Title: Usher and his Herpes?

Question:
Why is it such a big deal that Usher has herpes? I know he supposedly "gave" a girl herpes, but why does that result in a lawsuit? If everyone sued the person they got herpes from the US judicial system would be backed up until we're all dead

The World Health Organization estimates that 67% of the world is infected with HSV-1 with HSV-2 being only slightly lower. The CDC actually estimates it's closer to 90% of the world

So I guess ultimately what I'm asking here is.. Why does someone get to sue Usher because she got what is a harmless STI and that nearly everyone has on earth? Something that you can get from sharing a utensil with a relative that has it

Answer:
 It is literally the case, in the US, that you can sue anyone for anything. All you have to do is fill out and file the appropriate forms. That answers your "why" question, though perhaps not as satisfyingly as you hoped.

[The actual filing](http://radaronline.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/usher-docs-3.pdf) alleges that the herpes diagnosis has caused serious emotional distress. Normally, I'd expect the remedy to include the cost of counselling, not $20m, but nothing stops anyone from including unreasonable remedies. If I had to guess, I'd expect that part of her suit to be denied if Usher's legal team put up even the most token arguments against it, because it looks like obvious garbage, but it'll ultimately come down to what evidence and legal arguments are presented in court, or to whatever settlement Usher agrees to to make this go away.


Title: Business Lawyer

Question: I have a few questions regarding a business idea that I’m losing sleep over. If there’s any experienced business lawyers that can spare a few minutes with a few questions that would make my week! It would take 10 minutes max. Please dm!

Answer:
 >Please dm!

If you had bothered to read the bloody rules you would have known that this isn't allowed in here.

Also no lawyer world their salt would dm you.

Oh and to top it off, unless you can post the question open in the public you should probably call a lawyer near you or the bar association to ask for a referral.

edit: damn silver for these comments dealing with somebody who can't follow simple instructions? thank's for supporting reddit I guess.


Title: Grandma might be getting overcharged by pest control. location=grandmas house?

Question:
Reposting with editing title to included location? Is this even the right sub? I already typed all this up though...

Alright so about a month ago I was at my grandmas cleaning the house, turns out she had a bad bed bug infestation. Shes on a oxygen tank so the last 2 years or so shes become really immobile, basically eats sleeps lives in her living room chair. She doesn't go anywhere but I have been coming over daily to take her dog for walks to the park, beach, river three times a day everyday since February. I don't hang out with anybody cause Im a recovering addict and found my peace in sobriety by being outside with the dog and feeding birds and shit. I don't go anywhere but grandmas, the library, doctors, outside and where im staying. I tell you this cause when we told the manager of the apartment complex my grandma is staying at she immediately put the blame on me. If that wasn't bad enough after the exterminators came thru and did a heat treatment, I checked and found bugs and where they were hiding behind the wooden panels along the wall on the floor level. They said we had a 30 day warranty for them to come back if there was bugs. So I told my grandma to call the manager right away and when she did the manager told her that she'll be over there to look at it next week. Well we waited, she came back to tell us shell have to call the exterminators to have them come do a follow up. we waited for that. they did a follow up to say 'yeah theres still bed bugs' and left. Now tomorrow they're coming over again but now we have to pay 1400 again. There's no bed bugs anywhere but my grandmas place and next door to the restaurant i was working at, like you go out the back door and 20 feet to the left is dumpster and two times since I started working there in Feburary have I seen beds thrown out because of bed bugs, thats as close as I came to them but yeah manager lady is blaming me and making me pay twice now, what am I supposed to do. I went broke paying the first time and now i got to move out of town to stay somewhere basically leaving my grandma to fend for herself

Answer: No one knows where your grandma lives 🤦🏻♀ we need to know the location of her house in the world.


Title: Help! My dad's company basically kidnapped him! (CO,TX,CA)

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 He's an adult.

They can't keep him there- he can leave whenever he wants.

They can fire him for leaving.  They can not pay for his transport back home.  But they can't make him stay.


Title: [UK] Is airbnb considered subletting?

Question:
My father is the landlord of a flat in London (UK) and has just found out that the lady who rents the flat is using airbnb occasionally to rent out the flat to others. We aren't sure whether this is considered subletting, and if it is, what can we do about it legally?

Any advice on how we should proceed would be wonderful, and I appreciate any help you guys can provide!
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 I'd argue that renting your room out even just for a night is subletting. AirBNB seems to agree - search for sublet on this page https://www.airbnb.com/support/responsible-hosting

Looks like it's a common enough concern to pop up in other best practices to be an AirBnB host as well http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/tenants-how-make-airbnb-work-you-your-landlord.html

I'm assuming you forbid subletting in your rental agreement? Do you also forbid them running a business out of the flat?Answer #2: When is her lease up? Just don't re-new it with her and then rent it out for market rate to someone new. Your parents are not only leaving money on the table but also buying her new stuff for no reason.


Title: Huge Mistake - Is it Soliciting Prostitution what I asked?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Complete scam. But use better judgement next time mkay?


Title: My apartment complex wants to charge me a flat rate of $190/month to charge my vehicle

Question:
I'm averaging about 48 miles/day of driving since I've owned my Tesla Model 3.  My apartment wants to charge me a flat rate of $190/month for electricity.  The vehicle is stored in a detached garage on a single shared commercial meter with multiple garages attached to it other than the one I am renting.  I live in SoCal.  When I used the teslanomics monthly charging calculator it appears my electricity cost should be somewhere around $66-$88 per month depending on how I drive based on a monthly average of 1200 miles driven.

I want to pay what I use, and not more.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: They're splitting the total cost amongst whoever is renting space that draws power from that meter. It's commonplace, and yes, legal. They do the same for some apartments/mobile home parks.


Title: Someone recently purchased my car and they are racking up all sorts of fines on it that I'm getting nailed for

Question: About a month ago a family friend of ours sold my car to one of his customers after he fixed it up. He said that the customer was going to get the title moved over and would contact me with any questions. Well, that's not been the case. I've been getting nailed with tolls on my account and this person has been running red lights so the tickets are getting sent to me. I've tried mailing the billing company for those camera tickets and it seems like their ignoring what I'm sending and just continuing to send them to me. What should I do? I can't afford to pay these tickets.

Answer: This is the exact reason there are two portions to selling a vehicle. The buyer must register it with the state within a defined period, and the seller must do the same. Since the title transfer is dated, it needs to be submitted to the DMV and you will not be held liable.


Title: Construction workers went through our possessions while doing work in apartment [NS, Canada]

Question:
Hey guys, so to make a long story short we've been having difficulty with our accommodations. Our apartment's windows had been leaking for months, among other issues, so our landlord relocated us to a different unit in the same building. We moved some of our stuff (pictures, certain valuables, etc) into a closet, and we were then informed that the unit had to have the windows replaced. When we entered the unit we found the door unlocked, and when we checked the closet our boxes were stored in we found that the boxes had been opened, and the contents rifled through. We are meticulous when packing, and it was obvious that the items had been moved around, packages in the boxes were opened, etc. We're not certain that anything has been taken.

Is there any legal action we can take? My partner in particular feels quite violated, as all of their family photos were in that box, among other things. These construction workers are going to be returning to the unit to finish up some work, and I don't feel comfortable letting them anywhere near my things.

No, I didn't know valuables were moved. My partner thought it was a good idea to do so, against all reason. I've made it clear not to do something as idiotic as that in the future.

Edit: I've verified that there **are** things missing. Nothing considerably valuable (total value of items missing is under $100), but still items missing.

Answer:
 Get a camera. Plenty of small ones that can be discretely placed, and ones that are disguised, but it can be tough to find a decent quality one.  if that's what you want, Look on a reputable website for a product with at least 30 reviews and read the reviews.

I found a working desk lamp that clips on and has a tiny camera.  i use it as a baby monitor, and I can pull up the app on my phone and watch live or record video.  It does use up data, so you might be better off with one that has an SD card.

There are some decent ones for what you'd need that you can watch on your phone, or that will record, but you can also set up old smart phones or laptops and use skype to monitor the place.


Title: My license was suspended for a ticket that I paid for on time, suspension went from 2 months to two whole years.

Question:
Let me first say that I had no idea that my license was suspended to begin with. It all started back in December of 2014, I was 17 and I was driving to Florida with my family for Christmas. We all took turns driving during this road trip and I was going about 85 on a 70 when I got pulled over. Officer let me go with a speeding ticket and I was on my way. I pay the ticket and the clerk tells me she will fax it to Austin DMV. Three months later we buy a new house and I update my address on my license, however there is an issue with the kitchen and my mom wants it remodeled before we move in, so we stay at our then current house for another two months. I had already paid for the ticket and assumed that all was well with my driving record so I had no reason to think that it was suspended.

In August I was working at a car shop for the summer and my boss asks me to make a delivery so I do, he asks me to take a customers car, so I do. Im speeding again but not too bad maybe like 7 miles over the limit when I get pulled over this time. Cops asks for my license and insurance. I don't have insurance on the car and I hand him my license.

He comes back and tells me its suspended and I ask how and he says it doesn't say but that it is. I walk back to my shop and two coworkers go and pick up the car. I went to court and agreed to pay the ticket but what the judge hadn't told me was that by paying the fine I was going to add another 2 years on my suspension. I didn't find out about this until I moved to California a month later and couldn't get my license at the DMV for obvious reasons.

My license shouldn't have been suspended to being with so do I have a firm argument in court? Should I hire a lawyer back home in Texas to fight this? My suspension will be up next August 2017 but I desperately need to drive while I'm working and going to school here in California.

Please help. Also I have called the florida clerks office many times since this happened and she faxed and emailed me and the Texas DPS the proof of payment many times.

