Title: [Los Angeles] Please, Help! My sister just had her RV stolen with everything that she owns in the world in it and we don't know what to do now.

Question:
My sister saved up all year to buy an RV to live in because she wanted to live on the road for a while. We spent the past 3 months fixing up this ugly old 1984 Mini Winnie into this beautiful looking RV, with new walls, and floors, and even solar panels. Unfortunately, my sister had to have surgery and had to live with my parents for a few months, so she decided to sell it. The scammer gave her a deposit check and asked her to get it inspected. While it was being inspected, he stole it from the lot and his check bounced. We think he's been using fake names, but I have them, as well as the numbers he was calling is from, and the checking account that was empty. I've also got video footage from the mechanic. My sister cancelled all of her cards, but all of her banking information was in there and now her accounts are showing zero. Her bank information and personal information were in there. Everything was in there, hey clothes, hey jewelry, her family momentos. The police here aren't doing anything and they said all they will do is let us know if it is reported, but her life has been upended and we don't know what to do. If anyone can help, I can provide all of that information that I have. We live in Los Angeles, and it was stolen from this mechanic in Hawthorne. People shouldn't be able to get away with this.

UPDATE: [Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZuJ4KMCSNQ) is the security footage that we were able to get from the mechanic. The RV is at the top of the screen. At 9:42 AM, TC: [22:47](https://youtu.be/NZuJ4KMCSNQ?t=22m47s) things really begin. You can see the older fat white guy get out of a car that pulls up behind the RV.

The Clearest shot we have of him is in Camera 2 at TC: [23:07](https://youtu.be/NZuJ4KMCSNQ?t=23m7s), where he dances around the corner of the frame for a minute. I think he notices the camera and may have a disrupter, because this is where we start losing time and the camera begins freezing (their cameras are swannview's and use wifi to record). Finally, we see him at [TC: 24:37](https://youtu.be/NZuJ4KMCSNQ?t=24m37s), where he walks directly into office where it looks like he grabs the keys, and walks straight back to the RV. Both cameras cut out but come back at TC [27:34](https://youtu.be/NZuJ4KMCSNQ?t=27m34s), and we can see that the car that dropped him off is gone and the RV backs out and takes off.

PHOTOS: Here are the most recent [photos](http://imgur.com/a/uJgm2) of her RV.

UPDATE: The Suspect was just known to be at the McDonalds at 2290 N bellflower Blvd in Long Beach at 4:55PM. He tried to use one of my sister's cards. I have been told that he is driving around in the RV right now. If anyone is down there, please keep an eye out for him or it. The police are aware, so please let us know if you see the vehicle on the roads.

Answer:
 >  he stole it from the lot and his check bounced

> My sister cancelled all of her cards, but all of her banking information was in there and now her accounts are showing zero

Call the police and the banks, ASAP. The police MIGHT say this is a civil matter ("his check bounced") and not a criminal one, but emphasize the "stolen from lot" and the identity theft. Get a police report. Get on the phone to the banks tonight. Good luck.


Title: Surrendered ornamental plants during customs between mainland China and Hong Kong.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: I don't think anyone here is well versed in Hong Kong law. Did you receive any sort of paperwork when the Orchids were taken? Did the customs officials tell you you'd receive mail?


Title: Got pulled over and cop let me go - received a notice I missed a court appearance 2 months later?

Question:
A couple months ago I was pulled over by a cop in Atlanta, GA. I handed over my license and the rest of the documents to him and he attempted to file a ticket via the electronic system. After about half an hour of trying, he gave up and let me go with what I thought was a warning. I did not receive anything or sign for anything and assumed that the situation was resolved.

Today I received a letter from the municipal court telling me I had failed to appear for a court date (about a week ago). I'm guessing one of his attempts did go through (despite his system freezing up repeatedly). The letter was mailed on the 8th - I am in an apartment complex and the mailroom is out of the way, so I don't check it every day. I had not received any summons or notification prior to this. Given I had no way to know that I had a ticket and I was apparently only given a warning, am I responsible for this ticket?

Additional info: the penalty is kind of big, and the notice says if I don't pay they will suspend my license. However, I have an out of state license right now, though will need to get a Georgia one in the next couple years. I do live in Atlanta.

Answer: This is serious, contact a lawyer. Hoping this goes away isn't gonna fly, you need to get on top of this. You'll also want to regain/get into the habit of checking your mail more frequently.


Title: Why doesn’t the abolition of Net Neutrality violate article 19 of the human rights?

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Among other reasons, that's not American law.


Title: [MI] Hearsay for text messages

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Hearsay isn't the issue.  Your lawyer needs to subpoena the records from your mobile provider, and probably subpoena someone from the company to testify as to their authenticity and what the records say about the location of the phone at the time.  This is a job for professionals; let your lawyer handle it.

Keep in mind the prosecutor can still argue the records aren't proof you were in possession of the phone at the time, but they help.Answer #2: What does your lawyer say? He or she will be able to get them admitted.


Title: Maintenance worker entered without permission, injured my dog.

Question:
Hi everyone.  I live in Georgia.  I put in a simple work order for my apartment on Friday. It was not an emergency.  In the form I answered “no” they DID NOT have permission to enter (it is asked on the form).  I also put that they should not enter because I have a dog and to call me when they would like to do the repair.  I work close enough that they could have called me 15 minutes beforehand and I could make accommodations to be present.

Fast forward to today, I get an alert on my phone that someone entered my apartment.  It is a maintenance worker.  I called the office right away and told them to have him leave my apartment immediately or I will call the police.

I get home and speak to the property manager about the incident.  She says the worker just didn’t see the notes on the work order. It was there, but he did not click on it. She was very nonchalant about the incident and didn’t seem to care that I was upset.

I just watched the camera footage that I didn’t see while driving and noticed my dog yelped/barked out in pain off camera where the worker was.  I do not know what happened and obviously the dog can’t tell me.  I could hear the worker apologizing to the dog.

My dog is a senior dog, on a lot of medication and has bad anxiety.  Everything stresses him out and people assume a wagging tail doesn’t bite.  That’s why I told them not to enter.

What are my rights, if any? Should I file a police report for documentation?

I don’t really have the money but I’m thinking of taking him to the vet to get checked out.  If they have to do an x-ray that’s even more money I can’t afford.  Can I send the office the bill after I have paid?

TLDR: Maintenance worker entered my apartment explicitly without permission.  My dog was injured while the worker was there.  I’ve contacted a lawyer for advice on housing law but will not hear from them until tomorrow.  Should I file a police report (for documentation) and take my dog to the vet today or wait until I hear from the lawyer tomorrow?

Answer: Well take your dog for treatment immediately, of course. You are probably due compensation from the management due to the negligence of their worker who didn't read the case notes. They should "make you whole" by covering the cost of this vet visit. You may have to threaten to sue to get the money from them, or even go ahead and sue. It can't hurt to contact the police and ask them to take down a report, but I don't know if that will help much either.


Title: Ontario,Canada: Need help on renting to a tenant with mental illness

Question: So around a year ago we decided to rent out our basement,we agreed to rent to a women with two dogs. However on the second night she was found a few blocks away,dressed in pajama and was apparently sleep walking. We thought maybe that was just a special case of her not fully used to the environment.As days go by we started hearing weird noises through out the night, mainly her crying and tossing things around.We tried to talk to her about it and soon she told us her story and how she has very serious depression and anxiety issue.We felt really bad for her and did as much as we could to not interfere with her so she could get as much space as she needs. As time goes by though, she started a habit of paying rent late, constantly getting drunk and creating a lot of noises,as well as breaking parts of our gardening decorations and fences. We have gotten complains from our neighbors of her screaming in the night in the backyard or locking her dogs out and having them whine in the backyard for the whole night.This is where we started worrying.But it wasn't until recently that we actually feel there might be a need to have her move out, and the reason for that was there has constantly been police and ambulance in and out of the basement for the past month or two, and we feel quite unsafe because the police would not tell us what is going on due to her personal privacy.So we are terrified that she might cause something that might put our life at risk due to her being unstable. My mother is in her mid 60's and this is stressing her out.. What should I do? Anything help is appreciated. Thank you for reading

Answer:
 You need to give her an N4 every time her rent is late, then after about 5 of those, presuming she is month to month at this point, you give her an N8 and start the eviction process.

http://www.sjto.gov.on.ca/documents/ltb/Notices%20of%20Termination%20&%20Instructions/N4.pdf

You cannot evict her solely for being mentally ill and having a disordered personal life. People in that situation need a place to live too.

I'm sympathetic to the idea that a basement apartment in the home that the landlord lives in should be treated differently than units owned by a commercial landlord, but in Ontario that is not the case unless you share a kitchen and bathroom.


Title: [Texas] Refund denied for service that is no longer needed.

Question:
I reserved a venue for a large gathering that ended up being canceled. The total came to around $6,000. I paid in full since I had the money. I canceled the engagement 5 months in advance, but the people running the place will only refund my $600 deposit.

The kicker is, the payment wasn't due until a month before the reserved date. It seems like I am being punished for paying the reservation in full early. If I just paid the $600 deposit and canceled I would be out nothing. Is there any way to get my money back or is their contract infallible in court?

Answer:
 They should have done the opposite.  They're supposed to refund the $5400 and keep your $600 deposit.

The Texas small claims court limit is $10,000. You need to bring them to court to get your money.  In the meantime, do not accept the $600.Answer #2: You need a local attorney to read the contract. It may or may not be legal.


