Title: I worked at a horrible doctors office and I feel an obligation to report what I saw but I don’t know if I should/if there’s a legal basis

Question:
I quit working for a dermatology practice 6 months ago that specializes in MOHS surgery. The practice operates out of two facilities both within the same city. I was only there a month but what I saw shocked me.

On the clinical side the practice has one physician. The practice manager has on the job training but otherwise no clinical background. The histological technician is the physicians daughter, she’s 16 years old. I and three other “medical assistants” were all recent pre-med students who got on the job “training” of how to do a clinical intake, inject local anesthesia,  prep for surgery, cauterize and suction etc. all things felt like extremely outside of our scope especially because training happened within 2-3 weeks but the physician told us that when we become medical students or residents we’d be thrown into unfamiliar things and this would prep us for it.

So in terms of “wrong things” I saw that I don’t if it’s worth reporting:
-the 16year old histotech (GA labor laws?)
-the physicians 10 year old soon came in to the facility on two occasions and helped us turn over surgical rooms which included handling blood stained material. When I asked he told me he works during the summer too.
- the autoclave protocol the facility uses allowed us to put more than 25 instruments in when the manual itself said no more than 4, we told the physician this but she said to follow her protocol even though the autoclave material was wet when it was done sterilizing. I’ve worked as a microbiology tech and once a surgical packet is wet it’s no longer sterile because it’s seal is now permeable. Since it’s a surgical center I’m concerned about the transmission of blood born pathogens.
- I’ve overheard the physician talking about cutting the wrong mole out and she has always placed blame on the histotech or medical assistant staff.
-we’ve had 3 cases of infections during the month that I was there with patients not being told correct wound cleaning technique or in one case a patient was told their antibiotic was actually pain medication so they took it prn.
-her website is filled with “testimonials” that look like they’re from patients but are actually falsely written by office staff (they sign their own names)
-turn over rate is super high at the practice with most not lasting more than 1-2 months. She shouts and screams when things are not done to her liking and I’ve watched her verbally abuse a grown adult to three point of making them cry.
-her google reviews are all good, I tried leaving an honest review but my post was removed within 2 weeks.

I’m not sure if I’m being naive and I understand that some physicians, especially surgeons have this stigmatized personality. However do I have an ethical or legal basis to report any of this? And if so, to who?
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer: Not a lawyer but dear god please report this practice. Child labor? Unsterilized tools?  Jesus. I sure hope the medical review board (or whoever fields these complaints) listens and does something before there is a serious medical issue.


Title: Auto accident lawsuit in small claims court

Question:
To make the story short, some idiot ran through red light and wrecked my car to a point that it is not drivable (may be total loss). His insurance is claiming that I could have avoided the accident... so I am responsible for 35% of damage (I am in Houston Texas, a comparative negligence state). I am thinking of taking this to a small claims court. Please comment on below questions, if you would. This dispute is basically over 1k-2k but I just hate to let these jerks rip me off no matter how much.

FYI, I have no full coverage and am planning to sue the other party. Also, insurance company adjustor who determined I was at fault is idiot, inexperienced or both. Accident happened 2 weeks ago and he has talked to me total of 2 times (ignores my phone calls). First (before he made a decision) he told me insurance company is not going to pay my car rental costs even if they determine I was 0% liable, but the second time we talked he said they'll pay 65% of **all costs, including rental prior to making the decision**!

1. So I should sue the driver (and not his insurance company), correct?

2. I need to contact the person first to see if is he (or his insurance company) willing to settle. The Address I see on police report is what's shown on his driver license. How can I make sure that's up-do-date?

3. Adjustor told me that if I accept their 65% decision and have my car fixed I'd not be able to sue them later in court. The problem is the only way to know the total damage is to rip out the front part and, basically, start repairing. So how much should I sue them for? May I assume total loss?

Answer:
 1. Correct, the insurance company is not a party to the suit. You can also include the owner in the suit if they are different from the driver.
2. Try sending a certified letter there, that way you get a read receipt when he gets it. That's your best bet, short of going and knocking on the door (don't actually do that).
3. They're probably correct - sometimes the check will have release language on it which you accept by cashing. You can't assume anything for this part, you will need to actually start the work and prove all damage. So it will probably involve you actually paying for the whole job first and recouping your costs later.

What's the basis for their decision exactly? I handle claims for an insurance company and for someone to be 35% at fault they generally have to do something pretty significant. If it's just for failure to avoid, that usually doesn't account for 35% by itself. What happened? And more importantly, what can you prove?


Title: [CA] Was part of a multiple car accident, but Insurance says I can't be compensated even though I'm the victim

Question:
The incident:
I'm sitting in traffic, second most left lane, just waiting for car in front to move. I was not moving at the time of impact. All of a sudden I feel a lurching movement and I realize the car behind me has hit me. I turn my emergency lights and signal for her to move over. When I talk to her, she tells me that someone also rear ended her, causing her to rear end me. She shows me the damage but since her car is a SUV, she only has a little scratch. My bumper, on the other hand, basically has an imprint of her license plate. Luckily, I did not hit anyone. We soon realize that the person that who hit her did not merge over with us and ran off instead. We have no idea who it could possibly be because it was rush hour and by the time we talked to one another, they were long gone.

She handed over her insurance and since then, I have already talked to both mine and hers. They tell me because she was in the middle and not the start of the accident, I can't be compensated for the bumper damage.

The thing is before the accident happened, I had neck and shoulder pains from sleeping the wrong way. It was pretty mild. Also, when the accident happened, I remember I was leaning into my steering wheel. After the accident, I felt fine but when I woke up the next day, I was in tremendous pain in my neck and shoulder area. When I tried to get dressed, I almost cried from the pain. The pain wasn't as bad as time went on but today, (2 days after the accident) when I woke up, it was like the pain from yesterday but 10 times worse.

The aftermath:
I have already called mine insurance about the injury but again, they told me they couldn't do anything since she's deemed as not at fault.

So my question is, what can/should I do? I plan on talking to a lawyer soon to see if there's anything I can do.

People I've talked to say that I could mention to my insurance that since she hit me, she could have been too close but I haven't talked to them yet.

For reference, I'm 18-20 years old and I'm under my parent's insurance. I only have liability coverage but no coverage for any injuries or any damage to my car. My father also opted out of the uninsured motorists clause so I can't get any help in that regard.

I have little experience with dealing with insurance and lawyers so any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 Not to rub salt in the wound, but TBH, this is why you need full coverage, including uninsured motorist.

You can sue the driver that hit you.  She may be partly liable, she may not be liable.  If your damages are under $10k you can do it in small claims.

In the meantime, I hope you have health insurance?  Your first order of business is seeking medical care.


Title: How to report an illegal home business?

Question:
I have a neighbor who's running a little salon in her basement. It becomes problematic with all the cars and such that begin piling up outside waiting for her to cut their hair. I live in cook county, IL, and I know she doesn't have a business license to do what she's doing, as well as hasn't been reporting any of her income to the IRS. And I'm pretty sure you also need some sort of insurance as well?(Could be wrong)

What route do I go to report her? Do I call the IRS, do I talk to the police, do I email the BBB? Thank you for the help!

Answer:
 You have no way of knowing whether or not she's paying her taxes or has insurance.

Are you certain such a business requires a license and she doesn't have one?


Title: HELP! my friend might be assisting in an illegal business operation (utah)

Question:
My friend's boss is hiring him to do some outside help and gut his wife's business that the bank just took over. He said that the salon officially does not belong to them, rather is in a "grey zone", so his boss wants him and a few others to gut the place by tonight.

His boss didn't want anyone he didn't know helping, and just now told my friend the story behind what he was hired to do. I don't know where else to ask this question, and I can probably get more info if needed but it sounds very illegal to me. He agreed it sounds very dishonest and illegal as well, is there any law or proof supporting this to give him reason to report it?

Answer: If the bank owns the business (or the property), the are committing a host of offenses, probably including Breaking and Entering, Vandalism, Theft (of some variation), and Trespassing. Plus whatever civil claims the bank files for the damages and missing property.


Title: Fenoly for man over 25 to date a woman over 18 but under 21

Question:
Someone on another subreddit claimed she lives in a jurisdiction where there is a law, with a penalty of 5 years imprisonment or over, if a man over 25 dates a woman under 21 but over 18. I've never heard of this, and when I asked her where she lives, she refused to tell me.

Does anyone know if such a law exists anywhere? I know this is impossible in America, and it seems to run counter to most traditional cultures on Earth, but maybe this is possible somewhere in Europe? Still seems like an EU Human Rights violation, but I've been curious about this for days.
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer:
 There are states in the US that the age of majority is 19, not 18. If their age of consent is also 19, or a close in age exception they fall outside, it might be possible for a 25+ dating an 18 year old to be illegal.

It is unlikely a European country as the age of consent in most tends to be a bit lower than in the US.

I would be surprised to learn of a jurisdiction with this law, but again, its impossible to rule out all possibilities.

Occam's razor: Someone is lying to you on the internet is much more likely.


Title: [CA] Towing company Used General Authorization to Tow my vehicle from my apartment complex, Do I have recourse?

Question:
A towing company  towed my vehicle from my apartment complex because of expired tags, Upon reclaiming my car I asked for the written Authorization for the impounding of my vehicle because of expired tags. He proceeded to  tell me that  they didn't need a written authorization for the impounding of my car because they had general authorization with my apartment complex, I calmly proceeded to tell them that general authorization only covered if i was parked 15 ft near a fire hydrant, parked in a red lane or blocking the entrance/exit to the apartment complex. He proceeded to very rudely say " Since you think you the Law more" showed me a modified general authorization agreement stating they could impound cars for various reasons, expired tags included. Upon politely protesting this he began to be more agitated, I once gain politely told him there was no need to be rude, he said " Its because you trying to be Smart" and "I can make it a lot harder for you to take out your car" At that point I chuckled at the Low-key threat and took my vehicle.

