Title: Received a speeding ticket in NJ under extreme circumstances, how should I fight it? Trial by letter or showing up in court?

Question:
I was on the highway at 8:20am where it was raining and foggy. There was a 16 wheeler taking up the center lane, and the splashes from its rear tires stretched out 15 feet behind it reducing visibility even further. The highway was dead empty, and there was only one other car on the road (in the right lane ahead of the truck). In order to avoid the splashing from the rear tires of the 16 wheeler I switched to the left lane rather than driving directly behind the truck.

After close to a minute of following the 16 wheeler in the left lane and trying to stay out of its splash zone I decided to just speed up and pass it. The truck was going about 70 (speed limit is 65), so I sped up to pass it. As I approached on the truck I noticed flashing in my rearview. I immediately pulled over, not passing the truck like I had planned.

When the officer came over he informed me that he was tailing me for close to a minute. He said I was staying excessively long in the left lane which is only for passing, and that I was speeding at 82 in a 65. Obviously I needed to speed up to pass the truck which was going 70 (and the car in the right lane ahead as well was going above the limit) but the officer said that I was taking up the left lane which is why he pulled me over.

He told me that since I have a clean record (only one minor violation 2 years ago) that he is NOT going to write me up for taking up the left lane, which he said is a harsher punishment. He said that he is going to write me for 74 in a 65 which is lower than the 82mph that he clocked me in at. I didn't talk back or say anything to plead my case. I thanked the officer and politely went on my way. The officer mentioned that I don't even need to show up in court, I can simply pay the 85$ fee by mail when I plead guilty.

I do not want the guilty plea because I am under a new lease, and the violation comes with 2 points. Also the car is both leased and insured under my father's name, and while I am on the insurance policy, I would prefer not to have the insurance company see that I was speeding in 'my father's car' (only I use the car, and fully pay for it). I believe that these were extreme circumstances for my ticket. The visibility was extremely low, the conditions were slippery, and I did what was reasonable in that situation to avoid an accident. Also I was going at the pace of traffic (if anything I was going slower since both he truck and the car in the right lane way ahead, were both ahead of me).

The municipality is slightly over an hour away from me so I was planning on fighting the ticket by mail. I was going to write a letter to plead my case. I read that the officer has to submit his own written plea to combat my plea, and if he does not, the case is automatically dropped. If need by I will drive to the municipality to plead not guilty, and take the case to trial on the off chance that the officer does not show up. Lastly, I have an option to plead with the prosecutor for a different sentence which does not carry points on my license, though I would prefer to not spend hundreds on fines that I do not believe I deserve.

I am strongly leaning towards a trial by mail. Is this a good idea?

Also does anyone know where I can find the traffic laws relating to speeding/traffic in NJ?

Thank you in advance for any and all advice.

TL:DR. I am guilty, and have no defense but am still looking for a more favorable way to end this case rather than a guilty plea.

Answer:
 I love that things like this happen when a cop cuts someone a break on a ticket.

I do not see a defense for your not-guilty plea, but good luck.  The best option, to avoid points, is pleading to the lesser charge.  Or hiring a traffic attorney who can work his/her magic for you.Answer #2: There were no extreme circumstances. You could have stayed far enough back to not be in the back splash and stayed under the speed limit. That would have been the correct option to take.

Speeding to avoid something, i.e. tailgater, is never appropriate and not a viable defense to fight a ticket.


Title: [Ohio] Ex-Girlfriend keeps trying to hack into my personal accounts

Question:
I was just notified today by Google that somebody had added a device to my account. Sadly, it is definitely her. The IP address that Google picked up from her computer shows where she lives.

About a week ago I had an odd email about somebody trying to change my facebook password too.

I'm worried that if she gets into my email she will be able to get passwords for more sensitive things.

Is there anything I can do about this? Last thing I need is her stealing my identity and ruining my financials.

Answer:
 Log on to your Google account and change your password immediately:

https://myaccount.google.com/security/signinoptions/password

Now go here and remove all unknown devices:

https://myaccount.google.com/security#activity

This site shows how to log your Gmail out of all other sessions:

http://teachingforward.net/2014/06/27/remotely-sign-out-from-gmail-google-drive/

Now go here and set up 2-step verification (also known as 2-factor authentication/2FA). This will positively stop her from trying that again:

https://myaccount.google.com/security/signinoptions/two-step-verification

Do a full security health check from there. Change your secret question and answers to things she doesn't know. Not just things you think she doesn't know, I mean give wrong answers only you know. If your mother's maiden name is Smith, change it to Frankfurter or something.

Go here and revoke ALL app passwords that may have been set up:

https://security.google.com/settings/security/apppasswords

Go to your Gmail and immediately inspect your email settings, specifically under the forwarding options and POP3/IMAP settings. Disable POP3/IMAP access if it's enabled, and make sure an email wasn't set up to forward all incoming mail. Because if so if you get a password reset it'll get forwarded to that person and they can still get into your stuff.

Go to Facebook and everywhere else and if they have the ability to set up 2-Factor Authentication, do it and do it now.

And it should go without saying, but I'm saying it anyway. Change ALL passwords everywhere to something long and complicated. DO NOT use the same password everywhere because if they guess the password to one, you're compromised everywhere.Answer #2: Contact the police, every time.Answer #3: Change all your passwords. Use something that isn't words and that she wouldn't guess


Title: I made a consensual porno with an ex. How can I get it removed from a website?

Question:
Six years ago while I was in college I did the stupidest thing and made a porno with an ex-boyfriend. I found a guy online who had his own site and shot the videos himself. The site seems low budget and all of the other couples on the site weren't well known stars, just everyday people wanting to try something new with their partners or to be able to watch themselves have sex.

I was CLEARLY out of my mind when I decided to do this but I thought I really needed the money. I had actually forgot about it until me and my now fiancé opened up about our deepest secrets. He didn't seem mad just disappointed because it's way out of character.  Being that the performance with my ex was weird and awkward, I thought maybe the guy never uploaded it to the site. And he never emailed me that he did. I just happen to go through some old emails and found the site and my video.

I was thinking of emailing him and asking if he could take it down. But I'm afraid that this will cause a series of unnecessary attention, he'll say no and then upload it to pornhub or something (if he hasn't already). The guy though was seemed pretty decent for this to be his hobby and didn't give off that type of vibe. But you never know.

My ex and I were both adults and it was consensual. We were paid $150 each and I think we may have signed papers. I can't remember the details of it. Also, this in the state of California. Any advice would be great.
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 >We were paid $150 each and I think we may have signed papers.

Signed what? The terms of the deal probably say that the video is his property, and he is entitled to do whatever he'd like with it. You are welcome to request that he remove it, but he isn't obligated to. I have no idea how to gauge his reaction, and why you think requesting its removal will set him off, but it doesn't seem likely that he will react to that request by acting vengeful.


Title: (CA, USA) My brother's GF is having a tantrum and breaking all the stuff in his house. What do we do?

Question:
[UPDATE: He drove back. The house is fine. Her text was a lie. Thank you for the quick replies and lowering my stress levels.]

They live together in a house under his name. She doesn't have a job and he pays for all their expenses (her phone, food, their bills, etc.). They have been having big relationship fights lately because he lost his job the week before Christmas. She didn't want him to visit my parents and me for Christmas Day. He left anyway and drove about an hour to see us today. She sent him a text message a couple of minutes ago saying she will break all the cabinets and make sure his house will be damaged so he can't sell it. If more info is needed, let me know.

I apologize if this isn't the place for this post. If there's a better place, please let me know. I don't know what we can do. Call the police? I want to help my older brother. Any advice will be very appreciated.

Answer: Call the policeAnswer #2: He can sue her for whatever damages she causes to the home.


Title: Boyfriend (24) wants my advice on whether or not he should buy his grandparents house they’re currently renting

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > TLDR; Boyfriend’s grandparents want to pass down an inheritance of a home to him, but the catch is that he has to put his name on it now and perhaps be responsible for the home. The grandparents and my boyfriend want my input, first instinct is to say no.

They would not be passing anything to him. There's no way to just magically create assets for his grandparents.  If he buys the house, it's already his house.  He'd start with the house and the debt associated with the house, and be left with a house and the debt associated with the house.  There's no "perhaps" about it.

What if one of them goes into a nursing home?  Where will the other one live?  Who will pay the mortgage?

It's not the end of the world if his grandparents have to move.  This is a risk of being a renter, landlord doesn't renew your lease or sells the house, and you have to move.  Or perhaps the new owner (not you) will buy it as an investment and let them continue to rent.

Also...I don't have a lot of faith in the landlord selling below market so he can leave money for his wife.  Why wouldn't he sell *at* market, and leave her more?  There's something fishy about that.


Title: Immigration advice - Dates on J-1 Visa longer than expected, can I stay? [FL]

Question:
Hello. First time posting on this sub, please excuse me if I made any mistakes and ask if you need more information.

I'm a foreign national who's been living and working in Miami since January. I'm doing an internship, and am currently on a J-1 Visa. I'll be working until the end of July. The plan after that was to go straight back home, but I'm starting to reconsider this.

My understanding on the J-1 Visa is that it is only given for a maximum of one year and it only allows me to work for the company that sponsored my entrance to the country.

I applied for my Visa only for the months I would be staying (January to July) and my DS-2019 has those dates as well. I've been using this DS-2019 for any application I've been required to do with the government: getting a Social Security, obtaining a drivers license, etc. However, the actual Visa on my passport has an expiration date in December 2018.

One other intern at the company is on the same Visa and schedule as I am and his Visa expires at the end of July this year, just as it shows on all his other documents. This leads me to believe that there was some mistake on my Visa application, but of course I'm not sure.

