Title: Found security camera in my rental unit [Alabama]

Question: I moved in to a rental home several days ago which I found through a property management company. This morning I noticed a small white camera in the corner of my dining room. It appears to be motion activated, as a red light will illuminate whenever I walk by. I'm not sure if this camera belongs to the owner of the property, or if it belonged to the previous tenants who just decided to leave it. Further, I am not sure if the camera is capable of transmitting audio and video (I had private Wifi set up when I moved in, and the camera could require Wifi for transmission). Nonetheless this is an uncomfortable situation and I am not sure how to proceed. I am considering using this as leverage to have the owner make repairs in the home, as there are several things that are not up to move-in condition. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 Are you sure it is a camera and not just a motion sensor hooked to alarm system (possibly now defunct)

Had one in the corner of a hallway in my house when I bought it.  Small white box, red light


Title: Apartment noise & lawsuit threat

Question:
Hi /r/legaladvise!

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I'll try keep this concise while still including the relevant details:

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I live in a tiny, overwhelmingly mediocre studio apartment in Denver, CO. I have 2 neighbors with whom my apartment is connected- one shares a wall, then one directly below me. I have a full-time day job, but make a financially important share of my income DJing in clubs & bars around town.

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I moved into my studio in July and about a month in during a practice session with my turntables, my downstairs neighbor aggressively pounded on my door and shouted at me to turn my music down. Being someone who prefers to be respectful and thinking I hadn't realized how loud I was being, I hand-wrote an apology and offered to tailor my practicing schedule to his schedule if he'd like to send me his approximate work hours. He did not respond for about a month.

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When he did respond, he let me know he only works 4 half-days a week as a substitute teacher, all of which I'm also working. He doesn't seemingly have many hobbies or friends, so he is pretty much always home. I spend 2-4 nights a week at my apartment,  most of which I'm either sleeping or working as I sometimes work remotely. Beyond that, I spend the majority of my time at my girlfriend's house.

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Since then, I've kept to what I thought were reasonable, neighborly levels when I do practice and make sure to only practice during seemingly reasonable hours- generally between noon and 4pm.

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This morning I received an email containing the following:

"If I have to file a lawsuit against you that is exactly what I'm going to do and the first thing I'm going to do is obtain a restraining order restraining you from playing your music loud enough for it to be audible in my apartment.  I'll then continue on with the suit seeking monetary damages for you unreasonably disturbing my quiet enjoyment of my apartment.  Just so that you know that I'm completely serious you can confirm that I'm an attorney by doing the following: google "colorado attorney search."  The first result is the Colorado Supreme Court's website.  Click that link and when the page comes up type in "REDACTED FOR PRIVACY" in the space after "registration #."  I am the "REDACTED FOR PRIVACY" listed on the Colorado Supreme Court's website.  If you force me to go this route I assure you that a trial in front of a jury is in your future."

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I followed his suggestion and found his listing, but he is currently listed as "inactive."

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My lease does not have any mention of noise other than the following:

"Upon request by Landlord, Resident shall, at Resident’s expense, install rugs on any wood or laminate flooring in the Apartment Home for noise mitigation if deemed necessary by Landlord."

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I did some initial research on Colorado noise ordinances and came across the Colorado Noise Statute 25-12-103 - Maximum permissible noise levels which states that for residental settings, the limit is 55 db measured 25 feet from the property line during daytime hours and 50 db measured 25 feet from the property line during nighttime hours.

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I have measured the noise from my apartment and am below this threshold, but his apartment is directly below mine so I'm not sure how the 25 feet would apply.

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I would prefer to keep neighborly and respectful, but he has now threatened me with legal action despite my attempts to work around his schedule and enjoy my music at seemingly reasonable volumes.

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My questions:

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1) Beyond my lease and the noise ordinance, are there any other laws or regulations I should be aware of?

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2) Are his threats substantiated and should I be worried, or is he trying to scare me?

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Thanks in advance for any advice!

Edit for clarity: I'm not asking if I'm being an asshole neighbor or for ways to mitigate the noise I produce. I've already taken steps to reach out to him for compromise & have taken steps to be quiet and considerate. He's now threatened me with legal action and I'm curious what that might look like.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 IANAL, not familiar with CO ordinances:

I'd first suggest googling the lawyer he claims to be and seeing if he is in fact this person. Not always true, but typically lawyers don't live in single bedroom apartments substitute teaching 4 days a week. If he is, in fact, impersonating an attorney that's a whole other mess which the attorney would likely be interested in.

The other stuff is blustery nonsense. If he files you want to respond, but people threaten to sue all the time.

I'd chat with your LL about the issue and see if there have been complaints noted or if there's anything additional in your lease re: quiet hours.


Title: Why aren't defendants required to take the stand at their trials?

Question: Doesn't that just seem more fair/less chance of someone getting off when they shouldn't?

Answer: The Fifth Amendment (Amendment V) to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights and protects individuals from being compelled to be witnesses against themselves in criminal cases. "Pleading the Fifth" is a colloquial term for invoking the right that allows witnesses to decline to answer questions where the answers might incriminate them, and generally without having to suffer a penalty for asserting the right. Defendants cannot be compelled to become witnesses at their own trials.


Title: Dealer lied about model of car help

Question: I live in Florida and my mom just financed a car the salesman told her the model was a 2014 it turns out the model is a 2012 and she signed the contract anything we can still do?

Answer: IANAL. Check the contract for the car and verify that it matches what she was given is a good starting point.


Title: [IL] Ex says he committed murder

Question:
My recent ex claims to have committed murder in a big city nearby on multiple occasions. He claims it was for a gang. He has also said this to his new girlfriend as well, tho i doubt she will admit to hearing it.

My predicament is if I should go to the police as they will both (probably) deny it and I'll look like a crazy ex girlfriend. What should I do?

Answer:
 Do you have an anonymous tip-line in your city? I think if you actually want to do something I would call and say "X has told me he has committed several murders in Y city for a gang but I don't know if it is true" and then stop talking.

There are nuances here: if you believe him then you should make a report but that means he is a person who kills people and that could include you. But if you think he could be just making things up, then you are probably safe to report but then why do so?


Title: Unknowingly had two driver's licenses from two different states (CA, WA) at the same time. One of them (CA) was suspended. Can I still drive in WA with my WA license?

Question:
Hi everyone. My original license was a CA license I received about 4-5 years ago. I moved to WA 2 years later and received a WA driver's license. I showed the WA dmv my CA license and they didn't punch a hole in it or take it away from me or anything at all.

I was pulled over for a dui in California about 8 months ago. I presented them with my WA license. They ran the numbers and told me that I also had a valid CA license as well. Apparently the DMV did not cancel my CA license when I had received my WA one.

A month ago, my driving privileges and license in CA have been officially (and deservingly) suspended for a year. However, I have heard from multiple people (and my lawyer's secretary) that I should be okay to drive in WA with my WA license unless they also decide to suspend it. I checked online and my WA license appears to be valid and okay. However, the last thing I want to do right now is to get into even more trouble if I get pulled over in WA and charged with driving on a suspended license since my CA one is suspended. I'm having some trouble finding accurate information for this online.

**I realize that driving intoxicated was a terrible, stupid, idiotic idea and don't plan on doing so again.

Answer:
 WA and CA are part of the driver's license compact.  This means they share info on license suspensions.

Additionally, you should have surrendered one of the licenses when you applied for an additional one.


Title: A customer in our retail store verbally abused and physically threatened several staff; do we have any recourse, i.e. a restraining order to prevent recurrence?

Question:
edit: in MA, usa
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 If you're somewhere with a functional law enforcement system and reasonable laws, yes. Public accommodations such as shops are not public property. You can tell the customer to leave, immediately, and that they are banned from returning to the store, and call the police on the trespasser if they either refuse to leave or return without permission.

You should check with your boss about policies before doing this.


Title: [California] Trying to get a refund for work that was never performed

Question:
Hello.

My coworker and I hired a heating and air conditioning company to install a new electrical heating furnace. They said that it would cost me $11,541.89 to do the job, and that I needed to pay half now and half when they finish the job (this is stated on the contract), so I gave them my debit card number but they charged me the full amount up front.

I ended up having to cancel the installation the morning it was supposed to happen, which was two days after they had charged my account. When I called the office, the lady said that it was no problem, that they would refund the money, and that she would call the owner and let him know before they went to the job.

After two days with no word and no refund, I called them to follow up and they said they'd have the owner call me back. He never did. My coworker went down to the office to talk to them and they said that the owner is the only one who can issue a refund and that they would have him call us, but once again, the owner never called. I've called between 7-10 times now, leaving messages, and whenever I reach someone, they just hang up on me as soon as they realize it's me.

Once they started hanging up on me, I filed a fraud claim with my bank because they charged me the full amount but never did any of the work, but the bank said that it looked like a valid charge and won't refund the money.

Is my next step to hire a lawyer? Is there is anything I can or should do before doing that?

Contract and claims response from bank: https://imgur.com/a/bl4NL

Thank you for any advice.

Answer: Talk to someone higher up at the bank, seems like its pretty easy to prove they didn’t do the work AND they didn’t follow the original contract for how they were gonna take the money anywayAnswer #2: IANAL but isn't it illegal in California for a contractor to take more than a ten percent down payment?  For example, ["Contractors State License Board Warns Consumers Not to Pay More than 10 Percent Up Front."](http://www.cslb.ca.gov/Media_Room/Press_Releases/2012/August_15.aspx)Answer #3: File a police complaint for fraud, this is a sworn statement.  Police may look into it, But if you provide the report to the bank they should refund.


