Title: [FL] signed a quit claim deed and ex husband never refinanced, house went into foreclosure, now I have a judgement Aginst me.

Question: As stated above didn't find out till I ran my name through the county database. I was told by signing quit claim I would not be financially responsibl for decisions he made with the house. How do I get wells Fargo to take my name off?

Answer:
 You don't.  Just because you signed away your interest in the property does not mean you are no longer responsible for the mortgage.

Whoever told you otherwise was very very wrong. Answer #2: Who gave you this advice? The ex? Answer #3: Wow you got some baaaaaaaad advice. Say goodbye to your good credit.  Here is some information on wage garnishments in florida.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/florida-wage-garnishment-law.htmlAnswer #4: Nope. Sorry. You owe, you owe, its off to work you go. It might be worth exploring whether you could sue your ex if Wells actually gets any money from you.Answer #5: you got bad advice, your best bet now is to get a payment plan arranged to save your credit. who told you this, you may have a case against them?Answer #6: Oh man. See I had an opposite experience when it came to this matter.

My ex and I divorced and I was going to be getting the house.  She called up one day wanting me to get a quit feed for her to sign.  She was under the same idea. She wanted to finance a car and thought signing this deed would remove the debt from her credit report. I tried explaining that it wasn't true and that by signing this deed, she was giving up her legal rights to the property. She wouldn't listen. So I did as she requested.

Of course I refinanced and nothing came of it but I thought it was a good example of letting emotions cloud your judgement. Answer #7: So what do I do now?


Title: I’m on SSDI and don’t want to be on it anymore how do I get off of it?

Question:
I’ve been on SSDI for about ten years and I am expecting a small inheritance soon which will give me enough to try and make a go of making and selling my art jewelry while being able to pay my living expenses for at least two years. I know there is a trial work period I can do but I just want to cut it out completely because I hate the stigma of being on disability and want to get off and try to live independently and make my own money without relying on assistance anymore.

What do I have to do to get off of it? I can’t find any info anywhere. Do I just call and say I don’t want to be on it anymore or do I have to go in for an interview or something?
Topic:
Disability Issues

Answer: Okay I know this isn’t exactly legal advice but I’m not sure I understand why you would get off your SSDI. You might need it in the future. If you are disabled there is no reason for you to get off it. I think you should talk to someone about how this might affect you long term. I’m sure you already know how hard it is to get on SSDI. There is no shame in collecting resources if you need them. You could at least put aside that money to save until your inheritance runs out.


Title: If you encouraged minors to drink alcohol without actually giving them the substance in question, what could you be charged with?

Question:
For example, if you said that it is okay for minors to drink alcohol, or if you gave them pamphlets, what could you be charged with?

The former could be protected under free speech laws, but the latter doesn't seem so likely.

"Harmful to Minors" laws only seem to apply to depictions of sex or sex-related subjects, which is hardly adequate for fully protecting their well-being, I would think.

Answer: The likelihood of you getting charged for doing something like saying, "You know what's cool kids? Drinking beer." is slim. Now, the likelihood is greater if you say, "Go to old man Jim's convenience store on the corner the 5th and Gervais after 6:30. Bring his 30 bucks and tell him Shorty sent you and he'll get you a case of Bud", they do and it works.


Title: Should I call the police?

Question:
 I live in a house that is split up into three units. Basement/main and top floor. As with some houses, the barrier between floors are thin and you would be able to hear your neighbours if they talk loud enough.

My predicament is for the last month or so, I live on the top floor, and the main floor neighbour has been yelling and screaming racially slurs at 1am-4am. Sometimes I will hear glass breaking and loud thumping. I'm not sure if he is hurting the woman that is living with him, and the only reason why I didn't call the police is because I never hear any screaming from the woman (that indicates that she is hurt)

It has progress to, now when I get home from work or go out of the house, he will direct his hostility towards me. Yelling,

 > are you kidding me? it's 9pm!!!!!! You stupid ***** ****.

These are always being yelling behind closed doors, but I'm at the end of my rope. I don't feel safe at my own home anymore and I am scare it will escalate and he will punch me. I am losing sleep because of the random angry outbursts.

What should I do?

Sorry for the format, I'm new to reddit.
**edit*** I live in Canada

Answer:
 Do you want to file a police report or have police respond? If so call the police. If not, then don't.  This isn't really a legal question.Answer #2: Remove the leading spaces.  Three leading spaces shuts off auto-formatting in Reddit.

Anyhow yeah.  Call the po-pos.


Title: Rented house for a year, renters caused damages, property manager acknowledges renters caused damages, can't get security deposit renters put down to cover damages

Question: Augusta Georgia.  I used a property manager to rent my home for 12 months.  The property manager explained that if the renter caused damages to my home, they would withhold the security deposit of the renters and give it to me to cover damages.  Renters caused multiple damages to my home while renting it out.  Property manager has acknowledged renters damaged home, and that i am due financial restitution for it, this is documented in emails from owner of property management company to me.  I put a negative review of property managers company on facebook and property manager refuses to release money to me until i take down negative review.  I do not understand how a negative review is tied to releasing money owed to me.  I have it documented that property manager will not release money to me until negative review is taken down, also in emails.  I feel like I am being blackmailed.  What is my legal recourse?

Answer:
 Sue the property manage for the amount you are owed.  They cannot hold money from you on conditions that were not part of the original agreement.

I would seek a new property management company, and I would also refrain from posting public, negative reviews about people you are currently having to work with to get money from.


Title: Are citizens of countries where same-sex marriage is illegal allowed to marry US citizens of the same sex?

Question:
Let’s say that Person A is an American citizen and Person B is a citizen of a country where same-sex marriage is illegal.

Is it possible for them to get married in the US? And how will this affect Person B’s immigrant status in the US?

Is Person B allowed to get a green card and subsequently, US citizenship, even if same-sex marriage is illegal in Person B’s country of citizenship?

Answer:
 1. Yes.

2.  It may make it easier provided the marriage is legitimate and not a marriage of convenience.

3. Yes.

The main legal hurdle here is back in B's stone age country where everything from inheritance issues to criminal charges is a possibility.Answer #2: You didn't mention how person B will enter the U.S. ultimately or what person B's current immigration status is.  This is key to maintaining the legal status of B prior to the marriage.  Here is a legal website with some information regarding the situation if person B is still in Singapore. https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/how-canmy-same-sex-fianc-attend-k-1-visa-interview-country-persecutes-lgbt.html


Title: USA Trademark Infringement ... Company Added "The" to Our TM Slogan

Question:
Someone in my company's industry decided to use my company's trademark, but add a "the" in the middle of it.

While this company has a very different product, to the uneducated consumer our products are confusable. We're definitely in the same category.

Facetious (but exactly comparable) example: We have "Surpassing donkeys" registered as a TM, but this company is very publicly marketing their new slogan as "Surpassing the donkeys"

Their company of course has no TM or legal protection.

Do I get a lawyer to send a cease & desist? Is this enough to justify a cease & desist?

Answer:
 Yes, get a lawyer who does IP lawAnswer #2: With them being in the same industry it is likely even more important that you work with a lawyer and have them send a cease & desist on this.

If they were in a different industry, it might just be dilution of trademark (not that that isn't something to be concerned with in and of itself), but with it being in the same industry it is probably at least "confusingly similar".

You say that they have a very different product, but that to an uneducated consumer the products are confusable.  How confusable are the products?  Do the products serve the same purpose, but operate in different ways? (e.g., you sell electric drills and they sell pneumatic drills)


Title: Is it possible to get a non-biological father off of a birth certificate in Florida without having to provide another father?

Question:
So, here's the situation. There are three people involved who's names are obviously changed for privacy reasons. Mary, who is the father. Frank, who is the non-biological father, and Jim, who is the biological father. This story takes place in Florida.

Mary and Frank were in a relationship, they were not married. Jim came in and impregnated Mary. Frank left this relationship, but had already signed the birth certificate. Neither Mary nor Jim want Jim on the birth certificate. Mary plans to go to court to get Frank off the certificate in order to put the child up for adoption. Will the courts want to see Mary give up Jim, will the certificate change still be possible if she does not? Frank is a sex offender and has a record of violence. If he were to be the biological father, would it be possible for Mary to adopt him out regardless? She has tried but not had much luck without first going to court. She is currently awaiting her first court date to get Frank off the birth certificate.

Answer:
 Frank needs a paternity test to get off the birth cert that he legally signed saying it was his kid.

And yes, after Frank is legally not the father, Mary cannot unilaterally give Jim's kid up for adoption without noticing him. So she will need to give up Jim as the father.

Frank right now is the legal father and can sign off on the adoption.

Mary needs to sit down with an adoption agency. They will walk through all this with her.


Title: AZ-Does my ex have a case if I move in with my boyfriend?

Question:
My ex and I have been divorced for 3 years.  After we got married, he decided to go back to a strict, Fundie type church (that's important in a bit).  It was part of the reason we divorced (Pagan agnostic here, always was).  We share custody of 6 year old twins, I have them 4 days a week, he has them 3.  Joint legal decision making.

I've been in a relationship for a little bit with someone.  He's met my kids, he adores them, and the feeling is mutual.  Ex is angry I've moved on.  I've been called a harlot, whore, adulterer, etc.  He's "told" me not to involve the children in my "fornication" until we've decided to get married (it's been discussed, but not for a while).

Boyfriend and I have talked about moving in together.  There's nothing in my parenting plan concerning moving, morals clauses, etc.  It's about 12 miles further out from where I live now, but where I am has open enrollment and my kids would continue at the same schools, it would be steadier in terms of family life (my roommate died in February, been struggling financially). It would be a little tight, spacewise (I have 4 kids, he has 2), but we've discussed how to make it work. Ex lives in a trailer in a bad neighborhood, the girls sleep in his bed and he sleeps in a recliner when they are with him.

