUR community?


Title: Am I required to give access to my private patio

Question: I rent an apartment in Brooklyn with 3 other roommates. I rent the largest room which has the only access to a large outdoor patio. Am I required to give access to this patio since we are all on the lease together?

Answer:
 If you all signed the lease as a group, then it's between the roommates. You need to sort it out amongst yourselves.

My non-legal opinion: if you get a private patio you should be paying a _significantly_ higher portion of the rent. If you're all paying the same then you all should get access to the patio. If you need times of privacy then you need to work out some kind of hourly schedule.


Title: [FL] Director of my program at university was just fired for inappropriate and unethical conduct. The university had been receiving complaints for years.

Question:
I’ve been away from this University for a few years now, but my time spent there was one of the most trying of my life. The director of the program would sexually harass young women, play favorites and award all scholarship money to those women who would come to his home, stay late in his office, etc. Faculty who questioned this behavior found themselves without a job. Those he disliked found themselves with failing grades despite adequate academic performance, I was one of them.

I and a few others eventually gathered as much evidence as we could and filed an official complaint with the university administration. They appeared to take our concerns seriously at the time but stressed we not discuss the process with anyone. Nothing came of it – the faculty who joined with us were fired, and one by one we were forced to leave the program between failing grades and constant harassment from the department head.

This was about four years ago, and I generally try to forget about what happened. A few days ago the program director was on the local news in my town – fired for inappropriate and unethical conduct. Many of my old classmates have been speaking for the first time in a while – and it has come out that many people over the course of about 10 years reported this behavior to the university. Including an instance where he was seen leaving a female students dorm late at night. He began officially dating one of the female students he was rumored to be involved with just after she graduated, who then left him after he used his influence to help her receive a full scholarship for graduate school.

It feels good to be vindicated, but I am wondering if we may have a case against the university? I had no idea so many of my fellow classmates had reported his behavior. Many people report they suddenly left after an instance of sexual harassment or realizing they would never receive a passing grade from his class due to their refusal of his advances. Was the university covering this up? How could they not act on so many complaints?

I wasted much time and money in this program following my dreams, and I was too young to realize that I couldn’t overcome his adversity with better academic performance. Eventually I realized that he would never provide me with passing grades (he used to personally insult me when I would come to his office hours to ask for help), and I enrolled in a different program where my career is today. Each time I make a student loan payment, I think of this man and the horrible things that happened there.

Edit: I should mention, they had been receiving complaints about this man for nearly a decade. Recently the president of the University resigned and someone new took his place - perhaps that is the reason they stopped protecting him?

Double Edit: I was just contacted by a reporter from our local news, could I undermine legal action by speaking with them? I'm hoping to have a meeting scheduled with an attorney within the next day.

Answer:
 OP- There are so many potential variables to your situation, that you should have a consultation with an attorney (ideally one that specializes in harassment). They're going to want to ask you more questions about what happened to you than /r/legaladvice can provide you guidance with.

However, from what you posted, I don't think a consultation would be a bad idea at all.Answer #2: Saw your second edit. Don't say ANYTHING to the media without talking to a lawyer first. You could eff up your case.


Title: Fair/Normal prenup

Question: [removed]

Answer: Sounds to me like his agenda is to keep you trapped once you’re married.  Then he can run around and do whatever with whomever, and you won’t leave.  If he can get you pregnant right away, get you to quit your job and stay home, he’ll really have you.  What happens to all the money you contribute, if you’re making six figures?  That becomes his, too?  Sounds to me like you’re signing your soul over to the devil.  If he’s a narcissist/sociopath/narcopath, you won’t see his true side until he’s ready to show it to you, and by then you’ll be locked up in the basement.  Maybe si, maybe no, but food for thought none-the-less.Answer #2: You both need lawyers to do this. Without that the chance of a prenup holding up are slimAnswer #3: It sounds like he is protecting his own interests but not yours. It does not sound fair. What does your lawyer say about it?


Title: Is my father-in-law commiting voter fraud?

Question:
I hope this is the right sub for this question.

My father in law is from North Carolina. About 2&1/2 years ago he moved to Oregon. He's retired, rents an appartment, and as far as I know has no plans to move back to N.C.

He doesn't want to change his residncy to Oregon. He has a few reasons for this, but one of them is so that he can continue to vote in NC, where "a democratic vote is worth more."

Is this legal? I'm not super familiar with residency law or voting law, and when I google around i mainly get pages about establishing residency for college.

Edit: he doesn't know this but he hasnt actually voted in the past two years because he asked me to fill in and send his absentee ballots, which I didn't do because that is illegal and also I'm lazy. But he's gonna do it himself in November this year and I want to stop him if he's gonna break a law.

Thanks in advance!

Tl;dr: father in law is voting in a state he doesn't live in. Legal or no?

Answer: If he has no ties left in NC, then yes. He could also be in trouble with for filing taxes in the wrong state, be denied insurance coverage if he gets into an accident and a lot more.


Title: FL- Can I break my lease because someone dies in the house?

Question: I have rented the room I'm in for a month. After I moved in another room was rented in the house. This person has died in the house by apparent suicide. I no longer feel comfortable living at the house for two reasons. 1) I am somewhat disturbed by the whole situation. 2) I am no longer confident in the process the owner screens tenants. I have a six month lease, so five more months if I stay for the entire lease. Is it possible for me to get out of the lease without being penalized? The owner has already said he will not let me go from the lease early. This has caused me stress and I wish to remove myself from the situation.

Answer: Nope, not the landlord fault they committed suicide.


Title: [MD] The law says I cannot drop out at 9th grade, is there a way to get past this?

Question:
Hello, I was wondering is there a way to get past this law? I really need to drop out for personal reasons. The laws states that I have to be 18 or older to drop out, which makes no sense to drop out at that age. Please if there is anything I can do, like contact administrator or something. Help !
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: You think it makes more sense to drop out at 14 or 15 than it does at 18?Answer #2: get your GED. that's your official way of "testing out" of high school.


Title: [Michigan] Does a clause in my lease allow my landlord to raise my rent before the lease expires?

Question:
I just signed a 1-year lease for a new apartment, the first page states what I owe for rent:

>During the term of this lease, resident shall pay as rent $10,488 payable in monthly installments of $874.00, in advance of the 1st day of the month beginning with the commencement of this lease.

Pretty straightforward, but the 3rd page contains the following clause:

>Regardless of any contrary language contained in this lease agreement, landlord may increase the amount of monthly rent due under this lease upon forty-five (45) days written notice to tenant, in which event tenant shall have the election, upon thirty (30) days written notice to the landlord, to cancel this lease agreement, or to continue the lease at the increased amount.

Does a clause like this really allow them to raise the rent during my lease and force me to either pay it or leave? I'm not concerned about it happening but I found it interesting and wanted to see what this subreddit thought of it.

Answer:
 >Does a clause like this really allow them to raise the rent during my lease and force me to either pay it or leave?

Yes.


Title: Recently there was a Video of Students blocking an entrance to other students, racism to other students and overall agitation. my question is, would I be in any legal trouble if I "charged" through their blockage at full speed? probably knocking a few over

Question:
Here's the video in question, as you can see they seem to be in some sort of SJW delusion and are blocking students, going as far as being racist to any white students and agitating others, often physically. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_ln8_SaNmc

Berkely University, California, USA.

