Title: (MN) Landlord trying to override law with lease

Question:
I work with a person living in a subsidized apartment building. She just received her new lease which now includes a line stating that the landlord is not responsible for bed bug treatment. Before she signed it, I contacted the landlord requesting they strike that from the lease per Minnesota law, and they refused.
My questions are:
1) Does in fact state law trump whatever the landlord writes in the lease even if the tenant signs?
2) If so, is the landlord obligated to remove the statement from the leases for the other tenants? Many are new to the US and do not know their rights or resources. I don’t want them to be taken advantage of.

Thanks!

Answer: State law trumps the contract.


Title: Coworker needs help with custody of her child

Question:
Or rather she is afraid she will lose in court. I'm kind of writing this to help boost her confidence (which I hope someone out there has some similar experience or advice they can give).

She is currently still living with the father of her child at this time. I think she mentioned that it has been maybe 6 months, maybe more, that she told him that she no longer wants to be with him anymore. Her idea was to always maintain, or really keep the facade, of being a "family" for her daughter, but it is not working out due to the father getting more and more aggressive.

So to fast forward a bit from the backstory, she wants to leave, but scared of what to do. As far as custody, she thinks she will lose, but I told her that from what I hear, especially here in the states, the mother will almost always get custody of their child. The reasons she thinks she may lose is because:

- He makes x amount of dollars (good salary from what she says)
- He pays for almost everything in the household (rent, etc.)
- She feels the court will deem him more financially stable
- He can afford a good, if not, a great lawyer (one of the main concerns of hers)
- She herself thinks she won't be able to afford one
- She is not living on her own yet (she is trying to save up)
- And apparently she owes him a debt for college tuition (he paid for it). However, she has almost paid him off, and owes around ~$3,000 (he made sure to put it writing)

Aside from that, his anger has become an issue due to the split. I'm not sure if it means anything in court, but:

- He intentionally argues in front of their daughter from what I hear, and paints the mom in a bad light (making it her fault why mom and dad are splitting)
- He has requested all her text message history to see who she is talking to
- Has moments of rage (most likely due to still living together while split apart)
- He as power trips since she lives under his roof
- He wants her to pay half on everything (she does not have that kind of income)

Pretty sure she may have more scenarios which she probably doesn't bring up.

So to the question(s):
- Before even seeking legal advice, should she take any prior steps to put herself in a better position (if needed)?
- Should she be afraid of finances when it comes to hiring a lawyer?
- Is there anything in court that would most likely put her in a bad position?
- Does the father have a better chance due to his financial position?
- What are her chances of winning custody?
- Any rule of thumb when hiring a lawyer for custody battle?
- Should she record conversations between the father and her at home as potential evidence?

She is lost at this point, and I see the poor girl cry at work at times. She is a hardworking girl and just wants the best for her daughter. From what she says, she really doesn't have family to fall back on or live with. Any legal or general advice will be helpful. Thank you!

Edit: She lives in the state of New Jersey if that will help determine a few things.

Edit2: They are NOT a married couple.

Answer:
 >As far as custody, she thinks she will lose, but I told her that from what I hear, especially here in the states, the mother will almost always get custody of their child.

Not true whatsoever. I really wish this belief would just die. It may have been more-or-less true at one point, but not anymore.

For the near future I would see primary custody staying with him if he has the more stable income and means to provide for the child. None of those things you listed would have any affect on that. But it wouldn't be permanent and the mother would of course to be able to spend a ton of time with her. It's not like one parent gets custody and the other is completely removed, which is what she seems to think based on your narrative.

These things are always judged in the best interest of the child. And if the child currently lives in under a good roof with support and stability they'll choose that over another parent that is a rocky unstable situation. At lease initially.

Once she gets more on her feet and has her own place to live then things can be modified. But she definitely needs to figure out how to hire an attorney. She needs someone to advocate for her who knows the laws and the situation.


Title: [CO] Had a case sealed for record and dismissed and found records online.

Question: My girlfriend and I had a record sealed with a dismissed case and we have found public records of it online. What can I/we do to fix this?

Answer:
 Very little. See, sealing the case / arrest records is a kind of a fiction; The judge basically orders the government to pretend that a bunch of things that happened really didn't to anyone other than itself. You're now free to tell employers that you were never arrested, despite the fact you clearly were.

That fiction doesn't extend to other people though; Newspapers, certain third party 'background check' companies, etc, are not required to delete the information they've already published.Answer #2: Most times, a sealed case is done by a Judge's order, not by a law. So it wouldn't be a violation of law.

Someone must've done a public records request before the case was sealed and got pertinent info to add to a database.

Ask the database to pull the info. If it doesn't work, not too much that can be done. What is online will forever be online. You could try to sue, but it'd just make more and more of that sensitive info become documented in further reports and it'd cost you quite a bit.


Title: (TX) Expanded Visitation states I can only see my daughter for two hours on her birthday every year, is there anyway I can change this?

Question:
Some back story;
In July I found out I had a 2 and a half year old daughter with my ex. She falsified paternity test results at the time of birth, and has been with her new boyfriend ever since and is now engaged.

My step up visitation started in August with supervised visits, and my time has gradually increased with her every month. We had mediation and decided on an expanded visitation order, however the order states that for her birthdays, I will only have two hours with her on that day if it does not fall under visitation according to the order. I've emailed my attorney and she's told me that this is customary in Texas. Isn't there anyway I can fight for more time with her? According to the order, my visitation would fall on her birthday in the year 2022. Could I try to go to court and plea for an odd-even year birthday schedule?

I'm trying to do my best to stay strong throughout this situation and do whats right for my daughter, because she is what matters most right now. It is quite depressing to know that I will only have two hours to spend with her on her birthday. I have scheduled a meeting with my attorney next week, but please any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Answer:
 Talk to your attorney for legal advice.  I do have some general parenting advice though.  The day you celebrate your daughter's birthday is less important than the fact that you are celebrating with her.  Especially as she gets older, celebrating on the actual date isn't always possible, with school, activities, etc.  My husband and I have three kids, and we always let the birthday kid choose somewhere to eat out for dinner on their actual birthday, I make whatever dessert they want when we get home, and we open family presents.  That doesn't take more than 2 hours.  On some weekend following the actual birthday date, they have a party with friends, another cake, etc.

My parents were divorced, and I rarely saw my dad on my actual birthday.  It was fine.  He'd make sure to call, and we'd do something special the next time I saw him.


Title: Location: Florida. Crazy homeowners association is fining $1500 For a non-existent son.

Question:
This post is being written for my neighbor. We both rent from landlords in a community in Florida with a typical overbearing HOA. The HOA employs several security guards that are supposed to enforce HOA rules. This is all well and good except one of the guards thinks he's judge Judy and gets off on giving residents a hard time. Anyway, my neighbor has a young daughter (elementary school age) that likes to play outside with some of her similarly aged friends. Recently, ROBO-GUARD came up to my neighbor and told her that her children were not allowed to play outside unsupervised. My neighbor responded that she only had 1 child and that she was currently supervising her. The overzealous security guard writes her up anyway and then proceeds to take pictures of the kids (is this legal?). My neighbor then gets a letter from her landlord saying that she is being fined for a 1st offence of letting her SON (she only has the 1 daughter) play outside unsupervised. The letter specifically says 1st offence and lists the date. The HOA homeowners agreement states that kids are not allowed to play outside past dark but it does not say anything about during the day. This led my neighbor to attend an HOA meeting. When she questioned the HOA they told her that they were going to up the fine to $1500 and that this was her third offence already. When my neighbor informed him that she doesn't have a son he said he couldn't talk to her anymore because the landlord wasn't there at the time. My neighbor says that she and her landlord are going to appeal the fine together in the near future but my question is should my neighbor get a lawyer to protect herself? Also, can an HOA really ban kids from playing outside during the daylight hours? Especially since there is nothing about it in the HOA agreement. My neighbor is going through financial difficulty as her husband was recently involved in a motorcycle accident. Is there any way a lawyer can make money off of this case so that she doesn't need to pay him directly? Are there community resources for pro-bono law consultations? Has the HOA violated her daughter's rights?

Thank you in advance for answers or advice.

Edit: Thanks For the replies everyone. I told her that she should contact the DOA about the semi vigilante security guard. Other people in the neighborhood have had problems with him as well so we will be passing that information along to them. I also told her to look up a local lawyer for a (hopefully) free consult on the situation.

Answer:
 >and then proceeds to take pictures of the kids (is this legal?).

Why do people think it's illegal to photograph children? I see this a lot online.Answer #2: I'm always amazed that anyone would buy HOA controlled property.


Title: [NY] My parents' Tesla Model S P90D accelerated on its own and crashed

Question:
USA - NY

This just happened so forgive me if I don't have all the details.  My father was making a right turn in his 2015 Tesla Model S P90D (I think that's the model) in fully manual mode (no autodrive).  The car then started accelerating on its own and did not respond to inputs to the brake pedal.  He had to crash it into a tree to stop it at around 30mph and the airbags did not deploy.  They felt the airbags absolutely should have deployed, and the car is totalled.  We're at the hospital now and both of my parents seem ok, but are totally shook up.

I'm not a regular on Tesla forums or how to handle this situation.  Suggestions?  Any info would be appreciated.  My dad is furious at the car and can't believe this happened.  We will almost certainly want to take legal action, but right now I'm just concerned if they are ok.  Still, I want to get ahead of the game here and make sure they take the right steps legally.  This is a crosspost from /r/teslamotors

Answer:
 He should submit a claim to his insurance.

