Title: 16M trying to get emancipated - York PA

Question:
Hello, and good day. I am currently 16 years of age, living in York County of Pennsylvania, and in quite a predicament. My parents, who are divorced, have made it very clear that they will not allow me to live in either household. My father has said that he would gladly emancipate me, and my mother has agreed to this also. I would like to know if I have a chance of being emancipated, and if I could also have a legally binding contract to have them financially support me until I can live on my own two feet. Any advice on what to do from here would be greatly appreciated, as I am unsure of what to do next. Thank you for your time. Also, throwaway for identity protection, as I am inclined to believe that the laws of Pennsylvania for emancipation are specific to county.

EDIT(copied and edited from a comment below): My parents are not letting me reside in either household for the fact that they are convinced that because I have dealt with mental health issues in the past, that I am a threat to every member in either household. But in reality, I am a teenager who is dealing with a lot of stress and hormones. The reason I want emancipation is because they are also trying to force me into a treatment facility that's program lasts for roughly 6 to 9 months. I do not need this treatment, but they are convinced that I do because I "get angry and emotional a lot." My father has threatened verbally to harm me while having a very aggressive demeanor. Because it was verbal though, and I wasn't recording our conversation, because I had no reason to believe that I would need to, it is his word versus my word. My father and I have gotten into physical confrontations in the past that started when he would hit me first. No authorities had ever been notified of it, as my parents both agreed that it would be "catastrophic to the households." So, I'm stuck in a situation where they are trying everything in their power to send me to a facility for 6 months so that I do not have to be dealt with by them. I don't have any family in the area, and none of my friends could support me because they don't want to be intruding on such a delicate situation.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Part of emancipation is financially supporting yourself. So no, you cannot choose to be independent and dependent at the same time.

[Here is the statute]( http://www.pacode.com/secure/data/055/chapter145/s145.62.html)

Your parents can try and get you emancipated but telling the judge "because I don't wasn't to care for him" isn't going to work. You will end up in foster care.


Title: Okay... help me out.

Question:
So, I got pulled over earlier in my V6 01 Mustang. Clocked 99 in 65, in California. I was racing, the other guy got pulled over too. Looks like Im going to have to go to court.

How should I prepare? Ive never had to go to court before. Is there anything I can do to increase my chances of being let off the hook? I am always friendly to officers and respectful and do what ever I can so they don't feel nervous.

Can any one lend some advice?

Also, Yes I know. Street racing is bad. I get it. I never really do it, but today my balls got a little bigger than my common sense.

Edit: there's no way I can afford an attorney. Representing myself. So how can I not look like an idiot and present my best defense?

Edit again: Id just like to Thank you all for being helpful and refraining from repremanding me. Believe me, Im getting enough of that from the Ol Lady. The advice isn't making me feel BETTER, but it is certainly helping me feel more prepared to have my consequences in court. Again, Thank you all.

Answer:
 You are not getting let off. So forget that.

You should hire an attorney. Unless you have experience with making deals with the district attorney. Answer #2: >How should I prepare?

Consider getting a lawyer. This is an expensive ticket (if you only got charged with speeding), and you are ineligible for traffic school.  Your insurance rates will probably go up.

>Is there anything I can do to increase my chances of being let off the hook?

Be prepared for facing the consequences.  These cases don't just go away.Answer #3: Dress very nicely, show up early, be very polite and respectful to everyone working at the traffic court, especially the judge, explain that you've made a terrible mistake, promise to never do it again, and accept graciously when the judge only gives you a big fine for the speeding.Answer #4: >How should I prepare?

You should probably look into an attorney.  You didn't list what you were charged/ticketed with.  So I just assumed the worst.  You need an attorney.

>Is there anything I can do to increase my chances of being let off the hook?

Uhhh, pray I guess.  Your chances of "being let off the hook" are essentially nil.


Title: Religious discrimination on workplace site blocker

Question:
Hi r/legaladvice,

I just needed to clear something up about my workplace site blocker. I'm a practicing occultist, more commonly known as a witch I suppose. This is my spiritual belief structure.

During work, in between calls and emails, I have downtime and internet access and I like to go on reddit to do research. This isn't frowned upon unless it interferes with my work, which it doesn't. I was on r/occult or r/astrology yesterday and tried to connect to a popular occult blog but I recieved a message on my internet browser about the website being blocked because of "alternative beliefs". I believe the use of the word "alternative" was what bothered me. I don't feel like my beliefs are particularly "alternative". Just to prove a point, I googled a popular christian blog and they load just fine without any site blockers hindering my browsing.

So, I just want to know if this is religious descrimination. Why should my beliefs be dubbed "alternative", when my coworker can have a "JESUS LOVES YOU" background and can browse her blogs all she wants? It doesn't seem right.

Answer:
 You can do witch stuff on your own time with your own computer. Your employer doesn't owe you access to any personal web sites.Answer #2: > Why should my beliefs be dubbed "alternative"

Because by definition they are? 'Practicing occultist' isn't a commonplace thing.

Your employer has no responsibility to make websites available to you that aren't related to your work.


Title: WA - Neighboring property damaged our (old) fence; they want to build it on our side of the property instead of the boundary line

Question:
My association is comprised of a handful of units.  For a long time now (even before I bought one of the units), there has been a fence set up between our collection of units and our neighbor property.  The fence has always been on our side of the property.  It's a really old fence and our association was considering replacing it soon.  It turns out though that the neighbor property is in the process of construction and during that construction severely damaged the fence.

They have spoken with us and indicated that they would pay for a brand new fence, and rebuild it on the same location it was (entirely on our property rather than on the boundary line).  I have two concerns with this: 1) Our association would be responsible for on-going maintenance and 2) I would prefer that the fence be built on the exact boundary line.  The neighbor property already did a survey so we know where the exact boundary is.

Other units in my association disagree with me.  They are happy that they are getting a free fence.  For me, it seems obvious that the fence should be placed on the exact boundary line and on-going maintenance should be split.  (Land where we are located is VERY expensive, plus it will give just a little more room on my side of the property).

Am I wrong here?  Is there something I'm missing?  Am I within my right to request that the fence be built on the proper boundary line?  Do you have any recommendations on how I should proceed?

Answer:
 Neighbor is replacing YOUR fence on YOUR property, but only because of this damage issue.  You should be responsible for ongoing maintenance - it's your fence!

I'm not sure why this is a "concern" of yours.  Better to have independent control of your fence and your property than try to negotiate with another party.

Common practice is not to build the fence on the exact boundary line *unless* it is previously agreed to be shared expense and maintenance.  I share a large hedgerow (on the property line) with a neighbor and have to remind him annually not to **over** trim (he's mad with the pruning) OUR shared hedgerow.  I like my privacy.

I've also seen "double fencing" where neighbors have placed one fence right up against another, likely for aesthetic preference - they prefer the same fence all the way around their property and don't want a patchwork of their neighbor's fence choices.


Title: [SLC, UT] No CO detector in rental house for nearly 3 years. Need advice on dealing with property manager and ending lease early.

Question:
Backstory:
Ive been living in the same rental property for nearly 3 years now with two other roommates in Salt Lake City. Our furnace went out in early January while both my roommates were back home for a while. I found a button that kicked the furnace back on and it worked fine. This happened two more times in the next day so I contacted the landlord to have someone check it out. The next day the landlord called me saying something was about to break in the furnace and it needed to be replaced entirely and that if this part broke it could release CO. I contacted the repairman that handled it and he said that this piece was already broken and the unit HAD BEEN releasing CO into the house and he asked if I experienced any of the symptoms related to CO poisoning, which I had not. The furnace was replaced the following day and I contacted the landlord to have him install a CO meter ASAP. The landlord never kept up with the repairman to install it and it took another week. The landlord never checks on anything he starts such as garage repairs, leaking fridge, etc. and this is just the final straw.

Now we want to end our lease early and move somewhere else. It is a law in SLC County that you must have a CO meter installed in a rental property. How do we go about getting out of our lease without paying the early termination fee and getting our deposit back? Do we need a lawyer? What should we do about his negligence to installing a CO meter for so long?

Answer:
 You first have to notify him of the breach, in writing, and then give him reasonable time to repair.

Only after you've done that can you think about breaking the lease.  You should talk to an attorney at that point, to determine whether such a thing would be considered a material breach.


Title: State law requiring employer to collect high school diploma before a job offer can be given? HIPPA laws?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 FYI: it's HIPAA, not HIPPA.

Generally speaking, HIPAA deals with violations by health care workers who release protected/confidential information about patients. Your situation has nothing to do with HIPAA.

Your private employer is legally allowed to request whatever documentation they like.Answer #2: This isn't a legal issue. They are free to refuse to hire you if you cannot produce a high school diploma. Answer #3: Considering high school graduations are public events and often published in the paper, the fact that you graduated high school is not HIPAA protected information.


Title: What crimes (if any) could this woman be charged with?

Question:
Hi, I have a friend who suffers from type one diabetes. She needed her insulin dose, but her mother purposefully hid it from her until she entered ketoacidosis (life threatening), repeatedly vomited and blacked out. The entire time my friend was under the impression she had just lost it, and her father, who also had no idea where the insulin was, was just about to take her to hospital because she was at risk of organ failure. Just before they set off, her mother revealed she had it all along.

I'm positive this is a form of abuse, but could this also be assault too, or something else? What could the mother be charged with in this situation? Or what would be the criteria she'd need to meet if what happened today didn't quite quantify as a crime? Thanks...

