Title: [Arizona] Is my life over with 4 class 1, non-violent misdemeanors, it's my first offense?

Question:
I'm a skinny, white, socially awkward 18-year-old, and a few months ago a friend and I made some stupid mistakes when we were screwing around. Long story short, I'm going to court in a few weeks over 2 Class 1 harasments, disorderly conduct, and attempting to disrupt with a telephone. I have many major goals and i'm absolutely terrified. I want to become a vet and plan to go to college for many years to do so. I'm also completely terrified, I feel like my life is over and i'll never be able to get a job. The town I live in (Gilbert) [apparently] has a reputation for having very unlikable courts. Assuming worst case scenario I get all of these charges on my record, how hard will this make my life? Will I be stuck working at a car wash for the rest of my life? Could I get these charges expunged later on? I would appreciate only positive or neutral comments that are supportive. Don't sugar coat it either, but I don't want to be bullied. How serious is my case? Will the courts send me to jail since it's my first offense?

EDIT: I've already had a lawyer since the beginning.

Answer: You need a criminal defense lawyer if you want to increase the probability these charges will be dropped/reduced.


Title: Neighbor's dog are on the loose, have been found in our pool area numerous time. What can we do and what is our liability? NJ

Question:
So I live in a rural area in NJ. My house has a large in-ground pool with a 6ft wooden fence around it. We've recently had some rain/wind storms and small section of the fence has started to significantly lean. This has caused the wood gate to not close properly (leaving a 1-2 foot gap). We aren't worried about people getting into the pool area because we are pretty rural and there just isn't anybody around to wander in. We plan to properly fix this but can't it until is stops raining and the ground is dry. We currently have caution tape around the gap and a sign that says keep out. But dogs can't read, so...

Now our neighbors 4 houses away have two 'hunting dogs' which they allow to wander wherever they like. We've caught them on our property multiple times and have spoken with the neighbor directly about this (specifically after they got into our garbage and dragged it everywhere). For a while afterward, the dogs were controlled...but now they are back. For the past two days, they've been caught on the pool deck. We've since moved the large garbage cans in front of the gap to further block it.

We've tried to be polite about the situation with the neighbor but I guess the next step is to keep calling animal control so they either get picked up and fined. This will obviously put us on bad terms with the neighbors. My fear is that the dogs will fall into the pool before we can fix the fence, won't be able to get out, and will drown. Would I be at all liable for this? Selfish question: if they damaged the liner while in the pool could I hold the owner liable for it's replacement? We don't even let our own dog in the pool for this reason.

Answer:
 I know you're hesitant to call animal control, but I think that's your only option since they aren't listening to you about keeping their dogs on their property. You would not be liable for their dogs getting injured/dying on your property due to them letting their dogs wander unless you took some active measure--which it sounds like you aren't--to harm themAnswer #2: Listen, if you already know that your fence is breached, then you are liable for anything that happens due to that breach.

Secure you fence with wire if you have to.

>  We currently have caution tape around the gap and a sign that says keep out. But dogs can't read, so...

And neither can a 3 year old kid.   Secure your fence.  Answer #3: Animal control is your only option at this point, you have tried playing nice with these guys, so now its time to play some hard ball.

That said, let them know that in no uncertain terms, that if the animals are seen on your property again despite the conversations you have had with them, you will call Animal control in order to ensure their safety. Also, NJ is a one party consent state, so you can record this conversation which may be helpful if they try to accuse you of harassment.


Title: MA - Can I sue my neighbor if she causes a home buyer to pull out of the deal?

Question:
My mother is currently under contract with a real estate investor to purchase her house. The deal for the house is without any contingencies and for the house in AS-IS condition. The house is zoned for a two-family dwelling but is the only single-family home on the street. As a result, my mother was able to get a very good price on what is essentially an old house in a great neighborhood.

We are past the P&S and the buyer has made a significant deposit on the property. The closing is in less than a month and my mother has an accepted offer on a small condo.

Her neighbor having learned of the sale after the initial offer was signed is very unhappy. She doesn't like the prospect of the small house my mother lives in being replaced by a "monstrosity" in her words. She has vowed to fight the developer's plans on putting up a duplex.

I'm in a bit of a panic at the moment so I'm wondering the following.

1. If this neighbor, who I have just learned has a reputation for being a huge pain in the ass to most of the neighborhood manages to harass or annoy the buyer to the point of him pulling out of the deal will I be able to keep his deposit.

2. Do I have any legitimate grounds to sue my neighbor for causing the deal to fall through?

3. Do I have a legal obligation to let my buyer know of what my neighbour's intentions are, provided he doesn't yet know?

Answer:
 There's a legal concept called "Tortuous Interference", which would allow you some cause of action.

I don't know the specifics though, maybe ask a lawyer.


Title: What kind of trouble will sister (15) get into if she is out past curfew with temp license in Mississippi in New Years.

Question:
Fiancé (F23) and I (M26) are planning to go out and have some fun for New Years and obviously we don’t want to be drinking and driving. My sister has her temporary license so she just needs a licensed adult in the vehicle when driving and must be in by 11:00 pm on weekends.

My question is if I let my sister be our DD that night and we go through a check point after her curfew what would be the repercussions?

Also, would it matter that the two licensed adults in the vehicle are inebriated?

Thank you for any information!

Answer: Why risk her when you could grab an Uber/Lyft? The driver in the car is supposed to be “responsible” in that they aren’t supposed to be inebriated so that they could help.


Title: (MA) Upstairs tenants flooded the bathroom, destroyed their bathroom and my living on the bottom

Question:
Making a throwaway account for this

My parents have a multi-family house and the upstairs bathroom (tenants) has a tub in it. The guy left his kids unsupervised and they left the water running and flooded the entire upstairs bathroom. Water damage went everywhere and then destroyed my units ceiling and floor along with furniture and the TV. Their was so much water that my hardwood flooring underneath the bathroom will also need to be replaced. I think the total cost of damage is around 40k, possibly more. I was wondering if I should go through my home owner insurance or the tenants renters insurance or some combination of. What options do I have? Thank you.

Answer: Notify your insurance of loss and give the tenant's insurance company info if you have it. Your insurance will coordinate the adjustment and repair with limited cost to you. If you don't let your insurance know it was tenant's with their own policy you will have to pay your ductible which is usually $$$.


Title: Separated from husband for 2+ years, pregnant with my bf's child, judge won't grant divorce and child legally husband's.

Question:
Hey everyone! Thanks for reading.. I am in a very weird situation and really need help on where to go from here. For the record I am in Kansas and my husband and I have a very good working relationship, we get along just fine. Here's the story:

My husband (I will call him D from now on) and I have been separated from each other around 2 years. We have two children together, and coparent very well. I would say we are on friendly terms, and cooperated well with the divorce. The reason we waited so long to get a divorce was because we were both honestly just lazy, and he was okay with me staying on his health insurance (he works for the gov't and it's very good insurance, I have chronic migraines and needed the coverage, etc.). We share all expenses for the kids, and all previous expenses from the marriage until everything will be paid off. We both started seeing other people, both okay with it, etc.

A little over a year ago I met my boyfriend - I will call him M. We fell in love quickly and things moved pretty fast. We decided we wanted to try for a baby, and got pregnant last June of 2018. We didn't want to wait because we felt we were both getting older and wanted a baby that was his and mine. We didn't know at the time the legal repercussions of our decision. Obviously had we known, we would have waited..

Last Monday D and I went in front of the judge to have our divorce legalized. We had filled out the paperwork together, agreed on no child support, split everything 50/50 including custody, bills, parenting time, etc. We thought it was going to be a quick ordeal. I stood up to hand the judge the paperwork, and she asked for the record if I was pregnant. I said yes I am, however D is not the father. The judge told me that under the state law of Kansas, since we were still married when the baby was conceived, then he is the presumed father of the baby. D obviously knew that I was pregnant (I'm 30 weeks), didn't really care, but of course did not want any legal rights to the baby. He stated for the record to the judge, "I forfeit all legal rights to the child." But the judge told us that they would not bastardize the baby. We aren't trying to bastardize the baby, though. M wants all legal rights to the baby that is his. I wonder at the time if she thought I didn't know who the father was, since M was not in the courtroom with me.

So, she told us over and over again no matter what we said that we would have to both get lawyers. Neither of us wants to pay for a lawyer, as we feel we don't really need it. We agree on everything. She postponed the divorce until after the birth of the baby, and would not hear anything else. She wasn't mean, just firm on getting lawyers. I had to walk out and tell M, who was understandably very upset. I think all three of us were. I don't want to wait until after the birth of the baby, because then legally D will still be the father. I want to get the necessary things done before the baby comes so that M is the legal father when the baby is born.

Why is this so hard, when all parties agree? What should I do? I really don't want to pay for a lawyer, and neither does M or D. Can we navigate this ourselves??

Answer: What needs to happen is bio dad needs to file a petition to disestablish paternity in your husband and establish paternity in himself. there is no reason the three of y'all can't cooperate and get it done by agreement, so that is the good news. The bad news is, you may well have to wait until after you have the baby to get your divorce. Ask an experience family attorney in your area whether the paternity action will fix the issue with waiting until the baby is born to get the divorce. This isn't a bigproblem, just a bump in the road as long as everyone remains cordial.


Title: Is there a maximum liability value for damages in an accident?

Question:
E.g.. If I crash my car into a parade of expensive sports cars, will my insurance company pay out $10,000,000 or if I theoretically hit a truck carrying expensive items and destroy $200mil of stuff am I liable to cover it all?
Is the any onus of responsibility that falls on the owner of these unreasonably expensive things?

