Title: Toy Display Fell On Daughter's Head at Local Walmart

Question: So we live in Alberta, Canada.  I was at a local Walmart today with my 2 daughters, ages 5 and 7.  We were standing in one of the toy aisles, all 3 of us standing pretty close together.  Then out of nowhere this big display piece fell on the heads of my 2 girls.  It all happened in a flash.  My 5 year old seemed to get it worse than my 7 year old.  She was crying for a while complaining of her head hurting.  After looking up and seeing what happened, it appears that the display piece was suppose to be secured above the top shelf, it obviously wasn't, it would seem that it fell all on it's own, onto my girl's heads.  I immediately told a passing employee what happened, and then another who came to inspect the scene.  Before I left I made sure to talk to a store manager and tell him as well.  He took our personal information and said they'd be calling tomorrow to check up on my daughter.  My 5 year old has been saying her head hurts for the last 2 hours since it happened...I'm hoping it's not serious, she's in relatively good spirits now other than occasionally complaining about her head.  We plan on taking her to the doctor tomorrow if she's still experiencing any pain or discomfort.  We've never had anything like this happen to us before...if there proved to be any residual damage I would certainly want them to be held accountable....any advice would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

Answer:
 Medical treatment now, law queries later.
Kids head injuries can go badly very quickly - if you're concerned enough to post here, you should take her to get checked over *now*, not tomorrow, especially since you're in a land of affordable healthcare.

I'd also advise you to do that for legal reasons - say, in a worst case scenario, she's fine all day and then tonight goes downhill so quickly that the end result is serious brain surgery and life-long damage - the store's defense team may try to argue that you're partially responsible because you failed to seek adequate medical care leading to an extraordinarily worse outcome.

Once you've worked out what medical treatment is required, if any, then you can consider whether any legal action is to be taken, if any.
Keep in mind that lawsuits are for damages - if you have no out of pocket costs, for example, then you have no damages.Answer #2: Remember Natasha Richardson? (Liam Neeson's wife). She refused medical treatment after a head injury and died.Answer #3: Kid hurt...better post to reddit about how much money we can get for it...doctors come later!Answer #4: Head injuries need to be treated NOW. Not tomorrow. NOW.Answer #5: If she's hurt and you have out of pocket damages, you may be able to seek reimbursement.  If you don't, there's nothing to be done other than a complaint to management, or maybe whoever regulates such things in Canada.Answer #6: Just came back from doctor....said she should be fine...just to keep an eye on her overnight as a precaution...still rather pissed at Wal-mart for negligence like this, especially in a kids area...thanks for the advice.


Title: Got Lasik Friday in Houston, TX. It was excruciating, and my vision isn't what they said it would be. They won't give me answers.

Question:
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 Medical malpractice is one of those things where, unless you definitely do NOT have a case, there's not much to be learned definitively online. To mean, it sounds like you might have a case. There are [four elements](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/medical-malpractice-basics-29855.html) that have to be proven to show malpractice; you definitely have #1, but you'd need to prove #2, #3, and #4 in a court of law (or have enough threat in doing so that you negotiate out of court with the company to your satisfaction).

The statute of limitation for medical malpractice is in the range of months at a minimum, if not a couple of years, so you don't have to move on this right away. You can wait for your eyes to heal. In fact, you generally do have to wait until things have resolved to know the full extent of injuries before you can put a case through.

Right now I would sit tight. Others might have better opinions, though. I suppose if you were really eager you could get your bf to drive you to a medical malpractice attorney, or call ones, but to me it seems like I'd wait a few days or a week.

(On another matter, you may decide you never want to see that doctor again, but I'm not sure what to do there about changing doctors before the Lasik is really resolved.)


Title: Someone is using my SSN to report his income

Question:
Hello, I hope you guys can point me in the right direction here. For the past 3 years, I've been getting CP2000 IRS notices saying that I misreported my income. The notices include the company who is employing the person using my SSN. I called them the first time I got a notice from the IRS and they said that his SSN and mine were similar. So I chucked it to machine error and over zealousness from the IRS. This year, the notice included the SSN and name of the person and it's my SSN. I don't know what to do. I figure I need to contact an attorney, but I don't know what type of attorney, or if that is even the right way to go about it.

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I live in Utah, and the company/person reporting under my SSN is in California.

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Thank you very much for all your help.

Answer:
 You may want to contact the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). An identity thief also might use your Social Security number to file a tax return to receive your refund. If you’re eligible for a refund, a thief could file a tax return before you do and get your refund. Then, when you do file, the IRS will think you already received your refund. If your Social Security number is stolen, another person may use it to get a job. That person’s employer would report earned income to the IRS using your Social Security number. This will make it appear that you didn’t report all of your income on your tax return. If you think you may have tax issues because someone has stolen your identity, go to www.irs.gov/uac/Identity-Protection or call 1-800-908-4490.Answer #2: Contact the police. It is identity theftAnswer #3: In addition to contacting the IRS, try contacting the HR department of the CA company.

Either
A) they are intentionally hiring people without an SSN of their own and are making one up
B) someone is using your SSN and they are a victim as well
C) they made a mistake and entered your SSN and the CA guy has a number similar to yours.


Title: (United States, IL). Wrongfully Banning My Gaming Account

Question:
Theirs a huge gaming company called Kongregate. I've recent'y been asked by the their support team to authorize my PayPal account. I sent in a reply telling them I was sorry for not having it authorized before. The next message is what astounded me, the support team misunderstood my reply to them( Was very clear and readable), and told me since I failed to do it I was permanently banned, and the account was refunded. Now, I never said anything about not authorizing it, just told them why I didn't have it authorized before. So I send in another message to the support team telling them I can authorize it and it was a misunderstanding. They told me they can't do anything about it because it's too late... I was also given a week to authorize it, but they permanently banned me on the same day they told me to authorize it, leaving a total of six days wasted. I looked up their TOS, http://www.kongregate.com/pages/terms , I looked at the caption about terminating accounts, I didn't do any of those wrong. The reason for why they banned me was "Un-Authorization of PayPal".

So Basically, I didn't break the TOS, Nor do they have a rule stating " We may ban you for no reason". Their reason was false due to it being the fault of their Support Team, and not me. Therefore, I was WrongFully Banned.

Is their something I can do about it? Even if the account is  permanently banned, What can I do to make them either replace the account or say to them, in which would get them to give it back/replace the account. Also just give me any other opinions that I can do about this.

Answer: You don't have a legal right to a Kongregate account. So as long as they refund any money you've spent, they can ban you for false reasons if they'd like.


Title: "Kidnapped" child support

Question:
Hi

So long story short, my father is a borderline alcoholic, heavy handed douche who also happens to be a very successful neurologist and psychologist at his own practice in Germany.

When I was six or so my mother finally pulled her finger out and filed for divorce. Fast forward four years, many frustrated beatings and sleepless nights later, and the German courts have finally deemed that my mother was a better legal guardian than my psychopathic biological father.

Well it wasn't quite as straight forward as just getting custody and leaving Europe, he had his visitation rights (courts in Germany had only recently started treating women as equal in custody cases, das fatherland and all that shit). So my mom took my sister and I initially to England and then shortly after to the USA.

We did have the FBI show up at one point as we were technically kidnapping victims due the technicalities of visitation rights, but they were happy to see two more chubby kids being quickly turned into red white and blue consumers and left us to it.

Now I have not seen or spoken to my now decrepit father for 20 years or so. And I still f*cking hate the prick! So much so that I just want to hear the good news of his death and continue not really thinking about, let alone caring about, this massive crap monster. But, and this is a bit of J-Lo proportion, he is a rich doctor in a country that pays their doctors very well, and he owes me 8+ years of child support.

As much as I'd like to just wait him out (he's 80!), I kinda want to get on with my life after years of fighting old demons he so loving instilled in my psyche. Can I sue him for my child support? It was 50k DM pa for both my sister and I back in '97/'98 when we "fled" (lol) to the States.

Answer: No, your mother can sue him for back child support.  You do not have a claim to the support.


Title: [Ontario, Canada] An infuriating follow up to a previous post (employment law)

Question:
A few days ago I posted this thread: https://np.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/5k55ye/ontario_canada_brother_is_working_too_much/

He felt he was being overworked by his boss but there was nothing he could do. As a second party, just seeking advice for him, I do* not have all the details.

On Friday, the 23rd of December, he submitted a letter of complaint to his HR department, and was fired in response on the 27th. (Note: he refused to come into work on Friday because he felt uncomfortable in his workplace) In this letter, he complained about not only being given an unworkable amount of hours while his coworkers did minimal work, but also reported that his boss (M, 24) was touching him inappropriately while he was working. This is most notably in the form of wedgies.

Tl;DR: Was (Sexually?) harassed and overworked, submitted letter of complaint to HR, got promptly fired.

PS. He is coming over for dinner tonight so we can talk about anything else that has happened, a legal step forward. Thank you in advance for your always helpful replies

Answer:
 > (Note: he refused to come into work on Friday because he felt uncomfortable in his workplace)

That was not a smart move because it weakens his case.  He should consult with an employment lawyer about his next action.

Your brother should have filed a complaint with the labor board (and still should).


Title: Ripped off a fake business

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Business Law

Answer:
 You likely have no claim for damages because you go what was advertised for the price you agreed to pay. Whole Foods, on the other hand would likely want to hit this woman with a legal hammer. If you care to I’d let Whole Foods know. Answer #2: If you're alleging that the Instagram business is counterfeiting the product then feel free to contact the manufacturer.  But if the article is genuine and the business owner is not representing themselves to be Whole Foods, there's nothing wrong here.  It's perfectly legal to buy and re-sell items, even at a 3x or 300x markup.  Answer #3: > Is there anything she can do? The lady sells its for almost 3x the price for what she can get it at Whole Foods and this isn’t the only product. There’s almost 50 different products which we know are probably fake also.

