Title: Is this blackmail if I saw my cousins having sex and we make an agreement that I don't tell?

Question:
Hey guys,

I've suspected my two (step) cousins of being in a physical relationship for a while. I'm currently 18, but they're 23 and 24 (and yes, they are siblings). They've been having sex with each other since before I was 13 but I never had proof of this. When I was 13, I walked in on them, and my older cousin threatened to kill me if I told our family and every family get-together, he would give me this look that basically was like, "remember what I said..."

This year, our family always has Thanksgiving at my family's place. They always occupy a few of the guest rooms, so I left my phone recording in one of them. The angle was slightly off, but I do have footage of one of my cousins and I have recordings of their voices. I honestly just wanted the recording to get back at him for threatening me.

A week after the Thanksgiving party, I told one of my cousins that I have the video of them, and I sent it to him. He offer me money in exchange for deleting the video, sent my video to my other cousin, and she offered to have sex with me in exchange for the deletion. Obviously, I don't intend to delete the video, but would it be considered blackmail if I take them up on their offers?

Answer: You are possibly blackmailing them, as well as being guilty of voyeurism or some recording crime. Or you are a trollAnswer #2: Multiple crimes committed, by you.  ~~You may want to delete the video and destroy your computer.~~  What they may have done is wrong, what you've done is imprisonable.


Title: Someone posted my campaign contributions online that have my address on them, is that legal?

Question:
Someone posted a receipt of my campaign contributions to Donald Trump for President on social media. The receipt has my name and address. They got it off of the fec.gov website which it seems everyone and anyone has access to. Is it legal to post my name and address in a screenshot on social media ? What can I do?
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer:
 Campaign contributions are public information, there's nothing wrong with re-publishing that information, it may violate site terms of service if it contains personal information depending on which siteAnswer #2: There is no way to donate to a candidate "in secret."  It's all public information.  If you don't want people to know that you donated to a certain candidate, your option would be to not donate at all.Answer #3: > Is it legal to post my name and address in a screenshot on social media ?

Yes. None of that is protected information.

> They got it off of the fec.gov website which it seems everyone and anyone has access to.

Correct. That is because this is a democratic republic and there is transparency.Answer #4: In short? Nothing. It’s literally on a government website that everyone has access to. You COULD ask them to nicely take it down, but if you’re looking to go the “they DOXXED me!!!1!” Route, you’ve got no leg to stand on.


Title: [CA] I am a musician who leased a suite in a commercial building a month ago. Today the building was red-tagged. Looking for legal and practical advice.

Question:
Hi, I have scanned google results and this subreddit but have not found anything directly relevant to my situation, which I believe is fairly unique. Also, I’m feeling a bit desperate as my work involves a lot of risky business decisions in the first place, and I’m scared this kind of thing could be a career-ender.

I live in Los Angeles, California, and just signed a 6-month lease for a small suite in a building that specializes in renting to recording studios, bands, composers, music producers, and people related to the industry. The building is located in the city of Burbank, which is known in the area as the location of movie studios, and all sorts of people with careers behind-the-scenes in the entertainment industry. The company who runs my building operates four other locations across the LA area. It’s notable that the locations are by and large low-rent for various reasons, and host more music industry hopefuls and night-and-weekenders than full-timers. I am only a recent full-timer.

I arrived today to find a red-tag. The tag listed three concerns, roughly: the building has been (and is currently being) extensively modified and is not up to fire code; the building lacks fire and safety response systems; and the buidling’s basic use has changed without approval. The last one scares me the most. I live gig-to-gig and I’m still in a stage of my career where I have to promise a lot, work hard, and still barely make rent.

First the legal advice. From a few conversations, cursory research, and reviewing my lease, I have a bad feeling that since this is a commercial space, I am SOL. There is a specific clause indicating that the use of the building is a privilege, not a right; that suitability is not guaranteed; and that I indicate I had done my due diligence to inspect the suitability of the space before signing.

So as I see it, unless there is some loophole, I may have two options: waiting out the storm, or abandoning the space and kissing my rent and deposit goodbye. So far the management/owners have been pretty reasonable in general, much moreso than slumlord horror stories I have read and often beyond their legal obligations. They also indicated verbally they have high hopes for the city to work with them, to ensure the building is able to eventually continue to operate. A similar facility recently had a fire with two deaths, and the city is cracking down, but perhaps it has affection for its creative populace.

Now practical advice. Cursory red tag research is pretty damning. It sounds like it’s often a death sentence. But I seem to find a lot of California is wild-west, and I have read lots of stories of non-coded structures killing young dreamers (Ghost ship fire, balcony collapse in Berkeley, off the top of my head) So perhaps enforcement of code is lax.

So does anybody have any anecdotal advice? Rough translation of what this may actually mean? I have resigned myself to bring my essentials from the building to my studio apartment and operate in super-light mode for the time being. Owners say they will learn more by talking to the city Monday about the prognosis.

I am happy to copy language verbatim from the red tag or the lease if it would be specifically helpful. I’m exhausted from responding to this change and I will have more energy tomorrow. Thank you in advance and I hope this is a stimulating challenge for some of you.

Answer:
 My only practical advice is about the suitability clause in your lease.

They can't get rid of your legal rights with a lease clause, and their assertion that use is a privilege not a right is laughable-- establishing a right to access and use a space is **the entire point of a lease**.  They can't get around that by making you sign a lease that says you don't have an actual right to anything.  The clause about doing your own due diligence, etc. Could be interpreted to mean that they make no gaurentees that you can do what you plan to do there, it's your job to make sure that your use is legal for the space (e.g. that it's on you to check if you can use it as an event space if that's your plan) and usable for your purposes (e.g. if you plan to put in equipment that the electrical system can support it) but they can't delegate away their responsibility to provide the basic legal requirements of occupancy.

A commercial lease implies certain obligations to provide a legally-compliant occupiable space, they can't write around that basic assumption with some sketchy contract terms.

That said, it sounds like they're shady as hell and knew this building was not in compliance.


Title: Help: My home was struck by lightning on Memorial Day and burned down. Now Insurance policies are at odds.

Question:
(Forgive me all I have left is a phone)

On Monday morning 330am, my home was struck by lightning. The fire pretty much destroyed my attic and the 9 engines worth of water that it took to put out the fire, destroyed my condo (I live in a 2 story condo and the fire started in the attic.) I have condo insurance policy that protects my interior and I have a master policy that covers the whole condo. My insurance policy that covers my interior is supposed to protect my belongings and the master policy is supposed to protect the structure. Well, the insurance that covers my belongings claims they cover the sheetrock inward. This insurance has only 50k worth of coverage. The damage including the sheet rock exceeds 50k by a lot. The master condo insurance adjuster came out today and pretty much said the same thing.

That said, the president of my HOA stated that the master policy covers the walls, floors and back (so this includes the sheet rock). And he referenced my HOA bylaws. The adjusters said they had to review the by laws and would make a recommendation to the insurance company. I'm worried because if my interior insurance covers the walls, I'm totally screwed. 50k will not cover all my belongings and the damage. However, if the master policy covers the walls-back, I'm in good shape. Since the other insurance will cover my electronics, furniture, etc which I probably have around 50k in belongings.

Both insurance companies wanted a copy of the bylaws to review. I pulled the paragraph that covers the insurance.

The HOA bylaws state:

"In event of damage, the amount of insurance allocated to the Townhouse unit involved shall be used to restore that Townhouse to generally accepted building standards and in accordance with applicable building codes and any deficiency in insurance coverage shall be paid by the owner of the unit involved. For the purpose of insurance loss due to fire or windstorm as provided in applicable policies in force at the time of such loss, common elements include all structural items connected to the building including cabinets, partition walls, stairs, plumbing and electrical fixtures, heating and air conditioning equipment, built in appliances, and like items. Personal items such as clothing, furniture, free standing appliances, wall hangings, and like items are not common and shall not become a common expense of the condominium or the other Co-Owners."

My president said they will pay for the damages based on generally accepted building standards and any premium upgrades (walnut cabinets), the difference would have to come out of my pocket or my other insurance.

My HOA has a strict policy regarding modification of interior walls so I presume that is because of the insurance coverage.

Am I screwed? Or does the bylaws cover me.

I hate the ambiguity of legal jargon.

Thanks

Answer:
 Based on the by-laws, the master policy should be responsible for replacing:

>all structural items connected to the building including cabinets, partition walls, stairs, plumbing and electrical fixtures, heating and air conditioning equipment, built in appliances, and like items.

Your policy would cover your possessions and may step in to help if the master policy is exhausted before completing repairs.Answer #2: Okay, thanks. My master policy has 1 million dollar coverage on each unit so I think I'm fine considering my condo isn't worth anything close to that. But my personal only has 50k coverage. I just need to make sure the sheet rock is covered by the master policy and not the personal based on my HOA by laws.


Title: A garage inspected my gfs car and gave it the OK. 4 hours later she got on the highway, and after a few miles the car started to shake violently and became undrivable. AAA towed it to a garage. Two tires had splits in them and the rotors we're completely rusted. What should we do?

Question: I'm not really sure if there's any legal recourse here but she paid for an inspection that clearly wasn't done, and put her in danger. The cost to fix these issues is over $1k at this point. Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer:
 https://itstillruns.com/pennsylvania-car-inspection-requirements-6146294.html

Rust isn’t an issue with rotors, and the tire inspection consists of tread depth measurement.Answer #2: The car met the state requirement, and the shop confirmed that, as that was their only duty. Beyond that, it's out of their controlAnswer #3: What type of "inspection" was this? Did she pay for this inspection?


