Title: My parent is threatening to send me to prison over a Parent Plus Loan

Question:
When I started school in Florida, both my parent and I were fully aware of the cost and the contractual responsibility of the loans we were signing off on and made a verbal agreement for me to cover the costs of both loans, once I graduated. I have my own Stafford Loans (cosigned by my parent) and my parent had the Parent Plus Loan. Upon graduation, my parent told me to just worry about my own loans. I assumed this was a graduation gift as well as a verbal agreement that we would pay for our own loans. Because of this, I felt more comfortable starting my income at just enough for just my loans and other living expenses, considering that I had just graduated and needed the experience before asking for a higher income base. Almost a year into paying my own loans responsibly, I get an angry call from my parent. My parent says that I need to pay for the Parent Plus Loan or I will be reported to the FBI/police for fraud. I'm not fully understanding why I'm being threatened for it and so I first try to calm my parent before getting context behind the threat. I was told that I and/or the school was tricking my parent into signing off on the Parent Plus Loan and that I should be paying for my own school. I knew then, that my parent was just desperately looking for a reason to not pay the Parent Plus Loan. I explained to my parent that I am not legally bound to the Parent Plus Loan, but that I would be willing to help out with this situation. I found that my parent had never made payments to the Parent Plus Loan. I suspect that there was never an intention to do so. My parent claims to be retired but has recently started working (part-time?) while receiving social security. Once my parent demanded that I was to pay for the Parent Plus Loan, I began to be concerned over the accrued total cost, which I found to be more than three times my spendable income. I made it clear to my parent that at the monthly rate, I could not afford to pay the Parent Plus Loan and my own loans. I told my parent that I would attempt to reduce the costs but I have had no luck in finding a repayment plan. One solution I did find was to pay off the loan with another in my name, but considering the cost, I'm not quite sure I'm prepare to hold the burden of a loan that hasn't been addressed for so long. I'm concerned that my parent will come up with some sort of lie to actually imprison me if I don't find a solution soon.

My Questions:

Can I be imprisoned over a Parent Plus Loan? For fraud? For "tricking" (I didn't) my parent into signing it?
Can I be sued?
What should I do when I am threatened like this?
I have been made aware by the school that my name is not on that loan but, can I be legally bound to it through my parent?
~~Are there programs to reduce monthly costs to a Parent Plus Loan?~~

EDIT: I realize that the last question is more of a finance one. It's struck out for the sake of context in the comments. Thanks for everyone's support. I felt like I was being forced to help my parent or otherwise be berated, falsely imprisoned, and ill-treated by other family members that would believe my parent. Provided that this situation was approached more calmly, I would have helped my parent a lot more without threat of imprisonment. I'm deciding to simply refer my parent to the link provided by **jellicle** and hope for the best.

Answer:
 Parent loans are the parent's responsibility and no one else's.  You will not be going to prison or being legally punished in any other way.  The police would laugh at this parent.

Of course, the parent CAN demand that you repay the loans (despite not having legal responsibility for doing so) or: they won't talk to you any more, they won't make you chocolate chip cookies any more, they won't let you live in their house any more, or anything like that.

The parent (not you) would probably be better off checking out repayment plans and the like.  Here's a summary:

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2014/12/08/4-strategies-for-repaying-federal-parent-plus-loans


Title: Mom hurt by a horse while working on a ranch owned by someone else, no insurance. DFW, TX

Question:
[UPDATE]: thank you all so much for the responses. I don't know if she gets W2s but i will find out. One possibly important thing i forgot to mention is that the ranch is also her place of residence so I'm sure it would complicate things a lot if she tried to take legal action - it's a tricky situation for sure.

My Mom is the groundskeeper on a ranch outside of DFW. A few months ago she got kicked in the face by a horse (!!!) and is now struggling with the hospital bills. I had a few questions about this - although full disclosure: I may be missing some details because she doesn't want my help with this.

the facts:
-she is an employee of the owner of the ranch
-she was kicked in the face while feeding the horses (don't know if that matters
- she doesn't have health insurance

The owner of the ranch said that he is not liable for this injury and he is also unwilling to help her with the bills out of his own pocket or anything (FYI he is very wealthy).

She doesn't want to sue or anything like that so I was just wondering if anyone had any good advice on this and/or if anyone knew of any dentists that would possibly do some pro bono cosmetic dentistry.

The extent of her injuries as far as i know: kicked in the jaw on the right side of her face, small metal plate inserted into the cheek area, mouth still healing but teeth will definitely need to be fixed.

Answer: Does she get a W2 and pay stubs?


Title: A former employer is withholding my personal belongings

Question:
 A former employer of mine is withholding over $2,700 worth of my personal belongings. I know where my belongings are (or at least where they *should* be: my former workspace.)

  Due to the acrimonious nature of my falling out with this employer, I think it's important that a representative of theirs be present when I retrieve my belongings, and have been trying to arrange a meeting to this effect for over two months now. (I've repeatedly advised them of my availability, which is limited, as since parting with this company I've taken other jobs at which I have not yet earned any time off.)
  I've repeatedly gotten the brush-off... been shuffled around between multiple spokespersons for the company (which considering how small of a company it is, I find suspicious in itself), each of whom has given several reasons to defer the issue. Some of these reasons are erroneous or outright false, and none of them - in my judgment - justify their confiscating my property.

  I've known and worked closely with these people for five years, and I surmise their intentions are malicious.

  I also am in possession of some property of theirs (with their permission; they consigned it to me for sale prior to the end of our professional relationship. Although they did recently accuse me of selling it *without* their permission, which I can prove is not the case.)

  The situation has gotten to the point where I have told them I'll be dropping their stuff off at the end of this month, and if they haven't allowed me to recover my stuff, I'll be filing a police report.

  Oh yeah, and if it matters, they're storing my belongings in a space they lease from a third party.

  In an unrelated issue, they also owe me $1,200 in unpaid wages.

  My financial resources are extremely limited, and even if I could afford to hire a lawyer, I don't think it   would be worth the expense.

  I live in Ohio.

  Appreciate any advice as to what recourse I might have!

Answer:
 Call the local sheriff on the non-emergency line and ask if them to send a deputy to escort you to retrieve your belongings.Answer #2: At that point you need a court order. Go to small claims, the judge will give an order and set a date for you to get your stuff back in the presence of a deputy. You don't need a lawyer for small claims. File for your stuff back and the unpaid wages.

Do not drop their stuff. It remains theirs, the judge will order you to give it back to them (presumably at the same time you get your own stuff). If you've disposed of it, you'll have to pay for the cost.


Title: My dad wants my Social Security Number

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Ask him why. It could be that he's setting up a life insurance policy or other financial account with you as the beneficiary if he dies. Depending on his relationship with your mother, it could be perfectly reasonable he doesn't want her to know about it.


Title: Co-workers of my girlfriend looked through her phone.

Question: We live in Virginia and my girlfriend works at a men's Wearhouse. One of her co workers took her phone while she was in the bathroom and looked through it. She has a password, but I guess he knew it. He found some sexual pictures that she had sent me. He is also under 18 if that makes any differences here. I was just wondering of the legal powers she has. What exactly could she do in this situation? I personally want him fired, but I would just like to know the scope of the situation.

Answer:
 As far a legal issues go, I suppose he's probably guilty of something like "unauthorized access of a computer system"..  Here's the Virginia statute: http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+18.2-152.1 (click next to see the start of the actual content, that's a link to the title)

But that's all going to require a lot of proof to convince the police to do anything about it.

If you both think it was unprofessional, and think he should be fired, your girlfriend is more than welcome to talk to her manager about it.

Edit: actually reading through that link in detail, what he did doesn't seem to technically fit any of the requirements to be a crime under Virginia law.  If he'd made a copy, or tried to use any information he found to make a profit, there'd be something.  But just looking doesn't seem to be a crime in VA, stupidly.


Title: Could a lawyer review these terms of service - Discord

Question: These seem overly broad and to be claiming a lot of rights that don't seem legal or appropriate for the type of business they are. https://discordapp.com/tos

Answer: Yeah - if you pay one.


Title: Former employer wont respond to mortgage broker

Question:
We are in the process of buying a home where my husband's new job is (San Antonio). We are supposed to close soon, but one of his former employers(Austin)  isn't returning any of the contact from the lender and it has been weeks. The problem being, that closing is right around the corner and not hearing from this company will cause a delay. If there is a delay the seller can back out and we will lose the home. I fear that this could likely happen, as it is a military family that has orders to a new state and they need to sell their home. Do we have any legal recourse to compel his former employer to pick up the phone?

He left the employment on good terms, he explained that he was unable to support his family on the salary and gave proper notice.

Answer:
 >  Do we have any legal recourse to compel his former employer to pick up the phone?

Nope.  The former employer doesn't owe you anything, unless you have a specific contract where he promises to.


Title: So.. my supervisor threatened to "get rid of all of the young white guys, and hire old Vietnamese women". I know it might seem like I'm just being sensitive, but I'm honestly feeling very discriminated against.

Question:
My supervisor is a 50ish y/o woman. Today she told a coworker and I, "I'll just get rid of everybody. Young white guys never do good. I'll replace everyone with old Vietnamese women and they'll get it done better, faster and cheaper."

That was her response to a rumor she heard that someone said "work slower, they'll hire more people for our department".

I'm not a bad worker, I don't feel I deserve the threats, and now I am experiencing what I can only identify as a hostile work environment.

I don't think they'll do it, I'm sure they can see that would be discriminatory. But do I have any legal protection from being treated this way?

Answer:
 If this makes you feel threatened, you're in for a real surprise once you eventually leave your mother's uterus. Answer #2: > do I have any legal protection from being treated this way?

