Title: Ex-wife is trying to control parenting time. (posting for a friend). AR

Question:
My friend's soon to be ex wife is pretty controlling. They don't have a custody agreement right now but have court in October. He has to pay every single time he contacts his lawyer so he wanted me to see if I could find just some general advice on what constitutes what you can do during your parenting time.

Right now she has their son 4/5 a week and he has him 2/3 days a week.

He works in retail so his schedule varies but he prefers and has always had his son mostly on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays or just Fridays and Saturdays.

His ex wife has him one Saturday a month so that knocks him down to just Thursday and Friday during that week.

This is just there general agreement that they have had for about two years or a little less.

His retails schedule has him working on most Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sunday nights. So anytime he has his child on that day his mother will go pick him up from school and then take  him to her house to babysit.

He wasn't tell the ex wife this for a while because she would get upset. But he would sometimes ask her to take his son on days he couldn't get him mother to babysit.

She recently found out from a combination of going to his work place and asking the school.

So, she demanded that he go to a new school because she was having problem getting that school to communicate with her.  Apparently the school preferred my friend's mother (child's grandmother) because she was more pleasant to talk to.

My friend agreed to the new school but put his mother on the list without telling his ex wife.

Now the ex wife found out about it and is refusing to let the grandmother (my friend's mother) pick up the child without a court order.

She is claiming it is disruptive and my friend was telling her that he was picking the child up when he wasn't ( which is true, he did lie).

the thing is that my friend works a lot and it would be impossible for him to watch his kid in the way she wants. He'd have to choose erractic days, not days together.

His ex-wife's compromise is that my friend can have the kid any time he is not working. Like if he doesn't work during the day he can have him and then drop him off at her house in the evening while he works or he can choose a day that he doesn't work at all and that can be his day.

My friend doesn't like that idea. It seems unstable for the child to have an erractic schedule like that. It isn't fair and I agree with him.

There is nothing wrong with him sharing his time with the grandparents (my friend's mother).

Now, here is problem my friend runs into, the ex-wife will go get the child if she finds out my friend is working more than 4 or 5 hours in the evening and won't spend the night with the child.

The only problem we see is that when she is working, the child goes to a daycare, and my friend's lawyer is argueing that isn't the ex-wife's time and that my friend is free to take him. So we are worried that it would be applied to the time my friend isn't with the child too. Like when his mother is watching him.

She is also asking for a thing called first refusal. But his lawyer says she is unlikely to get it as that would imped his ability to parent.

She, the ex-wife, is asking for primary custody which would screw my friend and he doesn't want to pay her the $80 a month on top of the $400 he is already paying for daycare.

The ex-wife is also agruing that he never takes him to doctor visits (he works), doesn't know the name of his teachers (they change often), and that she handles all the day to day stuff.

But the kid doesn't like the mom. He tells my friend that he likes it at his grandmothers the most and at daddy's apartment.

(son is 3)

I want to help my friend with is controlling ex wife and I just don't even know where to start. HE won't be able to see his lawyer until September.

Her mantra is " Your mom is rasining him for you, not babysitting him,  either change your parenting schedule to fit around  your work schedule, or change your work schedule to fit your parenting schedule"

Can she really just bar his mom from picking the child up?  Also, she constantly insults his parents to him.

Is he not legally allowed to do with his parenting time whatever he wants? Like if he works 3 to 12 (midnight) and can't pick the child up from school can he, even though the mother is available, since it is his normal day, allow his mom to act for him? Or does the mother have the right in this case? That still counts as hsi day right?

Also, he will be at the grandmothers house first thing in the next morning around 8am to see the kid.

tl;dr Can my friend's mother keep his child for him during most of his parenting time while he works even though the mother is available? Can she bar his mother from picking him up from school or does he have to get a court order?

Answer: Going to need to work out a court ordered custody agreement to lay the guidelines on this. You should try and get your kid on the days you don't work so you can spend the time with them and not have your mom babysitting.


Title: Owner not paying us for work

Question:
Hi, so I’m just wondering about the legality of this situation our owner put us in. For reference we are in the state of Texas.

We got a message in our group chat from one of the other employees saying this:
“we forgot to turn the open sign on and he changed our clock in time to 1:45”

Essentially they were opening they clocked in and got the store ready but forgot to turn on the open sign. Customers still came through and bought items. Our owner went in and changed the time card to reflect when then turn on the open sign and not when they actually clocked in and started working.

Would love some help!

Answer: Employees must be paid for the time they worked; employees can be fired for not turning on the open sign. Texas labor board (or equivalent) can help in recovering lost wages.


Title: Moving from North Carolina to Chicago, Illinois. I have a driver license but I’m selling my car. Can I transfer my license to Illinois without a car or insurance?

Question:
EDIT: Thanks to everyone for their help and advice! I will start studying to prepare for the Illinois test.

I’ve tried to find information about this online, but everything I’ve found assumes that I’m bringing a car with me.

I currently have a NC drivers license and a car with liability and collision insurance. However, when I move to Chicago I will not be bringing the car with me. I am going to have it put in my brother’s name and have him keep it for about a month to make sure I will not need it, at which point he has agreed to sell it for me.

My license doesn’t expire for another four years, and I don’t want it to expire. I want to have it transferred to Illinois when I move to Chicago and establish residency there, but I don’t know if I have to have a car or car insurance to transfer my license from NC to IL. I am planning on cancelling my car insurance before I go also, but I would like to be able to rent a car in the city whenever I need one, and am not sure if I have to have insurance before I can drive at all, even if I do not have a car.

So my question is, can I transfer my NC license to IL without a car or insurance?

Answer:
 Yes. Your authorization to drive has no connection whatsoever to whether or not you currently own a car. Lots of people know how to and are authorized to drive by the state without owning a car.

You'll need insurance for your rental vehicle, while you're renting it, which will typically be covered off either by your credit card, if you have one which offers that service, or by purchasing insurance from the rental car place when you rent it. Answer #2: Two issues here.

1. You don't need a car to have a valid driver's license.

2. You can't usually just "transfer" a license without having a new one issued for the State you have moved to, although you don't have to go through the whole testing, etc. process again. Check with Illinois Motor Vehicles Department.


Title: Friend's phone is found, he's asking for a finder's fee.

Question:
(Wisconsin, US)

So my friend dropped his phone out of his pocket, we received a call that it was found. It was evidently found *in my driveway*, but the finder left with it. They are now communicating with us and asking for a finder's fee, for which the value is not set yet. My question is, is it legal to ask a finder's fee for something that the receiver owns. I know it happens in realty when you are found a house to look at, but if my friend owns his phone, is it legal for someone to require payment for it?

Answer:
 IANAL but...I think that is tantamount to the finder admitting theft because they know it is lost and being sought after and they told you
 they have it.Answer #2: It's legal to ask.

If your friend put up reward signs, he's obligated to pay.

But barring all that, the other person cannot hold the phone for ransom. If they do, that's stealing.


Title: Will i possibly get an extension on my community service or am i royally fucked?

Question:
So i was charged with two misdemeanors at 18. And have a year to complete 60 days community service. I got stumped as far as work went and had to save up money and also saved to get a car, so i didnt start my community service until jan of this year so i could buy said car and resave up some money. Back to the point, i have until May 13 to complete it and putting in the numbers, id probably only have about 45+ days done, not the 60.

If i go back to court before the due date and request to have one more month to complete it do you think ill be granted? It was my first offense, i paid off all my court fees the same day i took the plea (which got rid of all my savings) and have not gotten in any trouble with the law since. Ill bust my ass harder to complete it if i have to, but if there is a slight chance the other side can cooperate, it would help tremendously.

This is in CA, Riverside county to be exact.

Answer:
 We have no way of knowing how it will go, but they are going to scrutinize what you were doing for a whole year while avoiding doing community service.

From now until the deadline, work every day doing community service. I'm serious. 7 days a week volunteering. Bust your ass. Show you care. You can attempt to ask for an extension on the grounds that you have been working very hard to complete the hours, but they have no reason to extend it.

Your punishment for committing a crime was community service and you failed to do so. We cannot predict what the judge will do. You may get an extension of a few months or you may be ordered to pay a fine.


Title: Girl made a crazy left in rush hour traffic, I hit her, don't know what to do with insurance

Question:
A couple of weeks ago, I was in a car accident. Per Atlanta driving standards, someone tried to make a suicidally insane left turn out of a gas station during rush hour on Cheshire Bridge.

There are two lanes going each way. The lane to the right of me was stopped due to a backup of people making a right onto an offshoot of Lenox; my lane was going the normal speed of traffic. Someone to the right of me must have left space for her to pull through, and when she did, she was magically in front of me, out of nowhere. I was able to brake, but I hit her. It was clear to the police officer that she was at fault and he wrote her a citation. Police report reflects all of this.

Almost 2 weeks later, her insurance company has yet to accept liability, putting me in a bit of an awkward position.

My insurance company has offered to pay out and take it through the subrogation process with her company; they say they don't consider me at fault and that I can choose to stop payment if her company comes through in the meantime. Do I keep holding out for hers and not let my company pay for anything? Will it screw me on premiums even though it's not my fault?

I was in a terrible accident as a passenger a year ago with multiple fatalities and am feeling super-rattled, so all calm, rational-people advice would be appreciated.

(location: Atlanta)

Answer:
 Pursue the claim with your own insurance. This is why you have insurance. Answer #2: > My insurance company has offered to pay out and take it through the subrogation process with her company; they say they don't consider me at fault and that I can choose to stop payment if her company comes through in the meantime. Do I keep holding out for hers and not let my company pay for anything? Will it screw me on premiums even though it's not my fault?

