Title: I worked for an asian tea place and i think my boss or owner of the business is violating the law and use it to cheap me and my co-workers out of our labor. They didn’t pay me overtime hours and paid me with a 1099.

Question:
I work on this tea house in Texas for more than 2 months now. I worked above 40 hours one week (47 to be exact). When I asked the owner if she pay my the overtime hours with the 1.5 overtime rate, she said no and her reason was simply “cause we are a restaurant”. Then I asked the accounting and she said because I am a contractor, I won’t get paid with the overtime rate for those overtime hours. I thought to myself…I am not an independent contractor but an employee. The evidences are: I work by the clock by clocking in and out, the manager give me a schedule to come to work. I was trained on how to make the tea and cook snacks step by step, and on what to say to costumers when they ask questions. I even got scolded at for not answering questions a certain way. I get paid by hour which is $8 per hours and tips are split equally among all coworkers. There’s also direct reimbursement when by materials for the store. And of course we use store materials such as cups, syrups, powder to make the drinks. When I talked to the accountant and she said that because I get paid by a check (1099) therefore I am a contractor.

In addition, she also said that the owner has no obligation to tell or clarify with their employees at the beginning that they will be working as a contractor for them, and that is something that I should have known. That is why I was very confused. I thought I was an employee all these times. When I was hired, I did not sign any paperworks that said I was an independent contractor nor that I agree on a contractor’s rate. I wouldn’t work for them if I had known. None of my co-workers are aware of the fact that they are being treated as a contractor neither. They thought their overtime isn’t paid by the overtime rate because “it’s an Asian restaurant”. Soon after, she put me off schedule because I told her I did not know I was a 1099. When they gave me my checks without tax reduction, I was confused but I didn’t think it was important or would matter.

I talked to the other owner (whom I gave my SSN and DL to) and she said that she got approval from the lawyer to pay her workers with 1099 for 3 months and after that she will pay us with w2 because the store is newly opened. \*\*\*Back track, this place has two locations, the one I worked at which is newly opened (open about 2 months), the other location opens about 1 year. I talked to one of the worker at the other location and he said they also got paid by 1099. The location he worked at has been opened for more than 3 months, how come he still got paid with 1099? And his job is the same as mine which means he is an employee. If I am not wrong, I am not an independent contractor by those standards. But she brought up that the lawyer approve her of paying us with 1099 for three first months. So I don’t know to what extend she is right. ***What should I do and if I confront her, what should I say and what fact should I use?***

I knew long ago that I should quit this place when they treated me terribly. But I carried on cause I’m a college student and I’m just trying to save up to pay for my housing for the next school year. Then, I found out that tax will be hell for me at the end and that it will take money out of my checks, while I get zero benefits in return. When I asked around, people said Asian business is like that… that’s why you don’t work for an Asian business… But I had no ideas. But there are laws that they must follow right? In conclusion, they didn’t pay me those hours I work overtime with 1.5 rate and basically it’s my fault cause I didn’t know I was a contractor. ***Are they right for not paying those overtime hours with a 1.5 rate? Are they violating any law?***

The money isn’t that important right now because I don’t want to do anything with this store. But I want some fairness and justice (if they do something wrong).

Answer:
 > What should I do and if I confront her, what should I say and what fact should I use?

1. Nothing you say to them will change their minds.
2. They are breaking the law.
3. You are being screwed.
4. You will *also* have to pay extra taxes to the IRS because of this, if you do nothing.

If it were me I would do this:

4. Keep meticulous records of when I worked and how many hours.
5. Report them to the [Texas Workforce Commission](https://twc.texas.gov/jobseekers/how-submit-wage-claim-under-texas-payday-law).
6. File an [SS-8](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fss8.pdf) [PDF] with the IRS.

Good luck.


Title: So I slipped at target, now what?

Question:
Hello. I have never been in this kind of situation and have no idea how to go about it, so far I have an incident report from the target manager, also I went to Kaiser to get checked up due to back pain after my fall. There was no sign of the floor being wet and as I was talking to an employee he said he had seen an older gentlemen on a mobility scooter drop the bottles of vodka on which I slipped. So far that's what I got. Target has gotten in touch with me but since I have almost to no idea on what to do I told em I would call em later when I have more of an idea on how to go about it. A little bit of advice would be great. Thanks.

( im from California, the boy told me to add my location )

Answer:
 Were you hurt at all?  If not, don't expect much.  Maybe a refund of your office visit co-pay.  Maybe a bonus gift card if you're lucky.

Tell them what expenses you incurred in getting evaluated by a doctor and ask for them to pay for it.


Title: Denied sick leave for the birth of my child...

Question:
I am in Alabama. My employer provides us with "vacation time" and "sick time". The rule set forth by my employer States that in order to use your sick time, and be paid for FMLA leave, you must expend 40 hours of your "vacation time" and then you can tap into your "sick time". FMLA States that women and men are allowed by law to take off for an amount of time for the birth of a child.

So my employer says that I have to #1 -  meet the FMLA requirement [check] #2 -  expend 40 hours vacation time [scheduled - check]. Here's where I run into a problem...

Today, I was informed that I would not be able to use my sick time to take off for the birth of my child because I am not a woman. I was told that I could either take unpaid time or use my vacation time and they got around this by saying that the decision to pay employees for FMLA leave was ultimately left up to the employer. I'll accept that, because that is what it says on the FMLA website.

My problem is this. According to the rule, I meet the requirements to use my sick time, but since I am a man I will not be able to use my sick time for this. I am just looking for any type of rebuttal. I don't understand how they can pay one sex in sick time and another has to use vacation time. This feels like workplace discrimination.

Sorry for the long post. I tried to follow all the rules, but I was not able to shorten that question and keep it in context. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Answer:
 I'm going to go ahead and disagree with everyone here. After the initial 4 weeks you're required to use vacation time for, I'd argue that the leave is  leave intended to care for a family member: your new child, and as such, treating men and women differently in regards to paying you for that leave is a discrimination issue. You can complain to the EEOC and let them investigate.

This is the reason there's been a shift toward calling it "Parental Leave" rather than paternity/maternity leave lately.


Title: Previous tenant called code enforcement as revenge on our landlord, we might get kicked out as a result, what can be done? [Ontario, Canada]

Question:
Trying to include all relevant facts, please feel free to ask if I leave something out.

Spouse and I recently moved back to Canada after almost a decade living overseas and were having difficulty finding a place that would rent to us due to lack of credit/rental history. Mother-in-law owns a house with a basement apartment and had been renting the apartment to a guy (we'll call him Old Tenant) for a couple years. MIL agreed to evict Old Tenant (with appropriate notice) and allow us to move in. Old Tenant was given 60 days' notice to vacate, moved out on time, Spouse signed a lease with MIL, and we moved in.

Shortly after moving in, Spouse and I discovered bedbugs in the basement apartment. MIL initially suspected us of bringing the bedbugs in, but they  seemed to have originated from some wooden furniture Old Tenant had left behind. I took photos of the bedbug nests in the furniture and sent them to MIL. We removed the furniture, cleaned the apartment, and MIL called an exterminator, who found bedbugs in the basement as well as on the main floor of the house. The exterminator treated the house for about $1000 and the bedbugs have not returned. MIL texted Old Tenant and asked if he had noticed any bedbugs while he was living in the basement; he replied (through text!) that he was aware of the bedbugs (!) and had brought them from his previous apartment (!!). During the ~2 years he rented from my MIL, he had never once told her about the bedbugs (!!!).

I don't know all the details of the conversation, but MIL apparently told Old Tenant she was going to take him to court for the cost of the bedbug treatment. Old Tenant has now retaliated by calling the fire department and telling them that the basement apartment has an unspecified "fire hazard"; MIL has just informed me that a fire inspector will come tomorrow and that we may end up having to move out. My questions are:

1. If the apartment is determined to violate fire code, what happens next? Does MIL get a chance to fix the violations?

2. Does the fact that MIL and Spouse are immediate family protect us from being kicked out?

3. Do Old Tenant's actions count as some form of harassment, since they're obvious retaliation to the eviction/potential lawsuit over the bedbugs?

Thank you.

Answer:
 1. She may be able to address the violations as long as they're addressable. That is, if she's not allowed to rent, there's no addressing that. If the basement bedrooms do not have egress windows, that can be addressed. If there are serious violations which can be addressed, you may be forced to vacate until those issues have been corrected. Nobody has ever escaped a fire through an egress window that hasn't been installed yet.

2. There may be codes which apply to tenants that do not apply to members of the household. Homeowners are normally only required to meet current codes when they perform work on the house, but rental units must be brought up to current code (especially safety codes) before being rented out.

3. It doesn't matter. If there are code violations there are code violations. Whether the old tenant reported them because they care dearly about your safety or reported them to cause problems for your MIL doesn't matter. If the old tenant had said "Give me $5,000 or I report your code violations to the police, that's a different story.


Title: [CA] Just read my insurance policy after 5+ years. Apparently my insurance broker lied to get me a good rate

Question:
So, I just read my policy after 5 years of having it. I was called to verify some information and when they asked I was taken aback by the questions and decided to follow along with it.
Anyways apparently I’m married and they kept asking questions about my wife (non-existent) so I just agreed and confirmed that she existed. But I’m having thoughts about what would happen if they found out. Should I just switch insurance companies and hope this never comes back to bite me?
Apparently my policy lists my wife as a non driver and also says it’s a leisure vehicle. I’m almost confident this was done to get a lower cost and sway me to sign up with that insurance broker. I tried calling them but they closed the office.

Answer:
 >so I just agreed and confirmed that she existed

At that point your broker's misrepresentation may have become yours.