There should absolutely be plenty of logged data to support or refute his statement.Answer #2: Tesla will be very interested to see what happened here. So he should reach out to their support team to get the cars "black box" analyzed. Also should speak with his insurance provider. The box will actually tell whether or not a malfunction occurred, and if one did, then there may be a route to seek compensation.


Title: (Minnesota) Landlord let maintenance in when I wasn’t home for a nonemergency despite repeated emails telling her not to

Question: Non-emergency fix that I wanted to be home for, told manager multiple times not to let them in and she did anyways. Is this ok?

Answer: Your landlord is required to make a reasonable effort to notify you, but is not required to obtain your consent. ([Source](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=504b.211).)Answer #2: You generally don't have a right to dictate when or under what conditions the repair will occur.  You request it, they give you proper notice, then they fix it, regardless of whether you're home or not.


Title: Can I do anything about this? [NY]

Question: So I run a shirt and screenprinting company and this guy that also does screen printing and sells shirts is selling a shirt with our company name on it. I don't know who he is and is there anything I can do to stop him? My company name isn't trademarked I'm just a registered business under that name.

Answer:
 I'm going to assume it's some kind of design that paints your company in a bad light. If someone wanted to promote my business, on their dime, and in a good light, I'm all for it.

Anyway, back to the assumption. If it's made to disparage your company, you could send a cease and desist letter. See if that stops it. If not, then the best thing to do would contact a lawyer and file suit. If the name is registered, and all your paperwork is in order, an item that is sold for money can be seen as defamation of character, though it might depend some on your state's LLC laws (assuming it's an LLC that is registered and not some other kind of name registering system.)


Title: Guy on seekingarrangement paid off my credit card, wanted me to send him money after?

Question: Guy paid off my credit card, but wanted log in ti my credit card gave it to him he put his details and he paid my credit card off, after he said he wanted me to western union him or Walmart him money, I said no he got mad I changed my log in info but his stuffs still attached to mine, what type of scam is he running if he put his bank details on my card ?

Answer:
 This is a known scam.  Call your credit card company and tell them what happened.

Do not let anyone have access to anything like this again.Answer #2: > if he put **his** bank details on my card

Think about that for a moment.

Why would he put HIS bank details on your card?  It was probably someone else's.

Chances are YOUR credit card information is probably on someone else's account somewhere by now too.

You need to inform your bank that your account was compromised.  I would also suggest freezing your credit.Answer #3: The scam is he can pay off your credit card with stolen info, get you to send him free money, then the card payment gets reversed.

Also, you've given him access to your credit card account, no idea what he can do with that. But you need to call your credit card company, say a scammer stole your account, get them to change it back and check if he did anything like get the numbers or send himself new cards or something.


Title: [CA] The Legality of Living in an Office Space

Question:
Evening lawyers.

So I live in the Los Angeles area and I just recently visited an office complex. It's an old place, but was cozy looking, and had suites that could fit a cot, computer, and other stuff. You know... offices.

I was there for a meeting, but after the meeting I realized that the complex's rent was super cheap, like 300-350 dollars a month! Some brief googling told me this was illegal to do-- to live in an office space as I'm describing.

But that rent is cheap for a place to just sleep. I was wondering about the legality of renting one and doing just that. Renting it out to live in.

Answer: Not legal because it's against code.


Title: [FL-US] Condo association board owners wont let me speak at meetings

Question:
I live in a condo in florida, and my mother is in failing health. so i usually attend the meetings in her place. Recently i uncovered some shady stuff going on, so i wanted to bring it up publicly, but i was prohibited from speaking at the meeting. They stated the florida condo laws prohibit anyone who is not an owner from speaking at meetings. The condo is owned by a family corporation, but i have resided there to take care of her for a year now. They did background checks and credit check when i moved there as well.  Is any of this true? If it is true, since my family owns the corporation, as a son would i still be entitled to speak? Any recourse?
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 >They stated the florida condo laws prohibit anyone who is not an owner from speaking at meetings.

For any condo, per [Florida law](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0718/0718.html), there may be a representative who holds the “voting certificate,” which means a document which designates one of the record title owners, or the corporate, partnership, or entity representative, who is authorized to vote on behalf of a condominium unit that is owned by more than one owner or by any entity.

If you have the voting certificate then you are the official representative who may speak at the meetings.


Title: My mom got shafted at a gas station... was not given a receipt, and I was told there is no manager. What do we do?

Question:
So I was getting gas at a local Shell (I live in California), and my mom paid for me inside, with cash.

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My mom told me she handed the cashier a $100 bill but asked for $25.00 on Pump 1. My mom is still inside, but I see the $25.00 appear on my pump. So I start pumping the gas. 10 seconds in, the pump stops working at $5.80. My mom comes out, and I tell her it's not working. My mom goes back inside to tell the cashier, who was already helping another customer. He comes out briefly, tells me to press the button again, which I do, and it begins working again.

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My mom comes back out, I finish pumping, and we drive home. We get home, and my mom realizes that she didn't get her change back (she is an older asian Mom). My mom remembers when she handed the cashier the $100, he offered her to buy a doughnut but my mom declined. At this point, he didn't give the change or a receipt to my mom (my mom was distracted and didn't realize she didn't get her change when the other customer came next). So she didn't get receipt, there's no hard evidence.

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So my mom and brother go back without me, and the cashier says there's too many customers, so he can't count the register until 7pm.

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When they get home and tell me this, pissed, I wanted to go back myself. My brother and I go inside, and I tell the cashier the same thing: "Hi, my mom said that you didn't give her change back." He had a straight face (he was also Hispanic so his English wasn't the best, but I could understand him and he understood me), and told me, "yes I talked to her already." So I said, "And? What is going to happen?" His response, "I told her I will fix it. And to come back." I then asked, "Will a manager be here?" He said, "No manager." I asked why not, he just shrugs. "I will fix it when she comes back." I reiterate, "At 7pm? Okay." He is definitely lying by saying there's no manager.

&#x200B;

At this point, he claims he will count the register at 7pm, but my brother and myself are pretty uneasy to go back because of the area, and the idea he might have some cronies with him waiting for us (sounds crazy I know, but that is just how sketch the are is. There was an armed robbery that happened in that Shell's lot). We don't feel safe. This gas station is also located in not the best part of town, it's kind of ghetto, and it's close to where we live. My brother and I want to get the cops involved, especially if they can pull the camera footage from inside.

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What should we do? Is this worth all the trouble for $75? :(

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TL;DR, mom didn't get her change back or a receipt after paying at gas station, we suspect the cashier pocketed her change.

Answer: Sounds more like end of his shift where he cashes out the till and makes sure everything is correct. Basically the only way to tell if the change wasn't actually given back besides trusting the customer. Till missing $75? Now you know for sure.Answer #2: Well, he could just be waiting for his shift to be up so he can count-down his drawer and find out if it is over by $75. But if you're that uneasy, you could call police non-emergency and request an officer to be there at that time. If he's trying to screw you out of $75, he may not have punched $100 when typing in the amount, and you may need to demand security footage. Also, you should be able to look up the local number for that Shell station, and/or call a nearby Shell and ask if they know the manager of that station.


Title: Girlfriend beats me and I am forced to pay her for it

Question:
My girlfriend has hit me several times, but a month ago, she hit me hard in the head, while I was cuddling our two dogs, where i pushed her back and told her to stay away from me. She chased me through our apartment and I warned her three times, that if she didn't leave me alone, I would defend myself.

She then sued me for attacking her and made marks on herself as prove, luckily it was dismissed by the police, as she was lacking proper medical prove. But the police found my warning about me defending myself, to be a threat upon her life, which has now led me to be forced out of my apartment in 4 weeks and have to pay her a lot of money as "victim contribution", because the 'threat' made me  "commit a severe crime against a victim'.

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Any way I can prevent being kicked out of my apartment and pay that large criminal fee?

PS: I live in Denmark, so criminal law may vary.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 You should have called the police every time she hit you. Police can only act on evidence and right now, that evidence does not favor you.

>Any way I can prevent being kicked out of my apartment and pay that large criminal fee?

A lawyer, like now.

Also, definitely post on /r/legaladviceEU


Title: I was banned from a high school because I smelled like weed at a basketball game.

Question:
I'm not even a student there nor did I have weed, is that allowed? My location is Maryland.
Edit: I don't need a lecture on my life, helpful and genuine responses only please.
Edit: Thank you for all the helpful responses.

Answer: Why wouldn't it be allowed to ban you from the property?


Title: Can you be successfully sued for not giving away mods unless they donate to your patreon?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Are you asking if you can sue someone for not giving you something that belongs to them for free?


Title: Ex roommate of mine left her stuff at my house and is now threatening "I'll find a way to get it back on Saturday whether you're there or not." [virginia]

Question:
I had a roommate who decided to randomly move out of my apartment and into her boyfriends house. Me, being the generous friend I am, let her go and took her off of my lease. At the time, she didn't have anywhere to store her belongings nor a way to transport them so I agreed to let her keep her stuff at my apartment until she was able to come and get it. This was back in September.

She is now texting me telling me that she wants to come get it all on Saturday at 10 am. She said she will be here with her mother and her boyfriend to retrieve her things and she can't be there very long. The problem with that is, I'm going to be at work until at least 4 and I may not be able to get the day off. I told her that if I couldn't get the day off, I would let her know and we can make arrangements for her to get her things another day. She was not happy with that answer. So she told me that it does not matter whether I'm there or not, that she would be there and she plans on getting her stuff. I don't feel comfortable with her being in my place alone after a falling out we had recently. She said that if she had to, she would convince the leasing office to let her in and if that doesn't work she will get the police involved.

My question is, I guess, what should I do? Is she legally allowed to find a way into my apartment? I have no issue giving her stuff to her, I just don't want her in my house without me in fear she will steal or damage my things.