This is the right answer. You will be on the hook for the deductible, but your insurance company will PROBABLY be able to get that back for you through subrogation.Answer #3: Like the other's said, let your insurance deal with it. That's why you have insurance, they do this for a living and you can move on. Answer #4: Definitely let your carrier handle it at this point. Assuming the other party has an active policy they will very likely be able to recover your deductible.

Has the other party’s insurance indicated why they are delaying? There are certainly some scenarios that would make getting your deductible back difficult, but they’re also the same scenarios that would prevent the other carrier from paying in the first place.


Title: London - Intern on probationary period fired without process. Statutory rights violated, personally abused and insulted through panic attack, Injury to feelings and mental health.

Question:
Sorry for long post:

I'm hoping some of you may take the time to read what happened and get back to me regarding what claims I can make.

I was recently fired from my job during my probationary period. Of course, my employer has a right to terminate my contract during this period, and I am unable to claim for Unfair Dismissal. However, I believe that, due to the extremely unprofessional manner in which my dismissal was carried out and the surrounding circumstances, several of my rights in many areas and my health have been violated and the company is liable to damages for these violations. I will outline the events and why I think the company violated the law. They definitely did not follow company policy, but that is ‘non-contractual’ as specified in my contract. No gross misconduct has taken place or has been alluded to.

To sum up, I was brought into a room at work by my boss, fiercely and bitterly attacked personally and insulted, and fired on the spot with no previous information at all regarding my conduct or any disciplinary proceedings. He briefly summed up the actual events that lead to my dismissal, but the majority of the time was spend attacking me personally. My boss flew off the handle and abused me verbally. I begged for an opportunity to discuss and defend myself, but this was only responded to by more verbal abuse and was outright denied. After leaving and proceeding into a public space, I was further insulted and shouted at with profanity. I experienced an anxiety attack throughout which I was continuously subjected to the same. I was told outright I had no opportunity or right to defend myself, or to appeal this dismissal.

I would like to make claims of abuse/harassment etc, injury to feelings and mental health, detriment (financial and personal), and breach of statutory rights regarding the disciplinary process.

I hope you will get back to this enquiry regarding ways to go forward in fighting my case. I humbly ask for your help as I will struggle to deal with the damage that has been done to me, both personally and financially.

I have a detailed document about the exact events so can provide more info if needed.

Thanks in advance

Answer: Your statutory rights were not violated.


Title: [OR] Grandmother passed away, my aunt chained the locks on grandmother's house and took the car out of state

Question: I'm not sure what I for you need, but my aunt has nearly gone crazy, after my grandmother passed away, she changed the locks and garage door code on my grandmother's house without telling my mother. We didn't know until we went over there to drop off a copy of the obituary and couldn't get in, when we noticed the door knobs changed and our keys obviously didn't work. Both my aunt and my mother's name is on the estate, and my mom is the older if that matters. My aunt is currently out of state as well. She also drove the car out of state which she wanted to give to her son but my mother wanted to sell it and split the money. Is this at all legal and just terrible family troubles?

Answer:
 You'll need to speak to a probate attorney.Answer #2: With actions like this..I seriously doubt the car is the only thing she took.

I hope you and your mom have a good idea of what valuables were in there.


Title: Something illegal is going on at my workplace

Question:
I was contracted out to build a 4 lane highway . It was supposed to be a 3month job , I’ve been here 4 years . We get a mile built we bulldoze it up all of it and restart done this a dozen times freakin times now,  it’s a total waist of money . I lay Colberts down and put the padding down on top level it , put the asphalt and dig it back a few days after we’re done . I bring this up to my boss he tells me not to worry about it . Here’s how the conversation went

Me: why the hell are we digging this highway up and putting it back down a dozen times over

Boss: don’t worry about it . Just keep doing your job

Me : no , I’m gonna worry about this . There’s no reason we should have to do this . I’m bring this to the higher ups

Boss: you bring it up to them your ass is grass

Me : what the fuck is that suppose to mean ?

Boss: you bring this up I’ll have your ass fired in a heart beat

I know something fishy is happening here but I don’t know what . Who do I report this to ? Besides those who are above my boss ?

Answer:
 Take your concern to the DOT.Answer #2: The department of transportation in the state would be very interested.Answer #3: There is almost certainly a whistle blower number for you to report this sort of thing. Depending on the agency there may even be a reward for catching fraud.

Check the posters in your break room, office, equipment storage area ect.
Wherever they’re posted, they’re likely near the OSHA regulations and safety gear info.

If you have any proof (honestly your pay stubs+phone gps may be enough) that you’ve been working this same stretch for 4 years, you should be prepared to supply it.Answer #4: You should qualify for whistleblower protection. This sounds like a case of fraud if I've ever heard one. Of course, they'll probably try to fire you anyway saying it was for "something else" but the people running the reporting office weren't born yesterday. DOT is the reporting agency(or state equivalent if this is a state highway. Check for an Inspector General as they typically handle fraud waste and abuse things). Whistleblower Protection Act is your defense if the contract is Federal. If not most states have something equivalent.

Keep an eye out for a new job just in case. These sorts of things can get messy, especially if the next level up is actually in on it. Get all your documents together related to this job. They'll be valuable for proving that you're being retaliated against for doing the right thing.

&#x200B;

NAL just HR.Answer #5: Sounds like they are scamming to have the job last longer and get more money. You should go to the State and report it.


Title: HELP! My police reports in an open misdemeanor, potential civil suit are INACCURATE.

Question:
Long story short:

I've been harassed by a property management company headed  by one certain individual -- also a bondsman in my state. After he filed several false reports, the prosecutor charged me with misdemeanor trespass.

I'm a 30 year old, biracial pregnant mother of 2 in an extremely rural county.

Acting as my own attorney, the prosecutor advised me to get my police reports. I was told I'd get them ASAP, only to be told a week later he had to "ask permission."

I've received said reports, and I was made to look like a fool by officers filing reports. Despite them seemingly being on my side during our numerous interactions, the reports are entirely one-sided with the business owner. They didn't even begin to tell my side of the story, things are taken out of context and a few even flat out lied about how events played out.

In the reports, business owner claims I threatened drowning his family, repeatedly drove to his house and even had 10 pizzas sent to his residence!

Meanwhile, THIS GUY is the REAL CRIMINAL. He even went so far as to hack into my router, computer, phone and Google account.

My question is ... HOW can I dispute things that are in the police reports? Should I post them public on my 250 member FB group protesting his development and highlight any conflicts I have with the information?

I've contacted lawyers, but I'm poor so I'm in the works of working with the NAACP on the racial discrimination background of the matter.

I'm located in Michigan.

Answer:
 >Acting as my own attorney

This is where you likely made your biggest mistake, you need a lawyer.  Since you are charged with a crime, see if you qualify for a public defender if you cannot afford one.

>HOW can I dispute things that are in the police reports?

Submit evidence and testimony to the courts that dispute the reports and prove your side of things.

>Should I post them public on my 250 member FB group protesting his development and highlight any conflicts I have with the information?

That is not advisable.  Answer #2: > HOW can I dispute things that are in the police reports?

You provide your testimony.  The police report is just a report of what the police were told.  The report doesn't lend to his credibility at all.  You still have the opportunity to provide your side.

> Should I post them public

No, you should stop talking about this in public at all.

> I've contacted lawyers, but I'm poor

Have you applied for a public defender?


Title: Disowning a god parent in michigan

Question: Long story, but my uncle who is my godfather, well, things arent good between us. I am late 20's and he is in his 60's and I want nothing to do with him. Is there anyway I can take that him being my godfather away or is that more symbolic. I live in michigan

Answer: It's not a legal title. There's no legal process to make him not your godfather.


Title: How do I deal with rude, mean and aggressive people?

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 I'd like to thank the academy, and most of all I'd like to thank my fans, like /u/JimmyJopkins

> So, I love this sub and ask questions frequently.

If you have to post here frequently, you have bigger problems than me.

> However, there is a particular guy /r/grasshoppa1, who's the meanest, rudest and most aggressive guy I've ever seen in my life. He shows signs of psychopath and narcissistic personality. Loves to abuse poor people who come here to ask for advice. but this guys gets enjoyment in harassing and abusing them with the rudest language that would make anyone's day bitter.

Examples please.

> Why was he made mod of this sub?

I'm not a mod but it's cute that you keep making posts about me. Wish i knew which butthurt entitled idiot you were though. Also, i blame /u/demyst for my behavior.Answer #2: Come on folks! This is King Troll stretching his style. This is like a haiku!


Title: Mechanic stole truck, georgia

Question:
Met idiot on craigslist (I just lost your sympathy, I know). He posed as a auto shop. Gave him money, truck and parts truck. He didn't due the work, I sued, just won in magistrate court by default. (No attorney)

Now here's the weird part. He up and left a month ago, took both vehicles and won't tell me where. Cops said it was a civil issue even though the contract was with a fake business.

Now than I have a judgment for $900 and both trucks returned.. How do I go about this?

Also the trucks were for my landscaping business and I have estimated 5k in lost revenue over this. How do I sue him this time without a address.

Also note I found out he has a job so will attempt to garnish wages.

Also note I really want this on his record. Things he said to me gave the impression he has done this before and I would prefer to spare the rest of the world from this bs.

Thanks

Answer: Report the trucks stolen.


Title: [AZ] Am I entitled to the originals of my medical record?

Question:
I have a terrible doctor. I procrastinated leaving him because he was convenient but the straw on the camel's back was when he tried to bill a routine annual checkup covered by my insurance as a problem visit meaning I have to pay out of pocket.

