Title: (CA) Missed Jury Duty by accident, what do I do now?

Question:
Hey everyone,

Back in December while I was back from college on break I had Jury duty and it the date went over my head and I missed it.

I honestly don’t know what to do from here or what could happen from it.

I’m honestly not a bad person at all I’ve never committed any crimes or anything like that so I don’t know what’s in store for me.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: Call jury services.  They will give you a new date.


Title: [IL] is it legal to hit someone if they are attacking your dog?

Question: This is just a hypothetical question, noone hit my dog, but im wondering would this be considered an act of defence?

Answer:
 Dogs don't have an inherent right to self defense the way a human does, so you can't exercise it on their behalf. Dogs are treated as property under the eyes of the law.

Now, that's not to say you may never use force to defend property. There are certainly cases where you may use *reasonable* and *non-deadly* force to stop someone from committing a crime, or possibly detain them. Usually these fall under situations which are governed by the "citizens arrest" type statutes for your local jurisdiction. However, you're not covered by sovereign immunity the way police officers are, so you beat the rather substantial risk of a battery and false imprisonment charge if you're wrong.

There's also the difference between "detaining someone and calling the police" and "retribution because this asshole kicked my puppy". If your actions are more the latter,you can expect to have a bad time.


Title: [OH][Greene County] Roommate bailing on me in apartment lease with three months left

Question:
This is the third time this is happening, I short sold a car to make rent after electric bill fees accrued, which equated more than rent itself. I went to the ends of the earth to make my half of rent, then on the day it was due, my roommate who was (and still is, 9 days later) out of town decided to stay in Indiana with his family (they offered him a free place to live). He's coming to pick up his belongings ~~yesterday~~ within the next few days.

This apartment complex has been the bane of my existence since we moved in. They made me wait 3 weeks for an apartment I wanted to finish a remodel, then gave it to one of the leasing agents (I took the leasing agent's apartment). Both of the toilets have been leaking for ~6 months, I've asked three times in person, and filed two maintenance requests online, it's still not fixed.

This past roommate that's leaving, they put him on the lease without him signing a single piece of paper. He applied, and after bugging them for a couple of weeks trying to get them to release the previous tenant and put him on, they just did it themselves. No one signed anything.

This is just the main stuff that's pissed me off, there are around a dozen other small things that I've had to deal with. This place almost burned down one day, the apartment above mine caught on fire once, we all had to be evacuated. The apartment building across the way burned down. The cabinets and counters are slanted, several dishes have been broken, food has rolled off. There is mold behind both toilets, and black mold visible and clear as day behind the fridge. The carpet is horrendous, that's one of the things I wanted changed before moving in, it wasn't changed. I wanted 10 months to lease, they gave me a year. The list goes on..

What can I do? What should I gather to take to small claims?

TL;DR
Getting evicted because I can't afford full rent after roommate decided to ghost it out of here. Leasing agents never had us come in to sign him into our lease, yet he's still on the lease. I want out of this lease so it doesn't show up on my record, and hopefully possibly not have to pay a red cent.

Answer:
 First off, only those who actually sign the lease are "on the lease".  Your landlord should be able to give you a copy of the lease that contains a signature for each person that they believe they have a valid contract with.

Second, the landlord can seek to evict anyone who is on the lease and hasn't paid the rent, and they can sue anyone who is on the lease for unpaid rent.

Third, if you and your roommate had an agreement as to what he was supposed to pay each month, and he didn't pay his share, and you had to pay his share (either to avoid eviction or because the landlord sued you and recovered the money from you), then you can sue your roommate to recover your loses from him.

Fifth, the rest of your rant isn't legally relevant to anything.


Title: [HELP] Being sued over a car accident and can't afford to pay.

Question: About three years ago I got into a car accident in which I totaled my vehicle. I got a lawyer to represent my case and eventually the case was settled and I received a payout. The other person was deemed at fault. Now I just got a summons from the court saying I'm being sued by the same person for loss of property and personal injury. Usually I would just turn it in into my insurance company but my insurance wasn't valid at the time of the accident. What are my options? I talk to a bankruptcy attorney tomorrow but I want to know if there are other options.

Answer:
 Why do you think you will have to pay anything? Are they suing in small claims court?

It feels like there is a lot of info missing here.Answer #2: If its small claims then there is no attorneys involved. Do you have anything paperwork wise from the settlement from their insurance that shows and proves they were at fault? If so then this is something you would need to bring with you to prove your case. If not try calling the insurance back and see if you can get something.


Title: How do I emancipate myself?

Question:
I am a 22 year old living in MA, about to graduate college come May. Per my parents divorce agreement I am covered under child support until I graduate but my father can not afford to pay his child support anymore and I need to get myself off of it ASAP while I understand he’s obligated to pay it, his child support brings his paychecks down to $150 biweekly when he makes over 70k a year, before any expenses. Last month I received a call from him because he was about to commit suicide and he had no where else to turn. He had lost his job due to alcoholism about 3 weeks prior and couldn’t even afford toilet paper, never mind food.  While I understand the alcoholism is the fault of his own(or a disorder, whichever way you cut it), I want to take over his finances and try to get him out of the hole he’s in.  This is weighing extreme stress on my mother as she obviously doesn’t want me off the child support but she has worked a dead end job making no more than $15/hr since they divorced over 13 years ago and I can’t see how it’s fair.

I don’t have a problem with either of my parents but their divorce has been very financially driven and I’m getting sick of it
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 I'm sorry to hear about your dad. You're an adult; you are effectively emancipated.

I'm not following what exactly your legal question is. Your title is "How do I emancipate myself", but you're asking for something akin to a POA/guardianship over your dad?


Title: [PA] medical malpractice?

Question:
A little over two years ago, I went to my family doctor complaining of testicular pain that was spreading to my abdomen and thigh (all on the right side).  The pain was not constant, but was getting consistently more severe when it was present.  The doctor gave me a check-up, sent me to the hospital for an ultrasound, and, if I remember correctly, a urine test.  When the results came back, the doctor called to tell me everything was negative, and when I told her I was still in pain and still needed an answer, she said I should just go to the ER.  I did so, again with the same results.  Due to poor insurance coverage, I ended up with ~$3000 in bills, but fortunately, the pain returned less frequently and was less severe...so I just hope that they're right and that it really is some kind of nothing that's going away.

...until now.  Back in November, the pain returned with a severity I hadn't felt before.  It was bad enough that I could barely walk or bend and certainly couldn't lift much.  Because I had just started a new job, my insurance coverage hadn't started yet, so I opted to take a few days off to rest while I could.  That didn't solve the problem but got me well enough that I could return to work.  Just a few days ago, it's back again, even more severe and spreading further out from the testicle.  I'm finally able to see a doctor, and I'm finally diagnosed with a hernia...explaining why the pain has not been constant, yet building in intensity.

At this point, I've only missed 8 days of work (and counting...still need to get the operation scheduled), which I can't exactly afford, but I know it's not enough to call a lawyer.  My question is whether I can pursue reimbursement for the initial bills at least...?  Anything further for lost time at work and just being in a shitload of pain right now would be a great bonus.  Is this a kind of thing that could be dismissed as a mistake, or is this what malpractice insurance is for?

Thanks for any input.

Answer:
 Making a mistake is not enough to constitute malpractice.

Malpractice means that they did not treat you according to the "standard of care."  That means they had to treat you as an average, reasonable, prudent doctor would treat you.

To put it another way: If they failed to look for a hernia, that might be malpractice. But if they looked in an appropriate way, and just didn't spot it, that might be a simple mistake.

Telling the difference would require consulting experts. Only a physician is technically qualified to tell you what the standard of care was for your specific situation.  Answer #2: None of this sounds like medical malpractice. For a medical malpractice claim it's not that a doctor was incorrect, they have to have breached the duty of care. As well, your damages are far too low to make it worth your while to pursue. Answer #3: Nothing you’ve described shows any sort of medical error or even harm from a supposed error. Ironically, the doctors quickly ruling out torsion was what they needed to do, and the fact that you have a hernia isn’t nearly as important. You don’t even know if you had a hernia before.Answer #4: Medical malpractice is very fact specific and it is unfortunately beyond the scope of this subreddit. It is highly recommended to speak with a medical malpractice attorney; your state's bar may be able to refer you to one. They typically work on contingency, meaning there is little up front cost to you. Similarly, consultations are typically free. It wouldn't hurt to meet with one, have them look over your info, and go from there.

*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/legaladvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*


Title: Past Employer Stealing Income

Question:
Here's a rundown of the situation.

The last 4 months of 2014, my company was in terrible financial straights.  They could barely afford to make payroll.  So as a way to cut corners, they would pay us by check with a breakdown of taxes being taken out but they didn't run it through their typical payroll company.  Also, I should note that I was paid 100% commission so many checks they would take out 34% of taxes.  We figured they were cash poor and would correct it on our W2s at the end of the year.  I got my W2 finally (2 weeks late) and its off by several commission checks.  The only w2 income they are reporting is a single check that ran through their payroll company.  This is essentially wage theft? I wouldn't mind getting 1099'd and being responsible on my own but they are basically robbing me from my return by not filing those taxes (for instance I'm not in the 34% tax bracket)

To make matters worse, the company basically went under shortly after I left.  I can still contact the owner and I have documentation backing up my claim but I'm not sure how best to approach this. He's apparently being sued left and right (this is could just be a rumor to disuade us from pursuing it)  From what I gathered he could be in a lot of shit depending how I handle this.

I've also been 1099'd since leaving his employment so I would like whatever w2 income he failed to report to offset some taxes that I'll be due.

So what so you legalavdice?  What to do?

