Title: IRS question regarding a "gift," now owe $2,300

Question:
TL;DR: Received a tax notice from the IRS saying I did not report income from a $5,000 "gift" my father put into a Traditional IRA. Found out he reported I was his employee. Haven't been in the state of NJ since 2006.

Sorry for the throwaway, I don't want this linked to my normal Reddit account. Anyways, back in 2013, my father called and told me for Christmas that he was opening a Traditional IRA for all three of the kids ( I have a younger sister and a step sister). He had his financial advisor send me some paperwork to sign and told me this was a gift. I didn't think anything of it. I got my paperwork from my current employer in January and filed my taxes like normal.

In February after I've already filed, I got a W2 from him, which stated I was an employee of his company for the year 2013. First of all, I moved out of NJ back in 2006 and have never been back except for 2 times in 2011. Since then, we had a falling out and I have been no contact since December 2014 due to previous manipulation and abuse from him.

 Fast forward to yesterday. I got a tax bill from the IRS stating I owe $2,300 from unreported income. I looked through the form and it was stated that I was an employee of "Father's Company" in 2013. I never worked for him and I have not been in the state since 2011. I am planning on calling my accountant. In the mean time, what do I do? What steps do I need to take? I was told this was a gift from him and now I'm seeing he reported I was working for him? It just seems shady.

Thanks for the help :-)

Edit: It's a traditional IRA, not Roth like I had originally posted.

Answer:
 There is a procedure to dispute an incorrect W2.

http://www.irs.gov/Help-&-Resources/Tools-&-FAQs/FAQs-for-Individuals/Frequently-Asked-Tax-Questions-&-Answers/IRS-Procedures/W-2---Additional,-Incorrect,-Lost,-Non-receipt,-Omitted/W-2---Additional,-Incorrect,-Lost,-Non-receipt,-Omitted-2Answer #2: Was your dad trying to get around taxes or something? The annual gift exemption in 2013 was $14,000, so he was well under the limit. What exactly did he get out of declaring you an employee?Answer #3: One way to look at it is that at worst you will owe the IRS $2,300 and thus the actual gift that your father gave to you will turn out to be only $2,700 rather than $5,000.  But you might want to make sure that your father is not reporting any more payments to you as an employee...


Title: UK - got a bad (mostly false) reference on 1st job. Been getting rejected after passing interviews. End of my career?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: It sounds like you weren't at that hospital for long.  Leave it off your resume (remember to alter your linkedin etc.), say you were travelling/had medical issues for that period of time, and for goodness' sake lock down your facebook and don't add coworkers in future.Answer #2: I nursed for ten years, I think you're missing a key point, you discussed patient treatment and care on Facebook. You have acknowledged that you were talking about a nurse who may or may not have been identifiable but the patient certainly could have been. You're lucky in that the NMC wasn't approached to review your conduct, in the meantime I suggest if you can't find work in the hospitals, you approach agencies and do bank hours.


Title: (FL) What happens if you steal gas from a gas station?

Question:
Hypothetical situation. Writing a scene for a novel in which someone steals gas.

I'm mainly curious if the cops would get involved and actively try to find the suspect on the road, or if it would simply result in a fine or court date.

Also, would it change depending on the amount of gas stolen? Like 10 gallons versus 100 gallons?

Thanks!

Answer: In my state, especially way way back in the day when gas prices skyrocketed, the store will turn over surveillance cams to the police, police will hand this off to the state's Dept. of Public Safety, and DPS will likely revoke your license, and sometimes a warrant will be placed for your arrest.


Title: So my friend is an idiot, what possible sentence is he looking at..

Question:
I am not the offender in this situation. Anyway, a childhood friend of mine is 22, has three kids, and joined the National Guard but immediately went AWOL got his house raided and was hit with three class 5 felonies for distribution of marijuana. I won't say the state, but it is a 3 strike state.

He's going the state appointed attorney route and pleading guilty he claims. He is completely convinced he is getting 60 years but I know he won't get *that* based on some testimonies I've read on /r/drugs..

Basically how screwed is he?

Answer: Without the state, nobody could begin to guess.  But if he's pleading guilty he's probably getting a deal of some kind.  He also still has the National Guard to deal with.


Title: [TX] Seller of our new house replaced the showerhead post inspection and now it is leaking into the wall behind the shower.

Question:
Ok, so short explanation.

My fiancee and I just finished purchasing our first home. It was a little bit of a rocky purchase, but after extra negotiating a week before closing we finally got it settled and we now own the home as of May 5th. Unfortunately we haven't gotten to move in yet since our work schedules are crazy, but we will be officially moved in this Saturday.

_______
So onto the the issue.

When we moved in we noticed that they had left a couple things, it wasn't cleaned very well, whatever. That is no big deal deal to us. The thing that sucked was they removed the really nice shower-head in the Master Bathroom and replaced the amazing rain shower-head(SH1) with the original beat up old one(SH2). While we probably should have immediately called the previous owners out on this, we decided that it was not going to be worth the trouble after all the crap we had to deal with in order to get to closing, so we would just purchase a new one sometime after we moved in.

Here is where things went bad though. On Monday my fiancee wanted to take a shower in our awesome new bathroom, so we went to the house to unload a few smaller boxes and she hopped on in. Turns out that the the old shower-head (SH2) was not put back in properly, no waterproof tape (or it may be faulty), and the shower is leaking into the drywall. While the damage is not too extensive, since we have only turn the shower once or twice, the drywall is still soggy now, and it could easily be damaged enough for this to be an issue.

We have spoken to our real estate agent, and she spoke with the listing agent. According to the listing agent this morning, the sellers are completely denying that they replaced the shower-head. I have video proof of what the shower-head (SH1) looked like when we saw the house, compared to what the shower-head (SH2) looks like now. With this evidence, our agent is going back to them to show them the proof of the replacement.

I've been told that there are a couple of things working against us. Mainly that we have only discovered this problem now, and not immediately. It has only been two weeks from closing when we discovered the problem, but my agent is telling me this may be an issue. The other problem is that we do not have a picture of the shower-head (SH1) during the inspection, so the only evidence we have of the shower-head (SH1) is the video from when we initially looked at the house. I do remember very clearly the rain shower-head (SH1) being installed at the time of the inspection however.

------------
My question to you guys is as follows:

What can me and my fiancee do if they still come back and deny that they replaced the shower-head?

If we do have to take this to a mediator and then to small claims court, what would our chances be? Is this even worth it in comparison to lawyer fees, etc?

Thanks so much for any advice. I really appreciate the help!

Edit: Here are some images of the damage so you can see.

http://imgur.com/KAtdUQQ,fN9veRG#0
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 See if you can get ahold of the inspector who looked at your house. Typically, good inspectors take dozens, if not, hundreds of pictures of everything in the house, even if nothing was wrong with it. He probably didn't include it in his report, but most likely has it stored away.

This isn't that uncommon for inspectors to come across. I know an inspector who was sued because he said nothing was wrong with the dishwasher, when the new homeowners had a big leak. It turns out, the previous owner swapped the new dishwasher out with their old POS after the inspection, and he had the pictures to prove it.


Title: Employer won't allow us to use my wife's FSA funds for my infant daughter's medical bills because we did not add her as a dependent within 60 days.

Question:
My daughter is covered under my employer's health insurance, and my wife was covered separately under her employer's plan.  IRS rules state we can use FSA money for a spouse or dependent regardless of whether or not they are covered on my health insurance plan. So when we received the large hospital bill for the birth of my daughter, we filed a FSA claim to get reimbursed with my wife's FSA folks. It was denied due to my daughter not being an "eligible dependent" according to her employer. We were advised to send in proof (her birth certificate) and then she would be added.

However, due to us sending it in more than 60 days after her birth, they will only grant eligibility as of August 31st, when she was born at the end of May. Since the bills are for her birth, this wont help us.  We have gone through a bunch of appeals and finally heard back today that it was denied again because of the 60 day Family Status Change window. They reference IRS section 125 as their justification.

The thing I don't understand is how they can legally block us from our own money. If the IRS says we can use it for our daughter, why can the employer block us, citing the IRS?  It doesn't make sense.  Especially since it is only for the FSA account and not for health insurance coverage.

Total amount is $1600, enough for me to fight for it, but not enough to hire a lawyer.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Answer:
 They are not blocking you from your money. FSAs restrict what you can use that money on. You didn't follow the rules and cannot use the money in the way you want. You can use it in the way allowed by the FSA rules that you agreed toAnswer #2: The IRS defines Qualifying Life Events, which are significant events that would affect your usage of an FSA. These are deaths, births, marriage, divorce and other such events.

The IRS indicates that the FSA administrator should open a special enrollment period for you to make accommodating changes.

The IRS does not require these periods to be of specific length, that can be determined by your benefits administrator. Typically they’re a 30-60 day window to make qualifying changes to your (dependent) coverage.

If you miss the window, you miss the window.


Title: [Louisiana] Apartment courtesy officer went on a power trip, grey area, need advice.

Question:
Today myself and 7 other friends were out at my apartment communities pool. We weren't causing any ruckus, just hanging out and relaxing and drinking by the pool.

The officer (real PD officer) comes and asks for the person who lives at the complex (me). He states there a rules prohibiting glass at the pool, I didn't realize but a friend brought a bottle of whiskey that we did not open, and was simply sitting on our table near out supplies. He also mentioned we need to leave, since there is a rule in place stating only two guests are allowed per tenant (meanwhile another party of 10 is at the pool and somehow the officer says they all live there, I've never seen them and I've lived there two years).

So far all pretty standard, I state it isn't an issue - we will be packing up and leaving at their request. We are all adults and understand, no biggie. HERE is where the bullshit begins.

