Title: Protective Orders

Question:
Hi,

My sister\-in\-law had a PO filed against her by her husband \(BIL\) in Utah. They had separated and he went to live at his parent's house. They made informal arrangements to have visitation with their 2 year old son. When he had the son for a visit, he filed a PO against her making all kinds of false claims and accusations. The ex\-parte temporary order was granted and she was served.

After being served, she sent a text to ask what this was all about. He called the sheriff and had her arrested. She made bail and has since had some visitation with her son and hasn't contacted him.

At the hearing with the commissioner, he basically said he didn't really think the BIL was doing what was in the best interest of the child but couldn't remove the order because she had violated it once.

Her attorney really didn't do much for her. She has plenty of evidence and allegations against him too but wasn't given a chance to say anything about it because she was playing defense the whole time.

What are her options here? She has been the primary parent to her child since he works full\-time, but now she doesn't have custody of her child. What are some likely outcomes in the future?

Thanks for reading.

Answer: She needs to listen to her lawyer. If you're served a PO, you sure as shit shouldn't be *thinking* about sending a text to the person who filed it, the only person you should think of contacting in that situation is a lawyer. She fucked up here, unfortunately, and a lawyer who is actually familiar with the situation in real life will be more helpful than we will, especially in a case like this where there are all kinds of potential outcomes.


Title: Cost of a broken dishwasher (CA)

Question:
We’ve been renting a home in an expensive part of CA for six years and have a wonderful relationship with our landlord. About six weeks ago, the dishwasher stopped working and we reached out to the landlord and asked for authorization to call for a repair. He stated that, since it was over ten years old, he would just order a new one for the house. We were excited to have a new one and had no problem just hand washing our family’s dishes for the week until the delivery date.

When the installers arrived, they took the new dishwasher off the truck, came in to shut off the water under the sink, and the shut-off valve broke in the guy’s hand. There was no way they were going to fix it and said we needed a plumber. However, they left the new dishwasher still in the plastic in the garage, asking me to inspect it for damage. I didn’t see any and they left. I called the landlord, he called the plumber, and the plumber arrived a few days later to fix the valve. I called the installation folks and they said they had an appointment in seven days. No problem. We could just hand wash the dishes.

Second set of installers check the valve (all is well!) and get the new dishwasher from the garage. They tip it on its back to get the plastic off and notice the underside frame is cracked. They can’t install a broken product and tell me to hang onto it (they won’t take it away) and call the manufacturer. I call the landlord and explain what happened. He graciously makes all the phone calls and says I should hear from the company soon. The company calls me that day and schedules the third delivery for nine days out. No problem. Just keep washing dishes.

Happily, the third delivery goes smoothly, they take the old dishwasher and broken new dishwasher away, and we have a lovely new working dishwasher.

Here’s the problem: In total, it took over a month to get a new dishwasher installed and we just got our water bill. It is TRIPLE our normal bill. Over $300! We didn’t have any guests, there’s no water leak, this was just from washing dishes after every meal. Our water usage records show that we have had the same usage over the past few years with little or no variation.

Question: Is it appropriate to request some sort of reimbursement or discount on rent from our landlord for this excessive overage?

TLDR: Renting in CA, dishwasher broke and took over a month to replace. Water bill skyrocketed and am not sure if we should ask for reduced rent or other discount to offset personal costs.

Answer:
 No, you're not entitled to a discount because your water bill went up.  Unless your lease guarantees a dishwasher of a specific model or water usage, you have no recourse.

&#x200B;

As an aside: Who runs a dishwasher after every meal?  Unless you're a family of 10, that's excessive.  You should check your bill to review your water usage..

&#x200B;

In response to your edit: If your water use tripled because of hand washing dishes for a month, you're washing dishes wrong.  Like....so wrong that I can't contemplate how you're using that much water without it sounding like a joke.  Are you washing them in the bathtub with the faucet going full blast?  Do you wash them by putting them in the toilet and flushing it over and over again until the food came off?  Answer #2: Leaving your attempt to murder your dishes by drowning them aside, $300 a month is alarming because you specifically say that the installer broke the valve.

Are you sure there wasn't, or isn't, any water leak at the angle stop (how did it break?), behind the wall, or somewhere else on the property?  If you shut off all fixtures in the home and go look at your meter (in the garage or in the vault box outside), is it still spinning?Answer #3: You’ve no recourse for letting the water faucet run continuously for an hour at a time.


Title: Psychiatrist says I cannot see my own medical records

Question:
First, I want to say I am asking for my psychiatric MEDICAL records. I know I cannot access the doctor’s personal notes. I just want my records of diagnoses, medication changes, appointment summaries. I am in Alabama.

I was recently dumped by my psychiatrist of 3 years for missing an appointment (another issue). This left me in quite a bind because he was prescribing me several drugs that cannot be stopped abruptly due to my epilepsy and high seizure risk. I was able to get my neurologist to write me short-term prescriptions for these drugs until I can find another psychiatrist, which I haven’t been able to do yet. I called my former doctor and asked to relieve my records from him. The receptionist told me unequivocally that they could not release any records to me whatsoever. I would have to have my records sent to a new psychiatrist, and even then I wouldn’t be allowed to view them, only the doctor. This didn’t seem right, and some preliminary research seems to support my feeling that this doctor is not allowed to withhold these records from me. I called back twice, to clarify I only wanted records, not personal notes, but the receptionist would not entertain any discussion whatsoever. She maintained that I as a patient cannot receive these records myself in any way, I can only have them sent to a new doctor. What can I do? I will get a new doctor soon, but I feel I have the right to see these records and that I am being lied to.

Thank you for any input!
Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer:
 The receptionist is violating HIPAA. You can make a report with HHS and ask to talk to someone at the office who isn't going to get the office fined.Answer #2: You have a personal right to access your medical records under HIPAA. This includes access to the “designated record set.” [U.S. HHS OCR](https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/guidance/access/index.html) has more information. Under HIPAA,  you cannot access psychotherapy notes, but this has a specific definition under HIPAA. Psychotherapy notes are the personal notes of the physician or therapist that are kept separate from the medical record. You have every right to personally access your records. The office cannot mandate that the records only be sent to another treating physician.
Your doctor’s office should have a “Notice of Privacy Practices” that is required under HIPAA. You could request a copy of this from the doctor’s office. Hopefully it should note your rights to access records pursuant to HIPAA.
If you cannot resolve this directly with the doctor’s office, I think your next step would be to [file a complaint with HHS - OCR.](https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/filing-a-complaint/index.html). Please be aware, however, that they can takes months to respond and investigate.Answer #3: You should call back and demand to speak to the doctor directly or if you have an email write him so yo have a record of requesting it and being denied. Might save you a lot of time and energy - the receptionist is violating Hipaa but she could be misinformed


Title: How can I protect my funds from a divorce?

Question: Hello! Any advice will be appreciated. My husband is filing for a divorce in a couple of months (he moved to Georgia and won’t be a resident until then). He told me in an email that he withdrew some money from our joint account when he moved out and he won’t withdraw anymore. He took our only car and left me without a car. I have around $15,000 of savings in my account and I was wondering how I can protect the savings? Any other divorce advice would be appreciated. I reside in Utah now. The reason why I’m saying my savings is that I earned that money and chunk of the money my mom and brother gave me for selling mine and my brother’s jointly owned land. My husband didn’t work and was going to school which he quit. He quit his jobs and max he made in 2 years is $10,000. So all the money in the savings account now are my hard earned money. Since I thought we’d stay together I paid off his credit card debt around $16,000. I guess it’s irrelevant. I transferred the savings from our joint account to my personal one. When he files, I assume he can request half of the savings. is there any legal way to avoid it? Will I also be liable for his student loan debt of $25,000 ($5000 he accrued when we were married and the rest before we met). If so, is there any way not be? The reason for the divorce is irreconcilable differences. Thank you so much in advance.

Answer: Divorces don’t just split everything in half. It is much more complicated than that. You should be consulting a divorce attorney, they can go into the specifics. Answer #2: Where were you residents before you separated? You should see a divorce attorney in the state you are a resident now for advice. Don't want for him to file in GA unless it benefits you in some way. Division of marital assets varies by state so act quickly.


Title: Can you guys make it a rule that update posts on r/legaladvice require a link to the original post?

Question: It's astonishing how many OPs are dumb enough to think everyone knows their full life story just by a two or three word description of the original posts's contents.

Answer:
 First off, it's already in the wiki [Posting rules.
 Rule#6](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/wiki/index)

Another way to work around the issue. Have you tried looking at their post history. Usually that shows, all posts made on that account. Though that doesn't help, if they delete their account.

Also [BOLA](https://www.reddit.com/r/bestoflegaladvice/) Usually links original posts in the updates. If they make it onto that BOLA subreddit.

Also also, I like to think updates are a privilege. Not a right. So I don't see an issue putting a lil effort to find the original post myself. Especially if LAOP is not reddit savvy enough or missed a rule covered in the wiki.Answer #2: I wouldn't say "dumb". Just, in a hurry, or not thinking.

But yeah.

Could maybe followup posts be left unlocked until somebody posts a link to the original? Answer #3: So, to be clear: you'd rather the mods deleted updates than that you got to read updates that incompletely refer to the original situation?

As others have pointed out, it _is_ already part of the rules. However, the mods don't aggressively enforce the "please" part.


Title: Is there any type of help I can get with this situation currently happening with my girlfriend at college?

Question: So me and my girlfriend started college already but we go to different ones.. she attends North Central College which is in Naperville, Illinois and she’s been having band camp recently but after mostly every day , at the end of practice, she always tells me that there is this group of guys who look like they’re in football and they keep yelling at her in a way that she feels uncomfortable and I feel like they’re trying to possibly harm her and she feels the same way too as of right now she doesn’t have any type of self defense item such as pepper spray or a taser.. is there any other way she can defend herself? Because I honestly feel so worried that they’ll overpower her and harm her please help me anything would work.