You should definitely not proceed under a policy where misrepresentations were made to get a rate.  When you have an accident in rush hour on your way to work the leisure rate thing is likely to become a problem.  Answer #2: I would suggest cancelling the insurance and going to a different company. Even if it means paying a higher rate.


Title: Uber driver tried to steal my phone possibly

Question: I left my phone in an Uber and noticed about 2 minutes after and immediately tried to call it with my friends phone hoping the uber who just drove off would answer it and I could tell him. I would have reported a lost item however I have 2 factor authentication turned on so I couldn't log into Uber via my friend's phone. I used find my Samsung and tracked the driver to a nearby parking lot and started ringing the phone again. While doing this He turned my phone off so I could no longer track it! I have a password to turn off cellular and power but he obviously knew a way to bypass it. So me and my friend ran to the parking lot where it was last located and I banged on the window and told him I left my phone in his car. Then he says "This phone?" acting kind of confused. I said yes and take it back. When I wake up in the morning I notice uber charged me a 15 dollar lost item fee as well, which is bonkers (I got a refund for that). But what can I do. Do you think his goal was to take it or was he just trying to get his lost item fee. I never reported a lost item so Uber drivers can just charge that whenever they want by the way. Some other notes: He fumbled around with it for a bit. He denied my 2 factor authentication logins and took a few screenshots which were displaying the phone as lost.

Answer:
 I dont think there is much you can do.  You got your phone back, got your $15 refunded, what else is there?  Leave him a bad review...Answer #2: So you're angry he refused to answer a phone that wasn't his and had the absolute cheek to turn off  said phone that kept ringing when he was driving?

You have zero proof he was trying to steal it vs making sure he wasn't distracted whilst driving.

Don't try to get the guy sacked because you weren't able to look after your property.Answer #3: So you got your phone back?  What exactly is your question here?


Title: [ARIZONA] Bar outside my apartment complex plays live music too loud

Question:
I recently moved to Tucson, Arizona and there's a bar located right outside my gated apartment complex. They play live music every Sundays and Tuesdays and they play music from 6-10pm. Apparently this has been going on for years. Since I'm a student, I usually study during these hours and the bar disrupts me. I don't have a car so I can't drive to my local library to study there. I want to know if there's any way I can make them stop altogether or in a worse case scenario, make them lose their liquor license.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 You moved next to a bar. What did you expect?

Unless they are violating a noise ordinance, you're stuck living with it.Answer #2: > Apparently this has been going on for years.

Is this some sort of ghost bar that only comes out at night, that you didn't notice before moving in?

You can check your local noise ordinances, and make a complaint if they aren't following them.

But you **willingly** moved in next to a bar so you're dreaming if you think there isn't going to be any noise. Answer #3: The other comments have properly addressed the noise ordinance, so allow me to have some fun....you want their liquor license revoked because their music is too loud for the bar that they are in which you moved right next to?? HahahahahahhaaAnswer #4: You could try to see if the bar is violating a local noise ordinance. However I wouldn't get my hopes up too high - if it's been going on for years then odds are heavily within the bar's favor that they are not violating the ordinance or they have gone through the proper channels to get permission to violate said ordinance.


Title: [IL] A co-signer on a loan got the bank to do a credit check on me in order to pressure me into getting a new loan.

Question:
I have a business loan cosigned by a "silent investor" of sorts.  This person was denied a loan due to the debt owed on the loan we have together.

This person went to the bank without my consent or even knowledge and asked them run a credit check on me to see if I could get a separate loan to pay off the one in which they were a co-signer.

The bank did the check, and informed the person that not only is my credit good enough, but they even let the person know about balances in my other personal savings accounts.

Edit for Clarity:  This loan is in good standing, and the person is not related to me.
Now this person is using this information to try to pressure me into getting the loan.

Could the bank legally do any of this?

Answer:
 letting the bank know personal information is a big nono

A unauthorized credit check might also get them in hot water.

Answer #2: It's unlikely the bank screwed up like this.  Most likely, this person committed identity theft and pretended to be you.

Contact the bank and explain what happened.  Then call the police.


Title: Firing an employee in a coma?

Question: To preface, this is in Connecticut, full time employee. We have a manager that has worked at our company for five years. Granted, this employee was never good at his job, pretty lazy, and didn't really produce much, he always followed the rules, showed up for his hours and put in SOME effort. Recently he was admitted to the ICU due to untreated pneumonia. He was put into a medical coma to help it heal and recover. While he was gone from the office, he was terminated. Can someone be terminated for being in the hospital on deaths door? Can the company use past issues from an employee to justify terminating them to make it seem like it wasn't the medical issues that caused the termination? Thanks for the advice.

Answer:
 What reasonable accommodations will allow him to perform his job given his current state of health?Answer #2: If the company has more than 50 employees at that location, and he's worked there more than 1250 hours over the past 12 months, [he's entitled to some level of protection under the FMLA](http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs28.htm).Answer #3: If the employee is eligible for FMLA, the employer "must grant an eligible employee up to a total of 12 work weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12 month period for one or more of the following reasons:" - and one of the reasons is, "to take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition".

As such, if the company is subject to FMLA requirements and the employee is eligible, the most conservative course of action is the assumption that the employee is currently on FMLA leave, which prohibits termination.

The mere fact he did not give notice of intention to take FMLA is immaterial. The law says the employee must give notice in compliance with the company's usual standards and practices, *absent unusual circumstances.*

Edit: typoAnswer #4: *he always followed the rules, showed up for his hours and put in SOME effort*

 FMLA or not, waiting until the man is in a coma is not going to look good for your company if the man chooses to sue for wrongful termination.


Title: [Washington] HighSchool putting false information about a law.

Question:
I'm 18 years old. I go to high school. I don't show up to all my classes, but when I do miss them I make sure to get the work done. I have decent grades, never failed a class and have taken honors and AP classes. I got sent a Becca Bill, saying I could possibly get sent to court for truancy and such, if I don't improve my attendence.
[Here](http://imgur.com/odvFZ61) is the letter the school sent me. I was a bit confused because I am 18 and was wondering how people can drop out of high school with this law?(I have all intentions to graduate and receive my diploma.)
Anyways, I looked up the law, [RCW 28A.225.010](http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=28A.225.010) it states **"All parents in this state of any child eight years of age and under eighteen years of age shall cause such child to attend the public school of the district"**  Do I even have to worry about this since I'm 18? Regardless, I will start showing up to school more often.

Thanks

Answer: If you read their letter, they say exactly what you bolded. What false info did they say about the law?


Title: My fiance played the victim in a Domestic dispute and had his family pretend to be witnesses to avoid jail

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You need an attorney; you do not want a domestic violence conviction on your record. If they come forward they can be charged with filing false police reports and him with domestic violence.

After getting an attorney and getting them to admit the truth, end the relationship. This situation should tell you tons about the family and him. Answer #2: You need an attorney today. Stop listening to people who do not care about you or about breaking the law. Answer #3: Get a lawyer and make this guy your ex-fiance.Answer #4: Find out what the laws are in your state for making audio recordings. If you're in a state that is only one-party consent, get a recording of them admitting fault and blaming you.

This man should be EX fiancee by now. He obviously only cares for himself.Answer #5: Attempt to collect some evidence of them stating that they lied. Texts, Emails, Voice-mails etc. Also, lawyer up.Answer #6: Not legal advice but I hope you're dumping this loser...


Title: Landlord using fertilizer in dog park that is poisoning the dogs (NC)

Question: I am located in Charlotte, NC. The land lord contracts a landscaping company that comes once a week. Most weeks, I see them also lay fertilizing seed in the dog park when they are here. My dog and other dogs have been getting sick the day or two after the landscapers are here. I have read that almost all fertilizers are harmful to dogs, especially if they are not watered after being laid down. The landscapers do not water any of the grass. What recourse do we have?

Answer: Have you stopped taking your dogs to the park?


Title: [CA] 21yr in prison calling me 17yr ?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: Yes. Inmates in California (and ever other state) have access to phones.  This isn't North Korea


Title: [FL] A friend of mine, a minor, wishes to move into my roommates' and my house because she is soon to be abandoned by her parents. What precautions should she and I take to make sure she is legally a tenant under our lease?

Question:
Essentially, the title. She is having home issues and believes her parents are about to kick her out of the house, near the end of her junior year of high school.

She wants to ask me about joining my lease and living with me, paying rent, the whole thing.

She's 17, in high school, and needs a place to live. I wanna make sure we're legally covered.

Answer:
 Her parents can't kick her out. They're not her landlord, they're her legal guardians until she's no longer a minor.

If she ends up homeless as a minor, I can assure you that her parents will be the ones to answer, not you or your roommate. So long as you stay out of it.

AND YOU SHOULD STAY OUT OF IT. Answer #2: She can't sign the lease she's a minor. And you could get in trouble for harboring her. Contact child protective services if you think she is being abused.


Title: [California] SO was injured at work. Should he sue?

Question:
Hello, legaladvice! LTLFTP!

So my SO works at a large chain of hardware stores and was injured on the job. A pipe ended up hitting his face so hard it split his lip, loosened a tooth, and left him with a mild concussion. Management had a coworker drive him with my SO's care to worker's comp but they told him to go straight to the ER. X-rays were taken and he was given medication. I took my SO to the WC place the day after and they just told him to rest for 2 days and then resume work.

Apparently, all his coworkers at his job are telling him to sue. He asked for my advice, but I am definitely not a lawyer...but I remembered this subreddit and decided to check the wiki in case there was any helpful information.

The wiki states:
*I was injured at work. Can I sue?*

*In nearly all cases, worker's compensation is the sole remedy for workplace injuries throughout the United States. File a prompt claim with your employer. "*

However, even after showing my SO this, my SO is arguing that it's a case to case thing. His coworker, who has worked at the job for 22 years, stated that my SO could get possibly 100k if he sues. Management is currently supposedly scared that he will sue as well, according to my SO.

