Title: Season tickets taken away?

Question: I (used to) own season tickets to a major sports team in the US. I bought season tickets for the past 2 years, last year they automatically charged me for this year. I got the same email saying we are going to charge you, but on the stated date I was not. I called a few days later thinking it might just post later, but it was then that they told me I lost my season ticket privileges because I sell my tickets more than showing up. I was given access to the tickets I paid for up front so I didn't lose anything, but they took my tickets away. Is this legal for them to do and where can I fully check if this okay? I don't think a lawyer is necessary?

Answer: Yes, they can absolutely pull the privilege if you're selling them.


Title: My soon to be Ex Wife has put 31000 in tollways under my name. What can I do about it?

Question: Iv been separated for 3 years trying to not be divorce but I gave up when the man she left me for got her pregnant. Durring those 3 years I gave her my car because she has my son and a child from a previous relationship. I assume wrong she would change the title. When the  collectors found me eventually it 10000 at first. When I confronted her with this she pretended she has no idea what im talking about. I went to the police and told me because she is my wife so I cant file it stolen. DMV told me I have to get a divorce to get out of this problem. They let me cancel my plates but not my title.  I was stuck in a loop hole of tollway debt. It was not untill last feb that I was able to file for divorce and get her served. I was at first trying to get my name clear of the tollways but she kept using my son as the reason not to keep pushing for this. She would not show up at court, ended up going through two lawyers, each time it bought her a few months. Both reasons were not being able to pay them. Now in the present I have not seen my son in a good year and a half and it kills me inside that another man that helped ruin my marriage is rasing my son and I look like the evil man that is trying to get "revenge" as my still married wife likes so say. So i gave up because I felt like this was never going to end so i just settle for a divorce no longer trying to get  tollways off me. And like magic we both showed up to my lawyers office and came to an agreement. Im now just waiting for my mail to come in to sign my agreement and just me and lawyer are showing up just to close this. A very bitter defeat but iv been away from my son long enough and im also finishing my trade school in becoming an electrian and I wont be able to get a job becasue I need a drivers licence in good standing. I do not know who will hire me when I will be required to drive for them.  I really dont want to file a chapter 13 bankruptcy for something I did not do. The places I went to get help all said I  have to settle this in divorce court. What are my options? How can I fight this?

Answer:
 To be clear, your wife racked up $31,000 in toll road fines?

Was her name on the title? That should have been resolved during the separation.


Title: Dad got into debt and fled the country giving a family friend as his forwarding address and now debt collectors are sending threatening letters.

Question:
I’m in England

So my dad got into a load of credit card debt and fled the country last year thinking he had outsmarted “the man”. He gave a family friends address as his forwarding address (without permission) to his bank and at-the-time current utilities and now his credit card debt collectors have gotten hold of this address and have started sending threatening letters.

My advice to the family friend was to just send all of the letters back as “return to sender, not known at this address” but they and I are having massive anxiety about bailiffs turning up and we don’t have his new address to give them or really any proof he’s no longer in the country.

A utilities company, who I had to get in touch with to clean up some other messes he left, mentioned they had an address for him on file in the country he now lives in, but for data protection purposes couldn’t give me the full address. I don’t even know if this is the right address but I was wondering if I got in contact with the debt collectors and told them about this, could they then contact this utilities company for the international address to pursue him and leave the family friend alone?
He also gave my mobile number out to some of these companies (with permission, I wrongly assumed it was just in case of emergencies and not because he’s a selfish ****) so I’m worried they’re going to start calling me and I have bigger fish to fry.

I’m also fairly confident he hasn’t told the government he’s left and is still claiming benefits here, but I’m sure that will stop when they get the return to sender notices.

What can really be done in this situation because I’ve never had to deal with something like this and just know horror stories my dad used to tell me as he’s dealt with a fair share of bailiffs/debt in his time.

Answer: The friend should simply mark the mail as return to sender. If bailiffs show up he should tell them he is not living there. You might consider changing your telephone number. With bluetooth and SMS it is easy to inform everyone in your electronic phone book of a new phone number, except your dad and bill collectors. Answer #2: You could also try r/legaladviceUK.Answer #3: You and your family friend will not get into trouble regardless. Tell your friend to return everything to sender and anytime someone calls, say you have no contact with your father and ask them to not call you again. You and your friend have nothing to worry about, legally speaking. The biggest problem is the annoyance


Title: Movie "Overboard" starring Goldie Hawn

Question:
I just watched the classic movie Overboard.  The premise of the movie is that Goldie Hawn gets amnesia, and Kurt Russel tricks her into thinking they're married to get her to cook, clean, and babysit for free.  After a rocky start, they start liking each other and coitus ensues.   Eventually she regains her memory, and (spoiler alert) decides she loves Kurt Russel anyway.

My question: is anything Kurt Russel did illegal?  If she didn't fall in love with Kurt Russel, are there any criminal charges she could have tried to get a DA to pursue?

Answer: No idea of the legality but man I loved that movie growing up. I'm interested to hear answers for this.


Title: Paying for a lawyer.

Question:
So, I've never used any sort of legal assistance in my life. However, I have an upcoming custody battle and have sought out an attorney to assist me. Via email, I asked about what sort of compensation she'll be expecting and she responded saying they take a retainer of $2,000.

I have some money saved up and $2k is something I can handle, however I need to know what sort of cost I can expect for the total product.

The question is, do lawyers often request a retainer of more than they expect the service total out to and provide a refund after? Do they usually request a retainer of less than what the average total cost is and expect to tack on fees at a later date? I don't know how any of this works. And I need to know if I'm going to be able to afford to do this, or if I should study up and try to represent myself.

This will take place in Missouri, if that matters.

Answer: The only person who can answer all of that will be the attorney. I tend to aim for a retainer of about 75% of what I expect it to be, I know others who go 100% and some who go 10%. In custody you should never represent yourself, ask and find out all these answers and if you don't like them go elsewhere.


Title: Bought a car with a rolled back odometer. What now?

Question:
I bought a car off of Craigslist (Oregon), but only realized afterwards that the title was fishy. Upon closer inspection the printed odometer reading had been altered, and the seller's name had already been filled in when he gave it to me. I made these issues known to the DMV worker who helped me register my car, they seemed to think nothing of it. I thought maybe the title had just been damaged, but while cleaning the car I found an oil change sticker that gave further evidence to my suspicions. The odometer has likely been rolled back around 100k miles.

Do I have any legal recourse? I believe the person who sold me the car is not whose name was on the title. However, I do have their name on receipts they gave me for work done to the car. I also have a witness to the sale. I don't want to be stuck with this vehicle, but I also don't want to pass it on to the next unassuming person down the line. I should also mention I have not yet received the new title from the DMV, and the vehicle is over 10 years old. Any insight at all would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: Sadly this just happened to me a few months ago, and in short, no-one really cared. I found out after running a car fax report that my 110,000 mile 2006 Colorado had closer to 225,000 miles. Mechanics could only guess at the mileage, and it looks really clean so it definitely wasn't obvious. The local police wouldn't even investigate. The Illinois Secretary of State police who are supposed to handle this in my state wouldn't even return my call. If you find out something let me know!


Title: [FL] Attorney Ditched Me and now owe the court $20,000

Question:
Hello everyone,
Currently I am in a terrible situation. The court has imposed $40,000 in sanctions on me and my attorney. The reason for this is the following:

In January 2014, my attorney received discovery requests from the plaintiffs and failed to inform me. It was only a couple of days ago that someone from the court knocked on my door and gave me the documents. The documents stated that I owed $40,000 for failing to respond (each day was $400 and 100 days had passed). I did not even know that my attorney had received discovery requests. I have proof of me emailing him a couple of times each month asking if any new case information had come. There was always no response.

Once I found out I owed $40,000, I immediately called his office and told his secretary I was going to complain to the Florida Bar. Within an hr, my attorney emailed me stating he was completely to blame and will tell the court that. In addition, he stated he will not be practicing law soon and is leaving the business.

After research, I found out that he has found a position in a law school and is simply dumping his clients and cases without any concern.

The court has currently stated that I owe $20,000 and he owes $20,000 to the plaintiffs.

Is there anything I can do to tell the judge that will help my situation??
In addition, I have a hearing regarding the case itself in July , and am currently preparing the responses myself.

What is some advice?? ( I am currently looking for consultation from attorneys and cannot afford a full attorney for this case)

Answer:
 If the court doesn't change its mind, your recourse is to start paying and sue the lawyer for the amount you paid and still owe.Answer #2: First question: Does he have malpractice insurance? I don't know if the Florida Bar requires it, but many states do.

