Title: Can I join an army if I m expected to do my military service in another army?[French-Russian]

Question:
Hello,

I m posting here because I want to join my dream job as transport pilot in the Army. I m binational French-Russian and as I lived most of my life in France I feel more comfortable joining French army.

The problem is that I m due to military service in Russia. I successfully avoided it so far but I don't know the consequences if I join the French army. Will they send me to Russia to be free from my duty ? Will I face consequences and lose my Russian nationality and passport?

(Should I post this on /r/France?)

I hope you can help me on this international question, I found no help on the internet nor French government websites. Also the recruiter from the army said he doesn't know the answer too...

Answer:
 Do you currently reside on the territory of the Russian Federation? How old are you? Do you have a Гражданский паспорт? And what do you mean you have been "avoiding it so far" how and what have you done?Answer #2: Did you do your French JAPD/Journée de Défense?

You know the 24h day in a military base where they talked about government and made you pass a basic reading test?


Title: AZ questions about vegetative state rape case in the news

Question:
I've been reading about a case in the news where a severely disabled woman in a care home in Arizona gave birth. ([https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/16/health/arizona-woman-gives-birth-vegetative-state/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/16/health/arizona-woman-gives-birth-vegetative-state/index.html)) Obviously she was raped, because she was not capable of consent.

I saw that there's a court order requiring the home to test the DNA of all the males working in the facility, and I was curious about why that's constitutional. It seems so broad, and like it would be really easy to catch someone for a different crime if their DNA was already on file. It also seems to me like involuntary self-incrimination, but I have no idea if that applies here.

Is working in the same facility where a rape occurred enough probable cause to force someone to consent to a search of their DNA? Have any of you ever worked on a case like this, and what was the outcome? Will the men who submitted their DNA for analysis be in a database somewhere? What would happen if someone had refused the test?

Obviously the correct outcome is for the rapist to go to prison--I hope it comes across in my post that I am not advocating otherwise. I am just interested in the intersection of genetics and civil rights.

Answer:
 >It also seems to me like involuntary self-incrimination

It's a search, not testimony, so 4th Amendment protections apply, not 5A self-incrimination. Compelled searches are legal and routine as long as they comply with the constitutional and legal requirements. In this case, an article I read said that the police got search warrants for the DNA.Answer #2: Update, they did find the DNA match; it was one of the nurses assigned to her care.Answer #3: From CNN:

*Investigators obtained search warrants for records that helped them identify people who had access to the woman, as well as court orders to get DNA evidence from men who worked at the facility, police said.*

*Detectives learned that Sutherland was among those responsible for caring for the woman "during the time this sexual assault occurred," leading to the court order compelling him to provide a DNA sample, Thompson said.*

&#x200B;

So it looks like they narrowed the pool down significantly before they collected any DNA. That being the case, they probably had named warrants instead of a John Doe warrant, which is much rarer and more subject to challenge.Answer #4: Didn't someone post on r/legaladvice about a very similar (if not the same) scenario? A staff member being asked to give DNA because an individual unable to consent became pregnant in a health care setting? Answer #5: NAL but my guess is that considering they would be looking for a male (I mean strictly biologically speaking two women can’t make a baby.) that probably narrows down some after that they can probably go with anyone who worked there the past 9-10 months and worked with the woman.


Title: Being forced to stay on lease

Question: My lease ends in July, and I am wanting to end my lease. I have 2 roommates who are choosing to stay in the house, and my landlord said that if I am not replaced on the lease I am still obligated to stay there and renew the lease and make payments. Is this true? Would the landlord not have to rewrite the lease for just the two roommates and leave me off?

Answer: You are responsible for any contract you have already signed, but you cannot be compelled to sign a new one. If you choose not to sign a new lease then that’s a problem for your roommates and your landlord. Imagine if you had no roommates but your landlord tried to tell you that because he wasn’t able to find anyone to rent the room after you that you had to renew your lease, it doesn’t make any sense. Either your landlord has no idea what they are talking about or you misunderstood him, but no one can force you to sign a contract.


Title: Have not paid rent in months. Not a single word from property mgmt.

Question:
Before I get to my story I would just like to preface with the following;  1) I completely understand that morally what I’m doing is wrong. So please, if you could refrain from lecturing me on the ethical component of this situation it would be greatly appreciated. 2) It’s important to note that during my first few months in this apartment my landlord changed, as the property went into receivership. I believe there is an ongoing legal dispute between the court, the arm’s length owners that own a few of the units, and the board of trustees that defaulted on their mortgage.

So here goes..I am a 22 year old renting an apartment downtown in a major North American City. The building is only 7 years old and has about 195 units total. My 1 year Lease began in August of 2014 and when July 2015 came around, my roommate and I had every intention of moving out. We provided a cheque in June that indicated this would be our final payment. Although because we are inexperienced renters we weren’t aware that formal notice in the form of a written letter is required when vacating a rental property.

As July 2015 was to be our last month occupying the unit, my roommate and I found it strange that management wasn’t showing the space to potentially new renters. Or at the very least calling to confirm that we would be leaving at the end of the month, in the event that there was confusion as to what our plans were. As we approached the end of the month, we decided that we would stay a few extra days into August to have some additional time to pack our things. As those few days went by still no sign of mgmt. So we stayed until the end of the month and still no word. Six months later were still here without one request for rent from anyone.

 I do know that mgmt is still aware that I’m an occupant, because I’ve received maintenance related calls and texts from the Superintendant. My question is how do I move out at this point? I would really rather not pay for the last six months retroactively. I'd obviously prefer to just leave while I’m ahead. From a legal standpoint, what is the path of least resistance here? Thank you for taking the time to read this!!

Answer:
 I sure hope you've got all that money in the bank, because you're gonna owe somebody a lot.

E: /u/ilikebigabuttals, i think this guy is in your neck of the woods. Answer #2: > I'd obviously prefer to just leave while I’m ahead.

So you'd prefer to leave in the dead of night, having taken advantage of the owners/management company?

When they finally sort this out, and find you via your information you submitted for the rental, you'll be sued for the full amount, and definitely lose the case, and if you don't have the money to pay, you'll have your credit ruined.  You should start saving now to pay this off.

Are there no other tenants in that building?Answer #3: You need to read your lease.  I am not sure what state you are in but I would suspect you are a month to month tenant.  Whatever your lease states, that is what you will owe!

As to your first comment, this isn't an ethical situation.  You will be billed for the time you have lived in the unit (and your roommate as well) and you will need to pay.  If you do not pay you will have your credit destroyed and you will be subsequently sued.

And this will apply to both you and your roommate as there will be a clause in your lease containing the term 'jointly and severally liable'.  This means even if you pay and your roommate does not you are still toast.

Good luck with the free rent!Answer #4: Do you never talk to your parents or something? Have they never asked about your lease or something? I don't understand how you could be 22 without anyone telling you had to let the building know you were leaving.


Title: Founder terminated from own company, no severance or explanation — Happy Labor Day!

Question:
Hi all,

I’m writing on behalf of a dear friend of mine, who was terminated from the company he founded several years ago and grew to multiple millions in revenue here in the United States. No reasons were given, and he was offered a small severance package - which was then promptly withdrawn.

The termination was decided by the new CEO and the main investor, both of whom are quite mature in their careers (possibly twice his age). Something like this will be but a blip in their otherwisely perfectly pruned and shiny resumes, but is devastating to the founder’s life and family. (He is *very* young - under 30 - and his company, if not for an aggressive growth agenda, would be a cash cow.)

He’s now left with neither health insurance nor a severance, and I worry the situation is taking a toll on his mental & physical health - considering that he’s incubated the company since his college years and it’s been the singular focus of his working life thus far.

&#x200B;

**Reddit community** \-

* Is there any recourse for our young founder?
* Has anyone seen or experienced a similar situation?
* Given how unprofessionally this occurred (and that his original team has almost all resigned or been fired under the new CEO), his only goal at this point should be to get the severance and move on. \[My opinion\] How can he best do this?

Sadly he still wants to see the company succeed, so he is hesitant to hire a lawyer against his own creation. (The company needs to raise its next round soon, but no VC will invest in a company that’s being litigated...) Nonetheless, the lack of professionalism, withdrawn severance - which was a pittance to begin with - and absence of communication leaves me speechless, and I strongly believe he should consider hiring a lawyer for legal representation. That this transpired on Labor Day Weekend is also not lost on me.

Does anyone have experience with this, or how cases like this usually go? Should he hire a lawyer or just wait it out?

&#x200B;

*For context:*

There had been difficulty meeting aggressive growth targets last year, so the main investor decided to instate an outside CEO earlier this year. The new CEO did a good job operationalizing many things, but was easily frustrated by the chaos of a startup — shouting and claims of verbal abuse were recounted by ex-employees, and many were abruptly fired or voluntarily resigned under the the new CEO’s tenure, including their best engineers, salespeople, a newly hired working mother, and early team members.

*For additional context:*

The founder does not have corporate experience (spent his whole life in school, then nurturing his startup after dropping out, i.e. foregoing a degree at one of the best European institutions in the world) and was very agreeable and cooperative in the new CEO transition (perhaps too trusting?) I’d characterize him as someone with an extreme growth mindset — incredibly open to new suggestions but sometimes naive in matters of business.

&#x200B;

Thank you for reading, and please share with or tag those who may be helpful. I am grateful for any insights to guide his situation.

\- mammalfish

Answer:
 (A) Way too complex/fact specific issue  for this sub.

(B) Trying to get advice for some else for this kind of question is like going to the doctor for them. Pointless. Answer #2: > Is there any recourse for our young founder?

