Title: Hypothetical Question regarding lawsuits. A teen took snapchat photos while crashing her vehicle at 107 mph. Her victim has sued Snapchat.

Question:
[GA] This is interesting in regards to suing Snapchat. If she is allowed to sue them and succeeds, could this open up lawsuits against alcohol and beer companies and even re-open lawsuits against firearm manufacturers?
[Link to the article](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/04/28/lawsuit-blames-snapchat-for-107-mph-crash-in-mercedes-caused-by-teen-girl-using-speed-filter/?tid=hybrid_experimentrandom_1_na)

Answer:
 IANAL but I would say that there is a difference between alcohol producers/firearm manufacturers and snapchat.

Alcohol isn't meant for consumption whilst driving or before driving. Nor are firearms meant to be used on innocent civilians. This function within the snapchat app however is meanth to record the speed by which somebody is traveling. So one could argue that snapchat made this function in such a way that it is to be used whilst driving taking away the attention of the driver from the road. Answer #2: Snapchat will win this case.  Even if Snapchat was negligent in creating this function, the wreck was caused by the intervening negligence of the driver.


Title: Can I call my bank and tell them to refuse payment of a restaurant bill?

Question: If I went to a restaraunt and the service was absolutely horrible to where I didn't want to pay. Could I tell my bank to refuse to honor the bill?

Answer: No lol You can't go to a restaurant, eat the food, pay, leave, get home, then decide that you want your money back... The world doesn't work like that. If you weren't happy with the service, you should have asked for a manager while you were at the restaurant. Once you walked out the door, you forfeited your right to argue over the bill.Answer #2: You can request it, but if the restaurant provided the food and service then it is unlikely to be successful. The time to make the objection about food and service is to the manager is before you pay the bill.


Title: [TX]Brother Questioned without Guardian, car searched, expelled from school, and (possibly) Slandered

Question:
My brother (who I have custody of) and some of his friends were recently accused of smoking pot at school. They were rounded up, and questioned individually by the school officials and police who would not let them talk to their parents or guardians. The police made demands to be allowed to search their vehicles, and threatend them with criminal charges for not complying or turning over on each other. My brother and his friends are pretty smart for the most part and didn't say a word and refused all searches...

Except for one girl who got so scared and frightened that she said he had pot and a pipe in his car to save her skin. This lead to my brother's car being damn near ripped apart and as they searched for the drugs and pipe and him being placed in handcuff's until they were satisfied that he didn't have anything in his car and they gave up on questioning him.

He's been suspended until further notice. I'm wondering if there's anything we can do about the situation and the damage this will do to his relationship with the school police, administration, and his teachers. I don't want him to come back and be subject to 'random' locker checks or singled out for investigation further. As well this has left him incredibly stressed and worried. The girl has since apologized to him and admitted she was just scared, do we have grounds for a Slander suit against her family? Or any grounds for suit against the school?

Normally I wouldn't go after a scared kid, but she lied and did hard damage to my brother's reputation and got him suspended from school. As far as I know any suit against the school or the officers involved is unlikely to succeed.

Answer: What's your proof that she lied, instead of being mistaken?Answer #2: [This](https://np.reddit.com/r/trees/comments/3npoov/a_tragedy_close_to_my_hometown_because_some_kids/) is currently one of the top posts on /r/trees. Legal questions aside, do we have another creative writer? The timing and details seem too coincidental.


Title: Do police have to read you your rights?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 They only have to read you your rights if they are asking you questions after they arrest you.

If they don't read you your rights and DO ask you questions, then any of your statements can't be used in court.

That's all- the case doesn't get dismissed out of hand... all the other evidence still stays in.


Title: My(31f) ex (29m) is a basket case!

Question:
I'm live in Utah.. What would get you a restraining order or report harassment on someone, I have an ex husband that still after five years will constantly have these outbursts, call me names, continuous text messages that seem never ending. We do have two kids together and I try to be civil with him but it's so hard when he's saying the meanest things, constantly texting over the smallest things. He doesn't communicate with me, he just goes crazy and psychotic on me for no reason. Tells me I'm a slut, a b**** and to f*** off. Like that is just a small example of things he says compared to the rest of the stuff he says. And for what? He doesn't pay child support for five years, he sees the kids two times a month which is his choice, he doesn't ask about their school or activities that they do.. nothing. He just always tries to create a big issue and it's taking a toll on me mentally and emotionally with this constant unnecessary drama he likes to put on me.
What can I do??

Answer: Odds are pretty good that unless he's _threatening_ you, or unless he has a history of violence, the most you can do is block his number. You may be able to get your custody order amended to force your ex-husband to communicate with you regarding your child through a neutral party such as TalkingParents or similar - talk to the lawyer who handled your divorce and custody case.


Title: Passed School Bus in Gwinnett County, GA

Question:
I was driving through Gwinnett County about two weeks ago and drove by a school bus that had just stopped, the stop sign came up as I was approaching it but I didn't think I had enough time to stop, so I went through.  A ticket came in the mail yesterday for $300 with pictures and a video from the bus, apparently they install these systems on school buses now.  Obviously the cost of the ticket itself sucks, but what I'm a bit more concerned about is the license points that come as a result of the ticket.

I'm 20, turning 21 on September 12th, but Georgia law states that while 21+ drivers can assess up to 15 points on their license before having it suspended, drivers between 18 and 20 can assess 4 points on their license before it's suspended for 6 months.  Passing a stopped school bus is an offense of 6 points.  However, the payment isn't due until September 16th, and my court date isn't until October 5th.

Assuming I'm found guilty/don't contest the ticket, when will the points be considered to go on my license?  i.e. if I pay the ticket after my birthday, I'll be considered to be 21 and won't have my license suspended as a result, or will I have it suspended since the actual incident happened before I turned 21?

Edit: I got a bit more officially confirmed information about the ticket, it is just a civil penalty so I don't have to worry about license points, so my mind is eased on that part.  Based on the wording of the ticket, I am liable for the penalty as the registered owner of the vehicle, but I have the ability to submit an affidavit stating that either

a) the vehicle was stolen, in which case a stolen vehicle report should have been filed prior to having received the citation, or
b) I was not the one operating the vehicle, in which case I need to provide a photocopy of drivers' license of the person who was operating the vehicle at the time.

Neither of these circumstances pertain to me, so my options are to either pay the fine, or try to contest it based on the circumstances.  The civil penalty sucks regardless, but it's definitely preferable to having my license suspended.  I haven't decided yet whether I plan to contest the ticket, but I appreciate all the responses!

Answer:
 I drive a school bus. I must turn on my warning lights about 200 feet back (not sure exactly). I drive along with the lights flashing and only when I stop, I put out the stop sign.

It sounds to me like the driver may not have given you enough warning that the stop sign was going to come out. Could it be that the lights were not activated long enough in advance? Maybe go to one of those ticket fighting places and try to fight it.


Title: I just got terminated because I told the owner that I will need to file a complaint with the Department of Labor if I don't get my entitled pay. Anything I can do about this? [TX]

Question:
Long story short, I got paid today and my pay was off about $100. I asked about it, and I was told that 30 minutes/day was taken out for every time I stepped outside for five minutes to go across the street to grab a drink/snack (I'm diabetic and my blood sugar goes low quite a bit).

Anyways, the manager said that he wasn't going to change it, so I called the owner to let him know about it. Once I said I'd need to file a complaint with the Department of Labor, he told me that he couldn't trust me if I were to work for him and to never come back and hung up.

I know Texas is an at-will state, but I feel like there's something that needs to be done about this.

Could this be considered discrimination because of my disability as a diabetic? I also feel like the Department of Labor is not a useful tool to utilize if I can get fired for mentioning it.

As of right now, I'm calling the Department of Labor to get a location to go to on Monday. I'm also calling Texas Workforce Commission to see about filing for unemployment and I'm already applying.

Anything else I should be doing at the moment?

Edit: Looks like they're going to pay me for the time I claimed they owed me. And I have an interview with a competitor on Monday! I definitely learned I need to bring up diabetes in the interview and make sure an ADA is in place for me. Thanks for the advice!
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 It's **not legal** to dock your pay like that but it also shouldn't be necessary for you to leave the workplace.  You are aware of your medical needs so should be able to plan for the day.

As far as being discriminated against, did you tell your employer why you needed additional breaks or did you just duck out whenever you felt like it? There could have been a reasonable accommodation here that worked for everybody.

Mention to the DoL why you were fired when you file your complaint. And apply for unemployment.

edit: I meant "not legal" not "illegal". Answer #2: You can file for wrongful dismissal since your dismissal was retaliatory, but it is going to be a huge amount of time and money.

To be honest, you're putting a fuck ton of effort into this over $100. It is going to cost you ten times that amount if you attempt to sue them.

>Could this be considered discrimination because of my disability as a diabetic

No? You have every right to bring insulin, food, etc to work. They were not stopping you from doing that were they?


Title: [Florida] I got a traffic ticket, the officer said it was $10, I come to find out it's $129

Question:
Miami, specifically.

A few weeks ago, I made an illegal u-turn (my friend was giving driving directions and google maps said you could make a u-turn but you could not and I clearly wasn't paying attention) and got pulled over by the police. The officer said he wasn't going to give me a ticket for that but he gave me one for not having proof of insurance (I could access the proof on my phone, which as far as I know is acceptable but he wouldn't let me). When I tried to offer proof he said "I can give you this ticket and you pay $10 or give you one for the illegal u-turn and you pay $180.

Naturally I went with the lower cost. But now I'm attempting to pay the ticket and the price is $129. The payment system gave me the option to request a court date so I have. Is there anything else I should do?

