Title: Does accepting a presidential pardon constitute an admission of guilt? - AZ

Question: If so can that be used in the plaintiff's favor in a civil suit against the individual who accepted the pardon? The specific case is of Joe Arpaio of Phoenix, recently pardoned of contempt of court for violating a judges order to stop detaining people based on race.

Answer: Yes to your first question. *Burdick v. United States*. I'll let others discuss the admission of evidence in a civil trial.


Title: My grandma passed away from Covid-19. She had life insurance from Mony. Mony won't give any details whatsoever about her policy to anyone except my grandma who is no longer here. Mony won't give even info on the policy to her kids (ie uncles/aunts). What are our options here?

Question:
Topic:
Insurance

Answer: Privacy laws means they can't just tell anyone the details. Whoever has power over the estate such as the probate attorney will have legal authority to access those details.


Title: [MD] Minimum wage went up, but I'm still being paid my former salary which is under the new minimum wage

Question:
Okay, so starting on the 1st of July minimum wage went up to 10.10. I'm currently and have been paid 10.00 since April, even after the minimum wage went up in MD. Is my boss legally bound to pay me the state minimum wage or does that only apply to state-run places of employment?
If I am entitled to my extra 10 cents an hour, how should I approach my boss/the owner about this?

Answer:
 Yes your boss is legally bound to pay you the state minimum wage.

You're owed an extra 10 cents for every hour worked since July 1 and going forward. You can simply ask for it from your boss to be credited on your next check or if they refuse you can file a DOL wage claim.


Title: Nursing school switched a passing test

Question:
Hello everyone,

My wife is in nursing school and she's in the process of taking her exit examination which will allow her to graduate to school and sit for her licensing exam. You get four tries to pass your test. She failed the first two I only a few points on the first and .4% on the second. She passed her third exam but was then informed that a student was caught cheating and all test grades are invalid. She's in failed her retake by a few points and was on her last chance. On the syllabus the school stated that they will only give two types of exit exams, Hesi and ATI. When she walked in for her fourth and final exam which she's expected to be ATI since you can't take a HESI back to back she was told her final attempt would be a NLN exam which were the first time the school gave this test. We just got the results back today and she failed by 2 points. The school is now telling her she needs to retake classes and can take her final examination for 6 months. We are furious because my wife actually did pass her third attempt. I'm considering taking legal action but I have no idea if this is even a valid situation. Can anyone help. We are in NJ as well.

Answer:
 If they invalidate the scores from a particular round, that shouldn't count as attempt for anyone who sat in that exam session. Is there anything in the handbook about this though?

That being said, if your wife struggled this much to pass the exam, she can likely benefit from retaking some courses. The licensing exam will be much more difficult (and is usually expensive) and nursing is not the kind of field where 'just skating by' is going to net you many job offers.


Title: I almost choked to death on a bone from a tyson chicken product, that was marketed as boneless. Do i have a case?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 Should've taken the coupons or, at most, a refund. That's all you're entitled to.Answer #2: You are owed whatever your damages are.

What quantifiable damages do you have?


Title: [New York] I received a security deposit check from my former landlord, deposited it, spent the money, and now the money has been taken back. What can I Do?

Question:
Hey Guys.

I moved to a new apartment recently and was due to get a security deposit refund check. It arrived and i deposited it into my bank and all was good.

2 days after that, I look at my account, and all that money is gone. I already spent a good deal of the money and don't know what I have as options.

My former roommate also got his check and he deposited his no problem.

Any advice would be great!

Answer: you can sue them for it.


Title: I was falsely accused of rape and I'm considering filing a restraining order.

Question:
Hello, some quick info off the bat.

\- 17M

\- Quebec, Canada

&#x200B;

A few months ago, I had a huge issue with a "friend" of mine, which resulted in her claiming rape against me to multiple mutual friends, and posting a #metoo post on Instagram, with my name attached to it. I won't explain the story in its entirety, as I have posted about it [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/SeriousConversation/comments/bi72vf/surrogate_aita_post_sexual_content/).

&#x200B;

I have been incredibly stressed about this over the past few days, and I'm beginning to fear for my safety. The girl in question has in the past been proven to be mentally unstable, and is extremely vindictive against those who have wronged her. Although there haven't been any physical altercations yet, we attend the same college, and I walk around looking over my shoulder every day as I walk the halls.

&#x200B;

The #metoo thing is the most troubling thing for me, though. We share many mutual friends, and even potential employers. So for her to slander my name like that is unacceptable to me. I simply can't stand by and do nothing while my reputation deteriorates before my eyes.

&#x200B;

I have attempted to reach out to a school counselor, but their offices are closed today. I have also reached out to some friends in the student union, but they said they could not take a stance on the issue because of their position within the school.

&#x200B;

At this point, I'm not sure how much longer I can wait. I will speak to the counselor ASAP, but between now and then, I don't know what else could go wrong. I really just want this to be off of my mind as soon as humanly possible.

&#x200B;

So my next idea was to file a restraining order. I have **0** legal experience, so this may be a massive overreaction, but I am willing to take any steps required to get this woman away from me. I don't know **how** to file the order, I don't even know if I **should** file it. That's why I'm posting here.

&#x200B;

So please, tell me if I would be doing the right thing by filing a restraining order? She hasn't been violent in the past but at this point I am beginning to fear for my safety. If I am in the right, what steps do I take next?

&#x200B;

Thanks.
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer:
 Do you have any proof that she fabricated her story? Such as text, FB messenger, Instagram messenger, twitter, etc?

I would 100% hire a lawyer since this would be considered defamation. Also I would go to the police before she does.


Title: My cousin is putting my brother in trouble over some money issue.

Question:
A few months back, my cousin (17) told his family that my brother (20) had borrowed some money from him and is not returning. It created a controversy as my brother said he never borrowed any money and I believe him because he always borrows money from me in the most secret of times. Nonetheless, the cousin claims that he has and now he's not returning. This all cooled down that time for some reason. But now, a few days back, the cousin sent a dozen of screenshots of chat to my sisters and other family members saying I'm truthful and the brother is lying. My brother has gotten more firm on his take that he never borrowed any money. The problem is that the screenshots seem legitimate but there is no clear conversation about the money. All it points is that they were doing something fishy together. One time, my brother mentioned not to tell about the money to the family but that conversation is still vague. I trust my brother very much and know that he would never borrow money from him. The brother is getting depressed as he thinks that the cousin is framing him and that because of him my family is suffering. Can anyone suggest me some way to investigate this and know for sure what actually happened. The cousin has screenshots of chat. They're not worth much but they'll be the only evidence if nothing else surfaces. How can I look for more evidences? Bear in mind that no matter how much I trust my bother, I want strong evidences supporting either party.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 > Can anyone suggest me some way to investigate this and know for sure what actually happened.

No. For one, it's none of your business. For two, you have no right to investigate anything. For three, come on, this is between them. Do you really think your cousin would fake some screenshots? If so, then go ahead and trust your brother. My money would be on him being truthful though, to be honest.


Title: I was abandon by my husband while pregnant and for nearly a year since the birth of our son. What can Texas laws can I use to terminate his parental rights completely and with what stipulations?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Get married to someone else and have them adopt your son.

Otherwise you can't terminate his rights.


Title: Assuming I was forced to marry someone I don't want to, what can i do?

Question: Sorry for my bad English. [17/M]α

Answer:
 Location isn't optional.

Don't say yes, don't sign any documentation agreeing to it, and don't get on a plane to a foreign country with your parents.


Title: A eviction and money owed appeared on a background check. Except I’ve never been evicted and don’t owe money.

Question: Hi guys! I’m in the screening process to get an apartment and my apartment complex told me I have an eviction and I owe money to the current place I’m living in. Neither of this is true. In fact, both of these are for the apartment complex I’m currently living in.I went to management of my current apartment complex this weekend to ask and they showed me on their computer that I owed NOTHING and she even verified that I’m not evicted, well, since I’m still living there. Also, the only reason I know it’s for the current complex I’m living in is because the background check specifies. I’m at a complete loss as to what to do to get rid of this. I need an apartment by the end of the month.

Answer:
 The credit reporting agency from whom the new apartment obtained their information should have provided a notice about how to contact them and dispute an item.

You should do so.

It doesn’t sound like you have information to suggest this error was the landlord’s as opposed to someone else’s. Answer #2: Probably a common name issue. You will want to dispute the results. [Here is a summary of your rights during this process. This is not limited to credit reports.](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/pdf-0096-fair-credit-reporting-act.pdf)Answer #3: I had something similar happen with my apartment complex when they were assumed by new management. They had a second entry listed for me renting a non existent parking spot with extensive late fees and no rent paid for an item I had never leased. Have your apartment check that there are no double entries in the system for something like a parking space or storage unit.


Title: If the underlying assumption of Citizens United is that corporations speak through money, doesn't that give individuals unequal speech?

Question:
Location: US of A.  Federal question.

I'm not a lawyer in any regard, but doesn't the government have a legal obligation to count the influence of each individual on the leadership equally?  Even if corporations are people, aren't they the personification of their owners and therefore allocated a specific amount of influence based on life in the 1700s?

I vote.  After Citizens United, my neighbor has the right to spend trillions over decades to influence politics, changing the schools, economy, foreign policy, and social politics that raise all my neighbors' kids.  If that's an option, how am I not disenfranchised?

Shouldn't all people vote at the minimum possible wage?

