Title: Attorney Lied - Lawsuit not filed

Question:
(North Carolina, USA)
Oh boy, story time.

About a year ago we began to initiate a lawsuit against a home builder for breach of contract, breach of implied warranty, and unfair trade practices. We hired a local attorney and gave him $1.5k as a minimum fee and $3.5k to be used on an hourly basis and put into a trust.

This process has taken over a year; he told us that he wrote a letter of demand, it was served, and that he initiated the lawsuit by filing the complaint. He led us further on stating that the builder never filed an answer to that complaint and that he was waiting for a default judgment date from the courts. This process of waiting for the date went on several months, he started not to return our calls, and after months of ambiguity, we finally got him to come over to the house.

Long story short (we have this on tape,) he only ever sent the letter, never filed the lawsuit, and no longer has any of our money.

We're pretty hysterical considering that we barely could bring together the 5k, and now we have to probably restart the entire process.

What exactly can we do? Is this fraud? Enough to be disbarred? Do we have to completely start the lawsuit over again?

Thanks for your beautiful legal responses :)

Answer:
 Wow, that sucks.

First stop: http://www.ncbar.gov/public/filing.asp

Second stop is finding (another) lawyer that handles legal malpractice claims.  (One option: http://www.ncbar.gov/for-the-public/finding-a-lawyer/)
Answer #2: Has the statute of limitations run on the lawsuit you wanted filed?  If so, you can sue your attorney for malpractice and recover what you would have had the lawsuit gone forward, in addition to damages.

If not, you'll need another attorney for your lawsuit and you may have a suit against this attorney to recover some of the money you paid him. You can also lodge a complaint at the link given in another comment. Good luck.


Title: [Iowa] Trailer park smack down of the century - neighbors fence and shed on my property, issue gotten out of hand.

Question:
I live in a trashy trailer park in Iowa that tries to pass itself off as sophisticated and upscale, it is none of those things by any stretch of the word.

[Shitty MS Paint of Property](http://imgur.com/a/GUPQ1) (fyi their shed isn't even the full distance away the owner says it needs to be)

Trailers are owned individually, but all property is rental and owned by the trailer community owner. Well my lovely neighbor decided they wanted a shed and fence, which is fine, but our community owner says all sheds need to be 15 ft from the owner's house. So what do they do? Shove it onto MY lot and put a fence 5ft into my lot.

As they were building the fence I asked if they had community permission to do this, they said no. I told them that they're building their shed/fence on my lot that I pay for. They told me to basically go pound sand. I threatened to call cops or community owner on them. They stopped building and called the owner themselves, I was content knowing that the owner would stop them.

Nope, owner gave them permission to build on MY lot. I called owner and said that if was going to let them build 5ft onto my property then he needed to redo the lease on my lot. Neighbors then finish building the shed/fence and tell me to "eat a dick". They refuse to mow the grass on my side of the property that's INSIDE their fence. Luckily it's winter and there hasn't been a need to do so yet, but they informed me that it is still MY duty.

I have a lease that states the specific size and sqft of the lot that I pay for. It's calculated at $X/sqft and I pay for those sqft that he is now giving to the neighbor.

He told me to get the neighbor to pay ME for the use of the lot, but they have refused saying that thier lease is with the community owner. Owner keeps telling me he doesn't want to get involved.

I have 7 months left on my lease for this lot, is this ground to break my lease or should I lawyer up or what? Neighbor is being a total wad about the whole situation and even went as far to taunt me as saying if anything happened to the shed/fence while it's on my property I am liable for it. Like what the fuck? This seriously cannot be legal.

What's the best, non-trailer trash, way to deal with this? Owner and neighbor are being unhelpful and refusing to work out a solution.

Answer:
 Cease and Desist letters all around. Seems pretty cut and dry that both the neighbor and the LL are breaching their contracts. If that fails you can sue the LL.

With a fence so far on your property I'm sure there are much more devious things you could do,but I'm not very creative.Answer #2: As /u/Keltino stated, Cease and Desist letters. If nothing changes, escalate to a lawyer consultation and a civil suit. Your landlord is breaching your contract, not your neighbor technically(Even though they are being obtuse). You're owed at least the amount of money you're losing by paying for the area the neighbor is now using, from the landlord.

As /u/plutos_kiss said, "Imagine you are Batman. What would Batman do in this situation? Whatever that thing is, do not do it." Don't escalate things with the neighbor.  Answer #3: Looking at the creative MS paint image, it doesn't appear either of the new structures follow the 15 ft rule. Perhaps the fence will be a blessing in disguise, to keep them away from your place, but it's still a violation of the community terms. Unfortunately, the owner thinks he's the Donald all of a sudden and can just do whatever he wants. However, he needs to update your lease or be in breach of it. I'd snap some pictures maybe get the measuring tape out too. If you pay $5/sq foot that fence is going to make rent a lot cheaper for the summer if nothing else.


Title: Voluntary Termination of Parental Rights

Question:
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Hello everyone,

My inquiry is related to the legality around voluntary termination of parental rights in Ontario Canada.

A woman that I slept with had a child that I believe to be mine.  She did not know she was pregnant until the day of the birth, and did not reach out to me.  I found out when she posted a picture of it on facebook, and then I sent her a message. After initially and repeatedly telling me that I was not involved, I heard rumours that she was spreading the word that I may be the father, still while not admitting that to me.

The child is now 18 months old and I have yet to meet, or have any part in their life (I live 400km away).  I have been pushing for a paternity test since May 2018 and I think she is finally going to do it in the next few weeks.

She has repeatedly alluded to not really wanting me involved or support from me.  I have been having mental issues and anxiety since the beginning of this ordeal and would like to know the truth.  I haven't been the same person since this started.  Completely withdrawn from my old activities and friends.

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Following a potentially positive test I would like to explore the option of terminating my parental rights and allowing her full custody and legal guardianship over the child. I believe that for the last 18 months the child has been in a loving home with her, her family, and her serious boyfriend.

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Advice on the feasibility of the case would be much appreciated.
Topic:
Canada

Answer:
 That's almost certainly not going to be possible unless she marries the boyfriend and he wants to adopt the child.

Also, plan on paying child support once paternity is established.


Title: Roofer took naked pics of me

Question:
I'm extremely annoyed and freaked out right now.

I just woke up to find that some creep roofers were looking into my windows from my neighbors roof, and taking pictures of me. I tend to sleep naked, and I tend to wind up tossing my sheets off, due to heat, so I was apparently on full display. So since my neighbor decided to reroof his house today, I wake up to banging of hammers and look out the window to a random hispanic dude pointing his phone at me.

I've called the cops, but I'm afraid they're just going to blow me off, I've never had great experiences with them in this town, they tend to avoid doing anything. If this guy has sent this photo to someone else, or god forbid, posted it somewhere, what are my options? Is there some way I can get these photos off the web?

Answer:
 What state?

>I've called the cops

What did they say?Answer #2: IANAL.

Consider calling their employer, too.  It might just make them remove the pictures from their phone before the cops respond, but that's still a win, because then, no nudes to be shared.  You may also want to let the neighbor know what just happened, so he can be sure to never give them a recommendation.Answer #3: Without proof it's going to be almost impossible for the police to get a search warrant for that phone. Sorry, I doubt you have any options legally at this time.Answer #4: Sounds like a peeping tom case, as such that would give the police the probable cause necessary to search the phone of the peeper. If I were you, and IANAL, would be sure to stay on this. If there are pictures, the only way to protect your privacy is to ensure that any pictures taken are found and destroyed.Answer #5: Also buy curtains, not only do they keep peepers away, they keep your house cool too.Answer #6: NYS: unlawful surveillance. Anytime someone views you electronically without authorization/consent in an area that you have a reasonable expectation of privacy. That means anywhere you feel comfortable and private enough to fully disrobe. Photographs and recordings meet this description of surveillance. And your bedroom meets the privacy expectation.  Id call the police. Peeping toms deserve police attention. And peeping toms who record you sleeping while employed and on the clock certainly deserve that attention. If not, you demonstrate you're alright with yourself and others being unknowingly violated by a pervert.


Title: Former Employer Seizing Package Until I Give Passwords

Question:
I left a company on bad terms (I walked out) after it was clear they had been lying to me and were going to replace me (likely without severance as they do). The state is Tennessee USA, and I had no contract or anything with the company.

As part of my abrupt leaving, they don't have passwords for a couple of things (I was in an IT role). Anyways, they want some passwords from me (which I have given some others already). A package of mine was accidently sent to the company. When the logistics company attempted to retrieve the package and send it to my address, my former employer wouldn't let them and called me to tell me they are holding it until I give them the passwords.

Can a company hold my package until I give up passwords?

Answer:
 Contact the police about the theft of your package by the company.  If you've already given other people passwords, point the managers in the direction of the people who currently have them.Answer #2: Congratulations you're both dumbasses.  They're breaking the law and you're not doing your due diligence.  You need to give them the passwords and they need to give you the package.  They're significantly on the worse side of the law however.  If you want to resolve this amicably just give them the passwords.  If you want a lot more hassle then go talk to the postal inspector and police.Answer #3: The passwords are property of the company.

The package is your property.

You're both wrong. Answer #4: How was it shipped? USPS??


Title: Lied about work experience in resume, what are the possible consequences?

Question:
I sent a resume that includes a position for the past 3 years in a company that doesn't exist. In reality I was unemployed by choice. All this supposedly took place abroad since I'm a recent legal immigrant.