Second: The entity (the LLC) is irrelevant. That might matter if he sold used cars, but he's a lawyer and always personally responsible for professional misconduct. The only reason attorneys (and doctors, engineers, and the like) form entities is for personal liability protection from things like disputes of the leasing of office space, or if someone slipped in the office and was injured. The kind of thing that has nothing at all to do with the practice of their licensed profession.

Third: Call the Florida bar or look at the website for grievance reporting, and find an attorney who specializes in malpractice suits. Maybe you'll be able to find one who does more than only malpractice and save a bit of money if he can also cover the original suit.

Fourth: Print everything you have showing that you did actually ask your old attorney about your case. Bring redacted copies and u redacted to court, because if the plaintiff objects to your assertion of privilege you'll need clean copies to show the judge since he is the one making the calls.

Finally: Don't do anything stupid. Don't overreact. $40,000 in sanctions seems crazy extreme. Unless you have enough spare change to pay that easily I can't imagine that holding up on an appeal, especially for late discovery.


Title: Brother arrested for theft after not returning something given to him

Question:
My brother was picked up yesterday for motor vehicle theft. Two to three years ago he was hanging out with a co-worker who had a broken down atv in his yard. He gave it to my brother because it was in parts and he said he couldn't get it running. My brother brought it home, put in some money into it, and got it working. Upon hearing it was working his co-worker wanted it returned to him. My brother refused, they had a falling out and quit talking to each other.  Eventually the ATV changed hands again and we have no clue who has it now. No paperwork or money changed hands as far as I know either time.

Can he legally be charged with this?

Update: He's apparently not seeing the judge today, and may not tomorrow either because he's campaigning. They said he has 72 hours to see him and set bond starting from when he was transferred today. Love our justice system. Thanks for all the great advice guys. I'll update when we find something out.

Update 2: He's out and guy agreed to drop charges for small amount he valued the 4 wheeler at. Just glad he's going to be able to put this behind him, and hopefully he'll learn from it.

Answer: Not a lawyer, but does your brother have receipts from all the parts he presumably bought to get the ATV in working shape? A lot of receipts showing that he had ownership of the ATV for a while would do wonders to help him against any accusations.


Title: (OH) Looking for guidance on helping a county jail inmate being held without bond or any court dates scheduled.

Question: I was unlucky enough to spend my New Year's weekend in the county jail for a misdemeanor charge. I was sharing a cell with an individual that claimed to have been picked up on a FTA bench warrant. This county (Montgomery) automatically generates a bond amount and schedules an arraignment based on the courts schedule. His original charges were an F5 and M2. When he was picked up on the bench warrant a court date was scheduled for January 2nd 8:30am. That time came around and the CO stated that he didn't have him on a list of people to go down to court. Where it gets a little weird is that once i got out and started doing some research, the County Clerks Office has him listed as "At Large" with the case being "Closed". I am afraid there has been some kind of clerical error that is allowing him to slip through the cracks. I contacted the Public Defenders Office and was told he wasn't in their system. What can be done to ensure he is given the chance to appear in court?

Answer: People you meet in jail aren’t necessarily the most believable lot. There’s really nothing you can do to help him. If he gave you a song and dance story, all the more reason for you not to be involved here. Move on with your life.


Title: Just moved into a house (TX) and found out it has problems the seller explicitly said it didn’t

Question:
My husband and I moved into a house near Houston about a month ago, while house shopping we were wary of houses that had been flooded due to Hurricane Harvey. One that we LOVED did get flooded during the hurricane, but the seller said that this was the only time it had ever been flooded, and even wrote that on the seller’s disclosure. So we bought the house.

After speaking with our neighbors, it turns out the house has been flooded about 4 times. This didn’t/wouldn’t show up when we purchased insurance because the seller never filed a claim - he operated it as one of many rental properties (ever since it was built, supposedly) and therefore had the means to fix it through his company (we knew he did that with this flood as he explained that to us). We also found out via the neighbors that tenants never stayed long due to ongoing plumbing problems that would back up sewage into the house that the seller refused to fix.

So my question is, according to the sellers disclosure he said there was only 1 instance of flooding and no plumbing issues. However according to the neighbors it has flooded multiple times and has major plumbing problems that he was aware of. Is there anything we can do about this? I feel as though this could be fraud, although I’m not sure how we would prove anything.

Answer:
 What the neighbor says is not proof of anything. And you don't have a flooding problem right now so you have no damages.

Get a plumber out to fix any issues that might cause another potential flood, and thank the neighbor for giving you a heads up. But you realistically have no legal case against the seller.


Title: Concerning entry tickets. What to do if you've sold too many tickets

Question:
[CANADA]

My question is, if you were to sell a concert ticket to someone, but later you found out you sold too many tickets and can't let anyone else into the concert, are you legally required to let them in anyway, or can you kick them back out with the promise of a refund?

Answer: If in the US, maximum occupancy is typically set due to fire codes. They're not required to break the law to let you in even if you have a ticket. Whether you're due a refund is a separate issue.


Title: My ex girlfriend f(18) threatened to sue me today... m(19)

Question:
I hope this is the right sub go post to (first time posting). So this is a really odd situation and you all could think I’m horrible for doing what I did, but I was concussed and blackout drunk.

Anyways, I play football for a college team, and we had just lost our playoff qualifying game. There was a big party that one of the seniors was throwing for whoever to come to. I at the time had a girlfriend that I knew for about 2 months, and had rushed into the relationship just after a month of knowing her. I invited her and all of her friends to come. When we got there, I had pregamed quite a bit (and was slightly concussed at the time) so I was blacked out. I remember that my girlfriend was acting very differently around her friends and that made me really angry. I was in a bad mood because 1. I was sad we just lost 2. I was concussed, and 3. I was mad at her for acting differently. This is what I heard happened. One of my girlfriends friends saw I was in bad spirits and came up to me, grabbed my face, and said “Turn that frown, upside down!!!” While shaking my cheeks. I first of all, don’t like to get touched by people I just met, and second of all was already in a horrible mood. So, I slapped her hands off of my face (my friends said I looked surprised and pissed off) and that girls hands hit my girlfriend, and she fell over. I then drunkenly tried to leave the party without saying sorry, but my girlfriend canceled my Uber and made me stay.
Today, after a month of her and I being broken up, she threatened me saying that she heard I was “talking shit” and with her saying she was going to the police because she was apparently diagnosed with a concussion at the hospital the next day (which she never told me about while we were dating). When I actually found out what I did when I was blacked out, I couldn’t stop saying sorry. I felt horrible. She didn’t even tell me until a week later. But now that she’s threatening me with this, does she have any legal grounds to do so?

P.S. this relationship ended with her cheating on me.

T.L.D.R: I accidentally knocked my ex girlfriend over at a party when I got mad at her friend I didn’t know for grabbing me, and she claims she could go to the police because she got a concussion.

Answer:
 No one can say how this would play out in court, civil or criminal. It's likely there will be several different accounts of what happened. A judge would listen to all the testimony and make a decision.

I don't know why she is threatening to report after the fact. If she is trying to leverage reporting against you for some type of gain that is criminal blackmail.

Stop talking to her and if the police come asking questions decline to talk to them and get a lawyer.


Title: [California] Friends employer won’t schedule her after suspending her for 2 weeks but they won’t fire her either

Question:
My friend “Jane” was given a 2 week suspension from her job after a manager had gotten upset over personal things outside of work with them. The manager contacted Jane’s sister who used to work at the same place and told her that Jane was pregnant, using drugs and had missed a shit ton of work, all of which is not true. This manager got upset after offering to rent out her studio to Jane and Jane ended up not taking her up on the offer. After that she was hostile towards her.

So Jane was suspended for 2 weeks by this manager for missing work one day (her child was sick and her daycare won’t take sick kids). After the two weeks were up, Jane hasn’t been scheduled and has attempted to find out her status as an employee now only to be me with hostility from the manager who is only telling her to “send a letter of resignation” as the only option.

She obviously doesn’t want to do this because she doesn’t want to quit, they just have not scheduled her and won’t fire her. From what she tells me, this has prevented her from being able to even receive any cash aid now because she would have to file for unemployment which she can’t because of her employer.  If she quits, she was told that she wouldn’t be able to receive aid either since they need “verification” that she no longer is working which she hasn’t been able to get since the manager won’t budge.

I’m trying to help her since she’s really in a bind with all of this and it sucks because she’s been employed there for over 3 years and it’s just this one manager who has a personal problem with her that’s making things difficult.
She’s only applying for aid because she has a child that she needs to take care of and she’s been trying to find work but until then there is still bills and they need food etc. The topper to all of this is that she was also in a car accident that ended up totaling her car. She wasn’t at fault but she didn’t have rental coverage so she’s without a vehicle too.