Title: My partner and I are in an open polyamarous relationship and he is going into the military. We are considering marriage for obvious reasons, but I have heard that if either of us do what they would consider cheating it could get him discharged?

Answer:
 Yes, adultary is illegal in the military. If he sleeps with a woman not his wife while he is married, or sleeps with a woman while she is married to someone else, then he could not only get discharged, but theoretically he could be court-martialed and sent to prison.

&#x200B;

Realistically, it would probably just be an article 15 (they would take some rank and pay or something similar), and then they would chapter him out of the military.

&#x200B;

If you are just a dependent you can do whatever you want, you are not military so military law doesn't apply to you.


Title: Being forced out of work because I filed worker's comp

Question:
Okay, back in June I was injured at my job. I was loading parts into a box when my wrist popped and then went numb. I had told my shift lead about my wrist bothering me for the week or so leading up to it, and only ever got a "Suck it up, buttercup, and go buy a brace" in response. After it popped, my hand was visibly swollen. I was told to take a few days off and come back.

Every day since then until the 28th I had worked. I ended up going to the ER and was sent to a specialist because the pain got worse and worse. The specialist said I had sprained it, and that my tendons were swollen. He asked what I did to hurt it, and had me fill out a First Report of Injury form. He gave me a work restriction for 10lbs and said I'd be fine to return to work provided the restriction was met.

I was told by my supervisor on the 5th of this month that he "wasn't going to pay me to push a broom for 8 hours," and subsequently sent home. The lady in HR said she'd be in touch to let me know when they had work for me, but waited 3 days to contact me, after the MCO from the BWC contacted me and told me that I was not allowed to work, since the description of my job did not meet the restrictions. I explained this to the lady in HR who got upset with me. I asked my MCO, and she said that tenosynovitis, which I was diagnosed with along with a wrist sprain, was covered by Worker's Comp.

Since then, my supervisor has changed his story, I was denied my worker's comp, and have been told that I could return to work after my "medical leave" was over, but it would be on 3rd shift. I live 45 minutes away from work, and I make $8.10 an hour. They knew I got a ride to work every day so that I didn't have to blow my check on gas alone every two weeks. They told me the only way I was allowed to return was to take the 3rd shift position.

Is there anything I can legally do in the state of Ohio to fight against this? My claim was denied because my supervisor lied to cover his own skin and because the office I had gone to had put the wrong SSN down and has yet to fix it.

Answer:
 Document everything. Request everything in writing.

You injured yourself at work. Let the BWC know about what they are trying to do. You may need to consult with a workers compensation attorney, that is what they are around for!


Title: How do I answer "Have you been *charged* with..." questions?

Question: I am applying for government security clearance and it requires disclosure of all crimes I have been *charged* with in the last 7 years.  In my situation, the officers filed charges for three different crimes, but I only went to court on one charge.  Do I need to disclose what the officers "charged" or just the crime for which I actually went to court?  Thanks.

Answer:
 A charge is a formal thing. It's done by a prosecutor, not the police. Usually the police will tell you one thing but then the prosecutor can do something else, but it's also possible you did get formally charged with something but it was dropped before you went to court.

To be sure, request the records surrounding the incident.


Title: [Ontario] Traffic laws: who should have yielded?

Question:
I recently ran into an interesting situation at a 4-way intersection with full traffic lights.

I was turning left, so I had pulled into the middle of the intersection. Another car coming from the opposite direction approached the intersection signaling to turn right (into the same lane I was turning left into).

As he approached the intersection, the light turned yellow. I began to make my left turn because I needed to get out of the intersection, but at the same time he also began making his right turn (he didn't begin his turn until after the light turned yellow). There was a moment where if we both had continued, there would have been a collision. When I saw him continuing his turn, I braked and let him turn first, and then followed.

I tried googling info about this particular scenario but have found nothing. Who had the right of way? As a side note, the car turning right was a cop and he gave me a pretty dirty look when he saw me trying to complete my turn first. I'm curious if I would have been in the wrong had he pulled me over for not letting him go first.

[Crappy drawing to help illustrate situation](http://i.imgur.com/2yzmn5J.jpg)

Answer:
 You were required to yield.

> At any intersection where you want to turn left or right, you must yield the right-of-way. If you are turning left, you must wait for approaching traffic to pass or turn and for pedestrians in or approaching your path to cross.

[Source](https://www.ontario.ca/document/official-mto-drivers-handbook/driving-through-intersections).


Title: I am on SSDI. Would it be a problem if my father quick deeded the house to me?

Question:
I’ll try to make this short.

I am on SSDI. I get Medicare and Medicaid. My father purchased a house for me, which I pay a partial payment on and he pays the rest. He wants to quick deed the house to me because right now it’s messing up my household income stuff- he lives 1200 miles away. Are there any problems with this? I am not worried about my dad not paying. If he or my mother passes, I will have enough money to pay off the house.

As an aside, I have cancer. I’m not planning to die but it’s a possibility. If I die, is there anything keeping him from getting the house?

Answer: Cross post this to /r/SocialSecurity they are very helpful and might give you a better answer.


Title: NJ - What can be done about a tuition hike at an in-state school?

Question:
I don't know if this is the right place to post this or not, so sorry in advance if it's not.

Today, my fellow students and I just got a notice that our tuition will be increasing by more than 10%, weeks before tuition is due. Many of my fellow classmates and I are beyond pissed about this and are trying to figure out something to do beyond simply calling the school and complaining. We think it's irresponsible that the school waited so long to budget and gave students such a short notice. On top of this, the school has raised tuition by more than $13,000 in the last 7 years, and it seems to me that there is an unsettling lack of financial management.

I've tried to look up action that my classmates and I could take regarding this hike, but I couldn't find anything online. ***Does anyone have any ideas on how to handle such a high tuition hike, how we can actually make a difference fighting this?***

Answer: Well, you can apply for financial aid/scholarships.


Title: Small claims question: If the fee for filing is as high as the claim, what other alternatives are there?

Question:
So - a business owes me $80 for some design work, it has been more than a month and not only have they not made any attempt to pay me for my work, but they also haven't returned any calls (their phone now always goes to voicemail), my emails, texts or Facebook messages.
However, I read that there is usually a $50 fee to make a claim. Spending $50 (that I don't really have) to get $80 doesn't seem terribly helpful. Is there another way?

Answer:
 You can send them an official 'pay up or we sue' letter.  That often works.

Answer #2: In my state if you win a small claims suit, the loser has to pay all the fees (so if its $50 to file, and you win $80 in a judgement, they would owe you $130) But, just because you win a suit doesn't mean its over... you still have to get them to pay, which can force you to spend more of your time and money filing papers and having them served. I've done this with a few customers... and its a major pain. I make sure to add late fees to any unpaid invoices and keep resending every month. After a few months I'll make a phone call or send a personal letter in 1 last effort to get them to pay, if they don't pay it goes to court. Sometimes an official looking "you have 15 days to pay or this is going to court" on your letter head will scare people into paying, I've had that work a few times. Is this company using your design work?


Title: If I give someone a broken ladder, am I liable if they get hurt?

Question: I have a wooden ladder that's damaged to the extent that it twists and turns when you stand on it. Perhaps it can be fixed, but I just want it out of my life. If I give it away, and if I tell the person I give it to that it's unsafe as is, can I be held liable if they get hurt while using it?

Answer:
 Why not throw the thing away?

The legal answer is a qualified "maybe." If someone paralyzes themselves after falling off of this ladder, they may well sue everyone even tangentially related to it. Smart move is NOT to do this.


Title: Can a lawyer change their rate after the case is completed? Civil court, Washington state

Question: My boyfriend hired a lawyer to help him fight an order of protection taken out against him by his sister, whom he was living with. She is mentally unstable, an alcoholic and had failed to gain an order of  protection against my boyfriend twice before. Police were called for domestic disputes between the two of them, she said he punched her in the face but the cops didn't see any physical proof and did not arrest my boyfriend.  She called the police enough that they stopped responding to their residence. When temp order of protection was issued, he was forced to leave the residence and find a new apartment. Boyfriend hired a lawyer who quoted $1000. After two court dates over the course of 3 weeks, the judge dismissed the order of protection against my boyfriend since she had no proof, and not only had failed to gain orders of protection against him in the past, but also failed with two other people. Now, two weeks after the dismissal, the lawyer is billing my boyfriend for $240 an hour for his services and $100 an hour for the secretary's help. Lawyer also states that he consulted the landlord for 4.5 hours for one written statement. Is it normal for lawyers to change their rates after everything has settled? Why wouldn't the laywer be upfront about the additional cost? Does my boyfriend have any recourse here? The entire ordeal cost him a lot of money since he was forced to find another place to live (move in fees and higher rent,) take off work for court two times, and of course hire this lawyer to help make it as easy as possible (boyfriend has a TBI and learning disability.)

Answer: He needs to review the retainer agreement he signed, if he doesn't have a copy he needs to get it from the lawyer.


Title: [CA] Parents/Grandparents living in the same apartment for 25 years, Landlord is selling the building

Question:
Hey all

My grandparents and parents don't speak any/much English and they recently received a letter from a real estate agent that they are selling the building that they've lived in for the past 25 years.