Answer:
 > My question is, I guess, what should I do?

Give her two choices:

 1. Offer to meet her outside of the apartment, and let her come inside once you have arrived.
 2. Offer to leave her belongings outside, and keep the apartment locked.

If she is smart, she will choose #1. If she threatens to come into the apartment uninvited again, tell her that you will call the police if she attempts to break into the apartment.

> Is she legally allowed to find a way into my apartment?

No. Her name is not on the lease, she is not your spouse, and she is not your landlord, so she has no right to enter the apartment.Answer #2: She is not legally allowed to enter your apartment when you aren't there. Notify the leasing office that she doesn't have permission to enter. She can call the police but they aren't going to help her break in.


Title: My gym unexpectedly closed down and transferred my membership to a different subsidiary that they own. The new location is far away and they require me to go to the location to cancel and give a “30 day notice,” which means they will charge me another month. I feel like I shouldn’t be charged.

Question: [TX-USA]Does that sound right? It’s not my fault that they closed down the location near me and therefore I shouldn’t be charge an extra month because the language of the contract says I need to give a 30 day notice. They did not give me a 30 day notice that they were going to close down the location I go to.

Answer: Read the contract you signed when you purchased your membership. From a customer service perspective, you are right with your assessment. Unfortunately, a lot of service contracts have an assignability provision that would allow your gym to assign its rights to another entity, such as a subsidiary.


Title: Need a securities/ business lawyer but can't afford to even put gas in my car.

Question: I have a business in which i took on an investor. Our relationship went south and he is trying to hold me personally responsible for the losses. However I cannot afford one. I need a lawyer that is willing to take the case pro-bono. So my question is how the hell to I find a lawyer to help me. What strategy should I take to find one?

Answer:
 I need a Lamborghini. Who can give me one for free?

Pro-bono work is typically done for close friends, high profiled cases and those types of circumstances.

You can speak with a few attorneys and see if they can help / what they would do.

But realistically- no lawyer is just gonna take a John Doe pro-bono.

I’m confused how you can own a business- yet can’t afford to fill up your gas tank but that’s none of my business.
Maybe take out an equity loan?


Title: TEXAS - AUSTIN - Child Custody - safety and well being of 4 year old daughter.

Question:
  Ella (girlfriend) and I were together for 6 years. We lived together and we have a 4 year old daughter together. We were not married, we were engaged with a wedding planned next month. I have a great job that has allowed Ella to be a stay at home mom. We recently moved to Austin and absolutely love it. We had a great life, so I thought.
  Last week I was in Vegas on business, wrapped things up early so I took the red eye home to surprise Ella. It was quite a homecoming, I don't know who was more surprised me, Ella, the random dude screwing her in our bed or my 4 year old who woke up to see all this go down. Never would I have guessed she would do something like that. And in front of our daughter! Since then things have gone from bad to worse. Ella has taken our daughter and moved in with this guy, a bartender she has known for 2 weeks. I can't imagine the damage this is doing to my daughter. Clearly Ella has lost her damn mind. I need to know what I can do to get my daughter back. What rights do I have? How difficult is it for a father to get custody? I'm just trying to see what my options are. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 Get a lawyer. And then get your wallet.

You will need to sue to establish paternity first. They will usually also decide on a child support amount you need to be paying your ex at this time.

You then need to sue for partial custody.

Between these two processes, and ~~weather~~ whether or not your ex fights them, you could be looking at several months to several years, and a significant amounts of legal fees and child support.

Edit - spelling correction, thanks /u/_mignonette_


Title: Who has the right of way: emergency vehicles or pedestrians?

Answer: Emergency vehicles in virtually all jurisdictions.


Title: Robbery of entire apartment complex

Question: Hi, I am a student living in residence in Montreal. Due to Covid-19 many students have returned home and are not living in apartments, however me and one of my roommates are. A few days ago someone walked into our apartment (the door was locked) and stole my roommates laptop (just his laptop). We filed a police report and learned that our entire apartment complex was targeted. Whoever did this must have had a key as the doors were not broken into, and my neighbor had only his laptop stolen. We requested that our landlord change the locks, but he has not responded, and according to my neighbor he called his cell phone and was yelled at (I don't know the full details) . Is the landlord liable for stolen items if someone else had the key? Thanks for the help, we are unsure what to do right now.

Answer:
 Couple of things that you could do:

1) Prove that the landlord was negligent in him providing keys to workers or loosing a key.

2) Ask police if they are investigating the landlord and or property manager.

3) Report it to the University or college you attend. Sometimes getting them involved will speed things along and will pressure the police and landlord.

4) Get a petition going with the other tenants that live in the building for the landlord to change all the locks and provide a security system that a third-party only has access to.

5) If you have renters insurance, use it and file a claim.Answer #2: I encourage you to re-post this in r/legaladvicecanada.

Be aware that many comments here will not be from those familiar with Quebec law.

Your best advice will come from the Régie du logement.

https://www.rdl.gouv.qc.ca/enAnswer #3: No, the landlord is not liable unless you can prove the landlord was involved. The criminals who did this are the ones responsible. Your landlord may be legally required to change the locks in a reasonable amount of time.

FYI: That’s not robbery; it’s burglary.


Title: This morning on Christmas my girlfriend is being told she will be fired from Rite Aid because they are adopting a policy of firing interns until the summer, but she's not an intern yet. Can Rite Aid do this?

Question:
My girlfriend is in her first year of pharmacy school and she has been working at Rite Aid as a pharm tech for a couple of years. She is a very hard worker and both pharmacists like her very much. Since she is a first year pharmacy student now, she decided to apply for an internship position and interviewed for it. The interview went well but she has not technically become an intern yet. She hasn't signed anything other than what she did to become a pharm tech.

Today on Christmas she got texts from her pharmacists saying that Rite aid is firing all their interns, her included. They said the called corporate and did everything they could do to try to keep her. They even offered to help pay bills in the mean time until she finds a new job.

I don't understand how she can legally be fired as an intern if she hasn't even gotten her intern permit from New York state yet and is still technically a pharmacy tech. She is very upset and I'm hoping someone can shed some light on the situation and figure out what is the next best course of action.

Answer: They can fire her for any reason basically.  Did she have a contract?


Title: [Texas, Angelina County] A cashier at the phone company pulled my power-of-attorney document apart to make copies. Is it still valid?

Question:
I had to go to the phone company to change his address. She pulled apart the power of attorney to make a photocopy of it for her records and then stapled it back together, making new holes.

Now I'm worried that anyone who looks at it in the future will take one look at it and say that it has been tampered with. He has dementia now so the document is irreplaceable.

Answer: This literally happens all the time.  There's no specific issue here.


Title: Threatened legal action for touching roommates things.

Question:
Both myself and my roommate #1 is in the process of moving our things out of the house. We have been doing this in an ongoing process over the last few weeks through small boxes. Recently, we realized we had the large furniture left.

Our Roommate #2 has been dragging behind on packing anything as they are still deciding on a place to move to. Recently, we notified them on Friday that we would have to go through their room to move a box spring out of a balcony window. The box springs are large enough that we could not fit them up the stairs on move-in.

He claims to have received legal advice from a law offices essentially not permitting us to touch any of his belongings and included picture documentation of the state his room was in. The pictures he took specifically did not have several items in them that belonged to other people and were later found in the room.

All we need to do is move a desk out of the way and two box springs through the room. Is this something he could even remotely seek legal action out for?

Thanks I appreciate any advice and input in this rather unusual situation.

Answer:
 _What_ law office?  I defy this person to name one specifically.  In which case, you should contact them and simply ask 1) is X a client currently represented by the firm, and 2) have they admonished against you doing these things?

Spoiler alert: you're not going to find one that has done this.

PS: find a new roommate as soon as possible as allowed by your circumstances and the lease.


Title: Check scam by my "employer"

Question:
I got hired through indeed by a ceo to work as a personal assistant. Pay his bills, make donations to foster homes, etc. He would send me a check and I would use it to complete his tasks and then the rest was my wages.

I was nervous about this from the start and flat out told him I wasn't going to pay for anything until I had the money secured. The check came and I deposited it. The first thing he wanted were gift cards. This should have been my biggest red flag.

So I bought about $2000 worth of gift cards for him so he could distribute them to various clients.

Everything was fine until today... When I checked my bank account and saw the check bounced for insufficient funds. The check had appeared legit. Even my bank said it was a legit check. But now I'm - $1000 in my checkings!

I haven't  spoken to my employer yet because I'm pretty sure he's a scammed at this point. I also tried to look him up and couldn't find any info on who he claimed to be.

What do I do now?

Answer:
 PSA: THERE ARE NO BUSINESSES HIRING PERSONAL ASSISTANTS OVER THE INTERNET!

They are all scams.

You are  unlikely to ever see that money again. Answer #2: Find a way to put $1,000 back into your account, unfortunately.

Your "boss" might not even be inside the USA.

This a common check-cashing scam.

You can work with your bank and the police, however, at the end of the day, the money is likely gone with little hope of recovery.

For future reference, no legitimate job would ever send you a check for you to deposit into your own account then make business purchases or transfers with.  That's a gigantic red flag that you've signed onto a scam, not a job.Answer #3: You were scammed.

If you can find the perpetrator you can involve the police and/or sue on the bad check. You can’t find them.


Title: My cousin posted a picture of her one year old with a joint in her mouth on instagram. Is this child endangerment?

Question:
I'm in Canada.

I got a notification from instagram that my cousin posted a photo. I clicked on it to see what it was and it was a picture of her one year old with a joint hanging out of her mouth. The caption was something about it being it's fathers, with a bunch of random hashtags. I can't tell if it was lit or just lit then put out by the picture.