I do not have a new doctor lined up, the fact is, I need to look around before transferring all my documents to a new doctor. I ask the office of my current doctor (who is also pretty terrible) for my medical records and they said they would charge me for copies or transfer to my new doctor for free. I don't trust them. They openly show their dislike for me and I do not doubt information about myself will get lost in the shuffle.

My question, am I not entitled to the originals of my medical records? I no longer want my doctor to have my information. The hostility I've seen for them means they can take that information and use it against me. I'm peeved and don't know what to do.

Answer:
 > My question, am I not entitled to the originals of my medical records?

No, not generally.  You're entitled to accurate and complete records, but there's no requirement that you get the originals.  Also, I believe doctors are required to keep all patient records for a set number of years, so he couldn't give up your records even if he wanted to.


Title: GFs ex broke her dad's wrist

Question:
To a few days ago my gf had her parents drop off her kid to the father. The conversation got tense and the ex pushed the grandfather to the ground. Today we find out his entire forearm is swollen. What is the next step to do?

Also, Is this kind of interaction something to immediately get custody of the child away from the father, since there are now broken bones involved?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Hospital; police report; immediately.

As to immediate custody, probably not, but it -is- something that needs to be brought to the lawyer's attention and could potentially work in your favor depending on location, history, whether the child was where he could see or not, etc. And you have a lawyer already, I hope.


Title: (Florida) My landlord/ mother threatened to kick me out if my fiancee gets pregnant

Question: Title pretty much says it all, my mother who is my landlord pulled me aside and said if my fiancee gets pregnant that we would be evicted that day. Does my landlord have the right to threaten to evict us solely on the premise of my fiancee getting pregnant?

Answer:
 No.

The landlord can serve you a proper notice and then evict you for overstaying or non-payment.


Title: Stepparent Adoption - lost.

Question:
Bear with me and please help me - I need a little point in the right direction with how to even start a stepparent adoption.  Details because tricky...

I lived in Virginia in 2005 - 2010 with my boyfriend at the time.  After our first child, a daughter, was born in 2008, things started to go downhill.  He had wanted an abortion from the beginning, did not want to be a father, and that was the slow demise of our relationship.  We agreed that our constant fighting was bad for our daughter, and that we weren't in the same place/happy anymore, and it was best that I move back home to NH with our daughter, where I would have plenty of family support, and we would work out visitation.  It was amicable, yet still bitter.

In 2010, my daughter and I moved back to New Hampshire where I grew up before living in VA.  We had some contact with my ex (her father) after the move - but his responses to my calls and texts became less and less frequent.  I could start to see him drop off the radar.  I filed for child support (interstate) in 2011 and was approved on paper for a certain amount per month.  I didn't see a payment for YEARS, and when they started coming, it was very sporadic and unpredictable - maybe $40 one month, nothing for 2 months, a random $2.50 one month, nothing for 6 months, etc.

He made a small effort in the beginning, and even once after being absent for about a year, attempted to make some phone calls with our child again and even sent her some gifts for christmas in 2012.  He promised her several times on the phone he was going to come see her, but it never happened.  For years I still sent my ex texts and pictures for milestones (such as birthdays, holidays, first day of school, etc) even though he NEVER responded.  The last time I tried reaching out was a picture of our daughter I sent on Christmas in 2014.  I finally just stopped trying after that.

In 2011, I met my now-husband, who immediately loved my daughter as his own.  He is the only father my daughter remembers, though she does know he is not her biological father.  They love each other so much and she is just as much his child as our other two children we now have together.

We want to go the stepparent adoption route.  We have brought it up openly in conversation with our daughter before, with no pressure, and she has recently (over the past year or so) brought it up as something she wants to do.  She wants my husband, the only dad that's been there for her, to be her on-paper father, and to have the same name as the rest of her family.

I found out last year (in a conversation with an old mutual friend from Virginia) that my ex lives in Florida now.  I don't know the specifics, I don't know if his phone number from years ago is the same, I have no idea his address, I did try texting what used to be his phone number, just asking if it was still him, but of course did not get a response.  Heck, he might not even live in Florida anymore if that WAS the case.

Another detail is that about a year ago, we started suddenly receiving a specific amount of child support (not specific to anything written on paper, but the same amount each time), every 2 weeks on the dot, which have continued to this day.

What are our options, here?  I've been running in circles around Google, between terminating parental rights, stepparent adoption, etc, but I have no idea how to do any of this when I really have no idea where the non-custodial parent is, and can only guess what STATE he lives in based on hearsay.  We still live in New Hampshire.

Is anyone in family law or familiar with this process?  Any steps we can take first?  Should I continue trying to contact him (as in, see if we still have any mutual friends who could hand off my number and a request to call me) and see if he will be willing to give up his parental rights, or is that not really worth it or necessary since he's shown zero interest in years?  I really don't even know this man anymore.  He may be just happy to get out of a child support obligation - or, more likely, if I DO find him, I won't get any response.  Is hiring an attorney an absolute must, here?

I really appreciate any insight or advice.  Thank you!!

Answer:
 > I've been running in circles around Google,

Go to a professional.  You need a family lawyer.  They will help you understand the process.

Yes, somewhere along the line, her biological father will either need to agree to give up his rights or contest the issue in court, but you don't need to figure this out by yourself.Answer #2: That's very long and I skimmed it.

So. New Hampshire is the law you're looking at, assuming yall have been there for 6 months or longer. With adoption, you will first have to terminate the bio dad's rights. This will be much much easier if bio dad will agree. Involuntary termination is really hard and, frankly, really expensive. Is there a possibility the dad would agree? He may if he understands there would be no more child support.

At the end of the day, you need an attorney for this. Need. Termination and adoption is not diy. At all.


Title: 1.2k speeding ticket (Qc)

Question:
I got a speeding ticket going 60 over the limit which will cost me a fine of $1.2k + 14 demerit points (I only have 8 demerit points). I just wanted to know what’s my best bet here: either to follow through and pay the ticket, or contest it to court with a lawyer?

P.s. this is my first serious offence (I’ve had my license for 2 years).

Answer:
 >I got a speeding ticket going 60 over the limit

While that is in kilometers/hour... it is still lawyer territory.

And for crying out loud, stop driving like that before you kill someone.

>this is my first serious offence (I’ve had my license for 2 years).

Do not worry - you may not need to worry about future driving offenses after your license is revoked.

https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/drivers-licences/demerit-points/

Also, your existing 8 demerit points say this is not your first serious offense.

Try to use your license free months to reflect on your terrible driving habits and hopefully decide to drive safely in the future.

Go figure out how long your break will be based on your age and previous record using the page below:

https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/documents/publications/demerit-points-driver-licence.pdfAnswer #2: >I only have 8 demerit points

For the unitiated, Quebec has a graduated licensing system that grants more allowances to drivers as they get older. Drivers under 23 only start with eight points (but it's possible OP could be older and have already racked up some fines).

>either to follow through and pay the ticket, or contest it to court with a lawyer?

Don't plead guilty to an offence unless your own paid lawyer recommends that's what you should do.


Title: Financial company leaked my SSN and other PII through sheer incompetence

Question:
Hello all,

My grandfather was getting his will adjusted and was adding myself and my siblings to one of his investment accounts (IRA I believe) for disbursement upon his death. Unbeknownst to me or my siblings, the financial company that he is doing this through had our Social Security Numbers (which I’ve learned is not even a requirement for this process). I did not give them this information or even know that this was going on.

This company sent our SSNs via plan text unencrypted email, which alone is a horrifying disregard for basic information security. But to make it worse, they mistyped the address and sent it to the wrong email!

What type of legal recourse do I have here? My SSN was leaked without my knowledge of any of the proceedings through incompetence and a blatant disregard for basic encryption and security. Are there any watchdog agencies that I can report this to? I don’t think this falls under the purview of the SEC or FINRA.

Any help would be hugely appreciated.

Answer:
 You have no more legal recourse than one of the many people who receive tax forms through regular mail with their SSN possible visible through the window.

You may sue the company for any damages you can prove are a result of their negligence.

You may not sue the company if you cannot prove you suffered any damages (which seems to be your current situation).

In practical terms, you may want to monitor your credit closely for a while - and it is always possible that if you call the financial company and ask them NICELY, they may pony up for 6 months of 1 year of credit monitoring for you.


Title: Delivery guy texted trying to hit on me. Do I have the basis for a lawsuit?

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Troll Post

Answer: Therapy. It would appear you need it. (And no, you can't make him pay for it).


Title: My landlord will let me take over the lease and kick out some of the roommates. How do I do this?

Question:
I'm in Brooklyn in a building owned by an accountant. He's on the first floor, and he rents the rest to 5 of us. The lease people used to have expired ages ago, so now everyone is not on a lease.

2 of the roommates are problematic/dangerous roommates, and I spoke to the landlord about getting the place in my name alone. This would make it easier for him to manage the place, and this way I can kick out the roommates who are the problem (while letting the other ones sign a sublease).

He likes this plan....but I just need to give him next steps. He's not really a landlord. So, how do I take over/start a new lease as the sole person and kick out two people (all with the landlord's backing)?

Answer:
 They're tenants, so their landlord would need to give them a 30-day written notice to vacate, and if they do not leave after that, their landlord would need to initiate formal eviction proceedings through the court system.

Outside of those two things, there is no legal way to "kick" them out.  They're tenants on a month-to-month lease and have the right to live there until they're served with advance written notice to vacate.  Their landlord can ask them to leave earlier, but they're under no legal obligation to leave any earlier.Answer #2: He is a landlord. He needs to formally evict those he does not want and then sign a lease with you. You will in turn sign leases with those you want to sublet. If he or you are not experienced with writing leases you can find temples online if you google your location and lease template.