Answer:
 People really misunderstand what is meant when they say that corporations are people. Normally it simply means that corporations (and other similar groups of people like charities and religious organizations) can enter into contracts, sue, and be sued like natural persons. The whole point of Corporate Personhood is that corporations are nothing more or less than collections of people (not just their owners, but employees and other stakeholders as well) and that people should not have fewer rights when working together than when they are working independently.

You have influence by yourself and collective influence through your place of work, your religious and irreligious community groups, and whatever avowedly political organizations you happen to belong to. You can give money as yourself or through any one of these other vectors. These other groups can collect money to act on your behalf.

Your neighbor doesn't have more of a right to spend money. Just like an individual who has decided not to vote hasn't been disenfranchised. These voting rights are about a lack of legal barriers to acting as a group to achieve a goal, not establishing a situation where no one's point of view counts for less than another's.


Title: [MO] My mom was arrested for animal abuse, case in February; is jail time a possible punishment?

Question:
On last Thursday, my fifteen year old dog got out. My dog has tumors that we have previously had operated on; vet said they would come back and it would be our choice whether or not to have them removed. We just don't have the money for that treatment, nor could we really afford to put her down, so we just took care of her and prayed that she would pass naturally, but we weren't able to groom her very well because the tumors kept her from really letting us touch her too much. She still was walking around and didn't cry out or anything; there wasn't any real sign of her being in pain for us.

Neighbor called animal control on the animal and they showed up Friday morning. Asked my mom if she knew who the dog belonged to (no tags, collar broke off a while back and she generally never went out besides to use the bathroom) and my mom said yes because obviously wanted to find the dog. TLDR they basically said our best case scenario was that we could pay the medical bills for our dog and get her back, worst case scenario was we'd get a citation for neglect. We didn't receive anything else besides the officer's card. We called for updates and to check on the dog a few separate times but we really weren't given any information. The officer just kept saying she was turning our papers into the prosecutor and she'd have an update when they informed her.

Cut to this morning and my mom calls again to check on the dog. Animal control finally shows up to our house again, shows my mom updated pictures of our dog post-shaving and grooming and such and the tumors are visible, but they refuse to operate because apparently the tumors are non-lethal and even though the dog is in their custody, apparently they don't have medical custody to conduct the operation? I was a bit confused by that part but moving on. They asked to see our other animals, which of course we showed them. The animal control lady commented on how happy and healthy they were, then proceeds to talk into her walkie talkie and tell the police officer it's okay to come now. They arrest my mom for animal abuse. The only person who even tells her what she's being arrested for is the animal control lady; officer doesn't read her rights or anything like that. She also informed me that they didn't book her or anything at the police station before we paid her bail.

We have a court date in February. We have an officer friend locally who we called and asked for advice, who informed us that in her 15 years of being a police officer she has never ever arrested anyone for animal abuse so we're kind of at a loss. Obviously we're looking into lawyers, but I'm in college and don't work enough hours to support my family if my mom was to be in jail for a while. I've never been in a situation like this so any advice anyone has to offer is totally welcome, but knowing what I've said here, is jail time something that could end up potentially being the punishment if she's found guilty?

Answer: It looks like animal abuse is a Class A misdemeanor in Missouri, which can result in up to a year in jail.


Title: Can you sue a government department for not addressing your company by name?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Step 1.  Create gaming application process with $1500 fee
Step 2.  Receive gaming applications from companies around the world
Step 3.  ???**
Step 4. Profit

 ** In this case, step 3 could be "Create generic letter information applicants their application has been denied.

Seriously- do you know for certain that you actually applied to a legitimate government office?  This sounds like a great set up for a scam to me.


Title: [USA]Is it legal to mail used condoms to your coworkers?

Question: Would this be in violation of harassment and/or postal laws? Reportedly, Jared Leto mailed used condoms to his castmates as gifts while he was staying in character as the Joker. Do you think this was true?

Answer:
 [Here's the postal service's rules on this.](http://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c3_023.htm)

Not a laywer. My personal interpretation is that this would violate Division 6.2, Infectious Substances.

>Division 6.2 materials include infectious substances, biological products, regulated medical waste, sharps medical waste, used health care products, and forensic materials. Division 6.2 materials are not permitted in international mail or domestic mail, except when they are intended for medical or veterinary use, research, or laboratory certification related to the public health; and only when such materials are properly prepared for mailing to withstand shocks, pressure changes, and other conditions related to ordinary handling in transit.

So, if he put a used condom with semen/vaginal fluid on it in an envelope and mailed it as a joke, that would violate the postal service rules because it was not being used for medical, research, or laboratory use.


Title: Coworker flipped Polaris at work after work hours with me as passenger. I fractured 3 bones in my hand and required surgery and hand therapy.

Question:
Some notes about the event that might be relevant: it took place on work property and on a work vehicle (offroad Polaris), it happened after I had clocked out, the safety officer allowed us to do this (he was actually in the tiny truckbed in the back), it was the coworker's last day who flipped it so I'm not entirely sure he was even still considered to be an employee, it happened a little over 6 weeks ago, it happened in Pennsylvania (I only say this because I know we have some crazy, archaic laws).

The story: the safety officer, a coworker (the one who flipped the Polaris), and I were hanging out after work. The coworker asks if we can take the Polaris out behind the building where we have a little offroad bike track and a pretty big field. Safety officer says it's okay. So the three of us ride around the track a bit with the coworker driving. Everyone is buckled besides the safety officer who is in the truckbed. After a while, we get to this open field (still on work property). Coworker tells us he's gonna floor it and turn as hard as he can. Awesome. Great idea. We flip before the safety officer or I could tell him that is the worst  idea. I smack my hand on the roll cage and realize I'm hanging upside down still buckled in. I unbuckle myself and crawl a few feet away where I see my hand is instantly swollen. We get some ice and the safety officer takes me to the ER. I get some x-rays indicating 3 fractures in my hand which leads to surgery (got a titanium plate to realign my 4th metacarpal) and weeks (6 weeks in with 3 or 4 more to go) of hand therapy. My bills total about $3,000 so far. I have only paid for the therapy since they ask me to pay every time I go.

My question is who is at fault here? I feel like I'm the "victim" here (sound very cliche, I know), but it wasn't me who flipped the Polaris and it wasn't my vehicle or on my property.

I wrote this on mobile otherwise I would have bulleted a lot of this. If anything is unclear, just ask. There is a decent chance I forgot to include everything of importance.

Answer: First, find the insurance that covers the vehicle, if there is some.  It may include no-fault medical coverage, usually called Medical Payments, or Personal Injury Protection (PIP).  Also, if you own a vehicle, you can see if you have similar coverage and if so, you can see if/when it applies when you are in another vehicle.  Given that the vehicle sounds designed to be principally used off paved roads and also that you're on company property, probably this coverage would be on your employer's commercial property policy.  Since it was after work hours and it doesn't sound like you were in the course/scope of your employment, it isn't clear that Workers Comp insurance would apply for this accident.  Finally, given that you were injured due to the negligence of the other driver, you would have a tort against him.Answer #2: That safety officer needs to get a different job because he sucks at his current one.


Title: Mother won't let daughter over state lines to see father

Question:
I have a daughter in chicago IL, she was born there, here mother is there. We broke up, we weren't married, I moved to Wisconsin to be with family. Today she called and said that she filed for Custody and will no longer let me take my daughter for half the week like we agreed on in the past and said that the law is that she won't allow her to cross the state border.

There's no abuse in the relationship, no funny business. I think it boils down to her needing money to pay for daycare because she can't do it on her own.

What's the deal here... can she do that.

Answer: Without a custody order she can do just this, the parent with physical custody absent an order has control.  Hire an attorney to respond to the case.  The courts don’t like kids going out of the jurisdiction where they are, at least while the case is ongoing , so be prepared for the potential that the court will award your ex primary physical custody while the case is ongoing.


Title: Arrears owed in MS because DHS said they would not grant downward modification, what recourse do we have?

Question:
Husband got laid off from fancy job and tried for months to find work. Contacted local DHS in Mississippi to discuss downward modification. Husband was told they won't grant it while unemployed unless you have a private lawyer. Which was hard to find out of state affordably due to not having a job, but husband did try. The affordable ones were crappy so the paperwork didn't get completed.

Tl; dr He owes a TON in arrearages due in part to DHS discouraging him from petitioning for a downward modification. Can he do anything to get the arrears reduced on those grounds? According to the statutes I have seen, he was supposed to have an opportunity to do this and based on what they told him he owes like 20k in arrears.

Edit: Also there is a new child, but an unplanned one. MS says they don't reduce the owed amount for voluntarily having other children but this wasn't voluntary. Husband finally has a job after over a year, and will be close to minimum wage (not for lack of trying for something that pays better). I don't make enough to support us all myself, so if you have any suggestions for making this a financially viable solution for us I would appreciate it. 24% of a minimum wage salary doesn't leave much. That's before any arrears are also garnished.

Also, how does garnishment work? Who does he talk to to be sure the garnishment factors in every relevant details of his life?

Answer:
 He's likely SOL.  He had the chance to modify his child support at the time but he didn't.  He didn't nessecarily need a private attorney, but it absolutely does require a court order.

He should talk to a MS attorney to find out if there's any chance whatsoever that his child support can be modified retroactively.

ETA:  Just rechecked MS law to see if it's changed the past few years and apparently they actually UPHELD the prohibition on retroactive child support reduction.  He doesn't have a chance.

https://betterchancery.com/2013/07/01/still-no-retroactive-downward-modification/


Title: [Chicago, IL] Dog was attacked by another dog in apartment building. But my lease says that such a big dog isn't allowed.