Title: My rental company just told me that they instituted a block on Youtube because someone in my apartment complex was 'streaming too much.' Is this legal? Can I demand that they allow it, or at least a discount on my service? (Colorado, USA)

Answer:
 I think we need some more details. Your complex provides your internet service? Do you pay for it, or is it a free service? Is there anything about it mentioned in your lease?Answer #2: Easiest way around this is to just get a VPN.Answer #3: I suspect I know the "someone".

But, the lease is so non-specific that it would be impossible to really determine what the landlord is agreeing to without adding additional facts. Perhaps what was told to the OP in regards to internet service in advertisement for the property or at signing. At best, it would be a minor breach. The OP could certainly ask for a discount. If the landlord gives it or not is uncertain. If not, I don't think there is any realistic avenue to challenge it. Answer #4: My question is if the landlord is actually allowed to provide service. Pretty much all ISPs that provide local service make sharing service with 3rd parties against the TOS. Services that allow sharing are generally geared towards medium sized businesses and outside of the price range and technical capabilities of an apartment.


Title: Does this count as workplace abuse

Question:
I’m only posting to see IF this is considered mistreatment and to store for later in case I need it. Otherwise I have no intention of taking this to court/management or any further than just educating myself.

I let a lot of things people say to me at work slide even though I feel it’s very unprofessional and rude. It’s all centered around my weight. While at work, I’ve had coworkers, staff, trainers, and managers make comments that are completely uncalled for and designed to make me feel bad about myself. This is not an exhaustive list but here are some examples of actual things that have been said to me:

“Do you have anorexia?”

“Skinny people are ugly and disgusting. OH. No offense to you.”

“You need to eat something.”

“I’d never want to look like YOU. I am trying to lose some weight though. But you’re an extreme.”

“Jesus, do you have a suicide hotline or anything that you talk to?”

This are 100% accurate and none of them were brought up because I or anyone else was talking about my weight. They were passing comments, or conversation starters, and they were made sometimes by people I had met on the same day. In a word, I didn’t know them, they had no excuse or reason to even mention anything, and they’ve all insulted or demeaned me. The amount of times I’ve been asked if I’m anorexic or need a number to call and get help is countless now.

For anyone wondering, I am naturally and genetically skinny, (my mom was even smaller at my age) I am a very active athlete, and I have some food allergies. The fact is I am just very tall, so my small waist is more noticeable than someone shorter. Also, I’ve been trying my absolutely hardest to gain weight, (fast metabolism, life style, and food sensitivity make it a struggle) and being called ugly, bulimic, try-hard, bonebag, and anorexic is pretty rude, but this is all coming from my workplace!! From bosses or people I barely know!!

I have let everything slide with a smile and not said anything back. Wouldn’t those uncalled for comments be very awkward if I actually did have some kind of eating disorder? Well yes actually, I’ve recently discovered I probably have ARFID. Which is not anorexia, but being able to say that to the next person who tells me to eat a hamburger would be a delicious feeling.

My question is IF I wanted to make a case about it (I’m not going to, people are very rude and I have tough skin and I hear it from my friends all the time) would I be able to make any kind of legal accusations against the coworkers/managers that have been disrespecting me and tactlessly insulting a part of my body I have very little control over?

Answer:
 > My question is IF I wanted to make a case about it

I'm not sure what you would or could make a case about. It's not illegal to be an asshole and say mean things about being skinny (or fat or ugly or bald or whatever).

> I hear it from my friends all the time) would I be able to make any kind of legal accusations against the coworkers/managers that have been disrespecting me

Your friends are incorrect.


Title: My father died yesterday suddenly

Question:
I'm my father's oldest child of three, his youngest being a minor still. The police notified my aunt because she was the last person on his cell who told the rest of us. Right now my grandmother (his mother) is looking for where his body is being held and I'm sure will make funeral arrangements.

My trouble is that I doubt he has a will. I don't know what type of accounts he has, his property etc. We have spoken mostly over text and phone calls so I don't even know where he was living.

 I think legally I'd be his next of kin as his oldest child. Do I have to do anything? Is there something I should look into? I'm sure my grandmother and aunts are doing what they can but I don't know if they will need me for anything.

Does anyone know what to expect? If it makes a difference, I'm in Massachusetts. Thank you for your help.

Answer: You will ultimately have to probate his estate. If he has possession is worth more than say 30 or $40,000 then you will want to hire an attorney to do it right. Otherwise you can do a small estate affidavit. Either way there's no reason to rush to do it right now. Next week will be fine.


Title: Brother is cutting ties with family, but plans to take the family dog. This will not go over well.

Question:
The other day, my brother confided in me that he plans to cut ties with our mother after finishing school. They have never gotten along, and the last few years have been absolute hell whenever he was home from school and living with her at our family house. LOCATION EDIT: PA, USA

This part is fine. I honestly think they will both be infinitely happier, healthier, and more successful living apart. The problem is, my brother plans to take the family dog, whom our mother absolutely adores. This dog was a gift from our mother to the family, given not long after the divorce.

We all love that dog, but my brother believes he is mistreated by my mother, and claims the dog would be better off with my brother. In all my time living here, I have never seen a shred of evidence that my mother neglects our dog. When I brought this up to my brother, he angrily accused me of always taking our mother's side. This accusation is quite often true, but only because 90% of their conflicts seem to be my brother's fault. I try my absolute best to be fair and rational, but being a middleman between family members is a very sad position indeed.

I have no delusions of "keeping the family together." I know they are happier on their own. However, I am absolutely terrified that this situation will escalate into a battle that will do terrible damage to my relationship with both my brother and my mother. If push comes to shove, I could see consequences as severe as either of them being deemed mentally unstable, as I am well aware that a range of mental health issues have done nothing but add fuel to the fire on both sides over the years. I will do anything in my power to avoid this. I want them to lively happily, separately.

As of now, I have absolutely no clue how to proceed. My brother is stubborn as hell, and refuses to see anyone else's point of view. Just telling him it is illegal or unfair will only get him angry and defensive. He'll probably try to steal the dog in the middle of the night or something. The only solution I can imagine that would leave everyone walking away unscathed would be to have my brother realize on his own that he can't win this without concrete legal repercussions. The only way I see that happening is by giving him information on how someone removes a pet from somebody's custody, telling him to make sure his case is bulletproof, and letting him realize that it can never work. This way he would do the work and hopefully realize on his own that he'd lose. If that happens, he may begrudgingly leave the dog with our mother, and go on to live his life as he sees fit.

Luckily, we have over a year before this crisis occurs, but I'm really hoping I can find a way to diffuse the situation. Please let me know if there's things I should research, viewpoints I haven't considered, etc. Thank you in advance!

TL;DR: Brother plans to cut ties and steal the dog. Help me make sure this doesn't happen.

Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 A dog (no matter how loved) is property. Assuming your mother has been paying for his food/care/vet bills/license she has an awful lot of documentation to show she is the owner. If your brother takes the dog, this would be considered to be theft.

Mind you, that might not help you much, particularly if the dog is a mutt, in that it might not have much (legal) value. Perhaps you could gather together the cost of taking care of the dog for a year. Bear in mind that as a dog ages, you can expect to spend considerably more on vet bills ( I've just spent $1500 on having my dog (a mutt)  diagnosed with - well we're not sure, it's none of the normal things so we're going with an exclusionary diagnosis of diabetes insipidus - monthly medication about $150). My point is - pets are expensive, so will your brother be able to afford to care for it properly?

Have you asked him for specifics about how your mother mistreats the dog? Perhaps if you posted those you could get a general idea from people outside your own family if any mistreatment allegation could fly.


Title: Student makes plea deal despite evidence of conspiracy against him, right or wrong move

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 The "conspiracy" of reporting his criminal behavior to the police?

Yeah, that's not a thing.

He committed crimes.  They reported the crimes.  He was arrested, charged, and took a plea deal to minimize the jail time.  He had an attorney advising him- if there was evidence that people had lied they would have used it.


Title: Can I get in trouble for reporting a rape I was high during?

Question:
I’m 18 and in Florida (where weed is illegal).
To make a long story short-ish, earlier tonight I was messing around with a guy that I’ve known for a short time. I made it very clear that I was a virgin and I didn’t want to have sex with him, and he agreed and said it was fine. We’re hanging out, although we planned to smoke together he’s not smoking at all. I admittedly get too high, to the point where I’m having trouble moving and communicating, then next thing I know ‘messing around’ turns into him holding me down and taking me from behind. I felt like I was watching it from outside my body, I couldn’t move or anything, it was awful and honestly I’m still in shock and processing.

I know that logically I don’t have a case against him, literally all I know about him is his first name (might not even be real now that I think about it) and he blocked me on everything I had used to contact him. I’m not sure if it’s even technically rape since I guess I consented to oral? I don’t even know how any of this works and I can’t believe how stupid I was to be so trusting, but that’s besides the point.

I don’t plan on going to the police or my family/friends, I can’t imagine the embarrassment of 1) admitting what happened and 2) literally only having his first name. I still want to go to a doctor and get examined, as I’m still in a lot of pain, as well as an STD check just in case. If I tell them it was assault will they make me file a police report? And will there be any negative repercussions to me for telling the doctor (or police) I was using illegal substances? I’m an awful liar and I don’t think I can tell the story and have it make sense leaving out the drugs. I’ve done so much googling but all I keep finding is rape hotlines and things like that.

I’m completely lost so any help is appreciated!

