Title: Bf 5+, unmarried live-in parter, mid-life crisis, legal options? walks out (1 teen)

Question:
   We live in LA, CA area. What are my legal options in regards to my ex, concerning ANY financial help/reparations/support for my son? (I am asking about legal reparations, not child support)  I've never been married. My ex's not the father. We lived together & he's been my son's dad for 5 years (11-16). My ex just walked out, to chase after younger women. He broke up with me, holding hands with a 25 yo visiting us from Australia (he's 40) & then told my son I had 60 days to move out. I’m pretty attractive so this was just sad. She's studying to be a psychologist. Yeah.

 He moved 6 hrs away & wants NC with me but wants to see my son. My son can’t handle it so I’ve told him NC. He’s been playing games behind my back, trashing me, offering to help my son emancipate himself, pressuring my son to move in with him, disrespecting my parental authority. It's been 5 mo & he’s already posting FB pics of a girl he met in yoga, with our cat.

  My son's dad ruptured 2 disks in his back, working for Beacon's moving company & is 80% disabled so I've never asked for child support. I feel sorry for him. He's addicted to meds & gets a tiny disability check. My mom, accountant, suggested I get a lean vs his mom's property (worth a lot of $) so my son can go to college. I don't trust her motivations, so I was trying to move forward & find a stable dad for my son.

   My ex is a Canadian techie, on a work visa. He makes over 100k. I earn $42k as a graphic design manager. I'm working on getting a 70-100k job. I feel like I've screwed myself financially cuz we didn't marry... What financial options do I have? I'm an attractive woman, a manager, & in the process of getting a better job, a nicer place for us. Is it worth trying to get financial reparations or should I just chalk it up to, bad experience, start over? I'm asking because my son almost FFF'd high school last year due to the breakup/trauma. I had to put him into a home school program, get private tutors, and get him therapy. I asked my ex to pay for tutoring/therapy & he told me not to contact him ever again. His mom is encouraging him to act like this. It's been really traumatic for me. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Note: Also, can we share our cat? He took our cat that we rescued together. When I asked about our cat staying with us, he told me he would trade our cat for my son. Obviously, I can't do that & it's inappropriate. I've been told I can sue for value of cat but not visitation rights so NM.

Answer:
 Okay, first, this is borderline incoherent.  You need to use paragraphs and eliminate unnecessary details if you want meaningful help.

As far as I can tell, your ex-boyfriend is not your father's son.  You never married and he never adopted the son.  Therefore under California law he has no support obligations at all.  You are not required to let him have any contact with your son -- that is absolutely up to you.

If you want to file against his biological father for support, you can totally do that.

>Currently, my son is the stated beneficiary on my ex bf's 401k

He can change that at any time.

As for sharing the cat, if you can reach an agreement to do so, you can, but a court won't get involved in that dispute.  Cats are treated as property and you could only sue him for the value of the cat, not possession.


Title: Ca- got into a fist fight. Broke the guys jaw, but there are some complications.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 IANAL

Report the threats to the police. Most of them are probably empty, and from people who don't know what happened (intimidation. You had reason to believe you were going to be injured by him) but you don't know these people so take it seriously.  emotions are running high here. that does shit to people's heads.

Don't talk about the incident to people unless they ask (public perception. the guy bitching loudest is the guy who's in the wrong) in which case say something like "He started saying I should fight him and got me right up against my car. Pushed my chest. He got hurt more than I thought I could hit (don't say something like "I didn't mean to hit him so hard" because it makes you look in the wrong. you absolutely meant to hit this guy as hard as you could to protect yourself and there aint nothing wrong with that.(again, IANAL)) , but I don't know what he expected to happen acting like that. He said he'd see me in court so I'll let the court handle it." Don't say bad shit about him, just tell the base facts and keep saying "we'll hash it out in court" (you're happy to be held accountable for your actions, but by the law not by people who just wanna bash you)

ask your witnesses now about coming to court. make sure to tell them you won't ask them to say anything they feel is untrue.


Title: Employment - Company knowingly breaking many laws

Question:
My current company is breaking all kinds of telemarketing laws, such as not subscribing to the national DNC list.  They are asking me to do things such as sign checks in the owners name, etc.  I'm the "Director of Operations" whenever I have to do something that is iffy/illegal, but the assistant director whenever our owner is doing something legal.  I want to alert the attorney general of all our actions, I just don't know where to go.  I also am working on an exit strategy as soon as possible.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated...

Edit: Forgot location, I'm in Texas

Answer: Keep your head down and find another job. You can contact the attorney general after you've left and gotten your last pay check.


Title: A health care provider in Texas is refusing to release our medical records to us citing HIPPA and that the medical records belong to the office, not to us.

Question:
We called the up and asked for the records. They said they will only release them to another health care provider if they receive a request. But that they will not release them to us because that is the law under HIPPA and that the records belong to the office not to us.

Is this legal? If not, what are the actions we can take?

Thanks!

Answer: Under HIPAA you are entitled to a copy of your records, provided you pay a reasonable fee for copying.


Title: I was scammed out of $3500 from my school's employment website and USbank is making me pay it

Question:
I was given a position as an assistant to an executive posting an application on the University of Minnesota's graduation website and was told I'd be hired at the end of June. They gave me cashier's checks and told me to use this money to buy items for her when she would return to Minnesota. I should have known it was a scam, but the fact that this money really did go through into my account and was usable, gave me some false comfort. This turned out to be me buying 3500 dollars in Itunes gift cards.

I filed a police report, i filed for fraud at the bank. It was a 50 page document with all the information I possibly could have provided. I spent an entire day writing it and compiling the information.

I went to US bank to talk to them about it after many many phone calls. The person I ended up speaking to would not talk about it. She would only talk about me applying for a credit card. Which I did. I then was given a temporary card which then was captured by an ATM machine minutes later.

I went to US bank a day later so they could fax my claim. The employee opened a new checking account for me considering the other was frozen. A day later they froze that account too. Luckily I was able to deposit a check from work into that account before it got frozen, so I wasn't able to use any of that either.

I got 3 cards in the mail, one new permanent debit card for the first account, a permanent debit card for the second account, and a credit card, all unusable.

I called the fraud department to ask what the progress was, and why my second account was frozen even though it was opened for me to be able to use. They told me that should not have happened. They then told me the investigation would take up to 45 business days, when previously I was told 10.

I called them today because I got a letter in the mail saying "my loan was declined" even though I never once applied for a loan. My credit score is declining by hundreds of points by the week because they're refusing to consider this anything but my debt with them. I called them again, they told me the fraud claim was declined. I asked if I could set up a payment plan, she deflected the question. I asked again, she said "Do you want XXX to call you? they'd know more information" and I said "yes, they should have in the first place". This lady I was talking to was in the fraud department.

I'm stuck with this debt and I think its unjust. What do you think?

Answer: You are stuck with this debt. It is a common scam and unfortunately you learned an expensive lesson. Answer #2: Super common scam. every job board has posts warning about it.  Consider it to be a life lesson.


Title: TN: Work overpaid me ($15,000 instead of $1500). I emailed payroll and sent a registered letter. After 5 months they asked for it back and my check for $13,500 went through when they cashed it. Now 4 months later I was fired because they say the overpayment was theft and they’re suing me for $13,500

Answer: Since I haven't seen this note anywhere else, make absolutely sure that you paying back the money is reflected in your W2s!  If not, you'll probably need to pay taxes on that money you didn't actually receive.Answer #2: Did you e-mail payroll from your personal account or the work account? If it was from the work account get in there and forward all pertaining e-mails to yourself. You may get locked out of the work e-mail. Answer #3: i feel like this is probably some sort of insurance scam. they claimed that $15 000 as a theft to get it back from their insurance company. then they get $15 000 but they are going to pretend like they didn't. hopefully there is a paper trail there. but insurance companies always demand that a company pursues legal action in this sort of situation. they sound like a bunch of stupid assholes. if there is a good paper trail this should fall apart in court easily enough.


Title: Arrested for jumping across a building

Question:
I base jump, which is where I jump off things with a parachute. When I was arrested, I wasn't about to jump off the building I was on. Base jumping is not illegal except for if I'm trespassing.

I was running on top of a public building when security saw me. I jumped off that building onto an adjacent building that was not public and then I was unable to get off that building which lead to me being arrested for jumping across the first building and for trespassing onto the second building.

I have no prior arrests or convictions, so are these just BS charges?

Answer:
 >Base jumping is not illegal except for if I'm trespassing.

Of course "base jumping" isn't illegal - as in there are no laws that say "you cannot base jump".  But that's like saying that swerving in and out of traffic is called "extreme driving" and that "extreme driving" isn't legal unless you are going over the speed limit.  Try reckless endangerment or any other number of possible charges...

EDIT:  Apparently my first sentence was incorrect, because apparently in some places base jumping is in fact specifically illegal.Answer #2: What are the actual charges? Like, what's the specific name? Have you looked up the actual law? Did you receive any paperwork that included what you're being charged with?


Title: Great-grandmother fell and the rehab clinic has been injecting her with the wrong medication - where do I start?

Question:
[WA] Hi there r/legaladvice.

About a week ago my great-grandmother (~96yo) fell and had to go to the hospital. She was then transferred to a rehab clinic for physical therapy. When other family member went to visit her, she complained that she had been given shots, her stomach hurt, and that the medication was the thing debilitating her not the fall. The nurses said she hadn't been given any shots. She showed them the injection spots on her stomach and they said "Oops those were for her roommate." She is still in this place as of this post. The rest of the family is focusing on where to move her next - I'm wondering what sort of legal action we should take.