Question:
ok this has been a difficult time and a lot as happened. I posted before about the issue but many new things have come up

I have a small lap dog, and my building has small dog park for the dogs to do their business. When I got there there was another dog and owner there and the dogs were just sniffing each other. Another big dog shows up and starts playing with the toys provided by the apartment complex. my dog walked over and sniffed one of the toys (she couldn't even try to pick up if she tried.) Then the big dog attacked. the owner removed his dog and walked away. I made a report with my security desk and immediately took her to the animal hospital where she was bandaged up and given meds.

&nbsp;

So the next day my property manager finds out who it was and we sit down and have a talk with her in her office. He wanted to only pay $250 and says it was accident, but I stood my ground saying my dog did not provoke his and that I should be fully connected for her vet bills and bloody clothes. The property manager pays for my clothes. I say she needs to go back due to the puss coming out of the wounds since the vet hospital said it might be infected.

&nbsp;

He agrees to paying that and the 2nd vet bill which did not happen yet. I took her too the vet, she needs another follow up and I had the vet write him a letter on what was down and how and why she needs another check up. I emailed him that bill but he said we verbally claimed that we verbally agreed to him only paying $250 that (not the case what I have in writing and the property manager confirmed that was not what we agreed on). And  the reason why he won't be paying anymore is the city of Chicago is making his dog get examined due to the attack and I was the one who called and said it was a "collision" (which I do not believe it was in any sense). In my lease it says there will be no dog over 35lbs allowed in the building what so-ever. His dog is easily 60 -70lbs. the property manager refused to review the signed addendum (this was addendum was from the past property manager but same company). I also got a witness to send me a statement of what she saw and she said that it was a unprovoked attack on my dog.

&nbsp;

Am I screwed? I starting to think my apartment building should be somewhat responsible since in my lease it says that there was going to be no larger dogs and they never issued any change to me in writing. The guy tried paying just the two vet bills but I did not accept since my dog is still not better and may require surgery. I totally understand that dogs are just property, and im just trying to get my vet bills related to the dog bite recovered. It's been super stressful.

Answer:
 Your lease with the apartment has absolutely no bearing on his lease with the apartment and what he's allowed.

What is the exact working in your lease regarding larger dogs?


Title: New Orleans, LA. I currently have a "flag" on my licence because of an "insurance cancelation fee law" that was enacted retroactively (after I had incurred the original fine). That can't be leagal, can it? (x-post r/leagal)

Question:
(DMV rant warning)

Ok, so I own an old van that had some major problems that I couldnt afford to fix back in 2013, so instead of paying insurance (wich was approching $200 a month at that time), I decided to cancel my insurance and park the van for 5 months. I called up the dmv and asked them what the protocal was for doing that, and they said that I had to either turn in my plate or face a fine of not more than $200 if the lapse exeded 90 days. well, that seemed like a bargin at the time, so I decided to save my insurance money, and get it running again, and just pay the fine when the time came. The whole time I never even drove without insurance, the van was parked and wouldn't start.

So, the time came(5-6 months), I got another insurance policy, and called up the dmv and told them that I was ready to pay my fine. They said "Great! It's $525 plus a bunch of fees adding up to almost $600!" Apparently the reason for the incress in fines was because the govener (bless his heart) enacted a law that trippled a bunch of DMV fees retroactively. Wait, isnt that extortion? It's like "Everyone who owed some money to the dmv now owes three times as much, after the fact." I can't get my licence renewed, or motocycle endorcement, or renew my registation untill I pay up.

Do I have any way to fight this fee? I mean, I cant afford to pay that much, and even if I could, its just dosn't feel right. I havn't comitted any crimes or even driven without insurence, I thought I was being such a law-abiding citizen!

Answer:
 >I havn't comitted any crimes

Yes you have. That's what the fine you planned to pay was for.


Title: Rent increase while month-to-month. Tennessee

Question:
My wife and I have been living in this apartment for a little over two years. The lease expired in May of this year and we were unable to convince them to renew it so we are paying month-to-month rent. We received a letter from management last month that they will be increasing the rent (not an unreasonable amount, that is not the issue). Of course, we still want a lease so that we can have some confidence that we can live there for more than any 30 day period.

We know that we would probably be well-served to find another place to live, but the rent is reasonable and we are saving up for a house.

We brought this up with them and were told that they were not issuing new leases to anyone per the direction of the owner. Further, the manager claims that giving only us a new lease would violate equal housing laws.

It looks to us that the owner is preparing to sell off parts of his properties in the future (his properties are spread out all over town, some of which have developed a lot in the past few years) or make it easy to transfer it on to his son.

All we have been able to do is convince the manager to send us a letter (we have not received this yet, I spoke with her again yesterday) stating that they have no plan to make us leave in the next year. We assume that this is probably meaningless but it is the best we could do so far.

Management here ranges from okay to generally incompetent. For example, they seem to be taking months to hire a roofer to fix a leak that has apparently caused some damage to our neighbors and is staring to spread to our apartment. We are a bit concerned to call them on it too much because of our lease status.

Particular things we would like some advice on: 1) The rent increase without a new lease seems quite shady to us, but have they actually done anything illegal? 2) Do we have any realistic recourse besides calling their bluff, continuing to pay the rent as it appears in our lease, and probably getting kicked out? and 3) New tenants seem to be moving in, presumably with leases of their own, does that affect the equal housing argument for not giving us a lease?

Thank you all.

Answer:
 1. That is normal and legal for month-to-month tenants

2. Not only would you be evicted, you will owe the amount not paid as well as court fees. This is one of the stupidest things you could do.

3. No. They are under no obligation to offer you or anyone else a lease, or only offer some people leases and not others. So long as it has nothing to do with race, gender, family status, etc., you have no recourse.

They are doing nothing illegal, if you do not like it, your only recourse is to move.


Title: Ex-Girlfriend threatening to get me kicked out of school

Question: My ex-girlfriend, who is upset because our breakup was not mutual, is now threatening to get me kicked out my University because, in her words, “if [she] can’t have me then no one can.” I guess she believes if she gets me kicked out of school, I’ll be miserable just like her. However, her threats were really vague so I’m not entirely sure what she plans on doing to possibly get me kicked out of school. I’m just really worried because she is a bit insane and has been known to act irrationally and extremely. Is there anything I can do to protect myself or any advice in general?

Answer:
 Lawyer here.

Does she also attend the university?

First,  cease all communications with her.

Second, document all communications with her.  Every thing, every threat, every comment, every issue.

Third,  bring all the documentation to the appropriate person at your university.  Get ahead of any issue.  Most large Universities have a dean of student life, or some other similar title,  whose primary job is to help students with issues, be they academic or personal, that is the person you want.

Remember you pay tuition, they have a strong incentive to help students with problems stay enrolled.  If your ex is a student also notify the office of student conduct or whatever equivalent you have at your university.  Do not sit around and wait for something to happen to you,  be proactive, and good luck.


Title: i’m not sure if i’m allowed to talk about this but i need help

Question:
i (13f) was at my house yesterday and a guy (16m) was wanting to come over. he is known for wanting sexual acts. i told him that i’m not the type to do anything inappropriate so if that’s all he wanted i’m not gonna give that. he told me ok, and that he just wanted to hang out. so he comes over and we are laughing and talking and abt 20 mins in he told me to put on a movie. so we are watching a movie cuddling and stuff (which i was fine with) and he said “lemme finger you” i told him no and that’s not what i wanted he then started to try and take off my shorts i kept pulling them back up and telling him to stop and telling him that’s not what i wanted. he kept trying and he said do you want this and i kept telling him to stop and no. he kept on trying to pull my shorts down. then he started to rub my area through my shorts and i kept telling him to stop. and he kept trying and he said “am i temptinf you” and
i kept saying “idk” and so then instead of saying no i kept saying “idk” i thought maybe if i let it happen he’d leave. my shorts had a string on it to tie them
together and well he was like this is hard to un tie. so i untied it. my big question is that considered consent? idk what to do i told my closest friends and i’m scared to tell my mom b/c i snuck a boy
over. no she wasn’t home. but he never actually put his fingers inside me but he did have contact. i feel really uncomfortable talking abt this but i’ve been crying non stop since yesterday and i have no idea what to do.

Answer:
 Do you have a trusted adult at school you can talk to? I understand not wanting to tell your mom, but you need to tell someone.  What that boy did is not okay and it is NOT your fault. Anyone who tries to blame you is wrong and not looking out for your best interests.

Please, if you can’t tell your mom, tell someone at school. They will know how to help.Answer #2: Verbal consent is the only consent. You SAID no, so this is in no way ambiguous even with your act of helping him untie your shorts. Being 13 is tough, I am so sorry you had to deal with this. Don't feel pressured to spend time with this person again.


Title: My employer in Tucson, AZ has made it excessively difficult for staff to use PTO hours.

Question:
tldr: My employer keeps making changes to the PTO policy without notice, and staff are not able to use accrued hours. I'm planning a two week vacation next month and I'm worried my paycheck will be affected.

I work for a privately owned health organization that has about 75 employees in Tucson, AZ. I'm a full time employee and get paid an hourly wage. The agency's PTO policy combines sick time and vacation time, and the accrual rate is 1hr PTO for every 12 hours worked.

