Title: Need Legal Advice regarding a tenant who is withholding rent based on my allowing accessibility of a cable installer to the back of my family home (NYC). See text inside post for convoluted details and real story.

Question:
Howdy.   So I own a four family house in Queens, NYC, and rent one of the units to the tenant in the post title. ANY ADVICE OR HELP WOULD BE WELCOME FROM SOMEONE WHO KNOWS AND UNDERSTANDS NYC TENANT/LANDLORD LAW, specifically in the area of Queens.

For a year and a half, the tenant has been storing boxes (he runs a small business) in the public hallway outside of his apartment.  He initially asked me if he could rent it, and I told him he couldnt (a fire hazard).  He started putting boxes there anyway, and with time more boxes added on.
After repeated requests for him to remove them and repeated promises from him that he would, I had had enough.

At one point he had a cable guy come over to fix his cable and internet, which required access to the back of my house, going through my basement space, which is NOT public access.  I indulged him, and the cable guy informed my tenant he would have to come back.  We set up a time, and the cable guy was 8 hours late ( I was no longer at the property that day).  The tenant wanted to reschedule another appointment, and I told him I would be glad to once he removed ALL of the boxes from my hallway finally.  He wheedled and whined and told me he 'wouldnt leave me hanging'.  I stuck to my guns.

Flash forward to half a month later, the tenant is currently withholding his rent (he cleaned out the space finally!) and informed me today he would give me a check once I allowed the cable guy access. Unncecessary of course, since he had cleaned out what was asked of him and I agreed to provide access.

He's pulling a power play (this tenant has always been a 'buddy' when he needs something, and is frequently late with getting his rent check to me) and I'm sure intends to make me wait a number of days to 'teach me a lesson'.

I was told by a lawyer friend of mine that I am not legally obligated to provide access to a cable company.  There are also several other sketchy details involving this tenant, and I would be happy to talk them through.
I intend to get legal counsel on this, but was hoping that I  could tap Reddit as a resource to think this all through and plan a course of action.

Ive gone through several difficult tenants before, and have heard nightmare stories about tenants filing false 311 complaints, etc.

Edit 1: I clearly stated that since he complied with my request (I had been asking him for a YEAR AND A HALF to remove the boxes, and I gave him NO initial permission, even though he requested to rent it out---the boxes block the back doors of the two second floor apartments, a fire hazard no-no) I would be glad to let the cable guy come in. I even thanked him for clearing them.  He is withholding rent merely to make a point.
Edit 2: Thank you to everyone, so far, who has provided info/opinions on this.
Im looking for any lawyer who is SPECIFICALLY INTIMATE WITH NYC tenant/landlord law to give me advice on what I am facing, in terms of dirty tricks, diversions and delays if I actually begin eviction proceedings by way of this tenant.

Answer:
 Unless he rents the hallway (and it says this in his lease) you should have trashed his abandoned property. Sure, he could **try** to sue you, but what's the value of a ream of paper these days?

I realize the cable guy, rent, thing is a pissing contest and you don't wan't to give in, but why not? Seems like it would eliminate all issues for both sides. It'll save you a lot of time in court.


Title: Our movers beat up our furniture and let a bunch of our boxes get water damaged. We got replacement value insurance and they're refusing to cover the damage. Worth suing? (Small claims)

Question:
Had an in-state (California) long distance move, close to 500 miles.  On the day of pickup it was pouring pretty heavily and there was some rain on the delivery date as well.  The insurance agent is trying to claim they don't cover damage from weather despite no mention of this on the paperwork I signed, and most water damage to the cardboard boxes could have been prevented with a tarp tossed over the boxes before taking them outside.  We payed $190 for the $0 deductible **replacement value** insurance, and after we tallied ~$4k of damages due to a lack of any protection of our belongings from the rain, they are trying to say they don't cover damage from "climatic conditions."

Here is a screenshot of the only information regarding the insurance coverage from the [paperwork I signed](https://i.imgur.com/w3pibgF.jpg)

It's especially frustrating they're pulling this BS when their site says they will cover damage to boxes packed by owner in their FAQ, yet the agent is claiming they are absolved of any responsibility because we packed our own boxes.  They're even trying to weasel out of paying for the [damage they did to our nightstand](https://imgur.com/a/ApKkuMX) that they packed.

From their FAQ:
> Should I pack myself?
>
> It is up to you. However, be aware of the potential problems. For example, valuation coverage will not pay out on goods packed by their owner, unless the exterior of the box is damaged. Previously, damaged boxes will be noted on the Bill of Lading or Inventory.

They're offering a whopping $110 to cover the damage to our chair wheels (movers rolling them across concrete on delivery) and our garment rack they packed and lost a piece of.  I'm in San Diego, California, where I can sue for the entirety of the damages, at least, but I don't know if this would be considered a strong case.  I'm happy to include links to box damage pics in the comments if that would help.

**Is it worth bothering to continue emailing back and forth with the insurance agent, and what are my chances in small claims court?**

Answer: Yes i think it is


Title: Fiance hires construction crew to put up steel beams and drywall in TN. No paperwork beforehand, but halfway done they will only put up wood beams. Should fiance still pay for it or does she have recourse?

Question:
Fiance trying to make an aerial silks room in her spa business. She got referred to this company and they quoted her $4k dollars to extend her ceilings (she had a drop ceiling previously), put in drywall, paint everything and put in steel beams. After they put up the wall they tell her they are using woodbeams instead with the justification that it's the same beams that is used to add stories onto buildings. Fiance is furious, but they tell her she should've gotten a permit anyways and they keep working. Fiance needs any advice please

The only reason she didn't use current aluminum beams in her aerial silks is that an instructor came by and looked at it and said that the beams weren't strong enough to handle the loads. Is there any recourse she has? Should we get a lawyer or just stop employing them?

Answer:
 Has a structural engineer looked at this, approved this? Has she submitted plans to the city for their approval? (AKA permit.)

> an instructor came by and looked at it and said that the beams weren't strong enough to handle the loads

This is dangerous territory. She needs an expert to weigh in if steel beams (or whatever) are going to collapse and kill people.Answer #2: Permit should always be obtained when any changes are made to commercial space. The rigging point needs to be load bearing to 1ton per rig. If she’s going to have classes, she needs to have a structural engineer evaluate this immediately. We’re talking the safety of her students and the building. A professional rigger or circus professional should be consulted and be the one to install everything. Answer #3: She needs an engineer.

Who spec’d the steel beams?

A built up beam (multiple plies of 2x material) cannot generally replace a steel beam.

(For example a w12x67 steel beam can be replaced with a 7”x 18” PSL engineered beam)

Only an engineer can spec a steel beam, or engineered wood beam, where as a carpenter can spec a built up beam, as long as they have the live load, and proper span tables.

She needs a structural engineer first, and a lawyer second.

By the sounds of it this job is considered “tenancy upgrades” so she also need a building permit.

Am carpenter, not lawyer.


Title: Ontario: Dog daycare client took her dogs and walked out without paying. Boss says I should have locked the door to detain her. Legal?

Question: My boss told me it is legal to lock a client in and block the door with my body if they refuse to pay. (160.00) dollar charge. Is this true?

Answer: You cannot detain people for charges due. Your boss needs to sue them in small claims. If you detain people the police may charge you with any number of crimes


Title: My landlord is doubling our monthly utilities mid-lease. Is this legal?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: What does your lease say about utilities?


Title: Wrongfully terminated

Question: I went into work today to have someone cover my shift I found out that nobody could cover my shift so I said I'll be there well one of my co-workers says that I didn't need to be there till 5 so I said okay see you then next thing I know I get a text message over Facebook and it says from my assistant manager that I didn't need to come in at all today because my shift was covered well I needed job verification and the person called my work and found out that I was terminated so I went in to work to find out what went wrong well I found out that they said they tried to call me 6 times which was only 2 times and that I could not come into the place anymore nor can my mother

Answer: Whether or not this termination was "wrong" in the moral or ethical sense is hard for us to know. In the legal sense, nothing you have described is not legal.


Title: Legality of Hacking the Scammer (South Carolina)

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: It would still be a crime.


Title: 16 year old recieved unwanted physical contact by manager's family

Question:
My 16 year old brother has been working at a new small business (ice cream shop) since Feburary.

Two weeks ago the owner/manager's 18 y/o sister smacks his butt. She then apologizes because she allegedly thought it was her brother. Her brother is around 5'6 and mine brother is 5'10.

Today, the owner writes my brother up out of the blue for saying "nah" joking with his coworker which they all participate in all the time. Since the manager is writing people up, my brother mentions how the owner's sister smacked his butt.

The owner pulls up the security footage of the incident, laughs with coworkers about and asks him "did you get excited?". The whole thing is shrugged off.

We went to the police station and we were told it was just unwanted physical contact and since my brother wasn't actually angry with the woman, no charges could be pressed.

My question is can absolutely anything be done?

Answer: No. If it was genuinely an accident then there’s no crime here.


Title: Ex boyfriend hoarded my mail and now I'm $1,400 in debt to a collections. NJ

Question:
I was engaged a while back and lived with my ex fiance. Used his address for all of my mail including my EzPass.

When I moved I changed my address and everything but my license which I guess is where I made my mistake.
Over almost a year Ezpass had been sending 3/4 violation notices to his house and adding fees and eventually sold my debt to a collections agency.

When he FINALLY sent me my information it had added up to $1,400. When I called they said there's nothing they could do to help me and the best they could do was take $1,200 or $250 a month.

