Title: [CA] providing SSN to confirm I'm not the consumer responsible for this debt?

Question:
I got a letter in the mail from Winn law group, which is a debt collection law firm for some renewal of judgment. It was actually sent to my neighbor. On the inside page 3, last known address was a place I've never leave lived in.

I called and the lawyer said they will conduct an internal investigation. And I check my credit and with my banks and everything looks good on my end.

Today I got a letter saying in response to my phone call stating I'm not the consumer responsible for this debt they want:

“Please provide our office with documentation evidencing your SSN does not match the consumer in our system..”

Yes. There are two periods after system.

Then they said:

“Please provide this information at your earliest combine so that we may address this issue timely manner”

This issue IN a timely matter you mean??

Then:

“If you have any questions regarding your rightsor liabilities, please consult an attorney”

The word “rightsor” is not spaced. I don’t know if that’s a legal term or if they mean “rights (space) or”

Anyway, I want to solve this issue soon but I definitely don’t feel comfortable proving my SSN to this group. Especially considering they sent the letter to my neighbor, and the grammar issues?

I already provided the lass four digit of my SSN when I called them. Isn’t that enough??

Or can I send over a scan of my SSN card but black out the first numbers and only show them the last 4 numbers.

I’m freaking out since it’s 8pm and I have work during the time they work and I don’t know how I’m going to fit in time for this and go to an attorney for help without taking a day off work. I’m living paycheck to paycheck at the moment and can’t afford time off.

Thank you for any help!

Answer:
 This is a scam.  Under no circumstances whatsoever should you provide them with your SSN or any other information at all.Answer #2: CUT OFF CONTACT.

YOU ARE BEING SCAMMED.

THAT LETTER IS A SCAM


Title: Family feud led me to discover decade of fraud by my mother, can I sue her or get back grandmas assets? Can I blackmail her? ( NOC CALIFORNIA)

Question:
Looking for a attorney in North Orange County CA who has experience in fighting dirty rotten relatives (like Bernie madoff dirty).  They are trying to spend my grandmas money and leave her on state benefits she wouldn't qualify for until my mom funneled everything she had out of her accounts.
  I've considered reporting it to APS but have my reasons for not doing that yet.  i don't know what my options are, but blackmailing my family seems like a pretty good option right now.

I'm ready today to talk to someone in my area but I don't think I should just pick someone because they are close or have a pretty website.

Answer: In Orange County, you might have the best luck with the offices of Barry Zuckerkorn.  He's very good.Answer #2: You seriously think a lawyer somewhere is going to advocate that you commit a crime? Blackmailing someone is never a good option.


Title: I need help. My life is crumbling around me. I might be getting kicked out of school.

Question:
Last April, I was accused of sexual assault by a girl who i met on tinder and had a date with while heavily intoxicated that ended in her coming back to my dorm room to have sex. I got consent from her, but I still woke up to find the cops at my dorm door the next morning. Criminal charges were never pressed, but the University is punishing me anyway. In the Student disciplinary hearing about my case that was held last thursday, they deemed me guilty of sexual assault and found that indefinite suspension to be an appropriate punishment. During the case, it also came up that I am into BDSM, and that I mentioned this to her, and it scared her so much that she thought the only way out of my room was if she were to have sex with me, which is not the case at all. I was intoxicated and just going with the flow that i thought i saw. Clearly I was gravely mistaken. I want to know if anyone in the community can help me figure out what to do. I plan on appealing the decision of the hearing on grounds of severity of sanction. I feel as though BDSM might be a reason that they would discriminate against me. I have lost my job with the university for the duration of the appeal process, without which I cannot survive. Please, please, please help me. I cannot afford to be suspended for any amount of time, financially or otherwise. I do not think that I would be able to complete the various requirements for re-enrollment that my university would put in place.
I live in  TN.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 > I feel as though BDSM might be a reason that they would discriminate against me.

They're not discriminating against you because you're into BDSM. They're doing what they feel is best to protect the university from legal liability and to keep its students safe.

> I have lost my job with the university for the duration of the appeal process, without which I cannot survive.

Find another job outside of the university.

I'm sure there is a procedure in place for appealing a board decision. Likely, you have no recourse. You could potentially have a civil lawsuit on your hands, depending on the very specific details of your situation and how it was handled, but only an attorney in your area with specific details of your case can tell you that.
Answer #2: The appeals process isn't a legal proceeding in the traditional sense, it's an administrative one by the school.  Your options are limited to the school's process.  If your campus has a legal aid office, that's the first place I'd go.  Otherwise you'll need an attorney.

> I was intoxicated and just going with the flow that i thought i saw.

That's a pretty vague statement.  Being "into" BDSM isn't really relevant, but if you *engaged* in it without her explicit consent, then you are, realistically, guilty of sexual assault.  And also probably regular, old fashioned assault.

> I do not think that I would be able to complete the various requirements for re-enrollment that my university would put in place

Why not?


Title: Ex-Boyfriend took a nude picture of me without my knowledge and says he is planning on keeping it now that we're splitting

Question: My (21f) recently ex-boyfriend (30m) have been having major relationship problems lately. He's been verbally abusing me with slight physical abuse such as pinching. He's taken the battery out of my car and hid it, so I'm in the process of getting everything and moving out. He recently sent me a text (he knows I'm planning on leaving) of a nude photo of me sleeping and says that he'll "be sure to keep this." While I'm not sure that he will send it or post it anywhere, it makes me uncomfortable that he has a nude photo that he didn't have consent to take. I live in North Carolina and am not sure what to do.

Answer: Keep packing and never look back- you will be leaving a desperate weirdo in your wake. If he posts or threatens to post to coerce you into something call the non emergency police /sheriff department number and make your report. Otherwise move forward quickly with your life after blocking this person in every imaginable way.


Title: School screwed me?

Question:
A couple months ago I applied to a private institute that had been providing EMS courses (AB, Canada) for approximately five years. It was a very intensive application process but I eventually got accepted into their 6 month program. For my application process I spent:
$100 Application fee
$80 Medical Assessment (part of their application requirements)

Once accepted into their school I had to pay:
$400 uniform (from their authorized supplier)
$500 in textbooks directly from them
$500 down payment for tuition

The school ended up going under 13 days before my start date April 1st. They never gave any details as to why they're shutting down the program but now I'm out a bunch of money. Which is especially hard considering I'm a young teen barely getting by with a near minimum wage job. They refunded the $500 tuition down payment but now I'm out $1080 for the uniform (which is covered in their school crests so it's unusable), the textbooks, application fee and their required medical assessment. Is there anything I can do to recover this money from them? I also heard there are students who were actually in the middle of taking the course while it went under, is there anything they can do? Thanks!
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 I think you'd have to prove that they knew at the time of taking your money that your course wasn't going to happen.Answer #2: Maybe this article will help? Looks like there might be some government protections in cases like this.

http://consumerist.com/2015/02/24/corinthian-colleges-canadian-subsidiary-files-for-bankruptcy-a-week-after-campuses-shut-down/


Title: I'm making a will and need help deciding what to do with my children

Question: I'm in the U.S. and I have two children and two options. Both my in-laws and my mom have asked for guardianship and I'm not sure who to give it to. I'd like to have everything arranged because I wouldn't want them taken to court to watch their family duke it out. My mom is much, much more financially stable and is a decade younger than my in-laws. My in-laws are poor and my father-in-law has prostate cancer. They live half a country away so any choice will be pretty final. Fiscally it makes more sense to leave them with my mom. But my mom's not close to my boys and their paternal grandparents have a great relationship with them. I'm conflicted because I know they'd have a better chance of a brighter future with my mother, but they barely know her. Any advice? I'm in Maryland but I think they're implementing common core across the U.S.

Answer:
 Strictly speaking, this isn't legal advice.  This is personal advice that only you and your spouse and kids can make.

Keep in mind that judges are not required to abide by your will when making decisions regarding guardianship and that it may be necessary to include a letter of explanation for your choice if you believe there could be a contest over it.  This still wouldn't guarantee that a judge would follow your preference, but it would give them a much better background for the reasons for your preference and gives your preference better chances of surviving a challenge.


Title: Hello my name is “fake name” from the IRS or “insert fake company here”

Question:
Don’t know why or how this group has gotten my number, but I get multiple calls everyday from people saying that I’m in trouble for “insert reason here.” If I answer they always harass me. They have said things like, “show me your boobs”, “suck my d**k”, “I know where you live”, etc... they were able to tell me what my address was (I have since moved). They have also tried to say that they are a company that will fix the virus on my computer. I don’t have a virus and their company is non existent.

I have reached out to a lawyer and they contacted their fbi friend and irs to report this crap. I had previously reported to the IRS multiple times.

I am still getting calls (it’s been for two years) and have not had any help from FBI or IRS...

Is there anything else that I could do?

Edit:
 I don’t answer the phone anymore. They leave asshole voicemails. I have blocked some of the numbers, unfortunately they use a different number every time. I have changed my phone number. I also understand that they most likely live thousands of miles away and I am probably not in any real danger. I’m still disturbed...

Answer:
 Yeah.  Stop answering the phone to people who aren't in your contacts, and use a spam blocking app.

If you inadvertently send an important call to voicemail, they'll leave a message and you can call back.

If you stop being an audience, the clowns will stop performing.


Title: I want to be completely legally disassociated from some of my family. How do I do this?

Question:
[CALIFORNIA, USA] Long story short because its a mess: I've grown up my whole life with two older sisters who only cause trouble. Both drug addicts who hate everyone else (including each other) and all they do is fight and cause problems for the family. I don't want their stupid shit getting in the way of my life. I am graduating soon with a masters in electrical engineering and going to start my career and life. I don't want to held accountable in any shense for their problems (e.g. if one of them dies with huge debt and it gets put on me).

