Title: Songwriting Ownership

Question:
Small-time punk rock band based in Monmouth NJ here.

So long story short, my band recorded an album a couple months ago with a drummer we'd been running for the past year. 9 out of the 11 songs on the album (yet to be released) were already written before we added him to the lineup, so he would technically have writing credits on those 2 remaining songs.

The issue is that due to a myriad of reasons, we kicked him out a few weeks after recording. It was not very amicable, but he said at the end of the day it was okay to use his studio recordings on the album as long as he got proper credit. But now, on the precipice of this release, he wants his fair claim on the copyright to the album. One thing of note is that we paid him back all the money he spent on recording with us.

Two of the members of our band, which includes me, feel it is not worth the hassle to fight for full ownership of the songs against him. The other two members want to keep him out of the copyright at all costs, but still credit him textually.

I have no legal background and probably phrased some things incorrectly regarding copyrights, but my question is what are the ousted drummer's options for fighting us, and what are our options defending against his claim, if that's what we have to do? Thanks in advance.
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 Is any of your prior agreement in writing? That he said it was OK to use the songs?

Are you likely to make any money on this? If not then just give him his credit, BFD.

The other alternatives are, blow him off and tell him if he doesn't like it to get an attorney and sue you. Or negotiate something *in writing* to buy his rights. I would strongly recommend you get an attorney for the last one. Also, the copyright for WRITING the songs (or, I guess the drum part in this case or whatever he contributed) is going to be different from the rights you'd need to use his performance of the songs that you made in the studio. If he didn't actually contribute to writing the songs have a new drummer cut new drum tracks, and change them up so you're not doing what he did on the record, and you'd owe him nothing.

I suppose a simpler fix might be not to use those 2 songs.


Title: My boss cuts everyone's time to an even number.

Question:
As the title says, my boss will cut your time down to an even number of hours. For instance, say I worked 35.6 hours last week, my check will be for 35.

Also, if you happen to clock in any amount of time early, you will not get paid for it. This happened to me when the assistant manager asked me to come in two hours early one day. I brought up to my boss' attention and he told me, to my face, that i was scheduled to work from three to eleven, so I'm getting paid for three to eleven.

This is also in KY, if that matters.

Answer:
 Your boss needs to pay you for time you actually worked. Don't waste time talking to them about it anymore, just file a wage complaint.Answer #2: A certain amount of rounding (I think to 15 minute increments) is allowed, but your boss must actually round (e.g. 1h 7 minutes becomes 1h and 1h 8m becomes 1h 15m).  ([see this PDF](https://www.dol.gov/whd/FOH/FOH_Ch30.pdf))

They must pay you for all time worked. They can fire you for clocking in early, but they must pay you for the time you worked.


Title: [California] My previous employer took $2500 out of my 401k after I left the company

Question: I worked for Microsoft up until December 2016 and I recently realized that Microsoft took about $2500 from my 401k in January 2017. The withdrawal is marked as 'Employer Match'. I contacted the employee benefits department and they were not able to explain this to me. What can I do about this?

Answer: Sounds like you were not 100% vested in the employer match. How long had you worked there? What was the vesting schedule?Answer #2: In your SPD, does it say that you are required to be employed on the last day of the plan year to recieve the match? An employer is able to have this provision in the plan. And if you left the company prior to 12/31, they may have determined you were not entitled to that match based on this.Answer #3: Who is your 401k through,Fidelity?


Title: Randomly received $5,000 check. What are the risks to depositing it?

Question:
Okay this is a very weird situation I just encountered and I need advice on how to go about it.
About 5 weeks ago, I applied for a receptionist/assistant position on Indeed.com. I received and email from a woman who explained to me that her old receptionist got married and she was in need of a new one. It was basic stuff, more of an assistant job (running errands and stuff). Now we only exchanged about 4 emails, in which I gave her my basic information (name, phone number, mailing address).
Now I remember mentioning to my boyfriend that I thought it was sketchy because after I replied she instantly wanted to hire me. I said I was up for it, since the pay was really good. That was the last email I sent and I hadn’t heard from her since.
Today, almost a month later, I woke up to an email from her explaining that she needed me to deposit the money in my account and buy some things for the charity she donates too. The things she wanted me to buy were just a bunch of toys for the kids of an “orphanage”. My mom then came home and gave me some mail addressed to me. Inside I found a check of $5,000.
The woman hasn’t replied to me since, and Im wondering, if I were to deposit this check into my account, would they be able to hack it? I also know that checks can bounce but if so, how long does it take for it to be processed? Im so confused and don’t really understand how checks work. What if I were to cash it in somewhere else?
Topic:
Credit Debt Bankruptcy

Answer: This is 100% a scam please do not deposit the check, it will bounce


Title: Someone hacked into my brother's bank account. How can we make sure this person faces legal consequences? (Florida)

Question:
My brother noticed a large purchase when he signed into his online banking. He didn't make it, so he called the bank's fraud department. They told us that someone called earlier saying they forgot their login and gave us the phone number they called with. We have their phone number, but that doesn't really do us much good. I looked up the number on Google, but I think the internet is listing the previous owner of the number. Nothing is adding up.

The bank will probably end up giving him his money back, but I wonder if we should get law enforcement involved. I want there to be consequences. What can I do?

Answer:
 After your parents are slain you take on an intense regime of physical and mental training designed to make you into the ultimate detective.

You use your newfound skills to hunt down the criminals responsible and punish them.

Or, you stop trying to be Batman, and let the bank and police deal with this.


Title: I need to make a roommate move out. He is loud, messy, and constantly has large groups of friends over. They even smoke hookah in the house. (CA)

Question: [deleted]

Answer: I'm guessing that this roommate is also on the lease?


Title: [Alabama, US] Being sued by former apartment complex for breach of lease, was paying month to month when I moved out, due to uninhabitable situation.

Question:
In May of 2013, my wife and I transferred to a 2 bedroom apartment in our complex when we found out she was pregnant. The first apartment only had minor problems, nothing exceptional (at least as far as the actually apartment we rented itself). The problems started before we ever moved apartments. We were approaching the end of our lease, so we did an early renewal to move apartments. We requested a ground floor apartment, which they had available and promised us. They have us the number and told us it was being prepped after a recent move out and we could go take a look. As moving day approached I noticed thy nothing had been done in the new apartment. The carpet was still rolled into the middle of the living room, and it was dirty and littered with tools and trash. I spoke with the office about this (who has a constantly rotating staff, and a new manager roughly ever 2-4 months) and was assured it would be ready. When we went to pick up the keys, we were told that the apartment that we had signed a lease for was unavailable and they had another one for us that had the same price and layout, just further back. What they did not tell us was that it was on the third floor. We ended up having to go with the 3rd floor apartment since they either didn't have or wouldn't give us another. That's when things went from bad to worse.

From day 1, while still moving in, we noticed a roach problem. That's probably too kind, it was an infestation. I will try and provide a picture later (on mobile currently). We submitted a work order for pest control to come out. A month later they did, and half assed it. In the following months, we had our own pest control come in, we bombed it ourselves and dos anything we could thing of and it was never resolved (this is a common problem throughout the complex). During this time, I had been sending emails to the staff in the office, the manager, and eventually the corporate office of the parent company telling them of the horrible conditions. I also requested a transfer of apartments. We also had downstairs neighbors (directly below) who played loud music all night, and smoked marijuana on the balcony (in the back of the complex, back of the building, facing a line of trees so it's well concealed) to the point where we could clearly smell it in our living room. We talked to the people downstairs and asked them to tone down the music and keep the smoking inside (because live and let live, right?). Yeah, nothing changed so we called and complained to the office who told us they couldn't do anything about it since they had no reports of it (I guess mine didn't count?). After numerous rounds of that, I finally asked if they wanted me to take a picture of them the next time I saw them and they responded with "Oh, if you saw them then call the cops". So I did, and the cops came, and asked them to keep it down. Thanks officer. /s

I told the office I had called the police and they told me that since they were seen smoking marijuana it was a clear violation of lease and would be evicted after their 2 week notice. They were still there when I moved out a year later. I never got transferred, never got an apology, and repeatedly got the run around, if not outright lied to.

There are way too many other, smaller things but suffice it to say that it was a nightmare from start to finish. Our lease ended in May of 2014, and we hoped to transfer again. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding on my part, but it seems I was led to believe that it would be in my interest to not renew a lease until they transferred me, paying month to month instead, which carries a $144/month fee.

In September of '14 we had enough and decided to move out. Since we were not in a lease, and were exquisitely angry with them, we decided not to pay our last month, and to hell with them. Stupid, no doubt, but what can you do? We moved out mid October with no notice to the office other than when I walked in to drop off my keys. It is of interest to note btw, that you could only pay rent through their online portal, which carried an additional $35 fee. But I digress.

Fast forward to this recent Monday (August 3, 2015) and I am served papers stating that the apartment is suing me. They seek compensation for the months of September, October, and pro-rated November 1-18. This is at the price point with the additional $144 fee. There is also an item under the compensation category titled "Loss of Contract" for $650 or so. Under the "Complaint" section, the reason given for legal action is "Breach of Lease". I have 14 days to respond, so until Monday, August 17th. While I gather my options and advice and other fun stuff, I wanted to see what the ever sharp folks here on Reddit thought of my situation.

It's also important to know that I still have copies of all emails and work orders sent from myself to the apartment complex, and to corporate. The only communication I had via telephone amounted to nothing more than "we can see what we can do", and that is after an email from the property manager that got forwarded to me, possibly by mistake, where he quite angrily tells someone to call me back. Some of these emails include photos, such as what the top of a kitchen pantry looks like with 40-50 roaches on it, and my door knob falling off when I tried to open it one morning. I'll soon be printing all these items for safekeeping and ease of access.