Where do I start? What sort of information do I need to record? etc etc

Answer:
 You likely want to consult with a medical malpractice attorney.Answer #2: Not exactly legal advice, but please consider reporting this to your state's Dept of Health and Board of Nursing. The fact that it happened and the blasé response suggests there might be larger problems with med adminstration in that facility. It won't make up for what happened to your family member, but it may prevent it from happening to someone else. Answer #3: Medical perspective: there is no way anyone can give you any specific advice with these limited details. Take care of your great-grandmother  first and after figuring out her health issues you can contact a medical malpractice attorney if necessary. The most likely scenario here is that she has received subcutaneous heparin which is standard treatment for many patients and in all likelihood did not cause any damage. But then again, it's impossible to tell without further information.Answer #4: I work in Senior Living in WA. This is a huge and terrifying med mistake to make. It should not have generated an "oops", it should have generated an audit of all their MARS (medical administration records).

Call adult protective services right now. https://www.dshs.wa.gov/altsa/report-concerns-involving-vulnerable-adults-phone

Your loved one was harmed, so was her roommate, and I would ve willing to put down a lot of money that more serious med mistakes are being made.

DSHS will check the place out and either get the errors cleaned up or shut the place down.,


Title: [FL] Took a Cialis one night, woke up and erection would not go down. Had corporate meeting. Tried tucking it but boss noticed and employment was later terminated.

Question: This is incredibly embarrassing on top of the fact that I am no longer employed and this just happened a few days ago. I have Thanksgiving tomorrow with my family now and I have to pretend everything is ok. Is there anything I can do? I’m at a loss.

Answer:
 An erection lasting more than four hours is a medical emergency. Instead of going to work, it would have been appropriate to take a sick day and go to the ER.

You can file for unemployment and look for a new job. Being fired for having what appeared to be an inappropriate erection, without any knowledge that it was due to a medication problem, isn't going to give you grounds for legal action.


Title: Employer is trying to force me (and coworkers) to take invasive personality quiz. What are my rights?

Question:
My employer (Small business, 2 locations, under 30 employees) emailed a link to to a personality quiz to all employees and required that we send them the results. There was no reason given as to what they would use the results for, or why they're requiring the test. The owners of the business are not exactly ethical in their practice, and I want to know my rights as an employee.

EDIT: my supervisor has not said anything about being paid and we don't really have the option or a way to take it at work. I have said that I will only take it if I am paid but no one has said anything more to me about it.

Edit: US, Fl. I have worked for this company for over a year, so it's not a "new employee" thing.

www.16personalities.com

Answer:
 1. They cannot force you to take the quiz.
2. They do not have to give you a reason for taking the quiz.
3. If you take the quiz outside of work they have to pay you for your time.
4. They can fire you for not taking the quiz.

Answer #2: You can refuse the test. They can refuse to continue employing you.


Title: Advice on legally kicking my wife out of my family home. How do I?

Question:
I was wondering what I needed to do to make my wife leave my family home. Background: My wife and I have been married a little over a year. We have lived with my parents ever since we married because her salary can't support both of us. I have not worked because I go to school ( undergraduate to get my bachelor's in english). We have begun having a ton of problems and I just don't want to be with her anymore.

She recently caught me texting and hanging out with a chick at school that I like, and is being a bitch about it even though we aren't sleeping together (the other girl and I).

We have a child together who she takes the majority of care of, but I do help out when not in class. She has a stable work history and a degree, but not a ton in savings, so I know she doesn't have money to higher a lawyer.

How do I tell her to get out without her taking the kid? Can I legally kick her out? What if she leaves with the baby, what are my options? I want full custody because I don't want to pay her a dime of child support. She makes enough to support herself so she will be fine. I figured the baby could be cared for by my mom and I could use their income as my own when I go to file for custody because I can't work and go to school.

Do I need to file first?

Can I do anything about how she pressures ( constantly) asks me to have sex with her? Is that harassment? What about the risque' pictures she sends me? I haven't asked her to stop but I hardly ever respond and when I do I am very vague.

When do I need to lawyer up? Do I stand a good chance at getting custody? Everyone says she is a good mom and I know she has a job and everything, but I don't understand why I have to suffer because she married me and can't accept me for who I am.

If I cheat on her with this chick will it look bad in the divorce?

Any advice would be appreciated. We are in Arkansas and she has lived in my parent's house for a year. We also have a joint checking. Can I withdraw this money without telling her so she can't use it to get a lawyer? She has her monthly salary direct deposited in it so I would like to do this by next week when her latest check goes in.

I haven't told her about any of this.

Edit: She is making me miserable with her nagging and her controlling nature, and constantly wanting me to tell her what I am doing and who I am with. I probably won't have a job for a few years. I am waiting until I graduate. I am 26.

Answer:
 And also, just some common sense advice: get some. You should not want full custody of your child simply to avoid paying child support. That's terrible. And shoving your child off onto your mother should not be your intention. If you're not working and you don't plan to for a few years, then child support isn't an issue right now. Instead of trying to be a dick, why not let your child stay with the other PARENT instead of planning to just have your mom, the GRANDPARENT, take care of YOUR KID. Take some responsibility, honey. Just because she can't accept you for who you are (which sounds like someone who wasn't ready to get married, doesn't want to take care of his kid, behaves inappropriately for a married man, is less than grateful for his wife working full-time & supporting him in going to school, and takes offense to his wife wanting to know where he is & who he's with - which is normal in a marriage) doesn't mean your child should suffer. For God's sake, it sounds like you'd be doing your wife AND your child a favor if you "kicked her out of your home". Oops, your parent's home. Answer #2: "I want full custody because I don't want to pay her a dime of child support. She makes enough to support herself so she will be fine. I figured the baby could be cared for by my mom and I could use their income as my own when I go to file for custody because I can't work and go to school."

As a custody lawyer, this makes me laugh. You're not getting custody if that comes out.

You're REALLY going to need a lawyer.


Title: NJ: i work for a family owned business and there is a very similar business a few towns away that stole their name how can they get the other business to stop?

Question:
The man who owns the business was a employee of the owner of the original business and he's been using our name 20 years but my boss hasn't done anything out of fear it will cost alot of money.
Topic:
Business Law

Answer:
 Are you saying that after 20 years this new business copied the name or that your boss has been fine with the old employee using the name for the last 20 years?

Assuming the former, did your boss ever register the name of the family business with the state?


Title: Need some really serious advice

Question: A friend of mine or shall we say former friend at this moment in time, sent me a few pictures of anime child pornography and when i tried to explain how this kind of thing was illegal he just laughed and kept sending it. Is there a way i can report him to somewhere?

Answer: Where are you located?  That's not illegal in the U.S.


Title: [CO] Parking enforcement boot on work truck.

Question:
I am allowed by my company to drive my work truck home and use it for minimal personal use.  It is registered to the company. It doesn't have CDOT or USDOT markings and to my knowledge (I am going to talk to my boss) is not registered as a commercial vehicle.  The HOA bylaws state commercial vehicles cannot be parked in the lot.  At my residence which is owned by my wife, we have 2 designated parking spots.  For the past 2 years I have my parked my truck in the parking space with no issue.  I park in the lines without obstructing walkways or the road.

I just got booted by the parking enforcement company contracted with my HOA.  I paid out of pocket to get the boot off so I could work.

My wife and I contacted the parking company and the president of the company replied in a rather unprofessional manner, including pictures taken from the outside of the truck of my equipment and files.

(Thanks if you read this and have any advice or insight)

Long and short, what would be the best legal recourse for this?  The total cost is only going to be about 150 dollars but I am still very irritated that I cannot park my work truck at home.  Thanks again.

Edit: Spelling

Answer: You can stop taking your work truck home so it doesn't happen again. Because once you are on their list they will be looking for the truck.


Title: Starting a new job, what should i do to make sure i dont get screwed over?

Question:
just as the title says, i havent had a ob in over two years, and im just wondering what steps i can take and what i should document in case the place im going to work at try to screw me over

EDit: forgot location, Im in florida

Answer:
 1) Show up on time.

2) Perform your duties with due diligence in accordance with company policy.

3) Keep all your check stubs.

4) Keep a copy of all documents that you sign.

5) Memorialize all agreements in writing.


Title: My Uber driver was pulled over. I had somewhere to get to, so I left my Uber to call another Uber and then a police officer put his hands on his gun revolver and told me to get back in the car.

Question:
So I was in an unexpected situation. I was in my Uber until my uber driver did a U-turn in front of college campus and got pulled over. I ask one of the police officer how long this is gonna take and he respond "As long as he wants to take"

I got of the Uber to call another Uber. As soon as I get out, the police officer on the right side puts his hands on his gun revolver and tells me to get back in the car.

Seeing that he put his hands on his gun, I just did as told. Next thing I know, he's putting his flashlight into myface 'just incase'.

His SGT comes back and starts snickering.
"Sir you can't get out of Uber when we have you pulled over. And you can't go anywhere unless if we tell you you can."

I hear both of em snickering and send us off.

This is the first time I had a bad encounter with police and it was infuriating.

Is it really illegal for me to take another Uber cause my Uber driver got pulled over? And how can I be prepared next time?

Answer:
 It's in illegal (to get out of the car)? No. Or you would have gotten arrested.

Is it wise to get out of a car without officer permission in the middle of a traffic stop where you have been detained? Yeah. Really dumb.


Title: (M) (CA) My baby is due the 21st of this month, employer refusing to give me fmla until after 6/15/15. Can they do this?

Question: I put in paperwork for fmla, (family leave) a month ago. Just found out today they are denying it due to heavy workload, and vacation support. How can they not give me time off for the birth of my first child? Is it because I am a male? How many personal days am I entitled to then when my child is born?

Answer:
 Have you met all the qualifications for FMLA/CFRA:

Employee more than 12 months?

Worked 1250 hours in last 12 months?