The products aren't fake.

I assume that your mother and the other customers are aware of the price up front and they get what they paid for? That's business.  Costco exists in no small part so that small businesses can buy things and resell them at higher prices.

Personally, I once paid about twice the sticker price for a Trader Joe's product on Amazon. It was out of stock at my local(ish) store and I wanted it and I did not want to drive 90 minutes. I was glad that I was able to make that choice.


Title: My apartment complex towed my car even though I've been living here for 2.5 years with the same registered car and the same parking decal. The reason was "No Decal". Do I have a case here for small claims court? (Photo of decal in post)

Question:
I came home (after being away for a few days) to my car not being where I parked it in my apartment complex. So I spoke to the property manager asking why I was towed. They told me that either I didn't have the sticker or it wasn't visible (BS). I told them I had been living there for 2+ years, with the same registered car and the exact same parking decal, in the same exact spot and never had a problem (I cursed a couple of times during this conversation).

The property manager then told me that they weren't going to talk to me anymore because I was using foul language and then told me to contact the tow company and they walked away. (I just came back from a trip the night before and had to work that morning so I visibly pissed that my was not where I left it and I did curse probably 2-3 times in the conversation. Not at the person, but at the situation. I know this doesn't justify my language but I was really frustrated and late for work.)

[I then picked my car up at the tow company and was level headed. The tow guys told me that they don't go in the complex looking for cars, the property calls them and my car was towed for "No Decal". Then it says "Cut decal" written by the total, and this was written with a different pen, which leads me to believe the property manager called the tow company and they added that in?](https://i.imgur.com/7cgNzpX.jpg)

So now it says "Cut Decal". [I did cut my decal because the original decal is huge and takes up a very large portion of the windscreen \(Size of about a large smartphone\). They have the company logo on it, then a bunch of white space and then it has a section with "Resident Parking" and a number. I cut out all of the white space and left that part. Because I figured that's the information that is needed and having the whole sticker is an annoyance and a hazard.](https://i.imgur.com/j6VehBb.png) I've had it this way since I registered my car 2.5 years ago, without issue and I was never told I couldn't do this.

I do not see a reason why they need the entire sticker. The number on the sticker should match my vehicle and that should be the end of it. Am I in the wrong or do I have a case here?

[Here is the sticker on my vehicle. The original sticker with the logo and the surrounding white space is about 3½ times larger](https://i.imgur.com/VKuE8q2.jpg)

Edit: This is in Florida
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 >Do I have a case for small claims court?

Probably not.

Your landlord’s victory here isn’t necessarily certain. But landlord has a process for identifying cars eligible to park in the lot. And a mistake can be argued to at least partially lie on an altered decal that made identification harder.

There certainly may be other factors and arguments to be had. But one fairly reasonable and believable explanation makes this at least partially your fault.


Title: [AZ] Signed car loan for sister, she has car repo'd and now I'm being sued for the balance after auction.

Question:
The first paragraph has most of the pertinent info, however the second paragraph contains information that might help my case.  I made the huge mistake of signing for a car loan for my sister under somewhat sketchy circumstances a while back.  She quit making payments and had the car repossessed.  The car was auctioned and now I'm being sued by what looks to be a collections firm for the balance + interest, fees, etc (17k ouch).  I realize that I'm probably screwed, but is there anything that I can do to put this back onto my sister?  What sort of attorney would I even talk to about this sort of thing?

To add a little more the sketchy circumstances part above... I received a call from my sister while heading to the airport to leave the country for a few weeks stating that she needed my help with a new car.  I had co-signed on a previous car for her and said that I could co-sign again, when/if needed.  She then proceeded to tell me that they were already at the dealer drawing up paperwork.  I didn't have time to make it to the dealer before my flight, so met with some sales guy in a convenience store parking lot and signed a few things.  I know this was really dumb and that I should have read what I was signing.  I assumed that I was co-signing (not that it would have made much of a difference) but it turned out that they put the loan in my name and my name only.  I never stepped foot on the lot, never saw the vehicle, never actually spoke with my sister in person about the purchase.  I'm an idiot.  Also, the legal papers where served to my girlfriend while I was out of the state for two weeks.  I always thought that I had to be present in order to be served.  Can I use any of this information in my favor?

Answer:
 >is there anything that I can do to put this back onto my sister?

Yep. You can sue your sister for the $17k. But does she have the money if you win?Answer #2: The loan is in your name- you owe the money.

Your recourse is to pay it and then sue your sister for what you paid.


Title: being sued for floods in an apartment that my roommate caused

Question:
Background story: Lived in an apartment earlier this year with 2 guys (3 people total). One of the roommates got drunk and flooded the apartment, 2 different times, which did roughly 100k worth of damage to our apartment, and the apartment below us. Our insurance policy only covered 100k of damage to the property, and after the second flood we were evicted, and the landlord agreed that we didn't have to pay more after the eviction. We made the roommate at fault sign a very specific contract stating that he caused the floods and will pay any charges that come up directly related to the flood.

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Current situation: Over half a year later, I find out that I am being sued by the family that lived below us (2 different lawsuits for 10k each, one from each person, related to clothing and other objects broke in their apartment). Spoke with the person, and apparently the old insurance company claimed I was at fault, when I indeed was not, and have proof I was not at fault. Also, the guy apparently tried to contact me first, but I was never told about anything like this before receiving notice of the lawsuit from the private investigator.

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My questions: If I fight this, how likely am I to win the case? Is my best option just to get the money from the other roommate and pay the guy to settle without court? What are my other options? If I lose fight and lose the lawsuit, I am fairly confident I could sue the roommate actually at fault for the charges, but does a lost lawsuit in small claims court hurt my clean record?

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I'm leaning towards settling without the lawsuit, and was advised to do that by one lawyer I briefly spoke with, as to not take the chance of losing the lawsuit for whatever reason. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Answer: You have a contract with the guy who caused the flood stating it was his fault and you are not at all liabile, correct?


Title: A friend in a bad marriage needs options

Question:
Maryland: So, I'm posting this for my best friend, in Maryland, who just this morning told me how bad things had gotten in her marriage.  I knew they were struggling but I didn't realize how bad it had gotten.  She married a man ten years ago, who is not a terrible man, but he's pretty old school in that, he works and she stays home and that's the way it has been for a long time.  Her kids are getting older and she took a part time job for herself so she could get out of the house and make some friends.  (She was very isolated before.  She and I have been friends since childhood but we live in different states and don't see each other very often.)  So, this new dynamic along with a cheating incident on his part has lead to them trying open marriage, swinging, and clearly this has not worked because they are starting to implode.
So, the issue here is that she is ready to leave but has only a small income from her job.  Nothing is in her name, she doesn't have a degree other than a high school diploma.  She could stay with me but I live in a different state and we're not sure if its legal for her to take the kids out of state and she has no other family to help her.  I'm writing this because her husband checks her computer and messages.  I'm wondering what other people have done in similar situations and what kind of advice or even some helpful ways to cope when you're at the end of your tether.
Her husband is not physically abusive but they have hurt each other a lot and as anyone in a bad relationship knows, when you're hurt it can bring the worst out in both parties.  Neither are happy in this relationship but he's holding on so tight that its starting to smother my friend and make her feel like a prisoner in her life.  She feels trapped because she has a few small children that are not school aged yet so getting a better job is difficult since all of her money would go to daycare.  Again, all of their assets are in his name.  I've never been through anything like this and I think I'm too protective of my friend to be impartial when giving advice so, if anyone out there has been through something similar I'd like to hear what you have to say and also what legal options she has if she were to leave.
Thank you

Answer: She should speak to a divorce attorney. There are probably low cost legal aid services in her area with whom she can consult.


Title: [Washington] Moved Out of an Apartment, Forgot Grandmother's Favorite Cooking Pot. Need Answers.

Question:
I made some mistakes and long story short, basically after moving out of an apartment with 3 other people living there, I forgot a few things in the rush and hassle. I went back to get some of them, but the person neglected to give me back my grandmas favorite cooking pot. It's been a few months and I've been trying to get it back, asking about it every once in a while.

I got sick of getting tossed around by these people and and politely asked one of them (roommate 1, we'll say RM1 for short) a week ago if I could come and get it. The response I got was first that it needed to be washed, then just a few minutes later, I was told it was lost. On Sunday, I let RM1 I had been discussing this with know that I planned on coming to just pick it up tomorrow or Saturday, and tried to make plans with them to come pick it up. I didn't get any response, and I had to go through 3 different days of medical procedures this week so I waited and it's been a few days.

I hadn't gotten any response still so when I finally got back home, I put my foot down and sent a polite message and told RM1 I would be coming over tomorrow to get the pot and asked what time would be best. I waited a few hours and then suggested a time when I knew someone would be home and asked again if I could come get it then. After RM1 trying to call me (I refused to talk to him on the phone or give him my phone number at all, he and the other roommates are pretty much insane, I'll get onto that point in a minute), and me trying to set up a reasonable time tomorrow or Saturday, I even asked if I could come pick it up tonight.

I was met with all kinds of excuses, and eventually told by one of his roommates (who I guess were reading the conversations I was having with this guy the whole time, we'll refer to him as RM2), that this was now harassment and that any further messages would be considered as such and that RM2 would now be RM1s legal representation. I'm afraid to even try to go get this cooking pot now, not just because they're threatening me with harassment, but at that point possibly trespassing.

