Title: I’m my dad’s POA. He’s terminally ill and I’m going in his place to a hearing this week. Please advise.

Question:
My dad’s wife was caught cheating on him three weeks after he was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 2018. He filed for divorce less than a month later while undergoing radiation and chemo (and recovering from brain surgery to remove as much of the tumor as they could.)
Divorce is finalized, she walks away with nearly all his savings, all of his checking account, she made me return a gift to her by threatening me through my school email, etc. But she is still unsatisfied. She is angry that he removed her from his life insurance before she got everything she “deserved” and she is trying to string this along so that if he passes before everything is resolved, she can argue that she is entitled to a portion of his policy and estate.

My dad received an “emergency motion for contempt of court and to enforce standing order” document from her lawyer. He cannot and doesn’t want to attend. It’s too stressful for him right now, and he is struggling with the physical, neurological, and psychosocial aspects of brain cancer. He has a scan the same day as the trial, so we decided that I would go on behalf since I’m his POA.
The hearing:
Ex is arguing that my dad is hiding financial documents that reveal that he has “more money”. I have documents from his financial service company providing clarity on the accounts in question. I have copies of receipts where she’s cashed out the amount that she is claiming to be inaccurate. I have copies of their email correspondences.
I feel like I have documents to provide as evidence, but I want to be as prepared as I can be on such short notice.

What else do I need? What will this hearing look like?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: "Power of attorney" doesn't confer the right to act as a lawyer for someone. You will not be able to represent him unless you actually are a lawyer. How far away is the hearing, how much time for you have?Answer #2: Your dad's lawyer should be showing up for this, not you.  No need for him to be there, just his lawyer.


Title: So I bought an engine on Craigslist in Austin, TX.

Question: I am currently in the process of restoring a 1989 Ford Bronco. I was in need of a replacement engine and so I was searching on Craigslist and found an ad for a 5.0 that fit my truck. It was described as a "1994 mustang 5.0 with 76k miles rebuilt and runs great" he wrote all of that on his bill of sale as well along with the price of $500. He mentioned that he was a mechanic and was also willing to install the engine for me. I then payed him another $600 to install the engine and that is also denoted on the bill of sale. It also includes his name, address, date, and signature. I towed it to his house (which I have a receipt for)  and waited for the work to be done. He informed me after he "installed" that I would be needing a new driveshaft and torque converter, and that it wasn't really drive-able but he was unable to do the repairs to that because of a time constraint. I paid him the full balance in cash upon receipt of the truck and BOS. I then towed it from his house to mine. He kept my old engine at his house. For a few days... He then called me while I was at work and said he wanted to drop the engine off at my house. This was around 6 pm. I told him I was working and would be happy to arrange a meeting the next morning to get it properly put away at my house. I got a call from my girlfriend at about 7pm saying that he had just dumped the engine in the street out front of my house! I got home that evening and saw that it had been leaking oil all over the place and that there were oil stains on the sidewalk in front of my house and all over the street which I had to pay to get cleaned up. I then had to pay $150 for the engine to be hauled off after a stern warning from our H.O.A. After all of that I purchased the parts needed for the torque converter and driveshaft and towed it to a professional mechanics shop for $50. Since then I spent about $2100 trying to get the engine running and found out that it was going to need a complete rebuild or a replacement. The engin I had bought got me a total of ZERO miles. So much for "runs great" "rebuilt" and 76k miles. /r/legaladvice what can I do? I would like to pursue legal action against him in order to recoup the cost of it all. Including the $425 to clean up all of the oil on my sidewalk and street. Is this possible? Thank you for your time! Haaaaaaaalp!

Answer: You sue him in small claims court. That is your recourse.


Title: [UPDATE]What does law says about frisk search? Can a male officer frisk search a female in a traffic stop? What if female feels that officer was little out of limit and it was sexually suggestive in nature. (AR)

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Impersonating police officers is more common than many people imagine. The impersonators often are people who've wanted to be officers but, unsurprisingly, flaked out after the psychological testing. You did the right thing in reporting this guy. I remember hearing of one case in which the impersonator turned out to be a serial killer. Answer #2: I am so glad that you reported this so this guy can be stopped... who knows how many incidents have gone unreported


Title: (Florida) Was attacked on the way home from school. Is this battery or assault? Details inside.

Question:
Sorry for poor wording. I'm still in HS and next to clueless when it comes legal stuff.

A few days ago this douchenozzle starts bullying a mentally disabled kid. Mind you this is high school. I tell him to stop because it's uneccessary and he threatens me with breaking my glasses. He puts his hands on me and I elbow him in the face for good measure. He stays hit and says that was because he didn't want to be suspended.

Next day he doesn't go. Day after that he doesn't go. He rolls up on me with four kids in a car. Tells me "We're going to fight" I tell him I really didn't want to fight but he just turns around and sucker punches me. He's bigger and whoever hits first usually wins. When it's all said and done I have a concussion and a fractured nose. He runs back Away into a car after like 5 seconds of seeing I wasn't fit to defend myself. I have evidence this was pre-meditated so my question is , Would this be battering as the cops suggested or assault. I have no personal gripe against him I just want to give him the appropriate response as determined by the law. He's 18 and I'm two years younger if that matters.

Answer:
 What difference does the specific charge make?

>I just want to give him the appropriate response as determined by the law.

I don't understand what you are saying here.  The appropriate response is to fill out a police report honestly, and turn over any additional evidence that you may have.  Then you allow the police and prosecutor's office to do their job.

Your injuries should be treated, and you should save all of the paperwork and receipts so that it can be turned over to their insurance company (who may subrogate against the attacker), the DA's office (who may ask the judge to include restitution for the medical costs), or an injury attorney/your parents (who may sue the attackers for the costs).


Title: [Quebec, CA] My daughter brought a note back from her school today that basically says either sell pies, donate, or your kid can't attend activities for the year.

Question:
[Link to the note](http://i.imgur.com/KDXBoNL.jpg)

There's some bits that are cut off due to the header but the jist of it is they're wanting a minimum of 10 pies sold per kid.

If you don't/cant sell pies, you can pay $25 per kid for a max of $50 per family.

Or, your kid(s) are barred from attending school activities.

So personally, I have no problem paying the $25. My kid would much rather watch tv and play with her cat than peddle baked goods. But the problem I have with this is there are families that can't afford the $25 - $50, and so their children are to be punished for this?

There's a teacher meeting at the end of the month and I plan on bringing this up but I'm curious if this is even legal.

I live in Quebec and I'm a transplant from the states so I'm 100% clueless on provincial law and from what my wife was telling me since she grew up here, this is the norm.

Last year they had the kids selling oranges. Year before that was tooth brushes.

Edit:: I should also note that this a public school, not private.
Topic:
Canada

Answer:
 This is a very small activities fee.

wait until HS and it's a lot more. Answer #2: This is just really bad public relations. Anyone reading it is left with the impression that payment is a punishment for not selling pies, when selling pies can be an opportunity to avoid payment. It should be presented like this:

The activity fee this year is $25. Paying this fee is optional, but payment is required if you wish your student to participate in these extra activities. Scholarship funds may be available - please contact the office for information.

We are also providing a fundraising opportunity for those who are interested. Blah, blah, blah... For every pie sold, your activity fee is reduced by $2.50. This fundraising has helped our school blah blah and we hope you participate.

Answer #3: I'm surprised the letter's in English.

And yeah, it's legal. Charter school buses are really expensive.


Title: [Indiana] My mother in law is applying for an apartment. Because of her income the landlord wants someone else to pay an additional 300 a month as "security".

Question:
I'm not sure about the laws regarding renting, but this doesn't seem right.

More info: she has 1500 a month coming in, rent is 650. He is asking that my wife and I pay 300 a month to them to mitigate their risk.

Answer:
 The LL wants you to promise to supplement your MIL's income by promising to pay MIL $300.00 per month? That is, of course, a ridiculous thing for you to do. However, the LL can likely decline your MIL's application if she does not meet the apartment's income to rent ratio.Answer #2: Your mom should find another place.

Most landlords will have someone else sign as a guarantor, meaning if the lessor doesn't pay, the landlord can contact the guarantor to get paid.

No reasonable landlord will say "gee, this person might not be able to pay rent, let's charge them more, just in case".Answer #3: Rent would be 43% of her income. Companies tend to want that closer to 30%. They are essentially asking you to take over responsibility for a portion of the lease, it is weird but not illegal. It would be much more common to ask her to get a co-signer.


Title: (MO)I live in a duplex and my neighbor said she woke up because she could hear me closing the door to my basement which sticks a little and is hard to shut, she said the next time it happens she is going to call the police, do I have anything to worry about if she does?

Answer:
 For this issue, I would first get in touch with the landlord if you have one.  Make sure they are aware of the issue and the concern that your neighbor may contact law enforcement over it.

Landlord should (if a decent landlord) put in a work order and you can let the neighbor know that the landlord is addressing it.

IF she calls the cops on you, simply show the officers what you are working with and the fact that you have put in a request for maintenance with the Landlord.  The cops will be able to let you know if it is a disturbance when you demonstrate your usage of the door.  (Are you shoulder bumping it or spartan kicking it?)

If you don't have a LL then consult a local business and ask them for a free evaluation of what it would cost to fix it.  Won't be expensive and labor will cost more than any parts needed.


Title: Charged to go to work? MD

Question:
My SO recently started working as a pt at a gym. In order to get in to the gym she works at, she needs a membership card. They are charging her $30/month for this membership. Can they do this?