He says to me "hey, I see your X friend with you, he needs to leave and not come back". He never explains why, but the rendered friend and his wife and coworker had already walked off and were in the cars going home.

The office mentioned (unrelated to why he can't return) that he has seen us around the complex before, and the X friend and his coworker who came to the pool the ONE time - they both (used to) work for our local government. The cop says "I can give them a lot of shit and make their life a living hell if I want, I know there supervisors and can call them up anytime".

This guy felt the need to tell ME, he could get my friends in trouble at work, because they were....at a pool with me. The entire time the cop and I were both cook, just talking it out. At this point however I came across and said, "oh come on man, don't you think that's a little over the top? Kind of trying to abuse your power here". He then mentioned they are trespassing, he can read me the rule book, and that he arrested 12 people at our pool last week, and he graciously left us off the hook this time. I again mentioned that it was uncalled for, and we were leaving.

We were grilling at the pool, celebrating a birthday. That's all

Is this worth filing a complaint to the chief of police? Should I mention this to apartment management? (one staff member was with the cop during the order, but did not speak with us) b I did technically break a rule, but this guy was tripping on his power. Not sure what to do. I'll be moving at the end of my lease in October due to this incident, if not sooner. Wondering if ya worth bothering with.

Answer:
 You took seven people to the pool when you're allowed two...   Your group brings a bottle of whiskey when glass is prohibited...  some body tells you "no" and you get your panties in a bunch.

I'm still looking for the grey area here.

FYI -- threats, overt lies, etc. are generally accepted police tactics.  File a complaint if you want, but it isn't going anywhere with the Chief or your apartment complex.  Answer #2: I don't see a legal question here.

You can complain about the officer's behavior or not as suits you.  The officer did not commit a crime. It seems unlikely much if anything may come of anything you do next.


Title: Brother in law wants to use my credit card for down payment of car

Question:
Location Pennsylvania, USA...but he's buying the car from Texas.
So my brother in law, who I've said yes to many times in the past only to be blindsided, asked to use my credit card for a down payment of an expensive sports car. He said he'll give me the cash prior to purchase and that would be my only involvement.
I have no problems with this arrangement, however considering past experiences, I'm worried something may end up going wrong and I'll be on the hook somehow like what's happened in the past with his many get money fast schemes....
Question is, if my credit card is used for a down payment of a car, does that give me any liability in any way?

Answer:
 Do not do it. If he needs to borrow money for a down payment on a sports car he is in no shape to afford it.Answer #2: If he has the cash, why doesn’t he just give that to the seller? Why involve you and your credit?

Oh, because he’s got shite credit and is trying to scam you into being a co-signer. And leave you with the responsibility to pay it off while he has the car.

Don’t do this, and sign nothing.


Title: Parents are going to claim my sister and her 3 young children for all of last year. She only lived with them for 4 months. Ohio, United States

Question: My sister has lived through a series of unfortunate events. She is currently residing with my parents who mentally and emotionally abuse her. She needs nothing more than to be able to claim taxes for her and her children because she desperately needs to get out of that toxic environment. I have to talk her down from suicide on a weekly basis. My parents make well over 100k and absolutely do not need the money, however, have decided it is their right to claim her and the kids for all of last year. She moved in with them mid August. Her car just broke, she has no way to get to work now, let alone a means to move out. I am desperate to help her but I don't have the means to either. I'm a part time worker, full time student and mother. Can she claim her and the kids? The situation is dire. Thank you in advance.

Answer:
 She can certainly claim her kids.

On the practical side of things, she should file her taxes (claiming the kids) ASAP, since the IRS will reject any subsequent return using the same children.

If her parents file first, she still shouldn't worry, she can file, get flagged, then she will respond with evidence of her support of the children for >50% of the year and she will get her return.  The parents will then need to deal with amending their return.


Title: Buying a house. Seller's daughter commits fraud to stop it. Succeeds.

Question:
This is in California. I apologize in advance if I leave any pertinent info out; my brain is about to explode. Ask for more details if needed, but may take a while to respond as I have a few things I need to sort out.

Three month ago, I placed an offer on a home that was accepted. Over the last few months, the close of escrow has been pushed back by both parties for several reasons. I had a contingency to sell my current place where the buyer backed out, he needed more time to move, things needed to be fixed, etc. All proper paperwork was amended as need be, and the final close of escrow was to be October 15th.

I should stop here to say that the seller of the house is a 90+ year old man, with multiple homes and even more high end cars. By all indications, he is loaded.

The day before everything was to be finalized, his estranged daughter comes out of the wood works and claims to the RE broker and title company that her dad is not of his right mind. She further claims that she is taking FLMA leave from work to care for him. The father (seller) disputes this and says he has no relationship with her. He calls police to have her forcibly removed from property. It is found the next day that she forged the letter, and has no supporting evidence of anything wrong with her dad from any of his doctors. Title company says they do not want to risk suit, so they need the seller to come sign papers in person to prove he is of right mind.

If it were not for her claim, the house and title would have settled last week on the 15th without him having to come up and redo everything in person, to prove to the title company that he is of right mind.

During the whole ordeal, the seller has been down in Cancun in one of his properties. He was supposed to come sign documents Monday morning, but rescheduled until today. Today rolls around and nobody can get a hold of him. The family claims that he is in the hospital, but will not specify where or provide a way to contact him. Nobody of importance can find the guy.

At this point, the title company does not want to proceed with signing over the home to me, and my lender is saying that the deal is dead unless it goes through today.

Now obviously this is a monumental nightmare, but the worst is yet to come. In three weeks, my current condo will no longer be mine. Well, I guess it technically isn't now. I am currently doing a lease back that cannot be extended. Point is, I have to be out with all of my stuff in 20 days.

I also currently have almost $20,000 worth of building materials being delivered to the house for renovation in the next few days, a $5,000 non-refundable deposit on a contractor, pre-paid moving costs, several thousand I will have to spend to return furniture and other household items, and looking at the cost of temporary housing and storage until I get a new house figured out. Not to mention the inevitably higher mortgage rate I will have to pay (tens of thousands over the life of the loan).

So. My questions:

1. Do I have a case?

2. If so, what kind of lawyer would I even contact for something like this?

3. What are my real damages? I do not expect to be paid for all of the furniture and material, but return costs? Housing? Contractor deposit? Lawyer? Lost revenue from work? Increased mortgage rate?

4. Do I go after him, title, or the daughter?

5. If he is dead, what the hell do I do?

At this point I am looking at being out damn near $15,000 + rental/hotel/storage costs + new mortgage rate.

Answer:
 Call an attorney that deals with real estate transactions. Answer #2: No title company will sign off on this without seeing the old guy either in person or using a notary they select. They are going to cover their butts on the possibility of elder abuse/fraud. I'm a mortgage LO and I've had deals die because the elder seller was unable to hold the pen or see the page.

If the guy's not dead, and gets in contact with you, get another lender going on this. You can close in as little as 11 days. In the meantime look for other places, and look into temporary housing/storage. Once you've found and moved into a new place you can look into suing, although frankly you're not likely to have much luck. Answer #3: >What are my real damages?

That's the real problem here.  Deals fall through.  Every day.  Your decision to hang a bunch of money that may be lost on the failure of this one may be on you.

I'm not sure anyone here has done anything wrong.  Perhaps the daughter, though she's entitled to her opinion that her dad isn't of sound mind which is how she'll play this if it comes up somehow.

>If he is dead, what the hell do I do?

You might seek to purchase the house from the estate once things settle enough to make that possible.  Answer #4: How do they have tenant rights? How long would they have had to "live" there to get that? Can the seller dispute that? He just sold you a property without disclosing there were tenants in there. That's a big "no no" I would get in touch with your lawyer and contact his lawyer/broker over that. Because you are going to have damages.


Title: Divorce can be denied or questioned by a judge?

Question:
So my husband and I are getting amicably divorced which I have posted before about. Since we're really good friends, we're not using a lawyer. Well we were hanging out with a mutual friend of ours who also did a pro se divorce in MA and he informed us that the judge overseeing his divorce gave them a somewhat hard time about it. The judge asked them what they had done to try to "save" the relationship, had they done counseling, etc. My friend and his ex wife had been separated for years had done counseling, etc, and finally worked the judge through it and had their divorce granted. He said they were both really freaked out during it because they thought their divorce might be denied. They had split all their assets equally too, just like us.

My husband and I are appalled; we had no idea we had to even give a reason for splitting aside from checking the box that says irreconcilable differences. We don't have any evidence of trying to make it work; we didn't try, we just drifted out of a relationship. And I'm furious that we would even be asked that- there's no reason when two adults want to end a marriage that there should even be a question of allowing them. What business does the state have to even ask? I couldn't believe it.

So my husband and I met this morning for brunch and we formulated a plan to tell the judge we had tried counseling, and had been fighting for x months prior to moving out, and a bunch of other crap. We basically had to get our story straight to make sure our split looks serious enough to get out of this legal contract. It's totally appalling but we're not sure what else to do. It's possible if we go to court and say yeah we don't want to be in a legal relationship anymore and we broke up 2 years ago, the judge might deny us a divorce. I feel like we've been thrown into the 1940s or something. We should be able to get a divorce with no questions asked as easily as we got a marriage license. It's infuriating.

Has anyone dealt with this before?

Answer:
 A) DO NOT LIE TO A JUDGE

B) DO NOT LIE TO A JUDGE
Answer #2: >My husband and I are appalled; we had no idea we had to even give a reason for splitting aside from checking the box that says irreconcilable differences.

That's not even the law in MA. Irreconcilable differences is not a ground for divorce there.