Answer: Oh please. She's an adult. If people are harassing her she should report it to the police.


Title: A new friend at work took legal guardianship of his younger sibling from their abusive mom... and inherited nearly 10k in legal fees?! [Australia Law- any input appreciated though]

Question:
This guy is younger than I am and is brutally sweating 3 jobs trying to work this off... and he seems to have just rolled over and accepted that with taking guardianship of her from their abusive mother, he had to take a default on her private primary school tutorship. This seems insane; is a foster kid suddenly poison because their former guardian set up 10k in overdue school fees, and that's stapled to this kid's back and falls into the lap of whoever cares about them?

The kid didn't consent to this, it's not attached to the kid, and this was a decision by the former guardian. I'd fight this in court myself if I knew how, and I don't know this friend well enough yet to really pry further, but am I wrong in thinking there has to be something he can do here? He's working three jobs to protect his family from something that isn't even his problem... he deserves better than this, and I don't know how to help. It's probably too late if all the paperwork is already on him, but still...

Answer:
 Generally the debt belongs to whoever signed that tuition agreement.  It does NOT travel with the child.  However, if he wants the child to continue attending the school, then he'd likely have to pay off the debt.  He could however subsequently sue for it from the person who incurred it in the first place.  If the child is no longer in the same school, they have no hold on him.

Also check out /r/auslaw


Title: New (for me) parked car smashed by 14 yr old driving a golf cart on public property (Illinois). Police, Insurance, and city extremely unhelpful.

Question:
After finishing a round of golf, I was contacted by three employees of a golf course which is owned by the city park district.  They informed me that my 2013 4runner had been severely damaged ($5k damage after estimate) by a golf cart.  The golf car itself was also severely damaged.

Surveillance and a receipt left in the golf cart, provided enough evidence to the police to investigate the incident and pursue the suspects.  After contacting the suspects a 14 year old boy admitted to "trying to go fast, then losing control" and smashing the back of my vehicle.  There were also two adults accompanying the boy who, in my mind should be made responsible.  Despite occurring on public property, with a public vehicle (the City Park District owns both) the police issued no ticket.  They basically told me that insurance would sort it out.

My insurance company (Geico, I know they're terrible, but I am a recent graduate on my own) claims that they can try to pursue damages from the Golf Course (technically the City Park District), or the parents of the driver.

So far, I have been unable to make any headway.  The police claim they did everything they were supposed to (although they claimed that the incident occurred on private property when in fact it is a public parking lot owned by the city).  The City Park District is claiming that the parents of the driver are responsible because they signed a liability waiver (which is actually a shitty list of Golf Cart Rules, that does not appear to cover this particular situation).  The Business Director for the City Park District outright refused to provide me their insurance information when I met with them yesterday.  They instead explained that they have contacted the city attorney, because they believe the police should have issued a type of ticket that would require the suspect to pay restitution for damaged public property.  It is unlikely that the suspect's parents have homeowners insurance, but Geico is supposedly pursuing them.

I have no idea what angle to pursue.  Geico has refused to press the Park District for their insurance information despite the fact that the "waiver" certainly does not appear legally binding .  I have provided them with a copy of this "waiver" and they still keep claiming that they cannot pursue the Park District at this time.

I am a single father who moved to this area a year ago because of an excellent engineering position I was offered.  This was the first car I have ever bought and I need it for my daughter and dogs.  The initial estimates were $3.5k-$5k and of course my insurance deductible is less than that, but I don't want to pay a cent, and do not believe I should have to in this situation.

If anyone has any suggestions it would be immensely appreciated.
FYI, small claims court with the suspect is most likely a non-starter due to cost for me, and the fact that I doubt that the family could pay for the damages anyway.  Thanks!

**EDIT: Thanks for all the pointers.  I am impatient, and will let Geico do their thing -- If they fail, I think I have more than enough evidence (thanks Police) to get my deductible from the guilty party.  I guess I just figured with a police report, accident report, admission of guilt etc. it would be easier to get things done quickly.  This whole thing sucked, but was a great learning experience.  I appreciate all of the feedback you guys provided.**

Answer:
 Your recourse is against the parents of the teenager. The city is not responsible. The police are not responsible and them giving a ticket in no way helps you. It's also likely that they can't since many vehicle codes do not apply to private property

The teenager is absolutely unequivocally at fault. His parents are financially responsible for his actions. Your recourse is through them.  Forget everyone else.Answer #2: It occurred on private property, I'd be surprised if they could issue a ticket for that. The city likely is not responsible, unless their agent gave the kid the cart knowing he'd use it, as opposed to the adults in the cart being stupid. Sue the kid and the two adults, in theory you can also use the city but unless you show gross negligence odds are you wont have grounds.

small claims is cheap...


Title: Help. Being Kicked out. No friends to go to. Have some money.

Question:
I live in richmond VA
the personal finance sub sent me here and this will be all over the place because Im a mess.

I am being kicked out of my apartment by my ex gf and she holds the lease for our apartment and I signed on to hers. I dont know how that binds me to the apartment in the sense that i dont know if i can just leave and find a new place. I am a 19 year old full time student with two jobs. My parents will not help me and im not trying to stay at this apartment anymore. Sorry if im saying too much. Anyways, my lease ends in july and how we had it was i would pay my girlfriend my part of rent and she would pay the company and now she wants me out in 30 days and till i leave she wants me to pack my things and live out of my suitcase. please any help you can give is much appreciated and ill answer any questions you have

Answer:
 What did you sign exactly?  If you signed the lease, then it is your apartment.  If you signed a sublease, then the terms of the sublease tell you what the termination process is and what notice is required.  30 days may be sufficient, or may not be.

You're free to use whatever part of the apartment granted to you by the document you signed; you don't have to live by your roommate's terms.


Title: Georgia- Fired because of student debt.

Question:
This is a friend's issue, and I was wondering about the legality of it.

He was a contractor for his now former company and was transitioning to becoming a full time employee.

He'd worked for his ex-company (a large tech company with thousands of employees) for ~2 years, and had been well regarded.

He was finishing his contract position this week, and was told he couldn't be hired on as a permanent employee. His former manager, who he is friendly with, said later it is because the company has a new policy were prospective employees cannot have bad credit.

My friend had a medical emergency a few years ago, and a lot of student loan debt. His medical issue put him out of work for a while, and while he is working through his financial issues now, he still has credit issues.

Is this legal? I know GA is an at will state, but how can you fire someone for bad credit, especially when it has no relation to their job?

Answer: It is legal, but they have to follow rules that it sounds like they may not have followed about getting his written permission and giving him a copy of the report; see [here](https://www.workplacefairness.org/credit-checks-workplace).Answer #2: You said it yourself. At will means, absent a contract,  you can be fired for any non protected reason. Student debt is not a protected class.


Title: (USA, NY) A friend of mine loaned his car to an acquaintance a few weeks ago and hasn't heard back since. If he reports the car stolen can he later drop the charges after he's gotten his car back?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 No. Stealing a car is a felony. Police use extremely dangerous tactics when stopping a stolen car  (YouTube "felony traffic stop" for examples).  Prosecutors can and do prosecute felonies even without the victim's desire to do so.

In this case it's what we call a "civil stolen car" meaning the current possessor does have permission to drive the car and reasonable steps must be taken before the car can be reported stolen. Your friend can call the police to determine what those steps are and if he needs to take them or the police will.  My department does everything so we can document it properly.


Title: Texting pedestrian walks into the side of my car uk

Question:
So today i was taking a right hand turn onto a side road.

I'm new to driving and have a box fitted to my car and I'm 100% sure i was travelling at a low speed and making the turn at a cautious speed.

A pedestrian was texting and stepped into the road and walked straight into the passenger side door of my car.

I heard a bump and stopped immediately. The woman was not knocked down and appeared to be uninjured.

Once i got out of the car the woman said it was her arm that hit my car took my details and told me she would be perusing a claim.

Several women immediately jumped to the defence of the woman and told her they will be witnesses.

I believe the pedestrian is at fault in this situation but I'm afraid the insurance will pin me for this.

I have informed my insurance of this and am awaiting further contact

Answer:
 Sounds like it might be a setup, if they do file a claim be sure to do a background check/facebook search and see if the women know each other.

>Several women immediately jumped to the defence of the woman and told her they will be witnesses.


Title: [Texas] Wife is divorcing me over cheating on her and we live in an at fault state, but me and her have been intimate multiple times since, even yesterday. Does that mean the adultery is automatically forgiven?

Question: I have seen this somewhere and I don’t know if it’s true. If a spouse is claiming a fault divorce and she does have evidence, but if I have had sex with her even after that does it make it void?

Answer: Lol!


Title: [Chicago, IL] Insurance company refuses to pay after arbitration determined the other driver to be 100% at fault.

Question: I was in a car accident back in the beginning of 2017 where I was not at fault. The other driver lied and her insurance company denied my claim. I had video evidence of the accident which I submitted to my insurance company, so it went to arbitration and it was determined that the other driver was 100% at fault and I was 0% at fault. Now, 8 months later the other driver's insurance company says they are "shocked" at the arbitration decision and they have essentially said that they don't agree with the arbitration ruling and will not compensate me in any way for my damages. I had liability insurance at the time of the accident. What is the best way to approach getting compensated from the other driver's insurance company? My car was totaled and I had to purchase a different vehicle. I live in Michigan and the accident occurred in Illinois.