I know the ex will try to raise a stink if I move in with BF, but does he have a leg to stand on in Court?  I know he'll make a morality argument, but that really doesn't fly anymore.

Answer:
 The court is extremely unlikely to view a consensual relationship between two adults as grounds for altering a custody arrangement.Answer #2: A tip which probably doesn't need to be said but just in case - when you're figuring out sleeping arrangements with the new guy, don't set the kids bedrooms up so that boys and girls share rooms at all. Courts do not like that, even if they're young.

&#x200B;

You say you've been dating for "a little bit", how long is that?Answer #3: Unless there is a problem with your boyfriend, or his abode, that a judge would be unhappy about, I don't see any issue.  Can your ex object?  Sure.  Can he try to fight it in court?  Sure, but he'll probably lose.  You may have to work a little harder if he refuses to drive the "extra" distance, but I don't see a legal issue.


Title: Help! Furniture seller wants to charge me elevator fees after the fact...

Question:
About 2 weeks ago I purchased some furniture from a guy who lives in a high-rise. Normally you are supposed to pay the management several hundred dollars of elevator fee to book it, in which case it wouldn't be worth it to buy the furniture, but he assured me that he can negotiate and get us free usage. I let him know that I will be sending movers on X day to get the furniture.

After I thought everything was done, he told me that the management is still assessing him the fee because I had a commercial truck pull in the loading dock for the move instead of being more stealthy and I should help him pay the fee. The thing is I have already informed him about using the loading dock weeks before the move.

Right now I think this shouldn't be my responsibility since I have done everything on my part of the deal. I am wondering if I am in any way responsible for the fee? I do have all the exchanges in writing.

Answer:
 The transaction is over. Stop communicating with him. If he wants to sue you, let him sue you. You never agreed to pay an elevator fee, he told you wouldn't have to pay an elevator fee. If he wants to rescind the transaction, let him give you your money back and come get furniture. He didn't pay your moving expenses, you don't have to pay his.

May the sand be pounded.


Title: [Florida] I'm renting a single room from the owner of a house (who also lives in the house). Am I responsible for half of the lawn maintenance?

Question: I recently moved into a home along with the owner of the house. I signed a lease and there was nothing about my responsibility for lawn maintenance in there. Now he's trying to charge me for half of the lawn maintenance. I have no issue paying for it if I am obligated to; however money is a little tight right now. Thanks in advance!

Answer:
 No, if it is not in your lease. Answer #2: If it is not in your lease, then no.  And if you decide to pay it anyway for "good will" be aware that in his mind this might set a precedent.  Who knows what other maintenance he might start asking you to pay that is not in the lease if he is successful with this first request.  Perhaps he might be trying to get around the lease to effectively get more rent.Answer #3: This is completely unusual and out of the ordinary for someone renting a room in a house to be asked to pay for half of the yard maintenance. Half of the water bill or electrical or cable yes, but not for the yard work. Even if your lease says you will pay for half of the utilities, there is no stretch in my imagination that would make me believe yard maintenance would be included in utilities.

I would kindly point out to your housemate/landlord that there is nothing in your lease agreement witch obligates you to pay for lawn care or other maintenance items on the house and if that was a part of the lease it should have been discussed before you moved in and not just presented a bill after the fact.


Title: Wage theft?

Question:
Up until the beginning of this week I worked for a water park in Maryland.  When I was hired I was promised $14.50 per hour and a full time position at the end of the season.  As it turns out I was only paid $13.50 per hour and did not notice until tax time.  I spoke with the new supervisor and he was willing to speak to those in charge to ensure I received my back pay.  Before the problem could be resolved, I quit the job.  The quick exit was due, in part, to money issues and terrible decisions made by upper management.

Now, the agreed upon wage was only a handshake agreement.  I never received a written offer as the park was desperate for experienced water park techs and I began work the following day.  When I made my intentions of resigning known, I was offered the back pay along with an extra dollar per hour.  I had to turn it down on principle.

Along with the lower than agreed upon wage, I found myself in the position of preparing the water park for operation.  I was given too little time and too little staff, thus necessitating long hours and no days off.  As a seasonal employee, the park was not obligated to pay me an overtime rate, but neither could they make me work more than eight hours a day/forty hours a week.  By giving me a deadline without support, I feel as thought I was forced (even if it was de facto) to work these extra hours.  This continued into the opening of the water park.  By then my immediate supervisor had quit and, being the only one knowledgeable with the technical side of water park operations, I took over for him temporarily until upper management either found a suitable replacement or hired me into the position officially.  This was not sanctioned as there is a remarkable lack of leadership when it comes to making timely and sound decisions.  Due to their foot-dragging I assumed leadership because otherwise NO ONE would be in charge and nothing would get done.  I ended up working 12 to 14 hour shifts every day without a day off in order to keep the water park running.

My question is, did they insulate themselves from having to pay me a supervisor's salary while I was acting supervisor, and are they at all obligated to pay me my back pay that I was promised?  I just wanted to know if I had a case before I file a grievance with the Department of Labor.

I suppose I could also drop by the EPA to tell them about an ongoing issue of non-compliance with waste water regulations, and the Board of Health to tell them about more non-compliance issues that management is doing nothing to alleviate.  Sure, I'd be doing the right thing, but for the wrong reasons.  That's still up in the air too.  It would serve them right for screwing me from day 1.

Anyhow, I'd appreciate any feedback I could get, as this issue has been gnawing at me all week.

Answer:
 It appears you worked all summer for 13.50 per hour and have nothing to document you were promised a higher rate. Did you get pay stubs?

>  I had to turn it down on principle

What principle?Answer #2: You never looked at one pay stub? IMO that really falls on you for not paying any attention to your side of things here. Legally you can try contacting DOL but you have no proof and they have the proof that they paid you that for an extended period of time and you accepted it.

No they do not have to pay you a supervisors pay if that was not something you agreed upon.


Title: Can I sell my Bitcoins for more than they're worth?

Question: I currently have some Bitcoins and I am looking to sell. However I am talking to a few people that know OF cryptocurrency but not sure how to go about it. So I want to sell them my Bitcoins for 1,500 bucks each. I guess im asking, can I do this LEGALLY? I feel kinda weird. Its like selling someone a 20 dollar bill for 100 dollars, so im asking. Im in California. Thanks.

Answer: Why in the world would someone buy them for 1500 each when they're currently worth ~$200?


Title: What an I do about this found usb drive

Question: I found a usb drive on the floor, it has someone's Social security number az well as their address and scan of a driver's license and passport. Do I turn it into police?

Answer:
 Is this at a business? Did you plug it into a work computer?

If so congratulations, you're fired and you compromised your company's network.

If not, trash the drive and ignore it.


Title: I [19M] am getting sexually harassed by my roommate [23F]. She makes advances towards me, comments and even physically touches me sometimes. What can I do to get her off my back?

Question:
She makes advances towards me, suggesting that she wants a relationship with me, even when she has a boyfriend, and I state that I’m clearly not interested. She makes comments along the lines of we are a couple, we are on a date, I would have sex with you, you are more attractive than my bf, and takes advantage of me being single to get away with those comments.
She even makes comments about my body, when I explicitly told her I was not comfortable with that, and even touches me on the legs, thighs, and spanks me without my consent. I’ve told her repeatedly not to do that, but she continues anyway.
I want to give her more than a stern warning this time and actually am thinking about legal action. This has been going on for about 2 months. While she leaves one month from now, I’m getting really exhausted of putting up with her. What can I do?

TLDR:
She makes comments about dating me instead of her boyfriend, touches me without consent and makes sexual comments even when I said I was uncomfortable about it. She continues this for about 2 of the 3 months I’m staying with her.

Answer: If she strikes you, you can call the police and report it as an assault. How they respond will depend on a variety of factors. The verbal comments are not actionable in a living environment (they would of course be a problem in a workplace). This is assuming U.S.Answer #2: Confront her about it or move out.


Title: We want to build a fence on a sewer easement on our property, the town told us no. What if we do it anyway? [PA]

Question:
We bought a house and we would like to fence the backyard. We learned there is a sewer easement on our property that extends 10 feet from the property line (the location of the sewer line) on the south side and 20 feet on the west side. We contacted the township Sewer Authority and asked if we could build a fence on the easement. We said we would take down the fence and put it back up at our own personal expense if any work needed to be done on the sewer line.

They told us "No, do not build on the easement at all."

We are considering just building the fence anyway. We have a high-0energy dog and fencing the backyard is very important for her safety and ability to get exercise off-leash. Fencing outside of the easement doesn't make any sense, the resulting enclosed yard size would not be big enough to be usable in a practical sense.

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My questions:

* What sort of legal trouble are we risking by doing this? Are there penalties the township can/will inflict on us?
* Will they be checking for our fence? If no work ever needs to be done to the sewer line will they even find out?

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Location: Pennsylvania

Answer: They can tear it down and send you a bill for starters.


Title: [Ca] Employer Has Not Fixed Pay Error and is Pulling Petty "Revenge" Tactics

Question:
Labelled as labor law, but I don't believe I have a union.  Excuse the format, in on mobile.

Tl;Dr: Pay error resulting in less pay, supervisor contacted, not fixed after 19 days, went above him, now he's trying to get revenge by wasting my time in a meeting. Can I get paid for this meeting?

If you want the full story:

I found a pay error on May 24th for my paycheck that was scheduled to come out the next day. I notified my direct supervisor multiple times through text and email about the discrepancy and he verified that he has seen them. Today marks the 20th day that I have not received the amount owed to me due to the error in overtime vs double time.

