Title: Porn Wikileaks is back up and running, do I have any legal recourse to get my name off of there?

Question:
Porn Wikileaks is a malicious website that posts personal information, including the real names, linked with stage names, of over 15,000 pornographic actors. The information came from a patient database managed by AIM Medical Associates which has closed due to the lawsuits caused by the leaks, a clinic where many pornographic film performers are tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

When you google my real name, or my stage name, this site pops up, and says "_____ ______ turned into a whore and went by the name ______ ______, degrading the family name by being a  pornographic whore and hooker. Find out more about this person's porn job by looking at the porn star's wiki page _____ ______. Contact Email(s): _________ & _________ AIM SN: ______ Cell Phone Number: 555.555.5555 Facebook link Myspace link"

In addition to this, the site says where I used to work, my old address, pictures and facebook links to my family members are also shared.

Is it possible to sue these people for emotional distress caused by harassment, defamation, or just force them to remove me from their site? Is it possible to sue AIM in some way even though they went out of business and no longer exist? How do I seek legal council for this and is it even worth it?

I was 18 when I did one film, ONE, and 19 when this site popped up. I made the mistake of engaging with them via their website contact asking them to remove my page, and was directed by them to the forum, where I was asked to argue my case for removal and then be subject to a vote. I was also told if I sent in a picture of my tits, I would be removed. I got trolled. Hard. Consequently they have all kinds of personal information of mine, some of which I divulged. None of what I said  involved my contact information or family of course.

The site went down a year or so ago and I was so relieved, but I just searched my name, and it's back up. Here is an article explaining the history of this site for those who are curious:
http://freespeechcoalition.com/aim-closure-pornwikileaks-what-happened/

Please help! I am just trying to move on from this part of my life. I'm 25 now and about to finish school and start my professional carrier, and hopefully in a few more years, a family. I'm not ashamed of my past, or what I did, but the emotional stress I went through dealing with this level of harassment, Well it was one of the darkest times of my life. It's taken me a long time to learn to not hate myself and remember that the decision I made to make that video does not make me a bad person. No one deserves to be harassed like this over a decision they made when they were 18, that never hurt anybody.

Edit: I'm a California resident if that helps. Also, wondering if them asking for pictures of my breasts to have the material taken down can be considered extortion or black mail? Also bout a year ago the site also was offering for people to have their names removed for $1,000. But I didn't have that kind of money, and even if I did there was no guarantee they would actually hold up their end of the bargain. Isn't that extortion?

I appreciate all the advice. It looks to me that I should just do my best to create more content on the web with my name to push the search results down, try and get google to remove the search links, and maybe change my name. Honestly, as much as I want my security and privacy, a part of me wants justice/revenge just as much. But  it doesn't seem like that's on the table. I believe in free speech. Maybe I would rather punish Donny Long myself over having the law do it.

Answer:
 Contact an online reputation management company. They won't help you legally, but they can help with this type of problem. Answer #2: It isn't defamation if the information is essentially true.  And it sounds like most of the harassment came from you voluntarily choosing to contact them.  If any individual continues to harass you, you might be able to get a restraining order against them, but it will be expensive and time-consuming.

You might look into a reputation management service to push these search results down for your real name.Answer #3: Even if you did have recourse, Donny Long is broke and living in east Asia somewhere, so suing him won't get you anywhere.Answer #4: Not legal advice, but what about changing your name? It's a bitter pill to swallow, but that way the name you put on resumes and use professionally wouldn't lead to this.


Title: The DMV: I moved from Louisiana to Colorado last year got traded old car up here, insurance swapped to CO registered car and I get this

Question: So short story in the subject. I had a Toyota truck in Louisiana and brought it up here when I moved to Colorado last November. At the beginning of January I traded it in for an SUV here in Colorado in mid January of this year. Today I get this letter that says I owe the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and corrections $525 for a lapse in insurance on the Toyota truck. There was no lapse as the truck was sold and apparently I didn't cancel the insurance until a couple of weeks (2/10/15 as noted on the attached image).  It seems ridiculous that I would have to pay $525 for a lapse in insurance that never happened. Also they say that they had sent me a notification back in April but unfortunately they sent it to my old address in Louisiana. Should also note that I have a Colorado drivers license as of the beginning of February of this year, 2015. I've been trying to call this public safety agency back in Louisiana for the past couple days but after a couple minutes and it says due to high volume of callers right now please call again later etc...  This all seems ridiculous to me, see the attached picture of the document I received. Do I have a leg to stand on?

Answer:
 Sorry to hear about that.  Before you take any action, you might want to see how the story I linked to below plays out.  People are getting letters for cars they never owned, for infractions that never occurred, and for issues that were resolved by out of state residence.  An estimated 1/2 of registered drivers in the LA got letters for infractions going back  to 1984.  OMV is trying to fund their operations -- think about that for a second -- because Bobby Jindal's insane policies bankrupted state governance.  Early reports are that OMV is doubling-down on this debacle.  It's bad enough, you may see some corrective legislative action.

http://theadvocate.com/news/police/13750278-148/recipients-of-louisiana-omv-demand


Title: NY. Acquaintance in trouble. DUI, jump bail, 2nd DUI no drivers license

Question:
I heard (so details aren't 100% yet) that someone I know, is in jail. I think the story goes something like, he was caught for DUI in New Jersy, posted bail, but jumped his court date.

Then recently, he was caught for another DUI in New York (not NJ for first DUI) while driving without a license. He has been in jail for 2 weeks. Group of friends thinking of bailing him out.

He has previous record but nothing for violent crime.

What kind of sentencing is he facing? How serious is this?

Also, if the first charge in NJ was not DIU but for something else like robbery, how much worse could it be?

Answer:
 >Group of friends thinking of bailing him out.

He's already jumped bail once, you understand that if he does it again, your group of friends lose their money right?

>What kind of sentencing is he facing? How serious is this?

He's facing two DUI's.  The sentence depends on which state processes his second DUI but generally he can expect to spend a few days to a few months in jail, thousands in fines, a long license suspension (1-2 years), and possibly community service (possibly in lieu of jail time).


Title: [NE, USA] Being sued because of injuries from a car accident that happened over 2.5 years ago. To my knowledge she reported no injuries. How do I go about fighting this?

Question:
Hey guys, just got a letter that said I'm being sued. This seemed extremely fishy to me as the accident was over 2 years ago and she is suing for damages, specifically medical expenses plus pain and suffering and lost wages, right now.

I'm 99% sure they weren't caused by the accident I caused because her car only had light cosmetic damage (repaired through my insurance). I impacted her at about 20 miles an hour or so after being hit by another car. From my knowledge, she went to see a doctor shortly afterwards and nothing was reported to my insurance, however she is claiming she sustained permanent injury to her neck and lower back.

Questions are, doesn't she have to provide evidence that it was this accident that caused the injuries without a shadow of a doubt in order to get payment? How do I know she didn't fall out of bed one day, injure her back, and blame it on the accident?

Question two, I have done some research on her since I received the letter approximately two hours ago. She teaches a yoga class that started about a year ago. This seems to obviously discredit her claims that she has permanent injuries to her neck and lower back. How do I present this? Do I keep it to myself until the court date?

This one I probably know the answer to, do I need a lawyer? She is suing for ~$9,000 in medical expenses plus future medical expenses, lost wages, permanent injuries, pain, suffering and mental anguish, etc. No total figure was given, but the $9000 alone is above small claims court in Nebraska.

Last question, if her litigation fails, can I countersue her for causing me pain, suffering and mental anguish, etc? If I go to court, I will be missing work, not to mention possibly an interview for a job (I just graduated with my Master's degree) among other things.

Thanks for the help.
Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer:
 > This one I probably know the answer to, do I need a lawyer?

Call your insurance company ASAP, they will provide a lawyer for you.


Title: My friend put me down as a reference for his security clearance and I'm concerned.

Question:
Hi /r/ legaladvice,

So my friend and roommate put me down as a reference for security clearance. I know he has smoked and I have smoked with him many times. I know on his application he put "no" for the answer to this question, and i think he is expecting me to tell the government the same.

I feel really stuck because on one hand I don't want to screw over my friend, but on the other hand i don't want to commit a federal offense.

Can anyone shed some light on my situation here? If he gets caught I'd imagine I'm probably in trouble too, or would they really just focus on him since he's the one with the clearance. (I do not have it and have no interest in ever getting it).

Thank you in advance.

Edit: the bot said I need a location. Didn't think it applied because this is Federal, but this is in PA.

Edit 2: thanks everyone for your insight. I'm going to refuse to be interviewed and I'll tell him to find another reference.

Answer:
 I'm not a lawyer, but...  He'll be denied his clearance if you tell them he smoked weed and he's caught lying. As /u/Cypher_Blue mentioned, clearances are testing your trustworthiness and allegiance. It's *possible* they'd have overlooked his pot use, but I think people are being pretty optimistic about the Federal Government's views on pot. Could be a DQ, depending on the gig. But being a liar is a definite DQ.

Is this for TS/SCI or just Secret? Either way, you don't want to be a liar, so don't lie to them. But you're also not compelled to answer those questions.

Were I in your unenviable position, being a pretty loyal dude and a non-Blue Falcon, I would just tell them something along the lines of "I'm sorry, I don't really feel like you know him well enough to answer those questions."

Then I'd backhand my buddy for putting me in that position without consulting me first.


Title: Welcome to Wonderland, Texas.

Question:
If a criminal defendant asked their defense attorney for a copy of evidence being used against them, and that defense attorney stated:

I can't give you a copy of the evidence. If I give you a copy, the County Attorney will refuse to give me evidence in the future.