I can't afford either of these things and if I knew I had a violation I would of paid it off immediately.

Do I have any options? I avoid contact with my ex at all costs.
Not sure how to handle this and I'm really sorry for the rambling. Not sure what else to do.

-Yes yes. I get it. I fucked up.

The question was "Do I have any options?"
It wasn't a good situation. I left. He sent me a decent amount of my mail for a while but left those out. The situation is crap but I'm not looking to get attacked.
If I don't have options I'd much rather hear that I'm fucked than it's completely my fault. I get that. Thanks.

Answer: This is completely your fault for not updating your address. It is not your ex's job to forward your mail for you.Answer #2: Yeah you F'd up. This is all on you. Sorry. I don't see any other options other than the payment plan they offered. Maybe get a temp part time job??


Title: Being Called Incompetent Publicly

Question: My boss was at an important meeting recently in which the project manager called him (his company) incompetent.  Is this legal?  It seems slanderous and damaging to our reputation.

Answer: Whether you're incompetent is generally an opinion, which isn't subject to a defamation claim. Now, if he said you guys were incontinent, then you'd want to talk to someone well-versed in it, like /u/Zapopa. Answer #2: The best way to show you're not incompetent is to be competent.


Title: I was tackled, handcuffed after "running" from a police officer. Were his actions justified/legal?

Question:
A couple years ago, when I was 17, I had an encounter with police. I'm not looking to take legal action, I just always wondered whether the actions of a specific officer were justified, legally speaking.

I live in Dallas, Texas.

I showed up to a very loud party at a house full of drunk teenagers. I realized it was a dumb situation, but I hung around anyways. A few minutes later, people say there are cops outside, and the people throwing the party start shoving everyone out into the backyard, and shooing them over the fence.

I had nothing to drink or smoke, but I didn't want to deal with things.

I was one of the first people over the fence, into the alley. There was a cop car parked by the fence, with its lights off. As I rounded the alley corner (leaving sight of the car) I heard an officer over the speakers say "Stop." I figured I wasn't the closest to the car, so I wasn't his main concern, so I kept walking across the street.

As I walked across the street, I could see the front of the house. There were a few other cop cars parked in front. I ignored them and kept walking till I was in another alley. Another person at the party had also made their way into that alley, so we walked together down the alley for a few seconds.

I heard someone yell "Hey! Stop!" or something to that effect. I turned to see an officer rounding the corner with a flashlight in hand, sprinting towards us. The other person said "Oh shit!" and I turned to see her running away down the alley. I turned, and put my hands up. I didn't run. The officer ran full speed into me with his shoulder, knocking me into the air, and onto my back. I banged up my elbow pretty bad, and smacked by head on the concrete.

The officer yelled "Fucking stay down!" and continued running after the girl, who had stopped running. He yelled "Get the fuck down" and "Shut the fuck up" a few times at the girl, who was screaming. I turned my head and saw him pointing his flashlight and gun at the girl, while she got down. He handcuffed her, then me.

They berated us for a while, told us how it was a federal offense to run from an officer, how most shootings happen when people run. Eventually, they called our parents and didn't book us or anything. There's more to the story, but that's the part I'm curious about: the chasing, the tackling, the gun drawing, the handcuffing, etc.

It might very well have all been legal, I've just always been curious. Thanks!

Answer:
 Police use of force is based upon the level of resistance encountered.  This is generally based on a "Force Continuum" which outlines the levels of resistance and their corresponding force levels.

Because the police are required by society to overcome the resistance encountered, they are allowed to respond with force one level higher than that of the resistance they encounter.

While specifics vary from department to department, a generally accepted outline of the force continuum looks something like this:

**Level of Resistance**

* Psychological Intimidation

* Verbal Noncompliance

* Passive Resistance

* Defensive Resistance

* Active Aggression

* Aggravated Active Aggression

* Deadly Force

**Levels of Police Force**

* Officer Presence

* Verbal Commands

* "Soft Empty Hand" Control

* "Hard Empty Hand" Control

* Intermediate Weapons

* Deadly Force

So, you failed to comply with multiple orders to stop, you were verbally noncompliant and flight is considered defensive resistance, giving the officer the right to use "hard empty hand control" in order to take you into custody.  Handcuffing someone is considered "soft empty hand control."

Does that make sense?


Title: I was victim of a text book Ghost Surgery fuckup by an ophthalmologist in Indiana.

Question:
I was victim of a text book Ghost Surgery by an ophthalmologist.

Young surgeon goes to work for older surgeon. Handles a lot of the bitch work. Older surgeon allows younger surgeon to step in on surgeries and complete procedures as a reward for doing said bitch work.

I went to old surgeon for his years of experience to conduct a lasik correction. I actually paid a premium for old surgeon. Young surgeon is never stated to be participating in my surgery. Old surgeon does first surgery to right eye successfully. Old surgeon steps to the left while my vision is obscured by clamps on my left eye. Old surgeon allows young surgeon to step in... without informing me or receiving consent. Not a teaching facility. Private Practice. I checked my consent forms, Single surgeon signed on as operating. Young surgeon operates while old surgeon talks, so as to obscure said actions. (Consider, that 95% of this guys patients are elderly with hearing impairments. Think cataracts. They probably do this regularly.)

Young surgeon fucks up. Tears my cornea. Old surgeon steps in to fix damage. My eye is fine-ish... It is, medically speaking, uncorrectable now without significant risk. Post op and follow up, old surgeon heavily advises against further correction. My research indicated too few patients undergoing correction after a tear to indicate success rate, and the reported cases indicated a 50% failure rate due to haze in the users vision.

I am 1+ year post op. Left eye is fine. Night driving is difficult. I can't quiet read as well as i used to with glasses.

I want to go after this prick. The damages to my eye are difficult to substantiate, so that is weakness of the case, but the literature indicates that the only thing necessary to substantiate is the act of assault by the un authorized surgeon. More importantly, this is likely a systemic practice at this office with the potential of expanded litigation. Likely, a year and a half into it, they got sloppy. By that, I mean the young surgeon signed off on the surgical notes, directly indicating his participation in the procedure.

Seriously... Fuck these guys. Its a terrifying feeling knowing that your eye may not heal correctly and knowing that the asshole you trusted to do a good procedure using his decades of experience betrayed your trust and allowed an amateur to botch the job. More importantly, fuck these guys for doing this to every grandparent that they pulled the same shit on. Injuring some helpless senior citizen who couldn't even tell what they were doing.

Find me a jury that wouldn't award a punitive judgement?

I realize there are weakness in this, but if I am reading the case law correctly, these two surgeons have pretty much buried themselves. It also indicates that these two could basically be sued for battery and skip the entire MMP issue. I've called two MMP attorneys, but they were dissuaded by the lack of specific personal damages.  It seems like I need a young attorney with a few years of experience in MMP  or battery that is aggressive and willing to make a good argument or someone who knows these MMP cases already.

How can I find the right attorney for this? Opinions as to the grounds of this in terms of case law relating to Ghost Surgery, specifically in Indiana, would be helpful. If I can provide the argument, it may help me get an audience with an appropriate attorney. Am I misreading Perna v. Pirozzi?
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer: The bottom line in this type of case, is that you will need an attorney.  The doctor will have an attorney appointed by his insurance.  If you don't have an attorney, then you can quote all the case law that you want in all the emphatic and logical ways that you want - but you will likely lose.


Title: Sexting Question!! (Canada and US)

Question: If an 18 year old guy from Canada chats with a 16 year old girl from Rhode Island over facebook...no pictures are exchanged...just dirty talk about tongue kissing in bed, dry humping and grinding...not e-sex, just dirty talk...is that considered sexting? What about consequences? Thanks!

Answer: Not sure about your actual question, but you are one inch away from assisting on the creation and owning child pornography. Besides since there are international borders involved this sounds like a mad disaster. You have to gauge how much you trust this person, and how crazy she might be as well as her family.


Title: Stockholm Syndrome: Any way to help someone currently in a bad situation by using the justice system?

Question: [California] I have recently received a cry for help from a girl I've known since elementary school (we are both 25 now).I mention that because I know her very well and she is behaving fearfully and irrationally. I am working on finding out more details involving her situation but what I have gathered thus far is she started dating this man a couple of years ago and when he became possessive she attempted to break things off with him. Well, when she tried to end things he broke into (or had a key, that part is unclear?) her apartment and attempted suicide in front of her and her sister to convince her to stay with him. Yikes, right? Well they stayed together. She was involved in 3 car accidents all within the a span of a couple of months and now she is out of work on medical leave. She moved out of her apartment and into the boyfriends' parent's home with him. He restricts her phone access and its impossible to contact her during those times. Last Saturday something super sketchy happened--she called from the hospital saying she had attempted suicide! HOWEVER, she was released that day...I could be mistaken but I am under the impression that if you are in a hospital (in LA County and Ventura County) for attempted suicide, the hospital has to keep you for 48 hours and you must be evaluated by a psychiatrist prior to being released. And she was released within a matter of hours. Now that we all know this weird back story--I want to get her some help or at the very least put someone in her path that she could get help from (police officer or something). Is there anything I could do? I don't have concrete evidence of domestic abuse and it sounds a little Stockholmy. I've also learned that her parents have attempted to reach out to her and her father has a volatile relationship with this boyfriend. Latest update is the father called the boyfriend and left an irate voicemail demanding to speak with his daughter and that was when her phone was shut off. I don't have much else to go on and can't contact her because her phone has been taken away again. I've only ever watched similar situations on TV shows like criminal minds and my though process is, "I don't want to get involved in a way that could put my friend or myself in danger BUT I can't sit idly by." I don't know who else she has reached out to and I've been advised by my family to back off and let the situation unfold but what if this situation unfolds poorly and someone is hurt or killed and I could have done something--ANYTHING to help?? Also, if this is the wrong subreddit to be asking this sort of question please direct me to the correct one? Thank you!