50 or more employees within 75 miles of your work location?
Answer #2: How large is your employer?Answer #3: This isn't legal advice but I have previously encountered an HR idiot who didn't think men were covered by the FMLA. No amount of arguing succeeded in convincing her of this fact and her final statement was to me on the subject was "That doesn't make any sense, why would a man need leave for the birth of his child?"


Title: Want to see my grandchild

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Parents generally are allowed to raise their children how they want, including who they let their children see.Answer #2: > Is there anything we can do?

Bury the hatchet with your son and daughter-in-law.Answer #3: You most likely have no legal recourse. Usually issues of grandparents' rights are determined within the scope of an overall issue of custody. That is, when the parents are disputing custody and coming to an agreement, you can also include as part of that agreement issues of grandparent visitation.

This is at the discretion of the judge and requires an existing "substantial relationship" between the grandparent and child.

Absent that substantial relationship or some custody issue between the parents, the courts will most likely defer to the significant rights parents have over their children, including who they may and may not interact with.

As an aside, if they aren't letting you see your grandkid, then there must be some reason behind that, a reason that isn't going to be fixed by judicial fiat. Best course would be to try and resolve whatever that is and see if visitation comes naturally.


Title: Copyright law Workarounds?

Question: Hello. I'm coming up with a customizable apparel (jewelry). Something you can really tailor to your interests. Whether it be sports, hobby, job. My question is, if I give the customer the option to create it, would it still be illegal. For example, I do not own the rights to the Miami Heat so I can't create it but I'd allow customers to create it. Sort of like Vista Print or any other related website. Is there legal language I can add that would protect me from IP infringement? Thank you in advance.

Answer: No, that's still you violating copyright.


Title: Can I go to a gun range if I’m currently banned from purchasing a gun?

Question:
Around 3 years ago, I was hospitalized after a suicide attempt. While at the hospital, I was informed that I was not allowed to purchase a gun for the next 5 years. This was fine as I did not have any interest in guns. A couple of years passed and I can now proudly say that I am in a very safe and healthy state of mind. I was 19 at the time of the hospitalization and am now 22 years old.

Recently, a coworker sent me a birthday invite to a party at the local gun range. I would love to attend and would be interested in participating as I have never shot a gun before. However, I fear that I will denied in front of all my coworkers and embarrassed. For those of you who know the law in Chicago Illinois and the surrounding suburbs, can I shoot a gun at a gun range with a current ban on purchasing guns?

Thank you all in advance

Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer:
 Call the gun range and ask them.

It is not only the law that you would need to address, but also their policy.Answer #2: It's not just purchasing a firearm. Federal law prohibits possession of a firearm for anyone involuntarily committed to a mental institution. The reporting of those people by states to the FBI, however, is voluntary. Illinois specifically does have a memorandum of understanding with the FBI to report those people for the purpose of including them in the NICS database, which would then show up on a background check and prevent them from having a firearm transferred to them.

Federal background checks are only performed when an individual is going to have a gun transferred to them, either through purchase or gift. Gun ranges are not required to do background checks, and in some states it's actually illegal for gun ranges to perform them. However, if you are firing a gun, you would clearly be in possession and would be committing a felony.


Title: FL Abusive Husband/ Custody

Question:
My sister decided to stay with me for a couple of day and ended up staying with me.

she had a fight with her husband and he ended up hurting her. She was upset (probably hormones, 2 mos. pregnant) with him and they would just fight a lot. She decided to go to get back at him for leaving her alone at home.  She also lied to him that she had sex with another guy (not true at all).  He ripped her uniform of and her underwear, threatened to cut her hair, spit on her and he also put his fingers in her nose and then shove it in her mouth.

When she wanted to go back her husband told her that she would be better of living with me. He never help out on her medical bills or anything to do with the baby. He visited once with his family and brought some gift. He was also there when she gave birth and did not help monetary.

The baby is now one month old and he wanted to be a part of their lives.

Now, I can't afford to keep both of them and support them financial.  My aunt offered to help her out and she can move in with them in DC. The guy threatened my sister that they would take this in court. What are her option?

This might explain this a little better. A letter I wrote..

I don't know what the purpose of this letter  or why I am writing this. I guess I am just hurting too much for my sister.

From the start I was hesitant about the idea of her getting married to a guy she barely knew. I was upset to because he had asked her to marry her without even meet me, the only family that she have here in Florida. I forced myself to believe that I am just being over protective to my little sister, that I haven’t accepted the fact the eventually this would happen. I was thinking that I am selfish for telling ********(my sister) that she should just go home, for comparing ****(My husband) who made an effort of coming to the Philippines to see me and meet my family.

Driving down to the keys was very hard for me. I was crying, trying to keep my composure, bite my tongue and just be happy for my sister because she is happy.
She called telling me that she couldn’t take it anymore that she couldn’t stay there anymore. I told her that it’s normal for married couple to fight a lot. I tried to convince her that it’s the pregnancy, it’s the hormones.

My heart dropped when she told me that he had hurt her. She told me that he had ripped her clothes, threatened to cut her hair, spit at her. He shoved his fingers on my sisters nose and then her mouth. Even ****** lied and upset ******* it wouldn't validate what he did. That was the most degrading thing that anybody could do to anyone.

When she moved in with me, I see her cry every day. She begged me if I could drive her back to the keys even though **(the guy) told her that she would be better off here living with me.

Feb 1 at 9:30 PM. I was at work and **** called me because **** was crying hysterically. As much as I wanted to stay out of this, I messaged him for the first time. I didn't get any response.

“It hurts me that my sister still cry every night. Still waiting for you to show up or ask if she's coming back. It probably won't happen but I just can't believe that you would tell your pregnant wife that you don't love her anymore. If you don't care about her anymore. Please spare her for the baby, your baby inside of her.”

He never showed any interest when she was pregnant. When I would ask ****(my sister) what is his plan about this, she would say he didn’t have any plans. He doesn’t know. He never helped ******(my sister) in anyway. My sister was alone trying to figure out how is she going to provide money for the insurance. My in-laws helped her out because she was in her trimester and hasn’t seen a doctor yet. She worked to provide for her son while he was out of the picture.

When ****** told me that he is visiting, you are all welcomed in my home despite of everything. We have never showed you and disrespect despite of my feelings for him. I told **** as much as possible she should have a good relationship with him because no matter what he is the father of *****.

When *****n is giving birth, she never objected when *** was coming. Everyone around her was telling her she shouldn’t after he had abandoned his responsibility already. It’s not fair that he can just choose to be part of their lives when he wanted to and when it’s really hard he will just quit.

When we were at the hospital *** told *** that all she thinks about is money. How dare him to say that?! I don’t think in any of the duration of her pregnancy was he ever involve on her medical bills? I have been doing all the things that he should have done, not even financial. All of this are unfair to my husband.

I know **** is very uncomfortable because she knew that we are just starting and we didn’t have a lot. My aunt offered to help***** out and ***** threatened to get a lawyer? He promised her that he would help out, she didn’t have to beg because it is his responsibility. **baby had a circumcision which **(my sister) told ** (the guy) that she couldn’t afford but still insisted. Thank you for the$150 that he finally contributed.

I don’t think my parents would be comfortable for her moving back there because of the abuse that happened to her. Wouldn’t you feel the same way if ***(My sister) was your daughter and you live across the country? Could you blame us? We were very sheltered, ***(my sister) was my mom's favorite. I don't think my parents ever laid a hand on her.

I feel bad for ***** (the baby)that he would have to go through this.

I would not stop helping my sister but **(My sister) cannot stay with me forever.. What does **( the guy) think about that?

Instead of standing up for his family and offered that he would take care of them ***(the guy) told ***(my sister) that she should think about really think hard about moving back to the keys because you can take care of them. ***(my sister) considered going back but it's not what she wants anymore it's what's best for the baby

How can someone so far away, can hurt us this much, how can someone just stop loving someone..i just don't understand.

You dont have to respond to this message. Again, I just want to express my feelings.

**
Thank you!

Answer: She can divorce him. She can file on court for child support. She can call the police and file an assault report.


Title: I need to get this pedo away from my little sister

Question:
So im the older brother, im 22, about to leave to florida with my father for work, halfway tempted on just jumping this kid and couch hopping with friends before i hop on a plane to go halfway across this country. This should not be an issue but my mother fails at her job and gives literally 0 shits about what this little 13 girl does, she brings this homeless stank 19 year old in the house, my mom says he can eat dinner it turns into a fucking free ride with me cleaning up after him and him living here for free.

Heres the thing, i can't do a thing about it because my mother and sister choose to defend this rotten stealing shit bag from me and threaten me with police. They had my friend removed from the house for simply being here cracking a few beers and hanging out and smoking a little green, well him and my sister tell the police we threatened them and stashed weapons in my room trying to get cops to search my room, i talked them out of it but im on the verge of just sucker punching this kid and couch hopping. Cops said it isn't illegal for the 19 year old to date the 13 year old sister of mine as long as they don't do anything sexual but i have a picture of them sleeping in the same bed together cuddling,  and him having the balls to kiss my sister in front of me has me in bloodrage mode and i don't think i can take another glance at his face without attacking him.

What is the best way of sending this weird ass pedo to jail as fast as possible, im halfway tempted on making a lighter top scalding hot and marking his face with a scar so if he goes to prison hes known as a snitch, i hate this kids guts and i would smile at the thought of him being miserable.

Update: he took off with my sister to a motel to spend the night because i said i was going to jail tonight if he came back and i don't care we are fighting, cops are currently on the way and i have the number of the motel they called from. He basically gave me a solution on a silver platter thanks guys.

Answer:
 So it is OK for you to break the law and do drugs around your minor sibling but not OK for a 19 year old to legally hang out with her?