Title: I need help leaving home

Question: So I live in GA, and I was wondering how I could legally leave my home before I turn 18. I’m currently 17, and have personally had quite a bit of trouble maintaining a happy/healthy relationship with my family. Details aside, I’ve spent probably 90% of my childhood grounded and not allowed to do anything and frankly I’d like to live a little before I’m 18. Over the past few months, I’ve gotten into trouble with my parents over typical teenage BS, (weed, alcohol, sneaking out) but they’ve cranked down so hard that all I’ve really done for the past year is come home, lay in bed, and stare at the wall. This reaction would be understandable if it wasn’t what I’ve already been forced to do for basically my whole life. Tiny problems are treated like capital murder, etc. I have many friends who are aware of the situation fully, and are willing to take me in, but I have no idea how to proceed. Help?

Answer: What do you think the proper consequence for “weed, alcohol, sneaking out” are? Two and possibly three of those things are illegal.


Title: how can suffice to the Justice system of USA to not prosecute Harvey Weinstein as a criminal offender but rather have him facing a civil litigation?

Question: [removed]

Answer: Your entire question is based off incorrect information and faulty assumptions. The investigating is ongoing. He's not off the hook.


Title: Hostile Work Environment in Houston, TX.. PLEASE HELP!

Question:
Please excuse my formatting. I have been a long time lurker and this is my first post.
I have been employed at an event venue for three months. I have endured harassment including, but not limited to: verbal harassment including threats that I am "making enemies" or that I am going to be fired, jokes being made at my expense about the amount of money I am making, and being exposed to explicit photos of my boss's husband on a shared company device.
I have reached out to our Human Resources department, who assured they would be getting back in touch with me. However my boss has explained to me that she knows about the complaint and wants me to drive all the way out to the venue for a "meeting."
I have not yet been advised by HR and want to wait until that happens. I fear that if I go to this meeting I will be fired.
I have recorded audio proof of harassment, photographic proof of explicit images and email proof of continued prejudicial behavior towards me.
I would sincerely appreciate any help on the matter. Maybe a reference of who to speak to? I am a student and rely on this job to make ends meet. I am losing hope.

Answer: I agree with automod, and that most of your complaints seem like a crappy place to work, but not an illegal one. But the sexually explicit photos are a potential avenue for recourse, if it was part of a continuing pattern of sexual harassment, or was wide spread for others of your gender.


Title: [FL] Is this age discrimination?

Question:
Some insight into situation is: I had begun a job at a new department store about two years ago. During this time I was under the age of 18 and subject to underage labor laws (no large machinery, no dangerous conditions, break after four hours, etc.) After working there for half a year, I had decided that due to travel difficulties i needed to work at a closer location.

So during that time, I applied to a closer location within the company's internal job board. I never heard anything back the first time around, and assumed I had not worked for the company long enough. Fast forward a year into my employment, I find out the closer location had fallen under a new temporary GM due to unforeseen conditions. Which, nicely in my case, the new GM of the closer store happened to be one of my former supervisors.

I attempt to attain the job again at the location via my HR manager, essentially giving her the ultimatum that I needed to work some where closer or I had to quit. She caved and contacted my former supervisor, and scored me the job. During a casual conversation with my new HR manager she had mentioned that she had seen my initial application but had to deny it as the former GM did not want any employees below 18 due to the laws that restrict certain aspects of my employment. Most notably, requirement that I have a 30 minute break every 4 hours.

To clarify, I am not seeking Legal action against anyone. I'm just curious as to whether the former GM and HR manger did anything legally wrong by not hiring me due legal restrictions on my (former) age group

Answer: It absolutely is-- but it's legal age discrimination.


Title: [NY/NYC] Hotel installed bright lights that shine directly in my window

Question: The hotel across the street installed super bright lights to illuminate an ad on the outside of their building. These lights are insanely bright and shine directly through one of my windows like a spotlight. I called the hotel and asked if they could do something. They told me a contractor had installed them and asked me to email them photos which I did. From the street level they don't look that bad but they point sideways and are a few stories up hence why they might not perceive them as being super bright. Point is these lights make it impossible for the room to be used as a bedroom without thick curtains and would almost certainly devalue the apartment. What should my next steps be if the hotel doesn't fix it themselves? If possible I'd like to file a complaint with the city or take some other small steps before getting a lawyer involved.

Answer:
 You could try calling 311 and speaking to the Department of Environmental Protection. Other than that I don't see anything that would be necessarily illegal.

Also, unless you own the apartment any "devaluation" wouldn't affect you.Answer #2: All I can see is that giant red sun in the shape of a chicken!Answer #3: Wouldn't this be a problem you could take up with the zoning board? I remember watching the proceedings of my local zoning board on C-SPAN one time. A church was asking for permission to expand their parking lot. A nearby resident spoke in opposition to the expansion, saying that the lights from the parking lot would keep him awake at night.


Title: Was in a car accident today, not insured and license is expired in California - Need Advice

Question:
I've been looking for information and advice about how to proceed. I'm a full-time student with a minimum wage job, and throwing the dice, decided to not get car insurance since I drive very safe.

To start, here's what happened: I was leaving a convenience store and pulling out of the driveway into the street. I was attempting to get into the far lane (3rd lane over) to make a left at the light. I was given space by the vehicles in the 1st (closest lane to me) and 2nd lane to move into the 3rd (farthest lane) so that I may move into the lane to make a left at the light. I was proceeding slowly and peeked the front of my vehicle just a bit into the lane so that others knew I was attempting to enter the left turning lane. Another vehicle attempting to make the green light for the left turning lane sped into the lane and we were involved in a "broadside" accident. This persons front right bumper smashed into my bumper, and we moved off to exchange information. This person immediately blamed me for making an "illegal turn" then switched it to "it's illegal to cross 2 lanes at once". I told her she was speeding to make the light and we did not place the blame after informing each other of needing to be somewhere urgently. Both cars were able to drive, however my entire front bumper came off my car and was being dragged by electrical wiring. Her car had some small body damage at the front right above the tire, and her radiator (or something) was leaking fluid. As we both needed to get to where we were going urgently we exchanged information and went on our way. No one was injured, no police report was filed. I feel that she was at fault; if she were not speeding she would have been able to stop once seeing the tip of my bumper.

This is where it gets messy (and showing how stupid I am). I told her I did have insurance when I actually did not, and after looking into it more tonight it turns out my license is also expired. I'm at a loss as what to do here, she will be giving me a call tomorrow morning; I've since bought Esurance and it's issue date is the day of the accident if that matters at all. I've researched for advice from 2 sources (internet, parents) and here's what I've been told:

*1. Ask her not to get my insurance involved as I am a full-time student and can't afford an increase in insurance payments, then offer to pay her deductible for the incident, or half if I want to push it claiming it was both our faults and risk backlash.

*2. Not take her call tomorrow, and let it play out (which doesn't bother me much as I feel she was at fault for speeding to make the light). No police report was filed. When the insurance calls me just stand my ground and let them know to take me to court since it's small damages. My father had the same issue happen when his step daughter crashed his vehicle, they threatened to sue for a couple months then just let it go.

At first I wanted just to offer to pay the deductible, but after thinking about it once the shock wore off, it was her fault in my opinion, and option #2 is looking good to me right now. Any advice would be welcome, and if any clarity is needed I will be checking this post all night.

EDIT: Looking through the comments, I'm convinced I am at fault here. My follow up question would be, what is the best way to convince her to allow me to pay out of pocket? How would I go about telling her I did not have insurance at the time of the accident? I want to make this right and make better decisions, starting with paying this woman what I owe her.

Answer:
 1. I am honestly shocked you can write the description of the accident that you did and not feel you are at fault. You were apparently driving perpendicular to the flow of traffic, drove into a lane of traffic, and were hit by someone who had the right of way. This is your fault.

2. You should think about your judgment. It's obviously lacking. You are an unlicensed driver going around without insurance. You do realize you could have gone to jail if you had been pulled over?

3. You sound like you're considering insurance fraud. It might be a minor accident, but you can bet a claim arising the day you made your insurance effective will raise at least a small red flag.

Pay for the damage you caused, hope the police stay out of it, and make better choices in life.


Title: Neighbor's dog died in our yard, need advice. (North Carolina)

Question:
This just happened a couple of hours ago. I was at the library, and my mom was outside with a tech from the phone company. They heard some barking on the other side of the yard and saw our two dogs standing over the neighbor's very small dog, which was lying on the ground. Neither of our dogs was showing any sign of aggression, and when my mom picked the dog up it was still breathing and just seemed unhappy. The owner came running up looking for it and rushed it to the vet, where they found out its neck was broken, and it either died on its own, or they put it down, I'm not sure yet.

Some of our neighbors are already afraid of my dog simply because he's a pitbull, and both of this same neighbor's dogs regularly come and bark at our dogs through the fence and try to squeeze through the metal bars. In order to prevent the little one from getting in I put up some plastic mesh fencing and cable tied it to the bars. That went up a few months ago, but I guess he finally found a spot where he could still get through.

Fortunately the phone company guy witnessed that our dogs were not attacking the neighbor's dog. This is a highly emotional situation, and we've been told that the neighbors are "not going to be okay with this." so we're expecting some trouble.

What can I do to protect myself and my dog going forward with this situation? We're all freaking out over here.

Answer:
 > What can I do to protect myself and my dog going forward with this situation?

Nothing, at the moment.  Nothing's happened.

Your neighbors may make a police report, and you may be charged with some sort of crime.  Or, they may sue you.  In either case, get an attorney.