E: Yes she is actually an employee, not a contractor or just somebody who can work with clients there

Answer:
 Find a new job.

Not sure what kind of game they are playing, but requiring employees to pay $30 a month for a membership to come to work is strange.

Many gyms membership plans are scams that make it difficult for customers to cancel as well. Answer #2: I've heard that when it comes to paying for uniforms, etc, that the cost can't cause the employee to drop below minimum wage.  With her expected hours, would this be a similar experience?


Title: [Internet / USA] Someone offered to buy my facebook group. After appointing the individual as admin, I was removed without getting paid. Is this illegal/a form of theft?

Question: I am unsure because I think that all groups are the property of Facebook, and not the admins. This makes the payment  questionable because if the group wasn't my property then they were buying/stealing something that I never legally owned, which makes any notion of theft void?

Answer: So.. you gave them the group before you got the payment?


Title: I was assaulted by a White Knight outside my job on my day off

Question:
Using my novelty account for anonymity.

TLDR: I try helping my manager kick someone out on my day off. Random guy intervenes, bites me, scratches me, and has to be pulled off me. Random guy gets arrested. Can I sue for assault and battery?

The coffee shop I work at gives its employees a free half pound every week and I went in around nine on my day off since I was out at home. While I was in line, the manager was in the process of 86ing a known harasser of customers and staff. The dude (let's call him "White Shorts") proceeds to stand in front of the doors and holler at every woman that would go in or out. Now, White Shorts is a former athlete that suffered a debilitating injury and as a result, has a speech impediment.

On my way out, like an idiot, I tell the guy he needs to leave the staff alone and leave. He doubles down and says he's not leaving. This is when White Knight, an older guy in a sweater, nice slacks, and carrying a laptop bag comes out of the shop and yells at me to "Leave the r****d alone!" What happened in the next two minutes is a blur, but White Knight starts yelling at the manager and yelling at me. White Knight then goes to choke me or something, I'm not sure, but he starts to grapple me and I pull away. The guy smells like booze and cigarettes and is saying he's "going to kick (my) ass". That's when he lunged , started flailing about my face (scratching near my eye) and decides to bite down on my shoulder. I freak out and start headbutting like he's a Coors can and I'm a college freshman. The owner of the laundry next door and some bystanders come outside and pull him off of me. My glasses had been knocked off at this point and as I'm reaching to grab them White Knight stomps on them and smiles at me. The two guys leave, my manager and owner ask if I'm ok and I say I just want to leave. The side of my face is sticky since I had probably broken the guys nose and the dude is bleeding. As I'm walking to my car a police SUV pulls up along side of me (the station is two blocks over) and asks me "Sir, were you just involved in a fight?" I respond "Yes Sir, I was." resigned to the fact I was probably going to jail, and his answer surprised the hell out of me. He said "Would you like us to arrest him?". I am FLOORED! I coudn't believe that A)they caught the guy and B)I was presumed innocent by an officer (I'm a Mexican dude with tattoos)!

I walk back to the shop and the paramedics are treating the White Knight and a couple of cops ask us our stories. Every single witness except White Shorts says White Knight started the fight and I was only defending myself.

The police load White Knight in the back and once again ask me if I would like to press charges. I say "Hell yeah" in my best Hank Hill voice.

I have a card with the officers info and a case number, but, what do I do now? My glasses were expensive and even though my manager and the owner are getting me a new pair, I am still really mad about that guy adding insult to injury! Is it possible to sue for damages? The officers took photos of the scratches on my face and the bite on my deltoid. There is also security video from the coffee shop and the dry cleaner next door.

Thank you all for taking the time to read. I'm still shaken up and it feels good to write everything out. I'm sorry I used my old porn account to post this.

Answer:
 <I have a card with the officers info and a case number, but, what do I do now?

You follow up with the officers that they did actually charge him. Then follow up with the DA. You can ask the DA to demand restitution for your glasses. That means he will have to pay you for glasses if he's found guilty or pleads. Alternatively, you can sue him. The benefit of restitution is that people take that more seriously and actually pay it. The benefit of suing in small claims court is that it's faster. So, pick your poison. You can do one or the other, but not both.


Title: Selling pharmaceutical product from a foreign country in the U,S was the best legal way to doit? Don't want the DEA on my door

Question:
I'm met a pharmacy/ doctor,  that sell medicine in mexico, I bought couple from them, he also sell Prescription drug  that in Mexico aren't legal defined, Mexico  control drug and none-controll substance are different from the u,s , so he can sell pretty much different drug such as insulin, other medication that in the United States required Rx, I want to start selling his business, and make a profit, like over the counter
The cost of medication in the u,s is pretty high, he only sell patents  drug, that are made in Mexico but imported to the U.S, was the best legal to do it'
Some medications are only available in Mexico but no here, usually is high quality not controller

Disclaimer, he don't sell illegal drug only legal that are Mexico
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 Pharmaceutical biologist here:

Without a pharmaceutical import license, a DEA Control Number and a Customs declaration you cant.

US pharmacist cant do it either, medications not sold inside, manufactured inside, or made by a manufacturer approved by the FDA are not licensed for US sale, as they do not meet US FDA purity standards.


Title: Workplace has been withholding my paycheck for five weeks. Didn't have me fill out a W2 for weeks after I started there. Customers credit card information is readily accessible by any employee.

Question:
The Restaurant is located in the Boston area, as is my place of residence. I am a minor.

I've been employed at a small pizza place working the phones and registers for five weeks now, in that time the bi-weekly payday has come three times and I haven't received my paycheck. Every time there has been some sort of complication, I was told that my Social Security number was not on file meaning the W2 was never filled out, despite the fact that I was actively working.

After supplying them with my SC number three weeks ago I was once again told by my other manager that they had no SC on file. I assured them that this was an error on their part as I had provided them with it three weeks prior, he responded by telling me that I would receive a paycheck this coming Friday. This is much the same as what he has said for the past three bi weekly paydays.

While this is certainly annoying I am unaware how this looks under the eyes of the law, especially as I am a minor.

In addition to withholding payment the owner runs a very "loose ship". From the first day I was employed there I had access to all the credit card information of our thousands of customers (numbers, expiration dates, security codes) without even having to interview. I walked in off the street, printed my name, address, phone number, and donned the provided uniform. No security systems in place, nothing.

My place of work also appears to be owned under an alias, we often receive calls from individuals asking after the owner "generic Anglo-Saxon name" who I have never met, nor do I know any other employees who have met him. When we ask after this mystery owner we are told by the boss to say "He's on vacation.".

The whole thing is shady and I would like to extricate myself ASAP. If I quit do I have back pay coming to me? Do the same rules apply if I'm fired, and if so/not are they just getting free work out of me?

Answer:
 You can quit, demand payment, and file a wage complaint if he doesn't pay you. It doesn't matter why your employment ends. You are always due pay for time worked.

http://www.mass.gov/ago/doing-business-in-massachusetts/labor-laws-and-public-construction/file-a-wage-complaint.html


Title: My job (corporate restaurant) screwed up my w-2 form and claimed 99 exemptions. What do I even do?

Question:
Sorry, first time poster here. But I'm looking for advice because I don't know what to do. I started a new job in August, and didn't realize that my pay stubs were off. I'm a waitress so you normally expect a small paycheck. Except, I wasnt getting my taxes taken out. I don't know why I didn't do anything sooner, but I just figured it wasnt a big deal and I'd get around to it. I did ask my sister, who worked doing taxes at one point, if anything looked off and she didn't notice anything. I was talking to one of my managers tonight and asked if anything looked off with one of my pay stubs, and how to fix it. He asked me why I claimed 99 exemptions and I told him I didn't. I claimed zero. I know I did because I had my stepdad help me fill out my new hire paperwork when I first got it and he told me to enter zero for exemptions. So now I'm in a clusterfuck of emotions because 1. how do I prove it wasnt an error on my part? I can't get into my account with my new hire paperwork. 2. What happens if this doesnt get sorted out? How much am I going to have to give the government in taxes? I have a million questions and I don't know anyone who has the answers. I'm only 20 and I've never had to deal with something like this so I'm scared of the outcome. I work at a corporate restaurant so I know things are tighter.

If anyone has any advice, or kind words, I would really appreciate them.

Answer:
 "If you're having tax problems, I feel bad for you son. You've got 99 exemptions when you should have claimed one."

Whether or not it was your error or not, you owe the money; you're responsible for making sure the amounts on your check are correct. How long have you been working there?


Title: Retailer inflates amount stolen in police report

Question:
This came up in a retail sub here.  A retailer (manager or owner unsure) with a recurring shoplifting problem finally got the cops on site in time.  Thief had grabbed a backpack and stuffed it.

Upon inspecting the contents, retailer added some items to the stolen goods, to inflate the amount stolen to a felony level. He added about $80 worth to push it over the line.

What charges can retailer face? Should retailer get a defense attorney now and get ahead of this?

Note: it's not me, but I'm sympathetic to the retailer, being an owner of my own store.

Answer: What that retailer did was plant evidence and that'd be a form of obstruction to justice. The specifics might change from state to state, but yeah, he probably should get an attorney. For example, in California, that'd be a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of 6 months in jail and $1000.