Answer:
 You're not allowed to rape people just because they smoked weed, that has absolutely no bearing on reporting the rape nor will the police arrest you for admitting you smoked weed. Do the sensible thing here and make a proper police report. You know his name, his social media info and I'm presuming this happened at his place so you know his address that should be enough to make a report.Answer #2: > I don’t plan on going to the police or my family/friends, I can’t imagine the embarrassment of 1) admitting what happened and 2) literally only having his first name. I still want to go to a doctor and get examined, as I’m still in a lot of pain, as well as an STD check just in case. If I tell them it was assault will they make me file a police report?

You're an adult, so no. It's firmly up to you whether to go to the cops.

> And will there be any negative repercussions to me for telling the doctor (or police) I was using illegal substances?

Also no. Doctor-patient confidentiality actively prevents your doctor from reporting this, and that requirement has "you might lose your whole career"-sized teeth to it.

> I’m not sure if it’s even technically rape since I guess I consented to oral?

Your partner's actions seriously exceeded your consent. There's a strong possibility that this is prosecutable, and morally, it's rape.


Title: [Ontario] Is it insider trading if unaffiliated with the company?

Question:
If someone completely unaffiliated with a company accidentally stumbles across some advantageous, non-public information without being tipped off by anyone, is it a criminal offense to make trades based off of this information?

As an example, if someone finds a paper on the side of the road detailing an upcoming merger.

Answer: Yes it is.


Title: Help me convince my step-dad to draft a lease.

Question:
My step dad has a house that is paid off in Michigan. He "rented" to his son and got burned (illegal pets, ruined carpet, trashed house, yard wrecked). Now he wants to rent to his nephew and still is not conviced he needs to use a lease.
I am confident that his nephew is a good kid, but step-dad need to look at the situation like a landlord, not like an uncle.
I have access to many leases that he can look at and edit to his wants, just help me convince him that a lease is the right way to go.

Thanks

Answer:
 Perhaps print out a good lease and hand it over to your Dad so he doesn't have to do anything except sign it.

Note: professional landlords don't rent to friends or family because if it doesn't work out, they either lose money or lose friend/family.Answer #2: Nothing you say will make him do this if life hasn't taught the lesson. This falls under the "if you're going to be dumb you've gotta be tough" rule.


Title: I tried to help my brother get health insurance and got scammed. Can he protect himself against this guy or help catch him?

Question:
Tl;Dr

We gave a guy over the phone my brother's bank account, social security number, address, name, DL number. Everything but the deed to his house. Tomorrow morning (Monday) my brother starts a brand new job and he can't do anything other than call the bank in the morning. What can he do to further protect himself? What can he do to help catch this scammer?

Story-time.
I will try to be brief, if you would like any details I will do my best to respond specifically. Today my brother and I were trying to get him signed up for insurance and got a phone call from someone claiming to be with "healthcare marketplace" to help us find the right insurance. He gave us all the answers we wanted to hear; within budget, help with medicine payment, ppo, mental health services, everything we wanted. We had so many distractions at the time, we hardly noticed the red flags (never asked about income, never asked how long my brother wanted to be insured for), and after the call we were told to expect our confirmation email, and wait to be contacted tomorrow by a representative to help walk him through sign up. We figured it was Sunday so that seemed likely and hung up feeling great that we finally had him on the path to wellness! However, upon inspection of the email I became suspicious. It was personally written (not from a business or on letterhead, no trademark) and all the information was incredibly general (listed his name, policy start date, some random member number, and next to plan it only said BCBS IHC Plan w/ Transamerica Insurance. I'm no expert obviously, but Google, Transamerica, and Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) all agreed that sounded like a bogus policy. So I called the guy back, who was very professional, and asked some more info (full name, his company's name, their 3rd party disclosure policies, etc.) and then asked to cancel the policy. He said he was sorry to hear that and I would see a confirmation email soon. Of course this never showed and the line was never answered again.

Guys, I've never asked Reddit for anything (check, but this acct is baby-new, my old one got locked out) but my brother is the last person who deserves this, please let me know if you have any insight here. He starts a new job tomorrow Monday morning and all he can do is make a quick call to the bank to close his account until he gets off work. What steps can he take to help protect himself- or help stop the scammer who took his info? We only have the number he was using and the phony info he gave us.

Also, if you have any tips on acquiring health insurance for mental disabilities/ mental healthcare in Tennessee (US) it is also very appreciated, as he is still uninsured.

Answer: If he gave his SSN to scammers he needs to contact each of the three credit reporting agencies and freeze his credit (this cost money) or set fraud alerts. The first prevents any interactions with your credit that aren't preauthorized and the second notifies you every time someone or thing interacts with your credit.


Title: (NY) Found out I fathered a kid and got in contact with my exgf to meet her and now she wants back child support. Not sure if that's right.

Question:
Like the title says....I knocked up my ex-gf three years ago. The relationship was already pretty much over and she said that she wanted an abortion. I told her she could keep it if she wanted to and that I'd give her money to help her but I didn't want to be involved with the kid in any way shape or form because I never wanted children. She basically told me to go fuck myself.

She messaged me on Facebook a couple months ago out of nowhere to tell me that she never got the abortion and decided to have the kid and thought I might want to know what she looked like. Against my better judgement I had a look...then one thing led to another, and after a paternity test I ended up meeting with her and my daughter a couple of weeks ago. Things were good for all of a day.

Now the issues of child support are coming up. She thinks that now since I want to have a relationship with my daughter that I should pay child support. I don't have a problem with that, but what I do have a problem with is her trying to tell me that I need to give her a lump sum for the years I missed out on in addition to the monthly fee.

I offered her money when she got pregnant and she refused it. I don't think I owe her anything. My question is, do I owe her back child support if I have proof that she told me to fuck off (I have emails saved) and if I get a lawyer and ask for joint custody of my daughter will I still owe her a large monthly sum for that support even though I'm sharing custody?

Thanks for the help.

Answer:
 Her telling you to f off has no bearing on whether you owe child support.

It doesn't appear retroactive child support is allowed in NY.

http://www.jdbar.com/Articles/Basic-Child-Support/basic-child-support.html

She can certainly file for support going forward, and you in turn can petition for visitation.   Your lawyer can advise you in more detail but it's unlikely you will get shared custody right off the bat if you have been completely absent from her life until now.Answer #2: Generally she can't get back child support to the birth of the kid, only to when she filed for child support. Which if she hasn't filed for it yet, means none. But if she received welfare or benefits from the state, the State can sue for the benefits which they paid for the child.


Title: Someone just dropped off a summons document for my former roommate (California)

Question:
So I was having a late breakfast at home just now and some guy rapped on my door. I opened the door and this guy in cutoffs ask me if I am Mr So-and-so. I said no, I'm Beachcoma, So-and-so was my roommate. He asked me if So-and-so was here I said no, he used to live here. And then I asked what's up? Then he served me some documents and it seems So-and-so is being sued and the docs say he has to appear in court or something.

My question is do I have some kind of legal obligation to do something now? I don't know where So-and-so is, he's like a nomad. Can I safely ignore this?

Answer: It would also be a courtesy to call the attorney, or send them a letter indicating that that particular roommate no longer lives there and that service was therefore ineffective.Answer #2: You have no legal obligation, no.  For your sake, and your ex-roommate's, you'd be best served contacting them and giving them the paperwork.


Title: Phone company opened an account under my name, I had no idea, sent to collections without notifying me (Ontario Canada)

Question:
I signed up with a telephone company back in the summer, I used to be a customer of theirs years prior. During the process the salesperson must have accidentally opened a duplicate account using my name, address, and license number. I have been getting my phone bills (for the phone that I am using) through my email or their website's portal - everything was fine.

&#x200B;

Then I had their collections agency call my sister (who lives in another province!) looking for me. I'm not even sure how they got her number. I get in touch with the company and they said I had a couple hundred dollars of outstanding bills for my account (the duplicate account). Long story short, after chasing from department to department, they realized the account was made in error, closed it off and didn't expect me to pay. Great.

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Fast forward to today.

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I have a yahoo account that I check once every few months, it's from my younger days and is no longer good for anything other than throwaway account links. I checked it earlier today and see the phone company has sent multiple emails to this account (again, not sure how they got this info - perhaps from my initial registration with them from 2002). The latest email was sent last month, a notice of "outstanding balance on \[my\] cancelled account." Part of the email reads:

>your account has been assigned to a third party collection agency which will negatively impact your credit bureau file(s).

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I got in touch with their support and they said my account has been adjusted to reflect the error (with the company) and they will send a letter to the credit bureau letting them know there should be no late payment reported.

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At this point I am panicking over how this will reflect on my credit score. I know it has really hurt it, and I have worked very hard to try to rebuild it as I want to shop for a house in the next few years. Canadian law says this will stay on my credit score for the next 6 years and will impact my scores as soon as it's registered on my credit report by the phone company and the collection agency.

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I am actually in tears. Should they not have informed me at least through a letter? They have my address on both the 'fraudulent account' and my actual account. Why would they send the bills for my actual account to my main email that I signed up with and send the secondary account to an email that hasn't been used since my first registration with them back in 2002. How did they even get it? I have so many questions but at this point I'm going to focus on the damages they've put on my credit score for the last 6 months. Can someone please point me in the right direction.

Answer:
 First off, calm down. It's going to be fine.

If someone from collections contacts you, insist that they validate the debt in writing. They must show proof you owe the debt before they contact you again.

Second is you call the company again. Insist on escalation, and politely demand that you get their "don't worry about it" in writing. If they won't and you keep having trouble, you can try complaining to the CRTC. They might get involved. The most important thing is to not pay a dime towards this second account. If you pay anything, in the eyes of the law you are taking responsibility for the debt.

