Title: [MA] Employer is trying to recoup overpayment citing "data entry error".

Question:
Hello. I don't make much. According to my employment agreement I make $36,000 a year with $13,000 annual bonus potential... or so I thought. I've been with the company 6 years and in this position 6 months. I just got my second bonus and shortly later get an email about overpayment. They are saying that my bonus received was based on $13k and not 11k as it should be. I respond with a copy of my employment agreement which states $13k and they reply back basically saying that was a data entry error. Now that I made them aware they are also checking my last quarter payout (each quarter I get 25% of potential) to see if they need to recoup even more from me.

Is this right?

I am a push over I suppose. I'm okay with the 2k less but I can't help but to feel hurt that the paperwork I signed which binds me in all directions apparently means nothing to them. I feel like the correct way to handle the situation would be to issue me a new agreement with corrected amounts and not pursue the previous paid bonuses.

So here is the relevant portions of the agreement.

I live in NC, agreement states it follows laws of MA.

This employment agreement (the “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of 10/11/2015, by +++++++++ Inc. (“+++++++++”), and Dill (the “Employee”). +++++++++++ hereby employs Employee, and Employee hereby accepts employment with +++++++++++, upon the terms and conditions of this Agreement as follows:

.....

3. COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

a) Compensation - You will be paid $ 36000.00 per year, to be paid in weekly installments of $ 690.05. You will have the potential to earn up to a $13000 bonus in addition to your base salary. Your potential bonus is based on both individual and company performance. Your manager will provide you with a copy of the compensation plan and discuss the requirements and details with you during your first week of employment. ++++++++++ employment compensation plans are reviewed and revised annually to respond to changing market conditions and business objectives. Your compensation in subsequent years will be subject to those revised plans.

...

11. COMPLETE AGREEMENT
  This Agreement and the related schedules constitute the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, and such Agreement supersedes any and all prior agreements or understandings, oral or written, between the parties and may not be changed orally. Employee acknowledges that the conditions of this Agreement are reasonable and fair and that any restrictions and conditions contained herein are necessary for the protection of +++++++++'s business.

12. GOVERNING LAW
  This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the state of Maryland.

...

14. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
  To the extent permitted by law, you, on your own behalf and on behalf of anyone claiming by or through you, waive any and all rights you have, or may have, to claim or assert a claim, suit, action or demand of any kind, nature or description, including without limitation, claims, suits, actions or demands for personal injury or death whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, against client or client’s customers, agents, officers, directors, or employees, resulting from or arising directly or indirectly out of your employment with +++++++. You recognize and agree that ++++++++ provides workers’ compensation coverage for such things as on-the-job injuries or occupational diseases incurred while on assignment for ++++++++, and you agree to look solely to ++++++++ and/or its insurer for damages and/or expenses for such injury, illness or other claims incurred while on assignment. You agree to notify +++++++ if you believe that there are any unsafe conditions at the client worksite or facility.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this agreement under seal on the day and year first above written.

NAME: Dill

E-SIGNATURE:      DATE:

If you are submitting this form electronically, type your name on the Electronic Signature line and enter or select today’s date. This is your electronic signature. By electronically signing this form, you agree to all the terms, conditions, and policies contained in the documents listed above and agree to be bound thereby as though you had signed this acknowledgement in writing

Answer:
 I was assuming this would be the usual paid-too-much post. where employer screws up payroll and then tries to claw back. the answer there is that you have to pay them back.

but if they provided you with documents describing your compensation and also told you that your compensation would be X amount. and then they did in fact pay you that amount, then that money is yours.


Title: Golds Gym is scamming me. Advice?

Question:
I've signed up for a year-long Golds Gym membership a couple months ago. Since then, I have moved and I'm unable to visit the gym now. In the agreement I signed, it said that if I move further than 25 miles from one, I can cancel my membership at any time OR I can pay a fee if I just want to cancel it.
I have been calling the franchise for a few months now, and every time the front desk has been making me leave messages for the managers who won't speak to me to cancel. I cannot go to the gym itself since I'm hundreds of miles away.
I have tried calling their billing department, and they say they can't cancel my membership because my gym was a franchise gym, and they don't have the power to do so. This is the same story with calling corporate - they're useless.
I called my bank, told them to stop the reoccurring charges, and they are looking into it. It's been about 2 weeks since then. I also happened to lose my credit card in that time, so now I officially owe the gym money for their membership charge being declined ($10) and the membership fee ($30)
I've been sending emails since January 1 trying to get this membership cancelled, and have also sent in proof of my new address and so far no one has responded until now. A manager sent back a cancellation form telling me I owned money and would have to pay my past dues, an annual fee, and a $50 cancel fee for moving. I signed it, sent it back, and asked her what I needed to do next. Still no reply (what a shocker!)
This all seems ridiculous, and not at all what I thought would happen.
What are my rights here? How can I make sure I don't have to keep paying this sketchy place and OFFICIALLY cancel my membership?
Also, please, if this is something I can take to court - be gentle here. I don't have any money for a lawyer and I don't have any sort of support to help me with this. If you have advice on where to even begin, I'm very open to it. My location is in NYC but this gym is in Richmond, Virginia.

* Update as of today: I just received a letter saying I owe them $113.97 because my credit card is invalid - it states that I owe February, January & December back dues now. WTF?
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 Dealt with this:

Send a certified letter stating you are canceling because of your move to their billing office.  Once you have done this, you can call your bank and have them block the transaction.  If they try and take you to court (Or in my case, send you to collections) cite the contract and your certified letter.  They will simply stop calling.

EDIT: Until you send that certified letter, you DO still owe them fees.  Include proof of your new address.


Title: can i sue american express for taking my money

Question: its 5:20 pm in florida , name is Earl by the way . Well i was on my way to work this morning , got an email stating insufficient amount please deposit some funds had 3k in account this morning tried calling customer service busy tone then decided to check twitter to see if anyone experiencing same issue . You guess it so many people complaining with same issues and rep keep saying they are experiencing system issues please wait up to 48hrs  " seems like they got hacked" afraid to say it. As a result no lunch , stuck with no gas or money for holidays can i sue for damages???

Answer:
 Why don't you just wait the 48hrs and then contact a rep? If they were hacked they'll give it back to you.

Make your lunch until they restore the money.Answer #2: …what? Was this for a charge card, a checking account, something else?


Title: On what grounds can I get my roommate evicted? Alternatively, what should I do about this?

Question:
To start, this is going on in Tampa FL

So, at the end of December, we got a new roommate (I'm 21/male, other roommate is 19/female, new roommate is also 19/female) when our third person in our 3/3 decided to move out and sublease. It's been awful. She's 19 and has a 25-year old boyfriend, both of them are burnouts and skip school/work to do fucking nothing all the time. That's not grounds for eviction, obviously. But she brought a dog that she never mentioned to us before moving in, and has been leaving it here for us to take care of while she goes out of town to go to class/work (even though she lives in a very expensive college apartment because of its proximity to a campus she doesn't attend...), and hasn't given us any sort of notice before doing this each time. Her schedule makes us think this is going to be a weekly thing, and we absolutely can't have that.

We have talked about this, she doesn't seem to care at all about wasting our time or disrespecting us, so we're not exactly sure what to do. She finally showed up yesterday after being out of town for 3 days unannounced, and didn't say a word to us about leaving her dog here and making us take care of her. Naturally, I got pretty upset and there was some yelling. I said if she keeps leaving her dog here we'll have to bring her to a shelter. Her boyfriend (a 25 year old, grown-ass man) was on the phone with her at the time and decided to drive over here and threaten me with a baseball bat. I managed to talk him down and we kind of worked things out, but I don't want this fucking guy in my apartment anymore and I don't want her here either. Where should we go from here? We got video of him holding the bat. I don't know how to make the best case out of possible animal neglect/breaching the terms of the lease/brandishing a weapon, but we need a solution.

Sorry if this is a little much to read, I'm just not sure how to approach this and want to give a good idea of what's going on.

Answer: If he threatens you with a weapon, you call the police. Immediately. Is she on the master lease in any way? Or is her living agreement exclusively through your old roommate?


Title: Cop searched my car and put me in the back of the police car without a probable cause, can he do that ?

Question:
So a couple of nights ago me and my girlfriend were driving back to our dorms. I took a right without using my blinkers at a traffic light. A cop was behind me and pulled me over. He came to me car and said that he pulled me over because I didn’t used my blinker. Whatever right.

Then out of no where he said “where’s the weed?” I told him I didn’t have any, he ask again “where’s the weed”. He then ask me to step out of the car. He patted me down and put me in the backseat of the police car. He also took my girlfriend out and patted her down. He began to search my car thoroughly and checking everywhere to find weed. Obviously I was calm because I didn’t have any on me.

He then comes to me and said he couldn’t find any weed, (obviously because I didn’t have any dumbass) and said it must’ve been a car passing us when he pulled me over that smelled like weed. Yea right...

He gave me a warning about the blinker issue and that was that.

Could he have done that? Search my car, patted me down etc.? I didn’t have any weed and didn’t smell like it one bit.

This happen in Texas and me and my girlfriend are college kids .

Answer: Yes if he believed he smelled marijuana then that is probable cause to search the vehicle without a warrant or consent in Texas.