Answer:
 Unless you're actually in fear for your safety or the safety of others, yes, you can get in trouble for assaulting someone.

Answer #2: 'Would I be in legal trouble for bodyslamming protesters I disagree with who are blocking a doorway?'

...

'Would I be in legal trouble for deliberately running into someone who was not letting me through a door?'

...

'Would I be in legal trouble for deliberately running into someone?'

...Answer #3: Wow.  This was the most rage inducing video I've ever seen.

There was some girl in the video that said something about people trying to go through them to get to where they want to go: "They feel *that* entitled that they don't need to listen to what we're saying."  Uh, no, if anyone is entitled, here, it's the person who thinks others should be forced to listen to their opinions.

As annoying as those people are, hurting them to get past them could be considered assault.   They might be breaking some laws (trespassing, blocking walkways, etc) but none of that would justify any use of force.


Title: [Washington] Been divorced over 10 years. Surprise inheritance from relative. Can ex-wife sue to relitigate divorce settlement?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: FYI protip: if you come into money, don't talk about it.


Title: [Iowa] - Employer threatening to hold final paycheck

Question: Hello. I am asking this question on behalf of my wife. She recently got terminated from her job due to attendance reasons. She was told by her employer that they will be holding her paycheck until she washes, and returns, her two shirts. Normally this isn't a big deal, however at our current place of residence we do not have laundry facilities available, and we live in a small town with no laundromat. My question is this... can they even withhold her final paycheck if she returns her two work shirts unwashed? They aren't even that dirty. It's like they are trying to come up with excuses not to pay her. What options do we have?

Answer: just hand wash the shirts in your bathtub or something. You don't need legal advice.


Title: Moving into my own apartment here soon. Can anyone give me advice or things I should look out for?

Question: Any advice would be awesome. I am in Minnesota!

Answer: Get renters insurance.Answer #2: Take pictures the day you move in.  Every room, floor, walls, you name it.  You'll take pictures when you move out as well.  This will protect you from bogus security deposit deductions.


Title: Former Landlord Suing - we moved out months ago

Question:
Hello. My wife and I fulfilled our 12-month lease and moved out on May 29th of this year. Our former landlord, who also happened to be my boss, and a good friend (so we thought) was paid in cash every month for rent and utilities. We gave our notice to vacate in March, and we were square on the rent, bills, etc. We left the house in good condition - better condition that it was left to us in fact. I also quit my job that month, because we found out she was pregnant, and decided to move in with my parents in another city to save up money for the baby. Two weeks ago, I get a summons to appear in court. He wants $5,000 - which happens to be Virginia's maximum in Small Claims Court.

The court date is next week, thankfully our new employers let us take off to travel down to defend ourselves. I don't know what he wants $5,000 for, months later. I called the court, they tell me he didn't have to itemize, he just puts down a number and I have to show up to defend myself, without knowing the facts beforehand.

I know I am painting us as angels. But we really didn't do anything wrong. He got paid his rent, and his home was returned to him.  We didn't have a security deposit.

I am reading up on Virginia's tenant-landlord laws, and it says he has 45 days to itemize all damages, or he has to return our security deposit. We got no lists of damages, just a summons two weeks ago. Can we defend ourselves with this, even though our security deposit was $0?

We are scared, and have never been sued, and don't even know where he got this number, except that it is the State's max. He is a first time landlord, my wife and I have rented for a decade. What do yall think?

Answer:
 Show up to court. He didn't itemize within 45 days nor present you with damages you allegedly caused. He likely won't get very far in court.

Also, *never* pay rent in cash unless you are given a receipt at the time of payment. Answer #2: Go to court. Once the judge finds out that he has made no prior contact with you in order to recoup any as yet undeclared "losses" and that there was no security deposit? It probably won't end well for the landlord. Especially when the judge asks why the landlord has done nothing but file in small claims and finds out you have no clue why you received a summons. Judges like to see documentation of things like civil attempts at recovery of assets as it proves *reason* why there are people standing in front of them. Meaning *there has been some sort of verifiable breach of civil law between litigants that is being disputed and has come before them for legal resolution. So, go to court. In the meantime, have absolutely *nothing* to do with your former landlord. No communications, no questions, no texts or calls or emails. Nothing. Zero. Zilch.

Get any documentation you have that covers your life in that rental and make copies of everything. Lease, contract, emails, texts, photos...*everything*. Get copies for you, for the landlord, for the court and a spare set...just in case. Do not take originals with you. Get a haircut, wear nice clothes and keep your emotions in check. And don't sweat it. Let us know how things turn out.

Edit: so much for adding an asterisk to denote fixing of a misspelled word...


Title: Please help! Just found out that two years ago someone added my name to his auto insurance policy without me knowing, then he got into an accident and the claim was filed with my name without me knowing.

Question:
I got my license in 2014 but had never owned a car or auto insurance because I never drove and always lived within walking distance from school and work. Today I was going to purchase auto insurance online from Progressive and just before the payment step the rate increased, an update shows "the information you entered during your quote does not match what we found in your driving reports", below which is "my name, comprehensive claim over $1000 on October 2016, listed on CLUE". I called Progressive and told the lady that this claim cannot possibly be mine because I never had any car insurance... she told me the year and model of the car involved in this claim, then a name and asked me if I knew this person, she said his name popped up on the screen too when she looked into this claim.

I immediately recognized the guy, he was working for Geico and we dated for a few months, broke up in June 2016, then I moved out of state to start grad school in the Fall. We never lived together and I had never driven his car. Every time we went out he would pick me up in his car, which is the one stated in the claim, and he was always the driver. He never asked for my permission to add me to his policy, never told me that he got into an accident and filed the claim with my name on it! Everything had been done without my knowledge or consent, I never received any phone calls or emails from any insurance company regarding an accident back in 2016, but now I have a claim filed under my name!??

Could someone please give me some clarifications? I'm speculating that adding me to his policy lowered his premium because I never drove so have a clean driving record? Is there any way to find out under which insurance company this claim was filed under? The Progressive lady said she couldn't tell me this information. Right now I don't even know when he added me to his policy, what company processed this claim or when he removed me from the policy. Now my premium is so high because two years ago I was unknowingly enrolled in a car insurance for some time...isn't this fraud???

I can prove that around the time when the accident happened I was in a different state, I just obtained my driving record from DMV online and it shows a clean record. But what if he says that when we were dating I gave him permission verbally to be added to his policy? How do I prove that he added me without my knowledge? How can I find out which company processed this claim and have it removed? I haven't contacted him yet, I'm so shocked and upset that he did this. What should I do??? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you!!!

Answer:
 A comprehensive claim doesn't necessarily indicate an accident; comp covers hail damage, stolen cars, and other non-collision incidents, along with accidents involving non-autos (hitting a deer, e.g.).

You can obtain a copy of your CLUE report from [LexisNexis](https://personalreports.lexisnexis.com/fact_act_disclosure.jsp). That will tell you the company and policy number. From there, you can go to the company involved and dispute what happened, because yes, it sounds like fraud. You might also see what else this person did, by checking your credit reports. Answer #2: I can't offer legal advice, but this is definitely worth a crosspost to r/insurance .

