Title: NYC - Is my lease valid if my landlord refuses to give me a copy?

Question:
I moved into my apartment in September and when I was handed the lease I was told I'd receive a copy of the executed lease.

I've followed up with the landlord, his assistant, and the super over a dozen times asking for my copy.

After moving in I found I don't have control of the heat or hot water and take cold showers almost every day and had to buy a space heater for the few recent cold nights.   I don't have a mailbox key so I can't receive mail and that's already cost me a 3-day weekend to make a trip back to NC to renew my license and registration.

I've told my landlord but he completely ignores anything I ask, even if it's a 3 question email he'll respond answering everything but my questions about the lease and heat/water.

I'm nervous that he's holding the lease to leverage the ability to kick me out, or call the police for trespassing, with-out worrying about me showing I had a lease, if I ever hold rent for no heat or hot water.

I know some states have laws about contracts becoming invalid if each party doesn't get a copy and some more pertaining to landlord/tenant leases.  But I can't find anything specific to NYC.

I'm trying to settle this before December.  Either I get a copy of the lease so I can hold my landlord to what was agreed or I want out of it this month.

Is this a reasonable 'demand'?

Answer:
 this is a common LL's trick. in the extremely unlikely event that you ever went to court with LL and he was compelled by the judge to prove that there was a lease at all, it would
magically appear.

until then it suits him to ignore you.

there is absolutely no way he could claim that you were a
trespasser to the police.

but your heat and hot water are entitlements under various laws and don't really depend on the lease.  you can call 311 and get an inspector over there to check the temps.  the rule in NYC is 'a temperature safe for bathing.'  and regular heating temps are...idk. 68° or something.

the mail key...i think you just have to be able to receive mail. HPD inspector may be able to cite him over that too, not sure. if not, there is really no practical way to force LL to give you a mail key.  or maybe the postmaster will take action. not sure.


Title: Our house was broken into by the previous owners and our locks changed without our knowledge

Question:
So my boyfriend and I purchased a house, which was sold to us by property developers. They had previously bought the house at auction from a large London based housing association. Even though the house is legally in our name and the housing association hasn’t owned the property since at least November last year they still have the property listed in their system - we know this because they’ve sent us letters demanding access to carry out a gas inspection.  We rung them and sent them an email informing them that the property had been sold to us, and they assured us they will remove the property from their system.

However, when we went to visit the property last weekend (it’s not habitable so we’re trying to repair it before we move in) we discovered that the locks had been changed. We called the housing association and they denied that it was them. We managed to gain access through the back entrance (by climbing over the neighbour’s  fence) and found a letter from the housing association saying that they broke in to complete a gas inspection, and changed the locks. We needed to arrange to collect the keys from them.

So here’s the issue - the property legally belongs to my boyfriend and I. What took place was breaking and entering, and should have never have happened. We’ve emailed the ceo of the company a week ago, and were curtly told the they’d look into it - we haven’t heard anything since.

We’d like to take it further as at the very least we feel they should pay to replace the locks and repair the damage to the door. We’ve been to the police, but they say it’s a civil matter and they can’t help us. Is there anything I can do? I feel so helpless, especially as this could happen again.

Answer:
 Contact the police, they screwed themselves by leaving a letter admitting to breaking in and changing the locks.Answer #2: I would either hire a real estate attorney to draft a demand letter, or just go ahead and sue them in small claims court for the cost of replacing the locks. Either should get enough of their attention to follow up with removing your property from their books.

&#x200B;

I'd also do a double check with your title insurance company that their interest in the property was properly severed.Answer #3: Is this London in Ohio in USA, London in Ontario in CA, London in the UK, or another London?  The responses you are seeing may or may not be correct, depending on which country and state/province/county you are in.Answer #4: Where are you located, OP? If you are in the UK, try r/legaladviceUKAnswer #5: Actually breaking and entering is a criminal offense and not a civil matter, the police you spoke to are wrong. Go in and report a breaking and entering claim. Roughly when it possibly happened etc. Property doesn't have to be stolen for a claim to be made, and the letter is an admission of guilt.Answer #6: Please post in /r/legaladviceUKAnswer #7: I’ve done a lot of small claim cases personally. Sure you will win the cost to rekey the locks. However if you hire a attorney they can also file all the complaints to the appropriate government agency’s that handle bad business practices ect. The attorney fees should be paid for by the ones that broke into the house. Wouldn’t hurt to call around and talk to a few attorneys to see if they will do it on contingency as it’s pretty much a win already.Answer #8: Please clarify what country you're in.


Title: Got rear ended at a stop light. My car is unscathed, the guy who rear ended me has a messed up front bumper. He scoffed at me for not wanting to take action. I felt threatened. Will I face any charges? What should I have done?

Question:
It was around 1:30AM. He hit me. We pull over, he gets out and is angry at me about his car.

I tell him, my car is fine. It's late, I'm sorry, I'm leaving. He asked me what I wanted to do.

I reply, nothing because my car is fine and you hit me.
He scoffs and I drive away.

I felt threatened. There was nobody around, it was dark, and late.

Will I be in trouble for fleeing the scene? Or will I be excused for feeling threatened?
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: You definitely should have exchanged info. While I agree that it's probably not your fault that's not for you to decide.


Title: Talked to by police for Felony Burglary

Question: So I stole a bottle of champagne from a store ($200) and the police pulled me over and talked to me about it because I had a warrant on my name for it. They said it was going to be a felony but since I gave it back it would only be a misdemeanor. I was planning on joining the military so the cop said he would talk to the district manager and the DA on Monday to try and work something out for me. If it doesn’t go my way, a.k.a a diversion program, should I get a lawyer or am I screwed either way?

Answer: Get a lawyer and stop talking to the police without that lawyer.


Title: Mental illness in the workplace [PA]

Question: So I’m bipolar 1 and have PTSD. In order to be stable I have to take medicine that can affect my mental state.  I recently was put on a new medicine that makes me kind of sped up, but it leads me to be a bit more careless.  What should I be telling my company if/when they sit me down to discuss recent mistakes?

Answer:
 You can disclose your illness to them and negotiate a reasonable accommodation, if any exist.  Reasonable varies from place to place and job to job, and we can't guess whether one exists for your particular function.

As one note, however, an accommodation of "You can't punish me for fucking up" isn't really reasonable.  You'll need to come up with something that allows you to do your job at relevant standards.


Title: What if I bought a car, but they didn't accept my personal check?

Question:
I basically bought a car, signed all the paperwork but then they wouldn't accept my check because it was not certified. I ended up leaving the dealer without taking the car and they said they can't hold it for me. I'm thinking that the contract I signed is void if that is the case. But I'm not sure. I'm in NJ. Am I still obligated to take delivery of this car for the price on the contract?

Thanks

Answer: I never realized before I found this thread how big and widespread a problem fake checks are.  There's a lot of posts here about people trying to sell cars on craigslist and they accept a fake check and the car disappears forever.  Only a month ago I got a call from a nice lady with a heavy Indian accent telling be the government was trying to give me a $9000 grant and I knew exactly where it was going.  Just certify your check so they can sleep at night.  And if you ever have to sell something expensive on Craigslist remember to ask for certified checks.


Title: My sister is 17, stole my car and selling my things for drug money. Can I take legal action against her?

Question:
my sister is 17 and absolutely CHAOTIC. She’s mentally ill, been in therapy for years and medication for about a year. There’s been little improvement in her behavior & no one has been able to diagnose her.  She’s always been trouble. She sneaks out, steals from ANYONE, gets physical with my family and others, and makes life absolute hell. About 4 days ago, she had stolen a vape that belonged to my boyfriend and sold it for weed money. My parents wouldn’t do anything about it, wouldn’t even take her things & they still let her smoke in the house. This morning, my dad woke me up and my car was at the bottom of my driveway! I went outside and my car was still in reverse, the lights were on and my battery was dead. There was also ash in my car that was NOT from me. We have a ring doorbell and my dad said it went off around 3 am but didn’t record anything. I have no clue who she had in my car and she most definitely could’ve been drinking. I think that she got ahold of my spare key which, doesn’t start my car Bc the battery is missing but it will still open my car and turn on the battery. I think she used that last night and tried to drive but figured out it wouldn’t accelerate after she backed out of my driveway so, she left it. However, she definitely could’ve taken my actual car keys & driven my car somewhere. I have no clue if she had taken it out on the road & been under the influence. I’m extremely angry and I’d like to take legal action against her. I didn’t take a picture of it this morning which, was dumb of me but I was so angry & not thinking. The only evidence I have is the ring doorbell notification at 3 am, the ash, and my dad since he was the one that saw it this morning. My parents aren’t on board with taking it to the police Bc they aren’t really on board with disciplining her at all in the first place.
 I want something to be done about this Bc this is not the first time she has driven my car & she doesn’t even have a license/permit. Is there anything I can do to get her in trouble for this? I’m not even sure if it’s worth taking to the police but I’m worried if I don’t do something about it now, it’s just going to get worse. She’s dangerous to herself and others. I want to scare her out of doing this again even if it might not work, I just want something to be done outside of discipline from my parents.

Answer:
 You can report crime to the police.Answer #2: You can call the cops about the crime.

Theoretically you could sue her but a 17 year old drug addict is not going to have any assets, so that's probably a waste of time.Answer #3: you can file a police report. you can't do anything about getting her in trouble, that's up to the da's office to decide.

all you have though is suspicion its her. this instance doesn't seem like enough for anyone to do anything about it.Answer #4: Once she turns 18 your parents will no longer be able to easily compel treatment. If she is mentally ill and behaving dangerously this may be the last chance your family has to get her help.Answer #5: Reporting it to the Police can help create a record in case the car was involved in an accident or received any tickets.  But there is also the possibility that happened and the Police already think you did it.

