Title: Can my landlord replace my washer and dryer with his own, and compel me to remove mine?

Question:
City, State: Orlando, FL.

I currently rent an apartment with washer/dryer hookups, and have since October 2015.  When we moved in we provided our own Washer/dryer to use the existing hookups.

New company bought up the apartment complex last year in december, and my lease is still valid until October.
New company wants me to remove my washer/dryer so they can install their own, which I assume will likely be inferior.

Can they compel me to do this?

**UPDATE: Someone in corporate decided I wasn't worth the paperwork and I just got this via e-mail.**

> $DEVIANT,
>I wanted to follow up with you in regards to the washer and dryer installation. We understand that you have your own washer and dryer set and we have been guided to wait upon your lease renewal to complete any installation. If you are interested in having the new washer and dryer installed, simply if you're experiencing troubles or repairs on to your own. We will be more than happy to install for Feb 1st.
> Thank you so much for reaching out to me regarding your concern and hope that this update has provided some comfort.

Answer:
 > which I assume will likely be inferior.

And they might be *coin-operated* washer and dryer.


Title: Arkansas - Am I required to report a crime? URGENT

Question: I was contacted on Facebook by a friend who was granted a work furlough while in jail. She contacted me to let me know that she was on the run and ask for financial support. I immediately ceased contact. I was later told on Facebook by her husband that he had financially supported her escape. I immediately ceased contact with him as well. They both live in different states. Am I required to report these crimes to anyone? Please help. I am not sure if this is serious or not, but I know it's not going to go well. When it doesn't go well, I don't want to be involved. Thank you in advance for any advice.

Answer: Something tells me the Einsteins' crimes are going to be solved without your help. Ceasing contact was a good idea. Answer #2: You are not required to report this to anyone.


Title: Bad stitches after vaginal repair [ME]

Question:
I am a 36 year old woman who just had her second child. My son came out very fast, and I had a lot of tearing and an episiotomy. Unfortunately the doctor that cared for me during my pregnancy was not there for the delivery, and because it was the weekend, the on-call doc from the hospital and a couple of residents delivered my baby. Mostly the residents. My delivery was a VBAC, so I imagine a great learning experience for them.

After delivery, I had an extensive repair. 2 lateral internal tears and an episiotomy were repaired by a senior resident. Taking more than an hour to fix.

At my first checkup (6 weeks postpartum) with my regular doctor, I had developed two polyps and some granulation tissue, which, according to my doctor, were from the "wrong" type of stitches, a brand called Vicryl, used in the repair. She later backbedaled a bit and said that they weren't wrong, just not what she would have used. She removed the polyps and cauterized the area. Nearly three months postpartum, I have now had polyps removed for the second time, and cauterization preformed multiple times, with visits and calls to my doctor every couple of weeks. I am still not healed.

I made the mistake of Googling, and have read about recalls on this type of stitches since the 90s.

I am in constant pain and just want to be better, with medical bills adding up. How do I find a medical malpractice attorney that will take my case?

Edit [ME] is Maine, USA

Answer:
 Med mal is so complicated that it's impossible to say if you have a med mal case. Even a med mal lawyer might have trouble with figuring that out so the only advice you should listen to is the fact that you should call a med mal lawyer and ask for an initial consult, if youu do not know one then you should call your local bar association.Answer #2: Vicryl stitches are standard for this. Some fancy L&D wards also stock vicryl rapide, which is nicer in this application because it dissolves faster than plain vicryl.

What is the relevance of prior recalls of this type of stitch, given that it is still in use?Answer #3: As a former attorney, I can confirm that an attorney who specializes in medical malpractice cases is the only one who can tell you whether you have a case. Be aware that these are very difficult cases to bring.

As a woman who has experienced similar injuries, and who *should have* had a more experienced surgeon administer her stitches, I can tell you not to give up hope at this point, 3 mo pp. My scar tissue didn't resolve until after my postpartum hormones leveled out, which took about 8 months. If you don't have faith in the OB who is currently managing your care, I encourage you to seek a referral to a urogynecologist. They are a relatively new specialty, and much more well versed in pelvic floor injuries and disfunction than most OB/GYNs.


Title: Taco shop gave me dysentery

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 According to various articles I skimmed from a google search, dysentery symptoms can take 2 to 10 days to present after eating/ingesting the contaminated item.  And you can also definitely get dysentery from fruit.

Unless you plan on finding a lab and paying for tests of all of these food items of yours that could have caused the infection, there's not much you can do.  And it could also end up being way more trouble than it's worth.


Title: Need a counter argument please

Question: So I work at yogurtland and I’ve been using a rewards card to gain points with customers purchases. I would swipe my rewards card when they buy things so I get the points. Yesterday corporate emailed my boss and said that A certain card has been used 76 times and to let them know if its an employee so they can simply cancel the card. They didnt mention anything about fraud or anything they just wanted to make sure It wasnt a customer who kept coming back so they can cancel It. Word Is from my manager, my boss might fire me for this. Is this reasonable grounds for being fired?

Answer:
 are you asking if you can be fired for stealing? If so the answer is yes.

If LP comes in and wants to talk dont speak to them, just quit and go home, you already lost your job at that point.


Title: Can you evict spouse from marital home (CA)?

Question:
Posting for a friend.

A friend found out that her husband of 2 years was cheating on her and kicked him out. He came back the next day (she didn't change the locks) and started occupying the spare bedroom. Although he has a job, he doesn't make much and, to date, has never contributed to rent or utilities nor is he on the lease.

Friend started to ask for a rent contribution as of February 2018 (a month after he started working) but has not received anything to date. She's stretched thin financially and doesn't have money for a divorce lawyer. She's love to use the spare bedroom he is occupying to save for a divorce.

So, the question is, can she evict her estranged husband? And if so, what steps does she need to take? Does she need to give him written notice? Or is verbal notice sufficient? Or does it not matter since they are still married?

Thanks /r/legaladvice !

Answer: You can’t evict a spouse from a marital home without a court order, no matter who is on the lease.  She needs to get a lawyer.


Title: Liable to defendants claim against me?

Question:
Hey guys. Just gauging a, at this point, potential claim against me. Tho I'm told I'll be hearing within the month about it.

Last year I had some free time and volunteered to help a friend of a friend with some web work.

I gave her an estimate of the initial work to create a prototype (for the software people: simple bootstrap-rails web app. A bit of browsing of profiles, and some searching. A few days of work).

She accepted and we worked for a bit on this. It became quickly obvious she didn't know what she wanted and I didn't have time to invest in the project, as it was supposed to be a week at most.

I fired her by handing off the project to a friend, code and all. I received no remuneration and asked for none. Nobody ever signed anything.

He proceeded to work with her for 6 months. He then invoiced her for the work, and then chased her for 4 months before filing a small claims case against her.

His claim: pay me.
Her counter: how dare you ask for 4x what the original estimate said it would cost. (She actually wrote this in her claim).

As part of his evidence, I provided an estimate of what I would charge for the work he ended up doing on the whole project by the end. The purpose was to illustrate that I would've ended up billing her even more than he did.

Now I'm hearing she might be bringing me into this. Am I actually liable for anything?

TLDR: fired a client. New developer is now suing her for not paying him for his work. Used me as witness of what it would cost if I hadn't fired her. Am I liable for providing said estimate? No contracts ever were exchanged.

This is in Ontario, Canada.

Answer:
 Your friend should have been invoicing/billing his client as he went, not surprising her with an invoice/bill at the end.  In addition, when he sued her he should have gotten an estimate of what his work was worth from someone other than you (if he felt that it was important to support his claim, which it likely would be since he had given her no prior invoices/bills and she had not signed any contract for services with him).

The above said, I don't see how she has any cause of action against you since you didn't charge her anything for your work, and she can't sue you for telling your friend what you would have charged her to do the work that he did for her.


Title: Light from parking lot next to house is excessive (Long Island, NY)

Question: My house is next door to a Friendly's restaurant. They have bright parking lot lights active from about 5pm - 2am. The light shines into my house, enough so that my bedroom is lit up at night. Between my house and the Friendly's is an empty grassy lot, about 4 car lanes wide. What are my options? Can I make the town plant trees along the property edge? Or make friendly's put shutters on the light that faces my house?

Answer: or.. you know.. you could get blinds for a fraction of the cost of anything you've proposed here.Answer #2: Kramer v. Kenny Rogers might come into play here.


Title: Might lose job over medical condition. Help!

Question:
Okay, so here the issue. I've been working this job for almost three years and it my major income of source. When I first got hired in this job, I immediately told my supervisor that I had colitis. I was diagnosed when I was seventeen and been living on and off medication for the last eight years. My supervisor told me he understand and it won't be a problem.

Cut to a year ago, and that supervisor got fired ( for many good reasons) and a new one took over. I told him the same thing and got the same answer as before. Around October, I had a flare up and couldn't come to work a few days. When I return, they gave a slip, warning me if I call off again that I'll be fired. I informed my supervisor that I have turned in doctors notes and papers that all say I have a medical condition and I can't be fired because of it. The supervisor again said he'll deal with it and I didn't hear anything for a while, so assume it was delt with.

About a week ago, I had to call off due winter storm Harper. I was willing to take the mark because it was impossible to leave my house. When I got back to work, I find out that the supervisor was being demanded by HR to fire me because I rack up to many marks, even though I told them it was because of my colitis I got most of them. He again said he's fighting it but he said I have to call the HR person myself to plead my case because technical the first supervisor should have had me filled out a form for disability but never told me about.

So what can I do to pervert this from getting worse and/or should start looking at a legal defense?