So my question is this: since they are suing for breach of lease and I wasn't under a lease, do they have a leg to stand on? I understand I can conceivably be held responsible for the month and a half I lived there after I stopped paying. What would a good course of action be here? I just don't want to have to pay $6,000+ all told because they stuck me know a shitty apartment and didn't care. Any advice will be considered and appreciated. Sorry for the wall of text, but this is the short version!

Edit: Cleaned up some spelling issues.

Answer: There are specific procedures you need to follow to terminate a lease (yes, even an oral month to month agreement is technically a lease) due to habitability issues. If you did not follow them, you are on the hook for the rent you failed to pay, as well as rent for the 30 days following the point where you notified them that you were moving out.


Title: [FL] Called a family lawyer with questions - They called my family immediately afterwards

Question:
My grandmother passed away recently. I called the lawyer that my grandmother used for advice and information, particularly about the existence of a will.

After this call, the lawyer called another member of my family, letting them know that I was calling about a will. This feels like a huge breach of privacy, but she wasn't hired as my lawyer, it was just a phone consultation.

Is this illegal? I feel like my trust has been betrayed. What can I do about this?

Answer:
 The lawyer should've made it much more clear that she is not your lawyer. I'm guessing she represents the other family member (maybe it's the executor named in the will).

If you actually consulted about your legal representation (e.g.-you are going to contest the will) and she blabbed, you may have a legitimate gripe. If you called and asked whether there is a will, not as much. Answer #2: Nothing.

It sounds like you called the lawyer to inquire about the existence of a will, and it doesn't seem like you ever established an attorney/client relationship nor made any communications that would otherwise be privileged.


Title: My car has something terminally wrong with it. Mechanic's profession advice was to trade it in.

Question:
State of North Carolina

The details are really pretty unnecessary. In short, my car has an issue that can't really be fixed but can be remedied for a time. Due to the location of the issue, it's unlikely anybody would know it was there until it broke again.

The mechanic told me today that his professional advice is to put the remedy in place, drive it to a dealer and trade it in immediately before it breaks again. The alternative is a nonworking car or a few thousand dollars in repairs and labor.

Should I be worried that the car dealer would later uncover the issue and come back at me?

Edit: information about the car. It's not worth a whole lot. Maybe 4k trade in value. It's 9-10 years old and well used.

Answer:
 I used to hear that advice a lot and worked in car sales for many years.

So here's the truth on the issue.   Lets say you're successful in masking the issue and trading the car in.  Chances are on an older low value car the dealer is just going to send that car to auction.  Some side of the road type lot will buy it from the auction and someone who can't afford a better car will go buy it "as is / no warranty".  So at the end of the day you aren't screwing any dealer,  you're screwing some low income family that just put all their money in to something with problems you disguised.

Legally no one will come after you.  Karma however is likely to drop a piano on your new car.


Title: I was a passenger in a car accident and felt fine immediately after but months later discovered that my knee is fractured and ACL is strained.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You can speak to a personal injury lawyer.

I will say that proving your knee was hurt 8 months ago is going to be an uphill better.


Title: Family member accused of welfare fraud!

Question: well, the title says it all. she was Charged with third-degree grand larceny, third-degree welfare fraud(she exceeded $3k) . she owes $3,190, and they say she could 'possibly face' 2 1/3 , 7 yrs! so far they have been letting people pay back,but what could she possibly get? is community service AND payback an option? this is in NY.

Answer: Your family member needs a criminal defense attorney immediately. Not much else to say. Answer #2: They send people to prison to discourage others from even trying. Defrauding taxpayer funded assistance should be subject to harsh penalties. She needs a criminal defense attorney. Answer #3: She needs a criminal defense attorney. This is not an option at this point.


Title: [US/PA] Can I claim I quit if I was fired?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > What can I do to avoid answering yes for the rest of my life and potentially get disqualified from good positions?

Invent a time machine.Answer #2: Not a lawyer, but I am a security clearance holder. It appears the question you're answering is part of your job application, and not part of your security clearance paperwork (probably because your employer would like to have a heads-up on any adverse information which may affect the investigation they will be paying for.) You may be able to successfully conceal this from your employer and make it through the hiring process. You will not make it through the actual clearance investigation, which would probably result in your job offer being rescinded.

The questions you will be asked on [your actual clearance investigation paperwork](https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf86-non508.pdf) (section 13A) are very clear:

>Provide the reason for leaving the employment activity.

>For this employment have any of the following happened to you in the last seven (7) years?

>Fired, quit after being told you would be fired, left by mutual agreement following charges or allegations of misconduct, left by mutual agreement following notice of unsatisfactory performance.

The investigators who check into these are very thorough. They will give you a chance to tell your side of the story, and the adjudicating agency will review it. They aren't looking for perfect people, they're looking for honest people.

Your chances of successfully making it through the clearance process are decent if you tell the truth, and near-zero if you get caught lying.


Title: Can a teacher tell me to move.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: They likely can't pick you up and move you, but you might draw a detention for disobeying a reasonably direct demand from your teachers, during school hours, or for eavesdropping.


Title: Would it be illegal for me to make and use my own Bat-Signal?

Answer: The lumens required for something like that would probably disturb your neighbors and they might complain. Also, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration in the US) would probably take issue with it because of pilots being blinded.


Title: Using Progressive'a Snapshot to Contest Speeding Ticket

Question:
Hey guys,

So on 8/14 I was pulled over by a state trooper (OR) and told I was doing 86 (on a 65 mph interstate highway). The officer said to save me some money he would only cite me at 85 mph. There is a difference between 20 mph over the limit and 21 mph.

Immediately I told him that couldn't be right because I knew I didn't go 85/86. Obviously he didn't care.

I'm enrolled in Progressive's Snapshot Discount program and they use an OBDII sensor to track your driving habits. Luckily enough, I was able to call them and have them email me my speeds (every second) for that trip.

Upon receiving them, my highest speed was 81 mph and that data is recorded directly from my 2014 Honda CR-V's PCM.

This file they emailed me is 91 pages long and password protected.

My question is this: since I was charged with going 85 mph and I was only going 81 mph, I am not guilty, correct?

Located in: Oregon.

Answer:
 Your defense is admitting to traveling 81 in a 65.    Good luck with thatAnswer #2: Incorrect. You are guilty of speeding. If the fine for 16 over is different than 20 over than you can argue for that fine.Answer #3: So, what is your defense? "Your honor, I was breaking the law, but I wasn't breaking the law as bad as they said I was"

Sure you can use this. Plead not guilty at your court date and present them with your evidence. If it is not down to the minute and GPS tied to the location where you were stopped I highly doubt it'll do you any good. Answer #4: No. You're still guilty of speeding within whatever bracket you fell into on your ticket.

Additionally, in many cases I've seen people try to use readings from other instrumentation like GPS or this kind of device, those readings have been considered inadmissible. So, I don't think your Progressive thing is going to save you here.


Title: (nyc) my roommate lost his job and has unilaterally decided to refuse his portion of the rent to $500 per month. We are both on the lease, what can I do?

Question:
My roommate was fired (because he was a shitty employee) three months ago. He never said anything and has actually been going “to work” every day for the last few months as usual so I didn’t think anything of it. We renewed our lease effective this month. On the first he informed me that he lost his job and can only afford to pay $500 towards the rent until he finds another job. That leaves me with 1k extra to pay. I can’t afford this independently but he knows my parents are very well off Nd told me I should ask them to help. We pay our rent online and he paid $500. Our lease doesn’t specify how much each person has to pay but he has paid $1500 for the last  years and I have texts where we agree on the split. His application from last year when we first signed up for the apartment also lists his portion as $1500.

What options do I have?

He is a friend of a family member so I will be publicly shaming him but I doubt he will care much. He said he will pay me back for the difference once he gets a job, but I have no idea how long that will take. I don’t want to pay his rent for months just b/c he refused to do his job and got fired.

Answer: The full rent needs to be paid or you will both be evicted. You can sue him for his portion you had to pay.Answer #2: You need to cover his portion of the rent, and then sue him for it in small claims court.


Title: I run a US-based web site and received an email from a detective. Not really sure how to proceed.

Question:
The email is from a detective in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. I'm in Florida, and the site is also hosted in Florida. The email reads:

---
Good Afternoon Mr. _________

What are your procedures for processing court orders related to your site, Rehashclothes.com?

Sincerely,
Detective _________

---

Message headers check out, it's from lasd.org.

In the 5+ years I've been running that site, I've never received any sort of attention like that. As far as I know, there's nothing illegal going on in my site. However, it is a social network of sorts with user-generated content.

I have no idea how to respond to this. What should I say? I don't actually have any procedures in place for what she's asking.

Answer:
 Does this have to be any more complicated than this?

Dear Detective _________

Upon receipt of a lawful court order, we will comply within our obligations under the law.

Sincerely, Mr. _________

If the detective is attempting to serve you papers, like the other commenters think, then the detective would logically follow with a question about how to do so.

Might be a good idea to have a lawyer on retainer.


Title: My wife’s W2 from her last job got sent to her old address and her abusive mother won’t give it to her.

Question: What steps can I take?

Answer: The easiest thing to do would be to request a new one from the old employer


Title: [TX] This bar banned me for getting too drunk and told me not to come back. I noticed their domain name expired, and I'm thinking about registering it. What legal problems would I have?