Answer: You need to ask him to give you a W2 containing all your wages. It's not optional. If he refuses, there's [a process to contest it](http://www.irs.gov/Help-&-Resources/Tools-&-FAQs/FAQs-for-Individuals/Frequently-Asked-Tax-Questions-&-Answers/IRS-Procedures/W-2---Additional,-Incorrect,-Lost,-Non-receipt,-Omitted/W-2---Additional,-Incorrect,-Lost,-Non-receipt,-Omitted-2), but it creates documents that you need to keep for decades and will likely delay any refund you're due.


Title: Is there a limit to how many days in a work in a row I can work? [WA]

Question: We're short staffed at work 3 nights a week so my boss has been giving out extra shifts. She said I can't legally work 7+ days in a row? I've tried looking at my states laws but don't see anything about consecutive days.

Answer:
 She's conflating company policy with the law. She was likely incorrectly told it was illegal as there is a lot of confusion about it. If you work for a large company, it's likely you working too many consecutive days would flag and she'd get a major dressing down by corporate.

Honestly she and her bosses are most likely trying to prevent blowing the budget on overtime. This was how it was for me at both my previous retail jobs at major companies.


Title: Recourse for fake 911 calls

Question:
Over the past month someone has been calling in fake emergencies to my address. They range from general disturbance calls to domestic abuse. I always ask the supervisor on duty and the responding officers if there is anything that can be done to trace this caller. They always respond no as the calls are generally from cell phones and every time they get a call they are forced to respond regardless if the call is fake.

&#x200B;

Is this person breaking the law by calling in fake emergencies? What can I do to find this person? If the person is found is this something that I would have to sue over?

&#x200B;

I appreciate any help, I'm really out in left field with this one.

Answer:
 >	Is this person breaking the law by calling in fake emergencies?

Yes.

>	If the person is found is this something that I would have to sue over?

No. It’s a criminal matter. The state would prosecute them.


Title: How do I deal with a detective?

Question:
First time posting here, will try to adhere to rules.

I am a young (25 y/o) tax accountant located in Atlanta, GA.  Out of school worked for a one man firm (call him Boss), through connections.  He was sketchy, I lasted for a year and moved on to a new job.  Thought it was done.

This week I got a call from a local detective, asking me to meet him to answer some questions about Boss; no other information.  I expressed some hesitation and asked what it was about, he only said I was "implicated" (whatever that means).

1) I'd like to help in any way (and didn't do anything illegal, as far as I know), but am nervous about the vagueness of everything.

2) The detective implied he was looking at a tax return signed by me.  While I am legally allowed to sign and file returns, I never did so at this job.  If the detective is telling the truth, then Boss forged my signature.

I just don't know what to do.  Do I need a lawyer if I speak to the detective in person (as he's requested)?  Should I just refuse?  I feel very much out of my depth.

Thanks.

Answer: Do not speak with the detective any further without first consulting an attorney.


Title: Chicago theoretical: If a cop sues the family of someone he shot, does it open him up to any legal vulnerabilities?

Question:
A police officer in Chicago, responding to a call, ended up shooting and killing a mentally disturbed youth who reportedly attacked him with a baseball bat. In the process, the officer also accidentally shot and killed a neighbor.

The family of the mentally disturbed youth filed a wrongful death suit against the officer and the city. The officer's lawyer announced that they would be filing a countersuit against the family, arguing that he experienced extreme emotional trauma because of the incident.

As a non-lawyer, I'm quite curious about the legal implications a police officer suing a civilian that they interact with while on the job. Does filing suit against the family risk the officer losing any of the normal legal protections that might otherwise protect him? Could it affect his qualified immunity? Have police officers won suits against civilians that they've interacted with professionally for emotional trauma in other instances before? Seems like it might be an interesting area of law.

Answer: No. That's taking for a minute that this lawsuit even has merit which I don't think it does. It he's experiencing trauma from an on duty incident then that sounds like more of a worker's comp issue.


Title: Fender Bender Liability

Question:
Hey so I was in a mild fender bender the other day and I'm looking for some help determining who would be liable in this scenario.

So I'm on an exit ramp off the highway coming up on to Main Street. Now, the exit ramp leads up into a lane of its own which leads to an entrance ramp to the same highway. There's no yield sign for drivers coming off the exit ramp which would merit a potential complete stop if traffic permitted. So anyways I'm behind this truck exiting the highway, about to merge on to the Main Street. I'm checking out incoming traffic and all the sudden driver in front of me hits the breaks and comes to a complete stop result in me rear ending him. I believe he is at fault considering there was nothing constituting a complete stop for him.

https://i.imgur.com/sfLw2Tv.jpg

Roughly sketched image displaying the context of the incident.

Answer: You are 100% at fault here you rear ended him not the other way around. You should have been at a proper following distance. Any insurance company will rule you at fault.


Title: (US) Question about constitutional rights pertaining to children.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 The limitations on rights in schools is not because children are somehow inferior to adults and when you turn 18 you suddenly join the cool club or something.

It's because the mission of education requires an orderly environment to achieve it's goals.  So, yes, you will still have to obey school rules if you are 18 and attending school.

Just like when you are an adult- the first amendment protects your speech.  But if you are constantly disruptive during a meeting, your boss can legally fire you.  Same deal.


Title: German cockroached followed me from my last apartment.

Question: My last apartment had numerous issues with German cockroaches, in which nothing was done about it. I recently moved out, but have been seeing them again in the new apartment as my boyfriend wanted to keep the sofa. Is there anything I can do to make sure I'm not the one dealing with this issue financially or is it my responsibility because of my boyfriend's decision to keep the sofa?

Answer: You brought them there.........


Title: Employer made a mistake in a formal salary offer, now wants to pay me half that amount.

Question:
 This is currently being worked out with my employer so I’m keeping details intentionally vague.

I do freelance IT work for a company in my state and they pay me according to the number of people I’m responsible for supporting. For example, let’s say they pay me $100 per year per person that I support, so if I support 200 people that will be a total of $20,000 for the year.

They sent me a formal, signed offer letter several months ago offering me $100 per person for support. I accepted the offer and signed the employment contract and got started. I noticed after several pay periods that the pay was significantly lower than it should have been, so I reached out to their HR director for clarification.

They told me that they made a mistake in the original offer letter and that my pay should really be $50 per person because that’s what they pay everyone else who also does this job for them. I was aware that others who do a similar job were being paid $50, but I have specialized skills that the others don’t have which I thought was the reason they offered me more.

They also told me that they reserve the right to modify my pay, and that wording is found in the contract I signed. However, the wording is very specific that they must inform me in writing if they decide to change my pay. The last time I received any written notice from them about my pay was when they offered me $100 per person in the formal offer letter.

What legal options do I have here? I enjoy working for this company, so I don’t want to burn any bridges. I also don’t want to just roll over and accept the lower pay.

Answer: They do have a right to modify your pay, after you have been made aware of the modification. As you are freelance, you will have to sue them for the difference in small claims court. It should be pretty easy to win.


Title: harassment, discrimination, and they're using my stories

Question:
Sorry this story is too surreal for the public.

Cheer up Blizzard.

Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 For fucks sakes. Didn't you post this stuff before? If you don't want your ideas shared, stop saying them out loud and stop typing them... period.

Also, get back on whatever pills you stopped taking. Answer #2: This is amazing.


Title: [AR]How to refuse a pregnancy test?

Question:
I’ve had some medical issues lately and ended up in the ER and back and forth between doctors. I’ve had my tubes tied, am current on birth control for period control, and am not sexually active, but every time I end up in the ER or have labs drawn even in my PCP’s office they insist on doing a pregnancy test on my blood, or HCG level.

I wouldn’t mind except my insurance is charged, therefore I am charged for this completely unnecessary test, per the insurance statement. Is there any way I can refuse this? Can I carry a signed paper saying I refuse an HCG level test for the above reasons and accept that any medications or radiological tests I undergo may have an adverse effect on a fetus?

If I begin having sex again I will rescind this statement, I understand that despite my best efforts, if I *were* having sexual intercourse I could end up pregnant which could cause my stomach pain, nausea, and other issues, but this has been ruled out and gone on longer than any pregnancy.

I work in healthcare so I actually have access to a pregnancy questionnaire that my department has radiology patients fill out, but it seems exclusive to my department. If the patient fits all the criteria for possibly being pregnant we ask for an HCG level but they can opt out, provided sign that they know the risks.

Thanks in advance.

Answer: You can refuse it. They can probably refuse to treat you. (I understand the frustration as I have had similar discussions with doctors.)


Title: Property impounded on private property behind locked door. Asking for $250 total to recover items.

Question:
To give you the full picture, I'm in Michigan and work as an independent contractor for electronic scooter companies such as Bird and Lime. My job is to charge them and while charging a batch, parking services came in to a locked room and took the scooters claimi!g them to be a" fire hazard" and "abandoned property". They claimed it was a fire hazard to charge 4 scooters on one power strip (each scooter draws about 1 amp so 4 amps total when even ancient outlets handle up to 15-20amps of electricity before tripping the breaker) so that's just not true from a scientific/engineering perspective. The second claim of them being abandoned property is because I wasn't standing next to them for the entirety of their 4 hour charge cycle.

 There were 10 scooters in total in the locker room that I checked a key out from the front desk of my apartment (it was a music room that has electrical outlets for consumption by residents which I am indeed one) so its not like I wasn't allowed to enter that room.

What constitutes as abandoned property? Can I fight these parking/impound tickets?  Any counsel is greatly appreciated Reddit, this job is how I pay for my books and food so getting this squared away as soon as possible is very important, again, thank you!