Honestly, I feel like suing will lead to him losing his job, and before this workplace injury, he was telling me how he wanted to move up in his workplace. Suing will definitely destroy all chances of continuing to work there, right? He says he's okay with starting over at another job because we're still pretty young, but he's already one of the prime candidates to be promoted at his current job already. Personally, I think that he should just let WC take care of the injury/etc and continue to work at his job. But it's honestly his decision at the end of the day.

I told him to seek a consultation with a lawyer if he's serious, but I also just wanted to ask legaladvice because I've read so many great comments giving helpful advice when asked for. Any help would be appreciated! :)

EDIT: I was so worried about my first post on legaladvice not getting any advice but you guys are so quick and amazing. The general consensus is that I have to bop my SO on the head (but not too hard haha) for listening to his coworkers because he doesn't have a leg to stand on if he sues. Thank you guys for your quick responses and for clearing up this issue for me!

Answer: An employee generally can't sue an employer for workplace injuries unless there's gross negligence or some malicious intent behind it. Otherwise, work comp is the only remedy.


Title: [MA] I had a year of probation for a minor offence. The Judge said that the case would be sealed. Now that it's over, how do I check that it really was sealed?

Answer:
 You can search your name in the court records and see if anything comes up, and do a background check on yourself. Answer #2: Sorry to piggyback on this question, but why isn't "sealed" actually "sealed" in some cases?

For instance, when applying for a firearms license in NYC the application specifically says that one must list all *arrests*, and also any cases that were juvenile cases and/or sealed for other reasons.

It seems odd to me, since an *arrest* isn't a *conviction*, but also a sealed case should be sealed, and not subject to the whims of the NYPD, but rather a Judge should be the only one able to order a case unsealed, unless I am greatly misunderstanding the rules in such a situation.

I can understand why they might *want* such info (hell, I *want* world peace, and enough money to retire early but that doesn't mean it's going to happen) but why do they have the authority to demand such info?


Title: [Indiana] Landlady gave us an eviction notice for the failure of THREE bed bug treatments.

Question: [Indiana] I'm an immigrant, here to study a Graduate course from a reputed University in Indiana. When I was searching for a house (before I came here), I was contacted for a sub-leasing option. Since, the rent was cheap and the location was decent for transit to the university and the local supermarkets, I decided to take him up for the offer, and there were four of us (new students) who started living there. When we first came to our apartment, we saw that the apartment was not well maintained and dirty. But, since we couldn't find another apartment to stay in a day's notice, we signed the lease. Then, a month and a half later, we started having bed-bug issues, and we complained to the landlord. She ordered a bed-bug treatment - costing us $700 which is definitely a big amount for us. We did that treatment, and the payment was agreed upon to be made on a monthly basis (till the end of the lease). But, the issue recurred and we again had to pay for the treatment. This time, she said that if it occurs again, we will help you. And, it did occur again - 2 days after the treatment, we found a few bed bugs. When we brought this to her notice, she blamed it on us that we must have "brought it from somewhere", or, "we didn't do everything on the pre-treatment checklist". In the meantime, we didn't have any clear communications for the method of payment of the two treatments combined ($1400), so it skipped our mind as well. Then, during the spring break, she gave us an eviction notice, and asked to pay the previous $1400 and an advance on the third treatment $700. Just the word "eviction" scared the shit out of us, and we paid the amount within 2 days. She mailed us, that she will cancel the eviction hearing if we pay the money and this treatment is successful. We tried to do everything on the checklist this time, but didn't move the briefcases away from the walls. Our clothes were supposed to be kept in plastic post washing, but since there were too many clothes, so we hung the remaining in our rooms (post washing it in 3 batches). Today morning, when the bed bug treatment people came for reinspection post-treatment, they found no bed bugs anywhere in the house, except the couch in the living room. The couch in the living room is far away from the clothes that we hung in the room. We reasoned that we are willing to throw the couch away, since the bed bugs are in that isolated couch only (according to the treatment people). Also, we have thrown almost every furniture item on her behest. She disagreed to that, saying that the couch will spread bed bug to other apartments. But, I don't get her point, as to how, throwing the couch in the dustbin spread it to other apartments! Also, how are the bed-bugs found in the couch, our fault? That too, just two-three days post the treatment. Now, she is not cancelling the eviction notice, and we have to visit the court on Friday. We all are shit scared, and don't know what to do. Would you guys please help us out as to what should be our logical next step?

Answer:
 Unless you will be using a transporter to beam the couch to the dump,  (Most dumpsters do not permit the disposal of furniture) bedbugs could get in the common areas of the building.

It is imperative that the processes be followed exactly and you state that you did not comply.

Bedbugs are notoriously difficult to eradicate and your failure to follow the instructions has led to additional expenses and possible exposure to other renters.


Title: Is there any legal repercussions for using my employee discount to buy and resell for a small profit?

Question: I work for a large tech company that gives great discounts at cost. If the items don’t have serial numbers so they can’t be traced, are there any legal repercussions for reselling?

Answer: It might not be a crime, but you might lose your job if it is against their employee purchase policy.


Title: Getting married and I have a few questions

Question:
I live in Nevada and my fiance and I have been engaged for 6 years. I have been postponing the wedding because I am worried about a few things and I am hoping maybe someone could give me some legal advice to this.

First: My fiance owes child support. Please don't tell me he is a dead beat dad, everyone has a back story and should'nt be instantly judged.  With that being said, if I do get married will that effect my finances ie. will garnishments come out of my paycheck because we are married? I have my own bank account and we don't share any accounts.

Secondly: He has never filed taxes. I understand that I will always need to file seperately, but am I in danger of something else?

Thirdly: marriage is more of a sentimental thing, there are no real bennefits for us because of his circumstances, should I just legally change my last name instead?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I love this man, we are going to be together no matter what circumstances are but I would like to be on the safe side for my finances and future as well as his.
Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 > Secondly: He has never filed taxes.

If at all possible, avoid marrying or mingling finances with this person.


Title: CT- Landlord rented out old apartment after renovation even though we had an agreement that I would move back in

Question:
I am in kind of a weird situation because I was dumb and didn't get anything in writing.  I live in CT.

Basically in June, my landlord mentioned over email that they were going to measure my apartment(lets call it A) to get ready for renovations.  I told him that I would like to still stay in this apartment once it was renovated and I would be willing to move out temporarily while they renovated.  We had a bit of back and forth on email before he called me and we worked out that I would be moving into another apartment (lets call this one B) while they renovated A.  All my mail would still go to A, and I still paid the rent for A(same amount and wrote unit A in the memo).

While they were renovating it, my lease expired at the end of June.  It took them much longer than originally expected, and the whole time they kept me updated on what was happening with that apartment.
In October, I emailed them asking when A would be ready for me to move back into and if they were going to start showing B.  They said A would be ready at the end of the month and they would be in contact with me about when they would start showing B.  They never contacted me again.

Yesterday I noticed some people moving into A so I emailed them about it.  Today they called and said that A is no longer available and that we never had an agreement for me to move back.  They kind of made it sound like I could either continue to live in B or I can move out.

Part of my lease says "If you remain after your lease expires, we may charge you for the fair rental value of your apartment on a month-to-month basis and all other rules, regulations, terms and conditions of the lease shall continue to apply."

My question is do I have any right to apartment A since based on the lease it seems like the lease conditions continue on a month to month basis even though it expired in June.

If I do not have any right to A, is there any way they can evict me out of apartment B since I don't have a lease and I really don't have any documentation that I have been living here for the last several months other than my neighbors know I have been.
I am really starting to get worried that they will kick me out and I will have nowhere to go.

I forgot to mention that they have been in several legal disputes with a few of the tenants.  One was because of a slip and fall since they didn't salt the walk ways, another was an illegal eviction, and I don't really remember the last one but I think it was because someones heat wasn't working.

TLDR: Landlord made me move out mid lease to a different apartment to renovate.  lease went to month to month and they are now saying I have no right to move back into my old apartment because they rented it out.

Update: I spoke to my dad who is a landlord and he said that since I moved out mid lease as they requested, that means that the lease was still in effect for A and even though I was living in B.  So technically I was still month to month renting A when they leased it to another tenant.  Can someone confirm if this is accurate?

Answer:
 You need to get an attorney. Full stop.
It's not going to be an easy thing to untangle but the ongoing communication about A definitely gives credence to your understanding that it was being made-ready for you. Things will work out such that you will probably *not* want to stay with this LL even if you get access to A or A-like updated model, but you've been overpaying rent if they intended to leave you in B and you are owed the difference back, at least.

You are probably considered (legally) a month-to-month tenant under the terms of your original lease, though at which unit is certainly open for discussion. They can give 30-day notice to end your residency at either, so that is a risk you are facing until you get a new lease.

You have more leverage than you might think here, as LL will be in a proper shit-storm if they're found to be leasing the same unit twice, which isn't slam-dunk but there's enough there that you can make life interesting for LL, again though a lawyer is pretty necessary to see this through.


Title: My best friend is 16, she is being abused by her Mother and has audio evidence.

Question: Like the title says, my best friend is being abused by her Mother and she has audio evidence to prove it. The audio though doesn't give evidence to physical abuse but it hints towards it. The mother says multiple times in the tape "I'm going to hurt you" and other things similar to that. She wants to get away from her Mother but she has nowhere to go. She cannot tell her grandmother (who is the only sane one in the family) because she wouldn't want her to have to alienate herself from the rest of the family. I don't know what I can possibly do to help which is why I'm here.