Answer:
 OP- If your female friend is mentally competent, then she is legally expected to be able to walk away from the situation she's in.

There may be battered/abused women's shelters/organizations that may be able to offer her some help, but she's likely going to have to be willing to act to help herself.

If her family is geniunely concerned for her, they can drive to where she believes and take her home (with her consent). That may be the best option.


Title: Is there any law that requires workers comp to act on a claim?

Question:
Last tuesday i broke 4 bones falling off a ladder and we(my employer and I) filed a claim the same day. I havent been able to get fixed up yet bevause the doctors need the workers comp people to get there end together meanwhile, im just stuck without medication and bones that are probably not healing the right way. Is there anything I can do to get action?

oklahoma

Answer:
 You go to the emergency room immediately and are treated.  The hospital treats you under presumptive approval for a workers comp claim.

I don't understand why you didn't seek treatment immediately.


Title: How to legally protect yourself from cleaning service

Question:
My apartment lease ends on the 29th of January 2014. I would move all my stuff on the 25th or the 26th and deciding to have it cleaned on the 27th, 28th or 29th. I'm thinking of putting an ad in craigslist for a manual labor gig for someone to clean the apartment (paying around 12 - 13$ an hour), the kitchen, the bathrooms and the bedroom etc. so that we are not slapped with a huge fine at lease end.

What should I put in the craigslist ad or rather how should I approach the situation of I not being liable for any bodily damage that occurs to the person cleaning the apartment.

There will not be any unsafe working conditions, its just cleaning the apartment, scrubbing the marble  bathroom and the kitchen tiles etc, cleaning the kitchen cabinets and perhaps vacuuming the entire home to be spick. How do I protect myself since I am not going through any professional service and eliminating the middle man.

EDIT 1 : LOCATION : OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS. State minimum wage is 7.25$ per hour.

EDIT 2 : FORGOT TO ADD, I DO HAVE RENTERS INSURANCE FROM GEICO.

Answer: You don't have to pay minimum wage in this case, but I would suggest looking at ads services have placed. I hired a bonded service (your protection) to clean my 2/2 900sqft apartment for $80. The rate was decided before she started and she brought all of her own supplies.


Title: Sued for 750k over work injury

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Talk to your lawyer that's why you payed 75000


Title: Can the police decline to file a stolen vehicle report when I report my parent's car as stolen?

Question:
My mom bought a car several years ago and gave it to me a few years ago as a gift. We never formally transferred title to my name. The car was stolen the other day. A police officer took a statement but said he would not file the actual report until the legal owner of the car filed a report. With the officer's approval, we agreed that my mom and I would proceed with formally transferring title, and that once the police dept sees the signed certificate of title, they would go ahead and file the stolen vehicle report.

Maybe I am just in shock that the car was stolen, but I have a hard time understanding that the police cannot file a stolen vehicle report when I've been driving this car for years and have evidence to back it up. The vehicle is not designated as "stolen" until the police file the report, which means that if the police pull my car over, they won't recognize that the car has been stolen. Is this proper procedure???

In case any of this is relevant, my mom lives out of the state, I am not a college student, and I have been paying monthly premiums on this car for several years without incident.

Answer: It is not your car. Your mom could have allowed anyone to take it. She had to file the report.


Title: Lawyer not returning my calls, has not returned the remainder of the retainer that he owes me. (New Mexico)

Question:
He sent me a tally of the hours he spent on my case, and he owes me several hundred dollars. The case was settled in my favor several months ago, but I have yet to see a check from him for the remainder that he owes back to me, and isn't returning my emails or phone calls.

What should I do at this point?

Answer:
 Send a letter to your lawyer using certified mail demanding that he give your your money within a set time frame (doesn't matter what it is, but give the guy the benefit of the doubt and give him at least 7 days- he could be out of town or who knows). Lawyers should not be ignoring you and certainly should not be taking your money.

 If he doesn't respond or properly explain why he hasn't returned your money, report the guy to the state bar. The link u/jeffwinger_esq provided looks to be accurate. Keep a copy of the letter you send and get proof of delivery. Answer #2: http://www.nmdisboard.org/ComplaintAboutLawyer.aspxAnswer #3: If he didn't keep the money in a separate [IOLTA](http://www.nmbar.org/nmstatebar/Membership/IOLTA/Nmstatebar/IOLTA.aspx?hkey=5e5921d3-245e-40e0-a048-f94a67056d3a) trust account he broke the law, and bar ethics rules.  So at least hypothetically he would not benefit from not paying you back.

Send a formal letter demanding it back.
If he doesn't respond, complain to the state bar.


Title: Custodial parent won't divulge address of where child is living and concerns about the child's education. NB Canada

Question:
Basically like the title says, my husband's ex wife has full custody of their child. My husband has visitation every other Saturday (but custodial parent has been withholding visitation multiple times as well, that's a concern for other another time!)

The ex wife will not tell us where she and the child are living and will only meet us at our house or at a predetermined drop off point. Can she do this? How do we know that the child is living in a safe environment?

Also the child in question seems to be having severe difficulty with learning and struggling academically, the custodial parent doesn't seem overly concerned and that the child "will grow out of it", as she herself failed several grades. My husband and I would like to make sure the child has access to appropriate programs and help, are we able to approach the school and try to see what programs are available?

What are our boundaries as far as being a concerned parent without custody?

Answer:
 He needs to read his custody agreement to see what it says. If he is unhappy with the way the mother is caring for the child he can try to take on seeing the child for more than two days a month. Answer #2: It sounds like your husband should contact his lawyer. The ex withholding visitation is not a completely separate issue. Find any documentation you have that the child is not getting good parenting or the help they need (failing report cards, ect) and talk to the lawyer. You may be able to get the custody revised.

As far as where they live, does the agreement stipulate she has to?Answer #3: Not a lawyer.  But from Moncton.

A friend had my google some stuff for him in a similar situation so I have a couple of links.

May not help, but it may give you some direction.

http://www.legal-info-legale.nb.ca/en/custody_and_access

http://www.familylawnb.ca/english/faqs_custody_and_access

http://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/services/services_renderer.200560.Family_Law_in_New_Brunswick_(PLEIS).html


Title: [MA] Boston - Is it legal for my landlord/management comapany to add an addendum to my lease stating that I am required to have my apartment professionally cleaned before I move out?

Question: It had not been professionally cleaned before I moved in at the start of the lease. If they deem the apartment not professionally cleaned, they will deduct money from my security deposit.

Answer:
 They can't change the lease after it's been signed.

That addendum won't be worth the paper it's printed on of it doesn't have your signature.

They can't force you to sign it either.


Title: My Cheating Ex wants to take my kids away. HELP..

Question: My boyfriend cheated on me and left me for his co worker. He left me on my sons first birthday, with no money. He just left us. Thank god my mom gave me a place to live otherwise I would be out on the streets with my son. He never came around and I did file for child support which he never responded to my paper work so six months later i am still waiting on him to pay. Now, he is taking me to court for FULL CUSTODY. I don't know what is appropriate to say during mediation and court. He's making all kinds of false allegations about me and my family. I don't want my son to be taken away. What do i do? Is anyone familiar with the process? Please help....

Answer:
 It will be a huge battle for him to even get 50/50 custody if he hasn't been paying child support and hasn't seen his kid in 6 months.

Get a lawyer and you will be fine. Just expect he will probably gain some kind of visitation with his son.  Answer #2: You need to get a lawyer.  In order for one parent to get full custody they have to overcome the 50/50 presumption by proving you are an unfit parent.  If he can't do that, the best he can hope for is joint legal/physical.Answer #3: You need a lawyer. He's filing for full custody so he doesn't have to pay child support. A lawyer will get you custody and can get a plan to enforce his payment. Good luck.Answer #4: It's a common tactic.  Don't read to much into it, other than it means he plans to fight and fight hard.  You'll need to fight too, but the law is on your side for both support and custody.

You need to find a lawyer, and keep a journal or document all interactions with him by saving and keeping in one place all emails, summary notes of phone or in-person interactions.

Avoid unnecessary communications with him, as he may try to goad you into mistakes.  In interactions with him, stay calm, don't react and take the high road.

If he has stated any specific allegations regarding you or your family, try to gather any info you have to disprove them, but your lawyer will have more complete advice.

Good luck.Answer #5: Where are you? Has he requested to see the child during the past six months?


Title: (Kansas) Roommate and I (both leaseholders) disagreeing on what can happen in our apartment

Question:
My roommate has started hanging out with some really bad people, and inviting them over to our apartment. His sister is also living with us, but not a leaseholder. His sister and I spoke to him and asked him to not invite any of them over to the apartment, and he agreed. Yesterday, we found out that he has been letting one of them into the apartment while we are asleep and letting him sleep at the apartment for the last few days, he's notoriously known for bumming at people's places for weeks. I walked into the living room and they were smoking pot in the living room, I just told the guy he needed to get his stuff and get out of the apartment, if he wasn't gone by the time I got back from buying some smokes, then I was just going to call the cops. They were gone when we got back, but I'm pretty sure he's going to continue letting these people into the apartment.