Answer:
 This is definitely medical neglect.  You can contact the Wisconsin Child Protective Services here:   [https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/reportabuse](https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/reportabuse)

&#x200B;Answer #2: She should report that her mother stole her medication to the police. This is a very serious crime. If your friend is a minor, CPS would be interested in this as medical neglect.Answer #3: Is your friend a minor?Answer #4: Ketones are a massive issue, I’m positive that CPS or the police can figure something out to where the person could get charged with some sort of crime. It sounds like the person could be charged with child endangerment/abuse, both being very serious in this situation. Go to the police/ CPS.Answer #5: That could be interprated as attempted murder. I think. Don't quote me on that, but it sounded like the sort of thing that you would do as revenge. Has your friends upset her mother at all? Answer #6: Did her mother ever reveal her reasons for keeping it from her?  The girl should tell a counselor at school or her doctor (if she can see the doctor alone).  Answer #7: Thats easily criminal neglect, could be recklessness or depending on the motives attempted murder


Title: [MD] My car was damaged by Department of Homeland Security's bomb squad in the parking lot of a Federal Agency - how do I file for damages?

Question:
TL;DR: My car was damaged by DHS Employees on a Federal Agency's campus; how do I file the claim?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* My car was parked in a parking lot on FDA's campus
* A gate was opened by Federal employees to let other Federal employees enter
* The gate hit my car and left a dent and scratch on the car door
* Do I submit a [SF-95](https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/civil/legacy/2011/11/01/SF-95.pdf) form? Where and how do I do that?

-
***Details:***

My car was parked in a parking lot at the Food and Drug Administration in Maryland. A suspicious package was found in the parking lot which triggered the lockdown of the area. I was walking to my car at this time and was standing by while this happened, so saw the entire process play out.

The security folks at the FDA called for backup from the bomb squad. The bomb squad arrived some time later and investigated the package, found it was a box of files, and everyone moved on with their lives. During this process, they opened a gate in the fence of the parking lot for the bomb squad to enter. The gate got caught by the wind and swung into my driver's side car door where it bounced a few times. This left a dent in my door and a fairly long scratch.

The detective leading out the DHS bomb squad team filed a report. I got a copy of the report via a FOIA request.

Now, I think I need to fill out an [SF-95](https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/civil/legacy/2011/11/01/SF-95.pdf) form for a tort claim. I can't figure out to whom and how I'm supposed to submit it to.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Answer:
 >Claims presented under the Federal Tort Claims Act should be submitted directly to the "appropriate Federal agency" whose
employee(s) was involved in the incident

So DHS Bomb Sqaud...

 although...

> The gate got caught by the wind

Sounds like God just hates you.


Title: I got scammed for porn

Question:
Okay, so this is an embarrassing post to have to make for two reasons. Firstly, talking about adult videos in public is a little awkward, albeit easier under a throwaway. Secondly, my situation could've been avoided with a little foresight, but I guess that's true of many situations. So here it is:

Over the years I've bought amateur porn from various sites with no problem. The vast majority of these have been credit card transactions, or purchased with tokens bought on a site using my credit card. In the case of the former, I usually instantly get a download link with the digital receipt, and in the latter case, I get a link emailed to me within a few hours or days. While browsing a forum a few days ago, I got directed to the site of a popular internet 'model' who had adult videos available for sale. I sent her an email asking about them, and a few hours later received a reply with a list of videos for purchase as well as prices. The first thing that should have tipped me off is that payment was in the form of Amazon giftcards - however, because I've done this in the past with legit sellers and received what I paid for, I didn't really think anything of it. I sent it along with a message saying what items I wanted, and the next morning I got a Dropbox link which was supposed to have the videos I purchased. Dropbox said "This folder is empty". Like the Amazon giftcard payment, I've run into this issue before when someone accidentally sent the wrong link, but it was resolved and I got my purchases, so I didn't panic. At this point I sent her another email letting her know that I was having trouble accessing the link.

Next, the moment of doom. In the forum thread I discovered her through, someone pointed out they had looked her up and discovered a bunch of blog posts from around the internet saying that they had done the same as me (although they'd been asked for direct bank transfers) and never received anything. I knew by now that I'd screwed up, and the 4am sleepy purchase of the previous night was a regret. It appears NOBODY has ever received anything from her, so it's unlikely to just be someone who's unreliable or forgetful. Researching further, I found people had dug up her and her boyfriend's real names and address (unsure if this is current). Even though it's only been a day, I've more or less conceded that I've been 100% scammed, and I feel like a big idiot for this.

So, is there anything I can do here to get my money back or at least get some justice on them? I have all the transaction logs, our emails to each other, their names and address, and a way to contact others who have also been scammed. I'm in New Zealand, and this couple is located in Florida, as far as I'm aware.

Answer:
 >Researching further, I found people had dug up her and her boyfriend's real names and address (unsure if this is current).

What makes you think it was actually her, and not Joe Scammer from Nigeria pretending to be her? You could sue her, serve her the paperwork, and she could legitimately have no idea what you're talking about.


Title: Will I have to serve jail time for sure? (Texas)

Question: I know there is very little respect for those that have gotten a dwi or dui but I have learned from my mistake and trying to make things right.. So, after a little internet research i found out that first offenders have to spend no less than 3 days in jail and no more than 180. I'm just worried that I will definitely have to serve jail time after receiving my first dwi.

Answer: Get a DWI lawyer. Usually in Texas with a lawyer you don't do time, but between classes, fees, more fees, additional fees and a couple extra fees, plus maybe an interlock, and paying your lawyer, this could cost you $15k pretty easily.


Title: ELI5: Why is threatening to call the cops considered extortion, but civil demands aren't?

Question: I know threatening to call the cops can be considered extortion, under certain circumstances. Why aren't civil demands also considered extortion?

Answer:
 Example 1:  I know something about you that can get you in trouble, give me money.

Example 2:  Pay me what you owe me now, or I will engage in legal avenues available to me in order to recover.

In example 2 all you are doing is making your claim and saying "why bother going through the courts if you already agree that you owe me".Answer #2: The simple answer is because one is defined by statute as extortion and the other is not.


Title: Father's Estate says I am not his child.

Question:
My father passed away back in November in Ohio. Myself and my half siblings all live in California. He did not leave a will so an estate lawyer was brought in to handle his estate. I just received a letter from the law office that basically said the following:

It is my understanding that Child 1, Child 2, and Child 3 were all born to their natural mother while she was legally married to Mr. Father. Under California law, Mr. Father would therefor be presumed to be their natural parent. It is also my understanding that OP was born to his natural mother several years prior to the date that she and Mr. Father were legally married.I am not aware of anything under California law that would presume that OP is the child of Mr. Father.

When my parents split up a few years back, there may have been a small discrepancy in the paperwork. During the process of the divorce, "both parties stipulated the following statistical fact: Petitioner and Respondent have no children together, living or deceased."

This was originally wrote for custody purposes since I was already over 18 during the time of the divorce.

Looking for what would be the best approach after this? I can get a birth certificate with his name on it, and if need be, I can request for a DNA test to test against my siblings and my father's siblings

Answer:
 Copy of the birth certificate should be enough. Send it to the estate lawyer and that should prove the presumption of paternity. They may ask for an embossed one (not a photocopy) so you may have to order a new one from the state you were born in. If the lawyer refuses to accept that evidence it may be worth hiring your own estate attorney to write him a polite "take the birth certificate evidence or else" letter.Answer #2: >I can get a birth certificate with his name on it,

Does this mean that you already have a certificate with his name on it, and are just trying to get an extra copy to send the lawyer? Or does your current birth certificate have the father slot blank; and you think it’ll be easy to update it to include your father (spoiler: That’s incredibly difficult to do after he’s died).

Also, why is the estate lawyer using California law to determine who should be recognized as children. If your father lived in Ohio, that should be the jurisdiction where it’s probated; not CA. Answer #3: NAL

You should probably speak with an estate lawyer. It’s not always enough to be named on the birth certificate to establish legal paternity. That holds true in both Ohio since 1998, and California currently. Depending on your current age it may, or may not, be an issue.


Title: My wife can't get her cosmetology license

Question: I'm going to make this short, as it's a little late here but I'm hoping someone can help. My wife got her master cosmetology degree several years back. We got married and had a child and I have a good job so we were not too worried about her getting a job. Recently, my daughter has started school and my wife applied to get her license. She was denied because some law had been passed where you only have a certain amount of time to get her license. She was never told this at her school. Now we have 30 grand in student loans countless hours of studying all for nothing. Is there anything she can do? Get a license in a different state? Somehow get the loan taken away? We can't afford more loans so going back to school is a no go. Could I have a lawsuit against the school? We live in Georgia, USA and not sure what the law is called.

Answer:
 It's off chance, and I wouldn't count on it,  but your wife *might* be able to go back to her school and ask them to re-submit her diploma to the state,  resetting the two year window for her.

Dug into things a little bit - the two year window was added effective July 1, 2015

Answer #2: There are no grounds for having the loan "taken away." She got the education she paid for.

If the law was passed while she was in school, it would have been nice for the school to make sure she knew about it, but it's also her responsibility to know that. If the law was passed after she finished school, then it's all on her.


Title: Can I get this car insurance claim dropped?

Question:
 So a few months back I was driving down the highway on my way to work in  the rain. Suddenly all the cars in front of me slammed on the brakes, I  slammed on mine, my car slid forward in the rain and I rear ended the  car in front of me and I cracked her bumper. We pulled over and got out,  looked at the damage, decided it wasn’t much, took pictures of each  others licenses and insurance cards and drove away. They recently  decided they want to file a claim, I assume to replace the bumper. It  was her dad’s car. What I didn’t notice at the time was that she was  under 18, had a provisional drivers license and was driving alone. In my  state you need to have an adult at least 25 years old to operate a  vehicle with a permit. Unfortunately at this point it’s hard if not  impossible to prove she was alone in the car. I don’t want my insurance  to go up so I want them to drop the claim. Ideas?
Topic:
Insurance

Answer: Her being alone in the car doesn’t invalidate the claim. It doesn’t rid you of fault in this accident.