*Have* you and your white, male co-workers been fired by the USPS and replaced with Vietnamese women? Then, you might. I'm jealous though. I'd love to work at the post office.Answer #3: You can file a complaint with the EEOC if you believe you're being subjected to a hostile work environment. But that usually requires a pattern of behavior, not a single comment.


Title: [OH] My uncle died from what we presume to be a heroin overdose. Texts on his phone elude to a drug deal. Police seem uninterested in pursuing anything. What can I do to compel them to take this seriously?

Question:
I don’t want to post a biography of my uncle’s life here. Suffice it to say he struggled with addiction his entire life. We all thought he was taking pills, but he called us from Florida saying he checked himself into rehab to fix his life. He stayed for five weeks, came home, and was dead the next day. Coroner said his urine was clean, but if he died shortly after using, it wouldn’t have made it to his urine. We’re waiting on blood tests.

In the meantime, his cell phone had texts between him and someone else saying “I just got home. Can you come over?” The person responded “that was fast. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way.” Then there was a $250 withdraw on his bank account. Then another text saying “OMW”, then another text around midnight saying “here.” Time of death was around 2am. No cash or drugs were found on him, just drug residue.

His son texted the number saying “you were the last person to talk to me dad before he died. I want to talk to you.” The other person had read receipts on his phone so he saw the text, then blocked the number.

Went to police and they don’t seem interested. It’s frustrating because Ohio is pretty hard hit on the opioid crisis, yet the police don’t want to at least attempt to track down the dealer.

Is there anything I can do to convince them to follow this lead?

Answer: I don't want to be insensitive due to your loss but for what purpose do you want the police to follow this lead?  Your uncle is likely at fault for his own death due to overdose here.  The real issue is that it's likely the dealer was with him at the time of death or there would have been a needle or drugs in close proximity to him.  Outside of giving the police the information, there is not much else you can do.


Title: California - Adult woman being held captive by her parents.... Maybe.

Question:
Throwaway because I don't want this associated with my real account.
I'm a student at a small college and moonlight as a peer tutor - the school pays me to sit in the class and lead study groups, basically.

I had a friendship with one of my peers (an adult woman), and we ended up exchanging sexually explicit texts with one another. Her parents are super religious and strict, and it didn't go anywhere, though, and thought nothing of it. Come the end of the semester, though, texts start coming from her phone of someone claiming to be her father. Her "dad" starts quoting all the stuff we said to one another and telling me he wants to come out and fight me. Of course I refuse him, feel a bit lame about that but whatever. He wants to get me fired, saying he's going to send the texts to the school for that effect. I give him the campus police dept.'s number (knowing full well they won't do anything, I haven't committed any crimes here) and say "Good luck" and then block the number.

A few weeks later, a friend of hers reaches out to me, telling me that good on me for sticking up to him. However, she got "Grounded" and is incommunicado. This is an adult, remember. A few weeks after THAT, I received an email from "Her" with a lot of heavily religious content (I didn't read it, there was just a lot of religious references that I saw before I deleted it). It didn't sound like something she wrote at all.

Now, after that, I haven't seen her in college or heard anything from her or her friend. She made jokes about her dad hitting her in the past. I think her parents may be stopping her from continuing her studies... Is this something I should report to the police?

Answer: You can call the non-emergency number to request that the police conduct a wellness check.  She may be fine or she may need help to get out of there.


Title: [MO] Sick of government vehicles illegally parking

Question:
Location is specifically Kansas City City Hall, facing the 400 block of E 11th St, Kansas City, MO.

Official city vehicles constantly park **right under** signs reading "No stopping standing or parking" across from city hall. Sometimes the hazards are left on, sometimes not. Vehicles are typically unoccupied, but I couldn't say whether they're left idling or not. I'm getting sick of dodging them on my commute to work.

I think you all might appreciate [this Google streetview image](https://www.google.com/maps/@39.1009543,-94.5777529,3a,75y,16.25h,65.03t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sjB2DhvZGRumdsQ0i_7wqLw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) (or [imgur screenshot](http://imgur.com/gvBE3fR) for mobile) even more than the average MS Paint sketch. Note that the blue plates are for official city vehicles. Yes, they do it so often Google street view shows 2 of them.

This is illegal and I'm not crazy, right? Can anything be done about this? The police presumably don't care, seeing as this is the city hall entrance... not to mention that the police department is a couple blocks away. Beyond the infuriating principle of it, this is definitely a safety hazard considering the high vehicle and foot traffic (besides, as a Seattle transplant: no one around here knows how to drive on urban one-way streets in the first place).

**TLDR: See Google streeview image linked above.**
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 It's not always illegal. I couldn't find anything online specifically for Kansas City, (and section 70-76 makes it clear that moving traffic offense apply, unless specifically exempted) but for Springfield, MO:

>Sec. 106-437 - Exempt vehicles

> The provisions of sections 106-436 [General public parking regulations] and 106-439 [Use of city parking system] shall not apply to persons parking emergency vehicles in the performance of their duties, ***or to parking of government vehicles by city, county, state, or federal employees in the course of their official duties.***


Title: I was recently charged with a misdemeanor for obstruction: lying to a police officer

Question:
This happened Saturday November 4th, 2017. I was involved in a car accident as a passenger. The driver flipped the car, and after exiting the vehicle we headed back down to the river where other friends were, to let them know what happened. Upon leaving the river the police showed up after finding the vehicle. They stopped everyone in the cars and questioned us. I didn't recall being in the accident due to alcohol, stress, shock, and possible concussion. So when the officers asked if anyone else has been involved I didn't speak up. Later they noticed a rip on my jeans accented by blood, I didn't notice this and we had been wrestling and messing around by a fire with wood, nails and sand around. I told them this is what it was from because as already mentioned I didn't recall the crash.

My question is if this can be considered obstruction since 1) it wasn't an official statement 2) I wasn't read my rights and 3) if I genuinely didn't remember the crash.

This is in Lanier county, Georgia

Answer: Don’t get yourself in legal trouble for lying about your friend crashing the car because he was drunk. Legal advice: worry about yourself, not your drunk-driving friend who could have killed you.


Title: Weird neighbor occurrence

Question:
So about 10 minutes ago I was driving home from work when I see my neighbor who drives a lotus at a stop sign, about 2 miles from our neighborhood . I turned first and was in front of him on the road back. While driving back the neighbor got really close like an unsafe distance to me so I decided to speed to try and get distance, his engine sounded crazy so I didn’t have an issue with it. While trying to get away it wasn’t long before it was the turn into our neighbor hood. I slowed down to try and make the turn but missed it because he was so close to me and I didn’t want to make the turn going 35 mph.

Keep in mind, my blinker was on for a second then switched off since the turn was missed.

I took the second turn into our neighborhood.

We live two houses from each other and both got to our houses at the same time. I thought it was cool that he was showing off his car so I flicked my brights twice. This is where the fuck up happens. We both get out at the same time and he decided to go get his mail. While walking to get his mail he looked angry so I kinda just got out and watched him for a second when he says loudly, “do you have a problem?” To which I respond, “I don’t know, do we?”.

Things begin to escalate quick. He starts walking towards me quick saying things like “oh yeah? really?”. I walk towards him and he began saying more things and calling me things like a punk ass and a little bitch. After this I say “should you really be acting like this? I’m 21 and you’re a grown man.” After that he decides to take pictures of my license plate and threatening me, saying “I fucked with the wrong person!” And that I’m gonna go to jail tonight. He than got in my face and made it seem like he was Gonna hit me. After I didn’t move he decided to push me to the ground and saying this like he can get me in jail tonight. Can I actually go to jail for anything or be in any sort of trouble for this?

I’m sorry for the back story but I don’t want to take any chances.

Answer: You could call the police and report him for assault as he pushed you to the ground, provided you did not touch him at all before that.


Title: A hostel is trying to charge my friends €900 for lost keys saying that they need to replace all the keys in the hostel for safety reasons and they keys also had a front door key on it. Can they do this?

Question: This is in Weinheim in Germany. The hostel never mentioned a charge for lost keys let alone one so ridiculous. The keys had a room key and a front door key so apparently all the keys in the hostel will need to be replaced and my friend is being charged for €900 which seems so ridiculous especially without warning. Is there any way to get around this or things to consider?

Answer: I'd check what the terms and conditions have to say about lost keys. Your friend is in fact the party that lost their keys correct? Did the hostel say why they have to replace all of the keys? Depending on the type of key (RFID versus magnet strip versus standard pin tumbler key, etc) maybe some (or most) liability falls on the hostel for not mitigating damages in the event of a lost key (which is a guaranteed eventuality). I wouldn't make a payment towards or acknowledge the validity of the debt. Hopefully someone who knows more about German law can chime inAnswer #2: You could post this on /r/legaladviceeu and see if you get any responses.


Title: [NH] Is this fraud? Is this real? Do I have a responsibility to pay? Girl cut herself because she could no longer talk to me or because she got in trouble with her parents, something along those lines.

Question:
So about 2 days ago I was on OkCupid, being a stupid horny male [20M]. I had matched with this girl, let’s call her Megan. It said she was in my area, in my state, and was 18. We had both put down that we wanted to hookup. So she gave her number, and I texted her and we started flirting, and it got to the point where she sent me one photo of her genitals. I sent her one back of mine. I asked her if she wanted to meet up but she never responded. I figured she feel asleep or felt ashamed or embarrassed.

So the next day comes, and I get a call from her number. I let it ring because I was busy at the second. But I called it back about a minute or two later. Someone picks up and it’s a man voice. I was confused so I said wrong number and hung up. This number then texts me and says to call him again or he will call the police.