Title: Landlady refusing to find new tenant after our we backed out of our lease

Question:
In Des Moines, Iowa

We mistakenly signed a lease for a home sight unseen and got there and it was a dump, not clean, moldy, infested with spiders, wasps etc. She offered to clean it for us but also offered "if the house isn't for you i will terminate the lease and refund your money." We had paid 2900 dollars for first and last months rent and a deposit and she is refusing to return it. Over a day later she emailed us saying she wanted to try to enforce the contract saying we were in violation of the lease under the section 'abandonment.' We were never in possession of the property and it was before the move in date on the lease that we told her we wanted to move out. We offered to try to move back in if she wanted to enforce the lease and she has refused to respond to us and we no longer have access to the house. She says she still expects monthly payments but she would try to find a new renter to mitigate the damages.

We made generous offers to financially settle this without a lawsuit and she has refused to communicate or tell us her intentions. We offered to help her advertise as she only advertised on a school website classified page 2 weeks before the semester started. Since she wouldn't communicate with us we assumed she wanted help advertising so I offered to put it on craigslist and filter through the scammers and I sent her two legitimately interested tenants who she refused to respond to and she then flagged my craigslist post. We're not allowed to sublet but it doesn't say in the lease or in the term of use in craigslist that we can't help advertise.

It seems like this lady wants a lawsuit and I thought legally she is supposed to put forth due diligence to find a new tenant but shes actively avoiding a new tenant and refusing to communicate, I know shes getting my texts calls and emails but she refuses to respond to anything its driving me nuts. I don't have time to deal with this so I'm wondering what sort of legal advice I can get here or what you guys think I should do. I want to avoid a lawsuit.

Answer:
 Couple of things here. Lease issues are often not black and white.

First, did you actually go to take possession on the start date of your lease and it was a complete pig sty or did you see it in advance? If the former, that helps you because you can argue (if it comes down do it) that she breached by not giving you a habitable home. If the later then that doesn't help you because she can't breach for that reason if you never tried to take possession.

Secondly, if the place is really a complete dump, what kind of tenants are going to move in? Probably not ones that she wants. She's acting in bad faith if she is trying to rent an home that no reasonable person would want to move into.

Thirdly, it really helps you if you are sending her interest tenants and she is flat out refusing to even consider them. That is absolutely bad faith.

If she won't refund you will probably end up having to sue her. Unless you are wealthy that's too much money to walk away from and she shouldn't get to keep it. I would send her a final demand letter certified mail return receipt stating this is the last opportunity she will have before you sue her.


Title: What do I do if I notice a bank error in my favor?

Question:
So I looked at my bank account yesterday and I was an extra $240 I was not expecting. There's was a cash deposit made in my account about a week ago. It was made 5 hours from my home so I know I didn't do it. Since it was cash I can't see the check and who it is was actually for.

How long until it is officially mine?
Can I say something if my bank takes it out?

Answer:
 > How long until it is officially mine?

Never.

> Can I say something if my bank takes it out?

"Thank you for noticing the error and removing the money before I spent it like a doofus".

Contact your bank now and tell them.Answer #2: [Serious]

If it was the other way, and they took money out they should not have, would you just write it off when you found it?

If not, why should they do that?Answer #3: Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. Go directly to the bank and inform them of the error.


Title: My mom got served with divorce papers and a lawyer wants $5,000 for a retainer, what can we do? (California)

Question:
My mom has recently retired and was legally forced to give my father 40% of her income in an annuity because he wouldn't waive his right to it. He moved to Oregon 4 years ago after he left my mom when she was diagnosed with cancer. He claimed to others he couldn't have her emotions. He filed for divorce march12 and now my mom is scrambling for a lawyer. The lawyer she found wants $5,000 for retainer, she doesn't have that. She has us children but we're adults and don't make enough to help.
 She's not below poverty so she doesn't qualify for free legal aid also but with the 40% being taken away monthly she doesn't have enough. My father is a horrible person that I've hated all my life. He gas a girlfriend and we're pretty sure she's paying for the divorce because he claims he's just a part time janitor. After his father died him and his siblings sold his father's house and had over 100,000 dollars in inheritance also but claims that's all gone.
 My mom makes more money than him on paper so she could end up paying him support. What can she do?? He has screwed her over so much and she had never wanted a divorce in the first place. He left, came for a visit and claimed he was coming back to her but returned to Oregon and never came back. I'm glad he's gone because I think hes a toxic person anyway but he is really killing her with this stuff. She has Multiple Myeloma which is incurable and she'll basically have it until she dies but he took off as soon as the prognosis was that she wasn't dying soon.
 He was making death arrangements with my siblings and me as if she were already dead before he took off. I'm so trusted I dont know what to do and my mom is falling into such a state of depression we all are at our end.

Answer:
 Mom likely needs to find a way to retain an attorney.  If she makes too much to qualify for any kind of assistance, she may be able to find one who will take some monthly payments.

There may not be other options for her, and it sounds taking on this matter should not be done without an attorney.Answer #2: Your mom can seek alternative legal representation or see if the $5000 retainer can be paid in installments or perhaps secured by collateral.


Title: [IL] Sexual Harassment best practices and what to do until we find a Lawyer.

Question:
Hello /r/legaladvice!

**The Situation:** My mother has been repeatedly sexually harassed at her work. The manager has been told, and each time he has suggested that she simply not interact with those people. Tuesday Night (she works nights at a restaurant) she was touched in a way that really hurt her (psychologically) and she checked herself in to a hospital on Wednesday. She checked out on Thursday and had Thanksgiving etc, but was still not well. She reached out to her manager regarding the situation via text last night. Now, while texting with her manager, rather than address the issue, he attempted to "sext" with her.

**Question:** My mother is supposed to work this weekend. But the attacker/offender is still there, and the management has not taken action.  No law firms seem to be open due to the holiday (I have tried 4 so far today). What actions should she take until an attorney gets back to her? How can we make sure she is not going to loose money or receive retaliation if she calls in sick?

Thanks guys!

Answer:
 I don't know much about sexual harassment in the workplace policies and practices but...

>Tuesday Night (she works nights at a restaurant) she was touched in a way that really hurt her (psychologically) and she checked herself in to a hospital

...if she had to go to the hospital over trauma (mental or physical) she needs to file a police report.


Title: Employer cut everyone's pay several days ago but hasn't told anyone what our new pay is

Question: My employer sent an email a few days ago saying effective immediately everyone's pay has been reduced and we'll find out later what our new pay is. In the mean time we have all been working without knowing what our pay is. Is this legal? Business based in louisiana. Thank you for reading

Answer:
 They have to tell you what your pay is.

Keep in mind that, if they have to cut your pay to some unspecified amount, that most likely means they're running out of money.


Title: Running into some problems trying to sell my music online

Question:
Yesterday i was setting up my bandcamp artist profile and it recommended that i upgrade my paypal account to a business account so i don't have a limit on my transactions. while i was upgrading my paypal i ran into a problem. It asked for a "legal business name" which i don't have. After all I'm just an indie artist. That said i don't want to break any laws. I know it has to do with being crediable and taxes

Also i know nothing about the tax side of these things

I plan on selling everything from downloads to merch

State
South dakota

Answer:
 Use your name then, as the legal business name. You are a sole proprietorship.

You will be filing a schedule C tax form on this income, so keep track of your expenses. If you only sell through PayPal, that should track your income pretty well. Don't store money on PayPal though, transfer it to a bank account on a regular basis.


Title: Injury inside a bar venue, can not get insurance information from establishment

Question:
I attended a music performance at a bar while they had a few local musicians performing

During the performance one of the performers attacked me and I ended up with a skull fracture and temporal bleed ( brain bleed)

This incident was recorded on film and it shows I was attacked unprovoked.

I left the establishment unconscious in an ambulance, and went to a local ICU unit to be placed on a breathing machine.

After i left, police arrived and took a report the party goers claimed I was the aggressor and then left.

After I recovered from the hospital between social media and the film that surfaced, someone was arrested for aggravated battery and is prosectuion process now.

I did contact an attorney about this case, they took it and had me sign a paper saying I will let them represent me.

It's been about 4 months since and the attorney office that is representing me says that they have requested insurance information from the establishment and they did not respond.

I'm not sure if that means the attorney is not interested in the case, how hard can it be to get insurance information.

Can they legally withhold that information?

And how would I go about obtaining this information for recompense,

 currently I have medical bills piling up and thought this lawsuit process might be a bit simpler.

Is this normal during a case or is there something I should be paying attention too

Thank you guys so much

Answer: Did your medical insurance pay for anything? They may be willing to help you sue.


Title: (CO) Firearms instructor liability

Question:
I'm a licensed NRA firearms instructor and have so far only given small classes to close friends and family. I'm starting to get interest from friends of friends or coworkers. I have no problem teaching these people. My question is should I start covering my ass with some kind of waiver now that I'm teaching people I don't know closely? Specifically to cover some kind of injury on the range.

As a note I'm am not expecting to have any kind of injury or accident, safety is my absolute highest priority and my number one plan for accident liability is to continue to be extremely diligent to ensure there *are no* accidents. But life happens so the question stands.

Answer:
 There are numerous free gun range/gun instruction waivers on the internet. Search for one for your state. You may want an attorney to review it.

Generally speaking, waivers are a good idea but keep in mind that you can never fully waive liability, only limit it.

Business liability insurance is also always a good idea.


Title: Proving a Sober Living home is a business and not a single family?