We have no idea. Did he sell the company to these people?  Who's in charge?  Did he have a contract?  Does he have any remaining ownership or authority?

Answer #3: Far more info will be needed for anyone to be able to answer questions about recourse, etc.

However, on another note. The situation you described, with the company about to begin another round of fund raising... sounds to me like the perfect time to hire an attorney and try to force them to settle for something akin to the severance that was originally offered. Seems to me the situation may give your friend some leverage...

IANALAnswer #4: No recourse without litigation (or negotiation under threat of) unless he was fired for a protected reason.  Almost certainly no recourse without any attorneyAnswer #5: This isn’t actually that uncommon outside of them not paying him for the new role. Founders in C level roles get bounced all the time. He retains ownership of his existing stake though obviously.

He needs to talk to an actual attorney. If the rev numbers are accurate I’d say he should explore that attorney approaching the lead VC to either sell his remaining stake or some other form of satisfaction.

There are 1000 ways he can get fucked over now so he needs a lawyer immediately.


Title: Getting married in 2 weeks without a prenup. How can I protect my assets?

Question:
So I am getting married in 2 weeks and did bring up the prenup months ago but she finally agreed about 2 weeks ago.

Yesterday we started speaking about it and she was making ridiculous demands (she wants to make sure I don't leave her, according to her) like $1,900 in child support per child per month (I later found out this is decided by courts) and some more money. Then she backtracked and said if I want a prenup then we can't marry because she thinks i dont trust her. We are South Asian and she is very cultural so is unable to see things from an American perspective. She believes that she will be destitute even though I told her the American legal system always takes the womans side. Also at this point our families are heavily involved in the marriage and it would be a huge deal for us to break it off.

Now a part of me wants to break off our engagement but I wanted to know if there are other ways to protect my assets in case of a divorce. I am building up a retirement account on Betterment and currently doing a side business which I am hoping will grow (along with working a full time job). I don't have much in assets yet but I plan on making more money in the coming years.

If I decide to go through with the marriage without a prenup what are steps I can take to insure she cannot screw me over if we do get a divorce?

Edit: I am in NJ
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 From the legal perspective, it's really important to know what state your're in since that can dictate the division of assets..

From a person aspect....it seems like y'all are just now starting to talk through some serious issues.  I can't recommend some pre-marriage counseling enough.  My wife and I did this and it helped us get everything on the table (especially things we never thought of).  Sounds like this may be a benefit to the two of you, as well.Answer #2: If you don't trust the intentions of the person you're getting married too, don't get married.Answer #3: The family courts in every state are gender neutral.

If you don't like what marriage *is*, maybe you shouldn't get married.

Or marry someone capable and willing to contribute financially.


Title: Was just denied even being allowed to interview for a job as a service manager at a hotel chain, because I am a male and have long hair.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >  My hair was up, and in a bun at the time

Maybe she just thinks you're a douche?

Seriously though, do you have any evidence of even a hint of illegal discrimination occurring here?Answer #2: Fun fact, man-bun justice and equal protection is the reason I went to law school.Answer #3: Hair length is not a protected class. I can fire you or refuse to hire you due to hair length. I can ever refuse to hire men with short hair and demand they must wear man-bun. You have no case. This is not illegal discrimination.


Title: If the cashier of a 24 hour convenience store has turned off the automatic doors, is it breaking and entering to pry them open - is it stealing to purchase my goods with cash and leave the change?

Answer: It is stealing because the store didn't agree with the transaction. Taking an item and leaving money does not constitute a valid sale.


Title: Neighbor on cul-de-sac sold to developers to turn house next door into an entrance to a gated community (GA)

Question:
Hello all,
As I mentioned in the title, I live on a cul-de-sac.  The neighbor immediately next to us is at the end of the cul-de-sac.  They sold out to a developer who also owns some property that is alongside our property.  The developer is planning to turn the end of the cul-de-sac into the entrance to a gated community with 20-30 cookie cutter homes.

What are my options?  Can the remaining neighbors band together and stop this from happening?

Thanks so much for your help.

Answer:
 Unless you and your neighbors  own the road privately that your houses are on, you can not just block the developer from purchasing property and using it to build access to a subdivision.

You can, however, learn about zoning and other municipal ordinances regarding development and pay attention to building plans and progress to ensure the developer is staying withing local regulation. You have the right to speak in opposition to any zoning or other waivers they are requesting.

But you can not prevent development just because you don't like how it affects you. They must abide by the law and regulations, but you have to accept what the law does allow, which is generally that people may develop land they own according to the allowances of the municipality.


Title: [GA]Can you get back custody of children after giving sole-custody to ex-spouse due to financial hardship?

Question:
Okay, I'm in a god awful situation. My girlfriend and I are in financial straits and struggle just to keep a roof over our head.

The sad fact of the matter is we simply can't afford to have custody of the children anymore. Her ex-spouse is already the custodial parent and he gets child support despite making $400k base + commissions annually. It's impacting our relationship because the only way I can see getting out of this hole is to give him sole custody. Googling information on this issue is impossible. Once we get back on our feet, would she be able to regain custody? The custody arrangement prevents her ability to find work and I can't find a way to make enough on my own. Homelessness looms on the horizon and the only possible way out of this hell is to get work and reduce costs. Unfortunately, they are a major expense right now. However, as mentioned, I can't find any specific information on if we can get them back, after giving up custody, when we reach financial stability.

Any information would be useful beyond description.

Answer:
 Child support amount can be affected by changes in parenting time. So, giving sole custody may increase your support amount.

It is possible to get custody back. Depending on various factors, it may be difficult and expensive to do so.  Answer #2: >The custody arrangement prevents her ability to find work and I can't find a way to make enough on my own.

How does the custody arrangement prevent her from finding work?Answer #3: Custody and support are two seperate issues. There is no way to get out of paying child support, if you give up the right to visit the children then that may increase your child support, or not impact it at all. But giving up custody does not equate to giving up paying support. You are not paying support as a way to buy time with the child.


Title: What do they look at in sexual assault cases when there's no physical evidence? (TX)

Question: Got scared and backed out of a polygraph I initially said I would take. I told the interrogator I never met this person, but that's not exactly true. Doesn't involve a minor. No other witnessses. Would like answers addressing perspectives from both defense and prosecution. Thanks.

Answer:
 Witness testimony, DNA, lots of other thoughts are used.

This is "get an attorney" time


Title: What could i get for trolling people?

Question:
The story of my night:

>be me
>bored and shit
>go to an omegle-like site
>talk to random people and act like a teen girl
>tell a 20-years old guy that you are 14 and wanna be his girlfriend
>he says that it's not possible because i'm too young for sex
>tell him that he's sexually harassing me because he said that :D
>now change the role to be this girl's dad
>talk to the guy for a very long time about him harassing my daughter
>tell that i'm gonna tell police about this
>he sees that i'm a troll and i reveal myself
>now he says that he's gonna tell the police because of me trolling him

I live in Finland. Now, what would i get? A fine? Help please!

Answer: No, you could be arrested for extortion which is a serious crime. Stop being a shitass and grow up.Answer #2: 20-life in grammar prison.Answer #3: Jail time.


Title: TX Disarmed and subdued a would be robber "armed" with a real looking airsoft gun. He wants to sue me for the dental work.

Question:
About 7 months ago I had a 15, now 16, year old teen come up to me in apartment parking lot and try to rob me with an airsoft gun. At first I thought it was real until I saw the barrel shoved in my face and realize the bore size was no larger than a BB. I then noticed plastic parts that were WAY too shiny to be on a real gun.

So I twisted the kids hand to the side, put my other hand on his chest and moved forward to leg sweep him as I pushed him to the ground with my hand. He hit the ground hard and the wind was knocked out of him. I held him there for a second and I saw his hand reaching into his pocket.

Not wanting to take the chance on a knife I hit him twice, once in the solar plexus to knock the wind out of him again, and once in the jaw to knock him out. I have been taking taekwondo ever since I was 12 so I know how to efficiently knock people down and out.

I then drew my real glock and held him there waiting for the police. I decided to put it in car when I saw the police coming. I just sat it on my seat and locked the door using my jacket to cover it up so that it wasn't exposed.

They took my statement and wanted my firearm but since I didn't fire it I knew I didn't have to give it up. I got them to back down off of that point after stating that it was in my locked car and they were not going in there without a warrant. They arrested the kid and I later had to sign some papers at court.

Since the kid was a juvenile and his first offence he got a light sentence on a plea deal. Something like less than a year. Well he is out now and his parents are threatening to sue me for the dental work he had to receive. They said that when I punched him in the face I broke his tooth. And he could not get dental work inside and that whole side of his mouth started to rot.

I think its all bullshit anyways as my actions were very restrained and clearly in self defense. Can he legitimately sue me for that punch to the face if he was trying to rob me?

EDIT: For the love of god stop mentioning my martial arts training when giving LEGAL advice. When you are to subdue someone you incapacitate them. Its the same with lethal force and non lethal force. You want to remove your assailant from the picture is quickly as possible. Causing them physical pain does not remove them from the equation. A short term knockout to the jaw will cause you to be disorientated and it also allows me to control the situation completely. Having someone on the ground is not incapacitated. You are looking at this from the angle that someone was unarmed. Don't.

Answer: Should you have to tell this story in front of a judge, you might work on lessening the "I'm Chuck Norris and I can kill you with my pinky" air. It plays on the side of force greater than necessary to the threat. Answer #2: Self defense, even in TX, has to be reasonable. It is possible that a civil jury could find that you're liable for battery based on your follow-up actions once he was already down. They likely have a steep uphill battle, but you shouldn't presume that it's impossible for him to win a judgement against you. Unlikely, but not impossible.