During my first two years of employment, I never had any difficulty using my PTO as long as vacation days were scheduled in advance and coverage was found. About 9 months ago, the agency suddenly laid off about 1/3 of the staff and sent out a statement saying that overtime is no longer allowed. This made it close to impossible for most staff to find shift coverage, which is mandatory in order to take PTO. In addition, HR has been sending emails with informal revisions to the PTO policy "effective immediately." These have included a collective cap on the number of hours the agency is willing to pay out per month (60 hours split between all staff,) a use-it-or-lose-it stipulation, and the requirement to provide a medical note for even one day of unplanned sick time.

These changes were made without warning. For example, my coworker requested 4 days off, found coverage, and gave 30 days notice (per policy.) During her week off, the collective hours cap was put into place and she was only paid for one day off. She took vacation with the understanding that the time was approved, and (aside from the email sent during her absence) was never notified. She was very upset when she received her paycheck and quit with no notice last week.

I currently have over 200 hours of accrued PTO, and have been approved to take 2 weeks off to visit family in July. I'm worried that a similar "effective immediately" policy change will happen and I won't get paid for the day's I'm gone. I know that AZ does not require employers to provide paid (non-sick) vacation time, but are employees required to follow their own policy or provide advance notice for changes? Is my coworker entitled to payment for her vacation days? Will Prop 206 provide any protection for employees in this situation, or does it only apply to sick leave?

Answer:
 I don't know AZ law, but I do know your company won't be around too much longer. Get out as fast as possible.Answer #2: >Is my coworker entitled to payment for her vacation days?

Honestly, I'm not an expert, but it seems like she could file an unpaid wage claim. Check with Arizona's department of labor (or whatever they call it there - here in Texas it's the Workforce Commission)

In case you do find yourself in a similar situation, make sure you've got documentation of everything possible that states what the policy is, what kind of time off was approved (paid vs unpaid), etc. That way you'd at least be able to go to the labor dept and point to something that says you were told you'd be paid XYZ and then you weren't.

But, yeah. I agree with the others... start applying for new jobs immediately. Tell them you're available to start in July, after your vacation. Good luck!


Title: [US] Should I chargeback this airline ticket?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: They are not responsible for weather delays and you sound like a huge asshat so my guess is no.


Title: Cash keeps disappearing out of my wallet at work... I suspect a coworker but I have no evidence at all.

Question:
I work at a hole in the wall asian restaurant in a college city in Maryland. Im 18f. I spend most of my time in 2 places: home and work. Im not going to school. I dont go anywhere else on a schedule.

So i keep all my cash in a paper envelope in my wallet, which has a zipper and a clasp on it. It would be difficult to retrieve any money without making noise + taking a few minutes to get into the envelope. But somehow, despite putting 20s in every week, they disappear.

I do keep my wallet upstairs in my husbands familys home. We live downstairs but i keep keys, wallet, and phone upstairs. Ive lived there since september and have had zero problems. They are an incredibly honest family, and i pay $600 rent every month. Though sometimes i keep that sort of thing in a bag of mine downstairs as well.

At work, i was told to keep my wallet underneath the counter at which i stand by other staff members who have since left. I began work in february, and noticed a 100 bill disappear around march. I thought that maybe i had just spent it pn gas without realizing, but i noticed more and more money disappear over time, usually right after work. Just the other day, i counted my cash - 189 exactly. When i went to check on it yesterday - a 5 bill and a couple ones.

Ive been using my card solely for the purpose of keeping track of these things - i havent used any cash in weeks. The thing is, i notice money missing after working with a specific female coworker. I have no idea if it is her, but i work as a hostess, while my other three coworkers work as the chef, sushi chef, and manager of the restaurant, aka in the kitchen. My female coworker is someone who is allowed access to the front all the time and is "trusted" with the restaurants money.

My husband wants me to mention extra cash to try and bait her into stealing more, and by painting all my cash with something that would show up under a uv light... i talked to my manager + he said he would install cameras but to leave my wallet in my car now... i really need that money back... now that i know for a fact its being stolen, it could be anywhere between 300-1000 dollars stolen from me. i kept wondering why i felt like i never was getting anywhere with my money...

I really need that money back. What should i do?

Answer:
 Stop bringing all of your cash to work. Get a bank account. Report the missing money to your boss.

They likely won't do anything unless they have cameras though.Answer #2: There's little *to* do.  You have no evidence of anyone stealing it from anyplace.

Don't play vigilante.  Store your cash in a more secure location and stop leaving it unattended.


Title: [Florida] Building apparently not wired for cable/internet

Question:
Last Monday I moved into a brand new building (total 144 units, I'm the 3rd tenant). Property manager told me that Comcast is the provider for cable and internet for the building. I reached out to Comcast on Monday to get service hooked up. After receiving no info from them for almost a week, I sent an email directly to their VP of Customer Support (thanks Elliott.org). I got a phone call today from one of their Customer Relations folks to let me know that the building won't be ready for service until August 17th because of construction that's still ongoing with the property.

Obviously I don't want to wait for 10 weeks to have internet (I work from home a lot of the time and Internet access is paramount to my livelihood).

What are my options to get the property management to prioritize the cable/internet hookup? Can I legally ask them to pay for some temporary means of internet (Like a pocket router or something) since this wasn't disclosed when I rented the unit?

Thanks.

Answer:
 You can ask them but they are not legally required to do it for you. Answer #2: Internet access is unfortunately not considered a right, so unless your lease spells out that Comcast is available in your unit, you are out of luck.

That being said, do you happen to have an exclusive use patio/porch that faces south with clear line of sight to the sky? If so, you could grab [An internet dish on a tripod](http://i.imgur.com/WrNH6EB.jpg). FCC  OTARD rules say they can't restrict it, and no complex wants an unsightly dish when they are trying to lease new units. Maybe that will get them going.


Title: Letter to collect someone's property

Question:
Hello from Texas!

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My wife just got a letter from the Bexar County Sheriff's Office stating she's a designated to claim property of a former inmate. The turd in question is part of a trio of absolute shit-tier people. We have done SO much to separate ourselves from these idiots in the past 2 years and now this happens.

&#x200B;

If she under any legal obligation to participate or can we contact the office and have them remove this designation? The letter says if the items aren't collected they will simply dispose of them but I'd also like to be as un-involved with this person as absolutely possible.

Answer: Is this collecting the personal items of the inmate from their initial processing or after their death? Then no, they will be discarded if not claimed by the stated date. You can still call and affirm that you have no interest in collecting the items to put your mind at ease. If you were legally required to pick them up, a court order would be telling you, not the police asking you.


Title: Mom sued random people I've never met, they sued back and listed me in a cross complaint. (Civil, CA)

Question:
Apparently my mom, who I don't have a relationship with and haven't really spoken to for almost a year, got into some kind of pissing contest with her housemate and sued them (civil, not small claims) for stealing her stuff. They promptly sued back and listed ME as a cross defendant, saying I went to their house and stole things with $1300 in value.

Now, I did go to that house a year ago to pick up a few things I left there in college (clothes, pots and pans I bought on amazon, etc), and I have no way to prove that I didn't take their stuff. I'm now freaking out because I have no idea what to do about this and am in shock of the situation, since this literally came out of nowhere for me. My mom already has a lawyer on retainer, and he says he is going to file a demurrer for me, but I'm still wrecked with anxiety over this because it just feels completely out of my control.

I'm not sure if there is any action I should be taking or if I should just try not to think about it and wait it out. Has anyone had or seen a similar issue? I'm just blown away at how unfair this is, that people that you have never crossed paths with can do this to you just to spite another person related to you.

I'd appreciate any advice. Thank you.

Answer:
 You don't have to prove that you didn't take anything, they have to prove that you did.
That's the principle that most justice systems outside North Korea are based on.
I can't prove I'm not running about town at night wearing leather tights and solving crimes, bud good luck proving that I do.Answer #2: Show up in court and answer in all the appropriate ways. They don't have a case. Answer #3: IANAL

I think the people claiming you stole from them must list exactly what you took and if they can't find it in your possession then there's no proof. You can't just point fingers at someone and get them in trouble.

I don't think you have anything to worry about. If it did go further than a simple accusation, it won't hold up in court.Answer #4: >I have no way to prove that I didn't take their stuff

Luckily for you, that's not how this works. They would need to prove that you DID steal it. If you don't have any of their things in your possession, then they can't prove you stole anything.


Title: What did this lawyer do wrong? How dumb was I to take his hush money?

Question:
At least 10 years ago I had a car that was totaled and I still owed on it. I stopped paying on it and was taken to court. I met with the lawyer and made payment arrangements with him that day in court.

I make my first bi-weekly payment and 2 weeks later I have sheriffs at my door with a bench warrant for not showing up to court. I argued with the police that i had been in court, that the lawyer messed up, but I still had to be taken to jail. I had to be cuffed,  ( transferred to another county) mug shot, fingerprints etc.. and was going to have to spend the weekend in jail had I not had the money to bail myself out. I have never been in trouble with the law before or after this incident.

The following Monday I called the lawyers office and raised hell, demanding my money back for my bail and that I had proof I was at court and had made my first payment.

He drove 2 hours from his home office, wrote me a check for my bail money, plus a little extra and made me sign a document that I wouldn't sue him.

My question is this: had I been smarter and knew better, what SHOULD have I Done? And what could have happened to him had I known what to do, instead of taking his hush money? I feel like because he made me sign a document not to sue him, I could have done some damage to his career, I'm just not sure what.

Answer:
 You could have probably filed a complaint with the state bar. Answer #2: Lawyers cannot limit their capacity to be sued, unless another attorney reviews and sign off on it, even then it isn't a guarantee. This guy was an idiot. The best thing he could have done is reported to the state bar, which would have investigated him.