Answer: You may not need to file an actual lawsuit; in a lot of places an arbitration award can be turned into a judgment by an expedited procedure.  Also note, you may have a bad faith claim against the other insurance company.  It's worth hiring a lawyer for an hour to talk it over with before trying to go pro se.


Title: Company refusing to pay employees if not clocked in.

Question: My company just sent an email out saying that they will refuse pay to anyone forgetting to clock in. I'm pretty sure under fair labor laws that this is illegal. Am I wrong? I'm aware they can fire you for forgetting to clock in but I thought they must pay no matter what. This is in Texas by the way.

Answer: they are required to pay you for work done. but you are correct, they can fire you for failing to adhere to clock in/clock out procedures correctly.


Title: If I die how can I get my money to my cosigner? [Ontario, Canada]

Question:
I signed a lease for 13 months. There's 10 months left on it. My friend cosigned for me because the landlord didn't just accept credit score/proof of employment.

But let's say I die suddenly, how do I get my money to my cosigner to ensure she'll be able to pay off the rent? She can't afford much so if I do die suddenly she'll be screwed over.

How do I arrange something so she receives some of my money upon my death if I die during my lease period?

Answer:
 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Call 1-800-273-8255
Available 24 hours everyday


Title: Student employee of Cal State university, need advice

Question: I began working for my university at the beginning of the semester and in the contract I signed it stated I would be paid 11.40 an hour. Months have since gone by and I got notified earlier this week that apparently the contract was a mistake and I was meant to be paid 11.00 an hour, not 11.40. Furthermore, I’m being asked to compensate the school for the .40 extra I’ve been getting every hour. I did the calculations and I would have to pay back around 200 dollars. At the moment the dean of my college is arguing with administration for me to stay at 11.40 and not have to pay the university back. If she loses the argument, will I really be obligated to return the money.

Answer:
 If it was in the contract, you are in the right and they can't force you to pay it back. However, chances are they won't keep you employed if you don't so there's a trade-off there (keeping in mind of course that they are not required to keep you if you do pay of course).Answer #2: Do you fall into the student employee union at California State? If so, and your pay is defined in the bargaining agreement, they could argue that this was a clerical error and hold you to the amount listed there

If you were actually overpaid, you would need to repay that amount unfortunately


Title: Police Search Home After Small Fire. Legal?

Question:
A friend had a fan short out in the basement and started a small fire. The fire dept came and put it out quickly. Then the police came in and starting looking around and in cabinets. they found a small about of weed and then started searching the entire residence. No one gave them permission. Is this legal or breaking the 4th amendment?

Thank you for any and all help

edit:
Location: New Jersey

Answer: At this point you should be talking to a criminal defense lawyer, as should your friends and fellow roommates. 4th amendment analysis is highly fact dependent.Answer #2: It depends on a lot more facts than what you wrote and how 4th amendment law has developed in your area


Title: [MI]Bio parents haven't been paying child support for years

Question:
I'm 17, when I was 12 someone called CPS on my mom (rightfully so) and I was put into foster care and then adopted. Neither my bio dad nor mom currently pay child support, they've paid it a few months but not at all consistently and definitely not as much as they're supposed to.

My child support card was stolen (presumably by someone in my adopted family, with whom I'm no longer staying), I don't want to press charges against them or anything but I'd like the card back. Can I cancel it and get a new one like a credit card?

Money is really tight right now, is there any way to get back the money I'm owed by them?

Answer: If you have been adopted, it is likely that your parents' obligation to pay child support terminated at the same time their parental rights ended.


Title: Loud neighbors threatened us, what to do? (NM)

Question:
Background: We live in a two story apartment with loud neighbors to the left of us and below us (both other apartments moved in together and are related).

Just recently we reported them to our rental property. In doing so they warned the neighbors about being to loud, so the neighbors decided to have a party that night with them banging on our walls every so often. We again reported this to our rental property and they told the neighbors that if they did that again they would be kicked out.

Just today we got home and the neighbors were leaving their house and they decided to confront us telling us that if they were to loud we should go knock on their door (we have done this numerous times over the past few months, which is why we decided to contact the rental property about this). The neighbors then said to us if we reported them again we are going to have a problem. Me and my girlfriend took this as a threat and we are wondering what we should do? We are worried because we don't want our apartment or car to get broken into. Also my girlfriend is 4 months pregnant and I don't want her or the baby to be put in danger.

Any advice would be appreciated.

P.S. sorry for my grammar it is something I am not to good with.

Edit: Forgot to include that this is a throwaway account for personal reasons.

Answer: tell your rental property manager about the threat. if you really fear for your safety, you can go to the police, but there's not really much they can do with a "you'll have a problem" besides go talk to them and tell them to knock it off, I'd imagine.


Title: [OH] Petty advice. Paying bank overdraft fees in pennies?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Smarter people just go talk to the branch manager and get the fee waived.Answer #2: Since banks have automatic coin counting machines the annoyance you imagine it will cause them is only that, imaginary.  It will be more of a pain for you to obtain the pennies, unwrap them and carry them to the bank.Answer #3: Its a bank. Taking in $130 in pennies will barely register as a blip on its minor annoyance radar. Answer #4: >I know I shouldn't have let this happen so I legally owe them the money, even though it feels wrong.

I'm always floored by the "it feels wrong" argument. Is it wrong or not? Apparently not, but you don't like that your bank would dare follow the policies governing this situation? It's incredible.

>I'm wondering if this qualifies as a creditor/debtor scenario for the coinage act of 1965 where I can legally offer them pennies to settle the debt.

Some bank tellers that aren't invested in your situation will shove your BS into a coin counting machine and that will be it. You'll drive home feeling smug, like you showed them a thing or two. And maybe you'll sadly believe it. Are you so desperate for a win? I just can't imagine, but good luck.


Title: My brother-in-law is threatening to kill my husband, me and my parents-in-law. I genuinely don’t know if I should take this seriously. And if I should what can/should do about it. [MA]

Question:
The husband of my sister-in-law is threatening to kill my husband, me, and my parents-in-law. He verbally threatened us through phone calls, voicemails and text messages all of which my husband has saved. My sister-in-law has texted and told us that she hopes we and her husband never cross paths because “he’s no joke”. My parents-in-law live out of state and are likely safe 700 miles away? We have serious anxiety about this guy showing up at our home or work looking to harm us. Although I’m not sure that this man would go out of his way to do us harm, he might be all talk? I’m not even sure he knows how to find us unless he was motivated to look. What are our options for keeping this nutball away from us and the people we love?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 Call the cops immediately.Answer #2: Report to the police and file for a restraining order.Answer #3: 1.) Save all emails, texts, and voicemails, and turn them over to the police. Even if he is all talk, that is possibly criminal harassment.

2.) You can file for a [209A protective order](https://www.masslegalhelp.org/domestic-violence/wdwgfh/chapter6-209a-protective-orders). That link can help you file for the protection order - you can do it without an attorney.

3.) You might want to let your employers know that he may be showing up, and to not confirm that you work there.

4.) Install cameras in case he does come.


Title: If possession/use of marijuana becomes federally legal, will discharges for marijuana "abuse" be upgraded?

Question:
I was discharged from the United States Navy in 2011 for failing a random urinalysis for THC. I received an OTH (other than honorable) discharge and a RE-4 code. The perceived difficulty of trying to upgrade my discharge/re-enlistment code has prevented me from trying to do so. I am curious as to whether the Navy Review Board will be more willing to grant upgrades if marijuana becomes legal on a federal level.
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer:
 Likely not unless specifically directed by an outside source. Your usage was still in direct violation of standing orders and regulations at the time.

Not a lawyer, but that is my thought.


Title: I hit a car making a left turn

Question:
I was going straight and she made a left turn (4 lane residential road, 40 mph limit). I slowed down approaching the intersection thinking it would give her time to complete the turn but she sort of froze there leaving me no choice but to slam the brakes and swerve. So I ended up hitting her right fender with my left fender. No injuries but substantial damage to my car (less to her's being an SUV).

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I have to wait until Monday when the adjuster visits the tow yard, but in the meantime what steps could I take to make her liable for all damages? The cop was not very thorough documenting this and I unfortunately only took one photo. I'm pretty sure she told him she was making a left which makes her at fault.

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I've never been in an accident before so I dont know the proper procedure. Would my insurance company pursue it on their own or do I have to pressure them?

Answer: If you are covered for this accident under your insurance policy just let them do their thing. Provide whatever documents/statements they need, collect your money, and move on with your life. They will almost certainly find the other driver at fault and pursue her/her insurer to recoup their costs.


Title: Not told about `clause` when hired

Question:
Okay, so I work at e, and v will be other company.

So I work at e in a cafeteria inside v. I'm currently applying for a job inside v, as they have better pay. Today I was informed of a clause between the two companies where I cannot work for v until after one year of quitting/firing, as they had agreed to this clause in their contract for the work e does for v. I was not informed or aware of this contract, and now apparently I cannot further my job skills and apply for it because of a contract I never knew about. We have an employee who works there already, as well as two that have been there for years, but apparently they are discussing whether or not they will fire the recent hire, because they would have to pay company e thousands of dollars to keep her as stated in their clause. I can pm more info, but want to keep the companies secret in public. Is this legal? If I had known about this 'clause' I would have never worked here!

Location is colorado

Edited for words and location

Answer:
 >Is this legal?

Yes.  Two companies can make agreements not to hire each other's employees.  It's pretty common, actually.


Title: (Massachusetts) Employer made public my drug screen results

Question:
I was involved in an accident at work. It is policy that whenever this happens the parties involved undergo a drug screen. I am prescribed Aderall for ADD and it showed elevated amphetamines in my drug screen.

