Title: [School, California] Is this legal? Girlfriend was basically hornswoggled

Question:
My girlfriend enrolled in a statistics class. She was notified that she needed a specific book for the class and would have a specific professor.

She then bought the book, as is allowed, from someone on Craigslist (evidence of texts, former stats student and still has contact info). She called the bookstore to be sure that she did not need a key code, or anything like that. They said yes, just the book and CD.

The professor was then changed with no advanced warning. Additionally, the new professor changed the already-given course-required material from the book and CD to an access key that also provides the book for free. However, anyone that bought the book, as they were instructed by the department, must now buy the access code instead.

She spoke with the head of the math department and they said all that they could do is apologize. She followed every single instruction provided and is basically being told that she now has to purchase the access code or fail the class.

Is this legal? To be clear, she entered class on the first day, with the book as instructed, to the room as instructed, to a different teacher with a new curriculum and the head of the math department just basically said "sorry."

Answer:
 Hornswoggled is definitely a new word for me, but yes it's legal. This happened to a ton of people I knew in school, that's why it's usually better to wait until the first day of class to buy textbooks.Answer #2: While I can't speak to your specific circumstances, in my life as a student and staff member at several schools, I can say that this happens all the time with no malice intended.

My guess here is that the listed professor was an adjunct who withdrew from teaching the class at the last minute.  The school scrambled to find someone else, and got someone who wanted to use a different book (or a different format of the same book, it's not clear).  Their choices were to cancel the class, or take the person they had and make the change.  It's not pretty, but it's how classes, particularly entry level classes at community/technical schools, often work.

The bookstore is certainly taking returns on the incorrectly offered text.  Your girlfriend chose to buy it cheaper, but lost that flexibility.  Life is full of tradeoffs.Answer #3: I wash born here, an I wash raished here, and dad gum it, I am gonna die here, an no sidewindin' bushwackin', hornswagglin' cracker croaker is gonna rouin me bishen cutter!Answer #4: This literally happens all the time, but only true freshman buy their books before going to class so it usually doesn't affect many people.


Title: Boss wants to fire me because I can’t come in to open the store, because I was attacked by a dog today.

Question:
Today started off normal, spent the morning with my boyfriend, then hung out with a close friend. My friend has a pretty big German Shepherd that isn’t too friendly so they keep him locked up when visitors are over, but at some point he ended up getting out and attacked me. I have several large holes in my legs, both of them and after being stitched up the doctor told me not to go to work for at least a day or two. I called my boss to tell her I wouldn’t be able to make it, and was told “I have plans tonight, come by and get the store key so you can open tomorrow.” Then she told me she’d call me back but I fell asleep so my boyfriend answered, after he told her “you don’t understand, this isn’t a dog bite, she was mauled” she told him “no you don’t understand, either she shows up or she’s out of a job.”
My question now is isn’t there some sort of law that is supposed to prevent this? If I’m physically unable to perform my duties at work, and have medical professionals telling me to stay home how can she fire me like this? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I can’t lose this job.
Also I’m in Georgia, and the job is at a sandwich shop

Answer: If this is a small business and you don't have sick leave, you can be fired for missing work. Answer #2: As long as your injuries aren't work-related (i.e. you were injured at work), they can fire you for missing work due to an injury. It's a shitty thing to do but legal. IANALAnswer #3: Also don't forget that you can make a claim to your friend's homeowners/rental insurance agency for your damages (medical costs and missed work).


Title: Suspended from my job for 7 days and was told it would be kept between me, my boss, and the HR rep. It was somehow leaked and everyone in my department knows about it. Is there any action I can take?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: How do you know anyone "leaked" it?  Is it possible that between you being gone for 7 days and whatever the incident was, people just put 2 & 2 together?


Title: [Texas] Optometerist "Censored" Medical Information.

Question:
Literally. Like, with a Marker.

So I'm trying to get my prescription information. It's expired, I understand that it can't be filled. From my reading, though, I think that the actual diagnostic numbers - the numbers used to actually make the lenses - are something a patient has a right to have no matter what.

So I called them, and after 15 minutes of arguing back and forth with the secretary,  I insisted I had the right under HIPAA to receive my own medical records. They finally agreed to email me my prescription information.

[This is what I received](http://imgur.com/a/mIXrF). All the bright red squares are my own info or the doctor's info. Everything that's blocked out otherwise was done by someone at the office.

As you can see, this is a useless document.

Uh, what do I do here? I feel like I called a doctor and asked, "What pills did you give me a year ago?" and he said "None of your business"

Also, is this a law, rule, what do I look up that's relevant to why this is or isn't okay?

Thanks!

Edit: I have received a call from the Doctor who gave the initial exam. **He offered me a free exam. I told him no.** If it's that easy to get records from his office (Name + DOB was the only validation), I won't be going back ever.

Edit 2: **To the numerous comments asking about my "Intent to get glasses without a prescription"**: Yeah, I'm gonna buy cheap glasses from Canada, or Mexico, or China, or wherever. They ship to the US, they're cheap, I'm basically blind, and I can't afford the cost of an exam in the US. I'm also not going to validate that doctor's offer. I'm not going to apologize for exploiting the global market to circumvent a US law that is literally making me blind. I'm asking if the data that has been censored is data that I have a right to - nothing more.

I'll worry about the "Eyeglasses Police". If this data is my right, it's my right, that's the end of it. I'm asking *if* that data is my right. Does the marker cover up data that is my right to have?

Edit 3: The medical industry in the United States is fucked.

Answer:
 You call them back or go out and see them and get a copy where you can read the prescription. Then send it in to a online optometrist and get glasses made for 30$.

Answer #2: If the doctor has offered a free exam then I'd say take it, have them give you a copy of your prescription, and send your new prescription out for glasses somewhere else.

I would only refuse if he did this on the condition that you buy the glasses from them.

This is mostly because they already have all your info. It isn't like they are gleaning anything new from examining you now.Answer #3: Is this a glasses RX or contact lens RX?  How long ago was the exam?

I'm an optometry student (not a lawyer, just like reading this sub): your eyes are constantly changing/growing and its important to have eye exams to keep up with that.
Also: depending on how bad your prescription is (you said being blind past 18cm, which is somewhere around -5/-5.50, but there's cylinder listed on the RX so also some astigmatism), it is not advised to get glasses made online.  They don't follow the same standards as US labs, as they're often made out of country.  1/2 received in one study had incorrect RX or safety issues (http://www.aoa.org/newsroom/let-the-buyer-beware-a-closer-look-at-ordering-eyeglasses-online?sso=y).  I have no problem telling patients to order online if they have a small RX, but for larger/more complicated RX it is too much of a gamble, imo. Buy a backup pair online, but have one that has been measured, fitted, adjusted and verified by a local optician as your main pair.


Title: Mentioned pet in an email. Is eviction possible?

Question:
Kind of made the mistake of writing an email toward the management of my apartment building regarding my dissatisfaction of how my complex has not turned on air conditioning even though it’s 80 in the apartment.

I made a small comment about having a pet. My partner and I recently got a chinchilla and as the apartment was more concerned with cats and dogs we didn’t think it would be an issue. She is not off the premises and at my parents house due to the heat. Technically it did mention the lease we should have told them.

The complex is now aware that we had a pet and due to that I was authoritative, they may consider eviction or other measures because of my tone.

Although I am now looking to get the chinchilla as an emotional support animal, we are nervous we will get evicted and this will hurt our credit score.

Any advice? :(

Tdlr: sent email to apartment complex I was angry about the HVAC system. Small mention I had a pet. Now fearful of being evicted/fined.

Answer:
 >Although I am now looking to get the chinchilla as an emotional support animal,

You would've needed to do this **before** getting the animal. You're in violation of your lease.Answer #2: What does your lease say about pets? If you are violating your lease you can be evicted.


Title: Age of concent NJ, online dating, texting

Question: Hi I'm a guy in my late 20s in NY. On an online dating app a girl approached me (her profile said 21 from NJ). She gave me her number and asked to text her. I did but then she said she was "turning seventeen on 22" in between a big para that I missed reading properly. She wanted to "sext and exchange pictures". For a lack of better judgement I agreed and we exchanges some naughty pictures. Now I realise it was a stupid thing to do. I know she lied online about her age but I should have read her text more carefully. If she really is 16 and I am much older than her have I broken the law by exchanging naughty pictures? Thanks for the advise.

Answer: if she sent you nude pics of herself and she's not 18, that is child pornography. cut off all contact and block her NOW.


Title: [US] I banned a user based on an SMS. What's the expectation of privacy in this situation?

Question:
*Location: Illinois (server) but really this is about the U.S.*

One of my independent contractors provided me with an SMS of their conversation with a client that was a continuation of a conversation started on our website. The messages sent by the client were a clear breach of our rules and so we banned the account.

The banned member believed it constituted as unlawful use of unauthorized third party data as the conversation didn't technically occur on the website.

I considered the SMS conversation as non-personal and non-private as it was facilitated via our website as part of a business transaction. I therefore felt it fair to take action based on its contents.

What does the law say here?

Answer:
 The banned user is incorrect. You have no obligation to respect the privacy of their SMS messages. If your contractor had a confidentiality agreement and broke it, the user might be able to go after them, but not you. Answer #2: To be clear: the contractor voluntarily shared his private conversation with you?

If that's the case, /u/derspiny is correct: the banned user can get over it.


Title: Bakery closed down without notifying any employees before hand, to remain closed until January when it will reopen as a create your own pizza place.

Question: Hello, my cousin's told me that the place they work at, a bakery in California, closed down the other day without the owner notifying any employees until after it closed down. They are apparently reopening as a blaze pizza in January. The owner offered them a temporary position at another fast food place they own but only for the shittiest shifts. Apparently not a single employee accepted this offer. I feel like what the owner did was very shady, but would it be legal? As far as I know they've been paid for the hours they worked but now they are expected to just be unemployed until the reopening in January.