Answer:
 The officer was referring to the final cost once you show up in court with proof of insurance, rather than the amount of the fine for not actually having proof of insurance.

Request the court date (as you have, good !), and show up with proof that your insurance was in effect on that car on the day you got the citation.

A 'declarations page' may be more helpful than the little wallet card for proving that your car was properly insured at the time.

[Miami-Dade County dismisses these citations](http://www.miami-dadeclerk.com/traffic_civil_infraction.asp) when you appear in court with proof that you had insurance at the time of the citation, leaving you to pay only the dismissal fee, which is $10.

I believe you have the option of doing this entirely by mail instead of attending a court date, but I think they do it where you pay the amount of the fine (as bail), plus the fee, then get the bail money refunded.   If you have more money than time, that's the way to do it.


Title: Dentist gave my mom bells palsy

Question:
[LOUISIANA]

My mom went to the dentist to get some teeth worked on and they gave her a shot that damaged a nerve ending in her face. She said it was the most painful thing she has ever felt in her life. After she left the dentist feeling numb she went home, only to find that one half of her face "wasn't working". She immediately went to the emergency room and they began treatment for bells palsy. She is awaiting test results to prove that the dentists office have permanently damaged her FACE. Though she will regain control of the other half of her face, the doctor said that it is likely that it will happen over and over again for the rest of her life. Once you get bells palsy, you don't really get rid of it.

I told my mom that the dentists office have permanently changed her life for the worst against her will and that she should sue.

Just looking for advice on the matter. My mom is a great person and doesn't deserve for this to go without consequences.

Answer:
 I don't know that Bell's Palsy is the right diagnosis here; she has direct physical nerve damage.

Anyhow, regardless: in order to have a malpractice suit, you need to prove more than just "Something went wrong".  You have to prove that the actions they took violated the standard of care.  In other words, they absolutely shouldn't have done what they did.  If it was appropriate to give a shot in that circumstance, in the manner they did it, then it's unlikely you could have a successful malpractice claim.

You should talk to another dentist and doctor, to see what they think.


Title: Custody battle with pathological liar

Question:
Hey there, new to actually posting on Reddit. Currently in a custody battle with ex-wife in the state of Texas. Not trying to get sole custody, just trying to be the primary custodian and she be the non-custodial parent. Only wanting to reverse the current orders. I am in the military and am able to be deployed or to PCS. Here are a few reasons I believe the kids are best with me: 1) was deployed 3/1/17-11/1/17, first deployment since 2011. While I was gone she moved my kids to Missouri to live with their grandparents from 8/15/17-12/2/17 because she had a gall bladder surgery on 10/3/17. She has confirmed there were no complications and returned back to work as a nurse 3 days later and was medically cleared 3 weeks later. During this time span of being absent from the kid’s lives she posted countless photos out partying and drinking. Several times a week throughout the entire timespan. So capable of raising a 6 and 8 year old who aren’t very dependent. 2) has a reddit account that’s got the same username associated with twitter and Instagram with countless photos of my children and their location. Has posted a photo on twitter and reddit regarding my children. Has also posted on r/girlsgonewild extremely explicit photos and then claimed I had the photos, sent them to my sister, and she created this account impersonating her which isn’t true at all. I don’t want my kids being tracked down because she isn’t anonymous at all and I don’t want my kids growing up to find that garbage online. 3) during the time I was deployed the kids had 50+ unexcused absences/tardies a piece. She claims she had some random person walking them to/from school and had no clue they were constantly late or absent. 4) isn’t financially responsible, had home foreclosed, car repoed, got car back, filed bankruptcy, bought new car, cries about money when she gets $1k/month from me for child support.

I know this is a lot, but all she has done is place blame on other people. She has done none of these things at all. Someone else sent texts. Someone else posted her pornography. Someone else caused her to struggle financially. Someone else was in charge of getting the kids to school. The court case has been continued because we ran out of time and I can’t get a read on the judge. If she just keeps saying it isn’t her, what am I to do? I just want my kids in a stable environment where they get to be an actual priority and just have some stability. Any and all advice is much appreciated!

Answer:
 Things that happened a year ago are unlikely to be given much weight in court. If there are current issues, present those.

You need to hire an attorney.


Title: [WV, CA] Mother moved to different state with child without telling father. Fathers name is not on the birth certificate.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Was the child born in WV? If yes he should immediately file for custody/visitation in WV before she can claim jurisdiction in CA.


Title: Daughters mom asking for child support

Question:
i'll try to keep this short. I had a one night stand with a friend of my boss's wife at his house. The woman became pregnant, but my boss told me not to worry it wasn't mine \(yeah I shouldn't have listened\) fast forward a year and a half later and she texts me asking to take a paternity test. Intially skeptical she assures me that its for purely medical reasons she wants to know and I dont have to be involved if I dont want to. After the test showed I was the father I answered her medical questions and informed her I didn't want to be involved with the kid. I blocked this woman's number from my phone \(again not the smartest thing to do\) and moved on with life. Also want to add she was sleeping with muliple men and was trying to get pregnant \(didnt find out till wayyyy later\).

Fast forward another year and a half and she served me with child support papers. In that time I got engaged, and literally a week before I was served with CSP papers we found out my fiancee is pregnant. I have been battling health problems \( 3 hernia surgeries in 4 years\) and haven't been working the past year. I inherited about 100k from my father passing a few years ago and was using that to live and recently started going to school so I can change careers.  My previous job was a chef and because of my recurring hernia I can no longer work in that capacity.

Back to the woman, she is an elementary school teacher that makes $72,000 a year, pays $105 a month for insurance and 0$ for the kid. Also being a state employee and teacher she gets PERS \(state assisted retirement fund\) and summers off. She has checks showing she pays $1300 a month for childcare and recently bought a $400,000 house in july 2017.

The initial number the state wanted me to pay for support was $820 a month. I came to an agreement to pay her $250 a month. Months ago she agreed to $250 a month and said her lawyer would draw up a contract. I haven't heard from her since and I have a hearing with her and a judge tomorrow to discuss the amount of support offered.

Basically I am expecting a new baby in 2 months, we also have a seven year old daughter from my fiancees first marriage. I am starting physical therapy to try and help my most recent hernia surgery. Basically am I fucked? I want to believe the state would treat people relatively fairly and not try to bankrupt me, but I'm not sure. Also what should I expect from this phone hearing tomorrow?

any help or advice is greatly appreciated

Answer:
 Her financial situation doesnt change that your child is owed support from both parents. And your new child coming into the world also doesnt effect your obligation to support your other child also.

You agreed to pay 250. The judge may find that that is not enough. Or they may be ok with it. You want to make sure you bring everything about your current financial situation.

Edit: phone hearing. Just make sure you have the numbers in front of you/on handAnswer #2: The state doesnt care about bankrupting you--it cares about seeing a child is adequately taken care of by both parents.  Its highly likely that $250 is below state minimum payment, and if you're not time sharing, you should shoulder more of the financial costs, generally.

Theres a good chance that you'll be imputed your previous salary and just accrue arrears until you're working again.  Sometimes moms income will come into play in certain states--you dont list your location so this is all just a guess.


Title: Can an American use Dignitas?

Question:
I don’t know where to go with this, it seemed like a legal issue, so I’m trying here.

I’m an American citizen with severe mental illnesses, racking up medical bills and copays I can’t keep up with. I would like to just go ahead and “pull the plug” so to speak, and go down with a little more dignity than the US is willing to provide. But I am confused on the legalities of “suicide tourism,” and what I would have to do as an American to be able to use it.

What do I need to know/do to get this sorted?

**Note:** This is NOT a cry for help - I am not looking for sympathy, or karma, or anything else. I simply want to know the legalities of suicide tourism, and where I go to take the next step.

Thanks.

Answer: There are states in the US that have DAS. So so sorry to hear that you are in this much pain. You have the right to continue on how you wish. Good luck to you,


Title: I am making a videogame. Whats the copyright laws on weapons?

Question: I am making a game and i was wondering what the copyright laws were on old, WW2 era guns. Can i use their name and likeness? If i were to want them, who would i pay for the privilege?

Answer:
 Really you're more concerned with trademarks than copyright.

See this [article](http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE9460U720130507) for how the big companies handle it.


Title: Bfs apartment complex making them pay for extermination of all apartments [Utah]

Question:
My boyfriend and his roommates (3 total, all international students) had to pay $1200 to get their apartment exterminated of bugs. These are 3 really freaking clean, leave no mess type guys. When they told their apartment complex that there seemed to be some sort of bug in the apartment, they said the tenants had to pay. So they did.

I just found out about this. Now the complex is saying they have to pay $1200 for the neighboring apartments to be exterminated as well (1200 each apartment.) The apartment complex claims the exterminator said that the bugs originated in their apartment so they have to pay.

My boyfriend asked for the paperwork and the apartment worker was incredibly rude to him and told him to leave their office. She refuses to provide the paperwork from the exterminator. I told my boyfriend to wait and not pay that yet because this seems insane to me. Bugs can come from anywhere, how can they determine they are from my bf/his roommates? Based on how the apt complex lady was acting, it seems like she thinks she can pin it on them because they’ll just pay it. Is that legal? Can she make them pay to exterminate theirs and the neighbors apartments?

Any complex I’ve lived has had exterminators come every 6 months to prevent bugs, and I have never been charged anything for it. There’s nothing in his lease about bugs, just the normal ‘we are unaware of any current bugs’ paragraph. They’ve lived there 10 months.

TL;DR bfs complex is trying to make them pay for theirs and their neighbors bug extermination but won’t even provide the paperwork ‘proving’ bugs came from bfs apartment. Does he have to pay this?