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For what it's worth all the projects are real, I just stretched them to cover the past 3 years. I have a legitimate long experience and expertise in my field but also a huge gap to match.

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I got interviews, they went really well and I got job offers. One I declined when I realized what the background check would consist of by saying I was taking another offer since I always said the position was not very interesting technically (something they knew) and I think they bought it though they clearly didn't like it.

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Another I'm considering and will have to give an answer by Thursday. They know there was another offer so I'll probably refuse stating that I took that other offer as an excuse.

&#x200B;

My questions are?

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* If I refuse this offer, have I committed any crime so far? What about civil consequences?
* If I keep the charade but do not fabricate any supporting documentation and supposing the background check fails, what would happen legally?
* If I decide to keep the charade and actually fabricate foreign documentation (pay slips, bank statements, etc) supporting the fictitious position in a non-existing foreign company, what exactly am I risking? I suppose forgery and fraud. Is this correct? Would I face the real possibility of felony charges and actual prison time?

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Thank you.

Answer:
 The company can always terminate you, for starters.

If your employer is the government, you could be charged if you lie to them, depending on where you live. It's always a crime to lie to a federal official.

Do not forge documents. That's literally what forgery is. Don't risk it.


Title: Can you get in trouble for naming your phone's hotspot something such as Bomb Detonator?

Question:
I just read that a gym was recently evacuated because a member noticed that one of the WiFi networks nearby was named "Remote Detonator" or something to that effect and people assumed there was a bomb nearby.

Not saying I would do it, I'm curious; could the person who did this be charged with a crime in the U.S. for doing this, if caught? I'm speaking only if it was truly a joke and definitely not an actual detonator for an explosive device.

Answer:
 You certainly could depending on your local laws. The best example I could give is in Texas this would almost certainly be received as a terroristic threat.

It might also be against a federal law, but I don't know a lot about federal terrorism penal laws.


Title: I Shipped my PS4 and have not gotten paid for it (Urgent)

Question:
Hey so I really need some advice. I had never used PayPal before so I figured I would make an account so that I could sell my ps4. Long story short it sells with all my games and controllers for 630 US dollars. So I stupidly and trustingly ship it to the buyer after receiving an email saying that the money would transfer to my account pending tracking numbers. A week goes by and I am receiving regular updates about how close my money is to coming through when the guy asks me to wire him some money so he can transfer the rest to my account, obviously I catch on and say no and that he is trying to scam me. I call him out on this and he stops responding. This just happened five minutes ago and I’m so nervous I know I made a mistake but is there anything I can do. The cherry on top is that I paid for shipping. God I’m such an idiot I just want to die right now. Please help. I doubt there is anything I can do but I need to post this just in case.

Canada shipped to America
Topic:
Consumer Law

Answer:
 I don't think there is anything you can do other than calling the last Post Office that had the package to give you contact information on the PO it was shipped to and have them stop the package.

Other than that, I think you goofed up.


Title: Question about updating an old out-of-State will with new spouse in new State. (NC/MO)

Question:
I am writing this for my wife after a discussion last night (I told her Reddit would be a great place to go for an answer).  My wife was previously married and lived in North Carolina.  About 10 years ago she created a will splitting her assets between her then husband and her other relatives.  They were divorced a couple years after the will was created and **"filed"** (not sure if that means with the State or with a lawyer - she says "filed" with the State of North Carolina, but I'm not sure if that is a thing).

Fast forward to today.  She and I have been married a couple years now and we live in Missouri.  We are in our 40's, but a friend of hers is battling cancer so she said she wants to "update" her will.  I should be very clear - neither one of us have kids or honestly any assets to speak of.  However, she says she wants to make absolutely sure that if something happened to her/us - her former husband and/or his children cannot try to go after any of her assets.

I told her that I thought simply creating a new will and having it notarized would be sufficient.  She has some pretty harsh feelings about the ex, and wants to make absolutely sure that this is correct.  She is mainly concerned if she needs to file something in North Carolina, and/or here in Missouri stating that there is an updated will.

Any advice is appreciated.  Thank You.

Answer:
 Your best bet is to sit down with a trusts and estates attorney and have them draft a new will. While you're there you might want to consider writing one yourself.Answer #2: You shouldn't need to file anything in either state. A clause in the new will saying that the new will revokes all previous wills and codicils will be sufficient.

ETA: In addition, divorce automatically revokes all dispositions to the ex-spouse in the will that was made before the divorce. So that also works in your favor.


Title: lemon car

Question: hello we want to find out if we can get legal help. My partner and I bought a car 2007 JEEP COMPASS FOR $ 2800.00 from a private owner they guy advertise car is in good condition. We drove it the next day out town it turned on transmission over heating light. We took it to a mechanic and he said it has a bad transmission along with lots of bad sensors. We called the seller asked for the money or minimum help with the repairs and he is refusing to cooperate. so we want know if we can sue the guy or what can we do.

Answer: He doesn't have to cooperate. You bought a 10 year old car from a manufacturer with known transmission issues. You should have had it inspected. You have no recourse here.Answer #2: Used cars are sold as-is. You should've taken the car to a mechanic *before* buying it. You could sue, but whether you'd win is another story.


Title: Grandpa giving away thousands of $ to 'business consultant' who is a scam artist

Question:
 I need advice regarding my grandpa he's being taken advantage of and writing checks to a guy who says he can help him build this project he's been working on. The project is large and complicated and my grandpa cannot see very well to read or write so he does need help. But he's getting upper 80s and I don't think the project will ever come to fruition regardless it's all he's obsessed about. So this guy comes into his life who says he can help him make it happen and my Grandpa's been writing him checks. As far as the family knows the guy has not earned this money at all, he took him to one meeting (not even sure sure who they met with).   My grandpa has put quite a bit of money into this project already and has been taken advantage of already. my aunt called the sheriff on another guy who took a bunch of money to design something and never did it.

We have talked to this guy on speakerphone with my mom and all my siblings and it's clear that he is a scam artist. He told us he loves our grandpa more than anyone and then went in circles and circles but every couple of minutes came back to the ask "so are you going to write the check?" I wish I had that conversation recorded because it's so obvious what's going on. He also said he cruises nursing homes to locate people to "help," so i doubt this is his first rodeo.  He's not provided invoices or anything just keeps asking for another check.

My mom and my siblings have not met this guy, but he claims to be married to the lieutenant governor of my state. I don't know if this is true but if it is I bet the lieutenant governor would like to know what her husband has been up to. If it's not true he's impersonating someone which of course is pretty bad. I wanted to go take a picture from Google and see if my step-Grandma can identify this guy but my mom stopped me. My mom wants to just let this play out because it's "entertainment" for my grandpa. I think this guy is scum and want him to just stay away. I have no hope of getting the money back because I know legally it would be expensive and I don't know if my grandpa's up to testifying or anything like that.

what would you do? I think people that take advantage of people that can't see/read/write are just horrible.  I see my options as: listen to my mom and do nothing, or try to scare this guy off somehow and let him know that we are not going to be putting up any more cash.  by scaring him I just mean tell him we'll go to the news or something which would certainly hurt his wife. Or try and call his wife's office and see if I can figure out what the what he does during the day?

TLDR:  scam artist has ahold of my grandpa, claims to be married to someone famous, my mom doesn't want to do anything, I would like the guy to stay away.

Answer: If you are certain he’s a scam artist (not doubting you) just make sure you’re grandfather does not write any checks what so ever and you could try to block his number.


Title: Update:15 year old raped and follow up Question

Question:
I’m not quite sure how to link to the post so hopefully this works
https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/7ooz2g/1617_m_raped_14_girl_indiana/?st=JJ69PRCT&sh=4fca51dc

The accused had 2 felony and 4 misdemeanor charges and he pled (plead??) guilty to the felony sexual assault and a felony battery on a different person and the misdemeanor charges were dropped.

The punishment? 1 year of probation, no sex offender designation and some counseling and assessments.

This wasn’t exactly the outcome we were hoping for but I guess the goals for juvenile offenders are different than adults and we are relieved our daughter won’t have to suffer through a trial. I was afforded the opportunity to give a victim impact statement which was difficult but I think it will help me in trying to move on.

The plea deal came so fast and we are still accruing damages through counseling costs for my daughter. So, we weren’t able to add the costs through restitution and will be pursuing small claims.

What do we need to present at small claims court, aside from copies of the counseling costs? Do we ask for a copy of the plea deal? Since this is tied to a criminal case, I’m at a loss for what supporting documentation I would need.
Topic:
Small Claims Procedure

Answer:
 Have you looked into[ Indiana's state victim compensation fund? ](https://www.in.gov/cji/2333.htm)The victim coordinator at the prosecuting attorney's office should have told you about it. It pays for the expenses you're looking to recover, and neither you nor your daughter would have to deal with the boy who raped her or his family.Answer #2: > aside from copies of the counseling costs?

I'd take the victim's impact letter your daughter wrote, and take the court record.

[You can search for court records in Indiana here](https://public.courts.in.gov/home/portal).


Title: Arizona - I think i'm being scammed because a girl lied about her age.

Question:
Throwaway for obvious reasons. so i'm 23, and yesterday, i was on meetme where i talked to a girl who claimed to be 22 and new to town. Profile pics were very shady and pixelated, didn't seem too legit. I sent a message to her and she replied with a phone number that was from North Carolina. began to text her and she claimed that she would be turning 18 in a week and was, in fact, 17. i didn't think much of it, didn't make any moves. Suddenly i got a number of nudes of this "girl" and i decided to stop replying. i also in the meantime deleted my meetme profile.

