Title: Can an employer refuse to pay me if I don't give him two weeks notice?

Question: I want to quit a job at a hotel where I work, but signed a contract when first I got hired saying that "if I don't give 2 weeks notice, I forfeit my last paycheck." I'm wondering if that's legal for them to do, if I'm allowed to waive my rights like that. I'm from Ontario.

Answer: It's illegal. A contract that contains illegal terms, like not getting paid for time worked, will not hold up. If you do not receive your last paycheck, file a claim with the Ministry of Labour. Even if they pay you on time, I would complain to the Ministry, as they are taking advantage of uninformed workers.


Title: My 'landlord' is mental [Calgary, Alberta]

Question:
I recently rented out a basement room in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. There are currently seven men living in this house including the lease holder, who is not the owner of the property, but subleases the rooms to the others on a month to month basis. we'll call him Jim. Jim has become very unstable and has begun nickle-and-diming the tenants. (e.g He charges us $15 a day to have visitors) He is constantly invading our privacy, and has installed a CCTV system around the house which he watches/listens to while in his room. He makes us very uncomfortable and tries to buy our help (such as with lifting fridges, etc.) by offering to let us "watch a movie alone with him in his room"; when this fails, he intimidates us with threat of eviction. Jim attempted to coerce one of the tenants to commit welfare fraud in order to buy Jim a gun for a hunting trip. Jim has now started to make overt and unwanted sexual advances towards all the younger tenants. Jim has one of the tenants do his laundry for a small discount on his rent (though this tenant is still paying what all the other tenants pay) Jim owns a fish tank full of expensive freshwater fish, which he left uncleaned while he went on a week long hunting trip. The filter on the tank broke and some water ended up on the floor. Jim flew into a rage and evicted one of the tenants (who Jim has frequently told other tenants he doesn't like) Jim then moved the carcass of a deer from the hunting trip into the basement outside my room, which has soiled the house with blood which he refuses to clean.

Please, tell me what the fuck we can do. None of us have anywhere else to go.

Answer: "Please tell us what to do except the only thing that wi solve our problems!"


Title: Employer wants me to sign new Non-Compete, worried it may negatively affect me.

Question:
I currently work for a small agency that builds websites and provides internet marketing services for businesses that are mostly in the vacation rental management industry. Due to recent actions by a couple of previous employees, my employer has told us that we will be required to sign a non-compete agreement. The issue I am having is that I have been interviewing for a position at a large online travel agency located out of state and I am worried that if I sign this non-compete then I would not be legally allowed to accept the position at the new company if they were to make me an offer.

Below is the paragraph in the agreement that concerns me:

"Covenant not to Engage in Competitive Employment. I acknowledge the Company performs a highly specialized function and is actively and competitively engaged in business in, among other geographical areas, the Restricted Territories, defined to mean Brunswick County, NC, and has a legitimate business interest in protecting itself throughout the Restricted Territories. In recognition of such, during the Restriction Period, I agree I will not—directly or indirectly, including through any type of social media or social networking sites including at-work or non-work usage—be employed by or otherwise engage in a Competitive Business (defined below) that engages in business, solicits business, or is located in the Restricted Territories. My agreement not to engage or participate in a Competitive Business includes acting as a member, manager, shareholder, partner, joint venturer, owner, director, officer, employee, agent, salesperson, contractor, or consultant. “Competitive Business” means any type of web development, web application (either presentation-oriented or service-oriented), digital marketing efforts (including SEO and SEM), and social media (the “Business”), and any and all other products and services substantially relating to the same (including the provision or pursuit of any one of such lines of business). I further acknowledge this covenant is no more restrictive than necessary to protect the Company’s legitimate business interests. Notwithstanding anything in this Paragraph 5 to the contrary, in the event the Company voluntarily terminates my employment within six months after the date of this agreement, then this Paragraph 5 terminates and no longer is binding on me as of the effective date of such voluntary termination of my employment by the Company."

Would this potential new job be in violation of this non-compete agreement if I sign it? My employer wants us all to have it signed by the end of today.

Answer:
 The question you are really asking is if you have exposure to being sued if you take this job at a travel agency.  It will boil down to how NC courts have historically dealt with non-competes and if this travel agency is a "competitive business".

Are you getting anything in return for signing this? If not, then it may not even be an enforceable contract to begin with. Generally contracts require both sides to get something of value. Whether or not continued employment is sufficient consideration would be something a NC attorney could advise you on.


Title: Am I legally bound to pay the appointment cancellation fee at the doctors office if I left because the doctor was late for the appointment? (Florida)

Answer: Gray area.  As a practical matter the office will probably waive the fee if you make a big enough fuss about it.  But for the future 20 minutes late is pretty par for the course at most doctor's offices (it sucks, but seems to be the case most of the time) so you should plan in advance for that next time. Answer #2: Did you ask to cancel the appointment or reschedule?  I've found that if I've waited an hour and ask to reschedule they don't charge the fee, but cancelling they do.Answer #3: I don't know what kind of doctor this is but I've waited over an hour at OB appointments, 9 months pregnant, a baby about to pop out, holding my pee because I had to pee in a cup during the appointment so I couldn't go while I waited. They said if I canceled while I was there, I'd be paying $25.00 and there was a sign right next to the sign-in sheet. I'd just pay the fee and switch doctors if it's important that you don't wait.


Title: [AL] Friend left family to live with friends, has trouble getting photo ID

Question: A friend of mine (US citizen) recently moved out of her family's place to live with friends. She only has her birth certificate with her. She knows her SS number, but her family lost the card. She also lost an expired US passport. Any way she can get a driver's license or state ID in Alabama?

Answer: There are other things she can use to get her SSC: [link](http://uwc.211ct.org/social-security-cards-documents-required-to-obtain-a-social-security-number-and-card-or-a-replacement-card/)


Title: PayPal Advice

Question: I sold a Wii for a 105 and I never shipped the item because I recently had my mom passed away. This was in Feb. and he is now barely making a paypal dispute he has escalated it to a claim he has never contacted me or emailed me before this or else I would’ve totally remembered. I am also in a current state of moving out of my moms house and don’t know where the wii is at exactly but also don’t have the funds as I put all of it into getting an apartment. My credit card isn't linked to the PayPal account neither is my phone number all that is on the account is my address. Also I don't have my social security on the account either. I was thinking of just not responding I have until the 20th of this month to send money. I am curious what will happen if I don't pay him money. Again I am very desperate here and don’t have the funds to spare.

Answer:
 You have 2 options. 1) send the wii 2)give him his money back. Sure you could ignore it, but that really isn't cool.

I'm sorry about your mom.  I lost my dad, i know how that feels.Answer #2: It’s theft, whether it’s in your name or your mom’s. I’m sorry you lost your mother, but you need to return his money. This is stealing.


Title: Driving Off road on Public Land in Californi

Question:
So earlier tonight I drove my Honda Pilot off road onto a cliff area overlooking the beach. The area had a trail, clearly beaten down by cars, leading up to it, but I parked in the shrubbery next to this trail area. A cop walked up to my car and threatened to fine me thousands of dollars for offenses ranging from destroying vegetation ($1000 according to him), destroying public property, and for driving off a designated road area. The cop was extremely combative and insulted me throughout the interaction, even though I said nothing but some yes or no,sir to all of his questions.

My question is: how much of what he said is true? Is what I did illegal? Are the fines that harsh? How should I react if in a situation like this in the future?

This was in Montara, CA, if that matters.

Answer:
 Yup. It is illegal. If it was a state park you are legally prohibited from operating a car off road or parking area. If it's a Federal Park then you can be fined pretty big for driving "In a manner which damages or unreasonably disturbs the land, wildlife, or vegetative resources". If it was someone's back yard then even when you could get away with walking there, the would *always* have grounds to sue for driving a car on it.

The fines are harsh because cars destroy things. They kill animals and plants while causing erosion and crushing rocks. Cars are hell on the environment when off road, even more than usual. If you want to maintain a park as, well, a park then letting people drive all over it is counterproductive.

Think about it like this: if driving a car on your lawn is not OK because it destroys the lawn, why would driving on someone else's shrubbery be OK?

Just because some other jackasses have done something illegal doesn't make it ok for you to also do said illegal thing.

They even have this [quick reference guide](http://ohv.parks.ca.gov/pages/1234/files/ohmvr-le-quickbook-2012.pdf) that points out that it's illegal to drive cars off designated trails. State Parks prohibition is on page 22, Forest Service prohibition on page 26, and Bureau of Land Management prohibition on page 30.


Title: My wife might commit fraud

Question:
She deposited a check, but wasn't sure if it would go through due to the holidays happening, so she used the mobile banking app to cancel it. Or so she thought... So then she gives the check to someone else who owns a business and he trades her cash for it so that he can deposit in his own bank account. Turns out she DIDN'T cancel the check deposit the first time and we have all the money and as far as we know so does the guy. Both banks took the check. She wants to keep the money, and I'm wond ring out of them two who gets in trouble and is it even possible for us to get away with this? Kind of paranoid. Don't need her going to jail. (OH)
[UPDATE] Turns out the guy who she gave the check to FAILED depositing it, so we're all good! Thanks for the advice everyone

Answer:
 >is it even possible for us to get away with this?

Nope, not a chance.  It just might take a few days/weeks for all three banks to catch the mistake.  You have damn good reason to be paranoid too, because at some point very soon this is crossing the line into check fraud.  And very stupid check fraud at that.  Call your bank ASAP to correct this while it’s still a simple technological mistake.Answer #2: If the banks don’t figure this out on their own and charge your wife for fraud for not reporting it, then the person or company who gave you the check will be charged twice as if it were two different checks. They can then file a police report for theft if you haven't left them know ahead of time that it was an accident.