Answer: She needs to call CPS immediately with this. CPS exists to protect children and they'll investigate.


Title: My young adult daughter adopted by another family...I think

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If she was adopted by another person or persons she is no longer legally your daughter.  Call the court and ask the status of her case


Title: Can you get in legal trouble for now knowingly selling fake AirPods on Facebook marketplace?

Question: I bought some on fb marketplace, but I think they might be fake so I resold them. Are there any legal repercussions?

Answer: If you sell them as AirPods, and you know they aren't or have reasonable suspicion they aren't,  you are committing fraud. Fraud is illegal.


Title: [IA] Can an employer take out training hours from a final paycheck?

Question:
On mobile, sorry for any formatting issues

I work for a daycare that has had a lot of issues, and yesterday I, along with another coworker, put in our two weeks. We are both full time employees. We are required to take training courses outside of our work hours (for example CPR). We were told that since we’re leaving our training hours are going to be taken out of our last paycheck (17+ hours).

We never signed anything and are just now hearing about this. I guess we just want to know if this is legal or not. Thank you for any advice, I appreciate it.

Answer: If the training was required by your employer, they are required to pay for it. Contact [the Iowa Division of Labor](https://www.iowadivisionoflabor.gov/wage-frequently-asked-questions) if they refuse to pay.


Title: Are the "maintenance and repair" clause in my lease unreasonable? It seems to include repair of the dishwasher, "structural elements", and other house stuff, which seems like way too much. What do you all think?

Question:
Below is the text in the lease:

"9. MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR. Tenant must generally maintain the rental dwelling and other appurtenances
such as garage or shed, if any, in a clean, sanitary and safe condition. Such maintenance includes the caulking of
bathtubs and sinks; replacement of HVAC filters, fuses, resetting of circuit breakers, batteries and light bulbs; and
cleaning of appliances including, but not limited to, stoves and microwave ovens, refrigerators and freezers,
garbage disposals, trash compactors, dishwashers, washing machines, clothes dryers (to include dryer vent),
window air conditioning units, humidifiers and de-humidifiers. Tenant is responsible for general control and
elimination of household pests including, but not limited to, fleas, ticks, roaches, silverfish, ants, crickets and
rodents. Tenant shall be responsible for replacement of broken glass and screens. Tenant is responsible for
keeping plumbing fixtures clean, sanitary and maintaining commode, drains and air gaps free of blockages, and
operate all electrical and plumbing fixtures properly. Tenant must not refinish or shellac the wood floors.

All garbage and trash must be placed by Tenant in suitable covered containers and disposed of in a clean and
sanitary manner by depositing it appropriately for regular pick-up and removal or placing it in trash chutes or in a
trash room in accordance with the rules and regulations applicable to the Premises. Tenant will abide by all local
laws and regulations concerning the separation, special pick-up and removal of recyclables. Any municipal fines
incurred for failure to comply with said laws will be promptly paid by Tenant and Tenant will furnish a receipt of
payment to Landlord. All snow removal is to be removed, and Lessee shall pay the snow removal in the event that
there is an inability to do so. A shovel has been provided.

Landlord is responsible for replacement of or repairs to structural elements of the building (or unit to which this
lease applies), major appliances (including washers/dryers and air conditioning, if furnished) and electrical,
plumbing, and heating systems. Structural elements include, but are not limited to, the roof, floor and ceiling
systems; bearing walls and partitions; columns, lintels, girders and load-bearing beams; foundation systems and
footings; all interior stair-carriage systems; all necessary materials required for the joining, support, fastening or
attachment of the foregoing items; all components of the exterior designed to prevent infiltration of water (i.e.,
paint, shingles, siding and trims); and hand railings, steps, sidewalks and driveways. In the event of a bona fide
emergency, and if after reasonable effort, notification to the Landlord/Agent is impossible; the Tenant may order
reasonable and necessary repairs to alleviate the emergency condition at Landlord's expense, through a licensed
and insured contractor. Tenant must immediately notify the Landlord in writing of such repairs. Tenant must
promptly report to Landlord any problems requiring repairs or replacement beyond general maintenance. Tenant
must not order repairs or replacements without prior written approval from the Landlord/Agent. The Landlord may
consider the failure of the Tenant to maintain the property in accordance with Tenant's responsibilities as a breach
of this Lease and may elect to take legal action to terminate this Lease. Tenant is responsible for any costs incurred
for repairs or replacements made necessary due to abuse or negligent acts of commission or omission (including a
failure to report a problem to Landlord in a timely manner) by the Tenant, family, guests, employees, invitees or
pets."

Answer:
 > and **cleaning of appliances** including, but not limited to, stoves and microwave ovens, refrigerators and freezers, garbage disposals, trash compactors, dishwashers, washing machines, clothes dryers (to include dryer vent), window air conditioning units, humidifiers and de-humidifiers.

Just requires tenant to keep them clean. The caulking, filters, fuses, batteries seems strange. And the "structural elements" relate to landlord duties.Answer #2: You need to read your lease over and more carefully.


Title: Ex Husband asking for last 4 of Soc Sec # to file for Bankruptcy

Question: Hello! I have been legally divorced for 5 years. My ex husband had a business while we were married and after the divorce. I never had anything to do with his business and never signed any of his tax returns for this business. He tried to stiff me with his financial obligations (outstanding business debts) during the divorce process but the court told him I was liable for none of it since I had nothing to do with it. Today he has texted me asking for the last 4 digits of my social security number so he can file online and complete the certificate before filing for bankruptcy. Does this sound right to you? Why would they need my info? Does this sound sketchy to you?

Answer: Having gone through a bankruptcy, don't give him anything. No one's information goes on that paperwork unless they are jointly filing for bankruptcy. Answer #2: No. Don’t do it. Lock your credit down now after you pull all 3 credit reports. Anything fishy get your divorce lawyer on the phone. Fingers crossed he didn’t add you to his debts.


Title: Driving without insurance

Question: Recently graduate and passsed my driving test 3 months ago.My parent sorted my insurance which I didn’t check. I recently got stopped by the police and got told I had no insurance. They told me to provide proof of my insurance within 7 days. Would I be able to claim for mitigation as I wasn’t aware that I was driving without insurances ?

Answer:
 No. You are responsible for making sure you have insurance. The judge will not be sympathetic if you try to blame your parents. If you are old enough to drive you are old enough to make sure that you are driving legally.Answer #2: >My parent sorted my insurance which I didn’t check.

You need to start taking responsibility for yourself. Get your own bank account that your parent's name isn't on, also.


Title: I'm about to hold a (free-ish) raffle, is this illegal?

Question:
Basically my brother and I own a rewards website (Similar to Swagbucks but 100x smaller). It's just side income for me right now, so I dont really want to hire a lawyer for this unless I absolutely have to.

The way our website works is people come to our website, complete surveys or install mobile apps, etc. Then we give them credit on the website, amount depends on what offer they completed, and they can withdraw gift cards. We get a cut of what the company paid to have that advertisement.

So I was thinking of letting people enter raffles for large prizes with their earned credits. Is this legal? I know technically they arent paying to enter but they are paying with their time, and we're getting paid because of their time.

I want to know if I am able to do this or if I should stop considering it.

Thanks guys!

EDIT: Appreciate the response guys,  I decided to not go along with it, benefits arent worth the headache =P.

Answer:
 > I dont really want to hire a lawyer for this unless I absolutely have to

You absolutely have to. Even if you limit this to the USA, every state has its own raffle laws. Even if you limit this to your state, you need to be in compliance with your state's laws.


Title: Friend was threatened with lawsuit for photoshopping photos

Question:
This is in Nevada, USA.

A friend of mine is a photographer who takes photos of cars. He doesn't charge anyone for the photos, and posts them online for free. Basically, he's not paid to shoot nor does he charge anyone for those photos.

Recently, he's been removing windshield banners of a specific shop out of photos and then posts the altered photos online.

The shop saw the photos and has threatened to sue my friend. Unsure what the lawsuit would entail, but should my friend be worried?

Oddly enough, the shop owner said something to the effect of that the funny thing about lawsuits is, you can sue anyone for anything, it just takes money...

Thoughts?

Edit: thanks for everyone's responses... My friend is watching the thread is thankful for everyone's advice! I may have just proved to him the value of the Reddit community :)
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: The owner isn't wrong about suing anyone for anything, but he'll be surprised to learn that attorneys value their licenses and tend to shy way from frivolous lawsuits. It's not unlawful to Photoshop copyrighted materials (the business info) *out* of photos. Your friend is taking the photos himself, so there's no copyright issue there. I would ignore him unless/until your friend is actually served with court documents. Answer #2: He is not wrong, he can sue anyone for anything, the trouble is finding a lawyer for you're frivolous lawsuit. If he actually sues your friend must answer the summons to avoid a default judgement.Answer #3: Did he take the photos that he is altering or is he taking photos from Google and doing it?


Title: Brian dead husband had organs donated legally but sperm donation for fertility illegal.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: The consent required isn't just consent to having a child but explicit WRITTEN consent to having a child posthumously. I don't know if there is much your friend can do.Answer #2: Adding that if they have been to fertility clinics and signed any paperwork about sperm extraction she should read the fine print and see if posthumous extraction was included (probably not but worth a shot).Answer #3: Your title says he had the organs donated, past tense. Is this so? If so, I don't think there's any viable sperm left anyway. You have to get to them pretty quickly once a patient is off life support. There may not even be a battle to be had here. Literature recommends 24 hours, some cases have found motile sperm in 36 hours. Though even if you're in that window of time, you'd have to prove legal permission and ensure extraction happens all in those 24 hours after death.


Title: I was cut while defending myself and subduing an attacker and have been stuck with a large hospital bill. Could use some legal advice.

