Title: So an old friend has reentered my family's life in the form of a police case. He has filed a case against my brother for sexual assult/rape. The thing is, i know 100 percent my brother is innocent and this is just revenge for what happened during the friendship breaking up.

Question:
(on a throwaway)

I'm not too worried about the case itself because we all know it's fake, and the accuser will be sorted out with the court. But what repercussions would this have, when it comes back as a false case?

Answer:
 >I'm not too worried about the case itself because we all know it's fake, and the accuser will be sorted out with the court.

You don't know this. You don't know this at all. Your friend needs a criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible. Like, right fucking now. Don't let your buddy talk to the police without this lawyer present. Even if the report is fake, he still needs a lawyer to prove that  in court.


Title: My girlfriend reported her rape- does she have to tell detectives that her rapist sold her drugs previously?

Question:
(This is in Portland, Oregon)

Last year, my girlfriend was in a really bad place, smoking crack and heroin with a rough bunch of people. As she was getting her life back together and was getting sober, she spent some time one-on-one with her previous dealer, just chatting and having some drinks. He drugged her, she doesn't remember anything after accepting a shot she didn't see him pour around 11 pm and then waking up naked and bruised the next day with holes in her walls and her house showing signs of a serious struggle. Her bedroom had mace sprayed on the wall, and a security guard at the senior home next door called the cops that night to report a woman screaming for help and a man shouting at her, around 5 am that morning. She had come to with the cops knocking on her door, but was disoriented and sent them away. The police have a record of coming to her door, but wrote nothing further and did not try to investigate the screaming/arguing. The rapist must have left around the time she was hollering and macing things.

The next day, while not at all hung-over, she had patchy/limited memory, called him, and he said they'd had consensual sex after she became crawling-down-the-hall drunk (his words, which I would say count as rape, but whatever). Later, after some therapy and getting completely sober, she is certain that it was not consensual despite his repeated assurances, and this week she filed a report.

Does she have to inform the detectives on her case that he was her dealer? They want to download the contents of her phone, which may well include that information. Does she have any chance of her case seeing justice if the police know she is a former addict? Is there anything we can do should they try to drop the case on account of both parties being involved in criminal activity?

Thanks in advance; I tried asking the nice folks at RAINN and they just said 'ask a lawyer'. I'm really worried for her- she's a good person, and I don't want her to be shoved aside because she's not a 'perfect' rape victim.

EDIT:
Thanks so much, you guys! You really steered us in the right direction. She contacted a rape crisis center and a local program for victim's advocacy, and is considering delaying her interview with the detectives until she has some kind of law professional to sit down with her and plan her course of action and the possible repercussions. She and I both really appreciate you all taking the time to respond.

Answer:
 She needs to retain her own attorney prior to discussing anything else with the police.  Even if she doesn't incriminate herself, the defendant may very well bring up the nature of their relationship as part of his defense.

Additionally, if she is not able to provide detailed and truthful testimony for fear of incriminating herself, the DA will have a more difficult time making a case against her attacker.

The sooner she can retain counsel, the better she will be able to provide helpful testimony while also protecting herself from possible charges down the road.  *Also, don't discount the emotional aspect of having a proffesional in her corner whose sole interest is her well being .Answer #2: I'm totally sympathetic to her situation, but I'm going to be realistic here as someone who has been on the other side--she needs to prepare herself to be crucified over this.

If she doesn't disclose, it's going to come out anyway and she will be seen as not forthcoming.  If she does disclose, there's going to be a lot of suggestion that she went there for drugs and had it coming, in addition to possible threats of legal charges.

If she wants to see this through, she will NEED a lawyer and a ton of support.  If she decides to drop this, she will still need a ton of support.

When it comes to sexual assault, the justice system leaves a lot to be desired if you're a victim.Answer #3: She doesn't have to, but if it goes to trial, "she was trading sex for drugs and she is a junkie" is probably going to be the defense's argument against rape. I think she should consult with an attorney. Is she in college? They may have legal services for her.


Title: TN - Cops stopped me while walking around my neighborhood

Question:
Earlier tonight I took a walk around my neighborhood, and a police officer happened to drive by. He slowed down when he passed me and asked what I was doing out. I told him I was just out walking. He asked where I lived, and I pointed back across the neighborhood to my house. He told me I should head back, and I just said "okay, will do" not wanting to be confrontational.

I feel pretty dumb for asking this, but I actually didn't feel like going back and only did because I was scared I might get in trouble if the officer came back and saw me still walking. I'm 20 years old, so I don't have a legal curfew. Could I still get in trouble for disobeying a police officer if I chose not to go home?

Answer:
 What if he thought you were underage and was trying to nicely do a favor rather than make a big deal for being out after curfew?Answer #2: Well first, from how you described it, it doesn't sound like the officer *stopped* you (in the legal sense).  What he did was initiate a consensual encounter, basically just went up and talked to you.  At any point, you could have simply stopped talking, turned around, and walked away.

That makes him telling you that you *should* go home a recommendation and not a legal order.  Of course none of us know why he recommended that, maybe he thought you were a trouble maker or maybe he knew they were about to do a raid around the corner and wanted you to be safe.


Title: Screwed out of Promotion. (Canada)

Question:
I was told by my supervisor that I was in line for a promotion but needed to attend a college program. I completed the 2 year program in less than a year and half through a long distance learning program. Had to attend the college a few times for class programs. The program ended up costing me roughly 20K (hotel, travel, books, credits). I returned to work and was advised that the promotion was in the process. 6 months have now past. New supervisor, no promotion, had a meeting this morning advising I'm now be moved to part time, due to budget and the role I was supposed to be promoted isn't going to happen.

Any advice, any advice at all would be appreciated. Co workers have none :( they all were excited for my promotion, everyone in the office knew. Feeling so blindsided.

Sorry for grammar, phrasing. Flustered.

Answer: Did you get it in writing?


Title: WA state - contractor did work without me being there and without my approval

Question:
I hired a company to trim our tree a few weeks ago. They came out for a quote and I decided that it was the best out of the other quotes I got so I gave them a call to schedule an appointment. I didn't sign anything, I just made an appointment. Appointment was tentatively rescheduled (they would contact me later for a time). It never happened though. Then I get a reminder call for an appointment that I never scheduled. I call back saying I never scheduled that. Then I get another call the next week saying they're on their way out for that afternoon and by the time I called back to ask what was going on, it was too late. I guess they hauled some branches out and did a little bit of work on tree but not everything. So I called and asked them what was going on and told them that two appointments were scheduled without my knowledge!! They said they would come out this weekend to finish the job and give me a phone call to schedule what time but I never got a phone call. If they come out today without my approval while I'm gone at work again, I don't think I should have to pay them for something I never authorized/signed for!! I am going to leave a note on my gate telling them to not do any work without my permission. I am just scared that they will charge me for a half a job when I never even witnessed the work.

Tldr: tree trimmer came out and did work on my tree without an appointment and may or may not be charging me for the work done. Is it ethical/legal to charge for work done without approval? Is it trespassing/theft to haul off branches without permission?

Update: I called today to see if they were coming over to finish the job and they ask me "what tree?" Uhhhh the one that you started and didn't finish??

Answer:
 If you've called repeatedly to cancel the appointments and leave a note saying they are not allowed to continue work, then yes, that is trespassing. But, if you're not there to report it, there is little that can be done in the moment.

You can refuse to pay for the work you did not agree to and they can attempt to take you to court for it. If that happens it would likely be small claims court in which case you both argue your case before a judge. Since this was all verbal, it is going to be your word against theirs (unless the calls were recorded).


Title: My Tenant is Going to Jail [NY]

Question:
Hey all, gonna try to avoid unnecessary details here and just stick to the facts. That said, it's six in the morning and due to the voicemail I woke up to I've already had one hell of a morning. Apologies in advance if I go into stuff that isn't pertinent, just don't want to miss anything. The standard "the names are all bullshit" disclaimer goes here. *This turned into way more of a wall of text than I expected, so I summarized things at the bottom of the post.* Refer to that if you're not interested in storytime, otherwise feel free to enjoy my misery, because lord knows that is what the internet's for.

So my wife and I purchased a two family house as our starter home, and spent five years in it with a close friend renting the other side from us. Eventually the friend got engaged and left to move in with her fiance. My business had sort of taken off in the interim, so the wife and I decided to purchase a larger, single family home. This was about six years ago.

A childhood friend of mine, Pete, wound up getting divorced around this time, and he's been renting one of the units since we left. The other side of the property has gone through four tenants, and is currently occupied by a guy named Bill. Bill has always come across as a touch rough around the edges, but he passed his credit check and his references (including a past landlord) spoke pretty favorably of him. He's always paid rent on time, and aside from a few instances where Pete has complained to me about noise (primarily Bill fighting with his girlfriend), he's been a fine tenant.

Anyway, a while back (honestly can't place it chronologically; writing this post has preempted any activities related to brewing or consuming coffee) I woke up to a voice mail from Pete (which seems oddly familiar). A fight between Bill and his girlfriend the night before was loud enough for Pete to call the police, who left with Bill in tow, and he just wanted to give me a heads up about it in case the police contacted me in turn. They never did, but a few days later I got an email from Bill apologizing for the commotion and let me know that it wouldn't be happening again. Apparently he found out his girlfriend had been cheating on him and according to him he went ballistic on her, and left with the police to defuse the situation, but wasn't arrested or booked. It sounded kind of weird but not like, alarm bells and flashing lights fishy, and to be frank I just sort of didn't pay it much mind, as my wife was due to give birth to our first child the following week and my professional life was going insane. I tried to dig up the email from Bill before I started writing this, but it looks like I (very stupidly?) deleted it.