If nothing else, they can probably clue you in on what information he might have needed to get you added to his policy.  At this point, it's definitely worth checking out your credit report, as this sort of fraud generally doesn't go alone.

If he still works at Geico, you definitely want to have a conversation with any supervisor or corporate entity you might be able to get in contact with.  Hell, even if he doesn't still work there.  If he did this to you, you might not be the only one.  Answer #3: I think it is very important for you to check your credit report. This seems to indicate that he might have committed identity theft and used your identity for other things. Was your social security number needed to add you to the insurance policy?Answer #4: Sounds like fraud to me. Report it to the police.


Title: My final year of university was payed for by Native American tribe after it was discovered that I was enough native to qualify for full tuition reimbursement, do I have a chance of recovering tuition expenses for the first few years? - Michigan

Question:
For my tribe, anyone who is 1/4th native american automatically receives 100% tuition reimbursement. I was always considered to be 1/8th but some recent discoveries determined that I'm truly 1/4th. This discovery came during my final year of undergraduate university after I had already payed for my tuition.

Is there any way to get reimbursed for the tuition that I myself had payed for in my first few years of college? I was always 1/4th native american, the books were wrong, and therefore I was always entitled to the automatic 100% tuition reimbursement.

If it matters, this tuition reimbursement is payed for by the government, not the tribe itself.

Do I have a case?

Answer: I assume its your duty to request this? Did you request and were originally denied, or did you only request when you learn the truth?


Title: My ex is harassing me. Can I file a restraining order?

Question: My ex and I broke up two weeks ago. Things had gotten stale between us, and I'm not good at goodbyes, so I ghosted him. Blocked his number and blocked him on Facebook. He's been relentlessly asking friends of mine if they've seen me and even showed up to my work, which I feel is putting my job in jeopardy. Luckily, I wasn't there either time he came by. Can I file a restraining order against him? Will he know that it's been filed and that he has to stay away from me? How do I file it? Location is California.

Answer:
 This isn't exactly a situation that calls for a protection order.

Why don't you just be an adult and tell him you don't want to talk to him? Don't make the state do your adulting for you.


Title: [Ottawa, Canada] Caught contractor cutting (serious) corners, haven't paid yet.

Question:
Hi all,

So, I'm currently having a new office location built out, and had hired on a contractor to run the whole thing (for a sizable sum).

Basically five of the walls that had to be put up were supposed to be sound insulated -- based on permit submissions they were to have  thicker studs and the cavities filled with sound attenuation batts.

After the walls were put up, I happened to climb to the top and check the innards, and they were completely empty. They did, however, have wiring and beams running through, making it near impossible to drop the attenuation batts inside -- something that would naturally be done before the drywall is put up (this process confirmed with GC [General Contractor] in a call).

Since then they put up the ceiling, attenuation batts were visible on the top, but I'm pretty much certain the rest of the wall is almost completely empty. The bottom of the wall (1-2 feet) was confirmed empty (you could see through the end of the stud), and they since (after I brought it to their attention) removed the drywall in that portion and supposedly placed the batts.

I also measured the studs, and they were the standard (not thicker) studs. When I brought it up to them, they said the thicker studs were originally for load bearing, and that they got the architect's approval (who did the permits) that this was unnecessary for the relevant loads. Architect is out of town until Tuesday. Thinner studs would almost certainly make it ***less*** soundproofed, but their argument is that this wasn't part of it or the reason for the thicker studs.

---

The stud thickness would effectively be settled based on the architect's response. Regardless though, they clearly left the walls empty, and more importantly consistently lied about the state of the walls ("they might have missed a spot, but we didn't just leave it empty to cut corners"). The GC told me they have no problem punching holes in the wall to check, but that if they're filled that the repair costs would be on me. Frankly, that's not a real concern since I'm almost certain it's empty, but there's also a principle issue here: if it's already established that huge chunks ***were*** empty (about 20% that they filled after it was brought to their attention), I don't see why I should be taking the risk while we play whack-a-mole to find their screwups.

The fact that the GC is trying to bluff and intimidate me from checking with repair costs ***when they know the walls are empty*** is especially concerning in terms of how much I can trust these guys at this point.

This is somewhat complicated by the fact that the guy doing the walls might be a subtrade, and the GC ***might*** not actually be aware that the wall is empty (i.e. GC is still liable, but might not be malicious).

---

Now, money. I've only paid about 15% of the job -- the next payment was due soon. The work done is probably worth well more than what I've paid, however this breach has made me rather suspect in whether I can trust these guys to complete the job properly.

I have a meeting with these guys tomorrow to "see" the wall. I know I need to tread carefully here, but not sure what exactly my options are here:

How do I go about protecting myself here in terms of the rest of the work?

If push comes to shove, how much of an option is it to drop these guys and have someone else finish the job? What would I be liable for in terms of paying them?

Answer:
 I'd insist on inspecting every stud cavity. A 1/4" drill bit and length of wire bent over on the end will tell you if there's fiberglass in there.

Another alternative is to create a temperature differential between the two sides of a wall (shouldn't be too difficult in CA during the winter) and then inspect the wall with an IR camera. Any missing insulation will be readily visible.
See: http://youtu.be/UAsmRC04LNQ

Removal of the drywall would not necessarily be required either, as long as blown in cellulose would have the required acoustical properties the architect specified. It would leave a 2-1/2" hole in every stud bay which the contractor would be responsible for patching, though. (and make sure they actually patch it, and don't just mud over the top of the styrofoam plugs which the insulation guys normally use.


Title: Concerning the “family house” and how to get justice for my grandmother.

Question:
So here’s the story, my whole family, and I mean all of them, lived in a house that was PAID IN FULL since 1940. The legal owners were my great grandparents, and though they’ve been dead for over a decade, the deed somehow still remains in their name. Prior to their death, however, they had assured my grandmother that the house would go to her as she was the only one out of her and her three siblings who didn’t go to college in order to help pay and support the house. She has never moved out of the house even as her three siblings have all become very successful in the real estate business.

Here’s where I’m concerned legally for my grandmother. In 2006, she attempted to legally purchase the house with a private lawyer(or estate agent) who was going to list it as a $1 transfer from her already dead parents to her. Her siblings already had multiple properties and since she had been living there her whole life and managing/ paying for it, she figured there wouldn’t be a problem. However, her siblings with their knowledge of real estate were able to intimidate her into cancelling the plan. This is where I have a problem.

Since then, they’ve all been forcing her to pay a total of $1200 a month for rent, on an already paid house. In addition, they make her pay the property tax which is $600 a month. Furthermore, she has been using all her money to renovate, so for the rent she doesn’t even get the benefits of a land lord. I want to see what can be done to force the rest of the family to leave her alone so that she doesn’t have to die in debt. Can anyone help me figure out the legal possibilities as well as maybe highlight the unlawful paying of rent and property tax at the same time?

EDIT: From Pennsylvania.

Answer:
 If your GGP never transferred the house to her in writing, then upon their deaths without wills, it became a tenancy in common between your GM and her siblings.

What your GGPs' lawyer/estate agent attempted to do was highly illegal and your GM's siblings were within their rights to oppose it.