Title: Landlord sent notice of entry for a routine inspection, showed up at the house with a dozen people for a showing?

Question:
If there's a better subreddit for this, please let me know!

As title says, landlord agency sent out an email (this is the email http://imgur.com/iD7sJQx) saying we would have a routine inspection(which we've had before and we know what to expect from), then she showed up with 3 groups of people that she scheduled to show the house to all at the same time, so we had a dozen people wandering around our home and taking pictures, etc. It was a total shock to us and one roommate was actually still asleep, so he woke up to a bunch of people in the house and didn't know why. Is my landlord obligated to tell us if they are going to show the house? We confronted her about it after everyone left and she was extremely defensive and claimed the notice to enter was sufficient. I'm not looking for some big payout for trauma or anything stupid like that, but I would like to know if she was allowed to bring people over with no notice or if we are rightfully bothered. Thanks!

Answer:
 > I'm not looking for some big payout

Good. Because you aren't entitled to anything.

It looks like you were given appropriate notice. Landlords are allowed to sell their property if they so choose. They gave you notice. It's kind of a dick move not to tell you that they are showing your home, but notice is all that is required.


Title: Emotional Support Animals and House Lease Problem Involving Landlord

Question: I am a student who is currently paying for a month-to-month lease in California in a house near my university campus. The house is two bedroom. I am trying to get another tenant to fill a soon to be open room in the house. I found an ideal candidate but she also has a emotional support animal which is some sort of cross breed with husky. The dog is registered as an Emotional Support Animal. She has a PDF copy of her certificate registered to her by the ESARA. I am perfectly fine with living with the animal, but my landlord is absolutely not. He said that "the insurance companies have blacklisted the husky breed." We argued with him for an hour and told him that the psychiatrist even has a letter for the girl that she needs the pet. Is the landlord in the wrong. I didn't think you could  refuse a lease to somebody with an ESA. Maybe you can refuse a lease to somebody because you don't like them, but is that even possible?

Answer:
 > The dog is registered as an Emotional Support Animal.

There's no such thing, and the ESARA is a scam.

If his insurance won't allow that breed, he doesn't have to allow it.


Title: How I end my parents' guardianship over me? (Abusive guardians) (not a minor)

Question:
I am 23 years old and I strongly believe that my guardians are not acting in my best interest and are abusive psychologically and financially. They took guardianship of me using my mental illness (depression) and autism to make me appear incompetent when in reality the entire thing was to preserve financial assets (it's complicated and pointless to explain). I am desperate to terminate this guardianship. I'm in NY. Please help.

Edit: title should say "How do I..."
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Hire a lawyer, or go to court pro se seeking to terminate the guardianship. Answer #2: You can file a complaint with [Adult Protective Services](http://ocfs.ny.gov/main/psa/)--financial abuse of an incapacitated person is illegal.

Have you tried contacting a disability rights center, such as [Disability Rights New York](http://www.drny.org/) ?

Do you have a guardian ad litem (GAL) assigned to your case? This is a person assigned by the court, who is an officer of the court, and is supposed to look out for your best interests. It will be someone different from your guardians themselves.Answer #3: A few points:

The state of New York allows for the incapacitated person to motion for dismissal of guardianship. This will require the court examiner to evaluate those claims.

The court is typically pretty thorough in their determinations of adult guardianship.  Do you have any issues that could either prevent you from functioning alone, or cause you to self harm?

What sort of abuse? Physical? Financial? Answer #4: I'm also autistic. Contact ASAN (autistic self advocacy network), they may have some resources to help you. Also contact adult protective services. You should have a guardian ad litem assigned by the court to protect your best interests (because your actual guardians may have opposing interests).

The dismissal of guardianship motion sounds like a good route to pursue.


Title: (Wyoming) Vicious Dog charge - pet snapped at police officer's child

Question:
A bit of background first. We live in a very small town and just recently moved to a new house. My girlfriend's giant schnauzer - Aussie mix dog who I will refer to as J, has never had issues running away, but for whatever reason at this house he has jumped out and ran around town a few times. Each time a police officer has found him and we have retrieved him. He has always been very friendly so no issues with aggressiveness, but he is known for escaping.

Now for the story: On November 4th my girlfriend and I took our dogs for a walk to go get coffee. We tied them up outside the shop, went in and got coffee.  All went well, we got our coffee and went to sit with the dogs. We were sitting directly outside the shop on a bench, directly behind us there is a ramp to go into the shop. [also important to note the shop is owned by a town police officer's wife.]

As we sat there, the police officer and his kids showed up to go inside. As they walked up the ramp, the first kid pet J, as he walked past the smallest kid (maybe 4 years old) made a short yip/yell while directly behind J. In surprise, J whipped around and snapped at the kid's leg. All in what felt like a half-second, J grabbed the kid's pant leg leading the kid to fall over, and the situation ended.

While my girlfriend sat with the dogs I went inside with the kids and police officer to make sure she was OK. The kid had two very small scratches on her leg from J's teeth (was not bleeding at all). As they comforted her, I assured them we would of course pay for any medical bills if they wished to see a doctor. The police officer was off duty so he called a fellow on duty officer to the scene.

I spoke with the police officer and gave him my address so he could swing by and get proof of J's vaccinations (which he was current on). At that point he said no charges would be filed as it was a one time, non-serious incident.

Once the officer arrived to our house he informed me he had spoken to the mother (who was not present at the time of the incident) and vicious dog charges would be filed.

The first court date was about 3 weeks ago. At that point, the mom had never put in her restitution claims. Because of that the judge suggested we plead non-guilty and another court date was set for early December (next week as of writing this). The police officer who wrote the citation was not present at the court date, nor were the parents of the child.

Immediately after the charges being issued, we began behavior training for J and also put up a heavy duty run for him in the yard which totally prevents him from escaping.

A few other things that might be of note:

-The situation that led to the bite seemed like a perfect storm. The kid was maybe 6 inches behind him and in his blind spot when he whipped around and snapped. Also, he has never been aggressive other than your typical barking when someone arrives at the house. While all that may be  true, there is still no reason a dog should ever bite anyone without cause, let alone a child. We are taking every precaution to ensure it never happens again.

-The mom is the one filing charges and she was not present for the attack. We have heard gossip around town she is very unhappy and wants to hit us hard with charges (don't know if that is true or not, or what she has in mind).

-An official statement was never taken from us. It seems all the info the police have is from the wife and possibly her husband (the police officer).

-The next court date is next week and we still haven't heard anything about the grievances/restitution (not sure which is the appropriate term) she is planning on filing.

-We spoke with an attorney very briefly after the first court date. He said we should hold off on actually hiring him until we learn the grievances. He also said because of who the dog bit, our best bet was to hope the prosecutor goes easy on us. We would likely look for a different attorney if we end up needing one.

I think that about sums it up. We know his behavior was very wrong and not acceptable and are doing everything possible to ensure that was the first and only time it happens. We are just very concerned about the situation and feel the deck might be stacked against us. Small town, local police officer vs. a younger couple and their dog - neither of us have been in town more than a few years so we don't have the social standing they do.

I hope that wasn't too long, just wanted to make sure I got all of the important details in. Thanks a ton for reading, any advice or suggestions would be very appreciated.

Answer:
 Wyoming Statutes Chapter 31 11-31-301 (e) "Proof of the fact that the animal has bitten or attacked any person at any place where a person is legally entitled to be is evidence that the animal is vicious within the meaning of this section."

Wait for grievances as they might be reasonable. This does not appear to be targeting of small town officer and family vs new young couple and helpless innocent dog. Definition above is your state statute on vicious dog.


Title: [DC] Can I sell the piano my ex-boyfriend left in my apartment? It has been six months and he doesn't respond to emails.

Question:
Hello legaladivce, my boyfriend and I were living together for two years in an apt in DC. We broke up, he moved out, and I told him he could leave his piano in the space until he figured out a permanent place to put it. So, it has been six months and I'm getting tired of a) the amount of room the piano takes up in my small apt and b) that when I look at it I think of him.

If I have proof that I have attempted to contact him about the piano without success would there be any repercussions to selling it or giving it away? I don't know piano values but its an upright generic brand probably worth between 1.5k or 2k or maybe less I dunno?
Thanks for any opinions!

Answer: Send him a certified/registered letter stating that he has until X to retrieve his property and that, if he doesn't retrieve it by X, you will dispose of it accordingly.


Title: Mormon Church tries to Prevent the Prosecution of my Abusive Stalker (VA)

Question:
Almost 3 years ago I broke it off with an extremely abusive man we will call Steve. This launched him into some sort of delusion that we were still together.  After getting fed up with ruthless stalking and manipulation, I sent him an email saying if he contacted me again I would get the police involved. His reaction was to get the clergy of our church, the Mormon bishop involved.

Due to the nature of the Church, the Bishop's advice is something you are supposed to take as God's personal word to you. I was called in for an interview and I told him that I was being stalked and harassed and I felt my life was in danger. My Bishop told me the best thing to do would be to talk to my stalker and stop ignoring him. He told me I was being silly and that I was being stalked because Steve needed closure and me denying him closure was causing his mental break. He also talked me out of going to the police, telling me it would go against the faith and harm me spiritually. Instead of diffusing the situation he encouraged Steve to find ways to get through to me.

