Title: Dad threatening to sew

Question:
So my mom has custody and my dad has me on the weekends. Well this Sunday he decided to get drunk, choke me, and threaten my life while my friends and family were listening on my Ps4. After I called the police and my mom we went to his house and he said," I've been burnt before, I will sew you." I'm wondering if he can sew my mom in any way and what "burnt" means.

More info: while I was playing games with my friends, my dad walks in drunk and tries to rustle with me. I say stop and he gets aggressive and starts choking me. This has happened before but not to this extent. I argued with him until he threatened my life by saying,"I could kill you right now." I got my phone and ran out of the house to call the cops. After my mother and the police came they went to his house to talk. He was being a jerk to the officer and told him," I've been burnt before." Then turned to my mom and said," I'll sew you."

Extra info: my mom has shared custody with him and i only see him on the weekends.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 What wil he be sewing? a new dress?

All jokes aside, he can sue your mom but he is not likely to win.

Your mom has a pretty good reason as to why she should probably go back to court and sue for sole custody with only supervised vissits.


Title: My ex is threatening to get an abortion if i talk to an attorney. (Florida)

Question:
Hello,

My ex is pregnant and when discussing custody, payments, etc. She kept sending me screenshots of various laws saying that I have to be supportive and nice, and I mentioned that I'm not a lawyer so I'd rather go over laws with an attorney.

She then said that if I talk to an attorney, she will get an abortion.

I don't want this. She has also threatened to put the baby up for adoption if I don't let her stay the night with me. I've rejected her attempts to manipulate me for sex, which has only made her angrier and produce more threats. She approached me at dinner a couple weeks ago and knocked away my food and hit me in the head several times.

I currently have an appointment set with an attorney for this Friday. Is it okay for me to go? Or would that be me tacitly giving her the go ahead to get an abortion?

Thank you all for your help!

Answer:
 >Is it okay for me to go?

It sounds like you absolutely should review your situation with an attorney.

>tacitly giving her the go ahead to get an abortion?

She doesn't need your go-ahead for an abortion.  Ever.  What she does from here is up to her.  If she has the baby you have standing to discuss care of the child including the potential adoption.  And your attorney can help you with that.Answer #2: > Or would that be me tacitly giving her the go ahead to get an abortion?

She can get an abortion if she wants, you don't get any say in that and she does not need your go ahead.

She should not be able to put the baby up for adoption without your permission.  Answer #3: Speak to a lawyer.

Also consider she might not in fact be pregnant.Answer #4: > She kept sending me screenshots of various laws saying that I have to be supportive and nice

Wat. Those are not laws. They cannot possibly be.

You need an attorney for the other stuff though. They won't tell her, there's no reason she needs to know.


Title: Would I be in violation of any laws if I made stickers with a shock site url on them?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 An obscenity charge in this day and age would be pretty unlikely. but it's possible. and one of the elements is 'community standards.'

so depends.


Title: bought an amp from a used car store, they won't let me refund it.

Question:
I bought an amplifier for $200 from a used car parts store the other day. When I was about to buy it I asked the guy at the counter if I could return it as I just wanted to test if it worked. He said "yes, but there's a 20% handling fee" I was cool with that so he gave me the part and told me to go over to another counter where there was a lady who I made the payment to. After the payment was done she handed me a paper which was essentially the receipt but on the back was the fine print for the terms and conditions.

I was not told about this fine print, went on my merry way, and only learned about this today when I went to go and refund the amp. The manager came up to me and said "you can't return electronics, it says on the back of your receipt". Hearing this I was shocked, I had been told that I could return it, was never informed about this fine print, and could have never even learned about this fineprint anyways because I only got the damn piece of paper after I bought the thing.

Is this shit even legal? Should I take it up with a lawyer? I've never dealt with a lawyer before and I don't have a lot of money, I'm just concerned that I'll lose more money taking it up with a lawyer.

Answer: "I want to pay you $200 just to take this amp home, see if it works, then return it tomorrow." That's weird as hell, and that's why they don't accept returns on electronics. Your receipt controls.


Title: Air from tires

Question:
Can I break a room rental agreement if a roommate let the air out of my tires. She is mad that I rented the room because I have a disability.
And she didnt want me to. But the owner and other roommates wanted me to move in.
I just moved in a few days ago, but i think i should leave before she does anything else.

Answer: No, that is not grounds to break your lease without penalty.   If you want to break your lease, you will have to follow the guidelines in your lease.


Title: A doctor's mistake almost killed my Dad, what are our options?

Question:
Sorry if everything seems cluttered and awakward, I'm writing this on my phone at my friends before I go to see him in the hospital.

A few weeks ago my Dad was feeling weak, tired, and sick. So he went in for a couple tests at the hospital to see if there was anything wrong with him. Among those tests was a colonoscopy. They nicked him, but that's not the biggest problem.

My Dad figured out a year ago that had a heart fibrillation, which from what I know basically means one of the chambers in his heart beats faster than the rest, and he takes medication to equalize it. One of its effects is it makes your blood thin, and that's why it all hit the crapper. They knew he was on the thinners.

His colon completely ripped 4-5 days ago, and my Mom found him on the floor in a massive pool of blood. His cellphone was in the toilet, he hit his head on the mirror, and was whiter than a ghost.

He was rushed to a hospital where he had 16 blood transfusions to try to keep up with the blood loss, then he was transferred to a bigger hospital where they stopped counting after 40. There were two nurses on both sides squeezing blood bags into his system to keep up with all the blood going out of his colon. His blood was too thin, and they started to tell us that he might not make it.

I could say more, but just know it was fricken awful. Surgery, constant fear, his body and lungs swelled... My family is traumatised, I flew in from the other side of the country (I live in Canada, over 4 hours of flying and I was JUST home from Christmas), my Aunt and Uncle are paying for hotels, and everyone is helping however they can. Thankfully, they're saying he's out of the woods. Now, I have school to pay for next year, but I'm not working, my Dad's not working, my Mom's not working. We're losing tens of thousands on hotels, expenses, flights, and time not worked.

Yeah, I'm pretty pissed that I have to fly out and see my Dad on life support due to someone's negligence. They claimed 1 in 50 people get nicked in a colonoscopy, so why the hell did they leave him on blood thinners? He almost died SOLELY because his blood was way too thin. Anyways, I was just wondering what options we had for any sort of legal action such as compensation.

Thanks, really appreciate it!

Answer: All surgury has risks. And nicking something is a risk. That does not necessarily mean malpractice. Medmal is very fact specific. Your mother should consult a medmal attorney to see if there is any case.


Title: (CA) Neighbor keeps inviting people to park in my gated drive-way. What happens if I lock the gate and refuse to let neighbor's guests access their cars?

Question:
I have a gated drive way I leave open during the day for a multitude of reasons.

My neighbor keeps telling people they can park in my driveway even though there is ample street parking and he has his own driveway with extra spaces. I have asked him many times to not have his guests park on my property but he just tells me I have lots of space so he doesn't see what the problem is.

The next time this happens, if I just lock my gate with his guest's cars in there and go on vacation for a few days, or just flat out tell them they're not welcome onto my property, what would happen? Could I get in any legal trouble?

Yes, I'm aware calling to get the cars towed is an option, but I'm feeling really petty right now and want to make them wait a few hours or days to get their cars.

Answer:
 easy option:lock the gate

troll option:install sign with tow warning and execute towing.

But honestly locking the gate with them inside and their cars likely would get the police involved and likely be theft I imagine. Answer #2: I understand how angry you are at your neighbor. However, his guests might assume that you are okay with them parking there — because most people wouldn't think that using their neighbor's property as a parking lot without permission is okay, so the neighbor's guests would assume their friend wouldn't do such a thing and you are okay with this.

Posting signs and then towing (if you can't lock the gate) would be the thing to do, as others have said.Answer #3: Why not just keep the gate locked so they can't get in?


Title: Collection company keeps scamming me for the car accident that never happened. They threatened to get my driver's license suspended at the DMV if I don't pay. Should I go to the police?

Question:
[CA, US] Last year I went abroad for almost 2 months. For that time, I left my car with a friend to look after and I let him use it if he ever needed to.

Long story short, this was my situation after I got back home: I had an insurance claim for some car accident, a letter from a fishy sounding lawyer (I looked it up), and lack of car insurance on the date of the said accident. It was clear from the beginning, that there was no accident at all and I am 100% sure of that.

The said accident was supposed to happen only 2 days after my insurance policy got cancelled due to lack of payment (couldn't open their website outside of the U.S. for whatever stupid reason- it was a very shitty company known for bullshitting apparently).

Other fishy stuff: my insurance card disappeared from my car. My friend has never seen it. BUT- he is the kind of guy who just doesn't always lock the car door...and leaves his wallet on the seat (he actually said he'd do that sometimes...). I think somebody put the two together and got his and my name and insurance info and filed a claim...

On the letter from the insurance company, there was HIS name as the driver, and MY information from my insurance card. There was no information about any police report or anything like that. When I tried to contact the lawyer of the person who filed the claim- it could never go through. They would say they would call back, etc. and I would keep calling, and nothing ever happened.  So I gave up on contacting them.

Now- a year later- I keep getting a letter from a collection company (known for scams!) for over $2,000. I've heard and was told by my friend's lawyer that it is best not to call such a company, as they will try to screw you over. I kept ignoring those letters, as I know that there was no accident, and there would be a police report about this accident (especially if the damage is considered to be over $2,000).

In the last letter, the collection company said that they will file a request to suspend my driver's license at the DMV if I do not pay the balance...  Can they possibly do that? What should I do? Go to police?

I know i probably should have done that earlier, but I know it's a scam so I just kept ignoring it :/ Ahh, please tell me what I should do.
Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 Well I have to say you're not in a great position here: you don't actually **know** there wasn't an accident, your insurance was cancelled due to non-payment.

