Title: First DUI: Freaking Out (MD)

Question:
Was driving home after having just a few (really, just a few) drinks. There was a cord hanging out of the passenger side of my car (had a computer in there) and the cop said that based on that, they pulled me over.

They put me through the usual tests (walk in a line, follow finger) then asked me if I'd submit to a breathalyzer. Not knowing whether I should or I shouldn't (don't know a lot about the law here) I said no. They immediately clapped me in handcuffs, put me in the cruiser, took me to the station.

There, I had a chance to Google laws, etc., and it didn't seem it would realiy help me to keep refusing a test, so I took one. I failed--my bac was a .10.

So now I'll have to go to court, etc., and all I can think of is I'll never get a job again--I'll fail background checks. Reddit, is ther any way I can fix this and keep it from going on my record forever?

Edit: thanks for the responses and advice. I was able to set up a consultation with a DUI attorney tomorrow. He mentioned I may be able to get something called Probation Before Judgment (pbj). Not sure of the ramifications of this but it sounds like it's better than s conviction.

Answer:
 A "standard drink" is defined as one 12 oz domestic beer, one 5 oz glass of wine, or one shot of hard liquor.

One standard drink raises the blood alcohol content (BAC) of an average person by approximately 0.02%.

The average person metabolizes alcohol out of their system at a rate of about 0.02% per hour.

So you would probably have to drink a minimum of 5-6 standard drinks in an hour to hit a BAC of 0.10%.

If you had been drinking over a period of 4 hours, then your BAC would have been lowered by about .08%.  So over a 4 hour period, you'd probably had to have ten or so standard drinks to hit a BAC of 0.10.

Having said all of that, this is not the end of the world.  There are police officers, firefighters, judges, lawyers, doctors, nurses, engineers, and CEO's who got DWI's when they were young. Plenty of people have top secret security clearances who have had DWI's in their pasts.

Your life is not over.  This is an error in judgment on your part.  It may be an expensive error (in the short term) and there will be consequences for sure.  But no one got hurt and if you *learn* from it (and don't repeat it) then it's unlikely to have any serious long term effects on your life.


Title: My wife here in Vs had someone possibly video record her at her place of employment. A doctors office. Not sure if there is anything we can do.

Question:
Sorry if this doesn't belong here.

My wife works at a doctors office as a front office person. As she was checking a patient out, she noticed he had his cellphone angles at her in such a way as to be video recording and/or taking a picture. And he made her feel particularly uncomfortable. My wife doesn't just tell me she is worried for nothing, as the area she works is not exactly known for well behaved people, so for her to express concern is a big deal. I looked it up and Va. Is a one party concent stare meaning so long as the recorder is a part of the conversation, they can record without the approval or knowledge of the other party/ies involved.

I told her she should call the non emergency police number but she won't, and I understand that because there is no real proof and their hands would be tied.

It could be nothing. It could be for legit reasons, it could be a creep trying to be perverse, or even much worse.

I guess my question is this: is it worth following up with the police? Will they say pretty much what we expect? Or are there deeper concerns with more preventative measures that can be taken right now? Thanks for your time.

Answer:
 > I told her she should call the non emergency police number but she won't, and I understand that because there is no real proof and their hands would be tied.

Well, their hands would be tied because this isn't illegal.
Answer #2: I'm not sure what you can tell the police here. It sounds like no crime was committed, and it's not illegal to be a creepy weirdo. I would suggest your wife talk to her supervisor and see if someone else can check him out the next time he comes in.


Title: resident tuition/in-state tuition- student without a state and will always be a student without a state ( Canada/ US)

Question:
I am a US citizen studying in Canada and have a very odd situation that many administrative personnel are not used to and I feel they truly cannot grasp the situation. However, I believe this is impart to the difficulty in explaining the situation in a concrete, concise  and condensed manner.
Here are the facts:
-I am a US citizen from Maryland
-I have a disability that prevents me from maintaining full time, meaningful employment.
-I have been let go ( not fired) several times  in the past because of the disability.
-Because of the spotty work history and lack of a tax contribution, I have never been able to meet the requirements to be charged in state tuition. (http://www.umuc.edu/students/admissions/residency.cfm)< point number 4 in the requirements of living in the state for reasons other than attending university.

What I tried to do:
-Over the years I have tried to establish domicile in 2 different states, Minnesota and Florida; during different years ( not simultaneously). However, for neither state, was I able to qualify for in-state tuition. ( though being an in-state resident) ( and this was despite being told otherwise by not one, not two, but, three admissions offices.
-I returned to Maryland and attempted to re qualify as Maryland resident. I did but, not for tuition purposes.
- Because of this, I was able to legally argue my way into qualifying for disability and now receive social security payments.

What I did:
-As a result of never being able to qualify for in-state tuition in Maryland, I left for Canada and go to school in Newfoundland. Though I was able to afford the international tuition costs for some time ( I saved up), I no longer can.

What I am doing:
- I am now asking for a University, whether it be in Canada or the United States to put aside their University policies and investigate what they legally can allow according to their local or provincial laws. I have asked several Universities so far.

What I keep encountering:
-Administrators and/or staff that will not accept the fact that no state has any laws that legally necessitate that deemed in-state residents must also be deemed in-state residents for tuition purposes. Most University staff  have this strange ignorance of ignoring the facts even though the documentation is right in front of them ( that I was denied in state tuition, despite being a resident).

- My situation is complex and I feel those who hear me out with my situation do not understand my situation.

- I have had a good number of replies saying that I should qualify " for a scholarship" , Though I could never ever find one that was significant enough to even pay for a single class. ( I did get a $500 scholarship before). I am still looking for this magical scholarship they all speak of.

- No lawyer will take my case. I have tried taking this to court in Maryland and in Canada ( In Canada, I argued that since education is treated as a negative right, the University has some degree of responsibility to help arrange some sort of agreement for me to return to the US and receive the fair tuition rate. [see my next point as to why I had a claim to this].

- Canadians get in-state tuition at certain universities in Maryland for certain programs. In Minnesota, they are entitled to in-state tuition if they are from Manitoba. When I was living in Minnesota , I could not qualify for this, but a Canadian could come down there and study. Florida, to my knowledge offered no such thing to Canadians except for scholarships that waived the differential fee, which Canadian Universities do not offer to Americans ( I have been doing research on this for 10 years and this is an absolute fact) ( It may be true as for scholarships in general, but  nothing that WAIVES the differential tuition fee).

- Had I been an illegal immigrant that graduated from community college or high school in Maryland, I would have been granted in-state tuition by law.

-People get angry because I am on disability and get money from not working and then I am asking for tuition help. They don't understand what I am not able to do physically and by the law.

-My mother is a Canadian citizen.  She renounced before I was born but has reclaimed it, however since this happened after my 26th birthday, I have no claim to Canadian citizenship.

-It is very unlikely that I will ever qualify for Canadian citizenship because of my health and it being a burden on any provincial healthcare system.

- I cannot entertain any admissions office's of living in their state for a year to qualify as fact. I have tried in 3 states and they all said something along the lines of living in their state for a year, none of them have every lived up to their word despite their policy. I need a law or a contract that If I were to live in the area for XX amount of time that they will honor their policy. I am under obligation that anything that is said regarding university policy is untrue unless the LAW ( yes there is a difference between policy and LAW) says otherwise.

- Maryland has since offered a program for SSDI recipients that the tuition fees be waived at a community college and for Maryland state residents. This was enacted after I left Maryland. I have not verified data that I would need to be deemed an in-state resident by the University or by the state. Also, I am almost done with my first 2 years of University. Not sure it would help.

-I have been at this for 10 years.

I would appreciate it if anybody can actually help me put this together in a way that is understandable.

-Also, if you know of any options, I am all ears.

Answer:
 Yup. This is why student loans exist.  I couldn't afford college without loans but knew with my degree that the benefits were worth it. Ended up with about 50K in student loans and was making 65K my first job right out of school.  5 years later I'm making close to 100.

Since you have a disability that makes employment difficult, have you figured if college is worth it?  If you have social issues, you can get into web development and coding without having to shell out big bucks. My friend taught himself a coding language using free or minimal cost online programs and makes about 70k a year. He only has a GED.


Title: [WY] speeding ticket during a snowstorm, way to dispute it by mail?

Question:
I was driving through Wyoming at the same time as "Winter Storm Selene": http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2016/03/22/midwest-snow-storm-south-floods-storms/82116564/ There was a lot of snow.  Anyway, I drove through a speed trap in a tiny town -- an officer pulled me over and wrote me a ticket for doing 40 in a 30 MPH zone.  Because of either the snow or the two big rigs that I'd been following, before the road widened from 2 lanes to 4 lanes at that town (which is where I decided to pass them), I never saw a 30 MPH speed limit sign and since the road had widened I presumed the speed limit wasn't going to be lower.

I'm living in Idaho Falls, so not too far away, but to drive there and back to ask a judge to toss the ticket would lose me a day of work and I'd have to pay the gas there and back.  Is there any way to write in and request that the ticket be tossed, or do I just have to wait until the court date, show up, and see what happens (and probably end up double paying the ticket cost with lost work and gas there and back).

Answer: "I didn't see the speed limit sign" is not typically a reason to get a ticket tossed.


Title: [OH] Co. has changed PTO policy to be a "credit system" accrued through time, but allows employees to preemptively use it before "earned." If they quit/fired, co. threatens to deduct used PTO from employee's paychecks for time they were approved to use, but did not "earn". Legal?

Question: They say it's for employees who voluntarily quit or and fired (layoffs excluded), both treated equally in terms of PTO. If they quit/fired before they were able to earn their PTO, but it was still approved and used, can the company legally deduct the PTO amount from their paychecks?