From what they tell me, the envelope contains a cover letter notifying them and that there will be showings with 24hour notice. Enclosed are also 2 forms, one asking if they are 60+ and qualify as a "protected" tenant and one asking about the lease details as well as who owns what appliances.

As far as I know, there is no written lease and it is just an oral agreement, the landlords have been pretty hands off and just send a letter every year about the new monthly rent. Being in San Francisco and living in this apartment for 20+ years, the rent is rather cheap so it will be tough to find a similar place for less than double the price.

The notice also says nothing about a date to move out, is this 30 days from receiving the notice? What does the form asking if they are over 60+ years of age (they are) entail for this?

Basically, they just don't know what to do and I don't have much experience in this either so I'm asking to see what further steps they should take.

Thank you for any assistance

Answer:
 1) Is the apartment rent controlled?

When a building is sold the lease continues with the new owners, in this case month-to-month.

If the apartment is rent-controlled the only way they can be forced out if they are Ellis Acted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Act Which allows an owner to force out their tenants if they want to use the building for something else. They would also be required to give your grandparents in compensation ($5,894 for each tenanttenant + $3,929.74 if disabled/elderly tenant), max at $17,683.86, which sounds like what your grandparents would get if Ellis Acted.

Basically, with a new owner they should be getting ready to move if they have to from being Ellis Acted if rent controlled. If the new owner tries to rerent the apartment within 5 years (in order to charge more in rent and avoid rent control) they should see a landlord/tenant attorney immediately. The civil penalties in court for a false Ellis Act notice to vacate is ENORMOUS. The attorney would be drooling for such a case to fall in their lap if that happens.

If not rent controlled, the far worse situation, they can be given a 60 day notice to vacate by the new owner at any time for any reason unless the new owner agrees to a new fixed-term lease. No compensation.

Asking which appliances are owned by the tenant and which are owned by the landlord is a bad sign. The only reason to care about that right after buying the building is to know which is which for a notice to vacate. That will eventually need to be known for maintenance purposes and costs calculations to continue as a landlord, but isn't a big deal until a while after the sale of the building is closed.


Title: Should I try to contact a lawyer or is it not worth it?

Question:
I live in Georgia, USA and own a home. Two years ago when I purchased my home I hired a real estate agent, the seller had an agent, I used a mortgage company to finance, and we closed with an attorney.

Part of the contract between the seller and myself was that the seller pump the septic tank for the home. The seller [let's call her Sally] claimed to have done so two years prior to putting her home on the market. Sally was to provide a receipt as proof of doing so as part of the home purchase contract.

My husband and I are still in our twenties and this is our first home. The whole process was new to us and that is why we hired a real estate agent. We assumed (maybe this was our mistake) that the attorney would have made sure everything was in order before we could close on the house. Including checking for documents such as this septic tank receipt.

A few months after the purchase of the home I realized WE DID NOT HAVE THAT RECEIPT in our packet from the closing table. I emailed my real estate agent and she sent me a hand written note from Sally's neighbor that stated that the property was on septic. That was it. That was the "receipt".

Fast forward to this weekend, sewage from my septic tank was back flowing into my house. I had to call a company to come out and service our septic tank, thinking it was just full. Nope. What had happened was that Sally's neighbor shoved a PVC pipe into a disintegrating concrete pipe that led to our septic tank and caused sewage to leak into our yard and build up pressure to flow back into the house. On top of that, Sally's neighbor never followed code to bring the 52 year old septic system up to code and install a pipe to access the septic system for pumping without excavating the yard.

After all was said and done I'm out $2500. I was re-telling this tale to my boss who used to work in real estate earlier today. He suggested that it would be worth my time to go back to the attorney who handled our closing because no receipt was ever provided for septic service and it was part of the home purchase. If this had been noticed we would have had a licensed individual pump the tank and this damage would have been discovered.

I personally think that there is nothing I can do but take the hit and learn a life lesson. I'm not sure that my boss is correct in his assumption that I can take any legal action whether that be against Sally, the attorney, Sally's neighbor or his business that provided the "receipt", whomever. At the end of the day I signed the contract to purchase the home and because of that I think I'm just out of luck.

Is it worth my time or any lawyers time to look at this?

EDIT (in comments below also):
>I went through the emails from my real estate agent to make sure I had everything and I did find an inspection form for the septic system that I did not realize I had.

>The inspection form states that "An Inspection of the Septic System Reveals that the System Appears to be in proper working condition as of the date of this inspection". It is dated 12 days before we closed on the house.

Answer: Per your narrative, it sounds like the actions of the neighbor (not Sally) caused your damages. Why are you thinking of taking action against Sally?Answer #2: I don't think it will be worth it to contact a lawyer.  Even if the contract required a receipt, you closed the transaction without the receipt, which likely eliminates any claim you could have made against the seller.  The legal doctrine is "Merger by Deed."  A claim against the person who inspected the line will be difficult.  You will need to prove the condition at the time of inspection.  Also, most inspection reports contain limitations on liability, etc.


Title: Is It Legal to Sell Ancient Famous Quotes?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Yes it's legal.

The original works are public domain.

English translations might not be public domain, but even if it isn't a quote on a t-shirt wouldn't infringe.

With the exception of some disputed grey areas, copyright law, at least how it's written, is pretty similar everywhere around the world because it's developed through international treaty. The actual enforcement of those laws, and how they're punished, is what varies.


Title: Being sued for bodily injury on a client at work

Question:
I own a small nail salon in Virginia. All of my employees are licensed nail technicians, except for one in training (testing for his license in September). In early July, this trainee performed a pedicure on a new client. Everything went fine, until exactly a month later (early August) she came back and showed pictures of her toe (just one the toe next to the big toe) being swollen and the whole nail being black. When she came back to the store, she had a different nail color than when the trainee painted her. She says she gets a pedicure once a month. She said she didn't know about it until she took off the polish and saw the black, and that it was hurting her. She had gone to her doctor about this.
She proceeded to say she was going to file a lawsuit on the salon.

I was not in the salon that day to see what happened.

Here's what happened that day according to the trainee:
She had soaked a long time while waiting for the next available tech.
There was no blood or cuts during the pedicure.
She made him change polish colors multiple times.

I've received a letter today from her lawfirm, asking for the owner's name and business insurance policy within 10 days or they will be forced to file a suit. I will fill the information and send it back to them.
I don't have a lawyer.

I'm concerned on what to do. I have insurance that covers up to $1 million in bodily damages, but this happened on an unlicensed nail technician. I want to take full responsibility, I don't want to let them know the technician was not licensed. Is this possible? If anyone else would have done her pedicure I would be okay since they're licensed.

I don't know what to make of all this. If it was hurting her, why did she have to wait a month to come back and tell me? Wouldn't she have noticed right away? I also think she has went to another salon for a pedicure during the month, seeing as she had a different color from the last time we did her. I don't know what caused the toenail to turn black like that, even with cuts before there was never a case where the toenail turned black. The trainee remembers her, and he said there were no cuts to her, she was more of a difficult customer and made him repaint several times.

What can I do? Who are some lawyers that handle cases like these? Is there a way I can take responsibility and not get the trainee involved? That's my main concern

Thanks for any advice

Answer:
 Call your insurance and let them know. That is what you pay insurance for. To deal with these things. Don't lie.

If your insurance doesn't cover trainees then you are paying out of pocket. So then you need to hire an attorney


Title: Wrong Hardwood installed in my house twice

Question:
TL;DR at the end

      In February my wife and I ordered and financed to have hardwood floors installed in our house for a little under $10,000 from a larger retailer in the Philadelphia area.  We weren't going to be ready for install for a little while but the retailer assured us this wasn't a problem.  Around August or September we call and ask to schedule the install for late September.  We agree on 9/25 and 9/26 as the dates for the install because we were told it was a two day job.  I make sure to rip up all the carpet and have the upstairs (it was just the upstairs getting floored) completely ready for the installers.  This means filling our living room with all the upstairs furniture and sleeping on a mattress on the floor in our family room.  It was only going to be two days so this was not seen as a big deal at the time...

      The wood was delivered on 9/21 and was much later of a delivery time than they said; making me late for work.  On 9/25 (a day I took off work for) the installer called my wife around 1 PM and said that he wouldn't be there due to the store giving him no notice and an emergency.  What should have been the second day of the install comes and the installer asks where the t-moulding and stair noses are.  I said in one of the boxes probably and he says that they come in tubes so they must still be at the warehouse.  One of the installers leaves to get them and the other starts to install the floors.  A few hours later I get a call from the installer telling me to call the store manager because there has been a mix up.  The store manager explains to me that the normal company they order the moulding/stair noses from went out of business and they took it upon themselves to order ones they felt matched without bringing us in on the conversation around March or April.  They explained that the sample the moulding company provided matched the floors perfectly but the larger pieces were too yellow and were not a good match.  They wanted us to come down to the store to pick out new moulding and stair noses (which would obviously be another delay to the whole process and would require me taking more days off of work).  When the installer gets back, I ask if he can get the master bedroom done so we can move the mattress and some of the furniture back into that room.  He says he can do that and one other room but he cant go past the hallway because he needs to do the stairs first.