Anyway, today's voice mail from Pete (love the dude but wish he'd hang up and just text me) was... a bit of a doozy. Late last night he was sitting on the shared front porch having a smoke when a guy walked out of Bill's apartment with a cardboard box. Somehow or other the two started chatting, and it turns out the guy was Bill's brother Sam. Sam, who apparently takes great pain's to make his brother look like a finishing school headmaster, told Pete that he was just grabbing "some of Bill's shit that he doesn't want to leave here while he does his bid." Turns out the night the cops were called, Bill had "beat his old lady around the place pretty good," would be going away for "about a year, maybe a little less" and would be maintaining occupancy of the apartment to store his belongings "because that piece of shit landlord is always up his ass about noise so fuck him." To clarify, Pete seemed to think that the implication was that I will not be receiving (full?) rent payments from Bill while he's incarcerated.

Here's where it gets a touch more complicated: Bill signed a 12 month lease about three weeks ago, and it runs from 5/1/2016 through 4/31/2017. Yeah. He's two weeks in. The document itself was a standard Blumberg lease, and I've got no idea what the hell to do or what my/Bill's rights are here. I'll speak to my attorney later on this afternoon but for the time being I am just sort of going insane and hoping that somebody here can let me know what to expect. Do I treat this as I would a normal eviction for non-payment with the ** days notice to vacate part of the process or his lease null and void? How does the fact that he might be in prison for the duration of his lease, but might be released with a few months left impact things? Even if I do successfully evict, how do I deal with his belongings if nobody comes to get them?

This is all brand new to me, as before Bill I've had nothing but model tenants. While I'm sympathetic to the fact that an ex-convict needs a place to live upon his release (or at least I would be if this wasn't an instance of IPV perpetrated by an individual who has expressed plans to make my life difficult out of spite), but I am not particularly interested in leaving half of an investment property while the tenant is a guest of the state. In general I am more than happy with tenancy law favoring tenants in NY, as I had some awful landlords before becoming one myself, but in this case I'd love to see the tenant become his brother's (or his own) problem. The neighborhood has become pretty in demand, so I could probably have the unit rented out again pretty quickly. Even without that, I am expanding my business soon and had considered conducting my practice out of Bill's unit if he didn't renew. The neighborhood (zoned for mixed use), is a lot closer to home than the current office, and setting up in the unit would also be a lot more comfortable.

I swore I'd be concise, but my mind is racing and brevity is not my strong suit on a good day, so I'll try to summarize the salient points.

* Tenant A gets arrested after noise complaint from Tenant B due to fight with his SO
* Tenant A apologizes, tells me he left with LEOs to defuse situation and was not arrested, broke up with SO and will not be a problem re: noise
* Tenant A signs new twelve month lease running 5/1/2016 - 4/30/2016
* Tenant A was actually arrested on IPV charge, will be incarcerated for for duration or majority of lease, intends to attempt to use unit as storage without paying while in prison

Answer:
 Don't rely on third hand accounts of how long he is going to jail for.

You should be able to look up the criminal court records in the county to see what the actual charges and/or conviction are.   If his record was clear when you screened him, a year seems like a lot, assuming this wasn't terrible.  First time domestic violence can be probation, dropped charges with counseling, all kinds of stuff.Answer #2: Apt mgr here. FYI: if he is in jail, when you start the eviction, you should serve him the eviction papers at the jail plus his home.  I had to release to someone because I know h she was jail and did not serve her there. Answer #3: /r/realestate and /r/landlord have some stories about what happens when a tenant gets arrested.


Title: Is it too late to report rape/sue someone for rape?

Question:
This might be a tricky one and I'm having trouble finding help online. But I'll include as many details as I can.

I was violently raped when I was 14 y/o in an away-camp that took us to China. The person who raped me was one of my camp mates, (he was 17) and after pressuring me to drink whiskey, he drugged me as well. He brainwashed me that this was normal and that we'd get in trouble for underage drinking so therefore, I haven't told anyone, including my parents.

This led to PTSD but it was diagnosed as depression at the time because I refused to tell anyone what happened until just a few months ago. I tried to kill myself twice (once when I was 16, once when I was 18) and both times I was hospitalized.

Right now, I'm 21. I was raped in China, but I lived in California at the time and he lived in New Jersey I think. Currently I live in BC, Canada (I'm a US-Canada duel citizen). The camp was organized badly and left us highly unsupervised letting 13-17 year olds wonder around Beijing at night.

Here are some of my concerns:
1.) I don't know if it happening in a different country will make a difference
2.) Like I said, it happened several years ago and I someone told me the cutoff date to report is max 4 years (but I can't find this fact online)
3.) Is it possible to sue both my rapist and the company?

I just don't want anyone to experience what I had to go through.

Answer:
 I'm sorry that happened to you.  Given that it happened 7 years ago in a different country, I'm guessing either criminal or civil actions would be complicated if even possible.  A support organization might be able to give you much better guidance - first on making sure you have the support you need right now and later on helping advocate for you with the authorities.  I've seen a lot of people around here recommend [RAINN.](https://www.rainn.org/)Answer #2: > 1.) I don't know if it happening in a different country will make a difference

Under the PROTECT Act of 2003, any American who travels to a foreign country to engage in child sex tourism, or who engages in illicit sexual conduct with another person in a foreign country, commits a federal [felony offense punishable by up to 30 years in prison.](https://www.state.gov/j/tip/laws/120170.htm)

You can file a complaint with the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) at 1-888-3737-888, or online [via their website.](https://humantraffickinghotline.org/report-trafficking)

> 2.) Like I said, it happened several years ago and I someone told me the cutoff date to report is max 4 years (but I can't find this fact online)

There is no statute of limitations associated with violations of the PROTECT Act.

> 3.) Is it possible to sue both my rapist and the company?

Possibly. You'll want to talk to an attorney in the United States and possibly Canada.


Title: Apartment advice - invasion of flies - broken windows and landlord says we have to wait until fall 2017

Question:
Hi guys!

First time posting really on reddit. I need advice - let me start with the background.

We live on the first floor and love our apartment. The only catch is the windows are awful. They are the old wooden framed windows with weights on chains that keep them open or closed.

However, the windows are so rotted and broken that I can't open them half the time. I am not strong enough and even the maintenance guy struggles to open or shut them when I call him.

He had to cut the weighted chain for the bedroom window and now I prop it open with a book...

The frame of one of the living room windows is held on by tape really (before the glass inner part the outer frame). And two of our windows have cracked glass / glass panes that are wiggling loose. I dare not to open those because I'm afraid they'll break.

This summer the flies were awful! There are three windows in the dinning room and the dumpster isn't too far off. The flies come through the gaps in the windows (most don't have screens) and I think some live in the wood!!! It is rotted and I've read they can lay eggs there.

Its so terrible it was driving me mad. Flies are dirty and spread disease. I view it as a major health risk. I was killing 20 some a day I kid you not. Please help!

We have implored the company for new windows and finally it came through that the whole building is getting new windows this fall!

Then, I found out that the first and basement apartments won't get new windows until the Fall of 2017 due to budgeting; "sorry for the inconvenience..." This means another whole summer with flies! And the terrible heat because we can't get the windows open.

Reddit - what are my options? I emailed them after being informed that we wouldn't get new windows and described our situation. It's been a week and I've heard nothing...

Do I have legal options? The windows are a security risk on the first floor and the flies are a health risk...

Please help.....

P.s we're in Chicago / IL

Answer: If you are in the city of Chicago I would call [Rents Right](https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dcd/supp_info/rents_right.html) to find out what your landlord's legal obligations are along with what actions you have available to you.


Title: (In Minnesota) Highway Patrol was tailgating me, then pulled me over when I sped up to let him pass.

Question:
I was driving on the interstate in the fast lane going 5 over when a cop who was clearly going at least 15 over came up behind me and got right up on my ass. He was so close that if I would have slowed down just a little bit, he would have hit me.

This went on for about 15 miles, and I could NOT move over to the right lane with how clogged it was with slow-moving traffic. Finally, I found an opening and sped up to get a wide enough distance to pass a semi on the right lane safely...

...and the cop pulled me over for speeding and reckless driving.

With how close he was following me, he was literally making me choose between safety and following the law. Isn't this entrapment? And aren't police required to follow traffic laws when their lights and sirens are off?

Just a simple review of his dash cam video by a judge would get him FIRED.

Answer:
 Read your DMV handbook. The solution to someone tail gating is to maintain a constant speed. Not break the law.

Please see criminal section of wiki for a definition of entrapment.Answer #2: He wouldn't get fired for that. Not even close.

You should have punched in cruise control at either the speed limit or the +5 you were already doing. Then wait for a big enough opening to move over.

What he did isn't entrapment, which has a specific and hard to prove definition. Answer #3: it is never entrapment, when it actually is we get giddy. you have no right to soeed despite what anybody else is doing. cop was justified in pulling you over.


Title: Traffic laws

Question: If someone brake checks me for no visible reason and I end up hitting them, whose fault is it?

Answer:
 Yours. It is *always* your responsibility to maintain a safe distance from the car in front of you. That means you have to maintain enough distance between you and the car in front of you should that car stop suddenly, without notice, at the speed you are traveling.

As the other post said "brake-checking" usually follows tailgating. Either way, you hitting the other driver means you were too close. In the event you described, even if the other driver stopped and exchanged information, you would have been found at fault for the accident by your insurance company. I don't know why the other driver failed to stop, but it's irrelevant to the end result for you- you're just fortunate you don't have his damages to pay for as well.


Title: TX, USA: had to take down child labor law and wage posters in facility to appease building owner. Is this legal?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 It's only for a day. Let it go.