My questions, can I call the police to have the people removed from the apartment purely because I am a leaseholder and want them out? The guy I threatened to call the police on is on probation, just in case this has an affect on what would happen. Would my roommate being a leaseholder affect the police's decision? Would it null my right as a leaseholder to kick them out?

Also, if I call the police while they are smoking pot in the apartment, will I or my roommate's sister get in trouble for being in the apartment while they do this, or will it only be my roommate and his friend(s) who get in trouble?

How should I go about this? Advice?

Edited: Also, I am a permanent resident, and can be deported. I want to make sure that I cannot get in trouble for calling the police on my roommate and his friends for bringing drugs into the apartment because of this reason.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 Sadly you both have equal rights to invite people over, and any invitee is not a trespasser, and the police will do nothing to help you, so there is no point calling them.  The pot thing is something, but I suspect you do not want to invite this kind of trouble, as there is no telling who all will get charged once that sort of thing starts.

My advice is to move out.Answer #2: Each leaseholder has the right to have a guest (unless the lease says otherwise).  The police will not be able to get involved in your domestic dispute.

You can report the pot, and I doubt you would get in trouble if you're clearly not involved with it.

When you say permanent resident, do you mean lawful permanent resident with a green card?  If so, you can't get deported unless you commit some serious crime.  If you are an undocumented permanent resident, then it's a different story.


Title: Elderly father was scammed by a catfisher. When he contronted her she called the cops on him and got him arrested.

Question:
(throwaway for obvious reasons.  Location: Virginia, USA)

My dad got taken by an obvious catfish scam last week.  He stupidly overlooked tons of red flags (being contacted out of the blue by a dating site profile with no picture and an age that ended up being dramatically incorrect, a sob story, a shifting story, etc).  Then once he realized he'd been conned, he stupidly attempted to resolve the situation on his own long after he should have called the police, giving the scammer the opportunity to instigate a fake altercation in front of neighbors.  And the clincher - by the time the police did show up, the scammer was able to feign "injuries" sufficient to get him instantly arrested (despite the fact that she didn't require transportation to the hospital or any treatment at all by the ambulance crew that arrived on-scene).

I can provide further details on the scam itself if needed, but suffice to say the cops didn't bother listen to his explanation after they showed up, and he's now up on felony assault charges.  I personally found all this out just yesterday, several days after the fact (owing mainly to his stubbornness), and he hadn't even called a lawyer yet.  I am making sure that is the **very next thing he does** if I have anything to say about it.

I'm especially worried because he's essentially broke (still working to afford rent, despite his age, etc), and might not be able to afford a lawyer with sufficient skill to investigate this issue to the extent that it requires.  I'm hoping there might be resources for someone in his position but unaware of what they might be.  I'm also curious as to what avenues there might be to support his version of events - like is there any legal precedent for subpoenaing security camera footage and/or employee testimony from the store the scam happened at?  Stuff like that.

Thanks for any advice in advance, I'm really pretty terrified for him at the moment.

Answer:
 Big question is:  *DID* he assault the scammer?

Beyond that, his version of events [edit:  that he did this because he was scammed] are largely irrelevant.  In fact, may only go to establish his motive for committing the crime.


Title: Can the police deny you a breathalyzer test, after you've requested one?

Answer:
 Yes.

You are welcome to get your own breathalyzer test done on your own but you can't force the police to give you one if they don't want to.

At least not in my state.

Could it be different in your state?

Sure.

But no one knows where that is because you ignored all the reminders to include your location.

Also, maybe some details would help here.  Are you under arrest for DWI?  Are you under arrest for something else?  Did you walk up to a cop on the street and start screaming demands for a breathalyzer test?


Title: Why do courtrooms still use stenographers instead of just giving everyone a microphone?

Question: The way I see it, a stenographer is to a microphone what an eyewitness is to a security camera.

Answer: Because stenographers can give real time readback. Plus they are much more accurate than auto-transcribing tools from cameras or recordings.


Title: What to do if a cop called to give you a warning?

Question:
A cop called me last night to warn me about harassment. He said the person didn't file anything, but I have to stop sending emails and texts to this person. He didn't specify what those messages were or didn't let me explain when I tried to speak but told me it's none of his business, he's just giving me a warning so don't worry. So I told him I appreciate it and said goodbye.

It was an email and a text that I sent my ex gfriend whom I had a disagreement with a while back. Asking for my moms earrings she borrowed while we were still together. It was a text saying If she wants me to retrieve them and possibly talk if she wants i could come over but she never replied back. So it was completely unexpected to get the call.

My question is. Should I worry about having my name put in the system even if it's just a "warning"? Would I have a criminal record of it? For employment purposes.

I thought of calling the station to ask these questions but a friend suggested he might not even be a real cop, because of how odd the call was. And when I tried to call back the number I got sent to voicemail without any identification. I'm just worried if it's true I'd get someone in trouble for impersonating a cop.

Answer: It was probably a real cop. That's how they do things where I'm from too. Do not contact this woman ever again and you shouldn't have to worry about a criminal record. If you want the earrings back sue her in small claims. Answer #2: No, you don't have a criminal record.  Just don't contact her any moreAnswer #3: It was probably a real cop. He got called out and there was nothing really criminal. He doesn't want to keep going out, so he called you and told you to stop contacting the person. Take his advice and don't contact them, continuing to do so can result and stalking charges, it it becomes on going. Your name isn't going to be attached to anything criminal for now, unless it continues.


Title: [OH] Roommate signed lease with me and two others, decided to join army and now doesn't want to pay rent. Claims SCRA gets him out of legal obligation to do so.

Question:
Location is Ohio. Last year me and three other roommates signed a lease that is jointly and severally liable. We have split the monthly rent into four. However a few months ago, one of our roommates left to join the army. He enlisted after he signed the lease. Within the last 2 months, he has been sent to basic training. His family continued paying his rent up until this month (April). After a conversation with his family, it was learned that their understanding was that he is not on the lease anymore due to his enlistment in the military. They also said that he talked to our landlord before he left for basic, which I am not sure is true or not. His family is claiming SCRA allows him to break his lease.

However my questions are, is he still legally obligated to pay his share of the monthly rent?

If not, are the remaining three tenants obligated to pay the full amount of the rent or is there a chance for deduction?

In addition, should I contact the landlord to see if the enlisted roommate did actually send the documentation to get the SCRA rights and create a new lease which none of us remaining roommates have seen or signed.

Thanks.

EDIT: Thank you guys for the responses. I saw a few people suggesting I cancel my appointment. However the appointment is already paid for by my school's legal service fees so it  couldn't hurt. I will call my landlord to see if my roommate actually sent in the proper paperwork which I have a hunch he did not because he was kind of lazy and bad at getting things turned in on time. Also the rent is just a lump sum that is paid in one transaction so if things don't go my way, it looks like we will just have to pony up the difference but it's only for 3 more months so I'm not too concerned, just disappointed.

Answer:
 SCRA allows for an active duty military member to be removed from a lease with no penalty should they receive orders to be transferred to a new location and that transfer will exceed 90 days.

OP- You need to contact your landlord to see if your military roommate did indeed contact [the landlord] and go through the proper process outlined by SCRA. Unfortunately for you, if he has, [you may be out of luck](http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/sscra/a/scra2_2.htm) and owe his portion of the lease.Answer #2: Yes, he can be removed from the lease. IANAL, but my boyfriend is in the Coast Guard and my dad's retired Army.
That said, do check with the landlord. I would think that you all would have had to sign a new lease or an addendum or something so his name would no longer be listed. We had to sign one when we broke our lease and moved out early.


Title: Home owner not allowed to move out.

Question:
Hi, so my grandmother is moving closer to the city so she has to sell her house. Her realtor got the house sold by an Amish family. So she planned on moving out. she was going to move out this passed weekend but her realtor said she is not allowed because of a new law. No more information was given. This sounds like a bunch of bologna to me. could anyone shed some light onto this?

By the way she lives in Pennsylvania.

Answer:
 > She said she is not allowed because of a new law

This is incredibly vague. There's no way we're going to be able to help without knowing *which* law is being referenced.Answer #2: There's no law anywhere in the US that would require a homeowner to continue to reside in a house that they sold. Could this be some kind of Amish 'law'?

Your post is rather unclear; was the house sold to an Amish family? Or did the Amish family sell your grandmother's house?  In any event, see my first sentence: no one can force anyone to stay a particular house (unless it's a jailhouse, in which case the resident wouldn't own it and wouldn't be able to sell it).


Title: Boyfriend retainer fee

Question: So i live in Michigan with my mother. Back in March my mom refinanced the house in her name. And the money from that was soppose to go into getting a new roof. But the boyfriends brother passed in April so my mom send roughly $1500 to him all with notes for what they were for so he could have the gas money to go to Kentucky and also the money to hire a attorney. He got roughly $25k from his brother coming in soon. But once here found out how much money he was going to get he split with my mom. My question is does my mom have any foothold into getting this money back?

Answer: I might have missed somethin important here, but back when your mom gave that money to her boyfriend was she clear to him that this was a loan? Or was it a gift?


