Title: In your view, should it be considered cruel and unusual to sentence a severely disabled person to prison time?

Question: Someone with quadriplegia, severe cerebral palsy, or severe autism would be unable to defend themself very well in prison and likely have essential needs unmet in a prison environment. Having read the case of Jonathan Magbie, I don’t see any way in which sentencing someone like him to prison is not cruel and unusual.

Answer: Mr. Magbie’s rights were clearly violated, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t imprison people with severe disabilities for violating the law. Prisons ought to provide the necessary care for inmates, and the fact that they didn’t doesn’t mean they can’t.


Title: Can I transfer all of my VHS tapes to DVDs

Question:
I'm thinking of getting rid of my VHS because they take up so much room, can I do this legally?

Also, can I do it as a small business thing?

I wouldn't keep digital copies of any tapes, I would use a machine.

Answer: Business would be a huge no no.Answer #2: If these are copyrighted VHS tapes, you cannot do that as a commercial business.


Title: I am not sure where to go from here, and I am reaching out in a difficult situation. A divorce with someone in federal law enforcement, and a child that is chronically ill in Oklahoma.

Question:
I am reaching out in hopes that someone may be able to help me in terms of providing some type of advice. I am using a throwaway to help protect my identity, but have had a reddit account for about two years now.
I am currently going through a very messy divorce. My husband is the plaintiff, and has done a number of things prior to separation and during separation by using his federal law enforcement position. I am currently not in the home that we have shared for the last number of years. His name is on everything, and he has cut off all funds leaving me with nothing. He self repossessed my vehicle that I was using for my daughter and I (stating his position in fed. Law enforcement) selling it, and then purchasing himself another vehicle. I have been a stay at home mom for almost seven years, due to my daughter being chronically ill (on oxygen and a feeding tube).
I am currently out of state for support from family. I have no home, no vehicle, in default on a student loan, my credit is being shattered as I cannot pay any bills. I am not receiving temporary support and I cannot afford an attorney in Oklahoma. I applied for legal aid in the state but was not accepted due to the demand for services "far exceeds the resources of Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma".

There is more to this story but I am trying to protect myself over the internet, as well as trying to protect his identity.

I need to figure out how to represent myself as I have no money. The trial is coming up soon and I feel so incredibly helpless. No one will talk to me at the court house, or let me know what paper work to fill out, steps to go through, etc... I am not even asking for legal advice from them, mind you.
So my questions (among many) are: How can I represent myself? How can I receive temporary support for my daughter and I as I am not able to work? What kind of evidence do I need to provide? Right now, he is claiming that we have no marital assests? How do I refute that?

I cannot begin to express how lost and helpless I feel at the moment. Please help.

Answer:
 You need to get a divorce lawyer and immediately get a temporary support order.  You can afford an attorney, you are just not trying hard enough.

It has been a few years but my now ex-wife was a divorce lawyer in Oklahoma City and there were tons of divorce lawyers who would take on a case like yours for 500 bucks or so and knowing that once they get the support order that you will be able to afford to pay them.

Try harder to get a lawyer.  I guarantee you that there is a young lawyer out there who will help you.  If you call one and they can't help you then ask for a referral to someone that might.

Meanwhile, what county are you in?Answer #2: Have you talked to a lawyer?

If he makes all the money and has completely cut you off financially, you can ask the court to require him to pay reasonable legal fees for your divorce.

Don't try to do this yourself.
Answer #3: Also, have you called DHS?  They will help you get child support:

http://www.okdhs.org


Title: Pedophile renter

Question:
This is a question from my 71 year old neighbor in south Florida.

She rents out rooms in her home and
one of her renters was recently discovered to be looking at child porn online in her home. She didn't know about it until the police broke down her door at 4am and handcuffed her and the other renters. He's still living there and she's wondering if there are any legal issues with him living there, will the police come back and bust into her home in the future? What should she do, if anything? She feels treated unfairly because she is elderly and traumatized by the event.

Thank you in advance for any advice

Answer:
 >she's wondering if there are any legal issues with him living there, will the police come back and bust into her home in the future?

It is very likely, especially if he continues to look at child porn.

> What should she do, if anything?

Evict the child porn looker.


Title: Slack line in a playground?

Question:
My buddy in Kentucky is an expirenced Slack line walker.

He set up a lack line in a playground near his apartment. The line was a good 4-5 feet off the ground. Kids started trying to walk it.
He didnt stop them..  did he do anything illegal?
Would he open himself to libilaty issuses?

Looked very similar to this: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Cambridgeslackerssaf40.jpg

Answer: Does he have permission of the owners of the playground to have it there? I can't imagine that they'd be fond of an amateur-built "feature" that poses that much of a risk of a child landing on their head. It's hard to imagine how he *wouldn't* be responsible for injuries if a child climbs on it and injures themsleves. It's not like something he built in his own yard where he can erect a fence to prevent children from playing on it; he built it in a playground where any number of kids could play on it. It seems like a pretty risky proposition.


Title: [USA] Is there a legal definition for the term "drug abuse"? Is all recreational use considered abuse under federal law?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 I wouldn't bother about trying to bring a constitutional challenge to the current federal drug laws. These aren't new laws and I'm willing to bet they've been argued back and forth by lawyers who know more about constitutional law than you or I do. The only people who would have standing would be those that were charged with crimes associated with possessing cannabis. Realistically, the quickest avenue for it to be legalized federally is when congress passes a bill that says so. Answer #2: >  wonder if that portion of the law might be challenged as being unconstitutionally vague

I very much doubt it.  Potential for abuse measures the likelihood that people will take it for non-medicinal purposes.  There are very specific ways of measuring that.  It's also a single factor in a multi-factor test.


Title: Mother of my kid is pregnant by someone else, now wants to take my kid out of state

Question:
Hey Reddit, I'm a 24 father of a 4 year old girl. About a month after my ex and I broke up she started seeing someone else and got pregnant, again. She is 24 too. The dude is around 26 and also has a 4 year old kid. So I find out she's pregnant and she tells me they're already moving in together. Then she says he's gonna join the airforce, and she will follow him and raise their new kid while travelling.

I told her I don't want her taking our daughter with her, since she's grown up here at home and should stay here. We have 50/50 custody. She disagrees and wants to send our daughter back and forth (to wherever the air force will put them) every year. I said I might be okay with just summers but she wants her every other year. I don't even know where they'll end up. I have friends who have been sent to the other side of the world because of the air force. Her new bf still has yet to take whatever test he needs to so I won't know for sure where they're going until that's done.

Can she legally take our daughter with her? I know I should talk to an attorney if we can't come to an agreement but I really hope that won't have to happen. She's a young mom that got pregnant for the 2nd time and rushed into a new relationship real quick so I worry about her being financially able to take care of her new kid and our daughter . What kind of action can I be taking now before she makes any drastic decisions?

Edit: sorry forgot to include I'm in California

Answer: You are going to have to go to court to prevent her from taking your daughter. You are going to need a lawyer for this, but if everything is as you say, it will likely end up in your favor.


Title: I just found out my separated father was held in jail for a month for picking up and turning in a lost credit card.

Question:
I haven't met my father for almost 10 years now and talked to him on the phone about some insurance stuff. That isn't important. I don't know what state this was in.

He has been struggling with keeping a job for very long because of jail times and a criminal record created by being scammed.

He didn't tell me exactly when, but he found a credit card and turned it in to the police. He was then arrested for a month while they investigated how he got the credit card. Obviously accusing him of stealing it

During the month he couldn't work. He was already struggling so he couldn't afford a lawyer. Is this something I should be pushing him to take legal actions for? What should he do? What should I do for him?

Answer:
 If he wasn't your father, would this sound to you like a self-serving sob story fabricated by somebody who was softening you up to ask for money ?

Maybe he was really arrested and jailed for a month for possessing a stolen credit card, but the odds that he innocently found it and turned it in to police are, to my jaded ears, nearly zero.


Title: Parents are holding car title ransom need help.

Question:
I'm from North Carolina. My parents currently have the title to my car held ransom in their safe. I haven't yet switched the title over into my name, but my name is typed onto the back and I have it signed as well.

What can I do?

Answer:
 You could ask the seller to get a duplicate title and sign it over to you.

It's best to check with the NC DMV (919.715.7000) to find out what the exact procedure is for transferring a title when the original is no longer available (it may be easiest to just say it was lost).  You'll probably have to fill out a couple forms, have the seller sign them and possibly have them notarized.


Title: 1 year of Jail and a misdemeanor or 5 years of probation and get a felony? DUI

Question: This is the deal my friend is being offered. Which would you take? He was driving with 2 minors. Any help would be appreciated.

Answer: Personally, I would spend time in the slammer. You do not want a felony.


Title: My carpenter has my girlfriend, dog, and months of completed carpentry for my building (Colorado).

Question:
Ok. I've never reached out to reddit (long-time lurker), but I'm truly at a loss. I have a large project going on that I've put every fiber of my being and every dollar I have into for the last 2 years. My girlfriend has been by my side the entire time. It's a unique brick and mortar business. Failure means losing everything including potentially my dad's house.

There have been many obstacles, but this one is tricky. I have a GC with several subs working on the project. We are only a couple weeks from opening. My girlfriend and I moved to the town where this is taking place.

My main design/build carpenter is talented and had become my best friend in town. Deadlines are approaching and he seemed to be lacking motivation/direction, so I decided that a prudent decision would be to have my girlfriend go over to his shop and help him...

We spent months going through design and purchasing materials for multiple big elements of the project. He recently gave me an invoice for around $8k for his work. Not a problem. I gathered the funds and told him I would pay him on the 31st of the month. On the 30th of the month, he had an absolute meltdown and said some nonsensical things about how he was out.