How do I get rid of them from my life legally?

Edit: some quick replies saying I am not responsible for anything about them. Are there *any* laws stating that family members are responsible for *anything* related to their family members? I don't want any legal ties to them whatsoever.

Answer:
 You are not liable for their debts, legally.  You are not liable for anything connected to them.  Not their debts, not their lives, not their children.

But if you want to get more strongly away, move somewhere, and don't tell them your address.  It's easy enough.  Answer #2: >e.g. if one of them dies with huge debt and it gets put on me

That cannot happen anywhere in the US.


Title: I was Injured on a United flight due to the airline reducing passenger leg room. Don't want to act like having daily neck pain is OK just because the airline wanted to save money. What can I do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 A personal injury attorney will typically give you a free consultation. But (and perhaps this is a question best suited for the attorney) how are you going to prove that "*because* of United, the pain is both worse and more frequent." You have to prove duty of care, breach of the duty, causation, and damages.Answer #2: Can you give some more info?  What exactly caused your neck injury?   I'm not clear how less leg room caused a neck injury.

Thanks Answer #3: I am not sure how neck pain was caused by a reduction of leg room, but I doubt you have a case. After all, United could always argue that you could have taken another airline with more leg room, paid for an upgrade that had more legroom, taken a train, or driven. You can always see a personal injury attorney and see if they think differently, but this non-lawyer would say you probably don't have a case.Answer #4: Okay, I'll bite.  How was your neck hurt by a reduction in leg room?Answer #5: If you can't afford a lawyer, you won't be able to get very far. Even with one, you'd have a very difficult time getting anywhere with this claim.

Even assuming that you can show that your damage was negligently caused by United, you have an existing disability and are simply saying that this made it worse. Further, you would have to show that you didn't know about the conditions and willingly accept them.


Title: (California) My attorney basically skipped town and my court date is tomorrow, not sure what to do now.

Question:
So last month I was in a situation where basically I got roofied at a sketchy bar. There were 3 of us and 1 girl (who doesn't drink at all) and the three guys (who all drink most weekends) blacked out half way through our second drink. The girl we were with called us an uber and took us home. I lost awareness on the ride home, then the next morning I woke up in a hospital bed with a cop standing over me trying to get me to admit to doing hard drugs (meth and pcp for some reason).

The cop said I was drinking and driving, even though he also told me I didn't blow an alcohol content over the limit. Regardless, I was booked for driving under the combined influence of drugs and alcohol because they said they expected to find something in my blood and that I admitted to drinking at some point in the night (which Im not sure if an admission while I'm only half conscious in the hospital counts) So obviously I hired an attorney to fight it, or at least get me a good deal with the DA.

I looked a guy up who had great reviews and went in to talk to him. I talked to about 3 or 4 attorneys, and this guy seemed like the best most upfront one. So I decide to sign the retainer papers and he tells me I need to pay the whole thing upfront, which is a couple of grand. I tell him I wasn't prepared for that but I can put 25% down and come back later to pay the rest and he tells me no problem. Later that week I send him an email and I get a reply that he is out on vacations. I wait another week and call, and get no answer. I call a few times and leave a few messages, and don't get a word. I email him again and this time its an auto-reply saying that he is traveling and doesn't have email.

Yesterday, since my court date was just a few days away, I go down to his office and I learn from the receptionist that he and his secretary are both on vacation and wont be back for at least another week. I tell her about my situation and she just says that she doesn't work for him, she works for the building, so she can try to contact him but all she has is a few phone numbers. She calls and gets word from his secretary that he is in fact gone till next week, but refuses to be anymore helpful than that.

Meanwhile, the DMV has already taken a decision on my case and cancelled the hearing, which I don't know how to react to because my attorney can't be reached, and now I have the preliminary criminal hearing tomorrow and I'm not sure what to do.

I called another attorney who seems competent and has agreed to take over the case, but I would have to pay the retainer again and just forget about the money I had already paid the first attorney. The entire retainer is like 10% of my annual salary, so its a pretty deal to me to just loose a chunk of that.

So my question would be, should I just show up to the preliminary hearing and explain to the judge that my attorney left town (with a copy of my contract with him along with the auto reply email saying he's not in town) and try to get a continuance, or should I just suck it up and retain a new attorney. Basically, how fucked will I be if I show up with no attorney tomorrow and the judge decides not to push my court date?

Update:

Retained a new attorney who had the whole case dismissed. Basically what happened was when they found me I had a concussion that caused me to vomit, and because there was vomit in the car the cop assumed I was ODing. I guess I woke up in the ambulance and was completely coherent (don't have any memory of it though) and they breathalyzed me 3 times and I didnt have a very high alcohol level each time (like way under .08 or .8, I can't remember which is the legal one) but the cop had a hard on at that point so he insisted that his instrument was malfunctioning. Then they drew blood (which I guess they weren't allowed to do), and the cop charged me strictly on a confession I made while under hospital sedatives and a concussion (when asked if I had never in my life done drugs, and not wanting to lie and be called uncooperative, I said "yes, I have smoked weed before" and he took that to mean I was smoking and driving at the time of the accident), and the assumption that my blood alcohol content would be higher than the breathalyzer showed once they got the results back. Oh and it turned out I did have something put in my drink, an MDMA, Xanax, and GHB cocktail.

Answer:
 > just forget about the money I had already paid the first attorney.

No you could get your other retainer back minus any work done. You probably have a claim for all of it given seems like he forgot your hearing.

I would call the court now and see if you can find a sympathetic clerk to here you out and atleast give you a gauge of how hard-ass this judge is. You can ask just that (in nicer words) and retain the other attorney. Given its only a preliminary hearing, it may not be a huge deal and showing that you tried to hire an attorney will make people more sympathetic. Understand, you may want to move on to another attorney anyway after.


Title: [CT] My landlady / ex-friend has been renting me a room for a couple of years and decided that she wants me to move out and has changed the locks. Is she allowed to do this? Can she kick me out just like that?

Question: the relationship has grown toxic and I don't want to be here anymore than she wants me to be here. But I have not found a place to go as of yet. And she changed the locks so that I cannot get back in.

Answer:
 That's an illegal eviction. If she won't let you in you should call the police.

If she wants to force you out she must go through the proper process of notifying you of the end of your tenancy.


Title: ex girlfriend threatening small claims court over airline ticket . need advice.

Question:
My coworker is a redditor , but extremely lazy so he doesnt want to post this. his ex girlfriend is threatening to take him to small claims court over a 400$ airline ticket she bought him while they were together to allow him to fly to san diego and watch her run a marathon. Their relationship did not last, and he ended up dumping her before the marathon ( two months before, plenty of time to redeem the ticket). After the breakup and some serious hounding he did agree via text message to send her a lesser amount to placate the evil she beast. she refused the initial offer and months passed, now she is threatening court which my friend cannot afford, but is willing to do to defend himself. he is concerned that losing in small claims court would ruin his recent good credit with the banks. does this woman have a case ? what should my friend do? He is already off facebook, we are working out later, and he will be consulting a lawyer later this week.

what are his best options?

Answer: Here's my concern... He offered to compensate her. To me that says that he is admitting that he thinks owes her money.


Title: [NY] Changing your legal name in a state you don't live in.

Question:
Hi, I'm hoping to change my legal name and I currently live in New York. For various reasons, I do not want to publish my name change in a newspaper (which NY requires).

Is it possible to change your name in a state you don't live in?

For example, the state I resided in for 15 years does not require a publication of name change, and I'd prefer to complete the name change there if possible. I haven't lived in this state for several years, though I visit often and have family there.

Thank you all for your time.

Answer: You must change it in the state you're a resident in. That's it.


Title: Defended a girl from a domestic got charged with a disorderly conduct. TEXAS

Question: Was at a bar and saw a girl getting push up to a wall by a guy. Touched his arm and asked him to back off.  He grabbed me threw me at a wall cops where oh him really quick (right outside from another issue). He got put in cuffs, nothing said to me till 20 min later when I was leaving. The guy and girl claim it was "horse play" but I heard her ask him to stop. Got chared with disorderly conduct on both sides. What are the laws about domestic violince and intervening in domestic violence in texas. Any help would be great. I was trying to do the right thing and got screwed anyways.

Answer: You should hire a criminal defense attorney who will likely make a case for self defense of others.


Title: How do I get a drivers license without cooperative parents? [WV]

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You are 20. A legal adult. Your parents shouldn't even enter into this.

If they are impeding you, move out. Learn how to drive from a friend or take lessons. Take a driving test.

You can only get a license in a state where you have residence.


Title: Question about non custodial parents rights

Question: Illinois, Dupage county. My daughters mother moved about an hour away last year, I was fine with this as long as I still got to talk to her all the time and still got her every other weekend. I gave up my one night a week because it would be way to difficult and disruptive. This last week her mother took away her phone effectively cutting off all communication during the 12 days that I don't get to see her. Is there anything I can do to combat this? Before this we talked every morning and several days after school. I am very nervous about this because they are planning to move to Wisconsin after the next school year is over and if I don't have a way of talking to her it will undoubtedly effect our relationship.

Answer:
 >they are planning to move to Wisconsin after the next school year is over

Have you agreed to this?