Title: CA . . parental kidnapping? help?

Question:
I have two children (7 & almost 6).

 As infants, their father would take them from me for weeks at at a time. Being helpless, I called the police. The police told me that he is the father, so it's not kidnapping. That happened several of times.

A couple times a year, I would randomly see them for a couple of days at a time. This only happened because of arrangements with my mom and the children's father.

The father promised my mom that I can have them spring breaks and winterbreaks from school. Coincidentally, his phone breaks around those times or some other excuse.

I haven't seen my kids in two years, and had no clues or leads.

Two days ago, the father's aunt contacted me with this: ▪they have been in Arizona for over a year ▪CPS is involved ▪kids' father is not allowed to be around them for drug related reasons (possibly violent) ▪CPS allowed my kids to live with the father's sister ▪the father is secretly living in that household ▪my kids are only wanted in that home because of some financial assistance or something like that ▪my kids are getting picked on and treated differently by all the other kids in that home ▪CPS was going to give a year to find me

I called CPS in Arizona. There is a court hearing in a couple of months, and that's all  I can be informed of.

The aunt said she can give me an address and everything. It won't be civil if I go there on my own. What do I do?

I

Answer:
 >I haven't seen my kids in two years, and had no clues or leads.

Did he disappear and cut contact for two years?

If you have an address you need to get a lawyer and file for custody.Answer #2: This isn't kidnapping. But certainly you need to get yourself to AZ and work with CPS to get your kids


Title: Possible to cancel car purchase and return car?

Question:
A family member has purchased a car from a dealership on Saturday and is regretting their decision.

They would like to know if it is possible to return the car and cancel the loan.

We are based out of Florida.

Answer:
 If they signed a contract, legally speaking, they are bound by the terms of that contract.

The terms of cancellation/nullifying the contract will be within the contract.

They can speak with the dealership, but there's nothing in the law that allows for "take back-seys" when it comes to contracts (post signing).


Title: Fell down slippery stairs at school (Ontario)

Question:
On Monday night, I fell down some wet stairs at my university. I had a friend with me who saw the whole thing. Thankfully, I fell right on my right buttocks, so I didn't break anything, but I managed to get a horrible bruise which is extremely sore and difficult to sit on/walk. I also hit the palm of my hand near my wrist in attempt to catch the fall.

I'm thinking of suing, but I have no idea where to begin. Any suggestions and help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Answer:
 >I'm thinking of suing, but I have no idea where to begin.

You begin by establishing damages.

Per your story, you have none.

This is also how this should end - no legal recourse, since there is no damage to recover. Pain from a bruise is not considered grounds to sue.


Title: (US-FL) Pharmacy accidentally filled my 5mg Valium script with 10mg Valiums instead. I blacked out numerous times, ran my car off the road, and got in trouble with the law with no memory of what happened. Can I get the charges dropped or sue?

Question:
Throwaway for obvious reasons.

I've been going to the same psychiatrist for 8 years now. He's had me on the same dose of Valium for the last 8 years: "1-2 5mg pills a day as needed." Usually I just need the 1 and will only take 2nd if I'm having a really bad attack. I do my best to not take the 2nd pill unless I really need it because it always knocks me on my ass.

Over the course of a month really weird stuff started happening. I was blacking out for no reason, missing work because I kept falling into sleep comas (lost my job because of it), saying stuff that I don't remember, and even got a DUI for running my car off the road.

Fast forward to today, I was throwing away empty pill bottles from my medicine cabinet when I noticed that my Valium bottle from that month says 60 "10mg" pills instead of my usual 60 "5mg" pills. The entire month I was taking 10mg when I thought I was taking 5mg, and was taking 20mg when I thought I was taking 10mg.

I know this is the pharmacy's fault and not my Dr's fault, because my Dr. always writes me a script with three refills, and this only happened one time from the script of three refills.

Is there anything I can do to get my legal charges dropped because of this? Can I sue the pharmacy for making me lose my job and getting in a car accident?

EDIT: You all make a good point. I should of checked for errors before dosing. It's my own fault. Thanks for everyone's help.

Answer:
 I’m on the other side of the fence about whether it’s legally on OP to check their dose of medication they got from the pharmacy.

You go to the doctor, they give you a sheet of paper with a prescription.

You give the sheet of paper to a pharmacist, who professionally trained to interpret the prescription and dispense the medication appropriately. In this case, the pharmacist made an error.

OP is a layperson with no medical training. How are they supposed to recognize a wrong prescription? I’m a paramedic, and the vast majority of people I pick up have absolutely no idea what medications they are on, or what they are for.

Sure, it’s good for someone to be educated on their medications, and better for them to double check  their prescription before taking it. But in this case OP trusted their physician and their pharmacist to do their job, and the pharmacist failed in their duty (assuming the physician didn’t write the script incorrectly).


Title: Amazon stole my tablet???

Question:
Hello!

I have a huge problem, Amazon seems to have stolen my tablet.

One month ago I was told to return my faulty tablet, being really really clear that the order number for the tablet was lost and that it could not be found. I was told that this was not an issue and that I should return it to Amazon right away, and that they will trace the S/N on the device to my order.

2 weeks ago I got a notice saying that my refund was going to be processed, but nothing happened. After calling they told me that they could not do anything without my order number and that I need to find it. I asked them to return it, but they can't. I asked for a new one, but they can't.

They are basically telling my that their operator was wrong and that the can't do anything about it.
Since I bought this tablet for studies, I'm pretty panicked, and I really don't have any money for a new one.

I have evidence of everything with recorded calls and chat/email logs, but here's where I get stuck. I live I Sweden, ordering from Amazon UK.

I have no idea what I can possibly do, please help.

Answer: How is the order number lost and not found? Can you not go back through your Amazon order history and find it there? In my experience Amazon won’t accept any returns without the order number.


Title: My Father is going to try withholding trust documents from me, and possibly explicit inheritance, but I don't know if he is breaking the law (MA/possibly NY)

Question:
Backstory:
My grandparents died when I was around two or three. My father, before my grandmother died, made my grandmother make an irrevocable trust in MA, in which all their property was transferred (supposedly for dealing with medical bills, etc). My grandmother was the Trustee up until her death. Because of the way the trust was structured, my dad then became the only trustee.

My Dad is the oldest of three brothers.

At the same time by grandparents were dying - Middle Brother (hereby known as MB) was diagnosed with lung cancer (in his 20s). He survived, and has had periods of not talking to my dad, one soon after my grandparents died. He's also a multimillionaire, after some event that caused a huge fallout until my mid teens (and they may or may not have mostly fallen out again...I am not sure). He's stayed in MA, which is the original location of the trust.

Youngest Brother (YB) was diagnosed with severe epilepsy - grand mal seizures. He also took care of my grandparents before they died. He moved to FL.

Supposedly, the trust  after my grandparent's death was supposed to be used for YB's care, even though dad, MB, and YB are technically all beneficiaries. (my father is a trustee-beneficiary) So YB is the beneficiary at large now.

Because of the way the trust was written from what I was told in a screaming fit, a trustee can nominate new beneficiaries if s/he so decides. As a result, my brother and I were nominated at 3% of the beneficial interest of the trust a year or two after my grandparents died, by my dad.

My dad also always told me that there were a specific pair of antique candlesticks I was to inherit (because shabbat), which I got him to verbally confirm are in the trust recently.

Because of some other personal business in my life, I inquired about the candlesticks. He would not let me remove them from my parents house. I tried to buy a copy of my grandparents' will from MA probate. I figured that if probate effectively willed them to me at a certain age, I had legal ability to lean on for the candlesticks to be moved at my discretion. There was no probate record of a will in MA.  This made me suspicious, so I decided to look at deed records.  My grandparent's house was transferred into 2 trusts, and those documents are in MA records.  Also in MA  land records were surprisingly my name and my brother's name as minors accepting a piece of the trust after the death of my grandparents - a pair for each of us of assignments, acceptances, and then releases.

When I found out about the presence of a trust, I also realized there may be tax liabilities/stuff I need to know about from a financial documentation POV, even if I draw no money from the trust. (because of government liens, IRS, what have you. I need documents of my own to understand my life.) I decided to soft ask my dad for all trust documents and accountings because of the fact that I may be liable.

He's declined letting me take personal possession of the candlesticks. According to him "the trust is written to let him have full control, and to pay out from the trust when he feels like it."  The candlesticks he claims are in the trust, but who knows.

He also yelled at me and called me a bad person for asking for copies of all the trust documents and trust accountings, and promised to refused to give them to give me even if I send a certified letter requesting them, by pretending to never receive the letter.

My parents are also both orthodox Jews. I'm not - and this is creating conflicts on top of existing conflict. My mother is also super crazy (by which I mean she shredded medical documents of hers that it turns out could help save my life long term, among other forms of crazy).  Because of how they view orthodox jewish law, there is a lack of acknowledgement about crazy and constant demands for respect one way, and as a result, I am barely talking to my Dad, and not at all to my mom.

Final note: Massachusetts rewrote pieces of their trust code to the MUTC in 2012, which trades the validity and how some older trusts work.

I also live in NY, along with parents, (different locations though)  which I don't know if it adds (or subtracts, or is neutral) a layer of complication.

Beyond telling me to get a lawyer (researching that), as part of my go away email I need to know the following:

1)Is a trust written for random distributions at will when a trustee feels like it to beneficiaries still legal in MA? Federal? Ny if Ny has domain? (if the trust is actually written that way).

2) It appears I never got a distribution officially as far as I know, but who knows because of the complications involving my father and I. - is never getting a distribution because as he claims "he has ultimate power about how the distributions work" legal?

