Title: URGENT: Travel without physical green card?

Question:
Ummmm...

I’m supposed to catch a 2:59 flight to South Africa, and we thought it was all set.

But, come to find out, my mom mistook the working permit for my green card.

My mom had gotten a green card, and it was assumed that I, her child (I’m 17 years old), would get a green card too.

So I have a few questions:

1. How can I check if I do have a permanent residence status?
2. Are there ways of circumventing the green card requirement upon reentry?
3. Is it true that the children of an adult automatically get a green card along with their parents?

Things aren’t looking too bright
Topic:
Immigration

Answer:
 > I found my green card in a hidden compartment in my drawer

You're 17. Bear in mind, if you are 18 or older, you do have to carry your green card with you at all times.

>*Section 264(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (I.N.A.) requires all lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to have “at all times” official evidence of LPR status.*Answer #2: From where are you leaving? Your passport is from what country? What country are you a citizen of? What sort of work permit do you have at 17?Answer #3: Don't get on that flight. You'll be in trouble when you get back. You don't just "assume" you have a green card. You need to physically have one on you at all times if you're not a US citizen. Answer #4: Don't leave the country, unless you want to stay outside for a while.Answer #5: My buddy's wife is Canadian. She recently drove to Canada and realized she forgot her CA passport and US green card while in line to enter Canada. She wanted to turn around but the Canadian dude said it was too late. She called hubby back in Seattle but he was unable to find the documents.

When she wanted to enter the US a few days later, she stopped at the border and went in to talk to US border guys. They questioned her, checked her driver's license and looked stuff up on the computer. They scolded her and told her don't do that again and let her in.

We were all surprised it wasn't more of a pain. It probably helped she's a middle aged white woman.


Title: Rotten egg of a neighbor... But we don't know which one.

Question:
My husband and I have recently purchased a house. We've lived here since the beginning of Nov. and it didn't take long to realize there's a rotten egg in our little dead end street. Were pretty sure it's the neighbors kitty-corner from us but we don't have any concrete evidence. They have 2 small dogs that they let run wild and they're dachshund so, they're literally one of the most aggressive dog breeds. But that's not even the worst part, every single night... well, 5 or 6 nights out of 7, they are revving their motorcycle or dirt bike for 30 min to an hour and hot rod it up and down the street. It's so loud that it has woken my daughter and I up on numerous occasions. Sometimes its as early as 8/9 o' clock at night but it usually happens between 12 and 3 in the morning.

my question is, can I get the police involved(I reside in Washington state)? And if So, can I just call them and tell them what's been going on or is it something I need to call them while the neighbors are doing it? I wouldn't mind talking to the neighbor myself but I don't know for sure which one it is. Im going to try and go outside the next time it happens just to get idea of where its coming from. We are just assuming it's this one particular house because of other issues, such as the dog incidents, but we don't see a motorcycle or dirt bike just hanging out their drive way. There are about 20 house on our street. But the whole motor cycle thing happens so often and interrupts our sleep so much that I would really like for it to stop or have it take place at a reasonable time. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 Couldn't you call your local non emergency police number and report a noise disturbance (especially since if it's at 12-3 am). Look up your noise ordinances. Everywhere has a clause for reasonable peace where you live, so while they are doing it, call the police, and if it's that loud, then they would hear it from far away too (if that makes sense).

I dealt with this with my neighbors. They are our neighbors in the back. Especially during summer they blast (no where near a reasonable noise level) music from 8 am to 12 pm repeatedly. I was nice and they wouldn't stop. So I called the police a few times and they stopped after getting some fines for disturbing the peace.


Title: Can the police track down an instagram account? Please help out.

Question:
Reposting from r/TooAfraidToAsk.

I’m really scared and need someone to talk to about this.

Don’t judge me, but on Instagram there’s a community called “roleplay” and I was in it and I ended up meeting a girl, we talked and in roleplay we were a “couple” but later down the line she developed a thing for me and wanted to talk to Snapchat and get to know each other so we do that, I come to find out she was 15, maybe 16 (I’m 20) and didn’t think much of it, but we flirted and stuff and I started to not feel comfortable about it anymore so I broke up with her and blocked all of her accounts, and then her brother supposedly called the police on me about the situation and claims they will be at my house and I’ll get sent to jail. The girl and I were never serious like that, though, no pics were ever sent or anything.

Anyways, I deactivated the account but I’m just worried the police will still track it and find me, if this is true, or track my snap.

If that’s the case, can I even get in trouble for this? If no pics were sent or anything sexual, and words are just words, should I be worried? The guy claimed he was excited to “ruin my life”

I just need someone to talk to. I’m from the US if that helps.
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer:
 This sounds like a scam.

Block everyone involved and move on with your life. Nothing you've written suggests you committed any crime.Answer #2: This sounds like a common scam.  There was a never a girl, there was never a brother.  It's just a warehouse of Indian dudes scamming people.  If you had stayed in contact with them, they would be telling you to wire them $XXX.YY so that they don't report you to the police.


Title: [Louisiana] State Troopers have been watching my house for the past 8 months or so. How do I handle this?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 There are three possibilities, more than likely all 3 of them are true.

1.) You are overthinking this and being paranoid. I'm sorry.

2.) That's where that particular officer goes when he's bored/to eat his packed lunch and chill.

3.) That's where they're watching the road for traffic infractions. Churches are common spots for speed traps.


Title: (AZ) Single dad looking for family law advice.

Question:
I am currently in a case with my ex-girlfriend over our son. He just recently turned 3 and I just started to get to see him. To make a long story short when she was pregnant she originally told me that the baby was not mine but then switched her story back and forth so I didn't want to sign the birth certificate at the hospital and wanted a genetic test and it took 3 years because she moved out of her apartment and changed her phone number so I could not find her. Now that I have pursued this and found them, I am currently paying child support and back child support for the last year and the last couple months I have been having weekend visits for 1 hour when she is "available." Needless to say the visits have not been going well by her showing up late, leaving early, and making rude remarks to me. She still has not explained to my son that I am his dad. She has married another man and she tells my son that this other man is his father.

We do have an evidentiary hearing coming up to check in on how things have been going but she has hired an attorney saying that I am being unreasonable and is going to try and make me pay for her attorneys fees. I am only representing myself and I have not asked for anything more then what I am entitled to according to AZ law.

Please if anyone can give any advice it will be very much appreciated. Thank you.

Answer: Hire an attorney as soon as possible.  Going up against an attorney by yourself is a recipe for disaster.  That goes double in a custody dispute.  You're not even bringing a knife to a gunfight; you're bringing a picture of a knife to a gun fight.   Beg, borrow, whatever you have to do to get the money you need to pay someone, but you need a professional if you don't want to get beat up in the courtroom.


Title: GF's boss forgave her student loans and now is filing 1099s for the money he gave her.

Question:
My GF and I met in NYC while she was working a salaried position as a office manager for a small insurance firm. Her boss told her that he would forgive her student debts over the course of 4 years ($20,000: $5,000 per year). She was employed there from 2014 until 2018, and there was drafted contract but it was never signed. When they made the agreement, he gave her a check, from the company, for the amount of her loan which she then deposited into her checking account and immediately paid off her loans with that money. We decided to move back to my home state, so she put in her notice and was termed 2/1/18. A few months after we moved she received a phone call from her old boss saying he was going to process the money he gave her for her student loan as 1099s over the course of a few years.

I'm confused though because it seems to me that the agreement was that he would LOAN her $20,000 to pay off her debt and then FORGIVE that debt over the course of 4 years. Am I mistaken in understanding that a loan is not considered earned income? Does the contract still stand or is it considered a verbal agreement because they never signed it. Does she have any recourse here to avoid that tax liability for the money he gave her?

It just sounds really shady to me. She's hesitant to confront him directly because their working relationship was not the best.
Topic:
Tax Law

Answer:
 I'm not an accountant, but that sounds correct to me. As part of her working for him, he was going to pay off her student loans. That is income. Also debt forgiveness is treated as another form of income. So if he forgives his loan to her, that is income.

Unless you could prove it was a gift, she will need to treat it as income, including paying taxes.Answer #2: Honestly, it sounds like her old boss is being really nice about it.  Having given her the full amount immediately and spreading it out over several years of 1099s to lessen the impact is pretty cool.Answer #3: Forgiven debt is taxable income per [IRS](https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc431)


Title: What's worse thing HoA can do if I don't pay their arbitrary fine and just say them fuck off?

Question:
in LA, CA. I want to use tinted glass for my front window, because it directly faces afternoon sun. This would directly project very bright light on my sofa which I don't like. I want moderate light.

They say I can't do it. I did it anyways. They fined me. What to do?

Answer:
 Sweet Jesus: get a light filtering shade or curtain. This isn't an either or situation.

Or alternatively get a lien placed on your property by the HOA.

Is this a bridge you really want to die on?Answer #2: Check your HOA contract. Depending on the contract and State laws they can fine you, send you to collections or in some instances - place a lien against your property for failure to pay dues and assessments. I suspect any fines they have would fall under assessments.


Title: [Pennsylvania] Rare books dealer bought books from estate; has since been arrested for buying stolen books

Question:
Hello,

   My grandmother passed away in January leaving behind a huge house full of things to sort through. Our family has lived in the house for 3 generations so a wide variety of stuff has piled up over the years. One of the most notable things we have discovered was a huge collection of books, some dating back to the 1600's. This dealer was recommended to us so we invited him to the house and he went through the collection. He picked out a few boxes of books and paid us a lump sum. This sum was lower than what we had expected. While we did not sell him this book, he quoted a book for a MUCH lower value than what was given to us by a different appraiser.