Answer: IANAL - This is how our company does it.  You do not automatically accrue 3 weeks of vacation on January 1st, which is owed to you should you quit on January 2nd.  You gradually accrue it over the course of the year.  Thus, if you take three weeks of vacation in January, then quit in February, your paycheck will indeed be deducted the amount of vacation you had not yet accrued.  If you quit in November and had not yet used any vacation, you would be paid for whatever portion of the 3 weeks you'd accrued.


Title: Using My Name on the Internet

Question:
I have a successful self-employed career and a very unique name. Somebody is posting on reddit and other places as my_name, and they are saying things that are believably me (about topics I know about, etc) but are somewhat negative/harmful to me. I was made aware of this when I lost a contract recently due to something I had "said" on a related subreddit.

I have NO IDEA who would do this or why and no clue what to do about it.

edit:  Location is NY, US btw

Answer:
 You can report all their posts in the hope that the moderators of the sub reddit ban that username, or message the moderators in the subreddit they are posting in to have that username banned.

You can report it to the police, but realistically depending on the damages they are unlikely to subpoena reddit for the IP address of the person posting such information.

I'm sure with enough money it could be done.


Title: Very Disturbed and Scary Guy Has Taken Over My House and is Threatening Me

Question:
I'm a 25 year old gay male in Pennsylvania. I'm well educated and have no criminal record whatsoever - no problems with the police. About 2 years ago, I met another guy online and we became friends. He seemed nice enough and he was in my area. He ultimately ended up moving back to Florida (which is where he was from). He told me he had no place to live in Florida, that his family kept calling the police on him, etc. and like a fool, I believed him. He was repeatedly homeless, in jail, etc. and I felt bad for him and ignored all the warning signs and told him he could move in with me. He had nothing, no assets, etc. so I bought him a bus ticket back here. Things started off smoothly enough, but I now see why his family wants nothing to do with him. He's a raging, violent, scary, alcoholic, former meth addict. I live in a nice house, which he has completely destroyed. He has spilled whiskey everywhere, broken things, banged into walls, etc. and that's just the beginning. I did some more research into his legal problems in Florida and discovered he has an enormous history of domestic violence convictions with his own family. He's not allowed around his mother, father, etc. due to protection orders. He's resisted arrest with violence (a felony in FL) and in the narratives of the cases has a history of lying to the police and denying his conduct. He prostitutes himself out online to make money up here and then buys black velvet, etc. He has repeatedly become extremely hostile with me and threatened to hurt me. I called 911 already once before after he chased me down the street trying to hit me. The officer came out and he was blatantly drunk and lied to him saying that I was hallucinating, was using crack, had drugs in the house, etc. None of which was true. Fortunately, he didn't believe him and he was arrested for public drunkenness, but he returned the next day. I put his stuff out on the porch the next day, but he came back and demanded to be let back in the house. I spoke to the police and they said he lives there now and you have to evict him and couldn't just throw him out. So, every day, I sit in the small spare bedroom with the door locked while he has the run of my house, which he completely disrespects and damages. I am living in fear - not just of him but of legal consequences. He told me today that if I try to evict him, he'll "blacken his own eye" and he'll "ruin my career and all the work you've done in your life" and claim that I assaulted him to get me arrested. I should point out that he has threatened this many, many times (the threat of false accusations to get me arrested). I spoke with an ex-bf of his who told me that this guy DID in fact lie on him, accusing him of domestic violence, when in fact he was the one being violent, but they were both arrested (ultimately the other guy's charges were dropped when this guy didn't show up to court). I know this isn't an idle threat, because when he was getting arrested for the public drunkenness he was trying to get the officer to arrest me by claiming I was on crack and smoking "fake marijuana" and hallucinating.

I want to get him out of here, but it's not as simple as just filing an eviction lawsuit because this guy isn't going to just go quietly. It's so pathetic that I'm actually so scared now that I'm sitting in this spare bedroom with my cell phone video camera on almost constantly just in case he tries to make false accusations of domestic violence to get me arrested.  I can smell the alcohol oozing out of the other room. Even if I file for eviction, he's going to be here for probably over a month while it plugs on through the court system... at any moment he could snap and make false claims against me causing irreparable character damage, emotional harm, career damage, etc. I have a clean record and I'm terrified of imperiling it because of this insane person living in my house. At the same time, I am afraid of moving out of my house because I had very expensive furniture, TVs, etc. which he is very capable of destroying. He's already turned my house into a party pad as well, by inviting over people off the internet, without my permission, and bringing alcohol, etc. I've actually been relegated several times to sitting in my car while he parties in my house. I don't drink by the way, and don't do drugs. I'm just so afraid of him, physically hitting me, or even worse hitting himself to try to frame me for false charges.

What should I do?

Answer:
 eviction is your only option man.  document (audio/video-let him know too because PA is a two party consent state) any interactions you have with him, avoid any interaction with him if possible.

Give the local police a heads up that he may be acting a fool once the eviction is filed.  Try and have witnesses on hand whenever you deal with him, if you can...maybe stay somewhere else while the eviction process is going through.Answer #2: The eviction clock still ticks while the tenant is in jail.  Just sayin'.Answer #3: > I want to get him out of here, but it's not as simple as just filing an eviction lawsuit because this guy isn't going to just go quietly

That's really your only option. If he does anything illegal, call the police, but you still need to evict him properly. Answer #4: Pay him to get out.  Set a high enough $$ amount, thousands, have him sign a paper, a contract that says he relinquishes all claims against you.  You're going to skip many painful steps you already saw him do to others.  should have already done it than live in fear. Oh, and buy him a ticket back to Florida.


Title: What do you when you have no money, no where to go...

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Have you considered getting a job?


Title: [CA] New minimum wage starting Jan. 1, 2018 - should my paycheck for Dec work paid in Jan be the old wage or new?

Question: My city's minimum wage went up on Jan. 1, 2018, but my first paycheck of 2018 covered labor done in Dec. 2017 only.  Should that be compensated at the 2017 minimum wage, or 2018?

Answer: It would be based on the old wage, since the work was done prior to January 1. Any work done on or after January 1 2018 would be paid at the new rate.


Title: Teen sexting (17.5 y/o Male and 16 y/o female) [California]

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > I really don’t want my parents knowing about this, because I will get in so much I actually care less about getting in legal trouble honestly.

Really?  Telling your parents is worse than a child pornography conviction, prison, and possible lifetime registration as a sex offender?

You need to tell your parents, and they need to get you a lawyer.  Stop fake emailing her father.  Putting him on the warpath against you is not what you need.


Title: Ballot signature discrepancy

Question:
Hello Reddit,

On a throw away for obvious reasons.  We recently received a ballot discrepancy form in the mail.  This is concerning because my wife had signed my name with my permission.  We had sat down and completed our choices together. A few days later, I was sent away on a military field exercise, and she realized I had not signed my envelope.  I asked her to sign this on my behalf thinking nothing of it.

I now understand that ballots cannot be signed by spouses - even with approval or power of attorneys.  I am unsure how to proceed.  I do not wish for her to get into trouble over a misunderstanding.

My choices seem to be the follows:

1. Contact the auditors office, and explain (we are in WA).
2. Ignore the letter completely, maybe it will go away, if they investigate I can then explain.
3. Have her sign again (I do not wish to go this route and make the situation worse).

If we ignore then the vote will not be counted, in this case I do not think any harm was done, this is the route I am leaning.

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Does anyone have experience regarding this?  Thanks in advance for any advise.

Answer:
 Number two is what you want to do. (Unless, of course, there's some sanction for ignoring it, which should be mentioned on the form if present.)

Given the witch-hunt like attitude towards voting fraud, it's probably best to let them just throw it out.


Title: Human waste clean up at job

Question:
Hi,

Basically I work a cafe esque job and today was asked by the owner to clean up some human feces in the bathroom, I was given no training on the clean up of human waste, nor was I given standard clean up supplies other than kitchen plastic gloves. Was not given these  (safety mask, gloves, bleach etc). There are cameras everywhere other than the restroom and I was gone for around an hour, a co worker can be a witness as they said they would. What can I do? Compensation? Law suit? Any help would be amazing thank you

Answer:
 You can complain to OSHA.

If you were physically injured or harmed, you can file for worker's comp and they will pay your medical bills.

A lawsuit against your employer would not be successful.  You don't have to do anything you don't want to do.  You are always free to quit.


Title: Landlord wants to charge fee for cleaning up after dogs-- I don't have a dog

Question:
Background: I live in Alaska.  I've been living in a 4-plex building since August 2017.  I initially signed a 6 month lease that ended in February 2018.  The landlord (LL) never asked me to renew my lease and we have never had issues.  LL lives in unit above me, and one other unit is occupied by 2 or 3 other people (don't really know).  I have an (indoor only) cat and paid a pet deposit when I moved in.

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Today, LL texted all the tenants in a group chat stating that neighbors have complained about a little black dog pooping on their entryway steps and walkways, and that she cleaned up dog poop on our walkway.  She said that if she finds any more dog poop on the property, she is going to add a $25 "clean up fee" to our rent each month.  I don't own a dog, and have never had guests bring a dog over.  LL owns a large dog and the other tenants own 1 or 2 dogs (again, never see them, so not really sure).

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If LL insists on instating this fee, am I legally obligated to pay it?

Answer: If your lease is month to month then your LL can change the terms every 30 days. You can refuse to accept the terms and move out.