Title: Retraining Order

Question:
My girlfriend and my girlfriends mother have recently been kicked out of their house in New Jersey. Her mom and step dad were co-owner of the house.

He obtained the restraining order and they were kicked out of the house. She had to find a new home a distance away and her mom had to move everything out. What can they do to recover the wealth they have lost due to this situation?

Thank you for your help in advance.

Answer: They should consult with a qualified attorney in their jurisdiction, as there's a lot more to the story here.


Title: [TX] Can I prevent my husband from taking our child out of state?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You are married, and the law does not get involved in how the individuals in a marriage make decisions.

You need to have a conversation like adults, and figure out what you can do.

If you cannot come to an agreement, you need to decide whether this is enough of an issue to end the marriage.

If it is, then you can ask the court to prohibit him from taking the child.


Title: Pro Se contract issue - fraud inducement and misrepresentation -USA

Question:
Proceeding pro se, but can’t find the exact legal terms I need to make a defense. We have a basic business sell contract with a clause, or maybe it’s called recital, that says “no setoffs, counterclaims . . . or any defense shall be available.” My angle is you can’t contract out of fraud. This seller fraudulently misrepresented his business and is now attempting to hide behind this clause, recital, or whatever it is called.

What kind of search terms or doctrine is my defense?
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 IANAL.

I had to read your post about 10 times trying to make sense of it. If you can't make it clear to us then you're going to have a hard time operating pro se on this. Let me see if I got this straight:

You're the Buyer. You bought product or service X, found it to be not as advertised, and refused to pay the Seller. Seller sues you for the price of X. The original purchase contract you signed supposedly waives your right to defend against this, and you argue that this would be tantamount to waiving your rights to contest fraud, and thus cannot be enforceable.

And **if** you're right about the interpretation, then I believe I agree with you, and I think the law you're looking for is that this would be an 'Unconscionable contract or Clause' , which is unenforceable per the UCC:

[https://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/2/2-302](https://www.law.cornell.edu/ucc/2/2-302)

However, this depends on whether you're interpreting that clause correctly. From my law knowledge, a "setoff" is when you say you owe them less than $A because *they* owe *you* $B in an unrelated matter. And a 'counterclaim' is when you think the underlying causality is reversed: you don't own them $A, they owe you $C. Neither of those things applies here. The 'other defense,' part, though, seems like it goes too far.

Once again, IANAL, and depending on the amount of money here you may be making a big mistake going pro se.


Title: (IL, USA) State Fair almost a year overdue in payment....

Question:
Hi there,

Last August I performed a 2 hour slot at the Illinois State Fair. I was to be paid $400 for my performance (as I live in Tennessee). I was to be sent a check in the mail. After 2 months of missing payment I reached out to them and they said they'd be paid as soon as the Illinois government set a budget. And here we are almost a year later. The budget has not been set and I still haven't gotten paid.

The State Fair told me they are having third party vendors pay their performers from last year's fair but I have been calling these third party vendors for months with no answer, no returned phone calls, and the one company I did get a hold of said they were out of funding. Which means no money for me. Also, it appears the third party vendors will take 10% of what the state owes me as a fee. This does NOT seem fair and I do not wish to go with these third party vendors.

I'm starting to get worried I'll never be paid for this in a timely manner. What can I do to get my money ASAP? Should I pursue legal action against the state government or the state fair board or not at all?

Answer: I am in Illinois. There is a significant non-zero chance you will never get paid. You can keep trying to get paid, but there is no budget and we nearly shutdown all school and the transportation department last week.


Title: US, California. Rights around severance package?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: You have no inherit rights to receive a severance package.Answer #2: No need to get a lawyer as you have zero legal right to a severance package.


Title: [Pennsylvania] Adult has hold of shirtless photos that were taken when I was underage. What can I do to make her stop blackmailing me.

Question:
Hello! Last year when I was 15 I had taken a shirtless photo of me in a bra to someone that i was in a relationship at the time. We ended up leaving eachother but this one girl who is from California got a hold of the photo in some way. If im right she is 20 or 19 and lives in California.

In the past shes made me talk to her ex and try to help her while threatening to send the photos to my mother and other people. This happened for a few month's until this New Years when she stopped messaging me. She just now messaged me asking about why i didnt do some of the things she wanted.

What legal actions can i take as a 16 year old so she will leave me alone.

Answer: You can call the police and report her. Blackmail is illegal. Answer #2: First of all what she is doing is extortion. As much as you don't want to, you need to tell your parents, then go to the police. Also please stop sending any type of photos like that again. Once you send it to someone, you never can get rid of it.


Title: (MO/USA) Landlord enters home without notice and alot more. Please help.

Question:
I'm making this post for my little sister. She rents a home in southern Missouri from an older couple that lives next door to her. She asked me to find help and advice for her and this situation.

She has encountered some worrisome problems with her landlord that I know can't be legal.

She has been a tenant in her home with her three children for two years and four months. She is not a month to month tenant. Her landlord lets himself into her home without notice so often that she is nervous to come home at night. She has been in the bath tub and come out to her landlord standing in her kitchen or anywhere else in her home. This part is the most concerning to me. She tried to change the locks, he immediately noticed and changed them back. I'm not sure of the legality of the locks part and if he is or is not supposed to have a key to her home.

As of today he is at her house painting and doing other repair work, all without any type of notice. My mother is visiting and he dropped paint on her car and damaged the paint job. My sister suggested to him that he should give her notice before coming onto the property, but he has not. She is considering setting up security cameras as she does not feel comfortable with him. Again, he lives directly across the street from her house and is always there. He has also come to demand money for reasons that are not in her lease on a regular basis, as recently as yesterday.

She has also said that he has made in appropriate remarks to her about late rent and paying off the debt by wearing a bikini for him and other creepy things. I didn't know whether or not to include this part as she doesn't have direct evidence of the sexual harassment.

What is the first step for her? How can she let him know she is serious about this situation and does not want him there without prior notice.

Answer:
 Story time then some advice.

My gf and her family lived at a place in Missouri also. The landlord also lived across the street. He would come in a lot and had been there a few times when we arrived but alway gave a reason.

One of the reason he gave was changing the filter in the ac unit which for some reason had a lock on the door. I think, if I can remember right, her parent became concerned because he used that excuse too much. Her step-dad popped the lock on the door and saw that the filter hadn't been changed in a long time.

One day we show up at the house and the door was open, screen door shut. So we quietly entered the home. We rounded the corner from the kitchen to see him playing in my 16 year old gfs underwear drawer.

We told him he either let us out of the lease or we would call the police. He agreed to end the lease.

What I would have her do, because of my experience, is get a locking handle on her bedroom door. If he complains about it she might ask him why he needs access to her private bedroom. Or maybe set up a nanny cam or something, after you check the legality of it, to actually see what he is doing.

TL:DR He may be a creeper and she needs to see what she can do to protect her private items.


Title: Cat stuck in neighbors shed for hours in heat of AZ need help!

Question:
My indoor cat got out and is now stuck in the neighbors shed. I have called her every ten minutes for the past hour(as well as knocked on door) but being elderly she has no cell phone! His cries are growing weaker and I don’t know what to do!!
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: Call the police/fire/animal control.  They may be able to assist in opening the door to the shed... Granted it would probably be conditionally done that you pay the neighbor for any damage done to the shed caused by the officers possibly breaking down the doorAnswer #2: Call animal controlAnswer #3: Did he make a full recovery?Answer #4: Glad it sorted itself out. If I was in this situation, given I love my cat enough, I would have risked the consequences and went and got my cat, explaining the situation later. Answer #5: You didn't think of calling the police but you thought of the legal advice subreddit?


Title: [US-MO/TX] Can my boyfriend eventually adopt my daughter?

Question:
I'll try to keep this short and simple as best I can with still giving all pertinent information.

I have a 5yo daughter. Her father and I were together when she was born, eventually got married, and separated 11 months later (at this point, she had just turned 3). I left him because he had consistently provided a less than healthy living environment for our child. He would work a job for a couple months, then lose it and not work for 6 months or more. He has continued this pattern since I left him as well. He would also not clean, cook, or even provide basic care for her while I was working and going to college. This includes feeding and bathing her. After I left him, he moved to Texas where he has some family.

Since I left him, he has seen her twice. Once in March 2017 and once in June 2017. He does not talk to her at all. At first, this was for lack of him trying. He did talk to her on a semi-regular basis for a while around the time of those visits. After the second visit, and a year of broken promises, not calling when he told her he would, not showing up when he was supposed to, etc we decided together that it was not a good time for him to be in her life. We also agreed that when he could become stable and not be a revolving door in her life, he could start taking steps toward reconciling with her and be in her life again. This has not happened yet. He has also been very inconsistent with child support. The majority of the last two years, he has provided no child support. He has only started paying CS in the last 2 months or so.

My boyfriend and I have been together for a while, live together, and are generally very stable. He has a well paying job that he has been at for a number of years, owns the house we live in, etc. He also has a son that we have every other weekend, and all summer. Everything is very civil with his ex, even to the point that there are absolutely no courts/outside influences involved (no parenting plan, no mediators, no custody fights, no court ordered child support, he just pays her every month). I work the same seasonal job that I did when my Ex and I were together and when I filed for divorce, so that should have no effect.