I refused to talk to Steve and one night he followed me home from church. I hid from him in my RAs room, who then reported him to my University Title 9 office. I quickly got a protective order and an investigation was done. The whole time the Bishop was breaking the protective order by passing me messages from Steve. My standing in the church was also challenged because I had defied his counsel. Because of “church policy”, they refused to let me attend another nearby church to avoid Steve and refused to send Steve elsewhere while the investigation was occuring. My options were to suck it up and be in the same room with my stalker almost every day, or to stop attending church and risk my salvation.

I endured over 8 months of shaming, begging, and harassment from multiple church authorities before I was given the option to pursue charges through my University. I made the decision to go forward with charges because it came to light that Steve was stalking at least four other girls in the church. When Steve notified my Bishop that there would be a hearing the Bishop spent days trying to talk me out of it. He knew about the other girls because they had complained but they received the same treatment as me.  He told me I was being vengeful and kept trying to guilt me with the consequences Steve would face. Without prompting he tells me that he can't help me or testify in the hearing because everything shared is done with confidentiality. However, he testifies for Steve and calls me crazy and that the whole situation is a misunderstanding.

Steve is found guilty of gender based violence and that is that. Slap on the wrist because it's his “first” offense. He keeps stalking other girls and the church successfully hushes them and keeps them from reporting it.

But now I have been left with crippling PTSD and anxiety from almost a year of being coaxed and threatened into silence and having the stalking marginalized. I really want to prevent this from happening to other women. Is there any legal avenue to go after church policy for interfering and preventing me from going to the police? Or for causing me emotional harm? Please, any advice is welcome.

Answer: Sounds like this bishop gave you some bad advice and you chose to follow it. Your most practical recourse is likely to decide if you want to continue being part of this organization, knowing how they treat women in your situation.


Title: (TX) Boss is holding my last check until an in-person exit interview

Question:
I recently left a job in a fee for service model small business in the medical field. Originally I started off as an independent contractor, but was moved to an actual employee several months ago, with PTO and the option for medical insurance.

I turned in my two weeks notice shortly before my boss (who is the owner of the business) left for a 2 1/2 week long vacation. It seemed like an amicable parting when I told her in person, but then I began receiving nasty emails from her as I finished out the two weeks.

She stated via email that she would not give me my last check until I came in for an in-person exit interview/employee performance review (she meant to do the reviews in December and give our bonuses based on our reviews, but didn't get around to it and decided to do it in January). She also threatened to turn me into an ethics board for "failure to complete work" or impose "monetary consequences" if I didn't have all of my paperwork completed by my last day.

I completed all of my paperwork and made the office manager sign a statement detailing the names of all of the paperwork I completed and turned in to her. I offered via email to complete an exit interview with the office manager when I turned in my laptop, paperwork, and keys on my last day, but my boss said no, it had to be done in person with her. She also said that it would have to be done at her convenience, most likely a week or two after she got back from vacation and on a Saturday afternoon since that's when she has time.

Legally, can she hold my check? I did not have a contract, just an offer letter and an employee handbook. The only thing mentioned about leaving in the handbook was that it was "at will employment" and you could leave or be terminated for any reason at any time without notice. What laws can I cite to get her to pay me? (It's around $2k she owes me). I talked to a past employee and she said she had to send a letter detailing how she was legally entitled to her last check before the boss actually paid her. My last day was a week and a half ago, and payday was supposed to be January 15th.

Answer:
 Nope, it isn’t kosher to withhold your paycheck for this reason.  [This](http://www.twc.state.tx.us/news/efte/final_pay.html) is the link to the state agency that handles these things stating as such, and they are also past the deadline to pay you.  That same site should provide direction on how to file a wage dispute.

It’s probably best not to threaten to file or link them the law, but instead to simply file the complaint.  The other options will likely just drag this out.


Title: Do charges exist for leaving a person to die of an overdose?

Question:
Okay, so two years ago my roommate died of a fentanyl overdose in our home. He was found hours later. New information has recently come to light, and the person who sold him the drugs was there when he overdosed, and he left him to die. He didn't call 911, he didn't try to help. He just left him there for us to find hours later. I live in Alberta, Canada, and I want to know if there is anything we can charge this guy for? I want him to pay for what he did, he needs to be accountable for letting my roommate who was my best friend die alone. There is no excuse for this to have happened. Pat could still be alive... I'm distraught and I need some kind of answer. Thank you.

The guy told a facebook friend we have in common that he was there when he overdosed, and that he left him there.

Answer:
 IANAL.

There's no offence he can be charged with simply for failing to help your friend. Based on what you've told us, it does not appear that he had any legal duty to help your friend. See [*R. v. Browne*, 1997 CanLII 1744 (ON CA)](http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onca/doc/1997/1997canlii1744/1997canlii1744.html?searchUrlHash=AAAAAQCBRXZlcnkgb25lIHdobyB1bmRlcnRha2VzIHRvIGRvIGFuIGFjdCBpcyB1bmRlciBhIGxlZ2FsIGR1dHkgdG8gZG8gaXQgaWYgYW4gb21pc3Npb24gdG8gZG8gdGhlIGFjdCBpcyBvciBtYXkgYmUgZGFuZ2Vyb3VzIHRvIGxpZmUuAAAAAAE&resultIndex=1). Theoretically he could be charged with manslaughter; I don't know of any case where a drug dealer was convicted of manslaughter for selling dangerous drugs that lead to an overdose, but the Edmonton Police [recently](http://globalnews.ca/news/3027328/manslaughter-charge-laid-in-connection-with-fentanyl-overdose-in-edmonton/) charged someone with manslaughter following an overdose in similar circumstances.


Title: [New York] A lawyer drew up my will and sent it to me electronically to sign and mail back. Am I legally able to change the beneficiaries within the will before I sign it or do I need to have my lawyer do it for me?

Question:
New York.

Very simple. I had a lawyer draft my will a couple of years ago. I suck at life and haven't signed it yet. I'm about to leave on an extended European visit and with the state of the world I want to take the will to get notarized today and mail it back to my attorney.

However, because the will was drawn up two years ago, I would like to add a couple of beneficiaries to the will (they were not born or had just been born when the will was first drafted). The will itself is very simple. It lists four beneficiaries and each one gets 25% of everything. I would like to add four people to be beneficiaries and change the percentages (two people would now get 20% and the remaining six would get 10%).

The lawyer sent the will to me via e-mail for me to print and sign- can I go in and change this aspect of the will without having to go through my lawyer? The lawyer is a family friend and did this pro bono as a favor to me so it isn't like i'm trying to bypass paying her. I am simply on a tight timeline and I want to make sure each of these people are included if something were to happen on my trip.

I just need to know if it's legal for me to edit the document to add new beneficiaries and change percentages without my lawyer. It's literally a change from:

X% to Abby
X% to Michael
x% to Lacey
X% to Jen

to

Y% to Abby
Y% to Michael
Z% to Lacey
z% to Jen
Z% to Melissa
Z% to Mary
Z% to Eliza
Z% to Jack

Can I do this? Once I change it I am printing it and bringing it to the notary to sign with witnesses and mailing it back to the lawyer. I just don't want the will to be invalid if I die because I changed it and my lawyer didn't know beforehand.

Google has not been helpful!

Answer: Yes, it's legal. All your attorney did was draw up a document that is legally sound and will hold up in court. You just want to run the changes by him because if you do not word it correctly it could void the will.


Title: Ex keeps giving my number out to 3rd party websites, what can I do?

Question: Is there anything I can legally do or anything? My ex bf's(I know it's him because, when they call they give his name/address) is giving my number out to different website, auto loan companies, auto insurance companies et cetera. So, now I am getting multiple calls/text from people that are saying that I won trips or asking me about the interest rate on loans. It's super annoying, and pisses me off that he is even still doing this kind of stuff, when we were together he was a complete piece of crap like physically and emotionally abusive and now I just feel helpless because, I can't do anything about it because, even though technically he's harassing me he's not actually making the calls/text.

Answer: You mentioned that some of the phones calls you are receiving are about loan offers. Does he know your social security number? Because if so, they could be pulling your credit. I would check your credit report to make sure there are not any new inquiries on there.


Title: Public Slander (X-post r/WeAreTheMusicMakers)

Question:
Hey guys I need some advice.

So for the past year someone has dedicated a lot of time to "trolling" my music online to the point where it's actually affecting my career. This person has been making fake accounts under my stage name uploading terrible music, adding business contacts of mine and posting things slandering people I work with. It's gotten so bad that I have fans and colleagues contacting me asking me what I'm doing with my music. I had a fan contact me on FB saying he wasn't liking the route I was taking and I had to explain to him that this wasn't me.

I've tried reporting all the fake accounts and nothing came of it, so I am not sure what to do from here. Does any one have any advice? Normally this wouldn't really bother me but it is genuinely hurting my career.

Thanks in advance.

Location: Canada, would like to keep my province and city anonymous.

Answer:
 You'd need to talk to a canadian IP lawyer about this.  You might also just try having someone send a series of cease and desist letters (should not be very expensive).

You should also talk to him whether, given what the other guy is doing with names, etc., you could send non-frivolous DMCA (and canadian equivalent) takedown notices to FB etc.  That should expedite removal.


Title: [England, UK] Soon to be ex wife wants to defend a divorce from abroad?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 This would be a great question for your lawyers, but I would be very surprised if she could do more than delay the divorce. If nothing else, packing up and moving back to China without you is probably a slam dunk for desertion, so even if she successfully objects to divorce for unreasonable behaviour, you're still getting a divorce.