Fast forward to today, i get a call from what sounded to be a young guy claiming that he was her father of this "16 year old girl", didn't give any names or locations, and threatened to have me jailed. he also claims to have gone to Verizon and gotten the text message transcripts, which i know needs to be done with a legal subpoena even for your own records, showing that she talked to me and did all this stuff with me. They threatened to report me to authorities but he wanted to work something out with me instead. he said that he would talk to his wife and call me back. he calls me back half an hour later and states that he talked to his attorney and is now recording all our calls. OK. He states that he will not go to authorities under 3 conditions: deleting the photos and messages(which was already done once it started), for me to delete my social profile which i also already had done, and to pay 50% of her counseling treatment back in North Carolina which he gave me exact amounts for and told me i had to pay him half. I played along and agreed. Now i do work for a criminal defense attorney and was already under suspicions that this was a scam of sorts, especially after this part. He offered to only email me paperwork on the prices and did not accept any type of cash/check payment. when i said he wouldn't be getting any money from me via paypal or any other online service, he flipped out and told me that he would go to authorities. I laughed it off and waited for him to hang up. He has been harassing me all day with text messages that are typed out in the same grammatical style that the "girl's" messages looked like.

I'm pretty sure that i'm not going to go to jail or be put on any type of offender list, but has anybody heard of something like this before? I feel like i'm definitely a victim of an attempted scam of some sort. I'm pretty sure the number is a fake as well. if anybody can help me track the number details, that would be great too.

TL;DR - i got naughty pictures from what seems to be a fake girl who was lying about her age and now the "parent" wants me to pay for counseling fees or else they are going to report me to authorities. Am I the possible victim of a scam?

Answer:
 Common scam. Block her. Don't talk to either of them. Just stop it.Answer #2: **IT'S A SCAM!!!!**

You are currently in the midst of one of the most common scams on the internet. So common, in fact, that we are starting to see this same scam on a daily basis here.

There is no girl. There is no father. There are no police. There is no counseling to be had.  There is only the scammer -- who likely lives in another country and works in a call center running this scam for a living by using the internet to spoof numbers to make them look like they're coming from different people.

If you haven't already done so: Block anyone who has contacted you. Do not engage in any communications with them ever again. Wipe your phone or computer cache & browsing history clean of anything related to this. And place appropriate privacy guards on your social media sites. I also recommend taking it one step further and deleting whatever profile or apps you used to initiate contact, as well as the e-mail account used to sign up with.

If it hasn't happened already, there will be a request for money coming soon. Don't pay it. Then the thankful you avoided getting suckered for quite a bit of cash.

But don't take my word for it. Here is just a sample of posts and articles about this exact scam, or variations on it:

http://www.thedailyscam.com/underage-girl-sext-scam/

http://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/--urgent-------underage-sexting-scam--can-my-frien-2317988.html

http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/news/local/dating-scam-tricks-men-thinking-theyve-been-talkin/nhf3q/

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130724200617AATDXM1

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2299895/James-Arnt-Aune-death-Blackmailer-university-professor-leapt-death-pleads-guilty.html
Answer #3: Yes. 100% scam. There is no girl. There is no father. Ignore them.


Title: Daughter has charges in Calif from when she was in active addiction. Now she's in a program in Massachusetts and has found out she has bench warrents from CA that could lead to her being picked up.

Question: She's currently out of work and is focused on rehab. Where do we go from here. Thanks.

Answer: Hire an attorney in Cali. She is facing criminal charges. She fled the state. It is an issue that needs to be addressed


Title: Questions about Visas, marriage, and custody. I have no idea how any of this works.

Question:
I posted earlier with another account but deleted it and a lot of people were I guess bashing me for being from the UAE and wanting my gf to go with me. My gf said she doesnt want to move but shes open to visiting so I guess its kind of useless asking now. But I do have some questions about how American laws work.

* Who gets default physical custody of the children in case of a split up?
* In the UAE, there is a difference between guardianship and custody. Is there something similiar like that in the US? Is the father considered the guardian and the mother, the custodian? Or is it something different?
* What is the process of getting permanent citizenship in the United States or at least permanent residence? I currently have a student visa that should expire by the time I graduate.
* Does the United States allow dual citizenship from UAE citizens?
* How are childcare expenses split up?
* Grandparents rights. Can they get guardianship or custodian status?
* What are the laws of taking children to visit other countries? How does this work?
* Since I am an Emirate and a UAE citizen, does my kid get UAE citizenship and American citizenship or only US citizenship? Children born to an Emirati father or an unknown or stateless father and an Emirati mother are Emirati citizens by descent, irrespective of the place of birth. So he/she is a dual citizen?
* Does the mother get automatic physical custody for a number of years and the father retains guardianship status or is it something else?
* Does being unmarried change anything? What happens if we get married? Does custody status revoke?
* How to legally establish custody. I will take a test at birth but is there any legal documents needed to establish paternity?
* What are the laws of hiring maids and babysitters? I am willing to hire a few if needed for childcare expenses and most of my life, I was raised by maids but I dont know if American laws work like that. Is hiring a maid against custodial agreements or does it violate any custody/guardianship law?
* If I go to graduate school, which I likely will, how can I extend student visa?

State: California

Answer:
 Woah woah. There's a lot here. I can't speak to citizenship issues because I just don't know.

If the child is a US citizen and lives here, then support and visitation would be dictated by the state where the child lives.

Grandparents rights vary wildly from state to state so without knowing where the child lives we can't even hazard a guess.

If the child has a passport, the parent can take the child to visit anywh ere he or she wants during scheduled visitation time barring an order to the contrary.

Default custody issues also vary depending on state but often if the parties were never married, the law assumes mom has custody until there is an order stating otherwise.


Title: I was dismissed from my U.S. postgraduate program after being given a strange test

Question:
I was a student at a U.S. postgraduate program and did not pass my first semester of classes in the fall. Students who do not pass can appeal to a committee ("Committee A") asking to return to the first year of classes the following fall.

&nbsp;

To my knowledge, no student who has asked to repeat the first semester of classes has ever not been allowed to do so. However, because I was on a full scholarship, I needed to appeal to a committee in a different department ("Committee B") than every other student who did not pass the first semester. Committee B initially asked me to take a leave of absence and return in the fall but subsequently decided to create an exam based on the first semester of content and gave me two months to study for it. I was told I needed to pass each of four subsections as well as overall on the exam (above 70%). This exam was not given to any other student and served as an evaluation of not only whether to allow my return to the program but also whether to continue my scholarship.

&nbsp;

Unfortunately, I did not pass overall (scoring 63%) but felt there to be several glaring issues about the exam and evaluation process. To name a few:

&nbsp;

1\. I was given 30 fewer seconds on each exam question than on any of the fall semester exams.

2\. There was at least one question based on content from the second semester of this program, which I had never learned before. This question was worth over 4% of the subsection score, which could have been the difference between a pass/fail in that section. More than raw impact on my score, this makes me apprehensive of the validity of the rest of the exam.

3\. My scores for two subsections were not reported, and the overall score report only seemed to be based on 80% of the total number of questions (i.e. 20% of questions were unreported). However, the faculty in charge of making the exam say they cannot review it or give me a comprehensive score report. I was also told that had I passed at least one subsection, the committee may have considered my return to the program in the fall, but I do not know if I passed either of the two unreported subsections.

4\. Unbeknownst to me, Committee B tracked my online preparation for the exam on the university's moodle/blackboard site. While it was suggested to me that I utilize these resources in preparing for the exam, it was never told to me that I was required to. However, the perceived lack of my online activity seemed to have been used as additional rationale for my dismissal. Nevertheless, the readout of my online activity at the Committee B post-test meeting underreported my actual amount of online preparation, suggesting they dismissed me using incorrect information.

&nbsp;

A week after receiving the (incomplete) results of the exam, I was dismissed from the program by Committee B. I appealed this decision to the department head, citing the reasoning above, and yesterday, was informed that Committee B's decision was upheld. I have asked whether it is possible to lose my scholarship yet continue with the program, or to appeal my first semester failure to Committee A, as every other student who has not passed has had the opportunity to do. However, this has been to no avail.

&nbsp;

Having exhausted all the options I seem to have with the university, I am wondering if there is any legal basis to challenge this ruling. I am disappointed with the ruling and will now need to choose a different path in academia that will not allow the same degree of financial stability. I can elaborate more on the degree program I was in, problems this has caused me, etc. if it helps.

&nbsp;

Thank you very much for your time and any advice you may have.

Answer: Honestly, sounds like you are not cut out for this postgrad program at that institute. You didn't pass first semester and didn't pass the exam after given two months to study. You were allow to access online resources which you ignored. They tried to help you.


Title: I have an illness that is covered under is an "ADA protected class", but workplace refusing to provide "reasonable accomodations"

Question:
Location: Chicago, IL (suburbs)

I have worked here for less than a year, so I do not qualify for FMLA. I was just written up for unscheduled absenses despite having a doctor note. HR says that I have to tell them what my medical condition is in order to be entitled to protections or any accomodations.

At my last visit my doctor was kind enough to give me a letter asking them to excuse any absences in the next 90 as "treatment is ongoing", but they still say I will get fired with one more unscheduled absence. Unfortunately for me, that is just a matter of time, and my doctor knows it.