If I were in your position, I would talk to your parents about the problems they are creating and ask them for a better solution than having the Police handle this matter.  If they can't come up with one, talk to the Police and ask them to pursue this with the DA so that your sister can get the help she needs.  They might be able to use this to compel her into a treatment program.


Title: Illegally evicted from the house where I was renting a room. [CA]

Question: Okay, I could really use some help I'm desperate at this point. 9 months ago I went through some extremely difficult times. Long story short my mental state diminished rapidly, which is when my mother asked if I would like to move back to Orange County and stay with her and her husband. She told me I could live there and pay whatever rent I could when I could. (I had been laid off from my job). I agreed and made the move from SD back to OC. I spent the next 8 months tirelessly trying to get MediCal. I wish I was making this up but I'm not, the social services office made mistake after mistake after mistake, coupled with my now poor mental state and an inability to walk into public places without having a full blown anxiety attack I am still not able to work. During those 8 months my mom and her husband were traveling back and fourth between their house in OC and one they have in Texas, so I took care of the house without incident but each time my mom returned, she would find something make a big fuss and then kick me out. Usually this was only 24 hours or until she cooled down and came to her senses. I figured it was better not to argue and just sleep outside for the night. Well this last week was the pinnacle, She had asked me to organize and consolidate some of my things in the garage (these are the boxes I haven't touched since moving back, my ex-fiance who was fucking my friend packed up) so needless to say it was a challenge in and of itself. I am fighting a bi-polar disorder along with some other things and unpacking those boxes was god awful. I included this because during the course of that afternoon she came into the garage a few times and I just held out my hand signaling I wasn't able to have any kind of a conversation. ( We had just had another talk where we once again agreed if something was too much I just needed to communicate it to her and that would be enough) I left later in the day to clear my head so I jumped on my Harley and went for a long ride. When I returned home the emotions did to so I just worked though it. When she proceeded to come into the garage and try to have another conversation I was in tears already and I told her I could not talk still, when I was berated with all kinds of statements such as "It's been 12 hours and you're just not capable of having a conversation" .. yada yada yada. Well I did the only thing I could do to stop myself from making it worse and plugged my ears until she went away. I was abourt 80% done and so I decided to go to sleep.  I'm sorry if this is too detailed or long winded. The next morning when I woke up I could hear her going through the house organizing, cleaning, huffing and puffing. I readied myself and went to the garage Call it what you will but I have a severe disliking when my things are moved or gone through without my permission. I have a hard enough time keeping myself on track and it throws me for a loop, she knows this because I've explained it more than once. Open the garage door and all the things I was working on have been moved, rearranged, put into different boxes and some things thrown away. I lost it. I never got violent or broke anything that wasn't mine but I did some screaming. That's when she told me to leave, well I figured just like the 5,6,7 times before I'd be back. Nope. I have a backpack and thats it. The next day I showed up to get some more things when she yelled from out the window you're not coming in here. I had a key and a garage door opener so I easily could have but I stayed in the front yard and told her to call the police. When the pi.. police showed up they detained me for over 1 1/2 hours. I didn't have any mail on me, and while i made 1 or 2 payments through Chase quick pay I couldn't access it because I don't have data on my phone. My cat is still there, my room was still furnished, and yet the police told me that because I didn't have a written lease they would arrest me if I came back to the property. Oh yea and when they asked if I had weapons i said not on my person but I had a utility knife in my backpack which I made sure was on the ground not within arms reach. I told them I did not consent to a search (they gave me a terry pat) but then they said they could open my backpack and 'peak' for weapons. I think thats fucking bullshit. I made sure I stated loudly and clearly I did not consent to a search of my backpack, They were wearing body cams and this was infront of a police cruiser that was also recording. The police asked what I was there for when I told them they went in and brought it out, I never gave them permission to do that. So now here I am homeless and without any of my things. In the last day my mom's husband said I could now come get all my things and they would put them out on the curb. While I'm obligated to mediate the return of my things how can I do this if I don't have anywhere to store them and no money? I feel with 30 days notice I would have been able to pull something together but it seems like I'm screwed either way now.. I still haven't received a written 30 day notice. I"m going to seek free legal council on Monday, I've been at a public law library trying to make sense of all this but fuck it's difficult. GOD DAMN IT. Apparently if you want to fuck someone just find me. I also want to know if there is a way I can file suit against the social services office. I feel whether right or wrong if I had the psychiatric treatment I began seeking 8 months ago I might be in a much better position today.

Answer:
 Your best bet is to go find somewhere else to live. Trying to take your parents to court is going to be a crap shoot. There's a very real chance that the judge won't apply tenant's rights to your situation since they are your parents and were just trying to help you out. I see it all the time in landlord-tenant court. People will tell you that you have the rights of a tenant, because technically that's correct, but it really doesn't play out that way in court as often as people think. So unless you have a lot of time to waste, your effort would be best spent finding a new home rather than trying to sue your mom.

In the future, when family does something nice for you it's best to not repay them with yelling, screaming, and acting like a child.


Title: I lost my job and clearance for possessing an empty pack of HEMP cigarettes.

Question:
I work for a very strict federal agency whose job is security. A couple agents spotted me with an empty package of [PURE HEMP](https://www.lighterusa.com/products/colorado-pure-hemp-sticks) cigarettes. They reported me, not knowing the difference between hemp and marijuana. The security clearance division of the agency now is telling me that in addition to losing my job, my clearance is revoked and that I will have to appeal this decision.

Things to keep in mind:

1. This is an agency clearance. While I have a DoD clearance as well, I don't believe they're threatening to go through the process of taking away my DoD clearance.
2. The agency drug policy for applicants does not mention anything about hemp. It obviously bars marijuana usage (and further defines marijuana as *cannabis*), but nothing is black and white on text regarding hemp usage. Also, this policy was put in place in almost 1.5 years before Hemp became federally legal.
3. I have not admitted to using the hemp products, and have only admitted to having the package as the agents didn't see inside the package to know that it was empty.
4. I am a contractor to this agency, not directly hired.

My appeals process is basically me putting together a slide deck to discuss what happened, outline that hemp is legal both federally and locally, there is no policy that was violated by having only packaging and to also state that regardless, I am disabled legally due to a car wreck and have had multiple doctors recommend me CBD/Hemp based products. This is not me admitting to using it, but stating that its usage is recommended to me by a doctor.

I would like for this to go away and for me to keep working, but am not sure how I go about that. Any thoughts?

Answer:
 Although CBD/Hemp is legal, its an absolute no-go for clearance holders due to THC. My agency has had multiple briefings on this. Unfortunately your defense that it is legal is not going hold water and might even make things worse as you would be basically admitting to it. As far as your DOD clearance, it would be in jeopardy as you are part of the Continuous Evaluation Program which forces any derogatory information to be adjudicated as it happens (instead of waiting for your reinvestigation)…..You should probably consult with a clearance lawyer before presenting your appealAnswer #2: > I have not admitted to using the hemp products

Did you **lie** about using them?

Frankly you're probably boned. The government has broad discretion about who it wants to have a security clearance.  Nobody has a right to have one.Answer #3: Just because something is legal doesn't mean a security oriented agency allows it.


Title: What are the laws regarding service animals in restaurants in MA?

Question:
I'm sick of people just bringing their hyper, untrained puppies into my restaurant and then claiming it's either a service animal or an emotional support animal. A friend told me that the laws regarding service animals go as far as to forbid people from even asking to see documentation for the animal.

What are the actual laws here? How can I make sure I'm not running the risk of mistakenly discriminaing against someone with a legitimate disability while also not allowing just anyone with a dog to bring them inside where we're serving food?

Thanks.

Answer:
 Just relaying what I've seen on other "service animal" threads, but for access to businesses (housing is different), "emotional support animal" is abbreviated as "PET". For actual service animals (definition only applies to dogs and miniature horses - other animal types DO NOT qualify as service animals in the States), if the animal is being disruptive the business may order it removed from the premises.

Service animal lying quietly under the table until the owner leaves? It has a right to be there. "Service animal" barking up a storm, begging for food at other tables, running in the aisles and tripping servers? Can be ordered off the premises.Answer #2: 1) under ADA, you are allowed to ask two questions:

(1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

You cannot ask for documentation (it  falls under a HIPAA violation)

most of your quresions are answered on the ADA website:

https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.htmlAnswer #3: To answer your edited in question, no, service dogs aren't required to wear vests. Most handlers choose to do so because people expect to see them, but it is not mandatory under the ADA. Keep in mind that there are sometimes very good reasons to forgo the vest. For example, if there's an extreme heat wave going on, the handler might worry about the dog overheating, or maybe a strap broke and they're waiting for a replacement vest to arrive, or maybe their dog just works better without one.

I might suggest you call the [ADA info line](https://www.ada.gov/infoline.htm) and maybe browse the site generally. The ADA has a lot of resources available to help people figure this stuff out, and I've heard from several people that the info line is very helpful.


Title: I was in a car accident, and I’m getting the feeling I will be f****d. Accident was not my fault, but my insurance company has not given reassurance that they will fix my car. How can I pursue a repair even if they deem it totaled?