Answer: Hire a traffic attorney in Texas to help you out. Do you still have proof of payment? Do you remember where your mail was going while the new house was being renovated? It could be that something was mailed to you about following up and when you "ignored" they suspended your license.Answer #2: Also,  don't go driving without insurance again. If you get in a car accident,  you're screwing yourself and whoever you hit. The penalties for not having insurance could be pretty stiff as well.


Title: Dog hurt by another dog at the vet in the state of OK.

Question:
The vet wanted to keep my dog overnight after a round of shots. He was attacked by another dog.  The forms I signed when leaving him overnight say that the dog would be caged, and would be let out of the cage for one-on-one attention and exercise with an employee.

The vet called me and left a voice mail message saying that my dog was attacked by another dog, and they were able to do surgery to save a leg and repair damage to his abdomen and face.  They admitted in the phone call that he was left alone locked in a room with the other dog unsupervised.

He was at the vet's for about two weeks afterward while he healed.  His life will be different but I am happy he is alive and getting back to being his old self.

However, I now received a bill from the vet for about $7k.  The vet takes no responsibility for this, and instead gave me the information of the owner of the other dog, saying if I want to pursue reimbursement for the cost I should contact those owners.

I contacted the other dog's owners.  They were not even informed of the situation, my phone call was the first they heard of it.  They were equally shocked and surprised.  They told me that they know their dog gets vicious around other dogs, but that they told the vet before even taking him to the vet's office.  They forwarded me emails between themselves and the vet staff where they were told it was not a problem and that their dog would be kept in a room to himself with no other animals to reduce anxiety.  They also gave me a copy of their receipt from the vet, where the intake notes for their dog where the secretary explicitly stated that their dog is not compatible with other dogs, to use caution and confine privately.

The vet's office is telling me to pay the bill and then sue the other owner's.  Is that correct?  Or should I be paying the bill and suing the vet's office?  Or not paying the bill and waiting until they sue me?

Answer:
 Liability might ultimately rest with either the vet or the dog's owner (or both).  That is a problem for them to work out between themselves.

I would not pay the vet.  If they want to try to sue you for the money then they can try to do so.


Title: Landlord won't replace broken dishwasher :(

Question:
So I am not sure where to post this, but I am having some issues with our landlord.

So My BF and I moved into our apartment in August, and when we checked out the place it was great. Everything seemed in working order. (There was no electricity set up in the unit since it had been vacant but we had been assured everything worked)

So after moving in we found the dishwasher did not work at all, and we contacted our landlord and they promised they would order a new one.

Well it is now November 2nd and I have heard every excuse as to why they haven't ordered a new one; in our lease it claims the landlord is responsible for all repairs and replacement of appliances (Though the dish washer never worked while we have lived here) and I am wondering is there really anything I can do? Every time I contact the landlord I am told they will get on it and get back to me and I don't heard back for 10+ days when I contact them first.

We're located in FL and I just feel like there is no use and I have to just give up the fight because there doesn't look like there is a dishwasher anywhere in my sights, and I am afraid if we keep pestering them they are going to try and find a reason to evict us.

Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Have you notified the LL via certified mail that you need the dishwasher fixed?  That would be the official step 1.


Title: I'm getting verbally abused.

Question:
Hello, I saw this post http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/350ncg/live_in_an_apartment_complex_and_new_tenant_moved/ and thought it might be about me. I'm in the STL area, have recently moved to a new location, and smoke a lot. I genuinely hope that it's not me because I'm not that old. Only 44.

I don't think it's me because I don't remember the person ever talking to me about it. They might have, but moving stressed me out and I can't remember much of these last few weeks. They may have, I don't know. A lot of people talked to me after moving.

The thing is this person is verbally abusing me. Calling me cunt, twat, and saying stuff like it's too bad smoking hasn't killed me yet. Is there anything I can do about this? I tried to look up the legal stuff of abuse online, but it seems that they actually need to threaten me. Is that true? Please say it isn't, I don't want to move again.

Answer:
 >Please say it isn't, I don't want to move again.

You don't have to move again. Another person being a jerk does not mean you have to flee, you are an adult.

> Is there anything I can do about this?

Notify the landlord.

That being said, if the problem is you smoking can you not simply walk away from the building to do it? You aren't obligated to, but you seem to be really stressed about their hostility and not smoking  inside/near the building could help if that is causing the hostility.


Title: I've been summoned to court in Arizona, I live in the UK. Help?

Question:
Hi,

I was recently in Arizona on a tourist visa for almost six months. About 3 weeks into my stay (end of December) I witnessed an assault. It was reported and I ended up giving a statement to the police. I have now received a court summons for October but obviously I'm back in the UK now. It says if I don't attend I may have a warrant out for my arrest. I'm 23, I don't have a whole lot of money, but obviously if I have to its better than having an arrest warrant...

What are my options here (if any)? Can I request to give evidence over video chat? Or explain the circumstances?

Answer: Call the prosecutor's office who issued the summons and explain it to them. I doubt they'll issue a warrant knowing you'd literally have to travel the world to show up to court to testify. Answer #2: Technically they have to pay the costs of reasonable travel. So it's on their nickel, I believe.


Title: [Nebraska] Farmer receives a summons from a landlord's estate over a demand instrument from 2009 which became non-negotiable. Does the farmer have any defenses?

Question:
This is regarding a farmer acquaintance of mine who is a defendant in a lawsuit. Obviously they are going to handle this matter with their attorney, but I'm just asking this out of my own curiosity.

Location: Nebraska.

1. In 2009 farmer had a rental agreement with a landlord to grow crops on a piece of farmland.
2. Farmer harvested those crops in 2009 and issued a check to the landlord.
3. The landlord never presented the demand instrument for payment.
4. The landlord passed away. The heirs decide to terminate rental agreement with the farmer.
5. Around the beginning of 2015, the landlord's estate finds the check from 2009 in the deceased landlord's paperwork and deposits it.
6. The bank refuses to honor the check, stating that it became non-negotiable.
7. Estate files a lawsuit against farmer demanding that the farmer either issue a new check, or that the farmer delivers the number of bushels harvested to the plaintiff's elevator.

Question: Does the farmer have any possible defenses against the lawsuit?

Thank you.

Answer: It would seem the statute of limitations has passed ([source](http://research.lawyers.com/nebraska/nebraska-statute-of-limitations.html)).


Title: [IL] Workers Compensation for potential stroke from exhaustion

Question:
So I called both an MRI clinic and my temp agency to file a workers compensation notice however there was "no way to get hurt while working on my department" however i suffered from an episode of major physical exhaustion. This was recorded on my phone as i tracked my condition and BPM.

Now, they said they watched me do nothing on the video meaning they HAVE video. secondly, i mentioned a vague preexisting shoulder injury as indicated by a check box questionnaire.

They are claiming i couldn't have gotten hurt and my job was to lift heavy objects.

Do i have a claim and need a lawyer, as they canceled my application at the temp agency.

Edit: i seemed to have jumped the gun on this workers comp thing. I figured it would help pay for my medical expenses or something but i didn't realize using the term was like shouting bomb on an airplane.

Answer: So you didn't actually have a stroke? Did you have any medical expenses at all?


Title: Driving women across state lines for abortions in an organized fashion- any legal issues?

Question: Any legal issues doing it currently? Would anything change if Roe v. Wade was overturned and abortions became illegal in the state I/the girls are leaving from?

Answer: Why would being an interstate taxi service be wrong?Answer #2: Make sure everyone is 18. Transporting a minor over state lines for purposes their parents don't approve of can easily be twisted into something nefarious and/or a visit from some deeply hostile federal agents who suspect you are committing sex crimes. Make sure everyone is 18. Answer #3: If abortion reverts to a state’s rights issues, I assume states that outlaw it will also try to pass laws preventing people from crossing state lines for the procedure.  Not legal, imo, but I suspect it will be tried anyway.Answer #4: Makes the states sound like a third world country.


Title: Tenant died and has no immediate family to collect belongings. Has a pet , what do I do with the pet? what legal documents do i need? (canada)

Answer:
 Simply turn it in to the spca, I’d say. Unless you’re willing to care for it. You shouldn’t need any paperwork to turn in an “abandoned” animal.Answer #2: The procedure varies by province, since tenancy legislation does too. You can give the residential tenancy agency in your province a call about what the procedure should be. There may also be a legal advocacy organization that provides such advice - for example here is some advice for landlords in Ontario: [https://www.cleo.on.ca/en/publications/yourstuff/what-happens-if-tenant-dies](https://www.cleo.on.ca/en/publications/yourstuff/what-happens-if-tenant-dies), and [http://ontariolandlordandtenantlaw.blogspot.com/2012/11/when-tenant-dies-what-happens.html](http://ontariolandlordandtenantlaw.blogspot.com/2012/11/when-tenant-dies-what-happens.html)

Generally speaking the tenant's "estate" picks up the obligation to pay rent and deal with the belongings. Don't assume that just because there is no immediately family that there is no will or beneficiaries who inherit the tenant's possessions.Answer #3: Call your local Animal Control/Humane Society/SPCA and see what they would require of you when it comes to the animal. I can’t speak for Canada as I’m an ACO in California, but when someone passes as a renter and next of kin cannot be found or immediately notified, we will pick up pets and hold them for some time while we ourselves try to get next of kin info and eventually put them up for adoption if we are unable to find someone. We do this as a “Safe Keep” service for owners that either die or are taken to the hospital. It would be different if the owner abandoned the animal in which case the property owner does have to follow some other rules, but your situation is think they would take the animal and try to find next of kin info.