So I call him and we talk. What happened was that this man was the father of Megan. Let’s call him Jim. Jim told me that Megan was actually 16 and he wanted to know what the fuck was going on. I told him, that I was so sorry, I had no idea. I immediately deleted her from the app and deleted the conversation so that I couldn’t access the photo she sent me. He seemed to calm down towards me when I told him about her OkCupid account.

He however, was still looking for something after me. Because they would have to terminate Megan’s phone plan, that meant that money would go to waste. He wanted to pay for it. I was just so freaked and I was sure yeah. It was $287.

At this point I tell him if he wishes to speak to me just text me. I didn’t want my Dad to hear what was going on. So thru one of those money transfer apps I give him the money.
Later on in the night he informs me that beforehand, Megan had destroyed her school issued iPad to destroy the evidence of either her use of OkCupid or our conversation, idk. I didn’t see why this was my fault, but he insisted, and said he would involve the police. Now I’m still scared out of my mind. So I pay him the $537 for the iPad that insurance won’t cover. He had said he had a sick wife and three kids and didn’t have the money to pay for it.

I thought that was the end of it. Today, he texts me letting me know that during the night Megan had slit her wrists, and he was texting me from the hospital. I thanked for letting me know, and said my prayers were with the family. Now he says that insurance will cover a good chunk of the expanses, but the out of pocket pay is $2,300. He says that he can tell I’m a good kid and I’ll do the right thing, but I don’t know what to do. I have very limited funding. I have just enough to pay for it. He said either I pay for it, or he can give me back the money I sent him, and from what is lawyer told him, be able to file a report against me and then his out of pocket pay will be taken care of. What do I do? I already sent him about $800 for Megan being in the hospital. But what’s weird is when his lawyer emailed me, he referred to Jim last name as a different last name that I get when I transfer the funds to him. He also gave me his paypal, which is a different first name than his. But other than that not much to go if it fraud.

I don’t understand how this is my fault, or the legal consequences. If we go the legal route, one thing I want to point out is that NH, despite the fact I disagree with this particular rule, the age of consent is 16. Her profile said Megan was 18, she only sent me on nude photo and I only sent her one, and the whole conversation is deleted now so I have no access to the photos. And while her slitting her wrists is awful, I don’t know how I’m responsible for that. Should I go the legal route or pay it of court?

Answer:
 I read the title and your first sentence.

Scam.  Block and move on.Answer #2: Jim and Megan are made up people, you're being scammed. Stop sending him money, stop talking to him.Answer #3: This is a VERY common scam.  They'll hit you up for money until you stop paying.  There never was a girl.  Who knows where the picture came from.  His lawyer is probably Mr. A. Loyer, Esq.  Whatever money you sent them is the price of a very expensive lesson.

Block them and move on.


Title: How to file for "reverse child support" for dad? PA

Question:
Dad is well into his war with cancer and things aren’t great. My parents have sold their house and cars, cashed out their retirements, basically anything that could be used to pay for treatments has been sold. It’s looking like Dad will be facing a few more battles in the coming months, so we’ve been working with the hospital social worker to figure out how to fund all this. She said that there’s something called “reverse child support” that we can file for on behalf of my dad, because my older half-sister is refusing to help out with his medical bills. I did my absolute best to get in touch and break the news gently when Dad first got sick and troubles started to mount, but she completely stone-walled me and I eventually got a letter from her lawyer husband basically telling me to fuck off. Dad is a proud man but even he admits it’s unfair how she’s trying to skiv out on helping.

The social worker said she doesn’t know much about reverse child support so I’m trying to figure out how to file for this and where to go. I called the child support office number I found online and they basically told me that “adult child support” isn’t a thing. I know for a fact that Dad paid a lot of child support for my sister, do we contact the court that the child support order went through and have them reverse the money back to Dad? Everything I’ve found online is about stopping child support payments and getting your money refunded when you find out the kid isn’t yours, not super relevant here.

We are so lost and any advice would be really helpful and great!!

Tl:dr: half-sister refusing to help pay for dad's medical bills, hospital says we should file for "reverse child support" to get her to pay her share. How do we do that?

Answer:
 Filial responsibility is a law in PA, but it's generally used by third parties to collect bills due under certain circumstances.  I'm not aware of it being used directly by a parent to seek cash support.  And even if he can "file" for this (which means initiating a lawsuit) it could take years.  It's also limited by her ability to pay.

Has your father filed for Medicaid if he's too young for Medicare?  That's his first option.Answer #2: The term you're looking for is "filial responsibility". It is a thing in PA.  Answer #3: A defense to filial support is abandonment during the age of minority.  While your sister was a minor did your father maintain a relationship with her?  Not just paying child support but seeing her and interacting with her?


Title: GA- Can my brother take his kids out of state if he and his wife split up, and he needs a place to go?

Question:
My brother and his wife split up, getting ready for a divorce. The wife took the kids without telling him where she went, he just got back in contact with her. She gave him the kids and said basically she doesn't want them anymore. He has to work, but has no one to watch the kids while he is working. He will absolutely be homeless in less than two months time if he can't work. Can he legally move his kids out of state (to stay with us) if it's an emergency? I have a job waiting for him if he can get here, and we have a good support structure here.

The wife previously had the children living with a meth addict in a tent (for the past week).

My brother is a good man, he wants to give his children some stability, but if he stays in Georgia, he is in a serious bind that may end up with his children in Fostor care. My wife and I are stable, make good money, and have the extra room for them to move in.

He tried to speak to a lawyer, but the lawyer will not be in until Tuesday. Should he wait? He absolutely needs to get out of this situation, but has no one he can depend on in Georgia, and the mother has gone completely off the deep end.

Answer:
 Barring a court order, your brother can legally take his children wherever he wants, just like the mother did.

Once your brother gets settled in GA, your brother should retain a family law attorney and get the situation settled with the courts as to his custody of his kids in his new location.


Title: Denver, CO - Future housemate committed via e-mail to taking on apartment lease with me, is now 100% ghosting. Lease begins in 2 days. Any possibilities?

Question:
Hi All,

I've been working with a property management company in Denver about leasing an apartment. They've been terrible at getting me the lease which should begin in 2 days (they haven't even sent it to me yet, but I have paid a "reservation" deposit through their website) but that's another story.

I found someone to move in with me and help take on the lease, and she agreed in an email (direct question "can you commit to moving in with me?" and her response was "Yes, I 100% commit to accepting the apartment. I'll fill out the application today"). She's gone totally quiet over the past week - no response to email, text, and she unfriended me on FB which indicates to me that she's backing out after our agreement.

Any advice on a course of action here? Could I get my deposit back from the company if they haven't sent me a lease by the time it's supposed to start? Can she be held accountable for any portion of the first month's rent while I scramble to find a new housemate? Am I totally screwed and should bust out my camping gear?

Thanks in advance for any serious information or help.

Answer:
 This doesn't sound like a place I would want to live. They have been unable to provide the most important part: the lease. How are they going to handle other problems?

But sounds like everything was waiting for a lease that never happened. It will be hard to hold her to an apartment she never signed a lease for.   And that you never signed a lease for


Title: California landlord attempting to force me to make repairs before moving out.

Question:
I received the following email from my landlord today.

> Good afternoon,

> Our office has not received rent for the month of August 2017. Even though your lease is expiring and not being re-newed and you have a move out date of 08/31/2017 you are still responsible for the rent. Due to your NSF check you must pay with either a cashiers check or money order. Also when you will be completing the repairs to the property including paint and replacement of flooring's and baseboards which have been destroyed. The backyard is dug up and destroyed. The property will need to be detailed cleaned and we do have the name and rank of the unauthorized tenant you have sub-leased to. The property needs to be given back in good clean condition as which you received it or we will be contacting both chain of commands and filing in court. I hope you plan to cooperate with this.

For context: I am in the military and had a returned check *one* time and the realtor now requires me to bring a cashiers check, I was in the field and have already payed my rent, before it was late.

Here are the facts

-I have not subleased to anyone. I believe the realtor dug through my things and found my husbands information and made assumptions. He is no longer in the military; and is attending school in a different city.

-The damaged floors she is talking about are floorboards that are cheap laminate faux wood flooring, and are starting to raise at the corners. I believe it is normal wear and tear and the damage is only affecting panels in a small area, it is in no way destroyed.

-I put down a $4700 dollar deposit including deposits for the pets I have.

-I was at a 45 day training exercise and could not pay my rent while I was away. 2 weeks before I left I contacted them 3 different times to fix my online account to accept payments; they did not fix it until after my rent was late, then they slapped a late fee on it, fixed my account, and served me a 3 day notice to pay rent or quit. I paid about ten minutes after my account was fixed.

-My property manager did a walk through in May and found some damages, they did not contact any vendors, as they said they would, to make repairs. Nor have I received a list of things they claim to be damaged by me.

-I moved in after the grass had died for the year, when spring rolled around I realized the landlord had just used dead grass to cover the land as mulch, the grass never grew back and is now completely dirt except for weeds. This is what she means by "completely destroyed." I do admit my dogs dug a couple of holes, but those can be easily covered.

-The property manager asked my permission to let the owners enter the property to survey the second bathroom because they wanted to do renovations. I locked the doors into all rooms and placed scotch tape on the walls to see if they entered other areas of the home. They went into every room.

-The property manager made a statement that the owner of the realty did a walk through with me. I told her he hadn't, she became accusatory and refused to believe me. I have never met the owner of the realty.

- My lease states that I should not do any repairs myself.