I'm seriously concerned here. I don't want to be some crazy prude that can't take a joke, or hates on recreational marijuana usage, but this just doesn't seem okay to me. I know marijuana can screw with developing brains past your teenage years and that makes me incredibly worried about how it would effect a one year old.

Should I report this to social services, or am I just over reacting?

Answer: I would start by reporting it to the police.  They'll involve CAS.Answer #2: Should you report parents using and exposing an infant to illegal drugs? Yes.


Title: School privacy USA

Question: At my school we have a software where teachers can see exactly whats on your computer, even when you are logging into websites with passwords for out of school accounts. The waiver we sighed at the start of the year does not cover privacy or passwords. Is this allowed? Is there a precedent I could use? Can I insist it be removed?

Answer:
 Who owns this computer?Answer #2: The school is free to monitor the computers that belong to them.  You have little to no expectation of privacy while using those computers.

If you're concerned about your privacy, stop doing non-school-related things on the computers, and use your own devices that you own and control on networks that don't belong to the school to do those things.


Title: Fiance broke wrist at Circle K

Question: He was pumping gas and when he moved to go & get cleaning materials for his van's windows, he tripped over the cement block where the gas pumps are and broke his wrist when he tried to stop his fall. Can Circle K be liable for his medical bills? Thank you. We are located in North Carolina if that helps.

Answer:
 Maybe but it's going to be a hard sell if nothing was out of the ordinary.Answer #2: Describe what you think Circle K did wrong here.Answer #3: Doubtful. If it was a temporary hazard like a spill that should have been cleaned up, then more likely to be able to get the store to pay. But for a fall from tripping over the structure itself I’m guessing it’s unlikely.

Is there documentation that the injury did occur at that location?


Title: [IA] Got served today pertaining to land I inherited when I was a child. No idea where to begin.

Question:
I inherited a piece of land when my father passed, but being a child at the time, I had no real grasp or ability to deal with these matters.  My mother failed to mention this, so this was unbeknownst to me.

At some point, the property was sold (I don't know how). The people who "bought" the land (Referred to as T) are now trying to sell it to a neighboring company.  This company actually has competent legal counsel because they noticed almost immediately that there was land included in the deal which T didn't have the property rights. Which leads us to this matter.

I really don't know where to begin.

Answer:
 Sounds like an action to quiet title. You need a real estate attorney to handle this--a lot of important information is missing, you probably aren't sure what information you need (your attorney will be), and any number of details could be the difference between this property being rightfully yours and rightfully T's buyers.Answer #2: Where is the money and why are they suing you?

They likely just want to clean up the title. Did they ask for a quitclaim deed before suing?Answer #3: I suspect the confusion around the sale the OP is talking about is because no one in his family likely sold the land. What I suspect is that the property was repossessed by the city/county/local government for failure to pay property taxes and T. bought the property in a so-called ‘tax sale’.

Now T. is selling the property and the buyer is making sure it’s a proper sale.


Title: California - 20M, ex GF 21F, is having twins and I cannot pay child support

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer:
 The judge will love it when you explain. That travel and gaming are priorities.

If she ends up receiving gov't assistance, you may (and should) be held responsible for paying that back in the future.Answer #2: well 300+300=600

600-520=80

CONGRATULATIONS. your gaming and travel budget is now $80.

fixed


Title: Can you stand in for someone at a speeding ticket trial?

Question: Recently got a new job and can't get time off can i send my girlfriend of 8 years to stand on for me? I love in Rhode Island in the United States if that matters.

Answer: Yes, your girlfriend can do that for you, as long as she has a licence to practice law in your state and is under contract to represent you as your attorney.  Otherwise, nope.Answer #2: Not unless she is a lawyer, no.


Title: I am a post-op transgender man. Could I get in trouble for removing my shirt in a public place?

Question: I am a 19 year old transgender man (I live in IL) who has had chest surgery. This means my chest is flat, and appears like any other male chest. I know there are indecent exposure laws that women can be charged with, and I wanted to know if I will be charged with such a crime if I took my shirt off to go swimming or such. I am not a woman, but I know people have issues with transgender people. If I was confronted in such a situation what are my options? I didn't spend $4,000 to keep a shirt on 24/7.

Answer:
 Have you changed you legal sex? Drivers license/Birth certificate? If so, you shouldn't have a problem. Answer #2: The relevant state law is [720 ILCS 5/11-30](http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?ActID=1876&ChapterID=53&SeqStart=19850000&SeqEnd=20825000), which prohibits "A lewd exposure of the body done with intent to arouse or to satisfy the sexual desire of the person". You pretty clearly wouldn't have a sexual intent in the circumstances you describe, so you wouldn't be violating the law. But that's not to say that a transphobic cop couldn't arrest you, or that a transphobic judge or jury couldn't convict you.

There may also be local laws in your county or city that could make a difference.


Title: [TX] I rear ended someone because I fell asleep at the wheel. How screwed am I?

Question:
I have mild sleep apnea that is not being treated due to a combination of previous insurance issues and the fact that wearing my mask really sucks. I've been struggling to stay alert during my commute lately and today I actually bumped into someone during stop-and-go traffic. We both pulled over and all I did was apologize over and over and gave him my insurance. He didn't make a fuss.

After I got to work, the adrenaline wore off and I broke down crying because I'm so ashamed of myself and worried about what will happen. I've never had an accident before and I never thought I'd have one that was my fault. And when the HR lady at work pulled me aside because I was crying I told her everything, including admitting that it was because I'd dozed off at the wheel. She said "Do not admit that to ANYONE. Friends and family maybe but *nobody* here in the office, and I will pretend I did not hear that, ok?"

So now that's got me more scared. I'm pretty sure the guy I bumped isn't going to do anything more than just contact USAA and file a claim. I didn't tell him anything about how or why it happened, just apologized.

Am I at all screwed here or am I just over-worrying?

Answer:
 You're likely over-worrying, but going pretty much directly against HR's advice by posting this admission on the internet for the world to see.

Get help for your sleep apnea and refrain from driving when you're sleep-deprived.  Next time it may not be just a slow-speed bump.


Title: Ex (CA) boss paid me 1099 illegally in 2010, can I do anything??

Question: My ex California boss paid me 1099 but I worked 40hrs a week, with paid vacations.  Nothing I did even slightly resembled contract work; I was an employee but without benefits. Now the IRS and CA taxes are hitting me with self employment taxes.  I owe around 12k to the IRS and CA for 2010 alone, but I worked there for about 2 years.  It has been over 2 years since I worked there, is there anything I can do?  I know it is illegal to misclassify employees in the state of CA.  The honest problem is, I know nothing of the legal world.  I don't even know how to properly enforce my own rights.  Help?

Answer:
 You need to contact an attorney and also the labor board. Then you can approach the IRS and California Tax Commission. Taxes are one thing that won't go away until you deal with them.

Death and taxes.


Title: Do I have an expectation of privacy on my own property?

Question:
Location: Weld County, Colorado.

I own 12 acres in a rural part of Colorado.  The only way to access my property is through an easement over another property.  Since we purchased the property,  the neighbor comes out and takes pictures of every person and every vehicle on my property when we are out there.   this has been going on for almost 2 years, and we are currently engaged in a lawsuit over the easement as the neighbor is trying to prevent our access, but that is beside the point.

This would be like your neighbor coming out to take pictures of you, your family, and your friends each time you are in your backyard.    What expectation of privacy do I have on my own private property?  Taking pictures in public is perfectly legal, but this guy is taking pictures of us while we are on our property which is not easily accessible by the public. We are a half mile from the nearest public road, and there are gates preventing access.

any advice is greatly appreciated.

Answer:
 If it's visible from public or from another's private property, you don't have an expectation of privacy.

Is he going on to your property to take the photos?

You can build a fence, wall, or grow some bushes.Answer #2: Good fences make good neighbors.

Put up landscaping to obfuscate any particular views or areas.

If he is going on your property you can put up no trespassing signs and send him a letter by certified mail notifying him not to trespass.   Call the police if he continues to trespass.


Title: I tried to cancel health insurance (NY, US) and they wouldn't let me. What can I do?

Question:
I live in New York and in early December I tried to get health insurance because I don't currently get any through my job. I called a number that goes into a large system of networks and got "Multiplan". They charged $252 a month with a $100 sign up fee. They claimed sign up fees are now universal (which I now know they aren't). I paid with my card over the phone. AFTER I paid they told me that the insurance would be effective tomorrow. I asked can I have a longer period in case I change my mind. They said yes, I have 30 days to cancel.

When I get the paper work I realised it is NOT what we discussed over the phone. For starters the plan is a shared plan, so it's not technically insurance. I call up to tell them I want to cancel. The women says I will be refunded in 24 hours.

I then get insured by a reputable insurance brand, but it doesn't become effective until Jan 1 - like most insurance when buying in open enrollment.

When my card isn't refunded by the dodgy insurance people I call up again. The women over the phone then claims that "New York state won't let our company cancel your insurance until you prove you have insurance somewhere else" she also claim "we can't refund you until after 3 weeks as we need to investigate if you've made any claims". I know both of these are BS and I try to push back. I also try to get her to send me something in writing to confirm that I have cancelled the insurance. She tells me "that's not how this works". Eventually I get an email out of her where I can send something. I send an email to ask for my money back stating I would like to cancel. No reply and no bounce back either.

This morning I wake up and my card has been charged the monthly $252, despite the fact that I proved I have insurance from another company. Straight away I called my bank to tell them. They are in the process of disputing the charge. Of course the multiplan company only has customer service 9-5 Mon-Fri.

What should I do?