3) is it legal for him to at will withhold the candlesticks, even if he has verbalized many times they belong to me? Or is that thin grounded? (see 2, this may be a repeat)

4) Is it legal to withhold any sort of trust documents from a beneficiary if s/he request in writing in MA? Federal? Ny (if relevant) Does this invalidate him as a trustee/proxy?

5) If he follows up on his threat to ignore a request in writing, is that legal? Does this invalidate him as a trustee/proxy?

6) Does either the proximate religious differences potentially invalidate him as a trustee/proxy for me, because he would administer the trust according to his interpretation of religious life? Aka, is this actually the presence of a real conflict of issues? (eg: lets pretend it is legal to randomly distribute at all, since I don't know. I got engaged, to someone not Jewish. I'm an atheist, with strong, complicated jewish roots. Would it be legal for him to permanently deny me any distributions because I did so, and his understanding of Judaism believes in shunning the intermarried, when almost all of the rest of the jewish world in the US doesn't anymore.)

7) Does the fact that when I became of age, never got an accounting/full set of trust documents invalidate him as a trustee at all?

8) Since supposedly the money is mostly being used for his YB, and I am actually not interested in the money (even though there may be legal repercussions to me not having it), would there be issues if I found out what he did was legal/illegal for YB?  He's a nice guy and hasn't done anything wrong here.

9) is there anything else I need to know before bugging people in depth?

10) I still don't know about the presence of anything else/other trusts. (or even why there are 2)  should this raise red flags?  Should I poke around more?
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer: IANAL, but it sounds like you need one.


Title: Removed body parts without consent

Question: I had a lump come up on my arm. Went to the ER they told me it was an abscess and tried to drain it. This was after doing 2 scans of it. It didn't drain. I had an appointment for a surgeon a few days later. He set surgery for 2 days away. I go to surgery and sign consent for 1 mass on my arm to be removed. I wake up to him telling me he removed 3 Lymph nodes. I went back 10 days later and he told me they weren't cancerous. I told him I had been having nerve pain my elbow. He took off my bandage and had me flex my arm and sent me off. The whole time spent on the follow up was probably 3 to 5 minutes. My arm had only had the lump for a week. If I had known it was a Lymph node I would have never had them removed due to all the medical problems that causes. It can take a month for lymph nodes to go down from swelling but they are never the same but still work. I feel I was wronged just not sure by who..

Answer: This is beyond our scope.  You should consult with an experienced medical malpractice attorney in your area.


Title: Charged with second MIP within two months, should I fight it?

Question:
I am a freshman in a texas college and got differed disposition with an MIP of alcohol in late August. I had to take alcohol classes and do community service while being on a 90 day probation.

Last night I was with two friends who were smoking pot (I wasn't smoking) and we were all drinking a bit. The cops came to the dorm because someone smelled pot. My friend (the one who's dorm it was) ended up confessing to having the pot and the alcohol. Me and the other friend didn't confess to drinking or smoking. The cops found three cups with alcohol and took pictures of them. They didn't test me, but did say I smelled like alcohol. They wrote me a citation for minor in possession of alcohol.

I feel like I could argue that my friend pored me the drink, but I didn't drink it. What should I do? What kind of punishments might I be faced with?

On a side note, my court appearance date is on Halloween and I'm wondering if there is a good way to reschedule that. What excuse could I use?

Answer:
 > I feel like I could argue that my friend pored me the drink, but I didn't drink it

You could argue it. But you couldn't testify to it as it is a lie. Also your history is going to work against you on this one. And you did have to drink it for a MIP. Only possess it. Which if it was your drink that seems likely.

> my court appearance date is on Halloween and I'm wondering if there is a good way to reschedule

OK. Let's grow up. If you are old enough to break the law then you can go to court during a child's holiday. You can still go break the law and drink more that night.


Title: Options when mechanic ruins your truck and refuses to let you pick it up

Question:
Hi, I'll try to be brief and to the point.

We bought a used truck for our small business. It needed some work, so we first took it to the mechanic in January this year. We paid him over $3000 for the work.  When we picked it up, he said it still needed one small thing done, and we could bring it back in a month to have the last bit done.

We took it back in March, and have yet to get the truck back. At this point he finally admitted the truck doesn't run and he's not sure why. But he swears he's still working on it, and we "don't owe him any more money"

This is costing us a fortune in lost business and cost associated with having to use another truck sometimes 2 in its place. He keeps giving us the run around and frankly i'm tired of it.

Do we have any legal options? Is there a way to recoup the cost not only for the truck, but also the insurance and such we've been paying?
Topic:
Consumer Law

Answer:
 You have a right of replevin, which is an action for the return of property.  You have to go to court to get it.  You probably have damages if you sent him a truck that ran and now it doesn’t.  The issue for you is how much it would cost to get a lawyer to do all of this.

You might see if a local lawyer would be willing to write a strongly worded letter and then try to negotiate something out of them.


Title: [Arkansas] DOD sent a letter to the estate of my grandmother stating that SS notified them of her passing

Question:
She is very much alive.

The tl;dr is the title.

She received a letter in the mail from the DOD (department of defense) addressed to the estate of [her name] stating that they had been notified by SS (social security) of her passing. She received this letter because my late grandfather (who passed away in April) was in the military and as his widow she's entitled to his VA checks. She had to go out and get a form noterized stating that she is still alive. My father is going to mail out the form (after making copies) back to the DOD and is going to contact SS on my grandmother's behalf. The letter stated that it could take up to 15 days to process. Which means that it could be upwards of, potentially, a month or more before she starts to receive that income again (plus any and all back pay).

What are her options to help get this resolved quicker? Does she have any options besides waiting? These are her only sources of income.

Answer: Talk to your Congressperson. This is exactly the sort of thing their offices excel at expediting or helping. Determining living status after erroneously being declared dead is a problem sometimes, and the congressional staff can make sure things don't slow down unnecessarily. Also, it's a feel good win, so they'll be happy to do what they can. Answer #2: Contact the Constituent Services person at your grandmother's Congressional representative's office. They are experts in seeing that bureaucratic screw ups get fixed in a timely matter. Answer #3: Aside from getting this resolved via the channels others are suggesting: OP, your grandmother also needs to talk to every bank, insurance company and credit card she has an account with, and probably set up a credit freeze. Social Security publishes identifying information on everyone they believe is dead, and that can be used by financial institutions, insurance companies, etc. as a signal to close out the accounts of the dead person. Plus once she demonstrates she's still alive, that information is still out there, and identity theft scams love targeting older people.


Title: Ex-gf used my information for a lease

Question: Need some legal advice on a situation please. Anything helps. My ex-gf and I were on a lease together and it ended in March of 2018. We split up and I moved out and didn’t renew a lease together. She decided to stay in the house for her kids and said she renewed with a roommate she had lined up. I moved out and we didn’t communicate for several months. Never heard anything from the property management company. I checked my bank account last Monday and found $695 sent to the property management company that I did not authorize. I asked her why that happened and said it was an “honest mistake.” I disputed the charges with my bank, got them reversed, and called the property management company to get my information off their files. I found out through them that I am still currently on a lease that I did not agree to or sign for. I believe my ex used my information without my knowledge to qualify based on my income and using the information from the last lease and the only way I found out was the payment information was mixed up and my account was charged. I am supposed to hear from the property management’s lawyers on this but any advice on the best way to proceed would be helpful. I have a copy of the lease but have not spoken to my ex since I found out. What should I do and not do? Thanks in advance

Answer: You don't necessarily need all parties on a shared lease to sign the renewal. She probably didn't need to requalify for anything... . You need to review your lease to see how you actually are required to cancel the lease. It's not as simple as, "well, I left and didn't renew." Sometimes you have to give specific written notice or your lease continues on, at least on a month to month basis. Your location is relevant.


Title: Vailum on international flight??

Question: [deleted]

Answer: So just to clarify, are you asking how to smuggle drugs through TSA?Answer #2: "valium"


Title: Driver parked in high speed lane and biker crashed causing grievous injury and sped away on his way.

Question:
(NY)

A cab parked his vehicle on the right side of the road which is the high speed lane. As a result a motorcycle bumped into the left bumper of the cab and crashed. The rider was severely injured, looked as if unlikely to survive. Foaming at the mouth, semi-unconscious, terrible scene.

A bus was about to run over the crashed bike but instead of full braking he sided past the bike damaging a part of it. A few inches right and the tires would have smashed the lying biker.

Both the bus and cab acted as if nothing happened moving on. The bus did not stop and the cab only stopped because I told him so but he quickly continued on his way.

In such a situation is the cab in fault anyway?  What are all the civil and criminal charges possible if any?

He did at least partially cause the accident at  minimum by parking on the right. He also left the scene. Are these illegal?

PS: The cab driver was ABSOLUTELY remorseless/oblivious to the plight of the biker. He said both his knees got hurt which didnt because I was there.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 It sounds like you’ve described a situation where the motorcyclist is primarily at fault.

Fault can be shared. The cab driver could be assigned some degree of financial liability, but in most motor vehicle collisions he who operates a moving vehicle into a non-moving one is going to be first in liability.

If the bus make contact with the bike, the driver was probably obligated to stop. The driver could likely be charged for that offense. Answer #2: Leaving the scene of an accident, even if not at fault, is illegal


Title: Orange Theory Fitness tricked me into signing a contract

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 So first off, they didn't trick you into anything. You willingly signed the contract.

> that shows I never signed this line of the contract?

Did you sign the contract, take possession of the heart rate monitor, and attend a class?


Title: [MO] Small company gives vacation hours but no sick days. Forces employees to use vacation hours when out sick. Is that legal?