So After having reread the law multiple times in regards to towing I was hoping you could assured me that i am understanding everything correctly and I do have a  winning case if i go to small claims. Since they failed to impound my car with a Written Authorization

Here is a quick guide with the laws regarding towing:

http://ctta.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/CTTA_Guide_to_Private_Property_Towing_121506_Final.pdf

Here is for the detailed laws regarding towing: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH&sectionNum=22658

Answer: You want to cite (l)(1)(E)(i-ii) an (l)(5) those are the parts that say a general authorization is no Bueno and the they are liable for the owner of the vehicle


Title: What is the best way to run an extensive background check on yourself?

Question: Just graduated college looking for some pretty high end jobs. I want to run a really extensive background check on myself before I start applying to make sure there are no surprises (not expecting any but would like to get ahead of them if they are there) What is the best way to go about this? I am in Colorado, USA if that makes any difference.

Answer:
 Define "background check."

Do you mean a record check to see what you've been arrested for and maybe a credit score?  That's easy to do and lots of companies will be able to do that for you.

But if you mean a background *investigation* like what you would need for a security clearance, that's a whole different thing.


Title: (Northern Florida) Would this be considered brandishing a gun?

Question:
I was at home, super rural area(no one for at least a couple miles), the dogs started barking near the vegetable garden. I assumed it was a raccoon, grabbed the gun and ran outside. It turns out that it was some guy stealing from the garden. He ran for it after he saw the gun.

After he ran off I called the non emergency police line and told them in case someone else had the same problem. A friend of mine said that I could get arrested for brandishing since I didn't shoot the thief. I didn't want to shoot a man in the back with buckshot. So would it be considered brandishing?

Answer:
 No.  You have the right to carry your firearm ppb your property.  You didn't know it was a thief, but even if so you would've had the right to protect yourself.  The fact that you neither detained not fired, even as a warning shot, would pretty much absolve you of anything illegal.Answer #2: You're fine. You aren't going to get in trouble for *not* shooting someone you found stealing from your garden. Answer #3: You're in the right for not shooting him in the back - it would make self-defense a really difficult charge.

in FL the law called: improper exhibition of dangerous weapons or firearms

"if any person having or carrying any . . . weapon shall, in the presence of one or more (other) persons, exhibit the same in a rude, careless, angry or threatening manner, not in necessary self defense, the person so offending shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree".

The standard used to judge here is a "reasonable person" standard. Your actions sound reasonable to a normal person, you have nothing to fear. You didn't point the gun at him and threaten him, he just ran.

In the future I'd try to get some kind of IP camera or something. Chances are the dude will try to come back. Also make sure you have your guns locked in a safe if you don't already, now that the guy knows you have one, he can just wait until you aren't home and steal it.


Title: DUI Blacked out after 3-4 beers. Rear ended someone and tried to run- woke up to a cops knee on my neck

Question:
I'll start this by saying I'm not a light weight nor do i go out and get fucking hammered for fun. I just like my craft beers(gotta love colorado!) and I'm a home brewer.  My girlfriend works at a brewery walking distance from my house and i stop in for a beer. I literally have 3 maybe 4 and we were hanging listening to music in a more secluded area of the brewery with good friends and this is where i lose my memory. APPARENTLY i went out to have a cig, and i come back in (not slurring my words or acting drunk) acting insane yelling at my girl. We have no problems i love her more then anything so i can't believe this happened! I guess she slapped me because i was being such an asshole. She then tells me to leave. So i get in my Volvo and half a block away rear ended someone BAD. I apparently tried to run and i still don't quite know if it was a police officer or some dude that stopped me. (there are a lot cops around there) and i wake up to being handcuffed and he told me i wrecked my car i look over at it then right into the cop car. i got to jail my girl bails me out and she tells me what i did. i had no recollection whatsoever so I'm just ashamed and confused and what the hell happened. It was like a 20 minute blackout. Then she says i told the cop i stole it. In fact i was borrowing. I didn't have insurance on it but my buddy did. but i told him i stole it!!!??
This happened 2 days ago. I totaled my car I'm going to have to pay out of pocket. they drew blood so that takes 6-8 weeks. Even worse, i got laid off last month and I'm scraping by working at a shop i used to before.
But i do have a lawyer friends recommendation so I've got a great lawyer.
I think i have some mental issue though since i have mental problems in my family history… I don't think it was so much the amount of beer so maybe it was a trigger but i feel like it was a schizophrenic type thing. Im a 27 yr old white male (high demographic for schizophrenia). I have mood swings and am depressed but would never do anythings like this.
Will that stand in court? i haven't gotten evaluated yet I'm going to try to tomorrow.
what am i most likely looking at?
Jail time?
also this is my first DUI i have a very clean history.
thanks for reading

Answer: If you already have an attorney, listen to them and do what they say. They'll be able to answer these questions and help you far more than us randos on the Internet.


Title: [SC] A "gentleman's club" is being built right between 4 churches. Is there any way to get the club to move elseware?

Question:
Not my idea, but our priest said that the other 3 churches were getting their communities involved in a petition.

The club is being advertised as a bar, but there are strippers and loud music etc etc.

Answer:
 And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

- 1 Corinthians 10:13Answer #2: If the club already has the approval of the city's zoning board--which it presumably does if they've already broken ground on it--there's probably not a ton the churches can do. It's a legal use of the land in an area where the owners have a legal right to establish their business. The city could have told the club's owners they can't build there, but if the city's okay with it, the churches don't have any right to control the use of land that doesn't belong to them.


Title: I left a property after 6 months but did not disconnect the 6 month broadband service which has rolled over to continue billing me, do I have a leg to stand on as I was not aware that disconnection was required and the property has been vacated?

Question: As explained in the title, it was a 6 month contract but I was unaware I had to disconnect...  Should I refuse to pay?

Answer:
 It is never a valid legal defense to claim you were not aware of your responsibilities under contract terms, unless you were not made aware of them at all through deception. This is not the case here, and you only misunderstood them. Poor explanation is not deceptive as I am certain you attested to understanding the terms when you signed up, although most people simple attest to this without ever having read the context terms. But they were provided for you to read.

If the new residents signed up for service with the same provider, the provider can not continue to bill you in addition to the new residents for the same service at the same address, although they can charge you any liquidated damages listed in the contract as break fees. If the new residents did not sign up for service, then you owe the utility through the period you provide proper cancelation notice.

If you refuse to pay, they can report the account to collections or sue you. In the future, take note of any utility contract you sign up for. Extended terms are common with cable, internet, and phone services.


Title: Urgent question regarding civil rights

Question:
In New Jersey, USA.

Hi I have a friend who is over 18. He has been suffering from depression and has been hospitalized before as he has been suicidal. His parents are a big issue here. I want to let him stay with me (also over 18) for a little while to get away from home. He’s concerned his parents will call the cops and he’ll be forced to go back to the hospital. I need to know if he, as a legal adult, has the right to refuse treatment and stay out of his house or if his parents are legally allowed to force him into it.  Thank you!

He has a dog as well. Technically under his parents name. I feel like I already know the answer to this, but can he bring the dog with him? His parents won’t let him leave the house with or without her since he got her. I’d like for them both to be away and safe if possible so he doesn’t have to worry.

Answer: If he is over 18, he can stay where he wants. If his parents can demonstrate that he is a danger to himself or others (actively suicidal or homicidal), they may be able to have him taken in on an involuntary hold. That could happen no matter where he is living. If the dog is in his parents' name, he probably can not take the dog.Answer #2: Over 18 = adult able to make their own decisions. Kidnapping a dog (someone else's property) is another matter.


Title: I was outside dropping a friend off when someone came out and took a picture of my license plate.

Question:
So I was dropping a friend off and we pulled up to her house. I was talking to her and music was playing but all the windows were rolled up, when this person comes out of his house and takes a picture of my license plate.

I step out and said what’s going on and he’s telling me it’s 10:40 and the music is too loud. I apologized  and said why did he take a picture of my plate and he just walked back inside his house. I said goodbye to my friend and left. I was there for a maximum of maybe 5-7 minutes.

I was wondering is there a legal action he can take or if it was just a scare tactic. Thank you.

Answer: This person most likely called the police to report the “noise” (disturbing the peace)  and gave your tag number. No there is nothing you can do, imo since tags are for public viewing. If the cops even came, you would have been gone by then so don’t worry about it. Sounds like this guy was easily agitated. Stay clear of him ;)


Title: Master-tenant threatening to file police report because iron was left on (allegedly caused fire)

Question: I am a non-immigrant renting from a master-tenant. I left my room for work in the morning with the iron still plugged in(I don't remember this). When I came back from work the master tenant told me that it caused electrical fire and the fire marshal had to come and shut off the alarm. I saw no evidence of fire and the iron and the plug still works. I was 10 days away from moving out when this happened. The master-tenant is now charging me the deposit money saying he was cited by the fire department. Shouldn't a report be filed by the fire department about this? When I asked him for the fire report/receipt/citation he threatened me that he will file a police report against me for negligence and I have to just take responsibility for the incident and part with my deposit. I am also being threatened on how this will have implications on my work visa status and my life here in the US. I emailed the fire dept. asking for report (NFIRS) and they came back saying no incident was reported. Any advice on how I should handle this? Location: San Francisco

Answer: You can sue for your deposit back if he fails to return it


Title: BBC used someone's song for over 1 minute and 30 seconds without asking

Question:
One of my favorite youtubers, rakohus, had his music stolen by the BBC in one of their shows. I'm curious what he could do as well as what the punishment for doing that would be. Thanks for all the help.