I have to say: if the company has your friends name as the driver and your insurance details, the person who is scamming you is your friend.

I know you don't want to hear this, but it is vanishing unlikely that some random person stole your insurance documentation and your friends ID from an unlocked car and then decided that "hey, I've been in an accident, I can use these details".

When you hear hooves think horse not zebra.

The truth is, you are on the hook for this and I very much doubt that you can prove otherwise. The whole "I couldn't pay for my insurance while out of the country" thing is, frankly, lame. You could have called the company (yes, an international call but phones do this sort of thing) and paid that way.

I would suggest you work out a way to pay this judgment.


Title: Birth name choice

Question: In the US, are you legally obligated to give your new born child your last name?  For instance, a legally married couple, John & Mary Hitler, have a baby girl. At the hospital, when they are approached by the staff about the child’s birth certificate, they request that the child be named Jane Williams instead of Jane Hitler.  Can they do this or is it something they would have to take up in court at a later time?

Answer: It really depends on individual state (or country). Pretty much it could be mom’s maiden, dad’s, hyphen, whatever other name you want. There might be some restrictions on the whatever other such as no slurs, curses, random symbols but other than that, not much restrictions. Simple solution to getting around those restrictions is to just move and give birth in a state that has no such restrictions.


Title: Ex-boyfriend demanding stuff back he loaned my friends when he lived here... my responsibility?

Question:
Hello. My Ex-boyfriend moved out of my parents house (California) in June to live with his parents in (Missouri).

He left a Sex Pistols (first press) record at my friends house and threatening to sue me if I don't get it back to him...

For the record, I had asked him not to contact me the week before because he was harassing me (name calling, general douchbagedness)

He was here in California two weeks ago and had plenty of opportunity to retrieve all his shit from his friends.

I just want to make sure i am not liable for something like this, since he consensually gave her the record.

Answer: For the record, hopefully she'll go on the record about the record and record (got you there) that he gave her the record.


Title: Proper steps for gaining temporary custody over my wifes nieces.

Question: I'm hoping you guys can point me in the right direction. My wife and I will be taking temporary custody of her nieces with the consent of her sister. Her sister and brother in law are divorcing because they're both crazy and I'm not just saying that because they are fucked up people, they really are crazy. He suffers from sever PTSD accompanied with rage and she can't distinguish fiction from reality. Currently, she has custody of the children but knows that she can't take care of them. We would like to to get a restraining order against both of the parents as well as file for custody. So here's the problem. They live in California and we live in Texas. Where would we need to file and what forms would we need?

Answer:
 Ok, mom needs to sign a notarized form saying the kid can live with you in Texas and make medical and educational decisions.

Then, if you have the kid for 6 months in Texas you can file for custody, easily.

Edit: deleted my first post because I missed the answers. The above is the easiest next step. If you want to have legal custody before 6 months you will have to file in Cali


Title: Apartment: Parking problem

Question:
This is in California.

Around a month i got a notice that due to construction I would be re-assigned one parking spot after the month. At the time I had 1 spot and 1 tandem spot. so I get a new parking spot I'm not happy with, and when I go into the parking lot I see two new cars in my old tandem spot. I'm also pretty sure they haven't changed the price on my rent. I was basically wondering if this was illegal, and if I could use it to my advantage when my lease runs out.

Answer: What does your lease say?


Title: Won a wrongful death Case.

Question:
About 6 years back my father passed away from a wrongful death.
We opened a case and in 2014 we went to trial. 6 months later the lawyer called me and said we won but the defendants appealed the case. I haven't heard from my lawyer since February or 2015.  Last night i was browsing the web and just looked up my dads name and stumbled onto an article.  The article said the case was closed at the beginning of the month and we won.  My lawyer hasn't called me at all.  My uncle is the power of attorney since i was under age. Im wondering if he called my uncle and does can my uncle do anything with the money.  I haven't called my lawyer yet.  Just need some advice on what i should do.

Edit: This happened in NJ and my uncle filed the case in behalf of me and 2 siblings since we were all under age.

the amount is about 2 million

and how much money i can expect from it.

Answer:
 Call your uncle and ask these questions.  If he won't talk to you, call the lawyer and ask all these questions.  If the lawyer won't take your phone call, send a letter asking all of these questions.  If the lawyer doesn't respond to that, go to the court where the case was pending and ask to see a copy of the court file.  If none of that works, hire another lawyer to look into this.

As far as how much you will get.  Assuming the only two beneficiaries are you and your sister, you should get half of the net recovery.  I assume the lawyer was handling this on a contingency fe, typically one-third.  That would bring the recover down to $1,333,333.  Costs of litigation may then be taken out (this can vary widely based on the type of case), then divide by two.  So you are looking at $667,000 or so, minus costs.


Title: [NH/WY] Provider saying they will charge a $2,000 fee because of a paypal dispute

Question:
I posted here a few days ago about an FCC regulated company (VoIP) [cancelling my service in retaliation to a complaint](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/4ogv37/nhwy_can_an_fcc_regulated_business_cancelrefuse/). No legal problems there, but now I'm worried.

I filed a paypal dispute because I'm really having a difficult time with this company. I bought a device with them, which is provider locked. They cancelled my service as a result of the complaint and won't reissue service - since the device is a literal paperweight and will only work with this one company, I asked about returning it - still like new condition - and they refused. I filed a paypal complaint on the charge for the phone out of principle.

Shortly after getting the dispute filed, I got an email saying a new ticket for a chargeback has been opened, this was the text in the email:

> [Provider] has received a chargeback notice for invoice [###]. Your account now has a negative balance. You have 5 days to cure this negative balance or your account will be debited $1985.00 plus fees, penalties and interest in accordance with the [Provider] Terms of Service. Failure to cure this debt will result in a negative entry on your credit report.
>
> You will receive no further notices. Please respond if you have any questions.

Can they actually charge me $1985 for a $35 invoice, of which I'm only asking for $24 back? At this point it's not even worth it to continue, I'm just afraid of being held liable.

Also, I'm located in NH. The business is located in WY.

Answer:
 Can you peruse their ToS to figure out on what grounds they think you owe nearly $2000? Are they saying that is a penalty for having a chargeback issued?Answer #2: Where the deuce did $1985 come from? Was there an itemized list sent to you?

If they try and put a negative entry on your credit report, you can dispute the credit report and launch an investigation. You should also do what one of the posters in your original thread did, and call the FCC first thing Monday morning to file another complaint regarding retaliation.


Title: Match.com has been me and also from their other services under a different email address for pointing out their scam. This has caused me great stress and pain, can I sue?

Question:
[Repost - in hopes of getting a more thorough response. Sorry for the repeat!]

Hi guys,

I have been a member of the dating Match.com for a number of years, and no I am not suing them because I'm still single despite having used their services for all these years!

What the dating site Match.com does, is offer to its members an incentive to purchase a 6month membership, where if after 6 months of having a membership, and being active, you do not find someone special, you will get an additional 6 months free.

Obviously to sign up for this, you must either provide a Credit Card or a Paypal account. When you do, the credit card is kept on file, or if you used a paypal account, a subscription is created.

Whats suppose to happen after 6 months, if you where active and met the minimum requirements, your subscription will be automatically extended for 6 additional months completely free.

However, year after year, without fail, each time six months where up, I would be automatically charged the fee for an additional 6 months. Thankfully I was vigilant enough take notice and reach out to them.

The first time it happened, I figured it was an honest mistake, and I reached out to the Customer Service center and they fixed the issue. However, the proceeding year, the same thing happened, and again, and again. Each time, they would come up with the some excuse as to why I was charged.

The truth is, that this is an unethical practice that boarders on scamming people into signing up for the services and with promise of 6 additional months, only to hope that they forget about the subscription and do not notice the illicit charge on their account or credit card.

Over the past few years, I've decided to switch from paying with credit card and instead utilizing Paypal as a payment method, thinking it would sure prevent them trying something for fraudulent with Paypal. Unfortunately, that was not the case, and the past two years I disputed the charge, received a refund and my 6 months of free membership. This years, it happened again.

I decided to do some research, and to no surprise, found thousands of people complaining about the same exact thing, in addition to out dirty tactics they engage in to take money from their users.

Here is a list:

* [2,000+ Complains with a Rating of 1/5](https://www.consumeraffairs.com/dating_services/match.html)
* [Multiple complaints about people being scammed by the 6 month guarantee](https://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/matchcom-c20357.html)
* [Complaints dating back to 2012](http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/internet-services-match-com-match-com-match-6-month-guara-868661)
* [94% Negative Review from the BBB with complaints about Match.com scamming them, and fraudulently charging them](https://www.bbb.org/dallas/business-reviews/dating-service/matchcom-in-dallas-tx-21002176/reviews-and-complaints)

The List goes on.

After doing my research, I decided this time I, in addition to disputing the claim, would write a detailed message in the dispute identifying Match.com's dirty tactics and their long history of repeatedly doing this over the years, and questions why Paypal would continue to hold such a merchant in good standing despite their unbroken track record of scamming their customers out of money.

Immaterially after the case was resolved, and Paypal sided with me, Match.com deactivated my account as well as Blocked me from their site.

As things stand, I was entitled to 6 months of free service, but because I identified they as the unethical business they are, in addition to asking for my refund, I have been robbed of it, and blocked from their website.

In addition to this, they found my account on Okcupid and banned and block me from that one as well.

I believe that this should be grounds for a lawsuit, can anyone please help shed light on this?

Thank you.
Topic:
Consumer Law

Answer:
 Sorry guys this may be my fault. I may have told him if he didn't get an answer he was satisfied with in the first 6 days he could post again for free.