When there is an ouster of tenants in common or joint tenants, the tenant occupying the property is obliged to pay fair rental value to the others pro rata. If the fair rental value is $1600/month, that's where the $1200 is coming from - the fair rental value minus your GM's ownership stake. She may have agreed to pay the taxes during whatever accord they reached and may or may not have used them as a credit against the rent, but if there was no such agreement, she can get their share of taxes.

She has no remedy resulting in her getting the house. If she wants to sue and get out of the house with some money to her name, she can sue to compel partition and then a judge will order the house be sold and the proceeds split four ways.


Title: Where would i go to anonymously report a possible murder recorded on a YouTube channel, and the channel owner is obviously part of the murder?

Question:
Help please, i have found a youtube channel that has 4 videos on it. Three of them show progressing videos of a man being beat, possibly raped, and murdered. The forth video is a photo of a man with some kind of langue that sounds arabic in nature says something.

&#x200B;

I know i could always just report the channel to youtube, but what if they dont look into it? What website could i go to report it?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters


Title: Physician had students in appointment with me, did not ask my permission and did not warn me ahead of time

Question:
Florida
------

I have a physical medicine physician who has been managing my back pain for about 1.5 to 2 years now, and last saw him a few months ago.  When I first walked into the room, he had several students there.  He did not ask me if this was ok, and he did not warn me ahead of time.  I was completely distracted during the appointment (he is aware that I am being treated for anxiety).

I wrote to him afterward letting him know that I was not comfortable in that setting, and he responded that this is just the way things work at a teaching hospital.  I also told him that he noted incorrectly the results from 1 of the tests that he performed.  He replied that he just noted his observations throughout the appointment.  Also in that email I again requested an MRI (had been requesting this since 2014).

I applied for a change to the medical records due to the inaccuracy, and this was granted.

However, the MRI showed pretty bad damage to my back.  Before the MRI, for over a year now, he had said to try acupuncture.  After the MRI, he advised injections and surgery.  I bringing this up because overall I didn't feel like he took my case seriously. Beyond just recording inaccurate results and ignoring the various pain that I have had, he just seemed much less careful and concerned than most of the doctors.  He gave me almost zero benefit of the doubt, he just assumed my pain was due to anxiety, and overall I was just never really comfortable with his care.  But I had no options really, since he was the chief of that department and the VA wouldn't send me to private care for this, so I'm stuck.

I wrote a complaint into patient advocate, and they forwarded it to that department's service-level patient advocate.  I told them that I was not comfortable with this, because he is the chief/boss of that department and it seems unlikely that the advocate in that department would effectively run an inquiry on their own boss.

So is there any medical privacy issue here about him having the students in, or was the only problem that I felt uncomfortable but otherwise nothing was done wrong here?  I see my post rambled, but I think that the part about his assessment changing so much pre-MRI to post-MRI worries me also.

Answer:
 if you are not comfortable with students being present at your appointments, don't go to a doctor who is based out of a teaching hospital. there is no privacy issue here.Answer #2: There is no privacy issue. Student doctors are still bound to maintain patient confidentiality.

> I think that the part about his assessment changing so much pre-MRI to post-MRI worries me also.

That is not worrying either. Before the MRI, there as no objective evidence of the source of the problem. Now there is. That will naturally change the assessment.Answer #3: This is a teaching hospital, and they are doctors in training.  They hold the same confidentiality that your physician does, the nurses, the lab technicians, etc.  Hospitals take patient information quite seriously.  It sounds like you were uncomfortable, which is ok to bring up to your doctor.


Title: Ex is not paying her half of the rent after lease break

Question:
(Pennsylvania)

Me and my ex went through a horrible break up when we were only a month into our lease (May). We found it impossible to be around eachother so she signs a lease for a new appartment and after that we break the lease on the old appartnment. Conditions for the lease break states that we have to pay a break lease fee equivalent to one months rent and we have to continue paying rent until the appartment gets rented to another tenant. We vacated the appartment and turned in our keys midway through July. Vacating the appartment was a condition of the lease break. We paid rent for June and July. Now I paid my half to the leasing company for August but she still hasn’t paid her half.

I know that I’ll still be liable for the other half of rent if she doesn’t pay. I recieved a text from her stating that she talked to her dad’s lawyer and said that the lease break was illegal. I’m in Pennsylvania, and through doing an internet search I was not able to find anything that would hint to the lease break being illegal.

We have two co-signers on the lease and the leasing company was pretty adamant about us having two different co-signers. I don’t think the co-signers are ‘assigned’ but her dad would be her co-signer. I texted him several times but I got no response. My ex right now is having a fit and just texting me insults and completely ignores me when I ask her if she is going to pay August rent.

Was the lease break illegal? I’m seriously considering talking to a lawyer at this point. I am at a loss and I am tired of this thing dragging out. Any tips, advice or information would be appreciated.

Answer:
 If she suspects the lease break was illegal, she can go about doing the legal action.  Until a court (or your landlord) tells you to do otherwise, though, she has to pay her half.  You're on the hook for the other half, and then you can sue your ex for it.

Pennsylvania has crappy laws surrounding breaking a lease early, and it sounds like your landlord is in the right so far.  You should hit the pavement and try to find someone to take that apartment off your hands.


Title: Employee used business credit card to buy over $40,000 worth of prepaid debit cards (AZ)

Question:
Hello good people of /r/legaladvice, let me get right to it...

I used to be an officer manager for a law firm in Arizona. I've since left the job, and hired and trained my replacement. Well lo and behold, despite seeming to be a good fit-- she was awful at her job and I used to get emails from the partners at my former employer's firm about how bad she was. She quit suddenly at the end of February and they asked me to come back and straighten out their books and prepare everything for taxes. While reconciling their accounts, the first thing I noticed is that she gave herself an unauthorized pay-raise last August. This was red flag number one. The second odd thing I noticed was that quite a few of our payable accounts were set up as paperless, on line bill pay only. The faint sound of alarm bells are going off in the back of my head right now, but I figured this was just laziness from the office manager and not theft. Then finally I saw something that I couldn't explain away: $15,000.00 paid to one vendor in Q4 of last year. In the past we might have spent that in a whole year.

So I tracked down statements from the vendor AND the individual online invoices and found that she had used a "for emergency only" (a fact that was expressly stated to her during training by me) credit card at our office supplier's retail store locations to buy herself several thousands of dollars worth of those prepaid debit/credit cards. She usually made three or four $400.00 purchases in a row at lunch and after work.

Being attorneys, my former (I guess current) employers called the police and turned over all the invoices, receipt copies, and invoices to them. Today my employer called me asking me if I could think of any other way to tie said employee to all of these fraudulent purchases as the responding officer who took the complaint said that the information we provided was not enough to take action.

I guess my question is: Is there anything else we should be looking for? The actual retail store where these purchases were made hasn't been very helpful (I get it-- it's a pain to look through all this paperwork) in getting us some actual copies of receipts that have signatures on them. Their corporate fraud department has been been helpful, but they won't actually do anything unless the police themselves ask for it, and the police don't seem to be interested in doing anything about it at the moment so here we are. In their words, since some of the purchases were authorized (pens, toner, etc...), then they can't do anything.

 I know you may be thinking, "These are attorneys! They should already know what to do!" but this is a small law firm with four attorneys (two partners, two associates) that don't work in anything resembling this kind of matter.