Answer: Tell your cousin to file for unemployment and start looking for a new job.Answer #2: Yes it's legal. Welcome to the free market. All employees can file for employment but may be denied because the "refused" work offered to them. You can't refuse work when searching for work while  claiming unemployment. No employer has to give notice of closing or terminations unless the employees have written contracts stating time and money.


Title: Overbearing university director sends my attendance information to my mom. [West Virginia]

Question:
So, I've been having some health issues lately (which I found were due to an interaction between SSRIs and NSAIDs). That meant I missed some classes and assignments. Hard to go to classes when your nose is bleeding like a waterfall nonstop for hours.

The director responsible for my course sent an angry email asking what the hell was going on. She also carbon copied it to a friend of mine and my mom.

My mom is now desperate and furious, and I'm being harassed by family members to go back to my country.

I'm livid. That's definitely something I didn't need to deal with now.

Is that even legal? She's all about the rules, and won't accept any slight deviation from them. What she did, however, just doesn't seem right.

I'm 28, by the way.

Edit: she also sent an email to mom carbon copied to friend stating she should fly up here and see me.

😨😨

Answer:
 Almost certainly a FERPA violation. I would speak to the disability office as a start and ask them the proper channel to file a compliant.Answer #2: Did you sign a FERPA release when you enrolled in the school? This is the only way they would have authorization to release this information.

Like a previous poster said, this is very likely a violation. It is highly illegally for then to disclose any of this info.

I suggest doing a complaint with the department of education, and looking into what your schools complaint process is.

https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/students.htmlAnswer #3: Just curious, how would a uni director get the email of your friend and your mom?Answer #4: Higher Education here:

Without a signed release stating both your friend and your mom are allowed your academic information disclosing that is a significant FERPA violation.

However, that's also going to depend on the content of the email.

"You've missed a ton of class and you're about to fail, what the hell" is a pretty clear violation.

"We should meet regarding your performance" is MUCH iffier, because it doesn't really disclose anything.


Title: Could a HOA kick you out if you withhold information on the application?

Question:
It says on their application that a one bedroom has a limit of 3 people (2 adults and 1 minor). However there is a section in which you would put down the child's information. I'm hesitant to put my 16 month old's info down because I am not sure if the landlord will receive a copy of the application. The landlord has requested from her realtor a two person cap (she lives in NY though).

Any suggestions?

Answer:
 Any time you lie to gain something, you not only run the risk of losing that something, but also being sued for damages and potentially charged with a crime.

Either fill it out honestly or move on.Answer #2: Usually applications have you attest to the truthfulness and accuracy of the information provided. Excluding this relevant information could give them grounds to evict you or take some sort of civil action.

No way of telling what is likely to happen, but the legal advice is of course don't try to commit fraud.


Title: Update: Defendant suing me personally after the insurance company couldn't settle with him. Insurance deemed it not my fault but tried to settle to save court costs. What happens now?

Question:
Link to previous post: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/40383c/defendant_suing_me_personally_after_the_insurance/

I've been served with a civil claim for damages, injuries, lost wages, etc. ICBC is closed right now and I am incredibly stressed. Civil claim means small claims which means I can't have a lawyer present? So my insurance can't help me? Or what happens now.

How do these cases usually turn out? The actual accident happened late 2014.

Location bot: BC, Canada.

Answer: Inform you insurance of this update and see what they advise you to do. The nice thing about courts is that it isn't that fast paced so you have time to plan.


Title: (OH) Conserve student loan dept collection just called my office and offered my SSN to the person who answered the phone and identified themselves as being with Conserve. Is this legal? How can they offer my SSN to whoever answers the phone that day? What can I do? (X-post personalfinance)

Question:
Title explains it well. I have been working with Conserve to rehabilitate my defaulted student loan. I was going to email the paperwork tonight. My HR-ish/office manager just informed me that the person I have been working with just called our office and: *Offered to give my office manager my social security number to identify who she was asking about *Told her she was calling with Conserve (identifying it as a dept collection agency)
Thankfully my HR person isn't a dummy, so she notified me immediately. Can they do any of this legally? They didn't know who our office manager was, if she would even have access to my SSN, nothing. It just happens that in our small company the phone rings to her extension if you don't enter one yourself. If she doesn't pick up, it gets routed to a random employee that would not have any access to sensitive information. I'm just blown away by this. Is this even legal??
Can I get them to stop calling my work? I will NEVER discuss anything with them at work because we have an open office environment. How they hell can they offer up my social to whoever answers without even knowing who the hell they were talking to?? What can I do??
Edit: we are small enough that we do not have a proper HR department. The person Conserve spoke with does handle office work and payroll, but there is no guarantee it would be her who answered the phone.

Answer: well they did do it. They are not legally supposed to call your work unless you tell them they can . Best thing to do is when you next speak to that person tell them that they may not call you on the telephone ever again. Tell them that all business will only be performed by email or USPS , they will be mad they will threaten to sue you tell them if they telephone you again they will be breaking the law under the Fair debt collections act.


Title: I accidentally gave myself a new alias while buying a house

Question: Occasionally I google myself, and I discovered that I grew a new and novel middle initial since moving to my new house in Washington State (2016). Due to shenanigans in how I write my name, someone transcribed it incorrectly. I would like to correct the records. I believe that the error occurred on the closing paperwork for the house, as it shows up exactly once on a property valuation summary at city-data.com. Anyway, if you could point me in the right direction for getting that information updated, I would appreciate it.

Answer: Contact the title agency that handled the closing. It might be their error. And even if it wasn't, they probably know how to correct it.Answer #2: Are you sure the city/county didn't just type it in wrong?  My last name was misspelled on the county records for our recent home purchase. It was correct on all real documents. There was a link on the county property search site to report incorrect info.  I clicked it and they updated the listing in a couple days.


Title: Roommate Put Lien On Motorcycle, Hasn't Shown Any Proof And The Bike Is Missing Now

Question:
Context: (California)

Moved out of the house I shared with a roommate 8 months ago, had a run down motorcycle that I asked if I could leave there. Went to go pick it up yesterday and the motorcycle was gone. Roommates claimed they thought I took the motorcycle, then proceeded to tell mutual friends they put a lien sale on the bike.

I never received any notice in the mail. I never received any notice from my roommates and now they're not returning my calls. I'm trying to keep my head about this and go about it the right way, what can I do?

Answer:
 [Here is the process in California for a lien sale](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1dmy&urile=wcm:path:/dmv_content_en/dmv/pubs/brochures/howto/htvr7). The immediately relevant bits:

> If a person has repaired, furnished supplies/materials for, or towed or **stored** a vehicle and has **not been paid** for the services rendered, **that person has a lien against the vehicle**. The lien may be satisfied by getting a court judgment or **by selling the vehicle through a lien sale** process outlined in the California Civil Code

[...]

> At least 31 days, but no more than 41 days before the sale date (not counting the day the notice is mailed), **send a Notice of Pending Lien Sale** for Vehicle Valued $4,000 or Less (REG 668) by certified mail (return receipt requested)* or U.S. Postal Service Certificate of Mailing to all of the following:
> • **Registered owner(s)**
> • **Legal owner(s)**
> • Any known interested parties
> • To DMV by certified mail only

[...]

> Disputes between a lienholder and an interested party (including the registered owner or legal owner on the vehicle history records) are a civil matter **that can only be decided in court** and do not involve DMV.

So, you're going to have to sue whoever sold it.

Edit: First stop is to check with the DMV and see if this truly was a lien sale, and find out what happened.


Title: Question about consent - Alberta Canada

Question:
Sorry if this isn't the right place or if I word this badly. Mainly posting so I can cover myself if something ever happens

Individual a and b have consensual sex, but afterwards the b claims that it was rape and goes to the police. Is there a way for individual a to protect themselves? How is this handled in the criminal system?

Answer:
 Its handled through a criminal investigation. Rape allegations are frequently he said/she said situations.

An individual can protect themselves by obtaining consent every time. Do it explicitly - "do you want to have sex with me?". The police and prosecutor will ask if this was done. Don't have sex with people who are inebriated, even if you are too. A beer or two is fine. Drunk enough that a person might have second thoughts the next day is not.


Title: Wife wants a divorce and has gotten a lawyer. What next?

Question:
Wife and I have been married for a little over 2 years now. No kids. We rent our living space. Recently, she has been wanting to separate but only flirted with the idea. Now, she's gotten a lawyer and wants a divorce. What do I need to do to protect myself and my assets? I live in Louisiana.

A bit of background. Last summer, she admitted to me that she slept with another man. We have been through 7+ months of marriage counseling and I thought it was helping and that we were going in the right direction. Apparently not.

She just started working after 6+ months of no job. I've been paying all expenses since October last year.

~4k take home per month (fluctuates based on OT)
~10k in a shared bank account
~17k in a 401k
~8k in a roth IRA
She has a $350 a month car note that I had to co-sign for due to her credit.
I've paid her college tuition in full for 2 semesters.
She hasn't brought anything to the table financially for 6+ months. No 401k, anything.

I did not bring any furniture into the marriage, that's all hers.

What do I need to do to make sure my finances come out as close to unscathed as possible?

Answer: Get a divorce attorney and be up front about assets.


Title: Traffic Ticket| Don't know what to do

Question:
I am 13 year old kid and my mom got a traffic ticket after parking in a handicapped spot while quickly getting a pizza for the family as she was working 3 hours overtime as nobody could take over her role and she works at a medical rehab center. She got a ticket (Non-Payable) and is supposed to go to court at 12/5. I want to help my mother in this situation as she is very stressed about the issue. This happened at Montville, NJ.