Answer:
 Does the complex provide a bug service monthly?

Is it in the lease that extermination costs are covered by the tenant?

They wanted $300 for my 2 br-1 ba until i got another company to check the problem out.


Title: [FL] Glass case on a light post fell on my friend on a public sidewalk

Question: My friends and I were walking down the sidewalk when the glass top of a light post fell and broke on my friends arm. The cut was several inches deep and the glass was very thick. I would not be exaggerating if I said it could have killed someone had it landed on their necks. The glass fell independently of us. We screwed up and didn't take photos of the accident and now it's too late. We don't know what legal action to take and if the city is liable or an independent company. We also don't know the extent of the injury yet. What legal action do we take?

Answer:
 >What legal action do we take?

Worry about medical action before legal action.  If they are deep cuts get him to a hospital


Title: I got hit by a business car my car is totaled should I get a lawyer?

Question: I had a green light and this truck just ran a red light and hit me. Both vehicles are totaled, I'm a little minor beat up but don't think I need a doctor. I called my insurance got a rental setup for 30 days, should I still call a lawyer too to sue the company that caused this accented. It sucks because I loved my car but its may only be worth $3-4k the upgrades I did it should of made it run for another 100k. My biggest fear is getting a lawyer and the statement will be about the same if I just held it myself. How much value could a lawyer really bring to this? Does it change anything this being a business vehicle and not a personal vehicle?  This was in California.

Answer:
 >  I'm a little minor beat up but don't think I need a doctor.

You should absolutely see a doctor.

Before you get a lawyer why don't you see what your own insurance company will do for you. This is why you have insurance.


Title: On a birth certificate and wasn't aware

Question:
So, my boyfriend and his ex were married when she got pregnant, but divorced before the child was born. He didn't sign an acknowledgement of paternity or the birth certificate, so he thought he wasn't on the birth certificate. We picked up the birth certificate today because he's ex hasn't been very helpful in giving us information. My boyfriend isn't sure if this child is his anyways. Upon receiving the certificate we find out his name is listed on the birth certificate but they messed up some of his information on it. Washington state.

My question is, if he wasn't aware and never signed anything stating he was the father, was his name listed illegally? If so, what are his next steps?

Answer:
 He's [presumed to be the father](https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=26.26.116) if the child was born within 300 days of the divorce

So unless the child was born *way* post-term, he's most likely legally the father. He'll have to go to court to rebut the presumption (if he's not the biological father)


Title: Employer not allowing me to take full 12 weeks after birth for Maternity Leave (California)

Question:
I am currently 35 weeks pregnant and on maternity leave from work. I was put on disability by my doctor starting December 27th due to complications from hypertension.

I work for a smaller business with about 30 employees. I’ve been working full-time for this company since February 2018, around 1 year and 10 months.

Everything I’ve read so far states you are allowed approx 4 weeks disability prior to your due date, 6 weeks disability after birth (8 weeks for a C-Section), and 6 weeks Paid Family Leave after that. I was put on disability early due to medical issues, but I was under the impression this would not effect my benefits after baby is born.

I emailed my employer today to confirm the final 12 weeks of my leave will begin the day the baby is born. They responded and said they will only approve the 6 weeks of leave after birth due to me being put on leave earlier than expected.

Is this legal? Am I not entitled to 12 weeks of bonding with my baby under the New Parent Leave Act (NPLA)?

Maybe my employer doesn’t have to comply with NPLA because over half of their employees are part-time? (I have always been a full-time employee)

I’ve been really stressed about this, the thought of leaving a 6 week old baby at home is crushing me.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Part time and full time employees are counted the same way for employer eligibility for the NPLA. Your employer is covered by it

Your protections for your current leave are more tenuous, as you are not eligible for FMLA or CFRA


Title: Landlord wants more money after I broke my lease and won't return security deposit - Colorado

Question:
I didn't find any helpful info in the landlord-tenant wiki so I'll try to keep this short:

I lived in an apartment complex and needed to break my lease that still had 10 months on it. I gave the apartment complex 40 days notice (this isn't disputed) that I would be out by 9/30/2017 and paid them a $500 "re-letting fee". I noticed on 9/1/17 and 9/29/217 on apartments.com they weren't even making my apartment available to be re-rented until 10/15/2017 (I have screenshots of this) which is 15 days after I returned the keys and had all my stuff removed from the apartment. When I got a letter from them with what I thought would be my security deposit, it was a bill stating they were going to withhold my $600 security deposit and wanted another $600 for unpaid rent from 10/1/2017-10/23/2017. I called the landlord to work something out saying I would only want to be charged for 10/15/2017-10/23/2017 as I have pictures of the posting online and she even said (I recorded our phone call as we are a one-party state)  that they need at least 7 business days to clean the apartment (I never was charge for any additional cleaning as I left the premise spotless and have pictures of that) and wouldn't be willing to negotiate anything less. My case is that they weren't actively trying to re-rent my apartment during that time something in Colorado they legally need to do. I sent them a 7 day demand letter through certified mail, outlining my charge disputes and threatening legal action but haven't heard back from them as through my calculations they actually owe me $100.

*Does anyone think I have a case in small claims court here?*

Also, the apartment complex is owned by a larger apartment management company which is located in a different county. I looked up the 'registered agent' and sent him the 7 day demand letter as well as the 'landlord' on my lease. Who would I sue and what county do you think I should file the small claims suit?

Thank you so much in advance to anyone who can help me with this!

Answer:
 If I am reading this correctly...

Of course they can't turn around the apartment and have someone move in the day after you move out.

Two weeks (until 10/15/2017)  is very reasonable to assume that that would be the earliest availability.

And, they filled it 8 days after that.

You having to pay 23 days of rent on breaking 10 months of your lease is REAL fast turn around time.  Even if the complex was filled.

I think your going to have a hard time making a case that they did not make a good faith effort to fill the apartment.


Title: [MT] Custody of the victim in Montana incest case

Question:
I'm sure many people are now aware of this case, but the facts are: a 12-year-old girl was repeatedly raped by her father. After pleading guilty to one count, he was ultimately sentenced to 60 days in jail, reduced to 43 because of time already served. The minimum sentence is normally 25 years but the judge took advantage of an exception.

The judge's leniency was in part because the victim's mother and grandmother both spoke on the defendant's behalf, saying that his family, especially his sons, needed him, and that he had been a good father. The judge is now being subjected to impeachment efforts due to outrage over the sentence. (More here: http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/10/20/498676414/montana-judge-faces-call-for-impeachment-after-incest-sentencing)

My question is: is it likely that he will end up living with his victim again? It's clear from the linked article that she doesn't have any advocates within her own family, but will CPS or other governmental entities intervene? I'm assuming that registering as a sex offender does not prevent him from living with his own children, but I may be wrong.

(Mods: please feel free to delete if this sort of question is out of the bounds of the sub.)

Answer: The terms of his probation will likely prohibit him from being around children, family or not.


Title: [MI] Father fired for having facebook page made in his likeness, without consent, taken down.

Question:
I hope I'm doing this all correctly, I apologize if not, but here goes.

Just got a phone call that my father was fired from his job because he reported a facbeook page made in his likeness as identity theft, and had it taken down.  He was not asked for this page to be made.  The company hired a person to create pages for all of their employees without consent, with the name "Company" employee "Employee Name".  So, the name would show up as "Bob Evans employee Josh Smith" (Obviously neither of those are real).

Is the company legally allowed to do this and is there any recourse that my father can take?  This seems like identity theft to me, as I'm in IT, but I don't know how the legality of it falls within the Employer/Employee relationship that they can do this.

He does have it in writing from the company that he was fired for "Insubordination of responsibility Facebook removed by employee without pre approval"

I'm happy to update with any other necessary information.

Answer:
 No, that's not "identity theft," it's just a violation of Facebook's policies.

It's legal for your dad to be fired for this, because people can be fired for basically anything except certain kinds of discrimination.  He *might* be able to get unemployment.

Edit: Sorry, forgot to mention something else.  Depending on what was on the facebook page, it's possible your dad's employer was illegally using his likeness to endorse them without his consent and he could have damages under personality rights laws.  But unless he's famous or something there's probably not a lot of money in it.


Title: I received a $50 Walmart gift card from my boss for Christmas. Was totally happy until I saw that it was deducted from my paycheck. How legal was that?

Question:
I feel cheated. Is there anything I can do?

Edit - The "bonus" "holiday pay" and "overtime" are all blank :(

http://imgur.com/cMSMmt6

Full stub - http://imgur.com/knlAOkJ

Edit 2 - sorry everybody. It looks like they did add "employee --- 50.00" to my check, then deduct it.

Sorry to waste your time.

Merry Christmas :)

Answer:
 Looks like it was added to paycheck for tax reasons then removed for the gift card. Answer #2: Is it added and taken away? Or just taken away from your pay?Answer #3: This is for tax purposes. Gifts or rewards of, generally, $25 or higher you and your employer must pay income tax on. Looks like they "added" it to your paycheck, calculated your taxes, and then "subtracted" the value of the gift card after taxes were taken out to arrive at your net paycheck.
My husband can earn gift cards through his work. He purposely selects gift cards that are between $10-$20 so it's not considered income to him and therefor does t pay tax.
INAL but a tax accountant who happens dabbles in payroll. Answer #4: If you are an hourly employee, does the total amount (after the deduction of the giftcard) match up to what you would normally earn?

If yes, then what you are seeing is simply a "log" of you being given a gift. You are still $50 ahead of where you would be without the gift.