Question:
I was in my first car accident a few days ago.  Friday afternoon I got off work a little early for the long Memorial Day weekend (mostly to check on my senior dog who was not doing well).  I’m in the exit only lane for my interstate exit and notice brake lights.  This is not new since everyone usually realizes they’re in an exit only lane and are trying to merge out of it, so I know to especially pay attention at this section.  I start to slow down, and out of habit check my rear view mirror, just to stay aware of my surroundings.  I see an SUV flying towards me, I think for a split second “oh my god, he’s gonna hit me if he doesn’t slow down”, he suddenly swerves to the left, tires squealing and all, and I think “okay, must be one of those people weaving in and out of traffic”.  As I look to my left to see where he is and if he is passing me, all I see is his vehicle slamming into my car door and we careen into the ditch just off the interstate.  It’s not a deep ditch, just the downward slope off the edge of any interstate, so no one flips, and my airbags don’t go off.  I’m screaming the whole way, and once we stop I’m shaking uncontrollably because this has never happened before and it feels surreal.  I immediately reach for my phone, which thankfully didn’t fly out of the passenger seat, and call 911.  Glass from my shattered driver window is everywhere including down my pants, in my mouth from screaming, I can feel a piece in my eye as I blink (was wearing sunglasses so could have been more).  I’m instructed that if I can move, I have no pain and I feel up to it, I can climb out of my passenger side door.  I finish up my 911 call as emergency services start to arrive.  They ask if I need a medical exam or to be taken away, I can feel I’m fine, just shaken up and decline.  I can see the other driver declines as well.  Fire and ambulance leave the scene, all that’s left is to finish giving our statements to the FHP (Florida Highway Patrol) and a tow truck for my car.  As we’re waiting for the FHP to enter our info into his computer, we’re shootin’ the breeze cause what else can we do?  He tells me the vehicle was his uncle’s, but was given to him, and he’ll probably just go to a salvage yard and pick up the side view mirror that is dangling from his passenger side.  He eventually gets to drive off in his car after receiving a careless driving ticket, and a ticket to replace the mile marker he ran over.  I wait for my tow truck, and have it sent to a collision center.

Many phone calls later with my insurance company, his insurance company, my claims adjuster and the collision body shop, I’ve had almost all of them hint that the car may be totaled.  I did not ask for this to happen, I did what I was supposed to which was to pay attention to the god damned road.  He said that was the lane he also intended to be in, which means he was not paying attention to slow down when he saw brake lights.  I’m not looking to draw out an entire lawsuit against him, I’m not injured, and if I really wanted to I could push the texting/distracted and driving, but I won’t.  I just want my car fixed.  My car was the newer/nicer car of my household (2008 Honda Civic), and my husband’s car was hanging on by a thread so we were saving up to purchase him a newer car.  Since we were up in the air on whether my car is totaled or not, we went ahead and the next morning took his car in and got $1,000 worth of repairs done to ensure we have at least one working car until everything is sorted out.

My adjuster wasn’t very reassuring that she would pursue repairs.  She seems to just refer back to “yeah, sometimes that’s how it is”.  How can I push to get my car fixed?  I looked up what needs to be replaced on my own, he literally hit my two driver side doors, no other body part was hit.  Each door seems to be just under a grand, and KBB values my car at $4.5k.  I don’t feel my own insurance company is on my side, and I’m a very optimistic person, believing that in the end if you do things the right way it will turn out in favor for you.  I purchased car insurance like I was supposed to, drove like I was supposed to, called both mine and his insurance companies like I was supposed to and yet I’m getting a strong feeling I’m about to be f****d.

As I was typing this, my adjuster called.  She has not been able to get ahold of the other driver for his statement, and when she talked with his insurance company (Geico), they said they also have not been able to get ahold of him.  She told me the other insurance company could say they weren’t able to determine who’s at fault and may not pay for my repairs.  This whole situation is not fair.  I did nothing wrong, I did not want this, I love my car, was not planning on getting rid of it for years, just put $2.3k in repairs in the past 6 months because we knew that car would be around for a while.  Now this kid (I say kid because he just turned 21 according to his ticket on public records) gets to get away with a working vehicle and his insurance may not go up.

What chances do I have to fight with his insurance company Geico to get it fixed?  If I have the police report, and show the ticket, what can I do to ensure his insurance company will pay it?  Chances are my rates will go up because I used the rental feature I pay monthly for, so once again something I didn’t do I’m going to have to pay for, so I’d rather not take a large hit on my insurance policy and put in a large claim.  Sure my deductible is only $500, but this shouldn’t be my problem to pay, I didn’t cause this or want this.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 The insurance company is going to use very simple math to make their decision.

They'll determine the value of your car.

If the cost to repair it is more than that, then they will total it out and give you the value of your car.

If the value is less than that, then they'll repair it.

If you want to keep the totaled car, and use the money they give you to try to fix it, then you may be able to work that out with them as well.

But they are not going to pay you more than your car is worth.


Title: Mom (TX) died within 24 hours of paying thousands for Medicaid Planning. Any recourse?

Question:
The day after paying 6k for Medicaid Planning to an estate planning agency, mom died. The agency emailed my niece to inform her that 3k in costs had been incurred for legal documents and consulting time. They want to know if they should shred the 6k check and await payment of the 3k, or deposit the check and refund 3k.

The expenses we incurred were for an office assistant to travel 35 miles to have my niece (with medical power of attorney) and myself sign a durable power of attorney for my comatose mom. They have an attorney on retainer, but I'm pretty sure he wasn't utilized for this initial prep work.

As executrix , I consult with an estate planning attorney for probate next week. Mom's heirs were me and my brother, that's it. As co-signer on her checking account, I signed the 6k check, and am concerned about my culpability for this 6k fiasco. I've also signed some checks for household expenses incurred by my brother, who continues to live in her house and also, has her debit card. (I'm monitoring this daily to make sure he continues his current minimalist spending).

How should I proceed, especially on the 6k fiasco?

Answer: Presumably you had some contract with the estate agency before giving them six grand. I’m sure they would have a clause somewhere in there about what happens if the person dies early, that should be a really obvious situation for them to be prepared for.


Title: Texas. I work at a hotel and am having 30 minutes of my pay deducted each day automatically if I do not manually clock out for my break.

Question:
Sorry if this is a long one but I want to make sure the situation is clear.
I just found out that the company I work for has been automatically deducting 30 minutes of pay from my hours worked each day if I do not manually clock out for a break. I work nights so this in itself is fine because there are times where it is slow and I sit in the back while my other front desk worker covers the desk and the operator is still on phones and I get a moment to rest. We traditionally are supposed to have 4 people hired to work over night, a night auditor/secondary front desk attendant, a front desk supervisor/Main front desk attendant which is my position, A phone operator, and one employee who works 2 nights a week on the operators off days and 2 nights a week on the night auditor/secondary front desk attendants off days. My two off days as supervisor there is not a second person on front desk and the night auditor would work as the manager on duty.
The problem I am having is that in the past few months we have not had a back up person to work the two off days for the auditor or operator which means it falls to me as I'm the only one fully cross trained in all three areas. This means that 4 nights a week this means there are only 2 people working. It is either the night auditor on front desk and the standard operator on phones, me on phones and the auditor on desk, or me on desk and the operator on phones. My operator is not trained on regular front desk procedures (check ins, check outs, guest issues) so if someone comes up while my auditor or I are on "break" we have to go back up to the desk and deal with it ourselves. Both of us are trained on phones though so in a pinch we can cover both front desk and operation of the switchboard if the operator were to take a break.
I am curious as to whether they can deduct this 30 minutes when there are nights that I cannot and by the same reasoning my auditor cannot actually leave the desk for 30 minutes for a break because we can be called back up to deal with guests the second one comes to the desk. Legally what is required by the state of Texas in terms of a break being offered to employees? Can they still deduct the 30 simply because there are times I am on the clock but not necessarily working, and on the flip side if there are nights where I am alone on desk and cannot leave because it is nonstop all night and the operator cannot deal with the issues at hand do they still have the right to?
Sorry again if this is long or has unnecessary information, I am just trying to make sure everything relevant is there.
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer:
 **TL;DR:**  OP often works solo-ish and can't take breaks.  Company is deducting 30 minutes of unpaid "meal break" even when OP doesn't clock out.

1.  They have to pay you if you didn't take a break.  And yes, this is one of the jobs where breaks are not mandatory.

2.  They can fire you for taking a break and not clocking out.

3.  If you have free time, and the requirement to clock out, you must do so, or you can get fired.

4.  If you do not have free time, then you can't clock out.


Title: Do I have to let them in and do I have to be dressed to let them in?

Question:
&#x200B;

***Edit: I did check the wiki's, couldn't find answers to these specifics.***

&#x200B;

I have a bit of a pain in the neck landlord. Basically really nice condos but they have a bit of an issue breaking the cranium/buttocks connection;  losing packages, leaving eviction notices when rent is been paid and then apologizing, etc.

&#x200B;

If you don't know Texas landlord lot you would be surprised how unfriendly it is to the tenant. Landlord basically has complete right of entry. For the most part anytime anyplace. As a recent transplant and former multi-unit landlord in California, I was pretty shocked.

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Anyway, I'm slightly irritated right now because I work from home, and we just received an inspection notice, stating that our apartment would be inspected sometime next week. Due to previous dealings with this landlord, I know what would happen if I called and asked for advanced notice; I would be assured that I would get it and then they would show up whenever.

So, two specific questions for anyone with legal knowledge (specifically case-law as statute is sadly lacking)  around TX L/t.

\#1, How long can I get away with not letting them in? We do have an unkeyed deadbolt (as per TX law), but the law here provides for forcible entry pretty broadly.

\#2, I assume that if a landlord is entering I have to be dressed; basically anything that would violate public decency would be out. Ridiculously tighty-whities and flip flops are technically decent though. If they ask me to put more on any obligation to do so? Of course I would make sure it was completely non-sexual (hence the tighty-whities).