I'd like to add that they all own several guns, and RM2 and his wife are very alt-right (RM2 would constantly refer to any kind of Asian cuisine as "gook food", and said other very racist things, I was told at first by RM2s wife that he was joking, but being a daily occurrence it became VERY apparent that it wasn't a joke. This disgusted me and was one reason why I left). I was somewhat seeing RM1 for a very short time, who had become very manipulative and began doing things that made me uncomfortable. Because of this and several other uncomfortable reasons, including loosing my job after moving in, I moved out without telling any of them.

I was only there for a month, and paid rent for that month, but I was never officially put on the lease. This wouldn't be a very big deal, and I'd just let this cooking pot go, but it's my grandmas favorite cooking pot, and she's extremely mad that she hasn't gotten it back yet.

Is it an option to go over there, call and explain the situation, and ask the local police to come with me, and get this cooking pot back? Or am I out of luck? What options do I really have here?

[EDIT]: I just want to add that throughout all of this, I have been very polite and patient, and feel that this was NOT harassment. I even asked if they still had the cooking pot or if they'd thrown it away, and they wouldn't answer that.

Answer:
 Let's break this down:

You have repeatedly asked for the pot; have offered to come get the pot; are afraid for your safety if you go over there (because guns?); are worried that you may be charged with trespassing if you do go over there; and have been told you are harassing them, due to your numerous attempts to contact them about the pot.

Let the pot go. Tell grandma it's gone, never to be seen again. You *are* harassing them, and you *could* be dealing with the cops if you keep this up.


Title: K-9 unit scratched my car in search of “drugs”. Didn’t have suspicion. I don’t do drugs.

Question:
Got pulled over today while picking up some music equipment from a wedding I attended night prior. There was an empty beer container in the front passenger side, one in the console and a third in the back. All empty from some a day fishing (didn’t want to leave the beer cans out there, shouldn’t have left them in the car. Obviously looks bad.) they had me retell my story like 3 times about where I was coming from and going, all while asking if I’m sure there wasn’t anyone doing drugs in my car or if I had some in there. They said my story wasn’t believable even after I told them I could provide pictures of the wedding, texts a bit reception, ceremony, etc. they asked if they could search my car to which I replied “no.” They then had me get out of the car, brought a K-9 unit and then searched the car for “drugs”. They were tearing through my back seat looking for something and didn’t want anything to be ruined so I condescendingly said “it’ll be easier for you guys if you open the trunk.” The k-9 scratched my passenger door (just got this car 2 months ago). After searching and finding fishing equipment (relating to me story, as I said I had been fishing before the wedding). They said I was free to go after leaving my car a mess. Should I file a claim against the deputy and sheriff who stopped me? Request video surveillance since they had body cams?
It took almost an hour out of my day on top of messing up my shit and scratching my car. Fucking idiots. Should I hire a lawyer?

Answer:
 You can absolutely file a complaint and/or claim against them for the damage.

But I'll point out that "I don't do drugs" and "they could not have had suspicion to search" are not mutually exclusive things.


Title: Is my employer required to let me vote in the primary? [Texas]

Question: So polls today are rom 7-7. I'm scheduled to work from 7-7. Someone was originally going to cover for me while I ran to the polling place but now they aren't able to and I'm getting some push back about calling someone else in. I know having enough time to vote is required for Election Day, but is that true of the primary as well? Or am I SOL?

Answer:
 Yes.

http://www.twc.state.tx.us/news/efte/voting_time_off.html

Now it's up to you to determine if this is a battle you want to fight.


Title: Speeding over 100mph in California

Question:
In short, I was caught going 106 on a 65mph highway in California. I was wondering how likely it would be for me to get a reduction to speeding under 100. The officer that pulled me over was not using a radar, and it seems that 106 is just barely over 100.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: How do you know that the officer wasn't using radar?


Title: Went in for a septoplasty, came out with a fixed nose and a blown ear drum. (CA)

Question:
A few months ago I decided to have a procedure done on my nose to increase breathing through my nose(septoplasty).

Long story short, when I woke up from the surgery I noticed my ears felt strange. I woke up to a loud ring in my left ear and my surgeon inspecting my left ear and a nurse saying, "is it perforated?" There was blood in my ear and my doctor told me blood had ran from my nose and pooled in my ear during the procedure. I was thankful and I went home without pain killers.

The next day the pain was bad enough that I went to an urgent care where the doctor told me my left ear drum was perforated and he prescribed me pain killers. When I saw my surgeon again a few days later she told me my ear was in fact NOT perforated. However, for 2 weeks after the procedure, whenever I blew my nose I could hear air streaming out of my left ear which leads me to believe it was perforated.

It has been about 2 months since the procedure and I can still hear a very loud ringing in my left ear. I'm afraid of having Tinnitus. I don't really know what to do.

Answer:
 Right now you don't have proof that your eardrum was perforated, you only suspect it.  Go see an ENT.

>whenever I blew my nose I could hear air streaming out of my left ear which leads me to believe it was perforated.

I experienced something similar and went to an ENT.  The doctor informed me that my eardrum was displaced, not perforated.  To a non-ENT doctor a displaced eardrum can look perforated when it isn't.  Basically the eardrum is sucked back into the inner ear and is caused by a blocked Eustachian tube.  It hurts like hell and the air you hear when you blow is the eardrum trying to "re-inflate."  The ringing in the ear is due to the displaced eardrum.  Go to an ENT, they will give you a few treatment options.  Among them are PE tubes, or they will prescribe a decongestant to see if that dislodges the clog in the Eustachian tube.


Title: Can I sue my university mental health for forcefully sending me to the psych ward?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: It would have been illegal (or against regulations) if the health professional *didn't* act on their assessment that you were a danger to yourself or others. If they acted in good faith (which I can basically guarantee they did), there's probably nothing you can do. Answer #2: The licensed health professional was acting completely within their professional and legal purview when they had you sent to the psych ward. There's no need for you to be talking about compensation, because you won't be getting anything. If you don't believe us, ask around your town and see if you can get a lawyer to take his on contingency if you feel that strongly about it (also you have to have damages). But I recommend against sending an email to the university, and instead would advise you to follow up with your mental healthcare provider as your first priority.


Title: [VA] How would I go about forgiving child support debt?

Question:
Side-note: I have a vision in my head of Michael Scott in The Office declaring bankruptcy by just yelling "I DECLARE BANKRUPTCY!" Maybe I just yell "I DECLARE YOU DEBT FREE!" and boom, no debt? Is that how this works? Let me back up...

My wife and I are currently working on the beginning stages of my adopting her two kids from a previous marriage. Her ex is long gone and has paid very little child support since their divorce 7 years ago. He's gone to jail for 90 days in Virginia for not paying, but has since eluded authorities. We don't really know where exactly he is at the moment, though we believe he is remarried now (for the 3rd time) and lives in Florida (don't know if Virginia or Florida law would be applicable here). She has full custody and he has supervised visitation upon request, which he has not asked for in years. As far as the adoption, abandonment is definitely our angle, though there's also violence and substance abuse going on. I'm not asking particularly about the adoption part of this particular case.

He owes my wife over $40,000 in child support. We do not expect to ever see that money, but know that he generally has to stay off the grid if he wants to avoid either paying it or being mailed summons. In the past when we found where he lived, he got some time to pay something like $800 or go to jail. He'd get an actual job for a while, work until he paid the debt, then slide back off the grid. We will have to find him again to summon him for the adoption process anyway, but I know that doing so will cause him to either move quickly or go to jail again.

He was somewhat violent during their marriage, and has multiple assault counts on him involving others since they've split. I think the best solution moving forward might be to forgive him his full debt so that he can actually turn his life around if he wants and be a better person. I know that seems like letting him off the hook, and that's partially why I'm not asking our lawyer about this yet. I haven't talked to my wife about it because I'd like to know how that actually works before I do. But I think that it might be the best way to protect our family from him in the future. Kill him with kindness in a way, but also I know the adoption will stir a pot that hasn't been stirred for a while and I don't want his violent tendencies to cause us problems later.

So, how would I even go about forgiving debt like that? Is that a family court thing still or does that go to a different court? I would think there's some legal process to it, but no idea what that would look like. Probably not like Michael Scott, though that sounds way less expensive.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 You can't forgive past debt by declaring it.  That would be something the state would have to do.

Adoption would cease child support going forward.  You should speak to a family law lawyer.Answer #2: I did some quick googling, and it appears that you likely can initiate some process to forgive child support in VA.  You will certainly need a lawyer to do so, and I would speculate that doing so would also provide a tax implication for both parties (you writing that off against income, him owing tax on it as income).  Answer #3: The short answer is you don't. Ordinary debts you can waive collection by forgiving the debt in writing ("You don't have to pay me"), which can be treated as income for tax purposes, but that gets into a different issue.

 Child support is a statutory right that is usually owed to the child. In some states the right to collect is vested in the child when they turn 18.

The other component is whether there was ANY state assistance, in which case the state has the right collect. Child support can get tricky for that reason. Some states have a policy to enforce support so state assistance does not become necessary. VA likely has an agency that can give you more information and their position on the arrearage.

You can discuss how the arrearage affects adoption with a family law attorney, but I doubt you or the parent have any way to release the arrearage, nor would I encourage it. If you don't care about getting the money, don't pursue collection. If the support is not necessary, modify any support order as part of the adoption.


Title: [OH] Child Support just sent me a certified mail that says we have to go to court, even though we dissolved the child support months ago.

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 > So basically, we're asking what this means.

Presumably the Ohio parent has filed for state assistance, and now the state is seeking the non-Ohio parent to reimburse them for child support. The state is absolutely allowed to do this (and they commonly do) as the right to child support belongs to the child and parents cannot necessarily waive that even if they both "agree".

> Do we have to go to this hearing?