      After the installer gets the two rooms done my wife and I go to the retailer to pick out the new moulding and stair noses.  We bring with us a sample of the wood that was nailed down in the two completed rooms.  When we get to the retailer, I use the scrap wood to start matching the color with the help of one of the employees.  After a while we find the sample of wood that we ordered and find that it does not match the wood that is nailed down in our house.  The employee says this could be due to the store sample being exposed to light and it could be the product we ordered, but it seems to us that it has much less red and is a different product.  We hold off on picking the moulding until we figure out what is going on.  The next day I play phone tag with the store manager and send him pictures of the boxes of wood.  He runs it up to their supplier and within a few days he confirms that we received the wrong product.  At this point it the store manager wants to get the bad wood out, get what we actually ordered installed, and talk about compensation later.  We still needed to go down to the store to pick out matching stair noses and T-moulding.  I preferred to talk about compensation at that point because I brought up the idea of having the incorrect wood installed in the downstairs as compensation for all the inconveniences.  The store manager told me that he would have to talk to the distributor (the ones who labeled the wood wrong) about my compensation request because they were the ones who made the mistake.  While I was waiting on an answer with regards to compensation we ordered the T-moulding, stair noses, and correct wood.  We set a date to rip up the wrong wood and install everything for Oct 14th, 15th, and maybe the 16th.  A day after we ordered everything we got a phone call from the store manager saying the moulding and stair noses are backordered and would be on Oct 11th at the latest.  Also, the manager stated that the distributor would be willing to "donate" the wood to me but I would be responsible for the install.  I told him that uninstalled wood was unacceptable and that we need the installation to be included in the compensation package.  He had me write up a summary of my experience thus far and what I felt we deserved.  I wrote up essentially what was here and stated that we felt we deserved $6000 worth of compensation.  A few days later they agreed to "donate" and install up to 450 sq feet of the wrong hardwood downstairs but I would be responsible for any extra material or labor needed.  I accepted this (making sure to have him send me an email with exactly what everything was worth) and agreed to pay around $350 for the extra material and labor to have these installed downstairs.

      When the installer showed up on the morning of Oct 14th he said the moulding and stair noses still haven't showed up but he could start ripping up the old wood and installing the correct wood in the meantime.  The store manager informed me that the moulding and stair noses were at two separate warehouses and should be there sometime on Tuesday.  When the installer showed up Tuesday he said that there was still no word on the moulding and stair noses.  He was going to complete all he could until the other products came in.  He left Tuesday night completing almost all of the upstairs and pre-cutting the wood needed for the stairs.  On the 16th (which i took a half day for and used vacation hours) I get a text at noon from the installer saying he went to one of the warehouses and picked up some of the stair noses and that he would be there around 1 PM.  When he got there he promptly got to work.  When I had to go upstairs to shower before work around 3:30 PM I noticed that the stair noses were raised above the main platform of each stair.  I asked why this was and he said that it was for safety, to avoid slipping when you're coming down the stairs.  This seemed odd to me but I had to get to work so I trusted him being the expert.  I told him to let my wife know about that because she'll definitely notice the raised stair noses.  My wife stated that Gilberto did not explain this to her until she noticed the raised stair noses herself and asked him about it.

      I arrived home around 10 PM after work to my wife trying to find examples of floors with raised stair noses for the sake of safety.  We could not find any examples of this online.  We checked on the installer’s website, where he had pictures of staircases he had done for other clients, and we could not find any examples that matched what was installed in our house.  My wife and I agreed that the next day we would contact some contractors familiar with this kind of work and other people that are knowledgeable on the subject the next day, before contacting the retailer because we still weren’t sure if there was an actual issue.  My wife went upstairs without shoes or socks on to brush her teeth before bed and while coming down the stairs, felt a shooting pain in her foot when stepping on one of the raised stair noses.  She likened it to stepping on a lego and tried to take weight off the leg to alleviate the pain.  Because this was all being done on a nine and a half inch wide stair, she almost lost her balance and tumbled the rest of the way down the stairs.  Luckily she was able to catch herself on the railing and further injury was prevented.  I was downstairs in the family room and could hear all this happening and rushed to the staircase.  My wife told me what happened and I proceeded to try see what it felt like with out shoes on.  I agreed with her that the raised stair nose was simply too painful and something had to be wrong.

	The next morning my wife contacted a contractor who was the father of a friend.  We sent him the pictures we took of the stair noses and asked him what he thought.  He said he had never seen stairs installed like this before and could tell right away that the stairs were not installed properly to the point of being a possible code violation.  He instructed me to measure the stairs and see what is the height of the tallest step and to find the height variation in each step.  After doing that, he told me to contact the Warminster township sub-code official to get the measurements that meet code.  I worked 8 AM to 5 PM that day so I called the township building inspector on my lunch break and sent him the pictures of the stairs.  He gave me the codes for residential staircases and let me know that in his fifteen years of inspecting houses he has never seen a staircase that looked like this.  Also, I emailed the man who did our home inspection when we purchased our house and asked him if this looked safe or broke any codes.  He informed me that he isn’t someone who is an expert in housing codes but that it did look like a tripping hazard on the stairs.  On my way home from work, I stopped at a flooring store an asked the man working if he was familiar with installing hardwood floors on stair cases.  He said he was and I proceeded to show him pictures of the staircase.  He said that he had never seen a staircase like that and that it would likely cause a tripping hazard on each and every stair.  Also, he stated that it didn’t look like the stair noses were the correct kind for the wood that we had and should match the thickness of rest of the wood on the stairs.  This is when we realized that the retailer had again messed up our order and the installer installed the wrong product.  When I got home, I measured each and every stair height and found that not only were the stairs painful and unsafe, they were breaking code.  The bottom stair can only have a riser height of 7 ¾ inches and each staircase can only vary ⅜ of an inch from that.  After measuring the stairs I found the bottom staircase to be 8 ⅝ inches high and up to a ¾ inch variation in height between the tallest and shortest.  This creates numerous liability and safety issues in our house and we are now afraid to have anyone over because of possible injuries.

      The next day I called the retailer and let them know about all the issues and sent them an email with the pictures of the raised stair noses.  I told him that I would like full refund (forgoing the previous compensation worth $4000) and to not have anyone from their company in our house again.  Someone higher up in the company called me and offered to have a different group of guys come in and do the install but I turned this down because my wife and I feel like its not just incompetence on the installers part, that it is systemic throughout the whole company (if the retailer ordered the correct product he wouldn't have been in the position to install it unsafely and against code).  The general manager called me yesterday with the same offer of bringing out a different group of guys and I told him that we've lost all confidence in their company and affiliates and do not want them back in their house.  I told him that I want a full refund for the myriad of issued that have plagued this "2 day install".  He offered only $3000 in compensation overall, which was less than we got value wise with the last offer.  I told him that this was unacceptable because this wasn't just one big screw up it was two big screw ups.  I told him he could keep the wood and the labor cost from the last round of compensation and just add the $3000 he offered this time to the $4000 value of the compensation and refund us $7000 and we would move on.  He told me that wasn't possible for reasons that didn't make sense to me in the moment.  He said we couldn't just keep the floored upstairs for that low of a price.   I told him that you sold us not just product and installation but the process involved with this.  I said I would be willing to take $6000 but he said he couldn't do that .  We hung up the phone not coming to an agreement but he said he would be in contact with corporate.

TL;DR At this point:

--We have dangerous, painful, code breaking stars that my wife almost fell down.

--The stairs underneath had been modified in unknown ways to make it work with the wrong stair noses.

--Have had the wrong floors delivered, installed, then ripped out.

--Have spent close to 24 hours playing phone tag, writing letters, driving to Lomax, and double checking the work done in my house.

--Burnt a day an a half of vacation time ,sometimes needlessly.

--We question all of the installed hardwood already installed in our upstairs and don’t know what the next installer will have to rip up or fix.

--Been living in only our downstairs for what will likely be a month or more.

--We have lost confidence in the retailer and their affiliates in not just the installation of the hardwoods but every step in between.  This was not just an issue with the installer.  It seems to be systemic.

--We do not trust you to do the first floor of the house even for free with the compensation that was given to us.

--We see this as a total loss that has only caused us aggravation, frustration, and anxiety.  This is not what we should have to deal with when working with professionals.

--We have come to a final decision that we do not want anyone from the retailer back in our house and would like a full refund of  $10,289 (which includes the $360 of materials we ordered for the compensation).  Also, we feel like this is very reasonable because it would alleviate the retailer of any liability with regards to the stairs and the retailer would be able to keep the $4000 compensation package offered for the last major issue.  We feel it is in both of our best interests to just completely cut ties and move forward amicably.

The question I have is if this were to end up in small claims would asking for a full refund be out of the question?  Is it unreasonable for me to want to cut ties completely with the retailer and their affiliates?

Answer:
 For a super summary:  They came to install the hardwood.  Got one room done, and it was discovered the wrong hardwood was sent.  They offered a compensation package that included getting the wrongly-sent wood installed downstairs at a steep discount, which you negotiated and accepted.

After that, they resumed work with the "proper" wood, but apparently the stair noses were not the right ones.  Rather than back up and fix it, the installer sold you a load of BS about it being for safety, rather than being a safety hazard.

You now have stairs you can't safely use, a partly done upstairs, and a bunch of wood that's still not installed.  Your "two day" install is now going on 30+ days, and you've lost time off from work/vacation pay to deal with this.

The company has offered to continue the work and fix things, but you've understandably lost faith them them, as this appears to be a set of systemic issues.

Your legal question is: if this were to end up in small claims would asking for a full refund be out of the question? Is it unreasonable for you to want to cut ties completely with the retailer and their affiliates?


Title: My restaurant is having me tip out money to bussers/setters when they are not even there.