Since it was not being fixed, I contacted my supervisor's boss. Sent him an email explaining the situation with screenshots of texts and attached previous emails. He said he would fix the situation.

My supervisor then texts me that he wants a meeting with me after work and that I can come to his work location after my shift. I asked him if this was a mandatory meeting to be done in person or if it could be done over the phone, he replied saying he wanted to talk about my pay.

I drove 30 minutes to his location, signed in on the guest log, and waited 20 minutes for him to see me. He then goes through my entire schedule day by day and refused to listen to the one error. He is purposefully wasting my time in order to get revenge on me for going to his boss. He then goes through our employee handbook page by page since I asked about sick days last month. He already answered my question in a reply email before this. At the end of the handbook review he says "oh I must've read it in the other handbook online, I can email the info to you if you'd like."

Would this meeting count as work related since we went through the employee handbook and "discussed" my pay? Does the 20 minute wait time add in to the meeting time since I told him how long it would take me to get there and when I left? I'm assuming that drive time won't count and I won't get paid for mileage. Pay errors with long fix times has happened to many coworkers on multiple occasions but most just gave up or didn't notice at the time.

Thank you.

Update: Just got off the phone with the labor board and got some more answers.

Penalty fees: Your employer will owe you 1 day's pay for each day your pay is late after the legal limit, but only of you no longer work them. For example, your final check. This does not apply if you are still their employee.

This is the shitty one: if your employer isn't fixing your pay/they owe you money, then you file a wage claim with the Department of Industrial Relations. The DIR with have a phone conference with your employer and if they paid you right beforehand the DIR goes "Alright cool, cya." Nothing happens to the employer and the case gets dismissed. So in my case nothing will happen even though the payment was 20 days late.

Best way to get the issue addressed is to file a formal complaint so someone is tasked with checking in on your employer and verifying they are following the law. And file a wage claim asap if it's been past the legal limit, and maybe start looking for a new job if this happens multiple times.

Topic:
Labor Law (Unions)

Answer: Any meeting at your boss' office seems work related to me (as long as you were like talking about your next gold trip). If you are paid hourly you should be paid for the time spent at the meeting.


Title: [FL] Is driving away with extra food given to you by mistake at a drive thru considered theft?

Question: Went to a Taco Bell tonight and was given two bags for my one order not realizing until I drove away that I was given an entirely separate order with a decent amount of food. I thought nothing of it and the line was too long to return the food so I left. Could this in any way, shape or form be construed as some type of petit theft?

Answer: The act of theft requires an intent to steal. You did not intend to steal the food, you just got it by mistake. Answer #2: Even if it was theft, which it isn't, you can't return it, because of food laws, if you took it back the employees would have to toss it out anyway.


Title: My ex still has photos of me online that I don't want, and he won't take them down

Question:
I live in Ontario, Canada. I wasn't sure where to post this, but I hope I can get some answers from here. I asked him to take it down but he just blocked me on everywhere. I don't know what to do and it bothers me so much that he still had them, and makes me so uncomfortable to the core. What can I do??
Topic:
Canada

Answer:
 If they are public pictures (e.g. a selfie of you two out somewhere) and he took them, then you don't have any legal standing to prevent him from having them on his social media.

Your best bet would be to figure out how to get over it / ignore it.


Title: Northern CA, USA. Secondhand smoke problem in rented apt.

Question:
I have been in this apartment for a month. Trying to decide how to deal with moving costs and a couple different issues in the lease.

It has smelled like cigarette smoke almost every day. The tenants below me both smoke. I heard we have a connected air/vent system. The lease and city law state tenant can smoke in their own part of a multi-family dwelling. I provided written notice of the smell within the first 24 hours of moving in as I had awoken at 5AM coughing.

However, the lease states residents cannot "harass, annoy, or endanger any other resident or person, or create or maintain a nuisance, or disturb the peace..." I have asthma. My wife and I have lost sleep and work productivity over these smells. Secondhand smoke is a toxic environmental containment.

We spoke with the management and the smokers about this problem. One of the smokers has been smoking outside, away from the building, and the smell has been reduced. It still smells when we use the air system and I believe we are drawing in residual smoke from the other apartment or the vents, or one of them still smokes inside. When we spoke with them last week, their apartment smelled so strongly just when the door opened, the smell nearly made me gag.

I am trying to get in writing information from the management about what options I have, to either move within the same apartment complex, or break the lease and also establish the facts. Management has been somewhat non-committal in prior spoken conversations but suggested moving within the current site.

I am thinking I will end up going to small claims court over this, if that makes sense, to recover some of my rent and/or moving costs. I believe the place is technically unfit for habitation since management has not resolved the ongoing nuisance which is a health concern. If they cleaned our carpets and the vents I might consider staying put. I am also concerned about somehow getting charged for the smoke damage or something stupid if I can't get something in writing. My last place charged me ~$450 for "cleaning" even after we spent a week cleaning so maybe that's worthy of a different post.

This evening, I got signatures and phone numbers from two other units in the 8 unit building who said they also had experienced secondhand smoke smells. Other buildings I visited here did not have complaints.

I believe there is legal precedent to push for a much larger claim if the rest of the building acted together but I think the least hassle is figuring out how to internally relocate without getting lawyers involved in a trial. I might meet official legal council soon to iron out a plan. I've been documenting things as much as I can on my end.

Any idea of how solid I am for small claims or how much makes sense? Any other suggestions?

Answer: You have no legal recourse. You could take your landlord's generous offer to let you move, but there's no way to guarantee your next neighbors won't be smokers. If you have a smoke-free building and everyone else signed a no-smoking lease, there'd be a little more to help you, but aside from that, you're likely out of luck. Sorry.


Title: [New York City] I started a restaurant with childhood best friends and with my life savings and the landlord is absolutely screwing us.

Question:
Throwaway account so this can't be used as evidence (I'm law-illiterate so not sure if I'm being overly careful).  I started a restaurant in New York City using my life savings and the help of some childhood best friends.  We found the perfect location after 18 months of searching, but the lease, with a big restaurant and real estate group, was very tenant-unfriendly.  Our lawyer managed to negotiate many unfavorable terms out of the lease, but one that was non-negotiable was a cancellation clause.  This includes a payment to be made to us, and they can cancel for the purpose of demolition.  We now saw an article quoting the landlord saying they already plan to demolish the property and names us in the article saying our business specifically (and one other) have cancellation clauses and this is 7 months into the lease, and 3 months into being open.  Further, the article references an another article from August 2014, before the lease was signed, saying that they were considering demolishing the property.  The newer article says that they plan to do so in 12 - 18 months which is such an uncertain amount of time, if they do it at all, and makes it impossible for us to make decisions around investing in our business further.  For what it's worth, the way my partners and I saw the article was because a local patron (we don't know this person) tagged us in his post linking to the article, sarcastically saying, "Look what's in store for [so and so]..."

We haven't started any process yet, we plan to retain our original lawyer who negotiated the lease, but we're hoping for a second opinion from our great friends on reddit.  We basically want to be able to say they've effectively cancelled the lease today and that they owe us the cancellation payment so that we can relocate and continue building our business and brand sooner rather than later.  Do we have a case here? Did they operate in bad faith in signing our lease?  Our lawyer seems to think so, but he won't do a contingency, and wants a retainer instead.  Our lawyer plans to make two claims with similar requested relief: 1) they acted in bad faith and 2) they've effectively cancelled the lease  by telling the public their plans to demolish.  I believe tortious interference came up as well as it relates to what they said publicly.  The relief we're requesting is the lease be terminated at the earliest date possible (we negotiated to have it not be able to be cancelled within the first year, so November 30th sounds like it's the earliest), the full cancellation payment (plus the security deposit as described in the lease) and then potential damages on top of that to get the money we invested into the business back (renovations, equipment, etc.).   Any thoughts or advice? Anything would be greatly appreciated!

Answer:
 I'm not a lawyer.

Why did you think that clause was in there if there wasn't a good chance of him using it?

I don't see how revealing a restaurant might be forced to close/move in a year hurts you. I'd think it might improve business as people try you or repeat eat while they still can. I have no basis for fact in that theory though.

I wouldn't make any business investment that you can't take with you.Answer #2: I say this every time tortious interference pops up here -- don't bank on it.  You need a separate, independent tort to prove up the elements, and one (potential) breach of contract is all you have currently.

[Carvel v. Noonan](http://www.courts.state.ny.us/Reporter/3dseries/2004/2004_07398.htm) if you want to cure your insomnia.


Title: Is my website idea illegal in the US?

Question:
I have a website idea where buyers could buy virtual coin packages. $1 will get you 100 coins, $5 for 600 coins, etc..    Im from NY, USA

Users then enter in a specific raffle, for example a $20 gaming mouse for 100 coins (all raffles are for 100 coins). There is a maximum participant number (such as 20 participants) so the user's odds of winning is somewhat decent (around 5%). A randomizer script chooses then chooses a winner.

I read online that raffling websites are illegal in the US and not sure if this idea qualifies under that category?

EDIT: now what if I get rid of "chance" by having the following:
 Instead of purchasing coins to enter a raffle, a player can use 100 coins to play a flash game. The top score by the end of the week wins the given prize.
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: What differentiates this from a raffling website?


Title: [NSFW] Can Nudist websites contain pictures of naked Children?

Question:
I am in the USA and was looking up information about the Nudist lifestyle because I was curious about it when I came to a Nudist website and right on the front page were pictures of naked Children! Some were definitely under 18, appearing to be 8-14 years old. None of them were in sexual positions, just standing around with other kids or parents but it was still very awkward and disturbing to me.