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As to "what you should do" advice, I don't care about renewing the lease (I am going to be purchasing soon, I hate renting), I haven't violated any tenant laws, don't do drugs, don't have anything in my life or apartment that they could "technicality" me on.

&#x200B;

Thanks!

Answer:
 >How long can I get away with not letting them in?

You don't have any particular right to not let them in.  They've provided you notice of entry and are now entitled to make that entry.

>I assume that if a landlord is entering I have to be dressed

There is no tangible advantage in this course.  You take on the risk that landlord chooses to raise some sort of problem here and you gain nothing real.

And, for what it's worth, this situation wouldn't be substantively different in California.


Title: I was added as an authorized user to two credit cards, what should I do?

Question:
Apparently I have been added (without my permission) as an authorized user on 2 credit cards. their combined balances are over $10,000, in addition these accounts are delinquent and putting derogatory marks on my account. I called the corresponding banks who said there were no such accounts tied to my SSN - but they appear on Chase's Credit Journey report. They have multiple late payments / closed with balances. I am rather unhappy about it.

&#x200B;

There are three accounts which are currently being marked delinquent with 3 different banks - none of which are accounts I have control over, only two appeared via Chase's credit report journey with any tangible information (partial credit card number and balances). I contacted all three banks, they say there is no account associated with my name that is delinquent.

&#x200B;

The bank without an authorized user has marked me delinquent 3 times,  transunion and the bank in question refuse to do anything about it.

&#x200B;

Before you suggest a different person is being reported on my account: I have a very unique name, possibly the only person in the States with my first name, definitely the only one with both. This seems intentional.

&#x200B;

The other two have finally been reported because they're finally appearing on my actual report with balances.

&#x200B;

I contacted transunion, filed a dispute, put up a freeze and fraud alert - but what can I do?

1. What do I do about the third account that has been marked as delinquent for 3 months, continually generates alerts, but no one will help me remove it from my report.
2. How can I make sure this never happens again, if my identity has been stolen, how can I protect myself. Can I find out who did this to me find out if it's someone I know, or a random thief?
3. Is there any benefit for a thief to add me as an authorized user when authorized users have no legal liability (beyond damaging my credit score via non payment, and high credit utilization)? What are their intentions, how do I prevent this from getting worse (opening loans, credit cards, etc) in my name?

Answer:
 For being an authorized user, most times it's just enough to call the bank and say "I don't want to be an authorized user anymore."Answer #2: I added my kids as authorized users on credit cards when they were minors for “emergencies” like a car breakdown.

I left them on because it helps their credit score... but I pay my bills.

Could the cards be from your parents?

I can’t think of a benefit to someone having you as an authorized user, unless they are really out to get you.

What does not make sense is that the cards need your SSN to show up in your credit reports. So the issuing banks must have it. Do they have any other account with your SSN?Answer #3: Have you been over to r/personalfinance ? IIRC they are the gurus for sorting out all things identity-theft, credit reporting, etc.Answer #4: Dispute all of these accounts on the grounds that you are not obligated to pay them. Ultimately an authorized user entry is just permission for you to use the card, so you can't necessarily unilaterally clear it, but that doesn't mean it stays on your report.


Title: [KS] I don't smoke, but out of curiosity, I was wondering if this notice from my landlord is 100% legal.

Question:
http://i.imgur.com/tfYD2ih.jpg

This is the notice. Like I said, I don't smoke so it doesn't affect me, but I am curious I guess and probably because when this management company took over, they had pushed what "reasonable notice" is when dealing with other things that require entering our apartments that are non emergency.

Edit: I guess I am more curious about their "common area" list. They note our patios/decks that are attached to our apartment is a common area, but would they not be considered part of your individual apartment? Therefore unless you signed a new lease after the change is in effect, you could still smoke on it?

Edit, I re-read my lease and it says "We may regulate: (1) the use of patios, balconies, and porches" but does that include smoking?

Because they also state when installing a satellite dish must be located (1) inside your dwelling (2) in an area outside your dwelling such as a balcony, patio, yard, etc. of which you have exclusive use under your lease. Installation is not permitted on any parking area, roof, exterior wall, window, window sill, fence or common area, or in an area that other residents are allowed to use.

So I would take it they are probably in the right.

Answer:
 Yep, legal and a popular trend.

They're actually doing it right by giving advance notice of a change and will only enforce it upon renewal of a lease. Don't like it, don't renew a lease.

most complexes reserve the right to regulate the common areas at will... they can make and change rules whenever they want - within reason. Smoking, as it can affect other residents, would almost certainly fall within the realm of reasonable. Answer #2: Your original lease will dictate but generally landlords have discretion on how actions are conducted in common areas of a complex (pool, parking lots, laundry rooms, other public areas etc).


Title: Girlfriend tapped someone’s bumper in the Florida rain , no dents on this guys bumper , barely anything wrong with her car she was heading to class so they exchanged information and the next day the guy says his back hurts . What’s next ?

Answer: She needs to call her insurance company and let them handle it.  They will provide a lawyer if necessary.


Title: Missed Driving School but court date is next week facing $600 fine and 10 points on license.

Question:
Ladies and gentlemen,

I got a speeding ticket and speeding during hazardous conditions (which I got for totaling my Mustang in the rain 50 in 55.) Even though I was hospitalized after the crash, the police officer was kind enough to hand me a ticket as a get well present. Anyway, I pleaded guilty because they offered me driving school and no points on license. I had 90 days to complete but I was out of town therefore late. I understand it's my fault but is there anyway to ask for extension or pushing the court date further? I am already diagnosed with PTSD , anxiety, ADHD and depression. I tried contacting the judge but he is on vacation. I can't afford to pay $600 nor have 10 points on my license. Court date isn't till 8/23. What should be my next move?

I really appreciate any advice. Thank you in advance.

Answer: Hire a traffic attorney, which it doesn't sound like you can do. You had an opportunity to fix this and your mental health issues are not reason to not spend a couple hours either in person or online taking a course. You had 3 months for a reason. As you didn't satisfy the terms and already plead guilty, you're likely to be due the fine on the 23rd and get the points. Honestly all the judge will likely offer you is some more time to pay the fine.


Title: I was just GIVEN my two weeks notice...can I stop working now and get unemployment?

Question:
This is opposite most such stories where employee GIVES their two weeks notice and boss says "no your last day is today." Today I was told "you are fired, in two weeks is your last day." Or "in two weeks you are fired." I can't remember exact language.

Can I take that as I am fired NOW like an employer would? Or do I have to work the two weeks to qualify for unemployment?

This is California. I was not fired in two weeks for cause.

Answer: No. Because unemployment is for people with no jobs. You have a job for two weeks.


Title: Is it fair use to use school projects as teaching materials even without the student's permission?

Question:
[Philippines] Here's the situation: Teacher A gives his class a school project wherein the students make a video tutorial about a certain topic. The students submit their videos and the teacher gives the students grades. Then, Teacher B, a teacher from a different school, asks Teacher A to use the students' videos as a teaching material to show to his class. Teacher A did not ask for the class' permission and sends a copy of the videos to Teacher B. Teacher B shows the videos to his class and does not give the students credit. Did Teacher B use the videos within fair use? (US copyright laws apply)
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer: Even if the use were not permissible (and it likely is under education exceptions), there is no good way to enforce it. Assuming that you didn't register the copyright, there are zero damages to collect, and you would have to pay your own attorney fees.


Title: is it worth taking a DUI case to trial?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > The observations go directly against what I recall happening

The court rarely considers the "intoxicated" recollection of a witness to be reliable.

> never made sign a waiver saying so

That is certainly not required on a roadside during a traffic stop/DUI investigation. Your verbal waiver is sufficient.

> message me if you can help or want more details

We don't do PMs in this sub. It's against sub rules and can create a client relationship. If you want an answer, post the details in the thread and ask a question.

As to he question in your title, no one here knows more about the specifics of your case than your attorney. Follow his/her advice. If you don't trust your attorney, get a 2nd opinion (in person with another attoney) and/or just get another attorney.Answer #2: No PMs here. If your lawyer thinks it's a good case to take to trial who has access to all the relevant evidence to your case then I'd certainly be considering it if I were you. Have you been offered any plea instead of going to trail? Did the plea suck?


Title: (VA,TX,CA) I really need legal advice before I lose all my money hoping for the best.

Question:
So I&apos;m in the state of Virginia. A few yours hours ago I ended up getting a felony possession for getting caught with 3 Percocet that were actually mine from a year ago and I didn&apos;t have the prescription. At that time I had a year sober.

About a year later I got placed on a year probation. I did awesome the first half and stayed clean. I told my p.o. that if I got my supervision lowered, I would most likely relapse and start getting high.

Well that happened and I got really bad off. So I called a rehab and the only one I could get into overnight was in California. I did the rehab thing for about 6 months. Tried to tell my p.o. about it when I was about 3 months clean but she said that I can&apos;t do that and that I needed to tell her the address so I could be picked up. My therapist wouldn&apos;t dontcar because of HIPPA and I still needed treatment not jail. Soon after my insurance ran out and I was in the streets. I made my way to Texas and ended up really bad off, the worst I had ever been in my life.&nbsp; Up for weeks at a time. I also ended up arrested twice and used a false name and got released.

A few other things happened but I found my way back home with a kid on the way.&nbsp;

I&apos;m wondering how much time I would get once I turned myself in, in general.&nbsp; It&apos;s sucks because all of this happened over my addiction and anyone that truely knows about what power that can hold over someone, would see that. Given the fact I have a felony when otherwise I would have nothing on my record, I&apos;m in A commonwealth state and I &quot;ran&quot;. I don&apos;t think its looking good here for me.