EDIT:
http://www.dupagecountydivorcelawyerblog.com/2016/05/02/illinois-new-rules-relocating-children-divorce-parentage-cases/

What does your court order say?Answer #2: Does your court order specify phone calls?Answer #3: I am a non custodial parent also.  Have you talked with the mother to ask why the phone was removed?  If it is a punishment for a misbehaving child perhaps she could get access to a phone for the duration of a phone call.  This isnt legal advice but I feel that involving lawyers could escalate a misunderstanding to an all out war.


Title: Bought a full bred shihtzu off craigslist for 1000$, and i was promised papers in person/via text. They will not provide and now we will be un-able to breed. What do i do ?

Question:
Basically , I fell in love with a puppy on a Craigslist ad. It was for a full bred shih tzu dog, male. He was just a baby when we bought him and he has a hernia( we were told from playing rough with the other pups and he jumped off a pillow and landed rough)

We were told that she'd send us the papers and that the dogs that are male of this breed typically go for around 12-1400 and the hernia is why she took money off for his surgery.

We love him to death and everything is great, but we still need to get his surgery for the hernia fixed. My question goes for breeding, which we planned on doing one time to give a puppie to my mother(we thought it would be a nice idea if he was a pure bred, due to her having one that is very old and probably will pass this year). Without papers it will be hard to tell if he is purely a true pure bred dog and I'd like to get paperwork for him either way..

They are now telling me they cannot get papers and will not be getting them for us now. is this legal? Have I been scammed ? I have her phone number, it is her real number, and she lives in the area. I have her on facebook, and also text messages from my phone, and girlfriends phone claiming she is working on them, and going to be getting them.

Answer:
 Honestly, you've probably been scammed. Its very likely this was an unpapered litter, and that there was never the option to get papers. If you know where he is supposedly papered through (AKC? CKC?) you may be able to contact them to request papers or find out of they even exist.
But if you don't know the organization, its especially likely this was never a papered dog.
As an aside, you want to breed a dog who has already had health problems, and who's lineage you can't possibly know because you haven't seen his papers. Does this seem like responsible breeding to you, when its thought that hernias in shi tzus are likely heritable?


Title: [CA] Officer pulled me over and asked, "Do you know why I pulled you over?". I said, "Yeah". Do I have any defense?

Question:
I (23m) was on my way home from a day of school and work, and was pulled over for making a right turn on red without coming to a complete stop. The officer walked up to my window and asked if I knew why I was being pulled over. I replied with just a 'yeah', not incriminating myself in any specific offense. He then asked me for my license, and told me he would be back for my insurance and registration. At this point, he still had not clarified the reason for the stop.

After a few minutes he came back to the window, checked my insurance card and registration, and asked me a couple of questions about where I was coming from and where I worked. Everything was quick and to-the-point. He then gave me a citation for running a red light. I never argued it, and didn't ask any questions.

This is my first ticket, and getting pulled over was new to me. After getting home, I was beating myself up over the fact I said 'yeah' to his initial question. I am wondering though, because he never clarified why I was being pulled over, if me saying 'yeah' would be considered an admission of guilt? After all, the reason he was pulling me over, and the reason *I thought* he was pulling me over, could have been two different things.

I plan on requesting a Trial by Written Declaration, and any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: Even if you denied it, the officer can still write you a ticket.  I doubt what you said is an admission of guilt, but what is your defense?  If you committed the offense, pay the ticket or hire a traffic attorney to try to negotiate it down.


Title: Sueing boss for wrongful termination, abuse, and possibly battery. West Virginia

Question:
Im so sorry if this is drawn out ive never posted here before and want to include as much detaik as possible. But in short my boss fired me without telling me, no paperwork, no word of mouth, nothing. After being publicly humiliated getting screamed at and possibly battery? I did not sign a fire at will contract.

 I live in a small town barely making ends meet. I landed a job at a seafood resturant in town. The first day on the job i was asked if I cry easily and my boss Pat told me her husband J yells ay their workers and the last waitress quit cause he yelled at her so bad. Im not stupid, i shouldve told her to lick my crack right then and there but I was desperate and told myself to suck it up and make that bread.

The week I was there was just pure abuse. Getting screamed at for simple mistakes (like throwing away a lemon wedge), being called names, and over all just getting treated like like a pos. The husband J lied on me about mistakes he did so I would take the blame.

My final day there I was taking a tables order and J rings a bell we have that lets the front know that food is done. Im still taking orders from the table when J comes running to the front and in front of the whole resturant yells at me for not getting the food because "customers wants hot food" which I agree with 100% but I was not about to walk away from the person who was actively talking to me to give another table their food. He screams at me saying the same thing over and is pointing his finger at me which REALLY pisses me off, to the point I cry. Which I am very ashamed of. The whole resturant is quiet staring at me some people have smirks, some look sad, and others just looked away.

I walk outside for a moment hit a cigg and go back into work like nothing ever happened. I finished my shift clocked out and told my boss to call me when she wants me to come in. I was getting my schedule day by day.

She didnt say anything to me, she never calls, nothing. I get my check in the mail days before pay day. So I instantly knew I was fired. I went to the store because she didnt sign my checks and i couldn't cash them. I once again tell her to call me and ill work making it clear i did not quit and was more than willing to move on. I never hear anything. I have to go back one more time for her to fill out a paper from the state dhhr. The paper pretty much is proof i no longer work where i said i did. You have to do that stuff when you have SNAP.

Do I have something here? Who should I take it to? Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer:
 >I did not sign a fire at will contract.

That’s not a thing. You were fired. You are entitled to your pay, and possibly some indication that you are no longer employed (I haven’t checked your state), but that’s it. I don’t see anything to suggest assault. And while your ex boss might be a dick and pretty unprofessional if he screams at staff in front of customers (chefs screaming at staff in private is par for the course I have to say) you don’t have anything to sue for.


Title: (PA) Landlord forcing me out over ESA

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >I work in property management

Then you should know that you did this the wrong way. You don't need any registration or a vest or whatever other bogus stuff you ordered in the mail. What you need is a prescriptive letter from your doctor. You need to provide that to the landlord before you get the animal, not wait until you get caught and then claim it is an ESA.


Title: First parking ticket. I feel it was unjust. What do you think?

Question:
[Solved] Turns out there IS a one foot rule. Thanks

[Columbus, Ohio] Today I received a parking ticket and the infraction listed on the ticket says "1ft whlchr ramp." Now I realize it is illegal to park directly in front of a wheelchair ramp but I hardly consider myself blocking the ramp. [Here](http://imgur.com/a/3tztu) is a picture of my parking. There is a driveway to the right of the sign prompting the "no stopping," and I have the proper permit to park on the street. Correct me if I'm wrong but I do not believe I am blocking this ramp.

Which makes me wonder if there is some specific law stating you can't park within a certain distance of one. I've only done some light digging so far with no luck. It's a $55 ticket which isn't that bad if I felt I had actually done something wrong. I know a lot of people just pay the ticket as they don't want to bother appealing but for someone who doesn't have a lo of money to blow it may be worth it to me and my pride, mostly pride.

All the information on the ticket is correct and I have 10 days to either pay the ticket or appeal. What do you guys think?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 Ok - it sure looks to me that you were within one foot of the ramp although I would agree that it's iffy.

And there is a specific law about this one foot rule. https://www.municode.com/library/oh/columbus/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT21TRCO_CH2151PAGE_2151.01PAPRSPPL


Title: Do-It-Yourself Beverage Machine

Question:
Hello r/legaladvice!

I'm making a machine that mixes and pours alcohol.  It uses a pump that is safe for drinking water.  Alcohol has different chemical properties; how do I ensure it is safe to use?  I found a lot of information related to water and soda dispensers, but none for alcohol.  I would like to eventually sell the product to restaurants.

Can anyone speak to the regulations regarding food and drink machinery?  Do there exist regulations relating to pumping high-proof alcohol through tubing and diaphragm pumps?  If someone could point me in the right direction so I can search for myself, I would be very grateful.

Cheers!

EDIT: My apologies, didn't include my location, I'm in the New England area of USA.

EDIT 2: Thanks for the responses everyone, I'm going to post to some engineering subs for more information.

Answer: A chemical engineer or materials engineer would be able to answer these questions for you. Look up your local University and send and email


Title: College is holding my transcripts hostage.

Question:
So here's the situation. I went to a private college in Vermont (I'm also was/currently am a resident of VT) from Fall 2009 to Fall 2010 (totalling 3 completed semesters).

During that time the school messed up my financials multiple times.

When I completed my last semester there, I let the school know that I was going to be taking at least a year off. I wanted to make sure that I left on good terms and with no loose ends.

About a year later (2011) I reached out to get my transcripts to go to a different college. They informed me at that time that I actually still owed the school around $5k from my last semester.

Please note here that I was paying on my student loans. This was a separate debt owed directly to the school.

For years they provided little to no proof that I owed them money outside of what I was paying for my student loans. Additionally I argued that there's no way they would let a student complete an entire semester of college with no plan in place on how to pay for it. This conversation would come up between me and the school about every two years. They still to this day never sent it to collections.

Fast forward to a few months ago. I ran into the new President of the college. He asked my opinion of the school and, after some hesitation, let him know politely what had happened. He asked me to email him so he could look into it.

I got a response from someone that he had investigate from the school. What she told me is that there was an audit done on my loan application for that semester. The audit came back clean, but it took so long that I had already completed the semester and left the school. They stated that because I was no longer enrolled, they couldn't give me a loan. Therefore I was stuck with the debt outright.

Is it really legal for a college to let you go to school on agreement that it would be paid for by a loan, then not give you the loan after the fact?

Located in Vermont, US.

Answer: You owe the money.  If you did't get a loan at the time, then it's on you to pay the amount.


Title: How do I "shop" for a criminal defense attorney? I am facing life changing charges and I need help. Tampa area.