Is there some kind of loophole that makes this legal or should I report this to someone and if so who? I didn't post the link, I'm not sure if I should, but I did do an IP trace on the domain name and it goes to the  Netherlands so that may make a difference? Thanks for any advice on this subject and sorry if it does not belong in this subreddit. I have never come across anything like this before and didn't know where to turn. I would hate to not say anything and let this site stay up if it shouldn't be.

Answer:
 In the USA, pictures of nude children are not automatically illegal.  **Sexual** pictures of children are illegal.

Each state's definition differs, but most stay close the the federal definition.  Federally, child pornography is defined as any image or video in which a child is engaging in or present for sexual activity, or where the child's naked genitals are displayed in a "lewd and lascivious" manner.

So, as an example, a clothed child performing oral sex on someone is child pornography.  A nude child simply standing there is not.


Title: I need some legal advice about craigslist

Question: [deleted]

Answer: As a rule, try not to pay attention to legal threats from crazy people on Craigslist. As another rule, try not to provoke crazy people.


Title: Madison, WI: How do I place a will "on file"?

Question:
I have a very simple will situation.

- I want all my assets to go to my parents (who are married and very unlikely to divorce) if I predecease them.
- If my parents both predecease me, I want all my assets to go to my sister, who is my only sibling.
- If my sister also predeceases me, probate court can handle it - I don't care at that point.
- I have no children, no significant others (neither presently nor in the past nor in the future), and no crazy family members who would contest the will.
- The total value of my assets is relatively low: less than $100,000.

This being the case, I don't want to have to go to the expense of hiring a lawyer; any stock will-making kit should work for me.

The one question I have is this: how do I place the will "on file" so that the courts can find the will in the event of my death? Is this even a thing people do? Or do I need to, like, just keep it in my residence and stick a sign on it that says "THE WILL IS IN HERE"?

I reside in Madison, WI. My beneficiaries (mother, father, sister) all reside elsewhere in the United States.

Answer: call your local county court and ask. some probate courts will allow you to file your will for safekeeping. there may also be a small fee for the service ($10-$20).


Title: How much info do I have to give a debt collector if I know the person they are looking for?

Question:
Background: My brother is 15 years older than me, and he married 20 years ago. His wife and I share the same first name, and because she changed her name when she married, we share the same last name. I did not change my name when I married. Our name is uncommon but not unique.

I'm in my late 20s and starting to make a significant professional name for myself. When you google our name, you get me. I live about an hour away from my brother, but in a different state.

My brother and SIL are not good with money (IE they spent their tax return on a disney cruise a week before their car got repossessed).  She has quite a few debts, and I'm starting to get calls- at work- about her debts, because I have my name, email and phone number on various parts of my company's website. There's one organization who's called a few times, about her credit card debt.

Last week, I got a call about judgement from a car accident that I had no idea about. I eventually figured out they didn't mean me, but I refused to give them my SIL's info, and the person said I could be "couldn't get out of paying with this trick".

I have credit monitoring, I've refused to lend them any money in the past (my Mom and Dad both given them money, all the time) and I've bluntly told her that any shenanigans on my credit, and I'll call the cops and wash my hands.

Complicating this, is that our younger brother and his wife are pregnant with a girl, and they are seriously considering giving her our name as either a first or middle name.  Younger Brother doesn't know about the financial difficulties older brother is in; mom only vents to me about this.

Questions: When these people call, do I give them her number? Can I get them to stop calling?

Should I tell younger brother to make sure his baby's credit is safe?

I'm literally the only member of this family with a pot to piss in, and this is largely because of luck, and hard work- the white privilege doesn't hurt, but we all had that.

edit- I'm in RI

Answer:
 You're not obligated to help a debt collector, but if you receive a subpoena to attend court you'll have to go.Answer #2: > How much info do I have to give a debt collector if I know the person they are looking for?

Zero.

> I got a call about judgement from a car accident that I had no idea about.

Make sure it's not about you.  Keep an eye on your credit, etc.

> I'm starting to get calls- at work-

You're going to want to read the FDCPA in full.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/a-debt-collector-calling-me-work-is-allowed.html

> There's one organization who's called a few times, about her credit card debt.

In general, you will probably have to tell each collector that they have the wrong person, to cease all contacts with you and just sue you if they think it is warranted.  If the debt collector's personnel are bright, you can make them go away by pointing out you have a different birthday, etc.  But quite often they are not bright, they just call the number they have listed, which was found by looking in phone records, and they will keep calling indefinitely without really caring much whether they have the right person or not.  So in that case you'll need to use the FDCPA to stop them from bothering you.

> When these people call, do I give them her number?

Your choice.  It won't necessarily help you.  They'll just call your number AND the new number you give them.

> Can I get them to stop calling?

You must use the FDCPA to tell them to stop contacting you:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0149-debt-collection


Title: PayPal problems

Question:
I’ve been trying to sell my drum kit and I have someone who’s sent me money for it. It’s not in my account because of PayPal’s rules and I have to set up delivery.
I didn’t have the money to pay for delivery and now PayPal is threatening legal action against me. What should I do? I’m trying to pay it but I don’t think I can find the money

Answer:
 >I’ve been trying to sell my drum kit and I have someone who’s sent me money for it.

Great - then you can see the money in your Paypal account.

>It’s not in my account because of PayPal’s rules and I have to set up delivery.

It's not in your account because you are being scammed.

>I didn’t have the money to pay for delivery and now PayPal is threatening legal action against me.

Paypal has no idea about this transaction - you are conversing with scammers.

>What should I do? I’m trying to pay it but I don’t think I can find the money

Report the scammers to the website they found you through. Ghost the scammers.

Sell your drum kit in person for cash. And learn to recognize fake cash, or even better, meet in a bank branch and deposit the cash before you give the drum kit to the buyer.

Start reading /r/Scams, too.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Scams/comments/bgpe8d/rscams_common_scam_master_post/

Read the Craigslist fake payment scams section - it applies to your situation.


Title: Judge ruled against my suppression motion even though prosecutor filed their response too late (IN)

Question:
This is quite a technical question about rules and criminal trial procedure in a DUI case.
tl; dr: Prosecutor filed response to my motion quite late, yet Judge ruled against me. (Assume I will replace my lawyer due to this and other stuff.)
Timeline for the suppression deal in my DUI case:
* Day 0: Pretrial hearing. My lawyer moved to suppress. Judge requested both sides submit a memorandum in support of their position within 14 days, then set a suppression hearing for 30 days out. Pretty normal stuff.
* Day 10: My lawyer moved for enlargement of time of 10 days to file his suppression memorandum. The Judge granted this, giving only my side 10 extra days. The prosecutor never filed a motion to enlarge.
* Day 23: Prosecutor filed their memorandum, 9 days late.
* Day 24: My lawyer filed his memorandum on the last possible day.
* Day 30: Suppression hearing. Judge denied my motion on the basis of his review and analysis of the two memoranda. It didn't seem to occur to him that the prosecutor filed their memorandum 9 days late. My lawyer didn't object, nor question this.

Big questions: Did the Judge err in considering the prosecutor's memorandum, due to its untimely filing ?
If so:
* Is that error a big enough deal to challenge his ruling?
* What's the procedure to challenge his ruling in such a situation? I know it's a motion or objection or something.

Answer:
 You're probably not going to get anywhere with appealing this or filing a motion to reconsideration. Generally, when one party gets an enlargement, both parties are given the enlargement. Think about it. Why is it fair to give you an extra 10 days to polish your memorandum but not give the prosecution the same opportunity?

Also, you can't win motions on default. Even if the state didn't file a memorandum at all, they could still make their argument at the hearing and win through their argument.
If you're basing replacing your attorney on this decision, that's not wise.Answer #2: Timing for filing a motion is rarely strongly enforced. The court usually takes a prejudice attitude i.e. unless your rights are effected by the filing they don't care that much


Title: girlfriends parent's are threatening to call the police on me

Question:
I live in New Jersey, so the legal consent here is 16 I believe. I've been in a relationship with this girl online, she is 17 and i'm 20. We've sent lewd things to each other (she hasn't saved anything but i've saved things). Her grades are starting to slip because she browses the internet all day. Her parents found out about me and think i'm the reason for her problems are threatening to call the police and other things i don't know about. The girl isn't going to talk to me until she turns 18 (which is in like two months). They have my first name, my phone number, and know that I live in new jersey.

I kind of freaking out right now and I dont want to get in trouble with the law over something so stupid. If they actually call the police then could they get a warrant for my house and take my computer or get me arrested? what should I do right now?

Answer:
 > We've sent lewd things to each other (she hasn't saved anything but i've saved things).

You have solicited and are in possession of child pornography, and you have provided obscene material to a minor. These are serious, life-altering charges that can land you on the sex offender registry. It doesn't matter that your partner is legally able to have sex with you or that you had their consent.

> If they actually call the police then could they get a warrant for my house and take my computer or get me arrested?

If they provide the police with probable cause to believe that you have committed a crime, yes, absolutely. They can, for example, show the police your girlfriend's phone, including the messages where you exchanged pictures.

If the police contact you, confirm your identity (name and address), but answer any other questions with "I am not answering questions without an attorney." Don't even confirm that the sky is blue or that a given device is or is not yours. Don't explain, don't deny, don't admit, don't say _anything_ other than that. Then get an attorney immediately. Your state bar can refer you.Answer #2: If she has send you "lewd" things and you've kept them, you're in possession of CP and she's been producing and distributing it.  So yes, you can be in very, VERY big legal trouble.


Title: [Australia] Sick of Apple's Corporate Shenanigans...

Question:
Dear /r/legaladvice,

I come to you today with a pretty petty issue from Australia, however I think this would effect most people around the world.

I have about $120 of unused store credit on the iTunes/Apple Store, and I have contacted Apple about refunding this. They actually handled it quite seriously, and sent me multiple emails, before sending one last email today.