So my question is, can the landlord force me to make repairs before I move out even if they are holding my security deposit? Also, can they contact my chain of command for this? I don't see the point if they have my security deposit and if they plan to take me to court. It seems their goal in that situation would be to simply get me in trouble. I do not disagree that I have caused some damages, but it is absolutely not something that a good contractor couldn't fix in a day or two. Please help!

-

Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 You're active duty? There are [resources for you](https://www.americanbar.org/portals/public_resources/aba_home_front/directory_programs/california.html#assist) for legal assistance.

TLDR: JAG, now.


Title: Texas Prom Beachhouse bait and switch

Question: Several months ago, my group had put a down payment on a house for prom and signed the contract required. This house is very nearby our other friends' houses so the location was a huge decision in renting it. Now we recieved an email stating that the old company has been absorbed by a different company, and that the price has changed and a new contract is required to be signed. They have said that the old house was not supposed to be rented to prom groups and that the new house would be more expensive and hold less people. So they waited three months, have raised the price on us, lowered the limit of people, increased the rules, changed the contract, and moved locations. I believed that the first contract was legally binding, is it not?

Answer:
 The contract is legally binding only on you and the company you made it with. Depending on the precise details of "the old company has been absorbed by a different company", this obligation might or might not have been inherited by the new company. You'd need to hire a lawyer to figure that out.Answer #2: Don't sign a damn thing regarding a new contract until you consult a lawyer.  If the new company is on the hook for the contract is another question, but someone owes you what is stated in your contract,  and they have harmed you by not being able to provide the specified house at the specified date.

Play hardball with the new company.   You dictate to them that they will provide an equivalent place with the amenities you paid for at the agreed price,  and if they come back with 'not our obligation,  sue both of them new and old jointly,  name a nice big number,  and acquire a like area and amenities from a different company if pressed for time,  and point to the price difference as your damages due to breach of contract,  plus some extra for the hassle. Answer #3: No reason you cant take it to small claims.  You have a great case.  If you do take it to small claims, sue for the maximum, and let the court sort it out.Answer #4: Yeah, you can probably win in court. But your damages are only the lost benefit of the bargain. You can get your money back. That's about it.

Is that worth the 3000 it will take to hire a lawyer and sue?


Title: 18yr old claimed as dependent, can my guardian ask my employer for my checks

Question: My mom has some home repairs she’d like to move forward on that would be a terrible financial move at the moment. In her impatience she’s threatened to garner my checks from my employer saying that she can do so because I was listed as a dependent on last year’s taxes. I’d really like to not strain my relationship with my employer in this way. Is she legally allowed to follow through on her threat?

Answer:
 If we’re talking about the United States, no, she’s not allowed to do this.  Your employer should ignore her.

Obviously she can choose to not allow you to continue living with her.Answer #2: No, that's not how it works

She could try and get you to sign a lease or start evicting you, but she'd have to go through the legal process


Title: Friend's property manager is telling her to move out in the middle of her lease

Question:
An incidental blood test came back with a high amount of mold in her blood, which alerted her to her mold problem at home.  I'm a handyman that has done disaster cleanup after floods and hurricanes, so I poked around to see if I could find the sources.

I found that her sheet rock in the bathroom has mold growing where the wall paper is peeling up. I took off the AC vents and found huge amounts of mold growing on the vent.

I told her she needed to contact her property manager, and that it's possible the entire AC duct system would need to be replaced, and if the mold is growing on the inside of the sheetrock they'd potentially need to have the sheetrock in the bathroom replaced by professionals in mold removal.

She contacted the company, and they sent their own handyman who refused to admit that what he was looking at was mold.  Have it on video where I point the camera at the obvious mold as he's telling me that it has to be tested to be sure.  He went back to the PM company and recommended replacing the vent covers and spraying a spore killer in the duct work.

Meanwhile she hires her own company to look at it and gets a report that says they needed to replace the duct work and possibly sheet rock, exactly what I told her.  She gave this to the PM company and they told her that the company she hired was well known to lie and scare customers to get them to spend more. They refused to do anything besides replace the vent covers.

She pleads with them for a month to take it more seriously. Meanwhile she's told by her doctor she cannot safely live in the apartment until the mold is gone. Finally they hire their own mold professional and they get the same answer as the company she hired, recommending to remove the duct work and sheetrock.

As soon as the results came back today,  they e-mailed her and told her to completely move out everything she owns this week so they could do the repairs, and that she was welcome to reapply for a lease in three months.

I have all the emails between her and the PM company and mold photos... if more info would help.

In my professional opinion she doesn't need to move out for them to do the repairs. Replacing sheetrock and AC ducts wouldn't take a week and there's no reason to move her belonging out.

She loves where she lives and has no interest in moving.

She has very low rent because of how long she's been there, so the company wants her to move out so they can increase the rent a lot.

She has been staying with a friend since the initial blood test and so paid a month's rent at a place she couldn't live.

This is in Austin, Texas.

Any advice?

Answer:
 Unfortunately, the law allows the landlord to unilaterally break a lease if the tenant requests (or conditions warrant) repairs that would be burdensome to perform with a tenant living there. Since she states her physician told her she should not live there, she has no way to argue she should stay.

She is entitled to her deposit returned, and can negotiate with them being given her unit back if possible, but can not force that to happen.

Sorry, and best of luck.


Title: Pennsylvania: Mother is trying to put me on the hook for Parent PLUS loans by claiming I stole her identity.

Question:
I'm not sure what to do in this situation. I attended school at a public university from 2011-2014. About a week ago, my mother contacted me saying that when her husband filed quarterly taxes, the government took $10,000 out of his bank account due to defaulted loans in her name, and would do so again in 4 months.

After getting a full financial record from my school, I found out that she took out $30,000 of parent plus loans in only her name in 2012 & 2013. Part of these loans were applied to my tuition, but after talking to my bursars office, they said that refunds for the surplus money were sent to her in two different checks (in her name). One of the checks was not cashed in 30 days, and was sent back to the lender. However, the school has record of one of the checks being cashed.

My mother is claiming that she had no knowledge of any of these loans, because all correspondence was sent to an old PO box of hers (including, according to the university, the cashed refund check). She is also claiming that I took out these loans in her name. I do not know her social security number, nor anything about this PO box, and I have not taken out anything in her name.

Can I be on the hook for this? Also, her husband recently gifted me a car, amd I have a feeling she's going to demand it back as "payment." If I concede, does it set some sort of precedent for taking responsibility for those loans?

Answer: No only will she still be responsible for the loans but now she is facing potentially serious criminal charges for making fraudulent statements.  Has she filed a police report? That's another criminal charge here. Your mother is only digging herself a bigger and bigger hole.Answer #2: Don't discount the possibility that your mother really was the victim of identity theft: especially with the uncashed check, it's entirely possible that someone she knows (or doesn't know) had enough of her information or enough access at your school to do so.


Title: Florida-Mother stole identity

Question:
The backstory is that my fiancé and I applied for a mortgage and on the credit pull it was discovered that my fiancé had a $5k maxed out credit card under his name. I confronted my fiancé about it as he is very smart with his finances and found out that his mother had opened the card (and other accounts) in his name when he was in college. when he found out about the accounts years ago he confronted his mother about them but it wasn't pretty and he pretty much felt that as long as she was paying on the accounts and in good standing on them it was fine. Fast forward to me finding out and freaking out. I urged him to file a fraud report and have the account closed so that she couldnt continue to damage his credit. The credit card company was polite and said they would close the account and start an investigation.

So here's the question: on the investigation forms it asks "can you identify the suspect?" And that if you can to fill in all the info on the suspect.
My fiancé doesn't want his mother to face any legal ramifications (legal fees, criminal charges could prevent her from getting a job, ect) so he'd prefer to say he can't identify the suspect. But if he says he doesn't know and through the course of the investigation they discover who it is and that he did know, would he be held liable for anything?

The best outcome would be for the credit card company to just transfer the debt to his mother and remove it from his account but I don't know if that's possible.

Any help would be great. And yes, we know that what she did is illegal but she is still his mother and that changes things and makes things more complicated than a stranger stealing your identity.

Answer:
 The investigation *will* uncover that it's his mother, and she's going to end up charged with identity theft either way. There is absolutely no way she gets out of this. I'm not sure what the penalties might be for lying to the credit card company about knowing who did it, but I do know that if there's any possible way for them to avoid eating the debt, they're going to go for it. It's best not to piss off the people who are trying to help you get your finances back on track.Answer #2: We get this essential question here much too often.

There only two options:

1. Suck it up and pay, and swallow the hit to your crefit.
2. Let the law deal with the relative.

Option #1 is called *enabling*.Answer #3: She broke the law.  If you want a legal solution, she is going to be charged with a crime. This was her choice to make, you do not need to cover for her and you should be worried about protecting your own credit.


Title: Am I responsible for water damage in my downstairs neighbor's condo?

Question:
I live in a condo above my neighbor in California.

She had construction work done back in August of 2015. At the time, she told me that my air conditioner was leaking and caused water damage to her ceiling.

I didn't take her seriously because my neighbor is crazy. She has had *many* previous problems with me and all of the surrounding units (please see my previous posts if you are interested).
I wouldn't be surprised if she was pouring water on her ceiling and blaming me. She recently got caught smearing dog feces on another neighbor's front door. Anyways...

I decided to replace my A/C just in case (it was very old) but I didn't tell her. I kept ignoring her and she continued to say my A/C was leaking after the new one was installed which confirmed to me that she was wrong.

Then she started saying she was going to sue me, etc. I told her to go ahead and I decided to have a diagnostic done by a professional to confirm that my air conditioner is not leaking. I gave this report to the HOA who forwarded it to my neighbor.