Answer:
 You can pay the $250 to get them out, and they to fight the ticket in court. This might end up being more expensive than it is worth.

We can not know the validity of the impound without knowing your municipal laws and where the scooters were when you were charging, along with what exactly the citation or fee you are paying.  I do have to say though, charging four on a single power strip sounds like a fantastically bad idea.

Since electric scooters are a fairly new phenomenon, many municipalities have no laws about parking them. They would fall under abandoned property or other code violations, though. Municipalities have pretty wide latitude in making their own laws on them, though. I am currently in Portland and they are actually fairly regulated here, including where on the street or sidewalk they are allowed, still or moving.

Edit: Wait. How exactly did they "come into a locked room?" Answer #2: Are you allowed by your lease to run a business from your residential building? Often that is forbidden, could be hard to convince them that the many scooters are for your personal use.

I'm not 100% sure if this would come into play in the situation, but I have a feeling if they are looking for reasons to ban you from having so many on the property that could be an option for this.Answer #3: Not legal advice and NAL, but are you sure the scooters are only pulling 1 amp. That sounds really low to me when my smartphone pulls 2.1 and would barely charge at 1


Title: Work is destroying my health. Help!

Question:
I'm in Michigan and I recently started work at a Big company (fortune 10) as an engineer. Great pay, great benefits.

However, the building that I work in is very old and it appears that the company has not put any money in it. Even the airducts have never been cleaned.

This brings me to my point - the air quality in the building is starting to cause me health problems. I have trouble breathing, my resting heart rate goes up a lot and I have sinus issues.

This is how my typical day goes -
Get to work around 8 AM. By 10:30 AM my resting heart rate goes up and I can feel my heart beating faster. So I step outside of the building and breathe the fresh air for 5 minutes. I repeat this again around 2:30 in the afternoon.
When I get home in the evening, it takes about an hour for my heart rate to come to normal.

I also have trouble breathing - my nose is clogged from tue afternoon to fri night. The weekends are slightly better. I've been sick a lot since I started this job, and with the flu season upon us, I think it's just going to get worse.

What are my options here? I don't really want to cause a big storm as this is a very large company and a major player in my industry. I'm applying to other jobs, but from talking to other HRs, it seems they are hesitant about hiring someone abandoning a "great position" from a "great company" so soon.

Thanks.

Answer: Do your co-workers experience anything similar?  Have you consulted with your doctor?


Title: Trust beneficiary dies before trustor.

Question:
My Grandma (93) has a revocable trust that names several family members as beneficiaries, one being my dad. My grandma suffers from dementia so my uncle has power of attorney over her estate. Last weekend my dad (60) passed away.  Does my dad just fall off the trust as a beneficiary?  Does my mother become a beneficiary in his place?  Can my uncle amend the trust so neither of them becomes a beneficiary?

We live in Orange County California.

Answer: All of your questions can only be answered by reading the trust terms.


Title: Company sent me merchandise and a bill for something I never ordered

Question:
Hello everyone,

&#x200B;

Today in the mail I randomly received 3 Hawaiian shirts from a company and a deferred bill for over 200 dollars. The bill says "the order is on a 90 day defer bill. You will not incur interest or be charged until the end of the 90 day billing period. Please note your credit open to buy amount has been reduced by this order amount" with a return address.  The package was addressed to me and had my address on it.  In the package was a letter welcoming me to the company, and enclosed was a credit card with my name on it. It says "call before use to confirm receipt of your credit card and hear how to receive a 20 dollar gift card" with a 1800 number.  The credit card also only has 9 numbers? I've never ordered anything from this website or heard of it even.  What do I do?

Answer: If you truly have no business relationship with the company, and never have, this may be one of the incredibly few examples of a valid case where the [FTC Unordered Merchandise](https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0181-unordered-merchandise) thing comes into play.  More information would be needed, though -- is it possible someone in your household or something signed you up for something like this?  Is it possible that you signed up for some other service and that this was an ancillary service that came along with it?  Does your credit report show a new line of credit being opened related to this company?


Title: A texas police department may have violated my 4th (?) amendment and I, now, may have the novel cornoavirus.

Question:
At 12:30 am, I hear a knock on the front door. I peek through the blinds and see no one as its pitch black. As I open the door, I realized that the night had drowned out 2 of the officers uniform. I inquired as to why the officer's presence were necessary. The officer mentions that they are responding to a welfare (wellness ?) check for my roommate. I call out to her and she comes to the front door and stands in front of me in front of the apartment door. She questions why there are present. Once again, they stated that there are present with EMS for a possible medication abuse due to what I now understand as false police report. She verbally and coherently states that she is well and does not need any aid or consent to receiving aid and requests that they leave the premise. They refused to leave and continued to ask her if she is abusing her medication. She repeatedly denies the claims and requests that they vacant our doorway. Once again, they refused to leave. I speak and reaffirm that she is well, does not need any aid and request that they vacate. The officer order me to shut up or I will be arrested for interfering with an investigation. I comply with the orders momentarily. They requested that she comes outside and speaks with EMS. Again, she refuses aid and requests that they leave. As she begins to close the door, the officer prevents the door from shutting with his foot. Again, I speak and reminded them that she no longer wishes to speak with and desires the disappearance of their presence.

The officer breaches the threshold of our apartment door, leans in and drags me out of my apartment by arms length (4-5 ft inside). As I'm being detained, she falls the the floor and sobs that they don't arrest me. She essentially has temper tantrum and repeatedly states that she does not want to go to jail. As I'm out side speaking with the officer that detained me, the other officer walks into the apartment after we told them they are not allow to enter. The officer places my roommate in handcuffs and drags her out to EMS. They placed her in the back of a police cruiser and preformed a medical examination on her for about 5- 10 mins. During this period, I was transferred to another police cruiser. I asked why I was being detained. No answer. As I'm sitting in the back of the cruiser I realize the the handcuffs were too tight and were digging into my wrists ( I have extremely sensitive skin). After the officers finished examining my roommate, they allowed her to leave but she refused to leave without me. 10 minutes later, the officers take me out of handcuffs and allow me to leave and refused to mention why I am being detained. 4 hours later at around 4:00 am, I begin to feel nauseated, hyperventilate and develop a fever and a migraine. I take my temperature and it read 99.8 degrees. This is worrisome because there are 200+ confirmed cases of the coronavirus in my city and I have an underlying health condition. I call my university's health center and request to speak with a doctor as I am absolutely afraid for my life ( also no health insurance). They take my temperature again around 9:30 am and its still at 99.8 degrees. The doctor comes in with a full hazmat suit.. They document all of my symptoms

Now I am seriously terrified for my life right now. Do I have a case here for the violation of our 4th amendment, emotional distress, unnecessary use of force, etc.?
Topic:
Constitution

Answer:
 The median incubation period for COVID-19 is approximately 5 days. The chances of you getting sick from an exposure within 4 hours are slim to none. If you have it, you got it somewhere else.Answer #2: You inserted yourself into a situation that didn't involve you, and it's at least arguable that you interfered with the police.  Your civil rights weren't violated.

There's no chance you went from coronavirus exposure to symptoms in four hours.  The average incubation period is 3-7 days, with 2 days on the low end and 14 on the high end.


Title: Speeding ticket on military base as a civilian

Question: As the title states, I received a $180 speeding ticket on a military base as a civilian, is there any way I can get out of paying this ticket? Do I need to go to court to contest it? Since this is a federal offense, will I receive points on my license as a civilian? Any advice helps, thanks!

Answer: Were you speeding?


Title: [CA] In SF friend was involuntarily committed and was footed with the bill. What can they do?

Question:
First off this is in San Francisco California.  Also this is a post about my friend so i only know what they told me and this is more of a "what is the first step" of "is there even a place to stand" and not asking for too many specifics.  So, here it is.

To start my friend has been having troubles with depression etc and has been cutting.  What happened a few weeks ago was while outside someone called the cops on them for acting strangely.  The cops apparently grabbed them without identifying themselves and they initially fought back not knowing they were police.  They were brought to a hospital and had tests run against their will.  Eventually they were released and later got a bill for almost $10k from the hospital.  They've been having panic attacks in the last few weeks because of 1. being physically taken, strapped down and having needles poked into them.  and 2. having a huge bill for something they didn't want or need done against their will.

The 1st there's nothing to really do for i'm sure.  Cops can restrain people, they can bring them to a hospital.  Good thing they weren't charged with anything for fighting back.  The question i have is what can be done about the bill?  Is there anything that can be done?  Can she  be billed that ridiculous amount for being involuntarily committed for testing?

Sorry for the lack of info etc i'm just trying to find solutions to help anywhere i can.  Thanks for any help you guys can offer.

Answer:
 Your friends were given treatment and they are legally liable for those costs.

Do they have any insurance? Are they low income?


Title: [IL] Adopted a dog 4 months ago, owners found me and want dog back

Question:
Hi everyone,

This is the first time I've dealt with anything like this and I'm a little shaken up from how rude these people were. So a little backstory.

4 months ago I adopted a dog from a rescue. The dog had originally been found as a stray, the person that found the dog posted to sites trying to find the owners, after a week no one claimed the dog and the person who found him could not keep him any longer so they handed him over to animal control and from there, animal control sent the dog to a breed specific rescue after the stray hold days were up.

The owners were obviously never found, the dog was not microchipped and he had no ID tags when he was found. Apparently it seems the owners of the dog have found me over Facebook  ( I run a pet photography business and my dog is my model  ) and sent me a very rude and threatening message that if I don't return the dog to them they will call the police on me and claim I stole their dog.

I don't know what to do in this situation, from what I understand the dog is legally mine. Should I just ignore these people? Tell them to leave me alone?