The email tells me that they cannot refund the money, and doesn't give a reason, and doesn't apologise. They attached a link to their Refunds Policy, which is quite vague to be honest.

[The Refund Policy in Question](http://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/au/terms.html)

In this policy, they quote the reasons for not receiving a refund.

> From time to time, Apple may refuse a refund request if we find evidence of fraud, refund abuse, or other manipulative behavior that entitles Apple to a corresponding counterclaim.

What should I do?

**TLDR:** Issues with Apple, and its confusing policies.

**EDIT:** $120 may seem pretty minor, however I think I have a right to my own unused money...
Topic:
Non-US

Answer: You agreed to the terms and conditions, if they sense anything that will hurt their business (including $120 to a multi billion dollar corporation) they dont have to do anything.


Title: My apartment tested positive for meth contamination.

Question:
I live in Utah, renting an apartment. I've been living in this apartment since September 2016.

On Friday, my landlord called me to explain that the apartment tested above the legal limit for meth contamination (they did a test earlier that week on Tuesday), and that they will start the decontamination cleaning on this coming Tuesday. My landlord is the owner of a real estate company.

They will put me up in a hotel until the apartment is decontaminated, and they've arranged for a storage company to store my belongings during that time. I have quite a few questions and don't know where to turn for help. For example:

* Are my clothes, furniture, groceries, and appliances contaminated as well? Do I throw them out? Will my landlord reimburse me for those items?
* Do they pay for all of my meals during the time I'm in the hotel if it has no kitchen?
* What are the possible adverse health effects I've suffered during my six months living in this contaminated apartment? Are they liable for that?
* Am I obligated to pay rent, which is due by March 5th, before they finish cleaning the apartment?
* Will the cleaning even make the apartment habitable or should I be looking for a new place to live?

I couldn't find any support on my city's website for this topic, and I don't know what kind of lawyer to talk to (if any) about this situation. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Landlord here.

This is going to vary wildly depending on the degree of contamination. Your landlord is at least approaching things correctly by putting you up in a hotel with storage for the duration. That isn't to say that you aren't entitled to more, but without more information it's hard to say. If the apartment was barely above the legal minimums, your clothing is probably fine. Things like your mattress, your couch, your pillows, etc, may be more of an issue.

Consult a doctor and a lawyer. Don't sign any agreements with your landlord until you have done both. As to the kind of lawyer, a tenancy/eviction/real estate attorney are good categories to start with.Answer #2: I will also add that you definitely want to keep thorough documentation of this in case you ever find yourself in the position of being drug tested. If a hair follicle drug test was done on you right now, it would likely test positive for meth.


Title: [VA] Couldn't plead the fifth?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 What was the deposition for and what exactly were you testifying to? The exact facts of the case makes all the difference in the world when you're analyzing testimony. Answer #2: People are free to report any crime they want.

A lawyer who is not your lawyer does not need to work in your best interest. You should have gotten your own lawyer.

The DA who charged you is also free to bring charges against anyone, especially if they think they have enough evidence to convict.

It sounds like you are just annoyed you got tricked, it's not illegal and it doesn't sound like you have damages.Move on and in the future if you are getting advice from a lawyer get your own to confirm.


Title: HR sent an email to every employee that contained my personal information [Minnesota]

Question:
My company's HR department sent out an email to all employees telling them that it's time to make changes to the 401k plans if they want too. HR attached some pdf forms to this email so that employees could fill them out.

The forms they emailed to everyone were already filled out by me. They contained my personally identifiable information including name, SSN, address, birthdate, as well as my preferences for 401k money allocation/risk tolerance.

One of the forms contains all of the personally identifiable information for my beneficiary (wife) including name, SSN, address, and birthdate.

The email was recalled after about 20 minutes, and a request was made to all recipients that the email be deleted. All of the files will remain available to employees who do not delete the email. They also sent an apology to me.

I have screenshots of most of this stuff (I did not screen shot documents displaying SSNs). I have forwarded the email to my personal email account.

Do I need a lawyer?
What steps should I take to protect my identity?
What should I expect from my company?

Answer: No lawyer, but i would ask that they pay for 1-2 years of credit monitoring for you and your wife, just to be safe.


Title: [UT][Timesensitive] Court I was assigned to for a speeding/insurance ticket is 3 hours away. Can I get them to transfer it to somewhere closer?

Question:
I got a speeding ticket in July of last year (2014) driving my roommate's car (he was in the car with me) but he didn't have proof of insurance.  They tagged me with no proof of insurance (mandatory court appearance) and the speeding (94mph in 80mph zone).  I tried to get proof of insurance from my roommate's parents who live in a different state, with little success.  The paperwork (insurance cards) I did get was rejected by the court, saying it isn't proof.  The day of my appearance in November, I didn't have the money or the ability to get there in my own personal vehicle, because it was on its last limbs, and the court is 3 hrs away.

I called them the day of when I finally got the correct paperwork and emailed it to a court clerk that I was talking to a few minutes before about what exactly I needed.  I asked her in the email if the new paperwork was good, to avoid getting a warrant.  She never responded to my email and they put me on a warrant and I had to pay 300-400$ to pay it off and resend them the paperwork (which they accepted).  After receiving the paperwork, they told me I still need to appear in court and set it up for today (May 15th 2015 9am MDT).

I realized today, that it is 3 hours away and would much rather visit the court in my hometown instead.  Can I call them and reschedule to be in a closer court?  If they say no and I didn't leave, I wouldn't be able to make it to my court date on time.  What should I do?

Edit:  I am going to go and be there on time, planning on getting there 30 mins early, is that early enough?  I feel like I have to appear in court because of the warrant from before.  If the cop that wrote me the ticket isn't there, do I have any ground to get the case thrown out?

Edit 2 8:40a MDT: ugh, at court now, not sure if I want to plead guilty, not guilty or no contest. I have 10 minutes till I go in, any advice on that?

Edit 3:  Well, the judge threw out the no insurance part.  I plead no contest to the speeding ticket and not guilty for the failure to appear at court.  Next time I have to be in court is Aug 10th @_@
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: You need to be in the court you were assigned to. Better hurry!


Title: Can you legally adopt someone your own age?

Question: Hi, r/legaladvice! I realize this is something I need to actually consult an attorney about but I wanted to ask for advice on whether or not my request is even possible before I start the process. I reside in the US and am trying to determine if it is possible for me to legally adopt my best friend who is only slightly younger than I am (we are both adults). My best friend has absolutely no family and thus we have always considered ourselves to be a family. We would like to make this legal the only way that we can think of which is adoption. We are not blood-related and we are not romantically involved. I have read the laws for my state (NY) but everything I have found indicates that adoption of an adult is usually done either by a step-parent or for purposes of inheritance, neither of which fit our situation as neither of us are remotely well-off. Essentially I would like to ask if what I am wanting is at all possible. Thank you!

Answer: I do know that a lot of people from states where same-sex marriage was not recognized would adopt to establish next of kin.  I'm not well-versed on the specific parameters though.  Place to start.


Title: Is this legal?

Question:
My friend, lets call her Jessica, lives in Virginia. Her husband has hirschprung's disease and has had several complication from surgery. He was working for a Christian School in the state (not sure which), but was recently fired because his wife posted a video of him drinking a beer on 4th of July.

How the eff is that legal? Maybe I know nothing about laws haha, but I felt that unless it breaks the law or affects your work somehow, it should not matter what you do on your free time?

Now they have loads of bills to pay, a father in the hospital, and no money. I feel terrible for them - I feel they should take legal recourse if needed but I think they are also scared that it will come back to bite them. Someone has set up a gofundme, but I feel like this school should pay for being jerks. TIA!

ETA: Ok, apparently this is LEGAL, but doesn't mean they aren't asshole employers, heh. Bummer. I hope they can make it out of this intact :(

Answer:
 Not only can you be fired for drinking beer, you can even be fired for drinking the *wrong* brand of beer:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/2005/02/14/beer-choice-costs-man-job.html

Being a beer drinker is not a protected class, unfortunately.


Title: [Ontario] Can I publish art sent to me by underaged fans of my work?

Question:
I worked on an online comic that I posted regularly to Instagram. During its development, I garnered a lot of followers. A couple of them sent me some fanart they drew of my characters. They sent me the art privately and as far as I know they did not post it publicly anywhere. Judging by the photos they posted on their own Instagram accounts, these were children aged 8-10.

I'm now publishing my comic into a book I'll be selling online. I want to have a fanart section at the end where I include these various pieces sent to me by fans.

My questions:

Do I need the consent of those artists to publish the fanart they sent to me?

Can children offer such consent or do I need to contact their parents? How does that work?

Answer:
 I am not a lawyer and not a Canadian.

In the US at least, you need permission to use other's work commercially. That would include publishing it in your book.

Minors can't legally give you permission to do so, so yes, you would need to contact their parents.

You could put out a letter/e-mail/post/etc asking to talk to their parents about publishing and ultimately, commercializing their art.

I assume most parents would be fine with it, but make sure your ducks are in a row.


Title: Overpaid for Daycare Service [Virginia]

Question:
I have been sending my daughter to daycare since last November. We have a signed contract with a weekly rate and the agreement to pay biweekly in advance. I have just discovered that during the entire duration of the service, we have been overpaying by $100 per bi-week. I am wondering what recourse I have to recoup payments and how successful I would be. I have tried bringing this up directly with the owner/operator and she shows no sign of willingly  returning the money. I presented her with a copy or the original contract as well as a list of all payments made. I have already pulled my daughter out of the daycare after the provider's mood turned sour when I asked for repayment.

I am thinking the only recourse is small claims court, although am also contemplating filing a complaint with the State/County daycare registration board as well.

