Title: 24/Male Los Angeles California:I filed a police report for sexual battery & domestic abuse against a friend on may 15th. Almost 2 months later I have not heard a single thing. I was told a detective would contact me within a couple of weeks given the details of the case.This is eating away at me

Question:
This is everything summed up. If you can steer me in the right direction I would be extremely grateful.

I am pretty quite person and I internalize everything. Here is a short backstory. I was sexually assaulted by an off duty police officer when I was 21 along with my other two friends in a hotel room while we were sleeping. I believe we were drugged, but I never said anything to anyone until two years later because I was mortified, embarrassed, and felt ashamed even thought it was not my fault, and scared to tell the police because the act was carried out by one of their officers. I turned to opiates for coping and went down a dark road. I went to rehab and through intensive therapy for healing and have been sober for over 2 years now. I felt like I was able to put it past me, but I know that wound that lays open in the back of my mind, even more so now.

I moved out to LA to get away from this past and I moved in with a friend, or so I thought. There were no signs that made me feel weird or uncomfortable when I moved out here with him. The only place to sleep was in his room in his king bed, which I sectioned the middle off with pillows so I would feel comfortable. Its instinct given what happened to me in the past. The first night, I woke up to my penis being touched and immediately felt a hand pull away. It was 4 in the morning, it was my friend next to me? theres no way that was real? He knew my past, He wouldn't do that? This didn't just happen? Was going through my head. I laid awake all night wrestling whether it was real or not. I convinced myself it didn't happen. The next morning he acted completely normal, which convinced me even more that there was no way that happened.

Fast forward 2 weeks after that, moved into a new place with him, everything was normal. A few weeks in I starting noticing these outbursts of anger not directed at me. Throwing a coffee cup against the floor, punching the wall, and throwing keys. He admitted to me that he was bipolar and then everything started clicking. I started feeling scared, he would say things a normal person wouldn't say. He would tell me how he would blackout when he was little and doesn't remember after he fought someone. I had no where to go at this point. I had no money. I have family, but after what I put them through with the drug stuff, I felt they wouldn't believe me. I kept justifying to myself that this was normal, I was always working and I started to believe the lies I was telling myself. It is what kept me sane and let me sleep at night. I was really distant from my family during this time because I was lying to them, telling them everything was okay, so avoided them. I then got injured at work. I slipped a disc and was living off of $800 dollars a month in LA..forcing me to borrow money from friends. I honestly did start worrying about him harming me, if he got mad, and also started getting weird vibes from him, that didn't feel like friends anymore. It started feeling like he was treating our friendship like a "relationship". At this point I was always edge & dreaded when he was home. Well March 23rd after my sisters engagement party, I finally got the courage to confront him. I told him look I am your friend and I support you, but are you gay? Immediately he got defensive and started telling me how everybody always asked him if I was gay. He started raising his voice on the car ride back and I shut off. We got home and feeling extremely uncomfortable, I called my friend and asked her to pick me up so I could stay with her, she said okay. I stood up to leave and he jumped up standing in front of the door blocking me with his arms crossed pushing his chest out saying "where are you going!?!?". I said I am going to a friends, you need to move. He kept questioning me. And I kept saying, you need to move, let me leave! I went to reach for the door handle and he grabbed my shoulders forcefully pushing me back almost making me fall. I told him don't you ever touch me again. I again went to go for the door, and he grabbed my shoulder again pushing me backwards forcefully shaking me saying you aren't leaving! I through his hands down, and said, thats it. I am calling the cops. I am calling my sister and I am moving out. I ran for the door and left. After what I said he backed down. I left. I got a bunch of texts saying how he was sorry, and some stuff with his family was going on and all this stuff. I never called the cops because physically I had no injuries. I believe my back is worse because of that incident, but I had no proof of the outside. Once he texted me apologizing, that is when I knew I had evidence to leave. I finally told my sister and we made a plan to leave while he was at work. That day I was hurrying to get pack things and noticed his writing in my journals on random pages. They were very creepy notes and dialogue with himself. I found notes confessing how he was in love with me. Thats when I knew what happened the first night, was real. I have had a pit in my stomach ever since. And the opening of doors triggers me to jump, because he would always open doors abruptly. I live within 20 miles of him still so alot of the times I won't go to certain places for fear of running into him. I don't trust him. Its really made me depressed and I spend alot of time at home. I had to go to the doctors near where he lives and I had a awful panic attack and had to drive back home. I just want my life back. I don't want to fear him, and I want justice, because I never spoke up in the past. I feel when I reported my case, as I was crying to the officers, they treated me like I was making this up and very coldly. I told them specifics, and they told me, when he grabbed you that that wasn't enough and he wouldn't put that in the report the only thing he would report was sexual battery. That made me really upset that that incident wasn't enough?? given that I was being held against my will!? How is that NOT ENOUGH? I had hands physically laid on me and shaken violently and pushed? Thats not enough? Is my report being thrown to the side because I am a Male? I thought I took the rights steps, but after not hearing back from a "detective" for over 2 months for a case the non-emergency line lady said is taken very seriously and is priority, doesn't make sense. I don't know what else to do? but something has to change.

Answer:
 I'm an LAPD Officer. You should go to your local police station, the place where you filed your report, and request 2 things. The first is the "D.R. number", which is LAPD's internal record locator. The second is that you should find out what detective is assigned to your case. Then you get that detective's phone number and call him/her.

Here's what you have to understand, however. A detective in a situation like this really has very little to work with. Absent an outright confession on the part of your ex-friend, this case has very little going for it, legally speaking. You have a half-awake memory of maybe someone touching your genitals. That's it. Unfortunately this is not enough evidence to warrant the District Attorney to file charges. As for him putting his hands on you at the door, again you've got his word against yours, and it's a weak misdemeanor at best. Yes, he technically held you against your will, but not for very long and you eventually got out of there. Again, this is not enough for a prosecutor to bring charges. Court cases take up lots of time and resources, and unfortunately the criminal justice system does not have the resources to deal with literally every crime that occurs.

So go talk to the detective assigned to your case. But you should temper your expectations. This situation, while surely traumatic for you, just doesn't have enough going for it in the legal department for much, if anything, to happen to your ex-friend criminally. I wish it were different. I wish we had the resources to prosecute everyone who commits a crime. But it's not a perfect system.


Title: Is my grandma legally responsible for weed a neighbor might be growing secretly on her land?

Question: So this is in Louisiana. My grandma owns some acres of land in the middle of the woods. Some of this land runs behind a family's house down the road. These people have been known to sell but aren't currently in jail. They have been caught cooking meth and growing weed before and my grandma is thinking they might be using her land to do it. Her land is fenced in but in some places the fencing has fallen due to it being old. We're going to go take our side by side up to where we think it might be, but if we find something what should we do? We have a deer cam so we could potentially set it up to show them tending to it. Is she going to face negative consequences since it's her land they're using? She wants to call the police if we find anything but I wanted to know what we're facing. Thank you!

Answer: Survey your property, take photos of anything fucked up, then call the cops.  Expect your druggie neighbors to take major offense though, so be ready for a confrontation down the line.Answer #2: Just an FYI, if you see crops of any illegal drugs at all do not go into the crop.  Hell I wouldn't get anywhere close than where you were when you noticed.  There's is a good chance there are booby-traps/trailcams guarding the crop.Answer #3: So, there is actually a risk here: civil asset forfeiture. The cops may take the land because it's being used to grow weed, even if your grandmother isn't involved. I don't know how likely that is, probably not very, but you should be aware that it's a possibility.


Title: I never made my employee sign an intellectual property agreement, but he wrote a program on company time and has now sold it. Am I entitled to it?

Question:
OK. I run a small company. And by small I mean that right now I have one employee excluding myself.

Last year I had hired a guy on a 6 month contract. I never made him sign an IP agreement. He wrote a program that does something tangentially related to  my business, but I know he wrote it on company time (I have emails from him admitting this.)

I recently learned he sold that program for a significant amount of money. Because it was written on company time, does I own the intellectual properties? Should I sue or something?

thanks

EDIT: Located in New York (NY)

Answer:
 There are three ways that a business obtains copyright over a work produced by somebody who works there:

* The work is prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment; OR
* The work was specially commissioned by the business for inclusion in a collective work, as a part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, as a translation, as a supplementary work, as a compilation, as an instructional text, as a test, as answer material for a test, or as an atlas, if the parties expressly agree in a written instrument signed by them that the work shall be considered a work made for hire; OR
* The parties have a written agreement assigning the copyright to the business.

The facts indicate #2 and #3 do not apply.  So the issue is whether the programmer was an employee or an independent contractor.

If he was an employee, and programming was part of his duties, then the business likely owns the program as a work made for hire.

If he was an independent contractor, and there was no agreement as to ownership of intellectual property created on the job, then the copyright likely belongs to him.

Regardless, if he was working on his own projects during time that you were paying for, then you probably have any number of claims to get your money back - like breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, etc.


Title: Biological Mother files a false police report against me

Question:
On Wednesday there was an altercation involving my mother, step father, wife and myself. We were all living together and also sharing a car, my wife and I both had our day off and I was enjoying some drinks and watching Netflix. My wife was hungry and wanted some smokes.

My wife asked if SHE could drive to the corner store for some food and cigarettes. My mother who is diagnosed manic bi-polar, on a laundry list of medications from Oxycodone to Valium and is always hyper aggressive made some rude and aggressive comments like she always did but then escalated things higher than normal by getting in my face, i pushed her away from me and then as if waiting in the wings for his signal my step father rushed me and slammed me to the ground and started hitting me.

