Title: Job switched without consent.

Question: So I was hired at my current job as a application developer and recently switched my role to a business analyst. I am not doing what I was hired to do anymore and I hate my current job. Is there anything I can do other than just try to find a new company to work for? Thanks!

Answer: Do you like movies about gladiators?


Title: [IL] Roommate demanding I pay portion of his rent retroactively

Question:
Background info: I live in a 3BR apartment in Chicago with two roommates. Halfway through March, my roommate (“Joe”) notified my other roommate (“Bill”) and I that he wanted to move out and would be signing a new lease with his girlfriend for April 1, 2017. There were no extenuating circumstances that required him to break our lease; he apparently had discussed cohabitating with his gf for a while, but did not feel the need to tell Bill and I until 1 1/2 weeks before his expected move-out date.

While we searched for a replacement roommate, Joe moved all his things out and indicated to us that he had started living at his girlfriend’s apartment already. He had already signed the new lease with her and was effectively no longer living in our apartment.

There were 5 days left in the month, and since Joe had removed all clothes, bedding and even his mattress from the room (leaving only a bed frame and an ironing board), we felt it safe to assume he was not planning to spend any more nights there. So we moved my things into Joe’s room and put his things into my old room, which was now empty. We found a new roommate that agreed to take my old room, and he was approved by the landlords almost immediately.

Joe had not been at the apartment at all after he moved his things out, so we texted him to let him know we found a replacement roommate. I also mentioned that he could find his things in my old room—and to my (and Bill's) surprise, Joe absolutely freaked out. He was angry that I was living “in HIS room” and had not asked him first, even though he already had a new residence before the room switch happened, and had only planned to come back one last time to retrieve his remaining possessions. There is nothing in our lease which assigns each tenant to a specific room, and the landlords already know about the switch and don’t care. If for some reason Joe had wanted to spend the night at our apartment before April 1, he could have (but he did not). At NO point did I suggest that I’d refuse him access to any part of the apartment, we did not withhold or use any of his possessions, and he still had his key.

The last time I saw Joe was when he came over to sign the amendment and move the rest of his things out. I have no idea if he was in the apartment when Bill or I were at work, but I left my “new” room unlocked at all times in case he needed to get in.

The issue: Joe is now refusing to pay me back for apartment expenses. My roommates and I have always used an app for shared expenses; with most of the bills in my name, Joe ended up owing me a certain sum by the end of March.

I texted him to ask for the balance he owed me, and he agreed to pay me after he received the last electricity bill for March. After subtracting this expense, he owes me a total of $60. However, Joe just added a NEW $60 expense (that I “owe”) to the app with a note along the lines of: “Since you moved into my room and didn’t make it possible for me to use my room or even involve me in your decision you can pay my share of room rent. Now the balance is even.” I’m not sure how he came up with that number, but it did not escape me that it coincidentally happens to be the same amount he already owes me.

My question is: could I legally be held responsible for several days of his portion of the rent because of the above circumstances? If not, should I let this go because it’s a tiny amount of money, or do I have the right to the (unrelated) $60 he already owes me? I read this subreddit frequently and realize how trivial this is in comparison-- if I’m in the wrong, I can live with that. I just want to make sure I'm not getting taken advantage of. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: If he notified you in writing that he would be moving to his girlfriend's on a specific date, made zero mention of continuing to use his room on or past that date, and proceeded like everything was normal till he found out things had been understandably shifted around, then.. he doesn't really have a reasonable argument. Even if he did, he'd still have to pay his portion of the bill as mandated by the lease. Answer #2: this whole thing is over $60?  do i have that right?


Title: [CA] Donut shop added a $1.50 surcharge for using a credit card on the purchase. Is this legal?

Question:
Hey all. Long time lurker, first time poster in this sub. I read a sub that mentioned [this link](http://www.ncsl.org/research/financial-services-and-commerce/credit-or-debit-card-surcharges-statutes.aspx#CA) and I decided to read a little and realized that a purchase at a donut shop I made a few days ago may have violated the law described there?
I remember specifically that I didn't have enough cash on me to make the purchase, so I decided to use my card and the lady told me it was $1.50 extra if I'm using my card. I was hungry and tired so I kinda thought "whatever" and let that happen.
I'm not sure if I'm reading it right because my dyslexia makes it a little fucky to interpret legal jargon correctly. Can anyone affirm or deny this suspicion of mine?

For the record, I'm not trying to raise hell at the little donut shop on the corner. I'm just morbidly curious about this. Thanks in advance!

Answer:
 Correct.  Credit card processors prohibit surcharges for use of the card as a general rule, though they can put a minimum purchase limit on the use of the card.

You too could collect $4.50 (3x the actual damages) if you wrote a written complaint.  If you wanted to be particularly asshole-ish you could complain to their credit card processor.Answer #2: You are correct; credit card surcharges such as this aren't permitted. Businesses can get around this by offering a discount of cash purchases, but in CA, it is not legal to add a charge simply for using credit card instead of cash/check/debit.

You need to write a letter demanding the return of your $1.50 if you would like to be reimbursed. If they refuse, you need to take it up with the department of commerce. Answer #3: Also note that it's almost certainly against their agreement with VISA/MC, and could potentially lose their ability to accept cards *at all* if they don't shape up.

You can report directly to VISA https://usa.visa.com/Forms/visa-rules.html or MC https://www.mastercard.us/en-us/consumers/get-support/report-problem-shopping.html and they'll investigate.

It's a fire-and-forget, but it's still a nice little "F-YOU" if you're annoyed at them.


Title: Wife and I are getting divorced and she wants all the income tax money next year please help!

Question:
I hope this is the right place to post this. My wife and I have been married for a little over 2 years. It has been a struggle we are both alpha personalities and the fights have been brutal.We are in the process of getting a divorce. She has paid most of the actual bills in this time. She has 3 kids from her last marriage and wants to claim them all in a couple of months during tax season and file separately. I told her I want half and file jointly. I worked until July this year when I got laid off and my checks went into fixing vehicles, gas, groceries, etc. I also was the one driving kids to baseball, basketball, cross country and wherever else they needed to go since I went into work 3 hours before her and got off sooner in the afternoon. Do I have a legal claim to the income tax money from claiming the kids? I have been claiming them as dependants all year and still are claiming them  from my unemployment checks. Any advice would be very appreciated. This is a sad time for me I love my wife and don't want this divorce. She has pushed it though and we have signed the papers just have to go to court now. I haven't asked for anything else we even have 3 cars and she is keeping all of them which will leave me without one. When it comes to money she turns super mean and hateful so it's easier to let her get her way. But I feel like it's only fair we split the tax money. Thank you in advance for any help or advice you can give. Big love reddit <3 p.s. I posted this in personal finance and was directed here hope you guys can help

Edit: We live in southern Illinois.

Edit: a word

Answer:
 Do you have a lawyer?

You can't force her to file jointly with you without going to court and getting an order. Answer #2: Will you be divorced before Dec 31st ?   Tax filing status is based on your status the last day of the year.  If your divorced in 17 you can't file jointly but you can ask for $ of the anticipated return in the settlement.   Just didn't want you to waste your time if it wasn't possible.

If you will be divorced in 18 , then you can still file 2017 jointly but you will need a court order to force her to.  You can call lawyers who practice in county the divorcee is taking place in to ask if that is a likely order.

Answer #3: You should really consider keeping a car. It's clear your wife is not playing nice with you.


Title: HOA Occupancy (San Antonio, Texas)

Question: I currently live in a relatively new subdivision (2012 construction).  Our HOA is currently operated by the builder until the occupancy in our community reaches 80%.  The issue we are having is that is been almost 5 years and the community is ever growing.  It started as a 300 home planned community and when that filled up the builder opened a new area and made it 400, and now they are opening an even newer unplanned section.  We only have 1 meeting a year and the builder (HOA) didn't even show up this year.  Do we have any legal recourse to compel our builder to stop randomly adding areas to the subdivision and moving the goalpost farther into the future?  Or are we just screwed.  Many of the resident feel like we will never get a say in how our own community operates.  The newest addition isn't even directly connected to our subdivision! Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Answer: The HOA agreement/bylaws should have some constraints on the limit that it applies to. With any luck, the 2nd phase wasn't included. With no luck, there are even more phases planned in the agreement. You are probably ahead hiring an attorney. If several residents pool resources, it won't cost you much individually.


Title: (New Jersey) Does a professor announcing whether students did well or not on tests constitute a FERPA violation?

Question:
I'm not positive what FERPA entails; however, he routinely discloses our performance on exams to other students, often humiliating them and using bad grades to try and coerce students into attending his plays for extra credit.

He's used grades to mock students; push flyers for his play towards them when they pick up their test, saying, "You might want to attend this"; informed a student their lack of attention to detail before asking them if they have ADD; and read our wrong answers aloud as we hand in tests, making fun of our wrong answers publicly.

Does this in any way violate FERPA, or is he just a massive asshole?

Answer:
 Does he disclose the actual performance or simply say "you did bad on this?"

Being a massive asshole is generally not illegal.

>  asking them if they have ADD

That's something to talk with a department head about.


Title: Hair salon burned my hair and I am out $320

Question:
Houston,TX

I went to a hair salon today to get my hair permanently straightened. It's called a Japanese straight perm. Since I wanted the ends of my hair to flair out, they used a procedure called a digital perm to do that. I showed them a picture of what I wanted. The picture was my own hair from last time I had my hair done. Last time I went to another salon and couldn't go there again because that salon was in another city, not the city I live in.