If the answer is no, and you are missing $50 from what you would otherwise have earned, then yes, this is a problem and you have a legitimate legal issue.

Out of curiosity, which is it?


Title: [LA]Neighbors harassing me over parking

Question:
Posting for a friend who is unfamiliar with reddit and not good with the words and such...

I own my home in a quiet neighborhood on the east bank of Jefferson Parish.

I have two neighbors, A and B,that are harassing my wife and I, along with any guests that we might have over. The issues stem from anyone parking in front of their houses.

We have been in the neighborhood since 2013 and have been confronted by Neighbor A roughly since day one, Neighbor B never before today.

I had a contractor come over to bid a job, who happened to park his truck on the street in front of Neighbor B's mailbox. It was well after mail delivery time, but given the situation, my contractor moved his truck away from the mailbox, but remained parked in front of Neighbor B's home.

This incensed Neighbor B, causing a verbal altercation to take place. I want to maintain that the contractor is parked on a public street in no violation of law.

Neighbor A, who has had issue with people parking in front of her property since day 1, recently bullied and insulted my wife one too many times, causing me to have to step in and have a heated discussion in her defense.

Assuming that everything my guests and I are doing parking on the street is legal, at what point does this behavior qualify as harassment and what can I do to get them off my back?

tl;dr Neighbors don't like cars parked legally on the street in front of their property. Is this harassment and how can I get them to stop?

Answer: Buy an old rusty $100 beater and park it in front of their house. Move it every day from front of Neighbor A to front of Neighbor B and vice-versa so it does not get towed away.


Title: My car JUST got stolen while in the dealers care?

Question:
Hello Reedit, my car got stolen from the Honda dealer while getting serviced. I filed a police report but don't know what to do next. Should I call my insurance? Is the dealer at fault? It's the weekend and I can't get any lawyer to pick up. Please help!

Edit: Sorry, I am in Arizona.

Answer: Call your insurance. The dealership has insurance for things like this


Title: (Idaho) An acquaintance is threatening to take me to small claims over a sandwich

Question:
I promise this is not a joke.  So about 3 months ago,  this acquaintance and I and a couple of friends went out for lunch.  We had ordered food separately but when they rang it up they accidentally put me and this acquaintances order together.  I did not have cash at the time to pay him back so he said he would just cover me.  Since then, our relationship has deteriorated and he has come to me asking for said payment.  He is threatening to take me to small claims over it.  Will he be laughed out of court?

P.s. the sandwich was 4 dollars

Answer: That you'd take the time to come here and ask this question rather than just paying $4, astounds me.


Title: I think Body style on my ticket is wrong

Question: I am actually selling my car today, so I was enjoying it a little this morning. 65mph in a 60, yep my thoughts exactly. Anyway, its a Focus "ST" and under style it says "SD". I looked up the style code and it says SD is '3D SEDAN' when infact my car is a 4 door hatchback. Would this be grounds for dismissal or am I out of luck?

Answer: Irrelevant and makes 0 difference.


Title: (TX) My SO of 8 years wants to kick me out of our new house.

Question: We've been living together for the past 5 years, might even be common-law married but not sure. He wants his childhood ex back and he wants me out. We'd only gotten the place a few months ago. Since I paid for the down payment (20%), I also have 50% ownership... And to think that I was once perfectly willing to have it all in his name only, ugh. I also paid off his car and then gave him the rest of my life savings to invest with. He's been threatening that if I don't sign a quit-claim deed, I'll never see a dime of my own money again. I work part-time and am a part-time student and have no real options... maybe sleeping in my car again? I feel so stupid and helpless. This was my first relationship ever. I don't know what to fucking do.

Answer:
 > if I don't sign a quit-claim deed, I'll never see a dime of my own money again.

You need a lawyer TODAY.Answer #2: Do not sign the quitclaim. You will never see a dime of your own money again if you do.

(also, re your username: don't. you'll get out of this and things will be fine eventually, but they definitely won't be fine if you kill yourself! if you are worried, maybe give the Nat'l Suicide Prevention Hotline a call.)Answer #3: He will probably try to intimidate you into moving out by being a general asshole. I think it would be a good move to see an attorney and get a letter written declaring your willingness to liquidate *your half of the house* through a sale. This will pretty firmly put on record for him your knowledge that house is half yours and make him aware that trying to  move you out will result in *neither* of you living there, as you'll force the sale to get (what little if any) equity you have out of the house. Sort of a mutually-assured-destruction approach. If this makes him act like enough of an asshole to hit you or something equally frightening and stupid, get a restraining order to move *him* out.


Title: Should I let my mom put her house in my name? Are there risks for me?

Question:
My mom was left my grandmother's house after she passed away. My mom has terrible credit and a bunch of unpaid debts; she wants to put my grandmother's house and the homeowners insurance in my name so she won't lose it for her uncollected debts. Should I do this? Are there risks for me? I am in Utah. Thank you!
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer: Yes, there are risks to assisting your mother in defrauding her creditors.


Title: Can you get an underaged possession of alcohol ticket fine reduced below the minimum?

Question:
I made a post on /r/tifu about this, so if you want the full story check out my post history for that. To sum it up though, my friend and I were drinking and tailgating before a metal concert, and cops showed up. It was my car, with the cooler in my trunk. I’m 18. I got a ticket for unlawful underaged possession of alcohol, code 2C:33-15.

I looked it up and it said that the minimum fine is $500. I have a court date, but I could plead guilty and just pay up the money. But I don’t have the money. Is it possible for me to get a state issued lawyer, or represent myself, and maybe potentially fight it down to below the minimum? Is that possible at all? Might be a dumb question but I feel like it’s possible, not sure though. Thank you.
Topic:
Alcohol Related Other than DUI

Answer: I don't think you understand what minimum means.


Title: Neighbor is casually threatening he may sue me over his buyers backing out of deal.

Question:
Backstory:  I live in a condo complex and have a neighbor directly across from me who has come after me with a 2x4, stood in front of my car and pounded on my door at night screaming nonsense and profanities.  I've called the cops each time and have police records for all of these occurrences.  I'm pretty sure he has some kind of mental disorder so I have some sympathy for the guy and against the police suggestions never gotten a restraining order (if he does anything again I am doing it). 99% of the time he's normal and waves to me and says hi and offers to help me bring furniture up my stairs.  This is what leads me to think he's got some mental problems.

Main Story:  My next door neighbor just sold his condo and it was in escrow.  About 10 days into escrow the new owners came by to look at the repairs from the inspection and to show their parents.  Well, the guy across the street had one of his episodes and chased them into their new house, while screaming and yelling that he was going to fuck them up and stuff like that.

My fiance was home and called me as this was going on.  He got into his car and drove off.  About 15 minutes later she had an appointment and was walking to her car when the new owners flagged her down to ask her about that guy and if she had ever had problems with him.  She was honest and told them all the issues we had with him and that she thinks he has a mental problem but we aren't sure.  Even the police told us something was wrong with him and used the schizophrenic word, "but they weren't sure."

Fast forward two days and the original owner comes to me and starts bad mouthing my fiance to me saying she needs to keep her mouth shut.  He said she told them he was a schizophrenic so they backed out and now she's liable for the things she said and if he goes to court she's going to be responsible for the words she said.

Is there any legitimacy to what he's saying?

Answer:
 The owner could be required to disclose known issues like the crazy neighbor, if the owner has knowledge about any known issues.  He wouldn't be successful in any suit against you for disclosing something he was already legally obligated to disclose himself.Answer #2: I love that the disturbed neighbor threatened and chased the prospective buyers, but somehow Mr. Wants-To-Sell thinks it's your fiancée's fault for explaining that this happens on the regular because disturbed dude is disturbed.Answer #3: No, he can't sue you for legitimately disclosing issues you've had with your neighbor.  Answer #4: You have 2 crazy neighbors if he thinks he can sue over this.Answer #5: Not at all. She could have said he was a giant blue heron for all it matters. The buyers had an encountered that clearly rattled them and made them think twice. You aren't responsible for what happened, and neither is your fiancée. Answer #6: Buy a bucket. Fill it will sand. Give it to the selling neighbor and tell them to pound it. Answer #7: > Is there any legitimacy to what he's saying?

No.Answer #8: FYI - fiancé is male, fiancée is female.Answer #9: Who is threatening to sue? The crazy neighbor or the neighbor trying to sell his place?


Title: [TX] Employer is forcing me to work with someone I filed a sexual harassment complaint against. Do I have any options?

Question:
Hello,

A little less than a year ago, an assistant manager began sending me some incredibly suggestive messages. I tried to deflect and ignore the issue as I am not at all experienced with how to handle these things however recently when I found out he was doing it not just to me but to multiple other women in the office we filed a complaint against him with the company. I was informed that he was demoted, but still has a job at the company and is being moved to the team that I work on. I explained to my supervisor and to the Sr. Vice President of the company and informed them that I do not think I will be successful working in an environment where I am forced to be with someone who sexually harassed me. I was told that they would consider their options. I know for a fact that there is literally at least one person on every team who feels the same way. I am supposed to meet with the head of HR tomorrow. I just have a few questions.

* What options do I have legally if I lose my job because of this? I know Texas is an at\-will state so I recognize that there may not be anything I can do however I thought I would check.
* I fully intend on turning in my two\-weeks if they try and make me work with this individual. Is there anything I should avoid saying in it should I be planning on pursuing any kind of action?
* I am wondering if HR is wanting to see if I am planning on suing. How would I respond to that should the question arise?

Thank you. It is a shame it has come to this as I do really like working for this company however ultimately my mental well\-being would be negatively impacted by working on a team with this individual.

