Title: Got caught on camera shoplifting at Wal Mart

Question:
This past Wednesday I made a incredibly stupid decision and stole a $20 bag of dog food from Wal Mart. When I got outside and went to put it in my truck I saw that I was a victim of a hit and run. So I called the police to file a report on the hit and run and went about my business. Next thing I knew the policeman said he would check the security cameras for me and I could use a case number to check on the investigation. Well I got a call yesterday from Wal Mart's LP department asking for me by name and saying I had been caught on camera shoplifting. Apparently when the policeman came inside they got my information from him and a filed a report. The LP worker said that they would sent me a letter for civil restitution asking for $225 to not press charges. Is this something I really have to pay? I am a college student and will lose my financial aid if I get a misdemeanor

TL;DR: I was caught on camera shoplifting and will receive a $225 fine should I ignore it or pay it? This occurred in Florida

Answer:
 Sounds like you just bought a $225 dollar bag of dog food.Answer #2: You. . . You decided to call the police on someone while you were in the middle of committing a crime? Wow, dude. Just wow.

You can pay it or ignore it. They can sue you if you don't pay it. They'll almost certainly ask the police to go for criminal charges. It may be too late for that in any case, because the police already know you committed the crime. They can pursue it whether Wal-Mart wants them to or not.Answer #3: > I am a college student and will lose my financial aid if I get a misdemeanor

Then you better pay the fine. Answer #4: So basically, they're asking you to pay them $225 or they will report your crime to the police.  $225 seems to be a small price to pay for not getting a misdemeanor and the consequences that come along with it.

Pay Walmart and learn from your dumb decision.Answer #5: Hey, it is tough being a college student. You only asked for legal advice, I know, but if you are having trouble feeding yourself or your pets, please check out /r/Food_Pantry and /r/RandomActsofPetFood. Many generous Redditors are willing to help out other Redditors-in-need. Also your local food pantries often have pet food that is available, too.Answer #6: THere are two issues here.  According to your narrative, they already filed a police report.  Whether criminal charges will be filed may well be out of Walmart's hands.

The $225 is to stop them from suing you civilly, which is separate from any criminal charges that may be brought against you.  Walmart does not "press charges" in the criminal sense.  They either report or don't report, and it sounds like they reported.


Title: [PA] I live in a house with two roommates. One of them is a pretty big, pretty tough guy with severe anger issues and a history of violence. Me and my other roommate are scared for ourselves, our property, and our landlord's property. Can we legally break the lease?

Question:
Names and other minor details have been changed for privacy's sake.

---

So I've (20M) been living with my current roommates Matt (22M) and Kim (23F) for about 6 months now, and we still have 6 months left before the lease is up.

Matt and Kim are in an on-and-off relationship and have been for several years. Before I met the two of them, they lived in several different apartments, never for more than a couple of months. Almost every place they got together they were eventually kicked out of because Matt smashed a bunch of shit, screamed his head off, and on several occasions beat the shit out of Kim. (As far as I know, no police reports were ever made during any of these incidents.) They go through phases where, for several months, Matt is a perfectly fine boyfriend, but will then start going nuts over nothing and screaming at Kim, smashing stuff, etc.

This is what is happening now. They've gotten into fights while we all lived here before, but they were *fights*, not just Matt completely terrorizing Kim. Just last week Matt punched a hole in a wall and kicked a huge crack into a door. Things are escalating quickly and Kim and I are terrified of him and what he might do.

So my questions are:

1. Can we legally break the lease and vacate the house, given Matt's behavior?

2. If we can't legally break the lease, we're just going to leave illegally because this is absolutely unbearable. What can happen to us if we do? How can we interact with our landlord to minimize the chances of legal action being pursued against us?

Other things to consider:

1. We don't want to stay here without Matt. We want to vacate ASAP.

2. Without all 3 of us present, we don't make enough money to pay our rent.

3. We have a bedbug problem and a rat problem we've been trying to get rid of, but we fear that the landlord will pursue extremely expensive damages to solve the problem if breaking the lease is against the law and he decides to pursue legal action. Anything we can do about that?

Answer:
 > Can we legally break the lease and vacate the house, given Matt's behavior?

No.  You can't punish your landlord because you made a poor choice in roommates.

> How can we interact with our landlord to minimize the chances of legal action being pursued against us?

"Here's a check for the remaining rent on the lease."

If you *all* vacate, he'd need to try to re-rent the property to minimize his damages.  If it's only one or two of you, he can't re-rent the property, so you'll owe him through the end of the lease.

You can look into convincing Matt to leave.  Alternatively, you can *ask* the landlord if he'll willing let you out of the lease.  That's really, really unlikely(if it's even possible, which it may not be).


Title: [AZ] Child Support increase/decrease and Visitation

Question:
So I will try to make a long story, short. I will start with the Child Support. My ex-wife just got remarried, thus she now lives in a 2 income home. From what I have heard from friends and family, is that my Child Support may now be adjusted due to the difference in our incomes.

I current make around 40k/year. My current Child Support is 400/month, and this was based around my old income of around 20k/year. I know my ex-wife makes around the same 40k I make, and no clue about her new spouce, but I am struggling currently with a simple 400/month with all my other bills, and more then anything, I am worrying about her wanting to up it.

On the same topic. Visitation. In our parenting plan, my time is bi-weekly, Friday to Saturday. I do not get that time. I get Sunday, from 11-5 bi-weekly. Her reasoning is, she feel uncomfortable with her staying overnight at my house. I live with my Brother (has 2 kids), in a 4 bedroom home, in a nice area. It is not like it is in the ghetto. Before now, I have tip-toed around this issue, due to trying to stay on her good side so she would NOT increase my Child Support, but now that she is married, I feel like I maybe safe to pursue. So now the question is, how can I get my daughter the legal time if she refuses.

Note: I know Child Support and Visitation have NOTHING to do with each other. But I also know, it is always about money, so they tend to go hand-in-hand. Also, I have tried searching these answers online, but everywhere I tend to look just tells me to "Come in for you consultation today!".

**TLDR**
Child Support - Now that my Ex is married, can my Child Support be lowered
Visitation - Ex is not letting me have my daughter for my required time, what can I do.

Answer:
 The husband's income is not taken into account. Unless she is earning a significant amount more than she was before, an adjustment hearing is going to result in you paying *more,* since your income has doubled since the order was written.

As for visitation, you may request the court to compel her to follow the current order. If she wants to contest it because she doesn't like your living situation, she can try - but from how you describe it, she's unlikely to prevail.


Title: Evicting our landlord

Question:
Nov 4, wife went in for some thing for the baby, but they had her stay because high risk pregnancy thing. On Nov 5 at 8pm we spawned a boy but couldn't take it back home till the 8th, to my surprise I had more money than usual and this time I had an extra human. Went to collect our mail and a 3 day notice was in there, it was 4:30 on the 8th and office was still opened  so I ran and made out a check but management decided  to not accept our rent and has avoided all type of communication with us.. we got served last night, I'm freken out because only I could prevent a forest fire! And I think we're gonna end up homeless. How can I evict my 4 year landlord that has had different management that always claim Im a dope dealer, I asked them for is batteries for my smoke detectors and they said they have to replace the whole system but that was last year and the chirp is so annoying I unplugged them, they come in my unit with out notice and snap photos I know because some girl that help previous manager told me and showed me. I asked if she could forward the pics to my email and she disappeared. I can't afford to move out so I need landlord to just go. I'm not looking to hire anyone just some.legal advice.. oh yeah I'm not excited of the little being yet because I can't support my self how am I gonna support him. I'm at a distance from motivation, or semi lazy. I'm about to delete the whole thing if I don't post now..
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Your post is pretty incoherent, but if you've been given an eviction notice then you should abide by it or you'll risk having an eviction on your record which will make it more difficult to rent a new place in the future.

You also can't 'evict' your landlord, that's not how this works. It's their apartment. Answer #2: What? You don't get to "evict" your landlord.


Title: I feel as though I’m being disciplined for being sick; (AZ)

Question:
My supervisor and I have had a pretty fine working relationship up until recently. At the end of August I was reprimanded for some behind assessments for clients. (I’m a social worker at a non-profit) this was entirely my fault and since then I’ve taken appropriate steps to remedy this. However, I’m also pregnant and have a high risk pregnancy to contend with — I’ve had to take off a lot of time for doctor visits / a hospital visit / being sick in general for September and October. I have not, however, gone over my 40 hours allotted time. My assessments that are currently behind are due to my pregnancy and being unable to schedule clients when I’m taking sick days as of right now.

Last week my supervisor asked me what my plan was for being sick/my pregnancy. When I asked her to elaborate, she stated this was because I’ve taken a lot of sick time lately and how do I plan on moving forward with visits/do I plan on using FMLA soon/ discussed me even going down to 30 hours if I wanted to and the company would allow it. I told her I was unsure of my future plans as I’m seeing various doctors, that day specifically I had my cardiologist. My boss then said “Oh what’s he looking for?” Before acknowledging she shouldn’t have asked me that and moving forward.

Today in our Supervison, my supervisor reprimanding me on not filing away notes done in clients’ chart immediately. This has never been an issue with her the notes are kept in a “to be filed” folder on my desk. She stated she needed to make a plan with me to make sure I’m doing my job, however I had to ask her if this was disciplinary action as she did not say that herself. She sent an email later with the following:
																																“Staff has performed below policies and procedure standards in the following ways: Home Visit Notes have not been filed within the 72 hour timeframe per policy. Previous chronic instances of contact logs not being up to date. Contact logs are currently up to date. Supervisor sent chart check to Staff for 10/19/18 2 9:30 am for week 3 charts. These charts were missing HV notes from October and these charts did not meet program standards. Assessments for families and the submission are more than 30 days overdue.”