If they're required to be posted for the law, and they're required to be framed by the landlord, then they should really be framed and on the wall.

The landlord can throw a fit over it, yes.


Title: Someone crashed a car I used to own, insurance is seeking 13k+ from me

Question:
So I was about 19 and I sold my car, I didnt know I had to legaly change the owner to the dmv.

I sold it to some random on OfferUp. I dont remember his name or any of his info.

A couple months later cops show up at my apartment and ask me where my car is, after they clarify it's my old car I tell them I sold it. I go on the app and manage to get the guys phone number and his city. They tell me cool thanks, and that I should notify the dmv that the car has been sold.

I do that and a couple months later the insurance letters start.  (Wawanesa Insurance)

I promptly call them and explain the situation, they tell me to submit a document proving that I notified the DMV that I'm no longer the owner. I do so and they tell me okay.

A couple months later I get another letter and a call from another company (I cant recall the name) they tell me they're a step before collections and they're trying to get the money before collections. Once again I tell them the story and the guy tells me to submit the DMV thing.

Anyways, this things been stressing me out for a while now, so does anyone know if I can end up HAVING to pay the 13k? What's the worse case scenario, or what should I do?

Remember, I sold the car the accident happened, and I released liability AFTER the accident, I'm in CA

Answer: In California, the titled owner of an automobile can be held responsible for its use even when someone else is negligent.  Is there any chance you still had insurance for it?


Title: Are looking a female's breasts as a male an actionable offense?

Question: I'm pretty good with eye contact, so, but you never know.

Answer:
 It is not a crime. In some contexts it can be actionable, such as it can create a hostile work environment if your poor victim feels sexually harassed by it.

You are nowhere near as good at pretending you aren't staring as you think you are. Knock it off, and stop being a repulsive creep. It is always grossly inappropriate in any circumstance.


Title: USA (Calif)- Once a child passport is signed does the parent need permission to leave the country each time?

Question:
I have joint custody of my son with his mother. He is two years old. She would like me to sign a passport document so he can travel to Norway to visit friends. Once I sign the passport is she free to use it whenever she wants or does she need permission from me each time he leaves the country?

EDIT: just to be clear we never got it officially put in court documents that I have joint custody but I am on the birth certificate. Which is why she can't get a passport without my consent for him.

Answer: Do you have an official custody agreement from the courts?


Title: Legal question

Question: I received a call (not on my cell, but someone else's) that was from the police.  I live in Canada.  Is this legit or one of these scams you hear about?

Answer: Could be either. How do we know? What did they want? If they wanted iTunes cards, it was a scam


Title: 8 months pregnant wife fell on her stomach in elevator due to hospital construction

Question:
 The hospital where my wife and I are set to birth or child is under construction in some parts. Some of the elevators have cardboard on the floors and blankets on the walls to protect the elevator floors and walls. There are no signs on these elevators advising of this setup or advising to watch your step.

My wife was at a check up yesterday and as she entered an elevator to leave, her sandal snagged cardboard that lined the floor of an elevator. She fell and tried to catch herself, but still hit her belly pretty hard. She was hysterical, laying on the floor and the doors closed. When they open, a FedEx guy stares at her and asks her if she needs help. She screams "yes" and he runs away to find help. The elevator doors close again. Still hysterical and not wanting to move for fear of causing further damage, the elevator takes her to the 6th floor where a doctor sees her and helps her to an office. He then tells her where to go and she ended up having to walk to ther labor and delivery ward, crying hysterically the whole time.

She was monitored for 4 hours and I'm happy to report that our baby is fine! My wife has bruised knees, elbows, and pride. She feels like this is her fault and feels like a failure.

I'm not big on lawsuits, but this is still weighing heavily on my mind and I'm scared for my wife's safety at her next checkup. We plan to use a wheelchair going forward at that hospital!

My question is, can we do anything legally?

Thanks in advance Reddit.

Answer:
 You have no damages to sue for. You can't sue for things that might have happened, and a bruised elbow isn't worthy of any real compensation.

And I don't see where the hospital did anything wrong in the first place. Elevators are routinely padded with cardboard and blankets to protect the walls and floor while moving heavy objects. Presumably the cardboard wasn't camouflaged and would have been easily noticeable the instant the doors opened, meaning a sign pointing it out would be largely pointless. Answer #2: You have no damages, so a lawsuit wouldn't acomplish anything.

Did your wife not notice the cardboard everywhere?

Would a watch your step sign have helped?

First child? You'll learn pregnant women aren't as fragile as you think. My sisters a cluts and constantly slipped on ice while she was pregnant.


Title: [ohio] Lawn worker destroyed my backyard with out my permission. Rental management don't care.

Question:
I live in a townhouse with a small backyard that has a fence and a door. One day the lawn worker who work the grass entered my back yard and cut most of plants. Over the years I have developed a beautiful garden and some herbs. When I got back that day the garden was destroyed. Even flowers and herbs were cut. Now, three days later, most plants died. I went to the rental office and told him about it. He replied that If I want to he wont allow the lawn to my back yard again. I told him that I want the damage repaired, he told me that it will never happen and he is sorry( with not so much tone ).
I understand that it is not a big issue, but I feel cheated here and that garden was a property of mine. Lawn worker should not enter the back yard with out my consent who by the way had an incident with me earlier that week.

Is there a way to get satisfaction out of this? Or I am asking too much from them. Thank you.

Answer: If your renting the townhouse you really don't own the garden. The landlord typically has say over what you can and cannot do on his property.... Especially if its not stated in the lease. Its the same as if you were to paint the walls without permission. You may think of it as an improvement to the property but The landlord can force you to repaint it back or demand payment to have people come and repaint back to the original color.


Title: Landlord scammed me, what can I do now?

Question:
So I was moving back to the city I go to university at. I ended up using the university's unoffical off campus listings to find an apartment. I saw a listing I liked and reached out to the landlord. I wanted to see the place but he said that he wanted to sign a lease first with the first months rent and the security deposit, apparently because people always lowball him and he wants to make sure their serious since he lives a couple of hours away. In hindsight this should have been enough to make me say no and move on. However, I decided that I'd go forward on the condition the lease would say I'd get a full refund if I didn't like the apartment. He agreed, and sent the signed lease over with his and his attorney's signature on it. I read it over, it indeed had the refund provision so I signed it and payed him. We agreed to meet, however,  he never showed up. At this point I was fully alarmed. I called and asked why he didnt show up and he claimed that he had accidentally signed a lease with someone else and that person was offering 3 months rent upfront. But he admitted my lease was signed first. So I refused to give him anymore money and said I would sue to get the keys. At that point he offered to give me a full refund. It's been a week and he hasn't done so. He keeps telling me to be patient and that it will be ready soon.

What are my best options going forward? Should I file a case in small claims court? Should I file a police report?
Any help would be much appreciated.

Answer: You're probably dealing with some Nigerian scammer. You can file a police report, for sure, but I wouldn't expect much to come of it.


Title: In trouble for academic dishonesty but didn't cheat. Have a meeting with the associate dean.

Question:
A few months ago during finals I was feeling pretty slammed and put an ad on craigslist asking for someone to do my HW assignment for me. I got in contact with them, but decided against it and just took the bad grade instead. I wasn't sure I was going to pass the class so I was pretty worried.

Fast forward to today when I get a hold on my records and go to the office of student affairs to suss it out. The receptionist printed me up a document explaining my hold. It was for academic dishonesty. The letter states: "Specifically, you have alleged to have attempted to solicit someone else to do your CLASS homework using craigslist." It also cites violation 41301 of Title 5 of the California code of regulations. I have a meeting with the associate dean on Friday to discuss it. The punishments are vague and range from a warning to expulsion. They said I can bring a counselor, basically anyone who is not a lawyer. I didn't use the school internet or my school email, so I'm not entirely sure how it was figured out.

Can I get some advice on my best course of action? I'm planning to be honest, I have my homework grades of which none are done 100% (actually just skimmed by to pass) and that the ad was posted at the very end of the semester so it could only have been on the last HW assignment.

TL;DR: My homework help ad on craiglist got me caught for academic dishonesty, although I didn't end up using the help.

Answer: It really doesn't matter how or why they caught you. If you are telling us the truth, I don't see how you could do much better than telling them that you backed out of it and providing evidence of same.Answer #2: Does your school's academic policy say anything about actually getting someone else to do your homework for you, versus **attempting** to get someone to do your homework for you? Because it sounds like you're not guilty of the former, but you are guilty of the latter. I'd check the wording of the policy on that so you know what you're up against.


Title: Legal Advice for a very Confused Lady....

Question:
Okay so I purchased a 2017 vehicle on 3/10/17. I am in the car business and would like to think I am decent at my job and have made a few Friends along the way... word of mouth goes far when your credit is not great as is my case.

I was told I had a creditor who would do a "favor" in accepting my loan, came in with my down payment, signed everything and boom I'm out the door stoked on my first solo brand new vehicle!! As it goes in my business sometimes the loan can hit a hiccup or two and take a few weeks to process so the 45 day grave period between purchase date and first bill can go as far as 90 days before you see your first bill...

Okay so here's where I need help....