Question:
So here is the deal: I live in Portland, ME.

In December my political consulting office announced that it was closing in January. On one of our founding member's last days we had a going away party at a local bar. There was cake etc... and friends and significant others came out.

At one point I went to the bathroom, and I guess while I was doing my business a drunken male in his mid-to-late twenties started to harass my girlfriend and her friends which lead to the bouncer asking him to leave by the time I got back.

Eventually, the group decided to head to a friend's nearby apartment to hangout. I walked with my girlfriend and one other friend who was carrying the cake. We made it about two blocks from the bar when the guy who had been kicked out spotted us and started following us. At first we didn't think anything of it. Then he started shouting at us, and ran up on us.

I tried to diffuse the situation making it clear that we didn't want any trouble. At this point, I just thought he was a random drunk guy -- I didn't realize that he was the guy who had terrorized my girlfriend at the bar. Despite my better efforts to avoid a fight, he took a swing at me. I was able to parry the punch and grabbed him by the jacket to attempt to keep him from getting at my girlfriend. I am a pretty big guy and I have a bit of wrestling and judo experience. My goal was to subdue him without hurting him. We grappled a bit on the icy sidewalk and he managed to grab the cake plate from my friend and broke it over my head. We both got back to our feet, before I managed to take his legs and took his back. With him face down, we were able to call the police. A guy who had witnessed the whole thing came over and helped to make sure he didn't get up. It was at this point that I realized I was bleeding pretty badly from my right hand. Apparently when the plate broke or while we were rolling around after a shard had cut my hand very badly.

The cops arrived, asked what had happened and I explained what happened with my friend and the witness saying the same. The attacker was arrested on the spot -- after resisting. My friend took my girlfriend up to our friend's house and I received some medical attention and gave my formal report and decided to press charges. The officer explained that the DA would get in touch with me prior to the court date and sentencing and then dropped me off at my apartment. As a result of the cut I would need to get an x-ray and 5 stitches. All told, my hospital bill was close to $2,000.00 but I was assured that there was a victim's assistance fund that could help me with most of if not all of it.

I waited until after the holiday's before I really gave this any attention thinking the DA would reach out to me like the police officer had said. Unfortunately this never happened. Eventually I called the local court to try and find out what happened and it turns out the attacker had already been sentenced to 3 days in jail and $300 fine after pleading guilty. When I asked about victim's assistance they transferred me to a voicemailbox and asked me to explain my situation and said someone would be back to me in less than a week. Nothing came of that. Then I called back and left a message with the DA, and again, nothing. On my last call I was told that the victim's assistance didn't apply to my case but to leave the DA a message again to find out what I could do.

All and all I am at a total loss for what my options are. As I mentioned my office closed in January and I am currently unemployed as a result so I don't have a ton of money to invest in legal fees and I am not even sure how I'd obtain the information I'd need for a civil suit.

TLDR; A guy followed my girlfriend out of a bar and attacked me. I got badly cut subduing him, he was arrested and plead guilty. The resulting medical bills added up to nearly $2000 and I am not sure what my options are for getting those expenses covered.

Answer: You're going to sue him, and you're going to win if everything's as you say (at least, I hope so).  You'll sue for damages (the medical bills) and court costs.  And pain and suffering if you can get it.  And possibly some other stuff.  Consult with a lawyer (see the FAQ to find out how); an initial consultation ought to be free.  You can read up at [this link](http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/personal-injury-cases-small-claims-court-how-calculate-your-damages.html), too.


Title: Please help!! My GF is being sued after an Accident (CA)

Question:
Cliff Notes

-GF was in an accident about a year ago (rear ended someone)
-She carried minimum insurance 15K/30K
-Insurance paid out maximum
-Guy she hit it is suing for more money
       -Personal Injury
       - Negligence

She was served yesterday and we've been scrambling to find, affordable, solutions for defense. For all intents and purposes she is low income (waiting to find a job in her career she was a student at the time) and has no real assets >1000 in savings and a car (financed). She makes about 1800/Month at the moment

It is worth noting she has accepted responsibility, edit* I don't think this guy is greedy anymore*. He drove away fine and there was very minimal damage to his car.

Are there any pro bono civil suit defense attorneys in SoCal? This court is in OC.

Are there any affordable options available to us?

Any help and advice is appreciated..

Answer:
 She needs to notify her insurance company immediately. They may still have a duty to defend her in court.

Edit: replace 'your' with 'her'Answer #2: >but this guy appears to be very greedy

Your girlfriend rear ended someone, damaged their property and possibly caused injury. AND carried minimum insurance. Your statement is completely tone deaf.


Title: [MB CANADA] Have note filed taxes for the last ~7 years

Question:
For approximately the last seven years I have not filed taxes. I believe I am owed tax refunds rather than owing taxes though. I have held 5 different jobs during this time frame and gone to school for 5/7 years.

I'm not sure where to start without opening a huge investigation or possibly landing myself in legal trouble. What is the best way to approach this?

Answer: This isn't nearly as scary as you are imagining it to be. Call a tax preparer that can help you file seven years of back taxes. They don't want you to go to jail, they want your money. You file and pay, or you file and get your refunds.


Title: Being forced to work 16 days in a row?

Question:
I am salary but is this legal? Not to mention if I leave home after working 10 hours I am yelled at for not working 12-15 hours. And tonight my boss texted me asking for final sales but I have a terrible cold because I haven't gotten any rest and I told him 'sure if I'm awake' his response was 'not good for you to be sleeping while you're stores are open. What if there is an issue?' I feel like I am being chastised and forced to work excessively and need to know if this is legal.

Thank you.

Location is NYC

Answer:
 We have no idea if that's legal or not, since you failed to include your location despite multiple notices telling you to mention it.

For what it's worth though, I think I've worked about two or three thousand days in a row. Who can I sue?


Title: Involuntarily kicked out at 17

Question: i need help; i am 17 years old and live with my mom at her boyfriend's house and we don't get along very well but i only have a few months til i'm 18 so i handle it. but one night i didn't come home but i told her i was staying with a friend so i could go to their graduation the next day and she said okay then said i just never came home well the next day i went to my dads to get my license because my mother wouldn't take me due to her lake of time for me thanks to her life devotion to slaving over her boyfriend of 15 years. well when i did return from my dads there was a lock on the gate and she was threatening to call the cops if i tried to come home because i was too disrespectful to live under her (actually her boyfriends) roof. if my mom has custody of me can she force me to go live with my dad even if it isn't of my best interest. is she legally able to force me to live with him even if he doesn't agree? what can i do about this. i just need to be home so i can finish my senior year without having to move schools and ruin my class rank and goa and all chances of getting into baylor like i plan on.

Answer: Let them call the cops. You are not only a minor but were illegally evicted.Answer #2: Call the police AND CPS.Answer #3: She can send you to love with your dad, but she can't kick you out on the streets.  Call the cops yourself.


Title: Can anyone get fired, written up or suspended for not working after an 8hr shift? (they didn’t as for OT, next person came in late)

Question:
Hey guys,

One of my close friends whom doesn’t have a Reddit got an email from his company showing this:

“This email is to inform ALL staff that the protocol for when someone calls off or when someone is over 30 minutes:

If someone is 30 minutes or more late to relieve you, you are to do the following:

·        You STAY until your relief arrives. You do not abandon your shift.
·        You contact (owner name) and your manager IMMEDIATELY, once someone is 30 minutes late.
·        If someone calls out, you contact (owner name) and your manager immediately.

If anyone leaves without their relief arriving, they WILL be written up and possibly suspended or terminated. This protocol has been in place for years and is not new, so we should all be doing this already.”

Works in California. He does Valet for a residence building and sometimes front desk. The guys who work for him are constantly coming in late but he has things to do but one day he left because he thought both valet guys were here after his shift was done but one was late. Is it mandatory to stay?

He didn’t sign any paperwork stating the rules and regulations for the company or anything. The owner is pretty hard headed too from other stories he’s told me.

Answer:
 Yes, you can get fired for that legally.

And, of course, the guy who didn't show up on time can get fired for that too.


Title: My mom still receives monthly child support for myself and my underage sister, I'm 21 and have lived with my dad for 5 years. Is this legal?

Question:
My 15 year old sister still lives with my mom, I moved in with my dad in 2010. Child support is automatically deducted from his paycheck. No changes were made when I moved in with him, though the monthly amount was reduced slightly after I turned 18. I'm not comfortable with this arrangement as my dad needs the money here in his household too, and already helps my mom cover mine and my sister's medical bills. He doesn't seem to care, as he's somewhat of a pushover. I haven't brought it up to him in conversation for a little while and hope to bring forth some points from a legal standpoint that may change his mind. It's this illegal? Is there anything I can do personally to change it?

Edit: Though it doesn't seem to be relevant to this issue, in accordance with the rules, Virginia state laws would apply to this situation.

Answer:
 Illegal? no definitely not. This is a civil issue.

Can you do something to change it? Short of convincing your father to challenge the agreement in court, no you can't.

Also, to parrot /u/Napalmenator, you really shouldn't get involved. Divorces are really messy and also, can have a lot of sordid details you may not be privy to. Answer #2: I second the others who are telling you to mind your own business.

However, I'll tell you one thing:  courts are usually pretty good at knowing when someone turns 18 and modifying child support at that time.  This is evidenced in your own case by the fact that his monthly payments went down when you turned 18.

If you're now 21, and this happened 12 years ago, when you were 9, I'd say chances are high that you don't understand the full picture of what's going on.Answer #3: How do you know that your father actually pays any child support for you and that it is not all for your sister?  You are 21.


Title: So a girl MAY have taken a nude picture of me without my consent..