In the meantime you can contact the credit bureaus and leave a note on your credit report that the collections amount is false and you are disputing it. This kind of thing happens all the time. You might have to fight through some uncomfortable, lengthy calls, but you should be able to get it resolved.


Title: [NYC] Mom got a ticket for "Obstructing Traffic" at an intersection but other cars were cutting in front of her so she couldn't move forward.

Question:
Hi reddit, apologies if this doesn't belong here, I'm still kind of new to this site.

So my mom was at an T-shaped intersection, passing through a green light (going straight). There was a lot of traffic so her car didn't make it all the way through by the time the light changed. The cars on the other side of the intersection can only turn left or right, and she claims that a car turning right cut in front of her from the side, making her unable to go, but other cars were able to turn left.

There's a police station right down that block and a cop came to ticket her immediately. If the cars couldn't turn right anyway because of the amount of cars already there, and she wasn't able to move because another car blocked her off, is there any way to dispute this? We don't have a dashcam so there's no video evidence for her claim.

Answer:
 >There was a lot of traffic so her car didn't make it all the way through by the time the light changed.

So she was obstructing traffic. Answer #2: Sounds like your mom was obstructing the intersection.

She needed to wait at the light until there was enough room to go forward, and she didn't.


Title: Hidden camera in my own home to watch housekeeper - Texas

Question:
Hi there - first post. I live in Texas and have some concerns about my housekeeper possibly stealing. I'd like to set up HIDDEN cameras but want to make sure I'm doing it legally.

Looking for laws specifically for Texas:

Is audio allowed without notice or only video?
I think she may be using my products in my bathroom. I understand you can't put a video in the bathroom, but is that true even if it's aimed reasonably away from the toilet? (Pretty sure I know the answer to this one)

Thanks!

Answer:
 You're not party to the conversation, so no, audio is not allowed. Do not put it in the bathroom, what would they be stealing in there anyway?

Put them in your bedrooms and your common areas but not the bathroom.


Title: I just moved to another state with my car that has a title loan on it. And have just read on the contract that I’m not allowed to transport it to another state, is it considered stolen?

Question: I’m kind of freaking out. I wasn’t planning on keeping my car but I’m wondering when I tell the title loan agency that my car is now in a different state, will they just charge me extra if I default to transport it or can they register it as stolen and place a warrant out?

Answer: The condition of not taking the car out of state is a term of the agreement between you and the title loan company. It's not illegal to take the car out of state. They should only report it stolen if you stop making payments on the car and they are unable to locate it. As long as you keep making payments on time, it's extremely unlikely they'll care.


Title: (USA - TX) My potential new landlord increased my agreed upon rent after I paid the non refundable application fees and deposit, but before signing the lease.

Question:
The title pretty much says it all. I was shown an apartment that was priced at $650 dollars. They wrote $650 down on the floor plan pamphlet right in front of me. They said $650 several times, I said $650 several times. My wife and I filled out applications to the sign the lease that clearly say that the apartment is $650 right on the application. The application says there are $0 of additional monthly charges. We paid $100 in non-refundable application fees then and there along with a $150 deposit on the apartment.

We received a phone call from the property manager a couple days later saying, "Congratulations, your applications have been approved and we are writing up your leases for a monthly rent of $750 right now." I said that is not the rent we were told. He told us that it is more because the unit has new appliances and there is additional charges for that, which would not show up on the application. He also insisted that he told us that the unit would cost more due to new appliances but we honestly never heard anything about that until that moment. Is there anything at all that I can do? I have not signed the lease yet.

Answer:
 assuming you dont sign the lease

you should be entitled to your deposit being returned but not the application fee. Its probably not worth pursuing this in small claims either do to the amount. Probably your only recourse is to leave a negative reviews of the place in hopes they offer to refund the application fee so that you remove the reviews. Answer #2: This may apply and would be worth citing as an application for a non-existent unit would be in bad faith. [TX Property Code](https://codes.findlaw.com/tx/property-code/prop-sect-92-354.html)Answer #3: If the place is still advertised /able for potential renters to find, possibly have a friend inquire to see what the price is for prospects.  If friend is told $650 - AHA!!!   You two pop in and say “We’d like all our money returned.”

(If the place was then offered to you for $650 I’m assuming you’re not going to rent from a scammer.)

I think this person needs to be outed but of course I’ve also not had time nor lack of concern about retaliation, u know easier said than done. Answer #4: Did you apply to a different unit than the one you were shown? As sleazy as it is that's probably the only way they could get away with that.


Title: [Nebraska] Does a mom have the right to kick her 19 year old son out of the house with no notice?

Question:
My brother argues all the time with us and gets physical with me (but that is beyond the scope of this question I think) Because of these actions, my mom wants him out of the house. The cops were called tonight and were given a very one-sided story from my brother and I was not able to defend myself or give my side.

When the cops were leaving one made a comment to my mom "I'm not sure what the law is regarding you kicking your son out" (it had been made clear my brother is an adult) Obviously my mom owns this house and besides the fact he sleeps here, he does nothing to earn the right to live here.

I would appreciate clarification on whether my mom is legally allowed to kick him out with no notice due to his actions, thanks!!

This is in Papillion if needed

Answer: She cannot kick him out without notice. She is required to give him 30 days notice to remove him from the house.


Title: After falsely being accused of rape, my case has been "no billed." I need you legaladvice!

Question:
I was falsely accused of rape four years ago. I spent 45 days in jail due to bond being denied at first and being set weeks later.

I've been out on bond for 4 years, but have managed to do well for my own.. however..

I was expelled from college when they heard I went to jail. The college held some sort of student council trial, no real judge or police involved..

 My problem was that my lawyer and I wouldn't go to a student trial when I'm expecting a real trial, if that makes sense. I was scared. I didn't want to give her ammunition, give her a free mock trial, or jeopardize my real case, so I refused to attend and got expelled.

So, after this week my case is no billed. What does this mean for me? Should I / can I pursue any sort of counter suit? What about bond?

Any sort of advice, comments, questions will be greatly appreciated.

Edit: (GA)

Answer:
 A *no bill* (depending on location) is usually a charge handed down by a grand jury that indicates there was not enough evidence to charge you for rape.

You'd need to talk to your lawyer re: a countersuit; not sure of the merits of that, but you're absolutely free to use your lawyer to send a copy of the no bill (not sure if you can get access to that, GJ documents are usually sealed) to the school and ask to lift your expulsion given that there was not evidence to charge you with this crime.

This is a politically contentious issue, so it might have some sea legs, but you'll need to consult your attorney about this. FWIW, I agree with your attorney that you didn't need to attend this student "trial" to tip your strategy or jeopardize your case should you have been charged.


Title: Hosting Data for the Ashley Madison hack

Question:
I am currently in the process of building a site to crawl and index the Ashley Madison data..

I wanted to know what is the legality of hosting the data, as long as I do not expose out credit card information?

Thanks!!

Answer: Is this Ashley Madison Day or something?  Third post in about as many hours.


Title: No court ordered custody agreement GA

Question:
My ex husband and I have no court order over our son. We verbally agreed for my son to live with him and me to get all school breaks. My ex lives in VA and I live in GA. My ex is now in jail. My son is with my ex’s aunt , I contacted her to let her know that I was coming to get my son Because his father is now in jail. And she told me that my ex doesn’t want me to come get him and because of that they will not tell me where my child is so that I can get him. They are saying that his father gave them power of attorney over my son or wrote them custody ( she keeps changing which one it is). Is that even possible for him to write them custody being that we both share custody and we have no court order. Am I able to call the police and have one of my family members get him from my ex’s aunt until I am able to drive down there to get him on Saturday? If not am I able to call the police on Saturday and get my son myself?
Sorry if this is all mixed up., I am extremely stressed over this and I don’t know what to do. Any help is much appreciated.

Answer:
 They don't have custody. You can go get your child. But the police are likely unable to help someone else go get your child. It needs to be you.

Yes your can call the police to help you get your child

You should also call an attorney now to get everything started to get custody


Title: [GA] Roommate/Ex was arrested and his family took my rent money and rent is now past due.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You should call the landlord and explain the situation to him/her. They are humans, sometimes they give you more time to sort things out if there are special circumstances.


Title: My Wife's cousin has no Social Security number - what can he do?

Question:
Hi reddit,

So this has to do with my wife's family - Many years ago, her aunt and uncle "adopted" a baby from mexico. They did this by driving across the border, and bringing the baby back without any documentation. He is now 13, and still doesn't know that he's adopted. (I've brought this up with the family, but they've chosen to keep this secret from him).

My question is - what the eff are his legal options when he's an adult and tries to get a job? Is he forever screwed because he is undocumented? His whole family are US citizens.

Answer:
 So they basically stole a baby?

I’m pretty sure that illegal adoption is a crime.


Title: Can i use my family/friend's paypal account to get paid?

Question: There's this freelance job i wanna do and i can be paid via paypal. But I don't have a pp account so can i just use my friend's?

Answer:
 Why are you wanting to use your friends Paypal? Why not setup your own? Answer #2: you're getting scammed lol

By all means, describe your "job" but there's like 0% chance you aren't being scammed.Answer #3: I would put this in the "unwise" category.

Why? Because when you put money in an account with someone else's name on it then the base assumption is that it's now their money. If your friend uses it or "borrows" it or transfers it to a bank account then you can't get paid a second time and it's possible that "theft" doesn't accurately describe what happened there. After all, in a joint bank account and similar situations if your name is on the account you can do anything you want with that money, when talking criminal liability. In the event that your friend does take your stuff you'd have to sue separately from a police investigation, which would be a headache and a half.

It's also very likely against the terms of use of paypal.