Were you arrested for failing to show for the first appearance or the second?

Answer #3: There has to be more to this story.  Defaulting on a car note isn't enough to get a bench warrant.  Were there charges filed as a result of the collision?  Were you subpoenaed to testify?  Held in contempt for non-compliance with a prior court order?  Was "the lawyer" representing a plaintiff you injured, a bank, a DA...?


Title: College campus Students looking to do something about a predatory towing company. Ohio

Question:
Hi everyone,

In the past semester and into the summer we have seen an uptick in towing by a specific company that operates on our college campus. My fiance has been towed twice in the past month that has amounted to a $300 financial burden. We both work and attend school full time so this has created a terrible situation for us as we pay all our own bills. Upon conversations with my peers, there seems to have been a trend. There is plentiful anecdotal evidence of not only students who have been towed after only a few minutes, but also observing other people being towed as they are catching an uber to go get their vehicle. Also, specific students vehicles seem to be getting towed repeatedly. These are students who live off campus and do not have parking lots in their lease agreements.

As a collection of students, is there anything we can do to fight this problem? We already have standard police officers that write parking tickets. The need for towing should only be reserved for the most horrible offenders in parking.

Answer: If you’re talking about the four leaf logo towing company, this has been an issue for YEARS. They were sued in 2015 for overcharging. They’re hella predatory and really all you can do is make sure you take pictures of where and how you’re parked every single time you park on campus. Answer #2: I'm confused.  What are you being towed for? Answer #3: May I guess.... the company has a symbol that is usually green and associated with a particular European country??


Title: I visited a friend in California and punched a cop in the face. Now I'm back in my home country. Do I have to fear repercussions?

Question:
I'll keep this as short as possible (if certain details are necessary to determine what my next step should be, let me know, but I'm afraid of being identified, so I'll keep this as vague as possible, while not omitting any details that (imo) are crucial to the happenings of that night)

Visited friends in Cali. Borrowed friend's car one night. Cop pulled me over for driving over the speed limit. We got into an argument and when he reached towards his belt, I thought he was gonna pepperspray or taser me (he was by himself), so my instincts kicked in and I punched him square in the face, sending him to the floor. I sped away and when I looked in the rearview mirror I saw that he was still lying on the ground. I have no idea what became of him.

I drove the car back to my friend's place, who was at work at the time this took place (so he has an alibi), parked it in his garage and told him about what happened the next morning. He was (to my surprise) chill about it (he hates cops). I was going back to my home country a day after. I spent the whole day before that in dread and thought I was gonna get thrown in prison for life. Nothing happened. I originally didn't wanna go to the airport because I was afraid of getting arrested there, but nothing happened.

Now I'm back in my home country (Russia). I contacted a lawyer and was completely honest with him and he said I have nothing to fear, since Russia doesn't have an extradition treaty with the US, and if I were to get any letters from any law authorities in the U.S. he'd tell them to get fucked. He sounded convincing, but I don't believe him.

Additional info: the time I spent interacting with the cop before I punched him was very short and he didn't run the plates or write down the name on my ID or anything. He asked for license and registration etc, but he didn't get to radio the infos back to anyone before our 'brawl' went down.

TL;DR Knocked out a cop in California, am now back in Russia, whats the worst that can happen to me?

Answer:
 You don't know what information he does or does not have.

They aren't even going to try to extradite for that, but f you come back, expect to be arrested.

Assuming this is not a troll, which it likely is.


Title: Neighbor wants to trap our cat [NY]

Question:
Hi,

We have a 1 year old cat who occasionally sneaks out when our dogs go out. Our neighbors said they suspect her of using their gardens as a litter box and plan to trap her. The cat is fixed and neither us nor the neighbors have witnessed her doing this but I have seen her back by the orchard that butts up to our houses and there are other outdoor cats in the area.

Our concern is for the safety of the cat, while we do our best to keep her in the house it doesn't always work out as planned (we have  4 year old who likes to let the dogs in and out). We wouldn't want this neighbor to simply trap our cat and leave her in a trap for an extended period of time or take her to a shelter.

Not sure if this is relevant but our houses are zoned agricultural.

My question is, what are our rights in this situation but also what are our neighbors rights?

Thank you in advance!

Answer:
 Keep your animals out of their yard or expect the neighbor to trap it. Answer #2: Microchip him and have him wear a collar with a tag just in case.

And seriously, try to avoid letting him out. Answer #3: There are legal small animal traps your neighbor can use.

If trapped, they don't have to turn the animal over to you, they can just turn it over to animal control.

So make sure your cat has proper tags and any other legal requirements to make sure you can get it back from animal controlAnswer #4: If the cat's on their land, they can lawfully trap it. They can't commit any kind of cruelty to do it \- but live traps are generally considered to not be cruel (else ACO's wouldn't use them).

You have the rights to the integrity of your property while it's on your property (that being your cat, on your land). You have the right to reclaim your animal from the ACO within the period they permit you to do so.

Your neighbor has the right to trap the cat within the confines of the law, whereupon he has the right to release it either to you or to animal control.


Title: My employer overpaid my bonus and wants the difference back

Question: So today I received my bonus for the year which is going towards my college money. I was super excited and deposited it right when I got home. About 30 minutes later I get a call from someone at my work saying that they calculated my bonus wrong and that they’re hoping I will be fair and pay them back the difference. Should I pay it back or just keep it?

Answer:
 Did you earn the bonus amount?

If not, you owe the money.

If you did, you don't owe the money.

Simple as that.


Title: HYPOTHETICALLY would it be legal to mail marijuana as long as both sender and recipient are in a state where it's legal? (USA, CO/WA)

Question:
ex: From Seattle, WA to Vancouver, WA. No state lines are crossed. Sent via regular USPS.

I understand that marijuana is still illegal on the federal level, but I also have heard the USPS is not technically a government entity... while I'm sure it would violate USPS policies, I'm curious if it would actually break the law.

Thanks!

edit: I want to state I have no intention of doing this... it's a thought experiment. C'mon, I'm not *that* stupid!

Answer: No. It is a crime to send illegal drugs through the US mail. Marijuana according to federal law is an illegal drug. You could send it through a private courier, but Fedex and UPS won't do that for you. Answer #2: No, the mail is still run by the federal government.


Title: Ticket For Modified Exhaust

Question:
I was given a ticket for a modified exhaust that I have had on my car for at least 7 years. I was caught for speeding, which I can freely admit that I was speeding to get to class because of traffic on the highway before I got to the city roads. I looked up the law for the exhaust to which I have never heard of nor received a warning for when I was pulled over one other time 7 years ago.

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.293.html

This is the law, my exhaust modified but it isn’t nearly as loud as most other cars especially compared to pick ups with smoke stacks or hole in the converter. Is there anything I can argue here? Because two tickets reflects much worse than a single speeding ticket especially cause the speeding ticket is high but not high enough to do any more damage than a traffic course and fine.

Answer: "Other people do it" and "I didn't get in trouble for it before" or "Other people are louder" are not valid defences.   You have to prove you, in this instance,  were not violating the law.


Title: The DA in a county in Texas rang me up yesterday.

Question:
Yesterday, my husband and I were traveling to another area of Texas when I received a call from the DA in a town near where we live.

A man I was sexually involved with in 2013 and 2014 was arrested in March of 2015 for 9 counts of sexual assault with a minor, and student teacher misconduct.  He was released on bail at some point a month or so later and was in another town with his mother (who I assume bailed him out)  Some of the 9 charges include stalking the sixteen year old after being released on bail, so back in jail he went.

So now, almost a year later, the DA office contacted me about the case. They had stated that his trial was next week (I believe)  I was in a panic because I dont want to be involved with he case.  I wasn't expecting a call like that.  They contacted me because he had sent some emails to me (several, maybe 20-30) in the time that we were involved, and I was a contact in his phone.  So I'm assuming they have some texts that we sent.

The last time I contacted him was probably July of 2014.  After that, nothing.  Then about 8 months later this arrest with the child molestation thing came up.

They asked if I had time to talk, I said sure.  I dont want to seem like I'm uncooperative, but I made it very clear that I dont want to be involved with the case.  They mainly asked questions to what I assume get a character profile of him from my POV.

DA "Were you and ___ boyfriend and girlfriend at one point"

Me: No, I wouldnt call it dating.  He and I were involved.

DA: During the time of your involvement, were you living in ______ (town I went to uni in)

Me: Yes.

DA:  Was he living in that town?

Me:  No.

DA:  Was he living in ______?  (town where his mom lives)

Me:  No.  He was living in ______.  The town he was arrested in, where I live and work currently with my husband
currently.

DA: Were you a student at _______ university?

Me:  No, I was just living in that town.

DA:  What do yo mean by that?

Me:  (That was a stupid question, me thinking this)  I was working and living.  I had graduated from uni already

DA:  So you were of age to consent?

Me:  I was in my mid twenties when I was involved with him.  We both consented.

DA:  Were y'all involved in a BDSM type relationship?

Me:  Yes.

DA:  Was he dominant?

Me:  That was the nature of our relationship, but it was consensual.

They asked the last time I had contact with him,  I said around this time in 2014.  I told them that I had heard
about this back in March of 2015 on the radio.  I made it a point to say "I don't want to be involved with this case."

They asked if I was scared of the man.  I said no.  I'm currently pregnant, recently married.  My husband knows about this history, but I don't necessarily need my family to know my business.  We're in a small town and people pay attention to this kind of stuff.  I have a job where I work with children and I dont want any issues.  If I knew this about the man, I wouldn't have involved myself in the first place."