Title: (NY) Landlord withholding part of security deposit- we disagree on the cost of the service she used, she refuses to show receipt

Question: We left the property with unmowed grass (it was high) in the dog pen, less than 500 square feet when we moved out. This was the exact condition it was in when we moved in. Landlord withheld 400 of 1200$ of our security deposit, claiming 50$ for painting, the rest towards a lawn mowing service fee in the amount of 560$. She will not give us a copy of the receipt, and I told her that I just want 200$ of the 400 she took back. She refuses to budge or show me evidence it cost anywhere near that amount. Her itemized list is a list of wear and tear, which I do not consider pertinent. Do I have any recourse beyond or before court? All the evidence I have is basically the neighbors saying it was long, her saying it was long when we moved in, and a ton of text messages by her saying she would provide reciepts...and then that she wouldn't.

Answer:
 Mail her a 'read receipt' letter stating you intent to take her to small claims if she does not refund the amount.

Do you have the lease still? What *exactly* does it say about lawn care?


Title: I was injured in an accident, and treated by my HMO. Now my HMO wants my insurance settlement. How do I respond? (USA/California, SF area)

Question:
I apologize in advance if this post is long and rambling. I'm in a panic right now.

A few months ago, I was hit by a car while walking. I was treated by my HMO, and paid my co-pay in full. Then I acquired the services of an accident attorney.  My lawyer negotiated a settlement of $25,000 with the driver's insurance company (that amount was the maximum insurance the driver carried). My lawyer took his slice of the settlement, and sent the rest to me. My net was $22,000. Out of that money, I was able to pay back the loans I took during my convalescence, and replenish my depleted emergency funds and savings. That left about $11,000.

Now, I've been off work for almost four months. I can't go back to my old job because I'm no longer capable of heavy lifting. I'm using that remaining money to pay bills while I try to put my life back together and look for a job. At the same time, I'm trying to sort through my new emotional landscape; I've been fighting anxiety and a low-level feeling of dread since the accident. Truth is, I'm starting to panic. This whole thing has been a nightmare, and it only feels like it's getting worse. Recently, the HMO reached out to my accident attorney. They want my settlement.

My attorney contacted me and said, "I could just ignore their calls. I'm not legally obligated to reply to them." That didn't sound right to me, so I replied, "You have to play it straight. Call them back. Explain the situation. Negotiate something." He didn't seem too happy about my suggestion, but agreed to try. I don't think he has dealt with an HMO pushing back before. This seems new to him.

I've done some reading on my own, and came across the legal term "subrogation". Seems like the HMO is entitled to some or all of the settlement. That's a terrifying thought. So, here are my questions, because my attorney seems a bit out of his comfort zone:

1. Do I have a legal and ethical basis to fight back against the HMO?

2. Should I just mutely submit to their wishes? Give them the funds?

3. How do I protect myself against a huge HMO?

4. Am I doing what is right, correct, and appropriate here? I'm way out of my league, and just trying to survive.

Talk me in off the ledge.

Answer: It all depends on whether the settlement was meant to cover your medical costs (in which case, the HMO may be entitled to part of it) or other things - what does your settlement paperwork say?Answer #2: Legally you were obligated to pay them back. I had this happen to me as well and my attorney read the contract which stated that I would have to reimburse them if I was “made a whole“ by the settlement. Since I was not “made whole“ because the settlement wasn’t nearly what my injuries were worth The insurance company agreed to drop subrogation and I did not have to pay them back. I’m just putting this out there for you in case it applies.


Title: Falsely listed as a sex offender.

Question:
I'll start this by stating that I, for most of my adult life, have been a resident  of Ohio and have only lived longterm in one other city, and that is Pittsburgh.

Today I was applying for a background check for an apartment in another county, closers to my new job, when a huge red flag came up. Apparently I'm listed as a sex offender for possession of child pornography  on the Wisconsin Sex Offender registry, only the name listing has a different middle initial than mine. I have never even BEEN to Wisconsin. We tried entering my information again and again, and apparently it still kept popping up since this person was listed as living at my current address. (He's currently in prison serving his sentence.)

My question is: is this a mistake in the system  which will follow me around, and if so, is it fixable and how? Or could this be a random fluke since my name is rather common.

Answer:
 Yes, it will follow you if you don't get the issue resolved. You need to find the source system that has the bad data and get it changed. If the charges are in WI, then you will want to start there. Get as much info from the background check company as possible and go to work. Hopefully they can provide you with the location of the charge and maybe give you some help as well.

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The issue is probably not based on only a name, but more likely there's a problem around your DL# or some other id number.

Anyway, you need to get the source system error corrected asap so your record is clean. Answer #2: I'm confused.  Are you listed as a sex offender?  Or does it say that someone **else** is a sex offender, and he's simply lived at your address?


Title: How many people can live in a single family home in california?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: It depends on local law. However if he has insurance they may elect not to cover him due to the liabilities.


Title: Landlord wants to change lease terms in next years lease that I've already signed. USA, GA

Question: I have been renting a room in a house for the past year almost. My rent has been the same the entire time and last month I signed a new lease starting 8/31 of this year for the same amount. My landlord is wanting to put the power and water in his name and increase the rent. Previously it was with one of the other tenants who doesn't want them in his name anymore. I wouldn't have a problem with that if he wasn't asking too much for the extra rent to cover them. I have offered to negotiate with him on the price and he's standing firm. He's wanting me to sign a new lease for the new amount and I'm don't want to because I feel like I'm getting ripped off. Plus I already have a valid lease for the room. What should I do. I can't really afford to move on such short notice.

Answer: Review your lease to see if landlord has any outs, if not you can play hardball and just say "I have my lease, I agreed to these terms, are you saying you won't abide by the terms we agreed?" and prepare yourself if he says he is willing to fight you.


Title: Implications of signing a birth certificate

Question:
In Florisa.  Just wondering what are the implications of signing a birth certificate. I know it means you are claiming to be the parent, but what if it turns out you are not? Or vice versa, what if you are but you didn't sign it?

So if you signed it and aren't does it make you legallty responsible regardless? If you didn't  sign it and are the parent, does it make it more difficult to gain legal parental rights?

Thx.

Answer: If you have any doubt as to who the father is don't sign it and get a paternity test done now. You can buy them over the counter. They aren't admissible in court but are reliable.


Title: Hit a pregnant deer on motorcycle, liabity only, curious as to what I should do.

Question: Hello everyone, I was riding my motorcycle earlier tonight and as the night progressed I headed home and struck a deer blowing the front portion of my motorcycle apart after hitting a pregnant deer broadside. The bike is worth roughly $2500 and I rode down my county road back to my home and only have the bike insured for liability. I know this is an act of God but I'm not sure if I'll be rebuilding the bikes front end out of my own pocket. I'm curious as to what I can do. I was able to keep the bike upright and remained uninjured and didn't hit the ground. Thank you everyone.

Answer:
 >  but I'm not sure if I'll be rebuilding the bikes front end out of my own pocket.

Sure you will be. Nobody else is responsible, and you made the choice not to purchase insurance for something like this.  Answer #2: If you carry only liability why would the insurance company pay for anything? You didn't pay for the coverage that would get them involved here. Do you go to a restaurant and order a hamburger and expect them to bring you a steak without paying for it because you realized you're still hungry?  Sorry but you have zero coverage for this. But very glad you are OK. As much grief as they cause me, I hope Bambi is OK too. Answer #3: What is your legal question?


Title: Husband worked on car extensively, sold it and it was then in a fatal accident. What can we expect.

Question:
Husband tinkered a lot with the car, and rebuilt a good chunk of it. Investigators are not done with the investigation yet, but the father of the deceased is going after the driver for wrongful death and plans on going after my husband if anything is found wrong with the car. He's already been suffering from "survivors guilt" and this is going to crush him.

Last time I posted this I was told to find a lawyer and delete my post immediately.  I'm taking the chance on posting again because it's been made public beyond our control. I don't think posting will hurt.

Now my question is what type of lawyer do I even look for and how would something like this play out? If a defect was in the car, how liable is my husband?

Sorry location bot, this is NY

Answer:
 IANAL, but can you offer more specific information as to the circumstances of the crash?  You say they want to go after your husband if "anything is found wrong with the car," but I'd think they would need to find a defect they can prove was caused by your husband and then be able to show that it directly contributed to the crash itself or the death of the driver.

It sounds like a stretch to me.  Plus if it was sold as is then they probably still wouldn't have much of a case even if they did find something.  Still, you should at least consult an attorney with the details.  Answer #2: The advice you got before still stands. You need to hire a lawyer. Look for someone who does tort defense or has specific experience with this type of situation. You should also look into whether your homeowner's insurance will cover you against a lawsuit for something like this. If they do you can make a claim and they may help pay for a lawyer.  Answer #3: If your husband is named in a civil suit contact your insurance carrier (try auto, homeowners, any other policy you have).  If you do not have insurance coverage, hire an attorney with experience defending personal injury or product liability cases.  FWIW, unless your husband provided a warranty, or he knew about an unsafe condition with the vehicle when sold and did not disclose it, I think its a longshot that he would face any kind of liability.


Title: In Will County, Illinois. Police stopped near my car when we were doing something that definitely could have gotten us a ticket. They never approached us. We left. Can they mail something?

Question:
I was in a car making out really intensely in a parking lot in a park. She was on top of me, it definitely could have looked like we were having sex. Clothes were on. We stopped right when we saw the first of two cop cars come pulling in.

This isn't my car. If they do mail something, it would be to someone else, which is why I am freaking out. Is that legal? Is that how police operate sometimes? Just mail a fine for public indecency or something?

Answer: Relax, it's unlikely anything is going to happen (not saying it's impossible). Making out in a car has been going on for decades. The cops simply found a way to get you to stop without it escalating further.


Title: My employer rolled out a biometric security system that stores our picture twice a day and they didn't give us any information about our privacy protections. What can we do?