Question:
I am a sober living manager. My company has started to become very greedy and is installing bunkbeds and overcrowding the property to a disgraceful extent(20 unrelated adults in a 4 bedroom 2500sqft house in a nice family neighborhood). Im ready to leave but I feel like I should do my community a favor and expose this loophole for what it is. I know for a fact that the house is a business and not a single family unit. If I was to bring documentation to authorities could I get the house recategorized? which would force the company to comply with regulations that limit the number of people in the house. As of right now the only thing that determines occupancy is square footage since we are technically considered a single family unit and you can't legally limit the size of a family other than having certain living conditions like 70sqft per person. I would have no problem proving we do not meet the criteria of a single housekeeping unit. a single housekeeping unit is defined on page 11 of this document.https://www.cacities.org/Resources-Documents/Policy-Advocacy-Section/Hot-Issues/Group-Homes/California-Land-Use-Laws-Related-to-Recovery-Facil

My company 1) limits length of residence of the clients. 2) management at a treatment center decides who lives in the house, it is not determined by current residents. 3) no joint lease is signed. 4) residents do not pay rent, housing is given to them with the use of their insurance money that was intended for treatment services and not intended for rent. It is very clear it is a business. 5) I am required to report to the treatment center about the house, which I think very clearly shows who controls the house and for what purposes. Im just wondering if I am walking into a hornets nest or not??? It seems like it should be very easy but I don't know enough. any advice is appreciated.

EDIT: this is in Southern CA

Answer:
 You've already posted this several times. Why did you delete it?

The only regulation they have to follow is zoning for maximum occupancy.

http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/provgovpart/Pages/FacilityLicensing.aspx
>There are some residential facilities that do not provide AOD services and do not require licensure by DHCS. These include cooperative living arrangements with a commitment or requirement to be free from alcohol and other drugs. These cooperative living arrangements may be referred to as sober living environments, sober living homes, transitional housing, or alcohol and drug free housing. It is important to note that while sober living environments or alcohol and drug free housing are not required to be licensed by DHCS, operators are required to comply only with local zoning and occupancy ordinances. For more information please contact the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP) on the web or by telephone at (916) 338-9460.


Title: Free ride to court?

Question: I have a hearing Thursday which is like 40 miles from the homeless shelter I’m staying at. If I don’t show up to court Thursday a warrant for my arrest will go out. Is it possible the court can provide me with a free ride to and from court?

Answer:
 > I have an online business and a wonderful staff team... I am literally a boss and make more than someone who has a job. (https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/9mbq1v/dad_filed_a_false_order_of_protection_long_story/)

The court is not a taxi service.Answer #2: Short answer: No. It’s on you to get yourself to court.

However, it wouldn’t hurt to call the court and ask them if they know of any resources (e.g. community organizations) that can help.

There are a few halfway houses, churches, & recovery groups where I live who sometimes help out.


Title: Jeweler lost a family heirloom years ago, we waited while they "looked" for the piece, what is the statute of limitations?

Question:
About 5 years ago my mother took her grandmother's gold watch to a local jeweler (Southwestern Pennsylvania) to have some work done. The watch had to be sent out for service, and she was told it could take a good bit of time to come back. After about a year the jeweler told us the watch had been "misplaced" and they were looking for it. This went on for several years, with the jeweler offering to pay us for the value of the watch (which of course was debatable, and he took the low-end estimate between $3 and $8K) and we declined (hoping the watch might still be found) until last year, when my mom decided that she was tired of waiting. At this point, I took over, told him we wanted the cash, and began to regularly visit the jeweler for status updates.

This is when things started feeling shady. First the jeweler said he had sent in to the insurance company and was waiting to hear back, however he refused to share any paperwork for the insurance claim, etc. Recently he told me they had sent him the first of 3 checks ($1000 of the $3800 he quoted us) and he could pay me directly once he had a company check. I asked him why we didn't receive the insurance check and he said "it doesn't work like that." He had to write us the check. At that time he claimed that all the checks are all at his other location. It's now been a few weeks of follow-ups (one excuse after another: I've been busy and haven't been to the other location, I had the check and my wife cleaned off my desk), I'm out of ideas and I'm wondering if legal action is still an option.

Is there a statute of limitations here and how would it apply considering the fact that we were "waiting" for the piece to be found for several years?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Answer:
 I'm a jeweler.  Your watch is lost.  If the watch smith lost it, you should be dealing with their insurance.  Otherwise your jeweler should give you a check for a agreed upon amount.  You're under no obligation to wait any longer.  If I were you, I would go see the jeweler and tell him you want X amount of dollars in compensation.  If you can't come to an agreement then sue him in small claims for as much as you're able.  Be prepared to prov the value of the watch.Answer #2: Was the item scheduled on your homeowners policy?  You could get your homeowners insurance involved.  Then you'd at least have an agreed value as well as someone that could contact their insurance company and get things moving.

As an insurance agent, his story doesn't entirely ring true.  The insurance company would be looking to pay you, not sending him checks and then just hoping he pays you after.  He may need to register his insurance company with the town he is operating his business in.  You could always go to the town clerk and get the information and then contact them directly.  Any decent insurance policy for a jeweler will have  "bailees coverage" which will cover them for lost or stolen items in their possession.


Title: Family signed mobile home into my name without my consent when I was 16 or 17 (in 2008) and I need to get it out of my name.

Question: Father went through divorce and loan trouble back in 2007/2008 and likely transferred it to my name to prevent it from being taken.  I did not sign anything, so he must've forged my signature.  The address for personal property tax went to his address, he always paid it, and I never heard about it.  He has continued to live there this entire time doing whatever he wants.  As I begin to move to a new state I learned from the license bureau that I own a mobile home and I definitely don't want anything to do with it.  It's also worth noting that the property sits on my grandparent's land and they will not let me sign the title for it over to them despite the fact that they are also tired of my dad's stuff.  I am short on options as I can't force him to take the title back.  I've also applied for a replacement title which I will have soon since I obviously never got it.  So it's looking like I will need to speak to a lawyer regardless but I am curious if anyone here can offer any advice before I do this this week. The state is also Missouri.  Please and thank you.

Answer:
 > Family signed mobile home into my name without my consent

Identity theft.

> I can't force him to take the title back

Report his crime to the police. You can speak to the attorney first though, and come up with an overall strategy.Answer #2: Better run a credit check on yourself, if you haven't, to check for other hidden surprises.Answer #3: Evict your father, sell the trailer.Answer #4: You legally own it so you can just straight up sell it. You will need to evict your father.

You should also file a police report.


Title: I want to fight a speeding ticket

Question:
I got a speeding ticket on campus and I was going around a turn on my motorcycle and the turn is rated for 30 mph well the police officer around the corner clocked me at 50 mph. when he pulled me over he said he would knock it down to 40 mph for me so it wouldn't be at criminal speed. This is my first time fighting any sort of ticket and I was just curious on how I should fight it or if him knocking 10 mph off my speed will hurt or help me in court.

I already requested an extention for a month on when to request my court date or pay.

Answer:
 He knocked it down to keep you from getting points on your license. I'd consider it a major favor, pay the citation, and move on.Answer #2: The cop can amend it to the higher speed of you want to fight it. Sounds like your defense is one of: " I just don't want to pay" or "I was actually going *faster* your honor"

Neither will go well for you.


Title: Chicago Ex-landlord is trying to send me charges for damages to apartment a month after I moved out

Question:
Moved into a building two years ago, stayed in Unit #1 for two years and left it in pristine condition. Then I moved into Unit #10 (same building, same landlord) for a few months and decided it wasn't for me and obtained a re-let for the apartment and moved out.

I just received a bill for over $1,000 of 'damages' and I don't know what to do. The list of charges are as follows:

\- $500 for hole coverage and repaint

\-$450 for plumber for 'grease poured down sink'

\-$150 for re-keying the locks

The place is a small 2-bedroom apartment and I only lived there for three months. I lived in a different unit of theirs with NO problems. (No grease in the sink issues, etc.) When I originally moved into the apartment I let the landlord know there was an issue with the sink and he had the plumber out repeatedly (and often without my prior consent--I have a security camera that has him coming in my unit many times without my knowledge) to fix it. Now since I have moved out, he is trying to charge me for, what I am assuming, is further complications with the sink.

I've been digging through the Chicago laws trying to figure out what legs I have to stand on but I am having trouble understanding the legal jargon. Can anyone help?

Answer:
 NAL but reviewing the law it appears that they have 30 days to provide you an itemized statement. Is the letter post marked within the 30-day period?

&#x200B;


Title: Can I get a job and do my taxes without my parents finding out???

Question: Hey guys, this is probably a really dumb question, but I’m just lost and I need help. I’m not going to go into much detail, but my parents are very controlling and need and want to know every aspect of my life. I’m 19 and an incoming junior at college and I just need some pocket money. I’m really not doing anything sketchy but my parents monitor absolutely every cent I spend and see every time I spend any money. They don’t allow me to even get groceries for myself, they insist on doing it themselves (which I realize is very nice but sometimes I just need something quick and they get mad), and other times I’m just out at the mall with my friends and they get mad if I spend any money.  So anyway, I’m at school for the summer doing an internship and I just got a job on the side, working a few hours a week to make some money for food or just hanging out. My question is can I go and open an account or get a debit card at the bank and keep it from my parents. I’m guessing I can but there are a few details I’m confused about. What address do I give the bank bc I can’t get anything sent to my house and also how would I do my taxes bc I can’t have them do it. I’m not sure if that makes sense but I know that I’ll have to do my taxes next year and I have no idea what the process would be like and how I could keep that from them. I’m just really confused about this and I don’t want to get caught. Please help me if you know how this works. Thanks:)

Answer:
 You are an adult.   This is a relationship issue.

Get a pobox.   Use that address for everythingAnswer #2: As far as legally - 19 means you are an adult in the United States, so you can do whatever you want.  You do not have to get anyone else's permission for anything that you do.