Now onto the actual question... Is there any possibility that he will be able to adopt my daughter? This isn't something we're looking to do tomorrow or even next month. But it is something we have talked about and you like to happen in the future. My biggest concern is that my daughter's father will try to fight it. Does he have the ability to do so? He does pay child support now,  but still has no contact with her. If he did start talking to her again, would that hurt the situation? I do not see him visiting her at all, as he would have to pay for the trip to Missouri and I know he has no way of doing that.

If it makes a difference, our divorce states I have sole legal and physical with supervised visitation in the state of Missouri.

TL;DR: My ex husband is almost non-existent in my daughters life. My boyfriend is very stable and more than happy to adopt my daughter in the future. Is this a possibility?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: Her father has full rights to not allow it.  His permission is required.


Title: [IL] After firing my manager he is refusing to give me control of my social media accounts

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Are they business related pages you created while working?


Title: (CA) Visiting/staying with a family member who is doing marijuana processing

Question:
My spouse and our two young kids will be visiting California and potentially staying with one of our parents who has a new business idea:  They are processing marijuana farms leftover clippings and reprocessing them into concentrated oils and waxes.  In their home.  Where we would be staying with them when we visit for a week.  My spouse and I both have professional lives that are very sensitive to legal complications (potentially career ending).

We've been told that this in home operation all perfectly legal although the 'licences and permits' are still pending and there is no medical marijuana card.  Could this possibly be true?  I've also been told that since its just the "trim" from a farm operation is therefore cheap, its also legal.  Could this possibly be true as well??

The most pertinent question in my mind is this: would the mere act of visiting and living on the premises for 7 days putting us in jeopardy of an arrest/charges if there is some sort of raid/police inspection?  I know that there are several pounds of marijuana in the house at the moment as well as a few ounces of extract.

Essentially, we're americans living overseas and coming home to a brand new in house pot operation for a short stay, and are totally out of touch with current CA/US law.  I cannot possibly believe that all of the above is legal and we would be safe staying in that house.

td;dr: Should we just get a hotel?

Answer:
 I would absolutely get a hotel. You can be charged under the doctrine of "constructive possession". In fact, I doubt their operation is legal at all.Answer #2: There are two competing laws here, California's and Federal. So long as this operation is licensed for medical products (and given California's preference for mom-and-pop pot operations, that's plausible), you're likely fine with state law.

However, the Federal law is still very clear that all of this is illegal, although they are (mostly) turning a blind eye to enforcement. If your jobs involve Federal security clearances and the like, I think you're smart to be hesitant. If I were in your shoes, I think I would seriously consider alternatives, including AirBnB as well as hotels.


Title: (Ontario) Can I drive with unopened alcohol in the back seat of my car?

Question:
Basically what the title says. I searched on the sub a bit and couldn't find anything specific to Ontario, so I apologize if this has already been asked as I might not have used good keywords.

Say I go to the LCBO, buy some beer and put the box in my back seat or on the floor behind either the driver's or passenger seat. Obviously I wouldn't open it. Is this legal? My friend says it has to be in the trunk, but all the information I can find just says it can be "in the vehicle" as long as it is unopened/the seal is unbroken, which I take to mean anywhere in the car, including maybe the front passenger seat. It seems like only previously opened alcohol must be out of reach of the driver (so, in the trunk, I would assume). Is this correct?

In addition, what if I was driving around with a minor, for instance a sibling under 19? Would this change anything as to where I have to keep the alcohol?

Thanks!

Answer: Putting it in the boot has the added benefit of it not becoming a projectile if you crash.


Title: My sister is a run away, alcoholic, drug user, gang banger. She's 15.

Question:
This post is for my father, who isn't a redditor.

My sister has been running away from my dad's house for the last 3 years. She's 15 years old. She will be gone anywhere from a couple of days, to months on end. She's not mentally stable, as in a huge anger problem. She likes to destroy everything she touches. Her life, her family, her body. She's literally a disaster.
Every time she does come home, she steals, breaks things, lies to the police, brings drugs, and alcohol into the home. She refuses to go to school, she refuses to do anything a normal teenager would do. She starts physical altercations and everything.

My father works 60+ hours a week, 6 days a week. It's hard to tell if he's going to come home to a destroyed house, or a 15 year old passed out in her bedroom upstairs.

He wants her out. Every time the cops are involved, there is NOTHING they will do. He basically is forced to let her stay there.

What can he do to be done with her for good? They have tried for years to end this behavior of hers but she just runs away, to different citys, with different people every time they set up rules for her.

We live in Michigan btw, and I was curious if Emancipation would be the right way to go? Can he legally remove her from the house if she is emancipated?

Edit: I do not live there anymore. It is My 2 Sisters, My step mother, my Father, and Then if she every does come home, My 3rd sister in question. Since my parents work different shifts, there is usually a 4-5 hour gap in the day where NEITHER of them are home, and then she can stroll in, steal from them, then leave. My father is scared for the other kids. One being 19, one being 13.

I personally wouldn't put it past her, the cops have caught her a few times hanging with people with guns in a VERY BAD area. We are just lost on what to do.

Answer: Not a lawyer, but I suggest some sort of residential mental health/addiction program.Answer #2: How about military school?Answer #3: There are programs out there for troubled teens, but if he chooses to use one, do a lot of research about the program and people running it, as some are reportedly abusive to residents.


Title: [VA] It is technically illegal for a minor who has had had a drivers license for under a year to have more then one person under 21 in the car, but I have heard that this can get your license away to that police won't even really care. Anyone know about it?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > I was stopped by an officer and I told him I had weed in my car.

Never do that, kid.

*Of course* you risk suspension of your driving privileges if you don't obey the law. Is taking your friends to Baltimore worth the possibility of being unable to drive until you're 18 or 21?


Title: MS- I am a Sikh, can a police officer force me to hand over my kirpan?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Hire a criminal defense attorney...that's your best bet at mitigating the damage.

Yes you were legally required to hand over the knife.  Just like if I'm pulled over while legally carrying a gun and the cop asks me to hand over my weapon for the duration of the stop. Answer #2: Not only do you need to hand it over, you may wish to declare you have one in the future. The officer will appreciate it


Title: Update to: my supervisor is requiring me to lose an unhealthy amount of weight. Is this legal in my state, or does this constitute some kind of OSHA violation? (Texas)

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Troll Post

Answer:
 Chick with allegedly huge rack? Check.

Update to tell us all of the horrible things that happened to your boss? Check.

Original post hit all of the right troll notes but the marching morons went along with it anyway, and now out of absolutely no where you provide an update to quench everyone's justice boners? Check (but just adding to the trolliness).

See you at the top!Answer #2: I'm glad things worked out for you but I want to add that Victoria's Secret is often the worst at bra sizing (they often measure with a bra on and follow the +4 inches rule)


Title: Can I be refused service just because my ex works my favorite restaurant?

Question: I broke up with my ex after she cheated on me I went to my favorite restaurant with my parents and she was the new manager and she told me to leave I told her that she couldnt do that because it was illegal to discriminate against me ! she started to call the police and my mom said we would leave just because my ex is the new manager at the restaurant that ive been going to since I was a kid now I cant go there anymore ? can i sue her or the owner for kicking us out ? how do i find a lawyer to do that for me ? Could I call the police on her ?

Answer:
 >Can I be refused service just because my ex works my favorite restaurant?

Yes.Answer #2: It's illegal to discriminate against you for being a member of a protected class.  "My ex boyfriend" is not a protected class.

However, it may violate their company policy and you could speak to the general manager or owner of the company and see how they feel about it.

You don't have a right to be present on private property any time you like when the owner or agent of the owner asks you to leave.  Staying when they ask you to leave is what we refer to as "trespassing" and it's a crime.


Title: My parents want to put their business under my name.

Question:
Apologies for formatting and the like. I’m on mobile and it’s my first time here.

My parents have a trucking business, which mainly works with the U.S postal system and hauls mail. It’s a contract deal, and honestly I don’t know much about the inner workings of the system. Point is, the past few years has hit it (the business) very hard. On the verge of declaring bankruptcy hard. I try not to pay much attention to just how bad things are, because it stresses me out so much, especially when they talk about how bad it is financially.

When I turn 21 (currently 19), they want to put the business under my name (basically making me the owner, I think) and changing the business name, because they can’t get contracts, or at least not anything that would keep them out of the red, with how things are now.

I don’t want it under my name. I don’t want anything to do with it. I don’t know how it would affect me if I crumble under the pressure they put on me to do it. They’ve made bad and questionable choices over the years, and i don’t know the first thing about running a business. I don’t even know if this is legal! All I know is, if things continue to be bad when it’s under my name, it will hurt me and my future. I know I need to tell them they can’t do that to me, but I have nothing to base my arguments on, nor do I have the first clue on how to find out the legality of this.

The business is based in Michigan, but it does travel over state lines, and again, works with the U.S Postal Service.

tl;dr: Parents want to put failing business in my name when I’m 21 in a last ditch effort to save it
Topic:
Business Law

Answer: Say no.


Title: CA, USA - HOA (Patrol Company) gave friend a ticket for parking "commercial" vehicle overnight.

Question:
My friend owns his own lumber company and has his company decal and phone number on his truck, which is both personal and for business.  He parked in a spot where his parking permit allows, but when he woke up this morning he had a ticket from the patrol company saying the citation was because it was a commercial vehicle, which is not permitted overnight parking.