&#x200B;

Please anything will be helpful

Answer:
 Tell her not to park in a handicapped spot next time.

Make sure she shows up to court and is respectful but presents her situation. She will likely have to pay the ticket because she has no excuse for it.

If "Being in a rush" got you out of parking tickets, nobody would ever need to pay one.


Title: [Pennsylvania] Given a tentative job offer requiring me to move to another state, official offer delayed for weeks and then I hear I won't be receiving an offer at all.

Question:
I recently finished off the interview process for a company that would require me to move to Pennsylvania. I received a tentative offer about 3 weeks ago with the whole "congrats on making it through the interview process, here are the next steps, can you start on the 31st?" to paraphrase a bit. The email also mentioned the official offer would be sent by the end of that week.

I started to prepare for the move that week, around the 10th or so. At this point I had only taken a look at apartments to move into and flight prices. By the end of that week I heard the offer would be delayed. I didn't really think it was a problem so I continued to prepare for the move, expecting the offer next week. Then at the beginning of the following week I hear the offer is delayed, and then delayed again at the end of that week.

At this point we're coming up on the week before the tentative start date. I have a deposit down on an apartment and a plane ticket purchased as well as some new clothes and shoes as I was given no indication that anything was wrong, just that there were delays such as leadership being away for a few days or people being out of the office and such. I was supposed to hear something on the Tuesday the week before I'm supposed to be starting and I get an email saying the offer is delayed again. At this point I let the HR rep know I am frustrated and need an actual response. I hear back the next day that I will not be receiving an offer due to issues with the budget after recently losing clients. The rep lets me know that the company will offer zero reimbursement for what I've spent in preparation for the move due to them never giving me an official offer. The HR rep lets me know if anything changes she'll be in contact. That was the end of our conversation. I am of course more than annoyed that they kept me on the ropes for almost three weeks and refused to offer any kind of reimbursement. I want to know if I have any kind of legal recourse in this situation as I essentially threw away several hundred dollars to prepare for a move that didn't happen.

Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: Before anybody mentions "Prommisary Estoppel", I want to direct them to [this thread](https://np.reddit.com/r/legaladviceofftopic/comments/6p8h31/can_somebody_eli5_promissory_estoppel_and_how_it/dknjvfk/)


Title: In the US, can police just stand on the corner of a street and ask (not demand) anyone to show them their id?

Question:
"Would you please show me your id? I'd like to check it for outstanding warrants."

Either simply asking one random person, or something like every 100th person that passes them?  (Assuming it wasn't don't in a discriminatory manner.)

Is there a law that would prevent this?

Answer:
 Legally yes the police can do this. It's called consensual contact, but there are a few key points to remember.

1) the person must reasonably believe it is a request and not an order. In conjunction with that the person must reasonably believe they are free to say no and/or leave immediately.

2) the police can in no way search or pat down the individual with whom the contact is made absent other reasonable articulable suspicion

3) the police can't use protected class characteristics like race, gender, religion, etc. To identify whom they'll ask to stop.

4) the person being stopped must be allowed to retrieve their ID and leave at any time during the encounter. Even if the police are in the middle of running it.


Title: Homeowners are kicking us out without any current contract. (Florida)

Question:
Hello Reddit!

I’m in a tricky position right now. I received a letter from our realtor on February 22, letting us know that they won’t be extending our lease and that we have to be out of the house by March 30. I was caught off guard because I remembered signing a contract that extended the lease for another year till October 2019 and it increased the rent from $1250 to $1300.

So when I met up with the realtor to ask her where’s the copy of the contract, she says there is no contract because she didn’t sign it because there never was an inspection done when we renewed the lease. Mind you, we set up the appointment early in November 2018 but she cancelled. Then we tried to do it in December but she was under the weather so she cancelled again. About a month ago she sent an email saying that they have to do the inspection or else they’ll have to cancel the lease. I made the arrangements for her to check out the house and once again the day came to do the inspection and she cancelled.

So the realtor revealed that the owner of the house wants to move in a relative of his ASAP, and that he won’t be able to give us an extension that we HAVE to be out of the house by April 30th.

I was in shock because I assumed the contract was valid but with her cancelling so many times, I feel as though she was conspiring with the owner to get me out of there as quickly as possible and have someone else pay a higher rent.

So right now I’m stuck because if I pay this months rent I won’t have money to put a deposit on a new rental, since I didn’t see this coming I don’t have much money saved up. I don’t wanna give these people any more of my money, I feel like I’ve been shafted because of their incompetence and greed. I’m currently looking for a place to rent with my brother but I don’t know if I should get legal help since I’m leaving soon but I don’t wanna stay there either. However, it isn’t fair for me to pay the consequences for their stupidity. What should I do?

Answer:
 Two signatures are not an absolute pre-requisite to the existence of a binding contract. By providing you with the lease extension form, she offered to extend the lease term. By signing it, you accepted. That's usually enough to create a binding agreement. If the text of the extension specifically said it would only be effective when executed by both parties or when an inspection was conducted and satisfactory, then that could indicate there was no agreement yet. But if they were collecting the increased rent contemplated by the extension, it would be hard to say that there was no agreement.

They're not going to want to go through the hassle and expense of an eviction, especially since it's not clear that they even can, so if you can negotiate either a longer time to move out or some money, that might be your best option.


Title: Logo was stolen and being used on multiple websites and profiles.

Question:
Location: Upstate, NY

About 3 years ago I created a logo in Illustrator for my website and stupidly released it on the site at 2000x2000. Today I found out that hundreds of shops and profiles are using this logo. I am contacting them now requesting they cease use immediately but am thinking that this might be time for legal council since shops are using it as their logo and on products. I never released the illustrator file and still have it, the logo is also still in use on my official social media accounts and website.

What should my course of action be? Some of these shops/accounts are not in the united states so I'm unsure of how that would work. Honestly, getting them to remove it would be in my best interest as I'm not very well off financially right now.

Answer:
 A couple questions:

1. Are you 100%, absolutely certain that these shops stole your exact logo that you made yourself? Is there any chance that your logo was simple or obvious enough that others may independently arrive at it themselves? I ask because it's pretty common for people to think their logo idea is unique, yet it has been done time and again by others.

2. Did you register a copyright, or trademark your logo in any way?

Option 1: If #1 = "Yes," and #2 = "Yes," then you can pursue damages against those who are infringing, as well as file DMCA take downs against any website/page that is displaying your intellectual property.

Option 2: If #1 = "Yes" and #2 = "No," then damages aren't really practical unless you can show that these people have actually caused you to loose sales/money. You can still opt for a DMCA takedown.

Option 3: If #1 = "No" or "I don't know," then you have no options. Welcome to the world of a billion connected artists are acting independently yet coming to common visual conclusions.

Re: the shops not being in the United States... if they are in an Asian country, then it's nearly impossible to do anything about them except try to DMCA their content off western-held servers. If they are in western democracies, then it becomes more possible yet still problematic and would only be worth it for option #1 above.


Title: Private parking lot posts monthly rate but does not honor

Question:
The parking lot next to my apartment posts a sign for monthly parking at a rate of $32.50 and daily of $1.50.  There instructions under the sign to put cash payment in envelopes then deposit them in the drop box.

I paid the monthly rate and put the envelope in the drop box. One day later there is a notice from the parking company that I have not paid, and owe a service fee of $2.50 and $1.50 for the day. The license plate written down had an "S" instead of the actual "5" so I thought it was just a mix up.

I call the company and they said that I need to pay day by day and they do not honor monthly parking.

Since there's a sign posted, and nothing to indicate they since have removed that option is there something I can do to get my money back?  I can't imagine I'm the only person to have made this mistake and something just seems shady about the whole thing.

Edit: Located in Minnesota

Answer: You can demand your money back and if they refuse you can take them to small claims court. Although for $32.50 it probably isn't worth your time.


Title: Husband spied on me, possibly divorcing

Question:
So. I'll try to keep this short and to the point. My husband and I are in a very unhappy marriage. I want out of the marriage as he is becoming more and more cruel and controlling. It's been pointed out to me that he is emotionally abusive and manipulative, and I am starting to see it's really true. The issue is this:

He set up a go-pro camera to spy on me last week without my knowledge. He had "joked" in the past about getting a nanny-cam so he could see "what goes on around here during the day" (what goes on is that I am a stay at home mom taking care of our 8 month old daughter, so, pretty boring stuff.) I had told him before I would not feel comfortable feeling "watched" in my own home and if he wanted to see us during the day we could FaceTime. I was very clear about how I DID NOT want to be recorded in our home. I'd like to be able to do the private things people do when they're not being watched in the privacy of their own home without being photographed or recorded.

So instead he did it behind my back. He set up a time lapse so it's about 700 photos taken throughout the day. There's pictures of me changing in our bedroom, getting the baby ready, and leaving the apartment. He "accidentally" opened up the photos in front of me on the computer (hooked up to the television) just minutes after I got a phone call saying my mother who has been very ill had gotten sicker and we don't know what's wrong. I had been crying in his arms one minute, and then next he's revealing to me he had been spying on me.

He claims he had had plans to do this to me daily in order to see if his suspicions (that I may be sleeping in or napping when the baby naps) were true. He waited until I had had the least sleep since the baby was born to set up the camera the next morning while I made him breakfast.

I'm just wondering if this is legal. We live in PA. Is this considered some kind of harassment? I spoke to a lawyer months ago who said even though he may be emotionally abusive and manipulative that until its physical it's not legally considered abuse. I fear he is going to be very spiteful and try to use our daughter to hurt me if I decide to leave and I'm just wondering if this is something to hold in my back pocket if so.

