Title: (IL) My niece was sexually assaulted on a schoolbus

Question:
My niece (5f) was sexually assaulted and physically assaulted on a schoolbus by 3 students (all 8m) in Illinois. The school interviewed her about it without her parents consent, the school claims there are no witnesses on the bus and that the bus has no cameras. The school district has no title ix policy or coordinator. The police wont do anything about this because there "is no evidence or witnesses". The school does HAVE bus cameras but they have not yet been installed. What do we do from here? Sidenote that I am not my nieces legal guardian, just asking for her legal guardian.
Topic:
CPS and Dependency Law

Answer: In addition to contacting the school, contact CPS and have them open a file on each of the children who involved in the incident.   Sexualized behavior at their age(s) is often indicative of abuse or neglect at home.   The school as mandated reporters should- if nothing else- referring this to CPS but it sounds like they're trying to ignore this and make it go away, so I wouldn't wait on them.Answer #2: The parents need to escalate this to the school board.


Title: NJ - I parked in a private university's parking garage and now have a "violation" for not having a decal. Do I have to pay under my conditions?

Question:
It was at another university close by me. I usually park there and go study at the library. My own Uni is a half hour away so this is convenient to leave my house. I parked and my car doesn't have a school decal on the side. So my violation ticket has my license plate number and that is it. It costs $50.

Since I do not attend this University do I have to pay this? I know they can pull my information from the license but this is bullshit. They don't charge at the entrance of the garage at all.

Answer: I'm not going to join the circle jerk of bad advice you have so far saying "hey dude, they can't do anything they are just private people man." If it's a public university they may have their "metermaid" public safety officers enabled under statute to write the tickets just like any other city. Or they could be deputized by the county. Or, even if they are simply security guards or a private business most states have statutes authorizing enforcement of parking. So they will go,after you or not. Frankly it probably depends on how much people are abusing the parking. But don't suffer under the illusion that you are superman, and thus immune from enforcement of this ticket.


Title: [IA] Son’s father (and current physical custodian) not following cutody agreement. I never know when I’ll see my son next. I don’t even know his address.

Question:
My son was born in March of 2014. I left Zach (sons father) shortly after. I was my sons sole provider until September of 2015, when Zach hired a lawyer and was granted supervised visitation. After a month or so, that became every other weekend. Zach lived 2hrs west of us and was required to make the drive to and from my city each time. Sometimes I’d meet halfway, just cause. In May of 2016 I began working more, and my mother (my sons babysitter while I worked) did too. It didn’t make sense, financially, for me to pay for childcare, as I’d still end up with next to nothing. On top of that, 2yr olds are a lot to deal with, and I’d been doing it virtually alone since the beginning. Zach was in school but unemployed and living with his dad. It seemed logical that they were in a better position to care for my son, and after a few months of every other weekend, I trusted them. I offered to switch our custodial roles. Zach hired a lawyer and an agreement was drafted, allowing me to see my son fri-sun every other weekend. The first few months into it, i fucked up. Something would come up or id just be tired/lazy. It was shitty of me, but its what happened. Towards the winter of 2016 i realized i needed to get my shit together and started messaging Zach about starting my scheduled visitation for real. I was allowed one weekend in december. Since then ive only had my son alone one other day, and it was in may of 2017 when i took him to the zoo. Any other time ive seen my son has been when my mother (grandma) has him. My sons dad dislikes me but is relatively communicative and generous with my mom. He allows my mom to take him for weekends every few weeks. My mom absolutely adores my son. He is her everything. For the past almost year i email my sons dad at least once a week with a question or comment. At this point im just talking to myself. Hes responded a handful of times and its usually only about child support or gifts. My best friends partner is a lawyer who suggested I should be filing police reports every time zach is unresponsive. I called the nonemergency police line who told me to contact a lawyer. Why do i need a lawyer if its already agreed upon?

My sons father didnt tell me when they moved much closer, and now hes only half an hour away. I dont know their address. He has my phone number blocked. The only connection i have to my son is through my mother and ive been terrified of doing or saying something that will make him cut that off. I miss my sweet almost 4yr old boy.