My wife ran over and had to pull my step father off me and later told me that my mother was in the corner goading him and encouraging him to attack me. When he was off me my wife and I left promptly with just the clothes on our back, called an uber to a friends house and found a new place for us to live.

Fast forward to Friday and i have to swing by to pick up my work clothes and head to my job as a server. I get my clothes, leave, clock in to work and 3 hours later the police show up and arrest me at my job.

I am processed, held without bond overnight, charged for battery and finally have a bond set at 250 the next day. My poor wife is left confused crying and scared and now way to contact me because i was arrested with all our credit cards.

I am completely baffled as to why or how i can be arrested and charged without the police ever asking me a question or more importantly never asking the only person to witness the altercation: my wife.

Until i get out and she tells me she called the police to make a statement and they told her she could not... Because she was not there... Then i reread my arrest report and realized my parents had omitted and replaced my wifes presence with my own because they new she would contradict there story.

My arrest report reads "the defendant and his biological mother were engaged in a verbal argument because she would not allow him to take her vehicle because he was intoxicated and being disrespectful."

The rest of the statement is their imagined version of events where i swing on my mother and elbowed my step father in the face (which somehow gave him a laceration on his left arm, kinda sounds like someone was trying to pull him off me).

Anyway my wife ordered an Uber on HER phone WE were picked up moments before the police arrived apparently. So we have the physical evidence provided on her phone and the witness proof if they wanna talk to the uber driver or the friends we ubered to.

Is this enough to submit a report about a false police report? And if so where and who do we submit it too?

Answer: You need a defense attorney. If you can't afford one, ask the court if you qualify for a public defender.


Title: If I commit a crime in the American Cemetery in France, will I be prosecuted according to American Law or French Law?

Question:
The [Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_American_Cemetery_and_Memorial) was granted by France to the USA, and is managed by the US Federal Government.

I don't know exactly the terms, but it had me wondering about the title question. What other legal oddities could you see happening related to this "piece of America" in France?

Answer: If you follow the link to the description of ["concession"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concession_\(territory\)) it is described.  Since it was conceded for a ceremonial purpose, it acts more like a perpetual "lease" on the properly, not like US sovereign territory.  So, French Law.


Title: Threatening to post underage videos and clear evidence of blackmail. Underage videos posted online.

Question:
I play video games online, and through that time, I’ve met a lot of friends.

My friend, 15, let’s call her A, nievely sent underage nude pictures and videos to other people online through snapchat. They recorded the pictures and videos, and saved them.

Another person online, 18-19, I’ll call him B, got some of these photos and videos. He also somehow rounded up more pics that weren’t even directly sent to him. So now he has a stockpile of them. For the past 6-8 months, as a rough estimate for time, B had been harassing A with the photos and videos.

He has sent them to other people as his snapchat “streaks”, he has put them on the video game discord, and honestly has done a lot of terrible stuff.

He has been telling A, “just send me a video and more pics and I’ll stop”, incessantly asking her and making dozens of accounts to spam her after she blocks them.

He’s threatening to send them to everyone online, and to her real life friends, which he’s found by stalking her Instagram. Again, he says he won’t if she sends him more underage pictures. A has already deleted her Twitter twice, and closed her video game account because of B.

Recently, this has gone too far. He created a new phone number to text her with, spamming her with messages which are basically blackmail. She has them on her phone still, I told her not to delete them. They basically say, over and over, send me pics or I’ll leak your nudes to everyone. B sends A the pictures and vids he has.

Then, the worst of it, tipped me over the edge. He created an account on pornhub, impersonating her, and posted a video of her, still underage, nude. He’s sending it around.

Im absolutely disgusted. This is 1. Impersonation. 2. Blackmail. And 3. Child porn.

My friend doesn’t want to do anything or ask her parents to help, she’s afraid of getting grounded or physically punished. I’m the only one who knows. But I’ve decided this is too much and something has to be done. I want this disgusting idiot in jail.

For reference, A is in Ohio, and B is in New York. I’m not sure how laws work between states, but can someone please help. I’m outraged and this is causing mental trauma to my friend.

Answer: Contact the police in New York or the United State's Attorney's Office in New York. They will work with you to getting you in touch with the right people. This is a federal felony.Answer #2: She has to get on top of this and tell her parents. This has gone way, WAY past the point where a couple of 15 year olds can handle it on their own. This is a police matter, but before they go there she needs to talk to her parents and all of them need to talk to a lawyer to explore avenues to take this guy down without exposing herself to child pornography charges. Answer #3: /u/Katie_Pornhub


Title: (Texas) My employer is refusing to pay time and a half for overtime hours worked. What can I do?

Question:
Some background:

I was hired as an independent contractor at my company and am paid hourly. From my understanding, independent contractors are not always entitled overtime pay - however, after doing some research on the [Texas Workforce Commision website](http://www.twc.state.tx.us/news/efte/appx_d_irs_ic_test.html), I don't believe I am legally considered an independent contractor. There are several contractors at my job that work side-by-side with the regular employees, and I believe we are only given the title of "contractors" to save the company tax money. I assume all of the same responsibilities of the full-time employees: I report to a supervisor, undergo normal training and attend company meetings, and am expected to be at the office during certain hours.

Last week I was asked on two different days to stay late after work, and I even asked my supervisor permission to work the extra hours, to which she replied. "Okay, thanks for letting me know. Good job staying late and helping your team." However, when I logged my overtime hours at a time-and-a-half rate, I was quickly emailed by the accounting department that the company does not pay time-and-a-half.

This all seems very fishy to me, and I'm not sure what my options are at this point. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Edit: From the TWC website:

**"They Don't Get Overtime - They're Contract Labor"**

The difficulty here is not that independent contractors should be getting overtime pay for excessive hours they might put in on a project - they do not get overtime pay, regardless of how many hours they work, since independent contractors are not "employees" and are thus not covered under the FLSA. Rather, the problem occurs when an employer fails to understand that it takes a lot more than a contract to make a worker an independent contractor. Independent contractor status does not depend upon the existence of a contract specifying that the worker is an independent contractor, or upon what the parties might call the relationship, but rather on the underlying nature of the work relationship. Some employers hire temporary workers to help them with a rush period and think that they are "contract labor" or "contract employees", when in reality such terms are practically meaningless under wage and hour laws and payroll tax laws. If such workers are truly employees, and they work more than 40 hours in a workweek, the employer must pay them overtime pay if they do not qualify for some sort of overtime exemption. There is no way to contract around that; no piece of paper and no amount of explanation will overcome the evidence of an employment relationship if the DOL or the IRS, or a state employment security agency, is examining the situation. For this reason, employers must be very familiar with the various tests for determining whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. The IRS test criteria are outlined in Appendix D of the article titled "Independent Contractors / Contract Labor" that appears in the Hiring section of this book.

Answer:
 First off:  Start keeping very accurate records of your arrival, lunch, and departure times.

Second:  What kind of work are you doing, and within what industry?   Employee misclassification is a huge issue from a tax, unemployment, workers compensation, etc perspective.

Third:  People here are saying you should go o HR and your Boss.  Remember that their job is to protect the company, not you. If firing you makes the problem go away then expect that would be the result of you going to them.  You could be better served going directly to the IRS, Department of Labor, and the Texas Workforce Commission.  Keep in mind that bringing significant regulatory scrutiny to your place of employment and may also result in loss of your job, however, retaliation is forbidden by the law.


Title: For militia groups to "Protect Property" doesn't it have to be their property?

Question:
For example, with these groups showing up open carrying rifles at protests.  They say they are there to protect property from rioting.

But doesn't self defense give a defense for you, someone else, or your own property?

Answer:
 In most places, you can't use deadly force to protect property. A common exception is "castle doctrine" which allows you to defend your own home/maybe business.

Anyone gearing up to go defend other people's businesses is just a fascist hoping for a chance to shoot people they don't like.


Title: My daughter got arrested on drug possession, gun possession, and motorvehicle theft (NJ), what to do now?

Question:
She was riding in the car with her best friend and her thug boyfriend, they were giving her a lift to another friend's home when the police stopped her. The car was stolen. They all got arrested, there was a gun and drugs in the backseat that my kid may or may not have known about. Either way, she is basically being treated as an accessory to the crime. She says she didn't know about the stolen car or the drugs/gun. She is being held right now while I get her bail funds together. I'm trying to find a lawyer but I have no idea what constitutes as a good one and I'm also about to be zapped out of a lot of money so I may not be able to afford one either...What's my next step?
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer:
 >What's my next step?

Focus on getting her a good criminal defense attorney. If you need a referral, contact NJ's state bar association.


Title: Getting Scammed Out of Inheritance? (IL)

Question:
Hello

I fear that I may be getting scammed out of an inheritance. My grandfather passed away in late 2014, and his will stipulated that I am to receive a certain amount of money. My relative, the executor of the will, keeps making excuses as for why he can't give me my money. Last time I spoke to him, he said "I've had your money all along, I just can't write you a check until the attorney says it's OK." I accepted this excuse for a while, but it's been almost two years now. What are my options at this point?

THANKS!

Answer:
 I am the administratrix for my Father's estate.  My Father passed away in late 2013, and the estate is finally closing out this month.

The problem with the statement of "the executor says that they already have the money", and assuming that they should just be able to pay you... is that in most states/cases there is a schedule of who and when all creditors get paid.  Even though you're part of the will, the executor still needs to collect all bills/debts and receive permission from the courts in order to start dividing up the estate.