TL:DR Job might fire me to medical condition and need help building a defense.
Topic:
Disability Issues

Answer:
 > I informed my supervisor that I have turned in doctors notes and papers that all say I have a medical condition and I can't be fired because of it

That's not how this works.  There is no medical condition that you can't be fired for.

If your condition rises to the level of a disability, you can ask for a reasonable accommodation for that disability.  "Reasonable" differs from place to place, job to job and circumstance to circumstance.

If you have a reasonable accommodation you'd like to propose, do that and negotiate that.  If they refuse, and you suffer discipline because of it, you **may** have a case.  That depends on your accommodation.


Title: Walmart shoplifting

Question: Deleted

Answer: I think you got extremely lucky that you weren't arrested.  Don't go back to Walmart.Answer #2: Walmart is famous for prosecuting shoplifters. In theory yes it means you have been blacklisted from every one, in practice probably only your local one is going to have your photo up. No they cannot access the banking system to identify you. They can pass that information on to the police who can decide whether or not to seek warrants for that information.


Title: I did a Kickstarter with a friend and funded it successfully. A year later, I'm still not paid [NYC]

Question:
I'm not sure what to do at this point so here goes: A year ago a friend of mine thought of a product, I thought it was good so Ii accepted the invitation to become a partner. I did a lot of work on marketing on Instragram and other social media. We successfully funded it at just over $10,000 (5 times what we asked for). Moved the operations to Shopify and were gaining momentum. However, after a few months I was never really paid in full. I used my own money to pay for shipping hundreds of orders including the Kickstarter orders. The only thing I ever got from it was $2k which wasnt even enough to cover the shipping I used. Finally after months of waiting I decided to stop helping right around November of last year since my own business is going to start to pick up pace. After repeated request trying to get my share and not getting anywhere, I'm losing hope. We don't have a contract, all we have our text and emails. He does admit and told me that I am welcome to get the money - but in reality he controls that and havent really done anything or even offer to pay me after all these months.
Tbh, I dont know what else to do. I thought about suing but a friend told me it could cost from $5-10k just to get a lawyer. I could use the help since this has been an on going problem for me.  Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Answer:
 Small claims court maxes out in New York at [$5000](https://www.nycourts.gov/courts/nyc/smallclaims/startingcase.shtml), which sounds like it would be a fit for you.

Small Claims doesn't require a lawyer, and the filing fee for $5K is $20.


Title: I sold a car to a woman 6 months ago and she is threatening to take me to court because of the traveling expenses she paid to get to the DMV

Question: I sold my truck to a woman in New Jersey who is a resident of New York. I live in Pennsylvania. The sale was back in October and she just went to NYC to register it a couple weeks ago. When she got there they told her that the title needs to be notarized, so she mailed it back to me and I got it notarized and sent it back to her. She is now saying that i need to compensate her $60 for train tickets and insurance. She said this is all my fault. I have just been ignoring her messages because I think it’s ridiculous. But now she’s threatening to take me to court and I don’t know how to approach this

Answer: Ignore her unless you actually get served.


Title: USA-OR Could use some input on understanding a contract.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: People here don't review contracts, and you shouldn't trust anyone that does. You should hire an attorney to do it.


Title: [IL]Marijuana possession and paraphernalia, wondering if it was an illegal search and I can fight it. Also I was illegally detained by Walmart

Question:
 So I'll start by saying I know that I'm guilty of this... But I believe what the police did was not a legal search and I want to know if it I have a chance in hiring a lawyer to fight this or if I should just take whatever deal they offer.

Contdxt: I left school and went to Walmart to shop for some snacks, I was with my backpack and carrying my skateboard. I'm 16, white, blond, and have blue eyes, this is relevant because I was mistaken for someone else. I was wearing a white t-shirt (no jacket) and khaki shorts.

I had already paid at the self-checkout when I was stopped by some manager. He came up to me casually and asked if he could see my bag and receipt, I said okay and let him. So next he asks if he can search my backpack, and I ask him why, he says he wants to make sure I don't have anything from their store in there. I said I paid for all that I bought and told him he can't search my bag. He asked one or two more times and I politely told him to fuck off, at this point I see three more employees approaching.

I started walking slowly toward the exit and told him i was leaving, then one of the employees walked in front of me and said I wasn't leaving until I "returned everything that I stole" from them, and another tried to grab my backpack.

Now I had a very good reason I didn't want them to search, all my weed was in there, but I couldn't tell them that. So I turned around and said that I can leave whenever I want, I didn't steal "nothing" and if they touched me again I would sue them. The discussion escalated a bit and one of them actually grabbed me by the arm and they started wrestling my backpack out of me, and I started to panic and fought to keep my backpack. When they took it I said, "my personal belongings are in there and you can't search it", the manager said if I wasn't letting them search it they'd wait for police to do it. I continued to argue with them 9was shouting at this point), saying I was going to sue and yadda yadda, a lot happened between them but the police arrived.

When they came, I was outside a room and they had left my backpack and skateboard on a chair, untouched. Two cops came and the manager lets we in the room to see the video, one officer stays outside, now here everything will make sense. In the video you could clearly see someone who WASN'T me taking some items and hiding it in his jacket, and he was also blond and had a skateboard, but of a different eye color (brown) and different clothes. In fact the manager had started to apologize saying someone (he said his position, don't remember now) had told him he saw a "blond kid with a skateboard" on camera stealing the items. Now, within that time frame, the other officer had anticipated himself and searched my bag, and he found: my weed (half an ounce), a PAX vaporizer (portable), a bottle of Adderall (original bottle from the pharmacy) and some sugar blocks in a paper bag that he mistook for a drug.

He came in and showed it to me and started interrogating me like "Look at what I found in your backpack, you know anything about those...", anyway, when he showed me the Adderall I told him it was mine and I had a prescription, and I also told him the blocks were just sugar. He gave me the Adderall back and said the sugar blocks were going to the lab for testing, and I was given a citation for marijuana possession (over 10 grams) and paraphernalia. Now I have a court date.

Was the search legal? Should I plead not guilty and fight that? Or could I even try to argue some employee put it there to fuck with me (I was indeed rude with them)? Or should I plead guilty, I know that for someone in my circumstances (youth and no record) I probably wouldn't get any jail time, but i don't want to have a record.

Also what about what Walmart did? I'm quite sure it's not legal for them to be detaining people? The manager who stopped me had just heard from another employee that a "blond kid with a skateboard" had stolen from them.

Answer:
 What the police did was legal, he had reason to believe that you had stolen (based on what Walmart had said).  If you were touched or detained physically by a Walmart employee based on his third hand knowlege, that is illegal and it is assault.  If he had seen you steal it would be a different story, or if the police had been the one to detain you.  Walmart employees do not have the right to touch you based on you matching a vague discription, they are not the police.

Edit: As pointed out below, this is battery


Title: NJ driver followed by civilian vigilante who got out of car and pounded my window at stop sign. After committing "highly illegal" passing of another motor vehicle.

Question:
Hello,

Today, while driving with my fiance to finish our christmas shopping. we were on a back road that has very few turns and a speed limit of 50MPH. an older vehicle in front of me was doing the speed limit, holding their "right" arm across their body. i stayed behind the car. After watching, the driver's right hand draped acrrosed their body out a half open window. i came to the conclusion that something was wrong with his vehicle, and he was signaling me to pass him. reluctantly, i decided this would be the best course to take. I proceeded carefully, using my blinker at a speed which was safe. now, passed the veichle and they are now behind me. further down the road i notice the car make a left turn. i am driving the speed limit and driving safely. i come to an all way stop miles from the passing of the car. i begin tuning my radio waiting for my turn go. however to my surprise a gentleman is knocking on my window. I put the window down. I thought he was going to tell me i had a flat or brake light out. he begins asking me,"Are you alright!?". i replied "Excuse me?". "Are you alright because what you did back there passing that car was highly illegal! i got your plates i am going to be pressing charges. and ill see you in court!" i am completely surprised at this point, as this wasn't even the driver who i had passed. This gentleman was driving behind me and witnessed me passing the car. i didn't attempt to explain myself to him as he was being irate. i told him "Okay".

i am freaking out now. i am a very safe driver and one with a clean history. i barely ever drive over the speed limit. i passed the car in front of me only because i had felt he was waving me forward! i was under the impression something had gone wrong with his vehicle and he was going to stall. i was very aware of the distance of a potential upcoming turn he wpuld have been signalong but none in site and there was no on coming traffic.

Can someone please explain to me if i should be worried. i am scared that this guy has contacted the police and filed a complaint against me. please help relieve my stress or prepare me for what may come.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: Don’t roll down your window for crazy people.


Title: [Texas] Blood alcohol limit for former commercial driver that still has a CDL?

Question: [removed]

Answer: In many states you can surrender your CDL for a non-commercial license. If you don’t want to be under the stricter standards you need rid of the CDL.


Title: Involved in a 2 car MVA in NJ. Other driver at fault but was injured and went to the hospital by ambulance. What am I on the hook for?

Question:
First and hopefully last car accident of my life.

&#x200B;

Approaching an intersection when another driver pulled out in front of me from an off ramp (with a stop sign) trying to turn left to go the opposite direction.  She saw me, we made eye contact, but she pulled out anyway trying to cross two lanes.  She gave me approximately 20 feet (maybe less) to avoid collision.  Didn't even have enough time to turn away.  Police and fire came - she was found at fault by the responding officer.  She sustained a neck injury and went to the hospital by ambulance.  I am not injured and refused evaluation at the scene.  I had zero contact with the other driver after the accident.

&#x200B;

There is front end damage to my car but it is drivable.  I am actually surprised my airbags did not deploy because there was a decent jolt. I have started the claims process with my auto insurance (USAA).  Going for an estimate early next week.