Question:
I manage a storage facility with a total of 2 employees plus the owner.
I get a week paid vacation per year. Recently I've taken a few days off for a mix of allergies/sinus infection (I have medical documentation).
When turning in my hours for the pay period that included my days out sick, I was asked if I wanted to use my vacation hours to make up the missed hours. I said I would rather just not get paid for the days I was out sick and keep my vacation hours(as I already have a trip scheduled which the owner knows about).
When I receive my pay stub it shows me getting full pay for the days I was out and hours deducted from my vacation accruement.
I asked the owner about it and was told I have to use any "time off" hours accrued when not at work.

Is this legal? Thanks for any help.

Answer: It's perfectly legal to have a policy that available paid leave must be used prior to unpaid leave even if the employee wishes to take it as unpaid.Answer #2: There's no issue here.  You are getting paid the same either way, just at different times.


Title: Employer proposing new policy requiring employees to call work 1 hour before their shift start time to assure they will be present.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Just do what they are asking you to do. It really isn't a big deal.


Title: Any standard way in which the money in a condo building sale gets divided among the condo owners? (IL)

Question:
We have been approached by a couple investors to buy out our condo building and the owners are in discussion to determine a price for which everyone would be willing to sell.

Initially the determination of what % share everyone would get would be based on the relative ownership %s that determine our relative assessments. This put us in a very favorable position as we pay the most in assessments and even the initial low ball offer would lead to us selling above market value (though this would not be the case for others). Basically we pay more than 1.5X the assessments of some other units but our place is probably not worth 1.5X more.

There is some quibbling now that the %s shouldn't be determined by those figures (I wrote our management company to see if there is anything in the by laws to determine division of proceeds of a building sale) but that all units should be individually assessed and that %s should be determined based on those relative assessed values which would lead use to a price where we would consider selling as opposed to a likely windfall. Of course if the windfall situation occurred and there were a few holdouts, I would be open to kicking some money their way to get the deal done.

To save on costs of assessing all units individually, I was going to suggest to look at the relative assessed values in property tax determinations. A bit of rudimentary math showed that the % of the total assessments we pay is identical to our assessed value for property tax purposes relative to the building. A valuation was given to the whole building and valuations for each condo were completely determined by the relative assessment %s. Since we are paying x% of the assessments and property taxes (essentially we are subsidizing the property tax of others right now though I am doing an individual appeal) I feel that somewhat bolsters our claim for x% of the sale of the building. Am I wrong? Is there any standard way that these things go (beyond seeing what the by laws say?) Is it totally upon to the discretion of the individual condo owners?

Answer: You need lawyers.


Title: i [17m] hit my gf [18f] and need legal advice

Question:
To start off, neither of us are in pristine emotional condition, although i am a bit more under control. I am driving her home going about 50mph. We're having an argument, and i burst out "i want to break up". more arguing ensues, and she has a breakdown involving hitting the car window, kicking the dashboard, and kicking the car into park and reverse while still moving at said speed. I become very panicked, and i let off the brake. In themoment, i can only think of one way to stop aher. I punch her right in the lip.
fast forward two weeks later, Ive broken up with her because i know this is a toxic relationship. She threatens to go to police, even though all thats left of the incident is a scar on her lip with three stitches and a scab on my hand. She says that they gave her a packet and a detective assigned to her case. What do i do? what will the police do? what kind of charges do i face, and is it likely ill be convicted? ive told my parents that i was just trying to restrain her, and accidentally hit her with my hand. Please help. This is in Mississippi

**tl;dr i hit my girlfriend, had a good reason, have a good alibi, what to expect from police?**

Answer:
 What do you think alibi means?

You need a criminal defense attorney, if she needed stitches you hit her pretty good. That also means there is documented evidence. You are a minor so your parents will 100% find out.

You should have never been driving a car while in such a heated argument there is no way you were fully paying attention to driving and you put yourself and others on the road in a lot of danger. Next time pull over until, call her a cab or whatever but don't drive.

You weren't under control and you didn't think that punching her square in the mouth was the only way to stop her. You were mad and hit her, that's what a jury will see, that's why you need a lawyer.


Title: My state (Washington) just put up new "Local Access Only" signs on a public road I've been using for years. Can they cite me for using it now?

Question:
I've been driving a road for years in Washington state and now there is a new "Local Access Only" sign placed at the entrance and exit of the road. I know they did this because people use it as a bypass for another congested road during traffic hours. Today I noticed there was a sheriff parked at the entrance to the road and when I exited the road on the other side they had a second sheriff parked there too. How can they prove that I didn't stop in the neighborhood to pick-up or drop-off something? What's more is that I can't find an RCW law that references the use of a "local access only" sign at all. Let alone find anything where it defines the reference point of the word "local" (Local to where? This galaxy? This solar system? The northern hemisphere?...) or defines the penalties of violation. So with all this in mind, does the state have any ability to cite me for using the road?

&nbsp;

Edit: Thanks everyone for the advice! It looks like more or less any sign that isn't followed can fall under the following RCW 46.61.050(1). Even though the specific sign doesn't have a reference point :/
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 > Let alone find anything where it defines the reference point of the word "local" (Local to where? This galaxy? This solar system? The northern hemisphere?..

Don't be that person.Answer #2: Stop using the area as a shortcut. It doesn't matter if you've been doing it for years, it's become a burden for the people who live there.

You can and will be ticketed, all it takes is one old lady watching you every day driving through the neighborhood and for her to report you.

Don't be a jerk, follow the law. Answer #3: >How can they prove that I didn't stop in the neighborhood to pick-up or drop-off something?

Easily. You give them the address and they will ask.

Local would mean that you live off that road or are visiting someone.


Title: My brother backed into an in home care persons vehicle. Are they legally aloud to park in our driveway?

Question:
Today my brother and I were going to leave for lunch. He pulled out of our garage and collided with a car from our grandparents in home care employee. Recently we've been requesting that they avoid parking in our driveway, because we are a busy family and we are in and out all the time. I just want to know if the in home care is legally allowed to park on our property, as my brother would never look in our driveway because we specifically asked multiple employees to park on the side of the road instead. I appreciate any advice.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 > as my brother would never look in our driveway

Yea....don't say that outloud. What if it was a kid playing with a ball? As a driver you can't excuse yourself from the liability to look behind you before moving a 1 ton kill-o-machine.

Otherwise, the workers are invitees to your property, ergo their property has the right to be on your property...cause you invited them.

You can talk to their supervisors though, but again this is ZERO excuse for not looking behind you when backing up and you sound like a madman for suggesting it.


Title: Car covered in cement? powder while parked next to construction site [Boston, MA]

Question:
Boston, per usual, is under construction. Near my apartment in particular, there are 5 different buildings going up within a 5 minute walking radius. My car is parked on my street, next to one of these sites. Before you tell me to go park somewhere else, this is not a possibility. Parking is near impossible to find in Boston, and if I move it further I'd be directly next to another construction site, potentially having the same issue. This week in particular, I went to move my car, and it appeared to be covered in dust. No worries, I figure I'll just go to the car wash, all will be well. Turns out the dust is cement...or mortar, or some sort of non water-soluble material. Washing it did nothing, and it now looks permanently filthy, but more importantly, it makes it so I cannot see through my windows as clearly as I once could.

Can I bring this up with the owners of this site? They have no signs telling people not to park there, but this dust is so bad I may need to file an insurance claim to replace the glass on my car. I was parked there for 5 days in a row, and would have left it for longer if I didn't have errands to run this weekend.

I suppose it's a 'park at your own risk' situation, but I'd like to think I can park on the streets of Boston without having my car's glass and paint potentially ruined. Thanks!

Answer:
 Yes, definitely contact the foreman of that particular site and ask what your options are.

You can try liberal amounts of vinegar since that seems to be the suggested way to remove it. Otherwise, a car detailer or body shop might have better luck.Answer #2: Just bring it up with the owners of the site. My moms car for covered in some kind of clear sealant at a construction site. Once she bought it up they paid for it to be detailed.


Title: Returned Stolen Property - Ended Up Stolen by Owner's Son

Question:
This occurred in California

I recently purchased a bicycle on OfferUp for a sum over 5K. After purchasing, the seller disappeared and removed all related accounts, emails, etc. Determined the bicycle was stolen and coordinated returning it to its owner through a local bike shop.

Owner picked up the bike and filed a police report in his city. This has ended up with the police charging the owner's son with the theft and identifying him as the person that sold it to me through a photo lineup.

The thief/seller/son is in his 40s and has a drug problem, he has stolen from his parents in the past though it has gone unreported. The owner (father of the thief) has stopped talking to us.

What's the best way to approach this from a legal aspect? Does the father have any legal obligations to us or are we strictly able to pursue the son?

Answer: No. The father has no obligation to pay for his 40 year old son's crimes. If you didn't get the money back, you are going to have to sue the perpetrator.


Title: Canada: Can I sue the vet for declawing my cat without permission.

Question: Today, we left our cat at the veterinarians to get an operation. The thing was that they assumed that our cat was there to get declawed, even though that was not the case. So they now declawed our cat without permission, and there's nothing we can do about it. Help.

Answer:
 You obviously don't have to pay for the declawing operation.

As for suing - there would need to be some sort of cost to sue for. With declawing it's non-reversable and there aren't really any additional costs so there might not be much to sue for.

Where are you located though?  I would definitely be putting in a complaint with the college of veterinarians in your provence. Answer #2: 1. Province?
2. What was the operation you intended your cat to receive? Answer #3: Just for facts' sake, the original operation, did they perform that? Curious what it was, given that they decided to de-claw on their own.