MA allows for "no fault" divorce due to "irretrievable breakdown." In order to use that specific ground for divorce, you need to prove in court to a judge that this is the case. This phrase has certain legal significance and requires proof that there is no prospect for reconciliation. Answer #3: I don't see where you listed a state. In my state, the judge is required by state law to ask the parties if there is anything the court or anyone can do to reconcile the marriage. Some judges ask if counseling will help. Other than asking the required question, they don't push it (unless you got some new, over jealous judge). Judges are also required to ask in *pro se* cases if the parties have colluded or lied about the grounds for a divorce.

Do not lie to the judge: that is a horrible plan.Answer #4: You should talk to a lawyer. I would not recommend that you lie to a judge.


Title: Filed for work comp after hand injury[MN]. If I get drug tested, i will test positive without a doubt. Am i going to lose my job?

Question:
I recently injured myself at work(food service, cut it on a metal pan). I went to the ER and got stitches. I'm unable to work, will be back Saturday with restrictions.

I filed the injury report and everything, I'm just waiting to hear some information. From what I gather, it's up to the company whether they drug test or not. If(and I will) I test positive, the burden of proof lies on them to prove I was injured because of drug use. I was not high at the time, it was just an accident. If they cannot prove it was because of drugs, then I can get the comp, correct?

Will I automatically be terminated for testing positive? A friend told me that is how it works and I'm pretty much screwed. My company doesn't drug test normally, which is one of the reasons I work there.

Basically, will I get work comp even if I test positive, and will that result in termination?

I really really need this job and am freaking out that I'm going to lose it. Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer:
 You have the correct understanding of the situation. It's up to them if they want to drug test and they would have to prove the injury was because you were high at the time. I don't know your employer, but for a cut with stitches I find it pretty unlikely they're going to heavily contest it.

&#x200B;

As for whether you're fired if they do test you and it comes out positive, it's up them. They're under no legal obligation to do so.


Title: My parents would like to open a winery.

Question: I'm not sure if this is the right place but here it goes. My parents recently retired and own a small farm here in TN. They have a lot of different types of berries growing around and they've made a lot of really good homemade wine. Now they want to go bigger and see if they can start selling their wine at farmers markets and other small venues. I'm not sure about the legality of their idea and I'm wondering if anyone knows of any laws that we should be aware of?

Answer: It's important they consult an actual attorney specializing in business law. They will help them navigate the legal landscape better than you might find here. Mostly because the rules and regulations for alcohol sales can vary wildly by state and even county.


Title: Fathers car got repossessed because brother took out a title loan on the car

Question: We are living in Ohio, and my father and brother have the same name (father is Sr, brother is Jr) basically my brother drives my dad's car and he has addiction issues, so he went to a title loan place to take money out to use it for drugs. How is this legal? The car is in my FATHERS name, not my brothers, and the title place won't disclose the information to my father (the amount my brother took etc) don't they check through the DMV based on license number or SSN? Auto titles here don't say middle name

Answer: This is going to require a police report. Your father is going to have to report the car as stolen.


Title: I was Hired as entry level, but Now my manager saying his expects a "level 2 engineer"

Question:
I joined this new company 5 months as a engineer. In my offer letter my position was stated as “engineer - early career”. The team was in tough place after I started as some senior people left. So most of us here was figuring things ourselves. Which I’m happy to do, cause it’s good learning experience. But, ever since I started my manager kept mentioning that he has a bit of higher expectation, as I came in as a “engineer - level 2”. When I said I’m a “engineer - early career” he said my compensation is based of level 2. So I have been trying pick up my learning pace to keep up with the task. But it seriously affecting my mental and physical health. On top of that not having a senior member to guide to a little bit making it worse.

I had only one phone interview with a engineering panel, where they initially said they are looking for an engineer who is " a bit experienced". I had 1 year of previous experience which I told them. Later, after the interview, recruiter told me that based on my experience they have an "engineer- early career" position available, which sounds very much like entry level position. So I accepted.

Fast forward almost end of year, my manager is basically said, he sees that I’m putting my efforts and thinks I can get there with given time. But  right now, Expectation is still level 2 and my year end performance review will likely come out as “did not meet expectation”. He even mentioned moving me to different team if I’m interested. It’s a good well known company when I can actually build my career.

So I was wondering should I contact HR at this point? I have my appointment letter that states my position. What should my course of action. Thank you.

Answer: Location is not optional. This is probably not a legal issue.


Title: Help!! Van hire company saying they are going to pass me details to a Debt Collection Agency - UK

Question: So, I asked for a quote for a van hire company to come move my things from London to my new address. They rang me a pressured me with a very low price but said I had to book there and then on the phone. They then sent me a conformation for the wrong address and price. I then read trust pilot reviews about the company and they were all awful. I then rang and cancelled my booking on the phone., I also cancelled my card to ensure I would not be charged. This morning (the day the move was booked for) I got a text saying my payment has bounced (115 pounds, the full amount of the service) and if I didn’t contact them in 48 it would be passed to debt collectors.

Answer:
 You might get more specific advice from r/legaladviceuk, as most of the posters here are more familiar with North American laws.

If it was me I'd call them to find out what they're playing at and remind them that you cancelled and so no services were actually provided (I assume they didn't show up today expecting to work). You never know, it could be an honest mistake and they might fix it immediately. I'm not sure how they will even send you to debt collectors if they don't have any kind of contract signed - I've worked at a business that had to send people to collectors before and they wouldn't take on a client without full name, address etc and a signed contract detailing the costs agreed to. I'm not a lawyer or anything though so I might be talking shit.


Title: Dog Died On A Plane

Question: A flight from the United States to the Philippines. A friend of mine's girlfriend went on an international flight and brought her dog with her on the plane. During the plane trip the dog died on the plane. If you were to sue the airline for the dog passing away would the airline even have a case here? Since it's the airline's responsibility to keep the animals on the plane safe and you're paying for your pet on the plane. Any information is helpful. Thanks.

Answer:
 Where was the dog? In the hold or in the cabin?

When the veterinary examined its body, did he say how it died?

What was the air temperature on the ground from at the USA airport?

Ditto on the ground at the Philippines airport?

Single flight or a journey with multiple flights?

> If someone gace you a dog to watch and it died while you were watching it

Not relevant.Answer #2: Dogs, like all living creatures, will die. WHY/HOW did this dog die? Is there any evidence the airline did anything wrong?

>  and it died while you were watching it and the cops came and you told the cops that you didn't know what happened then you will go to jail

No that's not a certain thing by a long shot.


Title: [hypothetical] Legal implications of pretending to not be consenting to intercourse

Question:
This is in reaction to [this thread](https://np.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/51i36l/serious_whats_the_most_disturbing_scary_post/d7cfelv) posted on askreddit. TL;DR: A woman pretends to be passed out drunk at parties in order to be sexually assaulted by men who have no reason to assume she is consenting to the act, even though she is. Is the man penetrating her guilty of rape?

For the Bot, let's say California, though I would hope there is a universal answer.

Answer: That post is correct: it was definitely a troll.


Title: Neighbor is stealing my fruit

Question:
I've caught my neighbor stealing my fruit several times now. He uses one of those long poles for picking oranges/lemons, reaches over into my yard and picks fruit whenever he feels like it. I've caught him several times, and he just runs back into his house. I've talked to the police but they said they can't really do anything, and the only thing I can really do is file a police report (which I did, months ago).

What happens if I grab his fruit pole and just take it the next time I catch him in the act? Is that considered theft? What would be a smart move in my situation?

I'm in California if that matters

Answer:
 I know it's a hassle, but could you cover your tree with some kind of mesh which would prevent your neighbour from being able to just pick your fruit with a pole? Or possibly increase the height of your fence closest to your fruit tree? The onus shouldn't have to be on you to prevent theft, but if it was me I'd probably do something like this just to frustrate your nicking neighbour.Answer #2: Are you certain that he's actually reaching *into* your yard? IIRC, California has a "hanging fruit" law that says you can retrieve any fruit overhanging your yard, even if it's not your tree, as long as you don't harm the tree by taking the fruit.

It might also be that your neighbour is misunderstanding the law, thinking that it entities him to all the fruit he can *reach* from his yard, not just that which overhangs it.  In that case, highlighting a section of the relevant law and sending it to him might help.


Title: (West Virginia) is it legal for my boss to fire me on hearsay?

Question: I work for a local municipality and I was out doing my job, I drive a city vehicle. My boss met me in the parking garage and started chewing me out saying that he got a complaint that I was driving recklessly. I wasn't. He threatened to fire me if I done it again. I have a clean work record and clean driving record. Does he have any grounds to terminate me off of a false accusation? Also, I asked if he had video and if the person has a radar to get my speed (in a respectable way) and that seemed to make him even more mad.

Answer:
 You can be fired for any reason which is not being a member of a protected class.

This includes getting a complaint, wearing red shoes, liking football, or not watching the right TV show.Answer #2: Are you part of a union? Otherwise, yes. You can file for unemployment.Answer #3: I'm going to take a different tact - if you worked for a private employer, he could certainly do so.

But government employees, even those not in unions, tend to have slightly better protections. You may be entitled to a board hearing or other formal process first. Look at the regulations for employment in your city; they should list the process nesecary to fire an employee for cause.


Title: Made Unconscious by 4 Police Officers

Question:
Hello all,

I was attacked by four officers and made unconscious. This happened at 1:45 a.m. in Arizona on 04/28/2018. I have already gotten a lawyer, but I cannot meet with the lawyer until tomorrow. I would like to get advice on what I can expect and what my next steps should be. I will try to make this as concise as possible without leaving out important details.

I was charged with criminal trespassing in third degree and failure to obey a police officer.