Title: [Alberta] My boyfriend's crazy Ex was here yesterday to dump his stuff on my lawn. She said she'll be coming back with more, what to do?

Question:
Last night we were having a relaxing drink and enjoying some Netflix when someone started to knock on our door. We agreed that if no one called us beforehand, we wouldn't open the door at all so we ignored it. The person started to slam their hands on the wood and finger bash my doorbell,  I finally got up to check and it was my boyfriend's crazy ex. She was yelling, swearing, cursing his name, and threatening his belongings if he didn't come out to help her get his stuff.

Little bit of background:

They're going through a separation (Never married, they've been living together for so long that the lawyers are considering it a common law marriage) and he owns the house that she's been living in for free now for 16 years. She never spent a dime for the place so she has all of *his* things, there's no mortgage, and no condo fees or property taxes to pay for (For her that is. He's still paying the condo fees and property tax to prove he's not abandoning the place). It's been going on for a year now and we finally decided it was best to avoid the headache and abuse for our own mentality so we blocked her number and got him a new phone.

Back to the story, my boyfriend was close to freaking out but I calmed him down and we stayed quiet until I heard her actually breaking his stuff and banging on our door some more. She said she's going to be back with more stuff and I dialed 911 but she was already gone. We emailed his lawyer right away to let him know what happened and then we asked our local police station what to do. They told us that we should call the police the next time she comes over and to go to court and ask for either a restraining order or a peace bond. Which one is the wiser choice?

We plan on doing this but is there anything else we can do? Is it alright for me to record her from my window as she's throwing and breaking stuff in my front lawn? Is it illegal to record or video someone in Alberta, Canada? The kids in our neighbourhood were asking questions and were freaked out by the crazy lady yelling and banging on our door, we told them to stay away from her because she could be violent. How do you think we should deal with her coming over again? I don't think his lawyer sent her the letter yet saying that he's selling the place and we think that might make her snap. Is there more ways to protect us or cover our ass from this crazy bitch?

Answer:
 Your BF's attorney needs to be handling this with the ex's attorney.

EDIT:  call the police the moment she shoes back up. Don't answer the door.Answer #2: You need to stay the hell out of this. There is no "we" that involves you. This is his (common law) wife and you're the girlfriend.


Title: [Turkey] I am stuck in my country and the Airlines refuses to help me. Do I have any options other than burning my ticket?

Question:
Because of the recent turmoil in Turkey, the government has clamped down all the public workers and cancelled their summer holidays until further order.

I had a multiple stop flight itinerary and for the flight that was supposed to depart from Istanbul, I was able to get a refund (as with all the airlines helping their stranded customers).

But for my second part of my travel plans, I was going to fly with Air Berlin, from Prague to JFKi next tuesday on the 26th. And because of the uncertainty of my condition (when I will be allowed to fly again), I cannot rebook my flight to another date, even with a fee, because I am unable to pick a date that I'm not sure I can fly or not.

The last date that I can rebook is the 25th of July, and If I cannot choose a date by then, the tickets will be burned. I just don't want to choose an arbitrary date pay the rebooking fee, and find out that it doesn't work and then pay another rebboking fee to change it again. (It costs me more than €300 to do that each time).

Do I have any rights that I can seek as a person that is being prevented from travelling, which is a basic human right? Am I able to seek compensation from Air Berlin? In short, they just won't hear about it since the first leg of the flight doesn't depart in Turkey, any problem in Turkey does not concern them in the slightest bit.

What can I do? By monday the 25th, I am almost sure I won't be informed on any travel dates.

Answer:
 NAL (have worked in travel), if you booked the tickets for each leg of your trip separately, and did not purchase any sort of travel insurance you are most likely out of luck. Answer #2: Your human right is the right to leave and return to your country, not to travel on a plane or to extend the time you can travel on a ticket without paying the carrier more money.

Feel free to sue Erdogan and the Turkish government for violating your human right of free movement and hence the costs you have incurred due to this but you may want to be out of Turkey first unless you want very serious consequences.


Title: Was exposed to blood at work (illinois)

Question: I work at a huge retail store as a cashier. I was checking someone out about 20 minutes before my shift ended when i noticed they had an open wound on his hand and there was fresh blood all over his fingers and stuff. I requested a manager but was freaked out and kinda went into autopilot. We had not been told what to do in a situation like that and we have been told not to refuse a customer nearly anything. I didnt know what to do so i continued checking him out and he touched my hand with his bloody hands multiple times. I have open cuts on my hands from my cat. My manager finally came over after he left and when i asked to go wash my hands because i was scared, she told me to just put hand sanitizer on. I went home and freaked out and washed my hands obsessively after work. I finally managed to find a salaried manager a couple days later (yesterday) and reported the incident to see if things couldve been handled better. She took me to the hospital where they took blood and drug tested me. Is there any legal recourse i should be looking into? Im afraid they will come after me for not handling the situation correctly or something. And im 19, so i guess i could get in trouble as a legal adult. Please help. I really have no idea what i should be doing in this situation.

Answer:
 I'm not quite sure of what you think you would be in trouble for. Make sure you file any and all medical expenses related to this blood exposure with workman's compensation, they should pay for everything.

I have had an exposure to blood at work and I can tell you my experience with that. The Dr. that you saw should order follow up testing for 1 year at certain intervals ie 1 mo 3 mo 6 mo 12 mo, if they don't demand it. You can read through [this] (http://www.cdc.gov/hai/pdfs/bbp/exp_to_blood.pdf) to give you an idea of the rates of transmission of communicable disease through the type of contact you had. To give you an idea "The average risk of HIV infection after a needlestick or cut
exposure to HlV-infected blood is 0.3% (i.e., three-tenths of one
percent, or about 1 in 300). Stated another way, 99.7% of
needlestick/cut exposures do not lead to infection." So the odds are very slim that you contracted something, especially if the cuts on your hands were not open.

Hopefully someone else can comment on whether you would be owed any damages or have a case for a lawsuit, but I would imagine not.Answer #2: They drug tested you for possible exposure to another person's blood? That doesn't sound right.

As far as pathogens are concerned, I wouldn't be too worried.  If you are, you can ask about post exposure drugs for HIV.  Hep C is another potential issue. The odds of someone having it and transferring it that way must be slim.

In the future, you might want to invest in latex gloves.


Title: Customer harassing me at work.

Question:
This morning one of my regular customers at work got there before we opened. As I was letting the cashier enter she tried to enter as well. I told her that she had to wait until the lights automatically cut on at 8AM. She said that I took an attitude with her and started yelling and waving her arms. She then stated that she should kick my ass for not letting her in. Everything is on camera except for audio.

She came back later this afternoon. My cashier told me she was in the store yelling profanities "Where is that bitch?" Etc. Whenever I approached her she was quiet. I asked her if we could speak and she started yelling that I had better get away from her. I told her that if she didn't stop making a scene, that I could have her banned from the store.

She has called corporate on me saying God knows what. If I am to get fired over her lies, what do I do? If I do not get fired what actions do I take to have her banned from the property or even get a restraining order?

My boss said I can call the cops if she makes a scene but from previous experience, even when we are reporting theft, it takes them 30 minutes to arrive.

Answer:
 Escalate this to management. Trust them to handle it.

If you do get fired for this, you have options; until then you have no claim.


Title: (Tx) I was molested as a child. It happened 15yrs ago and it haunts me till this day! How can i prove that this happened to me?

Question: (Tx) I was molested as a child. It happened 15yrs ago and it haunts me till this day! How can i prove that this happened to me?

Answer:
 You need to talk to someone. Specifically a mental health professional. Work through it with them. They will be able to advise you best given your situation.

I'm sorry you had to experience this. Look for someone who has experience in molestation or sexual abuse and set up an appointment.


Title: MN - Car died less than two months after purchase.

Question: My wife got a car less than two months ago.  We have not even made the second payment on the loan yet.  The car cost us just under 10,000 dollars.  While driving it home last Thursday it started making noises, leaking coolant and trying to stall.  I had it towed to the dealership that sold it to us because they were only a short distance away.  They have looked at the car and come away with the diagnosis that the timing chain might have jumped and caused some major engine damage.  They have quoted us 7,000 dollars to replace the engine.  The car was sold as-is and the dealership has decided not to work with us in any way.  What are our legal rights in a situation such as this?  Is there any reasonable request we could make of the dealership?

Answer:
 Used car, as-is sale (no warranty)?

Your recourse is likely to have the car repaired.  As-is car sales mean you buy the car, as well as all the past, present, and future problems the car had/has/will have, outside of any warranties offered at the time of purchase, and outside of being intentionally and/or maliciously misled about the condition of the car.

Not to rub salt in a wound, but this is why, for as-is used-car sales, one should pay an independent mechanic to inspect the car before agreeing to the purchase.


Title: (NJ) Cop didn't pull me over, but said over a speaker to expect a citation in the mail?

Question:
I was driving in the left lane, which I know I shouldn't have been, but it was a long day and it honestly just slipped my mind.

 All of a sudden, a black unmarked car zoomed up behind me. I thought the car was trying to run me off the road. So I went way faster than I should have (went up to 90 and slowed back down to 70.. stupid I know). And the cop flashed his lights. I was about to pull over in the left lane but realized that's clearly not a smart thing to do, so I merged and was continuously looking to merge back over to the right lane to pull over. I noticed he wasn't following me when I began merging to the right lane.

When I went into the middle Lane, the cop said through speakers to roll my window down. So I did. He said that I was "driving fucking recklessly and you're fucking driving way too fast. Fucking expect a citation in the mail" and he zoomed off.

