Title: Hoffman La-Roche walks away from an environmental disaster that is impacting residential neighborhoods in Nutley, NJ. The EPA has dropped the ball and we need help.. Please read and help my community!

Question:
**If anybody knows how to hit up Martha Stewart we have to run this by her! **:

Before the wall of text.. If this is in the wrong subreddit I apologize.

*TL:DR*

Lots of chemicals. Lawyers suck. Politicians are corrupt. Our community really needs your help. If you know an environmental lawyer or activist please get in touch. What we really need is an research/environmental scientist! Maybe we should cross post ask science?? They will be able to make sense of the information in the environmental reports which are linked below.

* Giant Pharmaceutical Company in my Hometown
* Company has been there for the last 80 years
* *Nobody gave a shit about the environment 80 years ago*
* Greed also motivated environmental negligence
* This company left the town about a year ago
* Since they've left we've learned more and more how bad things are. Residential neighborhoods are seriously polluted. And, there have be NO WARNINGS or any information provided to residents on HUMAN HEALTH EFFECTS of this pollution. Schools, day care facilities, homes, businesses (and even a children’s park) are all badly contaminated.
* The politicians/lawyers/execs will basically walk away from all of this if we don't do something. They are working in concert to cover this up and wash their hands.

**Now the full story:**
Hello. I'm a long time lurker. If my first post makes it to the front page tomorrow it will reaffirm my high esteem for this fine community. I genuinely believe in the people of reddit; and our ability to organize and help worthy causes.
The company in question is Hoffmann-La Roche. I am an ex-employee of Hoffmann-La Roche. I grew up nearby the site. Their campus is huge.. with tons of industrial buildings and equipment as you would expect. They created accutane, the first anti depressant (Isoniazid), they hold the patent for Tamiflu (which brought in protesters when the flu panic was a hot topic), and were first popular for selling synthetic vitamin E & C. You can read more about the History of Roche [on this link.](http://www.rocheusa.com/home/History/nutley-site-history.html)

Roche was always a big part of my hometown Nutley, NJ. Roche was a source of great jobs and a source of pride for our community. Just some background.. Nutley is famous for being the home town of Martha Stewart, Robert Blake and the fact that Annie Oakley did a show here (or something). Honestly I never got into the Annie Oakley thing but hey, some people dig it. Martha.. well she just makes me think; if only someone could reach out to her.. Maybe she could be our Erin Brockovich? I've never met her, but she [seems pretty cool](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ocre0kXgvg).

Nutley is also the spiritual hometown of the Sopranos characters. In the finale Tony Soprano was shot just up the road from the Roach campus in an ice cream parlor called Holsteins (as it was named in the episode). Uncle June lived in Belleville which is one town over. Furio lived in a house in Nutley. The funeral home featured on the show is Cozzarelli's in Belleville. The thing of it is; that really is a pretty accurate representation of the "political" environment in this area. "The Sopranos" do exist; and the politicians do cooperate. This corruption is not isolated to the local level.

There is a massive cover up. At least 1 square mile of land is dangerously polluted. All of the information provided has been carefully sanitized. The publicly accessible environmental reports (required by law) are crafted by trained lawyers and PR spinners to mislead and manipulate public opinion. But, if you have patience and read them you will see there is very damning information. Very scary information.

Here is a map of "Investigational Areas" that Roche has identified as contaminated sites. [List of IAs](http://www.rocheusa.com/content/dam/internet/corporate/roche/en_US/documents/IA-boundary-Map.pdf)

Do you see IA-13 on the map? We'll, they've conceded that the soil and water contamination in that "area" is so bad that they just have to do something about it. An underground storage tank was leaking for years. The soil and water is highly contaminated by polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These are dangerous and cancer causing chemicals! Lead, arsenic, mercury and all sorts of other "fun" stuff was discovered… all above the legally permitted amounts.
Now if you read the report it will tell you that the ground water is about 15-18 feet underground and travels south-west to the Passaic River. Look back on the map of "IA's" that I linked and check the compass. There is a children's playground (including a small river/stream that kids play in) literally right across the street. Two blocks further south on Spring Garden Avenue, there is an elementary school!  In between the two are families. There is also a day care facility in the immediate area.

Roche's solution for 98% of their mess is to work with the State and create "exceptions" to environmental standards & law. They'll just raise the allowable level of acceptable pollution in those areas and forget about it. In these areas, Roche’s proposed “remediation” is  to ensure that buildings are have four inches of concert underneath them. So, you know... the cancerous death below will never reach you.
If you take the time to read and analyze the datasheets/reports you will appreciate what a whitewash this is!

The reason that we can make a difference **now** is that there is currently a 30 day window that citizens can submit questions concerning the remediation to Roche and those questions must be addressed and answered. I need help from somebody to ask the right questions and get that information to an environmental lawyer.

*Please help by reading the press release: [http://www.rocheusa.com/content/dam/internet/corporate/roche/en_US/documents/RocheNutley/IA-13ad_Mar13_2013FINAL.pdf](Link)

*There actual reports and publicly accessible data sheets are available here. [http://www.rocheusa.com/home/public-documents-and-reports.html](Link)

You can contact Nutley's town government [here](http://www.nutleynj.org/content/contact-us).

[A list of our elected officials](http://www.nutleynj.org/content/board-of-commissioners.html)

I will answer any questions and help to move this cause forward. If this is not the correct sub I am sorry. I wasn't sure where else to go!

The politicians/lawyers/execs will basically walk away from all of this if we don't do something. They are working in concert to cover this up and wash their hands.

**Final Edit:**- I have several family members and friends who worked on the site that have suffered recurring bouts with cancer. Obviously there are many factors. Good decent people who raised families on the site (not to mention the employees of Roche) have been exposed to very dangerous chemicals with well-known health effects.

Answer:
 > Lawyers suck.

That's a great way to start your post in a sub full of lawyers offering free help.

>The politicians/lawyers/execs will basically walk away from all of this if we don't do something. They are working in concert to cover this up and wash their hands.

And a big finish on the same note.


Title: I got a 200 dollar fucking parking ticket in DC. What happens if I don't pay?

Question:
I live very far away and never intend to return. I fucking hated everything about that place except for the monuments and museums.

Edit: I get it. I'm a piece of shit, I'll pay it.

Answer: if you don't pay within 30 days, the fine doubles.  D.C. can send the debt to collections and it will show up on your credit report.


Title: Employer demands our income tax forms

Question:
I have worked for the same company in the US for 10 years. I carry the health insurance for our family as my husband's company's coverage is higher.

I get a nasty-gram from my HR that really made no sense other than the part where my husband will not be covered by our insurance. I go to HR and am told I have to provide the 1st page of our 2018 taxes. I ask WHY? HR says I have to prove we are still married! I call my supervisor and am told that HR is asking this from everyone.

This seems like bullshit. Are they legally allowed to demand this from us for the insurance company? I gave them my marriage certificate when we got married 9 years ago.

Answer:
 They are. It’s pretty common.

They are auditing records to see that you are still married and he is still eligible for coverageAnswer #2: You don't have to provide it. But if you don't, they can drop your husband from insurance. It's called an insurance audit. You don't have to make a big deal out of it.


Title: Would an adults only apartment complex be leagal? USA

Question:
I am aware of communities that are 50+ only which isn't the issue.

I'm talking about a standard apartment complex that will refuse to rent to people who have kids/are pregnant.

Would this be allowed to house pedophiles? As long as there weren't any schools or parks nearby?

The article I read is here; https://stories.wimp.com/should-there-be-adults-only-apartment-buildings-heres-what-people-said/?utm_source=082921-FP-WIMP-FB&utm_medium=WIMP-FB&utm_campaign=WIMP-FB&utm_content=should-there-be-adults-only-apartment-buildings-heres-what-people-said

Answer:
 No.

https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/discrimination_against_families_childrenAnswer #2: When I lived in Houston, I toured an Apartment Complex in the city center that unofficially divided the families and the single adults. They did the same thing with the 2 pools they had as well.

People without kids were put in one side of the complex, people with on the other. I was told it unintentionally just happened to work out that way, while the staff member winked at me. Lol, I loved the idea behind it. Especially as my last apartment had a new born living in the unit above me, and the parents believed in letting the kids 'cry it out'.

One of the pools allowed liquor on the premise, but no underage kids. It was the smaller pool, but it was still nice. I almost moved in but ended up moving back across the country instead.Answer #3: I think some companies get around this by having studio's or apartment too small to legally accommodate more than 1 or 2 people.

[Here's an article on Texas occupancy laws](https://legalbeagle.com/8618740-apartment-occupancy-laws-texas.html)


Title: [Canada] $800 unauthorized in-app purchases made by a 6 year old, app in question refusing to refund

Question:
 Crossposting from the Roblox subreddit...I'm posting for my Classmate, as he isn't a Reddit user.

So, my classmate's little brother plays Roblox, and charged $800 to my classmates google play account. The purchases were in game purchases of $1.29 (canadian) that took place between July 21 to 27. Classmate didn't find out till he checked his bank statement Aug 27th. He had made purchases previously for the little bro, and was still signed in with his google play account on the tablet, but had it set to request a 4 digit pin for any in app purchases. Little bro was 6 at the time, but he managed to guess the pin.

My classmate, upon discovering the charges, went to the Roblox customer support, and over the course of a few months emailed back and forth trying to reverse the charges. He was asked to provide the account name, as well as a list of the charges and when they were made, as well as order numbers. Eventually they simply told him they can't help him, so sorry, have a nice day. Since it was his bank account linked and not a credit card, the bank is unable to reverse the charges. Classmate is a college student who really can't afford $800 on such a thing, is there anything he can do?

Answer:
 > He had made purchases previously for the little bro, and was still signed in with his google play account on the tablet, but had it set to request a 4 digit pin for any in app purchases. Little bro was 6 at the time, but he managed to guess the pin.