Edit: Intentionally excluded the country as this question is for my information rather than as advice and therefore information from any legal jurisdiction is insightful. To appease the bot: Australia

Answer: Your insurance pays whatever the amount on your policy is. You are liable to cover anything over your insurance max


Title: Bad, unqualified medical advice

Question:
My father has been giving people bad/dangerous medical advice. He believes he is smarter than doctors and has convinced a few people to stop seeing theirs, stop medications, to go on his regime of vitamins, stop using sunscreens, and a few other dubious things. We live in Australia and I am just wondering if he keeps this up, what is going to happen? He mostly targets vulnerable people such as desperate new parents and elderly friends or relatives, although my siblings and mother have also been fooled into this. Is there any way he can be stopped before he gets sued? He has no medical qualifications (actually no qualifications whatsoever) but has the deluded belief that he knows more than the medical profession.

I actually don't want him to get sued, but is there any way a professional body can step in before someone gets seriously injured or dies? What are the chances that someone will eventually sue?

Answer: It isnt illegal to give medical advice as long as you aren't pretending to be a licensed professional.


Title: Dad hid probation letter from me.

Question:
I was arrested a few months ago for possession of marijuana under 50 grams in the state of New Jersey in Monmouth County. It is my first offense. I went to court on June 9th, and was given a conditional discharge. I was told to call this number the next day to schedule an appointment with a probation officer, and they told me I'd just get a letter in the mail in a few weeks with my date. I still never got the letter, and when I asked some people I know who were in the same situation as me, they said that they didn't get their letter for sometimes 3 months or more, so I thought the system was just backed up, and I thought nothing of it.

Today, randomly, when I called my dad with an unrelated question, he said I got a letter saying I had to be there on the 29th of June. So, he didn't tell me this until today. It's August 2nd. I've been paying all my fines on time. What do I do?! And what kind of trouble could I potentially be in?

Answer:
 Contact your probation office, get them to send a new letter, and the name of your probation officer, contact them, explain the situation.

If you're not living at home, change your address with the court, so all official letters go to the correct address from now on.


Title: [IN] How do I get my mother removed from my lawsuit for non-payment of rent?

Question:
I haven't been paying my rent due to some financial difficulties, and now I've been summoned to small claims court by the company that acts as my landlord. That's fine, I didn't pay rent, so now I have to deal with the consequences of my actions.

The problem is, my mother is also listed as a defendant, despite her having never signed onto the lease. She's not at all involved in my lease, the only way that the company would even have her information is because I listed her as an emergency contact. I am willing to take responsibility for my mistakes and accept whatever punishment I receive, but my mother is innocent and shouldn't be involved in this at all.

Should I just talk to my landlord? Should I contact their lawyer directly? Any help would be appreciated.

Answer: She should show up to court and explain she's not on the lease and did not cosign. Answer #2: She can remove herself by either filing a motion or going to the hearing and explaining the situation.


Title: [IA] HELP: Being Accused of Salary Spying

Question:
Preface.
I initially posted this in r/ITCareerQuestions  and I am now following u/DevinCambell's and posting here in r/legaladvice. I did not initially consider this issue to be a legal one but here we are. Being originally  for an IT sub I  may risk over-expounding in areas regarding my colleagues' skill and experience. Thank you, anyone, in advance for hearing me out on this. Please note it is not my intention to seek any particular legal action or outcomes at this time. But to quote School House Rock, "Knowledge is power."

I am finding myself in a strange and upsetting situation. Sorry, its long.

Introduction.
Let me offer some background. I’m in my mid-20s, no degree, a few years of IT helpdesk and supervisory experience. Last November I was hired at a smallish non-profit as entry level IT support. Before they hired me on I was a temp brought in because the IT dept. there was in a bad situation. The entire department was just 3 people, and two left. The one who remained got promoted to IT Manager and would later become my boss as a matter of course.

Understand, hiring and promoting from within is something this organization does a lot of. Note: my boss, let’s call him Rob, was initially hired on as a janitor. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem with that on its own however, Rob has no education, is in his early 60s, and struggles to keep up with routine IT manager / sysadmin issues and responsibilities. His only IT experience comes from briefly being an ISP installer tech in the early 90s.

Again, this is a non-profit so the political/corporate climate is much more relaxed than most organizations. What’s more, I like Rob and I like working for this organization, so far. We get along very well and I have no doubt that Rob’s endorsement was worth a lot when they chose to buy up my contract and hire me full-time. I want to play the long game, learn and grow as much as I can and be a well-qualified candidate for his job when the time comes.

Fast forward to now(ish).
They hired another IT guy, let’s call him Brent, as a network admin role. Brent is in his late 40s, also no formal education, only IT experience he has was from his military work 25 years ago. Nothing against Brent, but Brent is more than lost in his role and his position. He’s getting better, but it’s hardly an exaggeration to say that when he started he can’t walk down the hallway without asking for my help. I’m certainly no IT god myself, I don’t always know the best solution to a problem. But I will have A+ and Network+ certs by the end of the year and I work hard on them every day.

Last week.
After work I tell my boss that I’d like to be on track to have the same position and title he had under the previous IT manager. That someday down the line I’d like to be IT manager. We proceed to have a long conversation about his approaching retirement and how if I stay on course I would have his recommendation to be his replacement. Great! That’s what I wanted to hear. If that’s where this whole thing ended, I would have been fine with that. That’s not what happens. Rob takes it upon himself to get the ball rolling.

Yesterday.
After work Rob tells me he spoke to his boss (a brand-new CFO that started last week) about honoring my request for a promotion. He’s so new he has no way of knowing if my performance merits that so he asks Rob who maintains that I do. Then Rob and the CFO go to the CEO (small org) who says that he supports the decision but wants them to discuss it with HR. Now it gets bizarre. HR woman tells them that the motivation I have for asking for a promotion must be because I’ve been spying on employee salaries via the accounting system. I am told they discuss for a few minutes that there is a distinct salary and skill difference between Brent and I but they recess and agree to meet again next week to discuss it further to including discussing removing my access to the accounting system wholesale. All of these details told to me by Rob.

Epilogue.
Not only is this accusation baseless, it feels like a huge slap in the face. Until now I had been shown nothing but the greatest amount of respect and gratitude from all the administration and HR included. I’m more upset that they respond to the first ambitious thing I do with baseless, and what seems like to me, even criminal accusations. If they believe I cannot be trusted with basic administration systems necessary to fulfill my job description I don’t want to work for this organization. The reverse is also true, if they’re convinced enough to remove my access that’s its own slippery slope. What next do they remove me from, if not simply terminate me altogether.

Actual questions:

· Has anyone faced anything like this before? If so, what happened?

· Am I overreacting?

· What should I do next, if anything?

TLDR: I asked my boss for a promotion, he asked his boss, the CEO, and HR. HR says the only way I could know that there was a salary difference between me and the next guy in my department was if I was spying on salaries via the accounting system. Now dunno wtf to do or even if I want to work for them anymore.

Answer:
 This doesn't make any sense. When was salary mentioned in all these conversations? How does what the other guy makes has anything to do to with your promotion? How does knowing the other guy's salary help you with the promotion (question for the HR lady)? Is the HR lady wanting the other guy to get that promotion? Did you have access to this information? There so many questions. Answer #2: NAL. Is Rob setting you up? Has anyone else mentioned it to you or just him?

 Go about your job, ignore them taking rights away. If you check if rights jave been revoked it is logged, and "proof" if he did in fact try to set you up.

 If a work order comes in for that system, do you job, THEN ask why rights were revoked.

If anyone asks about salary spying, tell them the truth, even about Rob "helping" you. Do not hint that he may be setting you up, act surprised if treachery is involved.

Do nothing until its official.Answer #3: All your knowledge is coming from Rob, yet it is not sure Rob is feeding you accurate information.

Have you personally talked to HR?


Title: [Az]Drunk lady T-bones my favorite car with my step-brother driving. No insurance found in the vehicle. What options do we have?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Wow, I didn't even know a $3k deductible was possible. That's a pretty crappy policy. I'm guessing you don't have uninsured motorist coverage either.

If she's not insured, your only recource will be to sue her and/or the owner of the car.


Title: Moving to a new state while on probation.

Question: My friend is on probation in Hawaii for DUII, and just moved back to Oregon.  He is unsure if he should call in/ move back/ or just stay away.

Answer:
 Step one would have been contacting his probation officer prior to moving. Answer #2: He needs permission from Hawaii to transfer his probation to another state, and he needs permission from Oregon to transfer his probation to them. If he does not have permission from both of these states, he needs to go back to the islands and continue complying with his probation there until he does.

One thing to note, probation typically carries a requirement that they be notified immediately of any change of address. He's most likely already in violation of his probation.


Title: [NY] Question regarding how to sue ISP's for failure to provide broadband internet service to a rural area

Question:
MY question is basic: Is there any way to sue a service provider for refusing to or failing to provide access to broadband internet service in a specific area?  I know NY has a recently passed broadband initiative that appears to mandate broadband expansion to most rural areas by 2018, which seems unrealistic and/or unlikely.  The ISP closest to me ends its service about 1/2-3/4 mile from my house, and I would love to find a way to force them to provide service to our road, since they have refused to work with any of the residents in the area and there are at least two businesses suffering through the use of expensive and terrible satellite/mobile hotspot internet service.  Thanks in advance for any help/advice.

Edit:  Please don't suggest I try long range wifi.  That has been explored and there are too many physical and topographical obstructions for it to be feasible.

Answer:
 A private ISP doesn't owe you anything.  Including service.