Question:
I'm going to try and keep this as composed as possible, my head isn't in the best place right now. I'm facing a very severe felony and I'm trying to find a lawyer to represent my case. I've been in trouble before but they were little things I was guilty of and I didn't want to fight something I'd lose so I pleaded out with a public defender.

This time I need real help, I'm going to fight this until the end and I don't know how to find the best attorney in my area as I've never needed to look and don't know anyone who's needed representation like this.

What questions should I ask? What questions should they ask? Any signs I should watch out for that show bad practices?  I don't know if it's possible to see an attorneys previous results but if it is where would I do that?

 Since this is a legal advice subreddit I'm hoping lawyers on here can tell me how they would proceed if they needed legal representation in an area where they didn't personally know an attorney who could help them.

 I'm just completely lost and don't want to put the rest of my life in some random google ads hands. To anyone who read all of this and replies, even if it doesn't help me I genuinely appreciate you trying and I wanted to thank you in advance.

Tampa, Florida area.

Answer:
 hmmmm... any kind of referrals are generally discouraged here. If someone is part of the bar association, they are qualified to handle your case or direct you accordingly. Check you local state bar association.

A little more info: the problem with referrals is that it falls too close to the line of promoting one lawyer or another. It's also against the rules in the sidebar.

Everyone looks for something different in a lawyer, some want aggressive, some want passive, some want years of experience, some want fresh blood. There's just too many factors and there are no magic answers to what makes a good lawyer or a lawyer who is right for you.

Best of luck. Answer #2: Ask for referrals, look at martindale-hubbel, look in the paper to see who the local celebrities/pro athletes use in your area


Title: [North Carolina] High school possibly personal selling information to others.

Question:
Hi, I am in high school and I have reason to suspect that my school is selling my personal information to colleges and the United States marines, army, airforce and navy.

I get junk mail all the time addressed to me from the US marines, army, air force and navy (the marines and army have "recruiting" stations set up inside of the school).

I also get mail from colleges and many other things that I did not sign up for nor would anyone know where to get my information.

I am wondering, is this illegal? **I do not wish to take legal action** but I am just wondering if it is illegal or not selling a student's information if they are doing it at all.

And by the way this is a public school funded by the state.

Thank you in advance for any help.

EDIT: I am under 18.

EDIT: I have not taken any state tests yet.

Answer:
 Did a brief search on Google about this. As it turns out this is a result of the No Child Left Behind Act (2002). Schools receiving federal aid money are required to

>[give military recruiters the same access to secondary school students as they provide to postsecondary institutions or to prospective employers](http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/hottopics/ht-10-09-02a.html). (US Dept. of Education Website)

The website goes on to describe that

>"Each LEA that receives funds under the ESEA must comply with a request by a military recruiter or an institution of higher education for secondary students' names, addresses, and telephone numbers, unless a parent has "opted out" of providing such information."

LEA in their terminology means "Local Educational Agency". Probably your school district.

Your parents could have opted out of this according to this website, but it sounds as if most schools bury that particular tid-bit in all the other documents that parents receive in the beginning of the school year.Answer #2: It doesn't seem like you really have any proof that your school is selling your information other than a vague link between the armed forces recruiting at your school and getting junk mail from them.

It seems more likely the these branches might have access to your contact information from the Office of Selective Service [the government office that maintains the list of men eligible for the draft].


Title: [MO] Wanting to open an online store to sell drug paraphernalia

Question:
I would operate my business LLC in the state of Missouri but would dropship (never hold inventory in this state)from the manufacturer/distributor to a customer in a state where its either recreationally legal or medically legal.

However, my concern is that since its still interstate commerce via mail, i could get arrested like in "Operations Pipe Dreams"? Especially with a conservative federal administration.

What are my realistic legal concerns? and what can i do to mitigate them?

Answer:
 > What are my realistic legal concerns?

You will be arrested.

> and what can i do to mitigate them?

You can decide to do something less stupid.


Title: NYC - Building was sold, landlord is asking us to move out.

Question:
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Our landlord recently sold the building we live in. He came to our apartment last night and asked my wife and I to move out by November 1st. Our current lease ends May 1st. He told us when we re-signed at the end of this past April that he might sell the building, but we insisted on renewing our lease since the sale wasn't a definite thing. She and I tentatively agreed we would discuss the conditions for leaving if he ended up selling the building (we signed nothing).

My wife is three months pregnant and moving now before we're ready will be a significant physical and financial burden for us. Moving to our current apartment emptied my savings, having to move again now would do the same. Our landlord has offered us a very limited amount of time to find a new apartment, and an amount of money that comes out to only half of what we paid as a broker's fee.

I need to know what legal ground I stand on in negotiating for a reasonable accommodation.  I'd like to be able to negotiate for either him or the buyers to cover our moving expenses as well as the up-front costs of acquiring a new apartment (first/possibly last month's rent, security deposit, brokers fee, moving expenses).

Do the new owners have to honor our lease if they take ownership of the building before our lease ends? Does him selling the property terminate our lease conditions?

Answer:
 The new owners bought the property with your lease and must honor it.

If they want you out earlier they can offer you a lot of money to voluntarily leave.


Title: Bought an online suit, which ended up very poor quality, and now merchant refuses to let me return it.

Question:
So I’ve always been a skinny guy, and therefore it’s been hard for me to find nice clothes that fit, especially suits. Recently, I came across a “made to-measure”  website that you could order a suit online and is tailored based on measurements that you do yourself. I also needed it before a specific date, and the website’s initial estimate was to arrive a few days before my event. I gave it a chance and dropped $500 on it,

Well, I ordered the suit and it wasn’t even shipped until about a week after they said, So I had to use an old suit anyways for the event as originally bought it for. By the time it actually arrived, I was already annoyed by this but still willing to give it a chance for potential future use. However, nothing but the pants fit. Ironically enough, it’s probably the first thing I’ve ever bought that’s too skinny for me. Not only that, but the material and the stitching was really poor and sloppy. It feels like I could just turn the wrong way and the whole thing would split in half.

Since my event had passed and I was far from impressed, I started a customer support ticket requesting a return. They emailed me back a few days later stating that they don’t do any returns or refunds, but said I could send it back to be re-tailored. Honestly, I was so put off by the quality of it that I had no desire to have it remade or restitched, I just wanted my money back. I emailed again a little more sternly saying I don’t want it to be redone, I just want it to be refunded, even if that includes a restocking fee or whatever. They then linked me to their terms and conditions (which are buried on their website) which states that any and all purchases cannot be returned for any circumstance,

Is there any way for me to resolve this? I can’t find any specific laws stating that this kind of practice is illegal, but from my understanding, products that are sold as new have to have at least a limited return policy for things that are sold not as described or of bad construction. I live in Ohio, USA and the company’s address is listed in Switzerland even though my preliminary research indicates most of there operations are based out of China. I’ve considered filing a dispute with my credit card company, but I’ve never done that either and not sure if that would give me a legitimate option. Or am I honestly just SOL?

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

TL;DR... Bought a custom suit online. Ended up being poor quality. Merchant refuses to give me any option of a return or refund.

Answer: Custom “tailored” products very rarely have any return policy. I work with a lot of vendors with made to order stuff. They never take anything back.


Title: Middle School Kids Harassing and Trespassing Daily

Question:
I’m in Pennsylvania USA. Every day the kids from the middle and high school walk home past my house. One group of middle school kids has decided to annoy the shit out of me. It started a week or two after Halloween and I still had decorations up. A kid rang my doorbell and said “trick or treat,” I said “it’s November,” he said “I want candy,” and I said “Go home.” That day my son’s master sword from Zelda was stolen from our yard. The next day I waited at the side walk and told them I wanted the sword back or I’d call the police. Next day a different kid rang the doorbell, gave me a heartfelt speech about how he didn’t want his friend to get in trouble... then turned to leave, yelled “By the way, I stole the sword!” And ran away. So I called the police, filed a report, etc. detective came to talk to me then went to speak to the kids at school and said he would talk to their parents. I thought this would take care of it. Fast forward past Thanksgiving break when they didn’t have school. Well they started ringing the doorbell every day and running. Finally one day they did it and my boyfriend was home from work, and he followed one of them home and got some names. I called the police again, and while he was here the middle school principal stopped by to talk about it. The cop told me the detective handling my case was on vacation and that I should record as much as I can to use as evidence. So all last week I stood at the door recording. Every day they yell at me from the sidewalk, call me a bitch, give me the finger and other obscene gestures, etc.

Today is Sunday, so no school. You would think I’d get a break from this nonsense. I let my 3 dogs out into our fenced in back yard... only to find out that one of our gates was WIDE open and the dogs got out. I don’t have any proof that it was these kids, but 1. We do not use this gate 2. Dogs can’t unlatch a gate, it was designed to contain animals and 3. It was WIDE open, even if the dogs did somehow push it open logically they would push it just far enough that they could squeeze out, not put in the effort to scrape and drag it across the grass (it doesn’t swing easily) so that it’s open almost as wide as possible. Like I said I don’t have proof that it was the kids but I have no other explanation for this. These kids probably didn’t like having the police talk to them at school/home and could possibly have come back for some revenge.

Another detail idk how relevant it is but my house is not that close to the street. It’s uphill about 10 yards from the sidewalk which makes this even more ridiculous.

I also want to add that I’m very pregnant (only 2 weeks left!) and I have high blood pressure so I really do not need this stress. Some days them ringing the doorbell upsets me so much I’m hyperventilating and crying and my BP gets dangerously high. So not only is this annoying and causing concern for my property/pets, but it’s becoming detrimental to my and my baby’s health.