Problem is they used the digital perm on almost 6 inches of my hair from the bottom when they should have only used it on maybe 1 inch. They left the hot curlers on their too long and now that part is burned. Basically I have very silky and straight hair from my scalp to about 5 inches and then the next 6 inches are frizzy, dry and burnt.

I went to another hair salon after and no one believed I had my hair done only an hour ago. They examined my hair and told me it was burnt because they probably left the curlers on too long. I think so too because although I couldnt smell my hair burning, they used two machines for the curlers because they were having trouble with them. So I think my hair was on the hot curlers for twice as long.

The 2nd salon said I need to let my hair rest a few days and then I should come in for treatment to try to repair some of the damage.

I paid $320 for my burnt hair. I paid in cash. Further they didnt give me a receipt and in my panic I forgot to ask for one. I will try to get a receipt tomorrow. But I am not sure if they will give me one.

I am also going to take pictures and report them to the Texas Cosmetology Board.

Should I sue them in small claims court? What if they dont give me a receipt? How can I prove I was there? Does anyone have any advice?

Answer:
 You can sue them in small claims court and let a judge decide.

Your testimony is evidence. Receipt would be nice but not a deal breaker.Answer #2: Can you go back into the salon in person with an audio recorder and get them to admit that they recognize you and did your hair and charged you $320? Texas is a one party consent state for audio recording.

Did you pay in cash?


Title: [Chicago IL] My friend put in a 3 weeks notice today at a pretty large chain Hardware store, saying that she would be moving the 23rd of October. However, the GM told her she wouldn't be scheduled past the end of the week. Is this allowed? Can fighting for unemployment/lost wages come into play?

Question:
[Background] My friend works (well, worked) at a pretty large, well known hardware store, and was completely doing fine in her position with no major complaints or disciplinary issues. She's moving out of state on the 23rd, and today she went to HR in order to notify front office and fill out the requisite paperwork. However, after filling out the paperwork, her department manager mentioned to her that the GM specifically requested that she not be scheduled anymore past this week. At this point, my friend goes to speak with the General Manager, who very condescendingly justifies the rationale for refusing to respect her 3 weeks was "There would be a staff meeting next week, and since you're leaving anyways, it wouldn't contain information that's pertinent  to you, or for you to need to know, so why keep you on? Feel free to walk off". At this point, she walks out, and leaves her shift early.

[Question]So the question remains, is there any reasoning that would make up for the 2 weeks of lost wages? I mean, it's not so much about the firing, but the disrespect in her treatment. She was fully looking forward to committing to her schedule and working through the 23rd. Personally, I feel that since it's an At-will employment situation, that an employee CAN indeed get shafted like this, and it doesn't help that she left her shift early and is probably terminated for THAT reason, which will probably be what the GM cites. But I'd be remiss if I didn't ask anyways, though, knowing what a resource you guys can be.

Answer: They could have asked her to just leave the second she gives notice. She's not entitled to be scheduled at all during the notice period. You are correct that the at-will status of the employment agreement lets them do this.


Title: Asked to be self-excluded from a casino and was refused, leading to gambling away £4000 (UK)

Question:
My flatmate has a gambling addiction and asked the local casino to refuse him entry (also known as self exclusion) around November time. In February he went back and set himself a limit, which they agreed to raise in the same session. Tonight, he got drunk and ended up Going to the casino in an intoxicated state. Obviously, they let him in and watched him return to the cash desk multiple times, each time getting out £200. Totaling £4000 overall. He's on minimum wage.

They never stopped him from spending. He set a limit when he entered the building, they didn't allow him to go past his limit on the cash desk, but they pointed him to the ATM that is literally right next to the cash desk and did not stop him from withdrawing money there.

&#x200B;

In UK law (or in general I suppose), does this hold any legal ground?

Answer: Question, if he had won a ton of money, would you be asking this question?


Title: I want to obtain transcripts of a custody case. How should I do this?

Question:
My parents divorced when I was 4. Later, when I was 14, they went through a very ugly battle in court for custody of me. I have heard conflicting stories from both of my parents, both in regards to what has happened when parenting and in regards to what they have said about me and to each other. I would like to know the truth and wish to find transcripts \(written or audio\) of the court case. How can I obtain them, if possible at all?

Thanks for the help.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 May not be possible.

But you can go down to the court that had the case, ask to pull the file and talk to the clerk about getting a transcript.

Transcripts are really expensive bytheway.

You can review all the pleadings and the judgment though for free. (copies can get expensive.)Answer #2: Courts can often provide written transcripts of cases, usually for a per\-page fee.  You'd need to know which court it was handled in and inquire with that court.


Title: Can a woman lose primary custody of her child just from having a bad lawyer?

Question:
I met a woman who’s ex husband has primary custody of their daughter. I asked if she voluntarily gave up custody or if there was a reason she lost it.

She said it was because her lawyer screwed her. I’m suspicious she is hiding something because women always get custody unless it is shown that they are unfit.

Is it possible she just had a lousy lawyer or should I keep this one at arms length?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 >I’m suspicious she is hiding something because women always get custody unless it is shown that they are unfit.

Unless you took a time travel machine back to the 1970's to meet this woman, this is absolutely not true.Answer #2: You definitely don't know the whole story.

>because women always get custody unless it is shown that they are unfit.

This isn't true, but she didn't have custody taken away for no reason. The court will act in the best interest of the child.


Title: If I'm paid bi-weekly, does 80 OT still apply to me?

Question:
Hello! I asked a similar question recently, but I don't feel like I got 100% the answer I was looking for. So here it goes again.

My employer has verbally (and over email) confirmed that our pay periods are Friday-the following Thursday (10 non-consecutive working days). Since that first Friday is not consecutive, does that affect the 80 hour OT federal law? My coworkers and I were under the assumption that anything over 80 hours is OT, but does that still apply although our pay period isn't consecutive?

Also, although that is the pay period submitted, our paychecks state that our pay period is Saturday-the following Friday (10 consecutive working days total). Since that IS 2 consecutive weeks, OT would apply, right?

Overall, I guess my questions is: Does the pay period of 80 hours have to be consecutive? Does my pay period screw me over?

The best example I can give is that one paycheck says I worked 95.96 hours of regular pay and 2.83 of OT. Shouldn't it be 80 regular and 13.13 OT?

Thank you!!

Answer: Assuming that you are in the US and you aren't exempt, you must be paid overtime for any hours over 40 in a week. Not over 80 in 2 weeks. The work week can be any consecutive 7 day period the employer picks - it doesn't have to correspond to when you get paid. It sounds like yours is Saturday to Friday, so you would be entitled to overtime pay for hours worked over 40 from Saturday to Friday.


Title: [Florida] In a bind, not sure what to do. 2 kids out of wedlock and slowly starting “that battle.”

Question:
So.. beginning of the month, I walked in on a situation where the S/O was laying in bed with another dude with the lights off. She claimed they were “just talking.”

We have two kids together.

Presently, my bills are as such:

$1450 Rent
$200 Car Insurance
$180 Cell Phones
$200 Power/FPL
$60 Comcast/Internet

Then I have misc. autopay things like, Netflix, Hulu, Dollar Shave Club...

I moved out, wasn’t putting up with her shit anymore. 6 long years of strife/struggle and then that.

She gets about $900 a month in disability. I’m paying all the bills and she’s demanding $250-300 a week. Seems steep, considering I’m paying everything else. She’s offered to contribute $500 toward the rent, but still demands a form of monetary child support, which considering what I’m paying for, I don’t think I’m liable for?

I’m considering options on being able to get a newer vehicle so I can get custody of my kids some day, get car seats, and just generally equip myself for being able to take them on as a fulltime responsibility while also working a fulltime job. Obviously, daycare costs would come into play or maybe a sitter? Idk.

Anyway... long story short? I need some advice. I’ve been contributing to a 401(k) since July as well as an employee stock purchase program so I can retire some day... I’m thinking this will need to get stopped, in light of all this?

Thank you in advance.

Answer:
 >I’m paying all the bills

You are paying her expenses?

You are going to have to pay child support and your best bet is to get that sorted out through a court asap.Answer #2: You need two things.

1.) r/personalfinance.  You need a budget and bad.

2.) a lawyer.  You need a formal custody and child support agreement.  There is no other viable option for you.  A lawyer won't cost you an arm and a leg.


Title: Do I legally have the right to run away?

Question:
This account is a throwaway (for obvious reasons). My mother and father divorced around 2 years ago,  I have since lived primarily with my father. My mom moved away to a different town,  and I began living solely with my father. My father has anger issues and many other problems that force me to the state of mind of not wanting to live here anymore. My mother has given me her consent to leave my dad's household and seek residence until I can claim someone else other than him as my legal guardian. Both my mother and father have guardianship over me,  so since I have her permission, can I legally leave my father's house? I have a place to stay that has offered, but my question is that can he have me returned by force,  or press charges for harboring a run away? Thank you in advance.
Edit*: I am 17 and live in Oklahoma.

Answer:
 [Running away in a crime in 9 states](http://www.americanbar.org/newsletter/publications/law_trends_news_practice_area_e_newsletter_home/runaway.html) ( Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming). You do not live in one of them, so you can "legally" run away (in the sense that it is not a crime).