NY's initiative is *investment* in private offerings and company.  In other words, using money to encourage them to provide service.  That's also your only option.


Title: neighbor's dog feces smell and flies

Question: My neighbor, in Clay County Florida, has hunting dogs in a pen a few feet from my property. He has an open pit that he throws their fecal matter in. The smell and the flies from this are so bad I can not sit outside and enjoy my home. (Neighbors on other side feel the same way). We have called animal control and county code enforcers which both stated there is nothing they can do. I do plan on attending next board meeting - please help with facts and possible laws that this man and my county are violating. I do live in an agricultural/residential zone. Thanks for any help you can provide.

Answer: You should talk to a local attorney first but you should be able to sue him for creating a disgusting nuisance.


Title: [TX] Potential trouble in kicking out my roommate?

Question:
I have a roommate staying with me who is not on the lease.  He’s been staying here for three months and the situation has become untenable.  Since he’s not on the lease and pays me month to month I think I should be able to give him 30 days to leave.  (This info is from my state’s Tenant’s Rights handbook.)  I’m considering offering to return this month’s rent completely if he agrees to leave sooner.

If it matters the primary reason I’m wanting to kick him out now is because he moved in by himself three months ago but approached me last month about wanting to move his wife, young son, and two pitbulls in with us in December.  Aside from the fact that this wasn’t part of the original deal that breed of dog isn’t allowed under the terms of the lease.  I told him that would not work out and after initially agreeing not to he has since started badgering me thinking that I would somehow be able to convince the landlord to allow this breed of dogs to stay here.  Since I’ve caught him in several lies (he’s insisted he never intended to move them in, he claimed they were ‘about to die’ when they are seven/eight years old and the male is unneutered, claimed he was about to get them registered as therapy dogs) I don’t think I can risk trusting him not to move them in anyway and try to ask for forgiveness instead of permission.   Especially since I’ve learned from the other roommate that one of them is completely unsocialized and marking all over his wife’s house in Oklahoma.

Answer:
 Hey guys! It's someone trying to evict a non-lease roommate, but he actually looked at the laws *first*!

IANAL, but I believe you're correct, a 30 days notice is required. As a month-to-month payee, you don't really need to give him justification when you notify him, you're not doing so as a result of a broken lease. Any actual lawyers know if he would need landlord permission?

Keep in mind, if he refuses to leave, you'll have to legally evict him, not change the locks and toss his stuff out.


Title: Ride Share totaled my practically-new moped in Seattle, WA

Question:
Late September, I was driving through downtown Seattle to get home after spending some time with my family. I was heading north on a Honda Elite 80 moped with just over 700 miles on it, so it was practically new. About a block ahead of me were two cars in the right-most northbound lane with their blinkers on indicating a right turn, so I put my blinker on to change to the left lane.

Also ahead of me was a car facing southbound in the intersection with their blinker on indicating a left turn. The light was green and, seeing as I had the right-of-way, I proceeded through the intersection. The south-facing car gunned their left turn and I swerved trying to avoid them. I skidded and fell over and actually ended up underneath the front bumper of the car. Luckily, I was wearing full protective gear and was mostly uninjured, but witnesses rightfully called 911 and fire and police both responded. I did not have insurance at the time, but the responding police officer questioned everyone at the scene and determined that the other driver (driving for a ride share, I believe it was Uber) was at fault citing him with a SMC 11.55.080 Left Turn Fail to Yield Right of Way (I have a copy of the police report).

The scooter was inoperable and it cost me almost $500 to get it towed back to my apartment. When I went about trying to take the scooter in for repairs, I learned from several repair shops that parts for my scooter are practically unobtainable these days. I'm pretty clueless about what my options for remedy are, but I'm pretty sure it falls within the "property damage" category. I've been told by some people that I should go straight to insurance and by other people to avoid insurance at all costs until I've spoken with a lawyer. What I'd love is to be reimbursed to cover the cost of the tow truck and my ruined clothes, and to get me into a position where I can purchase a scooter as relatively new as the one I lost. What should I do? What options do you think I have?

Answer: You're entitled to the fair market value of the scooter (assuming it was totaled) as well as your clothing and the cost of the tow. File a claim with the insurance of the at-fault vehicle.


Title: Plan on getting revenge but don’t want legal trouble

Question: I live in Texas. Long story short my ex (19) wont stop harassing me and is going out of her way to ridicule me. Would I get in trouble for priniting out polaroids pictures of her nude and giving them to her mom?

Answer:
 Your best revenge would to be mature and move on to someone better.

Answer #2: > Would I get in trouble for priniting out polaroids pictures of her nude and giving them to her mom?

Texas has a law making revenge porn a criminal offence, but the [subject is before the courts](https://www.texastribune.org/2018/04/19/appeals-court-strikes-down-texas-revenge-porn-law/) as to whether it infringes on your first amendment rights. As you don't want the expense of being a test case for this, nor do you want the risk of possibly spending time in prison if you guess wrong, you should probably avoid deliberately doing crimes.Answer #3: Her mom has already seen her nude so unlikely to get the effect you want anyway.  Just a bad plan all around.


Title: My mom gave notice to move out and her room mate stole her key off her key ring and won’t let her get her belongings

Question:
This is in California

She gave 30 days notice on oct 1. This guy has been a nightmare since the beginning. He went off the rails since she told him. He threw some of her stuff into the hallway. At one point she was heading down the entry way steps and he grabbed her by the shirt and shoved a utility bill down her shirt. Which is weird because all he had to do is ask her to pay her half because that’s what’s she’s always done and she’s paid her rent for October already. He went in her bathroom and ripped the shelving off the wall which dumped all her toiletries on the ground. Then he stormed into her room with his phone screaming at her “you’re on video you crazy c***”, yelling etc I assume trying to get her to do something. All his video shows is her crying saying to get away and “you’re scaring me”. If he’s not a complete idiot he probably deleted that..

That all happened yesterday and last night when she got home she found her key missing from her key ring. He wouldn’t answer so she went to the police. The police informed her that he called them that afternoon and said she had moved out months ago and abandoned her things so they couldn’t let her back in. She had to stay with a friend and has been wearing the same clothes since yesterday because of this.

She’s back at the police station now and they told her it’s a civil matter and to get an attorney. They doesn’t seem right to me because anyone can attest that she lives there and he lied.

If she can get back in her plan is to move everything by the weekend, she already has a new place and the key for that and permission to start moving stuff. Please if anyone knows what she can say to get the police to help or what she can do?

Edit: the landlord lives close by and knows this room mate is crazy but he’s out of town until next week

Edit for UPDATE: she went to the bank and got copies of her rent checks and this was sufficient for the cops to get involved. The guy agreed to let her in with the cops present and she got everything out except some pieces of furniture. Funny, when they were there the guy told the cops my mom hasn’t been paying rent.... right after they had seen her up to date rent checks. What an idiot.

Answer:
 Call the police if her roommate is putting his hands on her.

Call the landlord and ask for a key.  If the landlord is not local or responsive, she can hire a lock smith to open and/or change the locks, then give the roommate a copy of the key (so he doesn't have to do the same), and sue him for the cost of changing the locks.Answer #2: It is legally impossible for her to be charged for breaking and entering if someone helps her open the door, as long as her lease is not up.Answer #3: She can sue him for the value of the clothing that she was not able to pick up.


Title: Hotel Reward Points. Who gets them?

Question:
Location Michigan

So my company reimburses us for our hotel expenses. Usually the managers or partners pick up the tab but I realized how many points I'm missing out on and want to begin booking my own. Apparently that caused a stir because when I tried I was told "the most senior person books the hotel." I know it's because they want the points because there is no rule stating that seniority dictates who books the hotel.

I've read a little bit and it seems to me that there should be no real problem with me booking my own hotel. Is there any legal precedent that states I can book my own hotel room?

Edit: it's not the partners that are saying the seniority thing. It's the managers. Aka no real power for managers to make rules.

Answer:
 I can't imagine any State legislative body every took the time to write, debate, and pass a law that governs this. This is an employer policy issue. You can certainly book your own hotel room but your company could also choose not to pay for it if you don't follow their established policy.  And if you make a super stink about it you could be fired. Answer #2: >  Is there any legal precedent that states I can book my own hotel room?

No.  You book as your company tells you to.  That's all there is to it.Answer #3: You don't say what state you are in, but I can't imagine that there is any state in which you would be entitled to do so.  The company is paying the tab and they can set the rules about how that is done.  In many cases companies actually state that they are the owner of the points regardless of who books.


Title: Do I have a chance of dismissal?

Question:
Located in west TX, June of this year would be going on 4 years. Got pulled over for speeding, (there was a change in speed limit entering town off of the highway 75 to 55), and was asked for ID. Everything was in order, no warrants, have insurance, and should've either received my citation or warning.

Until he ran my name and the passenger I was with. Both of us are convicted felons. Mine is a weed charge, his a cocaine. He asked if I would mind if he searched my vehicle. In a voice loud enough for the mic to record, but also a respectful manner I replied,"no you may not". He then asked ,"why not", in which my response was ,"because that's my right". He then told me he was gonna call a canine unit to do a walk around. I had no response.

This whole time I am outside the vehicle while the passenger remains. About an hour passes until the responding unit arrives. In between, the officer (highway patrol) is asking the passengers questions. So the window is rolled down,(relevant later) . The K9 finally arrives and does the walk around. When he reaches the open passenger window I see the officer tug on the leash and lead the dog through the window. At this point I state loud enough, "I did not give permission to search my vehicle"! They did anyways and found a gram of coke in the far right passenger vent. When asked whose it was I stated not mine.