What should she do from here with the employer situation? Any other advice that could help her situation?

Answer: She's been fired. She's been constructively dismissed and she should have already filed for unemployment. She CAN file for unemployment. If they initially deny it, appeal. She should NOT send a letter of resignation. She should NOT quit. She doesn't need verification either. Whatever that is.


Title: [Tennessee] I bought a set of kitchen appliances from HHGregg before they went bankrupt and can't get the them delivered or a refund.

Question: I bought a fridge, oven, and dishwasher totaling $2200. I didn't have them delivered right away because I was in the process of buying and moving into a new place. By the time I was ready to have them delivered, they claimed to have refunded my money but have not. Calling corporate isn't helping and I don't know what to do. Is there anything I can do or am I screwed?

Answer: You probably need to contact the [lawyers](https://www.donlinrecano.com/Clients/hhg/Static/ContactInformation).  Maybe they can help you.


Title: California, USA: Im being falsely accused of sexual assault and I'm worried

Question: Throwaway account .I'm 17 and live California. A little backstory, the girl that is accusing me is the girlfriend of a friend of mine. Before they got together me and her used to have a "friends with benefits" type situation but that all stopped when she started dating the friend of mine. A few months me and her started flirting by text on Instagram and of course this is cheating. Around August me and her met up to hang out and when we were chilling in my place I started to initiate sex,slowly touching and being flirty. Me and her have always been the type to start randomly so I just started out of nowhere. She closed her eyes and moaned as I kiss her neck and all these other actions but after few minutes she started saying "stop,stop" and I of course stopped. She had a guilty look on her face and said she needed to go. I started feeling guilty and I offered to walk her home which was a silent and awkward walk. Later that same day her boyfriend came up and started questioning me cause she accused me of sexual assualt and I'm ashamed to say this but I liked and said we just hung out only and he believed me. Months pass and I haven't talked to her. Today she randomly appeared and knocked on my door and started texting me saying she wanted to talk to me and she sorry but I ignored all of this. Honestly I feel huge guilt for trying cheat with her and I'm anxious out of my mind that she gonna report me to the cops sooner or later. It's wrong that I cheated and I feel guilty but her accusing me of sexual assualt is false. I never went further than kissing her neck and slightly touching her body and I stopped when she said" no" I don't want my life ruined from this. Am I screwed? What should I do any advice? The best thing I believe to do is just to ignore her and don't talk about this and hope she doesn't make a report and just let this die. Sorry if this post doesn't fit on this subreddit and my bad grammar.

Answer:
 When someone accuses you of sexual assault, you cease all contact with them. ALL CONTACT. As in none. No texting, no emails, no calls, no IRL conversations. Nothing.

If the police come to question you, refuse to answer questions until your parents have retained an attorney for you.


Title: Can a retail employee agree for me before I sign for payment!?

Question:
Pretty much I was buying technology accessories at a large tech retailer and the employee incorrectly rung me up and so the employee rushed me through the ' I accept' options by tapping them for me without me getting a chance to read and then asking for me to sign to authorize payment and I wouldn't sign. So I see a notification for the payment on my bank app and when asking they said I was never even charged it shouldn't be there and rung me up again trying to pull the same rush. So I put my hands over the screen so I could do it myself and paid with a separate card. My receipt does not reflect the first card and only shows info for the second card. The employee and manager said I should be fine and I called the bank who was incredibly helpful but would need proof of receipt from the company I bought from to refund me the money showing the cancel or decline payment. The company I bought from said there's no receipt to call and keep trying with my bank.

Is what they did illegal and I'm now out the $$? What should I do?

Answer: Of course you're not out the money. If the transaction was just voided, give it some time to go through to your bank. If it's there on Monday, go see a manager.


Title: Question about news article regarding law

Question:
So apparently Phoenix AZ passed some ordinance/law? that requires pet stores to source dogs from shelters. The idea being to put "puppy mills" out of business.

My first thought was, can such a law survive a challenge? Does U.S. law allow a government entity to dictate where you source your goods for sale?

Answer:
 > Does U.S. law allow a government entity to dictate where you source your goods for sale?

Sure.  There are literally thousands of regulations that dictate the safety of goods, production of goods, sourcing of goods, et cetera.

This law, depending on how it was written, may not survive a challenge.  That's dependent on a lot of factors.  But in general, managing supply chains is one of the functions of the government.


Title: Parents opened my mail, refusing to hand over contents

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 https://about.usps.com/publications/pub166/pub166_tech_012.htm

If you believe you are the victim of mail theft you can report it to the USPS

>I’m 18 but I still live at home

Not for long if you report your parents for mail theft.

Your best bet is to (try to) have an adult conversation with your parents about your drug use.


Title: (Georgia) My neighbor is a correctional officer. After the news of all the correctional officers getting arrested for drug trafficking, is there anything I need to do?

Question: [This](http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/11/politics/fbi-georgia-correctional-drug-trafficking/) happened today. My neighbor is a correctional officer. She has been home all day except for one time when she went out for a jog. As of yet the police have not come and arrested her. Is there anything I need to do here? Can I call the police to tell them where she is? I'm really worried and I'm just not sure what happens next or if I need to do anything.

Answer:
 Uh - why would you need to do anything? Have you never heard of minding your own business?

Answer #2: Do you have any reason to think that she is trafficking drugs? Just to let you know, most of Georgia's correctional officers were NOT arrested for drug trafficking.Answer #3: If they're looking for her, I bet her house is one of the first places they'll look. It's in the top ten for sure. Just settle down and sit on your hands for a few days and you'll be fine.Answer #4: As a corrections officer in georgia this post is hilarious. Answer #5: Why would you expect violence today when she has been living next to you for a long time without any problem?

Also, why would you need to tell anyone where she is?  Don't they already know where she lives?


Title: [GA] Rental house robbed after rental company put pictures of our house with our belongs online without our consent.

Question:
My fiance and I are students who have been renting this duplex for 2 years. Last year around August, the rental company we were renting from sold the house to a new rental company who kept our contract in tact through the time we signed for it. After they bought the house, the new rental company came in to the house, with a day's notice, to do an inspection and took pictures. When I saw him taking pictures I asked what they were for and if he could take them another time after we cleaned and put our stuff away because we were not told there would be pictures being taken. The man taking the pictures assured me that they were simply going to the new owner who lived out of state and wanted to see his new house. He didn't leave it open for conversation so I went on about my business.

A month later I decided to check out our new rental company's website and all of the pictures were online with the unit listed as available. Not only was all of our belongings (we are avid gamers and had a lot of expensive gaming equipment) online for anyone to see WITH our address right above it, our house was a disaster. We were in the middle of finals and when we got the notice that they would be coming, we were both on campus and studying for finals the next day. I called without a response so I followed up with an email stating my concern. They responded with telling me that I could take new pictures exactly like the others but they would need to be with a high quality camera and they were not going to send someone else out to take pictures.

Fast forward to December and we came home from a dinner outing to our door being kicked in (broken and on the ground) and our house robbed. We did not have renters insurance due to not knowing about it and we never heard from the rental company about it despite multiple calls trying to get them to come fix our door because we felt unsafe. They did send an outside repairman to fix the door but we never heard from the company about the break-in robbery.

Is there anything legally I can do about this? I really feel like the reason our house was chosen out of the 50 in the neighborhood was due to those pictures. The police never found our belongings or the person/s who robbed us.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 OP- The liability/responsibility for your loss is with the person that robbed your rental unit. The property manager/owner is allowed to take pictures, and use those pictures to market your unit.

Renter's insurance (which you acknowledge you didn't have) is exactly the solution for this situtation.


Title: [New York] Unique situation: Received two death benefit checks for the policy amount, what to do.

Question:
I posted this in another thread, but wanted to get some feedback from this sub.

Location, New York.

So I have a unique situation that has occurred. My daughter passed away last fall, and it took until mid-December for me to get the death certificate. When I received the death certificate, I completed the claim form that the benefits center provided and submitted the claim. I also sent a digital copy of the death certificate to the benefits coordinator at my place of employment (global corporation).

The benefits coordinator at my place of employment submitted a claim on my behalf, and within 2 weeks I received a check from the life insurance company for the full policy amount. However, it appears that the claim that I submitted myself finally got processed (I just assumed that they had closed my claim), and I received another check yesterday for the entire policy amount. It appears that two separate claims were set up (different claim numbers), and both claims got paid. In looking closer, the first claim was handled by Unum, and the check I received yesterday was from Prudential.

Questions:

-  How can two claims be set up on the same policy?

-  How could this mistake have happened as I am not familiar with death benefits. Shouldn't two claims for 1 social security number (my daughters) flag in their system, or how does it work?