Are they allowed to demand my medical condition? What is the process forward here? What do I legally have to do to be entitled to these "reasonable accomodations"?

I don't want anything more than unpaid time off when needed without getting fired...
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 So you need time off for treatment, you refuse to tell HR what the treatment is for, and can't schedule your absences?

"missing work regularly for unknown periods of time" isn't going to be a reasonable accommodation. If your employer knows more details of the treatment and how long these absences are/what they're for they may be more inclined to work with you.


Title: Nice 13th amendment yall got there. Be a shame if someone spilled chicken guts on it.

Answer: The article's long, but only because it needs time to let you react to the last grotesque thing you read before showing you the next horror. And it keeps going like that the longer you read it.


Title: So my boss fired me a few days ago....

Question: Ok so i am from california and i was working for a framing company that builds custom homes i was a carpenter till i was fired. I was fired because i talked back to my boss which he did not like, I've always been respectful of any coworker but he had overstepped his boundaries this time. I was on my way to lunch our lunch is at 12 everyday sometimes we go a lil later because we are in the zone and we lose track of time we do not clock out for lunch or even clock in when the day begins the boss or the foreman do our time cards for us and we look them over and sign them. well again i was on my way to lunch it was around 12:10 and he saw a few metal straps that weren't put down yet and he yelled at me to do them i said ok but it was lunch so i assumed after lunch was the right time to finish it. Well he thought otherwise and started freaking out and put his hand in my face and started snapping his fingers and said do it right fucken now you aren't going to lunch do it right fucken now you stupid motherfucker!, At this point i thought to myself thats enough i told him are you serious right now? and he said yea I'm fucken serious do it right now you stupid motherfucker and i raised my voice and said don't talk to me like that! and he told me i was fired he said you are fired as of now take your shit and get off the job you stupid fuck and i looked at him and said ok then and it pissed him off more and he took his hammer off his bags and i thought right there i was gonna have to fight him cuz he came in front of me but he started hitting the plywood on the roof we were on i took my stuff and walked off the job i had to wait for my ride cuz i was carpooling but i want to know if theres any legal thing i can do because this was a very unpleasant experience and i want to know if i can do anything legally against him because he could easily do this to others any advice would be great thank you.

Answer:
 File for unemployment, look for a new job.

Nothing illegal happened.Answer #2: Assuming you were a W2 employee for the construction company, you should file for unemployment. If you were a 1099 independent contractor (which seems more likely, especially since you have your own tools); then your unemployment protections are much more limited.

Unfortunately, there's absolutely nothing illegal about a boss being a dick, or firing you for talking back; even if it was entirely justified. The boss is allowed to be a dick; he's the boss. An employee is expected to either take it, bring it up to the bosses superior, or quit. Very few bosses would refrain from someone talking back to them like that, even if they deserved it.


Title: [NJ] Lease says since I have a pet, landlord is allowed to enter my apartment to inspect sanitary conditions without prior notice to tenant.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Because you agreed to it.  If you object to it, why did you sign it?


Title: Speeding ticket in a school zone I know I wasn't in when I was pulled over, any advice for fighting the ticket?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: It doesn't matter where you ended up pulling over.  The only thing that matters is *where* he tagged you at that speed. Answer #2: The citation likely states the violation location as a point inside the defined school zone. It's your word against his as to the location.


Title: How to keep ownership of an idea developed off the clock?

Question:
So I'm an engineer that works for company A. Like most engineers I like to tinker at home. I've recently been working on a project that I would like to patent when it is complete. Now I am not sure if when I file for the patent if it is owned by me or company A. I developed this project using my own resources and on my own time. I do not know what the terms of my employment agreement is with respect to inventions and ownerships.

To make matters more complex, I had talked with someone generally about the idea with another person from company B several months ago. This person recently approached me and said he would like to have another conversation about the idea and also strongly hinted that his company would be interested in hiring me.

Naturally I want to keep this idea my own. What is the best path forward?

I will have the conversation with company B next week on conditions of a NDA. But because of the nature of the idea I'm worried that that may not be strong enough. I'd like to file a provisional patent but I'm not 100% confident I would be the owner if I were to file it under my name.

The only other thing I can think of is that I utilize a different side project I have, creating an engineering website as a sole proprietorship, and filing it under myself as a sole proprietorship.

I'm looking for any advice as I don't want to lose ownership of this idea because I was planning on starting a company that would leverage it.

Answer:
 >I do not know what the terms of my employment agreement is with respect to inventions and ownerships

The first step is to find this out. The second step is to take that to an attorney to get an idea what your requirements and liabilities are.

You should do this BEFORE you have any conversations with ANY other company about the idea. Period.


Title: Neighbor’s Son Robbed our Home

Question:
My neighbor’s son, who is 35 years old and still lives with his parents, broke into our home while we were out of town and stole upwards of $10,000 worth of items to support his drug habit. He apparently only has one minor weed possession from ten years ago.

It’s a felony, but I’m being led to believe that he’ll likely get off easy. Is there anything I can do to get rid of this guy? Restraining order perhaps?

As far as I am aware, he was unarmed when he entered our home. Before leaving, he took with him two loaded handguns. At the moment that he picked those up, could that be considered armed robbery?

Answer:
 Armed robbery is theft from a person involving a firearm. As the house was unoccupied, this is a burglary and not a robbery.

However, burglary of a habitation is aggravated burglary which is a dangerous felony. Because he was in possession of a firearm while fleeing, this carries a [mandatory six-year sentence](https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/2010/title-39/chapter-17/part-13/39-17-1324/). Talk to the prosecuting attorney. Answer #2: Armed robbery is theft from a person involving a firearm. As the house was unoccupied, this is a burglary and not a robbery.

However, burglary of a habitation is aggravated burglary which is a dangerous felony. Because he was in possession of a firearm while fleeing, this carries a [mandatory six-year sentence](https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/2010/title-39/chapter-17/part-13/39-17-1324/). Talk to the prosecuting attorney. Answer #3: Stealing guns is a huuuuuge deal.

The ATF has a handy page to report gun theft that you should take advantage of.Answer #4: The police and the prosecutors will decide what to charge him with. You could push the prosecutor for terms of release that force him to leave the neighborhood. You can also sue him in civil court.


Title: [Georgia] If I sue a defendant in small claims and we cannot work out a payment plan, can I sell the debt to a collections agency and have their fee added to the award?

Question:
Case is pretty cut and dry, landlord owes me deposit, refusing contact, and I have all the evidence in the world.

From [here](http://www.magistratefulton.org/smallclaims.php), I see that I can place a lien on their property if the payment plan cannot be agreed upon, I can sell the debt to a collections agency, or I can try and garnish their wages.. it's an administratively dissolved LLC, who definitely still have wages as they still deposit checks sent to their business name, but I've heard garnishment is time-consuming, complicated, and piercing the veil might require me hiring a lawyer.

Answer: If you sell the debt to the collection agency then they pay you and then they own the debt and you're not a part of it anymore. They can add on whatever they are allowed to add on per the judgement.Answer #2: First you have to obtain a JUDGMENT.  In this type of situation, you can't put a lien on anyone or anything without a judgment.  Second, there really aren't any "collection agencies" that are interested in purchasing small personal judgments - let alone small personal "debts".  Third, if you get a judgment, then you can just collect it yourself.  Name the LLC and it's owner as your defendants (don't worry about the LLC being administratively dissolved, that could just be the result of them not filing some piece of paper with the state - it might not have any bearing on whether or not they are still in business or still have assets).   You paid the rent right?  So unless you paid by cash you can probably find out where the defendant that you paid banks and garnish their bank account.  At any rate, the bottom line is that without a judgment you can't do anything but ask your landlord to return your deposit.


Title: Landlord is throwing all this extra stuff in now that the house sold and we’re moving

Question:
When we first moved into our house, we were under a 6 months lease knowing the house was going to be sold, after the 6 months it became month to month. On June 3, the house was sold and we have until Aug 3 to move out.
This being said, I just got an email today stating the state the house has to be upon moving out. Cleaning the entire house professionally, lawn care professionally done, and on top of it, using the security deposit to pay for it and if anything isn’t up to her standard she would then further bill us.
The professional cleaning was nowhere listed in the lease and we have thoroughly read it before signing. On top of that, how can she keep the security deposit if the house has been sold?

Answer:
 IANAL.

If it's not in your lease, I doubt she can enforce these terms. Also, I'm extra sure that she cannot force you to use your security deposit to get professional services done that are cosmetic in nature and only serve to benefit her, and not make her "whole" (ie: returning the house to move-in condition).

When you move out, make sure you get plenty of photos; I recommend doing video as well. She's probably going to make life hell for you come August, and will likely not send you an itemized list of deductions and will try to make it difficult to get your deposit back. If it comes to it, you can sue based on the laws in your state for timely security deposit returns.


Title: [PA] [USA] Can you sue a dentist 3 years after a tooth implant fails?

Question: My mom got an tooth implant a little over 3 years ago and when the dentist was drilling into the jaw for it he cracked her jaw. At first he said he didn't then admitted he did. He finished putting in the implant but recently it failed and fell out and she had to go to another dentist to get a new one. When My mom called the dentist who messed up and he denied he messed up. She called a lawyer and he said she can't sue after 3 years, is that true? It makes no sense to me that you can't sue for a botched surgery just because 3 years went by.

Answer: It's called statute of limitations. In most cases there is a set amount of time you have to bring suit, often times that is 2 years. After that statute of limitations passes then you have no case.