Recently, news has broken out that he had been buying stolen books from a library. This has made us review our dealings with him. The executor of the estate has not cashed his original check yet. He must have noticed this and he contacted us saying his accounts were frozen and he would have to write us a new check. While we do not know if any individuals have been victimized by him, we would like to either have the books appraised by a 3rd party or have them returned to us. My mother texted him about returning the books but we have yet to hear back.

Our main issue is that we do not have a list of what books he bought from us. However, we would be able to identify the boxes and the contents given the chance. We are also wondering if any books in his warehouse would be in a crime scene / considered evidence.

We will be contacting the police tomorrow, but we do not know if we should have a lawyer present when doing so. We also are very hesitant about cashing any checks from him.

Do you all have any advice about how to proceed? Please let me know if you have any questions.

Answer:
 I don’t understand what the issue is. He offered you a price and you accepted. The fact that he was buying stolen books from someone else doesn’t factor into your transaction.

I would cash that check before his money starts going to legal fees.


Title: Wrongfully terminated, do I have a case?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 That isn't wrongful termination. You can be fired for any reason that isn't:

1. Due to race/gender/national origin/ect.

2. Due to engaging in protected activities (e.g. discussing pay)

3. Due to you refusing to commit a crimeAnswer #2: Sounds like you were terminated, but it wasn't wrongful.


Title: Pay cuts due to economic downtime. Workload has increased, pay has decreased.

Question:
I work in the oilfield in western Canada. Given the current recession the company I work for is having problems due to be fact that they're a young company who spent well beyond heir means during their boom. There has been layoffs and cutbacks everywhere, but now they're trying to introduce a pay cut, and I'm not entirely sure it's legal. I'm sure the way they're attempting to go about it makes it legal, but I don't think the whole idea of it is legal in the first place.

Basically, they're calling us in and asking us to sign for the pay cut. That makes it okay for them. I'm wondering what happens if I refuse to sign? Do I keep my current pay and they have no legal recourse afterward? Can they get rid of me because of that?

I've tried reading the Canadian labour codes but it's all jargon to me. And honestly this pay cut, should I sign for it, wouldn't affect *me* very much, but I work with a lot of great guys who have families to support, and I'd like to be able to give them something concrete to rely on.

You can imagine we're all very bitter, given that we're a publicly traded company, so we know that the higher ups took a devastating 10% cut to reduce themselves to a paltry 5.3m/yr salary.

Answer: I can't speak to the legality of your specific scenario, but it isn't unheard of for a company to ask staff to take a pay cut as an alternative to making redundancies. I worked for a company a number of years ago that asked its 2000 staff around the world to take a 10% cut on the promise of no mandatory layoffs, and the restoration of the lost wages through share options and bonuses when the company was back on a stronger footing. To my knowledge they followed through with that promise.


Title: Can a school punish me for wearing a shirt about a massacre?

Question: I only just recently just found out about the Kent State Massacre, and I was disgusted about how it isn’t common knowledge. So I wanted to make a shirt that simply said “Kent State, 5/4/1970” Can my school punish me for wearing this?

Answer: They can punish you if it "materially and substantially interfere with the requirements of appropriate discipline in the operation of the school." *See* [Tinker v. Tinker V. Des Moines Ind. Comm. School Dist. 393 US 503 (1969).](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker_v._Des_Moines_Independent_Community_School_District). Having said that, I doubt the phrasing you're wanting to display coupled with the fact that it happened nearly 50 years ago would rise to that level unless you did something more than merely wearing the shirt.


Title: Would it be possible to "legalize" or more accurately decriminalize cannabis/ marijuana at the local or municipal level?

Question:
Location: Iowa

IANAL - So, similar to how some States in the US have decided to legalize/ decriminalize marijuana/ cannabis I was wondering if it would be possible for a similar situation to occur at the county or municipal level? If it's not possible, why isn't? Is it a clear legal issue or would it be an issue of funding/ appropriations? While I have my location listed, this question doesn't have to be specifically about Iowa, though bonus points if it is.

I'm not a cannabis activist by any means. I don't use it, nor do I plan to. I'm just curious as to it's legality. I suppose my inspiration is partially from the widespread state spree of decriminalization as well as "Hamsterdam" from the HBO television series "The Wire". Thanks in advance. :)

Apologies if this breaks any of the subreddit's rules. I suppose this question is somewhat hypothetical/ political, but could also see how it isn't. Mods if you feel as if it is, let me know and I can post it to r/legaladviceofftopic

Answer:
 So, let's be clear about what's happening.

Marijuana is illegal at the Federal Level.
Marijuana is illegal in "State A"

If "State A" repeals their laws against marijuana, people say it's "legal" there.  But it remains illegal under Federal Law.

So the same thing could happen at the municipal level.  The city can remove its ordinance against marijuana.  But the state law (and the federal law) would remain.


Title: [LA] HR is giving me to the end of the day to respond to recovering an over payment amount to my bonus salary.

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Business Law

Answer:
 You ask for confirmation.  It should take a hell of a lot less than 4 hours to get your payroll records indicating the overpayment.

Also, practically speaking......do you really *not know* that you were overpaid by $5,000?


Title: I tried...

Question:
So I live in an apartment and their policy is rent is due on the first, but you have a grace period so technically it's due by the 5th without any additional charges. I had the money the last weekend of August. I can't pay online because no one can reset my password. I used to pay my rent via the drop box last month they got rid of that. I talked to them because I work 8:30 to 5 and they are open 9 to 5. They said to call it in and pay over the phone.

I have the money collected from my roommates the last weekend of August. Monday the first was a holiday.  Tuesday I deposited it late afternoon and it was to late to call. Called 4 times between Wednesday and Friday. 2 times the person who answered was not able to collect it because she didn't have system access,  but the guy I need to talk to never got back to me. Well he didn't until Monday the 8th. Then he wants a $130 late charge as well as the $750 rent payment. I have called the corporate office and they won't do anything either.

What should I do?

Answer:
 Ultimately there's nothing you can do here. It's your responsibility according to the lease to get them rent in that timeframe, even if weird things happen. The grace period is built in to account for that, which is more generous than many apartments.

In this timeframe you could have spent $0.49 on a stamp and mailed them your rent and saved yourself the headache of the back and forth. Or you can not mess with checks and use your bank's online bill pay feature (if they have one) to have it mail them a check *for* you.

I'm not saying you're entirely at fault here, but contractually speaking you are obligated to pay the late fee and take the lesson to exercise greater diligence in the future. Sorry :/


Title: Employer is secretly audio recording employees

Question: I'm a paramedic that works for a small rural 911 department in California. Earlier today I found a microphone in one of our ambulances. I then found another microphone in a second ambulance. I can only assume that our new general manager is behind this, with help from another employee possibly. As far as I know, California requires both parties to consent before audio recording takes place. Is this also true for businesses? Is there a loophole? What are my options? I feel like I have a responsibility to my coworkers and our patients. If illegal audio recording is taking place, what should I do? *spelling

Answer:
 Generally speaking, you do not have an expectation of privacy in the workplace, even if that workplace environment is technically just within the confines of the ambulance. Recording would arguably be legal, in this case.

Have you asked why the microphones were placed in the ambulance?


Title: Ex girlfriend punched me and knocked teeth out. Best way to get medical bills?

Question:
I'm a male. She broke my two front teeth out. I did not hit her back or even touch her. I have a buddy who picked me up after the incident who I am guessing could be a witness. I never called the police on her because I don't want her in jail (or seeing how it was a male vs female violent incident not end up in jail myself). I haven't seen the dentist yet. What do I need to do to get the medical bills paid by her and is it possible to get something for pain and suffering as well? Thanks in advance!

Edit: This is in Atlanta.

Answer:
 >. I never called the police on her because I don't want her in jail

File a police report, bring your friend as a witness, and go from there.  She knocked out your teeth - why do you care if she goes to jail?  I'm guessing this isn't the first instance of domestic violence you've endured.  Don't protect your oppressor.


Title: My boss touched me. What should I do? [CA]

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You haven't specified what this other "harassment" is, but a touch on the shoulder is not actionable harassment.


Title: Reported landlords to a government agency - Landlords promised me they'd ruin me legally for doing this - Have now filed multiple Restraining Orders against me all dismissed - After losing the last one filed an Unlawful Detainer. Is this landlord retaliation? - Los Angeles, California

Question:
Who - I live with my father in a rent controlled apartment, he is disabled with Muscular Dystrophy, landlords removed his parking after 40 years. I did some research myself and found out the reason for this was to use my fathers parking to store cars from an illegal dealership they run under the table.

DMV was called in and I guess warned them. Landlords promised to ruin me in the courts and legal action for reporting them. 2 weeks later cops were called on me for a lie, cops didn't find proof of what they accused me of doing. In 2 weeks they tried twice to get a Restraining Order against me, both dismissed with prejudice.

Where - Apartment is Located in East LA, is rent control, Department of Finance for LA and DMV confirmed landlords have no car business on the books, and most likely doing it to get out of paying fee's and taxes.

I've fought their bogus charges before so this isn't anything new, what kills me if how they're doing this to get my dad stressed out, I can handle my own, but their legal harassment is honestly getting on my fathers nerves and I'm worried about this health

RSO means they can't just evict, there has to be a just cause, their JC seems to be an issue with him feeding stray cats 3 months ago, which was rectified as the cats have been removed from the property. Real reason I believe they're seeking an UD on an issue fixed months ago is they have no real grounds to evict other than to retaliate for reporting them to a government agency.

Any advice here?

I've already responded to the Unlawful Detainer and plan on fighting it mentioning the most of the facts above.

My worry is I have yet to get a lawyer, and wondering if DMV counts as a government agency under the defense of Landlord Retaliation.

Answer:
 You really should talk to a lawyer.  You may have retaliatory eviction as a defense to the UD, which can result in a bar against re-filing the UD for up to 180 days.