You should be aware, though, that police in almost every state are entitled to return runaways to their parents. And your state's child protective services may become involved. And in many states, [including Oklahoma](http://public.esquireempire.com/Harboring-Runaway-Juvenile-Oklahoma-Felony-Okla-Stat-tit-21-440-A), it is a crime to knowingly harbor a runaway. So you are putting anyone who helps you into a bad position. Answer #2: Sorry your home life sucks.  I've been there, although many years ago now.  If you're 17 the best thing to do would be to bide you time until you are 18 and then you can legally leave.

Work hard, save your money and either go far away to college next year or move out for a place of your own.  If you run away then you will be creating more problems for yourself then you are solving.Answer #3: To be clear, you're *not* talking about moving in with your mother, correct?

Your mother simply "gave you permission" to move out of your dad's house and find somewhere else to live?Answer #4: How old are you? Where do you live?


Title: Indiana visitation when child is employed and distance is a factor

Question:
My son who resides with his mother in Indiana is employed but has no drivers license. I live in Kentucky and up until now my visitation has been cut and dry. However my son is now 17 and has a son and in the parenting guidelines for the state of Indiana it does not say how that is to be handled and it’s already caused tension that’s soon to be and argument.

I was told by a manager of a fast food restaurant that’s been one for 20 years that legally the child is to go visit the parent for the said 7 weeks and the employer by law must hold their employment due to it being a court order.

However the parental guidelines don’t confirm how this is to work and I’m not finding any information on Googling multiple phrases. Keeps giving answers about the parents working.

I need to see if any attorneys on here practice family law in Indiana that would happen to know this information or where I could find it? Anyone with experience from the state of Indiana is welcome to chime in too. As it stands per the April 1st letter I’ve send out every year I’ve declared the 2nd half of summer break which is 7 weeks. I’m just not sure how his job should be handled and I spoke with his manager and they honestly didn’t seem like they had much experience as a manager much less handling this.

Any information is welcome and appreciated.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: If your son is 17 and a father himself now, you may be better served asking him what he needs to do this summer than trying to enforce your custody order.  If he has custody are you bringing your grandson to Kentucky with him?  If he doesn't have custody, will you be meeting his child support obligations for him while he's visiting you?


Title: How can we terminate an unknown Father's rights so we can change our son's name?

Question:
My Fiance and I want to change the name of her 3 year old son to her last name (also my last name by random chance). His current last name is from a man who she thought was the biological father for a couple of years, but a DNA test recently showed that he is not. We have no way of finding out who the father could have been and we aren't interested in trying to find them. There is no one else who has any interest in filing for paternity rights.

 We live in Smith County, Texas. When she went to the Courthouse the Employees were very rude and she didn't get any information other than that she has to terminate the Father's rights. What are we supposed to do?

Answer:
 You might be able to do some sort of public announcement in the newspaper, advertising for candidates to come forward. I am so not sure about this, but if your fiancée really has no idea who it could be, this might satisfy the court’s request for a good faith search.

The reason the courts might not be interested in letting her change her child’s last name, is because it’s in the child’s best interest to have a father, so they can help pay the child’s expenses (via child support). Since the child is already three, it might be impossible to remove that man’s name from the birth certificate without an adoption.

Search for a local bar association which might have some initial pro bono legal advice. Good luck. Answer #2: Was the man you originally thought to be the father on the birth certificate? If so, and he hasn’t taken any legal action yet, he’s likely still the legal father. See if you can get him to sign.


Title: GA - Someone that sued us took pictures of our property and they work for our utility company

Question:
This started as a simple easement issue - we bought a property, title was cleared, we put up a fence, he knocked it down and claimed that the back of our property is his driveway (along with four other neighbor properties).  While in court, he provided several pictures to the judge of our property.  He was clearly in the back portion of our yard taking pictures of our yard and house, and testified, for whatever reason, that he was in his company vehicle and using his company cell phone to do this "surveillance."

Aside from the obvious issue of this person being on our property (case was dismissed), I have a big problem with this person being an employee of our utility company, one to which we pay a monthly bill, testifying that he is using company property and time to monitor our property so that he could sue us.

It may be worth mentioning that he's a long-term employee of this company.

Anyhow, our attorney is with the title insurance company and won't offer any advice on this issue, which is understandable, other than to say we need to pursue it.  I don't know what that means and he won't really say.

Is this a complaint with company issue or a hire an attorney issue?  Having never hired an attorney, what sort would I look for?

edited to clarify:  he is claiming five properties all together.  I wasn't clear about it in original post, although it's just a small detail.

Answer:
 Complain to company issue. Answer #2: Slightly OT:

Are you going to be able to make him pay for your damaged fence?Answer #3: Complain to his company about harassment.

Title is not what you are looking for. You need to find out what the survey says. Title says who own it, a description of the boundary, and if the property is clear of liens.

Get it surveyed.


Title: Do (material) witnesses have the right to an attorney?

Question:
In [this sensational piece in *The New Yorker*](https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/why-are-prosecutors-putting-innocent-witnesses-in-jail), a witness failed to comply with a subpoena and was arrested and told that she does not have the right to an attorney because she is the victim of the crime:

>“I need a lawyer,” Singleton said. “You’re the victim,” Mitchell replied, according to Singleton. “You don’t get a lawyer.”

If a person is charged with contempt of court and subsequently arrested, then (I believe) she would have the right to counsel and (have at least some degree of protection) from self-incrimination. Is the article correct in suggesting that these rights do not apply when a person is arrested for not complying with a subpoena without yet having been charged with contempt of court? And if so, can information provided by the witness during this questioning be used against the defendent once charges of contempt (or another crime) are brought against her? And is this loophole (if it exists) commonly exploited by prosecutors as suggested by the article?

Answer:
 Being held in contempt of court is not a criminal conviction (usually). It is the courts way of forcing testimony.

You can use the fifth amendment to avoid self incrimination, but you have to be explicit in claiming it, and the court will investigate whether you have a valid claim. If you do, they have the power to grant immunity (so it can't be used against you) and force you to comply.

This isn't a loophole, it is a system operating exactly as designed. Although I would say it is pretty rare for the victim of a crime to be held in contempt for not wanting to testify.


Title: Property line through my structure

Question:
sorry new to posting on reddit, sorry if this is the wrong place for it or if I broke any rules.  This is in WA.

Kind of a long story, but the short version is the survey line goes through my carport (wood structure attached to the house, have satellite images showing since early 90s, and a previous owner stating since at least the 70s).  Our neighbor bought his house a year ago at auction.  He removed the hedge i maintained(and the previous owners of his property said i owned) and he put in a retaining wall with a raised driveway and he put fence posts through the middle of my carport and yard.  I removed the carport poles twice.  We came to a verbal agreement, i left for a few days and he didnt follow it(went around the carport at least).  So i took down the fence (600' of chainlink) and removed a few posts.  As expected cops were called(they told him oh well lol) and so he got lawyers involved as expected.  My lawyers(cheapest i could find) are essentially telling me in SOL because i havent owned the house for 10+ years, previous owner was a holding company, and we only had a limited title warranty (all good lessons learned for my next house i guess...).  Now ultimately the neighbor wants $12k, me to put up the fence and pay for the boundary adjustment.  It will be a cold day before i do that...contacting other lawyers now just to get other opinions but i figured this would be a good time for my first reddit post.

&#x200B;

Any input or advice is greatly appreciated!  Thanks!

Answer:
 A few things

1) If he bought it at auction, he likely bought it as is where is, with all faults, including your tresspass. Not saying he is in the wrong about the property line but the whole putting up an fence in the middle of your carport thing was way out of line...

2) Check with your city/county GIS to see what historical photos they have. You might get lucky and they may have images back far enough to validate a claim for AP

3) Download Google earth and see what historical imagery they have.

4) Check the tax records for your property, see if they show the carport as part of the building sketch. You could also check for building permits to see if you can find out how old the car port is.Answer #2: You may be able to claim the land under the theory of adverse possession. A quick google search revealed that the statutory period in WA is 10 years. If you can show that the structure has been on your land for more than 10 years, then you probably have a decent claim. It doesn't matter that you may not have owned the land for 10 years. These claims can pass through deed. Talk to your lawyer, but it's probably your best bet to keep the land.


Title: Told I had a sprained foot; it's actually broken. I'm in VA

Question:
I'm posting here hoping someone can advise on if I have a reason to seek legal advice from a local lawyer.

I went to the ER in September of 2014 my foot popped and hurt so badly I couldn't really walk on it. I hobbled in and answered all of the questions. When they got me into an exam room a lady came and asked about insurance and I gave her the info that I was recently uninsured due to a job change. She asked how I intended to pay and I explained I would be making payments personally.

The doctor came in and asked if I was just there to try to get pain meds. I told him I didn't want pain meds I just wanted to make sure the foot wasn't broken and I'd already taken a dose of ibuprofen. He ordered an x ray and came back to tell me that my foot was only sprained. He then told me that he wouldn't be giving me any pain meds so not to even ask.

I left keeping the foot elevated for the week he said to. He also told me there may still be pain for up to 2 months and not to worry about it it was just healing time. After 2 months it still hurt. I finally went back to the doctor about it about 4 months ago and she pulled my records from that night and the x ray is notated by the doctor that my 4th metatarsal bone is broken.

Due to the time span since it happened and lack of treatment for a break I am now having to have surgery to do a bone graft to fix the break and eliminate the pain. I will be in a cast for 2-3 months and then in a boot for a further 1-2 months. If he had treated the break with a simple boot at the time he notated it I would not be having this surgery now.