Question: This bar banned me for getting too drunk and told me not to come back. I have not been back and will not go back. Anyways, I noticed their domain name recently expired, and I'm thinking about registering it. Hehe. What legal problems would I have down the line if I decided to register the former domain name of the bar? Right now the domain name doesn't point to anything, but I was thinking about redirecting it to the local police department's website. Additionally, the advertised business name isn't trademarked. The advertised business name is [Hello World Xyz Bar] under [Person Name and Associates, Inc.]. So legally, the bar is [Person Name and Associates, Inc.] and doing business as d/b/a [Hello World Xyz Bar]. Again, [Hello World Xyz Bar] is NOT trademarked. What legal issues could I face I decide to register this domain name?

Answer:
 > Hehe

Cool.  This will absolutely make you a clever and interesting person that people enjoy spending time around.  However, it won't fill the void deep in your heart.


Title: [FL] Need Help Getting My Roommate Evicted

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >A few weeks ago he brought some drunk girl home from a party and tried to pressure her to have sex with him, even though she kept saying she was too drunk and didn't want to. My other roommate and I called her friend over and we were able to get her safely out of the apartment and with her friends.

Hey. Good job.Answer #2: You're not going to like this, but the legal answer is "you can't get your roommate evicted." The landlord is not obliged to intervene: if you don't like your roommates, then negotiate to end your lease early, or to sublet, and move out. (Or give notice, if you're month to month.)

However, if you're confident all of the drugs and paraphernalia are gone from the common spaces and that none have been hidden or stored in your room, you absolutely can call the cops to report crimes you're aware of.

Tell your other roommates to stop assaulting people, even if they really, really deserve it.


Title: I think my neighbor stole my cat

Question:
My girlfriend and I are located in New Jersey. Our cat went missing a few days ago, and we have set a few humane traps out hoping to catch him.

Yesterday we saw our cat in our neighbors backyard, and again earlier today. So we asked out neighbor is we could put one of the traps in his backyard to help catch him. Our neighbor agreed.

We watched the trap for about an hour, then went inside for about 45 minutes. After going back to check on the trap, it was gone, along with the towels etc that were placed in it. The food on the ground under the trap has remained untouched, so our cat has not been back to eat the food.

We have rung the neighbors doorbell and they answered but have become pretty blunt, and giving short answers. The police told us to call them tomorrow after trying to talk to the neighbors again.

Now i know there is no way to prove that they took our cat, but do we have reasonable suspicion that at the very least they may have stolen our property (the cat trap)? We fear that they will try to give our cat to someone and we'll never find him again so time is important.

We are hoping that the police will deem this serious enough to try to get a search warrant, but I don't know if suspicion of stealing a $50 cage that was placed on their property is enough.

what do we do?
Topic:
Searches and Seizures

Answer:
 I'm so sorry.

Was your cat an outside cat or would the cat have been stolen from inside the apartment?

You could always have a lawyer write up a letter demanding the neighbor return your cat and hope it scares them into giving the cat back.Answer #2: Cats can be quite nomadic.  Your cat may come back.  Has he been fixed? unfixed males tend to roam.


Title: Landlord intends to be a pain, what should I do?

Question:
Today when I returned from work I picked up a letter in the mail, it was from my landlord. It reads:

> "Upon visiting your apartment on Tuesday, February 18th with the city tax assessor, LandlordFullName, discussed with a female person in the apartment the condition of the apartment. LandlordFirstName told her that it was dirty and disgusting, that it is a fire hazard and needed to be cleaned up as soon as possible. Specifically, the stovetop was covered with grease, greasy and dirty pots, pans and dishes were piled on top of the dishwasher and in the sink. Trash was piled by the door. The floor, walls around the stove, side of the new refrigerator, were all dirty and greasy. This condition is a fire and health hazard. These conditions are creating an unsafe living environment for other tenants within the building and the neighborhood.

> Under the terms of your lease agreement, you agreed to keep the premises clean, sanitary, in good order and in a safe condition for all purposes.

> Let us be clear that we are seriously concerned about the safety and health of you and the other tenants within the building and neighborhood due to the fire hazard and unsanitary condition of the apartment. It would be irresponsible of us not to address this issue with you. We expect that you will immediately clean and sanitize the entire apartment; and especially the kitchen area including the stove and oven, the refrigerator inside and out, the floors, walls, countertops and cupboards, the sink and dishes. That all trash be properly disposed of in the dumpster provided. That the entire apartment be kept clean and tidy going forward.

> We will return to inspect the apartment within 14 days (March 7) and randomly thereafter."

Now, its true that my apartment is not very clean, but the requests to clean up have been exaggerated. Some requests are somewhat impossible without damaging the apartment itself. The oven is a gas oven without a vent, there was already some grease build up in the room, when I tried to clean it initially, paint was coming off with(seemingly before) the grease. My response was screw it, I'm not losing my deposit over the previous tenants mess and I didn't bother cleaning. The trash by the door, maybe she means the empty pizza box, maybe she means the trashcan itself or the 4 glass milk containers to return for 1 dollar deposit each all of this is on the side of the door because I did not want them in my kitchens walk way. Yes, some dishes on the washing machine that I bought, no the sink is kind of empty, it needs to be in order for my dish washer to plug into the faucet and operate. I'm irritated by a variety of things, exaggeration. Using a lease that expired on August 25th 2010 (I signed it with the owners departed mother before the company existed) as means to control me, showing up with the assessor but giving him the opportunity to steal shit by not even coming in all the way, apparently notifying me they will randomly enter my apartment from now on. They probably have a right to make me clean but my intent of paying 800 dollars a month was not to have someone unrelated tell me when and where to clean.

TL;DR

Landlord Letter: Your place is a mess clean this shit up. I'm going to randomly visit from now on whenever I want to check on how clean your place is because I can LOL.

Me: I cant even clean without damaging the paint because the oven has no vent and the grease gets everywhere. You're not my real mom! (also mad about stuff) What do?

Lebanon, NH if this matters.

Answer:
 Clean your shit up, stop being a slob, it's real simple. Your landlord is correct, it IS a fire hazard. It's a bug/roach hazard.

> They probably have a right to make me clean but my intent of paying 800 dollars a month was not to have someone unrelated tell me when and where to clean.

You seem to forget, that's NOT your property. You're renting it from them. You're not taking care of it as YOU agreed to do upon signing the lease.


Title: Kicked out of sixflags

Question:
On mobile, sorry

I was kicked out of sixflags for standing up on a boat ride . The code was Georgia code § 16-7-21 . Other known as criminal trespassing. They have me a copy of there legal note , but it had the wrong zip code on it . The guy never asked for my zip code - he just asked for my address. In addition there is no signature of me on the not nor a signature of a witness. There was a sign at the beginning of the ride saying that you need to remain seated in the boat . Is there anything I can do about this? Any help would be appreciated

Answer: The wrong zip code is irrelevant as are the lack of other signatures. I hope you are taking this seriously because you could go to jail. Amusement parks don't play around when it comes to guests creating hazards. You need a lawyer.


Title: Our landlord has taken us to court 4 times and lost every time and is now trying to sue us again!

Question:
I live with my mother in a rent controlled apartment in manhattan, so our landlord wants to evict us so he can charge full rent for the apartment. To this end he has taken my mother to court 4 times and lost every time it seems like merely to inconvenience us.

The latest game he is playing is trying to claim we owe back rent. He refuses to accept signature conformation mail, so as to avoid having a trail of the rent we send him. He didn't cash two of our rent checks over the past seven years one in 2011 and one in 2014, then he put two of this years rent checks towards the 2014 and 2011 rents that from the checks that he didn't cash so he could claim we owe back rent this year. In order to avoid conflict my mom just resent those two checks for those periods and thought she was completely caught up.

Aside from all this happening, a window broke on the front door of the building, he claims I broke it by kicking it and that the super saw it. Then he changed his claim to that I broke the lock on the door by kicking it and that both the supers saw it, and tried to bill us 800 dollars for it. We didn't pay it because I didn't break the lock nor the window, and he had no claim to our money.

So yesterday when my mom got home there was a new notice from him that was an invoice for 800 dollars OF RENT and also two months worth of rent despite us having sent those checks and documented us sending them with certified mail. And today when I got home there was a notice that we had been served and had to appear in civil court for living here without paying rent. At this point my mother has sent a check for every single month of rent.

Is there anything we can do to make him stop repeatedly suing us to try to get us to move out?

Answer:
 As far as him suing you I can't help you, but I can with getting the check to him.

If he won't take certified mail you can send a letter via USPS with delivery confirmation that doesn't need a signature. It'll give you a tracking number and the mail person scans the letter when they put it on themailbox so there's a record of the date and time it was delivered.

I had a similar thing happen repeatedly with a commercial landlord, they kept saying they weren't getting the rent check but I was able to show them when they received them. (My landlord wasn't malicious, just super disorganized.)Answer #2: You could ask the court to declare him a vexatious litigant and ask for sanctions.  Below is a link about a similar pro-se vexatious litigant that got fined $10,000 for using the courts to harass someone in New York City, it wasn't landlord/tenant but it was using the courts to harass.

[https://law.justia.com/cases/new-york/other-courts/2014/2014-ny-slip-op-50207-u.html](https://law.justia.com/cases/new-york/other-courts/2014/2014-ny-slip-op-50207-u.html)Answer #3: Luckily for you, living in Manhattan there should be an abundance of lawyers trained in tenant laws within 15 minute train ride. Google around for a free consultation or call and ask of they provide free consultation. Try asking at the r/NYC subreddit for some suggestions. Look at the subreddit's side bar, that'll probably have some notes to help you.Answer #4: You need a housing lawyer.  Your mother can get a free one in NYC and she should be doing this ASAP.


Title: Lawyers of Reddit/whomever, I need your help...my Mother suffers from degenerative disc disease, and during surgery on her neck, the doctor nicked her esophagus...