But you may *also* have a case for constructive eviction, which is a tort independent of the unlawful detainer.  If so, it's something best handled in either small claims or Superior court.  Statutory damages can rack up quickly in constructive eviction cases, so it may be possible to find an attorney willing to sue them on contingency.Answer #2: When someone threatens to ruin you through the legal system, you need a professional on your side.

It sucks. You shouldn't have to do it. But you need to do it.Answer #3: Contact your local LSC organization as soon as possible.

If you don't make a lot of money, and you are a legal US resident, you may be eligible for free legal services in civil cases from a group associated with the Legal Service Corporation. [Here](http://lsc.gov/find-legal-aid) is a webpage that allows you to search for a local LSC affiliate. The group will need to verify that you qualify for its services because they can only provide these services to certain people.

Most LSC organizations do landlord/tenant law, and your case sounds like it would be very attractive for an LSC lawyer.


Title: Can sperm donor confer citizenship?

Question:
I just found out at 22 I was the child not of my father, but instead of my mother and a sperm donor who had Croatian citizenship at the time (the procedure took place in New Orleans in the early 90s if it matters).

I automatically had American citizenship at birth by being born of an American and by being born in America, but now that I suspect I could get Croatian citizenship I am very interested in acquiring it.

The Croatian bills regulating it suggest you need to settle the matter before you are 18, yet I did not know of my true origin.

Also of note, I am not sure if he fled as a refugee in the 1990s, and I know a lot of the laws are different and written with the aim of resolving stateless citizens, so I am not sure if I could inherit citizenship if he was fleeing refugee wise.

I should have access to proof of my origin via the fertility clinic, so is there a possibility of getting citizenship?

I will link the relevant text of the Croatian legal code.

The gentleman in question likely signed away the kinds of rights in regard to actions such as child support or whatnot, but I doubt that still includes the ability to confer citizenship. Is that the case?

http://eudo-citizenship.eu/NationalDB/docs/CRO%20Law%20on%20Croatian%20Citizenship_consolidated%2028_10_2011_ENGLISH.pdf

http://www.hrvatiizvanrh.hr/en/hmiu/croatian-citizenship/66

I am older than 18 and not on the register of Croatian citizens, so I have no idea what to do and I presume this will involve a fair amount of paperwork even if I find all of the documentation.

Thanks in advance.

Answer: This is the first time I have ever commented just to remind myself to come back and check for answers. Fascinating. Good luck, OP.


Title: Would a toddler need to testify in her sexual assault case?

Question:
Someone shared this article in morbidreality: [DA Let a pedophile who raped a two year old until she bled walk free in my hometown recently...]
(http://sanangelolive.com/news/crime/2015-08-25/da-faces-tough-decision-child-sex-case)

The article says that they let the guy take a plea bargain in order to keep him from getting of with no punishment if the toddler isn't able to testify as a witness.

Is this normal, that they would have a bloody diaper and enough to prove he hurt the child, but couldn't actually charge him with rape unless the little girl testified?

Answer: In my research and experience the majority of all child sexual abuse cases are plead down because of witness concerns. The younger the child the more difficult it would be to have them as a witness which could cause reasonable doubt.


Title: Can a minor buy alcohol? [TN]

Question:
Hello,
I am a minor, and am my brother's [21+] best man. I have a (clean) bachelor party planned and will involve going to a restaurant.

There is a possibility that my brother will get an alcoholic beverage for himself, but could I or the restaurant get in trouble for paying for the meal and the beverage? I obviously won't have any of the drink, I would just pay for it.

Answer:
 This is one of those situations where legality and practicality differ.

Legally, no you cannot buy alcohol.  But in reality, no one is going to give a shit in the situation you describe.  Waiter comes to the table, your bro will order a beer, he'll get carded presumably, a beer will get delivered to him.  Then at the end the waiter is going to bring a big bill for everyone (if you are all on the same bill).

Everyone will throw in money except for your brother.  No one will give a shit.  The end.  I've never been to a place that at the end would bring out a bill with all of the alcohol separated and say "sorry, I need someone over 21 to pay for this bill."


Title: My girlfriend works for a company that says she has to consistently buy new clothes... from them. Is this legal, and if so, how? (Kansas)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 _In principle_, that should be negotiated into the compensation package.

I'll wait while you stop laughing your ass off. You and I both know that retail employees have exactly zero negotiating power. Pushing back on the clause or trying to negotiate a higher pay will simply result in the next candidate getting the job instead, because the labour market is so wildly underutilized in North America. (I have a whole rant about this, the punch line to which is "which is why retail employees really should unionize.")

_In practice_, no, there's not much she can do besides quit and work somewhere else. If [this](http://www.employmentlawhandbook.com/wage-payment-laws/state-wage-payment-laws/kansas/#7) is accurate, Kansas doesn't even offer the basic protections we get here in Ontario, where _uniforms_ must be paid for by the employer. Clothing retail here regularly works around this by structuring the required clothing in ways that avoid categorization as a uniform, sadly.


Title: Texas- Accidental Fire was started at a friends apartment, now their insurance is wanting my insurance to pay for it.

Question: We are unsure about what actually happened, as I wasn't there, and my friends were asleep at the time of the fire. I had put out a cigarette in a flower pot, and then about an hour to and hour and a half the pot ignited causing a fire with about $3,000.00 worth of damage. My friends contacted their insurance who is saying that I should be liable for the payment and that my parents homeowners insurance (I live at home) should have to pay for it. Again we don't know how and what happened, and the fire department's investigation came up inconclusive. I don't think I should have to pay for it and I know my friends insurance has liability insurance protecting damage caused by guests as well as themselves. Any help would be appreciated in how to deal with the insurance and if we need to get a lawyer involved.

Answer:
 > I had put out a cigarette in a flower pot, and then about an hour to and hour and a half the pot ignited causing a fire with about $3,000.00 worth of damage.

If the fire was due to your cigarette, as seems likely, then you likely are liable for the damage. Your friend's insurance does't need proof beyond a reasonable doubt to make that stick, just proof on preponderance of evidence, and connecting a fire in a flowerpot an hour after you put a cigarette out in it to you putting your cigarette out in it is an easy case to make.

Your friend needs to review their policy documents and make sure this really isn't covered. However, even if it is, their insurer can come after you for the money they spend due to what they allege is your negligence. You can defend that in court, or you can file a claim with your own insurance (or, rather, if you're a minor, your parents').

If you are found liable and if you are a minor, your parents will share your liability.


Title: Scammed someone a couple grand, he posted my personal information all over reddit, what are my options? Ontario, Canada

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 Step 1: Don't make the name of your throwaway your actual name

Step 2: Don't scam people

Step 3: Report the posts that provide your information for quicker removal


Title: Got Hit On A Rainy Day In NJ

Question: I'm super worried here, any advice would go a long way. I was driving back home and i was turning left, as I had the green light, and the opposing car coming straight also had the green light. She ended up hitting me, damaging my door. I was safe, she was safe. It was pouring rain out, and she did not have her lights on while driving a dark shade of green vehicle. Her airbags also did not pop, which leads me to believe she didn't even have a seat belt on. She also had to be speeding, as I let a car go before ( which had lights on), and saw no other car in sight, and decided to turn. Can anyone help me advice on what I should do here? I didn't get any ticket which my father found strange, and my car got towed, even though I live 2 blocks away.

Answer:
 > Her airbags also did not pop, which leads me to believe she didn't even have a seat belt on.

Why would you think that? Airbag deployment is not dependent on whether or not a seat belt is on.

File a claim with your insurance (or hers if you think it is her fault). Insurance companies decide fault and pay out accordingly.


Title: Sibling's home foreclosed on and sold at auction. Parents have to leave, but what items can they legally take with them?

Question: Looking for a little advice for my parents. My parents were living in a home with my older brother who was paying the mortgage. Or so it seemed. The mortgage was really far behind and the bank ended up foreclosing on the home and then it sold at auction. My parents during their time living there with my brother had purchased new appliances (gas stove top, microwave over stove, dishwasher, and fridge) and were wanting to take those items with them since these items were purchased by them and not my brother. My parents mentioned to me that after the house was sold at auction, the new owner came by while they were packing up belongings and moving them into storage and told my father that if anything is taken out of the house they will sue my parents. So the question is, do my parents have the right to take the items they purchased with them or do they have to leave them in the home? What items are my parents legally able to take from the home with having to deal with any further issues. The home is in Texas so I don't know what the laws or statutes say about this. This is a trying time for my parents and I don't want them to have to deal with any more concerns from the new owner. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer:
 Built-in appliances are generally considered fixtures, and would transfer with the property. Movable appliances are generally not considered fixtures.

I would expect that the stovetop, dishwasher, and microwave (if built into the cabinets) will have to stay behind, and that your parents can take their fridge with them, and the microwave if it's freestanding. However, there are a lot of factors that can modify that: your parents may want to speak to an independent lawyer of their own, rather than taking advice from either the new owner or your brother, before making a decision.


Title: Air bag failed to deploy during head on collision. Do I have a case?

Question:
I was in a single car auto accident a week ago. I swerved to miss two unrestrained dogs causing me to loose control of the car. I crashed into a ditch that ended with a 2-3 foot section of concrete (for the driveway) rather than a culvert. The resulting impact was comparable to essentially hitting a short concrete wall.

My car was totaled and the side airbags deployed, however my steering wheel airbag did not deploy. This resulted in a broken nose and a concussion.

Do I have a case based on either the steering wheel air bag not deploying or the unrestrained dogs. I did check for recalls and there were no such issues.