Now just so you know, I've taken a 300 pounds of weed charge and never blinked an eye. If it truly was mine I wouldn't hesitate. The passenger on the other hand, had a baby on the way, was in the process of buying a house, and had one month left on probation, for cocaine btw. I could smell the fear on him. So being a slave to my own code, I didn't point a finger. I told him in processing that I would wait until his business was taken care of. He would then have to bite the bullet and fess up. About a year passed and he was put on the docket first. I don't know what transpired in court, but he came back with a look of dread. He then left to Mexico and has been on the lam since.

Jul 23 2013 I was called to court and proceeded to retain a lawyer. He,(lawyer) told me I have nothing to worry about and I haven't spoken to him since. The first offer the gave btw was 22 months. Like I said this was 6-4-11 when arrested and was wondering if anyone had any advice as far as illegal searches or statute of limitations. I am tired of this limbo state but at the same time do not want to make wakes.

edit: I forgot to ask, would possession be relevant if the drug was beyond my reach, being found in the passenger (by his window) vent?

Answer:
 Now for my actual answer to OP:

First--The statute of limitations only bars your prosecution if the state doesn't start proceedings against you within a certain amount of time. It doesn't mean the state has to *finish* its prosecution of you within any given time. The state started proceedings against you within the SOL, so it's not a viable defense for you.

Second--The dog alerted on your car, so if the police can prove the dog is adequately trained, then that's probable cause to support a search. The question here is whether, given what the police knew--that you were speeding and you have a prior drug conviction--it was reasonable for them to hold you on the scene for an hour while they waited for the dogs to show up. That question of "reasonableness" is a Fourth Amendment issue for the court to decide. I'm not even going to try to guess how that will come out. You have a lawyer, though--ask him/her what he/she thinks.


Title: [NC] Stuck paying large special assessment after closing on condo.

Question: I recently purchased a condo in NC for 182K. One month after closing the HOA of the building informed me that the HOA has been planning a huge project to replace all of the siding, windows, and roofing that will be completely covered by a special assessment. The assessment will cost about two million dollars or around 20K per owner. I was not informed about this at all prior to closing. I double checked the paperwork and the seller did in fact note in the paperwork there were no pending special assessments. From what I have learned from neighbors and our management company the woman who owned the unit before me sent a proxy to the previous year’s HOA meeting where the project was the only topic of conversation. There also have been many emails and letters sent to the board over the past year or so with updates about the project. From what a real estate friend has told me if they knew about this special assessment they were legally required to disclose it prior to closing. Is there a possibility of recovering some of the cost of the special assessment from the previous owner? Is it possible to prove they were aware of the project and is it worth pursuing legal action?

Answer:
 [This](http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=5e5fc1cc-22c8-4592-818d-a410c39ec214) article suggests that title insurance for condo purchases sometimes covers the cost of undisclosed special assessments.

Did you purchase title insurance, and have you reached out to the insurer to start a claim?


Title: My boss is trying to punish me for not registering republican

Question:
I work in Texas and completed my voter registration form at home, but emailed it to my work computer to print it off. For the curious, I declared no party affiliation because I honestly am somewhere in the middle, apparently someone saw this as I left the form in the printer a little too long and told my boss.

Now I’ve never had a problem with my boss or coworkers before, the office is pretty evenly split between the two parties but everyone is pretty respectful. My boss called me in late yesterday afternoon and the conversation quickly turned to voting, I tried to brush it off but he casually brought up that he heard I wasn’t registered in either party so I told him I just wasn’t sure which way I would vote.

Que a long condescending lecture about how dumb I was for not voting republican and blah blah blah etc. Honestly this part doesn’t bother me, I’m a white guy from the south so I’ve been getting lectured about my duty to vote red my whole life, but he brought up character concerns and reevaluations of my employment here.

I’m really trying to weigh my options if I do get fired or punished now, what should I do if this happens?

**tldr: boss chewed me out for not registering with a political party and threatened to fire me**

Answer:
 Hi, I'm a precinct chair and deputy voter registrar in Dallas County.  If I were you, I'd check that form you filled out is legit, because the official Texas Voter Registration Application doesn't even have a block for Party Affiliation on it.  There's no way to declare a party affiliation even if you wanted to, at least in Dallas County, and I'm pretty sure this goes for the entire state of Texas.

Here's a picture of the form - I've got a stack of like 100 of these next to my PC right now.
 https://imgur.com/a/q0aaFvKAnswer #2: With all due respect to the purpose of this sub, forget about legal action or discrimination for a second. I’d say you should run, not walk, to a new gig. Someone who would bully their subordinates over politics is a bad boss and bad person, and working for people like that usually doesn’t end well. Answer #3: TX is an "at will" employment state. Your boss can fire you for ANYTHING except for classes protected by the federal government. (e.g. race, marital status, religion, etc.) Political affiliation is not a protected class.Answer #4: Boss sounds like a total piece of shit trying to use his power over you to control your political beliefs. I would start looking for another employer. I dont believe political affiliation is protected so he could likely fire you for exactly that and get away with it. For your own sake I wouldnt wait around for that to happen cause it could end you up on a bad position.


Title: Stuck buying a house with ex-fiance. Need advice

Question:
There is no way we can financially handle NOT buying the house. (By buying I mean, completing the transaction. We have already put our deposit down (1/2 of our down payment) and had all subjects removed).
Our completion date is at the end of the month where we will be putting down the rest of our down payment and taking possession.
What is the best way to go about this situation?

Selling the house will mean faulting on our mortgage and all the fun things that would come along with that and so it would cost us a lot more to turn around and sell the house again than just buying it and renting it out etc.

Our plan is for us to buy the house where we split the cost of the down payment. Then for my ex to live in the house and rent out the other rooms etc. He would do this for the next 5 years until the mortgage term was over. He would solely pay for the mortgage as he is living in it and etc.

Then after our mortgage term ends in 5 years, we would sell the house and I would get back my cut of the down payment.

How do we go about getting this in some kind of contract or document where I wouldn't get screwed out of my portion of the down payment and he agrees to solely pay for the mortgage as he will be banking the equity later down the road?
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 Some of your description leads me to beleive you do not have a full understanding of the process.  For example selling the house will NOT mean you are "faulting on [your] mortgage".  There is no reason that you can't not take the mortgage to begin with, or not repay the mortgage from anytime after closing.  Depending on your deposit and the provisions of your purchase agreement it might be less expensive for you to break the contract and not purchase the house than to follow through.  I would recommend hiring a lawyer to look over the documents and determine your liability for breaking the contract and not closing on the house so you can walk away from this.

Keep in mind that while the purchase and your joint ownership plan might include your ex being equally responsible that you are still on the hook for everything if something happens and she can't make the payments or if there is a problem with the house.

It could very well be that you can get out of this at little or not cost to you.  For example was your mortgage application based on both of you continuing as a couple and living in the house?  If yes then the mortgage company might withdraw your approval when they learn you no longer plan to do this and the purchase contract might have an out if the mortgage is not approved.  You should also read the mortgage commitment and proposed mortgage and note to determine if it allows the house to be used as rental property or not.


Title: (Arkansas) Our Neighbor is crazy and blocking and harassing us on a shared drive (easement). We are thinking about turning off his sewage if it doesn't stop.

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Real Estate law

Answer:
 Surely you can come up with better ways to handle this than escalating it into McCoy and Hatfield territory.Answer #2: How long has your neighbor's property been sharing the sewage system?  There are situations where easements can be created by a history of use ("implied easement") which would create a right for your neighbor's sewage to continue to pass through yours.  The longer the sewage system has been in place, the stronger the argument your neighbor has.

If he has an easement, you cannot shut off his sewage access.  I agree with the other posters who have cautioned you for different reasons, as well. Property law is very jurisdiction-specific and I'm not sure of the easement law in your area, but this is something you would want to discuss with a lawyer.  Answer #3: IANAL but get a dash cam/camera & record a few of his episodes. If anything the lols value alone would be worth it & it will definitely help in any restraining order case.

Answer #4: Have you actually called the police during an altercation, or are you making a report afterwards? If someone blocks you into a driveway with a truck and gets out and starts berating you, it is perfectly reasonable to lock your doors or go back inside the house and call 911.


Title: I just want to be able to stay in the US without having to rely on my verbally and emotionally abusive family

Question:
Title says it all.
I am 20, currently living in Texas, have no money under my name, and my mom is not even giving me access to my bank account. I emotionally can't take it anymore. They have threatened to send me back to my home country (France), but I don't even think I have a future there (we moved to the US before I could finish high school, so I don't even have a baccalaureate, I am also not done in my studies, so I don't have any college or university diploma).
I am on a E2 dependant visa, and I have no idea what to do or how to get out of this situation. I don't even have any way to prove that I have enough money to pay for my education so I can get a F1 student visa (not even sure I could even get the money tbh).
Topic:
Immigration

Answer: you should try r/immigration and they could possibly help you better


Title: (NJ) Mother was terminated during a 3-month structure program, is there any recourse from a toxic boss?

Question:
Hi all,

This is my first time on legal advice, so forgive me if I'm posting wrong. But today I found out that my Mom was terminated during a three-month review for a minor infraction. This has left us in a bad spot since we're a single income household (Dad died a while ago) and I've got the end of college to worry about for the next two weeks.

But I've been keeping steady watch over the situation and have been wondering if it was a legal termination at all. There are a few reasons for this. First, there was objectifiable proof that my Mom was a good employee. She was constantly lauded by other managers in phone calls and emails of which she kept a log of because she was on a three-month improvement program. So much so that another manager from a different department was going to let her transfer into his department and was even saving the job for her when she was put on the three-month review. She was receiving gift baskets from the other departments which, at least according to her, no one else in the department was getting. While she was a slow learner at first, she has caught up in the knowledge within the field, handling a large workload while still being able to help the other departments around her.