What would you make of this hypothetical situation? (e.g. Was this legal? Was this ethical?)

edit: This would have occurred before the Michael Morton Act of 2014.

edit: I should have been more clear. The hypothetical evidence is an audio/video recording. I will add this to the original post.

Answer:
 The Michael Morton Act went into effect on January 1, 2104.  There are a good number of changes - some good, some bad.  What you're referring to is a hot button issue.

Basically, under the law: defendants can view information provided under the Act, but they cannot have copies of it.


Title: (IL) My fiance and I are making payments for our daughters birth. On our last visit (November), they told us we have until the end of December to pay off $1000 or it would move to collections. Is this legal?

Question: I thought if you are at least making gradual payments on the account, you'd be okay. We have been making monthly payments, but now we're being told to have another $1000 paid off by the end of December or it would go to collections. Is this legal?

Answer: Did you setup a reduced payment plan with the hospital or have you just been paying what you felt like?Answer #2: Yes.  Collections isn't a special legal status.  They're just companies who buy debt for less than face value  and collect it themselves.  You could sell a debt to collections the second you got it.  It would just be a stupid business move.  The legal stuff deals with when a debt can be reported to a credit agency as delinquent


Title: [CO] Applying for merchant guard license as a self employed individual.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 This is something you don't want to start and test as you go.

If you intend to make money on it, spend the cash to talk to a lawyer now.  Get everything in order (registration, licensing, and **insurance**) before you start operations.


Title: Father owns land on which I live. He is mentally unstable. Talking about selling land. (Tennessee) Options?

Question:
My father owns 5 acres containing two homes (he lives in one) across 3 parcels of land. A few years ago my girlfriend and I took our saved money, completely remodeled one of the homes, and now live there.
This is a 2.5 acre parcel of land. Newly remodeled home. We pay the small loan we took out to help with the remodel, the property taxes, and insurance.
My father lives on the other 2.5 acres, two parcels of land, no house payment, pays for property taxes and insurance.
He is extremely bi-polar and has declined rapidly in his mental state over the past few years. He has also had bouts with skin and throat cancer, seemingly exacerbating his anxiety and mentality.
He is divorced, depressed, unhappy, and says, "I'm going to sell this land and go somewhere else." Uh...what?
What are my options for legally owning the land?

Answer: Buy it from him. Answer #2: Your only option is to buy it. Not sure why you took out a loan to remodel a home you didn't own.Answer #3: Did you ever have any agreement about taking over the land or buying it from him? Even if there was just an oral agreement, you may have a chance at something. But if you didn't, you are in a tough spot, you're basically a gratuitous guest. You might, maybe, be able to get something for the value of the improvements you conferred to him, but that's all i can see.


Title: Can I sue my sister in law for not repaying me for her plane ticket?

Question:
My family and my older brother and his wife planned a vacation. I had paid for it on my credit card so I could get reward points, while everybody would give me their share of their own ticket.

My brother and his wife got into a huge argument and haven't seen eye to eye in the last few days. Now she's refusing to psy for her share of the ticket as agreed upon. The ticket has her name on it and I can't get a refund.

Answer: Yes probably if you can show she agreed to pay for it.


Title: How should you react when a customer refuses to pay for a completed service?

Answer: Rationally, and based on **way** more information than you chose to provide us here.Answer #2: Use people skills


Title: Landlords won't rent to more than one person, or a family with children (British Columbia, Canada)

Question:
Hello!
I apologize in advance if I am posting in the wrong subreddit, if so please delete my post or I will myself.

My 2 and a half year old and myself live in British Columbia, Canada. I have noticed a number of landlords post ads that say "adult orientated building" or "single working person." I do know that according to BCs RTA (residential tenancy act) landlords cannot discriminate based on the age of possible tenants (they can only create buildings for 55 and over.)

I have been searching for information relating to tenant limits. I'm sure there are bylaws that limit the amount of individuals allowed in buildings for protection of firehazards. Can a landlord in BC legally dictate that only one tenant can rent a suite/apartment?

I apologize for any formatting and grammar issues. I am half asleep.

Answer:
 A landlord cannot discriminate on the basis of family status or age. So, saying "no children" is out. Saying "married couples only" as opposed to an unmarried couple, or "no single parents" is out. Make a complaint to the human rights tribunal if this affects you.

But if the apartment is small, e.g. a bachelor suite, saying "one person only" is not illegal. Answer #2: Most areas have parts in either building codes or the legal definitions of apartments that stipulate that they need to be 350 square feet + 50 square feet for every resident beyond the first (numbers are examples only and vary by area, I have not referred to BC's code). What "Single Working Person" might mean is "this leased space is too small to legally allow a second resident". That would be legal.

If the space is legally capable of supporting multiple people then there are likely discrimination rules that come into effect that would probably make those statements unenforceable.


Title: Do shows like Law and Order: SVU bias jurors’ perceptions of real life sexual assault trials?

Question: Like in SVU the prosecution is often seen as the side fighting for justice and the defense are the villains. Does that spill out into real life trials? Do jurors who watch that show convict more often?

Answer:
 Actually csi effect and law and order effect have a pretty big effect the other way in my experience.  People are expecting mega dna evidence  or enhanced security footage when that stuff doesn’t realistically exist and/or isn’t usually done.  It’s actually pretty rare to have dna evidence in a child molestation case for instance, particularly when it’s a family member.  Yet jurors have been conditioned to expect that kind of thing.

 Even in major assault cases, a lot of the items aren’t dna tested at all or dna testing is inconclusive because it can be very difficult to obtain results from touch dna.  Pretty much this is all a dna expert will talk about.  Dna is obviously super powerful in like a forcible compulsion rape case, and it’s often conclusive evidence either to inculpate or exonerate a person in apprpropriate circumstances.


Title: My aunt is being beaten by her son

Question:
Hi guys, forgive me for the throwaway account, but I do want to keep this as anonymous as possible. My aunt lives with her two sons, one of whom is severely drug addicted (I'm not sure exactly which drugs he's on. . . I believe it might be a combination of painkillers and benzos).

His behavior is out of control. His mother, my aunt, is the one who rations his pills and he's always wanting more. If he doesn't get what he wants when he wants it, he goes absolutely insane. He's been beating her with crutches and once attacked her with a kitchen knife, but luckily her oldest son was there to intervene. He'll also go out onto the porch and scream at the top of his lungs that she's abusing him, which she isn't. The only abuser here is him. She's had to call the police 30 times in the last three months (according to her) but apparently they've done nothing because my cousin claims it's because of his "autism".

Here's  little bit of background: he's not autistic. We both went to the same therapist together for a period of time, and I was diagnosed with Asperger's and he was diagnosed with behavioral problems, which seems about right. Even before his drug problems, he's always been very bully-ish and abusive and it was up to me and his brother to keep him in check. This has gone on long enough, and he needs to be dealt with.

What are my options here? I'm currently in San Diego, California.

Answer:
 If he is a minor she can place him in a treatment center, group home, or military school.

If he is an adult she can kick him out. Answer #2: http://www.womenslaw.org/laws_state_type.php?id=10920&state_code=CA

I am very sorry this has occurred.  For whatever reason, the police often forget that in many States you can obtain a domestic abuse restraining order against someone who is not a romantic partner.  California is one of those States.  Your aunt needs to file for a restraining order and request that a temporary restraining order be immediately issued.  She will get the TRO the same day.  Once she has it, she takes it to the police and they will serve it on her son and escort him out of her home.  (I strongly recommend that she has the locks changed on the same day.)  Answer #3: If he breaks the law (e.g., committing assault and battery), she can call the police. If he's an adult, she can evict him if necessary. That's about it.


Title: Can a landlord allow people to look at your apartment without notice?

Question: I just had people knock on my door to look at my apartment since I am moving out soon without an appointment or any knowledge they were coming. So I did what any normal person would do at least I think and refused them entry. Is this even legal? I thought a landlord is not even allowed to just enter without notice so why are people coming to my door expecting entry?

Answer: Yeah that's not legal. In IL he has to give you 24 hours notice of things of this nature. That can be vague, but it has to be like (2:20 on the east coast now) potential tenants will be shown the unit between 3-5 tomorrow, July 27th.Answer #2: Was your landlord with them? Is it possible he didn't send them, that they visited on their own? I've had this happen to me; since they knew the address from the listing they showed up at 9pm and knocked. I did not let them in. They were confused and annoyed that I did not want to let complete strangers into my home when I was alone to poke through my stuff. I alerted the landlord, he was pretty upset (at them, not me).Answer #3: Yeah, your LL can't do that without 24 hours notice. With that being said, I would contact your LL and request 24 hours notification before showing the suite. You can be as confrontational ("Yo LL, you can't legally enter my suite without 24 hours notice. Next time I'm calling the police) or as amicable (Please allow me 24 hours notice so I can make sure the place is nice and presentable) as you want.


Title: Found out I'm living in an illegal sublet. Help!!

Question: Obligatory: this is happening in OH, USA. I recently moved to another state for summer work and sublet one room of a 4 bedroom apartment from Craigslist. I paid for the two months I would be residing in the apt up front. I was never made aware of any lease transfer fee. I was approached by management recently, who told me I was illegally trespassing and that I had to leave the premises immediately. I cannot leave the apartment as I have a nowhere to go and have to work. I can't afford temporary living in a hotel. I only have 1 more month of living in the apartment. What should I do if they try to evict me from the apartment? Can I simply stall the process long enough for me to finish up my work and leave? I understand that the legal tenant is responsible for fines incurred, but still would like to avoid being kicked out and avoid any criminal charges.

Answer:
 You aren't illegally trespassing. You have permission to be there from the tenant.

The tenant is in violation of their lease and may face eviction due to your continued presence.