Question: A girl that I work with, who I've been speaking with for sometime came over earlier. We decided to go for a drive. Suddenly she pulls into a school parking lot, and overs to give me a blowjob in the back seat. She's cute, I'm single.. Why not? Anyways after the deed is done, she gets out of the car quickly. She took her phone out of her pocket while I was pulling my pants back up. She was holding the phone in a way that made me suspect that she was taking a photo. I called her out on it, but she just said she was texting somebody. If she did in fact take a photo of me nude, and decides to show it to collegues at work, or use it in someway to blackmail me, is there a course of action that I can take against her? I live in Canada.

Answer:
 Im curious for more context - why do you think she'd have a motivation for taking a photo?  In what way could it be used for blackmail?  Other than a coworker (and I'm assuming not a superior or subordinate), who is this girl to you? Just interested in knowing more background...Answer #2: Are you over 18? If not, such a picture would be child pornography.

> or use it in someway to blackmail me, is there a course of action that I can take against her?

Yes. Blackmail is illegal. If she tries to blackmail you, report it to the police. They will investigate. Keep all texts and emails she sends you that contain the blackmail (if she blackmails you) as these can be used as evidence.


Title: Do people actually get out of criminal charges on technicalities? (TV show inspired)

Question: And how far does that go?  For example, if you obtained video footage illegally of someone committing a murder, plain as day, couldn't be questioned, but had no other evidence, can that person really just walk away without charges?  That seems insane to me.

Answer:
 You have to remember that the things TV shows dismiss as "technicalities" are the things the rest of us call "rule of law," "civil rights/liberties," "presumption of innocence," and other fun stuff.  Also keep in mind that the exclusionary rule (keeping illegally-obtained evidence out of court) is pretty much the only remedy people have against police overreach in this country.

Look at it this way:  For your hypothetical scenario to take place, there would have to be no evidence connecting the defendant to the crime other than the footage, the footage would have been obtained by the police violating the defendant's civil rights (so the only copy was apparently in the defendant's possession), and the police didn't have any basis to get a warrant.  In other words, the cops basically knocked down someone's door on a hunch, with no actual evidence linking them to the crime, and just happened to get lucky.  Do you really want that to be the precedent that gets set, or should the police need some actual basis before they bust into your house or crack your computer?

If anything, it's a fairly police/prosecution-friendly remedy, since it lets police walk right up to the line with no real risk of being held responsible if they go too far.  Some other countries admit the evidence and let the defendant file suit against the police for invasion of privacy, but in practice, that leads to the cops leaving perfectly good evidence on the table, because they've actually got something to lose.


Title: Is there a law against hiring only young, attractive women

Question:
There's a business here in town that hires women who are physically similar. The business he runs has a name that suggests he's doing this on purpose. I wonder if this is itself illegal.

Aside from that, the word around town is that he may be abusive to his employees. But I can't prove that. I'm wondering if there might be something wrong with how he chooses his employees anyways.

Answer:
 I'm going to over-simplify to keep it short.

Employers may discriminate based on a protected class (like sex or race) if those are "bona fide occupational requirements".

Hooters is a classic example because they've continued their business with only a handful of gender discrimination lawsuits.   They say that being a young, attractive woman is part of the performance element of their waitstaff job, therefore it's a BFOQ.   They've also settled a handful of suits and hired some male bartenders.

The number of employees was asked because the Federal law (the Fair Labor Standards Act) exempts small businesses with fewer than 15 employees.    Some States preserve that exemption in their own anti-discrimination laws, and some do not.

The [Missouri Human Rights Act](https://labor.mo.gov/mohumanrights/Discrimination/employment) cuts that exemption to companies with fewer than six employees.

Attractiveness is not a characteristic that is protected from discrimination.   Sex is.


Title: Bank error in my favor?

Question:
Today I went down to the bank to cash two paychecks that equaled 302 and some change altogether. Now when the teller counted the money she counted out 2 fifties, 10 twenties, and 2 ones and I watched her do this. When I got home I counted my money again and noticed that there was also a Hundred dollar bill also in the mix that neither I or the teller saw at first. What should I do about this? If I pocket it can they figure it out?

EDIT: My dad put a one hundred in my wallet for my birthday and I didn't know, thanks for that help tho!

Answer: Yup, that's not your cash, and they'll figure it out quickly. When she counts her drawer at night, she'll realize the mistake. Answer #2: As a former bank teller, I suggest doing the right thing by giving it back. The teller might be at risk of losing her job because of that. At the end of the day, if a tellers drawer is short, they do a whole branch audit making everyone stay later. They have cameras, and count their drawers multiple times a day. They will find out it's you, and if you don't give it back, you'll be known as "that customer" from then on whenever you go there again.


Title: [CA,USA]Received letter from The Judge Mathis Show informing me that I am being sued in small claims even though I've received no notice through the local court

Question:
Earlier today I received an overnight delivery from FedEx with a letter inside from The Judge Mathis Show informing me that I am being sued in small claims and that they want me to call them to see about being on their show. The thing is I haven't gotten anything in the mail or been served with any type of papers saying that I've been sued. My brother is one of those people who try to sue everybody and anybody and I have heard that he has been planning on suing our family but I can't confirm that.

&nbsp;

Right now I'd like to know what are my options available to me and what could potentially happen should I follow those routes?

The letter from The Judge Mathis Show say if I am selected to go on their show that I'll be paid an appearance fee, have travel expenses paid for, and if I lose the case they will pay it off for me. This sounds good but because of my profession I don't think going on a nationally televised court show would be very beneficial.

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If I don't get served does that mean I am not responsible for any of this? What if I never get anything letting me know I am being sued and don't know when the court date is, will I lose by default and be held liable to pay the amount I am being sued for?

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If/When I do receive notice of being sued will I be able to file a counter-suit? Or is that something I have to do separately?

&nbsp;

If there other defendants involved do we each get held accountable separately? Like if it's something I had no involvement in then the case against me would be dismissed right?

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I think that's about all the questions and concerns I have at the moment but if there are some things I should be aware of please let me know and feel free to mention it. I've never been sued and am not too familiar with the process of it.

Answer: You can call the courthouse and have them look up the file. Does the paperwork have a case number? If not, just call and give them the names listed. Odds are that someone from the show is browsing newly filled cases. I would think you will be served within the next week. Unless they can't find you. Which isn't a good thing.


Title: Hawaii Police Misconduct Toward Deaf Citizen

Question:
I'll try to keep this as concise as possible.
Here's the timeline involving Deaf Citizen, Assailant and HPD(Honolulu Police Dept):

12PM Deaf Citizen has just gotten off of work and is tired after a work shift. He takes a seat on a bench near the Ala Wai Canal and rests his bike against the bench.  On the other side of the bench is an older man who is tinkering with his own bike.  This man stops what he is doing and starts talking to Deaf Citizen. Deaf Citizen is trying to communicate through sign language and by pantomime that he is Deaf and cannot hear him. The older man then moves toward him and starts grabbing his bike. Deaf Citizen tries to tell the man not to touch the bike. And because this old man left his own bike unattended while trying to grab DC's bike, his bike toppled and fell into the canal. At this point the old man flies into a rage and starts coming at him with a screw driver.

I will now refer to him as the Assailant.  The Assailant is trying to stab the Deaf Citizen in his head. DC is able to dodge the attempts to stab him in the head and catches the screwdriver with his hand, seriously injuring it.

There is a struggle on the ground and DC is able to get screw driver out of Assailant's hands.

Cops show up and DC tries to use his hands to sign that he is deaf and is trying desperately to ask for a sign language interpreter.
On the police report, this is interpreted by the witnesses and police as DC being combative. The cops then handcuff DC's hand behind his back effectively gagging him.

While DC is handcuffed he repeatedly tries to vocalize to the cops "What's Up?" The cops are huddled together and start laughing at him.  They think this is a situation wherein two homeless people started fighting over a bench or maybe they think he sounds funny.

The cops find out that there is a bench warrant for DC because DC did not show up to court for a hearing on expired insurance.

Meanwhile the Assailant is picked up by an ambulance and taken to ER. DC had the paramedics triage his injured hand. The Assailant is later booked and held for possession of drugs.

After a while DC is taken to ER where he continues to ask the Police and medical staff for an interpreter. Medical Staff sets up a Video Interpreting Call but this is not like FaceTime. What happens is that DC signs to a screen and that video is relayed to a person. The person then interprets what she saw in that video clip to the medical staff.  This entire time DC still has his hands in handcuffs albeit now in front of his body so that the medical staff can triage him.   The interpreter on the Video Relay attempts to communicate with Police Officer to tell officer what happened. Police officer is not interested. The communication between DC and Video Relay Interpreter is finished in about five minutes. DC receivers stitches for screw driver laceration to hand. His discharge papers are taken away by HPD.

HPD then hauls DC to jail for bench warrant wherein he is asked why he is in jail by someone at intake. DC shrugs because he doesn't know.

In Jail DC really needs to use the restroom but cannot because the toilet is overflowing with feces and he has still not been provided an interpreter. He cannot explain to those in charge at jail that he needs to use the restroom but cannot due to unsanitary condition of toilet.

DC convinces someone to allow him to check his iPhone to contact family for help. Parents were told that DC was in custody for a bench warrant but not told he had been injured nor that he has not yet had an interpreter. At this point HPD has not taken down DC's statement for what has occurred with the Assailant.

Parents have been trying repeatedly, speaking to numerous police officers, sergeants, and state workers trying simply to be able to tell DC's side of the incident. They find out that the Assailant is not charged with assault because HPD assumed there was a bum fight over a bench. Family wants to do everything they can to advocate for DC but also because it sounds like a potentially psychotic transient is now being released back into public.