However, these late home visit notes and chart contact logs were not up to date as I was sick and instead of using sick time to do Notes, I used it to lie in a hospital bed/go to important doctor visits. I feel as though I’m being disciplined for being ill; the days I’ve been able to come into work I’ve committed to giving quality service to clients and doing notes/updating charts. My boss acknowledged this was going well and I was doing a good job, however now I’m receiving this.

I don’t know how to feel after she sat me down and asked me if I “had a plan” for being sick and to consider thinking of one. I don’t know how to proceed with this. Should I talk to HR or my program director? Should I talk to my supervisor? Or am I just being a baby?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 You should talk to your supervisor/ Program Director for assistance in creating a “plan” for being sick.  You are behind on your work.   Taking allowable sick time does not mean you don’t have to meet your regular deadlines.

It doesn’t seem like you are being disciplined, it seems like they are being reasonable about asking you to come out with a plan about how you’re going to get caught up and ensure that your difficult pregnancy doesn’t mean that your responsibilities don’t go unfulfilled.


Title: [California] Received three paychecks after I quit (NOT final paycheck, reimbursement, commission, or other), and called HR about it. They said they'll "call me with the next steps". That was months ago...

Question:
Basically, I voluntarily quit my job a few months ago, did an online quitting process and exit interview on my last day, then received 3 paychecks that have "start periods" and "end periods" with dates well after I quit.

I contacted HR (The calls were recorded so at least there's proof of me doing my due diligence), told them that I absolutely do NOT want anything to do with this money (which is 100% true), and STILL have not cashed these checks. They told me that I should stop receiving checks and that they'll be in touch about the next steps. I stopped receiving checks soon after and I tried calling them again and got the same message. They'll "call me about the next steps".

I forgot about it until recently and seriously do not want these checks anymore, but I'm not sure how to proceed. I want to leave as good of a paper trail as possible so that nothing can come back and bite me in the ass, and I'm not sure if I should cut out a check for the gross pay or just return the exact checks. Thank you for your advice!

*Also, I Googled what to do and came across the California Labor Code section 221 a lot “It shall be unlawful for any employer to collect or receive from an employee any part of wages theretofore paid by said employer to said employee.”. But I'm guessing that's only relevant for CURRENT employees who were simply overpaid by a little bit and not terminated employees who were overpaid by pay checks during periods they were terminated?:
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/hr-qa/pages/california-wageoverpayments.aspx

http://lawyer4sacramento.com/wage-overpayments-to-employees/

Answer:
 I'll bet you a beer that those paychecks will show up on your W2 come tax time. Answer #2: When you say months ago do you mean 2016? Because if the date on the check is 2016 you can bet that's in your 2016 W2. Answer #3: If you didn't deposit the checks then they haven't actually paid you. So long as they cease sending you NEW checks, you could simply destroy the ones they have sent you and everything should be fine. But there's also no harm in reaching out to them again to confirm that this is what they would like you to do with the checks.

If they continue to send NEW checks, that's more of a problem.


Title: Man Allegedly Bilks E-trade, Schwab of $50,000 by Collecting Lots of Free 'Micro-Deposits'

Question: I recently came across this article where this man made a bunch of money off "Micro-Deposits." It also states in the article he did the same thing with Google checkout services but was not charged for this. My question for everyone is that if he didn't fraudulently open the accounts, would he have done anything illegal? Since he didn't do anything illegal with the google checkout services, was that why he wasn't charge for this as well?

Answer: A couple of things, first of all I'm not sure the Google checkout scheme isn't fraud.  Remember, just because something wasn't charged doesn't mean it's legal. Sometimes it comes down to the amount of evidence needed for prosecution. The article gives the guys quote about the Google ToS but Terms of Service can't supercede regulatory limits or give permission for criminal activity. So it not being strictly forbidden seems a little silly of an argument. Pretty sure larceny and fraud is pretty much the same whether it was addressed in the ToS or not. Why it wasn't charged is guess work but something tells me that it took a back burner to a potential terrorist activity case (back in the early 2000s all investigations done by the federal government had to be looked at under the guise of potential terrorist activity) .


Title: My girlfriend slipped on a tomato at Whole Foods and hurt her back.

Question: On Monday she took a bad fall and is now having back pain.  Any advice?

Answer:
 Go to the doctor or take ibuprofen

Just because she fell at Whole Foods does not automatically make them liable.  At minimum they have to have been put on notice regarding something that could make her fall and failed to clean it up.


Title: Mother of my teenage son's best friend has accused us of harboring a runaway.

Question:
Long story short, my son is best friends with a boy named Jack for three years, the boys met in high school as freshmen, they're juniors now. We live in New Mexico.  We know the mom who I'll call Sylvia. We're all friendly, no issues until now. In the last two weeks Jack has claimed Sylvia kicked him out of his house with nowhere to go twice. The first time Jack said Sylvia was in the hospital. She has major physical issues and chronic pain, so I believed him and figured the kicking him out of the house story might've just have been she was on heavy pain meds, perhaps Jack misunderstood. I didn't really believe she'd kicked him out of the house. I said sure he can stay the night. In the morning the boys went to school.

Then two days ago my son called me up after school and said that Sylvia had again kicked Jack out of the house. I told the boys to come home, they were with another friend. Sylvia showed up at my house before the boys got there. I was relieved, thinking I could sort this mess out with her. I told her Jack had said she'd kicked him out of the house, I was worried about them. She denied doing that, then launched into a long rambling accusation against my son being disrespectful and eating all of the food in their house whenever he went over to Jack's house. Nothing Sylvia said made any sense, she's always liked my son, lots of praise for him helping her over there, so I finally told Sylvia she needed to leave, that Jack and my son were together and would be coming home soon. I also told Sylvia it was illegal for her to kick a minor out of her house, but if she wanted Jack to stay with us then he had a place and we'd let him stay until things got sorted out. She then left.

The boys showed up shortly after that, I tried to calm them, they were upset. I sent them off to get food with my husband. Twenty minutes later I get a knock at the door and find two cops standing there who say Sylvia reported Jack as a runaway and they were there to collect him. We waited for the boys and my husband to get home, I explained about Jack's claiming she'd kicked him out, how Sylvia had just been at my house, said nothing about Jack running away and that of course Jack should go with them. The cops left with Jack as soon as they and my husband arrived home.

Today my son tells me Jack told him that his mom, Sylvia, went down to the police station today to file a police report against us. But neither my son or Jack can tell me what she is accusing us of. No police have contacted me,  they didn't tell me I'd been charged with anything when they picked up Jack, but the one officer did say Jack couldn't stay with us as it would be harboring a runaway. I agreed and told them to take Jack home. I'm not sure at this point if I should get an attorney and brace for possible legal action or what I'd be charged with. Jack wasn't even at our house for an hour when his mom reported him runaway and he'd been picked up.

Answer:
 Nothing you did strikes me as unlawful here. And it's not clear from your story if Sylvia contacted the police just once, to get them to come to your house, or twice (the second time after). You certainly can consult a lawyer if you wish, it can only help you, though I wouldn't say it's needed quite yet. But of course this sounds like a situation where further developments are likely.

Of course it's possible your son did something potentially wrong and he's not telling you. And maybe Jack has some problems at home that are making him lie about being kicked out.

You should probably avoid having Jack at your home for the time being. If he shows up you might consider taking him to the police station so they can call his mother in a neutral environment. But since there's so little information about what the issue with Sylvia and Jack is, it's tough to say much about how best to handle.


Title: Possible animal abuse and uncertain ownership of cat.

Question:
Right. So this cat started popping through our kitty door about a year ago, skinny and all beat up with scrapes and scabs all over him. I thought he was a stray at first. He ate our cat food and ducked out quick. Eventually he would let me pet him, he got all sleek and handsome and developed a good solid purr. I started calling him Sancho, cause ya.

 I've met two other women who know this cat and have a similar relationship with him. Both live within a few blocks of me. One lady is super nice but like myself already has a cat and has no real desire for another. Lady \#2 is apparently batshit nuts.

Now Sancho is very very sick. He had some kind of kitty cold for a few days and it has gotten to the point where he can hardly breathe, his eyes are goopy and barely open, and his nose is hot and dry and hard. He isn't eating.

To reiterate, this isn't my fucking cat, but he's a sweet kitty and I don't want him to die just because people suck. So I went and asked if I could take him to the vet. Lady \#1 was all sure whatever, I can't do it financially. Lady \#2 screamed at me and threatened to call the cops.

My pitch was this- ( picture of cat on cell phone) " Hi, is this your cat? He's really sick, he visits our house sometimes and I would like to take him to the vet. I called and they said I needed your signed agreement to provide medical care." Followed by a lengthy freakout about vaccines and no shit a " nature finds a way".

I live in Colorado so this wasn't recorded. It's my day off and I'm at home, lady\#2 knows where I live. If she calls the cops I'll be available. Is this animal abuse? Can I get in trouble? Is there any way to provide care for this cat or is he just doomed because of a bad owner?

Answer:
 Take the cat to the vet. If it isn't chipped they won't tell you they won't help it.

Answer #2: If you can catch the cat take it to animal control. A cat that is unvaccinated, coughing and goopy has a good chance of having some preventable upper respiratory illness or FeLV, and a cat that is not eating will go into liver failure very quickly.


Title: 5th Amendment and Pardon Power

Question:
I see a lot of talk about how a pardon keeps someone from pleading the 5th. The view is basically that you no longer have the right to decline testimony since you cannot be punished for the crime you are testifying about.