Title: [VA, USA/the internet] As a Reddit moderator, could I get in trouble for accepting bribes but not acting on them?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 What they are doing is not at all illegal. They could easily argue it's payment for services. Businesses pay Google all the time to alter their search results to be placed on the top (in the ads section). In fact I'd say it is ... Even though that's not their intent, as it seems their intent is to "expose" you.

If you took the money and then did not do the action then yes that would be an open and shut fraud case. Plus, they'd "expose" you for taking the money anyway.

Yes, if they chose to sue you, or if you were criminally prosecuted, reddit could absolutely be subpoenaed for any information they have on your real name (which they don't collect, to my knowledge, but they can optionally collect your email, which would lead investigators to your real name).


Title: Kohl’s is demanding I pay a $375 fee for getting caught shoplifting, can they do anything if I don’t?

Question:
So back in April I stole a pair a socks from Kohl’s and they caught me, they sent me a bunch of letters saying I had a to pay this “$375 civil demand”
I read up and many people just said to ignore it, but today I got a letter saying that “You have failed to make your payment after a written demand to do so in California last Penal Code 495.5 and 490.5” and due to my lack of response my file has been forwarded to Ronald Halpern, Esq., counsel for the Law Offices of Michael Ira Asen, P.C.

So my question is, is there likely to be any action taken by Kohl’s if I don’t make the payment, or is there a a good chance of some negative repercussions if I ignore everything?
Not sure what to do.

Answer: They can sue you. No one can tell you whether or not they will, that's up to them.Answer #2: They can sue you (probably for more than that amount) and they can also choose to report you to the police.


Title: Concerns as a writer over the new terms of service for Reddit- someone please explain

Question:
Let me start off by saying I’m not a lawyer but I built a profile on Reddit specifically to share content and grow a fan base. In the past it has been my understanding that if Reddit wishes to use any of this content, I still own the original copyright for anything I create.

The new terms are as follows:

When Your Content is created with or submitted to the Services, you grant us a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, transferable, and sublicensable license to use, copy, modify, adapt, prepare derivative works from, distribute, perform, and display Your Content and any name, username, voice, or likeness provided in connection with Your Content in all media formats and channels now known or later developed.  This license includes the right for us to make Your Content available for syndication, broadcast, distribution, or publication by other companies, organizations, or individuals who partner with Reddit. You also agree that we may remove metadata associated with Your Content, and you irrevocably waive any claims and assertions of moral rights or attribution with respect to Your Content.

To my understanding this is saying that we as writers risk having our content taken by Reddit. I have seen several writers already voice concerns and consider removing all their content from Reddit. How does this affect us as writers moving forward? Will our content be protected or is it now free for all?

Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 This section is not a change.  This language(or similar) has always been around.  Reddit, and virtually every other site that allows posting, has a similar clause.

You don't lose your rights under this clause.  You do, however, give Reddit other rights.  You still own your work, but Reddit has rights to also license, re-publish, et cetera.  Answer #2: It’s not really new, you have always given Reddit a license for your posts.  You are not giving up your copyright, you are just giving Reddit a broad license to republish what you post.


Title: (ON, Canada) New apartment vibrates loudly 24/7. If the landlord doesn't fix it, what can we do?

Question:
My boyfriend and I just moved into our first apartment on August 1st. When we looked at the unit, it was perfect. Within a day of moving in, though, it's started vibrating all day, every day. I understand that no place is perfect and that every apartment has its problems. However, this vibrating is to the point where I'm not able to be in most of my apartment for more than a minute without extreme discomfort.

When we talked to our landlord, she had said that a piece of equipment in the chain restaurant two floors below us was broken, and that was causing the noise. She said it would be fixed by the end of the week (luckily, they also own the restaurant below us, so at least they have the power to make those repairs). But it hasn't. And now I'm at the point where I spend the entirety of my free time out of the apartment or forcing myself to sleep to avoid the pain.

We're willing to wait out this week and see if they get around to fixing whatever is wrong. But we can't live like this long-term. If they don't fix it, what are our options for breaking your 12-month lease? Is there a way to get our last month's rent back if we do?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 I have dealt with this before. Also from Ontario.

Call 311. Tell them of the issue. They will send someone out to take a look.

They are very helpful.

Important: Do not tell the landlord they are coming. I have had issues where they will turn off the offending device before the inspector gets there so they don't see a problem.

 Answer #2: Look into local city noise ordinances. Sounds like the restaurant's exhaust fan is disbalanced and needs repairs. If it's too noisy the city can issue fines until it's repaired. Answer #3: Eventually, you can get an order from the Landlord & Tenant Board ordering him to fix it, and giving you a "rent abatement", lowering your rent to compensate you.

The Landlord & Tenant Board's website has good info. Also try legal aid Ontario's website. If you qualify based on income, you can get free representation from a local Legal Clinic.

Document everything. When you call your landlord, ideally record the call, or take notes, including date, time, what he said. If it doesn't get fixed, send a letter by registered mail to complain about it. Keep a copy of the letter and the receipt. Print off the delivery confirmation from Canada Post's website.


Title: Can you attack someone that is touching your car or about to damage it?

Question:
A) If someone is touching your car with an object that won't cause damage, can you assault them?
B) What if you believe that the person was about to use an object or themself to damage the car?
C)What about if they have already damaged the car, can you physically assault them? To what extent?

Sorry, California, bay area

Answer:
 You can use *reasonable* physical force to defend your property from theft or damage.

You can't use force if they are touching the car with something that won't damage it.

You can't use force if they already stopped damaging it.

You can *maybe* use force if you *reasonably* believe that they will damage the car.

This is general advice since you chose not to give us your location after no less than THREE reminders.Answer #2: Why did you ignore the prompts to provide your location?


Title: Pulled over in Utah, cop found my pot, being charged with possession. In Utah possession charges have a 6 -month licence suspension. But if marijuana is legal in Colorado would my licence still be suspended in my home state?

Question:
I was recently pulled over outside of Monticello, UT for driving under the speed limit and swerving into the yellow lines. Upon getting pulled over the officer approached my vehicle and smelled marijuana. The officer asked if I had any marijuana in the car. I complied and told him where it was. The officer then proceeded to give me roadside DUI tests, all of which I passed. I was cited for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

From some research I have come to find that San Juan county is tough on marijuana cases. I have been offered a plea deal where they will drop a paraphernalia charge and only charge me with possession. I would have to pay a fine and  my licence would be suspended in Utah for 6 months. Will this carry over into Colorado? Since marijuana is legal here, would my licence stay valid in my home state?

Answer:
 UT can not suspend your CO license.

But they can remove your right to drive *in Utah.*

Your license should still be valid in CO.  UT can ask CO to suspend it, but my guess is that they will not do so.  If they do, you should be notified by mail.


Title: [MA] I think my employer is going to fire me for obeying doctor's orders.

Question:
Hello, any advice is appreciated. Sorry for formatting, posting from my phone.

I work as an administrative assistant for a debt collection company. Over the month of January I had a number of absences for one reason or another (snow, sick children, my pipes froze at one point, etc). As a result, I was placed on an attendance warning.

Last Thursday, I was involved in a motor vehicle accident on my way to work. I still showed up to work, an hour ahead of schedule (they were offering overtime) and worked more than a full shift, since I felt fine. Friday morning I woke up in alot of pain. I called work to let them know I was going to my doctor. My doctor told me not to go back to work until 3/12. I  returned to work anyway, and finished up my 40 hours for the week, then left.

Monday morning I called out due to pain. Tuesday, when I returned to work, my boss asked me for a doctor's note. I informed her that my doctor didn't want me coming back to work yet, but because of how behind we are, I came back anyways. She told me I had to get a doctor's note before returning to work, but had me stay and work my shift. I told her I would go to the doctor the next morning and get a note, but that unless the doctor changed her mind, I couldn't come back until Thursday.

I went to the doctor as planned, got said note, and went home to relax with my kids. When I came in to work today, I gave my boss the note, and she said we needed to have a meeting with HR since I no-call-no-showed the day before. She had me go back to work and told me she would get in touch with HR and let me know when we would go to meet with them. By the end of the day, my boss said we would have our meeting late afternoon tomorrow, Friday.

Since they had me keep working, should I be worried about losing my job? The doctor's note states that I may return to work on the 12th, can I get fired for not calling to reiterate that on the 11th?

TL;DR: Boss lady trying to fire my ass for not calling out, even though my doctor's note says when I can return to work.

Answer:
 Well you did no call no show. When you're out of work you need to provide a doctor's note. You didn't do that until you returned to work.

It doesn't matter you worked through the pain the previous days. On the day in question you no called no showed with no doctors note.


Title: [TX] Divorced and remarried last year; 4 kids. Ex and I agreed to each claim 2 kids on taxes. Does not help me to claim my 2; would help him. Would like to do him a solid but....?

Question:
Quick and easy question for you family law people:

Pretty much covered in the title.  My ex and I split everything 50/50, have equally shared custody (we live five minutes from each other) and neither of us pays the other child or spousal support.  We split the costs for their activities, lessons etc equally.  Part of our divorce decree is that I claim kids #1 and #4 while he claims #2 and #3 on our federal tax returns.

Recently started preparing the return for my new husband and myself and found out that we make over the income ceiling for the child tax credit; claiming the two kids makes no difference in the amount of taxes we owe.  On the other hand, if my ex were to claim all four of the kids it would make quite a dent in his tax obligation.

My husband and I would like to offer the option to my ex to go ahead and claim all four kids, but it gives us pause because:

a) he's not actually shouldering all the cost of raising all four of those kids; I don't care about that personally but perhaps the IRS might and

b) we can't quite articulate why but it seems like part of our (new husband and myself I mean) establishing responsibility for the kids includes having a pattern of having claimed them on our taxes; I don't expect conflict in the future but is there a situation where my ex could make something out of the fact that he'd claimed them all on his taxes and therefore was somehow the primary parent?