Title: For over a year I was emotionally torn apart [CA/VA]

Question:
I tend to say a lot of details when I'm explaining things, so I'm just going to try and bullet point things (these won't be short ones, but I'll try and make them short) and if anyone has specific questions about things I'm more than happy to answer them in the comments and edit the post later on. (Questions are at the bottom)

\[Some Background\]

So for the past year I've been emotionally torn apart by people who I trusted with my own life and the life of my dog. Here are the bullet points.

\-In late March of 2018 I had a falling out with my Biological mother and move in with my "foster mother" (Was never adopted by this woman, but she was someone who I deemed to be a motherly figure in my life at the time)

\-In Late April she got her Military orders to move across the country and I went with her

\-Before I moved our roommate had a dog they could no longer take care of, so they gave him to me, his name is Cowboy

\-We were set to move early May, so I left my dog in the hands of my Step Dad who said he would take care of him until he is able to be taken to me. Either via me coming back and getting him myself or other means

\-Just before she got her orders I was put under heavy mental stress which caused me a bunch of mental problems that were soothed with the move as I would be away from the source (boy was I wrong)

\-After we move my "foster mother" starts to stress me out and cause me to have panic/anxiety attacks or mental breakdowns as I was still trying to recover from the stuff that happened in my hometown

\-I eventually start to get better by going out for walks and clearing my head, she doesn't think I am and wants me to get checked into a psych ward. I don't want that at all as it would make matters worse (I believe I have separation anxiety and she was the only person who I knew and trusted in that entire state)

\-I eventually agree to get evaluated and they say that I need outpatient therapy (essentially they give the no go on the ward visit)

\-"foster mother" doesn't like that and forces me into a state in which I would have to go and manipulates the situation further to where I would have to stay at least a week

\-I get put on medication that effected me negatively. My "foster mother" is a very blunt person, but now that I am off this medication I can see that I was becoming more blunt than she was and she didn't like that. (the bluntness was caused by the medication, or just my willingness to give any fucks due to what she has done thus far)

\-Fast forward a bit, around August. I'm in college, I meet friends, I meet my best friends. "foster mother" is still treating me like I have sort of problem and is constantly braiding me about taking the ridiculous medication.

\-October rolls around, I stop taking the medication entirely but say that I am because I am now regretting the decision of literally moving across the country to live with her.

\-Throughout the time of me taking the medication I was talking to a psychiatrist (don't know what it's actually called, says on his card "Medication Evaluation & Management) and he eventually suggested that I not be on the medication as I tell him I'm not taking it anymore and doing fine. But I ask him if I can go to therapy and he agrees. (I was only able to see the therapist once)

\-Backtracking a bit I was forced into a contract, saying that if I didn't sign it I would either be sent back to live with my Biological mother (to whom I still wasn't on speaking terms with) or my biological father (to whom I had only met for the first time in over 10 years weeks prior and wasn't ready for something like that) I sign the ridiculous contract and become more stressed out due to me now being in a contract just to stay in the house

\-Fast forward again to November, thanksgiving to be exact. I made plans with my Step dad to visit and surprise my family. It goes south and on the way back I get told by my "foster mother" that both my Step Dad and Biological mother (whom I had made up with at this point in time) want nothing to do with me and don't want me to come back to my hometown. I was torn by this and went into a depressive state.

\-End of December I get into an altercation with my "foster mother" and she forces an addendum on me that coincides with our previous contract. (correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe an addendum is meant to only add things to a contract while an amendment is meant to change something about it) The addendum was changing the original contract and was practically illegal with some of the stuff I would be agreeing to. I obviously didn't agree to it but was given a 24 hour window to agree to it or I would be kicked out. I left the house before the 24 hours were up.

\-They (being my "foster mother" and he sister) and tried to grab me to take me back to the house. At this point I ran. They tried calling the cops on me to report me for theft (I had taken my own laptop with me) and vandalism (apparently being practically trained to jump from a 2 story window can be considered vandalism? who knew) but when I called 911 to report the call as fraudulent it was said that they had called me under a missing person. I told the officers exactly where I was and told them not to tell my "foster mother" where I was.

\-Fast forward a bit into December, I'm living with an old buddy of mine until I can get my feet off the ground and my phone breaks causing me to not have contact with various people including my Step Dad (this is important and the main reason for this post)

\-Fast forward to my Biological Mother sending me a new phone in early March of 2019. I pop the old sim in and contact my Step Dad. He tells me some lady who new my "foster mother" picked up Cowboy and was taking him to Virginia. I was ecstatic, i would finally have my dog. I contact my "foster mother" and we start talking about how I would get my stuff from her place to my Step Dad's per the agreement made between her and my Step Dad. Afterwards I bring up Cowboy, she tells me that she won't be returning Cowboy to me and that she doesn't even have him. That he's with the lady who brought him over to Virginia.

\-I cried myself to sleep for days after this. The only thing I truly wanted back in my life was gone. I was supposed to get Cowboy registered as an emotional support dog as he helped me through the rough stuff that happened in my hometown. This was recommended by my "foster mother".

\-Fast forward to early April of 2019, I'm back in my hometown living with my Biological Mother once more stressed out of my mind thinking that I will never see Cowboy again.

&#x200B;

TL:DR- My "foster mother" stressed me out a lot mentally and had my dog Cowboy stolen from me who was supposed to be registered as an emotional support dog.

Questions:

\-What can I do legally?

\-Who would I take to Small Claims Court for emotional damages to get Cowboy back, my "foster mother" or the lady who took and still has him?

I have pictures of both the Contract and the Addendum for the Lawyers interested in seeing them.

Answer:
 It doesn’t even sound like you can establish ownership of the dog. So probably nothing.

You need to stop pretending you have a foster family that makes you sign weird contracts.

The entire post can be deleted except for the part about being given a dog, not taking the dog, someone else took the dog.

Seek further mental health treatment.


Title: [OH] My work instituted a mandatory furlough amounting to a 20% cut in pay per pay period since Jan 1st. Starting April 1st we're being presented with 3 options moving forward. A) Return to 100% pay. B) 90% pay w/ 10% "invested" in company with 12% return. C) 80% pay, 20% "invested" w/ 24% return.

Question:
Are the proposed plans of B and C legal? This sounds similar to a pyramid scheme of sorts. Am I wrong in this assumption?

For further detail to flesh out the situation. The company I work for operates with long lead times between awarded business and when they actually see funds. To offset this, the company generates invoices and borrows money from the bank equal to the invoice total so they have immediate funds. They then pay the bank back upon payment of the invoice. We've been told this is a somewhat common business practice (not sure how smart it is despite its commonality). We generally have an extremely slow Q1 and generally will operate at a loss. They normally institute layoffs but instead decided to for a mandatory furlough to reduce costs this year. We've been told that the bank is not allowing us to post a loss for Q1. The furlough was 2 mandatory unpaid days off per pay period (2 weeks), and we are not able to use PTO for those days. We've been anxiously awaiting the end of this furlough and we got news of its end today. However, it came tied with some other unscrupulous options that they tried to pitch to us during our company wide meeting today.

Concerning the proposed returns on our "invested" wages, they've given little detail as to how this repayment structure will be handled. They've simply said that "once the company enters profitability, they will use the profits to begin paying back these 'investments'." This seems intentionally vague to provide an unaccountable time frame for repayment. I also fear that anyone entering this option, will not be protected from any foul play or if they're fired before repayment occurs. Please provide some insight into this if possible since this seems extremely exploitative and unethical.

I will obviously be choosing to go with option A to go back to full pay (if haven't found a new job by then), but if I can learn anything about B and C to provide some insight for my co-workers, that would be helpful. And if I find out this is a borderline illegal practice, I'd like to find out if I have any recourse or how I can report this.

Answer:
 It's not inherently illegal to provide some compensation in the form of an investment in the company itself. What do you think things like stock options are? You have pretty much zero details about how those "investments" work so there could certainly be something illegal about them, or they could be perfectly legal. Some of how you describe it does seem somewhat iffy but that doesn't make anything illegal.

It's almost certainly a bad idea to take option B or C though.


Title: Ex found my Reddit account recently.

Question:
I have to be careful how I talk, but he found posts about me speaking about my experience in the relationship. We broke up two years ago. My therapist recommended it. I never mentioned his occupation or location or name. Can he or his family take legal recourse against me? I feel that this is an invasion of my privacy because I never posted public information about him, just my personal experience and feelings about what had happened.

edit: in Louisiana

Answer:
 I’m confused, you made a public post on the 16th most popular website in the world according to alexa.com and you are upset someone found it?  In any event, there is no legal issue here.Answer #2: >I feel that this is an invasion of my privacy because I never posted public information about him, just my personal experience and feelings about what had happened.

Why do you feel that way? If you're on Reddit voluntarily exposing your relationship history about this guy, that's not very private. It's the digital equivalent of you standing on a street corner yelling out your business, except it's more permanent because it's in writing, and a lot more people have the opportunity to read it than someone would hear you on the street corner.


Title: First DUI, don't know what to do.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 It will cost you more NOT to have a lawyer than to have one.  You need an experienced lawyer who can get some kind of deferred sentence with minimal probation times/fees.

Yes, and DUI conviction might seriously affect your ability to get jobs.  That is why you need a lawyer.

Please stop telling us what a good student you are, etc.  Nobody cares.  Anybody can get a DUI.  I am pretty successful guy and I have one.