I know I should cancel my card, but I would really like the original $352 back as well. Am I just being unrealistic?

Edit: Spelling and added in a detail

Answer:
 Send a written request to cancel, certified mail, return receipt requested. Send proof of your new insurance with the request. Also send documentation of your prior requests to cancel: dates/times of calls and names of people you spoke with.

If you still don't get anywhere, file a complaint with NY department of insurance.


Title: [CA] There's a restraining order against me. She just moved in next door.

Question:
I'll cut to it, I was stupid when I was younger and a girl got a restraining order against me. I regret it but it is what it is and I've become a much better person since that time.i have a steady job and I'm renting an apartment in a complex of about 20 units.

I just found out that the girl who has the restraining order against me moved into the apartment two doors down. This violates the order and there's no way we won't see each other. Will I get in trouble if she sees me? I can't just move out because she decided to move nearby.

Answer:
 You'll probably want a lawyer, unfortunately.

The _best_ outcomes here are either that you go back to court and get the order dropped as the subject is obviously not concerned about keeping you away from her any more, or that you go back to court and get the order modified to explicitly permit incidental contact while you are on your way to or from your home, and to allow you to be in your home without violating the order.

The _worst_ outcome is that she calls the cops the first time you two run into each other in the street and they nail you for violating the restraining order.Answer #2: When the order was issued, did you have to submit a home address, and if so, was that the same as your current address? In other words, was she notified that you lived there before she moved in?

A restraining order doesn't mean that she could, hypothetically, walk into your job and say that you violated the order. Nor is it a violation if you happen into each other in a public place. Violating the order is a willful act, but nonetheless, that doesn't mean everyone will see it that way.

You should consult an attorney for sure.Answer #3: How long ago was the order issued and how long was it for?Answer #4: When was the restraining order originally put into place? Did you live at the same place then that you do now?


Title: My neighbor caught their son with weed and now they are going after me because they think I was selling to their son.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 If moms really are going csi on his phone they should figure out he's dealing to others. Not the other way around... anyway. I wouldn't try the slander angle. Id try the "this lady is crazy and I'll prove I'm above it by ignoring her" angle.

1. She can't press charges. She can only tell the police who tell the district attorney who decides.

2. Don't talk to the mom or the kid. Advise your parents the same. Tell them to consult a lawyer if they don't take you seriously. Maybe he can talk to them.

3. If your contacted by a detective/da/cop tell them "I don't answer questions without my lawyer", decline the meeting and call a lawyer ASAP.  They're likely just fishing and hoping to scare you into a confession at this point.

4. If they actually do get a warrant, do as your attorney advises, don't do anything rash or stupid in the meantime.

5. If he's a dealer the da will likely want him instead of a bunch of high schoolers smoking pot.

6. Highly likely the mom calls the cops with this evidence and nothing comes of it. So de-stress.


Title: [Canada]Received Stop Work Order, City demanding we make impossible changes to new house or they will sue us. Had planned to move there in 2 months, now have no where to live

Question:
I will try my best to explain the situation as I understand it. I live in Ontario. My family bought a nearby house in our neighborhood, knocked it down and we were about 70% done before a large amount of shit hit the fan.

It's a contemporary design, flat roof concrete house. We were planning to put solar panels on that roof, and maybe a green roof too, so we'd need regular access to it. For that we'd out a small addition on top, basically a box with a door and small window for light. Some of the solar equipment was supposed to go in there too. It made the total height of the house go a bit above what's allowed.
A few months ago one of the neighbors had complained about this box. The City called a Committee of Adjustment hearing about the height variance, and the total floor area which goes a bit over as well. Before the hearing we went around the neighborhood collecting signatures in support of out project. We got quite a lot, but there were a few people that refused to sign and even got aggressive, yelling that our house is too ugly, doesn't fit in and other nonsense.
We were expecting we'd get fined at worst, but instead, they ordered us to stop all work on the house and immediately remove the roof box (they counted as a third level which is ridiculous), and convert two closets and a half the dining room into outdoor patios/balconies to bring down the floor area. There were also about 20 angry neighbors there. We had no idea there were so many people against us.

The problem here is that
1. The roof is solid concrete, there is a giant hole in it where the stairs come out. If box comes off, there is no way as far as we know to properly cover and waterproof it. We'd also need to replace the stairs with a ladder which is not safe. We've already had an accident in our family with someone falling from a ladder and getting seriously injured.
2. Same with making the outdoor decks, other that making the house look retarded is also difficult if not impossible. We'd have to cut a chunk out of the walls which would fuck up the structural integrity of the whole house.

We are completely stuck and don't know what to do and who to turn to. The City people won't even hear us out. They also said that if we decide not to appeal, we must make all the changes they want as soon as possible or they will take us to court. All we need is to find some kind of compromise with them We're willing to pay a fine, and even to fuck up the house a little, but not to the degree they want because that'll make it unlivable.

We don't know how, or if we even can make these changes. What people normally do is appeal to the municipal board, but we don't have the money for that and our architect said there is almost no chance we'd win. The house we're currently living in has already been sold and we must vacate it in two months. If we don't get the new one done, we'll have no where to live. The construction has taken twice as long as we'd planned, and all the payments and fees have used up all our money and I'm honestly not sure if we can find a place cheap enough for us to afford to move into.
Does anyone have any advice to who we can turn to?

Answer:
 You're learning a very hard lesson.  That is, you need to research and have approvals/variances related to all of your localities building/zoning codes BEFORE you build.  At this point you need an attorney.  You're up shit creek right now. Answer #2: You could sue your architect and builder for not getting approvals and obviously not a building permit.  The shovel should have never hit the ground without this.

Get a lawyer to try to save your financial shirt.

Answer #3: Did your contractor get a permit before he started?  All of these approvals should have been handled before you broke ground.Answer #4: The city is entirely within their rights here. by the sounds of it, you were building a house which violated the local building code and zoning, and hadn't sought approval for variances first. They could make you destroy the whole house if they wanted. Why ever did you think a fine would make this go away?

Consult a local lawyer who does municipal or construction law. MAYBE there's a way to get permission now, but don't count on it.


Title: [MA] Police don't care about custody order

Question:
Non-custodial mom refused to return child after weekend visitation.  Dad had order in hand when police arrived.  Police would not do anything, said it's a civil matter.  Child remained with mom despite MA court order.

Police were requested to do a well being check 4 hours after and refused.  Mother has substance abuse issues.

Apparently court orders have no weight in this state.

Answer: They have weight but they aren't going to enforce a visitation schedule. You need an order for contempt which forces you to go back to court. Your order giving the plan is not enough. You can call CPS if you think your child is in danger. Answer #2: No.. it is a civil order and that is not their job to enforce it. Go back to the judge.


Title: Silly question: do custody lawyers need a lump sum or take payments?

Question:
My sister (in North Carolina) is in the beginning of a custody battle. She told me today she needs a lump sum to pay her lawyer and she is telling me that she called around and nobody will take payments because custody battles take a long time. Im having a hard time believing this.

Edit: included the state she lives in.

Answer: It depends on the lawyer, but it's not unusual for a lawyer to require a new client to pay a substantial retainer at the beginning of the case.  Too many clients rack up huge bills and then fail to pay.


Title: I told my wife I want a divorce - she's lawyering up - want to see how bad the fallout could potentially be here

Question:
All the relevant information - we are in our late 20s, no kids, no shared assets whatsoever (not even a shared banking account), no property (we rent), no car, no nothing - and married less than 2 years.  We're both financially successful (she out-earns me by about 20K) - I've got a few thousand in debt, she's got tens of thousands in savings - none of these things have been merged.  Pretty much the only legal documentation of our being married is the marriage certificate.  We live in New York.

If she decided to go full nuclear, and try to completely ruin me, to what extent could she?  I can't imagine her being awarded alimony (considering how much less I make than her, not to mention the brevity of our marriage).

I'm praying like hell that she just goes for the no-fault divorce, but I want to know how deeply fucked I could be if she lawyered up and decided to try and bite back.

Answer:
 I think the ol reddit circlejerk of the male being fucked over from every possible position in a divorce has dramatically skewed your perception of what occurs in a divorce.  Especially considering your factual situation.

You should lawyer up, of course, but your fears are unfounded.Answer #2: Why do you possibly think she would be entitled to alimony/maintenance, since she earns more than you?

You're right by the way, alimony wouldn't be an issue here anyways, because it's a short-term marriage. Answer #3: >I'm praying like hell that she just goes for the no-fault divorce

To do otherwise would require her to prove that you committed one of the following:

-Cruel and inhuman treatment that made living together unsafe.

-Abandonment for at least one year.

-Adultery.

-Incarceration for at least three consecutive years after the marriage.

By the way, NY allows the audio recording of conversations with only your consent. She doesn't even have to know it's happening. I highly recommend you do this to cover yourself.


Title: [US/EU] No show and cancelled my flight home. Small Claims in the US?

Question:
Back in the US. I bought a ticket with Finnair and missed a leg on the initial trip. Wanted to change my flight home by one day and was then informed my trip back home was cancelled.

This caused a real headache because I didn't have much time to get home, and cost a bit more to get back and just sucked the life out of the last 3 days of my vacation. I was wondering how to bring this up in small claims because the company is Finnish? Or should I bring Oneworld up because they are the parent company for this?

Answer: Every airline does this.  I'm sure if you look in your contract of carriage, you will find a rule stating that if you miss a leg without notice, the rest of your trip is cancelled.


Title: I signed a 12-month lease, then my landlord decided to do a construction project while I'm still committed to living here. Extremely loud noises renders my apartment unlivable now. What are my legal rights as tenet? Can I leave?