&#x200B;

However, lets say you are a witness for a larger investigation of a crime that you were pardoned for. They ask "how did you arrive at this location." "Well, I stole a car from a guy I murdered." Or, more mildly "how did you contact him?" "Via this messaging app" to which they may not have been aware of. In their investigation of these newly found communications, it turns out you were involved in another case which you were not pardoned of. Could that testimony not be linked to other crimes, thereby you have self-incriminated?

&#x200B;

Could you not invoke the 5th Amendment still under the guise of "I'm not sure what in my testimony could potentially bring new charges against me, so while I received a pardon for x, I reserve the right to not incriminate myself under y & z, which I have not been pardoned of."

Answer:
 Yes, and that's largely the counterargument. A federal pardon doesn't get you out of state prosecution, and a witness could invoke the 5th on the grounds that they're still vulnerable to prosecution in some state. There are relatively few federal crimes that aren't also state crimes.

You just have to have a legitimate fear that you might incriminate yourself for something.


Title: Parents stopped paying for 16 year old brother’s high school

Question: Long story short, I had to call CPS on my mom in June for beating my 10 year old brother.  Both of my parents have been verbally, physically, and psychologically abusive for years to me and my six younger siblings. Even though there was audio of the abuse and you can clearly hear him scream in pain, the case ended up getting closed because they couldn’t prove she was actually hitting him with a spoon (which she had done many, many times before). She claimed she was hitting the bed which isn’t true, but my parents are manipulative and put on a good front so the case was dropped. When my dad learned I called CPS there was a huge fight at home (I was a few states away for grad school at the time), and he pushed my 19 year old sister and 16 year old brother outside and locked the door. Ever since then they’ve been living with my grandma. My parents said my brother had to move back home or they’ll stop paying for everything, including his high school tuition and music lessons. He tried moving back and lasted two weeks before their emotional abuse gave him a mental breakdown, so he moved back to my grandma’s. As of a few days ago they went through with their threats. I guess my question is does this count as some type of abandonment? My grandma doesn’t want to become his legal guardian, but she’s essentially fully taken on the guardian role since she’s paying for everything now.

Answer: No. They dont have to pay for private school. They do have to enroll him in public school though. Or grandma can file for guardianship/custody if she wants. Answer #2: Time to call CPS again and maybe have grandma file for child support.


Title: Accused of sexual abuse. 3rd wave feminist style; she sent me a letter in the mail like a year after we had sex. yes, it was consensual. No, there was not a struggle. I did'nt wait till she was intoxicated or anything crummy like that. what do I do?

Question:
It was our second time hanging out when we had sex, first time we had just made out. we met through mutual friends. We became closer friends after this but never engaged in sexual activity after. In fact, i made sure to clarify afterwards that I wasnt looking to get any further into a relationship and that it was just two adults having fun and she agreed and appreciated my honesty.

Over time (months later) she started turning into a heavy feminist and attempted to get my friend to divorce her husband because she didnt approve of their relationship. I also started dating a girl that she seemed to not like without really meeting her.(maybe jealousy?)

During a night with out with friends she was pretty drunk and randomly came up to me and punched me in the stomach. I angrily (and ironically) told her not to touch me like that ever again, and that she cant just go around doing whatever she wants. She was butthurt after that and left.

Once her plan of trying to get my friends divorced was put to a stop she sort fucked off and stopped hanging around us. fast forward a couple more months and im arguing online with mutual friend that introduced us about vaccines (for all who care im pro-vaccine lol) and person in question chimes in with a post that says "Misogyny everywhere" (probably because it was lke 3 dudes disagreeing with 1 woman)... I responded with "Misandry everywhere" and she blocked me... kind of a tangent but just to show how off the hinge she could be

about 4 months later i get a letter in the mail claiming that she was undeniably intoxicated when we engaged in sexual activities (even though she drove to and from my house perfectly fine) not to mention we had sex at the beginning of our friendship, not the end of it. She also was claiming that right before we had sex she had said "we should stop", which she never did or else I would stop. Im not the kind of person who enjoys sex unless the other person is enjoying and engaging as well. It seemed to be out of spite--maybe she felt a lack of control in her life? Ive actually engaged in sex before where the woman, halfway through, decided she didnt want to continue and took back her consent and I politely respected her wishes. I have since explained this to her so that a woman in my community knows the situation and can be a character witness if needed be.

I actually dont think she has a (legal) case the more that I think about it, but ever since then our mutual friend doesnt talk to me and never talked to me about it before exiting my life. Im scared shes waiting for some opportune moment to ruin my life. Its actually left me quite depressed and its re-occurring. Its super to difficult to bring up to people because of the whole "Believe women" thing. Any advice? Is there a better subreddit I should have posted in?
Serious responses only plz

Answer:
 There is no legal issue with sending you a letter telling you she thinks you raped her or otherwise violated her consent. It's a letter, nothing more. You're not even obliged to read it, and it's not particularly meaningful as evidence of an offence.Answer #2: Don't contact her at all.

If the police talk to you, get a lawyer and don't say anything to them. They may imply they just want to get your side of it or you can "clear this up" but if they follow this up to the point where you're being contacted you really need to keep your mouth shut.


Title: Cat died as a result of vet incompetence, can I sue?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You could probably sue for the value of the pet. The actual property value. If you can prove that the vet did nothing. But, ASFAIK, vets aren't held to the same standard as human doctors. Answer #2: Others are correct that you likely can't recover more than the value of your pet and the cost of the procedure.  However, if you believe your vet was negligent or not following appropriate standards of care, you can also file a complaint with your state's veterinary board. They may investigate and may levy fines or other punishments if they find that there was wrongdoing.


Title: Getting kicked out but want to press charges?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Sounds like he consented to a lot of this. And by consent, I don't mean he said "Okay, I give you permission to do this.," I mean, he knew she did it and now is only making a stink about it when the crap hits the fan. If either is the case, it's not likely that the police are going to care, or you're looking at some type of accomplice liability for just going along with it.

If mom's name is on the car, it's her car.


Title: [Denver, CO] What kind of proof of damages/costs is your landlord required to have to keep your security deposit?

Question: I recently broke my lease and moved out of my house after about 9 to 10 months because the house had so many problems and the landlord refused to fix them.  The landlord actually agreed to terminate the lease early without penalty.  However, the landlord notified us that she's keeping our $4000 security deposit and sent a long itemized list of all kinds of repairs she made to the house with a blanket labor cost of $50/hr.  She charged the same labor cost for cleaning windows as she did for refinishing an antique wood vanity...  Although we've requested it, she has not provided any invoices or receipts for any of these repairs.  It seems that she just created a spreadsheet and assigned random dollar values and labor times/costs to all of these repairs, and possibly did them herself if they happened at all.  (The damages she says we're responsible for are completely outrageous considering we lived in the house for less than a year and are very tidy people, but that's beside the point of this post)  She also charged us $520 in locksmithing fees because she moved to New York with her only spare key and needed to hire a locksmith for her friend to show the house to potential tenants, but our lease stated to lock the keys in the house on move out.  Are there any laws requiring her to hire out this work and provide proof of the cost to her?

Answer: Taker her to small claims court. It will be cheap. This does sound outrageous and she has no basis for charging for the locksmith if the lease says to lock the keys inside. Let the judge decide for you. You can also send a demand letter for the deposit back first and see what happens


Title: (California) A minor spent over $400 dollars on in-app purchases through the google play store. Account holder is being forced to pay.

Question: My SO's father is the account holder for their Sprint Family plan and her younger brother (11 years old) went crazy on in-app purchases.  They didn't notice it until the bill came in. This happened over 2 months ago, I barley found out about you awesome people at /r/legaladvice. I have no clue how these type of cases work hopefully someone can point us in the right direction. What I think is that a minor's cellphone should not be able to authorize any type of purchases, especially ones that do not require a credit card and are charged directly to the monthly bill. I already filed a claim [here](https://www.sprintrefundpsms.com), but after reading a couple forums I believe this will not cover Google Play charges. Thanks for taking the time to look at this.

Answer: Every iPhone or Android phone I have had by default you have to put a password in and agree to have the charges applied to either a credit card or phone bill. To change this you have to input a the account password and agree to it through the phone. There are parental options to stop this very thing. It is up to the adult to ensure this does not happen. Answer #2: 99% sure there is no case here.


Title: [Australia] I was accidentally sent a commercially sensitive e-mail, and I shared some of the content with co-workers.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Is the company on the stock market?


Title: [TX] All my stuff just got stolen, what do I do now?

Question: So I just got home to my apartment from work to see my door broken down and the tvs, the ps4, the wii u, and apparently all my towels and pillow cases are gone too. I'm still looking through the clothes and debris to see if they took something I don't know yet. So what do I do first?

Answer:
 Call the cops immediately. Start taking photos of the place while you're waiting for them to arrive. File a police report and contact your renters insurance to file a claim.Answer #2: 1.) call the police (non emergency number)

2.) call your home/renters insurrance.

3.) If you rent call your landlord and ask him to replace the door.

edit: formattingAnswer #3: Write down and keep a complete list of everything you believe to be stolen and the aprox value of the items as you move through the apt. Do you have the old boxes or serial numbers for any of your electronics that have been stolen? Having old receipts can help as well.


Title: [NJ] Neighbor vehemently accusing me of hitting her parked car. I did not, and there is no "matching" damage to my car. What should I expect?

Question:
Hi, r/legaladvice. I appreciate you taking the time to read this. Here is some background:

I moved to a two-family home in May 2015. I rent a room on the second floor, and share a parking area that is meant for three vehicles, but can fit four if someone parks across the front of the driveway, blocking in two cars. No one has a specific parking space, and when I know I need to leave without getting blocked in, I'll park nose out close enough to the end of the driveway so none of the other drivers will be able to block me in.