Question: I work as a server at an upscale restaurant in Dallas. We have to tip out 3.5% of our sales to bartenders, bussers and setters (1% to bartenders and 2.5% to the bussers/setters). All good and fair, only I find myself still tipping out for bussers and setters on days they are not there (automatically deducted from my tips). In past meetings we (servers) have requested that we have bussers and setters at these times, because we find ourselves working very hard and struggling to run food and drinks on time while bussing/serving tables. Management's response to this was that sales are not high enough during these aformentioned times to justify staffing a busser, and that we need to just work harder. I am just wondering how they can justify making us work harder and pay for it too. Any advice would be appreciated, I could almost pay my rent with what I'm tipping out.

Answer: So who is getting the tip out when the busers and setters aren’t there ?


Title: Are we financially responsible for lost plumber's snake?

Question:
Hi Reddit,

EDIT:  We live in Eastern Iowa.

Recently we had to call a plumber to snake the main drain in one of our rental properties.  All was well until he tried pulling the snake out, at which point it got stuck.  After trying for several hours to pull it out, they had the city come out and scope the drain to see what happened.
The house on the adjacent lot was torn down and whoever did the demolition failed to cap off that house's main drain.  Our plumber's snake basically hopped out of our main and into this main and got lodged in the mud.  To get it out, they had to have an excavation crew dig up the street.  This cost $3500.

In total, they are charging us $3500 for the excavation.  Is this our responsibility??  I believe it to be their cost of doing business and as such we are planning on refusing to pay with the understanding they will likely take us to small claims court.

Any input you have is greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

Answer:
 Try contacting your homeowners insurance. They have legal experts who may be able to tell you whether the uncapped drain is the responsibility of whoever didn't cap it, or if the plumber should have insurance for this (unlikely) or if your own insurance can pay for it.Answer #2: This seems to be the appropriate regulatory agency: http://idph.iowa.gov/pmsb

If you call them and ask, they might be able to provide you with some guidance.


Title: My step mother is holding on to my fathers inheritance to me. Ive never seen the will , I don't trust her.

Question:
I don't get access to the money until I'm 25. What would happen if she withheld this money from me? Could I do anything about it? If i asked to see the will could she alter it without me knowing?

I thought my step mother cared about me, when I asked for money for a new pair of casual shoes, she got a pair that i had thrown in the bin because it had holes in the sole , washed it off and sent me those. I feel like that's as low as she thinks of me and maybe she might try to keep the money for hereself.

This is in guernsey the channel islands, law may be slightly different, if no one knows we'll just say its in the uk

Please help

Answer: English law if it applies is the case of a Saunders v Vautier.  But the Channel Islands are a whole world of their own.


Title: Guy offers to sell his 870k followers ig account for $100...

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 There's an old saying, "An honest man can't be cheated."

Trying to scam scammers is fun for fun's sake, but trying to do it for profit (by keeping the account) is likely to land you in hot water of one flavor or another.


Title: Texas - company data in my possession.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 "Oops! Didn't realize it was in my pocket/bag/whatever...here you go."

Yes give it back.


Title: [USA-IL] Got a subpoena but can't provide information they want, what can I do?

Question: Don't know if i'm allowed to get specific, so if someone could tell me if it's okay to include more details that would great. I have to go to their law firm on Monday so any help is appreciated.

Answer:
 Yes we need more info. What do they want and/or why can you not provide it. Answer #2: You can always call the law firm and tell then you don't have the info they're looking for. They may or may not tell you that you don't have to show up.

Alternatively, show up on Monday. Tell them you don't have the info.

What are they asking for that you can't produce?


Title: My son, who is in Kindergarten just informed me that they had a guy come into their classroom with a "cockroach extinguisher" and spray for cockroaches while they were in the classroom. I'm concerned.

Answer:
 OK.

What's your legal question?


Title: Some bloke in /r/politics thinks Trump effectively can't pardon people indicted by the Special Counsel. Is there any merit to their reasoning?

Question:
Here's the relevant comment thread:

> https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/a1c8a0/key_mueller_witness_i_lied_and_im_ready_to_die_in/eaoudig/?context=1

And here are the relevant comments:

/u/oz6702 wrote:

> The moment. The fucking moment! he said the word pardon, I knew where this was going.

> These people all give scum a bad name. You know he practiced and rehearsed and got coached by his lawyers for hours before this appearance - you don't go on national TV without thinking about what you'll say.

> He is doing the fucking Arpaio pardon tour, and it's fucking obvious.

> Most infuriating part? He's a small enough player that Cult 45 could do it and not raise too much of a stink.

/u/Ballders responds:

> I've been thinking about this for a while, and I think Trump can't pardon anyone. Not because he doesn't want to or doesn't have the authority. He can't pardon anyone because if they accept it they are legally required to testify about everything they were pardoned for. Should they choose not to they go to jail for contempt of court. Contempt of court is not pardonable.

> Basically, everyone at every level is so dirty that any one of them could probably cause an avalanche for everyone else.

/u/nupogodi responds to /u/Ballders:

> > Contempt of court is not pardonable.

> Arpaio was pardoned for his criminal contempt conviction.

But /u/topp_pott points out:

> I believe in this case it would be Congress doing the contempt, and if that same Congress was sitting, they would just infinitely rinse, repeat until it went to the supreme court.

Are these guys correct that ultimately any pardon Trump grants to someone indicted by the Special Counsel can be overridden by Congress?

Answer:
 To the extent anyone is claiming that the president can't pardon people convicted by Mueller, they are wrong. The president has the power to pardon any federal criminal offense, whether that conviction was obtained by a US attorney or a special prosecutor.

I think they're making a different point: that it would be a bad idea for the president to pardon these people, because after being pardoned they would no longer have a privilege to avoid testifying about their crimes and thus could be compelled to answer questions.

This is sort of correct: once you've been pardoned for a crime, you're no longer at risk of being prosecuted for it, and thus you can't claim that your testimony would incriminate you for that crime as a way to avoid testifying. Indeed, before modern immunity statutes, it was relatively common to grant preemptive pardons to criminals as a way of allowing prosecutors to use them as witnesses.

In this context, however, the poster is wrong, because a person who has been convicted of a crime *also* has no privilege to avoid testifying about it. (The same is true, for that matter, of a person who is acquitted of a crime.) So a pardon would not affect the extent to which someone like Manafort could be compelled to answer questions before Congress.


Title: Accused of theft at work

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I assume you are saying that you got caught stealing and now you want to claim someone else used your card.

Yeah, employers/police/judges are not idiots.


Title: Hotel is being renovated and our back office will not have any blinds.

Question:
I'm a full time employee at a hotel in Portland OR. I tried adding a picture but the sub doesn't allow it, so I'll do my best. Our hotel just got remodeled and everything was moved around. Our desk faces the parking lot and is adjacent to a very busy street with many people that walk it. That's about 20 feet to our left. Diagonally behind us is our new back office which is a 20 ft square attached directly to the front desk. That entire office only has glass windows, no walls except for the one directly behind the front desk where the stairs are. From any angle outside you can see the entire office and the front desk.

According to a note our GM said we will not be installing blinds so we have to keep the front office area clean. I'm thinking that's crazy how is that the priority when now we have absolutely no privacy and I constantly have to worry about people staring at me from behind off the street. Is this illegal?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: Is it illegal to have windows that allow people to watch you work? Is this really something you think there is a law about? Have you never walked in a downtown area? There are people working with windows everywhere. What exactly is super private about doing paperwork that makes you think this might be illegal?


Title: [Quebec, Canada] - Consequences for defacing a public statue using transparent scotch tape and black construction paper?

Question:
I want to deface a hideous statue that was erected in front of my work. It's an all white oversized head.

I would make a Guy Fawkes style mustache and beard out of black construction paper and stick it on with scotch tape.

Scotch tape and paper won't leave permanent marks and can be removed in a few minutes.

If I am caught, what legal consequences might I face?

Thanks.

Answer:
 I dunno, but it may result in you being passed over for promotions/pay raises, your management and peers treating you poorly, or the loss of your job. Don't be stupid, "legal" consequences aren't necessarily the most damaging to your livelihood.Answer #2: Spoken like someone who has never had their kids scotch tape things to their bedroom doors. Answer #3: Don't use scotch tape - it can be a real bitch to remove the residue, and that is more likely to lead to real anger about your actions.

Go to a fabric or craft store, buy a long piece of elastic ribbon, use it to fashion an actual mask, just like you would do if you were going to wear it yourself.

This isn't legal advice, as I'm not a lawyer, and it's possible you could still be charged, but my guess is that people will be more amused if your mask doesn't adhere directly to the statue.Answer #4: IANAL.

You could be charged with criminal [mischief](http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-46/section-430.html). Answer #5: Construction paper bleeds terribly when wet.

Just saying.


Title: Two friends (non-lawyers) advised me to not get a lawyer in a DUI case. I disagreed entirely, they said it had to do with the location of the DUI. Who's right?

Question:
We are all in Indiana. My friend and girlfriend individually got DUIs years ago in Florida and Arizona, respectively. They were talking about it and I asked about their lawyers. They explained that they hadn't had lawyers and both insisted that, in states with mandatory minimums, the prudent course of action is to not get a lawyer, but to plead guilty for a reduced sentence.

I disagreed, saying that I would definitely get a lawyer if I had a DUI (I never have). They explained that this was because I'm from Indiana, where we don't have mandatory minimums. It seems to me that I'd want a lawyer anyway, in any circumstances when I was criminally charged, minimums or not.