He knows that our computer is hooked up to my google photo account but must have forgotten. I have the photos including those of him setting up the camera in the morning. He wanted "proof" that I may or may not have taken a short nap but I've got proof of what a creep he is.

Thanks for any help or advice.

Answer:
 My sisters exhusband was also obsessed over her post birth sleep and would come home unexpectedly during the day to try to catch her napping.
He would also not allow her to sleep until he went to sleep in the evenings.
That escalated to the point she had to sneak away in the middle of the night. She put her clothes and her baby items in trash bags and hid them outside with the garbage so he didn't catch her packing a bag. Don't let your situation go that far. Get out now.


Title: Mmj and custody (San Diego, Ca)

Question:
Hi all, I'm hoping you could give some advice regarding my situation.

My Stbx and I were married nearly fifteen years. I've suffered from depression and anxiety my entire life, and two years ago I started using medical marijuana to alleviate my symptoms. I've tried every medication out there, and this has been a (literal) lifesaver for me.

So, my ex and I split up eight months ago, after I found him cheating on me. We have an incredible 11 year old together, are currently going through the divorce and custody process. The problem is that even though she spends 70% of her time with me (informal agreement, mediation is coming up soon), Ex is dead set on not paying a penny of child support, which means he's going to try like crazy to keep me from formally getting anything other than 50/50. I'm a pretty damn good mom, so the only thing he has to use against me is my cannabis use.

To make it clear, I dose only when she's in his care, and I don't use around her ever. I don't even use when she's in school in case she needs to be picked up. I have a doctors reccomend, so I'm entirely legal. But I'm concerned the court may consider it detrimental to her. So, will mmj use be a detriment in my custody case? Should I stop now and switch to a normal , though less effective, anti depressant?

Tl;dr/ Can mmj cost me time with my child?

Answer:
 Can it be used against you? Sure. Judges are generally old and set in their ways.

Make sure it is locked up, always. And explain your plan. If you need to use, who will be your emergency person to call to drive? Neighbor, friend, whatever.

If he is not following the informal agreement now, it is unlikely he will follow court orders. So if it is a 50/50 agreement, here will likely keep whatever schedule he has now that he likes.


Title: Employee from my work stole my controlled substance medication, advice?

Question:
On Friday 5/25, I was getting ready to leave for work from the restaurant I work at. I'm a manager and bartender there and I always keep my bag in the office, locked. I brought my bag upstairs from the basement when I was getting ready and opened it to try and find a paper I printed, which I realized I left downstairs. There was one server standing there, who I've never liked and always had a bad feeling about. The other people were the kitchen workers and they were busy the entire time with a full rail of tickets. I left my bag for about 15 seconds and came back to it \- slightly moved \- but I thought nothing of it and went home. Next day, I went to go inside and look for my meds to take and they were gone.  I've filed a police report, I called my doctor, I've questioned people, but I still haven't questioned the person I suspected in the first place. Our schedules barely match up. I've even emailed corporate. Does anyone else know anything I can do to find out who did it? \(BTW we don't have cameras.\)

Thanks for all your help!

Answer:
 There isn't anything more to do. If your doctor/pharmacy is willing to refill the meds early, do that. Sometimes they won't or can't as a matter of policy, but that's in their hands.

It isn't up to laypeople to investigate crimes, and if often a bad idea for them to try. Just keep your medication secure in the future, and don't confront anyone. The culprit is not going to admit to it, and innocent people will be insulted if you accuse them. It sucks, but it's out of your hands now.


Title: Eviction notice, Ontario, Canada.

Question:
Ontario, Canada here.

So, my landlord took a $500 pet deposit from me last year after I moved in after seeing I had dogs here (pet sitting my boyfriends dog and my dog who lived with him well before I moved in here). I didn’t know I didn’t have to do this. She basically said $500 or no dogs. So, I gave it to her. Anyway, months later ex bf and I break up, my dog moves back in wth me. No problems there.

Now, forward a few months and I come to find out this is illegal for her to ask for a deposit. I texted her about it in November and she emailed me refusing to give it back saying I volunteered this money (bullshit as I am a single mom who can’t afford to just volunteer $500). I let this go as I didn’t want to cause any issues with her.

I emailed her April 4th for the money back explaining I was in need of it and I had the right to have it back. She refused to email me back. She came knocking on my door that night (twice) while I was putting my 5 her old daughter to bed. I texted her telling her this. She asked if i wanted her to “pop by” the next day. I said no, I’d prefer her to email me if it had to do with the email I sent her. She refused to email me back.

The next morning as I was heading out to send the T1 to Service Ontario, the lady who lives below me comes to my door and hands me an eviction notice. I “wtf” and read it. Reasons for eviction:
1. Dog continuously barks throughout the day and verbal warnings to get her to stop. (The only time she barks is when someone is at my door or on my porch which is where all 4 mailboxes are for the house I’m in).
2. Child stomps between 11 pm-4 am which annoys the tenant in unit 2 (below me) (my daughter goes to sleep at 8 pm soooo....)
 3. Excessively loud sexual activity between 11 pm and 4 am (okay, I can admit to this but it’s not all the time...). All of these reasons are leading to unit 2s moving out.

I agreed to meet her in person because she was not going to email me back. She comes up to my place and  she asks if I plan to look for a new place. I tell her no as I was okay here with my daughter going to school close by and I was comfortable after being here a little over a year. She asks me to move out. She told me a new lady is going to move in below me May 1st. The lady under me now is 37, doesn’t work and reads all day with her 4 cats. I ask her who the new tenant is. She said an older lady who doesn’t work and will be home all day... this is why she wants me to leave, she wants all quiet tenants who cause 0 noise (unit 3 is a couple with 4 cats who doesn’t work either and landlord is in unit 4 who’s place isn’t connected to the house).

So, I’m refusing to move out. The eviction notice gives me 7 days to change my behaviour or she’s going to the board for another notice. I’m assuming it’s going to happen wether I change the behaviour or not (all I’ve changed is no loud sex past 11 since my dog doesn’t bark all day and my kid is in bed at 8...) because she’s so persistent in asking me to leave in person. I’m going to fight this till the end because she’s being ridiculous and I can’t afford more than this place I am in now, also I refuse to change my daughters school. Plus, I’m comfortable. It’s my home.

Any advice going forward? I don’t think I’ll get a lawyer because I have proof of all of this other than her asking me to leave in person.

Answer:
 Many of the landlord tenant board locations in Ontario have [free duty counsel for tenants](https://www.acto.ca/our-work/tenant-duty-counsel/).  Find your local landlord tenant board, go in, and speak with someone to get free advice before resorting to getting a lawyer.

Talking points I would bring up with duty counsel if I were in your position:

* The landlord is retaliating with claims of noise, unexpected visits, and threats of eviction after filing your T1 for the illegal deposit. This harassment is disrupting your reasonable enjoyment of your home.
* There are no police or city inspector reports of the noise complaints for the entire time of your tenancy there, yet you've had a dog and a child this whole time.
* You (and the neighbouring tenants) have been there for over a year and this is the first complaint, no one had even talked to you about this before, you've been given no chance to remedy any problems.

Take the advice of duty counsel.

Also, Ontario is single party consent. From this point forward, stealthily record all conversations you're having with your landlord or other tenants.


Title: Phone in Hand, a California Violation

Question:
Sorry if this isn't the correct subreddit or any other mistakes.

Today while driving home via highway I was pulled over and cited by CHP.

I was driving alone, my phone was in my hand with my hand resting on my lap, screen up. The screen was off and the phone was not being used in any way. I merely thought nothing of it and was just driving paying full attention.

CHP nearly passed in the lane to my left, looked over at me as he was passing, saw the phone in my lap, and immediately pulled me over and cited me. My phone was completely off and not in use in anyway.

The violation was of 23123 (a) VC- "Cell Phone In Hand".

>23123.5.
>
> (a) A person shall not drive a motor vehicle while holding and operating a handheld wireless telephone or an electronic wireless communications device unless the wireless telephone or electronic wireless communications device is specifically designed and configured to allow voice-operated and hands-free operation, and it is used in that manner while driving.

The question I have when reviewing the code is in this line:

"A person shall not drive a motor vehicle while holding **and** operating a handheld wireless telephone"

To me that implies that you must be holding it AND using the device in some way. If the device was off and merely in my hand am I truly in the wrong?

Should I show up to court contesting the ticket?

Thank you for any insight.

Answer: You can contest the ticket if you want, but I have a strong suspicion that the officer will have a different version of what happened here, and your version is not particularly credible.


Title: Wrongful Termination Suit "At-Will" Massachusetts. Please Help!

Question:
Hey reddit!

I was let go today from my job at an agency in Boston. I belive I have cause for a wrongful termination suit. I have heard several differnet opinions regarding the rights of an employee working in an "At Will" state and would like to clarify. While doing some reaserch I found a few interesting articles on the subject. As mentioned in the article below probationary employment standereds where not clearly defined nor was I ever made aware that my performance was not to the company's standards until the termination was brought to my attention. Further I have been locked out of my company email and have been told by management to no longer contact any of there employees. I left a good job only to be terminated in less than  three months into my new one, I just want to be treated fairly.  Any help or possible case references would be very helpful thanks!

https://www.sheehan.com/publications/good-company-
newsletter/Latest-Word-on-At-Will-Employment-and-Wrongful-Termination-Claims.aspx

http://www.employmentandlaborinsider.com/discrimination/are-you-expecting-too-much/

Answer:
 That article doesn't really support your claim. It's more about best practices an employer should do to lower the chances of a wrongful termination. It doesn't say not having clearly defined performance standards makes a termination unlawful.

Based on the little information you provided here I don't think you have much of a claim. You can certainly consult with a MA employment law attorney.

In the meantime, file for unemployment while you look for a new  job.