**So if they contact me Friday around 4:45pm, and inform me about the trial being next week, are they even able to call me in as a witness or to testify?  I made it very clear that I didn't fear him, that I just didn't need this in my life right now.  I'm pregnant with a girl and it disgusts me that there are people like this out there.  **

Do I need to get an attorney? I don't feel like I'm a witness to this case and the charges being pressed against him,  Can they even call me in for this?  Surely they've had his phone for this whole time, why are they just now contacting me?

I wish the motherfucker would have tossed the emails he sent me and deleted my texts.  He was a high school teacher who involved himself with an 18 year old student (who talked through him on a fetish social site) and a 16 year old who was a student at the school.    He and I had met through a different fetish website, but not the one he used with the 18 year old.

Please help. :\  I think its incredibly unfair that I may have to pay for an attorney to protect myself in something I have no involvement in. I'm stressed, already strapped for cash and pregnant.  ugh.

Answer: Whether of not you would to be involved in the case is not up to you. If you receive a subpeona you have to show up to and testify. I see no reason why you need an attorney


Title: Can I legally discriminate for business reasons?

Question:
I'm going to be quite frank here.  I own a lawn company with 3 trucks.  I'm not a racist by any means.  I operate near Nashville and to put it nicely a lot of my clients aren't as "cultured" as I am.  I've lost business due to my workers (People worried about theft when they see my black employees and one even commented "Ain't no nigger comin' on my property").

It's not I don't want to hire blacks, I just can't around here.  So what can I do to prevent any legal trouble.  Should I move the assets into another LLC that "rents" the equipment to the lawn company so there are no assets to take in a lawsuit.  How likely is a discrimination lawsuit, and what is the burden of proof?  The employees really aren't that rich.

Answer:
 Racial discrimination in employment has not been legalized since you last posted this question some months ago. Answer #2: > It's not I don't want to hire blacks, I just can't around here.

Yes, you can.  You just need to find a better class of customer.

As is, there's no way that you can discriminate against a protected class.  Race is a protected class.  There is no fancy lawyer trick that you can put into place that will excuse a "Sorry, no blacks allowed" policy.

As is, this is **exactly** the sort of behavior that anti-discrimination laws exist to prevent.  Whether you consider yourself racist or not is irrelevant; you are making decisions based solely on one person's race, which is racist no matter how you slice it.Answer #3: An employer with less than 15 employees is not covered by the [E.E.O.C.](http://www.eeoc.gov/employers/coverage_private.cfm) (The agency that enforces Federal non-discrimination law)

An employer with less than 8 employees is not covered by the [Tennessee Human Rights Commission](http://www.tn.gov/humanrights/publications/THRC%20Statutes-%20Rev1-2014.pdf) (The agency that enforces State non-discrimination law)

Otherwise, you cannot discriminate on the basis of race, even if it is for business reasons.


Title: Is it legal to draw unemployment benefits while at the same time running a business that generates $10,000/month profit?

Question:
I got laid off (for working on my business on company time). Technically, I got laid off; not fired. So I am eligible for unemployment. And I apply to 20 jobs/week just to meet their requirements. But at the same time, I run a $10,000/month business.

So is it legal for me to draw unemployment benefits?

Answer:
 1.  It's fine for you to apply AS LONG as you disclose exactly what you are earning.  Of course then they won't be paying you.

2.  Unemployment benefit fraud comes with pretty hefty penalties & potential jail time.


Title: [Maryland] Can I get a restraining order on a police department?

Question:
I lived in a hellhole in frederick county for possibly the worst two years of my life. I live in montgomery county now.

I got raped and almost murdered and the cops were really shitty throughout the whole process.

Dude was charged, got 12 years.

But the department keeps calling me about the case. It's been over a year but they keep calling me to get my permission to use my case in their training. Or call me to guilt trip me to be an "advocate" for rape victims. Or call me to "speak about my case" because MD house bill 1371 is inspired by me and they want me to be directly involved.

They're exploiting what happened to me to look like amazing compassionate police officers and it just REALLY FUCKING RUINS MY DAY. I'm trying so hard to stop drinking and not relapse and I don't need this shit. I woke up to a call today about how they've been trying to reach out and they "really need my help" with this bill. I told them I don't like being reminded of this and hung up.

They called back twice and left a voicemail.
Blocked that number.

What can I do if they contact me again?
I tell them every time don't ever call me about this shit but they don't care.

Answer:
 > What can I do if they contact me again?

You can ignore them.  Or, you can call the department to ask them to stop.  You're not going to get a restraining order against the police department.  Answer #2: Are you sure it is the police calling you? Is it [this bill](https://legiscan.com/MD/text/HB1371/id/1337726)? If so, it may have been passed but not yet signed - so it may be legislative staff calling you to try to get you to testify. Or the police calling on behalf of one or more legislators.

Either way, passed or not, you should probably call the office of [Delegate Willam Folden](http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/06hse/html/msa17046.html), the sponsor of the bill, and ask him to reach out to the police and ask them to stop contacting you.  As the sponsor of the legislation the last thing he wants to do, assuming he's a decent human being, is re-victimize the person who inspired the bill.

I wish you well in your healing.


Title: Friend forks over ~$3,000 to move into a house. Turns out the girl she paid was actually a tenant who posed as the owner of the residence. She disappeared. My friend has to move out of her current residence tomorrow.

Question: The title says it all. The first payment was for a security deposit and first few months' rent, made in person. The person has supposedly done the same thing to several other people in the area. My friend was told by police that this issue is a civil matter. Most of the correspondence was done via text message. What should she do first?

Answer:
 > My friend was told by police that this issue is a civil matter.

The police are mistaken. This is felony fraud. Ask for a police supervisor. Answer #2: If the scammer had been at some point a legitimate renter see if you can work with the real owner to get their information. If they ever paid rent by check they would have bank records (in the form of deposited checks...)

Also, for $3,000 this doesn't sound like a dump... hope the owners at least required an application with a cursory background / credit / rental history check when they moved in.... you MAY have to file a lawsuit to force discovery of that information, but you can always just ask for it first. Answer #3: > What should she do first?

File a small claims suit against the scammer. Or did your friend pay cash?Answer #4: NAL.  First thing is to move out of the apartment; your friend does *not* want an eviction on her record.

The next thing would be to sue the person she gave the money to in small claims court.  If she wins, your friend gets the joy of tying to collect on the judgement.  Hint: people who have scammed multiple people out of thousands of dollars each tend not to have in the way of money or assets.

The good news is that generally judgements are good for ten years and can often be renewed.  So if the previous tenant gets their act together or comes into some money, your friend may be able to recoup their losses.


Title: [California] Can my ex take me back to court because I'm refusing to switch weekend visit with her?

Question:
Next weekend is my daughters birthday and my ex is stating that she has never had her visit with our daughter on her b day. I have sole physical custody however we have joint legal custody and her actual visiting weekend is to be this coming Friday evening to Sunday evening (05/31\~06/02)  She is stating that she wants to switch weekends with me for her birthday to which I am not agreeing with because it is my weekend with our daughter.

We have Spring and Fall breaks (alternating years) in our court orders along with fathers/mothers day (every year)

Furthermore she also had her for 3 weekends in a row because of mothers day

05/03 - 05/05

05/11 - 05/12 (Mothers day weekend)

05/17 - 05/19

&#x200B;

Also a little additional info: On 05/19 while my daughter was visiting with her she was apparently arrested for disrupting the peace at her boyfriends house (where she lives) because she had hit him in the head, she was yelling and cursing at him as well. As it had turned out no charges were filed or pressed (which I discovered later.)

&#x200B;

I'll be happy to provide any further details if need be. Sorry if it seems a little all over the place but anything having to do with dealing with my ex gets me very stressed out.

&#x200B;

Thank you for any of your time awesome Reddit people.

Answer: NAL, but she does not have a case against you for following a set custody order. In fact, if she wants to take you to court, I’m sure they’d love to know about her recent arrest so they can amend the custody agreement so she gets less time.


Title: 6 month pregnant wife fell victim to a gift card scam

Question: My 6 month pregnant wife was the victim of a gift card scam in which she was convinced to purchase $700 in google play and iTunes gift cards. After that, the remaining balance of her bank account was drained. Bank is telling her they can’t help since she willingly bought the gift cards. To the best of our knowledge her bank info was compromised through iTunes as this all started last night when she was asked by iTunes to update her account info, in which she updated her new debit card number. Is there any chance of legal action actually doing any justice? And is there any chance of getting any money back? This hurt financially and emotionally.

Answer: What does your wife being pregnant have to do with this?


Title: Selling Robitussin on eBay- how to comply with certain state laws?

Question:
I have a few dozen units of Robitussin, which I would like to sell these on eBay. Robitussin  contains Dextromethorphan, a substance which can't be sold to minors in [multiple states](https://www.chpa.org/dex.aspx).
eBay's terms of service state that [you must be 18+](https://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/identity-underage-users.html) to have an account. The site also does not give me the option as a seller to limit sales to certain states.

Does eBay's terms allow me to sell the Robitussin, since theoretically only non-minors are buying? There's literally thousands of listings for the medication (so it's possible to do currently), but I still want to comply with any potential laws just in case eBay is dropping the ball and overlooking something.

Located in Texas, but I think this issue is not specific to any one state.

Answer: This sounds like an awful idea.


Title: [Wiscousin] Roommate left her stuff at our apartment after she moved out. Can I keep it?