On a side note DC's injuries are healing however family doesn't know if there are aftercare instructions given to him upon release because HPD took away his medical papers. They have called the ER for copies but were told they cannot be given copies.

There is a big misunderstanding that Deaf people can read or understand written English or that all of them have some super natural ability to read lips. Most Deaf people are functionally illiterate in the English language because of the way people learn language and their inability to hear sounds. The structure of American Sign language is completely different from the syntax of American English.

By repeatedly denying the Deaf Citizen the ability to communicate what transpired and laughing at him to his face when attempting to communicate, HPD has seriously affected DC. DC has been traumatized by the incident and now fears police. DC works in Waikiki and commutes by bus and by bike. In Waikiki there are a higher number of police on duty because it is where all rookie cops start their training.

We, as advocates, need assistance with filing a complaint against HPD for misconduct and possibly civil rights violation. We need guidance on how to ensure that this NEVER happens to ANY Deaf person in the state of Hawaii ever again.

TL;DR: Deaf man is attacked by a drugged up man wielding a screw driver. Deaf man is handcuffed by HPD and repeatedly denied access to a sign language interpreter. HPD asks everyone but Deaf guy what happened. HPD chalks up incident to hobo fight over a bench. Psycho with screwdriver may now be out and about in public because of this. Deaf man cannot retrieve ER discharge papers nor explain what transpired because bureaucracy.

Answer:
 > There is a big misunderstanding that Deaf people can read or understand written English or that all of them have some super natural ability to read lips. Most Deaf people are functionally illiterate in the English language because of the way people learn language and their inability to hear sounds. The structure of American Sign Language is completely different from the syntax of American English.

Sorry, this is a REALLY generalized and inaccurately phrased statement.

The median reading level for a deaf person in the US is probably right around a fourth grade level.  (Incidentally the average for a hearing person is 8th grade level). There are serious and systemic barriers for education for deaf children and adults. But that is a long way from “functionally illiterate” and is painting all deaf people with a *very* broad brush.


Title: Do I need a lawyer? How do I demand more payment for an accident caused by a drunk driver? What is reasonable to ask for?

Question:
23f.

I live in Oregon. I was at a stoplight and was rear ended by a drunk driver the other night and my car was totaled.

Initially I was taken to the hospital to get checked up, even though I felt fine at the time just banged up. The doctor requested for me to be out of work for a total of 8 days. I work as a server and I have a pinched nerve in my neck that has caused my arm to go numb off and on. I was told not to lift anything over 5 pounds and that's my job so I can't work. I have been appointed to physical therapy, I've been going to the chiropractor, and I've been assigned a massage therapist as well. I had a sprained wrist and had to wear a brace for a week, all my injuries are soft tissue injuries and don't seem serious but I've been told I need to nurture them and heal them so they don't become serious down the line.

My insurance claims adjuster is offering me 1800 for my car, I've accepted that it had 280000 miles on it and was a 2004 vw Passat. I've accepted the loss on that and I already had paid it off in full anyway.

Then today I was offered a settlement of $1100 for "bodily injury" I was told this is different that my personal injury claim and that this just covered my missed work days and is compensation for the inconvenience.

I did not accept this offer because on average I make $100-$150 each shift in tips which are reported and they did not take this into account-- only my sad hourly wage of minimum wage. In 8 shifts I *easily* make $1100 if not more.

I'm not sure what to request without sounding greedy but $1100 is absolutely not going to cut it. This has been a huge inconvenience in my life and I recently spent hundreds in repairs on my car that got totaled and I'm being told it's only worth half of what spent on it originally (my mistake though, I got fucking bamboozled by a "friend" and a shit business.) I just started rock climbing again and that had to be put on hold for this, my entire spring break has been compromised and I don't get to work. In addition to all of this I already have anxiety that has been heightened by this accident, I'm (rightfully so) afraid to drive considering the circumstances.

Edit: thank you for all your input. I have contacted a PIL in my area and have sent emails saying I wasn't going to accept their offers at this time due to the circumstances. I'll update once this gets moving along!

Answer:
 I've never been in your situation, but I would caution accepting a "Bodily Injury" settlement not knowing if any other sort of compensation follows. They might just do this then attempt to sweep it under the rug.

I would also make sure that you receive enough compensation so you have another dependable vehicle without owing any sort of extra money towards the loan. Insurance companies don't always reward enough compensation to even buy another vehicle outright. This being so your quality of life doesn't change, with an extra Car Loan bill.


Title: Girlfriend moved out of apartment with no notice. She was on the lease.

Question:
Ohio: we moved into our place about 3 weeks ago. We both eSigned the lease and all was set. This morning she decided to return home (MS), packed her stuff and split. I'm left with the bills.

  Although I can afford the apartment and bills, I entered into the deal believing that at the least half would be taken care of. What are my options?

  Tl;dr
I am an idiot. I signed a lease with my gf and she decided (within the first 3 weeks) that she was going to move out with no notice.

Answer: Since both of you are on the lease you are both responsible for the whole rent amount. This means if you try to just pay half you will end up evicted. You can sue her for her part of the lease after you have paid the landlord the full amount due.Answer #2: Not legal advice, but have you tried talking with management to see what your options are? Because it's so early in your lease and they stand to make more money if you don't cancel, they may just let you move into a smaller apartment with no or nominal fees if it will mean keeping you around.


Title: College Student in need of legal advice! Help ASAP please

Question: I'm a Senior in college attend Texas Tech University in Lubbock Texas. Earlier this semester I was rewarded with a refund from my university due to my college being paid for with grants and scholarships. However, last week I received an email stating that I owe the University $1000. I was confused and decided to call financial aid and they told me that they reason I owe $1000 is because I am retaking a class to get a higher grade and because of this they had to take away away money they had refunded me. Now i owe them money that i no longer have due to the expenses of college and rent. Are they allowed to take away money that they already gave to me in the beginning of the semester? Any help would be appreciated and I am just really stressed because I am going to be graduating in December.

Answer:
 If you are retaking a class, you owe whatever amount is due for that course.  Did you get a tuition statement? This should clarify all of the amounts for you. If there is a discrepancy, take your statement to the financial aid office and sit down with someone to go over it.

If they gave you a refund in error, then it doesn't mean you don't have to pay your tuition bill. It just means they made a mistake. You still owe for the classes you're taking.


Title: (AZ) Mother of my child is moving in with some shady roommates.

Question: Is there anyway to prevent her from having roommates with criminal records? I know one of the people she is moving in with personally, and I know for a fact that they are not someone I want my son around. Thanks for any help.

Answer: Not via the legal system. You'd need to demonstrate that there's a danger to the child, and "previous criminal record" plus "I know he's a bad dude!" won't cut it.


Title: Non us citizen owning a firearm

Question: I'm asking this for a mate. Him and his family are from the UK but have a holiday home in Corpus Christi TX and are worried about break ins ect and wondered if they could own a firearm for protection. What are the laws regarding this seeing as though they are only visitors on a ESTA.

Answer:
 They can't buy one legally in texas being uk citzens.Answer #2: Generally speaking, purchasing and owning a firearm in the US as a noncitizen is possible but complicated. It's likely your friend can't buy or possess a firearm because they can't establish they're a texas resident; visiting regularly on ESTA is usually not enough.

One option, if you really want to go this way, would be to get a Texas hunting license and actually temporarily import a firearm from the UK. It's complicated, but _maybe_ possible, depending on your friends details.


Title: (Illinois) Pet shop owner ate the pets. Is that legal?

Question:
I worked at a pet shop for a few months this summer before school started. They have only just opened and haven't been around long. I took a chance and asked if they were hiring. They said not really, but would pay me cash if I came in and cleaned the cages for a few hours every day.

So, that's what I started to do. At first everything was ok. I did notice that every morning when I came in and cleaned cages there were always dead baby mice in the cages. This didn't bother me too much except that it was gross to pick up dead baby mice, but I always wore gloves.

Then after a few weeks one of the bunnies was pregnant and gave birth to 5 little bunnies. I thought the owners would be happy about that because more bunnies to sell, right? But then the mother bunny started ignoring the babies. I noticed this and told the owners that the mother bunny wasn't feeding the baby bunnies. The owners went over and looked in the cage where the baby bunnies were all huddled together. I thought the owners might use eye droppers or something to feed the babies, but instead they picked up two of them and fed them to their huge pet snake that they kept in the store in a big aqarium.

When I came in the next day all the baby bunnies were gone. The owners said they fed them to the snake. I thought that's what they used the baby mice for. I mean they had so many that there was always dead ones in the cage. I let it go though because if they want to feed the baby bunnies to the snake then I guess they can do that.

I checked on the mother bunny and she seemed ok. I mean it's kinda hard to tell with a bunny, but she looked ok. I said "well I guess you can just sell her now" but the male owner Zed said "no, we'll eat her for dinner tonight." And he took her out of the cage and put her in a back room. I thought he was kidding and said something to his wife Lorna when she got back and she didn't look surprised at all and said they would eat the rabbit that night because they were out of food.

The next day the rabbit was gone and wasn't in any of the back rooms. I don't think they sold it either because I stayed extra long the day before and they didn't have any customers come in.

I looked in another back room that I never went in before and in it was a mattress and microwave and toaster oven. That's when I knew they were living in the back rooms of the pet shop. And I guess they'd use the pet shop bathroom which was always gross and I'd try not to ever go while I was there. I asked Zed and Lorna and they both said that they did live back in the back rooms.

Like I said they hardly got any customers except people coming in to buy baby mice for their own pet snakes. Most people came in and didn't stay long or hardly even look around. Zed and Lorna didn't take very good care of the animals and they let a puppy and another rabbit loose in the shop all day that pooped and peed everywhere. This was on carpet so it was impossible to clean. After a few weeks that other rabbit was gone too. Zed said they ate it.