I was just wondering how anyone in a similar situation has handled a matter like this and what else we should be doing. Maybe this question is better suited for /r/askadetective or something. Anyhow, I appreciate the help!

**EDIT:**Hey everyone, I really appreciate the responses. I *just* got word that a detective had finally been assigned to this matter and that the city police are moving ahead on investigating. For a second there I thought she might get away with it and as an American with a love of the law and justice and all things good and beautiful in the world I could not abide! Thanks again.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 Was she authorized on the business card? Do you have any recourse through the bank. Answer #2: Here's a random thought - I'm going to spitball here - did you check to see if there was a "rewards" card associated with the account?

I cant remember my officemax password or I'd check but I think (or I think I think) that at least they email you a copy of each receipt and they keep it on file in the account (signed if used with a card)

It's a stretch but it's worth looking into. There may be a "rewards" account sitting out there with all the recipts you need. She was pretty determined to rip off her employers and it's generally pretty stupid to do that to someone who can SUE YOU ON THEIR OWN. She might have been dumb enough to set up a rewards account. The rewards accounts give you %off as well as "in store dollars" sometimes. It's tied to a phone number (try the office number)

I'd give it a shot. Walk into the store and ask someone at the cash register to check and see if you have a rewards account. You can change the email address for access at the register.

Maybe you'll get lucky?


Title: Can you get a paternity test before the birth without the mothers consent? (MO, USA)

Answer: The courts are generally reluctant to order someone - the mother, in this case - to undergo an invasive medical procedure against their will over something that can just as easily be addressed later on _without_ an invasive medical procedure. So no, you generally can't.Answer #2: .... no.Answer #3: Generally, court ordered paternity tests occur after a child's birth. If relevant, you may want to consider signing up for the MO putative father registry.


Title: Just found out im on a conscription list which was published in January, Authorities are looking for me [UK/Lithuania]

Question:
**Hey, To make a really long story short; Essentially Lithuania recently re-introduced the conscription in light of Russia's recent actions. The 2016 conscriptions list was published in January, which required the named people to register and submit to a medical which I believe happened in March, I also believe the first wave of people who passed the medical and were chosen have just started the 9-month long service. I had no idea I was on the list until a few days ago, as far as I know authorities are trying to find me, this entire situation is fucked... heres why**

I was born in Lithuania but have not lived there since the age of 7/8, im 21 now. I dont maintain contact with my father (long story) and my mother lives on the other side of the world.

I dont speak Lithuanian anymore, My life is here in London (Job, house, friends, girlfriend etc) I would be of no use to the Lithuanians as I couldnt even really communicate...

Lithuania knows I live in the UK but they dont know where exactly as Ive moved about 6 times since getting my passport from the Lithuanian embassy in London.

So im in a situation where I could prove that I had no way of knowing that I was on the list... My only issue is that I was planning to renew my passport for the past month, Im afraid If I go into the embassy ill get flagged up and detained. So should I just ignore this entire situation?

BTW the only reason I found out that I was on the conscription is because the authorities visited my fathers residence to enquire where I was and he then contacted my cousins etc.

**Any help will be highly appreciated!**

Answer:
 Not sure why you're making such a big deal of whether or not you had notice. you know now. your country has conscripted you. you can voluntarily do what they require of you or you can avoid returning there. either through asylum or remaining in the UK (possibly illegally). Answer #2: Wow. This is a complicated situation. Retaining an immigration lawyer might be a good idea.

If you're not able or willing to do that, take a shot at renewing your passport. Governments are large and complex, and it's not uncommon for the left hand to not know what the right hand is doing, so to speak. It may be fine.

If it isn't, you'll have to make choice. You can go back to Lithuania and complete the term of service, or you can apply to the UK for asylum. Neither option is great, I'm afraid.Answer #3: Do you have dual citizenship?

In the US, I've worked with several people who go have gone through this with South Korea. As dual citizens, no action can be taken against them unless they return to Korea. If they return to Korea, they must perform their service or risk arrest.


Title: [CA, US] SARB School Hearing

Question:
My wife just received a notice of parent/student meeting for a week from today. The child in question has 20 tardies for the school year thus far. The thing is, the tardies are due to side effects from medication that my wife has been prescribed for mental health issues (bi-polar disorder) as she has insomnia nightly and in turn, has trouble getting up in time each morning.

Should we bring this up as an explanation or would this just open a can of worms by bringing her health status into question with Child Welfare authorities?

Thank you.

Answer: 20 tardies by October?  Your wife's medication is not a valid reason or excuse for that.  You should work out alternative ways to get your child to school on time (should have done this long ago) and present these in your remediation plan at the meeting, along with sincere apologies to demonstrate that you are serious about this problem.


Title: [MI] Public university professor dropped my course halfway through the semester; university will not refund my tuition and has placed an "No Credit No Grade" on my transcript.

Question:
I attend a graduate school at a public university in Michigan. I was enrolled in a guided study over the summer where I worked with one professor to conduct research and write a research report. My grade was based solely on the report. Everything was fine until my professor stopped responding to me in mid-July.

Two weeks after my last contact with him, I contacted the associate dean of my school. She told me that my prof. had taken an “emergency leave of absence”.  She said I should have received correspondence from the registrar’s office with my options for moving forward, and indicated that I should contact her upon receipt of that correspondence if I had any questions.

The correspondence did not offer me any options. It said that I will receive a “No Credit, No Grade” on my transcript – this is the “failing” version of an Incomplete, which is when a student withdraws from a course after add/drop and has a C- or higher. An NCNG tells future doctoral programs that I withdrew after add/drop with a failing grade. I did not have a failing grade – in fact, I hadn’t been graded on anything yet, as the work was to be done in phases, and we were only on phase two. They also said that I would not be refunded for the tuition I had already paid (~$4,100), as it was past add/drop.

I contacted the associate dean who confirmed that this correspondence is correct and I can retake the guided study next semester, but I will have to pick a new topic of research and cannot use the research I spent two months conducting over the summer, because that would be self-plagiarism, which is described in our university policies as: “Utilizing one’s own previous work to secure a grade in a course other than the course for which it was originally created.”

I’ve been going back and forth with them for about two months and no one will budge. I've also attempted to contact the dean of my graduate school and the dean of my university via email, mail, and phone; what little response I have received has directed me to contact my associate dean, who will not help me. I could not re-enroll in guided study this semester because all of the spots were full (only three sections per semester, one student per section). I am out $4,100 through no fault of my own, I have a mark on my transcript that looks unfavorably to doctoral programs, and I’ve done two months of work that I am basically being told to throw out.

Do I have any options or am I SOL?

Answer: Does your university have an ombudsman? If so, have you tried reaching out to them to discuss the situation?Answer #2: If the dean isn't willing to help, the next step would be to contact the provost. Answer #3: You should talk to the Head of the academic department, provost and escalate the issue within the administrative department as well. Answer #4: paging /u/i_work_in_hied


Title: (US, Connecticut) Brothers girlfriend disappeared with their son and can't seem to get any help with authorities

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 So he should hire a PI to track down her current address and have her officially served.

I hope this goes without saying - but once she gets served/arrested/whatever and he gets custody of the child he should not under any circumstances drop charges or take her back, regardless of whatever promises she makes to change...