Title: Security officer crashes into me then dosen't want to pay

Question: A couple months ago I got into a collision with a security officer in a golf cart near my work in a private building. The officer ran a stop sign and collided with me. I called the police had a police report made and the report stated that he was 100% at fault. My insurance then sent me a letter saying they were unable to give me back the money for my deductible because the other party would not pay. I contacted the head security officer of the building who told me that he would not pay my deductible because he said I drive too fast in his parking lot. I asked him how me driving fast affects the night in which his security officer collided into me while I most definitely was going the speed limit. The police even reviewed footage to see the security officer was at fault and finished a report where they state I was 100% not at fault. The head security officer then told me he didnt want to talk to me and hung up. What can I do next in order to get back the money for my deductible.

Answer:
 Has your insurance company said whether they are pursuing a subrogation claim against the security officer who hit you? If so, your deductible can be added to that claim.

Otherwise, file a small claims lawsuit against the officer (and, assuming he was on duty, his employer and the owner of the golf cart). The police report and the security footage should be enough to establish that you are not liable, and the others can argue amongst themselves who gets to pay.

&#x200B;


Title: I need to relinquish my rights to the dog I bought to my wife. We're separated and she's afraid I'll take the dog back to the animal shelter. I'm trying to make things work, but it's a long story.

Question: Is there a form specifically for something like this?  I'm in Utah by the way.

Answer: Your dog is like any other piece of property.  If you want to give it to your wife, give it to her.


Title: Ex-wife does not keep me in the loop about son- nebraska

Question: My ex-wife will not tell me who is watching my son when she doesn't have him. She won't give me their names or tell me when he is not with her. WHat are my options?

Answer: Unless it is a requirement in your custody orders she does not have to tell you anything that she does during her custody time ( other than health and safety issues).


Title: I witnessed an altercation at work; now HR wants to ask me a few questions this afternoon. What do I say/shouldn't I say?

Question:
A few months back an argument between a coworker and that person's boss happened. I was nearby and asked the coworker to calm down. I wasn't really acknowledged by coworker, but things did end soon after. It didn't seem like anyone was in physical danger, any of the time. Boss was grateful that I said something. Now I find out that the boss is filing something against the coworker, and since I was a witness, HR is asking me to stop by for a few questions.

Factors affecting the big picture:

\-coworker has had neck pain/problem, has been cranky and has gotten loud in other meetings at the same boss, and at least one other coworker.

\-boss doesn't care too much for coworker and likely trying to get coworker fired.

\-boss might have felt threatened at that time that I witnessed, but I didn't see any physical threat taking place or danger of the altercation becoming physical. I don't really know until I hear the questions, as to what the boss might have filed

\-I don't want to contribute to the coworkers loss of job, if he/she might be near retirement. At the same time I think an adjustment needs to be made, and if coworker can't adjust, then probably just needs to be let go.

\-the coworker does do work. maybe not the best at what he/she does, but not the worst. I would say mediocre. The coworker's job position is becoming less and less necessary (might also be factor in boss's wanting to let this person go)

I could get more and more detailed but don't want to bring gender into this but it might play a role. I guess I am mainly just looking for advice on how to best answer questions. I am someone that is very truthful and sometimes say too much. My plan was to just be truthful, professional, and try NOT to say too much. Is this along the right thinking? Should I not be worried?

Thanks for any feedback! I am going to HR in 2 hours so will definitely check back but might not be able to answer many questions before the meeting.

&#x200B;

Answer: This isn't a legal issue. Answer truthfully on what you saw and nothing else. Don't speculate or pass along rumors.


Title: How much does my boyfriend actually owe for a car he damaged while working one day as a favor to a valet company? Is there a scam here, or am I too cautious?

Question:
My boyfriend offered to help valet at the restaurant I work in for one day, when the guy who owns the valet company was in a jam.  His first and only car was a six figure Mercedes Benz.  He misjudged his turn, reversed, and smashed one side of the bumper.  A police report was filed, insurance was called, and my boyfriend accepted responsibility and offered to pay the damages,  once it was assessed.

The owner of the valet company has his own insurance, and at first said they were covering it.  A few days later he backtracked on that, saying they were not covering it, and sent my boyfriend the estimate conducted by the insurance company, asking for the full $3500.00 in damages assessed.  My boyfriend is more than willing to pay, and wrote the owner a personal check for the full amount asking me to give it to him.  However, when I looked over the estimate it includes a deductible for $500, with a remaining balance of $3000.  So I did not deliver the check, as it seemed unclear to me that he would owe $3500, instead of $500.

The owner of the valet company claims he borrowed the $3500 from one of the restaurant's very good and wealthy customers.  I did verify this with the customer.  I asked for receipts and more paperwork from the valet owner, and was sent a picture of a receipt written from the company of the owner of the damaged car.  It is one of those rip out paper receipts you can buy in a receipt book from an office supply store.

Something seems fishy to me here.  Based on the paperwork from the insurance company, I would venture to say my boyfriend only owes the valet company $500.  Am I mistaken?

I called both the valet company's insurance, who said they were not the primary, so the victim's insurance would be covering this.  I called the victim's insurance and they said they hadn't even assessed the car yet, and advised me not to pay anyone anything.  Yet the owner of the valet company is asking for a personal check for $3500, claiming he gave a check to the victim.

What am I not seeing here?  Something doesn't seem right.  My boyfriend is more than willing to pay, but I don't want to him to just hand over money without proper documentation.  (I should add, that the owner of the valet company has a known drug habit, and has since been banned from the restaurant, due to issues I was not present for.)

I spoke with the owners of the restaurant who told me not to trust him, but offered no tangible help.  The head chef told me that the valet owner told him that the insurance is covering this.  It makes me wonder why he would borrow the full amount from someone else.

What documentation should I be asking for?  Is $3500 what is really owed? Or is it $500?  We have the money, it's just not clear what is really going on.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Edit: This occurred in NJ. The company said insurance isn't covering it, however insurance did assess the damages. The owner wants a personal check for $3500, when the paperwork he provided includes a line for a deductible of $500. Owner claims he gave the car owner a check for $3500. Why would insurance make an assessment if they aren't covering the damage?

Edit 2: Thank you all for your input while we continue to figure this out.

Answer:
 I'm not sure why you are so willing to pay anything at all.  The valet guys insurance should pay if he was working for the Valet guy.Answer #2: The first question is whether he really does owe anything.  He was working as their employee? This is why valet companies have (or should have) insurance. They are driving around expensive cars all day.

If he is liable, he owes the whole thing, because the insurance company that pays the claim can come after him for the entire amount over the deductible.


Title: (New York) Employed as a seasonal employee at a summer camp. Wage question.

Question:
Hey, I am currently employed in a 8:45 -4:30 job at a summer camp as a "seasonal employee, or so I've been told, I'm paid $6.25 for this, which is well below the New York minimum wage, however I've also been told that due to my seasonal status this does not apply.  Is this true and does it apply to my current job?

Thanks.

Answer:
 Summer camp counselors are exempt from minimum wage laws.

[Here's a link summarizing them](https://labor.ny.gov/workerprotection/laborstandards/PDFs/FAQs_NonProfit_and_State2016.pdf) (PDF warninig).

From the link:

Q: Do staff counselors in a children’s camp need to be paid Minimum Wage?

A: No. A staff counselor in a children's camp is not covered under the Minimum Wage laws. If there is an agreement to pay wages, however, the employer must pay what has been promised.

Q: What is a staff counselor in a children’s camp?

A: A staff counselor is a person whose duties primarily relate to the guidance, instruction, supervision and care of campers in a children's camp, whether such work involves direct charge of, or responsibility for, such activities, or merely assistance to persons in charge. The term staff counselor includes, but is not limited to: head counselor, assistant head counselor, specialist counselor or instructor (such as swimming counselor, arts and crafts counselor, 2
etc.), group or division leader, camp mother, supervising counselor, senior counselor, counselor, general counselor,
bunk counselor, assistant counselor, co-counselor, junior counselor, and counselor aide.


Title: Failed a drug test (in California)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > My company has the right to random test

What action are you looking to take? You did drugs. You failed the test.


Title: Witnessing an illegal eviction

Question:
I live in a house with three other people that independently write checks to the same landlord.

One of the other people in the house, let's call him Joe, has chosen to stop paying rent.

The landlord wishes to get rid of Joe, but is unwilling to wait for the legal system to process an official eviction notice. So he is trying to make the house an undesirable place for Joe to stay. To this end, the landlord intends to:
- hide cookware owned by the landlord and used jointly by all the tenants
- lock the bathrooms, give keys to the legal residents and explicit instructions to not unlock the door for Joe
- disable the central heating in the house and provide space heaters to the legal residents

Aside from the fact that landlord appears to have lost his marbles, are there any legal obligations for the law-abiding tenants remaining in the house? I expect Joe to take the landlord to court later, but I'm not sure what leg he has to stand on after choosing to not pay rent.

Location: MD

Answer:
 They all may write checks but are they on separate leases? This is key here because the landlord can't just evict one person on the lease.Answer #2: >I expect Joe to take the landlord to court later, but I'm not sure what leg he has to stand on after choosing to not pay rent.

He'll have an illegal eviction leg to stand on, for starters.

As compliant tenants, none of this needs to be your concern. Don't get involved if either the landlord or Joe ask you for anything.


Title: [HELP] Friend has been sexually harassed/raped during internship

Question:
I am looking for help regarding the next steps following my friend's sexual harassment / rape during her internship at a US office in California. I apologize for the brevity ahead of time as I am writing this before getting on a plane to access the overall situation.