&#x200B;

Main issue - I am concerned that she will go after me for her neck injury.  I think that she might have been feigning injury because she was going back and forth with the medics about going to the hospital.  I need to be careful because I am a med student and really cannot afford to be sued.  Wondering if/when I should find myself a lawyer.

&#x200B;

Thanks!

Answer: your insurance company will have a field day with her for making an illegal left hand turn


Title: [DE] Is time theft actually illegal? Am i unable to do anything to stop this legally?

Question:
I work at my family's business and we are currently experiencing multiple employees receiving overtime during our slowest season. After doing some digging we've found out that employees are abusing our computer system to clock in early for just about every shift by about a half-hour.  My question is whether or not it is legal to change the employees clock-in times to the correct times indicated by their schedules.

None of the employees in question are on salary, and we have told them to stop this on more than one occasion but they do not listen.  So, our next step we thought of is just manually adjusting their start times for each shift to reflect the schedules. We could really use some help determining whether or not this is illegal, because if it is we will obviously refrain from doing so and take another approach.  Thanks for your help guys!

Answer:
 They should probably be terminated, first thing.

Are they actually showing up early? Or are they clocking in remotely before they arrive? Answer #2: Are they actually working this extra half-hour, however minimally, or are they clocking in and then leaving for 30 minutes, or doing absolutely no work during that time?

If they're not actually working, you can correct their hours. However, if they are working, they're entitled to pay. On the balance, I'd suggest terminating everyone involved for having poor schedule compliance: they know when they're supposed to clock in, and they're not doing it. Obtaining further remedies or attempting to claw back wages is fraught at the best of times.


Title: Wife stole money, I stole it back...

Question: We are TX residents, my wife was added to my account which had a very large sum of money in it (premarital and have proof), well a few years ago she transferred it from our joint account, so our marriage is over and we will be separating any day now and I am sick of hearing about how she has my money. Well, I got her account info and I pulled the money from her account, and put it back in the joint, and from the joint, into a personal savings account that she has no access to. Am I in trouble, did i commit a crime? if so, what do I do...

Answer:
 >Am I in trouble, did i commit a crime?

Sure as shit sounds like it.  So let me get this straight...first, she withdrew the money from a joint account you were both on, and then you withdrew the money from her own account that you are not on, correct?

You need to consult with a divorce lawyer ASAP, and he/she may in turn refer you to a criminal defense lawyer.

In the meantime speak to no one about this.

Edit to add:  Just to clarify, she didn't steal anything.  Money in a joint account belongs to her, just as much as it does to you.  Both parties on a joint account have 100% right to the money in the account.  You are the only one who stole here.  Answer #2: If it was your money before you married, it *was* your separate property and she had no right to take it. My concern comes from the fact that she took it "a few years ago." I'm guessing she will argue that, at the very least, you knew she took and you were fine with it (i.e. - you agreed for it to become community property). She also may say that money was commingled and became community property. For instance, did she use her account for any community expenses (e.g. - vacations, cars, bills, etc.)? If so, she has a good argument that the money was commingled and is no longer your separate property.

Also, it doesn't look good that you are just now taking action (coincidentally the same time you are divorcing).


Title: Have an Ongoing 3rd Party Liability Claim, Getting Married, Will it Affect My Future Spouse?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You might want to get a consultation with a family law attorney prior to the marriage to see if there's anything you need to do to protect her assets.Answer #2: Has your insurance company provided an attorney to you? You could try asking them.


Title: [Missouri] I made a terrible mistake last night and was pulled over at a DWI checkpoint. I was arrested and taken to the station and given a citation. What comes next?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You will probably have to attend an alcohol awareness program. You probably won't get jail time (jail is expensive for the state). But what you really, really, really need is a lawyer.

(And it looks like the license suspension will be for 90 days not 30)Answer #2: Also, you didn't "make a mistake."  A mistake is putting salt in your coffee, or buttoning your shirt in the wrong buttonholes. You got drunk and then you drove. You committed a crime. Own that, and learn from it.


Title: Got arrested for marijuana in NJ, trial is tomorrow but there has been no discovery

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > Can anyone explain to me exactly what discovery is?

It's all the stuff that the other side is required to turn over to you.  Their evidence, statements, et cetera.

This isn't particularly abnormal.


Title: Suspension from work over a NON WORK related incident - Airline Industry

Question:
Hey reddit community,
 I was on a layover when a pilot and i (flight attendant) made out outside of our hotel. Later, I was accused by a fellow employee of "having sex inside the hotel lobby" which did NOT happen. The pilot received NO discipline in the case and I am still on suspension from flying (almost 3 months later) and they are discussing giving me the highest level of discipline prior to termination. Do I have a legal case here? Can I sue the company?

I was not on duty, did not have a badge or uniform on, and was not scheduled to work or fly within 8 hours of the incident.

PS the employee who reported me used a crew badge on her day off to find me (stalk me) in the airport and point me out to a supervisor. Nobody knew who I was prior to this

Thanks!

I am residing in California, incident was in Texas

Answer:
 IF you are in a union, then you need to go through them about all this. The union contract is what will spell out how you can handle things. Without the union they could have just fired you. It sucks, but making out with a coworker isn't a protected class, so they can fire you for that. If that had happened you could've applied for unemployment and looked for a job elsewhere. With you being in a union, you'll need to follow their grievance process. Answer #2: Your union has the duty to represent you if the airline takes action against you.  That's why you pay your dues.

If you're suspended from flying, but still receiving a paycheck, it may not be considered "discipline".  OTOH, if you are not receiving a paycheck, I would urge you to file a grievance immediately, since collective bargaining agreements typically spell out when you must file.

Fair to assume that you are female and pilot is male?  If so, you might be able to claim discrimination based on sex, since the pilot received no discipline.  However, you also will have a different CBA, so the company does not have the obligation to treat you exactly the same.  Answer #3: Are you in a union? Answer #4: First file a grievance with the labor union.  Don't just talk to them, but go through the formal grievance process.


Question:
Asking on behalf of my mother,

She would like to send her stepson some inheritance money after the sudden demise of his father who passed away without a will.

Trouble is, his son is currently incarcerated.

So, our question is: Can an inmate in Arizona inherit money without the department of corrections taking it?

Thank you all for your time.

Answer: That depends on whether or not the courts ordered any fines or restitution.Answer #2: Put it in trust until he gets out?


Title: My 72yr old Dad is being forced to work tmrw

Question:
My Dad is an employee at a large USPS processing facility in the Midwest. He’s been with them for 30+years. He has been at home for the past 2 months on combined sick and vacation leave. But now everyone is being ordered to come into work tmrw.

The facility has roughly 1500 employees where about 30 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed and 3 deaths. My dad being his age makes me really nervous. The mail is considered essential business but can they really force senior aka high risk individuals to work? We’re working on getting a medical note, yet his doctor is being difficult with it since he has no symptoms. What are our options?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 Well he is 72, working for 30+ years for the usps.....seems like a no brainer to me if he doesnt want to go to work.  Retire and collect the pension.Answer #2: Your dad is 72 and works for the USPS? Has he spent his entire career with the Postal Service (or post military career if thats the case)? If so, he would be way past the point of retirement (and given his age, would likely still be under civil service rather than FIRS).

So, they can likely discipline him for refusing to work, but it is notoriously hard to fire postal workers. If he quit, he might be able to make a case for unemployment, but I doubt he wants to give up all the benefits that come along with employment with the USPS.Answer #3: What does his union say?


Title: Legal use

Question:
Can my job fire me if I were to go to a state that's legalized marijuana, smoked, and came back uninebrehiated. If they tested me and I could prove I did it legally would they have the grounds to fire me?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Yeah they can totally fire you for that. They can fire you for anything that isn't discrimination on the basis of a protected class characteristic, and "smokes weed in legal state" is not a protected class.


Title: (NY) Temporary Stay Away Order

Question: I have not been with my ex girlfriend in close to a year. About 8 months ago she filed a petition claiming she doesn't feel safe and is scared of me etc. As of right now there is a temp stay away in place which is standard in NY until things are worked out in court, she is petitioning for a year or two order. Anyway my question today is over the past 8 months I have been dating someone else but I have run into my ex at least 20 times, we see each other at concerts, restaurants and local bars. I always leave without incident due to the order whether I am in the middle of eating or not. I believe that maybe half the time it's coincidence we see each other but there have been other times where her friends will tell her I am somewhere and she will purposely show up knowing that she can go wherever she wants and I will have to leave. She is very spiteful that I am happy and with someone new so she is doing all she can to make my life hell. How can I prove to the court that she is terrorizing me and showing up places I am on purpose so I have to leave?

Answer: You have had a temporary restraining order against you for 8 months? When is your court date?


Title: Landlord sold the house, new landlord wants to live with us - Ontario

Question: I understand that in Ontario we lose all our rights under the Landlord Tenant board if the landlord is living with us. I don't want to live there if the new landlord is living with us, is there anything I can do?

Answer:
 Do you rent an entire house or apartment, or do you rent a room and share kitchen and/or bathroom facilities with others who are not on the same lease as you?Answer #2: Contact your local Community Legal Clinic. They do landlord tenant law all day erry day.

Whether a tenancy falls under the RTA or not is determined at the start of the tenancy. If you live in a house with individually rented rooms, but when you move in the Landlord does not live there, then the LL moving in later does not strip you of your rights.


Title: Friend currently serving life sentence for LSD Conspiracy - questions on weight calculation and guidelines vs. statutory sentencing

Question:
My friend is currently serving a life sentence for LSD Conspiracy (Roderick "Rudd" Walker). His case was in the 10th Circuit (Oklahoma). And the judge sentenced him on the Statutory instead of Guidelines approach. All the documents I have on his case thus far (I am collecting more) are housed on Scribd - here (http://www.scribd.com/ellisd_3).