Additionally, they may report you to your local animal control organization.  I don't know the rules of your area, but often you're required to comply.  If that happens, and they want to test the dog, you should talk to an attorney and see what you're required to do.


Title: Changing custody from one state to another (OH/AL)

Question: My spouse and I would like to have his son living with us for a few months out of the year. However, we live in Ohio, and he and his mother live in Alabama. The mother has expressed numerous times she doesn't want my spouse in her son's life and only saw him as a sperm donor. However, he wants to excersize his rights as the child's father, whether she wants him around or not. We have an attorney, however I'm more concerned we're just wasting our money at this point.. any one have any advice or anything they can offer us? First court date is in September. Can she do anything to stop us from getting at minimum summer months custody of the child? We want him to grow up with his sister, and I rather she didn't keep him away from us because she wants him all to herself.

Answer: You should listen to your lawyer, and you don't have enough info here to really get any advice, but very generally "a few months" over the summer would imply you get the entier summer break which is not a typical set up.


Title: Buying house with SO

Question: Me and my significant other (not married) have been together for about a year now and are thinking of buying our first house together.   I know nothing about buying a house so he is taking care of everything. My name will be on the title and mortgage but he will be the main person paying the majority of the bills.  If we were to break up, what would I be liable for with the house and payments?

Answer:
 If you're both on the mortgage, you're both responsible for the payment of the mortgage.  If you break up and he decides to stop paying, the bank can (and will) come after you.

If you're both on the title, you both have an ownership stake on the property.  Neither of you can sell it without involving the other, and you're both entitled to the money from the sale.

So - worst case scenario:
You break up with your boyfriend, and he turns into a complete deadbeat.  He can stop paying the mortgage while still living in the house.  You can't evict him from a house he owns, you can't sell it, and the bank comes after you for the mortgage payments.  Your only way out is to completely default on the mortgage, and let the bank repossess it.  Your credit is tanked for years.

Buying a house together can be a great idea, but it can also be a big risk.  Think it over very carefully before you make a decision.


Title: Roommate has ESA that is a cat

Question:
Let me start off by saying that I live in a 4 bedroom 2 bath townhouse, there is one bedroom and bathroom downstairs and there are three bedrooms and one bath upstairs. I have five roommates, one roommate lives in the master bedroom, and four of us live upstairs (two share a room). In October of 2018 my roommate downstairs got a kitten, and in December she turned in paperwork to make him an ESA; acquiring all of our signatures that he is allowed to live with us.

Since then, it has been a constant battle - she has never had a cat before and didn't train him. He climbed up all of our legs, and she would laugh and blame it on the length of his claws needing to be trimmed. He jumps up on the kitchen counters, including the clean dishes in the dish rack, and on top of stove. I've commented about how it makes me feel uncomfortable since he uses a litter box and is roaming around where we prepare our food, but she has done nothing to resolve this issue.

A few weeks ago I was taking a shower and did not think to close my door, when I came back into my room he was sitting in my window and knocked over my succulents. Soil and succulents were everywhere. I took a picture and sent it in the house group chat asking if we can keep her cat in her room when she wasn't home, and she said it was inhumane to keep an animal confined to a room for hours at a time. (she has the master bedroom, which has enough room for her desk, full size bed, a large cat tree, a tv, and a chest).

Her resolution was to purchase a gate to keep at the bottom of our stairs, however, in the meantime she tapped up cardboard to the bottom of the stairs and used a cat litter box to hold it in place. It made it really difficult to bring things up and down the stairs since you had to move the box and the cat litter that were in the way.

When the gate arrived she installed it at the bottom of the stairs, and unfortunately her cat is still small enough that he can get through the bars. we brought this up to her attention, and taped cardboard on a section of the gate.

We've expressed that we don't want a gate at the stairs, we just ask that she keeps her cat in her room when she's not home. The issue only arises when she isn't home, he becomes rambunctious and causes a disturbance for my housemates and I.

All of this has been brought to the apartment management's attention, and they pulled up the document that my housemates and I all signed that says that her ESA can stay at our apartment under certain conditions. One of the conditions says that animal needs to be in control of the owner at all times. Her response is that it is vague and left up to interpretation. She proposes that we just close our doors if we do not want her cat in our personal space, and that him jumping up on kitchen counters is a behavioral issue that can be resolved.

My question is, do we have legal rights? Can we revoke our permission to allow him here? Is there any law that states that he can be allowed to go wherever? I feel overwhelmed because I've tried searching things online and what I find is the rights owners and landlords have in terms of of ESA's.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Answer:
 The landlord's terms are actually likely in violation of the FHA. This person is authorized by a doctor to have an animal to help alleviate symptoms of a mental health condition. The FHA says that your roommate, except under very certain conditions has a right to have that ESA. Your best bet is to try to resolve things with your roommate. Also, the kitten is acting like a kittens. Kittens think everything is a toy, that they are allowed to go anywhere, and will always have energy.

>Her response is that it is vague and left up to interpretation. She proposes that we just close our doors if we do not want her cat in our personal space, and that him jumping up on kitchen counters is a behavioral issue that can be resolved.

Keeping your door shut is a pretty reasonable solution if you don't want the cat in your personal space. And you can train a cat to not jump certain places. It takes some time, but its not that hard.

>My question is, do we have legal rights? Can we revoke our permission to allow him here?

The fact that they give you all the ability to give permission likely actually infringes on your roommate's right under the FHA.


Title: Help getting a refund

Question:
Hello. So here is my issue
In 2015 I signed up for at planet fitness (we'll call this PF1) a few months later I got a job at a different planet fitness (Pf2) so I canceled my membership at PF1 because I got a free one for working at Pf2. Fast forward 2 years I noticed a planet fitness taking money from my bank account and find out it's PF1. So I go in to talk with them and they tell me my original  membership was canceled, but I had a duplicate membership created. Now Pf1 is telling me they can only refund me 6 month of the 2 years I was being charged. What kind of leeway  do I have here? I never signed up for a duplicate membership and I know from working at PF2 that you need a bunch of signatures when signing up for a membership.

Answer: "Show me the paperwork I signed for account #2, please."


Title: Moved out of rental property. Landlord kept entire deposit and said he'd be billing me additionally. [IA] letter attached

Question:
We were looking forward to finding our house at ADDRESS in good condition, as you had informed us that it would be in your 30-day written notice.  However, we were disappointed to find it wasn’t.  We had expected you to contact us for a walk-through when you were ready to leave, but we never heard from you.

We would have expected you to inform us of any problems that could cause damage to the house by us not knowing about them.  We didn’t know there was a leak in a water pipe under the kitchen sink but, as you can tell from the enclosed photo, it became a major problem when the water pooled on the kitchen floor and ran through into the basement. Water extraction was $30.  We are awaiting a flooring contractor to let us know how much damage was done to the underlayment and subfloor.  You already knew that you had gotten the kitchen carpet so filthy that it was probably beyond being cleaned. If we find that there is additional expense to replace underlayment or subfloor because of the water damage, we will bill you later.

We were also quite shocked by how dirty you left the downstairs bathroom, including the toilet and all the area around the toilet.(urine). $12 The upstairs bathroom wasn’t much better, including the bathtub, sink, and the medicine cabinet. $12 The upstairs bathroom sink drain was also clogged. $7.  The downstairs bathroom sink has some permanent damage which we aren’t sure the cause of. $10  The kitchen sink was also left dirty and stained. $4

The furnace filter was extremely dirty.  Mold was growing on the basement floor, next to the dehumidifier, as the dehumidifier was sitting at an angle and leaking onto the floor.$10

There were significant nail and wall fastener damages done to walls in the north bedroom, the upstairs bathroom, and the kitchen, which will require repairs and painting. $60.  You also allowed mold to grow on the upstairs bathroom ceiling. $10. The stairway walls were very dirty and showed damage from furniture moving. $15 The living room walls were also covered in handprints, as were the kitchen cabinets. $12 Ceiling fans were layered with dust, and one of them is out of balance.

All carpets were left dirty.  You should have cleaned them, as they were cleaned before you moved in.  $185

The downstairs window blinds were custom ordered to fit the windows.  The living room blind facing the ramp was totally damaged and will have to be replaced, including installation, $32.  There were two other blinds upstairs that have to be replaced.  $9.

The shower rod is missing and will need to be replaced.   $12.

One of the windows in the southwest bedroom had the seal broken on the thermopane, and the two east windows in the southeast bedroom had seals broken on the thermopanes.   The lumber yard estimated $200 each to fix them.   $600

You left an absolute mess in the recycling bin, with the top layer of beer and other liquor bottles, and the bottom layer of garbage.  You also left broken beer bottles and other garbage on the ramp leading to the front door. $8

Maintenance of the yard was disgusting.  There are large oil stains on the blacktop.  $23. Your inability to keep the lawn mowed was unbelievable.  We hired the lawn mowed three weeks before you left because the grass had become very long, $35, and we had to do it again after you moved out, $35, as you had never mowed it after we did.  It was again extremely long so it cost more to mow it.  You also let weed trees grow around the house, in the bushes, and around the ramp. $15 Gutter downspouts were smashed and bent.

We did appreciate your timely payment of rent during your tenancy; however,
we feel it was disrespectful for you to leave the house in this condition after we trusted you to take care of it.  We did take a number of photographs, which are in our files. After subtracting the expenses which we have itemized in this letter, there is no remainder on your deposit. Estimated expenses are $1,136, which leaves a balance owed of $436.  We will send you a bill once we determine an exact figure on the additional expenses.  We have tried to be fair in coming up with these damages, but there is a large amount of work that we have already done and more still to be accomplished before renting out the house again. That’s a considerable amount of damage for a 16-month tenancy, in addition to costing us loss of rent during this repair period.