Idk where he's from.

Answer:
 He could sue them for copyright infringement and seek damages.

EDIT: why the downvotes? If you think I'm wrong please tell me why.


Title: Can I legally evict my roommate if he is one of three people on the lease and the other two are in agreement that he needs to leave?

Question:
Since we moved into a new place my roommate has been rude. He has not just rude to me. He has been rude to my mother, our neighor and our landlord.

The other night he had a party. He came home from the bar with some friends at 1am (when the bars close in Bismarck, ND.) I gave him some time to see if they were just going to crash and go to bed. At 1:45am I came out of my bedroom and said very tiredly but politely "I have formation in five hours." He was setting up his big screen tv on the wall against my bedroom wall and said "oh, we'll try to keep it down." That is not what happened. When I woke up at 5am to get ready, I could hear his friends in living room having sex on my couch. The next day we recieved a message from our landlord saying one of our neighbors complained about a party after 11pm (the agreed quiet time in our lease). He replied with "I wasn't aware having a couple people over and talking on the balcony was a party" and then got into a very sarcastic text fight with our landlord. This is not the first time he has acted this way towards her. I have tried to talk to him and if he's home he leaves the room, and doesn't respond to mine or my roommate's texts/calls.

This is just one example of why we would like him to move out. All three of us are in our mid twenties and working in the military or for the state. (He works as a finance examiner for the state banks.) I expect a lot more maturity and courtesy out of a college graduate with a state job.

Answer:
 No you are not the landlord and cannot evict anyone.

No you're landlord cannot evict one party to a lease (assuming you are all on the same lease). All parties would have to be evicted

If all parties agree, he can choose to leave and sign off of the lease


Title: Electricity Bill extremely high < $300. What can I do?

Question: Back story, So I moved into this apartment in June. Everything has been going fairly well until the cold months hit. Suddenly my electric bill is in the 200s, and then the 300s. I live in Kentucky for context. As soon as I saw the change in the bill, I notified maintenance and they claim to have not found anything wrong. I checked my heater and found out it is an obsolete model and it uses 10 kw, which is ALOT. I live in a two bedroom apartment apartment. Is there anything I can do to get compensation for my bill? It still gets cold in my apartment and the heater is running even when it meets the desired temperature. I have checked my meter multiple times and it is spinning insanely fast.

Answer:
 Check the rate on your electric bill, utilities often give a discount for electric heat.  It should read something like "Residential Service - Heating".  But $200 to $300 a month for heat is not that unusual.Answer #2: You're liable on the bill. The landlord is not liable for any portion of the bill.

Reasonableness of the heat provided is a separate issue. It's covered by KRS 383.595. It's going to be fact-sensitive as to whether or not its reasonable and your lease agreement may have modified the obligation.


Title: Dr did an unauthorized procedure

Question:
First off, this is for a friend of mine who doesn't reddit. Second, this is in Mn.

My friend went in to get her tubes tied, no biggie. The doctor noticed some endromitriosis and went ahead and removed what she could find. Now the insurance is refusing to cover the entire procedure. Does she have to file a complaint against the Dr for doing an unauthorized procedure? Is she just stuck paying for it? She really doesn't want the Dr to get in trouble, but can't afford the cost. Any ideas on where she should go from here?

Answer:
 Did your friend sign any sort of waiver or acknowledgement before the procedure? If so, she should double-check the fine print to see if she agreed to allow the doctor to perform any alterations/additional procedures the doctor deemed necessary.

If she did not, double-check with the insurance agency to find out why they're not covering the bill. If it's that they believe it's not medically necessary, the doctor may be able to write a letter stating that, in her opinion, the additional procedure was necessary.


Title: (california) I work as a security guard and had to call the non-emergency police line to report a domestic disturbance. I thought I was anonymous. The resident called me and threatened to beat me up. What can I do to protect myself?

Question:
A few nights ago, I worked security at an apartment community. Part of my job is calling the police if the situation exceeds what security can do, or if it sounds like domestic violence.

A resident called me to report what sounded like domestic violence. I called my security guard rover to listen in and confirm. he said it sounded pretty bad and advised me to call the police. We usually call the non emergency/ local PD number instead of calling 911. I called them and reported that it sounds like a domestic incident. During this time, we also had several other calls for noise like dogs barking and things of that nature.

Later that night, I received a call at the gatehouse from the unit that we called the police on. Some women said she called the police and they told her that I was the one who called them. She then threatened to come down to my guard shack and stab me. I was so freaked out I hid in the bathroom. Unfortunately, at that point I was alone because the other guard leaves halfway during my shift. I live check to check and couldn't afford to just leave, so I stayed in the guard shack and figured if push comes to shove, I have pepper spray.

My questions are: did the police line really give out that I was the one who called them, and what can I do to protect myself? I get threatened all the time, I get grabbed and pushed and stuff by the residents, but that's the nature of the job, and I also have worked retail and been sexually harassed. I am a runaway and have no family or resources. Don't tell me to just quit because I will literally be homeless without this paycheck. Thank you.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Is it possible that the police, when asked, "Who called you?" said, "Apartment security," and the resident(s) connected the rest of the dots themselves?Answer #2: Almost everything is public record if the police document it. I can go submit a public records request and get homicide case information. Sometimes info is redacted, sometimes it is not.

At this point, at best, the guy has committed felony threats to injure or inflict death. At a low, simple harassment.

Call the police and file a report.Answer #3: You should have called 911 to report the threat.


Title: employers keeping me past my scheduled shift

Question:
hello!

i work at a company that has the same name as a males genitalia. many times if i’m scheduled out at 10:30 pm i do not get out until 10:45 or 11, the latest i’ve ever had to stay was midnight. tonight i was scheduled to get off at 11 (when the stores closed b/c holiday hours) and my manager told me i had to stay until everyone left. i didn’t clock out until 11:53 pm. is there anything i can do to make sure i am able to leave at my scheduled time? i have had a few retail jobs in the past and i was never made to stay past my scheduled time out. is it legal for them (my managers) to make me stay?

i am located in new mexico.

Answer:
 This is commonly known as "having a job." In most jobs, you work until the job is done. You can find a different job with steadier hours, or you can move to Oregon, which I believe is the only state to have passed a schedule prediction law. Answer #2: You can leave any time. They'll probably fire you for doing so.

So long as you are paid for your time, there is no legal issue with requiring you work beyond your scheduled shift.


Title: Purchased Furniture that was never shipped.

Question:
My fiancé and I purchased some heavy duty custom bedroom furniture last May. The company is located in Missouri and the furniture was supposed to be delivered in 3 months. Here we are almost a year later and we have not received our furniture which we paid $1600 for.

The first time we reached out the company replied saying they were having issues with production and it would be another 2 months until we received our furniture. The second and third time we reached out we asked for our money back to which we received no reply. Upon searching the web we have found that we are not the only ones who have not received our furniture, hundreds, if not thousands have not. This company has over 2 million Facebook followers but an F with the BBB. I have reached out to the Missouri attorney general and I received a letter saying that someone would be reaching out (that was 2 months ago). What are our next steps? Can you take a company to small claims court even if they are in a different state?

Answer: Let me guess rough country rustic furniture? I have seen threads on other forums about the same thing. The state attorney general is apparently investigating. http://www.ozarksfirst.com/news/mo-attorney-general-investigating-rough-county-rustic-furniture/1111970703


Title: (Alabama) being blackmailed into sex

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 1.) You can make your facebook private where nobody can post anything on your FB nor tag you in the pictures.

2.) You told the police this person said he wanted sexual favors in exchange for not posting the pics on FB?


Title: Haven't been receiving pay checks, company was putting all of it towards health benefits I'm not supposed to receive.

Question:
(Louisiana)  I work for a large corporate company where I used to be in a manager position.  Since July of last year I stepped down to a part time position.  As a full-time manager, I used to receive health benefits and was told the rule is I had to work 40 hours a week in order to qualify for the company health care.  After I stepped down, I was explicitly told by HR that my benefits ran out at the end of the year.  Come January, I went on government insurance because my new job didn't cover me.

I just realized that, since January, I have not been receiving any pay checks at all.  I didn't realize sooner because I would only work a couple hours a month until this summer.  I called HR today and was informed that the ENTIRETY of my paycheck was going towards health benefit premiums, which I am NOT SUPPOSED to receive because I am no longer full-time.  She passed my information along to the benefits people and told me they would call me back (still waiting on this call 6 hours later).  She said it was unlikely I would receive my payments back and she didn't know if I owed them money or not.

&#x200B;

Assuming the company doesn't repay me, what are my options for getting the money I've worked for back?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Call your states labor board and make a complaint. Inform hr you filed a complaint for working for free. You did not authorize them to pay for it. You have no court order for them to pay for it. You were told you cannot have it. So you are entitled to pay for hours worked.

The labor board will get you paid will take time hr most likely doesn’t care as it will take months for fall out to hit them.Answer #2: IANAL, but you should receive that pay, ethically speaking. You shouldn’t even qualify for their benefits and it sounds like what little hours you were paid for probably wouldn’t even cover those premiums so I smell something fishy.


Title: Post It Note On Screen Door

Question: Had a next door condo neighbor put a Post It Note on my screen door telling me my TV was too loud. It was a nice note. Nothing nasty. It just pissed me off that he did it since he had to get out of bed, right the note, walk out his door, walked 60 feet to my door and stick the note onto it. Is this a violation of my privacy or home since he stuck it on my screen door at 5:15 a.m. in the morning right before I had left for work? Yes, my sound was loud but it was not on purpose. I was answering a friend's email about TRUE DETECTIVE and added in URLs from YouTube, not realizing the sound from the clips of the show was playing loud, as I typed my email. He's asked me before to turn down my sound. Is this considered harassment or an invasion of privacy, placing that post it note to my screen door? I live in Fort Worth, Texas. I was pissed since I saw the note as I was opening my screen door to go to work. He's also harassed his neighbor, who lives below him, for the sound issue, too. She's an old lady who can barely get around.