Answer:
 Airbags deploy with a nearly lethal amount of force. The airbags are not an automatic soft landing to comfort accidents, they deploy only when the danger of an airbag is less likely to be fatal than the accident. It's very possible the front airbag didn't deploy because there was insufficient forward force to require them. The fact that the side airbags deployed suggests that you were moving sideways more than forwards, they're not all supposed to go off in an accident, only the ones needed based on the direction of the accident.

You should check with your insurance if you think the airbags might have malfunctioned and if they believe they should have gone off, or you can consult an attorney and see if they want to take your case and investigate. but keep in mind that if they go off at the wrong time passengers can be killed by them, and that it's very specific when they should and shouldn't go off.

So sorry about your accident, I've been in an accident when airbags go off, and it's not a fun experience, hope you feel better!


Title: Who is at fault in this situation?

Question:
I have posted a diagram to help visualize the situation I am currently in.
http://imgur.com/a/TzuMi

Someone (car #1) hit my parked car (car#2) backing out of their driveway. However, they are claiming that my vehicle was illegally parked because I was:

1. parked facing oncoming traffic.
2. parked "directly" in front of their driveway.

They are claiming that they are not at fault because of this. Please help me understand if this is true or not. I have read online other comments about similar situations but I just want to verify who is responsible for the accident.

I am a resident of NORTH CAROLINA.

Thank you for you help. This is my first time posting in this subreddit, so please excuse any formatting or if I am asking this question in the wrong place.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: They are at fault for hitting a stationary object. Easy peasy.


Title: [USA] Fun with Article V of the U.S. Constitution and Senate representation

Question:
Hi, location bot, I'm in the USA.  **THE WHOLE USA.**

Article V describes the process of amending the U.S. Constitution, and contains this proviso:
>no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate.

In a discussion, redditor /u/da5id1 suggested these workarounds for the proviso.  I'm interested in the perspective of/r/legaladvice:

* Amend Article V to delete this proviso.  Then, and only then, amend the constitution to deprive small states of equal suffrage in the Senate.  Or...

* Amend the Constitution to abolish the Senate.  Each state would have equal suffrage: zero senators!

I am more interested in discussing the legalities of these workarounds, and less interested in their moral or ethical virtues or principles, or lack thereof.  Yes, I understand the various *raisons d'être* of the Senate, including not only providing checks and balances for the House, but also explicitly protecting the interests of small states.  I'm just looking for a fun legal discussion.

Answer:
 Sure, we could amend the Constitution in either way to remove equal representation in the Senate. It would never pass the requisite 38/50 states though.

Hell, we could abolish the 13th amendment if it makes it through the Article V process. You can do anything through an amendment, it is the "Supreme Law of the Land".


Title: Unwell neighbor walks dog in my yard and lets it defecate.

Question:
We have an obviously mental unwell neighbor up the street who makes noises at people as they drive by her and often makes loud exclamations. Our nextdoor neighbor has even caught her walking down her driveway with her dog and had to run her off.

We've recently discovered she walks through our yard and lets her large dog defecate and urinate on our lawn and it's killing the grass. I understand she isn't well, but I also don't want this happening.

If I had this on video (I'm considering an outside security camera), what are my legal options? I mean, would it simply be to file criminal trespassing against her? Or is there something less severe I can do?

Answer: Have you considered calling adult protective services? That'd be my first step if I didn't want to call the police on her for trespassing. Answer #2: Install motion activated sprinklersAnswer #3: Be glad it’s just the dog Answer #4: Can you fence / gate the yard? My experience with a mentally ill person in our neighbourhood is that they don't typically climb fences or go over gates...  IANAL.


Title: If I get up and leave when I turn 18, can my parents call the cops for theft if I take things my mom provided?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: This will depend heavily on location.  State, province, or country please.


Title: [NE] I gifted a car to a friend, County Treasurer says I'm a liar.

Question:
I live in Indiana, and my friend lives in Nebraska, where I grew up. He is my oldest friend, and my wife and I decided that instead of selling the car (2004 Pontiac GTO), we would gift it to my friend, since he is not very well off, and his current transportation is old and unreliable. I signed the title as a "GIFT" and I wrote him out an Indiana bill of sale as a "GIFT". I trailered the car from Indiana to Nebraska and dropped it off at his house.

Today he tried to get the title changed and register the car in Buffalo County, and the Treasurer simply called him a liar, and told him he would have to pay taxes on the book value of the car. Money he does not have.

I called her and asked her what the issue was, and she simply told me she does not believe anyone would gift what she said is a $9,000 dollar car, and that I was lying. She told me maybe if I could show documents I paid $5000 dollars for it, she could go off that number instead.

So to my point, how do I show legally that the car was a gift? Is it possible to bypass her "discretion"? I was trying to do a favor and now its just been a big worrisome hassle, and he still is not able to drive the car.

Thanks!

Answer:
 Sell it to him for a dollar?

Many states have laws that charge the tax based on value to avoid this situation. I am not sure if NE is one. Answer #2: Is this an elected official actually doing this or a person in their office? Start by talking to their boss.Answer #3: You can write up an affidavit stating that the car was a gift and have it notarized.Answer #4: You are one hell of a good friend. I'd love it if some one gifted me a GT0!


Title: Can eviction laws be circumvented with a contract?

Question: If I let my husband move back in with myself and my roommate, could an agreement be signed to the effect of "if I bring alcohol or illegal drugs into the house, I agree to vacate immediately"? This is in Arkansas.

Answer: No.


Title: [OH] Received a disorderly conduct charge while on LSD

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You chose to do drugs and engage in disorderly behavior; you were thereafter charged appropriately, per your own narrative.

If this is your first criminal charge, it's likely that you'll be eligible for a diversion program wherein if you successfully complete probation, the charge is dropped. You definitely want a lawyer here.


Title: Hit a pothole, how should I get the town to reimburse me

Question:
Hi, My sister hit a pothole this morning and I want to see if she can file a claim with the town for a reimbursement of damages.

The issues is that under CT state law, municipalities are generally not responsible to pay for claims for damages resulting from potholes.

Should I still try and file a claim with the municipality?  Should I threaten small claims court? We live in CT

Thanks!

Answer:
 Generally municipalities are immune for damages arising from potholes. Unless they are grossly negligent in their duties, the claim will not go anywhere.Answer #2: Put this a different way...

Your sister hit something that wasn't moving. Let that sink in. Are you going to sue the post office when she runs over a mailbox?


Title: Boss is Trying to be my Sugar Daddy

Question:
This is a long story, so I'll try to keep it as short and to the point as I can:

A little back history: I've been working at an Indian ran hotel in Ohio for almost two years. Back in May I was offered the position of Front Desk Manager, which I accepted. Things started to get weird, though. The owner of the hotel, let's call him Patel (it's the most common Indian name, but I'm not using real names here) brought me into the breakfast room one day and started talking about taking me on a business trip with him to Myrtle Beach. Without even confirming, he bought my plane ticket and sent it to my email. I was very confused/excited because at the time, all I thought was, "Wow, I'm going to the beach in a few days! Woo!" After it was bought, things started getting suspicious. He told me he was going to pay for everything, he was going to give me $500 to go shopping for clothes to bring, and that he was going to compensate for the time lost that I would have been at work. To top it all off, he told me to lie to the GM (Let's call her Jane) whom I am really close with. At that point I was overwhelmed and didn't really understand what was happening, I've never been in this type of situation before. I told him I had to go, and as we were leaving he asked me, "What do you do for fun? Do you enjoy a man's company?"

After that encounter, I went straight home and told my roommates what had happened. I obviously didn't want to go through with this, but it was too late since he had bought my ticket. I called Patel on speakerphone, with my roommates sitting right next to me, and recorded our entire conversation. It was basically me just telling him that I thought that this was platonic and that I can't go through with it if he's thinking otherwise and he basically told me that he thought we had a mutual agreement of the situation and that I'm a special girl and that it would be "non-platonic". I ended up cancelling the ticket.

Well, after that, it went on for months. I got invites out to dinner, golf, out-of-state meetings, vacations, etc. He told me to write out a list of all of my bills and that he'd take care of them all (in exchange for sex) and even, literally handed me money out of his pocket. Every time I blew him off, and it eventually stopped. Ish.

But I was always still very uncomfortable being alone with him in a room. Jane, the GM, and I are close friends and knew EVERYTHING from the start so she'd always come into the breakfast room with me when Patel wanted to have a meeting. She thought the whole situation was wrong and she later learned that Patel used to do this to the old GM, too.

Well, here's the current situation:
I'm leaving. I'm going to go work at a different hotel, and it's mainly because of Patel. Not only is he a perv but he micromanages the HELL out of the hotel and I'm done. One of the girls, we'll call Amanda, who has done only housekeeping and maybe 3 or 4 front desk shifts, got offered the Front Desk Manager position. I'm guessing as you can tell, she's pretty. I'm close to her, so she knows about what happened. She came to me the other day telling me that Patel is doing the same, I mean SAME exact thing to her, except she has 3 kids and a boyfriend. Amanda is afraid to say anything or be assertive towards him because she needs the money and it's a huge raise for her. But on the other hand it's starting to get really bad to the point where he takes her into the breakfast room and locks the doors.

It's REALLY messed up, because she has no experience. Patel had just offered the position to our maintenance guy, (sounds weird, but he's really good and has tons of front desk experience) and literally turned around, saw that Amanda was back for her first day off of maternity leave, and offered it to her... Ten minutes later he's asking her to go to Daytona Beach.

Jane and I really think it's time to do something about it. Before, yeah it sucked but it was me and I could handle it. But this is the THIRD (at least that we know of) person at his hotels that he's done this to! Is there any legal actions we can take? Jane and I are going to schedule an appointment to get legal advice through her attorney, I just thought I'd browse Reddit before I went in there.