Question:
So recently my employer implemented a "security" system for our building.  Basically there are a number of computers around the building and when you get in the building you have to sign in with your employee ID number and then it also takes a photograph of you for a biometric ID.

They haven't communicated anything to us in terms of how this all works.  There is nothing in writing explaining anything.  They've not told us if these pictures are being stored everyday or the security on the back end to ensure that pictures of all of us are protected.  Is this legal?  Do they not have some obligation to ensure our privacy and tell us that our photograph is only stored for X days or something?  This seems like an egregious invasion of privacy.

Answer: It's usually completely legal to store your picture. In fact, I could probably park myself in front of your building, take pictures of everyone coming and going and even post them online.


Title: Colorado. Found a human skull with probable bullet holes. Do we have to call the police?

Question: My uncle recently died. I didn't really know him. He was the black sheep of the family owing to him being a criminal and having went to prison twice when he was younger. He had a will and left everything to my cousins and I. He owned his house, but there isn't anything else to speak of. We just want to sell the house and split the proceeds. Last night my wife and I were going through his old stuff, throwing away the junk. She found a box in his bedroom closet and inside was the top part of a skull. There was 2 obvious bullet holes in the head part. I don't know the technical term. I am basing this on my extensive experience watching CSI. Haha. But it really does look like google pics bullet holes. My wife said we should call the police. I figure that we are either misinterpreting it, or even if we aren't, my uncle died and nothing could be done anyway. Me and my cousins don't want the hassle and delays that police involvement would bring and just want to get this house cleaned out, repainted, and sold. Having to deal with the cops will only slow things up especially since none of us know anything or knew my uncle at all. I can't imagine him being stupid enough to keep the skull of someone he shot and killed anyways. **Do we have any legal obligation to call the cops about this? Would we get in trouble if we don't?**

Answer:
 How about just report it because you're a decent human being and it could give closure to someone.Answer #2: There's lots of great legal answers here and I would like to add that perhaps the family of the person who was shot would like to have some closure. That's something I would personally prioritize.Answer #3: Is the skull white ? Like classic bone white ? Are there any odd papery or leathery pieces ?

Look inside the ocular cavity or the base of skull or anywhere that isn't directly visible for any markings. More than likely it is a curio. You can buy human skulls and during the height of the 80s occult craze a lot of them were sold. They almost always have some type of marking on them in an out of the way but visible area. It may have been done in ink though and a lot of people used cleaners to wipe it off. Look for one patch that is discolored.

Any commercial remains would have to be sold in a cleaned "scientific use" state. So if it has any remnants of flesh call the cops. If it is bleached white it is most likely an old occult curio.


Title: Everyone wants money but kid should get it

Question:
I don’t really post but have question:
 Background— My boyfriend lives with me. His kids were over and my sister’s dog bit his daughter, (everyone is totally ok). His ex-wife sued on behalf of minor daughter and got 50,000.

Now ex-wife would like him to sign paper so she can be conservator of $. Ex-wife has some problems and we really want to make sure $$ is put away in trust that is only for college. She’s just one of those moms that worries more about her nails than her kids education (one child (7) is failing out and the bitten child (5) has behavioral problems/being medicated for ADHD).

I’m totally out of my league and have tried to do some basic research but any suggestions about what we should do would be great. The only silver lining of this whole ordeal was hoping the settlement would give this kid a better life.

Answer:
 Is she asking to be made the custodian of a UTMA account? Those are fairly regulated, and usually require court approval for disbursements

He may want to reach out to an attorney about how to best protect his children's moneyAnswer #2: I think the answer would be 'no.'  They're his kids too.  He should have a say in what happens with that.  It sounds like she can't be trusted with the money.

One option is just to open up a UTMA account and, over the course of a few years, move the money into a 529 plan -- by the time the daughter gets to college, there should be enough there to pay for the entire thing.  (Why the UTMA?  Some small amount of protection against ex-wife's using the money on herself.)

Fair warning:  There are two kids involved here.  You all need to figure out how to make some provision for the 7 year old, otherwise this will like cause a lot of resentment later in the two kids' lives.


Title: My lease has a requirement to notify within 30 days if I'm moving out. Is that requirement waived if I get evicted?

Question: Since the landlord would have me be evicted, they would know I'm moving out, right?

Answer: Yes. It should be stated that either party can notify that they are giving their 30-day notice, however, and eviction is a court-ordered relief and the courts order is a final relief. As long as you are not counter suing than there is no need for 30 days, because they are begging of the court to have you legally removed for whatever reason or reasons listed in the complaint.Answer #2: Correct.


Title: Backed into my neighbors car now I'm being charged with a hit and run, what can I do?

Question:
The day after I got my license I decided to drive my friends home that night and I backed into my neighbors car. It didnt seem to look damaged and I was tired so I went home and went to sleep.

The next day I went over to their car to see if it was actually ok and I saw I had dented it. I went and gave the neighbors my info and talked to the insurance company. They emailed me telling me my insurance company didnt cover their loss of use so they wanted me to cover it. I told them they should talk to the insurance because they should cover it.

Now they email me telling me the insurance check is less than the estimated cost and they said what I did was technically a hit and run. They want me to "do the right thing as a young man" and they also said I could be "black listed" for this (what is that even). I already talked to my insurance telling them I was the driver. Am I in trouble here?

Edit: I live in California

Edit2: they have told their insurance that it is a hit and run
Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 1 - They can't use the threat of charges (hit in run) as leverage. This is called blackmailing and its much more illegal than a misdemeanor "hit and run".

2 - Did they accept the insurance companies offer because if they did they can't do anything about it. The insurance company certainly made them wave their right to anymore money from them/you.

3 - Tell them very politely to fuck off. If they sue you contact your insurance company.Answer #2: If they accepted the insurance company's offer, signed a release, and accepted settlement funds as a full & final satisfaction of their claim, then they are likely forever barred from suing you for additional money.
Answer #3: Well, if they sue you, you need to tell your insurance company. Your insurance company will provide you a lawyer and handle it for you. Don't ignore it-- they can win by default.

Otherwise, sit back and wait for something to happen. If they're dealing directly with your insurance company that's on them. If they don't like what your insurance offers them, they can sue you. That's it really. Answer #4: Sidenote: insurance guy here. Blacklisting isn't a thing.


Title: DUI Arrest in Kansas

Question:
Hi all.  I was traveling through Kansas on my way to KC.  Got pulled over then got arrested for DUI.

Now, get this, the Prosecuting Attorney was himself arrested for DUI in September.

http://ksn.com/2014/10/06/county-attorney-arrested-for-dui/\

Conflict?  Something I can leverage?

First time offender here (50 years old).  Dumb, dumb, dumb but I am guilty.

Officer said I passed the sobriety test but failed the breath (.09).  Blood taken.  Spent two nights in jail before being charged.  Out on $5K bond.

Thank you!!!!

Answer:
 > Conflict? Something I can leverage?

Neither.  His conduct doesn't invalidate yours.


Title: Is it illegal to make a fake account of someone and call it a “fan account”

Question: Recently this person got mad at me I used to mess with. and later I found they had made a facebook, Twitter and instagram with my pictures posing as me . I messaged one of the accounts and told her it was illegal and it was impersonation and she changed the account names to “My Name Fan Account” . She’s been posting pics of me and info about things I’ve done and said . Is this illegal? Can she get in trouble ?

Answer:
 Have you reported it each and every time she posts things?Answer #2: Its not illegal. But it can sure as hell easily lead to identity theft.

It is absolutely against those sites terms of service though. Report the accounts to the companies that these are accounts that are your identity but have not been created or controlled by you. Be stubborn and keep messaging these companies until they take them down, there isn't any legal requirement for them to do so except their own internal policies against this.

If these accounts are used to ruin your reputation using false statements and succeed in getting you fired from your job, you might have grounds to sue the controllers of the accounts. See an attorney about that if it happens, but there's no point unless you have actual damages.


Title: Is a gym a place that warrants a reasonable expectation of privacy?

Question:
Was at the gym, saw a guy in the cardio area taking a panoramic. I was bothered by this because I know a gym is a sensitive place for some people (people trying hard to lose weight and some of these people are insecure, etc). Not wanting to be too confrontational  I approached the man and asked him if I was in any of the pictures. He said he was taking a panoramic of the gym for his friend (but there were already pictures of this gym online). I believe his motives were suspect (for example, he could have been taking pictures of the women there).

Later in the strength area, I saw him again - this made me uncomfortable. He was taking a panoramic and I just stared at him. He asked me to step away from the area so he could take a photo.  I just wanted to burn some calories, I said no. I told him he can’t take photos without consent especially on private property. I am assuming a gym privately owned is private property, and it warrants a reasonable expectation of privacy. He said that the gym is public property and he thinks I’m wrong, then he walked away.

I strongly feel that he is in the wrong and a gym is a place that warrants a reasonable expectation of privacy.

What do you think?

Location: Canada
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 I would say you have NO reasonable expectation of privacy in the public area of the gym.

Which is not to say that they can't prohibit photography if people are made uncomfortable by it.


Title: Texas abortion law loopholes

Question:
I heard that the law says if you are sued for an abortion, you only have to pay the 10k one time. So could pairs of doctors take turns sueing each other for giving abortions, resulting in a net loss of $0?

If you can sue the taxi driver for driving you to your abortion centre, could a woman take a public bus, then sue the city for getting her to her abortion, or for building the roads?

Could you make a charity that provides abortions, then make a second charity that sues the first charity, then donates the 10k to them?

Trying to figure out as many loopholes as I can.

Answer:
 General advice about the law - if you think you've found a loophole or something to exploit, you haven't.

In the odd case that you actually did, it will require years of court proceedings and legal fees to convince multiple judges that you're *technically* correct.