Title: Landlord won't clean before move-in in Virginia

Question: A few friends and I are applying for this place in Arlington, VA and the first time we toured it was filthy. The second time the condition was much improved but it is still super dusty (blinds, floors, etc) with small debris, loose nails all over the wood floors and some of the tile needs some serious scrubbing. We have asked her to have professional cleaners come in to make it move-in ready but she has refused. Do we have any recourse? This may be our best option in the area since we're on a tight schedule. I looked at some of the pertinent landlord-tenant rights documents and all I see about cleaning is that we are required to clean on move-out. How can we push this lady to clean her damn house? Are we allowed to say we'll leave it in the same condition we found it? I know I sound whiny but this place is gross and we don't want to pay extra, on such short notice, for someone to scrub the place down or do it ourselves when we have limited time to move. We have applied (and told our agent we are NOT ok with the premises as-is) but we haven't signed a lease. Thanks for your time.

Answer: If you don't like the place, don't rent it.


Title: (Florida) My Child's Mother May Be Going To Jail

Question: Long story short. She's been arrested and charged with a couple felonies. She and her husband has a record of this behavior having been arrested multiple times before. So the chances are of her getting out of this are slim. There are other recent events that cause me to worry about my child's safety. I want to file for emergency custody to prevent him form becoming a ward of the state or going to another family member's house (such as her's or her husbands parents). I don't know where to start and I know there has to be mountains of forms to fill out and file. Any help getting pointed in the direction I need to be in would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 Do you already have a parenting case open with the court?

Whether that's a yes or a no, you can head down to your local family court tomorrow and get the proper forms for filing an ex parte motion from the clerk's office. In my jursidiction, you'd have 3 to 5 forms to fill out (fewer if you have an open case, more if you don't). If you can afford it, an attorney wouldn't be a bad idea because they'd know what to focus on in the motion. If you can't, I suggest coming up with answers to what your concerns are, why is this an emergency, and what you want the court to do about it.


Title: Girlfriend's friends saying I "raped" her even though I had her consent

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Canada

Answer: Is she still your girlfriend? Did you have sex before or after this?


Title: How to know date of a road sign being posted

Question: I was in an accident. And previous to the accident I saw a sign forbidding the act of what he did to cause it. Is there a way I can find out when the sign was put up so I can use it in the court of law?

Answer:
 All that matters is that the sign was there at the time of the accident, doesn’t matter how long it had been there so long as it was at the time.  You can testify to the fact that you saw it.  The DOT for your state may be able to tell you that it was there, but you won’t be able to testify about that in court because it will be hearsay (the DOT employees statement will be an out of court statement offered for the truth of the matter asserted therein).  You may be able to get an official record showing when it was installed, that could be admissible, but if you are to that point you probably want an attorney dealing with the matter.

You can take a photograph of the sign and admit that into evidence as you can authenticate it as an accurate representation of the location at the time of the accident.Answer #2: NAL. Don't know if this would be admissible. In my experience, road signs often have numbers on the back or edge indicating date of installation, usually MM-YY. You could go look at it.


Title: Trying to buy this house and the seller's situation is really complicating things.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Don't close and let him to continue to live there, unless you intend for this to be an income property.  You're just inviting headaches and potential shit storms.  For example, if he doesn't move out at the end of the month, you'd have to go through the court process of eviction which typically includes a notice to quit, then a suit for eviction, court hearing date set for some time down the line (depending on your jurisdiction and how busy they are), then a decision in your favor, then like 2-3 more days until a sheriff actually comes in and physically removes the person.

Also, a $10k security deposit may not fly.  Security deposit maximums are typically governed by your state's landlord/tenant law.

What do you want to happen?  Are you willing to walk away from this one?  If not why don't you just extend closing and give him a chance that way?


Title: Pennsylvania Department of Labor Wage Complaint for 357 hours of unpaid tipped wages. Got a letter from the Bureau with a check from former employer. Check from employer is only for 82 hours and it is NOT MADE PAYABLE TO MY NAME. Bureau says it "treats this payment as resolution of wage complaint"

Question:
Hello! First, I would like to point out that I am young and stupid. I was given my tips each night and this was enough for me to live on. I let my pay issue go on longer than I should have. (This may be long.)

Summary: I worked a total of 512 hours. I was paid for 155 of those hours by the time I left in March (2 checks and 2 payments of $50 cash). I have 353 hours (@$2.83/hr) plus 4 hours in the kitchen (@$7.25/hr) left UNPAID. (I have been paid through half of December, and am owed half of December and all of January, February, and my time in March.)

I have my payments for the 155 hours of paid wages documented. I also have all of my unpaid timecards documented. Additionally, I have personal (unofficial) financial records which reflect my timecards.

I submitted all my documentation (sans the personal records) to the PA Department of Labor and Industry's Bureau of Labor Law Compliance immediately after I left my employment in March. My employer took the full 45 business days to respond in writing (misspelling my name in the letter), saying that she kept track of my hours. She said she has 82 hours in her records. (She has all of my timecards, paid and unpaid.) Along with the letter she sent a check, payment for the 82 hours.

The Bureau sent me her letter, the check, and a letter saying:

> "On March 1X, 2017 you filed a complaint with the DoL&I's BoLLC against [employer] alleging that it did not pay your legally entitled wages in violation of Pennsylvania's Wage Payment and Collection Law, 43 P.S. %%260.1 - 260.12.

> As a result of this investigation, your employer submitted the enclosed check as payment in full. The Bureau treats this payment as resolution of your wage complaint. If you have further questions, please contact at [my representative's phone number]."

The enclosed check, like the letter, had my (last) name misspelled. I.E. **The check was not made payable to me. This ensures that I am unable to cash the check.**

I am meeting with this representative on Wednesday. I plan to bring copies of ALL of my documentation, as well as the check etc., and my personal records. While I was on the phone, I asked if I could request "a copy of the investigation" or "its findings". To this, my representative replied that there was nothing to copy of the investigation except the letters which were sent to my employer. Did not seem like he thought I needed to see or have the investigation. I did not mention the check to him.

My questions for you, r/legaladvice:

**How could the Bureau send me a check that was not made payable to me?**

My timecards (I have copies of all unpaid timecards) are with my employer. **Why were these not asked to be submitted by the Bureau. Further, how can her records show 82 hours when she is in possession of the timecards? Is it a crime to withhold these timecards?**

**Do I have the right to a copy of the investigation/is there paper documentation of it?**

**Are my personal financial records relevant?** They are in a little notebook.

**What other steps can I take to make sure my meeting on Wednesday sheds light on my case/my appeal/my unpaid wages?**

I am well aware that, should I have to appeal, it may be through the Federal Department of Labor and/or through an attorney.

Thank you for you time. I can answer more specific questions in the comments if there are any.

Answer:
 > While I was on the phone, I asked if I could request "a copy of the investigation" or "its findings". To this, my representative replied that there was nothing to copy of the investigation except the letters which were sent to my employer. Did not seem like he thought I needed to see or have the investigation.

The investigation may have been a simple phone call, with or without notes. Most of these investigations go quickly and the employer tries to make them go away with as little fuss as possible. Your former employer may have looked around, found what she had (or claimed to have), and said, "Yeah, I'll pay this up to even it out." Once the investigator got the check and it matched what few notes were made, it was sent on to you.

This doesn't necessarily mean that things are over. Decisions in most government agencies can be appealed at least a couple of times. You're just getting started on your first. You may also be due the difference between the minimum wage and the tipped wage if the difference was not covered by tips. The cash payments you mentioned may cause you tax problems, but there's a bigger potential problem for your previous employer if she was paying people under the table and dodging income taxes.


Title: Wrongful termination question

Question: [Mississippi] Today, my mother was fired from her job at a large corporation. The company is automating positions and some jobs are being cut. My question is about how they are doing it. They are doing a storewide announcement at an employee meeting in the back of the store. At this meeting, they announce which positions are being cut, who are in those positions, and what the severance package will be. Is it legal to fire somebody in front of all the other employees? Especially under the basis of job consolidation?

Answer: This is perfectly legal.


Title: (UK) My manager has fabricated minutes for a made up meeting

Question:
Forgive me if this is the wrong subreddit to post this in.

In work today I came across the minutes of a group of meetings between my staff team (myself included) and my manager. The problem is that these meetings never took place and all of our words in it are completely made up. To make it worse, most of the text consists of staff complaining about policies and making accusations about another.

These minutes were due to be sent to her manager. Also, I did not go snooping for these. They were lay out in a shared office that all staff have access to.

Do I have any grounds to ask my manager to destroy these minutes or report them to her senior?

Answer: If this is true, report this to HR immediately and that is it. Also dont go in blaming or something, just contact them and say that you received minutes of a meeting you didnt attend which said you were. Lets you play the ignorance card.


Title: I am considering moving from Virginia to Washington soon and was planning to get my license back after I move there. Bad idea? I'm not try to "trick" the system into spitting out a license, just wondering how much harder it would be. Btw, no duis or any felony related convictions.

Answer: Your post is a bit unclear.  Why do you need your license "back"?  What happened to the prior one?


Title: Friend got into argument with stranger at a bar. I stepped in to deescalate the situation, left the bar, was followed out then jumped by three guys. Arrested for simple assault.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You absolutely need to start making calls and hire a criminal defense attorney. You have a much better chance at a successful outcome if you have a lawyer representing you.Answer #2: You very much need an attorney. Your career might be in danger. Answer #3: In addition to the lawyer, delete this and don't talk to the police or anyone other than your attorney about this.


Title: Punishment for petty theft

Question:
I know this is not that big of an issue but someone today stole my AirPods at lifetime and they’re going to catch him because they caught him on the security cam and his information is all on file at lifetime.

I’m going to call the police as soon as they get the information and I’m just curious as to what the punishment will be. Also my parents have family lawyers so I’m curious if I can sue the guy for like emotional damage or something. (Not going to do it but just curious)

Answer: You cannot sue for emotional damage.