But, there's also the non-legal aspect to this, which is your relationship with your parents.  And that's really beyond the scope of this sub, I would recommend going to /r/relationship_advice for that.  In general, though, you are going to have to "grow up" sometime very soon, your parents cannot expect you to remain their pampered child forever.  Sooner or later you are going to have to rip the band-aid off, and "now" might be as good a time as any.

If you can't have mail sent to your parent's address, then purchase a PO Box and have it sent there.Answer #3: Get a post office box at a post office near you to send personal mail. You probably won't earn enough that taxes will be an issue, but you can file a simple tax form to get back most tax withheld. You can open your own bank account and credit cards since you are over 18 and legally an adult for most purposes.


Title: [Oregon] Repairing my failing foundation will likely kill my neighbors tree(s) who is liable? Paint diagram included.

Question:
[Here's the paint. There's only 10 feet between the two houses.
](http://i.imgur.com/wPHMBCo.png)

I've been going back and forth with my neighbors over three invasive trees planted directly on the property line for the last three years. The property is owned by a couple living in Guam and managed by a local property management company.

The first summer after I bought my house I noticed the fence (shared property in Oregon) was leaning because of tree roots. I sent a letter to the property management company and went about getting three estimates as generally required when dealing with let businesses. Each fence company that came out gave an estimate of $200-300 dollars to reset the two affected posts but warned that they were aggressive weed trees (tree of heaven) and this would happen every year unless we removed them. They were also planted too close to both homes and we should talk to a arborist. The property management company got back to me after a few weeks and said they had maintenance people that would fix it, I just needed to pay half. They then sent me an estimate for $500. Which I of course refused to pay. They eventually came down to $250 after I sent a certified letter with the other estimates. They did the repair work with zero notice and I came home one day and found the new fence posts moved two feet into my property, put directly in the dirt. I didn't want to deal with it anymore so I sent them $125 and paid a couple of friends with beer to help me move the posts in proper placement and put them into concrete.

The next summer more posts needed to be reset so I just did them myself, this year the same thing.

I talked to multiple arborists who verified the claims of the fence guy and said it would be worth my while to approach the owners and offer to pay part of the cost to remove them as while they looked large they were only a few years old because they grow so aggressively. A local environmental group will pay for some of the removal because of the invasive nature of the tree. Basically I would be paying a tree company to get them cut back off my roof every few years, spend hours cleaning their runners out of my yard (every fucking week) and that they fuck up sewer systems and foundations so I might as well offer the owner that money and think of it as an investment.

I sent a certified letter with the recommendations from three arborists, estimates, the funding letter from the environmental group and the only response I got back was that anything that grows over the property line is my responsibility.

Recently I started removing ugly wood paneling in my "finished" basement and found a crumbling foundation- to be clear the foundation crumbling is not the fault of the trees, it is because of the sandy concrete they used when the house was built in 1906. But the roots may have contributed to the fault, they won't know until they started digging up that side of the yard.

The trees came up once again, now with the company who will be fixing my foundation. He said they will attempt to work around the trees but he's 95% sure the trees will die because there's only 10 feet between the foundations of both houses and who ever let those trees grow there is "an idiot".

I found a document online that answers my question but I just can't believe that I'm going to be held responsible for three weed trees that the [city has a website to teach people how to kill](http://www.tenpdx.org/).  [The city guidelines state:](https://www.portlandoregon.gov/trees/article/528110)

"My neighbor did construction in their yard, and in the process killed a tree that’s just on my side of the property line. Can I get compensated for my loss?

In most cases, yes, the tree owner has the right to sue for damages. Anyone who engages in tree removal, tree cutting, or injury to the tree without the owner’s permission is liable for compensating the tree owner. In many cases, the tree owner has been compensated by up to three times the value of the tree. We know, of
course, that construction damage can take several years to really start to show up. This often lands arborists in court as an expert witness to help show work done in the past is what caused a tree to die recently."

This just seems absurd. What is the value of three weed trees? Am I going to need to hire a lawyer over this? It seems like this law was written to prevent people from maliciously harming trees (which is awesome, I love most trees) but there doesn't seem to be any caveats for trees that were improperly planted and invasive species.

Answer:
 The value of those weeds is $0, and treble damages on $0 is still $0. Have one of the arborist put a value on the trees so you can confirm they're worthless. Answer #2: Contact the state weed board, those are illegal to grow he can be forced to pay for their removal and destruction, he may be subject to fines for planting them

https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bills_laws/ors/ors569.html

Those trees are a list B noxious weed.


Title: Is it illegal to share study material from a paid course

Question:
I recently received study material from a previous student in my program from a paid course that costs over $1000. I shared it with one of my clasmates who in turn shared it with a few others. One of the people that received the material contacted the course and the person who runs that course wants us each to pay the course fee since we have some of the study material from that course. I didn't even look at the material until I was contacted by this person.

Now that I opened it I see that it does say "No material in this course notebook may be copied or distributed without the written approval of \_\_\_. The courses may be recorded; however, no tapes may be distributed without the written approval of \_\_\_."

I am planning on paying the fee just to placate the person. I am just wondering about the legality of this whole thing.

Answer:
 All the people involved distributed copyrighted material without a license. You can either pay what is being asked or ignore and face the possibility of being sued. Answer #2: It's not illegal in the sense that it's not a criminal violation - you wouldn't go to jail over this. It could certainly be considered copyright infringement; and possibly a contract violation, if you signed an agreement limiting redistribution of the course materials.

If you were selling the actual physical copy of the course material, he "First Sale" doctrine may offer you some protection from the copyright aspect, but not if you were making copies and redistributing them. And it wouldn't protect you from any contract claims.

Settling is always an option, but many people who threaten to sue end up not doing so; so you have to weigh that in your response (or ignoring the threat) to this person.


Title: We Pay Rent on Church Property but are being Threatened to be Kicked Off.

Question:
Hello,

My fiance and I (both women) live in Millard County, Utah. We live on church owned property but we pay a symbolic amount of rent something like $1 or $5. We recieved a letter from the man that owns the property informing us that there were rumors circulating through the church that we're in a lesbian relationship. He goes on to say that our relationship "affects his stewardship of the property" and asks my fiance to either confirm or deny the accusations. He says that he'll drop it if she says it's untrue but only days he "hates to think what would happen" if it's true.

Do we have a leg to stand on is he tries to kick us off the land? I am terrified and I don't know what to do. Any advice is much appreciated. Thank you.

Answer: Do you have a current term lease? If yes, when's that end?


Title: Can my reasoning for requesting a legal name change be "because I don't like my name"?

Question:
I've been looking into getting my name changed essentially for vanity reasons. The official Kansas document for this is [here](http://www.kansasjudicialcouncil.org/Documents/Name%20Change/PDF/Petition_for_Name_Change.pdf).

I have an extremely common last name combined with a somewhat uncommon first name, and I never felt like it "popped". I'm working my way into the game design industry and want something slightly more unique. Basically I want to adopt my middle name as my last name, with something completely different for my new middle name. Is this likely to be accepted, despite not being a marriage/divorce-level situation?

Answer:
 People change their names because they don't like them all the time.  So long as you're not doing it to avoid legal activity, and you're not trying to defraud someone, you'll probably be fine.

As a note, though, it's perfectly fine to use a pseudonym in your professional life, providing you sign your legal name on the rare occasions that you're signing legal documents.


Title: Does Chick-fil-a have to be closed on Sunday?

Question:
I know this generally isn’t a what if sub, so….

Could an independent investor purchase the rights to a Chick-fil-a, and have it opened on Sunday and closed on another day which they deem to be a day of worship, as well as their specific religious holy days/holidays? Is there something in the buy-a-franchise contract that specifies Sunday and Christian holy days or could it be any day of the week and any religious holy days?

What if said investor was of a religious practice that says “our day of worship if Friday, so we’re going to be closed Friday”? Would that hold up in court if Chick-fil-a higher ups say it has to be closed on Sunday because that is their (the cooperation owners) Christian Day of worship?

Edit: the general consciences seems to be that not being closed on a Sunday is a breach of contract and a no go. Then could a group who has a day of worship on a Friday, or any day other than Sunday, sue the franchise citing religious discrimination for not recognizing their day of worship, or would it be more of a *you knew what was going to be asked going in and you can't comply, so you are at fault* type situations? I'm curious if a non-Sunday worshiping group could successfully have a franchise with a different day ~~that are~~ to be closed.

Edit 2: Thank you for the feedback. I really appreciate how readily people are willing to teach others, even when the questions are kind of out there.
Topic:
Business Law

Answer:
 No, when signing the franchise agreement they agree to remain closed on Sunday. If they broke this, they wouldn't have a Chik-fil-a anymore. Answer #2: >What if said investor was of a religious practice that says “our day of worship if Friday, so we’re going to be closed Friday”?

Irrelevant.

>Would that hold up in court if Chick-fil-a higher ups say it has to be closed on Sunday because that is their (the cooperation owners) Christian Day of worship?

Chick-fil-a wouldn't tell the court that the franchise has to be closed on Sunday because they're a Christian company. Chick-fil-a would tell the court that the franchise has to be closed on Sunday because *that's what the contract says*.


Title: PLEASE! I NEED IMMEDIATE HELP. I don't know what else to do, but I know I need to act upon my situation before something bad happens. Please.

Question:
The situation is as follows,

My father is coming home tomorrow from a business trip and I'm afraid he's going to hurt my family.