If you have a decent relationship with the executor, just try to have an open and calm conversation with him.  Questions to ask him, would include:
- is the estate close to being closed?
- is there a court date set for closure?
- has the financial report been approved by the judge?
- did the estate file taxes for last year?
- if all money has been received, and there are no obvious other hold up (taxes, late payments to the estate, collecting creditor info), then what the hell is the problem?

Last resort, hire your own lawyer.


Title: Need help drafting motions for traffic court (WA)

Question:
I received a ticket for speeding and traveling in the bus lane a few months ago, and after getting a copy of the officer's sworn statement, I am looking for help coming up with some motions that I can make during my trial this week.
http://i.imgur.com/uXtuBn9.jpg

Here is what I have so far
"Your honor, I move to dismiss this case for lack of evidence that the infraction was committed. The Officer states that when the speed was displayed on the radar, a clear concise high pitched audio tone was emitted, a tone which was increasing and or decreasing  and or steady in pitch. Without the officer knowing specifically which tone was emitted, it is a reasonable assumption that the reading obtained by the officer may have been from a different vehicle. The Officer also states that the reading was obtained using the front and or rear antenna, and without the officer knowing specifically which antenna was used, and without knowing which sound pitch was associated with the reading, it is likely that the Officer's reading may have been on a different vehicle."

^^
If judge denies,
my next plan of attack would be
"I move to suppress the affidavit asthe Officer claims that his moving radar unit was used in stationary mode. Yet the Officer also states that the speedometer on his patrol vehicle was consistent with the patrol speed displayed in the Patrol Speed window of the radar unit. It goes without saying that in the stationary mode of operation there is no patrol speed displayed, and in moving mode there will be no speed displayed while the patrol car is stationary. There is no way to know with reasonable certainty if the officer was in the proper mode to obtain an accurate reading. Thus I woul d like to move to suppress the affidavit and move to dismiss the case"

If anyone could give me some advice or a better way to phrase these arguments I would really appreciate it.

Thanks
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 I'm sure that someone will be along who can help you with the phrasing.

But be forewarned that none of that is very likely to prevent your conviction.


Title: [ON, Canada] My bike was stolen, and I now know the thief not only lives in my building, but what floor, too. What can I do, legally?

Question:
Mostly when bikes are stolen, they're never heard from again. However, the thief lives in my building, I know what floor, and I've submitted a police report. He has my bike.

Say the police come, figure out which unit he's in, and mediate an ownership dispute. If I win this dispute (I have more than enough proof to prove it's mine, including serial numbers and the receipt), can I press charges?

I haven't been able to get a part-time job because I'm typically unable to get to most places where work is offered in my area. Having my bike would have changed that *months* ago.

Edit: As an afterthought question, should I get my apartment/building involved other than filing an incident report? I filed one when this happened (May 5th, 2016), but apparently the rental agency never got the report. I was with the woman as she (apparently) filed it. I'm not looking to pursue legal action against them, but would their neglect in this matter make any difference on the whole situation? Should I just exclude them from the process?

So /r/legaladvice, what can I do once he's busted? Would it be wise to press charges, or would it be better to simply get my bike back, and not make an issue. Will I be obligated to testify even if I don't press charges?

Edit: Included the fact that he *has* my bike and is using it.
Topic:
Canada

Answer:
 Call the cops, tell them what you know, sue him for the cost of replacing your bike. The cops aren't going to return your bike on the spot if he's arrested, since it's, y'know, _evidence_; if he's sold it, then it's unlikely to ever be recovered.

The police can press charges, and they may summon you as a witness. You cannot press charges yourself.


Title: Dated a “special” needs woman, parents took her away

Question:
The reason for the quotes are personal. She’s a normal 21 year old woman, to me. She was born with fetal alcohol syndrome, it affects her logically. Her adopted parents are her legal guardians. They do have some type of court order that allows them to pick her “actual” legal age. They say it’s on the grounds that she cannot take care of herself.

I met her at work, a retirement home where the residents need excessive help. She has worked the floor with us (myself and other aids). She was also the assistant to the activity director. She helped run the activity room and some of the activities here. She got paid (obviously).

TL; DR: family hates me, have threatened me with police if I don’t leave her. I love this girl. Oh and I’ve never seen the court order in question

Is this a lost cause?

Answer:
 If they're her legal guardians, they can tell you to stay away from her and take legal measure to insure that you do. If she's capable enough to take care of herself as an independent adult *she* can petition the court to remove the guardianship.Answer #2: They have a court order listing them as her adult caretakers?

This takes a lot to get, mainly 3 separate doctors all agreeing she is unable to provide herself a safe functional lifestyle

Not something the courts issue lightly.

Probably best to stay out of the situation, you dont need involved in any issues with the courts OP


Title: Playstation game not available in English for Spanish users. I filed a complaint, did I do what's right?

Question:
Call of Duty: Black Ops III is not available for online purchase in English if you're from Spain. If you are French, you can play in English though.

Legally I know I can't input false information for a new playstation network account, they could shut down my account if they found out and I would lose all my games.

So if you're from Spain, you can only buy on the Spanish store, and for some reason they don't allow you to play in English (which is the original language).

They told me to create a fake account and buy the game again from a store in a country where the game is available in the language I want (i have proof). So that would mean I would be breaking their terms and conditions and they could shut down my account and take my money. Additionally, they don't want to even refund my game in Spanish as they claim I've already downloaded it and their terms and conditions don't say anything about a donloaded game becoming unrefundable.

Can I accuse them of racism? I can't play in English for being Spanish. Also why would they tell me to do something against their terms and conditions, and then they don't make an exception for a refund? I mean with the money I would buy the game again but in English, why can't they do anything about this?

I have many more inconcistencies they told me on an email so I fell I've been scammed. The game is not even fully in spanish at they state, I have found mamy things still in English so they lie about the language right?

As they were not solving my problem with the emails, I asked them to put me in contact with their superior in less than 72h. Can I do that? They just ignored me again...

I filed an official complaint but it's been 15 days nothing heard of it. Am I right? What else can I do?

Answer:
 >Can I accuse them of racism?

Sure, but I'm not sure what you think it will accomplish.

>I can't play in English for being Spanish. Also why would they tell me to do something against their terms and conditions, and then they don't make an exception for a refund?

If this is the PSN store they are notorious for not giving refunds. You're definitely out of luck there.

I think the only chance you'd have for any kind of recourse is if the store said you were getting the English version when in fact you can only play in Spanish.


Title: My girlfriend's ex husband accessed confidential files at a car dealership to find our new address.

Question:
Edit: We're in California.

Basically the title. Her ex husband works at a dealership, and her father works at the same place. She bought a new car because she needed one and gets a pretty hefty family discount thanks to her dad.

Her ex husband looked up the information yesterday, told her the new address, that the house was cute, etc.

She pretty much immediately called the owner of the dealership and the police department to file a complaint/report respectively, and was treated like the ex wife just trying to cause problems.

The problem is that it was all verbal, so there's no record of what transpired. I'm not at all sure where to go from here and could use some advice.

Answer: Whether or not your address is a matter of public record depends on your location which you ignored the prompt to provide.


Title: Got beat up by bouncers and then cop smashed the evidence

Question: Hi guys so this happened last night in Toronto, Canada. It was my birthday and I got bottle service at the club. Obviously I got very drunk and got kicked out. Sure not a problem. My brother was with me as I was being escorted out. Apparently I took too long and the bouncers started punching me. I got knocked down to the ground and my jaw is currently messed up. I cant bite down properly. So instead of fighting back we went to the police outside to file a report. My brother took a video of the incident and gave his phone to the officer. The officer then smashed his phone and handed it back to us claiming that I fell down the stairs and that the phone fell out of my brother's pocket and broke. This is illegal right? Looking for advice on what to do.

Answer:
 You can talk to a lawyer about suing the bar and/or the police if that is the truth about how you were treated.

Do you remember these events yourself, or are you relying on other (also intoxicated at the time) persons to tell you what happened?Answer #2: The evidence should still be present in the storage of the phone even if the phone itself is not working. If you look for a repair service they may be able to recover the files on the phone.

I can't comment on anything else.


Title: Is my marriage Invalid?

Question:
Short:

I married a man 8 years ago. Got the license, had the judge fill it out and return it to the registrars office, got our ‘commemorative’ copy. Two witnesses.

Two years later, I found he had already ‘married’ another woman, but the bride bribed the officiant to let bride turn in the license down the line (not legal). However, it was never turned into the registrars office.

Does this make my marriage invalid, and my husband a bigamist? Can I annul this marriage?

I have googled non-stop, and it’s 50/50 that my marriage is valid, 50% it isn’t.  Some attorneys say that I’d there is a ceremony, gathering of family and friends, and an exchange of rings, it’s valid. Others say without the license turned to the county clerk, it didn’t happen at all.

Thoughts? Any are appreciated.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: If the completed license wasn’t filed with the local government office the marriage wasn’t legally initiated.  He should talk to a divorce attorney to make sure that this doesn’t come back to bite him later if she decides to file it.


Title: Could the plot of The Parent Trap be approved by the court system?

Question: If you have seen either film, a husband and wife get divorced and decide to split their newborm twins up. Dad gets one and the mom get another. I'm sure this was done on their own terms, but would any divorce/family law prevent this? Assuming both parents are competent, they can habe custody. But if the kids are given to each parent off the books, couldn't one charge the other with kidnapping? Vapid topic that raises tons of questions

Answer:
 Absent a court order to the contrary, either parent is free to take either child wherever they want.

Absent a court order to the contrary, it's almost impossible to kidnap your own child.Answer #2: You don't list a state, but no - if this is the custody division as agreed to by both parents, there's generally not a law against it.