Answer: Yes you can absolutely be sent an additional bill and if you don't pay it can be sued. Now whether or not these claims are true and the amount is reasonable is another question but it sounds like you left the place in terrible condition.


Title: [California] Psychiatric office is telling me before I even see a psychiatrist that they will refuse to prescribe me ADHD medication. Is this legal?

Question:
When I was 18 I made the dubious decision to go off my meds, to try and save money I think the justification was. I went from a 3.9 GPA to a 2.9 in my last year of high-school and have completely stalled out, and have been seeking to get back on medication since since it's quite evident I can't function without it.

I've taken several alternatives, but they've all caused horrible side-effects for questionable results. Most notably the most recent prescription made me feel like I was having a heart attack, and I wound up asking for a change in psychiatrist because of this.

I'm trying very hard to get my life in order but without this medicine I cant see it happening, yet (presumably because most mainline medicines for it are meth derivatives) they're telling me before even being seen that I won't be able to get the medicine I seek. It's deeply frustrating, and only compounded by the weirdly high number of teleconference doctors they apparently have serving my area.

What are my options here?

Answer: They don't owe you a prescription. It could be that particular doctor doesn't ever prescribe that. Answer #2: Think of this as them letting you know that they are not the doctor for you, before you waste time and money being treated by this doctor.


Title: I made a drunken mistake and sent someone to the hospital, I need help

Question: I was at a party and there was a guy there who was drunk, so was I. He had said something to another guy and almost got in to it with him, so he seemed as if he was out looking for a fight. So I was standing there with my girlfriend and he was sitting on the hood of a car next to us and my girlfriend had mocked a friend of ours who had taken his shirt off and did a backflip to show off (nothing new from this guy lol). She said something along the lines of "oh I'm (shirtless guy), look how cool I am." So the guy sitting next to me said,"why are bitches always all talk." Those may not have been his exact words, but pretty close. So my girlfriend says that she isn't all talk, so this guy eggs her on to hit him, and she declines politely twice before just walking away. Then he said,"see bitches never do anything." Then I told the guy to stop calling my girlfriend a bitch and he said,"well she is a bitch." I lost my cool and head butted him. He was bleeding really bad and him and his friend left. So the next morning his brother called me (forgot to mention that I know his brother) and said we needed to meet up to talk about it. Apparently the guy had gotten an ambulance and went to the hospital and got 6 stitches. They said that they won't press charges if I pay for their medical bills but the guy has no insurance. I'm not sure what to do. This is also the first time I'd ever had any confrontation like this and it'd be the first thing on my record if they were to press charges.

Answer: TL;DR: I committed battery. I have no question.


Title: My company's tuition reimbursement program threatens that you will owe back paid tuition if you leave the company with 12 months. Can they enforce that?

Question:
The exact wording in the policy manual: "In the event of voluntary termination or termination for cause, the employee will be responsible for reimbursing [Company] for all expenses paid over the preceding 12-month period."

So if I were to voluntary terminate my employment within 12 months of completing a semester and/or my degree, can they really enforce that? Is there any legal standing for that?

Answer:
 Something of value

You got in exchange for this

They can enforce itAnswer #2: Yes. It is quite common.


Title: A business partner died, and the family is already calling me before I even know why.

Question:
Location: California
for incorporation
Live in Georgia/California - USA

My great friend and business partner in a cloud venture died suddenly last this week. We owned the business 50/50 and had a handful of contracts with the Fortune 100.

My legal counsel says to wait until Monday due to the holidays, but my partner's family heirs want a legal response now. I can already see I will not be partnering with these assholes. I don't see why this can't wait until Monday, but they are looking for a buy/sell agreement would be my guess, but I can't see why that can't wait. He's not even at rest yet, and they're already coming at me with this!

I could hire temporary legal counsel, but I'm with my lawyers on this and think I should let them simmer until Monday? I don't want bad blood, but I guess it's going to have to be that way. This is really not what I want to be thinking about. I just lost a friend. I thought I'd ask some of you so I can offload this onto some brain power that might help me think this through while I take a moment to mourn a really good fucking friend. May he rest in peace. He died way too young.

Answer:
 Not sure on the value of your company but I'm assuming it isn't trivial.

Do you have formation documents that discuss what happens when a partner passes or wants to leave? Probably not. However you will need to do a valuation and all kinds of stuff.

This is will be months not minutes. The family is indecent and doesn't care about the person at all.


Title: [CA] Considering using a pen name for my books, but was told I could instead use a "legal alias" for my work. Possible?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >Someone told me about "legal/business aliases," and said I could actually use one for work, and publish in my real name. I have absolutely no idea if this is true. Any thoughts?

It's bullshit.


Title: Is there an entity in the US to report scams to?

Question:
US, ND

I've been getting calls from a number belonging to a business a couple of towns over about renewing my non-existent auto-warranty one day and non-existent student loan forgiveness the next.

I already tried reaching out to the local Attorney General office for advice but they sent a response email leading to their website's page on not getting scammed.  I pushed further and they explained to me that anyone can make an email account from anywhere on earth and they can't track it, which is wrong on multiple accounts because A) the US has a government run email you can forward your spam to and B) I never recieved emails, my complaint is about phone calls.

The obvious response to the above debacle is I told the secretary who answers emails at the AG office to go fuck themselves.  Now what else can I do?

EDIT:  This post has been answered, you can file your complaints to the FTC through this link:  https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/GettingStarted?NextQID=216&Selected=t#crnt

Big thanks to cld8  and nimble2 for giving legitimate answers while others were slightly less helpful.

Answer: Nothing. It's easy to spoof numbers (I get these calls from my own area code and exchange all the time) and the government isn't likely to investigate phone calls they can't track (and likely are coming from abroad). The AG's office has decided not to devote the funds to deal with these, and you can't really force them to.


Title: IL-Pouring a drink out of a moving car/ harassment issue?

Question:
I was driving home from school and my buddy in the passenger seat used a can opener to take the top off of an old pepsi-sized can of arizona iced tea in my car. I didn't want it spilling while I drove so I poured it out my window while
I was driving without dropping the can. I guess some of it got on the woman behind me's car as I saw her use her wipers after. I tried to signal that i was sorry but she ended up obviously following me for 15 minutes as I drove in circles until I finally turned into my neighborhood and she took pictures of my car (all in a school zone mind you. she was texting 90% of the time I looked behind me)

She did not turn into my neighborhood but 2 hours later as I was getting ready for work she showed up at my house and asked if my parents were home. I'm home alone for a week without a house phone or cell phone and I told her my parents were not home. She began walking away and I asked what it was about and she said "You'll see" and stormed off.

I'm wondering if I'm in the wrong or she is? Sure, it was a knuckle head move to dump it while driving but I don't think it was illegal? What should I do?

TLDR: Poured drink out car, got on womans car, woman followed me/showed up at my house. Do I call police on her or do I wait to see if she returns, and did I break a law/does she have a case?

Answer:
 You may have broken a law, if there was damage on her car and/or your actions caused her difficulty driving the vehicle.  It's generally illegal to throw things from a moving car, or onto a roadway, for this very reason.

You're free to ignore her if she comes around.  Answer #2: Well, you certainly weren't in the RIGHT. You got shitty Arizona iced tea on her car. I'd be pissed too.

That being said, she's clearly crazy. And if there's one thing I've learned, it's that you shouldn't ever engage crazy. These people have nothing going on in their lives and love confrontation. Ignore it. It will almost certainly go away.


Title: Terminated from a Medical Laboratory where I was forced to perform tasks beyond my scope of practice.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You live in an at will state which means that you can be fired for any non illegally discriminatory reason barring an employment contract or being in a union.


Title: Put down earnest money to build a house but the lots are nothing like described.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > If it turns out the lots are not even close to what we expected, would it be possible to get our $5k back?

> the size of the lots was never specifically given as far as sq ft, dimensions, etc

It sounds like you put your money down without any specifics to what you were getting. Did you sign any agreement when putting down the earnest money? Did the agreement have anything to say about the specifics of the land or the house?Answer #2: In all honesty, it sounds like you made a lot of assumptions & by your account, the builder never committed to any specific details so your assumptions are all your own based on some mockups. You will need to read what your contract states as far as what is included & what is not as far as the lots and what guarantees, if any, they make. You can hire a real estate attorney if you wish to read over the contract & go over what was advertised to you vs what reality is vs what your contract says but if I had to guess, I think the builder will have his ass covered in the contract.

My advice to you would simply be to talk with the builder now that the lots are cleared / almost cleared and go over expectations. Chances are they can work with you and dig smaller ponds or alter a lot to suit your preferences. If you wait too long, they machines will leave or they may begin the next phases with plans that would prohibit changesAnswer #3: Looks like you got raked over the coals. Next time don't put down a real estate deposit on a 'to be determined' postage stamp.


Title: Local Dunkin Donuts refused to use my Citibank debit card - is this legal?

Question:
Tried getting coffee this morning at a local Dunkin Donuts. I handed them my CitiBank Debit card and the manager said they dont allow CitiBank cards anymore.
Is this legal? Citibank is a major bank and I can find no news of this being a corporate policy. Im sure once my caffeine withdrawals subside I will forget all about this minor inconvenience, but for now Im perturbed.