What does /r/legaladvice advise?

Answer: Yes, get a lawyer. A lawyer can see problems in a case or do things to avoid you have a dui conviction. And your second dui in Indiana is a felony.


Title: When can i use a knife for self defense?

Question:
State:az

I always carry atound a 3.5 inch pocket knife because among other things its very handy to have for utility use. I was just wondering when its legal to use it as a weapon to defend myself. Like to i need an equal or greater threat (ie: be under threat of another weapon) to use it? Or can i simply use it as a first resource if someone decides to assault me?

Speaking broadly here,
I would like to ask, if someone is assaulting you bare handed is it considered a reasonable fear for my life?

Answer:
 Legality aside, a knife is a really bad weapon to fight with unless you've got a lot of training with it.

Don't believe me?  That's fine.  Get a buddy, 2 white t-shirts and a sharpie.  Now have him try to mug you.  You use the sharpie like you would a knife.  Afterwards, look at everywhere you two got sharpie on you.  That's where you'd both be cut up.Answer #2: In general, you must be *reasonably* in fear for your life or the life of someone else- a knife is deadly force.


Title: Prescribed acne cream made my face permanently red due to allergic reaction - legal action?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Generally speaking, allergic reactions are a risk you accept from taking medication.  You'd need to prove that the doctor erred in prescribing it - that he should have known you were allergic and were not, or that his response to your allergy was wrong.Answer #2: Allergies happen.  What did they do wrong? That is the question that the judge will ask if you sue


Title: Bank won't go after a fraudulent check

Question: I live in Colorado, I told my bank about a check that I thought looked iffy. They took a look at it and aggreed that it looked like fraud. My wife and I went down there and filled out the necessary paperwork to report the fraud. Just got a call from the bank manager and basically because of a miscommunication about a completely separate issue she says we need to deposit some money into the account (we are negative about $200) or she will not pursue the fraud charge and put our account in collections. Is this legal?

Answer:
 > because of a miscommunication about a completely separate issue she says we need to deposit some money into the account (we are negative about $200)

Is your bank account negative because of the separate issue, the fraudulent check, or both?Answer #2: If there's an electronic check, EFT, or ACH transaction on your account that you did not authorize, per Regulation E the bank is required to investigate if notified in a timely fashion. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/12/part-205

If the bank manager is refusing to allow the investigation to proceed, contact the bank's head office.


Title: [New Hampshire] I was fired from my job for documenting racial discrimination, the photo I took was leaked by a third party, and I was harassed(?) by management after my termination. How will this impact my ongoing Human Right's case?

Question:
In order to facilitate a more complete understanding of the circumstances regarding this case, here is a detailed account of what has happened from the day the original incident took place up until this evening. Names have been modified or excluded to prevent jeopardizing the anonymity of those involved.

Sorry if this is too long, I did not want to skimp on any important details.
____________

Last Monday, I came into work to open the restaurant I work in as a server. It was around 4:50 AM, and the only people in the building were me, the BOH manager (Mark), the baker and the baker's assistant (both of whom spent most of the time in the bakery downstairs).

It's normally slow on Monday mornings, and I was biding time cleaning and stocking miscellaneous things which needed to be done, when Mark popped out through the swinging door leading out of the kitchen with an amused grin on his face, asking me to come into the back with him to see something. He then led me to the whiteboard which we use to communicate messages to all the other employees, where he had written a message to Jay(the only person of color we have working in the establishment) where he caustically lambasted him for improperly cleaning the flat top, before ending the message by calling him a "stupid fucking n****er". The look on his face as I read it seemed to imply that he had expected me to be amused by this abhorrent message, almost like he was proud of it. I gave a half-hearted chuckle before surreptitiously excusing myself back into the dining room.

Without a moment's hesitation, I grabbed my phone, walked back out into the kitchen while simultaneously opening the camera app on my phone, lifted my arm and snapped a picture before Mark could do anything to stop me. For the rest of the day, Mark hounded me relentlessly, asking me why I took the picture and ultimately telling me that I needed to delete the picture because it was a liability and he could get in trouble. However, he did not erase the message off the board, and several people were able to read it before the owner saw it, merely erased it by around 6:50 AM and gave Mark a scolding, hardly a slap on the wrist by HR standards.

I put the incident off in my mind after lying to Mark that I had deleted the image. I didn't really have any intention to do anything with the image outside of showing it to Jay, which I later decided not to for reasons explained further on in the next section.

I worked with Jay on Wednesday, and it seemed he was very upset about something, though he would not tell me when I asked him what was the matter. I cared for (and still do care about) Jay because he was one of the few people in the restaurant I could actually get along with. He almost walked out of the job but was convinced to stay by a different Mark who is a line cook. Throughout the evening, I was given tidbits of info by Jay and LC Mark informing me that there was a very racially charged atmosphere of discrimination in the kitchen, wherein Jay and LC Mark would overhear racist remarks made about Jay by Mgmt Mark and another coworker during shift-change.

So then, on Thursday I am approached by Jay. He asks me about a picture of a message that was written for him on the backboard. I asked him who told him, and he said that Mgmt Mark had come up to him on Wednesday at the start of his shift and apologized, erroneously believing that I had shown the image to Jay when I hadn't. Jay was disappointed in me for not coming to him with the image, but I explained that I didn't know he had already known and I was avoiding showing his right away until the dust started to settle for fear of inciting him to walk out or doing anything else he may regret. But since he had already known, there must not be any harm in showing him the image, right? Well, I suppose I was incorrect. No sooner had I shown Jay the image than Jay had gone to have a conversation with Mgmt Mark and the owner. Jay informed me that during the entire conversation, the only real issue that seemed to be of concern to the owner was that I had photographic evidence, rather than the ongoing racial discrimination facing one of his employees, and Jay got a strong feeling that if he quit, that it would be taken out on me.

This concern was fairly justified, because when I came in the next day, my name was crossed off the schedule for the day, and my name was removed from the posted schedule for the next week. In essence, I had been fired. Before leaving the premises, I made sure to photograph the two schedules so they could not claim that I had walked out or not shown up for work. Nobody, not one person in the restaurant would talk to me, and to this day I have not been given an explanation from management, the closest thing to that being a secondhand account where another manager claimed I was fired for 'having an attitude and causing drama.'

Jay and I have since filed Human Right's violation suits, each of which have been accepted and will be pursued. However, just tonight, a friend of Jay's somehow received the picture and decided to share it all over facebook, prompting the FoH Manager to reach out to me and harass me for posting the picture to facebook and accosting me for causing drama while also defending Mgmt Mark, in spite of my counter claims that I had nothing to do with the photo being posted online.
_____________
Does this unsolicited communication from a former manager who I was no longer connected to through Facebook (I had removed all management from my friends list shortly following my termination) count as harassment legally? If so, how should I go about dealing with it? And does the leaked image of the racial discrimination harm our cases in any way?

Answer: Make sure to add these details to your filing. NH now has a Civil Rights Unit within the state DOJ, and this is exactly the type of thing the pursue.Answer #2: A 3rd party posted the photo on their facebook? Odd cause no where in the story do you state sending the pic to anyone. Just that you showed Jay.


Title: My sons friend has addicts/dealers for parents

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Canada

Answer: Well what other magic solution do you want? You don't want them, the parents won't care for them and likely they will end up lost, murdered, or hit by a car. But yeah, let's not call CPS who might be able to help then find parents/people who actually give two shits, feed them, and know where they are fire the vast majority of the day.


Title: (OH) I think I am a danger to myself but do not want to jeopardize custody

Question:
First time posting here, using an alt.
Background:
I am an adult and live in Ohio. I have been diagnosed with Major Depression 4 months ago and am in the process of finding meds that work for me. Lately I have been self-harming and have increasingly worse suicidal thoughts.

I'm not sure, but I thought if you told a Dr. you have suicidal thoughts they're legally obligated to either send you to the hospital/inform police. I do not know if an inpatient setting is what I need but that's off topic.

I am a single parent of a toddler. My name is the only one of the birth certificate. The biological father is a drug addict/felon and not in either of our lives, however my concern is this. If I were to tell my doctor about my suicidal thoughts and subsequently was admitted to a hospital, could the bio father (if he became aware) come out of the woodwork to try for custody? Would my child be placed in the custody of my closest relative (my mother) or be taken by the state? I am only a danger to myself. I have no violent/negative thoughts about my child.

I hope I did this right. Thank you.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 Getting help for a problem is always viewed favorably by the courts.

It's life.  People have problems.  Responsible people, and good parents get help for their problems.

If  he finds out, and attempts to use it against you to gain custody, then you will get a lawyer who will present this positively to the courts.

Get yourself help.  Make sure that your child is safe while you are doing so.  I do not know the nature of your custody agreement, but during your residential time, I see no reason why your mother shouldn't care for the child if that is what you want.

And legal matters can be dealt with after you get yourself healthy again.

Answer #2: If the father is not on the birth certificate, he is not the father (at least for now). This means that you can place your child with your mother so that you can get help. It is possible that down the road, the father may want to establish paternity and pursue custody, but it is very likely that seeking help in a responsible way when needed will look better than an active drug addiction.

Also, not to be overly morbid, but if you want to keep care and control of your child, you need to be alive in order to do so, so getting help now is the best long-term plan for a number of reasons.Answer #3: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
1-800-273-8255

 I think it may behoove you to consult the resource above; please get help so you can continue to care for your self and child. Ultimately, I'm sure your child would want you alive at a distance getting help than deceased in the worst way...forever left to wonder if they did something wrong.