He should have dumped her and filed for custody a long time ago - after she tried to murder him in February if not before that...Answer #2: Your post is difficult to read.  For the best responses, keep posts short, to the point, and ask direct legal questions.

You said he hired a lawyer -- they will be most familiar with the specifics of his case.  The lawyer is going to try to get him custody of the child.


Title: [WA/AZ] I [18F] accidentally hit my buddy’s car, now my insurance is marking me as a high-risk driver. My family can’t afford to pay for my car insurance anymore. How do I proceed?

Question:
*Note: I currently live in WA State but am moving to AZ on the 26th.*

Sorry if this isn’t exactly the right subreddit to post to. If it’s not, please point me to the correct subreddit. I’m also young so I’m not sure exactly how all of this works.

More context: I got in a weather-related wreck in February of this year that I would argue wasn’t my fault. Regardless, my parents’ insurance claimed it was my fault.

This isn’t to deflect blame, I messed up big time by hitting my buddy’s car, and I shouldn’t have been driving while there was ice on the road back in February. I understand that I’m to blame for this screw up, it just really, *really* blows.

Because I’m now a high-risk driver, my family will have to pay almost double what they’re paying now for insurance, and they just can’t swing it. I would pay for my own insurance and planned on paying for it once we moved/I went to college, but since I’m inexperienced and going to college, I’ll most likely be earning minimum wage (IIRC, $11.00/hr in AZ), and can probably only work part-time since I’m doing a full class schedule. (I’m completely willing to get more hours/get more than one job if that’s what it takes, I just don’t want to flunk out of school.)

Several questions: Should we try switching insurance companies? Is it possible to dispute since my first accident was weather-related? Should I go off of my family’s insurance until I’m no longer a high-risk driver and just stop driving for a while? How long does that typically stay on your record? Any other advice?

((Final note: My friends’ parents are very, *very* wealthy and he and his family have comprehensive insurance. They didn’t realize that it was going to put us in this situation and said that they would take it back if they could. I don’t know if that helps anything but they would likely try to help the situation if it’s possible.))

Thank you in advance for your advice. This is a really crappy situation and I just really want to do what I can to help my parents since this is my screw-up. They don’t deserve to have to pay for my mistake.
Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 You can try calling up other insurance companies for a quote.

Otherwise... a lot of people here in AZ ride bicycles, even in the summer.Answer #2: This isn't a legal problem. You can try switching insurance, but the insurers have every right to classify you as high risk.


Title: Medical Device Accommodation

Question:
I work at a Call Center that doesn't allow any form of personal data device (cellphone,tablet,data-watches,etc). However I recently was put on a long term heart monitor that records my symptoms on a cell phone. However the cellphone can't call out can't take pictures can't bluetooth between anything other than the monitor on my chest.. but does any of that matter? Isn't it discrimination if they don't accommodate me. They have to right? By the way this would be with in Illinois law?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: They have to provide a reasonable accommodation. You aren't just automatically granted permission to do whatever.


Title: Should you/can you call 911 on someone texting and driving on the highway while going 10+ below the speed limit and swerving lanes? [tx]

Answer: Is that person presenting an immediate danger to the people around them? If so, call 911.


Title: [NH] About to file for small claims court for a very small amount for mostly personal reasons rather than financial. Should I leave those details out of the case.

Question:
I made a post that goes into more detail about it here
https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/7916u5/nh_exroommate_is_abusing_one_legal_incident_he/

The summary is a standard "roommate covers utilities and the other skips town before paying" story.  it was only $300ish but I can only prove $140.  I was willingly to let sleeping dogs lie but we are both college students with a small campus and we frequently bump into each other.  At every encounter he has bragged about stealing money and instigated fights, he also sends me threatening drunk  bragging calls.  At this point I'm taking him to court for spite rather than money, he making it every time I leave my house a risk. I am relatively confident about winning as I have a mountain of dated paperwork that proves he owes me money as well as another roommate (who I also may need to sue) that has written out on paper that all the roommates had an agreement to pay me back.

I am planing on how I will go about this is and I am curious if I should mention these personal reasons or if I should just be as fast and to the numbers as possible.  I don't want to over convolute things and I am aware the judge will probably have a lot of appointments after me.  On the other hand I feel like it will be difficult to justify taking someone to court over such a small amount without the information on why.

What should I do?

Answer:
 > I am planing on how I will go about this is and I am curious if I should mention these personal reasons

Definitely not.  The court system is for legal disputes, not personal ones.  Almost everyone has personal dislike for the person they're suing on some level: they think they owe them money and refused to pay.  There's no need to annoy the judge with your tale of woe over $300.

> On the other hand I feel like it will be difficult to justify taking someone to court over such a small amount without the information on why.

It's not, that's what small claims court is for.  It's right there in the name.  If he owes you money, the justification for taking him to court is "He owes me money and I want that money"

Also, if you're so hung up on the personal aspect of this, and reading your prior posts, you clearly are: What do you hope to accomplish here?  This guy isn't going to stop being a dick just because you won a $300 judgment in small claims


Title: Community college commencement in a church. Legal?

Question:
I am going to a local community college in North Carolina to study nursing.
The school's commencement ceremony for nursing students usually takes place in Baptist churches, and mine will, too, in December of this year.
I think this seems like a violation of the separation of church and state. I am not comfortable going to a church for a public school function, and I am not comfortable asking my family to come to my graduation if it is in a church.
I emailed the school faculty member assigned to organize my class's ceremony and requested to have commencement on campus. The faculty member is going to consult the dean or the nursing department head and then meet with me.
Do I have any ground to stand on? What should I say in my meeting?

Answer: Are they renting the space or having a service as part of the commencement? Nothing wrong with using the space.


Title: (US) Beauty counter eBay question

Question:
I received a box full of beauty counter make up supplies for Christmas and since I did not want them I decided to put them up on eBay. A day or so ago I received a message from someone claiming to work for beauty counter, and here it is:

“It has been brought to our attention that you are offering Beautycounter products for sale via your online storefront. We wish to inform you that Beautycounter authorizes Consultants to sell its products via in-person contact, in-home social gatherings, from service-oriented businesses (such as salons or spas), and Consultant Personal Websites.

As such, if you wish to sell Beautycounter products online, the only permitted means of doing so is via a Consultant Personal website or the Behind the Counter back office website. We must request that you immediately cease selling activity over this platform.

Our Guideline Support team will be tracking this case. If sales on this platform have not concluded within one (1) week of this message, we will have no choice but to take additional action. This may include, but is not limited to, closure of the Consultant account and/or referral of the matter to our legal department. We sincerely hope that this message is sufficient to resolve this matter, and that additional action will not be required”

Does this message hold any water? Should I be okay to keep selling the few items I have left since they were already bought and paid for and never opened? Thank you!

Answer:
 No, it doesn't.

Beautycounter likely does have such a restrictive contract with the people they distribute their products to for sale. However, you received the product as a gift and are not under any contract with Beautycounter. As far as you're concerned, the goods are yours to do with as you please, including selling them onwards. They have likely assumed you're one of their consultants, though - this is surprisingly common in MLM arrangements, where most of the customers are people trapped inside of the system.