Answer: If the harassment has stopped then the employer has met their duty. They don't have to reassign you. You are of course free to resign


Title: My roommate got a Nest cam and put it in the living room after I said I didn't want it due to privacy concerns - California

Question:
The camera is there to watch her dog but I feel uncomfortable being monitored in the privacy of my home. I verbally said that I don't agree with this when she was thinking about getting it and told her my concerns about where the data could go and/or potentially getting hacked. Her response was that she had nothing to hide because she wasn't doing anything wrong. I told her that wasn't the point and she didn't understand. She got the nest cam a week later.

Neither of us own the apartment and it was never mentioned before signing the lease nor is it stated in the lease. I have resorted to unplugging it when I get home and I can tell she is annoyed when I do so.

I tried Googling privacy laws inside a residence but couldn't find anything. If someone could please help me find this, I would greatly appreciate it. I found the below post about something similar but the OP lived in Canada and Canadian law was cited in the thread.

https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3pp4yw/do_i_have_to_disclose_a_nest_cam_to_my_tenants/?st=JCMPXXWJ&sh=90425050

Answer: She can put a camera in the common area. You can take down a camera in a common area.


Title: [Mobile, AL] Ex-girlfriend has furniture in my name with a couple thousand left to pay on it, I want to cut all ties with her, what are my options.

Question:
So my ex has some furniture with about $2500 left to pay on it, I tried to get the company to switch the furniture to her name a while back and they said they couldn't.
I am at the point now where I want to cut all ties with her and honestly she's the kind of person that will sell the furniture and leave me with the bill and no furniture.
She has already left me with a $1700 phone bill because I made her mad before so I know she will do something like this. I just need some advice because I am scared I'm going to be left with another huge bill.
Should I just close the account and tell the company to repo the furniture while I know where it is? I know it will hurt my credit but I really just don't care anymore, I can't take this woman having anything over me anymore and it's really stressing me out.

Answer: If she won't return the furniture or pay you for it, you can try suing her for its value.


Title: Eye Witnesses Identifications

Question: Just how reliable are eye witnesses? What is the weight that a Jury should place on eye witnesses testimonies? Is there any research that can support/disprove as to the reliability of eye witnesses?

Answer:
 Are you a juror right now? If so, you shouldn't be on the internet asking these questions. If you're currently a juror, don't read the answer.

Eyewitness testimony runs the gamut from perfectly reliable to worse than shit. There's many factors that go into the reliability of eyewitness testimony: what else was going on, was the person scared or excited, is it a cross-racial identification, how far away, had the witness ever seen that person before, how suggestive was the identification  procedure, was there a gun in their face, a million other things.

So on one end of the spectrum you have a witness who sees their brother in broad daylight in a calm, normal activity in a relaxed setting from ten feet away, and on the other end of the spectrum you have someone getting robbed by a member of a different race who snuck up on them before holding them at gunpoint in the dark in an unfamiliar city with people yelling in the background, who picked the defendant out at a show-up ID or the defendant's photo out of a suggestive lineup. Everything else falls between the two.

I've done some work with the Innocence Project, so I'll recommend [their summary](https://www.innocenceproject.org/causes/eyewitness-misidentification/) even if it may seem like a partisan source.


Title: Zip-line Accident

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Not necessarily. It will depend on the facts. Waivers are not absolute.

What you should do is set up a (typically free) consultation with a personal injury attorney. Bring the waiver or any documents you signed with you to the appointment.Answer #2: You would need to have a lawyer review the waiver you signed and the facts of the accident. Just because you sign a waiver doesn't automatically mean you have no recourse, for example if there was gross negligence on the part of the company.


Title: Being Robbed 3 times sucks

Question:
This is my first post :0

I currently live in Jefferson Park near USC (the ghetto...) and in the course of 6 months living here, my roommates and I have been robbed 3 times and this last time we lost about 30,000 dollars in stuff.. We are leasing through a company called Invitation Homes and they have been nothing but useless. They wouldn't even change our locks after this last break in (they told us to pay for it ourselves)
Then I find out that to break our lease, we have to either pay 4500 dollars (double our rent and our deposit included) or we find another person/people to rent the place out.

Number 1: I feel shitty trying to find someone else to live here because of the robberies that occurred here. I feel that this house is a target now.

Number 2: Is it worth it/possible to sue the company for life endangerment?

We just haven't had a break in a while and nobody is throwing us a bone. The LAPD doesn't even pity us, and we feel like people are shoving our face into the dirt, so I thought I'd get some feedback from you guys here.

Thanks guys.

Answer:
 The neighborhood you live in, and the crime that comes with it, is not the landlord's problem. You cannot sue them for "life endangerment" because you chose to live in a bad area.

That being said, Invitation Homes certainly [seems to be having a lot of problems keeping their tenants](http://www.salon.com/2014/07/09/one_percents_rental_nightmare_how_wall_street_scheme_blew_up_in_its_face/).Answer #2: 3 times and no renters insurance?


Title: (US) What is the safest state for men to get married in, legally speaking?

Question:
I'm thinking about proposing to my gf of 1 year. I hear all these horror stories of cheating skanks getting a divorce and running off with the kids and half of the man's money and possessions.

I'm wondering which states have the best laws that protect men's rights, because I have a lot to lose from a bad marriage.

Answer:
 You might not be ready for marriage.Answer #2: Dear christ.

Perhaps try r/mensrights.  I think they're a better audience for you. Answer #3: Damn, and here I thought this was going to be a post about two best friends who had been hiding their sexuality their entire lives. Each one secretly in love with the other.  They lived in a backwards community that openly prejudiced gays. Both scared that if they pronounced their love that they would not only lose the love of their life, but also lose their best friend to the bigoted thoughts of their community. But late one night after going out, one, a little drunk and lonely, decides to confess. The other is stunned, yet relieved at the same time. They have a secret whirlwind romance and want to move to state that openly accepts their proud gay lifestyle so that they no longer have to hide their devotion to one another in the shadows.

I was so ready to write a thoughtful response about how they can get married anywhere. That gay marriage is legal in all states and therefore they can marry anywhere they so desired. I would have also given them advice for them to throw the biggest gayest wedding in their community to be a shining beacon of progress in the dimly lit minds of their community.

Instead, we got this shit...


Title: [USA - MD] My family needs help legally getting someone out of our house.

Question:
Hello, I'll try to give as much info as possible without typing a full story.

So, I'm clueless about tenant laws in Baltimore, but I remember reading a while back that in some locations you cannot kick someone out who has been staying with you for a certain amount of time.

My cousin - lets call her Anne - moved back into the family home last June after she and her 3 kids got evicted. My aunt would have never let her move back in if the young children were not involved, but she loves her grandkids more than anything and Anne frequently uses them as a meal and shelter ticket. She's made it clear that if she leaves, the kids will be homeless along with her.

Living with her for the past year has taken a toll on the household. She refuses to get a job and she doesn't contribute. It's hard for us to save because most of our extra money goes towards our steadily rising bills and taking care of 3 kids. She doesn't take care of her children, which leaves my aunt (a tired, borderline elderly nurse), my mom, and I (a student who works and does an internship) to do the job. She's also addicted to opioids and she steals from us to feed her percocet addiction.

We want to get rid of her legally, but we don't know how. The children are also a concern. Any advice would help!

Answer:
 I see two issues here

1. Call child protective services because those kids deserve better. You cousins addiction issues will not look good in the eyes of child protective services

2. You and your family need to give written notice to vacate to your cousin. If she refuses then you have to begin the eviction process. I know that every state has a different amount of time needed for notice of vacancy so you need to lookup how long that is in your state and city  Answer #2: > that in some locations you cannot kick someone out who has been staying with you for a certain amount of time.

That's pretty much in every location in the US.

> We want to get rid of her legally, but we don't know how.

You follow the established process to remove a month to month tenant which starts by giving written notice to vacate.


Title: [California] First time DUI, broke and confused student.

Question:
I unfortunately lacked the judgement of a normal adult and drove under the influence last night. I got pulled over and blew above the limit. They left my car where it was and took me into jail where I blew a few more times and they released me to a very good friend of mine.

I’m a full time employee and student and just absolutely ruined everything with poor mistakes. I’m trying to figure out how to handle everything and where to go from here. Any assistance would be unbelievable helpful, thank you.

Answer:
 Get.a.lawyer.
This will cost $$$


Title: Illegal eviction, egregious privacy breach [Bronx]

Question:
To keep a long story short had a bunch of issues with our apartment (see post history), was on a group lease, other tenants withheld rent. I had an agreement with landlord to move out April 30, paid rent until then.

Since I moved into a new place April 1, I was trying to work out with landlord to leave early in exchange for my security deposit early. He didn't get back, girlfriend who wasn't on lease called. They agreed to send security deposit back early. I was planning on finishing cleaning out my room yesterday, but never actually agreed anywhere to anyone, as the leaseholder, to vacate early.

I get an email (along with other tenants) from one roommate Tuesday that she was instructed by landlord to clear remaining my belongings into the closet and sweep the floors in my room, since she will be staying and needs new cotenants. Along with this email was a picture of a very personal belonging, a sex toy, sent with the intent to embarrass me.

At this point I am livid with the landlord for instructing someone to breach my privacy, and effectively evict me before lease is up and before I agreed I was moved out. I have demanded the last two weeks of April rent back along with security. Landlord has stopped responding to me.

Assuming landlord continues being MIA and doesn't agree, what are my next courses of action?

Answer: Did you ask your girlfriend to call on your behalf?