Barring an order preventing one parent from leaving the state/area/country with their child, it would not be kidnapping - unless their parental rights have been revoked by the courts, you cannot kidnap your own child.   A parent *could* file a custody order preventing the child from being moved, but... that defeats the hypothetical situation, doesn't it?  If Mom doesn't want Dad to take Twin A out of state, she would file to get custody/visitation for Twin A, and the entire premise dissipates.

It also requires both parents to never require state aid for the children, as one of the first things the state typically does is start looking at child support.

So... it is, theoretically, possible.

However, it's incredibly unlikely, as it requires:

a) Two parents who are both willing to never contact their other child again.
b) The total silence of other family members, family friends, etc.
c) No need for child support/state aid from either parent.
d) No photos or records that could be discovered by the children.
3) Children who aren't willing/resourceful enough to ask questions or seek out their other biological parent, or are lied to about parentage.


Title: Statue of limitations is 6yrs MN! not 13?

Question:
I just found out Wells Fargo is wanting to sue me for breach of contract. My last contact with them was 2007, they illegal tried collections by calling past employers and family members. My sis managed a collection agency they called her and i never heard another word. The statue of limitations in MN is 6 years. Is the "statue of limitations" enough of a defense to get them off my back? I believe their claim is under $3-4000....If I was wealthy I'd spend $1000 to not give them a dime! Thanks Reddit🤞
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: They can still try to collect. They just cannot sue you in court because of the SOL.


Title: Brevard county, FL: Girlfriend (soon to be ex) won't pay $1055 she owes me.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You show up to court with all the documentation you've got and hope she doesn't show up. If it comes down to 'he said she said' then your chances of winning are shaky.

IANAL.


Title: [Nevada] Fired for filling out a Hotel Survey.

Question:
So I work (or worked) as a vendor that primarily deals with the hotel industry. After a stay at most hotels, you get an email asking you to tell them what you think.

I recently stayed in a hotel that I was working on (Comped hotel room provided by my contact at the hotel), and after my stay I got a normal survey that you would get after a stay in my work email. Not thinking much of it, I decided to fill it out honestly which included some not so flattering scores. The next day (after I filled out the survey) I get a email setting up a meeting from my boss. During this video call he asked me why I filled out the survey, and that I was not supposed to be doing that. He claimed that he was getting barraged from higher ups working for the hotel chain all morning, and that they wanted a head. He also said that I was barred from the chains properties (I assume that he means working on their properties, but he did not clarify.), and that the regional director for the chain dealing with the work I do does not want to see me on her properties either.

I have reviewed my contract, and there is no mention of these surveys, and I was never told that I shouldn't fill them out.

So I ask you /r/legaladvice is this legally retaliation for filling out a survey sent by our client? I know that I am in an at will employment state, but is this wrongful termination?

Thank you for your help!

Answer:
 If you're at-will, you can be fired for almost any reason. That includes filling out a survey.

You mention a contract. What does it say about termination?Answer #2: you said you've got a contract...really a contract or is it just your employee handbook or something similar?

if you've got a contract it might say how or why you can be fired.

if no contract, then you're SOL. Answer #3: I need to know what chain this is so I can short their stock.

Honestly. A company asks for internal feedback and blows up when they get it? There is no hope.


Title: Ex dropping then resuming

Question:
TLDR: Wife's ex filed to amend the custody agreement, our attorney sent his attorney a bunch of  emails and documentation which he was not aware of, they dropped the suit hours before court, then a few weeks later filed the same suit again.

I dunno if much more is needed now that I think about it. We're in Texas. Frustrated with the guy, and wondering if we can seek to recover our lawyers billable hours for the first dropped suit, since we had to scramble and put everything together.  Honestly it probably wasn't more than 5-10 hours, so not...insane.

But still given the billable rate, he wasted a bunch of time and money. And I worry that if he realizes he can bleed us by doing bullshit like this, he will. He's not paying his own legal fees, his family/parents are.

He owes about a year of back child support, and the rest of the kind of generic song and dance you guys can probably fill out with a bingo card.

Answer:
 You probably can't ask for your prior costs back, that's just the cost of doing business unfortunately.  There are some hypothetical situations way down the road where that might be possible, but it doesn't appear to be an option yet.

If this guy \*is\* playing with the court to try to cost you money, the court is not going to be happy.  There's various ways the court could sanction him and make it harder for him to file suit in future, but more likely they'd go after his lawyer.  His lawyer has a responsibility to respect the court's time and not do things just to gum up the works.

Your lawyer will have a better read on the situation, and can bring the court's attention to any problematic behavior.Answer #2: He non-suited it, you're not going to be able to get a judgment for attorney's fees on that basis.
He non-suited, probably to take into account the information you gave him, then refiled with his corrected pleadings. (Let me know if I'm hitting the right notes here)  That's better than going forward with fucked up pleadings.


Title: Mother-in-law trying to leave her abusive husband but has zero resources

Question:
My Mother-in-law lives in VA. Last night her husband who is physically abusive told her it was over and she needs to leave. She is still currently in the house.

She has basically zero resources. She only owns a car, furniture and household items. She has no money. None. Not a dollar to her name. Her husband is incredibly controlling. He made her quit her job some time ago to ensure she would be completely dependent on him. She has no access to their bank accounts, and doesn't even have any idea how much money is in them. She wants to file for divorce, and move in with myself and my wife, but she doesn't even have the gas money to drive her car to us, let alone get a moving truck / company to move her stuff out of the house and then put it in storage. I can obviously pay to get her to me, but not haul and store all her stuff. She definitely doesn't have the money to get an attorney and file for divorce. Knowing her husband he will not file as he won't pay for it, and he knows it would help her in the long run.

He has been physically abusive during this relationship, straight up punching her in the face type abusive. She has thus far refused to go to the cops. I've called the cops on him after he hit her once and they sent an officer to their house, but nothing ever came of it as she wouldn't lodge a complaint.

The house they live in is owned by her husband's boss. They have no lease with him. So I imagine he will kick her out (the boss) if push comes to shove. Her husband works as a mechanic and is paid under the table, and has been for probably the last 5 years.

What can she do to get a free divorce? What legal recourse does she have for him not allowing her access to any money? Thanks.

Answer:
 She needs to speak to an attorney. The question isn't "where can she get a  free divorce," it's "where can she find a family law attorney who is willing to work with the constraints she is facing." Start with the state bar association's referral program and go from there. This is not DIY law.

As for access, she needs to file a divorce to get that information.


Title: [Connecticut] Was this home search legal and justified?

Question: Hi everyone, first time posting here. So this was a while ago but the question as to whether any of it was merited has always irked me. This was senior year of high school on a Saturday night. At 2 in the morning two officers knocked on our door and I was awoken by my parents telling me the cops wanted to talk to me. They told me they had picked up another student across town who was passed out on the side of the road and was belligerent. They also stated the student had named me as being the host of a party that night where he became intoxicated even though none of this was true. The police initially subjected me to a sobriety test and made me prove I was sober by shining a flashlight in my eyes, having me stand on one foot, etc. All of this was done in front of my parents which was pretty uncomfortable. I obviously passed because I had been asleep since midnight. Even with this, they still made the claim that they had to search the house and conducted a thorough search of all three of our floors, looking through every room for indications of a party or other drunk teens. They even searched a barn on our property where they also found no indication of a party. This infuriated me and I texted the student who I wouldn't describe as anything more than an acquaintance the next morning asking what happened. He apologized and said he couldn't remember anything he said to the police before he was taken to the hospital to get his stomach pumped. He said he just couldn't afford to get in trouble or get the real party host, which was right across the street from where he passed out, in any trouble. Was any of this legal and is the comment by the student accepted as probable cause to search our entire property? It felt considerably invasive and I'm pretty sure not all of this was legal but I want to hear any of your thoughts on this. Thanks for reading.

Answer: Did your parents give the police consent to search the property?


Title: US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PATROL/ US VISAS AND IMMIGRATION

Question:
For 2 years I have travailing to the US and staying there for 90 under the visa waiver program, I don't have a job there or any valid reason to be there beside my Girlfriend of 3 years, So my Question is, Is what I'm doing bad or Illegal and can I still keep doing it? Last time I flew in an officer told be that its fine just makes me look suspicious but another officer told be I can't do that but she also called me a waste of space and insulted me alot.

Edit: I'm from Northern Ireland and hold British Citizenship

Answer: Having a girlfriend here is definitely a red flag for intent to overstay.  You need to bring documents showing you have a job, mortgage/lease, and other ties to your home country.  Always fly in on a round-trip ticket.  At some point, you may well get denied entry.


Title: Trademarks

Question:
Hi there.

I live in Canada and on Etsy I have a product called "Nose & Paw Butter."

This morning I received this message from a lady in the USA

**"This is the part of being a business owner that is rather uncomfortable, but it is a necessary one. The Blissful Dog® Inc. owns the Registered Trademark for the name NOSE BUTTER® in any and all of its formations. This covers keywords, meta-tags and of course product labels and descriptions.

Would you please remove this term from any and all listings, labels, products, including keywords."**

So my understanding is that because I am in a different country it only applies if I sell my item there, or if she has a trademark in my country, which she doesn't.

My question, however, is if my product is called "Nose & Paw Butter" and her trademark is for "Nose Butter" am I actually infringing? Should I make it so my listing isn't being shipped to the USA? Or is it different enough that the trademark doesn't affect my listing?