He's threatening to take my niece away and send her to foster care, and destroy my mothers life. My niece lives with me, my mother (her grandmother), and my sister (the aunt). The birth mother (we'll call her the Birthgiver and who is my other sister) abandoned my neice barely at the age of 1 years old to be with her boyfriend.

My father has threatened to send her back to her Birthgiver even though she's EXTREMELY UNFIT and a drug addict. As well as neglectful when she was in her daughters life. My father will not EVER change is mind about the thought process of "a mother should raise their child", when clearly she doesn't want to.

As of right now too my parents marriage is basically shit and I wished they have gotten a divorce years ago. My dad favors his other family more, and says we ruined his life. He actually is currently WITH his other "favorite family" right now, or as he put it on the phone, "I'm with MY family right now".

He comes home tomorrow, and I'm afraid he's going to hurt my mom and sister and niece again. He has in the past and I have proof. I don't know if I should call the cops and give them a heads up about what's going to happen. Because really, I don't know if it'll case more harm than good to my niece. Because there is a GAL (Guardian ad litem), assigned to my nieces case right now for a battle of visitation right for the Birthgiver to see her daughter. Even though we NEVER denied her visitations, but she chose to live her life without her daughter in it.

I need to know. Will this cause more harm than good to call the police about the potential threat of my father ruining our lives, or stay quiet and wait to see what happens?

Please I need a family lawyers advice or someone who will know the best thing to do. Please.

Answer: Call the cops.


Title: Neighbor is repeatdly spitting on car with video evidence. Police tell me neighbor is not doing anything illegal since there is no damage to property. (NY)

Question: This is almost a daily occurrence and I want to know what I can do to make this stop. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 So spitting on police car is legal then.Answer #2: Cop here. Are they trespassing to spit on the car?

Can’t think of any other charge except perhaps harassment.


Title: Pornographic video filmed without my consent, but I was paid. Sexual Assault? [TX]

Question:
Background:

Not sure how much of this background matters, but just in case I'm providing what I think could be relevant. My former boyfriend and I made about 60 pornographic videos that we posted online for the purpose of making money. Over the course of 3 years we made a significant amount of money off of these videos, part of which we used recently to pay for breast implants for me. My ex-boyfriend filmed 2 separate videos while I was sleeping where he filmed himself masturbating and then ejaculating on my breasts. I never specifically consented to these videos, but I knew about them after they were made. He made comments on the videos admitting I was asleep when he filmed them. We split the money we made from these videos 60/40, he did some additional work posting, editing, uploading and distributing the videos, so he made the 60%.

Since then we have broken up. He still controls the accounts related to these videos and while he continues to pay me the 40% we originally agreed to, I have requested that he take these videos down. He does have various agreements and business paperwork we signed in the beginning that he claims lay out that I was paid as a "performer" and he retains rights to the works.

Question:

Since two of these videos were filmed without my consent, can I report him to the police for sexual assault? Is there any possibility this could lead to legal problems for myself? The two videos were filmed within the last 6 months if it matters. Texas is the state.

Edit: To clarify he admitted to filming the videos while I was asleep.

Edit 2: Ex did all of this with an LLC he made for running this like a business

Answer:
 You can report it to the police. It's going to be very hard to convince anyone that it wasn't consensual seeing as how you were okay posting it and earning money from it. This is clearly just a case of wanting revenge now.

Edit: I don't mean to victim blame. I should have said it appears to be a case of revenge based on what OP said.Answer #2: > Since two of these videos were filmed without my consent, can I report him to the police for sexual assault?

You could have when you first discovered it, but once you were made aware of it and decided you were ok with it, you have now given consent.  Which there is ample evidence of by virtue of your posting them to a for-profit website you control.

> Is there any possibility this could lead to legal problems for myself?

Now that you've consented, claiming it was an assault would be filing a false police report.  If you made those accusations elsewhere, it would likely be defamatory.


Title: [Ontario] Involved in a minor collision. Neither car stayed at the scene. Am I going to jail for hit and run?

Question:
I got involved in a car accident this morning and I'm not sure what to do next. What happened with some context:

I was driving on a two lane road. I was on the left lane, this guy was in the right lane. At a certain point, the intermittent white line between the lanes disappear, and around 20 m later the road narrows into one lane. I interpret that as whoever being ahead having right of way (there are no turning lanes involved. There is nowhere to go on the left at that place.). I was ahead of the guy in the lane beside me, so I kept going forward. He had a different interpretation and got very angry at me. He honked and started tailing me very closely. Later on, I had to change lane to get in a turning lane and he was behind me. When I put on my blinkers, he changed lane too and suddenly accelerated to try to block me. Later on, he was beside me at a light. After it turned green and we were both accelerating, he suddenly swerved into my lane and hit the brakes hard. I braked on time, and gave him plenty of space after. However, we were coming up to another red light after. We both started braking and the distance between our cars closed up when he suddenly braked hard again. This time I wasn't quick enough and lightly bumped him. I know I fucked up and should have given him way more space after the first brake check. There was no damage to his bumper and all I got is a slightly bent license plate. After the bump, we both stayed stopped at the red light. When it turned green, I gave him a very wide berth to see if he was going to stop somewhere. There was a strip mall with a parking lot to our right which would have made sense to me. However, he went and turned left into a 3+3 lanes boulevard. At this point, I did not follow him for multiple reasons:

1. I could not safely turn left too, because when I got to the intersection there was oncoming traffic in the other direction. Also, I couldn't see him anymore.

2. The guy had just roadraged at me. I did not feel safe getting out of my car if he had stopped.

3. Considering the context, trying to follow him could have been seen as a threat which would have escalated the situation even more.

Instead I went on to my destination and called the police to report the situation. When I called, the person who answered the phone asked me if anyone was hurt (no), if there was damage above 2000$ (I said there was no damage). At which point he told me no report was to be made. I asked him what I should do then? He said to exchange insurance information. I told him we did not exchange insurance info, that the other driver had stayed at the red light, then went on and turned left and I could not follow him. Then the person on the phone told me that since the other guy had not tried to get my info, there was still nothing to report and he would not make a report. I have a recording of this conversation.

So, what am I supposed to do now? I called the police and tried to report it. Did I make a reasonable enough effort to take responsibility here? What can I do to protect myself from a hit and run accusation? What if the guy makes an accident report later on that is wildly inaccurate? I've heard he's got up to 24h to report an accident.

tl;dr: bumped someone at a red light. No damage. Guy did not try to get my info and I could not follow him. I called the police to try to report it, person on the phone would not take a report since there was no damage and the other driver hadn't tried to get my info. What do I do now?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: You have already done enough. If you are worried, print out your call records to show that you made this call. The police should keep some record if the nature of the call even though they don't make an official report.


Title: 18 year-old roommate had sex with 15 year-old brother on college campus. Police pressing charges, we don't want to, and police pressuring with DHS reports

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Charges are by the state, and he prosecutor has no obligation to listen you your brother or your parents.

If you are subpoenaed by the prosecutor and lie you will be charged with perjury, don’t do that.

Don’t know about others.


Title: Our business was just taken over by a new company. New company sent “contact list” to all employees, including every employee’s home address, phone number, and most importantly, last 4 of social security number. Location, Kentucky. What do?

Answer:
 As far as I'm aware, none of that info is privileged so there may not be much at all to do about this. Maybe ask them not to do it again and ask if they'd be willing to cover a years worth of credit monitoring?

INAL and maybe your jurisdiction has more strict laws regarding public disclosure of private facts but I'll leave that to someone more knowledgeable to chime in.Answer #2: That's not private info.


Title: Land Lord Showing Up at my Place of Work early in the Morning

Question:
On July 24th, 2017 my landlord posted an eviction notice that was set to expire on 08/01/2017, having just switched jobs and hours My first payday was the 31st and was planning on paying everything owed, the problem is on 7/31/2017 at 5:57 am he showed up at my place of employment demanding me to sign eviction notice. When I refused to sign the paperwork he proceeded to video tape me audio and video without my consent.
I'm thinking of taking legal action, but don't know for sure if it will be worth my time. I do not believe what he did was legal and I don't really even feel safe at my residence, what kind of recourse do I have?

Answer: You can start with providing a location. Have you paid August rent? When does you lease say rent is due?


Title: Compressed fracture of L1 vertebrae at a fast food place. What should I do?

Question:
My mother was at a McDonald's when she slipped and fell on her back. This caused her a compressed fracture on a L1 vertebrae. She works at this McDonald's, but the injury occured off the clock. There was no wet floor sign and she was unaware the floor was wet. To make matters worse the manager on duty refused to let her call an ambulance. He said that was too extra and she should just drive to the ER. He also forcibly yanked her off the floor. The doctors have advised us that she will have to have something called Kypholasty, a back brace, physically therapy, and that the damages done may be permanent. What are options here. I'm honestly fuming at how she was treated, and want to know the best route to take and what we can expect from this.
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer: Them refusing her to call an ambulance was their mistake. Contact an attorney that handles personal injury or one that handles at work injury.  Answer #2: Was she at the store for a work related reason?Answer #3: Speak to a few personal injury attorneys and get their advice. She needs to get real medical treatment and follow up care. Worker's compensation *might* be involved, but your friend may just need to file a claim against the manager/franchise.


Title: Do I own a diagnosis I was never given?

Question:
In the United States, I believe that private citizens own their own medical records. If that is not the case, I would still like to know my opinions.