It made no sense to me until my girlfriend came back that night. I spoke to her and it was very clear that she had betrayed me. She took his side on everything and laughed at me. I ended up telling her  that we were over and she had to get out (little did I know that's exactly what she wanted). She had crossed too many lines. That was last Thursday morning. The only request I had was to not take my dog.

She left and either my carpenter (former friend) or her called the cops and stated that I was a threat and she was afraid to get her belongings which was absurd. I had requested that she would leave and I'm an extremely passive/in-control person. I happened to be in the shower when the cops came. When I came out, my dog was gone and the cops were worried I may commit suicide apparently which I wasn't at all. They listened to my story and we actually had a cry-it-out session together.

It's now 6 days later and I know via social media that they have left the state and are traveling with my dog. In addition, based on what my girlfriend stated the night of the 30th, all constructed items and materials are not necessarily going to be handed over... and my former friend was off the project going forward which I was heavily relying upon to complete our work.

On the 31st, as a man of my word, I transferred around $2k and put a check under his door for another $7k. I was planning on giving him a $1k bonus anyways so I thought this might calm some tension. On Tuesday, I started to really get paranoid because they weren't responding to texts/emails. I feared the worst and put a stop on the $7k check. They are still gone.

Questions: Do I have any recourse for my dog or the abundance of carpentry and materials in his shop? I know I rescinded most of the money. What if I give it back? Do I have any way to get my materials? What about my dog? My heart is broken and I don't know what to do...

Answer: Is the dog actually yours? Do you have a receipt for what you paid for the dog? Is it registered in your name? Do you have vet bills etc to prove that you're the owner? Dogs are legally considered property. If they took your dog (aka property) I'd file a report for theft and sue her in small claims. I'm a bit confused about the materials and constructed property, did your ex\-friend pay for it or did you? Answer #2: I'm confused as to why you paid him if he hasn't delivered any of the goods promised, or if he's holding on to your materials and tools that were paid for by you. You really should not pay for anything until you receive the goods as agreed to in your contract.


Title: "I'll see you in court! Even if you are only the manager!" UPDATE

Question:
Concise version of previous submission:

My friend manages a hotel in Kentucky.

Woman checks in, signs the usual paperwork and rents a room.

Hotel is non-smoking. Paperwork says this, and says that you will be charged $200 for smoking in the room.

Woman smokes in room.

Three witnesses (staff) verify that room was smoked in. Evidence of smoking (cigarette butts, photographic evidence of smoke damage, etc.) is taken and stored.

Woman is charged $200.  Files chargeback, and loses her case.  Tells my friend (the manager) that she is "a law student, and will see you in court!"

Files $400 lawsuit naming the hotel (this was cleared up after the fact; he wasn't sure if he was being sued or the hotel).  Small claims case is filed in her home city, well over 100 miles away from the hotel and 100 miles from where he lives as well.

UPDATE:  In the previous thread, a lot of very good advice was given.  The general consensus was that he should file for a change of venue, have it moved to his city (where the hotel is), and report her to the bar and her law school for sanctions, as she filed a very frivolous case in the first place (and knowingly in the wrong venue).

After talking to my friend today, his update was pretty simple, but disappointing:  He didn't show up.  Just didn't go.  Default judgment was found against the hotel for about $400.  He had tried to get a change of venue, but doing so apparently means that you have to drive to the incorrect venue, ask them to change the venue, and THEN hope that it gets changed.  Since small claims cases don't last more than a day, it would have cost him the same time and gas to file for a change of venue as it would to just go there for the court date.

According to my friend, he decided that it wasn't worth being gone from the hotel for a full day, as he had recently fired his assistant and did not have anyone competent capable of covering for the full day (10-12 hours for the ordeal) he would be gone.  Doing so would mean paying an employee overtime, shuffling shifts, costing a ton of gas money, costing a day's worth of his wages (the hotel would have to pay him to make the trip, and still pay someone else 1.5x normal pay to sit in the office).  So instead, they just "skipped it."

He states to me that since it's up to her to collect, the hotel is just going to "not pay it" in regards to the judgment.  I have informed him that she could conceivably show up with moving trucks and start taking computers, chairs, tables, and unruly guests (well, maybe not guests) to satisfy the value of the judgment.  Hope he'll listen to reason.

I know you guys love updates, and I wish I had a happier one to give.  This was a slam-dunk case for him, but instead this law student got exactly what she wanted: she manipulated the law to her benefit, knowing she'd win by making it enough of a hassle to fight the case.

Answer:
 He can still report her to the law school, and while he's at it to the bar association.  Being a shithead should have consequences.Answer #2: He either needs to pay the amount or fight the case, he can't just ignore it. It's a court order, if he doesn't pay it he could be fined for committing contempt. Plus the amount will accrue interest and he will be liable for her court costs in enforcing the order.

Where I'm from the creditor can even apply to wind up the company over non-payment of a debt.  If he's made that decision without getting legal advice tell him he needs some. Answer #3: The system works ...

for those that use it.Answer #4: Oy. It would've been such dramatic justice if he'd shown up. The stories he can't tell about how she cried when the judge yelled at her and said she was all that's wrong with law students. She'd be [this girl](http://i.imgur.com/tLMy9wy.gif).

Thanks for the update!


Title: I work at a Five Guys Burgers and Fries. My GM doesn't have any form of a schedule done until Tuesday of the week that the schedule starts (At the Earliest) sometimes not till Thursday/Friday. Is this legal? Can I get fired for not coming in when I'm texted what day I'm working that same day?

Question: Edit: I'm in California.

Answer:
 Yes it's legal, and yes you can be fired. That's assuming you're in the US and not in Montana, of course. Though you can probably be fired for it in Montana too. Answer #2: California had a [bill in process last year](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB878) that would have guaranteed a week's notice for restaurant schedules, but it was tabled. The city of San Francisco [does have such a policy in place.](http://library.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/California/police/article33gpredictableschedulingandfairtr?f=templates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:sanfrancisco_ca$anc=JD_Article33G)Answer #3: You can be fired for wearing an ugly hat or driving a car your boss doesn't like.

Being a shitty manager isn't illegal.


Title: How to protect myself and assets (pregnant g/f)

Question:
I posted this on https://www.reddit.com/r/relationship_advice/ but was advised to also post this here.

Throwaway account for obvious reasons....

I hope this is the right place and not something that should fall under legal advice, that's not what I'm asking for per se'.

The situation is this, the girl I'm seeing got pregnant and its mine, while I'm not 100% ready for this I am the step it up the type of guy and I'm, not a big fan of terminating a pregnancy because we made a mistake, neither is she. The problem is she lives at home with her mom, she is sleeping on a couch. I certainly cannot let my pregnant g/f live on a couch and carry my child, she should be with me, in a bed, made as comfortable as possible and I should wait on her hand and foot, that how I feel. She also already has a child from an ex-husband so if she moves in, the child would as well and that's fine, I love the little girl very much. The problem is I own my own home, I have already been through a divorce and I'm lucky it went amicably and I didn't lose my home. Basically, my fear is what if it doesn't work out between me and this girl, what is she doesn't want to go quietly, what if she doesn't want to get a place of her own or move back with her mom. I have talked with my mother and sister for advice and they agree that a judge (if it came to that) would never make a mom and her 2 kids leave. So I'm scared beyond all belief that this girl whom I'm not even married to could take my house from me if I move her in, have my child and then things don't work out. I hope none of this makes me seem heartless because its the opposite I very much want to do the right thing but I think my previous divorce has me scared. I have everything to lose in this situation if it doesn't work out.

Is there any way to protect myself (for context I live in Massachusetts, law wise.) pre-nup doesn't apply to this situation and the more I hear about pre-nups I find out they don't actually do anything....

What do I do, how can I do the right thing and still feel secure...

Answer: Your mother and sister have no clue what they're talking about, don't get advice from them. A judge would grant a properly filed eviction just like any other.


Title: Old roommate says he's charging with identity theft because I put a utility bill in his name?

Question:
The story: tell old roommate I'm moving out and he needs to transfer the utilities in his name, he avoids doing it. The last week before I moved out, I call the utility company(xcel energy) to state I will no longer be residing at the address and wish to add my roommates name to the account and take mine off. Xcel did say ok and made the transfer to him as the primary account holder.

He is saying I impersonated him and did this. I stated to Xcel who I am and what I was doing. This is over 3 months of being out of the proeprty and off the lease.

Is this something to freak out about? I'm hoping if worse comes to worst we may be able to retrieve the conversation from Xcel Energy proving I wasn't impersonating anyone.

Edit: based in Northern Colorado

Answer:
 NAL, but future life advice:

1. Call the utility, explain you are moving out, on date X, and you wish to terminate service as of that date.  No need to mention your roommate or their name at all.
1. Tell your roommate you've ceased service as of date X.  If he wants to continue receiving said utility, he can set up his own account.  If he fails to do so, he goes without electricity.  At that point, not your monkey, not your circus.


Title: Coworker being harassed by Ex-Wife that continually calls CPS for no reason.

Question:
There is a man I work with who has custody of his two elementary school aged children. His Ex wife has substance abuse issues and lost custody of their children. Every so often she will call my coworker and ask for money or just call outraged and when my coworker doesn't give her what she wants she calls CPS and leaves an anonymous tip saying that he beats his children. He has had to leave work early and miss work several times because of this when having to prove his innocence. He is an hourly worker and it takes a toll on his paycheck as well as his relationship with his children. Is there anything he can do to get control of this situation?
Topic:
CPS and Dependency Law

Answer:
 I suggest he recorded the calls. And keep record of each one and then file for a no contact. That's basically harassment and exploiting by using the children as source of moneyAnswer #2: He can contact the CPS director/supervisor and explain that someone keeps making false reports. They can document that so the next time CPS is called with the documentation they might be willing to dismiss it. Answer #3: If your coworkers has a family law or divorce attorney (and hopefully he does!), he should talk to the attorney.  Ideally today.  If he DOESN'T have such a lawyer, he should get one.  Again, ideally today.