Answer:
 If you have evidence showing you adopted and now own the dog, you should be fine. However...if they try to actually pursue legal action against you, please do not ignore it. I still feel bad for that one guy who lost his dog to crazy neighbor because he ignored a lawsuit.Answer #2: You have paper work that says you adopted the dog? Ignore them. If they show up call the cops and have them removed from your property. If the cops ask about the dog show them the paperwork. Don't say anything else without a lawyer, just to be safe.

Sounds like their assholes. If they truly cared about the dog they should have microchiped it. Or claimed it before it was adopted.

IanalAnswer #3: Are you sure they're actually right that he was their dog? It doesn't sound like they could have much evidence.Answer #4: Have you micro-chipped the dog?  Answer #5: [You are completely fine.](https://www.animallaw.info/article/overview-lost-dog-laws)  tl:dr stray dogs become property of the state after a set amount of time.  After that time the state can dispose of the dog.  If ACO took the dog rather than just a regular person ACO owned the dog and then transferred ownership to the rescue. Just ignore them.

Like someone said if you get any kind of legal notice about going to court don't ignore that but don't say anything to this woman.  And follow normal forum rules, if the police contact you get a lawyer.


Title: I had very drunk sex with a girl while her friend watched. I just found out that she had a rape kit done the next day. I need help

Question:
A group of friends and i went drinking on Thursday night to a bar where we encountered Lisa and Sara along with a few of their friends, all of us 21-23 in age. We all began drinking and people began to leave until it was just Lisa, Sarah, My friends Camille, her BF, and I. We all went back to my place since i live 10min away from the bar. We kept drinking at my place until Camille and her BF left. It was just Lisa, Sarah, and I. Lisa and i had been flirting all night and by now all of us were incredibly drunk. From what i now know, Lisa and Sarah blacked out. They were still coherent enough to hold a conversation so i didn't know how drunk they really were. Sarah was laying on one couch and Lisa and i were making out in the other. We started to get handsy because we thought that Sarah was passed out. Sarah began to give me oral until Lisa started laughing and making fun of us. Lisa and I decided to just go to my bed, i live in a studio apartment, and have sex. I don't remember much after we got into bed, but i do remember that i ended up prematurely ejaculating inside of Lisa on accident. I then vaguely remembered she said that she was on birth control. I can't remember the rest of the night.

The next day i woke up when they shut the door on their way out. I then began to text Lisa

Me - "I'm sorry about cumming inside you, you said you were on BC right"

Lisa - "yea"

Me - "Do you need money for plan b just incase"

Lisa - "I am on my way to take care of that"

Me - "OK, last night was pretty fun"

Lisa - "maybe for you"

Me - "haha ok"

This is when i got a bit mad because i thought that she was making fun of me for cuming too fast.

A today i got a call from my sister, who is friends with Sarah, and she asked me about Thursday night. I briefly told her what happened, she then told me that Sarah said that i raped Lisa. I was both angry and scared at the allegations. I asked her to tell me more about what happened and she told me that Friday morning Lisa and Sarah went and got a rape kit done and that Lisa is now taking a bunch of pills everyday to combat any STD's that she could have gotten. I then went into explicit detail about everything that happened that night to clear up my story.

At this moment i have no idea what to do. I plan on calling Lisa and Sarah and ask them exactly what happened that night to make them think that i raped her.

What exactly should i do now? I don't want to do anything that might incriminate me, but i don't want to stand here and wait until i hear from someone.

Please help

Answer:
 > i ended up prematurely ejaculating

Happens to the best of us, buddy.

> i thought that she was making fun of me for cuming too fast.

She was.

On a serious note.

> I plan on calling Lisa and Sarah and ask them exactly what happened that night to make them think that i raped her.

Absolutely do not do that.  You need to shut up and not talk to anyone.

> What exactly should i do now?

You should not talk to them, and talk to an attorney if the police contact you.

I have no idea how likely it is what they will.  No idea if they're just fucking with you, or if they really think it was rape.  Speculating is irresponsible.  What is important is you keeping your mouth shut and not speaking to police if it comes to that.

Answer #2: Sometimes it's nice to be a boring single guy entering late 30s.

Good luck, young man...Answer #3: Do not talk to the girls or anyone else about this, including your sister. Hire a criminal defense attorney as soon as possible.


Title: Age of consent in Alabana

Question: So my gf is a bit younger than I am, her being 17 and I just turned 20 last month. The age of consent in my state is 16. So are we legally allowed to have sex or what?

Answer:
 Yes you can legally have consensual sex with her in Alabana.

Her parents can forbid y'all from seeing each other if they wanted to though.


Title: Pregnant, considering divorce and moving back home

Question:
Thanks ahead of time for reading this.

I am 9 months married and about to enter the 3rd trimester of pregnancy. I moved to Kentucky, my husbands home state, while we were engaged. It is currently where I reside. My husband is physically and emotionally abusive and I am heavily considering moving back home to South Carolina. My support system is there (family, church friends, etc).

We are currently in counseling and I honestly believe that my husband is incapable of change. I believe he is deeply disturbed. See my previous posts in r/marriage and r/christianity for a little background.

My question is: what are the legal stipulations if I make this move back home before the baby is born and file for divorce while my husband still lives here? What will visitation probably look like? I filed a police report on him in December for physical abuse, don't know if that will "help" my case or what.

I feel under the gun of Father Time. Any help is SO much appreciated. Please let me know if I can clarify anything.

Answer: Right now you're free to go. It's not his baby.... yet. Visitation is anyones guess right now. There's a ton of factors involved and if you two can't come to an agreement amongst yourselves, a judge will decide. That police report could come in very handy down the line if you enter a court room. Was he actually charged? Convicted?


Title: [TX] Can I call the police if my roommate locks me out of the apartment?

Question:
First of all, the rooms are individually leased so we both have a lease.

We both have a key to the front door, but the inside of the door has a deadbolt with no way to unlock it from the outside.

I got back and found that the deadbolt was locked and spent about twenty minutes banging on the door. The ONLY way that lock could be engaged is if she was already in the apartment. I proceeded to use a relay service (I'm deaf) to call her cell phone about a dozen times. Around the 5th time it started going straight to voicemail, meaning she turned calling off on her phone. Meaning she was awake and knew I was at the door and was actively ignoring me.

My mom was in the car with me and eventually just got her number and texted her. She unlocked it only after my mom texted her, meaning she was very obviously going to leave me stranded outside in 30 degree weather with no means of transportation (I don't have a car here, I take public transit and the buses aren't running at 1AM)

My question is - can I call the cops on her if this happens again? Is this illegal and is there anything she could be charged with?

I'm severely disabled, but I look relatively normal. She's been belligerent and patronizing, and eventually I just had to err on the side of being a complete bitch any time she talked to me to get it to stop. She doesn't think I'm actually as sick as I've told her I am (which, I look like a normal 20 year old. I have brain and spinal tumors) - all of this is just social issues, but I've already talked to the front office about it and they were willing to find me a new room, but the apartment I'm currently in is the only ADA compliant room available. Is there any way someone creating an extremely hostile environment and showing dangerous behavior (not taking me seriously regarding my disabilities and locking me outside in 30 degree weather and then ignoring me when I was trying to get in) could be moved rather than me.

As in, is there any legal way they could move her since I need the ADA compliant room and her behavior has been insane.

What can I do to get her to move, because I not only can't, but shouldn't have to considering there are not other ADA compliant rooms available.

I don't feel safe rooming with her, and the stress is actively making my health worse. I really need help but I'm not sure what to do and I don't think I CAN do anything and feel hopeless.

Also, as far as the lock goes - I'm deaf and if I were to use the lock no one would be able to get in. I wouldn't know someone was at the door, and if I were asleep or something I wouldn't see my phone going off. Is there legally anything I can do about the lock? It's REALLY not fair that she can use something that I absolutely can't despite us residing in the same apartment.

Answer:
 Next time, call the landlord. Your landlord isn't there to mediate disputes, but if you can't gain access to your home, it's ultimately your landlord's obligation to provide an extra key or to unlock the door. Refusing to do so could be construed as a self-help eviction, which is a real nightmare for a landlord at the best of times.

If that doesn't produce results, call the police, then call a locksmith.
Answer #2: What did she say once you finally got inside? Talk to the landlord about this incident and see about her being moved since you need the ADA compliant apartment.  Document any other things she does. Answer #3: Not legal advice but have you tried getting the roommate to switch apartments? She could move to a non ADA apartment and be done with you


Title: Seller demanded more money after purchases were completed, is this legal?

Question:
A friend of mine bought some items at the grocery, and after the fact the store manager came to tell him that the items were discounted on accident by the employee and that he needed to pay up. They threatened to take legal action and he ended up paying the extra money. They told him that he should know better, that something was cheaper and should have been suspicious and made sure the cashier charged the right amount. Was it right for them to do this? [California]

Edit/Update: So he met with a representative of corp. today, and they basically admitted they had no evidence he did anything wrong, so they won't bother him any further...he's not getting his money back unfortunately, but at least it's resolved now. Thanks for the advice for those who answered. :)

Answer:
 No, it wasn't right for them to do that, but your friend probably saved himself a lot of hassle by just paying up.

I would suggest he contact the store's corporate office and formally register a complaint. It is highly likely they will give him a bucket full of coupons for his trouble.Answer #2: Define "after the fact."  The usual rule is that until he leaves the store if they discover a genuine error they can unwind it.  Once he has left the store, they don't have that option.

I agree that the correct answer is to contact corporate and let them know that this is inappropriate & ask them to fix it.