Question:
My mother was diagnosed several years ago with degenerative disc disease. She is only 47 right now and was 43 at the time of diagnosis. Before then she was very active, relatively fit person and loved working.

Today, she cannot walk without a cane and cannot work a job. On top of this, she has been denied disability 3 times. We have lost our childhood home, and her health continues to get worse and worse by the day...

During operation on her neck 2 years ago, she was cut open, and during the operation the doctor nicked her esophagus on accident. This has caused her terrible breathing issues, eating issues, and she chokes during her sleep and my step-father has to wake her up or she could choke to death.

After the surgery when her esophagus issues began happening, my mother and step-dad went back. The doctor said he nicked her esophagus during surgery, but refused to admit that it was his fault.

The doctor who performed the surgery has not admitted that it was their fault, although told my mom and step-father that he did nick her esophagus during the surgery. My mother came to them for help, and they have crippled her forever...she is in constant pain on a daily basis, every single day.

I don't know what to do. When I was younger, my father died in the hospital. The nurses didn't pay attention to him, and he ended up passing away. My father's dad, my grandfather, sued the hospital for wrongful death and we won.

I don't know if there's a case here as well...but I just feel so helpless and depressed all the time. My mother cries all the time, and I just wish there was something I could do to help.
Why should my mother have to suffer like this, at the hands of a botched surgery. It's not fair.

Can anything be done? Mods, I'm not sure if you will flag this post but I come here for help. I am in dire need of assistance.

EDIT: My location is [OH], I have no idea how to edit a post title.
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 An issue you're going to run into is whether they esophageal damage was a result of negligence during surgery or an unfortunate but known complication of surgery. For example, an unfortunate but known complication of lumbar puncture is damage to the nerves in the cauda equina. An unfortunate but known complication of abdominal surgery is nicking the small bowel. These are things that happen even with a good, experienced surgeons.

So the question here becomes did he hit the esophagus because he was screwing up or did he get the esophagus because there's a lot going on in a degenerating back and he was looking around in the soft tissues. The question also is how long it took him to find this mistake and what steps are taken to fix it.


Title: Pro-life intrusion in my school

Question:
Hi there. I live in Alberta l, Canada so I'm not sure if you guys will be able to help me out (since the majority of this sub is from USA) but basically, I'm a grade twelve student at a publicly funded Catholic school. During our religion class, we have a yearly visit from a pro-lifer who comes in to propagandize the subject and brain wash all of the kids in our school into hating abortion and all of those who have them. Now, regardless of religious beliefs, I know for a fact that some of the kids in our school have had abortions before and have had to switch schools because of the negative attitude towards the subject in my school, and personally in revolted by their very presence in our school. I was wondering if you guys knew whether it was legal to allow them to teach our students about their opinions on school time in our classrooms. The public system does not allow them in school grounds, so I was fairly confident that, unless their visits were religiously affiliated, they shouldn't be allowed to come in and teach us. Last year at their yearly visit, I asked them to provide their opinions from a religious perspective, and they outright refused and said that they would never do such a thing and refused to provide their perspective from said point of view. While this may have been admirable in a sense, I hardly understand how they're allowed to teach us from a politically biased oerspective if they refuse to bring up the relevance of religion to their cause.

Do you guys happen to know if a completely legal way to have them removed from our classes? Any help is appreciated. I can deal with biting my tongue when the priests prattle on about their nonsensical misogyny or their misguided homophobia, but a non religious bias must be some sort of grounds for discrimination. Thanks for reading and hanks for your time!!

Location again: Alberta, Canada

Answer: The Catholic church is strongly pro-life so this is in line with the teachings of that church. I suggest you ask your parents to switch your school if you have a problem with it.


Title: [OR] Did my (now ex) girlfriend do anything illegal, did i?

Question:
So a very long story short i found my (now ex) girlfriend had been secretly renting a house with her sister for the last two months.  She randomly stopped paying rent and bills at our place (I'm a Stay At Home Dad to our 2yo twins...ergo... no consistent job).

A week ago she announces she would be staying the night in her new house and she intended to take the twins with her.  As my house has been their home from birth and being that they have created more of a bond with me (hard to do with her when she stays late into the night at the bar after work), so i naturally objected based on the fact that we dont have a signed parenting plan figured out.  She essentially said that was my opinion and she would do whatever she wants.  She had to go get something in a town an hour away but she said when she returns she would be taking the twins.

When she was gone i started to fear what she might do, she was already practically out of the house at this point and threatening to take the kids to a home theyve never been to.  So i sent her a text very clearly asking her intentions about taking them for an overnight period, i asked her flat out if she intended to take them and to give me a yes or no answer, she deflected.  I asked her again and said a No would mean we go down the next day, schedule mediation and work on a family plan, and a Yes would result in me calling my attorney.  She deflected.  After being called names instead of giving me an answer  (to which i was advocating a family plan, 5050 custody, and mediation), i decided i could not determine if she was going to take them or not.  I then loaded the twins up, anything of any importance and got the heck out of the house.  It was late in the afternoon and my attorney said yo come in the following morning to begin the process.  The next day, after i had filled out all the papers for a custody petition i received a call from my attorney saying she beat us to the punch and had independently filed her own petition but also an Emergency Child Endangerment Petition as well, she alleged i fled the home with the kids (well... yeah... to keep her from doing the same thing).  This put us all in front of a judge the next day.  I didnt say a word, neither did my attorney barely.  Tge judge simply confirmed with her that the kids have always resided at my house and had never stayed the night at hers.  The judge awarded me temporary emergency custody.

My question is whether or not she or i actually did anything illegal?  What would have happened had she taken them?  What is likely to happen now?

TL;DR: ex girlfriend tried to take the kids with no agreed parenting plan, judge awarded me temporary custody, what now?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Neither you nor your exGF did anything illegal. Barring a court order, either one of you (assuming she is the bio mom) can legally take your kids anywhere you want.

Getting a lawyer and a court order is/was the right plan for both of you.


Title: Debt collector after me instead of my father

Question:
I am the executor for my father's estate which is in probate. We share the same name aside from being "Sr" and Jr".

&#x200B;

My father owes a small amount to a large media corporation from where I cancelled the cable account because as much as he loved old Gunsmoke reruns, he can't watch them now. That corporation took our shared name, less the suffix, and \*my\* address and sent the account to a debt collection agency.  Notwithstanding that they are supposed to go through probate to make a debt claim, it looks like the name mix-up will fall onto me personally.

&#x200B;

I am allowed to retain a lawyer through the estate, but would this fall outside that right since it is toward me as an individual or is there still a 'connection' to the estate? The amount he owes is pretty low ($120), so would I be spending 10xs that for a lawyer or would said lawyer get their payment from corp/debt collector instead of me? Can this situation affect my credit as I'm going along with trying to clear this mess? Is there extra civil penalties for a debt agency going after the incorrect person?

&#x200B;

My father's account and estate location is in WV.  My location is in VA.

Answer:
 Your solution here is to send the collector a letter letting them know their debtor is deceased. Or, if there’s an estate you’re administering, just to see them paid.

You’re right - the attorney would cost more than the amount at issue.Answer #2: If it affects your credit, you can dispute it -- which it very well may.

Sending a notice that the original debtor is deceased is the way to handle it. Keep an eye on your credit though. I've seen this go sideways far too many times.

Source: Former bill collector.


Title: Wife was just laid off

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Failing to meet established sales quotas is a pretty strong reason for termination.  Unless there's more to the story about why you feel your wife is being targeted, I don't know that she has many options.


Title: Follow up. A few weeks ago I posted about an ADA accommodation request for staring (Missouri)

Question:
I deleted it because I thought it was no longer an issue but I was wrong. I am a male Multiple Sclerosis patient who complained to management that female coworkers were gossiping about me staring at them. My neurologist asked me why my blood pressure was so high and when I responded, he informed me that yes I actually could have been staring. /r/legaladvice said I had no legal protection without a written ADA accommodation even though my Doctor wrote a note describing my condition. So I requested an accommodation and I thought that was it. Nothing changed so I used LetterDash to have them rewrite my request on an attorneys letterhead and this weekend my workplace was suddenly crawling with investigators and I was shunned by spooked coworkers. I feel like I am all out of options and I think my MS is flaring up from the stress. I also can’t afford representation- I was offered a consultation for $500ish and that pretty much wiped me out. I get the impression that if I am fired I might be able to get representation more easily but then I will be homeless and unable to pay for insurance. What are my options?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 >so I used LetterDash to have them rewrite my request on an attorneys letterhead

You mean you sent a fake letter to your employer?


Title: [NY] I'm being evicted for violating my apartment's no dog policy. I have no dog.

Question:
I've lived above my landlord on the top floor of a legal 2 family triplex for the past ~3 years. We share the bottom floor (laundry, bike storage, small home gym) and both live alone.

It's been a pretty ideal situation - we get along really well and he's been an awesome landlord. I'm also really cognizant about being a good tenant.

So it was a total surprise yesterday when I received an eviction notice (labeled 'notice of termination') along with a copy of my lease with the section forbidding pets flagged and highlighted. It was sent via certified mail and says I have 30 days to vacate.

I thought he was fucking with me at first (like I said we're cool and I don't have any pets) so I went downstairs to congratulate him on *almost* getting me.

He was not cool. He was really pissed and began ranting about my dog and how it's barking and running around has been keeping him up at night. I tried to refute this and it only made him angrier. He says he sees me walking the dog (a golden retriever named Steve) multiple times a day. Also he says we've had conversations about the dog and that I've been rude and aggressive when he tells me it's a violation. And worse, I asked him to walk Steve when I would be coming home late from work and he has the texts to prove it which he said he already sent me when he warned me (also via certified mail) that I needed to get rid of Steve.