I feel as though he thought I was possibly a drug seeker which I understand is a problem ER doctors have to deal with, and I wonder if  my lack of insurance may have influenced his decisions as well. I do still have the discharge paperwork and the dated x ray with notations from the night from my current doctor.

Should I seek local legal advice? Thanks so much for any and all replies.

Answer: So, you didn't think to follow up about the pain in your foot for almost 2 years? Even if you have viable case, it's going to be discounted by the fact that you didn't mitigate your damages.


Title: [South Carolina] Am i liable for helping a kid climb a tree?

Question:
I live in an apartment community, and our back porch looks out onto a childrens play area.

One day we noticed several yound children, maybe 8 years old, crowded round a tree. They noticed we were sat out on our pirch, and asked us to help them retrieve their football from a tree.

I grabbed a broom and went out to inspect said tree. The ball was probably about 20' in the air, out of reach. The tree was fairly sturdy, but the lowest branch was about 6' high, out of reach for them. At their request, I helped one of them to grab the lowest branch, and he hauled himself into the branches and started climbing.

I returned inside and after maybe 30 minutes, i heard a knock at my door. It was the parents of one of the children, saying the boy had fallen out of the tree. He has possibly broken his leg and banged his head. I am waiting to hear more.

Can i be held liable for this?

Answer:
 This is a very interesting question. My opinion, not knowing South Carolina law specifically, is that you can be found liable under a negligence theory for picking up someone else's 8 year old kid and lifting him six feet high into a tree if the kid later falls out of the tree. But again, I don't know South Carolina law on the duty you would have not to help other people's kids do dangerous things. And a conservative South Carolina jury might think putting someone else's 8 year old kid in a tree is the most normal and reasonable and not dangerous thing in the world.

Make sure this isn't a scam, like demand proof of the medical bills, etc.Answer #2: Yes, quite possibly so. Say nothing further about the case to anyone and contact your renter's insurance at once. If you don't have renter's insurance, you are probably about to learn an expensive lesson.


Title: (CA,USA) Do you need someone over 21 to sign for delivery of grain alcohol?

Question:
I ordered some 190 proof grain alcohol to make tinctures with last week. I was worried I’d miss the mail carrier and have to go to the post office to pick it up but they just left it in my mail box. I thought it was mandatory to get a signature of someone over 21 to release an alcohol delivery. Is grain alcohol exempt for some reason?
Topic:
Alcohol Related Other than DUI

Answer:
 It's exempt if it's denaturated, drinkable alcohol like Everclear is not.

Though it's common for mailmen to be lazy or just fuck up, a lot of people have been able to obtain alcohol by buying online when they shouldn't be able.

But just to be sure, check the packaging of the alcohol you bought to make sure it's not denaturated.


Title: A trial was held in my absence, I was never given a court date

Question:
Last memorial day weekend I had been pulled over. 2 tickets were written, one for reckless driving, one for speeding 80/65. I live in Virginia and was driving in Virginia.

Before the appointed court date I attended an 8 hour driver improvement course at the end of which I was given a certificate of completion. I went to court on July 11th.

I plead guilty, gave my thoughts on the matter, presented the certificate and the judge told me he would drop the reckless driving down to improper driving, and throw away the speeding charge. I do not remember whether the judge kept the certificate or handed it back to me. I went to the cashiers room and paid the $100 improper driving charge. I was under the impression that everything had been taken care of.

Today I recieved a letter from the court stating that I need to pay $187 before October 13th or my license will be suspended. A trial had been held in my absence 5 days ago on September 10th for the speeding ticket that I had already gone to court for. The only problem is, I was never notified of that court date.

I called the court and spoke to the supervisor, she told me that I was reffered to take the drivers improvement course which I had taken beforehand, as mentioned earlier. I told her this and she said that there is no certificate of completion attatched to the case files.

Now I'm completely stumped as I have a conviction on my record that should have been taken care of months ago, and a limited time to decide whether I should pay the bullshit fine or pay more money for an attourney and appeal the case.

So /r/legaladvice, what do I do? And who do I sue to become a millionaire (joke)?

Answer:
 Get another copy of the certificate from the driver improvement course and give it to the clerk supervisor you spoke with, and ask that the conviction be vacated.
Answer #2: Surely the place you took the course can provide you with another copy of the certificate. Answer #3: Call the provider of the course and get another certificate. Call the court house and find out how to get a transcript of your hearing. Answer #4: Ask the court staff to listen to the record of the proceeding and if the judge ordered as you said they should be able to get everything squared away. When you call ask to speak with the court reporter.

Edit : by "proceeding" I mean the hearing that you were present for, not the trial.


Title: Are public defenders generally as good as private practice attorneys?

Answer: Public Defenders are generally better than private practice (More experience with the local process, and criminal cases on average).  However they're also almost always overworked, and so can't devote as much time to any one case as a private attorney can.  It balances out.


Title: Highschool Teacher Breaching Privacy & Harassment. What are my rights?

Question:
Recently there was controversy surrounding my school's prom and issues with running it. There was a lengthy facebook discussion on the topic, and I said some pretty childish things. I've apologized and tried to mediate the rather violent discussion. The supervisor (a teacher) of prom has spoken to me, and has asked me to publicly apologize (facebook). I am more than willing to cooperate.

Now things get messy. She has emailed teachers (that teach me or are affiliated with me) about this situation, putting me in a negative light. I know this email exists, as one of the emailed teaches approached me about this email. This drama surrounding this has NO relation to my academics. I am currently trying to get a copy of this email. I am a minor living in southern ontario, canada attending highschool in a public school board. In the case that this email contains any screenshots of my facebook account & comments (in a facebook group that teachers are not legally allowed on) is this a breach of privacy? Is there any legal action I can take on this teacher? Many of my peers suggest getting my parents involved with the school board, as this is unprofessional and borderline harassment. Trying to turn a student's teaches is hardly ethical regardless.

I don't know what to do. Any advice is appreciated. I'm worried if I make the wrong move, I'll be removed from prom or even lose my university acceptance for behavior. I know this is an extreme, but teachers have so much authority, and this teacher in particular is known for giving serious and petty paybacks to students who mess with her.

Thanks again.

Answer:
 Not in Canada, but (at least in the USA) you lose "privacy" to stuff that you send out on the internet.

If you write me a letter, I can show that letter to anyone I want.

This is the same thing.  If you send me something on FB, then you lose the ability to control who I show it to.  If someone in the group gave a teacher access, then they can use it.  If someone in the group sent it outside the group, they can do that too.Answer #2: It's not harassment. It's called, "consequences of your actions".


Title: [CA] Husband is cheating. Question regarding separate bank accounts.

Question:
I just found out my husband is cheating. He doesn't know I know. I'm a stay at home mom for our daughter who has severe disabilities. We have separate bank accounts. I have absolutely no money. I have to ask him for money for food, clothes, etc.

How does this work? Am I entitled to anything at all? I don't even know how to file for divorce.

Answer:
 California is a community property state. That means, among other things, that anything^[1] acquired during marriage belongs to both of you equally. It does not matter that you have separate accounts.

Assets will be divided between you.

&nbsp;

_____

^(^[1] *Except for a few things that he personally acquires, likes gifts, inheritance, medical settlements among others.*)Answer #2: CA is a community property, no-fault state. That means you divide property acquired after the marriage 50/50, and you don't need to provide the court with a reason beyond "I want a divorce."

Since there's children involved, the subject of child support needs to be addressed, not to mention alimony. You need to talk to a divorce lawyer. Follow the lawyer's advice. The first thing you and your lawyer will do is file a petition with the court.

This sounds really sad OP. I wish you luck for you and your children.Answer #3: Just an aside, have you applied for SSI for the child? It can be a long process, but worth starting if you haven't already.

Do you have Regional Center services for your daughter, if she qualifies? Qualifying conditions are Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation, Epilepsy, and other developmental delays. Regional Center provides a lot of great services if you aren't already hooked in with them.

If you daughter is 3 and older, the school district should already be providing her with services, including preschool, an IEP, etc. I can't remember what is stands for, but contact the SELPA in your area to get that process started if you haven't already.


Title: What responsibility do film crews have in reporting crimes?

Question:
I watch a lot of Teen Mom because I'm classy like that. For those who are unfamiliar with the show, they follow the lives of the parents of some of the people that were on 16 and Pregnant, so we see various 20somethings have legal battles over custody and go through the normal things parents do.

The camera crews are around a lot, and they have GoPros in the peoples' cars as well. On the show (obviously edited down from hundreds of hours of footage), we see kids (7 and under) in the backseat with no seatbelts, parents texting and driving, kids complaining that they're never being fed, filthy houses with too many animals in them...the list goes on.

My question is: What responsibility do the film crews (including producers, editors and everyone else in the chain to make the show) have in reporting crimes? Kids not wearing seat belts is illegal everywhere in the US and obviously dangerous, so do they have to report them? If they don't and the kids get hurt in an accident (like the parents texting and driving), are the show makers in part responsible due to them knowing what was going on and not intervening?

Location isn't any specific state, they film all over (NYC, LA, Mi, NC, SC, WV etc).

Answer:
 They really don't have any obligation to report anything unless statute requires it in a particular state. They have to maintain a certain level of journalistic integrity.

That being said, they would likely cooperate with an investigation. Plus half the shit they film is likely fake and set up/scripted.


Title: Louisiana. Stopped a suicide attempt. What are the legal repercussions for the victim? I feel like I’ve made his life worse by saving him.