Answer:
 Uh, yea, there are more than a few attorneys who would like to speak with Mr. Patel about sexual harassment, hostile work environment, quid pro quo, etc.  You don't - and shouldn't have to - *deal* with this kind of behavior.  It's not acceptable, and it's illegal.  He's fortunate that you sound like a stable person with a thick skin and a healthy attitude, but that doesn't mean you haven't been wronged.

You should absolutely speak to an attorney, and seriously consider any advice they give you.


Title: Scam collection agency is harassing me and my mother as well.

Question:
Been getting calls from some company called global solutions about fraudulent charges for some pay day loan that does not exist. Jail time, court summons, all kinds of flags that it's fake and a scam. I've ignored it but I've recently discovered they are calling my Mom at 6 am on the weekends to harass her about me and I'm trying to make it stop for her sake.

They have been calling me from a local area code in California which I know can be spoofed but it will connect directly back to them if I dial it so I've been researching it. I've tracked it down to a street twenty minutes from my house in a residential district on a mobile line (what?).

So my current plan is to go to the police department and have an officer talk to them about me waiting there to be served. Is this a good plan or is there a different method I can use to make this stop?

Answer: Request validation of the debt. Next time they call, say "I want validation of my debt please." By law, they have to give it to you. If they do, look it over, see what's wrong about it and file a dispute. If it isn't wrong, pay your debt. If they refuse to give it to you, then you can report them to whomever is best (Search on Google for "Reporting a scam debt collector") and you can even file a lawsuit for harassment, after you ask for validation and that you will not respond to contact except by mail, they legally cannot call you. So if they do after that, you can sue them for harassment I believe. /r/personalfinance has a lot of info on this subject and I might be a bit wrong here, admittedly cause IANAL.


Title: Assaulted on shared lawn by upstairs neighbor, no witnesses except for attackers wife and daughter | FL

Question:
So I've had a couple altercations already with this morbid neighbor of mine. I live in apartment units where the buildings hold 8 total residents, 4 on each opposite side. My aforementioned neighbor is the unit directly above me. Yes, he sleeps 15 feet away from me.

**Background Story**

*Scene One:*

About 8 or so months ago I had break up drama with an ex-girlfriend where it escalated to her brother in law showing up randomly to my house one night to "talk." He never got physical, he really did just want to confront me and talk man to man. My neighbor at this point sought it right to chill in his car only a couple feet away from where this man and I were talking. He decides it appropriate to address a statement along the lines of "Hey don't worry about him, I'll ---- him up later." towards the brother in law in a totally serious manner. I retort with something along the lines up telling him to shut up. Afterwards, he confronts me telling me that if I talk to him like that again, he was going to mess me up. I, once again retort (I'm not a little kid. This man is 32, I am 19.). Eventually, I just walked back into my house and let the night be. He banged on my window trying to get me to come back out but I decided he wasn't worth it.

*Scene Two:*

On Thanksgiving day, at this point 7 months from the first scene, he was outside walking his dogs. In a friendly matter I asked him if the dogs name was Molly, confused if that was one of his dogs, or the other (they look similar). I figured what happened before had blown over, and it was done. But no. He replied with "Shut the ----- you -------- little ------." At this point, it wasn't a second before I felt as though someone had shoved a lit matchstick down my crack. I retaliated verbally, but this time it showed signs of presuming physical altercation. He was telling me to go to the lake right now so he could "destroy" me like a man and teach me a lesson. At this point I was more worried about how perverted he sounded before I remembered I was angry. All the neighbors from the surrounding units were peeping or outside as he and I yelled at each other back and forth really bad things. Eventually, he threatened to shoot and kill me several times. Local neighborhood security showed up and defused the situation, but they're keen to who the man is as he's well known as being a dead beat delinquent. Blah blah, Happy Thanksgiving, that was the end of that.

*In Between: Aprox 2 weeks ago*

Around two weeks ago, his mother (who he lives with, with his wife and daughter) saw me at a local supermarket and approached me. Nicely, she mentioned how she knows about what happened Thanksgiving day and spoke about how she spoke to him and they all agreed that we would never look at each other every again and essentially ignore one another's existence. Really? Dream come true! I tell her it's no problem as long as he doesn't say anything to me.

*Scene Three:*

Today, the 30th of December, 2014 I get home from work at 4:30. I get home, change, and go back to my car because I had forgotten to get something. He was at the base of the fleet of stairs ready to climb it, and it wasn't less than a minute before he speaks, "Don't look at me you ------ ------." Like, is this really happening? I retaliate, again, but this time he just walks upstairs with his dog in arm, and went inside his house. After I go back into my own, I hear the dog barking outside. The same dog he just finished walking, and carrying up the stairs. So I go outside and see him walking the dog again, outside right in front of our doorstep. This time he was with his wife and daughter, so I found it perfect to civilly speak with, "Okay let me get one thing clear, your mom said [insert the above paragraph in here]?" He didn't reply before looking at his wife and telling her to leave. I called out asking her to stay just in case he were to do anything. Immedietely after I asked that of her, he beltches out into a rage and puffs his chest as he finally reached me, pushing me back while our chests touched. I wasn't okay with this, obviously, so I shoved him back. As I did, he sent a punch straight towards my face and cracked me good. I was bleeding from my mouth and nose before I had even maneged to react. Eventually the fight proceeds, and I end up whipping the guys ass. Before he asphyxiated, I let him go yelling the whole time, "I'm done if he's done." After he catches his breath, he get's up screaming "You ----- up, now you're dead, now I'm going to ------- kill you." and ran upstairs. I knew immedietely what was happening next, I didn't need 20/20 to distinguish the gun he was brandishing when he came back outside. He never actually pointed it at me, to my visual knowledge, but he was definitely carrying it in his palm, and flaring it around, tucking it underneath his shirt. I KNOW this gun is real, I've seen it before along with his other guns. The first punch had knocked my glasses off my face (so I was fighting blind) and at some point my iPhone fell out of my pocket onto the grass.

Eventually, I run back inside trying to find my phone to dial the police, but I can't find it, nor can I see. A while passes, and police arrive, and do their police thing.

The results? No arrests. Just a case of mutual combat and record of suspicion of theft.

I'm trying to recover my losses, and trying to get this man arrested for assault. Unfortunately, there weren't any witnesses except for his mother, wife, and daughter(5yrs?) - the wife and daughter being the only ones who were there during the literal altercation.

Cops say I can't really do much.. but I find that extremely hard to believe. I just don't think they wanted to work too hard today.
Topic:
Douche

Answer: Pal. In all honesty you either need him to use his methods to turn you into a man or you need to spend a lot of quality time with a therapist. Jesus.


Title: My [18f] girlfriend revealed she was sexually and physically abused by her coach in middle/high school. The Statute of limitations is about to pass or has just passed. She freezes up and can't cope, is refusing counseling, I don't know what to do.

Question:
NY

If you guys know another sub this should go point me there.

She's just a wreck but she's really good at repressing it. She's never told anyone but me, she feels intense pressure from her family (Islamic family related a bit, not sure how much that culture aspect plays into it). I thought it was just sexual abuse but she told me last night after breaking down that he threatened her and that's why she won't tell anyone. She doesn't feel safe. If she waits she won't be able to prosecute the guy. I don't know what to do, she has 4 years to go to counseling at college without her family knowing (a big worry for her), but if she waits too long to call the cops she will never get this guy charged for this. The SOL is 5 years, either it just passed or it's about to, I can't get concrete dates since she has panic attacks whenever I try to get her to talk.

She absolutely freezes up every time I try to bring it up, but she's clearly struggling with intrusive thoughts, nightmares, it's always in the back of her head always. I want to just never bring it up ever again, since that's what she wants to do and what she plans to do, but she's clearly getting worse and needs to handle this. She just can't face it.

I got her to text the anonymous sexual assault line thing but she only did it once and she said it made her feel worse and that's why she won't get help.

Can she charge the guy anonymously? I don't think there's a chance in hell she can testify as she is right now. I don't know what to do. We submitted an FBI online tip, but the coach isn't teaching anymore and maybe doesn't have any other victims.

**TL;DR girlfriend won't get help and the 5 year SOL is either about to pass or already did. What should I do?**
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 Don’t take this the wrong way.

It’s not your decision or choice what happens.  It’s on her.  All you can do is encourage her to seek counseling.

Answer #2: You do your best to support her in **her decision**.

And that's it.


Title: Ex is threatening to leak nudes

Question: my ex (both overage) is threatening to leak my nudes unless i talk to him, what legal action can i take if he does?

Answer: Location matters. Age matters.


Title: Local restaurant imposing a 3.99% surcharge to all card transactions, whether Debit or not. Is this legal? Michigan

Question:
It's posted in the restaurant,  but the law i read said that an establishment cannot charge you if you're using a debit card.

From valuepenguin, no idea how credible the source-

>Surcharges cannot be imposed on debit or prepaid debit transactions. This holds true even if a cardholder chooses "credit" as an option when using their debit card.

Are they allowed to do this? Thanks!

Answer: As someone who knows about selling terminals and the fees included in. They are probably charging the customer the cost per transaction. Which when looking it up it is up to the business to decided whether or not they want to pay for it or the customer. They might not even run the cards as debit. As some mechine only take it as credit. After looking it up, it is legal


Title: HOA has sent a letter about **MANDATORY** Christmas decorations. New York.

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 > nativities

I'm sure the FHA would be interested in that one.


Title: Crisis intervention is charging me 600 dollars.

Question:
I was very concerned about a man outside my house. I called 911 and reported. I have had previous contact with the police several times before. None resulting in my arrest. No officers responded to my call. I filmed the suspicious man. Crisis intervention came and met up with me at a local library. I've seen her before. I met with the lady and police... The police saw my video and said they didn't know who it was... I was correct that it was a suspicious person. They call me the boy who cried wolf, however this time I was correct...