Unless he wants to try and prosecute a 6 year old for theft, he's SOL.Answer #2: Has he tried contacting the Google Play Store support team?


Title: [DE] Student overheard saying she will get me get me fired from my teaching job, by making a false accusation.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: You've already done it, mostly.  Do not be around that student alone, ever.  If she attempts to do so, simply walk out of the room.


Title: Club has my ID, what do I do?

Question:
[TX] I went to a club with a friend and we got caught with beers. The cop took us to the back where they took our IDs. Said we could either point out the guy that gave us the alcohol or face a day in jail. They tell me to take a seat while the cop takes my friend to find the dude (he played it cool and didn't snitch). So I end up bailing and now I'm just wondering what should I expect? Will I get in trouble for this? Should I go back and get my ID? The DMV accidentally gave me an extra ID so I'm fine w/o. Also my friend made it out fine as well. What do you guys think?

EDIT: It's been a good while and nothing's happened. I was a victim of a hit and run and if I did have some dirt on me then they would've arrested me. Lesson learned.

Answer: The least of your problems is your ID. Get a lawyer to try to get the underaged drinking charge dismissed.Answer #2: Wait, so...you snuck out while your friend was showing him the guy? Are you under 21?


Title: Age of consent laws between states question

Question:
 I was hoping to get a better understanding of the laws around the age of consent. I am 23 and currently live in Virginia which the age of consent is 18. In Maryland the age of consent is 16. So if I am talking to a girl in Virginia who is 16, but then bring her to a hotel in Maryland and have sex, and then go back to VA. Is this considered legal?

I don't know if I actually want to sleep with someone who is 16 because of the maturity difference. But I would rather understand the law better before I even think about sex with someone who is 16. Thank you!!!

Answer: No, that would be a federal crime


Title: Need help- Dad threatens to call police if property isn't returned.

Question: Hello, So recently a couple friends and I went to another friends house and hung out and everything was fine until about a week later said friend who's house we stayed at is saying ~$1500 of pills were "stolen" . Said friends Dad says the police are going to get involved unless they are returned. I was not involved with the pills missing but I need some advise on how to proceed.

Answer: I would start by telling your parents, not talking to the police, and if they want to talk to you, ask your parents to retain an attorney.


Title: Is this worth calling OSHA?

Question:
Throwaway for obvious reasons. So a little backstory: I’ve been working for the DPW in my town for around 6 months. I’m relatively new to working outside and working the trades so I just go along with what everyone else says and that’s gotten me along with everyone just fine. Although I am very concerned with the break room/work space we have here. Most people agree that it is indeed hazardous. No one says anything about it because they’re scared they’ll lose their job. The building we work in used to be a court house, then it was a community center where everyone would get their pool passes. Apparently after this it was due to be condemned but, as luck would have it, the township has repurposed it to the DPW. So now the parks crew, a sub division in the DPW, has break here, eats lunch here, and cleans vehicles and equipment here. I am just curious if this is a hazardous working environment. I do not know for myself and just want a second unbiased opinion. The main “Garage” where we’re all based out of and meet every morning and end of the day has apparently been around since the 1950s and it has similar ceiling issues. I most likely won’t be able to get pictures of it as to not bring attention to myself. Please let me know what you guys think.

https://imgur.com/gallery/BUTHC94

Answer:
 Obligatory IANAL. It's not an OSHA issue because NJ doesn't require breaks to be provided at all for anyone over 18. Your union contract may require them, but unless it's required that your ~~employee~~ employer provide a *break room*, there's nothing to be done. Pressing the issue will just get the doors locked and you'll be told, "You guys wanna bitch? Fine. Here's a Port-A-John. Wash your equipment outside, and take your breaks in your cars."

While I agree that building is a hellhole that should be bulldozed, it's not an OHSA issue. If anything, it's an issue to take to your county's (not the township's) code department.


Title: [UK] Accidentally damaged someone's phone at work

Question:
I work at an airport in the UK. I was walking through the terminal and one of the passengers had left their phone on the floor plugged into the wall to charge it. I didn't see the phone as I was walking past and accidentally kicked it. It slid into the wall pretty hard and now has a big crack on the screen.

The passenger confronted me about it and I apologized. He said I needed to pay for the phone. I told him I wouldn't pay for it because it wasn't my fault and that he shouldn't have left his phone lying on the floor like that.

We argued a little and he ended up taking my name, phone number and email address and said I'd be hearing from his lawyer.

Does he have a case against me? It was a complete accident and he left his phone lying on the floor where it could easily get damaged.

Thanks.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Which part of the UK are you in?  I only ask as Scotland and N Ireland have a different legal system to England and Wales.

Assuming England or Wales, chances of him successfully pursuing you are slim.  ultimately, he has a responsibility to not leave his phone in a place where this kind of thing could have happened.  If you had suffered loss yourself as a result of what happened, it's more likely that you would have a case against him than the other way around.  Also, I highly doubt any lawyer would see this as worth taking on so I can't imagine you hearing from a lawyer.

If by some miracle you do hear anything more about this, I'd say you're safe to ignore it UNLESS you receive a sealed claim form.  If you receive this, do not ignore it as he will be able to get a default judgment against you.  For England/Wales, a claim form looks like [this](http://justclaim.co.uk/images/n1.png).  If it's sealed (i.e., it has been issued by a Court), it will have a stamp with a crown in it where it says "seal".  ONLY if you get that should you take any action.


Title: Friend of mine got caught with 6 ounces of weed, under an ounce of concentrates, and 20 adderalls. Got distribution charges for everything but the adderall. 21 yo in a great university, court date is pending what should he be doing now?

Answer:
 Does he have a lawyer?

If not, step 0 should be getting a lawyer.

Step 1 is whatever the lawyers tells him to do next.Answer #2: The outcomes of our criminal justice system typically are driven in the moments leading up to and following an arrest. There is a good chance that he "explained his side" and effectively implicated himself in felony level misconduct. He needs an attorney, a great one. The pill charge alone could be upwards of a 10 year prison term.


Title: Verizon steaming restrictions and net neutrality

Question:
To my understanding, the protections of net neutrality are, at least for now, still in place. Do Verizons new restrictions on how you can stream violate these protections? If so, how would one go about taking legal action against them?
I know it won't matter for much longer, but I want to know if what they are doing is illegal.

I'm in Idaho

Answer: Gonna have to give us more information.  What are their terms that you are talking about?  Some may be familiar,  but lord knows I'm not.


Title: I have to pay $20,000 to break my employee agreement which states I have to give 120 days notice before quitting. Is that legal? Texas.

Question:
I shouldn’t have, but I did. I signed an employee agreement with a 120 day written notice to leave my job. Penalty for leaving before that is $20,000. Is this legal?

Also, if I got myself fired (leave moral and consequential arguments out of this please), would I be free from the contract with no penalty pay?

Answer: It would seem to be a contract. Without seeing all the terms, your recourse may be limited. You might run it by a lawyer in your area.


Title: Bio dad sighted away his paternal rights but now wants into his daughters life.

Question:
EDIT: I adopted her, it's my name on her birth certificate now.

My wife was pregnant when we got married. The guy used her and left her and her unborn daughter. Wife seriously considered giving up the baby but backed out. The guy signed his rights away ANC thought she had given the baby up.

Now he realized that he wants to see his daughter and we've been letting him. It isn't good for wife, daughter, or the younger daughter we gave together. My wife refuses to go to the courts because in her life experience going to someone in a position of authority always resulted in her getting blamed and punished.

We live in chicago. Her cousin who handled the situation no longer resides in this city and we don't have the money for a good lawyer. Do we have to let him see her? Can we demand child support?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: If you adopted her you can't get child support from him.  And you don't have to let him see her -- legally his relationship would be the same as any other non-related person on the planet.Answer #2: I remember your wife's story from /r/relationships. The way she tells it, she lied and told him she was giving the girl up for adoption and then didn't. This may or may not present a problem in the validity of the paper he signed. Either way, if the daughter and your wife think these visits are bad, don't let him see her any more. Make sure you have all the papers in order. If he makes a fuss about not seeing her again, stand firm and say no. If he gets a lawyer or files suit, you and your wife will need to get a lawyer and show up at any court dates.


Title: Doctor accidentally tripled the dosage of a medicine in a short amount of time and my son ended up in the psych ward.

Question:
A year and a half ago my son was prescribed an anti-depressant and in 4 months he lost 30 pounds and ended up being admitted to a children’s psychiatric unit. At that time they diagnosed him loosely w bi-polar-as he had a very bad reaction to an anti-depressant.

He was taken off that medicine and we were referred to a psychiatrist for med management. My son was going to him for months and was prescribed the same medication but in a very small doesage. I wasn’t really comfortable with this, as this was why he was hospitalized in the first place, but I trusted the dr. That seemed to be working really well for a time.

About a month later the doctor asked me to stop coming into the appointments and I complied. My son was then given his prescriptions but instead of 25 mg it was 50mg. I didn’t check, I just filled the script and we went on as usual. Two months later he met w the dr. again and the script was now for 100mg. I again didn’t look and just filled it. I assumed that any increase of medication would be discussed with me and or my child. Obviously I am responsible for my sons needs-I just took everything at face value.

After being on the 100mg for about 3 weeks (which again we didn’t realize) my son told me he wasn’t feeling right and wanted to be admitted to the hospital he went to the summer before.

I took him to our local ER and they observed him for the night. Next morning I came in and the nurse had a print out from our pharmacy and she showed me that the anti-depressant went from 25mg to 50 to 100 in three months.

He was hospitalized at another child unit for a week and they took him off the med and now we have a new med manager. I just wanted to put this behind us but I want to know what our legal rights are. The second hospital stay has cost me 10,000 after insurance. Also this psychiatrist is very old and I’m not sure if that was part of the issue.