You might want to take the log out of your eye. Answer #2: See a therapist for your anger issues. Do not physically become involved with the guy unless in self defense or clear defense of another. Not your opinion that he's doing something you don't like to your sister, but posing an actual physical threat to you or someone else. Call the police if you witness them doing anything inappropriate. Other than that, your mother is allowed to say who and who cannot stay in her house. If anything she's not able to just kick him out depending on how long he's been staying there.


Title: [KS] Continual sexual harrassment from manager. Multiple complaints with HR. What to do if it doesnt stop

Question: This is a small local grocery store. Manager repeatedly flirts with me after multiple times asking him to stop. HR has 3 complaints on file, and Im getting fed up. Is there a potential case to sue for sexual harrassment?

Answer:
 There is a simple "rule" of sexual harassment that the EEOC uses and it is "no means no." If you tell them to stop and they fail to do so, they are failing the simplest test the EEOC says.

You went to H/R and they are not taking you seriously your next stop is a lawyer or the EEOC.
Answer #2: This would be incredibly fact specific. If you want to sue you should consult with a lawyer who can discuss any viable claims and legal options.


Title: [CA] I purchased a book at a thrift shop for $1. Turns out, it is an advance uncorrected proof with the words 'not for sale' printed on the cover. The book will be released in November. Is it legal for me to try to flip it?

Answer:
 In publishing. These exist *all the time* and unless it’s a MAJOR publication (new Harry Potter, new Game of Thrones, new Dan Brown, etc) nobody gives a shit. It’s not on you, it’s on the publisher employee. We’re typically required to keep those until publication happens then we can donate them. Nobody is gunna blink twice at this.Answer #2: You should make sure you know what you have so that you don't misrepresent it. An uncorrected proof or a standard ARC would be different values so you don't want to end up in trouble for selling the wrong description.

Uncorrected proofs are sold all the time. Unless it is for something like Fire & Blood it probably isn't worth a ton of money. Answer #3: There’s nothing is stopping you from doing so. You’re under no contract or obligation to not resell the book. Answer #4: I used to get those from a friend years ago.  Unless it's a really 'hot' book, you are looking at $2.


Title: (MN, USA) What are the specific laws on stolen valor?

Question:
I'm asking more about the general law in all states than just in Minnesota. Is just wearing army clothes considered stolen valor or is it only when you wear them to try and get discounts and special treatment from businesses?

I ask this because I really like the look of digital camo pants but I'm worried someone will think I'm trying to pose as a soldier.

Answer:
 No one is going to care if you wear camo pants.

Don't attempt to fraudulently receive benefits for veterans/service members and you're fine.Answer #2: The Stolen Valor Act of 2013 criminalized false claims of having been awarded a specific set of military decorations.    It expanded Federal laws that prohibit false claims of military service in order to obtain benefits.

Wearing military surplus clothing is no problem at all.Answer #3: You're fine. Do not claim to be a veteran. If someone offers you a discount or benefit for being a veteran, decline it.


Title: 14yo BIL possibly threatened a girl over Snapchat

Question: Title says it. Cops brought my wife’s little brother down to the station and apparently he was asking a girl for nudes and threatened to kill her if she didn’t. He swears up and down that it wasn’t him and that him and friends share Snapchat accounts. I honestly believe him that it wasn’t him, but obviously this thing is taken very seriously. The problem is that his parents cannot afford a lawyer at the moment, and would have to use a community lawyer. Is this a serious enough offense that they should somehow come up with the funds for a better one? The police confiscated his phone and are doing an investigation, and this is his first offense with the law in any way.

Answer:
 He absolutely needs a lawyer but, in general, a public defender is going to be as good as if not better than an attorney that is cheap. Answer #2: Canadian Cyber Bullying law is pretty tough... I wouldn't sweat too much if it ACTUALLY wasn't him as Snapchat usually has location history and can tell what devices log into the snap account.

&#x200B;

Get a lawyer if you can, and not a cheap ass one, a decent lawyer.


Title: If one were to disappear without a trace for 10+ years and then return to society, could they be held liable for not filing/paying taxes?

Question:
I suppose it really depends on _how_ they disappear, though, so what might happen in the following scenarios:

1. Person is kidnapped by a criminal for 10 years and then escapes. Are they still liable for back taxes, student loan defaults, etc?

2. If a person _voluntarily_ disappears without a trace. Are they liable?

3. What about if a person unexpectedly, due to no criminal conduct at all but rather a fluke, goes missing at sea and later returns. Is that person liable?

—

Where does the government draw lines like this? If something horrible like this happened, would they just declare you legally dead? Or would you come back to regular life only to find your student loans defaulted, credit tanked, and the IRS investigating you?

Answer:
 You only have to file/pay taxes if you earned money.

If you earned money and didn't file taxes, then yes, you can be liable even if you wanted to "disappear" yourself for a while.

If you were super rich and had passive income or something, then you'd have a defense to not filing if you were forcibly kidnapped.


Title: [GA] How do I keep my childhood home, and the one I currently live in, if my father just past with no will?

Question:
My family has advised that I should seek legal advice. My dad was killed. There isn't a will. The house isn't paid off. My dad has 4 daughters (one is a step daughter). I grew up in this home, along with his step daughter (when we moved here she was in middle school so I feel like that is long enough) I've stayed here from 2 or 3 until now. I'm in college. I don't really want to care about this stuff but so many of his friends and family are advising me to seek advice on how to proceed so I don't lose my dad and I home (it's only been my dad and I living here since my parents divorce in 98).

My mom, his ex wife isn't interested in home and wants me to keep it. My aunt, his sister, wants me to keep it. His step daughter (who he considered his daughter) and my other sister are also in support of me keeping my home. Not sure about oldest sister who's never lived here and only visited maybe once.

How do I keep my home? Don't I have a right to keep home? Especially if family supports?

Answer:
 If your father wasn't married at the time of death and there is no will, all of his possessions will go to his children, split equally.  Stepchildren, if not legally adopted by the deceased, are not his children for this purpose, even if he took care of them for several years.

The children are entitled to equal shares (in dollar amounts).  You can settle that among yourselves as you wish, for instance, one person might end up owning the house and the other person might end up owning cash from the estate.

Someone will have to go the local courts and get appointed to be the personal representative of the deceased.  That person has the legal ability to do everything the deceased could have done - open and close accounts, sign documents, etc.  That person has the responsibility to pay off the debts of the deceased and distribute the remaining assets to the heirs, and file final tax returns and so on.

The house is what it is.  Ownership is subject to the mortgage.  If someone can take over ownership and get a mortgage in their own name and continue "paying it off" like before, then great.  Otherwise the house might have to be sold to pay off the mortgage (and then the equity in the house would be distributed to the children).

A probate lawyer can be hired to help with this, at a fee of course.

http://gaprobate.gov/content/what-do-when-loved-one-dies?menu=main


Title: (FL) One of my former employees wants to sue me, she claims I fired her because she's woman.

Question:
I fired her because she smeared menstrual blood all over the restroom. Why she did that I have no idea, maybe it was a mental breakdown or maybe she's just weird.

She's claiming that I wouldn't have fired her for it if she were a man. If she were a man I still would have fired her for and it would have been even weirder for her to have done that.

Anything I need to do? I have proof of why I fired her and statements from other employees.

Answer:
 Until you actually get served with papers, ignore her.Answer #2: > Anything I need to do?

I'm no lawyer, but one thing I've learned in a long history of dealing with threats of lawsuits.  You basically ignore the threat of a lawsuit, rule of thumb is, if they threaten it, they won't do it, if they do, you get your own lawyer to reply.  Until then I'd giggle silently to myself at the idiot.Answer #3: She smeared a bodily fluid possibly containing god knows what diseases all over the restroom and she thinks you fired her because she's a woman? No ,you fired her for putting the health and safety of your employees at risk.


Title: Liscense suspended for 3 months, Restricted Driving Permit request processes for 90 days. How am i supposed to get to school and work?

Question:
Went to informal hearing to file for Restricted Driving Permit and the hearing officer told me not to bother because it would take 90 days to process.

What are my options? I need to be able to drive to school and work.

Should i file a motion to have a RDP granted immediately? Is that even possible?

Thank you for any help in advance, this is really stressing me out.

Im in the suburbs of Chicago, IL

Answer:
 You don't have a *right* to drive and up to 90 days is fairly common. You will have to find another way to get to school and work for the next few months. You can contact an attorney if you would really like to pursue it, but the system moves very slowly.Answer #2: Well depending on your location your options include: Uber, cabs, bikes, walking, and public transportation.

When you lose your license it is supposed to be inconvenient, because it is a punishment. Answer #3:

>What are my options? I need to be able to drive to school and work.

Pace,uber,lyft,cab,walk,ride bike, get a ride from family,friends

You don't NEED to be able to drive.

Answer #4: Where in the world are you? What did you do to get your license suspended?


Title: Help for a friend in St Louis

Question:
Long story short I have a friend in St Louis MO being forced by his parents to go on a 10-12 month "camp" for "intervention" a la http://youngadult.truenorthwilderness.com/

He's 20 and his twin brother is being forced to leave his job to do this. If they decide not to go their parents are threatening to drop them off at a homeless shelter. He and his brother aren't addicted to drugs or alcohol and they aren't criminals or anything, they just use the internet and their parents think they are broken in the head or some such garbage.

So, any ideas? Is this even legal? I don't want them to have to put up with this bullshit, their parents keep doing ridiculous shit to them for no good reason.

Edit: forgot to add that this is not something they were asked about before hand and they have less than 3 days to make their decision.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 If they are adults without legal guardians then they don't have to do anything they don't want to do.

My guess is that your friends live with their parents and will likely lose certain financial support for disobeying. But the fact remains, for the narrow question, they do not have to go.