What can he do?  Is this legal for them to do?  Where should he park his truck?  Even if he bought a different car just for personal, he needs a place to park his truck...

Answer: Call your complex manager and plead your case. A lot of patrol and tow companies that prowl complexes make their money off of shady yet legal tactics, so beware.


Title: (MO) How can I protect myself and my case against the police when I go to them about my date rape?

Question:
After a few months, I have decided to pursue legal action against my rapist. I am meeting with my advocate tomorrow morning to discuss this, but I am really wanting to know how I can protect myself against the police.

I have reason to believe that the cops there will try to side against my rapist. For one, he and his family are known in the community. He is neighbors with a cop in that department as well. He also told me that said cop is a racist, so it really wouldn't surprise me if there is sexism in the department as well.

I also expect intense questioning. Is it in my best interest to answer all questions? When should I not answer a question? I am beyond terrified because I am expecting to be pushed around or have my narrative controlled by someone I don't want to have it.

Any help, tips, and advice would be greatly appreciated. I really want to see him punished and do not want to risk hurting my case at all.

Answer:
 > I also expect intense questioning. Is it in my best interest to answer all questions?

If you want to have the best chance at a successful prosecution, yes.

> When should I not answer a question?

When you don't want to.  You're certainly not obligated to answer any questions if you don't want to.

> I am beyond terrified because I am expecting to be pushed around or have my narrative controlled by someone I don't want to have it.

Your story is yours and only you can control it.  But the investigation and prosecution are **not** yours and won't be yours- you will have very little (or no) control over that at all.

So be prepared for that part.

If you want to take an advocate in with you, then feel free to do so.

But I think you have things built up in your mind that are not based on reality- your fears are likely to be proven unfounded.
Answer #2: Bring a lawyer with you and have said lawyer present for interactions with the police.


Title: Neighbor refuses to remove plants and trees that are growing onto my property

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You're allowed to trim or unplant things on your property.


Title: Legal advice of a different sort

Question: Good evening! I am 6 years into the coast guard and I think i am finally ready to start preparing for my retirement/next career. My question would be, what routes did you take to reach a career in law? i know there are several degrees that can lead you to law school, is there any reason to pick one over the other besides personal interest in the subject matter? How/when did you decide on a specific area of focus? What separates a prosecutor from a real estate lawyer? I know the majority of these questions can be answered via google, but i figured why not go directly to the source. I have one real world source of information, but his area of expertise is fairly narrow (asset siezure for local sheriff) so I decided  to try with a much more broad audience. Thank you all in advance!

Answer:
 Pick an undergrad path that can lead to a decent career on its own, in case law school doesn't happen for you.  STEM is a good way to go.  Business/marketing is good too.

I'm doing landlord/tenant because it pays the bills.


Title: Car seats always new? (Nova-Scotia, Canada)

Question:
Hey Reddit,

Was recently in a car accident, minor fender bender with no police called or anybody found officially at fault. We where both driving rental cars so we just went through our rental agencies and everything in regards to the vehicles is fine.

However he has recently contacted me a few days following the crash saying his car seats need to be replaced. Sending me a bill for 1200$ for two new car seats. Now while i understand that car seats do need to be replaced in the case of a major accident, the manufacturers website for his particular seats he linked to me specifies they do not need to be replaced for minor accidents. To give you an idea, the kid in the car seat did not even wake up.

I offered to split the cost (600$) since no fault was determined and the car seats he had where not new, so to my knowledge he is not owed NEW car seats, is this correct?
He his however claiming that i should pay 100% of the new car seats, and to just put it through my insurance.

What do i ow him legally? He did not signal his turn, but i did hit him.

Location is Nova-Scotia, Canada
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 You should be sending this through your insurance, like you did with the rest.Answer #2: I don't know anything about auto insurance in Canada, but I know quite a bit about car seats.  In the US, our NHTSA recommends replacing car seats in moderate to severe car crashes.  However, in Canada, the recommendation is to replace the seat after any crash ([Link](http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/safedrivers-childsafety-faq-1131.htm)).  Most manufacturers state this at well, I know Britax is an exception but I'm not sure if there are others.  Not that it's relevant considering the Canadian recommendation.

One other question - are you sure the seats being replaced were $600 each?  Only the most expensive models (Britax highest end, Peg Perego leather version, Clek Foonf) cost that much, and it's pretty rare to see people with those seats. At least in the states. I checked the CAD price on these to be sure.  If you do end up reimbursing anything I'd get proof that the crashed seats were indeed models that pricey.


Title: Old girlfriend looked me up on Facebook and says I’m the baby daddy (TX)

Question:
Dated her over 30 years ago, says her grown daughter may be mine and she wants me to get a dna test to see if her daughter is mine.

She never tried to contact me until now, I had no clue about this woman until today.

Are there any legal ramifications if I was to take the test and it turns out she is my daughter?

Answer:
 Texas FAM § 154.131 states that retroactive child support can not be obtained if not filed before the child's 22nd birthday. The actual phrasing is " not later than the fourth anniversary of the date of the child's 18th birthday.", which I assume is to allow the custodial parent to file if the child dies before that date.

https://codes.findlaw.com/tx/family-code/fam-sect-154-131.htmlAnswer #2: There is possibly lots. Things like owed support, or even things like biological children being able to challenge your will for a cut of the estate.

What you do is up to you. If you think the adult offspring is yours and want to pursue a relationship, you can test but you may face some tricky legal things in the future.

IANAL but I don't see any way they could compel you to DNA test now that the offspring is an adult, unless they try to contest your will after death. So if you don't want anything to do with it you could refuse further communication and add a clause to your will like "So-and-so maybe daughter gets $5.00 if she can DNA prove she was my offspring".

Again, IANAL so you should consult a family court / estate lawyer about possible pitfalls.Answer #3: While others have addressed child support, you should also think about your will.

It would not be impossible for her to claim a share of your estate. You should consult an estate attorney in your jurisdiction. You might want a DNA test just so you know and can plan appropriately.

Also — if she IS yours, would you want to know her?


Title: [US] Communicating with a wanted criminal?

Question:
Is it illegal for my wife to contact her mother who is currently a wanted criminal in the United States (residing in Singapore)?

Can she face repercussions for talking to her mom regularly in private to keep in touch?

Answer:
 A wanted criminal hiding from us authorities in Singapore is height of stupidity as not only does it have an extradition treaty with the United States but also an efficient non-corrupt goverment that will require him to have a background check sooner or later which will get him caught

Anyway contacting a wanted criminal is not illegal, aiding him in any way is illegal


Title: Is it illegal to sell vials of sperm over the internet?

Question: just having an argument with my roomate and we're trying to settle it. Im in texas. But we're talking about shipping it everywhere.

Answer:
 Yours or someone elses?

Guessing answer is no either way, but if you want me to cite you law I have to know. I will not look for both.


Title: Can I call the police (non emergency line) to find out what just happened at my duplex residence?

Question:
The police have repeatedly shown up at my house, a duplex. Do I have any recourse if I want to know what it was about? This is Massachusetts.

edit: I imagine more details would probably be good.

There is another person living upstairs. The police were not there for me, it was entirely to do with the residents of the other apartment. This has happened 5-6 times since I've moved in a couple months ago. Can I call anyone with law enforcement and find out what these police calls were about/ why the police were there?

Answer: I've had luck tweeting at the local police twitter account. Might be worth trying if your city's PD is active on twitter


Title: [General USA] How do I word a request for medical records after an employee's no-show?

Question:
I've got a part-time employee who has mostly flexible work and two key scheduled events each week which she leads. Since I started as her manager two years ago, she has regularly missed one of those key events every 10-12 weeks. Usually a medical emergency, sometimes related to mental health, sometimes she's so panicked about something going on with her adult daughter that she can't function. We've had a LOT of sit-downs and communications about this, along with a lot of verbal and written warnings, culminating in the latest: seven weeks ago, I wrote and she signed a written warning stating the next no-call no-show could result in her termination.

Welp, she no-called no-showed for one of the events this week. I didn't find out about it until 18 hours later (none of the attendees contacted me, which is another problem, but not pertinent here) when she emailed everyone to explain she'd been taken to the ER in an ambulance hence she couldn't make it.

Now, her actions are clearly in violation of the written agreement, and I have been so damn lenient with this woman. I want documentation that she was actually taken to the ER -- and if I could get it I'd want confirmation she was unable to call in.

How do I word a request for this? Is there a standard way to do it?

tl;dr Asking for medical records to prove a no-call no-show was a legit emergency; how do?

Answer:
 You ask the employee for documentation from her health care provider that she was out for medical reasons.  That's it. If she doesn't comply you terminate her. Answer #2: Ask who for it? Your employee? No special language is required.  You will not get them from the hospital.

If you don’t like her behavior, fire her.

Edit: Also, you have no right to this person’s medical records.  What you are asking for is a doctor’s note or note from the hospital.Answer #3: You ask the employee to provide them if that's allowed by law.

The hospital will absolutely not give them to you without a court order.Answer #4: You can't get documentation directly from the hospital. This would be a HIPAA violation on their part. You can ask your employee for a note from her doctor indicating that she was seeking medical treatment at this time. If you want, you can make this demand in writing, and give her a specific date by which she must provide said documentation or else be terminated.

E: you can also just fire her without making this demand unless she has an employment contract with you stating otherwise or this job is in Montana.