I'm not arguing that Im not in the wrong for driving in the left lane and for speeding up, but his actions made me feel very threatened. I get scared when  people zoom up behind me and start tailgating me. I know I shouldn't have been driving in the left lane..  But should I expect a speeding ticket in the mail?

My car is registered so everyone in my family can drive my car. I just don't see how he can send me a ticket without knowing who to send it to.

Answer:
 I wouldn't expect anything in the mail but keep your eyes open just in case. To be honest this sounds like someone [impersonating an officer](https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2018/09/11/chester-township-police-2-men-accused-of-impersonating-cops-had-siren-built-into-cars-grill/) and certainly isn't normal behavior. You might even want to consider calling the police yourself and informing them of the incident.

All this being said, police officers certainly can send you a citation in the mail.Answer #2: If you do get a citation in the mail I suggest you grab a lawyer and file some complaints. Absurdly reckless on the officer's part to yell at people through their speaker while moving. I doubt he's that dumb, if he's an officer, so I think likely it was someone impersonating one.Answer #3: Are you sure this was an officer? When he spoke to you through the window did you see a uniform? Radios? Other evidence that it was a police car?

It is possible that an officer could mail you a ticket.  If he saw your face he can likely pull together enough information to be able to testify that it was you.  On balance, however, your story doesn't sound like the behavior of an officer.


Title: Leaving Job with Intimate Product Knowledge

Question: I'm going to be leaving my job and I've worked as a software developer for a few years building a custom piece of software.  I'm the only person who has ever worked on the product and I'm 100% sick of working on it, but I think I would if I was paid more.  Would it be legal to leave my position and tell them I'll work on it for 3x the hourly rate I used to be paid?  I'm just curious if I need to watch out for something if I attempt to do this,  and whether or not i should register an LLC or something to protect myself...

Answer:
 >Would it be legal to leave my position and tell them I'll work on it for 3x the hourly rate I used to be paid?

Sure.

You probably can't take this knowledge to a competitor, though, as you run the risk of stealing trade secrets.


Title: I was quoted in the college paper...

Question:
I work at the tech support desk at my college and someone came up for help. They told me they were writing an article for the school paper and asked about how to save files from your school email account after graduation. I walked them through the various methods and they asked my name but I didn't really think anything of it. Now the paper came out and there's an article on the front page that's basically just bashing my place of work and my managers are upset. I'm directly quoted by name even though I didn't sign a release and was never asked if I could be quoted. The author was misleading about the subject of the article  and I feel the words I used are being used out of context. Do I have any power here to have the article pulled or my name removed? The editors of the paper were not very helpful in this so I'm not sure where to go from here if I even have the ability to change this. Thank you in advance for your help!

Edit: I'm in Oregon but I'm not going to include the name of the college because it's small and I don't want my name to be easily accessible from the website...

Edit 2: Thanks to everyone who posted here, for the most part it was very helpful! Someone higher up had the paper pull the article off the website. The reason I was given is that they violated the school's policies in some way or another.

Answer: As long as what they published was accurate you have no recourse Answer #2: Remember this for the rest of your life when you read newspaper articles. I've seen them take statements out of context to make them more sensational several times. Now I take it all with a boulder of salt.


Title: Package got sent to me and now they want me to pay to return it.

Question:
Hi reddit. I was recently sent a package the address is mine but the name isn't and it doesn't belong to any of my neighbors. I tried contacting the company to send it back. It took them over a week to get back to me and they want me to pay for return
 shipping. I'm not going to do that because it's not my fault they sent me someone else's stuff. Also it would be like $16 to pay for shipping because it's a rather large box.

Edit: I'm in FL and it was delivered by the usps from what I understand destroying or opening another person's mail is a felony can I get rid of it? After a certain amount of time does it become mine?

What should I do?

Answer: Send them a notice that you will be disposing of the package if they do not want to send a return label.  If they refuse to do that and it's not a package you or someone else ordered then you have no obligation to that company.Answer #2: Inform them that you will not be returning it unless furnished with prepaid shipping labels. If they do not want to pay for it, they are welcome to send someone by the pick it up. Answer #3: Maybe packages don't follow the same rules, but I just write "Wrong address. Return to sender" on mail addressed to wrong person in my mailbox and pop them back in the mail.


Title: (Seattle, WA) Point system for absences at work

Question:
My job uses a point system for absences. Every day missed is equivalent to 3 points accumulated against you. At 24 points there is immediate termination.

I’ve had a pretty rough month and a half. I fell from high elevation outside of work and missed over a week because of hospitalization from a concussion and minor internal bleeding. I provided notes from the doctor stating my excusal from working due to these conditions. I worked for 2 weeks with no issue and now very inconveniently timed, I have the flu. The doctor recommended bed rest and no work until Monday (working days missed; Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday). When I sent the doctor’s note this time to HR they responded telling me to not provide a doctor’s note unless explicitly requested by HR. This struck me as strange as I’ve never had a job tell me this even when providing a note for missing just a single day, much less 4. My fear is that there are lots of points accumulating. What are my rights if they hold these absences against me?

Answer:
 The city of Seattle has a law about sick leave: [https://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/LaborStandards/2018%20PSST%20Rules\_06-29-18.pdf](https://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/LaborStandards/2018%20PSST%20Rules_06-29-18.pdf)

Of specific interest to you is:

> SHRR 70-200 RETALIATION PROHIBITED
>
>1. Retaliation prohibited. No employer or any other person shall interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of, or the attempt to exercise, any right protected under SMC 14.16.
>
>a. An employer shall not adopt or enforce any policy that uses the taking of paid sick and paid safe time for a purpose authorized under SMC 14.16.030(A)(1) or (2) as an absence that may lead to or result in discipline against the employee.
>
>b. No employer or any other person shall take any adverse action against any person because the person has exercised in good faith the rights protected under SMC 14.16

If you're compliant with the law, they cannot fire you.  While points systems are not uncommon, it does not seem that they are compatible with the law in Seattle and may be unenforceable.


Title: (NC) Restraining order violation questions

Question:
I have a restraining order against my ex, and he keeps contacting me online. Would each instance of contact count as a separate violation, or is it each new account he makes to harass me, or is it just one violation for online contact?

Is there anything else I need to know, or do you know of any similar cases I could research?

Can he just claim someone else was using his phone/computer? How effective would that argument be?

Answer:
 Report each contact/violation to the police.

It *could* be charged any of the ways you describe.

He can claim anything he wants. Often it is a violation of the order to have someone else contact you on his behalf as well.

How effective it is will be up to the judge at trial.


Title: City internet provider disconnected new spectrum internet. What are my legal options?

Question:
I live in a city that provides internet through their own local company. We tried it out for about 8 months and weren't happy. On Monday I got Spectrum internet installed. My local internet company came out on Thursday to disconnect our service and proceeded to disconnect our new Spectrum service.

My wife is an NP and was on call and was forced to give up her shift as she needs internet to provide her services and ended up losing over $100 in pay. We both we not able to have quiet enjoyment of our home and Spectrum cannot come out until after weekend.

Do I have any legal recourse that I can pursue with the city provider?

Location Ohio.
Update: upon further investigation wth the city I found out that Spectrum illegally used the City drop.

Answer: How exactly did they disconnect it? From a utility box outside? Was the connection up to code like no wires draped over fences or laying on the ground etc. ?


Title: Neighbour nailed something over my window?

Question:
This post is originally from /r/myterribleneighbors but I was advised to bring it here too, so here I am.

http://i.imgur.com/eCPjcny.jpg

So, my neighbour's balcony is on the other side of my window for some reason. Has been fine so far, lived here for a year and a half so far. About two weeks ago he started listening to the radio rather loudly and very frequently out there, I asked him to at least not leave it on for hours on end when he's not even home, he replied with "I like music, close your window". Thing is, I like oxygen.

So yesterday, he was painting on his balcony, felt like I was in a gas chamber, had to close my window. Today he closed my window and nailed something over it (pic related). I think and hope that it's a painting canvas and that he'll remove it today or tomorrow, but if not...is he allowed to do that? Should I talk to the landlord, police and/or someone else if he doesn't stop?

All I want is air and preferably some peace and quiet while breathing aforementioned air. No idea why the balcony is there in the first place so the architect is to blame too, but yeah, this guy is a respectless moron.

Answer: I'd check with the landlord.  Perhaps this is being done by order of the landlord if he's painting?Answer #2: Hello again, OP here with an update! To clarify a few things, this is in Sweden, we're both renting our apartments from the same landlord, and he was painting paintings, not the building itself. This wasn't a painting canvas however, which I discovered when I went out on my own balcony to get a better view. It was just something to cover the window because "I'm spying on him" which I've never done in my life, and he claims he contacted the landlord for permission first.  I contacted the landlord too and he says he has never been contacted about such a thing and of course I'm allowed to open my window whenever I please. It wasn't nailed there after all, and opening the window easily knocks it down. I've done so a few times and he responds again and again with "This is my balcony, stop spying on me", "I'm going to call the police", "You're lying, you have not called the landlord" and so on. Landlord says he's going to take care of it in a few hours but I'm not too hopeful, he's a pretty all over the place kind of guy.Answer #3: Ooo new subreddit to add to my schadenfreude list. Thanks.


Title: Custody - Wife not honoring parenting agreement

Question:
Hi everyone,

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I live in North Carolina. Wife lives in Ohio. My wife and I lived together in North Carolina, and we separated in August of 2016. In July of 2017, she decided to move to Tennessee. At that time, I hired a lawyer to write a parenting agreement. Per the agreement, I have my son for the last full week of each month, and she has him the rest of the time. We meet halfway on Saturday to exchange him, and then meet halfway the following Saturday to exchange him again. This hasn't been much of a problem until now. She quit her job and moved in with her mother in Ohio in March of 2018 (just a couple weeks after my court date for child support. Go figure).