Title: Wisconsin veteran in need if help

Question: My wife and I received a few misdemeanor charges this last week and I am in dire need of legal advice. The future of my family is at stake. Please PM me if you are willing to advise. Thank you.

Answer: How can we help if you give us no information?


Title: How to Lose Money Selling Drugs

Question:
In August of 2015 I entered into an agreement with a friend in Michigan.  He's a medical marijuana grower, completely legit and legal.  Over the course of 6 months or so I sent him a total of $5,000 through Paypal to help him out with his business.  The goal was to try and build his business up before full legalization came through.  We did not have a written contract (I know, I know... never again...).  I do however have logs of all the chats we had, as well as a pdf he sent me of his grow schedule and his expected profit per plant, and of course, the Paypal records.  He promised me we would retire millionaires, lol.

I also invested more into the company in terms of buying equipment to print labels for pouches and doing graphic design such as logo design and the layout for the pouches.  I sent him label stock, a label printer, and an inkjet printer, as well as pouches etc.  All in all investing about another $850, not including what I would normally charge for graphic design work.

For various reasons, most of which were out of his control, the business has yet to turn a profit.  He has paid me back a total of $1,100.  His last payment was in August of 2017.  My hopes of making any real money with him are gone, I only hope to recoup my investments.  I contact him at least once a month asking if he can send any money, whereupon he promptly blows up at me and acts like I'm the one being the asshole.

Unfortunately I feel the only way for me to get any of my money back at this point is to take him to small claims court.  Of course that would involve me going back to Michigan in a car that might not make it and renting a hotel while I'm there, which is money I really don't have.  Personally I would love to just get a collection agency on him, but I don't think I can do that until I get an official legal judgment, is that correct?

One other thing, there is also a question of if it was legal for me to invest in him.  Only because I live in Tennessee where not even medical marijuana or CBD is legal.  I would think if it was legal where the business is it should be legal for me to invest in, like how it would be legal for me to invest in a casino in Vegas, even though gambling is illegal in TN, but I really have no idea.  I would much rather lose out on the $4,700 if it's possible I could go to jail after testifying about this in court.

Answer: As for the first part, was the money a loan or an investment? It sounds like an investment, and that usually involves a certain amount of risk. You may be left holding the bill for a failed investment.


Title: Can an employer automatically dock pay for coffee/bathroom breaks taken immediately after punching in? [NY]

Question:
Call center in NY state. A manager noticed an employee that had clocked in for work, spent 10ish minutes getting coffee/going to the bathroom/who knows, then started taking calls. Manager gets angry and says "I'm *not* paying you for this time," and changes employee's timecard to show that she punched in 10 minutes later.

We're a very large organization and our specific department has attendance issues. I don't agree with what the employee did, but was it legal to immediately dock her pay? The situation seems kind of subjective, considering it wouldn't have happened had the employee done this in the middle of the day. I was always under the impression that employers couldn't reduce employees' pay so informally.

Answer:
 This is a good legal question and I can’t be of much help, beyond pointing toward relevant law.

I found this [page from NY DOL](https://www.labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/laborstandards/faq.shtm#18) that says:

>	Employers are only allowed to deduct certain items from an employee's wages, such as taxes, insurance premiums, union dues, etc.  They are not permitted to charge employees for breakages, cash shortages, fines or any other losses to the business.
>	For more detailed information on deductions, please see Section 193 of the New York State Labor Law https://www.labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/laborstandards/faq.shtm#18

In NY her employment is at-will, so she could be fired for this. It could be considered time theft.Answer #2: To be clear her time card was changed to reflect when she started working - that’s very different from docking pay or withholding after her hours have already been calculated.

I don’t think theres anything illegal here since the time card was changed to reflect when the employee began working.


Title: [Update] - Remember my jerk neighbor who razed my laurel hedges? It's resolved.

Question:
Here is the link to the original post.

http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2ez045/my_hedges_were_cut_down_by_neighboring_property/

For the bot, still in Oregon.

I have limits on what I am allowed to say due to settlement but I had my lawyer proofread this.

So it went very smoothly. Our litigator finally extracted the insurance information out of the HOA. They did indemnify the treasurer and my attorney believes that the insurance company knew how screwed they were. They had meeting minutes, etc, on top of the confession and criminal charges. Plus yes, treble damage would have applied in this case however the litigator felt if it went to jury they would be unlikely to award the entire amount.

It was resolved via negotiation and never went to court although a suit was filed. We dropped it when we reached a negotiation.

They originally offered a number higher than the one I initially felt worried about asking and we settled on one that we didn't feel like we were gaming the system for full amount possible. Our intent was never to do anything but get our hedge back.

We absolutely have enough to have the hedge replaced. However, we can not import mountain laurels at that height. We chose English laurels and new landscaping with seasonal flowers including smaller mountain ones in the area where the wedding gazebo was. We were awarded money for lost business as well as the actual damage and repair based on what a jury would likely decide on.  The landscape architect gave us a image of what it will look like and it's beautiful.

We will not be operating as a business in 2015 but by 2016 should be perfect. Since the climate here means yard work can be done year round, we used some of our own funds to start and this summer since we aren't operating, we are hosting a family reunion. Over a dozen cousins from back home already have ticket. (We are immigrant citizens). And we are taking the vacation we usually take with our income from events.

First event I wish I could hold is for everyone who helped and encouraged us. It was truly awful to be faced with losing what we had and we were terrified not-responsible people would be held liable. My post here and the advice made all the difference.

The workers and homeowners were not involved although I was told a flyer was passed out stating a large fine would be assessed on anyone who damages neighboring property. Someone, a relative of the treasurer apparently, was the one who actually hired the crew and why it wasn't questioned and I don't know what happened with him legally, because this never did end up in civil court.  I don't care to know as we weren't out for revenge. The treasurer plead to some stuff but I don't care what so I never checked.

Oh! The wife and children live in the condo but the now ex-treasurer does not. She brought me a nice little dogwood tree. I really never did blame her.

My brothers and I are so happy. We are comfortable with the outcome and don't feel greedy or cheated. We are getting things back to what we wanted. It won't be the exact same, but it will be what we had. The exact tree species was not what we **had.** We had - and have partially now, and soon completely again - the area and the experiences and events we had there. That was what we lived and are so happy to get back.

Thank you all who posted and encouraged us and tons of you who I got messages from since. I created this account for this as I am active in reddit elsewhere and didn't want this in my history. I only logged in to update now and found a ton of notes as recent as last week.

So please know what a difference you all made. We probably would have decided to ask for the original price of the hedges and labor costs. Your stories and help mattered more than I can describe.

So thank you thank you thank you all.  It only took a few months. We signed the check today then in a week we will pick it up, less attorney fees since they had to pay those but they sending check. We aren't suddenly crazy wealthy but we are the happiest group of siblings you'll meet this year.

I don't know what else to say. I'll check in over the next few days and answer questions (if I am allowed; part is the settlement is not reveal some things.)

Thank you all from us all, sincerely.

Edit - a lot of people asked for pics. I don't remember if I out in my previous post but I put myself through grad school building websites and do it for fun.

I've been working on one as it goes and planned to post the whole thing once it is finished. I know subs like updates and I am amazed how much what I thought was a silly question got attention. So I figured in a few more months people wouldn't mind a whole album or before, after l. and the process.

I have checked and as long as I don't give numbers it's totally ok.

**also**

We are throwing a huge reopen party and I am going to (honestly) invite redditors. I am near enough portland that most of our weddings are portlanders. I know quite a few in this sub are PacNW. Free everything. Just a party to celebrate getting this pack. My younger brother is a chef and I am a baker. We got plenty more than we needed and have a fund set up for just this. You all contributed, even if you didn't post. Just knowing I could turn here made this happen.

(I even want to buy /u/Zapopa flight tickets and a bottle or five of makers just to get him here. My normal account has a really weird Internet crush on him. (I am a girl)

I'll try to answer all the questions!!

Answer:
 Yay! I love updates!Answer #2: Fantastic! I'm glad it all worked out. I found your original post very interesting, and a good lesson on why cutting down a neighbor's hedges is a very, very bad idea.Answer #3: Good guy doesn't want to ruin the people who wronged him. Good on you, may it pay off in your future endeavors. Answer #4: > The wife and children live in the condo but the now ex-treasurer does not.

Sounds like you were right about how nice his wife was; jerks tend to repel those type of people. Very happy to see things went your way and sorry for your initial loss. Best of luck in the reconstruction and future business to come!Answer #5: Thank you for the update. People were wondering how you were going. I'm glad it all got settled.Answer #6: [OP DELIVERS!](http://i.imgur.com/sJrm8dO.jpg)

I'm really glad things worked out, and for the update.

Justice feels pretty good.Answer #7: I always found it interesting that raised and razed sound the same but mean the opposite


Title: I found my background check in the staff break room.

Question:
I had recently rehired at my job and while preparing documents I found my background check in the all staff breakroom in a binder. It had my full name, address, ssn, etc. I'm not sure who else had seen it or if anything was done with my information. I addressed the issue with hr but aside from that nothing was done.
I assume that it made its way to that binder by being left on or near the printer and just getting lost in the shuffle, but it's very disconcerting.
Have I any legal recourses in this situation? Or should I forget about it?

Answer:
 Have you considered asking HR to pay for 6 months or a year of LifeLock, to protect you from potential repercussions of their failure to secure your information?Answer #2: Definitely don't forget about it, but at this point you 1) have a job and 2) don't appear to have any damages, so there isn't much for you to do beyond internal processes.Answer #3: If you haven't removed the page from the binder, then as soon as you get back to work, take a picture of the binder with the page showing and then remove it. Answer #4: If you are concerned about your ssn being stolen and used fraudulently I would place a freeze on all 3 credit reporting bureaus. I believe a law was just passed that they should be free now.