EDIT words


Title: Truancy laws

Question: So my wife had a hysterectomy done on the 12/3. Complications during the procedure made it take 5 hours and have to be in the hospital for a week. I kept my 8 year old daughter home from school during this week. Also have a 3 year old son. Hospital is an hour away. Was at hospital all week every day. Had gotten an excuse from the hospital for my daughter missing school. Now school will not except the excuse. And are calling truancy. My question is: What is considered a valid excuse in this situation. Wife had to have a blood transfusion along with other complications.

Answer:
 You've explained to them what happened and when the truant officer comes out you can explain to that person as well.

Chances are they're just following protocol and don't really have a choice in the matter.

That doesn't mean you're automatically in trouble or that they're going to yank your kid out of the house or fail them from the third grade, it just means the school themselves may not have the authority to make the decision on what to do.


Title: [CA] Two speeding tickets 15 mins apart from each other. What to expect?

Question:
Hi Everyone,

This past Christmas morning I received two speeding tickets in King's County off Highway 5. First ticket was at 6:25am going 92 in 70, and second was at 6:40am going 88 in 70.

I was tracked for the first ticket as I was approaching a cluster of cars on the left lane of a 2 lane highway. I came up on the right lane to pass, but noticed that the CHP was holding up the traffic on the left. As soon as I saw the office about 100 yards away, I slowed down and saw him brake and pull behind me and turn on his lights. As he approached my car, he asked for my license and registration, walked to his car, came back and said "I clocked you at 92. Please review that the information is correct and sign your ticket." He then proceeded to explain the process of appearing in court.

After gathering myself from the first ticket, I took off on the road again shortly after the CHP officer drove away. 15 minutes later of driving on an empty highway, I approach a white SUV about 200 yards away and switch lanes to the right lane. I notice that a CHP is in front of him, release my foot off the gas, and check that my speed is around speed limit. Again, the CHP hits his brakes, slows down to pull behind me, and turns on his lights. The same CHP officer approaches my car and says "There is no way you were going speed limit and caught up to me. License and registration."

My court appearance is scheduled in King's County this coming Friday at 8:30am, and I am prepared to accept the consequences. I'm hoping to plead guilty or no contest as I'm guessing the CHP officer most likely clocked me as speeding on both cases, otherwise he wouldn't have pulled me over.

My question is, is it common for CHP officers to get a valid speed from a car that is approaching from behind?

Also, if I approach the judge and plead guilty or no-contest, is there a way I can work out a plea bargain and request that I take traffic school for both offenses? I'm willing to pay the fines, but would like to avoid the points on my driving record as well as any insurance rates increase.

Thanks in advance everyone! I look forward to hearing what everyone has to say.

Answer:
 You don't plea bargain in traffic court in California.  There's no prosecutor, and judges don't bargain.

If you haven't been in the past 18 months, you can request traffic school on one of the tickets -- you can't get it on both according to the statute.  The judge has no discretion there.

You can either plead guilty or go to trial on the other charge.  (No contest is the same as guilty in this context.)  If you plead guilty on both, you can ask for the judge to reduce the fines some, but it's a long shot, frankly.


Title: [MA] My job isn't paying me, but I'm still expected to work.

Question:
I was hired in September and had to provide things like a TB test and CPR/First Aid training. I had pay 100% out of pocket for everything with no reimbursement, but I had been out of work for so long it was worthwhile to me just to be able to work on building my resume again. My CPR training had expired, so I did an online course for the card, and was told that was fine to get me started but it was mandatory I do a live course too. After the live course, the instructor signed off on a letter saying I'd completed the course, and I was supposed to receive my CPR card in 10 days. I faxed in the letter and was told I was all set, good to go. I never received the CPR card but since I was told they had what they needed I didn't pursue it.

7 months later, I'm suddenly told my CPR credentials expired. I'm shocked and I email everyone I can questioning it. I check the online cert, and it expires in September 2017. I have the letter saying I finished the course. What expired? How?? I send all of this proof in. After a week the person who originally contacted me called and said that the letter wasn't valid I need my actual card to be scanned in (front, back, middle), and I explained I hadn't received one but I had already contacted the agency that I did my live certification through and they were looking into it and going to order me another card, and it would take AT LEAST 10 days to get to me. She said that was fine, but I wouldn't be paid until I send that in. I'm still expected to work during this time however.

I'm on week two of working for no pay and I don't think I can do it another week. I drive an average of 90 miles a day in my personal vehicle, and I don't get milage or wear and tear reimbursement. I also have to pay a babysitter for when I work so I'm putting out $200 a week an minimum with no return, and I can't afford to keep going on like this. I had no warning that I would stop being paid until this was resolved (I was informed it was expired on a Thursday, and the following Tuesday told I wasn't getting paid anymore until it was fixed, which included that weeks paycheck), so I didn't have time to rearrange my bills autodeduction schedule, or set money aside.

Is this all completely legal and on the up and up? Can I be required to work for no pay to stay employed or can I take time off (unpaid since I get no benefits at all but it's not like I'm being paid now, I'd just be saving on gas and daycare) until its resolved and I start getting paid again? By the way, there's still no word on the card, and I havnt even heard if they reordered it yet (I should hear back today).

Also, I work in MA but the company itself is based in PA.

Tl;dr: can I be forced to work for no pay until a credential error is resolved that I should've been made aware of several months ago?

Answer:
 I'm astonished that you're still there. Immediately file a wage complaint with your state's labor board or speak to a few employment attorneys. I would send a certified letter requesting immediate payment to the employer, too.

When you work this long, you're effectively becoming an unsecured creditor of the employer.  It gets *incredibly* dangerous as time goes on.  Get out of this situation ASAP.


Title: Zoophilia and custody issues

Question:
I am currently going through a divorce with my husband of 10 years. We have 4 children ages 10-3 yrs. My husband has always been an odd duck, close guarded, and a little off center. He's very detached from his children, but sees his financial obligations through and has minimal custodial time with them because of the nature of his job. I could go on and on about the red flags I saw for years, but that would be a wall of text.

My question is this: I recently discovered that he has been hiding his zoophilia from me, I have evidence that he's engaged in sexual contact with dogs during our marriage. I've done reading defending the sexual preference, but I'm deeply concerned for my children's wellbeing.

 Now that I know this (he's unaware that I do know) I do not want him alone with my children. Zoophilia is a felony in both states (Va and Ma) that we have inhabited during our marriage. Do I have a chance at being granted sole custody with only supervised visitation based on my findings?

Answer:
 > Do I have a chance at being granted sole custody with only supervised visitation based on my findings?

The mere commission of a felony, even if convicted, does not terminate parental rights nor lead to severely one-sided custody.  In general, unless you can prove significant harm to the children, there will likely be something approaching 50-50 custody.

If he's that detached from his children, however, you may be able to negotiate an agreement that's more favorable for you.  The carrot instead of the stick, if you will.Answer #2: That is very distressing - I'm sorry.

A few questions: How did you discover this and what kind of proof do you have? Do you have reason to think it's affected the kids so far? Do you know *where* he was doing this at? And anything else going on here, drug use, mental illness?


Title: [WA] Wrongful parking ticket - $350 fine?

Question:
Hi /r/legaladvice!

I walked back out to my car today to find a parking ticket for $350 for "parking in front of a mailbox." I found quite a few issues which make me think this is a wrongful ticket.

1. I wasn't parked in front of a mailbox. I was a foot or two away from the mail drop off, but not blocking it in any way.

2. There were no signs claiming that this was a no-parking zone: no yellow paint, no "No Parking" signs, no sign saying what times parking is prohibited.

Here is the exact ordinance under which my parking ticket was cited:

10.20.030 Parking next to mail boxes.
No person shall park directly adjacent to a curbside, next to any clearly visible residential mail box between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on any day of scheduled mail delivery by the United States Postal Service. [Ord. 98-0040 § 3.]

According to this, I was wrong for parking near a mailbox between the prohibited hours (the ticket was for 12:50pm). However, I had absolutely no idea this was illegal and no way to know considering there were NO signs.

I have taken photos of my car in the parking spot, showing that I am following all of the things I have highlighted above. Can I fight this parking ticket in a contested hearing and have a chance to win, or should I just bite the $350 bullshit bullet?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: It's not posted on the mailbox either? Honestly if you're 1-2' away you're still blocking the mail truck from making a pickup but I would have thought it needs to be posted somewhere. Answer #2: You are responsible for knowing the laws regarding parking in your jurisdiction. Ignorance is not an excuse. There isn't a sign that says you cannot park in front of a fire hydrant either, still illegal.


Title: [CO] Front steps of our condo freeze over during the winter, who is responsible?

Question:
We own a condo in Boulder that we are renting out soon. The condo is located on ground level and there is a unit above with a deck. In the past, the deck above our condo patio and entrance had a rubber covering on the bottom to prevent wager and debris from going between the cracks.

The deck was replaced three years ago and the rubber covering was never reinstalled. Water and debris now fall through the cracks. In the winter this becomes a huge issue. When the snow melts, tons of water leaks through the cracks and freezes all over the patio and stairway. The HOA is responsible for snow removal and they do not use salt (Boulder is weird). My brother actually slipped on the ice one year.

We called the HOA and asked if they could reinstall the rubber covering. They said they would not do so. We asked who would be responsible if a renter were to slip and fall. They did not know.

Who is liable here? The condo is far from us and we do not feel as though we should drive to the condo each time there is ice on the stairs.

Any help would be appreciated!

Answer:
 >freezes all over the patio and stairway. The HOA is responsible for snow removal...

Are you sure they're responsible for clearing your patio (only) of ice and snow? That would be unusual. Generally the unit owner would have to clear their own patio just like the guy above you doesn't get the HOA in to clear his balcony.