About one month ago, while I was out of town, my neighbor called me to ask what happened to her car the night before. I suggested that I didn't know, but I recalled that I parked in the way I described above--nose out, close to the end of the driveway--because I had my bicycle rack loaded up on the back and had plans to meet friends at 6 that evening to go on a trip. I also recalled that she was parked across the front of the driveway, nose close to my car. With this parking arrangement, I pull directly into the driveway across the street and then back out to be able to turn onto the road. I have done this before, and always without trouble.

She claimed that I hit her front bumper and wanted me to pay to fix it. **She works for a car dealership** and said she would be getting an estimate for the damage. Again, I was confident I did not have any contact with her vehicle, but **I said I would examine the damage and the estimate when I returned**, as there was nothing I could really do while I was out of town.

**There is no damage to my vehicle** or my bicycle rack indicative of a collision. She has a deep, isolated dent in her front plastic bumper, low to the ground, with **no scrapes or any sign of a collision**. There is no police report and we did not exchange insurance information (again, because I am confident I am not responsible),

She cornered me outside my door last week, and handed me the estimate. I was on my to work and did not stay to discuss it. It's an $800 cosmetic repair. She has texted me twice to ask for money, and I have not replied to either message.

If she truly does not know what the damage is from, I get her persistence, because it must be frustrating. But she locked onto me, unfortunately, and I did not damage her car. I took photos recently, when the cars were arranged the same way they were the night in question, because I'm worried that she will want to take this to a legal level in order to get me to pay for her damage.

**tl,dr; Accused of hitting neighbor's parked car. No damage to my car. No police report. No insurance claims. Asking for cash. Is there anything I can do to shut this down so I can stop being accused of this?**

Answer: I would call your insurance company and explain this to them and have them fight it for you. That's your best way to shut it down short of letting her sue you in small claims. Answer #2: First things first:  Make sure you get good, detailed pictures of your car and hers as well.Answer #3: I'd tell her to come back with a police report and actual evidence that OP caused the damage. Otherwise ignore her.Answer #4: Give her your insurance information and let her make her claim. But first, call your insurance company to let them know that you did not cause the damage. Let her fight with them and have the claim denied because there is no police report.


Title: A friend of mine, whos parents passed at an early age, has no access to the monthly Social Security check.

Question:
      Sorry for mobile formatting etc first post tl;dr at the bottom. TIA

     Title pretty much says it all. My girlfriends younger brother (16) has a girlfriend (same age) that is living with other relatives who seem to squander the money away on frivolous things.

     My girlfriend and I have grown close to her and love her like a little sister, and my girlfriends brother and her have been together for quite some time, and I was hoping the more legally informed minds of reddit could help me out here.

     The family has 2 adults- her aunt and uncle in law- and 7 kids- her cousins. Her aunt's husband passed away and she remarried. The aunt gets social security from her deceased husband and for her 5 kids (not sure how the checks are structured, but she apparently gets roughly 35,000 a year. The couple had one more kid as well. All just some background info.

     The male guardian has a few toy vehicles- motorcycles, 2 sheds, and for Christmas he bought 2 pre built play houses that are not cheap. All that would be fine, however he is frequently in and out of jobs, quitting flippantly for no apparent reason. The mom works part time occassionally in addition to the social security.

     In addition to that, she is currently staying with an older cousin (18) because her aunt "could not get her shit together." I have no further context to that statement though.

     In summary, she receives no allowance, no access at all to the $700 monthly check. It gets spent, none is saved for her future. Despite having running vehicles, she had to wait months to get her license due to them being uninsured. She now has a license, but has to pick up the other kids after school and help. It has been implied that the aunt doesn't want her to have a job. This is also the only access to the vehicle she has.

     Is there anything she can do? She doesnt go without any necessities, but is definitely suffering from it both socially and in planning for her future.

Tl;Dr- My 16 y/o friend is living with a financially illiterate aunt and uncle with multiple children and receives none of her deceased parents monthly social security checks.

Answer: The money does not need to be given to her. It is supposed to be used for her care. Any care including shelter, utilities, clothes, food,you name it. If the money is being misused that is another issue, but $700 per month is not a huge amount of money to raise a child. And as I wrote, it is not required that the money actually be handed to her. However if she is not living with them the money should go to the person she lives with.


Title: [California]Suspended from my job facing possible Termination looking for legal leverage.

Question:
I recently started working at one of the largest online retailers through a temp agency. One Monday at midnight I was suspended 48-72 for productivity and that I would be terminated after after an investigation into the issue. According to company policy you are allowed two written write ups for productivity before they can terminate you, I've never received one of these write ups. After explaining why my productivity was low on the day's in question I was told I would receive a call on Tuesday with the results of the investigation. On Wednesday I called into the temp agency as I had still not received a call from them and was told the investigation was still on going and that I would receive a call by Friday. Today I had still not received a call so I decided to just go into the office and see what the issue was. When I got there they told me that they still had not completed the investigation and to come back tomorrow for the final results.

My question is this, when I go back in tomorrow, if they have still not completed the investigation can I demand my badge back and go back to work? From what I understand since the suspension is only for a max of 72 hrs after that period they have to let me go back to work or terminate me. At this point I've already missed a week of work and I am getting a little frustrated. I know that I never signed the write ups because I was never told about them, something that can be easily confirmed by calling the dept manager and having him send down the write ups that don't exist.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Answer:
 > can I demand my badge back and go back to work?

Oh that's rich. You can demand a Skittle farting pony. They'll give the same amount of cares as asking for your job back.Answer #2: >My question is this, when I go back in tomorrow, if they have still not completed the investigation can I demand my badge back and go back to work?

No.  This stuff about write-ups is all policy.  I'm sure somewhere else in their policies are the terms "at will employment" which means they can legally terminate you at any time for almost any nondiscriminatory reason.

They're obviously not fond and looking to get rid of you.  They will succeed and it will all be perfectly legal.  Start looking for a new job.


Title: Was this considered brandishing a firearm - Texas

Question: It was 9pm at night I was getting gas and I hear someone yell out “Can you lend me a hand?” I turn around to see three men walking up to me but one with his hand behind his back. Not wanting anything bad to happen I unholstered my firearm but kept it pointed down at the ground and told them “Stop right there and you can tell me what you need help with.” They suddenly stopped and walked away and thats when I saw he had a bowie knife behind his back. What I did was it considered Illegal?

Answer:
 > I saw he had a bowie knife behind his back.

No you were legal.  That was imminent lethal danger.

You 100% should have called the police about it though (mainly so they could look for the attempted robbers).Answer #2: Not a lawyer and not legal advice, but you probably should have called the police to report it. Anytime you use a firearm in a defensive situation, regardless of being discharged or not, you should report it to the police. If you perceived enough of a threat that you felt it necessary to draw your firearm, it’s enough of a threat to also call the police.Answer #3: There is no law in TX against "brandishing ".

It is covered under disorderly conduct.

You must display a firearm in public with the intention of creating alarm.

It does not sound like that was your intention, but rather to dissuade attempted bodily harm.Answer #4: Texas yea you good man.


Title: Another food allergy inquiry,MA

Question:
Ordered take out, fiancé specified seafood (allergy,) broke out in hives that night (Friday,) tried combatting with Benadryl and steroid creams but woke up about 4am Sunday to eyes swollen shut, went to ER, just got bill in the mail over a month later and have ~$600 in medical expenses. Have tried reaching out to restaurant via email but the address provided is invalid. Have tried them on the “contact us” message box on their website and so far nothing.

Do I lawyer up? Food was placed on Grubhub so there is a record of the order with the words “seafood allergy” on it, as well as photos of her hives, though the incident is now almost 2 months ago

Answer:
 1. extremely hard to prove that they are the ones who caused the allergy, bc im guessing you threw out the food.
2. Do you have health insurance, meaning is the $600 that you owe out of pocket?
3. You're going to have a hard time finding a lawyer for a $600 claim.


Title: Witness drove away from a scene of altercation. Do I have a right to talk to the witness? (AR)

Question:
It has been raining like crazy here and yesterday I was riding my bike at rush hour (legal here) down a fairly busy road. It was fairly rainy outside so tempers were high for the conditions.    Most of the drivers were rude and insensitive with beeping and honking but most just moved into the other lane and went around me.

One guy and his friend in an SUV went around me and then stopped abruptly in front of me. Making me have to go into the other lane, almost striking the car of the witness. She paused because I was blocking the lane but when the guys started getting out of their SUV to yell at me, she went around the entire scene and parked in a nearby driveway. She got out and looked back at us and I was yelling at her not to leave so she could be my witness to the guys yelling at me.

I wrote down her license plate number. She asked if anyone was hurt or if anyone had hit a car or bike or person. " Has there been an accident?" she said. There actually hadn't as I had served to avoid one.  I told her no. The other guys screamed at her no and then continued screaming at me.

She then got into her car and drove away. She didn't report anything to the police.

The guys kept yelling and confronting me and I felt I couldn't safely ride away so I stayed and stood my ground. I guess someone in traffic behind us (we were blocking all but a small bit of the two lanes available so most couldn't go around) called the police ( I didn't have my phone with me or I would have). The police arrived quickly and took statements from us and the driver stuck behind the SUV.

I told them about the woman. They asked if she had been involved in the altercation and I told them that she hadn't but she had witnessed the beginning.

The officer didn't even write down her plate number ( which I was able to remember). He told us both to leave as there had been no harm to either parties persons or vehicles ( or bike). The officer also noted that I probably shouldn't drive my bike down a busy road in rush hour traffic in the rain which I am legally allowed to do as long as I follow all the traffic laws that apply to cars.