About 2 years ago, I went to a psychologist to seek a diagnosis of a possible learning disability as an adult. (Why this wasn't done earlier doesn't matter.) I had to look hard for anyone willing to do it especially after I already had an associate degree.
I had quite a few sessions with the 3nd and 3nd to last sessions ending with "next time I'll have your diagnosis". The last session was the worst where she said she wouldn't tell me anything until after I applied for school again (I was hoping to use the information to know what types of places to apply to so I wasn't happy.).

I now don't have insurance and am in a work situation where I need the information. If the first statement is true. How do I get the information I own? If not, how do I get this data without giving this lady any more money? I feel very swindled.
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 A diagnosis is a professional opinion, not a piece of tangible property. It's not something that can be "owned" at all.

In your case, it doesn't appear that your psychologist made a diagnosis. They may have made some personal notes about your case, but those notes do not constitute a diagnosis.


Title: Am I legally required to follow the rules of my home owners association?

Question:
My HOA has been getting on my ass about my grass being too long. Am I allowed to tell them to fuck off or am I legally required to do what the board says?
Topic:
Canada

Answer: Yeah, you agreed to when you bought the house. If you don't they can fine you or take other actions IAW with their rules.


Title: Am I stuck paying a $1,000 electric bill that was accrued in my name? (Nashville, TN)

Question:
The electric was solely in my name. I moved out and, since I was friends with these people before we became roommates, I trusted them to take care of the bill, which they had been doing just fine until this point. Fast forward a year and I received a call from a collection agency saying I owed nearly $1,000 from unpaid electric bills that had been accumulated from November 2015 until February 4th, 2016, which is when the electric was shut off. I have my lease for my current location that started June 1st, 2015 and my roommate can attest that I have been paying electric at my current residence.

My old roommates are being dodgey about replying to me trying to get the money from them (what a surprise.) Am I essentially stuck trying to convince them to make this right / pay it myself, or can I take any sort of legal action? I plan to talk to a lawyer if they keep giving me the runaround, just wanted to see what you all thought.

Answer:
 Yes - you are liable for the bill and it would be in your best interests to pay it as soon as possible to minimise the damage done to your credit rating.

If you can demonstrate that your roommates owe you for their share you can sue them in small claims for that amount.

But the electric company doesn't care about what your roommates owe you - all they care about is that you signed a contract to be liable for the bill.


Title: Ex-friend helped me bring my stuff down from a different city. We fought and they blocked me on everything while keeping some of my stuff.

Question:
I have no way to get it back from them as I don’t know how to contact them or what hours they work. Is there something I can do to get these items back? And what if they’ve thrown them away?

Missing a $300 pair of adidas running shoes, my daily face cleanser (the device, not soap), and some clothing items.

Answer: The police will consider it a civil matter. You will need to sue them in small claims court for the depreciated cost / as is cost for the items they've kept or thrown away.


Title: Is it illegal for my school to go through my dms on the school mac?

Question: So at my school  every student in my grade and above get macs and we have a school discord someone made. the school found out and is now going through peoples discord and I'm pretty sure that's illegal but I don't know.

Answer:
 >Is it illegal for my school to go through my dms on the **school** mac?

The school can do whatever they want with their property.Answer #2: No, it's legal for them to monitor the usage of their computers. Answer #3: Generally, it's perfectly legal for a school to monitor their own equipment, including keeping tabs on what students are doing on those computers -- which is why it's prudent for the students to keep their use of school-owned computers to school-related things, and to keep, if applicable, their personal computer usage relegated to devices they own and control.

*How* exactly is the school "going through" people's Discord accounts?  Are they simply monitoring their computers, or are they accessing these accounts by swiping student's login credentials then logging into the accounts themselves?


Title: Landlord wont and didn't cash my checks for the past three months! I asked him why and he told me it's none of my business, is he up to something that I'm not aware of?

Question:
Hello guys,

I have recently moved into this new apartment and everything is fine except for the fact that my landlord wont cash any of my checks I've given so far! I wrote him checks for September, October and November which I gave on the 5th of each month but he's sitting on them and wont cash them. I asked him when I first realized this and he just told me "I shouldn't be nosy"! I asked him again this morning and he basically said the same thing that this is none of my business.

Is he up to something here? He's acting so weird about it and wont answer it. If he goes anytime to cash them he'll find the money in my bank account so I'm not worried about that but I feel he's planning on something because I feel that he sort of starts panicking every time I ask him about it.

I also have three receipts showing full payment for the previous three months.

Is there anything I should do to protect myself in the future? I'm in California. I'm supposed to pay December's rent in 3 days, anything I should change? and also, I do know that some banks might not cash checks older than 6 months, so what happens if he goes after 6 months and the bank wont cash it for him? will I be off the hook and wont have to pay him again?

Thank you so much.

Answer:
 He could be avoiding showing income for the year (divorce maybe?).

I had a landlord that would wait weeks to cash my rent checks.  I ended up getting into the habit of paying by money order and keeping the stubs,  saved me tons of frustration.  Answer #2: We love updates, thanks for posting yours.Answer #3: Good question I'd like to ask here: If I write "void after 60 days" on my personal checks, is that legally binding?Answer #4: This is second hand (at least) so take it for what its worth.

Heard about a guy who's landlord did this to everyone, regularly, and would cash them like 2-3 months late, inevitably a tenant would lose track of their money, so when he cashed them months later they would bounce and he would charge them late fees, etc.

Maybe urban legend, but just something i heard.


Title: my boyfriends mom stole my money

Question:
my boyfriends mom stole my money

My boyfriends mom stole my money

So me and my bf lived with his mom for a while and recently she kicked us out for actually no reason. Rent was paid and we kept our space, respected her and her space... but there's just something wrong with her mentally.

We moved out and my stimulus check was mailed to her place. About 4 days after the IRS site said it was mailed I began forwarding my mail from hers to another place. I waited a bit  over a month and still never got it.

Turns out she took it and somehow deposited it. All 1400. We found it because we went to her house when she wasn't there and went through the mail.. found the mail that said it was sent but not the check itself. My bf texted her where tf it was and she just deposited 1200 into his account. Still waiting for the other 200 and it's been over a week.

Clearly if we didn't ask she would've ran with it. She also has a deep history with taking peoples money because she's actually psycho.

I know we received almost all the money back but I'm still so upset. I didn't do anything to her. Nothing. And people can back that up. But she also fucked up the lives of people close to her that didn't deserve or do anything to her either so....

 I suppose she's not one to be messed with but if there's something I can do legally or anything at all, I may be open to it.

She also went through my bfs (her sons) tax returns and never informed him of receiving it and now he's late/missed out on money because he didn't file it.

Kind of a vent... kind of advice. Thanks

Answer: File a police report on the stolen money, even if she returned it. Get a lawyer as if you were paying rent its an illegal eviction and you may be able to get the rent back.


Title: [CA] Work telling me to shave even though it's against my religion.

Question:
I actually made a poorly worded post about this a while back before it became an issue, but now I really need advice.

About a year ago I was hired by Food4Less and part of their dress code policy is that facial hair is not allowed. This was all fine at the time as I wasn't religious so there was no problems.

A couple of months ago however, I converted to Islam and I follow both the Quran and the Sunnah and it's against my beliefs to shave.

I informed my immediate supervisor of this and everything seems cool for about a while until today another supervisor told me I needed to shave.

I told her that it was against my religious beliefs to shave but she told me that because I agreed to their dress code policy when they hired me, that it doesn't matter what my religious beliefs are. We continued to debate a little about the law before I told her I would talk with the store manager next chance I got.

That hasn't happened yet but I'm fairly certain my store manager will tell me I need to shave regardless or I lose my job.

Is this illegal for them to do this? Doesn't the Civil Rights Act of 1964 title vii protect me from discrimination for religious beliefs in employment?
Or am I screwed because a year ago I agreed to shave when my religious views were different?

I remember reading in the news that a similar thing happened to a boy that worked at McDonalds who refused to shave and he got fired but ultimately ended up getting his job back, was allowed to keep his beard (with a beard net) and got a $50,000 settlement.

I don't directly handle food so a beard net wouldn't be necessary. Does my work still have to accommodate my religious belief?

Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Unless the beard would create an undue hardship (read health or safety issue), there are plenty of cases where the EEOC has protected an employees religious right to wear a beard.

See examples [here](https://www.eeoc.gov/search/search?q=beard&btnG=Search&entqr=0&ud=1&sort=date%3AD%3AL%3Ad1&output=xml_no_dtd&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF-8&client=default_frontend&proxystylesheet=default_frontend&site=FullSite).


Title: Father trying to figure out if I can file for emancipation.

Question:
TL;DWR: My son (18) just graduated from high school in June and is headed for college. We have been estranged for four years. What are the chances I will get emancipated.

The dirty details:
My son was born when I was still in high school. For the first couple years of his life his mother and I had a relationship, but it soured, and I ended up moving to a different state, but only about 45 minutes away. I payed money to his mother, and saw my son regularly. When he was 5 his mother stopped giving me the access I wanted, so I stopped paying her money. She filed for support, which I didn't totally oppose. We had a case, a judgement was granted. I saw my son regularly for the next eight years.

Right before he was to enter high school, his mother and I had a disagreement. He doesn't know the truth about the situation, and I've never had the chance to tell him because he stopped taking my calls. I had the option to show up with a Sheriff, but never took it. I always thought that would be worse for him. LSS, we haven't spoken in four years.

He's going to college, one I don't really think he should go to, and we're out of touch. I have no relationship with him. I am ready to file for emancipation.

What are my odds of it being granted? How do I increase those odds?