Answer:
 It doesn't look good. You need an attorney.

We cannot guess how long you will be in jail since there are a ton of things going on.


Title: [NC] Clocked in to work and was told to clock out and come back later to work.

Question:
I work for Wal-mart and due to a scheduling error was scheduled to come in at the same time as my coworker. We both came in at 7am and I was told to clock out (it was 7:15 at this time) and just return at 2:30pm. (Clock in at 2:30, out at 9:30)
I did as requested but I've been told that I should be paid four extra hours of work for clocking in at 7am.
Is this true and how would I go about setting this straight?

Answer:
 Who told you this? Was it a friend who also works at walmart who heard about this from their friend who tried it at a walmart 4 counties over?

They must pay you for the 15 minutes, or have you cut 15 from the end of your shift, but other than that they do not have to pay you for time not worked.

It is also legal for walmart to tell you that a scheduling error has occurred. I once drove 45 miles to work for them to tell me they changed the schedule. Answer #2: You should be paid for the 15 min you were there in the morning.


Title: My landlord wants to take $1450 from our deposit for cleaning, painting and changing carpet after renting for 4 years. Can he do this? MD

Question:
We rented for 4 years and never had any issue with the landlord. He’s charging us some damages which are overpriced, but I’ll accept. What I won’t is :

He’s charging $500 for having to paint the house. The House was lives in. It’s not like we wrote all over the walls. They were worn. We even painted the one room that was painted by us(That’s the only one he thought was in descent condition apparently)

He’s charging $500 for cleaning the house. He says we didn’t clean anything, which is untrue. The kitchen was the only thing that was a bit messy. By that I mean the cabinets had some trash we missed, the pantry had some oregano spilt that my mom didn’t clean, and we didn’t mop( which for what it’s worth, o told him we didn’t have time and apologized.)

And he’s charging $450 for changing the carpet which he claims is half. The house has carpet in the basement, and the upstairs level. WE CHANGED 60% of the carpet before we left. They told us it was unnecessary, that a landlord should change it between rentals, but we wanted to leave the house in best shape. My dog ruined the Basement carpet, so we changed all of that. We also changed the medium room carpet upstairs. The master bedroom carpet was dirígete, but normal wear and tear. The hallway, same thing. The small bedroom was clean.

What are my options here? I don’t think it’s fair. And he asked for 2 months deposit in the beginning which we always thought was excessive, but gave in seeing as this was our best option for a home.

Please tell me I can argue/negotiate some of this. I honestly can’t afford legal action. He only just sent me the list of “penalties” and I don’t know how to respond.

Answer:
 As long as it is all [normal wear & tear](https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/chart-cleaning-repairs-landlord-deduct-29017.html) they can't charge for it. So unless you ripped carpets or drew on your walls, the landlord cannot deduct for any of that. Look through the other list of repairs (or post it here) for other things the landlord may not actually be able to charge for.

He is also required to pay [interest](http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmStatutesText.aspx?article=grp&section=8-203&ext=html&session=2017RS&tab=subject5) on any security deposit held over 6 months.


Title: Read a post yesterday about someone being tailed. Question.

Question: Can you evade the tail by doing things like speeding out running a red lights. Also, if you do can they ticket you after?

Answer:
 > Can you evade the tail by doing things like speeding

No, you can't break the law to avoid a situation where the other person isn't breaking the law.  Tailing you isn't illegal, in the vast majority of cases.  If it is, you call the police.

Speeding and running red lights is virtually never the right answer, even if under threat.  You're increasing your threat, not reducing it.


Title: What happens if a minor rapes an adult?

Question: Is the adult charged since the minor can't consent, or is the minor treated like an adult? Are both considered victims, or are both considered rapists?

Answer: No, the adult is not charged if they are actually the victim of a forcible rape.


Title: Relative getting pushed out of residence (he doesn't own) by siblings. Wants to know what options he has

Question:
This is in New Jersey.

&#x200B;

I'll try to keep this as short as possible, but there are a lot of moving parts to this situation.  The short of it is, a relative of mine is living in his parents home (mother deceased, father in assisted living).  The family (his brothers and sisters) want to sell the home and are trying to force/push/intimidate him out.  More details...

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Relative moved into his parents home about 5 years ago.  While he doesn't own the home (his name is not on the deed) it is his primary residence.  I don't know if this matters, but I do not think he was paying any formal rent to his parents (would pay for incidentals, such as groceries, cable bill, etc. for the family).

&#x200B;

Mother passed away few years ago, father is in assisted living, so my relative is living in house alone. House is paid off.  Bills that are still in fathers name (such as property tax bill) is being pay by father still.

&#x200B;

The sister, who is the main one trying to push him out so they can sell the house (and use the money to help pay for the assisted living)  is co-executor / power of attorney (I am not sure if this is one in the same, I may be using the terms interchangeably).  She WAS the main executor/PoA but we went to a lawyer a few years ago and my relative (the one living in the house) was added as co-executor so that not one person had all the financial power.

&#x200B;

Essentially, the sister does have power over the finances... She is the one that pays the house bills on behalf of the father (again, using the father's account/money).  I do not think she has sole decision making ability on selling the house (I could be wrong).

&#x200B;

Over the last few months, relatives (including us) have been in and out of the house, cleaning it out (removing clothes, furniture, pictures, etc) to get it ready to put on the market.  The relative living there is aware of this and allowed/accepted it but I don't think he is ready/willing to leave on his own any time soon, which is upsetting the sister (the one trying to push him out).

&#x200B;

Now things are getting a little more heated... Brother-In-Law (BIL) went over to the hosue (when relative was at work) and  removed more items from the house, some of which belong to my relative living there.  Also removed cups, bowls, food, etc.  So relative has no way to eat, and nothing to eat...  BIL also sent "threatning" text messages about him coming over and forcing relative to leave.

&#x200B;

The father (in assisted living) is of sound mind, he is healthy mentally and physically...  I bring this up, because in the past, sister tried to have father assessed by a doctor as "incompetent" and unable to make sound (financial) decisions so that she could have more control over his finances.  The father point-blank said he is allowing the relative to stay at the house until they are ready to leave/find a new place to live, however long that might be.

&#x200B;

So here are my questions...

&#x200B;

1) Can relative be "forced" to leave w/o going through the proper eviction process?

2) Who has the authority to "kick him out"?  Can sister or does it have to be father?

3) Can anything be done about the fact BIL "broke" in to home and stole some of his personal items?  This sounds like an obvious answer, but since he's been allowing all family members to come in and take whatever the wanted all along, that is why I am asking.  Obviously if his personal affects were taken (probably by accident) that would be stealing, but what about all the silverware, bowls, plates, etc that he technically doesn't own but has been using this whole time (these were taken in spite, to make it more of a burden for him to live there)?

&#x200B;

I may have other questions, will edit later...

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

&#x200B;

Answer:
 Relative needs to speak with a local attorney who handles estate matters: it's POSSIBLE that sister is attempting to use a POA in a manner that is contrary to the Father's wishes; the BIL's actions against your relative are also concerning.

Reddit is not the place to bear all - talk to a local attorney.


Title: do florida citizens have the right to observe police action? (x-post from r/askleo)

Question:
i was on facebook when [this video](http://www.wcjb.com/local-news/2014/08/roy-sherman-arrest-full-length-dashcam-video) popped up on my feed. basically, an officer is arresting someone with autism for some kind of traffic violation, severity unknown, and their father shows up on scene to inform the officer that their son has autism.

does the father have a legal basis for observing the officer's actions? the officer in question tells him to leave the scene, and the father refuses to cooperate. does either party have any legal basis for doing so? the officer then tells the father that he is under arrest, and the father refuses again saying "there are no charges".

all of this continues until another officer arrives on scene, and the father is tazed and arrested. i'm not really concerned with either the morality of the situation, or taking sides; i'd simply like factual knowledge of how legally justified both parties were with their actions.

basically:

1. do citizens have a right to observe police action?

2. if an officer's demands are unlawful, does a citizen have the right to refuse them?

bonus question: if the officer did not have any legal basis to arrest the father, then attempted to subdue the father by force, would the father have any legal right to physically defend himself from the officer? if the officer is aiming the tazer? if the officer has fired the tazer and missed?
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 >does the father have a legal basis for observing the officer's actions?

Irrelevant question in this instance since the father wasn't "observing" the officer. He drove up to a traffic stop and started yelling at the officer.


Title: (Ca) SO's father died several months ago , she was not notified till today. He stayed at a retirement community that sold and trashed everything of his death, including a car. Is this legal?

Question: They had a poor relationship with him and didn't really want anything of his but her moms ashes that he had and they have been disposed of. She only found out he died from receiving a letter from his insurance that she has money coming to her.  Was it legal of them to sell and remove his stuff?

Answer:
 They would be required to notify the listed next-of-kin before disposing of the property.  It's possible that they tried to contact someone else, or he never told them who to contact.Answer #2: Sorry for badly worded title, they sold or trashed everything after he died without notifying her. Answer #3: Are the 'they' and 'them' you referred to in your narrative referring to the retirement home your SO's father was living at?Answer #4: > Was it legal of them to sell and remove his stuff?

Most likely not. This is a case which you really need an attorney for. Answer #5: Somewhat related; how does Power of Attorney work if an elder relative is in a residential care facility? If I were forced to have my mom moved from my home to a retirement home due to an inability to care for her, would I retain POA?


Title: How can I get my money with no written proof of salary offer?