I didnt know where to add this in above but Zach and I have a long, tumultous history in which he was physcially and emotionally abusive. I noticed he began REALLY ignoring me after I declined his offer to move to city and get married/have more kids in december 2016. In june of 2017 he popped out of nowhere again and tried to rekindle a romantic relationship. Back when i first moved out after having my son, i was accused of drug an alcohol abuse, both of which were unfounded. Id be typing all day if i wanted to give a complete history lol

Tl;dr: kids dad isnt giving me visitation, what do

Answer:
 You have a custody agreement.  If you want him to follow the agreement and he refuses then your remedy is in court.

If you do take him to court, be prepared for your ex to ask that your visitation actually be *reduced*, likely only temporarily.  The failure to follow the custody order is at least as much your fault as his.


Title: Being told to move or be evicted, virginia

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If you have a valid lease for a year term and there is no provision in your lease or in Virginia state law that allows for you to be evicted based on "legal stuff" whatever that might be then they cannot force you to leave or be evicted. However, it is a common tactic for landlords to ask tenants they don't want around for whatever reason to leave voluntarily and they will often cite legal advice telling them to do so.


Title: The FCC ignored pro-net neutrality comments

Question:
A few months ago, when the FCC was repealing net neutrality regulations, many people submitted comments to them. As a recent [study](https://thehill.com/policy/technology/411518-study-nearly-all-unique-comments-to-fcc-opposed-net-neutrality-repeal) shows, almost all of the comments are pro-net neutrality.

One of them is mine.

Is there any legal recourse/do I have a case in court? Do they have any obligation to listen to the comments?

Answer:
 > Is there any legal recourse/do I have a case in court?

No.

> Do they have any obligation to listen to the comments?

No.

Taking comments was just a publicity stunt, IMO. They were going to do what they were going to do.


Title: Where can I find career advice from lawyers? [IN]

Question: I have a cousin who is 18 and homeschooling, but she's the worst procrastinator on the planet. She really wants to be a lawyer, but she's not doing any of her schoolwork. She still has 18 credits to go before she can graduate from high school, but in the last 3 months she's done basically nothing. She's so far behind she's thinking about just taking her TASC (We're in Indiana, so our version of the GED). It sounds like her plan is to get her TASC, do some volunteer work, go to a 2 year state college then transfer to a 4 year, and then apply to law school. I would really like for her to have the opportunity to hear from some actual attorneys about how realistic this plan is. For all I know, maybe it's a perfectly sound plan, but if it's not, she needs to hear it straight. I know this sub is for legal advice, so I'm thinking this isn't the place for that I'm looking for exactly, but I thought maybe you guys might know where we can turn to get her the kick in the ass she needs to get her shit together.

Answer: There are law schools who will accept anyone with a pulse. If she wants to be unemployed, that could be an option for her. Otherwise, she should focus on her grades and revisit the idea in half a decade.


Title: TX - landlord lost a portion of my inspection and wants to charge for damages

Question:
Hi guys, I'll try to keep this brief.

A year ago, I moved into an apartment and filled out an extensive inspection sheet. This was all done online and through my phone since they have a convenient online system. I noted some issues with the property, mainly scratches in the floor, but also a fist sized chunk out of the corner of the granite countertop.

I included a picture and note about the countertop in my inspection, but didn't request that it be repaired because it was still a very functional countertop.

Fast forward to this week when I moved out. After I move out, they give me a call about the countertop and say they want to charge me for replacing it. They didn't say anything about my deposit, but are claiming that I would have to pay the entire replacement cost of the countertop.

I talked to the office guy and went into the online system again to look at my inspection again, but a bunch of the questions I had filled out were no longer there. Instead of the massive form I had filled out, there were maybe only 20 inspection items and my notes from those items. The question about the countertop where I entered the damage note and picture is no longer there.

When I moved I transferred apartments so I live in the same building but just across the hall. I've double checked my NEW inspection form and sure enough, that has at least 50 questions like I remember the old one having. But the online system only shows 20 of the answers.

Basically my plan today is to go in to the office and show them with my new inspection and the incomplete old one that they're missing some data. What are my other options? I am a college student and I don't have money to replace a granite countertop.