Edit: He's in NJ. I live in NYC.

Answer:
 If your son is attending college, the odds of a court granting termination of child support are incredibly low. NJ has some of the most liberal child support laws in the US and the courts have firmly held that a full-time undergrad student still needs support. When the child graduates college, you'll have a much better chance.

You may be able to ask the court for a reduction in your support payments depending on his college situation, an attorney could help you negotiate for that.


Title: My mother contracted HIV from a guy who knew he had the virus but didn't tell her. (AL)

Question: Hello all, so like the title says about two years ago my mom slept with a guy she knew and contracted HIV. He knew he had it but never told her. Like any son would, I absolutely hate this person and want to see justice brought to this. She has never wanted to take legal action because she feels like it wouldn't be worth it. I want to show her that something can be done about it. She is in pretty good health altogether and the medicine she is on has worked tremendously. Well enough that she went for a random screening and the blood test didn't even recognize the virus because her T cell count is so low. ( I'm no medical professional so I believe I'm using the right term here.) If you guys could provide any feedback or links to some useful info that would be great.

Answer:
 Unfortunately, it really depends on your jurisdiction.  The theory of negligent transmission is slowly gaining traction, but many courts are still skeptical in applying it as a legal claim.

Here is some suggested reading: [ Doe. v. Johnson](https://casetext.com/case/doe-v-johnson) (MI).  This case was the first case (in my own research) that held negligent transmission may be an actionable claim.  Fun fact: The Johnson here is Magic Johnson.

Here are some other cases relating to negligent transmission of a communicable disease that I came across in writing a summary judgment motion for a case somewhat similar, albeit the disease is measles, and the victim is a child.

In another case, [Rossiter v. Evans](http://www.leagle.com/decision/In%20IACO%2020091230338/ROSSITER%20v.%20EVANS) (IA), the defendant was found liable for negligently infecting his partner with HPV when he reasonably should have known that he risked transmitting the disease based on noticeable physical symptoms.

Lastly, in [Lockhart v. Loosen](http://caselaw.findlaw.com/ok-supreme-court/1213735.html) (OK), the Oklahoma Supreme Court held that if a defendant has any reason to know that she has herpes and may be infections, then she has a duty to warn her partner of her contagion.

I suggest reading these cases and meeting with a personal injury attorney.  I'm not versed on the caselaw of Alabama, but maybe this will help.

 I sincerely wish you and your mom the best.


Title: Distribution in school zone question

Question:
What are the chances of beating a distribution in a school zone charge in nj. The drug was marijuana and there are two other charges but I'm not to sure what they are. It's a friend of a friend who's in trouble.
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer: Was he caught distributing in a school zone? Id say his chances are just about zero.


Title: [OH] How fucked are my "landlord" friends?

Question:
Toledo, OH, USA

Alice is living in a house owned by Bob. After Bob's health declined, he and Alice decided to form a land contract instead. When things got worse, Carol became Bob's POA and lost several properties not paying for the taxes.

Alice lives in a very expensive house, which she has paid over 20% into. Carol wants her out, and had a lawyer send a letter that Alice has 30 days to vacate, and that she will no longer accept any payments. Alice started a new account to set the money inside of and sent her payments by certified mail.

Alice also told Carol not to return to the property after she tried to force her way in.

Tonight, Alice came home to her locks changed. Carol was very proud of coming onto the property, having her husband break in, and then changing the locks.

Alice called the police about an illegal eviction. Situation is developing.

I realize the story confuses elements of landlord-tenant law and land installment contracts. Neither party knows what they're talking about.

Neither do I, so how fucked is Carol? Or is Alice out of luck?

Bonus points:

* The land contract was notarized, but never recorded.
* Carol has never provided a statement of account
* Paying 20% on the principle massively changes the landscape, legally
* No court action has been taken wrt eviction or foreclosure

Answer:
 > Carol was very proud of coming onto the property, having her husband break in, and then changing the locks.

Carol can expect a lawsuit from Bob or from the beneficiaries of Bob's estate for violating her fiduciary duty to Bob. Her acts have caused him to incur serious liability, and are not in Bob's interests. Carol may also be looking at criminal charges for trespass and breaking and entering.

However, because Carol's actions are arguably within the scope of her power of attorney, Alice's remedy is _likely_ against Bob, who authorized Carol's actions.

Alice absolutely needs to sit down with a real estate attorney. Land contracts are a mess, and she should have had one then; a land contract, a power of attorney, and an illegal self-help eviction is about nine times as much of a mess and will not be untangled solely based on free advice from internet randos.


Title: Is it legal to have your body stuffed and mounted after you die in the US?

Question: I'm thinking either a full standing(or some other position, either way a full-body) mount, or maybe a shoulder mount.

Answer:
 new plan, I'm gonna get my head mounted and have a recording of my voice inside, so my descendants can listen to me rant at them from the mantle. Answer #2: Don't do it OP!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpxO5LuYSbw&feature=youtu.be
Answer #3: My dad (he's an attorney) always said he wanted to do this. Get stuffed with his hands out, fingers splayed, and he said we should use him as a coat rack.

He's demented.

He also said he couldn't really do it as its not legal...so he has arranged to have his body donated to science.


Title: While changing my tire on the side of the road, my car was struck by a driver on the wrong side. (MI)

Question:
Explanation of events: I had a flat tire and pulled off a busy road onto a side road to change it. I had parked legally on the side of the road and was working on taking off the rear tire when a car struck my vehicle damn near dead on in the front. So that means the driver was completely on the wrong side of the road. Estimation was a 10-15 mph impact. The impact apparently (I say apparently because I hit my head during this and blacked out for a minute or so) drove my car into me and pushed me into the road. I struck my head on the ground and ended up taking an ambulance to the hospital and getting a CT scan. Everything biologically is ok, aside from some muscle aches and some wicked bumps and scabs on my head. My car is currently being looked at by the collision place partnered with by my insurance company. It is unknown at this time if the other driver has insurance.

Question: What else should I be doing? My insurance said that I had two options, to let them handle everything or go after his insurance company. I opted to let them handle it since I have no insurance information from the other party. I'm pretty much just following what my company is telling me to do but I don't know if there's anything else that I should be doing. Thanks for the advice.

Answer: You might want to post this on r/insurance.


Title: Our mortgage co. sold our mortgage to another co. and our payment more than doubled. They wouldn't tell us why, then tried to foreclose. We sold the house and still having issues with them.

Question: We had so many problems with this place. When our payment doubled they said they didn't have enough info and to call abt property taxes or insurance. None of those were the problems. They kept giving us contact names who either never answered, or turned out to not work there anymore. It was a VA loan, and they gave our contact there completely different names, who she couldn't get a hold of either. It turned out that they didn't realize our home owners insurance was wrapped in with our regular payment so they charged us an astronomical amount to use theirs. They fixed that, but insisted we pay them back thousands and thousands for their insurance even tho it was their mistake. They decided to foreclose, so we got an extension and sold the house very quickly. But they were refusing to send us the pay-off letter we needed, they took more than 2 weeks, and only sent it when we threatened to get a lawyer. Then They sent it immediately, and kept sending other versions with different amounts. So now the house is under contract and due diligence is happening this week, we are abt to close. The extension is still in place. The co. Decided to put a sign on the door that said the property was abandoned etc. Do we have the right for reparations because of all these things they did? They basically kicked us out of our house, even though we had 100,000 of equity. I don't want them to do this to anyone else.

Answer:
 Location needed.

Are you in the US? Your payment should not change when your loan is sold. Something is up here, have you contacted your original mortgage servicer?Answer #2: Umm get a lawyer


Title: Being served but they spelled my name wrong and it's not something I did

Question:
So two months ago my partner and I got in a rear ending accident- he was driving my car but he was insured with my insurance (Allstate) to drive my car with my permission. Everything went smoothly our insurance is covering everything and we have accident forgiveness. There was not a police report filed in fact the two cars involved left the scene before the cops showed up (we had to get towed)

Today my parents called me and told me someone came to my house trying to serve me papers for a court summon for a rear ending accident (that's all my dad saw till they pulled the paper away) but they spelled my middle name wrong (let's say the difference between Sarah and Sara- not my real name but same difference)

In addition to my middle name being misspelt the court is in a different county in my state than the one I live in and the one where the accident happened (same county).

Can anybody tell me what is happening here? Should I be worried my identity is being stolen? Wouldn't they serve my partner instead of me because he was actually driving? Or would it be me because my insurance is covering it.

I'm also really worried I'm going to get pulled out of class at my university by the police and my academic reputation will be damaged. Is that something that would happen?

If anybody has any insight I will be so grateful to just know anything about this situation. I emailed the court to get a public disclosure (?) or information about this case but I don't know how long it will take and my anxiety is at a peak already because of summer finals and my research schedule being nuts right now.

UPDATE: just got an email back from the court, the person has a different birthdate than me so this is not related to the accident I was in and was a mistake. I guess the spelling did make a difference! Phew

Answer:
 No, looks like you're getting sued.

When you sue over a car accident, generally you sue the driver, the driver's insurance, the owner of the car, and the owner's insurance. That's totally standard. The various defendants then litigate that they, specifically, aren't the ones responsible, but technical problems arose if the plaintiff doesn't name everyone who has anything to do with it in the suit. Just because you are named in the suit doesn't mean you'll ultimately be personally liable.

Additionally, if the plaintiff lives in that other county, jurisdiction and venue can be had there if a number of factors are met, so that's not uncommon for it to be in another county.

The spelling difference doesn't affect anything.