Title: Landlord charging me for damages on ALLEGED forced police entry [Dallas]

Question:
I recently had a scare in my apartment where something fell and hit my bedroom door several times which resembled the sound of someone banging on the door. I live alone and had no way of protecting myself so I called my apartment's security to check things out- they were unable to send someone. I was terrified and kept hearing noises so I called the cops. While I was on the phone with the dispatcher I heard a knock at the door. I asked the dispatcher if that was the cops and she told me to hold on before going to the door. They knocked a second time and I went to the door, unlocked both locks, turned on the lights, and opened the door to see six cops. Once the lights were on, I realized that a clothing rack had fallen and told them everything was ok and that I was sorry for overreacting. They then said they would take a look inside just in case. They left, I shut the door, and locked both locks.

The next day I received a call from the landlord regarding the police report they received, which claimed that the police had to bust the door down. The landlord said they went to my apartment to make sure everything was secure and they noticed that the door was loose. I replied that the door was loose because IRONICALLY (and completely unrelated), it has been loose for almost a year now and I have even had their maintenance guy come out to fix it once already. Now they are trying to charge me for a "broken door frame" due to a "forced entry." I replied that the allegation in the police report was false and asked if there was a way to challenge this. The landlord replied with a photo (http://imgur.com/6LyOlSi) and said, "In order for a break such as this, it takes considerable force. Did they happen to try to open the door prior to you opening it?" I have not yet responded...

I am in no position to cover those costs, especially since the "damages" were not caused by myself and not by the police, as far as I am concerned. Frankly, from my honest point of view, I am concerned that a few hefty knocks on the door would've caused that much damage.

How should I handle this?

Answer:
 The door/frame either needs to be repaired or it doesn't. And if it does, it either needed to be repaired before the cops came or it didn't.

Meanwhile, a secure door/frame that is in no disrepair should be able to withstand a few hefty knocks. So if the damage was caused by the cops, it seems possible that the door/frame was in ad shape to begin with.

A tenant is not responsible for normal wear and tear. It seems possible that we are ultimately talking about normal wear and tear. And if caused by cops, it is arguable that their actions were beyond your control and responsibility. You may have some more arguments under Texas law, but I am not sure. Good luck!

Answer #2: What break? I've seen hundred of cracks like that on different wooden doorframes and they are invariably caused by the weather. If the Police had kicked that door in then that frame would have been in splinters. So yeah, your landlord is talking out of their ass.

Source: once upon a time spent six monthes installing security doors for a living.


Title: I'm 36 and thinking about coming out as trans. This would mean getting divorced and figuring out child support. I have no idea how any of that would work!

Question:
So a little bit of background. My wife has known about my inclinations for some time but I always felt like I could suppress them and live my life as a man. I think I may have reached the point where I can't live a lie anymore.  I think we could end it one fairly amicable terms since it wouldn't be a total surprise but obviously there would be some hurt feelings and resentment.

Anyway, here's what we're dealing with

* I make about 150k per year. She makes about 30k. We have a joint bank account

* We have about 80k in our account. We were setting aside 60k for a house down payment.

* We have a small child

* Our cars are titled separately and own them free and clear.

* We have only one mutual debt which can easily be paid off

* We do not own a home. We have a joint lease on an apartment

* I would be okay giving her full custody.

This might sound odd but I do love her and my son and I want them to lead a healthy, enjoyable life. I wouldn't have a problem making reasonable child support payments however I'm worried that as a trans woman I might now be able to get another job in my field. Here's why:

* I work in a small, technical field where everyone knows everyone

* I have three degrees and I would have to have my name changed on each. I don't know if I can do that without having a female birth certificate, and I don't know if I can do *that* without having SRS

* I'm also certified in my field and I'd have to have that changed as well

* My field is somewhat academic and I have several publications to my name. I don't think you can change a name on a publication which would mean I'd have to list them as they are and immediately out myself as trans or leave them off and have a harder time getting a job.

* I can possibly fall back on wedding photography which I've been doing on the side. But all my connections are through family and friends and it doesn't pay as much

Do I have to commit to a specific amount for child support or can I be based on income?

Does she automatically get half of our bank account? What about personal property?

Should I take to a lawyer before talking to my wife to protect myself (I don't know what from.. )?

Is there anything else I should know or consider when making my decision?

Thanks in advance for your help and advice!

Answer:
 >Do I have to commit to a specific amount for child support or can I be based on income?

child support is based on income. If your income level changes for a legitimate reason then you file for a modification.

 >Does she automatically get half of our bank account? What about personal property?

The lawyer that you need to hire will sort that stuff out in your divorce.

>Should I take to a lawyer before talking to my wife to protect myself (I don't know what from.. )?

You should certainly talk to one before you file any paperwork or agree to anything.

>Is there anything else I should know or consider when making my decision?

You should think about the visitation schedule that you want. You said you would be willing to give her full custody but I think you may mean that you would let her be the primary residence? Custody has two aspects; physical, as in who has physical possession of the children at a given time and legal, as in who makes decisions and such for the children. So think about what you want there. Courts like parents to have 50/50 so one person does not need to have full custody.


Title: [transgender] is there anyway to update a Tennessee birth certificate?

Question:
Hi, I'm a trans woman in the process of transitioning. I have not had sexual reassignment surgery but I plan to. I am interested in getting my birth certificate addressed AT some point. I currently live in Pennsylvania but my certificate was issued in Tennessee and Tennessee does not amend or reissue birth certificates for gender change, Pennsylvania does amend certificates (with letter from doctors).

So my questions are:

who should amend/reissue the certificate, Tennessee or Pennsylvania?

 And is this dependent on the state that I reside in?

(for example California will reissue birth certificates, not amend them, does that change the dynamic?)

Answer: It's dependent on the state your birth certificate was issued in. You wont be able to update your Tennessee-issued birth certificate. Pennsylvania can not issue you an updated Tennessee birth certificate nor can they issue you a Pennsylvania birth certificate with the correct gender because you were not born in Pennsylvania.Answer #2: Since you were born in Tenn and they issued your birth certificate, it would have to come from Tenn.  I did some checking and you are right, Tenn does not amend birth certificates for GRS so they would not be able to issue you a new one that has "F" for sex.  They do, however, issue amended certificates for names that have been legally changed.  It is a small consolation given the potential impact to your future prospects and I apologize for the inconvenience this may give you in the future.


Title: [Netherlands] Pitching product idea to a company without risk of losing intellectual property

Question:
Hi there!

I have a couple of ideas (in my eyes, excellent ideas) for a product line for a certain type of company. I would like to approach a couple of companies, and see if they would be interested in developing this type of product line, possibly in cooperation with me. I have tangential knowledge in the field, and would very much like to work on further development of these products.

My question: **How can I pitch a product idea without risking the company saying "ok thank you, we're gonna make a billion dollars now on your idea and you'll never see a penny"?**

A few notes:

* I realize that the chance this will ever develop into a success is small, but I don't want to make stupid mistakes should it be successful.

* I was required to add location, but my question could apply to wherever I can find companies that might be interested so not just NL.

* I know I could consider starting a company myself, but I have very little experience in the field and wouldn't want to invest years into developing this myself.

Thank you very much!

Edit: formatting
Topic:
Intellectual Property

Answer:
 > How can I pitch a product idea without risking the company saying "ok thank you, we're gonna make a billion dollars now on your idea and you'll never see a penny"?

Get them to sign a NDA, or file for a patent first.

Ideas are a dime a dozen.  If you think this is a million dollar idea start a business and become successful yourself.


Title: Ex husband refusing to fill prescriptions for our son

Question: I have 50/50, week on/week off custody of our 2 boys with my ex husband. Right now it’s currently his week. Friday we got calls from the school saying that our oldest was sick. I was off and offered to take him to the dr, which my ex accepted. He doesn’t have anything serious, but was given 2 prescriptions to help ease the symptoms of what he has. I didn’t get the scripts filled before I dropped him off with his dad, because his dad wanted him dropped off ASAP and we hadn’t eaten lunch yet. We ate, I dropped him off with his dad, but his dad refused to get the scripts filled because he ‘won’t have time this weekend’. They’re going out of town and he apparently can’t carve 20 minutes out of the weekend to fill them somewhere. My question is, did I have the legal authority to keep my child? And if so, for how long? Until the scripts were filled? Until they ran out, seeing as it was obvious that my ex didn’t care about giving them to him? It’s not life threatening, and it would’ve been his word against mine, unless my 10 yo counts and I’d never want to put him in the position where he feels he has to side with one of us.

Answer:
 My ex did this, he refused to provide our son with his inhalers and epi pen while at his house. Total toxic narcissist. Anyway, I supplied the medicine for a few months as to ‘facilitate access’. After that I talked to my lawyer and shared my issue with this and she said it’s medical neglect and until my ex can/is willing to provide the meds- I have the right to deny access. The safety and well being of children trumps a custody order. Answer #2: It's clear there is ongoing animosity between you and your ex. Regardless, you need to follow the custody order. Answer #3: There are separate duties. You have the duty to turn over your son during your ex’s time. He has the duty to provide reasonable medicine to your son during his time.

Absent a medical emergency you cannot withhold custody. Your ex telling you that he will not fill a prescription that is intended solely to subside symptoms is likely not a medical emergency. However, document the incident, gather proof (a text message, email, phone recording if you live in a one party consent state), and consult with an attorney. If I were your attorney, I would recommend your request to the court be that in the event your ex refuses future medical treatment that you be given a unilateral option for custody until your son is healthy again.


Title: [CA] My wife served me divorce papers but now wants to undo it.