Edit: I realize now that this was a massive oversight on my part, but I don't have the picture or the original form anymore. It was on my computer that had the hard drive crap out when I should've put that data in the cloud or printed it out.

Answer:
 You show them the pictures you took and copy of the form.

You said you took a picture so I really hope you saved it. You always take move in and move out pictures and save them for years. Also, you need to copy/take pictures of these forms you are filling out and handing over. You always keep a copy of everything you sign


Title: Sacramento,CA do you need a lawyer when CPS does a surprise home visit after birth from dirty urine when pregnant?

Question: Would it be bad to get a lawyer while CPS is checking on you or possibly opening a case or even if they just showed up at the house for a home visit but you weren't home so would it be a good time to get a lawyer involved before they do come back?

Answer: Jesus. I would personally get a consultation with a family lawyer. What did she test positive for?


Title: How come Rudy Giuliani seems to be such an incompetent person generally and yet he is credited with crippling organised crime?

Question: Is it just that he has become older and senile or was he just taking credit for other people's work in the first instance?

Answer:
 He was the federal prosecutor in charge of the case that [took down the Five Families](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia_Commission_Trial) in New York. Of course, as Sammy the Bull wrote in his biography, destroying the Italian mafia simply opened the doors for the Russian mob to move in. And they [quickly managed to sink their hooks into Giuliani.](https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/fbi-tracked-alleged-russian-mob-ties-of-giuliani-campaign-supporter/) Ties he has [maintained in the years since.](https://www.newsweek.com/giuliani-mysterious-ties-russia-former-soviet-union-decades-1215349) And since [Russia wants to destabilize the United States,](https://www.wired.com/story/bernie-sanders-russia-chaos-2020-election/) and since Giuliani is their employee, he works towards that end now.Answer #2: D R U G S

My Dad spent many years doing drugs of all sorts, he speculates that Rudy seems like he's on drugs when the cameras aren't looking.


Title: Do Felons have rights ?

Question: I was in a federal prison for wire fraud for 4 years when I got out last summer I applied for a job at Walmart online  My brother was a VP at walmart and my nephew was a security management for walmart. I am a collage grad, with a strong work history and I know walmart hires felons  On my application thay asked if any family members worked for Walmart and I put my brother's name down. I did not here back for weeks so I went online to check my application status and when I did I got a message saying " I am not authorized to work for walmart call legal department "  I now found out my brother and nephew somehow black balled me in walmart's computer system because they were ashamed of me and didn't want me working for Walmart.  What recourse do I have, i have a screen shot of the message from Walmart

Answer: It sounds like they didn't hire you because you got a bad reference and not actually because you had a felony.Answer #2: Walmart is not obligated to hire felons with fraud convictions.


Title: Arrested for possession of marijuana and paraphernalia, cops searched the house without consent?

Question:
(U.S, FL) Long story short, my friends and I were at one of our houses drinking and smoking. Police get an anonymous tip for underage drinking, etc. They come and force everyone out of the house. I tell them they can't enter because we did not give them consent, they said they were able to because they smelled marijuana. I know that houses are held to a higher level of privacy and the smell of marijuana is not probable cause to search. They go anyways in to search for remaining kids and while they are inside they find a small jar of weed and a pipe. One officer actually went around back and entered the patio before even coming to the door.
They started questioning us, the teenagers, about the weed before getting in contact with the mom of the kid whose house we were at. They got a hold of the mom about twenty minutes after they first started searching the house. Due to her work(medical coder), she gave them permission to search for kids and nothing else. The police lied in their report, saying the mother game them permission to search the house for marijuana but she did not.
Almost everyone blamed me so I was arrested for everything. Should I not be able to get the charges dropped because they illegally entered the home before getting their "permission" and used evidence found during the unauthorized searches to incriminate me?
Edit: Cleaned up the story to make it easier to read.
Also, there is more to the story, just wanted to keep this to the point. For anyone who wants to know the whole thing, just comment.

Answer:
 Smelling marijuana is probable cause to search a home. They contacted the property owner who authorized that they could search the house. Just because they were "searching for kids" doesn't mean they aren't going to discount anything illegal that they find in the house.