That being said, there are a couple of negative things that the boss did that I find objectively questionable. I believe there was malicious intent to get my mother fired in any way she possibly could. She had given a large workload to my Mother despite her being relatively new to the company. Then when that wasn't working, she had tried using her connections in the office to have coworkers report to her when my Mom was doing things wrong so she could do write-ups (This I understand). There was a lot of petty things that the boss would do to demean her and make her feel not valued nor part of the team. The three-month review started just as she tried to transfer from one department to another to keep her from transferring. The boss was reprimanded by higher-ups because she did not keep a case file of my Mom of all the things that in the bosses words she was doing wrong (I.E. was telling regional managers about how she was a terrible employee, my Mom found out about it and showed the upper bosses all the things she was documenting). She was not fired at the end of the three-month review, she was fired with 37 days left despite receiving two gift baskets during this time. The boss also had a review every Friday where she would lambast her on any mistake she did, no matter how small it was, to try and bully my mom and give the boss justification needed to fire her despite not documenting the infractions onto her file. She was fired because one branch manager had not liked she communicated via email, saying it was too short, (This is what my Mom is telling me) and that her boss seized on the opportunity to fire her on the spot.

With that said, I'm going to bullet point the positives and negatives. With that said, I am a Political Science Major in my Junior year of college with an interest in law. I do not know the law. But I feel as if there was targetting and workplace harassment going on that could warrant a wrongful termination lawsuit. Especially since my mother was the only person in the office who was the recipient to a lot of this from her boss.

Positives
* She was well received by those she worked with, things that were logged in emails and documented.
* She was offered the opportunity to switch into another department but was not allowed to due to the three-month review.
* She received Gift Baskets from other departments for her work, not something that her coworkers got.
* She handled a large workload despite being new and still helped out whom she could.

Negatives
* Her Boss placed her on a Three Month Review right before a transfer.
* Her Boss claimed that she was an awful and terrible employee with no proof to back it up, not writing the infractions into her case file and was reprimanded for it.
* Was Spying on her through coworkers to receive ammunition to lambast her on Fridays during review day for trivial issues (only a few times was it related to a mistake made by my mom and none of these were critical mistakes)
* Was terminated before the end of the three-month review because one branch manager was not pleased with how my Mom communicated with him, giving the justification to the boss.

Now that I have laid the case, I leave it in your hands r/legaladvice. We're a low-income family so if we're going to go through with this we need to know if we have a shot. The company she just got terminated from is a multi-billion dollar multinational company so we'd be draining the two or three months of rent payments that we have in a lawsuit.

Tldr; Mom got terminated, I believe wrongfully due to the targeting and misbehavior presented by her boss.

Answer:
 Not a Lawyer.
New Jersey is an At-Will State. Your mom's boss can legally terminate her because for any reason that isn't explicitly protected (gender, race, religion, national origin, and certain protected disability statuses). He can fire her because she does her job too well, and is too loved by her co-workers. He can fire her because she is not a robot and refuses to destroy the moon.


Title: In the US, is it legal for half-siblings to marry or procreate if they did not know they were blood relations prior to marrying?

Question:
I am in the middle of an argument with a friend. I know that it is illegal for siblings or half-siblings (one parent shared) to marry and procreate.

Our scenario: two individuals meet, fall in love, and plan to get married and have children. On the day of the wedding, they discover that each of their mothers used artificial insemination to become pregnant, and the same sperm donor was used at the same clinic. What happens then?

1. Is it illegal to get married that day?

2. If they do get married anyway, is it illegal for them as half-siblings to procreate?

3. What happens if they find out AFTER they get married?

4. What happens if they find out AFTER they give birth?

Thanks in advance for settling this argument for us.

Answer: The laws regarding who can marry whom, and what happens when people who can't get married try to, are set by each state. The answer to your questions will depend on what state you're talking about.


Title: (NY) Man keeps entering our Cooperative Apartment building and bothering the Unit Owners, what can we do?

Question: A man keeps coming in off the street and bothering people. He is clearly insane. What can we do the prevent this? Some sort of restraining order or injunction? This seems very basic and I don't think we want to hire an attorney if we can handle it ourselves. Can a corporation even obtain an injunction/restraining order?

Answer: Call the police to arrest the trespasser?


Title: (CA, LA County) Got a ticket, not insured, father and I share the same name and the cop accepted the insurance. Any repercussions?

Question:
I got a ticket VC 21658 (a) last week. I gave the cop my dad's insurance and registration as we share the same name. He accepted it. My plan is to handle this on my own by having an attorney go to court for me. If I end up having to do traffic school or get a point on my record, is my father affected in any way? Will his insurance rates go up? He only has car insurance for himself as we share the same name. If it matters, I am not a minor.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: Insurance in California is on the vehicles, and generally covers authorized drivers.  You appear to be confused.


Title: What kind of trouble could you potentially get in for roller skating in an airport in the US?

Question: Let’s just say, hypothetically, I have a layover at the Minneapolis airport tomorrow and I’ll have roller skates in my carry-on. If I put my skates on to get to my connecting flight am I likely to get in any serious trouble? I’ve seen people skateboarding through this airport without getting yelled at but they might have just been lucky (or they could’ve got in trouble after they passed by me, but there were various airport staff who saw and didn’t say anything). I’m assuming the advice here is gonna be “just don’t do it” but I’m curious if anyone has any knowledge of what the actual repercussions could be.

Answer:
 Assuming you didn't damage anything or hurt anyone, you're probably just looking at trespassing.Answer #2: It's not illegal.

You may get stopped by TSA or airport security, and dealing with that might mean you miss your flight.  Your skates might be confiscated.

If you damage anything or injure anyone with your stunt, of course, that's a different story.


Title: Got a phone call from out of state police saying I have been served with harassment charges?

Question:
Basically I got a call from an out of state police department asking me to call them back in regards to harassment charges served against me. I live in TX and these charges are apparently filed in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. I didn't harass anyone but I think this is one of the people I know over the internet (whom I have never met) trying to mess with my life and pull a prank on me.

I've seen enough law tv shows to know that the party who initiates a lawsuit must first present enough evidence to the judge to have a case and if there is a case the papers are served to the defendants.

My question is, who is going to served these papers to me since the charges are filed outside of state? My local authorities?

Also, how likely is it that these are ACTUAL harassment charges and not harassment allegations? Because I really don't see in anyway that the Pennsylvania police department would waste their time to pursue something so minor as this based on the word of some kid who spends way too much on the internet said, nor do I see him coming up with any sufficient evidence to present to a judge alleging that I "harassed" him.

Answer:
 Your second paragraph is totally and wholly incorrect. Just in every way.

What is correct is that you aren't obligated to do anything at this point because you haven't received any subpoena or notice to appear from the court. If one arrives, which it might, you'll need to appear or else a warrant may be issued for your arrest.

It actually sounds to me like you totally know you harrassed this kid and are just thumbing your nose at the thought that he'd have any recourse. He does. Stop it. Perhaps you are the one that spends too much time online.


Title: My lease renewal is coming up. My new lease says the landlord can terminate tenancy with just 24 hours notice. This wasn’t in the old lease. (Colorado)

Question: New lease literally says they can force me out with just 24 hours notice. I’m a guy with kids. I can’t find a new place and move in 24 hours. The fuck? Is that even legal?

Answer:
 no, it's not legal.  Colorado requires 21 days notice for lease termination.  Answer #2: Are you at all suspicious of the drastic rent decrease? It seems to me that there might be something else going on there, that's a huge discount.Answer #3: It's really, really unlikely that it says they can force you out with 24 hours notice in all cases.  That clause would likely be illegal.

**However**, you should never, ever ever ever sign a contract with the idea that a part of it will be tossed out later.  If it does actually say this, and you are uncomfortable with that, don't sign it.Answer #4: This is seriously dodgy. It honestly sounds like he wants you to sign this new, too-good-to-be-true lease (with the 90% lease rate reduction as the carrot for you to quickly do so) and then kick you out as soon as he has the paperwork signed.

&#x200B;

Which doesn't make any sense at all; why not just not allow you to sign a new lease, and kick you out sooner? This entire situation is confusing.


Title: Can a legal minor seek to revoke child support in their name?

Question:
For some context, after the divorce, my father sought child support payments under my name to which I haven't seen any benefit from. He did not need this additional income and it has put my mother in a position to which she may not be able to care for me any longer. It was a shitty move on his part and simply an act to make amends for some kind of superficial vendetta against my mom. Despite all she has given, my mother is the only parent that actively funds my education and supports me even though she doesn't have a lot to give. To make matters even more absurd, my father even had my stepbrother which would make no sense if he "couldn't support me on his income." Given the fact that I have other information that could be presented to the court that would substantiate my claim that her child support payments are not needed, do I have any power to do so if said payments are  under my name? Thank you so much in advance for any advice, it helps more than you know.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 The payments are not "under your name", and you have no standing to request anything here.Answer #2: > do I have any power to do so if said payments are  under my name?

No, only your mother and father do.Answer #3: No, you cannot ask the court to change the child support order. Your mother could, however.

Note that child support is not typically spent directly on the children. Instead, it helps pay for rent, food, and clothes.Answer #4: No. Child support is between your parents. You have no standing to do anything with it.


Title: I accidentally damaged a car but the guy doesn't have insurance.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 > Am I even liable since the car is uninsured?

