Title: Aquarium asking for outrageous amount for compensation

Question:
Hi all,

So my friend and I attended a college event at an aquarium and acted pretty foolishly.  We stole two small stuffed turtles (couldn't retail for more than $15-20/turtle at the absolute most) from the gift shop and took two small plastic leafs from a fake tree in the exhibit.  The aquarium is charging us $250 for total compensation.  It seems like they are trying to make a few extra bucks because they know that we know they could press charges.  Obviously none of that stuff added up to anything near $250 let alone $50.  Anybody know if we have any negotiating power here or are we just fucked?  Also, we live in Ohio if that matters.

Answer:
 You can either pay them, or don't and take the chance they won't sue you and make a police report.

You don't have much in the way of negotiating room. Especially if they have you on camera stealing stuff and vandalizing their property.Answer #2: It is a civil demand and very common. You are not legally required to pay it, but they are generally a "if you pay this, we won't bother contacting the police or DA" thing.

It is up to you if you want to pay vs risking a criminal record.


Title: [NM] Boss went through my phone citing HIPAA. is this legal?

Question: I'm leaving my current job at a mental health agency and my boss asked to look through the contacts on my phone to look for anything associated with the company and she deleted several contacts. is this actually part of HIPAA? she didn't just erase clients she erased community resources as well.

Answer: No, that does not sound like a Hipaa action, it sounds like a non-compete action.  Unless there is protected data attached to the contacts, there is no reason that would be considered a data breach of Hipaa level.Answer #2: Were the contacts in your phone patients?


Title: [OH] Employer wants to pay me less than minimum wage during training

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You have to be paid minimum wage.

You can file a minimum wage complaint, but I would start looking for a new job. Somewhere that can't even pay their employees the legally required minimum wage, is probably somewhere you don't want to work.Answer #2: Ohio does not have a training wage statute. You must be paid at least $8.10 an hour. If not, contact the OH Department of Labor.


Title: What alternatives are there to the billable hour?

Question:
I've used a lot of legal services for various businesses I've run.  One thing that always annoyed me was the concept of billing for time, I always felt like it incentivised lawyers to produce overly complex solutions.

Has anyone used/ offered innovative alternatives e.g. fixed fee or subscriptions?  What were your experiences?

Answer:
 Flat rate billing is a thing for some attorneys/firms, but it is dependent on practice area and is more prevalent in areas where the time and cost can be readily assumed (bankruptcy, estates, etc.). However, logically you will have the same concern that they are shortchanging your situation to save money. I'd rather overly complex to too simple/under researched where a competent opposing attorney can poke a hole easily.

Regardless of the billing structure, find a firm or firms you trust in the area you need. You are paying for a professional service and expertise.


Title: [WA] Urgent Care visit getting billed as office visit.

Question:
We have health insurance that has a simply $50 co-pay for an urgent care visit, even with visiting providers that are in the "puget sound high value network."

While visiting my parents, my daughter had an earache. We Googled urgent cares in the area and found one. We called and asked for the nearest urgent care and what their wait times were. They stated that they had two urgent cares near us, one with a 45 min. wait, and another with a 0 min. wait.

We went to the one with the lowest wait time.

Later, we received a bill for $272.73. It was supposed to be $50. We called our insurance (they have always been good) and they said that the clinic billed as an office visit not as an urgent care visit.

I called the clinic. They stated that they don't have urgent care clinics.... they have "walk-in" clinics which they bill as office visit. Which cost more obviously.

They've already gone through coding review and it resolved nothing.

I've filed a complaint and am waiting to hear back.
If worse comes to worse, can I take them to small claims? I've had multiple conversations where a representative states "We don't correct people when they as for an Urgent Care." and "We are not license to have an urgent care facility."

Answer:
 It is on you to verify how your insurance would work at that location before establishing a visit, unfortunately.

You can try r/insurance for assistance though.


Title: If my country was under attack by terrorists, would I get arrested for murder if I (hypothetically) managed to shoot them to death?

Question:
I just thought about this in the shower and wanted an answer because I was curious. For clarity, think of the situation as the Charlie Hebdo shooting or the Las Vegas shooting -- armed men gunning people down because of their own personal goals (whether they're political, religious or something else).

And because laws are different everywhere, let's say the country is America and the state is California, Texas or Florida (as those are the most populated states). I myself am Swedish and I don't own guns, but I figured very few people here know anything about Swedish laws.

TLDR If California, Texas or Florida were under attack by terrorists, would I get arrested for murder if I (hypothetically) managed to shoot them to death?

Answer: Stopping the attacks you mentions would almost always fall into a state’s self defense statues. Obviously, details matter, but in general stopping a terrorist attack is legally kosher.


Title: RV went missing.

Question:
I hauled my RV to be repaired in Indiana. Unbeknownst to me, the mechanic stored the RV at a storage unit type place while waiting on parts. The RV was stolen from storage facility this past week. The RV is worth approx. $5,000, but I still owe $11,000. Is there any liability on the part of the mechanic or storage facility? I only had it insured for the $5,000.

I live in Tennessee. Mechanic and storage facility is in Indiana.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Ah, bailment!

Short answer. Yes, the mechanic is likely responsible for the value of the vehicle.  However, since you had it insured, you can't double-dip.  If your insurance gives you $5k for it, you can't then sue the mechanic.  Your insurance company would likely be able to sue the mechanic to recover that $5k though.  Your other option would be to not make an insurance claim, and sue the mechanic directly.

You likely have no claim against the storage yard.  The mechanic may have a claim against the storage yard if you or your insurance company successfully sues him.


Title: [ME] possession of alcohol by a minor and failure to show ID

Question:
hey guys, i got in a little legal trouble on saturday and i was hoping you could help me out a little

so i was at a beach and in a group of people, and was passed a bag of wine. a guy in a polo and shorts came up with a couple others and asked what was in the bag. i just dropped it and didn't say anything, and then he showed he was a cop and told me i needed to show him my ID. now, i'm in a state that does not have a "stop and identify" statute, so i didnt identify myself (i also didn't have it on me). he asked for a name and i didn't say anything. then he hand cuffed me and i asked if/why i was being detained. so they brought me back to the car and tried to look me up because i didn't say anything. they came up with an incorrect first name and wrote a ticket for failure to identify myself and possession of liquor by a minor.

looking back, i was pretty drunk and didn't think about the fact that having alcohol on the beach is against the law in itself regardless of age, however i wasn't being charged for that specifically. they brought me to jail and i was there for a little while. then i signed the slips that said i would appear in court (after they fixed my name)

i'm wondering where i screwed up (besides drinking on the beach), and if they did anything out of line. if you could help that would be great, if you need anymore information just ask. my biggest question is how can i be charged with these two things when one requires knowing my age?
Topic:
Alcohol Related Other than DUI

Answer:
 The burden of proof required for charging you with the crime is "probable cause."

They don't have to know *for sure* that you are underage, they just need to have strong evidence to support that position.

And if you look young and you are being stopped because the police suspect you are drinking underage, you could easily solve that by identifying yourself if you are, in fact, 21.

So looking young + alcohol + failure to identify yourself = probable cause to arrest or cite you.


Title: [Nevada] The judge is a good friend of my father-in-law and did not recuse himself in an adult guardianship case.

Question:
My father-in-law has been diagnosed with Parkinson's and has gotten to the point where he is to difficult to take care of without a guardian. He has his lucid days, so he has been able to hire his own lawyer to combat the case.

Today, my mother-in-law and my father-in-law went in front of a judge for further ruling on guardianship. It turns out that this judge is not the same one they saw a couple months ago to get the temporary guardianship, instead, the judge presiding happened to be a good friend of my father-in-law. When my mother-in-law asked her lawyer about it, she was told it was fine.

Suffice to say, the judge did not rule in favor of my mother-in-law and his public guardian, and instead ruled (against multiple psych evaluations and recommendations) that the temporary guardianship continue until June to be re-evaluated.

This continues to put strain on my wife and mother-in-law because they have to retain their lawyer for another 2 months. During this time, they are also going to have a divorce and I fear having this same judge presiding over that will result in my mother-in-law being royally screwed.

My questions are: Should the judge have recused himself for conflict of interest? Is there anything we can do about the ruling if the judge did have a conflict of interest?

Any other general advice will be greatly appreciated.

Answer: Your mother in law should appeal the decision.  Her lawyer would be able to advise her best.


Title: Company is saying its misappropriation of time to use Facebook while at office and they can bring civil or criminal actions for it. Is this true?

Question:
During training the company said that using mobile phones for personal purposes like being on Facebook is misappropriation of time and thus illegal and the company has every ground to bring civil or criminal actions.

Is this legally correct? Do they have the ground?

Answer: They can certainly fire you for it, but I don't know about criminal charges.  There would have to be a specific criminal statute in your state that criminalizes such behavior.  I would ask them exactly what that statute is.


Title: I work for an unethical boss and need some advice.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: It isn't your problem, don't worry about it.


Title: [CA] my mother has stolen thousands of dollars from me while i was a minor.

Question: Over the years, my grand mother on my father's side has sent my family and i checks for holidays and birthdays. My mother set up a bank account to save all of my money until i turned 18, well i turned 18 a few months ago and i have gained access to the account. While looking through statements i could see that she had not deposited a single check that was ever given to me. Ever. I want to know if there is anything i can do about the situation.

Answer: You can do nothing. Your mother legally could spend that money on food, clothing, housing, or anything else she needed or wanted to. Other than specific trusts, parents have control of all property and money of their childs.


Title: I paid an acquaintance who knew someone who worked at an airline for a ticket last year. now I have the airline telling me I owe them $2k for the used ticket.