Title: Getting emancipated this summer, landlords want nothing to do with me

Question:
Alright so this summer I plan to move out and get emancipated in Quebec. Ive been in contact with a few landlords, who don’t call me back after hearing my age. I already have a cosigner but money saved. Ive called an organization to ask for help and its been 5 days since I left a message. Im not sure what im supposed to do.

Thanks in advance!
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: What do you mean to plan to get emancipated? Do you have a steady source of income to support yourself? How old are you?


Title: My career might be in jeopardy.

Question: I am a third year medical student. I went to the bars last night and met a girl who seemed really cool. I drank too much and one thing led to another and she was in my apartment. I told her she was to drunk to have sex because she was trashed and acting crazy. She kept coming on to me so I jokingly had her sign a piece of paper i wrote that said " I "her name" consent to to sexual relations with "my name" I know I am intoxicated but am still willing to proceed." We had Sex and now she has her friends and family texting me threatening to sue me for rape. I'm really scared any advice is helpful. I'm from Iowa, U.S.A.

Answer: If you think somebody is drunk enough for their sexual consent to be questionable, they're drunk enough that their signature isn't going to mean much.


Title: [Indiana] Can my employer legally censor what I post on Facebook?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 The legal advice you've gotten is correct, and if you want to keep your job, you should stop.

Practically speaking, why on God's green earth does your employer have access to your Facebook posts?  Learn how to lock your Facebook down, and learn how Friend Lists work.  Not every "friend" needs to see everything you post.


Title: (VA) Hospital is backdating labs done in January to a previous date/visit when I did not have insurance.

Question:
I'm at a loss for what to do here. I had an ER visit at hospital X in December a few days before my work insurance kicked in. I started seeing my new oncologist who works out of hospital X as well in January. The oncologists office requested specimens of previous biopsies to confirm my cancer type. I got my treatment at a different hospital in a different state. This was my first visit with this oncologist.

The sample was brought in and tested and the prior diagnosis was confirmed. The lab tests were backdated to December the day after my ER visit. The hospital will not correct the dates. My insurance will not even look at the claim since at that date I did not have insurance with them. The bill is around $1,000.

I had no knowledge that they would be requesting my prior samples for further testing. The testing was done by a reputable doctor at the NIH so I'm not even sure why they retested the sample. I should note I've been in remission for about 6 months and was not receiving active chemo treatment at this hospital.  I had a flag on my account to be notified of things like this so there would be no surprise billing. I was not notified.

I've spent hours on the phone with multiple different people trying to get it corrected. They don't seem to see the problem that the labs are incorrectly backdated. Is there anything I can do?

TLDR: Hospital is backdating labs to December when I did not have insurance and billing me directly. The labs on the samples weren't done until January. They did not have the samples in hand until January. Insurance won't pay claim since the date is incorrect.

Answer: Request your medical records from the VA hospital if you havent already. Make sure your health insurance gets those records and not just a new claim form or corrected claim. Some insurance companies will even request the records themselves.  If a review of the medical records by your insurance carrier doesn’t correct the claim date of services and get your claim covered,then ask your insurance about your right to appeal.  The appeal would be with the insurance and not the provider, but it could be worth a try.


Title: Someone wants to buy my LLC registration (not the business)

Question:
I have single member LLC (registered in NJ), and I've been contacted by a lawyer whose client wants to reregister an LLC that is one space away from being the same. They've asked me to do them the favor of terminating my LLC so they can reregister.

I have a bunch of questions:

1. I can find the client's LLC (with the space) registered on the NJ website. The lawyer claims that the registration was expunged, which allowed me to register my business. Am I missing something here? I would think it would be gone if that were the case.

2. If this is a legitimate offer, what is a reasonable value? They've offered to cover the costs of terminating the business and filing fees, but frankly that doesn't seem like it's worth my time. If they offered $5-10k it might be worth it to me.

3. I have a fair amount of investment in the marketing (website name, trademarks, brand recognition) for this business. Is there a way I can continue to use the name with a different LLC registration, as a DBA? The business that wants the LLC name does not operate in the same industries as I do (not even close).

Any help would be appreciated. I feel like I'm going to end up going down the road of talking to a lawyer regardless of what I do at this point, but the situation just seems odd. That's another reason that they'd have to offer me a fairly significant amount of cash to get me to do something for them.

Answer:
 I'd consult a lawyer, but it sounds like they screwed up and want to inconvenience you without actual compensation. I'd pass on that, too.Answer #2: How were you contacted? This sounds like a variation of the domain registry scam that was going around a while ago.

Ex: person contacts you about someone wanting/using your business name/a very similar variant. Offers to sell you the rights to it with a “identity package” scheme.


Title: My former boss is using my personal information to stalk me in ca. Is this legal ?

Question: Hi everyone , my former boss and I had a fling and ever since I ended it with her, she's been stalking and harassing me for closure . When I asked her about how she's finding out where I live and work , she told me she uses my personal information like my social security to track me. Is this legal ? This is happening in California .

Answer: It is illegal for her to stalk you regardless of how she uses the information.


Title: Ex girlfriend is threatening to move to Colarado with my daughter - what are my options?

Question:
I've been thinking about posting this for a while, but now things have come to a head. Please bear with me, this is somewhat convoluted. I'll try to keep the information to the point in bullets below, then come with the questions.

This is in Virginia
* Ex girlfriend and I had a daughter together
* Daughter lives with her 100% of the time (which is NOT what we verbally agreed upon when she was born, and part of why I'm here posting)
* Ex currently lives in a house I own and rent out. She pays ~1/2 of market value on the house in rent, when she actually pays. The last time she paid was with her tax return, and that didn't cover all back rent owed, and it's building again
* We do not have any written agreement in place
* I do not pay child support
* I do help out when Ex needs anything for daughter that she can't manage
* I make ~6 times what she does
* I have 3 other kids that I've been single parenting on my own for 5 years, their mother lives in another country, so I am 100% caregiver
* She has two other kids whom she has full custody of now with every other weekend visitation with their father. This custody is fairly recent, ~1 year, before that custody was bouncing back and forth. I believe at one point she was not allowed unsupervised visits with her children.
* Before daughter was born, I asked for an abortion. Ex did not get an abortion, and I was there for the birth, and ex stayed with me for the weeks after the birth while she recovered from the c-section.
* I have a large, supportive family that all lives within an hour's drive. She has family nearby but they don't seem to like her (they don't invite her to thanksgiving, despite the fact that she lives about 10 minutes away)
* There are other character things I could share about her, but I'm not sure that they're relevant

Since daughter turned 1 (6 months ago), I have been asking for regular visitation, which is what we discussed when daugher was born. Ex has been pretty much dodging the subject ever since.

Ex throws things back at me like "you wanted an abortion" as the excuse for not letting me have daughter for visits. However, Ex also has asked me on multiple occasions to "babysit" daughter, as well as her kids, when she needs to do training or things like that for work.

Basically I can see daughter any time I want, as long as Ex is there and we're playing happy family, or if Ex needs babysitting.

I broke up with Ex, and she never really let go. Also, I actually met her for the first time 20 years ago when I was hanging out with her older sister, and Ex told me that she fell for me way back then. Not sure if that is relevant, but I'm writing it out as it comes.

We have had some on-and-off sexual encounters since daughter was born, almost always when she was bringing daughter over to visit, and her kids like playing with my kids too. She would always have to arrive late in the evening, and the kids would then want to stay the night, and sometimes I'd acquiesce.

Today, Ex contacted me via text and offered to send me pictures of her boobs, which I ignored, then she actually sent a picture anyway. At that point I replied with something to the tune of "we have a problem. Actually I guess I do. you refuse to let me have regular visits with my daughter and that's made you very unattractive to me".

At this point she kinda freaked out, we went back and forth a bit, and then told me she has met someone in Colorado who lives in a huge house and she's going to move there.

QUESTIONS:

* Can she move away with my daughter like that, if I say no?
* Am I likely to have a chance in court if I fight for custody? Ideally I would have 100% custody, but I've always tried to be reasonable. All I ever asked for so far was every other weekend, and that was always denied/avoided
* What options, if any, do I have here?
* Are there other things I need to be thinking about?

Thanks in advance, Reddit.

Answer: In the absence of a court order, she can move Witt your child anywhere she wants. You need to consult with a family law attorney.


Title: Retail employee and a laundry list

Question:
Alright, let's start off with that I'm working in NYC. I've had this job for about 3 months now. Assistant manager. There have been multiple times where me and other employees have had to work through our break(ie: Get X and Y done, or there are written warnings, so many warnings is a termination.) so, the arm behind the back is basically skip lunch and get your work done, or take lunch, don't get the work done, and get potentially terminated.

I am a keyholder at said retailer, I have the responsibility of basically keeping the store afloat while the manager isn't here. That's fine and dandy, but we have newer employees pretty consistently, as there is a high turn over. That means I never get an uninterrupted lunch break. Pretty much ever.

To top that off, there is a blatant inability to leave my store to even get my lunch. I have to pay to get it delivered, or have an employee take my debit card or cash and get me food. They say there must always be a keyholder in the store. Is this even legal to hold me at the store for an unpaid break, that I may or may not even get?

The next big thing is those breaks that we work through, get penciled in just before the schedule gets confirmed. What I mean is if someone is listed as taking a break or not, they put into the system that they did take the break. I have worked through numerous breaks to find out that I'm not even getting paid for said breaks. If an employee is listed as working a 4 hour shift and work through the whole shift, they throw in a 10 minute break during that shift, just in the schedule(taking pay from people,) to come up under hours limits.

Also, overtime in a single day. Is that not a law? I've worked a 12 hour day with two 30 minute breaks and got no overtime for it because it still ended up under 40 hours for the whole week. Full time here is apparently 32 hours.