They should be clearing the entrance/stairs to the building if that entrance is used by more than one unit. If the entrance/stairs in question is only for your unit, however, you may be responsible for that too. Check your HOA docs to make sure. Answer #2: One option, if a better solution isn't presented: You could provide non-salt de-icer to your tenant, and require (as part of the lease) that they spread it on a regular basis. Alternatively, you could pay someone locally to do this as needed. This may not eliminate all possible liability, but would certainly reduce it...


Title: No signed lease in any form

Question: Rented a place in Los Angeles. I exchanged emails regarding the apartment with the landlord and he gave me the key to the apartment. After that, I lost touch with him and he never contact me until 8 months later asking for 8 month's rent. No signed lease in any form. Do I owe him?

Answer:
 Of course you do. You do not get to live on someone else's property for free. You both came to an understanding about rent, therefore you are on a month to month lease. So yes, you owe him.

Edit: and since you did it in email, it is all in writing.


Title: Red light violation while part of funeral escort

Question:
Was instructed to run an a red light by a funeral escort service (off duty/retired cops).  Got ticket. Have a letter from funeral home saying car was part of funeral procession with an escort company.

Is there a good chance I can fight this or get it dismissed??

In California, Fremont specifically.

Answer: In California, red light violations are reviewed by an officer and defended in court. If you were part of a legal funeral escort, and directed to run the light, fight the ticket, take all necessary paperwork with you to court, and the ticket will likely be dismissed. Answer #2: Who ticketed you? An officer? A camera?


Title: [NJ] Can I ask an adult to cease contact with my child and say police will be contacted if they do not?

Question:
Pretty much the title. The parent of another child has been making life hell for my daughter to the point she doesn't want to attend school functions where the girl may be there with her mother (she has no problem attending if the girl is there alone.) I would like to ask the woman, but certified letter, to stop all contact with my daughter. Am I legally allowed to say I will call the police if she continues to contact her, or would this be viewed as some sort of coercive threat that could create a legal liability for myself?

edit: Not all of the contact has been on school grounds (including an 11:30 PM phone call to my daughter's cell phone) so I feel I need to go beyond school administrators in handling this.

Answer:
 Yes, you can say that.

Your better bet would be to contact school administration about another parent's behavior towards your kids while on school grounds.  They can prevent the parent from coming to school functions.

What kind of contact is the parent having?Answer #2: A cease and desist letter from an attorney will carry more perceived weight.  And, he'll use the appropriate language (e.g...  "Any further contact will be considered harassment and/or assault, and appropriate legal measures will be taken.")

He can also give you targeted legal advice as to if this is a good idea or not, and give you advice on any future interactions with law enforcement should they become necessary.Answer #3: An 11:30 PM call from an adult to a child, not requested or desired by the child? That feels like restraining order territory to me.Answer #4: You can tell her whatever you want. The police are not going to do anything. It isn't illegal to talking to a kid

Tell your daughter to tell this lady to fuck off, in whatever language your approve. Block her number from the cell phone.


Title: Help... I dont know what to do.

Question:
Hello, I am a 13 y old living in the state of Ohio.
Recently my parents have gone into a custody battle for me, what can we do to prevent my father from getting visitation rights at all? This man is batshit insane and I want no contact.

Answer:
 You will have a guardian ad litem appointed to look out for your interests. Speak to him or her. No visitation is hard to achieve so don't count on itAnswer #2: Our recent GAL quit the case because she had vertigo, but stayed long enough to make a recommendation. A new one will be appointed soon.

She had recommended no contact as it would be far too damaging for me, and the judge is doing the bare minimum that he has to. Is there any way I can ensure so contact at all??


Title: Harvard is 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, but admitted openly that relatives and friends of donors get preferential admissions - how to sue

Question:
I'm not a lawyer, but I feel like this is a blatant abuse. To be 501(c)(3): *"It must not be organized or operated for the benefit of any private interest."* Harvard, as the largest "non-profit" endowment in the world by several factors, receiving over a half a billion in federal funds per year, and contributing an education to an infentismal minority of chosen citizens, is a greedy organization that is breaking the law. I feel that it's blatant and somebody has to invest the time and effort to challenge it.

MIT admissions specifically avoids this, according to this commentator:

>When I was an admissions officer at MIT in the late 80s we were warned that we should not give any advantage to applicants who were children of or related to donors. We were told that doing so could jeopardize all of our donor's abilities to deduct contributions to MIT on their tax returns. And I was frequently asked what "the figure" was - the donation amount that would get a donor some influence with the admissions committee.
>
>So the most surprising reveal in this article to me is that Harvard is allowing people who are supposed to be giving money to it as a charity contribution - from which they are not supposed to derive any personal benefit - to buy an admissions advantage for their friends and family members.
>
>Has Harvard just jeopardized its 501(3)(c) status with that admission?

As reported in the New York Times, Harvard Dean of Admissions begrudgingly admits that donation is a regular factor in admissions: (NYT, "‘Lopping,’ ‘Tips’ and the ‘Z-List’: Bias Lawsuit Explores Harvard’s Admissions Secrets" July 29, 2018)

>In a deposition running hundreds of pages, William Fitzsimmons — a legendary Harvard hockey goalie, Class of ’67, who has been Harvard’s admissions dean since 1986 — offered a rare look into the admissions office.
>
>“What is the dean’s interest list?” a lawyer for the plaintiffs asked.
>
>“The dean’s interest list is something that I would use to make certain that I’m aware of what eventually might happen to that application,” Mr. Fitzsimmons replied.
>
>“And how would one go about getting on the dean’s interest list?” asked the lawyer, who was prone to calling it the “donor’s interest list,” in an apparent slip of the tongue.
>
>After an objection from Harvard’s lawyer, Mr. Fitzsimmons replied: “In my recruiting process as I go out on the road, I might meet a person at one of the evening meetings, recruiting events, and think just on an impression that this is a person who, you know, might be of interest to the admissions committee. So I might put that person on my interest list.”
>
>How about, the plaintiffs’ lawyer asked, “if a candidate is of interest to a donor to Harvard, is that something that might land them on the interest list?” Over another objection, Mr. Fitzsimmons replied, “It is possible.”
>
>After an exchange running three fully blacked-out pages, Mr. Fitzsimmons explained that candidates on the dean’s list could receive a separate rating, in consultation with people connected to the alumni association and the development office, the chief fund-raising arm.
>
>The plaintiffs’ lawyer asked, “And are you rating the applicant, or are you rating the level of interest that other people at the university have in this applicant’s admission prospect?”
>
>Over an objection, Mr. Fitzsimmons replied, “The latter.”

If all the facts are true, is stopping donors from being able to deduct Harvard contributions from their taxes possible? What is the first step? Complaint to IRS? If other steps are necessary, how much would it cost to sue?

Answer: There is no private right of action that will allow you to address this.


Title: [CT] Grad Student - Department contacted me halfway through the semester, wants me to sign "revised offer letter" for half the stipend amount

Question:
I am a Ph.D. student living off of a research assistantship.  At the end of every semester, I receive an offer letter for the next semester with details on my stipend amount and work requirements.  On 12/2/14 I signed such an offer for the Spring 2015 semester for a stipend amount of $10,370.32 saying my assistantship would be from January 8 - May 22.  Yesterday I received an email from the financial assistant in my department saying that my graduate payroll would be stopped as of March 19.  I replied with the details of the offer letter I signed back in December.  She said she had a revised offer letter she wants me to sign that is the same as the original with the stipend amount changed to $5,452.46 and the end date changed to March 19.

I want to know if I have any legal recourse to have them pay me the full amount originally offered.  Thanks in advance!

Topic:
Labor Law

Answer:
 I'm interested to hear the responses, my wife is a PhD student on a research assistantship.   I thought those offer letters were a form of contract.

I know if the school my wife is going to pulled this shit I would have her immediately stop any work that did not directly benefit her research;  If they aren't paying her they don't get to tell her what to do anymore.  The money isn't as much of an issue for us though.


Title: [TX] Former partner threatening to report rape for a consensual sexual encounter

Question:
Okay so I am a 23M, the girl involved is 25F.

&#x200B;

I met a girl this girl on Tinder about six months ago. We briefly talked on the app before deciding to exchange numbers and then continued our conversation on Whatsapp. While on there, our conversation had turned mildly sexual, and included a few trades of nude pictures.

I was out of the country during part of summer, so when I came back we decided to go on a date during the first week of school. Everything went well and towards the latter half our conversation become a bit more sexual. We talked about a few things but what's relevant is that she mentioned she has always wanted to experience what it would be liked to get ejaculated into unexpectedly. She had also mentioned previously that she's on birth control.

A couple months pass by and by now she's over often and we sleep together every other night. We're still not officially dating (this is important as it will come up later).

Well this past Sunday, I get a call from her that she was on her way to Church with her grandparents when she got in an argument with them. She said she doesn't want to sit with them during the service and asked me if I was up to anything this morning. When I said no she asked if she could come over and watch a movie while she waited for the gparents to get done. I agreed. I should also note that whenever she calls me at a moments notice and wants to meet, we usually end up having sex, so I was expecting us to be getting intimate.

She comes over, we talk for a while and long story short we start hooking up. We realize we don't have a condom but decided to keep going. Neither of us explicitly said anything about it but in the past when I don't have a condom I usually pull out.

When I'm close to finishing, I realize that it is the perfect oppurtunity for me to fulfil her fetish. Instead of pulling out I decide to keep going and end up ejaculating inside. I also should mention that I had had 2 beers in the past couple of hours prior to this which she doesn't know about. I was not drunk or tipsy; barely buzzed if anything.

Well, as soon as she realized what happened, she was visibly upset. I didn't think much of it and went to the restroom. We usually cuddle after sex but she I came out I was surprised to see her already dressed  (she didn't use the restroom right after as she usually does). She said she needs to meet her grandparents and left within 10 minutes or so.