I started calling to inquire about my plates on 5/17 (CA DMV is known to be a bit behind) but this was a new car deal which is the easiest DMV to process.... i left several messages at the dealership (phone records can prove this) as well as began calling the lender I was told had financed my deal (let's call the ABC credit) to inquire about my first payment due date. ABC had no record of a loan for me yet but explained when a "friendly deal" is done sometimes they have to wait to send it over with a beyond perfect loan in a process known as "cuddle" in. You take this one (bad) and we will give you this one (perfect money maker) and everyone is happy. That I would recieve my first bill about a week after the loan is funded and not to worry... 😒

So 6/2/17 rolls around and I pass the kitchen window in time to see some huge man jumping over the front of my car and locking the tow hitch around my wheels. WTF Man... i go outside and kindly ask if he possibly has the wrong vehicle and he says "no ma`am call the dealer I just hook it and take it" he kindly allows me to collect my things and get him the key all while trying to figure out what the heck I missed. I call the dealer and I get told

*we never got the funding on your deal
* we called you on 4/10 and advised you the bank needed to verify your employment

I say
* what do you mean you never got funded why didn't you call me
* why didn't you notify me prior to sending out the repossession hit man
* now what? I did my part in following through and not once was I told there was an issue

My contract has no lender however I was told to provide AAA with ABC credit which I did but now I am told that Sundance Financial was my lender (not one place on any paperwork has this name!!)

As of right now I have been told I have to pay the repossession fee (even though I was never notified there was an issue) and if I want the car back I have to pay the dealership 2 payments (remember I have NO paperwork signed with the dealer as to payment agreements) and if they can't get me financed then I would simply pay the dealer the monthly payments as opposed to ABC credit or Sundance Financial essentially being financed by the dealer.

So here's my questions....

If I have a signed contract that states I am the sole owner why can they simply take my car

If the dealer is now going to finance me aren't we essentially beginning a new contract with the date beginning when we sign paperwork

Shouldn't I have been notified somehow prior to having my car taken

What can I do?

I would truly appreciate any help in this matter, either pointing me in the right direction of what sort of legal counsel I should get or what I can potentially do on my own...

Thanks so much

Answer:
 You went 3 months without receiving a bill and it didn't seem odd to you? Check your credit to see if anything appears, that will be your first indicator of who has your loan if one even exists. You could consider freezing your credit so no one can add a loan after the fact using your information, dealerships are notoriously shady. The business repossessed the car because they clearly never secured the funding to sell it, don't pay anyone anything until you have the deal in full in writing, including who your lender is and your rates.Answer #2: How much is this mix-up costing you?  It sounds like it's the repo fee... plus whatever it costs you to get out to the dealership to reclaim your car.

I think you should make your case as strongly as possible to the dealer that there was no reason to repossess your car and you shouldn't have to pay that fee.  They didn't ever call you, they didn't ever demand you start making payments until afterwards.  You called them well before the repossession and were given inaccurate information.  It's their fault.

But if you can't talk your way out of it, I suggest you just make the payments they're asking for, but get a signed agreement that they will provide dealer financing.  You can try suing in small claims court for your repo fee back later.  Explain that you made the repo fee payment under protest, because they had your car *and* your down payment and you were stuck.


Title: Woman harassing and threatening people on the street with her dogs [Chicago, IL]

Question:
A few weeks ago, I was walking my dog and as I was looking at my phone while he stopped to do his business. I become aware of someone shouting, and look up to see a woman with three rottweiler-looking dogs standing about ten feet away, screaming at the top of her lungs that I need to "get the \[bleep\] out of her \[bleeping\] way or else". I was more shocked than anything at first, so I didn't respond. She starts screaming, "my three \[bleeping\] dogs will tear the shit out of your dog. \[bleeping\] MOOOOOOOOOOVE"

I urge my (stubborn, yet blissfully oblivious) dog to hustle along only to see that she's decided to follow us around the corner, and is continuing to scream threats and obscenities at us. I would have crossed the street but it wasn't safe, and I would have had to cross back to get home anyway. I didn't catch a lot of what she was saying as we built up some distance because she was wearing a scarf that covered her mouth and also my hearing isn't the best, but the keywords were clear enough. The only cutting remark I was able to get off through my shock was, "this is a public street!" shouted over my shoulder. I'm sure she was devastated by that. We sprinted home and I hadn't seen or heard from her since.

Fast forward to Sunday and my friend who lives about a block away on a side street texts to ask if the woman who harassed me matched the description he gave of her and her dogs. It was definitely her. He said he heard shouting outside and went to his window to see her menacing two guys walking their dog. The one guy was shouting at her to back off, and she was screaming the same thing about her dogs "tearing the shit" out of theirs. From what he said, it sounded like she kept advancing on them and they couldn't get away. Ultimately they crossed the street to get away, but she kept screaming at them until they went around the corner out of sight.

The next day, my friend texted to say he was walking his own dog, spotted her, but was able to go a different way to get away from her, but that he was afraid of the same thing happening to him. I've also been on edge about walking my dog since then.

This woman is menacing people and terrorizing people who aren't doing anything wrong. I have to be extra vigilant now whenever I walk my dog. Of course, my hope is that vigilance will make it possible to avoid her, but what should I do if I end up in a situation like a few weeks ago? Should I video it and take it to the police? Do I call 911? That seems extreme and likely she'd be gone by the time anyone got there, but also if I feel like I'm in danger then maybe it's appropriate? And, it's also worth asking, threatening to sic your dogs on people has to be against some law, doesn't it?

Answer:
 Call the police non-emergency line and report the issue. I'd argue that she's threatening the dogs of people nearby, and at minimum is causing a public disturbance.Answer #2: Call the cops, a dog could easily be considered a weapon, so her threats could be perceived as a threat of assault which is a felony.
Ask yourself if she had been wielding an axe, how would cops react?

Video is strong evidence, but don’t take risk with what might me a person with a mental disorder. Do you own a GoPro or similar?


Title: Prosecutor reduced my sentence from a misdemeanor to an infraction to prevent me from having a jury trial.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Carry on with life? You weren't charged with changing a song, you were charged with using an electronic device while driving - which you fully admit to doing.  You can think a jury would believe that, but you would be wrong.  The consequences of fighting this grossly outweigh the circumstances you are in now.


Title: I'm getting in trouble for defamation of character. I believe this person is exaggerating in order to get me in trouble.

Question:
I live in Ontario, Canada.
One time, I had a lot of emotional stress and anxiety at home. I found out a certain spontaneous change in one of my presentation days for a school subject. I irrationally insulted my teacher on social media as an outlet due to my abundance of stress and conflicts.

Don't worry, I have learned my mistakes. But I got into trouble when someone created a throwaway account and reported me to the school board.
This is the first time I've ever gotten in trouble (I'm in grade 11). I've apologized numerously and I felt terrible. I let my parents and my hopeful teachers down. That hurts me more than being suspended.

I was pissed because I got reported and I just wanted to find out who it was. Heck, my principal even asked me to find who it was. After some basic doxxing and social engineering, I found out who it was. I also got a screenshot of him confessing it to his other friends.

I tried to explain it to the guy that I would like to have that account deactivated as it will hinder my future and I've already learned my lesson.
With no cooperation, I tried making it so that if he doesn't deactivate that throwaway account, I will publicize his identity. I even have proof of him encouraging me to do so as he thought I was a pussy.

So I did that and I called him a snake on social media (snitch). Realizing my stupid behaviour, I deleted it since I didn't want to ruin his reputation (because I know how it feels).

Today I'm terrified as the guy messaged me saying that he will pursue legal actions for defacement of character. I don't understand. Wouldn't it be a good character if you reported someone insulting a teacher on social media? It's ethical and it means you're not a bystander. However, this guy wanted to trap me in this legal conflict.

He says he's talked to the police and I could get in trouble for defacing his character. He's made some bs of being depressed for being called a snake.

Now, because I'm a scared wimpy student, I followed his every embarrassing condition. That got more attention and it humiliated me more than it humiliated him when I publicized that identity. I do not want my parents to witness me getting into trouble as it already pains me deeply to see them disappointing from my insulting tweet.

I'm scared more than ever. I have a test tomorrow and it's hard studying with this level of anxiety. I do not want my loved ones to be disappointed.

Answer:
 Study for your test and drop the drama.

I'm not sure what your question is but study for your test and forget the nonsense.


Title: Does the price you pay for an attorney to represent you in the original case cover the cost to file for early termination of probation?

Question: At the point of my probation where my attorney recommended that I file for early termination of probation if I had a good record on probation (which I do). Should I expect an additional cost from my lawyer, or will what I paid him originally cover this as well?

Answer:
 Most defense attorney arrangements are hourly.  Most attorney relationships begin with a retainer where you give the attorney an amount of money to cover costs and some number of hours.

We don’t know your arrangement, or, if typical, how many hours you may have left in what you already paid. But your attorney should be able to provide you a statement.  Certainly the additional hours to perform the early termination would be billable in all agreements I’ve seen.


Title: Utility easement (update)

Question:
I posted a few days ago on this issue and got some advice to find documentation. Well I found it and would like to know some more information if possible.  So my neighbor has this utility easement for his power lines that cross my driveway and go to his house ~300' away. On our property there is a junction box that is free standing on a post. When we moved in, there was a large fence around the box. We have removed the fence because the post on its own looks nicer than the fence. My neighbor is now saying that he wants the fence back, or he will build another one himself. He is saying it's required for public safety.

Based on this document, is he entitled to do this? He is saying it's part of 'maintenance'.

 https://imgur.com/a/R5r2G

Thanks

Answer: Jeez. That would come down I suppose to what Niagra Mohawk power customarily means when they say "maintain, operate, change" and "necessary appliances". The easement on it's face just doesn't contain enough information.


Title: (LA) friend is going through trial and a witness/ex-friend posted details about it online and is harassing her.

Question:
A friend of my girlfriend is being harassed by her ex boyfriend and her ex best friends. They all lived together in a house and after a very messy break up with the ex boyfriend that involved him destroying her property she retaliated. The police were called because the ex boyfriend was threatening to kill himself and was hiding in bushes if she left and the charged her for the damage. He did a lot of steroids.