Title: Bankruptcy and My Car

Question: Background: When I bought my car last year I was 19 and didn’t have any credit established. Because of this, I had to get my grandfather to co-sign on the loan (I think that he is technically the one getting the loan and I’m the co-signer, though) . Fast forward to present day and my grandfather is now filing for bankruptcy. Like within the next couple of days. His attorney initially claimed we could exclude my car from the bankruptcy, but one of my executives at the credit union assured me they do not offer exclusions and that my car would be repossessed. All of the car payments have been coming out of MY account, and I have never missed a single one. Is there anything I can do that doesn’t involve me getting shafted financially? Also concerned about my credit score being affected.

Answer: He just co-signed it. You're still on the loan. As long as you keep making payments, you're fine.


Title: Europe/international: How to get ex to stop harassing me and my family?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Not a lawyer, but start by blocking any emails addresses and phone numbers  of the ex and get your sister to do the same.
Do not contact her, it will likely just increase the attempts to contact you after.


Title: DMV won't recognize my name

Question:
So, my husband and I got married in DC almost 6 years ago.  We now live in Virginia. We both decided to combine our last names, DC allows this. I recently went to the Virginia DMV to get a license,  but the woman would not give me one because my name didn't match my birth certificate, nor was it my husbands last name.

My husband got a license from that exact same DMV with no problem,  I told the woman this and she put an administrative hold on his license.

We have 2 children that have the combined name, my DC license,  their birth certificates,  my bank cards, SS card, and even my VA voter ID have that name on them.

Does the DMV actually have the right to do this?

Answer: Did you have your marriage license, showing the old name and new name?


Title: University gave me a loan, now wants money back in full

Question:
I’m a graduate student and fellow at a public university in NYC.

Problem: I was offered $10k in federal student loans to cover living expenses for my first semester of graduate school (Fall ‘18). I accepted it all, as I was a full-time unpaid intern and couldn’t afford rent without the loan money. Now, the school’s financial aid office says they made a mistake and I only qualified for $6.5k. They want the remainder of the money back (~$3,700) and won’t let me register for classes until I pay it in full.

Background: I’m a fellow in a program that covers the full cost of tuition over the course of my 2.5 year program. I am now working full time and NYC takes money out of my pay check to cover the cost of tuition at the university. The loan was only for text books and living expenses.

While I understand that I need to pay back that $3.7k to someone, I only borrowed it under the impression that I’d be paying it back slowly over time. How can a college dispense a loan to me and then say “oops” several months after the fact? The money has already been spent and I don’t have $3.7k to fork over all at once!

If the hold remains on my account and I can’t register for classes, I am looking at extending my time in graduate school by at least another year. (No thanks!) The financial aid and bursar’s offices have been curt and unhelpful.

According to my Federal Student Loan account, I only borrowed $6,500.

What steps can I take moving forward? If this is only between me and the financial aid office can it follow me if I transfer to another school? Do I have grounds for taking legal action if they refuse to let me pay them back in installments?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! I have no idea what to do!

Answer:
 See if you can get an appointment to talk with the Dean of Students and describe the situation / plead your case to them. Bring whatever documentation you have. If they’re not able to help, they may be able to tell you who can.

Also, if your school has an Ombud (aka ombudsman, ombudsperson), talk to them, maybe even before the Dean of Students. An Ombud is someone whose job it is to be a neutral party, and be able to talk with you informally, and help you find the resources you need or who to talk to for situations like this.


Title: Delivery Driver Almost Violated While On The Job (bit of a long story)

Question:
So I'm a 21 year old delivery driver located in TN and while I was on my last delivery of the day, (it was to a retirement home) something happened.

Now delivery drivers use an app that shows us your order and all that so I was turned around so I called the customer and he was a little old man, very soft spoken and when I got off the phone with him he said "I can't wait to see you" at first

I thought it odd but thought nothing else of it. Fast forward when I got to the retirement home there was no nurse at the front desk and I just walked around until I found his room,

Knocked on the door etc etc well he opened up and I noticed he was in a wheel chair, he asked me to come in and I thought "Ah what the hell? He's in a wheel chair" so I did I told him his total go the money

Put the food on a table for him.

That's when shit got weird, he started complementing my piercings (I have my ears and septum pierced) and commented how much he 'likes the pain' and asked me not to tell anybody

Then he started asking uncomfortable questions (keep in mind I WAS trying to get to the door) such as if I'd ever had my titties pierced then he asked if I've had my balls pierced and then my penis

The second I said no he reached for my junk so as you would expect I backed the fuck up.

While I was getting ready to run like hell he got a small grab on my belt loop. (he didn't get me thankfully)

What do I do?

Answer:
 You can tell your company what happened so they can refuse deliveries to him in the future.

You can call the police and report an attempted sexual assault. (This would be a pretty big waste of time)

You can call the retirement home and let them know what he did so they can take precautions.


Title: Is my husband's work swag a gift or a work tool? (TN)

Question:
My husband was hired at an Amazon location here in Tennessee in August. They gave him a tote bag containing several Amazon products (a Kindle, an Echo Dot, a Fire Stick, and a Fire Tablet) for him to take home. The tablet can be used to clock in and check email at work and they suggest you bring it but don't require it. They specify the other things are just for home use and don't need to be brought in.

Recently, a girl who had only worked a few days decided to quit, and they asked her to return the items. A traveling supervisor who was working at my husband's location that week told him they usually ask for the stuff back if the employee leaves very soon after being hired, or on bad terms.

My husband is thinking about quitting (this is his third job), and it made us think - is the stuff legally considered a sign-on bonus, or more like a work uniform/work phone where an employer can require it back or deduct from your last paycheck?

He doesn't recall signing anything about it, but he's going to do some research. We've just gotten really curious - how does the law determine if something is a sign-on bonus/gift or a work tool that needs to be returned? I tried to do some research but couldn't figure out exactly what to search for. Thanks y'all!

Answer:
 NAL: He should check his employee handbook for anything in regards to the items. If nothing is mentioned, and he didn't sign anything in regards to the items then they *could* be considered as *gifts* and not a bonus or tool for work. Answer #2: > how does the law determine if something is a sign-on bonus/gift or a more like a work uniform/work phone where an employer can require it back or deduct from your last paycheck?

IANAL, but if it's a gift or sign-on bonus, I'd expect to see a line item on a paystub indicating it and the extra taxes withheld. If they aren't mentioned, I'd expect it to be like /u/ImVeryBadWithNames wrote: It's Amazon's, that they could demand it back, but don't.Answer #3: NAL but I've had previous jobs where tablets were given to us but it was heavily stated that we must return the items if we leave the position. Anyone who didn't return them got the full cost of the tablet deducted from their final paycheck. This was made crystal clear to us and was also stated in our contracts.


Title: currently being blackmailed, any advice would be appreciated

Question:
EDIT: sorry /u/locationbot i am located in America

So im not going to post the full story but
TL;DR: was video chatting with someone online, they have my full name and address, they have videos of me i dont want people to see. I'm sure you can fill in the gaps, including the part where im a fucking retard.

I'm just looking for advice on what i should be doing next

.

the information i have about them is:

1. a bank account and routing number that they wanted me to send the money to
2. a possible front business located in a apartment, may be associated with the account
3. an email address and a few user names

what i have already done:

1. contacted my local police department, I was told i will receive a call from the officer about 2 hours ago
2. contacted the police department of the municipality where the "business" is located
3. contacted the bank that the account number is associated with, they had me send an email to their phishing report email
4.  called friends, family, bosses and told them to look out for messages. they have all reacted well thank god.
5. locked down facebook and linked-in as well as i could, they already have my friends lists and contact info from these places.

I have messages that i believe clearly constitute blackmail "send me money or i will destroy your career" more or less.

any advice on what to do next?

Answer: Move on from here; you've done everything you're supposed to do. You don't ever buy silence, you only rent it.


Title: NY - Firefighters damage vehicle illegally parked during fire

Question:
Hi,

I'm a volunteer firefighter in NY. [These](http://cdn.1starriving.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2014/06/DE-Wilmingon-hydrant-1-6-6-14.jpg) sorts of pictures are all around the internet, of car windows that were broken out in order to access a hydrant during a fire. I'd like to know who is liable for the damage, and no one in my department seems to know for sure. Searching google turns up contradictory information.

Is the car owner responsible for the damage since he parked illegally, or is the firefighter in charge responsible to repair the damage, since he ordered the windows to be broken? For the sake of discussion, gaining access to this hydrant was necessary to put out the fire.

Related question: do volunteer first responders have any sort of exemptions or protections for damage caused while performing their duties?

Thanks!

Answer:
 I work for an insurance company and we looked at this photo in one of our training sessions when I first started. It was a just-for-fun type thing, but brought up some good discussion.

I think the firefighters have a right to do what's necessary in an emergency situation. If there was a real fire there and that's really the only way to get the hose to the hydrant, the car window is just collateral damage. Add civil immunity into the mix and I think the car owner would ultimately be responsible for his own damage.Answer #2: You need to address you legal concerns to the attorney for the municipality you work for. Usually police and firemen are indemnified from civil liability for their actions in the line of duty.


Title: Teacher told my grades in front of the class is this allowed?

Question: I know this isn't a serious legal topic but I was wondering if such thing is even allowed/legal.anyways a teacher loudly attacked me mentally telling my grades are the worst, that even students who were absent got a better score etc. I felt embarrassed and were the attention point in class... She included my name and made hand gestures towards me. Is this even legal?  I didn't give her any consent to talk about my grades and to offend me. If this isn't allowed what should I do?

Answer:
 Details matter. What is your location? Are you in high school? University?Answer #2: Hi, not legal advice.