I went out to a bar district with 7 other people. One of which was my girlfriend. Two of our friends went home around midnight, and the other 6 of us stayed together. The bars stop serving alcohol around 2:00 a.m. At 1:30 a.m. our group decided we should all go home. We are all good friends and went outside to get an Uber. My girlfriend was pretty intoxicated, but still fully functional. She did not want to leave just yet because she was having a good time. As we went outside and went several yards away from the bar, I put my hands on her waist and said "hey, we need to go home." She pushed my hands off her waist and yelled, "take your hands off me." I see how this can definitely be construed as a problem. However, we have an extremely healthy and mature relationship, and she is in every position to vouch for that, which she did on this night. As soon as that happened, four police officers walked up to us and separated me from her. They began asking if everything was OK. Both her and I said "yes, we're fine" not to mention we were with four other people. They kept questioning me and got closer to my face and would not let me near my girlfriend as if I had hurt her or was a threat. They began to ask for my ID, and I was reluctant as I thought it was entirely unwarranted. After a few minutes of arguing back and forth, they stated they would arrest me if I did not hand over my ID. I decided to comply and pulled out my wallet and ID. I had my wallet in one hand and my ID in the other. Instead of taking it, they pulled my arm aggressively. I pulled it back and took a couple of steps back. The next thing I remember was a group of 5-7 EMTs around me with a flashlight in my eye. They asked me what day it was and where I was, and I answered their questions. I then asked who did this to me and what happened, and began asking where my girlfriend was. Later on, my friends and girlfriend told me I was unconscious for over 10 minutes. I was fully capable of walking and they forced me onto a stretcher and ambulance, against my will. They said I was going to a hospital and then to jail. While this was going on they were asking my girlfriend if I have ever yelled at her or hurt her, and she answered no to everything while stating this was all ridiculous. At the point where I was unconscious, about 15 officers came and set up a wall so no one could see more or get to me, but my girlfriend was screaming saying this was not okay and screaming "Is he alive?!" I finally got to the hospital, handcuffed to the stretcher. All the while I was extremely compliant and the only thing I did to disobey was not give my ID when they first asked, again, because it was unwarranted. They put me in a CT scan when I got to the hospital for my head and spine. The results were clear, and I began talking with the nurse. She asked the officer to loosen the hand cuffs. After some time, I began to ask if they would just take the hand cuffs off. The officer eventually did and even gave me my phone back as I sat in the hospital bed. I finally got cleared to go and after signing some paperwork they let me walk out of the hospital.

They never made me go to jail, and now I will be stuck with paying the hospital fees and ambulance fee, and I still have no idea what I did wrong.

Criminal trespassing in the third degree states I have to be trespassing and not willing to leave. I was the responsible one and was attempting to get our group home. They would not let me leave, as that was our sole intention. Does this qualify as disobeying a police officer? Did they feel wrong and that's why I didn't go to jail? Will these charges get dropped and what else can I do? I spent yesterday randomly crying because of how traumatized I was. I felt defenseless and powerless in a situation where I still feel I did nothing wrong. I have a giant bruise/bloody chin, a bruised elbow, and bruised chest. The watch I was wearing on my left arm is also broken and came off the chain link entirely. I can not remember how I went unconscious, which leads me to believe it was a head injury, which is why they gave me a CT scan. I asked the officer if his body camera was recording the entire scene, and he said "it records when I want it to" as if he was taunting me saying he can delete footage. Please let me know your thoughts and advice. Thank you.

Answer: It sounds like you were belligerent with officers, and then you initiated a physical struggle with them. Your advice is to wait to talk to your attorney. It sounds like you were too intoxicated to be able to refuse an ambulance.


Title: Local Fitworks in Norwood, OH charging an 'enhancement fee'

Question:
So long story short, I signed up for a gym membership at a Fitworks in Norwood, Ohio. I did this because I heard it was inexpensive with good hours and decent machines. I went in there and met with an employee who sat me down and walked me through signup. I asked how much the yearly rate would be and he gave me a number of $159.80. With a downpayment of $53.40 this left me with a balance of $106.40 and monthly payments of $10.64. Ive been paying those and 4 months in i'm hit with a $49 'enhancement fee'. I call them to see what this is and get a refund since I didn't change anything on my membership and they mention I signed up for this in the contract.

I re-read the contract and don't see anything about 'enhancement fees' or anything about a $40+ fee. Then in the additional terms I find:

2) The Fitworks facility (the “Club”) reserves the right to change facilities, hours, class schedules and equipment. Fitworks reserves the right to charge a fee
for certain services that may or may not be part of your current membership agreement. Such change will not justify cancellation of your membership or refund
of any monies.

This is where I should have read the fine details, but as someone who doesn't know a lot about contracts I probably would have read over it anyways. This seems like quite a broad term and that they could end up charging me whenever and whatever they want. It just seems scummy that they can say your total sale price is $159 but actually they will charge you anything they want.

Is this a normal contract practice?

Answer:
 To answer the question you asked if this is normal or not;

Normal contract practice for gyms with an enhancement fee just says they will charge an additional fee for X amount at Y intervals or on such date(s). (usually $50/once a year or so). They'll use it to upgrade and buy new equipment. Not usually using it to repair broken equipment, since that's part of the general operating costs AFAIK (but may use it to replace broken equipment).

Some gyms will even ask members to provide input on what the money should go for.

Then they'll also have you initial that you acknowledged that you're going to be paying it. The legality of leaving it in the fine print totally open ended, saying they can charge between $.01 to unlimited dollars, without notifying you other than the contract you signed is beyond my knowledge.


Title: Unfortunately the seller has died between exchanging contracts and completion on the purchase of our first home. Some 4 weeks have passed now with no end date in sight. We're now close to being homeless and are struggling to accept that there is nothing we can do to move things along!

Question:
From what I understand were currently waiting for probate to complete, but, before this can happen a document from HMRC is required. The sellers solicitors keep bouncing between saying they are still waiting for said document or that its waiting with the probate office. They also lead me to believe that they have no way of contacting either office to speed things along. During this time they have been in possession of our deposit money and the mortgage funds have been returned.

Just today I have been offered 2 additional options, one being an undertaking (that my solicitors have strongly suggested we do no opt for due to the possibility the will is contested) or a licence that will allow us access, but will not allow us to make any changes to property. Due to the property being a doer upper, this really wont suffice so with all being said and done we're pretty much where we were yesterday, waiting for probate.

I'm not expecting many of you have experienced the same scenario as I'm sure it's a very rare case, but I'm hoping a few of you legal savvy readers have a suggestion or two to help us along.

Hope you guys can help, I'm on my last leg here 🤞

Answer:
 You may also want to ask this over at r/legaladviceuk.

We have some UK law people here, but you may have better luck there.


Title: Can an employer prohibit you from socializing and being friends with coworkers? (TX)

Question: At my gf's job some drama has come up because a girl who they've worked with for a while has been telling their manager assumptions about other team members using sick time for fun (claiming her coworker skipped work for a party based off a 3 month old snapchat) and she got caught in a lie so now her boss looks like a fool for approaching and lecturing team members. But here's where I come to you guys for. Her boss told them they  **cannot** socialize with coworkers off the clock. This is an all female group they are trying to separate so it's nothing to do with a work relationship or the likes. But she told them they are prohibited from hanging out with coworkers off the clock because "rumors and things spread." But the girl that went to the boss spreading rumors and lies in the first place got her false info from "social media", "hearsay" and from hanging out with other coworkers in the first place but she never got these rules mentioned to her, she didn't even get any disciplinary action. I live in TX and I'm pretty sure under the NLRA your employer cannot interfere with employees socializing outside of work hours unless it's a manager and a subordinate. What should we do? Her job has been getting this overreaching hand from her managerial staff for a while and it's just getting worse. Thank you!

Answer:
 > I'm pretty sure under the NLRA your employer cannot interfere with employees socializing outside of work hours

Nope.

They cannot stop people from [doing things related to unionizing](https://www.nlrb.gov/rights-we-protect/employee-rights) so if all their "socializing" involves protected activity (see previous link) they would have a case if fired. But it doesn't sound like they want to organize, just socialize.Answer #2: Texas is at will. Her boss can make a rule saying every morning she has to say a new & interesting fact about Britney Spears. If she doesn't she is fired.

There is no legal discrimination so he is free to set up what he wants.


Title: Was sold a fake game, resorted to violence - MN

Question:
I'm a Pharmacist in Minnesota and am an avid table top RPG enthusiast. I recently heard about a new game called "Myfarog" by Varg Vikernes, a man in France. This game is very hard to get a hold of in the US. Basically, what happened was that I bought what I thought was a copy of the game on the Facebook marketplace in my local area.

I met up with the seller, a small 5ft Eurasian man at the local Starbucks to make the transaction. I gave him 48 dollars and he handed me over a strange parcel wrapped like a Christmas present with a bow. I thought nothing of it and drove home. When I got home and opened the package, I was horrified to find nothing but a single shotgun shell and a note saying "Fuck you Gwailou". This was my entire paycheck for the day that I had spent so I was absolutely livid. I popped some green hulks and ended up getting really barred out. I decided to get into my car with a paintball gun and drive to the "seller's" house.

I was super out of it by now when I pulled up on his house, rolled down the window and shot about 3 cartridges of paint balls at his house, breaking a window or two. I actually ended up pulling over at the kerb and blacking out before I was able to get home. I woke up to find a text on my phone from the "seller" telling me that he would be pursuing legal action against me, and that it was caught on CCTV cameras.

 I have to say that money is very tight at the moment and I don't know if I can afford a lawyer. What on earth can I do?

Answer: Yeah I’m going with bullshit. For starters the the book is on amazon for $12 so I’m to believe it’s hard to get and you paid 4x it’s value. Next a “Eurasian” called you a Cantonese slur for foreigner, on a shotgun shell no less in MN. And lastly your response was to take drugs and shoot his house. Nope I don’t buy it for a second. But pretending it’s true don’t talk to he police and grow up.