The other animals they sold were parakeets and guinea pigs. At first they had 10 guinea pigs and then one day they had eight and then six and you get the idea. Two would be gone every few days. I know nobody came in and bought guinea pigs, so I think Zed and Lorna ate them too. I checked their big snake after I noticed guinea pigs missing and the snake didn't have a large lump like it ate anything that big, so I know they didn't feed them to the snake. When I asked the Zed about the guinea pigs he ignored me. When I asked Lorna she just looked embarrassed and changed the subject.

I didn't notice anything weird about the parakeets except that there were no nests and they had the males and females mixed together so some mornings there would be parakeet eggs splattered at the bottom of the cage. But other than that I don't think they ate the parakeets.

So, that's my question. Is it ok for a pet shop owner to eat the pets? I mean they paid for them and everything, but the more I think about it the more I think it's illegal to eat them. So should I call someone to report it? And also if I turn them in will I get in trouble for getting paid in cash? I made $20 a day no matter how many hours I worked. I don't want to get in trouble with the IRS so what do I need to do to make that right?

TLDR: Pet shop owner would run out of food so they would eat the pets. Is that legal?

Answer:
 Stop working under the table, get a real job, and never set food in that disgusting pet store ever again.Answer #2: As /u/thepatman pointed out, it's not illegal to eat your own animals as long as you kill them in a humane manner. However, what you are describing sounds like there are quite a few other health and animal welfare code violations. I'd suggest calling Animal Control on them.Answer #3: If they're not selling the meat, and the killing is humane, there's likely [no issue](http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2010/08/here_kitty_kitty_kitty.html).  Answer #4:  They may be in violation of local zoning ordnances ..... ours wouldn't allow full-time habitation in a place zoned for business. You might want to call your local town hall.Answer #5: Not a Lawyer

This is disturbing because they are selling pets.

I don't know about Illinois but California does ban eating "pets" Likely may be something similar in Illinois.

About your Wages you would have to do a wage claim with the state of Illinois. This would get them in trouble with the labor department. If you have your hours recorded somewhere you are okay. If not, I suggest you move on and just go. This is up to you. If they can't afford to feed themselves and are eatting their property, I would just move on.

Guinea pigs themselves are commonly eatten in South America.

https://www.illinois.gov/idol/FAQs/Pages/How-To-File-A-Claim.aspx


Title: Need advice on flipping cars

Question:
Hey guys, I'm getting into flipping cars and am running into something I'd like to bounce off of you guys.

Each state has a limit on how many cars you can sell before you need a dealer's license. The wording for my state \(Kansas\) is as follows:

*“A vehicle dealer constitutes a person who purchases a vehicle with the intent to sell for a profit, or sells 5 or more vehicles within a calendar year.”*

I don't want to risk being barred from getting a dealer's license when I'm financially able, so I want to doing things legally, but the wording is kinda vague. How would they determine intent? If I happen to make a profit on 4 cars that I sell, am I gonna have some government agent knocking down my door? How much of a risk do you think I'm running here?

Answer: The wording isn't vague to me. It clearly says that if you purchase a vehicle with the intention of selling it for profit, you need a dealer's license. I'd get the license just to be safe.


Title: Moms friends son totaled my car without permission

Question:
I went out of town and left my car at my mom's place. While I was gone my mom allowed her friend's 19-year-old son to use my car. While high on drugs, the son drove my car and crashed into another vehicle. He ran from the scene back to his house where he stole his mom's car and crashed it into another vehicle. He drove away from that scene but shortly after he was arrested by the cops. My car is totaled and I want to know what my option are. I just got home today and received the news. I will call my insurance tomorrow but I want to get some information before I talk with them.
I live in Arizona, the car is under my name and I never gave anyone permission to use my car. Whose insurance will cover it?  If my insurance covers it. Will my rates go up? Can I sue for the down payment and other costs like my rates going up?  I also just bought the car 6 months ago and the blue book is lower than what I paid for it. If I get an insurance check I will lose a couple thousand dollars. Thanks

Answer:
 >Can I sue for the down payment and other costs like my rates going up?

No

>I also just bought the car 6 months ago and the blue book is lower than what I paid for it

That is how car values work.

You can get the market value of the car the day that it was totaled. If you have comprehensive your insurance may pay this out. If they won't you have to sue the kid that crashed it, or have his insurance cover it (if he has insurance).
Answer #2: Should be covered under comprehensive subject to your deductible. No the insurance isn't responsible for your down payment or for the fact that you likely made a bad deal on the car. You are only due the actual cash value at the time of loss minus your deductible. What you owe is totally irrelevant. No one can say for sure if this will impact your rates.


Title: Buddy of mine is getting threatened by his apartment complex

Question:
My buddy bought a BMW M6 recently that is pretty loud when he cold starts the car. Recently his neighbor who is always causing problems complained enough that he got a letter stating he would either have to "Get rid of the car or leave". Does the apartment complex have a legal right to do this?

Ohio, USA

Answer: Your buddy needs to look at his lease and see if it contains any guidelines/requirements about noise. If it does, yes, they may be able to void his lease.


Title: Judgment and home ownership

Question:
Hello Reddit,

I will make this quick. I have a judgment against me since early 2011 and I am in the market for a house. My realtor informed me that I can get approved for a loan, but once it comes time to sign the deed with the county, I will be unable to do so due to my judgment. My question is as follows: Is it technically possible to have a trustworthy family member get the loan and deed stuff under their name and then just have them transfer everything to me, thereby bypassing me having to pay the judgment?

Thanks!

Answer:
 Why not pay the judgement like you've been ordered?Answer #2: Straw purchases are a form of fraud. You and your family member could spend years in prison for that stunt. It'll also complicate both of your taxes considerably, and fail to protect your house from your creditors.

Have a real estate attorney, not your realtor, advise you on how to proceed with the purchase. I can't think of any obvious reason a judgement would stop you from taking title to a property.


Title: I suspect my hotel is price gouging and I need advice [xpost r/Houston]

Question:
My hotel has been raising their prices on fema guests every day. Our owners are in Australia and have no idea what's going, they just see money. When the emergency started, our BAR rate (best available rate) was $89. The next day it was $109. Today they've raised it to $139. This is the rate we are expected to charge all fema rooms until 9/25/17, even the ones that checked in the rate of $109.

I am not comfortable charging a rate of $139. I am a manager, but the higher up powers that be expect me to change everyone's rate to $135 and continue to enforce it for the rest of the guests stay. I have a wife who is a full time student and a 16 month old, so I can't lose my job or walk away from this either.

I need to know if this practice is legal. I already know it is unethical and I have huge problems with it, but I will absolutely put my foot down if this is breaking the law.

To my fellow hotel employees out there, stay strong and do the best you can with what you've got!

Answer:
 If that's what the government has agreed to pay then that's what the government has agreed to pay.Answer #2: Texas does not have a fixed value or fixed percentage above normal price that would determine whether or not a company is price-gouging; rather, it's handled on a case-by-case basis.

https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/price-gouging

Your best bet would probably be to file a complaint, with the link at the bottom of that page.

Just for comparison's sake, California's price-gouging laws [kick in at 10% above normal price](https://oag.ca.gov/consumers/pricegougingduringdisasters) during times of disaster.


Title: Can an employer force someone to accept the job of safety officer?

Question: I guess the title says it all.  I'm not qualified for the position of safety officer for my place of employment and I'm concerned they will fire me if I refuse the assignment.  This is in Virginia.

Answer:
 On Hoth, you don't have to do it.  They can fire you if you don't.

If you feel unqualified, ask your employer to provide you with appropriate training so you feel more comfortable with the role.


Title: What would happen if apartment maintenance leaves door fully open while no1 is home and stuff is stolen (SC)

Question: Just out of curiousity... Maintenance must have accidently left my apartment door open (not sure for how long but nothing was broken/stolen thankfully)... However, if something were to have happened; what would I have been able to do? Have a $100000 renters insurance liability.

Answer:
 You'd be able to file a claim with your renter's insurance - They'd probably go after maintenance if they thought they could recoup their payout to you, but it wouldn't really affect your restitution.

Side note, I'd definitely report this in writing to your landlord.


Title: In Idaho. Ex husband opened credit card in my name while we were married, sister just got served papers for me, stating I'm being taken to court to pay off bill. (xposted in personalfinance)

Question:
My ex husband opened an Amazon credit card in my account when we were married, about three or four years ago. He controlled all our money, so that bill never got paid and became delinquent. We have been divorced for two years now. Today my sister was just served papers to give to me (she lives in the home I lived in while married).
What do I do? It's a saturday so no one is at the number listed on the paperwork. Do I call and see if they'll negotiate? Is there any way for me to point them in the direction of my ex? Or is that not possible since it's in my name?
Thank you in advance.

Answer:
 Did you have knowledge of this card?  Did you authorize it to be opened?  What do the divorce papers say about debts?

If this is the first you're hearing of it, file a police report for identity fraud, check your credit reports, put a credit freeze on.


Title: is my fiance and i's dream jobs legal?

Question: We've always dreamt of opening a old folks home and recently we figured opening up a handicap accessible living complex would be appropriate. We also wanted to employ some people to keep on hand at all times available to aid the resident, like with a retirement home / nursing backround. Is it legal to provide this type of service? Is having staff on call in case of emergency or personal aid legal at a place where people live? Florida, btw.

Answer: I don't see why assisted living facilities would not be legal in Florida. However, you're going to want legal advice of regulations/licensing and liability surrounding the construction and operation of such a facility. Old people get hurt a lot and their families may sue.