The post without revealing details is

"When you get summoned to court as a witness against your ex-bestfriend cause shes a crazy ass bitch who likes to destroy people's property with ____ and not compensate for it but she asks for another extension; And all you can think about while your purposefully sitting behind her is "all that mousse is probably hella flammable"."

The ex friend has been harassing my girlfriends friend by responding to Craigslists ads for lost dogs similar to hers and saying she is keeping the lost dog. She isn't. She just has a desirable breed. People have already shown up to her house and now I'm watching her dog.

I've told the friend to find a lawyer but she doesn't know exactly what to tell him. I feel like this constitutes stalking or harassment.

Also did her friend just really mess up by posting on Facebook? The friend has a warrant out for her arrest as well.

I just want my girlfriends friend to be sage so she can take the dog back.

What should she do?

Answer: If this is already in criminal court, talk to the prosecutor handling it or the victim/witness coordinator at the DA's office. This is at least flirting with witness intimidation.


Title: Is paying non-workers a salary and health benefits through the company embezzlement or illegal?

Question:
If I have a few people on the payroll who don't actually work for the company (like family members) is it legal to cut them paychecks and include them in the company healthcare plan?

I might call them employees, but they wouldn't actually work for the company.

Kind of like how the kids in Arrested Development get paid.

It's a small company. Is this legal in any manner?

Company in Pennsylvania

Answer:
 Yes, it's tax fraud because you're apportioning out money that should be taxed differently if it were distributions to you that are handed out as gifts to your family members.

They need to actually work for you if you're going to do that.  They can be shitty at their jobs, but if you get audited and the IRS finds out that these people are never in the office and don't actually work, you'll wind up in a lot of trouble.Answer #2: Unless you are a publicly traded company your only responsibility is to the owner's of the company. If you own the company 100% then it doesn't matter who you pay or for what. Although the IRS will likely care if you aren't taking out Social Security and the regular withholding taxes.

You are most likely defrauding your insurance company.


Title: Advice on dealing with specific rape accusation in Louisiana

Question:
So, I'm gonna make this as straight up and point blank as possible.  I did not rape anyone.  I did not hurt anybody consciously.  I did not intentionally cross anyone's boundaries.  I am, however, a somewhat dumb and broken person, and so my knowledge on MY RIGHTS is lacking, and I was hoping that this "community," though biased as all online communities are, could help me with not going to prison as an innocent and good man.

Regarding the state of Louisiana:  "Sexual assault covers a wide range of unwanted behaviors—up to but not including penetration—that are attempted or completed against a victim's will or when a victim cannot consent because of age, disability, or the influence of alcohol or drugs. Sexual assault may involve actual or threatened physical force, use of weapons, coercion, intimidation, or pressure and may include—Intentional touching of the victim's genitals, anus, groin, or breasts."  Etc, etc, etc.

I was just recorded admitting to "kissing [her] pussy" while, according to her, she was unconscious.  I denied her inability to consent from the beginning of the phone conversation, not knowing until I said the above quote that I was being recorded, and stated that she talked to me while she was supposedly asleep.

From the beginning:  I picked her up in Mississippi, hoping to bring her back to my place and simply cuddle with her.  She was spun out of control on methamphetamine, though I never saw her consume it, she repeatedly told me in person that she had injected it and been up for several days, and did not want to be touched, though she did not fight me when I did touch her while I was driving her back to our home-town in Louisiana, several times, casually misleading me to the assumption that she was not serious about this, though obviously she said she didn't want it.  I know that if a girl says she does not want it, that means that it's rape if it happens.  This is unfortunate for me, considering what I did was most certainly not immoral, though certainly was amoral, by definition.  I am scared senseless.

Anyway, so on the way back to town, the girl is telling me all about her life as a professional prostitute, fucking old men for money.  I have no issues with her doing this and don't find her unattractive, because she's not unattractive by any means, physically.  This aside, I continue to converse with her on her meth rants, and we get back to town, and stand outside my house smoking cigarettes.  A couple of hood kids (of age) that I see daily walk up to us and kick it with us, asking her if she's interested in fucking all of us.  She says that the drug has her really uncomfortable, and she might consider fucking us tomorrow if the hood kids bring her some downer type pills to make her feel better and more relaxed, then we can see what happened.

Anyway, everyone leaves after me and her pass out.  One of the kids steals her phone, and her and I go to sleep next to each other.  I wrap my body around hers and she reciprocates BUT when she gained consciousness a couple of times, she retracts.  I try again, just putting my arm around her, and she moans lightly, muttering friendly to me under her breath.  I begin to kiss her body, thinking she's in some type of semi-conscious state.  I kiss her all over, and relax.

A couple of hours of sleep between us, my alarm wakes me up.  She stirs, but is not clearly conscious, but to my knowledge is in some type of semi-conscious state.  I kiss her all over again, and she does not resist whatsoever.  I end up pulling her pants down and touching her.  She does not resist and even makes pleased noises.  I end up kissing her pussy and noticing that her phone is gone:  One of the kids stole it.

I wake her up and tell her her phone is gone; we go over to the projects and she calls the police.  She gets the kid who definitely stole it name and files a report.  I obviously lost my hood pass but that is the LEAST of my worries right now.  Her phone has not been returned but she has a go-phone.

She calls me later that day complaining about her phone still being missing, and I ask her what I can do to help.  She says she doesn't give a fuck about those kids and that the phone is trackable even with its off (it's a Galaxy 3).  Whatever.

I just got off the phone with her before looking up that law that I quoted and writing this article for help.  She told me that she recorded me stating that I kissed her pussy.  She stated on the phone that she was asleep, and I stated that she was talking to me and I thought she was conscious.  She told me, after I supposedly confessed, that she only wanted to record me stating that I had done what she was accusing me of doing.  She continues to berate me, telling me that I'm a joke that lives with my parents (arguable both ways, though I do live with my parents).  She accuses me of rape directly saying "that is rape, whether your dick is in me or not."  I simply state that I did not rape her, and that to my knowledge she was conscious.

Another thing she states on the phone is that she woke up with me going down on her and with my hands down her pants on a couple of times.  I suppose I could use this to my advantage by claiming that she should have verbally told me to stop.  She says the first time she did.  The second time, when I was kissing her pussy, she said nothing of the sort about, and in fact, when I was going down on her, I stopped myself, pulled up her pants, and went to get a drink of water.  That's when I came back and noticed the phone was gone, to be specific about everything.

I'm seriously scared, Reddit.  I'm not a bad person, and most certainly not a rapist.  I may be misogynistic, but I'm dealing with it one day at a time.  I even consider myself a feminist by some standards, believing in equal pay, equal rights, and social equality.

What the fuck should I do.  Based on the law that I read, I'm a rapist, right?  Fucking KMS if that's the case, because I am NOT going to prison for some bullshit like this in my current stage of life.  Seriously.

TL;DR I need help that requires actually carefully reading this article, and possibly asking me questions.  A girl recorded me saying that I kissed her pussy while she claimed to be asleep.  I thought that she was conscious at the time, though she was only halfway (according to her, completely unconscious).
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 >and did not want to be touched, though she did not fight me when I did touch her while I was driving her back to our home-town in Louisiana, several times,

Sexual assault. Several times.

>I begin to kiss her body, thinking she's in some type of semi-conscious state.

Sexual assault.

>She stirs, but is not clearly conscious, but to my knowledge is in some type of semi-conscious state. I kiss her all over again,

Sexual assault.

>She accuses me of rape directly saying "that is rape, whether your dick is in me or not."

She is correct.

>Another thing she states on the phone is that she woke up with me going down on her and with my hands down her pants on a couple of times. I suppose I could use this to my advantage by claiming that she should have verbally told me to stop.

"The woman I was raping didn't tell me not to rape her" is not an argument that will help you. If she woke up to you performing oral sex on her, that means you were performing oral sex on her while she was asleep - which is sexual assault.

>I thought that she was conscious at the time, though she was only halfway (according to her, completely unconscious).

You thought that she was, at most, semi-conscious. You obviously did not try to determine whether she was conscious. You made no effort to ensure that she was okay with what you were doing. But your *own* account, let alone hers, you committed sexual assault on several separate occasions.

Stop talking about this and get a lawyer if you are charged. You deserve to go to jail and will be very lucky if you do not.


Title: Can a landlord prohibit me from throwing my dogs poop out in my outdoor garbage?

Question:
I know this should seem obvious, but my landlord is forcing the issue. I have a dog (that she doesn’t want me to have, but I know she can’t do anything about that) but now she’s taking issue with my throwing my dogs poop in my outdoor garbage can. It’s in a little hutch thing that looks like this:

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/77/aa/e4/77aae48323fca96fa4d7cb8ec947ccf4--lid-storage-storage-boxes.jpg

She wants me to buy a seperate garbage, stored elsewhere for this poop. I don’t want to do this, I live somewhere where it’ll either blow away or get iced over for most of the year... I would rather just throw my dog poop in the garbage. Is there any problem legally with my disregarding her and continuing to throw my poop out? I just wanted all bases covered before I reply to her email

Answer:
 Does your lease say anything about pets?  Does it say anything about trash or poop? Why doesn't she want it in the regular trash? Are you not bagging it properly to keep it contained? You also need to provide a location.

Maybe you could offer a compromise where you agree to double bag it.


Title: Non-profit occupying private land over 60 years, can we stop a sale/adverse possession? (WA)

Question: A private "club" affiliated and registered with a national (501c3) organization, we own the building which has been sitting on private land for over 60 years, maintaining and exclusively using the lot.  The land is purportedly involved in a transaction with developers, and our future is uncertain.  Can we tie this up? Make adverse claim to the land?