Edit: typoAnswer #2: Everyone else is technically correct, proper notice *is* required.

However, technically correct isn't going to do your friends any good if the parents disregard the law. If that happens, they are still homeless and would need to sue their parents for illegal eviction, which takes a bit of time, and there's no guarantee they would win. Some judges don't apply tenant protections to adult children living at home who don't contribute or pay rent. In cases like this, technically illegal doesn't do a whole lot of good when you're still kicked out of the house and homeless regardless of what the law says.


Title: UPDATE: My landlocked neighbors, the sheriff and me

Question:
So many people have been asking for an update and so I wrote something up and had my lawyer review it just so people can stop bombarding my inbox.  He made some changes and cut it down a bit but here is the approved statement (TL;DR at end for the impatient):

[Original post here](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2ooy1x/update_my_neighbors_caused_themselves_to_be/)

So when we left off last, my neighbors had resorted to actually parking on my land in order to block me in and were using the police to try to strong arm me into giving into their demands.  Thanks to the suggestions here, I set up a meeting with a highly recommended real estate lawyer in the area.  We discussed the entire situation and he suggested a few options for trying to resolve this whole mess.  He warned that lawsuits, especially about land rights, can take years and years to work through the courts and of course, that means they cost a fortune.

Instead, as a cheaper and faster alternative, he suggested that the neighbors and we go to what's called "non-binding mediation".  As he described it, it's a process where both sides meet and a neutral mediator tries to find a "middle ground" that everyone can agree on.  If they do, some sort of contract is written up and everyone signs it.  This way you can avoid the time and expense of a lawsuit.  So we figured, why not give it a shot since there was really nothing to lose at this point.

So my lawyer makes the arrangements with the neighbors directly and although it was not an easy or quick process, they eventually agreed.  Then there were more weeks spent trying to agree on a mediator.  Once that was finally done, we set up a date last week at some other lawyer's conference room for everyone to meet.

My lawyer spent a lot of time preparing and discussing the various possibilities and outcomes and going in, I was super nervous and second guessing the decision not to just file a lawsuit.  But my lawyer was really great and assured that this was the best decision for this kind of situation.

So on the way into the meeting, we get stuck in the elevator together on the way up.  No one says a word and they just looked like they wanted to kill me right there in the office.  We get out and are eventually split into two separate rooms, and are told to meet in the conference room when we were ready.

So after calming me down again, we head into the main room and the mediator, another lawyer, introduces himself to everyone and explains the process.  Immediately, the neighbors start giving him a hard time and asking him questions that basically accused him of working for us.  But he stayed calm and kept repeating that he was neutral and that while he hoped to broker a resolution, he did not work for either side and it was entirely up to the parties how this would end.

And so began World War III, right there in the conference room.  My neighbors, true to form, proved to everyone in the entire building that they were plum crazy with all their red-faced ranting and raving and yelling, most of which was directed at our lawyer and the mediator.

So we get split up into separate rooms again I guess to try to calm things down.  It's now been a half hour in the separate room and I am just about to tell my lawyer to pull the plug on the whole thing when the mediator comes to our room by himself and says he has a proposal.

He explains that he was able to calm the neighbors down and got the feeling that this wasn't just about them landlocking themselves, but rather them feeling that somehow, I had taken advantage of them!

 He quickly explained that he did not agree with their "assessment" but it was his job to find some middle ground anyway.  So my lawyer asked him what their proposal was.  The mediator says that the neighbors were willing to go after their seller for an "easement by necessity" and not use my land (or block my gate), but that they could not currently afford to pay for a lawyer to file the lawsuit they needed.

Worried, I asked what they wanted to get from me out of this whole deal, since this seemed almost too good to be true.  Even my lawyer was surprised.  So the mediator takes a deep breath and warns us that we're probably not going to like the offer, but that it was just the first offer and that everything was still potentially negotiable.  Really worried now, we ask again what the neighbors wanted.  The mediator says "As I explained, [the neighbors] can't afford to pay for a lawsuit right now, so they would like you to pay for it in exchange for them abandoning their claim to use your land."

I was too dumbfounded to even say anything, but my lawyer had the presence of mind to ask just exactly how much these lunatics expected me to pay them to go away.  That's when the mediator pulled his chair up real close to us, leaned in, and said "about three fiddy".  And that's right about when I realized that our neighbors were a three hundred foot tall monster from the paleolithic era.  Let this be a lesson to you all - be careful who you ask for updates!

**TL;DR**  Hired lawyer.  Tried to avoid lawsuit via mediation.  Crazy neighbors finally agreed but, as expected, showed their true colors.  Now I need to find change for a dollar.

Answer: This is the best April Fools Day joke on Reddit.


Title: Father passed away 4 years back and (his) Credit card company sent a bill of 1000$.

Question:
Hey,

As the title says, my father passed away in 2015 and I recieved a letter today from a his Credit card company saying that they got the order to "Assignment of receivables in respect of Credit card facility".

Apparently the bill on the letter shows 1000 $.

Can I tell them about my situation for a midway deal?

Answer:
 When someone dies, their heirs are not responsible for their debuts. (Unless they were a co-signer)

Don’t pay them. Shady creditors will try to get you to pay, but you aren’t responsible.Answer #2: send the bill back with "deceased" written on the envelopeAnswer #3: Additionally, in a lot of states, there's a time limit to bring a claim against an estate. In Ohio, for example, a creditor has six months from the date of death. My guess is this company is SOL.Answer #4: Assuming you weren’t a co-signer then you aren’t responsible for this debt. However if he had any assets when he died the estate should have paid this bill.


Title: Would it be legal to make an platform where underage people can hook up

Question:
I’m interested

Of course there will be gate keeping

Answer: You could probably face one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor for each individual underage user of your app, and there's a good chance you'd face a lot of consecutive sentencing with that.


Title: My mother refuses to bring me to my Doctor, and doesn’t give me my proper medication.

Question:
Hi, I’m 15 and I’ve struggled with bipolar disorder and suicidal ideation for around 4 years. I’ve been in and out of hospitals after trying to commit suicide a few time.
 I’m finally hitting a pretty stable point in terms of my mood, but still not 100% happy. I’d give all props to prior psychiatrist. He has 45 years of experience.
My mother hates medicine, hates them! But after many arguments with different doctors and I, she threw in the towel around 2 years ago. But now she wants me off them.
Fast forward to last week. I find out that I’m forbidden to see my old doctor.
Now I’m seeing a new psychiatrist who I don’t like because she wants me off of my god sent medications.
Ik I’m a minor and there’s probably not to but I can do but any advice is good advice, thanks!

Answer:
 As someone with bipolar disorder, you should never stop taking your medication. This can cause you to become severely depressed, manic, or suicidal again. Please contact a trusted adult.

In the past I had the mentally oh I feel better now, I'll stop my meds! This is never a good idea, especially if it's not under the supervision of a physician.Answer #2: I'd also speak to adults at your school, especially if there's a guidance counselor. They may be able to impress upon your mother how important it is that you be allowed to make decisions regarding your own care. Depending on your history, etc they may also be willing to step in from a legal standpoint if you ended up hospitalized, etc. I'd also recommend explaining your fears to the new psych. S/he should at least have a plan in place for addressing your concerns. If you can make him/her an ally, even if s/he isn't as good as your previous psych, that will definitely benefit you. Finally, I'd recommend you and your mom watch the documentary The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive. (Manic Depression is the British term for bipolar disorder.) Don't present it as you trying to change her mind about meds, present it as you wanting her to understand your illness. It might really help both of you, and it's a good documentary. Good luck!Answer #3: I mean can you call CPS on your own parent? You’re under 18 and she’s putting your health and well being at risk. I would see if that is a possible route.


Title: [CA] Was forced Into a 'No parking at anytime' zone by an officer pulling me over. He claimed he's able to 'allow me to park there', while giving me a ticket. Is this true?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 So an officer pulled you over, and directed you to a "no parking zone," where he wrote you a ticket.

Yes, they have the ability to do this.  The same thing happens on the side of most highways, where it's usually "emergency parking only."

The only potentially off thing I could see is if he then tried to write you a ticket for "parking in the no parking zone" after pulling you over.


Title: My recruiter lied to me

Question:
Yes that same old song, we even sang it in cadence during basic training. "My recruiter lied to me!" My situation has to do with student loans. When I was being prospected by the army in high school, which I ended up joining, my recruiters promised me 20,000 dollars in student loan repayment, which was technically true and written into my contract. However when we came to them and showed them our loan applications to wells fargo they told us everything looked great and that we would just need to take it to my chain of command once I was done with college. Fast forward 3 years and my chain of command tells me the army doesnt pay back private student loans only government student loans. So my recruiters mistake left me with a 20,000 dollars *Woops* that he seems to not have to take any responsibility for. Is there ANYTHING that can be done in this situation? We were completely misinformed, my parents and I, about the situation. The debt is a huge burden and has led a lot of difficulties in my life.

Washington State

Answer:
 What exactly did your contract promise you?  If your contract promised you student loan repayment, then the army wouldn't be telling you they don't do student loan repayment.  You're either missing something here or not giving us the whole story.

What *exactly* did your contract say, and what *exactly* did the army tell you when you showed them that part of your contract?


Title: Friend's baby daddy abused her and broke her ribs while she was pregnant and his uncle, the chief of police, now has gotten the baby taken away from her under false pretenses- what can she do?

Question: MN, USA

Answer: Details?


Title: Someone I know is selling an AR 15. How can I report this safely?

Question:
My cousin’s old weed dealer posted a picture of an assault rifle on his Snapchat story with caption “AR 15 for sale, serious replies only”

The photo timed out and is now gone. Does that mean there is no way to report it now? I don’t even know how to report it. I just got seriously spooked when I saw it.