Question: She said that it will automatically default in divorce this month unless we do something.  What are our options?  I haven't signed anything to be clear.

Answer: [Here are instructions](https://www.saccourt.ca.gov/family/docs/fl-case-dismissal-instructions.pdf) that your wife can follow to dismiss a family court case. (These are from Sacramento County, but everything is the same for other counties, except for the addresses.)


Title: My friend may be getting sued for an incident involving a dent in a laptop.

Question:
All of this took place in Alabama. In the US.

I have two friends involved in an incident. Friend 1 (T), Friend 2 (N) and I were in a small study room playing a game of Risk. There were three others in the room/surrounding area.

N was not playing the game, so he was editing photos on his laptop. It was T’s turn to play, so he was holding the die, getting ready to roll them. T began to toss the die one by one into the air and catch them as they came down. He then accidentally let one slip too far out of his reach and it impacted N’s laptop. This left a dent the size of a pinky toenail, very small. There were a few words thrown around in the short time after the incident. And all N asked of T was that he pay for the repair. That is no big deal obviously.

Fast forward a few months and N has texted me saying his dad wants to sue T for damages to personal property. I understand there may be a case there, but in my opinion it’s a bit of an overreaction. T had already paid off the debt of the repair. There should be no problem between T and N. I play it off to both N and T, saying there isn’t any reason to sue. And nothing ever came of it. I thought I was done.

Fast forward again to right now (about 6 months since anything has been said about it). And N has texted me again saying his dad has really cracked and wants to sue T again, not only for property damage but also for medical bills. Because apparently the incident had caused N to become ultimately more depressed and in turn he attempted suicide (causing him to go to the hospital). I’m not gonna say anything to whether or not that’s how things turned out for N since I obviously am not in his mind, but let’s just call it uhh ridiculous that a dent in a laptop would cause an attempted suicide.

Anyway all of that is to ask, do you guys think my friend T has any chance at getting out of getting sued? And if not his chances of winning this case?

Topic:
Small Claims Procedure

Answer:
 He paid for the repair so there is nothing else that he is responsible for.  The medical bill thing is a joke and the dad sounds like a nut.

If he gets sued, he will have to respond but the chances of the lawsuit being successful is zero. Answer #2: Ignore him. No chance of being sued.


Title: Key Bank - Student Loan collection Debt Cancelled due to statue of limitations.

Question:
Got a letter from Key Bank stating that a student loan, that was in collections with their in-house recovery dept, had been cancelled as the result of the statute of limitations for collecting debt. More info:

"The statute of limitations is the period of time creditors have to file a lawsuit to collect a debt."

"The statute of limitations does not necessarily prohibit a creditor from attempting to collect a debt. In your case, however, we have decided to make no further attempts to collect this debt.

The letter also stated that I should be receiveing a 1099. My question is, does this totally absolve me from this debt? I had a co-signer on the original loans that defaulted, but she has not received anything since the default and collections. She is in New Jersey, I'm in Texas. Just trying to make sure that we are totally resolved on this. Any advice is helpful. Thanks!

Answer:
 Assuming the facts you've stated are all true, you cannot be legally forced to pay, both as a function of the cancelation and of the statute of limitations.

But your debt has not completely disappeared, and the fact of that debt continues to exist.  Key Bank will likely refuse to do business with you in the future.  Your credit report may continue to reflect the debt subject to the applicable time limits.

You should note that amount reported on the 1099-C is likely to be treatable as income on the tax return in the year in which the debt was canceled.  If the debt was sizable, this can have significant impact.


Title: [UK] Non-student living in a 4-man shared house for students only. Can the landlord/lettings agency evict me?

Question:
Backstory: I moved to England early October 2014, in order to study (full-time, all 3 years [Bachelor's degree] were supposed to be in England; it's not an exchange programme or anything like that). I'm an EEA national (Norway), so I can live/work/travel in the UK freely. I am also planning on staying in the UK for an indefinite amount of time, regardless of what happens with my current living situation.

From October 2014 to June 2015 I lived in a 4-man shared housing unit for students only. I co-signed a lease for a new place (my current place) around April 2015, *while I was still a student and was planning on continuing to be a student for the duration of the lease*. Around the middle of the third semester of Uni (so ~June-ish 2015) I decided to withdraw from Uni because of mental health issues, and have been NEET (not in education/employment/training) since (I am currently looking for work/looking to get on JSA, but that's irrelevant).

Yesterday, my housemate informed me that I will have to talk to the lettings agency, as me not being a student means that it is illegal for me to live here.

This is the email she sent to the lettings agency:
>Hello,
This is xx form [address]],
One of our house mates has dropped out of university and is no longer a student. I am not 100% too sure on the contract but as far as i know the house was for students only.
Please tell us what the situation is as I am not too sure if i should be looking for a new person to move into the room or if him being unemployed doesnt effect the rent.
Sorry for this,

>kind regards
xx.

This is the response from the agency:
>Hi

>He will need to find a replacement, to take over from him for the remainder of the tenancy.

>Regards

>xx

>Lettings Adviser

The lettings agency doesn't know which tenant this concerns yet, as I haven't talked to them. My housemate also claims that tax evasion has something to do with this, but I don't even have a National Insurance Number as I still pay taxes to Norway. Once I get on JSA, that should cover the council tax. I have read through the entire Tenancy Agreement, and there is nothing in there about me having to be a student in order to live here.

If I get evicted, I don't have anywhere else to go, other than getting on a plane and moving back in with my parents in Norway.

Anything I should know before I go talk to the agency?

EDIT: multiple for clarification

Answer:
 From what you've said, they can't evict you.

But you are now responsible for all council tax on the property. You get a 25% discount as there's only one payer.

Are you sure you can claim JSA? EEA citizens don't automatically pass the habitual residence test for claiming benefits in the UK.


Title: [TX] Got collection notice addressed to sister in law

Question: My husband and I live in TX. His sister lives in CA. We have been getting random mail in her name for awhile now, mostly adverts for check cashing/fast cash places. This weekend we got a collection notice in her name, with our address. I'm worried about how our address got on her mail, and if there could be repercussions for us. I was thinking she could have used our old address because we moved recently (I don't think she has our new address) and got our mail forwarded. I am letting my husband handle the stuff with his sister, but I want to make sure our asses are legally covered.

Answer: So you're opening her mail? You shouldn't be opening her mail. Write Return to Sender (or get a stamp) and put it back to be returned.


Title: Apartment Maintenance Crew Destroyed $6k in Coats and Suits

Question:
Soo.. in the process of moving out of an apartment I had left the closet until the end. I had the apartment until midnight however when I arrive around mid day I find the front door open and trash bags filled with my things. The maintenance crew arrives from somewhere else on the property and I send them back to the office and tell them not to return.

Upon opening the trash bags I find there are a number of things missing.. several coats and jackets as well as a suit. I immediately take video of the apartment to catalog what's there then drive to the office and let them know items have been removed.

At the office the on duty manager expresses his apologies and calls the maintenance crew to see if they can return the items that were taken.  He is informed that the items were taken to the dumpster and destroyed in the compactor. The property manager is out and wouldn't return for a couple days, so a resolution needed to wait for her.

When I went home that night I found a video of the closet on my phone that I had taken the previous week. I could see in it a North Face jacket and leather jacket that were missing and allegedly destroyed however in-between them was an ugly Christmas sweater which was still in the apartment. Looking at the other missing items I found that nearby items had been left.. making it appear that the closet had been cherry picked for specific items.

When the property manager returned I brought this to her attention and asked her to carefully ask if the items were still available and that I would not press charges if they were returned. The management company HR department handled the questioning and he maintains that the items were destroyed.

I've provided a list of items that were missing based on the video along with their replacement cost. I have not received a response yet however I'm concerned they will try to haggle the price down to depreciated value of the clothes.

Is there any legal grounds to claim theft if I'm not made whole? Is there some other recourse that might give me leverage in negotiations?

This is in Texas.

********

I guess the theft charge could only be against the individual employee and I have no interest in ruining his life. I generally just want to be made whole. So we can forget that approach. At this point the story is the employee entered the apartment on behalf of the apartment maintenance company while I was still a resident and mistakenly gathered my possessions and destroyed them.

My understanding is that under common law the employer is responsible for employees actions performed on their behalf.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/employer-liability-employees-bad-acts-29638.html

They may refer it to their insurance which will cover a depreciated value.. however I can still place the remainder on the company. In the same way a doctor will bill your insurance but the remainder of the bill goes to you. The question is can that be enforced?

Answer:
 File a claim with your renters insurance. Most policies cover replacement value rather than actual value. They will handle collecting from the landlord.

If you do not have renters insurance, yes you will have issues. Damages are usually paid to restore you to where you were ie actual value of the property.

Their actions were not criminal. This is a civil matter, the police will not get involved.


Title: (CO) One sided custody agreement? Can a court stop one parent from taking their children to a chiropractor?

Question: Is it lawfully for a divorce court to order that a father cannot make educational (can't pick them up at daycare or school) or medical decisions for his one year old children (he cannot take the child to a chiropractor or ND for example)? Can they only give him visitation for one weekend a month (friday night to sunday night only) plus the weekend of fathers day, and that since his whole family is in Colorado he cannot apply for passports for them or take them outside of the state at any time. The court said he also cannot use, consume or have any pot in any form anywhere in his place of residence or car when his children are visiting. Is it lawful for the court to make such a custody ruling and have it stay on appeal when the father has never done anything wrong or been convicted of a crime? The mother can do whatever she wants and there were no restrictions put on her for anything. How is this fair?