Answer:
 It is a myth that attempting to kill yourself is a crime like attempting to kill someone else. So in that way, there are no legal repercussions for the victim.

If he caused injuries or damage to others while attempting to kill himself, then there may be consequences for that. "I did not think I would live through the event" is not a defense to causing injuries or damages.

If you wish to post further information, folks may be able to give you further legal advice.


Title: [FL]Disney forced me to work graveyard when I was hired for a day shift

Question:
I'm part time at Disney and the graveyard guy just quit. Since I have the least seniority, I have been given the part time graveyard shift. They notified me weeks before that it may happen. Was that them getting a verbal "ok" from me? Do I have the right to refuse?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: You can refuse, and they can fire you for it.


Title: Is my mom doing anything illegal??

Question: Ok so a little background. I am a 16 year old boy (almost 17) that lives in the United States. This has been happening a few years but as I grow older I have started to call my mother out in this. Every time I do call her out she sits me down and has an hour long conversation with me saying how, “you live under this roof. I pay for that phone, I pay for your WiFi so you can use your computer, I pay for electricity so you can charge your electronics, I pay to keep this house so you can have a room. So as long as I’m the one paying for these things I can go through everything look in every bag look trough all your photos, search history, look trough every bucket in your room, look through every single app in your phone.” Now you would be like this is no problem if he’s not hiding something right? But the problem is my mom takes this to a whole new extreme. I will have just woken up and be changing to get ready and she’d run into my room yelling at me for taking to long. She goes into my room and dumps out all the buckets looking for “bad and dangerous items” she scrolls through every single one of my text messages on my phone at night. Questions me on what some messages mean. So my question is, is there anything against this in the law? Is this invasion of privacy? Are there other legal problems that come through this?

Answer: That's certainly annoying and overkill parenting but it's not illegal. You'll be 18 soon enough and then you can bail and do whatever you want. Start saving some cash!


Title: Customer Overdosed, family blames me...

Question:
Location: North Carolina

I'm sorry for the long story...

So I sold some "dph" aka benadryl to someone that lives nearby to me. I gave him 1,000 mg of it, under the conditions that he does not take all of it at once. I made this abundantly clear to him. 20 Minutes after giving it to him, I receive a text that he took all of them. I responded by telling him to throw up, and to get somewhere safe because he may have a really bad time. He responded with this: "Lol fuck that". I checked up on him every 20 minutes anyways to make sure he was safe until he stopped responding. Today I woke up at 6 A.M to a text that had been delivered 6 hours prior, while I was asleep. An unidentified number had said something like "I need to know what *persons name* took 1,000 mg. Hydrocodone? He's passed out." I freaked out and responded saying that it's only benadryl and he should be fine. I also texted the person himself asking if he was ok and what happened. Said person did not show up to high school today, so I decided to call him after school. A person with a thick Arab accent answered (the kid is muslim) saying just "Hello?" and I hung up in panic. Ten seconds later I receive a text again from the unidentified number saying to "Never hang up on my face again". I texted back asking who they were but got no response. A few hours later I decided to try messaging the person on skype. He answers, but it does not seem like him. I say that I need to tell him personal and ask if the chat is "secure". I ask for him to prove his identity by asking him a question about one of our in person conversations but he doesn't answer. I get another phone call from the unknown number about a minute later and this time I talk. The man asks what I sold him, I tell him benadryl. He asks how much and I say 1,000 mg, but I told him not to take it all. He asks if I've sold him any marijuana or alchohol in the past and I truthfully say no. He says ok and hangs up...

**TLDR** - I sold benadryl to a kid, telling him not to take it all. He took it all. I told him to throw up and he refused. He passed out. One of his family members is questioning me.

My question is if I can be legally held responsible for whatever this person did to himself with a completely legal drug I provided. There is clear text evidence that whoever the unidentified (probably) family member must have seen of me telling him not to take that much and also to throw it up once I heard he had. I'm still worried by the hostility of the man's voice, and by his text telling me to never hang up on his face again.

Answer:
 Why did you sell benadryl to someone? If it was OK for him to buy wouldn't he walk into a drug store an buy it? Why was it necessary for you to tell him "don't take it all at once?"

He could have bought 5000 mg of it for $7 at walmart.

And "a customer"? Stop selling drugs - OTC or not

Answer #2: >until he stopped responding.

You didn't think to call 911..... ?Answer #3: This thread has been linked to from another place on reddit.

- [/r/bestoflegaladvice] [Customer overdosed on a 1000 mg of benadryl. Family is mad - but I just sold a 17 year old a bunch of OTC allergy meds. What could go wrong? (500 mg is the suggested amount to trip) I told him not to take ALL of it via text.](//np.reddit.com/r/bestoflegaladvice/comments/31u2uf/customer_overdosed_on_a_1000_mg_of_benadryl/)

[](#footer)*^(If you follow any of the above links, respect the rules of reddit and don't vote.)
^\([Info](/r/TotesMessenger/wiki/) ^/ ^[Contact](/message/compose/?to=\/r\/TotesMessenger))* [](#bot)
        Answer #4: To a kid? Under 18?


Title: Wild goose chase, or am I getting goosed by the judge?

Question: Over a year ago I had an animal control officer accuse me of shooting a goose with a pellet gun in my condo association. I was not home at the time the person made the accusation and was on the grounds, but I agreed to meet her at my home on another date, and I wrote a statement explaining that I did have a pellet gun that was missing the clip that held the pellets and had on occasion used it to use as a loud noise deterrent to keep the geese from congregating beneath my window honking so loud that I couldn't even talk on my phone. I was charged with two counts of violation of migratory waterfowl treaty Act. I was given a court date and when I appeared in court, I simply asked the judge for a jury trial because the charges were so frivolous and there really was no case. Since then it has taken 3 months for the county to assemble a FOIA ( Freedom of Information Act) package of evidence which again cannot tie me in any way to the purported legal issue. So far in the past year, the case has come up for a pre-trial hearing with the deputy prosecutor and the municipal judge only to have a call or an e-mail by the deputy prosecutor telling me the day before that we really didn't need to go to court and we would just extend it to another time. I have since sold my condo and moved two states away and had another court date set for this morning at 10 a.m. . Two weeks ago I faxed a request to the judge requesting a continuance because I was working 16 hours away and it was the day after Easter. Someone from the judge's office called and requested that we have a conference call today, the day after Easter. She could not or would not give me any time of the call so here I sit with clients on standby not knowing when or if they are going to call. I will not accept a charge for something I know in my heart I did not do. Is it possible that they could simply legally record that I did not show up for the court date this morning and that no such request for a conference call was made just to get this off the table? If I never hear from them again how can I find out if they simply forgot to call me, weren't going to call me or closed my case without me?

Answer:
 You should be talking to the lawyer you should have hired as soon as you were charged with a crime.

And BTW you probably did commit a crime.  The Migratory Bird Act doesn't just prohibit you from shooting geese, it also prohibits you from harassing them and shooting a pellet gun around them to get them to go away could count.

If you actually don't have a lawyer, start calling lawyers who practice where the judge is, right now.  Urgently.


Title: Do I have to swear on a Bible?

Question: I notice that almost every time someone goes to court or they are sworn into an elected office, they place their hand on a Bible. I'm an atheist that is rather uncomfortable with most religion in general and believes the Bible is, at best, a book of stories that have absolutely no meaning to my life whatsoever (I'm not saying I'm special for believing this, that's just how I feel. I don't care if anyone else believes the words in it.) Anyway, my question is, if I ever go to court, could I opt out placing my hand on a Bible beforehand? Like, maybe tell someone before the trial that it would make me very uncomfortable and either not do that part or place my hand and swear an oath of honesty on something that does have meaning to my life? I live in Washington State. Thanks for your help!

Answer: I swear in a lot. I have never sworn in a Bible. I don't think they do that in court any more


Title: Got new health insurance under my wife and the company has taken money out from her check twice but the insurance company has no record of us and I need to go to the doctor.

Question: My wife called the company she works for and they said go and to submit the receipts and it will be reimbursed. However given the fact that they still haven't filed the paper work with the insurance company I don't trust them. What Can I do this seems wrong to me that they have charged us for a month and I still don't have insurance! FYI i'm in oregon

Answer:
 This happened to me once when my employer changed health plans. It turned out that someone else with my first and last name had been enrolled on my dime.

Sometimes it is a simple solution.Answer #2: Has your wife talked to HR?


Title: Asking PayPal to remove my debit card info.

Question:
When I was 16, I signed up for PayPal. It was all fun and games until they suspected a security breach of my account, and requested that I send my passport photo, or else I wouldn't be able to use their services. Now, I knew that they would probably limit my account in some way after seeing that I am 16 years old on the passport, but i took the risk. Unfortunately, I am now prompted with the following message:

> At PayPal, we value a safe community for our customers to do business. We noticed activity in your account that’s inconsistent with our User Agreement and we no longer offer you PayPal services. Any bank or credit card information linked to your PayPal account cannot be removed nor can it be used to create a new account. You can still log in and see your account information but you can’t send or receive money. Any money in your balance will be held for 180 days, after which we’ll send you an email with instructions about transferring your money.

Now, I admit that I was in the wrong, since I was too young to use these services. The question I have is if there is a way to get my debit card details removed via [the right to be forgotten.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_be_forgotten)

Answer:
 Not a lawyer but an EU citizen.  With GDPR going live tomorrow, you should look up the authority handling it in Lithuania and ask how Paypal has to handle your information.