Title: [Kanas] I got arrested in South Holland [Netherlands] about 6 months ago for shoplifting. Didn't get any notice of charges until after I returned to the states.

Question:
So money was super tight. Like not existent tight. I figured I could get away with stealing some medication for pollen allergies, only like €20-€30 worth. I was wrong and was brought in, finger printed, and told I'd find out if there are charges later down the line. Well I return to the states without hearing anything but apparently the news arrived of a ~€200 fine after I got back to the USA. I had sat on this for a bit thinking they have no power now that I'm back. But it's resting too heavy on my conscious.

I'm definitely over due on the fee. Is there any repercussions for not paying? Is there such thing as this just not reappearing if I try to go back in 10-20 years?

Answer: It's possible that you'll be arrested if you try to return to the EU.  Pay the fine and live guilt free.


Title: [MA] Providing (false) information regarding permanent residence to mortgage lender

Question:
Hello all,

I have a coworker who lives/works in CO but just purchased a house in MA to rent out.  Her mortgage lender wants her to provide evidence that she works from MA, of which she does not.

She has come to me to write an e-mail to her mortgage lender as I have a management position in our company.  I feel a bit uncomfortable about the situation.  How much of a headache could this turn into for me if I provide an e-mail that (falsely) confirms that she has permission to work remotely in MA?

EDIT:  Thanks for the quick response and talking sense into me guys.  Definitely seems like an obvious answer if I step away and look at it, just kind of got put on the spot.  Appreciate ya.

Answer: No, don't participate in fraud. Especially knowingly. That's a bad idea.Answer #2: Why is this even a question? Of course you should not knowingly assist in fraud.


Title: I'm a former Florida Police Officer, whose name was placed on the Brady/Giglio list despite having been cleared of wrongdoing by the State. What can I do to have my name removed from this list?

Question:
In May 2016, I was terminated from a Police Department in Northwest Florida for allegedly filing a false report. From June 2016-August 2017, I fought this allegation and ultimately, the State dismissed the case against me (subsequently allowing me to retain my Law Enforcement certification).

Fast forward to February 2018, where I discovered that in June 2016, my name had been placed on the Brady/Giglio list (a list compiled of Officers deemed "untrustworthy" by the State Attorney's Office). Upon discovering this information, I attempted to contact the State Attorney's office numerous times, but never received a response. Also worth noting, in my research of this matter, I discovered that any Officer added to this list is supposed to receive a letter notifying them of the addition. In addition to the notification, an Officer added to the list is entitled to the opportunity to challenge the addition of their name to the list.

I didn't receive either...

Considering the information provided above, do I have a leg to stand on, in regards to taking legal action to have my name removed from the list? My name being on the list has prevented me from returning to Law Enforcement and is available to the public (therefore damaging my overall character to anyone who may see it). I just don't understand how the Florida Department of Law Enforcement can dismiss the case and allow me keep my certification, but yet my name still remains on this list almost 2 years later.

Answer:
 Criminal charges and Brady/Giglio violations are two different things.  You can be on the Brady/Giglio list without having committed a crime.

You can seek removal from the list, but "they dropped the charges" isn't a good enough reason.  You'd need to do more to prove that the allegation was completely untrue.  Any instance of knowing dishonesty is enough to get you on a list.


Title: Wrongful termination due to disability?

Question:
My wife had a job that required manual dexterity, and after hand surgery she went on disability. When her disability coverage ended, her doctor still listed her as disabled, and the company told her that she was terminated.

They never offered her a reasonable accommodation or another job in the organization for which she was qualified, and the company managing her disability payments never offered her retraining, which apparently they were required to do. They also said that the company was legally within its rights to terminate her in this situation.

The NY State Department of Labor local unemployment office said they couldn't help. They said to contact the Department of Labor, but she has been unable to reach them, apparently they don't answer their phones.

The question I have is, should she be speaking to a labor lawyer, a social security disability lawyer or a personal injury lawyer? Or would going to a lawyer in this situation be a waste of time?

Thanks!

Answer:
 The Division of Human Rights handles discrimination complaints.

https://dhr.ny.gov/complaint

Whether this was illegal depends on whether there reasonable accommodations available.Answer #2: If her doctor released her “full duty” there wouldn’t be a problem. If the job requires manual dexterity as a condition of employment and your wife can’t do it they legally can let her go. Also it has to be a “responsible “ accommodation. They can’t have someone else do the work while you wife sits and is an onlooker  .Answer #3: The mere fact that she received short or long term disability payments or that a doctor marked her as "disabled" on the form doesn't mean that she is disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Under that Act, she must show that she is substantially limited in a major life activity, and it must be a relatively permanent limitation.

The catch 22 for plaintiffs alleging disability discrimination is that they have to argue "My body is sufficiently messed up that I'm substantially limited in a major life activity, but I'm also healthy enough to do this job perfectly well with a reasonable accommodation."

If she was a secretary with carpal tunnel syndrome, that may not be a disability, and if it is, and she can't type anymore, she may not be qualified for other jobs. They don't necessarily have to offer her another job, they just have to let her apply.

You would contact a plaintiff's oriented employment discrimination lawyer.


Title: (FL) Is it legal to share a room with a toddler? Trying to find a place to live.

Question: My husband and I (along with our two year old) are trying to find an apartment to rent. However, anything bigger than a one bedroom is out of our price range. I tried researching information on the DCF website but came up with nothing. Do we tell the landlord/rental agency we have a toddler? Can they deny us a one bedroom because of our child or does that depend on their own set of rules and not state laws?

Answer:
 No. It is not illegal to share your room with your toddler.
Answer #2: I think it depends on the state. In Michigan they count each person, even a newborn. It's ridiculously called "by heartbeat," as in you have to list each beating heart that will live there. Answer #3: It's not illegal, as least not as far as any federal statute is concerned.

A landlord is able to set "reasonable" occupancy limits on a unit though, which is typically two people per bedroom, so technically an individual landlord could choose to deny you, but I don't see it being a big problem in reality.

Here in NYC people do it all the time, myself included for a while.  Our son's crib was out in the living room and my wife and I had the bedroom.


Title: I was on Omegle and got footage of a child sucking what appears to be an adult's penis. What should I do?

Question:
Was browsing Omegle with my friends and we were recording stuff to laugh about later. Then we stumbled upon a child who was putting in his mouth a penis. Yes I am sure it was a penis. The child was clearly under aged ( maybe like 9-10 years) What should I do now? To whom should I report this? I live in Moldova. It's a small country between Romania and Ukraine and I'm don't know about any laws regarding child pornography. Please help.
Topic:
Non-US

Answer: Its' illegal for you to have that footage saved, tread carefully.


Title: [CA, USA] Rival adult baseball league has stolen our fields by "donating" money to the city.

Question:
Here in Southern California, there's a lot of adult baseball leagues. One of them is a behemoth that has dozens of games per day every weekend.  They have existed for 30 years and are grandfathered into many of the city field reservations, which has left slim pickings for smaller leagues- like ours.

Enter a small suburban town just outside the city limits.  This is where our league plays. As a resident of this town, I get priority for field bookings and I get them at a discounted rate as the town wants to help out it's taxpayers, like myself.  Furthermore, the town has a policy on the books of only renting fields for leagues that are non-profit.  We qualify.

At the end of last season (October 2018) the head of the town sports office told me to touch base in January of 2019 to lock in our normal Sunday reservations for the 2019 season.  When the new year came around, I called as they requested but was informed that the behemoth league already rented out all the Sunday fields for the entire year.  They did this back in October of last year.

Whatever, seems like back luck, right? Well, here's why I'm inquiring with r/legaladvice.

This other league does not qualify to rent fields in the town.  They are a for-profit league (extremely expensive). That alone should disqualify them.  But also, they are based in a town miles away, which should also disqualify them.  So why would this be allowed?

The head of the town sports office told me that due to funding cuts, the town hasn't been able to keep the fields in great condition, but this behemoth league offered to "partner" with the town to pay more money than the standard rental fee in an attempt to make the field better. So essentially the town opted to do business with this league that does not qualify, simply because they paid them more money.  Nowhere does it state that field rates are negotiable, or that you can even pay extra money.

My question is should this even be considered legal?  Depending on how you look at it, this other league essentially bribed the town to give them priority to book the fields.  And of course they were able to pay more money, because they are a for-profit league, which has never been allowed to book in the past.

This has displaced our league and we now have nowhere to play.

I was hoping to hear from people who work in government and get an understanding of how payments and "partnerships" like this work, because this quid pro quo seems very suspect to me... thank you.

Answer:
 Raise hell with the mayor. Have your league show up at his officeAnswer #2: If I had to guess I would say that the "non-profit only" rule is a policy rather than a legally binding principle.  It sucks for your group but I don't think you have much legal recourse.Answer #3: IANAL, But I do deal with Tax-Exempt Bonds, and if any part of this field was funded with Tax-Exempt bonds then what they city is doing could be deemed a violation of the Private Use rule of Tax-Exempt bonds. Answer #4: If these are internal policies instead of regulations, then it's likely perfectly legal. It's not bribery because it's not for personal use, but it's for the benefit of your town. The town's actions are also not arbitrary or capricious. They gave you a reasonable explanation that this partnership a way they can properly maintain their fields. My guess is that your only recourse is political, that is, your local representatives. I would suggest ways you can prioritize citizens while also fund it (perhaps crowdfund).Answer #5: If the town changed their rules in order to allow this, then there is nothing wrong with that.