Title: [MI] Ditching state w probation: consquences?

Question:
Tldr

I'm on probation for 90 days with 56 days of jail held over my head for a felony larceny which was dropped to misdemenor larceny.

Also with a tribal court system on probation for 6 months for theft; 118 days of jail held over my head.

Anyways all of this is misdemenor charges now. Say I leave my state of Michigan, and move to Florida. Can I still work and continue my life? How will this affect it. I understand going back to my home state will result in the jail time.

Answer: A warrant could be issued for your arrest and you could be extradited to MI


Title: [Texas] Wife, 4 months pregnant, being asked to train "helper" because she is pregnant.

Question:
My wife has been with her employer for 10 years. She is full time exempt salary with benefits. She works for a medium sized agricultural private company in Texas. They have some salaried workers but mostly employ hourly contingent labor. Her job is a desk/check inventory type of job. My wife is now 4 months pregnant and she's already let her boss know. Recently one of their top notch hourly personnel threatened to leave the company bc a different company offered them a higher wage. My wife's boss (good guy btw and a friend, but a lil clueless with this HR stuff, also he is not the owner of the company) had an idea to make this worker my wife's "helper" (to justify paying them more) and for my wife to fully teach this person everything she knows about her job. He specifically said it was to help my wife bc she is pregnant. My wife is not happy, she feels she is being set up. Have any laws been broken? What should we look out for? Also my wife intends to take the full 12 weeks off her company allows after birth. Thank you.

Side note: my wife told her boss she is pregnant but she did it in confidence (he is a friend of my wife and I) but now he wants to tell his bosses my wife is pregnant (she wasn't ready tell everyone yet) in order to execute this plan.

Answer:
 Is there only enough work for one person in this role?

If she strongly suspects she's being set up to be permanently replaced, start keeping a record of what's happening. Talk to an attorney about best practices if you're sufficiently suspicious


Title: from /r/Assistance (Serious) Life Goal: Moving to Las Vegas from Europe at any cost, to make her happy.

Question:
Hello fellow redditors, I want to share my current goal in life with you with hope to get help/advice on how to achieve it. I'm 20 years old, living in Bulgaria. I have a serious relationship with a girl who lives in Las Vegas, USA. We met last Christmas and things went so nice and serious that just in few weeks we started planning on how to live together. She can't move to Europe because she has a stable job, a house and a kid from past relationship. The only way to be together is me moving to her place. I've been searching for an answer for 4 months now and still haven't found a good possible way for that. I dropped university and got a job just so I can save money for that. I'm willing to do anything - pay amount of money, do tons of papers, work any job, anything just to make it happen. So I am asking you reddit for help/advice on that. I do believe in miracles, maybe some person or company can reach this and help me succeed on the most important thing in my life right now. Thanks in advance.

Edit: for clarity: The question is what possible legal options do I have to succeed on this big movement? Please help me with tips and advice.
Topic:
Immigration

Answer: Did you fall in love with a stripper?  Serious question. Because dropping out of school before you even really have a plan in place is mind bogglingly stupid.


Title: I kept my rental car for longer than what I agreed to

Question:
I borrowed a car from a national chain for a long weekend. That was over a month ago...yeah. Some circumstances have changed in my life. They haven't called me or anything. Granted, I have a new cell number and I've been staying in a different town with my girl.

What is the statute of limitation mutations? If I don't hear from them would the rental car company have to drop the charges? If it means anything I have an old warrant for parking tickets.

Pennsylvania

Answer:
 That's theft. You must realise you cannot just ignore this.Answer #2: >What is the statute of limitation

Depends on your location but probably between 2-5 years.

The whole time you keep the car they will just keep charging you for the rental, so you are just causing more issues for yourself. When you refuse to pay they will just get a court judgement against you and garnish any income you have over the next ~20 years or so.


Title: I can't afford my student loans starting next month, what do I do?

Question:
As the title says, my private student loans are in forbearance right now, and starting next month I'll have to resume payments. I can't afford to do this.

My total take home pay is less than the total cost of my rent. I live with my mom and the only way we're able to afford rent is with my income and her disability check put together. We're barely able to survive as it is. Once the student loan kicks back in, I won't be able to pay any of it.

Also, these are private student loans, so there are no deferments/forgiveness/income based payments/etc. I have federal loans as well, but those are on an Income-Based-Repayment program. So I don't have to worry about those for the time being.

What do I do if I physically can't pay it? Will they sue me? Can a private lender garnish my paycheck?

Answer: Call them and let them know what is going on. Answer #2: Suggest /r/personalfinance as well


Title: [WV] My brother was arrested for allegedly missing a court date and treated questionably by police

Question:
Background: Last year my brother was arrested on a drunk driving charge. It was his first offense and his BAC was under 0.15% (non-aggravated). I believe he pleaded NC. His license was suspended for 45 days, he took some type of state rehab class, and then was able to drive with an ignition interlock/blow-and-go.

At one point he "failed to appear in court" but it later came to light that the magistrate's office never mailed out his summons. I think this matter has since been cleared up but it may be important later.

Fast-forward to this month. He had to go back to court for some reason, but he went at the wrong time. The clerk then told him that he missed his hearing and they would have to reschedule, and he would be mailed the info.

Well, yet again he never got a summons. But one morning two weeks later, out of the blue, two police cruisers and four officers (Sheriff's deputies, I think) showed up at his house with an arrest warrant for failure to appear. They immediately cuffed him, did not read him his rights, and wouldn't let him put on a pair of shoes.

After he was taken to the county jail he was locked up **and denied him access to the phone**. The jailer just ignored him the entire time he was in there (~6-8 hrs), and he was also never given any food. The only reason we were even able to bail him out was that his girlfriend happened to see him get arrested. Otherwise he would have been transferred to the NC Regional Jail, and I'm guessing the costs would go up, on top of which we couldn't have bailed him out until the next day at least.

 Here are my concerns at this point:

* Above all else, I don't want him to get another charge on his record or possibly lose the ability to drive/work over some clerical error. Everything else is ancillary.

* The service of process does not make any sense to me. There is no way for him to prove that he never got a notice to appear in court. First of all, why can't they spare one person to serve a summons or notice but yet they can send 4 to serve an arrest warrant? If it was mailed, why do they not require some type of delivery confirmation? I imagine the magistrate's office will just say they sent it out, and the judge will take their word over his.

* ~~I know this doesn't really affect his case at all, but why was he not read his rights? My understanding was that there are very few exceptions, and this didn't seem like one.~~

* Why was he denied a phone call? This is the most egregious part of the whole experience to me. I don't think that should be allowed to slide.

* and a meal? He was in their custody at least through the time lunch and dinner would normally be served, and I would think that it's illegal to withhold food from an inmate beyond a certain length of time.

* What about the jailer ignoring him, especially if he needed medical attention? That doesn't seem right either.

I want to say unequivocally that I  *not* looking to turn this into a lawsuit and stir up a bunch of trouble, but at the same time I do not think the way he was treated is acceptable.

I have told him that he should at the very least look into a consultation with an attorney, although money is very tight. I'm kind of worried that if he does seek legal advice, the lawyer might either brush off his concerns as "oh, that's just how it is", or worse, try to blow them out of proportion.

I am hoping to get some advice here on how to procede (i.e. is a consultation a good idea, what type of attorney to look for, how do we know if we can trust the attorney's advice, etc.).

I would greatly appreciate any input.

Edit: Several comments seem to be focusing on the Miranda question. I get that my understanding was wrong, but I also thought I was pretty clear when I said *everything else was ancillary* and that I knew *it didn't really affect his case*. Basically, I only mentioned it to include as much detail as possible and figured it wouldn't hurt to ask (leave no stone unturned). I genuinely appreciate the explanations though.

I also spoke to him and found out some info I missed:

The first time he "failed to appear", which to me seems like the most *important* appearance, the magistrate personally called him and asked why he wasn't there. But after looking into it he found out his secretary had sent the notice to the wrong address.

Why he was due back in court this month: he had to return in 1 year after the original court date to submit a form showing his completion of the rehab program so that the charge would be removed from his record. I can't help but feel that his arrest over something this trivial was totally unnecessary, especially since missing the appointment hurt NOBODY but himself, and when he missed the hearing that *actually did matter*  (which again was *not* his fault) all he got was a stern phone call.

He confirmed that he had spoken with the secretary after he missed his appointment and that she definitively told him she had rescheduled him and he would be notified by mail.

Today, he called and spoke to the same secretary to ask why he wasn't notified, and all she could say was "there is no record of a rescheduling in the computer". So she either lied to him the first time, or is lying about it now.

Then I found out that his girlfriend left him and moved out because of the arrest. This whole incident is just so aggravating  that I'm really tempted to fight against the court tooth and nail, but I'm really trying to put that aside because I know it's not in his best interest.

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to read and respond.

Answer:
 Nowhere in your post did I see mention of an attorney. An attorney should have been guiding your brother thru this entire process and a lot of the confusion could have been avoided.

The short answer is that your brother was not read his rights because the police didn't have to. They served him a bench warrant and didn't interrogate him, correct? A Miranda warning typically isn't needed in this circumstance.

Your brother needs an attorney ASAP because there are a lot of issues raised here.

Edit: words


Title: (Orlando, FL) I am a business owner, I offer SEO as 1/100th of my business... Paypal said they wont do business with me

Question:
is it legal to deny someone certain business rights because of a service they offer? Like me, I offer Search Engine Optimization on my website. Paypal is punishing me because I offer SEO
Topic:
Removed - PII

Answer:
 You need to remove the personal information from this.