I would talk to the principal or a guidance counselor about this. You (probably) don’t have any legal standing, but you were made uncomfortable by this teacher. The principal or guidance counselor may be able to facilitate a conversation with the teacher so they could help you instead of make fun.

I’m sorry this is happening. Certainly not fair!Answer #3: Your teacher answers to the principle, the principle answers to the dean or director of education. Usually these are elected positions and they have mwetings where public comments are allowed.

I'm not familiar with Estonia, but you should "climb the ladder" to get the results your after.

1. Talk to the teacher to see if this can be resolved. "I felt humiliated when.... Please don't do that to me again".

2. Talk to the principle. "My teacher did ____, I asked them ____. They said ____.

3. Meet with their boss and repeat.

4. Go to a meeting with public comment and tell them what happened in front of all the other parents. Make sure you are sincear since the way you come off will directly determine the effectiveness of this.

When you are satiafied, stop climbing the ladder. If your teacher apologises and says they won't do that again you're done after step 1.Answer #4: You demand to talk to the principal.  That person is obliged to hear what you have to say.  Generally, they don't want trouble.

If you are low class, then you will be ignored.

If you are high class, get your parents involved.

Either way, make a point that others WILL get involved.

Good luck.


Title: Avoiding your probation officer?

Question:
So my girlfriend was sentenced to six months of probation but she is an avid pothead, heavy drinker, and drug user.

After her intial PO meeting she's simply just never gone back and its about to month six.

What will happen will she still get removed from probation despite never checking in or the next time she has a police encounter she'll be re sentenced or what?

I'm very concerned.

Answer: One of the conditions of probation is that you're cooperative with your PO. If you aren't, the probation can be revoked and then your girlfriend will have to serve the sentence she was given that got suspended to probation. It can be revoked upon request from the PO.


Title: speeding ticket michigan

Question: I got a speeding ticket. I missed the sign where the speed dramatically dropped from 55 to 40. The cop wrote my citation as 5 over. I called the court to request a hearing. I was hoping to fight the ticket as this was my first offense and the speed change was so sudden and dramatic. On the phone with the court they told me if I try to fight the ticket they will change my ticket from 5 over to 20 over. Is that legal because I feel like I'm being intimidated out of my right to fight the ticket.

Answer:
 The cop is trying to do you a solid by giving you a 5 over ticket. A 20 over ticket would be 2 points and would adversely affect your insurance more than a 5 over ticket.

If you were actually going 20 over, I wouldn't fight the ticket.Answer #2: The speed change being "sudden and dramatic" is not a valid excuse to argue a ticket. What is the value of the ticket written?


Title: Lawyer keeping our land on limbo because he wants the taxation money from it and we are (family)just in a tight spot and want to sell the land and pay off the lawyer and also get some money from it so we can breathe , lawyer says no

Question:
Basically, this land had squatters on it and we have been to court with a couple of different lawyers, the recent lawyer is what gave us the win in court, we also gave  the eviction notice and demolish notice, the lawyer says don't demolish because he wants to get taxation from the squatters, and now we are stuck waiting for this knowing that the squatters can't really pay up since they do not have that kind of money, my family is in a tight spot right now, and we need to sell Abit of the land so we can breathe Abit, but the lawyer says not to do that, I'm not sure if this fits in the subreddit or the personal finance , but I just need to know if what the lawyer is doing is legal or not? I mean after selling the land of course we can pay him off, but the lawyer is not accepting this, also it's hard to sell land where squatters are on.
If any more details of reason are needed please let me know, as I need to figure out what next step my family should take, if it's to ignore the lawyer and demolish or wait until he is paid either from the squatters or from us. Also this might be a rush from the lawyer to get a piece of the land, it is in Africa ( Kenya) after all.
I'm unsure and in dire need of advice on how to tackle this situation.
Thanks

TL;DR : lawyer wants to get paid by squatters who was against us in court, squatters cannot pay, our land stuck in limbo, my family needs to sell the land for money. Lawyer says not to do that now until they pay taxation. Not sure if listening to the lawyer is a good idea or not, or if it's ethical or not.
Location : Kenya

Answer:
 If you don't like what your lawyer is doing, fire him and get a new lawyer.

I don't think anyone here practices in Kenya.  Good luck.


Title: Cps help tx

Question: This is an update to a previous post. Long story short I'm a sex offender on probation. I don't wanna go into a ton of details in my case but it happened when I was 17. Someone called and complained to cps that I was around my wife's kids, which I had a chaperone contract for. This was two months ago. They went and talked to the kids and the oldest kid said that I was always babysitting them and alone with them, which isnt true. this all happened after a new guy move in with their mom, and i suspect that he is involved in this. None of them made any allegations of abuse to my knowledge, which I assume because I am still here. The children have not been removed from their home, and everything is quiet atm. The caseworker has been extremely aggressive, threatening the mom with taking her kids away unless she cooperates with what she is saying happened. My probation officer says she still hasn't gotten any report from the caseworker and can't go to the court until she has something written. My question is how long do cps investigations take. It's been two months now and still nothing has happened.

Answer:
 I recall your previous post.

> They went and talked to the kids and the oldest kid said that I was always babysitting them and alone with them, which isn't true.

This is an outright lie. You said in your previous post that you were alone with the kids frequently, and that you just expected your sister in law to lie to CPS and just hope no one talked to the kids.

So try again with your story, only this time, tell us the truth, please.


Title: Door dash charged my card twice despite me never using their service (Vancouver, Canada)

Question:
Hey legal advice! Never thought I’d actually be posting here but, unfortunately, I’ve been faced with an issue.

So on 2 separate occasions, a local service, doordash, has charged my card without my permission for a charge of 34.96 and 48.57.

I have never used this service before and I’ve already contacted the company.

However, the issue is as followed: they’ve completely started to ignore my emails. On October 15th, I sent out my first email. Doordash customer support said that they’d get back to me within a maximum of 2 days. As of today, it’s been almost 10 days yet no message back.

I’ve emailed them repetitively too get ANY updated but they’ve yet to respond to a single one!

I don’t want to seem like an impatient and entitled person but I wanted to see what legal recourse I could take for this issue.

Sincerely,

U/crossfire2215
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: Contact your card issuer if it’s a credit card and inform them that they are unauthorized transactions and you would like to do a charge back.


Title: Shoe cobbler lost designer shoes

Question:
Last Friday I dropped off a pair of Chanel flats to a local shoe cobbler to have a simple sole cover put on. The shoes were less than 6 years old and in great condition minus the toe leather being slightly scraped and the soles slightly worn.

They told me that the shoes would be ready on Sunday. I come back Monday only to be told that they were not done yet, to come back tomorrow. I come on Tuesday, to then be told that "they need to find them". They take my number to call me in the morning. They never call me. I go into the shop Wednesday only to then be told that they "think they gave the shoes to someone else"!

They ask me to give them more time to call people to find the shoes. They insisted it was "an accident" and that "shit happens". They told me they can give me $50 for these shoes or that I can have a pair of shoes from the backroom - all thrown around on the floor, dirty and completely used, and nothing close to what I had. Just insulting. They also told me that I can take them to court.

I go to the shop again the next day to check if there is any update, which there isn't. They try to tell me that my shoes are worth $99. A quick search on eBay shows that their resale value would be in the $350-395 range. When I confronted the owner (though when later confronted, he decided he wasn't the owner anymore), he told me that when I brought in my shoes they were split in half. He mentions then that the shoes could have been stolen and that I'm an "elite person" trying to make money off the shoes. The way I was treated was appalling, shameless and rude. My shoes disappeared and this place has not taken any responsibility or adequately compensated me.

Is there any action I can take against them?

Location is New York.

Answer: You can sue him for the value of the shoes when you dropped them off.


Title: [ FL ] Is it illegal, or do i need permission from my roommate to install a security camera in my room?

Question:
I have a room mate who is also my landlord. We are having a dispute as she wants to sell her home and terminate my lease prematurely. This would leave me homeless as i currently do not have the funds for first, last, and security at a new place.

I explained to her under Florida law that if she sold the house, my lease would not terminate and she cannot force me to leave. She then hinted that she could kick me out if i were to break the terms of the lease, like, if someone were to tip off the police and they found drugs in my room. ( I do not do any kind of drugs ) So this means she would have to enter my room to plant them.

So i need a security camera that she doesnt know about so that if she does enter my room to plant drugs, or "stolen" items, or even destroy my property i have it on film. If i alert her to it, she could just look for it and destroy/take it.

So, do i have to tell her about it, legally?

Answer: Assuming you have a legit lease, your room is your own personal space legally speaking. You are more than free to put up your own security camera. Actually sounds like a good idea. Answer #2: If you're on a month-to-month rent she can give you 15 day notice to vacate for no particular reason. If you're on a yearlong lease then yes, she'd have to wait unless you violate the lease.


Title: If you give birth on the 4 corners monument, which state was your kid born in?

Answer:
 They might just bypass the issue entirely and use the state you’re from, which would likely be on your license plate, considering these issues don’t occur in international airspace.Answer #2: The first state that ~~your body~~ *the baby* ended up 100% in.  They'll hold ~~you~~ *the baby* over the four corners and drop it and it's state of birth will be dependent on which way it bounces and rolls.Answer #3: Seeing as you’ll probably want togo to a hospital afterward, wherever the hospital is located is where the birth certificate will be processed.Answer #4: New Mexico. [The monument isn't quite on the "four corners"](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Four+Corners+Monument/@36.9991572,-109.0452249,20z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xc9945bd27b66993a!8m2!3d36.9990678!4d-109.0452182)Answer #5: In a really strange bit of leftover WWI-era law, Kentucky.Answer #6: The more interesting question is, If a crime was committed there, who would have jurisdiction? What adds to the intrigue is that the there are two Indian Reservations that abut the property as well, and the monument itself is in the Navajo Nation.Answer #7: > If you give birth on the 4 corners monument, which state was your kid born in?