Title: wedding woes

Question: Hello guys. First time post here. It was recommended that I visit this subreddit after what is going on with our venue in Las Vegas at the Resort on Mt. Charleston. We booked a hotel room block for our wedding. 2 weeks before the wedding (today) the venue contacted me and said that they would not be able to meet our room bookings. Their excuse is they have another group (Royal Air Force) and they have a 5 year agreement. They said that they just got in the room information today and can't meet our bookings (including our room). We do have a contract for room blocks and CC have been charged for guests.  They're offering to move us but we really don't want to do that. The most interesting part is that a former assistant called me a month ago saying that they were looking at moving us and we should contact our contact. We contacted her and she said that everything was fine and there was nothing to worry about. Any advise here?

Answer:
 Spend your time and energy finding a new hotel, not wasting your time trying to force your way back into this one.  No business will piss off a 5 year government client for a weekend wedding.

As for legal action, it all comes down to your contract.Answer #2: >They're offering to move us but we really don't want to do that

Two weeks before the wedding, they will almost certainly be able to find you something better than you could yourself, so let them do the work.


Title: Help! Question about rent and what to do?

Question:
I just moved to Illinois from Washington to be with my boyfriend. My boyfriend moved out of his place, and we moved in to a house one of my friends own ( She is the landlord.)

There are six people living in this house, including us.  Rent here was $400 a month, which was fine. But then she raised the rent to $500, it has been three months now and she has yet to write up a lease. So she keeps changing the rent slightly.

The problem comes with this.. She wants to charge me and my boyfriend BOTH $500 each, but we share a room? Is that right?

Her logic is that everyone else in the house pays $500, so we both should as well to cover; utilities, internet and everything else.

We told her that we are willing to pay a little extra. But what would be reasonable? ( Again, is this even right for her to do? What should I tell her tomorrow? )

TLDR; Landlord wants to charge rent per person, instead of per room. Even though she invited us as a couple.

PS; One of the roomates has a girlfriend, she is here and stays the night 4-6 days of the week. Landlord doesn't make her pay rent because "She helps clean" and does things for her, fair or no?

Answer: Don't sign anything and get out of there.  This should really be common sense.  It might suck to have to move but do you really want to be locked into legally binding document with this person? If she's pulling shady behavior now then it will only get worse after you have signed a lease.  Answer #2: She can charge whatever she wants to everyone, but clearly, it's a rip-off what she's proposing. I would find another place. Maybe that would encourage her to come to her senses on pricing. Obviously, the math should be 500 + prorated share of utilities and services x 2. It's pretty easy. Sounds like it's her first time managing a property.


Title: [WI] Is it legal for my daughter's female supervisor to physically search her?

Question:
My daughter is 16 years old and works at a McDonald's. She's worked there for about seven months now. Earlier this evening she came after her shift and told me that somebody's till was over $400 short, so the assistant manager decided to search a few employees, including my daughter. This woman had her remove her shoes so she could search them, reached in to check her pockets, checked her bra, and patted her down completely in the break area. My daughter never even took an order as she was handing out orders in the drive-thru all evening.

This just seems completely illegal (especially the part with the supervisor reaching into my daughter's bra). I understand that $400 is a lot of money, but I don't understand why police weren't called in this situation.

Answer:
 Did your daughter allow her boss to search her?Answer #2: So, that's sexual assault.

Take daughter to police station to file a report.

Consider talking to an attorney about a civil suit. Answer #3: If your daughter was searched in a room with cameras, get your lawyer to get that footage ASAP before it disappears.Answer #4: Only the police have the authority to effect an involuntary search based on reasonable and probable grounds that she has committed a crime.   I suggest you file a complaint with police and follow up with a lawyer.


Title: (CT) I'm being framed by a local Police (for the benefit of a hospital, whose security staff attacked me). My former public defender, the prosecutor and the judge are all in on it. I can't afford a private lawyer. What can I do?

Question:
I'm not sure how much info I should be giving, since I don't want to compromise my defense by potentially tipping anyone off as to my approach. So I might skip over some specific details.

Without cause, I was attacked by hospital security staff (thrown to the floor, dragged, windpipe crushed on a chair armrest) more than a year ago. My highly experienced public defender purposely through my defense, by not going after the video evidence that would have cleared me instantly, and at the same time implicated the four cops that helped frame me. She bought them time to dispose of the evidence by making no moves for it at all. In court, on the day I fired her, she told the judge she was "waiting for the prosecutor to get it". She also said, in a separate hearing meant to confirm my ability to self-represent (I know it's dumb, I had no choice) that the reason I wanted to fire her for was because I was "still angry he got arrested".

I attempted to get the video and they provided one 15 second clip that shows me trying poorly to defend myself (twisting the narrative to make it seem as if I assaulted staff). I had literally survived a near fatal car accident the night before.

I made a months long effort to get access to complete video with full context by issuing a subpoena, but they stonewalled. I got nothing back but another clip that was 3 seconds long. It showed nothing.

In the hearings that I've been to, none of which have cameras in them, the two judges that I've dealt with have made a tactical effort of trying to make me seem out of control by randomly interjecting with shouts of "STAY UNDER CONTROL! I WILL HAVE YOU ARRESTED IF YOU CAUSE A DISTURBANCE IN MY COURTOOM!" Meanwhile, I'm standing perfectly still. All my hearings (after the first few, and only after I started openly accusing the first judge of corruption) have been the last ones to be heard, after the courtroom is clear of all cases. They've occasionally brought in the public defender that failed me, and she just sits there in an obvious attempt to goad me into doing something stupid. She'll literally have no business in the court, no cases.

I can't afford a lawyer. What can I do? Who should I contact to investigate these people, in regards to another law enforcement agency? Is there someone I should go to first? The Attorney General of my state? The Mayor? The media? All three of them?

What might I be missing that I can and should probably do?

Answer: The likelihood that *everyone* associated with this case is against you is slim.


Title: Written up for asking in front of other employees why I got a bonus and others didn't- does this count as violating the law that wages can be discussed? (Texas)

Question: Long story short I got a bonus and others didn't. I heard a couple coworkers asking my manager about why they didn't make the bonus at the front desk, in front of customers. I zipped over and asked why I got the bonus. My manager pulled me aside later and asked I don't say such things in front of others. Later I was written up along with a couple of trivial reasons that everyone violates like cell phone use. My write up states that I should not discuss money I make as it can cause tension and basically don't do it. I looked thru our employee handbook but didn't see anything saying 'don't talk money'. While talking to a friend he told me it is illegal to write employees up for this and it could be retaliation. I am a csr and was talking to a manager and a couple of other csrs would have overheard me. I'm already seeking another job. I want to know if this is a valid case with the nlrb (sorry if I get the letters mixed up) since my write up specifically says not to discuss money out loud.

Answer: Was it because you asked the question or because you were being really unprofessional bringing this up with your co-workers in front of customers?


Title: Venmo under 18, they want me to provide identification i dont have.

Question: I tried to withdraw $300+ to my bank account and they froze my account, requiring me to provide a drivers license or id. I dont have either, what do i do? Can they just take my money??

Answer: How did you open an account if you are under 18?


Title: Girlfriends mom is attempting to steal trust money

Question:
A little background - my girlfriend had a settlement when she was very young and was to receive a trust fund when she was 30. She just turned 30 this past March. Her mom has also always been a narcissistic and manipulative person. My girlfriend basically has no documentation because her mom has kept her in the dark.

Just this past weekend, her mom tried to bribe her dad(they are divorced) with a $5000 check to basically keep silent about whatever is being done with the trust money. We need legal guidance ASAP as things are already pretty dam messy. Also, my girlfriends mom had them open a joint account a few months ago because girlfriends mother said she was going to be putting money in there for her to get a car and have money etc( mother claimed she gets an annuity) I told her not to do this and get a lawyer awhile ago because it all seemed very shady.

Anyways we need immediate legal guidance. Note we are located in the US.

Answer: Assuming the mother is the Trustee, she has a fiduciary duty to her daughter and must follow the terms of the Trust Agreement.  If possible, have your girlfriend get a copy of this and consult with a trust attorney.


Title: Pulled over for lights off in rental car. Can I get the fine waived?

Question: I had to get a rental car because I had dropped off my car that morning. It's lights were off when I picked it up I suppose and I didn't notice all day. When I had to drive it at night I was mostly driving through well lit areas so I didn't notice. Even when I was on the highway I didn't realize until the cop pulled me over. He issued me a citation and a summons. Is there any chance that I could get leniency because I had only been driving it for 1 day? I'm willing to provide more details if you need it. This was in upstate new york.

Answer: No. You are 100% responsible to know how to legally and safely drive any vehicle that you are driving. Answer #2: No. Really no. In what world do you live in that you wouldn't know you had to have your headlights on when it was dark? How is that anything to do with having a rental?


Title: Owe 7k in child support, and went from $2600 a month to $1400 a month in net income. What do I do about decreasing my child support in order to repay my debt and pay regularly monthly?

Question:
Basically I began to owe child support when I decided to move away from my kid and her parent due to the manipulation from her and her family. I live in California and she lives in Oregon. I wasn’t able to pay the monthly payment when I moved right away and about 4 or 5 months total I owed. I began school and received BAH from the GI bill and used that to pay for child support. I started to receive the 2600 a month. I ended up living with a friend and their family after I moved and while they were job hunting I was supporting them and myself, (rent, food basically) I was paying for these things for close to a year and there were more months that I missed paying child support. Either from car problems for mechanic and parts or from bad spending.

In order to keep earning the 2600 a month I need to stay a full time student but the school i attend it is now becoming too difficult to create a schedule full time with classes I need. (Finished most general education and need only major courses and math). So I began looking for jobs and was able to find one through an agency (needed it fast to be able to keep paying other bills) I’m now making minimum wage of 11/hr, and idk how I’m going to pay back what I owe and pay the regular amount of 468.