Answer: You're right, her trademark doesn't apply to you within Canada. However, the law with respect to internet sales is complex, and cannot really be adequately reviewed here. My suggestion is to consult with a lawyer, to give you an idea of how to proceed. If that trademark is eligible to be registered in Canada at all, a good step would likely be to register it yourself, to preclude her obtaining a registration for it in Canada.


Title: What to do if you're caught stealing for petty theft

Question:
I'm 18 and i was caught stealing $142 worth of items from Sephora recently and I’m going to court without a lawyer because I can’t afford one and I don’t have a job. I have no idea what to do. Would getting a criminal defense attorney be necessary in my case?

I admit, what I did was wrong and I messed up. I'm never going to do it again and I don't know what came over me to do it today!
That being said, what do I say? I've never been to court before and my record is completely clean. I'm nervous and i don't want to get fined thousands of dollars.

I told the police and sephora that I stole them, i didn't resist, I calmly and told the truth. I didn't put up a fight and I just cooperated with the parties involved I need your help guys.

I was put under arrest and received a notice from the police department for the misdemeanor violation and a date for when and where I should appear for court, which is in a month. I live in the state of California- what would the consequence be?

Answer:
 > I have no idea what to do. Would getting a criminal defense attorney be necessary in my case?

Yes. Yes. Yes. A thousand times, *yes*.

> That being said, what do I say?

Plead *Not Guilty*. Ask for a public defender. FYI, you have to financially qualify for a PD.

> I told the police and sephora that I stole them

You probably should not have admitted to the crime. This why you need an attorney.

> under arrest... misdemeanor violation... what would the consequence be?

You are facing a potential fine of up to $1,000 and up to 6 months in county jail, or both. It is unlikely that a first time offender would get either. Get an attorney to help mitigate your charges/sentence.Answer #2: You go to court, plead not guilty, and ask for a public defender.  You say absolutely nothing else to anyone.


Title: On emancipation and pedophilia

Question:
So last night my girlfriend just admitted to me that she was lying about her age.  I’m a 20 year old male and I believed she was 19 herself, recently discover she is only 16.  We’ve had intercourse several time, but now that I know her actual age I don’t know how to go about things.  I still love her the same.  Hell I’ve worked so hard for this relationship, so at this point I’m at a standstill.  What do you guys think about the situation and what I should do?

(Edit: more info)
She and her parents are going through the steps to emancipate her soon, so I’m not sure how that would affect anything. I just got an apartment, and before I found this out we were planning to move in together. Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer: No one can tell you what the laws might be around your relationship with your location.  Smart money is on dropping her like a hot rock.  She started your relationship with a lie that put you at risk of having to register as a sex offender for the rest of your life.  Why are you even considering keeping her around?


Title: [Texas] I am being fired from my job over a political disagreement with the restaurant owner, despite doing well at my job (I have numbers to back this up.) Do I have any legal recourse?

Question:
My dad, uncle, and I own three restaurants. My dad is "in charge" and owns 90% of each, my uncle just helped financing them at the beginning and owns 9% of each. I own 1% of each. We'll call these restaurant A, restaurant B, and restaurant C to avoid confusion.

Restaurant A was the first one opened (about 9 years ago) and is the most profitable - about $6,000/mo. Restaurant B is right across the street from Restaurant A and is also profitable - about $4,500/mo.

Restaurant C is in a much different location and was not a consistent performer. It was opened just over a year ago. Sometimes it'd lose $2000/mo, sometimes it'd make $500/mo. On average, it was losing money. My dad and uncle were planning on shutting it down and focusing on restaurant A and restaurant B, but I convinced them to let me try running it and, if I couldn't turn it around, they'd shut it down then. They agreed. I was given total control - I could change the menu, change staff, etc. Whatever I felt was appropriate.

I've had a smashing success. We've started buying higher quality ingredients (raised menu prices to compensate), started a viral marketing campaign (my degree is in marketing), and cut wages of all employees by 50% (75% for waitresses). Operational costs are lower than ever and revenue has skyrocketed. In the four months since I've been in total control, our monthly profit has been $4,500 (this was low because people didn't realize the food was better/marketing wasn't known), $7,500, $8,000, and $11,000.

**The restaurant I've been running is now more profitable than the other two put together.**

However, my dad has decided to fire me. His reason is over a political disagreement. He's mad at me for paying minimum wage - he blabs on and on and on about some silly living wage idea (umm, this isn't supposed to be a permanent job?) I have proof that this was the reason I was fired.

So, now I have two questions:

(1) I was fired for a political disagreement - do I have any recourse for this?

(2) I am partial owner of the restaurants, and my dad is not trying to maximize profit. Does he not have that obligation to me? Do I have any recourse for this?

Answer:
 You were fired because you refused to pay your employees what your dad wanted you to pay them. That's not a political disagreement.

Your dad has an obligation to operate the restaurants in the best interests of the owners. But this does not mean that you get to micromanage him, and plenty of successful restaurants pay more than minimum wage. If he honestly believes that paying a living wage is the right business decision, you almost certainly can't force him to pay less.Answer #2: Kudos to all responders so far for sticking to the purely legal aspect of this jackass' question.Answer #3: 1 - nope. Legal. Political views are not a protected class or action (in this regard)

2 - No clue there. Someone else were come along to answer that. Not my area.


Title: Is it illegal to demand employees be scheduled so they don't qualify for a break?

Question:
I work in retail and the district manager and another store manager were researching labor laws in New York and read that if you work 4 hours or less you don't qualify for a paid 15 min break, so she is going around to different stores now demanding the schedule for Black Friday be adjusted so every associate only works 4 hours so that they don't get a break.

Is this something I can take to HR or is it a bottom line thing that they won't act on?

Answer: No, it is not illegal to schedule employees to ensure laws are respected.Answer #2: Not illegal


Title: [USA] with the Duggar scandal going on, I have a general question about adultery and the law

Question: In some states, adultery is still against the law, not just as grounds for a civil lawsuit, but also as a criminal charge. Apparently, it is a felony in a few states. My question is, can those who found out that their spouses cheated on them through Ashley Madison, such as Anna Duggar, sue their husbands/wives for adultery, or sue Ashley Madison for complicity? My mother is convinced this is the case, while I feel that such a suit would be thrown out of court. Any thoughts?

Answer: Having an Ashley Madison account doesn't prove you committed adultery.  It doesn't look *good*, but it doesn't prove you actually met somebody in the real world and had sex.


Title: (MO) I purchased tickets through Ticketmaster as well as the corresponding ticket insurance through Allianz. Allianz is asking for proof that we didn't go. Ticketmaster says the venue has the proof, and the venue says the opposite. Now what?

Question:
Long story short: On the way up to the concert (day of, hours before), we hit a patch of water and hydroplaned going 75 MPH into the median. The car is totaled, and everyone is okay.

I've never been more happy that I've purchased ticket insurance, as the tickets were pretty pricey. We have a police report, photos, time stamps, everything. What we don't have? The "scan reports" citing proof that our tickets were never used.

The venue is saying that Ticketmaster physically came to the stadium (the venue) and set up and used their own software and hardware. The "we (the venue) never received any scan reports; we're happy to help you, but we couldn't even if we tried."

And Ticketmaster just says the opposite, and hangs up on me when I push the issue.

50,000 people don't congregate in one stadium without proof that it happened. Where do I go from here?

Thank you!

Answer:
 sue all three and let a judge decide who is responsible for not accepting or giving relevant information. The judge will either make them give other the information or simply make them pay for the ticket reimbursement. Answer #2: I would go hard after ticketmaster.

They advertise and offer the insurance right on their site:

https://www.ticketmaster.com/insurance

Neither ticketmaster nor Allianz can claim that they're not partners in this. Ticketmaster absolutely earns revenue from this deal.

Answer #3: Can't give them a police report?Answer #4: The insurance company wants to make sure OP didn’t get into the accident, sell the tickets last minute, then report the accident to ticket insurance.  Many tickets are transferable through an app these days.


Title: [TX] Receiving unemployment benefits - can I start a company?

Question:
I was recently laid off, have filed and am receiving unemployment benefits and am beginning to toy around with the idea of starting my own company so I can write off mileage and lunches, etc. I still need to decide if it would be an LLC or sole proprietor. If I start a company would I forfeit my right to receive unemployment benefits, even if I don't make any money? Would it make a difference if I start an LLC with 50/50 ownership with someone else?

Any advice is appreciated! Google and the unemployment office has not been much help.

Answer:
 Yes, you lose your benefits. Answer #2: You may be confused on business expenses. You generally can not write off your own lunches etc. Expenses that you normally incur are not business expenses. If you take a client to lunch you could write off thier lunch but not your own. Same applies to mileage, your business milage and personal milage have to be separated.

The IRS is very adept at picking out fraudulent write offs, I'd suggest talking to an accountant before you try to start your own business.


Title: My niece got caught stealing. Whats the worst that can happen?

Question:
I have a niece in college. Shes a freshman. Her dad (my brother) left her a long time ago and does not pay child support. I try to be a good uncle whenever I can. She just sent me a message saying she got caught stealing. I want to find out what the worst possible outcome could be here, and also should she get a lawyer? I've never run into trouble like this in the states as I grew up overseas so I want to try and help her in whatever way I can, advice being one.

All I know is she got caught trying to steal alcohol from a supermarket. Secret/undercover workers there caught them. She is being charged with **third degree retail theft** and has court in a week. **She is underage, 18 or 19.** And if it matters this is in **Michigan**.

Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated for me to relay to her.

I will be talking to her about the stupidity which is stealing.