I'm wondering, are the dates on my Visa mistaken or does it not matter? Is there any chance for me to stay in the country after finishing my internship? Would I have the right to look for and obtain other employment for the duration of the Visa even if it doesn't match the DS-2019?

I will be contacting an attorney and try to get a free consultation sometime next week but I wanted to see if I could get some help here first.

Thank you all.
Topic:
Immigration

Answer:
 From the J-1 Visa [.gov](http://j1visa.state.gov/basics/common-questions/?aid=49)

>Your current J-1 visa is ONLY applicable for your current J-1 exchange program and under your current program sponsor. Upon completion of your current J-1 program, you are expected to depart the United States.

The error in dates on your Visa are somewhat irrelevant, however

> Upon completion of your exchange program, you have a grace period of 30 days to depart the United States.

You can enjoy an extra month or so, but you'd have to reapply for a new  J-1 Visa to work for another company


Title: Can I get in trouble for having sex with my girlfriend in a car on private property?

Question:
Backstory: I'm currently in a long distance relationship, and the next time we get to see each other will be at my parents hours for thanksgiving and the weekend following it. She doesn't like to fool around in their house, and while I have no such qualms I understand where shes coming from and am looking for other options, since its already been 2 months since we were last "intimate" and I'd very much like to change that.

My family owns a farm in Massachusetts, and I'm thinking we could drive over, park the car in a field, put down the back seat, and have ourselves a good time. How legal would this be? Its important that it wouldn't even be questionable, since we regularly have cops come and patrol around and on the farm (we like it when they do this, discourages people loading up their cars with pumpkins at midnight), so its not unlikely that they would come up to see what was going on with a car they didn't recognize at night. I've had this happen before when I was grabbing some stuff late at night in a new car, and they gave me no trouble once i showed my ID and they saw my last name is on the sign above the entrance (they know my dad personally, but not me), but I'm worried they might be annoyed if they caught us in the act. Would we have anything legal to worry about? The location I'm thinking for the car it wouldn't be visible from the road, but the car itself (but not the interior) would be visible from the parking lot.

I've done some googling to see if i could find my answer without bothering you fine chaps, but in all the cases I found in my (relatively quick) search, even when they said private property in the title, they revealed in the body that they mean somebody else's private property, and I don't need a degree to know that's a bad idea.

Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: If you can be seen from the street or neighboring property, you could get in trouble. If not, you have a reasonable expectation of privacy as long as you have permission to be on the property


Title: Please help me settle this argument with my dad

Question:
Hello Lawyers of Reddit,

I am 16 years old and very interested in the different kinds of governments. Recently I brought up two kinds of governments in a conversation with my father: confederations and federations. For a confederation, I used the example of the Confederate States of America. After a short dispute and consulting a dictionary, my father agreed that I was right. But when I used the United States of America as an example of a federation/federal republic, my father resisted with a series of arguments that I could not refute (along the lines of "well, why have I never heard the US referred to as a federal Republic?"). He finally agreed that if a lawyer verified that what I said was true he would concede.

So, my fellow redditors, please finish this argument once and for all! Is the United States a federation/federal republic or not? Also, please leave a little info about yourself at the end, so my father will know who this info is coming from.

Thanks y'all! :)

Answer: The US is a federal republic. The cia fact book defines as as such. [source](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2128.html#us)


Title: Can my parents prevent me from buying a new phone?

Question: I live in Colorado and am soon to be 16. I am desperately in need of a new phone but my parents say the only reason I have a phone is to call and text them. They don't want to let me buy myself a phone even with my own money. Can they legally prevent me from buying something with my own money?

Answer: Even if you buy the phone, they don't have to allow it on their plan. You being a minor will not be able to get your own phone plan.


Title: [NC & NJ] It appears me and my girlfriend have been caught in an adoption scam. How should we proceed?

Question:
My girlfriend (soon to be wife) and a friend of hers have an agreement to adopt her baby boy upon birth. This has been set for several months and lawyers are involved. They opted to do this without an agency to keep cost lower.

Earlier tonight, we were browsing the mother’s Instagram and came across some of her old ultrasounds (she is a mother of 2). Something didn’t look right so we compared the ultrasounds that the mother sent my girlfriend. Lo and behold, some of the ultrasounds that we were sent claiming to be of the baby boy due this year were of her first child from 2 years ago. As you can imagine, this is extremely perplexing. It seems that we have been lied to about the entire situation. This is very circumstantial at best, I understand, but that is all it has taken for us to view this as a scam.

The mom and “child” are in New Jersey and we live in North Carolina. My girlfriend and the mother knew each other well before my girlfriend moved to NC. We were planning on either meeting with the lawyer in the morning, or going to see the mother in person to see what exactly is going and why we were lied to. What should we do?

If more information is needed, please ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. Thank you.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Deal with your lawyer and not the other person directly until this is all sorted out.

Have you given her money?Answer #2: I would let the lawyer deal with it to be honest because unfortunately the women in question could delete evidence that you found (like the pics) and whatever else to tamper with the crime.

&#x200B;

Has an exchange of money been provided yet?


Title: Manager at work grilling me about a sick note

Question:
Posting on behalf of my GF -

GF has recently signed off sick for 2 months with a broken foot. Being off work for this length of time didn't help her mental health as she was already quite down (personal issues). She saw a doctor about that this morning who has advised she takes another 2 weeks off.

When my GF phoned work to let them know she was spoken to like shit on the phone! Her manager was demanding she tell her all the details of her mental health problems, even going so far as to ask her to slow down as she was writing notes "to give to HR".

This girl is new to the position and clearly lacking in people skills. We would like to know if she is massively overstepped boundaries and if so what's the best course of action? My GF does not want to return to work knowing that this girl knows everything about her life and is the sort to gossip. It's a small team within a big company.

Answer:
 I don’t think she overstepped boundaries at all (although she may have been pretty rude).

The manager needs to inform HR why your gf won’t be returning to work.    2.5 months off from work for a broken foot is a hell of a long time, so HR is going to have some questions and it makes sense that the manager would want to take notes to get the details right.

Your gf should feel free to communicate directly with HR about these issues as well if she is concerned about her privacy.


Title: I went into an AT&T store in CT, USA. Asked for price of wireless service, then asked for price of prepaid. Signed up for prepaid because it had no credit check. Notified via CreditKarma today AT&T made a hard pull despite not getting permission. Recourse?

Answer: File an FCC complaint.Answer #2: You can [submit a complaint](https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#crnt&panel1-1) to the FTC who oversee the Fair Credit Reporting Act.  You should also dispute the pull with the credit agencies as it was unauthorised.  Answer #3: I'd also submit that this isn't that large of a deal.  Within the last 5 years, groupthink has made it out as if a credit pull = bankruptcy.  This is not even in the same galaxy.  If you are worrying that a credit pull will lower your credit, your credit as of right now, is likely terrible.  While I would not let every Tom, Dick and Harry do a hard pull on me 4 times a week, I would not bat an eye to an occasional pull.  Its not something to go nuclear over.  Submit a complaint as stated to the FTC or live your life.Answer #4: Did they ask for your social ?


Title: MD - Beating up a child molester

Question: To preface this I am 17 and I live in Maryland. This is my first issue with the law. There's a guy in the area I was hanging out in at the time who had sexually assaulted two of my friends who were minors, he is an adult. We heard that he was in the area and went to go confront him, dumb move I realize that now. We pulled up beside him and he hopped out of his car so I hopped out of my car. We exchanged a few words and I saw his arm go back like he was gonna hit me so I hit him, according to the police, four times in the face. he then ran off and I chased him for a bit before deciding to stop. In all the commotion somebody broke his back window which is also getting blamed on me. Am I going to jail or juvie?

Answer:
 >Am I going to jail or juvie?

Impossible to say, but it's definitely a possibility. They could also charge you as an adult. Get a lawyer.Answer #2: You can certainly be charged as an adult. Hire an attorney right now.

If the police come to talk to you again you want to put this on repeat:  *I am asserting my 5th amendment right to remain silent.  I will not answer any questions without my attorney. I do not consent to any searches. I want my attorney.*  If they don’t immediately stop asking questions/taking to you then you keep saying that no matter how much they say it’s just a minor issue, they just need to clear the matter up, they don’t think you did anything wrong, it will be easier if you cooperate, or anything else.


Title: My significant Other works at a fast food place with a cop, the cop looked up my S.O's number at work and harassed us over the phone at night for drugs. (Michigan)

Question:
So i'm trying to keep identities as vague as possible because this cop is freaking me out...

Keep in mind, my S.O. and I share the same cellphone.

My S.O works at a fast food place with a man who is also a cop. A few nights ago my S.O. received a phone call on their cell phone from a private number, it was about midnight when the call took place.

**S.O:** Hello?

**Caller:** Is this ______?

**S.O:** Yeah...?

**Caller:** Are you available to get me a score?

**S.O.** NO, who the fuck is this, and why are you calling me so late?!?!

-------------Then my S.O. hung up the phone--------------------

After the phone call we were both pissed because, 1. how did this random person get our cell phone number, and 2. why were they calling my S.O of all people looking for drugs.

My S.O. figured that somebody from work had to have given his/her number out to someone, because his/her coworkers are the only people besides his/her personal friends (which would never do that) who would have  access to his/her cellphone number.

The next day my S.O. mentioned to his/her boss what happened and his/her boss told my S.O that he knew who did it because the dude did it while he was at work and mentioned to the boss that he was gonna do it. Turns out, its the guy who is also a cop.

This feels like harassment?  Can he even do that? The cop isn't even from our jurisdiction he works for a neighboring city. My S.O. (and I) definitely do not sell/or do drugs.