Any stories from people who claimed to have found a loophole are probably just people who haven't been caught yet, or the police office just decided the paperwork wasn't worth their time at that moment. It's not "legal", they just managed to get away with it.Answer #2: Loopholes amounting to "what if the parties collude" run smack into procedural rules allowing the court to throw out such cases and allowing the court to censure the parties. A lawyer helping with a ruse of this nature would also be risking their license. You might get away with coordinated action & defence once or twice, but past that, it's a non-starter.

Suing the city has problems with sovereign immunity.Answer #3: > (e)  Notwithstanding any other law, the following are not a defense to an action brought under this section:

> ...

> (5)  non-mutual issue preclusion or non-mutual claim preclusion

If you understand the law then this should answer your question.

If you don't get it then you're not going to figure out any loopholes.Answer #4: The city decides if it's allowed to be sued, from what I've read in law books.


Title: [QC Canada] I went into a building intending to find the gymnasium, friend stole a camera.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You can be charged as an accessory or a full accomplice. You both stole the camera and everyone knows it. Doesn't matter who's getting the profit, you helped steal it. So correctional facilities and fines are all a definite possibility for *both* your friend and you. Answer #2: I'm just going to say it because no one else did, get better friends. Your friend stole a camera from a high school (public or private). Not knowing French is not an excuse, are you from Quebec? If so, you should know French, it is the only provincial language. If you are not from Quebec you could've easily used a translation app to find out where to go.


Title: [CA] Sister required to go to work during fires (not in immediate evacuation zone)

Question:
My sister lives in St. Helena, CA. There are fires to the South, East, and West of her, and air quality is terrible. Calistoga, the town adjacent, has a mandatory evacuation, but hers does not. There are only three exit routes that remain open.

She evacuated for her own safety, but has since been told that employees are only allowed to miss work if they are in an evacuation zone or road access is blocked.

I want to know if this is a legal requirement. My gut tells me it is, but there might be an issue with poor working conditions from air quality?

I figured it couldn't hurt to ask.

Answer:
 >My gut tells me it is, but there might be an issue with poor working conditions from air quality?

Your gut is wrong. If she doesn't live in a mandatory evac zone & the business is not in one, then she has to go to work.


Title: Kentucky. Boss refuses to give me two 10-minute breaks during an 8-hours work-day. What compensation am I entitled to for the missed break?

Question:
KRS § 337.365 says I'm entitled to two ten minute break periods in addition to my lunch.

My boss insists because I take an unpaid lunch, I don't "need" my morning ten minute break. I am not in a position where I can simply leave to take it anyways. I cannot have a break unless I am relieved of duty and she refuses to relieve me.

Since she is unwilling to give it to me, am I entitled to any financial compensation for it? I came from another state where if you miss a rest period, you are entitled to an hour's pay. Is that the same in kentucky?

Additionally, who can I report this to at the state level? I have reported it to corporate and upper-management, but they are not fixing the issue.

Answer:
 > I have reported it to corporate and upper-management, but they are not fixing the issue.

What do they say when you're reporting it?


Title: Is this legal?

Question:
A friend of mine has really poor self control with a narcotic medication he is prescribed (adderall).

He is an old friend and knows I don't/won't ever use them. He asked me if I could hold onto a decent amount and keep them in my car so he hopefully will stop taking them so liberally and running out early.

At first I said no problem but it occurred to me this might be illegal. He assured me that as long as I had the prescription bottle with his name and info on it I wouldn't be committing a crime.

Anyone know if this is true? I live in New York and friend lives in New Jersey and I cannot seem to find  any info regarding the legality of his request for either state.

Thanks in advance

Answer: absolutely NOT legal.


Title: How do you bill clients looking for free advice?

Question:
My friend is having problems with to many clients looking for free advice. They take the free information and run to their friend or family attorney.

Any tip for my friend?

Answer:
 Don't offer free advice?

Edit: Since a few of us posted this simple solution at the same time, I'll expand a little.

Offer a free consult, sure.  But don't actually provide advice.  Take the information you gather in the consult, maybe do some research on your own and see if it's something you want to tackle.  Then send the client a fee agreement requesting a retainer (hopefully you would have given it to the client at the end of the consult), and ask for it to be signed/returned before actually providing *your* planned course of action. Then write up a memo/letter/email/call to the client outlining what you intend to do, and bill for it.  Answer #2: Don't give away what you sell for a living.

Man up and just say "If I consult with you then I have to bill you- do you want me to do that?"Answer #3: Free consultations are for general information and fact finding, I wouldn't be giving substantial advice at an initial consultation.

If I'm agreeing to work on a fixed fee basis the client pays me for one hour upfront and this is offset against their bill at the end.

Hourly is hourly.  Although I'm more understanding of people who honestly need a lawyer but can't afford it.  I normally offer a discounted hourly rate, not a free consultation.

ETA: I've noticed, it's never the low income people who genuinely need advice that try to get it out of you for free.  Answer #4: What does your friend do? Why doesn't he just charge for the advice instead of giving it for free...?Answer #5: Don't give out free advice?


Title: I need to get out of this contract asap! I got offered a better job.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 No magic words get you out of a contract.

A state-wide non-compete may be unenforceable. Consult a local employment attorney.


Title: (NH) Father of children causing anxiety attacks during visits from interrogation

Question: Hey guys hopefully this won’t be too drawn out, but looking for guidance on what our options are here. My girlfriends childrens father has been causing anxiety attacks in the children during their 1x/month visit. He asks awfully personal questions of the kids and its been making them increasingly uncomfortable and culminated over the weekend to a full blown anxiety attack. I want to preface the story with the fact he has relinquished all legal rights to the children, but still pays child support and has visitation (again 1x/month). We have instructed the children when he asks questions that make them feel uncomfortable (do you get a slap on the butt when you misbehave, do you feel like a slave with all the chores you are given, what happens when (step dad) gets mad, do they force you to eat, do you get punished a lot) to simply say i don’t feel comfortable talking about it. The children are very well taken care of, but he is obsessed with the fact she has moved on and now lives with me- as they have for the past several years. He has come to terms with the fact he no longer has control over mom, but has been legitimately torturing the kids when they visit. He will not let a subject go, asks “hundreds of questions back-to-back” until he gets an answer he wants and won’t stop until he has discovered some truth he is seeking. In reality the children are very young (both under 8) and eventually will say anything to get it to stop. They come home traumatized that takes days to get back to norm. Where they see him so little (its consistently 1 weekend a month now, but have been periods of 3-6 months with no contact) they have both said they don’t care about how angry he gets, they will deal with it just to keep seeing him. It honestly breaks my heart, and we didnt know the extent of it until the oldest had her first panic attack and had to call home to calm down. The scripted answers of i don’t want to talk about it during subjects that upset them, only seem to infuriate him more and we are at a loss of what to do. This is certainly not a police matter... but would a family attorney be able to help us here? Or would we be told co-parenting sucks and this is par for the course? We know the kids have been hiding certain things from us when they visit, because they are afraid if we find out X then he will not be in their lives again as some form of retaliation. That decision has nothing to do with us, but you can’t tell children daddy has a new girlfriend that doesn’t like you. I’m sure some of these ideas are put into their head from him, but we dont push the subject as they just get very upset. We have been to court twice for contempt (both times for not following the agreed upon visits) but it ended up being a waste of time and money as nothing came from it. Soo any advice on what we can do next to protect them better and stop the drama? Thanks in advance...

Answer:
 >I want to preface the story with the fact he has relinquished all legal rights to the children, but still pays child support and has visitation (again 1x/month).

Both of these things cannot be true.

Your girlfriend can move to modify the custody order.
Answer #2: Your girlfriend has full legal and physical custody. He has not relinquished his legal rights. Big differences.

Your girlfriend needs to modify his visitation to court supervised visits in a neutral place. The kids are getting old enough a judge would take them seriously, and if he won’t take them seriously a child advocate with any basic therapy training should be able to speak for them.


Title: Is it ok to use music and sound effects that aren’t yours in a video game?

Question: A friend of mine wants to share a game to her her followers online for free, as she’s an aspiring game dev and has made some games to practice. She has used music and sound effects from various other games, though, which made her not want to share it for this reason. I tried to look this up but I couldn’t really find what I was looking for. Would anyone here happen to know/link to me a resource?

Answer:
 Using someone else music without their permission is against the law. [source](https://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html)Answer #2: They're copyright. You need to license them, unless the license that's attached to them allows you to use them for free.

Check the video game credits for information on who holds the licenses for the music and sound.

https://www.ascap.com/Home/Music-Career/articles-advice/ascapcorner/corner16.aspx


Title: [Nevada] Husband wants divorce less than 3 months after we have a child. Wants me out the house and on my own and joint custody. Doesn't want to permit me to take child to my home state with my family. He hasn't filed yet, will it hurt my case to just leave now?

Question:
We've been married a year and a half. We just had a kid and had gone to counseling. He wants a divorce and wants me to find a new job(I stopped working after the pregnancy), my own place and he wants joint custody. He's in the military, the title for the house was received after the marriage and he says he wants to stay in the child's life.

I have no other family in this state and there's no convincing him that our child would be better taken care of with my family back at home than by myself in Nevada.

A friend told me that because he hasn't filed the paperwork yet, I can pack my bags and leave with my kid and let my husband do the footwork. Is this true and will I be shooting myself in the foot if I do?

Edit: Just in case anyone gets the wrong idea, I'm not against him being in the kid's life. I just think he's being unreasonable in terms of the child's best interest. I won't be able to make ends meet on 500 a month.