Yes. You (and/or your attorney) will need to attend these proceedings. You would be best served by hiring a local (Ohio) attorney familiar with family law/child support to represent you in this.


Title: Stolen Mail (PA)

Question:
I added a line to a relative's phone plan with AT&T. I pay her $50.00/month. We've had this arrangement for 5 years. I send a check (sometimes cash) to her in the mail. She's apart of a small credit union and lives 2 hours away from me.

Long story short, she came over today saying that she didn't get payment from me in 3 months. I told her I sent it like I always do and she believes me, but thinks it was stolen. She was missing a lot of other things, not just the cell phone bill. For example, her utility bill wasn't paid in 2 months but she sent it. Her mailbox is across the street and thinks it could be a neighbor or just a passer-by.

She filed a report with the police but is asking me to re-pay for 3 months. What should I do?

Answer:
 If you paid with checks and they weren't cashed, you should pay her. If you paid with checks and they were cashed (but not by her), you should report that. If you paid with checks and she did cash/deposit them you shouldn't pay her. If you paid with cash, you shouldn't do that.

When did she suspect her mail may have started to be stolen? If it was a while back, before some of the payments went missing, and she didn't do anything about it (have mail held at PO or get a locking box), maybe she'd be willing to split the loss with you.

Maybe consider sending her the payments via certified/registered/signature required mail.Answer #2: Well did someone cash those checks?  If not then you should pay her.  If someone did then you should also file a police report, dispute it with your bank, and probably pay her.  Assuming you believe her.


Title: My employer is bullying me into backdating a resignation letter.

Question:
Hi,

I've spent three years working as an agent for a major insurance company. I have a contract with the company, although my income is exclusively commission based. In January, I informed my district manager that I was resigning. He said he didn't want to lose me and in an attempt to keep me (I'm sure it was a numbers/ recruiting thing) he told me not to officially resign and that I had enough business generated to renew my contract in March if I decided that's what I wanted.

So, I stayed on the books. I thought it would be a good idea, as I started looking for a new job to minimize the gap in my employment.  On March 6, I received an email from both branch managers (the big guns) that they needed a resignation letter from me by March 11 or they would have no choice but to "terminate me with extreme prejudice".  I was floored because this was the first I was hearing about it, but as I kept reading it got even worse. They also told me that if the resignation wasn't backdated to Feburary 28 and sent from my own personal email address, they would classify my resignation as an "involuntary resignation". So not only was this the first I was hearing about this, it was also already too late for whatever deadline they had and they are asking me to lie about the timeline here.

Now, I'm not sure if either of those are big deals, but I'm uncomfortable that I'm being threatened, especially when the last I heard, it was no problem for me to ride out the remainder of my contract. I'm also very uneasy about backdating the resignation letter. It sounds like they're trying to cover their asses about something, but I don't know what.

I guess what I'd like to know is:
• is it a good idea to back date the letter?
• is it even legal for the company to ask me to do so?
• what kind of ramifications could this have?
• and what could they possibly be worried about in asking me to do it?

Thanks so much everyone. You guys rock!

Answer:
 There's not really any negative consequence to telling them to pound sand.  It's easily explainable to your next employer, and the fact that the current employer just wants to screw you out of commission lends weight to your story and detracts from their credibility.  Keep looking for work, and tell them in WRITING (and cc yourself) that "I categorically refuse to falsify any paperwork or legal documents.  I believe my good name and outstanding reputation are far more valuable than your threats of 'termination with extreme prejudice.'  I will continue to fill out my paperwork in the correct and legal manner; if this is not the behavior you prefer from your employees, I cannot stop you from terminating me, but I will not resign before I choose to."

Good luck with your job hunt.  Being fired is a lot easier to explain than falsifying documents.


Title: Is it ever worth it to represent yourself in any court case?

Question: I'm just curious, since TV depicts it as one of the dumbest things you can do, and I have no experience with the legal system. I don't think my location is relevant, so I didn't put it, hope that's okay

Answer: Small claims court exists for those cases where a lawyer isn't worth the cost. Everything above that though, you absolutely want a legal expert on your side.


Title: I(f25) have a daughter (5f) who my mother(f50) is raising. She wants custody of my child is there anyway I can get out of child support is she doesn't ask for it?

Question: I'm only here for legal advice not to get judge on why I don't have my daughter with me. I'm just here to hear the legal advice.  I do give money to mother $80 a month. I have an acct for my daughter that has 4k in it. The account is under my name but my mom has the debit card so she can make purchases to buy anything that my daughter needs. It's not under my mother's name because she is on low income and can't have money in the bank if not they'll take her medical away so that's why I have that account under my name. So if she wants custody will I be forced to pay child support?  I'm in CA btw. I would appreciate any legal advice.

Answer:
 >I'm only here for legal advice not to get judge on why I don't have my daughter with me.

What about getting judged on aiding and abetting fraud? Can you be here for that?

>So if she wants custody will I be forced to pay child support? I'm in CA btw.

If your mother is obtaining benefits from the state for the care of the child, you should expect to compensate the state. So, yes.

Answer #2: Yes, they will seek child support because she is currently on assistance.

On a side note, I hope they force you to pay because it's your child and shouldn't be the responsibility of the state.Answer #3: The child is still in your legal custody unless there's a court order saying otherwise, even if you're allowing her to be raised by grandma.

You can allow her to be raised by grandma.  Nothing forbids that.  You can allow grandma to make a lot of decisions about her life if you want.  What exactly does your mother want?


Title: Going over friends house roommate problem/Legal Advise!

Question:
Hi guys, I live in the state of MA!

My friends, and enemies live in the same house:
A Russian Guy (wants me over)
Palestinian Guy (wants me over)
-two Malaysian Brothers (don't want me over)
-British Guy (does't want me over)
Congo Guy (doesn't care)
and a Australian Girl (doesn't care)

Now this is college by the way, we are not teenagers. -_- right? Last time i went over there i had a fight with the Malaysian brothers because they wanted me out of the house for the reason that they don't like me. (talk about discrimination). We were all really cool until I quit drugs, and then they started to hate me. Now i have better activities. Anyways...

If some people in the house want me there, and I ignore the ones who hate me for stupid reasons, and they attack me or try to get me out of the house... can i call the cops? What is the situation here? The votes are 2 people want me there, 3 people don't, and two don't care.

Who's right and who's wrong. My friends want me there, so can the other people discriminate and kick me out? If i refuse and they start a fight, can i call the cops?

CAN YOU QUOTE ME TO THE ACTUAL LAW?

Answer: It's generally unwise to go to homes where you are unwanted. Can't you and your friends hangout elsewhere?


Title: uk nursery charge whilst child taken out for holidays

Question:
They use the threat of the kid losing his place.

Its a good nursery close to home and work so we don't really want to change but its about £500 for two weeks.

I understand they have to pay staff but I could really use the money!

Is this legal?

Thanks

Answer: The nursery still has to pay their bills. This is very common.


Title: Quick Family Court Question

Question:
My husband married his ex-wife more than 10 years ago. They separated after 1 year but did not get legally divorced until about 4 years ago. The ex-wife did not show up to the hearing so the divorce was granted, no issues or strings. My husband did not use a lawyer. He also didn’t ask the Judge to require his ex-wife to resume use of her maiden name (didn't know he could).

My husband has primary, residential custody of the daughter he had with his ex-wife. This was worked out in the courts several years before the legal divorce. He is in the process of filing a motion to request some changes to their custody agreement to better accommodate their teenage daughter’s schedule.

We know that theoretically he could also include the request that his ex-wife change back to her maiden name at this time. However, how likely is it that the Judge would consider or grant that now? Just curious if it is even worth asking for, or if it’d be a somewhat ridiculous thing to include on a motion at this point? Thank you.

Probably unimportant additional info: He mostly wants this bc he would've asked for it at the divorce hearing had he known he could. His ex-wife still having his last name as caused some minor issues. Most of the issues arise from his ex-wife communicating with teachers and letting them know that “we” are addressing any problems and generally taking advantage of the fact that teachers assume she is still married to my husband. Ex-wife then doesn’t share things with my husband, because it is a way she achieves some control. Yes, my husband does actively communicate with teachers and tries to clear up the misconception whenever it arises.

Answer: I've never seen a judge grant a name change based upon the husband's insistence. I've never seen a husband demand that she change it.  It's the wife's name. It's her choice.


Title: [OH] Roommate is on felony probation for a drug offense. Can her PO search my room unwarranted?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 If your room is yours, and yours alone(i.e., your roommate has no access to it or rights to it) then your roommate cannot consent to the search.  The PO *may* have probable cause to search it under another authority.  In your case, your roommate does have authority to access the room, albeit in a limited capacity, so she may be able to consent.

In either case, if the PO can't search the house, they might consider the probation violated and revoke it.  They absolutely can do that, even if she didn't have the authority to consent.

You would be dumber than a box of hammers to have drug paraphenalia, or anything else illegal, in a home that you know will be searched by law enforcement.  Seriously, that's just begging for trouble.  Also, stop telling your roommate to hide things from or lie to her PO.  That's also an incredibly stupid idea.


Title: GF (24) has 3 kids, which she was barred by her ex from seeing (not legally...?)

Question:
Hello! I know this may be a long shot.. but we're in need of serious help. I'm hoping someone on here has good advice - or been through something similar and they can offer something.

  That being said, we ARE looking for a lawyer.. but I wanted to ask here first.