I left a message on his VM about the situation. Never heard back but he sent me a bill for $185 that I owed and another $185 that I don’t owe.

What are our options? Thank you in advance

Answer:
 It's very normal to increase dosages of anti-depressants like that, especially if the lower dose isn't working.  Sounds like your son reacted badly to the medicine which is also a common occurrence with anti-depressants.

Finding the right medication is a trial and error process that can take months and often results in uncomfortable and potentially extreme side effects.  I'm sorry you are dealing with this, but in order to know if there was any malpractice you'd need to consult an attorney.


Title: Random dude was arrested for jerking off in my front yard. I'm not entirely satisfied with his potential legal ramifications...

Question:
Yeah so like the title says, this random dude was arrested for masturbating in my front yard. I live in a rather rural area, and after my wife saw him (his goal) she called for me. He drove away, I pursued, and the cops caught up after I followed for a while.

The guy admitted that he has been doing it for a while in towns all over the area, but it looks like he'll get off (no pun intended) with a rather light charge.

I feel like I'd like to rub some dirt in that wound if at all possible. Ideas? Location is WI, USA.

Thanks!

Answer:
 Fight fire with fire.  Go jack off on *his* lawn.
Answer #2: What you feel is a light charge may be perfectly appropriate for the crime the defendant is being charged with.


Title: My job offer letter includes my salary in both yearly and semi-monthly amounts, and they do not equal each other. Which is legally binding? Rhode Island

Question:
Pretty much the title. The sentence in question says "You are an exempt employee who will be paid on a semi monthly  basis, on Fridays, at a semi monthly  rate of $1975.00 which is equal to an annualized rate of $45,000."

But $1975 twice a month is $47,400 not $45,000. Tomorrow is my first payday so I'll see what happens but I'm truly curious what would come of this if they give me less than the quoted weekly rate. Keep in mind that this document is signed by the president and myself.

In case it matters its a company of maybe 150 people located in RI. Thanks all!

Answer: Semi-monthly should be 24 pays per year.  $1875*24 is $45K.  Someone typo'd somewhere.


Title: [NYC] Only women given off for Int Women's day, free pto day, is this legal?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 As a suggestion, I would wait until after March 8th to do anything about it. That way, instead of the company possibly canceling the free day off, you and the other men at the company will have actual damages that you can recover.Answer #2: I am relatively certain this would fall under the NYCHRL (I love that NYC has its own human rights law) as discrimination. Relevant section of the law (read the full thing [here](https://www1.nyc.gov/site/cchr/law/legal-guidances-gender-identity-expression.page))

> Employment:  It is unlawful to refuse to hire, promote, or fire an individual because of a person’s actual or perceived gender, including actual or perceived status as a transgender person.  It is also unlawful to set different terms and conditions of employment because of an employee’s gender.  Examples of terms and conditions of employment include work assignments, employee benefits, and keeping the workplace free from harassment.

I would also like to point out that violations can land up to a $125k fine ($250k for wanton/malicious, etc, etc,) so your employer *may* want to consider that decision.


Title: California, Landlord refuses to give any tenant a key.

Question:
Currently there are four people living in the house, and there is one room that is the "landlord's room". As apparently in California if he doesn't keep a room to himself he's not allowed to enter the house without prior notice. I'm not sure on this, it's just what someone told me.

Anyway, he refuses to give a key to the mailbox, to anyone in the house. Saying that he still has mail that is sent there as well, and that he doesn't want people handling his mail.

However he also has a friend come over many times, and will have said friend get the mail out of the mailbox, and then it is put inside the house for everyone to go through to see what is theirs.

What I want to know, is: is this illegal, is there something that can be done about it, or am I better off finding another place?

I have items that quite frequently are delivered that if they sit in the mailbox for too long can actually melt, or be destroyed (lipsticks and such). When I asked him about having a mailbox key he told me that I should be warning him of when packages are coming instead of waiting for my mail to come. I think this is absolutely ridiculous, as it's my mail and I (and all the other housemates) should be able to check it whenever I want. Not to mention he does not actually LIVE in the house, he just keeps a room that he says is his. The only time he is actually there, is to pick up rent checks, or to make sure the house is still clean.

Answer:
 Your landlord sounds like an idiot, best to get out of the situation as soon as your lease is up.

For the record, I am not a California lawyer and I am not familiar with the law of California.

That being said, it sounds like your landlord thinks he has found a "loophole" in the law requiring landlords to give at least 24-hours notice before entering the rental property unless there is an emergency. That "loophole" is to "keep a room" in the property, as if the landlord was also a resident. Of course, if the landlord is merely renting out a room in his or her home, and also resided there, the landlord would not have to give 24-hour notice to get a beer from the fridge. Your landlord, however, is plainly abusing that distinction like many of the morons who think there are loopholes in civil law. There are not.

As to the mailbox issue, you are probably at the mercy of your landlord here. There is no law requiring prompt or on-demand access to mailboxes. If there was such a law, those private mailbox stores could not do business unless each customer had a phone number to call and get access to the mailboxes 24/7. Come to think of it, if you're worried about your mail, you should look into one of these services. I am sure the inside is air conditioned.

If California law sets out anything that would change my answer above, hopefully someone familiar with Cali law will point that out.


Title: Just received a duid/dui in Colorado

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Your opinion of her medical condition is completely irrelevant. For one thing, you're not a doctor and didn't examine her. Secondly, it's very possible to act uninjured immediately after an accident as some types of injuries can take days or even weeks to manifest.Answer #2: I can tell you for a fact that if your blood draw was about .08, then you were either significantly impaired several hours ago or your last drink was more recent than you thought. The general decrease in BAC per hour is .015.

Lawyer up and hope that your insurance policy still covers you in the event that you're impaired during a collision.


Title: Tree dispute

Question:
I live in West Virginia for starters, and i have 3 chestnut trees coming into my yard, the first 2 are in competition so the have a small footprint but are really tall, i dont really care about those, whatever, but the 3rd one is half in my back yard and half in the "new" neighbors, it...is...massive, foot print is huge, biggest ive seen and put on the property in 1917 when the house (my house which use to own her property and was a orchard) was built. Only issue im having is since the trunk itself is over the fence on her side can she cut it down? I have half of this trees 30 feet foot print and would die if this beautiful tree was removed.

P.s. the reason for my concern is they are cutting one of the 2 front ones down today and id like to know my options to prevent the 3rd one from coming down if possible

Update: i spoke with the lady and she agreed that if i kept the burs from piling up in her yard she'd not cut them down since she is too old to do it herself

Answer:
 Is this a real, mature, living American Chestnut? o.O

If so HOLY Shit. I mean, 1917 is only about 16 years after the very first foreign chestnuts were imported which started the fungus blight which killed almost all of the most common tree in the US. And they did get huge, one of the biggest trees ever.

If you really have a mature American Chestnut, which has been healthy almost 100 years, and is blight resistant... contact the american chestnut foundation! http://www.acf.org/ This would be a HUGE deal for conservation and protecting the genetics of a nearly destroyed species.

If it *isn't* an american chestnut, then it is less important, but please, if you think these are old enough to be original american chestnuts which are still alive, holy shit. Collect all the seeds, send them to a bunch of foundations, I dunno, someone's going to want cuttings and sequence this tree's genome, like, yesterday.

Edit: if the one they're taking down is the same species, you might want to get genetic information from that one too, I dunno. See if your neighbor would let you pop some seeds / twigs into the freezer, I'm not sure if this will WORK. Maybe the foundation would tell you how to collect some useful genes, or just focus on the other two, probably good enough. If they aren't american chestnut's, cool, but if they are... I really hope all three of these trees genetics are saved if possible, even if the trees have to go.Answer #2: Aren't American Chestnut trees protected by law? A lot of localities protect old hardwoods as well.


Title: Colorado - Just got a letter in the mail stating a violent sex offender was residing near me, and within a mile radius of three elementary schools.

Question:
Hi all, first time poster but long time lurker. I have a question. My wife and I just got a notice in the mail stating that a violent sex offender was released on probation and living very close to me. Among other offenses, he has multiple sexual assault, burglary, child molestation, and battery convictions dating back 30 years. He was described in the notice as a "violent sexual predator with a high probability of reoffending". Also of note, the address given as his residence is within a one-mile radius of three elementary schools, with the nearest one being less than 0.1 miles away. Having this person in the neighborhood makes my wife and I uneasy, especially as we have a young child. I want to know, besides obviously being mindful of my home and family and home defense, what are my options, legally? Specifically, are there any steps that could be taken by myself or others to minimize the risk to the community? I'm not the only one with small children in the neighborhood, and we are so close to elementary schools.

Thanks in advance.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 Ok this is going to sound slightly nuts (story of my life) but before you do anything PLEASE confirm that the letter is from an official agency and that the person listed is actually the person guilty of those crimes.

There are lots of vindictive ex's and cruel people looking to extract revenge. Answer #2: I don't understand what you mean by 'what are my options, legally?'

You could move.Answer #3: Was going to post agreement about contacting the parole officer, but that might be pointless since [Colorado's sex offender registry has been going unconstitutional](https://www.denverpost.com/2017/09/01/colorado-sex-offender-registration-act-unconstitutional/) due **exactly** your concerns.Answer #4: Who sent the letter? The state? Fellow concerned neighbors?

You may want to contact the police and ask them to make sure that his address conforms to the conditions of his parole. Theoretically he could be barred from staying away from schools and his address could either fit those guidelines or he could be too close.

Besides that there's not much you can do. You can install a security system if that would make you feel better, but I would personally focus on making sure your children understand and respect stranger danger and get together with the other people on your street to keep an eye on your neighborhood.