The tenant is an idiot and decided to take your money for housing. They are your landlord, and you their tenant. You have a right to be their and proper notice to vacate. If they violate those rights they are liable for any damages incured, hotel costs, moving costs etc.

Eviction is often a drawn out process, it may take longer than you intend to be there. If your 'landlord' is evicted you get booted out with them. They still owe you the housing you paid for.

If they want to avoid eviction they should be negotiating with you to willingly vacate.

Plan for some stressful times if you stick it out.


Title: Landlord failed to tell us deposit was non-refundable and never put it in writing; do I[24F] have legal standing to get it back?

Question:
My BF and I have to move by August 1st (our lease is up and the house we rent is under new ownership/they are raising rent.) We found a place that he really likes. It is an independently owned house, not an apartment complex, with one other tenant above us. I was on the fence about it but figured it was the best we would find so we decided to go for it.

We paid first month to hold it which is $950; we paid cash and received a receipt signed by all three of us that it was paid and would hold the house for us for a move in of July 15. On July 1 we are scheduled to sign lease and pay security deposit. No lease was signed as of yet. There was nothing on paper about fee being refundable or not.

Today we got an email from landlord saying that the fee is non -refundable and she hopes we understand. We should have asked before hand but it slipped our minds and it was just a holding fee so I never expected it to be non refundable. I have this sick feeling in my stomach that she did this intentionally as to avoid refund, like she knew if she mentioned it ahead of time we would be less inclined to pay. I'm not usually the kind of person who goes on gut feeling but I just can't avoid this horrible feeling. (There are a few other reasons that put me off) I was iffy about it before but because my BF liked it so much I went with it. In hindsight I shouldn't have pay the deposit.

My question: do I have legal standing to contact her today saying we were unaware it was non refundable and as a result have decided to pull out? Should I tell her it is because of the shady move? If she does comply, should I pick up cash in person or have her send it back as check? What if she refuses? I am nervous about emailing her that we do not want to live there but being forced to be her tenant for a year.

EDIT: I am located in Philadelphia.

Answer:
 You left something out of the story.

You paid your deposit, something happened, and now you're not signing the lease.  What happened that prevents you from going forward with the lease?

The nature of a deposit is that it is not refunded, but it goes toward the rent if you follow through with a lease.  Your location might have other regulations on deposits, but who knows?  You didn't tell us your location.Answer #2: The deposit is an advance on the rent paid for the owner to take the property off the market and hold it for you. Normally, you are due your deposit back if the owner declines to rent to you. If you change your mind about going forward with the lease, then usually you forfeit the deposit.


Title: (California) I am currently a working as a contractor(1099 tax form) for a small business, are they violating my rights ?

Question:
This is my first time working as a contractor(web developer), so I am still a bit confused on what rights I possess working under a 1099. For the most part they are pretty flexible with my schedule (I am a full time CS student so this works well for me), they also
pay me an hourly rate, but I am forced to work in an office at their location for 8 hours a day. They also strictly require me to take a 45 min unpaid lunch just like the other employees and it is also worth noting that they do NOT give 10 minute paid breaks at all to any of their employees including people under W2, salary based employees and independent contractors like me. I have requested in the past to be allowed to work from home because it is a lot more convenient for me since the offices there tend to get a little noisy with clients coming in to check out the show room and such, I was denied that request because the owners don't believe in remote work.

I know for a fact they are violating a ton of labor laws because the guys that work in the back assembling cabinets are sometimes forced to work more than 8 hours and are not compensated for their overtime, and again, no breaks for them either. Recently I was told by my co workers that the owners are planning to fire me because I ask questions about my paycheck (sometimes my paycheck doesn't add up), it makes me upset because I pretty much built their eCommerce site from the ground up and have brought in close to $100,000 in revenue to the company ever since I started working here, not to mention I get an hourly rate of $12.50/hour, which is pretty much considered chump change for a web developer around here (I give preference to flexibility over income because of school).

Various resources around the company have also told me that the accountant here cooks the books for the owners every year when tax season comes along,  I am honestly surprised they haven't been audited. The owners are very cynical and abusive to all the employees working here, lately they've been firing people for really petty reasons just to show how replaceable people that commit mistakes are to the company. I am pretty much ready to head out the door soon and leave this toxic environment, but I want to know if there's anything I can do for my coworkers and myself in terms of lawful justice and compensation ? and how badly am I going to take a hit from uncle Sam when tax season comes along ? being this is my first time filing taxes under a 1099.

Thanks in advance Reddit !

Answer: Ah, California.  You won't need a lawyer to fix this.  Contact the [DLSE](http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/), about the misclassification.  Call the [IRS](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/independent-contractor-self-employed-or-employee) about not withholding taxes, and not paying their payroll taxes.  If you leave that "job", file for unemployment.  EDD will make a determination as to wether you were an employee or a contractor.  Even if they find you are not eligible for unemployment, they might go after the company for not paying the required UI.


Title: My 3 week old son got a virus from the hospital he stayed at for 3 weeks

Question:
Son was born at 33 weeks. Stayed in the NICU for 3 weeks due to feeding issues(he would get tired and not finish) his platelets were 200 when born(important later on). We finally brought him home after 3 weeks and 5 days later He has petechia all over his body

We call the pediatrician and she tells us to come in to make sure it’s harmless. She says they should not be on his feet and to go to a bigger children’s hospital for faster results.  We get there and they do a chest x Ray, ultra sound. All clear nothing weird. They check his blood and the results come in, his platelets are at 2000(normal should be 150000). They do a platelet transfusion that night and also give him IVIG. Next day his platelets rise to 24 but the doctors say they want to check his bone marrow to make sure everything is working. They do the bone marrow (really stressing for us as parents. His hemoglobin levels are also low so he gets a blood transfusion that same day.  We get told the whole doctor team doesn’t know what’s going on because they’ve never seen this before at such a young age.

Bone marrow is working correctly also no leukemia so that’s fine. They take 15 tubes of blood to check for viruses. We tell them if there’s no symptoms we want to go home. We go home after a platelet transfusion because his count is at 16.  Slowly every few days we go back to the hospital. Results for the viruses come back and all are negative but they didn’t have enough for 1 certain test CMV, so they need more blood to try it again. We go back earlier today and his platelets are at 110.

CMV results come back positive. Doctors say it makes no sense he was born with such high platelets and there’s no way they could have dropped that fast from the day we brought him home from NICU in just 5 days.  They’re pretty sure he had gotten it from the NICU he stayed at and will give them a call later on. My girlfriend calls them just to let them know “hey your donor milk might be infected and I just want to let you aware the doctors said he probably got it from the hospital” because we don’t want it to ever happen again.  The charge nurse replies “oh well Yknow it’s possible to get it from cat feces too, do you have cats?” Umm no we do not have cats and wouldent go visit him with cat shit on us we obviously just let her know it’s what our doctors told us and she ends it by saying she’ll let her team know.

Is there anything we can do. The trauma of the week in the hospital, the invasive tests. The fact if they checked his blood count before we left the hospital they would have caught it early. At this point there was never any medicine other than the platelets, blood transfusion and ivig. He’s been recovering at home with love and kisses, and prayers from all over the country.

Do I have a case here?

Answer:
 No you do not have a case. Hospitals are germ factories and this is why they have strict infection  protocols: because people with autoimmune deficiencies whatever the reason are always at risk for them.

I don’t see any malpractice or negligence here.


Title: Work infested with bed bugs. What standards are my employers held to, and do I have any protections if I refuse to work until the problem is taken care of?

Question:
I work in a residential, non profit in Tennessee.

Some months ago an employee discovered a bed bug on their person and made management aware. Management apparently had people in to inspect, but not chemically treat.

I pulled a bed bug off of myself during my shift on the 24th. I work as weekend staff, and since my last shift on Monday nothing has been done. Weekend staff is having to pack the whole house (house of 4 people) with no extra help or any protective equipment. They are going to treat on Monday.

I don't feel comfortable with working in the homes, let alone being the ones to pack the house. Especially since a large portion of what we are packing is not being laundered beforehand.

Are there any laws to protect employees in a situation like this?

Answer: I'm not a lawyer, but it sounds like you should contact OSHA. I know I certainly wouldn't want to work in a place like that.


Title: (Minnesota) My husband's employer leaked his & all employees Social Security Numbers.

Question: When trying to send individual paystubs, payroll accidentally sent everyone's paystub (which included their SSNs) to every employee in the company. Is there any recourse here? I am assuming not, but want to be sure. I read in a lot (most?) places there has to be proof of damages before anything can be done. Again, I'm assuming not, but should the company at least be liable to provide credit monitoring? Thank you in advance.

Answer: The company should be providing credit monitoring but there is no law they have to.  Employees who have actual damages would be able to sue. Pay stubs should not contain SSN.


Title: Highschool senior needs legal advice asap!!

Question:
Hi, so my mother and I are at odds, I am currently 18 years old in the 12th grade and I love my school and do no want to leave as this is my last year,mind you I have been in this school for the last 4 years and I've already started the college process at this school as well. However my mother wants to leave the state i live in completely with me. Mind you she is giving me no option. I already live without her and live with my aunt. I fear that she will try to unenroll me from my highschool. Seeing as though I am already 18 and have been 18 for the last few months does she have the right to unenroll or am I completely emancipated and do I legally still have to leave with her at this point ? If she does try to unenroll me , how do I stop it? Need help ASAP
Ps I posted in the wrong Reddit at first woops! Also I live in the state of Pennsylvania if that helps any because I know certain states have certain laws

Answer:
 You’re an adult.

Stop by the administration or guidance office and talk with them about your situation.