Thanks for any input you may be able to provide.

Answer:
 IRS Form 8332 can be used to transfer child tax credits on a yearly basis if things differ from the divorce decree.  https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8332.pdf.

Answer #2: Claiming the child as a dependent on the 1040 filing is just one piece of evidence which could be brought up in a future motion for modification. You would then introduce your own evidence that you did not relinquish any custodial rights.

It sounds like you allocated the dependent status in the decree because, given actual reality, you could each credibly claim the child as a dependent.  If this is the case, there is no IRS issue.

All I know is that things seem to work best for both parties when the agreements are adhered to as closely as is practicable.


Title: IN - Questions regarding camera in new apartment

Question:
Hello r/legaladvise,

I recently signed a lease in an apartment in Indianapolis. It wasn't until after I had signed the lease that I realized that there is a camera in my unit. I toured the unit before I signed the lease, but somehow I missed the small back ball in the corner of the ceiling.

The layout of the unit is 7 individual bedrooms attached to a living room/kitchen area. The camera is located in the living room. I also looked over the lease and there is no mention of the camera. The leases are signed indivually.

Based on my very limited knowledge, the issue would be whether or not the living room is defined as a common area, where there wouldn't be a reasonable right to privacy. Would the living room be a common area in this situation?

I'm happy to clarify anything or provide more info if needed. Thanks!

Answer: If there is no mention of the camera in the lease... than nothing prohibits you from blocking it?


Title: Cutting my parents out of my life. Is it illegal for me to keep the car they gave me?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 If the lease is in his name, it's his car.

If you want to cut them out, give the car back and get a car without them having anything to do with it.Answer #2: > I just want to know if this counts as me "stealing" the car.

Very likely, yes.  If the car is in your father's name, it's his car.  If you share the car **on the title** that may be a different story.


Title: Texas-age 34- I was on SSI because I'm Crippled then I got put on some type of Insurance after my step dad passed. So now my mom is basically in control of my money. So basically when I piss her off or do something she doesn't agree with, she just keeps my money.

Question:
Is there anything I can do about this or am I basically screwed? I'd love some advice please.
And if anyone is wondering. What I have is called ankylosing spondylitis

Answer:
 It sounds like your mother is your representative payee.

If so, [Social Security rules](https://www.ssa.gov/payee/faqrep.htm#&a0=9) require her to spend your monthly benefits on your current "needs" (e.g., food, shelter/utilities, medical care) and reasonably foreseeable needs. A payee is not supposed to give you money whenever you ask for it. However, any part of your monthly benefit not spent on your needs is supposed to be kept in a bank account or invested for your benefit.

If you want someone else to act as your representative payee, you can have that person apply to become your new payee. [See here](https://www.ssa.gov/payee/bene.htm#&sb=2&a0=4).Answer #2: How is your mother in control of your money?  Have you been declared incapable of handling your affairs?


Title: USA. An eBay buyer returned the item without me accepting it.

Question: I sold somebody a jersey. I went to a pro shop to ship out the jersey and the person received it Dec. 13. Yesterday they opened up a return case and I pretended to not see it. Today, they send it back even though I didn't even contact them. They also sent it back to the Pro Shop that I ordered from. I have a clear no return policy in my description and in my listing and the person does this! What do I do?

Answer:
 >I have a clear no return policy in my description and in my listing

If you sell on ebay? you do accept returns.

I suggest you take a few minutes to actually read ebay's user agreement before listing anything else, the one you agreed to to list that jersey.

Refund the buyer or ebay will do it for you.


Title: Possible to avoid jail time despite loads of evidence? (California)

Question: I was watching the news the other day and saw a man I previously dated for a bit got arrested along with two other friends for 'rape of an intoxication person' and 'rPe of an unconscious' person (pc216 and pc1054.3). According to the news article the victims friend walked in on all three of them naked with her friend covered in vomit, found pictures of her naked on their cell phones and even blogged about it on a pick up artist forum proving they all had sex with her unconsciously.  I guess my question is with all this proof is it possible for them to avoid prison? I know every case is different but how long in jail do most rapists get as punishment?

Answer:
 Absent some catastrophic procedural error in the case (tainted evidence, police misconduct, etc.), they're going to prison.Answer #2: That's not something anyone can predict.

> Penalties and Sentences
>
> In general, California state laws punish a conviction of rape with a sentence of imprisonment in state prison for three, six, or eight years. The potential sentence increases to a range of seven to eleven years when the rape victim is a minor who is over fourteen years of age. The potential sentence further increases to a range of nine to thirteen years when the victim is a child under the age of fourteen. Each sentence can also increase if the defendant acted in concert with another person to rape the victim.
>
> California state laws set fines to be paid as civil penalties when an adult engages in sexual intercourse with a minor. The fines range from $2,000 to $25,000.
>
> State law establishes an alternate punishment for rape when less than three years separate the ages of the defendant and the victim. For this crime, the prosecutor may pursue either a misdemeanor charge or a felony charge. The consequences of a conviction may be a term ranging from one year to three years in county jail. The state might also consider the defendant's prior or current criminal record and decide whether to pursue enhanced sentencing.

http://statelaws.findlaw.com/california-law/california-rape-laws.html

There could be other charges on top of rape too.


Title: Ex girlfriend is a cobuyer on our vehicle and had her dad take the car after we separated. All payments and insurance have been done by me. What are my options for getting my vehicle back?

Answer: Whose names are on the *title* of the car (not the loan) and are they separated by "AND" or by "OR"?


Title: HIV status on death certificate.

Question: I have someone who has died from cancer related to HIV status. The wife lives in a tiny town and does not want it getting out. They have kept it quiet all these years and she is worried about taking this death certificate to the DMV, insurance, court house, and other places. Is there a way to redact the cause of death to keep it private? I don't want to list the exact location but it is in IL in the United States.

Answer: She can contact the issuing authority of the death certificate asking that the HIV information be removed to make the cause of death more generic.


Title: Boss wants me to do (again) more work than I think I should, for free.

Question:
Hi Folks! First of all, thanks for this space!

I have a feeling that a problem will happen in a very short time here at work. I work in a small company (22 employees) outside US (btw yesterday was my 4th anniversary here). I am employed as Webdesigner, started with simple jobs like graphic design, little web screens, corporate website, app screens and so on. Somewhere in theses 4 years I got an MBA in digital marketing and started to work little by little with newsletters, adwords (without any boost in my salary). More recently I've made some videos too, animated videos for new products (again, without any compensation) - So its a modus operandi: the boss ask me to do small thjings, then a little more and when I see it I am with a whole new uncompensated designation. My country is in a big economic distress, so I do not feel comfortable to put my job at risk, even to ask for a pay rise.

**Ok, the problem right now is this:** He asked me (jokingly, but, you know ...) to record voice overs to tutorial videos that I'll produce (script-capture-animate). Ok I get that managing social networks and newsletters, making videos are jobs that have something to do with a title labeled the "Webdesigner". But this one is not! Jokingly I've said no, but I know that he will ask me again in a more incisive way. Am I right? What should I do? How can I prevent this?

Answer:
 Outside the US is not enough of a location for employment law.

Generally if you’re paid for the work (salary counts) absent a contract or other agreement your job is what your boss says it is.


Title: I committed tax fraud

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I would start selling things so you can get a lawyer. That's the only answer.

Source: I'm in litigation at a state department of revenue.


Title: Daughters father is unstable, but demands visitation

Question:
I don't know how to protect my daughter in this situation. I have a lawyer but no money to pay her. I am low income and I get very little, mostly no support from her dad or her dad's family. Her dad and I had a court order visitation schedule put in place 10 years ago. Throughout the past 10 years, he has been in and out of jail/prison for drugs, domestif violence, DUOs, and 2 counts of felony aggravated assault.

He was recently released from prison (about 1 month ago) and during this short time I am already afraid to let my daughter go with him.

A mutual acquaintance of ours says he was drinking and driving, he told my 12 yr old daughter he thinks I have schizophrenia (she cried when she told me this) and he was easily angered when I told him he's only allowed to call my phone to talk to her (ie NOT hers).

Is there anything I can do?

Answer:
 Hire a lawyer, take him back to court, change visitation.

If you believe she is in danger while under his care, contact CPS.

As long as there is court order visitation scheduled, you must allow your child to go.


Title: Got into an accident without insurance and now have to pay 15k of damages

Question: On July 3 I got into an accident with a borrowed car, that didn’t have car insurance in California. (I’ve already beaten myself up for not checking and making sure I had insurance) 5 months later I get a call from a subrogation department. They are calling me letting me know that I owe them $15,490.54  from damages that happened. They gave me two options. Pay them the full amount over three years with a down payment of $1,500 and $400 monthly or pay out a full amount of $10,900. I asked if I could lower the monthly cost and do it over the span of 4-5 years but they wouldn’t. Now I’m stuck and don’t know how to proceed. Should I just pay what they asked me or is there another way?

Answer:
 You owe the money, period.

If you don't pay, they'll sue you and get a judgment for the amount of the damages.

It's cheaper for them and for you to settle before that, though.  So start scraping money together and make whatever payments you can.


Title: Physical Disability Accommodation Removed [Florida]

Question:
Posting on someone else’s behalf.

They have a documented physical disability that makes standing painful. Work requires standing, & the pressure-relieving mats (think kitchen or cashier) were removed due to cleaning issues with the mats, and have been gone for years.

Company is a large, beloved chain.

Who should they contact outside of the company in regards to accommodations?