Title: [GA/SC] Former friend informed she is no longer allowed to use my amateur content in her amateur projects, blocks me and indicates she intends to continue

Question:
I live in SC, she lives in GA. We work together in GA

I'm an amateur photographer. I maintain an Instagram account of my original work. A couple of months ago a friend approached me asking if she could use my photography to practice graphic design and I assume market herself to companies. I agreed. It was all rather unofficial and I don't have the original messages of the agreement. I think it was on snapchat or whatever.

To my knowledge she has made no money off of this, and has only produced one magazine mockup. The mockup was produced before I cancelled our arrangement

We recently had a falling out, and she blocked me from all social media. I informed her that She is no longer allowed to use my content to produce her content but she says, and I quote "I was planning on using them".

What is my recourse if she continues? I can no longer view her IG, or any of her social media. I have friends I can ask to watch her page however.

Does she have any grounds to continue? Our original agreement had no real terms as far as I can remember

Is there anything extra I can do despite having no means to get in contact with her? I could send her a letter of some sort, probably.

Answer: If she is using your copyrighted materials on Instagram, there is probably a copyright complaint mechanism that you can submit through the platform. You should also send her a cease-and-desist letter by certified mail warning her against any current or future use of your copyrighted photographs.


Title: Is cutting the tag off of another label and putting your logo on it even legal!?

Question:
So I bought two womans bodysuits online. Both black, one with a companys logo (will remain nameless)and the other one is a plain black one from American Apparel. The one with the logo turned out to be the exact same body suit aa American Apparels but they had cut off all the tags and put their logo on the front. What are the chances! So yeah my point here is that this can't be legal, can it?
Wpg, Canada

Answer:
 Totally legal. When American Apparel sells wholesale the buyer agrees they are going to print something on it and they won't resell them blank.

Now if they cut off the tag and didn't put their own their might be some minor labeling issues. I'm pretty sure there's a requirement to have an RN, fabric content, and washing instructions.


Title: Signed an employment letter that said I have to pay back signing bonus if I leave before 12 months. Is it binding?

Question:
Location: Virginia

I was offered a $4,000 signing bonus before taking my current job at a large company in Northern VA (DC metro area). The offer letter I signed stipulated that I am expected to pay back the signing bonus in full if I leave before 12 months tenure.

The culture of the company I signed on to work with is toxic, and I am actively seeking another job. If I leave before 12 months are up, do I actually have to pay this back? Does it count as a contract?

Answer: Why wouldn't it be binding on you?


Title: IL - The employment contract that I signed states that I am to receive paid holidays, but my HR rep just informed me that they have had a "change in policy that effects all workers regardless of when they were hired." Is this Legal?

Question:
I started a new job about four months ago.  I work for a Fortune 500 company, but am a contracted employee and a contracting agency handles my HR and payroll (I think they're headquarters are in MI, if that matters).

My contract explicitly states that I am to receive paid holidays after 60 days of employment.  Memorial Day was the first holiday I was eligible to receive paid.  Paid holidays are atypical for contractors at my company who uses many various contracting agencies (I've spoken with numerous other contractors about this), so I brought the subject up with my F500 boss (who approves my time sheets) to inform him that I would be billing Memorial Day.  He told me that he had heard there may have been an email he received about a change in policy (I received nothing from the contracting agency).  I reached out to my HR rep who told me that  they had a "change in policy that effects all workers regardless of when they were hired."

I have asked for further explanation on this issue, but my HR rep is apparently out of the office for the next couple of days.  Can a company change the terms a signed contract legally without my consent?  This does not seem remotely legit to me.

Answer: First, are you employed directly by the company or by a contracting agency?  Are you W-2 or 1099?  Did you sign the contract directly with the company or by the agency?


Title: [Alabama] Ex tried to kill me. How do I pay my medical bills?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Was Ex convicted? Does Ex has assets?  Even if he/she was not convicted criminal you can still sue in civil court for damages.

A victims relief may also help. Go-fund me and only after you seek a lawyers advice  sometimes the news will generate donations for crime victims.  Answer #2: Ask the hospital about both victim's funding and any charity care program, also talk to the social workers/case management  (assuming you're still in a hospital /rehab) about any government assistance  you might qualify for


Title: Making restitution anonymously through attorney (New Jersey).

Question:
I committed a crime resulting in monetary damage. There was no proof that it was me and I was not questioned, arrested, or charged. I want to make restitution to the damaged party by paying the sum to an attorney's office and having a representative of the firm deliver the money on behalf of an anonymous client.

Is this a feasible idea, and am I opening myself up to any liability by going this route?

Answer: Of course you're opening yourself up to liability.  It's enormously stupid to do this.  If you really feel guilty, stick cash in an envelope and send it via priority mail without a return address.  Otherwise there is no upside to you for doing this.


Title: Friend fled US while on probation long ago, would like to take vacation (CAN/USA)

Question:
The basics: a friend of mine was convicted of some form of assault in Washington State at age 19, twenty years ago (got in a fight with another kid, that's all I know). I don't know the specifics of the charge or anything. He was in the states with his parents who were working there at the time, but they're all Canadian citizens, not US citizens. He was sentenced to some kind of probation (I don't know for how long), but before probation was finished, he hightailed it back to Canada (residing in Ontario) and has never left the Great White North for twenty years. Has no further criminal record, family, good job, blah blah blah.

He would like to be able to travel to the US, but is terrified to attempt it. My question: what should he do? More specifically, can he inquire of US officials without putting himself in jeopardy? Is there a way to clear his record, or see if it's even problematic, without attempting a border crossing? Make good on his absconding from justice? Thanks!

Answer: He needs to talk to a lawyer.  It is possible that crossings the border will turn up an old warrant and he will be arrested. He needs to fix that before even thinking of entering the USA.


Title: Non married couple. I’m thinking of leaving a shared apartment with my son.. Doable?

Question:
I’m a male living in WA state.  We had an unplanned pregnancy and result is a cute baby that I’m in love with.

She has other kids from previous relationship almost full time...  I have asked her to scale back on time with her kids because she doesn’t have time for them.  She works full time and overtime if it’s available to “pay” for her bills including her kids expenses.  Since she works so much, no parenting happens.

Our son is almost 1.5 years old and about to be done with breastfeeding.  I’m thinking about leaving and want to take my son with me.

I’m willing to hire a lawyer but how likely am I to get a full custody?  We both make about the same money but I’m financially well off with savings, retirement accounts, no debt, etc.  On the other hand, she’s got lots of debts plus 3 other kids to feed.  Does it mean I have to pay for child support if we get 50/50 because of my total asset instead of the income?

Answer:
 A court is not going to think she’s a bad mother because she has multiple kids, she’s working and taking care of them all.

They might wonder about your desire to take the child after having wanted her to spend less time with her children. Answer #2: The court isn't going to give you full custody because you're rich, and she has other kids. If you decide to break it off, and move out, be prepared, unless you can show just case, to split custody. Answer #3: You are very unlikely to get full custody unless she is patently unfit, e.g., abusive or neglectful.  And yes, you will probably be paying some amount of child support with shared custody.Answer #4: Courts award custody based on the best interest of the child. It is generally understood that it is in a child's best interest to have a relationship with both parents.  Therefore, unless one of you is a danger or otherwise unfit, you will both receive split custody.

But also, I am curious, why would leaving the state witg you be in your son's best interest? Yes, you may have more time to devote to him than his mother, with leaving with you would severe that connection, and the connection he has to his siblings. Answer #5: Step one will be getting a lawyer. They can help set up a custody agreement. They will seperately set up child support which is based on income. Being intentionally underemployed is a bad idea. Expect to end up with 50/50 custody.


Title: Selling my car over the weekend. What protections can I utilize to make sure I am paid if cash is not an option?

Question:
(Michigan) I wasn't sure where to ask this, but I'm selling my used car this weekend for about $7,000. The purchaser is driving 4 hours to come pick up the car with a friend and are only available to get it on the weekend. The purchaser had to get a loan so they cannot pay in cash. They are planning on bringing a cashier's check.

What protections can I initiate so that I won't get scammed (besides obvious only accept on weekend/cash/meet at bank..etc).

Off the top of my head I'm thinking of making a copy of their driver's license, and maybe have them sign some sort of document stating they are legally obligated to pay if the check bounces- just so I have SOMETHING to show the police if it falls through.

What else can I do? Any other ideas?

Answer:
 I'm 99% sure this is a scam. Find another buyer.

The claim that they can only give you a cashier's check is a big red flag. If the bank is giving them a loan, either that money is deposited in buyer's account and they can then write a personal check, do a cash withdrawal, etc., or the bank is making it the check to the dealership for a particular car already agreed upon.

I even called Wells Fargo and asked. They said this is BS, and that the buyer should be able to give you cash.

This has a lot of the common features of a Craigslist scam buyer.  Tell them cash or nothing. It's better to wait for a legitimate buyer than to accept a fraudulent cashier's check and lose 7k - 8k.  Your bank will not only take back the money 2 weeks later when it turns out the check is bad, but they'll charge you fees for the bad cashier's check, and overdraft fees for all your personal checks that start bouncing as soon as that $7k is no longer on your account.


Title: Just served a random injunction today... What do I do ?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Whatever you do, make sure to go to any court case that takes place. Hire your own lawyer to look over the injunction.Answer #2: Is it possible that someone is harassing her and claiming to be you?

Maybe a fake social media account or e-mail address?  Try searching for yourself on Facebook or searching for your e-mail address with different providers.  If you use Kevins_patriots@Gmail.com, look for the same @Yahoo.com, etc.

I had a friend whose crazy BF (now ex) did this to harass someone


Title: [23F] I was date raped two weeks ago. Not sure what I can or should do. Need advice.

Question:
Graphic dialogue ahead.