-  What would happen if I kept the money (just asking honestly, even though this isn't my plan).

Love to hear some thoughts. Thanks!

Answer: Cash one, stick one in a higher yield savings account until the money is requested back.Answer #2: Unum and Prudential are two different companies. Did you maybe have two policies?


Title: I hit a guy with my bike and he wants $300.

Question:
I pulled out and accidentally hit a guy on my bike. He didn't seek any medical attention and did not file a police report (that I am aware of). EMS and police were both on the scene though. He told everyone that he was fine and just had a minor elbow scrape.

Today he texted me and said that he is doing well, but wants $300 to avoid any insurance claims or suing me. Can I have him sign an agreement that he will not sue me or my insurance?

Answer:
 Yes, what you want is a "release of liability."

A quick internet search will provide lots of templates.


Title: Nosey neighbors, can we do anything about this?

Question:
So this isn't about me, but my father and his girlfriend. He lives in Indiana.

So they've been having problems with this older woman who keeps harassing them. In the past 8 years she's called the city on them constantly for things like having a small boat in their fenced yard and having to have their garage taken down for it being too close to property lines. (In my father's defence it was already built before they moved in but now he has nowhere to store his fishing boat and the neighbor calls it unsightly.) We also suspect she's the one who killed their dog because she was constantly trying to have the dog put down for barking at her own dog when they were both outside. She even went around the neighborhood trying to get people to sign her petition. Obviously noone did because my dad's dog barely barked and they would bring her inside immediately when she did. The neighbor claimed her dog had "PTSD" from the minute or two of barking.

Now they're having to deal with the neighbor putting up cameras on their own house but pointing every camera in the direction of my father's home. Not even like its angled to see both their own yard and my father's. Just directly AT my father's.

My dad isn't doing anything wrong or illegal, so it's not like he's worried about any legal repercussions on his side.

They're probably going to have to live with the curtains constantly closed and such which is inconvenient because my dad's girlfriend really enjoys natural lighting. Also avoiding their own backyard isnt appealing because they both enjoy gardening and have a wonderful garden to show for it.

All this seems so minor but I feel like this is definitely an invasion of their privacy. They are uncomfortable about it and don't know what to do.

Is this legal?

Answer: These cameras are legal. I would also recommend your father getting security cameras. Dont point them at her house, as this is petty and a waste of money. Instead, watch the property (like they're intended). She may decide to do something radical about the boat or something else, and you'll need that on camera.


Title: [TX] Personal info leaked by employer. Need a solution.

Question:
I'm a contracted union electrician. The contractor I currently work for was recently looking for employees who had OSHA10/30 certifications. Once the information had been gathered, our safety director sent out a list of everyone who had their certifications, and which one they had, in an excel spreadsheet. What he didn't realize, was that there were other tabs open.

These other two tabs contained the social security numbers, dates of birth, driver's license, and phone numbers for every employee under this contractor. In response, the safety director hit "Reply All" and told everyone to delete the e-mail... with the original e-mail/document attached. This list was sent to several people in the company, some who've been recently fired and are no longer with the company, and it was not sent to others who were actually on the list.

I then found out that a second list was sent out to our service truck drivers. This list contains the same information, but for a far larger list of people, including people who haven't worked for this contractor in YEARS. This list also tracks marital status, race, gender, license type and classifications within the union.

I've contacted our union, and they're currently getting their lawyers to look into the case for us, even considering taking it up as a civil case, if there's no breach of contract.

I've also contacted the president of the contractor. They sent everyone a year's subscription to Lifelock. I told him that I appreciate their offer, but reiterated that people who've been fired (and have reason to be disgruntled) have the Social of their former boss... and now they know exactly long he'll be protected.

Is there anything else I can do here? Seemingly, the only reasonable, though not realistic, approach, is to give us all a lifetime membership to Lifelock. And that isn't going to happen. Is there another approach I might be missing?

Answer: Not much else you can do. I’m the victim of the infamous Office of Personnel Management hacking scandal and they offered us all free credit monitoring. You don’t have a case to sue your employer yet. Let your union attorneys look at this, but my sense is there is no case unless you’ve actually been damaged.


Title: I am in dysfunctional marriage and want out. However, our 1 year old son and I are financially dependent on my husband.

Question: My husband and I agreed that I would stay home with our son because childcare is expensive and my husband makes more money than I do. Since the birth of our son my husband has been extremely verbally abusive and I can not take it any longer because he is also saying things to our 1 year old like "i wish we would have aborted you", "you are stupid", "idiot"... Etc. My husband says similar things to me. We have been together for 5 years and married for two. In the state of NC you have to live separately from your spouse for at least a year before you can get divorced. We are currently financially dependent on my husband but both cars are in my name. We share a bank account, my son and I had a savings account but my husband withdrew the funds because he knows the password to my bank information. I don't think I am financially stable enough to separate but I want to work towards that. What can I do to ensure full custody when the time comes? What advice can you give from previous cases of divorce? I am not close to my family and have no where to go but I want to leave.

Answer:
 Schedule consultations with several family law attorneys in your area. Because you are the dependent spouse your husband may be required to pay your attorneys fees ultimately.  If you look around enough you hopefully can find a lawyer who will take your car and can wait a bit for payment or at least payment in full.  Even though you cannot get divorced (due to the one year rule) you can file for post separation support.

There is nothing you can do that will guarantee custody.  The court will determine what’s is best for the child.  You should keep evidence of your husband treating the child poorly in you can.Answer #2: Was he on your account that he withdrew funds from?  In addition to that looking really bad during a divorce, he also committed a serious crime.

You should report it to the police and the bank, then use the police report to get the bank to get up your money back.

Also open a new account that he won't know about and make sure you have a secure password.Answer #3: Definitely go talk to a couple family law attorneys in the area. They'll have dealt with this type of situation many times over. They'll be able to tell you what sort of evidence to gather, what sort of support you can expect after you separate, etc. My impression is that in most states, alimony/support is largely determined by fixed equations. You might not be able to get full custody, but you've got to at least keep the kid from growing up full time in a household ruled by abuse.


Title: Shopping cart dented and scuffed car badly, target says go to cops, cops say that they don't take police reports for this thing

Question:
So basically we came out of target and found a target shopping cart against our car, and a huge dent and scuff in the drivers door panel. Target says they can't do anything as they aren't liable, and that we need to call the cops and file a police report, while the police's non-emergency operator says they don't take police reports for this kind of accident. What should I do/ where do I go from here?

EDIT: north Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Answer: Call your insurance company.


Title: Pleading the Fifth over concealed sharps during a pat down -- bad idea? [USA, Constitutional law]

Question:
This came up in a minor debate amongst a couple of my friends and I, and, as none of us had significant non-Internet-based legal education, I thought that getting the views of folks who have had formal training/schooling in this field would have better insight. Here's the hypothetical situation:

> Bob is about to get frisked by Officer Jones. Jones says, "Do you have any weapons or sharp objects on you I should know about?" In fact, Bob has a large knife and a few needles on his person, all of which are illegal for him under his current circumstances to have in his State/Jurisdiction. Both the needles and the knife aren't properly contained and can injure Jones if mishandled. How should Bob respond? Would the answer change if the knife/needles were properly contained and had little to no chance of harming Jones?

Most of us, including me, said that Bob coming clean about them would be the best option, as the situation -- and the charges Bob may receive -- would become orders of magnitude worse should Jones accidentally cut or jab himself while frisking Bob. This assumes that Jones will eventually find them anyways, regardless of which path he takes.

A few of us claimed that Bob should plead the Fifth and decline to answer. After all, it's an incriminating question, period -- the motive behind it bears no influence here. He has no legal duty to protect others, and any injury Jones suffers is really accidental, if not Jones's fault for lack of care. One person suggested that the act of pleading would in any case signal to the officer to act more carefully regardless.

So folks, in your opinion, which of us is right? Does either group have a legitimate answer and reasoning, or is there a more nuanced solution involved?

Thanks! (Also, apologies for the delayed addition of flair if necessary, currently on mobile).

ETA: So the feedback I'm getting from some is that the Fifth Amendment probably isn't applicable at this stage. That's fair -- I'm not sure any of us even considered that at that point (admittedly, we weren't entirely sober).

I suppose the question then would be, is there still an obligation to answer?
Topic:
Constitution

Answer:
 > I suppose the question then would be, is there still an obligation to answer?

No, there is never an obligation to provide incriminating information to the police.

But, as you suspected, the officer will have discretion in how to handle the situation.  You have no legal obligation to look out for the officer's well being.  The officer. on the other hand, has no obligation to cut you a break.