Sorry for the length but this has been going on for over a month now and I’m at the point where I’m afraid to be away from home because they might come damage my home or cars or do something to my pets and when I am home get very upset and anxious about them walking by. Any suggestions would be very appreciated and if anyone could recommend a good home surveillance  system (I’m thinking Nest or Ring?) I’d like to read that too. Thank you!

Answer: You've done all you can from a legal perspective.  A ring doorbell would help.  Or you could just ignore them.


Title: Neighbor shot my drone out of the air while it was over my property and police side with him [NY]

Question:
I own large property, with a stream that goes along the edge. Stream is fully on my property but goes parallel to neighbors property. I was taking some video flying down the stream with my DJI inspire 2 when all of the sudden i hear 3 loud bangs and i lose video feed. I go to find it.  Neighbor is sitting on property line with his shotgun points it at me tells me to "stop spying" on him and he walks off. I find my drone its in many pieces. I call state police. They interview neighbor and me and end up siding with neighbor, saying he has a right to defend himself and his property.

But..  I am a certified drone pilot and know the laws. Any thing in the air at all (even 1 inch above ground) is federal air space and even though i was not flying it over his property, i know legally i could. But i didn't. I even have flight logs that show it was never over his property.

What can i do? Is it worth taking to court if police side with him? Drone was worth about $2500

Answer:
 He pointed his shotgun at you?

Fuck the drone.  Press charges for assault with a deadly weapon.  As a gun owner, we all know that if you are going to point a firearm at another person, you had damn well better be ready to demonstrate that you reasonably felt that the person who you pointed a firearm at was an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm to you.  Even if you were flying over his property and even if you were spying on him, it’s still 100% illegal for him to point a firearm at you in that circumstance.  Answer #2: I would lawyer up...your neighbor shot a gun (three times) into your property destroying your possession while you were enjoying your hobby within your property.


Title: I've been invited to give 'victim impact statement' at sentencing for DUI who ran red light and totalled my car. Is there a normal format, length of time, etc for this?

Question: I was hit last year. I did not miss a lot of work but I received a terrible concussion, constant neck pain, and I am a lot more afraid to drive since the accident.  I would like to give a statement to this ass hole.  Is there a normal format for these? Any advice?  California, bay area (edit for location)

Answer: The format varies by court, but you're generally able to speak freely for as long as you'd like.  You can be emotional, but show respect for the court and avoid cursing.


Title: Trying to prevent my abusive mother from finding me & my grandmother if/when she gets out of jail. What kind of lawyer do I need? [NJ, USA]

Question: I'll try to be as concise as possible. My mother is a lifelong addict, has done time in county before, went on drug court a few years ago. She stayed clean until around February of this year--which I learned a few weeks ago when 3k went missing from my grandmother's account (me, my fiance, my mother, and my grandmother were all living together).  Once I noticed the money missing, I reached out to her probation officer and found out she stopped going to probation in February and there was a no-bail warrant out for her arrest.  I turned her in to the cops the same day.  She's in county (Burlington) and I went to the prosecutor's office to give a victim impact statement because she said her lawyer is fighting for her to get drug court round 2.  We filed a police report for the missing funds but we have not pressed charges yet.  Since it's my grandmother's account, I have to warm her up to the idea of pressing charges.  I do have POA over my grandmother now.  My fiance only spoke with her briefly to find out info from her angle.  We do not want any further contact with her.  She is extremely toxic, manipulative, and she even admitted in a letter we received yesterday that she has no intention of changing who she is, as well as (of course) requests for commissary money.  She also is pressuring us not to press charges against her for stealing the aforementioned 3k.  Is it worth bringing this letter to the prosecutor's office to let them use it against her?  Victim's advocacy put me on the VINE network so I will get alerts if she is getting out as well as I will get letters telling me when her court dates are.  **Please, what are my options?  I don't qualify for a restraining order because she hasn't been violent with me, but she is a parasite and we don't know how to keep her away from us.**  I know that this, legally, may just be a situation where I have to keep her away and cut her off but our house is in her name.  I'm truly at a loss for how to protect me and especially my grandmother from her any further.  I'm desperately trying to minimize the level of destabilization my grandmother will feel , but honestly, any suggestions would be great.

Answer: You're living in her house? Step 1 in cutting somebody out of your life is to stop living in their house.


Title: How do you divide a home and barns from farmland that you own?

Question: I inherited a home and a farm and I'm finding it rather hard to rent out the home and pay a lot of taxes on this home and all the surrounding barns and grain bins.  The land is much easier to rent to a local farmer, but the house is hard since I live in FL and this farm is in IL.  Also, the electric is awful too because it's old school and only one big box outside in a barn for the whole house/farm area which I pay the electric bill every month also.  It's just the house and farm area is costing me a lot in taxes like over $5,000 and then $2000 in electric bill, I can't make enough in rent for all this to make it really cost effective.  The house is a little country brick home that might be worth $120,000 at the most, but the rest of the area with all the barns I'm guessing would be worth something, I'm guessing (total guess) is around $300,000 for this and I could invest this for retirement and be way more ahead than all the aggravation.  Has anyone ever heard of doing something like this?

Answer:
 Depending on your town/county zoning laws, you could possibly split your property into 2 or more lots. You'll need an attorney to guide you through, especially since you are so far.Answer #2: Owning Illinois farm land is like owning black gold. You can easily parcel it out, or sell the whole shooting match, as the buyers will know they can do the same, or may want it just as is for employee or extended family housing. Talk to a couple of realtors where it is located. Remember, if you part with it within a reasonable time, you will not owe any income taxes on the proceeds. Answer #3: NAL, but this commonly done. Typically you'll need to get a survey done on the part you want to separate and make sure that it meets minimum lot size for a dwelling (usually 3-10 acres depending on your town/county). The town or county surveyor or zoning office would be a good place to start asking questions.

Splitting the electric can be expensive or cheap depending on what the current set up is. Start with the electric company for the second meter, but you will likely need your own electrician to finish the job.


Title: Daycare refusing to acknowledge court order (won't let me un-enroll)

Question:
I have primary physical and legal custody of my child in Texas. Court order and everything. My ex husband is required by court order to pay daycare cost up to a certain amount at the daycare of my choosing.

He had been enrolled in one during the divorce that I didn't like so after I was granted primary custody I decided to change daycares.

I put in a notice at the daycare via their required procedure and they denied it. I got told that I couldn't un-enroll my child nor could I change anything related to the daycare without a court order so I brought them the divorce decree highlighting the whole " daycare of my choosing" and they are still claiming that I cannot un-enroll him without the approval of both parents. My exhusband is refusing to go down there and sign the paperwork to un-enroll with me.

I could just stop bringing him to that one but they are saying I would still owe for the cost.

Also, I have been picking him up from daycare earlier and I have found out they've been calling my ex-husband to inform him that I've been picking the child up early to get his permission for me to do so even though I have a court order.

It is getting insane. The person running is claiming that because my husband initially signed the enrollment paperwork and because he pays the tuition that he is primary contact and I would need his permission to change that.

I tried to pick him up early yesterday (about two hours) on my scheduled day (he gets three weekends a month and two Tuesdays a month) and they wouldn't let me have him until they called my husband to verify.

They've also been calling my ex-husband and his family when my child is sick during my time (which is nearly every single daycare day instead of me)

 They can't do this can they?

What is to stop me from saying that I am un-enrolling him in two weeks since I have a court order that says I can and that is that?

I won't get an answer from my lawyer until Friday and I was curious what my rights were until then.

I should note that the director of the daycare is a close and personal friend of my ex-husband ( I believe she is now married to his best friend) so I'd like to change the daycare to a more neutral daycare in between the two homes.

Answer:
 > I could just stop bringing him to that one but they are saying I would still owe for the cost.

I think it would be more accurate to state your husband would owe, since he signed the child up. So there's his incentive to cooperate.Answer #2: The daycare is not obligated to un-enroll your child because this is a contractual matter between the daycare and whoever signed the paperwork.  Your court order is a matter between you and your ex-husband.  The court order says that you have the right to put the child in a daycare of your choosing, but your husband didn't follow it.  Unless the daycare was a party to your divorce case, the court order does not bind them in any way.

I suggest you enroll your child in the daycare of your choosing and collect the fee from your ex-husband as required.  Let him deal with the other daycare that he chose, that is not your problem.Answer #3: Order is against  your husband, not the daycare. They may require  he act. Court is requring him to act. Let him know he needs to act cause you are moving the kid regardless  and he needs to obey the order. Answer #4: A divorce decree governs the rights between the parties. You don't invalidate a contract with a third party by getting divorced. The court doesn't have that kind of jurisdiction over people who aren't even party to the action.Answer #5: You should absolutely, 100%, disregard any answer that is not coming from your attorney in these matters. I understand you hate having to wait, but lawyers often have busy schedules and sometimes things get in the way. Only your attorney is permitted to give you advice at this point.


Title: When selling something via craigslist and the buyer shows up with less money than agreed upon, is there any legal recourse?

Question: I was recently reading [this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/ChoosingBeggars/comments/955glb/thanks_for_wasting_my_entire_day/) over on /r/ChoosingBeggars and I was curious if the text message exchange between the two parties approaches the level of "contract"? Would a situation like this have a even snowball's chance in coming out in favor of the seller in small claims court, if he sued for the full price as agreed upon?