My supervisor read the results in front of a handful of employees and asked me what that meant and why it wasn't negative. I explained the situation and how their doctor is going to call me with questions to verify the result is because of a prescription.

The next day the same supervisor brought it up during a department meeting. He repeated the result of my drug screen and then asked if it was taken care of yet. He treated the result as a fail until proven otherwise and could not believe I was allowed to work with a failed drug screen by HR. He then went on to say that ADD is a made up disease by people looking for a crutch. At least 12 people in the company are now aware that I am diagnosed with ADD and am prescribed medication for it. This was not public knowledge beforehand as I never talked about it with anyone. What should I do if anything ? Thank you in advance.

Answer: You probably don't have *much* recourse, but from an HR perspective (my field, not a lawyer) your boss is exposing his company to just *massive* amounts of risk and his boss is going to want to know about it. He is basically handing you a series of open-and-shut employment claims if you are even a little unscrupulous. That is not a position that employers like to be in. The bigger the company the less OK they are going to be about this.Answer #2: Thank you everyone for the information. I don't know if this matters or not but what triggered the test was an automobile accident driving a company car on company time. I was 100% not at fault as I was rear ended while stopped at a stop sign.


Title: [CA] Does a public urinator have a reasonable expectation that their actions won't be photographed and 'go viral'?

Question:
In a Facebook group of which I am a member, somebody recently posted a photograph of a woman - apparently homeless - standing in the median of a large shopping center where vehicles were entering and exiting, openly and blatantly urinating in public with her pants down. He was condemned by many members of the group for "making a public spectacle of her".

His argument was by her doing so in a public place (in broad daylight) where she could be viewed by many members of the public, she willingly made a public spectacle of herself and accordingly had no reasonable expectation of privacy in her actions.

What are your thoughts on this? FWIW I am not the poster and question who photographed/posted.

Answer: Legally, she has no expectation of privacy.  But I don't think that was the argument the people who "condemned" the photographer were trying to make has anything to do with the law, but with exploitation of a possibly mentally ill person, good manners, and taste.


Title: [GA] Friend threw a firecracker at the back of my head

Question: A friend threw a firecracker at the back of my head, momentarily deafening me in both ears and leaving me with a slight ringing. This was an entirely unprovoked experience, and quite unpleasant. I don't know what I should do hear, my circle of friends thinks I'm being a little bitch for thinking this was assault and completely inappropriate, "It's just a prank, bro!".  Should I get my hearing tested by an audiologist over this one incident? Should my friend be forced to foot the bill if so? More importantly, is this something that I should pursue going to the police about?

Answer:
 Your friend is an asshole who is a menace to society.  There's nothing funny in jeopardizing someone's senses.

You need to get to a doctor as soon as possible.  There is a limited window of time for treatment (usually corticosteroids) to maximize its effectiveness following acoustic traumas.

You can file a complaint with the police at any time, but I wouldn't worry about it until you first focus on getting yourself checked out.


Title: [OH]What to do about a thieving family member, who just stole my mom's engagement ring.

Question:
Hi,
First post in here, so please let me know if I messed something up.
There's a lot of backstory with this so let me try my best trying to give some context.

I am currently in college, living a couple hours away from home, my mom and brother both live with my grandparents, we have been for years now (I was until I moved out) but a few years ago, my cousin (let's call him N) moved in as well because he was kicked out of his house. I am going to try and refrain as much as I can from being biased but the way these things end up being said will make it seem like I am (because he's just that type of person, honestly). He has had a few different jobs working mainly with restaurants and fast food but lost each one of them because he either called off or was late. He borrowed my car before and ended up getting a hole in my transmission pan (I had to pay ~200 to get it fixed) he always asks for rides and bums cigarettes off my mom or asks my grandfather for money for them. He sleeps all day, and goes out for the night, always getting rides into town, etc. He's been in jail before for something along the lines of a DUI (He didn't get charged with a DUI but something a little less severe) and lost his license for a period of time. After all of those issues passed and he was out of jail he ended up staying with his friends and away for a longer period of time. He ended up doing some drugs and getting caught by my family and went to rehab. After all of that happened, he was telling my grandfather that he was going to go out of state for a job. My grandfather gave him his old truck to drive around and get started. N never moved and kept putting it off. Come winter, he ended up driving the car down town and couldn't get back up to our house and blew the engine and ruined the truck. A lot of the things he has done (there's a lot more but I think I've painted a good picture)

Fast forward to when I started school, I moved into an apartment and wanted to borrow my brother’s xbox 360 until I got paid so I could watch Netflix on it. I saw the xbox in N's room (he doesn't have a computer or anything so I think he was using it to play DVD’s) last weekend I was home (we have two, the old white one and the newer slim black one) and when I came back to go and get it, it was gone and he said he didn't know what happened to it. The cords were gone and the older xbox uses a different power cable so I was SOL. I was pretty sure he took it but I couldn't prove it. The next thing that happened that really set me off was when I came home my brother said his debit card was missing, and he had little reports on his bank that it was used at gas stations and grocery stores so he ended up canceling it and once he did he noticed it was back in his wallet. (He used to go to the ATM and store with N because my brother doesn't have a license) so he thought it was him, but again no evidence. The bank ended up refunding my brother all the money. I was furious after that, and then found out from my grandparents a lot of other things in our house were gone (my amplifier, money my grandfather has around for gas or emergencies, etc) and my mom said N woke her up one day in her room and asked him what he was doing and he replied "looking for cigarettes” I've asked my grandfather about what to do and kicking him out, but he couldn't do it in the cold because he said he would die out there and he wouldn't want to be responsible for that. (My grandfather has been a great father figure towards our whole family for years, and even with all this happening he still doesn't want something like that wished upon someone of his family)

So about a month ago my mom texts me and said my grandfather found out the N wrote him a check for over $400 from my old bank account (closed) and SIGNED MY NAME on it and then showed it to my mom and he simply said it was a "joke" I was furious and was getting ready to drive home that night but I was told he wasn't even home.

SO here's what happened this morning, my mom found out that $160 dollars and her engagement ring were stolen. Her wallet in her purse was flipped upside down and spilled out. She was furious and went into his room and he wouldn't respond he just slept. She was getting ready to throw all of his clothes out and ended up finding the RECIPT for the ring at the pawnshop. She said she's going to the sheriff and file a police report and press charges.
She said that she didn't think pawnshops would accept rings from people like him, and doesn't even know if she can get it back.

I've looked into the eviction process in OH but there's a 3 day rule and a court claim and he doesn't LEGALLY live there (aside from getting mail there) and both of my grandparent's aren't in the best health (my grandfather is on disability and is getting cancer treatments for his bladder) and my mom doesn't own the house, my grandparent's do.

I can't go home right now because I work during the week and my GF uses my car for her job.

Is there anything I can do (or them) to get this resolved quickly and make him just go away? I don't want to have to come home and him still be there.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 You have civil and criminal remedies available, and they are by no means mutually exclusive. The people who were stolen from can sue them for the damages and you can report them to the police. I'd do both. Criminal first, since the police report will help in civil court. Answer #2: She needs to go to the cops immediately and report it all. Especially the part about the receipt for the stolen ring.Answer #3: report a theft. report multiple thefts. report attempted check fraud. etc. Answer #4: This sounds like a drug problem and it's important for your family to realize ignoring it  will not make it go away.

Go to the police about the ring. Evict him asap. There is always help available to him (treatment centers and such) but nothing will change until he wants it to change.


Title: (MA) Passing on the left on single lane street?

Question:
Situation: I am driving my vehicle down a street, single lane for each direction no passing area. As I am driving a vehicle behind me crosses over double yellow lines to pass me on my left. If I accelerate and do not let said person pass me or reenter my lane and we collide as they attempt to reenter who is at fault? Second question, if I were to attempt to box said person out and follow over the double yellow to prevent the pass who would be at fault for a collision? Edit:Thank you everyone for your responses! If I see someone passing on the left I should just let them go. Have a good day =]
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: Why would you do such a thing? It's better to have an unsafe driver ahead of you than behind you trying to pass.Answer #2: This is easily the most Massachusettian question I've ever seen


Title: Virginia - US citizen and immigrant wife looking for protection from harassment from UK

Question:
My wife and I live in Virginia, and she's a green card holder from Northern Ireland (part of the UK). She has lived here for about 2.5 years since immigrating.

When she moved to Virginia, she left an abusive (emotionally and once physically) home environment that had gotten worse and worse over the period of about 3 years as we applied and waited for the necessary paperwork for her immigration. I'm happy to provide more of a backstory on any details, but essentially her family hated the idea of their daughter moving to America and getting married, and they were doing anything they could think of to force her to not go through with it. They could be described as completely lacking self-control with violent tempers and reckless tendencies. The police were never called, but that is mainly due to the fact that my wife didn't fully admit to herself that she was being abused until she had moved over and her family arrived in Virginia for our wedding. The treatment during their stay got worse and worse daily, and eventually an internal switch in my wife just got flipped and she had enough.

Despite multiple attempts since then at mediation through mutual friends and a pastor, the behavior from her family has unfortunately gotten so aggressive (verbally) that we have had to insist and reiterate several times through email and text that they cease contact with us. They continue to occasionally act out through written communication or voicemails, though - mostly to my wife's work email and phone.

About a year ago and well after we had asked to be left alone, my wife's mother unexpectedly showed up at our apartment door. She was all smiles and seemed calm, so I decided to let her in to talk to see if she had changed at all. After a few hours of slowly escalating tension through conversation, we realized no change had occurred and we eventually had to ask her to leave.

The question I have is this: How can my wife and I protect ourselves from further communication and visits from her family? I've done personal research on a restraining order, but I only found procedures that seemed relevant to protection from people nearby.