But even if she unenrolls you, I imagine they’ll re-enroll you.Answer #2: The age of legal majority in PA is 18. She can’t make you do anything, although if she is paying all your living expenses she could make life difficult.Answer #3: You're now an adult. Congratulations! In three more years you can celebrate with a beer.

You can make your own decisions as to where you go to school. However, you're also responsible for providing for yourself in terms of housing, food, clothing, etc.

So, if your aunt is OK with you continuing to live there you're good to go. Talk to your school counselor and let them know that your mother is not authorized to make decisions on your behalf or access your records. Make sure that they document this in your student file. If you haven't done so, change your emergency contact to your aunt.


Title: Proactiv Scam?

Question:
Hello all,

I have questions to those who have experience with Proactiv, the acne company. Recently, I ordered proactiv online and once I received my package, I proceed to cancel my account immediately. I have read complaints online, and in their terms and conditions, that when you buy proactiv either online or by phone, you are automatically signed up for automatic renewal shipments. After your first purchase, you will receive another shipment 4-weeks later and it will be charged. Thereafter, you will receive a 90-day supply and be charged in three installments monthly. It seems like the only way to stop this is to cancel by calling their customer service.

I have done this already by canceling my account and "unknowing" membership before they could charge me a second time. So I'm still in the clear... But, complaints online suggest this is not true and some past customers report that they're still receiving unwanted packages and being charged by the company even after they have canceled. Eventually, worse case, Proactiv sends your bills to a collection company because of unwillingness to pay for these packages, packages that came even after cancellation!

So, I'm asking those who have tried this company who are in the first half of the month in:
-Did you ever cancel your account with Proactiv? If so, when after your first initiated order?
-Do you still receive packages and/or bills from Proactiv after termination of your account?
-What advice can you give me to stop the "Proactiv scam" from happening to me?
Anything would be appreciated, Thanks.

Answer:
 That's the way all of these things that you buy on TV work.  What you need to do is to try to make some sort of clear record that you cancelled, and then when a new charge hits dispute it with your credit card company.

FWIW it's just benzoil peroxide which you can buy cheaper in Walmart.


Title: Received this voicemail yesterday. And they called my mom looking for me. Scam or real?

Question: [My name] this is [man's name] contacting you in regards to the case that is being filed through [My actual] County. Now, by law, I have to make you aware that case number 599*** is filed through the county, it will become a matter of public record and there will be an order of location issued out for you. Now since I was unable to reach you by phone, I have been instructed to contact your employer and speak with your Supervisor because it looks like that's a likely place of location. Now [my name], you do have the legal right to contact the office processing your case, however, you will have to speak with them before your case is filed. Now once your case is discharged from their office all of your legal rights will be forfeited. Now the number provided for the office that you will have to contact (855) -*. Now it states here that you're gonna need to speak with someone in their legal department. Now [my name] you are being legally notified by telephone, and you will be located unless I am told otherwise."

Answer: Scam.  No such thing as an "order to locate", and if a case is filed it is already public record.Answer #2: Its a scam. Thats not how things are done.Answer #3: Scam. Legal notification isn’t done by phone.Answer #4: This is a common scam. I've receieved 2 of these calls in the past week. Delete and ignore.


Title: Long lost father recently passed away halfway around the world leaving no will. I'm his only daughter. His family is reaching out to me to claim his estate rather than his girlfriend. What to do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: There are lawfirms that practice this sort of thing.  You'll have to do some research, but it shouldn't be impossible.


Title: CT - A nurse at a clinic I went to told my best friend about a past std I got treated for

Question:
Little backstory.

I'm from CT, 22 YO, Male. I am well aware of safe sex practices but unfortunately things do happen beyond control, ie cheating, new partners, etc. I got gonorrhea by receiving oral. Sucks to suck but yeah it happened about a year ago. I went to a local clinic to get treated and I had no idea my best friends other close friend works as a nurse there. It was already to late before I realized and I dont think she did either aa I am not known by my real name. It wasnt until she came into the room with the shot already prepared that we realized who we were. I just said hey and she said hey and we talked about the shot and how it hurts and stuff and that was it. Granted, I do not know her thaaaat well although we've been around the same circle a while but not often together. I was so embarrassed and it was clearly awkward tension. My biggest fear was her telling her best friend which is also my best friend. But I thought about it and how she is an actual nurse and not just some other friend who's words dont have consequences. I held on to hope that she would follow the HIPAA laws and not reveal extremely sensitive confidential medical information to friends. I myself worked for a psychiatrists office which is equally as sensitive and often people that I know would come in and I'd just turn a shoulder to save us both embarrassment. I sometimes would get nosey and look through the chart just to see for myself and I have been tempted to tell friends but never would I ever compromise someones confidentiality just to gossip. Not only is it wrong morally but also legally! You go to a doctors office with confidence that your HIPAA rights will not be violated. But in this case I guess I was wrong.
I just hung out with my bestfriend and her bestfriend and one of our mutual guy friends. I was getting dropped off after a night of them drinking ( I dont drink). We were in front of my house and I was getting out the car and my friend goes saying "go get some p***y!" Then laughed As a joke bc I was going to hang out with my girlfriend. Then her best friend says "Make sure its clean!" and immediately my friend says her name in a scolding way. Like "really" type of way. I just laughed and shut the car door but I was in reality embarrassed bc the way my friend said it was as if she knew more. As if theyve talked about it before. I have no actual proof but I have a gut feeling my friend knows about it and I want to know if any of my rights have been violated. I feel extremely angry and betrayed by this. I dont know what to do or if I can even do anything. HELP.

Answer:
 Now you know how those patients would feel - the ones whose psychiatric charts you looked out without their permission. Funny you talk about how that is wrong morally but you don't say that you don't repeat that invasive behavior.Answer #2: You should call the clinic and make a complaint.

You can also file a complaint with the [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights](https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/smartscreen/main.jsf).


Question: I stopped paying on my storage space. Now they're sending me a bill. Can't I just abandon it and then they can auction it off and we're even?

Answer: Nope. They can auction it *and* still sue.Answer #2: They'll likely eventually auction it. Whatever money they get from that will be applied against your balance and then they will sue you for the rest.


Title: I was involved in a bad motorcycle accident. I was on a ventilator and in the ICU for a week. My bike was totaled and my medical bills are over $180,000. The wreck was caused by other driver. My parents got me an attorney. Will I receive a decent settlement?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Maybe.

Your advice is to listen to your lawyer.Answer #2: It depends on the maximum coverage of the other driver's insurance policy they had. Answer #3: A general rule of thumb in situations like this is that you never want to be alone in a room with the other party's lawyer, in this case, probably a lawyer working for her insurance company.  Certainly don't sign anything without consulting a lawyer representing you.  Your insurance company might provide a lawyer, but they will be representing the best interests of your insurance company, not necessarily you.  I believe there is an issue over which coverage is primary and secondary in situations like this; I assume her insurance would be primary, and if her coverage hits a ceiling, then yours might kick in (both your MC and your medical).  As others are saying, probably time to get your own personal injury lawyer.Answer #4: Very few people ever get off of a ventilator. Its not like TV. I am glad you're alive. You never get what you deserve in these things. Be glad for anything you get and go on and live your life. Be careful out there. Be well.


Title: Could I pretend to be a lawyer or doctor on okcupid, with fake diplomas on my wall, as long as I never practice law or medicine, and never do business on the basis of my credentials?

Answer: Lying is usually fine so long as it doesn't involve money.


Title: Ex spouse is refusing payment of judgement

Question:
My ex spouse won a judgement against me after repeatedly taking me to court for contempt. The judge laid out the terms for payment. I've been following the order by mailing payments to ex spouse. Ex spouse refuses the payments and they are returned to sender. Ex spouse is saying the are once again going to take me to court for my non payment of judgement.

I've emailed before sending each payment letting ex spouse know the payment was mailing. I've sent money orders and retained the receipts, along with making copies of the money orders made out to ex spouse. I've sent registered mail with signature required. I've retained mailing receipts and tracking receipts.Is there anything else I should be doing here in the way of documentation?

Answer: Keep the unopened letters that are marked return to sender and bring them to court along with printed copies of the e-mails and receipts of mailing.  Openly ask the judge to address your ex spouse's decision to lie on court documents by waiving part or all of the judgment against you.


Title: Catfishing problem

Question:
I had a catfish account on kik where I used it to occasionally troll. I use pictures of some random IG guy. I met some girl a few months back and we both started to like each other(we both live in NY), but now i want to just end it because this is all so ridiculous. We exchanged nudes but i never explicitly asked for any. Im just afraid that if i just call it off after talking about liking her she'll think something is up and she'll report me to the police as a catfish and i'll get investigated.

We're both in our 20's. She doesn't know my real name or address or anything. everything she knows is a lie.

I'm pretty worried about this. I know it will hurt her to call it off and i'll be sad as well but i cant keep this charade up.

Answer: Stop being a dick by messing with people. What’s wrong with you? Come clean with her and stop wasting her time ffs.


Title: Co-worker jump started my dead battery with cables reversed and fried the electronics.

Question:
This is in WA and happened a few months ago, but I didn't have the money to fix it until now. I had a dead battery and my own cables. He insisted on being the one to hook them up. Once he started his car there were arcs and sparks. It cost $700 to repair this specific damage, and an additional $750 for other unrelated work that needed done, including the new battery. This voided my warranty that I'm paying $3000 plus interest on still.

Initially the person was really apologetic and offered to help pay. A couple months after this happened he quit his job, moved over an hour away, and is no longer responding to my messages. I had initially asked him for $700, to which he offered $350. I told him that wouldn't work for me and although it was an accident it's an expensive one I'm not trying to rip him off.