Answer: I'd love to hear the mother's side of things.


Title: [Update] I kicked in a door to take care of a person's dog.

Question:
I'm doing this on my main because there were no legal issues as long as I replaced the door.

Thank you guys for all the advice.

Essentially, my room mate was gone for a while. And had the dog in a kennel in the room. I heard the dog crying. I kicked the door in. I took care of the dog, but had concerns if this meant breaking and entering.

To update. Her dad is taking the dog. He made that non-negotiable. So the pup is getting tons of land to run around in.

I have to fix the door. I damaged it. I don't mind replacing it. I wasn't arrested, nor was I sued. The cute puppy gets room to run. A spiffy ending.

Thank you for your advice.

Answer:
 > A spiffy ending.

The best kind.  Thanks for the update.Answer #2: Bravo Zulu.Answer #3: You deleted the other account you posted from, so I don't mind linking the other post because it won't link to your "throw-away" account.

http://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2y3phc/tennessee_my_room_mate_left_a_dog_locked_up_for/Answer #4: He's... going to the farm up north?...Answer #5: Thanks for updating. In a just world you wouldn't have to pay, but at least you can look down from the moral high ground and feel good.Answer #6: "A spiffy ending": for the pup, most importantly!


Title: I have a question about a teacher being replaced in the middle of an online course in college. (X-post AskReddit)

Question: Hey all, so as the title states I have a question. I'm taking an online german course (was forced to, due to scheduling) and for the first 5 weeks of the 10 week course, our teacher wouldn't give any guidance, there was no communication, grading or anything a teacher is expected to do. Then suddenly at around week 5 or 6, a new teacher came in and has been playing catch up ever since. This has been affecting my grade in the class seriously. I've had a meeting with the department head and they said they were unable to do anything other than an extension, but I don't see how that will help since there has been zero instruction. Only homework and tests. Is there anything I can do to help me out in terms of laws or  standards. Anything will help. Thanks

Answer:
 This is not a legal issue.

Some college student advice? If you felt the instruction was inadequate for half the course, you should have dropped it during the add/drop period and contacted the administration.

You can try going to whoever is above the department head about the instruction issue, but likely all they'll offer is for you to withdraw from the class and retake it. Answer #2: NEIN!!!


Title: Possible parental alienation tactic question.

Question:
My ex-wife has asked our daughter to call her new husband "Dad". When I objected she said it was so their son wouldn't be "confused" when she heard my daughter call him by his first name. At first it started out as "Daddy (firstname)" and has over the last couple years just become "Daddy" while I am called by my first name when she is at home with them. Sometimes she'll call me by my first name when she is with me. We have split custody with her mom as the primary custodian. The other day I was talking with her about an upcoming slumber party she's having and suggested she has it at our home and she said she probably couldn't because a lot of her friends don't know me as her dad. I believe this is due in a large part to her mother trying to alienate me out of their "family" as much as possible. There are other/different examples of this such as purposely misconstruing other parts of our custody agreement to suit her needs concerning visitation (not often enough to warrant any sort of litigation but often enough that its noticeable).

I've asked her mom before to nix this as it can lead to confusion for our daughter. She'll call me by my first name then say, "Sorry I mean daddy." in my presence. Obviously this is emotionally difficult for me and I know its got to be hard on her. She's an incredibly sweet and caring young girl (just turned 9 yesterday) and doesn't want to do anything to upset anyone involved. She is my number 1 priority and at the end day all I want is for her to feel comfortable but I firmly believe its getting more and more out of hand as it starts out as something little and is slowly snowballing over the years to be more and more. So my question is: Is there a legal precedent for something of this sort? We live in Kentucky and I can't find anything in our statutes about parental alienation and generally the only way to prohibit a child from calling a step parent mom or dad is to have had it put into the custody agreement. Just looking for some insight.

Answer:
 How long has she been calling him daddy?

It's fairly common to put stuff like that in a custody agreement and you could bring her back to court to have that modified but if it's been a long time, that may not happen.

You should absolutely consult with a lawyer about how to combat the parental alienation.


Title: (NH/MA) Scammed by home contractor out of over $3300, not returning emails or calls

Question:
So back in August, my mom found out that the house needed some work done to remove and replace some rot in the wood from water and ice damage we've had in the New England area over the past 5 years. Well, a friend of my mom's referred her to someone who worked on their house and said he was a great guy and took care of her.

So we met, we talked and he seemed like a genuinely good hearted person. He said he saw that my mom was a good person and low on money and wanted to help out as much as he could. He said he would do the repairs but only charge for the materials and not the labor. After discussing it, we thought he was legitimate and seemed to want to help out and be in our best interest.  He said and claimed to be licensed and it had checked out. We ended up signing a contract and he said the work would only take about 2-3 weeks to complete. He started working on the house around August 27/28th.

Fast forward to October 23rd, the work isn't complete and the guy had not been coming by for over a week. A family friend who is also a contractor, licensed and everything, stopped by to do a wellness check/ just wanted to see how things were going. To his and our shock, he told us that none of the work the original contractor did was up to NH code and that none of work seemed to be legitimate, as in it was shoddy and unsafe. Turns out he didn't remove all the rot like he should have, and covered up some spots where he shouldn't have and missed a lot of other safety issues.

Obviously, I'm shocked, angry, and pissed off... but most especially I'm worried about my mother because she doesn't deserve this, the headache that comes with it and the feeling of being made a fool/taken advantage of.

So my brother and I do some more research on this guy, turns out his contractor's license expired back at the beginning of August before he even talked to us and it has yet to be renewed and we had already paid $3,300 of the job to be done. We requested a copy of the contract my mother signed before we took any action and all he did was send back an invoice he had sent before. He claims he just had a stent put in his heart the past week and would be back to work on the house on October 31.

Well afterwards, my brother e-mailed him, voicing our concerns about the work after we found out everything. And now he is not returning any of our emails or calls.

My question is, do we have any stance to take legal action against him? Would the cost even be worth it? I honestly want to show up at his residence (was able to look it up online) and demand our money back among other things, but I'm afraid things may turn physical because of anger from either side. Could anyone provide some insight or maybe some help? For what it's worth, it's around the Nashua-Lowell area.

Answer:
 >He said he saw that my mom was a good person and low on money and wanted to help out as much as he could. He said he would do the repairs but only charge for the materials and not the labor.

That's how you should have known it was a scam.

Your recourse is to sue him, but he won't have any money.


Title: Selling bitcoin for cash.

Question: What is the legality around selling bitcoin for cash? I am wanting to buy it on exchanges and then sell it for cash for a profit. Is there a limit to how much I can do, or the frequency? I of course will be paying taxes on the income so I'm not worried about that, only on the legality of the transactions themselves. I live in CA btw.

Answer: Yes, it is legal to but bitcoin and sell for cash. There are multiple websites and apps  that cater to people doing exactly this. Answer #2: If you do that without a money transmitter/money service business license, you are at risk of criminal charges.


Title: Minimum wage exceptions?

Question:
I live in  Montgomery county, MD. So I accepted a lifeguard position and was offered $10 an hour. However, my county’s minimum wage is $12.25/hour and I was confused and gave my employer a call regarding wages. She explained that as a minor working with recreation, I was subject to a lower salary than the standard in my county. Did some research and I can’t find any evidence of this, so I’m wondering if they’re trying to take advantage of my age and pay me less. Any advice would be appreciated!
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: Did you fill out a work permit? Here is the information you need and the restrictions on when and how you can work. https://www.dllr.state.md.us/labor/wages/empm.shtml


Title: Married abroad, living in the US now. Marriage was never registered here - I want a divorce now. Need some advice.

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 The United States generally recognizes foreign marriages automatically. You need to get divorced.Answer #2: We're missing some information here.

1. Where were you married?
2. Did you have a signed marriage license? Are you only married religiously, not civilly? (e.g., no license)

If you had a civil, legal marriage then it doesn't matter you never registered that with the US or claimed married filing jointly status on your taxes. You're legally married. You will have to have a divorce according to whichever jurisdiction you are resident in. Many states have residency requirements for divorce. You'll have to fulfill those criteria.

If you had a strictly religious union, never signed any paperwork, and you didn't file a marriage license or whatever is legally binding for your jurisdiction, then that's more a matter for your faith.


Title: [California] Employer threatens to deduct 1 hour of pay for not taking our 30min meal break. Is this legal?

Question:
The following was emailed to me today:

"Please follow your work schedule and meal break schedule strictly! It is your responsibility to go to work and take break within the first 5 hours if you work 6 hours or more. I will no longer adjust your meal break violation anymore. Instead, according to company policy, you will have 1 hr penalty taken out from each shift you violate."

Can they do that? If not, what specific laws does it violate?

More info: We work at a food place in California. We dont typically have a specific meal break time, its usually either before 5 hours and when the rush dies down. Sometimes because there is a rush we forget to take our break/dont take it to help out.

Answer:
 [You must be paid for all time worked](http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/faq_deductions.htm). If your boss deducts time from your paycheck to "penalize" you, you can file a wage claim.

Your boss can, however, fire you for not taking your required break.


Title: MaineCare is trying to confiscate the 'family-farm' from my Grandma as payment for her brother's medical care. Please advise whether it is worth putting up a fight?