I apologize for the poor timeline of events and all but i just needed to be able to write what came to mind.

Also I know that it makes me a pos for not making the payments a priority when I was able to afford it.

Any help is appreciated.

Answer:
 You can't lower it while you have an arrears balance.

So it sounds like you need to a) take bs classes that you can essily pass (along with the others) to get your load back up to full time, and b) finish the school so you can get a job that actually pays enough to allow you to pay and catch up.


Title: (CA) FBI called me two days after VPS said someone was running a phishing site on my domain?

Question:
Hello,

I just received a voicemail from someone claiming to be from the FBI, saying that they would like to talk to me and to call them back at x number. Obviously this is extremely concerning to me and I am quite worried.

Two days ago I had my VPS presumably hacked and apparently it was running some sort of phishing scam, I had not even setup the sever yet and it had already apparently been attacked according to the VPS host. The attack was hosted on a domain which had my personal information in the WHOIS and I assume that's how the FBI is calling me, although the email I received said it was hosted at a subdomain.

After receiving the emails from my VPS host I freaked out and was concerned that my personal computer had been hacked. I checked my settings and it was set to receive all incoming connections which it previously had not been set to. I deleted the VPS, my VPS account and my account associated with the domain and WHOIS after changing the information for fear of being associated with whatever was on my server and potentially my personal PC.

Do I need to call back the FBI? I don't want to somehow incriminate myself and run into trouble and If I don't need to call them back I won't. As far as I can guess the FBI was contacted by whoever was phishing and I guess they can get the WHOIS info to see who owned the domain? Shouldn't the VPS host tell them my account was compromised? The voicemail left just said "wanted to talk", I am pretty panicked.
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: Don't call back at the number listed. But you could call the FBI office and ask for the agent and supposedly called you and see if it's a real person. If it is, then you may wish to retain an attorney to meet with them. If it isn't Then you may wish to notify the FBI about the scam attempt using their agency's name.


Title: Living in a hotel for good?

Question:
This is purely knowledge based, since I am not rich. I've been fascinated with hotels since I was a child, I will sometimes go to them for a weekend away being waited on hand and foot. Imagine for a moment I hit the lottery for some disgusting sum of money. And that I was stupid. Would it be possible to actually purchase a hotel room, but still maintain the benefits of living in the hotel? Eg, maid service, food delivery and things like that. As well as having the room actually cared for in terms of say, renting a suite and having it maintained as part of the property for the purposes or remodels and "under the hood" things

I'm interested in the logistics of such a thing. Can you just make an offer to the hotel with terms like that, out would codes or regulations stop you? Would it be more feasible to just negotiate a very strict renters contract for the room? Would you need things like lawyers, realtors and inspectors to sign off on it? Obviously you would likely pay a lot of money for something like this, but assuming I'm rich, is it feasible without giving a lawyer a heart attack?

Answer:
 Many many hotels allow you to purchase or time share rooms. Hard rock I know does. Yes you maintain all the same features and sometimes more.

[Link if you want to buy one](https://www.sandiegocondomania.com/condos/HARD-ROCK.php)


Title: Local Deputy Sheriff not abiding by US Constitution

Question: So federal law states that a deputy sheriff can not give a ticket on private property, unless under certain circumstances where you could harm others. I was given a ticket, by a deputy, in my highschool's parking lot right after school one day for flipping him off. I know I should not have done it but I can not go back in time to fix it. I also told him after he wrote the ticket that it is legal to flip off a cop and that he can't give me a ticket for that, he told me to tell it to  the judge. My question is that, as a public school the land it sits on is owned by the county. This means that it is private land correct? Not public. Which means that a cop can not give me a ticket on said land.

Answer:
 >My question is that, as a public school the land it sits on is owned by the county. This means that it is private land correct? Not public. Which means that a cop can not give me a ticket on said land.

You are as wrong as wrong can be without having some sort of mechanical wrong-maker. Answer #2: Few things, first drop the idea that a police officer cannot ticket you on private property.  They can.

Second, never ever look a gift horse in the mouth.  If you argued that what you did was legal and the cop agreed, he could have tossed that ticket and written you a ticket for something you couldn't defend against. You're right that you have the right to flip off a cop.  He is right that you should be arguing that with a judge. What you'd like to do after that is up to you.  You certainly could file a civil suit against the police department *if* they were dumb enough to put in writing that they were ticketing you for that.  If you want to sue, you need to talk to a civil litigation attorney ASAP because many jurisdictions have strict notice requirements that can be as short as 90 days.


Title: Received $100.00 cash tip as a cashier. Manager made me place it into a tip jar that gets split with the other 50+ employees. [VA]

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Tip size is no relevance if there is a legal established tip pool


Title: And CEO of my company called my wife, whom I'm in the middle of a divorce with, and told her lies. Is this grounds for defamation?

Question:
Long story short, my wife and I are legally separated, pending the divorce being finalized. I started to date someone in the company, and I think doing so upset our CEO. Today, he actually called my wife, and told her that he caught this girl and I together back before my wife and I separated, as well as that he tracked this girl using the GPS in her company car, and that she came over to my house last weekend when I had my daughter over (my wife and I agreed we wouldn't introduce our daughter to anyone we're dating until the divorce is finalized).

Both of these things are untrue. I think he did this out of spite, and seeing as how this isn't /r/relationshipadvice I won't go into that, but regardless, what he did has the potential to cause serious trouble in my divorce settlement. Hopefully it won't, but of course my wife is going to believe what he told her over me.

Based off of this, do I have any grounds for a defamation lawsuit against him?

I have text messages from my wife telling me the things he told her. This is my only evidence.

EDIT: I'm located in Texas.

Answer:
 If this is true, you may want to find a new job.Answer #2: Possibly. The thing is can you prove it and can you prove you have suffered harm?  Maybe, maybe not. So far you don't have proof. Slander is a tough thing to legally prove, and to be blunt you're standing on shaky ground by dipping your pen in the company inkwell. This may not be a fight you want to take on.

I see where you said the woman has left the company and you are meeting with the CEO. Sounds like you may be moving on to a new job too. Keep your thoughts guarded, see what the CEO says and then decide if this is really something you think you can persue. If so, speak with a lawyer.


Title: IAMA 25 (M), 17 (F) gave me her number. Want to know if I made a mistake...

Question:
Throwaway. This girl at work gave me her number, and I didn't think to as her age.

The only thing that's happened, is I made a joke about boob size - "Too bad they weren't bigger", and that I thought she was cute.

After awhile of talking to her, with convetsation only being platonic, I was talking to another work friend who said she was 17. I asked her, and she was. I told her we couldn't keep talking, and she said she understood.

Relevant info: We're in Kansas.

My question is: did I do anything illegal?

And secondly, but realistically marginally less important, anything immoral?

Answer: Don't joke about coworkers boob size and hold off on doing anything else until she is 18.


Title: Illinois Sherriff office has publicly released my health information that could place my safety and employment at risk. Do I have any recourse?

Question:
Throwaway account. I am a transsexual and had all records changed nearly 20 years ago. Drivers license, birth certificate, etc. (Surgery in 1999). I live stealth and do contract IT work and no one around me knows about my past. About 2 months ago a coworker asked me to wipe a used laptop (he said came from craigslist) for him and do a fresh Windows install. I do that kind of thing all the time for friends or family. About a month ago I woke up to police at my door looking for said laptop. After 2 hours going through my house they didn't find the laptop among 40+ computers here, however they found a bong in the basement belonging to a roommate. The roommate wasn't home, police said my name is on the lease so charged me with possession of drug paraphernalia. I told them, " take prints off it and i'll pee in a cup right now. I have never touched it and never done drugs or even smoked a cigarette" Didn't matter, I got charged. I went to the police station, was fingerprinted, booked, sat with other women there, went before a judge and released on bond. At one point during the booking I did tell them when asked what my birth name was and they acted super professional and as if it was a non issue.

So the other day I googled my name as I'm interviewing for new gigs and didn't want any surprises, and I see the county has a link with my name and this arrest. I am confident with my lack of a record and no drugs ever in my history that I will beat the possession charge, however the county released the mug shot, with gender listed as male. To my mind this is basically releasing confidential health information that is not excusable - Illinois does have protections for trans people, but does anyone have any idea if I have any legal options to get this taken down or even to file some kind of complaint against the Sherriff for this?

I live in a quiet suburb and worry now about my safety, and while I think I can explain the possession charge after I beat it, "Male" next to my photo is much harder to explain.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 >Didn't matter, I got charged.

You possessed the bong.  Check out the theory of 'constructive possession.'

>I am confident with my lack of a record and no drugs ever in my history that I will beat the possession charge

Well, your confidence is misplaced.  You need to get a lawyer.

>To my mind this is basically releasing confidential health information

Your mind is incorrect.

Arrest records are public information.  You can ask the Sheriff to change it, and perhaps they will.

Of course, all that is predicated on this entire post not being a troll.


Title: Builder (in FL) wants me (subcontractor) to sign Non-Compete

Question:
There is a company and they do house remodeling and whatnot. I want to be a subcontractor but they require I sign a Non-Compete contract.  The company rep says that "everyone gets scared" when they see the contract but all it means is that subcontractors cannot do business with clients that the business is already doing business with.  But from what I understand, the contract says that I would not be able to work for **anyone else** in the home improvement field during my relationship with this company and for a year after the relationship ends, within 100 miles.  Can you reassure me one way or the other?  I just want to make sure.