Answer: How did your building come to be on the land? Did the owner let you build it? If so the possession is not "adverse".


Title: Parent might not allow my religion at home (South Carolina)

Question: My parents are heavily Christian, while I want to practice a different religion. If I was buying the religious book, is it legal for them to stop me?

Answer: 100% legal.


Title: Is it illegal to sign in a nickname?

Question:
A couple months ago I caused a commotion at my work because I signed a note to my boss as my nickname, "Max". My real name is Madison, and that's what my family and coworkers know me as, so I understand why they were so confused. I know that signing a note like that isn't illegal, but after that I realized my signatures always just say "Max \[last initial/full last name\]". Sometimes on important documents and whatnot, and I'd like to use my preferred name.

So my two questions are:

Could this get me in big trouble if something were to happen?

Can I solve this by appealing it as a legal alias in court?

If not, I turned 18 on Friday and I'll be able to change my name but that seems like a very long process.

\*I live in VT, if it matters for this\*

Answer: You could literally just draw a line and if you intend that to be your signature and your binding mark, then that works. That said, signing your legal name on important documents is the way to go.


Title: Police come to your door, bang on it. You dont answer, they leave.... what then? (see more inside)

Question:
Location: Missouri.

You can't lose if you dont play. Not opening the door to the cops is how you dont play. Opening the door to cops is playing their game. They get  to talk to you and talking with the police is a great way to lose unless you are very careful.

That said.... what do you do when the cops leave? How can you find out why they wanted to talk with you without "playing their game". You want to find out if they are looking for you. They may be just wanting to do a "knock and talk" , or arrest you. But you dont know. So what do you do?

Answer:
 I'm a cop.

If you don't play, you don't get to know why we were there.

Have a great (paranoid) day!


Title: Unneccessary cryotherapy led to bad scarring

Question:
21 YO female 5'6" 135 lbs, no current medications. From Canada.
I posted this in AskDocs earlier and they told me this is a more appropriate spot.

I went to the doctors as a walk-in for a cyst I had on my butt near my vagina and they helped me deal with it, since I had everything exposed down there, the doctor noticed something and said I have genital warts and that I should get them freezed immediately and directed me to another room to have it done... Before we started, I mentioned to them that I already had those "warts" tested in the same clinic with a different doctors for STIs/STDs, HPV, etc. and everything was negative and the bumps looked like razor burn bumps and some of them were larger than normal so that's why I wanted to make sure. This first doctor said it was reaction from either shaving with a dull razor or me trying a Brazilian wax for the first time recently... I was prescribed a cream and it disappeared with time.

I suspected that this was the case again since I shaved recently, similar bumps appeared, however this new doctor treating the cyst was very adamant that it was warts and that there was so many of them and if I don't freeze them, they will multiply so I trusted him and I was pretty scared... He said I have to come back at least 5-6 times to do the freezing once a week. After the first time I had it done, something didn't see right, I had a wart freezed before on my foot and I knew what was suppose to happen, I thought maybe warts near the groin may be different, so I did go for treatment a second time... After the 2nd freezing, there was clearly something wrong. I went to another doctor in a different clinic for an 2nd opinion and I explained the situation and showed him how I looked down there. He said it does not look like warts at all and from my description that it was impossible that it would be warts (as I said, these bumps went away), he advised to stop getting them freezed immediately and gave me a cream to help with the healing from having normal skin freezed... He took a biopsy recently just to give me a concrete answer and I'm waiting for any response, which most likely there won't be any (doctors here do not call you if nothing comes up). He said I just had folliculitis everytime I've seen him (red bumps that look like pimples, ingrown hairs).

Long story short, I have horrible looking scars down there and it looks healed now. This doctor says that scars can take up to 6 months to fully heal/look how they really look, and that there is nothing I can do to help with the scars looking less obvious. I am embarrassed to see new partners, I can't stress how bad it looks down there, it looks worse than herpes and I feel horrible right now. During the time my cyst was being treated, another doctor saw me down there to see my healing progress, and then another nurse who changed my dressings and made no comments about seeing genital warts. These 2 were women and the doctor who freezed me was a man, I'm not sure if that means anything, I figure it might show he may not know how common it is to have bumps down there from waxing/shaving as a female and that it can look different for everyone.

Looking for advice on how to handle this situation legally and/or help on treating my skin affected. I want my skin to heal the best as it can or options on how to get rid of the scars. I have darker spots which were bigger, and also white spots where my skin was freezed. The wart that was frozen on my foot never went through anything like this, it was very obviously a wart and the freezing was clearly working. I live in Canada and didn't have any medical bills, I'm wondering if there's anything I can do, all I want is to fix the scars. I will take pictures.

Answer:
 We don't want to see the pictures.

Medical malpractice requires a consult with a lawyer but being wrong in and of itself is not necessarily negligent.


Title: Can my landlord evict me for making repairs?

Question:
I recently received permission to paint the room I am renting. The guy who runs the apartment, but is not the landlord, said I could do whatever I want to the room. Well, there were some screw holes and other protrusions, so I did a pretty common painter’s trick and hammered them in to fill with spackling so it would be flat to paint.

The guy who runs the apartment threw a fit at this and called the landlord who lives upstairs. He told the landlord I was making holes in the walls, which was a dick move because I was making them to fill in. The landlord said I have to be out by the end of the month or she’ll have someone throw me out. This is all very unreasonable in my opinion as I was just making a good faith effort to repair and paint on my own dime — the room really needs it. Now the guy who runs the apartment says I can’t touch the room and he threatened both violence and eviction. I don’t think that’s how it works.

My question is: is something like this grounds for eviction? Is there anything I can do about the threat of violence? I am kind of scared and not sure about tenants’ rights in Chicago. I always pay my rent on time and to top it off I have loaned the guy who threatened me a lot of money because he lost his job. Any help appreciated — thanks.

Answer:
 He can TRY to evict you. If he takes you to the court, I'd assume the judge would laugh at him and he would not be able to evict you from the apartment for filling in the holes in the wall.

Separately, threats of violence are something you should call the police about.


Title: Did casino security follow the law?

Question:
I was involved in a dispute in Las Vegas over a lounge chair.  The details are unimportant at this point, but eventually the angry man picked up the chair and I was tossed to the ground. I told security I wanted to press charges. They cuffed him and brought me back to the security office for paperwork.  A bit of waiting and they came in and told me to stand up. I got cuffed and put in a cell. They said he was pressing charges on me. Was this ok for them to do?

In the end, neither of us pressed charges. He was tresspassed from all Caesars casinos and I was given a "stern warning" (for what, I am not sure. I was the victim).

Answer:
 Yup. Totally legal. When you step foot on private property in Clark County, casino security has a right to detain you until proper Law Enforcement arrives, in which they will determine what to do.

They cuffed you booted you off the property because there are way more important things for the police and security to handle than to worry about 2 adults who were probably intoxicated squabbling over a chair.

I worked at Caesars in Vegas and this crap came up all the time.Answer #2: A prosecutor presses charges, not you or casino security. Unless there is some weird casino court I don’t know about.

All security was worried about was ending the dispute and sending you on your separate ways so as to not interfere with business.

If you want to move forward with an assault case, you would need to contact the real police. If you have no injuries or damages, it is probably best to just let it go.


Title: [OK]Judge said anyone who eats at a person's house is liable for code violations at that house. What?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 This is a one-sided account from someone reported one single sentence out of a larger hearing out of context.

We can't offer any analysis in that situation.


Title: Been building an app, never thought to check if business model was legal. Thoughts?

Question:
So for about a month now I was working on an app by myself that would simulate trading stocks with fake money. Users would sign up for free, be given fake money, and trade it. The incentive would be the following: Every month, the portfolios that earned the highest amount would win a cash prize. I’d make money through ad placements on the app.

Up until recently I was sure this was perfectly fine, since its a competition and not a lottery. It wasn’t until I started getting more questions from my peers regarding its legality that I became concerned.

I have about $130 to my name and was planning on pitching my app to gather investment once it was completed. So at the moment, I really dont think I can afford to visit a lawyer. Unfortunate because I really was passionate about the app.

Do any of you have any insight when it comes to gambling law and if this app would be considered legal?

I’m in the US, California.

Answer: You say the users would sign up for free and would be given fake money. How is this gambling if the users are never using their own (real) money? As long as they are never paying anything in, then I can't imagine it would be gambling (i.e. they have nothing to lose).


Title: Landlord Not Providing What's in the Lease

Question: I'm a college student leasing a place with my two friends. In the lease it states that we should have a dishwasher, which we don't. We've had lots of problems with this landlord in the previous year on him just trying to get every penny out of him that we can. If he refuses to put one in or says he "can't cause of the house structure" what can I do?

Answer: Landlord tenant laws vary by state, we need to know where you are.


Title: [Indiana] Lived with partner, unmarried, not on mortgage, but paid it.

Question:
Since day one of purchasing the home we lived together in it. The mortgage came out of a joint account, which we both had our checks direct deposited to. We both made very similar salaries, I made slightly more than him in the end. We also paid for several home renovations out of the joint account.

Not seeking compensation for anything below, but not sure if it matters:

We paid all the bills out of the joint account. He has a child which he had full legal custody of. The child is not mine and I have no legal responsibility for, but we still supported from the joint account. He paid child support to his ex wife from his check before it landed in the joint.

He started doing real-estate and putting that money in a separate account, from which I never had access to and I don't know what he did with the money.

We were not married. I was not on the mortgage.

Since then I've moved out and our relationship is over. Am I entitled to anything or am I screwed?

Answer: This is why you don't spend money on improving properties you have no interest in.