Question:
the airline "received a rejection letter from VISA as the cardholder has declined the above transaction". the guy I paid has said that because I linked the ticket to my frequent flyer program that has caused this problem. the airline is threatening to send me to collections if I don't pay which will affect my credit.
It feels like I have no choice but to pay them as plan on getting a house in the next couple years and don't want the negative credit score hanging over my head. In Canada.
Topic:
Credit Debt Bankruptcy

Answer:
 It appears that the person who purchased the ticket subsequently disputed the charge on his account with Visa. Since the airline knows you were the one who traveled on the ticket, they're seeking money from you... Which you owe.

Your recourse would be to sue the person who purchased the ticket for you. Answer #2: Seems like: Person tried to use an employee discount to purchase a ticket for you. Airline discovered it was not the employee flying on the ticket, and changed the charge to the market rate for the ticket. Employee saw his card dinged for $2K and disputed the charge.


Title: Help with parental rights.

Question: I have an important question it is kind of an emergency. My ex and the father of my 5 year old,  is allowing my teenage daughter,who is not biologically related to himto stay with them they're refusing to give me access to her. They are telling her things like I'm a whore. They have zero legal rights to her my mother has guardianship but I still have my parental rights. She is 15 and refuses to interact with me since moving in there. I do not feel it is a good environment for her I want her   to go to school. She apparently has not been since she was 12. My mother who has guardianship with her took her out of school and is living in a roach-infested house. I don't know what to do how can I get her into school how can I make sure she is safe. I just bought a 4 bedroom home,  I live in a great area with the school she would attend near me.

Answer:
 To clarify, your mother has guardianship of your daughter. Your Mom has not sent your child to school for 2-3 years. Your ex now has the girl living with him.

If that is correct, how did it transpire that daughter went to live at your ex's house?


Title: My group of friends want to pull our money together. What's the best way?

Question:
I have a great group of friends 6-8 of us. We talk every year or so about buying a cabin or property for a group vacation house. Every one wants to contribute monetarily to the cause, but not every one can throw in $2k at a time. The idea we came up with is to setup an automatic transfer of $xx.xx /week into a common account that will build up over time.

My question is what is the best way to do this? Some options we've already considered are:
     1. joint savings account - credit union
We could wire transfer via paypal or some other free service.
If we needed our money back we could take it back no problem
     2. start a LLC
This would protect the investment in the case of a divource
Problem is it costs money to start one.
     3. Mutual fund (we wouldn't be able to access money easily)

any help or new suggestions would be much appreciated!

Answer:
 You should really speak to a lawyer.

Just because the 6 of you are friends now, doesn't mean you will be in 2 years.

Answer #2: Have everyone set up their own separate account for this.  Everyone contributes to their own, and you all get together once a year to review what everyone has.  You'll quickly see who is serious and who isn't.

Having a joint account is a recipe for disaster and disappointment. Answer #3: You need a contract drafted by a lawyer if you want to properly address this. Any way of pooling money in such a way that it can be accessible by any one of you is a bad idea without one.  All 3 scenarios you listed can lead to one person screwing over the rest.Answer #4: Seems like a terrible idea to me, especially if everyone isn't pulling their weight equally.


Title: Can my college force me to take a leave of absence because they consider me a medical liability

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You keep worrying about what everyone else might do to you because of your addiction instead of worrying that this addiction is going to kill you. You can't even stay clean long enough to go on a cruise with your family. You really need to not worry about being temporarily suspended from school, or any of that other stuff, and focus on getting better. If that means not going to school for a semester or whatever, then so be it. Your health should be more important to you.

Your school might not be as well equipped to handle so many serious addictions and you really should be looking at getting professional help through a medical facility so they can mitigate your withdrawals so your withdrawals don't kill you.

Worrying about all this other minor stuff when, in the grand scheme of things, you should be focusing on your health and surviving and overcoming this, aren't you kind of making more excuses as to *why* you can't get help yet?

It's very good that you're seemingly more willing now to get help than in your other post, I really hope you're able to beat this, and I wish you luck in your recovery.Answer #2: Go get clean.  You are not getting anything out of being in college if you're using that many drugs.

Yes, it's quite possible they will ask you to take a medical leave.  Which will be for your benefit, not theirs.  You are on the short and slippery path to an early death unless you address your addictions.  And unless you happen to be a millionaire, shit's not going to work even in the medium term.

Get help.


Title: Does Fair Use in the United States apply to how the copyrighted material is obtained?

Question: I notice a lot of people on youtube using copyrighted material on the grounds of fair use, but I was wondering if the law applied to whether or not the material in question was legally obtained by the user. In this day and age, there are entire sites dedicated to supplying clips of copyrighted material for these users (not to mention piracy sites like YIFY and thepiratebay.org, for those who prefer to live on the edge) and I was wondering if footage obtained without a licensed hard copy of the source, or through a borrowed hard copy, is still protected by Fair Use.

Answer:
 > I notice a lot of people on youtube using copyrighted material on the grounds of fair use

They're nearly always wrong.

> I was wondering if footage obtained without a licensed hard copy of the source, or through a borrowed hard copy, is still protected by Fair Use.

The act of violating the copyright in the first place is a crime.  Later screaming "fair use!" won't save you.


Title: Sister was injured at her friend's house.

Question:
So to start things off this incident occurred in July of this year and we live in Indiana.

While at her friend's house my sister sister suffered severe damage to her hand after a window shattered while she was in the process of opening it. The window had very noticeable cracks in the glass and while it was being opened, it shattered onto my sister's hand and caused a lot of damage. My sister's hand required surgery and several weeks of therapy to return to normal. As a result she is now left with some hefty medical bills and had to miss several weeks of work.

Yesterday the friend's mother demanded my sister pay to fix the damages on her window or she would be taking her to court. My mother due to fear of a lawsuit paid her the figure she came up with to fix the window.

So my questions are:
1.Will her homeowner's insurance cover any of the damages to my sister.
2.Are we at all liable to repair the window.
3.If we are not liable, did my mom jeopardize anything by giving her money to repair the window.

Answer:
 The homeowners policy should cover all the medical bills.  As long as breaking the window was not intentional you don't owe them anything.Answer #2: > The window had very noticeable cracks in the glass

Why did she try to open it?


Title: Boss stated I'm faking an injury, any protections / recourse?

Question:
I recently sprained my ankle pretty severely, over a weekend (not on the job). I do this often enough (unfortunately) and i  worked from home for the day after bc I couldn't walk.

As far as sprain severity, it was a low sprain. Major swelling, bruising, very limited range of motion and pain.

So, when I go back to work (office job), I'm using crutches and a boot. Bc I have them, I can't walk on it, and I need to have this properly heal bc I have a 2nd job that's more physical and I need to not re-injure this damn ankle (which is very possible,bc I frequently twist it).

Cut to, a person who is not my direct boss, but has a leadership position within the organization saying that his department thinks I'm faking it and they have a pool going because they think I'm just looking for sympathy. Said this in front of my boss in the middle of a busy office. He kept on with it, telling me I'm using my crutches wrong and if I was *really* injured, I would do x, y, z (to me it doesn't matter what his advice was, he is not a doctor). Other ppl join in and one person jokingly tried to kick a crutch.

While this was frustrating and upsetting bc I get real mad when people just tell me to "walk it off" especially bc that's how you cause permanent damage (which I have... Bc of ppl telling me to walk it off), I figured I was just getting overly upset.

Talked to my bf about what happend and he was furious (he's typically a very calm and logical person) and said I should talk to HR and call a lawyer.

Any advice? I mean... Are we talking bullying/hostile work environment? Or is this violating protections I have? Or just, annoying unprofessional behavior?

Answer: Did you go see a doctor about this?  Were you formally diagnosed with a low ankle sprain?  If so, did your doctor instruct you to use a boot and crutches at work?


Title: I Have pre-employment drug screening in 11 days, probably gonna fail.

Question:
Throwaway account for obvious reasons,
I just graduated (BS biology) and got back from vacation in Colorado where I smoked weed. I live in Missouri and I'm seeking employment in Kansas. The day i returned I was offered a job through a staffing company and have a drug screening on the 15th, I am almost certain I will not pass as I smoked regularly (daily) prior to this vacation as well. Should I tell the staffing company or just ghost them? Are there any legal ramifications for failing a drug test should I try to do so?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Let them know you will fail, some employers don't care if the only thing you are positive for is weed.

There is no legal ramificationsAnswer #2: NAL, used to be an authorized drug screener at a clinic.

Most employers understand that if you’ve been out of work, you may be doing things you wouldn’t do as a member of the workforce. They are FAR more interested in whether you can abstain long enough to have a clean test than in the nitpickings of your personal life before you and they crossed paths.

Ask them if you can postpone the test for a couple of weeks to get your previous use out of your system. If they say no, there are other jobs. If they say yes, abstain for the next few weeks and you’ll pass.

Legally it’s not a big deal unless it’s for a government job or because of an on-the-job incident of some kind.


Title: [CA] Found out recently there's a group of squatters living on my property.

Question:
I inherited a piece or land (about 10 acres) in California about 10 years ago from a relative and held on to it hoping I can build a house there someday. The property is vacant and mostly covered in woods, somewhat secluded.

5 years ago I moved to Texas and have only seen the property twice since then, it's been 3 years since my last visit. Recently I had a friend check the property while on a business trip and to his and my suprise there are a group of squatters living there. He sent me pictures and it looks like they have 5 campers, some tents and a ton of junk spread everywhere. What's worse is it appears that they've cut down some large trees and are using them for firewood and have dug a large hole in the ground for no apparent reason. He walked around a bit before being confronted and chased off by one of the squatters. I've investigated some more and called some neighbors, according to them the group has lived there for almost 2 years now and at one point was even larger.