Question:
**The lease agreement** I signed was one page and sparse of details, obviously not written by a legal expert. I committed to paying 12 months of rent (nearly $1000 each month, no). Other than that, it did not contain much. Iirc here was no clause about living conditions, nothing about my rights, etc.

**The living conditions**: Construction noise makes this place *unlivable* for 1/3 of every day, **including Saturdays**. I regularly wake up to literal hammering and construction workers yelling right outside my head (bedpost against the outside wall), so close and loud it shakes my entire bed.

- This is a multi-month project.

- **I did not consent to it.

- **She did not ask for my consent.**

* I have 10+ house/roommates in the same boat.

**I can get out of it early**, *however*: Per the agreement, I am allowed to get out of my 12-month lease *if* I find a sublet 1 month in advanced. However, this would be impossible now for obvious reasons. If she tried to find a new tenant, she *definitely *could not*. But meanwhile, I'm trapped living in it.

Asking to pay reduced rent would be reasonable, but I highly doubt she will agree to this. She is greedy, inconsiderate, and somewhat illiterate (She's natively Chinese & doesn't speak English well, so there's cultural differences...); she barely maintains the minimum living standards and just wants her money.

#Tl;dr: my questions:

- Am I stuck paying full rent in a room that's suddenly unlivable due to construction?

- Am I allowed to demand a lower rent or leave given these conditions?

- What are my lawful rights as a tenet?

(Located in Somerville, Massachusetts.)

Answer: Are they doing construction during hours that construction is permitted per local laws?


Title: Researching Outstanding Warrants

Question:
Hello, the other day I was informed during a traffic stop that my significant other has an outstanding felony-level warrant for their arrest but the officers either could not (as their answer when I asked was "I don't know what it's for") or would not tell me.  Their advice was to turn themselves in immediately which does not seem like a smart decision.  Is there a way to research if an outstanding warrant exists (and what it could possibly be for) without simply reporting to the department for arrest?

We live in the state of New York.
Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer: It can be done- it probably should be done through a lawyer, which your SO will need if there's felony charges anyway.


Title: Pets in hot car advice

Question:
Maine FYI

So this past summer, I recently began working as a merchandiser, & about 30%-40% of my shift, during the hot months, are working outside of a grocery store.
Now..I’m an animal lover. I noticed last year that, astoundingly (not) 1 in 5 doggo owners would leave their furry companions in their car wth the windows cracked & the vehicle shut off, in 70 degree+ weather.
My plan for this summer was to go to the nearest PD station & ask for the best advice as to what to do in these situations.
My question for this sub is, has anyone any advice or past experience similar to this they can share wth me? I’m a little torn between going to the PD or contacting the local animal control.

Answer: Call the non emergency line for the police or animal control. That's all you do


Title: Legally required to give stool sample?

Question: In CO, if the health department demands a stool sample am I required by law to provide that?

Answer: Way more context is necessary for a meaningful response.


Title: (CT) Mentally ill 12 year old keeps making false claims of abuse, DCF has been informed and we are expecting their call. Can I reject their services?

Question:
The last time DCF was involved it was because of my ex husband, I allowed them to meet with my kids and they ended up doing more harm than good.  At the time, my then 11 year old, who suffers from mental illness, was taking Risperdal and the DCF worker actually told me **(in my son’s presence)** that that particular medication “causes boys to grow boobs”.  This would send any boy into panic mode, however my son suffers from DMDD, ODD and OCD and he completely lost it and refused to continue taking the medication.
My reluctance to cooperate with them is because they did absolutely nothing to help us, in fact, they made matters 100x’s worse.  I don’t trust DCF but I don’t want my son to be taken away, especially given his current state.
What should I do?

Topic:
CPS and Dependency Law

Answer:
 You can certainly decline. They can get a court order to force the issue if they feel there is sufficient concernAnswer #2: Does your ex husband share custody or get unsupervised visitation? If so, are you 100% sure that the claims of abuse are false? It's pretty common for children to truthfully disclose abuse, but name someone safe as the perpetrator rather than whoever really hurt them.

When I was a child/teen I was labeled as mentally ill because I was extremely traumatized. Due to my "mental illness" no one believed me when I said I was being abused. It's a very common story among people who were abused as children.


Title: (US) Is it illegal to search for child porn online?

Question: I am babysitting my niece and nephew this week while their parents are on a get-away-from-the-kids-so-they-don't-go-insane ski holiday. It was my Christmas gift to them. But last evening, when I got home I found my nephew on my computer and he hurriedly closed it when I came in the room. I chuckled and flashed back to my mom walking in my bedroom while I was having some "up-close-and-personal time" with a Hustler magazine. He looked embarrassed and turned it off and gave me the computer and ran to dinner, which was why I came to the room to get him. Later, I had a bit of work to do, so I was working on the laptop and for grins and giggles, looked up the google search history and I was shocked. He was looking up words like "child pornography" (literally this) and lots of other combinations of preteen, jailbait, and other such terms along with terms describing various sex acts and sexual partners. He is 13 years old. I am in my early 40s. This was my computer on my home network on my IP address. Is the FBI going to come bust down my door to arrest me? I don't know exactly if he found any sites, and I don't believe that he downloaded anything - at least I couldn't find anything. I am kinda freaking out right now. Plus, I don't know how to handle my nephew nor how to tell my sister and my BIL.

Answer:
 1) they aren't going to black ops through the door at any moment unless you're hosting/distributing CP. clear your history & cache if you're worried.

2) Tell your sister and let her & her husband handle the parenting.


Title: Friend Needs a Roof But Can't Afford Rent

Question:
I live in a building that is run by a leasing office that is occupied by 4 very strict people that take their job very seriously. In our lease, it says that we have ensure that guests register their cars for parking if need be and we may not sublet our apartment, but it it doesn't give any guidelines on how long we may house a guest if we don't charge them rent.

I have a close friend who has recently been kicked out of his parents place that I would very much like to help out by providing a roof over his head rent-free for up to 3 months (we agreed on that amount of time before he would be asked to leave). I know it may not be the smartest thing to allow a long term guest without any written agreement, but he can't afford rent and I am not comfortable letting him live on the streets when I can help.

My question is this: Can I let him live here temporarily without worry of being evicted? Could myself and my girlfriend who are on the lease be evicted or get our rent spiked up?

I really want to help my friend out but I'm scared of the potential consequences.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: He can establish residency in less than a month so even though you both have a verbal commitment or even a written one to have him leave after 3 months if he decides he doesn't want to he would be a month to month tenant and you would have to go through eviction process to remove him. As far as your apartment is considered since they don't allow subleasing you would be in violation of your lease even though his rent is zero. Life advice, I know you want to me a good friend but this has so many ways to backfire just don't do it


Title: (Ohio) ran off the road and tore out a stop sign. What do i do?

Question:
the car is messed up so I had a buddy tow me home.  No cops came by.  Should i call someone?
edit;  So we called and reported The sign being down.   No cops were involved.  Thanks for all your advise.

Answer:
 Did you really leave an intersection designed with a stop sign without one? That is beyond irresponsible. You're putting the lives of others at risk.Answer #2: Leaving the scene is illegal. Id consider having another party report the sign being down. Answer #3: >  No cops came by.

Did you **call them** to report the accident?  Or did you just hope they would drive by and see you?

How long ago was the accident?

Call them and report the accident immediately.  Right now you have almost certainly committed the crime of leaving the scene of an accident.Answer #4: Thanks for the replies.  Im having a buddy call and say he saw the stop sign down.  That way I avoid getting charged with leaving the scene.  Thankfully it is a very low trafficked, low speed area.


Title: Lost my ID and all forms of identification on plane. Return ticket ? Florida

Question: I’m 18 years old. I left my Fanny pack on the plan yesterday and didn’t realize it for an hour. I went back and it was like 1am so they didn’t have anyone to look apparently. I have a return ticket with a different airline this Sunday and I have no way of providing identification besides a picture of my drivers license ( front and back ). I know literally no one in Florida. I’m uncomfortable here, scared and I wanna go home.

Answer:
 Just get to the airport like 5 hours early and explain to TSA what happened. There's a procedure for this.

Go to the local PD and make a report that you lost your license, etc - and bring that with you to TSA.


Title: A clearly drug addicted women pushed her bike into the street so I would hit the bike and told me to give her $100 or she would call the cops. I think my employer is going to fire me over it. Do I have any legal recourse?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Uhhh...you really should focus on the fact that some crazy drug addled lady is in the same neighborhood poorly extorting people for money.

I'm sorry this happened to you, and if she fires you, she fires you, but she cannot withhold your pay.


Title: (AU) Grandfather died in (US) and wife refuses to converse re estate

Question:
Hi All,

Will keep details to the minimum unless more is needed. My family and myself reside in Aus, and my grandfather lived in his apartment in NY with his wife (of 15 years, whom we never had much contact with). This January he passed leaving his Apartment, and following his passing we began to make contact with his wife about finalising his estate. We aren't privy to information regarding the deed and ownership details, and information accessible online did not show anything. She has not provided us with any information and is not willing to discuss anything and seems to be taking our movements as a personal offence. She claims it was purchased under "tenants by the entirety" but we have no way of knowing, and we have a prenuptial signed by my grandfather (missing her sig) that indicates (along with his will) that all is to be his and assets split among kids.

Being in Aus, we are stuck, confused and worried as we don't know how to proceed and aren't sure what options are even available for us being abroad. I offered my Dad to see what you all would say just to try to help ease his mind.

Many thanks in advance!