Question:
I worked for my boss for about a year and then he verbally offered me a salaried position to manage his new restaurant. Excited and naive, I verbally accepted and began working 65 hrs a week to fulfill all the duties of restaurant manager and opening a new shop with very little help and barely any other staff. Two weeks in, it’s time for a paycheck, and he asks if I am able to postpone my full salary for a few weeks while we find our footing and rev up business. I agree, again, verbally to postpone salary but we agree that I’ll be reimbursed the full salary. For the next five pay cycles (10 weeks!) he paid me only half the agreed upon salary on each paycheck.

At this point he suggests we switch me back to hourly. This time I tell him to send me a written offer via email (because we didn’t before and now we’re in this mess). A few not weeks go by and he doesn’t send me a new offer.

I’ve just recently sent him an email asking for a  clear payment plan with dates and numbers and to be paid in full. I gave him a deadline to respond by Saturday and he just keeps saying he’s working on getting me the email. His reluctance to put anything in writing is very worrisome. I’m planning on giving my two weeks notice as soon as we agree on how I’ll get my back pay.

Is there anything I can do to help secure the backpay? There is no written proof of our agreement but I do have my many many hours logged and my pay stubs which calculate that I was being paid $7 an hour under the guise of “salary.”

Is there any specific language I should use when negotiating with him? I’m trying to get this money paid to me by Dec 31 so it’s I’m being paid for the work I did in 2018 in the same year. And also so I can leave and cut ties and not be strung along on a months long payment plan to get the money he owes me back.

Answer: You're getting played. Stop working there immediately and go talk to a lawyer.


Title: Cutting down tree makes neighbor mad because it "killed her plants". Now wants to sue.

Question:
Grand Prairie,  Texas
My girlfriends mom had to get a company to cut down a big tree due to it was affecting the infrastructure of her house. The tree was cut down one day ago, and this morning her neighbor came to her door screaming that her flowers died because of her.
My girlfriend went and checked out the flowers and tried to talk to the lady. The plants name is English Ivy Ground Cover. She said that some were dead but some werd perfectly fine. After them talking,  the lady started yelling at her saying she had to pay for the new ones if not she was going to sue.
After all this, my girlfriends mom does not want to buy her new ones because she feels like she doesn't have to. And that's why I am here asking,  does she have to pay for those damaged flowers? If so, so she can pay and not waste any time going to court, if it ends up there.
Thanks in advance!

EDIT: I forgot to put in a major thing. The neighbor is complaining that the tree used to block off the sun, and now that the tree is gone, there is no more shade around.

Answer:
 > And that's why I am here asking, does she have to pay for those damaged flowers?

That depends.  How would the removal of a tree on one property affect flowers on the other?

Realistically, unless there's some sort of agreement to tie the two together, and/or there was some negligence or error in the tree removal process, it's unlikely that your girlfriend's mom has any liability.Answer #2: In some small way, I feel for the lady. I had a similar situation in which two nearby trees were removed, and, having planted for the part sun that was present at the time, my plants definitely suffered.

Was I disappointed? Sure. Angry? Absolutely not. If a tree needs to go, it needs to go. It's not my tree. You lose a few plants, transplant the rest, and move on with your life.

She has no claim to damages from your gf's mother. If plants were damaged by the tree trimmers, then she can take it up with them. That's why they carry insurance.

If she's that concerned about her Ivy (which, although, sometimes attractive, is considered a nuisance by most), she can have a moderately mature (10 - 20 ft) tree installed on her property for about $1500.

Answer #3: How does the removal of a tree effect your neighbors property? Was the tree on the girl friends property?Answer #4: Highly doubtful to the point of being impossible that she would win. If it was your tree, you were free to cut it down. Can you placate her by helping her plant some new ones?


Title: [TX] Stalker is posting my social security number on twitter

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Document it. Take screenshots of his tweets. Google how to do so if you don't know.

Contact Twitter support. This is obviously harassment and they will almost certainly close his account. Get screenshots first.

Contact one of the major credit agencies and place a freeze on your credit until it is sorted.


Title: [IN]HELP! Custodial parent went to jail, how do I ensure my child stays with me?

Question:
Throwaway for obvious reasons.

This is Indiana.

We have joint legal custody and we were never married. I am the noncustodial parent and an order is already in place. The custodial parent was arrested today for battering her current husband. She was charged with felony domestic battery as it happened in front of my child, as well as the child they have together. She is currently in the county jail on a $5,000 cash bond. She is unemployed and shouldn't be able to bond out at this high amount. She will await to see a judge, most likely on Tuesday according to the jail. An automatic no contact order is in place between her and the husband, so she can not go home to her house if/when she is released. He also advised that she has been abusing drugs recently, going out drinking all night, and she was recently diagnosed with bi-polar disorder as well as schizophrenia which are both going untreated. I picked up my child today after she was taken to jail.

How do I ensure that my child won't have to go back to this environment? I plan to go to the courthouse on Monday morning to file for "temporary emergency custody" after a friend advised this was my best course of action. Is this what I should be doing? After that do I contact an attorney to ensure I can keep custody? We live about an hour apart, so should I be getting him registered in my school district?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

TL;DR Child's mother in jail on felony domestic

Answer:
 You don't need to file for temporary custody, you automatically have temporary custody if the ex is in jail.

You need to file a motion to modify the custody agreement while she is incarcerated. Get an attorney immediately on Monday. Answer #2: Not legal advice, but how old is the kid? You SHOULD register him in your school district but is there anyway you can adjust your schedule to keep him in place at his current school for this year?

In our school district  (also in indiana) there is like 7 weeks of school left. Which includes the ISTEP if he of that age. If you move schools he might not transition well this late in the school year and bomb that stupid test.

It's easier for kids to transition at the start of the year as well because there won't be a ton of attention on his new face.


Title: [Update] [OH] Employer does not want to compensate for on-call hours. I am confused about the law in this situation

Question:
[Link](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/3p1x2r/oh_employer_does_not_want_to_compensate_for/) to the original thread

So the day after posting I remembered my new company has an anonymous reporting group for issues like this one. I called into the helpline and gave them all the information I could while choosing to remain anonymous. I gave them full names of the managers I had informed, however when they asked me if I thought higher management was working on covering up the issue, I told them that at this time, while I do not trust what management had told me about them passing word up the chain, I did not have any evidence against that, so I did not think management was working on a cover-up.

Because I chose to remain anonymous the helpline told me to call back in a few business days for an update. As I was on vacation I spent most of the rest of the week relaxing. On Friday I called in and they informed me that my company had assigned an investigator to look into this complaint, and that in a few more business day I need to call back in if they have any more questions. Apparently the investigator was assigned Monday, so clearly the new headquarters wanted to take this seriously.

I came back to work on Monday and it seemed it was business as usual. One of my co-workers wanted to talk to me more about the on-call issue but I told him I would not talk about it.

Amazingly so, right as our conversation ended my manager called a group meeting. After discussing some clean house issues my manager stated a new ruling came down about on-call.

Apparently he "misread" an e-mail in the beginning of the transition and all of the hourly employees earn a flat amount for each day of on-call, in addition to the hourly rate for time worked. This daily amount equals about 50% of our hourly rate, so that's nice.

I placed misread in quotes because after our group talk, I overheard my manager talking to another manager and he mentioned how he is 100% positive that the initial e-mail stated that only salary employees earn the flat amount, not hourly employees.

So, while it seems they initially did not know what needed to happen, the internal review helped them all stay out of trouble. Also, my immediate manager mentioned to our little group that they have me to thank for the flat rate, which was nice to hear.

**TL;DR I did not go to the DoL but rather our own investigation unit. My managers were not happy, but now we are working in the legal bound of our system, so win for us I guess.**

Answer: Your manager mentioned to your group that they had you to thank? Sounds like it isn't anonymous anymore.


Title: Need help got a letter in the mail on my dad.

Question:
Hey guys,

So I'm freaking out right now (I'm a very anxious person), my dad got a letter today from a law office that said someone is sueing him. It's a civil case in the Kings County Civil Court in New York City.

Some background. My dad got into a small accident around maybe February or march of this year. It was the taxi drivers fault but the police basically said both person's fault. Anyways, my dad basically had me call them up and stuff and they wanted more information, etc. They made me go through like 3 different numbers just to reach them T.T Anyways, basically we had to send all these forms and police report as well as the bill for the car repair. They didn't want to pay for repair because they couldn't read it well so they were asking for better paperwork and such. Basically, my dad got annoyed and ended up yelling at them and just eventually hung up. He decided he wasn't going to bother sending them new bill and stuff and just pay it out of his own pockets.

Fast forward to now, we got that letter from a law office in Manhattan wanting to represent my dad. We didn't get anything from a court or anything and when I looked up the index number, it doesn't show an assigned judge or tell us what the case is about.

I'm very scared :/ what should we do? It's been like 6 months since the whole incident and shit. The taxi company was insured by a law firm and that firm is like sueing my dad.

Please help!

Answer:
 > I'm very scared :/ what should we do?

You shouldn't do anything. Your dad should call his insurance company.


Title: How to handle identity theft by family member (NC)

Question:
Hi, I would appreciate any advice.  My niece recently found that she had credit cards in her name totaling over $70,000.  She opened a police report and through some investigating found that her mother had done this.

Her mother then made her feel guilty about what she (my niece) would be doing to their family by pressing charges.  I strongly suspect that  her mother threatened her as well (not in a physical way necessarily, but probably threatened suicide, etc. , because my niece was so out of frame this morning that she called the police and had the report closed.

The investigator told her that she could not change her mind from a criminal perspective on this, and it could only be handled in a civil court from here on.  I think my niece was in such an emotional state that she didn't think through the consequences of closing the report. I don't think she can't repair her credit without that police report.  Can the case truly not be opened again?  Is it possible the county would pursue charges without her pressing charges?