Answer:
 Where are you from? In many states AR15s are legal.

Also, and this is just a pet peeve. AR15s aren't assault rifles. Assault rifles are select fire rifles that use an intermediate sized cartridge. Assault rifles are illegal to own without a Tax stamp, under the National Firearms Act of 1934, and production for sale was outlawed under the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986. An AR15 is a semiautomatic rifle, and while it looks a lot like an M4, its got key differences.


Title: A photographer has a lot of my money that I want back and she's not giving it back.

Question:
My wife and I paid 95 dollars for the photo session so that our baby could have some nice pictures taken of her. The session went fine. A few days later we returned to the studio to look over the photos and see what the photographer had come up with. She started by showing us a slideshow. Our little girl looked fantastic. A lot of the pictures looked great.

We got into pricing. Up until this point, we weren't aware of anything in regards to pricing and package options. It was very expensive. The photographer was very pushy and put a lot of pressure on us. I asked for a night to sleep on it and she said that if we didn't make up our minds that day, then she would discard the photos and assume we weren't interested.

We ended up going for a package that included the slideshow, two 11x14s, two 8x10s, two 5x7s, and eight wallets for a price of $1250. It was one of the less expensive options. We paid in full right then and there.

My wife and I went home feeling sick to our stomachs. This lady really really put a lot of pressure on us. My wife and I have social anxiety and hate confrontation and disappointing people. I believe this lady recognized that and also used our daughter to pull at our heartstrings. We felt violated and realized the prints weren't worth it, no matter how cute our daughter was in them.

So the very next day, at 9am, I contacted the photographer to ask her to cancel the order and issue a refund. She was flabbergasted, said she'd have to think about it, and said she'd call me later in the day. The following day I called her again and she said she cannot in good faith give me a refund when she put in so many hours worth of work editing the photos.

What do I do?

Answer:
 You pick up the photos you paid for and continue on with life.

You had to option to say no and walk out. I'm sorry that you struggle from social anxiety, but you paid for a service and the photographer doesn't have to refund you anything. Answer #2: High pressure sales are completely legal. If you agreed to purchase the photos, you are likely on the hook. And knowing a professional photographer, she likely has put in hours of work with the photos.

In the future, "No thank you." is a complete sentence.


Title: KY Shoplifting Question

Question:
Hello all, so I'm in a bit of a pickle. Here is my situation. My son has been suffering from a double ear infection for 5 days now, he is on antibiotics but hasn't finished his run. I've gotten very little sleep and I also work to jobs as his mother and I are working on separation. While food shopping, my son gets very upset during certain portions of our trip. Since I have his car seat in the cart, I was using recyclable bags to keep our stuff together, keep his car seat from getting chicken juice etc on it and keep the cold items cold as we stopped at a different store than our normal one to wait out traffic which is about 25 minutes away from were we live. We finish the trip, as I'm heading to the check out lane. he becomes inconsolable. I pull off to the the coffee shop and after about a half hour, I finally get him to calm down. Being distracted and exhausted, I start to head out to my car, not realizing I totally forgot to pay for my groceries. I had money and had no intent on never paying. As I cross the thresh hold of the store, I was stopped and wrote up for shoplifting in KY under $500.

I have no record -not even a traffic ticket, I had way than enough money to pay for the items, even tried to explain the circumstances to the LP and the officer. Good this is, I wasn't arrested, the bad news is I have to go to court likely fines, possible jail time, etc. While I have no issue admitting my mistake, it was an honest one and I did not walk in or out with the intent to commit a crime. Can anyone give me the run down on what to expect and what I could possibly do to prepare myself for what's coming? I'm really terrified of being sent to jail or having this on my record.

Answer:
 You need an attorney.Answer #2: Get a lawyer, s/he can go to the prosecutor before court and explain what happened. Proving intent at trial will not be a slam dunk, and they may choose just to dismiss. Now, you didn't mention it - but the store could still ban you from the store. That's a civil matter and likely not worth fighting. Just shop somewhere else, you don't want to end up back in trouble for trespass.

Cheers!Answer #3: You need to get a lawyer. That's a criminal offense that can impact job choices.Answer #4: You can contact the court and ask about diversion options \- many localities offer a diversion program for a first time offender. Since the store got their stuff back, you'd probably have a fine, community service, in exchange for getting the charges dropped.

Honestly, I would ask about the diversion option before even contacting a lawyer. There's no point paying a lawyer to get you a deal that a DA would probably offer you anyway, or if the lawyer would cost more than the diversion.

The problem with fighting a charge means you may \*not\* be eligible for that diversion option.


Title: Age difference issues WI

Question:
My boyfriend is 15, I am newly 18. His mother has never really been keen on us being together, in fact, she doesn't approve at all. I'm pretty sure she wants me gone. Yesterday she texted me telling me that I am to have no more contact with her son. So my question is, how much risk am I putting myself by continuing to contact him. He said she lightly used the words "restraining order" when they were arguing. Also, what is the worst case scenario for me?

Notes:No sexual contact, just kissing and holding hands. Been together 6 months. I started seeing him when i was 17. He turns 16 in January. His mother previously asked me on family outings and gladly picked me up and drove me and her son to the movies.

Any help is appreciated. I don't want to mess up and end up in jail or a restraining order. Thank you!

Answer:
 Well, he is a minor and she can basically make his life hell since he is her son. In this case, I would act like an adult that i am claiming to be and avoid contact with her son instead of being selfish in this circumstance. Teenage romances rarely work out and when there is parental involvement, the odds of them working out are even slimmer.

While you may "love" him, it's best to cut ties with him. He is a minor and mommy is too involved in his relationship with you. Look for someone whose parents won't be so involved or are older and can afford to fend for themselves.


Title: Warrant in Utah but I’m in FL, I can’t get back to UT and don’t have money for a lawyer! Any help is appreciated

Question: I have a warrant for retail theft in Utah. I got a citation for retail theft while visiting in UT but I wasn’t able to stay for the court date. A warrant was issued, I can’t get to UT due to financial reasons and I can’t hire a lawyer for the same reason. Is there anything  I can do to clear the warrant? I am trying to get a job so I can pay the citation but I fear I haven’t heard back from any employers because of the warrant on my criminal history.

Answer:
 > I can’t get to UT due to financial reasons and I can’t hire a lawyer for the same reason.

That's OK - if you or your lawyer do not show up for court, the stateof Utah will transport you to Utah at no charge... by having you arrested by the Florida police and extraditing you to Utah.

If you were able to get to Utah to get a citation for retail theft, you can surely get there (or find an affordable attorney) to avoid certain jail time.Answer #2: >Is there anything I can do to clear the warrant?

Not without a lawyer and/or showing up to court.Answer #3: >Is there anything I can do to clear the warrant?

No, you will have to go to court to clear this up. Utah officials may contact Florida to pick you up and possibly extradite you back to Utah.


Title: What evidence is needed to convict a molestation charge?

Question:
I want to file charges against my Father who sexually abused me 13 years ago when I was minor. He also attempted to sexually assult my sister when she was also a minor but she got away and flee.However,one time when my sister was sleeping while everyone was at work he went into her room and sexually assaulted and she left.She went to CPS and the cops were involved but he denied the abuse so nothing was done. They also interviewed my step sister who was 10 at that time if she was abused to which she denied.I was out of town when this happened so I wasn't involved in this case

The abuse has left me a life time demange and I am in therapy.I wanted to file charges but i'm not sure what kind of evidence they will need given it happened years ago.will my sister corroboration to my story help?What kind of evidence would they need

I live in Ontario Canada

Answer: Practically speaking, you can consult your local police. Accruing evidence of a crime is not your job.


Title: [FL] Rejected from Pre - Trial Diversion?

Question:
Hi - I'll try to make this short. A few months ago, I committed battery on my then-boyfriend who overreacted and called the cops. The cops saw he was bleeding, and they arrested me. There was alcohol involved, and part of the terms of my release were that I wouldn't consume, or be around, alcohol. He became vindictive, saw snaps of me holding wine glasses and other alcoholic products, and he took screenshots of them and forwarded them to the State's Attorney's office. Awhile later, he decided that he didn't wish to proceed -- "life is so much better without her" -- and the ASA referred my case to PTD.

PTD came back and rejected my case based on the e-mails from my ex to the former ASA. Since there's no longer a no contact order in place, I called my ex and asked what's up, he said he had no idea and thought this was all settled back in July when he agreed to PTD. Told me to if I wanted to proceed with contacting him about this, get a lawyer, because he's not "interested in letting me back in, for anything." Told me he told the state attorney's office the same thing; whatever they think is best, he'll comply with, but he's "happier without me."

I have a court date next month. I haven't been able to talk to my public defender about anything yet, though he did tell me we'll speak a little bit before the court appearance. Should I be worried about going to jail? Can we re-file for PTD since my ex doesn't care? Can I go after my ex for sending those e-mails in the first place?

Answer: You really need to learn some self-reflection. Everything that happened is 100% your fault; don't blame him for "overreacting" or being "vindictive" when you assault him until he bleeds and you can't follow court orders.


Title: Ticketed in a 4 hr parking zone

Question:
Hey all. Sorry if this is kinda petty but I'm pretty pissed off at the principle of the situation. Yesterday I received a parking ticket bc of an "expired meter." Granted, my meter was expired, but the zone is labeled "4 hr parking 7a-6p." My tickets time stamp is 5p. Am I in the wrong here or does the 4 hr parking override the meter? I checked before leaving my car, no one else fed their meters, I was the only ticket & conveniently have out of state plates.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: Did it mean 4hrs Max? That is what a lot of down town meters I have used mean. You still have to feed the meter but cannot stay longer than the max


Title: Salaried friend is working 60+ hours/week consistently and not getting any additional compensation.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: As long as they're properly classified as exempt, there's no legal issue there. What does this friend do for a living and approximately how much are they making annually?