Edit 2: I just finished talking(more like listening) to my husband on what his terms are.
Pretty much he'll file once I get a job and a place. If I don't get a job, I'd get a bit over 700 a month. Though the paperwork(title etc.) for the house was finalized after the marriage, it was purchased before it. So he gets the house. He said joint custody where he gets the child 2 or 3 days and I have them 4 or 5 days. Since they're so young, I can get them during the holidays for now. He mentioned the military pension being too small to fight for so it's not worth it. And the kicker, he'd move his mother into the house in case I can't afford childcare(ensuring the child stays with him even more)

My counselor agrees with me that it seems like he tricked me into being a baby machine and is essentially forcing me out the picture. I was fuming but didn't say anything. I just told him I'd think about it.

Answer:
 You don't have to move out just because he wants you to, the house is both of yours so if he wants to be on his own let him leave. (This is based off the Nevada being a community property state and their family self help legal website)

Your lawyer probs has a better idea of what all of your options are.

sources: http://www.familylawselfhelpcenter.org, http://www.familylawselfhelpcenter.org/self-help/divorce/overview


Title: I'm getting sued because i spoke to the media.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: if you are sued, you need an attorney in South Africa, Im betting none of us know the laws there. that said, here, this very well could be a legit suit you could lose, but it may be different there. Answer #2: Most employment contracts have a clause barring employees from speaking to the media without prior approval. If your contract has such a clause and you broke it then you may just be out of luck.


Title: [CA] If you run over a cat/dog and flee the scene, is that considered a hit-and-run?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Yes. Dogs and cats are property. Well maybe not cats, fuck cats (jk).  Anytime you hit property with a motor vehicle you must contact the owner or the police.

Edit:  quite a few down votes. Anyone care to tell me why they think I'm wrong?  Answer #2: When I was 19 I ran over a cat and tearfully drove to a payphone to call the police. They told me that it's just a pet and they'll send animal control. No insurance increase, no legal trouble, nothing. But I felt horrible. And for weeks no matter how much I washed my car, all I smelled was burned fur.


Title: Need some help. Shoplifting charge and failure to appear.

Question: Hi everyone, I got in some trouble a few months back and I need your advice on what to do now. So I caught a petty shoplifting charge for $30 of goods at Walmart in December and the judge gave me a 1 year suspended sentence and ordered probation and 2 in-court reviews every 3 months. I never went to probation and got a failure to appear on my first review. How can I fix this? I'm in Arkansas so this might be a tough case for me to win. Thank you for your time and any help is greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 Win? If you are on probation, it sounds like you already entered a guilty plea or were found guilty. In any case, there's a good chance you're going to lose probation and the original sentence will be imposed. At this point, you should really be consulting with a local criminal defense attorney. Answer #2: >I'm in Arkansas so this might be a tough case for me to win.

First off, win?  What do you think you're going to win or lose?  You already had your case adjudicated.  You got off super easy with the suspended sentence and probation.

Second, Arkansas has nothing to do with it.  I'm in Arkansas.  But no matter where you are or what state you are in, 'you done fucked up, son.'

So you probably have a warrant out for your arrest.  You can call the county or a police department to verify.  You may or may not want to fall for the "come down to the police station and we'll tell you."

If you can swing it, I'd attempt and contact an attorney.  They can help you through the process.  Help you make a case to the judge.  See if you can get probation again.  Likely, however, you're looking at some jail time.Answer #3: > I'm in Arkansas so this might be a tough case for me to win

I'm not aware of any State where one can just completely blow off their probation and not face any consequences for that.


Title: Cease and Desist Letter

Question: A friend of mine owns a blog called hammerandheelsblog.com and she got a cease and desist letter from a store that has the name hammers and heels. The store recently got a trade mark on "hammers and heels" in 2015. My friends blog was started in 2013 and thats when she purchased the domain. The store is telling her to get rid of her domain, all social media accounts and back links. She really doesn't want to lose everything she worked for and change her name. Is there much she can do? Worth fighting? Any negotiations ? Thank you.

Answer: There is nothing to fight. A C&D letter is just a request. If she is sued, then she can fight it.


Title: [Florida] A friend's mother went into her phone and sent all of her nudes to relatives and friends to "punish" her. Does she have legal recourse?

Question:
My friend was visiting her mother in Florida, the state in which this occurred (my friend doesn't live there.)

For whatever reason the mother went into her daughter's phone while the daughter was asleep and discovered that she has a very active sex life. The daughter is in her 30's, just to be clear.

To "teach her a lesson" the mother sent all of her nude photos out via email to all of her relatives as well as some friends. Suffice to say she is devastated. She wants nothing more to do with her mother, but she also wants to know whether or not she has legal recourse to sue her mother for this action; or whether it was a criminal act.

As a point of interest, the daughter's phone is on the mother's family plan. There is a question of who technically *owns* the phone itself. I don't know if that changes the legality of who has ownership of the data (photos) on the phone but I thought it was important to point out.

Answer:
 [Illegal in Florida](http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0NZ2IZ20150514) punishable by up to a year in jail.Answer #2: I was going to automatically say distribution of child porn.... but... 30 year olds aren't minors... >.>

Who pays for the cell phone plan doesn't matter, it's your friend's phone, the only thing that might change that were if your friend were a minorAnswer #3: Have your friend come on over to r/raisedbynarcissists/Answer #4: Does the mother deny she sent the photos? For that matter, does your friend have evidence that the mother was the one who sent them out?


Title: [IL] Is it legal to withhold pay or a contracted employee due to customer complaints?

Question:
Hello, this is in Illinois. I work in an animal hospital with a person who works contractually for our company as a dog groomer. When a customer complains, the head of our hospital is ALWAYS happy to instantly give our customers a refund and does so regardless or the situation. However, when she gives the refund, she takes the money from our Groomer, effectively taking money straight from her paycheck. My question is, is this legal? Obviously, if she were hourly or salaried it would be illegal to short her checks, but is it different because she gets paid per dog? Thank you!

Also it probably doesn't matter, but for the record she is an excellent groomer who has been grooming for us for at least 6 years if I'm not mistaken.

Answer: No. She doesn't have the contract with the client, your employer does. She has a contract with your employer. Your employer is obligated to pay her irrelevant of the satisfaction of the client.  Your employer is free to sever the relationship with the groomer but they cannot short her.


Title: Is it possible to give a minor a cease & desist?

Question: I'm 19 years old and this involves a 16 year old and a 20 year old who keep harassing me, sending me messages, calling me and leaving me messages that involve calling me a whore and other other things, i was wondering if it is possible to issue a cease and desist or a restraining order? I just want this to stop. BTW: This is in Texas.

Answer:
 A C&D is just a letter. It is not a court order. So sure. It does not mean it will be followed.

Your best solution is to change phone numbers and be selective who you give it to. Or block their numbers.


Title: Pediatrics group is billing more for the birth of my son than insurance says I owe. I have no idea what to do now.

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Removed - PII

Answer: Try posting on /r/insurance


Title: Two things involving sexting. I’m scared.

Question:
Hi, two stories here. For the record, I will not be this dumb ever again. I’m in my twenties.

First story is I met a girl on Omegle, moved the chat to an app. She repeatedly told me she’s 19. We had some sexual roleplay. No pictures of any party, just text. Then the next day she tells me she’s 13. I immediately block her.

Second story. Met another girl on Omegle, told me she’s 18, I asked her multiple times. Moved to an app, we get sexual, pictures are exchanged. Nudes. I immediately delete her pictures after seeing them, not very interested in saving them. Then for some reason, something she said about school, threw me off. I google her, and oh look she’s under 18. She gets really dodgy when I ask for proof and ID and starts making up stories. That’s enough for me. I block her. No pictures saved.

I’m going to stop finding girls online. But my question is: can anything here come back to bite me in the ass? Should I be freaking out and worrying? I’d really appreciate any help, opinions, and experience you all may have. Thanks!

Answer: Usually people who post this sort of story add that there has been an extortion attempt. Block, ignore, and stop this behavior.


Title: (California, United States) I have in immigrant friend (24 female) who is unhappily married to a 57 year old man. Constantly threatened with deportation by the husband. What are her options?

Question:
Facts:

she is from the phillipines. she got married to a 57 year old man when she was 21 in 2014. I think she came here on a fiancée visa and then got married shortly after she arrived here. there is obviously a huge power imbalance in the relationship. she told me he always threatens her with deportation unless she behaves the way he likes her to. I looked up the Violence Against Women Act and i'm not sure if it applies to her situation. Threatening someone with deportation sounds like abuse but it is not physical domestic violence. she is supposed to reapply for the 10 year visa this year and the husband is threatening that he won't help her apply.

is VAWA applicable to her situation? she doesn't really have any money either so she can't really hire an expensive immigration lawyer.

Answer: She should contact domestic violence resources that deal with immigration issues in her area.Answer #2: Any green card by marriage requires the intended immigrants spouse to file for conditions to be removed after the green card has been received and a 10 year green card can then be obtained that can be renewed indefinitely by the immigrant. If she divorces him he cannot control her, and if he holds the green card she can just apply for a lost or stolen one after she moves out.


Title: Mother verbally agreed to a contract. She hardly remembers. She was on powerful medication at the time. Can we get out?

Question:
Hi all,

My mom is not always the wisest lady and is known to fall for a scam or two.  Some magazine gobetween company contacted her offering her a reduced rate contract on a bundle of subscriptions.  We called to cancel today and they told us that it is impossible and that we would have to pay the remaining balance, which is something like $700, which is a lot for her since she is retired.

Now, at the time she took the call, my mom was using powerful anti-anxiety drug and Provigil, which is  drug to combat daytime sleepyness. They played us a recording of my mom's verbal consent and she sounds a little slurred.

All that to ask: would we be able to say that she was not in the correct frame of mind to provide legally binding consent and get out of this contract?