Confusion, probably


Title: My friend was a victim of an online financial scam. What are her options? (Washington State)

Question:
TL;DR My friend got “hired” by a “company” in China online. She was gullible and ended up depositing fraudulent checks into her own bank account, withdrawing cash, and depositing the cash into some other random bank account for “working supplies”. Now her account is massively overdrawn and she has no income. Is there anything legally she can do since she was a victim of fraud or is she SOL?

Hey guys,

I have a friend, K, whom I’ve known for a long time, since 6th grade. We’re both 20 now. K and I are very close, but as we’ve gotten older she’s had some difficulties adjusting to adult life. She recently moved out of her parents’ place but has had a hard time keeping a job and has terrible credit because of it.

Last week, she told me that she was getting this work from home job that was going to pay a good wage and seemed really easy. I thought it sounded too good to be true but I didn’t question her too much because I was busy that day. Then today as I’m scrolling through my Facebook feed I see she’s posted a GoFundMe because she was a victim of a scam, and now her account is overdrawn by ~$4000. Oh no, that’s not good, and I know she won’t be able to pay it unless a family member bails her out which is unlikely. Honestly I’m kind of baffled that she didn’t figure out it was a scam earlier but I think she was just desperate, and desperate people will do all sorts of things. Here is her explanation of what happened from her GoFundMe page:

>The short version of the story is that I was hired on at a company to "work from home" in a position that was too good to be true. They sent me a check for $4,150, which was detected as fraud, subsequently bounced, and now I'm unemployed and I have 55 days to pay the missing money before my bank closes my account.

>The full story is below.

>I was fired from the best job I ever had in October, and have been looking for work since. Those of you who are in the job market right now know how difficult it is to find work. I wasn't able to pay rent this month because of my lack of income.

>At the end of October, I was sent an email by a "representative" from the "HR Department" of "[Sketchy Company Name]" with an offer for a job working from home, paying $25.75 an hour, and instructions to contact a "Hiring Manager" over Google Hangouts for an interview: red flag #1.

>I aced the interview and was "hired". I was never actually clear what position I was hired on as. I was under the impression that I was supposed to be doing data entry, but my 5 "training tasks" were literally writing 1-2 page long essays with small prompts. I was not actually trained to do anything. Red flag #2.

>Then I received a check in the mail. When I took the job, I was promised "working materials", including a laptop, a desk, and a printer/scanner/fax machine. The check was for $4,150 and was supposed to be for working materials. My instructions were to deposit the check into my bank account, and then, once the funds were available, withdraw $4,000 cash (keeping $150 as payment for my "training"), and then deposit $3,900 of that cash (another $100 for my "training") into an account at Bank of America: red flag #3.

>I don't know why the red flags didn't register with me. I didn't think to ask why I couldn't just deposit the check into the account at Bank of America directly, or at the very least, cash the check immediately and then make the deposit. I did, however, think to ask why I was depositing the money into another account rather than them doing it themselves, and I was told that the account was specifically for purchasing work materials.

>The next day, in my email, I received a scanned copy of a check for $9,330 and was asked to deposit it via mobile banking into my account. This sent up the biggest red flag of all, but I did actually try to deposit it. When it didn't work (surprise, surprise), I read the fine print that's on the back of practically every check ever, listing the features that the check has to prevent fraud.

>Fraud.

>Of course.

>I asked why the $3,900 wasn't enough, and the answer was that the MacBook that was purchased was $2,700 and so there wouldn't be enough left to purchase the rest of the materials: red flag #5 - even if this had been a weird way of doing the buying (for which they should have a buying department anyway and not concern me with these things), they should have budgeted correctly in the first place. $13,480 is WAY too much to spend on the materials that were outlined in the original emails. I informed the one person that I had been talking to that I was no longer going to be working for them.

>This morning, I was awoken by a call from my father informing me that my checking account was now over $4,000 in the hole. The check had come back as fraud and had bounced, even though I had made sure it cleared and had withdrawn the money in person. I called my bank and they informed me that the check had bounced. The customer service representative on the phone said that the check had been from [Random College Name]

>What?

>I said I had no idea what they were talking about and that it was supposed to have been from [Sketchy Company Name]. They said no, it was from [Random College Name] and it had probably been whitewashed and forged, and that I had most likely been the victim of a scam.

>I was redirected to Loss Management, who informed me that I have 55 days to pay the missing money before my bank closes my account and the balance is outsourced to a collections agency.

>Obviously, this is a problem, because I am unemployed and have no way to get over $4,000 in 55 days. A loan isn't an option; because of the hard times I've been through lately, my credit cards are maxed and I have another collections agency after me for a debt that I wasn't and still am unable to pay, and therefore my credit score is dismal.

>I'm asking for more money than I lost because GoFundMe takes a percentage, and I really need every cent to go to repairing the damage that has been done.

>I really actually hate having to do this, but it's my only option.

So, obviously I feel really bad for K but I’m also facepalming so hard that she didn’t immediately flag it as a scam. Is there anything she can do legally as a victim of fraud or is she basically SOL? I already linked her to the DOJ’s page on financial fraud.

Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: She's never getting that money back, sorry. She owes the bank. Answer #2: She is SOL.


Title: Was arrested for disorderly conduct.

Question: Last Thursday a couple of friends and I were out at the bars I was leaning up against the wall when a man came up and hit me in the face a couple of times. Within seconds one of the bouncers came up picked me up after also hitting me and threw me outside at the feet of some police officers. I had been drinking the cops stood me up upon which I fell over mostly because I had been dropped on my head and punched in the face. I was scared and had no idea what was going on I tried to ask and explain but was put in the back of the cruiser. I was arrested and put in the drunk tank. This was in California I was charged with 647 f PC disorderly conduct A. What can I do?

Answer: I'm amazed at the number of people in this subreddit who are assaulted while standing innocently in a bar.


Title: My bank lied to me about the details of a new credit card. [What can I do?] [Is this illegal/fraudulent?]

Question:
**TLDR; I signed up for a credit card over the phone with my company and the card I am receiving is different than the card I was told about over the phone(The card that I agreed to).**

***Disclaimer*: I also have a copy of the recording of the calls to back myself up.**

So about 2 nights ago I got locked out of online bank account, and had to call customer support. I ended up calling, and speaking to a rep over the phone. They were able to reset the attempt amounts on the account and I got into it no problem. Throughout the duration of the call he had told me I was pre-quallified for a new credit card with a pretty high credit limit, and 0%. I said cool sure sign me up. As we went threw the sign up process I was given a name for a specific card and a credit limit of $8200(not exact number). After we did the whole sign up process, I was told to just go into any branch and they would be able to print me a card.

I went to my local branch the about 29-35 hours later to get the card. After sitting down with the assistant branch manger, He had ascertained that the card was shipped out to me and that he wouldn't be able to print the card on sight. Before leaving however I asked if he had any printed information on the card so I could better understand the card before using it. He called back customer support because he had no access to any information on the card because it wasn't offered there. After getting on the line with someone in customer support he passed me the phone and the lady over the phone Gave me a different card name and a completely different card amount over the phone. I had said that the numbers I was given were not matching up with what she said. She then asked to speak with the branch manger again. He then hung up the phone and gave me a number to call. He said it was a different division of the company that issued the card and he wouldn't be able to help me from where he was. He said to immediately escalate the call to a supervisor and tell them this whole story from the beginning. After going threw 4 different reps and supervisors. I was told that they would re-evaluate the application and pull the call recording and go over it. **I live in New York State - Long Island**

In my mind giving me even one bit of incorrect information in terms of this card is totally egregious and it just plain seems wrong. But the extent of the differences between what was sent to me and what was told to me are numerous and pretty large(interns of the amounts)
Topic:
Credit Debt Bankruptcy

Answer:
 > In my mind giving me even one bit of incorrect information in terms of this card is totally egregious

Cool. That's not how the law sees it.

What is the exact discrepancy here?


Title: Contractor accidentally put new roof on house - do I still have to pay?

Question:
So actually this is technically for my mother, and it's for one of her rental properties.  She got a call from her property manager that - oopsies! - one of their contractors accidentally put a new roof on one of her houses rather than another property they manage, and now she has to pay for it.  Not sure who's at fault re: the wrong address, the contractor or the management company, but it's clearly not her - there was never even any discussion of roof replacement, roof problems, etc.

So my question is - does she actually owe anything?  I know she got a new roof, but it wasn't needed and the company is clearly admitting that it was a mistake (but says she owes because she got it anyway so it'll save her money down the line).  Also if she needs a lawyer for this, what type of lawyer would handle it? EDIT:  Asking about this because they're threatening to withhold the cost of the roof from next month's rental revenues.

This happened in North Carolina, USA.

Answer:
 I just wanted to point out that you may have had a warranty on your old roof.

Does the new roof come with a warranty? What if this new roof only lasts for five years, while the old roof would have lasted for another twenty five?

How soon will you find out that they actually make the home worse? And then will you still have an opportunity to hold them accountable?

Answer #2: In the meantime, the contractor may put a lien on the property so keep an eye out for that.             Answer #3: She owes nothing. Same thing happened at our old house.


Title: Not allowed to drink water most of the day, and losing ten minute breaks.

Question: So I'm a bag girl at a local grocery store in Arizona, and I've been keeping a bottle of water in my pocket since it's been getting hot out, but my manager told me if I'm caught with a bottle of water in the front again, then I'm getting written up. Is it legal for them to not allow us to hydrate? During the summer it can get as high as 120 dergees here, and if I'm only allowed to drink water on my ten minute breaks, then I could have some serious dehydration problems if I'm still working here in a few months. Also, I've been denied my ten minute breaks on a few occasions, because I forgot to ask till I only had an hour left in my shift, is this legal?