I seriously 100% swear I don't have a dog and I have no idea why my landlord suddenly thinks I do.

Is this something I should/can fight?
Do I need a lawyer?
How do I even prove I don't have a dog??

Thanks.

Answer: You can call emergency services and request a wellness check for him. There are many many medical conditions that can cause altered mental status like this, and it’s possible that he is in need of emergency medical treatment.


Title: I got my first speeding ticket. Is it worth fighting?

Question:
South Carolina, USA

So I was out riding my motorcycle when it started to get dark out and I decided to head home. I was riding in a town about 30 minutes from my house where the skies were clear but about halfway home I noticed it got much darker and appeared as if it would rain. Rain on a motorcycle is not fun. I increased my speed to get home faster.

A state trooper stopped me saying I was going 84 on a 60, I probably was. He was nice about it and reduced the ticket to a less than 10mph over and $79 fine with 2 points.

The reason I want to fight this is my insurance, since I’m 19, I can barely afford it as is. But being it was already reduced, is there any point in fighting it? If so, how?

Answer: Surely you can fight it. But honestly just be glad the officer reduced the ticket and pay the money. It's not worth it.


Title: [Florida] Can an employer in Florida require you to take a lunch break and not pay you for it?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 100% yes.

You don't have to eat. They just don't want you working then. Their choice.


Title: [US][CO] Landlord charging $222 for 1 light bulb and a wall light (which didn't exist)

Question:
Landlord is charging my security deposit excessively. What are my options? I took before pictures but forgot to take after pictures since I'm a grad student and was incredibly busy at the time of move out.

I pre-authorized $250 to pay them for carpet and apartment cleaning because I knew I would be busy at the time.

I feel like they're trying to take advantage of me because they think I won't contest.

Answer:
 Demand an itemized list of deductions, receipts.

Demand security deposit back.

Small claims if they don't give it back.

I'm not familiar with CO deposit restrictions, in some states they have a month or so to send you a list if deductions.


Title: [NY] Can I get legal custody of my underage brother?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Yes, you should be able to.Answer #2: >I don't want him to have to be ripped away from his friends and school ontop of everything else.

Presuming that you live in his school district, this won't be an issue.

Where is he staying at the moment? If he's currently in the system and staying at a foster home, you'll save him a lot of time if you can hire a family lawyer to expedite your paperwork. If he's already with you, and you can provide for him, you may not need one. Unless there are glaring issues, he is unlikely to be taken away before the paperwork can be finalized.

&nbsp;

Not so much legal advice as practical advice. Get a grief counselor, both for him, and for you two together. You'll need to decide if you need one yourself, or if the group sessions are sufficient for you, but he will definitely benefit from one. 14 means high school. Besides the long term college and career ramifications if his grades and life tank right now, high schoolers are vicious little shits. Get him help so that he can handle his grief, and the negative social interactions that are practically guaranteed to pop up sooner or later.


Title: [AZ] Employer Requiring use of PTO for FMLA

Question:
I use around 10 days a month of intermittent FMLA for my serious medical condition. Sometimes my employer requires me to pay myself for these days using PTO, other times they say I don't have to and I can take them unpaid. I haven't been able to get a clear answer from my manager or HR.

Does AZ have any state specific laws that would allow me to always take it unpaid without using PTO?

Answer:
 You can be required to use PTO.Answer #2: The employer may elect or require the employee to use PTO:
https://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/fmla-faqs.htm#5

It might be that you don't have accrued PTO on the occasions when you can take unpaid leave.


Title: The Swedish police are accusing me of some crime i mever comitted, what can I do to get my PC back faster?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: You should probably contact the Swedish equivalent of a criminal defense lawyer and stop being an edgelord.


Title: Child picked on the bus...do i need an education lawyer. Do i have any options?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 IANAL but I would request that my child be assigned a seat in the front to get them away from each other.  This would either tell you that the bigger kids follow him up there to pick on him, showing that they are at fault or show that them being apart resolves the issue.

You could take it up the chain of command, but there is like a month and a half of school left, It would be easier to just separate them.


Title: Would there be anything illegal or make me civilly liable for making up a fake sob story to get someone to give me more money?

Question: I was recently involved in a heated dispute over the ownership of a very expensive collector's item.  I was basically strong armed by someone richer and more well connected than me who hired a lawyer to intimidate me into agreeing to a deal that was really unfavorable to me.  However I believe that this person deep down inside may not be this way.  If I made up some fake BS sob story about my family being desperate for money, could I be somehow liable if he felt sorry for me and gave me more based on my made up story?    Keep in mind this is a guy who lied to me and got his lawyer to manipulate me into a lousy deal.

Answer: Yes. Fraud is generally illegal.


Title: Employer just began seeking diagnosis on medical notes.

Question:
The company I work for uses a point system to monitor attendance, call in and get 4 points, but with a doctor's note (Your name, date, and saying you visited the doctor) you only get 1. Just this week they began rejecting doctor's notes that don't contain a diagnosis by the doctor. Are they are allowed to request this personal information in regards to unpaid sick days? Or is it an invasion of privacy?

Edit: Iowa

Answer:
 This seems to be a bit of a grey area.  According to an EEOC lawsuit, Dillard's was fined $2million for requesting such information.

The EEOC seem to take the stance that unless the information is job-centric and related to the business, it should not be asked for or disclosed.

You can read a summary here:  https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/12-18-12.cfm

Answer #2: IANAL so excuse me if this is completely outlandish. I thought if a company offers PTO, they have to pay that PTO out i.e. it's treated as wages to the employee. If the company requires a doctors note to use this PTO (effectively, or the employee would be penalized), then wouldn't this be illegal since it's costing the employee money to get the wages they earned?


Title: [California] I need to have forms signed by the property owner, but the house title is in a deceased person's name.

Question:
I'm currently living in my deceased grandmother's house. She died more than ten years ago. Due to some complex family dynamics, my father and uncle refuse to transfer the title to a living person's name. I realize that transferring the title is the best course of action, but I have zero control to make that happen.
The soil at the house is contaminated with lead, and I am eligible to get the soil replaced for free, but it requires the property owner's signature. Can my father or uncle sign these forms? Can I sign these forms? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.

Answer: Did her estate go through probate? Did the real estate pass through probate? Really what you need is a real estate lawyer. Answer #2: Who is paying the property taxes? Get a lawyer, if you have been paying them for 10 years you may get lucky Answer #3: Did your grandmother's estate have an "executor" or administrator?


Title: (MD) Closing custody case.

Question:
I took steps last year to take my ex for sole custody of our child by getting a lawyer and serving my ex (I'm the Plaintiff). I've only just got her Discovery two weeks ago and now she's asking for mine. We've already had our conference hearing and have dates set for hearing later this year. We also just went to a court required mediation session the other day where we both realized that we aren't truly in a position that needs to go through the courts and litigation to figure out our custody issues. It turns out that we were able to agree about most custody issue and that we should be able to figure the rest out and come to a mutual agreement.

I now want to close the case and we've decided to have a parenting agreement written up, but not turned into a court order.

What are some things to consider when closing a case like this? Do I just tell my lawyer that this is what I want to do? Will I still be required to provide a Discovery to my ex if I close the case?

Thanks!

Answer:
 Why wouldn’t you want the agreement incorporated into a court order to ensure it is followed?

Also, what’s so bad in the discovery that you are concerned about turning it over?


Title: Friend had medical records disclosed in local newspaper. Is this legal?

Question: My friend was pulled over for multiple infractions. The story was on front page of local newspaper. The article stated, per police report, that 'needles' were found in the car. It seems like they are trying to paint a picture that my friend is a drug addict. However, they also stated in the article that it was determined my friend is indeed diabetic. My friend's name was also disclosed in the article. Is this illegal? If something doesn't  make sense, please ask. In a bit of a hurry as I wrote this. Thanks!

Answer:
 Saying that your friend is a diabetic is not the same thing as disclosing medical records.

The person who wrote the article wouldn't be bound by HIPAA laws anyway, even if it turned out to be a violation.Answer #2: Those aren't medical records. They are police reports, which are public record. None of that was illegal or improper unless the article said something untrue.


Title: [Canada] Father on life support, his CL spouse making financial changes

Question:
My father was put on life support last week and is currently under treatment, but the doctors have stated that there is no hope for recovery.

My father is still technically married to my mother; they never divorced but have been living separately for 20 years. My father has co-habitated with a woman for that time, I believe she is his common law spouse, even though he is still legally married.

My mother is the beneficiary of his insurance and was automatically listed as the beneficiary of his company pension. My father could have retired in Dec 2016, but did not sign the papers choosing a pension option. He told me that he wanted to split the pension between my mother and his CL spouse, then changed his mind and wanted to give his entire pension to his CL spouse. He was making arrangements with the pension board shortly before he was admitted to the hospital in critical condition.

Since then, his CL spouse has been bringing papers in to the hospital for him to sign, making her the beneficiary of his insurance. She has filled these papers out herself, and she wrote a letter to the appeal board bequeathing the pension to herself and selecting a pension option for him.

My father does not have a PoA. His executor is his brother in a different province. The suggestion has been made that we have my father sign a PoA agreement for his brother to make these decisions for him, but I don't believe my father has the legal capacity to sign any of these documents.

I'm looking for advice to protect my father's best interests. Should I contact any of these companies to inform them of my father's condition to inform them that documents filed now may be invalid? Should I support granting his executor PoA to finalize the pension papers in the way my father wished? Any help is appreciated.

Answer: Your mother should get a lawyer ASAP to see what she's entitled to. The longer she waits the harder it will be to untangle everything.