Title: Neighbor cut down trees in backyard (New York City)

Question:
My father's neighbor went into his backyard and cut down all his bamboo trees that had been growing adjacent to the property behind us. He then removed all the felled trees, but left all the leaves and branches behind. One of our tenants snapped photos of the damage, as well as the neighbor reclosing the wire fence behind him; however, we do not have any photos of the neighbor in the actual act of cutting down our trees itself.

What are we able to do?

Answer: Call the police then call an attorney.


Title: Family member never came back since '08, can I claim squatters rights? [New York]

Question:
They went to the Philippines and never came back, they're not dead we have proof their alive because we always get greeting cards from them every Christmas. They went to the Philippines in 2008 and never came back since then and I would like to claim squatters rights on part of the house because my parents owned the bottom part and it would be nice for my parents to own the entire house because of it.

My parents are paying for electricity, power, and repairs / renovation. When Hurricane Sandy happen three of the top windows broke so we repaired it. They never did anything to help and now I would like to claim squatters rights and trash all their belongings out of the house.

Also I would like to know would it be okay to start changing the locks?

Answer:
 Is the house joint owned between your parents and this missing party? Or is it like a condo or duplex where different floors/areas/sections of the house are owned by different parties?

> They never did anything to help and now I would like to claim squatters rights and trash all their belongings out of the house.

What belongings?

You get a greeting card every Christmas, can you contact this person?


Title: Girlfriend and her roommates got a new puppy, yet she is the only one who takes care of it, threatened to be taken to court if she takes puppy.

Question:
So, I've been searching around the internet for a minute or two trying to find court cases based around the legalities of ownership, especially when it comes to animals.

Basically, her roommate's friend ended up giving him a puppy, free of charge, and the only person giving the puppy any attention seems to be my girlfriend. She's the one that buys the food, trains the puppy, takes her out for walks, etc.

I guess my simple question(s) would be: Is there anything we can do to ensure that the puppy is taken care of, or is there any way we can have legal ownership of said puppy since she is the caretaker? Or would the courts just laugh us straight to the bank?

Note: I'm not a first party as she lives in a different state than I do, but the things I hear in the background over our Skype calls tells me that her roommates are... less than stellar.

I live in Indiana, US.
She lives in Ohio, US.

Answer:
 okay, so first is has anybody registered the dog? if not its a gift to roomie and is the property of roomie, but your gf can ask roomie to transfer dog to her. her costs don't factor in at all. Answer #2: Dogs are property, plain and simple. Think of the dog as a car, if you pay for all the maintenance and gas on your roommates car you don't get to claim ownership of the car. At best you can claim the roommate owner was unjustly enriched and has to pay you back.Answer #3: The puppy is not your girlfriend's.  She should not be paying for its vet bills or for neutering the puppy  She has no claim to the puppy regardless of her caring for it.

If your girlfriend wants a puppy, she can go adopt one of her own so she'll be the sole owner.


Title: So question about long distance and age of consent

Question: Hello, I'm a 2p yr old M and i have been friends with this 17 yr old F for a while now. Recently we decided to b more serious and im actually suppost to go visit her in her state next week (already have the ticket). But I just realized that the age of consent in her state is 18. In my state it's 16, hence y I never thought about it. Her parents are very ok with it and i have even talked about it too then myself via phone. We are both very similar and hit it off very well and we don't want to cut things off, but idk what to do here. Im not looking to catch charges

Answer:
 You can talk to and date anyone you wish. You cannot have a sexual relationship with them, depending on the laws in the respective states, nor can you trade intimate images if they’re under 18, regardless of where you live.

Keep it PG until she’s 18 my friend.


Title: Advice on defecting from military

Question: 16.5 years in on a 3 year contract that will out almost at 20. Given the current environment I don’t think I could possibly serve the military much longer much less if I’m tasked to go into a city and fight fellow citizens. Any advice how to do this would be much appreciated.

Answer:
 Be very careful about your question. If you are considering desertion or going AWOL, that is illegal and legaladvice cannot help you.

This organization assists military members who are seeking discharges.  https://girightshotline.org


Title: Random money From H&R Block

Question:
I am a 20 year old male. Living on my own with a new roommate and my girlfriend. My recently kicked out roommate (ex roommate) left me with his last months rent too pay and it has wiped me out financially. Yesterday a 7,000$ deposit appeared in my checkings account from H&R Block. I've contacted my bank who have said the money is legit but could tell me much more than it really came from H&R Block. Contacted H&R Block and they told me that pretty much they couldn't do anything to help me that "The money was most likely meant to go to another account" (one with a similar routing number as mine) " but that the issue with returning it would be up to the person who was supposed to receive the return. And that it was the IRS's fault and I probably would be not held responsible if that money was used in any way"
My question is: Should I attempt to return it? What are the legal ramifications for keeping it? Could I garner more trouble by spending it? I"m in no position to look a gift horse in the mouth and I'm sure that whomever filed that return probably could use that money but where would I even start?

Answer:
 Would you sit idly by if $7K you were expecting disappeared? Nope.

Somebody is looking for their $7K; there's an electronic trail that leads to your bank account. IRS, or H&R, or your bank will come knocking shortly.

Do not even think about spending it, or your life will get complicated ... in a bad way.


Title: Am I being forced to quit?

Question: Lately I've been having problems with a coworker bullying me. I've brought it up to the people above me, and one night it got so bad that I ended up leaving. After that night I've always been assigned to work with her when I come in. Is my employer trying to get me to quit? Location is Arkansas. **Tldr: told employer I'm being bullied but their keep putting us together.**

Answer:
 Barring a lot more detail on what "bully" means, it's legal for them to schedule you together.  If this person is an OSHA violator, sexual harasser, etc you need to spell that out.

None of us knows why, but if I had to use general knowledge of how the world works to guess, it wouldn't be because they want you to quit.  More likely, theor schedules are balancing a number of other business concerns, and your personal feud is at the bottom of that priority list (if they give a damn at all).


Title: Hacker trying to threaten me

Question:
Hello,

I just got an email saying that someone has a compromising video against me and they're going to send it to all my contacts unless I forward $342 to their Bitcoin wallet. What should I do in this situation? It says I have 28 hours to do this.

Thank you.

Answer: There’s no video, you’re being scammedAnswer #2: I received a scam email just like this and was curious to check the blockchain explorer for the btc address to see how many dummies paid them, quite a few.


Title: 18 year old smokes cannabis belonging to SO’s mother who laces it with Percocet. Teen and SO unaware, mother watches and says nothing. Hospital visit follows. [MA]

Question:
Location is Massachusetts.

Smoking cannabis recreationally is legal in MA but not until age 21.

My relative told me she and her boyfriend went to the hospital after smoking cannabis belonging to her boyfriend’s mother. The mother apparently laces her own cannabis with Percocet, and saw them smoking it but did not warn them or try to stop them. He ended up in the hospital overnight, my relative wouldn’t go because she’s afraid of her own mother’s reaction to the situation.

Given they were consuming underage, but weren’t aware of the poisoned product, is there any recourse? Aside from never consuming with the mother or being around her in the future.

TLDR: is there any legal repercussions for lacing cannabis and allowing someone to smoke it unaware?

Answer: You said she saw them but didn't say she gave them -- did they steal it from her?


Title: Legal NYC gun owner, can I take it on the subway unloaded in a legal, non-transparent case and with no ammunition?

Question:
I am a legal rifle owner in New York City. I follow all laws regarding storage and transportation and have been a license holder in good standing for eight years. I own two rifles, which I mainly use at our house upstate or occasionally at a gun range in New Jersey. Up until this point I have always gone by car with the locked rifles in their legal, non-transparent cases in the trunk of my wife's car. The problem is, however, that my wife is going to be taking the car up to Canada for a week and a couple of days with some of her friends. I was hoping to go upstate with my daughter this coming weekend. She's the one that really likes to shoot (my son less so, anyway he's staying with the maternal grandparents in the city this week) and I'd like to bring the rifle with us. Getting a taxi is a pain in the ass but what isn't just a simple pain in the ass is bringing the rifle with us. I know that it's fine to take a secured rifle on New Jersey Transit (no ammunition) but I am not sure that it is OK to do so on the MTA. Reasonably enough I see why the MTA doesn't want someone taking a rifle on the F train.

Anyway, the MTA rule says:

>1097.11 Firearms or other weapons: No person, except for those licensed to do so and in immediate possession of such license, shall bring into or carry in a terminal, station or train firearms or other weapons.

I have the full license needed to own and transport, privately, a rifle in New York City. I will have the license with me. I will have the rifle in a legal, locked case and in my possession at all times. My question is, though, whether this is enough to be able to bring a firearm onto the subway when I take the subway to the city and then the PATH to Hoboken?

I don't drive so getting a rental car isn't a possibility. Trust me, I wish it was, but unfortunately I lived the first thirty years of my life in Manhattan and the last dozen in Brooklyn so it never really became a necessity, especially now that I'm too fucking old to get ID'd at liquor stores.

Answer:
 IANAL but you could try calling calling the non-emergency line of the police department and clarifying it with an officer.Answer #2: RE carry in NYC from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_New_York "Permits are usually only issued to retired LEOs, celebrities, and armed guards. NYS permits (without NYC endorsement) and out-of-state permits are not valid for concealed carry in NYC. However, individuals with a NYS permit without NYC endorsement may transport a firearm through the city en route to and from locations outside of NYC. The firearm must be unloaded and the journey through the city must be continuous and uninterrupted."