Thank you in advance!

Answer:
 Honestly, the easiest way (and I mean "easiest" from a legal viewpoint, not an emotional one) is going to be: don't answer the phone when they call, and if you answer by mistake, just HANG UP; put their email addresses in a spam filter; any snail mail they send, open it to make sure it's not some sort of legal document (like a will or something) and shred it; and if they show up at your door again, tell them, "You can't come in, you must leave now" then close the door and call the police to report them for trespassing. Never ever let THEM see how much this bothers you.

In other words, they're overseas. Ignoring them is going to be the easiest thing to do. Sadly, [in the UK, it appears restraining orders are only issued AFTER a conviction](http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/p_to_r/restraining_orders), but /r/LegalAdviceUK might be more helpful to you.


Title: Sisters boyfriend has repeatedly damaged my mothers car but she's scared to press charges.

Question:
UPDATE: MY MOTHER ACTUALLY FILED THE POLICE REPORT FINALLY. IT TOOK SOME COAXING BUT SHE WENT AND DID IT ON HER OWN WHILE I WAS AT WORK.

This is going to be long, so apologies in advance. This is all in Kentucky, near the Louisville area.

My dad died back in April 2016 and since then, my sister (35 yeras old) and her boyfriend (I think he's 37 or 38) have begun to run over top of my mother. It started with borrowing money from my mother because of their "dire need". Always about to lose their rental property, lose their car etc...My mother is retired and on a fixed income, with just barely enough to support herself. My sister sucked her dry until she had no money to pay her own rent and I had to cover it twice, before asking mom to move in with my wife and I. At that point I assured her that I would stand up for her and say no to my sister if she would'nt/couldn't. She said she didn't want to leave my sister in the streets though, so I had to butt out for the most part.

We discovered my sister had a drug problem. Her house was raided (on suspicion of Meth) where they only found a bong with some burned weed remnants in the bowl and a bottle of her prescribed pain pills that had been overused. She admitted to overusing her pain pills later on in court. She got probation and random drug tests where she eventually failed a drug test. She tested positive for Meth. She claims to my mother that it was something a friend slipped in her drink (a lie). My mother bought it though. My mother looked like a fool trying to convince an attorney that my sisters drink got spiked with Meth. So there went $700 for an attorney who got them nowhere ultimately. My sister passed all of her probation drug tests...except her last one because that was the first "random" one. The other tests had been scheduled weeks in advance SMH. She tested positive for Meth again during the surprise screening. The judge gave her 30 days in jail (her first visit to jail ever). No one in my family has ever had these type of problems. It's so embarrassing for my family.

She came home from jail and the first 6 hours were full of energy and assurances that she was never going back and was ready to right her life. She had nowhere to live now, so was going to sleep on my couch. She kept a running log of every job she applied for over that 6 hours. Then she asked to borrow moms car to fill out an application at a job. She vanished for 48 hours. When she returned I yelled at her and my mother was pissed off at her. She said she also went to see her boyfriend and lost track of time...wow. I then discovered her windshield was busted (50% spider webbed). She says it was a rock from a truck on the interstate. It looked like a phone size object had hit the windshield. My sister didn't have a phone...but when I told my mother what it looked like, she turned white in the face. She had lent her phone to my sister to accept calls back from her "job applications". She asked her where the phone was and she said she "lost it accidentally". Later when I wasn't around she told mom she accidentally ran it over. This son of a bitch had broken my moms phone I had bought her AND her windshield. She told her she could never have the car again.

Fast forward two weeks and she "got a job". Mom let her borrow the car again. She's gone all week. No reason she should have been gone...remember, she sleeps on my couch. She only came around for gas money. Finally she comes home and there's a dent in the trunk that looks like a baseball bat. (i'm in the habit of checking the car now). She has "no idea how that could have happened". Somehow my mother lets her take the car again.

This time the car ends up with 2 flat tires. Sister says she ran over something. It happened in front of a body shop in town whom I am friends with and do a lot of business with (I was in auto repair for 16 years). She went inside and they put her two tires on, running them on credit in MY name because she told them who her brother is. (this is a whole nother problem that I had resolved immediately when she brought me the bill). I went and asked them to see the tires and they were slashed with a knife. They told me they saw it happen. Her boyfriend and her were in the street arguing and screaming/yelling. Her boyfriend walked away, came back with a butcher type knife and slashed the tires then walked away leaving her stranded there. They felt bad for her and brought her water while she sat outside crying. Eventually she started asking if they had some tires and you know the rest...I had some loose ends to tie up because that bullshit cost ME money. Not mom or her. Never again though. I told her that if he was ever in the car again, she would never borrow it again.

He finally beats my sister up. She leaves him. Comes back to my couch. She starts appearing to straighten up. Gets two verifiable  jobs (one for week days and one for weekends and I verified this personally) and she starts working. Within two weeks she quit the weekday job. We aren't sure when she lost the weekend one because she pretended to go to work long after she lost it. One day when she's supposed to be at work, I caught her at the gas station buying her boyfriend a Slurpie (like the one that's stained all over moms interior) and some cigarettes with the $10 she just borrowed from mom for gas...(yeah...she's driving a car to work for money but has mom "paying for the gas"). I confronted them and told him he is to not get back into the car. I made him walk home and her return the car immediately and tell mom she's not really at work. Mom stopped her from using the car anymore...for a while.

A family member called me and asked if my sister got straightened out and offered her a job. She owns a cleaning service. My sister takes the job. It's two towns over (20 ish miles away). Mom lends her the car. First day of work she returns and has a dent across both driver side doors. Looks like a 2" thick pipe hit it or something. Maybe a push bumper rail from a truck? She claims she has no idea how it happened. I verified with my cousin that she was at work. Two or three days later she returns with an ass sized dent in the front drivers fender and rear drivers fender. No explanation how of course. Fast forward 1 1/2 weeks. She showed up to work with the boyfriend in tow and two of his friends as well. Family member told them to get the fuck out of her clients house immediately. My sister stays for work and the guys all leave...in my mothers car. My family fired her after that days work, for that stunt. Apparently that week she had also asked my family member for some percocets and even tried to offer up cleaning some country club on the side, behind my families back. I can't blame her for firing my sister.

That day he left my sisters job, he drops the car off at my house half in the street, half in my yard. My mom had to find the keys. He had thrown them in the back. The windshield wiper arm had been smacked and broken off. The passenger side dash area, is all hacked up with a knife. I'm so fucking livid about this but my mother has continued to let her take the car, knowing it comes back fucked up every time. I asked her to press charges but she says she's scared to do it because of how he treats my sister when he's mad and doesn't want to cause me problems too. I'm not scared of him nor are my brothers. However I'm not willing to get myself in legal trouble for beating this guy up because he'd never learn his lesson anyway.

What are my options? Other than continually telling mom not to let her borrow the car? That's obviously the quickest solution but she doesn't seem to stick to her guns at all. The guy is a persistent felony offender. His face is on mugshots.com I think 27 times total. Burglary, TCS, fleeing/evading, TBUT, hurting a cop during a chase etc...Lots of the same charges on there multiple time from different years. He's obviously not afraid to keep getting in trouble. Mom won't press charges. Sister won't leave him. I half wish mom didn't live with me, so I didn't have to put up with this crap but...they'd eat mom alive out there on her own. No doubt about it. I have GOT to find a solution to this. It's driving me mad having to sit back and just take this shit.

The only thing I can personally think of that I ACTUALLY have on him...is video footage of him shooting a gun 2 or 3 years ago, when he's a felony offender and legally can't be around guns. There's only one problem with it. I'm in the video shooting guns with him. They're my guns. I had no idea he was a felony offender until all this violence started up and I looked into his past. So for being in the video with him, wouldn't I be held responsible for giving him the guns to shoot? I can't just take this video to his PO and show them without making trouble for myself. Or can I? I just really want to see him pay for his actions finally.

Any advice appreciated and thank you, to anyone who stuck around long enough to finish this whole post.

I fully expect a lot of responses just saying "stop lending the car out dumbass". That's fair. I agree. Mom is just delusional and can't see past my sister being "her baby" and would never do anything wrong. If that's all you guys have though, I'm just fucked.

UPDATE: MOM FILED A POLICE REPORT ON HIM FINALLY.

Answer:
 That's stupid long, so I just control + F'd for your questions.

If it isn't your car, you have no legal options.  You can pressure your mother to call the police, make a police report yourself (even if it doesn't go far), or distance yourself from these people who persistently make bad life choices.

The owner can call the police about the damages or can sue in small claims for the cost of repairs.  Chances are, he has no money to pay her back.  She could also get better insurance to cover the damages.

It is his responsibility to avoid guns.  Not your responsibility to limit your actions around him.  You could get in trouble, but he's the felon who's freedoms are restricted, not you.


Title: (MA) Neighbor is calling the cops on me for false accusations - what can I do?

Question:
I live in an apartment building in the Boston area of Massachusetts. The woman who lives in the apartment below me has called the cops twice now on false accusations against me - there's a story behind this below. I'd like to know what steps I need to take to protect myself and if there's anything I can do to get this behavior to stop. I've never had to deal with anything like this before and I'm really frazzled.

To start, I believe she's on disability for medical reasons, as well as mentally ill. I can constantly hear her yelling at nothing and slamming things downstairs. The problem started when I started reporting her behaviors to our landlord because I would constantly wake up in the middle of the night to her slamming doors and yelling or playing with her dog at 3-4 AM. She started smoking cigarettes inside as well, which is against the lease, which I also reported to the landlord. He's asked her to stop on multiple occasions, but hasn't done much else to stop the behavior aside from that. After I started reporting her to the landlord she started yelling things at me in the stairway: she threatened that she would kill me if I left my apartment, threatened to knock my teeth out, when I went to take my garbage out she ran to her bathroom window to yell at me that she was going to slit my throat. I tried calling the cops on her about this, but they told me that unless there's physical contact they can't do anything.