Fast forward to January 19th, I got a letter from my neighbor's insurance stating they "intend to recover damages for the loss" from me for a claim from August 2015.

After speaking to the agent, I emailed a copy of the diagnostic to them. They said that it DID definitely prove that my A/C is not leaking. (I did not tell them I replaced it, either. I just said it was a newer unit.)

Just today, I got a call (from my neighbor's insurance company) saying they want a guy from some construction company to come out and check the pipes leading to the A/C. This is a window unit that [looks like this](https://activerain-store.s3.amazonaws.com/image_store/uploads/agents/tromler/files/acreplacement.jpg).

There are ZERO pipes coming to or out of the A/C. I also saw ZERO damage when the old one was taken out.

My bathroom and kitchen are on the exact opposite side of the house so I am sure there are no pipes in the wall. The HOA confirmed this.

Everything looks fine on my wall, floor, A/C and all surrounding areas.

#Questions:

#If it does turn out there there is or was a  leak that I can't see, am I responsible for damage?

#Should I let the construction company in to check?

#What should I do?

#Any other advice?

Thank you so much!!

I x-posted to r/insurance as well.

Answer: Have you notified your own insurance company?


Title: Non-Competition Clause in contract employment agreement

Question:
I just recieved a employment agreement for contract work. The contract is for 3 months with the potential of turning into a permanent position. Skimmed over the contract and noticed that it has a non-competition clause.

Here is the non-competition clause:
*Other than with the express written consent of the Company, the Account Consultant will not, during the
continuance of this Agreement or within 3 years after the termination of this Agreement, be directly or
indirectly involved with a business which is in direct competition with the particular business line of the
Company, divert or attempt to divert from the Company any business the Company has enjoyed, solicited, or
attempted to solicit, from other individuals or corporations, prior to termination of this Agreement. This
includes participating in my own business or as a co-owner, director, officer, consultant, independent
contractor, Account Consultant, or agent of another business*

I read the above paragraph and feels like a red flag. I live in the state of California and thought that non-competition clauses where not allowed. My last company which is in the same industry didn't have a non-competition clause. Speaking wtih other contacts within the industry at different companies there isn't a non-complete clause like this. Very common in my industry for employees to leave to the competition. I know 12 different situations where employess left from thier current employer to the competition. My question is based on my past experiences and being in the state of California should I ask for this clause to be removed from the agreement?

Answer:
 In CA, non-competes are void as a matter of law for employees.  If you want to bring that to their attention, the relevant statute is [CA Business & Professions Code 16600](http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=bpc&group=16001-17000&file=16600-16607).

Or you can just sign it anyway, knowing that any court in CA will immediately dismiss a suit brought based on such a clause.


Title: Wife bullied in to signing a conservatorship for her mother, California

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You and your wife need to review the actual documents she signed. "MIL is presumably filling out signing all the documents in my wife's name" doesn't make any obvious sense if your wife is your mother-in-law's agent: that permission would normally only allow your wife to operate on behalf of her mother, not the other way around.

Who is the "them" in "Apparently, it is my wife's responsibility to inform them of any change in income or living situation within ten days?"


Title: Added to an underage nsfw whatsapp chat, I'm underage myself

Question: Okay, so i was added to a nsfw group, which consisted only of minors. I muted the chat and forgot about it until I noticed my number got banned from whatsapp. I'm pretty sure this was the reason and I am at peace with losing my account. What I want to know is if I can get in any legal trouble from this. I'd like to add I'm not from the US, but from south america. I hope that my English was good enough for you to understand me.

Answer: Yes. That's distributing and participating in child pornography.


Title: Create a trust in a will or before and give to trust?

Question:
I posted before about creating a prize to use my estate for something "useful".  The reply was I wanted a trust.

OK, I plan to get a lawyer for both the will and the trust, but want to be a little bit informed before I start.  I have already checked my copy of Blacks and TRUST (in its various guises) goes on for a couple pages.

From my own reading, it looks like I want a "contingent/destuctible/passive/shifting trust" (did I forget anything?).

Anyhoo, any idea on create the trust first and then make the trust the beneficiary in my will?  Or create the trust within the will?

Any (reasonably easy) reading on the subject to get me prepped would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Answer: There are numerous options.  You shouldn't go into a lawyer thinking "this is what I want" because you don't know all the options.  You should go in, explain what you want to accomplish, and listen to the advice you receive.


Title: (NE) - Age of Majority is 19 - Can I legally evict my 18 year old daughter?

Question:
I don't need parenting advice.  Just understand that this child has made my entire family's life HELL since she was 14.

She is suppose to graduate from HS in May but won't because she doesn't have enough credits (from skipping school and failing her classes).  She is currently on JUVENILE PROBATION but is scheduled to be done in June (if she can stay out of trouble).

Once she is off probation - can I legally evict her from my house **before she turns 19?**

Answer: Doesn't look like it. As long as they are a minor you are obligated to guard them. I would call CPS and ask for parenting resources.


Title: Inspection ticket at a sobriety checkpoint (NY)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > But can somebody explain why I can be ticketed for something unrelated to the scope of the checkpoint?

Because the police don't have to ignore crimes committed right in front of them.

Any police action has a scope - a defined spread of action that they can take **if there's no other cause**.  At a sobriety checkpoint, they can do much of what they normally do during a traffic stop, and if that generates tickets then so be it.  Similarly, if a violation is obvious or visible without further action, they can handle that.

You don't say what your violation is, so we can't guess further.


Title: I have recently had a horrible experience at McDonalds. I went to file a complaint online and after filling out all pertinent information (anything with an asterisks by it) there was no button to submit my information.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 [didn't you just post this today?](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/4ij32j/ordered_a_burger_from_mcdonalds_and_when_i_opened/?sort=hot)

this is not really a legal problem.Answer #2: Are you seriously asking a legal advice website what to do when the McDs website complaint page won't take your complaint?

Why would you possibly believe this is a legal question?


Title: [TX] Moving with a service dog and two pet dogs.

Question:
First-time poster and all that jazz.

I'm probably going to relocate to the Dallas area in approximately a year for a doctoral program. Here's the thing:

 I have a service dog.

He's got all of the necessary training and paperwork, so that's not an issue. However, I also have two small dogs that are not service dogs.

My husband and I had the two small dogs long before acquiring the service dog. Most of the apartments I've been searching have a pet limit of 2. My question is, can we be turned down from pet-friendly housing for having the two small dogs + a service dog? Does the service dog count towards the pet limit? I've tried Googling, but I haven't been able to find any relevant information about a service dog owner that also has other pets.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Answer:
 If the dog is a service dog, it does not count as a pet.  A service dog is  legally considered distinct from a pet.

So you have a service animal and two pets.Answer #2: Fair Housing Act about Service Animals [PDF]: https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/SERVANIMALS_NTCFHEO2013-01.PDFAnswer #3: Are we talking service dog or ESA here?


Title: [CA] Someone used my photos to catfish someone

Question:
Today I received a message from a stranger on Facebook asking me about our date.
Someone used 3 of my photos to create a Tinder profile and ask guys on date. It's been going on for about 3 months. Upon researching the matter, I discovered that it's someone from my entourage. That someone is someone I have known for 2 year and considered a friend until today. A woman who looks like me in appearance. Same hair color and style, but different features.

**She didn't use my name or any of my information. She simply used my images. My identity was not stolen by that friend at all.**

What can I legally do?
Thank you

Answer: You have an entourage? Speak to your publicist and lawyer.


Title: I hit an illegally parked car

Question: [deleted]

Answer: The fact that is was illegally parked is not relevant. You still hit a stationary object because you lost control of your vehicle.  I would hope considering the car you drive that you have good insurance.Answer #2: Generally speaking, the person hitting a stationary object is at fault.


Title: Caught in spa raid

Question:
Earlier tonight I was visiting a massage parlour in a seedy part of town when my massuse abruptly left.

I panicked, threw on my clothes, and listened to the conversation outside of the door. Apparently it was some kind of raid as the spa is known to give out sexual services.

I paid only the advertised amount for the massage and when the undercover officer walked in I was fully dressed sitting in a chair. There is nothing to suggest anything else was going on behind our door. The officer showed me his badge, said they were conducting an inspection and told me I was free to stay or leave. I asked if he was sure I was fine to leave, he said yes, and I left without being asked for any of my personal information.

I am terrified of what may come of this, whether they use cameras to identify my license plate, or post my picture somewhere asking for the public's help to identify me (irrational?).

Please let me know what to do / expect.

Thank you.

Answer: You're fine. Stop going to sketchy massage parlors and you won't need to be paranoid.


Title: [MA] went into work and was told I looked unhealthy, sent me home on admin leave. Were my rights violated?

Question:
I work in Massachusetts and I went into work last week and got pulled aside by my manager. He told me I looked unhealthy, which I think was code for "you look like you're on drugs". They told me my skin is pale and gray and that my eyes look tired — in my defense, I work night shift so I'm asleep most of the sunlight hours, tough to build up a tan. That and I do work overtime, so I am tired. Of course I wasn't on any drugs (I had smoked weed a few days before but that was well out of my system) but they said I had to go to the ER. I refused and they said I had to go home, but if I tried to drive home they'd call the police. Oh. And I was placed on administrative leave. I thought about taking the police route because what could they do or charge me with, right? But I had a buddy pick me up, circle the block, and then drop me off at my car.

Flash forward a day and they call me at 10AM telling me I have to be in at 1PM for an HR meeting (this was during the day, which I don't normally work, so I was asleep). Plus my commute is an hour+, it was too short notice and I didn't make it.