Paypal is allowed to refuse to business with you if they also deny their business to other people who do SEO.


Title: Do I need to get a passport to travel within the US next year?

Question:
I saw what looked like a fake article about requiring a passport for domestic US travel in some states in 2018:

http://www.inquisitr.com/4326878/these-nine-states-will-require-passports-for-all-domestic-air-travel-starting-in-2018/

I live in one of the states listed: Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Washington

The official language seems to confirm this:

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/news/real-id-not-needed-for-domestic-flights-until-2018.html

I don't fly much but I would certainly like the option.

This seems like a big issue and I'm surprised I haven't heard anything about this recently. I remember hearing a lot about "Real ID" a while back, but I guess it's about to be real.

It can take months and over $100 to get a passport. It seems like a major hurdle for people who can barely afford a plane ticket.

Will I simply not be able to buy a ticket if I don't have a passport? How would they verify this? Does purchasing an international ticket currently require passport information before you can pay?
Topic:
Consumer Law

Answer:
 It's not that you need a passport specifically; it's that your state-issued ID (such as drivers license) will no longer be adequate if your state does not comply with the REAL ID provisions. There are other forms of ID you can use that do comply: military ID, for example, or the various forms of Homeland Security "trusted traveler" identification.

You'll still be able to buy a ticket if you don't have a passport, because the airline won't be able to verify what kinds of acceptable identification you may have. Even if they were able to verify whether or not you have a U.S. passport, you might have ID from a federally-recognized Indian tribe or a military dependent's ID, both of which are also on the list of [acceptable identification](https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification). It is even possible that you might be allowed to fly without having any document at all, as long as you can prove who you are to the satisfaction of the TSA agent on duty. Answer #2: You can get a passport card for$50. As long as you aren't flying internationally you won't need a passport book.


Title: Landlord screwing us over

Question:
So I and my partner moved into this place under the guise that I'd be paying no rent until I landed a job (given statement was "there's no problem floating you a month or two"), and that the rent would be at a lower price. A month later were told we'd both be paying the lower price because I'd need to cover utilities at least. We agreed, that's fair and I could maybe eek it out.
So two week later, after we have no recourse but to move into the place (we've already been moving into), we are told tent is now doubled for both of us.

So we demanded a lease agreement. We were denied.
We had no money now to go anywhere else.
Two months later the landlord, on a personal vendetta (it's my partners mother in law) decided to throw us out. Finding apartments in our price range at the end of the year has been impossible, considering the money they've been charging us.

They've also harassed my partner about money, consistently, and entered our home without our consent or foreknowledge multiple times. They have their son, my partners ex, living here as an excuse and they go through him for all messages to us... Which have been almost nil.

We haven't received an eviction notice, we haven't been notified of -why-- we are being kicked out, and now she is hounding us to be out on the first and all our stuff or she'll remove us. There's absolutely zero way any of this has been fair and housing is literally impossible to find, what can we do? We are in Orlando, Florida.

To date, I have landed a job and my partner has landed a better paying job and we could get back on our feet given a bit of time to actually -save-.

Please help, any advice is needed.

Answer:
 If you don't have a lease, you're a month to month tenant.  They can give you notice and toss you out when that expires.  If you don't, *then* you get evicted.  When did you first get notice that you have to be out?Answer #2: > it's my partners mother in law

Is that a nice way of saying your own mother?


Title: Advice for possible case. Kick out of establishment during emergency situation. Making a person wait in the cold wet area for ambulance on the ground out side of store.

Question: Do we have a case. My wife was in cardiac duress having chest pain, shortness of breath, racing heart beat, dizziness and many other systems that resemble an heart attack or cardiac issues. We walked over to the nearest gas station for the police or ambulance to find us. We live on a hill with many other houses that were only accessible by walking. We attempted to contact the taxi service, police, friends, and family to pick us up. After going stay in the gas station for less than 10 min they tell us we have to leave because we are not purchasing anything. The cashier was a bit of smart ass. I explained that we are in an emergency situation she said what looking at movies. She made fun of us harassing us.  I asked for the manager she took a minute or two to get the manager. When the manager came out she gave me their names and said that we should have called 911 explaining we had to leave. I even tried to show her my call log they did not care. They made us wait outside in the cold and my wife had to lie on the ground while waiting for the ambulance. The 911 operator asked her to lie down or sit down which ever was better. We waited on an ambulance for over 20-30 minutes. The stress and embarrassment added to her condition. Her anxiety went through the roof and they still added to the situation. Do we have a case?

Answer:
 A case for what?  What damages did you suffer as a result of having to wait outside? (of course this is assuming that the store had a duty to let you stay there, which I highly doubt they did)

Also, why would you leave your house to try to go and sit in a private establishment that you had no right to be in?  Mind boggling decision if you ask me.


Title: Can my landlord do construction in my apartment when I say no?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Without your location (which is why the sub asks for it so prominently in the posting process and in the sidebar) and the details of the "construction" it is impossible to answer.

Landlords are permitted to repair their properties. Whether or not this "construction" are repairs depends on the details of the "construction" and the details in the lease... and the location. Every state has differing laws which is why it is asked.


Title: [CA] Co-worker accidentally drove over pedestrian (back in March) and is now being sued. What should she do?

Question:
A co-worker and friend of mine told me recently that (back in March) she accidentally drove over a drunk man who was lying motionless in the middle of the street and wearing dark clothing (at night).

She says that the police officer who arrived on the scene found the pedestrian at fault because he was lying motionless in the middle of the street. And she has documentation to prove the police officer's perspective.

Now (several months later) she is being sued by the pedestrian's family, and she just recently sent in the notice stating that she disagrees with the law suit and will be fighting it.

What should she do next? What advice might you have for her?

 And do you think she has any reason to be concerned? She's pretty worried about how things might turn out.  But I, personally, feel that it's hard to put the blame on her considering the fact that it would be very difficult to see a motionless pedestrian in dark clothing lying in the middle of the street at night.

Answer:
 >What should she do next? What advice might you have for her?

Notify her insurance. She should have notified them at the time of the accident, and she needs to notify them again so that they appoint an attorney to defend her.

>And do you think she has any reason to be concerned

Assuming she did nothing crazy to not be covered under her insurance, then she should be protected by her insurance up to the limits she choose.

Given the situation, the medical and other damages are likely to be substantial.

So, contact the insurance company. She is only likely to be in trouble here if the damages she is held responsible for(potentially 0) exceeds her insurance coverage.


Title: Sex with a minor while drink, she wasn’t.

Question:
I (18) had sex with a girl (17) while intoxicated. I drank enough to get drunk. I went out with her to hangout. Later she came back to my house and we eventually had sex. When having sex I felt fairly drunk. I’m very scared that this could effect me and need your help. I live in California. Thank you!

Sorry on mobile.
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer:
 The age of consent in CA is 18 and there is no close in age exception.  You technically committed statutory rape.  You shouldn't talk to anyone about this except for an attorney.  If the cops show up you state: "I am exercising my right to remain silent, I will not answer any questions without my attorney.  I do not consent to any searches.  I want my attorney."  You put that on repeat and keep saying no matter what the officers tell you.  It doesn't matter if they say its just a minor thing that they need to clear up or that they don't think its a big deal or that it will be better if you talk to them.

The fact that you were intoxicated will not excuse your conduct.


Title: [California] Can a landlord require me to get a periodic cleaning service?

Question:
Hello,
I live in Santa Clara county. The lease for an apartment I am about to get asks me to get a bi-weekly cleaning service. Is that allowed? I thought that's what the deposit is for.
Thanks.

Answer: Does it "ask" or does it say it's required?  If it's required and you agree to the lease, you're agreeing to do it.  In either case, you should be aware this is a landlord that takes cleaning seriously and is going to hold you to the highest standard legally allowed when it comes to your security deposit.


Title: [Texas] First DWI. Blood test. I'm going to go to AA. Where the hell do I start?

Question:
I'm 21, I got a DWI in a county FAR from home. I'm going to be entering AA and therapy voluntarily, as well as any programs that show I'm trying to improve my life. I've been diagnosed with anxiety and depression (I don't know if this will help any argument I can make at sentencing, but I hope so), and have been prescribed medication as such. I got a blood test, which I plan on calling to see what I got on my BAC, and I was very cooperative with the officers. I've also agreed to sell my car, and get a job close to home. And I plan to possibly go back to school, if I can manage this financially.

I'm planning on pleading no contest/guilty, but I wanna do what I can to get a light sentence or possibly probation. It was considered a Class B Misdemeanor. I'm going to be looking into lawyers and I'd just like to make this as easy as possible, considering. Where should I start?

Answer:
 You need an attorney. A local attorney. You are going to plead guilty to a misdemeanor. That will effect the rest of your life. You choice of places to live. Places you can work. All of these things are going to be limited with a misdemeanor crime on your record.

Hire an attorney tomorrow.


Title: Shared ownership issue

Question:
My sister and I are 50%-50% owners of a payed off house that is also her primary residence.

Last summer she put a new $15,000 roof on this house, and now claims that I am liable for half the cost.

I was never included in the desicion making process,  I never agreed to the project, my name does not appear on the contract or the proposal.        Am I responsible for half the roof cost..?

&#x200B;

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Answer:
 You are lacking way to much information for anyone to make an informed decision, thus why you post here.

She lives in this home which is 100% paid off from what you said, but it still has property tax and Taxes. Who pays this? Does she pay to live in the home? How long has she lived in this home that you partially own?

You don't owe her, but you really need to look into the information the above questions provide, and compare 7,500$ to, well all this other bullshit.Answer #2: Does she pay market rent for your half of the house to you? Market rent - $1,000 - she would pay you $500. Then you would pay for your half of repairs and taxes from this money.