Title: Business owner & fraud advice

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > my question is how could I find out who was responsible?

You are not batman. That's the job of the police to find out. They will inform you after they have completed their investigation.


Title: [Indiana] Slip and Fall claim on Gov't property

Question: My wife fell on ice last February on Government property owned by our County last February. Long story short, parking lot is cracked concrete, on a grade, poor lighting and no one used salt to prepare for the conditions. she fell and broke her leg while pregnant.  She had to undergo surgery to repair the leg and be sedated while pregnant which scared the hell out of us both.  After $35K medical bills and out of work for 12 weeks what kind of settlement should we expect? We haven't hired an attorney but contacted 3 different ones and each pretty much told us to just file the tort claim and take a settlement because of it being a government and the burden of proof is higher if it goes to a jury. I feel pretty good about our case as I'm a LEO who testifies in court all the time and do pretty good.  My wife is a development therapist who deals with children so she could testify on the dangers of anesthesia while pregnant.  Anyways the Insurance guy had all the paperwork he needed to settle the claim in May and here it is nearly 1 year later and he still doesn't have it finished.  I went off on him the other day and he admitted he messed up. I'd think this is all in our favor since the bills are still outstanding and I'm getting collection letters. I'm just not sure what to do or expect.  He said its going to a round table this week and he'd call me as soon as they decide.  I've always felt like we'd get get medical paid, lost wages and more (he even said that once) but now I'm worrying we'll be stuck with the bill and no reimbursement of lost wages.

Answer:
 > I feel pretty good about our case as I'm a LEO who testifies in court all the time and do pretty good.

What does that have to do with anything?  Testimony's not your issue, proving the tort is.  As is, unless you were there in person, your value as a witness is tiny.

> I'm just not sure what to do or expect.

Well, what's your question?  You talk about filing a court claim, and you also talk about getting an insurance settlement.  Which are you doing?


Title: My school just fired a teacher for having grindr

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You might want to try /r/LegalAdviceUK.

In the US, some teachers, especially those in religious schools have a code of conduct clause in their contracts.  If he does, and this is a violation of that clause, they can fire him.


Title: (NJ/PA) Screwed by a grad school, what else is new. Please help!

Question: Good evening all, my SO and I are in the midst of trying to get her into grad school. Last week we finally received an acceptance letter from a grad school in PA (we are from NJ.) She spent the week so giddy and proud, until today. When she got the letter she immediately called the school and gave them her information to confirm she was accepted. She spoke with a small handful of people over the phone all of whom asked for specific pieces of information about my SO (Name, Address, prior school) and all confirmed that it was indeed accepted. They took her deposit and even allowed her to register for classes. This afternoon we got a call from the dean of the school that accepted her who stated that even though her acceptance letter had her name on it, and she gave them money, and signed up for classes that she was not accepted and the letter was meant to be sent to somebody else. The dean stated that both names were right next to each other and they sent a letter to the wrong one, and that everybody she spoke with thought they were speaking with a completely different person, even though they asked for specific information pertaining to my SO. They also already refunded her deposit and removed her from all her classes. Is there any legal recourse for this? I already notified my job that I would be leaving by August and we already spoke to somebody selling a house in the area so we could move out as soon as classes started.

Answer: This is a clerical error. They was no malicious intent by the school or employees. She will need to find a new school or apply next time the school has open enrollment.


Title: [California]Friend won VIP tickets in a sweepstakes, company changed to general admission tickets

Question:
A friend(17F) of mine won two VIP tickets(21+) to a concert(16+) through an online sweepstakes through the concert's facebook page. It required her to share, like, subscribe in order to earn entries to this sweepstakes, and at the end of the day, she won it.

However, after learning of my friend's age, the company withdrew the tickets and sent her two general admission(16+) tickets instead. They're worth about 60% of the price of the VIP tickets.

Is it legal for them to change the winnings of a sweepstakes, as well as the equivalent price, even after the sweepstakes is over? They reasoned that they can't send overage tickets to her, but is that really an issue? They have ID checks and all that jazz to safeguard against minors with VIP tickets already.
Topic:
Business Law

Answer:
 read the terms and conditions.  it probably has a line somewhere that says "company reserves the right to cancel or modify without notice"

and it seems your friend wasn't eligible to enter in the first place, just be glad she got something about of it.


Title: Medical Marijuana user for 10 years. Recently moved to Georgia with chronic pain. Can my doctor legally stop my pain medicine with no withdrawal plan for testing positive for marijuana?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer: Yes. He does not have to treat you out continue to prescribe meds. Answer #2: Marijuana is not legal in Georgia for your condition.


Title: Marcellus Williams faces execution despite new evidence

Question:
[Article describing the situation](http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/08/marcellus-williams-faces-execution-evidence-170820052647111.html)

**TL;DR:** "There is no physical evidence, no eyewitnesses that directly connect Williams to the murder, the DNA on the weapon wasn't his, the bloody footprint at the murder scene wasn't from Williams' shoe and was a different size, and the hair fibres found weren't his," said (Williams' lawyer, Kent) Gipson. "It was someone else that killed Gayle, not Williams."

If Williams is, indeed, innocent, and Missouri carries out the sentence, is this a case of the state of Missouri committing murder?

Answer: Not if due process and the law regarding executions has been followed. If the US Supreme Court rejects his appeal, then the guilty verdict and death sentence stand.Answer #2: I read that as "Marcellus Wallace" and I was briefly confused.


Title: Mortgage Loan Servicer forcing me to pay for appraisal to remove PMI despite hitting 78% LTV of original loan

Question: Is this allowed under the Homeowners Protection Act? I thought that PMI automatically dropped off after 78% LTV? I did pay this loan early (if that matters) I have paid on time for 4 years and my neighborhood has increased in value. I just don't want to have to pay $400-$600 (they "can't" even tell me how much it will cost) for an appraisal. The loan is Fannie Mae which requires servicers to prove the home value didn't drop below the original loan value but doesn't state it has to be an appraisal. Can I force them to take a BPO (which would be  much cheaper?) Do I have other options? Thanks.

Answer: How else do you expect them to determine the "V" in LTV without an appraisal? BPOs do not determine value accurately, they determine recommended listing price.


Title: I am a nurse in CA and was tested positive for methadone by my employer even though I have never taken it. I take a medication that is known to cause a false-positive methadone result. But they won't listen!

Question:
I was prescribed seroquel pretty recently due to a mental illness. I felt ill after doing a double shift. The next nurse saw me and stated I was confused and dosing off mid-sentence. So i went home and was unable to finish my charting and had to be taken off the schedule for the rest of the weekend because of my condition. The administrator on call ordered me to go to a clinic monday morning for workers comp eval and drug test which I went to. To my surprise, I was tested positive for methadone and was taken off the schedule and pending investigation.

Reading all over the internet including journals and studies from the NIH and FDA as well as even the official medical guidelines by the manufacturer of Seroquel, it is known that the medication could cause positive methadone drug tests. I am consulting a lawyer on Sunday to discuss my options. I don't want to work for that company anymore, but my main concern is protecting my nursing license. Is there anything you recommend I bring to my lawyer to speed up the first visit? Do I bring up the studies that I have found on the internet? Will the lawyer be able to do their own research as well? Unfortunately, I currently do not have any medical insurance for this month to see my doctor and discuss this. My new insurance will be effective starting in May. And my previous doctor is not aware of any connection with seroquel resulting in false-positive results for methadone which makes me feel a little hopeless even though there are official government documents as well as ones by the manufacturer themselves that state it.

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/ucm196973.htm
this is just an example of one of the sources that state that seroquel can cause a positive methadone test under "drug interactions". Other than my seroquel, I am completely stumped on how I could possibly test positive for methadone. I do not take it and have never tried it.

Answer:
 You disclosed the Seroquel script when you took the drug screen, right?

Any chance you're in a union?


Title: Received notice of intent to evict due to the dog in my apartment. I don't now, nor have I ever, had a dog.

Question:
From their lawyer: "Failure to remove the dog from your leased premises is a default pursuant to the terms of your Lease. Demand is herby made upon you to remove the dog from your leased premises on or before November 19th. If you fail to do so, I have been authorized by your Landlord to commence legal proceedings pursuant to statutory law to evict you from the leased premises. I sincerely hope further action will not be necessary."

I've lived here for 6 years, and have paid ~$130,000 in rent during that time, always on time. Never had a complaint against me before. Around a year ago, someone working for the management company was on site and had asked if I had a dog, and I made it abundantly clear I have never nor would ever have a dog in the apartment; against my own principles, I invited him in to take a look, which he declined.

* A person on the same floor as me walks dogs for her job and, once in a blue moon, will bring one to her place for an hour or less. I ain't no rat, of course. But blindly accusing me; well, I'm half laughing and half scorned.

No management/maintenance lives on premises. If you were in these shoes, how would you respond to the Management's attorney?

*Edit: Massachusetts

*Edit 2: re /u/Thuraash's comment: "Is it possible that the attorney mixed you up for another tenant?"

* Unfortunately it doesn't seem that way, as one of their staff, while on site 6 months ago said, "do you have a dog?" I was taken aback (wondering how/why he'd think that), said "no, of course not," got some push back, and finally offered, "you wanna go in and look around?", to which he declined my offer.

*Edit 3: [this is the response I ended up sending.](http://imgur.com/Qc7V3Cy) Special thanks to /u/ThisDerpForSale for softening the ground, and /u/StarryC for the words of encouragement!

Answer:
 Send him a letter telling him that you don't have a dog, haven't had a dog, and would be happy to try to clear up the misconception that you do.

Answer #2: Tell them you don't have a dog, never have, and won't without following the terms of the lease.