Answer:
 Sorry, **you** were pissed

>since he had to get out of bed, right the note, walk out his door, walked 60 feet to my door and stick the note onto it.

all at 5.15 in the morning?

Not as half as pissed as he was to have to do it, I'll bet. If not a note, how is he supposed communicate with you, smoke signals, flag, drums (no you wouldn't be able to hear those).

If the note was polite, consider yourself fortunate, and keep the sound down. And bear in mind, if it's a condo, there are likely to be other options for him if you don't.


Title: charged with 2nd degree burglary. should I have any hope that the charges will get reduced or is it pointless?

Question:
hi everyone. not sure if anyone could give me any kind of answer since I know it varies by case and state and everything but I’d still thought I would post here just to see people’s opinions. I’ve changed letters in their names for identify but I’ll delete the post if it’s still too much information, just trying to include as much as possible

I’m a 20 year old female (America) and last night me and 3 other people were charged with 2nd degree burglary for trespassing in our old middle school.

It was my friend’s 18th birthday and we went to an open basketball court at around 12 am because he loves basketball. His friend, “J”, who has been in trouble with the law before suggested that we go to our old middle schools gym and play basketball because they always keep the doors unlocked. I only mention he’s been in trouble because I heard it can effect our charges

We all end up going there; me, T (birthday boy), J and J’s girlfriend, K, who I’m pretty sure is on probation

T and J try to get in the gym doors and they’re locked. They then proceeded to hop the fence and the doors around the back were unlocked so they came around and opened the doors for me and K. I tell them we just need to go because it’s trespassing and they keep saying the cameras don’t work and all that.

We walk around the halls for about 15 mins just talking about our middle school classes and teachers and everything. K carries around some books for some reason claiming that they said “free” so she would be taking some.

Later on, me and T get split from the other two and we end up going down to the auditorium. We talk a little more then T notices some bags of chips and Gatorade. He grabs some and tells me to get some and I do and we walk out to find J.

Right as we walk out we’re arrested and surprise surprise the cameras did work and caught everything. Me, T and K get charged with 2nd degree burglary while J gets that + obstruction because he ran when he was first spotted. The school is pressing charges

I got bailed out last night ($3400) and my grandma has already gotten me an attorney. He listed off at least 7 different outcomes that can happen, most of which either leave me in jail or stuck with a felony all my life

My record is clean and I’m really hoping I get lucky but I don’t see it happening.. I had no criminal intentions but they make it seem like our sole purpose to break in was to steal some chips. I didn’t even want to do any of this and I regret it and I’m supposed to be moving to germany next month and all of that is ruined. I feel like my life is over, over the most stupidest thing and I hate myself. I can’t sleep and my head hurts from crying and just the thought of going to jail really makes me wanna just end it. I know it sounds dramatic but I can’t. They said I could get up to 7 years. I’m considering going to the school and trying to talk to administration and just explain everything and apologize and see if they’ll drop the charges. But i just don’t know. And my attorney doesn’t really seem to care that much.. should I talk to the school?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 >I’m considering going to the school and trying to talk to administration and just explain everything and apologize and see if they’ll drop the charges.

Do not go and confess to a crime. That's a terrible, terrible idea. In addition to being a completely awful idea, they can't drop the charges. Do not contact anyone unless your lawyer tells you to, and since he won't, don't do it. Seriously, don't.


Title: Deadbeat brother used my PayPal account to scam people. Now my account is short and PayPal is chasing me. Need advice on handling/settling.

Question:
So I naively let my deadbeat brother use my PayPal account to "sell car parts" to people online. He doesn't have a bank account  so I let him use my PayPal account to make transactions, then I would transfer the money out to my bank account and withdraw it from an ATM for him.

Long story short, he was actually scamming these people he sold parts to. They all filed claims against my account on PayPal which they of course won because he never sent them anything, and now my account is in the negative just over -$900.

I've received a few warning emails from PayPal that the debt could be turned over to a collections agency if I fail to bring my account current.

Do I have any options that don't involve me forking over $900? My first thought was to let it go to debt collectors and then try to negotiate with them to settle at a lower amount and delete it from my credit. Will that work?

Appreciate any and all advice. Thanks.

Answer:
 The negative marks will still ruin your credit.

Pay the debt and sue your brother. Since it sounds like he has no job and no money, you will likely never see that money.


Title: [GA] Can text messages be submitted as evidence in court, and can phone companies pull SMS text transcripts from over a year ago?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Yes & no.

Good questions.


Title: Fired for being pregnant

Question: My boss decided to let me go because of my pregnancy and now since I’ve mention a lawyer he decided to let me come back . Should I go back

Answer:
 There are a lot of details missing here, but based on the information provided it would probably be best to go see a local employment lawyer. The fact that the boss is asking you to come back seems like he might be panicking because he knows he fucked up.

General advice: it's never a great idea to go back to somewhere you left. In your case, I'd be worried that the boss is bringing you back so he can fire you for a legit reason and not have to fear a lawsuit.Answer #2: You need *a lot* more detail. How do you know it was for that reason? Tell your story. Answer #3: What do you mean because of your pregnancy? Were you missing work or unable to do your job?Answer #4: I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. This is just personal advice.

OP please be careful about what all you share on the internet. You especially need to be careful to not share specific details about yourself and change names if needed. Example, "My boss said Lisa (name changed), you're fired."

If people need specific details (state is important almost all the time) online, they will ask. Else you are risking putting information publicly that you didn't plan to.

Also, please follow the guidelines of everyone else and see an employment lawyer.Answer #5: Missing tons of information here. Answer #6: Do you want to go back?


Title: This summer I won a case against my guardians (and executors) of my late parents estate. (ON)

Question:
(Ontario) It's taken 5 years, and my guardians were found guilty, but looking back I'm not sure how worth it the fight was after the resources, time, and stress put in. I feel more than a little let down by the legal system.

To anyone getting a will done, make sure its done properly so your loved ones don't get screwed like I did.

Answer:
 Mind if I ask what exactly happened?Answer #2: Seconded. My mother, who hated me, got her will done by someone who clearly didn't ask any of the right questions about her assets. She left me $1k and the rest to my brother, believing that she was leaving him a windfall. After the estate is settled (house multiply mortgaged, "valuable" coin collection worth about $50, the cost of having her hoard cleared out, etc.), I'm going to come out ahead.

(I won't take the money; he deserves it for having to deal with her after I went virtually no-contact 30 years ago.)Answer #3: I guess congrats, but yes, that's always good advice. It's a little like preventative medicine - spend a little now so you don't have to spend a lot later.


Title: My landlord had someone show up at 9:45pm to do an estimate after saying it would be 6pm. My son was home alone and they came into our backyard and into our HOUSE while my 12yr old son was home alone. Not sure what I should do (WA state)

Question: I’m moving in a few days. Landlord asked about someone coming to measure for carpet replacement. Landlord and carpet person showed up at 6pm and did the walk thru and measurements. Daughter and I left and son was dropped off after we left. I got a frantic FaceTime from my son after someone pulled into the driveway at 9:45pm. They walked into the back completely fenced yard and then INTO our house. My son locked his self into my bedroom then locked the door of my closet and sat there while I was driving 65 in like a 30 to get home. He called me ex husband who drove over with no shoes or anything half asleep because a STRANGER WAS IN OUR HOUSE AT 10pm!!! What should I do next?!

Answer:
 How do you know it was someone the landlord sent? Have you made a police report? Have you asked the landlord? What kind of outcome are you hoping for?

Outside of the above, this sub is for hypotheticals, not real situations. I recommend posting in r/legaladvice instead.Answer #2: Does sound like someone broke in who’s doing estimates at 10pm??


Title: Civilian picking up federal charges. Serious responces and please no lectures.

Question:
Firstly the crime was commited in Hawaii on Federal property (Navy Exchange). Secondly this will be the first crime of ANY kind to go to court.

Recently chaptered from military service and unable to find a job/ not qualified for unemployment nor welfare and with a wife and 6 month old made the (albeit terrible) decition to steal from the main Navy post exhange. I was just recently cought in the act after a 3 month spree which I can only estimate came to around 15,000$ in property. All the items (except thoes which I was cought with that day) had been succesfuly either pawned or sold via craigslist. Of the estimated 15,000$ I have no idea how much of that will be proven or found out about however I can safely say at a minimum I will be stuck with at the very least 8000$, however Im expecting the full 15,000$.

 I was apprehended by loss prevention, turned over to the MA's (naval police) and was sited 2 times for trespassing. I was then turned over to CID ( Criminal Investigation Department ) where I was questioned and then released. Im curently awaiting my court date/summons. Any feedback (perferably from someone with exp in the legal field) is greatly apreciated. Im just curious as to what I might be looking at for charges, felonies, prison time ext. thank you

Answer:
 *18 U.S. Code § 641 - Public money, property or records*

*Whoever embezzles, steals, purloins, or knowingly converts to his use or the use of another, or without authority, sells, conveys or disposes of any record, voucher, money, or thing of value of the United States or of any department or agency thereof, or any property made or being made under contract for the United States or any department or agency thereof; or*

*Whoever receives, conceals, or retains the same with intent to convert it to his use or gain, knowing it to have been embezzled, stolen, purloined or converted—*

*Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; but if the value of such property in the aggregate, combining amounts from all the counts for which the defendant is convicted in a single case, does not exceed the sum of $1,000, he shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
The word “value” means face, par, or market value, or cost price, either wholesale or retail, whichever is greater.*

Based on this it looks like if they convict you for an amount over $1,000 you could get up to 10 years in prison.