That's pretty plain language so I'll let you decide how that applies to you. It sounds like you have the NYS permit with NYC endorsement, but I would absolutely verify that yourself and/or if your journey through the city will be continuous and uninterrupted.


Title: Neighbor claiming his car window cracked by me doing the lawn

Question: So I mowed my lawn early this morning to have my home looking nice for an open house as it is on the market. Just got a call from my real estate agent saying my neighbor is claiming that his window is cracked from a rock most likely. I did not see or notice this happen while I mowed the lawn, and swept up. Am I obligated to pay for this as neither of us saw this happen?

Answer: Burden of proof lies on the accuser. Unless he has direct video evidence then he has no claim. Call and tell them you would be glad to pay for any damage you caused, but you would like proof it was you who caused the damage. He has no case.


Title: (Texas) Found rat droppings in a package of ramen noodles, where do I start?

Question: Hi! Long time lurker, first time posting. Also sorry for the format, on mobile. So I’ve been putting this off for a little while now because I don’t know how to go about it, but a few days ago I found rat droppings in a package of ramen noodles. I took pictures of it, even a small video, and a picture of the receipt, but I was wondering if there’s anything else I should do? And also who to approach about this? Should I record any other evidence? And should I contact the noodle company directly or the place where I bought it from? I’m at a loss right now because I’ve never had anything like this happen before. I’d also be lying if I said I didn’t want to expect money from this but hey, I’m a unemployed college kid. Would I even be looking at a case where I receive money? What are your thoughts/advice? All help is appreciated, thank you in advance!!

Answer:
 A ramen packet costs about fifty cents. You might be best off to let it go.

The formal answer is that you're probably owed a refund for that packet from the retailer, though. If you believe this might be a chronic problem, you can make a complaint to your local health department, as well, but one of the ugly truths about food production is that pests do sometimes happen even with the best controls in place.


Title: Disabled adult son

Question: Maryland USA. Adult son brain damaged since age of 12. Mental illness exacerbates TBI issues of memory impairment and impulse control. He is a danger to himself not to me. Do I have legal options to force his compliance with health and safety issues?

Answer:
 You can have him deemed incompetent by a court, then you could be named guardian and make all of his legal/medical decisions for him. You could have him involuntarily committed to the hospital if he is a danger to himself.

If you cannot/will not do that, he is a competent adult who makes his own choices and you cannot do anything.


Title: TX- Transgender Discrimination, Retail Store. Company Non-Discrimination Policy.

Question:
Because the security program at my old store in Vancouver, WA was being ended, my manager and I called some stores closer to my sister’s home in Texas.

We spoke to the Temple store together, who had a fulltime position open and –while thinking I was a CIS male, had no problems taking me on. I was due to start at my new store on Feb. 7.

My manager educated them on my gender status, because my legal name is still Elizabeth, and that is when issues happened.
We had no idea there were going to be problems until I contacted my new store manager, L, on my last day at my old store(Jan24/25) – as she asked me to check in with my availability the first week.
During the exchange she mentioned an additional interview screening, which me and my current manager were under the assumption that had already been handled.
She asked me to call her cell, but I was in the process of a number port, and told her such. My managers, both store and assistant, called the store in Temple for clarification. We were told it was just a formality, and we considered the issue done.

I landed in Texas, asked when she would like me to come in for what I ASSUMED was my interview.

She told me the feb 3 at 2pm, and I heard nothing else
I arrived, and I was taken to the back where the new manager, L, and a partner (G), informed me they had given the fulltime position away and there was not even a part time security position for me
It was stressed multiple times that this was a conservative store, and that I may be a better fit somewhere else.
She also misgendered me throughout the entire conversation, despite having been educated on my status and my polite correction of her – which was ignored. I contacted my old store for help, and they sent through HR’s email and our Thirdparty Alert line, which both have documents of my account.

Friday Feb 8th, An HR Representative named K1, called to say they are investigating and asked me to not speak to anyone about the matter
In the meantime, I have lost my fulltime status and all of my benefits. K1 belongs to the local Texas HR office.

I arrived on Feb 12 for my first shift and was met by a management trifecta, including the District Manager, M Timmons, Area Loss Prevention supervisor, and store manager L. They tore down my dress, from the fabric of my shirt, to my shoes– which were both in dress-code, and I had a Doctor’s a note to wear.
When I specifically asked Lisa to show me where it stated the material of my shoes was out of policy(which they are not, company handbook states just solid black shoes– no material requirements), I was told I was being insubordinate, and she would never allow an insubordinate associate to attain fulltime status. I was given three weeks to comply to ‘dress code’– I am only being scheduled a single shift a week. I never had dress code issues at my old store, which adheres to the same company-wide policy.

On top of this, I was told that I would have to 'earn’ my way back to a fulltime status, despite having been with the company nearly a year and already been fast-tracked to fulltime status.
Later in the day, I asked the Assistant Store Manager, K2, what channels I needed to go through for to continue treatment for a leg injury I sustained while at my store(Well-documented, it happened on Nov.28). She pulled me to the office and told me I had used a 'redflag’ word and was immediately forced to clock out and go home.
Saturday, Feb 13th, L called and left a message asking me to call her. I did– where she interrogated me about my injury and implied that I would not be able to handle the 9-5 shifts of a fulltime security associate and suggested the short, parttime shifts may be better. I was eventually given contact information for the Workman’s Comp line here.

Today, Feb 15, I was called by K1, the HR representative – she told me stories 'are not lining up’, and did not see any grounds for discrimination. She stressed that she has enjoyed a very good working-relationship with my District Manager, and that I simply have to 'deal with it’.
I have never once had any sort of disciplinary action in the company, not so much as a formal 'coaching’, so this is incredibly frustrating.

It seems like now the company is simply trying to railroad me into either being fired, or quitting.

Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: You need a TL/DR.  It is very hard to win *any* employment case in Texas, even a good one.  It is not illegal to discriminate based on transgender status in Texas, so to win you'd have to create new law (i.e., convince a court that gender discrimination covers trans status).  That is unlikely.


Title: Friend Is Being Blackmailed By Husband W/Videos Over Custody of Children

Question: I live in Texas and am seeking any advice on how to handle this situation. My friend needs a divorce from her husband. He is manipulative and even manipulates their small children to turn them against her. I have personally observed him let their one year old walk around their pool while he was drinking inside the house with no parental concern for the child's safety. I have witnessed her on a daily basis feed, bathe, and do the daily things that are required as a parent. He never actively participates in being a parent and there are several witnesses to testify as such. He is a heavy drinker and pot smoker. He drinks and drives with his children. He also makes antagonizing videos of her to send to her family as if to show her indiscretions and she is worried he will blast these videos on social media which would ruin here credibility as a professional. He has several videos he is blackmailing her with.  This being said, I need to preface that the videos show her in a bad light.  She is obviously frustrated with her situation and drinks too much and when he confronts her while recording she lashes out in a cussing belligerent rant. He threatens  that in the case of a divorce he will use them against her to take her kids away. He even has a video of her naked passed out on the bathroom floor in which he sent to her family. Meanwhile the lawyer she would like to retain has a $3000 retaining fee. This is not affordable for her seeing how he refuses to help with ANY expenses when it comes to his OWN kids such as daycare cost, diapers, formula and things of that nature.  She is more concerned about what would happen to the kids if they do get a divorce and during his custody he mind fucks the kids into believing their mother does not love them and controls their thoughts about her.  Advice appreciated....

Answer: If she's drinking to the point of passing out then she shouldn't be left alone with the children.


Title: Apartment holding our security deposit and demanding more money

Question:
My husband and I recently moved from an apartment and they held our security and pet deposit and are saying we actually owe them another 600 bucks....almost 1000 altogether.

She said the entire carpet had to be replaced and that in one room UNDERNEATH the carpet was cat poo. She asked me if I had pulled to carpet up and checked underneath and of course I didn't. Who actually does that? I've never heard of anyone, tenant or landlord, picking up the carpet and looking underneath after a tenant moves out. She says she always does that and that I should have done that before we left.

I asked how the cats could have pooed under the carpet and she went into a story about how that happened with her mom...not sure how that really helped me in any way.

My cats have never pooed on the carpet, they use litter boxes. We have tons of pictures I took of the carpet that show no damage minus the hallway when you first walk in...I'd call that normal wear and tear but I'd have eaten the cost if she charged us for that area but she's trying to charge us for the carpet in the entire apartment.

She said she took pictures and will let me have copies of them, I'll get that next week. She also said she didn't have pictures of the corner under the carpet where she said there was cat poo before we moved in so I'm not sure how she can even say we did that....again how does cat poo get under carpet that's tacked down? She said it was balls, not diarrhea.

This is a complex that's run by a company and I spoke with the manager of the complex. I have not spoken directly with the management company yet. I have a feeling we will have to take this to small claims court. Has anyone gone that route?  Any pointers for when we have a court date?

Also she said there is a formula to determine how much we owe for the carpet. Anyone know what the formula is? She said the carpet originally cost 1425.77 and was installed in August of 2014. We moved in August of 2015, a year later and moved out April of 2017. That makes the carpet 32 months old. She says we owe 950.80 for the carpet.

As a side note I've lived in 3 different complexes with the same cats and I've always gotten my security deposits back.

I'm in Texas.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 > She said it was balls, not diarrhea.

I don't have any advice, but reading this sentence made my day. Answer #2: To work it out here are the figures:

Depreciated amount: 1425.77 - 950.80 = 474.97

Rate per month: 474.97 / 32 = 14.84

Depreciation term: 1425.77 / 14.84 = 96

So, she is saying the carpets depreciate over 8 years. That seems a bit high since based on my Google search the typical rate of depreciation for carpet is 5 years. You might want to ask an accountant in your area to see if 8 years is an acceptable rate of depreciation in your area.