I would appreciate any advice on what to do, I'm very freaked out because from this experience, the cop doesn't seem like the kind to stick to the rules and I'm scared of him harassing us again.

**TL;DR Coworker who is also a cop got my S.O.s phone number from his/her work schedule and attempted to secretly get my S.O. to sell him drugs**
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: I know that this is wild speculation, but I don't think that this guy is a cop.  If LEO's need a little extra money, there are a lot of other jobs they can do that are more up their alley.  Private Security for bars/stores/warehouses is what comes to mind, or extra shifts being a LEO.  They love their overtime!  The pay doing that would be much better and alot easier than working at a fast food joint (especially in another city).  Who told you this guy was a cop?  If it was your boss, I'd question everything else your boss told you (that it was the co-worker who called you).  Again, this is speculation, but I'd be willing to wager a stanley nickel that a) your boss isn't being truthful and b) it's probably your boss who made the call.


Title: I've heard you can get out of a ticket if the officer screws up the paperwork?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: Windy piss, unfortunately. It's true that significant errors can void the ticket, but that's not significant. Significant would be "cited for entirely the wrong infraction."


Title: Is this legal?

Question:
Hi Reddit!!

Long time lurker, first time poster..  so I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask, but it seems the most appropriate.

I live in Tennessee - which is a "Right to work" state. We are repeatedly reminded of this fact by one of the Senior VP's. It's part of his "motivational" speech (read: fear and intimidation) at the company  meetings. He likes to remind everyone that since it's a "right to work" state, he could fire you on a whim with no cause, just because he doesn't like what you are wearing that day... Yes I know..  much motivation. So good.

Here is where my question comes in -

I work for company "A" - It's not a very large company by almost anyone's standards (less than 800..probably closer to 500) Our largest client .. we'll call them company "B" is SIGNIFICANTLY larger than our company.

Both companies are located in the same location and as such, a lot of the employees leave here, and go to company B because they  pay significantly better along with a myriad of much better benefits and is overall a better company (financially speaking) to work for.

Here is what I think is illegal -
They have a "Gentleman's agreement" that they won't poach employees.

If your resume says that you work for Company A - They aren't supposed to interview you..  If you want to apply for a job at Company B - you are supposed to REQUEST PERMISSION from your current manager ASKING for PERMISSION to apply for a job.

How in the hell is that legal??  I'm supposed to ask for permission in order to apply for another job, and with out a written approval granting me permission, the other company won't interview me.

Is this LEGAL?

Answer:
 Well, the term they're looking for is "at-will employment" not right to work, right to work deals with unions. That said, they may or may not be running afoul of certain anti-trust regulations depending on how exactly the agreement works.

They may not have any teeth to enforce you going to the other company, but you can still be fired if they think you're going to leave.Answer #2: This is still an area with uncertainty, but when companies are working together, such agreements are generally legal.

BTW, the phrase your boss/you is looking for is not "right to work state."  (That is Orwell-speak for union-busting.)  The phrase you mean is "at will employment."Answer #3: A company can legally choose not to interview any candidate for any reason except those reasons specifically prohibited by law.Answer #4: > since it's a "right to work" state, he could fire you on a whim with no cause,

No. Right to work refers to prohibitions on requiring union membership

The term he should have used was "at will".

Edit: "No" is not an answer to your question.


Title: {UPDATE}(FL) Neighbor repeatedly attempting to get into yard to pet aggressive dog.

Question:
https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2ybtom/fl_neighbor_repeatedly_attempting_to_get_into/

She was arrested last week for harassing gopher tortoises. My dogs can finally relax.

Answer:
 I suspect the relief will be only temporary - gopher tortoise harassment does not carry a life sentence. But under Florida law it is criminal, which is neat. Answer #2: Simple, anti-climactic, yet satisfying resolution.  Just like I like em.

Thanks for the update, OP!Answer #3: > She was arrested last week for harassing gopher tortoises. My dogs can finally relax.

I'm sorry this is the most r/Floridaman headline everAnswer #4: I hope this sets a good precedent for OP so that if needed OP can get a restraining order based soley on: "She insists on trying to pet my rescue dog who is very protective of me."

I think OP can avoid saying "aggressive" since "rescued abused dog" is code for "can behave in any manner if faced with crazy human"Answer #5: You can't touch them; but you can get a permit to dig them up and dump them elsewhere, or bury them alive in their burrows (where they die a slow, horrible death).

Only in the name of development, though.


Title: Friend in Wyoming had sex with a 15 year old, he is 19. She lied to him about her age, I have seen pictures of her and she looks at least 18-19. He is worried about legal trouble about this. She confessed a few days after they had sex, what advice should I give him?

Answer:
 Save all messages that show that she said she was legal age.

Cut off contact.

Talk to a lawyer.Answer #2: Cut off all contact with her or anyone related to her. If he gets a call from police/prosecutor/anything like that, call a lawyer, and *do not talk to anybody without a lawyer*. That's about it.


Title: My health insurance sent me a refund on premiums that were too high per Affordable Care Act law, however, the check has expired. How do I get the money?

Question:
This is in Michigan. I had mandatory health insurance through my university, as a full time student.
[BCN](https://www.bcbsm.com/index/health-insurance-help/faqs/plan-types/hmo.html) health insurance sent me a refund check to my old address on September.
And the check is valid for 180 days, but I only received it in December to my new address.
I did update my address in my university account, but I didn't know I need to update it somehow at the BCN's website.

Does affordable care act law specify the deadline for when a health insurance doesn't have to refund anymore? Am I still within deadline?
Which agency that can regulate/oversee BCN would be applicable in this case? Just for information.

Answer: You contact them and ask them to reissue the check. If there’s any reason they no longer have to, rest assured they’ll let you know. But you should ask even if there is such a reason.


Title: What’s with flimsy pseudonyms like “Person A” or “Individual 1” in indictments? Do prosecutors just enjoy being cute?

Answer: It's SOP to use pseudonyms like that in documents for people who may be related to a criminal investigation/charge in some fashion but are not the individual(s) actually being charged in those documents.


Title: [OH] Am I under any obligation to talk to a company I quit?

Question:
Hello, I work at a place that was not very kind to me during my time there. I was offered a new job and was wondering if I had any obligation to talk to the company after quitting.

I am not hiding any files or work I had, I just don’t want to talk to some rather abusive people who might reach out to me.

Thank you

Answer:
 Are you kidding?

The best thing about leaving an abusive job is when they call you for some information that only you know.

My previous employer called me a couple of months after I left to inquire where a certain product had come from in the past.  Unfortunately we weren't able to reach a consulting agreement so they had to dig through 3000 hard copy purchase orders to figure it out instead of me answering them in 30 seconds.

The gentleman who had to look through those orders just turned in his notice 4 months after I left.


Title: MD Neighbor Nightmare (update)

Question:
Original post https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3vo5k2/md_can_he_reopen_the_stet_warning_bad_language/

My husband called the neighbor's lawyer and asked him to ask her to leave him alone.  The lawyer sort of hung up immediately and then called my husband back.

He yelled at him for wasting his time and the court's time with the initial criminal complaint, claiming his client only "sprinkled a little water" on my husband.  He said my husband needed to "grow a pair".  He said his client had first amendment rights to say whatever she wants.  He then threatened to countersue us (we have a small claims case against the neighbor unrelated to the assault).  I think then my husband hung up on him.

I guess I'm curious as to what might be the purpose of this call and whether this is a normal legal tactic?  I know that my husband who is not the government can't violate anyone's first amendment rights (and that the no-contact order would hold up).

My theory is that the lawyer had his client dialed in on mute and it was posturing for her, btw.
Topic:
Douche

Answer: Why would your husband call an opposing lawyer?  Answer #2: I cannot imagine behaving the way you described that lawyer behaving. We have civility rules in my state, and if a lawyer spoke to a pro se party as you described (using the verbiage you describe), he/she could be in trouble with the Bar (private reprimand, etc.). Answer #3: Have you written a letter to the managing partner of her firm like you said you were going to do in the previous thread?


Title: [FL] My abusive husband threw me out of the house that's in my name (and other legal issues)

Question:
Hello

Thank you for reading this. If you could kindly remain objective about the issues below I would really appreciate it. I am in a very emotionally delicate place right now and just need some advice.

My husband of 30 years violently kicked me our house 6 months ago. I now have a small studio apartment I'm leasing and I'm much happier and starting over and safely hidden away from him. The house is a pile of dirt and is probably worth 100,000 at best. He put the house in my name at a time where I didn't have a choice. He did pay some of the mortgage but eventually stopped and we filed for bankruptcy. personally I don't want the house. He was involved in this foreclosure movement and somehow pulled off taking the bank to court... we have not paid mortgage on our home in 10 years and as long as we pay property tax we get to keep the house. I don't know what the logistics would be to sell the house considering this...

I have taken my husband's car... it is in his name but we're both on the insurance. I have always paid for the insurance and the car is a 1998 Nissan.

My husband and I lived undocumented in the US for almost 25 years before our oldest daughter was able to sponsor us for citizenship. He and I are now both permanent residents and will be eligible to apply for citizenship next year. I'm wondering how all of this will affect my oldest daughter legally considering she sponsored us both

I can't afford a lawyer. I work part time. My husband doesn't have a penny to his name. I am considering divorcing him but I prefer not to see or think of him at all. He has not worked in 7 years, I have legally been working since my residency came through 4 years ago. But throughout our marriage he would force me to quit my under the table jobs or get me fired because he didn't want me working and he didnt want to take care of our daughters. I'm worried if I divorce him I will owe him money... I make about $20,000 a year so I am pretty low income.