  So, I'll try to keep it as short and informative as possible. My GF has 3 kids, all of which are not in a good spot. The house is dirty, the daughter has a serious rash recently (which could have EASILY been prevented)... just a rough environment. We (well, legally.. she) wants to get custody of them so she can take care of them. The problem is that she hasn't been able to see them in 3 years. Not because she doesn't want to, but because she wasn't able to. He kicked her out and has barred her from seeing them. She has not been in a good spot financially, so there's been nothing she could do during this time to get them back legally. She did call the cops once, but the cops said unless they are out in the yard, they cannot let her see them.

What can we do? We're so frustrated that these kids have to live with this person. He's filthy, can't keep a job (hasn't had one in years..), plays favorites with them (the oldest gets ALL the attention... and the other two don't), he neglects, them, etc. She's scared for them.

  This is in Louisiana. Please.. any advice will help.

  Also, sorry for the shortness and general randomness of the sentences. If you have a question on something, I'll be sure to answer ASAP. Thank you!!)

Answer:
 She needs a lawyer to help her find a custody petition.

The fact that she's waited for three years is not good.  Absent concrete evidence of serious abuse or neglect, she should keep her expectations reasonable (e.g., visitation or partial custody), as courts do not like to upend kids' live.  She is also on the hook for child support going forward.


Title: The building my buddys workshop's in was bought out, they're tearing it down to build a mini-mall; and he's being evicted on short notice. We're thinking to move his cnc lathe and tools into my workshop and team up/share the space. He'll pay me rent. What kind of prenup do we need to sign? Thoughts?

Answer:
 That's a lease, not a prenup.

The basics of a lease are terms controlling what, specifically, the tenant is entitled to in terms of space and access and what, specifically, they must do in return to preserve that right (generally, pay rent on a defined schedule and keep the place in good repair, but you can do a lot). As this would be more like a commercial lease than a residential lease, if you expect it to go on for substantial time or expect major risks to the property due to the use of machine tools, you may want to have an attorney draft your lease for you once you and your friend hammer out the basics person-to-person. Do this before he moves his equipment in and takes possession.

You'll also want to make sure _you_ carry appropriate insurance, regardless of the lease: if your friend's equipment throws a work piece through a gas main and he goes missing or declares bankruptcy in the ensuing storm of repair costs, you'll be left holding the bag unless you have appropriate coverage of your own.


Title: My mom won't allow me to keeo my medication in my room, does she have the right to do that?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer: Yes, your mom can make those rules. This is also a moment when you should really learn to pick your battles.


Title: Which jurisdiction should I file to sue the agent and the seller for refusing to release the earnest money?

Question:
So, to make it short, I will be suing the seller agent and herself to get my earnest money back.

I was at the last stage obtaining loan (that up to that point had taken 4 months) and the seller agent sent me a termination of contract letter (that had the wrong property's address and no signature). The contract itself does not have a closing date or any sort of time frame requirement.

The bank used that letter to then cancel my loan application (which is another topic for a later time).

Say, the agent's address and his broker's are in county A, the seller lives in county B. Which magistrate court should I file, in county A or B?

Second question is, do you think this amount I am trying to recover is reasonable? $total = $earnest + $court fee + $50 gas + $my daily wage x 2 (court date + the day I go to file the lawsuit).

Thank you for your help,

Edit: sorry I don't know how to edit the title, but it is in Georgia.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 You ask for a jurisdiction, yet you do not post a jurisdiction.

Da fuq homie?


Title: [Ab] Want to move out of my rental house but signed an eight month lease. Will I have to pay the rest of the rent?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 The remaining two will be responsible to make up the rent.  Then they will sue you for your portion because you are responsible until the lease ends as well.  It would likely be cheaper to keep paying or find a subletter.

We get some doozies here as far as "dumb reasons to break a lease" go, but "because my roommates have ignored me for a week" is easily the most childish.


Title: Punishment after Parole is Over?

Question:
I saw this other post and was a little confused on his sentence. Basically, OP was on parole for 10 years as long as he agreed to stay off social media for life. I'm confused as to how the courts can impose any further punishment after you've satisfied the term/length of your parole. What would happen if OP signed up for social media after 15 years?

I know there are instances where punishment can be perpetual. Sex offenders need to register and felons can't vote, but these are laws on the books. How can an individual judge impose a lifetime punishment on something if the punishment expires after 10 years?

[https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/8jvkpa/update\_texas\_was\_able\_to\_get\_clear\_definitions\_of/](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/8jvkpa/update_texas_was_able_to_get_clear_definitions_of/)

Answer: _Broadly_, it's legal because he agreed to it. Parole is not a guarantee, and the state is free to attach fairly broad conditions to it; the parolee's alternative is to remain and serve out the rest of their sentence. That's not absolute, and I remain unconvinced that this ban would survive serious review, but it's ultimately up to that OP to decide whether they want to bother. Social media is important to modern life, but it's not indispensible, and "sorry, I can't post this to Twitter, court order" will never _not_ be a funny thing to say to someone.


Title: [CA] Paid for ex-girlfriend's rent to live here so she could save money to move out, borrowed money, would like to stop payment on a check

Question: I broke up with my live-in ex-girlfriend in September after 1 year of living together.  Despite having a full-time career, she was in poor financial shape.  I had asked her to move in with me and give up her apartment a year before, so I felt somewhat morally responsible to help her get back on her feet financially.  I allowed her to continue living here for 4 months, and covered her half of the rent ($700/month) for the duration.  She found a place to move starting this month (Jan '14), and she offered to pay her share of the rent for December only.  I told her that was ok, that she could use that money to get settled in to her new place, but since it was the holidays I would appreciate it if she would loan me some money until January.  She wrote me a check for $500 and I wrote her a check postdated for January 4th.  She has since moved out, and she has now taken a hostile attitude toward me despite helping her move on with her life.  I no longer wish to give her the $500 and would like to stop payment on the check, considering it partial payment for the December rent she initially offered.  Is this legal?  Thanks for your help.

Answer:
 >  Is this legal?

No.

You entered into a contract; specifically, that she would give you $500 in December, and you would give her $500 in January.  Reneging on that deal is a breach of contract(or possibly worse).


Title: Is it assault if you punch someone first because they’re in your face screaming, cussing, and legitimately threatening to knock you out? What about just pushing them down on the ground?

Answer: If you’re in reasonable fear of being harmed (eg- screaming in your face), you can push someone away, but force must be measured/proportional.Answer #2: intentionally putting another person in reasonable apprehension of an imminent harmful or offensive contact).  Typically, you aren't required to actually get hit (which is battery) before you take steps to defend yourself.  However, you response must be proportional like u/AndrewRP2 said.  Yes you can push them, no you cannot shoot them.Answer #3: Assault isn't just physical , in general the legal standard is reasonableness. Was the action you took reasonable to protect your safety ? that's generally where the line is.


Title: Neighbour keeps harassing me, shouting through our windows and Looking through the letterbox!

Question:
A bit of a complicated situation but essentially I took on a lease and as part of that lease I specifically agreed (and had it put in writing) that we had use of the driveway for one car. The driveway spans across both my house and my neighbours house, but there is a difference in tiles that shows that is clearly belongs to my property - not to mention it’s in my lease!

When we moved in, 3 months ago, I parked my car on the driveway only for a very angry next door neighbour to come and shout at me for having it parked there and telling me to move it, that the lease was wrong and it’s his driveway. I couldn’t get a local parking perumit (because at the time I didn’t own the car I was driving - but I do now) so I was forced to constantly move my car around to avoid parking restrictions, go to work 2 hours early or borrow neighbours drives when on holiday. I was so intimated by him, and also didn’t want to piss of my new neighbour, that I just did what he said and didn’t park there.

Now face forward to last week. I bought my own car so could finally get a permit (to park a block away from my house, so still not ideal) but I was coming home from the grocery store and wanted to leave my car on the drive just to unload al the heavy groceries. I have done this before and always move it straight away. The neighbour came barrelling over and - not finding me - started yelling at my housemate who was upset.

At this point I thought - to hell with it. Being nice and not fighting the driveway thing hasn’t made him be nice to me - and he doesn’t even USE my side of the driveway, he just likes the space that makes it more convenient for him to swing his car in. So I just started parking there.

Now every time I go to my car he shouts at my out of his window, and comes over several times a day ringing on the bell. I know he wants me to move the car so I’m just ignoring him. But just now he came into our shared side access and started shouting through our open kitchen window at me.

I don’t know what to do! Our landlady won’t get involved because she lives on the other side of us and doesn’t want to upset the neighbours because they feed her cat while she is away and calling the police feels like an overeation.
Or do you think I should do it?

As I type this he’s literally ringing our doorbell and opening our letterbox to look in.

Answer:
 You tell him to go away. If he refuses you call the police.

Your LL *needs* to get involved because this lease promised you a driveway. As that’s being disputed she needs to demonstrate that she didn’t defraud you. Answer #2: Call the police, he is harassing you.


Title: Any way for District Attorneys to drop charges after they've been filed?

Question: A couple weeks ago my dad and I got in an argument and he broke my arm. The next day I filed charges against my dad. After working things out with him and dealing with stuff together I dropped the charges. Now, weeks later, the district attorney has decided to file charges against in (assault in the second degree). Is there any way to get the attorney to drop the charges? (Washington State)

Answer:
 >Is there any way to get the attorney to drop the charges?

You can sit down and talk with the DA. But ultimately you cannot make them do anything.

Domestic violence involving broken bones is pretty serious in the eyes of the courts.  I don't think your chances of getting the DA to dismiss the charges are very good.


Title: Broke someones jaw (Canada)

Question: This weekend, I had a few beers with some buddies. One of them slapped me and I get somewhat upset. He did it multiple times and I warned him that I would hit him back if he did. Needless to say he did, and I got visibly agitated. He then told me to punch him in the face as hard as I could, but I declined. He then continued to beg me to hit him for about ten minutes. Eventually I got annoyed and did it. I hit him harder than I wanted to and ended up breaking his jaw. Did I break the law?