Now I've been out on leave for 5 days, had to use 4 sick days I'll never get back. I have never and will never go to work stoned but I have smoked weed for fun a few times a week at home and now I'm worried they're going to try and drug test me to get rid of me. That aside, did they violate any of my rights? Anything I should look into? I plan on calling the Dept or Labor or state Attorneys offices Monday.

Answer: No, they didn't violate any of your rights.Answer #2: They haven't violated your rights. They are entitled to send an employee home if they believe that employee is unfit to work. I'm guessing you are leaving something out here, because they wouldn't be pursuing this with meetings and suspensions just because you look tired or pale.


Title: NV, getting divorced and wife's new boyfriend won't let me use my house

Question:
Waiting for divorce to go through, wife had me kicked out with a TPO originally when she filed. Moved back in for most of November when trying to patch things up and back out when things didn't get better. The house is community property and I have some separate property there including my firearms, which are secured in a gun safe, and motorcycle.
Can they exclude me from my property? I'm worried about keeping my guns in the house when I know very little about new boyfriend, and I'm not impressed so far.

Answer: If it's your property and there isn't a current PO or RO then you can certainly access your property.


Title: [Ohio] Can my employer change the amount of tips I claim without my knowledge?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I would almost always keep a record of what you claimed, especially if you don't get 15% of sales in tips.

Is this just a tax withholding per paycheck, and you can submit a different number when you file taxes? If so you would probably just get it back at the end of the year, but it still seems not quite right to change that without employee input.


Title: [NC]Bought new house in March, now receiving "urgent letters" from IRS pertaining to previous homeowner's business.

Question:
As the title says, I bought a house in March and moved in April.  This past week I started getting letters from multiple locations, some of them seem to be from settlement companies.  A few look like very serious documents from the IRS or "The Tax Authority."

Obviously I haven't opened any of them, but almost all of them say:
>Warning: $2,000 FINE, 5 YEARS IMPRISONMENT, OR BOTH FOR ANY PERSON INTERFERING OR OBSTRUCTION WITH DELIVERY OF THIS LETTER U.S. TTT. 18 SEC. 1702 US CODE

or

>NOTICE OF FEDERAL INCOME TAX DUE, YOUR IMMEDIATE RESPONSE REQUIRED.

They are addressed to his business, he was a building renovation contractor that had his office in the house.  I would really like to relay some of this to him, but obviously I have not had any contact with him since we closed on the house.  He was a citizen of the U.K. before, and as far as I know, he moved back there to be with family.

What do I do with these, and can I get in trouble somehow for not getting them to the business owner?  Will there be IRS knocking on my door?

Answer: Just write "Return to sender - former resident" or something to that effect. Nothing to freak out about.


Title: Landlord walks in whenever she wants and even sleeps upstairs multiple days in a row...

Question:
So I was in a pickle and needed a place quick , this lady said she would rent out the place to me and one of her terms was she wanted to come by once in a while to do laundry in her basement.

She then proceeds to start cleaning the place, bringing her dog into the place I am renting, then even sleeps multiple days in her upstairs area where she has locked off. (I am renting only the first floor but its a house.)

&#x200B;

When I said something about her sleeping here , she said something along the lines of "it's my house I can come and do whatever I want in my own house" .

I am on a verbal agreement for 6 months and I have saved everything that was stated in the agreement.

&#x200B;

She also agreed to pay for internet and gas and then made me pay 35 extra a month because I went over by 50 GB on the internet...

She often comes in late to the house and stays up really late making noise while I am trying to sleep.

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What do I do ? I am also scared she won't return the deposit as she seems very unstable and untrustworthy...

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Answer: Do you have a written lease? What does it say about the upper story? In general if you only rent part of a property, then the landlord is free to use the rest of the property as they wish.


Title: Arguing a traffic ticket

Question: In New Jersey. Got pulled over for going 74 in a 55 but the officer let me go for that so that I don't get a point on my license. Instead he gave me a ticket for "Improper Display/Unclear Plates". The only thing that was covered on my plate is the "ar" in "Garden State" from the dealership plate frame. Could I get out of this ticket by arguing it in court? More importantly, if I argue this, could the officer charge me for speeding, which was what I got pulled over for?

Answer:
 >More importantly, if I argue this, could the officer charge me for speeding, which was what I got pulled over for?

Yes, they could amend the charges to what you could have originally been charged with.


Title: Mother of my child hasnt paid Child Support (MA D.O.R.) in ~ 5 yrs (I have full custody). Posted on FB about getting a driver's license in NH.

Question: Is there someone I can or should reach out to to get her license revoked until she pays child support? She has never paid a penny. Prior to taking her to court, she actually sent DOR after me for support, even though the child was living with me only. I had received a letter saying they could take my drivers license away for not paying, but ever since court and reversing the support roles, I don't believe she's faced any of the consequences that I was being threatened with.

Answer:
 This seems ontopic to me.  Why post here instead of LA, where knownothings like me fear to tread?

No offense meant, I just think you will likely get more useful replies there.Answer #2: The reason MA isn’t enforcing it is because she doesn’t live there. MA has no jurisdiction in NH. You need to file an outgoing UIFSA in to get the order registered in NH so the probation department in NH can enforce it.  Link: https://www.masslegalhelp.org/domestic-violence/child-support/out-of-state-questions

Practically speaking, you will have to do some Facebook sleuthing to figure out where she is, asking family/friends, and doing public records searches to try and find an address for her. You can also do a motor vehicle search and a post office inquiry in most states to try and find her address. If you have a probation account set up in MA, they should already have her social security number and other information necessary to NH to be able to enforce it and suspend her license.

Good luck. Enforcing support orders isn’t easy, and is only harder across state lines. You will have to call probation frequently to make sure your case doesn’t fall through the cracks. However, if you can find her, her employer will be required to garnish her wages and if she files a tax return, gets a settlement from a lawsuit, or wins the lottery, that will also be garnished.Answer #3: Afaik you will have to file for contempt. Good luck. Ma dor doesnt like to do much. Stay after them.


Title: [California] ISP kicking my connection off of the Internet and saying the solution is change to a plan that is worse. Potentially trying to force me to change to a new plan?

Question:
I have a plan with my ISP that gives my household 150 gigabytes of usage per month, we usually never hit that, unless someone wants to download some big games, and even then, not really. Awhile back, said ISP discontinued the 150gb plan, and has no available alternative. The next highest is 100gb, which isn't enough for us to not hit. Lately, when any of us perform consecutive downloads (I've experienced it when repeatedly downloading game mods, after downloading games, and after a day of spending time in Discord voice calls) for the next 12 to 24 hours after the fact, our connection starts cutting out suspiciously and going down so that nothing loads. Note, none of this goes even CLOSE to our monthly cap. When I called to complain about this and ask for a resolution, I was forced to either "upgrade" to the lower-cap plan, or suck it up and deal with the horrible connection. When I asked the representative if those were my options, the representative offered me deals on new plans instead of a direct answer. Is it okay for my ISP to cut out my connection like this, regardless of relation to the potential downloading coincidence? And, is it okay for them to try to "force" me into a new plan instead of fix the problem?
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 What SLA is in your service contract? What are the penalties in that contract for failing to meet the SLA?

If you're on a residential contract with no SLA, you don't have a ton of options. You can go to the competition, of course, but beyond that, there is no minimum service standard for internet connections. Unless your connectivity is so bad that you are substantially not getting the service you're paying for - which would mean "out entirely for extended periods," not "unreliable" - they don't need to fix this for you or even keep you as a customer.


Title: Can my vet sue me if my dog bit him and he had to go tongue hospital?

Question:
My dog was having some appetite issues so I made a vet appointment for him. We arrived and the vet assistant and I got him on the scale so he could be weighed. He was nervous as he does have anxiety issues and was being stubborn but eventually he sat calmly on the scale.
She left to get the vet and my dog walked off of the scale to sit by me.
When the vet came in, my dog immediately cowered and pee'd on the floor. The vet approached him and tried to grab him by the collar but my dog walked towards the other side of the room, pooped and pee'd on the floor from fear, and rolled over into a submissive position. The vet then tried again to grab him by rhe collar to pulp him towards the exam table and my dog tried to struggle away, biting the vets hand in the process.

There was quite a bit of blood and the vet immediately left the room. I was in shock but apologized profusely. My dog has never bitten anyone or even another animal before. The vet tech told me it was okay and that it happens all the time and not to be upset with my dog, because he was frightened. The vet tech then escorted us to a new room, where I was able to get my dog calmly on the exam table by myself She left for a few minutes and returned to tell me that we would have to reschedule.

Fast forward about 30minutes later. I'm home and a little shaken up, just having washed blood out of my dogs fur and the vets office calls to tell me my dog will need to be quarantined for 10 days since he hadn't had his rabies shot yet and the vet had to go to the hospital. I agreed, heartbroken, to the quaruntine and the subsequent rabies vaccine (which I was on a low-cost waiting list for alongside his neuter).

I arrive with my dog back to the vet for his quaruntine and they eventually told me the vet was worried he would bite someone else there and that he should be qauruntined at home.
He is currently in a large dog crate and only allowed out to potty. We have another dog and a cat and animal control told us he wouldn't need the crate if we didn't have other animals, because he can't have any contact with them until the 8th.

The vet's office has agreed to give my dog the rabies vaccine so long as he is muzzled.

So, we are complying with everything but people have been telling me to be prepared for the vet to sue me. Is this something that should be a concern to me?

TLDR; My dog bit the vet, drew blood, and sent him to the hospital. Vet tech says it happens all the time and that it's a hazard of the job. Dog is in 10-day home quaruntine and getting rabies shot at same vet's office on 10th day. People have advised me to be prepared to be sued by the vet. Should I be worried?