On Friday, 9/21, I texted her to confirm the time/place of the exchange. She informed me that she was refusing to meet halfway. Her reasons were, she's tired of the drive, and he's now in preschool. I wasn't able to convince her to meet halfway, so I drove overnight to Ohio. I notified her that I was driving up, and that I would pick him up at noon (the time specified in our agreement). She wasn't home. I went back that night around 8PM. When I knocked on the door, I heard movement, but no one came to the door. I called the police, they knocked, no answer. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything else they could do, but I did write a statement so I would have a record that it took place. I tried again Sunday, but I was similarly denied. She wouldn't even let him come on the porch to talk to me.

&#x200B;

So here's my dilemma. We have a parenting agreement, but it's not a court order. It's just a civil agreement. Should I file for custody (and risk the judge giving me less time that I already get)? Should I sue her for breach of contract? Both? I've left a voicemail for the lawyer who wrote the agreement to get some advice, but haven't heard back yet.

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Answer:
 Yes, file for a formal custody agreement.

 The fact that she deliberately quit her job when child support was coming up will be seen by a judge as manipulative.

Her refusal to participate in agreements that she made in good faith, and to follow that up by refusing to allow you access for visitation at all is also going to weigh against her.

And even if you have to make payments over a series of months, get a lawyer based in the state of your child's legal residence - representing yourself in court with a manipulative individual such as this will not be a good idea.


Title: Does the statute of limitations apply during the pretrial phase?

Question: For example, in Texas, if the statute of limitations on a certain misdemeanor charge is 2 years, if there has already been arraignment and a pretrial, but no resolution, does the state have to take it to court within those two years still? Or can it theoretically sit unresolved forever?

Answer:
 The state satisfied the statute of limitations the moment the charges were filed.

Delays from that point going forward could, theoretically, violate your statutory or constitutional right to a speedy trial, though. Such violations are rather rare, and more details would be needed.


Title: Is there some legal reason why kick starter can't offer backers a share of the company they are supporting?

Question:
I think kick starter is a really cool idea, almost an amazing idea. The part I don't understand though is why the rewards for backers can't include X percent of the profits.

I frequently see ideas that I think are good, but kick starter as is is asking me to give away money when it could be asking for investments that I would be vastly likelier to make.

Edit:

As has been mentioned, this would apparently run afoul of the sale of securities.  In reading about this, I've noticed that Intrastate offerings are exempt.  So, if I had a kickstarter clone website, and I had servers running in all fifty states, and some company wanted to offer 2% of their company for sale in state X, 2% in Y, and so on, could I sell parts of their company to people in state X, using only the servers in state X?

Or, if that is wrong, could the kickstarter clone website just aggregate business ideas for the given state?  So investors could look at small business start up requests for their state only and back those?

Is there some legal reason stopping kick starter (or kick starter clone) from doing this?

Answer: Yes, it would run afoul of the laws about the sale of securities.


Title: (Seattle - WA) My girlfriend, a CNA, is coming home with bruises from her patients. What can she do about it?

Question:
(Washington State)
Hello, Thanks for taking the time to read this.

My girlfriend Sally works night shifts as a certified nursing assistant at an assisted living facility / nursing home. As part of her duties there, she is required to assist the residents in acts of daily living such as going to the bathroom, or helping them change their underwear / clean them up if they didn't make it in time. Many of her patients are completely incontinent and need to be changed multiple times during the night. The residents always have the right to refuse care, and Sally must respect that. at least as far as my research on that subject went, she can only disregard someones refusal if someones life is on the line.

The problem is this. among those patients that need to be changed through the night, there are patients with debilitating mental illness. One patient in particular is an elderly lady with a bad case of dementia. Many times throughout the night, this lady (let's call her Pam) needs to be cleaned up and be fitted with some new underwear. Pam also orally refuses care. She does not want to be changed. She doesn't inform Sally of this in the "I'm making a fully informed decision" way. She does this in the "I have no idea what's going on anymore and never will again" kind of way.

Sally believes that to leave her in her own excrement would constitute neglect (not gonna argue with that position, I just don't know what the law says). So after a time of trying to get consent, Sally will forcibly remove the dirty underwear, clean Pam up, and put some new underwear on her. While Sally is doing this, Pam is hitting her hard enough to leave bruises all over Sally's body.

So what are Sally's options? She can do her job, and be assault and battered, or she can listen to Pam and suffer from guilt, put her job at risk and possible face neglect charges.(?) I think it's relevant that the night shift is chronically understaffed, and each staff member has 25+ resident / patients to look after. Finding the only other coworker on her floor and having them come to Sally's wing to help her change Pam multiple times a night would be burdensome, and might not be a good long term solution. Additional, it only escalates the situation, and doesn't answer the question of which route presents the least liability to Sally.

Thanks, in advance for everyone's responses.

TL;DR: mad granny is beating on underpaid cna when underpaid cna is cleaning up mad granny's poo. wat do?

Answer:
 I don't know anything about the regulation of nursing homes in Washington, but I'm pretty sure that nowhere is it considered an acceptable part of a job to be beaten nightly.  Violent patients get restrained as necessary, and yes this is preferable to neglect.

Your girlfriend needs to look up the rules on this, whether it be from OSHA or a state agency that regulates nursing homes.  What is the standard for protection of the staff from violent patients?  Once she knows the law, then it's time to complain to management, and if they do nothing then it's time to complain to the appropriate state agencies.
Answer #2: IANAL What do Sally's supervisors say she should do? If she hasn't discussed this situation with them, that's a logical step.


Title: Starting a computer business

Question:
I'm starting a computer business, with a grand total budget of $100 to get me started. That needs to let me print out forms, get a square reader, and any legal advice I may need.

My next option is to go ask a lawyer 'hey, can you look this over for twenty bucks', but i figured i'd ask here and get reddit's advice first.

I live in Illinois, in the USA.

My question is, will this hold water for everyday use? Will this hold water if i accidentally cook a users' hard drive and destroy all their data?

----

EDIT: Others in the thread have pointed out that noone here will review this. That's okay. Look down below for conversation on insurance and using legal templates

----

~~ * *: Driving milage will be calculated at 50c/mile from the corner of this road and that road in sometown, IL
* 1: The time for virus removal can vary significantly. A reset may be recommended depending on the severity of the infection.
* 2: This needs to be done in two sessions, so drop-off is recommended, but two remote connect sessions will work. This will not be done on-site, as it requires 8+h of computer time to finish.
* 3: These services are often bundled together, reflected as ‘Total Reset Bundle’’
* 4: These require that the ‘Data vault and Maintenance Plan’ option was purchased on a previous service call
* 5: This must be done on-site
* +: These services may take longer, depending on the severity of the viral infection. If your computer is severely infected,

Legal Information

* In the below paragraphs,
* “I” refers to the mechanic, John Doe
* “you” refers to you, as the customer
* “data” refers to any form of digital information stored on any device or account accessible to this device. This may include, but is not limited to, pictures, video, emails, software, settings, or history.
* “law” refers to any relevant local, state, or federal legal precedent.

You agree to all of the following.

* You have read and agree to all documentation on this page.
* You agree to pay 30% of the estimated price up-front before any service is to be started.
* You understand that the estimated price may deviate from the final price by as much as 150% if unforseen complications occur.
* You agree to pay at-cost for all parts and materials, hardware or software, that are used to resolve your problem.
* You understand that I will make a best-effort attempt to resolve the problem you have contracted me to solve. At any point I may return the computer to you in as original a state as possible and refund the up-front payment, effectively terminating the contract.
* You understand that cached data may be cleared on any service call, and may include website log-ins and passwords, history, data in the ‘trash’ or ‘recycle bin’.
* You understand that if you have selected a ‘reset’ option, you may irreversibly lose data.
* You understand that the ‘data backup’ and ‘data vault’ options are not completely fail-safe, and that you may lose data regardless of the service offered.
* You understand that there is no warranty at all on any hardware, labor, workmanship, or anything else related to this service, beyond the minimum provided by law.
* You waive your right to legal action against me, beyond the minimum provided by law.
* I don’t have insurance, it’s expensive, and I can’t afford to be sued because I made a mistake somewhere. If issues arise that are a direct result of my workmanship, I may, at my sole discretion, attempt to solve the problem under a new reduced-price contract.
* You understand that failure to pay upon completion of contract and presentation of the device to you automatically places a mechanics lien upon the device. The device and any data becomes my sole property after 60 days of non-payment, and will be kept, re-sold, or discarded at my discretion. ~~

Answer:
 You need General Liability insurance and Professional Liability Insurance to cover you in case something you do causes someone to lose a lot of money.

Im not sure if anyone here will give you advice on your contract.


Title: Grounds for reporting an attorney to the bar?

Question:
I'm not sure it's grounds to report someone for professional misconduct or not. An attorney has been incredibly shifty and, during a conference in front of a magistrate, stated "You never contacted (an individual) until after you were served. (The individual) said you never contacted her." At this point, I provide proof of a 10 minute phone conversation with the individual. Two minutes later, the attorney states (the individual) said they spoke to you and told you they weren't comfortable with xyz and had to file a mandated report."

At this point it's obvious the attorney is blatantly lying through her teeth and changing the story. This was the first concrete example I've had of her backhanded action, lying, and deliberately misrepresenting facts that could not be attributed to misinformation from her client. Would you all consider this grounds for filing a report, or should I ignore it and chalk it up to lawyering?