To give some context, my Japanese friend managed to obtain an internship at a relatively small Japanese company located in California. When she was offered the internship, her boss promised an average intern wage but housing would be covered. However, the catch was that 'housing' provided would compose of him (the boss), another company worker, and her. Furthermore, her 'room' was designed to be the living room (thus you can see that there would be limited privacy) - early attempts at trying to include curtains or such never bore any result. Although she recently just started, her boss (who recruited her) has often pressured her into getting really drunk (as per Japanese standards) but matters have not ended there. Apparently, the boss has been molesting her and removing her clothes whenever she's asleep and passed-out from all the drinking. Furthermore, she recalls being fingered and also seeing him naked briefly while passed out. It is extremely likely that there was actual penetration but I cannot confirm this as of yet.

My friend has commented on these matters to the other company workers and it seems that the VPs of the company had a meeting to address this situation. Many of the current workers are very supportive of her, especially after also finding out about the boss has had a history of sexual exploitative behavior (back in Japan). However, my main concern is that she will be pressured into not disclosing any of this information and 'move on' since her boss is one of the core-founders and CEO of the company. With that in mind, I want to ask the following questions:

1) What are her possible options in terms of handling this situation? Please understand that she's not a US citizen and the company is Japanese. However, the matter is that these things happened on US soil so I'd like to learn more about the legality.

2) What is her possible compensation that we're looking at here? I assume that she will be asked to stop coming to work and this means that her promised internship wage will disappear. The company has offered to pay for her flight ticket but it seems to me that they're trying to put this under the rug. I do not want the company (and her boss) to limit their losses just because my friend and I are unaware of the legalities behind these developments.

A thing to keep in mind - it seems that the company has called in for a lawyer. I am not particularly sure about the specifics regarding this but what is the best way to approach this matter? At the moment, I am having my friend write down, in extreme detail, everything that has happened to her so far.

Thank you in advance - I would appreciate a lot of feedback as soon as possible as I am headed to see her right now.

Answer:
 > Apparently, the boss has been molesting her and removing her clothes whenever she's asleep and passed-out from all the drinking. Furthermore, she recalls being fingered and also seeing him naked briefly while passed out. It is extremely likely that there was actual penetration but I cannot confirm this as of yet.

This is rape.  Your friend was raped.  Your friend should report her rapist to the police.

Get off Reddit, pick up your friend, go to the police station, and have your friend file a police report.

Then find her a new place to live ASAP.Answer #2: She needs to be the one in control. If she wants to report it to the police, she absolutely should. You should encourage her to contact RAINN and other support groups that can help educate her about her options and the process.

While she might not be interested, the government doesn't want victims of crimes to be afraid to come forward because they aren't US citizens, even if they are here illegally. So they offer special Visas to people that are victims of serious criminal acts so they can remain in the country and testify; and those visas can eventually lead to a green card. The U visa and VAWA visa are probably most appropriate in this situation; but bringing a young woman internationally and then abusing her sexually starts edging close to a T visa category too.

The company firing her for reporting the assault would be actionabl,e, legally speaking, but they may be counting on her following the Japanese stereotypes about saving face and not questioning elders/superiors and do it anyway. If they do, she should contact the EEOC.


Title: Got burgled a couple months ago, landlord never fixed broken window. Just got burgled again an hour ago, wondering if I have a case. Help needed

Question:
Hi all, I know this question has probably been asked before but I couldn't find anything relevant enough to the specifics of my situation. I'm currently renting an apartment in KY, however I haven't been staying there for a few months after being broken into and losing a lot of items. (Possibly unrelated in this case but I had been robbed before in this same place about a year ago.) To date they have not fixed the window that was broken in that instance, however it was boarded up with a piece of plywood.

Now I just received a call from my neighbor that my place had been broken into again (making three times total), using the broken window to gain entry. I'm currently about 100mi away from my apartment visiting family for the holidays, so I'm not able to do much immediately. Also, my neighbor told me that when she called the police, they did nothing but bang on the door and shout police, they didn't enter the apartment to clear it of anyone still possibly in there.

 I wanted to ask for advice on here for a couple things: given that the window was never properly fixed do I have a case against my landlord for negligence? Do I need to go back there to file a police report in person?

Answer: While you are so far away you probably don't have access to your lease but what does it say about time frames for having repairs or maintenance done? When can you prove that you asked for the window to be repaired (i.e. Certified letter requesting repairs)? What has your renters insurance said about the latest break in and making a claim?


Title: Is it legal to sell alcohol to a dog?

Question:
If you somehow trained a dog to go to the shops with some cash and a note asking for a six-pack or whatever, can the shop legally sell it via the animal? Would the legality change if the dog selected the beer itself and there was no note/communication from the owner?

[Inspired by this image](https://i.imgur.com/Fo9N8qD.jpg)

Answer: Dogs are legally property. Can property buy stuff to begin with?Answer #2: I'd argue the purchaser is not the doge, but the owner, as I don't think doggos are consider capable of owning or paying for things. The problem is it's impossible in this situation to confirm that the person buying the alcohol is actually of age. So I'd say that even if pupper is 21 in doge years, it's still not legal. Answer #3: Related question: does the dog need to be 21 or will 3 years of age count?Answer #4: Do you really think you can successfully card a dog?


Title: Can a Merchant Charge You Months Later?

Question:
I'll try to keep this as short as humanly possible.

So way back in November I bought three things from a merchant online. Evidently they were going through their system recently and realized that they didn't charge me for one of those things, so they just went ahead and did it now, months after the fact. I have received all three items, for the record.

I only discovered this charge by accident, when I was logging into my credit card account looking for something else.

I'm going through my bank statements and whatnot now, but let's just suppose everything they're saying is accurate. They realized they didn't charge me in November so they did it now and this isn't a double charge/them undoing a promotional price that I took part in way back when.

Knowing what you now know, /r/legaladvice, is that actually something they're allowed to do?

I only ask because if they'd have even just sent me an e-mail saying "Hey sir or ma'am, sorry, we totally forgot to charge you, sorry, we're doing it now, hope that's okay," I wouldn't be annoyed. But I had to randomly discover a $100 charge and go into "MY IDENTITY HAS BEEN STOLEN" mode before piecing it together.

Answer: They should have notified you but it's legal. If they waited years then they might run into statute of limitation problems.


Title: [Update] Issued 30-day notice to rent-delinquent Roommate. Need help removing her by July 15th [San Francisco, CA]

Question:
I took advice from /r/legaladvice and /r/relationships on issuing a 30-day notice with Just Cause (habitual late rent payments) on June 15th to my emotionally unstable and rent-delinquent roommate:

/r/relationships: https://www.reddit.com/r/relationships/comments/4nk3d7/

/r/legaladvice: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/4nk9oj/

She hasn't paid any prorated portion of July's rent, and it's my understanding that I'm able to deduct that from the security deposit, assuming she is moved out, which getting her out is probably going to be a problem. She is searching, but 2 places already 'fell through' and she might be stranded in my apartment with all her stuff, even though I have a new roommate signed up ready to rent on July 16th.

What are my rights as Master-Tenant/Landlord in having her or her belongings removed from my apartment? I know that if she abandons property, that I have to make due diligence in finding storage, but am I able to do that if she hasn't physically vacated herself by July 15th?

Also, what legal measures (such as forms, agencies, etc.) do I need to begin the process of removing her after the 30-day notice date is passed? How do I get an agency or Sheriff to have her vacate the room and make way for the new tenant?

Any help would be appreciated.

Answer:
 > How do I get an agency or Sheriff to have her vacate the room and make way for the new tenant?

You [have to go to court and evict her using the legal process](http://www.sfsuperiorcourt.org/self-help/evictions) for your area. This will NOT be done by the 15th unless you pay her to leave ("cash for keys") and she leaves willingly.

You CANNOT change the locks or move her stuff out. She can call the police and have herself (and her stuff) moved back in, and she can sue you for an illegal eviction.

If/when you have achieved an eviction in court, then law enforcement (usually a sheriff) can come to remove her if she refuses to leave.

Edit:

> I have a new roommate signed up ready to rent on July 16th.

As in you signed a rental agreement with this person? You're going to have to negotiate with this person because you're not going to be able to provide this person with what you promised, not legally, unless you convince current roommate to leave of her own free will/pay her to leave. You won't get an eviction that quickly.


Title: [AL] Abusive employer calls EMS and possibly law enforcement to my house because I was late and not answering their calls

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 TLDR: op told employer he has seizures, didn't show up to work, they worried and called in a welfare check. Op got fired for missing work again. The sheriff that came was rude.

File for unemployment. Nothing illegal happenedAnswer #2: Napalmenator is right on the money as usual.  My only additional comment would be to suggest that you see a therapist because there are a LOT of things about your narrative that suggest you might benefit from an independent perspective.Answer #3: >drunkenly took 3x my already incredibly high dose of a STIMULANT by mistake

Jesus dude.  In addition to what everyone else is saying please stop doing this.  I read your posts in the steroid forum and what you are doing is so dangerous, not only physically but mentally as well.  Your thinking is probably all kinds of fucked up and your employer was right, you need help.   And the sheriff was right to be suspicious about the acutane since you are taking it because you are abusing steroids.
Answer #4: You told them you suffered from seizures. You were late for work and did not call. They wanted to be sure you were not dead. That doesn't sound abusive to me. Sounds pretty caring. However, you showed them you cannot be at work on time multiple times within the first month, so they let you go.

When it comes to unemployment many states require you to work so many hours before you qualify. You'll need to look into that.