Answer:
 > would we be able to say that she was not in the correct frame of mind to provide legally binding consent and get out of this contract?

You can certainly try, sure.  If they pursue the matter to court, it'd be up to the judge or jury to decide if that was accurate.


Title: "Buying" drugs off a police officier and let go. Can I be arrested later?

Question:
This occurred in Ontario, Canada. I went out last night for a few drinks and a couple of hours into the night my friend wanted to purchase some coke. I went with him to a seedy bar but didn't want to be involved at all so I just sat at a table by myself.

A few minutes in I get called over and the guy just
asks about me. Things are pretty jovial as I tell him where in from etc. Then for some reason he wants to see my student card. He reveals himself to be a cop, writes down our names on a post-it, then scares us for the next 10min saying how fucked we are.

He asks me about buying drugs at which point I respond that I was only here for a beer. My earlier interaction with him would suggest I knew what was going on and thought he was trying to determine if we were "cool" but I never actually mentioned buying drugs off him.

He let us go and it's now noon the next day and nothing has happened. My question is, is it likely to be charged later or him call the school? I should mention that he had a badge, but my friend retuned to the bar later asking to see his badge number and was promptly kicked out.

The guy was in the back room of the bar and wasn't just some random patron. When I was taking to him he was behind the bar. Speaking to a bartender friend of mine later he said that it's likely just the bar owner scaring us. Not a cop.

Answer: I think you've been trolled


Title: [WA] employer hires me on full time and now is forcing us to do 12-14 hour days.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Join the club, man. We have t-shirts, but you can't wear them in the office. Business casual or above only.

They're paying you overtime, right?


Title: How much of Elle's speech when she's getting her friend's dog back is accurate?

Question:
This is the speech:

Under state law, you and Ms. Bonafante had a common law marriage which entitles her to the benefits of property law and an equitable division of assets. Due to the fact that you retained the residence, Ms. Bonafante is entitled to full ownership of the canine property in question and we will be enforcing said ownership immediately.
And then they take the dog.

Answer:
 I haven't seen the movie, but it seems as if "Elle" is talking to a couple who has broken up.  She's declaring that they definitively **are** common law married, and she's taking items from the house as the wife's half.

While her statement about common law marriage may be correct, it's not accurate that an attorney can simply stand up and say "if you get the house she legally gets this other thing".  That's for the judge to decide.  That's doubly true if(as it sounds here) the items involved are in one party's name or were paid for by one party.


Title: (NY) 17 year old and don't know if I will graduate on time.

Question:
 TLDR: Awful parents didn't do job so forced to pick up the slack. Need help on what to do next.

Hello everyone!

I need major help! I am 17 years old and now in 12th grade. Since my father doesn't teach me at all and my mother just expects me to know everything. Truly I'm surprised I even made it this far. I honestly don't know where to start. I have to read everything and math from 11th and try to finish by December so I have time to cram all 12th grade work.

I know that I did pretty good at self teaching all these years on my own since the age of 8, because when I went to private school for one year in 9th grade, my average score was in the 90's. But once I started high school, I have been having a decline of motivation (math).

I know I won't be able to get a home school diploma and will have to make my own transcript because my father only has a transcript from 7th grade when I went to a online public school before we moved. I live in NY now so there is no free online public school and my public school is awful (one of the worst graduating rates and teachers helping students cheat to rise the percentage.)

I made what I want to do so I finish in time (not sure if good enough):

[https://imgur.com/a/NjOwIgZ](https://imgur.com/a/NjOwIgZ)

I'm also not taking Regents (due to, you guessed it, my parents for whatever reasons). So I plan to take my ACT, SAT, and GED this year. I can at least proved I did something since I have some courses from Udemy, doing Khan Academy, etc. I just have a few questions.

1. How do I make a home school transcript?
2. Will I be able to buy my own home school degree.
3. Do I have to prove I graduated?
4. How do I study?
5. How long should I study?
6. What time should I start school? (I wake up everyday at 4:30 to check on my pets. Go back to sleep, then start school at 9).
7. Should I start taking my own attendance? (Heard it was required).
8. Anything else?

I'm very motivated and willing to work hard. I would've started earlier. But since I'm homeschooled, the past two years my mother thought that means "free time all day". So I was forced to help her do HER job.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer:
 I would consider getting [https://www.kaptest.com/ged/books](https://www.kaptest.com/ged/books) a GED prep book like this. It gives you all the information you need to pass the test. I think it's going to be an uphill battle to try to convince your parents or the school board that the homeschooling was completed. I would set a date you want to take the GED exam, you can look online and book this well in advance. Then break down the book into reasonable chunks that will be completed daily/weekly until your test date. Think of school as your full-time job, wake up at the same time monday-friday and work through the course book for 4 hours, take an hour lunch break, and do another 4 hours.

&#x200B;

good luck!Answer #2: IANAL but can you just take the GED test? Do you think you would pass?

I dropped out of H.S. at 16 and took the GED test. I needed my mom to sign everything but it was literally as simple as signing up for the test, paying the $50 and taking the test. You get a Diploma in the mail. I bought a study book at Barnes and Noble and studied it for 3 weeks.


Title: Apartment foreclosed while I was away. What should I do to help redeem it?

Question:
Hi.

So here's my situation: I have an apartment under my name back in Houston in a gated community. We have to pay a monthly fee of around 300 dollars for monthly maintenance. Last I paid was up to September, as I usually pay in chunks because I am currently living in Miami and I can only get back there once in a while.

Recently, due to some mail mishaps (in which I assume that USPS is at fault), turned out that the housing association of the community was missing 6 months of my maintenance fee (even though I remember I paid up to September with USPS money order). So they toss it to their attorneys and proceed to foreclosed it over what is only 2000 USD worth of maintenance fee.

Now the house is already sold for a paltry sum of 40K, and the attorney is now holding the remainder of sum while the house is now owned by another company, with a lot of our belongings still in there. All of this is really just a matter of honest mistakes as I couldn't receive their notifications via mail as it was sending back to an address i didn't live anymore. Fortunately, the owner send me the latest one but it was too little too late.

As far as I know I have a 90 days of rights to redemption where I can redeem my house, but it seems like the worst case scenario the new owner will try to sell it back to me at the market price (which is roughly 135K USD), not at the price in which they paid for. I was also advised by my agent to get an attorney for this.

What should I do? I'm honestly confused and really scared because I can't just leave work to go back to take care of this at the moment and also waiting for mails and such is going to prolong all of this. All of this was really a series of unfortunate events and I never really intended to not paid my bills.

Helps really appreciate it.

Answer: You’re talking about a house worth six figures. You should be talking to an attorney like yesterday.


Title: WA - Seattle - ticket for "inattentive driving"

Question:
I recently got a ticket for "inattentive driving" under Seattle Municipal Code 11.58.008. Here is the text from that law:

"11.58.008 - Inattention.
No person shall operate a vehicle in an inattentive manner over and along the streets, alleys or ways open to the public of this City. For the purpose of this section, "inattentive manner" means such a manner so as to fail to maintain a careful lookout for persons or property in the direction of travel."

I was driving along and had Google Maps pulled up on my phone using the GPS format where it talks to you. My phone was in the cupholder and I had definitely glanced at it. The cop said she pulled me over because I was looking down and at the passenger seat of the car instead of at the road. She mentioned the hands free law, but did not cite me for it. That law only applies to texting, not GPS, in Seattle, so I'm thinking she wanted to cite me for that but couldn't, so she slapped me with "inattentive driving" instead.

I plan to contest this in court because I think it's ridiculous that she pulled me over. I am a careful driver, don't text while driving, etc, and was wearing dark sunglasses, so how could she even tell where I was looking? People glance around inside their car all the time, it's not like I was doing it for a long period of time. She said it would have been ok if the cell phone were attached to the dashboard instead of in the cupholder, but I don't see how that's any different and there's no law about placement of a GPS device that I'm aware of. That's just her personal opinion. I also noticed no fewer than five cops pulling people over within about ten blocks, so it seems like they were just trying to make their ticket quotas. End of the month, you know...

Does anyone have any advice for fighting this ticket? Never been to traffic court before. I plan to file for discovery to see what the cop wrote in her report. I was feeling nervous and stupidly admitted that I was looking at GPS for directions, so I don't know if I have any chance in court if she put that admission in her report.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 It is very very easy to see people looking down while they text. I watch them all the time.

Attached to the dashboard means you only have to move your eyes and can still see the road. Looking down at your cup holder takes your eyes completely off the road. It means you are not paying attention to the road.

You are welcome to fight it. The officer will tell the courts that you were not looking at the road while driving. This may or may not have effected your driving (swerving) or some other observable thing that the officer will tell the courts. I do not know what your defense will be


Title: Can I Enter California If I'm Under 18?

Question: I plan on entering California through Blythe to visit some extended family and friends by myself, but I recently remembered from a seperate trip (where I was with my entire family) there's a checkpoint in Blythe. I'm 17 and am really unsure if they'll ask for ID to prove I'm 18 or not. Is there a law forbidding minors from crossing state borders? Am I getting worried over nothing?

Answer: No, there is no law preventing minors from traveling between states.


Title: [Los Angeles] Landlord emailed me a statement after I sued to collect my security deposit

Question:
My landlord didn't give me a statement or send me my security deposit within 21 days after I moved out. After 50 days, I sent an email asking for my security deposit. They emailed me back asking for my new address, which I had already given them. I gave them my new address again. After a week, I sent another, less friendly email asking for my security deposit money. I never heard back.