Answer:
 These mats were removed years ago and they're just now getting around to complaining?  That doesn't sound like a necessary accommodation.

As is, she needs to approach management with documentation of her disability, and work with them to request an accommodation and to decide what that is.  She can't say "give me mats" and assume it'll be done.


Title: Was fired over text, job owes both my wife and I commission

Question:
My wife and I were just fired today over text after missing 2 days of work after our job implemented a new attendance policy stating that we had 1 day to use where we don't need an excuse (like a free pass) and then termination wasn't until you missed the 5th day.  I have no intentions of going back to such an unprofessional workplace. My question is, do we still recieve our commission that has yet to be paid out? Between the 2 of us, we sold 4 systems,  so that would be 400 in commission.  The reason the commission hasn't been paid out yet,  is because the systems haven't been installed and that could take 2 months. We worked super hard for them to get these sales and made thousands of dollars off of us because of it.

We are located in Florida,  this company has about 15 employees total.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: This is almost entirely dependent on your employment contract. What does it say?


Title: [San Diego, CA] - Car dealership claims right to rescission, but won't let me return the vehicle yet

Question:
UPDATE 10/17 - The finance director still hasn't called, but the salesman did and asked me to come in today. I'm at the dealership now, and he said they are looking at an older model with less value to try to get me approved for. I really need a car, but I don't want to get screwed over again. Should I tell them to give me my down-payment back and walk away, or let them play the game?

Original post:
A bit of back story: I have bad credit (sub 500 FICO score), 2 reposessions, several delinquent accounts in collections, and 2 wage garnishments. Not proud of this, but it is what it is. Trying to rebuild at the same time have a semi-normal life.

So, on September 27th I worked out a deal with a local car dealership to purchase a 2015 Nissan Versa Note S, the cheapest car on their lot based on MSRP. It took a bit of effort to get all the financials cleared, some numbers seemed fudged from the salesman's side of things, and I am sure some predatory lending practices were used now that I look back on it. That's beside the point, though. We settled upon me providing a deferred down payment by providing 2 checks dated 9/27/2015 but with a separate "promise not to deposit until" document which allowed the dealership to deposit the checks on 10/5/2015 and 10/17/2015 (the next two paydays).

According to my bank, the first check was deposited on 10/6/2015 and my account deducted the same day. All good, so far.

On 10/10/2015 I received a letter in the mail, certified. It was hand-written as signed on 10/5/2015, and the postmark of the letter was 10/8/2015. This letter was a notice that the dealership is executing their right to rescind the purchase, due to their inability to find a suitable financial backer for my loan. The notice asked me to contact them immediately. It was after 10:00 P.M. when I had checked the mail, so I waited until the next morning to call.

I called the number on the notice on 10/11/2015 (Sunday) but the person I was to speak to was out of the office for the weekend. I tried again on 10/12/2015 (Monday), and spoke with their Financial Director as the notice instructed. This person informed me that they were "working on it" and that they would call back that evening with an update, then hung up abruptly.

By 5:00 P.M. on 10/12/2015, I had received no call, so I called them myself to follow up. I was told that the Finance Director had left for the day, but that there was a note that my issue was still being "worked on" and that I would receive a call the next morning to discuss it.

It is now 2:24 P.M. on 10/13/2015, and I have not received a call. Before I call them back, I would like to know if this delay and apparent refusal to schedule a return or acknowledge the notice will have any bearing on the timeline or requirement for me to return the vehicle.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

(TL;DR: dealership says they want the car back immediately, but is not cooperating with scheduling the return and/or any additional information -- do I need to return it still?)
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: Not a lawyer and no legal advice, but be sure to continue documenting your attempts to contact them and save your phone records to support that.


Title: Craigslist: Item not as described

Question: Someone posted a sleeper sofa on craigslist (in California). It clearly says sleeper sofa in the description. I called the person and over the phone asked to confirm that it was a sleeper. She said yes. She lived 2 hours away and I hired movers to pick up the sofa, pay the owner, and deliver it to my house. Once the sofa got here, it is clearly not a sleeper sofa.  What can I do? I paid $1500 for the sofa and $250 for the delivery. :/  I have a copy of the ad printed and downloaded.

Answer:
 You could abide CL's advice about how not to get scammed:
https://www.craigslist.org/about/scams
> Deal locally, face-to-face —follow this one rule and avoid 99% of scam attempts.

 Who just buys a used couch site/sight(???? I cannot for the life of me figure out how to use this term in a way that doesn't refer to real estate) unseen? What if it smelled like cats and human suffering? What type of used non-locally acquired couch is worth nearly $2000? Is it made of dragon skin and unicorn feathers?

 Have you contacted her asking to do a return (which she may not be legally obligated to do.)?Answer #2: You can ask her for reimbursement, but you can imagine how that will go.

If she says no, you are free to sue her in small claims, if your state considers $1750 to be small claims (which I can't tell you because you ignored all directions and didn't post state).


Title: court order not effective. what to do next?

Question:
a custodial / divorce court order said that my ex spouse was responsible for tranferring our shared business out of my name. this has not been done. the other component was payment of the business, which has not been made. it's been at least 6 months since this portion of the separation was finalized in court. the amount owed to me is 7k. the reason this amount was requested by me is because that was meant to cover community debt (there are 4 outstanding credit cards). I am unable to cover the minimum payments even with the little "payments" made to me. I have specified that small payments are not acceptable - but I would accept no less than $500/month if a payment plan would get things going. I have gotten 3 payments for $50. Seriously?

The court order states the lump sum 7k was due at once, right away. (july 2015)

Please help me reddit! My credit is beyond ruined and I am unable to pay my old credit card bills. Additionally, the business is still in my name - which I do not want.
Someone mentioned I could take the debt to a collection agency - looks like I would then only get a tiny portion of it. This won't work for me. Are there other/better options? Located in Los Angeles, California.

Answer: Something to note: If your divorce documentation notes an interest rate that's reasonable (generally >5%), this may actually work in your favour in the long term as what your spouse owes you may compound exponentially. Then when it gets large enough you can escalate things back up to court and collect a larger lump sum. But that depends on the terms of the agreement entirely.


Title: CHILD SUPPORT ARREARS (CALIFORNIA)

Question:
REGARDING CHILD SUPPORT

Between AUGUST 2010 through SEPTEMBER 2011 I was involved in a Move Away Custody Case determination. No Child Support was ever determined yet, as it was unknown who would get primary custody. But I would periodically send Child Support money knowing it would be accounted forlater.

OCTOBER 2011. Child Support was figured out in court and determined to be 831. So the court backtracked and found the ARREARS to be 12,054. So then the order was 831 Child Support plus 200 a month in ARREARS. The court also ruled that I was to get 3,800 in CREDIT for payments I had prior to the CHILD SUPPORT figure being decided.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 - I sent the mother checks each of those months for Child Support.

JANUARY 2012 - The other attorney wrote down all the orders and the court rubber stamped it. Listed was 12,054 in ARREARS, and the thought the credit of 3,800 would be factored since its in the TRANSCRIPTS back in October. Also payments I made during November and December should have counted also?

JANUARY 2012 - Mother files a PRIVATE CHILD SUPPORT, so money is taken from my paycheck.

2012 - 2015 --- There was times were I was unemployed, so Child Support could not be taken from my paycheck, so during those times I sent the Mother a DIRECT DEPOSIT.

FEB 2015 - I figured all the numbers, and I wanted to pay a lump sum to end the ARREARS amount rather than continue paying 200 a month in arrears.

APRIL 2015 - The mother filed a case to CHILD SUPPORT to make my collections NOT private and she sent them her information and excluded ALL checks sent to her, the original credit from 2011 to 2010 that I had sent her. Basically saying only the money that the state collected from my job counted and nothing else counted, based on that the court thinks I am in arrears, when I am not and have sent numerous direct deposits and checks from the past 5 years.

NOW flash forward and the CHILD SUPPORT offices, say i'm 20,000 dollar in ARREARS. They have been charging me interest since JANUARY of 2012 on the original $12,054 ARREARS amount.

QUESTION

1. How can they backtrack and charge me interest on the 12,054 ARREARS, when the court ordered I pay only 200 a month in ARREARS???? I paid that amount each month from the beginning. But they are charging interest regardless. Is that possible?

2.The case was a PRIVATE, so I had NO knowledge that interest was charged since JAN of 2012, I never got any papers. When I looked online, it showed none, the case was Private, I couldn't even send money into the state because it was private.

3. Are they in LEGAL right to charge interest on the arrears? When I paid 200 a month in Arrears as what was determined by the court and was automically taken from my paycheck anyways because there was a PRIVATE ORDER??

Answer:
 First, your capitalization scheme is ANNOYING.

The problem seems to trace back to, possibly, the order being entered incorrectly in 2012.  It was your responsibility, or the responsibility of your attorney, to make sure the final order reflected what the judge said in court.  You should  have brought a motion for clarification or correction at that time.

The whole thing about the "private" case makes no sense.

You can hire an attorney now to try to untangle this mess; I wouldn't try to do it yourself.


Title: How many lawyers does it take to change a lightbulb?