My question is how should I go about dealing with this? I'm worried I'll have to travel to California, could someone evict them in proxy? Should I contact the police or a lawyer first? Can I deal with this myself? Any advice would be appreciated.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 >dug a large hole in the ground for no apparent reason

I hate to break it to you, but there is definitely a reason for that hole but you are *not* going to like it. Answer #2: Call the sherif. uncertain if they can be removed without eviction. so you'll likely have to get a lawyer too.

it's not eviction by proxy. you don't have to be present to evict if you retain an attorney. you needn't appear at all until maybe a trial. way down the line.

your lawyer will probably start an eviction suit and also send them a letter saying they have to start paying rent on 1/1/17. he might also suggest that you offer them money to leave voluntarily.


Title: [NY/UK] I may be being prosecuted after impersonating a celebrity on Twitter/Facebook and cancelling their event appearances

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Turn yourself in is not good legal advice.

 What you should do is hire a lawyer Right.Now.  Your lawyer will be able to negotiate any civil or criminal liability you have in a way that is most favorable to you.  I must say that anyone who would cancel an event and cause serious financial loss on the basis of a tweet is moron. Do NOT talk to the police until your lawyer tells you to.


Title: Iowa As/Is sales, test drives, obligation to report safety issues with vehicle ?

Question:
My uncle found a car ad on craigslist he was interested in.  He went to test drive it.  It was parked on the street, and he drove away with it.

When it comes to a stop sign he finds that the car brakes don't work. He could not stop for the stop sign and was hit by a car that had the right of way.

The owners of the car knew the brakes didn't work but are claiming no fault at all because they listed the car "as is."  But why would you let someone test drive your car knowing it had no brakes!?

The police officers agreed that the people are scummy but said that in terms of the law/insurance they're not sure how it will play out.

I am wondering if any police officers here have responded to any accidents in these circumstances, and if so how did it turn out?  It sounds like a long shot but we would like some perspective on this as my uncle doesn't have a lawyer yet.

Answer: That's above and beyond gross negligence, your uncle needs to call an attorney. Being sold "as is" doesn't absolve the seller of gross negligence, and unconscionable dealings. See Uniform Commercial Code article 2, section's 314-316, and 719.


Title: Can my mother force the police to give my phone to her?

Question: I'm 17, working and living at my aunt's house because my mother kicked me out. She doesnt like me and we recently got into an arguement over the phone because she misnterpretted something. She told me to hand over my phone or shes going to contact the police. She said if I didn't meet her at her house after school with the phone, shes going to do a search for it at my place. Can she make the police give her my phone that I paid 700 dollars and the monthly bills for? Also I live in IN.

Answer:
 For starters you should inform the police you were kicked out of your home. It will prevent your mother from claiming you're a runaway.Answer #2: Yes, your mother has the right to confiscate your phone. Even if you paid for it. At 18 you legally would be entitled to it back.

As for whether the police will intervene that is unanswerable.


Title: Developer filed easement against my property to build access road to undeveloped land. What are my options?

Question:
First off, thanks in advance.

I recently just purchased a home in January in Pennsylvania. In the seller disclosure, there was mention of an easement several years prior adjacent to the property. When we further inquired the sellers on the matter, they informed us that a developer had attempted to construct a road adjacent to the property to a strip of land he might develop for residential use. They said that the case had remained dormant for four years, and the matter seemed to be at rest.

Today, 6 months later, I received a letter in the mail from an attorney that previously represented the property owners of the house I purchased. The letter informed me the Developer is looking to push forward with his previous initiative to construct a road on the easement adjacent to my property. The lawyer asked us to reach out to him in order to protect our interests.

I would like to understand what rights I might have to prevent this road from being constructed. I am confident if such a road is constructed, the market value of my house will be severely impacted, potentially 25% or more.

A few notes, the house is a 120 year old historic house in the area, I am further concerned any disruption of the land around the residence could potentially impact the structural integrity of the house. Would this be a premise to have the construction prevented?

In addition, I searched the township board minutes. Fifteen days prior to the closing on the house, the developer brought this case back to the Township board meeting. With that, should the seller not have told us of this since we were in the process of closing? Given that they should have known litigation was being brought back into the picture. Would I be able to sue the seller for the difference in value of the house assuming the road is built.

I attached a map of the property boundaries. I own the blue area, the developer owns the red outlined area. He is looking to use the strip with the red arrow pointing to it to build a road.

[Property Lines](http://i.imgur.com/12ri7JR.jpg?1)

Answer:
 First, if you want to fight this, you're going to need a lawyer.

Second, as a general rule this is what an easement does - it gives them the right to cross your land to get to theirs.  *Sometimes* you can make an argument that what they're going to use the easement for - servicing several homes - is more intensive than what the easement was granted for (access by one property owner).  But that's not an argument you can make on your own and not something that can be figured out over the internet.

Third, it looks from your map that you don't own the property the easement crosses.  If that's case, you probably don't have a basis to contest them using the land.  If they're using it in a way that affects your property, you maybe have what's called a "[nuisance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuisance)" action, but probably not before they do anything.


Title: Selling an Iphone with activation lock

Question:
Hi,

I live in the USA.
I was recently on vacation in South Africa & was approached by an individual who ended up selling me a very cheap Iphone 6 Plus.
When I returned home I tried to get it activated with my SIM card and discovered that the phone is locked with an activation lock and is originally from northern Europe. Most likely stolen.
I see that there are similar phone for sale on Ebay...Would I be facing any legal issues if I sell this phone on Ebay with the clear indication that it is activation locked?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 Wait.

The nice guy in South Africa selling super cheap iPhones to tourists on the street is **not** a legitimate businessman?

Say it ain't so!

If you reasonably believe that the phone is stolen, you could still have some liability for trying to sell it.


Title: Non-consensual Sex tape uploaded to the Internet (North Carolina)

Question:
I have a friend who was videotaped (without her knowledge) having sex with another college student. According to her, she was "blackout drunk". This was less than 5 years ago. Anyways, this video was uploaded to a porn site (without consent obv). This happened in the state of North Carolina. She knows the guy who did it. He currently lives in NY and works for Goldman Sachs. She can probably find the video. What are her legal options? How illegal is this? Can she sue for damages or have him arrested? This guy seems like a real dirtbag.

Edit* She never contacted the police about the incident.
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 contact the porn site and ask for it to be removed.

as far as other legal options, this sounds like rape.  contact the police.


Title: Living with harassment - need advice

Question:
For the past year, my boyfriend and I have been living in an apartment complex in a fairly bad neighborhood. We befriended an older woman (70) who we'll call Miss Mary for this. For the last three months, we took over as her in-home support workers (in title only, as we had not completed registering yet) and have been literally doing anything and everything she asked of us. Finally, at the end of last month, I got really sick (Pneumonia) and finally ended up going to the ER to get it sorted out. As it was memorial day weekend, I was able to fill my prescription that night, but wasn't able to pick up the meds until halfway through the next day when the pharmacy reopened.

I was having extreme difficulty breathing the next morning, and with an hour to go until the pharmacy opened, i turned to Miss Mary for help; asking if I could use her asthma inhaler, which was the same kind I had been prescribed. She got upset with me for asking, and I realized immediately that after all we had done for her, if her reaction was to get upset, that our natural friendly and caring nature was being taken advantage of. At that time, I handed her back her key and told her that we wouldn't be taken advantage of, and that we had no interest in continuing our friendship with her. She got even more upset at that time and began screaming insults at me, so I called her a bitch (admittedly not my finest moment, but I was sick, couldn't breathe, and very upset) and stormed off.

Now that you've got the backstory, here's where we get to my issue. For the last two weeks, we have completely avoided her. I haven't said another word to her, and have been dealing with non-stop harassment from all of her other friends that live here. The woman who has picked up as her new in-home support mocks my laugh every time she sees me, which is multiple times a day; so I'll be walking to my house and a loud "HA HA HA HA" will come out of her doorway. I have several instances of this recorded and have been working with our local security company, though they really haven't been much help. This is annoying, but obviously not a huge issue, it just makes everyday life a little more difficult; constantly recording everywhere i go.

The major issue happened about an hour ago, though. We were woken up from a nap by a loud banging on the door, and my boyfriend answered it to find another of Miss Mary's friends standing there. She then said that she was going to light our apartment on fire, threatened to kick my ass, and told us she had a gun in her pocket. This was witnessed by several of our neighbors, and some was even witnessed by our apartment manager; but I just spoke with her and she was very non-committal and simply told me we would discuss it more on monday.

I don't feel safe in my own home. I have a stun-gun next to my door that one of my neighbors just gave me, and i hate weapons of any sort. I am at a loss as to what to do, at this point moving isn't really an option. Any advice, or even words of support, would mean so much to me right now. Thank you for taking the time to read my wall of text, I just wanted to make sure I gave you as much information as possible about my situation.

TL;DR: Neighbors are harassing and threatening me, apartment isn't doing anything, and I can't move. Any advice?

Edit - Forgot to include; I am in California

Edit again - Just filed a report with the police, thanks for your support guys; they were much more helpful this time than they were last time and I'm feeling pretty stupid for not calling right away. I'll keep you updated on the situation as it goes.

Answer:
 >She then said that she was going to light our apartment on fire, threatened to kick my ass, and told us she had a gun in her pocket.