If they didn't change the rules but simply aren't following them, then you have a valid argument.  However, it wouldn't be at all hard for the city council to repeal the ban on nonprofits or whatever other rules are in the way, if they haven't already, so your recourse may be limited.


Title: U turn accident. Who is at fault?

Question: Father was involved in accident. Long story short, father is truck driver, small truck in front of him pulls over onto shoulder, father of course tries to go around, as he's doing that truck pulls out in front of him to attempt a u turn, trying to avoid t boning them he tries to pull over to the shoulder as quick as he can. Small truck hits him on the side and his fuel tank. He is of course being blamed for everything. Any advice? Was he at fault? (Texas)

Answer:
 It's hard to say who's at fault without a full accounting of the situation.  It's also possible both are at fault.

Are you saying the small truck tried to make a u-turn in front of your father?


Title: Landlord wants to wait till the spring to fix HVAC unit.

Question: My HVAC unit has a pretty bad leak on it and needs to be replaced. They have sent out repair men 4 times over the past 6 months to refill the freon. At this point, the unit will run all day and will finally reach 75 degrees once it cools down outside. (Below 75 degrees).  I sent an email to my landlord yesterday asking for the status of when it will be repaired/ replaced. He responded back telling me that they plan on replacing it in the spring. I live in South Carolina so are winters are pretty mild but some nights in the winter will get below 32 degrees. Is my landlord legally required to fix the unit before then?

Answer:
 South Carolina rentals have an "implied warranty of habitability" which includes heat.  Your landlord is required to fix this or you have a variety of remedies, including fixing it yourself and withholding rent.  Take a look at this: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/top-10-landlord-legal-responsibilities-south-carolina.html

Edit: I'd recommend asking your landlord politely to fix the problem ASAP before talking about withholding rent.


Title: <NYC> US Wifes (employer) financial company demanding all of my brokerage information.

Question:
Below is the text she is required to accept and information she is required to provide or be penalized. I feel like my financial infomation is mine and since i am not an employee, user, or beneficiary in any way of the companys products I don't have to comply. Also I should say her company is not a government or federal agency.

"
EMPLOYEE ACKNOWLEDGMENT & CERTIFICATION

I acknowledge that I have received a copy of the Personal Trading Policy (the "Policy") of (Financial institution). For purposes of this Acknowledgment & Certification, all capitalized terms shall have the meaning set forth in the Policy. By clicking "I Agree" below:
•	I acknowledge that I have read the Policy and will abide by its contents as a condition of my employment, including the requirements to (i) comply with the Trading Restrictions; and (ii) timely, fully and accurately provide the Required Disclosures, and not withhold Account Data for any Brokerage Accounts unless such account is subject to an exemption set forth in Section II.C.ii of the Policy. I further acknowledge that violation of this Policy may result in disciplinary actions by (Financial institution), up to and including dismissal.
•	I acknowledge that I am required under the Policy to provide (i) Account Data for each Reportable Brokerage Account; and (ii) for each such Reportable Brokerage Account, the account number, account owner(s), name of account, and financial institution.
•	I acknowledge that I have carefully read the provisions titled "Personal Trading Data" (Section II.A.), and "Disclosure of Personal Trading Activities" (Section II.C.) I give my express consent to (Financial institution) to collect, process, access, use, store, transfer, disclose, and retain the information described in those Sections, including Personal Trading Data, and including for the financial institutions and clearing firms to disclose the Personal Trading Data for myself and any Covered Person to (Financial institution) or its designated third party service provider, as described in this Policy. I specifically acknowledge and expressly consent to (i) the use of service providers by (Financial institution), including for the Trade Reporting System provided by Financial Tracking Technologies; (ii) the use of such data to verify compliance with the Policy, including the Trading Restrictions; and (iii) the transfer to, and processing and storage of, the Personal Trading Data in and to other (Financial institution) offices and in and to other countries, including the United States, which may have different levels of privacy protection than the country in which I am based.
•	I acknowledge that I am solely responsible for informing my Covered Person(s) of the requirements of this Policy and obtaining from my Covered Person(s) all consents for making the Required Disclosures, including providing all consents required to complete the Required Disclosures through the Trade Reporting System.
I understand that (Financial institution) reserves the right to alter, amend or terminate, in whole or in part, any section of the Policy, as permitted by applicable law, and that the most up-to-date Policy is available under ****** and *******. I understand that any alterations or amendments to the Policy are effective upon posting. "

As far as i can tell this contract basically gives her employer total unrestricted access to all of our accounts and if they decide to change the terms they don't even have to tell us. Its like one of those horrible credit card contracts that take your data and sell it to everyone. Also I don't believe this is legal because being forced to sign a contract under the threat of loosing your job qualifies as duress.
Topic:
Contracts

Answer: You have no obligation to comply. The employer has no obligation to continue employing your wife. Also, this is not duress.


Title: I want to buy booster card packs and sell em.

Question: Hey guys, is it legal if I buy on internet booster packs like yu gi oh or duel masters packs and then sell them for more ?

Answer: It’s legal, but any profit is income and taxes will have to be paid accordingly


Title: [FL] Having a child out of wedlock. What legal actions do we need to take?

Question:
My girlfriend and I have been together for 5 years. Everything is great. We are very much in love. However, we both have a personal stance that we have no interest in marriage.

We have been talking very seriously about possibly having a child. If/when we do, what actions do we need to take so that we both have equal rights in regards to the child?

I've tried Googling, but pretty much everything I find is about couples who are not together and talk about setting up visitation hours and whatnot. My girlfriend and I are in a very committed relationship. We just want to be able to have equal parental rights.

Answer:
 All parents have equal rights. Assuming you are male and she intends to birth a child, you can file with the putative father registry pre-birth in case the relationship fails and she tries to give kid up for adoption. Post-birth, if she does not name you as father or not allow you to sign BC, you can petition for paternity to legally establish your paternity.

Like, the only legal thing I would say is ask why yall have such a stance against marriage. If yall eventually go to buy property its a better legal mechanism. Truly no hodgepodge of legal maneuverings will match the protections of what marriage can bring....kind why marriage for all was such a big deal.

If you are not male and/or you don't intend to acquire a child via personal child birth it may be harder as some states don't let non-married people jointly adopt a kid. Answer #2: If you're against marriage on the grounds that you feel it's a religious thing you want no part of, as others have said here there are a good many legal benefits it carries. If you're going to be together for the long haul such that you're considering choosing to have a child together, you should probably just go to your local courthouse and do it. It will save you far more hassle in far more things than I can list here.Answer #3: If you can work everything out amicably there is no need to involve the courts of lawyers. Make sure your wills reflect your wishes as to what happens to your assets if you should die.


Title: Recent bout of crazy spam

Question: Recently, we've had an interesting spam attack. Someone from a crappy, scammy "Legal" website sent PMs to users who posted here, directing them to their site and offering to give them advice for something like $50. Because we've gotten a couple mod reports for this, I just wanted to let everyone know that the account in question has been reported to the admins and has been site banned.

Answer: God, shut it /u/parsnippity. I'm trying to make some extra cash here.


Title: [CA,usa] Wife is thinking about co-signing for her mom on a mortgage loan, could I be on the hook for the loan if my MIL can't pay for any reason.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Yes. You absolutely would be.

Cosigning a loan is a very risky proposition if you are unsure if the borrower will be able to repay.


Title: Need help!!

Question:
Hello everyone. So basically what has happened is right now I am 16 and my parents honestly hate me. They are abusive and neglect my well being and have caused a lot of mental health issues for me. Anyways I plan on leaving them FOREVER the day I turn 18 and finish school...however after today I do not think that will be possible anymore.

  So what happened is that they wont allow me to buy my own car so instead bought the family a truck to use in generally, they told I have to PAY THEM BACK for a fucking 60k truck. They said once I pay them back fully It will be mine to keep however there is no way in hell i will ever be able to pay them back in fucking two years. Which means after i turn 18 i still am gonna be making them payments. I never agreed to this and I need to know

 If i run away after i finish school without paying them back for this truck(which i never brough and it isnt legally mine) can they do legal action against me or like take me to court...

As of my location I live in Canada in the province of Alberta.

Answer:
 So.. then dont buy the car. No one is forcing you.

But you cannot steal the car at 18. Answer #2: If I were you I'd send them an email this instant saying "Hey mom and dad, while the deal you tried making saying that you want me to buy this car is nice and all, I'm not buying it, don't want it, won't make any payments on it now or in the future. When I turn 18 I will purchase my own vehicle so you won't need to worry about me not being able to keep up." Save it on a flash drive and set it in a safe. Answer #3: Ensure you never make a payment as an adult, that would validate the contract. As it stands when you leave do not take the truck, and stop making payments. If they want to sue you at that point they can try but enforcing that type of contract made as a minor will be very difficult.


Title: Severely burned by e-cigarette

Question:
Hey all. This is my first time posting here, so I apologize if I'm breaking any rules, or if this is not the right place for this kind of question.

This weekend, I was spending some time with my parents for Fathers day. At the time, we were sitting under a shade tree on the patio, waiting for our food to finish grilling. I had an e-cigarette in my pants pocket. Suddenly, and without warning, the battery caught fire. I cam only describe the fire as being similar to having a road flare in my pocket, or possibly a blow torch.

I immediately removed my pants, however even in my haste, I still suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns across my entire thigh and hand/fingers. I've been in the burn unit at my local hospital now for 4 days, and I'm currently awaiting surgery/skin grafts. I'm also in what I would consider to be an extreme amount of pain.