Living separately for sufficient time would also be grounds (two years with agreement, or five years without), and she can't make you live with her.

She can likely hire a lawyer to represent her, and may be able to appear for hearings by telephone if she doesn't want to travel back. If she simply ignores the notice, you'll likely be granted your divorce.


Title: Panicking about my charges.

Question:
Hi all. I have been arrested this weekend for my first (and last) DUI. This is in CA. My BAC was just 0.09% - 0.01 over the legal limit (breathalyzer).

I was caught when I speeded upwards of 90mph (65 limit) and driving in the carpool lane. I thought Id passed all of the sobriety tests (I distinctly remember) yet the officer said I failed miserably, which i thought was rather disputable.

I stayed in jail for 8 hours and was released after. I received a restricted license so I can drive only to/from work.

I received two traffic violations a year ago.

With that said, I could use some advice here.

1. With this background, how effective would getting a lawyer be?

2. If not a lawyer, then how could I fight the case for myself to minimize the charges?

3. What is the average length of time for me to get back my license?

4. How can I start controlling my urge to speed?

5. When is the next earliest estimated time when I am able to qualify for a motorcycle permit?

Tl;dr, first DUI, need tips on how best to handle the whole process of going to court and negotiating the charges.

Answer:
 I'll let an officer tell you that your belief about the field sobriety tests is unfounded.

1. You should get a lawyer. DUI cases are very complicated.

2. See answer to question 1.

3. 4 months.

4. Just stop speeding... either that or stop driving.

5. Sorry, can't help on this one.


Title: Weed

Question:
I'm in Washington state, weed is legal. However I have a job in IT that I wouldn't want to lose, I've never smoked weed before I just want to try it.

If they drug tested me would it be a problem? It wouldn't be affecting my work at all.

Answer: Doesn't matter. If the company tests you and it's positive for THC, they can fire you and it's legal and you have no recourse. Just because cannabis is legal in the state doesn't mean its usage becomes a protected class.


Title: Son's ex had him in Virginia court for something stupid that was dismissed. During TESTIMONY she mentioned mail he hadn't know of that she "finally just started throwing it in the trash". A felony! Everyone ignored it to focus on the case, but now we want her arrested/fined. Is it ACTUALLY possible?

Answer:
 You can report it to the U.S. Postal Inspectors Office.  They can investigate the matter.Answer #2: Did your son put in a change of address with the USPS? If he did he should be getting his FIRST CLASS MAIL.  Bulk business mail (junk mail) is usually addressed as such:
Current resident or
John Doe
123 First St.
Anytown,  State  Zip

So she is probably throwing away junk mail with his name on it with or current resident on the mail.  So that would not be illegal. If he has not changed his address do it ASAP.
I worked for USPS for 35 years.Answer #3: You can report it to the Postal Inspectors, although I wouldn't hold your breath about it going anywhere. They're empowered to act, but have discretion as to when.

This seems like something your son could easily fix by ensuring he has properly changed his address with everyone relevant.


Title: Currently in a airplane from Miami to New York..

Question: And after New York I was supposed to go to Chicago. Unfortunately my 10 pm flight was cancelled and now I have to wait until 10:30 am for my next flight to Chicago. They did rebook me however will they supply me with a hotel and food ? I’m broke so won’t be easy for me

Answer:
 Why was the connecting flight cancelled? If it was due to weather of any other "act of God" then they probably won't cover it. (Though I have had success in asking really nicely in the past, YMMV.) If it was due to a mechanical problem or other issue that is the airline's responsibility then they will almost certainly hook you up.

Again, remain polite and nice. Airline folks, despite their reputation, are people, too.Answer #2: Talk to them. They usually provide a hotel and voucher. At least when it happened to my wife and I with southwest about 3 years ago they did.


Title: Is it illegal to read books aloud on a live stream?

Question:
At the moment this is a pure hypothetical senario, though I am seriously considering the idea. I have been wanting to read more books, particularly pertaining to philosophy, and thought that reading aloud to an audience could be an interesting way to engage with the text. If I had comments to make or questions to ask, I could turn to chat and engage in a dialogue as we read together. Kinda like a modern evolution of a book club. However, I am concerned about the copyright issues I could face if I take on the project. I would only read the text aloud, not displaying the words on screen. Would this level of community engagement be inherently transformative, and thus Fair Use, or would I be flagrantly breaking copyright law? If so, what kind of ramifications could I face?

I assume any books in the public domain are A-OK no matter what. However, I know some translations or publications can still fall under copyright even if the text itself is public domain. How could I easily avoid that issue if I do move forward with the idea?

Answer:
 NAL. If all you're doing is reading the book, it's probably a copyright violation. If you were reading small sections of the book (a chapter or less) and adding a good deal of discussion, you might be okay, as that might be transformative. But if you subsequently read the next chapter in a later stream, then the next, and so on, you're distributing the entire work, which is likely a violation.

If I were doing this I would either stick purely to books in the public domain or talk with an IP lawyer before "publishing" any copyrighted works.


Title: [Minnesota] I gave my cousin 5 grand to help him buy a house now his loan provider wants some paperwork from me is this normal?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer: Yes, it's standard procedure to prove that the money was a gift not a loan.


Title: (IN) Pulled over for seat belt violation and received a ticket for no insurance.

Question: Saturday I was pulled over for not wearing my seat belt. Money had been tight for a little while now and auto insurance had been neglected and the policy had cancelled. When I was pulled over I was asked for my insurance credentials. I'm wondering about the constitutional legality of this: I was pulled over for a non-moving non-point violation, so would asking for my insurance during a stop such as this constitute a 4th amendment violation. My belief for this is that since it is a non-moving violation that it would be unreasonable to require me to show proof of insurance.

Answer: Nice try, but you're gonna lose on that front. It's totally reasonable to make sure you're driving your car legally. This is the same as being pulled over for a seatbelt violation and being caught drinking or the cop smelling/seeing drugs in the car.


Title: What would be the criminal consequences of lighting a dumpster on fire?

Question: This has been tossed around as a fun get together once quarantine is over. The main person arguing for this insists that if we do it away from buildings there will be no legal consequences which I know is absolutely not true. But it got me wondering would be the actual consequences of lighting a dumpster on fire?

Answer: Arson.


Title: I accidentally broke the gate to my friend's apartment an officer found out and has taken my information, what should I do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >My friend said to explain to the property manager that it was his fault

If your friend wants to take fault and pay then he can pay


Title: Have DUI Questions - Open to Advice (Police Report + Info)

Question:
Here is the report: http://i.imgur.com/NTCffMt.png

The suspension was upheld at the ALS hearing, where the burden of proof is much lower. One thing of note, the officer indicates that as he "leaned closer to" me, he detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage. In the ALS hearing, prior to going before the judge, the state attorney asked him how strong the odor was and he shrugged his shoulders. She then told him to say that he detected a strong odor, which he never indicated in the report.

It looks like, based on appellate court rulings, that the facts of my case make this a 50/50 shot at winning - *if* we go to trial. I'm hoping for a reduction, but also want to be realistic. I have an attorney and I know he's going to bat for me, but trial isn't until June and I understand that he has other cases to prepare for. This is just weighing on my mind and I feel like hearing other opinions.

Also, I watched the video and transcribed it. Here it is (M is me, O is Officer):

1:01 – Officer activates blue lights – No driving impairment evident prior to stop. Blinker activated across
all three lanes to stop on shoulder.

1:58 – Put car in park on shoulder.

2:14 – Office begins traffic stop:

O: How we doin’ today?

M: How you doing sir?

O: I’m good. I’m Trooper Boyd, I’m with Georgia State Patrol. The reason I’m stopping you is for your

speed.

M: Yeah.

O: Where you heading from today?

M: Uh, coming from Chattanooga, sir.

O: Mmkay…

M: Headed to [Grandparents' hometown]…

O: Alright.

M: …Where my Grandparents live.

O: What are you doing in Chattanooga?

M: I was uh, with some friends.

[2:34]

O: Some friends? How much have you had to drink?

M: I’ve uh… I’ve had..

O: How much?

M: Uh, I had a vodka soda…

O: A vodka soda? About how long ago?

M: Uh… somewhere around 8:30… 9?

O: 8:30, 9 – that’s it?

M: [referencing my license] You have my –

O: Yeah, I’ve got your license. You can hold on to this registration for me.

M: Thank you sir.

O: Do you have any eye conditions?

M: Uh, well

O: Other than your glasses…

M: Yeah, they’re broken right here.

O: But that’s the only thing. Your glasses – you wear glasses…?

M: Yeah.

O: For your eyes…

M: Yeah.

O: You got a good back – good legs?

M: Yep.

O: Don’t struggle walking or balancing?

M: Nope.

O: I’m going to ask you to do some field sobriety tests for me, OK?

M: I-I mean, I’d rather not.

O: OK – are you refusing to do a field sobriety test?

M: Yes sir.

O: Alright, well step out for me.

[3:36]O: Turn around for me, place your hands behind your back.

M: [referencing my iPhone] Can I keep this with me or…

O: Just put that down for now. OK. You’re going to be placed under arrest for suspicion of driving under
the influence as well as a speeding charge, OK? Now I got something to read you, OK? At the end of this
there’s going to be a question. I need you to answer yes or no to that question, alright? Let’s go back here so we can get out of traffic. Alright – you’re over 21?

M: Yes sir.