That's over the line. If you legitimately fear for your safety call the police. Otherwise start looking for somewhere else to live. But maybe you guys kind find a way to make peace. Try apologizing and see if you can try to start-anew.

>Thank you for taking the time to read my wall of text

[That's not wall of text, this is a wall of text](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/38rv74/pretrial_diversion_violation_what_can_i_do_plus/).Answer #2: If someone shows up to your house, banging on your door late at night, threatening to assault you and burn down your house, the first number you should have dialed was 911, not your property manager.

Call the police, get a restraining order.


Title: If I witness someone getting beat up (because they used racial slurs against someone who knocked them on their ass), and I call 911, am I required to give a description of the suspect or what happened to police? Would it just be better to leave the "victim" alone and not call an ambulance?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Failing to report a crime, or refusing to identify a suspect, is not obstructing or harbouring and does not make you an "accessory after the fact".

Refusing to help an injured person because you disagree with their political beliefs makes you an asshole. Answer #2: >If I witness someone getting beat up (because they used racial slurs against someone who knocked them on their ass), and I call 911, am I required to give a description of the suspect or what happened to police?

No.

>Would it just be better to leave the "victim" alone and not call an ambulance?

How in the world would that be better? Answer #3: Presuming you're in the United States, you are not compelled to provide a statement to law enforcement or to a court until you are subpoenaed to do so.

You can watch the whole thing, video record it, post it to social media, and then tell the police "I will not answer questions".   What you cannot do is make false statements to police, like "I didn't see anything".   While exculpatory false statements are virtually never prosecuted, they are still obstruction of the police investigation and are a crime in many jurisdictions.

You also are not required to summon medical aid for a person who is injured unless you participated in injuring them, either actively or via negligence.


Title: Landlord sent message about adpoted cats. "Dissapointed and sad"

Question:
[Fl] Hi, i signed a lease in Feb 2017, my land Lord said his wife is allergic to animals and asked if i had any pets when moving in. I said no. The ad for the apt said small animals were welcome, and there is nothing in the lease stating i cannot have pets. I adpoted 2 cats in June.

He sent a message saying he's "very sad and dissapoited when I found out you brought cats into the apartment after we told you about severe allergies"( The apartment is conpletely tile by the way. )

He went on to say the "security deposit will hopefully be returned to you if apt is professiobally cleaned and no damaged"

If there is no damage could he still try to refuse giving my deposit back? The lease says nothing about no pets,and when searching for the apartment i remember very clearly it saying small pets allowed.

Will be taking photos of everything when I move out, nothing has been damaged besides a tiny stain here and there on their painfully annoying woodgrain counter tops.

Answer:
 >Will be taking photos of everything when I move out,

The key will be photos of when you moved in.

For your deposit, if your landlord can substantiate charges, you can either pay or dispute in court.Answer #2: If the lease doesn't forbid pets, you're not in violation of the lease.  He can still deduct anything from your deposit related to damages, and you'd have to sue to get that back if there's a disagreement.

Your best bet is to spring for professional cleaning with animal allergy specific cleaning chemicals and provide that to your landlord.  Otherwise, if your apartment still smells of animal, he can have it cleaned and deducted from your deposit.


Title: Gave "best friend" $10000 to buy home, he ended up forging documents

Question:
Looking for some advice on how to handle this.
Background: I'm well off, worked hard most of my life towards getting there with the company I built over a decade. I generously donate money to charity, and try to help people when they need it.

Him: Finally got on his feet after a bad 5 year stretch with little work and little money. Last year got a promotion to manager at a local home improvement store and started to make good money, just had a kid to top it off. We've been best friends since middle school.

So last year in July, he found a great home at a great price, the problem is he didn't have enough money to make a down payment and pay the closing costs. And while I would never encourage anyone to live above their means and to never give friend or family money, he just got a 50% raise at work plus the home was a great deal I thought. I ended up giving him $10000.

I completed the two page letter from the bank stating it was gift and listed my relationship to him as Friend that I've known for 10+ years.

Everything was great, or so I thought.

Fast forward last week: I receive a letter from B of A stating that his mortgage is under audit and that they would like me to verify the included documents.

**The documents had me listed as a "Brother" and my signature forged.**

I'm in complete disbelieve and shock he would do such a stupid thing.

I'm meeting with my lawyer in two days and have tried to contact my friend but he won't return my calls.

How do I proceed from here? Should I let B of A know? Is there a legal requirement?

Edit 1: I should also mention I never sent anything to the bank directly. I only sent him a digital copy of the two page gift letter.

Answer:
 Not a lawyer, mortgage specialist 15+ years

Speak with your lawyer first, but I want to put it out there that he may not have done anything wrong.

I have seen the 'sausage being made', some people are dishonest and will do whatever it takes to close the deal.


Title: So I was fired

Question: Up until recently I worked at a McDonald's (in Arizona, a Right to Work state if that matters) and I refused to come in on a day I had requested off well over a month prior. I was told that my boss had said either I come in or I'm fired by one of my coworkers, however I later found out that my old boss no longer worked there at that time (I'd been out of town). Is there a term for this sort of thing?

Answer:
 > Is there a term for this sort of thing?

Yes, you were "fired."

You might be entitled to unemployment.  Start looking for a new job.


Title: School Newspaper will Publish Name with my Misdemeanor next to it, Online & Print. Need help ASAP.

Question:
United States, New York:

Yesterday I was charged with a misdemeanor by my college's university police. I am under so much stress from all of this and to add to it, the school publishes all police and fire department happenings in the online school paper as well as the printed version. I cannot have this happen, I have a great reputation with professors on campus and I am not trying to let everyone know about this. On top of that, since it is posted on the website, it will appear whenever anyone searches my name. Yesterday, while looking up my charges (not including any reference to my school) the schools newspaper's website came up. I had already tried calling them today, I left a message, and I have not received anything back; this leads me to believe that they are ignoring it.

What could/should I do? I am settling on a lawyer tomorrow and the firm does help with school related issues but I would prefer to not pay them to do that as well. Would an email from my lawyer suffice? Is the paper doing anything that I could potentially have my lawyer threaten them with? (e.g tell them to back down because they are violating such and such law) Could this possibly considered slander?

Thank you in advance. I really need them help.

Answer:
 They have no obligation to remove the story and/or picture if the facts are true.

You can ask politely, but be prepared for them to refuse. Answer #2: In America we have a free press and we have public police and court records, so you're SOL. If you want to spend money to "fix" this, you should hire an SEO/reputation management agency.Answer #3: Your arrest is public knowledge. There's likely nothing that can be done legally to stop them. Maybe they will exclude it because you asked, but they don't have to. Quit worrying so much about your reputation. I seriously doubt your college professors are going to care. They work at a college. I think they can look past the indiscretions of youth to continue to help you pursue your academic endeavors. Answer #4: > Could this possibly considered slander?

So long as everything they print is the truth then it is not slander. It seems like most of the stuff they are able to print is going to be a matter of public records and therefor there is nothing you can do about it.


Title: Age of consent in New York?

Question:
I met two kids who were dating and look cute together. Unfortunately, the boyfriend was 18 and his girlfriend is 15 and the boyfriend is now facing legal issues related to statutory rape.

Is this even possible? What is the law regarding age of consent in New York and does it account for young people close in age?

Answer:
 New York allows people aged 13 to 16 to engage in sexual activities with people that are within 4 years of their age. So no, this boy wouldn't be convicted of statutory rape.

Where are you getting this information from?


Title: Someone tried to poison my dog in my backyard [PA]

Question: I looked out into my backyard to my dog barking viciously. I see a man IN MY BACK YARD (he opened the gate, walked in) and there was a couple pills in his hands he was trying to feed to my dog. I ran outside with an AR threatening to kill him and he ran away. The pills were on the floor and I picked them up.. could I face any legal issues for protecting my own property?

Answer: You wouldn’t face any legal issues because it’s your property and you have the right to defend it if an intruder breaks in. Also, He tried to poison your dog. I think the police will side with you because he tried to poison your dog. If you know the person who broke in just go to your police station and file a report on this guy. Tell them the whole story and ask for them to arrest him.


Title: Sued by City of Chicago for 1997 parking fine

Question:
Just got mail from court saying they are suing me for $200 on an unpaid parking fine that took place 20 years ago or in 1997. I am in AZ and cannot believe this just happened. Anyone else experienced this? They are threatening wage garnishments. Am asking for suggestions and advice here. Thanks.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 Boy, Illinois is really scraping pennies from wherever they can at this point, huh?

It seems that, surprisingly, there is no statute of limitations on parking tickets in Chicago.  So, it seems their claim might actually be valid.

The burden of proof would lie with the city of Chicago, however, so if they cannot provide proof that you were ticketed, you have a chance at getting the tickets dismissed.  Alternatively, if you can provide proof that you paid them, that would help as well.

[Here's an article from a couple years ago](http://www.nbcchicago.com/investigations/chicago-parking-tickets-301504251.html) outlining the city of Chicago doing that exact, same thing to other people.  In at least one case, the city was unable to provide proof of validity of the charges, so the tickets were dismissed.Answer #2: Chicago (city) has no statute of limitations for parking tickets. They can collect.

Call and ask how to get a receipt as proof of payment, and send them money. Answer #3: Slightly off-topic, but without a statute of limitation, what’s preventing them from inventing tickets from 30, 35 or 40 years ago?Answer #4: The Supreme Court of Illinois in Landis v. Marc Realty, L.L.C., 235 Ill. 2d 1, 919 N.E.2d 300 (2009), held that the statute of limitations for ordinance violations that impose financial statutory penalties is two years.  The ticket is an ordinance violation, so you should be able to have it dismissed. The problem is it will likely cost you more to do that than it will to pay and be done with it.