My questions are:
What are my rights? What should I be prepared for? What should I be legally worried about?

I know there's a lot of different crazy things going on... but any legal advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

________________________________________________

(I've posted this on another thread but thought it would be helpful here too)
Background:
To make a long story short... I am from Venezuela and I came to the US when I was 22 to start a manufacturing business with my then husband. Things were amazing until they weren't. Within two years he blew all his money on failed projects, women, weed, and a lifestyle he could not afford. I became pregnant with my first daughter and was homeless, unable to return to my home country before my visa expired and got stuck here in the US... undocumented.
He eventually apologized and got it together (for a time). We got back together and we've had this cycle on repeat for 25 years.
We have two amazing daughters (27 and 25) who have both graduated from great universities and work in computer engineering and programming.
My daughters have been graciously helping me as I finally was able to leave my abusive husband safely. I'll never be able to repay them but I hope I can one day.
Now I am finally free of him AND I'm a resident on my way to becoming a citizen.
I don't know how my credit is... I am afraid to check. He bought a house in my name years ago 20 years ago, which was actually really great for a long time until I found out he had opened credit cards in my name and we had to file for bankruptcy.

I work at a large supermarket and I DO have a small retirement 401k balance with 3% matching. I am paying for healthcare out of pocket, have a car that belongs to my husband (using it on borrowed time, I know), a rent of $800/month, and a dog who keeps me safe.
Leaning on my daughters is not an option. I want them to continue living their lives comfortably. They've paid enough for my mistakes.
Thank you again.

Answer: If the car is in his name, it is his property and must be returned to him before he tries to charge you with theft, just FYI.


Title: [Medical/Family] Are psychiatrists and clinics obligated to inform patient's family or contacts if the patient's condition poses certain risks?

Question:
For example, if a divorced mother with joint custody, who has a long history of depression/bi-polar, is at a certain point considered by her doctor incapable of performing her parental duties properly, does the doctor have any obligation to inform her family, emergency contact, or the authority? Or does patient / doctor confidentiality prevent such information being shared?
What can the father of the children do to help ensure that the kids will receive the care they need and prevent possible risks if such circumstances arise?

-Location: Texas, USA

Answer: If the doc thinks she's a risk to herself or others, she'll report it. That call is likely to go to CPS or something similar rather than you.


Title: My father passed away 2 years ago and companies are putting his debt into my name.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Try calling the relevant government agencies:  http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0149-debt-collection or http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/

That's pretty much flat out illegal.  You may also want to contact a local attorney, to see what kind of damages you could sue for.


Title: NYC: Landlord claiming they have to temporarily remove "illegal" walls for inspection

Question:
So my roommates and I have had occasional issues with our building management in NYC (as is customary), but in the past couple of days the shadiness has reached an entirely new level.

I live with 3 other people in a 4 bedroom apartment in NYC – a 4 bedroom that at some point was a rather large 1 bedroom, as there are a couple of improvised walls that were used to create the bedrooms. It's actually not so bad. Anyways, a guy from the management company sent an email to one (and only one) of my roommates asking to set up a phone call because "We need to come in and do some work in your apt and wanted to discuss." My roommate responded and said he's out of town but one of the others who's in town would be able to help. That was 24 hours ago, and we still haven't heard anything from this guy.

Fast forward to a few minutes ago, when two of our neighbors told me that the same guy had called them to explain the situation, which is this: the city is planning on doing an inspection of the building at some point in the near future, and the management wants to come in and take down all the improvised walls before that happens because they are "illegal", and the city doesn't know about them. Removing the walls would of course revert the space back into a 1-bedroom, which is no-bueno for the 4 of us who live here. Apparently this was discussed over the phone between the guy from management and our neighbors. He offered to put up curtains in place of the walls, which seems like a bullshit solution to me, or potentially to refund some rent money during the time when the walls are taken down. The neighbors told me they insisted on everything being put in writing going forward. The management has not communicated further with the neighbors (and hasn't communicated any of this at all to me and my roommates).

So – what's my best course of action here? Do we have any leverage? Our lease doesn't appear to make any mention of the number of bedrooms in the apartment, only that there will be 4 tenants living in the residence. We don't want modifications being made without being compensated for all this, as these are not your run-of-the-mill repairs, but rather attempts to cover up what the management knew to be illegal activity. Again, there is up to this point nothing in writing, and as far as my roommates and I are concerned, we wouldn't have known about any of this had our neighbors not just told us. Should we just insist of the building management that any and all communication with us be in writing from here on out?

The kicker is that our lease ends at the end of next month (July 31), so we fortunately don't have to deal with this for much longer. Still, we don't want to be left with the short end of the stick here.

Thank you for any help in advance!

Answer:
 Ugh, this is a nightmare OP.

This is called an illegal conversion and you should report it at NYC.gov

The reason being:
>Illegal conversions pose serious safety risks to residents and to the City’s first responders by creating potentially unsafe living conditions and not complying with Building and Fire Codes. They reduce a neighborhood’s quality of life by straining essential services, causing overcrowding and reducing the already-limited amount of industrial and manufacturing space necessary to support local businesses.

I would assume that if you report it and they come in and shut it down, you still have a lease with your LL which means they still have to provide you with a place to live. So they would need to get you another apartment, hotel, or something.That, or buy you out of the lease for negotiated compensation and moving costs.

Now the wheels of justice can move slowly though, so by the time this all wrapped up your lease may just be over.

Practically you could say you're not comfortable with this, you didn't know it was against the rules, and you want to break lease immediately. Ask them to pay you a month or two rent and your moving costs.

I would still report them after the fact though. If they want to rent that one bedroom out as 4 rooms, it needs to be properly renovated.


Title: [Wisconsin] Friend buying a new house with a loan approval from a nation wide bank. Seller is threatening to "cancel the contract" if friend goes with said bank.

Question:
My friend is going through the process of buying a house in WI, and they accepted a counter offer from the seller. The seller learned that the loan would go through a certain nationwide bank. The seller is now threatening to refuse/cancel the contract if my friend goes through that bank and not through a local lender. I feel like it doesn't matter who the loan is through. You're selling. They're buying (well the bank will be but ya know). Does the seller even have a say or can they even cancel because of something like this? Could the seller pull out of the contract for other reasons and claim it's not because of the bank?

(Update: the contract asks that the buyer have a second approval from a local lender. My friend already made arrangements with one prior the seller stating they would break contract if the big bank was used. The listing agent stated that they could still go through the big bank; however, my friend will play it safe for now and follow her agents advice. We appreciate the input!)
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 You can always pull out of a contract, you just face w/e ramifications as stipulated in the contract. Unless they were pulling out for illegal discriminatory reasons, they are free to do so. Your friend should just contact their agent and find out what the next step is.

If they want to find a local bank, maybe the sell can be saved. Personally, I would take it as a sign that house wasn't for me. Answer #2: The seller's ability to back out of the contract, without penalty, is written into the contract.  Your friend will need to review the contract to determine if this is an allowed reason.

>  I feel like it doesn't matter who the loan is through

It matters to the seller, clearly.  Possibly because they've worked with this bank, and know them to suck; possibly for ethical reasons; possibly for some other reason we can't fathom. Doesn't matter.  Either the contract allows for this or it doesn't.  Answer #3: I would move on. That is nonsense and a very weird seller. Don't do business with weird. However, if they want to pursue it then I would counter with a lender of the seller's choice but go in at 60% of what the price is currently at. Regardless at this point in negotiations the seller can find ways to get out. I would just F with them and look at other houses in the meantime. Weird sellers often = crazy sellers and crazy sellers don't have a great flow through rate. Answer #4: What's funny is a lot of local lenders and banks go THROUGH the big nationals on mortgages.  You would likely wind up having the loan sold to one anyway.


Title: Got into some trouble at work, what will happen to me? (embezzlement?)

Question:
I recently got caught at work, I had been voiding/couponing orders to collect some extra money at the end of the day. I was confronted about it, the cops were called, I wasn't arrested or anything because I was being completely cooperative and have no criminal record at all, but they had me write a statement, then I was let go. I was told I will be receiving a summons in the mail.

The total came to $800. I was told to show up the date of court with the money and the best possibly is that I will be fined and on probation.

That's all fine, I can get them the money, but I live in MA and researched embezzlement (which I assume this is) and it states that:

"Larceny over $250 is a felony level offense, for which you could be sentenced to up to 5 years in jail and up to $25,000 in fines."

Could I SERIOUSLY end up in jail? I understand it's over $250 but is it really jail-worthy? I'm young and had a clean record prior and just made a horrible mistake.

Answer:
 You did not "make a mistake."

A mistake is where you do something you did not intend to do.  You intended to steal, and you successfully achieved that result.

Bad decision?  Yes.  Mistake?  No.

Having said that, jail/prison *could* absolutely happen.  You committed a felony, and could wind up with a felony conviction on your record, whether you go to prison or not.

Get a lawyer.  Now.  Not next week.  Not when you get the summons.  First thing tomorrow morning, you're on the phone calling the lawyers you researched tonight to find someone to represent you in this matter.


Title: I'm an exempt salaried employee who missed 20 hours of work last week due to office closure (inclement weather). I did, however, work 20 hours in the week. Employer states I will not receive a full paycheck for this pay period. What are my options? -- MD

Question: [deleted]

Answer: they can't dock your pay for this. if they try to, file a wage claim with your state DOL.


Title: [CA] Landlord denying my boyfriend's service dog access to my apartment

Question:
Hi - I've never posted on Reddit before, but my boyfriend is a "Redditor" and said I could get advice here.