Question:
Wiscousin

My roommate left abruptly and broke her lease and left her furniture and kitchen set. Can I keep them?

Answer: No. You have no right to your roommate's belongings.  Answer #2: You need to make a reasonable attempt to notify her. Certified mail that the stuff will be available for x days (I'd go with 30 but that's just me) at x location is usually enough. Then you can trash it or sell it or whatever.


Title: [Ontario] [Property/Tenant Issue] | A way to let friends / family live in some units but have the ability to evict them without getting stuck with tenant protection laws.

Question:
I am in the process of purchasing a 50 Unit apartment building, I plan to renovate the top floor into my place of residence, it is a 5 floor building with 10 units per floor.

I will be converting an entire side of the top floor into my own residence / 5 units.

The other side of the floor has a remaining 5 units, I don't need the headache of dealing with loud neighbours / bad tenants right next to my place.

I am going to rent those 5 units at a very discounted price to close friends and family with a VERY clear terms  they have 1 month to find another place if they break any of the rules they agree upon which I think is more than fair, also considering I am going to be renting these units for 1/2 of what I could normally get (one will actually be free). I've run into some other issues with tenants not paying rent, even had one dealing drugs and it usually takes 3-4 months to evict someone because of the retarded tenant protection laws in Ontario.

Is there a way for me to write up a legal document with these conditions (as well as a few others) that these tenants would have to follow? Usually 90% of the rent agreements people sign on are void and just bullshit on paper due to the tenant protection laws.

To bypass the tenant protection laws I was thinking of not directly renting them the apartments but billing them for some other type of service unrelated to rent that includes a place of residence in the deal, so they are not directly paying me for rent. Would this be legal? If not, how about some type of daily charging setup like a hotel? Where they pay per day, I'm pretty sure a hotel could kick anyone out whenever they want?

And to be clear I am not doing this to try and sham some friends and I am not going to evict one of them if I don't like the way they look one day. I am going to have more than fair conditions in the contract that state if they breach these conditions then they are out.. (Smoking inside, being super loud late at night multiple times, drugs, etc.) these are all pretty close friends and family so I doubt I would ever actually need to evict any of them but I have seen first hand the problems of mixing family and friends with business and I want to make sure I have all my bases covered so if something does happen I don't need to go through a lengthy process to get my unit back.

We all get along pretty well and there should be no issues, it should actually be a really cool setup. I just want to make sure I have my bases covered.

I will obviously be hiring a lawyer soon to answer most of these questions but they charge by the hour so any advice you guys could give me will help save time and money.

Answer:
 If someone factually is a tenant, they're covered by tenant protection laws. It doesn't matter if you pretend that the money they pay you isn't rent, or that the apartments you rent them are actually a hotel. Answer #2: 1. Move to Somalia
2. Buy Property in Somalia for Friends/Family
3. Enjoy the lack of Tenant Protection Laws


Title: I was searched and detained no questions asked . I didn't commit a crime either what do I do ?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 They only need reasonable suspicion to stop you and reasonably believe you may be concealing a weapon to frisk you. Feel free to file a complaint and you may get the officer's thought process on why he stopped you and you may not.

Also it is what the *officer* percieves as suspicious. Your perception doesn't matter.

Edit:. They shouldn't have taken the knife. Probably was a mistake. I've mailed several knives back to people over my career.


Title: Born in the USA, unable to get a US Passport. Looking for legal help in Oregon.

Question:
The issue is that I have a delayed birth certificate (the court issued it to me at the age of 4) because I wasn't born in a hospital. Since I was pretty much "off the grid" for the first few years of my life (hippy parents) very few records exist. I've spent years applying for a passport, digging up evidence etc.. it's come to a stand still with the passport agency. They can't think of anything else for me to come up with, and they still won't issue me a passport. The only thing I haven't tried yet is a DNA test, which I'm looking into now.

I have a SSN, driver's licenses, pretty much everything you can imagine except a passport. I was born and raised in Oregon & California, both my parents were born and raised in the US.

Any advice, or help in finding an attorney qualified to represent me in a federal court would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

Edit: The problem with a DNA test is it proves relation, but doesn't say anything about where I was born.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: You need to file the form N-600 with USCIS - they are likely better equipped than the passport office in determining your US citizenship. When you have this certificate returned to you, bingo, there's proof of your citizenship that the passport office cannot refute.


Title: SOCAL Ex Landlord will not let me pick up my personal belongings!

Question:
Los angeles County
What is the best way to go about this? I would hate to take it to court because of the time and costs.
I rented a small office space "month to month" for my online business. I was there for 3 months. Crazy events in my life led me to closing the shop. I told the landlord that I wouldn't be able to rent it anymore. He said he was willing to work with me and to take my time because he knew what had just happened to me and my family. So about a month later I told him i was absolutely not going to be able to come back to reopen my business and i wanted to pick up my personal belongings (move out). He didn't answer me right away so I went over with my key and come to find out he already had changed the lock. He finally responded me by saying to pay him back the money I owe him $900 I told him I couldn't right away but I knew I owed him so I asked if he could work out a deal with me. I would leave him all for sale merchandise which is over $3,500 in retail not including office equipment which is another $2,000 and just let me pick up my personal belongings like Hard drive, movies and frames. He says to pay him first... what are my chances of getting my personal belongings back?

Answer: Not a lawyer, but in many states a landlord doesn't have a right to hold your personal belongings as collateral for debt.  You should call a sheriff and have them escort you to the building to gather your stuff.  If the landlord wants to recover owed rent, he can file suit in small-claims court.


Title: SO gift money for down payment on home.

Question:
So, not entirely sure if this is a legal issue or more of a tax/accounting issue or both.  Me and my GF are buying our first home. Due to her cosigning a car loan with her dad, and him being late on several payments, she did not qualify for the mortgage and thus I am the sole name on the loan. However, she will be providing the down payment on the house. With closing costs that comes to around $17,000. Since she's not on the loan paperwork, it gets fuzzy as to how much she can "give" me. It's looking like 14,000 may be the limit without being taxed. This whole thing seems ridiculous because we are getting the house together, and she will eventually be on the title. What are our options?

USA-North Carolina
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 Ugh. Please see the wiki best of section as to why buying a house with a girl friend is a bad idea and why putting someone who is not on the loan on the deed is also a bad idea.

Talk to your loan company about the money gift. But if it is a gift she should know it would give her no rights to the home or any equity. And if you put her on the deed and break up (cause that happens) then she has all the rights to live there and split equity with zero responsibility to pay on the loan.


Title: How to proceed after discovering HIPAA Violation? [CT]

Question:
Hi r/legaladvice. I'm currently in CT and was hoping for information.

I recently underwent an emergency procedure and the hospital is in the process of working things out with insurance.

My insurance company recently contacted me to say that they had yet to receive anything from the hospital; I called the hospital and they confirmed that everything had already been mailed. Then, **I received a phone call from a random number - a woman who indicated that they had received ALL of my information intended for my insurance company along with their own personal medical mail from the hospital. This included my SSN, phone number, home address, insurance account information, medical records, medical procedures, medication list, billing amount, etc.** Luckily this sweet old lady had good intentions and was being very accommodating (willing to hand over the information immediately, sign a statement, etc). She claims that she called the hospital many times to report this mistake, but they did not call back. She did receive one missed call from them after many days, but they did not leave a message.

This is obviously a HIPAA violation. But we have no clue how to proceed. We are not from the US (here for another year) so we are entirely new to the US medical and legal systems.

~~Also, our medical bills, after insurance, will be very high (likely around $40 000+). It would be nice if this error could result in a reduction or negotiation of price. Does this ever happen in cases like this? We don't want to do anything shady; again, this is all new to us.~~

Any advice on how to proceed (with reporting this huge lapse ~~or with the bill~~) would be very greatly appreciated. Who do we speak to first? Attorney? Hospital (HIPAA representative? Billing representative responsible for the error?)? Our consulate?

Thanks very much, H.V.

Answer: There's no need for you to contact an attorney, because you cannot sue for a HIPAA violation. You can report it here: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/hippahowtofile.pdf


Title: My gf had the power go out in her room, and the landlord says she has to pay for it

Question: She rents a room in the house her landlord lives in.  He does not allow her to use the kitchen or the heater, so she has a small refrigerator, hot plate, and space heater in her room.  Today the power went out in her room only, so they checked the breakers and no problems there.  Landlord said he will call electrician tomorrow, but she has to pay for it because she was misusing electricity.  Isn't this something he should be paying for?  If so, what can she legally do?

Answer:
 No it's his responsibility. She can refuse to pay the cost and he won't be able to evict her based on her not paying. Answer #2: Not a lawyer, but I know a thing or two about electricity and you can't "misuse electricity".  In a properly wired house, the most damage she can cause is to blow a breaker.  If anything more significant happened then it is 100% the fault of the house wiring, not her.  I would not pay.  I'd also make sure she is around when the electrician is there because the landlords sound sketchy and zi wouldn't put it past them to lie about what the cause is.Answer #3: She doesn't owe them anything.

This sounds like an illegal (not up to code and not authorized by the city) apartment anyway. Landlord might have real problems if code enforcement of the fire marshal knew she was using a hot plate, couldn't turn her power back on, and had no proper kitchen. This isn't China.

And if she doesn't have power they will rain hell on him. Obviously her room can't handle being a kitchen and apartment because it's not.