He is no longer responding to my messages and I'm concerned that he isn't going to pay anything. Should I just call it a loss and move on? Or can I do something about it? It took me a long time to save enough money to fix the problem. I was thinking about possibly taking him to small claims court.

Answer:
 you can absolutely take him to small claims court, worst case you get nothing. best case you get all the money you ask for. Sounds like it's worth a shot either way, especially since he moved away there is a chance he might not even show up and it would rule in your favor by default.

also, you really don't even need a lawyer for something like this.

did it do any damage to his vehicle which he could counter sue you for? would you be worried about that? Answer #2: You can sue him in small claims court. Other people would have to weigh in just how responsible he is since you pretty much let him do it.Answer #3: Crossing over the wires would not cause walhat you described, what you described probably came from a loose connection.

Crossing red/black would not wait for the engine to start before getting exciting, the moment the last clip connected there would be sparks, the insulation would burn off the wires, and if you are lucky the jumper cables will burn through and break the short before either battery boils off enough hydrogen to blow up and scatter battery acid.

A shorted car battery can make a steel wrench glow bright red.


Title: Rent Due Dates and transfer time

Question:
In Texas. Another tenant landlord question. We paid rent yesterday through the landlord’s online portal, they emailed us asking us to use this, stating it was their preferred method of payment.

Our lease states “tenant will pay the landlord rent such that the landlord receives the monthly rent on or before the first day of each month during the lease.”

The landlord is claiming that because the money is not in their account, rent is late. Am I out of luck on this one? In every other rental I’ve had paying on the first is the expectation so I was caught a bit off guard by this.

Seems a bit wonky that I’m accountable for transfer times of the landlords preferred payment method.

If this is the case I understand it is due to the language of the lease, no complaints or need for a lecture there, just looking for folks who maybe have dealt with this before and can weigh in on the correct interpretation & interaction with any state specific laws.

Answer:
 >Our lease states “tenant will pay the landlord rent such that the landlord receives the monthly rent on or before the first day of each month during the lease.”

Lease language controls.

I am sorry that you **may have** unintentionally paid late this month, but **if that is the case** your only recourse is to pay the late fee this time and pay your rent on time going forward.

The landlord may be willing to waive the late fee under these circumstances if you ask nicely, but they are under no obligation to do so.

EDIT - bold sections added, since it is possible that an argument could be made that the lease was respected - see /u/uGorenest124 's post below.Answer #2: > Also, just looked at the payment confirmation the portal sent me, in it is stated “thank you for your payment of $xxx on 6/1/2018” not sure if it changes anything.

Since the online portal is owned/controlled/an agent of the landlord that means the landlord *received* your payment on 6/1/2018 and  no late fee is due. Answer #3: > “tenant will pay the landlord rent such that the landlord receives the monthly rent on or before the first day of each month during the lease.”

I mean, that's a pretty clear statement. With this online portal, what does it say about processing time? There's always something. Check out the website and see what it says. If it says there is a processing time, you might be SoL.

Also, when did they email you?


Title: What is it called when someone spreads news that is true in order to damage your reputation?

Question:
So, defamation, libel, slander all seem to cover the spreading of lies and falsehoods about a person. But, what if someone is spreading news that is true about you in order to hurt you? For example, say a girl cheated on her boyfriend, the guy she cheated with gets upset at her, then spreads the news that she cheated on her boyfriend in an effort to hurt her reputation? It's a poor example, I know, but the best I could come up with at the moment.

&#x200B;

Just wondering if there are any sorts of laws about these kinds of situations.

Answer: It’s called learning to live with the consequences of your actions.Answer #2: Exercising your First Amendment rights.


Title: Utah, USA - Father's Rights/Family Law. Denied custody evaluator, not sure what to do now

Question:
Hi legaladvice. I'm a brokenhearted father and I don't know what to do right now. I've been trying to get 50/50 physical custody of my only child since she was born. The mother and I were not together when she was conceived or born. I was just denied a custody evaulator due to (I think) a timing technicality. It doesn't make any sense to me and I don't know what do now. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Here's a breakdown:

* Dec 2015 - Mother files for full custody a few weeks after my daughter is born
* Jan/Mar 2016 - I hire lawyers, we fight for 50/50 custody. Temporary orders are issued that I get joint legal custody and the state minimum physical custody
* April 2016 - March 2017 - My lawyers tell me to wait until I get more overnights with my daughter to move forward, the logic is that I can easily say she is fine with me overnight and for the weekend, etc.
* April 2017 - We go to mediation, nothing changes
* May-Sept 2017 - My lawyers dissolve their practice and won't respond to me (or any clients). So I hire a new lawyer and we immediately file for a custody evaluator
* Today - The custody evaluator was denied by the commissioner because she said it was part of discovery and that it should have been done a long time ago. I don't really understand, since we had mediation earlier this year. My lawyer doesn't explain it very well, I'm suspecting he isn't very good.

My lawyer tells me we have two options, one, file an objection with the judge. But he tells me they basically rubber stamp what the commissioner has already said. Two, we move to trial now without a custody evaluator.

The thing that doesn't make sense, if the custody evaluator was denied, how does the court know what is in the best interest for my daughter if we go to trial? Shouldn't we have an expert testify? It is boggling my mind and I'm very depressed right now and I feel like the world is against me and all I've ever wanted is more time with my daughter.

Anyway, any advice is very much appreciated.

Edit: I wanted to add, I listened to the phone conference again, and the commissioner said that custody evaluation is a type of discovery and that the deadline for discovery or for filing an extension was November 2016. So I guess my old lawyers blew it there. What doesn't make sense is that was always our plan, and we even did mediation after this deadline. So I'm more confused now. Would explaining this to the judge be enough to have an objection to not getting a custody evaluator? Or would the court not care that I didn't know about the deadline and the lawyers messed up there?

Answer:
 I've been in family court in a few different states, though not in Utah, advocating for families and kids. I am not a lawyer.

There's a lot involved in custody decisions for an infant - especially if they are breastfeeding. This isn't the world being against you, but a biological thing.

What percent of the time do you have her *now*?

It sounds like this is a pretty typical custody disagreement, is there a reason why you would need experts involved? When my organization did custody evaluations, it was never on/for pre-verbal normal infants and parents with no history of major mental health issues.


Title: (CO) Tow company took my car to mechanic after-hours, but left it in front of a No Parking sign

Question:
Called AAA to have my car towed to my mechanic. The tow arrived after the mechanic had closed for the day, tow called me stating they left the vehicle there and left the key in the car.

My mechanic called me the next day saying the car wasn't there. I contacted AAA and the rep I spoke to was really helpful. Ended up calling the police as well, which is how we found out that another company had towed it. AAA and I were able to sort out where the other tow company was, I went and picked up my car for $300.

I'd like to talk to the first tow company (the one that left the car in front of a No Parking sign) about reimbursing that $300. I doubt I'll get any traction. Would it be better to talk to AAA? Should I just suck it up and move on with life?

Answer:
 I'm confused. AAA policy is that the membership holder be present for the tow, and the tow driver should have documentation from your card proving that.

Are you saying that you weren't physically present for the tow?


Title: My building got sold, sale went though on the 2nd, who do I pay rent to?

Question:
(Los Angeles)
So the building I live in got sold (they're clearly trying to get me to move out so they can renovate and rent it out for 3x as much) , and I got a letter on the 2nd of the month saying the sale went though on the 2nd.

...after I wrote out a check and dropped it off in the regular locked mailbox on the 1st, before the sale went through.

And now the new owners dropped off a "hey you didn't pay rent, you have 3 days to do so" form letter.

I texted them, and they claim they have no knowledge of the locked mailbox nor keys to it.  It's empty now, I got a flashlight and looked in it, so SOMEONE got that first rent check from the first of the month.  It's not been cashed yet.

So I have 2 days now to send another check by registered mail to the PO box where I'm now told my rent checks are supposed to go.  If I do so, where does that leave me if that first rent check also gets cashed?

TL;dr: if a building gets sold on march 2, does march rent go to the old owners or the new owners?

update: I met with the new owners and straightened it out, paid them the rent in full and got a receipt. TRAGEDY AVERTED

Answer:
 Put a stop payment on that check Now. Do it today. If the money clears, go to your bank to reverse the payment.

BTW who was the check payable to?Answer #2: Get instructions in writing.  And I don't mean a text.  I mean an actual proper notice amending your lease, and updating who you pay & how you pay.


Title: Legality of Pet Crows

Question:
Can I keep a Crow as a pet? (Niagara, Ontario)
Topic:
Canada

Answer:
 Not legal advice, but practical advice. I had an American Crow as a pet while rehabbing it (long story) and they are often more challenging to deal with than large birds. They are fast, constantly energetic, will peck you (that beak is sharp) for any reason (they like ears and noses a lot) and you'll never find your keys again.

They also defecate far more and in a much more nasty way than say, a large parrot. Don't get me wrong, they're incredibly intelligent (more so than a macaw), can be trained and are very loyal, but good lord they're pretty much a full time job handling them. They need a large aviary as they can't climb well and a lot of direct sunlight.

I believe you may be able to buy a European crow legally. They're expensive, larger than ours and still mischievous, but you'll have to look in to bird law as I've forgotten.

Regarding legality of American Crows, a Quebec man was recently allowed after a court battle to keep his crow.

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.3923403

Edit: one more thing to mention is that there aren't often many avian vets in each city, and those who will work on crows (or know crow anatomy) are even more rare. I had to travel an hour to an avian vet for Edgar A. Crow that wouldn't destroy the bird.


Title: Wife found out about my crossdressing, she filed for divorce based on fraud and is saying I'm transgender even though I'm not.