Your passport, debit card info, name, address, phone, IP and all that good stuff is PII info and under GDPR you have to give express permission for an entity to digitally hold it.  However, I'm not sure how it's extending to companies like Paypal whom I'm sure will want to keep info in relation to fraud or suspicious account activities.

Anyways, worth a try?


Title: Not sure if the right sub, but I'm not sure what this guy is asking me to do. Any advice appreciated, story inside

Question:
Hey guys if this is the wrong sub, my bad but I'm curious what to do here.

A few weeks ago I was sitting in my car, parked along the road and turned off while waiting for a phone call. If it matters I live in Philly, and that's where this happened. A guy walked up and got into the car parked in front of me and proceeded to back up to leave the spot. There was a fair amount of room between us, at least a foot and I hadn't noticed anything when I parallel parked in the spot. As he pulls off I hear a loud cracking and crunching sound, he taps the brakes then inches forward again making it crack louder before I slam my horn for him to stop.

The tow hitch on his suv had caught underneath my bumper when he backed up, and he pulled it half off. He offered to pay for the repair shop to fix it out of pocket so we don't have to pull insurance into it if it was a reasonable price, and I agreed but made sure to get all of his insurance and personal information as well. I got an estimate from a repair garage I trust recently and sent a photocopy of the complete estimate to him, which totaled around $950 in repairs and rental car for the time it's in the shop.

He responded with the following email:
"Thanks very much for taking the time to get the estimate. I took a look and it seems pretty straightforward. I don't have a shop that I could recommend so I'm ok with this estimate if you're ok with the shop. I also understand the need for the rental.

Not sure when you'd want to have the work done but that seems like it would be based on your convenience. One thing I would ask is that you would send me something that says we agree on the scope of work and payment amount in the estimate from the shop and that would be the extent of any responsibility for either of us once I provide the amount in the estimate. Nothing fancy, but just to clarify. Once we have something we're in agreement with, I can send a check to you or to the shop - you're call. If you want to specify who I make the payment to in the note, that's fine by me.

I appreciate your flexibility and hope you have this behind you soon."

What exactly is he asking there, does he want me to agree that if the estimate comes out too short I'll cover the cost on top of the $950? Is there any reason for me to agree to write something like this up, and if so would it even stand up legally if in fact there was additional damage found and more repairs needed paid for?

Further, how do I even go about facilitating this to ensure that he doesn't flake once the total cost comes out?

Any help is appreciated guys and gals.

Edit: I'll make it clearer for the bot, Philadelpha PA :)

Answer:
 First of all, excellent user name.

Second, he's telling you that he's not going to fix something that wasn't damaged - e.g. your rear windshield that was damaged (theoretically) at a different time.  I would just make sure that he understands that if the shop discovers additional damage when they remove the bumper that he's on the hook for that as well.  It seems implied by my reading but you want to be 100% sure in the event of a future disagreement.


Title: I'm in TN, calling about an account in PA, talking to someone in an office in NY. I recorded a conversation with an agent from a large fios company, they said that it was illegal for me to record them. I called about unresolved billing disputes. What can I do?

Question:
~~Is it illegal that I recorded them? Is there any legal recourse I could take against them?  And where should I go for help?

To clarify:

- I am a student in PA. I have an apartment with service from this Fios company that also has mobile phone services.

- I called from TN to dispute my bill. The agent was located in NY.

- I wanted everything completely confirmed, but the agent did not want to send me an email writing it out, I informed him that I would be recording. Even though from my limited knowledge of the law, I didn't need to inform him. He tried to tell me it was illegal, I decided to record him using my laptop. ~~

Edit: So from what most people are saying, I'm in the clear on having recorded. Federal and state level alike anyways. So I don't want people to waste their time reading the first part, the following was part of my original post. This is the important stuff from the previous part, I have an apartment in PA, that's where the service from the Fios company is. My permanent address is TN, but that only matters should I move back home, and then I can hopefully cancel free of any charges because they don't offer service there.

I know that they are overcharging me, but I don't know if it's worth the effort to go after them for $5 a month for 2 years, it'd be nice to not be overcharged, and I would like to know if there is anyway around this, this is separate from my one party consent questions.

For my overbilling questions. I took over service from a previous tenant, the fios company did not send me a contract outlining what I would be paying for. The employees were on strike when I took over the service in May, and so the TV was not able to be fixed by an agent. I made an agreement with an agent to get $10 taken off my bill every month. At the time she wrote to me saying it would be ~$55 a month for the first 12 months of service, at the time I was renting their equipment for around $10 a month. So after returning the equipment, my bill should have gone to ~45 a month, and it did one month. But then after 7 months of service my bill went up, to $70, and the agent stopped crediting me $10 a month for service. She told me on the phone that it would be for indefinite for my contract, an agent told me on the phone it says in her notes it'd be through September (which doesn't make sense at all). So my bill went up to $70 after 7 months, the only way to bring it down would be to sign a new 2 year agreement. Luckily, according to the agent on the phone, I can cancel before my agreement ends if I move to somewhere where service is offered, but that is not mentioned in writing anywhere, I did record it though. And I do live in TN, where they do not offer service.

I'd rather not jump through hoops though proving that I moved and what not at the end to cancel it. I'd rather have that $45 a month for a year, and then it can go up $20 for another year. Is there anything I can do about them lying to me? For some overcharges I've just called my bank and disputed the charges, but can I do that for 2 years straight?

Answer:
 First of all, don't take legal advice from Customer Support personnel. Instead, you should take it from random people here on Reddit.

Neither Tennessee nor New York are two party consent states. So, it is not illegal for you to have recorded that call even if you did not give them notice.


Title: [SoCal] Need help to interpret this paragraph in a certain manner for our HOA, any help is very much appreciated.

Question:
Hi folks,

I'm a board member at our Home Owners Association and we've just taken over a corrupt HOA - after two years of elections and battles. Super stoked to make some meaningful changes that our community has been fighting for. The help we need today is being able to allow folks to keep their trash cans in the alleys (only the alleys), currently, the rules prohibit trashcans in alleys and is very specific:

> Unsightly items: All weeds, rubbish, debris, or unsightly materials or objects of any kind shall be regularly removed from the Lots, and shall not be allowed to accumulate thereon. All clotheslines, **refuse containers**, woodpiles, storage areas, machinery and equipment shall be prohibited on any Lot unless obscured from view of adjoining streets, Lots, **alleys** or Community Common Area nearest such portion of the Lot from a height of six (6) feet or less and shall comply with any restrictions or standards promulgated by the Community Board or an Architectural Committee.

As you can see, it *specifically* states that trashcans are not to be in the alleys. Normally, we would change the rules and that would be that - however - the last HOA set it up in a manner that there would be no way to change the rules without a 75% community majority (we have a hard enough time getting 10% to vote) in addition to spending thousands on postage, waiting times, and more to get this done. We're working on getting this fixed again to a simple majority 50/51, however, this may take well over a year.

*What we need help with:* Is there any possible way to re-interpret this paragraph to allow folks to keep their trashcans in the alley until we have the ability to actually amend the rule? I know it's a longshot since it's so damn specific - but figured if anyone could do it, it would be the reddit community.

Many thanks for any responses.

-d.

Answer:
 > Is there any possible way to re-interpret this paragraph to allow folks to keep their trashcans in the alley until we have the ability to actually amend the rule?

Why don't you just vote on a resolution to agree to not enforce that specific rule for one year, or however long you need, while you explore possible changes to the rule? Then announce the agreement to the homeowners. Should be simple enough. Answer #2: >Is there any possible way to re-interpret this paragraph to allow folks to keep their trashcans in the alley until we have the ability to actually amend the rule?

Vote on a resolution --  In reference to rule ___, the Board considers only the following to be roads or alleys:  list names of all streets where you do not want trash cans.


Title: When she moved out, Ex- girlfriend left couch at my house because she had no place to put it at her new place. Now she is claiming ownership.

Question:
When my now ex-girlfriend originally moved in with me, she brought a couch that her parents had in storage. She moved out after our breakup, but told me to keep the couch at my apartment as she has nowhere to put it, and when I bought a new one she would "Figure out what to do with it then". I offered to pay for it and just buy it from her at first, but she refused. It's been 3 months and she is still holding it over my head that the couch is hers. I want to be done with her and completely cut her off, but I am worried she would bring the police to my place and say I was withholding property or something. I am willing to pay her and even haul it and drop it on her front lawn. Advice?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Tell her she has x amount of days to get her couch or youre tossing it. Keep the messages of her telling you its hers and youre just storage that way she can't claim you're stealing it.