The bureaus are Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian. Google around for "credit freeze" for info about it.


Title: [California] Friend put unleaded gas in diesel tank of truck and doesn't want to pay up

Question:
SO rented a truck and hired a friend to drive it up to our house with a delivery we had received inside. On his way he stopped for gas and put unleaded gasoline into the diesel fuel tank. There were stickers on the dash and the gas cap with DIESEL on them, which he claimed to not have seen because he "wasn't wearing his reading glasses".

SO had the truck towed and repaired, on his dime, and offered to have him only pay half (although we do feel he is responsible for the whole thing) and we even offered a payment plan. He has said in text that he has no money but was willing to pay "when he could". However, now he is ignoring us and has told SO he is "harassing" him for the money because he told him he would pay eventually.

Is this enough to take to small claims court? It's a crappy situation as we have a lot of mutual friends but we are thinking this is the only way SO can get this money back.

Answer: Sounds like you have a winnable case for small claims court. If you win the judgment and he doesn't pay, you can proceed to wage garnishment if he has a job.Answer #2: Not really legal advice, but comprehensive coverage on auto policies typically would cover this. You'd have to pay your deductible but that's something to look into. (Your auto typically carries over to cover rental vehicles you rent )


Title: Good fences make good neighbors, our fence needs maintenance.

Question:
Rural Indiana for the bot.

My parents' property borders a field. The fence between their property and the field is just over 200 yards and is overgrown with thorn-bushes and white mulberry trees (invasive). They would like to remove the underbrush, trees, and stumps. The trees have grown through the wire fence to such an extent that the fence would have to be removed along with the trees. My parents think there is state law regarding cost-sharing for constructing fences between property but they aren't sure. They believe the farmer next to us would stand to gain a few additional rows of usable field with the removal of the field and would not be opposed to the removal of the trees and fence, but they want to have the facts before they approach him about the joint venture.

We have the equipment and capability to cut down the trees and remove the fence, but lack the skill to install a proper fence.

They want to know:

* What are the cost-sharing requirements for laying fences?
* Does the cost-sharing extend to the removal of derelict fence?
* Do both parties (property owners) have to agree on the design and installation of the new fence?
* Would a land survey need to be conducted and at what point would it be needed?

Answer:
 Wow, this is a lot more complicated than I would have thought.  I think you should consult an attorney familiar with agricultural property law.  [In the mean time check out this PDF.](http://nationalaglawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/assets/fencelaw/indiana.pdf)

Looks like you can create an agreement to jointly maintain a fence, or you can appeal to a preexisting agreement if one exists (see the part about such agreements being recorded).

But I don't think you can force an obligation to contribute onto a neighbor (or can you?  See the part at the bottom about partition fences and "use").


Title: [Wa] If I ever get a search warrent on my house or something similar what steps can I take to protect my pets?

Question: I love my dogs very much but I don't want them to be mistaken as viscous.

Answer:
 Dog Law specialist here.

The easy solution here is "don't do things that increase the probability of your house being searched." Past that, there are no guarantees. Answer #2: IANAL.

How viscous are your dogs? Maple syrup or old engine oil?


Title: Is legal for my neighbors to block me in with 2 cars?

Question: I got home and parked on the street in front of my house, then about a hour later the neighbors parked a jeep within a inch of my truck. Then 30 minutes later they parked a white car behind me within a inch. I made a video that clearly shows everything and I called the cops. The cops said they could not do anything how ever I have been told by a few people that it is against the law to do that. The cop that came put said there was nothing he could do since they are parked on a public road.

Answer: Have you tried asking the neighbors to move and let you out?Answer #2: I'd try to reach someone higher up at the police department.


Title: [PA] Friend is getting blackmailed by a girl he had sex with.

Question:
My friend took the virginity of a girl and ultimately dumped her. Months later, she told him that he raped her and began demanding money from him to keep her from going to the police. My friend obviously didn’t rape her, it was consensual. I don’t know if he has any evidence that he didn’t rape her, but he has text messages saved of her demanding money. He has sent her some money, which I am afraid will make it seem like he’s admitting guilt. What should he do?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 >she told him that he raped her and began demanding money from him to keep her from going to the police.

Welp, that's extortion, which is a crime (anywhere from a misdemeanor to a felony, depending on how much money she's actually extorted out of him).  Does he still have that in text message form or anything?  If so, he can go to the police with it.


Title: [NC] Traffic Citation (ran a red light)

Question:
Got my first ticket/citation in over almost 7 years.  Apparently, drove through a red light that I go past twice a day, almost every single day.  Less than a minute from my residence.

For context, it's late (almost 10pm) and I had just worked a double at my vet clinic -- hardly any traffic.  Slightly raining, sprinkling.  Neither are justifications, just context.  Also, the intersection with the light is also a railroad crossing, but I don't know if that matters.

Regardless, I'm on my way home.  As I approach this light, it  turns yellow.   I may pick up my speed a bit, but definitely hardly anything as I was already going the speed limit when I was approaching it.  I distinctly remember glancing up above me as I got under the light, and I saw yellow.  Cop's waiting just on the other side and immediately pulls me over.

He tells me I ran the red, I don't argue but just say that I was pretty positive it was yellow.  He says it was definitely red as he was watching.  Takes my license (no registration or proof of insurance) and is gone for a seemingly long time.  Comes back and inquires about my vehicle (not mine, girlfriends -- we had switched for the day).  Then asks when's the last time I got a ticket, I told him it was before I even lived in this state, so at least 4+ years ago and I can't even remember when I last got pulled over before that.

He explicitly tells me that I can use that at court, which I felt was odd.  Asks me what year the car is, and then I answer.  Ends up giving me the citation, explaining how dangerous the intersection is, and I tell him I understand as I drive past it every day.  He said I was going through the light like "dukes of hazard" to which I definitely think was an embellishment.  There's no way I was speeding more than 5 over, if I even was speeding (which I maintain that I wasn't, but there's no evidence one way or the other except his word).

I ask if I need to sign anything, and he looks confused.  I told him that as far as I can remember, I always had to sign something when I got pulled over but it legitimately has been so long that I just can't remember.  He explains that I don't have to and we go about our merry way.

Overall, he was perfectly pleasant and polite about the whole thing but I just think he was mistaken.  I know if I went to court, it'd be his word (more heavily weighted) against mine -- it was just weird that he kept bringing up going to court.  He did it about 3 times, almost implying I SHOULD do it.  My gf says I should, saying there's a good chance he might not even go and then it'd get dismissed.

Even though the fine seems excessive, I'm okay paying it -- as I said, I don't get pulled over enough for it to worry me.  However, I would love for this not to effect my insurance or anything else, especially since I sincerely believe that the light was still yellow.

Any thoughts or advice?  Thanks!

Answer: You should go because he likely has a dash cam of the event potentially proving one of you right and you can atleast try to get drivers improvement school or community service to lessen the impact you will see with your insurance premiums. I recommend consulting a traffic attorney in the area.


Title: Going to court, a few questions.

Question: Hey guys I'll keep this short. I had money stolen from me at a casino is PA. I just got some things in the mail and just got off the phone with the PA state police. They have the lady on camera and she admitted doing it, saying she was really drunk. So the officer basically said "you'll have to come up her, you will get your money back, and then we will all sit down and find a solution that works for everyone." What exactly does that mean? Are they putting the ball in my court about pressing charges? If I did, do I need to hire a lawyer? What if I showed them my pay stub  from work, and asked to be compensated for the money I'm losing from not going to work? Can you do something like that? Thanks guys

Answer:
 >What exactly does that mean? Are they putting the ball in my court about pressing charges?

Maybe.  Or maybe they're giving her the chance to fix it so she'll be treated more leniently by the court. You don't need to hire a lawyer for this, probably. and yes you can ask for her to have to pay for your missed work as well.

It appears the cops are trying to be good guys here and just get everyting resolved.


Title: Unlawful termination?

Question:
I was recently fired from a job for talking to fellow employees re: wages and work conditions. I worked there for decades. I've seen legislation that this is illegal. I have spoken with a couple of atty's offices that indicated CO is an "at will" state. I have filed an inquiry with the labor board, but the employer in question has contacted me thru their atty to "cease and desist" communication with the employees and gave me until July 27 to respond or they are considering legal action against me. Yes, I filed complaints with OSHA and HIPAA re: work conditions that were in question.

Any help would be appreciated!

Answer:
 >I've seen legislation that this is illegal.

It is true that the NLRB has guidance that employees should not be fired for discussing wages.

>I have spoken with a couple of atty's offices that indicated CO is an "at will" state.

If you've spoken with qualified local attorneys who believe you don't have a case, we probably can't contradict them.  You can try filing a complaint with the NLRB.


Title: Vehicle collision in a parking lot, lady wants me to accept 50% of the blame

Question:
Earlier today I was backing out of a parking lot at a grocery store. I was all the way out, noticed the car behind me backing out when I was at a full stop, I laid on the horn yet she kept coming and backed into my rear bumper. She has damage to her 2018 van and my early 2000's vehicle has no damage (steel bumper FTW).

She claims we were both moving (I was at a full stop for about 3 or 4 seconds) no witnesses stuck around except for one that lives in Florida, USA (I'm in Ontario Canada) and she only saw that I was already backed out before the other lady started moving.

What are my options to fight this?

Answer:
 Do not accept any blame. Do not tell her you accept any blame. Tell your claims adjuster what you told here, that you stopped and honked your horn. Tell the lady that you are not going to talk to her and that the insurance companies are going to deal with it.