I recently moved back to the area after living out of state for 5 years. I wanted to reconnect with some old friends and asked a former guy friend from high school if he'd like to grab coffee or a beer and catch up. He agreed. The night of, he offered to pick me up since he was in the area and I agreed. We went to a bar/restaurant and had maybe 3 beers while we talked for a while about old high school stuff. Had a good time, lots of laughs. He asked if I wanted to check out the store/business he owns, I said sure. He showed me around and took out a bottle of vodka from his desk in his office and started pouring drinks for us (I knew about the vodka, he told me about it before hand and he stopped to pick up juice to mix with it).

I was admittedly drunk. But I felt like I shouldn't be as drunk as I was compared to what I drank. I was mid sip when I blacked out. I have a "memory" of being half carried to a desk or table and being slammed down on my back. My eyes were open but I couldn't make out anything. Then blacked out. Next thing I barely remember is being on my back and him going at it. Blackout. I woke up, still not able to see clearly. I said "please stop" over and over though I don't know if I actually said it because I was so messed up. Blackout. Threw up a lot, for what seemed like a long duration of time. Blackout. I'm now sitting on the floor, back of my head against a wall with him in my mouth. Blackout. Him handing me a cup of juice. My shirt is gone, I start to put my pants back on. Blackout. My shirt is back on, I'm now in the passenger seat of his car, he's driving me home. Blackout. I'm at my house, I manage to find my keys in my bag and go inside, take off my puke covered pants, and go to sleep.

I woke up feeling sore in many places, still drunk and/or drugged. I managed to get myself to work. I didn't really piece together everything and didn't accept what happened. We Facebook messaged on and off throughout the day afterwards.  I haven't talked to him in a week now.

Last night I got drunk after a bad day at work and all of this came flooding back to me. I hadn't been drunk since the night everything happened. I didn't accept that I was raped until last night. I have many emotions, mostly anger and guilt. As time goes on I start to remember more and piece things together. I don't know what to do, or what I should or shouldn't do. Looking for advice of all sorts, I guess.

I'm a 23 year old female in Connecticut. I also work for USPS, not sure if that makes a difference but I know sometimes postal inspectors can get involved with assault cases involving postal employees.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

Answer:
 You can report the incident to the police and please go see someone to help you process what happened. Also check out your local RAINN chapter for more resources.Answer #2: 1 - call the non emergency police number and report the incident.  They may ask you to come in to talk to them.

2 - find a good counselor and set up an appointment with them.  This situation sucks and you should get and rely on all the help you can get.

3 - depending on outcome of #1 you may want to hire a private attorney to help you secure a protective order or any other remedy that may be available.

Now for the really shitty part.  The event happened two weeks ago, in a private location.  It is unlikely there will be useful physical evidence.  Your word vs his.  Even if the police believe you, without something more they may not be able to do anything.  This is why #2 from above is so important in my mind.

Good luck


Title: You cheat on a partner and they vandalise your property. Sue?

Question:
A scorned person takes revenge on an unfaithful partner by spray painting their car or by burning their clothes or destroying their property.

Can you sue a former partner for these actions?
If so, would this be handled in a civil or criminal court?

EDIT: New York

Answer:
 If you sued for damages, it would be in small claims court.

You can report it to the appropriate authorities and then criminal charges may or may not be filed.


Title: Mental health discrimination - grad student [IL]

Question:
Didn't know where to post but has anybody here taken legal action against a university for discrimination of a mental health condition? I feel as tho I was dismissed from my grad school program unfairly in my last semester.  I don't even know where to begin or even what type of lawyer to contact.

Any insight would be insanely helpful.

Answer: If you were dismissed because you are depressed (or whatever your mental health problem was), that would likely violate the ADA and you want to get an ADA lawyer or an education lawyer.  If you were dismissed because you got shitty grades because you were depressed, that would likely not violate ADA and you may want to talk to the program about what you can do to be readmitted.


Title: Employer used direct deposit on my check when I have never set up direct deposit what is going on?

Question:
Yeah so I came into work a few days ago to find that I didn't have a check and that it was "direct deposited" found out via a direct deposit slip. I have never set up direct deposit and with the place I work I have heard horror stories on how they always mess it up ( Missing wages etc...) so I don't want it. They really try to force the direct deposit and now I am missing a whole pay check while the Regional Manager and Area manager are on vacation WTF DO I DO. None of the other staff managers know either.
I live in Michigan.

Answer: You need to talk to HR. That will be the fastest way to get this resolved. There's no legal action that would be a good idea to take at this time if you are trying to remain employed.


Title: My parents may be getting scammed, and they asked me to post here for help

Question: My parents  are selling the piano on Craigslist for 500. Right away they got an offer from someone buying the piano for someone else, they said the would mail the check then send instructions. They sent a 2000  cashiers check today instead of 500 but no instructions and apparently want my parents to pay for delivery of the piano with funds from the 2000 cashiers check.

Answer: Yes it is a scam and a common one, don’t deliver anything and get rid of the fraudulent check.Answer #2: Yes, don't deposit the check. It will bounce.Answer #3: Absolutely a scam. 100%. Don’t deposit the check. Your parents will have to pay a fee because it will absolutely bounce.


Title: Question regarding Disney's copyright policies

Question: Let me give you a bit of background. I'm an avid Pokemon fan, and the only other thing that compares to me is my love of Disney. Recently, I had the idea for a Pokemon Fangame which would essentially combine the two universes into one, with gym leaders being Disney princesses and the evil team being comprised of Disney villains and the like. Now, I know that the Pokemon company is usually cool about fan games, but I have no idea about Disney. If anyone could answer, how likely do you think it would be for a project like this to get a Cease and Desist from Disney?

Answer: Pretty damn likely.


Title: I'm being charged with possession of marijuana and possession of possession of paraphernalia - wasn't mine

Question:
Story goes I was fixing my car at around 12am, i'm a car guy, my hobbies cars, there is no certain time to be fixing cars lol and this particular time I was fixing my exhaust leak I had. I fixed it and took it for a quick test drive around my block. I did a usual route on a main street in my town and I passed a cop. I continued up the road a little bit and had to turn around as theres no way back to my house for another 15 miles as it loops around. So I turn around in a local business parking lot and pass the cop a second time. He pulls out behind me and trailed me like any cop would and as I go to turn right toward my house I get pulled over. Turns out I had a license place light out and I didn't even know it. So hes doing the usual talk, and shining his flashlight around and he stops and ask "whats that?". I ask "what?" and he shines his light at my E-brake. Turns out there was a tiny spec of weed (when I mean small, I mean like a crumb from a cookie, like it wouldn't even show up on a scale thats how tiny of a crumb it was). So he asks if he can search that vehicle and I say absolutely because that wasn't my weed and I know I don't have anything the car thats illegal as I stopped smoking weed quite a few months ago. So I sign a paper and allow the cop to search the car. The officer takes a few pictures of the interior of my vehicle and he comes over and talks with me. I tell him its not my weed, I know it because I don't smoke and im clean. I tell him I just enlisted in the Marines and im finishing my last year in highschool to get my diploma and I can't screw around with life because I have certain goals I want to achieve. He asks me if I know who it would be and I say it could be a few people but I didn't give names. I think its honestly from when I picked a friend up from the train station and he pulled out a blunt full of weed and wanted to smoke it but I told him to put back and not to. That was about a week before being pulled over.

What can I do to get out of this. This isn't my weed, I don't buy weed, I don't smoke it, please I need advice badly. I'm currently going through a shit ton of depression and I feel like my life is completely ruined now. My whole life was based on going in the Marines and making a name for myself and building a career as being a police officer. But with these charges, I won't be allowed any of those goals..

Answer:
 > This isn't my weed

It was in your car and you were the only one in the car. That makes it yours...

You are responsible for everything that passengers leave in your car, dont want to be responsible for your buddy leaving weed in your car, dont let them in your car.

Also, you now have a great example of why you shouldnt consent to searches and why you shouldnt talk to the police... Although visually seeing the weed would have given him enough to search without a warrant anyways. You did nothing to help yourself by talking to him though.

Get a lawyer and follow that person's advice. If you are actually enlisted and sworn in, you need to get JAG involved...


Title: (Louisiana) Guess I'm headed to jail.

Question: I'm really freaking out worried I'm going to be arrested. I was chatting with someone on Google Hangouts and was trading porn with them. It was stuff I was finding on Reddit and also just by searching on Google images. I was doing this on a cell phone and long story short I got a alert that my Google account had been disabled due to TOS violations. After some research I found that Google scans accounts for illegal images and reports them. I was looking at categories of teen porn.I'm scared and panicking that any day now my door is going to be kicked in and my life ruined. Google didn't say what exactly had triggered the account being disabled and there was no warning.

Answer:
 Do you have a legal question?

You are not going to jail. One accidental stumble on child porn, if that is what it is, won't get you arrested. Stop looking for porn that might be illegal. Look at hobo midget porn like normal people. Answer #2: Yeah, you may be at risk.

At this point, there's nothing you can do. Stop breaking the law. If the cops show up get a lawyer.


Title: [NH] Built a second driveway for my house, was told I didn't need a permit and now a neighbor has reported the driveway.

Question: I recently had a second driveway built for my house. Before it was built, I was told by the company that I didn't need a building permit. Now a neighbor has reported the driveway and now I've been told that I have to apply for a permit which is most likely going to get denied, remove the driveway, or apply for something that I can't remember. What can I do to keep the driveway?

Answer: Was the company licensed and bonded?  If so, they should take care of it.  If not, well...


Title: Pricing error results in being sued? Amazon.com

Question:
I was on a forum when someone linked an item on Amazon and said if you put this coupon code in it would give you 99% off. I tried this just for the hell of it and it actually worked! I was getting the item for a huge discount. So me being the opportunist I am I ordered as many as I could, from my first account it wouldn't let me use the code anymore so I just made another account and did it again. They actually shipped everything too.