Had the police checked it out, they would have seen the suspicious man... The man came out of his car and showed me a gun, he looked like an officer but he wasn't an officer of my local town, at least that what the police said when I showed them the video.

I could have been killed, or hurt. The man showed me his gun and utility belt. It was 12:30 pm on a Tuesday and the man said he was investigating a party.. There was nothing on my street, everyone was at work or at school.
I have video in case someone would like to see it.

What should I do. I will not pay for their lack of competence and negligence. They are charging me for a crisis intervention, when what I reported actually occurred.

Newport Beach, Ca

Answer:
 Just because the man had a gun and utility belt doesn't mean you were ever in danger. He could have been a cop or just a law abiding citizen himself. Gun does not automatically equal criminal. Lots of normal citizens carry firearms every day.

Have you recently altered or started a new medication? *ahem* Perhaps you have been diagnosed with schizophrenia? Sounds like you have a history of wasting the polices time which is why they're most likely charging you at this point. If they keep coming out for no reason you're costing them significant money and more importantly, taking up their time when they could be utilized at an actually emergency.

(Edit: How'd your police officer rating website work out? http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/1xkn2b/has_there_ever_been_a_circumstance_where_an/ )


Title: My job has me working more than some other people.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Legal action for what? You have absolutely no legal issue here.


Title: X-Post Stepson being abused, CPS is no help at all, any help will be amazing

Question:
Sorry about the long post, TL;DR at the bottom
BACK STORY: I (M)(27) came into my current family's life a little over 4 years ago right before separating from the Marine Corps. When i met my wife she had 2 wonderful children, her son Tye who had just turned 6 when i met him, and Her daughter Fiona who was 2 when i met her, and my wife who was 29, when i met her. Both kids have different fathers, I have never said a bad word about either to them or the kids but just like anyone else they had their faults and did things that i didn't much agree with how a parent should conduct themselves, but who am I to judge. From here on out I will keep this focused on Tye and his dad, mom and myself.
Ever since i met Tye he has always been.. different... it is the best way i can put it, hes been slower to grasp some concepts but has learned others at an almost shocking rate, for example his speech has always been a bit off, like he would and sometimes will say " I did seen that yesterday" or " what time will dinner be". Over the years he has gotten much better at communicating but he still slips up a few times a day but it has gotten tremendously better. He loves the game minecraft, and he can obsess over some things, one being since Ive been in the picture and even before was the titanic, he just loves everything about it, but i will never forget when he was 8 or 9 he wanted to show me something he built in minecraft so i went in to check it out and here he had built in just over an hour a scale model of the titanic inside and out complete with fully furnished dining room, the helm, different rooms for people, all just from memory, colors were spot on and everything, it was incredible. He can build the most amazing things from his collection of Lego's, he will go into his room and come out with some of the coolest designs for ships, cars, space ships, you name it. When we brought our concerns up with Tye's doctor when he was younger and she told us it sounded like add/adhd and got him on the proper medications and there was a drastic change, we saw the same boy but he was so much more focused and he could communicate better and he was doing better in school.

Now, onto Dad, he is in his mid to late thirties, does not appear to have much ambition or drive to achieve much than be a mechanic at walmart, what he is currently doing now. He has been in and out of Tye's life since him and mom split up when Tye was 2 or 3. He has been more in than out but there have been a few times, 3 counting this last one, where he will just kinda drop off the radar for either a week, to a month, to two months, then pop back in like he was never gone. If i were to describe their relationship i wouldn't say it was so much father and son but rather 2 friends. Tye is court ordered to go over to his house every other weekend which when he was in the picture and didn't disappear we would oblige, more often than not by dads request every weekend at some points. He has NEVER once come to our house to pick Tye up for these weekends, for the longest time he did not have a car. He did end up buying one for 500 dollars with his tax return check but claims it is not reliable. So every time he wanted Tye to come over myself and my wife would work out a time with dad and drop Tye off and every so often he would ask us to buy him groceries for the weekend when he had Tye and we were happy to oblige as long as Tye was fed and taken care of, and come Sunday we would pick Tye up, always with clothes that we provided because dad could not "afford any". While over at his house him and Tye would stay up all night playing video games or watching youtube videos. I probably count on one hand how many times he had taken him out to the movies or did anything remotely close to that nature. Which i understand when your strapped for cash is completely reasonable but that comes into play later.

I have never nor will I ever bad mouth Tye's dad in front of him, Ive made it clear to both fathers and both children that I'm not here to fill anyones shoes or expect them to forget about their dads. If anything me and my wife have been very proactive about the kids calling their dads, making things for them, and keeping them involved. But like i said before, it seems that Tye's dad had always wanted to be more of a friend than a dad, we are not to strict but within reason about video games and youtube videos, and his phone during the week. We encourage reading, Lego's, drawing, learning, anything but electronics during the week. So Tye would see his dads house as an outlet to stay up all night and play games and eat junk, it had gotten to the point where he would not realize he had to go to the bathroom until it was too late because he would play video games for so long. Dad blamed Tye for these things and his differences, never taking blame on himself, it was always Tye's fault or the fact that hes slower, but never have we had that issue here, but there have been more times than id care to admit at his dads that he would be sent home with soiled clothes and his dad would just blame his slowness for it. When i came into the picture Tyler had a hard time communicating but would rather make sounds and squeaks than actual words. He leaned this from dad, and dad thought it was hilarious but would fail to see any issue that the school was worried about Tye because of this. Dad refuses to give Tye his normal medication for adhd at all because he doesn't like what it does to him. Dad lets him stay up all Friday night, all of Saturday night and then send him home Sunday in desperate need of sleep and food because all he would want to do is play video games and wouldn't think about much else, again dad would not accept any responsibility for any of these things.

So, about a month ago one day Tye was just not his normal chipper self, and i was in the kitchen making him lunch i began to ask him, whats wrong, he said nothing but you could see there was definitely something bothering him, and he has hardly been one to come out and say anything was bothering him. So i pressed the issue a bit saying that he could talk to me and i was here to listen, and he said to me it feels like the world was exploding, confused i asked him what he meant. Then the next thing he said i knew there was something seriously wrong, he apologized, he looked at me with big glassy eyes and said " I'm sorry jakey..". The only time Ive ever heard him apologize was when he felt it was warranted, hes a very sweet boy that does not want to hurt a fly. So again, i asked him to talk to me and told him it would be ok, and thats when he filled me in on things that had been going on at dads house, a few things being. Dad drinking to the point to where he gets drunk, thats usually when these things happen, Spanking in front of people for no reason at all (almost like public shaming), calling him into the kitchen for dinner asking him what hes doing when he comes into the kitchen and then sending him to time out for coming into the kitchen, then calling him back from time out rinse and repeat a few times over, slapping him upside the head, calling him "a little bitch", thats just a few of the things. Then afterwords telling him its all just a joke, he was reluctant at first to tell me and his mom these things but soon opened up more and more, we filed a report with CPS and they took him in and talked to him, talked to us and eventually concluded " there are alot of red flags, but no real sign of abuse" and told us that they would go speak to dad because maybe after 10 years he did not understand his own son. He had no signs of physical abuse but is deeply hurt and sad and scared of his dad. After CPS went and spoke with dad we did not hear anything, he took us off facebook and did not try to contact myself, mom, or Tye on any of our cell phones.
Now, last week id say October 7th, Dad messages moms phone out of the blue after making no contact since August 27th asking to take Tye 5 hours away to his Tye's great grandfathers funeral, whom he had met only once when he was 6. We were in the car at this time driving to drop off Fiona to her dad and mom asked Tye if he wanted to go, Tye gave a very abrupt no. mom told dad this and dad began to call moms phone demanding to talk to Tye, when asked if he wanted to talk he would shake his head very fast saying no. As i was driving and my wife was in the passenger seat i could hear dad on the phone screaming at my wife demanding to put Tye on and not letting her finish anything she was saying. Tye then agreed to talk to his dad for the first time in over a month, he usually has always talked with dad with the speaker phone on so he can just hold it near his face. As soon as dad heard him he stopped screaming and talked like he had not been gone from his life in over a month. The change in Tye was almost scary, the conversation went like so,

dad- hey bud how are you doing?
 Tye- good.
 dad- oh yeah? hows school been?
 Tye- good.
 dad-.....well thats cool buddy, anything new?
 Tye- no.
 dad- oh.... ok buddy, well how come you dont want to see me this weekend? (Tye had not spoken to his dad about the events that he told us at all, multiple professionals but not yet his dad, he looked at my wife who was in the front seat and she just nodded and told him "go ahead")
 Tye-.... well dad.... i really dont like the things you did to me... i do-
 dad- what things bud?
 Tye- well when you call me bad names, and when you get drunk and whe-
 dad- Tye i dont get drunk around you and i dont drink
 Tye- yes you do dad and you do things like call me bad names like a little b and you make me go to time out dad-
Tye none of that stuff has ever happened why are you making that up
Tye then handed the phone to my wife shaking his head back and forth and fidgeting with his hands saying he didn't want to talk to his dad any more and when my wife asked if he heard that he just hung up.