For reference, NC = North Carolina, USA.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 She filed a police report.  She can't "undo" that.  It's not up to her if the police decide to investigate and/or if the DA decides to prosecute.  However, if she is not a willing witness, then neither the police nor the DA are likely to do anything with her report (they will "close" the report/case).

She can contest what she owes with the creditors, but if she wants them to believe that she didn't open the accounts, then she will likely have to help with the criminal investigation and prosecution.

She has MUCH more to lose than her credit score.  If she doesn't resolve this as fraud, then the creditors will sue the crap out of her and they will garnish her bank accounts and wages and other assets, etcetera.Answer #2: You should also have her put a freeze on her credit with the big three reporting agencies so her mother cannot open anything else under your her name.


Title: So there are some cheap plots of land in an abandoned neighborhood development near me. How do I find out what I can legally do there?

Question:
So there are dozens of half acre plots in various places in a large abandoned neighborhood that was being developed before the economic collapse. Basically, there are streets, and sparsely placed houses every few miles, but it’s mostly empty.

I want to buy this land to have a place to go shoot guns. The ranges around here are expensive and unfun. But I would also love to host competitions and have others in the community come and shoot there too.

I would have to build some sort of bathroom facility, which there are blueprints for camp bathrooms online.

I guess my concern is that this is zoned as residential. Since it’s my property, and it’s pretty sparsely populated, can I just do what I want for the most part on the land?

Answer:
 There are places where discharging a firearm inside city limits is, in and of itself, a crime. You're going to need an attorney for this - and expect to be carrying substantial liability insurance for your range, as well. (This is one of the reasons - but not the only reason - that range time costs what it costs.)

The good news is that an attorney can help you navigate the zoning rules and figure out if this plan is feasible before you spend any time or money on setting up facilities.Answer #2: Before you even call the lawyer, check the zoning regulations on the website of your municipality.  That will give you a pretty good idea of what the township allows and/or doesn't.  I am going to bet you'll have a lot of trouble opening even a private club type shooting range in any area not zoned rural or similar.

Additionally, half-acre lots, unless you buy a lot of them are not nearly big enough for any sort of outdoor range, once you include a safety margin.


Title: A hypothetical case on "No-fault" divorce

Question:
A hypothetical case:

The wife \[F35\] filed a "no-fault" divorce from her husband after 12 years of marriage, although the main reason was sexual incompatibility; she had high libido, and he had ED. They had no children.

The husband hired a PI and discovered she had auditioned and acted, one-time, a few years ago, in a porn movie involving heterosexual acts.

He wanted to covert the divorce to "at fault" to deny her equal share of property divisions, for he believed she had committed 'adultery'.

She argued that the movie in question was a job that she had applied for, morality aside, and had contracts and payments from it to substantiate her argument. She had not slept with other men per se outside marriage.

What will be the possible arguments and verdict for this scenario?

Answer:
 You can't convert a no fault divorce to a fault divorce, and you can't prevent someone who wants to divorce you from divorcing you in the US.

And in most states a fault divorce doesn't mean she no longer gets an equal share of the marital propertyAnswer #2: She had sex with other people without his knowledge while they were married? That it's a movie or that it's a job doesn't really make it better.

If the husband is aware and fine with his wife starring in porn movies at the time, then he can't suddenly become "not fine with it" years later when it becomes relevant to a divorce.

Though you can't convert one kind of divorce to another. If the divorce has no yet been pronounced, the husband can file for an at fault divorce.


Title: Dog fostering gone wrong, what to do?

Question:
Long story short,
My fiancé left for deployment in August last year. We have a dog we purchased together almost 3 years ago. The dog has never left my side. In September I was looking for a foster to watch the dog for me until I can get back on my feet.I just moved out of state, with nothing. Three days of my dog staying here gets hit by a car and racks up $6,000 in vet bills. My frend, not foster paid for everything. In December the foster told me she couldn't watch him anymore and we agreed upon a meeting place and date. I get a message from her a few days later telling me about a friend of hers that wants my dog, permanently. I went to reply back telling the foster no...and she has blocked me on everything, I found out she has "rehomed" my dog 10 days earlier  than our meeting date. What do I do?  I definitely want my dog back, how do I go about this? This is what I get for moving to California. Lol.

Answer: I don't understand how your friend and the vet bills factor into the story. It sounds like the foster just straight-up stole your dog and her friend received property stolen by conversion. Both of these things are crimes.Answer #2: The location of the fosterer makes a big difference in what kind of recourse you have, OP.Answer #3: Have you had any proof that your dog is ok after the accident? Did you ever have direct communication with the vet? This is setting off scam alarm bells here.


Title: Question on Plea Bargaining in the US

Question:
Hey all,

Another day, another stupid lawyer question by me haha! Today I was wondering about plea bargains.

How are these argued without information not being given away by both sides? For example, say I have a client who would like to entertain a plea bargain. If the lawyer goes to the prosecutor tries to work out a deal does that not cue the prosecutor to think "hmm, if he wants to deal I must be onto him and have a case? If we keep digging around we can get this guy" Is the defense attorney solely working on the evidence the prosecutor has revealed? If not wouldn't it be tough to bargain without giving away some of your own clients privilege and unknown to the prosecutor info?

Is the lack of the desire to go to court/the cost of court a driving factor?

Thanks again for putting up with all my silly basic questions.

Answer:
 >does that not cue the prosecutor to think "hmm, if he wants to deal I must be onto him and have a case? If we keep digging around we can get this guy

No, it cues the prosecutor to think "Today must be a day ending in y." If a defense attorney *doesn't* go and ask what the plea offer is, they aren't doing their job.


Title: Is there a reason a business owner would fake a secret divorce from his wife, pay child support to her, and then secretly re-marry her years later? Is this some sort of tax scam?

Question:
Sorry I've never poster in this sub so not sure if this is the right place.

My wife and I use to work together at the same small company years ago. I left there about 3 years ago for another job and my wife still works there. The company owner is a nice person but he used to do some subtle shady shit that made me think he was scamming people. A decade ago he asked me to photoshop and change some information on a contract that had already been signed by someone. Other weird things.

Anyways.

My wife calls me the other day to tell me what had happened at work that day. Her and another co-worker were trying to remember the owner's middle name because he was really embarrassed of it and they thought it would be funny to put it on some gag gift, so they started googling his name to see if it would pull up. On the first page of results, it showed some marriage records stating that the owner had just gotten married in 2006. Um thats weird. Owner, has been married to his wife since the early 90's. They even have two kids in college. Everybody at that office knows his wife (who is a financial planner) and she is very active at office events and friendly to everybody. Some of the older employees even went to their wedding in the 90's. She is very sweet and they are very loving to each other and don't seem to have any major problems in their marriage.

Scrolling down in the google results she finds divorce records for them in about the year 2000. My wife's co-worker starts to remember that years back, when she would check the office mail, that the owner would receive child support payment notices and she never really thought about it at the time. Everybody in this office is very close and would know if the owner had divorced his wife and remarried to her years later. My wife brought this info to her manager who has been an employee there since the owner started the company. She had been at their wedding in the 90's. She had house sat for them during this time they would have been divorced. Me and my wife even house sat for them while they would have been divorced. My wife's manager was weirded out about this whole thing and told her to delete her search history and not bring it up to anyone else.

So to get to my point: We are pretty sure the owner of this company and his wife (who is a financial planner at a large financial company) officially divorced on paper, kept living together telling no one, the owner paid child support to his "ex" wife to keep up appearances, and then secretly re-married on paper years later telling no one.

Is this some sort of tax scam? How could someone benefit from being legally divorced on paper from their spouse while still actually being married to each other and then secretly re-marry years later? I can try to get more details if it helps solve this mystery. Thanks

Answer:
 There's nothing illegal about living with your ex-spouse, any more than there's something illegal about living with a romantic partner prior to marriage, or about sharing finances with someone outside of a marital relationship.

There are plenty of reasons to get divorced. Failure of the marriage is by far the most common, but there can be financial reasons to do so, or personal reasons not tied to the failure of the relationship, or any of a number of other factors. They're under no obligation to disclose that part of their personal lives to you, or to anyone else without a suitable court order.

If you suspect tax fraud, you could [contact the IRS](https://www.irs.gov/individuals/how-do-you-report-suspected-tax-fraud-activity), but personally, I'd let sleeping dogs lie. This isn't your problem.Answer #2: > Everybody in this office is very close

Thats why. Yall were too close and they were embarrassed.


Title: Mother of deceased son pocketing funeral donations

Question: So my cousin recently passed away and our family isn't very wealthy so we decided to get donations and sell food to raise money for the funds needed to burry my cousin. We raised roughly 10k for the funeral service. This money was mainly raised by the sister who then gave the money to her mother. She decided to cremate him and keep the extra money which i believe is about 6k. His mother was never there for him and never truly cared he passed; she just wants the money. Is there anything the sister can do? The funeral service was to take place tomorrow. We live in CA

Answer: Was there a contract, or an agreement that the mother made with the rest of the family as to what, specifically she would do with the money and any excesses?


Title: ER dropped the ball.