O: OK. Georgia law requires you to submit to a state administered chemical test of your blood, breath or
urine or other bodily substances to determine if you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. If you
refuse this testing, your Georgia driver’s license and privilege to drive on the highways of this state will be
suspended for a minimum period of one year. Your refusal  to submit to testing may be offered as
evidence against you at trial. If you submit to testing and the results indicate an alcohol concentration of
0.08 grams or more, your Georgia driver’s license and privilege to drive on the highways of this state may
be suspended for a minimum of one year. After first submitting to the required state test you are entitled
to an additional test of blood, breath or urine or other bodily substance at your own expense and by
qualified personnel. Will you submit to the state administered chemical test of your breath under the
implied consent law?

M: What…

O: You want me to re-read it for you?

M: No, what was that last part?

O: The last sentence is “Will you submit to the state administered chemical test of your breath under the
implied consent law?”

M: You’re asking for a breathalyzer?

O: Will you submit to the state administered chemical test of your breath under the implied consent law?

M: I don’t feel comfortable…

O: No?

M: Just because I don’t know…

O: OK.

M: What the reading is going to be.

O: OK.

M: I don’t…

O: That’s fine, it’s your option, OK?

So that's that. I'm looking for an opinion on the strength of this case. Just in general...

I've read a ton of appeal rulings... I seems like there's a lot of gray area in a total refusal and it comes down to what the judge feels like when the evidence is there, but the threshold to reasonable doubt is up for debate. For instance, I read State v. Encinas (http://caselaw.findlaw.com/ga-court-of-appeals/1507888.html) and in that case, the trial court found as a factual matter that there was evidence that the defendant was not impaired, namely, “his speech, steadiness on his feet, and the fact that he appeared ‘normal’ on the videotape” of the traffic stop. Encinas was pulled over for doing 70 in a 55.

The state appealed the trial court's decision, but the appellate court found that "the underlying facts support conflicting inferences as to whether the defendant was an impaired driver, we apply a clearly erroneous standard of review and defer to the trial court's finding on the issue.”

I feel like the video evidence is the strongest weapon here. I am sober on the video and the officer cites that I had normal speech patterns, was polite and had nothing unusual about my demeanor. Further, and along the lines of Encinas: "Per the definition of probable cause, 'If the evidence shows only that the driver is intoxicated but does not show that such has impaired him, the evidence is insufficient to show probable cause for DUI.' "

Answer:
 OK, so I just read the case you posted. It's about a motion in limine to keep out evidence at trial that the driver refused FST's. It's not an outright acquittal. The defendant can still be convicted based upon the evidence that was presented.

You say you wouldn't have had normal speech if you had consumed a bottle and a half of vodka. Possibly true, unless you're an experienced alcoholic, which you might very well be. I've had clients do only moderately badly on FST's who were at a .3 or above. Your body gets used to it when you drink so much.


Title: [California]. If a worker in the state came to work with a lunch box with a swastika on it, and a Jewish employee complained about the swastika, what would the employer do?

Question:
This is just a practice exam question. If the employer were only faced with two very general actions:
1) She/He could allow the swastika to remain on the lunch box because of the right to free expression
2) Tell the employee to remove the swastika because it creates a hostile environment

Which one would he/she do? I apologize in advance for the broadness of the question...it is quite vague.

Answer:
 We're not doing your home work for you. shessh!Answer #2: Totally not a lawyer, never taken a law class, and other than going toe to toe with you on bird law, couldn't legal my way out of a paper bag.

Do private organizations have to follow free speech laws for their employees?  I thought only government entities had to care about that stuff.


Title: Can I prove that an anonymous email came from the guy that I have a restraining order against?

Question:
Illinois

I received an email from STDcheck.com stating that an anonymous past sex partner has tested positive for an STD and therefore I should get tested as well.

The only person who knows that email address is the ex who I have the order of protection against. He is not permitted to contact me. He is a petty, retaliatory person who would consider this as a way to harass me. If he truly did have an STD, he would not do me the service of notifying me. I was not concerned as I have already been tested.

The email is completely anonymous for obvious reasons and the site is legitimate. Is there any way I can prove that he sent the email, e.g. contacting the site on legal grounds?

Answer: You could tell the police what you think and they may or may not try to prove that.


Title: My girlfriend recently got her second DUI in under 5 years (alcoholic) and blew x3 over the limit in Ontario CANADA. Any suggestions on what she can do to lower the minimum jail time 30 days?

Question: Fuck where do I begin, she has had a drinking problem for a while, this past week she got pulled over, blew over three times while crashed into a ditch.  Now she has her court date mid Feb.  She has been to rehab but relapsed around Christmas, she lives with her parents but her mom works and her dad flys for Air Canada so he's out of town often.  She blew 3 times over the limit, her first offence was in Alberta.

Answer:
 The only thing she can do is hire a lawyer. A second offense in Canada can result in jail time of 30 days and loss of license for 24 months. Criminal law in Canada is federal, so it does not matter that her first offense was in Alberta and this one was in Ontario, assuming that the offense in Alberta was a criminal offense.

Your girlfriend is a danger to society when she is on the road when intoxicated. I don't give a flying fuck what she does to herself, but when she gets behind the wheel, for whatever reason, after drinking she puts everyone at risk. I hope this is a wake up call for her to stop drinking and driving.Answer #2: If you can't do the time, don't drink the wine.Answer #3: Wow.  Even by DUI standards that's pretty impressive.  Did she suffer any major injuries on this bender?

The penalty of thirty days is the minimum and is mandatory.  I wouldn't be surprised if the statute will allow the judge to order more.  Her only hope is to hire an attorney and try to plead it to something other than a DUI.  At the least, she'll be so lucky if they get her _only_ thirty days.


Title: Legal implications of 20 year old dating 17 year old (NC)

Question: Basically what are the legal implications of me (20/m) dating (17/F) We live in North Carolina where the age of consent is 16. I know sexting and naked pictures would be off limits, but what other potential legal issues could I face? She lives with her parents, would I be completely covered if I got her parents consent to date her in writing? Also what can we do legally (kissing,making out?)

Answer:
 Age of consent is 16.  Don't give her alcohol, don't give her drugs, don't transport her over state lines.  Don't take photos. Then there is nothing her parents can legally do to you.

That being said, she's a minor, and her parents can do plenty to her.  So don't fuck her life up.


Title: Can a WA state landlord require that I only process rent payments via a specific electronic service without advising me in the agreement that I would be charged a $28 fee for doing so? (xpost r/seattle)

Question:
Location: Seattle, WA

Not finding answers in a lot of other places. It sort of feels like a built in additional cost of renting that wasn't really explained until after I had signed the lease. If I had the option of paying by check, rather than signing on to an electronic payment requirement I wouldn't care. It just seems kind of disingenuous.

Here is a copy of the addendum

http://i.imgur.com/7ZI0YDc.jpg

Edit: for what it's worth, the portal and payment service are run by the company that manages my property, not a third party service (at least from what I can tell as a user).
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: If you are in Seattle you have an excellent resource in DPD's Landlord Tenant office. Ryan Weatherstone is a lawyer who works for the City, and you can ask him; I'm pretty sure this is one of his pet peeves.


Title: My son stained a couch at a party, parents want us to pay for new couch.

Question:
My teenage son went to a friends house, and they went to another friends house who's parents were not home but were okay with other kids coming over. So long story short my son tells me that the kid who's house it is offers some of his parent's wine, several people drink (not the home owners son), and eventually my son throws up into his own sweatshirt, leaving a few small stains on the couch. All the stains were on removable couch cushions, none on the actual frame of the couch. The parents now want my family to replace the couch because it is to hard to re-upholster the cushions. The couch is very expensive, around $10,000, and we do not have that kind of money. If this gets taken to court will we have to pay or is it their fault?

We live in Oregon
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 It's not really their fault that your son decided to drink while underage and puke all over their expensive sofa.

Having said that, there's no way you're going to have to replace the entire sofa when all that is needed is to either professionally clean the cushions or, at worst, have them reupholstered.Answer #2: LOL @ too hard to reupholster a cushion.

You have to pay to remedy whatever your child damaged.  You don't have to replace the couch.


Title: Is it legal to read copyrighted books on a NON-MONETIZED Youtube channel? [Georgia, US]

Question:
I do not plan to monetize the channel, link it with an adsense account and definitely not monetize the videos themselves.
I plan to read aloud and include in the description, all author and publisher information (similar to how it is read at the beginning of official audiobooks).

I don't want to make money from this, it's just for fun, and to make the stuff available to people who want to hear it, just like a library might.

I wanted to get into reading and voice training and as a fun way to practice (and get feedback) I thought I'd make a youtube channel where I read books, and maybe other things. I wanted to start with a couple books that are copyright and maybe write my own stories later.

If, at a later date, I monetized the channel, but only monetized videos with original content, and kept the copyrighted stuff un-monetized, would that change anything? Would I need to change anything to be in the clear?
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer: There are plenty of good public domain books you can read to your heart's content.


Title: Raped by cabin steward on vacation cruise line about 16 years ago

Question:
I was about 16 or17 years old when this happened (33 now).

This happened on a Caribbean cruise, a family vacation (myself and 4 members of immediate family) with a major cruise line that is still around today. It was the last night on the ship, and just a few hours before the entire ship disembarked in Florida. I was walking back to my cabin around 4-5:00 am when the steward grabbed me from the hallway right outside my cabin, threw me into a crew area around the corner, and violently raped me. During the incident I broke loose and ran back into my cabin. A couple of hours later, my family and I left our state rooms and disembarked the ship. I did not say anything to anyone in my family.

It took a long time for me to stop denying that this happened, but now I am wondering if there is something that can be done.

If so, what kind of a lawyer do I look for? Do I have a potential claim against the cruise line? Any advice on how to begin any process for legal recourse would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: In Florida, there is no statute of limitations if the sexual assault occurred before the victim turned 18 but if the victim is 18 or older, he or she has four years to report the assault if the assault included threat or force, and three years in all other cases Answer #2: Call the police department in the city where this happened and ask them who handles crime aboard ships. Make a report with them.