I submitted a small claims suit after 100 days, and as soon as it was accepted, the landlord (a corporation) sent me an email claiming $1000+ additional charges (for painting, changing the carpet, etc) and that my payment was overdue (even though they had never sent me a statement) and that I have 30 days to pay or they will report me to a credit agency.

My court date is more than 30 days from now (it's set for mid-December). I'm not sure what my next steps should be. Should I dispute the charges in writing since I didn't receive the statement in time? Should I just wait for my court date and let the judge decide? Appreciate any help.

Answer:
 I would wait, and just go to court.  They are too late even if the additional charges were valid (which I doubt). They are idiots because now you know what they are going to say in their defense.  Don't tip your hand by acknowledging  it. Answer #2: Did you remember to take pictures of the apartment showing the condition you left it in? Also, how long were you in the apartment? Unless you damaged the carpet and paint, usually painting and carpet are part of the normal wear and tear on a unit and you're not supposed to deduct that from the security deposit. That can vary by state though.

I would probably dispute the charges in writing and take the letter and your response to small claims court along with everything else you were going to bring. If they do report you to a credit agency that sucks, but provided the court rules in your favor you can use that as proof to get it dropped off your credit report.Answer #3: If they didn't send you a statement within 21 days, they cannot charge you anything or withhold any of your security deposit.  Period.

I would ignore them.  If they do report you to a credit agency (unlikely but who knows) then respond to the agency and dispute the debt.


Title: BYOD questions at work

Question:
So a little history I started working for my company 6 years ago.  They had a very robust cell phone reimbursement plan covering many features.  We were and still are expected to use our personal phones for company purposes 24/7/365.

Fast forward two years ago they change the reimbursement to a flat $100 per month.

Last year they provided a single $1200 lump sum to cover phone costs.

This year we will be receiving zero reimbursement.

I know this has been covered in California however we are not located there.  We are in many states in the eastern US.

Union employees who are required to be on call are provided a company owned device.

Non union employees are required to use their own personal device for calls.

They company also rolled out a MDM software that must be installed on phones to access company resources.

So my main question is what is the current legal climate regarding reimbursement for BYOD and being required to use it for business purposes?

Answer:
 I'm not sure on the reimbursement side of this but I work in IT. You may want a phone specifically for business use and not just the phone you use personally. Even if it is one you're paying for.

MDM software has a lot of nifty features that allow your employer to basically spy on you legally since you agreed to them installing it and agree to what it does on your device. It can give them complete access to your browsing history, text messages, GPS tracking, turn on the mic, etc... It also gives them the ability to remote wipe the device and install/uninstall apps to it.


Title: [MI] Landlord stealing my security deposit before Christmas

Question:
Long story short, I recently moved out of an apartment after living there for several years. I spent a week scrubbing and cleaning top to bottom because I was really counting on the security deposit to help buy Christmas presents for my kids. I stupidly did not take pictures.

Now, the landlord wrongly kept most of my deposit, *however*, he did not return the remainder and itemized list of "damages" until 34 days after my lease ended. MI law states this must be done within 30 days. Does this mean he automatically forfeits the deposit? I am hoping to get my security deposit back without the prolonged he said/she said especially since I didn't get pictures.

Answer:
 This guide was put together by MSU and has some really good info. Starting on pg 11, it tells you what to do about security deposits

www.legislature.mi.gov/publications/tenantlandlord.pdf


Title: How do I dispute a hospital bill? I was in a car accident and my IUD was removed during treatment because I was in a baptist hospital. The removal is not covered by my insurance

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Removed Troll Post

Answer:
 You can deal with the bill in small claims if the hospital is unwilling to work with you. I would absolutely dispute it.

You can also file a complaint against the Dr.s involved with the state licensing board and/or a police report and/or speak with a lawyer who deals in medical malpractice.Answer #2: Really?  This happened?

(1)  First step is the the Florida medical board.  Whoever did that should lose his/her license.
(2)  Next step is a lawyer.  That's battery.  It's theft.  It shocks the conscience.

I might have the order of those two things wrong.  But, if this is accurate, and not just a troll, then both the doctor and the hospital are in for a world of hurt.


Title: Paid $250 to photographer who has not delivered photos and has ignored all messages

Question:
I’ll try summarize this as best I can.

Big fan of this photographer who has around 70k followers on Instagram. I’ll refer to him as Christoph and his girlfriend/assistant/stylist as Laralee. His style is horror surreal, and seems to be well loved. He announced a tour, and I set up a shoot to model for him. I traveled from the bay area to LA for this shoot.

A friend who worked with him on the east coast warned me that she had to hound Christoph and Laralee in order to receive her photos. The same apparently happened to one other model that we know of. I believed in his vision and chose to schedule with him anyway.

We secured a date for mid April. The shoot cost me $250. $125 through a PayPal invoice to secure the date, and $125 in cash on the day of the shoot. I was very excited and had a great experience working with them.

When I booked, it was outlined in their e-mail that I would receive ‘a file containing all of my edited images’ within ‘3-4 weeks of my shoot.’ In person, he tells me it may take a bit longer since he and Laralee are on tour. Totally reasonable.

Christoph posts one photo from our shoot in May. Around this time, I start to take a massive step back from Instagram for my mental health. August rolls around, and I realize I hadn’t heard anything. I send an e-mail on the 27th inquiring about when I’ll see photos. No response, so I send another two weeks later. Ad nauseam, I’ve sent six e-mails since August. Late October is when I sent the first of three texts.

Somewhere in the midst, I check his Instagram and see that he posted about a family death in early August. Of course, mourning will affect your ability to do business. And of course, there is no time limit on mourning. I left some more time before reaching out again, and tried to keep e-mails as friendly as possible. I asked if they needed more time. I was just trying to find out anything at all. He has been posting new work over the last few months.

It has now been 7+ months since this shoot. At first I was just inquiring about photos, but now I am asking for a refund. I’ve lost all respect for them and their work, and I don’t even really want these photos anymore.

My aforementioned friend has offered to reach out to them for me, and I will take her up on that.

I am wondering - is there anything else I can do, anywhere I can report them, any other avenue I can try here to get my money back?

Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

Answer: Small claims court. I happen to work in the business of photography and video production. He's just sitting on your photos. As a photographer and videographer I don't require people to pay until I deliver(50% up front and 50% upon delivery or 1/3 up front, 1/3 to begin work and 1/3 at delivery). Which holds me accountable. I suggest requiring this for future photographers and videographers you use in the future.


Title: Multiple retail theft charges-unintentional

Question:
I'm being charged for 10 separate misdemeanor charges for taking items that weren't paid for. It was unintentional and I was diagnosed with ADD almost 2 years ago, that's all I can guess at what happened, I just forgot to scan stuff. I thought it was a simple mistake but they surprised me with multiple other times. I didn't realize I had been slipping up on anything, I only have medication for while I'm at work. I've contacted a few lawyers and some want me to plead guilty.

Keeping my job is dependant on a clean record. I've never been in trouble with the law before and I'm 29. What should I know going into this? How do I show them it wasn't on purpose and caused by a mental issue?

I told them I'm fine on money, asked to pay for what I thought I already paid for. It wouldn't make sense for me to not pay for anything since I'm actually doing pretty good on finances atm.

Answer:
 None of those things are good defenses.

Pick a lawyer and follow his or her advice.

And stop using self checkout forever.


Title: [U.S.] Anyone know the legality of certain stuff on the Internet Archive?

Question:
I mean, there’s many rabbit holes you can get yourself into. Especially when start going into the geo-restricted and fringe collections.

The question is, what’s the legality of viewing these sorts of documents for Americans? I’m not concerned about the fringe Neo-Nazi loser documents since those are *presumably* covered under free speech. But what about documents from organizations (say, a cartel) that do illegal activities? What about religious fundamentalists caught up in acts of violence in the Middle East? What about the guerrilla communist armies and parties? What is the legality of viewing these videos, documents, audios, etc., especially considering the government is actively at war with or clearly is subverting these types of groups?

I won’t mention specific documents or groups because of obvious reasons, I don’t know if these are even legal to view or not. If they aren’t, I don’t intend on even looking at them. I’m interested in studying historical, political and geopolitical events so you’d see why this sort of thing is confusing me. I am noticing that a recent organization that has come to power in Afghanistan also has a lot of archived material on it. Considering they’re *technically* ruling Afghanistan now, I presume these aren’t illegal?

Answer: In the US, pretty much the only information that's illegal to possess on its face is child pornography. You can read up on how to make drugs and bombs, the history and practices of The People's Temple, or anything else, as you like.


Title: [TX] Table walked out without paying the tab at my local bar. Does the server (legally) have to pay it out of her tips?

Question: A friend of mine is a server at a bar/restaurant in Texas. When you sit at the bar they take your CC to open a tab, but if you sit at a table they have a server and table service. Last night I was there and a table walked out on their $55 ticket for both food and alcohol. The manager then stated that it really sucked for the server because she was going to have to pay the tab out of her own pocket. I'm mostly sure this is not legal, but I can't seem to find the specific law in Texas that states that, and I don't know who to contact. Ideally what I would like is a reference for whom to contact and report this anonymously, as well as a reference to the applicable law so I can show my friend in case she wants to report this as well. My Google skills are weak, and help y'all would be willing to provide would be appreciated.

Answer:
 It's not legal. DOL would the the place to start.Answer #2: Employers cannot touch a server's tips when it comes to deductions, they can only touch the hourly rate they pay the server.  Considering that 99.9% of servers in the United States are paid exactly minimum wage or less, ANY deduction from the paycheck is illegal.

That being said, don't be surprised if your friend refuses to cover the walkout and finds themself fired the next day for negligence.  The restaurant industry is a super shady place to work.
Answer #3: They can't force her to pay it unless she agrees to it in writing. However they can fire her for refusing to pay.