This is the section that is relevant:

During Subcontractor's contract by Builder and for a period of one year after Subcontractor ceases to be
contracted by Builder, Subcontractor shall not within 100 miles directly or indirectly, either for Subcontractor's
own account or as a partner, shareholder (other than shares regularly traded in a recognized market), officer,
employee, agent or otherwise, be employed by, connected with, contracted by, participate in, consult or
otherwise associate with any other business, enterprise or venture that is the same as, similar to or
competitive with Builder. By way of example, and not as a limitation, the foregoing shall preclude
Subcontractor from soliciting business or sales from, or attempting to convert to other sellers or providers of
the same or similar products or services as provided by Builder, any customer, client or account of Builder
with which Subcontractor has had any contact during the term of contract.

Answer: That's way too broad. I highly doubt that would ever hold up in court. You know any of the other subcontractors on the job? I'd talk to them about it and see what they've done.


Title: Does your signature legally have you be your name?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Not in the US

Other jurisdictions may vary


Title: Not quite vigilante, not quite bodyguard...

Question:
This post is in regards to the activities of a close friend of mine (we'll call him Eli), who I've just recently found out is helping people in abusive relationships.
Eli has been operating in WI for a little under a year. Eli finds personal value in what he does, and refuses all offers for compensation, monetary or otherwise. The majority of what he does are things like helping with moves out of town/state, watching pets, delivering divorce papers, and providing contact with abuse shelters.
Eli has a network of several dozen individuals, who (for the most part) do not know each other or that he does this regularly. These people refer friends in need to him, and occasionally provide assistance with transportation or coverage at work/ school.
Eli is a proficient in multiple fighting styles and is a capable lockpick.

Concern 1: He sometimes picks the locks of a residence at the request of homeowners who have been locked out by abusive SOs. He checks to make sure their names are on the deeds prior to entering, but the homeowner is not always there. Can this be considered unlawful entering?

Concern 2: Sometimes the abusive SOs track down the individual Eli is assisting, and threaten or make an effort to attack them and their family members. So far, Eli has prevented them in being successful. These encounters typically end with the abuser sustaining multiple broken bones and bruises. He has also been assaulted while delivering divorce papers, and the results were similar. Eli does not use weapons. Where is the line drawn in these situations?

Concern 3: Eli has third-hand (friend of a friend) access to a firearms registry. He had checks done for the names of abusive SOs. Is this illegal?

Concern 4: Police have not been made aware of his involvement in any of these situations. Does he have a legal obligation to report? If he does not report, would it be considered fleeing the scene?

I've heard of 'real-life superhero' movements with legal backing, but he is not interested in joining any of these groups because he feels it would inhibit his ability to achieve results. Any guidance is appreciated.

Answer:
 Eli is not batman.

Eli should stop acting like/pretending to be batman immediately.

There are legal systems and options in place.  If Eli wants to white knight, he should do so by directing victims to the appropriate legitimate resources.


Title: [FL - Legal Ethics] I am a paralegal. If I pass the bar, am I obligated to inform my employer?

Question:
The quick version of the story is that I am a JD, sat for the bar, and get results in about 2 weeks. I applied for a paralegal position at a good firm and think that I would be happier there as a paralegal than as an attorney in my area. **I did not disclose that I took the bar during my interview.** Do I need to tell my employers once I have my bar card, assuming I have passed? Do I have an ethical obligation to do so?

I'm feeling really conflicted about not having told them at the interview, I told them "things had come up" and that was why I was not currently an ESQ. but didn't elaborate. For family reasons I did not take the July bar but did take February. I did not want them to pass over me because I do want this paralegal position and I know that they would not have wanted to hire me thinking I would only stick around for a few months. I really want to be a part of this company and I think that the paralegal position is ideal for me in terms of stress/hours to pay, so that's why I'm planning on staying a para if I am still able.

I just want to know what the Florida rules say about this, since I did not see anything about it while I was studying for the bar.

I also realize that if I didn't pass, this is a non-issue, but pre-results jitters have the best of me right now and I'd rather know ahead of time what I need to do.

Answer: Having passed the bar is not the same as being sworn into the bar. In either event, I don't think you have any affirmative duty. Even licensed, you could walk into Publix and apply for a job as a bagger.Answer #2: If I were you, I would very carefully read through your state's rules of professional responsibility. Not because there's going to be anything in there about disclosure to your employer, but because you may have responsibilities to your clients that a paralegal wouldn't. I doubt there will be an issue, because the paralegal is generally directed by lawyers, who are bound by the rules you would be - but I think you should go through the rules very carefully to make sure.


Title: Minor in possession of 10 doses of acid.

Question: Ok so I know I fucked up really bad, but I was caught with 10 tabs of acid recently as a minor. However, the information online about posession as a minor is super limited and I havent been able to even get an idea as to what I'm looking at legal punishment wise. I had no intent to sell the drugs, and this would be my first criminal offence. Has anyone out there had any experience with this or could perhaps somehow shed some light on the subject for me?

Answer: well it's a felony, get a lawyer. you're going to need it. hope for the best but expect the worst.


Title: [TX, USA] 3 Days Notice / Termination of Lease Notice (College dorm). Scared, don't know what to do.

Question:
I currently owe $1391 on my account. This is the equivalent of just under 2 months rent (which would be $1540) (I'm self-employed doing digital commissions and making partial payments when I can, so that's why it's a weird number).

I'm looking for a second job right now so I can make bigger/more sustainable payments. But I don't have anywhere else to live if I get kicked out. I graduated out of foster care; I don't have any family to help me.

I have clinically diagnosed anxiety and depression, so I don't have any friends who could help either. My health insurance just got renewed and I just got my new health insurance card, so I can afford my medicine again, so I can actually do a job (around other people) and be a functional person and get my life back. But after coming home to this notice on my door, I'm so scared that it's just not going to matter anymore.

Is there anything at all can I do? Do I have any options? Is it even worth trying to talk to anybody running the residence halls if I don't have the money? I'm sorry if this sounds overly dramatic. I'm 20 years old and I don't have anywhere else to go; my body hasn't readjusted to my medicine yet either, so I know I'm not thinking this through as clearly as I could be, either. But I'm very worried.

Answer:
 > Is it even worth trying to talk to anybody running the residence halls if I don't have the money?

Yes, of course it is.   Dormitories have a specific purpose for college students, and it's in the college's interest to have you remain enrolled.   They can very likely work with you on a formal payment plan, rather than you just making erratic partial payments.

All colleges have student housing services and many have student legal service clinics.   Figure out how to call both of those tomorrow, starting with the housing authority that issued the notice.

If your dorm has a residence director, or residence assistants, they would be good places to start as well.


Title: Landlord towed my vehicle

Question:
Hello Lawyers of Reddit!

Heres my question:

Everyone in my apartment complex (18 apartments) received a letter on Saturday saying they would tow the vehicle on the back parking lot if it wasn't moved.  Like I said, the letter came on Saturday...  I was on my way out to get groceries and figured I would arrange to get it moved when I got back (the battery had died) within two hours after getting the letter on Saturday the vehicle was gone and towed.

I called the LL when I got home and asked why it was towed so fast.  He said he sent the letter out "last monday."  I looked at the postmark and it said Feb 19th.. it arrived to me on the 21st.  The actual letter itself has a date of Feb 13th inside... but wasn't mailed until the 19th.

The letter said the vehicle didn't look to be used and was causing an issue for plowing snow.  If it wasn't moved it would be towed.

I do understand that if they wanted me to move it I would if I was asked... but I was only given 2 hours notice before being told.    Long story short the LL got angry with me and said whats done is done and if I wanted the vehicle I had to go to the tow yard and pay to get it back.

My question is do I have recourse against LL for only given me a short notice or do I just suck it up and pay the towing company and storage fee?

Like I said, I would have gladly moved it if I was actually given the time to.
Incase anyone asks: It was in the parking lot for the APT complex.  I park my other car on the public street in front of the complex. I live in Minnesota.  And no, the towing company is not owned by the LL.

Thanks in advance!

Answer: To start, you should get the car out ASAP to avoid racking up more fees/costs. Then you'll need to refer to the lease to see what it says about parking. It's likely that they didn't give you proper notice, but if the LL won't agree to pay, you'd have to sue them (small claims).


Title: Unpaid bus rides, Pennsylvania

Question:
I'm working on a large construction job in Pennsylvania. Our paid work hours are 6am to 4pm. To be on time to work we have to be in the offsite parking lot and on the bus by 5:15 am otherwise you are late and are docked pay. We get to the job site at 5:45 and swipe our Badge to clock in then. We swipe our badge and get back on the bus at 4:15 and get to the parking lot at 4:45.

I believe this is wage theft. Would it be possible to organize a class action lawsuit against the contractor and get paid for the hour a day they take from us?

Answer: Routine commute times are generally not compensable. If you’re in a union, check with your rep.


Title: Neighbors barking dog

Question: Not sure where I should have gone but hopefully someone here can help. I live in an apartment complex. Our neighbors dog barks nonstop while they are out of their unit. This unfortunately is from 7pm-2am when both my SO and I are trying to sleep. I have tried talking to directly to the neighbor, contacting the courtesy officer and also contacting the property management. Nothing seems to have been done aside from a letter given to the tenant and a phone call. My building went no dogs mid summer and this tenant moved in in the early fall. I would think that property management would have some ground to stand on from them violating the terms of their lease but again nothing is being done. Not to mention I was told that the woman stated that they do not have a dog. This is going on three weeks and I feel the only thing I have left is to call the local police to file a noise complaint. But if they aren't home who does the police officer talk to?

Answer:
 Dog Law specialist here.

Call the police non emergency line and make a complaint. Let the police take it from there.