**Edit** to satisfy the bot, Pennsylvania

Answer:
 If you want to report it, report it.  The bar will make the decision on whether to take action.Answer #2: > it's obvious the attorney is blatantly lying through her teeth

Maybe. Maybe not. Clients withhold information from their lawyers every day. It's an occupational hazard.

> Would you all consider this grounds for filing a report

Making a *known* false statement to a court is an ethical breach. But an *innocent* false statement - meaning one the lawyer thinks is true at the time but that later turns out to be false (or that is, in substance, an assertion that the other party hasn't met his burden of proof) - is not. You haven't stated facts to establish the lawyer knew his statement was false when he made it. But either way, *I* wouldn't bother with a grievance because I consider the statement you described a trifle. It might be more unsettling to you than to me, so you have to decide for yourself whether a grievance would be worth the effort.


Title: Is not reporting an accident to your insurance illegal?

Question:
Hi everyone,

I know this may be out of order. but today, after getting fired from work, [this happened](http://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/2757hj/backed_up_in_to_a_car_possible_frame_damage_pics/)

and I've offered to pay the repair cost if it's something that I can afford.

Possible questions: Is not reporting to the insurance illegal?

If they take the money, and contact my insurance company too, is there any way I can prove I've paid the repair cost?

What's the best recourse? This would be my parents car because I take the train everywhere, and I know I will be added to my parents insurance if something is claimed, and that will skyrocket the premium. So what should I do?

I'm in Colorado, Denver Metro Area.

Thanks :)

Answer: I'm continually amazed why people pay for insurance and then don't use it.


Title: [CA] Roommate moved out and left her cat, I want to assume ownership

Question:
Thanks for reading! On Dec 1 I moved into a large house with several already existing roommates. One of the other tenants was in the process of moving out as I was moving in. Her official move out date was Jan 1st though I believe she officially had all her things out and was at her new residence mid December. She was the owner of the cat mentioned in the title. She told one of the other roommates that she was going to “get settled” at her new place and then come back for the cat- this conversation took place about a month ago. Since then we haven’t heard anything from her about when she wants to come and get him, if at all.

A little backstory, about a week after I moved in the cat had somehow been injured (he’s indoor/outdoor and we think he may have fallen out of a tree). She took him to the vet but couldn’t afford any treatment beyond a physical exam and some pain medicine. It was recommended she get xrays but she declined as she couldn’t afford them. Fortunately, the cat seems to have recovered but I worry that he may have some residual pain or other issues from his untreated injury. Honestly, I really didn’t feel as though she was a good pet owner. Apart from taking him to the vet, I rarely ever saw her interacting with him around the house or spending time with him. He didn’t have any cat toys until I bought him some, and she had never gotten a litter box for him- since he has access to the outdoors he just does his business outside so she never saw it as an issue. However, as someone who has owned cats for a long time, it’s important for them to have a place indoors to use the bathroom for a lot of reason: rain, cold weather, etc. Also a lot of times if the cat is sick with something like a UTI or worms the only way to tell is by looking at their urine/feces because cats are great at hiding symptoms of sickness.

I am a huge cat lover and have since really bonded and fallen in love with this cat. He’s seriously the best little guy. When he ran out of the small amount of food she left behind, I went out and bought him more. I really want to take him back to the vet to make sure he is healthy and recovered but I don’t want to spend the money if he’s just going to get taken away to live with an owner who, I feel, doesn’t have the means to care for him and has essentially neglected/abandoned him.

I know I should reach out to her but I’m being a little wimpy about it- I fear that by asking her if she’s going to come and get him and telling her that I think he needs medical attention, that might inspire her to come and take him away and put him in an environment where he won’t be getting the best care. I am wondering at what point does the cat become “abandoned property”, and what steps I could take to assume ownership. Any advice is much appreciated!

Answer:
 The cat isn’t yours. Inform the owner that they need to get their cat. If you want the cat, offer to buy it from them or otherwise explicitly transfer ownership to you.

Sitting around and waiting for the cat to become yours somehow generally isn’t the correct, legal course of action.

If you want the cat, be proactive and get explicit ownership. Otherwise be proactive and make attempts to return the cat.


Title: [Indiana] My friend is an abusive relationship and I have no idea how to help her

Question:
Okay so not really friend but I'll explain

I'm a student at a state university in the US and will see student legal services soon, but given that it's 3am on a Sunday, that may have to wait a few days

Now, situation:

I was at a friends birthday party. Cops get called, they try kicking us all out. My friend was very fucked up (borderline death), so I stayed back to help him out and make sure he was safe.

I was walking around the house for a second, walked into the wrong hallway. I overheard a girl say "he hit me again tonight", crying to her boyfriends roommate. The guy asked me to leave because it wasn't my business. Fair enough.

I walked back to my friend who was throwing up in the bathroom. He was getting better and we got up to leave. As we were walking out, the girls boyfriend (also lived there) walked past us. Absolutely irate. He was yelling at everyone, saying "fuck her" and told us he'd kill us all if we didn't get out of his house. The girl was trying to follow him in.

She and his roommates stopped her, and we convinced her to get the fuck out of that house. While we were outside, she called her friend to get her home safe, and I waited with her. While waiting with her, I carefully tried to ask her what was going on (if she was comfortable talking about it to me, a complete stranger)

Holy shit. I had to hold back crying when she told me this.

Apparently she's been with him for two years, and he's been abusive the entire time. She told me she thought he'd stop or she could get him to (which sets off so many alarms in my head). She said at one time, he stabbed himself and threatened to call the cops and say she did it (which I assume is why she hasn't).

I've never dealt with this before. I tried getting her number but my phone was dead. She called me but because my phone was dead so it's not showing up in missed calls. I'll try to get it from a mutual friend, but if i can't idk what to do. So if you have any advice on that, much appreciated. Maybe student legal will have something.

But anyways, what do I do? What's the legal recourse and what's throwing me off in particular, is what happens with him threatening to stab himself

Answer:
 Anyways, she needs to talk to the police. Do what you can to encourage her. If you went to the police, they might try to talk to her, but it's hearsay if it's only your testimony.

Also, saying this about a drunk person:
>My friend was very fucked up (borderline death), so I stayed back to help him out and make sure he was safe.

Makes me think you might be predisposed to hyperbole, which might make your testimony very shaky at best if it went to court.


Title: [Canada/US(CA)] Royalties owed to deceased person. Husband wants to claim but I'm unsure what proof to ask for. I work for the publisher.

Question:
Hi and thanks in advance for reading this and taking the time to respond.
So I work for a book publisher in Canada and we owed royalties to someone we had lost contact with. Well turns out that person died and now said person's husband is claiming the sums owed to her. Normally, I'd ask for a will but according to this person, as they were married in California, he inherits everything from his deceased wife since they didn't have a prenup. This is unknown territory for me as we're in Quebec and the law is completely different here in regards to wills (and everything else for that matter). I'm not sure what kind of proof to ask for to ensure that this person is indeed the rightful owner of all royalties due for this particular book.

So... if someone could help me understand this better, it'd be greatly appreciated. I have no reason to believe that the person who contacted us is not really who he says he is, but I'm still legally obliged to make sure I'm paying the correct person and I'm simply unsure how to do that in this particular situation.

Thanks!

Answer:
 You can make a check out to the deceased.

If the husband has the authority to inherit that money or cash the check, he can handle cashing the check through his bank and a death certificate.


Title: ran a stop sign in california. officer checked box that states "violations not committed in my presence.."

Question: I ran a stop sign in San Diego, California. The police officer checked the box "violations not committed in my presence, declared on information and belief." It appears to me as if this must be a sort of mistake of his that I can use in my favor. Any thoughts or ideas?

Answer: Clerical errors do not absolve you of penalties for breaking the law. Even if the officer was not present for the violation it's still a valid ticket.Answer #2: No, it isn’t a mistake that you can use as a defense. The officer can simply show up to court and testify that he witnessed you run the stop sign. That’s enough to find you guilty. Besides, he could just re-issue the ticket.


Title: [WV] Can a convicted sex offender on lifetime supervised release be banned from using the internet or owning a computer, smart phone, or other internet capable device?

Question:
My father, 65, is a convicted sex offender who was convicted for possession of underage pornography on his computers in West Virginia, and served a 3 year sentence in federal prison, and was given lifetime supervision. He has been out of prison since 2010, and has had to work as a dishwasher until he was able to retire. I helped him purchase a home away from people, and he has been compliant with his supervised release. He has to attend weekly group meetings with other offenders, which he has to pay for, and has periodic polygraph tests, which he also has to pay for. Knowing my father and how he would never intentionally hurt anyone or touch a child in an inappropriate way, I feel like this is overkill, but it's nothing compared to his parole officers not allowing him to use the internet or own an internet capable device for the last 7 years. He never even had the chance to own a smart phone or tablet, which are arguably the devices that have had the most impact on daily lives and offer a plethora of conveniences and entertainment.

I don't believe I have to explain what completely depriving someone of internet use really takes away from them, with all the information and services available today.

Recently there have been supreme court cases where decisions have been made that prevent denying use of Social Media and Internet access to Sex Offenders.

Packingham v. North Carolina is the one in the news most recently
https://thefederalist.com/2017/06/21/supreme-court-strikes-law-banning-sex-offenders-much-internet/

J.I. v. NEW JERSEY STATE PAROLE BOARD is another one that has a defendant who was facing lifetime supervision and his parole officers banned him from owning internet capable devices, just like they are doing to my father.
http://law.justia.com/cases/new-jersey/appellate-division-published/2015/a1293-14.html

My father has talked to his parole officer today about the Packingham v. North Carolina case, and his parole officer just told him "That doesn't apply to people who are on parole or supervision". That's when I went searching for something that was more like his specific case of lifetime supervision and I found J.I. v. NEW JERSEY STATE PAROLE BOARD from March 21, 2017 where the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that parole officers cannot completely deny a parolee access to the internet.