Question:
Hello r/legaladvice.
My grandma is in a very difficult situation, and I was hoping you could help provide some insight.
Very long story short:
My grandma became the sole-owner of her deceased parents' house (in Maine) about 3 months ago. Previously, she had shared ownership with her disabled brother who lived on the farm in Maine (my grandma lives in California). 3 months ago we visited him, and he agreed to transfer his ownership to her due to his failing health. Her brother suffered a debilitating stroke last week, and my grandma was forced to move him into a convalescent hospital where he will likely remain for the remainder of his life (he is 80 years old and in very poor health).

Yesterday, my grandma received a call from MaineCare (her brother’s insurance provider), informing her that they were taking the house in order to pay for her brother’s care.

He already receives $1,400/month in social security benefits which are being put towards his care, but they informed my grandma that his care costs $7,000/month, and that if she cant pay for it out-of pocket, then they are going to take the house and there is nothing she can do to stop them.

Some relevant background information:
My Grandma is widowed and quite poor. She owns her house in California and receives a meager retirement, but she has no savings.
My grandma is also extremely emotionally distressed right now. 2 months ago her mentally-ill-drug-addict son (my uncle) went on a rampage with a shotgun and is now going to prison/mental hospital for shooting someone in my grandmas front yard. He has lived with her for his entire life, and the situation traumatized her very badly.
She is too upset and exhausted to contact yet another lawyer about this situation.
The way I see it is they are taking advantage of her when she is too tired and distressed to fight back. My parents don’t want to get involved, which has left me feeling responsible for trying to help her.
I am 22 years old and in my senior year of university. I have been doing my best to help and comfort her, but I am finding it very difficult to balance these with my other responsibilities.

The main thing I want to know is whether or not it is worth fighting MaineCare for possession of the house?
On the one hand, I find it hard to believe they have the right to take away the house. On the other hand, I don’t know if my grandma is mentally or financially capable of taking them to court.

Any advice would be much appreciated.
I will try to provide any additional information that you need.

Answer:
 This is way above the paygrade of this sub. A lawyer needs to be consulted in person ASAP. Start calling first thing tomorrow. Answer #2: Congress allows states to take the property of patients admitted to long term care facilities if they can't pay.  Since the transfer was only a few months ago, the state will easily argue grandma/brother were trying to hide assets

Partial ownership is a twist though.   Answer #3: >he agreed to transfer his ownership to her due to his failing health.

Yeah well that seems to put the share of the farm he used to own back into play. Why do people do this? Well I know: they think they are being clever but they aren't.

But the most they can take is his 50% share. But you will need professional help because, frankly, they screwed themselves over here. Doesn't mean the state can take 100% but when you try to be cute in this way, you often lose out.Answer #4: Get a lawyer. [Maine will not fuck around](http://bangordailynews.com/2015/10/22/news/midcoast/rockland-man-speaks-out-about-dhhs-killing-cat-selling-possessions/)Answer #5: There were ways around this, but there's at least a two year cooling off period between transfer/gift/sale and liquidation to receive Medicaid assistance.  Lawyer up but expect the state to be in the right, at least with his portion.


Title: My Friend Cannot Kick Out Gypsy's

Question:
Trying to keep this short:

My friend rents out a two bedroom.  Last year one woman with good credit signed the lease, passed the background tests.  within two months a man moved in, and another, turns out they are gypsies.  Bad tenants, but my friend decided to let them stay until the lease is up. Fast forward.... The lease is up, and the problems started.
They have broken every part of their lease, from over-occupancy (as of yesterday about 10-20 people per day) all the way to not paying their rent or bills, and now squatting.

They have a lawyer who is advising them not to do anything other than take them to court.  supposedly in Illinois all the rights are to the renter.  From what I gather, they gave them the eviction notice, which was expensive because of all the adults squatting currently, but that is all they can do?

Now the gypsies have hired a bogus lawyer and are requesting a jury trial, (for what I dont know) but this is another six weeks where my friend has to pay the bills, water, electricity, mortgage.  She is 7000 in, the trial is supposed to cost about 10,000 according to her lawyer, with none of the expenses falling on the renters.

 Her lawyer has advised this:
She cant change the locks, because there is a 500$ fine per day she locks them out.

she cannot shut off water and electricity because that is illegal.

she cannot forcibly remove them

What she can do is either go to court, pay the fees.  Or  tell the renters "we will pay all your back rent, bills, damages, and not sue you if you move out"

Does this sound right,  I know this might be confusing, so if you have questions Ill answer to the best of my ability.  I feel terrible for my friend and just want to see if they are represented in the best possible fashion.

Edit:  Gypsies,  sorry all for that mistake.

Edit 2:  I figured out the utilities thing-  I apologize for all those I confused- the water is in the landlords name, it's in the lease that the tenant is responsible for reimbursement.  Everything else is in the tenants name and is being paid.   They can't shut off the water because it creates an uninhabitable living space, even though it's not being paid.    My friend is being fucked over because she was trusting, you are all right,  there are many things she should have done,  but it's too late.

Answer:
 Your friend should really be aware of tenants rights and eviction processes if she's going to be a landlord. The fact that she didn't know any of this, considered locking them out and turning their lights out, and that she let them stay for so long when there were obvious problems shows that she might not be equipped to be a landlord. She needs to do your homework. Answer #2: She cannot force them to leave without going through the eviction process. That is true in every state not just Illinois. Answer #3: the plural of "gypsy" is "gypsies."

Answer #4: Yes, she can't change the locks turn off the utilities, etc.  She has to properly evict them.Answer #5: >  has to pay the bills, water, electricity,

Wait. Are the utilities in your friend's name? Does the lease say she pays these bills, even electricity?Answer #6: Her lawyer is correct.


Title: [Philadelphia, PA] Child wants fathers ashes, but his half-siblings want them as well. What to file and where?

Question:
FACTS: Unmarried couple has child, remain unmarried, but together. Father dies intestate, child is a minor. Funeral home currently has the cremains. Mother would like the child to have her fathers ashes, while his half-siblings fight for the funeral home to give them the human remains.

ISSUE: Whether or not file a TRO in Court of Common Pleas against the Funeral Home, or if Child (via Mother) should file in Orphans Court? As expediency is the key, I don't know where or what should be done exactly. I assume the TRO should go against the Funeral Home from giving the ashes to the half-siblings while the parties figure it out.

Additionally, I have been tasked as an intern to do this, and I have no idea how to file a TRO. Should I file it with a complaint for emotional distress along with this, or does the TRO suffice?

Thanks.

Answer: They can absolutely split the cremated remains. Now, if he has yet to be cremated and THAT'S what they are trying to stop with the restraining order, you may have a different kettle of fish. (Your comment about human remains makes me think that they are demanding the intact remains, not yet cremated.)Answer #2: IANAL but can't they just split up the ashes? each person gets their own.Answer #3: Why do the ashes need to be kept together. This is the most petty problem ever.


Title: Can I take legal action over someone owing my family money?

Question:
My grandma paid 700$ for my ex boyfriends dog to go to the vet as well as $1000 dollars to tow his car out of our property that he never took care of. In total he owes my grandma $1700 but has yet to pay us back and knowing him most likely won't. He makes good money and isn't broke. What legal action would I possibly be able to take?
Topic:
Credit Debt Bankruptcy

Answer:
 You: none

your grandma: she can sue him


Title: Corrupt Industry, can anything be done?

Question:
I work in an industry that has something going on.. fraud/corruption.. but I don't know how to prove it difinitively. Any advice?

Basically one company bids out jobs ~20% lower than any other company. Public bid data shows this consistently for several years. Their prices can't even cover the raw certified material cost+Union wages for the mandatory number of crew members. So either they use the wrong materials or use less members... Or they have a lower wage package agreement with the Union.. Something.

For five years, our company and others formed a group to try to work with the Union to ensure fair practice because obviously there is not an even playing field. They get all the jobs, we get the remainder. They've even taken on too many jobs and dropped contracts without penalty from the state. We are being held up at every turn(contracts delayed, rescheduling meetings, not fulfilling their end of the deal and deciding to renegotiate, surprise audits every year since forming the group, etc) nothing is getting done and the bid prices are not sustainable.. everyone is bidding lower (basically at cost) just to try to get any work and it's only a matter of time until these businesses fail.

There are other ways to lower overhead and bid lower prices, but there are not ways to get cheaper certified materials and there are not ways to pay less than state mandated wages to the unionized workers.

My state and this Union has a history of corruption.. But I don't know how to go about exposing it or if it's even worth it. We've tried to work with the Union and it's getting us nowhere. We are exploring dissolving the company and leaving the industry entirely, so less friendly routes can be considered (like lawsuits, public attention). This wasn't an option before because we actually wanted to get jobs and have employees.

So tldr: how do you go about exposing corruption in a company/industry? Assemble public data? Find a lawyer? A reporter? Some Bureau?

Thanks for any advice

Answer:
 How do you go from a company bidding lower that the rest of the competitors to fraud/corruption?Answer #2: The FTC has a great guide on bidding corruption, your question is a common enough one it's in their top sheets and the resources there may help you:

Justice.gov/sites/default/files/atr/legacy/2007/10/24/211578.pdf

However, as they say in the section on pricing discrimination, a low bid because they have cheaper materials or labor isn't a violation, and the government doesn't stop businesses from making their own pricing determinations, as long as they are not illegally operating below cost with outside help or in one market subsidized by other business units with the goal of bankrupting competition then raising prices, that is, with that caveat they can even operate below cost if they wish.