This was not unwarranted, you are underage, nothing illegal was done by the police. They had probable cause to enter the home. Speak with your parents about finding a lawyer, if this is your first offense and they only found a small pipe & paraphernalia you may be eligible for probation.  Answer #2: "Plain smell" doctrine is actually recognized as sufficient for probable cause in most jurisdictions. It has been given the okay by the Supreme Court, so states are free to allow it or not. The only state I know of offhand that has rejected it is Arizona, but I think there are a few others. Answer #3: Sorry, it's not like the homeowner can say, "I give you permission to search for kids and you can only look for kids, and you have to ignore the dead bodies in the bathtub." Just the same, except replace the body analogy with your marijuana. That said, a first offense isn't a life-ender. Keep your head up, get a lawyer, and do everything that is expected. I would expect probation.


Title: [TX] Can a parent stop you from combat in the Marines?

Question: I couldn't find the answer on Google and I don't even know if this is the right place to ask. If you are an only child of one of your parents can they somehow stop you from seeing combat in a military branch (I'm interested mostly in the marines). My mom seems to think she can.

Answer:
 If you're an adult your parents have no say over what you do.Answer #2: > If you are an only child of one of your parents can they somehow stop you from seeing combat in a military branch

No, that's a misunderstanding of the policy.

In some situations,  an only child can request an exemption from combat or the draft.  It's up to you and your command.  Your mother has no say.


Title: [VA/OR] I'm a Virginia resident traveling the country long term. Can someone in Virginia legally buy a handgun and ship to it me?

Question:
I travel the country with my girlfriend full time in an RV, on the road for over a year now. We've been starting to consider going off-grid a little more, no longer staying in RV resorts and parks, and rather setting up a solar power system and being able to live comfortably wherever we may happen to land. In doing this, I'd like a little more security by being able to own a handgun, except that I have recently discovered that, in a handgun transaction, it is federally illegal if both participants in the transaction aren't residents of the same state. I'm currently on the west coast (Oregon at the moment), so that doesn't give me many options for buying a handgun from a Virginia resident.

I'm thinking the best workaround for this is to have a relative back in Virginia legally "buy" a handgun from a store, then legally "sell" that handgun to me as a Virginia resident, even though I'm not currently in the state. I have already looked up restrictions by UPS for shipping firearms, and it appears that they allow shipment as long as it is via next day air and requires an adult signature, and the shipment "complies with all federal, state, and local laws."

Through my research, it appears that this idea complies with all aspects of the issue, I just want to fully double and triple check the idea before putting myself and a friend or relative in potential legal jeopardy.

Answer: Your first problem is that you are planning a straw purchase for your relative, which is a crime.


Title: [New Mexico] My employer laid me off after encouraging me to go on vacation and spend most of my savings.

Question:
I managed a farm for a farm to table restaurant. I was uneasy about going on this vacation because I knew the farm had a tough year last year. I expressed this to my boss, but she assured me that I had my job wasn't in danger and I could relax. I went into credit card debt over this vacation on the assumption that her word was good.

Now I'm unemployed, on my own, and in debt. Is there anything I can do to get justice? NM is an at will employment state and I filled out a 1099.

EDIT: I didn't finance the whole vacation on a credit card. I just charged a few hundred on my card at the end of the vacation because I thought "what the hell, I'll pay it off as soon as I get back". That was my own fault. The main problem is the fact that my boss wouldn't allow me to do things that would make our farm more profitable, in essence, she wouldn't allow me to keep her from laying me off. I think the real problem here is that I ought to have been classified as an employee instead of as a contractor

Answer:
 Well, that's your fault for going into debt on vacation, I'm sure your boss didn't assume THATs what you would be doing.

Her word probably was good at the time, there is no justice because there is no wrong. You went into debt on your own irresponsible volition.  You may have had detrimental reliance, but you did not have to go into debt and the boss could easily say that at the time there was nothing to worry about.

Sorry?Answer #2: What is a 1066? Do you mean 1099?

If you have to go into credit card debt to go on vacation, you shouldn't go on that vacation as you can't afford it. It doesn't matter how stable your job it.


Title: Living to take care of grandma...am I really in trouble?