Question:
I'm in the process of looking for a lawyer but not knowing in the meantime is driving me nuts. The duration of our relationship is 3 years married (6 years total). My wife is the one who filed. She filed the divorce on fraudulent contract. She found out that I am a crossdresser. I don't deny that I am but she's saying I'm transgender and want to be a woman and that's not what she signed up for.

I have been crossdressing for 10 years. I was curious about it since I was a kid. But I only started when I was 24 after college when I got a job and lived alone for the first time. I have never crossdressed outside of my home before. I have only ordered my clothes, wigs, makeup and other things online using gift cards and a different name. My wife found my clothes and I don't know if she thought I was cheating or what but she started looking into it. She has copies of 10 years worth of photos of me dressed as a woman (hair, clothes, makeup and nail polish) and pictures of all my clothes, wigs and makeup and prosthetic that she found. She knows and has proof I was doing this before I met her. I never told anyone about it, online or in real life.

I didn't know she knew until after she left and I got served with the papers. She is saying I am transgender and want to be a woman. She says I told her I'm transgender. That is not true. I'm a straight, cis-gender man. You can be a crossdresser without being transgender. I have nothing against transgender people but don't want to be a woman. I have no proof I didn't tell her I'm transgender and it's her word against mine and she has those thousands of pictures.

I haven't even been able to talk to her since she left because she blocked me and her lawyer says all communication must go through him first. She's staying with her parents I think but neither of them or any of her other family or friends will talk to me. She told everyone we know about my crossdressing too.

We live in Ohio. Can she file for divorce because of this? What are the odds of the judge believing her over me about being transgender? Can she say I committed fraudulent contract because I was crossdressing a full 4 years before I met her? I am looking for a lawyer like I said but if anyone can help me it would be great.

My location is Ohio

Answer:
 > She says I told her I'm transgender.

Then whats the fraud if you "told" her already?

What are you trying to prevent? She wants a divorce, its time to move on.Answer #2: A good lawyer will have a good chance of making sure this doesn't go through as an at fault divorce. But you need to stop trying to contact your soon to be exact wife or her family.


Title: My house burnt down last week, boss is already pushing me to come back to work. Do I have any rights to request another week off?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Sorry this happened, yes they can fire you for not coming back. They have no obligation to give you any time off.


Title: [OH] Employer rolls over overtime hours to a paycheck where they won't be considered overtime

Question:
Was asked to sign something today by my employer that said any hours over 40 in a single week would be saved and added later to a week that I had under 40 hours in.

I objected and he eventually backed down and made it sound like it was optional - ie I could sign it and have all the hours I want, or I could refuse to sign it and would never be allowed to work more than 40 hours in a week. But, he added, if I ever did go over 40 then "this would apply".

My question is basically, is this allowed even if I did sign it? Is an employer allowed to basically have employees sign away their right to overtime pay?

Answer: No they cannot do that, regardless of what they have you signAnswer #2: 100% illegal.  I'm not even sure an employee could even voluntarily agree to this.  You should take this to your state's department of labor.Answer #3: Yeah pretty sure that's illegal. Talk to a lawyer ASAP


Title: I applied for citizenship, but i got denied after the interview on my naturalization application. What can I do? What should I do?

Answer:
 >What can I do? What should I do?

Talk to your immigration lawyer.

If you do not have one, retain one.Answer #2: I found a resource for you.


Title: [CALIFORNIA] Can someone record me without my consent?

Question: If I'm having a conversation with a friend in public, is it legal to just video tape our conversation? What's the legality behind videotaping people here without their knowledge? Neither of us are police officers.

Answer: If you are out in public, you don't have an expectation of privacy and can be filmed without your consent. Whether you can be AUDIO recorded depends on the circumstances. Generally speaking California is a 2-party consent state, which really means all parties must consent. However, if youare having a loud conversation in public and people can hear you,  then once again you have no expectation of privacy and can be audio recorded.


Title: Social Distancing and Self Defense

Question:
Is there a point where lack of social distancing can be considered assault?

My wife has an autoimmune disease, so we wear masks when we go for walks.  When we do go for walks, we cross streets to avoid getting too close to people.

On our walk this evening, a man and his dog were approaching us on opposite direction on the sidewalk.  We usually will go across the street, but there was oncoming traffic and we could not corral our 4 year old.  We were stuck.

He was brazenly close to us when he passed.  In passing, his Saint Bernard lunged at us.  We told him that she has an autoimmune disease, to which he responded that we shouldn't be outside.  This was one block away from our home.

My question:

Is there a point where social distancing is considered an act of self defense?  This specifically regards people who are immunocompromised.

We do our best to avoid others in these days.  If we are trapped, I'd like to have the backup plan of pepper spraying untrained Saint Bernards.

Answer: No you cannot use social distancing as an excuse to assault some one and then claim self defense.


Title: Child porn (real question)

Question: [removed]

Answer: If you are experiencing extreme testicular pain, you need to get your testicles to a hospital before you lose one of them. As in right now. Tell your parents immediately.


Title: Dealing with abnormal property line next to cemetery?

Question:
Hello, first time seeking advice here. I just bought a house with what I thought was a very nice backyard, but after looking into installing a fence (for my dog) it seems that the legal property line is wildly different from the areas that were maintained by the previous homeowner based on natural boundaries. Obviously the town wont likely approve a fence outside my property line, I'm just curious about what my options are depending on how zealous I am about pursuing this. Here are some pertinent details:

1. The area that I thought was my property based on natural boundaries and past owner maintenance is actually part of an adjacent cemetery.
2. The area in question is not at all near any graves, furthermore there is an impassible barrier of trees and ivy between this area and the grave sites (see image: [https://imgur.com/GS7Wgu6](https://imgur.com/GS7Wgu6)).
3. Finding a way to extend a fence through this area would be highly beneficial because it increases the usable backyard area by 25%-ish.
4. Location: Monroe County, NY, USA

&#x200B;

With all of that out of the way, I have some questions:

1. Is there any scenario where I can legally build a fence on this area without purchasing that piece of property? Like with some legal agreement between me and the cemetery owner (perhaps involving compensation)?
2. If the above won't work, what are possible steps towards collaborating with the cemetery owner to perhaps subdivide and purchase the area in question? Surveyor, attorney, government fees, etc. The area would otherwise be wasted space if it is excluded by a fence, and I am prepared to offer fair compensation.
3. How do I go about finding the owner of the cemetery? I have the cemetery parcel's New York "Tax ID", but the online deed records don't go back far enough to have any documents, and the tax records don't have a name (perhaps because cemeteries are tax free?). The most recent gravestone has a 1910 death date, and it appears to be a family cemetery (someone cuts the grass, don't know who).

&#x200B;

Thank you for any and all advice.

&#x200B;

Also, only assholes will post "should have looked closely at the survey before buying" (and similar) without even reading this far. I know that mistakes were made, let's focus on the future rather than the past.

Answer:
 My family is in the death industry. If that's an active cemetery, it will take an act of congress for them to give up land in any way. Land is at a premium for cemeteries.

Step 1 is to have a survey officially done. You really can't move forward until that is complete.Answer #2: You may want to check with a real estate attorney in your area concerning the adverse possession laws in your area.  If you continue to occupy and maintain the property for a specified period of time, you may be able to claim ownership after a period of time.  Building a fence is a risk you may have to take to make it happen, and you have to realize that it is a very long term project (20 years in our area).  At any time the owner could assert their ownership rights by removing "your" fence from their property, but you have to balance that against what the chances are of them doing that if the cemetery hasn't been active for over a hundred years.  Time for an attorney.


Title: (TX) I was in a car accident that wasn't my fault, I didn't have insurance at the time and the other party is demanding reimbursment.

Question: I was in an accident that wasn't my fault. I didnt have insurance at the time, but now I do. The other party is demanding that I reimburse their insurance deductible and threatening me with legal action if I don't comply. Every interaction has been through them calling me from different numbers. My car recieved more damage than theirs, my car was impounded and I recieved a ticket. All said I done I spent over $2000 on everything, getting my car out, insurance and tickets. Basically, I'm looking for advice on what to do and how to handle this situation and if I am liable for their costs even if the accident wasn't my fault.

Answer: they'll have to take you to court and prove you are responsible for their damages. i hope you kept evidence to prove you were not at fault


Title: Fired pool guy sending inappropriate texts again (location: California)

Question:
Thank you in advance for any insights. This guy makes me feel very uncomfortable, so I'd very much like to know what my options are.

Lets call the man with whom I'm having issues with "Steve."

**Currently**: After 3.5 months of complete silence, a pool guy (Steve) who I had a difficult time firing sent me a random text message saying "stop wearing spandex." I asked him to delete my number. He replied with a "fuck you." When crazy people reappear after months of no contact, I start to worry that it may lead to a never ending string of random harassing events.

**Background**: In September of 2016, I hired a pool guy (Steve) to take over the maintenance of our home pool. He came recommended by a good friend and seemed to know what he was doing. Things went well for the first 2 months and then I noticed that Steve was seriously slacking in his efforts. He started blaming pool issues on the pool builder and on faulty equipment.

Before I was willing to sign off on having anything replaced or fixed, I actually had both a rep from the pool equipment company and a second unaffiliated pool guy come by to assess the situation. Both the equipment rep and the second pool guy found no issues with the equipment or the pool itself. Instead of spending thousands to fix problems I couldn't have confirmed, I asked Steve if there was a different approach that could be taken.  Steve got pissy and Steve did even less maintenance work. He skipped visits due to the holiday (Christmas and New Year) without letting us know. The pool got a bit green around the edges.

Steve was due to come by on the second Friday of January. That Monday, I informed him that we'd be hiring a different pool guy and asked him to please send a final invoice so that I could square away the account. He flipped out.