In addition to the potential financial damages and inconvenience, he is being accused of a serious crime and is (apparently) talking to law enforcement about it without a lawyer.  That is not a great idea.  While you and he and everyone who knows him probably know he's a good guy, good dad, etc. the police DON'T know that and neither does CPS.

He is (or could be) a suspect.  He needs a lawyer.


Title: Are there any laws against selling electrics online that are infested with roaches?

Question: [removed]

Answer: I doubt there's a law against it, strictly speaking, but it's a pretty dick move nonetheless.Answer #2: It does make you guys awful people to sell stuff that you know is full of bugs and likely to reinfest someone else's home. I wonder if they could seek damages for that.


Title: My car was hit by a piece of scrap metal while driving on the highway today. What should I do?

Question:
Well I was driving on the highway a few hours ago. There were 3 lanes (I was in the middle) and I remember a truck in front of me on the right lane and 2 cars to my ahead of me on the left lane. It was not one of those white cargo trucks, but one that was covered and seemed to be carrying a load. I assume the piece of metal fell from there. I did not see it fall, but I saw it in mid-air and it hit the ground before bouncing and embedding itself into the bumper. I am certain if I were going over 60mph, it would have gone through the windshield and killed my passenger instead of falling short. It is a solid hunk of metal weighing around 15-20lbs and still stuck in the bumper.

I am wondering if it is possible to or even reasonable to try and contact the driver/company. We were not able to capture the plate either as the truck took the next exit and was probably not aware that this even occurred.
I got an estimate from a nearby collision center and its looking to be about $900 because it cracked the bumper.

*sigh*

Edit: Grammar, Location: i287, NJ

Answer:
 If you can't identify the truck, and can't provide evidence that they're responsible, then you have no recourse.  Answer #2: This may be a crazy coincidence, but I was driving up 287N today and had to swerve out of the way of a big chunk of scrap metal on the road, somewhere between exits 2 and 13.

Odds are that the scrap may have been on the road to begin with and a car in front of you kicked it up into your bumper. As /u/thepatman said, if you don't have evidence of who's responsible there's nothing you can do besides run it through your insurance and repair it.


Title: People talking out loud about pedophile they know having sex with a 14 year old

Question:
They are on the train talking about it now, the pedophile is 26. All I have is pictures of their faces. They are also drinking alcohol.

Is there anything I can do? I'm in the UK.

Answer: /r/LegalAdviceUK Answer #2: You could call the non-emergency police number and ask for their advice. It’s possible they may think this warrants sending an officer to you to question these people.Answer #3: The only thing I see them realistically getting charged with is public intoxication.Answer #4: Contact 111 and report any info you have to them.


Title: my former boss is threatening to sue me should i counter sue

Question: My former employer is threating to sue me for stealing tools which he gave me to use. He also owes me $400\+ the tools are around $350 \- $400, Working for him on a 1099 payroll was never on time \(supposed to be weekly\) I only worked for him work 5\-6 weeks in that time I was paid 1 time via direct deposit 1.5 weeks late, and the only other time I was paid was 3 weeks late and in cash turned out that $50 of it was counterfeit. my question is do I counter sue for the money or settle with him out of court?

Answer:
 You have to return his tools. You cannot steal his tools in lieu of payment. He can file a police report & you may find yourself needing a criminal attorney. Return the tools. Document what he owes you. Unfortunately as a subcontractor, you will need to sue him for the unpaid on your contract. If you feel you were incorrectly classified as a subcontractor vs an employee, contact the DOL.

As suing vs setting out of court (he didn't offer a settlement?) , it depends on how much it's worth to you. Some people can let it go & move onto knowing someone screwed them. Some people cannot.


Title: Physical Abuse And Being Chased When Running From Mental Hospital

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 You can consult with an attorney.  We can't help you because we only have access to one side of the story (yours) and it seems likely to me that the hospital will have a different perspective about what happened.

But if you're suicidal, the hospital can *absolutely* hold you there against your will, and they can use reasonable force to accomplish that.Answer #2: I think this is above Reddit's paygrade. Too much going on here for anyone to give you useful information. If you want to take any kind of action you're gonna have to talk to a lawyer anyway. Answer #3: What's your question?Answer #4: >much taller and blacker

Really?Answer #5: Did you seriously think you could run away from the mental facility after you were court ordered to go to one? What was your plan going to be if you escaped?

>Then, I got """evaluated""".

Why did you put 3 quotation marks on each side?


Title: My friend just discovered text messages proving her husband has been screwing prostitutes and they're in the process of separating. What should she do?

Question:
I talked her through backing up the texts just in case -- but what should her next moves be? Her husband is loaded, and his family is even more loaded (old old ooooold money) so they probably have defenses in place ready for this.

What are the steps she should take? They're still living together.

Answer: Get tested for STDs and start looking for divorce attorneys.Answer #2: She should talk to a divorce attorney.  She should get copies of all financial documents and record assets.


Title: Home Defense use of a Suppressor

Question:
I'm not trying to start a political debate, I just want facts.

My state(FL) is NFA friendly.

I heard that it is expressly illegal to use a suppressor on a home defense gun. I cannot find a statute, Federal or on the state level that indicates as such.

I know I will probably be arrested, an investigation will occur, and my firearm will be confiscated, but I don't care about that. I'm just asking if there is a law banning the use of a suppressor for self-defense. And no, I am not planning on carrying my suppressor, that's just stupid.

Is it true that there is a law banning suppressors for use for home defense? On many forms, people put "Any and all lawful purposes." in the field asking what they're going to use their suppressors for. I would think defense of the home would be one lawful. What say ye', /r/legaladvice?

Edit: Thanks for the quick replies, looks like if it came down to it, it'd be legal, but anyone in that situation would probably have a lengthy legal battle in front of it, as I figured. Thanks again!
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 >Is it true that there is a law banning suppressors for use for home defense?

No


Title: Tenants rights to condo amenities

Question: My condo building manager will not let me book the party room to do a professional photo shoot for my headshot. She is saying that it is against 'the law' to take photos of yourself anywhere on the premises because it's an infringment of privacy. It is, however, okay to take photos if you host a party... I live in the building and pay my condo fees - wtf is going on? This is a condo in Toronto

Answer:
 See this is why its best not to give all the information. Your manager is an idiot but now she knows what your planning. Had you just said "I want to book the party room" "Why?" "For a private affiar" you would have your room.

So what do you want to do? Do you own the condo or rent? If you own contact the managers higherups and inform them theres an idiot in charge (in nicer words) if you rent, tell your landlord. If you rent this likely will not be resolved in time cause your landlord may not be bothered.


Title: I believe a friend stole my hoodie, and I really want it back. Can I pursue legal action?

Question: Genuinely asking. It’s really valuable to me and I am pretty sure I know exactly who has it. Can one obtain a search warrant or any kind of legal action?

Answer: You can report a suspected theft to the police, but it is unlikely that a search warrant will be issued for a piece of used clothing. You can sue in small claims court for the value of a piece of used clothing.


Title: Mother in law Signed a deal and lost 3 million

Question:
So, my mother in law has been in a long lawsuit against a doctor for malpractice. anyway. yesterday, while the jury was deciding the amount to be paid to her, her lawyers convinced her to sign a deal that said she would get a min of 1 million, but also a maximum of 2 million. after medical expenses and lawyer fees the 2 million would leave her with only $500k. today the jury came back and awarded her 7.5 million! She would have been able to pocket 3.65 million after medical expenses and lawyer fees. that is a 3.15 million difference from the 500k her lawyers convinced her to sign for. they kept saying "what if thay come back with $1". any advise or things to say to make me feel better? Location-USA
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer:
 Her lawyers are right.  She took the bird in the hand, and she gets paid right away.  The $7.5 would certainly have been appealed, delaying any recovery by another 1-2 years and incurring further costs.

I'm not clear on, though, why the jury kept deliberating after a settlement was reached.


Title: My husband is under investigation based on a false and vague tip

Question:
About two days ago, my husband was taken from work by state police. They brought him to the station for questioning regarding an anonymous tip they got. (We are actually fully aware of who gave the tip.) They questioned him about having sex with an underaged minor of 15 years old. Past that, he was taken back to our home and they seized two of our four computers (Not sure why they left two out, but it is moot at this point.) Apparently they did not see him as a flight risk as they did not detain him.We live in Delaware. I was just hoping for answers on what we can expect past this stage.

That is the tl;dr – Now for the whole story.

The pair of us met three 15 year olds at a bowling meet that our community has. Two boys (for their anonymity they’ll be known as Adam and Bob. The girl is the third in their group, and we’ll call her Sally.

Adam and Sally are engaged to be married (Yes they are fifteen …), and Bob is just a friend. We see these three regularly at our bowling meets and talk with them. On very rare occasions we see Bob at the local park and he walks with us while we walk our dog. He has helped us move into our new home as well, and his father was completely aware of every meeting that went on. Before this ordeal we talked to Bob on Skype quite often. We hardly ever spoke to Adam on Skype, and never spoke to Sally online.
My husband is gay (Which should tell you that I am male, obviously), and Bob is also gay. Jokingly, Bob and my husband would joke how they would rape each other online over Skype, just being stupid. Stupid things like “Lol I’d so rape you” he would say to my husband, to which he would reply “You are too shy”. And that is as far as it goes, and it was only said once. As far as physical contact goes, we have never had physical contact with Bob.