FYI though it’s probably going to end up 50/50 in the claim. But don’t straight up admit any fault.

The witness statement seems in your favor, that you were already out. Meaning she backed out without looking to see that you were already there. Give the insurance company the witness info.


Title: Landlord refusing to allow internet providers into building.

Question:
Husband and I have been living in our current apartment for a year now in Chicago and recently just signed a new lease, which we still have the only signed copy of. Our landlord dropped it off in good faith for us to sign and he never picked it back up again. We have always had Provider A for internet in this building, they have great prices, great customer service and above all no contracts and data caps (which believe it or not we have gone over the 1T cap with an old provider). A few weeks ago our landlord announces that he is going to be installing building wide internet that will "Cut your bill in half". Well it doesn't, he wants to tack on 42 dollars a month for 30-40 mbps (with data cap) to our rent whether or not you use it, when we pay 47 for 155 mbps with no cap. I know he can't legally raise our rent to charge us for the internet, and me being the stubborn Taurus I am is absolutely refusing to give him a cent over what our lease states. But now he sent out a building wide email that he is no longer allowing other providers in the building (which he owns) to install and maintain anything other than his chosen internet. He basically has a private agreement with Company B and is going to be making a killing with it. Which is illegal but the loophole is that he is allowing us to use any provider we want, he just won't let them in the building to set it up or fix it if it breaks. Of course all of the cable wires run through his private office that is locked so he will know if anyone tries to hook up another provider. I'm pretty sure he has not technically done anything illegal, he is just a slimy and greedy asshole, but should I contact a lawyer? Or just leave because he doesn't even have a signed lease from us? We really don't want to move and actually LOVE our apartment, plus we have family and friends in the building that we would be abandoning if we just left.

I should add that in our lease it never states anything about having to use a specific provider for anything, we have free choice of gas and electricity as well and it only states that we need to set those up so he doesn't pay for it.

Landlords exact words from email:
"As of January 1, 2018 Company A is no longer allowed in the building, if you need internet service you need to contact Company B and same if you decide you need your own internet service"

Answer:
 The FCC is considering regulations to ban landlords from keeping out internet providers, but as of now it looks like there's nothing illegal about it. Unless you have some protection against this in your lease, you may be stuck. I'd suggest moving out when your lease is up.Answer #2: On the off chance that Provider A is the regulated telephone company that provides telephone service over any media (twisted pair copper, coax, fiber) he would have to let them in to provide that service.  If they just so happen to offer internet access and TV over that same wire, then it's sort of bypasses the gatekeeper.Answer #3: RCN forever!

It is very common, unfortunately, for building providers to partner with a single ISP. They get a package rate for the building, and makes management and installation simpler if it all goes through one ISP. It sucks, but thats how it is done.

Unfortunately, if you want RCN, you might need to look at a 3 multi-units (like 3 flats) or single family homes over apartment buildings.

I specifically chose my house (and the places where in the past I rented from) to be in RCN territory and not be forced to get Comcast.


Title: My sister got an email from a man threatening to take her yo small claims court.

Question:
Man has a cracked window. Man asked my sister, a glass artist, to replace the pane.

She tells him it will cost $180 just for materials to make the mold. She quotes him for the additional costs afterwards.

Unexpectedly the kiln in her studio breaks.

She tells the man it will take much longer than anticipated because of the unforeseen circumstances. He understands and says he can wait.

She picked up the window for free. She has already made the mold and even used some of her own materials as the $180 was not enough. She has already put in 3 days of non paid labor into mold making and the kiln has not been fixed.

Mold gets dry as time goes on and breaks.

She tells the man what happened and he does not understand. She offered to fix his broken window at no charge or tells him that it will cost more than the original quote for her to finish the project. He responds by saying he will take her to small claims court if he does not get the finished product OR she better return the window herself and give him the $180 back.

From her point of view, she was doing this man a favor for pickup/labor/materials and was giving him a huge discount.

I don’t know if this will add to the story or the legality of it but it seems as if the man has taken a particularly *special* liking to my sister. He emails her about his life (going on hikes/visiting his son) with photos always included. She has hosted him at her studio when he comes to visit at public events. She says he always beelines to her and checks out what she is doing and leaves with little to no interest in the other artists. It seems like he got upset once she had her assistant start emailing him about the project.

Should she answer this threat repeating the options or not reply? Not sure how to proceed... IMO I don’t think its wise for him to waste time and/or money on going to court and assume he knows this...

Thank you in advance.
Topic:
Small Claims Procedure

Answer:
 It’s not his fault the kiln or mold broke. She owes him $180 or a fixed window.

If this goes to court, he will very likely win.


Title: [KY] Need Advice for Divorce, Wife is Trying to Take Everything.

Question:
Hey everyone. I am posting on behalf of someone not familiar with the ways of Reddit so bear with me a little please.

The husband, recently retired from his job and is receiving a pension from said job. He also draws disability from a very bad accident that happened years ago. He also bought a house after retiring (The house is paid for, no money owed).

The wife works full time making the same amount of money as the husband before he retired. Her name is also on said house.

Here's where things are bad. She is wanting a divorce and is trying to take half of his income from retirement, half the disability, and force the sale of the house which she'll get half. The main question is whether she can actually do that? How is she entitled to half of his income when she is also working? I get that the house is a lost cause, but the income just doesn't sound right. Not sure if this matters, but she also cheated on him years back.

Anything you all can do to help him out is appreciated. She is attempting to destroy his life.

Answer:
 She can be awarded an equitable division of the marital property. Equitable doesn't always mean equal but it usually does. So she'll probably be awarded half the value of the house and the pension IF those things are marital property. If those assets were acquired during the marriage, they are probably marital assets.

Social security is different. It's not an asset, it's income. She probably will not get half of that.

If she has a 401 (k), pension, etc, he will get half of that, by the way, if it's a marital asset. Answer #2: What does his lawyer say about these issues? For the love of God tell me he has a lawyer, especially with the picture you're painting of an aggressive spouse trying to gobble up assets. And please don't tell me they're sharing a lawyer to save money.Answer #3: How long married?  If she's the bread winner, I'd say, if anything, she might be on the hook for alimony.  She doesn't get half of his--they split what's theirs.


Title: My name is trademarked [US]

Question:
Some background: I have been playing online and participating in tournaments under a tag I have used for around 6 years. This is also the same name I stream under and have a YouTube account under. I do not rely on any commercial success it is mostly just a hobby so I am not too worried but I was intrigued when I got an email in October from the YouTube Legal Team regarding a trademark complaint. The claimant says that I am infringing upon the name, logo and likeness protected under a USPTO registered trademark.

I was a little confused so I check his list of trademarks and it appears whoever it is has trademarked their own first name. His trademark is the same as my tag, except mine uses a different capitalization (The difference between DEREK and dereK). I have been able to find said trademark online so it seems legitimate but I just want to continue to use the tag. I have not received money yet from this name but I do not want to run into any issue in the future. Is a difference in capitalization enough?

For just a slight amount of more information the trademark was registered in California in September. I am not sure what else is pertinent information but this is listed under "Statements: Goods and Services":

Downloadable musical sound recordings; downloadable ring tones, graphics and music via a global computer network and wireless devices; downloadable video recordings featuring musical performances by an individual; musical sound recordings; musical video recordings; series of musical sound recordings.

Edit: I believe the trademark may have simply been renewed in October and not first created because I am now reading through the proceedings for its registration. To be honest, I don't actually know what the jargon used means. The first application dates back to 2010. Even further back the "First Use Anywhere Date" was back in 2004.

Edit 2: This may not help me much at all but I have stumbled upon what I believe to be an explanation for why the trademark covers primarily music recording and music video related business. There is an artist by the same name who hasn’t posted in 5 years but it appears to be the same person. The person in the cover art looks exactly like the person who owns the trademark. Not sure what this means for me. I should mention the current trademark is used for an entirely unrelated business.

Answer:
 Is it a unique name? For example, I imagine it's more unique than John or Jim, but how uncommon is it? Does googling that name come up with a number of unrelated results?

How long have you been using the name?Answer #2: First, IANAL.

Second, the relevance of the goods and services is that the only thing this person has protected under the trademark is what is listed. So say you, for example, want to start selling homewares with your current name, they likely won’t be able to stop you. What you’re currently using it for, however, might be too close.

What is more tricky is that they have proven they have been using this name since 2004 where as you only have 2011. Capitalisation probably doesn’t matter a whole lot.

Your best bet, if you want to keep using your name, is to do a quick consultation with an IP lawyer. They’ll be able to advise you on the best course to follow.


Title: Hypothetical: Employment law question I just got from a reality show, re: boss using his employees outside of his business.

Question:
I was watching a house flipping show, and one flipper apparently also owns a cafe (in New Jersey). When they needed help with demo, he said he would just call his employees, because he's already paying them for his business, they can just come do this instead.

On first thought, this doesn't sound kosher. On second thought, he is right, he's paying them, and i'm sure their employment language includes "other duties as assigned by management". On third thought, wouldn't there be some serious insurance issues? Workman's comp would not like paying for a server who got mangled in a construction zone. And it's the business paying them, isn't it, and flipping houses is no part of the cafe's business...

Answer:
 As long as he's paying them minimum wage (or better) and not breaking any other laws with respect to ohsa, overtime, etc then this would be perfectly legal.

If they refused to do the different job they could have a case for claiming unemployment due to a substantial change in their work duties. It wouldn't be a sure thing but they would have a better case then if they just quit without cause.