Later ithat night I got a phone call from her telling me that I am piece of shit for doing what I did. I was confused but before I could ask anything, she said that she did not consent to what happened this morning and that I had r\*ped her. I said I thought that was what she wanted and alluded to the our first conversation. She said she didn't want this from me and that she feels like a slut for being in this situation with someone who isn't her boyfriend. She said she should have known that she didn't want *me* to act upon that first date comment (how would I have when she didnt mention this). She also said that although the sex was consensual, since I \*ejaculated\* inside her without her consent, she will be reporting the incident as r\*pe and that I will be hearing from her lawyer. We are both in graduate school and she also threatened to report this as assault to the college.

Before I could say anything else, she hung up. This entire conversation I didn't admit I ejaculated on purpose, just that I thought she wanted this. I also didn record the phone call (wish I had).

I'm freaking out because I don't know what to do. I talked to my brother about it and he assured me it'll be okay. But he's not a lawyer and suggested I try this sub.

Can she realistically do that when the sexual encounter was entirely consensual? Does the alcohol make the situation worse? She mentioned the fetish in person so I dont have any messages of her saying that but many messages proving our casual FWB relationship.

Can I do sue her for emotional damage for threatening me to get me kicked out of my program for a r\*pe that I did not commit? (I don't want to hear if I am wrong or right here, just that if I can legally take this action).

&#x200B;

TLDR; Slept with a FWB of mine and ejaculated inside her because she mentioned that getting ejaculated into without her prior knowledge was a fetish of hers. Now she is saying she didn't want *me* to fulfill it and is threatening to report the incident as assault to both the police and my program head. I had drank 2.5 drinks within the past two hours but she doesn't know that.

Answer:
 >When I'm close to finishing, I realize that it is the perfect oppurtunity for me to fulfil her fetish. Instead of pulling out I decide to keep going and end up ejaculating inside.

This sounds very clear that the plan that was consented to, which is the same plan as always was to pull out. You chose not to do that and continued in order to surprise her. So it sure sounds like you went outside the scope of consent. Someone mentioning they have a fetish doesn't give you a right to play it out anytime you want without asking. Your story seems to suggest you lack some fundamental understanding of how consent works.

If she reports this to the police then you should decline to speak to them and get a lawyer. You should also immediately stop any contact you have with her.


Title: [CA] My old landlord is refusing to give me my mail for "leaving a mess" on past rented home.

Question: Over two weeks ago I recently moved away from a small house I rented for a short while and as I tried to change all information about that address it took a minute but the landlord insisted we be out soon. I still have a few stuff going over there and I decided to ask for my mail back but she refused to give us anything due to us "leaving the place a mess" yet we made sure to clean up afterwards ourselves very well. The landlord insisted that she refused to give us anything else and closed the door in our faces. The process of changing my address is almost complete but the last of the mail is still going over there. Is it illegal to hold someone's mail in the state of California by force? Do I contact the police or USPS in order to get my mail? Any help would be greatly appreciated on links or articles on ways to combat this.

Answer: It's a federal crime. Contact [the USPIS](https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/). These are the Post Office cops.


Title: [TEXAS] Alamo Drafthouse women-only screening of Wonder Woman?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I assume you're a dude?

You have two choices:

1. Let it go.

2. Kick up so much of a stink that they close the showing entirely.

There's no third option where you get to go.

It's _possible_ that it's illegally discriminatory, but it doesn't constitute any meaningful exclusion for you since they'll return to their normal seating policy anyways, and since they may well be the _only_ theatre in easy driving distance unwilling to admit you. In the process of trying to bring this through the courts, you would spend a ton of money, become known in the press as "that guy who shut down the women-only showings at the Drafthouse," and still not get admitted on that specific night.


Title: One of my teachers in community college is racist and homophobic. Kind of pissed that I payed for this class. Is there anything I can do or do I have to listen to it? Texas.

Question:
I take a night class at a community college for welding. It is just me, one other student and the instructor. Almost every night he talks about inappropriate things and does little instruction. For example; last night he gave us a play by play of his prostrate biopsy, he said he wished there would be a school shooting when a student he doesn't like and another instructor were present. He said he has an uncle "you better not bend over in front of because he is a cock sucking faggot." He often refers to black people as "the N-word".
I know he is good friends with the dean of the program and it seems like a good ole boy system where it would be his word against mine.
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: Complain to the Dean of Students (or equivalent position in your college administration). Answer #2: Probably a board of some kind you can complain too. I am assuming its too late for you to drop class and get refund?


Title: (Legal) advice for a sexually abusive and physically abusive father

Question:
Hello.
I’m not sure if this is exactly the right place to ask but I’m here anyways.
A very good friend of mine recently disclosed a story of her 50 year old father who on a regular basis, physically attacks his younger daughters (around 8-10) sexually harasses/abuses my good friend (15) and once raped her. Her mother knows of all this happened but has chosen not to take any type of action against him as she cannot support her large family (5 kids) by just herself, and needs her husband to provide financial support, but he cannot do that if he is rotting away in a jail cell. I really want to help her but I have no idea what real advice to give her. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much in advance.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 (NAL, not an expert) Your friend, or even you, can contact West Virginia Child Protective Services and tell them what's been going on.

http://www.wvdhhr.org/bcf/sams/

If I'm reading the internet correctly, then there's no statute of limitations on any felonies in WV, so your friend can also file a police report about the rape.

If the father is removed from the home, either by law enforcemnt or CPS, and her mother is allowed to keep custody, then there are various forms of state aid to help her meet expenses.

(Personally, I wouldn't leave children with a mother who knew about her husband's serious abuse of their children and did nothing about it, but CPS may make a different call.)

ETA: If your friend is still in school, she can tell a teacher, counselor, or administrator about the abuse, and they'll be required to report it.


Title: Being kicked out/defamation

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You are almost certainly losing your daughter.

I'm sorry, OP.


Title: Gun laws in Pennsylvania

Question: I live in PA and was wondering if I'm allowed to carry around a gun in my car. I don't have any licenses like a CCW license or anything like that but own guns. I would have them just for my own protection obviously because I've experienced two altercations on the street and f they escalated, I would have showed it in order for the person to back off.

Answer:
 The short answer is that you should get a CCW because it absolutely slams the door on this issue.

The longer answer is that you're permitted to carry your gun in your car:

- To and from its place of purchase.
- To and from a place where you're getting it appraised or repaired.
- To and from firearm training.
- To and from your hunting destination.
- Between your home and your vacation home.
- To and from practice, such as the ranges at state game lands.

This sounds simple enough but can quickly go bad. Let's say you're on your way to an NRA training class and you stop off at Wal-Mart to pick up some ammo. Congratulations, you just broke the law! It's unlikely you'd be caught, but why take that chance? That's a misdemeanor 1, which is no joke. That's why I recommend that everyone shell out the $10 - $30 to get a CCW. It simply eliminates these issues once and for all.Answer #2: You should take a gun safety course and get a CCW, if it's right for you. Adding a firearm to a confrontation does NOT make anyone "back off" and will not de-escalate the situation. You should only draw your firearm when you are going to use it.


Title: Haircuts as well-being education or health in court ordered custody agreement? Also child support and toys.

Question:
Divorced 3 years. joint legal, she has primary custody. I have visitation. We are in southwestern Missouri. I pay $475 a month in child support.

Decree says that she gets final say on things related to well-being, education and health. She likes to grow his hair out longer, I like to keep it short. My mom was recently watching my son (5) for me on my custody day and took him to get his hair cut. Bought hims ome new clothes for ex-wife's house because the way she dresses him is in those really bohemian clothes and shoes and the kid doesn't really like those. Like seriously, I get that she buys him new clothes and shoes but he looks like a homeless street urchin.

My mom got him a really short sort of military haircut and packed up some extra clothes and shoes sent them over to my ex-wife house at the drop off. My ex-wife freaked out. She refused to accept the clothes and shoes. Threw the bag on the ground. She went home and changed my son and later mailed the new clothes he was wearing back to my mom and told her in a note to keep her fashion opinions to herself and the clothes she buys to strictly my visitation days. My mom was just trying to do a nice thing.

She also claims that haircuts fall under health and well-being and that as the custody order gives her final say that we are breaking it by getting him a haircut. Moreover, she says that my mom who didn't check with me before gettin gthe hair cut (but that I later approved) isn't allowed to do anything related to the child regardless.

She is getting married next week and claimed I messed up the pictures she had planned to take with our son by simply cutting his hair.

She says if we can't reach a mutual agreement on what to do with his hair then we could go back to court and have a judge decide if the haircut falls under the health or well-being section of the decree. So basically she is threatening me with court.

I brought up her bitchiness towards my mom and said " Your mom can die in a fire for all I care."

So now she is threatening my family.

I think I have a strong case and I want to stick to my guns on the haircut. The boy doesn't need long hair. I will cut it every single time I see him (every other weekend) if I have to, to make a point.

Does she have a case?

Also, she buy him a ton of toys. Like massive amounts. Spending almost all my child support money on toys for him when it is suppose to go to helping with his preschool and healthcare (which he has but she always complains to me about being expensive).

Is there anyway I can ask a judge if she does tak eme to court to have her cut back on buying him shit he doesn't need just to piss me off?

But mostly I want to know if she has a chance with the haircut thing and if her hoping my mom dies is a threat? Because my mom is pretty freaked out by it.

Answer:
 >My mom was just trying to do a nice thing.

Bawhahahaha.  Tell your mother not to do your ex-wife any more favors.

You can do what you want with your son while he is with you.  You can dress him up in a clown outfit and have him wear a wig if you want, but you have to return him to his mother the way you found him.

>"Your mom can die in a fire for all I care."