A few days later I get a called from the Amazon seller (3rd party seller) asking if I could send them back. I agreed because it felt like a dickish thing to do anyways, since I basically got his hard earned money for free. I sent all of the boxes back that I received from Amazon.

Unfortunately, two of the 12 or so boxes didn't arrive at my house from Amazon so I contacted them about it and they refunded me and what-not. (I'm guessing someone could have snatched them from my doorstep, Amazon totally understood)

Now the Amazon seller is threatening to sue me for the missing two boxes. Saying I broke the Amazon TOS when I made the 2nd account.

What do you guys think I should do in this situation? I know I pulled a stupid move by ordering with that discount. At this point I'm really scared because I've never been in trouble for anything in my life and all of a sudden I'm getting threatened to go to court.

Answer:
 The seller was giving out "review samples" of the product using the code. Basically they offer huge discounts in exchange for the "honest and unbiased" review.

The problem was they didn't make the coupon code the best way, so the code could be shared between anybody, and used for an unlimited number of times on an unlimited number of items. The code should have been a one time use thing, generated for each reviewer.

Legally, as long as you weren't the one spreading the private code, you should be in the clear.Answer #2: Once it's sent to you they don't have any recourse. The violation of the TOS would be between you and Amazon. (IANAL, this is from what I have heard when similar pricing errors have occured)


Title: Sons father won't pay medical bills.

Question:
My son's father and i came to an agreement in mediation in January where we agreed that we would both split the cost of unpaid medical bills. Now for months I've been sending him bills that need paid. Totaling almost a grand and he has barely touched the bills. 25 here... 100 there... And that's it. He still owes me hundreds that I asked for months ago.

Now I have child support papers going through now (though it's going incredibly slow) but I'm wondering how I make him pay these unpaid bills. Because he doesn't take them seriously at all because there's been no court order forcing him to.

Is there anyway to go about actually  making him pay these. They keep stacking up and I'm not sure what to do to get him to take it seriously.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: our agreement and all paperwork has been filled in Florida but my husband and I now live in Georgia since.

Answer:
 So your agreement isn't part of a court order?Answer #2: You go back to court and ask that he pay the bills.Answer #3: What state are you in?

In California, it's pretty standard in a custody order that parents split medical expenses. If one party doesn't pay, it can be added to support arrears (if there is a support order). Talk to your attorney and see if that can be added on to the support motion.


Title: [CA] Jail messed up with my sentence.

Question:
Hi, I'm not really sure if this is the place to ask. But here I go. Basically, I got in trouble, and was sentenced to 18 days jail time (or work release/ house arrest). So I went on my required date to the Jail, and I handed the lady officer working behind the desk my minute order / papers etc, and told her i'd like to apply for the ankle monitoring house arrest. I didn't realize it at the time but she messed up the amount of days I need to serve. On the paper she signed it says I am to serve 8 days on house arrest, not 18.

So I guess what I'm asking is, would the court know if I didn't serve the full 18 days, when the jail is saying i served my "time"? I know 10 days more isn't that much more, but as an unemployed student, the 15 bucks a day they charge would add another 150 dollars that I don't really have. Should I just play dumb? It wasn't me who made the mistake. I'm hoping someone understands how/what the court specifically see's when the Jail submits that I served my time. Any help would be very much appreciated! Thanks.

Answer: IANAL, but I would consult with my attorney and come clean with the court. If you ever have an issue in the future it will look good upon your character that you did the right thing. You also don't want to find out you have a warrant for your arrest when you're pulled over for something stupid like not using a blinker.


Title: [Canada] Can an employer seize your personal laptop?

Question:
My colleagues and I are working on a remote site in northern Alberta and the topic of personal laptops came up.  Supposedly, they claim that security on site can confiscate your laptop if you do not have some kind of special permit.  It seems to me that this is a gross invasion of privacy.

To my knowledge we have signed nothing that would agree to this condition.

What are the workers’ rights in this situation?

Answer: Check your contract (employment and housing if they're separate). If there are any such restrictions, they would need to be included in there. If they are and you signed it, then you have agreed. If they are not, there would be no grounds.


Title: Reasons to avoid "don't pay unless we win" lawyers? (NYC)

Question: Like the title says. Unemployment hearing, just want to cover my ass. Is there a catch?

Answer:
 They usually charge more if you do win. So instead of paying 35% of your winnings, you might be paying them 55%. Answer #2: Lawyers who don't work on retainer or by the hour typically charge a much larger fee because they normally only take "slam dunk" cases, and can afford to have 10 big wins and 1 loss if they take 55% of the winnings for the big wins. Answer #3: In a contingency fee arrangement (which is what you are describing), you are compensating the attorney for the additional risk of not getting paid. As result, you may pay much more than you otherwise would if you paid upfront.

For example, in contested estate matters (my specialty), an hourly file will typically generate anywhere from $20,000 to $70,000 in fees when all is said and done. However, on contingency, I receive 40-45% of what is collected. If I obtain $1,000,000 for my client, I collect a fee of $400,000 versus the $20-$70k had they paid up front.


Title: I fear my child may be a flight risk; can I flag their passport to prevent them flying to another country? Reside in Colorado.

Question: My teenage child, under the encouragement of their other parent, has recently refused to return to my home in spite of standing court orders. I have also recently picked up hints in conversation which cause me to suspect that my ex may be planning on sending my child to another country to help them avoid returning to my home. I expect that if this happens the other parent will most likely claim that they had nothing to do with this, and that it was entirely the actions of my child, in order to try to avoid legal repercussions. Can I preemptively stop this by flagging my child's passport and preventing them from flying? If so, how do I go about it?

Answer: Contact your lawyer and the police.Tell them that your ex- is violating the custody order and that you suspect they may be planning to move your child out of the country. Law enforcement can certainly flag your child's passport if that becomes necessary.


Title: In the event of the Second Coming, would Jesus Christ have legal recourse for unauthorised uses of his image?

Answer:
 IANAL, but i would certainly think his image has passed into the public domain by now.

as a side note, which image? the pale white blue-eyed jesus that is the 'commonly' accepted image probably isn't even accurate.


Title: Is my employer required to allow us to have a heat source?

Question:
This is for Nevada USA. My coworkers and I are having some disagreements with management. We work outdoors in a public garage where it is frequently up to 10 degrees colder than the rest of location because we only receive sun at sunrise and sunset. We have a booth with a heater and management has recently told us to stop hanging out in there because of a few customer complaints where we were inside while they were out in the cold (part of a bigger problem that I don't have time for here).

My question is, with temperatures often below 32°F and working shifts where there isn't always a second on, can they really mandate this?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: Wear warmer clothing.


Title: [WA (state not DC) Pulled over by Unmarked Washington state patrol

Question:
Hey all,

First time posting i was trying to get a lead on this here because i can barely find any information on this.

The other day i was pulled over by an Unmarked WSP car for 'speeding' I was travelling 74 in a 60 but before you say anything flow of traffic was 70 and we went over a hill, and you know what not happens... etc..etc..

anyway i was certainly aware of R.C.W 46.08.065 Which states the only departments allowed to have marked vehicles in washington are local police and sherriffs and not the WSP and they are only allowed for investigation work or sting operations and not for patrol.

I was planning on fighting this ticket even though the ticket itself wouldnt even cover the govs court costs but i feel like it is the principal of the issue.

I was wondering if any of you fine people might be able to give me more incite into why the WSP might be able to do this even though every article i have read online states that when they try to  make it apparent that they CAN do it, it is shutdown.

Maybe i am getting the wrong definition here of the law which is why im asking,

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: i know several people think that the line ' Subsection (2) of this section shall not apply to vehicles used by the Washington state patrol for general undercover or confidential investigative purposes. Traffic control vehicles of the Washington state patrol may be exempted from the requirements of subsection (2) of this section at the discretion of the chief of the Washington state patrol.'

states that the WSP would be exempt, but wouldnt they be required to show the exemption in court? also in certain articles i have read the traffic control vehicles have been states as being 'the cars that put cones on the road' not patrol cars

EDIT 2: Thanks everyone for the advice, I get that I can be a little confrontational but i figured there would be less trolling in a legal advice thread.

I get that the WSP MAY be able to use these vehicles and i will still pursue answers even if i have to pay the ticket. this was not a thread created for me to ask people what they thought about me vs police but whether or not i was reading an RCW wrong, and it may be the fact. so thank you all.

Answer:
 https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.08.065

>Traffic control vehicles of the Washington state patrol may be exempted from the requirements of subsection (2) of this section at the discretion of the chief of the Washington state patrol.


Title: [CA] Can I use a celeb in my game if I alter their name a bit, write "Parody of.." in the game description, and use animations rather than their image?

Question:
So rather than Katy Perry it would be Katie Perry. There wouldn't be an image of Katy Perry in the game, it would be a animation.

There wouldn't be anything offensive in the game and there would be many characters based on celebs.

Answer: A true parody name would need to be more than one that is just spelled differently, and should obviously be a play on the real celebrity's name.


Title: Extremely negligent condo association with possibility of fraud

Question:
I'll try to keep this as short as possible. My parents live in a condo in California in a major city that has seen prices increase to (in my opinion) absurd levels.

The condo association is basically controlled by one person who is paid. Immediately after he took whatever position many years ago, he increased his own compensation, increased monthly fees, created an annual "special assessment fee", stopped meetings with the owners, and stopped the financial statements to owners. He appoints board members (most who don't know they were selected) and kicks out those who disagree. A few make the key decisions (so he says recently).

The building is basically slowly falling apart. They will only hire a handyman who's constantly busy and doesn't understand English. He'll take weeks just to "repair" a roof or repair a leaking pipe. I have done many of the repairs and maintenance because they won't do anything.