Title: [TX] Does a server have to pay for money stolen from their serving book?

Question:
My husband works as a server in a family-style restaurant in Texas. When I asked him how his day was at work, he told me he was upset because almost $50 was stolen from his server book. According to him he had turned his back to do something and his book was gone. When he found it, his money was gone. He has reported it to his bosses, who told him they'd check the cameras, although they didn't specify when.

My concern is that the boss in question doesn't like him very much and may not be of much help. What I do know is that he can be fired for mishandling his money by leaving it unattended. My question is, can they make him pay for that money even if it was stolen? Are they obligated to check the cameras to find out who it was?

Answer:
 [Texas](http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/txstatutes/LA/2/C/61/B/61.018) prohibits an employer from deducting anything from an employee's wages unless:

* ordered to do so by a court;
* authorized do to so by state or federal law (ex. taxes); OR
* the employee gives signed, written consent to make deductions for a lawful purpose.

Unless he signed something saying he's liable for stolen cash, the employer's only recourse is to fire him.

The answer to your remaining question is that the employer is not obligated to investigate the theft any further.


Title: K1 Visa denial

Question:
Hi guys.

My American friend (not me for real LOL) got engaged to her Pakistani fiance and filed for the K1 Visa. Her fiance is her cousin but I don't know why but her family decided to claim that they are friends to get the process to complete faster apparently.

Anyways, her fiance in Pakistan goes to his interview and after 2 questions, he gets denied because they knew the lie about him being her cousin not her friend.

Now her family really wants to them marry and live in the USA, is there a chance that could happen and what would be the process?

Btw, the girl's mom was already filing for American immigration for her Pakistani sister (the guy's mom). So I think you can easily figure out through the background check that girl's mom and guy's mom are sisters. I told them that what they are doing is wrong and could be the reason for denial, and I turned about to right using simple logic which they could not understand.

Answer:
 If they cannot legally marry, then he cannot enter on a fiance visa with your friend as the intended spouse. It's that simple. Many, but not all states, bar first cousins from marrying.

Lying on these forms and getting caught also means he's going to have a very hard time entering legally in the future, either as a guest or as an immigrant. He's almost certainly flagged as a high risk for more attempts at visa fraud. If he wants to try again, he should give up on this K1 process, and he should hire a US immigration attorney rather than taking advice from his family.

Your friend is somewhat lucky she didn't lie as well - she could face jail time (and possibly lose her own status, if she's a non-citizen) if she does.


Title: AB Canada - Neighbor removed fence, not replacing

Question:
Hi all,

I own a rental property and in July the neighbor (owned by a corporation) removed our shared fence to install a new sidewalk. The project was finished in just over a week. Around two weeks after they finished I began to call their office to get an estimation on when the fence will go back up. They have repeatedly dodged my calls, not answered emails, bounced me to people who are never in the office etc. I have yet to actually speak with anyone other than the receptionist.

My tenants are complaining and winter is coming. I need this fence back up. What are my options?

Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 Hi. I recommend you read LINE FENCE ACT  - [http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/Acts/L13.pdf](http://www.qp.alberta.ca/documents/Acts/L13.pdf)

&#x200B;

This is a great resource, and it sounds like you could be compensated if they didn't give you written notice that they intended to remove the fence. (if its a shared fence you have to agree on any changes) Also, its something to note, that if you did agree to have the fence removed you would be liable for an equal cost to have it removed. Likewise, if you wanted to put a new fence up, both owners must share the cost.


Title: Asking for nudes

Question: Is it illegal to ask someone who has  nudes of another person ( well over 18) on Anon Ib in Maryland?

Answer: Is there a latin phrase for "If one must ask, one should not do"?


Title: Served garnishment papers to a company, but the company has not responded after a month

Question: I won a claim against another person and had garnishment papers served to his employer. In California, the law is that the employer must respond within 15 days, but they have not responded after a month. . Talking to the sheriff's office, there is no enforcement for this. What do I do now?

Answer: Consult your attorney. The police won’t enforce civil matters like this. The next step is probably a letter or a court order.


Title: Kid got pretty banged up due to city negligence (MO)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Was he legally permitted to ride a scooter on a walking trail?  Are you sure that the city won't just argue that your kid was proceeding at an unreasonably dangerous / unsafe speed and missed an otherwise visible danger due to *his* reckless actions?

Regardless, subsequent remedial actions designed to reduce harm aren't typically admissible as evidence of negligence.  If they were, no one would correct harmful / dangerous conditions for fear that doing so would be a tacit admission of guilt.  I don't know how your friend is **definitely** sure that there is negligence, since a walking trail with a minor step isn't striking me as an unreasonably dangerous condition.  Someone may correct me, but I don't see it.

Feel free to speak to several attorneys and your insurance provider to see what you actually owe and then act accordingly.


Title: (CT) I own a landscaping company and a client refuses to pay for services and expexts s credit.

Question: Long story short im in ct and a client refuses to pay for change orders which actually are more than the original bill. Everything is in the ground at this point.  I was wondering if it was legal to take back plants out of the ground adding up to what this client owes me and remove them from the property. They arw saying its illegal however on paper they have not payed for the plants. It is a significant amount of money they are withholding so I'm backed against a wall on this one. Thanks for your help

Answer:
 don't trespass on their property. you can't repo.

sue them in small claims and get deposits or a CC hold in the future. Answer #2: You should file a mechanic's lien/construction lien against the property.  Since you have furnished supplies and services to materially upgrade the property, you can do what any building contractor can do and put a lien against the property until the debt is paid.  The owner will not be able to sell the property without paying you off; you'll get your money.

You must do it within 90 days of the work so do not delay.

Go to the town clerk of the town the property is located in and ask how to file a construction lien.

http://www.jud.ct.gov/lawlib/law/mech_liens.htm


Title: Is it true if I write my own will without a notary and mail it to myself it be considered legitimate? [Virginia]

Question: [deleted]

Answer: The whole mailing yourself something (patent ideas, scripts, etc) as proof has zero basis in reality


Title: Who has a better claim to ownership over a dog?

Question:
I really need some opinions here please.

So my brother and his wife moved in with my mom to save up to buy a house. But she told them they couldn't bring their dog. So they gave the dog to my dad to stay with him and his 3-4 roommates. Now two years later they are about to move into their own house and they show up and tell them "we're taking the dog to the vet" idk if they did bring her to the vet or not, but they did take the dog with no intention of bringing her back.

During those two years, they rarely if ever, I'm talking sub 5 times, went to visit the dog, bought the dog food, paid for vet bills or medication or nothing like that. Mind you they only lived about 5 minutes from my dad. So my dad and all the roommates took care of the dog, buying all of the things it needed and trained it and all that. Cause she was only a few months old when she first arrived.

And my brother shows up out of the blue and takes her without letting anyone say goodbye to a dog they've considered there own for the last two years. My dad wasnt home at the time and he didn't even know until I called him and asked about it.

Given all this context, who would you say legally owns the dog at this point?

Answer:
 The person who has possession of the dog is likely to retain possession.Answer #2: > Given all this context,

None of the context matters.

This is all that matters:

> So they gave the dog to my dad

Either they **gave** the dog, i.e. gifted the dog to dad or the dad was merely watching the dog. That needs to be cleared up and you need to review what evidence you have that it was gifted i.e. transfer of ownership/property. Otherwise, its your bro.

The context may give your dad cause of action for expenditures on the dog, but it could be argued that your dad gifted theses costs to your bro.

So what proof, and testimony is proof, that the dog was given.

Here is the biggest problem:

> So my brother and his wife moved in with my mom to save up to buy a house

If it was known to all parties that the only reason possession was transferred was due to a condition that was known to cease at some point, I don't think one can honestly say it was ever gifted therefore it is bros.


Title: 2 traffic violations for same incident in NYC

Question:
Hi all, as I was biking to work this morning in NYC on the busy 6th avenue I came to a rolling stop at a red light, saw that their was no traffic, and continued through. A police officer proceeded to pull me over afterwards. He asked for my license, and without discussing anything with me informed me that the mayor was cracking down on bikes and handed me 2 citations. A 403-1 for failure to yield and a 1111d1c for running a red light. Is he able to give me 2 tickets for the same incident cited at the same intersection? I hate bikers who buzz through intersections with no regard for anyone's safety as much as the next person, but this was all a bit ridiculous.

Thanks in advance.

Answer: Sure he can. It's two separate infractions. Just how you can be charged with arson and murder if you burn down a building to kill somebody inside. (a bit of an extreme example of course)


Title: Do I have any legal options in this fencing dispute?

Question:
Hello,
I built a fence around my backyard last year. 2 months ago someone moved into the house directly behind me and put up a fence around their backyard as well, using the back of my fence as the back of theirs, without consulting me first. I had not even met these people until this dispute.

My fence is a few feet inside of my property line. There are stakes marking out my property line on the outside of my fence.

When I challenged my neighbors on this matter they dismissed me saying it’s only a matter of a few feet and that neighbors should share fences.

Do I have any options?
TIA!

Answer: NAL but The issue is that over time they can try to claim part of his land outside of his fence through an adverse possession claim.


Title: [TX] Ex wont leave our apartment, and other issues.

Question:
My ex and I were never actually married. We decided to start filing taxes as a married couple many years ago. I have decided I no longer want to be with her, but would rather not go through the fees and trouble of a 'real' divorce.
We have an apartment (both names on lease) and a child.
I pay for 100% of everything, as she decided to work less and less over the past few years and now she does not work at all.

My questions and concerns are as follows:

- In our situation, are we required to go though anything official to get a divorce?

- She will NOT move out (or pay for any part) of our apartment. Is there anything I can do about this? She doesn't work and it would be very unlikely she could find a job that would be sufficient pay to cover rent/utilities/etc.