Title: (PA) Acquiring a business, can I "not hire" one of his IC's with a disability?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 There is absolutely no way a person with a missing hand can renew his certificate as he would not be able to perform the skills portion of the exam. National registry has a two year cycle, check your state how long theirs is. If this person has recertified after their accident, the entire recertification is suspect. It is doubtful that your county EMS agency would knowingly allow a severely disabled person to retain their certificate.

Edit: After some reading, I don't think a skills test is required for recertification in PA after all (which is crazy to me). I recommend you require periodic tests from your employees.Answer #2: This guy is a walking lawsuit waiting to happen. Not only is it legal to can him, you should be doing so fast enough that your pen bursts into flames from atmospheric friction. Answer #3: > He uses independent contractors instead of employees

Unrelated to the disability, but this is always a red flag.  Just because the former owner called them independent contractors, does not make it so.  If they should be considered employees  you may have significant financial liability.  see the [IRS writeup](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/independent-contractor-self-employed-or-employee)


Title: Is this store sign legal? (MD)

Question:
I saw [this sign](http://i.imgur.com/cLIxoW5.jpg) posted in a store at a mall in Maryland:

> We reserve the right to search all bags entering & leaving this store

Do they truly have legal authority to search my bag, just because I walked into the store?

Answer:
 > Do they truly have legal authority to search my bag, just because I walked into the store?

Yes, because you agree to it as a condition of entering the store.  See that part about refusing service?  That's what that means.  You enter the store, you agree to a bag search.  Don't agree?  Don't enter.

Same thing applies to any other property.


Title: Girlfriend wants to dispute down-payment she put on my truck

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 She can dispute it, but the credit agency will do an investigation, which will include a criminal proceeding. You need to keep any and all writing to/from her, and only communicate with her via writing.

>I offered her 3k cash to just repay her but she wont take it.

That sentence turned it into a loan, as opposed to a gift. You shouldn't have offered to pay her back.


Title: I got scammed freelancing. What should I do?

Question:
State is California.

I do online classes for people (for money). I did the work for a client, and did it well. Got an A. Client then disputed the $500 he paid for the the class through PayPal.

What should I do?

Answer: So you want to file a complaint because you were committing fraud and didn’t get paid?


Title: I paid the security deposit alone, apartment's leasing says they have to refund it to everyone on the lease [Michigan, US]

Question: We have one person that hasn't lived here in a year and a half. The person doesn't respond, and won't sign herself off of the lease. We plan to renew at this apartment for the next three years, and the leasing office says everyone that has ever been on the lease has to remain on the lease unless they personally sign off. They say that when they refund the deposit they have to make the check to everyone on the lease. I won't be able to cash it if everyone is on there, even though I paid it by myself. What can I do?

Answer:
 > I won't be able to cash it if everyone is on there, even though I paid it by myself.

That is not entirely true.

However, if you are all on the same lease, then the apartment complex is not wrong for issuing the security deposit back to all the tenants on the lease.


Title: I need help please. I want to see which of my parents are right ,and which one is just manipulating and lying to me.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: I don't think we have anyone here who knows anything about Philippine law. That said, I suspect your mom is lying about it being illegal to give your dad the deed and that your dad is blackmailing your mom. In other words, they are BOTH lying and manipulating you.


Title: [Los Angeles, CA] My fiancée was fired for calling in sick, once, with proper notice. Is there anything that can be done?

Question:
A few months back, my fiancées father was coming in to town. We found out last minute. Haven’t seen the man in years. So, the day before he was scheduled to come out, my fiancée called into her work and said she’d be taking a sick day, because her father was coming in to town and she needed to see him. They fought her on it but reluctantly agreed. Two days later, when she came in to work, she was immediately fired.

She was a model employee. No write-ups, never late, got along with everybody on staff, stayed late to get the job done when asked, came in on off days to help out when needed.

Is this somehow a wrongful termination? Is there legal action that can be taken? Or is this just a case of, “that sucks, move on?”

Answer: No.  Using sick leave is only protected when you're sick.  She admitted she wasn't sick but needed a day off for another purpose.  It's not in any way illegal to fire her on that basis.


Title: [NJ] Boss is using webcams to eavesdrop on us. Is this legal? [x-post]

Question:
My boss is currently on vacation so he's out of the office. We found out that he has been using our "security cameras" to listen in on conversations we have in the office. We know this because he's emailed complaining about what was said. Our security cams are like those belkin netcams that are really supposed to be used to montior a house or a pet.

Is this legal? We all checked our contracts and no where do we give him permission to listen to our conversations.

We're in NYS (Westchester county) if that helps.

Answer: It's not legal for your boss to eavesdrop on your conversations. Bring it up with your boss first, but you can also pursue this legally.Answer #2: It's also worth noting that if he's out of the office on vacation *in another state*, he may be in breach of federal wiretap laws as unlawfully eavesdropping on an oral conversation without authorization, not to mention State labour codes or privacy laws.


Title: [CA, US] Help! My neighbor lied to the police and pressed charges on me for assault. I'm scared about what will happen to me next

Question:
My neighbor's dogs from down the street injured my dog and cost $9,900 in damages. Filed a small claim but the guy is not a permanent resident of the house and his name on the dog-ownership documents provided to us is not his legal name. I had a hunch he would try to move, and he is. So, I went over at night to take a picture of his license plate (didn't see him in the car since it was dark) and he attempted to run me over twice, actually hitting me with his car the second time and tried to blow cigarette smoke in my face. I covered his mouth with my hand and now he's claiming I punched him and is pressing charges for assault. Please help! I'm a girl in my 20s, at 4'11 and 115 lbs and I'm being bullied by an older man who has about a foot over me and around 60-100 lbs on me.

I am concerned since his significant other (who he has told me is his girlfriend, but to the police and court has said that is his wife) was there as witness, and I was an idiot and went to his house alone (I was on the sidewalk, his truck was facing the street). Also, I am pursuing pharmacy school, so I am scared of how this will affect my future. What should I do next? What happens next? If the system fails me, what happens? Since he knows where I live and I don't know where he lives anymore, should I file a restraining order?

Answer:
 >I was an idiot and went alone

Went alone where? Did you already attend a court hearing on this?


Title: Inheritance from a "relative" that I don't know.

Question:
I live in the United States. The other day I received an email informing me that I was the inherit a lump sum from a relative that I don't know. The first email is short so I'll just copy and paste it here.

> I am an attorney at law my contacting you is in
connection to the fund worth USD7.5 Million, left behind by my Late
client Mr. Numburz's relative,I seek your consent to present you to the
bank as the next of kin and beneficiary to the unclaimed fund kindly
contact me via

I responded saying that I don't know if this is real and that I will try to help if I can. He then responded with this email, http://imgur.com/hr2uXwi. If the link does not work let me know. He asked for my full name, full address, nationality, occupation, age, and phone number.

I just wanted to know if this is obviously a scam or if I should get a lawyer or something.

Edit: I'm sorry for my ineptitude, it's just 7.5 million dollars isn't a joke and it's not like I this happens to me a lot. I already figured it was a scam because I'm not the oldest person in my family, so why would I be contacted first. I just wanted to make sure that is all, thank you.
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer:
 >I have read through your email and I can see from all indications that you are very careful and cautious personal and those who approach issues with such carefulness as you have exhibited not only live long enough but win each race of life.

Son, do you really think that there is any possible way this isn't a scam email?Answer #2: 100% a Scam

google "attorney at law my contacting you is in connection to the fund worth"
and you will see the exact same email called out by scam bustersAnswer #3: > 7.5 million dollars isn't a joke

Yes it is, since it's a scam.Answer #4: Really? What makes you think that this ***isn't*** a scam?Answer #5: Congratulations, you're the recipient of a 419 scam. Do not pass go, do not send $200. Hit the delete button and get on with your life. Also, familiarize yourself with the following site:

http://www.419eater.com/

Now if you want to be a scam baiter, have fun. Otherwise just trash the scummy bastiges.


Title: Unknown car registered in my name

Question:
I recently got a letter from Nissan, directly addressed to me,  stating that their records indicate I recently registered a 2007 Nissan Versa in my name, and that it is under an urgent airbag safety recall. It continues on to say that the repair process is free, loaner is free, and largely I see nothing indicating it may be a scam.

However, I have never owned any Nissan vehicle at all, and I haven't purchased any new vehicle at all in several years. I'm clearly not worried about the safety of my vehicle, but I am worried about a vehicle that might be registered in my name that is definitely not mine. Should I be worried? What should I do about this if anything? FYI, I live in North Carolina.  Are there legal ramifications to ignoring the issue and there being sins random car in my name?

Answer:
 [You can check and see if one is registered in your name at the NC DMV](https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/Pages/default.aspx)Answer #2: The Takata airbag recall is a real thing affecting Nissan (and other) vehicles. I'd be more worried about identity theft.  It's time to pull your credit report(s) and see if there's wonky activity.Answer #3: IANAL.

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First: Call Nissan, check if the letter was really from them and ask why they sent it. Record this call if  it's legal in your area.

Second: If it was from them and not a mistake, check your credit report and see if there's any activity that you were not aware of such as new accounts in your name. Also document this if you DO find anything suspicious.

Third: File a report with the credit bereau if you found anything, and get it out of your name.


Title: CCW in Ohio

Question:
Good morning Reddit.
I have a legal question regarding my Ohio CCW license. I've tried looking up the answer myself online but have been unsuccessful.
Three years ago I initially got my CCW. I have since married and changed my last name to my husband's name.
My question is do I need to go update my CCW license to my married name now? Or can it wait until I renew my license in another two years? I'd hate to get arrested over my CCW license name being different than what's in my driver's license and my car registration.
Thank you!