Since then dad has been demanding that we bring Tye to his house for the weekend, but Tye refuses to go at all cost, its gotten to the point where he has had nightmares about his dad, and a few days prior to him contacting his dad he came to one of the special needs teachers he works with at school and told her everything about it and had a complete breakdown, crying and shaking while telling everything. We have told Tye that this is all up to him, he has done nothing wrong and that if he wants to go see his dad or talk to him he can and we will support whatever choice he makes 100%, but he still sticks with it that he wants nothing to do with him. We have been telling this to dad all week and telling him we are willing to work with him but these are some of the things he is saying, no I'm not making this shit up, i couldn't if i tried

1) we are manipulating Tye against him for no reason.
 2) he tried to call all three of us but he swears up and down that we have all changed phone numbers, though phone records and the records that we have saved prove otherwise.
 3) due to Tye's "condition" hes fabricating everything, its all made up.
 4) Tye doesn't know what hes talking about. 5) " he is jacked on vids and meds" so thats why he doesn't want to come see him. (wut?)

these are just some of the things that hes said in the past week, he refuses at all cost that ANY of these things have happened, but for an entire month he did not contact myself, my wife, or Tye on any of our phones, facebook, which we were friends. He is trying to convince his own son that none of this ever happened and " we need to stop being so ridiculous about this" and just FORCE Tye to talk to him and FORCE Tye to go over to his house. He has also brought up in multiple text messages that his proof that he is in the clear is the one and only CPS report from august says that he did not abuse Tye and that again, Tye is just making all these things up.
So our dilemma is, what do we do? we are violating court orders if we dont let Tye over there but there is no way i can even think of forcing that poor boy into a car to take him to where he is so scared to go that thinking about it has made him vomit, have night terrors, and just all around scared. Any advice is welcome, thank you for taking the time to read through this, sorry about the long post, needed to get this crap off my chest.

TL;DR- Stepson came out to myself (stepdad) and his mother about abuse a month ago, dad dropped off the radar for a month, now is back in the picture, son is terrified of him and does not want to see him but is court ordered to.

UPDATE: My wife spoke to the CPS worker that handled our case a month ago, And she told my wife that the report that was given from the school was too similar to the one a month ago. So she called dad and he told her none of these things that his son is saying are true, and is saying that we have all 3 changed our numbers and that is why he hasnt contacted his son in over a month, everything he is saying is a blatent lie but CPS told my wife they had no intention of calling us about this latest report. My wife is leaving work early as i type this, I am livid....

Answer: Get the court order changed to either supervised visits or visits need to be in a public place that you can observe. If all else fails and Tye is forced to go, come up with a safety plan. Give him a cell phone that he can use to call for help. Answer #2: Give Tye a great big hug from me.


Title: Was my professor out of line for saying this?

Question:
Hello. This past Tuesday my class had a midterm exam scheduled and, as per the norm, my professor sent out instructions the night before the midterm telling us which building to go to for the test. Now, my school has a program for students with disabilities and one of the accommodations they make is giving extended time on tests/exams to students who need it. Generally, these students take their tests in a separate room as to not be bothered/distracted by everyone else getting up to leave when they are done, or so that the classroom can be used by the next professor assigned to use it, etc. I am one of these students who receives extra test time. Well, here is what my professor's email stated:

"go to the same place you were for last midterm, exiles to [insert room name here], rest to [insert room name here]."

I removed the building names for anonymity.

I feel that the professor's use of the term "exiles" to describe students with disabilities was discriminatory, offensive, and insensitive. Usually, the disabled students' department handles the process of emailing students with accommodations their instructions on where to go, so I was surprised that he sent this out to begin with/didn't let the DS dept. handle it.

Thoughts? Should I bring this to a higher up?

Edit because I forgot this: Location is California

Answer: This is a legal advice sub, and while life advice is often part and parcel of legal advice, this question is entirely a personal one the legal implications of which are so distant and marginal as to be effectively nonexistent.


Title: I found a Civil Summons on my door

Question:
I live in Arkansas. I got a Civil Summons / writ in my name. It says
“NOTE: Any attempt to evade service could result in a warning order filed against you, in compliance to ARK. CODE ANN. Section 16-58-130 “1987”.
Any idea what this could be or what I should do?

Answer:
 You should read the summons and respond appropriately.

If you are being sued you should hire a civil attorney.


Title: I was given the wrong vaccine.

Question:
I live in Maryland. I went to the doctors for a hpv shot. After the nurse gave me the supposed hpv vaccine, she tells me she gave me a tetnis shot on accident. No damage was done, that I know of, but i got scared thinking that could have been anything, or I could have been allergic. Do I have grounds to sue?
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 You are allowed to sue for any damage suffered and you would probably have a good case.

Because you've suffered zero damage you would be awarded zero

Answer #2: I understand your anger, but nurses are human too and humans make mistakes.

You have no damages and you weren't harmed. Nothing happened. Think of it this way, there's your tetanus shot!

Source: am nurse. Also pretty sure I'm a human. Not a medical robot.


Title: Could powerwashing a message in concrete be a criminal offense?[TX]

Question: Not asking for a friend, neighbor is a dick

Answer:
 Texas Penal Code sayeth:

> Sec. 28.03.  CRIMINAL MISCHIEF.  (a)  A person commits an offense if, without the effective consent of the owner: ... (3)  he intentionally or knowingly makes markings, including inscriptions, slogans, drawings, or paintings, on the tangible property of the owner.

So yes, regardless of the message or how you create it.
Answer #2: As long as you don't leave any lasting damage to his property, you should be free from criminal liability. But if you write anything that is materially false, particularly vulgar, or discriminatory, your neighbor could sue you. So tread carefully on this one. And plz post some pics once you're done.Answer #3: Now this is the kind of content I come here to see. Enjoy my spite upvote.

Legally, I guess it depends on the message's content (is it threatening, slanderous/libelous, harassing, discriminatory, etc in nature) and whether you live in an HOA, or what the city's regulations are, etc.  I don't work in any type of criminal law tho so I'll pop back in later to see what people say because now I am curious.

Just to clarify--are you planning to powerwash concrete that is your property or your neighbor, Richard's? Because that is the first thing that really matters. Don't vandalize your neighbor's property. Answer #4: Sidewalks are generally public property but adjacent landowners are responsible for maintenance and upkeep.


Title: Ex signed over rights to apartment, I signed a new lease on my own, if she won't leave, what can I legally do?

Question:
A few months ago my girlfriend moved in with me and we went through the process of adding her to what was remaining of my current lease. About a month and a half ago I caught her cheating on me and the relationship dissolved for obvious reasons. She was supposed to begin searching for a new place to live at that time, and I just stomached the uncomfortableness of living with someone I now couldn't stand because she had just as much right to be there as I did. I even agreed to let her pay this months rent at a later date in order to help speed along the process of her finding a new place to live.

Tomorrow the lease we signed together is up, and I have signed a new lease for the apartment by myself. On Friday the property manager had us both sign an agreement stating she gave up her rights to the apartment and any deposit, and that I was taking on full responsibility for everything. However, she shows no intention of leaving and everytime I have inquired about when she will be out or what she is working on it basically turns into me being cussed out and no answers. She hasn't packed anything, and I see no reason to believe she intends on leaving soon. But this is a nightmare that I would like to stop living.

So after tomorrow I will be the only one on a lease for this apartment, and she has signed away her rights to it. What am I legally allowed to do as far as getting her out? Do I have to give her a certain amount of time? Can I have her thrown out? Could I pay the complex to have the locks changed? I just don't know what my options are in this specific scenario and I feel trapped. I live in Grand Rapids, MI if it makes any difference.

Answer:
 You cannot simply change the locks or force her out on your own.

If she's not out, you go to the complex and tell your landlord that he needs to have her evicted.  Answer #2: As soon as her lease with the landlord is up, and your new lease starts, if she refuses to leave she's essentially going to become your tenant on an unwritten sublease.

You need to give her a 30 day notice to vacate the day the new lease starts.  Hand her one in person, and have one mailed to her via certified mail to you have a 'receipt' that it was done.  If she doesn't leave after the end of the 30 days, you'll have to evict.  You landlord might help you with this, but it isn't required for him to be involved.

It's up to you if you want to enlist his aid in what could be potentially a headache.


Title: Is my product suitable for Vegan Certification?

Question:
I recently opened a skin care company, and have been wanting to get Vegan Certification = meaning no Animal ingredient and no animal testing involved in the production of the product. I have since found out, that one of the ingredients in our product was tested on animals 6 years ago when it was developed by our manufacturer. Does this mean that our product is not vegan? I found this text online that to expains what makes a product vegan, but still I am having a hard time deciphering what category our product falls into.

"The developement and/or manufacture of the products, and where applicable their ingredients, most not involve or have involved, testing of any sort on (non-human) animals conducted at the initiative of the Licensee or on its behalf - whether by parent or sister company, subsidiary, sub-contractor, supplier or any other party."

Does this mean that my product, theoretically, in 20 years wouldn't be eligible for vegan certification either, because one of the materials we use was tested on animals 20 years ago when it was developed?

Answer:
 What does or does not qualify for a vegan certification is up to the group, board, or entity that created that certification.

If they require **no** animal testing, and what you have is "a little animal testing from 6 years ago" then it sounds like you do NOT meet their criteria.


Title: [Texas] How to enforce court ordered visitation so I can see my daughter.

Question: My ex gf and I have a daughter together. I haven't gotten to see her in over 8 years. She took me to court the other day to try to increase my child support. After court I sent her a message saying that I would like to have visits with my daughter again. She told me that wouldn't happen. But it's court ordered. How do I go about enforcing this. I can't afford to hire a lawyer or I'd go that route. Are there any steps I can take on my own?

Answer: Has he been refusing visitation for 8 years? Call the court and have them direct you how to file about that. You should also contact a lawyer as 8 years is a long time to go and then expect for visitation to start up again.


Title: [FL] Recorded in bathroom during school

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >Any opinions on what to do?

Call the police immediately and file a report. Then directly after that tell your principal and notify him/her that you already called the police. Obviously tell your parents.Answer #2: If you have a school resource officer, go report it to him. He can do the criminal investigation and also take care of the school admin side. The other kid is going to be in serious trouble, especially if you are under 18.Answer #3: Call the police, NOW. Tell them to meet you in the principal's office. Answer #4: You can call the cops...or his parents. What kind of trouble do you want him in? Ball is in your court. He fucked up major.