Answer:
 It seems fairly unlikely that without some extraordinary extenuating circumstance you would be liable. The vet was a professional in control of the situation.

If your dog has an undisclosed history of attacks the answer could conceivably be different. Answer #2: The vet should have know your dog was terrifed of him and backed away. Was there anyone else  there that could verify what happened? Also the vet didn't seem very trained in handling frightened dogs. Also by dragging you dog by the collar they could have been hurting it. Talk to the people who saw what happened. If this goes to court, the witnesses can testify.


Title: Friend sent me child porn on Imessage and I deleted the pictures because its illegal. I have 4 questions. Please tell me what else to do to avoid legal problems (we are both minors)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 So this person isn't your friend, they're a predator who preys on children. Right this instant you're going to block his number from your phone and after that you're going to call your cell carrier and block it at that level as well. You'll do the same thing on any social media accounts you may hold. If the police ever in the future want to look at your phone, you say no unless a warrant is produced and you're looking at it. If they want to ask you questions about that friend, you don't answer any of their questions. If they ask about basically anything else, same story. You say "I will not answer any questions or make any statements without representation, thank you, good day."

In the future, if someone sends you child porn what you do is immediately respond with "What the FUCK! This is disgusting, I am contacting the authorities. Never contact me again." then march your ass directly to a criminal defense attorney, phone in hand, and have them help you surrender the evidence to the police without being implicated in a crime.

You have some compliance and assertiveness issues. I myself had them and I am a freer person for getting some good old fashioned talking therapy and fixing it.


Title: Financial aid being taken away after a month and a half of having the award. Already rented a house off campus because I thought I was good. What can I do?!

Question: At the end of last fall, I was put on academic suspension. I was accepted back in back in May or June. I filled out my fafsa application right after. At first I worried they weren't going to give me any aid but they ended up giving me my award. For about two months, but on August 16, 2017 they just took it away without even notifying me. I was supposed to be rewarded 18,900 and 6000 of that was a grant which I probably won't even get back now even if I do win an appeal. Idk if this helps my case but I'm now 26 with no mom and my dad just lost his battle with cancer on August 9, 2017. Any help would be appreciated. I've already called and asked the office what's going on and they told me it was for gpa reasons but why would they wait so long?

Answer:
 I'd call the FAFSA number and also start googling. This is fairly common but pretty fact specific. Answer #2: Many schools have an eligibility policy for financial aid, you have to maintain at least a 2.0 from what I've seen. The requirement might be higher at another school.

Is your GPA lower than that? I would go up to student services and talk to someone in financial aid and ask what happened.  Start posting ads for someone to take over your lease. If you aren't doing well in school, it's better to take some time off.

Sorry about your parents.


Title: [MI] Signed lease. Landlord posted For Sale sign out from days after without mentioning a word to me. Is this shady?

Question:
This is my first time renting and I'm not sure how to approach this situation. After signing the lease to the duplex I'm currently moving in to, the landlord posted a **For Sale** sign in the front yard.
They never spoke any plans of selling the property to me pre-lease signing.

I have a feeling this particular unit has been vacant for some time, which leads me to believe the landlord has been waiting to get both units occupied before trying to sell as to make the property more desirable to potential buyers. That's just speculation of course.

I want to get some facts or laws on this before speaking to them about it. If anyone has any advice or experience with this, I would really appreciate your help.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Technically there's nothing that would change if the property was sold. The new owner would still be bound to your lease.


Title: Being harassed by the remodeling crew next door.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Call your local non-emergency every time you are being harassed by them.


Title: A former colleague fled my country after it was discovered he was a paedophile. Now he’s resurfaced in the US. How do I make this man face justice?

Question:
Not sure if this is the best place to post this, if there’s a better sub point me in the right direction. Throwaway for obvious reasons. Will delete thread after as I don’t want this on the front page; news travels far and I don’t want this individual forewarned. Keeping some elements of this intentionally vague for the same reason.

Some years ago a colleague of mine (Person X) was caught using a work computer to arrange to meet a parent of 4 children. I won’t go into detail (I’ve spent a lot of time trying not to think about it) but assume the worst. The language both parties used couldn’t be interpreted in any way.

Evidence was passed to the police and they were arrested, however they didn’t press charges (they were trying to link X to a larger group of individuals) and X fled the country. I retained the proof in the form of video and screenshots of their discussion as well as browser histrory. I believe I still have the police statement I gave as well. I do not have access to the computer anymore but I was informed by the police that more serious materials were found on it.

X dropped off the radar but recently I’ve found out they’ve resurfaced in the US. The crimes were not committed in the US and I don’t think would be considered serious enough to warrant international agency intervention. What is the best course of action? I don’t want to stand idle and lose another opportunity to stop this individual from harming others.

Answer: I believe the US Marshals service is responsible for any international fugitives and would welcome your contact. Good luck. https://www.usmarshals.gov/Answer #2: The police are aware of the crime.  So, all you can do is tell them that you know where he is if they want him.


Title: I got leaked

Question:
What can someone do with the name of a card, the CVV and the last 4 digits of the card

Mine got leaked and I don't know if I should just cancel the card

Answer: Probably nothing, but it literally costs you nothing to just cancel it and get a new one, so there’s no reason not to play it safe and cancel it.


Title: (ON, Canada) Being forced to work unpaid overtime?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 As long as you're paid for it, it's probably fine.  What does your contract say about overtime pay?  Most of the time you won't be paid overtime pay until you've worked 44 hours in a week.  An extra 20 minutes a day won't add up to that.

You probably also get an unpaid lunch period of half an hour, right?  If so, you're actually only working 7.5hrs/day.

There are very few jobs where you get to leave the exact minute your shift ends.  As long as you're paid for the time you work, there's nothing at all illegal about that.


Title: Not hired because of National Guard service obligations

Question:
I have email communications with the potential employer that I was asked how much time I would need off for my National Guard trainings. I responded honestly, and was told "We are a small office, with only one doctor.  I would not have adequate back up for the 3 weeks that you would be gone.  I could accommodate the occasional Friday off, but I am not sure how I would handle 3 weeks."

I understand that I have employment protection rights, which are supposed to extend to the hiring process, but I have no  idea how this would play out. I can not imagine a good working environment if I 'force' this employer to hire me because of this law, but I do need a job at the same time.

Would there be any benefit to pursue this?

Answer:
 No. Just move on. Not worth the headache because they'll just find another reason to get rid of you if by some chance they were forced to hire you.

Same thing happened to me a long time ago. I too was in the ARNG. Went to my USERRA rep and it got nowhere.

Besides, can you blame them? If it was a small office, what can they do if you're gone? I'm not saying I would have done the same thing but I don't hate them for it.


Title: I was hit by a car. The insurance won't cover anything because the car was stolen (FL)

Question: I have a legal question and someone told me to post it here. I was hit by a car while I was on the sidewalk. The driver took a turn too tight and ran me over. He ended up rolling the car too. The police told me later the driver has a long record and this might be his 3rd strike. I do have health insurance but it doesn't cover my physio or all of my personal support worker costs and I can't work and my bills are piling up. I thought the insurance from the car would cover my costs but they won't since the car was stolen. Can I sue the insurance company and/or the owner of the car to make the insurance pay? The car that hit me was insured by them so I don't get why they won't cover it and I am about to go broke from this.

Answer:
 > Can I sue the insurance company and/or the owner of the car to make the insurance pay?

No.  They have no liability.  They didn't hurt you.

You can sue the driver of the vehicle.  Alternatively, **if** you could prove that the driver was complicit in some way, you could try suing them.  That is very, very unlikely.


Title: [Update] on my weird car situation with the dealership

Question:
Original post:   http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2yp3rf/im_in_a_weird_situation_with_the_car_dealership/

I've been pestering the GM for a meeting with the owner all week and they finally got back to me.

Yesterday I went in early morning ,and without a word they tried handing me the check for $1,505 that I originally refused.
I told the GA that the owner had until Monday to talk to me or I would talk to him in court. GM says "alright. See you later buddy" and I left.

I got a call today to set up a meeting with the owner, GM, and salesman I bought the car from originally. I'll be meeting them Monday at 10:00 so wish me luck.

I'll update again if anybody wants to know the outcome.

Edit update link: http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2zafx8/update_2_weird_situation_with_the_car_dealership/ also this is in Arizona

Answer:
 I am the one who knocks...three grand off my next car.  Answer #2: Read this thread earlier today. Might give you some ideas.

Car Dealership screws me out of some brakes, I close down their business.

http://www.reddit.com/r/ProRevenge/comments/27u0hf/car_dealership_screws_me_out_of_some_brakes_i/Answer #3: I am truly curious to know how this turns out.Answer #4: I know where i'm going to be on Monday.  Good luck buddy.


Title: (OK) What rules or agreements should I establish for a house guest I do not know who will be staying for two months?

Question:
I am a member of a local community theater in Oklahoma and we have a director coming from out of town for two months to put on a play for which he will be paid. My wife and I have a small cottage on our property that we use as a guest house and we offered to put him up in our guest house for two months at no cost while he is directing the play. I do not know this person but other members of the theater who have worked with him before have vouched for him.

Even though the director has a permanent residence in another city and I have no reason to suspect he is an any way irresponsible, I want to avoid any potential problems regarding squatting or establishing tenancy that I have read about in other threads.

What agreements should I have him sign before he moves in? Should I have him him sign an agreement that he will leave in two months?

Should I have him sign an agreement to house rules (no other guests, no parties, no drinking, no smoking, etc.)?

Any other advice or pitfalls to avoid?

Answer:
 Absolutely nothing you have him sign will give you the right to kick him out if he doesn't leave or make the police do it. He will be a tenant and you will have to go to court to evict him if he doesn't leave.