If I cut myself on a concealed knife or needle while searching someone, and I asked them at the outset if they had anything that could cut me (and they lied or failed to answer) the odds that they are going to jail are overwhelming.


Title: UPDATE: (NE) I've just been sent home from work while they investigate me for credit card fraud.

Question:
I know you guys like updates, although mine's pretty boring. I got a call today that they couldn't prove that I committed credit card fraud, nor could they prove that I *didn't* commit credit card fraud, so would I like to come back to work?

I went back, boss was glad to see me, looks like I got a week off and a free heart attack. Hopefully nothing else will come of it.

Answer: [Original post](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/4ai7c1/ne_ive_just_been_sent_home_from_work_while_they/)


Title: Can a judge legally revoke a bond based on how someone is dressed when they go to court?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 The part of her outfit that was inappropriate was the paint stained t-shirt and knee length cut off shorts that were frayed at the bottom.Answer #2: >She had paint stains on her t-shirt and knee length cut off shorts that were frayed at the bottom.
>
>Nothing about her outfit was offensive or inappropriate.

That *is* "inappropriate" for court.  Any t-shirt and shorts is pretty much the definition of "what not to wear in court."  The fact that they were frayed and stained made it worse.Answer #3: Does she not realize you can bring extra clothes and change after court?   It never ceases to amaze me how people dress for court.  My dad always told me dress for court like you'd dress for church.


Title: My boss gets an extra hour of work from us and he doesn't have to pay for it

Question:
I work for a landscaping company that is an hour away from where we do most of our work. We all meet at the garage in the morning, load up our tools, and go on our way to whatever jobs that we have scheduled for that day. At the end of the day, we clock out, and then we have to drive the hour back to the garage and unload all of the tools and clean the trucks, which takes about a half an hour. However, my boss stops paying us as soon as we leave the last job site. I am not sure if he is allowed to do this because we work for an hour and a half after we clock out.
Any feedback is really appreciated.

Answer:
 If this is in the US, he's required to pay you for that time.

E: over in the PF thread you mention that this is in Massachusetts. In that case [this is the info you need](http://www.mass.gov/ago/doing-business-in-massachusetts/labor-laws-and-public-construction/file-a-wage-complaint.html).


Title: Could someone help me write a decent demand letter? (Pennsylvania)

Question:
A guy hit my car one night while it was parked on the street in front of my house. That was back in December and I still haven’t received any compensation from the guy’s insurance company for the damages done to my vehicle (about $1800) which I have had repaired/repaired myself. I’ve called them multiple times over the past months and their reason for not paying me is because they need to have estimates for all claims before they can do anything. The final claim they’re waiting for is for a utility pole that got slightly bumped in the incident.

I asked the insurance company if they’re doing anything to actually get this last number and I was told by the person handling it that they were doing everything they could, that they contacted the company in charge of the pole, and that this company is definitely going to have a claim. The funny part is that I got a number from them of their contact for the company who owns the pole and when I talked with them, they didn’t have any info about this and was told if the pole looked in good shape (it does) that they probably wouldn’t be doing anything to it.

I called the insurance company again and told the representative this and she was surprised that I talked with someone and said they only got voicemails and that no one ever called them back. Then how did they know there was going to be a claim if they’ve never talked to anyone?!

Obviously, they’re giving me the run around and I don’t think they intend to compensate me for the damages done by their client. I asked a lawyer what I should do and he said I should write a demand letter but I’m pretty terrible at writing in general and I don’t know how to write in legal jargon at all. I tried and I just couldn’t make it sound right.

Would anybody who’s good at this stuff be willing to help me write a good demand letter, or does anyone have a good template that I could work off of?

Answer: Nobody is going to help you draft a document. That is beyond the scope of this sub. There are examples online or you can hire an attorney.


Title: [US, GA] My pregnant girlfriend has been having some problems with her employer.

Question:
My girlfriend has been having multiple problems at her workplace that are making her pregnancy more difficult, and we were wondering if these problems are against any federal/Georgia labor laws.

First, the store's air conditioning has been broken since January, and the store has been sitting between 81-83 degrees, even in January. Second, they have not been allowing her to take her breaks at scheduled times, or not even at all. Third, they haven't allowed her to get water which has resulted in her passing out on the sales floor twice now. Finally, they have cut her hours after having to call out to go to the hospital and be on bed rest for chest pains, and one of her shift leaders commented that, "If you can't, do this job while you're pregnant, you should get a different job."

If any of these are illegal, what sort of action can we take against them?

Answer:
 Denying breaks is a difficult issue to press. You are entitled to them by law, but they can simply fire you for complaining about it (barring an employment contract that stipulates otherwise). Such a firing would entitle you to unemployment benefits provided you meet the eligibility requirements. The heat isn't a legal issue by itself. Not having a potable water source for employees is, however, especially in light of the heat. No water is something you can file a complaint with OSHA for.   Answer #2: is she part of a union? has she formally (in writing) requested accommodations such as being able to get water whenever she wants? look into local legal aid groups that do employment stuff.

she should be looking for a different job, regardless.


Title: Ohio mom wants to move to Washington with 8 month old son, but without son's father. How can I go about this without a big legal issue?

Question:
My boyfriend and I have been together for 2.5 years, and I really don't feel a connection anymore and I realize that it's an unhealthy relationship. He is a nice guy, and he wants the "family" image, because he cares a lot about appearance, but he is mentally and emotionally abusive at times, and I feel like we both know we're just not meant for each other. I would like to remain civil, but I do not want to be in a relationship with him any longer.

My father and brother just moved to Seattle from here in Ohio, and have offered to let me and my son go out there with them, the only condition is that my boyfriend cannot come with us. My father has offered to put me through school to pursue a career that I love, and to be able to provide for my son by myself.

Ideally I would want to take that offer, my only concern is how my son's father will feel being away from his son, and if he would take legal action. His mother has a lot of money and has talked to him about trying to make me stay in Ohio as a single mom, and I don't know what would happen if I move all the way to Washington.

tl;dr: Ohio mom wants to move to Washington without son's father, what is my best course of action? Legally, can I do this?

Answer: The only way to do this now is to get him to agree to it.  Which I very much doubt you'll be able to do.  Until you establish residency in another state, your custody dispute will be heard in your state of residence (Ohio) when he files there.  So you'll wind up with a contempt charge or worse (like losing any custody of your child and a parental kidnapping charge) if you refuse to return the child when that happens.


Title: Small restaurant chain filed Chap 7 bankruptcy, then locked the doors one day and now refuses to pay employees "until all 5 restaurants are liquidated fully" - Washington State

Question:
Hi there, so I'm a line cook for a small restaurant chain. A month or so back the owners filed chapter 7 bankruptcy but continued to operate as normal. They closed a store or two at first "to focus on the ones making money still", but then one day I walked into work and the doors were locked.

Today I received this email from a shareholder. Sensitive info is removed.

"Ok,

I am sorry, but I do not have good news. It seems the trustee who has 100% control of all funds (Restaurant Company) related has decided she will not release payroll until the entire company is liquidated. This means each store sold in its entirety. Realistically, this may take months.

I recommend contacting her regardless. Who knows, maybe even pass her contact info to the same reporters that wanted to see us all paid from (a similar event). Maybe they'll do a follow up story on the person (Bankruptcy trustee) and the fact that she is holding funds that can easily be paid out, ultimately putting many of us in much harder situations than we otherwise would be had she made the decision to pay us.

Understand, this is no longer on (Restaurant Company). Money to cover payroll is in the bank. (Bankruptcy trustee) is the person who is unwilling to pay you. Payroll would have been released had we had it our way in the final days."
There is also contact info for the trustee withholding our funds.

I also received a message from my manager suggesting I file a proof of claim on my back wages. But I am not sure how or where to do this. He said he would get me the case number as soon as he has it himself. They owe me approximately 400$ for a little less than 2 weeks of work.

I'd appreciate any advice you have regarding my situation and how to file a claim or obtain my back pay.

Answer:
 [File a wage claim](http://lni.wa.gov/TradesLicensing/PrevWage/WageRates/WageComplaint/default.asp) as soon as they're late on paying you. That's all you can really do; if the company really is bankrupt and doesn't survive past the end of the bankruptcy, you'll likely see none of that money, but you never know.

In the interim, file for unemployment and look for a new job.


Title: [CA] Do you need your personal car insurance when driving a friends car that already has insurance?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 If their insurance covers third party drivers then you will be covered by that.

If your insurance covers you in third party cars then you will be covered by that.Answer #2: Virtually all insurance policies cover occasional "permissive use" of the vehicle.

The usual exceptions are if the driver is a household member who is not included (or is specifically excluded) on the policy.