I went to take my garbage out last week, and she followed me outside to start harassing me. At that point I took out my phone and recorded the interaction. A half hour later the cops showed up, apparently she called them and told them that I hit her (which I didn't do). At this point I was thankful to have recorded the interaction, when they spoke to me I showed them the video and they ultimately went back downstairs and told her there was no evidence/they weren't doing anything.

Today I was on a conference call with my job when I saw the cops pull up again. My windows were open, and I heard her telling them that I stole her medications off of her kitchen counter. I think she's on controlled painkillers, so that's a pretty serious accusation. I've never set a foot in that woman's apartment, and since the pandemic shut downs began i've only left my apartment to get my mail and take the garbage out. The cop spoke to me but he seemed very nonchalant about it and left without doing anything again.

I've told my landlord about this but he's not doing anything, not that there's anything he really can do with a moratorium on evictions.

Is there anything I can do to stop this behavior? What steps do I need to take to protect myself right now? Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 Sounds like the woman is unable to take care of herself.  You can call Adult Protective Services and ask them to perform a welfare check on your neighbor because you are concerned about her (in)ability to take care of herself.Answer #2: Start recording every interaction. Since she has a history of confronting you when you are outside I would suggest you start recording before you step foot out of your apartment. However, there may be legal constraints on recording in hallways based on your state's laws. Another thing to do is keep logs of absolutely everything. Once you have enough you can go to the police again and they shouldn't be able to dismiss it.

As far as the cops not doing anything now you should go back to the police station and request to speak to a sergeant or a lieutenant. Hopefully they will be slightly more useful than a desk jockey trying to avoid work. Her threatening to attack and kill you are definitely illegal acts which they can act upon. The problem is it is a he said she said issue. But, with enough information or witnesses siding with you it would be a slam dunk case... In theory. The key here is document everything.


Title: I have a somewhat unique car accident situation.

Question:
On May 23, 2015 at 2:40 am in Florida, I drove through an intersection with a green light and was hit by a driver attempting to turn left in front of me but didn't make it.

My car is totalled. The guy did not have insurance. No one was hurt, except my passenger/co-owner of the car. He has a contusion and slightly damaged tissue in his thumb. Nothing that ice and ibuprofen can't fix, and he's already getting better. He did not need an ambulance. He did go to the local clinic about a week ago.

It was brand new, a 2015 Toyota Corolla. I made 2 payments on it. I did not have GAP. (PLEASE DON'T YELL AT ME, I FUCKED UP, I'M YOUNG, I OBVIOUSLY KNOW BETTER NOW).

The remaining balance on my loan is about $20,600. My insurance offered me $17,500 to my lien holder. The guy was 20 years old and just enlisted in the army. He has nothing, basically. I've spoken with one attorney and he basically told me aside from opening up a claim under my uninsured motorist policy for my boyfriend's minor injury, and something about a PIP claim (not entirely sure what that is), I'm basically fucked. He said I shouldn't sue the guy, because I'll end up paying more to sue him than I'm trying to get to cover the gap.

I'll be speaking with another attorney for a second opinion soon, but I'd also like to see what yall think. I also have to give my rental back on Thursday, and I'll be buying a new car on Saturday. ANY AND ALL ADVICE as far as what to do with the remaining balance on the loan, or how to handle the buying process is welcome. Please. I'm so young and inexperienced in all this bullshit, I don't know what to do. :/

Answer:
 For the damage to the car you cannot recover more than its value, regardless of the amount you owe on the loan.

I have been in your position. It sucks but there's generally nothing you can do about it except eat the loss and buy [GAP insurance](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAP_Insurance) next time.Answer #2: When people say FL is a "no fault state," PIP is what they're talking about.  It applies only to your passenger's injuries and same with UM.  If your passenger has no medical expenses, these are of no use to you (I don't think anyone answered that question from your post yet).

FWIW I don't think you fucked up by not getting GAP insurance.  I think it's incredible you could afford a $20K car at 20 years old and then buy another car a few weeks later.  That says to me that you're not in a completely terrible financial place.  I personally never have and (hopefully) never will pay for GAP insurance.  You don't have to insure every single exposure you have; rather insurance should be *one* component of a comprehensive risk management program - that doesn't apply any less in personal finances than it does in commercial risk management.  You chose to retain this $3K exposure rather than transfer it to another party in exchange for a premium.  I don't blame you a bit.  But if this $3K debt is a major financial burden for you, then yes, get the GAP coverage on the next car.

And hey, you were $20K in debt.  Now you're $3K in debt.  So buy a $15K car.  Suddenly you're in a better financial situation than you were before the accident, right?  Or something like that, I don't fucking know, talk to /r/personalfinance.


Title: How much trouble am I in if my boss has been skimming and she told me to "fix" records to correct the amount?

Question: About two weeks ago the change fund, counted twice a day, came up 100.00 short. Myself and two other shift supervisors were told by our manager to write in what is supposed to be the correct amount (2000 dollars) on the daily record because it would correct itself. It did, up to 1985.00, but then went back down to 1900. We have been counting daily and it is now always short. So we are falsifying records, I guess? I just can't do it anymore. I can't risk losing this job, it is an at will state (Alabama) but I just can not go on. Should I contact the head of AP and tell him of our concerns anyway? What is the best thing for me to do?

Answer:
 Likely not in very much (legal) trouble unless you knew that your boss has been stealing and you've been covering it up.  I'd be surprised if your employer doesn't end your employment over this.

Large companies often have ways of reporting this type of behavior anonymously.


Title: If a convict escapes from prison and later on new evidence proves they’re innocent, will they be scot free or can they be charged with the crime of escaping prison and therefore go back to prison?

Answer:
 As others have said it's a separate crime. However I have a very hard time seeing any DA chasing to prosecute it, having your convictions overturned is very embarrassing, let alone being flat out wrong, they'd be embarrassed enough and the optics would be horrible.

That said in Mexico (and I believe Norway but maybe Sweden or possibly both) They acknowledge that desiring freedom is part of human nature and so long as you commit no other crimes escape is not considered a crime.Answer #2: They would be charged with breaking out.  They might get some leniency, but they still broke the law, they were legally incarcerated and broke out.Answer #3: escaping custody would be a whole other crime so may be exonerated of the prior charge just as the new trial begins. But like other comment said a judge may look at the fact that they were not guilty and probably just slap them with community service. Cant think of any case law where something like this has ever happened, I mean need someone that was charged and convicted of a crime they didnt commit and somehow have it surface new evidence of innocence and never be told that someone is working on an appeals process with new evidence. Because if they know their lawyer is appealing for a review with new evidence then why would they attempt a break out? and appeals take months.


Title: My brother's future after his car accident. [DE]

Question:
I figured this would be a more suitable place to post this:

My brother was in a serious car accident that left him with a TBI. He was in a coma for a week and fractured his C1 vertebrae. They did surgery and put metal rods in his neck that connect his head to his neck for support.

They are talking about releasing him to a rehab center very soon but my father told me no one will accept him until they have an exit strategy for his release from rehab.

What would it take to get my brother on disability so we can get him set up in a home with a few friends. He needs a place to live and we know that it's not possible without any sort of income. It will be a very long time before he works again and we are trying to research as many options as we can.

Answer:
 I'd post in the main sub, as this is perfectly on topic.

Contact the Social Security Administration and get a referral for an advocate in your area. They are capped and can only take 25% of the lump sum (back pay from app date to date of approval), and cannot take anything after that. It is absolutely worth it.

Also, contact the hospital's social worker. They can help reach out to local non-profit resources that can help with everything from retrofitting the house to helping outfit a handicapped accessible van.

Good luck!


Title: Is it legal to cancel a check written under duress or blackmail as soon as the person walks out the door?

Question:
*Not as a permanent solution or to steal product/labor but as a way to get them to discuss itemized fees as originally requested.

Example story in Missouri:

Plumber quotes/estimates work with parts at $1000 which is parts, travel, $90/hr. Perfect.

Customers agree and schedule.

Plumber arrives on a weekday morning when husband is at work and mom is home with kids.

Plumber takes lunch break after 3 hours during which he tells mom, he found an additional problem which requires an extra part and labor. However don't worry I have the part in my truck and can still finish today. The new price is $1800

Mom says that's not possible. She always discusses new purchases over $100 with her spouse and is not sure.

Plumber threatens to leave. This puts them in a worse position than before since they went from cold water to no water if he just leaves everything out and undone.

Mom cries that he will start a bad fight with her spouse and she hasn't had a hot shower in 6 weeks, and leaving them with no water puts their children at jeopardy. CPS takes kids away from homes with no running water.

Plumber says that isn't his fault or problem.

Mom texts and calls husband with no pick-up as it's not his lunch break.

Mom reluctantly agrees still sniffling and upset because this is more than $100 over the quote and does not know what will happen with the monthly finances.

Husband later calls on break yelling "don't let him do that! That's a scam!" Wife cries she feels so dirty because of cold showers for 6 weeks and was afraid to have no water at all because of the kids so she let him complete the work. Husband warns "don't write it for $1800"

Mom goes online to see how much the extra part was; $16 on Amazon. Plumber finished work at 4 instead of the originally quoted 3.

So mom shrewdly hands the plumber a check for $1106 for the extra hour and part.

Plumber reads check, says that's not the amount we agreed on. Mom says "I know we agreed on $1000, you worked an extra hour which is $90 and I found the additional part online for $16 everything is paid for. Goodbye."