I don't really understand too well (though I am learning) the difference between a statutory/guidelines sentence, but it seems from everything  read that Chapman guides the statutory definition for LSD weight calculation (to include carrier medium). Part of the weight of the LSD in this case (no LSD was found on him, but everything relies on testimony) was liquid and part was blotter paper. The liquid LSD was weighed in it's entirety (7grams of liquid) and not counted in the 0.4mg/dose way that the blotter paper was counted.

Because the weight of the liquid LSD was 7 gr and the blotter paper determination by 0.4mg/dose combined to about 15g, he was sentenced as if he had more then 10g. If the liquid was counted by dose or pure LSD, this would not be the case.

With the recent announcement of The Clemency Project, one of the guiding factors in applying for clemency is that if the person were sentenced today they might have received a far lesser sentence.

Can anyone here assist us in any way?

Here's a link to an earlier post I made on Reddit in regards to this, though I am not sure if it is relevant here;
http://www.reddit.com/r/Drugs/comments/1nq6jv/my_friend_got_a_life_sentence_for_lsd_conspiracy/
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 In my purely non-professional opinion, your friend is screwed.  Here's why:

1 - He accepted a plea that would have resulted in a reasonable sentence, then refused to comply with the terms.

2 - He's already raised his "ineffective counsel" claim and been thoroughly slapped down.

3 - He sold dope to an undercover DEA Agent

4 - He has a history of drug dealing convictions that qualify him for enhanced sentencing

5 - He had an opportunity to avoid enhanced sentencing and screwed the proverbial pooch (see No. 1).

About the only way he's going to get an appeal is on an error of law argument and that's a tough row to hoe.

If any *real* lawyers are interested in offering opinions, the Westlaw citation for the appeal is 2008 WL 3200688 (unpublished).Answer #2: If you're soliciting an attorney to help you, that isn't what this forum is for.  If you're asking if your argument (that they measured wrong) has any merits:  I'd be surprised if it does.  It looks like this has gone through multiple stages of appeal at this point (I didn't read through all the documents, but there are lots) and I presume someone, at some point, forced the state to prove he had more than 10 grams of LSD.  The state appears to have prevailed.  I'm not sure how he would be due for a lesser sentence under the laws as they exist today.

I'm the first person to say that drug laws in this country are archaic, but they're still on the books and actively enforced.  If multiple levels of appeals couldn't get him a new trial or lesser sentence, I'm not sure what else can.


Title: [Canada, bc] girlfriend's daughter was strangled at school

Question: Happened today, girlfriend's little girl was on recess and was being chocked to the point of not breathing by another kid. Two other kids saw it at got help and was stopped. The kid who did it has had multiple problems already and requires a aid worker at all times but is not watched at recess or lunch. School didn't call for about 40 mins after and her neck was still red with marks . They dot want to do anything until they hear both sides or the story. Should we contact a lawyer for the sit in on this meeting and for the school not having supervision on a know violent kid. (Grade kindergarten)

Answer:
 Your child was attacked.

You call the police when your child is attacked.Answer #2: I'm assuming you took pictures of her neck. Definitely have pictures of her neck.Answer #3: Your question here is "should we call the police, or burn the school to the ground," right?

You should call the police immediately. Answer #4: You should contact the police. Answer #5: This is a huge concern. Which you probably knew already.

But I've recently learned that in domestic violence situations, choking is strongly correlated to eventual murder.  I assume in part because it's pretty easy to choke a person to death without even intending it.  I have no idea if this is true for kids in this situation, but I wouldn't want to find out the hard way.

Go to the police, and raise hell with the school board.  The administration may feel their hands are tied - because violent child has a right to an education - but they have to do more to protect other kids.

My daughter's elementary school included a class of troubled kids who had histories of violence.  They had recess at a different time than the other kids, and had extra staff to ensure safety.Answer #6: Just a language note, strangled can give the implication that the person died. Answer #7: Not sure about BC, but you might be able to sue the parents of the bully for damages.


Title: If a woman gives birth and the infant doesn't make it, does she still have to pay the medical bills? (Indiana)

Answer: Yes, she would still have to pay any costs incurred in the birthing process and the care for the infant until death.Answer #2: Yes, you have to pay your doctor even if the procedure is unsuccessful.  You also have to pay your lawyer even if you lose the case, and pay the engineer even if the building collapses, and pay the accountant even if you get audited.  Professionals charge you for their work, not for the outcome.Answer #3: Yes, she received medical services and should pay them. Maybe if the hospital failed to properly provide services and this caused the death of the child, she wouldn't have to pay (in addition to having a malpractice case), but that's an entirely different situation.


Title: I WAS RECENTLY WHEN I TRIED BUYING AN APARTMENT

Question:
So writing this not very easy for me. I am a 18 year old female and I recently graduated high school. The plan was to leave my mothers house and move to another city to pursue my college studies. So my mother decided to leave the “apartment finding” to me since she’s not really good with technology. I’ve been looking for an apartment for the past 6 months (before I graduated).

2 weeks ago, I decided to go to my friends house and just chill. We’re both moving out of our parents houses so we started looking for apartments online. I came across a TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE apartment ad. Why I thought this was not a scam at the time really frustrates me. It was just too perfect!! A 1 bedroom, fully furnished apartment with pets allowed for just 500 a month! SCAM ALERT!! But the bells in my head were not ringing so I went for it. I contacted the owner and got a response the next day.

The owner told me that I had to prove to him that I had the money since he had encountered many people that were interested in the apartment but they didn’t have the money. He wanted me to buy 500 worth of a prepaid card called Neosurf. Apparently once I visited the house, I could give him these prepaid cards in person. This was his way of assuring me that he would take the money. Upon buying the cards, I sent him a picture but hid the the pins, this was not enough for him.

He sent me a link a told me to put in the cards information, it was sort of verification link so I didn’t think that my money would be stolen. I WAS PAINFULLY WRONG. That is exactly how he stole my money.

Once I did the whole operation, I asked for a PDF of the apartments contrat but he made another excuse for me to pay an extra 500. I paid the money, using the same method. But I had a really sketchy feeling and I couldn’t stop thinking that this man stole my money.

I then asked him for the contract again and he said he’d send to me the next morning. The morning came and I asked again. And guess what, he gave another reason for me to pay. This time I refused because it was pretty clear to me what was happening. I WAS BEING SCAMED. Once I refused he told me that he’d find another person for the apartment.

I checked my balance on each Neosurf card and they all indicated that there was no money in the cards.

I have contacted the police and everything but they told me that the chances of him being found are very slim. Is there any way I can get my money back? And could the police actually find and stop him?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 If scammer is found, you can sue them

Most likely though, they're located in a foreign country altogether. Somewhere your local police have no jurisdiction and it would not be financially worthwhile to pursue them civilly


Title: Me and my roommate are both the the apartment lease. He has no respect for me and leaves his grow lights for his weed plants on until 1:30 am in the closet. Its ruining my sleep for school. what can I do without getting myself kicked out?

Question: (California) (apartment). He has been making my life hell. His lights keep me up all night, He wont open the window for air because hes afraid of making his plants too cold. He jacks up the heat to ridiculous temperatures. He constantly keeps me awake all night when I have finals the next day. He doesnt try in school at all. wont pay more for electricity or water when he is practically the only one ever home and using it. Is ther anyway I can remove him without getting myself in trouble. He has no consideration or respect and horribly rude. He trust fund so he doesnt put any effort into school, and he doesnt give a shit about all the work I put in. Hes fine keeping me up all night before huge finals, interrupting me during meditation, etc.

Answer:
 (1) Make sure that your computer and any contraband you possess are not in the apartment.

(2) Go to the local police station and say "Hey, my roommate is growing pot in our room."  If you'd like, I'll grant you access to our apartment so you won't need a warrant.

That would probably get both the growlights and your roommate out of the apartment.


Title: SBF gym closed and transferred my membership. New gym is hitting me up for monthlies.

Question:
Columbus, Ohio. I had a membership with my local South Beach Fitness that was two-years paid ahead between 2014-2015. Half way through the membership the gym suddenly closed. I tried to get half my dues back, but of course they never answered the phone. Fast forward to today, a different gym I've never heard of calls me to collect on January 2016 dues (the first month after my paid-ahead amount ended). They claim my membership was "transferred" by SBF but I was never notified by them or SBF until today. The caller requested payment by phone but I declined because I don't want them to have my credit card. They claimed the transfer prevision is written in the contract and threatened me with collections. Furthermore, they would not allow me to cancel over the phone (only in person or certified mail).

From the agreement: "6(g) Termination on Club Closure: If SBF cannot transfer your membership upon a permanent club closure or move, this Agreement ends effective the date of move or closure."

Do I have any legal options here? The amount owed is small, but my contract does say 60 days written notice so I'm not sure if I'll be on the hook for more months dues. I am most upset that I was never notified me of the transfer, so I've lost out on the last year of paid membership.

Thanks community.

Answer: IANAL, but the same exact thing happened to me with LA fitness.  I was on a month to month with Bally's, moved and didn't think about it.  Luckily people I knew still in the same area warned me that LA fitness moved in and transferred their memberships.  LA fitness had been charging an old bank card I didn't have any more for a few months.  I got them to cancel the membership and outstanding balance by complaining on the phone with them repeatedly, you could try that.


Title: Marijuana dispensaries in California

Question:
Does my ID go into any government system? I'm in a line of business that is VERY against any use of marijuana and I could get my license revoked. Can I go to a dispo without worry? Or does my ID go into some system?
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer: What "line of business" are you in? It certainly can impact your ability to get certain licenses.