They told the guys in the SUV to knock it off but didn't  write any tickets. Although, they encouraged me to walk my bike the remainder of the way home on the sidewalk (it was about a mile away at this point). I could have declined to do that right?

I was wondering if I have any rights to try and find that witness. She could testify as to how dangerous the men were being and what exactly happened with me having to serve their vehicle (almost hitting hers, and almost injuring me).

Can I do this as my own as a citizen? Why didn't the police look into her account? Aren't they required to take down her license plate number and interview her?

Do I need a lawyer to locate her? And if I manage to locate her can I ask her about the incident and encourage her to make a statement to the police?

I want these guys to learn that they can't just put people in dangerous situations like that. I could have been hurt.

Also, did this woman leave the scene of an accident?

edit: their

Answer: It does not sound like you have suffered any damage from this incident, so there's nothing to sue anyone for.  The cop did not issue a ticket to the SUV owner for their stopping abruptly, so there's nothing to pursue there.  It is not illegal for the SUV guys to yell at you.  Going to find the witness is therefore useless.


Title: Wife just got fired for taking a new job.

Question:
TLDR: my wife has taken a new job that will start on June 1. The plan was for her to continue in her current position until then and assist in the transition for the new employee. This morning, her supervisor just told her that this will be her last week.

Does she have any recourse against them?

Full detail: My wife has been working at a tech school in South Carolina for the past seven years as an instructor. She's been severely underpaid and overworked during her time there.

On May 2, she was offered a position with a private hospital and she accepted.

On May 3, she informed her supervisor at the tech school. A plan was put in place to allow her to assist her replacement in their transition.

Now, on May 13, she's been told that she's no longer required and will be terminated at the end of the week.

Answer:
 > Does she have any recourse against them?

Not really. It is very common to be fired after giving notice before the agreed on date. The whole "give 2 weeks notice" favors the employer, not the employee.Answer #2: This is pretty common.  She can most likely collect unemployment for the time between jobs, but unless she had a contract she has no other recourse.Answer #3: This is pretty normal, and usually not actionable.


Title: Got a camera ticket for failure to stop at a red light. I was making a rolling right-hand turn, which is legal in FL. Should I fight it?

Question:
I got a camera ticket for a failure to stop at a steady red light. I was making a right hand turn. Rolling right-hand turns [are explicitely legal in Florida](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0300-0399/0316/Sections/0316.0083.html):

> For purposes of administering this section, the department, a county, or a municipality may authorize a traffic infraction enforcement officer under s. 316.640 to issue a traffic citation for a violation of s. 316.074(1) or s. 316.075(1)(c)1. **A notice of violation and a traffic citation may not be issued for failure to stop at a red light if the driver is making a right-hand turn in a careful and prudent manner at an intersection where right-hand turns are permissible.**

The notice contains a link to a website with the video. I watched, and it certainly looked careful and prudent to me. I was traveling at a reasonable speed (the same speed as the slow-moving dump truck in front of me). I made the right turn just as the light was changing (while everyone else still had a red).  Not that it mattered, because there was nobody waiting to cross the intersection at the time I made the turn.

The only signage in the intersection is a sign saying "Stop here on red", which is [not the same thing as a 'no turn on red' sign](http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2005-02-28/news/0502280160_1_sonny-liston-state-road-red)

So my questions are: what are the chances I win if I challenge it, and (related) would it be worth my time to do so given that I can afford the ticket and it doens't add points to my license.

Answer:
 i love how you completely omitted the next sentence:

>A notice of violation and a traffic citation may not be issued under this section if the driver of the vehicle came to a complete stop after crossing the stop line and before turning right if permissible at a red light, but failed to stop before crossing over the stop line or other point at which a stop is required.

you misunderstood. you must still come to a complete stop before attempting to make a right turn at a red light.


Title: Discrimination for Pregnancy (USA, FL.)

Question:
So a friend of mine, we can call her Jane, just recently found out that she is pregnant after 5 years of trying and failing. We are all super thrilled for her as this has been something she's been wanting- going to the doctirs, taking all kinds of tests and pills to help her body take to the pregnancy, so on and so forth. So her being ecstatic about it, she's been telling everyone who was aware of her "seemed to be" inability to conceive. She just told her boss that she conceived and was shocked by her answer... Her boss, we'll call her Lucifer, told her she needed to abort the baby or she would be fired. I told Jane that she can not be fired from her job because she is still able to do everything the job requires. Where we are stuck is that Lucifer runs a 501c business (dog shelter) and has less than 10 employees not counting the vets she brings the dogs to and the millions of Volunteers she has. Now I personally used to work for this same shelter, and when I worked there, there were no taxes to file, I got paid 100$ a week etc. Now it has at least minimum wage and they submit a form showing that they are an actual business now.

How can Jane fight this? She loves her job there and wasn't even asking for any accommodations- she simply wanted to share the good news. Is the business protected from discrimination laws because it's an 501c?

Answer: The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 (PDA) only cover employers with at least 15 employees. If this employer has less than 15 employers (it does), it is not covered by the PDA, and therefore, it is perfectly legal for the boss to fire Jane for getting pregnant.Answer #2: That's abhorrent but legal. Somebody should have aborted Lucifer.


Title: Wife harassed about getting a personal trainer at gym.

Question:
Alberta, Canada for location

My wife just came home crying and telling me she had the worst experience of her life.

Here's the scoop.

My wife went to GoodLife fitness like two days ago and bought a gym membership because she obviously is interested in getting into shape. She was told with her membership she gets a free consultation with a personal trainer. Pretty standard from what I understand, I've heard of this type of thing happening before. So she leaves for her appointment at 8PM, it's supposed to last until 9:30, and I get a phone call from here at 10.

She's balling telling me that she was locked in a room the entire time with this personal trainer who was asking her to sign up for fitness lessons, classes, hiring him as a trainer etc... She repeatedly told him that she doesn't have the finances. He made her write her monthly expenses down on a piece of paper and pointed out that she had an additional $600 at the end of the month that she could spend on training. She again told him she doesn't have the money to spend on this. She also mentioned that she needed to consult me (her husband) before making a decision like this, he told her she didn't. That she needed to make a decision NOW. I'm not sure how long this went on for, but eventually she also mentions she didn't even bring her wallet. He rolls his eyes, informs here that she MUST come in tomorrow and talk to HIM because only he can explain what is going on properly.

Near the end of the "consultation" he told her that she was a failure, that she would amount to nothing without a personal trainer, and that she knows nothing of working out. He humiliated and degraded her as an intimidation tactic.

So far I've gone into the gym, requested that I get a phone call from one of the managers and that I better get a phone call TOMORROW! not over the weekend. Not on Monday. TOMORROW.

I have documented everything. dated, and wrote in detail what my wife told me.

I don't know if there is any legal action that we can take, but if there is I'd like to know, as I am livid that my wife was alone, in a room with a guy that was using intimidation and harassment to try and get some lousy commission.

Any other questions you have, I'll try to answer. TIA.
Topic:
Canada

Answer:
 That's crappy. It's really crappy. But

> she was locked in a room the entire time

Was she literally locked in the room? Was she unable to stand up, unlock the door, and walk out? Because that could make a difference in what legal action you could take.Answer #2: He was a high pressure salesman. Nothing illegal about that.

I'm having serious doubts the trainer brought her to a room, locked her in and held her against her will.

However  she is free to complain to the gym.

Answer #3: No legal recourse. Most you can do is report to his manager and most that can come out of that is he gets fired (they don't have to take any actions against him if they don't want to)

Asking her for her monthly expenses, or calling her a failure who knows nothing is not illegal. How was the door locked? Could she unlock it? Or was it locked in a way that you need a key to open it?


Title: Do I have to pay my former boss?

Question: So I was fired recently from my Job. A few weeks prior to getting fired I accidentally broke two parts to a backroom sink. When I went to get my paycheck, my former boss made me write on computer paper "I agree to pay for damages caused". He didn't give me my check until I wrote that declaration, Is this legal and does the break it, buy it still apply to accidents?

Answer:
 Location is important for employment.

Assuming you're in the US it's illegal to withhold pay as he did, and using that to compel you to agree to pay the repairs may invalidate any written agreement you made.


Title: [WA] Family member attempting to take car from my grandmother who is currently unable to respond coherently

Question:
I apologize for the possibly lengthy text but I feel as though i'm at my wits end. To make a long story short, my grandmother had a stroke and while she recovering quite well she is obviously unable to make serious decisions for herself on her own. Her pride and joy is her car, and we decided as a family we would hold the car in a 3rd party location so that no one would have access to the car and we would decide what to do with the car once she had recovered more from her stroke, but like with any family situation someone had to go and make it harder.

Another family member is attempting to take car for his own and is basically threatening my mother and my aunt who is taking care of my grandmother by saying that he will be coming over to take the keys from them tomorrow, this is something that i really want to avoid because no one wants to give him the keys, but he has a history of physical violence and it is not out the question for him to attempt to hit my mother.

The car's title is in the name of my deceased grandfather, and my grandmother has no will or anything like that laid out for who her belongings would go to. This only makes the situation even harder to figure out!. I honestly want to go the police station, but i don't really know how that works, or if they would even be able to help, but this family member who's physically violent is a horrible man and he will do anything to get his way. I don't know if this is the right way to go about things, but I hate violence and want to avoid a confrontation, any advice would be of help.

EDIT: I wanted to state the title is currently in my mothers possession.

Answer:
 Do not let this person into your home.  Tell him not to come.  If he does, call the police.  You do not have to risk physical violence.