Title: My sister's boss is trying to intimidate her into staying at her internship past the agreed upon date - threatened to force her to cough up $1800 for the apartment she's putting my sister up in. My sister never signed a lease.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 No, no, no. She moves ASAP and is done. The boss/landlord can't suddenly drop a rental amount on her.

What she needs to be aware of is if he tries to file eviction proceedings against her. She needs to respond (be in court or hire an attorney to be in court) and her response to the judge is this simple:

1. I don't live there;
2. I moved out XYZ date;
3. There is no lease agreement.

That's it. Nothing about the job, nothing about anything else:

1. I don't live there;
2. I moved out XYZ date;
3. There is no lease agreement.Answer #2: She should go to USPS and have them start forwarding her mail ASAP. I wouldn't put it past LL and her boss to check her mail and hide the court papers if they file for eviction.Answer #3: Was she paid? She did work, she should be paid. She should also file a wage claim for all time worked and not paid, and make sure over time is paid properly.


Title: My friend is sick and her family is trying to keep me from her dog, even tho she had me promise to care for the dog in the event of her ending up in the hospital

Question:
Ok first, I’m in Ohio and my friend lives in NJ.

Little backstory; my friend has a lot of health issues. Before her and I were close, she had received a kidney transplant and had some complications. Due to this, she was in the hospital a few weeks longer than originally planned and her family meanwhile put her cat and dog down. She was devastated when she got back to her home and found this out.   She has been hospitalized twice and vacationed a few times since we became close and I always watch her black lab. She’s great with my dogs and no issues at all.

About 3 years ago, she broke her shoulder and I was on vacation. She has a dog walker and the dog walker was great about stopping in extra times, so that I could finish up my vacation. When I got back home, one of the first things I did was go get the dog and then had her for about 6 weeks while my friend went to a rehab to recover and do physical therapy, etc.

I will also like to say that each and every time her sister has tried to prevent me from getting this dog.  Once she made me wait outside the house for over 2 hours, I think hoping I would go away. It is perplexing to me because the sister HATES dogs and has always told my friend to get rid of it. She still does. My friend is a huge dog lover and lives alone. She enjoys the company of her dog and obviously doesn’t want to get rid of it

My friend was diagnosed with cancer in September. We had MANY conversations about it and I told her that 100% I’ll go out there and get the dog if anything happens to her and she ends up in the hospital (or worse). She’s always said knowing that I would be there for her dog would take stress off of her if she did end up in the hospital. I used to live in NJ too but since have moved and I’m about 7 hours away. My friend did get hospitalized back in October and her first text to me was “they’re keeping me overnight , go get Bella”(the dog). Her condition at that time wasn’t very serious, so I told her I could go then but if she only stayed a night or two maybe we could get the dog walker to keep an eye on her so that she could have the dog when she got out of the hospital. If I had driven 7 hours there and 7 hours back, it’d probably take me another week before I had the time off to go return her as I do work full time.   She did get out in 2 days and all worked out.

Current situation: Now, my friend ended up in the hospital again last week. It initially sounded minor so we sort of agreed to play it by ear like last time. except over the weekend she ended up on a ventilator. Now here’s where it gets sticky....

It’s been about a week and I an an ICU nurse so I know how these things run. I talked to the dog walker and I said that her just stopping in isn’t a good long term solution. I can’t get a hold of my friend bc she is on a ventilator and sedated. Her family has been texting from her phone but they are BARELY providing me with an update at all. That in itself is frustrating but I told them I was planning to get the dog this week when I had a day off and they are now being downright HOSTILE about it. They are saying that my friend said she doesn’t want me to have the dog and just wants the dog walker to look after the dog indefinitely. Then they said stuff like “we don’t want to make any big decisions yet”. I told them that these decisions had been made already and it’s not a “big” decision about the dog.... I’ve always brought the dog home when she was well enough and she always loves how I treat her dog like she’s one of my own and send her videos/photos of her dog.  I don’t even know how they’re saying the friend said this as she has been on a ventilator and supposedly sedated??  They are sending me texts that are rude and disrespectful. I even texted the dog walker to tell her what they said and she was like “I don’t believe that, (friend) has always wanted you to look after Bella”

I kind of feel like I should go get the dog anyway, as I promised my friend this and I have a house key (after the time her sister jerked me around for so long she gave me a key). However, I don’t want to get in a confrontation if her family happens to be at her house when I show up. Or when they realize the dog was gone , what if they call the police for theft??

Since I have texts to prove she’s told me before to come get her dog, pics of me taking care of her dog over the years, etc., should I call the police first and explain to them?  I am worried about making the 7 hour trip out there for nothing..... but I feel like if I don’t get her dog, my friend may wake up from this (if she even does) and freak out that I left her dog alone in the house despite promising her I would definitely take care of her dog.

I mostly want to know if I could legally be in trouble here since she’s not unable to make decisions and this is what her lunatic sister and niece is saying. Thanks.

Answer: OP- How formal is the documentation that you have permission from your ill friend to watch her dog in the event she was sick/incapacitated?


Title: How can I get my potentially sociopathic, emotionally abusive dad arrested for the crimes he has committed

Question:
I have been under the "care" of my mom and my dad since I was born, and during the majority of my life I had been away from other kids. Sure, I was near them sometimes, and my family tried to keep us involved, but generally there were overprotective until I decided that maybe that wasn't the case. Once I understood what abuse was, this immediately left some red flags.

1. My dad screams at my mom, sometimes late into the night.
2. When someone states when his is wrong, he flips and sometimes damages the property around him
3. Until recently, whenever I tried to call him down, I was the target, and would usually be sent outside for 15 minutes- 3 hours. Unattended.
4. Hypocrisy, lies and inability to take accountability for his actions, in addition to his downplaying of other's pain, while he can freely demonstrate his.
5. The complete and total void of having your own opinion
6. Ego the size of a solar system
7. False promises, and tries to cheat me and my siblings whenever he can

Now, I only bring this up now because he is losing weight, and I can properly defend myself if he decides to attack me.

The majority of these claims can be backed up by some mp3 files I recorded without his knowledge (I'm willing to take the punishment)
If any of you can help me out, I would be greatly appreciative, but if your job requires you to report this, just know that my dad frequently lies and has dealt with the government enough to BS his way through a case in a he said he said style.

Answer: None of this is "crimes" though.


Title: Defense pulls both offers to settle - Not prepared, need to adjourn - New York

Question:
Hi, I'm pro se (don't shoot me).

It was a simple case. They were withholding my money. I wanted it back. I have all the evidence (minus discovery for counterclaims).

Defense was going to give me some of it back and then changed their minds because during negotiations I pointed out that their counterclaim was not factual and he (defendant) told his attorney (opposing counsel) that he wants to "teach me a lesson for calling him a liar".

So then, opposing counsel said she would give me another settlement (less) from her pocket to end this because she says its not worth her time. Yesterday and today, I ask her where the settlement offer letter is, since I have yet to receive it. She states that there was too much back and forth and she would prefer to just see me in court to try to dismiss it all.

They haven't provided any of the discovery requests (so I would have to motion to compel discovery). I'm now not prepared for the trial since I was expecting a settlement. Now I have to ask the judge to adjourn tomorrow, during our trial (maybe before if I can).

I also subpoenaed 3 employee's of the Defendant ( small corporation)  and opposing counsel has told me that even though she said she would, it is not her job to tell them about their own requested adjournment (stupid I should have sent them a letter to cover myself I know, but I didn't think we would make it to court again), so the witnesses are not showing up (another reason I want to adjourn).

Are all these sufficient reasons to be granted an adjournment at trial? It's tomorrow and I'm at work so I can't run to court now to do it even if I got a stip signed from both sides.

TL;DR: Would the defense sudden retraction of not one but two settlement offers, and their refusal to comply with discovery requests work in my favor in court? It was all done through text, so could I use it as support for my request to adjourn, even if we had already adjourned before at the request of the Defendant?

Update:
Opposing counsel served me with the discovery papers right before trial. And she (who is absolutely batshit crazy to the point where everyone in the court was staring at her screeching) finally went back to her second settlement offer. Good riddance. Caso cerrado.

Answer:
 Some strategic thoughts: The opposing counsel has already realized that this is not worth her time, so a delay is definitely good for you. Delays cost the other side money, but they cost you nothing (not an endorsement for being pro se, but a positive side effect). The other side's lack of response to discovery is your argument for delay, not your expected settlement and not your failure to properly subpoena witnesses. I would have a well-formulated argument related to the discovery failures, backed up with any evidence you have of your requests, their denials, etc. Use the other two reasons as a back up in case the judge doesn't buy the first one. In my experience, many judges will go easy on a pro se litigant and let them get away with this sort of thing (especially if you plead ignorance on how to properly subpoena).

All that being said, be ready for trial tomorrow!
Answer #2: This is why you don't go pro se...opposing counsel is tying you into knots, exactly as is her job.

You can hope and pray that the judge will see things your way, but from the sounds of it, I think he's going to tell you that you should have gotten a lawyer and you're out of luck.


Title: Sleepovers during a divorce?

Question:
My significant other is going through a divorce with a child in Illinois.  She has been separated from her spouse for over 3 months now.  She is afraid of her spouse and currently has an Order of Protection against him.  She is still afraid to be alone and I was wondering what kind of legal ramifications could happen if I were to sleep over?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: She wouldn't be sanctioned unless the court has ordered her not to have overnight guests. But don't be surprised if her husband tries to get such an order when he discovers you're sleeping over. (There are legitimate concerns about how a child will react to mom getting a new sleeping buddy so quickly, so such an order isn't as unreasonable as it might seem at first.)