Title: (AZ) Divorce Decree directing Mortgage Lender to remove one spouse from loan documents?

Question:
Can a divorce decree order a third party mortgage lender to remove one spouse from loan documents?

Is there any way to accomplish this without going through the hassle and expense of refinancing the loan?

Answer: No, a divorce decree can't order that. If the mortgage lender won't voluntarily agree to do that (which I doubt they will), you'll have to refinance.


Title: Will my friend get fired

Question: I have a friend who works at U.S post office in California. He recently delivered mail to a person that his girl cousin has been looking for. The person is the father of her kids she’s been trying to get ahold of for child support reasons. Well, my friend took a picture of the mail with his name and address on it and sent her the picture. Later that day she shows up to the mailing address and let’s her child’s father know how she found him. He threaten to call the post office and report him. The picture did not include his face, just the mail. Should he be worried about being fired?

Answer:
 It violates postal regulations for an employee to record the data on the outside of any piece of mail except in limited circumstances.

 [https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/39/233.3](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/39/233.3) Answer #2: Probably, that was ludicrously unprofessional and an abuse of his position.


Title: House built 3 years ago is full of mold (including black mold).

Question:
This is not my house, but my sister's and brother in law.

They bought a house built brand new by Toll Brothers for around $1 million in a housing development in Florida.  They found black mold in their daughter's bedroom after their family started getting sick.  Since then they have found mold in 75% of the house and even last week they found it in between the floors as well (was just in the outer walls but is spreading rapidly).  They have spent over $600K so far repairing the house, mold tests, attorney fees, and renting an apartment.  Attorney claims they won't get anywhere near what they have put into repairing it plus they now don't feel safe living in the house at all.  He also claims the developer has a tight contract that prevents them from being sued and they would have to go after each contractor with a lawsuit.  The second biggest issue is that there are atleast 10 other houses that have the same issues which toll brothers claims to be "repairing" though it seems they are just removing the obvious spots and ignoring the rest of what is behind the wall.  My sister's family is using an outside company due to this reason for all testing and repairs.

My question is, what are their legal options in florida?  The contractors will most likely never pay and declare bankruptcy, and even though toll brothers has known about these issues they are still building in the development without doing anything to prevent mold in.  Can they sue for the price of the house, money they've spent repairing it, items inside the house that aren't safe to use now, plus pain and suffering?  Attorney won't even accept phone calls and said that they will only speak when he calls, so I think he is just being lazy af and not doing proper research (he is paid hourly)

Answer: What is causing the mold? How do you know it's *the* black mold? Do you have a conclusive link between illness and this mold?


Title: What are the policies regarding medical records amendment?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > Can a physician change my diagnosis from ADHD to shift-work-sleep disorder on my medical records to justify the controlled substance I am taking?

That would be falsifying a medical record, which is unlawful. Not to mention it would look awful suspicious because ADHD medications are not FDA approved for shift work sleep disorder.

If you have a prescription for the medicine you're taking, there's no concern from a clearance standpoint.


Title: Employer had me go to ER, stuck with bill? [Kentucky]

Question:
While working as a housekeeper at a private country club, I got Tilex in my eyes. Before this incident, we were not provided with eye safety goggles, though a request had been made about masks of some sort because of the smell.

I flushed them out and immediately sought out my general manager, who had me flush them out again before sending me to the emergency room down the road. I was in and out in 20 minutes with a prescription for eye drops. I didn't actually receive any medical treatment, just was told by someone in scrubs that I did what they were gonna do and was sent home.

My general manager only gave me the incident report that she filled out about what happened and her card with information on it to take with. While I was at the ER, I told them it was a work related incident and to contact my employer. I received a bill for a little over $500 and promptly handed it to my general manager. I have now received another for a lowered amount, $267. When I received the bill for $267, I sent it to my employer with a note asking what we needed to do to take care of this and haven't heard anything.

I no longer work there because I accepted a position for an internship in another city. What legal obligation do I have to pay the remainder? I don't want it to go to collections, but I don't feel responsible for paying it, either. If it had been up to me, I wouldn't have gone to the ER at all. What is the best course of action?

TD;LR: got Tilex in eyes at work, boss sent me to ER, stuck with bill.

Answer: You may have to pay the remainder and sue them for reimbursement.


Title: Had to cancel a booking for air travel now I cannot get my $500 back.

Question:
Hello.  I recently booked air travel thru Cheapotickets.com on a Frontier airlines flight.  It cost me $240 per ticket for 2 people, me and my girlfriend.  Well my GF broke her leg yesterday, so we will not be able to go on our trip any longer.  I am being told by cheapotickets.com customer service that I am not able to get a refund!  Is there any advice, is there a standard letter I can send them requesting a refund.  $500 is a huge deal to me and I have to find a way to get it refunded.  I did charge the tickets to my AMEX, could AMEX help me in any way?  Thanks for any advice.  I am in OKC

edit location

Answer:
 Have you tried contacting the airline? I don't know the law of this, but when it happened to me, I was told that I can't get a refund but I can get a credit for the value of the flight for travel at a later date. Answer #2: > I am being told by cheapotickets.com customer service that I am not able to get a refund!

Did they offer a refund when you signed up?

If their policy says "Sales are final", then sales are final.


Title: (FL) I’ve overpaid my rent but landlord won’t acknowledge it

Question:
Over the course of my three year tenancy, I’ve had several instances where I’ve overpaid my rent. I rent privately (though with a written contract lease) from a couple who wants for my rent to be paid on the first of every month. A few times, I paid my rent a few days before the first of the month, but they’d call me and tell me that I had to make a new payment on the first for record keeping. I also initially had a roommate and we had leases for our individual halves of the lease, but then my roommate moved out because of non-payment and I signed a new lease for the full amount of the rental unit. To date, I’ve overpaid the equivalent of 2.5 months of the full lease amount. I contacted my landlord and asked that the overpayment be applied as a rent credit for the upcoming months, but both the husband and wife refused and said that if I don’t continue making new, full payments every month then I will be evicted. They also told me that they used my overpayment amount to pay my former roommate’s non-payment (which I never authorized and my lease for the time shared with the roommate only states half of the rent amount and no responsibility to pay on behalf of the other tenant.) In addition to all of this, the unit I am in has water damage that has resulted in literal holes in the ceiling, mold/mildew growth on several walls due to humidity, exterior doors that are not properly sealed, a literal vine growing through a ceiling, a history of rodents and carpenter ants, a broken dishwasher/garbage disposal which I have been begging my landlord to fix for two years, and an inappropriately small heating unit so that my home does not heat above 62 degrees in the winter (my landlord told me to purchase space heaters as a solution.) The benefits to my home are that I live in the heart of downtown, my rent is low for the area, and I have approximately 1100 sq ft over two bedrooms, an office, living room, dining room, kitchen and jacuzzi bathtub. Additionally, my landlord keeps threatening to evict me for non-payment (or non-new-payment) over text messages and email, despite my pleas with him to send me a certified letter with official intent of action. Also, Florida forbids official correspondence/action on weekends, federal holidays & the middle of the night, which seem to be the only times my landlord chooses to contact me (for example, this past weekend he sent me a text message at 7pm Friday telling me that I had 48 hours to make a new payment in cash - even though my lease states check or electronic bank transfer - directly to his home or I’d be evicted, and then on Saturday night he told me that he had decided to shorten the time frame to 42 hours.)

TLDR: FL - I’ve overpaid rent, landlord apparently applied it to another tenant, wants for me to make new payments every month or be evicted

Answer: Do you have proof of all the payments you've made?


Title: [VA] A co-worker was fired over something I accused her of doing but did not witness entirely, she's threatening to sue the company, what do I do?

Question:
The long story short here is:

&#x200B;

A co-worker I met during my training weeks for my current position with a retail company got into a verbal discussion with me over policy during week 1 of my training. She confronted me after the altercation alongside her mother (She's 19), and told me she didn't appreciate me talking to her about policy in front of customers. She said it embarrassed her. I apologized for embarrassing her, but informed her it was my actual job to do that. We parted ways and never had any more issues leading up from that moment, until yesterday (8/27/18), when she was in my store asking the store manager for a position to transfer to as she'd be going to school in the area and would find it more location-convenient. During this period, I saw her mother, who I offered customer service to politely, who then responded "Do I fucking look like I need help?" I replied saying "no ma'am, have a nice day". She replied back "you have a nice day too" with a flat tone of voice.

&#x200B;

The mother left the building before the daughter, and seemed to go to her vehicle which was parked behind mine. The co-worker left shortly after, during her exit I wished her a nice day as well. She ignored me and carried on into the parking lot. Now, maybe 5 minutes later, I saw the girl walking away from my vehicle, but did not witness anything else, after they left the parking-lot in their car, I went out to inspect my car, and found a sticky liquid had soaked the entire driver's side rear and front of the car. I did not witness anything but put two-and-two together and assumed she had dumped a soda on my car. Following this, I informed the store manager, who then went out with me to see the splash on the car. After that she (the store manager) called the District Manager, and as far as I know, informed someone somewhere to terminate the employee. This is where the matter leaves my hands. Following this, no one did an investigation, I took my car to a carwash and got all the liquid off, no damage to the paint or clear coat, so no police report. I checked cameras for my own sake and saw that there was no footage what so ever of the incident, my vehicle can't even be seen on camera. However, the employee was infact terminated and is now threatening to sue the company.

&#x200B;

This all because of a statement I made under an assumption of hostility towards me.

&#x200B;

The DM has asked me to make a statement, but I'm wondering if I should expect some kind of litigation or civil suit against me over all this, or outright termination of my employment.