Answer: The general presumption would be that all of his personal property and assets not designated under a beneficiary account would automatically become to her property. She's not required to cooperate with you or give you any information about the estate. You may retain an estate attorney in New York State to pursue legal discovery if you believe that there is a will or other document contravening the general presumption that a surviving spouse would inherit the assets of a decedent without requiring involvement of the probate process, however the burden will be on you to produce a will. An unsigned prenuptial is probably worthless unless there is a mountain of other ancillary evidence to suggest that it was a valid agreement. In my opinion it is quite understandable that your grandfather's wife who doesn't have much contact with you finds it irritating and offensive that you are coming out of the woodwork from overseas asking whether you are supposed to inherit her home now that she is a widow. If it is a marital asset purchased during his marriage, it isn't his estate's to will away from her anyways.


Title: I found an online article that may be intentionally trying to get people to mistakenly poison themselves, Is there a government branch that would take care of this? I don't know what state the website owners are from. I am in Florida, thanks.

Answer:
 I actually stopped to give this one some thought.

FDA Criminal Investigations maybe?
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/email/oc/oci/contact.cfm


Title: constructive possession

Question:
last night I was in a car with three other people all convicted felons with drug related charges when we got pulled over. there was probably ten cop cars surrounding us immediately. the driver was arrested right away because his car had stolen license plates. me and the other two passengers were handcuffed and searched, they didn't find anything on any of us. then they searched the car. they found meth, a meth pipe, and syringes which the driver was charged with. they also found a single Xanax in the backseat (which is where me and another person were). they tell me to just admit it's mine so they can help me, they're gonna test the DNA on the pill, blah blah blah. I repeatedly tell them it's not mine. the two other passengers say the same thing except one of them, she said the pill was mine and wrote a statement saying that. but at one point a cop was lecturing me about my choice in friends and said she was the largest meth dealer in the city and they'd been trying to catch her, so I'm confused about why they would take her word. anyway long story short I was arrested and charged with felony possession of a schedule two drug. I have never even been arrested before. I was just wondering if it would be possible for me to beat this charge, considering the pill was found in a car full of drugs and the only evidence they have is the word of a suspected meth dealer.

edit: I am located in New Iberia, Louisiana. I would also like to know if it's legal for cops to install hidden software on a cell phone that takes pictures and records audio...

Answer:
 > I was just wondering if it would be possible for me to beat this charge

Sure.  It is also possible unicorns fly out of my ass after a night of binge drinking Smirnoff Cotton Candy flavored Vodka.  However, it isn't likely (trust me, I've tried).

That cop was right.  You need to seriously evaluate your choice in friends.

Lawyer up if you want a chance, but from what you've said here they have you dead to rights on the possession.


Title: Lien against my car that has been paid off for 7-8 months.

Question:
So I’m going to try and explain this INSANE situation I’m in the best I can.

PA resident(Allegheny County) have been for the last 12 years.
Loan office in Youngstown OH, closed now HQ in Atlanta GA.

I purchased my car outright June 2017 with cash. ($12,000, 2016 Honda Fit) September 2017 rolls around I’m in a financial pickle, and as my identity was stolen a few years back, I had to use one of those awful title loan joins with a stupid interest rate for $1,000. Never the less, I kept up on my payments until August 2018, I was $91 behind(house flooded, had to deal with some extra financial burden)  w/ one payment left, they repo the vehicle. (I owed them a grand total of $321 to pay the vehicle off) I had to suck it up, luckily it was pay week, and I have an understanding landlord. I pay off the car and the repo fee. I’m given “loan satisfaction paperwork/pay off paperwork and sent on my way to the repo lot to pick up my car. They were supposed to mail my title back certified mail (to be signed for) I never received it called a few times and then got swamped at work and honestly, completely forgot about it until yesterday.

This brings us to the last 24 hours.

I go to a local notary to renew my license plates/registration renewed, which is something we have to do annually here. The lady informs me my plates are coming up as “moved out of state” but doesn’t tell her where to, BUT still shows her all of my information (year make model my address etc) which she says is incredibly odd, and she hasn’t encountered that before. Usually if transferred out of state it will say where but not have the information for the vehicle/owner. So as it was 5:45pm everywhere was closed I wake up and start calling anywhere and everywhere at 8am. I call PennDOT they’re getting the same thing, sent it off to their investigators 3-5 day turn around. They look up my title and inform me there is a lien against my vehicle from loan sharks, and it appear my plates have started the transfer to Ohio but it was never finished.

I call the number for the loan sharks, and they will not tell me ANYTHING. I confirm everything regarding my identity and am met with, oh well forward it to our office (I mean I thought I called the office but ok) and I inquire what should I expect in the way of follow up, phone call, mail, email, should I call back? The guy tells me again he’s forwarding everything to the office. I tell him this is no satisfactory, my car was paid off 8/28/18 there is 100% no reason they should have a lien on my vehicle until 2023 let alone at all, furthermore they need to mail back my title. He said he’ll forward everything to the office. So that’s a dead end for who knows how long.

I called the Ohio BMV they have no record of my VIN, title, plates. Which is even more perplexing.

My car is officially illegal to drive, not registered to anyone or anything, my plates don’t exist, and nobody can help me. I have no idea what to do or where to turn, I need my car to get to and from work everyday.

Help! Please. I literally have a paperweight with wheels and an engine. ANY HELP SUGGESTIONS WELCOME. Places to try and call or anything tbh. I’ll take anything I can get.
Topic:
Consumer Law

Answer: Them not releasing your title is a huge breach of the agreements you signed. I would recommend calling up [these folks](http://www.pabar.org/site/For-the-Public/Find-a-Lawyer) it'll be $30 for them to hook you up with a lawyer specialized in that sort of thing complete with consultation. I suspect all that you'll need is for the lawyer to write a *Scary Letter* and pull out some obscure paperwork for this to suddenly resolve itself. If it's more complicated than that, then you'll need a lawyer either way.


Title: [Illinois] Kid sold his dad's stolen gun to my friend, now his dad might go to the police

Question: [deleted]

Answer: Your friend is selling illegal drugs and dealing in stolen guns. Yea, probably not going to end well for him. Answer #2: I stopped reading at fart. Compose a question that doesn't insult the intelligence and waste the time of the volunteers and try again.Answer #3: I tried to parse all of that and realized I didn't care what was being asked.  I'll give it another go if you can boil it down to essentials.


Title: VA Nepotism Promotion Deined

Question:
Hi,

Currently work as a cashier at chain retailer, recently applied to be a Cashier Manger and Lead. I had my interview and was asked about my metrics and experience and how well I perform currently which is outstanding.

I was denied and told the new Cashier Manger has more experience. Today I saw the new manger and well they were trying to keep it on the down low but word got out and it was confirmed that this person is the new Manger turned out the manger has no experience or metrics and isn't suited for the job.

Was told by other manger that she is Hiring Manger best friend, so is there a case for nepotism? Or is there no point crying for split milk?

Answer:
 >is there no point crying for split milk?

Exactly

There's absolutely nothing legally wrong with a manager hiring her best friend into a position over you.


Title: I asked my landlord what the price for a pet deposit was and they told me I would have to pay $500 and a monthly separate fee depending in the size of my pet.

Question:
I live in WI.

And as for the pet, its a cat.

My rent is $500 currently.

Is what the landlord doing legal?
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Ok, sounds good. What's the question? edit: yes, unless there's a specific law in Wisconsin that prohibits pet deposits or pet deposits greater than a certain amount.


Title: Was I responsible for assault or is it both of us? [Georgia]

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 > We are both thinking of taking legal action. Would I be at fault?

Yes, both criminally and civilly.  He may also have some fault, but frankly speaking his actions seem pretty reasonable to me.Answer #2: It sounds like you both committed battery.


Title: [NY] Father is on deathbed and mother is money hungry

Question:
I'll get straight to the point. I got a phone call today from my aunt saying that my estranged father has lung cancer, is in hospice, and has estimated a week to live. I'm currently in Connecticut (Litchfield County), so I'm not able to fulfill his request of going back to New York (Erie County) to see him before he passes.

My mother, being the money hungry narcissist that she is, is talking about how she's going to look into the possibility of his Social Security being used to pay his rather outstanding child support balance for my sister (20 years old) and I (25 years old). I'm not certain that would even be a possibility, but if by some miracle that is a thing that happens, I would like to be prepared with any facts or advice on how to make sure my mother doesn't get the complete sun so my sister and I can split it between ourselves evenly.

My father has no estates or assets. He's a homeless man who lives off of my Aunt's couch and a drug addict/alcoholic. Again, no clue if Social Security paying off outstanding child support is even a thing (highly doubtful), but if it is, I greatly appreciate the advice.

Answer: Child support isn't owed to you or your sister, it's owed to your mother.


Title: Wanting to rent a friend's home that she owns - but she has had a squatter living there for 15 months. What can we do?

Question: hi reddit, i've got a little problem. i just moved down to houston and have a friend who owns a house beside hers, and i want to rent it from her. however, she's had a woman living in that home for the past 15 months who hasn't paid any rent! what can she do as the owner, and what can i do about it as a prospective renter? please advise!

Answer: You can do nothing, because it doesn't involve you. She, as the landlord, can serve notice to vacate. If they do not comply, she can file to have them evicted in the normal manner.


Title: 45 year old, life long, blue-collar union member, recently laid off due to Covid. Industry decimated. Looking at a career change and thinking of about labor law. Is this the appropriate sub for honest conversation?

Question: Decided against r/legaladvice. I don't have a degree, so I think an actual law degree might be out of reach at the moment due to time and money. What about a paralegal? Is it possible to specialize like that? I know nothing about the law field, and am just getting started on my research. Any help or opinions are welcomed.