Since his parole officer is giving him push back after my father spoke to him about the first case I mentioned, he is a little bit afraid to push the topic and mention the J.I. v. NEW JERSEY STATE PAROLE BOARD case without knowing if the decision would apply to him in WV.

So, my question is, with these Supreme Court decisions in other states, can my dad's parole officer deny access to the internet or internet capable devices?

Answer:
 The short answer is that they can (or at least they can believe that they can and violate him for noncompliance) until either the department changes policies, or someone litigates to have such a rule overturned.

The longer answer is that you're right, that provision is somewhat questionable in the current state of the case law.

Your father may wish to speak with an attorney if he's interested in taking up the cause.

>how he would never intentionally hurt anyone or touch a child in an inappropriate way

This doesn't help your argument, and to some extent suggests you underestimate the impact of consuming child pornography.  Answer #2: -- "I don't believe I have to explain what completely depriving someone of internet use really takes away from them, with all the information and services available today."

Well yes, you do need to explain that.  Actual people have been leading full, satisfying lives without the internet for decades.


Title: Someone repeatedly making fake social media accounts of my friend with inappropriate pictures of her from RP sites and sending friend requests/messages to her friends.

Question:
Location: US

This has been happening on and off for the past two years or so but recently it's gotten a lot worse since she announced getting engaged to her boyfriend.

I didn't even receive a message until a few weeks ago, I had only heard about it - but I was pretty shocked to see the reality.

Basically, someone keeps creating fake social media accounts with her name and VERY inappropriate pictures of her and sending them to all her friends. The accounts keep getting re-created, so clearly it is someone who knows her and has a motive. She's mentioned that she's pretty sure that her ex uploaded the pictures to one of those revenge sites - but she doesn't think it's him doing it.

Is there any legal precedent for this? Anything the police can do about it? Please help.

Answer: What state? Because the laws on RP vary wildly across states.


Title: My friend recorded a reckless driver that lives in our area. The license plate is visible. Should she call the police and file a report?

Question:
One of my friends posted a video on Facebook of a obviously impaired driver swerving all over the rode and driving on the shoulder. In the area we live, there are lots of bicyclist. Other people that live in our area have observed the same vehicle driving recklessly. I'm concerned for the safety of other drivers in our community as well as bicyclists that ride on the shoulder of the road. Should a police report be filed with the video as evidence? Is there anything I can do as a citizen? The driver is not visible in the video.

We live in Pima County outside of city limits (Sherriff department).

Answer:
 When the first response to an unsafe driver is to take a video and post it to Facebook, it makes me really want to throw something.

When you see someone doing something unsafe, call the fucking police immediately. Don't post it to Facebook so you can get a few thumbs up. Hopefully no one died because your buddy wanted 5 minutes of fame


Title: I just found a payroll error that goes on for almost 7 years and may effect hundreds of employees. What should I do? (Il)

Question:
 Where I am employed we have direct deposit bi-weekly. Most of use the company insurance which is automatically taken out of our checks. We all signed contracts that have a solid number on how much we pay for our coverage per month and have half of that taken out of each check. So the full amount is taken each month. The problem is that once or twice a year there are months that have three pay checks. The half amount is taken three times instead of two like it is supposed to.

 I've asked around and of the people that have gotten back to me all have seen the error on their checks just like mine. So I'm going to guess it probably affects everyone that uses the company insurance and/or other auto deduct features on the payroll software.

TLDR: We all signed a contract that states we will pay X amount per month but every once and a while they take to much.

EDIT thanks guys Ill probably just grab my manager and go to HR to see if I'm wrong or if they are. They like to be difficult with these things.

 If anything do I just bring this up to management or grab a lawyer? I really don't know what to do.

Answer:
 > If anything do I just bring this up to management or grab a lawyer?

It'd be a complete waste of money to sue before even *talking* to your management.

Take your stub to Payroll, explain what you're seeing, see if they have an explanation.  If you don't end up agreeing on the response, then you can look into a wage claim or suit.

I mean, give people a chance before dragging them into court.  Answer #2: Are you sure the "contract" stated that you would pay x per month, and not x per pay period?  In any job I've ever had, health insurance costs were deducted every pay period.  Whether there were 2 checks per month or 3.

You'd be best suited to ask management/HR/payroll first.  You don't want to get a lawyer involved and make a big issue out of nothing.  Answer #3: Bring it to managements' attention first. They may not be aware of the error. They should have divided up the yearly cost of the insurance by number of paychecks instead of a set amount per month.


Title: Ex-Roommates son is demanding I return a laptop I don't have 2 weeks after I moved out. I would like to know just how liable I am for replacing something I don't remember having?(Nova Scotia ,Canada)

Question:
My ex-roommates son is demanding I give back or replace a laptop he gave my to fix. I honestly do not remember being given this laptop. This may have occurred 6 or so months ago. Fast forward to the 20th of October. 3 days after I've moved out of their rented home. I receive a text saying that I've taken this laptop and they want it back. I do a search of my new apartment and all the boxes I still hadn't unpacked. I don't find a laptop. So I inform them that I'm sorry but I don't have the laptop. I don't hear anything about it again until this week. The son of my ex-roommate sends my a text saying that I've taken his laptop that was supposedly in my room and he wants it back. I reply with. "I'm sorry but I don't have your laptop, but the possibility exists that if it had in my room before I moved out that i took it to a recycling center with all of the other old broken computers that i had been using for parts." This is where the stuff hits the fan. He flips out and starts telling me that he wants his computer back, then he says its someone else's computer, then he can't remember the colour, and that they will do what is necessary to get it back. There are some more threats leveled at my by my ex-roommate and his girlfriend. This is where I called the cops. Unfortunately the cop seemed to think that I may be liable for replacing the laptop. I'm shocked needless to say. The cop then offered to mediate between myself and my ex-roommates son. He asked me what I was willing to offer as compensation for the laptop. Now I don't even know if this laptop even worked much less what it was worth. The son said he wanted $300 dollars or a new laptop. I counter offered with $200. That's where the situation sits at the moment. I would like to know just how liable I am for replacing something I don't remember having?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 How the hell do you not remember having someone else's laptop? Are you high/drunk a lot. You wouldn't be liable if they couldn't prove you had it, but you admitted over text that you probably recycled it, so yeah, you're liable. You can't willy nilly throw out other people's property. Answer #2: Dude sounds like a grifter. Print out/save/archive/whatever all messages and discussions. Tell him you want all further contact to be by written mail, no more texts or FB messages or calls. Now don't give him jack unless he takes you to small claims.

That stuff about how he can't remember what color it was is going to be pretty damning.Answer #3: well the question shouldn't be if you remember it or not, it should be if you had it or not. how come, if you supposedly had his laptop, it took him 6 months to ask for it back? do you have chat logs from 6 months ago discussing said laptop? does he have any proof at all that this laptop existed or that you were looking after it? he might just be hoping you pay up for a new one for him


Title: Contractor scammed us for approximately $25,000 - any lawyer I can find to sue would cost approximately that much. What are my options?

Question:
Contractor scammed us for approximately $25,000 - any lawyer I can find to sue would cost approximately that much in fees without even a guarantee to win anything. What are my options? Small claims court only allows around $7,000.

EDIT: Location, Colorado

Answer:
 Your options are to sue him in small claims for $7,000, sue him in civil court for $25,000, or write off your losses and move on. If lawyers have been telling you that taking your case will cost $25,000, that means they expect they'll have to do a lot of work, so your chances in civil court on your own are probably very bad.

Depending on precisely what this scam was, it may also be a crime, in which case you can report it to the police. But you can't threaten to report him to the police unless he repays you; that's extortion.


Title: Potentially aggressive roommate (Colorado)

Question:
Hello!

I live in a 3 bedroom apt with 2 other roommates.  Both of them are in a relationship, and were involved in a three person relationship involving another individual.  The other person visited on the weekends, and we ended up friends.  He recently decided to end his part in their relationship, and one of my roommates, we will call him Stan, is now threatening me for being the "cause."

I have had Stan threaten to kill me, force me to move out (no legal ground), and threatened my safety again today stating that he "would not be able to go on knowing I was in the house."  Along with the threats against my person, the other party (non roomie) has been receiving texts from Stan threatening with suicide.

To make the rest of a long story short, after the 3rd or 4th threat of suicide, we contacted local police and informed them of both those and the threats to my person.  They stated that "he did not intend to actually harm himself or others" and that "if we encountered further issues with him, to contact them again."  I'm not entirely sure how they came to this conclusion, but I fear that by the time something is actually happening, It may be too late to contact them again.  Stan has a military background, shotguns and assault rifles on his wall, and I've been told that he has been diagnosed with Bi-Polar disorder.

While a large portion of me wants to believe that he would never act on these things, I can't be completely sure and am truly worried for my safety.  I have no friends or family in the area that I could live with, no money to break my lease to move on the spot, and our lease does not expire until August.

TL:DR  Looking for advise on legal standing and dealing with a roommate who has threatened both my safety, as well as his own life.  Police can't move forward unless actual harm takes place.

Thanks for any and all assistance!

Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 I'm not sure what your question is. If he threatens you, call the police. If they choose not to act on it, there's nothing you can do to force them to. If you don't feel safe, leave. Answer #2: Your safety is more important than any legal issues here. You have a mentally ill roommate who has threatened to kill you, and himself, and he has the MILITARY TRAINING and means available to do so immediately.