Answer:
 Arizona has no law that says you have to have a break, so not much you can do there. However, pretty sure OSHA says you must have access to drinking water. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean a water bottle, but it does mean you can take a break to grab a drink every once in a while.

Pretty sure an employer letting his employees dehydrate would be a lawyer's wet dream.

Edit: Here's some sources

OSHA on restricting drinking water: https://www.osha.gov/OSHA_FAQs.html

Arizona employment law brief: http://www.azleg.gov/briefs/Senate/labor%20employment%20laws.pdf


Title: Kansas: being made to claim more in tips than I actually walk out with

Question: Last night, all my tips were credit card tips. I only made $59 in tips and I had to tip out $12 to bus boys and the bartenders. When I clocked out, my manager made me claim my tips as what I made the whole night in credit card tips before tip out, 59$. I'm just not sure if this will come back to bite me over time with my taxes.

Answer:
 Yes it will. Is this a chain? Can you complain to somebody?

Keep your own records. If your W2 is not correct, see below for how to dispute it. Claim the income that your records support, not the higher amount on the W2.  You will probably get a big scary notice from the IRS in a couple of years but if you can support what you claimed you will be ok. Keep a hard copy and digital records someplace safe.

https://www.irs.gov/Help-&-Resources/Tools-&-FAQs/FAQs-for-Individuals/Frequently-Asked-Tax-Questions-&-Answers/IRS-Procedures/W-2---Additional,-Incorrect,-Lost,-Non-receipt,-Omitted/W-2---Additional,-Incorrect,-Lost,-Non-receipt,-Omitted-2/


Title: How can I find a lawyer that will do pro bono divorce work in South Carolina?

Question: My wife and I have been separated for a few years now. We are trying to get the divorce finalized.  She is pretty well off financially and has a lawyer friend.    I'm living paycheck to paycheck and can't afford anything extra a month.   We have two kids one 8 years old and one 3 years old.   Thanks.

Answer: It is very rare to find pro bono for family law. You can ask friends for referrals and see if you can get a break. You can contact your local bar association for referrals.


Title: (ontario) Cop asked me if I was "isis"

Question:
I got pulled over 2 days ago, I had my license suspended the day before for unpaid fines, I just got my term extended. when I got pulled over, i was driving regular speed, no crazy lane changes or anything. newer luxury german car. I am 26 years old, beard, shaved head.

I ended up getting 2 tickets, the cop let me get a friend to drive my car back home. During the processing, he asked me my ethnicity, and proceeded to ask me if i was muslim, I told him i wasnt, he then asked me "are you part of this isis shit?" I was being recorded so it must be on tape, were any of my rights violated?  (he didnt give me a reason for pulling me over)

Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 I don't know enough about Canadian law but you should complain to his department whether it's legal or not.Answer #2: A bit of clarification would be good.

You say that your license was suspended, apparently the day before you got pulled over. Is the "term extended" in the next sentence an extension of the term of your license suspension?

What were the two tickets you received?

You haven't given a sufficiently complete description to say that any of your *Charter* rights were infringed - but I really doubt it. A check of the plate number for your vehicle may let the police know that your license was suspended, but they don't really need a concrete reason to stop your car. The officer's comments may have offended you, but hurt feelings are very, very rarely actionable. I really, really doubt that the stop or the comments contravened the human rights code.

In other words: no likely rights violations absent unexpected extra information.Answer #3: What are your damages? What harm did you suffer?

If you got his name, or even better his badge number, you should make a complaint to the police department. Let them sort it out, maybe he'll get fired.


Title: Is my cousin being illegally detained? And is there anything I could do?

Question:
Hi Reddit, I don’t normally post so please bear with my crappy storytelling.
My cousin has come over here from Mexico on a work visa to work for a company in Walterboro,South Carolina (who are currently under investigation) which is a whole other legal issue we need help with. Anyways, he lives together with the rest of the workers in some sort of apartment complex. Not sure if those living quarters are strictly for workers but they all live there. Anyways, one day some people got into a fight with workers from the company my cousin works at and got beaten up. They called the police and accused my cousin along with other innocent workers who weren’t even there when it happened. They were all in their rooms at the time of the fight. They all got arrested without any sort of investigation ( one of the guys who was wrongly detained was even sleeping when they arrested him!) My cousin doesn’t speak English so he couldn’t defend himself and say what happened. It has now been over a month and he is being charged with 7 different crimes. Some being assault and battery. He has a 20,000 bail and we honestly have no money for that, we are struggling as it is to get a lawyers help. There is no one at the prison where he is it that can translate anything back to him. No one at the prison has been of any help and we don’t even know if the people who called the cops have talked to the police after it all happened. Obviously I know nothing about how this all works so I don’t know if the accusers have to do anything like show up or do paper work but it just sounds fishy that no one has heard from them since that day. This whole ordeal has cause stress on our family financially and emotionally.
He is being detained in Colleton
Please let me know what I can do if anything can be done.

Answer: You cousin is accused of a crime and is being held with bail. All very normal


Title: [update] Moment of Silence for /u/locationbot

Question:
Update to [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/9d1hf9/moment_of_silence_for_ulocationbot/)

[I am pleased to announce](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTxJ7r2AIC7JcNklvVTqJSvg5NXpNzS1TedA5M4tBiWwgPRvbEd) that /u/locationbot is no longer malfunctioning and we can return to our sheltered lives under his protective guidance.

Everything is under control. Situation normal. Locationbot had a slight malfunction. But, uh, everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine here, now, thank you. How are you?

Answer:
 >How are you?

Depends on your location, which you were prompted to provide several times.Answer #2: u/Zanctmao blink twice for helpAnswer #3: Thank you for posting an update!  All update posts are automatically locked due to a historical lack of on-topic discussion.  This is a forum for legal advice and if none is sought, none will be offered.   If, however, your post also contains a new question, please [message the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/legaladvice&subject=Re-approve%20my%20comment&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/9d85ur/update_moment_of_silence_for_ulocationbot/%20\(please%20leave%20this%20so%20we%20can%20reference%20your%20comment\)) for a review.

Feel free to start or join in the conversation about this update in either /r/bestoflegaladvice or /r/legaladviceofftopic.

*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/legaladvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*Answer #4: The world needs more cat facts.Answer #5: We're sending a squadron.Answer #6: I'm very excited about locationbot's new and improved brand of feline fascism. Long live the bot!Answer #7: [LA mods lately.](https://m.imgur.com/gallery/c4jt321)Answer #8: Long may he reign.Answer #9: what is Locationbot?


Title: I have an extra child now. Help.

Question:
I have an extra child now

Okay so coronavirus. Everything is insane.

We get a phone call last week from grandma asking if she can take our two oldest. We say sure because they’re out of school. She decides she’s going to drive further north and gets our oldest daughters younger brother [clarification: 13yo: we’ll call her Ashley, 11yo: we’ll call her Anna... They have same dad, different moms, then there is the 8yo: we’ll call him Matt..  Him and the 13yo have the same mom]

Today we get a phone call from grandma. She is sick, we need to come get the kiddos. Okay. We pack up and hit the road with our 5yo. Get to kids, we’re picking up the 8yo too and had intended to take him home.

The 8yo disclosed that moms bf is abusing him and they don’t feed him well or take care of him. We have LONG suspected abuse in this house but never had proof. We told babymomma that we want to keep the 8yo (who has no biological relationship to us, if you’re following) because of his possible Covid-19 exposure... Partly true but mainly want him OUT of that environment.

What the fuck do we do? What can we do?
Topic:
CPS and Dependency Law

Answer: Call CPS.


Title: A mobile game softbanned my account unfairly, do I have any chance of restoring full access to it?

Question:
Kingdom Hearts Unchained X ToS: http://na.square-enix.com/us/documents/tnc

Softbanned: Removed from rankings, barring you from winning exclusive rewards only achieved by placing in certain rank tiers.

If you refer to Section 2-D this is exactly where they pointed me to. The problem is, I personally did nothing ban worthy at all, and this is a micro transaction based game. I've put more money into it than I'd like to admit, and if they won't restore my account to full access, I'd at least like to fight for some (or all) of that money back. I'm 24 and live in Florida if this matters. Do I stand a chance, do I have a case?

P.S. One of my good friends is an attorney, if I even stand a chance and having them draft SquareEnix a letter would do anything, they would gladly do that for me.

Answer:
 >You have no ownership in the Services or any virtual characters, items or credits used in the Services. You have only a limited license to use them pursuant to these SEA Terms of Service. All or some aspects may be deleted or the operation of any or all Services terminated in our sole discretion, with or without notice to you.

That would be a hard no.Answer #2: >P.S. One of my good friends is an attorney, if I even stand a chance and having them draft SquareEnix a letter would do anything, they would gladly do that for me.

Yes, it would give the folks at SquareEnix a remarkably good laugh.

Edit: See here. Pretty clear language.

>SEA may immediately suspend or terminate the availability of the Services and Content (and any elements and features of them) for any reason, in SEA’s sole discretion, without advance notice or liability.

You have pretty much no recourse here. Find a new waste of time.Answer #3: You can send them an email kindly asking that the softban be removed.

You are not entitled to anything here, so humility and apologizing for whatever you did that warranted the ban in their opinion would be in order.  You conveniently didn't say what you were banned for.


Title: (CA) Locked out of Bank

Question: My parents aren't divorced yet, but my dad left the house and he locked my mom out of their bank account where most of their money is. What can we do?

Answer:
 If her name is on the accounts then she can just go to the bank and explain there is an error.

If not then she goes and talks to a divorce attorney