Plumber gets angry and tears up check in front of her and says"you'll pay me the full amount for the job or I'll call the cops"

Shaking, she writes the check.

As soon as he pulls out of the driveway she locks every door and calls the plumber, he does not pick up probably because he is driving, and scamming. She leaves a message saying he needs to call her husband back to discuss all the itemized fees before he even thinks about cashing that check"

She then calls her bank and cancels the check over the phone.

She writes a new check out to the main building where he works with ATTN to his name. The amount is $1120 in case the part was from a more expensive company.

It turns out there was only $1600 in the account that day due to an old check that was finally cashed so the bank would have charged a $35 and fee to add insult to injury. She did not know about the insufficient funds.

Anyways what can happen and what should have happened? Did anyone commit a crime and was the check written under duress?

Wife suspects plumber knew all along he was going to charge more due to already having the part and just the way he acted. So she thought she was preventing a scam.

Answer:
 > Did anyone commit a crime and was the check written under duress?

The check was not written under "duress".  The only crime you've offered evidence of is on the part of the woman, who agreed to a price for work and then denied payment at the end.  This is what we call "fraud".


Title: Dating a minor?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: The age of consent in California is 18. Frankly, to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, I would wait to be alone with her in any capacity until she's 18.Answer #2: Wait until she's 18. When is her birthday?


Title: Left the scene of an accident.

Question:
Idiot from Florida here.

I was involved in a car accident last night.  After it happened like an idiot I drove the couple remaining blocks home and called the police right away.  They came and eventually took me to jail as the other party involved reported a minor injury.

I baled out of jail and have a court date set for 3/27 for leaving the scene of an accident without rendering aid.

I wasn’t charged with anything else, and have never been arrested for anything before.   I called and reported it, I didn’t try to hide anything, I just was running on adrenaline after the accident and made the extremely poor choice to drive the short distance home.  My car was still drivable obviously, and the air bags didn’t deploy.

Just looking to see if anyone has any advice on what I can expect.  I keep thinking worst-case scenario, which is really freaking me out.  I’ve got a decent job and support my wife and am afraid of going to jail for my stupidity.  I know I made a mistake and committed a crime, but it was truly an accident, and I didn’t try to hide anything.  I’m willing to take the punishment for what I did, just want to keep away from serving time in jail if possible.

Answer:
 > I was involved in a car accident last night [then] I drove the couple remaining blocks home

> I [...] have a court date [...] for leaving the scene of an accident without rendering aid

That sounds about right.

> I’m willing to take the punishment for what I did, just want to keep away from serving time in jail if possible.

You need to hire an attorney who will go to the court date with you and try to negotiate a lesser charge. But first things first: what statute you are accused of violating, is it written on any paperwork you have? Is it 316.062?


Title: Update 5 - Washington State: Neighbor is currently video recording me and has a camera directly pointed at my bedroom window. What can I do? [I lied about the final update]

Question:
(Original)\[[https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/5r4lco/washington\_state\_neighbor\_is\_currently\_video/](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/5r4lco/washington_state_neighbor_is_currently_video/)\](Update 1)\[[https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/6sjjwt/update\_washington\_state\_neighbor\_is\_currently/](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/6sjjwt/update_washington_state_neighbor_is_currently/)\] (Update 2)\[[https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/83lcds/update\_2\_washington\_state\_neighbor\_is\_currently/](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/83lcds/update_2_washington_state_neighbor_is_currently/)\] (Update 3)\[[https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/874o01/update\_3\_washington\_state\_neighbor\_is\_currently/](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/874o01/update_3_washington_state_neighbor_is_currently/)\] (Update 4)\[[https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/8n4d3q/update\_4\_washington\_state\_neighbor\_is\_currently/](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/8n4d3q/update_4_washington_state_neighbor_is_currently/)\]

Hello all. Thanks for listening and following this ridiculous thread of events.

My neighbor pled guilty to 3 (of 19) counts using emergency services inappropriately and one other charge they won't explain.  He cannot talk to me or my husband, and cannot bother anyone on this property, ever.  He is also required to have a mental health evaluation, which he was supposed to go do on his own when this started rolling.  The result of breaking any of these rules will hopefully be jail time.

Now is the new dilemma.

He was outside today looking at our brand new for sale sign on the house.  Not kidding, and maybe this is just paranoia, but my realtor called and said someone had scheduled an appointment to view the home this evening at 6pm.  We haven't told him about the situation because honestly we thought nothing was going to come out of this and we had lost.  Now the new people that will be moving in when we sell are protected, but we figured to let sleeping dogs lie and let our neighbor be the first one to mess things up.  We were put in the same situation with the last owner of the home and it isn't illegal in WA to not disclose these things.  I think my neighbor is trying to tour my home.

I have no problem with him wanting to buy the home, but I am not interested in him snooping.  I know my realtor will be monitoring him but a part of me is wondering if he will be trying to take photos of my stuff, etc.  I have partially lost my mind even considering that man will be in our home.  What can I do? My husband was thinking about parking down the street when the appointment time was and making sure.  I suggested a nanny cam.  Both of which are probably insane to do.  I am afraid that telling my realtor will also result in a nightmare.

Answer:
 > What can I do?

You can tell your realtor not to allow him access to the house.  Answer #2: Why not sit in your car across the street at 6 and see who shows up. If he walks over tell go back the house and tell your relator you left something you need and BTW this guy has an RO. And then call the cops for the RO violation. Don’t mention he is neighbor and the realtor will hopefully not notice he came from the house instead of just having parked down the street. Answer #3: I can't remember - is there a restraining or protective order in place? That would, I think, disallow him from entering. Edit: I think you need to involve both your attorney and your Realtor.Answer #4: Absolutely do not let him in your house.  You don't have to tell your realtor everything but a heads up of "Hey, I have an RO and want to ensure he's not one of the appointments."  Don't tell them he's a neighbor or what the RO is for.Answer #5: I put a couple nanny cams in my house when we were selling it.  I don't think it's paranoid to keep an eye on people as they go through your house.

That being said - tell your realtor.Answer #6: >He cannot talk to me or my husband, and cannot bother anyone on this property, ever.

1) Collect evidence of him trying to tour your home

Contact and give your realtor a head's up. Contact lawyer.

2) collect evidence of him touring your home.

Contact law enforcement and document the situation. Contact Lawyer.Answer #7: Putting your house in the market doesn't make it public property. Nor do you have to sell to anyone who makes an offer.


Title: Neighbors were cooking meth (AZ)

Question:
My next door neighbors were recently evicted, and had been selling drugs, mostly weed to the best of my knowledge.  Since management has been in to clean the place, I've heard that they found a meth lab set-up in the kitchen (our kitchens share a wall).  Management is very cheap and shady; I already know they're just painting the place and cleaning the carpets before they rent it out again  They will not confirm that they found meth was being cooked there, but I do not trust them to tell the truth, they just want to get a new tenant as cheaply as possible.

Two questions:
a) Do they have a legal requirement to do any further rehabilitation of the unit, or can they just rent it back out after a surface cleaning? If there is such a requirement,
b) where/who do I call to report that they're not handling this property correctly?  Is this handled by the state/county health department, or someone else?

Answer:
 Call city code enforcement and the health department, as cooking meth probably renders not just the unit uninhabitable, but adjacent units.

Your landlord is clearly prioritizing money over your health, so go over their heads.

Contact a local attorney with landlord/tenant experience and see if you have action against them for non-disclosure.


Title: My neighbor's tree is breaking my shed. What recourse do I have?

Question:
[Here is a photo of the tree and shed.  ](http://www.imgur.com/yqMSxEM)

I bought my house in December, so I have only had this problem for the last couple of months.  The damage right now isn't too bad, but I don't want it to continue.  Also, the tree's branches will fill up my garage gutters with leaves and are getting tangled with the power lines.  I don't want to pay for him to take care of his tree though.  What is a reasonable course of action?

Answer:
 Generally speaking, you can (at your expense) trim the tree branches and roots which overhang or encroach onto your side of the property line.  Be warned, however.  If your actions cause the tree to die or become so damaged as to fall over in a strong storm, then you would be responsible for the death of the tree and any resulting damage.  Take care when excising tree roots.  Conversely, your neighbor is responsible to properly maintain his tree so as not to cause damage to your property (not counting the falling leaves.)  As long as the damage isn't too bad at this point, I recommend talking to your neighbor.  Maybe the two of you can work out an agreement and even a payment plan.Answer #2: Pretty sure you can't have the shed up against the property line like that.  10 feet minimum here.  Move the shed,  it's not that hard.  Answer #3: You cut down anything in your side of the property line.

Your image link is broken btw


Title: I'm terminating my lease, because of safety issues. Is it legal for them to still charge me a fee. My lease is actually up on July 1st but we didn't give 2 months so it auto renews.

Question: I smelled gas in my apartment.  Called the fire department, and both the stove and the furnace had gas leaks.  The stove was giving off Carbon Monoxide of 20 parts per million.  Not to mention homless people breaking in and sleeping on the steps during the winter (inside stairwell).  Also has been reports of theft.  Landlord refused to check the building for other gas leaks, so we called to terminate the lease.  She wanted 1200 to break the lease, I talked her down to 600.  But refuses to give our new place a good reference before paying her.  I cant afford two places rent and a deposit.  What do I do?   Kansas City, MO is my location.

Answer: you can take her offer or you can just leave and stop paying her. when she sues to enforce the lease, you can hope that a judge agrees with you that you had sufficient grounds to walk. there is no other way to force LL to acknowledge your position that you're entitled to break the lease.


Title: Teacher at college destroyed my self-esteem years ago, and I am worried that they are still able to hurt other people. What can I do?