Now, the real concerning problem is termites. Units have had this for decades. One couple bought their unit 2-3 years ago, found out about the termite damage which was probably covered, told the condo association, and now are selling their unit. My parents' unit has extensive termite damage.

Many of the owners are immigrants who don't understand English and don't know what to do or are simply renting out. Some want to do something about it (I've heard suggestions to just not pay the fees), but don't know what to do. Some are quite distressed about this.

We've never dealt with anything like this before. From what I surmise, the condo association is probably almost out of funds. What should the process be? Also, who should I consult about trying to repairing the termite damage and selling the property (I want them out of this mess) or even selling it as is.

I appreciate any help. Thank you.

Answer: Condo associations are not dictatorships.  Your parents(and their neighbors) have a process to elect a new board and/or to compel the board to do certain things.  They need to get their bylaws, figure out that process, and execute it.


Title: Girl rear-ended me and I rear ended someone as result. She gave me expired insurance; didn't catch until later but I got the proper insurance from police report

Question:
I am in Texas.

Yesterday I had a very minor accident (superficial scratches on all 3 cars):
So there was construction which caused a lane closure. Someone way ahead cut in front and caused a chain reaction. The lady in front of me (A) slammed her brakes, so I slammed mine. I then got rear-ended by (B) which pushed me into A

B was super nice and compliant and even said she was sorry to both me and A. She goes to give me her insurance and ID, I take a picture and then take a pic of license plate and then wait for the police, since A called them right away.

We wait for police and he gets our info and asks what happened. We eventually go on our merry ways and when I get home, I call their insurance, at which point I realized it was 3 years expired. I fucked up for sure by not checking it, but then I check the picture of the police report later, and I found out that she gave them the proper insurance!

Today i get a call from my insurance saying A has filed a claim against me, despite her knowing that I only collided with her because of B. I'm not sure what's going on, but I told them my side and they said that changes things. I call B's insurance and they went through a process to finally get to an agent, but in that process I found that they already had my information and I have never dealt with them before so now I'm thinking B might've filed a claim against me. I called the agent and he didn't pick up, so now I have to wait until Monday to call.

What can I do if everything goes south and B just continues to lie about things and A continues after me? I don't know what the police report says because I didn't see it, I just got A and B's info from them. But I explained things extremely straightforward and no bias to the officer. I already feel bad about this situation because she gave me expired insurance...

I'll update Monday after my conversation with B's insurance agent, but I wanted to be prepared.
Topic:
Insurance

Answer:
 > I found that they already had my information and I have never dealt with them before so now I'm thinking B might've filed a claim against me.

She most likely reported the accident to her insurance so she could start the process of fixing her own car. There's nothing abnormal here.


Title: Employer prohibits restroom use

Question:
I work in a body shop where the front office employees use the bathroom that the customers use while the body shop employees use a back bathroom.

I am male and in Texas.

Today my boss walks in the bathroom after I use it and comes out and states that no one can possibly use the restroom after I did in a loud voice in front of everyone, 3 female employees. I thought he was joking and play along.

He then points at me and then points to the outside bathroom and tells me I can only use the outside bathroom for the body shop workers and ends with a very serious tone and asks if I heard him. I ask him if he was serious and he said yes.

It was humiliating. Can he actually do that?

I want to quit because I believe the humiliation was uncalled for. Then again, I prefer if he fires me for using a bathroom he has prohibited me to use but would I have any legal recourse?

Answer:
 >Can he actually do that?

Yes.

>. . . but would I have any legal recourse?

Unemployment.


Title: Want to install a "Knight Rider" scrolling light bar in the grill of my car. Am I potentially running afoul of "Impersonating an Officer" laws?

Question:
Title says it all.  I want to create and install a red scrolling light bar, a la Knight Rider.  I don't want it to be used against me or be arrested for impersonating an officer.  There are always myths and legends of people getting screwed because of innocent mistakes and I'd rather avoid that.

The light bar itself would be about 24" long and in between two panels of the front grill.  The red light would slide left to right and back.  No blue lights.  Nothing but a darker red color.

Should I be worried about laws with regard to "impersonating an officer"?

Answer:
 Location matters.

You wouldn't get in trouble for impersonating an officer with red lights but you may run afoul of traffic laws which limit which colored lights you can have on your vehicle, red primarily being associated with EMS and FIRE units.


Title: Lost An Item

Question:
Hey, so I brought a Bose Soundlink Mini II speaker to a party yesterday. It was going all good until the music stopped playing around 2:30am, at this point I wasn't at the scene. Around 3:00am I came back to the party and notice someone stole my speaker, which is worth $300! The suspect I believed to have stolen it was an individual who came to this party that no one knew. He was really sketchy and lived an hour away from where the party was being hosted. I do not have enough proof, because none of my friends are able to identify or witness this action. But I'm 99% sure it's him since I kept messaging this person through his social media account and he keeps ignoring them. And most of my friends believed it was him too. What should I do?

I live in Ontario.

Edited: Everyone in this party knew each other beside him and his mates.

Answer:
 Ugh. The problem is you only have a suspicion and no evidence at all. You left the party for a short time and left expensive property there? Anyone there could have taken it. You can file a police report but really, nothing's going to come of that, they're hardly going to go investigate over a speaker, you know?

He's probably ignoring you because some social media won't deliver messages directly if you're not friends on the platform, the messages end up in a spam folder. That said, would you even believe him if he replied and denied taking it?


Title: [California] Roommate let her boyfriend move in without our consent, need advice on the best way to handle this.

Question:
**Back Story:** There are 4 roommates including me. When we signed the lease there was no mention of another person moving in, and the lease agreement says we can have guests over but for no more than 3 days. The boyfriend came over on December 7th.We noticed he was there almost all the time every day for about a week and learned that he was living there.

We asked him how long he was staying, he said he didn't know and that he was still looking for a place. At this point, he had been living here for 2 weeks, so I said if he stayed any longer he would have to help out with 1/5th rent and 1/5th utilities and he couldn't stay past Jan 1st.

**Fast forward to today:** He's still here, but says he is moving out this weekend (at this point he's almost been living here for a month). This morning they got in an argument with my other roommate and said that they weren't going to pay the 1/5th rent or hers or his part of the utilities. They don't feel they should pay *because we already paid December rent, and since he lived here during the month of December, his stay has already been paid for*. The roommate and her boyfriend got so enraged that they threatened to not to pay her original portion of the rent OR the 1/5th that he agreed to pay.

**At this Point** we only want the rent from the girl and realize we aren't going to get anything out of the boyfriend. We aren't going to push the matter because we realize that would be subleasing and it would be against our rental agreement.

None of us want to be roommates with her anymore, she has made the house a toxic environment to live in. She insults everyone constantly and threatens to not pay her share in rent if she does not get her way. *We really want her to move out but don't know how to do it, or the best way to handle the situation.*

***

So my main questions are:

* What are the best steps to take with the boyfriend situation? What do I need to be aware of in case he tries to stay?

* We want the roommate to move out, (she has even implied that she wants to move out) but we are afraid if she does she will try to get out of rent because *we don't want her there anyways*.

* What can I tell my property management company about the situation, and what would better help my situation?

Thanks guys...

***

**tl;dr:    Roommate moved her boyfriend in without permission. He has been here about a month and may not be leaving when he says he is. She is threatening to not pay her share of the rent. We want both of them to move out but are unsure how to go about it since she is on the lease.**

Answer:
 Usually all tenants are joint and severably liable for rent, which means that if a co-tenant doesn't pay her share, you are still on the hook for rent. You can sue in small claims court for what you're owed, but that takes a little time and you want a roof until then.

In CA: if he's there for 30 days, he has to be evicted. Your roommate definitely so. Evicting people in CA is probably the hardest of any state. And usually only the landlord can evict the co-tenants. Here's another similar case I found online: http://www.inman.com/2013/02/21/evicting-unwelcome-guest-easier-said-done/

If you hate the situation so much, you should probably just leave on your own. If you're sure you're going to do this, call your landlord and let them know of the situation and maybe they'll be reasonable and help your transition. But only do this if you're sure you want to leave, because they could start an Unlawful Detainer action against all of you if they think you'll start to not pay rent.

The lesson for the future is you must *really* trust your co-tenants because they really can screw up your life. I'm sorry. Good luck.


Title: Can an apartment owner put up presidential campaign signs on the property lawn? [NJ]

Question: I mean, it's basically forcing all of us who live here to tacitally endorse this nominee.

Answer: In general, a property owner can place temporary campaign signs on their property. Nobody is forcing you to tacitly endorse anything.


Title: How often can you change your license plate's state?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Generally speaking, your vehicle is registered in the state which is considered your permanent residence. If you are traveling to other states for work, but intend on returning to the state where your vehicle is registered, you do not need to change plates at all.


Title: The girl I'm taking to small claims court changed her story. Am I screwed?

Question:
I'm taking a girl to small calims court for breaking my laptop. Without asking my permission or alerting me, she moved my backpack containing my laptop from the back seat of a car into the trunk (it's an SUV with an open trunk) and the backpack feel out of the trunk.

She is now claiming that the back pack was in the  trunk the whole time.

Is there anyting I can do or am I shit out of luck?
We had a mediation session previously (no records unfortunately) so it's her word agains mine.

Right now I plan on telling the judge she has changed her story, and it makes no sense for me to pursue these claims in court if I'm lying and perjuring myself. IS there anything else I can do?

Answer:
 > it makes no sense for me to pursue these claims in court if I'm lying and perjuring myself

What?  Is she telling the truth or are you telling the truth?

You can still try to make your case with whatever evidence you have.

Sounds like this was a pretty bad case from the start.  This kind of situation is something you should have had renters or homeowner's insurance to cover.  Just an accident.Answer #2: >We had a mediation session previously

Mediation generally requires an impartial 3rd party. So there should be a witness.