Title: Is my legal birth name copyrighted/trademarked?

Question:
I have a chance to appear in a game with my legal name, but this question extends to movies and other works of fiction as I have been curious about this for quite some time now.

To remain anonymous, let's just say that my first name is a trademarked term now owned by a certain company that rhymes with Kidney, alike to the word "Sith".

How much of my own name do I own?
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 > Is my legal birth name copyrighted/trademarked?

No. But it's complicated. While you have the right to use your name as your personal name, you may not have the right to use your name in a context where it is likely to cause confusion with a trademark. See [_Microsoft v. MikeRoweSoft_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_v._MikeRoweSoft) for an example of how this can play out.


Title: (OH) A former employee is requesting a copy of our copy of her social security card. Why? Do we have to give it to her?

Question:
So to explain further, we had an employee at my job who quit under very bad terms a few months ago.  They are not allowed back on the property at all now.  They just recently contacted me trying to get a hold of our boss.  When she was hired and filled out her paperwork, of course we copied her two forms of ID.  So we have a picture of her social security card in her file.  She wants us to copy that picture and give it to her.

For one, I'm just not sure why she would request this?  Is there any reason?  I don't like handling social security numbers, as that is pretty confidential stuff.  I mean, we have it, it might just take us a few days to go through the old paperwork that was filed away.  But would we have to?  She's being very mean and threatening police if we don't comply.

Answer:
 There is no law in Ohio requiring you to give that to her. Tell her the records have been archived. The police aren't going to care. The fact alone that she threatened to go to the cops would make me not want to help her.Answer #2: > of course we copied her two forms of ID

You've already gotten some good action advice already, I just wanted to address this.  Do you know you don't have to copy the two forms of ID?  You can institute a new policy where you certify them on the I-9 but do not retain copies.

There are pros and cons of both, but personally I lean toward not retaining copies.


Title: Contractor is defrauding us for over five thousand dollars.

Question: We live in St. Ignace Michigan.  My wife and I applied for a loan through an agency called Community action to do some repairs to our home.  We hired a contractor who held up the job for months.  Finally he walked off though said he will still sign off on the job if we get a subcontractor.  He was issued a check that he was supposed to return to us.  He never did.  We have paid a subcontractor out of pocket and thousands of dollars of supplies out of pocket.  The guy is holding over five thousand dollars of our money.  My contact at community action who is the go between for us to the contractor has been avoiding me.  What can I do?

Answer: Not a lawyer but  you should sue the contractor  in small claims court.  Heres a good bit on the small claims court process  in MI http://courts.mi.gov/Administration/SCAO/Forms/courtforms/dc84.pdf


Title: Arrested for forgetting to pay for coffee. Do I have a case here or am I caught up in a technicality? After all, it is theft to remove an item from a store. Does the law recognize intent? Should I ask for a continuance or plead not guilty and hope for one? [Reposted after rephrasing question] [Ohio]

Question:
I'm reposting this since I didn't ask my question clearly in my last post. Here's my story:

I had a debit and a credit card in pocket that could've paid for 2 coffees if I wasn't too distracted talking to my friend at self-checkout. I neglected to go to the one nearby it and pay for $2.50.
Two guys from loss prevention come out as I leave the store. One waves his badge. I'm covered in dirt from walking through a park, shiny rocks in my pocket that I thought were cool, I'm hispanic and I've had my beard growing pretty thick. I look crazy to some people already, and I completely understand that.

I stood in front of everyone holding a coffee and talking to someone, so I really did think that it wouldn't be seen as great as an issue as it was. I don't know how often people intentionally steal this way. After being grilled about it, I was told to keep my mouth shut. As he's scratching out paperwork and I ask, "Can I have a copy of that and your information? This seems like a legal matter." Will I get a paper in the mail? I think this is when he thought I went too far, and phoned the Sheriff's office. Afterwards he alleged that I was pursing legal action. Could this have been a factor in the arrest?

Being put in tight handcuffs, having to strip naked in front of an officer and take a shower (for $3 of coffee), put in a jail cell while listening to an inmate scream "MEDICAL! MEDICAL!" feigning a heart attack and doing everything futilely can to bait officers into coming into his cell. I knew I'd be there for quite a while. I'm not cut out for an environment like that, most people aren't, so I was panicking the whole time while I was being processed up to where I was sent to a bunk and told it was my bedtime. It's the worst experience of my life. I left on $500 bail (the bond was $5000, which confused me until I got home and looked it up).

Lawyer says to plead not guilty and that I could get a continuance. This experience tells me that it is equally likely for me to be treated even worse in the future. I have no idea what is going to happen.

Will I face any jail time if the judge does not accept me saying "not guilty"? Will store footage even be used, or only if there's a continuance? Shouldn't I just flat out ask for a continuance?

Answer:
 Stop being so dramatic. You were not treated any differently than anyone else. Further, I've seen people steal things costing less than coffee.

Every shoplifter offers to pay for an item they are stealing. Loss prevention hears "oh I must have forgotten that item" every day.


Title: Canadian about impregnating a Honduran

Question: I met someone on an adult site who said her Honduran friend was flying up her to find someone to get her pregnant and then she would be flying back. I want to do it but what kind of legal trouble in terms of child support and fatherhood responsibilities could I be facing?

Answer: The normal responsibilities to support a child? Why do you think this is a good idea?


Title: (NJ) Divorcing, am I supposed to pay for private school?

Question:
Wife informed me she will seek divorce soon, I do not believe the issues can be worked through, but divorce is at least a month away as per her.

We have two children, wife has mostly been working part-time jobs during marriage (last fulltime job was about a decade ago for a year, and there has been at least 2 years of no employment), but last year hasn't worked, and stayed full time home with children.
Oldest child switched schools in 2015-2016 school year from cheaper private school to more expensive one. Another child is getting to school age, and my wife signed them both up for 2016-2017 year to the more expensive school.

Total price for private school in 2015-2016 for one child was 10k, and for next year she signed up them for 20k (10k each).

I want to get a sense as to how much I would have to pay for the school - I am fine with sending them to public school, and I haven't signed anything for the private school 2016-2017 year

My income is approximately 100k, so that's our total income, and wife has paid out 10k for 2015-2016 from her own bank account (it may be a shared account, or maybe in her name).

I would like to get a sense of how much alimony, child support and if I need to pay for the 20k in school? (and any other advice/or if I need to pay for other things - does she have claim to my 401k?)

right now in panic mode.

Answer:
 It will be whatever you two agree to and what the judge decides. No one can guess any of that.

Get a family law attorney and do your best to work with him/her.


Title: Doggy poop latrol

Question: Seeking some legal advice. I probably won't fight it in the end but more want to get some feed back just to know if I'm right or not. My apt complex boasts how pet friendly they are everywhere on social media etc. but we just paid a 300$ pet deposit at signing of lease, and then a very bland paper of you're responsible for your pet blah blah blah. Well, now they're hitting people with 50$ charges every time someone doesn't clean up after their pet. My neighbor said she got an email today about being charged and they had video of her. Lol They're also saying we should have gotten an email blast about this new policy change. I don't remember one and neither does she! Is this legal? Shouldn't they have to have our signatures somewhere documenting the charges for new policies? Can you really just email blast new policies and hold people accountable for whatever the email said?  I was hit last year with a 300$ pool cleaning tab from this same complex because someone threw my dog in the pool. I paid to drain and shock the pool (under their pool company)....when I contacted mine they said they charged you for two buckets of shock, so you basically are paying them a years worth of pool treatments! And they said the shock they said they used would be for the size of a pool in Vegas, not the 10x10 one here . I'm stumped

Answer: Clean up after your dog like a decent owner, and there's no problem.


Title: If I can prove that there is a systematic effort to mine valuables from mail by the local Post Office, do I have any legal recourse?

Question:
(USA) In polling the neighborhood on a watch group, the area served by my local Post Office has a very high rate of missing credit cards, missing gift cards, packages marked as delivered but never received, empty envelopes delivered that contained checks / event tickets, and one instance of "fuck you" written on a package of a person who filed a complaint locally.

I've informed the necessary authorities and they are looking at the situation.  If by some chance they come back to me and say yes, a crime has been committed, do I have any legal recourse?  What would that process look like?

Thanks.

Answer:
 If you just want to kick over some rocks and see if you can get to the bottom of it, find your local station of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. As funny as it may sound, these guys are badass, federal LEOs, strapped to the hilt, and are the law enforcement arm of the USPS. File a complaint about your local post office and postal carriers with them, and if you're lucky, a Postal Inspector will start making some calls.Answer #2: >  If by some chance they come back to me and say yes, a crime has been committed, do I have any legal recourse?

Have you personally lost anything due to their actions?Answer #3: Inform the USPIS, they're essentially the mail cops. And they *don't* fuck around. They're a federal agency IIRC. Answer #4: Just going to point out that this doesn't have to be the Post Office- just someone or someones going through your mail at times when few people are at home (like during the work day).  In that case, replacing your mailbox with a type that will allow deposits but requires a key for removal would fix your problem.


Title: Seeking custody modification due to inability to communicate effectively (parallel parenting)

Question:
**Indiana**

My ex-husband and I have been divorced for two years. Communication has always been challenging. I feel I have tried and tried to take the high road and handle any conflicts we have had in a mature manner. As long as I keep my mouth shut, things have gone smoothly but anytime I speak up at all, it becomes a massive problem.

He was verbally/mentally abusive when we were married. Controlling and angry. He is still very angry at me for things that happened while we were married, things that happened ten years ago are still brought up and thrown in my face. He calls me names, cusses me out, hangs up over and over only to call me right back to continue berating me for various things.