Title: I came into possession of an illegally shortened rifle. How best to handle this? (Indiana)

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Buy a barrel that makes it legal and scrap the other one.Answer #2: You could look into having a muzzle brake or other device welded or pinned to the barrel to make it the proper length.


Title: (California) Creepy man at house during Halloween

Question:
trick or treating with our young kids and friends young kids (2-3 years old). This house is using their drive way as the candy point. This man has a table with a candy bowl, a video camera on a mini tripod next to it, and a spinning wheel. He says to all the children they can keep the candy or double their odds (or something like that). As soon as we saw the video camera, we tried to get the kids out of there asap. He made a comment about our daughters, "oh, you are so cute, I need you on video so I can show my coworkers". WTF? Creepy as fuck. It all happened so fast. I was tempted to grab his camera and smash it to the ground.
Our friend has already made contact with local police, and they indicated they would look into it.
I looked at the sex registry online when we got home. Nothing related in the area.

Is this legal?

Answer: It's not illegal to film children in public.  You way overreacted to what was likely a totally harmless situation.


Title: Mislead by Ad - Texted a Kid - Please Help Me

Question: I was mislead by an ad online. Massages. Texted the number for details. Received an angry response. Apparently, was the number of a twelve year old kid. Her mother is threatening to take my number to the police. I don't know what to do. I don't want to be branded a perv. I'm not. Someone please help me. How much trouble am I am? Can the police track my phone, IMEI or something? Anything? I'm scared. I didn't mean to text the kid. I didn't even know it was a kid. Please help me.

Answer:
 Stop withholding details.

What exactly did you text them?Answer #2: Don't worry about it.

Just block the number and move on with your life. 99/100 this is a scam.


Title: Wrongful termination questions

Question: I feel I was wrongfully terminated because I was terminated for not meeting job requirements but after I was put on a final corrective action I was not coached or developed anymore about how to resolve this and their expectations about what I need to do. Do I have a good legal case on this? Because the company policy is after any corrective action the person receiving it must be coached, developed, and have an action plan. I didn't have any of those. I am in Georgia by the way. If it helps.

Answer:
 > Do I have a good legal case on this?

Nope.


Title: Coworker had her car towed while at work because PD thought it was used in a robbery. It was a mistake. Can't get car back for 5 days. Any recourse here?

Question:
On Thursday my coworker had her car towed from outside our office. She can't get it back until Monday. Cops said it was used in a robbery of April of last year??? Police did not serve a warrant or notify her at all; she only knew cause one of our other coworkers was outside when they were towing.

She spoke to the First Sargeant of the PD who basically said "oops sorry, our bad, and I've got murders to deal with so fuck off". Then spoke with a Second Sergeant who assured they would cover the towing costs and any damage that was incurred on the vehicle. They also refused to pay for a rental.

She lives an hour away from our office. She had to get someone to come get her for that day, find a ride for Friday. Is screwed over the weekend, and has to go pick up her own car on Monday.

We are in Arizona, Does she have any grounds here and what sort of process/compensation would she be looking at?

FYI: This is info straight from my coworker, i can't verify its accuracy, other than seeing the car towed, but that's all I got to go on. Thanks.

Answer: She's screwed. Why is she waiting until Monday to get the car? Why not Thursday or Friday?


Title: Restraining order being used for entrapment.

Question:
My sister in law is in a legal battle over my niece, her ex currently has the child but there is no custody agreement. Her Ex got a restraining order against her about a month ago. He has contacted her three times since then called her on the phone cussing her out once, called begging her to come home a second time and just called her asking her to pick up the child and watch her so he could go to work.

He issued a restraining order against her and continues to contact her and asking her to break the restraining order.
Is this entrapment? And what can be done to prevent him from using the restraining order to entrap or harass her?
I'm in Alabama

Answer: Her having sense to not violate the order. She should petition to set a custody agreement. She can also move to the court to amend the restraining order to accommodate for communication concerning the child.


Title: Why would executor of estate need my kids' social security cards?

Question:
IOWA

My ex husband died a year ago. No assets, a LOT of debt (including over 60k in back child support).

His mother is the executor. Today she texts me and says she needs scanned copies of all my kids' social security cards to finish closing the estate with her attorney.

Why would she need these? Is this a legitimate request from the attorney? I'm not going to go into details but I do have reason to question her honesty on the reason she needs them, and wouldn't put it past her to try to hide things from me. Don't want to give her my kids' ss numbers if she doesn't need them for legit reasons.

Answer:
 If you're weirded out by her request, tell her to have her attorney contact you directly with anything needed from you concerning his estate, and that you'll provide any information needed directly to the attorney.

Or, there's no harm in asking her, "Sure, what precisely do you need them for?"Answer #2: Ask her for her attorney's information, and verify with the attorney what they're for.

If the attorney needs them, you deliver them directly to the attorney and not to the ex-MIL.Answer #3: Just wanted to mention that you should be able to get social security survivor's benefits for your children. It may help a little bit.Answer #4: As someone that works in tax accounts I advise everyone to be very careful with that information. If she is trying to get insurance money etc in their name it makes sense. I'd ask where it requests that information. What form(s) if she filling out that ask for children/dependents' SSNs. Have her send you a picture or fax of the document that needs it. Answer #5: Did he own real estate?


Title: [OH] Injured in self defense class, chose to go to emergency room

Question:
A couple of months ago, I was in a self defense class. We would practice striking and ways of dealing with threats. We never used any sort of padding or gloves. We were taught to strike back whenever we blocked an attack. Since it's just a class, we didn't actually try to hit anyone. We'd take a swing at someone towards their chest or head, but stop a few inches away from them.

On one of the practice nights, one of the other members hit me in the chest with their knee quite hard. I remember it hurting quite a bit. He commented, "I felt something crack." I started feeling pretty dizzy, and had to sit down. The guy who hit me said he was sorry over and over, and it was clearly unintended. Later that night, I called two separate nurse's hotline. In each call, I told them what had happened, and my symptoms. They both recommended I go into the emergency room right away, which is what I did. The emergency room found that there was nothing broken or fractured, though it did continue to hurt for several weeks and made moving to my new apartment difficult (didn't change states).

I recently got the hospital bill, and it's around $1600 after insurance. My question is, if it was my choice to go to the emergency room, should the person who hit me be held responsible to pay the bill?

Answer:
 The type of injury you suffered was a predictable result of taking a self-defense class.  You most likely assumed the risk, just as you would have if you were hit by a ball during a softball game.Answer #2: Usually, in sports and courses like these, there's a general presumption of risk of injury. Unless you can make an argument for negligence or unreasonable behavior on the part of the people who run the course or the sparring partner, you will be responsible for the bill.

That you chose to go to the ER really isn't relevant, if the injury was the result of negligent or reckless behavior you might be entitled to compensation. However, from what you've written it sounds like it was merely an accident during practice, which probably will not qualify


Title: Company lied about where their goods were manufactured. Any recourse?

Question:
Voodoo Disc Golf (San Diego, CA) claimed through their official Facebook page that "Voodoo Disc Golf is proud to say it's made in the USA".  Yesterday I discovered that their products are in fact made in China.  Voodoo has since removed the "made in the USA" claim from their Facebook page but customers that purchased merchandise from them under the pretense that is was "made in the USA" are seeking advice.  I contacted Voodoo through the appropriate channels and have since been blocked by the manager.

What can we do here?  Voodoo is refusing to communicate with the customers that they lied to.

Answer: Stop doing business with them.


Title: NY Taking time off for doctor appointments under the FMLA

Question: This year I have some major medical issues that has caused me to use up all my vacation and sick time.  In July I got extremely sick and lost my voice.  I work in a call center but I was told by the department manager not to stress my voice.  Two days later he pulled my aside and asked why I wasn't making my call goal.  Instead of going on disability like he told me too, which this same thing happened a few years ago and was denied disability. It took me over a month to recover my voice.  On Wednesday I was given a written warning about having 4 hours unpaid due to my medical condition.  I went to my doctor today and said to get her the FMLA paperwork and she will fill it out.  Even with being out I still have surpassed all my goals.  I am afraid that my manager is going to fire me if I use FMLA.  After asking my manager about getting the FMLA paperwork, he went and had a meeting with HR.  Please help.

Answer:
 It's illegal for them to fire you for requesting FMLA paperwork. Answer #2: You can't be fired for using FMLA.  That's the whole point of FMLA.  If you qualify, they have to grant it and give you your job back at the end of it.  Failing to do so is a wrongful termination

If you have concerns, email your request for leave so you have a record of it.  All that being said, call centers aren't exactly known for treating employees well.  Be prepared for a negative response even if it's illegal.


Title: Took a Full time Job at a big tech company. Current Florida Resident. Plan to return to FL in <15 mo. Do I need to establish Texas Residency?

Question:
I currently have a FL DL, Registration, Insurance. My job (0% travel) says to get Texas DL & registration if bringing a car.

Both FL and TX have no state income tax. So why do I need to change other than for convenience if I lose something, tickets, etc. Is it illegal to maintain my FL residence while I work full time here in TX?

Answer:
 If you are living in Texas, you are required to get a Texas drivers license. After 90 days, you can no longer drive legally with an out-of-state license.Answer #2: [The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles](https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/new-to-Texas) says, "Welcome to the Lone Star State. You have 30 days from the time you move here to register your vehicle in the state."

[The Texas Department of Public Safety](http://www.dps.texas.gov/DriverLicense/movingtotexas.htm) says, "New Texas residents can legally drive with a valid, unexpired driver license from another U.S. state, U.S. territory, Canadian province, or qualifying country for up to 90 days after moving to Texas."

It would be different if you were commuting from a nearby state, but you will be a Texas resident for more than a year so you'll need to comply.