Workman's comp is the biggest potential issue. Workman's comp premiums are usually calculated based on industry classifications and the associated risks (and costs). Classifying your workers as hospitality staff (and paying that premium) but then getting them to work in a construction zone could cause issues if he doesn't clear this with his provider.


Title: Ontario Canada. Just received a robocall that there may be an arrest warrant for my arrest in BC.

Question: Woke up this morning with a voicemail - robocall saying there my be a warrant out for my arrest in Surrey (I place I haven't visited in 2.5 years). It said to call them at ###-#### or there will issue a warrant. This is a scheme? Should I call?

Answer: NAL but probably a scam, why tip someone off that you will arrest them? Answer #2: 100% scam. I work for the BC courts. It doesn’t work that way at all.


Title: Suing a major retailer, how far can we push? (North Carolina, USA)

Question:
Okay, so this is a long one, buckle up folks.

Mothers Day 2017, its also my neice's birthday. We are giving her a party and my Mother-in-law(MIL) realizes we need more paper plates so she goes down to our local Dollar General(DG).

MIL is in her 60's but is a VERY agile woman, she is always gogogogo, nothing slows her down. Until she finds a puddle of water in the middle of the aisle in DG. Apparently a DG worker is moping and moved the wet floor sign before the floor was completely dry. MIL falls HARD.

A worker comes over and tries to get her up off the floor, MIL says no, I think I broke something. Worker says do it anyway and tries to PHYSICALLY PULL HER OFF THE FLOOR. MIL slips again, wet floor remember? Falls hard again, she is NOT getting back up again. Father-in-law and sister-in-law are there, call 911, and take pictures of everything. Manager is not available, but another DG worker, not the one who was moping or 'helping', is super supportive and helps with all this.

After going to the hospital in the ambulance and waiting for HOURS in the ER, finally xrays come back and sure enough, its a shattered hip. She stays in the hospital for the rest of the weekend, gets a completely new hip, recovers and goes home.

MIL recovers mostly fine. She now has a limp, getting up after sitting is difficult, she got a bad ear infection that her doctor told her was(in part) due to the stress her body was under(her immune system), she has difficulty sleeping and holding her grand kids, she is a piano teacher and cannot sit for long in the piano bench which impacts her efficiency as a teacher)her right leg is about an inch shorter than her left and that will cause back problems.

She is still in the recovery phase though and we all hope that most if not all of these problems get fixed with time.

MIL contacted the family lawyer while still in the hospital. It took this long because the lawyer wanted a note from the doctor about how her recovery is going and what sort of long-term effects this incident has caused. MIL is only suing to cover her medical bills and lawyer fees. MIL doesn't have health insurance. She is NOT looking for a payout.

We just found out today that DG will NOT be settling out of court. Basically, the store manager says that there was no water on the floor and that MIL said at the time of the accident that 'she dislocated her hip' which I guess damages her case somehow?

MIL did NOT say that. There WAS water on the floor with no sign, we have cell phone photos to prove that, and the manager NEVER spoke to her.

The lawyer told MIL that there would be an estimated additional 50k in lawyer fees for him to go to court for her. He doesn't think they will win. MIL is extremely depressed now. Her medical expenses total over 75k now with 20k in already lawyer bills.

If DG doesnt pay, my In-laws will have to file bankruptcy.

How far can we push this? How far SHOULD we push this?

--------

EDIT-

The family lawyer is just that, a family lawyer. He's been around helping out the family in all legal matters for years.

Im mostly looking for advice on what is the best course now. Is it really possible to win against a major company like this? Should we just get a new lawyer? Does my MIL have any real legal standing?

Topic:
Personal Injury

Answer: Is the "family lawyer" a personal injury attorney?  If not, find one, **now**.  If so, why do you think Reddit can be any more help?


Title: Got a speeding ticket, FREAKING OUT PLEASE HELP

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Traffic ticket attorney since the stakes on this one are high.


Title: Only a month to move out

Question:
Florida - So we've been renting a house on a month to month basis instead of signing a new lease because we've been thinking of moving, or buying the house we are in. The landlord has asked if we wanted to buy it, but never made an offer.  The landlord put the house on market and only one realtor came by to see house. We just found out there is a contract on the house, I assume with that realtor.

We were also told (by the realty management company over the home) that since we are renting month to month, and there's now a contract on the house,  we now have one month to vacate the house.  No official eviction letter,  just a text message saying we have a month to leave since there's a contract on the house.

Is this true? Do we only have til the end of May, or are they blowing smoke in our face hoping we will flinch?

Answer:
 Yes, that is true. That is what month to month means. Answer #2: I think Florida only requires 15 days notice to terminate a month to month tenancy.  So if you got 30 days, you made out pretty well.Answer #3: They must give you written notice, but Florida onky required fifteen days advance notice to vacate if the landlord needs to possess the property in most circumstances; 30 in others. A text message is not adequate, even if you are on a month to month tenancy. I'd your previous lease defined a notice period to end tenancy, that term does survive the lease rolling over month to month, so check your copy to see if it gives you a longer notice period.

If you fail to vacate after being given proper written notice, the landlord can file an unlawful detainer action in court to evict you, which will cause severe damage to your ability to rent in the future. Usually the sheriff's department can physically remove you from the premises within a week or so after the landlord wins an eviction suit, so it really isn't worth trying to dig your heels in unless there is absolutely no other option. Renters are not given the right to continue possession of a rented home outside of written lease terms like some jurisdictions provide.


Title: (CA) Got in a car accident. The owner of car have a dashcam and say nothing beside exchanging information!

Question:
Today I was stuck in a traffic. I got around a car that was going really slow and annoying me. Unfortunately on the way to exit, I saw that this car was about to pass me and exit.

I really don't want to be stuck behind that car. I know I was a douche for what I did but... I quickly tried to move into front of this person without even signaling.

The car right in front of me end up braking hard. So I have no choice but to brake hard as well. The car that I just got in front of crashed into back of my car.

We pulled to the side. The driver come out and ask what I was doing. I know he was at fault since he hit me from the behind. I told him he should had gave me more room. He pointed at the car and say "Look, there's a dashcam and it captured you turning right into front of me then braked hard. I don't need to say a thing. Let just exchange the information"

I was speechless by his bluntness and rudeness. I tried to ask him if I can see the video in hope that the cut off wasn't as bad as I though. He refuse to let me look at it. Figuring it was of no use, we exchanged information.

I don't know what to make of this now... Am I going to be at fault? He hit me in the back but he's going to send the video to the insurance company. I know I cut him off immediately without signaling. But i don't know if this will be considered as my fault?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 > I was speechless by his bluntness and rudeness

He was blunt but not rude. He didn't have to show you anything.

> But i don't know if this will be considered as my fault?

It could be. Let your insurance company handle it. this is why you have insurance.Answer #2: > Am I going to be at fault?

Quite likely.  You admit to seeing him move out to pass, then you made a move to block him without signalling.  While *most* rear-end accidents are the fault of the person behind, this seems like a classic example of one time where it wouldn't be.

Or at least, not totally.  Fault can be shared, so it's very likely some chunk of this will end up on you.


Title: Job accusing me of stealing an item after I brought in a reciept

Question: Someone bought me a gift and my job believes I stole it. I brought in a reciept which then shortly after my manager lost it. They are now threatening my job and calling loss prevention and the police. They also kept the item and hasn't given it back. I've contacted HR and all they did was give me the number to loss prevention. What are some options for me? I need help with this.

Answer:
 3rd party bought board

With cash

Gave as "gift" to OP

Store has no record because it was rung up as wrong item

Receipt is lost.

And now you just want to keep your "reputation", youre not all that concerned about the gift anymore.

Wow OP, everything youve said leads me towards the conclusion that the board was stolen, yet it is all one big series of unfortunate coincidences.

Good luck getting "your" board back.


Title: [Work] Can my employer force us to take unpaid 30 minute breaks every day? (Florida)

Question:
Recently, during a meeting at my job, our general manager was talking about putting in place mandatory 30 minute breaks (Unpaid) starting next week. They have also implemented a 30 hour cap on all employees (save managers and head chef), so the most anyone works in one day is 6 hours.

It is to my understanding that a 30 minute break cannot be forced unless you work 8 or more hours in the state of Florida, and anything less than 8 can take a PAID 5-20 minute 'snack' break.

We have been told almost daily that we cannot take less than 30 minutes for our breaks, no matter what. I don't need to be on break for longer than 15 minutes, as I just want to eat and get back to work. Am I allowed to decline a 'mandatory' 30 minute break if i work 6 hours? Can I take a 15 minute (paid or otherwise) break to just eat breakfast? Are they legally allowed to deny us this 15 minute break time?

We feel like they are trying to skim almost 3 hours off of each of our checks every week, and are breaking the law in doing so.
____________

Some information we have read online and are basing this information off:
"As of August 2014, Florida doesn't require employers to furnish adult employees with lunch breaks or break times during a work day, according to Nolo. If employers do give time away from the job during the day, any breaks between five and 20 minutes must be paid, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Breaks longer than 20 minutes are unpaid breaks, such 30-minute or one-hour lunches."

"Under Florida Labor Laws, employees are usually allowed with a 30 minute lunch break and 15 minute short breaks. This is applicable to employees who work in an 8 hour shift. Those who work under 6 hours, they are entitled to a paid break, but not a 30-minute unpaid break."
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer:
 They can absolutely make you take a half hour unpaid break. In fact it's a good idea that they do. In States where an employee has a right to a half hour unpaid break, it makes an employee complaint of "I never got a break" a lot easier to defend against. If they let you choose, there will always be some dishonest employee who elects not to take a break and then turns around and claims he wasn't given one and was forced to work despite asking for a break.

> Can I take a 15 minute (paid or otherwise) break to just eat breakfast?