Question: I wrecked my motorcycle and was taken to the ER. I had a big laceration on my elbow, road rash on both knees, backs of both hands, and about 6-8 inches high across my entire lower back. They took X-rays and "cleaned" my wounds before stitching my elbow back together. They didn't even scrub my back, just told me to clean it in the shower at home. Couldn't really use my left arm because of the stitches and had a broken right wrist. Sent me home with pain killers and muscle relaxers. No antibiotics. This was a Thursday night, so getting a doctors appointment Friday wasn't possible. My arm began to turn red and get sensitive during the weekend. Saw my orthopedic doctor Monday morning and she sent us to the ER for my stitches becoming infected. Had to have surgery to remove the infection, and was in the hospital for 5 days. Now I have to be on IV antibiotics everyday for 4-6 weeks. I went through a lot of pain and suffering I wouldn't of had to had I been treated properly the first time. Anything I can do legally? Not about the money, but I shouldn't have to pay for something they were responsible for. Much less let it happen to more people.

Answer: Medical malpractice is very fact specific and you need to talk to a lawyer about your specific case. That being said, an infection is rather common and unlikely to rise to the level of malpractice. Malpractice means the doctor operated outside the standard of care, not just that something bad happened.


Title: [FL] Delivered fliers in mailboxes without knowing it was illegal in US.

Question: Hello everyone, I just did a stupid thing. I'm a 15 year old, and I moved to Florida US 6 months ago. My family doesn't have the green card, but we're in the progress of getting it, and I moved because my father has a type "L" visa (Intra-company transferees). Recently I started a small business, printed up some fliers and delivered about 100 of them by opening the mailboxes of my neighbors myself and leaving it there. I just got a call saying that what I did was very wrong, and he's not gonna do anything to me, but I should know that doing that is very illegal in the US. I'm freaking out, I really don't know what to do. What could be the consequences? What should I say if someone else calls me? On the flier the only information listed was my phone number and a new email which has no personal information. In hindsight that was really stupid to do. Please help me (:

Answer: Nothing will happen. Just don't do it again. Answer #2: It sounds like it's over. Don't do it again. The post master or whatever cut you a break.


Title: What happens after I get the case number for my police report?

Question: California.

Answer: You go about the rest of your life knowing your case number.


Title: Siblings and I's trust being drained to nothing by provision to "pay grandparents $1000/month" for job they are no longer doing.

Question:
Hey guys, this is a complicated one. When my dad died (in Nevada), they found a note in his desk materials with a scribbled note that said "property (Montana) - mom and dad". That's it. My mom and her lawyers argued that there is no way he intended the property to be in his parents possession forever rather than the kids. Well, this is sort of arbitrary in that the property was transferred to a to trust to be held for us until we all turned 25.

What my grandparents got out of it was $1000/month to "manage the property". They stopped doing that and moved to a nursing home about 5 years ago, and had really stopped managing the property more like 6 or 7 years ago. I love my grandparents but they are wealthy and it is extremely frustrating to see our dads money count down to 0. I was thinking of getting a court order to change this. What really grinds my gears is that barely any decisions can be made about the property so it is rotting into the ground while my grandparents are hundreds of miles away.

What should I be thinking about/doing right now? Do we have a shot at changing this? My siblings and I had no say in the matter and now that we are all getting older it is starting to seem ridiculous. Excuse my naivety, I really appreciate the help and I'm sure I'm missing something so let me know if you have a question.

Answer: It sounds to me that they are in breach of service. I would guess that you'd have a shot but there is no easy way to deal with this without a lawyer


Title: I'm 16 and feel like I'm being taken advantage of at work (x post from personalfinance)

Question: [deleted]

Answer: How do you not get a pay stub? Are you working under the table or something?


Title: Friend Dying from TB in Canada

Question: I have a friend who lives in Canada and has TB (They're originally from Russia so have no immunizations for it) but no health card. They can't pay for treatment and are close to death (for reference on age they're a teenager.) Are hospitals legally obligated to treat someone or are they just going to die? I'm from America so I don't know about Canadian law. They moved there when they we're young and don't know. They seem to have accepted their death and won't answer any more questions (They don't know their visa and seems to not want to ask their parents)

Answer:
 Canadian healthcare worker here. I am not a doctor, and I work mostly in mental health.

That said, there is no way your friend received a TB diagnosis and isn't being followed up on. We don't just let that shit go. When we were notified that a client had exposed us to TB, we were followed up with by Public Health at work and at home. There is no way your friend received this diagnosis and has not received treatment unless your friend and their parents are taking active measures to avoid it.Answer #2: Sounds like you are being trolled. That’s not how health care works in Canada.Answer #3: Yes. They may bill him if he’s not within provincial coverage, but better that he and his parents owe some money than that he die.

If his parents have not sought medical care for him the hospital is likely to get children’s aid involved to protect him, too.


Title: Firm let me go Friday, Hired Partner's Daughter Monday...

Question:
I'll start this off with some background...

I started working at this prominent Seattle firm in October as an intern knowing that this would be a temporary 6 month thing. I finished up in April loving the experience I had while there. In June, the firm contacts me back to see if I would help them out for awhile and I agree to another 6 month internship again because this is the literally the best firm in the country at what they do.

Around March, the firm hires a partner's daughter to the same position as me even though she has no experience in this field and went to college for a different field. I thought no big deal at the time, I guess why not if your mom is a partner and you can try it out.

Now is where things get competitive...

It's only been about two months into my new 6 month internship and the firm is letting me go. I just finished up on Friday and on Monday I find out that they have made her full time at the firm. I find it difficult to believe that they hired her truly based off of skill and competency. From what I can tell from her daily work, she is not better than me in anyway. She did not go to school for this field and has been far removed from the industry for a few years. I went to a top ten ranked program for my major and have a master's degree in the field we both work in.

I don't know if I have a case or anything to bring up at this point. It's just very suspicious that the next business day after my firing, they hire the partner's daughter on full-time. I just wanted to see if Reddit had any suggestions to move forward or if I should just forget about it all together. It's not like I would really want to work there anymore after seeing them capable of doing this to an employee that they had asked to return to the office. I'd be happy to provide more specifics if it helps aside from names and identifying information.

Answer:
 A company can hire whoever they want.  The only reason they couldn't fire you is if it was because you belonged to a protected class, race, color, religion, or national origin.  Age doesn't really count anymore, companies are getting rid of 54 year old employees for "cost reason" not age.  In an "at will" state the employer doesn't even need a stated reason to terminate.  Answer #2: Sorry boss, nepotism isn't illegal.  Without a contract they can fire you to free up salary for her even if she just spends all day on Reddit.Answer #3: Absent something in the contract, it is at-will employment and they are allowed to fire you and give your job to an inferior employee just because she's the boss' daughter.Answer #4: That sucks.

 Here's what you do: email your manager or whomever is the senior most person at the company that liked you. Say that you're really sad you won't get a chance to continue interning there. Say that you really enjoyed the opportunity and hope you can count on them for a good reference. Then move on with your life.

If you were good at your job, your manager feels pretty shitty about what just happened. Maybe they can help you find a new internship as well. Be professional and mature and this can work out well for you.


Title: Cited for walking dog offleash in Ca! Help!

Question:
Self explanatory title. I was walking my dog offleash on a path in a park out of range of traffic/sidewalks/people. Park ranger rolls up, gets out of the car, asks for my ID. Cites me, never gives me his name.

Unbeknownst to me, my city has begun cracking down on offleash dog walking. There have been no signs in this park stating all dogs must be on leashes, the ranger keeps stating there are signs at the opposite end of the trail from which I came. 3 miles down. On the end where I was, there are no signs. I took photos on my walk back.

What I have learned from friends is the local newspaper recently posted that offleash citations are running $500 now. I do not have $200 to spare. $500 is a joke. I clearly missed this article. I have every intention of going to the court date, I'm not entirely sure what to go off of. Since last night I have learned that local law states that dogs must be on leash in every part of town, no exemption for the dog park. The city doesn't even recognize the dog park. My boyfriend thinks I can use that as a means of leveling with the judge.

**Tldr; please help me get this potentially $500 off leash citation thrown out!**

**Edit: if there's no room for fighting it, could anyone please advise me on having the cost of the citation lowered? The fee seems wildly disproportionate. Even the right way to phrase anything. I've never been to court before and I'm very nervous.**

Answer:
 If getting off easy was this simple, judges would hold court on a black couch in a small office.

What is your defense?  That you didn't read the article?Answer #2: Being ignorant of the law doesn't mean you're not bound by it, unfortunately, so "I didn't know and wasn't told directly" won't cut it as a defense. Maybe the court will let you do a payment plan.Answer #3: If the city doesn't recognize the dog park then it isn't a dog park, I don't understand why your boyfriend thinks that's an excuse.

Regardless I would guess you aren't getting out of it, it's probably a strict-liability offense, you either did it or you didn't, it doesn't matter your intent.Answer #4: To respond to your edit, you can ask. There is no way to force it. You are pretty much at the mercy of the magistrate.

When determining a fine the goal is to create a financial incentive to stop the behavior. $500 seems like a very good incentive to stop the behavior and others who see it will also stop.  The purpose of a fine is not only to punish those that are caught.


Title: What's the charge for throwing someone at another car?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 This is so trivial I doubt the police will care, and no you can't sue since you have no damages.Answer #2: No, to all your questions. Nothing will happen and you have no damages to sue for. Answer #3: I'm a bot, *bleep*, *bloop*. Someone has linked to this thread from another place on reddit:

- [/r/bestoflegaladvice] [OP with an ego so fragile, an empty pack of gum can destroy it](https://np.reddit.com/r/bestoflegaladvice/comments/5c0slf/op_with_an_ego_so_fragile_an_empty_pack_of_gum/)

- [/r/subredditdrama] [Redditor seriously upset about thrown gum wrapper. Also road rage](https://np.reddit.com/r/SubredditDrama/comments/5c1k62/redditor_seriously_upset_about_thrown_gum_wrapper/)

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