Question:
A few years ago, I sent a confidential self-evaluation of my performance in a course I took, as per a teacher's request of the whole class.  After sending it I received an email from the teacher I sent it to, only to find he had tried to forward my evaluation on to another person.  Not only was he trying to send confidential information to someone else, he mocked the evaluation I sent, and as I was extremely honest about social anxiety having a huge bearing on my performance in the course, his words have had a profound effect on my performance in school and in life.

The people in the school (a college in New York) who I talked to (in the department and the administration) were not surprised that this had happened, and one even told me that situations like this had happened before to others.

More painful than this experience is the thought that his behavior will continue to go on unchecked, and that other students will have their love of learning wrongly curbed.  What can I do to see this doesn't continue?

Answer:
 you can grow up and realize that his words didn't actually hurt you. if kindergarteners can understand that...

if he violated rules you can report them, a bit late, but then the university can decide what to do. otherwise, get a therapist. Answer #2: You can grow up and move on. Nothing illegal here.


Title: [TX] Is it illegal to lie about the cause of injury?

Question: I’m on mobile so forgive formatting. Long story short I got bit by a dog at work this past Saturday and now I am afraid it is infected, so I told my bosses I wanted to go to the doctor. They asked me if I was comfortable lying to the doctor about how I got bit (they want me to say it was a stray dog) because if I tell the truth, the city will want to quarantine the dog and it’ll become an “ordeal” for the owners. Is it illegal to lie to medical staff about how you sustained an injury?

Answer: It's not illegal, per se.  But you realize they're trying to reduce their liability, right? That'll mean you'll be the only one legally obligated to pay the bill.


Title: CA,my car was towed due to the 72 parking law

Question: I parked my car over 72 hours. My car was towed after 72 hours. That car is kind of wrecked. I have told the tow company that i don't want it ,but they said they need a pink slip ,which is a car title.  I went do the DMV. The DMV told me that they can only give me the car title receipt and can't give the car title right away. Two Questions. Can i just give the car title receipt to the tow company first ,instead of the pink slip? Second, I have read some LA news that someone sued the tow company for this and won. If so, how do i sue the the tow company?

Answer:
 You want to sue the tow company for doing what exactly? You broke the law.

Call them and ask what they will except. Answer #2: They likely will not take just the receipt but you can try.  What on earth do you think you could sue them for? They legally towed your car.


Title: Police entered my property without permission to murder my dogs

Answer:
 Dog Law specialist here.

When you called the police station to ask for a report, what did they say?


Title: A Megachurch is holding weekly services at the local public high school [NorCal]

Question:
Note: I'm not looking to take any legal action, I'm just curious as to the legality of this because I'm uncomfortable with the situation.

A year ago I saw that a megachurch from a few towns over was holding a "one time event" to recruit members in the performing arts center of my local public high school. I was a bit curious, as the area isn't a very religious one, but I thought it was just that: a curiosity. (It should be noted that the Performing Arts Center was funded by both the public school district and the town government so that it could host non-school events the town approved of, such as plays for the local theater festival) The next week the church returned to the high school. And the next week, and the next week.

It quickly became apparent that this was not a one time event to recruit members to their nearby church, but rather the church setting up a new congregation in town. The church made signs advertising their weekly services held at the high school - and hung them up on high school property. Signs were made that could be displayed prominently on the high school grounds to show where more classrooms had been rented for Sunday School classes. This week when I went past I noticed they'd begun calling the high school their "[Town Name] Campus."

I understand churches can rent public facilities for specific events - and I have no problem with that - but is it legal for them to host weekly services at a public school indefinitely? Is it legal for them to advertise the school as a church "campus"?

Answer:
 So long as they follow the same rules as any other group that rents the center, there shouldn't be any issues.Answer #2: If the school is renting the space to the same church on the same basis it offers it to other organizations, that's fine.

The church can call the space what it wants.  As long as it doesn't try to start setting "rules" (like a dress code or something) for the time it isn't renting the space, which is a vaguely ridiculous idea,  it doesn't matter.Answer #3: Sure, this is actually pretty common.


Title: Ex girlfriend accused me of slashing her tires, says she has footage of me doing it

Question: I know I didn't do it despite whatever footage she has, but I am a little lost about all this. Her brother, a friend, and her also came to my house to my house and threatened/tried to extort money out of me. What precautions should I take to defend myself? I live in Texas.

Answer: This appears to be a case where the [Shaggy defense](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaggy_defense) may have merit.


Title: [IN] 6 months into a 1 year lease and we found mold in our apartment. What are our options?

Question:
Throwaway account. This is Indiana.

We signed a 1 year lease on December 1st 2016. My wife and I live here with my 6 year old son. My wife is also pregnant. Mold has started forming in our bathroom. We use the exhaust fan in the bathroom every time we shower, but mold is still popping out. Also in the upstairs bedrooms the walls are sweating with a yellowish liquid. I believe the previous tenants smoked inside and rather then cleaning the yellow stains on the wall the landlord painted over it.

What are our options here? How do we go about bringing this issue up to the landlord? Is this enough to break our lease?

Answer: Have you tried wiping it off with a rag and some water mixed with bleach?


Title: [PA] A public newspaper has my charges published online.

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: You can ask them to remove it, but they have no obligation to do so.


Title: [FL] My friend died of cervical cancer. Can I notify her cheating boyfriend's friends that they need to get tested if they slept with him?

Question:
My friend died about two weeks ago.  She was diagnosed only 6 months ago with an extremely aggressive form of cervical cancer which stemmed from complications of HPV.  Her friends recently discovered that her boyfriend of six years has multiple facebook accounts and is dating multiple women.  Some of these women have been in a relationship with him for months (overlapping the time she was in chemo).

He's obviously a bastard, but that is besides the point.  Can i legally notify them that he's slept with someone who has HPV so that they can get tested?

Answer: HPV is so common it's practically everywhere. Women of 25+ that are sexually active should be getting tested anyway by Pap cervical smears. Sleeping with any specific persons doesn't change that. So, letting them know does nothing for their health.Answer #2: You can say the truth and your opinion (as long as it is clearly an opinion and not defamatory).


Title: [WA] I have dashcam footage of a misdemeanor that may be needed in court. Can I mute it?

Question:
Washington State, USA.

I recently caught a class A misdemeanor on my car's dashcam. I stayed on\-scene until police arrived, got their details, and later provided them edited footage that \(1\) highlighted the crime \(I used cuts to make it concise and zooms to make it easy to view on a smaller screen\), and \(2\) was muted. The reason I muted the footage is because I was discussing very personal information with the other occupants in my car at the time.

I have been reached out to by the city attorney who is prosecuting in this case, and I expect him to request the unedited clip. I'm happy to provide the unedited video, but do not want to provide the audio. Is this legal to do, or is it some form of withholding evidence? Can I bring up this concern with the attorney and say I am only willing to cooperate under the condition I can mute the clip? I want to help see justice served but don't want to compromise the privacy of my conversation.

Thanks!

Answer: Do you at all incriminate yourself on the audio?


Title: Is using credit cards to pay off student loans and then declaring bankruptcy to clear credit card debts fraud?

Question:
I know student loan debt isn't dischargeable but credit card debt, per my understanding, is.

So if you managed to move the debt from student loan debt to credit card debt, could you declare bankruptcy and get around this, or is this committing a crime in some way?

Answer:
 Yes it is. Intentionally creating debt with the intention of discharging in bankruptcy is considered fraud.Answer #2: I remember reading either an article or an r/personalfinance thread where someone paid their school loans by cycling 18 month interest free credit cards. So while I don't think you should commit fraud, there is a way to at least do it interest free assuming you:

A. Have good to excellent credit
B. Can trust yourself to pay it off before the time period is up, and
C. Have a plan for paying it off from your income after school.

Plans fall through. Should you have to claim bankruptcy a few years after school because your plan fell through is different than going into it planning on claiming bankruptcy.

Also keep in mind, you don't have to go to school 2-3 semesters each year. You can take time off to work and pay it down assumming you have low living expenses and the possibility of a good paying job in the interim. Nor do you have to do everything at a 4 year college when there's so many online and community college options. One last tip is if you take time off to work, get your syllabi for the classes you'll take the next semester. I was able to do a higher classload (cheaper in the long run assumming you don't get complete douchenozzles requiring $600 in textbooks per class) by studying the material in advance.


Title: Old high school buddy says recording "PUA Bedroom infields" are legal if you blur the girls face. Is this true? Please read entire post for context. Thank you.

Question:
So an old buddy from high school is posting on Facebook that he will start recording "bedroom infields". He's always been super good with girls and he wants to record his interactions now.

He wants to film inside his bedroom with a hidden camera. Sex and everything. He says it's legal as long as you blur out her face and protect her identity. He lives in Vegas and says that Nevada is a one party consent state meaning that only one party has to consent to the interaction being filmed.

Obviously I do not agree with the morals of this. So I don't need to hear about that, we all know this is questionable ethics to say the least.  I just don't want him to get into any legal trouble. So I need to know if this is legal or not. Thank you.

Answer:
 No. Not at all legal. Nowhere even close to legal.Answer #2: Ah the Dennis Reynolds method.

No. Not legal. Not even a small sliver of legal here. Answer #3: Now that I'm done vomiting...

Gross misdemeanor on the first offense, E felony on subsequent offenses. No mention is made there of blurring faces, it's pretty clearly written to indicate this sort of idea is illegal as hell.

EDIT: currently codfied at NRS 200.604 - https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Division/Legal/LawLibrary/NRS/NRS-200.html#NRS200Sec604

I am NOT a lawyer, just a guy with a browser, some free time, and a healthy hatred of people who do crap like what OP says their friend wants to do.