Answer:
 Your niece is looking at up to 93 days in jail or a fine of not more than $500 or 3 times the value of what she tried to steal. It will also go on her criminal record that employers can see down the road. She should get a criminal defense attorney, or plead not guilty and request a public defender.

[SOURCE](http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?mcl-750-356d)


Title: [MO]Got pulled over, car searched because of phantom "marijuana smell", arrested for hexen that tested positive for meth?

Question:
 I think the title gives enough information already. Two days ago I was driving back home after picking mail from my private mailbox. I was pulled over after making a right turn on a red, reason being not coming to a full stop.

After I gave the officer my info he told me he "smelled marijuana" and to get out of the car. I told him I no and that don't smoke marijuana and don't have it in my car. That is true, I can't smoke marijuana because my work drug tests me. He told me to step out of my car again, that time yelling. I did after putting my cellphone to record. He told me to put it back in my pocket and put my hands behind my back. I was handcuffed and the officer searched my car.

He opened my two packages (still closed), inside one of the there was Hexen, with the name of the vendor. He opened the container and said he was going to take a field drug test (it's a white, fluffy powder). He did it front of me and told me what color it should turn and for what, etc. So it comes back as positive for **methamphetamine**. Which obviously it isn't, because no RC vendor would take the risk of being busted for meth when the substances they sell are legal. So it only did because those kits are designed to give the results the cops want, and not to be accurate, because whoever makes them wants to please the buyer (cops).

Anyway, I digress. My car was towed and I was arrested for possession with intent . There was LY-2183240 in the other package but I don't know what became of it. My bail was set at $25,000, had to pay a bondsman.

Questions: How is this allowed? I don't think any evidence he found should be admissible as he had no reason to search my car. I know for a fact my car didn't smell of marijuana because there wasn't any, I have I nose and can smell it too, and marijuana wasn't listed anywhere on the charges. Second, even if it did, what I had was Hexen and LY-2183240, which are both **not** controlled substances, and the fake-ass kit the cops had returned a positive for meth anyway. And third I had no intent to deliver, I don't know based on what they decided to charge me with that, probably just to make my bail higher. Should I fight the search or the charges? Will they drop the charges after a lab does an actual test and shows it's not meth?

Answer:
 You should hire a lawyer.  You've been charged with a serious criminal offense.

The field test will likely not be used as evidence in your trial.  A more sophisticated test will be done by the state crime lab or approved vendor, and your lawyer will have the opportunity to have the substance retested if needed.

>I don't think any evidence he found should be admissible as he had no reason to search my car.

An officer smelling marijuana is probable cause to search a vehicle. The fact that some other illicit substance was found is not particularly relevant.  Illegal materials that are found incidental to a lawful search are still valid evidence.

> the fake-ass kit the cops had returned a positive for meth anyway

If that's the case, the charges may be dismissed after further testing.

>I had no intent to deliver

You can certainly challenge that point at trial should it come to that.

>Should I fight the search or the charges?

Pleading guilty to possession with intent is not a reasonable option.  Especially if you are in fact innocent.


Title: How bad is it if I don't pay an out of state speeding ticket from Tennessee?

Question: I was in Tennessee for all of 10 miles before I got a ticket for 72 in a 55. I live nowhere near where I got th ticket so I can't show up at court hoping the officer doesn't show up. I'm also going through some rough money times so it would hurt a lot financially to pay it. Do I have any other options or do I just need to pay it? Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Answer: Your license will be suspended. Pay the ticket.


Title: Is it illegal to give free advice about drug trafficking / money laundering?

Question:
Folks on /r/darknetmarkets and /r/darknetmarketsnoobs are always giving advice about how to safely buy/sell drugs over tor and launder the proceeds.  Could this activity be prosecuted in the US?  Is it constitutionally protected as 1st amendment speech?

Not giving a state because it's a constitutional question.  But bonus points if such advice does break any laws, constitutional or not.

Answer:
 General statements about how someone would do such a thing is likely protected. Advising people on a specific crime is likely aiding and abetting, which is a crime.

But if someone asks you how to trade drugs, they're going to commit a specific crime, and you know that your advice will be used to commit a specific crime. So even if you make sure to phrase your advice generally and say "hypothetically", you can still get in trouble.


Title: AT&T double billed me for internet service, and has dodged every attempt I've made to close the duplicate bill. Now I am receiving mail from creditors and my credit is in jeopardy (Texas)

Question:
I began my Internet service with AT&T in February of 2013 and have remained a loyal customer, and always, ALWAYS paid my bill on time.

(I pay my bill online.)

A few months in to my service, I receive a letter saying that my account is past due since February. The bill, has my name, address, and all of the necessary information on it, except that the account number IS NOT the one I've been making payments on.

I called in immediately to find out what was going on, and we found that I had a duplicated account.

The customer service rep assured me that the problem would be solved and that the account was zeroed out.

Another month or so passes, and I start receiving letters from the Bay Area Credit Service informing me that I have a past due balance.

I was ASSURED that this issue was taken care of and that the problem was solved.

I called AT&T again.
I was put on hold until the just before office closed, and they asked me to call back the following day, which I could not do, because I work the same hours that the AT&T customer service reps are available.

I forgot about the issue and went on about my life.

I wouldn't even know how to access this account online to pay the bill, and like I said the account I have been using has ALWAYS been paid in full and on time.

AT&T has dodged and rescheudled every attempt I've made to solve this issue.
Most recently, two days ago, a customer service rep by the name of "Thomas" gave me his work email address after telling me that he "couldn't find his manager, she must be in another building" and instructed me to email him if I did not receive a call within 24 hours.

I did not receive a phone call and I promptly emailed him, and have received no reply from Thomas.
I emailed him again this evening, and I am still awaiting a reply.

I unfortunately do not have much of a paper trail except the email notices for the account that I have been using and paying for, and the account numbers for both my real account and this duplicated one that has popped up because of what I can only assume was a computer glitch in AT&T's billing department.

What do I do?

Edit:

It seems that there are tons of other examples of this happening with just a simple google search of "AT&T double billing"

http://forums.att.com/t5/U-verse-Billing/U-Verse-and-DSL-double-billing-nightmare/td-p/3509625#.UtdazGRDvSB

http://www.thesqueakywheel.com/complaints/2013/AUG/complaint49381.cfm

Answer:
 You need to file a complaint through the Texas Public Utilities Commission.  Having worked for that detestable company I can assure you when that complaint rolls back from the PUC they will take care of it.

http://www.puc.texas.gov/consumer/complaint/Complaint.aspx


Title: When a border crossing car search is legal?

Question:
I'm a US citizen and cross the US/Canada border often so perhaps that gets me less hassle, I've been sent into the random car search before, no big deal. Crossing back into the US one day I went through the regular checks, showed them my passport, answered questions etc. They let me through without hassle and don't tag me for any secondary screening, there are border agents who sometimes stand on the small drive to the main road and will watch cars or stop them to ask questions. This time they stopped me (i'm back in the US now but not on the main road) and start questioning me and demand i pop my trunk for a search.

I don't have anything to hide so I consented and they let me through, but I'm curious about the legality of a secondary search once you are already in the county. This seems illegal imo.
Topic:
Searches and Seizures

Answer:
 Within 100 miles of the border, and certainly while departing a border checkpoint under the watchful eye of a CBP station officer, that agency has nearly unlimited warrantless search power.

They shouldn't.   It's abused regularly, both at the individual and agency level.

But they do.


Title: Can someone copyright a species they made? Is a 'closed species' a real thing?

Question:
Hello! I was wondering if someone could copyright a species they have created. I understand that under copyright, it can cover an original character you made of a species, but what about copyrighting an entire species?

For example, there is a species called Scarfoxes, which is a 'closed species', meaning that the creator does not want other people making their own character based on the species. The only way to get one according to what people have told me is to pay $200-$300 for one by the creator instead of simply just drawing your own.

Even though it is a 'closed species' with no proof of specific documents that the entire species is copyrighted, would I be able to still make an original character of my own based on that species?  I understand that you can make an original character if the species was a generic simple combination (ex: mixing a cat and spider together or mixing a dog and fruit together, etc.), but Scarfoxes in my opinion are not a simple mix up of scarfs with foxes. The anatomy is unique and the species looks nothing like a fox or a scarf.

Thank you for taking the time to answer the questions I had. I would really like to draw an original character based on the Scarfox species, but I wanted to make sure if I could legally.
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 Ah, furry law.

A combination of traits is not a creative work within the meaning of copyright law. It's an idea alone. Realizations of that idea - specific drawings, paintings, renderings, animations, and so on - are copyrighted, though, and that copyright extends to derivative works.

You can likely draw your own scarfox without paying this licensing fee, but only if you don't rely on existing reference images in the process.

The other thing to consider, however, is that the idea of "owning species" is widely held within the furry community. While it doesn't have any particularly-sound legal standing, the community can still enforce its norms in other ways. Be prepared for callout posts and ostracism if you don't want to play by the community's rules.


Title: Got fired because I asked about my base pay...

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 1- it doesn't sound like you even understood what the pay was. You can take it to an employment attorney read over.

>but had a tiered base/commission structure that added up to $16,000.

2- that totally depends on your contract.

3- nope

4- not my area. So I don't know

5- not likely


Title: My bank let a random person change my credit card billing address. Help? [Utah/USA]

Question:
Hi Reddit, kind of a weird one for you.

I've been living overseas for several years and when I rang my bank to request a routine increase on my credit limit, I discovered that someone was able to successfully change my billing address on my credit card. It's an address I have never lived at and it was changed back in September. I didn't notice because I don't get paper statements or any other post from my bank due to living overseas.