> no drinking

Lol you're going to tell the guy he can't have a beer?

This has bad idea written all over it if you are really that risk averse.


Title: DD sleeping in my Ex bed with him

Question: We are divorcing and my ex husband lets our soon to be 13 year old daughter sleep in his bed with him.  I find this creepy as all get out.  Do i have a right to tell him to make her sleep in her own bed?

Answer:
 NAL.

OP, after reading a lot of the other comments, I'd suggest amending your post to indicate that the issue is *not* that your ex is coercing you daughter in any way to share his bed, rather it is your daughter who is *asking* to sleep in his bed instead of in her bedroom. Something she did even during your marriage. The post as it stands initially led me to think there was an element of coercion/creepiness, and made your ex seem like a predator/very troubled, which is not in fact the case, as you have clarified in comments. Clarifying this in the OP will increase your chances of getting (more) good answers.

Secondly, I concur with others saying that this behaviour by your daughter needs attention - maybe it's caused by your divorce or any number of other things that can be troubling for a young teenaged girl. Maybe you could talk to her, or have her speak to someone. But that seems to be the remedy for this, rather than any legal solution.Answer #2: Assuming your in USA, Yes. You have that right. So do I.  Let your attorney know. Answer #3: Strange at your daughter's age but not illegal for a parent to share a bed with their child.Answer #4: No


Title: Dog in Apartment?

Question:
Hi All!

So, my landlord told us before we moved in that they have a super relaxed pet policy, and went on to point out all the units that currently own dogs, which was a majority of units including our next door and downstairs neighbors. He said we just needed to get approval in advance which he said they have always given and the only problem might be that they would charge pet rent if it is over 50 lbs. Flash forward three months and we go to get a dog. I send an email about our intent to adopt, and the landlord comes back with a "there is currently a no pet policy in the building." This seems to be simply not true, as almost all of our neighbors have pets, and his representation of their policy as "pet friendly" was why we moved into this building. I'm not sure what the lease says as we were not given copies to keep, but I imagine it is something like "pets are allowed with prior approval of the landlord."

&#x200B;

What should we do? I'm really pissed that they would lie to our faces like this when I made it very clear we were planning on getting a dog and wanted to move here for that reason. They also failed to tell us our unit had a cockroach problem and I'm just feeling pretty angry with their poor communication.

Answer: Ask for a copy of your lease. This is where the agreed to terms are listed.


Title: NYC, My boss flipped out yesterday and fired me. Today, I get a call from another business owner that I know telling me my former boss is sending Emails to the business' in and around the neighborhood telling them not to hire me. Is this legal?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Be sure to file for unemployment while you're looking for a new job. It's not your fault your coworker couldn't be bothered to show up twice this week.Answer #2: What specifically do they say? Answer #3: Swalsh411, I think you might be edging towards defamation claim? It does depend on what was said, of course. Just saying "don't hire this person" might not be enough for a cause of action. Nothing illegal per se about saying not to hire someone, but the proactive actions coupled with potential misrepresentations might be something. The practical reality of litigating a defamation suit is a timely and expensive proposition that won't alleviate the very real issues of you finding a job NOW. Try just going to a different neighborhood. It's NYC for crying out loud. Plenty of bars to choose from. He can't call them all. Likewise, I wouldn't engage with people like this by telling them you know. They're either stupid or crazy, and you don't want to mess with either. Best to let the dust settle, because I'm sure some other mess will consume his or her time in the near future.Answer #4: Man, you really really need to get a copy of this email.  Answer #5: IAAL, but not in NY. This could potentially be a claim for libel. Get a copy of the email and seek local counsel immediately before your reputation is irretrievably damaged. Don't say anything to ex-boss in the meantime. Answer #6: Get someone to forward you this email, bring it here.  In the meantime say nothing, you have absolutely nothing to gain by saying anything to the guy.


Title: My parents have a savings account "for me" that takes money out of my checking account at the end of every month. Legal? & other issues.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Stop texting and driving, that's going to cause you more trouble than this.Answer #2: Feel free to open a new bank account.Answer #3: While I'd say /u/grasshoppa1's advice is a little blunt/rough, it's completely accurate.

OP- You're legally an adult, and you can do with your money as you'd like. You're not accountable to your family/parents in this area. Answer #4: If you haven't done it yet, close the teen account.

The auto withdrawal may still happen and then you'll be responsible for the overdraft/etc fees banks like to charge.


Title: Landlord returned deposit for 1/2 of what I expected. Never recieved list of damages.

Question: I moved out of a horrendous rental situation approximately 2 months ago. Bath tub fixed 6 months into lease... broken AC 10% of the time during my lease... I could go on. I kept the place tidy and left it in good condition. I recently received the returned deposit just before the 45 day window was up (Indiana deposit law). However this deposit was worth 1/2 of what I expected it to be. Is there a way to know what they are trying to charge me via the deposit? I don't have an itemized breakdown just a check in the mail. I can't find this specific ask from basic google search and/or through looking on reddit/ legaladvice. I did find that the landlord is supposed to prepare the list but I have not seen one. Anything I can do?

Answer: First try emailing the landlord for an itemized list of deductions. If that is ignored, send a demand letter via certified mail with a deadline. If you don't have the other half of your security deposit by that deadline, sue the landlord in small claims court.


Title: Oklahoma - I accidentally signed a $1000 dollar check over to my surrogate parents.

Question:
I joined the army and got discharged. I received a check for the time I was in. My surrogate parents got my check in the mail and told me to sign it. I didn't know what to do so I signed the back of it like they asked. They told me they would give me the money once I "needed it". Welp I need it now and they aren't responding to any of my texts / calls.

I'm kinda freaking out right now. Is there anything I can do?
I tried to get in contact with them everyday for the last week with no reply.

Answer:
 surrogate parents? legally surrogates aren't parents? what?

I'm guessing these are parents of a friend of yours you were close to before you enlisted?

If you signed over a check to someone else to deposit - and they deposited it - it's their money. When did this happen?Answer #2: I'm confused about the problem. You endorsed the check giving them the ability to cash the check. You didn't accidentally do anything.


Title: Listing Agent Misrepresenting Information

Question: I'm in the process of purchasing a refurbished condo. I was supposed to close on 8/31, but the condo wasn't ready so the listing agent moved the date back to 10/31. It wasn't ready by 10/31, so he moved it to 11/31; my real estate agent told him that date was a blatant misrepresentation, so he moved it to 12/15. I then talked to the builder the other day and he said it was near impossible to finish up by that date. The listing agent has been nearly non-existent and I feel like has not taken me seriously because I'm young. Can I do anything here?

Answer:
 Withdraw your offer and find a different place.

Not a lawyer.


Title: Harmless Fire-Escape Garden?

Question:
I've been growing a small garden of herbs and scallions on the fire escape of my second-floor apartment in Rochester, New York, and am now worried about some martinet cop or city inspector leaping out of his car in a fury over spotting the greenery. The fire escape is only for my own residence and doesn't lead to any other apartment. There's nothing under the fire escape but privately owned pavement abutting the city sidewalk a little further out. There's very little chance of excess water or small clumps of soil dribbling on the heads of passersby below, assuming they don't insist on walking right next to the apartment building in some hypothetical heavy rainstorm with wild winds. The garden bed is secured against somehow falling off in a region with virtually no earthquakes, hurricanes, or tornadoes ever. The landlord is cool with it. Is my quiet little garden nonetheless legally problematic?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 So does this hang on a railing or something? If so, is it on the inside, narrowing your exit path? The fire department may have a problem with it if so. Remember, fire escapes are also there for the fire department to get to you if you can't help yourself, and they will be wearing some bulky equipment. It's a major reason building codes have width requirements for doors and hallways.

You probably won't get a swat team banging down your door over this, but someone may pay you a visit if they're bored. As mentioned, your fire department will be the best authority over this.


Title: If I acquire homemade porn what are the laws surrounding putting it online.[usa]

Question:
Say I buy a storage units and do eviction cleanouts- what risks am I taking if I put a homemade adult porn videos found in one of these storage units online. I like to go through the Blank looking VHS tapes(ones w no commercial labels) I find and put the home videos on youtube, but figured why not do it on pornhub since its not copywritten as I understand it.

I dont want to run afoul of both revenge porn laws or copyright laws. Any advice is appreciated.  Also most videos  are at least 15 -20 yrs old.

Answer:
 The videographer almost certainly holds copyrights to those films, and could legally sue you or issue a DMCA takedown request to Pornhub and Youtube.

You may also inadvertently run afoul of your state's revenge porn laws, especially as finding it on unlabelled VHS tapes is good evidence that it was never intended to be distributed and that you should reasonably believe it was meant for private use and forgotten.

It's also a clear and obvious dick move, and leaves me wondering what the hell you might be thinking.Answer #2: All video is automatically copyrighted by it's creator when it's created. Copyrights usually last the life of the author + 70 years or something like that. So if it's on a VHS (which was only invented 30 years ago), it's still copyrighted.

>why not do it on pornhub since its not copywritten as I understand it.

That's not correct, if you didn't record it, you don't own the copyright, and can be sued for copyright infringment. IF these were re-recorded from commercial VHS or from television, then there could be very large companies that own the copyright and could sue for infringement.Answer #3: > what risks am I taking

You have no way of knowing if the content is legal. Answer #4: If anyone was underage (17 or younger) in the videos you can be charged with distributing child pornography, a felony, and end up having to register as a sex offender for the rest of your life.  You’ll have to explain it to anyone that rubs a background check on you, including employers, landlords, certain licensing boards, etc.