- I do not want to move, but if I were to, I hear I could be charged with abandonment, screw up my credit because I cannot take my name off the lease, among other potential issues. Advice or corrections to this assumption?

- Since she has decided to stop working (against my wishes), I am concerned about something Ive heard of called a Status Quo Order, or something similar. What can I do about this and what should I be aware of?

- Our daughter would almost certainly be under my care once I find a way to remove my ex or myself from the apartment. This does not appear to be a concern at this point.

I make just enough money to scrape by while paying for all of us, and cannot afford a lawyer. Getting anything done from a legal standpoint would be nearly impossible for me, financially.

- I must mention here that something seems very wrong about the way the legal system appears to be stacked against me on this. In some respects, Im getting the feeling that the more she leaches off of me and the less she does to be a responsible person, means the more rights and claim to my money/property she has. Is this ACTUALLY the way the law works in these situations?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Why do you think that the legal system is stacked against you on this?

Unfortunately, you cannot kick her out of the apartment if her name is also on the lease. The only thing you can do is either move out yourself or sue her for her amount owed if she refuses to pay for the portion of the rent that is hers. I do not know why you would have her sign on as a tenant if you are the only one paying.


Title: Put into new job role/title/responsibilities - it's been over 1/2 a year with no official change from HR/Management - Any legal recourse?

Question:
Myself and a number of others are in a bit of a pickle with our employer.

A number of us (under a dozen) have transitioned over a period of a year or more into a new role that is under the same org, but different title/position. (with what would be considered better pay for the job)

My question is, since it's been over a year for some of these folks to get compensated properly and given the title of the role they're preforming is there legal recourse? Can we go to HR to demand we be given compensation?

They've had us on carrots with lateral position changes for most of this time, but keep telling us management or HR is improving the process or need to decide on the bar they want to set for the role for the entire org, to me there needs to be a cut off for these things... It's gotten very demoralizing as of late.

As I couldn't find any good answers online any help is appreciated!

Answer:
 > with what would be considered better pay for the job

By who?

All your employer is required to do is pay you minimum wage. They could pay the receptionist $5000/hr and the CEO $20/hr if they wanted to. That's not illegal.


Title: I live in scattered site permanent supportive housing for the homeless in Memphis TN and I have a major maintenance issue

Question:
Hello.

I hope I followed the posting rules in my title properly.

I have lived in what is called scattered site permanent supportive housing for the homeless in Memphis TN.

On the morning of August 4th I has a sewage type backup from the kitchen sink flood my entire kitchen, entrance way, half of my living room, my closet and so forth.

It took until Monday August 7th for anyone to fix the issue.  For almost three full days my apartment flooded and receeded nonstop.

I personally started calling maintenance at 7 am on Friday, August 4th. The executive director of the program did as well.

No one has done anything but fix the plumbing. No one. I have been told to go back to living there as of this coming Monday and that everyone's hands are tied.

Either the program director or the management company have been lying or maybe both of them have. I have all hardwood floors but have been told I have carpet and that someone cleaned them. I then had the claim made that someone vacuumed out the water and treated for mold and physically went there in person and reported the fact that no one obviously did that at all and made my supposed case worker physically go there to bare witness to that.

On Monday I have to live out of unsanitary housing and was told that I am not permitted to call the health department or code enforcement to see if it is habitable.

I have pictures up the ying yang of everything. I have major depressive disorder with psychotic features and have barely slept or eaten properly since August 4th.

Do I have any legal rights?

Answer:
 No one can tell you that you're not allowed to call housing or code enforcement. Of course you're allowed to do so, and in my opinion, should do so.

If they kick you out of your housing for reporting a serious health hazard, they would A. Have to properly evict you and B. Be setting themselves up for one heck of a civil suit.

Edit spelling error


Title: [Portugal] Family being abusive--they don't let me sleep, steal from me, invade my privacy, etc.

Question:
Posting here on suggestion from a previous post, sorry for the broken English. I'm trying to keep it short and concise but it's not great.

I'm a 22-year-old male living with my aunt (early 50s). I have one other aunt, my mom, and an uncle. I also have a brother on my mom's side and my grandma. My location is a neighborhood in Lisbon, Portugal.

My family has had a behavior of being abusive my whole life. When I was 11 my brother became my legal guardian and I lived with him until I was 18.

My aunt has recently been having abusive behavior. Here is a list of the things she does:

She won't let me sleep--comes into the room, rocks the bed, makes noise and moves boxes. She goes through my things and reorganizes them or steals, I have a luggage and a backpack in my room. She exposes herself--she has never truly been naked but she walks around the house only using underwear sometimes. She also comes into the bathroom when I am using it and claims it is accidental. It must have been hours and dozens of times this past week that she spent doing this to me.

I suffer from fear of vomiting and she has also purposely left food out to make me sick.

I want to move out but I have no job and no money. Aside from the computer which I am using now I have very little belongings (a luggage and a backpack of things). I have considered changing the lock to the room but I would have to contact a locksmith. I can also count a time where my family locked me in (i.e., locked the door from the outside with no way to leave).

The house belongs to my family (my grandfather bought the house and when he died it went to my grandmother, who like I said has four children including my mom).

I'm afraid particularly because she can yell domestic abuse, vilify or falsely accuse me of something, etc. People that I talk to seem to be on her side (a lot has to do with her being a woman).

What is my legal recourse?

Answer:
 You can report anything you believe is illegal to police.

You can get a job, save up money, and move out.

You can leave to stay in a homeless shelter.

You can contact your local government to ask about resources for those in your type of situation.

You can ask to stay with other friends or family.

You can go sleep on the streets- although that is probably a last resort.


Title: Selling guns to a felon [Arkansas]

Question: If Person A bought guns, and person B bought the guns from person A. But person B has a felony. Person B is possibly going to jail soon, and is threatening to use the weapons if convicted. Person A has tried to ask for his guns back, but person B refused and threatened him. What are the things that person A should/can do to make sure he is protected? What are the steps person A should take? See a lawyer ASAP I am sure.

Answer:
 > What are the things that person A should/can do to make sure he is protected?

Invent a time machine. Knowingly selling a gun to a prohibited person is a federal offense. You can't undo that.


Title: [Update] Aunt and Uncle want UTMA Account back (x-post from r/personalfinance)

Question:
Original post [here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/37513p/aunt_and_uncle_want_utma_account_back/)

I know this wasn't a hugely upvoted post, but I really enjoy when OP provides an update, and I thought it might be helpful for anyone going through a similar situation to hear how this worked out.

To briefly recap, my Aunt and Uncle set up a stock account with both my name and my uncle's name on it under the Uniform Transfer to Minors Act (they did this for my sister too). This account was set up with 75 shares at first, but eventually it was worth about $15,000. I paid all taxes on this account and tried not to touch it, but my wife and I intended to use it to help put a downpayment on our first house. I didn't realize that additional paperwork needed to be filled out with the brokerage before cashing any of the stock. When I contacted my uncle to get the paper stock and submit the forms required, he told me that he didn't want to give me the full amount – that he only wanted me to have about $5000, and the rest was just “their money” that they put in the account temporarily and never got around to taking back out. Here's how things played out after my last post:

1. I contacted 2-3 local attorneys (I was bounced around as a referral between a few, since my situation was fairly unusual, and not many people in the area specialized in the legal field that would cover this kind of situation). I saved EVERYTHING, phone calls, emails, paperwork from the brokerage, and kept it all in a big envelope. Turns out I didn't need it (more on that later), but it felt good to stay organized – kept me from feeling too powerless.

2. Before I could get the necessary paperwork into the brokerage, my uncle contacted them first. As I mentioned in my previous post, despite putting numerous notices to them, asking for notes to be put on the account, and requesting that they cancel the paper stock and convert it to electronic stock (since my aunt and uncle refused to return the certificates), their official position was to turn a blind eye and treat the account like a custodial account. This was my worst case scenario, because now this was an actual legal issue and not just dealing with the convoluted process of the brokerage. Logging in and seeing all zeroes was probably the worst moment of my life up to that point (although one has topped that since, but only barely).

3. I notified the brokerage of the issue (this was a huge frustration, because at this point I felt like the right hand didn't know what the left was doing from them, since I had made it VERY clear that I was not a minor, and was working on getting all transfer paperwork in), and I asked them to elevate the situation to their legal department. I continued to save everything, and let the attorney know that I may have to actually file suit. I didn't want to do this for a lot of reasons – not fun to do to a family member, costly, and extra complicated since the brokerage is on the east coast, the account was opened in the south, and I live in the midwest – where would we even file a motion to the court?? Side note: My wife was on the verge of a meltdown at this point, and was about 7-8 months pregnant. Life was not fun.

4. I continued to call the brokerage, and eventually had a mini-breakdown – I told the rep that I knew it wasn't their fault, and to transfer me as high as they could because I was going to chew someone out, and they didn't have to deal with that. When I reached a supervisor for the customer service department, I blew up a bit. I ended up chewing them out 30 minutes straight about how frustrated I am at how they've completely failed to handle the issue and have potentially cost me a lot of money. I didn't yell, but I did lose my cool a bit (I recorded this call, and I'm not gonna lie – it makes me a little bit happy now to re-listen to me going HAM on the company. It was cathartic.). And while this is not the best strategy, it also must have ended up making a bit of a difference, because...