If you were pulled over and the officer asked for "license, registration, and proof of insurance", it's the registered owner of the vehicle who must have proof of insurance.


Title: Pharmacy accidentally gave me oxycodone instead of my hydroxyzine...

Question:
I went down to my local pharmacy to pick up my prescription of hydroxyzine. Due to some mistake on their part i ended up with 600 mg of oxycodone instead. Now they're trying to contact me regarding it because they figured out about the mix up. Can they take any legal action against me if I don't return the medication? I'm located in California.
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer:
 YES. RETURN IT.

Edit: Take a picture of your bottle, go to the pharmacy, and return the pills only. Keep the bottle, especially if they labeled it oxycodone. They're going to want the bottle back to CTA against action from the state pharmacy board, but it's also evidence that there was a misfill and not you trying to illegally obtain a Schedule Two substance - keep the bottle in which the oxycondone was dispensed to you. But YES, by all means, return the actual pills, ALL of them, immediately.


Title: [TX] Arrest warrant for Reckless Driving

Question:
Hey Reddit!

Backstory (important)

I got into a wreck on July 15th. I had a newish car. 6 speed with a turbo and being dumb decided to speed around the parking lot. Hit a speed bump then bam smashed into the apartment complex's sign. 7 cops showed and I had a friend (girl) with me. Told the cops I was backing out and decided to show off the crackles the engine makes (doesnt crackle it has a quiet stock exhaust and looks like a mom car) from the turbo so I rev'ed in and let go of the clutch thinking I was in neutral. Wheels spun and too late to stop BAM.

They took down the story and I went home. Got another car and my insurance paid out the complex. Didnt drop me either.

So its [1:23AM]. I received a call [11:30PM] from the local PD. The officer stated his name and asked to meet up with me and ask more questions about that night. He asks for my address. I get sketched because my wallet was stolen 3 weeks ago with my SSN. Tell the cop nice try. Call the PD. They verify its him. I call back apologizing and he just insists to talk it out now. I tell him i've been drinking tonight (22) and that I can't drive.

Get another call from 1of7 cops that night. He informs me of a warrant for reckless driving but since im drunk that if I can come into the PD in the morning and turn myself in that'd be awesome and theyd leave me alone tn. I agree.

What can I do from here? What I did was completely stupid but what can I do now?

ALCOHOL WAS NOT INVOLVED. Cops even said they would not need to test me because they deemed my motor skills okay that night (I can use this in court but reckless driving doesnt care about DUI).

I was told Id go into the court. Give them my stuff (payment card). Get processed for about an hour then can bond out. He told me the bond is 2000 so about 200 dollars (i can do on a credit card). Is it really like this? I gotta miss work!

I just took defensive driving for a rolling stop on right turn on a red light so thats out of the option.

Question is howtf did I not get a ticket and just a straight warrant? Did I have a court appearance? Im so confused. They damn well could have called me before.

My address in July changed because I rent (in college) so I moved.

I can't afford a lawyer but I think my parents will help if it is the best way.. If I could even lessen the charges that'd be wonderful. I pay my bills so the insurance would kill me and I wouldnt be able to afford the new car I have with an accident and charge on record..

I go to jail in about 8 hours. If anyone has any advice lemme know. Thanks guys!

Edit:

I believe they probably have written statements by people that I was doing donuts around the lot (I was drifting more specifically).

Its the only thing I think that could have weight in their side. That and my statement.

If I go (court) and they do the judge or prosecutor will probably try to get me to admit based on statements. I would only claim what Ive mentioned. People could have thought I was cause the tires did screech but its a fiesta and there are no tire marks indicating so.

Answer: There's no need to deliver yourself immediately to jail. Call your parents and go to a criminal defense attorney instead Monday morning.  Do everything he/she says to do.  I doubt it's going to be "an hour and then you bond out" that was a lie (which is legal for them to lie to you).  Court isn't open on Sunday.  Act scarce and buy yourself a little time.


Title: Wife wants to obtain custody of ex step-brother’s three children

Question:
Disclaimer: on mobile!

My wife has an ex step-brother (parents haven’t been married for years, but they stayed close). This ‘brother’ has three children, all boys. Ages are 3, 2 and 1. Note: we haven’t had luck in having children of our own yet, so these boys mean a great deal to her.

These children aren’t taught properly and are forced to watch tv, so they don’t have to be ‘dealt with’ and get locked up with diapers/pull-ups all the time. They are rarely ever changed or bathed. The 3 year can barely speak, all of his words are broken and the 2 year old sounds like he’s just barely learning to talk. The 1 years old is stuck in a jumper/car seat all hours of the day.

A little back story...

My wife and I cared for these boys (live-in care) from last June or July up until late January of this year. Living in Texas at the time. We kept them because the parents were going through a difficult time and were unable to provide. At the time we didn’t think we had any legal standing to keep them. Anyway, during that short time period, the 3 year old had been successfully potty trained and were working on the 2 year old. The 3 year old was also talking better and even learning his alphabet and numbers, including writing.

Then the end January hit and boy my wife took that hard. We didn’t get to see them very often after that, but when we did, they were right back to being dirty all the time.

Fast forward to this last month. We moved to New Mexico because I was offered an opportunity for work that I couldn’t pass up. The ‘brother’ ended up getting sent to federal prison and the mother asked us to care for the two youngest boys. We accepted. We had the boys for roughly two weeks before the Mother decided to take them back again. In that two weeks, we learned that the potty training we had done with the 2 year old had completely been forgotten and his speech had gotten much worse. He doesn’t understand basic instructions anymore, or just simply didn’t listen. We even managed to get the 1 year old to finally start walking. I can only imagine how reversed that is now.

In the past week, my father in law has been sending my wife photos of bruises on the children and informing us that they’ve all been left in dirty diapers/pull-ups for so long that it’s crusted up their backs, even the 3 year old!

Is it possible for us to obtain custody of these children? We want them to be better cared for, even if that means foster care. Obviously we prefer them to be with us, legally. What can we do to make this happen? If it’s possible

Answer: You need a lawyer but if you feel the kids are being neglected you need to call child protective services and report the parentsAnswer #2: Going through CPS and making yourself available as prospective foster parents is likely the only route here.  There are no guarantees, and the fact that you are far from the mother would weigh against you as foster parents.  It would also require local CPS being involved on your end, something that takes extra time and bureaucracy for the Texas agency.Answer #3: If you can get their parents to cooperate then a lawyer might not be necessary


Title: (NY) - Can my boss prevent me from working overtime if there is demand for my services?

Question: Hi all - I work for a large company. My department bills other departments for out services (multimedia). Lots of folks are asking me to do work for their departments, but because of a budget shortfall within my own department, us peons were asked to not work overtime, including working for and billing these other departments. This is all further complicated by the fact that my W2 comes from a third company that is then hired by this large company to provide me. I want to make some extra cash and I am eligible for overtime. Is my boss asking me to not work more than 40hrs/week illegal?

Answer:
 Of course he can prevent you from working overtime. Hell, he could prevent you from working more than 6 hours per week if he wanted to.Answer #2: >Is my boss asking me to not work more than 40hrs/week illegal?

No. Expect to be fired if you disregard your boss and screw up the budget.


Title: [Israel] A private furniture builder sold me a table which I do not like, she refunded me but she won't take it and I have no room in my house to store it in, it has been 3 months, can I legally sell it? She is meant to pick it up from me but she always delays it and recently started to ignore me.

Answer: Send her a certified mail stating she has 30 days to pick it up or it will be considered abandoned and you will sell it.


Title: What to do about a company selling dangerous products across the country? [CO/FL]

Question: Hi guys. I've lurked here many times but never posted. I currently live in Colorado. My beef is with a CBD company, based out of Florida, ships to all 50 states. I know that there are terrible companies evenly distributed across this country, and that it's just "how it is," but is this legal? One of their more popular products has been sent to a third party lab for testing - and it shows they actually use 5F-ADB, as well as CBD in the product. 5F-ADB is a synthetic cannabinoid that has caused least 10 deaths so far and is a schedule 1 controlled substance in the US. I've tried confronting them, I've reported them to the Attorney General office in Florida... I just don't know what to do anymore. I know the topic of CBD can be a bit controversial, but I would like to think we all agree that using synthetic cannabinoids that are known to be dangerous is completely unethical, and hopefully illegal. I can't come up with any concrete plan. It stops me from getting a full night's sleep knowing they are out there, they are POPULAR and they are selling dangerous products. What can I possibly do to protect consumers? Thanks for any information in advance, and my apologies for being out of my element.