Title: [WA] Tenant overstay... Can I just call the cops?

Question: My aunt is the head of household. The tenant (who is also my cousin) was supposed to be out at the end of the month (today.) My aunt told her that she did not have to pay rent the month she was moving to help her out some financially. She didn't pay rent, it's been made clear to her she needs to leave. It's obvious they are not leaving today or any time soon. Can my aunt just call the police and have them kicked out tomorrow? She believes it will work out fine like this but I want to make sure we can get them out no problem. I'm so tired of seeing them use her. This is in Washington State. My aunt is on section 8 if that matters.

Answer: Nope. She can call most  they should do is inform you its a civil matter and you need to evict. Even if they do tell cousin to leave, she could sue your mom for an illegal eviction. File an eviction....Section 8...is cousin a part of the family composition or was/is this an unreported occupant?


Title: My landlord unlocked my door when I wasn't home and contacted my emergency contact without my knowledge.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > my landlord told my mother that she let herself into

Is the "she" in that sentence your mother or your landlord? Had you been ignoring your landlord's calls or texts?

Most leases have an abandonment/cannot reach tenant clause that permits the landlord to let himself in, *especially* if rent is past due.

More details (including state you're in) would be useful here.


Title: VA. Got caught with ~0.7oz of marjiuana, never received a citation/ticket and officer gave me a way out of a potential felony charge

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >My house got searched under my consent (how stupid am i??)

Very.

>They asked me about my scale,

You should have stopped talking.

>Either a possession charge (they would push for distribution) or I can "cooperate" with them

Fine, let them charge you. You opening your mouth only incriminates you further.

> asked the officer what the second option entails and he said that I would buy narcotics from other dealers two or three times, he would present my case to the government, show them that I helped them out, and ask for the case to be dropped

Nope. Decline the offer and consult with a criminal defense attorney. The police are capable of running their own stings without your help.

>There was no police report done regarding the incident and I did not receive a citation or anything.

You can still be charged. They know your name and address and only have to testify in court to the facts in order to secure your conviction.

You need to consult with a criminal defense attorney in Virginia immediately. An attorney might be able to negotiate a reduced charge, deferred prosecution, or even a dismissal if you have an otherwise clear record.

Edit: grammarAnswer #2: >I can "cooperate" with them. I asked the officer what the second option entails and he said that I would buy narcotics from other dealers two or three times

People get killed doing this.


Title: Minor in accident

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Yes, you gave consent. Unless you are a medical professional, you have no business determining what is and isn't appropriate treatment. Are you a medical professional?

If you are, then contact a medical malpractice lawyer. Although since you and your daughter have no damages, you don't have any grounds for a case.


Title: Ohio - can i enforce our child going to something school related?

Question:
I am "residential parent and legal custodian". Our child starts preschool Wednesday then there's continued orientation on Thursday and Friday (which is alluded to not being mandatory). I gave this information to my ex back in July. I never stated our child wasn't to attend the orientations or anything of that nature. With in our divorce decree it states whomever has the child must transport to and from school, to include preschool. It also states that vacation time cannot affect school or holiday visitation. Our child is with my ex on a block of vacation. When we agreed about the vacation we agreed the time would not affect her preschool.

My ex is now trying to claim our daughter will only be attending the first day on Wednesday. I feel our child needs the other two days to get acquainted with the other children and teachers.

Can I enforce that our child needs to be attending these other two days?

Answer: I would want my kid to go to orientation too, but if it is not mandatory and it is his parenting time, it is unlikely that you could force the issue.Answer #2: Damn, if the child doesn't go to that preschool orientation he/she will probably never get into college. Answer #3: I would pick my battles, and this isn't one I would pick.  Technically, you are probably right, but is preschool orientation really that important?


Title: Police walk into apartment and take cat without warrant.

Question:
Two months ago my friends were given a cat by one of my friends ex-girlfriends. The cat belonged to her roommate, but obviously over two months of not having the cat she knew what had happened. None the less in the last week the roommate has wanted to have the cat back, to give to another little girl for Christmas. We have told her no since the cat was a gift. We were threatened by her and told that the police were going to be called, the land lord would be called, and that the her boyfriend would forcibly take it from us.

The story unfolds now tonight with a police officer showing up at our apartment demanding the cat. The police officer knocked on the door and announced that he was from the police department. After this one of us opened the door in order see who it was. At this he instantly walked in demanding the return of "stolen property". One of my friends instantly stood up and asked the cop for a warrant. The officer then claimed that because we opened the door, and then forced himself inside, everything was fair game. He then threatened prosecution over the cat and legal trouble for my friends. After not getting the cat at first, he got more and more aggressive in his voice and again threatening more legal trouble we got him the cat. Not once did he answer any of our questions or provide a warrant.

After taking the cat he then proceeded to mock my friend who had asked for a warrant with a quick snide remark.

None the less this is the story.

Question:

1. Did the officer need a warrant to take our cat?
2. The officer claimed that (and I quote) "I do not care if you got the cat under a Christmas tree". If a gift is given, is it ours?
3. What legal actions can we take to get our cat back?
4. Did the officer violate our rights as Law abiding United States Citizens. note: we live in Minnesota.

Thank you for reading this. Please comment any extra questions that I did not cover.

Again thank you. Unfortunately I do not know everything I should about our American laws... which is shameful to me.

I am simple posting hoping to become informed.

Thank you.

Have a potato.   (---)

Answer:
 This did not happen.  A police officer took a cat in his hands and walked away with it?  What cat would permit this?  Where did he put it?  Didn't it go insane and claw his face off somewhere between the couch and the police cruiser?

But if this did happen, then sue whoever has the cat to get it back.  pets are property.

also:

1. Yes unless he could see/hear it from his vantage point before entering (in which case no, cuz it's in plain view).
2. Yes.  If it's a gift, it's yours.  Irrevocably.
3. See above.
4. Maybe vis a vis #1.  And maybe a little more 4th amendment violation if his belief that the cat was stolen (and thus subject to seizure) was unreasonable.


Title: Can I be sued?

Question: My son recently committed suicide by walking in front of a train, knowing it couldn’t stop in time. It was brought to my attention where the conductor of another train suicide sued the family for pain & suffering. Does anyone have any knowledge of how true this may be or can maybe ease one of my worries??? (Located in Ohio)

Answer:
 The answer is maybe, if your son is under 18 or declared incompetent and us your ward, then yes it is possible, yet unlikely. I spent well over a decade dealing with suicide by train like this for a major east coast rail carrier, I only can think of two cases in which the carrier or the crew sued the parents. One was settled out if court, the other was victorious for the crew but it was a purely punitive novel sum. The estate is liable and I have only once seen a crew due an estate, and the decedent died with about 100$k on person so they were able to claim upon that.

Side note: Please if you are considering suicide seek help, please do not go this way, it broke my spirit holding coworkers in my arms as they broke down over killing someone, something they had no control over. Anything you are going through can be worked out, no one wants you to die.

To the grieving father of the decedent, I'm sorry for your loss. I would not worry about any civil consequences it is highly unlikely that you would face that. Further more most trial by jury would find hard to fiscally punish a grieving parent.


Title: Was rear ended today and lady was drunk and frantic. Claimed she had no insurance and left before I could call police. I got her license plate and phone number.

Question:
I called the police right after and then went down to the police station to file a report. They looked up her license plate and said "wow that's why she didn't want to stick around." They tried calling her but it wasn't working (I know it's a real number bc she called me)

I live in Michigan where it's a no fault state. If she doesn't show up to anything, what are my options to get her to pay for this? Will she be able to get away with it? They claimed I'll have to sue her in small claims court but that could take forever. I have a feeling I will be ruining her life since they said they're gunna lock her up and garnish her wages if she doesn't respond, but I don't really care to be honest.

They said they sent her a bunch of tickets for the incidents.

Answer:
 In a no fault state, an INSURED driver is protected from liability beyond the 'mini-tort' limit (1K in Michigan, it looks like.)  An uninsured driver is still liable for all the damages they cause, property, personal, and pain and suffering.

Either way, YOUR insurance should take care of you, other than your deductible.   I would think that THEY would be chomping at the bit to assist you with a suit against the other driver, since this is one of their rare chances to actually recover what they're paying on a claim in that state.

As additional life advice - letting your ability to move on and be happy again hinge on consequences catching up with bad people is a recipe for a sad life.   We all HOPE this crazy lady gets what she deserves, but focus on getting your needs met and don't worry SO much about her 'getting away with it.'   Answer #2: But if you are in a no fault state surely it makes no difference financially? So what would you be suing her for? I don't think there are any "well that person was seriously more at fault" exceptions.

If the police have issued tickets then shes not getting away with it.


Title: Bringing Marijuana or Paraphernalia into Canada from US

Question:
I might be moving to Vancouver BC from the Bay Area (California).  If I do, I'll be using a pod or some similar kind of service to move my belongings.  I have two basic questions.

1) Can I pack Marijuana in the pod.  I don't have a bunch of weight or anything, just various grams and eights that have accumulated from recreational purchases.  My research indicates this is prohibited, but I want to be sure.

2) Can I pack Marijuana related paraphernalia?  I have a few pipes that I would prefer to bring, but they will obviously contain residue.