Answer:
 DUDE. Why are you paying in store with a citi card when you could be paying with a Dunkin' Donuts card (reloadable via your citi card) and get those sweet sweet rewards points? Not only will you get free coffee rewards, but also you will never encounter that problem again. Answer #2: Assuming you're in the US, and most of the developed world, the worst it would be is against the terms of their credit card processor. It's entirely legal for a business to refuse to take any particular type of payment. They don't have to take any cards, or they can allow only American Express  (plenty of places do not take amex, as they apparently have higher fees than Visa/MC)

I assume there is some reason, likely related to fees or another financial issue with that particular bank they decided it's worth the potential loss of business of people who have no other payment option.

Most establishments have a sign that say we reserve the right to refuse service to any one for any matter. Unless it's (illegaly) discriminatory (e.g. race, gender, national status) - that would be a reason. They have the right--  they aren't giving it to themselves; they are asserting it.

Does that help? I get your mild frustration as I prefer to use my Amex which is very commonly not taken. But it is in no way illegal in a criminal or civil sense as it pertains to you.


Title: [TX] 3rd DUI second one with kids in the car. Still on probation from previous DUI with kids in the car.

Question: He also told the court he wasn't driving to avoid getting the device you have to blow into to start the car. What kind of time is this person looking at?

Answer: Up to 10 years in prison, a felony record, required counseling, interlock for who knows how long, up to 2 years with no license, and a metric assload of fines.


Title: [Animal] Pitbull rescue help. Southwest Florida.

Question:
I found a stray pitbull who was the cutest sweetest boy ever.

He was eating out of the trash behind a local convenience store, I saw him and called to him.
He wagged his tail and gave me the “pitbull” smile and then hopped in the car with me like he’d known me his whole life.  We fell in love with him and he was the cutest most cuddly guy ever.

The problem was I have a male dominant dog that was not happy with the pit bulls arrival.
my dog kept starting fights but I was able to break them up fairly easy ( the only damage was a tiny clip on my dogs ear that bled a little and the pitbull got a decent size scratch on his forehead.

After that point I kept them separated any time I wasn’t there to supervise and everything was going well.

Now I want this part known before I continue.
I am 90% sure that the pitbull was either going to be a bait dog or a fighter. ( dog fighting is a problem around here. )

Yesterday morning my current dog snapped at the pitbull which set him off; the pitbull grabbed him by the neck and started tearing him apart.
I finally got the pitbull off by breaking a wine bottle over his head and damn near cutting his throat with a shard... I love animals but I wasn’t going to let him kill my dog.
My dog has a deep cut about 7 inches long on the back of his neck. I rushed him to our vet and he is now recovering just fine.

I also want it known that as soon as I found the pitbull I tried to find pitbull and animal rescue centers and none were accepting new dogs and I checked as far as 200+ miles from my home.

The people that raised him that way should burn in hell but I can’t help feel like it’s mostly my fault for bringing him into an environment where there was already a dominant dog.  And to be honest it probably is but I couldn’t bring myself to take him to the pound just so they could kill him.. he’s too good of a dog.

The pitbull is currently sitting in quarantine for 10 days which is the amount of time it takes to show signs of rabies which I know he does not have. I’m worried that he is just sitting there in a cage in fear just for them to put him down at a later time for the sake of seeing if he has rabies which again I know he doesn’t have.

Animal control picked up the pitbull before I even got done at the vet and I just talked to animal control about trying to find a way to release him. He is a great dog.. he loves to play with my cats and my other dogs... just one got aggressive and set him off.

I was told that it might be possible to get him released but I want to know everything that I need to make that happen. Also might need the assistance of a reputable pitbull rescue group.
Things are more complicated since I got bit while trying to break them up...
I was asked to send pictures of mine and my dogs injuries to animal control but I don’t feel like that will help my case.

Any information is appreciated. This is a very time sensitive issue and I can’t waste any of it if I have any hopes of this dog making it out of there alive.

Answer:
 No one is going to take a dog with a documented history of serious aggression.

You need to get your head out of wherever it is, and stop trying to convince yourself that this isn't a problem. You put two aggressive dogs in a room together, and damn near had to kill one of them. You're lucky you aren't losing them both.


Title: [Calgary, Alberta, Canada] Parents are holding my car hostage, what can I do?

Question:
Hey all, so I am in a bind here and I don't know really what to do so I thought this subreddit would be a good start. About a year ago I had gotten my drivers license and a car which my Dad had sitting in our garage for awhile. About 6 months ago he signed the car over to me and I started to pay for my own insurance, I was still on the family insurance, just paying for it myself.

About two weeks ago I was kicked out of my house by my parents and haven't been allowed back since. They still have all of my possessions, including my car, which I now own. Recently, my Dad came to see me and told me that he was taking me off the family insurance policy, and that I needed to sign a letter to the insurance company in order for him to do so. He already had written the letter in my name and wanted me to sign it. I was very confused because not only had he never spoken to me about this, but I had never heard of a policy like that ever existing. I ended up telling him that I would look into it and get back to him. He was furious. He told me that not only was he going to take me off his insurance plan, but that he was going to keep my car at his house until he had what he wanted.

I don't really know what to do, I'm only 17 and so much has happened in the past few weeks, he has a spare key for my car which he stole from my brother so he can pretty much take it anywhere he wants. I really need it to get to school/work, is there anything I can do?

Answer:
 At age 17, you cannot legally be kicked out of the house.

The part of you your Dad's insurance company requiring you to sign a form to let him take your car off his policy is in my experience bogus, but regardless that's between him and his insurer.

Since you are 17, they can control your property.


Title: Moving out because of virus but couldn’t give 30 days notice

Question:
I put in my resignation at my job around mid-March and already had something lined up after buuuut with the coronavirus stuff the place where I was going to start working closed so now I am out of a job. I am lucky to have a family home I can move into so I started the process today. My landlord saw me moving out and got very upset when I told her I didn’t have a way to pay her for next month so I was moving out. My lease is month to month and she said she needed 30 days notice but I didn’t even have 30 days notice to realize I wouldn’t have a job. I do have enough money saved up to pay rent for another month but with how uncertain this virus is I don’t know how long I’ll be out of a job and really need to save that money. She said she’s going to take it to court, the bitch. What do I do???
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: You give her notice today and pay what you owe her for not giving notice.


Title: 5th Amendment & Contempt of Congress

Question:
Michael Flynn is in the news for pleading the 5th in response to Congress' subpoena demanding his documents. Apparently, Congress can seek to hold him in contempt of congress for this action NY Times and The Hill coverage).

On the face of it, this seems like the kind of coercion the 5th should protect against. Is this something that would need to be hashed out in courts (Flynn's possibly shaky claim to the 5th versus the contempt charge)? Or is there a subtlety I'm missing that allows Congress (or courts?) to take these actions even when the 5th applies?

Answer: The Fifth covers testimony, not document production.  Existing writings/documents aren't covered under the fifth.


Title: Have a violation of restraining order tomorrow, what kind of questions will be asked?

Question:
I am the person who ordered the restraint against my ex-boyfriend. Received a subpoena over the weekend with my court date set.

The scoop:

He's violated the order over 60x since it was in effect in Dec. 2016. All of them texts, calls, emails and once he followed me home. Nothing physical.

I've dealt with court cases before (suing landlord, small claims, criminal case regarding a former friend downloading child porn on my wireless network) and do understand that I will be "grilled" regarding my relationship with him.

This is the second time Ive filed an order against him with the first petition only being temporary based on the judges decision of him not being "physical" toward me. (Despite him threatening to shoot himself , my new partner and I several times in text, email and voicemail). And I'm afraid that I could say the wrong thing or be inarticulate due to the mere fact I will be facing the man I no longer want in my life...

Can someone enlighten me on what kind of questions will be proposed during the hearing?

P.S I live in LA, CA

Answer: It sounds like you're saying that the restrained party has a hearing tomorrow for having violated the restraining order. If that's the case, what you can expect tomorrow is to be asked questions like did he call you, did he text you, did he email you, how many times, et cetera.


Title: [California (Central Valley)] Today the temperature will be over 100 degrees. The park my nephew plays baseball at has a no ice chest policy. Is this legal?

Question:
Like the title says. Another 100+ degree day. My nephew plays baseball and today we will be travelling about 50 miles to a park that has a no ice chest policy. The only signs stating this are on the snack bar the little league runs. I am sure they want us to buy their overpriced water and food. We went there last month and a parent volunteer came over to tell us we were not allowed to bring ice chests in. We were surprised but complied, it was only mid 80s that day.

Today I don't feel that a rule like that is right. I have other children that need things like cold water and cold fruit while we watch this game additionally my nephew plays catcher so he goes through a TON of cold water and Gatorade on days like this.

What legal ramifications will I face if I simply tell them no. Is not obeying little league volunteers a crime of some sort? If they call the police what is the worst that could realistically happen?

Answer:
 Is it a public park? What's the name of it?

If it's a city rule, you can be ejected from the park and fined. If it's a team rule, they can eject you from the game, as they've rented the park for the allotted time.


Title: My daughter's first grade teacher was apparently arrested last year on DWI charges and the school kept her and did not notify the parents.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I know this is crazy but people make mistakes and it does not make them a danger to children.  Answer #2: >Should I pursue or should I just let this go.

Pursue what? Does the first grade teacher drive around students or something like that where having a DWI would really matter?  Answer #3: Pursue for what? Was she convicted? What are you trying to accomplish here?


Title: (WY) Do we have any rights as far as preventing city workers/sub contractors from coming on our property?

Question:
Ok, please allow me to explain before you just brand me a 'douche'. Our town is pretty strict about enforcing 'neat and tidy' yards. You get sent a letter and if you don't correct it within 14 days they send a sub contractor to mow your lawn and tack the heavily inflated fee onto your utility bills.