As of late, Adam and Sally are having relationship issues. Adam wanted to talk with his friends online and Sally, being very controlling, would not allow this. She said that he is only to speak to her and no one else. He argued with her and she said she would cut herself, and that he is ruining their relationship by talking with others. They decided the only way to alleviate this situation would be to fake Sally’s death (Kid logic, right?). Adam wrote an obituary for Sally and posted it online, which Bob showed to my husband. My husband saw through it, and warned our friend base to stay away from both Adam and Sally, as they will become entangled with the whole drama. We essentially severed ties with these people in order to not become part of it as well. With this, Sally eventually came out to show she wasn’t dead and was upset with the fact my husband was telling people to keep away from them. My husband continued to warn people of the issues these two people pose to their own wellbeing, and Sally got fed up.

She phoned detectives/police and left a falsified, vague tip (So the police say) that my husband had consensual sex with Bob. I was at work by this time, so I was well removed from the situation and surprisingly enough, they did not seek me out for questioning. My husband was detained and brought to the station for full questioning. He told the complete truth, about the stupid comments on Skype and about Adam and Sally. They brought him back to his car and the detectives followed him to our house. They took his laptop and asked for his phone. To cooperate, he told them he was removing the fingerprint access (Yay S5’s), passcode and privacy locks so they would not need to, and grant them full access to it, to which they were grateful for. They asked my husband how many computers were in the house, and he told them about all of our computers. Since they had nothing on me, they decided to take his laptop, as I mentioned above. They saw my desktop computer in my office, and decided to take that one as well. My husband mentioned that was mine, but they decided to take it regardless, due to continuity. Oddly enough, they did not take our media laptop connected to our TV, and when asked about it and my husband said what it was used for, they just passed it by.

They have had our two computers since Thursday night. There is nothing whatsoever on either, but I know they have to be thorough. I've been with my husband for seven years. He is not a pedophile, nor does he have any intentions to do anything with a kid. The police are acting on a vague tip they got from some angsty fifteen year old who hates everyone who has a life better than her and it scares me, since sometimes innocent people who have all the evidence on their side go to jail regardless.

You have the full story. I need to know what we are facing in the future. I don’t have time for BS comments, only serious answers. What happens if they decide to convict him, even though they have nothing? I know a lot of people get screwed over based on false accusations. Thanks for any help you can provide.
Topic:
Searches and Seizures

Answer:
 First of all, I think the fact that two adults are forming such a close relationship with 15 year old children, and speaking in a sexual manner, is quite troubling.

Secondly, I think you need to consider the possibility that it's your husband who is lying. I'm not saying that matter of factly, just that you should consider it possible.

Last but not least, you and your husband should not be talking to police without an attorney present and representing his interests. If you do not have one currently, I'd recommend hiring one immediately.

Best of luck.Answer #2: If your husband hasn't done anything then you should have faith he will be vindicated. He can get an attorney to speak to the police on his behalf. Until this is resolved, neither of you should have any contact with any minors, period.

> What happens if they decide to convict him

I think you meant "charge" not convict. Once the police have completed their investigation, they may choose to turn it over to the DA, who makes the decision on if charges will be pressed.

> Jokingly, Bob and my husband would joke how they would rape each other

That demonstrates exceedingly poor judgement and I hope you understand why.


Title: My boyfriend and I are considering moving in together into the home that I own. What are the long term legal and tax implications of this arrangement?

Question:
Location: Louisiana, US.

My boyfriend and I are discussing moving in together in the fall when his lease is up. We've been together for just over a year.

We both make a similar salary. He makes about $2K more than I do. We have been discussing how to share expenses and split the bills. We are both open to communication and discussion on this life change. We are considering a 50/50 split of all household expenses excluding major home repairs that relate to maintenance and upkeep of the property. I would assume the cost of those repairs.

Expect is a strong word here, but I would expect this would be a landlord-tenant style relationship in the sense that I would cover all household expenses related to home maintenance. Plumbing, electrical, roofing, appliances ... If anything breaks, then that's on me. With regards to bills we both contribute to (water, electricity, internet, etc), I'd expect to split those down the middle. With regards to the monthly payment, I'd also expect to split that down the middle. The reason for that is that it's a reasonable amount that's about equivalent to his current apartment rent. If we were to find a place to rent together, the expectation would be that we'd split a rent payment 50/50. I see the house as a shared space so I think it's reasonable that we share the expense of the house.

On the other hand, I will be building equity in the home and he will not. However, I did put down $60K of my own money when I purchased the house.

I am considering having some kind of legal agreement written up before we move in. If we live together in my house for several years, could this be considered a common law marriage? And would he ever have a claim to my property? I need to protect against that.

In addition, what are the tax implications?

**tl;dr**: Boyfriend and I are considering moving into the home I own. We have almost identical salaries. What is reasonable for splitting expenses? Is is possible this will become a common law marriage? Will he have a legal claim to my property? What are the tax implications?

Answer:
 You're over-complicating this.

He's a tenant.  That's it.  Have him sign a standard lease for your area, specifying the length of tenancy(even month-to-month if you want) and the rent.

He still has all of the normal tenancy rights, including the right to have notice of termination of tenancy.  So if you break up, he'd have some period of time before you could force him to move out.


Title: Eluding police on a bike

Question: Yesterday a cop pulled me over so I had a the passenger hop off so I could go. Didnt have a license and I was drinking (I know very irresponsible but i was only going up the street and back) I ended up running and hit a cul de sac and flew into a ditch by the highway. an ambulance took me to the hospital and they got a warrant for my blood and i ended up blowing a .11. what am i looking at what should i do? i dont have a license and im on probation

Answer: You are super-duper-mega-fucked and are likely looking at jail time. Retain a lawyer at all cost.


Title: Ohio: was in a car accident, my fault, other driver is harassing me for cash payment now

Question: I was in my first car accident. It was my fault. There appeared to be no damage on the other driver's car at first so they suggested not filling a report. My car appeared to just be scratched. I was upset at the time and looking back realize that this was a mistake. I agreed to help him out if there was anything wrong. Turns out there is structural damage on his car and it is expensive so I filed a claim with insurance a few days later and explained the accident (claimed fault). I explained to the other driver that everything will now be handled by my insurance company and asked him to direct all questions and communication to them. I gave him the company name, claim number, everything. However, the other driver will not stop calling and texting me. He keeps demanding cash from me. I have repeatedly asked him to only communicate with my insurance company but he won't listen to me. He finally called the insurance company and he is worried that they are not going to cover everything (they told me that they would cover everything for him). My question is, am I handling this correctly? Can he sue me if they don't cover everything? Thanks in advance!

Answer:
 > I explained to the other driver that everything will now be handled by my insurance company and asked him to direct all questions and communication to them. I gave him the company name, claim number, everything. However, the other driver will not stop calling and texting me. He keeps demanding cash from me.

Most likely because he's lying about the structural damage. The insurance company is going to send an adjuster to inspect the car before cutting a check.  He has no reason to not want to talk to them if the claim is legit. They're usually pretty good about paying for damages.

>Can he sue me if they don't cover everything?

That depends.  Usually when the insurance company sends the check, they make them sign something agreeing not to sue you for more.  However, he can reject the amount and sue you directly.  If that's the case, your insurance company will send a lawyer to court with you and help you out. If the other party wins, they'll cover the amount up to your maximum.

The thing to keep in mind is that people hit each other all the time.  It happens, no one is perfect.  This is why you have insurance.  Now that it's in their hands, they'll probably keep you updated and maybe ask you a question or two, but you're done with it, so there's nothing to stress about at all.  If the guy texts, you can reply with "my insurance company is handling it, you can talk to them" or you can just ignore him.


Title: My roomate is recording audio of almost all conversations happening in our apartment...

Question:
Location: Alberta, Canada

So... I'm not really sure what's up with my roomate, but anytime I have a conversation with anyone else I'm pretty sure he is recording audio. There have been some issues (it was bad, will update with a full story after I move), and we're parting ways at the end of the month. It's possible that there may be some legal action down the road, and I have a few questions.

1. Can he legally record a conversation that he is not involved in, or participating in?

2. If it is legal, would he be able to use any of these recordings in court?

3. If it is illegal, what steps should I take to prevent it from happening?

I will be very careful about what I say at home for the next few days...

Answer: Why do you think your roommate is recording your conversations?


Title: Eviction from an apartment that's already been paid off

Question:
I'm on a college campus and lease payments start about 4 months before you move in. I have signed a contract allowing me to live here until May 10th, and the final payment was submitted on January. I was hit with a bullshit charge for blind replacement that they did while I was gone for winter break and they threatened eviction over this. Can they do this in Illinois over a petty charge under 100 when the place lease is paid off?

There is a security deposit of about 200 that's also untouched.. so I don't know why they wouldn't just take it out of that either.

Answer: They can attempt to evict you, and you can go to court and argue you paid a security deposit to cover this type of thing.


Title: Missed community service date

Question: I missed my community service date and have been really busy and haven't had time to resolve it. My only problem is that was a couple of months ago. Do I just go to the courthouse and ask to reschedule it or will I be in trouble for taking so long?

Answer: You will likely be in trouble. You cannot just miss and then ignore your community service. If you can afford a lawyer, hire one to see if they can help you. Otherwise, there should be someone you are supposed to report to, contact that person.