Answer: Fuck companies that sell dangerous products.  If you can find a find people who have purchased the product, including people who have been injured (even slightly), a consumer protection attorney can potentially sue them in a consolidated nationwide class action and try to get them to not only pay lots of money but also stop selling the product.  Source: am lawyer with extensive consumer class action experience.


Title: My mom is setting up a trust and the way that she wants to split it up might make things complicated

Question:
My mom is planning on setting up a trust that would be split 40% for me, 40% for my brother, and then the last 20% split between 15 people.

How complicated would this make the trust if the 20% would be split between 15 people? My mom says she wants to do it this way because she doesn’t want to leave anyone out and wants to please everyone.

I’m only a high schooler, but my mom comes to me with financial advice and this came up. I’m just wondering if you guys could let me know if this is normal or not. Thanks in advance.

Edit: In Michigan
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer: It wouldnt necessarily be complicated per se, but unless she's got a pot load of money, having a trust for that many people might be kind of inefficient.  Why doesnt she just give the 15 people some cash outright, then set up the trust just for you and brother?


Title: Friends fiancé died. Her fiancés brother is trying to take all of his possessions. Anything she can do?

Question: My friends fiance was killed in a car crash. She and him lived together and shared everything. After he died, his brother is claiming that he should get everything and that they weren't engaged. Anything she can do?

Answer:
 If the fiancé did not have a legal will, the estate will go to probate court to be settled.

Any chance they could be considered common-law married? Answer #2: No state mentioned and no mention of a Will.

Does the brother have access to to the home she shared with her fiancé? Is it a rented space? Is she on the lease? Unless the brother is the owner or on the lease, she should change the locks (with LL's permission,if applicable). But in any event, she should tell the brother he is not welcome in the home. Tell the brother that she will gladly pack her fiancé's possessions, and let him know when they are ready to be picked up. Don't let him in your house, at all, and call the police if he shows up.

If they were not married, and he had no Will naming her as an heir, she will have to give his things back to the family. She should keep those things that she brought into the relationship, that she purchased using her own money, that he gave her, or they bought together (as in used money earned by both of them--though the family may have an interest in these, as well).


Title: [Maine] I was summoned for jury duty, but I can't do it. What do I do?

Question: I got a letter earlier this year about jury duty in September, and I didn't go. I have a history of severe anxiety, and as soon as I got the letter, it's all I could think about. Eventually I told myself surely there's nothing they can do if I don't show up, they'll just find someone else. I forgot about it. Today I got another letter saying I didn't show up, and that I'll need to be available for it again from January to April 2019. FOUR MONTHS? I'm panicking, and can't think straight over this. What happens if I just ignore this? I mean eventually its not worth them pursuing? I tried calling earlier, but just the idea of calling and trying to explain my situation just drove my mental state worse. I've been on the verge of panic all day over this, and need to know what to do.

Answer:
 Don't call and try to explain your situation. Call and ask them for clarification on what the notice means. I can pretty much promise that you have not been sentenced to serve on jury duty for FOUR MONTHS because you missed.

It probably means that you will be called for normal service some time during that time frame. But call and ask.

And... stop ignoring stuff like this.  If your anxiety is causing you to miss important things like this, it should be addressed through therapy.  Blowing things off just increases your stress and anxiety. It almost never makes problems go away.


Title: [FL] Car got towed after not at fault accident (drunk driver hit me). Tow place says "cash only" to release car but I can only afford to pay with credit card.

Question:
UPDATE: I called the sheriff and a lawyer, but they were both unsure regarding the "law" about it. I took a chance and went there pretending that I was unaware of the cash-only policy. I handed out my credit card, then the guy took it, and then he processed the payment. I signed the receipt and left as fast as possible.

The drunk driver's insurance hasn't come through yet. I have a lawyer handling it and I was told we are at the mercy of the guilty party's insurance; we have to wait. I'm under-insured (I only have the minimum required by law).

After the accident, I was taken to a hospital, and my car was towed. I called the tow place and the bill so far is $570. I can only afford to pay with a credit card. They said "I don't know what to tell you, we only accept cash".

Some of the bad reviews left on google are because of this same issue. One of them said that this is not a legal practice and I can call the sheriff to enforce a credit card payment. I called the sheriff and the lady at the front desk didn't know anything about that.

What can I do???

Answer: Use your credit card at an ATM to get cash, assuming your card allows it. They don't have to accept credit card.


Title: [California] Is my family going to be deported?

Question:
Hi legaladvice. I asked for help in relationships here np.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/4wcef7/me_12m_with_mybrother28_or_30m_i_think_im_ruining/ but the mods told me to ask here so here we go.

When I was a baby my brother "Sam" moved me and my other 2 brothers from Iran to here. He always told us that since our dad was an American, we had American citizenship and I believed him, but now my brother's ex boyfriend "Eric" told me that America doesn't recognize dual citizenship from Iran so we're here illegally and he's going to call the authorities and get us all deported. Eric says that Sam lied about his age to the authorities when we came here so we wouldnt be separated so even if we were citizens we would be deported because Sam committed fraud, but is that a thing you can even do? I think that it would be pretty hard to lie about your age to the government with official records and everything but its a weird thing for Eric to say but if hes telling the truth about Sam lying about his age does that mean were guilty of fraud and being sent back to Iran? My brother Aaron told me Eric said hed call CPS on us because we live in a 1 room apartment and theyll take us away because of bad conditions. I dont know what to believe. Please help and thank you.

Answer:
 Eric sounds like a jerk.

He has no power to deport you or get you taken away from your brother. If he calls CPS, just answer their questions.  It's not illegal to live in a 1 bedroom.  Answer #2: If your father was an American citizen, it is most likely that you have American citizenship as well and thus cannot be deported.  Do you have American passports?


Title: PA - My underage sister was raped by a coworker. What can we do?

Question:
Unfortunately today my sisters came home today from a work party stating that my younger, 16 year old sister was raped. I’m actually very glad she opened up about it just the day after. My father, while extremely mad it happened, isn’t blaming it on her, and brought her to the hospital to have a rape kit done. We still need to file a police report, but that will be done after she does the rape kit.

The party she went to wasn’t held by the company. It’s a party that a manager throws every once in a while, personally, and invites some of the people to. I do believe there was alcohol involved, but I don’t have 100% of the details. I also am not sure about the age of the rapist. My sister hasn’t divulged that detail yet, but I hope she will with time. Will she have to continue to work with whoever raped her? How can we get her employer to act? And what do we do if the person was underage?
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer: Rape is criminally punishable offense.  No matter if he was underage, alcohol was involved, etc.  she should make a police report if she is mentally capable.  Most district attorney offices have victim services dedicated towards rape victims, and help is available. Answer #2: File a police report. Get a restraining order.


Title: Wife and 3 kids went on trip for one month to visit her mother. Upon bringing them home "Stole" everything they brought with them. What are our options.

Question:
My wife's dad offered to send my wife to Europe for 1 week (A dream trip for her). Through all the planning thought it would work out to just spend the month at her mom's in Texas (we live in California) and fly out of Houston for a week of that for Europe while the kids got some time with Grandma for the summer. I stayed back home because I have health issues and didn't want to be that far from home.

They have family in Arizona also and worked it out to where I would drive them out to Phoenix and meet her mother there, and they would drive back to Texas from there, as it would be cheaper than flying all 4 of them. She packed quite a bit of stuff they she would need and items she wanted to take to Europe with her (certain clothes, jewelry, etc) and the kids had a their 3DSs and a tablet to help keep them entertained at grandma's during down time.

Everything was OK for the most part till it came time to head back when her mom started getting unstable ( she can be from time to time, but there is usually a cap and can be some what predicted ) and almost refused to bring them home. My wife's ATM card was canceled due to false/contested charges and was on limited funds at that point. When she finally decided to drive them back she was pretty shitty the whole way back to Arizona. Once she got them to Arizona they got out of the car pretty quick as the kids were excited to see me again after a month. when they were all out of the car, she just took off. Her truck had all of their stuff still in it. We figured she would come back later after some cool off time, but we stayed 2 nights and no one could get a hold of her or knew where she was. We had to leave to get home due to work related stuff and got home yesterday and still no word from her to anyone.

We filed a report in Arizona but didn't have helpful info like make and model or license plate to help track her vehicle. But gave them address and phone number and what we knew and was told they could only do so much and that Texas wouldn't give them her DMV info to find the truck. Even called Texas PD and they couldn't help because it didn't happen there. Most of the things can be eventually replaced over time but my wife is most upset over souvenirs she got on her week in London. I am not sure what to do from here legally to help get their stuff back... Where should I start?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 If the local department is not pursuing criminal charges in the case, then the only remaining recourse is to sue her in small claims court for the value (or return) of the property.Answer #2: Your best option may be to hire a lawyer and sue her in small claims court for the items she took. Take an inventory of what she took and an approximate cost to discuss with the lawyer.