Answer: If they don't have the agreed amount of money, don't give them the item.  Answer #2: The buyer could always argue there was some issue with the item, cosmetic flaw, etc that he was not made aware of when the $350 was agreed upon


Title: (Ontario) Tinder Underage

Question:
I'll keep this short and sweet. I am an 18 year old male, and I matched with someone who claimed to be 18 year old female. We exchanged nudes, and agreed to meet up. Before meeting up she tells me she is 17. I obviously end all conversations with her.

Can I still legally get in trouble for this? I deleted her nudes off my phone but she most likely still has mine, along with my phone number? :/

Am I overthinking or am I screwed? I always hear how CP is one of the worst crimes and I'm panicking.

Answer:
 Look! It's the semi-daily underage Tinder post.

It's a scam, ignore it.


Title: Being relocated to another apartment with only a text message as a notice. Was notified I have to be out by tomorrow. What are my options?

Question:
I am in Phoenix.

I rent an apartment from a company (who are notoriously horrible for these things that I've recently learned about. You may have heard about this company if you live in Phoenix. Anyways.) They lease the apartment from the complex and I lease the apartment through them.

I received a text from the people I am leasing an apartment from saying the apartment is being taken back by the complex so I'm being relocated to another apartment. I received no other notice despite being told a notice came in the mail. I did not receive a notice in the mail. None of my room mates did either. Can they legally do this? Am I just going to have to deal with it? Thanks for the help. Sorry for the formatting.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: No you don't have to move in a day that's ridiculous. Call or visit them to find out what is going on.


Title: [Massachusetts]The town hall sent my twin sister MY birth certificate.

Question:
Hi /r/legaladvice!,
My identical twin sister is planning her honey moon and needed to renew her passport.  She filled out the paperwork to obtain a copy of her birth certificate, paid the fee, and received my birth certificate instead.  Our names are nothing alike and the mistake was likely made by an absentminded employee.

My question is, is it illegal to send out the wrong birth certificate because of the potential for identity theft? I am only curious and do not plan on suing or creating a frivolous lawsuit.  However, when my sister went to correct the error, they made her pay another fee and were extremely rude to her.  You would think that they would be more apologetic if their action could have enabled my sister to steal my identity ( especially being twins and all).

I am asking this question because my sister would like to write a strongly worded letter to the town hall because of how she was treated, and it would be nice if she could actually mention that what they did was outright illegal and could have been very serious.

Thank you!

Answer:
 >potential for identity theft

The fact of the matter is, if you can fill out the form to request a birth certificate and pay the fee, (at least in my home state) you can get one for anybody. You may not like how that sounds, but it's public record.


Title: HELP !!! I am looking for best lawyer and/or advice for a medical malpractice .. Botched surgery gone horribly wrong

Question:
Looking for best lawyer and/or advice for a medical malpractice case in Canada. I am looking into this for my sibling and this just happened this weekend so I am in the beginnings of gathering information and I suppose this will be a little general for now.

My brother (mid 30s) was in for surgery to treat an infection where he had had a circumcision 3yrs prior. The doctor gave them next to no information other than his previous surgery was a "partial circumcision" and he had to have another surgery to fix it. My brother was in so much pain at the time, he agreed and showed up for surgery the next morning.

His doctor said nothing and they proceeded. That was the last time he saw the doctor. No visit, no check up,  no follow up, just sent home very swollen and sore. A few days after the surgery, he started getting severe pain in the evening and by morning, could barely get out of bed. He went back to emergency (different hospital) and, after the second emergency surgery that week, the  new surgeon was flabbergasted at the damage and infection and could not explain what the previous urologist did or why. He did say that a cystoscopy was performed, which he thought would not have been necessary and clearly stated that the first circumcision (3yrs ago) was NOT a partial so he could not understand what the surgeon was referring to.  (at this point, we still aren't sure how we came to this outcome.)

In the end, his surgery was botched  beyond belief and he is left with a small fraction of his penis which is no longer functionable !! This was to be a circumcison fix.  At no point was it mentioned that his penis might be gone when he woke up. The surgeon who took care of the infection says he still needs to investigate further on what happened but told us that we have their full support if we were to move forward with a law suit.

I know I do not have all details yet but ... if you have a jump off point .. I welcome your advice !!!

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Answer:
 Loss of a penis is probably what a malpractice lawyer would love, simply because now your brother can not father children and that is a huge deal.

Call around and get a good malpractice attorneyAnswer #2: * Save all records, and go back and get the records from the original circumcision.
* Brother should sit down right now and write down everything they remember that the surgeon said and did. It's really easy to get your memory jumbled or forget stuff over time, so the earlier you write it down, the better.
* Go get a couple of consultations with medical malpractice attorneys.
* He needs to get a referral to counseling now. This is obviously stressful, and if you have a potential case, medmal suits tend to take quite a bit of time. Unless the hospital folds immediately, it could take months or a couple of years, and that kind of waiting gets very stressful.


Title: If a being from another world came to Earth, what legal rights would they have?

Question:
I'm reading Skizz, an 80's story written by Alan Moore and inspired (I think) by ET. It's about an alien who (like ET) crashes on Earth, befriends an earthling, and then the government comes and tries to take him away.

I'm curious as to what legal rights could be expected if a being from another world actually *did* crash land and have to coexist with humanity.

Obviously, this is a fantasy question as aliens don't seem to be consistently crashing our big Earth party, but I'm curious if anyone in this sub could hypothesize about what would happen. Also, if this is completely the wrong sub for this kind of question, please let me know and point me to a better sub to ask if possible.
Topic:
Immigration

Answer:
 Probably very few, if any. We generally seem to reserve rights for humans. Even the more intelligent animals are given few rights beyond (sometimes) those not to be tortured/killed.

I think the more salient question would be that of which rights intelligent visitors to Earth would allow *us* to have.Answer #2: You might get better discussion in /r/law.


Title: VA: I’ve been trying to divorce my MIA husband for 4 years. Is there a statute of limitation or something that can help me out?

Question: This is going to sound kind of crazy, so bear with me. So I  filed for divorce from my husband in January 2014. He ran, and I haven’t seen or heard from him since. No one could find him to serve papers, and everything just kind of fell through from there. Forward to now, I’m in a very healthy relationship and we have been discussing marriage, but not any time soon. I’d like to have everything squared away for when the time comes. What steps would I need to take to get this done with no contact from my husband?

Answer:
 I believe your state allows divorce by publication, which means you can serve notice of the divorce of an MIA spouse by publication in the papers of their last known address.

You should speak to a divorce lawyer.  These type of divorces, in general, are not expensive.

edit:  [It is allowed per VA law](https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title8.01/chapter8/section8.01-316/).Answer #2: If it doesn’t get done by the time the 7 year mark rolls around then [have him declared dead.](https://law.justia.com/codes/virginia/2011/title64-1/chapter5/64-1-105) Answer #3: Your divorce attorney will need to give you the specifics, but people divorce people in absentia all the time.  It just costs more/takes longer.

Has your lawyer explained why he hasn't done divorce by publication?  Answer #4: There should be a public service way to serve him through a national newspaper or something depending on where you live. He cant hold you hostage in marriage forever. Do you have a divorce attorney yet?


Title: [IA] CNA discussing hospital patients with general public

Question:
Someone I'm related to works as a Certified Nurse's Assistant in a hospital and frequently talks about the patients she sees. She just brings them up in casual conversation, ranging from sl types. She also gives out names of some patients if she knows them.  She also talks about patients with mental illness, whom she refers to as "psycho patients". She tells everyone to keep quiet about the stories because, in her own words, she could get fired.
Is there any legal trouble she could get into for talking about patients outside of the hospital?

Answer: Specifically mentioning names in connection to diagnoses is against HIPAA, so yes she could, and should, get fired.  Medical professionals talk about memorable patients all the time but only use generalizations, never the patient's name, when they are in public.  For example I had a patient come down to PT and the nursing staff forgot to send the patient's prosthetic leg.  I've talked about this with others and have never mentioned name, or gender (the place I worked at had an amputee specialist, good luck figuring out which patient I was talking about).  She knows better but is still doing it.


Title: Toronto, Ontario, labour law: can my company pass my resume around internally?

Question: So my company hired a new person, I am now reporting to that person, and they had my resume sitting out on their desk. This is a copy of the resume I had sent to my previous boss before joining the company to apply for my current position. Is my current boss just allowed to have a copy?

Answer: Your new boss is actually reading up on you (and presumably your coworkers) to learn about your work experience, and you're... worried about it? Or just that it was out on their desk?


Title: ON, CA - what should I do if I know that a group of people are watching me everywhere?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: In order to successfully sue them or get a lawyer or investigator to take your case, you'll need to be able to prove the damages they caused you and the fact that they were influencing your suicide attempts. You should go back to your doctor's and ask them for all your documentation, because you'll need that paperwork in order to win in court. Your doctor should be able  to help you after you make that request.


Title: Landlord replaced our air conditioner and furnace. The furnace was electric but the new one is gas, who is responsible to pay for the gas? Location is washington

Question:
I moved into an all electric unit a few months ago. When it started to get hot I turned on the air conditioner but it did not work. I quickly called the landlord who had a repair man come out the same day to look at it. They determined that the air conditioner needed to be replaced. Our utility company is offering rebates to replace old air conditioners and furnaces so the landlords decided to do that.

I just found out that the new furnace is ran on gas instead of electric. I am wondering who will have to pay for the gas. Our lease says nothing about it. All it says is owner/agent shall pay the following utilities: pud (water) storm water and sewer. Residents shall pay for the following utilities: garbage and electric.

I have not talked to the landlord about this issue yet, I want to figure out first who is legally responsible. And answers and advice would be helpful

Answer:
 The default is that if the landlord isn't specifically obligated by the lease to pay for it, the tenant is responsible.  So if your lease says nothing about who pays for gas, you pay for gas.