Answer:
 I am not a lawyer.

Aggravated assault, in contravention of s. 268 of the *Criminal Code*.

I already know the three different things you're going to say, and no, none of those are a defence.


Title: Can I get sued for calling my neighbor a racial slur?

Question: I called one of my neighbors (an immigrant) a "f*cking gook" for kicking dog, and she threatened to sue me, can she legally sue me for verbal abuse or something? I live in the US.

Answer:
 The first amendment generally protects your right to be a racist dumpster fire without facing civil suit.

It also allows your neighbor to tell any and everyone that you were being a racist dumpster fire.


Title: Have a personal injury lawsuit pending. Other side's lawyers know about a previous, unrelated hospital stay and chiropractic visits. How is this possible?

Question: How would lawyers find out my medical history without there being a HIPAA violation? I'm really weirded out. I'm in NYC.

Answer: Any number of ways.  Usually, it is because someone is very sloppy with their personal information.  Also, they could have requested that information in discovery or by subpoena, though you'd likely know if those were the case.


Title: Unknowingly bought a used car that had engine replaced, voiding warranty

Question: I live in Virginia. I bought a car from a used car dealership less than a month ago. It is a 2016, had less than 7,000 miles, and it came with the manufacturer's warranty: powertrain 5 years or 60,000 miles. Had to take it into a dealership for repair. They discovered the engine had been swapped from a 2013 model, which was done poorly since it caused the damage for which it needed repair. They didn't even know it was an older engine until they ran the engine serial number. So, the dealership would not do the repair under warranty since it is not the same engine that is under warranty. Carfax showed nothing about that; clean title, no accidents, no total loss/salvage, etc. The dealership I bought it from claims they knew nothing about it. I would not have bought that car if I knew it had an older engine and that the warranty would have been useless. The dealership I bought it from advertised the car as having the manufacturer's powertrain warranty. Who knows who replaced the engine or why, or what problems this could lead to in the future. I politely explained all of this to the dealership I bought it from and asked if they would do the repair and provide me with a similar warranty. They said they have talk to some people and get back to me. If they say no, do I have any legal options?

Answer: I think you should talk to an attorney. I can absolutely see a Judge agreeing with you that it was not reasonable to expect a practically brand new vehicle to not have the original engine and be out of warranty, combined with the fact that the car was advertised as having the balance of the warranty. You might not even need to actually file a lawsuit if this lawyer can write a good demand letter to recover the cost of the repairs, a third party warranty at least equal to the manufacturers warranty, and your legal fees.


Title: [US GA] Wife got rear ended, passenger got injured, are we at all liable?

Question:
My wife was in a car accident a few months ago where she was stopped at a red light and a SUV rear ended her.  The SUV driver got a ticket and their insurance paid 100% of our damages.

She had a passenger in the car who had existing injuries that were aggravated by the accident and is soon having back surgery to try to fix things up as best as possible. Do we have any liability beyond perhaps uninsured/underinsured motorist on our car insurance?  We do have an umbrella policy if that helps.

If I had to guess the total bill between surgery, multiple MRIs, physical therapy, multiple specialists, etc will be between $100,000 and $250,000.

My wife had no injuries other than just being shaken up a bit.  The passenger was treated at the ER.  The passenger has no health insurance.  He has hired a lawyer who contacted our insurance company who told them that we don't have medical coverage on our policy.

Answer:
 Did the passenger file a claim with the at fault driver’s insurance company? What did they say?Answer #2: Claims adjuster here OP.

"Real" liability? Probably not.

Your insurer offering to pay-out $10k because they're going to incur at least that much in legal bills defending a case where there's a 0.5% chance that a jury would find your wife liable for some percentage under some crazy theory of liability, and that being paid out as a liability claim? Possible. It's not really common except in cases with very high damages though.


Title: (NY) Maintained and used land behind my house for 40+ years = Adverse Possession?

Question:
Basically, my backyard had a fence with a gate that my grandparents put up to keep their kids from running into the water.  Beyond the fence was a grassy hill about 20-30ft long that led to the water, the same width as the back yard (the fence basically divided the yard in two, the half leading to the water and the half leading to the back of the house).

For the entirety of their owning the home (first owners - 40+ years) and some time after we moved in; we mowed the grass and kept it tidy (plenty of garbage would wash up on shore), watered some flowers my grandmother had planted, often utilizing the hill and water to launch a row boat or fish.

3 years ago my mother gets a letter and an entire process begins where the city says that our dividing fence is far over our property line and says that they plan to use the city's land behind the house for a project (they had to dig and lay pipe). They tell us to tear down the pool we've had for well over 15 years in the backyard which was halfway over the property line (inside the fence at the time) and we were blocked off from the hill, the water, and lost a good chunk of our yard that was inside the original fence.

The 3 year project is now concluding and the city installed a wooden fence with no gate and began to plant trees between us and the water.

I remember hearing of adverse possession in high-school and wanted to know if any part of this story held any water as to our rights to the land, or at least the restoration of our access to the hill and water.

Sorry for any mistakes, i'm new to posting - thank you for your time.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 In New York, land owned in a public or governmental capacity cannot be lost by adverse possession.

http://www.dos.ny.gov/cnsl/comments/yachtclub.htm


Title: I was fired from work for Verbal sexual harassment. I reported an incidence of previous Physical sexual harassment and the perpetrating co-worker has not been fired.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: There's nothing you can do. Move on.


Title: How likely is it for the UK's Prince Andrew to be charged for potential crimes?

Question:
Between the US, UK and France who all have open investigations on Epstein's associates, Prince Andrew gave one of the worst interviews on the BBC that many say was a confession.

Though the previous US attorney general stated he just wanted cooperation by having him answer questions about Epstein, a new administration is now in charge in the United States and the Queen will eventually pass away likely in 5-10 years (as her 'favorite son' he  got special treatment and privedlges.)

What would the process be in the US, UK or France to actually charge him? Would that depend solely on testimony Ghislaine Maxwell gives at her trial?

It's also not merely he said/ she said because there's a photograph (that has be held as legitimate by the FBI), eye witnesses and of course his own testimony in that car crash interview.

Answer:
 >prince

>charged with crimes

Sorry, mate, you’re gonna have to pick one and only one of these things in this world.


Title: Adverse Possession

Question: I am about to purchase 18 acres of land in Kentucky and have already been living there for 2 months. We are preparing to move our horses to our new property and while building some fence I am realizing that our neighbor (the sellers brother) has some pasture fenced in that is definitely our property. Also it appears that his whole driveway falls within our property. I could care less about the driveway as he needs it but I will eventually want my part of the pasture. He also has horses and his property is only an acre so he definitely needs what he has fenced for now but I am worried he may have a claim to it since he is using it. Would it be possible for him to claim adverse possession or use another law to claim that land even though the property is changing hands? I don't have the funds to survey the property but I do have a copy of the deed and will be finding the exact property lines this weekend to confirm exactly what is on my side of the line. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer:
 >  I don't have the funds to survey the property

Then why are you buying it?  Seriously this is something you MUST do when purchasing land.  I can't even imagine why you would think you can skip this step.Answer #2: > Would it be possible for him to claim adverse possession or use another law to claim that land even though the property is changing hands?

Yes.  In fact, his claim becomes *stronger* when it changes hands.
Answer #3: You have the funds to buy 18 acres but not the funds to get it surveyed?


Title: OH. On Friday, appeared at arraignment for misdemeanor summons. Case was a mess. Assistant prosecutor informed me my case was going "inactive". I went home. I've been watching the docket suspecting bullshit. This morning (Wednesday) a warrant was issued under a new case number. Need damage control

Question:
Franklin County. See my other post, related. FYI this is not *me* but I am changing PoV to be so to keep it simple.

Online I do indeed see that that my first case shows it was dismissed at request of prosecutor. I have no lawyer have not yet been given an opportunity to request a public defender.

As for specifically how the charges were messed up. Charge was a felony under a misdemeanor statute, I was scheduled to appear on misdemeanor day, and of course was never indicted. The last point is what initially tripped up the prosecutor as he said they were "waiting for an indictment". When I showed him my misdemeanor summons he clammed up and only said that nothing was going to happen today but I should watch my mail.

The new case filing does have a correct looking (misdemeanor) charge but references a different ticket number and and old address to keep things interesting.

Getting a private lawyer now is not is not an option. I am broke and unemployed. My friends suck and are broke. I've exhausted the charity of my family and due to my past shenanigans keeping me out of jail is not a high priority for them right now.

Specific questions. Who, if anybody, at the courthouse would be worth talking to? What is my path to getting the warrant dealt with and a court appointed attorney (lets assume I qualify).

Answer:
 > Who, if anybody, at the courthouse would be worth talking to?

You can contact the clerk about scheduling an appearance.  That's all.

If you want to look at getting a court-appointed attorney, contact your local public defender's service.  In most areas, you don't have a right to an attorney for misdemeanors, but you may get lucky.

If you don't get a court-appointed attorney, and you choose not to hire a private attorney, then go to your next hearing date as scheduled.  Answer #2: Sounds like they refiled charges... If a warrant was issued, then the only way to satisfy it will be for you or your attorney to appear before the judge. Typically this is going to be done by either you being arrested by the police, or by you turning yourself in at the PD or Jail.

It might be a good idea to get your affairs in order and contact a bondsman to find out what the bond is on the charge, if there is one. If the warrant is for a failure to appear, you may not be able to get bond.

If the warrant is for a different charge, you may be able to walk into the jail with a bondsman at your side and all the paperwork to post bond already filled out. This may make it so that instead of spending a night or two in jail, you spend 3 or 4 hours in jail.