GTFO NOW!


Title: When neglect leads to miscarriage

Question:
This is a shot in the dark question that I am posing for my daughter.

I believe that someone's negligence during my daughter's pregnancy led to her child's stillbirth. Is there any way to hold that someone legally accountable?

This person is the father of the miscarried child. Miscarrying ruined the relationship and my daughter wants full custody of their other children. Can the stillbirth be evidence that the husband is unfit to parent? I don't want to pursue that angle if it isn't plausible. Have you seen any cases involving a situation like this that you can link to?

This is Georgia.

Answer: How was he neglectful? What legal duty did he fail to perform? Any type of physical mistreatment would likely be a crime on it's own anyway.


Title: Bail Bondsman stopped me, frisked me, and demanded my ID. How much of that is legal?

Question:
I'm an Arkansas resident, and while I was out driving tonight for Lyft, a man with a silver badge around his neck told me to roll down my window and asked for ID without identifying himself.

Thinking it was a police badge, I handed him my license, and he asked who I was, what I was doing at the apartment complex, and so on.

I told him I was a driver and waiting for my passenger. My passenger came over, and the guy demanded his ID, took it back to his vehicle where his wife was, and then returned it.

At this point, I noticed his badge said "Bail Bondsman."

So I asked if he was a cop. He said he was a bail bondsman and then said it was the same thing and told me if I didn't cooperate, he'd take me to the county jail.

After frisking me a second time, he told me he would get me a business card and went to his vehicle. He proceeded to pull out a Walgreens receipt and put his name and phone number on it, handing it to me and saying things like "Your passenger is a crack head."

He then demanded to know where we were going, and I said I wouldn't know until we started the trip. He asked again, and my passenger revealed the bar he was going to.

Then he went back to his vehicle again and pulled out handcuffs and a stun gun. Coming back, he asked to see the card he'd given me, and he didn't believe me when I told him he didn't give me a card.

I showed him the receipt he'd given me, and he cursed at me for not having the card. At last he revealed a murder had taken place a couple days ago and said lots of cops were out tonight looking for a suspect.

Then, he told us to leave.

I don't know my state's specific laws, but did he overstep with frisking me and reaching into my pockets, asking if I had drugs or weapons on me?

I'm waiting on an officer to come out and take my report.

Answer:
 Arkansas lawyer here. He can't do that. Make your report to police. Also make a report to the Arkansas Bail Bond Licensing Board. I would imagine both the police and the Board will not be happy with this behavior. Answer #2: If you’re ever In this situation just call 911. Explain what’s going on and say that you want an officer there as there is someone saying they are an undercover agent and you want to verify that.

We get those all the time especially for our undercover guys and we simply show up and confirm. If they claim they’re from a different agency we can run them and see what comes up. I’m willing to bet if you called 911 he would’ve left immediately as this sounds extremely sketchy. Did he run your name after asking for I’d? Or look at a sheet of possible pick ups ? If not then there’s no reason to just ask for id and do nothing with it. Protect your credit that’s where I would think this is going. Anyone can buy a dublicate shield. Answer #3: Literally impersonating an officer. Hope the bail bondsmen enjoys his time in county.


Title: Car Rental Insurance Added After Declining

Question:
I flew out to CA from PA in August of this year for my best friend's wedding and had to rent a car. I work in the insurance industry and I know that supplemental car insurance is the way they make their money, and it's generally an unnecessary extra charge.

So I go to pick up my car at Fox Rental Car. The woman at the San Francisco Airport asked me if I would like insurance MULTIPLE times - she was incredibly pushy and lied about how I was not covered at all if I were to get into an accident without this coverage. I refused (MULTIPLE times). She tries to push a ton of other "necessary" items that I decline again and again.

She then asks me to sign the insurance agreement, but they only have a tiny signature pad, just large enough for a signature so no words can be seen on a screen, so she'll read aloud what she is asking me to sign since I cannot actually see it.

She reads everything aloud, including my refusal of supplemental insurance. I had  no reason to think what I was signing would be contrary to what she said.

We grab the car, have a great time in California. Upon returning to real life and checking my credit card statement, of course I notice that I've been charged for supplemental insurance. Well, this is an outrage! I have the insurance agreement, it will prove I didn't accept it and I'll have the charge reversed, no big deal.

Well, I have the agreement and can see my initials next to the acceptance of insurance. The thing is, as you know, I never agreed to insurance.

I reached out to the rental car company, who said my initials are there, sorry! I reached out to my credit card company who removed the charge, but today I noticed it's back on my statement because when they reached out to Fox, of course they had proof that I signed the document for the charge.

I am now attempting to dispute the charge again, but since my initials are there, I feel there is not much I can do. I cannot imagine how this is legal. In that vein, I did some research and it appears that I am not the only person this has happened to. Below is a link where it was a class action case, but I don't know what my current options are. I know employees make the majority of their money on supplemental charges, they get a commission, so there is a benefit to the employee for doing this.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/06/your-money/for-car-renters-signing-on-the-electronic-tablet-may-mean-trouble.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1

Answer:
 Generally, you shouldn't sign something unless you are sure of what you are agreeing to.

If the credit card company dispute doesn't work, you could sue them and explain how you were misled as to what you were signing. I don't know if we are talking about enough money to even make this worth your while.

You might just have to chalk it up as a learning experience.


Title: Levy on my bank account

Question:
I have been using a bank account that was created when I was a minor and was linked to my mom. Aka a shared account from when I was as minor. Now I am 24 and have been using the account as my own.

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Recently, my mom was involved in a lawsuit and lost. While she is appealing, the other person suing her put a levy on her and her accounts, which includes myself and my brother. My brother and  I both have been using accounts set up when we were minors however been contributing to it ourselves. The levy was placed by the California Sheriff's Department.

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Is there any way to claim that my brother and I are both independent individuals and the levy should not extend to us? Can we claim/show that the money that has been going into the accounts have been from our own wages/salary? Thank you kindly to any and all advice.

Answer:
 IANAL. I work at a bank. I would suggest if you have direct deposit going into the account, to put a stop to that. Either open a new account (in just your name) and have it go there, or ask for paper checks for now.

This isn’t something the bank can lift or stop from happening. They get the notification and they are required to put holds on any funds coming in for the amount the courts say to do. So please be nice to the representatives at the bank!

Since your mom is on the account, anything in the account is legally considered hers. If you call the department that put the levy against her, you will likely run into the issue that they won’t talk to you since it isn’t your debt. Which can be very frustrating since they are holding your funds. But they don’t know that, they see her name and social on an account and that’s all they care about - collecting the money she owes.


Title: [Maryland] Divorce financial issues.. Please help

Question:
So, splitting up and it's getting messy in regards to finances, but I'm going to try to break it down to the situation, the issues, and the questions.. I am the husband by the way

Situation:
No kids. A dog. A cat.
A Condo. A townhouse.
Husband made about 30k more than wife
Wife works full time
Husband lands new job in a different area, increase pay another 30k
Husband moves to new area, but continues to pay 2/3rds of townhouse where wife resides
Condo is rented out
Credit cards and banks are all split already

Issues:
Condo will sell for a loss. Husband offers to buy from wife for $5k
Townhouse is on the market to break even after fees. No buyers interested. Husband offers another $2k to buy townhouse as well.
Wife wants more money because of "money paid into the mortgage" - Husband argues that the market has forced the condo and townhouse below the value that was paid for it and it is unreasonable to ask for more if the value is not there.
Wife wants to rent out townhouse for a year then try to sell again. Husband agrees but said during the "for sale" period, there can't be a renter, so she needs to help cover mortgage. She says she wont have enough money. Husband offers to buy and take full responsibility because he has the income and also there's no guarantee the townhouse will even sell for a profit in a year.
Wife is now asking for alimony. She didn't lose her job. She may actually get a new higher paying job soon in a different area. She is not in school.

Questions:
1. Is it unreasonable to want to buy her out for the above? 5k for condo, or 7k for both? considering current values would net her a loss or zero profit.
2. Is it reasonable for her to want alimony? I have been paying 2/3rds of all bills and mortgage while she lives in the townhouse alone because my name is on the mortgage and I will not just ruin it or kick her out.
I am getting an apt to rent in Sept, and I will have to pay my rent as well as the 2/3rds mortgage until she moves or until November (that is when I said I can't afford to pay for both places any longer, and she agreed she will move out by Nov even if she doesn't get a new job).
Originally we agreed to get a mediator because we thought things were split evenly and she accepted the $5k for the condo. But suddenly she wants more as well as alimony.
3. My understanding of a mediator was to make sure forms were all correct and they could be an unbiased person that could hear both sides and give advice on what would be most fair to both. She thinks they would not and will probably lawyer up if I don't agree on more money for her.  What can or can't a mediator do and will they even get advice or just help with paperwork?

Please any assistance or advice or thoughts... thank you

:edit: I do want to add, that I understand that I will probably need a lawyer. I just want to know if the above questions are reasonable/unreasonable.

Answer: Get a lawyer for yourself. Its clear she has one whos trying to take you to the cleaners now. Protect yourself.Answer #2: How long were you married? This does make a big difference in most places as to whether alimony is even on the table.


Title: Starting Salary of $5k for First Year

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 They'll terminate you before the second year. Answer #2: Assuming you are in the US and this is not a job that is customarily tipped (like a restaurant waiter) then the company is breaking the law. The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 an hour and many states have their own, higher minimum wages.
Answer #3: No, $5.00 per hour isn't legal unless you're making tips for the difference to make federal/state minimum wage.

Also, $37K is typically higher than *entry-level*.