Is there a reason that you cannot set up a paypal for yourself? What about a good old fashioned pay stub or wire transfer to a free bank account at a Credit Union?


Title: How can I legally create an online marketplace for "buyers" requesting copyrighted content and "sellers" finding online/ebook/pdf (likely torrented) versions of it for them? (US - FL)

Question:
I noticed under a subreddit that a lot of users were requesting copyrighted content (usually books) in pdf formats and were paying  the people who found it a certain fee.
For example:
Buyer/Searcher: $5 for anyone who can find me Textbook ABC in pdf format.
Seller/Finder: Here you go (link), my paypal is ---. Thanks. Would it be possible to legally (or avoiding lawful action) create a online marketplace where this can go on? Perhaps creating a forum like site where I would simply host the discussion but not host the files. Is there a possible workaround? Thanks!

Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 You're asking if you can facilitate copyright infringement and not have any exposure? No you cannot facilitate copyright infringement and not risk exposure.Answer #2: "Dear reddit, how can I create an online black market and not get arrested?"

Ask Kim Dotcom how well that works out.

Incidentally, quotation marks don't make illegal shit legal. The cops are on to that trick.Answer #3: You cannot participate in a crime and absolve yourself of responsibility for it.  Sorry.  Answer #4: No. Google contributory infringement.Answer #5: Are you asking how to create an online black market without any potential for liability?


Title: Roommate created a fake green card to get a job and is helping others to commit the same fraud.

Question: How I do complain about this to the immigration department ?. I already confronted him about but he is threatened  to hurt me if I speak about this.

Answer:
 If your safety has been threatened, call the police.  Answer #2: This is an incredibly serious allegation and if you're being threatened over it you need to call the cops and remove yourself from the situation. As for reporting the fraud there's a couple options. You can look up the number for the Department of Justice and report it to them, or you can call ICE's fraud line and report it to them.

This is a case where giving an anonymous report may not be a good idea because they could try to claim you're an accomplice to this crime. In any case, if you're being threatened then get out and file a police report. This is not worth your own personal safety.


Title: Wife's boss docked her pay for tax before my wife got fired

Question:
Hello LegalAdvice,

Location: TX, USA (Austin)

To simplify things I'll round up numbers and figures.

Clarification: My wife is NOT self employed, she was hired by her ex-boss. She goes to the office location with set hours everyday, working full time for about 6 months. Her duty is to photoshop/indesign newspaper ads, works on real estate ads, CMS management, and more or less secretary level work. She uses company equipments to do work - and her boss write her check every pay cycle (monthly).

When my wife was hired by her boss (small business <10 people), she was never clarified to be employee or contractor until she got laid off. She earned 10k total in let's say 6 months last year. Her boss never withhold her paycheck for tax throughout the year, during the last month at the job her boss decided to dock $1000 off her paycheck for tax purpose. My wife recieved total pay of $9000. Eventually her boss send my wife a 1099-MISC, which only contains income of $9000. Now tax season is coming up my wife have to pay some money on her $9000 1099-MISC to the gov (again the number is rounded to simplify things).

My understanding is that employers are only supposed to withhold pay for W-2. However her shady boss decided to take $1000 off her paycheck for so called tax purpose before she got laid off, while my wife still have to pay tax on her 1099-MISC. From my tax experience I believe this is illegal - she can't legally dock my wife's pay in lump sum before my wife got fired, and my wife still have to file Schedule C federal tax income for the 1099-MISC.

We are not doing financially well currently, please let me know if her boss' actions are legal, if it's illegal what can we do to fight it? We have email evidence of her saying the $1000 dock is for tax purpose on 1099-MISC.

PS: On top of that her boss also coerce employees to pay for lawyer and filing fee for H1B, which I know is 100% illegal.

Thank you!

Answer:
 It seems there is some confusion as to whether she is self-employed or an employee.  The fact that you mention 'her boss' means she is an employee.

Employees have bosses.  Self-employed people have clients.

I can give a more definitive answer if you can tell me what her daily duties are, if she uses her own equipment or if it's provided by the company, and if the company dictates how and where she does her work.

If she's being misclassified, she needs to file a wage complaint.


Title: How fucked am I?

Question:
  I am going to be charged with a felony conspiracy to commit robbery.  I honestly did not do this, and was at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and with the wrong person.  I didn't hurt anyone, stole anything, and wasn't even aware a robbery was taking place until after the fact.

  I turned myself into the police when I saw that I was wanted on the local news with my picture being shown.  I told them the truth of what happened, and they wanted me to admit to things did not happen or they would put me in jail that night.  I called their bluff by saying that I am done talking and want to speak to a public defender if I was to be detained and booked.   They let me go, but said I would be charged soon as the DA would have the warrant ready?

 Does any of this sound right.  I live near Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.

  I know this is a felony which means I could face serious time (over a year) but what am I facing time wise?  I have a prior DUI arrest but that is it.  I was on probation from that arrest and was about half way done with it.

Answer: STOP TALKING TO THE POLICE. GET A LAWYER NOW! Seriously, dont talk to them. This is SUPER important.


Title: Rented sander from Home Depot and it damaged my floors, what do I do? [Birmingham, AL]

Question:
Rented a drum sander from Home Depot and it left grooves in my floor (not from sitting in one spot, the sander was clearly digging in deeper on one side). The manager at the store filed a claim through their insurance and "after completing the investigation, Home Depot is not liable for the damage." I went over the rental agreement and it does clearly says that Home Depot is not liable for property damage caused by the equipment. Says that I agree to rent the equipment "as-is." What can I do? I've spent almost $700 and 40+ hours on this. My floors are obviously damaged and I've re-sanded everything and only removed the shallow grooves, this shortens the life of my floors. Getting rid of the deep grooves would mean taking another 1/16" off the floor, shortening the life even more. Do I need to talk to a lawyer?

Here is the link to the manual for the machine. Nothing about calibrating the drum, just inspecting it.
http://www6.homedepot.com/tool-truck-rental/assets/files/Hiretech/PRO_Drum_Floor_Sander_Manual_Hiretech.pdf

Answer:
 Was there a problem with the sander that caused the damage, other than user error? Answer #2: As soon as I saw "grooves" I looked for a picture. After seeing the picture I looked to see how much of your floor you ran it on. When you mentioned the floor looks great minus the grooves I was sure you messed up.

"Groove" might have been acceptable. The fact you ran this over your whole floor means it's on you. Anytime you use a tool you should test it first. If you're unable to test it on some form of scrap then, like a paint or stain, you test it on an inconspicuous section first. It would have been simple to run a floor sander on a small section then feel by hand and find the groove.

Best solution is to resend, second best is using a self leveling epoxy to fill the area, worst is using a filler product since it'll leave a noticeable line.Answer #3: This is certainly a frustrating situation. It costs a fortune to have floors professionally done. These machines have a lot of power and it is easy to do damage. No help for OP, but someone else reading might decide to check progress early on and see if adjustment is necessary.


Title: I have been summoned to appear before the Office of the City Attorney. I have questions while waiting for law offices to open [LA, California]

Question:
Sorry in advance if I've mislabeled the flair, I'm not sure if I selected the correct one. Please someone correct me if this is the case.

I'm waiting for law offices to open after I have received a letter from the Office of the City Attorney so that I can hire a lawyer but while I'm waiting for that, I was hoping someone would help me with a few questions.

Long story: Back in March I was arrested and detained for 72 hours (never saw a judge or public defender) and then released with no follow up. I have a history of depression and disassociation episodes and the medical records to back that up, and the night I was arrested was between getting my meds and I was having an episode. My partner called 911 in hopes of reaching a mental health professional (I have a copy of this phone call), not the LAPD, who were of course the ones to show up. They took down info and photos (I have the booking approval form but not the photos, I took photos myself on release) of my partner's hands and a kitchen knife that they found on the kitchen counter. The knife is not relevant and played no part in the incident, but I can see what they were going for. Apparently there were also several booklets or pamphlets that she was meant to receive and is checked off on the form yet she never received these. I went quietly but refused to answer questions.

This evening I checked my mail and I see that I have received a letter to appear in two weeks at the City Attorney for a P273.5a Spousal battery (not what I was originally arrested for, my booking approval form that I have a copy of says 273.5a PC - Cohab Abuse. I doubt that matters but I wanted to mention it just in case it might, there are other errors as well).

So **tl;dr** - I have mental health issues that I am actively working with mental health care professionals to resolve and the system fucked me and is coming back for seconds.

My questions would be these: what can I expect from this type of hearing? What can a lawyer do for me and how should I expect that conversation to go? Is there additional evidence I should be collecting? And do I have a case for wrongful prosecution? This event in my life has left me with next to no money so hiring a lawyer is going to be an uphill battle I would expect.

And before anyone mentions it, I haven't hired a lawyer in the months following the arrest because between looking for a new job (oh yeah, on top of everything else I haven't worked much since being fired for missing work those three days), having to live off a small meager savings while looking for more work, and a mountain of personal depression and issues I've had a lot to deal with. That all changes today. I am calling a lawyer (any recommendations would be graciously accepted).

Thank you to anyone that read this rambling post in advance and thank you for any advice you can give. I'm honestly so tired and numb from all this. Seriously, thank you.

Edit: Thank you for the replies so quickly, I've been on the phone the last hour looking for a lawyer now.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 > My questions would be these: what can I expect from this type of hearing?

This is a negotiation prior to charges being filed.  You should expect to explain the situation and present your evidence, either for them dropping the matter, or for you receiving a good outcome.

> What can a lawyer do for me and how should I expect that conversation to go?