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

Answer: As an at-will employee she has no winnable case against the company. She may have a defamation case against you depending on what you said. If you presented something as absolute fact that was mere conjecture you could be in trouble.


Title: How do I prove sexual assault at workplace wherein no physical contact is involved

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If there was no physical contact, it wasn't sexual assault. Though I've no idea about the specific laws in India so your mileage may vary.


Title: Under what circumstances can I legally assault someone?

Question: There is this guy I know who I would like to fist fight. We live in Louisiana. If I challenge him to a physical fight and he agrees or gives me consent, does that mean I can harm him with no repercussion? I am sure there are exceptions, such as if one of us dies (hopefully not). Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer: You can do it in a sanctioned arena with a liscenced martial combat referee, with appropriate safety equipment and adherence to the referees rules. Answer #2: If you hurt him and his insurance has to pay medical bills they will almost certainly sue you no matter what you agreed to.


Title: [US] Arcade games

Question: I want to build an arcade cabinet and put it in an arcade. The cabinet would play arcade style indie games. If I buy the games, can I legally charge people to play them?

Answer: It entirely depends on the licensing terms of each game.  But I'd wager the answer to this would be no in almost all cases.


Title: [UPDATE][US][TX]My employer is refusing to pay me for hours worked even though I clocked in/out because I didn't select my pay rate correctly in the computer.

Question:
[Original post here](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/4ond2s/ustxmy_employer_is_refusing_to_pay_me_for_hours/)

So, I spoke to him. I told him that I wanted to submit an amended time card and he said that we don't use time cards, we use the computer.

...*Okay*

I told him that he knows what I meant and I would like to correct my pay to properly reflect my hours worked by submitting something which reflects what the time I spend working there was worth.

He laughed and said that in his opinion, what I had done over my past two weeks working there was only worth what the computer said I should get paid so I should just not worry about it and move on. "Once you've been here long enough, you'll learn how things work around here."

I lost it at this point and said that he would either pay me what I was owed or I would submit a wage claim to the Department of Labor (and I also bullshitted a little about fines he could face and how it could kill his business, etc. just to flare it up because I was mad and cause of adrenaline).

Then he stared at me silent for a while, I guess until he thought of something to say, and said some bullshit about how he likes that I stand up for myself and I'm exactly the kind of person he wants here and something along the lines of, "I always say that strong people get rewarded strongly, so I'm going to bump you up to 8.50/hr from now on, how does that feel?"

I said thank you, but can we first get my check fixed? He printed me a new check (didn't take the old one which I had in my hand) and then sent me on my way. Did he just bribe me? Can only people in positions of power be bribed? I have no intentions of cashing the old check and I am strongly considering quitting. What the hell should I do now?

(I won't post another update thread with my decision, I'll just post an edit here, so come check back with this one in a few days when I decide what to do)

Answer:
First, this is important. Cash the current and correct check. Do NOT cash the first one. Keep it for evidence.
One of two things has happened here:
Either he's genuinely trying to bribe you to make this go away, or he's trying to keep you placated long enough to make you go away because he can't have an employee who knows their rights hanging around. I personally am a paranoid fuck and would assume it's the later; correspondingly, I would begin documenting the shit out of everything involving this situation and the job itself, while polishing up my resume.

repost because I can't keep track of which f'n sub I'm on anymoreAnswer #2: Whatever you do, do not cash both checks, cash the one with the correct pay.

And I am paranoid about this dude, he seems very shady, I would understand if you would quit, also possibly take pictures of the checks. And keep the first one somewhere safe just incase.

Also please update us on this matter.Answer #3: He's your employer and he gave you a raise. I have no idea why you think this was a bribe.

Was the second check what the first should have been or just the difference (amount you were missing on the first cheque)? You are only entitled to the money you have earned.


Title: Problem with Apple

Question:
Hi everybody. I'm from London, England but I currently live in Eastern Europe for work and study. I'm a photographer and have come across some problems with Apple.

I purchased a Macbook Pro about 3-4 years ago in London. A few months ago my screen began to glitch and it turned out some air entered my screen. I gave my Macbook Pro to my father who was returning to London so he can send it to the Apple store. He set up a meeting with them through my apple id and when he went there one of the employees said that they can repair my screen for free and can be collected within a week. I told my dad to specifically ask them if any of my information would be deleted and they said no because it is just a screen replacement.

After a week my father (who is not tech savvy) went to the Apple store and picked up the Macbook. I paid for my mother's airline tickets to bring it to me because I had deadlines and work to complete on the laptop. She arrived two days ago and when I got the laptop ai was surprised. It turns out they gave me someone elses laptop, and I have no idea where mine is (with all of my information and over 3 years of my work and invoices).

Today I received a call from a senior advisor who asked me what happened exactly. As I explained, I sensed that the information got him pretty stressed and realised this may have been a huge error on their part. He told me another advisor from the apple store will call me on Tuesday so we can sort out this situation.

During this period, i've lost two clients for weddings I was supposed to shoot, and alot of money on plane tickets. Not to mention the stress and problems that have come with it. I currently have someone elses laptop here and I have no idea where to go or where I stand when they eventually do call me.

Any advice would be welcome.

Answer: Since this occurred in the UK, /r/legaladviceUK might be better, but in general I expect Apple owes you the return of your laptop, and _might_ owe you compensation if you wind up losing data, but isn't liable for anything beyond that.


Title: [NY/NJ] Drinking alcohol on a recreational school bus

Question:
Hello,

I will be renting a school bus for an event in the near future and am looking at the legality of passengers drinking beer on a rented school bus.

We will be leaving NYC and traveling into New Jersey for the day.

A fully licensed bus driver will be operating the vehicle and will not be consuming alcohol on the bus.

I am pretty sure the busses are licensed as school buses, but the event is 100% not school related. Simply adults renting a school bus for a day trip.

Thanks,

bring_dem

Answer:
 Your best bet is simply to contact the company you are renting through and ask.  They will know, and even if it is legal they may have a policy against it.

I will say that I know it is legal in my state, but can't tell you for NY and Jersey.


Title: they poked my cat, my cat scratched their hand. can they sue me?

Question:
I had someone I know in my house for a little while, my cat was sitting on an unused chair nearby then the person poked my cat who naturally swatted at their hand and lightly scratched them (didn't draw any blood though).

My question is does this person have any right to sue me for anything? (my wife is worried and there isn't much info online about this).

Thanks

Location, Knoxville, TN, USA.

Answer:
 No. Come on. Tell your wife there's nothing actionable here. What's going to be their case? "Your honor a cat touched me when I messed with it"? Nice.

(edit: I mean, sure they can sue, people can sue for anything... but no, there's nothing to be concerned with other than the mental health of any person who might consider a lawsuit in this instance... and any attorney who might entertain their complaint)Answer #2: If your cat had injured a guest, the guest could sue (and likely win) over medical expenses. Since there was not even a scratch, there will be no expenses and nothing to sue for.Answer #3: IANAL.

Is there any particular reason your wife is worried about being sued? Did the scratchee threaten or imply any kind of action?


Title: CA - Was I wrongfully terminated?

Question:
tl;dr: Was I wrongfully terminated for a no call/no show when my leave had already been approved and no one called me about the problem?

--

In October I was let go for a no call/no show. It happened when I took an approved 2-week long emergency leave and had to fly across the country.

I had originally planned to take just a week-long leave, but I needed to stay longer. My boss approved a second week of PTO. She said I have plenty of hours and to take as much time off as I need to take care of things.

It turns out that, per HR, my boss was only actually able to approve up to two additional days, making it one week and the following Monday and Tuesday. (Boss was new at the time, so I guess that's why she didn't know.)

No one informed me that my PTO was no longer approved, so I continued to take that second week off.

When I got home Sunday, I saw a physical letter* from HR telling me that I was suspended and to call them ASAP due to a no call no show. It also said I would be automatically terminated if I don't call by end of day Friday.

My boss and HR had also emailed me multiple times about the issue. They also set up a meeting for Friday morning. Obviously I missed the meeting because I didn't know about it or that there was even an problem.

Note: Before I left, I told my team and my boss that I will have very limited to access to email and may not even be able to check it at all (this is also stated in my out-of-office email autoreply), so if they need me or there is an emergency they should call or text me. My boss was aware of this and had no problem with it.

No one called or texted me about the PTO problems or the no call/no show. All contact was by email, which my boss knew was not the best way to reach me.

On Monday, I talked to HR and they said unless I had valid reason** for the absence, I was already terminated. Not knowing about the PTO issues and not being reachable by email or snail mail are not valid reasons. They said it was my duty to 1) check if all of my PTO is approved (even though my boss said it was all good and was approved in the system), 2) make sure I have access to email and 3) still check my email every day while on leave (what??).

*The letter was dated the Wednesday I didn't show up for work. If it matters, they didn't even mail it out until that Friday. So, even if I were home I would have already missed the deadline to call them.

**Valid reasons are that I died or am in the hospital in a coma, unconscious or otherwise unable to contact anyone.

(The HR supervisor was being really difficult about it too. First she wouldn't believe me that the letter wasn't sent out the Wednesday of my first no call/no show and said the person who signed for it should have told me and I should have had him open it because it's important. And then she added that in 2016 she was in the hospital, but unable to speak, so she had a family member call in, check her emails, etc., and that even when she was out on bereavement she still logged in every morning, so I had no excuse.)

Thanks in advance for the help!

Answer: You weren't terminated wrongfully in the legal sense but you'll almost certainly qualify for unemployment. Apply, appeal if they deny it.