Right now we have joint legal custody, I have primary physical custody. He sees them fairly consistently, every Wednesday for 4 hours and every other weekend from 4pm Friday - 4pm Sunday.

I am strongly considering petitioning the court to modify our arrangement in hopes of following a parallel parenting plan. I am regularly taking our oldest child to therapy as it is and the kids (ages 7,6,3) are being negatively affected by our inability to communicate.

We've never modified anything since our divorce in 2015. What do I need to do to request and be granted a parallel parenting agreement?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 NAL

Have your lawyer ask that communications be restricted to a method such as Our Family Wizard. If he won't agree you can ask the court to mandate it.


Title: <OH> Business may be sued for fraud over accidental tip adjustment

Question: A woman places an order and leaves a post-delivery tip on the receipt for $5.00. At the end of the night I head to the computer to enter my tips for the night so I can cash out before leaving. I go to type in the mentioned 5.00, when my finger misses the decimal point and instead enters $500. I submitted my tips before realizing the mistake. I immediately told my manager about it and I was told the transaction was already sent to the bank. My manager assured me everything was taken care of because he could clear the order entirely before the transaction finished pending. My manager informed the customer of the mix-up, and is now claiming fraud. Can she follow through with a law suit if the transaction was cancelled?

Answer:
 You're fine. No one is going to get sued or arrested for a mistake that was fixed. She can sue, but has no damages since it was fixed. She can go to the police, who will laugh in her face.Answer #2: I’ve done it when I was a server. It wasn’t with malice, it wasn’t fraud. She was upset and venting. Answer #3: I had this happen to me, was significantly more than $500 and was with the bill before the tip, but the end result was the same.

Server told me about the mix-up, showed both receipts and said if there's any issues to call them.

I didn't really care because it was obvious there was a mistake and they took ownership of the issue and fixed it quickly.

Worst case she has to spend 10 minutes with the card issuer (bank/credit card company) and they will see that there was a mistake and giver her back any fees they charged her, assuming that the system didn't catch it and auto refund as some do.


Title: Who keeps the engagement ring?

Question: My fiance and I broke up. He called it off. He is now trying to fight for the ring, claiming he'll sue me. Who's ring is it legally? Do I actually have to give it back? (Illinois)

Answer: Engagement rings are usually considered a "conditional gift", and need to be returned if the engagement ends.  Without knowing your location, I can't say for certian if that is the case.


Title: American Airlines refunded me $20 of a $1000 ticket and now won't respond to my customer service requests. Do I have any options?!

Question: [deleted]

Answer: I didn't read all that, if they offered you a flight and you didn't take it because of other commitments, no they don't owe you anything.Answer #2: This needs a tldr


Title: [OH] Ex added me to apartment lease without my consent or knowledge, then skipped out on the lease (after separation, but before divorce).

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I would file a police report and check your credit report.  if she added you to a lease fraudulently, then she might have done other things in your name tooAnswer #2: You really should be speaking with an attorney for the divorce.  It sounds like a gamble to assume that she won't up, and if she is really vindictive she will show up prepared with an attorney of her own and you will be SoL.

That attorney can then give you direction as to your main point with the lease.


Title: [California] Company is threatening to start paying us every other week instead of weekly.

Question:
I know it is technically legal, but they're essentially threatening us to keep us from complaining.

This is the third week in a row that they haven't paid us on time.
Almost Three weeks ago it started with them telling us Thursday afternoon that they were not going to be doing direct deposit anymore, and that we could either pick up are checks from headquarters or have them mailed to us. I have bills that are autodeducted from my accoint, so I had to drive down there Friday after my shift. I spent 5 hours in traffic before getting home, just to ensure I would get paid.
We were all promised that checks would be sent on Tuesdays to ensure we got them Friday.
The reason why they were doing direct deposit originally was because it's a security firm, and they have contracts all over state. I myself live an hour from my post, which is an hour and a half from the office.

Well we all got a message at 845 pm Thursday night saying checks won't be mailed till Friday morning, or we could again pick them up. I managed to get the payroll clerk to express mail my check to me since I was working a 12 hour shift that day. I had to argue to get her to do that.
It finally arrived yesterday. I'm almost broke because I immediately used it to pay 2 bills (plus I missed two days of work so it was a much smaller check).

They messaged us a few hours ago saying there is another issue, checks will be mailed tomorrow morning. Naturally a ton of us are mad. So mad the actual President of the company, who signs the checks, got involved in the mass company text and told us to stop complaining or we would be moved to a biweekly pay period.
I know they have their legal rights, but i don't think threatening to move to that pay plan because we are complaining about not being paid on time is legal.

Answer:
 Sounds like they’re running out of money.Answer #2: The company is in trouble. Either the personnel in charge of payroll are incompetent, or the company doesn't have the funds to back the checks.

If they keep paying you late, file a complaint with the department of labor.

Either way, I'd start looking for a new job before everyone else.


Title: Creepy old guy wrote down when my girlfriend works

Question: My gf (22) works the front desk at a gym and said some old guy commented on her pretty hair and then said " Im gonna write down on my dashboad, Sunday at 2 (her name) with the pretty hair" . is this just something harmless an old guy does who goes to the gym every week or is this borderline stalking or something? I told her to tell her boss and see what he thinks, anyone else experience anything like this?

Answer: It isn't stalking, standing alone. But it is creepy. she should tell.her manager so they can keep.tabs on the situation


Title: Girlfriend claim rape, what do I do?

Question: She was a virgin and the first incident of sex we had she claimed was rape. She has a history of a mental health disorder, but is seemingly healthy. I don't know what to do, as she is spreading her belief for support despite my claim of consentuality. ( regret or displeasure doesn't mean rape) this is in Canada. Can anyone give some advice?

Answer:
 Answers will depend on context.

What happened? What happened after the sex? How do you know she is saying you raped her? Do you still have a relationship with her? Does she intend to pursue legal action?


Title: I work in a union factory. Is there any way to be able to negotiate my own wage?

Question:
I am under the contract between the company and the employees that was negotiated by the union. I disagreed with it and feel our set raises are only on par with inflation (so not a raise, more like continuous income stagnation.)

I also hate that no matter how much harder I work I can't get ahead because of my efforts.

I am in the union, but would gladly leave given the right to demand I be paid better for my efforts.

Answer:
 Maybe.  Minnesota is not a Right to Work state, meaning your employer *can* require you be part of the union to work there.  You may ask them if they do.  If they do you are out of luck.  If not you can leave the union and try to negotiate your own wage.  Expect this to go far worse than you seem to think it will.

Also as an aside, but you are making a serious mistake; the union protects you too.  Lots of people thought they would be better without one.  It has not generally worked out for them.Answer #2: I'm not sure I see your logic here. The union protects your employment *because* of it's size which gives it the collective bargaining power to negotiate. If that's the best they could do with all that power, what makes you think you, an individual, can do better? Also, if the majority of the people working for them are in the union and are making that pay, why would they give you more than them?


Title: Photographer has child's school photo on website with first and last name. Can I request removal under COPPA?

Question:
A local photographer has my child's school photo on their website.  While not directly posted on the page, the file name of the photo is my daughters first and last name.  The URL also gives the school's abbreviated name and the year that the photos were taken.  Now, one of the top results when googling her name is a high resolution photo of her.  She's only 5.  It would seem to me that I can request they stop using her information and they would have to comply under COPPA.  Is this accurate?

Thanks!

Answer: COPPA allows you to request the removal of PII when submitted **by children**. It is not a blanket rule covering all of a child's PII.


Title: Was in a bike accident months ago and in need of SERIOUS HELP.

Question:
I wrote this post so many times and now it's getting worst.

I was on my bike on the right lane
a car in the middle lane turned right into me.
My bike and their car collided
My wrist and my leg were bleeding.
Ambulance came
I was taken to hospital
no broken bones but a lot of bruises and sprains.

The police department never came because the cops that did come said it wasn't their area. I filed a police report that night.

My lawyer took 4 months to find the other party because they provided me with a new york driver license (we're in LA) and also did NOT provide me with their insurance ( I hear this is illegal).

Time goes on my lawyer finds their insurance and we file a claim. Well the insurance company just sent this me a letter saying they are not paying us because I was driving against flow of traffic (that's a complete lie), I was wearing TEXTING which was also a lie, I was on my headphones i did have headphones on but no music. They're claiming I HIT THEM.

This is fucked up because I have medical bills that go on for days.

Just be clear the passenger was the mother who's an attorney. This whole situation is so terrible and I truly realize in life those who know the law can completely destroy those who don't.

My lawyer is kind of bad and I'm definitely going to fire him and move on.

But for the love of god is there ANYTHING i can do to prove this is messed up.

Answer: This is why you have a lawyer.  Give their refusal to pay to your lawyer.  Let him handle it.


Title: (Vancouver, BC) Are teachers allowed to take your belongings?

Question:
(On mobile, sorry for bad formatting)

So earlier today my friend was playing around with my basketball and a teacher comes by and takes it. The teacher states that they should not be playing catch inside the school. Later on when I asked the teacher for the ball, she said no because they were breaking the rules and she’s going to keep the ball for a week. Are teachers allowed to do this?
Topic:
School Related Issues

Answer: Yes, your parents can go in and ask for it if they want.


Title: [Philadelphia, PA] What are the legal ramifications of a High School accidentally emailing every student's report card to all of the parents' email address?

Question:
My daughter's school sends out report cards via email every quarter, normally without incident. Today the email came and the PDF has literally every student in the schools report card in there. This is a charter school if that makes a difference.