My bank never informed me about the changes to my account info--I've checked and rechecked my email dozens of times. I've got a hundred emails from them in 2015, but nothing about this.

The rep on the phone told me that the address wasn't changed online or in a branch. They're launching an investigation on
Monday to try to determine how the change occurred.

She even tried to play it off as "whoops it may have been a mistake" by saying "if someone else who lives at your address put through a change of address request, it's possible that we applied the change to your account by mistake." Um lady, if anything that makes me MORE concerned.

My post in the US is sent to a secure, lockable box owned by my grandmother, who's lived there for years. She empties it at least once or twice a week.

The thing that concerns me the most is that the bank is in the process of rolling out chip cards to replace any credit cards in circulation and they had one queued up to automatically send to this new address. It's unlikely they would have been able to activate the card, but who knows. This person has had access to my statements, spending habits, balances, and also has my account number and routing number.

I plan on filing charges once I'm back in the US against whatever individual lives at that address, but I'm more concerned about complaining to the FDIC or SEC that someone was able to edit my billing address.

The weird thing is the new address is someone who lives in the same town as my grandmother, so it's possible they stole a statement out of the post or something (I haven't used the card in that town in 3 years). But even then, how on earth did the bank let them change my contact info without verifying my identity???

And before anyone asks, yes I've had a fraud flag put on my account and I'll be cancelling the cards as soon as I'm able.

I'd really appreciate any advice you guys have. The credit card isn't a huge one but I have a fantastic credit rating for someone my age and I'm so upset and violated that someone could have messed with all that.

Thanks in advance. I'll update with edits below this line.

**TL;DR: My bank let someone change the billing address on my account, never informed me, and I'd like to see about filing a complaint with the relevant bodies.**
Topic:
Credit Debt Bankruptcy

Answer:
 It's not a mistake.  I used to work in cc fraud department that investigated stuff like this, you have to go thru at least 2 levels of verification (stuff like birthdate, ssn, mother's maiden name) to get into an account.

Yes, your account was compromised.  No, nothing's going to come of it.  Blah blah, police report, complaints, blah blah.  I'll tell you what I bullshit customers all day - our fraud department will try to see if there are linkages with other accounts.  I don't know what's going to happen, I really don't care.  Nobody cares about *1* account.  The bank won't go after it unless they have huge losses or notice there's a pattern/ring.  There's been no monetary loss, your address was changed back.  Ask for some additional security on your account like a verbal codeword.

I doubt very much your ssn was compromised in this, but if you're paranoid you can call up the 3 major credit bureaus - Experian, Equifax, and Transunion and ask to place a fraud alert on your credit report.  This'll require any banking insitution to call you in order to verify any account changes/new applications.

I would be concerned that your acct number was compromised, for that you should keep an eye on your transactions.  Seriously, unless you notice something weird don't freak out too much.  You can file a fraud report regarding the suspicious transactions you see.  Unless the card is actually tied to your checking account, in which case you should totally freak the fuck out and get your acct numbers changed because banks slack a lot about refunding fraudulent charges on checking account withdrawals.

Cheers!


Title: Landlord extended our lease by one day without our permission and without anyone knowing, and charged us for the extra day.

Question:
Our last day on the lease was September 1st at 11:59pm. The housing office closes at 6pm.

2 years ago when I moved out of another unit in the same complex, what I had to do was turn my key into the mailbox if I would not be finished moving out until after the housing office closed. However, this year the complex removed all their mailboxes, and I was not able to turn my key in until the next morning.

When I turned by key in on the morning of September 2nd, they did not mention our lease would be extended by one day. I did not find out until September 3rd.

Their rationale was that since I maintained possession of the house until September 2nd, I will be charged for that day.

I checked our lease and move out documents, there is nothing that mentions the complex being able to extend the lease.

Location: Irvine California, U.S.A.

Answer:
 That is normal. Turning over the keys is how you turn over possession. You maintained possession of the unit past your move out day. Answer #2: > Their rationale was that since I maintained possession of the house until September 2nd, I will be charged for that day.

That sounds correct and reasonable, since you did not turn in your keys until the 2nd.Answer #3: You should have contacted them to make alternative arrangements to turn in the keys. I had to do this so they left the lobby door open so I could slide the keys under the office door.


Title: Can i post picture of a thief on social media?

Question:
Yesterday at friend's hair salon a woman walked out to the car to "get cash" after receiving $200 worth of services (color, wash and cut).
As you can imagine she never returned.
Can we post her image (from our cameras) on social media (Facebook,  twittter). We would like to warn other businesses as well as shame her for stealing.
Begore we do, we would like to make sure that this is not going to get us in any trouble.
Location: New York, NY

Answer:
 Sure.  Why haven't you filed a police report yet?Answer #2: IANAL: If i were you I would word it carefully, 'Have you seen this lady, who on <date> failed to pay for her services, after saying she was going to"get cash"'. Sounds better than 'have you seen this theif?', it also looks more professional on your business aswel. Answer #3: Thanks guys. Salon's owner (my friend) for some reason is hesitant to file police report. She thinks it's her fault it happened, because she was too trusting.
I've been telling her all along to file report (especially that camera has a very clear view of that lady's face).
That woman did not book a service in advance.  She walked in, got the hair done, and walked out. She only gave her first name (who knows, could be fake). Answer #4: You should contact the police. Show them the video and give them the booking info.


Title: Can I trademark a name, then sue non registered company for it?

Question:
There is this unregistered clothing company on instagram run by some people I know. They sell tshirts online, I'm estimating they have an annual revenue of 10.000$ by their followers and stock.
Yet they are not a registered company/llc but they still put a TM after their name. Im pretty sure that I could sue them if I owned the name before they started. But can I claim the name and sue for the sole purpose of screwing them over and being an ass?
Greetings LNN

Answer:
 If they've been using the name in commerce, they can contest your mark at numerous occasions.

You should expect your attempt to "screw over" these people will wind up costing you anywhere from $1500-$10k or more.

The law is not really fond of people misuing the legal process in this way.Answer #2: >Im pretty sure that I could sue them if I owned the name before they started.

Well, did you own the name before they started?

>But can I claim the name and sue for the sole purpose of screwing them over and being an ass?

Not if you didn't already own the name. Their use of the name gave them priority of use, even if you later register the name of the mark. Also, you will be committing fraud if you file for the mark and pretend that you don't know they are already using it.


Title: Racing 140 Mph and got tailed but cop left can he send ticket??

Question: I was racing at 140+ MPH and I slowed down and like 2 minutes later I see a car riding my behind so I don't do anything and then when it passes me I see it's a cop, I'm worried he ran my plates and went to catch the other guy but can he give me a ticket? I have a very customized car but at 140 mph can it be identified? And can he send me the ticket or knock on my door later? In concord California

Answer: Yes to all of your questions, except that you should expect more than just a ticket. Expect criminal charges.


Title: Apartment neighbor is using two outdoor power outlets that aren't theirs after their power was likely recently disconnected. (Michigan)

Question:
Been lurking here for a long time and never thought I'd need to post for assistance.

I live in a ground floor apartment in Michigan. When I arrived home from work last Friday, I noticed that a disconnect notice from the power company had been posted on my neighbor's door. I didn't think much about it until a couple days ago. Before going to bed on Wednesday I discovered that they'd run an extension cord from inside their unit (I peeked around the wall separating our patios and saw where it went), out the sliding patio door, and over to an electrical outlet on my patio. I immediately unplugged it, coiled up the portion that reached onto my patio, set it in the grass.

After that I knocked on their door, but unfortunately they did not answer. I couldn't hear anyone side either. I left a note that simply said, "Please don't plug into my outlet."

Thursday morning I checked the patio again and saw that they'd reconnected the cord. In addition, I nearly tripped on another cord they had running out their front door and plugged into an outlet immediately in front of my door. I noticed that my note was no longer posted, so I also left a message with the apartment management before leaving for work.

Yesterday evening I was on my patio for a while with the intent of keeping guard while reading a book. At one point I noticed one of the neighbor tenants (I'm not sure if it's just him or if there are others) wandering around the corner (I live on the end of the building) to the back side of the building where our patios are located. As soon as he saw me he dashed back the way he came. Come this morning I found both cords reconnected again.

Before bed last night I did a bit of testing with the breakers in my apartment. I found that the patio outlet is connected to a breaker in my apartment. The outlet outside the front door is not, so I assume that the apartment owners are paying the bill for it's use.

Save for notifying the apartment management, which I've done already, is there anything I should be doing in this situation to cover my own rear end? Clearly the neighbor(s) has some financial shortcomings, or they're just irresponsible, so I don't want to create a complicated legal situation. But at the same time I want to make sure I have my side of things in order in case some kind of action does need to be taken.

Answer:
 Call the police non emergency line and 1-855-THEFTSTOP (1-855-843-3878) also let your landlord know.Answer #2: Take pictures if they connect up again and send those to your landlord (and save a copy for yourself just in case you need them). If the cord in the hallway creates a tripping hazard mention that to the LL as well.

Otherwise I don't think there's anything else you need to do, although I would keep the patio breaker off unless you're using it.

If you are paying for electricity from an outlet in a common space (like the hallway) that's an issue between you and your landlord. I would monitor your electric bill, and if the amount this month is drastically higher than it was this month last year (assuming you lived there this time last year) then maybe consider taking further action.Answer #3: Can you just trip the breaker in the meantime? Or does it power something else too? Easiest resolution is to just keep it off for a few weeks. Answer #4: Hey OP -  A word of caution.