Title: [Virginia married, wife is Chinese citizen currently in China] Trying to divorce a suicidal wife who refuses a divorce

Question:
Originally posted on /r/divorce, but was referred here

Hi guys, so story is that we kind rushed our marriage within a year of long distance dating. Got married in September 22nd of 2016. Now everything seemed fine in the beginning but then my wife did not like me and my family's life style since we lived frugally. Because i am trying to save for a house and kids for the future. She likes to buy expensive bags and accessories constantly, with my money of course. And she apparently also has severe depression when she tried to commit suicide when she did not like the lifestyle that we have. (Background: she used to live in Shanghai china, and her parents were helping her pay rent while she spent all her money on bags and other expensive stuff)
We also have nothing in common except for watching movie, but every time when I tried to watch it with her, she always looks at her phone and ask me what happened in the movie... life is miserable. I often had to rush to home when she has episodes of depression symptoms like trying to kill herself...
She once told her mother that living in here is nothing like living in China and she prefers there. But no matter what she just refuses a divorce and tried to threaten to suicide every time when I bring it up.
Now she left to visit her parents in china for 2 months with her advance parole (traveling document while her green card is pending). I am trying to figure out the best course of action to take on divorce.
I am considering canceling her green card and possibly revoking her advance parole so she can't re-enter US. But then how do I handle divorce from there when she still doesn't want divorce (she said she doesn't care about green card or money)
Please help

Answer:
 You need a family law attorney asap don't do anything untill you have spoken to oneAnswer #2: Don't do anything like what you've described without direct advice from your attorney.

That said, it is possible to divorce someone who is living out of the country. There are very specific laws on how to accomplish this, and you'll want a lawyer who is familiar with these special international service provisions.


Title: Sibling is a sex offender - what do?

Question:
I'm in the USA, don't want to be more specific because sibling may be on reddit.

Sibling is middle aged, unemployed and unemployable.  Has been living in our parents' basement for years.  Parents are not in good health.  Our father is potentially dying, and is in a full time care situation.  Mother is not in good health and due to this does not drive.  Sibling is the only driver in the house and takes mother to grocery store, medical appointments, etc.

Someone who is a mandatory reporter was at the house and saw evidence of sibling chatting sexually with underage girls and solicitation of pictures on sibling's computer. Apparently has been going on for years. Other person reported this to federal authorities and told me.  But nothing has happened there, yet.

My question is, what are our further obligations in this matter?  Sibling has children who visit the home and stay every other weekend.  Sibling also has prior child endangerment conviction because of keeping children in parents' hoarded house; sibling served probation for that and will most likely go to prison for this.

Sibling made bed and must lie in it.  Sibling will not likely do well incarcerated but not my problem.  As far as I know, only ppl who know of report are person who reported, and me.

Edit: I have messaged the mods with my location but I don't want to put it in the post.
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer:
 > Sibling has children who visit the home and stay every other weekend

So, this guy has overnights with children and the only other person who is there is one woman who has serious medical issues? This is a very very bad situation.

You are not required to do anything. Please, please tell the parents of these children howeverAnswer #2: Where is the other parent of Sibling's kids? Have they been made aware of what's gong on?


Title: My mom can force me to move back???

Question: Okay so to start this off, I am 16 and I currently live with my dad in Illinois. In order for me to live with my dad they made an agreement that I would be getting good grades and visiting my mom every other weekend. I had lived with my mom until I moved in here on December 31, 2018. My mom wants me to come see her every other weekend if I am to be living here. Living with my mom was horrible for my anxiety, her and her new husband argue every single day. Apparently it got physical and she had to go to the hospital. He got arrested, she got an order of protection, and then she told everyone how bad it was being with him and got a lot of people to help her move out of their house. She dropped the order and got back with him a week later. Everybody in our family and family friends know that she tends to be crazy. When I am at her house she always says I am being snotty with her (I'm not) and constantly threatens to have me moved back in with her. I like living with my dad way more than i liked living with her (not at all). If she technically still has custody of me is she able to move me back with her, or am I old enough to say no? And also how easy would it be to get my little brother, who still lives with her, to move here too? (he hates living there more than I did)

Answer: You're at an age now where a court would take your wishes into consideration and they'd have a lot of weight. Your dad should consider filing to change the custody order. If she has an abusive partner that she is filing restraining orders for, there may be grounds for your dad to get primary custody over both of you.


Title: Is it ever possible and justifiable to shoot a cop in self defense?

Question:
For example, If a cop misidentifies you as a terrorist and fires at you. He somehow misses shot. He is attempting to shoot you again. Can you shoot him in self defense ?
What would happen in this case? Will they charge you ?

Hypothetical question for US. Pick whatever state you like, Maybe Texas?

Answer:
 Possible?  Yes.  Likely?  No.

Scenarios like the one you describe don't happen.  Police don't just "shoot terrorists".  If you're acting in a scenario that justifies deadly force, the fact that he thinks you're a terrorist is pretty much irrelevant.


Title: My neighbor stole $700 from my apartment while I was talking to the cops HE called on me.

Question:
 BACKSTORY:

Today I asked my neighbor to take me to the marijuana dispensary like I have several times before. On the way to the dispensary we stopped at my bank so I can withdraw money for rent. We went to the dispensary and I gave them $60 cash and he brought out to eighths of weed. On the way back to our house (basically I live on the first floor and he lives upstairs with a few other people in their own separate rooms all considered different apartments) he was on a phone call with his wife and she was basically saying some bullshit about how I made it so she didn’t have cigarettes because we had to go to the dispensary before dropping off cigarettes to her. I got an attitude and basically he pulled over the car, I got out and took the weed that he had just purchased from the dispensary for me and started walking down the street since we are close to the house. He ends up getting out of the car and says you owe me five dollars for gas which, I had promised him, and I said "fuck you" and kept walking. As I got to the house and went inside he pulled up and ended up knocking on my door and I told him to again fuck off through the door. He threatened to beat my ass and then said he was going to call the cops. I told him to go ahead and call the cops, which he did.

When the police showed up and knocked on my door the officer came inside and explain to me that my neighbor said I had robbed him of his medicine. I told the officer straight out that I bought weed from him and we done it several times before. I tell him that I threw the marijuana over the back fence of the yard because I was nervous but actually I had flushed it down the toilet. The police officer went back outside to talk to my neighbor and tell him apparently what I had said then the officer returned and said that I might be keeping it in my ‘drawer.’ Which my neighbor knows where I keep my weed and as of today after the bank my rent money in cash. I open the drawer and show the officer there is no weed in there and he sees the $700 I had just withdrawn from the bank for rent. He asked me to go outside and show him where I threw the weed over the fence. While we were walking outside and into the backyard my neighbor yelled “I’m going to go into your apartment.” I yelled back “ no you’re not”and he repeated “I’m going into your apartment.” I turn to the police officer standing not 2 feet from me and said “he said he’s going into my apartment can he do that?” The officer said he cannot do that and said show me where you through the weed and we continued into the backyard.

After a few seconds of searching for weed and me explaining that I don’t know where it is I just threw it back here we walk up to the front to find my neighbor walking out of the house front door. This door is not my apartment door but it’s the door that lets you enter the whole house and once you enter that door my door is directly on the left. I don’t think anything of my neighbor walking outside of the house considering it’s his house too and I continue talking to the officer. The officer tells me to go inside and I do I wait in my living room and open my door and asked the officer “what should I do.” He tells me to go back inside. I wait in my living room for a few minutes and overheard my neighbor saying he never has sold me weed or even smoked with me. Even though i have texts and screenshots of him texting me unprovoked about deals at the weed dispensary.

I then see that the police officer is walking away so I go into my bedroom where my computer and desk is located to sit down and process what's happening. That's when i noticed that my money in my drawer is missing. I immediately start running towards the front door to trying to catch the police man from driving away but wasn’t able to, so I start dialing 911. My neighbor is now getting into his car and I yell “don’t leave I’m calling the police you stole my money.” Right as the police dispatch pick up he starts pulling away and I explained to her the situation as fast and frantically as I can. She says an officer is already out to the call and i said no its all new call i need him to come back he just pulled away. She said she will send somebody right over, and the same police man that had just left comes back about 10 minutes later. He pulls up and rolls down his window and says “what happened now“ and I say “when he said he was going into my apartment he did and he stole my $700.” Then as he’s getting out of his police vehicle I say “I thought you said he couldn’t go in?” The police officer replies “he couldn’t” and I replied “well he did and he stole my $700.” The officer followed me inside and I show him my empty drawer he hands me a piece of paper and says he will add it to the initial report. I ask if I can fill out a statement he says no there is no need and a detective will call me within the week. Then he left.

I’ve called the landlord and explain the situation she is very reasonable and knows that my neighbor is already in a legal dispute and not a great guy, from her words. I asked her to call him and tell him what I told her, and she did. She called me back a few minutes later and said he denied everything. He even tried to tell her that I don’t have a job at the moment and I wasn’t able to pay rent, so how would I have that money. Talking to her I believe she is on my side or at least believes me more than him considering i'm being honest and upfront and don't have to come up with some bullshit to cover my ass. The truth is always easier to explain. She says she is willing to be lenient with the rent this month. Ultimately is not doing anything about my neighbor though but "understands."

I've texted the neighbor and told him I had the officer come back and spoke to the landlord (this was before she had contacted him). He is already in a legal dispute, so i informed him that over $500 is considered a felony in our state. He said that he has texts of him trying to buy weed from me, and i informed him i have screenshot of him sending me weed dispensary prices. He also said i had said a few days ago i didn't have money for weed so how could i have had money for rent? Implying i never even had the cash in the first place. I let him know that i have a paper bank statement from the transaction only hours before, and banks and mostly likely the dispensary has cameras. In addition the officer saw the money when looking through my draw. Lastly as a dick move I called the dispensary and told them he's been selling it illegally. I didn't have his name i just gave the bar code on the weed bag.

So my advice that I need is the officer said I could be charged with stealing his “medicine.“

Do I need a lawyer?

I know that Cash is very hard to recover but what are my options?

Is my neighbor going to get in trouble for selling me weed from the dispensary?

Is saying you’re going to go into my house intent enough for and officer to think he went in my home?