A lawyer can help you negotiate a better deal.  Given that you don't know anything about how to deal with this(not a slam, just the truth) a lawyer would be invaluable.  The attorney, here, could be the difference between "no charges" and "prison time".

> And do I have a case for wrongful prosecution?

Almost assuredly not.


Title: [OH] Apartment complex changed management and is now claiming my move out statement has changed over two years after I moved out.

Question:
In the spring/summer of 2014 I moved in to a large apartment complex with somewhat of a bad reputation for taking advantage of lower income individuals (I was desperate to find a place before the new job started). In the winter of 2014 my car was shot while in the parking lot so I broke my lease and moved out. I paid all of the fees in full for breaking the lease and got my move out statement and a receipt for paying off my move out statement in full. I should mention that I was not on friendly terms with management during this point due to how they treated their customers. At the same time that I was breaking my lease, I got wind that the property was being sold to a new management company, but they were refusing to verify or announce it at that time.

Around Sept of 2015 I was contacted by the new management company for that apartment complex and they claimed that I had unpaid fees. I spoke to them over the phone and told them that they were mistaken, that I had the move out statement and receipt to prove it, and that seemed to satisfy them and they did not contact me again. Until about a month ago. I received a text stating that I had unpaid fees and if I did not pay by end of month, I would be turned over to collections. The text alone bothers me considering I left a forwarding address (still valid) and easily could have missed a text message or changed my number by now, thus leading to complete ignorance of the situation and my being turned over to collections (I wonder how many people that has actually happened to and they are now facing the consequences!!)

Anyhow, I called the office immediately and they said they would have the manager call me back. She did not, so called again and they told me to email. I emailed. Still no response, so I took off work and went in to her office one morning. I asked her if she knew what the charges were for and if she could give me an itemized statement. She could not. She also gestured to a very large 3 drawer file cabinet and said "yeah, you're not the only one. All of those people have problems with their bills too". Great. So I showed her my move out statement and the receipt whereupon she pulled up her version of my move out statement on her computer. Her version was lacking a $520 dollar payment on my part that my move out statement shows as paid. I asked her if it could have been deleted (thinking of the nasty relationship with the last management company, they would not have been above doing that) and she said that she thought it would be impossible. She couldn't figure out how this had happened and told me that she would speak with their accountant regarding it to try to figure it out and get back to me. She made copies of my moveout statement and receipt. She also mentioned that the management company did change the billing program when the new company took over. She is also a different manager from the one who contacted me in Oct 15 apparently. This was a couple weeks ago and I still haven't heard from her. I intend to contact my bank to see if I can pull up copies of checks from that time to match them to the move out statement, but I closed all of my accounts at that bank in 2015 and am not certain how much info they will have retained.

So my question is, isn't there some sort of statute of limitations on how long they can pursue me for this? What if I had not been anal enough to keep this move out receipt 3 YEARS AFTER MOVE OUT?? I'd be screwed. Also I have my final move out statement and proof that I paid it in full. Does that mean nothing legally?

Thank you for any advice or information!!
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Statute in ohio is 6 years so keep your recipts if you get called by collections ask for proof of debt and then contest it. This will suck and you may have to fight it but you will win with the evidence you have. Record everything send emails with scans of your recipts you want as much evidence as possibleAnswer #2: Your old bank should absolutely still have records from 2014-2015.  Contact them Monday.


Title: (WI) Requesting a change in child support, ex-wife's attorney wants all of my work punches.

Question:
I had a case in 2018 where I got more placement with my children. The agreement was finally signed in March, so I've filed to get child support adjusted. I filed directly with the support agency, and while I was represented during the placement hearing, I'm currently unrepresented because I owe my attorney money (which I am in the process of paying back in full).

My ex-wife's attorney sent me a letter asking for my tax information. Sounds normal so far, and I was hesitant to comply. I testified to this information in court, and none of it's changed. The real kicker is that he's also requesting a written record all of my work punches from the last court date in December 2018, including punches in, punches out and punches for lunch.

He also says that, hey! This might be too much to provide, so for my convenience he included a form that I can sign and notarize that gives his office, and by extension my ex-wife, permission to get any information from my work that they choose. It also explicitly states that they can use this form to get future information, and there's no end date listed.

I think they're doing this because one Saturday morning during my placement time, I had to work for a few hours. I left my kids with my current wife and went to work. Somehow she found out and harassed me until I had to come home. However, the only reason I did it is because the judge said that we had  right of first refusal that doesn't kick in until after X amount of hours. I thought he said 4, but I'm going to get the transcript to make sure. They're basically trying to make sure that I haven't been skipping out on watching the kids, which... why? Why would I do that after fighting to get more time with them?

My question is: Is this normal? Do people normally give opposing counsel in a family law case this sort of right, or is this way beyond?

Answer:
 Do not.

Get a lawyer and wait until a court orders you to provide the information. Let your lawyer tell you what to give them and when.Answer #2: It sounds like you are in discovery.

In a perfect world - hire an attorney.

However, if you absolutely cannot, make a written objection that the request for work punches is (using my states' language, I'm sure Wisonsin has something similar) "unduly burdensome, and cumulative". It is unduly burdensome and cumulative cause you gave your tax return.

Object to the authorization to provide records by your employer as overbroad and including requests not reasonably calculated to result in applicable evidence.

The attorney will have to make a motion to compel, in which case you will find out what exactly the attorney is fishing for.  If he has a valid reason for the punchcards, demand an authorization form limited to the punchcards.


Title: (WA) Neighbor intentionally parks millimeters away from my car. Any options?

Question:
This is not as dramatic as other issues here but it’s highly frustrating. I live in an apartment building and we have underground parking. Due to the large number of cars, all parking spots are taken and there’s a huge wait list. I grabbed mine when I moved in 2 years ago. All spots are assigned to each apartment and cannot be transferable/changeable. Until 3 months ago, I had a really nice neighbor parking next to me (my spot has a wall on the right side and another spot on the left) who I knew and got along well. The guy moved out and another resident took the spot. The new neighbor has a few kids that require a booster in the backseat, as well as moving a lot of boxes, packages, bags, etc. in and out of the vehicle. I would zero issues with this if he didn’t touch my car every single time. For the sake of visualization, I have a Mercedes GLS (pretty big SUV) and they have a Honda Civic. I always park much closer to the wall so I can get out of the car and leave some space for them, as well. This guy parks literally 10 inches from my car and leaves almost half of the parking spot empty on the other side. What’s even crazier is that I’ve once seen this individual getting into his car through the passenger side. As in, he couldn’t open the driver door because it was too close to my car and he crawled through the right side.

I have reported it to the management and included pictures. They said they will bring it to the neighbor’s attention. Nothing happened yet. I honestly don’t know wtf is wrong with this guy, whether he has some mental issues or maybe something against me? Anyway, thankfully, I mainly work from home so my schedule doesn’t overlap with his. I generally leave and come back while he is still away. Regardless, this is pissing me off, especially because he keeps touching my car while getting in and out or putting the booster in. I haven’t noticed any dings yet though. My car also has a motion activated dash camera installed and I have dozens of videos of this guy struggling to park as close as possible and then exiting through the passenger door.

Is there something I can do besides taking it to the management? Thanks.

Answer: Have you just asked him why he parks like a douche nozzle? Answer #2: Does the neighbor park that way because the car seat is on the side of the car he leaves more room for?  It’s hard to get a kid into a car seat if you can’t open the door completely.  If that’s the case can you ask him to switch the car seat to the other side, or switch parking spots with him, or back-in to your space so your drivers side has more room? Answer #3: Wait and see how he responds to management (check in with them and make sure they talked to him). If he does not remedy his behavior, take the videos to management (pictures are worth a thousand words, videos of an asshole working hard to get as close to you as possible and then crawling out his passenger door are priceless). Keep reporting him and delivering photos and videos until his behavior improves.Answer #4: I mean, is it possible to back your car in? I wonder if he will continue to park close to you if it doesn't block your door in.


Title: Do defence lawyers have a responsibility to get their client off, regardless of what their client has done?

Question: Hypothetically speaking, if I killed someone and the police had me as a suspect, but maybe didn't have enough evidence to charge me, and I walked into my lawyer's office, confessed to the crime and said "I just killed someone...here's how I did it....now defend me and keep me out of jail", does the defence attorney not take it because their client is guilty, or do they do whatever they can do to keep him out of jail?

Answer:
 If someone factually guilty goes unpunished because their lawyer raises a successful legal defense, it's the fault of the state for not investigating and prosecuting the case effectively.

Defense lawyers keep the state honest and accountable.


Title: What if all citizens of {average country in North America} left the country. Who would have the power to exercise it?

Answer: The same who can exercise power over Jupiter. No one. There are no people so there is no power to be exercised.


Title: Was too trusting of a friend and now I got burned

Question:
Hey, guys. I really, really fucked up.

I live in Suffolk County, New York. I had a friend, let's call him M. I've known him since High School. He had always been there to help me out with shit, whether it was financially or helping me move my shit to a different apartment, or giving me a ride . . etc etc. Just overall good friend stuff.

About four months ago, I trusted him too much. I gave him my SSN because he didn't have enough money to buy an engagement ring (he had gotten himself into a real bad auto wreck. I saw damage first hand so it wasn't a lie) and he had to pay for the repairs because he wasn't an insured driver (he lost control of the car he was borrowing from his brother because HIS car was fucked up). Whatever, I was drinking at the time he had asked me, so for the ring, although it sounded strange to me, I gave him my SSN.