His insurance is to protect him, not you.  You're liable for damage you cause.  You can't demand that he use his policy to pay so that you can save money.

Answer #2: > The owner of the audi is a foreign exchange student and does not understand that fixing his car without insurance will cost thousands of dollars and expects me to pay

He expects correctly. You damaged his car. You are responsible (legally and morally) for paying for repairs.

> What can I do?

Pay the repair bill.

> Am I even liable since the car is uninsured?

Yes. What does his insurance status have to do with what you did by falling drunkenly into his car and damaging it? Even if he was insured, his insurance company would come after you to recompense them for repairing his car.Answer #3: You seem confused. Even if he had insurance you'd have to pay for the repairs in full.


Title: [North Carolina]Created a paypal business account for fake business so that I could send myself an invoice to pay with visa giftcard. Is this money laundering?

Question: [removed]

Answer: PayPal will report the transactions to the IRS with a 1099K and you'll probably owe federal taxes on however much you paid yourself.Answer #2: It’s not laundering, since the source of the funds was legit (I’m assuming you didn’t get the gift card illegally).


Title: [California] My father stole $5,000 worth of glass from me, without my permission. What can I do?

Question:
So, I just came back home for the summer from college about a week ago. And I'm staying with my parents for a few days before I go on a cross country road trip with some friends. I brought some of my very expensive glass with me. I brought 2 small dab rigs and 3 big bongs. The total net worth of all that glass is somewhere in the ballpark of 5k. So last night after I came home from a house party. I had all of my glass clean in the trunk of my car. Which I bought with my money, and is registered under my name.  While I was asleep my dad took my keys and searched my car, because I came home smelling like marijuana. This morning when I went to go get breakfast, when I looked in the trunk. All of my glass was gone.

When I went to go confront my dad about it, he said that he was simply "doing me a favor" and getting rid of the "poison". I have no idea what he did with the glass. I am assuming that he is just holding onto it for now. And he's not going to give it back, and he claims that it has been destroyed. I was about to start selling it, so now I'm 5k in the hole.

So, because he took my property without my permission. Is there any legal discourse that I can take?

P.S: I am a medical marijuana patient in CA, and I'm 21.

Answer: He committed a crime.  You can report it to the police.


Title: My S/O's little sister was forced in to a car and threatened to be raped if my S/O didn't go in to a shop and take out mobile phone contracts.

Question:
This happened four years ago. Two black males kept her 13yo sister in the car while the third black male took my S/O in to Carphone warehouse.

Scared out of her wits she took 4 contracts out. She never called the police until the monthly unpaid debits stacked up. Now its been referred to a debt collector who wants her to pay £1400. So four years later she has no proof it happened.

If anyone has any idea how to sort this please let me know. If you need to ask for anymore information please just ask and i will answer.

Answer:
 > If anyone has any idea how to sort this please let me know.

She should pay her bills, and drop this completely ridiculous story.  Answer #2: Your s/o apparently lacks all shame and moral compass to be able to cook up such a stupid story and expect people to buy it.


Title: Marriage, living with a partner, and abortion

Question:
Hello,

Im based in the UK and would like to know if it is possible to get married and have children without being liable to pay child support or maintenance payments or any other payments or any kind. Also if there are any laws introduced one you live with a partner for any extended period of time, for example are assets in the apartment shared after proof of a living at the same adress in a relationship for over a year or 2 years? And also in the event or an unintended pregnancy if the woman would like to keep the child and if the man would like an abortion, is there any possible way the man could legally make sure an abortion had to happen?

Sincerely,

Maximillian

Answer:
 \> Im based in the UK and would like to know if it is possible to get married and have children without being liable to pay child support or maintenance payments or any other payments or any kind.

No.

\> Also if there are any laws introduced one you live with a partner for any extended period of time, for example are assets in the apartment shared after proof of a living at the same adress in a relationship for over a year or 2 years

No, there is no common law marriage in England and Wales and no entitlement to the other's property. You could draft a cohabitation contract or other agreement.

\>  And also in the event or an unintended pregnancy if the woman would like to keep the child and if the man would like an abortion, is there any possible way the man could legally make sure an abortion had to happen?

Of course not. That's a ridiculous question. Though unsurprising in light of your comment history.

\> Maximillian

You misspelled "idiot redpill troll".


Title: [PA/NJ/NY] Unemployment hearing and harassment by ex-employer

Question:
Hello all, I've been in a bit of a back and forth battle with my ex-employer and could really use a bit of advice. I've reached out to a few attorneys for free consults, but it's been tough to get in touch with anyone because of the Holiday weekend.

I currently live in NJ, and my ex employer is based in PA with an additional "office" in NY. I primarily worked from home out of NJ, though I have an unemployment hearing in PA and just received a cease and desist letter from a law firm in NY.

The company itself was extremely small and consisted of (names changed):

Jeff - Managing Partner/COO/Part Owner. I reported directly to Jeff. He and I handled nearly all of the day to day operations and he was my primary contact within the company for probably 95% of my communications. He's the one who brought me on board, the one I went to with questions and for approvals/expenses/time off/etc.

Phil - President/CEO/Part Owner. My interactions with Phil were relatively few and far between (about a couple times a month). He owns and is heavily involved with the day to day of another company, whose office space we would occasionally use, in NY.

Frank - Part Owner/Investor. Older gentleman who owns a wide variety of companies, including several other joint ventures with Phil. It was my impression that Frank was more of the "money guy" but I saw and dealt with him even less than Phil.

Myself - Director level, I was technically the 1st employee/non owner of the company, brought on last summer. Several years out of school, have a Masters in an Engineering. I was brought on to head and develop a new division of the company, so it had a very similiar feel to a start up. The base salary was probably about 1/3 of what I could get elsewhere, but I did receive a commission piece as well. I was more in it for the long term as we were in the process of officially starting the spin-off where I would receive equity.

Other than that I handled the day to day operations, data entry, vendor and customer relations, etc. Pretty much did whatever we needed at the time - since it was essentially just me and Jeff, we both wore many hats.

There was also an accountant on retainer who helped out with bank reconciliation/invoicing and a sales guy who was operating on a draw/commission structure.

Jeff and I were the only ones on payroll, which was processed by a 3rd party company. We were both paid in advance on the 1st of each month for the upcoming month.

I never had any type of contract, most of what Jeff and I did was verbal (a lesson learnt for sure) but I really did trust the guy and saw this as us building a company together.

Jeff was voted out and let go by Phil and Frank unexpectedly a couple of months back. I'm not entirely sure what happened there but got the impression that something was going on with back taxes over the span of a few years.

Less than a week after that, before the 1st of the month, my direct deposit was reversed and access to the employee portal and e-mail shut down. I never received any type of official notice and still have not heard anything personally from either Phil or Frank regarding the situation.

I filed for unemployment immediately and they are fighting the claim saying that I was fired for willful misconduct and misappropriation of funds, their accusations are:

1. Jeff processed payroll after he was already fired from the company.

2. The fact that I was paid in advance was a misappropriation of funds.

Now I'm not too sure how either of these things would relate to me. My payroll was processed by a 3rd party company, and I was under the impression that it automatically processed and direct deposited every month.

Also, while I never had a contract, I was paid in advance every month since I started there, so it's not like anything changed.

They seem to be lumping me into things that Jeff has done, as I just received a cease and desist letter addressed to the both of us. How can I relay that I am not involved with whatever is going on with Jeff and to stop associating me with him?

I'll continue with the C&D letter in the comments.

TLDR; Ex-employer is fighting unemployment by claiming I was fired for willful misconduct, but the examples they give are of another person's actions.

Answer:
 This is the cease and desist letter I received the other day. It was addressed to both myself and my ex boss.

Gentlemen:

We have been advised by our client that you have engaged in an effort to damage [ex-employer] by contacting its suppliers, customers and utilities and knowingly publishing falsehoods. These communications constitute trade liable [sic] and defamation. Demand is made that you immediately cease and desist from any further efforts to cause harm to [ex-employer].

All rights are expressly reserved.
[Lawyer]

Is this just a scare tactic? I haven't done what they're saying, but I can't speak for the other party. I wish that they wouldn't keep lumping us together.

There doesn't seem to be any concrete information here, just blanket accusations. Is a letter like this typically a signal that there might be more to come in forms of a suit or something else?


Title: [MI] Someone is continually harassing me with blackmail via text and phone calls

Question:
After my husband assaulted me and then killed himself in July, I was alone with a toddler and desperate for friendship and guidance. Unfortunately I made the mistake of befriending a woman who helped me a lot the first couple of weeks we were associated. She started refusing to leave my home, lies to the cops by telling them she lives with me and therefore they will not remove her. She takes my car keys all the time and uses my vehicle without a license to transport drugs from place to place. Police department will not allow me to report my vehicle stolen because she claims she lives here again and that I gave her my car keys, which I did not. She demands I sell her my vehicle for 1500 dollars or she will call my landlord (who is also my trust fund trustee) and tell her that she is living with me and get me evicted, that she will call child protective services and have my toddler taken from me, and call the trust lawyer and tell them and the trustee that I am an unsavory sort (a drug addict, prostitute, dirty, and that I feed my three year old son drugs -- all absolutely false) She is caught with my car in Illinois with drugs (meth) stolen goods (clothes expensive purses) and 15+ stolen identities. She bails herslf out of jail. I find out she has stolen my son's identity and claimed him illegally on her tax returns. She does what she says she would because now she has no money and no vehicle to use and is stuck in another state awaiting her court date.