* He told me that his work was above average and I was just a dumb woman who didn't know how pools were meant to be managed. (I'm actually far from unintelligent and the green around the pool edge sort of spoke for itself.)
* He asked me what gave me the impression that he'd go out of his way to have his accounting department make me a special final invoice. (Final invoices are a standard practice.)
* He told me that I wasn't firing him, but that he was firing me. (LOL, OK. Whatever.)
* He accused me of non-payment. (I sent him copies of all of the cashed checks he's received until that point.)
* He told me that he'd put a lien on the house for the ~$100 he was owed. (I asked him to send a final invoice.)
* He accused me of leaving him negative online reviews and hurting his business. (I hadn't and when asked for proof he couldn't show it.)
* He accused me  of sending him a threatening email message. (I hadn't and when asked to prove it, he couldn't.)
* He had previously verbally told me that he had no issue causing damage to the pools of people who gave him issues. (I had the new pool guy watch the pool for weeks after this.)
* He suggested that I was not one of the owners of the house and that he'd get me/us kicked out by the real home owner. (I co-own the home so that just made me laugh.)

He went nuts over text for a good week straight. I started replying with just "please send a final invoice" to all of his messages. It took him 2 weeks to send that invoice and it was paid right away. I thought that I'd heard the last from him, but apparently I was wrong to assume that he'd move on to better things.

______

I have the text messages themselves and have taken screenshots of them. I can show that he was paid monthly and that the final payment was made in full.

Do I at this point just keep on accumulating crazy text messages and at what point can I actually do something about them?

He obviously knows where I live. We've upped our security since mainly because of this extended craziness.

If he doesn't completely disappear after this latest texting... Please help me build my case to make him just leave me alone.

Answer:
 Block his number. If he continues to contact you consider harassment charges Answer #2: "new phone who dis"

Send him a text saying simply, "Our business is settled. Any further contact will constitute harassment and I will pursue legal protection. Do not contact me again in any way for any reason."

He contacts again? Go to the police.


Title: Moving back to Canada from the US

Question:
Hello! So to get to the point, my boyfriend and I are considering moving to Nova Scotia in about 3 years (When I finish school). Now, I was originally born in Nova Scotia and have been a Michigan resident since 2005. I officially became US citizen this summer.  I wish I would have thought it through, but I did not get dual citizenship.  I honestly never dreamed I would want to live in Canada again. Nova Scotia is beautiful, houses are cheap, I have family there. We don't plan to move just yet, probably not until I graduate and we get married.  He is originally from Maine, so we will both be close to people we are familiar with. When I graduate I plan to find a nursing job in either NS or Maine, depending on what pays better and if it complicates anything.  So I guess my question is, what is the best way to go about doing this? Should I renounce my citizenship after we get married, or have him begin the application process now?

TL;DR:  Was born in Nova Scotia, became american in July, may want to move back to NS in 2-3 years, after my BF and I get married.  What is the best way to go about this?

Edit: thank you all for your responses! It was very refreshing to hear all this.  I am going to talk to the family lawyer that handled my family's immigration to the states.

Answer: I don't understand what you mean about not getting dual citizenship. If you were born in Canada aren't you still considered a Canadian citizen as well, or did you renounce that with the Canadian government?


Title: Employer disclosed I was leaving company at Christmas party to all staff without my permission (Canada-Ontario)

Question:
Hi,

I had given notice to my manager/director that I was leaving my current job in 2.5 months last month. At that time, it was discussed that we would not disclose this information to the other employees. And personally, I didn't want other people to know/I would have made that announcement personally.

It was via a general announcement in front of everyone at the Christmas party as part of a 'staffing update'  and from a different department (Human Resources), that I was leaving the company.

I feel that HR should have contacted me first before disclosing this information and that they should have not disclosed that information without my consent (especially at a Christmas party).

I am not specifically looking for legal recourse against my employer, but I would like to know if the company is in the wrong (legally) for revealing this information, in this manner (either via Employment Standards Act, PIPEDA, Common)?

Thank you

Answer: There's nothing illegal about that at all.


Title: [Michigan] My Parents and I have joint ownership of my house and they are trying to sell it out from under me.

Question: We are equal owners and all of our names are on the deed. They convinced me to do this to keep my house safe from an ex wife. Now the house has tripled in value and they want to sell it without my permission. I am the sole occupant of the house and I don't want to give it up. Is there anything I can do to prevent them from selling it or should I just accept compensation and move on?

Answer:
 They can't sell without you agreeing to sign the deed to the new owner: except, th can sell their 2/3 undivided interest to someone, but who would buy that?  The could also sue you to partition the property and have it sold at a judicial sale, but that requires a lawsuit and a court order that doing so is in everyone's best interest.

If they list it for sale and a for sale sign shows up on the lawn, call the real estate agent and make it clear that you own an interest, and your share is not for sale.  Don't sign ANYTHING. Answer #2: You should to a lawyer. Because I assume the house is worth quite a bit of money.


Title: Neighbor admitted to me during the purchasing process of my home that they had a fence and wall on my property. the foreclosure costs would not cover zoning

Question:
long story short i have an extremely wicked next door neighbor that just turned me in for not having a building permit on a beautiful deck im building restoring a shit house right next to her. She went to the police and reported me for being within a foot of her fence with my deck claiming that was against the rules. Whether it is or not I really dont know but as i was buying the house 5 months ago she came up to me and warned me that her fence and wall for her driveway was slightly on my property. Getting someone to come tell me where the exact property lines are costs 700 dollars for some reason. Ive never even been to court and do not know much about this so sorry if I sound ridiculous but could I possibly pay for someone to come do the zoning then sue her for the costs if she does happen to be built on my property because she previously admitted it to me? thanks in advance

Location: Leechburg, Pennsylvania

Answer:
 >Getting someone to come tell me where the exact property lines are costs 700 dollars for some reason.

FYI, the "some reason" is that a highly trained and licensed professional with an assistant is gong to have to come out and spend a few hours and then spend time doing some paperwork, too.

Answer #2: First, realize that you were doing something wrong.  You should not have been building the deck without a permit.

Second, realize that you have two general options.  You can use this as an opportunity to become a more forgiving person and just let it go.  Or, you can use it as an opportunity to be petty and vindictive and do your best to piss in your neighbor's cheerios (metaphorically speaking.)

I make no judgments, either is a perfectly acceptable course of action.  There are definitely enough petty-crap rules relating to home-ownership to make her completely miserable.  Just keep in mind that once you've started down the dark path of wicked next-door neighboring, forever will it dominate your destiny.


Title: Brother evicted on house arrest.

Question: So... long story short, my brother is on house arrest and living with his girlfriend. His girlfriend is a bitch. His girlfriend and he got in a fight and she kicked him out. We are in a car outside the house waiting for something to do. What the hell do I do from here?

Answer:
 He should have a contact for his house arrest, like a parole officer or something. Call them now. If he doesn't know who that is, try the local police department.

Don't leave until you've spoken to someone with authority over this, bur also do not go back to the house without a PO or a police officer present either.Answer #2: That certainly sounds like an illegal eviction. She just can’t kick him out like that. Have th police escort him back in.

Is he on the lease?


Title: Is this worth fighting? Do I need a lawyer? (MI)

Question:
This last Monday I received my first ever speeding ticket. In 10+ years of driving, I've never received so much as a parking violation.

I took a road I don't normally travel, and it happened to be the one road with a 35mph speed limit instead of a 55mph speed limit. I was clocked at 59mph.

The officer was already kind enough to only cite me for 1-5 over, but that still carries a $145 fine and 2 pts on my license. I'm planning to go to court either way and hopefully at least get traffic school so it won't affect my insurance.

But is it worth it to hire a lawyer to help me with this? I know it will probably cost at least as much as the ticket itself, but I'm more concerned with my driving record. I'm also worried that I may come out worse considering the officer already cited me for a reduced violation. But I NEVER speed. I really had no idea that was the speed limit, or I would never have been going that fast. Help!

Answer:
 No its not worth hiring a lawyer. You broke the law, even if it was an accident.

Dont just go to court, call the court clerk today and ask if they can come to some arrangement before the court date. They will make deals to avoid wasting courtroom time.Answer #2: You broke the law and deserve to pay the ticket. The fact that you had a clean record for 10 years or didn't know the road well is not important. Why would you want to waste court time if you have no argument that could maybe allow the judge to cancel the ticket?


Title: Illegal Cigarettes

Question:
I live in a small city close to Toronto, in Canada.

A friend of mine buys cigarettes from Toronto from a friend who gets it from another person, for unreasonably low prices.  Now I don't know if they're illegal, that's an assumption.

My friend doesn't ask questions.  He simply pays and takes his cigarettes, which he buys in bulk.  What are the legalities here?

Who is in danger of breaking a law, if any?

And what would be the repercussions, if any, if my friend wanted to sell his smokes here locally and make a profit.

Answer:
 Sounds like smuggled cigarettes.  Toronto [has a page](http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/tax/tt/illegal.html) on 'em, including how to tell if they're illicit or not.

Possession of untaxed cigarettes is punishable by a fine of triple the tax plus:
>    a fine of $100 if you possessed 200 unmarked cigarettes or less

>    a fine of $250 if you possessed more than 200 unmarked cigarettes but less than 1,001

>    a fine of $500 if you possessed more than 1,000 unmarked cigarettes but less than 10,001

>    a fine of not less than $500 and not more than $10,000 if you possessed more than 10,000 unmarked cigarettes.

>In addition, if it is not your first conviction for possessing unmarked cigarettes or if you are in possession of more than 10,000 unmarked cigarettes you may be sentenced to up to two years in jail.


Title: House I bought has landscaping I didn't realize goes slightly into my neighbors property.

Question:
Hello all.