Title: Employer is closing for the Holidays and not paying their exempt employee's. It this legal ?

Question:
My company recently informed us that the plant will be shutdown 2 weeks for the Holidays. They said if we wanted to be paid for the 2-weeks we will need to use our PTO. I'm a salaried team member with an annualized salary, so would this be a violation of my contract since I won't make that agreed upon annual salary ?

&#x200B;

I read through my Memorandum for my salary offer and didn't see anything in regard to deductions for company shutdowns or other changes in pay, there also nothing in the employee handbook about this. So I'm not really sure what I can do, but 2-week with no pay is going to seriously effect my finances.

Answer: If you perform no work for the week you don't have to be paid. File for unemployment, you may get some benefits.


Title: Should I sue?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You should talk to a personal injury lawyer in your area.  Try to find someone who specializes in medical malpractice.  You can sue anyone for anything at any time.  However, whether or not you have a winnable case is something that an experienced attorney in your area might be able to tell you better than some yahoos on the internet. You sound like you might have a case, but there's also a possible worker's comp claim against your employer.  So it's something you'll need to talk to a lawyer in your jurisdiction about.Answer #2: No. Hospitals can't guarantee a specialist is available for every eventuality at all times


Title: The company I work for has been getting faxes from a company in Canada, and we have repeatedly asked them to stop.

Question:
We are in Southwest Missouri, and they used to be a vendor of ours 5+ years ago but have since stopped dealing with them. They repeatedly send us their flyers, but no opt out sheet and I have been asking them for months to stop, but to no avail. The administrative assistant before me had been asking them to stop for years as well, and our accounts manager had to deal with them for the first part of this and has also asked them to stop.

I emailed them last month at 4 different email addresses, called them, and sent them an all black fax with a white strip down the side and wrote "STOP SENDING *company name* FAXES. *Fax #*

I have threatened to invoice them for my time and our resources (they send poorly done faxes with all black pictures and it is quickly eating up our black ink stock) and they just won't stop. I even have an email back from my little 4 email 1 call 1 fax hissy fit stating that they would take us off of their list. A month later, I got a fax with 2 pages, and the next day I got yet another fax after sending my contact ANOTHER email asking to be taken off their fax list.

My question is, are we protected under TCAP even though this other company is in Canada?

Thanks

Answer:
 Canada recently enacted anti-spam legislation and while I'm not clear what the cross-border situation would be you can try [reporting the company](http://fightspam.gc.ca/eic/site/030.nsf/eng/00320.html) if they haven't listened to your request to unsubscribe from their faxes.

Edit:
Following up on this, /u/glorpchul below noted that the legislation does not actually help with faxes.
I'm unclear on the [wording of the law](http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/E-1.6/page-2.html?txthl=facsimile#s-6ss-%288%29ID0EEAA) as to me the "to a telephone account" suggests if a fax number is dialing out to your actual phone line, rather than to another fax line but it's quite possible that's a bad interpretation.

>    Exception

>  (8) This section does not apply to a commercial electronic message

>    (a) that is, in whole or in part, an interactive two-way voice communication between individuals;

>    **(b) that is sent by means of a facsimile to a telephone account; or**

>    (c) that is a voice recording sent to a telephone account.


Title: Wife's employer overlooked detail in her contract, owe her a lot of money, now want to change her contract

Question:
Long story short is my wife is a doctor and gets paid a bonus for patients seen above a target productivity goal. In her contract she signed 2.5 years ago, the employer erroneously put a much lower target goal than intended but did not notice and both parties signed said contract. So my wife should start generating bonus dollars after hitting a relatively low target threshold. They have not been paying my wife at this advantageous bonus level, but instead have been paying her at the entry level contract target that they thought they gave her.

Well, now they have realized their mistake and want her to sign an amendment asap with the updated, less advantageous figures.

We need advice. The value of the bonus she should receive is on the order of 150k if they abide by the original contract that both parties signed.

How hard should she fight this fight?

Answer:
 Generally speaking, contract mistakes are interpreted in favor of the smaller party (so for employment, in favor of the worker).

They can, however, generally fire her for exercising the contract, though it is greatly dependent on the state. Given that $150K is at stake, get an employment lawyer but don't tell the employer until the lawyer gives you the OK to do so.


Title: Got hurt on a job that I’ve been at for six months. Pay is under the table. Now I need knee surgery. Is there anyway to get workman’s comp?

Question: I need to have my knee scooped for a meniscus tear that I got working for a furniture moving company part time under the table. They said they can’t pay me workman’s comp because I’m not in their insurance.  Feel like I worked my ass off and all I got was this hurt knee and no help.

Answer:
 When you’re not legally employed you lose a lot of legal employment protections.

None of this goes forward without you correcting the “under the table” bit.


Title: Will the California equal pay Bill (SB358) equally apply to men being paid less than women?

Question:
California just signed in SB358, the equal pay bill that goes into effect 1/1/16. Here is a link to the bill:

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB358

TD:DR- I am a man, and there are men and women making more in my job classification with less experience. Will SB358 be able to help me get equal pay?

Long version:
I've been with my current employer for 8 years. We're a union workforce. Shortly after I was hired our pay scale was frozen after a bad CBA, mostly due to recession pressure. Since then wages have been stagnant and I'm stuck still at pay step #1 (lowest) out of 15. Since then there have been there have been other people that have been internal transfers, hires with prior experience, and people upgrading to my job classification from both genders. There are cases of people, men and women, making 40k/year more than me, because they got placed at top step. They got credit for their work experience that's identical or less applicable than mine being in this position for 8 years.

It's a frusturating experience and I feel under paid. The union has been trying to fix it for years but is been failing. The union has no plans to get any retro pay and only get a partial increase if it does improve. I know SB358 is intended to close to wage gap for women. But the wording that I saw just implied that men and women should be payed the same for the same job factoring in some exempting like seniority. Is it worth hiring a lawyer? I think I have about $200-400k in back pay and and about a $40k/year raise in the best case. Just not sure if it's a case I would win with this bill.

Answer:
 Sorry this isn't discrimation if everyone with your situation is at the same pay.  Answer #2: It doesn't seem like it would apply for two reasons:

> There are cases of people, men and women, making 40k/year more than me

The equal pay law would only be an issue if *only* women were making more than you for doing the same job.  There are men getting this treatment too, so it's not a gender issue and therefore the law is inapplicable.

> I'm stuck still at pay step #1 (lowest) out of 15

In a pay-banded environment, being in a different pay band is often seen as being a different job.  You're in band one, others are in band four.  That's still equal pay, unless you have something that proves that you've been denied advancement to band four, belong in band four, and that the reason for this is your gender.  That doesn't sound like the case here.  Answer #3: Yes, this law would apply to both men and women but it would not help in your situation.


Title: NPO refusing my resignation as a board member. I don't want any liability that may come with the position.

Question:
Hello,

Some first some background, I'll include a TL;DR for anyone who doesn't care to read, that's understandable:

I'm part of a non-profit organization in the United States. I'm currently the vice president, a role I didn't choose. I had originally agreed to be secretary after board members (all relatives) had pretty much begged me to be a board member so they could have enough people. This NPO was started by family members as a way to help people in 3rd world countries with financial troubles, mainly education.

As of lately, I've found myself less and less involved, both because I have other commitments, and because I have not been kept in the loop by other board members. Often I'll get a request to sign off on a check. When the purpose of the check is asked for, I simply get a "this money is going to <country name>".

Again, this is a family based NPO, so I'm pretty confident that the money is going somewhere it should be, which is typically to local charities in those third world countries. Our lawyer and other board members have stated that they don't want specifics, so they won't be as liable (not sure how that works).

I've voiced my concerns and tried resigning last May, and the responses I got were "your job is really easy, just do it". So then in December of 2015, I tried resigning in an email conversation, stating that I was not able to commit any time and would like to resign. The response this time was "just stay on the board while we finish up a few things, then we can pick a new VP".

It's now almost 2 full months later, and no effort has been put forward to replace me. Every member of this NPO, both board and non-board members, I've asked said they would not like to have the responsibility of the vice president.

Right now I don't do anything really, aside from signing checks. Every time I've tried to resign, I've been shut up by board members.

So my question is, since I am officially the VP, what kind of legal liability comes with the position? And is there any actions I can take to resign without causing a fuss among family members? At this point I'm considering just another resignation, this time with our lawyer CC'd. Not sure if that will help at all.

TL;DR - Relatives started an NPO for a charity. I'm currently the VP, and I did not choose to be. I don't have time to keep up with it, nor am I supplied with the information I'd like, and am worried I'd be held liable should anything happen. Any attempt to resign has pretty much been denied. What can I be held responsible for, should anything go wrong, and what do I do now?

Edit: Thanks for the great responses everyone. You guys are awesome! The consensus seems to be that a letter of resignation in writing is the way to go. I'll be sending the letter with confirmation soon. Thanks for all your help.

Answer:
 Put your resignation in writing, mail it to the organization's president at their mailing address.  They can't stop you from resigning.Answer #2: > Our lawyer and other board members have stated that they don't want specifics, so they won't be as liable (not sure how that works).

RUN. Resign in writing, via certified mail. Save the receipt.


Title: Suing a large company for unlawful separation. I told them I would settle for no less than 3k (missed wages) and they counter-offered with 1k. What should I do?