Title: My sister is in jail because her boyfriend called the cops instead of her

Question: Yesterday my sister and her boyfriend got in an arguement. My mom  screamed at him to leave countless times before it “escalated” but all he did was just stood around. Eventually my sister reached for his phone and slapped him according to their story and her boyfriend pushed her down. I also heard he slapped her somewhere in that fight, but then my sister through a skateboard at him because who has the audacity to hit their girl when they’re fighting and they have kids inside. The skateboard missed but this man called the cops and said he was threatened with his life. My sister caught a battery charge AND an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Her boyfriend didn’t get anything because he was the one who called and he was the “victim”. Now she has a 35,000 dollar bail. I also want to add her boyfriend drinks and smokes cigarettes and lives with us and their kid/kids (ones not his) even though he is adopted and his parents are LAWYERS. the police are taking his side when they could has just diffused the situation EASILY and asked him to leave. Im the only one who knows both sides of the story and it is really unjust. and im also going to add he is doing this because he knows she has a history of violence with her last boyfriend, so he knows by playing the victim he can get out of this relationship, get help from his family, and win the custody battle probably. My sister is so innocent and sweet i just need advice or a lawyer so my grandparents don’t put up their house

Answer:
 With the side of the story you just presented, her charges are appropriate and she is guilty. Which side is the side that you think frees her from culpability here? She needs a criminal defense attorney. Either your parents can pay for one, or if she cannot afford one she can ask for appointed representation.Answer #2: You can help her hire a criminal defense attorney. Your mother can give him notice to leave assuming there is not a lease (or if he has broken the lease terms).

&#x200B;

> My mom screamed at him to leave countless times before it “escalated” but all he did was just stood around.
>
> the police are taking his side when they could has just diffused the situation EASILY and asked him to leave.

&#x200B;

Why should he have to leave his home because of an argument with his significant other?

&#x200B;

> This is in Tampa Florida where the cops are stereotypes

&#x200B;

This post is pretty much a Floridaman stereotype so I find this comment highly ironic.


Title: Xanax legality

Question:
Probably a stupid question. I take Xanax, as prescribed, twice a day. If I'm pulled over, do I have to tell the cop I'm on it?

I'm in Michigan, if that matters.

Answer:
 Depends heavily on the context in which you are pulled over.

If I were in your shoes, I would carry proof that I have a valid prescription with me at all times.  It is legal to drive after having taken xanax, but it is not legal to drive while impaired by any substance, valid prescription or not.  No amount of paperwork will save you from a DUI if a cop believes you shouldnt be on the road.


Title: Pursuit of Back Child Support

Question: My parents were never married but they did take a paternity test when I was 4 years old to prove that my father was in fact my father. When I was a few months old he ran away from all responsibilities and moved out of state, only to return several years later in order to escape the police. (I remember visiting my grandparents and being sat down and hushed in my room when police arrived. I guess they were worried that I'd openly ask why Daddy was hiding under my bed.) He and my mother established a visitation schedule (which he rarely followed, I hardly ever saw him growing up) and later a child support payment plan through the courts. My father didn't make payments until I was almost 9, and stopped making payments when I was 15. I never wanted to go after him about it, he was far from world's greatest father but he was all I had. However I haven't heard from him since my High School graduation. He's made it very clear that he doesn't care to be a part of my life. Now I am 19, I have a car payment, student loans, and numerous other bills. I work 2 jobs, and I am doing my best to make my own way, but right now I am barley surviving. I would like to collect the owed child support if possible, but I have no idea how to go about this. Any advice is very welcome.

Answer: You didn't provide your location but the likely answer is that he never owed you child support. He owed your mother child support. You have no standing here.


Title: Our dog bit their dog.

Question: (Knoxville, TN) Long story short, my two huskies got out of the yard and one of them probably bit another dog. The lady who is claiming her dog was bitten wants $300 for vet bills (has a receipt), which I have no problem giving her. My question is this, how do I give her the money without admitting guilt and having her come back for more and more money?

Answer: If you want to completely bar any action, you have her execute a release.  It would say that in exchange for the $300, she is releasing any claims she may have against you arising out of the incident where her dog was bitten.  Then, if she attempts to come back for more, you present the signed release to the court, and it's over.


Title: Poor employee performance & mental health issue-- legally ok to cut hours or reassign tasks? (x-post r/Jobs)

Question:
EDIT: This is in California.

I have an employee who is really not performing well and has never really performed to company standards.

Today, he arrived 45 minutes late. As I was leaving the office, I noticed his clients driving in and, realizing he was MIA, called to ask where he was. Already 15 minutes late, he said he was 5 minutes away and would arrive soon. He arrived 25 minutes later, leaving clients waiting.

As if that were not enough, he also has had a recent accuracy rate of ~30% in getting orders and appointments correctly input. All of these very inaccurately completed tasks take him much longer than anyone else to complete. He is also prone to misplacing important paperwork.

Once with clients, things sometimes go well and sometimes go just adequately. Still, never terribly. So client relations is his strongest suit although not stellar.

Here is the problem-- he recently confided in me that he has anxiety attacks and is seeing a therapist for said attacks. I don't doubt that he is having a rough time in his personal life but I think he truly manipulates the situation to get away with doing as little as possible. I ran into a childhood friend of his at a networking event who, unprovoked, indicated that he "definitely milks it" and implied that he was just naturally lazy.

He was also responsible for closing today and did not do 70% of the closing checklist (for instance, turning off lights and putting papers back where they belong).

I care about his well being but, at this point, it is having a negative impact on the company.

What can I do? I'm aware mental health issues are protected by the ADA. I've done whatever asked to accommodate him such as flexible scheduling and time off.

What should I do? I don't want to contribute to any sort of break down but we are a small business and can't afford to have someone who cannot or will not do their job.

Help appreciated!

TLDR: Employee isn't performing well, also has anxiety attacks. What to do?

Answer:
 Mental health issues protected by the ADA do not excuse job incompetence. Just because that he has anxiety attacks does not excuse showing up for work 45 minutes late, and incorrectly doing what is asked of him.

You should have another sit down with him. If he continues to show up late and do work incorrectly, anxiety attack or not, that would be grounds to fire someone. Answer #2: You can't fire someone for having an ADA-protected illness.  You certainly can fire someone for not showing up on time, being inaccurate in inputting data, etc.

Put the guy on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), document the hell out of it & fire him already.  There are plenty of people looking for jobs who would do a better job for you.


Title: [FL] Bank fees associated with a stop payment on a refund check from my former health insurance company.

Question:
I got a check in the mail a couple weeks ago from my former health insurance company for $605. The attached voucher said "Refund premium in excess of 12 monthly premiums." I called the company and they confirmed that there was a credit on my account and that the check was legit. The person I talked to said she could look into it further if I wanted, so I left my phone number. I waited a couple days and never heard back so I deposited the check. I didn't have much in my account and I immediately used the money to make three debt payments (1 student loan and 2 credit cards).

It turns out that check was supposed to go to another person with my same name, so they put a stop payment on the check and didn't bother to tell tell me. Since I had talked to the company and left my number, that scenario never crossed my mind. The bank reversed the $600 and hit me with the stop payment fee ($12.50). I couldn't undo the credit card or student loan payments, so I got hit with overdraft fees for each of them ($38 each). I didn't have the money to cover any of it until my next paycheck, so I got hit with an extended overdraft fee for having a negative balance for three days ($36).

The bank is only willing to refund the stop payment fee, so I have to eat the $150. I know I shouldn't have scheduled those payments until I was sure the check cleared, but is there any recourse for this considering the insurance company confirmed that I had a credit on my account and that the check was legit?

Answer: My employer (large insurance company) would 100% cover bank fees if you provided proof from bank of what was charged. I would absolutely request that. Answer #2: Your bank didn't do anything wrong. Your only recourse would be against the insurance company but don't get your hopes up.


Title: Can a rape case be open months after the incident?

Question:
So many months ago, because of how terrible and embarrased I felt about the incident, I forgot the exact date, I was date raped.

Is it still possible to open the case? My concern is that the rape kit won’t detect anything anymore.

I’m in Singapore.

Edit:

I have not informed my parents about this. I am afraid of burdening them emotionally with my situation. As I am over 18, can I report without them being informed?

I was a virgin so I bleed a ton on the floor after I stood up. Could there still be traces of evidence of DNA on his floor?

Answer:
 > Is it still possible to open the case?

Possible, yes.

> My concern is that the rape kit won’t detect anything anymore.

Valid concern.


Title: My ex is asking me to sign some papers (I assume for the child support for the baby that was just born) is there anything I shouldn't sign before I get a lawyer?

Question:
So basically I thought this kid wasn't mine, she swears it is and wanted my address/date if birth/ssn/all the usual stuff. I agreed to meet with her because if it is my kid obviously I wanna pay to support it and see it but I do want a DNA test and I want split custody eventually

So how should I go about discussing this with her? Without being an asshole

Answer: You shouldn’t sign anything before getting a lawyer. That should be your first step. And getting DNA testingAnswer #2: Sign. NOTHING until you get a DNA test. Nothing. Bring the papers to a lawyer to talk about the other issues included in her proposed settlement


Title: 19/ yo Charged with DUI while sober, had not slept for 2 days prior

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 DUI means under the influence of anything.  Xanax and weed counts.  You need a lawyer.Answer #2: Yeah, your were insanely unsafely driving while under the influence of drugs. That is a DUI.

You failed the roadside test because you were high, on drugs, and asleep. All things you are not allowed to be while driving.

Hire an attorney to mitigate your damagesAnswer #3: You have a very, very weird definition of sober, if it includes marijuana, off scrip Xanax, and adderall use. Answer #4: You were driving while impaired.  You were too sleepy to drive.  That's without a doubt impairment.  You need a lawyer because they have plenty of evidence. Answer #5: >The day before i had been taking a lot of non prescribed xanax (8mg+) and smoking weed

This is a perfectly fair reason to charge you with a DUI. Answer #6: Heres the thing, you don't fail the tests from the shock or anything other than being intoxicated. People like to say they are cold or tired or hungry or their eyes hurt or they're scared. None of those things affect the tests.