Answer:
 http://www.labor.ny.gov/formsdocs/wp/LS443.pdf

You are entitled to an uninterrupted 30 min lunch, if I'm understanding that correctly, but it says nothing about being allowed to leave.

http://labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/laborstandards/faq.shtm#8

You aren't legally entitled to any breaks.

http://labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/laborstandards/faq.shtm#5

Overtime is calculated based upon hours per week, not hours per day.


Title: FL - Kicked my bad roommate's door open.

Question:
So, I have a roommate who never has his rent or bill money on time and currently has a cat without paying the deposit terms in our lease. After a rather stressful 4 months of living with him and trying to cooperate, I ended up kicking his door in when I got home today to retrieve a piece of glass (bong) he stole from my room this morning while I was away. Need to know if I fucked up somehow here, I already intend to replace the door now, we're all three on the lease, I'd like to find a way to evict him but I don't think that happens unless we all three get evicted. I really need some advice about the door and how to get rid of him if it's possible.

Edit: Does adding the fact that it did have a lock on it matter? His door, the one I kicked in.

Answer: Pay for the door. Stop kicking things.


Title: My brother says he lives at home for purposes of taxes and medicaid and car insurance etc. But he doesn't. Is this legal? If not, am I liable?

Question:
Location: New Mexico

This is a throwaway as my real name is associated with my regular reddit account.

My brother is a very rich man. He is worth millions. I am not rich at all, and in fact scrape by as a single mother.

My brother has lived in California for some years now. He has a crazy girlfriend that he doesn't want knowing that he's rich. I think he put his money into some kind of trust, but I really don't know. I honestly don't see him that often. He does not own any real estate at the moment to my knowledge, although I have no way of knowing if that is true or not.

A couple of years ago he had his mail forwarded to my home address as he said he was "traveling" and didn't want to miss anything important. He didn't ask me first, just did it, but since our last names are the same I guess the Post Office didn't think anything of it. So his mail comes to my house, and I stick it in an envelope and send it to him when he asks for it.

Six months ago he came to visit and stayed for a few weeks. He didn't pay rent or anything during that time. He bought a big SUV and had it registered is his name in this state using his mail that arrives here, and also got a NM drivers license. He then applied for Medicaid as he didn't want to pay private insurance any longer, and since assets are no longer considered (he says, I have no idea), he was granted Medicaid here in NM! For free! He has millions! And I am scaping by, paying my monthly premium on the health care exchange with the new Obama care.

Anyway, is all of this legal? He doesn't live here. He hates this state. He seems to be using me and my home to prove that he is entitled to New Mexican benefits. I am afraid that I will be in trouble. I didn't quite realize what he was doing until he told me.

Now he's leaving the country (he's no longer in this state, but hanging out with friends in another state at the moment) for a big six month overseas trip to the tropics so he can "rest." Normally he spends his time going to expensive spa weeks and other retreats, and he lives most of the year in California with his girlfriend.

What should I do? Anything? If this is all okay, then I will just let it be.

Answer: Medicaid is not effective outside of the state he resides in. So if he gets sick in another State or country he is not covered. You **must not** sign or say anything that says he lives with you. Frankly you should grow some back bone telling him to stop sending mail to your home and any mail that comes from this day forward for him to your home should be marked as **return to sender**.


Title: Florida landlord refuses to remove shutters for the duration of the entire hurricane season, which ends November 30th.

Question:
As the title states, the landlord refuses to remove the shutters which have been up since Irma. Landlord expects my wife and I to live without windows through the duration of the hurricane season. The lease does not state anything about which party is responsible for shutters. Would I be in the wrong if I were to remove the shutters myself?

Edit: forgot a very important detail - the lease being referred to was given to me as a "sample lease" to read before signing the real lease, but no lease has been signed. Landlord has been putting it off. Keys were exchanged and rent has been paid for each month since moving in.

Answer:
 Good news. We have another hurricane scheduled for this weekend.

He may be right in leaving them up, but in the future, call the city code enforcement. There may be rules for how long the shutters can stay up after a storm. Failing that, call fire department/fire inspector. Escaping a fire with hurricane shutters is very difficult.

There's a line between protecting the property and endangering the tenants by not allowing a means of egress.

Answer #2: I would be shocked if the lease allows tenants to install and uninstall window shutters - what does the lease say about the tenants being allowed to work on the residence themselves?


Title: I am a new attorney. My client is appealing based on my "ineffective assistance of counsel." What are the penalties I might face? (Iowa)

Question: [deleted]

Answer: He agreed to the plea.  The judge would have asked him the standard of if he was pressured or offered anything else outside of his plea.  He answered and agreed to his plea.  You'll be fine.  No contempt or fines, just a client who regretted his plea.


Title: [PA] Daycare mandates that no employee may 'friend' parents of enrolled children regardless if the child is in their class or not.

Question:
Our daycare recently implemented a policy where they say that no employee of the daycare is to have any contact via social media (e.g. friending on facebook) with any parents of children enrolled in the school.
I do not work in the education industry and am unaware of typical policy when it comes to this type of thing. I know teachers have to be super careful of their social media presence in general.
My issue with this policy is not that I need to be connected to my child's daycare teachers but rather we've become friends with parents of one of my child's classmates. This parent just so happens to teach a different class than what our children are in. Is the daycare within their rights as to say who their employees are and are not allowed to interact with via social media?

Answer: Luckily in recent years they've come up with a variety of ways to connect outside social media :)


Title: How do I legally combat telemarketers?

Question:
Lately it's gotten a lot worse.  I went from maybe 1 a month to about 15/week now, calls from all over the place.  They can fake their number, they refuse to give any information on the phone.   Even if you feign and ask them "Sorry, I didn't hear you who did you say you were with" they just refuse to identify.

I'm tired of my phone actually ringing for this shit because I get calls on my phone that ARE legit business from numbers I won't recognize, so I don't have  a choice but to answer.

AFAIK, I thought it was already illegal to telemarket to any cellular phone and I am on the DNC list.  And some of these are the same companies, some of them are robot callers to.

How do I fight back and make it stop.  I don't want my phone ringing for this stupid shit, I'm not okay with it.

Answer:
 99.9999% of these are scams. It's gotten bad nationwide lately. Almost all of them are outside the US.

There's nothing you can do aside from some apps that are good at detecting and blocking the spam calls.


Title: Age

Question:
Can grocery stores legally turn customers away for their age during this covid 29 stuff?  Stores in STL, MO are giving the first hour for the oldies.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 What do you mean by "legally?"

If the shop says you cannot enter, you cannot enter. It's private property, and in the immediate sense, the proprietor and their staff have sole discretion over who gains access. You can be removed by the police if you force your way in or refuse to leave.

The shop may be violating human rights laws such as the Civil Rights Act if they restrict services on the basis of protected classes. Age _is_ a protected class under that act, but only if you're over 40: minors and younger adults are not protected from age-based discrimination.

You're free to bring a lawsuit against a store if you believe they have illegally discriminated against you. That will likely propel you to local, if not potentially national, prominence, and there's a clear and morally-compelling spin the press will happily put on your efforts, so be prepared to be known as "that person who tried to sue a store for protecting vulnerable customers," regardless of the merit of your suit and regardless of whether you win. You'll also be waiting a while, as many civil courts either have closed or are closing because of COVID-19 risks. Finally, you may find that the store is unwilling to do business with you, personally, afterwards.


Title: If I use a fake credit number (that doesn't belong to anybody, so no money is being stolen) to access free trials, am I at risk of getting into trouble?

Question: I just want to sign up to free trial on services so I can obtain virtual points for a trusted survey website (Swagbucks). The credit card numbers are generated. Thanks all in advance

Answer:
 That's not how credit cards work. Just because you don't know who it belongs to doesn't mean it doesn't belong to anyone.

It's absolutely fraud.


Title: (Illinois) Ex-BF moved out over a year ago & won't move his stuff- is it ok to get rid of it?

Question: He moved out in November of 2014 from my 3 bedroom house to an apartment. He's taken a few things here & there but says he doesn't have room to store stuff- which I believe, but it's not my duty to store it for him. He has not paid me any storage fees. After this long, I'm legally entitled to sell/get rid of it, right? I've given him plenty of chances- he still has a key (so he can visit the dogs) so he could come get it at any time.

Answer: Send a 30 day notice by certified mail. Telling him to retrieve his stuff. After that you can move them to a storage unit (ya sucks to have to pay thqt first month for him )and provide the key for him to get his stuff. You can also call the local non emergency number and find out the abandoned dates and have it on record there to. I would also get my locks changed its never good for a ex to have they key to your place.


Title: Wife can't get diploma missouri

Question: So my wife graduated in 2011, she went to a private school and her father lost his job and fell behind on school payments. They won't give my wife her diploma because of her fathers debt with the school? Is there anything we can do relatively cheap to get her the diploma. On a side note the same private school let the youngest daughter start school this fall

Answer: She can pay what she owes for the schooling she recieved. They are not obligated to give her the diploma for classes she has not paid for.


Title: Is creating an abridged version of a book covered under "fair use"?

Question:
I've bought a few very good books over the past few years that I'd fully recommend to other people to read. However, they're very wordy 500+ page books that I think could be readily summarized in 50-100 pages for people unwilling to put in the time commitment to read the full thing. At what point does copyright come into play when writing a book like this?