I've followed all of the recommended safety precautions. I use a well known, big named e-cigarette. This is not a "mechanical mod", so the unit is supposed to have safety features to help prevent the issue. I was also using a well known and big named battery. I check the condition of my battery daily, so I'm certain there was no physical damage. I also had the battery cover on, the unit turned off. The e-cigarette was also the only thing in my pocket.

Due to the injuries, I will likely spend 3-4 weeks in the hospital, and will certainly end up with a very large bill. In addition to this, I will likely be missing a month or more of work. I drive a stick shift car, and type for a living.  Both are very difficult to do without the use of my right hand.

I think I would like to pursue a lawsuit to try to recoup some of these losses, but I don't even know where to begin. I've never even thought about suing someone before.

So... I turn to you guys. Do I even have a case here? If so, how would I best begin this process? Would I be better off contacting a personal injury lawyer, or a consumer product lawyer of some kind? I'll be honest... I feel completely lost right now, and terrified that I will end up losing my job over this.

Apologies for any spelling errors. My nurse gave me another shot of painkillers via IV about half way through writing this, so you may notice my spelling degrade.

TL:DR - E-Cig exploded in m pocket. Ruined fathers day. 3rd degree burns on entire hand and thigh. Hurts real bad. What are my options for a lawsuit?

Edit: This is in the state of Missouri. All devices were purchased from a single local brick and mortar store, though I' not sire if I have proof of purchase.

Edit 2 for more detail: I had my LG battery in my Evic VTC Mini, with the battery cover on. It was the only thing in my pocket. The VTC was also turned off. I inspect my battery every single day, and replace it immediately at the first sign of any wear. There were no tears in the wrap, the mod/battery has never been dropped. There was no dents in the battery. I have educated myself on battery safety, and I am extremely careful.

Answer:
 You most certainly have a case. Get yourself a lawyer and pursue damages.Answer #2: You'll want to speak to a local personal injury attorney or three once you're discharged home from the hospital.  If you really want to be proactive, ask for/get a copy of your hospital records on your way out and show them to the attorneys you consult with.

Out of curiosity, was the manufacturer of the battery a company with a two letter name?  (edited to add) Here's why I asked the manufacturer:

http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/04/02/vaping-explosions-ecigarettes-battery/99686178/

http://gizmodo.com/man-loses-seven-teeth-after-e-cigarette-explodes-in-his-1791293954
Answer #3: On top if other advice, don't throw out anything! Keep the clothes, the battery, the e-cig (don't put in a new battery and keep using it), anything you filled it with, your receipt, etcAnswer #4: Sure you have a case... IMO it is probably an uphill battle though... The battery manufacturer will almost certainly blame the mod manufacturer. The mod manufacturer is probably Chinese so good luck getting them in court. Both will blame the tank manufacturer and say that the coil caught fire. All three will blame you. The retailer that you bought it from will probably pass the buck to all the others.

Not saying you wont get an award, but just that you probably have a heck of a battle ahead.


Title: [PA] Waiting months for any response from other person's auto insurance to settle claim. Feeling very helpless. My rep is useless. Are there any sticks I have the power to take and shake at them myself to get things moving?

Question:
I am utterly chomping at the bit to have this resolved. I'm in the hole a few thousand and I am sick of waiting and wondering if there will ever be a response from the other party's insurance.

My insurance is standing firm in the determination that I am 100% not at fault. The nature of the accident leaves some gray area (I'm trying to avoid going into too much detail to remain anonymous) but from the angle, severity and location of the impact on my car seen in the damage pictures, my own very clear recollection of events AND the other person's admittance in the recorded statement that they were not looking before the accident happened, I feel fairly confident that the other party's insurance doesn't have much of a leg to stand on and I should be found 100% not at fault.

I've been told by my rep that the most they will bend is to agree to 50/50. This is not acceptable for me or my insurance company. However, both my rep and his manager have tried reaching out (so I'm told) several times a week to the other party's manager, and continually receive no returned calls, emails or response of any kind.

I was told eventually this could get pushed into arbitration if they do not answer, but both companies are also somewhat affiliated under the same parent company, so they are trying to avoid going to those lengths.

I only have emails and phone calls with my rep as a means of communication with the entire situation. I ask him for an update, he says there isn't one, promises they are still trying. I do not like getting the runaround and I'm out of patience.

Is there anything *I* can do to make things move? If this needs to be escalated to arbitration, can I help get it going? Is there anything substantial I can threaten my insurance or the other party's with to light a fire under their asses?

Thank you so much for any help!

Answer:
 Months????? That is totally unacceptable. I'd call the state insurance commissioner officeAnswer #2: It sounds like they believe their client is 50% at fault, and aren't willing to negotiate further. If that's the case, they most likely just don't see a point in talking more to your rep.

You say you're thousands in the hole, but I'm not sure why that would be. Do you have a really high deductible, do you only have liability insurance, or has your insurance just not paid you yet?


Title: Politico takeover

Question:
The news site politico has been bought out by a German company. This company is staunchly pro Israel and after buying politico, said that politico employees will be expected to be both pro zionist and pro free market. If not, the employee is expected to quit.

I understand that, except for Montana, a person can be fired for just about anything.

So, here's my question: Let's say I work for Widgets, Inc. and they make a policy saying all their workers are expected to believe x and y, and that those who believe otherwise need to quit.

I assume Widgets, Inc. would prefer people to quit so as not to be eligible for unemployment. Let's say I refuse to quit, and instead they fire me. I understand the firing wouldn't be illegal, but would I be eligible for unemployment? Would I have any grounds for a civil case?

Thanks in advance!

Answer:
 Its not that you're expected to believe such things.  Its that you're expected to produce news articles of that slant, because that's what they're paying you for and if you won't do your job you'll get fired.

Normally when fired without cause you're eligible for unemployment.  Here, they'd be alleging for cause when you refused to turn in work product which conformed to their requirements.


Title: Is giving witchcraft advice illegal?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 The reason Etsy banned hooky kooky stuff was people were professing they had benefits they didn't really. You could be looking at things as simple as consumer fraud liability. So it's not that mystic items are illegal on their own, but rather that they were being marketed as cure-alls, like crystals that cured cancer, or a box with a ghost inside of it (how do you confirm a box has a ghost? Fuck if I know) and stuff like that.Answer #2: will you be selling stuff, doing an educational activity, or actively promoting the practice of these concepts (no judgement implied)? that will impact what potential legal issues you may have. the religious part won't be the issue though. Answer #3: Etsy and Ebay banned these products for a fairly simple reason: if I sell you a candle that I tell you will make you happier, then you tell Ebay that the candle didn't work, how do they determine if the product was truly faulty? Obviously I believe the candle will work, and sold it to you in good faith (or believe there's a sucker born every minute, you wouldn't know from my Etsy store), and you chose to buy it...
It just complicated things, so they got rid of them.

You should be fine running your own site. I generally advise against recommending magic in cases where people should really be seeing a doctor, but plenty of religions get away with that sort of thing just fine.Answer #4: >they make it seem like witchcraft is illegal

Pretending to practice magic was illegal in North Carolina until 2004, but the law was repealed.


Title: [Naples, FL] Homeowners in FL had to enforce a levy against Bank of America in order to recoup fees ordered after a mistaken foreclosure, why did they have to post a $10k bond to get a sherrif to carry out the action? DIT

Question:
[link to the story](http://www.naplesnews.com/business/personal-finance/bank-america-check-mistaken-foreclosure-nyerges)

Tl:dr -  bank tries to foreclose on a house they didn't own, suit gets dismissed. Homeowner asks for and receives fees. Bank refuses to pay until homeowner shows up with a sherrif and a truck to local branch to collect a check or sofas.  Prior to showing up the homeowners pay a $10k bond to the sherrif in order for them to enforce the levy on the bank.

Why the bond, shouldn't the sherrif just do it once ordered?

Answer:
 The court didn't order the sheriff to do anything. The court ordered the bank to pay up. After a civil award is issued it's generally up to the victor to collect. Sheriffs can be called out to enforce things, but that isn't a free service.

Usually getting the Sheriff out to collect is a waste of everyone's time. The bond is there to make sure that the sheriff is called out only when necessary.


Title: Sued for wrongful termination (pt 2)

Question:
Original post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/96e71d/being_sued_for_wrongful_termination_by_employee/

I came here last week looking for some helpful advice to try and save my business. You guys decided to bandwagon attack me and even silence my entire post because you've got a mob mentality that's biased in favor of a pet minority group. I really appreciate all the "help" I got here and the snide remarks wishing me and my business to fail. I hope you all feel good about yourselves.

Anyways, I just thought I'd give an update on the situation and how it's going to work out, despite you guys being unwilling to offer any useful advice.

We were faced with either having to hire Mark back or he was gonna sue us for $100,000. Yesterday, I called another vote and everyone agreed to take a paycut so we can afford a settlement, and just pay him to go away. Congrats, you guys win and your minority pet gets a free payday for doing nothing. Horray!

But my company sticks together and we look out for our own.

I'll take this as a major learning experience and will be extremely careful not to hire anyone that can cause issues like this in the future. I always try and give people and equal chance, but it seems that with the intolerant left that's just not safe anymore.

Answer: If you want make a troll post, it has to at least be plausible. Employees with no liability don't volunteer to pay settlements on behalf of their employer.