That's not a threat.  As in no reasonable person would find that to be a credible threat nor feel threatened by such a statement.


Title: My school bus exceeds the recommended capacity of people nearly every day, but the school refuses to pay for more buses. Is this illegal?

Question: I live in New York, in a not very wealthy area. My city only has one public high school. Because of this, a large amount of kids have no choice but to ride the bus. Every single day when it's time to go home, there are multiple people sitting on other students laps, students that are forced to get off the bus because they see no other option, buses having to combine routes because of a lack of seats, and some students even having to crouch and pretend they are in a seat so that the bus driver does not yell at them for standing. I understand it is costly for the school, especially on a budget, to pay for more buses. But it is completely unfair in my opinion to pack students into the bus like cattle.

Answer: If they are surpassing the maximum capacity limit then it is illegal. Usually for grades 9-12 the seats are limited to 2 people per seat. If there is an accident and someone is hurt, the school district would be liable.


Title: [OR] Someone stole my usps package off my porch at my apartment complex. What can I do?

Question:
So my Dad ordered over $300 worth of computer parts on amazon, which was supposed to be delivered TOMORROW. I go outside, check my mail as usual, come inside and decide to double check my tracking info to make sure my package will still arrive on time tomorrow. Except that the tracking info now says that it has already been delivered and had been left on or near my front porch around Noon. There is no package on my porch. So I check with my neighbors to see if they picked it up for me or had seen it. They say they saw it earlier but didn't pick it up. I live in an apartment complex, though it's not one of those giant block buildings, we each have our own entrances, porches (some of us share a porch with one neighbor). Anyway, like all/most apartment complexes we have apartment mailboxes, with a couple of boxes that are bigger specifically for a package (they leave the key to it in your mailbox etc.). It was not put there, it was left on my PORCH, where anybody could take it. Is there anything that I can do?

I've already contacted my local post office, who basically said, "Well the guy that does your route is usually really reliable and I haven't really heard of him doing anything like that before." He also said the most he could do is tell him not to leave packages like that in the future but that was all that he could do. There has to be SOMETHING that can be done here! Any advice on how to proceed?

edit: This is in Portland, OR
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Contact the seller and explain what happened.

Also, you can [file a claim](https://www.usps.com/help/claims.htm) with USPS.


Title: Husband (47) is asking wife (50) of 13 years for a divorce in New Mexico. Attorneys on both sides have different opinions on alimony (spousal support). Please comment

Question:
I asked my wife of 13 years for a divorce. She is 50. I am 47. I make $170k/year. She had a back surgery several years ago and hasn't work. She collects $14k/year from disability. She worked in her old profession of property management last year but quit because it didn't pay enough. The time period was short enough that it didn't affect her disability. We both agree that all assets and debts get split 50/50. But my attorney and Google seem to think she will be entitled to 30% of my income minus some percentage of hers. Of course just a guideline. A judge will have to decide. Her attorney thinks she can get 50% of my income.

Does anyone have any experience with this?  What are the percentages you have seen in New Mexico?

Answer: No one here is going to second guess your attorney. Your attorney has all the facts and relevant information, while we do not.


Title: Can you legally park and leave your car in a store lot after they are closed for the night? Lincoln, NE

Question:
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: Generally, parking lots are private property (owned or leased by the store) and the owner can make any rules they want about parking.


Title: (WY) I'm a waitress. My boss hired a new manager who immediately fired all the dish washers and expects the servers to wash dishes for our serving wage (2.13 an hour) with no other compensation. Can they do that?

Answer:
 Your bosses can fire the dishwashers, and they can make you work as a dishwasher.  If you're not primarily serving and not receiving tips, you need to make at least straight minimum wage for that time.Answer #2: Start the job hunt right now, if actions like these happen then I wonder if they hired an idiot or if they are in financial trouble (these are not mutual exclusive and an idiot manager might end up in financial trouble).

That being said I have one question: if you combine the hours would you still make at least minimum wage (not serving wage) after you take the tips into account?Answer #3: I'm confused. /u/thepatman and /u/frisian2 are giving slightly conflicting opinions here.

Patman is saying OP needs to make straight minimum wage ($7.25/hr) for the time spent washing dishes. Frisian2 suggests that OP can be paid the serving wage ($2.13/hr) so long as overall, the average wage with tips is above $7.25/hr.

Curious as to which it would actually be.Answer #4: Just quit. It's impossible to be presentable as a server and also be a dishwasher.  The new manager should be in the dish pit if the situation is so dire.Answer #5: (1) What percentage of your time are you washing dishes?
(2) Do your total wages + tips equal to, at least, minimum wage?  (Or, if they don't, do they true you up?)

If the answer to (1) is 20% or less, and the answer to (2) is "Yes", then they're not breaking any laws.

If the answer to (1) is more than 20%, then they have to pay you minimum for the dishwashing time, and can pay the serving wage for serving.

See the section on "Dual Jobs" here: https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs15.pdf


Title: Emotional Support Animal - How do we Respond to Landlord's request?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Removed - PII

Answer:
 Please remove the name of the landlord from the image.

So she didn't try informing the landlord or sending the letter before the landlord saw a dog, assumed "pet" and then sent the notice that you were in violation of the lease?

That wasn't smart. But your next move is to wait for the landlord's reply.

And by the way a "reasonable accommodation" is not a guarantee. It means reasonable. Sometimes there can be a restriction based on breed, size, and other factors, IIRC.


Title: Someone keeps eyeing my car, what can I do?

Question:
I live in a low income neighborhood, in a section 8 apartment complex.  I purchased reserved parking nearby the front of the building.  There is a man who likes to sit just a few feet away from my car and smoke cigarettes, it bothers me a lot, but I don't feel like that is grounds for anything, so I just let it slide.

However, today, I returned home from shopping, and this man was sitting directly in the spot, preventing me from parking.  When I asked him to move, he would not, stating he was trying to just finish his cigarette.  I don't understand why he couldn't just move away from the spot and continue.  I asked again and he refused.  I don't feel like this is normal behavior at all.

However, now I feel unsafe, I can view my car from my window, and have been thinking about installing a camera facing towards the car from my room so I can see if he tries to key it or rob me.  Also if I catch him again I want to hit the panic button on my key fob to start the car alarm.  What else can I do?  If the above are not good ideas let me know, I don't know if this man is associated with any gangs or anything, but I truly feel unsafe for my car and self.  I feel like by not responding more aggressively the first time, I let this man know I am someone they can walk over, but then again, I don't really know what else I could have done initially.

Answer: Just sounds like the guy is just an asshole. Camera does sound like a good idea. Nothing else to really do. Except be prepared to present any evidence to police.


Title: Wedding Diamond Necklace stolen from jewelry

Question:
Here's my story...

On December 10th my bride and I were married in Texas, we had a beautiful drama-free wedding, followed by a relaxing honeymoon in LA. Well the night before the wedding my parents gave my bride a diamond necklace for her to wear, and to pass down to our (potential) daughters. It was such a sweet gesture, and one that meant tons to my bride.

When we landed in DFW at 6:00 on Delta flight 5731 on Sunday evening we waited for our checked luggage at the carousel. When her bag came up we noticed it was unzipped with her panties moved around. We thought it was strange, and she felt a little violated, but didn't think anything of it until we arrived home. That's when we realized her brand new diamond necklace was taken from the bag. The past few days my wife has been in and out of crying, and quite inconsolable. How could someone take something that meant so much? How could Delta, who we paid to take care of our luggage, allow this to happen, and then brush us under the rug after the fact as we are trying to be compensated, or possibly find a way to get this sentimental piece of jewelry back. How in this post 9/11 world of airport security could someone dig through the bag?

I think it happened at DFWAP, because the way it was unzipped, the undies would have fallen out if it happened in LAX, they were right on the edge of falling out. Not to mention it was hidden down between her intimates in the bag.

What we've done so far is file police reports, and talk with delta. Delta doesn't seem interested at all in helping us restore something that means so much. It hasn't ruined our honeymoon, but so far it's marred it, and been the single most unpleasant customer service experience ever.

I don't know what to do, and I know I can't let this slide. The diamond necklace is also far far too expensive for me to replace.

Please offer any advice! I've tried to tweet at Delta but they just told me to file a complaint online. I'm at the end of my rope here.

Answer:
 You've filed a police report, there isn't much else you can do on that front.

If you have homeowner's insurance, theft off-premises may be covered but it might not cover the entire cost if it is an expensive piece of jewelry.

>How could someone take something that meant so much?

Thieves don't care, that's why they are thieves.

> How could Delta, who we paid to take care of our luggage, allow this to happen, and then brush us under the rug after the fact as we are trying to be compensated, or possibly find a way to get this sentimental piece of jewelry back.

Unfortunately, this isn't a unique situation. That is why they say not to carry valuables in checked bags.


Title: My ex-girlfriend has used my son as a household member on her welfare for 2+ years after she left us. This is in Franklin County Ohio. How illegal is this? Can she get into trouble?

Answer:
 I would think it is welfare fraud, and yes, she can get into trouble for it.Answer #2: If your son is not her household member I'd suggest contacting the local welfare office.  It's unlikely that this would be cause problems for you or your son in the future, but not impossible.Answer #3: I'm in Franklin County and yes, this absolutely is welfare fraud. It's also tax fraud. Follow the posted link and explore the resources on irs.gov
Since she is getting social services for him she has to be claiming him on her taxes as well.

She will have to repay whatever she has gotten via the illegal claim and her wages will be garnished if she can't pay.