Some thoughts:

  * **Can I mention that it's a short version of the other book?** Specifically, using it's title.
  * **Can I reuse images from the book?** Normally, "fair use" would cover this usage I believe if I stated something along the lines of "this is the image the original author used to describe the concept". However, I'd guess that writing a whole book like that is asking for trouble. Could I get an artist to redraw the images, conveying the same information but a new creative work?
  * **Do I need to have a new table of contents?** Or can I roughly follow what's in the original book?
  * **Can I add my own review / insight to the shortened book?** I'd add extra resources, my opinion on alternate products, etc. That would change the nature of the book if that matters. No longer just abridged.

The first one I'd like to target, I suspect the original author would be ok with it if I asked. I imagine he'd want to review the content and probably make some modifications to it. I'd be tempted to ask first but he might expect some kind of royalty and it's probably not worth it even without the royalty financially already so I don't know if it's worth it. I'd like to know in the general case though about this issue.

Location: US

Answer:
 No. Especially since the idea is for people to read your version instead of the "full thing."

Abridgment rights are specifically allocated in book contracts; generally they're licensed to the publisher along with the general book rights (hardcover, softcover, e-book, etc.). Rarely, they're reserved by the writer. Either way, there's a rights holder who is concerned with protecting his/her intellectual property. So don't do it.

Unless of course, you have permission. And yes, that may require payment of a royalty to the rights holder. In the case of the author you mention, that might be him or his publisher; no way to know without asking.


Title: Mother sued hospital where she was born and won large settlement

Question: I just have a question and I don’t know if this question belongs in this thread so if it does not feel free to delete it. My mother was born disable from her right side, for example her arm is small and her hand is in a fist, the doctors had to do surgery to her arm because it was all bent and what not but short story short, my mother’s mom and dad sued the hospital she was born from because they messed up the delivery. My mom won the lawsuit and she got a settlement in between I would say 1-10 million and that means she’s basically set for the rest of her life. She gets around 5 thousand every month to support herself and pay her bills ( House, food etc.) and I was wondering if when she passes away if they stop sending her money or will it go to next of Kin which is me and my brother until the settlement or whatever is fully paid off. I’m sorry I’m not the best at explaining things but I hope someone will be able to help.

Answer: You need to ask your mother. We can not know how the settlement was structured. It is probably an annuity that pays out a certain amount monthly. Any remainder left on the settlement amount when she passes, if any exists, would go to whomever she leaves it to in her will. If there is no will, it would follow the intestacy laws of her jurisdiction, which divide assets between spouses and children most of the time.


Title: (North Carolina) Used stepdad's name, now cannot prove identity

Question:
**TL;DR:**

**Assumed an alias as a child, now can’t prove who I am.**

**Location for the bot: North Carolina**

**Note: All names have been changed**

&#x200B;

My birth name is Emily Lynn Murphy (b.1975). My parents (teenagers at my birth) divorced and my mom remarried a few years later. When I started school I asked to use their last name, Miller, as mine so our family matched. So by 1st grade (1980) my school records said Miller at my mother’s request. My birth father, with whom I still have a relationship, was military and physically out of the picture. He knew I used Miler as my last name, but my stepdad (mother’s husband) never adopted me. In the early to mid 80s my parents had to apply for a SS number for me for tax purposes. When Mom asked, she was told by SS staffers to attach a request to the application that my card be printed for Emily L Miller. So... until 1996 when I got married,  I was Emily Lynn Miller. (On my school records, diploma, driver’s license, college scholarship, college records, taxes, marriage license ....) EVERYTHING!!!

&#x200B;

Upon my marriage, I became Emily Miller Myers (m.1996). When my husband & I divorced, I kept Myers because it was my son’s last name and the only name I’d used professionally. When I had a brief second marriage & divorce, my attorney added to my divorce papers that I’d return to my maiden name “Emily Miller Myers”, the only name I’d ever been known by.

&#x200B;

Fast forward to now: I went to renew my driver’s license recently and took all of my documents to go ahead and get North Carolina’s “RealID Federal Identification” and was denied. (I could renew, but my license says “Not for Federal Identification”.)

&#x200B;

They won’t do it because I don’t have a paper trail to shown how my birth certificate name changed from Murphy to Miller, because there’s NOT one!!! Even with my explanation and documentation that I’ve used Miller my whole life. So as of 2020, I won’t be able to fly, get on a military base, or get a passport!!!

&#x200B;

My attorney said to get a name change packet from my local courthouse, which I did.  However, that’s to change the name on my birth certificate. That’s NOT what I’m trying to do. That’s the FBI background check, fingerprints, letters of “reference”.... I don’t want to have to change my birth certificate or get adopted at 43 years old as I have no desire to remove all traces of my birth father.

&#x200B;

 I just need to prove that Emily Lynn Murphy, Emily Lynn Miller and Emily Miller Myers are the same person. The ladies at the Clerk’s office were baffled and honestly couldn’t tell me how to proceed. They finally said that I probably needed an attorney. They mentioned there might be something to be done through “civil” and I could present my documentation to a judge in a hearing.

&#x200B;

Now what?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 >My attorney said to [...]

Then do that. If the form does not seem correct ask your attorney what you're supposed to do. Asking random people on an internet forum when you've already got an attorney is just silly.


Title: Is it legal to stand outside a yoga place and take pictures?

Question: Not a creep. Only reason I ask is because the show inside man had poparatzi doing this. Seems like I'd get arrested doing this.

Answer:
 >**Can a property owner prevent me from taking pictures of his building, car, etc. from the outside? From the inside?**

>If you are taking the picture from a public place, and the subject is visible from that place, the owner does not have a legal right to prevent you from making photographs (although you could end up with broken equipment and/or anatomy). The answer is different if you are taking the picture inside (or on) private property. There, the owner gets to make the rules, and if he/she/it says no photos, then you can't take photos.

[Source.](https://asmp.org/articles/business-and-legal-faq.html#6)

That being said, regardless of if it's legal, it's really creepy. Even if you preface it by saying you're not being a creep.


Title: [California] Lets say a guy gets pulled over. The policeman searches his car without probable cause or consent. The policeman finds a dead body in the trunk randomly. Is that murder thrown out of court because of a unlawful search?

Question: [California] Lets say a guy gets pulled over for rolling through a stop sign.  The policeman searches his car without probable cause or consent.  The policeman finds a dead body in the trunk randomly.  Is that murder thrown out of court because of a unlawful search?

Answer: The body, and any evidence obtained pursuant to it, would almost certainly be suppressed as the result of an illegal search.  It would be very difficult for a prosecutor to maintain a case after that.


Title: How can I anonymously report a sexual predator?

Question:
Throwaway account for obvious reasons.

To make a long story short, my best friend's boyfriend is a teacher at a local high school and is making sexual advances on several students. I know this because my friend is protecting him. She thinks she can change him, but she's blinded. He isn't going to change and he is making her an accessory to his crime.

How can I report this without getting myself or my friend involved? The conversations (all sexual in nature, pretty sure pictures were exchanged) occurred via email and I can submit proof.. but I got that proof off of my friend's computer.

How can I report this to the proper authorities while causing as little damage as possible? We live in a small town and I know this will be major- how do I protect my friend? She really loves this man. I feel like I'm betraying her, but I can't risk him actually "hooking up" with one of these kids... he's in his mid/late 20s and they are 15 and 16.

Answer:
 If this guy is a predator, understand he has preyed on your friend as well and is using her. If getting her away from a predator is betrayal, Scar is the rightful king of pride rock.Answer #2: You can report anonymously, but be aware that the less details you provide (e.g. the emails, a way to contact you for further info) the less likely it is that something can actually be done if  you report.

If you can provide details from the emails (like names of students involved) then that would be helpful because then the investigation will have a starting point.

Answer #3: Teacher here.  In addition to whatever else you decide to do, I would email your evidence to the principal and administrators at the school from an anonymous email address. (You could also send it to the school board or the state's board of education.) Teachers at public schools in the US are very clearly told that any sort of inappropriate contact with a student is a serious offense and it's likely he'd be fired and lose his license.Answer #4: Just phone cps. Your friend is enabling a child predator. Just take a minute or two to consider the damage they are inflicting on children. Now that you know what is going on, if you don't report you too could be seen by cps as being complicit in this and it could affect your future too.


Title: Can I get in legal trouble for drawing "furry porn" (anthropomorphic creatures engaged in sexual intercourse with each other or with humans)?

Question:
My location is New York in the United States.

I'm a freelancer/hobbyist artist and one of my clients has requested a commission from me to draw a human female having sex with an anthropomorphic horse (this means that the horse stands upright and has a horse's head but with a human-ish body - think Disney's Zootopia creatures).

I have not accepted (yet) as I don't know if this is illegal to produce or disseminate online. I know this kind of stuff exists on the Internet but I haven't drawn it before. I'm sorry if this question sounds silly, but when you're an artists, you do get some unusual requests...thank you all.

Answer: You should be okay.  In the US this should be covered by the first amendment.  I'm unaware of any New York or Federal laws that would apply (except ones that have been ruled unconstitutional already).


Title: Am I Right

Question: I paid someone $5,000 for some work. A month later she sent me a bill asking for $5,600 more. I requested to see a signed fee agreement because I knew we did not have one. She never produced one and then had a lawyer send me a “warning” letter to pay. Now I’m being sued. Can she win without a signed contract?

Answer:
 You'd need to provide a lot more information. There are many circumstances where the lack of a signed contract wouldn't be a problem for the plaintiff. My hunch is that if a lawyer has taken the case and initiated a lawsuit, there's at least a plausible reason to think that they may prevail.

But without more, that's just speculation.Answer #2: > Can she win without a signed contract?

Sure.  You owe her for work performed.  You can argue that her fee isn't reasonable, and the courts would decide one way or the other, but a signed contract isn't required for payment.