 Unfortunately the police are often unhelpful in matters like these but you could apply pressure there as well.


Title: Please help stop my immature ex wife from dictating the way I live with my children. I need to help get joint custody!

Question:
Hello,

I have a rather serious matter that I'm reaching out to you for.  I would like to see if anyone could help a broke ass college student and single father of two find legal advice that could perhaps point me in the right direction to help me get the chance to be a positive influence in my children lives without my ex's getting in the way just cause she is jealous. I have been barred from any chance of properly doing so by my ex’s lack of maturity. Let me begin by asking you to take a moment to put yourself in my shoes as I guide you through my personal Hell:
Your spouse leaves you mid relationship, finds another man, and kicks you to the curb without consulting you about it. Her new guy gets to reap all the benefits of a life you help build which includes influencing the lives of your children. All the while, you get wildly unfair restrictions on child visits and have to pay child support. Child support which goes to feed 3 other children, 4 dogs, 2 turtles, 2 rabbits, erratic spending and her mother’s soap business (which is run from her kitchen). This is but a mere sample of it, but at least it can help empathize.
  Flash forward 5 years… you rebuild yourself from the shattered being you once were and found someone that makes you feel like you can take anything on. You introduce her to your children and they hit it off. Baby mama gets jealous and stirs up a shit storm of envy and tightens the grip on the already ridiculous restrictions you have with your children and this is not the first offense by far. So let me ask you all a question? Why does she get to live her life as she sees fit, but think that she has control over mine? Don’t I deserve to be happy and enjoy my children with the woman I love and the company I keep?

- Palm Springs, CA (28, M)

TLDR; Ex wife has a new life but now that I have a serious relationship, she goes on jealous rampages and keeps me from having a life with my 2 kids.
NOTE: We are in "final judgement stage" of divorce but I need advice on family law to keep her from dictating my life with my children. PM me for more details.

Answer:
 No one will PM you.

You need a lawyer... Probably needed one 5 years ago. She isn't your ex. She's still your wife until the divorce is final.

Get a lawyer.Answer #2: If you can't work out a custody agreement on your own, then you will need an attorney to help you get a court ordered custody agreement.


Title: My brother knocked up a girl. She doesn't want him to be around, but wants child support. This seems wrong, right? [St. Louis, MO]

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 She is not obligated to get an abortion if she doesn’t want one. That choice is hers and hers alone.

If he is not sure he is the father he should retain a family law attorney and sue to establish paternity. If he is the father, he can then petition for shared custody.

His child support amount will be determined by the courts. If he wants custody and/or visitation, he is entitled to it just as the mother is entitled to child support. She doesn’t get to demand one without the other, assuming he’s fit to be around a child.


Title: Is it legal for a teacher to force me to turn on my camera during a Google Meet/Zoom?

Question:
Since we are all having this online class thing, I’m sure  everyone is aware about zoom and google meet. My school is forcing its students to turn on their cameras during the meet time. I am insecure and a huge introvert so if there’s one thing about quarantine I’m glad about it’s not having to talk to anyone or interact outside the internet or FaceTime with CLOSE friends. Plus, my room is quite messy and I have some posters up I wouldn’t want my classmates to see. I have been able to work around this by just showing the top of my head but all of my teachers are going to require me to show my full face to the class from here on. I couldn’t really find anything on this matter online, so I’m asking here. Any answer would be appreciated.
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 No law against it but it’s probably to ensure that you’re attending the lesson and paying attention. I know some people who pretend to be there but just afk because their camera isn’t on and they can’t be caught

If you have some issues about it you could talk to your teacher about it; they probably gave that instruction as a blanket statement and I’m sure they’ll understand if you explained to them. Even if they can’t fully cooperate they’ll probably try their best at a compromise


Title: Facebook has disabled my account for no reason and is not responding to me. Is legal action a good idea?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Facebook is not legally required to let you have an account. They are a private service and can refuse anyone they please.

There's no legal action to take.Answer #2: You can attempt legal action.  I am going to guess facebook has deeper pockets than you.

Also, you are not entitled to have a facebook account and they can discontinue your service for almost any reason they want.


Title: Whos liable here? Spray causing 2 deaths, several hospitalizations

Question:
[https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/10/mystery-of-deadly-us-infections-solved-aromatherapy-spray-at-walmart-to-blame/](https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/10/mystery-of-deadly-us-infections-solved-aromatherapy-spray-at-walmart-to-blame/)

Walmart? Indian manufacturer? BH&G (arnt they a brand/company?)

Answer:
 Everyone will be sued. They will likely settleAnswer #2: As a primary point, product liability applies to the entire chain of commerce. That means the buyer can sue anyone from the retailer to the manufacturer. There may be some agreements between the retailer, manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, etc., but that is an issue between them and not relevant to the injured party.

The idea here is that the retailer is in a better position to identify, serve, sue, and recover from the manufacturer than the consumer.

As a secondary point, while product liability is generally considered to be strict liability, there are some defenses available. This might be within one of those defenses.

And finally, WalMart is probably going to have their insurance pay out, deduct the amount from the supplier’s next invoice, and force them to try to sue WalMart.


Title: Will CPS Turn My Sibling's Kid's Over to Me If...

Question:
An alternate title for this post would be "When you need to ask u/Napalmenator a question but we don't PM."

 It's a quick question and I'm sure plenty of people can give me feedback. My brother is married, he and his wife are having domestic problems. Apparently she wanted to go out so she left the kids, two of them, both of whom are under 3YO, outside at the gazebo...in Chicago. In the middle of winter. There's other stuff going on, but let's skip to the part where DCFS/CPS took the kids and gave them to someone in her family. Aside from the fact that her family is batshit crazy, it seems to us that CPS doesn't find their current environment desirable. I'd like to take the kids, but I don't think CPS will consider me because I live in a different state. So, would CPS turn children over to family if said family is out of state? I'm just trying to figure out if this is at all plausible, I realize I may be asking the wrong questions.

Answer: Yes. CPS can place kids out of state. It required ICPC (interstate compact something something). WHich takes time. I recommend calling the social worker, talking to them and trying to get the kids attorney's number and talk to them. One of those two has to start the ICPS process....it takes months. Answer #2: Just as a heads up, mentions to an user in a post won't give notifications, only in the comments. Like u/Napalmenator.


Title: Raised money for charity, money has been docked from total by someone who hasn't given us anything

Question:
I am a pupil from scotland, apologies for any mistakes in grammar. Hopefully someone can give me advice on this?

Recently, the charities committee in our school has been raising money for a charity for a young ex pupil who sadly died of a heart condition. This charity is very close to many pupils and teachers hearts, and so was an obvious choice when deciding who to raise money for. The money we raised from a raffle, where all the prizes had been donated and no extra costs spent, was £663, and as far as we knew, every penny of that would go to the charity. We also held a Christmas jumper day, from which we raised £90, but we had assumed that this money would go to the school fund, until our head teacher told us that all money raised from these events would be going to the charity, which of course was great news.

At the end of the week, 1pm on Friday 16/12/16, we pulled the raffle tickets out of a bag and stood on the stage shouting out all the winners. Earlier in the day, i, myself, had asked our head teacher to pull the top three prizes. However, when asked just before the draw, as he wandered around the concourse taking pictures of people in their Christmas jumpers (and tweeting that this was in aid of our charity, and that proceeds would go to it) he said he would not be doing it. So, we carried on and drew the tickets, without his help.

After pulling all the raffle tickets and delivering all the prizes, we counted all the money and sent the total to our head teacher to be read out in his end of day announcements, to congratulate all pupils who participated and to congratulate the top three prize winners. The top prize was a Microsoft tablet that the head teacher had donated to us, after it being given to the school for free.

On the piece of paper, we clearly separated the two totals, and we had been warned at the start of the school year that money may be taken from our total to go to the school fund, but when we raised money for children in need in November, no money was taken. Our head teacher had mentioned he would take a small percentage, but we refused, because he had done nothing to help in raising money, as he hadn't given us any money to maybe purchase prizes or to help with marketing, and we never asked for money because we knew the answer would be no (he hadn't even bought one raffle ticket) and so, in our opinion, this meant that all the money raised was going to go to our charity. We were shocked to hear our head teacher say in the announcement we had only raised £500. This was the worst news we could have received, as it meant he had taken £163 without our permission.

As I understand it, when you advertise that you are raising money for only one charity, the money MUST go to only that charity, and nowhere else. We plan to take action, as this money has been stolen from the committee and from the former pupils charity. Please give me any guidance possible.

Answer: /r/legaladviceuk would be better suited to answer.