Title: If a loan is not paid back for an extended amount of time, do legally I deserve interest?

Question:
If I have a contract with someone where they agree to pay back a loan on a certain date and don't do it, can I demand the loan plus interest?

I made somebody a loan of $500 and the contract didn't mention interest because the loan was supposed to be paid back in 6 days. It's been over a year and they haven't paid me back, am I owed interest as well as the $500?

Answer:
 >the contract didn't mention interest

Then no you cannot charge interest nor impose any penalty.


Title: I am required to submit a drug test for my job in New Jersey. I am a recreational marijuana smoker and don't think I will pass the drug test.

Question: I'm assuming companies drug test employees because weed is not a legal substance in the state of New Jersey. I was wondering if I could book a flight to Colorado and legally buy marijuana from a dispensary, and get a copy of my receipt showing I purchased weed legally. Is that allowed? What are the legal implications in regards to this?

Answer: The fact that you legally procured the marijuana does not matter.   Generally,  the employer expects a clean drug test unless you have a prescription for something,  which would not apply to marijuana.  The employer may overlook marijuana,  but most do not. Answer #2: Depending on the job, they might not want someone who smokes. Also, it is still illegal on the federal level. I'd either stop smoking or find a job that doesn't require a drug test.Answer #3: Companies can in Colorado still drug test for weed, and a company can choose not to hire you for something that is perfectly legal. This is going to be particularly true if your company does much work with the federal government, who still considers marijuana use illegal.


Title: If I change the names of the real-life characters in my memoir, can they still sue me?

Question:
Hello, I'm from Wisconsin and I'm writing a memoir. I had some not-so-pleasant people in my life and talk about them in the story. I have changed names, descriptions, and locations in order to be as ambiguous and anonymous as possible. So can they still sue me if they get mad?

What about a religious institution I spoke out against? It's not an individual church, it's a denomination.

Answer:
 >So can they still sue me if they get mad?

Yeah, I could even sue you because I feel like it, the question you are asking here does a potential lawsuit filed by one of them have any merrit?

In slander/defamation cases the thruth is an absolute defense, if you wrote the complete truth then you have a great defense. But you will never be able to do anything without risking a lawsuit against you, not even when you walk down to the grocery store.


Title: Accepted a job offer, moved out of state using money from my own pocket.... [Virginia]

Question:
I used to live in Hawaii. I had a good job there, but was offered a high paying job in Germany. I received my acceptance letter, and went through the paces of selling ALL of my stuff, payed to have my car shipped to the states, quit my job and flew to Atlanta to say goodbye to my folks. (this is over a span of 2 months) 3 days before I was supposed to show up to finish the hiring process, I was informed I was no longer being considered for the position due to security clearance requirements had changed, and it would take too long to get my clearance up to par.

Is there anything I can do? This happened a couple years ago, but just found this subreddit. So now im curious.

*Not really sure what to label this... Labor Law?*

Answer: You may have a claim for promissory estoppel. Definitely sounds worth talking to an employment lawyer about.Answer #2: Did you have a signed contract?


Title: I'm having a party coming up soon and have some questions about the legality of a few things.

Question:
UPDATE: I am located in Kentucky.

I'm having a back to school party at my house but am concerned about a few things.

There's an empty church parking lot next to my house that I occasionally use to park my own car in when I don't feel like parking in my long drive way. For this party, I planned on using the church parking lot for attendees to park their cars. Is it legal for us to use the empty church parking lot to park our cars on a Saturday night?

Secondly, there will be some underage drinking happening. I'm not expecting anyone to get shit faced; only just enough for everyone to have a good time. The party is going to be at my parent's house (without them being home). What would the legal repercussions be if some of us were to be caught drinking, underage? Specifically, who would be charged?

Answer:
 The church can have the cars towed from their lot. If everyone at the party is underage, it's possible your parents would be charged if the police show up. Answer #2: It's illegal to park at the church.   When your attendee's leave trash and damage landscaping it will be a problem.

At a NYE party twenty years ago a friend brought a minor.  We didn't know she was a minor, he didn't know.  Friend of a friend.  She had a seizure at about 11pm.  Cops.  Ambulance.  We narrowly avoided being arrested.  Then waited weeks to see if we would be charged.

Dont do this.  Answer #3: 1. No trespassing is not okay.
2. Everyone under 21 gets charged for minor in possession, everyone over 21 gets charged for providing alcohol to minors.

You, and your parents, are open to a *huge* amount of civil and criminal liability here.


Title: I fucked up (DUI + petty theft) and am having intense panic attacks. What is most likely to happen with my charges? [ID]

Question:
Alright so about 3 weeks ago I was put into jail for a underage DUI with open container. I was initially pulled over for speeding.

I was released on $3200 bail on the second day and swore to myself id never go back in there. About 10 days later I started new medication which triggered a hypomaniac (bipolar) and decided it would be a good idea to go shoplift a rock star from my local grocery store.

So now i have several big pending misdeamors and a criminal defense lawyer that I hired. I am 19 years old, can code, have a decent job in c# development and a girlfriend. But now im afraid im going to end up in jail for a very long time. I was placed under suicide watch in jail for 2 days which was not something I would even wish on my worst enemy. The item i stole was worth $2. I do not know when my court date is yet because the pre trials have been continued due to police reports needing to be gathered.

I really really fucked up I dont know what was goimg through my head at the time. I am now back home and going through intensive DBT therapy as well as an outpatient addiction program. But every day that I wake up i cant find myself enjoying things or putting in the effort to change because the constant thought of me going to jail for a long time keeps causing intense feelings of panic. I want to live a normal life, I want to stay with my girlfriend. I fucked up so big I just feel like killing myself because what if I lose everything? My attorney is very good and has gotten people out of felony charges in the past but I now have multiple misdeamors on my name. But I am worried it wont be the same for me.

Can a misdemeanor which occured at a seperate time than the original be counted as violating parole from the DUI?

Is this the end for me? Is my life over? Someone please help me, I have asked my lawyer what the possibilities are and he only said he 'may have a chance of diverting or dropping the charges'. MAY have a chance. I dont want to do any of this shit ever again and I fucked up so badly, I feel like a piece of shit. Someone please just tell me what is most likely to happen with a DUI + petty theft charge? I just want some re assurance about things at least which my lawyer hasnt given me any so far yet. I am considering just killing myself if I end up going to jail for a long time. I took the perfect opportunity of life and just completely ruined it.

I constantly wonder if it is even worth living anymore if I cannot even envision a future for myself. Am I going to be okay? Are these charges the end of the world for me?

Answer: These charges are not the end of your world. Just deal with them calmly and logically. You'll work through this and be OK. DUI plus petty theft charge isn't going to be supermax prison.


Title: (NY) I have Asperger’s. What reasonable accommodations can I expect at work?

Question:
So this is my first ever “real” job, in an office setting, and I am very new. I have diagnosed Asperger’s Syndrome. However, I am rather high functioning so I did not disclose this to my employer.

The office is jam packed so I have to share a cubicle. The other woman is nice but she is very loud...to me. You see, one of my main symptoms is oversensitivity to sounds. She drums her fingers, clicks her pen, and chews gum. Other people would probably find this tolerable but it’s driving me insane and I can’t help it. Some days I’ve felt close to having a meltdown. I’m worried it’s going to affect the quality of my work.

There’s nowhere for me to move without it being a hassle. Can I expect accommodation for this because I technically have a disability? I am nervous to ask because I am new and don’t want to be perceived as a problem.

Please don’t tell me to just suck it up, I cannot help my reactions to these stimuli.
Topic:
Disability Issues

Answer:
 You can't simply expect any accommodation.  You have to go through the proper channels to request what you feel you need.

Accommodations, as you note, have to be reasonable from your employer's perspective.  They don't, for example, have to give you a private office if one isn't available for someone who does your job.   Maybe they can allow you to use noise-cancelling earbuds or something similar, as long as it doesn't interfere with your work.Answer #2: You need to request an accommodation. Which in this case would likely be "I'd like to bring some head phones from home."

If your boss is okay with it, then you're good.


Title: WI; (13yo) when can I leave court ordered visitation?

Question: While my parents are in court over custody (I no longer want to see him), a temporary order was given that requires me to see my dad from 10-5, with the condition that he couldn't drink or do drugs 10 hours before or during visitation. If he were to yell at me, or do something similar to that, would I be able to leave? And if I knew he was drinking before visitation how would I prove it?

Answer:
 Nope. There are court orders. You would be a run away. Call the police if you are scared or harmed. Not just because you don't want to be there. Answer #2: >If he were to yell at me, or do something similar to that, would I be able to leave?

No

>And if I knew he was drinking before visitation how would I prove it?

If you can smell alcohol on his breath, then the police will too (and they can do a blood alcohol test to prove it).  If you smell alcohol on his breath, then a little while later excuse yourself to go to the bathroom and call your mother and/or the police from the bathroom (don't confront your father yourself about the alcohol that you smell, and don't tell him that you are going to call your mother or the police about it).

PS.  Do not do ANY of the above unless you are SURE that you smell alcohol on his breath.  It will only make matters MUCH worse for you if you falsely accuse him (even if you thought you were correct about it).


Title: Is it legal to torrent a film that I already own?

Question: Moving to university tomorrow and I realised too late that I don't have any of my films on my laptop. It's taking about an hour to rip each one and I don't have enough time to do that. Also I live in the UK.

Answer:
 In the US, it's a DMCA violation even to rip the dvd.