Title: Tennessee National Guard member female locked out of house by spouse, needs uniforms for military duty, now. Who is the proper agency to call. I'm in her military chain of command, so call her supervisor isn't the answer, im asking for him.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > Tennessee National Guard member female locked out of house by spouse, needs uniforms for military duty, now. Who is the proper agency to call.

A locksmith.Answer #2: She needs to borrow a uniform. This isn't going to be resolved today. She needs to speak to a family law attorney ASAP, as well.

http://www.tba.org/info/find-an-attorneyAnswer #3: She should call the non emergency number for the local police, describe the situation and ask for an officer to accompany her and standby as she retrieves her uniform.Answer #4: If you’re her chain of command, you should know the answer to this.

Edit: And for those of you saying “call the police,” **they cannot force him to answer the door**.


Title: Law degree question.. so kind of relevant here

Question: Can I get a law degree in one state, and practice in another? I’ve tried searching on google, but no luck. I would like an actual attorney’a feedback. And I’m sure it varies state to state. I live in MO.

Answer: As long as you go to an ABA-accredited school (which is pretty much all law schools outside California), you can take the bar and practice in any state.


Title: Is it harassment to watch my neighbor through my peephole? [NY]

Question:
I live in an apartment building and have a peephole in my door.

It's a long crazy story but basically my neighbor has been spreading rumors about me (that I'm harassing her through false reports to CPS), has long talks with various people right outside my apartment, and I sometimes listen in to find out what the hell she's saying now.

I know she thinks I do this, because sometimes she'll actually say so and abruptly move the conversation down the hall.  But not always.

Apart from the sheer nuttiness of this situation, is it harassment to "spy" on her like this?

Answer:
 If she wants privacy, she can have her conversations inside her apartment. She gonna accuse you of "gazing out the window" next?

Worst to worst, you're concerned about people lurking near your door. Having a peek or a listen isn't beyond the realm of credibility. You're fine.


Title: [MO] Filed an "anonymous" police report that didn't stay anonymous, my employer found out and now my work life feels compromised. Do I have any legal recourse?

Question:
I work for a local university police department as a dispatcher. Something happened to me on a date, and I discussed it with M (a fellow dispatcher) and H (an officer we work with) because the three of us are good friends. They encouraged me to file a police report.

The incident occurred in a neighboring city jurisdiction, but many of the officers in the two departments know each other and work closely together. Additionally, the two departments have the ability to monitor each other's active calls via a text-based website, which both the dispatchers and the officers in my department do diligently as part of their job duties. The website, of course, is only accessible to local law enforcement personnel.

I knew that if I filed a report and my name was entered in the initial call notes, all of my fellow coworkers would see it. Obviously, that is the last thing I wanted.

M and H went with me to the ER to have a rape kit done, and the nurse at the hospital assured me that I would remain completely anonymous. The nurse gave me a number for a victim's advocacy group, which I called the next day and was assigned an advocate.

I met my advocate at a shelter and she called the police on my behalf (because it's possible the dispatchers would have recognized my voice). My advocate stressed that I wanted to remain anonymous and specifically stated that I did not want my name to go into the system the officers use to read call notes. She didn't even give my name over the phone.

Two police officers came out to the shelter to take my statement. Again, my advocate and myself both stressed that my name absolutely needed to remain anonymous, since I worked with officers who could potentially see the report. To be clear, the officers that responded to the shelter *were* given my name, since only the notes that dispatch enters for the police officers to read are viewable on the website. Everyone along the way, in every step of the process, promised me anonymity.

I went to work the same evening I filed the report. M and I were working together. During our shift, M noticed that despite everyone's promise, my name full name was listed under an active "sexual assault" call on the website my co-workers monitor.

I immediately contacted my advocate who called the police department that filed the report, but they gave us the run around and my name wasn't changed to "anonymous" until the next morning. By that time, it was too late.

H told me that she'd heard officers in the role call room whispering about it and even looking up the call to read the notes. Even worse, my supervisor's supervisor called me into his office the next day. He told me that he'd been aware of the report that I'd filed. The department I work for is at a university, and under Title IX rules, my supervisor is now required to report my assault to the university as well.

That was traumatizing news to be sure. Now, not only do I have to deal with the emotional burden of reliving me experience as I work with a detective and a prosecutor for the city, I'll have to be interviewed by the Title IX office at the university as well. All of my coworkers are now aware of something very private and personal that happened to me, and I've been so upset I haven't been able to go back to work since the day the news came out.

Working with my advocate, we've realized that it was very likely a dispatcher with the city police who put my name in the call notes when an officer was dispatched to pick up the rape kit from the hospital, a violation of policy even if it hadn't been stressed how important anonymity was to me.

My question is, do I have any legal recourse against the dispatcher department at the agency that entered my name where it could be seen by my coworkers? It has caused me considerable emotional duress and lost wages, and I can't help but feel like someone should be held responsible for this.

Answer:
 I'm sorry that happened to you.

The police officers & support staff are usually personally insulated from liability for anything stupid they do.  If they did it deliberately & maliciously that's a different matter, but it sounds like it was a policy violation not a malicious act.

BUT it is likely that the advocate knows more about the rules in your jurisdiction.  Answer #2: This is fucking monstrous. I'm so sorry.

Try a personal injury lawyer in your area. If they cannot directly assist you with this, they should know who to refer you to.

Personal injury lawyers are usually accessible, have free consultations, make themselves available, and know the laws of the area. They are easy to call up and actually reach.

When you screen one to meet with, make sure they know that a sexual assault case is at the root of the issue, but what you need help with is the lost wages, damage to reputation at your workplace, etc.

Know that you may get passed off by him to someone more capable of helping you. But get the ball rolling.

I'm angry on your behalf. Good luck.


Title: (MA) I just want to know if these type of headlights are legal.

Question:
I have seen cars with different colored lights in the headlights. I am just curious if they are legal or not on the road.

&#x200B;

Here is an example

&#x200B;

[https://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-UU-Devil-Eye-Xenon-HID-Headlights-For-Volkswagen-Golf-7-MK7-2013-2016/322546297537](https://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-UU-Devil-Eye-Xenon-HID-Headlights-For-Volkswagen-Golf-7-MK7-2013-2016/322546297537)

Answer:
 Not in any US state if the vehicle is used on public roads.Answer #2: Your car would be impounded in NJ, at the minimum. Only emergency vehicles can have red lights. Answer #3: Off road /show use only.

Plus you cannot see with them. They suck for that.

And please do not get led bulbs and put them in your stock halogen assembly. They just blind everyone in front of you.


Title: A dry cleaner has lost my wedding dress. It cost about $1800. What can I do?

Question: I live in Georgia

Answer:
 Ha found that post and reading up on out now. Don't get your wedding dress dry cleaned in Ga!Answer #2: Didn't your husband post this earlier?

Edit: if not, Georgia must have some *shitty* dry cleaners. Answer #3: What did you agree to when you dropped it off? Generally it is on the back of your receipt as to the policy on damaged or lost goodsAnswer #4: I did a double take thinking this was a repost. I guess not. I wonder if it is the same dry cleaner? (do not reveal the dry cleaner as it is against sub rules)Answer #5: Was it worn in a wedding? If so, it is valued as a used wedding dress and it may no longer be valued at $1800.


Title: I wasn't supposed to graduate but I still did because of a mistake. One year later, professor is trying to contact me to ask for my missing project.

Question:
Location: Public university in California

I have a situation dealing with my bachelor's degree, the full details of which are available to read [here](https://old.reddit.com/r/confession/comments/8oah5c/i_have_my_bachelors_degree_because_of_a_mistake/) if you want.

To summarize, a professor mistakenly assigned me a passing grade for my senior project, a requirement to graduate, even though I never completed the project or showed it to him. Thus, I was able to still graduate with my degree. One year later, he is emailing me because he is reviewing past student projects and cannot locate mine so is requesting me to send him a PDF of the project I never completed.

The consensus on the /r/confession post is that I shouldn't respond because that could possibly open up more potential issues. That is also my initial instinct, but I am concerned that if I don't respond, the professor will be motivated to dig further and realize that I actually never completed the project. He actually could have already realized that and the email could be a trick to present evidence to an academic board to start a process to revoke my degree.

I did some research and found that my university does not have published procedures for degree revocation. Obviously, there are public cases of degree revocation by both private and public universities, but I could not find a similar case that would apply to my situation. I did not commit any plagiarism or misrepresentation, for example. This was an error committed by the professor and I simply did not notify him about it.

Legally, would the university be able to revoke my degree considering these facts? If they did, would I have strong legal grounds to sue them for damages (fired from work, unable to get hired by other employers, etc.)?

Answer:
 Yes they can revoke your degree, no you can’t sue them if they do.  You knowingly accepted a degree that you knew you had not earned and knew was mistakenly given to you.  You can ignore them if you want, you don’t have a legal obligation to respond, but if they are looking into this now odds are they won’t just let it drop.  You should probably start looking into what you can do to fulfill the actual degree requirements.

* Edit - also, the undergrad school and grad schools I went to required you to fill out a graduation application in which you certified you met all the requirements.  If you had to do that you probably committed fraud.Answer #2: Your degree can be revoked without your knowledge, and if any of your future jobs try to contact your university, they'll deny you having a degree.

So your options are to finish the project and submit it to the professor, or admit you never did it and risk them revoking your degree.  If you lie, you potentially open yourself up to not only having your degree revoked, but not having the option to finish whatever project it is you're missing because the school non-grata's you.Answer #3: Why not just do the project, and send it to him as he requested?


Title: Best combination of parental nationality for future children

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Immigration

Answer: Natural-born American-Sealand naturalized with Inuit ancestry delivered in Space.