The situation could pose a serious fire hazard. I'm no electrician and there's only guessing as to how much power they are trying to draw on an extension cord of unknown rating, but it's probably not safe. This is especially true if they might be trying to run a heater. Answer #5: Depending on where you live in Michigan, this may or may not be relevant. DTE has an energy theft reporting hotline (on their website, under problems submenu). They take this really seriously because tampering with electrical equipment is so dangerous.


Title: [CA] Roomate hasn't been paying rent and is waiting on disability money to pay us back. Legal options?

Question:
This is a bit of an unusual one. I will try and make it simple points.

There are 3 of us each with our own room. We all signed jointly.

One roommate failed to tell the others that he has stopped receiving income. He kept paying late until the point he couldn't pay anymore and is now waiting on disability money from the government.

The other roommate and I have covered his last 2 months of rent and late fees. He kept saying he will get the money but it doesn't come. We can't afford to keep covering his rent.

He signed an agreement that he will pay us back but I doubt we will get our money.

Even if we win against him in small claims court the money he is getting is disability money and normally we cant collect from that.

I talked to management and they said the only way to get him off the lease is for them to evict us all for non-payment or him to sign himself off the lease.

If he refuses to sign himself off the lease, what are our options?

I was thinking of putting all of his stuff to an offsite storage unit and putting it under his name. Then adding someone else to the lease and renting out his room just so we cant get someone to pay rent.

He basically lives with his partner and uses the space he has with us as storage.

Are there any legal repercussions of moving his stuff into a storage unit in his name?

Answer:
 >I was thinking of putting all of his stuff to an offsite storage unit and putting it under his name. Then adding someone else to the lease and renting out his room just so we cant get someone to pay rent.

Until he is off the lease, whether that is by mutual agreement or a legal eviction, he has a sole right of possession of his room and shared right of possession of the common areas. If you remove his property, and especially if you move someone else into that room, you will be unlawfully evicting him. Don't do that.


Title: [California] Not receiving overtime or paid breaks

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >full-time salaried teacher

Licensed full time salaried teachers are classified as exempt under CA code, so you are likely not due OT/paid breaks. Sorry.


Title: [California] I have video evidence my employer is cutting our worked hours! Whats my best course of action?

Question:
I work for a fairly large company. We have a weird clock in/out system. The system only displays the time when you press a button but the time shown doesn't update, it just shows the time that it was pressed. One day I was clocking out for a break and I was tapping the button fast and saw that the minute changed and clocked out. When I looked at my timesheet (printed on a receipt that comes out right after you clock out) it read that I clocked out the previous minute! I started paying attention to the time when I was about to clock out, if a minute was close to going by I would tap the button fast and clock out when the minute changed. A couple more times it gave me one less minute on my timesheet. Today I was able to get a video of the time and my timesheet with the minute set back. I kept the receipt of the incident and tomorrow I'm going to  try and catch it on video some more times. I should also mention the clock time on the system is about a minute and a half off, usually causing us to clock in early from our breaks. The system does let you know if you are early or late from your break but on a payed break there is no in between. For an unpaid lunch break there is a 2 minute cushion before it tells you you are late.

If my company is cutting minutes sometimes from our paycheck it would really add up since a lot of people work there and there are a lot of stores. They would fundamentally be;

* Taking minutes off our payed breaks shortening them.
* Taking minutes off our unpaid lunch break saving them money.
* Taking minutes off of our final clock out time saving them money.

I love the company I'm with and I've been here over a year but this is unethical. I have never noticed this problem when first clocking in leading me to believe it is intentional. What should I do?

Edit: To clarify my company does not round hours. Final paystub says hours and minutes. Also, no one has noticed it rounding back when clocking in. Everyone taps the button and clocks in right as the time changes. Managers strongly enforce not clocking in early.

It seems to be random, If the timeclock was doing this on every clock in/out someone would have noticed before me.

Edit: I made another post after getting some more evidence and I have clarified some of the questions stated in the comments [Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3d84cs/updatecalifornia_i_have_video_evidence_my/)

Answer:
 Have you ever done this experiment when you clock IN? Are you sure their clock isn't just a minute behind?Answer #2: Is it always by 1 minute? It might not make a payroll difference. I know for purposes of pay, my employers have typically rounded up or down to the nearest 15 minute interval. For example, 9:05 paid out at 9:00, while 9:09 counted as 9:15.

This might just be a technical glitch or syncing issue test might not be a legal or a payroll issue. Just some food for thought. You might want to find out if your employer pays out in intervals.

Even if they don't, is this just one minute each time?Answer #3: So you get to work and clock in at 0900 but it says you clocked in at 0859 and when you clock out at 1700 it says you clocked out at 1659. Same amount of time worked. If I'm interpreting this wrong please clarify.


Title: I fled the scene of an accident on foot and now am wondering what my options are

Question: I recently was driving and hit a car thatvwas parkrd because I was going too fast. I got out of my car and ran home. This happened a little over a month ago and so far no cops have come to my hiuse or anything. My cell phone was in the car and in my panic I left it. I plan on leaving the state im in around december. So my question would be how do I proceed. I have two relatives that are lawyers and they said to sit and waut for the cops to pi c k me up on a warrant or otherwise its an admission of guilt to just  turn myself in.  Wh a t should I do?                   Also, I need another car to get to and from work so I wanted to get another car with new insurance, but I just got an email from my insurance for the car involved in the accident stating they received notification of an accident.  Any ideas on how to handle that as well? Id greatly appreciate any advice from you all....thank you.   Location: IL

Answer:
 Were you intoxicated at the time?

(Just curious.)

The lawyers you talked to are right.  There's really no way to "deal with this" without implicating yourself.  You're going to have to tell your insurance company SOMETHING, and the police will probably be able to subpoena that info later on.

It's a shitty, shitty, self inflicted situation you're in.  The police know it's your car, making you a suspect.  They may already have you out as wanted for questioning.

This is never going to go away on it's own, and it's only going to get worse from here.


Title: [MO] I got a really bad speeding ticket, what can I do?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Definitely talk to the lawyer. In my state, a ticket for >30mph over speed limit is automatic revocation of license for a year.

(Side note: a Bimmer is a motorcycle. A Beamer is a car. I can relate to it not feeling like you're going as fast as you are. A good rule of thumb is to check the speedometer when you're passing all the cars around you 👍)


Title: (FL to NV) Person mad about auction says he's coming to my house

Question:
I had an eBay auction go awry.

I am the seller. The individual returned the item damaged before eBay filing a money back claim and eBay ruled against them. The individual has been harassing me, eBay has said they are going to suspend his account. Recently he emailed me and said he will be coming to my house.

I responded to not contact me in person as I consider it a threat and  harassment and then they said "If I can't come to you my friends definitely will visit you physical address and your fresh own face"

What steps should I take at this point?

Thank you in advance for any help anyone is able to provide.

Answer: Call the police.


Title: Parking Tickets on Private Road

Question:
I recently received a certified letter from my county stating I have unpaid parking tickets going back to 2012 totaling $2400 dollars. I have a few problems with this:

First, I haven't gotten any notices. None. Its been over 4 years and nothing. In that time, I've been pulled over and it never came up, I've renewed my vehicle registration, renewed my license, and it never came up. Now I get this letter in the mail telling me I owe this money (I called and checked online, its legit).

The document tells me the location of the violation for each ticket. The issue is, the road listed is a Private road, meaning its not maintained by my town, doesn't appear on a map, and there are no houses with addresses on it. I thought you can't ticket for vehicle issues on private roads.

Do I have any recourse here? How can I contest this?

Answer:
 Have you ever parked on that road?

Are there "no parking" signs any where on that road?

If so go to town and ask how you got a parking ticket on private property.  And that you would like to see these tickets and who issued them.

There are also some roads that are "private" but the police have the authority to ticked and enforce traffic laws on them - such as a road in a gated community/HOA.  And then there are some that are not.


Title: (FL) After visiting the ER for a minor medical emergency I have just received an outrageous bill in the mail. I could use some advice reddit!

Question:
Before I ask for advice I want to provide a brief synopsis of what happened at the ER that led me to receive what I believe to be an absurdly high bill in my mail today:

A couple of weeks ago while I was fishing I had gotten a hook stuck in my right hand. I determined that I needed proper medical attention because I could not remove it myself. After arriving at the ER I received a tetanus shot and then the doctor began the task of removing the hook from my hand.

Now this is where things become a bit complicated. As the doctor was removing the hook from the flesh between my thumb and index finger of my right hand he accidentally "lost" the hook. The doctor then spent roughly 2 and a half hours on and off trying to extract the metal barb from within my hand. His blind prodding with forceps was not enough for him to complete the job so he made the decision to put my hand under some sort of live x-ray feed. After almost 3 hours he finally took the metal out of my hand with the assistance of 2 other medical professionals (1 had to be woken out of bed and brought to the hospital to help him). I was then released with a prescription for some antibiotics and pain meds. The doctor said this whole procedure normally takes around 5 minutes and he apologized profusely to me.

Today I received the hospital bill in the mail. The total charges before insurance adjustments was slightly over $6000! After the insurance adjustments were made the account balance came out to over $3000.

I need your help r/legaladvice, does this seem like an unreasonably high bill to have? I'm 19 y/o and about to leave for my sophomore year of college. I have no clue who to go to or how/where to dispute this bill. I can't afford this and I don't want to have to ask my parents to help me pay this. I never would have dreamed such a simple procedure gone wrong would wind up costing me this much :(

Answer: ER visits are crazy expensive and for the amount of time you spent there $6,000 isn't outrageous. Negotiate with the hospital's billing department. Explain your situation and work out a discount and/or payment plan with them.