Question:
uch number as may be deemed necessary to perform the stated task in a timely and efficient manner within the strictures of the following agreement: Whereas the party of the first part, also known as "The Lawyer,"
and the party of the second part, also known as "The Light Bulb,"
do hereby and forthwith agree to a transaction wherein the party of the second part (Light Bulb) shall be removed from the current position as a result of failure to perform previously agreed upon duties, i.e., the lighting, elucidation, and otherwise illumination of the area ranging from the front (north) door, through the entry way, terminating at an area just inside the primary living area, demarcated by the beginning of the carpet, any spill-over illumination being at the option of the party of the second part (Light Bulb) and not required by the aforementioned agreement between the parties.
The aforementioned removal transaction shall include, but not be limited to, the following steps: The party of the first part (Lawyer) shall, with or without elevation at his option, by means of a chair, step stool, ladder or any other means of elevation, grasp the party of the second part (Light Bulb) and rotate the party of the second part (Light Bulb) in a counter-clockwise direction, said direction being non-negotiable.
Said grasping and rotation of the party of the second part (Light Bulb) shall be undertaken by the party of the first part (Lawyer) with every possible caution by the party of the first part (Lawyer) to maintain the structural integrity of the party of the second part (Light Bulb), notwithstanding the aforementioned failure of the party of the second part (Light Bulb) to perform the aforementioned customary and agreed upon duties.
The foregoing notwithstanding, however, both parties stipulate that structural failure of the party of the second part (Light Bulb) may be incidental to the aforementioned failure to perform and in such case the party of the first part (Lawyer) shall be held blameless for such structural failure insofar as this agreement is concerned so long as the non-negotiable directional codicil (counter-clockwise) is observed by the party of the first part (Lawyer) throughout.
Upon reaching a point where the party of the second part (Light Bulb) becomes separated from the party of the third part ("Receptacle"), the party of the first part (Lawyer) shall have the option of disposing of the party of the second part (Light Bulb) in a manner consistent with all applicable state, local and federal statutes.
Once separation and disposal have been achieved, the party of the first part (Lawyer) shall have the option of beginning installation of the party of the fourth part ("New Light Bulb").
This installation shall occur in a manner consistent with the reverse of the procedures described in step one of this self-same document, being careful to note that the rotation should occur in a clockwise direction, said direction also being non-negotiable.
NOTE: The above described steps may be performed, at the option of the party of the first part (Lawyer), by said party of the first part (Lawyer), by his heirs and assigns, or by any and all persons authorized by him to do so, the objective being to produce a level of illumination in the immediate vicinity of the aforementioned front (north) door consistent with maximization of ingress and revenue for the party of the fifth part."

Answer: I thought they make their paralegal do it and take credit for it.Answer #2: I want to memorize this and tell it at a dinner party. And proceed to not have those friends anymore.Answer #3: Well someone has far too few billable hours on their schedule.Answer #4: WowAnswer #5: The party of the fifth part has never been defined.Answer #6: Just some light reading.


Title: I (20M) lost my job and fell behind on rent, I have a court hearing but I would like to help knowing all the options available to me.

Question:
In the beginning of June I lost my job making about $4,000 a month, being as I’m young and not that great about saving money, I had no savings available to help me through the period to go along with unemployment.  There are three people living here at the moment and we’re all working together to make sure we don’t get evicted. I owed $3078, I’ve already paid it down to $1995 in the week since we got the eviction notice on the door. I also have about $800 in pledges from a few organizations that help with evictions problems. I end up having two questions, do I need to go to court, because my landlord said that it wasn’t necessary? And is there anyway that I can still be evicted if I pay the full amount before the judge makes his decision?
All of this is happening in MD

Answer:
 > I end up having two questions, do I need to go to court, because my landlord said that it wasn’t necessary?

YES. Your landlord doesn't want you to go to court because then it's a slam dunk for him to evict you. If you have a summons, go.  If you haven't paid rent you will probably get evicted anyway but you are sure to if you don't show up. Why would you take legal advice from somebody suing you?


Title: (US, WA) City closing street for three months; Just opened business, was only given one week notice.

Question:
This isn't my business but a friend of mine.

Like the title says, he just opened a business a few months ago and sales have begun to pick up. The road that his business is located on will soon by closed, for three months, to through traffic. He was only given a one week notice, and if he had known this were to occur he would've either delayed opening the location or not opened at all. The business is dependent on through traffic. Is there anything he can do? It seems the city should've given him a greater notice.

This is in Washington State, US.

Answer:
 City planner here: most road construction is planned well in advance.

Is this street a State/National Highway, or a local street? or somewhere in between?

If it is a State or National Highway the State department of transportation will have had plans for construction posted for several years. Most people never see them because they usually are not publicized more than the required amount, but they are publicly available.

If it is a major city street, the project was likely discussed or even approved by the city council several months (possibly years) in advance, and most cities plan even minor projects well in advance. I am not familiar with Washington States laws on how public these local council meeting or construction plans are though.


Title: It’s been 4 years since dads death and our lawyer hasn’t gotten anywhere.

Question:
Dad died and didn’t leave a will. He has 3 kids, one was on the house which was estimated at 50k. Our lawyer sent them letters after the estimate because we are entitled 1/3 of 1/2 of the property and the same amount of the fair rental value (700) a month because our brothers son has been living there.

The letters come in like once every other month and they are copies of what our lawyers send the brother. They say “we need to settle this, can we agree on (what I said above)” and they don’t reply. Our lawyer actually went 6 months without doing anything. We gave him a deposit. We asked him why we aren’t going in front of a judge. He just drags us along. Our brother now died last month so I guess his wife owns that share. I want to know if we can use the property in the meantime, if we have any rights on getting information on utilities. They apparently also got the homeowners insurance to give them a settlement for some property damage. They initially needed our signatures to proceed with that but we refused and they still managed to get it somehow.

Please Reddit. How do I get out of this. We don’t have a lot of money either just a small amount of savings. We can get a mortgage though and buy them out maybe?
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer: You need to hire a new lawyer.


Title: Protection order, Cannot go back to apartment and i’m on the lease[vero beach, Florida]

Question:
Gf of 7 years and I get into argument/fight, she gets a protection order on me, it’s granted for one year as of this morning.
Judge gives me a one time only to get my things from the apartment and leave.
Im the guardian of my 14 year old sister who lives there with me after my mom passed and this puts us on the street.

I cannot contact ex gf at all, she wasn’t even living in the apartment anymore and there are bills coming out in my name and rent which is in both of our names..
The fee to break the lease we renewed two weeks ago is a little over 2,000 dollars.
I also have some important items of hers in my storage unit (grandfathers ashes etc) I can’t talk to her at all to say hey take these

any steps I need to be taking right now to get this mess untangled? Or atleast in a manageable direction

Little sister is at a friends house until I can figure out how to get a place for us to live.

Answer: Current GF may be in a DV shelter and in that case it’s possible the current residence can not be disclosed. Answer #2: Does the protection order state you can't go within xxxx feet of your ex, your ex's listed residence, or both?


Title: Upstairs neighbor's dog left alone at night. Barks/digs constantly. Any recourse?

Question: I live in northern California. Property mngmt allowed large husky mix to move into upstairs apt. He is often left alone at night, I think in a kennel because he is constantly digging and barking.I work days, as does the prop. mngmt company. There is a resident manager on paper only. I have no number to call to complain when I am home other than cops and since no one is home don't know what they'd do about it anyway. Complaints to prop mngmnt when I pay my rent gets me a shrug of the shoulders. No dogs were allowed when I moved in. Wouldn't be so irritating if they weren't right over my bedroom. I've been here almost 4 yrs and I can't afford to move. Do I have any recourse re: the quiet enjoyment of my tenancy?

Answer:
 >no dogs are allowed

IANAL but I am a landlord. It may be a service/therapy animal.

Nevertheless, if the dog is creating a nuisance put your concerns in writing to the property management company. Be as detailed as you can, and don’t be accusatory.

“On this date, from this time to this time, the dog [insert behavior here]. (Repeat as needed.) This is quite audible in my unit; and causing me to lose the peaceable enjoyment of my home.”

Don’t say things like, “it barks all the time and the neighbor upstairs is doing nothing about it.”

Close with, “I look forward to your response. Thank you, [name in unit number]”

Answer #2: IANAL but I'm an ACO in California. Contact your animal control department or non emergency police department and see what the barking laws are and their procedures. At my agency we handle barking complaints for our city as well as all our contract cities except for one. We require a step process for the barking complaints we handle. Which typically is a letter and a warning for first reports, and a time period for corrections to be made(typically 30 days). Then we require a petition process. Either 3 people living in 3 different households or one person who can provide evidence of the noise violations, which is typically sounds or video with sound recording along with signed affidavits. For the city we don't handle barking at, the sheriff department handles it and they send an officer out to the area to sit and listen for the noise violation. If they determine the noise originate has been broken they will issue citations.


Title: Legal advice or help please!?!? - Sex offender

Question:
I understand the blowback that might occur and emotions people get when they see the words sex offender. Long story as short as I can make it:
Myself and my victim (who is now vouching for me) were 12 years old, no force etc, kids being kids is the best I can describe it. We are now 33. This happened in Iowa, this may identify me to some of you. Convicted (plea bargain because I was scared of a jury trial, I went and talked to the cops without a lawyer IFU majorly) in 2006. I sued the state and got a deferred judgement, everything was vacated/set aside and expunged in 2008, I was still required to register for 10 years retro to 2006 ie off in 2016, no felony on my record, I vote and own 2 guns legally. Iowa changed the law in 2010 and now I am on the registry for life. I recently applied for a registry modification with the hope to get removed from the registry. If this doesn't work I don't know what to do. I'm trying to take the next step in my career and I keep getting rejected. I have a few really close friends, a good job, and 2 sons. I don't know how I can tell my sons this when they get old enough (few years away) if I can't rectify this. I can't imagine how it'll impact them and their view of me. I grew up without a father and being one to my sons is the best thing life has given me. I also don't want to live in a world if I'm just going to be viewed as a monster. If anyone could give me or point me to some help I'd be grateful. I can verify all of this for mods if needed.

Answer: Do you have an attorney?  If not, you need to get an attorney with experience in sex offender defense and expungements.