As to the vehicle, I recommend giving the keys to a third party, maybe your grandmother's attorney, who is less likely to have to encounter this person.  Then tell this person that the key is not with any of you (but do not disclose where it is.)

Your grandmother's will is irrelevant while she is alive.  Her belongings belong to her.  Full stop.Answer #2: If he takes the car, report it as theft, because that's what it would be. Even if your grandmother had written a will that said he'd be getting the car, he'd still have no right to the car until she died.
Answer #3: Try adult protective services


Title: What’s the legal difference between a religion and a cult?

Question:
I’ve noticed some sects, like Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witness(ism? ing?) are treated as mostly legitimate religions recent cases, but back in the day were less protected as religions in the context of the First.

That got me thinking, are there any cases that specifically address what makes a religion legitimate in the eyes of the law?

I’m also curious about things being allowed in the context of certain religions, like wine allowed for underage Catholics but afaik bigamy not allowed in religions that permit/encourage that.

Edit: US in general, but also curious about state precedent

Answer:
 No. "Religion" and "cult" have no meaning in U.S. law. Religious exemptions are generally based on the importance of the law objected to. For example, you usually can't wear a hat in court, but if your religion requires you to, you can. This is because "not wearing a hat in court" is a minor issue of decorum and respect for the tribunal, and a Jew or Sikh wearing headgear isn't being disrespectful. So the government lets it slide due to the importance of the religious belief compared to the relative lack of importance of the rule. But if your religion requires human sacrifice, that ain't happening no matter how central it is to your practice.

The distinction has nothing to do with the legitimacy of the religion or the belief (although courts will sometimes disallow religious exceptions if it's really obvious that the claimant isn't sincere and is just making it up to get special treatment).


Title: Joint Custody in PA

Question: Hello Reddit I am a 29(m) and I am strongly considering going to court with my ex 24(f) for joint custody of our twins.  So let me start by giving you some background. Me and my ex found out she was pregnant back in June 2015 and we both agreed that at the current time the best move was to get an abortion.  A couple weeks later right before the abortion appointment she has a change of heart which is understandable and starts saying we should keep the baby and become a family, God planned this for us etc.... So I basically gave in and got warmed up to the idea of being a dad.  A few more weeks go by everything's going good and then she snaps on me one morning out of no where yelling/ screaming saying she wants a abortion and shes setting up the appointment without me. She wanted me to pay half for the abortion and I agreed. Me not thinking I gave her half of the cash (FAIL) and she backs out the 2nd abortion and keeps my cash after I ask for it back.  At this point she's acting very distance towards but allows me to come to my one and only doctors appointment during this pregnancy and I see on the screen it's twins. I'm beyond happy and excited. We both start picking out names and discussing certain baby stuff but she's still acting distant for some reason.  So I ask her when's the next appointment is and she refuses to tell me. I come to find out she has been talking to her dyke friend and I guess they have made plans to raise our kids together (mind blowing). She has been taking this girl to the doctors appointments and refuses to respond to my calls or texts.  So a couple more weeks go by and I finally hear from her (August 30th 2015). She called my phone so I made sure to record the call. She starts out by saying she wants to do co parenting and I agree and tell her I want to be involved more in the pregnancy , I need to  be at doctors appointments , I want to know certain things about the kids, I want to make sure their healthy and that she's healthy since she is carrying my kids. She responds by saying  that it's not my turn to come to any appointments and starts saying her mom, gmom, sister , the dyke bish, etc all get a turn. SMH I'm livid about this because why Tf am I not getting any details or getting to see any ultrasound pics of my kids I'm left out in the blue. So we talk/ argue over stuff for 20 mins and she's not making any sense so I hang up.  I continue to text her every couple days to check on her and my kids but she won't respond. I figured her hormones must be pretty high so give her some more time.  So a couple weeks go by and we're suppose to find out the sex of our children and she states she's having a reveal party and I'm not invited 😠.  So the day of the reveal party I get a bunch of text and calls from people saying congrats because who seen photos on Instagram of what we were having.  In the photos it's my Bm and the dyke girl hugged up saying the best of both worlds one boy one girl. So I'm pissed af at that moment and I text my children's mother and ask her what the sexes were even tho I already know from people already hitting me up. She texts me back an hour later and says " 1 boy 1 girl" and that's it.  Months go by without any communication from her, but I was still calling and texting to check on her and my kids.  She finally starts hitting me up but only requesting money or items, not to discuss anything about the pregnancy or the kids.  When she finally did start talking about the kids, she wanted a plan to be in place where I would only allowed to see my kids every other day for an hour and on the weekends for a couple hours (no nights spent at my house).  I decline that offer and she says that the time with the kids is going to be split up 3 ways ( shes trying to split the time between me, her and this dyke) I decline again because im the father and I want equal time and shouldn't be losing out on time to someone that isn't.  Its a lot more to this but in closing shes pressed on the idea of making this a 3 way deal and having this dyke in the picture as the so called dad and wants to remove me from the picture.  But I know I have legal rights to my children and I want to know the best route I should go (joint custody, sole custody, visitation etc...)

Answer:
 Get a lawyer and try to take your feelings out of the equation and look at what's best for the kids. When they are newborns the visitation schedule she's asking for might be best for them depending on if she is breast feeding only.

Also may want to start learning how to keep the disparaging remarks about this woman and her SO at nil especially once the children are born


Title: TN- I let some friends move in as a gesture of kindness and didn't get anything on paper regarding rent or otherwise. If I wanted to evict them, how difficult would that be for me?

Question:
Long story short, some people I one in a community we were both a part of were having some issues and needed a place to stay. I had just moved into a house and had some extra space, so I had offered up a place for them to stay as they got back on their feet. Tensions have been high and on a few occasions, I've considered evicting them from my house, yet I have no documentation in terms of a rental agreement or otherwise. How difficult would it be for me to evict them? Would I need to get more involved than just a notarized letter stating I wish to evict them, or would that be all I need?

They have been tenants here for about a year now. They pay nothing towards the bills in terms of mortgage, water, electricity, internet, etc, but they do receive their mail here.

Answer: If you do not have a written lease, your default is a month-to-month tenancy.  You will have to provide 30 days written notice to vacate.  If they do not vacate by the deadline, you may then go to court to request the eviction.  In Tennessee, eviction cases are allowed in small claims court.


Title: (Air Force Civilian) Received 'Notice of Proposed Removal' - a few questions.

Question:
I am an Air Force nonappropriated funds employee (NAF) and I am a manager. I am stationed at a base in the SE United States. I recieved a Notice of Proposed Removal with the main accusations as favoritism, negligent performance of duties, and conduct unbecoming.

In my rebuttal, I am able to disprove much of the accusations against me (favoritism says I sent one guy to training when in reality my supervisor didn't approve others because they weren't qualified, have emails to prove it)

With these notices, it says you are entitled to see all evidence against you, statements from employees, photos, etc.

My question is this, under the accustion against me in 'Conduct Unbecoming' it quotes one of my employees but that quote isn't tied to any attachment or statement. The quote is of her saying 'my boss said this'

For example, if you talked to your employee about being late, and later a quote says 'my boss said if i am late again he will fire me', when you never said that.

So what I am quoted saying by this employee, who didn't make a statement, how do I counter that? The notice suggests that my employee said that I said 'XYZ' when i never said that. Can i simply write 'no evidence, statement is given and this is heresay' or how should I approach this?

Answer:
 I worked Fed Gov in the past and you need to seek out counsel. Even if you are right MSPB usually sides with management. I know most people hear that its hard to fire a Fed Employee but that is false. Even if you prove your side that can take years in some cases if management wants to push it.

You need to ask yourself who have you pissed off? Based on whats been said they are throwing the sink at you and only need 1 thing to stick. Also have you been written up and/or suspended in the last 3 years? This type of letter does not happen in a vacuum at the Fed level.


Title: Can you destroy a game camera found on your property?

Question: And if the person who placed the camera did so accidentally, are you liable to replace the damaged camera if the come looking for it?

Answer:
 I’d contact your local Fish and Wildlife agency and ask them directly. Someone might even come your way and properly dispose of the camera.Answer #2: Generally, you can't destroy things that belong to other people, even if they're on your property, and you would be liable for the value of the item you destroyed.

In the case of game cameras, it would be better to contact a conservation officer and have them deal with it.  They have the authority to seize things like that, and may be able to find the owner and tell him to stay off your property in the future.  If he's done things like that before, it's also possible that they might revoke his hunting license.  Hunters care about that a lot more than losing a game camera.Answer #3: Legally, you would be responsible for damages you caused, unless it was able to be considered abandoned (depends on specific location). Your best course of action would be to remove it, notify who you think is the appropriate party to retrieve it (sometimes written on the camera, or drop it off with the police station for them to keep or sort out), and more clearly define the property line with purple markers or signage.


Title: My mother did a 50/50 split on a mortgage with my uncle who has no real interest in moving nor paying the remaining 50%. What options does she have?

Question:
My mother did a 50/50 split on a mortgage with my uncle so my grandmother would have a place to live in Florida. She died last year and my mom has to deal with selling her percentage.

Currently, he lives there with his family and has no real interest in moving nor paying the remaining 50%. What options does she have in recouping her share of the house? Couldn't he sabotage the sale of the house and make it difficult to sell? Any advice is much appreciated.
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer: She hires an attorney. She cannot force the sale of her doesn't wanted. She would need a judge to order the sale


Title: My father (59M), whom I haven't talked to in years, had a traumatic brain injury and is no longer able to care for himself

Question:
My father is an alcoholic and burned every bridge he had. I quit talking to him about 2-3 years ago due to the constant emotional abuse. My sister finally gave up on him a few months ago. We are the only people he has. Well, I got a call on Thursday from the police regarding his well fare. Long story short- my father suffered an anoxic brain injury. His long term memory is there, but he has no short term memory at all. He frequently starts crying and lashes out. He doesn't understand the appropriateness of the situation (e.g. nurse tells him to take a bite of food and he attempts to eat the whole thing at once). Clearly he is unable to take care of himself. He is at the hospital right now. They are attempting to find placement at a rehabilitation center. It is likely he won't be able to live on his own again.