Is this a breach of any sort of privacy laws? What are the possible ramifications of this? This isn't something I'm looking to sue over, I am more just curious as to how big of a fuck-up the school just made.

Answer:
 That's a pretty significant FERPA violation, but unlikely to cause damages.

FERPA violations in a public school can be a significant issue for the school. In the case of a charter school, it largely depends on where the school's money comes from.

For something this boneheaded the DOE response would likely be a requirement for actions to prevent this from reoccurring (via training, etc).


Title: Lease is Ending, landlord attempting to get $100 from each tenant for not resigning.

Question: Hey everyone. I need some help. My lease at my current apartment is ending on December 31st and two of the three roommates (myself included) do not wish to stay and resign another lease on the apartment. One roommate, however, does want to stay there and has already found another roommate to move on with her and they meet the apartment required income requirements. Our lease legally ends on December 31st and the roommate wishing to stay is signing a new lease for the apartment without our names on it. This is where I need help, the apartment landlord is trying to say that me, the other roommate and our two guarantors on the lease need to pay 100 dollars each to “remove our names” from the lease. But the lease ends December 31st, do I have to pay this fee? Sorry for the horrible formatting, I’m in the parking lot of our leasing office waiting to go in and complain. Any help is very appreciated.

Answer:
 Your lease is over on December31, 7 days away, and they want you to give a $100 fee to not resign?  That is assinine, your lease should explain all fees.  If it isn't in the lease...then you don't owe it.

My question is though, most rental require a 30-60 notice before vacating otherwise they automatically put you on a month to month lease.  Did you forget to do that?  Is there something you didn't do to let the landlord know you are leaving?


Title: Do I have to tell my husband this....

Question: We have been separated for almost 2 years now, he initiated it and left. I’m in the process of finding a lawyer and getting the money for a divorce, which he doesn’t know about. We have a daughter and I’m a stay at home mom who had to move back in with my parents when he left. He gives me $100 a week. If I get a job do I have to tell him? I live in Florida.

Answer:
 At this point, no.

But, the divorce process should establish custody, visitation, and child support, which will be calculated, in part, based on your and his income, and in some cases, income imputed based on your earning potential if you are found to be underemployed.


Title: So my cousin, who had a really bad stroke years ago, and is contained to a wheel chair

Question:
Has died after being dropped by his daycare place that he goes to.

That was four weeks ago. His wife is saying that she really wants to talk to a lawyer about what happened, but she is dragging her feet.

The thing is, I believe that the two things are related, his being dropped directly played a part in his death.

So when I say dropped him, I don't mean he feel a couple of feet, I mean he had bruising all over his face and body.

A couple of days after this, he ended up back in the hospital and then died.

Tell me she has a case, and how long until she needs to see a lawyer to deal with this?

They live in Phoenix AZ.

Answer: What did the doctors say the cause of death was? Start from there.


Title: [OH] A Kroger cashier bagged several heavy items into a single plastic bag. When I picked the bag up it instantly ripped open and the heavy metal can landed on my foot, causing injury. Do I have any recourse?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 So you want to sue before even letting management know there was an accident??? Seriously? You don't go nuclear (lawsuit) until quite a few steps have been taken first.

Ripped bags happen. The proper procedure (and common sense) would be to file an accident report with the store at the time of the accident so they can let their insurance handle it. Call the store today and tell them you were hurt. If they refuse to take the report, give you their insurance information etc., then you can consider a lawsuit. But now? No.


Title: City put up a no parking sign after my roommate was already parked there [ON]

Question:
Hello! I’m posting this on behalf of my roommate.

We have both been parking on the road across the street from our house since we moved to the area in May.  We never had any issues until the other day when my roommate found a ticket on his car for parking in a no parking zone. We saw that a sign had been put up and think it must have been the same day he got the ticket, as we never noticed it before.

There definitely didn’t used to be a sign there (we checked Google Maps to confirm).  The back of the sign also has a sticker saying that it was manufactured in October 2018.

Does he have any way to fight this, or should he just suck it up and pay it? We called Bylaw as well as the City and they say they don’t keep records of when they put up signs.

It seems weird to me that they can ticket a car for violating a parking law that was created after the car was already legally parked there.

Thanks a lot!

Answer:
 This is most definitely not your fault. You followed the rules when you got there, what happened after is not your concern.

Fight the ticket.Answer #2: call public works, they are the ones who likely actually put up the sign. Bylaw probably just wandered by and issued the ticket. Answer #3: Lack of issues does not mean that the parking spot was valid.

You *may* have been illegally parking since May.

Bylaw enforcement tends not to be aggressive.  If there was no posted notice, they would likely not ticket your car despite its illegal parking.  After the notice was posted, enforcement would likely then occur.

Bylaw enforcement also tends to be complaint driven.  The posting of the sign may be the result of irritated neighbours.

See if your city has Bylaws or meeting minutes available online.  If there was a change to prohibit parking in that space, you can find out what and when.


Title: Grandma just passed away and some people already took her stuff without permission...

Question:
So my grandmother lived in a nursing home for years in Virginia which is where my family is from. We all live in Pennsylvania currently and are going down this weekend for the funeral and such. It was written in my grandmother's will that everything she has goes to the grandkids so just me and my siblings. My mom called me today and told me that the women who used to clean for my grandma (they do NOT work for the nursing home) came in already and took her antiques, jewelry, maybe her television, and maybe other stuff to their own personal garage that we obviously can't access unless they allow us to. My brother is pretty angry about this, saying they stole, and he wanted me to ask here if what they did was, in fact, illegal? Do they have a right to do that when none of it was left to them?

EDIT: My brother is asking if it makes a difference if they happened to have a handwritten note from my grandmother that gives them permission to do this?

Answer:
 Police. Immediately. Don't even talk to the people you think did it or it may look like you are trying to negotiate with them to keep some of the things.Answer #2: > EDIT: My brother is asking if it makes a difference if they happened to have a handwritten note from my grandmother that gives them permission to do this?

If they want to submit that note to the probate court as an alleged will, they are welcome to do so--but they can't just start taking stuff.


Title: WA State. Need citations for a civil suit. Where do I find them?

Question:
WA state: I have a pro se civil property damage/ tort lawsuit pending and need to shore up my case with citations of previous civil awards for similar cases.

Where does one begin to look? Googling has been unsuccessful. Do I need to go to the courthouse/ law library, or is there an online resource somewhere?

Answer: Lexis Nexis


Title: [Kansas] I have not written a single line of code for months at my job.

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 So you're an intern. And you're supposed to be working on this project. And no one is keeping tabs on you? I mean I don't know what the company might try to do when this blows up. But it really seems like they have some processes that have broken down or they're really naive to put an intern in charge of anything important virtually unsupervised.Answer #2: Your employer could sue you for non-performance and fraud; they will likely face pressure from the client.

You are much more likely to face academic consequences.   You have not only screwed yourself, it is likely that your employer will never engage in any intern program with your college.Answer #3: I mean, you could do the right thing and put your nose to the grindstone and do the work you were paid to do.  Sounds like a personal problem, not a legal issue.Answer #4: Not legal advice, but from what I've seen, people who are like this don't get better.  Consider moving to an IT administrative position where coding is secondary, or an IT help desk position where you have more structure and less long term projects.Answer #5: What did you do instead?Answer #6: How have they not found out so far? Just curious.Answer #7: What’s in your contract? Are you the sole person responsible for this project?


Title: [AZ] My mother is leaving my dying helpless grandmother alone all day unattended to.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You have options. It would be better if your mom made the calls as a cry for help rather than you making the calls as a reporter of elder abuse.

I would talk to hospice, county social worker, and, if necessary protective services.

https://des.az.gov/services/aging-and-adult/arizona-adult-protective-services-aps


Title: Person that replaces me arrives late to his shift at least 20 minutes after my shift ends. (x-post from r/personalfinance)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Your employer can extend your hours without notice. If you do not like your hours, you can negotiate, or quit.

You must be paid for all time worked. If you have to stay on 20 minutes to wait for your replacement, you must be paid for those 20 minutes. If your "waiting" time pushes you into overtime, you must be paid overtime.

Your employer can discipline you for not sticking to schedule while also requiring you to wait for your replacement. Being an unfair asshat is not against the law.


Title: Disestablishing paternity TN

Question: I found that my child is not my child, the mother and I got married because I thought he was mine, she told me she slept with another guy, but he was sterile. Well 9 months after the baby was born, he doesn't look like me, we're fighting, I take the DNA test, and before I get the results back she moves in with her parents and takes all his things. Turns out he's not mine, we're filing for a divorce based on results of thepaternity, but what do I do to get off the birth certificate. I've called vital records and resources and they say they need a court order to get me off. Is that the same thing I am getting with the divorce? Do i tie it all into the same court case? What do I do? I don't want to pay child support for a kid who is not mine. Also, I know the other guy's name, and where he lives.She doesn't want him to get involved, but I don't want to pay for this kid.

Answer:
 Paternity Lawyers, they are a thing.  This is right up their alley. However it all depends on the state. So consult a paternity attorney ASAP and pursue the female in civil court for Paternity Fraud.

[Here](http://memphisdivorce.com/tennessee-child-support-laws/paternity-establishment-paternity-fraud-tennessee-child-support/) is some very basic information a quick google search brought up for TN. Pay close attention to Petition to Disestablish Paternity.
Answer #2: NAL

In Tennessee you only have [12 months from the birth of the child](http://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/2010/title-36/chapter-2/part-3/36-2-304) to disestablish paternity when you are the presumed (by marriage) father, after that, paternity can only be disestablished with the voluntary consent of all three parties (the mother, her husband, and the biological father)

It's likely you will need to file to disestablish paternity ASAP given your child is already at least 9months old or you risk the statute running out. The case could be heard as part of your divorce, but may need to be a seperate filing. You really need a lawyer to clarify.