Answer:
 i know nothing either, but just want to say good luck on your journey!Answer #2: Paralegal is an excellent option! To specialize, i would find work in an office that focuses on the kind of law you're into.Answer #3: From my experience in Wisconsin, getting a paralegal certification isn’t all that time consuming or difficult, I don’t believe you need to specialize or anything like that, I’m sure you have a passion for labor law but there’s a world of different types of law and law firms out there!Answer #4: (Bumping so your post gets more attention)

Good luck!Answer #5: I don't know if this is off topic for the sub, but a paralegal program is quick and fairly inexpensive. Most are 18-24 months and there's a built in associates degree, which is nice if you want to eventually get a bachelor's degree.

There's no way to specialize while you're in school, but you can find a position in a labor law firm and learn their forms/procedures there.


Title: Dealership trying to force workers to only buy cars from them (Illinois)

Question: We live in Illinois. My husband works at a car dealership and yesterday out of the blue they issued a memo saying all employees must sign a contract agreeing that under no circumstances will they obtain/buy a vehicle from another dealership or private seller or they will be terminated. Is this legal or can we fight this? Btw he has worked there 8 yrs and this is the first time they've brought this up.

Answer:
 They can legally terminate them for buying a car from someone else. Part of being an at will employment state.

The contract is not really useful in any way other than telling them the expectation they have. Answer #2: Not in Illinois, but in CA it's illegal.

http://codes.findlaw.com/ca/labor-code/lab-sect-450.html

> (a) No employer, or agent or officer thereof, or other person, may compel or coerce any employee, or applicant for employment, to patronize his or her employer, or any other person, in the purchase of any thing of value.

Didn't find anything relevant for Illinois, though.  Sorry.Answer #3: Others have addressed the legal question, but something worth considering IMO: it sounds like this dealership is in trouble. Like paying employees late, underhanded tricks like this can often be a sign of desperation on management's part shortly before a business shuts down.

Maybe the owner is just being stupid and/or greedy, but I'd suggest putting out feelers with a view towards finding a new job.Answer #4: How would they know? Here’s how that conversation  would go:

Hey Jim, did you see our memo? Where’d you get that car?

I had this car from before the memo.

Ok. No worries.


Title: Wife's Grandmother's POA trying to evict us

Question: (Iowa) My wife and I moved into her grandmother's house after her grandmother went into assisted living (dementia).  We never signed a lease and agreed with my mother-in-law that we would not have to pay rent whilst we are here because I am joining active duty military.  Her grandmother's brother (we'll call him "fuckhead") got my wife's grandmother to revoke her mother's POA and then immediately filed a "Forcible Entry" proceeding.  He has since shut off the gas and has gained entry into the premises stating that "we gave him permission".  We never received notice of an updated lease agreement from him as the POA.  I'm scheduled to swear in to active army on the 27th of this month.  Any advice?

Answer:
 Even if you didn't have a lease, you are tenants.  He can provide you notice that you must be out of the house in 30 days, but he can't boot you out.

He is violating his obligation to you, if he just shuts off gas & enters the house.

Let him know that he must still use the standard procedures.  An eviction (also referred to as forcible entry & detainer in Iowa) has some requirements:  http://www.iowalegalaid.org/resource/evictions-101


Title: Child custody, mother is on a rampage, again. Keeping me from my child. Advice?

Question:
So here is a short summary, a year or two ago we went to court due to my ex (we wern't married) being "mad" at me as she stated, and not letting me see my daughter. So unfortunately I had to file for child custody, we went through the court case and finally she came around and decided enough was enough, let her attorney go, and I let my attorney go, but we did get a temporary custody order signed by the judge for the case, and the case has never been closed.

So anyways, here is the deal almost a year later. We got into a verbal argument about visitation, and she called the cops, they came out and sided with me. Since the cop sided with me, she got extremely angry, and is now starting trouble. For example, she called before memorial day weekend saying "I got plans, take our daughter." Which I did, cause I wanted to see my daughter (I get her legally every other weekend). Now this coming weekend is legally my weekend, and she is causing trouble by stating "Yeah, since I gave you memorial day, I am going to keep her for 4 weekends in a row. Thanks, bye!"

I am thinking about just getting a lawyer again and ending this stuff somehow, she is just hard to work with. Advice?

Answer:
 Your thoughts are correct. Get a lawyer. She's erratic, you've had to deal with cops and courts before and likely will again, and you need to have full force of law behind how you're acting going forward. It's nice when you can work things out amicably, but that ship long sailed.Answer #2: Don't be dumb: get a lawyer.

If she is saying stuff like:

> Yeah, since I gave you memorial day, I am going to keep her for 4 weekends in a row. Thanks, bye!"

Then it is clear that she is no longer willing to cooperate with you in a just manner. Take her to court. Get your set custody dates. Make sure youre there for all of them. Make sure you document any time she fails to appear.


Title: My bank lied to me about cancelling my debit card and hundreds have been stolen.

Question:
My wallet was stolen a couple of days ago and when I called Woodforest they told me that my card had not even been activated so it was not under threat. However, they would cancel it and send me a new one.

Today, I checked my online banking for the first time and saw that a charge had in fact been made the day my card was stolen. The man spent tons of money in a grocery store, which, if that wasn't bad enough, incurred an overdraft fee.

Do I have legal rights in this situation to pursue compensation beyond what was removed from my account? From my eyes, the money would not have been removed if they had cancelled the card in the first place. (The money had not been removed from the account before I placed the call)

Any advice in this matter would be much appreciated!

edit: grammar

Answer: This will sound crazy. But did you call the bank and ask **after** the money was gone? Most banks just reimburse you for the stolen bucks especially when it's their fault.


Title: (M22) Lost out on $600 USD to a company while trying struggling to pay school loans back and canceling their service because it's free to get done...

Question:
Lurker. Made my account just for this. Very Serious to me.

Third Party One = good company
Third Party Two = taking advantage of my situation they already knew of
Company 1 = First good company who buys the loans to get out of default
Company 2 = encouraged me to cancel services from them to save me money and hassle before being processed through

Background: I have not yet finished my degree, but I have since the past few years gained a decent paying job in the City of San Francisco and not in school currently. I have stepped up and been trying to get into paying my loans back after getting them out of default. The tricky thing is I had been working with a third party company already to get out of default, and was on my way to that. I was told by a dumb co worker that there was loan forgiveness programs from Obama and so I looked it up. Found a company that looked secure, and seemed like it was a government company (Company 2, Third party) and gave them a call. I had told them over the phone (they never recorded the phone conversation, just reasons I called for (to get out of default) that I was already doing some sort of program but they disregarded that and went ahead and told me it didn't matter basically. They said if I pay them one payment of $600, or up to 3 payments of $299, then the government will buy my loans all at once or something. Keep in mind I still mentioned before I was doing something similar already but only a few $20 payments which was fine with me. After paying I get a letter from One of the six companies that buys loans and works with the government and chose to give Company 2 a call asking why I'm getting info from them when they were trying to set me up with Loan buyer once, another company that buys the loans in the same way... Loan buyer one to figure why I had got their info trying to receive payments from me. They explained how I was already out of default and to cancel anything further and gain a legal adviser. I called Loan buyer 2 to ask what was going on and they specifically told me that I had not been processed though yet but, Company 2 and I should CANCEL so I could get my refund BACK because then they technically did no work for me. Even though they didn't want to lose my service, the person working for Loan buyer 2 agree I should do so. Back straight to calling Company 2 they DENIED me my refund because I CANCELED, and not eligible for my money back because even though I asked many times why it mattered If i canceled first or didn't. The service didn't go through on their side to third party 2 and they knew I was already with another company getting out of default. What can I do, and how do I get a legal adviser for this situation.

When: Last payment was about may for $299 and I had the conversation with Company 2 rep about a week and a half ago and he directed me to a specific email and assured me they would call me back after arguing with this guy for 20+ minutes n the phone with no explanation. Never received a call back.

Am I wrong, or is it my money still...? Still struggling to pay what I owe and these ass holes take advantage of people scaring them into paying outrageous charges that is free to do on your own.

Answer:
 This is seriously one of the hardest posts to read I've ever seen.

You got scammed. Consider it a learning experience, you can't just pay people to "make your debt go away" . That's what paying back your debtor is for.


Title: My doctor's office violated my privacy/HIPPA

Question: My doctor's office sent my detailed bill addressed to my father to his address. I haven't used that address in over 4 years, he's not even my emergency contact. I just had to refill out all the usual forms like I do yearly with all my info that hasn't changed in 2 1/2 years. I'm livid and want to take action.  This wasnt just an accident where they used an old address, it was mailed to my father. What do I need to do to take action?

Answer:
 Was it addressed to him? How did they get your fathers address?

Edit: Also, are you/were you a minor?Answer #2: There is no private right to sue under HIPAA.


Title: OR, USA Any idea of how many hours an attorney would have to bill for doing name changes

Question:
for two kids, getting birth certificates reissued, and child support amount established?

Paternity was already established by the district attorney and child support was set at a ridiculously low amount (father makes 70k+ and I make 42k and pay 15k a year in child care costs - he was ordered to pay $385 a month). I didn't contest it at the time due to some mental health issues.

I'd like to get an idea of how much I need to save up before I get things started. My EAP has a program that allows for a certain amount of legal service at a reduced rate.

Any way, your experience and knowledge is appreciated.

Answer:
 > how many hours an attorney would have to bill for doing name changes

pffft, not much at all no big dea...

> for two kids, getting birth certificates reissued, and child support amount established?

Oh.  Much bigger deal.

Honestly it is nearly impossible to say without sitting down with someone familiar with your location and its laws.  This is one of those pretty fact intensive situations where everything needs to be gone over.  I wouldn't even feel comfortable ball parking an estimated number of hours for something like this.