But I have to say: if it was her vehicle and you placde the backpack wherever, I'm not sure it was negligent for her to move it into the trunk, particularly if you didn't zip the backpack to stop it falling out.


Title: ENRAGED,,, I work at a large chain store and was fired for not accepting last minute schedule changes

Question:
I work in a large department store in the US it's a big department chain. I was scheduled to come in today at 800 PM and was called this morning by manager asking me to come in at 900 AM. I told him theres no way as I have kids to watch and stuff and he cant just change my schedule without warning!!

So he tells me on the phone that if I dont come in I'm fired??? I refused to come in and now apparently I'm fired because he changed my schedule with no notice???

Does he even have this atuhority? I feel like this has to be wrongful termination and I am wondering where to go now, can a lawyer represent me in a lawsuit now and I pay them after,,, or what? thanks for advice!

EDITING POST: I work in Florida USA everyone insulting me and my kids FUCK YOU I did what I WAS SUPPOSED TO AND WAS FIRED ILLEGALLY AND GIVEN A ILLEGAL QUITTING TWO WEEK POLICY SO FUCK YOU I DIDNT COME HERE TO BE HARRASSED

really now post is LOCKED becasue I was still asking questions about suing for the ILLEGAL policy that isnt direct with the STATE LAW I will be seeking an attorney on contingencys

Answer:
 > Does he even have this atuhority?

Yes, your boss has the authority to fire you for not coming in.

Unless he violated an employment contract, you likely have no recourse.Answer #2: This isn't wrongful termination, and your firing is legal.  The best thing you can do is file for unemployment and look for a new job.Answer #3: You have no recourse. Florida is an at-will state, as is every other state other than Montana. You can be fired for any reason that is not protected by law, such as race, gender, discussing pay, ect. You cannot sue. You can file for unemployment and look for new jobs.


Title: [LA] State Police took my laptop for analysis from the scene of my mom's death. How do I get it back?

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 Unfortunately there is likely nothing you can do to speed the process up, short of calling and explaining the circumstances and seeing what they say.  Our local computer forensics lab is backed up by over 6 months.  They'll get it done and back to you as fast as they can.Answer #2: Can someone explain how the police are legally allowed to do that? Don't they need probable cause or a warrant to search?Answer #3: Do you have disks or registration numbers for the software that you could use to reinstall the programs on a different computer?  That is typically allowed when the original computer is replaced.

[On a side note, in cases like this I don't understand why the state can't just image the hard drive and return the computer, or at the very least remove the hard drive and return the rest of the computer.]


Title: What's the low down on Prenups? Specific Question

Question:
Situation in Denver, Co now, but I would move anywhere in the U.S. to make this a reality,

Let's say I own a home that gets rented out to supplement my income, completely paid off prior to marriage, get married and buy a second house for us to live in.

Can I get a prenup that will be upheld where I give up the second house, all communal property minus things like my car, clothes, a laptop, etc. but keep the first house and not pay alimony?

Can I get screwed in child support that doesn't end up going to my children? Or is there a method whereby I can verify my kids are receiving it appropriately/what does "appropriate" mean to my legal system?

Is it possible to make a prenup "ironclad" and not get destroyed in lawyer fees?

I'm far too young to initiate anything like this, but if I can't protect myself financially I'll never marry and need to know how I should proceed with my life planning. My own mother was the stereotypical "keep the house, keep the kids, reel in the ex's dough, go crazy from divorce, alienate everyone while I go on vacations by myself, etc." divorce initiator while my father in his 50s has a shittier standard of living than I had when I was 20, to the day he ideally dies at work or on the streets(prison?).

Answer: Any waiving of alimony is usually thrown out for unfairness so drop that idea.


Title: I was on my college campus and took a sign

Question: I was im my college campus and there was a protestor against lgbtq people. long story short i took his sign and ran. but someone came after me and talked to me and calmed me down. the protestor got his sign back. What are possible legal reprocussions that could come from this?

Answer: theft.  if you used force to take the sign robbery


Title: There is something clearly off with my search warrant, can I try to have this thrown out?

Question:
I really appreciate a good advice on this one please.

&#x200B;

Since i am unable to attach any picture, this is what is said on my search warrant. The expiry date for the search warrant was ON OR BEFORE OCTOBER 3RD, however the search was done on NOVEMBER 19TH. Is the warrant still valid?

&#x200B;

"YOU ARE COMMANDED to execute this warrant on or before October 3, 2018 (not to exceed 14 days), the person or place named above for the person or property specified, serving this warrant and making the search (in the daytime- 6:00a.m. to 10:00p.m.) and if the person or property be found there to seize same, leaving a copy of this warrant and receipt for the person or property taken, and must prepare an inventory to the Honorable United States Magistrate Judge.

&#x200B;

Search done Date and time : November 19, 2018 at 4.10p.m.
Topic:
Searches and Seizures

Answer: This would be a great question to ask the attorney, which you have hopefully retained to assist you in what seems like a significant criminal matter.


Title: MIP of Alcohol

Question:
I was ticketed for MIP of Alcohol @ 11:30 pm September 11, the night before my 21st birthday. I, however, was born at 2:00 am September 12 in Europe on the day of my birth. That would mean that at the time that I was ticketed I was 21 years old relative to the states (and accounting for the time of birth), but only 20 when accounting for only the date.

Do I have any recourse? Is that a valid argument to avoid the situation.

Can anyone provide a legal definition of age or how age is specifically defined.

Answer: Assuming you are in the U.S., you turn 21 at midnight on the 21st anniversary of the date of your birth in the time zone you are currently in.


Title: A debt collector pushed my dad...

Question:
A debt collector who was looking for me (I'm paying my debt) was pounding on my parents front door around 7 AM on Saturday morning. My dad woke up and answered the door. The collector said he was from the DA and asked if I lived there. My dad said no (which is true), and the guy screamed at him and cursed him. My dad stayed calm and said that I didn't live there again. My dad then asked him to please leave. To which the man pushed my dad causing him to fall over. He then tried to come into the house. My mom after hearing the commotion was awake and now blocking him. He began to push her, until my dad had gotten back up and pushed the door closed. He then continued to bang on the door for another minute or so and then left.

I don't have the best credit in the world. I've made mistakes. But, I'm working with a debt consolidation nonprofit and making my monthly payments now. I have been doing so for approximately 6 months. My question is, what can my parents do if this guy shows up again? He didn't give a company name or his name for that matter. He only said that he worked with the DA. They live in Oklahoma. I just need to know if they should contact a lawyer, or if I should.

I apologize if this sounded rambled, I'm just confused and worried.

Answer:
 **Contact an attorney immediately.**

Debt collection is a highly regulated industry. Federal and most state laws specifically prohibit all of the conduct you describe here, specifically (1) contacting third parties to collect a debt, (2) threats of force or violence, (3) impersonating a state officer or official, (4) trespassing.

Violation of the various debt collection laws in your state may have severe penalties against the creditor that did this to you, including statutory damages and attorney's fees. You need to act quickly and retain an attorney to determine your rights. Make sure you can supply him with all the underlying information about the debt and the name of the creditor. Take pictures of any injuries or bruises either of your parents sustained as a result of the assault.

Good luck.Answer #2: Start with the police.Answer #3: They should file assault, you should ask the debt consolidation person why this guy is going psyco. Answer #4: should have called the police immediately, (Sat morning).  Why people wait and then ask reddit is beyond me.


Title: Work is moving to a new office where no pets are allowed. Does the ADA ensure a blind person could bring a guide dog regardless of my employer's lease?

Question: Location: USA

Answer: Yes. A seeing eye dog isn't a pet.


Title: Can a retail store legally search my bags from other shopping stores? WA

Question: I was shopping at a retail store and the beepers (sorry don’t know what they’re called) went off I immediately went to the associate and let them search my bag from THEIR store with my receipt. They didn’t find anything with their attached tags. They then told me they had to search my other shopping bags with their receipts. I was hesitant only because I bought some intimate things from a store and was embarrassed having someone else see them, but I let them go through everything no problem. They didn’t find anything from their store or any other store that I hadn’t paid for. They then sent me on my way without saying anything other then “you can leave now” I am just wondering if it’s legal to search my other shopping bags?

Answer: They can ask, you can refuse, they can throw you out for refusing.Answer #2: If it were illegal to search other bags shoplifters would get away with it 1000x more often.


Title: Fiance cheated. Does she have to give back the $11,000 engagement ring that I bought for her? [CA]

Question:
I asked her to marry me in early January. Thought she was the love of my life, all that. Unfortunately, I caught her with another guy last week. I have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to cheating, so I ended it immediately and forced her to move out. She has now moved back in with her parents. She got the last of her stuff from my apartment on Wednesday but is refusing to give the engagement ring back. The ring cost me $11K, and now that I am living alone, I need that money in order to cover my living expenses.

The ring was technically a gift, but there were obviously strings attached, so it was more like a contract, with one of the implied stipulations being that she couldn't fuck another man in my bed. Does she have to give it back? Do I have any right to the ring?

Answer:
 >In a few states like California, the fiancée who calls off the wedding is at fault and doesn’t get to keep the ring. In other words, if you purchased the engagement ring for your significant other, but cancel your wedding plans, your fiancée gets to keep it. **An exception may apply in situations where your fiancée was unfaithful, committed fraud, or landed in jail. A court may consider those to be reasonable justifications for calling off a marriage.** Your case can also be affected by a prenuptial agreement. Consult a local family law attorney for more specific questions on enforcing a prenuptial agreement.

http://family-law.lawyers.com/matrimonial-law/who-gets-the-ring-if-the-wedding-is-cancelled.html

http://www.rudyfamilylaw.com/resources/entry/divorce/engagement-ring-laws