We have these neighbors that are just the sweetest elderly people ever. Their yard is the definition of 'immaculate'. The wife had planted a small veggie garden in the back yard and it's slowly expanded to sticking around the side of the house (within view of the street). Her husband fell ill and while with him she must have received a letter about her garden being visible because they then sent a subcontractor who basically destroyed all the visible areas of the garden then they billed her. Most of the neighborhood is pretty pissed and some of us want to go 30 days without mowing in protest.

So, if a subcontractor shows up can we call the police to ask to have them removed? No one knows because we all pretty much follow the rules. Could we go as far as to demand they get a warrant to do it? I realize this may be silly to some, but these are sweet people who certainly didn't deserve what they got and we want to make sure the town knows their neighbors won't stand for it. One neighbor tried to address it at a Town Hall recently and was shut down. We arent looking for a war, more of a peaceful protest.

Answer:
 INAL but you may want to review your city ordinances and make sure they are doing things properly. Maybe all of you can pitch in and hire a lawyer to review the ordinances and offer proper guidance to fight this.

If they are just hiring people to go in and destroy private property without following the own ordinances properly then that may be an issue. You can always try and get the city council replaced with people sympathetic to your cause and relax the ordinances a bit.

Not to sure about barring city contractors from your property. Maybe someone with more knowledge in that department will chime in.


Title: Got a speeding ticket, name got mistyped. Possible grounds for dismissal? (WA)

Question:
On Saturday, I got my first speeding ticket for going 73 on 60.

On my speeding ticket/infraction, I noticed that my first name, which has two parts to it, lets say "John Doe".

Was mistype on the infraction ticket, with John as my first name and Doe as my middle name. (Note: I do not have a middle name.)

I was wondering if that could be enough grounds to dismiss the ticket under Insufficient Notice of Infraction. If yes, how do I go about this?

I'm referring to IRLJ 2.1
Thanks for any help!

Answer: Clerical mistakes are not grounds for dismissal.


Title: [TX] unnecessary arrest

Question: [deleted]

Answer: How are you self employed and in the military?


Title: A company used my house to film a 7-11 commercial. They never paid me. What next?

Question:
I was approached about having my house used in a 7-11 online app commercial. I signed all the contracts and was to be paid $550. I know it is not a lot of money, but they keep giving me the run around and "we're working on it" - though this was supposed to be paid coming on 3 months now. What advice would you give me to getting this money? I took a whole day off of work to let them use my house and I'm pretty ticked off.
Topic:
Business Law

Answer:
 It is very usual for big companies to take up to 120 days to make bills payments. so I would give them an additional month.

&#x200B;

If not, you can file a claim in small claims court if you have the supporting documented.


Title: [RI] Got conned in a fake check scam

Question:
Hi. Throwaway because I'd rather not embarrass myself on my main... I'm 19, and recently got scammed out of almost $2000 thru a fake check scam. I had been trying to sell a Wii U via Craigslist, and after a long drawn out process, sent about 1500 to a "moving" company.

Wake up yesterday to my account overdrawn the full amount of the check, plus fees for a bounced check and overdraft. Told my bank all about it, went to the police and filed a report. My bank representative seemed very kind and understanding and said he would do anything he could to make sure I didn't have to pay them back.

What are my chances I *will* have to pay the bank back? This whole experience has been totally traumatic-- I've been shaking the past two days. My family is very poor and I have no idea what to do. Please help me

Answer:
 > What are my chances I will have to pay the bank back?

100%Answer #2: It is unbelievable to me that people still fall for these...


Title: (GA) My husband's divorce decree says he agrees to cosign student loans. Seven years later, she wants us to cosign.

Question:
My husband divorced his ex-wife when his daughter was 15. She graduated high school at 19 and we paid (cash) for her to attend community college. She went for about a year and then dropped/failed out. I think out of four classes, she passed one and dropped out of the rest. For the past two years, she's been working part time or unemployed. Recently, she told us she was accepted to a liberal arts college and wants us to cosign her student loans. Based on her educational history and her employment history, if we cosign, we'd probably be on the hook for the full amount.

The text from the divorce decree says:
Defendant (husband) agrees to co-sign any student loans taken by the minor child for her college education. The term "college" shall include any college, university, or undergraduate technical or professional school.

Divorce took place in Georgia. We live in South Carolina. How boned are we?

Answer: If you haven't signed anything, not at all.  The order would need to be enforced by a lawyer his ex retains before he's boned.


Title: Is my neighbor really allowed to scream, yell, and smear fecal matter on cars?

Question: I live in New York, Suffolk County, and my neighbor is mentally ill. Daily and the past TWO YEARS my neighbor will scream and curse for hours upon hours, and at all times of the day. Mid night, 2am, 5am. Doesn't matter to her. Her new thing now is to smear her fecal matter on other neighbor's cars and inside their barbecues. The police do absolutely nothing. They ask her if she wants to go to the hospital, she says no, the police leave. On the occasions where she spreads her fecal matter, the police say they can't do anything because she won't answer the door? Not sure how that makes sense...

Answer:
 Biohazardous vandalism is a crime. File a report, contact the DA's office and start raising hell. Do you think it would be allowed to continue if she lived next door to the DA and the chief of police? Hell no!Answer #2: I would talk with Adult Protective Services and with the Board of Health.Answer #3: Yeah, she can't do that. It is illegal and she is trespassing or worse when she does that. If you aren't getting anywhere with the patrol cops, go up their chain. Ask to speak with a sergeant or lieutenant. Or raise hell with you city councilperson.Answer #4: My story, not as dreadful as yours but with a positive outcome. I have a small business in a small business building. For awhile neighborhood teenagers were tp-ing our building pretty thoroughly, about once a month. Sheriff said no laws were being broken, so we were all frustrated. One day a customer of mine...who just happened to be our local District Attorney...dropped in before we'd cleaned up the mess. She said "It most certainly is illegal!" and offered to talk to the sheriff. It never happened again.

Sometimes you just have to find a way around the first point of contact with the legal system.

Wish I had more to offer, besides a hearty "good luck".


Title: [Michigan] After years of alcoholism, I just got my first OWI and have no idea how to proceed or what to do

Question:
I am making this post because I trust reddit with advice as much as I do other sources.  Here's my story

I've been an alcoholic in denial about my disease since I had my first drink at 21.  Since then it's been years of secretly drinking, ruined relationships with friends, lovers, and family, as well as personal turmoil.  I've always thought putting a stop to my drinking was a mental thing I could do on my own.  That's not the case because apparently I can't and time and time again, I use it to escape and sometimes do things I shouldn't such as drinking and driving.

Which leads me to the incident.  After leaving an Open Mic Night I was playing at, I got in my car and started to drive home.  I was soon after pulled over for speeding and because my car has tinted windows.  They soon discovered I had been drinking and asked me to step out of the car and take a few tests.  The horizontal eye test was the worst because even if I was sober, that would have been hard.  I was requested to do the toe/heel walk and balance on one foot.  They then asked me to perform a breath test and seeing as hey probably already deduced I had been drinking, I complied and blew a .17. The scary part was that I was completely conscience and can recall everything from that night.  I guess I had been building up a bit of a tolerance.

I was taken to jail and processed and asked to blow again where I blew another .17 and then a .16.  I spent the night in jail and had a video conference with a judge the next morning where he stated my offences were Operating While Intoxicated and speeding.  My Pre-Trial court date was set and I had to post a $250 bond to leave.

So now here I sit overwhelmed by the financial toll this will take on me.  I'm already broke and living week by week with almost no saving for multiple reasons.  I've accumulated thousands in Credit Card debt due to no control over my spending habits (much related to alcohol) which cost me close to 300 bucks in minimum payments, my car needs over 1500 dollars in repairs which I had been saving for, on top of the monthly car payment and monthly payment for a loan I had to take out to get a new motor/rebuilt transmission in it years ago (over 4 grand is still owed just on those repairs.

This is my first offence.  This is not who I am.  I do have  a problem with my drinking and Alcoholism runs in my family; my Father and Mother, Brother, Grandparents are/were all alcoholics.  Again, it's something I was in complete denial about and I was convinced I could overcome it myself and be able to drink a beer or two without needing more...but I always needed more.  Unfortunately, it's too late now as I've finally been arrested for the one thing I told myself I would never do.

As stated above, I am broke.  I've talked to one Lawyer Firm already and just the deposit is 1500 dollars and 6900 all together.  They have payment plans but I can't even afford the down payment.  As far as getting a state-appointed rep for court, I have no idea how to go about that or if they would be a big help in getting my charges reduced.  Honestly my biggest concern is money and getting help.  I've already came to my Dad, who has been sober for 25+ years thanks to AA, and told him I obviously need help and can't keep living like this because it's not who I am.  I am worried that this stupid mistake and decision to get behind a wheel  where I could have killed somebody including myself.

I'm turning to you guys because I need the advice.  I' m not denying I need to be punished for my crime, but I fear this will ruin me financially even more than I already am.  Is it even feasible or a good idea for me to go to court without a lawyer and just try to explain to them my situation and ask for mercy?  Do I just plea guilty?  Given my clean record, do my chances look good?

Idk...I'm just looking to peers I guess.  I have no idea how I am going to pay for all of this.  I thank anyone who read this.

Answer:
 You can request the public defender be appointed at your first court date.  Be prepared to provide documentation on your financial situation after court.

As for getting the charges reduced, I wouldn't count on it.  You were at least twice the legal limit, so it's not a marginal case.  The court will offer a payment plan, probably, but you need to start making changes to your lifestyle to put money aside to pay the fines and other costs you're going to be assessed.

You can start going to AA in the meantime, probably 3-4 times a week if you want to show the judge you're committed.