A 15 minute break would have to be paid.Answer #2: Sigh, second one today.

Absent a contract to the contrary, you employer can require you to take an unpaid 30 minute break. All the links and quote you have given relate to situations where the employer must give a break. You can't extrapolate that to mean "if you don't fit these categories it's illegal for an employer to require you to take a break".Answer #3: I don't think you know what "entitled" means. Just because you aren't *entitled* to something doesn't mean you can't have it. For example, I'm not entitled to Chinese food. That said, people are free to offer it to me anyways.


Title: I need some help

Question: I got arrested and fingerprinted for retail theft at Walmart I’m 16 and I want this to disappear NOW, I live in pa and have been looking into expungement. Thanks

Answer:
 Hire a criminal defense attorney. Do what he tells you.

This isn't going to go away any time soon. Although you may be able to get into a diversion program where if you don't do anything else stupid for a while you won't have a conviction on your record.


Title: Can police ask you to do things?

Question:
Hi everyone, I recently watched the movie "Compliance" which is a true story about a man who posed as a police officer, told a McDonald's manager that one of their employees was a thief, and then asked the manager to prevent the employee from leaving while the officer investigated her things and so on. Apparently in real life, one of the men who detained her was arrested for "unlawful imprisonment," even though he only did so because he believed it was a real police officer and that he had to do what the officer said.

So as I like to be prepared, I would like to know what you are actually supposed to do in a situation like this. If you are not directly involved in a crime, and an officer asks you to do something, should you just ignore them and not involve yourself in whatever is happening? Say it had been a real officer and the manager had just said "nope, I'm going on break and not doing that," would he have gotten in trouble for disobeying an officer?

Later in the movie, the fake officer also had the employee perform a sexual act on the man who was detaining her. The real-life version of the man then got 5 years for sexual assault. So if an officer says "put your hands on the wheel" compared to "have sex with your girlfriend" or some other request, how do you know what you're actually supposed to do or not do? Of course this was the most extreme part of the situation but it did make me wonder where exactly the line is, my friend said you should "just know" but a statement like that is so imprecise that it's useless as there will always be scenarios that aren't as obvious as the example I gave. For example if I'm at work and I get a call saying "this is the fbi and we believe one of your employees is a fugitive, we're on the way to arrest them so don't let them leave" should I do it or should I just say "nope, not doing that" and hang up? and so on, of course there are countless examples you can come up with.

So in a situation where an officer (or someone you believe to be an officer) asks you to do something that you don't want to do (or even that you are indifferent to), what are you actually supposed to do? Do it or ignore it?

Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: The police are not going to call you be telephone to tell you to do something. A police officer can not tell you to do something unlawful. If they do then you can refuse to do it.


Title: [DC, USA] Mother just found out she was (maybe) adopted and birth certificate is fake. How can we find her real birth certificate?

Question:
Okay, so this is a huge, confusing cluster-fuck.  My mother (MOM) had a really fucked up mother (GMA).  MOM grew up with about a dozen siblings all from different fathers because GMA was a bit of a whore.

Her birth certificate says she was born in Washington DC in 1962, but her name wasn't added to the birth certificate until 1964--so her original birth certificate apparently doesn't have a name. One of MOM's sisters (SIS) is trying to figure out who *her* father is and was told that both SIS and MOM were adopted and that their birth certificates are fake (I don't know *who* told her this, but it was apparently some government employee in DC--trying to find that out).  I'm trying to figure out how to get the real birth certificates.

The DC Department of Health website says the only way to get it is through VitalChek.  I checked VitalChek, and it requires MOM's date of birth, place of birth, and her mom's full name.  GMA probably isn't her real mother, and if the birth certificate is fake, then we can't confirm her birth date or place.  VitalChek does not give refunds if they can't find records based on the information provided, so it will be a waste of money if we don't know that information.

MOM also just applied for a passport using her birth certificate and drivers license.  So now I'm a little worried she'll get in legal trouble if they think she's not who she says she is (which I guess is true).  What do I do?

**TL;DR - MOM needs to get her birth certificate, but we can't confirm who her mother is, where she was born, or when she was born.**

I'm trying to contact SIS to find out exactly how she learned all of this, but for now, I'm working off the assumption that everything she said is true.

Edit: Also, GMA's dead, so no help there.

Answer:
 so in most places when someone gets adopted the original birth certificate is replaced with a new one (reflecting the adoptive parents) so having a bc with her adoptive mom's name on it does not necessarily mean that it is fake.

Have you tried calling vitalcheck? They may have a way to find the original or it may be sealed.


Title: My dying tree is the only holding up my neighbor's fence.

Question:
Atlanta Metro, GA

My neighbor has a fence that is leaning considerably towards my property, I believe the only thing holding the fence up is a tree on my property. The fence is old and my neighbor has piled leaves and dirt against it causing the leaning. The tree is beginning to die and I would like to cut it down, because it has limbs hanging over my neighbor's property and I do not want to be liable for any damages the tree limbs falling might cause. But I am concerned if I cut the tree down the fence will fall.

Is there any preventative measures I could take, if I do not cut the tree, to help cover me if the tree dies and the fence falls causing damage? Could I be held liable for damages if I cut the tree and the fence falls?

I recently purchased the property and had it surveyed. The fence is clearly in my neighbor's yard and the tree is clearly in mine.

I do not know the neighbor and have not discussed this issue with them. I do not want to contact them and say something that could be used against me.

I would like to contact an attorney if it is needed, but not sure how they could help if nothing has happened.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer: IANAL, but I work for a surveying company (not in GA.) Before proceeding with anything, I’d recommend that you check your local town/county ordinances as they pertain to fence ownership and maintenance, as this varies from state (or town) to state, and your local jurisdiction may consider your neighbor’s fence to be an encroachment situation.


Title: (KS) A few months ago, I underwent a c-section. My first child and first surgery ever. A week after being discharged, my scar became infected. My in-laws think I should sue the hospital.

Question:
Here's some background. I'm diabetic and I was controlling it during my pregnancy and right after I gave birth. I had something called a PICO dressing covering my scar when I was discharged.  It basically works to keep any moisture and what not from just lingering on my wound since that's how bacteria thrives. I was unaware that the dressing automatically stops after 7 days. There were directions in my discharge papers, but it took me forever to get to it since I was trying to recover and what not. I was under the assumption that my OB would remove it in our follow up visit.

The day the 7 days were up. I called the after hours on duty physician and he advised me to remove the dressing. I was hesitant to remove it because I was just freaking out at the fact I had an incision and I was in pain and I didn't wanna mess anything up. Later that day, my PICO dressing ended up soaking in pus and some blood. There was also this weird blood pocket on my incision. I am not quite sure if the infection was building up over those 7 days. Or if it happened on the last day that I was supposed to take it off.

I had to go back and get surgery to remove dead skin. The wound was left open and I had a machine hooked on me to constantly drain any fluids. They were going to let my wound heal from the bottom up. I would get it changed 3 times a week. And this lasted for maybe a month and a half. At the beginning of this process, the pain was unbearable even with pain meds. I was depressed. And it was difficult to bond with my baby those first few weeks. When I asked about what caused this infection, they said a variety of factors could've played a role, such as my diabetes. But I feel like there's more to it than that. I'm not quite sure if there was any negligence on their behalf.

Sorry this is so long! I appreciate the time spent on reading this. And I hope I thoroughly explained this!

Answer:
 Neither you nor your in-laws seem to have a grasp on legal liability.

Even if it can actually be determined that the hospital was negligent, your contributory negligence will likely play a bigger role than theirs, and any of your damages will be proportionally reduced.Answer #2: Nurse practitioner, here - you were negligent. You even admit to not "getting around" to reading your discharge instructions. . .You are a non-compliant patient. For the sake of argument, let's say that the infection was a result of hospital negligence, it can't be proven since the onus of after care fell to you.


Title: If I where to to fly to America, destroy all of my ID and just camp in the wild, would i be legally clear?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Homeless people are attacked, robbed and murdered all the time. Why not save some money then tour America with some friends by renting a SUV that you can sleep in then go home. You will have a much better time. NLA. YMMV. IMHO. Answer #2: well yeah, a ton actually. first off immigration issues, then tresspass and tax issues, then poaching issues, then pollution and Fire code issues.


Title: What can I do

Question:
I have a "step dad", I put that in quotations because he was never able to marry my mother before he died. So not by name his step child. But his and my name are both on my childhood home but not on the vehicles.

He bought one of the vehicles for me, but I got pulled over once and found out my name is not on the car.

Now my stepdad is not in the best of shape, and I fear I will not be able to talk him into putting my name on the car.

If he dies is there any way to keep the car? How could I go about the vehicles if he dies and they are all in his name?

I doubt he plans on making a will. He is a cheap person and wills are expensive so I would be surprised if he did.

Answer: If your name is not on the title and he dies without a will, the car will flow to whoever is his heir via the interstate rules of your state.  This will not be you. This would be true even if he had married your mom as step children are not a part of the intestate succession rules in any state that I am aware of.


Title: Can i be fired based on hearsay even if i can prove it was not true?

Answer: Try following instructions and provide your location


Title: My girlfriend (Age 23) is being cyber bullied.

Question:
Throw away account because this contains personal details.

My friend, age 23, is being harassed online by a former friend whom she had a falling out with. Her harasser has been posting pictures on various social media platforms with captions insulting my friend and calling her out by HER FULL NAME.

We have screenshots of everything she posted.

We just want this to stop. It’s causing her undue stress and just feels so wrong. Any advice on how to deal with this would be greatly appreciated!

Edit- We live in Louisiana.