I recently moved into an apartment and my boyfriend who lives an hour away visits on weekends and always with his service dog.

He has a doctor's note verifying his disability and need for a service animal. His dog is incredibly well behaved, goes every with him, and is trained to provide a service in accordance with his disability.

My landlord told me I needed to pay a pet fee after seeing my boyfriend with his service animal, but I said he is a service animal. He then said the dog had to be registered to the city and was forbidden until then. My boyfriend looked it up, called the city, and knows this is not true.

My boyfriend has dealt with this before and decided to just send his vaccination records and doctor's note as a courtesy, along with a FAQ from the ADA(His words not mine). He said it usually calms landlords down because the doctor's note is the all a landlord can ask of a tenant, and he's not even a tensnt.

Long story short, my boyfriend says he has proven everything he is legally required to, and then some. However, the landlord continues to say the service animal is not allowed on the premise. He is asking for training records and says the doctor's note is not enough to verify. My boyfriend thinks he's wrong, so I wanted to get some legal advice and here I am.

What can we do? Can I be evicted? Can he forbid a service animal from my rental unit?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Just to be clear, is this a service dog trained to perform specific tasks related to an established disability or an ESA recommended by a mental health professional?


Title: Car towed from apartment complex while deployed to another state

Question: I have an apartment in California and a derelict car. I was planning on scrapping it or fixing it but I got deployed early. The apartments talked to me about it about a month ago. I told them I would take care of it in about a month. I was waiting until next weekend where I get a longer weekend to go back and square it away. My neighbor informed me today that it was towed away. I wasn't given any notice that I know of. Maybe they put something on the car or in the mail, but I'm out of state. The apartment complex should know I'm out of state. Is there anything that can be done about this since I wasn't properly informed about the situation?

Answer: It sounds like they informed you a month ago they wanted you to move your car.


Title: bf and roommate both just got fired?

Question:
So my boyfriend and roommate work for the same window installation company and they've been working with them for about 2 weeks now. My boyfriend has been a professional window installer and has worked for major companies, he was more than qualified for this position. My roommate doesn't have nearly as much experience but he does have some.

 Well unfortunately my boyfriend has been sick for the last 2 days and couldn't make it to work.  He called in and Scott (boss) said to just call him in the morning to let him know if he'll be able to make it. It's day 3 and my boyfriend is still really sick and hasnt been out of bed in days so he called in and the boss just fired him on the spot. I understand he isnt obligated to hire someone who isn't showing up and they haven't been working together long so first impressions are everything... But really? He literally couldn't control being sick.

Well, not only did he fire my boyfriend on the phone. He told him to tell Blake (roommate) that he was fired too. Except he gave no reason for Blake. Blake hasnt missed a day of work since they started,  he has worked hard and shown up on time. Blake didn't do anything wrong.

We just moved to Denver. Is there any type of wrongful termination law in CO that might help Blake? Or is the boss free to do whatever he wants?

Answer: Colorado is an at will employment state. Absent very few reasons for being fired (being a member or a protected class) or an employment contract, the employer can fire anyone at any time. Just as your boyfriend and roommate are free to stop working for that employer whenever they wish, the employer is also free to terminate employment whenever he wishes.


Title: Vehicle Towed from apartment Complex (Dallas, TX)

Question:
Edit: I can see that everyone wants to wag their finger at me. I get it, I wasn't "supposed" to park there. I'm not "supposed" to take up two parking spots or park on the grass either, but if I do that at an apartment complex that I'm a tennant of and I get towed it's an illegal tow. Please help answer the question if it was a legal tow.

My questions are: do I have legal bearing to claim that this is an illegal tow and receive compensation for damages in small claims court? What damages are applicable outside of what I pay the storage facility? Do I need to get a lawyer? (offshoot question) what spaces exactly count towards the minimum requirements for off-street parking in the city of Dallas? (garages? Gated spots only? Do the parallel spots on the apartment complex owned land count?). And does the calculation for required spots add all square footage of living space together, or is it each apartment calculated individually? (iirc, it's required for 1 spot per 500 Sq ft living space. Is 2 800 Sq foot apartments 3 spots or 4?)

My vehicle was towed from my apartment complex either last night or this morning. My understanding of Texas law as it pertains to parking in apartment complexs is that there are few restrictions on parking.

I was parked in a conspicuously marked, diagonally striped, spot next to a handicapped spot. There were no "no parking" signs or markings on that spot to denote it being a tow away zone, nor was it labeled as a fire lane or any other markings than the diagonal white lines. This spot does not block ingress or egress from any garage, other parking spot, garbage receptacle, or otherwise. Up until about 6 months ago it was a regular spot until the handicapped spots were added. As this occurred after I entered into lease I'm fairly certain that there is no lease agreement not to park in such spaces, as none had existed at that time. I will double check however.

I am primarily referencing:

 https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/towing/towinglaw.htm#2308253

From that, it appears as though it was an illegal tow unless I have signed an agreement that I wouldn't park there.

I also believe that my apartment complex does not have the legally required off-street parking but I am not sure how exactly to calculate the number required, determine which spots help satisfy that requirement, where or how to file a complaint if they are not in accordance with the law, or how to get remedy for or calculate damages.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

edit: the handicapped spots were not marked with a sign nor were they marked as Van accessible, both of which are required when applicable.

Answer:
 > There were no "no parking" signs or markings on that spot

Diagonal lines are "no parking" markings.  That wasn't a legitimate spot, of course you can't park there.  Answer #2: You think your lease needs to specifically mention that you can't park in no parking areas?

Diagonal line areas next to handicap spots are to allow handicapped people room to get in and out of their vehicle. Answer #3: > I was parked in a conspicuously marked, diagonally striped, spot next to a handicapped spot.

["*Gee, I wonder what those funny diagonal lines mean. Guess I'll park there and find out!*"](http://www.ccdconline.org/blog/07-29-2013/it-called-access-aisle-reason)


Title: Parents getting a divorce and dad wants me to purchase his half..

Question:
So my parents who have been married for 36 years are going through a divorce. My dad who has initiated the divorce wants to either sell the house and get half of its value when it is sold, or he wants me to take over the house, and then refinance the house to give him his half ($150,000) and remove him from the title. The house is paid off and is owned by my parents fully.
My mom is disabled and is not responsible or capable of paying bills, and so we would be helping each other out. Because of some other parameters associated with this divorce I would really like to remove both of my parents names and completely take over the house, so that I can have full control of the situation being that my mother is incapable of paying bills or generating income. I would really like to know if anyone has dealt with a situation like mine, and if it is even possible to accomplish what i intent. Please share any advice or wisdom if you can, thank you.

Location: claremont, california

Answer: Yes, they could sell you the house outright and split the proceeds.  As long as they both agree to it, it should be fine.


Title: Second DUI in 7 years

Question:
A close friend of mine recently got a DUI and is going through the whole court process. He was told his license would be revoked but he needs it due to his job as a mechanic. I’ve told him to go for free counseling, while others have said to talk to a public defender.

My question is, what’s the best thing he can do to try and at least keep his license for work? Or is there pretty much no options available, thanks in advance.

Answer:
 He needs to speak to a lawyer.  If he can't afford it, he can plead not guilty and get a public defender.

The fact he needs it for work doesn't matter too much.  He'll have to get a bicycle, carpool with someone, or cab to work.

Showing the motivation to seek help for his drinking problem is a good effort to show the commitment to change.


Title: Mom-in-law passed 3 months ago. Father-in-law is 82 years old. Three oldest children(of 8) have taken it upon themselves to "help" father sell off wife's personal items.

Question:
As title says, my mother in law passed 3 months ago. My father in law is 82 years old and the three oldest children of 8 children have taken it upon themselves to help him have an estate sale to sell off items in the house.

The dilemma the rest of the family has is that whenever they (the younger 5) talk to him, he says he doesn't want to sell off items or to move from the house, etc. He apparently is afraid the tell the older children the same.

We have been accused of theft and various other petty BS. However it's impossible for that to occur seeing as how theyre always with him.

Is there any legal action that can be taken by the younger 5 to stop any sort of sales or removal of items from the house?

P.s. There is no will and as far as we know there has been no power of attorney or forfeiture of rights by the father.

Answer: Your father will need to make his intentions clear to the other children. You could report suspected elder abuse to Adult Protective Services in MI. But I don’t think that’s what’s going on. The other 3 children think they are trying to be helpful and your father has not informed them otherwise and probably has actually giving them affirmations of that because he does not want to cause conflict. He needs to make his actual desires known to them directly and not just known to you or the other 5 children.


Title: Grandma wants to have her cat put down when she passes, enforceable?(NY)

Question:
My Wife's grandmother wishes to be buried with her pets. Not just with the ashes of those that have already passed, but with the ones that outlive her as well. Specifically she put in her will that her current cat should be put down when she passes and buried with her.

Well grandma is not doing so hot and will likely pass this week. So I want to know if the above is enforceable, legally in the good state of NY (Where I know it is legal to be buried with your pets at least)

Answer:
 No, that's horrendous and courts will emphatically refuse to enforce that condition.Answer #2: Your wife's grandmother may be requesting this as she can't bear the thought of the cat ending up in a shelter or not well cared for.  Perhaps if someone she trusted expressed interest in adopting the cat after she passes and assures her the cat will be spoiled rotten she might change her mind and actually feel better about the situation.Answer #3: In this case, who would get the cat? She specifically saying the cat should buried with her. It’s not being left to any specific person.

I assume OP isn’t asking if he can bury the cat alive. Can he just take it against the term s of the will?