I'm pretty sure he has a will, but no advanced directive or power of attorney. I'm just not sure where to go from here. My sister and I have talked about getting a consult with an attorney to see about becoming guardian ad litems. He has a house and bills. Do I go home and start paying on these? My sister and I are both still very young (22 & 24) so this is a lot at once. I have no idea how to go about getting control of his funds or anything.

My mom (whom he is divorced from) mentioned that as a last resort we could make him a ward of the state. I'm not really sure what the pros and cons of this is. Like I said, it would likely be a last resort, but I don't really understand anything about it.

I'm not even sure what questions to ask. I am a lost puppy on all of this so any advice at all on anything with the situation would be greatly appreciated. I am from Missouri.

Answer:
 Wow, you sure inherited a mess. So sorry. Here's a few links to get you started...
https://www.justia.com/lawyers/family-law/missouri/legal-aid-and-pro-bono-services
http://missourilawyershelp.org/find-lawyer/discounted-pro-bono-services/

https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=43918
http://probono.uslegal.com/missouri/
Answer #2: You can just walk away if you want. You are not obligated to do anything.Answer #3: I worked at a nursing home so I know a little about being a ward of the state but someone can correct me if I am wrong. Your father will most likely end up in a nursing home or another care facility. The social worker will try to contact family but some end up wards of the state. If that happens then they will be assigned someone to watch of their care and make decisions for them. The nursing home will go after all of his assets and then apply for Medicaid. The case manager will be in charge of making sure he is receiving care and in charge of any medical decisions. It may not be the nicest nursing home around of he will be cared for. I would recommend doing that but you could also be his POA to protect him but that will open another can of worms in which case I will talk to a lawyer about everything.


Title: Cat bit vet tech and is now quarantined

Question: Monday I took my cat, Trouble to the local vet as he was coughing and had a runny nose.  Before I went to the office they were already aware that my cat was not up-to-date on his rabies vaccine and that he hadn't been to the vets for about 6 years (I do know this is my error for not keeping him current on his rabies vaccine.).  At the appointment he was examined (I was in the room for that and he did fine).  They then took him out back for xrays and to draw blood.  He struggled with the xrays due to his breathing trouble (related to his kitty cold or asthma--still not exactly sure what is wrong with the poor thing) and they took a couple of xrays.  They then drew blood to do some testing to get more answers about his illness.  It appears at this point my cat MUST have been super stressed out (I was NOT in the room at this point) but one of the vet techs came to get me and yelled that I needed to come out back with her and get my cat as it got away from all of them and they couldn't get him and she mentioned that he had bit the vet tech and she needed to attend to her wound.  When I got out back to the room where they all were things were all over the floor and my poor cat had jumped up onto one of their little supply tables and had gotten some sort of oil all over him.  I picked him up with no issues and put him on the exam table.  They then brought in his carrier and had me put him in there---he went in with no issues at all.  The vet tech that was bit was at the sink sobbing and holding her hand (she was bit on the top of her hand and there was about an 1/2 inch cut on the top of her hand.  They rushed her to the ER and had to call in two other workers.  They had me pay my bill and leave with my cat.  Later that day, minutes before they closed the vet called me to discuss blood results but she was clearly more focused on the bite as she passed the phone to the police officer they called who was in their office.  The officer proceeded to tell me that I need to quarantine my cat at the SPCA and I need to do it NOW.  I was working and had to leave work immediately and bring my cat to meet him at the SPCA, which was closed but the officer had a key to get in.  I had to leave my poor cat (who spends his days on my bed being very mellow and hasn't left my house in over 6 years until that day) at the SPCA and was told he has to be there for 10 days.  Then he will need another exam and his rabies shot (which he was supposed to get the day he was at the vet's office but they couldn't give him the shot after he bit the tech.  Not sure why he wasn't given the shot right after his exam and before they stressed him all out.  I'm also not sure what the hell went on in that back room to make him SO stressed out and terrified that he bit someone--he is the most mellow cat I've owned and is very submissive with his brother when they play so I find it hard to believe that he did this for any other reason than to protect himself and now he is being punished and I've already spent about $400 at the vets (including meds they let me pick up the day after the visit--which I brought to the SPCA so they can give it to him daily until I get him back home) and now I have to pay for 10 days of boarding and another exam.  I feel the vet office should be the ones paying these extra fees since they could not handle my 8lb cat.  There were 3 vet techs involved and the Vet.  I will NEVER be bringing my cat to their office again as I fear they do not know what they are doing.  He is tiny and if they had the proper protection on their hands and knew how to handle the kitty kat he would not be in kitty jail suffering not to mention the stress I felt when this all happened because I feel so bad for my cat having to be in a strange place, especially when he feels so terrible from being sick!  Also his cat friend at home is missing him very much.  Why should I have to pay all this extra money out when they can't do their job properly??

Answer:
 You don't vaccinate your cat and that's their fault?Answer #2: You are very lucky the quarantine is only 10 days.  Rabies quarantine can be six months.

The vet tech may have overreacted, but you don't know she didn't do her job properly. At the end of the day, you have to pay your bill, and you have to get your cat vaccinated as required by law.Answer #3: it's not the vets fault you didn't vaccinate your cat for 6 years. no matter how much you love your cat, he's still an animal and can become unpredictable at times. vet visits can be stressful for animals, especially an animal that hasn't had one in 6 years, and he could've gotten stressed for any number of reasons. Im sure if he had had all his vaccinations, this wouldn't be such an issue, but the fact that the vet could potentially get rabies or an infection because of your lack of care, means you have to face the consequences for that. which include paying the bills associated and having your cat quarantined for a time


Title: repercussions of sending a glitter bomb and horse poo in the mail via anonymous websites.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >Obviously it's not

I dunno, sounds pretty funny to meAnswer #2: Anyone got that imgur link for that lady who lost her eye due to glitter?Answer #3: You're way over reacting.  Leaving him a note is a bad idea.
Answer #4: IANAL.

>If they went to the police, is there anything they could do?

Looking just at the statutes, not the case law, you could possibly be charged with [stalking](http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/ca195882/s21a.html) (the Victoria definition of stalking is extremely broad) or [assault](http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/ca195882/s31.html).


Title: 17, diagnosed with cancer, drug addict parents refuse to pay. what are my options

Question:
I was told to post here after being banned from personal-finance

I'm clueless about the world, and would just like to see what things I can do currently in this situation.

http://i.imgur.com/3NHxjfA.png

(live in seattle usa)

Topic:
Healthcare Law including HIPAA

Answer:
 https://www.dshs.wa.gov/ca/child-safety-and-protection/how-report-child-abuse-or-neglect

Contact these people and they will sign you up for the CHIP Medicaid program to pay for the treatment of your cancer. Washington also has expanded Medicaid for Adults so you will still be covered when you turn 18. Answer #2: tell your doctor what's going on. the hospital can contact a social worker for you. the social worker can help you figure out how to proceed


Title: Document sealing

Question: What would I have to do to get a medical record sealed?  I need to be able to lie about a prior diagnosis without perjuring myself.  The results I got from googling weren't very clear and I figured I'd ask here before shelling out to talk to a lawyer.

Answer:
 There's no such thing as "sealing" a medical record outside of a court action, and you still can't lie about it.

Nobody here is going to help you lie under oath.


Title: Can I sell my small claims judgment to a debt collector?

Question: I just won a judgement for the maximum small claims amount ($5,000) and really would be fine with collecting at least &$1,500 from the defendant. Can I sell this judgment to a collection agency? This was awarded in DC and the defendant lives in Virginia.

Answer: Yes, this kind of thing is legal. You can probably google 'we buy judgements' to get started.


Title: Military debt. How to approach it in a legal manner?

Question:
I'm gonna try to keep this as short as I can, but during my time in the U.S. Navy I was put on LIMDU ,which is a 6month inactive period of time (I was placed on it twice), due to a back surgery I underwent. During that time, I was suppose to be reporting to a new station that I was going to be transferred to. My orders for this transfer were never sent (which I have an email chain sent to me with the Personnel Admin saying so), and the station would not except me.

 My old command was out at sea during a deployment at that time, so reaching them was slow, and my contact didn't help much in guidance. I was reporting to my doctor weekly, because I wasn't sure what else to do, and he didn't either. This Limited Duty status carried over until the end of my contract, and I went to the main personnel office at the base to check out of the military. They held me there drafting a new set of orders to be transferred to the station I was originally suppose be checked in to begin with, to check out of the military.

Once I arrived, I was detained by the MA's, shackled, and sent off to the Brig for being UA. I had a pre-trial and the Captain who was acting judge for the trial said that there was no warrant for my arrest for the UA charges, my pay wasn't cut off during my LIMDU time, and there was a valid reason for the LIMDU status (back surgery), so he dismissed the case the Navy was pinning against me, and sent me out of the brig.

Once out of the brig, I was still not released from the military. I had to arrive at the base every day, normal working hours, or I would be considered UA. During that time, I was able to see a JAG officer for legal advice. She suggested I should accept the Captain's Mast punishment, and not do a Court Marshall because I could end up with a Bad Conduct Discharge, and the worst I would get would be a General Under Honorable conditions discharge with the Captain's Mast.