How can they prove i “stole his weed“ and he stole my money?

Is the officer at fault at all for telling me to ignore my neighbor saying he will enter my home and then does?

It is my fault for being rushed outside by an officer and forgetting to lock my door?

Am I in the wrong here?

&#x200B;

Really not sure what to do or where to go from here. Not even sure the right questions to ask.

This is probably the longest post ill ever make and its because i really need some advice on what to do next.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 This all seems super messy. You bought weed from someone who has a prescription for it, which is super illegal. You also lied to a cop about how you disposed of the weed, which also resulted in wasting police time trying to find it in the backyard.

The theft part is obviously a super shitty situation for you, and I'm sorry that it happened, but you have to realise that the premise of you doing plenty of illegal things in the process of this whole event leaves you with limited ground to stand on.Answer #2: You should call the police every time one of your drug deals goes south.

Seriously, how dumb can you be? The money is goneAnswer #3: you need to cut out the fluff. no one is going to read all that. Try cutting out anything irrelevant or putting in a TLDR. Answer #4: Op, why would you edit your post to remove the part about u actually flushing it?  LocationBot posted your unedited original post not to mention several comments referring to this specific fact.


Title: Legal ramifications for stealing a dog? [Georgia]

Question:
I previously posted on r/relationships, got some good advice, and was referred here.

I live in a situation where the dog of one of my roommates is being neglected. At first she was kept locked in her crate in the basement all day, now she's kept upstairs either locked in her crate or leashed somewhere with almost no lead room. She's not allowed to roam the house, nor is she allowed in the backyard.

I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt, but honestly my roommate is being a genuinely shitty person and I can't call him on this because I need a place to stay (was previously homeless)

So, I feed the dog, walk the dog, buy her treats and toys, love on her when I can, and try to get her out of the house as much as possible. However, I work 12 hour shifts while the other four are unemployed.

That's the backstory. In my previous post, 90% of people advocated stealing the dog since my roommate won't let her go unless he gets paid $500. However, she's chipped and not only would they instantly try to charge me if I did steal her (they're aware I hate the situation and have a family friend wanting to take her), but when said family friend takes her to the vet, they will read the chip and of course return the dog.

Is there any way to legally remove the dog from this situation? ASPCA won't intervene unless there are signs of physical abuse, starvation, illess, or a dangerous environment. I'm sick and tired of caring for the little pupper and want her to go to a good home where she can run free and have a doggo friend.

Answer:
 > Is there any way to legally remove the dog from this situation?

If your local animal control won't help, then no, not so much.  Pets are, legally speaking, property.  And while it's illegal to neglect an animal, your story isn't really about neglect.  You dislike how the animal is being treated, but you don't offer anything that would show the dog's being abused.

You can't take someone's pet away solely because you don't like how they're taking care of it.  You can certainly offer to take the dog, or you can pay the $500, but you can't just take it.


Title: Friend I live with wants me for leave with less than a days notice with no place to go. Can she do this?

Question:
reposted from r/homeless

Throwaway account but title sorta says it all. I live in the northeast with a friend rent free and I've been staying here for about 6 months and things were going great until an arguement lead to her telling me to leave and now I have no place to go in the middle of winter. Is she allowed to just curb someone with no notice or grace period to find a place to stay?

Some more information the house is owned by her and her mother who also lives there and both had agreed to let me stay there while I worked and saved up some money. I was pretty sure that they would technically need a court order to evict me but not sure how that stands up without a renters agreement.

I love these people dearly and would like to leave on amicable terms but she's expecting me to leave right now and in a single day which is just impossible to pack up and find a place in that time periods without being homeless. I just wanted a little protection for some time to get a new place in order before I left.

edit: I live in Massachusetts and the law seems to state that a landlord needs to present me with an eviction notice and then I cannot be evicted without being taken to court as part of the eviction process. The only gray area is that I don't know what would make me a tenant. Tennant seems to be defined as someone who "rents" or occupies land from a landlord but I've never once paid rent..

Can anyone clarify what would solidify me as a tenant here?

Answer:
 You're a tenant and must be given proper notice to vacate which is usually 30 days. She can't just kick you out.Answer #2: It is wicked difficult to evict someone in MA. This definitely doesn't count. Also, if she's technically your landlord self-help eviction can land her in triple damages territory. Contact a local attorney or [Mass Legal Help](http://www.masslegalhelp.org/housing/evictions) and get some advice there. They may want to take the case.

TLDR: No. You are a tenant. You have rights. She can't force you out with 24 hours notice even when she lives with you.Answer #3: Note that I'd recommend you try to leave before your 30 days are up rather than get evicted. When you do try to lease a place yourself, having an eviction on your record will make it a lot harder.Answer #4: Check the landlord tenant FAQ the bot posted. Your location is important. It's very likely you cannot be evicted that quickly unless you live in Northeast Madagascar.


Title: Me and my friends are students from an Asian country, we all got scholarships to study in the states. Prior to arriving we agreed to rent a house in Ohio and signed the agreements. But the house is under renovation the moment we arrived. so we're homeless now. Can we terminate this lease?

Question: We read the agreement back in our country and signed it before reaching the states. Once we got there we assumed everything's prepped. Turns out the house is not ready yet, it's under construction. And we are now homeless and miles away from home. We wanna terminate this agreement and get our money (deposit) back. But we're afraid of being blacklisted from getting another house. Idk what's the law in Ohio is like though. Is it possible to do so? And how? Somebody pls help

Answer:
 Are you certain the lease you signed was with the owner or management company for the property? There are scams that prey upon people who cannot inspect properties before move in. They show you pictures of a property, and after you send in a money order or wire transfer for a "security deposit" they send you a fake key and disappear.Answer #2: Your school may have a legal advice clinic or be able to refer you to one.  School may also have ways to help you find housing.Answer #3: When was the move in date on the lease?

What did the landlord say when you asked about the problemAnswer #4: You need to read the provisions in your lease.

If you were promised housing starting now then your landlord is liable to provide you housing whether or not that house is ready.


Title: Purchased Expensive Coat Online But Never Received

Question:
I recently purchased a $795 coat at a clothing store in Michigan. Unfortunately they did not have to coat in store, so I reluctantly ordered it at the store to be shipped to my house. Fast forward to Tuesday, and FedEx claims that they delivered it at 3:13PM. When I arrive home around 5:30PM, nothing is there. I've filed a report with FedEx, notified the Company I purchased it from, and even filed a police report. Unfortunately it's looking like this package was stolen off my front porch.

I need legal advice because it's not looking like the Company is going to send me a new one or reimburse me for the coat. I'm honestly baffled. How can I be financially responsible for a coat I never received? Why would they not require a signature on such an expensive package? More importantly, what are my options? It seems ridiculous that I would be the responsible party.

Thanks in advance.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Contact FedEx and have them check the GPS location of the delivery scan. Misdeliveries happen all the time. Otherwise, if GPS shows proper delivery you will most likely need a police report and file under home owners or rental insurance. Answer #2: Did you use a credit card?  See if they can help.


Title: Can car be towed from aprtment complex for expired inspection?

Question:
So like the title says my car is about to be towed from my aprtment complex for having an expired inspection sticker. I went out to my car to find the notice from the towing company stating that it will be towed in two days. I went by and spoke with one of the managers and she stated that it was city law and that they "just comply". I live in Norfolk, VA and I've read mixed answers on whether this is or isn't legal. It looks like the tow company left quite a few notices on a lot of the other cars so is there anything we can do to fight this? It doesnt say anywhere in the contract about a car being towed if parked on their property with invalid inspection. Also just wanted to add that the reason I dont just get it inspected is because I am in college and with the new semester started I'm broke and cant afford the repairs atm but I'm working on it but definitely cant afford it within the next 2 days.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 It looks like Norfolk has laws that vehicles, even on private property, must have proper tags if they're not stored in an enclosed garage.

So probably, yes.

Treat this as an expensive lesson in not letting your tags lapse.


Title: [VA] I believe my boss is being served with something and he's asked me to lie about his whereabouts to anyone (including police)

Question:
I've overheard some sketchy phone calls in the office so I already knew something was going on.  I think he's being served with a lawsuit of some kind.  The other day he said he wanted to tell me something and that he wouldn't be taking any questions from me.

He said if someone comes to the door asking for him to say he's not there.  Even if the person is in uniform.  Even if his car is in the lot.  Even if he just walked by and could be seen.  I'm guessing he's trying to avoid being served.  He told me not to accept anything on his behalf.

I'm wondering if I can get in trouble if I tell the police he's not in when he actually is?  By police I guess I'm talking about deputy because I think they serve warrants and suits here.  Any help is appreciated.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 You're not obligated to answer any questions regarding his whereabouts without a court order. Feel free to say, "I'm not going to answer any questions about [boss]" and refuse to let them through the door. Do not lie to them.

Answer #2: Tell him you won't lie to the police but if he would prefer you will not answer the door.


Title: Question about anti-stalking laws and if it applies to me (victim)

Question:
Hello,

So I've become informed that I was both "blacklisted" internally and put on a "to harass" list inside a video game because I was saying stuff on social media about the game and other things. They tracked my account from reddit to the game and then attempted to harass and bully me in game.

The company is in california, I'm in Arkansas. Does California's new anti-stalking law apply?

Answer:
 Not wanting you as a customer is not stalking.

California's cyberstalking law applies when there are credible threats of violence, not video game penalties.