They may try to force you not to use their trademarks (including the name "Beautycounter") on eBay. That's dicier; eBay could choose to pull your listings just to be safe, even though I strongly suspect your use would be legal so long as you stick to using it to identify the products.Answer #2: They can do nothing to stop you unless you have an agreement with them stating otherwise.  eBay may remove your listing if the agency has enough clout, however.


Title: Dad Detained

Question:
   This occurred in Arizona. My father has a car dealership so often he will drive a car from the dealership, on this day it was a red Lexus.
My father pulls into gas station and notices AZ border patrol following him. Border patrol requests he steps out with his hands up . My father complies and then is placed in handcuffs and put into the border patrol car with no explanation .
   7 police cars arrive soon and then it is explained to my father that a red Lexus was stolen that day but my father is still in handcuffs and not released for 45 min.
The stolen vehicle was not the same year or model and the border patrol did not even ask my father for proof of ownership wich could have been proven he with no explanation detained him.
   My father is 62 years old diabetic and has MS so this made me very frustrated and I would like to know if there is any thing we could do to pursue this legally.

Answer:
 So they suspected that your dad was driving a stolen car, detained him, checked the information, found that this was not the missing car, and then let your dad go?

If that is accurate there is probably no issue here.


Title: [North Carolina] I'm owed money by someome whom I believe will make it difficult to collect from. What can I do to best protect my interest?

Question:
I hired a professional to perform work at my home. Dissatisfied with the performance of the professional, I left a negative review online. Nothing in the review was objectionable or incorrect, and was fairly mild. The professional then began to send harassing text messages to me disputing and arguing the review. Ultimately, this lead to a confrontation where I demanded to be sent the report that I paid for, and to otherwise cease contact. The professional then responded "I will refund your money. I am cancelling your report." I replied with "I accept your offer of a refund."

From our interactions, I have reason to believe that the professional may resist paying me or otherwise make this process even more difficult. I have copies of all text messages and e-mails. The professional insisted to be paid in cash, and I have no formal receipt. However, I do have an e-mail from when I hired the man which mentions the price of the service. Assuming there are difficulties in receiving payment, what can I do to enforce my interest, and when must it be done? This all happened this week.

Also, not sure if it's relevant, but I myself am actually a lawyer. I just don't really deal with this kind of law.

Answer: If you paid him in cash your money is gone unless he agrees to refund you. You can send him a demand letter insisting that you either receive the product you paid for or a refund, and if not received you can sue him. If he is a professional with a bond you can file a claim against his bond as well.


Title: [Oregon] Is it illegal for home/property security cameras to record audio?

Question:
A neighbor walked up to the edge of our property and initiated a conversation. My automatic camera, which I use for security and animal viewing, recorded audio as well as the video of that conversation.

I am a biologist and like to record animal sounds, but I also want to record audio of potentially criminal events on my property (eg happenings out of view but within earshot).

Is this use of cameras illegal? Can I place a sign at the entrance to my property declaring that recordings are in progress?

Is it illegal to record these sounds or just illegal to share them with others?

\------

(It seems that most security cameras sold today record audio - for instance my sister has one on her front porch. If illegal to record conversations, would it also be illegal to record a video-selfie when walking down a street where one's camera would pick up others' conversations?)

Answer:
 You have no "reasonable expectation of privacy" while you are in a public place such as a roadway or sidewalk.

You have every legal right to record what happens on your own property, audio and visual. Posting signs saying so aren't necessary but they couldn't hurt.


Title: If you confessed to killing people who were reported missing but their bodies were never found could you still be tried and sentenced?

Question:
I mean there has to be something that'd be done, in this case you have proof that you were the last person they were around and you have some of their possessions in your home. (even some clippings of hair)

&#x200B;

theoretically of course

Answer: A confession with other evidence like you having their property and DNA evidence in your possession would be enough to charge you with murder and will get you convicted.


Title: What legal means do I have to recoup my property if I was forcibly removed from a pawn shop with my property confiscated and without payment?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Your recourse is the cops. Tell them the pawn shop took your goods and kicked you out without money or a receipt.


Title: Pennsylvania; renting a 2BR apartment. No dogs, but cats are allowed. New neighbor has a "service dog".

Question: [deleted]

Answer: No. And complaining to the LL won't change the laws. People are abusing the laws. Complain to your local gov.


Title: Reporting psychological abuse of my SO (OH)

Question:
Hi, I have a couple questions pertaining to the legal implications of psychological abuse. My SO's mother is a terrible person, and for years has abused my SO through gaslighting, threatening to harm my SO's cat, manipulating my SO through lies, and constantly insulting my SO and saying things like she never should have sent my SO to college, that my SO is a worthless person, and that nobody cares about my SO aside from her.

Previously, when my SO has attempted to visit therapists in order to talk through the problems, the mother has emailed the therapists ahead of time and lied to them about things my SO has not done, including telling them my SO is taking illicit drugs, and has even convinced one psychiatrist to give my SO a false diagnosis for bipolar disorder. My SO's mother takes steps to hide her abuse, as well. For example, my SO developed anxiety at one point in the last year due to the mother's constant pressure and began picking at their hair. My SO and I were at the parents' house for dinner, and when I got up to go to the restroom, I could hear the mother yelling at my SO, who told me later that she had torn at my SO's hair, wanting to see what my SO had picked at.

Unfortunately, my SO's father is an enabler and doesn't want to help because when my SO's mother isn't picking on my SO, she picks on other members of the family. What can I do to ensure that my SO gets help and that the mother stops doing what she has been doing?

Answer:
 >My SO and I were at the parents' house for dinner

So... your SO is over 18, yes?

Why does her mother even know she's seeing a therapist, much less the name of the therapist?

What she can do is stop talking to her parents.  (And take the cat to live with her, as long as it's actually her cat.)Answer #2: She needs to move out of her mom's house and sever all contact. The best thing you can do for her is support her living independently.Answer #3: Your SO can move out, take care of herself, get her own car, pay her own way, and never talk to her mom again. Problem solved!


Title: FEMA told my Mom's community they were not in a flood plain.

Question: I know I might be grasping at straws here. My mom lives just outside of Muskogee Oklahoma where the flooding was some of the worst. My mom and her neighbors paid flood insurance for 20 years. 2 years ago they all got letters saying that they we're not in a flood plain, so they all dropped flood insurance (about $400/mo). And now all of those houses are ruined, completely. Is FEMA legally responsible in any way? I've read that they make these determinations from historical data and do not account for climate change.

Answer:
 Just because they were told that it was not a flood plain does not mean it still can’t flood there.Answer #2: No, they are not responsible for your mom's choice to drop her flood insurance.Answer #3: Nope. Flood insurance is available to anyone regardless of whether they live in a flood plain or not. They chose to accept the risk by declining to buy the insuranceAnswer #4: Sadly nope. Your mom choose to drop the flood insurance. Just because you are not in the 100 year flood plan does not means that you can not flood.

Hell you can be outside of the 500 year flood zone and still flood. For example look at hurricane Harvey.  Houses thar were outside of the 500 year flooded. It caused entirely new models.

What being outside of the flood plain does is cause yiu to get lower rates.


Title: Pregnant belly-touching question (IL)

Question:
If a person specifically tells people that they may NOT touch that person's pregnant belly, and someone sneaks up behind the pregnant lady and grabs at her belly from behind, is that assault?