Title: Crashed into Wet Cement. What can I do?

Question:
I've gotten into the habit of taking my longboard to work.  I find it really helps wake me up and it's decent exercise.

 This morning I was heading down a reasonably sloped hill (nothing crazy).  In the distance I saw a construction worker walking towards his truck.  There was single orange cone standing noticably close to the sidewalk but not in my way.  The worker saw me and began shouting to get my attention, but by the time I made eye contact with him I was on my way down.

My board stuck into the freshly paved cement and I went flying.  My body skid across the wet ground and onto the existing concrete.  When I got up, the skin was torn from my elbows and parts of my hands, my clothes were shredded, my watch and cell phone destroyed.  It's been about 9 hours since then and I have bruises from the fall.

Initially, I felt silly at my inattention and took my walk of shame home (and late call to work) with a sense of humor, but the more I talk about it the more it seems like I can legally have something done about the construction worker's failure to make a timely warning barricade around the cement.

Reddit, what do you think?

Answer:
 >  it seems like I can legally have something done

Such as? It sounds like you rolled into a work site and caused damage to it and yourself based on your description.Answer #2: No. You can't successfully sue for being wreckless and crashing into a work zone.

Feel free to hire a lawyer to try and sue. They cost hundreds an hour.


Title: [KY] I received a summons today for a mortgage I've already paid off through refinancing and I'm not sure what to do.

Question:
**Backstory:** I took out a mortgage in 1999 with a company that is now bankrupt *(we will call them Company #1).* That mortgage was assumed by another mortgage company *(Company #2)* and I recently refinanced my home loan with another company *(Company #3)* which paid off *(Company #2)* and I have proof of this.

Now I have received a summons out of the blue that names me and the now bankrupt/non-existent *Company #1* as the defendants saying that the lien was never released on my home.

___

**Summons:** The summons claims that there was a break in the chain of transfer (or something along those lines) and that they need to go through the court to prove that the mortgage has been paid for.
___
Any help would be greatly appreciated, I've never missed a payment on the loan and I've never been sued before so I'm not sure how to handle this. I'm not sure if this is any easy fix or not.

I can provide any extra detail if need be.

Answer: I would start with the title company that did the refi.Answer #2: Check with your County Records. Get copies of the original MTG, the Assignment b/t Companies #1 & #2 and the Release that should have been filed when when you refinanced. Assuming all this happened, you should be able to submit copies of those instruments and be in the clear.


Title: Can my "friend" sue me for not moving in with him?

Question:
A former friend of mine, his gf and I had the idea of moving together. I was living in my own flat and he and she moved together in a place for three persons. The plan was I move out and move over to their place. I was a bit lazy and I waited a few weeks until I asked my landlord about quitting the contract for my apartment. He said the deadline of moving out would be three months, which is pretty normal here, but I would have to officially quit the contract.

I informed my friend about this and they said ok, but it would be important I do get there after the deadline, because the rent is a little high for them without me paying my part.

Then things changed and they both lost their jobs. The girlfriend quit because she just didn't want to work there anymore and my friend was fired I believe. (He talks a lot of bullshit, so I am not sure what happened)

Instead of getting a new job immediately they basically did nothing but live from their savings. But they spent a lot of money on restaurants, a new computer and so on.

I really didn't feel like to move in with them because I feared I would have to pay the rent all alone which wouldn't be possible for me. Instead of giving them a real talk about my opinions I said my landlord won't let me move out, which was not true because I didn't officially quit my contract for the apartment.

They both made a lot of debts and finally quit their apartment contract. They owed their landlord a lot of money and to pay him back his gf borrowed 5k from her grandparents.

Obviously they have to pay the money back and they asked me to give them 2k. But I don't see why I should give them this much (2k are my whole savings), because they just didn't want to work and started to spent their money on bullshit. I know it's partly my fault and it was very shitty from me to tell them I would come but I knew I wouldn't, because they are both unemployed and can't handle money well.

They basically said I have to give them 2k or they will sue me for not moving in with them which resulted in their financial situation, because they had to pay the whole rent on themselves. But I never signed anything. I said I would but my name wasn't in any contract or something. Can they sue me?

Because I don't have a lot of savings a lawyer wouldn't be the best idea, if I don't have to get one.

Answer: Unless you signed a contract, you do not owe them the money. You don't need a lawyer at this point, just ignore them.Answer #2: *Can* they sue you? Yes. Anyone can sue anyone for most anything. *Will* they? Not likely because they won't win.Answer #3: Did you have any signed agreement with them or were you ever part of the lease they were on? If the answer is no to the above, they have no leg to stand on and you should pay them nothing. They can still sue you (because anyone can sue for anything), and if you get served you shouldn't ignore it. But it's highly doubtful they would win.


Title: My Landlord Refuses to Renew my Lease because of my Cat

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 There is no legal battle to fight here.

Your landlord has notified you 60 days from renewal that he is not renewing your lease. He is not legally obligated to renew your lease.


Title: FL: Mom's husband exposed himself to my adult sister. Sister filed police report and is safe. Help me help my Mom!

Question:
Please excuse brevity because I'm on mobile. Probably not relevant but I live in TX, while everything below occurred in FL.

My adult sister sometimes stays at our Mom's (and our Stepdad's) place to do homework. Sister says that Stepdad would occasionally masturbate under a blanket in the living room at night, but she chalked it up to embarrassing behavior on his part. Last night she was in the guest bedroom when he yelled "Hey [Sister], come out here, I've got something to show you!" She steps out to see that he's moved the living room chair in front of her walk way, he's facing her, robe spread open to expose himself, masturbating in front of her. I'm not sure if she said he literally said "Do you want it?" or if it was implied (facial queue). In a rush she gathered her things, ran into master bedroom and woke Mom to tell her what happened, and stormed out. Crying as she drove, she called 911. They advised her to pull over and file a police report in the county of the incident (Sister lives in a separate county). Sister filed police report with police officers and said she'd be willing to testify if the state brought charges. Sister is home safe with her own husband and kids.

My Dad was insanely abusive and manipulative (he's out of the picture), so all of this has triggered my Mom. Mom is deeply insecure, and unsure what to do because she fears she's undesirable and needs to stick it out with Stepdad, but naturally Sister wants nothing to do with Stepdad. Mom originally begged Sister to drop the charges and said she would have to side with Stepdad over Sister, but I coached her down over the phone afterward and reinforced her self worth and that it's not her job to defend or explain away Stepdad's actions. She's calmer now.

I want to make sure Mom is okay so I'm willing to fly her out to my place today (again, in TX), or put her in a hotel in another FL city (where my gf and some of her family live). However, from a legal perspective what would be the wisest action right now? Note that my mom has a well-paying health care industry job  and Stepdad is a loser who hasn't held down a job in years. He's practically always home, and owns a gun. He's not the brightest bulb, so while he's not a violent guy by nature I have no idea how he will react to what's happening. No doubt he recognizes Mom is his gravy train.

Mom has acknowledged that if he has to go to jail then so be it. She believes Sister. She's not begging her to drop charges any more. However I think Mom's current state of mind is fragile so I fear she may still make an impulsive decision to side with him.

Mom is at work to take her mind off things, so I can't reach her at the moment. Please advise me on next best steps to protect her. Thank you.

Answer: I'm not certain at all he committed any crime. She's an adult, it was in a private home, and he never touched her. Appropriate or not adults can make sexual advances towards other adults.  Was he arrested? Answer #2: If your mom doesn't want to divorce him, there's not much you can do to make her, besides encourage her seek counseling for her self esteem issues. When she doesn't feel like she's stuck with him, she might be more willing to divorce him.


Title: Predator sting, but no law enforcement (OH)

Question:
So my uncle was caught in one of those online predator stings, however when he went to meet up with who he thought was a 15 year old girl, there was no girl (obviously), no Chris Hansen, and no police. Just a couple of guys filming with their phones. They accosted my uncle, then posted the video on Facebook with his full doxx, and posted chat transcripts on their website.

My uncle has always been a sketchy guy, so I wouldn’t be surprised if what they’re saying happened, but he is now claiming that he knew they were faking, and he was just messing with them. So far he has not been contacted by the police, so my question is:

1. Can he get in actual legal trouble for this? Should he be getting a lawyer?
2. Is it legal for these guys to be doing this, and then posting people’s info publicly
3. If my uncle really is a 40-something guy trying to hook up with teenagers, is there a way to stop him or get him help?

Thanks lawyers

Answer:
 > Can he get in actual legal trouble for this?

Yes, of course.

> Is it legal for these guys to be doing this, and then posting people’s info publicly

There's little to no issue with them posting honest and accurate information about your uncle.  It may eventually rise to the level of harassment, but that's a long way down the road.


Title: Both parents possibly (probably) going to pass before two younger brothers are 18. What do I do about custody?

Question:
Like the title says, my parents both have terminal forms of cancer and are likely not going to live long enough for my brothers to become adults. I am 17 years old, turning 18 next July, and my brothers are 14 and 11. My father only has a maximum of 20 months to live, and while my mother's cancer is harder to predict, she thinks there's a decent possibility that she won't be alive for the 14 year old to turn 18. I've talked to them about getting custody when they're both gone, and they weren't entirely closed to the idea, but they weren't super receptive to it either. I don't feel comfortable leaving my brothers in the care of another family in a different location when they have just lost both of their parents. If they don't choose to give me custody, what legal rights do I have to become their guardian?