In total, the value of the items is trivial with respect to the cost of moving, so obviously I'm prepared to leave it behind if it's not 100% clear that it's not prohibited.

Answer:
 If you've got the money to a) be living in SF and b) be moving to Vancouver, just smoke the weed before you move and buy some new pipes when you get there. Is it worth a literal international legal incident to have these pipes?Answer #2: >My research indicates this is prohibited

Your research is correct. You can't even cross state lines with marijuana, you think you can cross the border?

>obviously contain residue

Illegal, but up to you if you want to take the chance.

You're moving from one legal area to another. Personally I wouldn't risk it.


Title: Company targeted mostly "protected groups" in group firing.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: every single person is in numerous protected classes. we're all of you of the same race/gander/religion, or was it a scattering of different ones?


Title: [OH] I keep getting "debt collector" calls asking for location of relative I don't have contact with. Every single day for six months now.

Question:
I've tried explaining to them I don't know the individual and i've tried telling them off. I've asked them numerous times to stop calling me.

They call every single day with the same line "Trying to locate an individual." The person who they are asking for shares my last name, but that is all I know.

I have about 6 of their numbers blocked, but they keep calling with new ones.

The call back number for them is 855-430-1521 and they keep telling me they are McGarland & Associates.

What can I do to get it to stop?

**EDIT:** Thank you all so much! I opened a case with the FTC and have started documenting the phone calls.

I actually went about it creatively to give it a shot and had my girlfriend call the number pretending she just bought the phone over the weekend. The lady on the phone said she would remove the number (although i've been told that before).  If it continues, a direction involving an attorney is totally doable.

Although I am worried that it is a scam to obtain SS information (as people on the internet have reported) and legal action might actually be criminal.

Answer:
 Everytime they call state:
"This call is recorded. I do not know the person you are trying to contact.  Your continued calls are harassment."  Then hang up.  Do not engage with them, just say the above and hang up. They will stop.Answer #2: You can file a complaint here: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/Answer #3: The correct response:

Please give me your full contact information.  Please do not contact me again regarding this matter.

Future contacts at this number are a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Each violation of the act is punishable by $1000 statutory damages.  I will be contacting an attorney if I hear from you again.

And then do. If you have it documented, you can actually contact an attorney now, and get a nice little payout.


Title: [FL] Finding biological family of adopted mother

Question:
Hi everyone!

My mom was adopted in Florida in 1972 where she grew up. She was adopted within a few weeks of birth and my adopted grandparents never met her biological family. I think the adoption was “closed”, but I’m not sure exactly what that indicates.

My mom has no interest in meeting her biological family. I respect this and won’t proceed in searching for my family if it requires that she contacts them. However, now that I’m an adult, I’m interested in potentially finding or meeting my biological relatives.

So, can I legally search for them myself, or does my mother need to consent to a search for them? Where can I find more information on the adoption laws at the time to learn whether it is even possible to find them?

TIA for any advice!

Answer: I’d highly recommend one of those dna kit tests. My friend found her family through one of them and it’s easier than pulling records for sure.


Title: Not sure if you guys are following the Deandre Jordan fiasco, but he made a verbal agreement to sign with a team..

Question: but then backed out of the agreement and is going to sign with another team. Was his verbal agreement legally binding and what can the franchise he screwed over do legally?

Answer: An agreement to agree is not binding.


Title: [California] HOA letter threatening eviction

Question:
Hi /r/LegalAdvice,

This is a continuation of [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/5cwvu4/california_rental_enforcing_hoa_rules_not_in_lease/) regarding the building we rent from starting to enforce HOA rules that conflict with our lease agreement (specifically, HOA says no dogs while our lease allows us to have a dog).

We've been in regular contact with our landlord, who says they are still working with the HOA to come to an agreement regarding the dog. The first letter we recieved specifically requested that we remove the shade structure on our patio(done) and our dog (not happening), and that the HOA rules would be enforced starting 12/1.

Yesterday, we came home to another letter on our doorstep threatening us with eviction if we don't get rid of the dog and remove all items from our patio (which we have kept pristine since the first letter, at the request of our landlord, but it does still have patio furniture on it). We immediately informed our landlord of the letter, which she said came from our new neighboor who started all of this HOA nonsense last month. She spoke with him about it, said he has not power to evict us, and to ignore it.

I assume this letter was just a scare tactic because he doesn't want us living there, and we'd leave if we didn't have 5 months left on our lease.

My question is: if our neighbor does have the force of the HOA behind him, is there any way that they can evict us?

If not, do these letters constitute harassment, and therefore, can we fight legally fight back?

I don't want to just take our landlord's word for it and end up with an eviction on our record.

Thanks!

Answer:
 The HOA doesn't allow patio furniture on a patio? I have never heard of this. Do you have a copy of the HOA guidelines and rules? If not, request a copy.

I'm not sure if it constitutes harassment since your landlord is responsible for ensuring that any tenants that move into the neighborhood/building comply with the HOA regulations. Realistically, the letters should be going to the homeowner and the landlord should then be communicating the requests to you.


Title: New owners of our apartment complex are raising rents to ridiculous levels California

Question: Hello everyone, so the end of our lease is September 30th and I received a notice yesterday (8/5) about the increase in rent. To do a month to month they want to bring our rent to $1920 from $1480. We are looking to move soon after the lease is up but my roommate and I are wondering if this is legal? The notice is dated less than the 60days that California requires for rent increases more than 10%. Is it worth fighting if we need another month?

Answer:
 As far as I know the 60 day requirement is only for month to month rentals, not leases.  If you don't live in a city with rent control, the landlord can raise the rent when the lease ends.

Even if they were required to give 60 days notice, that would only get you an extra 5 days (since notice was given August 5) not another month, and you would still have to pay 10 percent over for those 5 days.


Title: Order of protection

Question: If you have a stay away order of protection with no third part contact are they in violation of the order if they hire a private investigator? I'm in a desperate situation and he will not stop. Please help. It's in New York State.

Answer:
 Depends on what he is doing.

Read the order.  It probably says he contact you through a third party, which would obviously include that person, or any person.

But these orders are common in domestic violence type cases, and defendants and criminal defense attorneys use investigators as third parties to contact witnesses to make their case, not to contact you for him.  This is standard.  Doesn't mean you have to cooperate with the investigator.

Who to contact will depend on if you have a pending criminal/CPS/ICE/federal case or what is happening.


Title: Father taking mother to court to pull life support on son. =(

Question: Hello! This is taking place in Dearborn, Michigan! I need some prayers, please, and advice for my friends mom. My friend went into a coma 2.5 months ago and his father(who has never done anything for him and wasn't in his life much at all) took his mother to court to try to pull the plug on him FOUR days after he went into a coma. Ugh, just, ugh! The court appointed a guardian. The guardian just called his mom yesterday evening and told her that the father is taking her BACK to court again this Thursday to try to pull the plug on their son. She is the one that raised him, the one that has loved him and done everything for him...NOT his father. My friend is NOT brain dead, he is in a coma but he still yawns, moves, moves when he hears voices or feels touch, etc so he does have a chance no matter what percent that may be. He also has a 12yo special needs son that desperately needs his father; he has had full custody for the child's entire life due to an unfit mother that is now going to court to try to get the son. His mom needs to get in contact with a free legal aide/lawyer that will help her fight this and/or she needs to know how to fight this...she is disabled so low enough income to qualify for free legal but I do not know which direction to point her in or how to help. Can anyone please help or know anyone that can? Thank you!!!

Answer: Have her give the Salvation Army of Eastern Michigan Legal Aid Clinic a call at (313)-361-6340. If anyone will be able to help her on such short notice, it will be them.


Title: Strange NDA Clause

Question:
I own a small manufacturing firm, and sign a lot of NDAs with customers and vendors.  a $4B Vendor gave me this to sign:
****
"Nothing contained in this Agreement shall prohibit or restrict Recipient from employing ideas, concepts or techniques which may be retained in the unaided human memory by Recipient’s personnel in the course of their review of the Confidential Information. A memory is considered unaided if the individual has not intentionally memorized the Confidential Information for the purpose of retaining and subsequently using it."
****

I'm not looking for legal advice (I'm running it by my normal lawyer), but has anyone ever seen anything like this?

Answer:
 That seems completely unenforceable. It's ok to use it if the employee remembers it as long as they didn't intentionally memorize it?

You would never be able to prove that someone intentionally memorized your trade secret instead of remembering them by happenstance.

This contract would very easily allow them to memorize trade secrets on purpose and simply claim they didn't to avoid liability. Let's be honest, they could even take notes and pretend they remembered. It's not like you're going to conveniently get their notepad as evidence unless they are particularly careless.


Title: NM - 16M did not post nudes of 16F friend but is being accused of doing so. He was banned from talking to his girlfriend until this is settled.

Question:
Posting in lieu of a friend, the male's girlfriend, who is freaking out.

So apparently a month ago or so, the 16F's friend's nudes got posted on Instagram but she insists that the 16M was the only one she sent them to and is accusing him of posting them.

His attorney said not to talk to his girlfriend at all until it's settled. They're working on it.

He did. Not. Post them.

How can they find out who did? What kind of procedures are they going through? If he is found guilty somehow, what kind of charges does he face? Could they try him as an adult, despite his age?

Thank you in advance!

Answer: Both he and his GF are guilty of some combination of possessing, producing, and distributing child pornography.  His parents need to hire a criminal defense attorney, and he shouldn't speak to ANYONE about ANY of this without that attorney present.