I just have a hypothetical question about property lines and repercussions. I moved into my house in PA about 2 years ago. Once thing I noticed was our neighbor and us had very similar
landscaping done in the front of our houses. Landscaping started at the sidewalk with some big retaining walls (same looking bricks, but different colors) and goes the whole way up our very sloped front yards to the front of our houses. From the retaining walls, we each have rows of some decorative bricks and plants/flowers. As I mentioned, the yards slope up, so they dont really have much use besides planting. When I was moving in, admist all the chaos, I never got my land surveyed. Fast forward 2 years later and we got new neighbors.  These neighbors just did a survey of their property and I noticed that one of the stakes is actually 1-2 feet over into what I thought was "our" landscaping (which isn't really a big deal to me they can have it),  but when I follow that down to the sidewalk, I noticed that it actually cuts into 1/4 of the retaining wall at the bottom of the hill.

I'm sure our neighbors are probably nice, and I'd be more than willing to try and figure something out if need be (and for all I know nothing will ever come of it),  but lets say the new owners decide this is a problem. What exactly would this entail worst case? Would I have to pay the cost to redo the retaining wall and move it over? This seems like a big undertaking as it looks like it is anchored into the ground at the bottom and the bricks appear to be connected together somehow so I'd probably end up having to destroy it and recreate it. Also, considering the high slope, I'm not sure of the  effect this will have on the yards themselves. Also and less important I assume I'd have to just remove whatever landscaping going up from the retaining wall (which I could easily do myself)?

Thanks!

Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 Might be worthwhile to get your own survey completed, or at the very least obtain a copy of your lot info from the county/city and do some simple measurements on your own.Answer #2: I can't answer anything here, but:

Was the landscaping created like this before you purchased, or after?

If before, perhaps it's in everyone's best interest to find a way to purchase this section from the neighbor properly, and everyone may end up happy. He may even appreciate the up front nature of bringing it to him like this.

If it was done after purchase, trying to buy the land may be more difficult if he's unhappy it was done like that. He could demand it be removed.


Title: Is there a way to prove a surgery that insurance deems "elective" is medically necessary? (More details inside)

Question:
We live in Massachusetts. My brother is FTM. We have insurance, one that's a product of a state run  . The insurance is covering hormones and other aspects of his transition, but is refusing coverage on the top surgery.

They claim the top surgery isn't 100% necessary for him to pass in society. However! For my brother, his dysphoria is so extreme, looking at his chest cause panic attacks enough to cause his seizures (from an unrelated health condition, and from his clinical PTSD). The seizures could kill him.

Is there a way to prove to the insurance company that this is 100% necessary for his physical health, memtal health, and continued survival, and get coverage for the surgery? How would we do this?

Answer:
 >Is there a way to prove to the insurance company that this is 100% necessary for his physical health, memtal health, and continued survival, and get coverage for the surgery? How would we do this?

There is an appeal process that your brother can have his doctor submit explaining why the surgery is medically necessary.Answer #2: You should crosspost over to /r/insurance about the appeals process. But does Romneycare allow you to sign up for [this plan](http://www.bluecrossma.com/common/en_US/medical_policies/189%20Transgender%20Services%20prn.pdf#page=1&__utma=149406063.1761118586.1402926656.1407417514.1407421027.129&__utmb=149406063.1.10.1407421027&__utmc=149406063&__utmx=-&__utmz=149406063.1407342625.125.16.utmcsr=americansformarriageequality.org|utmccn=%28referral%29|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/&__utmv=-&__utmk=260421901) in Massachusetts?

That PDF lists all the criteria for that plan in MA to cover gender reassignment surgery. [Here's a list for all states](http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/finding-insurance-for-transgender-related-healthcare).


Title: Labor dispute California- My boss is acting like a tyrant.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > My boss is expecting me to perform the duties of three people without an increase in pay or hours. She thinks this is okay because I am a 1099 employee.

It would be OK even if you were a regular employee.  Your boss sets your workload and work hours.  If you're a 1099 on a contract which specifies duties or hours, that's a different story.  In that case, you can hold her to the contract - which may mean her terminating the contract.

> which means taxes are not taken out, i balance quarterly

That's true of all 1099s.

> She also had us work on memorial day without time and a half again, stating we are 1099.

There is no requirement for holiday pay, at all, 1099 or not.  Unless, again, it's in your contract.

The only potentially actionable thing here is whether she is in violation of your contract for the hours worked.  Many 1099s are paid by the project, not by the hour, so it's not uncommon for an increase in duties to not be reflected as an increase in pay.

You should look into whether you're properly classes as a 1099.  Everything I've said above applies to 1099s, but lots of people are classified as 1099 who shouldn't be.  [Here](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/independent-contractor-defined) is a good starting resource to define whether you are an "independent contractor" or 1099.


Title: [Canada,N.B] As a 15 year old, how do I patent an idea?

Question:
I've visited many websites but they require you to be 18 to actually file for a patent. The invention I want to patent is too expensive to create a prototype or patent myself. I have no idea how to even start out with this.
Topic:
Business Law

Answer: An Idea in and of itself is not patentable.What you need to do is be able to make a plan detailed enough for anyone with with knowledge in the field could build it. Also you need to ask yourself some questions and figure out if it is even patentable. You need to contact a patent lawyer to do it properly.


Title: (ontario) If I know some one who is going to kill some one(s) near the start of next month

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Hit list? Contact the police (Crimestoppers is anonymous). You are the type of person people wish was around before other mass shootings.


Title: Attacked in my front yard, cops call no help NC

Question:
This morning I was attacked in my front yard by a drunk neighbor while another (his friend) watched. The TL:DR is our road got washed out pretty badly by the hurricane. So the people that live on said road are going to have to fix it. Now last time we did just in front of our house. This time everyone seems to think we need to do the whole road.

Cut to today; he came up behind me while I was working in my yard and demanded money. I told him I didn't have any on me. Which was 100% true. To that he grabbed me, shook me like a rag doll and was screaming in my face. He threatened my life, my animals and my home.

I called the cops and told them everything. Two officers came out, said they knew him as a multi arrested person. They ended up just telling him to stay away from me and left.

What the hell?? What do I do? I'm going to try and take some paperwork out on him but I don't know if I need to do anything else or what paperwork I need to take out?

Any help is more then welcome. Btw I was home alone and I'm a female.

Answer:
 Did you formally file a criminal complaint? If not, go to the police station and do so. Don't let them talk you out of it. If you feel pressured to drop it, move up the chain of command... duty sergeant, then lieutenant, and so on.Answer #2: Go to the police station and file a complaint.

Also, look into getting a restraining order against the guy.


Title: Can I cover up a bunch of exit signs?

Answer:
 > I'm renting a building for a day in the state of California. It's owned by the City of Del Mar. It also has a bunch of ugly EXIT signs and fire extinguishers that I want to cover up. Can I do it?

You cannot seriously think the answer could be yes. There's a reason for exit signs, you know - and it has to do with people being able to see them.Answer #2: Dear god no.  Is that a serious question?


Title: I mistakenly received an iPhone 6 meant for the owner of my house and I've had it for 8 months... Options?

Question:
Throwaway for obvious reasons...

I've been renting a house from a management company for a little over two years. In the first six months I lived here, I was still getting a LOT of mail for the previous owner. I informed my management company of this and used to take it all over to them once a month. Numerous times I told them how much mail was still coming to the house and that it seemed strange because she hadn't lived here for so long. After those first six months, I figured I had made enough attempts and didn't worry about it anymore.

Back in November, I received a package for her from FedEx, which I didn't have to sign for. They knocked and the door and left it sitting there, so it wasn't like I could say that the person didn't live here. I contacted the management company (I don't have the owner's info) and told them that the owner of the house had received a package. I said that I was busy that current week and that I could possibly drop it off the next week and they said that was fine. They didn't offer to come get it, and as far as I know, they didn't inform the owner. Well, I put it in my front hallway closet and accidentally forgot about it. You probably see where this is going...

Today I was cleaning out the closet and found the package. My boyfriend was ready to throw it out since no one had ever contacted us about it again, but curiosity got the better of me and I opened it. I know, I know, I shouldn't have, but I was curious what could have possibly gotten shipped to an old address that she didn't miss for 8 months. Inside was a brand new, still in the packaging, 64gb iPhone 6 for Verizon.

I have no idea what I should do and was looking any legal ramifications of selling it. It's been 8 months and no one has ever asked us about it or come looking for it. I'm assuming that the owner reported not receiving it and got another one from Verizon because I think she would have contacted the management company to see if I had mistakenly received it. We looked up the serial number on the Apple website and all it says is, "Activate your iPhone."

If this had happened last week or even in the last month, I would obviously return it. But it's been 8 months and the phone wasn't marked as lost or stolen, so I don't know if I should just sell it or attempt to return it to the owner, especially given the lack of attempt on her part to get things delivered to the correct address. She once even sent an ADT person to upgrade the security system by mistake because they were supposed to go to her OTHER house.

So, any advice or suggestions? Does anyone know of any legal statue that would apply here? Thanks in advance!

(Located in Washington, DC)

tldr: Received a new iPhone in the mail by mistake, sell it or what?

Answer:
 Take it to your nearest Verizon store if you can't get a hold of the owner....selling or keeping it, now that you know you have it, would be theft.Answer #2: > Does anyone of know of any legal statue that would apply here?

A theft crime.Answer #3: Do not sell it.

This issue also has nothing to do with the management company. They were doing you a big favor by dealing with all that mail. In the future just write "return to sender, not at this address" on the mail and send it back. When you got the package your responsibility was to call the company that delivered it and have them come back and get it. Answer #4: What legal statue applies?
it is not yours, keeping it is theft.  Just return it to the rightful owner.