5. I was emailed by a paralegal in the legal department immediately at start of business the next day. The supervisor must have finally understood how big an issue this was to me (and potentially how much of it was the fault of brokerage – I had recordings of me providing proof of my age over the phone, so they really couldn't claim to be ignorant about the fact that I was not a minor), and made it her mission to ensure that SOMEONE got back to me. This paralegal was able to freeze the stock that my uncle transferred. Since he hadn't cashed it, only moved it to his brokerage account at the same company, they still had easy access to it. The stock was taken out and then frozen. But it wasn't all good news. Because now they wouldn't just take forms from me to unlock the account – they needed either notice from me AND my uncle in agreement, or needed a court order.

6. Getting a court order, if my attorney even COULD get one, was going to be at least a couple thousand dollars as I was quoted. I have no idea if that's a fair price, because I didn't have a lot of options as my case was unusual. But I still had two last options – first, I contacted the paralegal and asked her to call my uncle and explain the fact that he was 100% wrong, and second, I sent [this email](http://i.imgur.com/ompKHCa.png) to my uncle with [this attachment](http://i.imgur.com/Nu1JZI3.png). As you can see, I pulled out all the stops on the legalese...I wanted this to sound threatening, because threats are free.

7. Apparently it worked, because before the paralegal I was working with could call my uncle, he called HER, and arranged for all the stock to be released fully as I saw fit. She created a new account for me on the spot, and everything was free and clear. Much rejoicing was had.

8. Some things I found out after the fact:

* My uncle was lying when he said that they put “extra money” in the account. The only investment ever made was the initial investment, everything else was just reinvestment and stock splits. He was essentially just trying to lay claim to the profits from stock he bought for me as a gift.

* My aunt and uncle are either bitter or ashamed, because they haven't spoken to me since. I don't want to contribute to bad blood, so I still sent them an announcement and pictures when my daughter was born, but from them – nothing. This wouldn't bother me, but they also were supposed to bring my g-pa/g-ma up for a trip at the end of the summer to see family, and they canceled, which is sad for me and my parents.

* The company that the stock was held in took a dive, so I lost money just by waiting to cash out either way. Such is the nature of the market.

* Nice attorneys are happy for people even when they don't get money out of it. The firms were very glad to hear how the situation played out, even though that meant I didn't need their services.

* My wife is much happier when we don't have financial issues :) Okay, I already knew that one.

**Aside from that minor family drama, now everything is good. We bought our house with part of the stock, and the rest is still sitting (waiting for the market to recover). My daughter is 1.5 months old now and is beautiful. Here are some tips for anyone with a similar situation:**

**LESSONS LEARNED**

1. No matter how stupid and bureaucratic a company is (and this company was pretty stupid), it is still made up of people. People can be compassionate, and people are nice if you are nice to them. The biggest help was when I made them understand my frustration, and when I started getting to know the paralegal and working with her. Even people who you are FURIOUS with can be helpful when you keep calm and treat them nicely. By the end of this I knew customer service reps and supervisors on a first name basis.

2. Saving everything, which is standard advice from Reddit, is great if you end up filing a case/going to court. Otherwise, for small consultations from lawyers, no one will bother to read all your emails/listen to your calls. Just keep that in mind in the early stages of a legal situation. It was good to have my huge, organized, exhaustive manilla envelope, and it made **me** feel a LOT better to cover my ass, but it stayed unopened throughout. Just be aware.

3. Money really does make people assholes. My aunt and uncle were already on the assholism scale in the past, but they were ready to cut contact with me for $15,000. For perspective, my uncle was VP of one of the worlds largest corporations. He is now retired and referees professional tennis for fun. $15,000 is not monumental to him. But it is to me, and he just didn't care.

4. A lot of financial documents require a “medallion signature guarantee.” You financial institution can usually supply these, but if you bank online, like I do, this can be vary hard to find. [Park National Bank](https://www.parknationalbank.com/Pages/default.aspx) was the ONLY bank I found willing to do it for non-account holders. **IF YOU BANK ONLINE, GET AN ACCOUNT AT A LOCAL BANK IF YOU DON'T ALREADY HAVE ONE.**

5. Your local bar association can provide a referral to a lawyer to handle your situation. That lawyer might not actually handle that type of law, but they can refer you to another lawyer, and so on and so forth. It might take a few tries.

6. Business hours are a bitch to work around. Don't try to handle any issues on the weekend, it won't happen.

7. Reddit provides great advice and is great to calming you down and making you feel justified, but don't forget to talk to lawyers IN PERSON, and to try to work things out without legal steps if possible. It's a hell of a lot easier and more expensive if everything can be worked out without cases/court.

And that's it. Hope this can help someone!

**TL;DR: Everything worked out okay, but aunt and uncle are incommunicado. My daugher is awesome. My house is great. I got my $15,000 back and life is okay.**
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer:
 One hell of an update. Thanks. I'm glad you were able to find a solution out of court. Answer #2: Wasn't sure which flair was most appropriate for this. I think Wills Trusts and Estates is kinda close? Maybe Contracts would be a better fit. Just like my experience finding a lawyer, this just isn't a hugely common area so I'm not sure what category it falls most into!Answer #3: Glad things worked out for you!

But didn't you also mention a twin sister? Did they do the same to her and how is she faring?Answer #4: Glad you posted this update. Hopefully your aunt and uncle come back around.


Title: NY charged with 3rd degree assault even though I was defending myself

Question: Long story short some guy showed up to my house because I was having a get together and some girl was there he was talking to. He came to my house with his friend and started immediately being aggressive to the couple of people outside. I got a phone call from my girlfriend's friend saying an altercation was going on outside, so I ran out immediately. A few seconds of screaming and being drunk  occurred before one of the people aggressors threw a punch at my friend, where we proceeded to fight them 4v2. We tried to keep the fight limited and not do a lot of harm because of the odds but one of the aggressors wouldn't stop coming at us and ended up getting pretty hurt by us including several face bruises and a chipped tooth. My girlfriend and her friend were outside and directly saw what happened from the beginning and both told me the two aggressors came there directly looking for a fight, saying things like "we're here to fight such and such, where the fuck is he". (Later on I found out this was all about some girl on tinder that the aggressor was talking too and he apparently got mad about her saying she's at my house because he previously had been in a drunken fight with one of my roommates that was a lot less serious at the bars at our school). Later that night I'm walking home from the bars around 3 am and I happen to walk by with a few of my friends where this person lives (coincidentally, it's a small college town and his house is the next street over from the bars). I hadn't known that was where he lives and was just passing it because that was the direction my house was in. Next thing I know me and my friends are being interrogated by police infront of the house because the two aggressors called the police and were as it seemed talking to them for a police report (Later that week, one of the aggressors contacted me and told me they didn't mean to call the police on me or anybody but just wanted a police report for insurance purposes). Next thing I know the police arrest me and keep me in a holding cell all night and let me out in the morning with a charge for assault. They gave me a deposition with the two aggressors and their statements which are maybe 1/4 truth and 3/4 them trying to cover up the fact that they started the fight in the first place and were the ones that came to my house. (Their statements say things like, "I was just walking by some house on my way to the bars", even though my house is in the opposite direction than the bars from where they started. I talked to both of the aggressors civilly and they told me they were going to drop the charges on me. Today I had court and I didn't  get a lawyer for that reason. At court they told me I need a lawyer because I'm facing a year in jail because of the assault even though it was in self-defense on my property from trespassers. The police didn't take a statement from me or any witnesses, but are only going off the fact that the other party called them first and had visible damage to them. Now the court is telling me I need a lawyer but I can't afford to drop a couple thousand dollars right now, especially for something this ludicrous. Is there anyway I can avoid going to court again? I plan to talk to the other party again and try to have them be pro-active about contacting the court about dropping the charges but I feel they might be deceiving me in order to get their injuries covered by insurance. Can I counter sue them for my legal fees if I have to get a lawyer? Their statements are lies and they can be proven to be by witness testimonies and circumstantial evidence of their statements that show they didn't tell the truth. Also, my property has cameras around it but the landlord doesn't want to let me have access to the film. Can I suboena him into having the court look at the footage (I don't even know if it shows anything as my landlord wont let me see it). Basically, am I screwed here just cause they called the cops first? Is there any way to get out of this without appearing in court with a good lawyer? Thank you for your help.

Answer:
 >Is there anyway I can avoid going to court again?

Hire an attorney that can convince the DA to drop the charges. But you have been charged with a crime. It won't just go away at this point. The other side cannot do the charges. There DA is the only one that can drop the charges.

>Can I counter sue them for my legal fees if I have to get a lawyer?

For what? Unless you can prove they outside lied and made a false police report: no. And it isn't counter sue. The state is bringing charges against you. You cannot counter sue the state.

>Can I suboena him into having the court look at the footage

Yes


Title: Haven't talked to sister since Saturday, her husband is acting suspicious.

Answer: This is a pretty dumb troll followup.Answer #2: Well, at least we know it's a troll now.Answer #3: 0/10 would not troll again.


Title: Seattle, WA Hypothetical

Question:
 Could Someone Sue a Fossil Fuel Company for the Death of a Loved One due to the Heating of the Earth?
Question:I've had this question floating around my head the last few days. It's been hot around here for the last few weeks and I've seen the news about the heat wave torturing the rest of the US and I suddenly thought "can a person sue a fossil fuel company for the death of a loved one caused by the high temperatures caused by climate change?" So what do you all think? Can someone do it and win or would a judge just kick the lawsuit to the curb?

Answer: Not a chance. Answer #2: Um, you say you're in Seattle and that it's been "hot for the last few weeks."  Your idea of hot is vastly different than mine.  It has been a mixture of rain, clouds, partial sun, a few nice days sprinkled in, and then more clouds and rain.  I'd hardly call it hot.  The warmest day we've had in the past few weeks was only in the 80's.  http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/seattle-wa/98104/july-weather/351409