The problem with torrenting isn't the downloading--it's uploading. You will be distributing bits to others. That is where you run afoul of laws.

If you don't seed after completion, and the movies are not new releases, chances of being observed are very close to nill.


Title: Mexican Hospital Shakedown

Question:
A family member (19 y/o male in otherwise good health) became seriously ill during a recent trip to Cabo San Lucas. He was rushed by ambulance from his hotel to St. Luke’s Hospital in Cabo.

He was diagnosed with a very large kidney stone blocking his kidney and was in immediate danger of sepsis. The doctors insisted on an operation but would not proceed without his parents sending approximately $10,000 in cash (while he writhed in pain in a filthy hospital bed).

The family members sent the money to the hospital and the operation occurred. Following the operation, he was given minimal pain medication, ignored for hours, soaked in blood and urine, and so on before finally being released. He has insurance but did not take out travel insurance.

He was flown to a US hospital as soon as he was stable enough to be released, but his ordeal is far from over. He now has a very serious infection and the doctors are trying to determine if the kidney stone was actually even removed at all (CT scans and MRIs are inconclusive as there’s a shunt in his kidney and it’s impossible to determine if the white spots on the scans is the shunt or the shunt and the stone behind it). An additional and much-needed procedure can’t happen until the infection is at bay and he’s more stable.

The US hospital is trying to obtain his medical records, specifically the operating room records. St. Luke’s has sent his intake notes but refuses to turn over the OR notes despite numerous written appeals and phone calls over the last 36 hours.

Is there anything that his family can do to get them to turn over the records? I am considering the possibility that they’ll be falsified anyway, but it would be a very valuable starting point at the least.

Answer:
 You're well past the point of Internet advice and well into "get a real lawyer" territory.  This is a scam they run in Mexico where foreigners are admitted and given poor emergency care at an inflated cost.  It got some coverage a few years ago when a bunch of hotels were serving bootleg liquor and people were getting sick.

You really need a lawyer familiar with this situation.  There's a mess to be sorted out with insurance, the hospital, and possibly the embassy.


Title: Is my mom allowed to do this to me? (SC)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You can get copies of all those documents.

You'll need to talk to a lawyer in person to dig up information about whatever inheritance you think there is.


Title: Can a lawyer charge for their time stuck in a traffic jam?

Question:
My friend is going through a divorce, and her lawyer got stuck in traffic for two hours, delaying the court. They then charged by the hour for the time they spent stuck in traffic. She doesn’t have a ton of money, and I’m curious if this is legal.

The lawyer also did some other shady stuff, like beginning to offer legal advice to the other party in the divorce part way through.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Lawyers often have travel time built into the contracts - as in, you pay for the reasonable time it takes to travel to court.  If that happens to involve a traffic jam on the normal or reasonable route, you pay that.

Your friend needs to review her agreement with the attorney.Answer #2: Assuming that travel time is included in the contract as time they can bill, then yes, that is legal and not shady.  Answer #3: Your friend should have signed a contract with the lawyer regarding fees. I recommend going over that to see what it says.

And what is the context of the "shady stuff" the lawyer did?Answer #4: Yes, the lawyer can charge for that. Had it not been for your friend, her client, she would not be needed in court. Therefore, she would not have driven to court. Further, should would not have gotten stuck in traffic. It's the same logic as charging a client for waiting at the courthouse to be heard by the judge. There are only so many hours in the day and a lawyer can't be in two places at once, so somebody has to pay for their time. The lawyer might be nice and discount the time but they don't have to.


Title: NY. Landlord tried to claim I didn't pay a month's rent (which I did) to not pay me my security back. Now his secretary has been "waiting to hear from him" for 3 weeks. What's my next move to speed this along?

Question:
Known slumlord. Type in **** Associates in Google and the first auto complete is **** Associates Ripoff. However, they owe me money which they're obviously trying to wait out. Is there a "time is of the essence" type motion I can make? It's like 190 dollars, but I don't mind going to small claims if it pays.

*EDITed to protect the guilty.*

Dubble EDIT:
I should add on: I withheld rent because the roof was leaking for 3 months. When I went to pay the next month's rent (since it had been fixed) he decided not to accept it because we would have to go to court to settle. I told him I wanted some compensation for the fact that I'm paying 430 dollars in a month to heat a 1 floor 1,500 sq ft apartment with 6 warm bodies in it. We settled on him giving me 100 dollars and I paid all rents. *In the meantime*, he mailed a 3 day notice and a petition. After we settled on the compromise, his office sends a bill for the delivery of the 3 day and the petition, $25 for the 3 day and $45 for the petition. Fast forward to 45 days after we leave... I was told I got no deposit because "I didn't pay rent and had legal fees". I come to find out there was another $75 fee that didn't get mailed out, but did get logged because we settled between when it got logged and when it got mailed.

Do I owe those legal fees? That's what "we" are waiting to hear about, is whether the 75 dollars is included in what I still allegedly owe... but what I'm wondering is do I even owe for the 3 day and the petition? I was legally withholding rent for repairs that ran 3 months. (Not to mention they determined that these issues were "emergency" enough to gain access to the house without contacting any of the room mates, but not emergency enough to be fixed for months.) Anyway, even with the 45 and 25 dollar fees, I still would get money back.

Answer: Since /u/thepatman is sleeping on the job (how dare he sleep at 1am!) I'll go ahead and tell you that you need to remove the name of the party you are having this dispute with from your post.


Title: Central Pennsylvania - How long will it take for the police to arrest my attacker??

Question: I was attacked by a man previously known to me on May 1st while I was walking to the ATM. I was hit & kicked viciously, all while avoiding seven attempts to stun gun me. I worked with the police that night & identified him along with his address, which the police verified is current. Due to my attacker's promise that it'll be worse next time, I believe he intends to kill me. I've been getting no call backs from the police despite leaving messages all week. I'm going to city hall today to ask about it, but I'd like your opinion on why my attacker hasn't been arrested yet?

Answer:
 He may be caught ten minutes from now or he may never be caught. I understand you are frightened. You need to take reasonable precautions until and if he is caught. The police are not going call out all cars for a dragnet. His description will be on the officers hot sheets for a while. And they will do their best to find him to avoid any further attacks. But it is not magic. It's hard work and a lot of luck that needs to happen for success.Answer #2: Could be lack of evidence, could be police are still investigating, could be police have other things they consider more immediate, could be police think you are making the attack up, could be the police department has been invaded by reptilians from Zentauri XII and are two busy making beer in the White House with Obama to save their home planet to bother.

We really can't know. Sometimes these things take a long time. Have you spoken to the police officers you spoke to that night?


Title: I'm 18 years old with an (ex)girlfriend who is 17 years old, worried about her parents pressing charges

Question: So some context, I (18) started dating this girl (17) for a little while and things started to get physical and we started having sex. Everything we did was consensual and I made sure to ask every time if she was okay with everything and any time she said no I made sure to respect that. Now her mom is freaking out after finding out about it and threatening to press charges on me for sleeping with her if I attempt to contact her again. Through this whole ordeal (5 weeks now) I've had no contact with the gf and I've been respectful in asking to have a conversation with her to end things but now her mother is flipping her shit trying to threaten me with a case. The age of consent in Missouri is 17 years old, basically I'm wondering if there's anything she can do to legally fuck me. Thanks reddit

Answer:
 The age of consent is 17 in your state, she was 17. You were 18 and were dating her. No crime has been committed since both of you were consenting to the acts.

If you're afraid her parents will sway her to say it was not consensual, I would ensure I have evidence regarding your relationship that could help protect you from accusations. At that point, I would strongly advise you clam up and speak with an attorney.


Title: I'm supposed to be in court 300 miles away on Monday. I have no money and have no idea how I'm going to get there.

Question:
Hello reddit, I could really use some advice here. I'm just been trying to put my life back together since my ex roommate got me in this stupid situation and I've lost pretty much everything. He called in a false amber alert back in May while we were stranded in Oregon. We both got put in jail. I was released due to overcrowding and we eventually made it back to Seattle. I had no way of getting back down there after he told me he'd help me get down there for my court date and went back on his word so they issued a warrant. Was finally able to call in enough favors from friends to get it recalled about a week ago so that I can get a job( I lost my job while stranded). I have $100 still pending in my bank account that was supposed to pay for my bus tickets down there and the soonest I can get a hold of the court is the day of the trial. If I get another FTA I'm screwed is what they said. I'm really worried and don't know what to do. Please help.

Edited to clarify: No I was not sitting on my ass for months wondering what I should do. I didn't get to Seattle until the end of June. At that point had it figured out. Roommate was going to go down with me. Time comes to go to court, he finds out from his lawyer that he doesn't have to go. Decides not to help me. I'm fucked. Been paying my friend any money I could get to stay at his place. Can't get hired anywhere. Fast forward to a week ago, saved up enough money to get the warrant recalled. Court date set for a week later. Giving me a week to save the amount it took me months to save.

Answer:
 > I'm really worried and don't know what to do. Please help.

Find a way to show up. This is something you probably should have spent the last 5 months working out rather than waiting till the weekend before your court date.Answer #2: Hitchhike. Beg for money and take a bus. Call in some favors. Borrow from friends. But show up.Answer #3: I'm sorry, can you elaborate on the false Amber Alert. Are you a minor?Answer #4: How is it possible you have saved up no money since May knowing this was going to happen?


Title: Towed car at apartment complex in PA

Question:
Over the weekend I left my car at my boyfriend's apartment complex while I was visiting home. He forgot to put the guest parking pass on it and it was towed. I didn't know about the tow until I got back last night when I was about to embark on the hour and a half drive back to my school. There was a sign posted about unauthorized vehicles being towed, and it's private property, but I was never notified while I was away so it racked up to 185$ which I don't have to get it out. I contacted the towing company and they don't seem willing to work something out with me.