&#x200B;

In that same vein, who will my parents' life insurance money go to when they pass? Will I be responsible for guarding the funds until my brothers are of age, or will the money go directly to them?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Talk to your parents about this.  This is a lot to deal with and not all the heavy decisions and responsibilities should fall to you.  Find out if they have set up  will and trust.  Make sure they are thinking about how you and your siblings will be cared for as the cancer progresses and they can no longer take on parental duties.  Make sure they have thought out their end of life medical care and how it will be handled.

Also make sure each parent has created a durable financial POA (power of attorney) and designated at least one person to handle finances when they are no longer able to.

Each parent should create a living will so everyone will know what type of end of life medical care they want.  The living will will call out if they want extraordinary efforts at preservation of life, or whether or not to put in breathing tube, feeding tube, etc.  Also have medical power of attorney set up so a family member or close friend can make medical decisions for them if they cannot.  Talk to them about end of life care and hospice care.

This is all a lot to deal with, it will take some time and effort to sort out all the legal and medical documents but having those in place will make handling their affairs much easier than if they were not set up.

Your hospital social worker can help with a lot of the medical stuff.  The trust, will and financial POA can be done either simply or with an lawyer.


Title: Can we sue the flipper we bought our house from?

Question:
EDIT: Thanks for all the responses, I appreciate the insight and information. To note, not getting the home inspection was a very obvious mistake. The decision to forgo it was purely due to the fact that we had less than 24 hours to make the call and we were on edge with living with my in-laws.

Another thing I forgot to add and judging by some of the comments it might give our case some standing. In the listing for the house the flipper claimed the furnace was new. Last year our furnace was failing. We had a guy come out to look at it and he stated the reason the furnace was failing was because some parts needed replaced. Basically a switch that prevent carbon dioxide from backing up needed replaced. The guy ran the serial number of the furnace and found it was over 7 years old and that the parts in the furnace was roughly that old as well. So not only was the furnace not new it had all OEM parts.

Again, thanks for the all the great responses.

/EDIT

We live in Ohio and my wife and I bought our first home together over a summer from a serial flipper (according to the realtor we had he flips several houses a year in our area). We ended up passing on a home inspection when the day prior to the schedule inspection the banker called us and said she made a mistake in quoting our closing cost and that they were going to be a few thousand more than she first told us. Being young and dumb and we decided to cancel the home inspection when the seller refused to push the closing date back a week while we organize more funds, which in hindsight seems pretty obvious but we were desperate to move out of the in-laws spare bedroom. In the end closing costs were not more, in fact they were half of what the banker first told us. It was a suspicious incident but whatever.

After we move in for the first year everything seemed fine. But the following Spring a lot of weird stuff started happening. First, random outlets in the home stopped working. The break would flip randomly at the slightest thing, like turning on a TV. The drain in the shower "slipped" out of a join because, according to the plumber, it wasn't fitted properly or sealed. An extension that was added to the house is a laundry/toilet. The electrical wires that run to this room are old. A friend of the family who's an electrician said that the wires look like they came from another job he might have done, which he said is illegal. And the wiring to the dead outlets is shorted and no reasonable man would have left them in the house because they're 1) illegal, and 2) a serious hazard. We just killed the breaker.

But the worst so far is that I suspect there's no insulation in certain areas of the house, or it's not properly installed, exterior insulation. I say this because we've had a pretty nasty cold spell where it's been consistently near zero or in the low single digits for several days now. When I went get bread out of the cabinet this morning it was frozen in spots. Touching certain walls that are sealed off, like a closet against an exterior wall, it's ice cold. According to our neighbor the house was completely gutted when the person before the flipper bought the house and was planning on renovating it before he ran out of money. So the guy who flipped the house would have had to basically do an entire remodel from the ground up, including putting in insulation.

We've had the house for five years and are at a spot where we think we can sell it as is for what we owe and just get out from underneath it. However, with this new revelation and considering everything else that's wrong with it, we suspect that this guy didn't follow building codes and renovated the house under illegals conditions but from everything I've read and have been told this stuff is incredibly difficult to prove. I would like to know what our options are and what we can do. Thank you in advance.

Answer:
 Blown in insulation is not super expensive. The machine is usually free with insulation purchase. I’d recommend a long weekend and installing some in the cold spots. Answer #2: It's been 5 years and obviously it was a mistake to skip the inspections but these problems may not have been discovered and they sound fixable besides. I'd plan to fix them before you sell. Answer #3: This would be almost impossible to prove in a court, especially so many years later. You had to prove all these issues were caused by renovations he did and not already there when he bought it. Answer #4: These things may be construction defects.  Do you know if permits were pulled for all the work?

I would suggest finding a local lawyer that does construction defect litigation to see if you have a case.  They would probably have someone that would inspect the property (typically more thoroughly by opening walls and stuff) to find all the defects and write a report.

Here is a summary of the Ohio construction defect laws:
http://www.isaacwiles.com/8D47D8/assets/files/News/Ohio%20Construction%20Defect%20Law.pdf

I think you have a case but I am not a lawyer.


Title: [SD] Is it legal to buy my 17 year old GF a vibrator.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Don't do this. It might not be expressly illegal (I don't know SD laws), but it's close enough to things that are that her parents could make it a thing.

Buy her a nice back massager/shower wand.


Title: Manager just yelled at me and got in my face

Question:
I just had a disagreement that turned into yelling on my manger's part. As I was getting up to walk away from the situation he took three steps at me and got in my face to which I said "are you serious right now?" he looked at me dead in the eyes and said "yes I am" as though he wanted to fight. The odd part is I tower over him and he probably couldn't beat up a teenager.

I'm not sure what to do. What can happen if I report this to HR? I'm not really sure what to do.

Answer: report it to HR or move on with your life


Title: (Georgia) sketchy traffic stop

Question:
I am a young girl and I was pulled over today after taking a picture at a red light. After the light turned green I no longer had any contact with my phone. I was soon greeted with blue lights and quickly pulled over. The first thing the police officer said to me was "I saw you texting on your pink phone" which was weird considering my phone is not at all pink. I told him I took a picture at the red light and he took my license. He came back after a while and said "Now we are going to have some fun." I didn't know what to say so I sat there and he said "take out your phone and take a picture of my car and post it for everyone to see" I obliged and he then said, "Good, now everyone should make fun of you for it." Then proceeded to hand me my citation where I could see that he wrote as a note that "driver had both hands on phone typing while head was down looking at screen while vehicle was in motion." Now this is a complete lie because all I did was take a picture at a red light. What are my options and how do I get out this expensive ticket considering I'm a broke college student!

Edit: My ticket is $181 dollars and I know now that what I did was illegal. But, if there's any way I could not pay the ticket or settle for a lesser cost/ penalty due to how I was treated I would like to take that route.

Answer:
 OCGA § 40-6-241.2

>(b) (1) No person who is 18 years of age or older or who has a Class C license shall operate a motor vehicle on any public road or highway of this state while using a wireless telecommunications device to write, send, or read any text based communication, including but not limited to a text message, instant message, e-mail, or Internet data.

Doesn't matter if you were stopped at a light. You still broke the law. (There's only an exception for parked vehicles.)

>he said "take out your phone and take a picture of my car and post it for everyone to see" I obliged and he then said, "Good, now everyone should make fun of you for it."

If this is true, DO NOT DELETE that picture. Go straight to the police station and ask to speak with a supervisor. Tell him what happened.

You should also speak to a traffic attorney. You may have gotten lucky, because while you still broke the law, the officer committed misconduct by having you post that picture.


Title: Looking to rent my first home, does this person/situation seem like a legitimate house rental

Question:
I messaged this guy from his email off craigslist for a home that he is renting out. He told me a bit about himself, why he's renting out the home, and attached a "forum" at the bottom to get to know me and my situation a bit. I replied answering his questions and filled out the "form" (Just my name and anyone else who will be living with me, my current address, and any pets I may have). Then I received this email, but for the first time in the emails I don't really understand what he's saying. He had mentioned me getting the keys and "documents" for the house, paying the first months rent and a refundable deposit (which are the same amounts) that I could get back if when I receive the keys and view the house I don't like it I can get my deposit back without paying a first months rent. To me it seems like it makes sense, but at the same time I'm still confused on if this guy is wanting me to send him a grand THEN receive the keys, etc. because honestly if that's the case I'm not sure I feel safe with that. What do you guys think?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: This sounds like a scammedy scam scam. I mean, look at the verbiage of the email. It's just weird all around.


Title: [NM] Can my dad get some kind of an order to prevent his ex-wife and her daughter from contacting him, and showing up at his house?

Question:
She isn't physically abusive to him, but she does steal and try to scam him.  Last week, her daughter contacted him 3 times, attempting to get permission to get over. This week, the calls have ranged from once a day to twice a day.

He is 79, his memory is failing some, and he does things (get scammed) and can't remember until afterwards.

For instance, the VA was sending someone out twice a week to do light housekeeping duties for him.  His left leg was amputated back in the mid to late-90s, and he hasn't been able to wear a prosthetic leg for a while now, due to bone growing through the skin.  So he is electric wheelchair bound.  Anyhow, one of the housekeepers that the VA sent out kept going on about how she had a hard time getting to his house, due to not having a car.  First she conned him out of $3000. so she could buy a car, and then after she got it, she conned him out of another $2000 for repairs for it. She made 3 payments on that, then quit showing up to clean.  He called the company that the VA had hired, and they reimbursed him for the amount, as soon as he showed them the checks that he had given her.  But he is really prone to being scammed/conned by people.

He has told the ex-stepdaughter not to contact him any more, and she keeps telling him that she and her mother needs to see him.  He's informed her that he will shoot her mother, if she sets foot on the property.  He also believes that he is at death's door, and at this point, I believe he would kill her.  He hates her mother with a passion.