Answer: File in small claims.


Title: Could my employer legally make me write an paper as punishment?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: They can fire you if you don't.  Assuming you are hourly, they have to pay you while you do it.


Title: Chicago, Illinois: I submitted my guitar to a repairmen here in town to fix up something minor. However, they accidentally sold it, and they gave me a voucher.

Question:
My guitar, to me, was much better than the guitars at that place, which were over-priced. It was only a year old, and it had a minor problem. Anyways, when I returned 3 days later, the owner explained to me that they accidentally sold it, but he's giving me a voucher for $50. Keep in mind, my guitar was worth more than $50! Moreover, the guitars at that shop were all priced more than $50, and they weren't that desirable to me.

What legal rights do I have in restoring what I had?

Answer:
 > What legal rights do I have in restoring what I had?

You can negotiate a better settlement from them.  If that doesn't work, you can sue them for the value of the guitar.

Be aware, that value is the fair market value of the guitar; you should look into that number before deciding whether to sue.Answer #2: sounds like theft. Have you called the police?Answer #3: I think it's worth it to sue if they don't give you proper compensation. What model guitar was it? Very few guitars have value over the limit of small claims court, and most of them are worth several hundred to a couple thousand dollars. Seems like a no brainerAnswer #4: What kind of guitar and what was the minor problem? I have never seen a playable guitar that retails for $50 new or used. Also never thought a $50 guitar would be worth taking in for repair for any issue.


Title: Gung-ho Sheriff's Deputy - Is he wrong or right?  My livelihood is at stake. [OR - USA]

Question:
I live in Oregon.  I harvest truffles with the help of my dog.  I was cited for violating [ORS 164.813](http://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/164.813) back in 2009 by this deputy, and had the DA dismiss the charges based on a simple reading of the relevant statute.

I just had a run-in with the same deputy, who somehow didn't recognize me, and he was VERY aggressive and intimidating, though I had done nothing wrong, and had no truffles in my possession anyway.  He threatened me vaguely, while repeating multiple times that "truffling is illegal"... which it clearly is not nor has ever been.  A quick google search shows multiple incidents involving mushrooms and truffles over several years from just this one deputy.

If this guy cites me again, what is my recourse?  This may seem rather complex, so please ask any and all relevant questions, and I'll do my best to answer thoroughly.

TL;DR - If I'm not trespassing, is truffling with my dog inherently illegal in Oregon?

**Just for clarity, though I know this thread is dead and gone already, in Oregon, the public has the legal right to access private timber lands for recreational uses under legislation that conforms with the [Oregon Public Trust Doctrine](http://law.lclark.edu/live/files/11170-421blummpdf).  Here is a [link explaining a landowner's obligations when prohibiting access to privately held timber land in Oregon, in lay language.](http://www.ehow.com/info_8737886_property-oregon-posting-trespassing-signs.html)  I'm not surprised that people in other parts of the US have trouble understanding this, which is why I specified in my request that you consider the statute WITHOUT REGARDS TO WHETHER OR NOT i AM TRESPASSING.  Trespassing is clearly illegal, and I don't trespass.  That's not the question I posed.  I'm entertained but disgusted by some of the comments here.  Thanks to those who looked into this objectively and kept their ethical/moral judgments to themselves.**

Answer:
 >If I'm not trespassing, is truffling with my dog inherently illegal in Oregon?

It doesn't appear to be illegal. ORS 164.813(5)(a) quite clearly says that:

"Subsections (1) and (2) of this section do not apply to:

The cutting or transportation of wild edible mushrooms occupying a volume at harvest of one gallon or less"

The North American Truffling Society noted something similar in their newsletter on the law (available here: http://www.natruffling.org/news/trufflerspring2011.pdf), saying specifically that:

"Some Oregon pickers are known to carry a copy of this section with them in case they are confronted by law enforcement. Section 5 (a) is particularly interesting to truffle hunters. And, remember, trespassing is still trespassing, and if you want to collect truffles, chanterelles, or whatever on private land that you must first obtain permission."

Answer #2: So this is an excellent question, and I'm going to upvote it for visibility, but since this is your livelihood and you are perhaps risking a criminal violation from the deputy's fixation on truffling, you probably ought to consult a private attorney with criminal and constitutional experience in your area.


Title: HELP!!! A chick I replied thru CL is going crazy and trying to sue me for committing on a prostitution!!

Question: I fucked up REAL hard and I realized too late that I was being so dumb but I saw this post on CL with skype id, added her and tried to hookup but said 60 roses an hr. So we set an appointment to meet but she wanted me to send money to Washington using Western Union She wanted me to send her pic of the receipt of me sending money and photo of me to verify and meet at the place near, so i sent her.... but I thought this was a fraud so I sent money then got the refund. Then she started going crazy and saying how shes going to be homeless, no money... I tried to compromise but she didn't listen. Then she decided to sue me for trying to pay her to have sex!! Shes continuously texting me and skyping me about how shes going to sue me, ruin my life, if I dont pay her. She also says that she posted everything about me online.. Its kinda odd though because she verified that she is real with cam and she was in her bedroom... and she keeps txting me that she'll go to police to tell everything so I reply "dont do this" then she says "already doing it" or "then pay" and this keeps repeating... And getting spam txts from multiple numbers.. Please help!! will I be sentenced for this?? is it safe to ignore?

Answer:
 Ignore this scammer and report yourself to the run-on-sentence and grammar police.Answer #2: just block her and move on.  Answer #3: A) I'm pretty sure you can't sue somebody for trying to buy sex
B) I'm pretty sure that wasn't her you skyped with.  It was probably a video
C) Western Union = SCAMAnswer #4: Ok, reality check:

You narrowly avoided a scam.  Even a casual glance at Craigslist reveals multiple warnings to not send money to anyone, under any circumstances, by a wire service like Western Union.  Any request to do so should immediately raise a red flag.

It is highly likely that you were dealing with a woman who didn't even live in your state, and whose only purpose is to bait unsuspecting guys online into sending money.  Only when they showed up to find that she isn't at the meeting place will they find out it's a scam, and by then the money is long gone.

She can threaten to sue you all she wants.  But the doctrine of unclean hands would prohibit such a lawsuit.  That doctrine says that the courts will not provide a remedy to someone who has also acted illegally.  In short, a court will not enforce an agreement for prostitution.

You should immediately cease all contact with this person.  Block and delete her Skype name.  Then delete your Skype account.  Then delete Skype.  Then delete any e-mail account you used to register for Skype.  Block any numbers sending you text messages.  And don't patronize hookers on Craigslist in the future.  You'll be just fine.


Title: Am I legally allowed to use my international drivers license in California?

Question:
I'm from Kuwait and I'm currently studying in San Diego. I have an international drivers license and the USA is listed as a valid country for me to use the international drivers license. My friend (same situation) got pulled over by a cop and was told that he only had 10 days upon moving to California for him to apply for a California driver's license and was slapped with an 800$ fine (along with speeding). When we went to speak to his lawyer he told us that us international students absolutely don't need to apply for a California driver license. However when I asked him for a reference for me to give the cops next time so they wouldn't fine me he refused to give it to me and told me to just "comply and bring him the ticket".

Can anyone tell me what's going on here and what I'm *actually* supposed to do? Thank you

Answer:
 California cop here. You need a California license if you are staying here for any significant period of time. If you are here for college then you need a license. It's not hard to get one. California driving tests are a joke.

Edit: the lawyer may be referring to the fact that he can easily get you off. That may be true but you can still be cited every time you are stopped.  There is no exception that I've seen in the vehicle code for students.


Title: Victim of a Cyber Threat (?) (Swatting); What can I do? What should I do?

Question:
(CA)

So for the past year I've gotten a really big community going on this voice internet program called Discord. One guy in particular was a fifteen year old kid who was really cool. We played with him in tons of games and overall had a good time playing with each other. As months went on he started to do random giveaways some big and some small; i'm talking about anything ranging from pizza's to even computers. We were for sure skeptical at first, but that quickly went away when one of our members won a brand new computer from him and was shipped to his doorway 2 days later. Our community never questioned it a bit and so we all went along with it because he seemed like a decent kid who claimed he had rich parents.

I was actually lucky enough, or so I thought at the time, to win a giveaway for a really nice tv. So I did the usual; sent him my info, address and everything. 3 days later, and I get a shipment for a brand new sony 52 inch tv on my doorstep. Sweet!

Fast forward to 2 weeks ago. I'm the owner of the discord and i'm getting complaints from some members about this same kid being super toxic. Going into channels cussing out members for no reason, screaming into the mic, shouting racial slurs, giving out personal information of giveaway winners; just generally being an asshole.

And now comes the problem.

Just last night I'm at work working the graveyard shift, and I receive a call from my little brother saying our house was being swatted by our local police. There were 8+ police fully armed inside our house saying they received a call that there was "heavily armed gunmen" at my location. Before the actual swat my father said he received a call from an unknown number on the house phone, saying that "cxr1223 was a fucking bitch". I asked my father to visualize the voice as if it was someone and as soon as he was done describing it I immediately knew it was a friend of this kid whose voice perfectly described the description my dad gave. I immediately left work and went straight back home to see what was up.

I can say without a doubt it's 100% this kid since he's the only person I've ever given my address to online. Luckily for me I have some information on him, such as his name, what state he's from, his twitch stream (ya this kid streams), and also his friends' personal instagram.

Honestly how can I go about making sure that this won't ever happen again? Revenge isn't always the answer but I really do want this little kid to be punished in some way or form. Obviously I know the number one rule on the internet is to never give out your personal information, which I now learned the hard way. The question is, what can I do from here on out?