Title: [WI] Is it reasonable to request financial records of ex's new spouse for calculating child support

Question:
Currently my ex and I are required to exchange financials once a year to determine if changes need to be made in child support (she is the higher earner by about $40K). She recently married a senior manager at the company she works for. It is therefore conceivable, since they are now married, that my ex could request that any salary adjustments, bonuses, etc. that she would normally receive be sent to her husband instead since they work for the same company and now share finances. This would allow her to effectively hide her true salary and keep her child support payments (which she has stated she is not happy about having to pay) artificially low.

In this case since her new husband and her work for the same company and are both in senior management (and could therefore direct where salaries go), is it reasonable and would there be sound legal standing to request child support decisions be made on joint salary and/or request his financial records to insure he is not receiving unusually high raises or bonuses that could indicate this kind of shell game?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 > It is therefore conceivable, since they are now married, that my ex could request that any salary adjustments, bonuses, etc. that she would normally receive be sent to her husband instead since they work for the same company and now share finances.

But, it's MORE conceivable that, at times, her husband might receive a salary adjustment, or bonus, on his own merit that she does not receive.  How would you expect the courts to tell the difference.

And, she can ask to redirect a raise to her husband to save a few bucks on child support, but they will most likely say "No", as that would possibly put the company in a position that could be construed as participating in fraud.

In most jurisdictions, the husbands income is irrelevant, except to the extent that it might go to decreasing her expenses in some situations.


Title: Moved into a rental home. Discovered plumbing issues, broken windows and rotted floors. Can we break our lease?

Question:
Quick Facts:

Myself (26) and my boyfriend (25) signed a rental lease back in April for a single family home in the state of Wisconsin. Yesterday when we moved in we discovered three broken windows, a detached pipe in the kitchen that lead to water through the kitchen cupboards and leaks down into the basement. At this point while taking pictures of all of these things we also discovered the rotted wood in the basement that is holding up the floors. We’ve made a list and have taken photos of all of these things but with it being a long weekend it seems we’ll be in limbo until Tuesday.

What can we do with this and is this grounds to break a lease? We’re not sure we want to continue to rent from a company that sees this as a fit place to live and we’re not entirely sure we feel safe here.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Under WS §704.07, if the unit becomes uninhabitable as a result of failure to maintain the premises adequately, you're entitled to vacate the premises or receive a rent reduction if you remain in the premises until the repair is made.

The first thing to do is serve notice of the issues needing repair, and let the landlord know, in this notice, that failure to repair the issues in a reasonable period of time gives you the right to terminate your tenancy without penalty.


Title: Work as a sales rep for a cellphone retailer, and a fellow coworker stole a phone. All the remaining employees at the store are having wages garnished. Is this legal?

Question:
A former coworker stole a phone valued at $1,010 from our store's inventory. Apparently his wages have been garnished, but the rest of the employees at the store are having our wages garnished to the tune of $200. This seems outright illegal, but I don't know what kind of law it is actually violating. I want to understand the legality of this so I can understand if it's worth fighting.

I appreciate any help this community can offer!

Answer: Your state matters and is not optional information.Answer #2: Not a legal deduction if you never agreed to it.


Title: [CA] Hard credit inquiry without my permission- legal?

Question:
Back in January 2014 (20 months ago), I was searching for a car to lease.  I went to a variety of dealerships and tried my best to avoid any high-pressure sales tactics.  I got really interested in a VW Jetta, and at the Volkswagen dealership, they told me I could get a quote but they wanted to know my credit.

I told them I absolutely did *not* want them to run a hard credit inquiry and ding my credit (until I was sure what car I wanted, then that would have been fine).  The guy assured me it would be a soft check and wouldn't ding my credit at all.

I never leased a car from them, but last week I ran a free credit report on myself and noticed it WAS a hard inquiry, dinging my credit.  I'm furious, after I was promised it wouldn't be a hard inquiry.

Do I have any legal actions/options against the dealership? It's almost been 2 years so I'm not so worried about the credit bureaus removing the inquiry, I'm just furious with the dealership.  What can I do?

Answer:
 You can write online reviews telling people not to trust the dealership.

You can avoid them for your future purchases.

That's about it.Answer #2: >What can I do?

Let it go, it's been 2 years.  What damage did you actually suffer from the credit hit? My guess is none that you can prove.


Title: [X-post /r/needadvice] Got in a (single) car accident, didn't report it, passenger wants to file a medical claim a month later - what do?

Question:
Tl;dr - crashed on ice, slid off the road, both passengers said they were fine at the time, no police response, no ambulance, no accident report. Drove vehicle home. A month later, one passenger is claiming injury and wants my insurance information to cover it.

Ok, over thanksgiving I was visiting family and friends in northern California. The Saturday after, we decided to go drive through the snow to see the sights.

We went up some private roads that are not maintained, had a great day. On the way back down, we slid on some ice and went off the road, causing some serious cosmetic damage to the vehicle. I hurt my hand, but both of my passengers said they were fine - minor bumps and bruises.

Now, I received an email from one of my passengers, stating that she went to the ER and is in physical therapy, and needs my insurance information so they can cover the costs.

I didn't report the crash because I'd pay more in deductible and monthly payment increases than it would take to just fix the damn car.

What are my options? How can I get her covered without paying an arm and a leg?

Answer:
 You have three choices:

1.) Report the claim to your insurance.  It's not too late and you can still do that.

2.) Pay for her medical expenses out of pocket.  You aren't required to report it to your insurance company.

3.) Do nothing and wait to see if she sues you.


Title: Court ordered levy on a past resident. My stuff will be taken tomorrow.

Question: Today a constable came up with a paper saying they're taking my canoe and grill from my yard tomorrow morning because of a court order. The order is for a bail bonds business that operated out of the house 4 years ago. I showed them my lease and utility bills to prove that I'm a different person, and that the business doesn't operate here anymore but they couldn't do anything. Advice on what I can do so that my stuff doesn't get auctioned off tomorrow?Dover, DE.

Answer: Go to the court that issued the order and file an emergency motion to stay execution of the order. Answer #2: You may want to contact the police to make sure it's not a scam.


Title: Roommates paying $100 less a month on apartment

Question:
Hello,

So, this is a lease matter so I am guessing there isn't a whole lot I can do, but figured I would try to see if I have any options anyway. I am in student housing apartments that are not owned by the school. I have been living in the same apartment for about 2 years. On July 16th, I resigned my lease for about $525 a month, with rent being $450 and a flat-rate of $75 a month for utilities. Recently, me and my roommates were looking at our leases and I noticed that they were only paying $350 for rent and $75 for utilities. I thought this was strange, as one of my roommates resigned their lease only 10 days after mine, on July 26th.
I called the apartment and the only thing they could say was that old management dropped the rates without telling them, or something to that extent, and there was nothing they could do. So, am I just SOL and am gonna have to pay $100 more for the exact same apartment as my roommates?

Answer: You're on separate leases apparently. They could charge your roommate $20 and you $2000. A landlord can basically charge whoever they want whatever they want so long as it's not rent controlled and as long as they're not discriminating based on protected characteristics (charging all Catholics more than all Protestants, etc.).


Title: [OK] Would opening a bank account for a family member who has an active bench warrant run afoul of any laws against assisting a fugitive?

Question:
Title says it succinctly. For more details:

Neither I nor family member are in OK, but FM has an active bench warrant from that state. Certainly I would have liked for FM to resolve the issue (it is a nonviolent charge) but that is beyond my control.

FM is older and receives government benefits. However FM's bank charges a ton of account fees. Would I be crossing any red lines by assisting FM in setting up a new checking account to receive his SS deposits? What if that account was in my name? (I would *not* be contributing money to this account - although if I did, would that also be problematic?)

Answer:
 This is such a wonderfully bad idea, I feel like I'm climbing the rope in gym class.

No, don't do this. Don't put your name on accounts if any of the purposes of you doing so is to help someone else keep their name off of the account because they're trying to avoid consequences for their bad behavior.


Title: Got bit by a persons dog earlier, can I sue them?

Question: Today in New Jersey, I was delivering food. I knocked on this lady's door and she came out then her dog followed. Tried handing her the food and leaving but she was lolly gagging trying to calm down her dog. She said to me don't touch the dog which I didn't, because the lil fucker was going nuts. Then I handed her the bag of food and this little shit bit my finger. I shouted WTF and she's like where do I sign?!? I said fuck that and you're 3 dollar tip. Drove back to the restaraunt leaking out of my hand. I was the first delivery driver to get bit by a dog there in the 5 years it's been open..and it was my first day on the job. So can I sue this lady for the cut in my hand from this dogs teeth?

Answer:
 If you didn't end up in the ER I doubt you have pain and suffering. File workers comp and go see your Dr

Edit word


Title: Girlfriend parents are crazy need some help

Question:
Im going to keep this short and sweet and I dont even know if this is in the right place but here goes. I live in Oklahoma. I live with my girlfriend and her sister. Some disagreements happened and the sister felt like she needed to call her parents to come to her rescue. Long story short we had to call the cops on them while they were screaming and beating on our doors. We have a police report but didnt file charges.

So heres the question. While they were yelling and screaming they said they were going to take every damn thing inside the house including her car when they got back. Most of this stuff was given to my girlfriend over the years just as you naturally accrue things. The car is in her parents name but she is on the lease and makes payments on it every month. Do they have grounds to just come to my girlfriends house and just start taking shit off the walls that they said they gave to her? Including the car?
Thanks for any help

Answer:
 If the car's title is in the parents' name, they can take it whenever they choose. That she makes payments on it is irrelevant.

As to the other stuff, likely no.