So is there some type of restraining order to prevent someone from coming over, if they haven't been physically abusive to him in the past 10 years?

Answer:
 You should talk to him about allowing someone else to care for his financials through a POA.

He can try to get a restraining order but that will be difficult with his mobility and mental status. A POA is going to be the best option, if he is competent enough to make that choice. If not then you need to talk to an attorney.


Title: Asking someone to leave after inviting them onto my property

Question:
If I allow someone on my property (or into my home) then ask them to leave, are they then considered to be trespassing? What are my options with this specific case? I tried to do some research but couldn't find much pertaining to this specific case.

Edit: per location bot's request, the location is atlanta ga

Answer:
 Who are you allowing?  Under what circumstances?  Are they living with you?  Answer #2: As others have said, you can call the police and ask for the person to be escorted off your property. The police may ticket the person especially after multiple calls---and eventually, could mark you as a nuisance caller, so don't keep inviting the same idiot to your home and then expecting the police to clean up your mess. At some point, just don't allow the troublesome person to come at all.

Unless they're a vampire of course, in which case all it takes is a single invite in ;)


Title: Texas, Nurse told me my insurance fully covered a CT scan I needed, now being hit with a large medical bill

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 No it's your responsibility to make sure your insurance covers things. Nurses and staff deal with hundreds of combinations of plans and companies per day and they have no duty to do your due diligence for you.

If you didn't call your insurance company to confirm then there's not much you can do.


Title: My sister's divorce lawyer just dropped her because she didn't have enough $. May a family member/friend sit with her as a stand-in during the next hearing & consult? She doesn't need to be alone against her vicious ex. Thank you!!!

Answer:
 She cannot have a non-lawyer represent her, but she can have family members present in the courtroom.  The judge *may* allow a family member to sit with her but they will not be allowed to speak to the court.

I’d definitely suggest finding a lawyer who can set up a payment plan.Answer #2: If her ex is abusive she can contact a local women's shelter or centre and ask about legal advocacy or if they have recommendations.  No one but a lawyer can "consult".


Title: What happens if an innocent person escapes prison?

Question:
Let’s say someone was charged with a crime like murder, and broke out of prison. Then this convict was able to successfully hide as a fugitive. During that time, somehow new evidence came forward that proved they were innocent.

Would they be charged with breaking out of prison even though they shouldn’t have been in prison in the first place?

Answer:
 >Would they be charged with breaking out of prison

Let's go with *could* they be.

Yes, they could be.

Innocence or guilt is shockingly irrelevant to the legal system.  The evidence that they were innocent of the crime might be used to overturn the original conviction, but until that happens they are not released from their sentence.  Breaking out of jail is a crime; the fact that they are later determined to not be guilty of the murder they were convicted of does not mean that they get to commit other crimes for free.

*Would* is more abstract.  The DA has a fairly broad ability to decide what crimes to pursue and how; in this case, the state might choose not to prosecute the convict for the escape, or to find a lesser charge to prosecute them for instead.  *Would* is a function of the crimes the committed while escaping from prison, how much political (or social) pressure the DA's office is getting about the breakout and the murder case, what the new evidence is, how high-profile the case and convict are; all sorts of things add into the DA's decision of what to pursue.


Title: (WI) Friend's mom is not allowing friend to leave with child

Question:
My friend had to temporarily move home after giving birth. That was about 7 months ago. Now, friend is attemoting to leave the house under stress and Grandma is refusing to hand the child to Friend. What can we do?

Grandma is also threatening that if Friend leaves, Grandma will report her for abandoning her child.

Answer: The mother calls the police if someone is refusing to give her her own child. Then leaves with the help of the police


Title: Parents Basically Kick Me out and Threaten to Take me off both Health and Car insurance

Question:
(Ohio)

So it all starts with this girl. I told my parents I want to marry her, but she’s not Catholic therefore not allowed, I don’t budge, and it snowballs.

Fast forward a few days, I’m now living with her and my parents won’t talk to me unless it’s them telling me that since I moved out, I’m automatically taken off both insurances (Car/Health).

I have a full time job, I can get insurance through them if I have to but I figured I would call my parents insurance companies who both have told me I’m still insured until I’m married or 26 or however that works. I’m 20 and not married and don’t have any kids or anything like that.

Fast forward six months, I’m on my feet now, paying bills, being a grownup etc. I had made a claim with my parents car insurance about a month ago for opening my drivers side door in a parking lot and scratching the paint on some college professor’s Benz. I made a claim, they called the other guy involved, all was well until they called my dad.

My dad (who I had told about the incident about three days prior, in explicit detail and had asked him to write it down) proceeds to tell the insurance company that I moved out and he had no idea that any of that happened. Then he called me and told me that the insurance company said I wasn’t covered since I moved out and I have to pay out of pocket for the paint repair.

SO I called the insurance company back and they said I was still covered and they were handling my claim but need my dad to talk to them since he’s the insurance holder.

Now aside from all that, my bank account is attached to theirs, my phone is on their plan, my car is in my dad’s name (I’ve had the car since I bought it when I was seventeen, in cash, all that I had saved up for) and my dad said it would be a good idea to put it in his name to keep insurance costs low. I’m still attached to them in basically every sense of the word, and so much more stuff regarding anything from threatening to revoke the car I bought that’s in my dad’s name, to not telling me about surgery bills that were sent to their address until it went to collections.

I guess my question is how can I stop all of this nonsense and completely detach myself without any kind of backlash from the parents? Any help would be appreciated and if this is in the wrong place, please let me know.
Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 ask your dad to sign the title over to you, register and insure it. get new bank accounts and get your health insurance from your job.

if he wont sign the title over to you then you are pretty much proper fucked.

if the car was insured on the day of the loss the claim will be paid with or without your parents ok. and if they stop the claim then the damage is basically their problem as it is their car so they can be sued.

and get your own phone too. how exactly are you grown up and independant if nothing you have is yours?Answer #2: Head over to r/personalfinance and they can help. It's imperative that you get your bank account settled first. It'll be the key to cutting the other cords. Do you have your essential documents ( birth cert, SS card, passport, DL?) they will use these as leverage against you to get you to comply.


Title: [CA] Trash fee but I had placed my bag inside the bin, so what's going on?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 Tell them that you have no control over whether people remove trash bags from the bin to fit their own.  Never ever admit it is your trash when you are referring to the bag. They need to empty the bin before it gets full, before they start trying to charge people.

Unfortunately you’re dealing with peak campus which are a notoriously terrible management group. I suggest going in person to the clubhouse and making a fuss about how it isn’t your responsibility to make sure people aren’t removing trash bags from the bin because management isn’t emptying it enough. You could even state you’ve seen people removing bags to fit their own.

Additionally, OP I urge you to photograph everything in your apartment because peak campus is known to charge tenants to replace wear and tear items. They take advantage of college students who do not realize they cannot be charged to replace these items, (especially if you have the furniture package with the bonded leather furniture).Answer #2: Is it possible that someone removed your trashbag from the bin, tossed it on the ground, to fit their own into the bin? (Because it was overstuffed). So when they came around to take pictures- it did legitimately look like you had tossed yours onto the ground?Answer #3: What you can do is ask them why they fined you for someone else's trash.


Title: Girlfriend has debilitating gastrointestinal problem, GI doctor is refusing to look further into and is barring her from getting a second opinion.

Question: My girlfriend has a serious gastrointestinal problem. She's had this problem for three years now. It caused her to drop severely underweight due to being afraid to eat because of the intense pain it can cause. She went from working full-time, to now only working 2 four hour shifts a week because of this. She's had a few scans of various sorts, which showed she had a bacteria overgrowth problem, but these scans are old and from a small town hospital. We live in Minnesota now and have been seeing a GI doctor at a top tier hospital. He was fine at first. Gave her an antibiotic that no doctor had tried before and it fixed the problem for several months. The problem is back now, and he's refusing to do any more testing to find an actual source of this problem because "she's had enough tests" and basically told her she just has pain because she has pain and sent her to a pain management clinic. She contacted patient experiences at this hospital because he was also refusing her request to get a second opinion on the matter. Patient experiences got the doctor's bosses involved, and they're siding with the doctor and still not allowing her to see a new doctor. There is no other clinic we can take her to in the area with this kind of specialist. Do we possibly have any legal action we can take to get them to just allow her to get a different doctor involved? We're desperate at this point. This problem is holding her back from accomplishing so much.

Answer:
 Something doesn’t sound quite right here. One doctor cannot categorically block a person from seeing another doctor.

If she can’t access the specific facility because they’ve refused to continue treating her, she should start again with a new general practitioner.

NAL or doctor


Title: drive thru lady shorted me $ when i asked she said i was lying then called police then got racial

Question:
State Indiana

I drove threw a coffee and donut spot. Got a coffee, my wife a donut and son a bagel.

It was 4.94 I give her $100 dollar bill.

She gave me back 84 instead of $94 I counted it as I got it handed to me and she said no there is one more $5.

I said even with one more $5 it's still $5 short. She then had another girl come over and she asked to count it.

I gave it to her, they both went to the back and came back and said they could take my # and I would have to call the manager tomorrow. They said they weren't 18 and manager wasn't there so they couldn't open the drawer.

I have my number they left the window. Then they never gave me my food.

So they were serving other people finally o asked them via the window and she said a manager was coming and I could wait. Then she said to the other one pointing to my wife, that Spanish Spick something something.

I said what ? She said a manager is coming you can wait.

We waited. Two minutes or so later a cop pulls up walks up to my car.