You admitted here to taking quite a lot of drugs, call me crazy but I think thats probably why you failed the tests.


Title: [IL] Landlord wants rent for additional months since 60 day notice not given

Question:
Trying to help my sisters out with their landlord situation, I'll keep this brief.

**Illinois**
**Lease Agreement dates Dec 6th, 2015 - Dec 6th, 2016.**
Nov 14, 2016 - Letter from landlord informing tenants they are selling apartment and must vacate by Feb 1, 2016.

Nov 20, 2016 - Tenant phone call to landlord saying they found a new place and will be out on Dec 1, 2016. Landlord replies they needed 60 days notice, as lease agreement specifies, wants additional 2 months rent.

I don't know if the lease has any clause about automatically going month-to-month if the lease is not renewed.
The lease has a clause that the tenants must give 60 days notice prior to move out.

**Do the tenants have to pay additional months rent because 60 days notice was not given?
  If the lease ends Dec 6, 2016 are they still liable for months after that date?**

Thank you
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 You sisters have to give 60 day's notice, as dictated by the lease.  The lease would usually state whether it automatically renews or converts to a month-to-month.  If it converts to a month-to-month, the terms of the original lease still apply, meaning in either case they'd have to give 60 day's notice.

The landlord was very nice and gave about 100 days notice.  Your sisters, if they want to leave sooner, would still have to give the 60 day's notice.

Yes, your sisters still owe money to cover that 60 day notice period until their lease is terminated (the lease ending is not the same as it terminating).


Title: A business fired me over an injury THEY caused, and they wouldn't hire me unless I agreed to be off the books. I do have witnesses. I have medical records too. I am also scared they will secretly do something to harm my family because he has told me he has done similar things in the past.

Question: I don't want anyone else to fall victim to what they did.  The owner hurt my back, and I have record of it.  He dropped a heavy box in my hand.  He had previous information that I had documents saying I had a bad back. I was asked to turn in my key that day.... WHILE I WAS IN TREMENDOUS PAIN!  I was in so much pain.... and I lost my job because he dropped a box in my hand even though he knew I had a bad back.  I need advice here

Answer:
 Did you file a workers compensation claim?  Where are you located?Answer #2: 1) workers comp 2) lawyerAnswer #3: Your location is going to be really important going forward.
1) Did you report the injury to your supervisor.

2) Did you file an accident report with your company?

3) Get signed witness statements.

4) Collect all your medical records.

5) Find an attorney ASAP.  Really, this should be #1.  You need to file the proper paperwork with your state's Industrial Commission (or equivalent).

6) Look into a REDA claim.  It's where you are terminated in retaliation for things including an injury at work.  You have 6 months to complete this application, but the sooner you get it done, the better.

I do this for a living, so PM me if you have specific questions.


Title: [AR] Wife was punished at work for co-worker complaint, but my wife was not interviewed.

Question:
Not entirely sure if this is the correct subreddit for this, but here it is. So, my wife works nights and gets along fine with most of her co-workers great. This has led to some more lax conversations than you would typically have at a day job. At one point it came out that my wife is an atheist. Most of her co-workers are Christian and most met it more with curiosity asking for more specifics of her views. She had some friendly debates with a co-worker too.

However, after word got out it became increasingly clear that one particular co-worker was not fond of my wife. I'll call this co-worker X. My wife could tell X didn't care much for her anymore (or maybe less than she did previously), but initially assumed maybe it's just a personality difference, so she kept conversations with X strictly professional. Eventually my wife got wind that X had filed complaints with her and there would need to be a meeting, but her supervisor assured her that it mostly sounds like misunderstandings.

When my wife had the meeting, X brought up multiple racial and religious allegations. One of the most ridiculous claims being that my wife was somehow being racist when she mentioned that school in the small town she grew up in never got out of school for Martin Luther King Jr. Day (during a conversation that X was not a part of where other coworkers were talking about kids being out of school that day). The only 'damning' thing against my wife is that she condemned a racial slur, but part of her commending statement involved saying the actual word in a quote. Another co-worker can verify this but X just overheard, got mad, and wouldn't accept any kind of explanation. X supposedly had a notebook where she'd written down all the offensive things my wife had said/done, but did not share all the contents. All things X complained about were nothing my wife said to X. It was all distortions of conversations my wife had with other coworkers. All in all my wife basically got thrown under the bus by her supervisor during this meeting, even calling my wife's statement of "our school didn't get out for MLK Day" an opinion, like it was some damning statement. The meeting basically ended with my wife not fully getting to defend herself, but it only going on record as a non write-up, and told that the ordeal was over.

My wife was not happy, but did not see a point in fighting it harder at this point since no disciplinary action came of it. However, she was scared and paranoid after this fearing that whatever she might say would be distorted by X. However, she became suspicious since a christian co-worker had made blatant racial jokes (black coworker asked to do something, then guy jokes "yes masta!"), which X was visibly offended by but never complained about and when questioned stated "we're good" referring to said co-worker.

My wife proceeded to play it safe and stay away from any remotely controversial topics in her talks with co-workers, and thought things were going as well as they could be with X not liking her. Then one night my wife talked to X about a work topic, explaining that _event_ was happening soon and asked if X could do _task_ then. X just shrugged her shoulders, not confirming. Later on when my wife was about to leave work grabbing her things from the break room, X was in there too. My wife decided to talk to X and tell her that she would like for them be able to work together professionally in order to get their jobs done. My wife explained that she's never meant to offend her and if she has that she's sorry. X begrudgingly accepted the apology and agreed they could interact in a professional manner.

A week or two goes by and my wife is informed by her supervisor that X has filed a complaint further up in management that my wife confronted her in the break room and called her a bitch. My wife explains to her supervisor what happened in the break room, supervisor seems supportive and acts like her account is very helpful. She also requests my wife email all that info to her with as much detail as she can remember, and tells her that the such-and-such person higher up (I'll call her Y) will be handling the complaint. She reassures my wife that Y is firm but fair.

So my wife waits a few days expecting be contacted on when to come in for meeting, but gets a call from her supervisor stating Y has decided to put my wife on probation for a year which entails: cannot transfer to a different department during that time, cannot participate in any leadership tasks (which are prereqs for a promotion she's been aiming for), and possibly some other stipulations unknown as of yet while the official paperwork is being prepared. So Y met with X, but never ever talked to or interviewed my wife for her side of the events. Wtf? The only upside is that X will be moved to a different department, but only down the hall.

During that conversation with her supervisor, she asks if there's any way to appeal or defend against this. Her supervisor lets her know that she can file a grievance, but that it might make matters worse.

She doesn't know what to do at this point. Barring recent incidents, it's basically been her dream place to work  so she's fearful that further action will ruin her for there (4000-ish employees, if that matters). Is there anything she can do to get this injustice fixed without screwing her chances of a good future there?

**TLDR**: Wife's coworker seemingly targeting her. Doesn't get results when complaining to local supervisor, goes higher up and lies. Person reviewing the complaint issues punishment to my wife without even so as much talking to her.

Answer:
 I don't see any legal issue with the info provided...and as far as your question, she can keep her head down/nose clean and stay as professional/friendly as possible  or find another job

Oh and stay as far away from coworker as possible


Title: Victim of money laundering fraud, bank holding me responsible

Question: I live in Connecticut, and I just found out today I was the victim of a money laundering scam once my bank called and said I have a negative balance of ~ $2,500.00. However, I opened up a police report on the scam, and the state trooper assured me that I would not be held responsible. The branch manager at my bank is rather adamant that it is my fault, and that they will press legal action if I don't accept responsibility and pay them back. For those who are wondering, yes, I was dumb to not realize the scam initially, but I am Male, 20, and frankly too naive about scams (until today) to know the difference. Is there anything I can do to fight this? It would destroy me financially to have to pay back that much money to the bank.

Answer:
 Being "Naive" and "too dumb" are not legal defenses. What exactly did you do? Did someone you met online/knew personally have you cash checks and you withdrew cash for them?

We need more details.


Title: I've been fostering a dog who was severely neglected and I need to know what the laws in Texas are about returning him to his original owner.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 How do you know that the dog has been neglected by the original owner? It could be that the dog has just been lost for a while.

Answer #2: You could ask to buy the dog from the lady.  Legally if she wants it back you need to give it back, you didn't transfer the dog through the shelter process which is necessary for stray dog title transfer.  /u/LilithSiren is 100% right, I've worked with stray/neglected animals for two decades at this point and small dogs can deteriorate very quickly especially if you are in south Texas. Answer #3: City ordinances will probably come into play here. They typically state that ownership is forfeited after a certain amount of time in the states care. [This was an interesting case in Houston](https://www.texastribune.org/2016/04/01/texas-supreme-court-rules-on-who-owns-dog/)


Title: When kicking out a roommate, is it legal to change the locks and move their belongings into a storage unit? - FL

Question:
Roommate hasn't been paying her share of the bills for about 5 months now. She said she was going to pay me back with a student loan but of course that never happened. She left this weekend but not before only trying to pay just part of the bills again. I sent her a message saying that because she obviously has no plans on paying any of the past bills she owes nor future ones I am changing the locks and moving her stuff into a storage unit so I can get a new roommate. She wrote me back saying not to touch her stuff and that she will be back for it.

I want this to go as smoothly as possible since I rent an apartment and don't want any drama in my complex. I won't be charging her for the unit, I just don't want her back here. She could also be lying and just trying to get back inside so she can stop me from kicking her out.

Is it illegal to change the locks and move her stuff into a storage unit? I just don't want to do anything criminal in case she gets the cops involved. I have no problem with her suing me as she owes me so much money I doubt she would even try. And in that case, it would probably end badly for her. I don't think she can even be considered a tenant when she hasn't paid what she owes for so long?