Title: Friend parked his car in a non-designated spot in my apartment complex, neighbor backs into his car. Friend wants compensation for damages, neighbor claims no responsibility. (South Carolina)

Question:
Background: I live in a fairly busy, crowded apartment complex where parking spaces are at a premium. The residents all have reserved spots, but there are a handful of sought-after visitor spots. My friend came over early in the morning on a Saturday to meet up with me before we went on a hiking trip. Since all the visitor spots are full, he (not condoning his decision) decided to park in front of the dumpster, inventing his own temporary parking spot until we were ready to hit the road.

About 30 minutes after he arrived, we walked to his car to leave and notice the damage with a note on the windshield which read "This is NOT a parking space, call xxx-xxxx-xxxx to resolve the matter". After calling the number, he has a short exchange in which the lady basically lectures him on his poor parking choice, and his resulting karma of receiving body damage to his car that she would not be paying for.

My friend was angry, and decided to call the police. The police come out and talk to both him and the neighbor, and agree that since my friend was parked illegally, the neighbor is not legally responsible for striking his parked vehicle. Is that really the case?

My friend has completely given up (it's only about $400 in cosmetic damage after an estimate), but I feel like he has a case to get it paid for if he were to pursue it. The relationship with the neighbor has been torpedoed over the issue, so I'm not terribly worried about damaging it further.

TL;DR If a person backs into an illegally parked car on private property, who is liable for the damage? I am just operating on the assumption that the police were correct, but it seems like shitty justice to be risking damage to your car whenever it's not correctly parked.

Answer:
 The officer was completely wrong saying that your friend was at fault for the accident by parking illegally.  Your friend's illegal parking did not cause the accident, it was the lady's bad driving that caused the accident.  The lady shouldn't have tried to back out. Period.

File a claim with her insurance company.  Also ask your friend if he has comprehensive auto insurance coverage for property damage.  However, most standard policies will have a deductible. Answer #2: IANAL, and I'm in a totally different area than you (Canada), but when my dumbass coworker backed into a car parked illegally in an alleyway a few weeks ago, insurance agreed it was 100% her fault even though the car behind her was parked illegally. I was under the impression that if you hit something stationary when in your car you are on the hook, no matter where or what the stationary object is doing. I may very well be wrong, but if I were your friend I'd tell my insurance and let them go after her for the repair cost.

I mean, we've had questions on this sub about (for instance) if a car blocks you in, would it be legal to ram it out of the way since it's parked illegally, and I'm fairly certain the consensus is always a no. It just doesn't make any sense for your neighbour not to be legally responsible. However your friend parked should not give her the legal right to damage someone else's property.


Title: Update: I'm Getting Scammed Out Of My San Francisco 49ers Levi's Stadium Rights

Question:
[Original post](http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/29z9du/im_getting_scammed_out_of_my_san_francisco_49ers/)
Hello again /r/legaladvice

Paypal just contacted me not too long ago, and as suspected, they couldn't do anything about the chargeback. I thought I gave them enough evidence that the rights are now in his name, but they weren't able to do anything.

Is my next step small claims? The buyer is now stating that he is only willing to pay me what I placed as a down payment on the tickets, and not the premium, which would have been my profit. The invoice clearly breaks down how much I was selling the rights for, with a breakdown for each the premium and what I paid as my down payment. He originally accepted and paid that invoice, then he filed his charge back saying that he did not receive the rights. I have a copy of the contract saying that the rights are in his name.

Answer:
 > Is my next step small claims?

Yes, but for giggles remind us how much your total damages is? States have small claims max amounts.


Title: Investigation explicitly noted that my race and sex affect the credibility of claims made against me. Is this grounds for a discrimination claim? AZ

Question:
Being investigated by the Dean for a supposed code of conduct violation, evidence is shaky and I was explicitly told by the dean that they "need to take the claim credibly because [my race] [my sex] are proven to be more likely to commit this type of offense".

Is this considered discrimination? It was verbally said to me, so there is no paper trail, and also was not recorded, but I have the date of the occurrence.

If I am given a punishment by the dean, what can I do? Also, if I am not given a punishment, what can I do? Is there any way I can legally make a claim against the dean since the investigation is not public and is not held in a court of law? Would this best be filed in a court of law or with the school's administration?

Answer:
 Here is an organization for you -
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education

They fight the kangaroo courts

"The mission of FIRE is to defend and sustain individual rights at America's colleges and universities. These rights include freedom of speech, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience — the essential qualities of individual liberty and dignity. FIRE's core mission is to protect the unprotected and to educate the public and communities of concerned Americans about the threats to these rights on our campuses and about the means to preserve them."

https://www.thefire.org/


Title: What is considered commercial use for a video game? Is there a precedent set for this?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If money and/or goods are exchanging hands, you are engaging in commerce.


Title: will I get sued using "1up"? for a store name?

Question: If I had "1up" in my store name, will I get sued by Nintendo?

Answer:
 You can always make it look like a 7up logo and get sued by them instead.

/sorry, I had to.


Title: Update II: I'm Getting Scammed Out Of My San Francisco 49ers Levi's Stadium Rights

Question:
Another update, and thanks for the help so far /r/legaladvice. The buyer is only willing to pay me what I paid the San Francisco 49ers. That sum is $3,600, of the original $5,400. The extra $1,800 was supposed to be my profit, which I clearly stated as a premium on the invoice.

He has been sending me messages a few times the last week saying that he is reaching out trying to pay me, and that because I am not replying, I am refusing payment. There is no way that I am taking less than the original price that was agreed.

Now he said "I'm moving back to Idaho next month, so good luck taking me to court".

This guy has caused me nothing, but headaches, and I'm already getting the paperwork started for the small claims case. My biggest worry is that he won't pay if I win the case.

Answer:
 ~~Look, you're not going to like this advice, but take the money and get your tickets back.  That puts you in the position you were in prior to this agreement, which is exactly how contract law remedies are supposed to work.  If you hold out for profit, you're going to lose both the tickets and the actual amount paid.~~

~~If you get your money and the tickets back, then you can simply attempt to sell them again for whatever profit margin you can muster.~~

~~Why drag out an encounter any longer with someone who you admit gives you nothing but headaches.  Right now you have a willing participant in that he's ready to give you money and tickets.  That could change at any day.  Then your headaches will only magnify.~~Answer #2: Get him served quickly if possible. That way he has to come from Idaho back to CA. A little bonus for you. Actually, that could work in your favor. He'd be more likely to no-show and you'd win by default. He obviously won't pay, garnish his wages.


Title: Salaried employee but company is docking me sick pay

Question: I work a full time 50+ hour job. I am salary with benefits. 2 weeks ago everyone in my office got sick but I'm the only one who went to the doctor and had a doctors note to miss 3 days. Everyone else stayed at work spreading infection. My boss is now saying the company was generous and didn't want to dock my pay right before christmas but they are going to dock my pay next paycheck (2 pay periods after I was sick with a doctors note.) Are they legally allowed to do this? They also said "Well when the hurricane hit we still paid you. Some people didn't get paid. Think about that." I have been with the company only 7 months and haven't accrued any sick pay. I thought the benefit to salary was you get paid x amount of money per year no matter what. Please advise UK so pissed.

Answer:
 If you haven’t accrued any sick days, then you didn’t have any to use, and they are allowed to dock your pay.

Being salaried most definitely does not mean that you pay cannot be docked if you don’t go to work. Answer #2: you just said you haven't accrued any sick pay.

getting paid while out sick is what sick pay is.

NC does not have a law requiring employers to offer sick leave. it's generally a pretty poor business policy since it just causes people to come in anyway and get everyone else sick, but it is legal to not pay you for full days in which you dont work. maybe talk to your manager about working from home next timeAnswer #3: > I thought the benefit to salary was you get paid x amount of money per year no matter what

If that was true, most people would skip work whenever possible. Take this as a lesson...watch your contract!Answer #4: Are you classified as exempt or non-exempt? Did you work any hours during the week that you were sick? And lastly, does your employer offer short-term disability?  Generally if you're salary exempt and you work at all during a week, you need to be paid.  [See here for more info](https://smallbusiness.findlaw.com/employment-law-and-human-resources/pay-docking-for-salaried-employees.html).


Title: PA, have to take law into my own hands...

Question: The cops and the "detective" assigned won't do shit! I'm literally carrying out the whole investigation. I know my computer is in a home because of the find my iPhone app. But it's not enough for a search warrant. So my only option is to figure out the identity of the people living there and compare pictures to the surveillance tapes, because that will apparently work for a search warrant. The police won't give me the identities of the address, the white pages aren't bringing anything up, and I've pushed my luck staking out the house trying to get a picture of the guy going into the house because it's in the depths of the hood. Really a scary place and I stick out like the sorest thumb you could ever possibly imagine. There's no registered sex offenders on the block, so I can't see any faces. Is there a source like the sex offender list that shows the faces and history of criminals in general at each house? Can you think of any way I can figure out the names of the house residents? It's genuinely not safe for me to walk down the block to try to see their mail or something. So I'm wondering if there are any other ways to figure it out. Thanks, I'm dying of frustration.

Answer:
 Do you have homeowners/renter insurance that covers theft?

You could hire a private investigator and possibly sue the person for the cost of the computer.

Edit: This is assuming you are talking about your personal surveillance footage

Edit: You could also give the info to the police.  However you probably will not get the police to speed up the investigation.


Title: sister in Rancho Cucamunga, CA, is getting harassed for "fraudulent food stamps;" is this legit?