The cop says "I had a report that you won't leave the property and you've been asked to leave"I said  no I was told to wait.

The cop has me pull over and gets my idea. I explain he says he will be right back

He takes my ID

He goes inside and comes back out and asks my wife's name.

He then says that the girls inside said my wife has done this before, she hasn't they were lying and trying to cover their ass for the Spick comment.

The cop says the manager will call me tonight if the drawer is over which is like whatever.

Then he says me and my wife are banned from the store and if we come back can be arrested.

Any suggestions ? My wife is in tears.

Answer: Don't go back.  They are not worth giving your money to.


Title: Legal term for this situation? Malicious prosecution?

Question:
Sorry if that was confusing. I’m looking for the term to describe a situation like this:
Detective demands your records because of an anonymous tip that suggested that you were involved in an assault, embezzlement or something. The police go through all your files, records and find no evidence of whatever crime they were looking for. Instead, they find that your taxes weren’t filed properly or a similar small crime. You are charged and found guilty for that crime. Is this malicious prosecution and is it illegal?

I’m asking this question not because I’m in a bad situation with the police but something similar happened to me with an organization that refused my membership because they were investigating me based on an anonymous tip which was completely false and baseless but then they found an unrelated mishap that I committed and used that reason to refuse my membership. I have tried appealing with no luck. Could I try appealing by suggestion malicious prosecution or something similar?

Answer:
 Private organizations are an entirely different thing.  They make up their own rules and you have no rights.  You might look through the bylaws and see if the membership committee is allowed to do that, but it's a bit of a longshot.

&#x200B;

In the case with the police it's simple:  If a detective demands your records then tell him/her "get a warrant", and that will prevent them for prosecuting for any other evidence that they might find,.


Title: [Pennsylvania] I was served a subpoena for something I know nothing about

Question:
Yesterday(3/17/15) I was served a subpoena to appear in court tomorrow(3/19/15).

I'm not being charged with a crime, but it asks me to bring documentation for restitution and/or insurance deductible claimed.

I tried to call the attorney's office number that's on the subpoena, and they told me to contact a specific officer at the local department. I visited the police department in person after two failed attempts to reach the said officer.

They didn't give me any information about the case, other than saying that my vehicle was involved in a vehicular accident, and that I have appear in court tomorrow morning.

I have never owned a vehicle in my life, nor do I have a driver's license.

Besides the subpoena, are there any documents I should bring with me?

This is causing me a lot of stress and anxiety, and I'm afraid I'll get in trouble.

Thanks for reading.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Just tell the truth and stat that you do not own a vehicle, I would bring my Identification papers and social security number to. Since it seems either a matter of identity theft or one of mistaken identity.Answer #2: Be careful that this isn't a setup for some time of a scam.  Keep a good hold on any personal information unless you are 100% positive it is someone actually involved with the court.  And keep a tight grip on your wallet, credit cards, debit cards and bank account.

I my mind I find such short notice of the subpoena as suspicious as the fact that this isn't being fully explained to you which is as suspicious as the fact that it involved a vehicle you never owned.


Title: Can my employer automatically deduct lunch breaks?

Question:
I’d like to start by saying that I work for a car dealership as a service advisor in Southern West Virginia. (WV is considered an at-will state)

I work 8-5:30, Monday thru Friday with an hourly wage of 12.50/hour and a commission based on total shop hours paid to me as a bonus.

Every week, even if I don’t take a lunch (as a service advisor I’m often not able to due to volume and meeting demand,) however, my employer will still automatically deduct 30 mins from my time sheet! I’ve brought this issue to HR and was told that “it is stated in the handbook that we will deduct 30 mins from your pay if you don’t take a lunch.” So basically, get out of my office and deal with it.

Now, I’m no lawyer (hence why I’m posting on here) but I feel as though this isn’t legal practice under federal law and I feel as though I’m having money taken from me illegally. I’ve been with this company for 1 year as of February.

Am I in the wrong to have a beef with this issue? Do I have any ground to stand on in this situation? Does a employer handbook supersede FEDERAL law?

Answer: They’re obligated to pay you for the hours you work whether it goes against their policy or not. That being said they are still within their rights to fire or discipline you for violating their policy. I fired a guy for not taking his mandated lunch, but I still had to pay him.


Title: Car towed from apartment, my pass was visible on the dash, not the back window

Question:
New Hampshire Resident here. My car (100% owned by me, registered in my name, was paid in full, not leased or financed) was just towed from my apartment, where permits are required to park, and are supposed to be displayed on the back windshield, however, I was home late from work and set it on the dash, and apparently the tow company refuses to look at any other part of the vehicle they're towing. It was mentioned to us when we rented the apartment that permits needed to be displayed in the back windshield, but never in writing or in the lease forms, and the few signs there are in the lot do not specify the placement of the permit. Would I be wrong in assuming that because I had the permit displayed, regardless of the location, I can at the very least get the tow fees waived, considering that there is nothing to specify where the permit must be located?

Thank you for any and all help and advice.

Answer:
 > Would I be wrong in assuming that because I had the permit displayed, regardless of the location

Since you admit you were told it had to be in the back windshield, yes.


Title: [Repost] Workman brought a prostitute to our apartment while we were gone

Question:
Reposting in an attempt to get more eyes on this.

Our landlord is currently in the process of remodeling our apartment complex and is in the middle of re-doing all the plumbing. He took advantage of our recent out-of-state trip to strip our bathroom down to the studs and remodel it. The only request we made of him is that he not use any of our neighbors for labor, as we are private people and if I wanted any of my neighbors in my home I would have invited them. He readily agreed; he owns more than one complex and has laborers/contractors he uses at his other properties.

Just in case, we bought two spy cameras: one for the living room and one for our bedroom, pointed at my dialysis system. My only thought was we'd catch someone being nosy and poking around in our stuff.

Well. Imagine our surprise when our kitten digs out an open condom wrapper from underneath the couch. We don't use condoms. Yes, I guess I do have to sit through 57 hours of 1-minute videos to find out who had sex in our apartment and pleasepleasePLEASE don't let it be our landlord with a mistress.

It was his helper (heretofore known as 'Minute Man'). He brought a (possibly underaged, hard to tell) prostitute into our apartment on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday; Monday's dalliance was smack in the middle of the afternoon, if you're looking for a new definition of 'brazen'. It was the same prostitute all three times and we have clear shots of... well, everything unfortunately, including him picking up a used condom off my coffee table (where I sat and had Chinese food last night) and giving her her money.

It is video only, no audio. We live in Arizona. My husband and I are at a loss as to how we handle this, especially since we did not tell anyone the cameras were present. I can't imagine someone having a reasonable expectation of privacy in someone else's home, particularly when they're bringing unauthorized people over to get bodily fluids all over my apartment.

What - if anything - can we do about this? Quite frankly I don't see myself sitting on the furniture ever again so it would be great if we could get the couch replaced at the least. Do we confront the landlord? Do we confront this guy directly? Do we have any recourse at all?

Answer:
 You can report this to the police, if you want.  You can take it to the landlord, if you want.

You can sue the handyman for actual damages.  Your couch isn't destroyed by having someone have sex on it.  A cleaning is far more reasonable, in terms of damages.

Answer #2: Do NOT confront this guy. Consult with a lawyer (re: the privacy issue) and consider bringing the footage to the police. You currently have evidence of a crime. A lawyer can also help write a demand letter to your landlord so you can get a replacement couch. Answer #3: File a police report against the woman who was in your apartment, and provide a copy of your security video as evidence. You having security cameras in your own home is not an issue, nor do you need to have made anyone aware of them. You also don't have to figure out what crime she committed, the police will investigate and determine that. If the woman is in fact underage, they may even be interested in tracking her down as a victim.

As far as Minute Man, that's going to be a civil issue. You absolutely can go after him (and her, if you think she has any assets) for the cost of cleaning your furniture and anything else that they may have hooked up on, as well as any medical costs you may incur for exposure testing.

You should definitely give your landlord a heads up about what's going on so that he or she won't use their services again.


Title: CA, USA - Landlord demanding prorated rent $$ for time I'm not occupying the room.

Question:
I was asked to move out of the room I'm renting on December 6th after a mild disagreement. The girls occupying the house are daughter to the owner, and acting landlords. We agreed I would be out before January 6th. I told them today that I would be out by this Saturday December 30th. They're now asking when I move out on the 30th, that I pay the prorated rent for January 1-6th. They also say they will mail me my security deposit within 21 days.  So they're holding $700 of my money and demanding I pay them $135 more for 6 days where I will have no possessions in the house.

How does this read to you? I've done nothing but be cooperative with 2 young ladies who are clearly ready to fight and argue. The tenant before me brought them to court after leaving when they didn't return his full deposit. The former tenant won the court case. So these ladies have a history of bad renting, would that also factor into a judge's opinion of this?

At this point I'm having a hard time paying them more money when I don't occupy the space, and I'm not 100% certain they will give me back my deposit.

Answer:
 >How does this read to you?

Legal and correct.  You gave or received notice on Dec 6th for 30 days.  You owe all of those 30 days.  Unless they AGREE to a prorated rent to get you out faster, you cannot unilaterally determine that your rent will be prorated at the last minute.  This is unfair because you never gave them a reasonable chance to re-let the room and make up for the lost income between the 1st and the 6th.  It is YOUR choice to move out early, and YOU must bear the cost.  On the other hand, you can occupy the premises until the 6th if you need to take longer moving.

They have every right to hold your security deposit until you have fully relinquished the occupancy of the property, and they have had time to repair and deduct as necessary.

In short, this is standard and what you should expect going forward from landlords.