Title: Aaska ISP GCI auto-pay catastrophe

Question: The biggest ISP in Alaska, GCI, recently made some sort of switch to their systems and due to that could not transfer financial information due to "legal reasons" so every customers auto-pay feature was disabled with the only warning being a letter that some people may or may not have gotten and possibly a social media post, no call or email whatsoever. This was back in August when they changed systems and rather than cutting the service for people not paying their bills due to not being notified, they let the cost stack up and continued service now expecting to be paid $700 in the holiday season. If they would have cut the service after not being paid the customer would have called and found this information guaranteed instead they decided to put people into debt without their knowledge. Is there any legal recourse that we can take possibly a class action lawsuit? Thank you for your time!

Answer:
 Are they charging any late fees? If not, it sounds like you got an interest-free loan from them! You just have to pay it back now.

I'm not sure why you would want to sue. It's up to you to make sure your bills are paid. You didn't notice that no money had been taken out since August?


Title: Animal control officer 'improved ' victims report.

Question:
Here is what happened. I was walking my dog on leash with a friend. We came out of the woods and walked about 25yards into a field, An unleashed dog we didn't see came up behind us and my dog allegedly bit him. I was there, immediately turned around and did not see my dog bite him or any damage to the dog. All I seen was the dog retreating. It all happened fast. Me and my buddy, paused for bit, then continued to walk 100yards out of the field. Once out of the field we talked at our cars for a couple minutes before leaving.

When the investigations took place the Officer told me that the .. 1.) lady admitted she was walking her dog off leash. 2.) she did not see what happened, bud did see us walking our dogs off leash. 2b.) I told the officer I herd growling and turned around. 3.) She said she yelled to us and we 'fled' the scene. 4.) She said she seen both of us get in 1 car and leave the scene.

Now the report says, that ... 1.) Her dog pulled the leash out of her hand. (previously admitted to walking her dog off leash.) 2.) She chased her dog and seen my dog release her dog. and seen us walking our dogs off leash (previously she didn't see anything) 2b.) The report says I heard growling and a 'yelp'. I never said I heard anything more than growling. 3.) She called to us and neither responded. She said she was scared to get closer to call because of my dog. 4.) She said she seen us get into 2 cars. (not 1) 5.) She said she got the license plate of 1 of the cars at that time. When in reality she drove around the neighborhood and got it off the car parked at my friends house.
6.) We also told her we talked and hung around our cars for a few minutes before leaving. This was not in the report.

I was originally not concerned because this lady was just making things up and there was multiple inconsistencies to prove this. Now her story is more refined and sounds as if she was right there!

The truth is this lady was no where near her dog, atleast 50 yards away.

I was going to go down talk to the animal control officer tomorrow and I don't see any reason not to make a report against her. Any advice on all this?

Michigan

Answer:
 Hi, animal control officer here. For my department, we (animal control) only make reports if A) someone requests it and/or B) it was an event that requires a report, such as a dog bite on human. We don't consider dog on dog bites a category B, so it seems like she may have asked for a report to be done. Of course, your animal control policies may be different, and they may make a report for these kinds of things irregardless.

While the report itself isn't going to do anything to you, if this woman wanted to file a charge of harboring a dangerous dog or suing you for medical expenses, this report would be used for evidence. Just because you haven't received a ticket yet doesn't mean that she can't sign a complaint to take you to court.

I'm not sure how you are seeing the report being updated, but you should talk with the animal control officer and voice your concerns (politely). Find out why the report changed. Our report program saves the history of report edits, but if you have any hard copies of the first report text, hang on to it.


Title: Please Help My Friend

Question:
Hi legaladvice,

I have a friend who is in Oklahoma and just started dating a guy.  As she's really smart, she ran a background check on him and found out that his license was suspended.

Here's what he told her:
There was a DUI in 2008
He got a speeding ticket last month

The background check confirmed the above but he didn't tell her about the suspended license.  So that has raised some questions.

1.  Would a simple 1-10 mph over speeding ticket cause a license suspension?
2.  Is there anyway that he doesn't know that his license has been suspended?
3.  Is there anything else she can do to find out more and either set her mind at ease, or give her the justification to end things?

Thank you!

Answer:
 1.  Maybe, if he was on probation for the DUI.  Or if he hasn't paid his ticket yet.

2.  It's possible.  Some people are dummies, or the suspension could have just come down

3.  If she's paranoid enough to run a background check on a guy she's dating AND is considering breaking up with this person solely due to their status as a driver....probably not.  And it's a relationship, she doesn't need "justification" to not date someone.


Title: [MI] Former friend owes me money and has stopped paying me. I have a signed repayment contract.

Question:
I loaned the person a large for me amount of money (7,000) to get them back on their feet.  We drew up a contract that they would pay back $100 a month till they got it all paid back, with a $50 late fee for every missed payment.  Some times they paid more than 100, but most times it was 100 exactly.  Only around 4500 is remaining on the balance.  The other party has been paying for a year now, and missed the last two payments.  They've also gone no contact and have been ignoring any phone calls/texts.

Not sure what the next steps are.

Answer:
 You can sue them in small claims for a judgement on the remainder.Answer #2: I would sue immediately. When you have a judgment you can be as lenient or strict as you want. And you can use court-enforced collection measures, like garnishment.

Don't expect the court to enforce your late fee. It's too large for the payment amount.


Title: Construction/Work crew sent to wrong house (My House).

Question:
Edit:  We are in Alabama, USA.

Yesterday(7/27), my wife came home for lunch at 12:15 PM and found a pressure washing/painting crew working at our house.  We did not hire this work.  She called me and I drove the 10 minutes home from the office.  During the time it took me to get home she was able to explain to the work crew that they weren't supposed to be there and got them to stop.  The work crew showed up some time after 8:oo AM, as my wife and I had left for work by then.  During this window of time, between 8 AM and 12 noon,  the work crew removed all of our storm windows and pressure washed our entire house.  The pressure washing damaged every one of our windows.  Paint and/or glazing were pressure washed from the trim of the windows.  Our painted front porch is damaged.  Water and dirt was also blasted between the windows and the frames resulting in dirt/mud and puddles of water in various interior locations on the floor, on the window sills, and down the walls. Our house is 115 year old and the windows don’t exactly seal perfectly.   Our storm windows are also still off, sitting in our back yard and our driveway.  The owner of the company incorrectly sent this work crew to our house, providing the wrong address (our address) via text.  I have a picture of this text.  The company owner was not present.   I spoke to the owner within ten minutes of my arrival, and he stated he would be on his way to assess the damage as soon as he finished his current job.  He never showed and never answered for the rest of the day.  This morning I called and left a voice mail, he promptly responded from a different phone number with an excuse for not showing up or responding to yesterday’s calls.  Owner said he would text me shortly after 10:30 AM this morning to let me know he would be on his way to meet me at my house.  There has been no further communication since.  I have numerous pictures from around the house, the workers vehicles and tag #s, and the address the business is registered to.  I also filed a police report.  What should I do at this point?  I wish this could be settled outside of court, but I get the feeling it may not end that way.  His lack of urgency towards getting this resolved is extremely aggravating.

**Update 1: 7/29** - Yesterday morning(7/28), after numerous attempts to call and going straight to the company owner's voicemail, I finally left a somewhat stern voicemail asking for some sort of communication about resolving the issue.  A few minutes later I got a text response from the company owner, but oddly it was from a different phone number...

>Owner – “Hey [theschmohawk], I got off about 11 last night, so I didn’t wanna contact you that late, I’m im a meeting but will be out at 10:30, coming by sometime today so I can get the issue resolved.. I apologize”

>TheSchmohawk– “Thank you. Please call when you’re on your way and I can meet you over there.”

>Owner – “OK I will”

Guess what?.... no call no show.  I texted again shortly after 1 PM asking for an ETA, but still no response.  Sometime after 3PM I called our insurance company to get the estimate process going.  Our insurance company doesn't have any in-house claims adjusters here locally, but an independent claims adjuster is supposed to be calling me sometime today so we can meet at my house and review the damage.

I have also taken the time to document every communication with this business owner and every attempt to contact the business owner.

One last thing in this update: I discovered the complete business name and address for this company.  The initial and only phone call with the business owner was very rushed on his part.  I was also in a bit of shock and didn't really go through a mental check list of necessary info to obtain. I guess being lead to believe this business would shortly be heading my way made me think that our info would be swapped during our face to face.  The business address is registered to a residential property.  Based on county tax records, the business owner does not own the property.  The address was discovered when one of the laborers, who I had given my phone number, texted me a picture of a Sherwin Williams receipt showing the company address and a phone number.  The phone number on this receipt was the same phone number used to text this laborer the wrong address(our address) and was the number I called when I originally spoke with the business owner.  The receipt shows a recent purchase by the company to a Sherwin Williams credit account.

Answer: Call your home owners insurance. They'll send someone out to assess the damage. You'll probably need to file a claim with your own insurance to get this resolved. They will follow though with collecting from the company's liability insurance.Answer #2: You may also have to worry about lead paint contamination due to the age of your house. If they disturbed paint chips, take pictures and save them. The EPA gets really cranky about this sort of thing.


Title: Wife abandoned family, and I now am facing an amended divorce petition reversing everything she had stated before (MN). What can I expect.

Question:
My wife left the state (and moved 5000 miles away) to be with her affair partner this April, this involved her leaving the kids with me and abandoning the marital household.

She has since seen the kids for one week, when she returned to deal with some paperwork.

In her original petition she wanted to give me primary custody of our children, give up claim to our vehicles as well as give up claim to our home.

I responded to her petition more or less agreeing to her terms but asking her to adjust the parenting schedule (as it just wasn't feasible given the distance), to address the travel costs, and to agree to pay child support (she had asked to to have to pay).