Is there anything I can do legally? From things I've read online about towing laws is that they should have notified me that it was towed, but it seems unclear. Thanks for reading. It doesn't seem hopeful but I'm just really desperate to get my car back!

Answer:
 I'm not finding any requirement that they notify you of a tow.  I'm not sure how you'd expect them to notify you, anyhow.  The only identifier would be the plate number, which only gives you an address.  They could send a letter, I guess.

You were towed from private property, with a posted sign.  They gave you a method to be able to park there(guest pass), but you didn't do that.  I don't know what legal recourse you'd expect to have.  Unless you find a specific regulation that they violated, you were towed appropriately and legally, and are out the cash.


Title: (HI) Have to vacate rental house so termite company can tent it(fumigate). Is landlord responsible for expenses and lost goods?

Question: Hi guys. My family and I are stationed in Hawaii. We started noticing wood damage with termites and an increase of the occasional roach, and ants. Landlord has acknowledged they were late to tent the place (they should have done it before we moved in. Because we have to leave for 24 hours, (we'll stay with friends close by) would it be unreasonable for them to pay for our dogs boarding and the loss of our dry food goods?

Answer:
 >would it be unreasonable for them to pay for our dogs boarding and the loss of our dry food goods?

If they caused you to incur expenses due to their failed obligations, then yes, they should pay.  It's common sense.  Of course, you have a duty to mitigate damages and be reasonable with the expenses (no 10-star doggy hotels), but yeah, and they have to pay for you to be housed if you can't find a place.

It seems harsh, I have a case right now where the landlord has been paying my client's hotel bill for 2 months because of their (landlord's) failures to keep the residence habitable.


Title: Is it possible to make marriage a 5 or 10 year contract with renewal options? (MD)

Question: [deleted]

Answer: No. But there is something called divorce you might be interested in.


Title: I’m being punished for my appearance?

Question:
I am an employee at a privately owned company in Georgia. Yesterday, a customer looked unhappy with their beverage and I asked if everything was okay. She replied that it was, and thanked me. A few minutes later, my manager asked me to apologize to that same woman. I asked what I was apologizing for, so I could resolve the situation. The manager did not know what the issue was either, and responded that the woman was just upset with me. The manager then went to ask the woman what happened that had upset her. The woman stated that she thought I had “racist vibes”, and that I looked like a “privileged white girl” and “trump supporter”. I was nothing but respectful towards this woman, and I can’t think of anything I had said or done that could have upset her. At this point, the woman had left the store and there was nothing I could have said to her regardless. As “punishment” I was told to do extra work, and I thought that was the end of it. Later that night, I received a text in a group chat from the store owners. They stated that they were docking my pay, and altering my schedule (including my shift the following morning), so that I would not have any interaction with customers due to my “poor customer service”.

Today, I had a meeting with one of the owners who was told all of this from the manager on duty that day. She was 1. mad that I did not apologize to this woman (because I literally had no idea what I was apologizing for at the time) and 2. fearful about having me interact with customers anymore due to my “resting bitch face” and my general “vibes”. I’ll mention here that we all wear the same exact uniform so the comments that the woman made were based solely on my appearance. After the meeting concluded, the owner decided to stick with the punishments that she stated in the group text.

Legally, what can/should I do? I feel like I’m being punished for my appearance/things outside of my control.

Answer:
 What do you mean "docking your pay"?

Reducing your hours or firing you due to a complaint is not illegal. Deducting from your pay probably is depending on what you mean by that.Answer #2: >They stated that they were docking my pay

This is the one thing that stands out in your narrative as questionable. They can't just dock your pay, legally. They could lower your pay (as long as it doesn't go below minimum wage) *moving forward only*. What *exactly* are they doing with your pay?Answer #3: Wow.  Sounds like a situation right in the gap of Title VII.  Retaliation because of a customer's (possibly) racism.  Sucks.

I would start looking for a new job.


Title: Ex-co-founder is asking for my SSN (DE, USA)

Question:
Last year, I co-founded a company (C corp in Delaware, United States) with a colleague. This year, I resigned for personal reasons, and he was very angry. He just emailed me asking for my social security number for corporate taxes. Should I give it to him?

I was never paid anything, except he bought back my shares for the same amount I initially paid (~$50).

His request seems reasonable. I just wanted to double check because I've been a victim of identity theft before.
Topic:
Business Law

Answer:
 I wouldnt just email your SSN.

Thats not really safe at all, what if your computer had a virus or keylogger?

It would be better to go to the physical location to fill out the forms that way you could ensure no abuse.


Title: Hired a lawyer that is failing to communicate timely and hasn't done much work after almost a year. What should I do?

Question:
Got injured last year in October during a haunted house malfunction and hired a lawyer to send a demand letter to the company running the haunted house to cover medical bills and pain and suffering. Lawyer assigns me a case manager and after many months of delay and lack of communication, finally calls me in August to tell me they received the medical records and can now send the demand letter. Fast forward 3 months later I hear nothing, so I called today and find out the case manager left the office and the letter was never completed nor sent out. Asked to speak with the lawyer on my case and he has not gotten back to me yet, but responses sometimes takes weeks.

What should I do? Hire a new lawyer? I don't want to pay fees up front but it doesn't seem like much work was done anyway. I'm in California.

Answer: Go to the office and talk to the lawyer.  Or, fire the lawyer and find a new one.Answer #2: You can always first write a letter, send it via certified mail, and threaten to file a bar complaint if you sincerely believe he/she just took a retainer and never actually performed work. If no response say within 10 business days, it may be worth it to file a California bar complaint. Because if this attorney has done this to you, odds are you aren't the only one. The legal industry is self regulating and lawyers typically try to maintain a standard of integrity and honesty. Start the inquiry process directly with him, it could be an oversight. If things get murky, then perhaps take it a step further.


Title: Problem neighbor PA

Question:
Hello all,

This isn't my first time posting about this here but I just wanted to get some input regarding something. A little backstory: In Feb 2019 I bought this house, and it included the parcel of land adjacent to the house. There used to be a shed in the back with a fence that stretched the width of the house and the parcel of land in the back. Both the fence and the shed were tore down prior to closing on the house, because home insurance said it had to go since they were both in pretty bad shape. Behind the two properties and the properties of my neighbors there is an access road that everyone uses to park behind their home, besides me because there is a driveway in the adjacent parcel of land.

Everything was fine at first, but my neighbor which is highlighted in yellow in my shitty ms paint diagram, has a daughter that lives with her. The owner of the house is an old woman, and this daughter is in her 40's. The owner never ever parks in the driveway that is on my land, but her daughter simply never respected our property. Apparently this was an ongoing issue with the previous owner of the house that I purchased and they got into many an argument over this.

On several occasions I actually witnessed "friends" of her daughter or whatever they are, drive through my driveway and through the grass in the back straight to the access road. I also witnessed them driving from the access road in the back through my lot to get to the street. At first, I didn't say anything because there was a hole in the driveway that my neighbor had to fix because apparently her sewer line runs under part of the driveway, and so I was waiting for that to be fixed. Once it was fixed I posted no parking and no trespassing signs, and I put up a security camera recording the driveway.

I know that a lot of you would say that I should've just spoken to them about it, but the one time I tried to talk to the old woman about it, her daughter was in the back cursing and yelling. She even threatened that someone was going to "come talk to me". That night after she said that to me, my camera alerted me that there was someone in the driveway, and lo and behold it was the daughter and her shady friends. So, instead of confronting them, which I know would've led to further trouble, I simply called the police. The police came out and issued them a ticket, and told me if they didn't move I could have the car towed.

I decided to have a professional land survey done of the survey, which I know I should have done before buying the house. The survey revealed exactly what I thought, the entire driveway belongs to me with the exception of maybe an inch or less. The property now has survey pins and I am waiting for the map from the surveyor. No one parks or pulls into the driveway since I called the police with the exception of one time when I was working over night, and they only stayed for about 3 minutes.

My surveyor says he did not see any rights to use my driveway by them in the deeds or any easements or anything.My house, the parcel I purchased, and the old woman's house all belonged to the same owner once upon a time, and were subdivided at some point. I believe this was far before the old woman purchased that house, which was in 2000.

 I plan on putting up a chain link fence where i drew in purple in the diagram. My question is, lets say I call someone to put up a fence and when they're there my neighbor or her daughter starts trouble, what can I do? Can I call the police and will they do anything? I will of course have all the necessary permits pulled before the work begins.  The reason I ask this is because my neighbor's daughter is very confrontational and continues to mean mug me whenever she sees me outside even though I ignore her, so I know that if someone comes to put up a fence on my property, it will definitely start a confrontation. Honestly this is my first time experiencing such a thing and it's causing me stress. Thanks in advance.

&#x200B;

Here's the shitty MS diagram:

My house is in red, the parcel in green, my neighbor's house in yellow, the back access road is in blue, and the orange is where I plan on putting up a fence. [Shitty MS diagram](https://imgur.com/a/FpF0DnY)

Answer:
 Didn't see this answered in this or the newer post...

>My question is, lets say I call someone to put up a fence and when they're there my neighbor or her daughter starts trouble, what can I do?

NAL.

Fence contractors are not oblivious to the reasons people want to build fences. If they encounter any resistance from the neighbor they will usually contact their customer (you) then you or they will contact the police if needed.

If all the shitty neighbor does is stay on her property and curse at them, they'll just get their work done. If she assaults them, and you have your cameras working, the police will deal with her.