Follow-up question: if the pregnant lady breaks the grabber's fingers, is that assault, or self-defense?

Thank you!

Answer:
 It is assault or battery, in most cases.

She cannot break his fingers, as that is an unreasonable response to the assault.  Self defense is not a *carte blanche* excuse to inflict any injury you desire.


Title: A girl is threatening to use various text messages against me after sex.

Question:
We attend the same school in Mississippi and we have gone home together roughly 6 or 7 times over the span of 2 years. All of these encounters have been after a decent amount of drinking and there is generally very little talking in-between them. The most recent time was Wednesday. Today I ran into her at one of the pools in town where she had clearly been drinking and was all over me. I told her simply that I was not in the mood for this and that I was just trying to relax with my friends. It was at this moment I knew, I fucked up.. She immediately began to threaten to sue because she is a minor (she is 20), and post pictures of our texts on social media. After trying to defuse the situation for some time, my friends and I left for obvious reasons.

The messages may include but are not limited to talking about meeting up specifically to hook up, asking for and receiving nudes, various drug conversations (none discussing buying or selling), and basically any conversation we may have had that would make me look bad if presented in the right light. While I understand this could just be the rambling of a drunk human, this kind of information is something I’m sure nobody wants floating around on the Internet.

Is this something she is legally allowed to do?
Am I in any real danger of being sued?

Answer:
 >She immediately began to threaten to sue because she is a minor (she is 20)

Sue for what? Were you providing her alcohol?


Title: Minnesota Child Support without proof of father.

Question:
I'm writing on a friend/roommate behalf and since it involves me I figured I would get some legal advice for my buddy.  To sum this up as best as I can, basically my roommate might have a kid with a girl he used to date.  The ex had a kid and my roommate knows of said kid, and talked to her after the child was born, the thing is he has done no DNA test, or signed anything that says the kid is his.  Last fast forward to now, where the state is taking money out of his pay checks (around $600 a month, higher than the normal amount to be removed) and as well as says that he is the father with no evidence.  I've been looking into finding law firms to help him out, but they keep giving us the run around and tell us "Oh we don't represent that county." Or just having us leave messages and never getting back to us.  This whole thing looks illegal, but we don't know what to do, seeing the mom lives in a different county than where my roommate lives.  Any advice in where to go or what direction to take would be helpful.

Also sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes, I'm typing this up on my cellphone, and don't always notice them.

Edit: Just to clarify, we are either looking to the amount of money to be less or for it to stop in general, he doesn't make enough per year for what they are taking out of his account and it's affecting his rent.

Answer:
 If they are already taking money, then there has been a court judgment ruling he is the father. He needs to figure out when and where that judgment happened, why he was not notified or failed to appear, and whether he is in the time limit to appeal the finding of paternity. That case should have taken place either in the county where he lives or in the county where mom lives, so he needs to check with the clerk's offices in the courthouses there. (Records may be available online, depending on the court, or he may need to call on Monday.)

Even if he is out of time to appeal, he can file a motion to modify support in that court, and get the amount adjusted to something affordable. That he can do by himself; the court can probably supply him with the appropriate forms. If he is challenging a judgment of paternity, though, he's going to want an attorney.


Title: What activities can my employer restrict me from while I am off duty?

Question:
Asking for a friend.

I manage a small bar. Yesterday, on my day off, the owners decided to close early at 10:00 PM due to it being slow, rather than keeping to our posted hours (2:00 AM).

Some friends from out of town drove in to visit. We had planned on going to my bar for a drink and to shoot some pool. My friends arrived first at about 10:05 and told me that it was closed. Concerned bc I hadn’t received anything from our bartender who was working about closing early, I called the bar and one of the owners had made the decision to call it a night. A little disappointed, but nothing I could do.

We decided to visit another bar in town so we could catch up and enjoy the night. While we were there, one of my friends took some pictures of us all together and posted them to Facebook.

I wasn’t wearing anything that may even in the slightest resemble our company’s logo or work attire. I wasn’t divulging anything private or confidential regarding my company or their clients. I don’t feel I was being disloyal to my employers by any means. It wasn’t anything like huge binge on booze, it was literally a quiet night with a couple beers and a couple racks of pool.

I was told today before my shift that I was banned from going into any place like that because they’re our competitors. “I don’t want to be a dick, but you can’t go in there anymore on your days off.”

There was no mention of any such stipulations prior to my employment with this company, and there is nothing that covers this on any of the paperwork addressing the terms of my employment.

Can I legally be fired for drinking a beer at a neighboring bar?

Answer:
 In most states that's completely legal. You can be fired at will for any reason not protected by law. Answer #2: yes you could be fired for it but this seems so stupid that I have to be missing something. bartenders and other bar employees hang out at other bars all the time...they are into the scene and usually the best people to ask about other placesAnswer #3: Probably want to post the location as different states have different laws about what an employer can fire you for.Answer #4: No, you have no direct recourse against them, but since you were not fired for misconduct or other good cause, you should be eligible for unemployment benefits (which do get charged against them). Answer #5: Have you considered upping the security settings on your social media? No sharing images unless you are direct friends, unfriending work associates, unfollowing your work pages. You want to make it extra hard for them to find things like this.

Even if you're doing something innocent, management might take exception to the act.


Title: Robbed in our student house UK

Question:
We were robbed the other night while a couple of us were sleeping.

We had double checked everything was locked and then woken up to stolen laptops, an Xbox, 2 expensive watches and some headphones. We didn't have a clue how they got in until my housemate tried to get his hand through our letterbox and and he could easily slip his hand through and open the lock from the inside with no struggle.

What is our legal advice? We phoned the estate agents the day after and a guy we spoke to adamantly declared we were lying and got drunk and left it open on the night. We were never shown how to use the security alarm and there have been reportings of similar occurances like letterboxes being pushed in down the road.

They have just wooded up the letterbox for us for now so we can sleep comfortably, but we have a video of my friend opening it from locked for proof too.

Answer: I think you want /r/legaladviceuk. Best of luck.


Title: [NV] wife asking me to move out before finalized divorce. have children.

Question:
Hi there, my wife wants me to move out for awhile so we can separate and work on things, get some time apart for clear minds.  I think that might be best too but we have children and im pretty sure shes going to try for full custody during the actual divorce even though im being told thats not the case.  I know she has spoken to a couple lawyers already.

I made it clear that im going to stay with a friend for awhile (not even bringing 10% of my things), and not *officially* moving out.  Does this still hurt me in the courts or would I actually have to change my address?

Answer:
 The traditional response is "don't do it" because it might be seen as abandonment.  Thankfully in most areas judges are milder on this today and don't want to keep two people who are at each other's throats in the same house.

That being said, you shouldn't do it without first talking to a lawyer.

From a not so legal perspective:  tell her to move out if she doesn't want to live with you.  You have as much right to be there as she does.Answer #2: You need to consult with a local attorney now. Only a local attorney will know how this could effect custody.

In general, you should figure out now, before leaving, how you are going to handle visitation if you won't be living in the home every dayAnswer #3: It could potentially impact the child custody/support proceedings depending on how the court views your departure from the marital home. You should speak with a local Family Law attorney to determine the likelihood that the courts will take this into consideration.