Answer:
 You should handle this situation with the police and provide them with any information they may need to look into this situation. Law enforcement agencies do not take these situations lightly and will almost certainly investigate this. In the future, there's not much you can do beyond being very careful with who has your personal information.Answer #2: Police do not like being sent out on calls like this - waste of time and resources. Tell them everything you know and let them handle it.Answer #3: General advice:

Very likely the kid carded (stole credit cards) and bought you gifts that way.

If he indeed is a US citizen, this kid is going to jail for years.


Title: Landlord threatening me because i told her im moving out. (New York)

Question:
I've been living in this house for 5 years without any paperwork. My landlord is my husbands step mother. My husband has been very abusive and i have been trying to move out for months. Tuesday there was a HUGE incident with my husband where he had broken one of my ribs and my cheekbone. She knows this happened and her and her husband swore that he wouldnt be allowed to come back to the house. needless to say her husband dropped him off at my house later that night. My husband pays no bills and she has refused to give me ANY documents stating that i live here even after multiple requests. So after searching i have found a shelter that will take me and my disabled daughter in. She wants me to continue to pay her rent and pay for damages to her house that were there when i moved in. I do have dirt on her like the years of foodstamp fraud (not reporting that she is renting properties) i have texts from her asking me to lie in court because they have caught her and she downplayed how much i pay her significantly (i didnt). I just want to walk away from this situation for mine and my daughters sake but this makes it hard. Without any paperwork can she even make good on any of her threats?

(Edit) sorry it took me so long to respond and I want to thank you for your help and support. We have went to the shelter and stayed our first night last night. It wasn't so bad. We are going to the police station today to file for a restraining order, one of the staff from the shelter is going to go with me so I have support. We are also going to ask for an escort so I can pick up some of my things from the house, ie. daughter's comfort items. I've called around to some lawyers and left messages, because it is Sunday I expect to hear back from them tomorrow. Im lucky to have gotten out of that situation. I can't thank you guys enough for your kind words and advice. And I promise there will be no falling for any of my husband's lies and no taking him back I do know this isn't a good situation for my daughter and I am a mother first and will not put her in any danger. Again I just wanted to thank you this is such an amazing community and I am so glad I have somewhere to turn in my time of need. I really just can't say thank you enough

Answer:
 http://www.opdv.ny.gov/help/dvhotlines.html

Get some advice through link above and from the shelter you contacted.  First get to someplace safe.

You are a legal tenant and have protections. Verbal leases are valid.

You can contact police and probably have husband arrested and/or get restraining order against him.  Just because you go to a shelter immediately doesn't mean you've given up your tenancy or possessions.

Of course, it may be best to walk forever and don't look back, but the shelter will help you sort that out.

Answer #2: Go to a shelter immediately, then file a police report for the assault and apply for a restraining order. Once you've done those things, there's a NY law that allows victims of domestic violence to break their lease on only 10 days notice.

She can always sue you for damage to the apartment, but without pictures of the place before you moved in it's going to be he said/she said. You absolutely cannot threaten to report her illegal activities or testify against her in exchange for dropping her claims (that would be extortion), but you can feel free to report her for all of that at any time so long as you haven't made any demands or threats.Answer #3: You can't use the dirt you have on her to get her to go away, that's called blackmail and it's very illegal.


Title: Is this reddit comment accurate?

Question:
On the front page there is a post saying that you can legally record a call without saying anything if the other party states that the call is being recorded. Is this accurate?
"Always record the call. Even in 2-party states, companies like Comcast always have a message to the effect of"This call may be recorded for customer service reasons" and that isn't just a notice that they are recording, it is expressly giving you permission to do so as well, so you don't need to say a thing."

Answer: The operative word is **may**. If you're recording a call simply inform the other party. If they don't want to be recorded then they can hang up.


Title: Mother of child leaving state.

Question:
Hi guys. I was never married to the mom, but she is a very level headed person. So level headed and logical that we have gotten by swimmingly without getting the courts involved or any formal agreement (aside from emails that provide a record). We essentially split everything for our son's daycare, clothes, sports programs, etc.

Her husband is going to further his education. He will eventually be making six figures very easily. That is really good for my son and his mom since I don't make a ton of money. Unfortunately, he is doing thisin a different state. He just got accepted and will be starting in late fall or early winter and will last about 18 months, afterwards she stated they would return. I honestly believe her on that part. Of course the mom wants to go with him, taking our son.

So those are the facts. Now my concerns. Obviously it will be tough to see him go. But I can still see him every other weekend with the drive. My first concern is by allowing her to leave the state, I would give her carte blanche to not come back. Another concern is that if she flips out (entirely possible for anyone) and decides to get the courts involved, this could make it appear that I don't give a fuck about my son.

To solve this, I was thinking about getting a Memorandum of Understanding drawn up. I can guarantee she won't sign anything compelling her to come back. From my basic understanding, it is just a written "Gentlemen's Agreement" and has no contractual obligation. I would put in there why I am allowing her to leave with my son, when I expect them to return, and the visitation required. Essentially just to have something to show that we have had the conversation. It won't have anything in it that we haven't discussed (we are meeting next week). I'm hoping that my leverage to get her to sign would be that if she refuses, I would get the courts involved and bar her from leaving the state, which I think I can do as the father.

Is this a sound plan for a shitty situation? Anything else I should consider? Do I live in a mommy state and will get fucked on anything I try?

Edit: I edited some personal information out after this thread died.

Answer:
 > So level headed and logical that we have gotten by swimmingly without getting the courts involved or any formal agreement (aside from emails that provide a record).

Did you sign an affidavit of paternity?

You should talk to an attorney about filing immediately for parenting time and a custody order.

>To solve this, I was thinking about getting a Memorandum of Understanding drawn up. I can guarantee she won't sign anything compelling her to come back. From my basic understanding, it is just a written "Gentlemen's Agreement" and has no contractual obligation. I would put in there why I am allowing her to leave with my son, when I expect them to return, and the visitation required. Essentially just to have something to show that we have had the conversation. It won't have anything in it that we haven't discussed (we are meeting next week). I'm hoping that my leverage to get her to sign would be that if she refuses, I would get the courts involved and bar her from leaving the state, which I think I can do as the father.

Anything that isn't an official court order is unenforceable.


Title: Being blackmailed through skype/paypal.

Question: I payed $10 and they want me to pay $100. They have my address, name and number. They said i got doxed. Can i ignore it or do i need ro report them to the authorites. I would rather not because ill get in trouble. I really need help. Im a minor. I would appreciate if i could avoid getting anyone involved

Answer:
 What are you being threatened with?

Why don't you want anyone involved?

Where are you located?

Where is the other person located?


Title: Bought Land with Cell Phone Tower at Tax Auction

Question: Last year I bought a parcel of land with a cell phone tower at Tax Auction. I am about to receive the collector's deed on the property. What legal issues might I run into when I contact the cell phone tower company to inform them I have essentially foreclosed on their tower? Do I even own the tower? I know with billboards and other leased objects the holder of the collector's deed owns the property and all objects on it. I guess the legal rational is that if they wanted to protect their property they should have paid the taxes to the county. But this is arguably critical infrastructure and might be subject to different rules. Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer:
 Is the cell phone tower on a land easement?

The tower is property of the telecom company associated. The tower will never change ownership because the land on which it sits is transferring deeds and what have you, it's either on an easement or the land is owned by the tower operators. In this case, likely an easement.

Look for records of an easement in your property deed. You can also request it from the telecom company, it's all in their records.


Title: I caught my landlord opening my business mail on purpose. I am in NYC & we are stuck here for at least 2 more years.

Question:
On Saturday as I was leaving for work, I caught my landlord redhanded, as she was putting my mail back in the envelope.

She stated that she wanted to know who this mail was for. It clearly had my business llc name & apt number on the front & was a bank statement with my monthly balance at the bottom.

I have had this llc for several years, and she has cashed checks for the rent from this llc on multiple occasions.

I called her out on the reason she was opening my mail & all she had to say was a remorseless "oh ok, well now I know" .

She has a history of crossing legal boundaries with us, some which I feel are rather serious and has caused considerable strain on my family.

We can't afford a move right now, but I want to document her indescretion, I feel we may end up in court with her at some point in the future.

What should I do? How do I approach this? This isn't her first time meddling with mail clearly addressed to our apartment.

Thanks for your [serious] responses!

Answer:
 Get yourself a PO Box and route ALL mail to it.

Or is there a way to put a secondary lock on your mailbox so she can't get into it? How did she get into your mailbox in the first place?

You could report this to police - technically it is a federal offense, I think? Interfering with mail is definitely frowned upon at least - and it would start a paper trail.

But the PO Box is probably your best bet for the least confrontational way to get this problem dealt with.


Title: How to appeal Medicaid denial: I’m unemployed and pregnant.

Question:
I am unemployed and pregnant. My fiancé and I decided to quit my job as he is quadriplegic and needs care and now I’m carrying our baby. We purchased healthcare for my fiancé last year but I was told, I would qualify for Medicaid so I shouldn’t need to sign up for benefits.

My denial letter arrived early in January. Saying that I didn’t apply for all the benefits I could have and so they denied. (How does that even make sense?)  It’s now too late to buy my own insurance policy and I’m worried about this pregnancy.

I have spent the last two days calling civil lawyers and can’t find anyone willing to take my case (or any Medicaid case)

I called Maricopa county lawyer directory and they said they charge $40 for a thirty minute consult and that their attorneys are likely to not take my case as well.

I know 40 isn’t a lot, but I don’t want to pay 40 dollars to not be helped. I can not help myself for free.

Answer:
 You don't need a lawyer.

Contact social services and ask how to reapply. You likely applied for regular medicaid. You need specific pregnancy medicaid.