If there’s fighting over who gets the cat . . . how would that be handled?
Answer #4: Not gonna lie came for the cat taxAnswer #5: Not really, the only thing that could be enforced is if it is the condition in order to get your part of the inheritance or something. Then technically a court would probably refuse you your inheritance for not doing it. If it's not attached to anything then there's no penalties.

A Will may stipulate conditions in order to be paid inheritance. It may not enforce an individual to perform any action they don't want to.


Title: [CA] My mother is an alcoholic who has stolen from our family for years, and it's getting worse. Is there any way to send her away?

Question:
So, I'm not sure if this is the kind of post meant for this sub, considering I never really visit here on my regular account, but I'm not sure where else to turn to.

Let's just start with the issue; my mother is a drunk, a druggy, and a thief. She has been stealing from my older brother and sister for years, and now that I have a job she's turned to me. For years she's abused the medication she's gotten from her doctor, leaving her with many days where she's stumbled about being looped on whatever the fuck she took that day. The alcohol didn't enter the situation until this year, however, but it's gotten worse.

Here are a few more notable things that she's done:

* 2015: When my sister first started working as a pizza delivery person, she took to keeping her tip money in a small lockbox [in hopes to keep it from being stolen]. However, that didn't work as she managed to break into the box and snag $100. So, my sister installed a little spycam on her laptop and set it up when she left for work the next day. We managed to get video proof of her attempting to break open the lockbox again.

* 2016: I honestly can't recall a super notable event that happened this year, except for the time when she stole $50 from my brother the night we moved into our new home. Oh, and the time she tried to get into my father's truck with some random wire she found.

Now, we go into the alcohol phase...

She steals change from all three of us every day so that she can buy herself a cheap bottle of vodka to get absolutely wasted. It's actually a rare occurrence nowadays to see her sober.

* 2017: Earlier this year, she's broken open her own door out of desperation for alcohol.

* 2017: Just a week ago, my sister and I [we share a room] left our window open and her drunken-self decided to tear the screen off and try to climb into our room. Whether she succeeded or not, we don't know [but I was missing about $11]

* 2017: Today, to be more specific, I caught her sneaking into my brother's room to steal some more change from him. She went, got her cheapo vodka, got drunk, then went to get some more. And when my brother got home, she had the drunken-balls to barge into his room and grab a handful of change from a little jar he has... twice. We managed to stop her both times, but my brother [who's had anger issues for years] got super close to seriously hurting her.

My whole household has been talking about sending her away to some kind of rehab, though my father says we can't unless she is willing to go.

So, my question is whether or not it is possible to get her sent... anywhere? Anywhere that will get her out of our hair and maybe even help her get better?

I'm sorry if this doesn't belong here, I just don't know what else to do.
Topic:
Alcohol Related Other than DUI

Answer:
 Whose house is it?Answer #2: Just dropping a link to al-anon for your dad and your siblings, and suggesting you google alateen +your city/county for you.

https://al-anon.org/

Answer #3: Frankly, your remedy is for the adults to move out and for CPS to be called if warranted for the 17 year old. You can't force her out of the house nor can you force her to go to rehab.


Title: Illegal (I think) job reference by former employer in San Francisco Bay Area. What are my options?

Question:
I formerly interned for a year at a bank while completing my senior year of college. The branch, along with the bank's headquarters, are both in the San Francisco Bay Area. By all measures, my performance was very well-regarded.

A few years after the internship, I was working with a major recruiting firm. They believed I was a "perfect match" for a hedge fund role and, being unemployed at the time, I was stoked. Final step involved them checking my references before providing a formal introduction to the hedge fund.

As the title implies, one reference didn't work out. I was incredibly upset but approached the individual in a very understanding way. No accusations but, rather, a genuine push for better understanding. She subsequently explained she didn't like how I was with money. Huh?

In her telling, she didn't like that I spent money on whatever I wanted when I was in college. I come from a low-income single-parent home but received a full-ride. Accordingly, I spent the money I earned on fun (foolish?) purchases because I didn't have bills. And hey, it was fun to have money for the first time. (In hind sight, definitely wish I would have saved some of it but, hey, 20/20).

This individual referenced people like her who struggle to pay their way through college. She was, at the time, working on her MBA. Bare minimum, she was pulling 150K/year and likely much more. But this is me just complaining at the irony.

Anyway, she made it clear -- in email -- that the bad reference came from her distaste for how I spent my money as a college student that, in her opinion, should be poor. Notably, she has since been fired for unrelated reasons and works at a different Bay Area bank. My question: what options, if any, do I have? I realize I'm a bit resentful for the whole episode. 2-parts of me hopes following-up will bring some level of justice/closure and, admittedly, 8-parts wants to pay debt amassed during my unemployment. Not huge but still.

TL;DR: employer admits (in email) that she gave a negative job reference because she didn't like that I didn't fit the starving college student stereotype. Ruined my relationship with recruiting firm (and potential interview with hedge fund). Can't prove an actual monetary loss.

Answer: So she gave her opinion, did not lie, and made it clear it was an opinion? If so, you likely have no recourse. You should confirm that your references are actually good before giving them out.


Title: Stranger stole my phone at a club and is now demanding money [Toronto]

Question:
While at a party over the weekend, I dropped my phone into an area where people were dancing. In the 5 seconds I dropped my Samsung and was looking for it, somebody had picked it up and slipped away. I only know this because an onlooker told me what happened after the fact. I called my phone a million times and contacted the venue the next morning but had no luck finding it.

A few days after I thought it was gone, a random number texted my cousin (who I was calling from) saying they have my phone and want $200 for it.

While I would tell them to jump off a bridge, I'm extremely concerned about contents on my memory card getting out.

I have their phone number and message but not much else to go on.

Help!!

Answer:
 Someone is committing at least one crime and you are a victim.

You should call the police. Let them take it from here. Don’t be Batman and try to set up a sting or anything crazy like that.Answer #2: Call the police.  They might be able to do send someone to pose as you.Answer #3: It’s a criminal offence and you could go to the police to see if they’ll investigate. It’s a straight indictable offence so they‘ll likely take it seriously.

Corruptly taking reward for recovery of goods
142 Every one who corruptly accepts any valuable consideration, directly or indirectly, under pretence or on account of helping any person to recover anything obtained by the commission of an indictable offence is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/page-32.html

Also, it’s illegal to to publicly offer a reward no questions asked which is unrelated to your question but interesting to learn (s.143)


Title: I live in Georgia and just got a job. How should I be saving my money?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You're looking for /r/personalfinance. We're the lawyers, they're the financial advisors.


Title: (GA) Owner of local pizza place assulted me in front of my family. Is there any grounds for a suit?

Question: For mothers day lunch i took my wife and kids to a restaurant that we had never been to before. It wasnt particularly busy but our meal was taking a very long time so we decided to pay for our sodas and leave. The owner became very agitated and pushy about us staying and followed us out into the parking lot. After yelling abuses at us as we were walking away i turned around to tell him his behavior was unacceptable. He pushed me when i got to him and grabbed me by my shirt. I threw a punch at him and tried to trip him to the ground. A cook came out and joined the scuffle and when i backed off they ran inside threatening to call the cops (they never did). I have eyewitnesses that gave me their contact info in case i needed their testimony. Im very unfamiliar with civil suits, but do i have grounds for a suit?

Answer: Why did you push a guy in front of your kids and then try to say the only damages are your kids witnessing a fight??


Title: Got caught shoplifting at Uniqlo 17 years old.

Question:
First time shoplifting and last. Peer pressure got to me and following a friend's example, my friend told me to shoplift the 2 shorts worth $40 I came to buy.

I am 17 years old. Attend a #1/2 high school in my New York and this is probably the reason the cop I think let me go after telling me how good of a school I go to and I'm stealing $40 worth of 2 shorts ain't worth it.

&#x200B;

The Uniqlo person that busted me took my information my name my height and weight. I gave him my wrong address at first but later corrected it when I realized I couldn't get out of the situation. I don't think he corrected the address on his paper though. He tells me I will need to pay $120 for trying to shoplift and will send a mail regarding the incident asking for the money. he also bans me from the Uniqlo for 7 years and says will be arrested on sight if I come back

A cop pulls up and walks me out. He says if I do some stupid shit like this again he would have to send me to the precinct. He walks me out of the mall. He doesn't take any notes or anything.

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

Is there anything on my criminal record?  Was I even arrested?

Will they send a mail for $120?

Can I go to the mall and pay the $120 upfront? \*/ Really do not want my parents knowing about this? /\*

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

I was thinking of going to the mall and talking to Uniqlo to change my address to the correct one because I don't want to get in trouble if that mail goes to the wrong address and I get in deeper shit for not paying $120. I was also wondering if i could just pay $120 upfront. But am also scared because I am banned from that store.

&#x200B;

Any help would help ease my stress right now.

Thank you.

Answer: You weren't arrested.  Do not go back to that Uniqulo


Title: What cases can someone sue for an unreasonable amoint of money?

Question:
People always say that you can only sue for whatever financial hardships you encounter because of whatever incident/accident, and that's true and I agree with it.

Why are there people out there that think they can slip in a grocery store, or be called a mean name in an argument, or (something else stupid) and say "I'm gonna sue your ass" and try to sue for 100k$ or whatever ridiculous amount?? What cases can someone actually do that?

Why are there people that (for example) slip and fall and say they're gonna sue for millions? Don't they actually need to suffer... well damage to their bank accounts in order to sue?

Answer:
 I'm not a lawyer, but a lot of these "frivolous lawsuits" that has become more myth than reality is exacerbated by word of mouth. What I mean is people exaggerate the story every time it gets passed along until it becomes idiotically unbelievable - like the [McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit](https://www.caoc.org/?pg=facts).