If they pursue it, it's on them to prove that you have a dog and are in violation of the lease.Answer #3: I think you have taken the best action with the affidavit. In just curious what is your speculation? Is somebody insane, vindictive or mistaken by accusing you? Do you know who might have done that?


Title: "Runaway" from parents home as a minor

Question:
I'm currently 16 years of age and getting ready to run away from my current home and family. I'm planning on being "on the run" until I become of age (18) seeing as it will be when neither my parents or the government will be able to have a say on what I decide to do. My question is if it would be necessary for me to be on the run until I become of age. Is there any other way I can be completely independent as a minor even if my parent's disapproval?

My parents (Mother) is in no way, shape or form abusive.

Answer: Location affects the answer. Where are you located?


Title: Transgender marriage legal advice help. Seriously, I just want to eat dinner. This is a throwaway account from NJ but will be willing to relocate.

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Removed

Answer:
 > DISCLAIMER: I will NOT tolerate transphobia, homophobia or other type of harassment on this thread. You WILL respect my partner and how she identifies just like I respect you and how you identify. If you don't, I will do anything in my power to have you removed, blocked, have glitter thrown in your eyes or whatever else I can get done without being Liam Neeson.

You know, you really shouldn't start your post on the defense like that. While it's nice that you're standing up for your partner, you're really powerless to do anything about anything anyone else says, aside from reporting them to the mods.

> I will not accept people guessing or stating their own opinions of the situation, unhelpful sites

There you go again. With that attitude, you'll be lucky to get any advice at all. Go pay a lawyer if you want to be a dick in here.Answer #2: *Your post has been removed for the following reason(s):*

**Removal Reason**

* Rewrite this to lose the attitude, the threats, and to ask a clear legal question.  Message the moderators for a restoration when you do.

*If you feel this was in error, message the [moderators.](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FLegalAdvice)*Answer #3: Doing fifty states' worth of legal research is way, _way_ beyond what you can reasonably expect internet randos to do, for free, accurately. Hire a lawyer to advise you and your fiancée as to how to get married under your preferred genders with a minimum of complication.


Title: Buying a house, brick mail box was broken after contract. Closing tomorrow, with no result.

Question:
One of their guests hit the brick mailbox and knocked it over, breaking it in 2.  The guests insurance is supposed to cover the brick mailbox (which I estimate to be $2000-$3000).

Nobody seems to be in a hurry and the cash closing is tomorrow.  How do I make sure I get compensated for the mailbox?  I have the question pending to my closing attorney, but I'd like to get a 2nd opinion.

Should we get an escrow of $3000, only taking what the quote says?  Or have the insurance claim "directed" to us instead of the current home owner?

Fun fact, the seller intends to file for bankruptcy after the closing.  So we're in a hurry to close.

Answer: Ask for a cash concession at closing to repair the mailbox, and the insurance settlement can go directly to the seller whenever it gets sorted out. I would not deal with it any other way. You will have to decide whether you are willing to walk over a broken mailbox or not if the seller is not willing to concede.


Title: I left my ID at a previous airport. How do I board my return flight without an ID?

Question:
Sorry if this is the wrong subreddit but I'm really nervous right now

Houston, Texas

Answer: You go to the airport very early and tell them you lost your ID.  There's an alternate identification system.  You'll need to provide information like your social security number.


Title: Father is threatening to sue me

Question: So my dad gave me his PS3 about 6 months ago as a gift. I sold it on Craigslist 4 months later. He called me recently and wanted it back so that he could sell it. I told him I didn't have it anymore and that it wasn't fair that he was demanding it back now. He wants me to pay him double what I sold it for or "he's taking me to small claims court". Can he actually do that or is he just trying to scare me? Thanks for any help.

Answer:
 If he thinks you owe him money, he can certainly take you to small claims court over it.

If the court agrees with you that it was a gift, he won't win. But it sounds like he doesn't think it was a gift.


Title: A friend of mine (girl) was punched and she told me the police couldn't do anything about it. Wahington State.

Question: A friend of mine was punched and yelled at by a guy she lost her virginity to after he saw a picture she posted of us on snap chat. She said he ran after she called the police but then told me they couldn't do anything because " she wasn't seriously injured". This is unacceptable horseshit. I read up a little and it feels like this should be classified and 2nd degree assault and he should be arrested. Now my friend feels like her life is in danger (he's come to her house unannounced) because the police won't do anything about it. What can I do to help her?

Answer: Methinks you are missing some of the story.


Title: DUI

Question:
Got pulled over for the first time last night and had one beer too many and blew a .86. Am I more likely to get it lowered since it wasn't very far above the limit and it's the first hit on my record?

I was compliant and am 21. Do I still need to get a lawyer? I have court on Monday and I've never been or had to pay fines so I'm just kinda clueless. Any advice would be appreciated.

Also should mention that I was pulled over due to a headlight being out, not swerving/reckless driving.

Answer:
 Are you sure it was a .86? that's well above when most people are unconscious and very illegal most places.

Where are you located?

Since DUIs can result in criminal charges and impacts on your driver's license, it's recommended to get a lawyer.


Title: Pulled over for "reckless driving" got a speeding ticket, never even went 1mph over the limit.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Your only option is to go to court and present your side of the story.

Given your multiple stops for speeding, plus your radar/lidar detector, the unlikelihood that you would go exactly the speed limit, *and* the unlikelihood that a cop would pull you over solely to give you a made-up ticket, it's fairly unlikely that you'll prevail.


Title: [PA] a legal representative to a former landlord is posting my opened mail and personal information on their social media page (public). As far as I'm concerned, some major felonies are being committed. What can I do to stop it and seek damages?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Is this mail that was addressed to you that they opened?

If so, [contact your nearest Post Master](https://www.usps.com/nationalpcc/html/locator/locator_results.htm?st=PA) and file a complaint against them.  That's a serious crime.Answer #2: Report it to the police. As far as damages, what damages have you actually suffered? Answer #3: To what  end  would someone be possessed to do something so stupid? Like, they're opening your mail that was sent to you and posting proof online? Answer #4: Report the mail theft here:

https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/investigations/MailFraud/fraudschemes/mailtheft/ReportMailTheft.aspx

When they post your mail, do they state a reason for doing so?


Title: Attacked by fleas at a resort in Jamaica, and then scammed by them via Booking.com ... Anything I can do?

Question: I spent 4 nights of a 5 night booking at a "resort" in Jamaica I booked through TripAdvisor on Booking.com. They have AMAZING reviews on the internet, especially on booking.com . We had a horrible stay, they had dogs with fleas and they bit up my leg like you've never seen before... it may scar my skin permanently. They also had 9 puppies living underneath our room which also had fleas and cried all night keeping us from sleeping the entire time. We both got minor chest infections and lifted up the sheets to see the mattress covered in black mold. We have pictures of everything. We were also told by another guests that the people the resort hired to run their counter offered them prostitutes. We did get the tourism police involved to try to get a refund for the last night (we just couldn't bear another night there) and they got us the refund on the premise of there being fleas and it being unfit for us to stay there. A few days later I saw this place went into my booking without my permission, extended my stay past the date I was supposed to check out, attempted to charge my credit card, and then cancelled the booking. This explains why they only have good reviews... They extended and then cancelled my stay so I couldn't leave them a review. This seems like clockwork and I can almost guarantee this is not the first time they have done this. I feel [Booking.com](https://booking.com/) has some responsibility to protect consumers and it is failing because this kind of thing should NOT happen at a place with excellent "reviews" -- this was all extremely traumatic and I may have permanent damage on my skin. If anyone has any input for me, I would really appreciate it!

Answer: IANAL, but I'd be sure to add those photos to the reviews of the resort *and* booking.com.


Title: I think I'm being sued for someone slipping while I was at work (Illinois)

Question:
So this happened in Cook County, Illinois. I'm 17 and work at subway after school and generally am responsible for closing the store alone on the nights that I work.

So last Saturday night, I was mopping the store while we were still open, but hadn't put out the wet floor sign since I was still mopping and the sign was in the back room. This middle aged lady came in with her husband and slipped real badly on the wet floor. Like she landed on her wrist and it was basically just limp when we helped her up. They left and went to the hospital, and I was apologetic, saying I'm sorry the floor was wet and stuff like that. I felt bad but thought this was the end of it.

But then last night the lady came back in. She had on a full arm cast, and told me she had a double fracture, and was glad I was here again. She said she's suing the store for the cost of her medical bills for negligence, and me too, since I was the person there I would be responsible. She asked me for my name and address, and said I'd be served for the 3,000 and should expect to get papers in the mail.

My question is can I actually be sued for this? I looked online but it seems like only owners are responsible. Also I don't have anywhere near that much money. All I have is 1,000 I was saving for college. Can she go after my parents too?

Answer:
 Yes, you can be sued. Anyone can sue anyone else for anything.

That being said, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Your employer is responsible for what you do at work, including a mistake like not putting out the sign. Just let your manager/owner know what she said and what happened. You might have to deal with this hassle for a while, but you are likely not financially liable for anything.Answer #2: IANAL, just a curios onlooker. Were you mopping when she came in? Seems like the sign wouldn't be necessary if the mop, bucket, and person using them were right in front of her.Answer #3: You were working in the capacity of your employer, she cannot pursue you for damages. She will have to sue the business and this would be covered under your employer's liability insurance policy.

Inform your employer about the incident and if a suit is directed to you it will also be directed to your employer. You can be named in the suit but she cannot pursue you for damages.


Title: Went out of town and downstairs neighbor brought people into my apartment to stay

Question:
Initial details:  So I rent the top floor of a private home. There is one tenant downstairs and he has a sublet. The landlord/property owner lives in the finished basement.