Answer:
 >  My question is do I need to go update my CCW license to my married name now?

Yes. You also need to change your drivers license within 10 days of any changes.


Title: (ID) Can I file for harrassment?

Question: I want my husband to stop talking to another woman. I have tried getting him to stop and have threatened her to quit talking to him. Neither of them will listen to me and I am sick of it. Can I file for harrassment against her when my husband is the one talking to her?

Answer: No. She's not harassing anyone. You have a husband issue, not a legal one.Answer #2: This is a relationship issue.  An adult consensually talking to another adult isn't harassment.  The only thing here that may be criminal is you threatening the woman.


Title: (Ohio) Ex-wife driving on revoked license for visitation.

Question:
As the title says my ex-wife has gotten her license revoked until April 2017. I am the primary custodial parent, and she lives a hour and a half away from me.

It is well known by her and I both that she doesn't have a license to drive yet she's demanding I allow our two girls to travel with her for her visitation. I am in no way trying to prevent her from having visitation with the kids.  I've even gone as far as offering to drive both ways as to prevent her from facing the possibility of getting arrested in front of the kids.

 I guess my question is can I legally refuse to allow my children to get into a vehicle with her? I don't want to go that route but I feel that at this point I am left with very few other options. Any suggestions are welcome. I apologize if this comes out a wall of text I'm using my phone to make the post.

Answer: If you know someone is committing a crime, you are never wrong to notify the police.


Title: Employer is requiring I complete an expensive course every year on my own dime

Question: In my job there is a course you can take to receive certification in a technique. The course costs around $1500 the first time you take it and $800 for recertification. Your certification expires 1 year from the day you last took the course. Also, the location of the course moves around the country so I am also required to fly to the location and get a hotel for 2-3 nights, not an insignificant additional cost, not including any other costs I incur, such as food or ground transportation. The point is that the whole ordeal will likely cost around 1800 bucks, conservatively estimating. My boss says that I need to keep my certification active and I am responsible for the cost of the whole thing. is this illegal or just scummy? Any advice? I live in Florida.

Answer: All of it, including the cost of going, is tax deductible. This is common in the professional world. No different than attorneys who have to pay bar dues and get CLE credit. Employers can offer to pay it as a perk, but there is no requirement.


Title: The time clock at work rounds up to the nearest quarter hour punching in, and down to the nearest quarter hour punching out. It's also 7 minutes fast so on-time employees always lose about 7 minutes. Is this legal?

Question:
If you punch in at 7:46am it rounds up to 8am. If you clock out at 5:14pm it rounds down to 5pm.
I work in Washington state. It really bothers me because under the right circumstances you can lose up to 28 minutes a day.

Answer:
 This is illegal. They're allowed to round up/down to the nearest 15mins BUT 1-7mins round down and 8-14mins must round up.

So if someone clocks in at 7:07am it'll round down to 7:00am. If someone clocks in at 7:08 it'll round up to 7:15amAnswer #2: This is illegal.

Specifically, it violates §785.48b of Title 29 of US Code, which states:

"(b) “Rounding” practices. It has been found that in some industries, particularly where time clocks are used, there has been the practice for many years of recording the employees' starting time and stopping time to the nearest 5 minutes, or to the nearest one-tenth or quarter of an hour. Presumably, this arrangement averages out so that the employees are fully compensated for all the time they actually work. For enforcement purposes this practice of computing working time will be accepted, provided that it is used in such a manner that it will not result, over a period of time, in failure to compensate the employees properly for all the time they have actually worked."

If this is something you want to pursue (which is your right) you need to talk to a lawyer, but keep in mind, if you do, you will probably end up getting fired. Not necessarily legally, but it will probably happen. Are you able to support yourself in the interim while you look for a new job? Something similar happened to my brother. He fought it, got fired, but eventually prevailed. The trick though is that you need to be able to support yourself in the interim. Its not worth losing your job over a few grand if you are going to spend more than that supporting yourself while trying to find new work.

Good luck.


Title: Swatting troubles

Question: So basically I was given ownership of a Technic modpack and it’s server. The old owners threatened to swat me multiple times, and got me to pay them $15. They then threatened me again for $25 when Inposyed the screenshots in the public discord that was full of their old members. I understand it’s a small amount, but im sure they do it to others. I have screenshots from disc, and many witnesses from my server. Is there anything I can do? Ill find a way to link the pics later.

Answer:
 You call the police and inform the FBI cybercrimes division.

Do this now.


Title: I (minor-17) smashed a guys head with a bottle and slashed the other one in self defense at the store. Court date is coming up and I need advice on what to do/what to say? (California United States).

Question:
So, my birthday was a few weeks ago. My mom, 13 year old sister, my aunt, and my uncle headed to the store to buy supples for my 17th birtday party. In the store, I was with my younger sister looking for some cheetos and a soda to buy since it was a small party supply store. I noticed 2 men staring at my younger sister and following her around like creeps. I made her stay near me and I looked at the 2 guys and they got really mad.

They started trying to intimidate me and followed us around. I walked away and ignored them until thry started making remarks about my sister and I basically told them fuck you. They shoved me and started throwing punches. I’m only 5’9 and 140lvs while one guy was my height but really big and the other was taller but slimmer. Welp it was 1 on 1 and he dropped me because of the big size difference and he wouldn’t stop hitting me.

I was scared so I grabbed a bottle and smashed it on his face and tried to stab him but I onky left a big cut on his face and one his arm. He had a knife and tried to slsh my face but I covered it with my arm and I have the 2 scars of the slashes. Well the ither guy trued to jump me and my uncle ripped him off and the cops were there quick. They only wrapped my arm and gave me painkillers since it wasn’t a deep cut but I’m pretty sure the guy got a lot stitches.

After all that we have all the court date and stuff but I’m nervous. I don’t know what to do or how to dress or anything. I’m jut planning on wearig heans and a button up shirt but what kinds of things should I say/not say? Any advice?

Answer: You should say "I plead not guilty and request appointment of the public defender."Answer #2: Are you charged with something or going to court as the victim?Answer #3: Invest in some nice clothes (suit pants or khakis if you dont have the funds and a 30$ dress shirt) and get a lawyer. He will advise you on what to say if anything.


Title: I'm turning 18 in a month and my father owed thousands in back child support. Can I take him to court for it?

Question: I'm turning 18 in a month. I just finished my first year of college and live on my own. My father wants me to take him off child support after my birthday, but he hasn't paid it in years. He owes over fifty thousand all together as he has other children on child support too. Since he got married around 5-6 years ago he spends all his money on his wife. Would I be able to take him to court, and how would I go about doing it if I could. He lives in Alabama and I live in Louisiana.

Answer:
 You cannot. The parent to whom it is owed can.Answer #2: No. The money is not owed to you. Answer #3: Your mom would have too. Since she fronted the money for all those years it would be payback to her. Answer #4: Child support generally never goes to the child; only to the custodial parent.

It's the custodial parent's duty to seek modifications to child support agreements, not the child's.


Title: I’ve been unfairly banned from using an subscription website and don’t know what I can do about it

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > Is there anything I can do?

Legally, no. Private businesses have the right to refuse service.


Title: [MN] Friend is going on indefinite trip out of country, and wants me to hold onto his money.

Question: As the title says, I have a friend that is going on an indefinite trip out of our country and wants an easy way for him to access his money. He is doing something idiotic and stopping his credit card/mortgage payments as he is not planning on coming back here and wants the most money when he leaves. Yes, I know he is stupid and that is not what you should do but I cannot convince him otherwise. He is asking me to open a second bank account to hold onto his liquid funds and send him money as needed. Is there any legal repercussions for doing this? Sorry for formatting I typed this on my phone.

Answer:
 Yes. You will go to jail if caught aiding and abetting fraud.Answer #2: Do not do this.  Your friend is trying to hide money from his creditors.

Do not let yourself be apart of his bad decisions.


Title: I found a $500 cellphone in the backlane behind my house. How long do I wait for the owner to phone/claim it before I just claim it as mine? [Canada]

Question:
Is there some sort of legal standard, or is it a finders, keepers sort of thing? I want to do the right thing. I'd hate to lose something this valuable. But it's been 3 days already and the guy hasn't phoned his cell once to claim it. Nobody has. I know there's data on it because an email came in. But the screen is locked so I can't get any more information on the user.

At some point, if nobody claims it, I'll probably just reset it and sell it. But how long do I wait?

Answer:
 If the roles were reversed, what would you expect of the person who found your expensive phone?

Do the right thing and drop it off at the nearest police station, or even the nearest store of its cellular service provider.  Let them track the owner down.

Answer #2: > finders, keepers

Is not a thing at all.  There are a few types of "found" property:  Mislaid, abandoned, and stuff that's been lost for so long it's unlikely it could ever be claimed.

Just about anything valuable that you find is going to be "mislaid".  Who abandons a $500 cellphone?  Just about nobody, and a court isn't going to accept your claim that it was abandoned, should the rightful owner wind up suing you for conversion.

For legit abandoned property -- something that was intentionally discarded -- yeah, you can keep it.  But that's not going to happen very often unless you like rifling through peoples' trash cans or going to the city dump to scavenge.  A long time ago, a guy made a business out of scooping up all the horse manure that piled up on roads.  He turned it into a good business, so the City tried to sue him to hand over the money.  Turns out, horseshit is legit abandoned property, and he got to keep the money.

But a 9-year-old chimneysweep finds a modestly valuable ring inside a chimney, and eventually has to give it back to the lady who lost it several years ago.  Even though she'd forgotten about it, it wasn't abandoned.

The third category is like pirate treasure kind of thing.

So turn in the cellphone and go buy yourself a milkshake for being an upstanding citizen.