When I first heard of that lawsuit as a teenager, I thought it was a sign of the "stupid ways America does things". When I learned to research and read actual articles, it became apparently that word of mouth for that case greatly exaggerated every aspect of that story to make it seem like McDonald's was a victim.


Title: (CA) I accidentally asked an interview candidate what year he was born in...

Question:
It was not part of the structured interview and was while we were walking around shooting the breeze. We were talking cars and I wanted to know what cars were around when he was growing up, but instead of asking that I asked what year he was born in so I could orient myself and ask better questions. He did answer (we're the same age, btw) but I feel terrible for slipping up.

I'm very worried. Any thoughts?

Answer: you're fine! go drink a beer


Title: Canadian wishes to travel to USA to make the pornos? NSFW!

Question:
Hi there, Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask this question, but I am a Canadian who produces adult films. I sell these films through a US company online. I am considered an independent contractor, I am self employed and do not pay taxes to the USA as a full time resident of Canada. (I have been in business for 4 years now, operate everything completely on the level and legally, and have known other Canadians doing the exact same business model for many years so I definitely know I do not owe taxes to the US.)

Anyway, I could easily conduct my business from anywhere in the world, but for obvious reasons I would like to travel to the USA to hire models for my film productions. (Models are also considered independent contractors FYI and not employees). However, if I attempt to cross the border and say that I plan to work while in the USA, I would be denied access and would not be allowed into the USA basically ever again. (I know a performer who has been denied access to the USA and have heard of many other models that have also not been allowed to return to the states because they planned to work while in the USA). Does anyone know how a Canadian might enter the USA to work (3 months at a time to maintain permanent residence status in Canada) and not get barred for life?

As far as I know I do not qualify for any special VISA's and I'm pretty sure the situation is too complicated for a CBP officer to understand as I try to cross the border with all my gear.

If I'm in the wrong subreddit please let me know or if you have other suggestions of where I might post this question that would be very helpful as well.

If this feels complicated to wrap your head around, a similar equivalence would be: Youtuber from Canada needs to travel to the USA to work with a fellow Youtuber in the USA.

Answer:
 You need a visa. It's that simple. If you don't qualify for any appropriate employment visa, you can't work in the US.

Talk to a US immigration attorney about figuring out what kind of visa would be appropriate, and how to navigate the application process. You work in a sensitive and morally-fraught field, so there's a good chance your application will be rejected if you're not careful with it.


Title: Return flight got canceled because I was too late for the outbound flight

Question:
The past week I spend on vacation in Copenhagen, Denmark. I live in Germany, Munich, which is why I booked a round ticket from Munich airport to Copenhagen and back (would have been today). Unfortunate, due to running late (I checked in online) I did not make it in time to the airport and missed the flight. As that was 100% my mistake and loss I simply booked a new one way flight and spent my vacations as planned. Yesterday evening, when trying to check in online, I noticed that my booking had been canceled due to the “no-show” for my first flight. I called them and they said that this was company policy (Lufthansa airline) and that I would not be able to get any money back.

Is that legal for them to do this? Is there any way that I can get my money back or have them pay for the now second flight that I had to buy on the spot? Again, the first flight I do not mind paying as that was solely my fault.

Send help!
Topic:
Non-US

Answer:
 In the USA this is very common and expected. If you miss one flight they cancel the rest of the itinerary.Answer #2: Yes it is legal, it is done all the time in every country I am aware off.

The police is in place because one-way tickets are typically significantly more expensive than 1/2 of a return ticket.

You screwed up three times: 1 - missing the flight after checking in; 2 - not calling the airline to work out things; 3 - not reading the conditions of your booking (the situation you are in is there).


Title: Can a school fire a teacher over their son being tested positive for drugs?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 For the uninitiated: SWIM in internet parlance means **S**omeone **W**ho **I**s **M**e. Somehow, someone got the idea that the third word was 'isn't' and that posting 'SWIM' instead of 'I' or 'me' would be the one weird trick that prevents the FBI/DEA from arresting them. That someone is probably in federal prison.

*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/legaladvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*


Title: Best Buy (Michigan) sold me a laptop they claimed was new. It wasn’t. I contacted the manufacturer directly (HP) — they said it was an older unit it & was registered to someone else last year. BB then sent a replacement. Same result. What are my options?

Question:
I went to Best Buy and purchased a HP laptop for my daughter. It wasn’t in stock so they had to ship it to me. They said it was new laptop. After  receiving it, we opened the box and saw scuffs and scratches — there’s no way this was new. I called HP and gave them the serial/product numbers. They verified the unit was previously registered to someone else mid 2017. I was upset at learning this. I contacted BB, and they sent out a replacement unit. Same result; the laptop had scuffs and scratches. I contacted HP, and that laptop was also registered to someone else late 2017.

I called the local BB manager who I initially ordered it from. I asked if I could exchange it for a unit in-store or possibly upgrade to a similar unit to compensate for this dilemma. Manager declined and said I would have to pay for any difference in cost. He even had the audacity to say I was the one who could’ve scuffed it, and said that the two laptop serial numbers could’ve been accidentally registered by someone last year in 2017 (unreal how obtuse he was)! He only offered to return the unit, nothing else. I thought that was unfair considering the time and effort I spent on this issue that is clearly BB’s fault.

The facts are on my side. HP verified that both units were used and were previously registered to someone else. It’s pretty clear that BB expected me to be complacent and accept their shortcoming. But I won’t. This form of corporate profiteering off consumer ignorance and essentially shortchanging customers is immoral and flat out wrong (and illegal.. I think).

This kind of malice and false advertising really upsets me. Can they really sell used/refurbished items and claim that they’re new without any financial or legal repercussions? Are there specific consumer agencies or attorneys I should contact? I feel it’s only fair that I do my part in protecting other consumers from these unfair and immoral business practices.

Thank you for any input and advice.

TL;DR: Best Buy sold me a used laptop that they advertised as new. The manufacturer verified it was used and previously registered. Best Buy sent a replacement that was also used. They declined to exchange for the same or similar unit, and only offered a return. How can I report and hopefully stop their immoral business practices?

UPDATE: I spoke with BB corporate this morning. They fully understood the situation and are aware of what happened. The executive staff member that was assisting me was very courteous and understanding, and is willing to help me out. They’re in the middle of communicating with the local GM. They mentioned this could be a supplier issue who sent me the laptop, as some of you mentioned. Ultimately, I was given several resolution options, including exchanging for a (new) similar unit. They were going to look into the supplier issue afterward.

I appreciate everyone’s input on this. There were a few folks that mentioned this isn’t really a battle to take on, just return it and walk away..

The thing is, I don’t walk away when I see someone wronging others. If this happens to another customer, they deserve to be treated as equally as me. There’s no dignity in me being helped while someone with the exact same issue is being ignored by corporate profiteers. If this issue is happening on a large scale, then it no longer is considered something minimal. Consumers deserve to be treated fairly. I cannot accept a weak and selfish mentality of looking out just for me, then the person after me gets taken advantage of. There’s no equity or honor in that. I’m not Superman here to solve problems for everyone, but if I could do something in my capacity to aid someone else that runs into the same issue as me, then why not?

Answer:
 Ask for a refund and buy a laptop elsewhere. Answer #2: Full disclosure : I am a Best Buy employee. Not to cast any doubts on your story, as I believe these events occurred, but it's possible you're after the wrong people. Given that Best Buy has a process for certifying and selling used computers as part of their business model, I don't see there being s large incentive to risk this.

I can also tell you that certain model laptops get sent back to the manufacturer rather than go through this process. What these models are changes for reason I don't see, but I can personally attest to the Spectre being a model I have seen go that route. So, potentially, the issue may not lie with Best Buy, but with HP.

HP, of course, would be loathe to admit this. They have every reason to point to Best Buy, just as Best Buy would point at them. So be prepared for that. I just want you to consider the possibility that HP is also a massive corporation that could also profit from selling used merchandise as new.


Title: Lien release in car from eBay

Question:
I bought a car on eBay and I'm picking it up Sunday but the guy called and said that I needed to get a Lien release. He said he has a clean title, so how easy will it be to get the Lien release?

Edit: I am in Colorado and he said the car is from New York. He also said he got it from a pawn shop. It's a 1988 so the probability of It still being under a loan is small?

Answer:
 No, HE needs to get a lein release from the company HE financed the car through.Answer #2: It's his responsibility to give you title to the vehicle to make the sale.  The lien impedes his ability to convey title.  This is distinctly his problem.

You should start being mindful of the timing eBay's escrow of the payment and the windows within which you can dispute the same through eBay.  They may well come into play here.


Title: Room mate from hell [Canada, MB]

Question:
Friend has a house and rented or am extra room to his (f) friend. She signed a 5 month lease and had until August when the lease expires.

His problems so far gave been:

Late night parties when he verbally requested there not be due to work in the morning.

Leaves the bathroom a huge mess.

Her dog has puked on his bed, and carpets as well as shitting on them. She promised to pay for cleaners but after the shit stains sat on the carpet for a week he asked the person his roommate said she was going to use to just get it done now. And now she refuses to pay him.

She also is gone 7am to 12 midnight and expects him to take care of her dog for her for free which in order to not neglect the poor thing, he has to.

He wants her out but she hasn't broken the lease. What steps can he take to enforce cleanliness, responsibility for her problem dog, no late night parties, and to pay him back for the cleaning, or just get her out.
Topic:
Canada

Answer:
 In the lease agreement he should have written a series of “expectations” and conditions relating to guests, cleanliness and noise. Had he done so, he’d have a better legal chance of demonstrating that she had broken the terms outlined in the lease.