Anyways, thanks for any tips and advice!

Edit: She is a co-tenant but she doesn't have a copy of the lease. Whenever we get in an argument and I tell her I won't pay my part either so we'll just get evicted and sued, she always says I'll be the only one getting sued because she's not on the lease. I don't know why she thinks that when her name and signature are very clearly on the lease. Just some more info because I'm brainstorming how she would prove to the cops she lives here if all her stuff is gone and she doesn't have a lease.

2nd edit: So since everyone is so protective over this person that hasn't paid her bills for **5 months** (if you don't know you're going to be evicted for not paying after 5 months you've got to be borderline mental), if she doesn't just take her belongings and leave she will completely lose access to everything else she hasn't paid for like electricity and internet. There are laws stopping a landlord from cutting off utility access to a non-paying tenant but as everyone has so kindly pointed out, I'm not her landlord. If someone is using your electricity without paying for it, isn't that theft?

Answer:
 I suggest you read the list of [guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/1fxlij/guidelines_for_reading_posting_and_responding_to/) for /r/legaladvice. Specifically these two.

- /r/legaladvice will tell you what the proper legal answer is. You may not like that answer. You may disagree with that answer. Heck, we may not like or agree with the answer. But it's the correct one for our legal system. If you want to debate the law, there are other subreddits for that.

- Sometimes, legal advice is also life advice. Don't take the answers here personally. We are telling you what the law says, and what it will do in your case. We will also give you advice on how to stay on the right side of the law, so you don't encounter the legal system in the first place. We're not making judgment calls - we're telling you how it is. Answer #2: Regarding your edit,

> There are laws stopping a landlord from cutting off utility access to a non-paying tenant but as everyone has so kindly pointed out, I'm not her landlord. If someone is using your electricity without paying for it, isn't that theft?

You can't cut off her utilities either and no, that isn't theft.


Title: Medical Services Received While Incapacitated or Unconscious....

Question:
I was curious if anyone had some general information on this topic.  I've learned that, generally speaking, if you are unconscious and someone calls 911, and the ambulance takes you to the hospital - you are still on the hook for whatever amount they decide to charge you.  Because you aren't conscious and able to say otherwise, the general assumption is that you consent to treatment.

However, I've heard of people wearing bracelets or similar that explicitly say something along the lines of 'Do not call 911, I do not consent to medical treatment'.  I've heard it most often in the context of people with Epilepsy who have seizures with some regularity but are more afraid of the costs associated with the ambulance and hospital than their medical condition.

In the situation where an ambulance is called anyway, would having such a bracelet do anything to prevent someone's liability for the costs of an ambulance or medical treatment?

Answer:
 These bracelets probably wouldn't get them off the hook for the ambulance ride. A normal citizen isn't expected to understand the legalities around *informed consent*.

If a "normal person" sees someone hurt or in danger, the normal reaction would be to call an ambulance. So they are covered. First responders are their to transport people who are hurt to the hospital. Depending on your location, they may or may not have a responsibility to check for any advance directives.

But once you get to the hospital, nurses and doctors are required to look for this. They have a fiduciary responsibility to the patient, which means they have to make decisions based on what the patient would likely want. Doctors receive specific training in this.

If the doctor goes against a DNR or any AD, the "victim" could sue for any medical cost as well as punitive damages, as they occur.

But once again, this is just for the doctor. A person on the street isn't expected to understand the legalities of AD's and DNR's.


Title: [NYC, NY] Do I own intellectual property for technology products I build after leaving my company?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 1.  Work with a lawyer.

2.  Deleting something that's a complete project, without running it through official channels is risky as hell.


Title: Wife's work threatened to take away employee's cell phones. (Massachusetts)

Question:
My wife works as an assistant director at a daycare center in Massachusetts.  Today the director (not the owner) of the center had all the employees sign a document that said the new rule with cell phones is that you can not have it on your person while in a classroom or it will be "taken away".

From what I've read:
*employers are legally allowed to have a rule  that you can't have an item with you while on the clock.
*Employers have to provide you with a secure place to store your item if they don't allow you to have it on you during work.

Is this correct?

Also, if the director demands the phone and my wife refuses could it be a "hand it over or you're fired" type of situation?  Or would the consequences have to be spelled out in the contract she signed?

Thanks for any help.

Answer:
 We get these for high school and college but a working adult?

She can not take her cell phone to work. She can lock it in her car. That is up to her. She can be fired for bring her phone into work. She can be fired for refusing to give them her cell phone.

But really, leave it at home. Problem solved.


Title: US,GA: Got brake checked

Question:
I was on my way home with a couple of friends. One of my friends noticed a guy was staring at us hardcore so I started to wave at him. The guy just kept staring at me. The light turns green and he cuts me off in my lane in the intersection. I thought he was a jerk but didn't think much of it. Next thing I know he comes to a complete stop a few hundred feet away from the traffic light, and I couldn't stop. Both of my friends agree I wasnt tailgating but I doubt the cop believed me. My car got it pretty, but his car made it out with like two scratches. No one was hurt. Any advice? Thanks in advance.
Edit: Sorry. Probably should have clarified that he stopped a few hundred feet from the traffic light not from me.

Answer:
 > Both of my friends agree I wasnt tailgating but I doubt the cop believed me.

It likely doesn't matter.  With rare exceptions, it is **your** responsibility to maintain a proper distance between you and the car in front of you.

As is, I don't know what advice you're looking for.  Were you cited?  Anyone hurt?  What did your insurance company say?Answer #2: >  Next thing I know he comes to a complete stop a few hundred feet away and I couldn't stop.

A Ford Explorer is 16.5 feet long.  If the car came to a sudden stop 200 feet away from you, that's TWELVE car lengths.  How fast were you going?

That's why it's hard to believe that you weren't tailgating.  You are responsible for making sure that  you have enough room to stop safely in traffic.

Leave the road rage out.  If a kid had run out into the street and he had needed to come to a stop, you still would have hit him.

Right?


Title: I got my license suspended, I just want to know if this is a valid reason.

Question:
I live in Illinois. About 45 days ago me and my buddy made a dumb decision to go out and drink at a friend's house. We were both 17 at the time (now 18) and we could not spend the night. I brought my car and we decided that it was a good idea to just sleep in my car until the morning to drive home. We both got inside and I left the keys in the cup holder. We were awoken by police officers and were required to take breathalyzer tests and were arrested for zero tolerance. I ended up getting my license suspended for that reason, but my friend got off scott free (besides having to pay the ordinance fees).

My main question is if that is a valid reason to receive a license suspension. Honestly, I'd rather not go to court since all this has sucked me dry of money. I also have two more minor questions: How long would this stay in my record? I am trying to get a second job and rather them not see this. Also, how can I apply for a restricted license to get to school and work?

Answer:
 In Illinois, just an underage drinking ticket can result in a license suspension. You don't have to be anywhere *near* a car. Answer #2: > and were arrested for zero tolerance

"Zero tolerance" is not a crime.  What crime were you charged with(statute or ordinance number)?

Answer #3: You were in control of the car while intoxicated, regardless of whether the keys were in the ignition or not. That's why your license was suspended, and yes, it's a valid reason - you demonstrated very poor judgment by drinking well underage and then getting behind the wheel.


Title: SPRINT BAIT AND SWITCH PHONE SALES

Question: I SEE MANY UNHAPPY NEW SPRINT CUSTOMERS.  I WAS SOLD BY A POORLY TRAINED SALES PERSON.  THE MONTHLY PRICE GIVEN WAS $60/MONTH LESS THAN MY CURRENT CARRIER.  WHEN THE BILL CAME IT WAS $110 MORE THAN MY CURRENT CARRIER.  SPRINT RECORDS EVERY CALL FOR QUALITY AND TRAINING.  WHEN ASKED TO REVIEW THE RECORDED SALES CALL, I WAS IGNORED MULTIPLE TIMES.  THEY HAVE GIVEN ME A DISCOUNT OFF MY FIRST BILL.  CASE CLOSED.  CLASS ACTION SUIT?

Answer:
 > CLASS ACTION SUIT?

Against the person who made your Caps Lock key? Maybe.


Title: [Florida] Can neighbor tell me not to walk dog "in his yard" when the sidewalks goes through his property?

Question:
We live in a preppy neighborhood with uptight dickwad neighbors. This particular neighbor has been harassing my family for months now. He's called the cops numerous times about dogs and disputes over dogs.

Now there is a side walk that runs around the entire neighborhood and as I was walking past his house we exchanged words, him telling me to keep my dog off his lawn.

Can he do this? Is the reasonable dog walking space around the sidewalk fair game? There's TONS of dog walkers in our neighborhood but he targets us specifically because our little grumpy polmeranian barks at him all the time (from a distance).

And no, we are not leaving droppings in his yard.

Answer:
 You probably have a legal right to walk the dog on the sidewalk.  You should keep it on the sidewalk and off of the lawn.  Is this a city sidewalk?

On the other hand, sometimes what's legal and what's prudent are two different things.  If your dog barks at him every time you walk by his house, I'd be a little ticked off in his shoes too.


Title: (hypo) Employee threatened with firing for not coming to work in bad weather, dies trying. Employer liable? (US/at-will states)

Question:
I'm in Missouri, bad flooding, roads submerged, at least a few (fortunately successful so far) rescues of individuals who tried to go to work.

I would imagine there's no employer liability here, even if job loss, but I would love to see an actual case where a suit was attempted, even if it was quickly dismissed.  But obviously the more appeals the better.  Anyone know of any cases?  They don't need to be specific to my state, almost any state in the US that doesn't offer extra protection would work just fine.

Answer:
 I have a tag-along question...