Question:
I live in New York State and I was separated from my job last April for "outbursts" which were in direct relation to my unmedicated anxiety at the time. I went through all the hoops to sue for unlawful separation, and for more than one month of missed wages. I was placed on unpaid leave for more than a month, and did not collect unemployment, as I believed I was returning to the job. Before that could even happen, they gave me a call, after providing medical documentation and doctors' notes, and fired me for "outbursts" (which were, in all honesty, not disruptive at all, and my coworkers all agreed).

I have had one conference with their legal representative on the matter, and I told them that for more than one months' worth of missed wages, I would need almost $3,000 of compensation. They recently counter-offered with $1,000, and that is way too little for almost a year of back and forth.

My problem is, if I decline and continue with the case, then the next step will be to see if my claims are valid or invalid, and to investigate further. But, if they are found invalid, it is dismissed and I receive nothing. I am currently doing this without a lawyer, as I went through the ADA to file this case and I have needed no representation thus far.

From what everyone has told me, my case is valid, but I am paranoid that it will be dismissed if I do not accept the $1,000. For someone who is struggling on minimum wage, this would be like 3 extra paychecks, but I am still not sure if it is worth it.

If more information is needed, I will accept PMs, but I am wary of how much I should disclose in public.

Thank you in advance!

Answer:
 I'd have fired you as well.

Take the money.Answer #2: I'm seconding that you should settle for the lesser amount. It is very likely they'd win. Anxiety is a bitch but they can't overlook "outbursts" due to it, as it may harm their company or company image. If you want to pursue more money, I'd say talk to a lawyer personally and go from there


Title: Purchased a car from a small shady dealership... Seller arrested, owner said lawyers will be in contact. What now... [MO]

Question:
So I purchased a car for my father (figured it would be a nice thing to do) and now I'm left in a mess.

I have possession of the car, a bill of sale, receipts. - I believe the bank has the title since we were waiting on release for that.

I called the dealership today, and the person who answered the phone informed me that the person who had sold me the car was arrested on felony theft charges, and he may have stolen the money. (paid cash, and have paperwork saying the money was given to the business etc, but he was the only one there ever). - I was told lawyers and/or the police will be in contact.

Another interesting thing is that the person on the phone mentioned something about the owner of the business being there, but busy. When I looked up the business entity information online, it shows that his name is on the LLC (the person I was talking to on the phone).

I called again asking to know which bank has possession of the title, and was told that I will get the title, and he basically avoided the question.

What now. I have a car for my father, but no title. This is turning into a huge nightmare. - I'm worrying that the owner of the place may close up shop and leave me stranded.

The temp tag runs out soon and I'll be on vacation soon. - perfect timing. :/

TLDR: Bought car from shady dealership, seller has been arrested on felony charges. Someone(maybe owner) of business claims lawyers/police may be in touch. I'm lost and stressing out.

Answer:
 I would do nothing with the vehicle until you speak to police. You should consult with an attorney conversant on contracts/title.
Most likely this is between the dealership and the thieving employee, your purchase appears valid from your narrative. You may have to sue them for the title if it goes sideways. Your bank may do the job for you since they want the title to the asset they financed.


Title: Brother in law had accident, his friend set up a GoFund Me, a year later friend still refuses to release the last of the funds to my brother-in-law unless he receives an itemized list of costs for the last year. Can he hold funds?

Question:
So, due to traumatic brain injury (see my post history for story) my brother-in-law can't work.  He has been using the GoFundMe money for cost of living. His friend who set it up won't give him the remaining funds, claiming that it was only supposed to be for medical bills, not other things.

However, this money was donated to my brother-in-law to help with life after the accident, so I feel hw can spend it however he wants, it was donated to him.

Thoughts?

(Edited: Location San Diego, CA)

Answer:
 Honestly, it sounds like he spent it and is making you run around in circles.Answer #2: What did the gofundme page say that the funds would be used for? Did it say the funds were only to be used for medical bills?Answer #3: What does his friend say he will do with the money that isn't medical-related? If he keeps it or refunds it is a big difference.

And your brother (or you or his wife) should set up their own GoFundMe and then let GoFundMe know that the friend's one should be taken down.Answer #4: >any contributions made to this fundraising effort will be forwarded to [redacted Name] trust account, where non-covered costs related to his **care** and recovery will be the only priority.

How much of the 50K is left?


Title: Will he serve time?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: I would guess there is a 99.999% chance he will be sitting in a cage for quite some time. I would be quite surprised if he is not already in there waiting on second arraignment. That is a whole lot of stacked up fails he got himself into right there.


Title: [Virginia] A guy I know possibly got caught on a deercam after taking Romex wire from an abandoned building

Question:
For background, long story short there are two abandoned buildings where I live. One competed and one just the cement structure. Now the one that was once in  use isn't "cool"  abandoned, think a medium sized wharehouee/inventory/open  workspace with a desk in the front for a secretary. It is already missing most of the cieling tiles (with many dissolved into a mush from the rain on the floor) and windows, graffitied, and had a good amound of wire taken from so there is no historical or interesting background to this place.

So he went to competed one and may or may not have taken aproximatley $10 worth of Romex wire, the ones that haven't been taken are few and far between. He used a backpack to put it in and rode his bike away. On the way out, on the edge of a bush infested parking lot, He noticed what he thought was a deercam  and realized he might be caught on video. He said he tried to stay out of it's view when be realized it was there but still biked past it. He has now stripped the wire and mixed it with my other, legally obtained romex wire ( unless dumpster diving is illegal). What should I do? He will turn 18 in about 3 months. Is there a good chance he'll caught? He is young, white, and live in a fairly wealthy neighborhood and his dad lost his job a few months ago. Will these factors help me?

Answer:
 The value of the thing you took doesn't matter. If you entered a place with the intent to steal anything, in Virginia that counts as burglary, which is a class 3 felony. That's punishable by a fine of up to $100k and up to 20 years in prison.

Being armed at the time upgrades it to a class 2 felony instead, which can come with a sentence of 20 years to life.

That's if you were identified, and if somebody calls the police, and if they think it's worth the time to come find you, and if the prosecutor thinks you're worth the bother of a trial, and if your attorney doesn't manage to get a plea bargain. Maybe nothing will come of it, but maybe you're completely screwed.

Stop stealing stuff. Stop trespassing. Stop committing crimes. If the police do show up, say nothing and get a criminal defense attorney.Answer #2: The fact that you say "Will this help me?" Sort of lets the cat out of the bag.

I have no way of knowing what a property owner may do.


Title: Pulled over for speeding!

Question:
2 weeks ago, I got pulled over for speeding.
I was going 83 in a 65 and this my very first ticket. I'm 19, I have a clean record and I only have a year of experience with my license. It was a very easy and quick traffic stop but I can't lie and say that it didn't bother me. I don't remember speeding so fast since I was on my way to my cousin's house from work. I was exhausted and it was almost 11pm. I had a funeral to attend the very next day, very early in the morning, for a very beloved uncle of mine. I was going from Greensboro, NC to Sanford, NC, which is an hour long drive. My uncle's struggle and death completely destroyed me since he was like a better father to me and I have been grieving him since then. Aside from my uncle, I had some extremely bad events happen to me since the beginning of the month and I feel like I've been in a very bad state of depression since I've endured too much pain and heartbreak in such little time. The ticket was just the icing on top and I even cried at the traffic stop since I was just so overwhelmed.

I don't earn enough at all as a student and a part time worker to risk having my insurance rates go up. I have absolutely no experience with the law and I have no one to help guide me through this. I wish I could just have the ticket dismissed but I don't know what to do. I'm really desperate since I come from a poor family. I genuinely need help since I feel really alone in this situation.

Answer:
 It's just a traffic ticket. This probably won't be the last one you get in your life. Show up in court on your date. Chances of getting it dismissed are slim. Accept that you'll almost certainly have to pay the fine.

You didn't state your location. Location is extremely relevant as laws vary from state to state and county to county.

Generally speaking, most states allow for someone to take traffic school to keep the ticket from showing on their record. It will cost you the amount of the fine + the school fees (it can usually be done online at your leisure). If you do this, it won't show up on your record so your insurance won't go up. However, if you get another ticket within a set period of time (in my state it's 18 months), you can't take traffic school for the second one.

Take this lesson to always watch your speed and stay in the speed limit.


Title: My biological father married another woman after my mother. What happens to his assets?

Question:
I'm 32 years old, capable of supporting myself and my wife, was raised by my single mother after my father and her got divorced when I was 7. He still lives in Texas where he owns his own business and does very well for himself. I never had contact with him after the divorce because he was, well, quite a terrible person in many ways. He always claimed that he could buy me and my brother's affection with cash. Not wanting to be terrible people ourselves, we never took up that offer. He has re-married several times after my mother probably to women after his money. As far as I know, he is still currently married.

My question is basically: is it worth looking in to a lawyer upon his death? Do I have any rights to his assets? What conditions would nullify said claims? Would I be notified upon his death, assuming the state of Texas knows where I am? (I don't live there anymore) If not, how would I find out such a thing? I never asked this question because I've tried not to be a greedy person myself, but I stumble across this question internally maybe once or twice a year and never wondered long enough to ask someone that might know.

Answer:
 I am by no means an expert - but I was under the impression that his will would sort of dictate what went to whom.Answer #2: If he has a will, then that would spell out where his assets go.  If he does not have a will, his current wife would get 1/3 of everything and all of his children would split the remainder, including his 1/2 of the community marital property.  If he was unmarried when he died, then his assets would be split evenly to his kids.

If he dies you'll need to find out if there is a will and if it is authentic.  If he has a lot of assets then he probably has a will.

I don't think you'll be notified if he dies.  They probably expect the wife to take care of that stuff.