Title: Family trying to sell house before I inherit it

Question:
Got a transfer on death agreement, but my family is hell bent on either chasing me out, or selling it out from underneath me.
I have been caregiving for my grandmother for over a year. I have put over ten grand into the house, (solar panels to keep cost down) can they do this? My friend says I have a kind of "de facto" power of attorney, because this was my grandmas request.
My friend says a lot of things, wouldn't mind another's two cents. Please and thank you.

Answer:
 **Stop investing in a home you do not own**. That's especially true if you don't have a lien on the house to protect your investment. There are a number of ways that could ensure that you'll never receive the property (e.g. your grandmother goes on Medicaid and the house needs to be sold to repay the state for services rendered).

There is no such as a "de facto" power of attorney. Either you have a properly executed power of attorney form or you don't. Do your family members have a power of attorney or guardianship over your grandmother?


Title: My job is robbing me.

Question: My job isn’t paying me money that I’ve worked for and they constantly tell me they’ll give me hours but never do. When I first started, I was working 5 days a week, 5 hours a day at $10/hr. That’s $250 a week, $500 biweekly before taxes. My first check was $200, for 25 hours which is understandable because it was only for my first week but then I continued to work 25 hours a week and still got paid less than $350. I don’t know why I only get paid for one week, but when I try to ask a manager about it my question is almost always avoided or I’m told “we’ll fix it later”. If I tell my boss we need to talk about it, she’ll say that we will when I come in but she leaves right before I come in. This has happened at least three times. I called corporate and tried to get in touch with payroll management but nobody answered and they never called back. I’m a teenager, & it’s already tough to get a job.

Answer: You don't mention what state you are in, but if you are not getting paid for the hours you worked you should file a wage complaint with your state's governing agency (or a federal wage complaint if your state defers to the DOL).


Title: My identity was stolen and I think I know who did it. What do I do? (Maryland)

Question:
So recently I found out that I had a charge off of 1.9k for a credit card I never opened. The thief used my SSN and birth date. I managed to get the address used for the credit card. After some research I found out it belonged to a payroll manager at a company I worked for in 2012.

I asked a friend who still worked there to get her phone number and it matches with the phone number on the credit report as well.

I would like to note I am not saying she is guilty, but a lot of her info is matching on my report is all.

I have reported to all 3 credit bureaus and filed a police report. I'm speaking with an officer currently who is investigating.

I have never dealt with something like this before. What should I anticipate and what should I do?

I'm sorry if this is the wrong place, I figured at this point it's past financial advice.

Answer:
 There is nothing else for you to do, just let the police handle things. Answer #2: Sounds like you've done everything right thus far, just keep up with what you're doing. Report everything you've discovered to the police and let them handle it.
The only thing I didn't read that you need to do is contact the credit card provider themselves and let them know this is fraud.
Legally speaking this shouldn't be a huge issue on your part. Financial law protects you from fraud, and the cops should do the rest of the legwork on the person who committed it.


Title: Tenant requesting landlord pays for damaged property

Question:
I (the landlord) had hired someone to install a new water heater in the home. The water heater was located in the attic for the 2 story townhouse. One of the guys that was working on installing it, took a bad step and accidentally made a hole in the ceiling. I took a picture of where the hole was for my records. They took full responsibility for the damage and had cleaned up the mess as well as hired someone to repair the damages. Everything was fine, until the tenant sends me an email stating her keyboard was damaged in the process and that it needs to be repaired. I responded by letting her know she should reach out to her insurance and file it under her renters insurance. She then responded back over a week later saying it is my responsibility to make sure she is compensated...

&#x200B;

We have had issues with these tenants before, they are very difficult to please. The only problem I have with this is that I know exactly where that keyboard was, and there is now way that it could have been damaged in the process. It was not near where the hole was made, and there was no insulation or ceiling pieces on it at all when the guys foot went thru the ceiling.

&#x200B;

Im having a hard time deciding how to answer to them as I dont want to create more problems.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Not legal advise but keyboards are pretty cheap. Small price to pay to keep the peace.


Title: [NJ] Moving into an apartment but the landlord doesn't normally write up/sign leases. How do I cover myself?

Question:
My boyfriend and I are renting an apartment in NJ for September 1st. We asked about signing a contract and the landlord said he generally doesn't do them. He said rent is paid monthly and he gives receipts to his tenants, but that's about it. He owns a few houses/apartments and he says they're not random people from CriagsList, they're friends of friends and all that jazz. He said he doesn't like dealing with contracts because people break them anyway. This was a red flag for us, however, he said he'd be happy to put one together if we preferred. At this point I don't know if there would be a security deposit, mostly because the lack of contract. We forgot to ask while there.

Mostly useless backstory: When we spoke to a neighbor, he said the landlord is a nice guy, fixes things on time, etc. We met the landlord through my trusted friend who is a bank teller and works with him and his accounts.

My questions are:

- I do plan on putting together a small contract so 6 months down the line he doesn't try to pull any shenanigans. What should I make sure I include?

- If there isn't a full contract, should I be wary of anything?

- Do tenant rights/laws apply if no contract is signed or things are not mentioned in the contract?

Thank you!

Answer: Walk away. It makes zero sense for a legitimate property owner to not use a rental agreement. You should not do this.


Title: Minor in possession of a firearm

Question:
Hi all. I have a friend that is under the age of 18 in the state of CO that thought it’d be a good idea to show his friends these military grade firearms when his parents were out of town. He then had friends over that posted a video of them pointing a glock at other people to Snapchat. Someone got a hold of the video and reported it to the police. They have confiscated the guns and are now beginning to build a case as the police and detectives are nervous this specific gun was used in a drive by shooting that same night (still haven’t heard the results).
The worrisome part is that the guns were not in a gun safe, so now his parents are at risk of being charged. I was just wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to what they do from here?
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer:
 You have one kid flashing firearms all over Snapchat. There is video evidence. The police have already started to build a case.

Then his buddy goes and posts about it over the public internet.

Normally, the advice would be **EVERYONE NEEDS TO KEEP THEIR MOUTHS SHUT AND GET AN ATTORNEY.  Don't say anything to anyone about this except: "I will not answer any questions without an attorney, and I do not consent to any searches."**

But, I somehow I do not think my words will reach through the ears that need to be hearing them.


Title: My 11 year old daughter was in a fight at school. The school sent her to daycare and did not call me or her mother. How should I handle this? What should the school have done officially?

Question: 4 boys fought my daughter and her friend.  This occurred just at the end of recess,  and then were dismissed. This was a half-day.  The teachers asked the girls to write out the events and they would handle it tomorrow.  This is in Florida.  I called and spoke with her teacher who said I should find out the details from my daughter and that it would be handled by the teachers in the morning.

Answer: it sounds like you don't have a full story yet, contact the principal tomorrow and calmly ask what happened.


Title: Almost 30, emotionally disabled & my mom who has been abusing me almost all my life is my rep payee. She’s been lying to me for years about how much I’m getting & what she’s using it for & threatening to kick me out of the house if I want to do it myself...now also threatening to doc my allowance

Question:
I’m on Medicare & secondary Blue Cross BlueShield which she says is $200 a month. So she was claiming I get $600 a month, then
$200 goes to my secondary, then $100 she uses for whatever I needed like medicine copays and then gives me $300 “allowance.” My “allowance” she tries to get money out of me for paying back the phone she bought me & we agreed on $35 a month for my dog & now she says I never paid that when for 5 years I said take $35 out my allowance....But today I spoke to her & I’m reading online & I don’t think I have to be on Blue Cross too/pay $200 a month for it. Now today she said I get $700 after I said I called Social Security. She’s also claiming that my medications are $20-$30 copays when I saw online that they are $10...she’s been abusing me and threatens me all day and night starting fights 24/7 to use me as a punching bag & this whole time I tried not to listen to everyone who said she’s lying...But now I’m thinking...So...let’s say there’s no Blue Cross... that’s $700 - $50 meds - $80 a month for my dog if I pay for everything monthly - lets say 2 doctor co pays a month at $10-$20 each so that would leave me with over $500. She’s been telling me SHE buys all the food (which is almost no food. She basically starves me & controls what I eat when I have a serious eating disorder I’m trying to recover from,) Obviously I’VE been the one paying for the food & whatever else! She says I live here “scot free” but in the past said $30 is going to rent...she’s constantly threatening to kick me out of my house and terrorizes/harasses me and my dog almost the whole day usually...I have to ask her for EVERYTHING and then she YELLS at me for asking when it’s her job!!! I called up social security and they said they can’t tell me how much I’m getting cause she’s my payee which is so insane. I have to find my local Social Security office and “hopefully” they’ll tell me....I’d like to try to be my own Payee but she says if I am I’ll lose the disability. She also says that they’re cracking down on it recently and she had to show all the dr. bills etc cause I may lose my disability now. I was like are you sure they aren’t checking to see about YOU as a payee? Because I’m definitely 100x more disabled than when I was originally deemed it. I’m really stuck here, because now I have serious physical disabilities as well from the day to day screaming in my ears, tormenting me and my dog, starving me and only allowing me to ask for like 3 foods a day....I have Osteoporosis which there is no cure. And she’s just a tyrant. I don’t like to put terms on here but she really is a Narcissist, & an extreme one as well. If it’s true and she’s actually been doing this to me when I could have had so much more $ a month, making a life for myself, and doing everything I always wanted to just be alive and happy and able to breathe....After all the physical and emotional abuse I’ve endured my ENTIRE life, I’d want her in jail...my dad is too old to be punished now (he’s 80) and she’s 66 and not showing me at ALL how to take care of myself and is only hurting me. Does anyone have suggestions or know anything I can do??

Answer: Do you have a legal question?  I’m not seeing one.