I left for vacation four days ago and I get a call the morning after I arrived from the tenant downstairs. At three in the morning he awoke to footsteps in my apartment above his bedroom. He went to check on the noise and his sublet had let herself and two friends into my place with the intent of having them stay the night. The downstairs tenant freaked out on his sublet and told her and her friends to gtfo of my place.

A few months back his sublet asked if she could use my laundry and I responded with sure just leave five bucks on the counter. She responded that she didn't have the money and would do her laundry somewhere else. This was on sept 11.  She has never asked to use them since and that was the one and only time I told her she could be in my place without me there, and only under that condition that day.

I am still out of town and won't return till Thursday. I believe this constitutes breaking and entering or at the very least trespassing. She talked to legal aid at her school and they said that since I said ok once two and a half months ago to her being there that I had no legal recourse to her bringing other people into my place.

I am planning on calling the cops as soon as I return Thursday. Am I wrong in thinking this is a criminal offense? I feel completely violated and asked the tenant she sublets to to let her know she is very much not welcome anywhere near my place.

Any advice on how to proceed would be appreciated. I live in Oregon.

Answer:
 How and why would anyone but the landlord have a key into your part of the house? Answer #2: >I am planning on calling the cops as soon as I return Thursday.

Too little too late.

>Am I wrong in thinking this is a criminal offense?

You're not wrong but its pointless going at this with that mindset. Cops wont do anything and DA probably won't do anything.

>I feel completely violated and asked the tenant she sublets to to let her know she is very much not welcome anywhere near my place.

I'm assuming your door has no lock and this is similar to a private room in a house. Install your own door knob with a lock and give a spare to the LL. Right now the main thing you want to do when you get back is to make sure nothing got stolen. If nothing got stolen then just have a chat with the sublet in person and maybe the LL.
Answer #3: It's not a criminal offense and the police most likely will just tell you it's a civil matter. This needs to be worked out between the two of you and you need to make your boundaries clear. If anything is stolen etc you can call the cops and file a report but if you have no damages there really isn't much you can do besides complain to the landlord or work it out with the sublet.


Title: [MD] ex and her new boyfriend have threatened me multiple times in my home and won't let me off lease.

Question:
Started dating this girl and moved in with her a bit too quickly. Didn't realize we didn't really click at all. It ended a couple months into the lease on good terms. She started and had been seeing a "close" friend of mine shortly after the break up. I expr ssed my feelings and said I would appreciate if he didn't come over till I got over the relationship (it hadn't even been a week). She refused. Whatever went on with my life.

A couple weeks go by and she starts getting crazy like I think something might be wrong. She starts telling me 'I can't wait for you to die' 'I just wanna see you drop dead' 'I hope your dog gets hit by a car' etc... I said something mean back (not a threat but basically saying wow you're a real bitch, stfu). I left the house for the weekend. Came back not one word spoken. Another month goes by her man (old "close" friend) thinks I broke some charger (one of the animals got to it a chewed by accident). I tried to explain that and he wasn't having it and started saying he was gonna punch me in the face and break all my fingers. I just walked away and left. That was about a month ago.

About 3 weeks ago yet another argument arose with her telling me I should just go and stuff. So I said fine I'm gone by the end of the month. 2 weeks ago she says "try to leave and see what happens, I'll make sure your life is hell." I just ignore it.

Now I actually moved out on Sunday and sent them a text saying I left and whatever I left is theirs. She says she's glad I left, she hopes I didn't take her stuff, and bye. I thought it was ok. I was wrong. She let's me know today she is going to take me and someone else on the lease the court cus she's not going to pay the lease and is going to lie and say everything she and the dude said never happened and good luck.

I don't know what to do here. I'm thinking about filing a protective order cus the reason I left was cus of them threatening me on multiple occasions and I have work to attend and was constantly worried about my dog. My dog got diarrea 2 weeks ago and the first thing that came to mind was 'o my god, did they poison my dog?'

Is there any ways I could get off this lease without her signing off? Also, that dude has been living there since February and our landlord said no one can live there and not be on the lease but she's refusing to sign me off to swap names.

I'm sorry if this was choppy and not well written, I'm really stressed and have been trying to put this all behind but it keeps getting dragged out. I just want it to be over. I know I made a mistake by moving in so quickly but I'm naive when it comes to relationships (thanks to aspergers).

P.S. This actually happened in PA but I live in MD now.

Answer: Have you tried talking to your landlord yet? Let them know she has another man staying in the house, about the threats, and you can mention that you no longer feel safe in the home. The landlord will possibly either let you out of the lease, or possibly force them out. It wouldn’t hurt to set up a camera in your own room to try to record any future threats of violence. If you feel threatened call the police, and show them the videos.


Title: I think my father is ruining my credit and could get me thrown in prison

Question:
Before I say anything, if this counts as r/legaladvice material, let me know and I will post it there instead. I'm just unsure of where to go or what to do at this point. I've created this throwaway account because I'm sure that nothing of what is going on here is legal, and I'm afraid that because my identity and credit is attached to it, I could face serious legal and financial trouble for things I was not aware of. I'm only 19 so I'm pretty fucking ignorant as to what is going on and how I could put a stop to it.

about a month and a half ago, my father asked me to open up a private checking account at a different bank to "park money into." He is a business owner, and routinely put money into my personal checking account at the bank I've used for over 6 years.  These transfers were anywhere between $2,000\-$20,000. I suspect that money was for payroll, which I recently learned is illegal to do through a personal checking account. After they changed their transfer policy, he asked me to accompany him to a new bank where I would open up another private checking account under my name and he could put money into "To build my credit". I was suspicious, but optimistic. he also told me he wanted to put my name on the LLC of his company. He did not give me a reason why. He ended up not doing that. Then, a few days later, I received a call from the new bank saying that my account was shut down and that they no longer had interest in doing business with me. The account was 4 days old, so naturally, I was suspicious. My father told me that the bank was "run by assholes" and that he did nothing wrong, as there was a paper trail and all transactions were legal. This was a lie, as I heard him talking to his business partner about not being able to make payroll because the bank shut down the account and he wouldn't be able to get the cash for 2 weeks. After that, we went to another bank to open a business account (again under my name), wherein he would operate payroll out of. After asking him for full disclosure of what he was doing with an account under my name, and what he plans to do, he told me that I didn't know what "Disclosure" meant and that I should stop using words that I did not know the meaning to. At first, he asked me to pre\-write my name on a bunch of checks so he could pay people. He does not tell me the dollar amount of these checks, and does not tell me who they are written out to and what for. I have been called from the bank and asked what these charges are, and I can't tell them because I do not know. I am 100&#37; sure he is forging my signature for these checks.

After hearing that, I threatened to close down the account (after he payed the $500 fee for opening an LLC), and it was an entire thing. He kept trying to instill confidence in me, telling me that he knew what he was doing, and that no damage would come to me financially or legally, as there was no illegal activity. However, I know people who see every check he writes, every statement, and knows everything and anything about what he's doing and told me that 2 checks bounced in the last week because he didn't have enough money in the account. They are the ones telling me about what to do and how I can protect myself, but there are other things at stake besides my credit. I also hear a lot of dirt on him that, ordinarily, I would not want to hear. I checked my FICO score a month ago, and it was 624. Now I am afraid to check it (and can't, as my bank can't access it for some reason) because for all I know, it could be a lot lower than that now that he has been running amok with it. I am also not the only person he has done this to. For my entire life, my mother has told me about how he "screwed her over" and 'Ruined her credit" because he tried the same thing with her. Thinking back on it now, I see exactly what she was talking about. I am not aware if he has opened any credit cards under my name without my knowledge, and I routinely see that he charges personal expenses to that business account. Pet supplies, car payments, drinks at a bar that he frequents on a daily basis (Oh, and he's a serious alcoholic. I probably should have mentioned that earlier). I'm not very knowledgable of this subject, but even I know that is a big no\-no and could land me in hot water if the IRS came knocking.

I suspect the reason for all this is that his business is failing, his credit sucks, and he has creditors and debtors after him for several thousand dollars, maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars, so he does business under my name to hide from all of that. If this is true, which I think it is, I want out of all this. I am only 19, and cannot have any of this on my record. It would ruin my credit, and possibly get me thrown in prison.

~~I know the rational thing to do is ask him about it, but~~ i've tried that before and instead I was laughed at and disrespected. I would close down the LLC and remove my name from everything, but I still live under his roof, and he pays for things like my car, my food, tuition and textbooks etc. he would surely kick me out, and let all of those payments fall onto me, which I cannot pay for as I am a full\-time student and only have a part time job. He has me by the balls, and it's starting to seem like some damage is already done, the type of damage I don't think I could recover from. What do I do?

TL;DR: My father may be using me to save his business, at the cost of my credit and could land me in serious legal trouble.

Answer:
 I got one paragraph into your actual post, saw that much of the situation and the size of the numbers involved, and reached a conclusion:

_You need a lawyer, immediately_.

Reach out to the Florida Bar Association for a referral. Your lawyer can help you unpick this, figure out the damage to your credit, help you figure out the tax implications or refer you to an accountant, and help you communicate with your father and put a stop to this before it gets any worse. If necessary, your lawyer can also help you with the IRS.

Do not start taking steps on your own without an attorney - shutting down the LLC promptly is a likely first step, but there's a process to that, and getting it wrong will make this more complicated rather than less.

Plan to move out. This house of cards isn't worth staying under your father's roof for. Normal roommates, as unpleasant as they can be, are a lot safer, if you can't afford to live alone.

Do not take any further instruction from your father. He is, and has been, knowingly and intentionally betraying you for his own benefit, and he will continue to do so.