So she calls the trust lawyer and the trustee and tells them these horrible things about me, and they proceed to cut my stipend (as I have no other income ATM and am awaiting disability) completely and issue an eviction notice to put me out of the home I wanted to grow old and die in. My life is in shambles and I am scared -- my car is impounded in another state and has been for the last month, and now I am being evicted from my home because this woman is psychotic and wants what even I can't have (the trustee doesn't issue very much a month and I have no direct access to any accounts). I have no place to go. Is there a legal way to stop the fall of dominoes and give me some semblance of a life back? Can I press charges against her somehow? I have text messages of her threatening to firebomb my home, make me kill myself, make me a psych case and put me back in the hospital, have my baby boy taken from me, etc. I am angry and tired of fighting with this woman about this. Please help, I'm a wreck.

Answer: Your post makes no sense.  You need someone IRL, not on the internet, who can help you.


Title: Is harassing dead people still harassment?

Question: I started a new sub called /r/fatpopehate and want to make sure I'm in the clear. (CA)

Answer: That's as funny as a pitchfork full of dead babies.


Title: Dad “kidnapped” kids 10 years ago

Question:
Hello LA,
About 10 years ago my dad, who had full custody of all his children, asked the divorce court / my mother for permission to take his children overseas to Lebanon for a visit. The trip was originally planned for one month. This is technically what my mom agreed to.

However, my dad had plans on moving there permanently from the beginning. After arriving there, he informed us that we would be staying there permanently. We were all on board with it and were not being held there against our own will. However, my mom did return to court claiming to the judge that we were kidnapped and that he nor us were returning to the US.

I ended up returning in 2015 to attend college and my little brothers followed suit in 2019. Im hoping to bring my dad back here as the political tension in Lebanon right now is extremely unstable. How would I go about clearing his record so that he does not face any criminal or civil issues upon entering the US?

Thank you,

Answer: It would be best if you didn’t minimize the seriousness of your father’s actions. He may be facing severe criminal penalties and he did in fact kidnap you and your siblings. Do you know whether there is a warrant out for his arrest?Answer #2: He needs to speak with a family law attorney. He will likely still have charges against him, regardless of your/your siblings willingness to be in his home country.


Title: [FL] After 15 yrs my company is trying to downsize and presented me with the "opportunity" to be demoted and receive a cut in salary

Question:
I am in sales and was a manager.  The "opportunity" is that with the decrease in base salary I am seeing an increase in portions of my commission.  When asked if I accepted, I told them I needed some time to process. I asked if I declined the change if I would be fired.  The boss said yes and HR said I would  be effectively resigning  (HR recognized they would be on  the hook for decent amount in severance pay (1wk salary for every year).  I have until Monday to give them a decision.

My question is, being FL is a right to work state, if I declined this move can I also decline submitting my resignation so I can receive my severance?

Answer:
 I would contact an FL employment lawyer, because this one is tricky.

1.\) If your total compensation would be lowered by a certain &#37;age, you may be eligible for unemployment if you leave.

2.\) How companies have to pay severance depends on what the program is, and what their internal rules are. Florida does not require severance. But, if they, for example, offer Carl a severance and fire you for not taking a pay cut, that may not fly. Answer #2: Just to clarify, "right to work" has nothing to do with your situation. "Right to work" means you cannot be forced to join a union as a condition of employment. Answer #3: >Right to work

You mean at-will.  Answer #4: Life advice, I would take the new salary and start looking for a new job immediately. Your job probably pays a lot more than unemployment.


Title: My Boss Is Paying me Late . Help

Question:
So A quick background I work at a Mexican restaurant , I get paid every 2 weeks (the 19th was one of my paydays) and I been working there for about 4-5 months and the first 3 months I never had a problem with my boss until now . Las 2 checks he gave me 1 being late and this recent one Bounced ? He gave me the excuse that it was a problem of his bank because he has Bank Of The West which is in LA and we live about 1:30 min from Ventura in a small town and he claims because the credit cards take so long to process pay day has to wait but yet there are employees that I have talked to that are still there because my boss owns them like 3-4 checks cuz he hasn’t paid them ? But I’m not really trying to become those people . Is there anywhere I can file a complaint ?
Also one of my coworkers didn’t get his check until Thursday !
Yesterday I asked him for my check and he said the same excuse about the credit cards.
I’m looking into filing a complaint because he’s starting to not give me my checks on payday and withholding it knowing the checks are in his office .
Topic:
Labor Law (Unions)

Answer:
 You need a new job, because this one is swirling the drain.

When a business can't meet payroll, it doesn't last long.


Title: Can I refuse a blood test as a minor? (CA)

Answer: As someone with a crippling fear of needles, there are things you can do to help prevent such a thing.  You should look into them.  The simplest would be to bring a phone with you to distract yourself, it works depressingly well.


Title: Is it legal to discard bags of dog poop in a privately owned garbage can on a public sidewalk?

Question:
I live in an urban area and have a small elderly dog who only needs to walk up the block and back. There's only one garbage can on my block, so naturally that's the one I throw her poop in. The garbage can belongs to a restaurant with a sidewalk seating area. The can is located on the outer edge of the seating area adjacent to the public traffic area of the sidewalk, so I can deposit the bag into the trash without setting foot in the cafe or its outdoor seating area. I've been doing so for years without trouble.

Today, a minute after I threw her poop away, a man came up to me holding a poop bag up and said, "Excuse me, is this from your dog?" He identified himself as the owner of the business that the trash can belongs to. He said that the garbage can is a "sanitary facility" and that I'm pathetic and disgusting for depositing a poop bag there. He was really hostile and when he started raising his voice I decided to walk away.

I'm torn between my desire to cultivate peace by respecting his wishes even though they were expressed very disrespectfully, and my petty desire to show him that he can't get my compliance by talking to me like that. So my question is, can he legally stop me from using his garbage can? The area I live in has a high rate of serious crime, so I'm not really worried about the police even showing up if he tries to report it. But could he realistically sue me over this or take any other legal measure?

Edit: Forgot location. California.

ETA: Just responding to the people here who think I was being really inconsiderate. The trash can isn't immediately adjacent to any seating, it's adjacent to the sidewalk. The poop is in a scented plastic bag that is tied completely shut. I can't smell it if I hold it a foot from my nose. There's no way in hell any customers ever smelled it, unless they like to pull things out of the garbage like the owner does.

When I wrote this post I was really angry about the way the owner talked to me and I wanted to stick it to him. I've since calmed down and decided to be mature, stop throwing bags in that garbage, and let the whole thing go.

Answer:
 While I think he would be hard pressed to come after you for your years of unauthorized use of the garbage can in question, now that you've been properly informed that you do not have permission to discard your dog's waste in his garbage can, continuing to do so is most certainly not allowed. Just because the can is accessible from the sidewalk does mean that there is a requirement that he allow everyone to use it. Answer #2: Can he sue you?  Yes. Can he win?  I don't know. I could see an argument being made if you continue to discard dog feces in an eating establishment after being caught and told to stop.

It is possible your actions may violate your city's municipal code as well, or may not. Just as an example, here's an article about a similar situation in Seatle, WA - http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattle911/2009/04/20/updated-can-i-drop-dog-waste-in-someone-elses-garbage-can/

Regardless, you've been dumping dogshit in a place where people eat for years. The owner caught you and has told you to stop. I would suggest you do stop. If this escalates and goes public you will be perceived as the "bad guy" no matter the outcome. There is no way to come out of that smelling like a rose.


Title: Apartment office always closes early, holding our packages for multiple days.

Question: I live in an apartment complex in Washington State with 3 roommates. We all get off work around 4:30 - 5:00, and our apartment complex's office closes at 6. We can collect our mail, but anything bigger than our tiny mailbox gets held in the office. You would think that we would have plenty of time to arrive home, and receive our packages before 6, but frequently [80-90% of the time] they close early, and we have to wait until the next day and hope they didn't leave early again. We have sent numerous emails, and have complained about this, but nothing has changed. We can't pick up our packages, and they are closed Sunday and Monday so often times we have packages that sit there for 4-5 days before we can collect them. Do we have any legal recourse, or are we stuck?

Answer: Your recourse is to ask them to stop accepting your packages.


Title: [MI] Sister's husband leaving her, he won't pay rent or electric. Is there anything that can be done?

Question:
My sister has been married to a deadbeat for 5 years. She had two children with him, both still very young. She's been able to get a job, but it doesn't pay very much, maybe about $8/hr and it's not full time. Apparently her husband, who doesn't work and has lived off SSI for the last 7 years or so, thought watching after the kids while she was working was too much for him, and has decided to up and leave. He said he isn't paying the rent for October and the electricity should be cut off by  the end of the month. I'm not sure if they plan to divorce, this guy usually has some hissy fit every couple months or so and makes false threats to leave. But this time he says he's "serious." She filed for divorce before, but didn't follow through with it.

As much as my parents would like to help, there simply isn't enough room to move her and the two children in. Her husband's parents aren't much help either, particularly considering the man-child had his mama make the call telling her he's cutting off rent. I'm afraid she may lose her apartment and have nowhere to go with her kids. Is there anything that can be done so she doesn't end up homeless? Any advice or guidance to some resource (not even necessarily legal) would be greatly appreciated!
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: She needs to contact family shelters now, and see if she can get in with her two kids.  Alternatively, she could see if she could find someone to share the apartment with.  But that's a risky.  There is no chance to support two kids on a part time minimum wage job, and live alone in an apartment.


Title: Tree fell onto parking awning in apartment complex but I only have liability insurance, is the complex responsible for the damages? (CA)

Question: I was away when a tree fell onto a parking awning and it collapsed onto my car which sustained just some dents scratches and a broken tail light. Is the apartment complex still responsible for the damages?