Title: Deadbeat Dad is trying to get split custody. Washington State.

Question:
Hello!

My wife and I have been married almost 1 year, but together for 5 years. We have had our 6 year old living with us since she was 1. It was established verbally that her father has seen her every other weekend and paying 500$ a month for child support. For years and years he never really paid consistent child support or was there emotionally there for her. We have done completely everything and she is everything to us. In the past 6 months he has paid 200$ of child support so he told us about his financial troubles about his car getting reposed and he asked me to adopt his child. I knew this was an easy way for him to get out of child support but I didn't hesitate to look it the process of adoption, but 2 weeks later he changed his mind. We decided to submit to the state that we would like to establish child support so he has to pay through the state. It seems like since he found out about this he has now served us papers so he can have split custody. I work on base and am going to talk to the JAG and hire an attorney, because we don't want to risk anything. We have text messages talking about the adoption, to his financial troubles. My wife is bipolar and he used her illness in the papers saying she is not stable enough to raise children, and he also stated that we are withholding his daughter from him. Her illness is managed completely and we felt like it was a low ball. We have a house on 4 acres of land and he lives with his girlfriend in an apartment. He has never taken her to school or taken her to a doctors appointment. We live in the state of Washington and I am active duty in the United States Air Force.

Sorry if anything is difficult to read as I am just recently transitioning from graveyard work.

What are some factors that could allow him split custody?

Sorry, just stressed out about this. We don't know how this stuff works. Yes we are seeing an attorney we just want to know if others have been through this.

Advice?

"Corrected title from Disney Dad to Deadbeat Dad"

Answer: Well there are some things working against him, but split custody is usually what the state aims for. Is he asking for weekends or 50/50?


Title: Is there a way for me to check an employees employment eligibility without being discriminatory?

Question:
I hired an employee a few weeks ago who provided me with his information and when my accountant reviewed his documentation he noticed that the SSN he gave me was actually an ITIN.  After a quick search on IRS.gov  I saw that an ITIN does not give someone the right to work in the USA.  There are ways to verify eligibility, such as filing an I-9 but that, per everify, should be done within the first 3 days of employment.   There is also a lot of scary language about being discriminatory in regards to requiring an employee to verify eligibility after the fact.  That being said, I was given no reason to think he was giving me bad information.

Thanks for any input

Answer:
 So you didn't do an I-9?

You are required to complete (and keep) a Form I-9 for every employee you hire.


Title: Can an undocumented immigrant still be considered a legal resident of a U.S. state?

Question:
I'm helping my friend, who is a citizen of the United States, fill out her FAFSA. Her parents are both undocumented immigrants, but they have lived in California for over two decades. Would they be considered, by definition, legal residents of the state, or is that mutually exclusive with the status of being an undocumented immigrant?
Topic:
Immigration

Answer: Are you looking for information about being considered an instate student? Or filling out fafsa? Because those are two different things. The normal fafsa application requires parents ss numbers but most if not all states have procedures that you follow when you are legally resident but your parents are not.


Title: Ex-coworker lied about Lukemia and stole 4k.

Question: Long story shorty a coworker (who is now employed at a Costco), told us all she was diagnosed with Lukemia and would need to leave that day and not come back. We raised 4k (by us and parents of children we look after) on GoFindMe for her for medical bills and such. It has since come out (by close friends and family of hers) that she lied about having Lukemia. She took the 4k and refuses to respond to anyone regarding any of this. How can we proceed and how can we make her give the money back?

Answer:
 Report it to the police, and then scoot on down to GFM to report it... donors might be able to get their money back.
Edit: I guess I can’t post the link, but tack guarantee-refund-policy onto the main link or google it. Answer #2: Police asap. The good news is she will be forced to repay it and probably lose the new job to boot. Answer #3: Check the fundraising website. They are likely to offer refunds if the purpose was fraud. Answer #4: Small claims court for fraud?


Title: Kansas - Wrongful termination and frivolous lawsuits.

Question:
I'm a department manager at a local (not a national chain) retail store.  I recently fired an employee who had started in March for habitual tardiness.  He claims it is wrongful termination because despite being given several verbal reprimands he was never "written up" or given a 30 day review.  I contend that their is no law requiring such.

Furthermore, my manager claims that if he sues us, no matter how unsubstantiated his case may be, it will be cheaper to settle out of court than to fight it.  Is there a reasonable expectation of some sort of protection from a frivolous lawsuit?  If the suit is found to be frivolous what are the odds of a judge making the plaintiff pay court costs?

Thanks in advance!
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer:
 He's not going to sue because he doesn't have a case and lawyers don't like wasting their time.

Absent a contract or union agreement you don't have to give written notices or reviews before firing someone.


Title: [Los Angeles, CA] Property management company oversold parking spots at new apartment.

Question:
My roommates and I are renting an apartment in a building with four units. There is a shared parking lot behind the building, with about 5 parking spaces. However, there are regularly way more than 5 cars that try to park there.

In our lease, the spots were reserved/assigned - it's written into our lease that we get "assigned parking spots #1, #2, #3", but in reality the spots are totally unlabeled (no spot numbers or divider lines). In speaking to the property company about this problem, they let it slip that the spots may have been oversold for this lot.

What are our options here? Not only is the actual situation different than what was sold to us, but there are more people with legitimate claims to parking spots than there are actual parking spots. FWIW, they charge $100/mo per parking spot - way above other rates for this neighborhood.

[edit] Portion of our lease assigning parking - http://i.imgur.com/L7df4Gp.png

Answer:
 If you lease does have assigned numbers and calls out the parking specifically, then I would think the landlord is violation of the lease.

I'd say to the landlord to either a) take off the charge for parking each month or b) come up with some other solution where someone has their parking off site or elsewhere.

Landlord screwed up if they did indeed oversell, and should try to mediate the situation Answer #2: When there's fewer than 3 minus the number of cars you have parked spots available, call your landlord and let him know that he needs to get someone towed out of your spot, since he's contractually obligated to provide you with three spots, and he wouldn't want to be in violation of the contract.

Since he's (probably) *also* contractually obligated to provide spots for the people already parked there, he's in a bit of a pickle.  If you don't need ready access to all the parking spots, you could try and negotiate a compromise -- reduced rent in exchange for the landlord paying for a private parking spot nearby.  Be sure to get all changes in writing, signed by you (and anyone else on the lease) and your landlord, and a copy for your records.


Title: Holiday pto

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Would you prefer no pay? The law doesn't grant you holiday pay. That comes from your employer.


Title: Can't make court date for citation (speeding), what2do

Question:
Got some speeding ticket out in Kenansville, NC about after thanksgiving, ... I was on a road (post 70mph) when the gps suddenly had me merge onto a 60mph zone.  I was going 83mph, and immediately get pulled over.  I'm not gonna sit here and be like woe is me.  I don't care.

What is difficult right now is 1) Can't pay for speeding ticket online 2) Citation Court appearance is "mandatory" or else they can/will issue warrant for my arrest  3) Can't seem to get ahold of anyone at their court office to either change court date or what.

I refuse to go to court, I'd rather pay the fine.  Sure I'm guilty, there's no arguing circumstances.  Doesn't matter if I was on an empty road just trying to get home to VA.

It's wayyy too far away to even be tempting to attend, I was on a roadtrip at the time, and I already have plans the day of court, which I refuse to cancel.  In fact, it would cost me abysmally more to cancel, and then ALSO roadtrip down to some court for an hour just to be told I owe them money.  Not to mention a ridiculous waste of time.  I've had speeding tickets before.

So my question is :  What more should I do?  Keep trying to call the court?  Wait out the court date and see if they send a fee/amount required to be paid?  Is the threat of my being arrested really that bad?

***  EDIT:  Thanks guys, I've actually always handled all my own tickets, so I was a little frustrated, though I haven't had one in 5 years -- never thought to contact a lawyer for appearances I couldn't make.  Still some learning to do obviously.  I found a law office to handle the court appearance.

Answer:
 > I refuse to go to court

LOL cute.Answer #2: You should engage an attorney in Duplin County who does traffic law.  They can probably appear for you and will work to reduce your violation.  There's a decent chance you could get that reduced to a 74/60.  That's still going to affect your insurance, but not nearly as much as an 83/60.  And, you won't have a warrant.

Recognize that it's not just the fine.  In NC, that charge will get  your license taken away, and Virginia will probably do that.  And, your insurance is going to go through the roof.


Title: In what way is "Doping" illegal?

Question:
I have been watching the Olympics, and I suppose I have been curious when it comes to high profile international competitions -- to what extent is "doping" considered illegal?

Is it mostly just contract law?  Does it in some instances qualify as fraud and therefore have the potential to be prosecuted criminally (in some jurisdictions)?

Obviously the substances can be regulated, but I was curious more about implications of using for personal gain.

Answer:
 A lot of "doping" substances are controlled substances that are obtained not so legally.

Otherwise, perfectly legal, if quite unethical. Would violate many contracts though.


Title: Wife's toe broken, at grocery store. Should we do anything.

Question:
Her toe was broken due to an action of the cashier turning one of those round carousel type things the bags are on, a pack of sodas fell on her toes causing the break confirmed today by x-ray. We will have 0 medical expenses because of my insurer she doesnt work so no time lost from work. I think it was an accident. So my question is should we press for any sort of compensation, at the end of the day my wife's toe was still broken. And if we did press would we even have a case?

I forgot to include a location: San Diego, CA

Answer: You can sue for whatever your damages are. Typically this would be the medical costs and time lost from work, but since neither of these apply, I'm not sure what they would be.