Question:
My sister has two kids (3 and 5).  She lives with the father, but he's a journeyman and is on the road frequently.  He is pretty negligent and rarely supplies my sister with money to support the kids (negligence in the form of pettiness, as he and my sister had some major fights in the past...probably not relevant, though).  Since my sister was having problems getting money from him, she applied for food stamps and got them, but she noted in the application that the father doesn't live with them (which is certainly a stretch, despite him being on the road constantly).  Recently, a social worker (or something of that nature) visited my sister and left his business card at the house.  She called back and he asked if the father (we'll call him "Ed") lived there, to which she replied "no."  Later, social worker calls Ed (he's out of town at the time) and Ed says that he does live there.  Now the social worker is arguing that my sister may face criminal charges since his income counts as her income, and he makes too much for the eligibility of food stamps my sister had.  My sister and Ed were never married, they don't have a domestic partnership.  I don't believe "common law" is recognized in California (can it be recognized at a county level?).

FWIW, my sister is on probation for a previous, unrelated crime.

Can my sister face criminal charges?  Is it possible for her probation to be prolonged because of this offense?  Finally, is she allowed a public defender in the event this goes to court (despite her not being able to afford an attorney)?

Thanks in advance!

Answer:
 Yes welfare fraud is illegal and she knowingly lied.

She may have violated probation

She may go back to jail

Answer #2: Your sister committed welfare fraud. Shockingly, this is illegal.


Title: My mother has been refusing to let me get my bed, so I went No contact with her. However, my deceased aunt has set up a trust fund in my name, with her in charge. She's the only one who can spend the money, so can I legally make her buy a bed with my trust money? [Virginia, USA]

Question:
Long story short, my mom and I have been fighting for about 2 years now. I've been helping her take of my grandfather who passed away in Feb., so my bed is at his house (now legally her house).

Until recently, she has been setting up dates for me to pick up the bed, only to go back at the last minute for no reason. After 3 times, and 2 years of hell, I sent a no contact request via e-mail.

After this, she is refusing to allow me to pick it up ever. I did pay for around 25% of it, but I was in high school, so I'm not sure if I could fight to get that money back or something?

However, when my aunt passed away a few years ago, she left a trust with me. Due to the fact that my family is basically white trash and I was underage at the time, the trust was set up so that only my mom could spend the money, but she had to document all of it and it all had to be spend it all on me directly. I have documented email where she acknowledges all of this.

However, I know for a fact that shes not going buy the bed unless she legally has too. And I'm not sure if I have that legal authority? How likely is it that I will be able to do that?

Answer:
 No, you have no way of recovering the money for the bed. And you likely have no way of forcing a trustee to buy anything specific, just because you want it. The custodian can't waste the money, or spend it on their own behalf. But unless the trust is set up very strangely, then you don't have the power to override the trustee. Otherwise, what's the point of having one?

If you can prove that she's violating some duty as trustee, there may be a way to challenge her and get a new trustee appointed, or have the funds turned over to you directly. It's unlikely to happen though. Answer #2: Depends on the terms of the trust.  Do you have a copy of the trust document?

> I sent a no contact request via e-mail.

Did you have that request notarized?  No contact requests are never official unless notarized.


Title: City ripped out the middle of our landscaping claiming a violation for a water access we didn't even know was there. Is there anything we can do? (NC)

Question:
A couple months ago, we received a warning letter that said that our landscaping was blocking a city water access and that their rules required 5 feet clearance on all sides. The warning included a picture of the front plot of landscaping at my house, a group of 3 large hedge-like bushes and some smaller ground cover. The landscaping has been there since I bought the house 6 years ago.

On the side of those bushes is one of those green electrical boxes, we though maybe the bushes had overgrown it so we trimmed them back so that it could be accessed. We thought nothing of it and received no other warnings so we thought we were good. Today we were pulling out of our driveway and it looks like lightning struck that spot. Presumably the city very crudely ripped out the middle of the bushes and left rough stumps and broken branches all around it. It looks awful and my HOA will surely file a complaint. In the middle of their clearing is a ground level white port that we didn't even know was there, it's never been accessible and no one contacted us to tell us what to look for. It's about two feet from the electrical box we cleared, it was not visible at all. Note that they did not clear it to their own spec, there's only about a foot of clearance where they ripped out just the exact center of our landscaping and not the whole bush.

I expect I'll get a bill next, and potentially a fine from my HOA. Do I have any recourse? Should I as a homeowner have known that the access was there? How would I even find out? No one even rang our doorbell or anything to tell us what was happening, we never got to speak to anyone. We were planning to have a realtor out to see our house in two weeks to put it up for sale, but now won't be able to due to this mess.

I'm in Raleigh, North Carolina and live on a private road, for what it's worth.

Answer: Look at your deed. There is almost certainly an easement


Title: My friend's child had multiple seizures tonight. Potentially the result of bullying. ER told her stay home.

Question:
Sorry if the title is too long. Yesterday my friend picked her child, a six year old boy, up from school early being told he had hit his head on the bathroom door and had a concussion. She took him to the doctor and a scan was done then they were released and she was told that he was fine but today he comes home and complains that the bullies he had previously complained about on the bus saw the scar on his head and amused themselves by hitting him there multiple times. Tonight he had multiple seizures. In between the seizures he was unable to accurately answer simple questions. He would give answers inappropriate to the questions given. I have three problems with what I've been told in regards to the situation.

-is the school responsible and in what capacity for the bullying and potentially resultant injury?

-the ER told her when she called that her child is probably just cold and is not having a seizure because the scan yesterday had found nothing wrong... Can they do that?

-the child's father was at the house and witnessed the event but is leaving on a conference trip of some sort regardless before she can get his son to the doctor in the morning despite being asked for help and guidance. Does that damage his case for being allowed visitation or any custody case during their divorce?

I humbly apologize for being so specific. I read the sticky but I just have not the slightest clue what she can do. I'm worried for her and told her there must be some legal grounds for pressing all three issues but unfortunately, I am just a plebian. It's 4:30 am here so I can't really do anything but this.

EDIT: Washington, USA

UPDATE: A long day at work and some phone calls later: He saw a doctor this morning and was monitored by his mother for a few hours. Hourly reports were made to his doctor and he was determined to be fine. Speech is back to normal. The principal has been notified of the issue and has moved to suspend the other children involved given their records. He was taken to school late and didn't ride the bus at all today.

I know very little of what has been said here concerned legal matters but I appreciate everyone's concern and input. Thank you all. :)

Answer:
 I'm sorry, this sounds super stressful.

Unless the school was aware of the bullying they are not likely to be responsible for it.

Unless the ER misdiagnosed in an obvious way, they are not likely to be committing malpractice.

Having a business trip doesn't damage your case for custody or visitation.

Your friend should take the child to the ER or a doctor and have a new scan done.  I'm not quite sure how she described the seizure if they say it's just that he is cold.  That seems very odd.


Title: Can I sell hoodies with quotes from Marvel movies printed on them?

Question: Or would that be illegal because of copyright

Answer:
 Sure! Just get a license from Disney to use their intellectual property and you're good to go.

The more practical question is can you afford to defend a claim from Disney, either right or wrong?


Title: Wedding in Canada. Fiancé has a 10+ yr old possession charge. Arizona charges, living in Colorado, visiting Canada.

Question:
In 2002 my fiance completed his sentence  (a rehab program and paid court fees) for possession of less than one oz of Marijuana in Arizona.

We live in Colorado.  We have our wedding booked for July 2 2016 in Saskatchewan Canada, we will be returning to Colorado immediately after.

It's been ten years so he can just show up at the border and plead his case... but that's no good days before our wedding unless we are pretty darn sure he will be allowed in.  I've read of lots of people being denied.

He can apply for criminal rehabilitation aka a "record of suspension". My googling tells me that can take two years.

If we need to charge the location we need to do it... three months ago aka NOW.  So guys. .. can he enter Canada?  How do I confirm that? What's our next steps?

In short,  what's it look like?  I'm recinding invitations and we're changing the location aren't we?

Answer: Change the location. There's no requirement for him to be allowed across.


Title: Leaving home at the age of 19

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Yes, he is a legal adult and is free to leave whenever he wants to.Answer #2: If he doesn't want to leave you can't make him.

A "missing persons" report will end with the police talking to him and telling Mom that they found him and he's fine and not missing anymore.


Title: Property Damage Case

Question:
I'm am currently renting a room in an apartment complex in San Francisco that houses about 15 people.  There is a single communal area with both a washer and dryer.  One of my fellow tenants left their clothes unattended in the machines for ~24hrs.  I decided to take action and move the clothes to 2 clean, empty bins that were right beside the machine and left a note with my name and contact number if they would like to speak about the situation.

The tenant is trying to claim that I damaged his clothes and sent me a picture of a receipt with about $84 worth of clothing that he claimed I damaged.  He is demanding reimbursement prior to even discussing the matter or taking it to court to let a judge decide the terms.  He threw out all of the clothes himself and therefore can't even prove for his case that I even damaged them at all, nor can he prove which articles of clothing were actually necessary for reimbursement.

Where do I stand in this case?  He basically threatened he would take me to court if I didn't reimburse the cost of what he decided for himself was damaged. Would his demand of a reimbursement be a form of extortion?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, and I hope this situation makes sense. Please ask me questions if I need to clarify anything.

Answer:
 Since it's his word against yours and he conveniently threw away the evidence - I'd tell him to sue.  And in small claims court, please mention that the only reason your neighbor knew your name is because you left a note.

It would be reasonable to assume that a person who damaged the clothes would not leave a note and since your neighbor left his clothes unattended for 24+ hours, damage could have been done by anyone with access to the laundry room or the neighbor's clothes could have been damaged from the start and that's why he left them in the laundry room.

Whatever you do-  don't pay him and for heaven's sake, don't leave your own clothes in that laundry room unattended. You might also ask around to see if anyone else has had problems with that yahoo or if he's just being a jackhole to you.