Pursue this, on behalf of the people who are in need of the resources she is illegally getting.Answer #4: https://jfs.franklincountyohio.gov/report-fraud


Title: Help being charged for a crime I didn't committee

Question:
Hi guys I was playing Pokemon and the police rolled up and said I fit the discretion of this guy who stole a car and ran from the police now I have a piece of mail saying a I court for charges against me such as failure to comply and possession of a stolen car

They they just accuse me of this crime with no proof and don't they do finger prints

They said it was me cause I was shirtless and had brown hair (i was shirtless due to it being summer and all)

Answer:
 Hire an attorney.

Also, there's no way they charged you with possession of a stolen car just because you were randomly sitting around nearby.  Answer #2: I feel like there is more to the story than you're telling us.  But without all the details, all we can tell you is to get a lawyer.


Title: [CA] My [19F] friend's [18F] parents [40s?MF] are taking out student loans in her name (crosspost from personalfinance)

Question:
So throwaway for this. Basically, me and one of my really good friends since middle school have both been going to a really good large public university close to our homes/families. Our freshman year was last year. The university is popular for both out of state and instate students, for instate students and specifically because of a program we were involved in high school, the tuition for us is zero dollars. Actually zero, both of us do not have to pay anything.
They do however always offer us student loans every semester, and a lot too. Like 20,000 a semester is what were allowed to take out because technically thats the cost of tuition for what is free. So I'm talking to my friend and she keeps talking about how she cant wait to get her refund from the school just goes on and on. And so I eventually am like what refund, what money are you getting if this is all free? SO she shows me the financial aid login website thing she has a negative 10000 balance

She lets me look at her account and because she did not specifically decline the loans her parents were able to take out the full amount in her name and have done so the last two semesters. Her parents told her she got a scholarship so they hold onto the "refund" money but give her some (i mean maybe 100) to "have fun" and she thinks she will get the money back at the end of college to buy a house.

Her family is really bad with money. we're definitely lower middle class and just culturally were both Mexican and have those tight-knit families that can be controlling if you know what i mean. They've foreclosed on their house before, her dad's family has a bar they spend all their money on, but they have also done things like encouraged her to get a car note and stuff and have been remodeling the condo they live in now. I don't even know if that's relevant but I've noticed them have more money than usual and buying a lot of newew nicer things recently which makes me think they're not saving that money for her.

anyway reddit, i don't know what to do. I tried to tell her these were loans but she didn't really understand what I meant. Is there anything else I should do or do I really just have to watch her family take advantage of her?

TL;DR: friends parents are taking out student loans in her name without telling her and spending it on their condo
I posted this is r/relationships but the moderators removed it and told me to come here

Answer:
 > so they hold onto the "refund" money but give her some (i mean maybe 100) to "have fun" and she thinks she will get the money back at the end of college to buy a house

What? There is no "refund" for going to college. There is no free house as a graduation present. Has she signed on to any of these loans? Are these fraudulent? She is an adult, correct? She needs to understand she'll be filing for bankruptcy or sending her parents to jail if she doesn't act like a grown up (her parents apparently cannot) and get control of her finances pronto.
> Her family is really bad with money

That's an understatement.


Title: Air bags didn’t deploy, an injury lawyers said I didn’t have a case. Should I get a second opinion?

Question: I was in a wreck at the beginning of the month, I hit a tree going between 50-55 mph. I went air born twice before hitting the tree 6 ft up and then hitting the ground. The officer who worked the wreck brought up my airbags not deploying and my seat belts not locking. The car was totaled and everyone at the body shop, fire department, and sheriffs office have brought up the air bags and seat belt. I spoke to a lawyer yesterday who said I didn’t have a case because I hadn’t been severely injured and even if I did pursue it the case wouldn’t be a “million dollar case” as he said. Would it be worth the time to speak to another lawyer or is there no case?

Answer:
 > I spoke to a lawyer yesterday who said I didn’t have a case because I hadn’t been severely injured

What are your damages/injuries? You can only sue for what happened, not what could have happened


Title: Never signed a w4 for last year. Employer put me down as married, I'm single. Need help.

Question:
My employer never had me sign a w4 for last year, im guessing he signed one for me. I got paid with checks and after many request my employer never changed the married status to single. Now that I'm trying to file my taxes i'm being told that I owe $1,600 in taxes. What can I do.
Edit: I live in California.

Answer:
 Sounds like your withholding was calculated incorrectly. I would try to fix this going forward; perhaps talking directly to whoever does payroll would be more effective?

If you don't have the cash on hand to pay your outstanding tax bill, you can apply for a payment plan with IRS Form 9465. Payment plans are almost always accepted, except for when people have other outstanding tax debts or irregularities in filing.Answer #2: >What can I do

You can write the IRS a check for $1600. Or ask for a payment plan if you cannot afford to do so.


Title: [Missouri, Saint Charles] HOA has not sent bill, question

Question:
I moved into a neighborhood a year an a half ago that has a HOA. The HOA is there mostly to just upkeep the single road everyone lives on as the city refuses to plow it or repair it. Neighborhood is not very large. the fees are not a lot of money, about 300 a year.

When I bought the house I was told to wait for the HOA to send me a bill for that years fees prorated because I did not move in at the start of the year. I never received that bill. In fact I have never received any bill. I have tried talking with the treasurer about this but he seems to never be home. The one time I did talk with him he apologized and told me that the bill had not gone out yet but it would soon, that was about 8 months ago.

My wife is currently out of a job so I don't have the money to pay this years, last years and the pro-rated first year.

* Since they never sent me a bill for those years do I still owe them?

* Also I was told (by some random person) that if they don't bill you for the fees for two years that you are no longer required to join the HOA. Sounds nice but google is not backing up that claim, any idea if this is true?

Answer:
 >Since they never sent me a bill for those years do I still owe them?

Yes. You owe the debt from the time the debt accrues to the end of the statute of limitations for that debt. After the SoL passes, the HOA can no longer begin a lawsuit for that debt.

>Also I was told (by some random person) that if they don't bill you for the fees for two years that you are no longer required to join the HOA. Sounds nice but google is not backing up that claim, any idea if this is true?

This is not true.


Title: I need to file a complaint against a credit union [PA]

Question: I want to file a complaint about my credit union incorrectly charging overdraft fees, when my account had the appropriate funds in it, with the overdraft fees then causing an actual overdraft - which I'm then charged for again. Is there a better option than the BBB? That doesn't seem like it would hold enough weight considering it's a credit union. Is there another entity I should be looking at instead?

Answer:
 You can file a complaint with the NCUA [here](https://www.mycreditunion.gov/consumer-assistance-center/Pages/complaint-process.aspx).Answer #2: > Is there a better option than the BBB?

Literally anything is better than the BBB.

When you say "incorrect", what do you mean?  Answer #3: The BBB is basically an old-school Yelp. Direct your complaint to the PA Department of Banking & Securities. They oversee credit unions as well.

http://www.dobs.pa.gov/Businesses/Banking/Credit%20Unions/Pages/Credit-Unions.aspx


Title: [TN] My 15 year old nephew posted a video of himself naked on snapchat. The police want to talk to him tomorrow.

Question:
My nephew was hanging out with his friends.  They decided to go streaking.  (Because they are dumb teenagers and that is what dumb teenagers do.)  Apparently they were in the woods and from what I understand no one else saw them.  He took a video of them doing their thing and posted it on snapchat.  Screenshots have made their way around his school.  His father told us the police are coming to talk to him tomorrow.

His dad talked to a friend of his who is in law enforcement.  He told him not to worry, he will talk to the police and left him with the distinct impression that everything will be okay.  So now he intends to talk to the police and put his faith in his friend.

I told his dad under no circumstances should he or his son talk to the police without an attorney present.  I told him the ONLY reason the police want to talk to him is because there are investigating a crime, they are gathering evidence and statements to present to the DA’s office and they will not give a flying f**k about what happens to his son.  I told him that this could be viewed as producing, possessing and distributing child pornography.  I told him his son could be branded a sex offender for the rest of his life.  I even offered to pay for the damn lawyer if it comes to that.

Is there anything I can do?

***UPDATE***

The police talked to my nephew and his father today. I sent his father a link to this threat. He read it but still stuck to his guns about talking to the police and putting his faith that his LEO friend would take care of it. His LEO friend indeed talked to the investigating officer. According to him that changed the tone of the meeting from investigative to a stern talking to. The police officer gave him the scared straight talk and told him that as long as he stays out of trouble and there are no further complaints regarding this issue he considers this matter over. The father told me the police officer was very firm but he was extremely courteous and professional.

The officer left a card so I called and left a message thanking him. (BTW, I’m a thousand miles away.)

I talked to the father again. I told him he was lucky because that could have gone a lot worse with a life time of consequences. I begged him, please, please, please if there is ever a situation where the police are involved to hire a lawyer.

Bullet dodged/all’s well that ends well. That is aside from no cell phone and no video games and being grounded for a month.

Thank you all for your, (usual), advice and support

Answer:
 > Is there anything I can do?

You've already done everything possible.Answer #2: If the video is what you say it is, IMO it's pretty unlikely this is being investigated as child porn.  Nudity != porn. Answer #3: Before this thread gets locked for going Off topic, OP, can you post an update after the meeting please? I'm curious as to what will happen.Answer #4: Do people "post" videos on snapchat or "send" them to specific people on snapchat? If she sent the video of himself to other children that could open another can of worms where those children are considered the victims and he's considered to be the perp/sexual deviant.

He shouldn't talk to the police. The father shouldn't let the police in the house. Answer #5: Look up on youtube a video called "Don't Talk to the Police" by the Regent University School of Law and show it to the dad.  If that video doesn't convince him that he shouldn't expose himself and his son to speaking to the police without a lawyer then nothing will.  I'd give you the link but for reasons unknown linking youtube isn't allowed here.Answer #6: Nephew needs a criminal defense attorney and needs one yesterday.

If the police want to talk to him, his father should say no, he needs an attorney first. End of story.