Since they are slumlords taking advantage of her, she should probably push back hard. They're ate some very negative stereotypes about when in China being submissive and easily taken advantage of, according to my Chinese friend. They might just think they can do this to get until she stands up for herself.Answer #4: NAL Does she get heat only from the space heater? If so the room is not a livable space and she doesn't have to pay rent until it's fixed . I can't tenner if it also includes electricity but it does include working heat.


Title: [KY] My small dog bite a guest after we repeatedly asked them to leave the dog alone.I want my dog to be safe please.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Next time remove your dog from the situation instead of just asking the person to stop. Ultimately it's up to you to control your dog.

Regardless of what happened following up to the bite you are still possibly on the hook for medical bills and your dog could deemed aggressive and euthanized. I'd recommend offering to pay for his stitches in the hopes that he won't report it to animal control. Answer #2: Legally, there isn't much you can do now.  The bite happened, and if he chooses to report it, he chooses to report it.

From a human standpoint you can make him much less likely to report it by:
--Genuinely apologizing for what happened.
--Offer to pay in full (and do so immediately) any medical costs incurred.
--Do something nice to try and make up for this.

If he feels you are handling this and is warm and fuzzy about you, he's much less likely to do something that might hurt you like go after your dog.


Title: Suing video game company that shuts down game

Question:
Please don't judge the absurdity of this post, the person I'm talking to is stubborn and I need to seek the help of an unbiased third party.

Hypothetically, say a video game company based out of FL, USA goes under after 7+ years of operation and thus shuts down its games. A player has purchased items in said games with real money a few years ago and is now demanding a full refund of everything they purchased in the game since it is shut down. Do they have a case in court if they company doesn't give a refund?

Answer: Their TOS probably has something about that. Of course no one ever bothers to read the TOS when they agree to them.


Title: Oakland CA - My house is in my name. The mortgage is in my girlfriends name who passed away 5 years ago. Can the bank even make me pay anymore?

Question:
My girlfriend and I were together for 18 years and have a daughter. We never married because we didn't  care. Tragically my girlfriend/partner/bestie passed away 5 years ago.

The loan on my house was entirely in her name because I got laid off right as we were trying to close. The title was a joint title though.

After she passed away a lawyer transferred the title to just me without probate. So I've been just sending mortgage payments to the bank and they just keep taking my money.

I got a bit behind lately and am trying to catch up and they're being a pain. They have no idea that the person they're trying to collect from is dead.

As much as I try to pay them they keep trying to foreclose.

TLDR: Can the bank take a house that I own because of a debt a deceased person owes technically.

Answer:
 Have you taken a look at your house title? Bank mortgages tend to have 1st position lien against the house. This is how they secure their loan in addition to the name(s) of the debtor.

Ask your lawyer to draft and send a USPS certified letter to the bank explaining your situation. You can also ask your lawyer about homestead laws: http://statelaws.findlaw.com/california-law/california-homestead-laws.html


Title: Leaving my job. Only male in all female office. Being handled different than previous people who have left.

Question:
Hello and thank you for reading.

OHIO

I'm the only male working at a small financial institution with about 50 employees. I've been in my management position for about 4 years. I've seen several people leave in this time. Due to the sensitive financial nature of the business they give notice but are then simply let go with two weeks pay. Today I provided my notice but was surprised to hear they fully expect me to work out the notice.

As far as I know I'm the first this has been asked of in years. I know I'm not well loved here and the general toxic workplace is exactly why I'm leaving.

My question though. Does this seem like discrimination? It's a hellishly mismanaged company and there are virtually no written policies I  place to fall back on other than what I've seen done with other employees.

Thanks again for your time. Forgive any errors I'm typing this on my phone from my apparently prematurely cleaned desk.

Answer:
 Giving notice is just a professional courtesy. You can quit at any time.

Whether or not they want to keep you on for that time is their prerogative. Answer #2: What?   Does accepting your notice and allowing you to work count as discrimination?

Did you say this out loud before posting?   I doubt it because it would be clear how insane it is.  Answer #3: No it is not discrimination to be expected to work out the full two week notice. They can fire you if they really hated you that much.


Title: Job-provised life insurance cancelled before termination?

Question:
My roommate ("Ann") had a job at a small company ("JorbCo") for six months and was then fired for inconsequential reasons - we had suspected a month in advance that they might be trying this. JorbCo had provided life insurance to Ann, like many do.

My roommate was fired 3/28. We just got a letter (dated 5/10) from the life insurance company notifying that Ann's insurance was terminated effective 3/3.

Our questions:
1) Does this mean JorbCo terminated Ann's insurance on that date, or is it possible the insurance was cancelled after her firing and the cancellation date is retroactive? The letter mentions none of this information.
2) If it was retroactive, is this illegal?

We will be contacting the insurance company later this week to see if we can get more details.

It should be noted that JorbCo has fired at least two other good employees without warning or for inconsequential reasons as well; management is all family, and the boss has a habit of quickly writing people off for either small or unknown reasons. One day boss likes you and is very friendly, the next day they're almost hostile and within two months, you're gone.

We are in Seattle, WA, as is JorbCo.

Answer:
 Why do you care?

If Ann died during that window then it would matter (because the life insurance either paid out or didn't) but if she's alive then the insurance itself doesn't really matter.

If you are hoping that something about this will make the firing illegal and get her job back then give up now. It won't.


Title: Reckless driving in Virginia...

Question:
This happened Yesterday. I’m 19 and live in Illinois and go to college there. I was on a road trip going through Virginia and was caught going 89 in a 60. I figured I would get an expensive speeding ticket (Was wrong).

Didn’t realize how bad it really was until the officer said I needed to show up in Court in Virginia in several months. I then started doing some research and figured out that I had actually committed a crime going that fast as a class 1 misdemeanor.

Don’t know what to do. I am going to have to miss several days of classes for this and based on the judgement could actually do time. I was thinking I should probably hire a local traffic lawyer from Virginia. I am a college student though and don’t have a lot of money to throw around.

Help please
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: Virginia is notorious for the severity of their reckless driving law. Get a traffic lawyer


Title: Did I mess up baby bonding? FMLA

Question:
When my son was born back in July, I took 3 weeks off using FMLA. The time was unpaid. I was given to understand this ment I could use up to 9 weeks of unpaid, continuous time sometime within the year following his birth. I asked about it and was told today that I'm not eligible because I already used bonding time once. Is this correct? I thought I was allotted 12 total weeks, meaning I had 9 remaining. The plan was to take him to visit our family together :/

Kentucky, USA

Answer:
 https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs28f.pdf

Birth and bonding leave must be taken as a continuous block of leave unless the employer agrees to allow intermittent leave.

So unless you already planned this ahead of time with your employer, it's not covered.Answer #2: I would have to look at the requirements again, but if I recall it must all be used in one continuous span, so if you took 3 weeks off already, that's it. If you wanted 12 weeks, you would have to have done all 12 weeks.

Or you could have done none at birth, and then 9 weeks for bonding later to coincide with your family trip.

but again if I recall it ALL has to be continuous.


Title: [AR] Rich husband just asked for wedding rings back. How do I find a good family law attorney quickly?

Question:
We have been physically separated (separate abodes) for less than a year, but no legal actions. I have not worked since wedding because he (we) lives on trust money. I don't want to "take him to the cleaners", but I am worried that I will be destitute if I don't have some high powered representation. Help!!
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: Call your local bar association for a referral, ask friends or neighbors, especially divorced ones. Answer #2: If he had that trust fund before you got married, or he inherited it, you aren't entitled to that money.


Title: Pharmacy sent expired medicine. Swears it was just a misprint. Refuses to send more until I send back the medicine I have.

Question: I was recently sent expired prescription medicine (nasal spray that I take 2x daily for a rare condition) from a pharmacy. The discard date on the bottle was 2/25/2019, and the label also shows that it was dispensed 3/15/2019. I reached out to them with this information, but they refused to send more and said it was just a misprint and that I should keep taking it. I told them I was not comfortable with taking their word on that. Eventually they said that if I send them back the medicine that I have, once they receive it, they will send me new medicine. I am out of town and cannot send all of it back for another week. This would mean that I would go 3+ weeks without my medicine. At best I was hoping that they would accept the mistake and send me the new nasal spray overnight (as they usually ship overnight). Is this illegal? Is there any   course I can take to get the right medicine?

Answer:
 It's not illegal to demand a defective product back before sending a replacement.

In fact, you are presumably asking them to issue more medicine than they are authorized to give you. They *can't* do that.


Title: Seeking divorce from estranged overseas wife. Do I have any options outside The Hague Convention?

Question:
I met my wife in my early twenties and we married in New York City after dating for about a year. After a few years we started having problems and she left for Israel without seeking legal status in this country. After a few years I completely loose track of her and can't get in touch at all. She ghosts me.

Ten years later I am living in Oregon and I have a partner I would like to marry. I now also have the financial means to pursue a divorce. After consulting with an attorney here in Oregon I attempt to contact her via Facebook. I gather based on her profile picture that low and behold, she's married! I reach out to her and as her to sign and return a General Judgment. She (miraculously) replies and says she will. That was over a month ago now. Since then she has once again stopped responding.

We have filed two motions now to serve her through Facebook with a judge here in Oregon, and both have been denied. I have already sunk several thousand dollars into this and would like to avoid what could be another months long and expensive process, service through Hague Convention. Do I have any other options?

I'm sure there are details I'm forgetting but if you have advice and need clarification from me, please ask. I will be greatful for any advice, encouragement or stories of similar experiences.

Answer: No. Not and make it legally binding anyway. She may want to avoid this because it opens her up to bigamy charges in Israel. You'll have to bite the bullet and go the hard road, probably.