Answer:
 [Shoemaker vs Harris](http://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/2013/b237986.html)

>in order to hold a landowner liable for damage caused by the falling limbs or trees located on a landowner’s property, there must exist evidence that the landowner had actual or constructive notice of a danger that the tree would fall.

Unless the tree was neglected, **and** there is proof that the owner knew about it, then they are not liable.Answer #2: ...and this is why you spring for full coverage.  Every time. Answer #3: This is most likely considered a force of nature. Unless you apartment complex was negligent or deliberately caused the tree to fall on your car you are out of luck. If insurance does not cover it you will have to pay out of pocket.


Title: Husband cheated, want annulment/divorce.

Question:
So this is a pretty long story and I'm not going to get into to much detail about it but anyways...
I married my husband while he was in prison back in April. Turns out he is emotionally cheating on me while still in prison. Blah blah blah I'm over it but we made the stupid decision of getting married. He's still in prison but I was wondering if this can be considered basis for annulment or if I would have to get a divorce. We don't have any kids together (thank God) or any assets together. Either way what costs am I looking at and where would I go to get this done as soon as possible? And since he's still in prison how should I go about this? Thank you!

Edit: location is Colorado

Answer: Speak to a divorce attorney. Thankfully serving the incarcerated with divorce papers is fairly easy.


Title: [WA] Are sorority documents legally binding?

Question:
Hi. Long story short, I pledged for a sorority but dropped after a few weeks due to hazing/other issues. When I first started the pledging process, the active sisters made us sign a document saying that we would not disclose any part of the pledging process to those not part of the sorority. When I dropped, they had me sign a similar document saying that I must not reveal any part of the pledging process or that there would be "legal consequences."

Is this something they can actually enforce? The hazing left pretty bad memories and I've found it helpful to talk it out with other people. I've also considered anonymously reporting the sorority since they publicly claim they don't haze but I don't want it to backfire on me if I decide to follow through with it.

If it helps, the organization is not part of the National Panhellenic Conference; it's a non-white sorority with no house.

Thanks in advance!
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
  IANAL. The document that you signed probably covers "sorority secrets" such as oaths, rituals, actual pledging materials, and things of that nature. This more than likely DOES NOT cover the hazing.

Hazing is not cool, and you should report them to your university as well as their national sorority office. I don't know of any sorority, fraternity, or university that does not in this day and age. Risk management is huge in 2015. These policies should be easy to find on the sorority's national website and your uni's Office of Greek Life/Greek Council website.

Report them for hazing. They should be suspended from campus, or if it was severe enough, they should lose their charter.

Source: Helped to create a national fraternity, and am an alumus advisor to my former chapter.

Edit for more info: if no information can be found for a national office, you may be dealing with what is referred to on many campuses as a "local" sorority, which is a sorority that only exists on your campus.

Answer #2: Not a lawyer, but I'm in a fraternity.

How Greek life is regulated varies from school to school, but there should be a resource to report hazing both to your national organization and your school.

Again, IANAL, and without knowing more about what you signed I can't say for certain, but I'm 99% it is aimed at revealing rituals. Hazing is a crime in Washington and would not be protected by an NDA.

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=504-26-206Answer #3: Did it really just say "legal consequences"?


Title: [MD] Reckless PTA parents have been emotionally and verbally abusing my adopted son in and outside of school. School is doing nothing because they donate large sums of money to the school.

Question:
My son is adopted from China, he is in the second grade. The schools PTA mothers have been incredibly aggressive and bratty, anything they don’t like they start a Facebook page about and such.

They have heavily vetted teachers lesson plans, have fought redistricting the school aggressively, and are extremely against the LGBTQ community.

So my son being from China does not look like me or his father, and when the PTA mothers noticed this they started attacking us on Facebook and such on the schools PTA page. In addition they have gone out of the way to tell their children to bully my son and they have even walked into my son’s class and insulted him on his family status.

I was hesitant at first to report it but the final straw was last night the school had a parent student party but the PTA parents that planned the event sent my son and I home because I am not his real parent and “If his parents really cared about him they would come”

There is evidence, teachers have witnessed this, I have recorded some confrontations. The school administration is refusing to act on it, their reasons being that this is a group of people not a singular person and therefore would take more time to stop, and the big one being that the parents donate large sums of money each month and reprimanding them would cause the parents not to donate.

What is our coarse of action, and who do we take action against? School? Parents? PTA itself?

Answer:
 Get a lawyer.  The school is complicit in the abuse of your son for protected reasons - race and familial status.

You are your son's real and legal parent, and you did come.


Title: Someone used my cell-phone number on some kind of car registration, and now I'm constantly getting calls from call-centers. [US, Colorado]

Question:
So, I'm not sure where else to post looking for advice on how to handle this issue, so I'm hoping someone here might have an answer for me besides getting a new phone number.

For months now, I've been getting phone calls for someone else in regards to their jeep. It ranges from insurance companies trying to get this guy to jump to them, to other BS service sales calls. Telling them I'm not the guy they are looking for has not stopped the calls. Trying to talk to any sort of management gets me hung-up on.

Almost all of the calls seem to be coming out of call centers from India, as far as I can tell. I understand it is a bit of a long-shot, but I'm just wondering if there is anything I can do to get my phone number out of whatever infobank it seems to be a part of because of this guy, or penalize these companies for calling me.

I totally get that I can just change my number, but I don't want to do that because this has been my number forever, and there is some principle that I shouldn't have to do that because some idiot either purposefully or accidentally put my number down on some form.

Answer:
 There's no specific centralized place to remove or fix your number.  You have to handle that with each individual caller.

Alternatively, talk to one of them about who this guy is, then reach out to him and ask him to fix the matter.


Title: Can you sue God?

Question:
Since “act of God” is a thing for insurance and what not, could you sue God if the insurance doesn’t want to pay up? Who would you sue in that instance?

 I’m not high I promise

Answer:
 Let's say you could.

And then you win by default because He does not appear in court.

How do you collect?Answer #2: It's been tried. They tend to be dismissed for a variety of reasons (where do you serve God? Is Satan a foreign prince? etc)


Title: I need to get my girlfriend out of her parents house asap

Question:
My girlfriend, Who is 16, lives with her single mother, no longer wishes to live with her parents. Her mother is constantly causing her stress and anxiety. Her mother had a recent break up with her fiance, which was very violent and has now caused her mother the want to leave the state to move to the other side of the coast. I did a quick google check and apparently she can move put because she is 16? We live in the state of Connecticut and I need to know as soon as possible if she can move into her grandparent's house, Or need be mine or a relatives. And if possible can anyone link some documents that would help mom shut up?

Much appreciated

Answer: Age of majority in CT is 18. She is under her mother's authority until then.Answer #2: I dont know what you found on google but she is a minor and she cannot just live wherever she wants. With her mothers permission she can move in with her grandparents. But not without it.


Title: You could say Im a vigilante. I have some questions about the legality of what im doing.

Question:
Hey, r/legaladvice
A few days ago I started taking the law into my own hands. No I'm not beating people up. I live in Baltimore and for some reason, people think that bike Lanes are parking spots. I ride an electric skateboard around and I get really bugged when I see this. The police don't care. A few days ago I received a bunch of custom bumper stickers that say"I heart Parking In Bike Lanes". I've been putting these on the back glass of every car and truck that I see in the bike Lanes, exluding construction vehicles. Is this vandalism?the stickers are easily removable and leave no residue, so no damage. I want to know what I need to worry about.
Thank you,
A guy

Answer: Yes it's vandalism. Yes you can be arrested for it. Yes you will feel really stupid when that happens. Answer #2: Yes, it's vandalism, and if someone causes damage to their vehicle while removing it, you can be held liable.


Title: Customer took car without paying for work.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 In the longer term I'd suggest fixing your horrifying business practices. Plates, VIN, etc.

In practical terms, you probably eat the loss unless you can turn that name and phone number into someone you can sue in small claims court.


Title: I've got a situation

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 So, you have the car back?

And it wasn't damaged?


Title: [US] Employer to be deducting my wages to cover loss after selling client's debt to collections.

Question:
As a personal trainer employed at a fitness center, I sold a training package to a client that the gym had assigned to me. The package sold for $x00 and contained 10 training sessions. The gym charged the $x00 to the client's account, allowing the client to pay it off over the next 30 days. I was paid 1/10 of my share of the $x00 after each completed session.

The 10 sessions have been completed, and I have received my share of the $x00 in wages, paid by the gym. It's now six months later, and the client has not payed the $x00 for the training package.

 Management from the gym now wants to sell the $x00 debt to a collections agency. By doing so, the gym will not receive the full $x00. I was told by management that wages would be pulled from my paycheck in the amount I was paid from the $x00 training package in an attempt to recover the loss.

To clarify, I am not an independent contractor. It seems odd to me that the gym would void the hours of work I had completed with the client, by reclaiming my wages, after selling the debt to collections.

Do I have legal options?

Answer:
 The specific rules for what is and what is not a legal payroll deduction vary by state, but one common factor is that regular costs of doing business may not be deducted. Non-paying clients are a regular cost of doing business in a gym, just like any other service where customers pay in arrears. If your employers touch your paycheck to cover their bills, you can likely escalate to your state's department of labor.

Someone will be more specific if you add your location.


Title: Received a pedestrian ticket for crossing train tracks while the bells were still ringing.

Question: [removed]

Answer:
 If a court date is required and you do not appear a warrant will be issued for your arrest.

And you got the ticket, not because of a bored cop, but because police and paramedics get tired of cleaning up after people hit by trains.