Please, I know how fucking retarded it was, I know I'm a goddamn idiot for trusting somebody I thought I considered an older brother because we've been friends for years. I'm at my wit's end. I feel like such a fucking fool for this, I want to jump off a goddamn bridge. I know it'll probably be difficult to refrain from doing it, but please, don't go on about how stupid I am because I'm 100% aware of it already.

So, he buys two rings, not one. I had no idea (at the time) that a line of credit would be opened, I thought it was like a co-signer kind of thing. I don't know much about credit at all because I pay for everything out of pocket â€” my car bills, my student tuition, so on and so forth. I abhor the idea of loans/credit. Not only that, but about two weeks later, he buys about FOUR FUCKING other rings. Wait, there's more: about two weeks after the time that I had given him my SSN, somebody starts opening a bunch of lines of credit from various credit companies and banks under my name.

Other than Kay Jeweler's, everything is closed out. The only thing I have to worry about is Kay Jeweler's. But they don't want to work with me. The fraud department doesn't believe that I didn't buy the other rings because I signed for the first two (I thought he had bought one, and signed for the package because it was delivered to my house. Didn't open it because I trusted him. Once again, my fault.), and their piss-poor records show that my name is "associated" with M's address. They tell me that the police has to continue with this investigation.

Fine. I go to the police station, and they tell me I need to go to a civil court because I had initially given him my SSN. The desk officer not only told me that I'm committing fraud myself because he says "from the views of the police department" I gave him authority to open up EVERY line of credit and that I'd close it so I don't have to pay, but they aren't going to investigate the 3+ non-Kay Jeweler's accounts opened because they think I'm conspiring with M.

Now, here's the thing: I have written proof, a facebook chatlog, that he didn't tell me a line of credit was going to be opened up. I also have, in that same chat log, him admitting that he bought more rings without my authorization.

Other than going to the civil court on Monday, what the fuck can I do? Kay's doesn't want to help me out because they think I'm lying, the PD doesn't want to either, and also because, according to them, it's a civil case. I don't blame either entity â€” it looks SERIOUSLY fucking suspicious from my end. That's what has me going crazy . . . I dug myself into this mess.

I had brought the documentation from each and every bank/credit company showing 1. that an account was opened (the "Thank You!" letter) and 2. the letter showing that it was a fraudulent account opened. I also have the receipts from the company for the transactions . . . I specifically pointed out which ones I stupidly signed for, and which ones were never even sent to my house, and still, the desk officer said there's nothing they can do.

What do I do, here? Anybody have any good advice on how to approach this, on what I should say/do once I get to the civil court? I don't have a criminal record for anything, and he literally has a criminal record for . . . surprise surprise: identity theft. I learned this not too long ago.

There's probably some things I'm forgetting because I'm furious, anxious, and depressed all at once, so if there's any holes in the story, just ask.

Answer: The police think that a case of stolen identity is a civil matter? Uh... no. Call a lawyer ASAP because that is straight up wrong.


Title: Job taking $70-$80 in taxes out of a less than $300 check. They won't fix the problem. Any suggestions as to what to do?

Answer: Do you have reason to believe this deduction is incorrect?


Title: [ON, CAN] Request for help refused by head warden of a provincial park out of what seems to be spite. Currently going in and out of hospital treatment for the issue I was requiring help for.

Question:
Hi everyone,

I went camping this past thursday (July 23) to a provincial park north of Muskoka in Ontario, Canada and was bit by an insect the morning of Friday the 24th. The bite continued to worsen and eventually, even after taking 2 Benadryl every four hours after 2:00 pm on friday and a Claratin on the Saturday, my entire foot and leg underneath the knee cap was swollen to the point where it felt rock hard to the touch and was highly inflamed. At our campsite on saturday around 10am the camp wardens had offered to take me out of the park and even gave me the assistance number to call if I were to request their help. The pain was enough that I did not want to stay until the rest of the trip (today the 26th we were supposed to leave) so I called the number and left two voice messages for the wardens to come pick me, and my friend who would come with me, up at the site. With no response I canoed back with my friend, my brother, and another of our party to the warden's outpost to wait for them to return so they could take me from there. The warden site has a sort of post box where you can leave your site number and information if you require their assistance. I was diagnosed with lupus (in 2011) after I was hospitalized with a heart issue and sever full body rash (2010) so I did not want to have to canoe the rest of the way out (about 3km from the outpost) and then a 300m foot portage and another 1km canoe from there. We decided to take it easy and wait for the wardens to return to prevent any further risk that might have occurred. We had a walkie-talkie with us and the remaining people at our site contacted us telling us that the front desk of the site called and said it would be no problem and they would send someone right away. By this time we had already been waiting about 2 hours at the wardens site. We then got another response on the walkie about 30 minutes later saying that the head warden at the front desk had called back saying that they would not be sending anyone to assist me. This is where the issue comes in.

When the three remaining members of our party came in friday they were supposed to pick up a canoe from the site and pay for their 2 nights stay in the park. This was arranged after a mixup on thursday where they overchaged us for the 3 people that were not staying the thursday night. The fee for those 3 individuals was refunded on the Thursday. Those 3 people came friday, went to the check-in, and were only charged the fee of the canoe and not for their time in the park. As they were only paying they were unaware that this charge was not added, and they should not have been issued the canoe if they did not pay to stay in the park. This error was realized when the wardens came to our site on saturday at 10am to check our permits and contacted to front desk where it was notified that 3 people did not pay for the stay in the park but were issued a canoe. They said it was the mistake at the front desk so they were to pay when they left the park. Now when we got a call back from the head warden he had stated that "it was against the parks policy to asssist", which may or may not be true however the wardens staying in the park offered me their help, and the girl at the front desk said it was no problem. The head warden in the same conversation asked us what our site number was after it had been stated that I was having a sever reaction to a bite and when he heard what site number we were at responded with "oh you are the guys that hadn't paid yet, yea no ones gunna be comming for you". As a result, we were forced to canoe the remaining 3km out of the lake, portage our gear and canoe over land and canoe back to the launch site. I drove home from their as my friend is not insured on my car and made it back to my parents house at around 9pm, leaving the launch at 6pm.

None of the swelling on my foot went down and I was required to go to the hospital where I stayed in emergency until 4:30am. I now have a permanent IV until I no longer require the antibiotic IV treatment, as well as taking prednisone and a blood thinner injection in case I have a blood clot in my leg. I am awaiting an ultrasound tomorrow morning to rule out if I have a blood clot, which will take at least a couple weeks of injections to cure. I am a graduate student and cannot go back home to continue my work until all the tests are completed and I can establish a contact for home-cure of the IV medicine where I live.

The other interesting part is when our remaining party members were leaving the site today they saw the wardens carrying people who had flipped their canoe. My brother had asked if they carry people often and they said they do it all the time if people need help.

I want to pursue legal action against the individual that felt the need to prevent me from getting assistance even though it is apparent they quite often offer assistance to those who need it all the time. This whole ordeal has been a terrible experience.

I have taken pictures of my injury and can provide more information if needed. I really want to know if this is a reasonable case and I am planning to speak to a personal injury lawyer about the matter.

Answer: Why would the park wardens be responsible for your health issues/bug bite?


Title: Did I assault someone?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Of course u did u threw the first punch Answer #2: >Anyway, did I assault someone, or what??

Hell yes, you did. It may be called battery in your jurisdiction, or both.

No, the guys shouldn't have beat on you like that... But what do you expect? You punched a guy when he got out of his car. Answer #3: You initiated a confrontation with someone and then initiated physical contact. Yes, that is assault. Answer #4: Yes you did. You have also been assaulted by the group of 4.


Title: Filmed in a women’s bathroom (FL)

Question: So I recently visited an establishment and while I was there a certain employee helped me and really took an “interest” in me. He knew where I worked called from the business and requested me specifically to help him. While at the business (on 2 separate days) I used the restroom. This same employee has been arrested for filming women in the bathroom. So far there are 2 victims but I strongly believe I will turn out to be one. I have contacted the police and I’m supposed to be in contact with a detective. I just want to know if I should be doing anything else? Someone suggested a lawyer as this is a multi billion dollar company (with many locations). What steps should I take in this situation?

Answer: If the company was aware of this employee’s previous behavior and kept him on, it could possibly turn into a civil issue for you. It won’t be a payday for you, but consulting with a general civil litigation attorney couldn’t hurt. You’re doing all the right steps so far as filing a police report.


Title: [MA] Electric company needs to do repairs within rental complex, will be out of power 6+ hours.

Question: My wife works from home and we have 2 dogs. We rent an apartment in a complex in eastern Massachusetts. We received an email today that the electric company needs to disconnect power Thursday at 9am for 6 hours or more. Are they responsible for putting her up in a hotel where she can work?

Answer:
 > Are they responsible for putting her up in a hotel where she can work?

No.Answer #2: What do you expect, sometimes vital repairs have to happen.

She can go to a starbucks or something.


Title: "Lost" rent check [NY]; is it my problem?

Question:
I have my rent set up to be automatically paid via the bill pay service with my bank. Last week I got a phone call asking where my September rent was (due on the first). I explained that it was paid automatically via billpay, it was taken from my account, etc. They were adamant that they hadn't received it, insinuating I made a mistake (though they received other instances of this same exact billpay configuration just fine).

I called my bank, and not only did they mail the check, but it was cashed. The endorsement matched previous checks, and it had been paid and cleared weeks ago. Different account number, but still paid.

The landlord's secretary wants me to cancel the check and have them reissue a new one. Bank originally offered to do this (which didn't make any sense to me at the time), but now says they can't, since it's already paid/cleared (understandable, and why I was confused that they offered this to begin with). They are sending me a copy of the cancelled check; it should be here within a week or so.