Answer: Louisiana cyber bullying laws only apply when the victim is under 18. Unless the person is making threats, it is probably best to just ignore it. Answer #2: She should block the person in question.


Title: (Indiana) Mother died without a will.

Question: My mother died (age 55) leaving no will. She was married but they had been living apart for about 3 years. She's taken his name off the deed to the house. She also has a van that doesn't have his name on it. He found her dead a couple days ago when he visited her house. He came back to the house and gathered all her paperwork, keys to the van and her ATM cards. He's been withdrawing the daily limit of $500 from the ATM from her acct. They still married, do I have any legal rights to the property inside the house or the house or the van? I'm devastated by her early death and crushed that i have to do legal battle with my step dad. What kind of lawyer do I need?

Answer:
 My condolences on the sudden loss of your mother.  A probate lawyer will be able to guide you through the process.

According to the [statute](http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/incode/29/1/2/29-1-2-1), he has a claim to 1/2 of the estate (excluding some weird stuff about real estate).  That doesn't mean he can just go in and pick and choose whatever he wants.  There's a process.

Is his name on the bank account?

If not, call the bank right now and see if they will cancel the ATM cards.  Explain that the account holder is deceased, that property is missing from her possession including the debit cards, and that you (the beneficiary) have noticed withdrawals being made and need their help to cancel the cards pending an investigation or the start of the probate process.  Even if you have to pretend not knowing who took it or whats going on while playing the grief card.  He can wait to get his money once the estate is disbursed in an orderly and supervised fashion IMO.

Mileage may vary on this one.  Sometimes banks require a death certificate before doing anything.  If they learn that the surviving spouse using the card, the bank may refuse to get involved.  But hopefully you get someone sympathetic who will help you out.


Title: Got myself into a nightmare situation with sunpass, please help. License suspended. (FL, USA)

Question:
**TLDR AT BOTTOM**

I'll start off by saying that yes, I know I am an idiot. These mistakes that I made and keep making are dumb, and i feel like shit and severely depressed, so please if you have nothing nice to say, just move on. But if you can help with advice, I would greatly appreciate it!

**The problem**
So I was habitualized for driving with a suspended license two years ago, and if you don't know that means you cant drive for 5 years. The reason why my license was suspended was multiple (100+) sunpass violations (more on this at the end).  Since then i've done my best not to drive, however unfortunately in Miami everything is kinda far so public transportation is not always viable. Three weeks ago I was driving home from university late at night, around 12 pm from my university (midterms and no late night public transportation) and I was stopped by police a couple blocks from my house.  Obviously they ran plate, got my name and saw that I was habitual and they sent me to jail. I bonded out and I have court this coming tuesday.  I am very worried about this situation since I know this is a felony and no longer a misdemeanor since I am a habitual offender. I also know that I was entitled to get a hardship license after one year of not driving since becoming habitualized but I didn't know this until recently.  What options do I have, if any?  Is it possible that i get a hardship license before my court date and show that in court?  Can a lawyer do anything for me at this point and help me get my license back or maybe appeal the habitualization due to my circumstances (more on my circumstances below) ??

**How i got in this mess, and my current circumstances**
So around 2008 or 2009 i obtained a Sunpass for my vehicle, and linked it to my debit card for automatic renewal. At the time sunpass was a fairly new system predictably had some issues with implementation and such.  Also at the time, I was attending University full time and also had a full time job 40 hour a week job, so I really had barely any spare time at all for anything. Well my sunpass, for whatever reason, would stop renewing once it reached below 10 balance, instead of automatically reloading more money into it, it would just run out. Consequently i would receive a couple of letters in the mail saying i had to call and fix the issue, so I did. Every time after work around 4:30 i would spend an hour or more (no exaggeration) dealing with sunpass wait times in order to fix this issue. I did this about ten times ( i counted) and eventually, got so tired of having to waste time on what IMO was an issue on their end, that i said fuck it this is sunpass problem not time. Well obviously that was the stupidest thing i could have done because what ended up happening was I got charged with over 160 unpaid sunpass toll violations.  Now, since then, i have paid over $4000 in unpaid toll violation fines and have most of those sunpass violations closed from my record (they were all supposed to be closed, but for some reason, some still remain and sunpass never sent me the confirmation i requested). It took over 8 months for this to update in the system, that i had paid those tolls, and in between that time i got arrested for driving without a license multiple times, the last of which 2 years ago resulted in habitualizing me as repeat offender. And then i get arrested 3 weeks ago for driving home from school.

I have no idea whats gonna happen tuesday when i go to court, and this problem has pretty much completely changed my life for the worst. I cant drive to school, or work, so i cant just throw money at the problem. It has kept me from graduating in a timely manner since ive had to schedule class times around my ability to get public transportation/work. And it has marked me as a felon for the rest of my life.  I feel like im in an endless cycle that i can't break out of. All I want is my license back so i can be a contributnig member of society, I dont belong in jail and im not some shady criminal. I'm an honor student with over a 3.5 gpa in an engineering major, is this worth nothing ?  Can't I somehow get my license back by showing all the money i've already spent in paying these tolls that were originally around 160$, yet Ive paid over 4000$ and theyre STILL not all gone?

What can I do? Should i sell all my shit and just hire a lawyer? I'd like to appeal my habitualization if possible and show my current academic standing and the fact that i have no other legal problems at all + money i've paid to fix the problem, but i dont even know where to begin. I have court tuesday, what steps should i take before then?  Does anyone know a lawyer in the Miami area capable of handling this case? (long shot but im willing to try anything at this point)

**TLDR** Habitualized two years ago for driving with suspended license, spent 4k + on paying tolls but some (around 10) still remain, arrested two weeks ago after being habitualized for driving and have court tuesday. How can I break out of this cycle?

Answer:
 Date someone who drives a taxi? At this point you are likely looking at doing time with this felony. You have been breaking the law for years with zero regard for the consequences. So now you are going to be forced to deal with some consequences.

You should consult with an attorney. They may be able to mitigate the damages.


Title: Help needed with suing the estate of my child's deceased father.

Question: Throwaway for personal reasons. Essentially, the father of my child passed away recently, and his wife (common law, not official) and parents are taking the opportunity to oust me from any collection to his estate, a death certificate, anything. At the time of his death, he was backed up close to 11k in child support, and am hoping to sue for what he owed. I'm also considering suing for emotional distress, as throughout this process, I have been wrongfully and publicly slandered. I'm wondering what my options are in this unusual case, and am in Texas if this helps any.

Answer: If you want to protect your child's interests you need to consult with a probate attorney ASAP.


Title: (Wisconsin) Was summoned for jury duty,how do i get out of it.

Question: I summoned for jury duty. How do I get out of it? I have no faith in the wisconsin court system due to a personal experience in my family .

Answer: You will need to report for jury duty. If you get called to assess whether you are suitable for this case, tell them why you think you are unsuitable. You will likely get dismissed.Answer #2: Is there a legal reason you cannot serve, or just personal?


Title: [North Carolina] Apartment Complex forcing us into community WiFi even when it does not fit our needs?

Question:
So, a few months back, my apartment complex management announced via email that they had signed a deal with an ISP to provide community WiFi that is accessible to all residents anywhere in the complex.

They stated that service is not opt-out and that you will be billed for the service regardless of your usage(much like the cable services the complex also provides).

My roommate and I switched over to the community WiFi for about a week before we found that it didn’t come close to the service we need; the speed was too slow for almost all devices in the unit, certain devices couldn’t connect period, they limit the number devices you’re allowed to have connected, and it experienced several lag spikes.

After finding that it didn’t meet our needs, my roommate and I switched back to our own internet plan through the ISP. However, this morning I received an email from the complex management stating that they will be forcing everyone to switch to the community WiFi, and that the ISP will be shutting off anyone’s individual internet plans in June.

Can my complex really force me to use their WiFi, even when it does not fit my needs and limits my privacy and security; even when I am electing to pay for my own service?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 I would contact your ISP and ask them if they're aware the complex is making statements on their behalf, for starters. The complex doesn't actually have any standing to intervene in your contract with your ISP, and while they may be able to limit the ISP's access to the building's cable closet, even that's uncertain: the FCC's position on the subject is, as they say, evolving rapidly.

Beyond that, this constitutes a change to your lease. If your lease does not permit this change, then they can't force it on you until the end of the term - that is, if you refuse to pay the additional fee for wifi, the only thing they can meaningfully do is prevent you from using the wifi, which you already don't want. If your lease does permit this change, it may be enforceable against you.

Once your lease is up, they can offer a new lease under terms that include the wifi, and they can refuse to renew your existing lease, so that's mostly a holding action at best. Ultimately, you're going to need to move.Answer #2: It depends what your lease says.  If you're month top month, they can change your lease terms with 30 day notice.  If you're on a traditional lease, they can change the terms at the end of the lease period.  they can charge you for any service tied to the rental.  Your recourse is to give them notice and move.  They don't have to itemize.  They can just increase the rent and call it a free service.

Sounds like you might want to consider moving if they are going to eliminate your option to get your own service.


Title: Roommate steals things and needs to go.

Question:
He is NOT on the lease. He DOES receive mail here. I live in Oregon.

This man child has no concept of boundaries and has excuse after excuse as to every violation he has made.

Most things have been smaller in nature but this is a classic case of a man that just takes until he is forced to stop.

I want him gone.

With those three facts at the start, am I allowed to just throw him to the streets? We tried to give him time but he mistakes our kindness for weakness.

Answer: nope, you need to give him proper notice that you are terminating his month-to-month tenancy agreement.Answer #2: If you throw him out on the street he can then proceed to legally take your stuff (money) by suing your balls to the wall for illegal eviction.