If an employee were fired for refusing to come in during, say, an officially declared state of emergency, could he file suit for wrongful dismissal?

Edit: For example, a State of Emergency that includes travel restrictions, such as emergency personnel only on the highways... Answer #2: no the employer is not liable


Title: Caught in the middle of a friend's arrest.

Question:
EDIT: This took place in SoCal.

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine was arrested in front of my house for burglary which would amount to a felony in my state, but he was also had a felony possession of narcotics as well. He came to my house (to pick me up to spend the night) right after he had robbed the places. I did not have any foreknowledge of this. They asked me questions and I answered them as honestly as I could. EDIT: This took place in SoCal

Today, a sheriff detective came knocking on my door to ask some questions. I don't have anything to hide and I don't want to be caught in the crossfire anymore so I decided I would answer his questions. One of the questions was if I smoked marijuana, and I told him honestly that I do it occasionally. He also asked if my friend gave us any stolen goods, and the honest answer was no, he did not.

I'm worried I might have to go to court, and face charges of my own. Especially because I told them I smoke weed occasionally. Should I lawyer up? If that's the case, I'm pretty screwed since my family cannot afford that.

Answer:
 You aren't going to be charged based on an admission of occasional marijuana use alone.

I might look for a new set of friends if I were you.


Title: Help: My mother donated over $1 million to Jesse Duplantis and Kenneth Copeland

Question:
My mother donated over $1 million to Jesse Duplantis and Kenneth Copeland and I just found out after seeing this video and forwarding it to her:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=316&v=AdH2DGSXjss

She refuses to believe that they do not have her best interests in mind and she was told that her money will go to help the homeless and recovering addicts.

She plans on donating more and even after showing her clips about the private jets, etc, she will not listen.

Please help

Answer: Unless she is legally declared incompetent she can do whatever she wants with her money.


Title: My current employer is selling a product (construction material) across the US that knowingly doesn’t meet a standard required for construction in the US.

Question:
Obviously I gave to be somewhat cautious in the explanation of the product and it’s uses.

Basically my company is selling a product nationwide that is being used in basically every variety of structural building with the knowledge that the product doesn’t meet the material standard it’s supposed to. They sell the product alongside competitors that absolutely meet the standard and continue to tell the consumer that the material is “mostly” the same. They have attempted to label the material in a way that the consumer (homeowner and or construction company) won’t be able to differentiate; technical jargon.

They’ve also instructed employees to mask spec sheets and tell customers that the material is up to the common standard. For instance, when an engineer spec’ing a job ask for a product breakdown - they see one that has omitted information. All the while, my company knows these construction jobs are asking for a specific material qualification / specification.

In summary, tens of thousands of construction projects are built with material that construction companies are putting their stamp of approval on and the supplier knowingly deceives them. The ramifications could be catastrophic being that this particular material is a structural component.

I’m not an expert in the technical aspects. I’m just very uncomfortable with the deception and potential harm that is being done.

If anybody has any advice as to who I can discreetly contact it would be appreciated. For many reasons I’m already looking for another place of employment thus I’m willing to speak to an attorney general of whomever could look into what is going on. A class action lawsuit seems appropriate but I’m not sure if this is just a civil matter or what is involved.

I’m happy to fill any any blanks I can if anybody needs further detail. Thanks all!

Answer:
 Does your employer supply the federal government?  If so, you may wish to consult an attorney about a claim under  the [False Claims Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_Claims_Act), which could  potentially result in a large payoff to you.Answer #2: IANAL

If something were to fail in that construction material and it was found to have been falsified data then the company who supplied the material would be liable instead.

I would contact a lawyer and talk to them about how this is happening and how the information is being falsified. If possible include work emails instructing you to do said falsification and other memos stating how this business is going about what is happening.

&#x200B;

I would also start looking for a different company to work for so when the company crashes and burns you have stable employment Answer #3: Try contacting the FTC.


Title: Aggressive and mentally unstable roommate. Looking for advice on what my rights are as a tenant, and how to help landlord get him evicted ASAP.

Question:
I live in Ontario, Canada. I'm renting a room in a 6-room student house with five other people I did not know beforehand.

I'll keep my rant about said roommate short, as the smaller details are not important. In a nutshell, we have a roommate that is mentally unstable, and is incredibly confrontational and aggressive. He has gotten physical with me and another roommate, and some other events have transpired that, quite frankly, have left all of us feeling incredibly uncomfortable and afraid to continue living with him.

We have been in contact with the landlord for over a month in an attempt to have him evicted, but it seems like the landlord is not completely affluent in his rights as a landlord, or with the legal options he has.

The police were called last night after a dispute where the roommate got physical with me and tried to steal my phone. The policeman gave us some general advice, and said we should call the landlord-tenant tribunal for more legal advice. After researching some of the legislation on the LBT website, I'm under the impression that they only deal with landlord-tenant disputes, and not tenant-tenant disputes.

Said roommate has mentioned that he is in contact with a lawyer to fight tooth-and-nail to uphold his lease and avoid eviction. I'm not sure the truth in this, but from previous experience, tenants have considerably more rights under law than do landlords, so if he wanted to drag this out he certainly could.

What rights do I have as a tenant in this situation? I have been looking at trying to break my lease and move out. Do I have any right to do this under these circumstances? I have little faith in just passively sitting back and hoping my landlord can deal with this, and I'm afraid to live with this roommate for another week, let alone the months it would take to sort this out. What options do I have?

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks guys!

Answer:
 If you're all on a single joint lease, then you are all liable to the landlord, and your squabbles with one another are of no interest to the landlord, _except_ that [section 47 of the RTA](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/06r17#BK60) gives a tenant (including a joint tenant) the option of terminating their tenancy early due to domestic violence or abuse. The [requirements](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/06r17#BK62) are somewhat steep: in particular, you can only exercise this if you experience violence from

> (a) a spouse or former spouse of the tenant;
>
> (b) a person other than a spouse or former spouse of the tenant, who is living with the tenant in a conjugal relationship outside marriage, or who has lived with the tenant in a conjugal relationship outside marriage for any period of time, whether or not they are living in a conjugal relationship at the time the tenant gives a notice under subsection 47.1 (1) or 47.2 (1);
>
> (c) a person who is or was in a dating relationship with the tenant; or
>
> (d) a person who resides in the rental unit and who is related, including through marriage, to the tenant or to a child who resides with the tenant. 2016, c. 2, Sched. 6, s. 1; 2016, c. 23, s. 66.

Since you aren't married to or dating your roommate, you may have to resort to the more normal legal avenues for dealing with violent roommates.

With that in mind: call the cops every time your roommate threatens or assaults you. If it happens again, request a peace bond, as well as making a police report. If you want out, negotiate with your roommates and landlord or start looking for someone to [assign](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/06r17#BK150) your lease to.


Title: [CA] How do I change the location of my court appearance for my traffic ticket? Best procedure to fight against ticket?

Question:
Based in Riverside, CA. I was given a ticket in August for speeding and I have extended the court appearance date from late October to November. The city where I live and the city where I was ticketed are very far apart. I live in Riverside but the court is in Murrieta. The most convenient would be Moreno Valley or Riverside.The officer who gave me the ticket didn't give me advice on how I can change the court location date. I looked at the site and there doesn't seem to be anything [on the site](http://riverside.courts.ca.gov/traffic/traffic.shtml) that mentions information on how I could change the location

In addition I'd like to submit a rebuttal. There seems to be two courses of action however I'm not sure which is the best and most convenient:

-   **Trial by Written Declaration**: Pay the bail amount in full (with traffic school fee) and send an official letter to the court house with all evidence needed.

-  **Appear in Court & Contest Violation**: Show up in court and bring all evidence needed by me to present to the court and the officer.

Is option 2 the best case to use in pleading *No Contest* and make an attempt to have the ticket and fees waived? I know that Trial by Declaration can seem tedious and a lost cause because of the higher chance of not winning your case.

Sorry for long post. Just concerned as this is my first time getting a traffic ticket let alone getting pulled over.

Answer: Uh,they are not going to change the venue for your convenience.Answer #2: The violation happened in Murrieta. Murrieta is the proper venue. It's not going to be changed to convenience you.


Title: I’m a teacher, how liable am I if I give a kid an epipen injection?

Question:
I have been having a bit of a discussion about this in another thread but the replies have got me curious.

I live in North Carolina and I am a teacher at a small charter school. I have worked other similar schools before and got this training at all of them. We are trained to give an epipen injection to any student showing signs of anaphylaxis. There is no school nurse and if there is a document saying who is liable for student health it is not available to teachers. Since this is NC there is no union and I am employed on a yearly contract.

So how screwed am I?

Answer:
 Can you be sued? Sure. Anyone can be sued.

So you have a list of students with allergies whose parents approve of an epi pen use if needed?Answer #2: NC requires all schools, including charter schools to stock epi-pens. Under this law, trained staff have qualified immunity from civil liability.

https://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislation/SessionLaws/PDF/2013-2014/SL2014-100.pdf

page 38Answer #3: Just be careful when dealing with used EpiPens if you ever use one. A lot of people prick their fingers.

If it's a branded EpiPen or Mylan (EpiPen manufacturer) then the orange tip is supposed to move over and cover the used needle when it's done. Auvi-Q (similar device, smaller and talks through administration) retracts the needle automatically once injection is complete. Other epinephrine autoinjectors may leave the used needle exposed leaving you subject to pricking yourself with it after administration if you aren't careful.

Also, epinephrine is pretty temperature sensitive, so make sure it isn't left in an area that is left minimally heated or unheated. A lot of schools turn off the heat during winter vacations, exposure below 60F ruins them (which is why if a person has them and lives in an environment that gets cold in the winter, they're supposed to be carried on your person so your body heat keeps them at temp).