They claim they've gone through their records, and cannot find the money anywhere. This sounds extremely fishy to me. At this point, I'm pretty sure that this isn't my problem, since I've got proof that payment was made. I'm not sure how to approach the issue. My bank conferenced called the secretary in and explained that a check was indeed issued, and has cleared, but they still seem to want me to do something.

Is it in fact not-my-problem at this point? Can I tell them to pound salt and figure out their books, or do I have to waste more of my time trying to figure this out so as not to be breaching my lease? Should I be doing anything else to cover my ass, both right now and in the future?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Just send them the copy of both sides of the check when you get it.  That should be sufficient proof.

Some businesses just cannot seem to cope with electronic bill payment.  I have one of these myself.  It's just better to pay them some other way than continually deal with the hassle of them saying they haven't been paid.


Title: My father took my car into a dealership for service, they performed repairs without my authorization (owner), and my father paid for them. Indiana

Question:
I needed a new engine, total cost exceeded $4000. Which is roughly how much my car would have been worth before my engine went bad.  I would have not wanted the repairs done but neither my father nor dealership asked my permission.

I know it’s a nice thing for my father to do, that’s not the issue.  I feel the dealership took advantage of my father since they knew he would pay the cost even though it was so high.  He has used the same dealership for his cars for 30+ years. Now I’m stuck with a car that has given me nothing but problems the entire time I have owned it and was considering selling it prior to the engine failing.

My issue is work was done on my car that I own without my permission.  The dealership called today to ask how it was running (my father picked it up yesterday).  I told them I was very upset that they performed work on my vehicle I own without my permission; the person I spoke to was going to escalate the issue and contact me soon (was told Tomorrow or Monday was likely)  Do I have any legal recourse?

Answer:
 Not a lawyer.  Old mechanic.   Mechanics don't confirm ownership before allowing someone to authorize and pay for repairs.

If your car is worth $4k and you were going to sell it then go ahead and sell.  A $4k car with a bad engine is worth $250 at the scrap yard so sell it for $4k, deduct your $250 and give the rest back to your dad.  Problem solved.


Title: My fiancé passed away suddenly and now my parents are in a scary financial situation.

Question:
My fiancé had a heart attack last week at 24 years old, I found him dead in our bathroom. He had a significant trust fund to be released at 25 and he told me he left me an amount in his will ($50k), but I found out that he lied and left me nothing - his executor of estate understands that he probably didn’t mention me because he didn’t expect to die at 24. We lived together a year so we were defacto, I was his medical next of kin. I loved him very much and I am heartbroken as is, but given the situation with the virus I am almost completely broke right now me and both my brothers (we were sharing our apartment with one of my brothers) have moved back in with my parents who are living off their mortgage. Our lease was paid up until the 26th so I have until then to move. We have spoken to his trustee and she is saying that she’ll get movers and put all of his/our stuff in storage, but I want to move with it instead and it’s not really viable with hardly any income and no savings. His executor of estate has said he will look after me, but organising movers to put our stuff into storage and offering to pay my next bond is all I’ve been offered so far and it’s essentially fucking over my entire family and my mum is scared any more financial strain will result in her losing her house. My question is, will I need to contest the will? How long should I wait to find out? I’m not after the whole lot, I just want stability and comfort in this already completely fucked up and devastating time. I live in Australia btw.
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer:
 I’m sorry, but you are not legally entitled to anything from his estate, and the Trust isn’t his to dispose of.  His estate would be liable for any unpaid rent through the end of the lease (his share) and to move his belongings out.  If there were deposits paid for your wedding (if you got that far) again his estate would be liable for any contracts he signed or his 1/2.
The Trust however has no liability.
I’m very sorry for your loss.


Title: chatting w pedos in nyc :(

Question: My friends and I often encounter pedophiles online in chats, they often want to meet up, thinking I'm a young teen, send me dick pics, want me to bring friends to rape, etc. Foul shit. Is there any way i can make these guys get in trouble? Or how would I go about it? Take screenshots? Or try to get their actual location and name or what?

Answer: You can report it to the NYPD or the FBI. Don't play detective yourselves - they have actual detectives who do this for a living.


Title: Is it illegal for an employer to contact an employee via text message outside of work hours? [Oregon]

Question:
Is it illegal for an employer to contact their employee(s) via text message outside of work hours about a work topic? This is in the state of Oregon.

Basically what happened is one of our managers gave an employee a disciplinary write up and the employee needed to sign it up a certain date but forgot to. The manager and employee see each other maybe 30minutes a week due to schedules,the employee works grave shifts. So the manager sent the employee a text message and said “when you come in tonight please sign the disciplinary write up and help swap out the garbage bins.”

Soon after, the employees significant other, who works at the same company, different location,and is friends with this manager, sent a text to the manager saying it was illegal for them to contact the employee outside of their scheduled hours about work.

Our supervisor is up in arms about it, though hasn’t responded to them. Supervisor reasons it was a reminder to do two things already asked if the employee that did not get donee day because they barely ever see each other this was a decent way to not forget.

Answer: So far, nothing here is illegal, and it's a bit illogical to suggest it is. If work got closed to inclement weather, would she not want a phone call? Answer #2: I can't possibly think of a law that would break.Answer #3: That is not illegal.Answer #4: That employee's significant other is an idiot. Really, that's just dumb. If an employer could never contact an employee outside of their scheduled hours of work, how could they ever be informed of anything they would need to know worked related that's going on when they aren't on the clock?


Title: Is this unethical? Is it illegal? A lawyer in charge of an elderly woman's estate is making donations on her behalf to his own wife's non-profit. (USA - Massachusetts)

Question:
My mother's employer is a lawyer who handles the estate of an elderly woman with dementia. He handles all of her finances.

My mother told me that every year, the lawyer makes charitable donations on behalf of his client (for tax purposes I think?) to various charities, one of which is his wife's non-profit organization.

Is this an okay practice? Is it unethical? Is it illegal? It might be okay but it seemed a little shady to me.

Thank you.
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer:
 Generally, when someone "handles the finances", it just means that they do the nitty-gritty work, and someone affiliated with the estate makes the big decisions.  If the woman has dementia, it's likely that someone else has "power of attorney".

If that POA is delegated to this lawyer, and he's making donations that benefit him or his family, there may be an ethical issue.  If someone else is approving it, and the attorney is upfront about the situation, there's likely no issue.


Title: Is it possible for someone to take you off of house that you both signed for?

Question:
Hi, so long story short my mother thinks she can threaten me by using my grandmother (her mother) as a mouth piece whenever she gets mad at me. My mom (I'm like 85% sure she's lying) is telling me that if I "don't help her/my grandmother", then my grandmother (possibly just my mom "abusing" her PoA if true) will have me removed off of a house that my grandmother and I both signed for together at a title company at the time she purchased it. My grandma didn't want me to hassle with filing for succession for when she passed away, so I went ahead and signed for it as well. Now, I'm pretty sure that I don't think that it even is legally possible to just "take someone off" of a house that you signed with someone in the first place. However, but I just wanted to make sure. (And yes, I have the certificate of registration and both my name and my grandmother's name is on it. My state is Louisiana)
Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 Nope, not happening legally.  Answer #2: The short answer is "no".  The long answer is: maybe, but not quickly or cheaply or quietly.

I don't think you have anything to worry about. Answer #3: Your mom could forge your signature on a Quit Claim Deed, which gives up your ownership interest in the property.  This is highly illegal but unethical people don't follow the law very rigidly, now do they?


Title: (PA) Somebody is trying to build an Opioid addiction center next to my house

Question:
Hi, This really might not be “legal” advice, but hear me out. I live in a pretty decent sized town but not a city, and we don’t have Addicts or homeless people anywhere close by.

I got a notice recently that they want to change our towns zoning so they can have an Opioid addiction center right at the mouth of my neighborhood (Only road in and out of our Development)
This is directly at our children’s bus stop and to be frank I don’t want my neighbors kids and ours walking passed the people waiting to get treatment at this place.
We have a meeting with our towns political people and the decision makers pretty soon to contest it, but what other options / arguments do we have?

I was also hoping to sell my home in the next 6-8 months and this would really plummet my property value too given that i’m less then 100 feet away from this building.

Answer:
 This is why those notices come with a public comment period. If you want to be heard, comment - write to your alderman and show up at the city zoning hearings to say your piece.

The final decision is with the city, but your reps are accountable to you through the ballot box if everything else fails.


Title: Company meeting at Methodist Church. [PA]

Question: My employer is having a mandatory meeting at a Methodist church this Saturday and it would be against my religious views to attend this meeting at a church. Am I obligated to go? If I do not attend I am subject to suspension being written up or termination.

Answer:
 what religion bans you from attending a secular meeting that happens to be hosted in a church? my voting is done in a church...

yes most likely you can be written up and/or terminated. Answer #2: A church is just a building. Unless the meeting is religious in nature, then you have nothing. Private employers are prohibited from creating a hostile work environment or discriminating, but using a church as a meeting venue is not hostile.

This can be different for a government employer if they exclusively hold meetings at churches with comparable venues available.Answer #3: Are they having a religious ceremony or is it just that they having a meeting hall that will fit everyone so that is where the company rented space? Answer #4: Are you being forced to worship Methodist, or is it simply at a space owned by the church?

In the former case, you may have an out.  In the latter, you almost assuredly do not.Answer #5: Thanks for the justneckbeardthings meme.Answer #6: Nice try. Of course you can be fired for not attending a company meeting. Answer #7: Ugh....this guy.