Note: this person is not your friend’s “friend.” Friends don’t act like that.


Title: Intentional Emotional Distress lawsuit (with an international twist)

Question:
I'm considering suing my ex-boyfriend for intentional emotional  distress. The short story is after a long distance relationship, I moved from the US to another country to be with him. Things didn't work out, he decided to torture me mentally and essentially left me stranded in his country.

Here are a few more details:
Our best option (outside of marriage or work) was school. He promised me, and I have proof, that he would help me get a study visa if my other efforts for funding fell through.

Fast-forward to depleting all $10K of my savings to quit my job, getting  accepted into a program in his country, applying for funding, selling my car and apartment, shipping my things and moving there... it did not work out. Which was fine, we honestly tried and even went to couple's counseling. It just wasn't working. I hoped he'd be mature enough (he's a professor) to be cordial or be friends.

Ultimately, because of the breakup he decides not to help me acquire a study visa. Not only did he go back on his word, he dragged it out over FOUR months: arranging times to get it done and canceling, or trying manipulate me by making 'getting back together' the stipulation for a visa; and then he had the audacity to steal the little money that I had from my account. I have proof and admission to all of this. I had to get a tourist visa extension until I could finish finals then take a Ieave of absence from my program.

I was so stressed out that I got really sick and had to be hospitalized within a month of returning home. I now have medical bills. I've had to see a therapist for the anxiety I've developed about going back to finish my program (I've saved to get a visa on my own before even leaving the US so that won't be a problem). He was just being evil to torture me and doing anything he could to push me out of his country. I know it sucks that we didn't work out, but damn. I had nothing. Zilch.

All this happened in Germany. I'll be there for the next year to finish school. I plan to look for an expat lawyer to sue my ex in small claims court and try for a protection order (he sent me suicidal messages after our breakup). I haven't figured out an amount yet or even how I should calculate it.

What legal recourse do I have? Anyone have some international experience or advice on this?

Thanks for your time.

Answer: This would not be intentional infliction of emotional distress in any US state.  It's a bad breakup.


Title: I was promised full healthcare benefits and it's been a month and my boss hasn't given me anything.

Question:
Hello Reddit.
So I moved from SoCal to Norcal for a new job back in October. When I accepted the job, I was promised a salary and healthcare benefits.
To give you a little background of this company, this is a start up job so the only employees are pretty much the CEO and me. But this start up is backed up by the parent company which is much larger and has a lot more workers. This parent company is also run by 3 other CEOs.
I have been getting paid however I haven't received my benefits package at all. I was talking to my coworker and she told me that she used to be under the start up company before I came and she was also promised salary and healthcare as she was in a contract position. But as time passed, the CEO kept promising her that we was going to get her the full time position as well as the benefits package. This went on for 3 months...until CEO hired me and then my coworker was placed back in the parent company as a contractor still.
I feel like I am going in the same route as her except I can not transfer to the parent company because I cam solely for the start up position. I keep asking my boss where my benefits package is and he keeps telling me he is working on it. He keeps giving me the same excuse that because we are a smaller company it is harder to find the right package.
I am getting fed up! I moved all the way from SoCal to NorCal, it wasn't an easy decision for me to do. I moved up with expectations and they are not fufilled at all. He told me he is working on it and will have it "hopefully" by 21/01 but I told him I don't want to hear hope, I want to hear a defined answer and he still says he can't promise that.
What can I do?!
I was thinking of talking to the parent company CEO since she told me I can come to her whenever I have issues with my CEO since previous coworkers had problems with him too. But I don't really know how much that can help.
Help me out Reddit! Please!
Is setting up a benefits package for a small company really that complicated?

edit:
also forgot to ask is there any legal action I can take if he doesn't stick to his word?

Answer:
 First of all, welcome to exciting world of startups!

Now for the bad new: there is no benefits package. He's giving you the runaround. I'm surprised they aren't offering you toiletpaper equity in NewCo...

I can't stress this enough: the best course of action is to find another job asap. Start by updating your Linkedin and don't let your boss know you are looking.


Title: [Minnesota] Girlfriends Employer won't pay overtime.

Question: Just have a general question for you guys, my GF works at a marina in the summer time that is technically only open from about April to November. Most of the hires are high school and college kids that are between 16-20 and they are often pulling 60 hour weeks. Every seasonal job I've ever had paid overtime, so it was surprising when my GF said that the owners of the marina do not pay overtime. My question is, does the job being seasonal make it legal to do this, or are a bunch of high schoolers and college kids being taken advantage of? Thanks.

Answer: it's legal to do this. the marina falls under an [overtime exemption](http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs18.htm).


Title: GF asked to leave apartment for days for "Rennovation"(Texas)

Question:
My girlfriend has been asked by her apartment complex to vacate the apartment while renovations are being done.

She got an E-mail in May stating that "From May 15, 2017 to August 10, 2017 we will have several contractors and team members in your unit to address maintenance needs, painting, and flooring"

They then requested that all residents "Move your personal belongings from the common area and place them in your bathtub for or check out a bin to put your personal belongings in"

If they did not let these contractors in or refused to move their things then the residents would be charged for "Labor but also any other fees associated with moving your belongings"

 They asked these residents, in a very populated apartment complex close to Baylor University to move ALL of their belongings and remove all items from their kitchen cabinets for THREE ENTIRE months while renovations were to be done.

 How is this fair? Is there anything that can be done about this? She has tried to contact the apartment building multiple times but they will not respond or let her know anything. She got a automated text saying they would begin her building and within 12 hours she had to clear everything and has not been able to return to her building for a couple days now.

Is there anything that can be done about this?

Answer:
 1) What does her lease say?

2) Is she expected to pay rent for those months?

3) Is the management company arranging alternate lodging for the period of unavailability?

Seeing as it's mid July, has she been out for months now? Or are they doing it room-by-room over several months and they only need a day or two with hers?


Title: [CA] Marrying for in-state tuition

Question:
I'm not here to discuss the moral/ethical viewpoint of marrying to gain residency, so let's get some things out of the way.

* I have no qualms about taking taxpayer money because I'll probably be paying CA taxes for the rest of my life.
* I don't really care for "sanctity of marriage" or whatever people say these days.
* All I care about is the money I have to/don't have to spend.

Marriage for the sole purpose of in-state tuition is quite obviously frowned upon, and the university would quickly deny any residency requests if they found out. On to the questions:

1. Regarding divorces, if both parties are willing to sign a prenup with proper conditions (independent lawyer, etc.):
 * How big does an income inequality have to be to render it unconscionable?
 * Are there any conditions which would invalidate the prenup?
 * In the worst case scenario, would a divorce court throw out the prenup and pretend it never existed?
 * How badly would I get screwed if the other person decides at the time of divorce that they don't want a divorce?

2. What laws are there regarding sham marriages if both parties are US citizens and not marrying for visas/greencard/etc.?

3. Can charges be retroactively applied after graduation?

4. US Code 1097 (a) states that "Any person who knowingly and willfully [...] obtains by fraud, false statement, [...] or attempts to so [...] obtain by fraud, false statement or [...] shall be fined not more than $20,000 or imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or both."
However, the cases that this has been used in mainly involve lying about income and assets in order to obtain more aid. Could this law be used to press charges against me?

Thanks for reading!

Answer:
 1.  California is a community property state so anything you aquire from the date of marriage, whether assets or liabilities, will be split equally or equitably if the pre-nup fails.

2.  The university/state can and will come after you for fraud when they find out.  You would be obtaining in state tuition by fraud and false statement so yes, that could be used to press charges against you-- and make you repay what you rightfully should be paying.

Don't screw over taxpayers, we don't like it.Answer #2: Geez, is the potential downside really worth it? Nobody ever died from working for a year.


Title: (NE) Detailing gone wrong, Manager denies damage saying it was there before

Question:
This is in Omaha, NE

Hey r/legaladvice, my brother is dealing with quite the problem right now and I want to help him figure out his options.

My brother went to go have his car detailed at a shop in town. He picked the car up after a couple hours and didn't look it over until he got home because he figured that it'd be okay.

When he gets home, he noticed damages all over from:

Scratches all over the body by someone laying it a little hard on the car with the buffer.
Upholstery was torn up.
Cigarette ashes in the car.
No detailing done at all.
Just more minor damages.

What can he do? Can he go to small claims with this? Should we contact BBB?

Any advice for this is greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 He can attempt small claims but the problem is that their defense will be that the car was fine when he picked it up. How he missed such a large amount of damage is a little hard to swallow.

The BBB is as useful as yelp


Title: [Tennessee] committed one case of theft in my university’s locker room. Was recorded due to a sting the campus police were doing.

Question:
My university has a gym in which there were a string of thefts from the locker room. My dumbass finally broke down and gave into temptation to finally get money by going into the lockers. The thing is: the campus police actually set up a sting; I was recorded as going into the locker and taking money out of this guy’s wallet. I admitted to it the following morning and the officer in question said he’s going to bring it up with the Dean of Students for my university. I have made a mistake and want to learn from it so that this doesn’t happen once more.

However, since there have been other thefts going on and since I’m the only one who’s been caught (to my knowledge), what should I expect to happen?
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 You are going to be the determining factor if it happens again.  I think it's great you want to learn from it, but you should probably already have learned not to steal things long before you went to college.

I think you should expect criminal charges and some form of punishment from the school.


Title: What constitutes a "private" bathroom? Moving into an apartment that doesn't have a door on the bathroom or sleeping area.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Non legal advice.  If she won't spring for a door then what do you expect she's going to do when the a/c or heat don't work?  Seems like a huge red flag to me.  I would avoid.Answer #2: Rent somewhere else?