Title: Employer threatening to fine us for not doing dishes. NYC

Question:
Hello Reddit,

My workplace has had issues with dishes since we lost our front desk lady. Essentially there is no one to unload the dishes and it goes on to a few people. This morning an email was sent out with a dishes schedule and a statement saying we will be fined $10 if we don't do the dishes on our day. My question is this legal? I never consented for myself or my team to do this. This is in NYC if it makes a difference.

Thanks!

Answer:
 "Deductions from Wages: No deductions may be made from wages paid to an employee except those required by law or government rules and regulations (e.g., payroll taxes, child support orders, wage garnishments), except those which are expressly authorized, in writing, by the employee and are for that employee's benefit. **Nor may an employer require an employee to make any payment by separate transaction,** unless such a payment would be permitted as a deduction from wages. Such authorized deductions are limited to insurance premiums, charitable contributions, pension, health and welfare benefit payments, union dues, United States bond purchases and payments for similar purposes.

It is a violation of the labor law for an employer to make any other deduction from an employee's wages. For example, if an employee takes or damages property belonging to the employer, the employer may not recoup the value of that property by withholding all or a portion of that employee's wages. The employer, like any other party aggrieved by the negligent or criminal behavior of another, must pursue whatever remedies are available at law. He may not simply confiscate wages due to his employee without a court order permitting him to do so.

An employer is not obliged to pay an employee for hours that he did not work, but in making a deduction from wages for lateness or absence, may deduct only the value of the time missed; the deduction of a penalty for lateness or absence is illegal. Nor may an employer make a deduction from wages because he judges the employee's work to be deficient." [NY AG's Office](https://ag.ny.gov/labor/labor-law-obligations-employees#deductions)


Title: [EU] Bought a game online, not what I ordered

Question:
Hi,

I purchased a game online last week which claimed to be a global region game.

The game I got was a copy only redeemable in CIS countries, e.g. Russia, Ukraine, etc.

The seller is claiming the game is global by asking me to use a proxy/VPN which could end up getting my Steam account banned (the platform for which the game is purchased).

The seller gave a "guarantee" that my account will not be banned for 3 years if I use their method to activate the game, but in reality that guarantee is worthless. I also do not want to use a proxy to activate a game.

I have declined the game, luckily it was not a CD Key which would've automatically redeemed, but a Steam gift which I can indeed decline and have done so. I have requested a refund from the site and am wondering what to send next.

There were no terms and conditions on the English/International version of the site, only templates, so I'm wondering what the situation is if they quote anything from the German version.

There was also a recent amendment to the withdrawal from sale period in the EU which now fully applies to digital items. In the case of the game, they would not apply if I had downloaded/streamed the game, but luckily I did not.

Any advice appreciated.

Answer:
 This is sketchy. Legitimate retailers do not use steam gifts to sell games. From the FAQ:

"May I sell gift subscriptions?
Steam Gift Purchases can not be sold. Attempting to sell a gift subscription is a violation of the Steam Subscriber Agreement and may result in your account being permanently disabled. You can trade gifts using our new Steam Trading system and can read more about that here.
 "

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?p_faqid=549#gifts-purchase

Chalk it up to a learning experience and stop trying to rip off steam.


Title: Video game console licensing for use in cafe's and restaurants.

Question:
My family and I will soon be opening a "Gaming cafe in a run down part of town as with high poverty in the area a lot of young people have nothing to do and cant afford gaming PC's/Consoles of their own.

Will I encounter legal difficulties with regards to "Renting" out play time and holding gaming tournaments?

[UK]

Any and all replies welcome.

Answer:
 1. Valve no longer offers the cyber cafe program. Steam urges all users to play on their own accounts. Yet a lot of places have house accounts to play on.

2. In my 6 years in the industry I have never seen any location have the licensing or permission from any game company or console maker to use their properties.

3. Buy legitimate copies, don't pirate, don't torrent, don't steal.

4. Provide the games for free charge for the seat, A/C, and atmosphere.

5. Some independent game developers have paid us in the past to run tournaments for their games. Some games like WOW, starcraft, and League of Legends have it in their End License User Agreement (EULA) that Cafe's and similar businesses can use the clients for their games legally.

The fact is unless you have a chain of stores and start pulling in some REAL money (thinking millions) then you really aren't worth coming after. What will they do shut you down? Then you stop buying new games every week/month...and these places BUY a lot of games multiple copies of the same game too.


Title: Failed a drug test for heroin(which of course i don't use) and they wont let me retake the test. What are my options.

Question:
So a few weeks ago I was told to I had to take a random drug test for my job. I wasn't worried because the only thing I take are Percocet and I have a script for them and i hadn't even taken them recently. So I get a call this morning with the people saying that I test positive for heroin. I told them that its not possible for that and the doctor on the phone even said that the amount in my system wasn't indicative of a user, it was way lower and barely even popped the test. Apparently the cut off is 10 parts per billion and I was at 18 and a user would be in the hundreds or something like that according to him. He even said that it seemed weird and asked me if there was a chance that i was exposed to it because it was such a low amount that I could have been accidentally exposed to it somehow. The thing is i don't know how that is possible. I was at the bar the night before and was also at my friends house who i know actually uses but he didn't even do any while i was there and that was because i specifically told him not too and i was just coming by to drop something off for him and that was 12 hours before my test even happened. I'm trying to figure out how this could even happen. Does anyone have any ideas? Could I have been exposed to smoke somewhere or somehow my friends house 'contaminated' me? The only other thing i can think of that the house that I live at is a place i found on craigslist and i share it with 7 other people(each person has their own room) and my room has the main ac output vent. Is it possible that someone else in the house using drugs could make it get into my system? My computer is right under the vent and that's where i spend all of my time. Has anyone ever heard of something like this happening? The room I’m living at now used to have an H user here that’s why she was kicked out. Is it possible it’s in he walls and stuff? Like when meth houses are condemned because it gets in the walls and vents

They've already fired me and they said i can pay to have the sample retested but they wont let me retake it. And I'm worried that if i even get it retested the result will be the same. I want to see if there is any way I could fight this legally and get my job back because i know that I didn't use Heroin and I don't want to lose my job over this shit. I want to see if there is anyway i could make them let me retake so i could show that maybe it was accidentally exposure or something like that and that my levels would be(but i guess that wouldn't matter if its in there air where i live but i don't even think that is possible is it?).

Answer:
 "Everybody around me uses heroin but I don't" is a very difficult story to sell.

Presumably you're in the USA.    Unless your employer has deviated from their standard drug testing policy and protocol for a discriminatory reason, or you are a union member and the union's agreement requires a different procedure, I don't see you having any recourse.

In general, an employer can lay off an employee for failing a drug test, even if the result was faulty or false.Answer #2: Is percocet an opioid? If so, could it be a false positive?


Title: New Orleans hotel is trying to charge me 250$ because they claimed the fire department "had to come to our room" should we fight this?

Question: We smoked a blunt in our New Orleans hotel room and left about 45 minutes after we were completely finished. The room was 100% clear of any smoke so we know that this whole fire department thing is bullshit. The hotel is demanding we pay 250$ for this whole ordeal. My question is should we attempt to fight this charge? We cleared out everything in the room and they want us to sign some probably admitting guilt to the whole thing. Any advice is welcome. Thanks

Answer:
 Sure you can fight it.

I am 99% sure you violated some terms of your agreement with the hotel.  They would have to prove it, but you may want to check your agreement for your situational awareness.

They could sue you for it.  If sued respond.


Title: Might be emancipated/kicked out - what to do/know [MA]?

Question:
Hi, I'm an 18 year old trans woman from Massachusetts (Essex county). I'm a day student at a boarding school there, living with my parents. My parents, who have been very good ones up until now, have said that they would kick me out of the house, have school expel me, and legally emancipate me if I continued with HRT (hormone replacement therapy) (I'm aware that at 18 I can't be legally emancipated so I'm guessing they meant cut me off or disown me). I can't hire a lawyer or stop HRT at this point (trying to hide it ATM). I am prepared to make my way through the world, but at the moment am too dependent on them.
So my questions:
-what do they mean by this and what can they do?
-what, legally, are my options, obligations, and protections?
-can I take steps to 'pre-mancipate' or make sure the process easier?

Some info:
-I have some stocks and bank accounts that are mine that they control. I was likely also left some money in gold by my grandparents.
-they have basically all my documents and papers. I have my passport. My birth certificate is in a BofA vault in California
-my possessions (what iirc is legally mine because I have been 'given' them) would take multiple trips and hours to remove from the house.

Please tell me if there are questions I should be asking or more information I should provide. PMs OK.

Answer:
 At 18, you're legally an adult, so "emancipation" really isn't an issue here.  They can cut you off financially at any time, and make you leave with proper notice.

You should start the process now of getting a copy of your birth certificate (google "[state you were born] certified copy of birth certificate.")  Put it and your passport in a safe place, preferably outside your house -- open your own safe deposit box.  I'd also put anything you keep in your home there if you couldn't live without it, like unscanned photos, a backup of your hard drive, things like that.  Also your social security card, which you can get a duplicate of fairly easily if you have ID.  School transcripts you should be able to get directly from the school.

If any of your money is in joint accounts with your parents, open new accounts (which you can do now since you are 18) and transfer the funds.  There's really no way to get your papers and any money the control back, at least not easily, besides asking for them.

You are going to need a means of support, a place to live, and health insurance.  Start planning now.Answer #2: >  PMs OK

Not here they're not.

At eighteen you're of the age of majority in MA. There's no "emancipation." You're an adult.

They cannot simply get a school to expel you. They could stop paying for the school.

They can give you notice to quit and remove you from their home. Your possessions would remain yours. Funds that are yours are yours. Any attempt by them to keep said items or funds would be theft, and make them criminally and/or civilly liable.