Title: (Florida) Donor watching Child Pornography at my work (serious)

Question:
Okay you’re clicking into this thread, this is very serious.

I work at a plasma center in Florida and am involved in making sure that our plasma and our donors have a safe environment and are in a space of comfortablity. As any of you who have maybe donated at a plasma center or blood bank, know most donors keep to themselves.

So about 2 months ago a mid thirties man (we’ll call him Matt.) was in the center and he usually doesn’t cause any disturbance or anything like that when he comes (been donating there for approximately a year). He has never had an issue before, we just know from his history that he’s a little messed up in the head and not all there. Me and my partner are in the lab and we are just going through our normal routine of work and we just hear snickering from our phlebotomists and they say he’s watching porn.

Now he is not in a spot to where this wouldn’t be seen, he has a bed directly behind him with a island separating the two and our phlebotomists saw the Pornography over his shoulder.

Now time goes by for his donation and now everyone has seen it and another phlebotomists, says it’s a young girl with a man. Me and my partner think nothing of it and finally our phlebotomists supervisor gets him to turn it off.

Fast forward to this week, our area director finally hears about him having another incident in the lobby.

One of our health screeners walked through the lobby and saw him watching it, and she confirmed that it  as child pornography.
Our director says to put Matt, “where he can see him.” Which is through our Glass Panel window through our nurses station that over looks the entire donor floor.

A phlebotomist literally sees him pull up the video, and begin watching it DIRECTLY INFRONT of this window and finally our director sees it and tells him if he sees that stuff again he will never be allowed back in the center.

He was here again today and our director is out of town and I happened to catch him today watching something. He held his phone to his chest like someone just walked in on him. And I just nodded at him and walked to the lab.

So basically, this guy has been warned multiple times by our director, and supervisors but nothing is happening to this guy.

So that’s where I turn to Reddit. What would you do? My heart is telling me to report him. I have his normal days in my head cause he can only come twice a week.

Every time I Hear about this dude(as he is a running joke at my work) I think about my Toddler Niece.

Any suggestions will help. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Answer:
 It’s illegal material.

Call the police if you see him doing it.

There is no ifs ands or buts about it.

I say if you seeing him doing it as the evidence will be there for the cops. Answer #2: How do you know its child porn? There is a market for actresses who look like they are underage, so its possible its not.

That said, you have an absolute right to ban him from the facility. So long as the reason isn't based on race, sex, religion, disability, etc... its OK. Watching porn at the site, even if its of consenting adults, is a perfectly good reason to ban someone.

As to reporting the child porn issue, you can call the non-emergency police number and let them know, depending on what info you have for them and how credible they find your statement they will either assign someone to investigate or they won't.


Title: I was raped while visiting the US from Canada

Question:
I was date raped while out in LA. As soon as I landed back, which was roughly 4 days later, I went straight to the hospital for a rape kit.

I know his name, I know where he lives. I know his phone number. I know his ex girlfriend. I have contact of witnesses from the bar that would have seen his behaviour.

Pressing charges will be challenging because I don’t know how it works between the two countries. I’m going to be writing my statement and filing a report in the next few days.

Is there anything I should know or do? Or questions to ask? What can I expect?

Are there conflicting laws with date rape in BC, Canada and California?

I have so many questions but I’m not the first woman he’s done this to so I need to go through with this.
Topic:
Canada

Answer: Call the police in the jurisdiction where the rape occurred. You can file a criminal complaint from your home in BC. Be aware that you might need to travel back to LA at some point, depending on how the investigation proceeds.


Title: Romeo&Juliet law?

Question: I'm wondering if the R&J law applies to same sex couples in Iowa, considering that the elder has no authority over the younger. And what would that age range be?

Answer: Age of consent is 16. Those as young as 14 can consent to those so long as they are no more than 5 years older (14-19 or 15-20). Unlike some states, it applies equally to heterosexual and homosexual couples.


Title: Home invasion with homeowner charged for "theft"

Question:
My father caught my sister's boyfriend (minor) in her room because he heard a noise in the middle of the night and barged in with a gun, he immediately found him in the closet and screamed at him to get out. He called the cops on my dad after he fled from the house and the police arrested him for "theft" is that legal? also the police said, "the boy told us he was hit over the head with the gun." which is in fact not true. But my sister did willingly let him in and we have video evidence of him entering and fleeing. What should we do? Colorado
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 Let your parents sort this out. There is a mess of options they can look into. Some are criminal. Some are "kids being kids" Nothing will happen tonight. Everyone needs to calms down first.

I bet your sister gets grounded.

There is going to be a lot of B.S he said she said.

> But my sister did willingly let him in and we have video evidence of him entering and fleeing. What should we do?

Act like rational adults and listen to your parents. Don't sneak people into the house. Don't be bigger than your britches.
AND STOP LYING


Title: Probation Officer said I was off of probation and would clear my court date, that has not happened

Question:
Long story short, I met all the requirements of my probation, met the time requirement, paid all due fees, attended all classes, never violated and essentially never gave my PO a reason to give me any extra attention.  Also, my court date was/is set for next month to review my probation.  Also, this is for Tennessee.

Earlier this month, I walked into his office handed all due fees (which completed my probation).  He asked me the basic questions, reviewed everything and said "as of today, you are off of probation. I will clear your court date. You're free to go." He didn't have me sign any papers, I have received nothing at all saying "you're officially released from probation" be it from him directly or in the mail.

I've called in periodically over the past few weeks to check to see if the court date was cleared and going on 3 weeks later, I'm still scheduled to show up in court.

I am going to court later today to see if I can catch him there and ask him why my court date isn't cleared and why I haven't received release papers but I'd still like to get input from r/legaladvice

The reason why I'm worried is my 21st b-day is coming up and one of the restrictions of my probation was no alcohol (this is for people of all ages, even 21 and up).

So my questions are

1. Why wouldn't he have had the court date cleared?
2. Even though I haven't recieved release forms, am I off of probation officially since he said I was?
3. Since the court date isn't cleared, can I be forced to take a drug/alcohol test at my court date?
4. Can I be arrested for purchasing alcohol?

Also, please don't be afraid to tell me anything else you may feel is important.

Thanks so much!

*EDIT: If it matters, this was on a simple possession (marijuana) charge.

Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 Lawyer and former criminal reprobate here. The PO is trying to set you up. Many are former cops, and just like cops, they are allowed and encouraged to lie.

*Do not skip the court date.* Explain to the judge what happened, and that you're sure this was just an oversight, but you made sure to show up anyway just to make sure the misunderstanding got cleared up.Answer #2: I am so not a lawyer, but I would follow all probation restrictions to the letter until you either get something in writing stating your probation is over or the judge tells you so at your court date.  If your PO forgot to fill out some paperwork or something, and you get busted, you have nothing but your word that your probation was supposed to be over.Answer #3: It it's not written down, it never happened.

You are still on probation, as far as the law is concerned, until and unless you are served (by being handed by a court clerk, or receiving via mail) paperwork stating the opposite.

Don't take your PO's word for it. I have no idea if he's speaking in good faith, or if this is some kind of twisted test, but either way, keep your nose clean a little longer.

EDIT because I forgot:  and keep your court date.


Title: My ex showed someone our private content. What can I do?

Question: My ex and I made videos because I trusted him (I thought only immoral monsters who don’t respect me would ever share them). It turns out has not distributed them online or sent them to anyone but he has let someone watch them with him. I find this soo disgusting and disturbing it’s like I was virtually raped or something. Is there anything I can do?

Answer: You weren’t “virtually raped” and you consented to be filmed. As long as it isn’t being uploaded across the internet and resulting in actual real life harm or harassment, your best bet is to ask him to delete it and hope you never hear about it again. Not a lot you can do.Answer #2: There is a revenge porn law in NY, but I'm not sure if this counts. The law is for "disseminating" pics or videos, but in this case they're not being spread via the Internet or sent to anyone - he's just allowing people to watch it.


Title: Hilton Garden verbal agreement

Question:
My fiance and I are getting married this Saturday and had blocked off around 10 rooms at the local hotel for guests. She forgot to call and cancel the rooms because no one ended up booking any. She called them after the deadline of May 21st to take of this and they are telling her we have to pay them $2100. Can they do this? There were no emails sent, no paperwork signed and no one ever followed up after the original conversation. I don't want her (our) credit to be affected and have to deal with this down the road.
One other thing, before I could really talk her through what to do (I was at work) she cancelled the card they had on file at the hotel. What are my options/what should we do?

Thanks!

Edit: This is happening in Maine.

Answer:
 If she reserved 10 rooms on her card and didn't cancel them, she has to pay for them.Answer #2: The way these blocks work is that when you reserve X number of rooms you are essentially making your own personal reservation. Then as guests book the hotels under your block code it relieves you of the responsibility to pay for them. Since she didn't cancel in time, it's no different than any other guest who puts a credit card on file and then doesn't check it. They get billed for one night. Canceling the credit card doesn't get you out of this. Hilton Hotels Corporation has an entire unit that does nothing but collect on debt like this. If she doesn't pay it will go to collections eventually and damage her credit. For $2100 they may even file a lawsuit. Take this as an expensive lesson.

> I don't want her (our) credit to be affected and have to deal with this down the road

Then she needs to pay it.