I sent my response to her about 8 weeks ago.

Today I just received an amended petition from her, which as I understand she needed my or the courts permission to do, permission that was not given.

In any case, her amended petition now states she no longer wishes to give up the home or our cars, wants me to be responsible for all debts, and is requesting primary custody of our kids. I imagine she wants to move them to her new state to live with her affair parter (a man 20 years her senior).

I will also say that since she left she has provided no child support whatsoever, has not helped pay our home mortgage, our car payments, or any of our marital debts. I've been left high and dry.

She also now wants me to pay HER child support. She has not lived with us for 8 months.

I do have an attorney, but will not be able to speak to them for several days.

As I understand I have only ten days to respond to her new petition.

She has said repeatedly that she think the kids are better off with me. Both my children want to live me with me, and my eldest (16) does not want to be forced to visit her mother or stay in the home of the AP, who she has never met.

What can/should I expect given this 180 on her part? Am I in danger of losing my children / home? AM I in danger of losing custody after she up and abandoned us and declared in her original petition that she thought the kids should be with me?

Answer:
 Listen to your attorney.  Do what your attorney tells you to do, and nothing more.

It's OK that you won't be able to speak to him for several days.  This sounds like fairly routine stuff.

This kind of feels like she is just posturing for a better settlement.  Based on what you described, she has a mountain to climb to get custody.Answer #2: You need a lawyer.  Trying to do this yourself will cost you much more money than a lawyer would.Answer #3: Not a lawyer.

As /u/BradWesley said it’s unlikely a judge would uproot the kids. But possible.

What’s most likely is she’s trying to be aggressive for settlement talks. If she asks for everything, maybe she figures she can get half, so to speak.

Your attorney will handle. This is no longer an amicable divorce if it ever was.


Title: (Indiana) I need advice on how to make sure my little sister doesn't end up with her biological father after my mother dies.

Question: My mother has terminal cancer, and will more than likely pass in the next few years. Her father is not married to my mother, but is listed as her father on her birth certificate. We want custody of my little sister (5yo) to go to my oldest sister(27yo) when my mom passes. My little sister's father isn't abusive or particularly "unfit", but he's definently not suited to raise her as a single father. He has 3 children from a previous marriage that he doesn't have custody of, he makes VERY little money and my mother does not want him to have custody of her. I know it sounds harsh and I know he has rights to her, but you would have to meet the man to understand. My mother is going to make a will stating her feelings on the issue, just in case it helps any. Is there a way we can secure her with my sister legally before my mother dies so he won't get custody? If he isn't willing to sign his rights away, what would be the best course of action? Any help would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

Answer:
 > If he isn't willing to sign his rights away, what would be the best course of action?

Unless you have evidence of abuse or neglect, you really have no course of action.  A living parent takes precedence all other relatives when it comes to custody.


Title: Landlord sent abusive plumber [URGENT]

Question:
We live in an apartment complex in California and our landlord sent a plumber to fix our sink. While doing so he began an argument with my older brother who is also an adult. They began calling each other names, the plumber began to talk down on my brother and my mom who wasn't present. My brother got offended so he started swearing at him. Afterwards the plumber pushed my brother and a fist fight broke out. As soon as it started I began to try and break it up, along this process they where knocking many things over one which was a glass vase which shattered. I had no shoes it was early in the morning and I stepped on one of the shards but didn't notice until afterwards. It was really deep I almost passed out within 10 minutes and it took a whole month to heal I had to go to the doctor and get anti bitotics. I had no medical insurance either. We didn't report it to the police and called the landlord he also called the landlord and blamed us.

About a month passed and the plumber came to fix another tenants house.(we live In 8). I sent a text to the landlord showing my concern for my safety and family stating, "is it possible to send another plumber I am worried for our safety for he is a threat to us. He replied with, "well did I send him to your house?" I replied, " no but he was giving me dirty looks and talking to me in an aggressive tone which was I sent my original text I told him. He said, "yeah". Today the same plumber showed up and I feel the tension in my house and this does not feel safe at all. Is there anything I can do legally??

Answer:
 > Is there anything I can do legally??

You should have called the cops. You should have sued the plumber for your medical expenses.

If the plumber gets into an altercation with someone else the landlord *might* be liable for putting people at risk, but only if there was a history of this plumber being a danger, which there isn't because you didn't report anything to the cops.

Consult with a lawyer. See what your options are for reporting him to the cops a month after the assault and possibly suiing him for medical expenses.


Title: My boss is extremely sketchy

Question:
He makes me write my own checks every 2 weeks when its paycheck day. It's his check of course but I fill it, the signature used on every check he writes is "na" with scribbly marks in it. It's not even his signature.

My question is, is he doing fraud activity? why does he do these things with his checks. Also the business is under the wifes name and everything is under her name but. He runs the business as a invisible owner. He doesn't even use his real name or last name when asked for. He has a fake name and last. The level of sketchiness is beyond me.

I'm mostly afraid of the checks. Can all the checks he has given me over my period of 6 months working for him be reversed or something?

I am also quitting and have put my two week notice yesterday.

Answer:
 is it possible that he can't read and write?Answer #2: This is some tax avoidance scheme probably. You're right to quit. You can report him to the IRS

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/how-do-you-report-suspected-tax-fraud-activityAnswer #3: Yeah, this sounds bad. I wouldn't be too surprised if he makes you write out your checks because he thinks it will help him avoid some sort of legal responsibility. He could even claim that you stole the money. Not saying he would be successful, but I could see him being the sort to throw someone else under the bus if he gets in trouble.

I think you are smart to quit and move on. I would keep records of everything, so if anything comes back on you, you have evidence. Make sure you are scrupulously honest with your own local, state, and federal taxes.


Title: Queens, NY False Rape Accusation?

Question:
A girl recently started texting me asking for details she doesn't recall around an alleged sexual encounter. She references an event that would have made this alleged encounter almost a month ago.

 She claims to have had a pregnancy scare and wants me to give her details around the alleged encounter. I ignored the texts and she keeps texting me asking if I consumed alcohol, if wore a condom, if a condom broke, etc. Well over a dozen texts. She also starts calling me nonstop. She leaves a few voicemails asking the same questions and saying she will leave me alone if I answer them. In the last voicemail she lists off all of my personal information (home address,work address, my full name) and threatens to involve "someone else".

Should I continue to ignore the calls? I'm afraid she is going to make false statements to my neighbors, coworkers or the police. Her texts are causing me crippling anxiety and I'm having trouble functioning.

Answer: Is this a girl you ever sleep with? Your post makes it seem like its from a stranger. If its from a stranger feel free to call the police and seek a restraining order. If froma  girl you sleep with, seek an attorney.


Title: Advice on using your dash cam to get out of a speeding ticket.

Question:
I received a ticket and the cop said I was going 61. I know I was not going that fast so I checked my dash cam which said I was going 48.  The posted speed was 35 (my bad in that I thought it was 45).

I plead not guilty to the ticket. So now what?

1) is my video admissable?
2) if it is, what are the chances they completely negate the ticket?  In other words - I was charged with going 61 and I clearly was not so am I just "not guilty"? Or would they change the ticket to reflect 48?
3) anyone else use a video like this with good results?

Answer: When was the last time your dash cam's speed measurement was calibrated?


Title: Landlord and another person came over with no notice, not an emergency, and my dog bit the hell out of one of them. I live in Pennsylvania which requires 24 hours notice unless it is an emergency.

Question:
So like the title says I'm in PA and my landlord came over to do an inspection with no notice. Every day I leave my dog loose to roam the house and watch TV, not 100% sure he does but the couch is messed up and I always find bits of food/kong slime like he was eating and watching TV, but anyway these two people came in and tried to grab his collar. Dog didn't like it and bit the hell out of one person's hand. my question is am i liable for this under pennsylvania dog law https://dogbitelaw.com/statutory-strict-liability-state/pennsylvania-dog-bite-law
from what I am reading it looks like I am but any advice would be welcome.

Answer:
 According to the link you posted the answer sounds like yes.

Does your lease give the landlord the right to do routine inspections without notice?Answer #2: Do you have renters insurance?  This may be covered (if your are liable at all).  Contact your insurance company if nothing else to make them aware of the possibility of a suite.  They may provide assistance or defend you in court.Answer #3: trespass and unauthorized entry - you are not liable


Title: My incarcerated wife pawned a laptop we co signed together from rent a center now rent a center is trying to press theft charges against me. Texas

Question: My wife and I co signed for a laptop from rent a center. Without my knowledge she pawned the laptop. She recently went to jail and now rent a center is saying that they are going to press charges against me. The pawn ticket is clearly in her name. She also wrote a letter of admission before going to jail. Rent a center has both the pawn ticket and the letter but they are still saying that they are pressing charges and harassing me daily. Can I really get charged for this? Texas

Answer:
 Probably not criminally, but you are responsible for the cost of the laptop. You could sue your wife in return, after you pay rent a center.Answer #2: So, I was once involved in a situation similar to this one involving Rent a Center. If she pawned it and reported it stolen, the pawn shop is going to be pissed off and Rent a Center will send the police out looking for the laptop. I was the guy that purchased the laptop that had been pawned/reported stolen. Police came to my place to do a serial # check on the laptop. Numbers matched, so he left with the laptop itself. The crack head and her mom showed up at my place in the middle of the night actually getting angry at me for not giving the policeman the carrying case and charger that Rent a Center and the police were now hounding them for. FYI, a bill of sale means nothing to the police in this situation. Answer #3: You can get charged but doubt DA would pursue it given the actual wrongdoer is already in jail.

Contact rent-a-center and work out a payment plan....be prepared for sticker shock. Answer #4: Have you arranged a payment plan?