Not a reason at all to not contact someone about building that fence, like, tomorrow - Monday.  It's been months now you've been talking about this fence... just do it.Answer #2: I would put up a 6ft privacy fence and gates on the driveway and stand up for yourself dont let her intimate you


Title: Can I, an adult, live in public housing with my mom?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Most public housing will allow something like that, as long as neither of you have a disqualifying criminal record or unpaid debt to HUD.


Title: Not Sure If I Am In I Am Going To Get Arrested

Question:
Location - California

So about 4 days ago I was driving home from school and was about 2 cities over and a police officer started following me. I was in the fast lane of a 2 lane highway. I was going 69-71 and the posted limit for that highway is 65, but I was going with the flow of traffic. Anyway, the officer changes lane, pulls into my blind spot and turns on his intercom (no siren) and says something that I can't make out. I motion to my ear and mouth what, but he speeds ahead and gets off on the next off ramp. I changed lanes to the slow lane, because I figured since there was no siren I wasn't being pulled over and I assumed he just said I was slowing traffic (it's normal for people to be going anywhere from 73-78 on that stretch of road). Anyway I've been paranoid that he could have said to pull over at the next off ramp since then.

I wake up today to see a police car from that city parked near my car, the officer did not get out as far as I could see, but he did appear to be looking at my car. My paranoia is out of control at this point.

My questions are

1) Am I resisting arrest or something of that nature?

2) Do I need to turn myself in?

3) How can I tell if I have to pay a fine?

4) If I have to pay a fine, is there way I can do a payment plan, since I am a college student my budget is strictly the essentials.

5) If I call the PD how do I ask about this?

6) My plan of action was to either call up the department or go to the station, most likely the former, to see what could be done.  Is this the best course of action?

7) Would I need to be given any sort of notice, or is there a chance of my car getting a boot without any notice?

Edit: 8) My mom is also on the loan/title for my car so is she liable for anything?

Thanks for any and all help.

Answer: Most likely yelling at you to get out of the passing lane


Title: My Ex is accusing me of cyber stalking after I used pictures she had on facebook during our divorce.

Question:
Is there any merit to this?  I make no contact with her outside of what is required from our divorce.  They were all set to public.  I am in Florida.   There really is nothing more to it.  She says it is because I had the pictures.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: No merit at all.Answer #2: That's not what cyberstalking is, you're fine.


Title: [Indiana] Bio dad does not support child, mother does not press the issue. Step-dad do not know what to do.

Question: My wife and I met 3.5 yrs ago, and at the time she was living with her daugher's father. She moved out shortly after and I moved in to help with the financials of her having her own place. Side note they were never married, they have not gone to court previously, he is listed on the birth certificate, and she carries his last name. Fast forward we get married and my now stepdaughter is moved from my wife's insurance to my insurance. Step daughters residence was approximately 70% our place 30% his. We would front all the bills and have him pay us back(only bills he provided no other money for insurance premiums, monthly food and clothing support). Once again court was never visited at all this was just a verbal agreement. It was always a battle to have him pay us back and even to this day he probably has never fully settled on those previous bills. He would also always pay in cash, and has never paid in anything but that. This continues until I got a new job in January of this year. Since we did not have full documentation of everything from previously we gave him a clean slate. So January we move from city X to city Y. These two are 1.5 hrs apart and we meet in a neutral area half way between to drop off my stepdaughter to each other. This is every other weekend when he is available. So now living is about 90% with us and 10% with him. After the move my stepdaughter got really sick. 2 ER trips and a 3 day stay in pediatrics put us in the hole a few thousand. With school starting we have also paid for all supplies, fees, and new clothes. The straw that broke the camel's back for me was recently. Two days every other weekend when she sees him he feeds her mcdonalds at least 3 meals, she doesnt bathe, and he doesnt have her brush her teeth. When she is with us she brushes her teeth every morning and at least 5 nights of the week. She went to the dentist yesterday and we found out that she will need to be knocked out to have some procedures done due to "she does not take care of her teeth". This procedure was unofficially quoted from a few k to a couple few k... So this is where my questions come in. 1. Since there has been no court visits, do we have any ground to stand on for making him pay? (we have dropped a total of ~3500 and he has paid just shy of 500) 2. Does he have any visitation rights since court hasn't been involved. 3. As a step parent what rights do I have in this situation (there has not been any paperwork filed for me to be a guardian or such) 4. I pick her up this Sunday, I have a file which breaks down what he owes. I was going to present this to him and inform him that he needs to start paying or court will be involved and if he isn't square by year end we will be claiming her on taxes again(we have been swapping years) Question here is giving him a paper copy of this file a good idea, and telling him about non payment consequences a good idea. I was also going to inform him about the dental bills and let him know his responsibility. 5. Finally, I guess more so to wrap up 4 simply, should I speak with him or keep my mouth shut and just contact a lawyer. If it is the latter, how do I proceed or is it my wife that needs to proceed? Thank you all for the help you can provide.

Answer: if she doesn't want to press the issue there is nothing you can do. if she does she will likely be eligible for back child support, and ongoing, including medical costs.


Title: TX - I want to get rid of a couple swords.

Question: As a teen, I was guilty of collecting a bunch of crappy costume weapons whenever I went to the renaissance festival. Now, they're tacky shelf fillers that look horrible. Is there any legal issue with just trying to sell these to someone?

Answer: It's Texas. Put 'em on Craigslist and wash your hands of them.


Title: To what degree will the courts honor my will?

Question:
If I were to add a clause that states that my killer should not be charged in the event of my murder, what would happen?

I know that there’s a law in CA that states that people cannot profit from murder, but I don’t see how this would apply. Is there something else that’s similar, which would prevent me from including this?

As to why I would ever want to do this, the reasoning is simple: because I feel like it.

Answer: No. Your wishes may be used during sentencing to argue for a lighter sentence, but would carry not legal weight.


Title: Mother being extorted by realtor to sell her rental property

Question: [deleted]

Answer: I can't tell if you're trolling by treating this as a hypothetical that somehow doesn't involve a white supremacist organization, or if you actually know this guy, since this is, after all, reddit. Either way you're misrepresenting your relationship to the case, and leaving out an awful lot of details, which means any legal advice you get here won't be particularly useful.Answer #2: I feel like there's more to the story that we're not hearing.  I guess you could start with why everyone hates her son.


Title: If my Gf moves to Colorado to help her sister with her first child will she get stuck there due to my gf childs father living in Colorado.

Question:
 My gf  got pregnant in Colorado and moved to NM. She has been here since she was 2 months pregnant. The father did want the child at first but now he is taking her to court for custody. She wants to go to Colorado springs to help her sister with the first year of her on the way child.
  My GFs child's father lives in Colorado and if she moves there for a year can he force her to stay using some custody laws? She would like to move back to new mexico after the year with her sisters baby.

Answer:
 They cannot force her to stay.

They may tell her she cannot take the child out of state, though, or award custody to the father if she wants to leave.


Title: Does anyone know what marriage contracts of the extremely wealthy look like?

Question:
The reason I ask is the president-elect. I'm going to go ahead and guess that the nature of his relationship with Melania isn't one of starry-eyed romance and deep faith in one another. Just a theory. And this is hardly the first or only marriage of this nature. I'm curious what kinds of clauses and provisions might be in such marriage contracts, and what kind of detail they go into. Is it stuff like:

>minimum and maximum public appearances together per quarter

>at least one male pregnancy brought to term and surviving to at least age 6

>sexual intercourse frequency on a sliding-scale of incentives

I imagine this sort of stuff doesn't get made public, but if anyone has any insight I'd love to hear it.

Answer:
 Pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements - the kinds of contracts you're discussing - don't generally get made public. They're retained by each spouse, and generally by each spouse's lawyer, and only become relevant if they're presented during the divorce process or as part of a lawsuit.

Contracts to compel sexual performance or reproductive performance are, bluntly, unenforceable. Nobody who's paying that much money for a lawyer will have any such clauses, because their lawyers won't bother drafting them, even if their respective clients insist. Their marital life is their own, and no contract in the world can hold them to it, at least in the US.

Instead, most pre-nuptial contracts concern _assets_: the disposal of marital property and separate property in case of divorce, ground rules for what property each party is expected to bring into or keep out of the marriage, pre-establishing a baseline for spousal support, and so on. A pre-nup is as much an estate planning tool as a last will and testament is, and an opportunity to ensure that each party gets out of their planned marriage the assets they want if and when that marriage ends.

If you _really_ want to find out, you'll pretty much need to work at a law firm that handles family law or estate planning, or look at pre-nups that have actually been filed with the court as part of past proceedings. No lawyer is going to discuss the specifics of their clients' confidential affairs with you, except in extremely broad strokes. However, it's fairly safe to assume that Melania Trump's lawyers have ensured that she will be well compensated for her contributions to her marriage, and that she has plans in place in case of its termination.


Title: [MN] My cousin died on Saturday, my Uncle is trying to adopt her two boys.

Answer:
 So uncle who was caring for the kids and wants to adopt them is charged with DWI and drug distribution? Yeah that is a big problem.

Aunt needs to consult with a family law attorney to figure out the best options. Alone. Because uncle might need to be taken out of the picture while this gets figured out.

Also the father has rights and needs to be dealt with legally.

Edit after clarification: adoption uncle needs to hire a family law attorney to deal with dad.

Drug uncle needs a criminal attorney asap


Title: Is it ever slander to suggest someone has a medical condition they do not?

Question: So if I tell my friend that so and so is bi-polar and they sue me over the statement on the grounds I'm not a medical professional, I am pretty sure nothing would come of it. But are there times where falsely "diagnosing" someone is actionable?

Answer: There is, actually (generally, at least). One of the four 'per se' categories of slander is if you say that another person has a "loathsome disease," which includes venereal diseases & leprosy. So if you falsely "diagnose" someone with having a loathsome disease, they don't have to prove that they suffered economic harm.