Also, thank your lucky stars they switched, you'll save a fortune in utility bills now.


Title: [US][CO] Opting Out of a Class Action Settlement

Question:
Hello r/LegalAdvice!

I am 22 years old and lease a 2014 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen TDI. These cars are currently mired in a large emissions scandal, and the class action settlement was just released and approved through the first step. (You can catch up on the scandal [here] (http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/business/international/vw-diesel-emissions-scandal-explained.html?_r=0))

As a lessee, I feel the settlement does not come close to expectations, and I would like to opt out to sue separately from the class. I need help in this regard.

What type of lawyer do I need? Are there lawyers that specialize in this or will any law firm be able to help?

How much will this cost me? Are there usually initial consultation fees? Do most of these cases run on contingency or would I be on the hook for the cost up front?

Do I need a lawyer in the same state as me? For instance, if there was a law firm advertising it would represent all TDI owners not interested in the settlement, but they were located in New York, would I be able to use that lawyer when I am located in Colorado?

I feel like most of the 'consumer advocate' lawyers (that's what I've been looking for when I google, not sure if that's right) in my state are about an hour to an hour and a half away. During the probably 3+ year trial, will I need to meet in person with my lawyer several times? It would make a big difference in who/where I choose if there will be multiple face-to-face meetings I must attend.

I think that's all I have for now, but I will update if I think of more. Thanks for taking the time and looking forward to hear what you guys have to say.
Topic:
Consumer Law

Answer:
 > What type of lawyer do I need?

A civil attorney.  Any could handle it, but you'd probably want someone with expertise in emissions or automotive issues.

> Do most of these cases run on contingency or would I be on the hook for the cost up front?

That's up to the attorney.  In general, if they think you'll win significantly, they'll do contingency.  If not, you'll need to pay them.

> Do I need a lawyer in the same state as me?

You need a lawyer admitted in the district where the suit will be filed.  That'll likely be where VW is headquartered and/or where the current suit is being heard.


Title: The right to nudity in your own home

Question:
I live in a condo complex and I do like to walk around nude in my own home. I received an anonymous complaint slipped under my door from who I would assume would have to be one of my neighbors? about how they can see me walking around naked and that they will call the cops if I continue.

I rarely keep my blinds closed and my unit is at an angle where it faces towards other units, regardless I can't imagine there would be much legal grounds to stand in terms of telling me what I can or can't do on my own property?

ps. I live in Ohio.

Answer:
 Jesus christ, just close your goddamn blinds.  Answer #2: You didn't include your location, but in many places what you're doing would fall within the definition of public nudity.

ETA:  From the [Ohio Revised Code](http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/2907.09):

 2907.09 Public indecency.

(A) No person shall recklessly do any of the following, under circumstances in which the person's conduct is likely to be viewed by and affront others who are in the person's physical proximity and who are not members of the person's household:

(1) Expose the person's private parts....

Close your blinds.Answer #3: As someone who also likes to be nude in their own home, have some common sense. Close your blinds. You have no right to force parents to explain your naughty bits to their kids if they don't want to. Answer #4: So Ohio. Sounds like Public Indecency to me

http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/2907.09

>No person shall recklessly do any of the following, under circumstances in which the person's conduct is **likely to be viewed by and affront others** who are in the person's physical proximity and who are not members of the person's householdAnswer #5: Move to Vermont.  Casual nudity in public is legal here.  Of course, with it being -15F right now, there's only a few weeks in the year where one can exercise this right in comfort.


Title: 3:45 am garbage truck noise. Moved the dumpster. Got a fine- Little Rock, AR

Question:
I live in a downtown area where there are collective, large trash bins in alley ways, so the garbage truck has to come down the alley way behind multiple houses in order to empty the garbage instead of the normal curbside cans. My block, collectively, pays for this service.

Lived at the same house for 5 years and never had a problem.

Garbage truck pick up has normally been anywhere from 6am to about 10am. About two months ago the truck starts showing up at 3:45 to 4am every morning.

This might not be a huge problem if it was curbside pick up but since the truck has to squeeze down a small alley way and sit right next to my house (bedroom window side) it is constant source of noise.

I called the number for the trash pick up service and the city department responsible for it and I have gotten no response. My neighbors have done the same thing.

By no response, I mean they say someone will call us back and no one does.

Me and neighbor stop the trash guy one morning and ask him why he needs to do that so early. He said that his schedule got changed and he got told to do the residential pick up first. Said to call this number. The guy at the number says that the city changed the time for residential pick up but the person at the city we talked to said that they aren't suppose to do residential pick ups that early and that it is a problem with the trash pick up and to call them.

So in a circle I go for two weeks straight.

I finally ask the trash guy if he can just move the dumpster to the end of the alley way. He says no that I can't. City says I can't.

I attended a community meeting and brought up the problem and they said they would look into it. Nothing.

Trash pick up is still coming at 3:45 to 4 am every morning.

Is there anything I can do legally? Can I get a lawyer for such a thing? Or should I just get use to being awoken up at 3:45am twice a week for the rest of my residence there? Do I have any says since I technically own the piece of land the dumpster sits on (city owns the alleyway but the dumpster is set off onto the grassy patch on my property) ?

Note: I know it is metro area and we are use to the sirens and city sounds but that much abrupt noise that early in the morning right outside our house is really, really inconvenient. I understand there might be nothing I can do.

Answer:
 So did you actually move the dumpster and subsequently get a fine? Because it's in the title but not in the text.Answer #2: Little Rock, AR noise ordinances are found here: https://www.municode.com/library/ar/little_rock/codes/code_of_ordinances?searchRequest=%7B%22searchText%22:%22noise%22,%22pageNum%22:1,%22resultsPerPage%22:25,%22booleanSearch%22:false,%22stemming%22:true,%22fuzzy%22:false,%22synonym%22:false,%22contentTypes%22:%5B%22CODES%22%5D,%22productIds%22:%5B%5D%7D&nodeId=COOR_CH18MIPROF_ARTIIOFINPUPEOR_S18-52NOPRGE

Complain and they'll likely change their schedule.  If they don't change, they'll likely be fined if you keep complaining to the city.  I would agree that 3:45am is unreasonable.


Title: [Long Update] Termination for "Gossip" via Text Messages (Louisiana)

Question:
So hello again /r/legaladvice. I know y'all love updates. Forgive this one for being long, but I hope it's interesting and a good read.

I don't think my story gathered much attention, but I decided I should give one last update before closing this account due to the discovery by my family on another forum (/r/raisedbynarcissists).
I used a throwaway for it because I knew some of the subject matter was negative, to say the least, but I'll go ahead and post it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3ajm7w/90_days_with_employer_may_want_to_terminate_me/

**So tl;dr my employer terminated me for receiving text messages from another coworker about his and another officer's sexual orientation/relationship with one another.** I came onto legal advice wondering if I had any protections, and was told the firing was legal. I was also told I was a terrible and stupid person. Personally, I don't think I am, but that's irrelevant. And if I am, I think these events show terrible attracts terrible, because my former employer was all sorts of awful.

However, it's what happened leading up to and after the firing that ended up being a fiasco. Bear with me, this is going to be a bit. Some of it might be rehash, I apologize.

So I was placed on "administrative leave" on a Thursday evening, after the huge argument with my boss where he yelled at and generally berated me (also threatened to call the cops for no reason, but whatever). I was told to leave the premises, so I packed up my desk and headed out. Later that night, I received a message from the my boss telling me I was on administrative leave and not permitted to speak to anyone until a decision had been made. Sometime that weekend, I wrote a very lengthy letter to him, telling him I was sorry if his feelings were hurt, how he can check the messages and see I had no part in discussing his orientation negatively, and once again spoke of my own experiences as a queer person. I didn't receive a response back. The only negative thing I mentioned was that, if I was asked to come back, I would need to have a very serious conversation about the threats he issued about calling the police. As I am an anti-prison activist and we work with and are members of a population that is often targeted for police brutality, that was the most worrisome point for me.

On Monday, a staff meeting was held. I was still on leave, and was not asked to attend. At this meeting, several coworkers were fired, including the coworker who sent me the text messages. I received some very angry texts from him, placing the blame for his termination on me, of course. I simply told him I was not the one who told them about the messages, but he didn't believe me. After an hour or so, he calmed down, and filled me in on the meeting I missed and who else was fired.

On Wednesday, I received an email via my personal account that included my termination papers. The papers were dated for that Monday. I sent an email contesting that, since I should have been paid for Monday and Tuesday. I received a response saying I would be paid for "half the day" on Monday, and that was it. I sent a few other responses regarding my termination and pay - an email to the President of the Board, an email and text to the Corporate Compliance Officer, I was completely ignored. Oh, except for an email from the HR Coordinator stating that she checked with my former boss and he agreed my official termination date was Monday and I was notified via email on Monday. Funny thing was, they locked me out of my company account earlier Monday morning (my phone auto-updates my email every 30 minutes, and it was showing a red icon around 8am). They forwarded me that very email, time-stamped for nearly 10 pm that night, sent to my company email. Y'know, the one they knew they locked me out of earlier that day, so I couldn't have even accessed the account to read it.

That action prompted me to contact the National Labor Relations Board, because I knew they owed me for those two days and were being sneaky about not paying me.