During the Captain's Mast, I was awarded 60 days restrictive duty, meaning I was not allowed to leave the station at all for 60 days. During my entire stay at the station, I was getting 100% of my paycheck taken out, when the maximum under their legal regulations was 20%.

I was originally suppose to be discharged April of 2011, but I was discharged July 2011 and those months of no pay held me back financial. I had to move out of the state due to my low income job I held there, so I moved around a lot. Near the end of '12 I found a full time job and was able to get back on my feet.

During that time, I found that the Navy has a $25,000-$30,000 debt against my name. I've called them for proof of debt letters, but they haven't sent me once since I've started calling them years ago. It's a real debt, because the Treasury has taken my tax return this year for the debt. Though, they have no garnished my wages because of it.

Also, both my Medical and Service Records are nowhere to be found. I have the letters from the record depositories stating the fact.

My biggest problem to this day is actually finding lawyers in my area that know how to handle or make sense of all of this. I have no idea what to do, and the ones that say they'll try to figure it out are charging $200 per hour, and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that.

**I know this is a lot of text, but I am more than willing to answer any questions.**

Answer:
 You can post in /r/navy and see if someone else can take a stab at this as well.

>I was put on LIMDU ,which is a 6month inactive period of time (I was placed on it twice), due to a back surgery I underwent. During that time, I was suppose to be reporting to a new station that I was going to be transferred to.

So you were on limited duty but never processed into your new unit? Limited duty doesn't mean you're dead. It means you don't work or drive a desk instead of your normal job and you don't do PT. You can still PCS and report to a new unit in one form or fashion.

It sounds from reading the rest of this like you need a lawyer who is prior military (navy preferably because y'all have weird lingo) and $200 an hour is a bargain.

The Navy isn't a normal debt collector. They don't need to send you "proof of debt letters" - they gave you all that already - and you signed off on what would happen. It's all in your discharge paperwork.

If it's $25K-$30K? Did this include an enlistment bonus as well? They will come after you for this. They will eventually garnish your wages.

I didn't see your location listed in this. Where are you?


Title: UK Mcdonalds refusing to send me home

Question:
Just an overview, this is about working at a mcdonalds restaurant in London, England.

So I've worked at one restaurant for over two years, but recently got transferred as I moved to university. Well I was on just my fourth shift and about 2 hours into it,when I suddenly had to run to the toilet and began throwing up. After about ten minutes I went back downstairs and told my manager what had happened, to which he replied "well what do you want me to do about it, I need you here".

So throughout the day I must have ran to the toilet to be sick around 8 times in the space of the three hours, I looked pale and could barely even walk, yet my manager refused to send me home, and even yelled at me at one point for having to run to the bathroom and leave him. It wasn't until I was basically passed out when they finally sent me home, I had been working for 6 hours by this time and felt awful.

Just wondering if they are allowed to actually do this as I'm working with food. Thanks in advance.

Answer:
 There are some exceptions (morning sickness, drinking too much), but in general you should be sent home if you are a food handler and vomiting at work.

[This pamphlet](http://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/multimedia/pdfs/publication/foodhandlersireland1009.pdf) from the Food Standards Agency has more detail.Answer #2: Wait, your McDonald's has an upstairs?Answer #3: Bring it up with the health and safety people in your council


Title: Short Term Disability Company refuses to send medical information.

Question:
Hi All,

Edit: Im in the US, live in Pennsylvania. Company is based out of CA.

This has been an ongoing issue and I wanted to post here in case anyone could advice, I've searched online and haven't found too much info.

I have been diagnosed with two major medical conditions, scleroderma and autoimmune liver disease. The short term disability company through my employer initially approved, but 6 months ago denied.

I'm in the second appeals process, I have asked for my medical records since their basis for denying is that my results are normal from a rheumatology perspective, which anyone knows scleroderma is not normal at all.  I have gone through all my savings and medically have been getting worse, I have been at a stand still with this for months.  They denied, I filed for second level appeal, asked for medical records, denied that and have not heard back.  I've reached out to my employer as well.

My question is: Is this legal? not sending my medical information?

Answer:
 Who are you requesting your medical information from, and who is 'refusing' to give them to you?

You should be requesting copies of the records yourself from your doctors and any hospitals that may have treated you for your conditions.  You should then be submitting those records to the disability insurance company as proof of your disability.

Separately, you need to make sure that you provided all of your health care providers with the necessary HIPAA release form so that the can release information to the disability insurance company.  Likewise you should have provided the disability insurance company with a HIPAA waiver authorizing them to request information about you.


Title: How many daily calls are needed for it to be considered "harassment"?

Question:
I'm being called by an ex-friend constantly, I don't want to talk to him and he keeps on calling me two to three times a day. I never pick up to any of his calls and would hope that he caught the clue by now, but he clearly hasn't.

What can I do in this situation? Is this considered harassment?

Answer:
 Block the number.

Have you told him to stop contacting you?


Title: My gf and I moved into an apartment together, now we might break up. We're both on the lease. What can I do?

Question:
One of us is going to move out, probably her because her parents live near by,  so she can stay with them, but we're both on the lease. I can't afford the rent on my own. What if she refuses to pay her share of the rent? Can I take her to court, or does the landlord have to do that, since she's breaking the lease? Can the landlord evict me or take me to court because of this? I have a feeling she's gonna move out and stop paying rent. Her parents have f*ck you money and they don't like me, so they'll probably try to find a way to get her out of this situation without her having to cover her share of the bills. On top of that, this is a small town where everybody knows everybody, and her parents knew the landlord before we moved in, so I have a feeling that he might side with them if anything goes down. Moving out is not an option because I can't afford it, and where we moved from is three hours away, and I have no friends or family here. I'm in Maryland.

Edit: words

Answer:
 IANAL, etc.

Since you're both on the lease, in absence of any specific language on the lease regarding it, the landlord can come after either of you for the full amount - which may (from what you've said, probably will) end up being you, since you'll be easier to shake down.


Title: (ND) My employer provides housing. Am I a tenant or not and what rights do I have?

Question:
I work for a hotel chain in ND.

Part of working there is having a private room at the hotel to live in.

This is offered to all employees as a perk and does not effect salary.

It’s important to note that *there is no lease or any kind of paperwork regarding employees staying for free*. Not even anything regarding moving out upon quitting. It’s just something they’ve always done and several employees live on site.

I chose to stay at the hotel and it is my permanent residence where I live, get mail, etc. I do not have another residence.

Recently my employer has decided to start doing “employee room checks”. They come in and check to see if the room is trashed, basically.

I found out they’ve gone into my room without notice when I was not there. I found this out because the office manager mentioned to me I needed to remove an extra laundry basket I had.

I was not happy and told them as much. I was told “It’s Sarah’s hotel and she can do what she wants.”

They’ve now posted a notice saying there will be weekly room checks for all employees, but no telling what day or time.

I was told last night at 11 that there will be room checks this morning at 11am. Less than 12 hours notice.

Weekly room checks seem really excessive. We’re an extended stay and don’t even go into the guests rooms on a weekly basis. If they decline housekeeping, we never go in.

My question is: am I a tenant and if so, what rights do I have to privacy? Is my employer really allowed to enter when I’m not present with little to no notice?

Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Generally, if this is a licensed hotel with the state, hotels are exempt from people establishing tenancy.

They're also usually more expensive for your company than actual standard housing. Which either means your company wants to exert more control over you than tenancy would normally allow, or is unable to find housing - which isn't that uncommon for oil workers in ND.


Title: Deceased grandpa set up a college fund for me, his wife closed the account. Is there anything I can do?

Question:
Hello all, throw away account for obvious reasons, also apologies if this post is a little long, I'll try to summarize in a tl;dr at the bottom. I am located in Utah, USA.

My grandpa passed in 2007, he had set up a my529 account to start up a college savings for me. When he passed I was still in elementary school so the account was supposed to be placed into my mom's name until I was 18, but my grandpa's wife apparently never put the count into my mom's name.

When I was getting ready to go to college, I was awarded a full ride scholarship and finished that degree about 2 years ago. I have decided that I am wanting to pursue an MD and the school I originally graduated my undergrad from is only a national accreditation, so I am essentially having to start my education path over in order to qualify for acceptance to medical schools.

So, this week I called the my529 savings account number to start looking into how that can be applied toward my tuition. The account was not in my name, I had my mom try calling and she said the account was not in her name and there was no account under my grandpa's name either. We had them check under each of our social security numbers as well- nothing.

My mom reached out to my grandpa's wife to see if she had the account information and here's where we get to the reason I am posting here.

It turns out she (grandma for the purposes of this story) had never put the account into my mom's name when my grandpa passed in 2007. She did give my mom the certificate so my mom assumed it was in her name. Then when my grandma heard in 2014 (I was 18 at this point, turned 19 before I started courses for the degree) that I had gotten the full ride scholarship, she closed the account and took the money and just never told us.

Is there anything I can do to make her responsible for any of the amount? The thing is, I don't know how much was even in the account when it was opened since I was so little (my mom says the initial amount to open it was either 5k or 10k because those were the two options) when it was apparently closed, I do know it was supposed to be acquiring interest the whole time also.

I appreciate any help or advice anyone can give.
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer: A 529 plan does not belong to the beneficiary. The owner of the account can withdraw the money and spend it on hookers and blow, and all it incurs is an extra tax because the money wasn't spent on the beneficiary's qualified education expenses. Unless your grandfather actually appointed your mother as successor to the account and his wife fraudulently transferred it, or something like that, neither of you have been legally wronged. It's more likely he never indicated it should go to your mother and it went to his wife by default.