I called the NLRB, and spoke with an investigator. She took my information, and not even an hour later, called me back saying they wanted me to come in and give an affidavit. Since I was unemployed, I went down there the very next day. This was probably the most stressful part of the entire process. Luckily, I keep a paper planner, and write down any employment-related conflicts/issues when they occur. I'm no saint- I've had issues in the workplace before, so I document everything.** If there's one piece of advice I'd like to give, it's DOCUMENT DOCUMENT DOCUMENT.** Your employer keeps tabs on you, and you should never trust them enough to let them hold all the power there. It's never too late to document; get a planner or spreadsheet so you can write dates, times, people involved, etc. for every perceived incident. (And, I can tell you from personal experience, nothing says back off like pulling out a planner and being able to recall details because you wrote them down.)

The affidavit took me about two to three hours. I ended up having to come back because I left out key details the first time around because I didn't document well enough some days. I happened to have a copy of every document I signed, including the Employee Handbook. This ended up being my Saving Grace times over. Also, my employer stupidly didn't have a computer available for me when I first started, so I had done company work on my computer the first few weeks. Though I had been locked out of my company email, I used Thunderbird as my client so all the emails were still downloaded to my personal computer.

To condense a rather lengthy process into a few sentences, the investigator checked my affidavit, reviewed the handbook, and some company emails. They found about five (or maybe it's six now) NLRB violations, five in the handbook itself, and one via company email. I was terminated back in June, and they just reached a decision last week, so it's definitely not a swift process, but they are quite thorough. Additionally, I got lucky in the fact I have a close friend who is an attorney, and looked over my documents for free. She works for a legal aid clinic, so she had prior experience dealing with shady people and knew almost immediately what to look for.

On that subject I will say, always ask for several opinions when you can. When I was fired, I immediately called a friend to help me get home and told her what I thought was the whole story. She had been to law school, and told me my termination was legal. It took a few days for me to decide to fight it, and just speak to my other friend. I'm so glad I did, obviously. There are very many skilled professionals on this sub (including my attorney, but I don't know your username so this anonymous shout-out will have to suffice), but we're only sharing a certain part of the story. In my case, the NLRB sent me multiple case dockets pertaining to potential violations; it started with two and I think I got another one every other week or so. When they would contact me about a new violation, my reaction was always the same: "Wait, that's illegal?!" I think we as workers are very ignorant to our rights, or at least, I was. My attorney and the NLRB investigator had the knowledge to ask the right questions when it came to the law and labor relations. In fact, before I met with either party, I called the first lawyer who appeared online when I searched "wrongful termination." Even he said I didn't have a case, only because I didn't know exactly *what* about my situation wasn't legal.

The hardest part (other than piecing together events for the affidavit) was the actual investigation. My employer, particularly my former boss, lied so much it was pathetic, to say the least. Now that I've won, it all seems so far away, but I remember getting upset and crying over some of the things I was questioned about by the NLRB. Former coworkers were pressured to fabricate details of my work and time there, and though none of them were close friends, it hurt a lot. It's hard to go from hearing normal office conversations about someone's kids to refuting a claim from that very person that you said or did something derogatory, unprofessional, or illegal. I was accused of violating HIPAA, which was not only hurtful (as this organization dealt solely with the records of impoverished minors), but potentially damaging to my career as I've primarily worked in the healthcare field.

Another thing I failed to mention was that one of the first actions my attorney and I took was to file for unemployment. I was denied on the basis of "misconduct." We had a phone hearing, and after even presenting some of the NLRB's evidence and other relevant employment law, the judge upheld the original decision. Now that the NLRB has ruled, it doesn't really matter (you can only receive back-pay minus whatever you collect in unemployment if you were to win both), but the reason I note this is the Unemployment Office doesn't determine whether policies of an employer are legal, just whether they were followed. I think I've got a few responses in my history relating to my exasperation with UE workers who kept telling me I can be fired for any reason other than protected class. Again, there are so many nuances of employment law, I don't think they can really determine the legality of a termination outside of very stark violations of one's protected class. The UE hearing was still useful; my employer told another set of falsehoods and sent in forged documentation. For those of you who don't know, any paperwork submitted to UE is public record, so I requested a copy and sent it to the investigator. She caught them in multiple untruths between what they told UE and what they told the NLRB.
So, as of now, I've been awarded my back-pay from the past three months. I had a lot of difficulty finding work after my termination, and ended up relocating to a different region of the US for a position in September. (I have reason to suspect my former employer spread the falsehoods about my violation of HIPAA to at least one other potential employer, but the truth will come out on that note soon.) I spent a good chunk of the past three months wavering between wallowing in self-defeat and working on some personal projects, so it's almost as if I've been paid for doing my passion, which is nice. I have some old debts I'm planning to clear out, and then the rest is going to be saved for a rainy day. If the shout-out to RBN is any indicator, I didn't have a great upbringing, so I plan to take a vacation with a close friend and leave the country for the first time in my life as well. I've been in debt and working paycheck to paycheck since even before graduating college. I feel lucky to be given this little leg up to changing my life. Law changes lives, y'all. :)

I can't divulge what the next steps are regarding my termination, but it definitely doesn't end here. I might logon at some point in the future to give a final update, but with the pending litigation, it could be a while or never depending on if they offer a settlement with a nondisclosure on talking about it all.

So as a tl;dr: Naive young professional gets fired. Finds out through lengthy government investigation company had several illegal practices. Wins NLRB suit, gets lots of back-pay. Liberates the masses with advice such as: **DOCUMENT EVERYTHING.** As Fox Mulder was rightfully told, "Trust no one." Your coworkers are just that, people you work with. If they text you something unprofessional, report it immediately so you don't end up in trouble too. Always get a second (or third) opinion. Don't leave out any details. The National Labor Relations Board is amazing and thorough, and thorough takes time. File for unemployment so you can at least get your former employer's documentation if you were terminated on shady grounds.

And of course, hire an attorney.

Answer:
 Thanks for the update, I suppose.

The only advice I think pertinent to give you is to grow up from that RBN crap.  It clearly doesn't win you favors by mentioning it here, as most regular posters roll their eyes when they see that initialism.

I wish you well and hope the update is a good one.


Title: Ohio Bar assault trespassing

Question: I am 22. My id is my real drivers license (not a fake). For some reason the bartender thought my ID was fake and took it and told me to leave. I told him it's real and he again just told me to leave. I said I'm not leaving without my id you or I can call the police if you'd like. He called the bouncer over and told him to kick me out. I told the bouncer I'm not leaving without my real drivers lsidense so he can give it back or we can wait for the police to arrive. (I guess someone already called the police at this point). The bouncer told me I can wait outside if I want and I need to leave. I said it's cold out I'm waiting here till he gives it back or the police get here. Bouncer grabs me at this point and I push him off. I asked him not to touch me and that ill calmly wait till the cops come but if he grabs me again I'm going to hit back. He tried to push me off the bar stool and I hit him (he was knocked out). Another bouncer comes running over swinging at me (I guess police also arrive at this point). I defended myself again and hit back this bouncer. Was then immediately handcuffed and arrested without them asking what happened at all. Now facing assault charges and trespassing(I guess cause I didn't leave when they asked?). How am I in the wrong if they illegally stole my property then tried to lock me out? This was the first bar of the night so I wasn't being drunk or obnoxious, I was relatively calm the whole time until the bouncer started pushing me

Answer:
 You did assault, and you were trespassing.

They did something wrong, but so did you. Your actions were not justified.

Hire an attorney.


Title: My girlfriend vandalized someone's home and I've known about it for a couple of days. Can I get in trouble for not going to authorities and withholding this information?

Question:
I'm 23 and I live in Seattle, Washington. On Halloween night, my girlfriend vandalized one of my neighbor's homes and I recently found out about her being the culprit. I've been keeping her secret for the past couple of days and now I'm starting to worry about the possibility of me getting in trouble for not coming forward with this info.

Can I get in trouble along with her for holding this information and not telling anyone. Can I be counted as an accessory or accomplice should she get found out?

Answer:
 If all you do is know and not reveal, that is not illegal and you generally cannot “get in trouble.”

Obviously if you participate in the coverup in sone way everything changes. Answer #2: A private citizen generally has no legal obligation to report criminal activity to the police. If you help her destroy evidence or evade arrest, you would become capable for that crime, but not the vandalism.


Title: Activision has taken a reddit mod to court over revealing the odds of their gambling system in Call of Duty. Does this guy stand a chance?

Question:
For more info see [here](https://np.reddit.com/r/CODZombies/comments/4bq4d3/mod_post_hanging_up_my_hat/d1bfttg).

Basically what the title says. This guy data mined the "supply drop" system in the game and found that the odds of a buyer getting what they actually wanted is so unbelievably low, it is essentially a complete waste of money. Because he has helped to reveal this, Activision is upset about it and has taken him to court. I don't know much about gambling law but I don't think this actually falls under that since I'd guess the rewards are all legally deemed valueless much like how Valve handles Steam items. Regardless, I think it's quite awful that Activision would make the odds virtually zero and keep that hidden from the player (and his wallet) AND THEN in turn start a lawsuit against the guy that tries to reveal the odds. Does this guy stand a chance?

Answer:
 Without the complaint, it's hard to guess. There are lots of angles Activision could be pursuing, not least being "sue and hope legal costs alone force the outcome we want."

I would speculate that they're suing him for breaching the terms of service or end user license agreement for the game, and that their theory is that the information he disclosed (a) he obtained by violating a contract he agreed to and (b) has caused material losses to Activision in the form of reduced income through the "supply drop" channel. But that's just a guess; come back with the filing (and, uh, a more concrete question) and you'll get better answers.

Edit: the parallels between Activision's system and the [Complete Gacha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_gacha) family of mechanics are striking. Those mechanics were found to be exploitative, and banned by the Japanese government…