Question: My name is under a lease with my mom and dad, but I stay with my grandmother most of the time to take care of her. I usually stay the night because my grandparents are old now. Recently her apartment put out a notice saying there are unwanted guests in the building and whoever have unwanted guest over could be evicted. I definitely do not want my grandmother evicted, but her lease contract did say that guests can only stay up to a maximum of number of days. This place she is living at have security camera and stuff like that. I have no trouble going back to my mom and dads, since I have a room there and I pay rent there. Can I somehow still stay overnight at my grandmothers to take care of her (she's old)? Will my lease at my moms and dads help me in this case? Can management really evict my grandmother?

Answer: IANAL. I'm wondering if OP's grandmother couldn't request that a caregiver be allowed to stay overnight as a reasonable disability accommodation under the Fair Housing Act?


Title: Evicting a 2 year freeloader from my property. Riverside, California.

Question: How do I evict someone who has been a guest in our house for 2 years, and now is causing problems, this individual has never payed rent. So technically it is not a tenant, but understand that this individual might have some rights as a guess. No sure how to proceed.

Answer: Yes they are a tenant. You need to give them 60 days notice since they've lived there more than a year then you can go to court to evict if they haven't left.


Title: Got a rent-a-car with an insanely low rate ($30/month) now they don't want to honor it!

Question: I booked a rental car online for $31 per month. Crazy, I know. After I booked it and got an email confirmation I called them to make sure that this is for real. They assured me that it was. I went to the rental place, signed and received the printout  of the contract and, to make sure once more, asked the associate if $30/month (it had gone down somehow by the time I arrived there) was really the price and he assured me that it was. About three days after I got the car they called and said that they can't honor that rate and that I need to return the car-I've booked it for three months. I know that they had a glitch on their online reservation portal but I called in and asked the associate at the facility to make sure the price was for real. I'm thinking that I have a binding contract that they need to honor. Please advise. Thank you.

Answer: While you might have a deal printed with the incorrect price, I would bet if you read through all of the legalese on the contract you will find a clause stating that the company has the right to cancel the contract at any time, and/or they can demand that you return the vehicle at their request. Refuse to return the car and they can probably charge you with larceny.


Title: can you be punished if you're the only person in the jury that votes not guilty

Question:
if you really believe that person is not guilty and ar the only one that votes so what will happen do they have to give reason for their vote? can they be charged with obstruction of court?

if they suspect a juror of also commiting the same act as the defendant because they say "i voted because i also had experience on that topic and think they are not guilty" can their vote be invalid ?

Answer:
 You do not need to give a reason for your vote in open court.  You cannot be charged with obstruction.  The whole point of juries is that each member votes their conscience, without repercussion.Answer #2: No. Like all judicial acts, privilege is attached and a juror cannot be charged for voting their conscience.

Generally, the deliberations in the jury room are secret until the end of the trial.

However, if a juror does something illegal, like accept a bribe (however couched) or goes off investigating the crime (like the Henry Fonda character in the 1957 film "12 Angry Men"); the judge would be forced to declare a mistrial and the juror could potentially face charges.


Title: [California] Going to court to testify. How does the fifth amendment work?

Question:
I got subpoenaed to go to court to testify what I witnessed for my boss's criminal case. There a few things I am afraid to testify about because it may also incriminate myself. My question is how does one invoke the fifth amendment; is it like the movies and you just say I plead the fifth?  How does it work in a real court?

edit: I will think about getting an attorney as others have advised. That being said, I still want to know how does one plead the fifth amendment in a real court room setting? Is it just "I plead the fifth"?

Answer:
 Consult a criminal defense attorney.  No. 1.

No. 2, I practice civil, not criminal so please take this with a very large grain of salt.  Can you explain to the attorney that subpoenaed you that there will be some issues with your testimony and it may not be in their best interest to call you?

Before do anything though, see no. 1.  This can be a much trickier situation than it may seem at first.


Title: Zombie Run

Question:
Hello,

I would like to organize a Zombie Run for my town. I want to make it 50/50 split between towns Police Department and a charity (After I pay back all costs to myself). I was wondering about insurance/legal issues I may run into. Would a simple waiver with signs saying run at your own risk and warnings at obstacles be sufficient? Do I need insurance? Do I have to pay anything to any organizations even though its for charity? (NJ)

Example:
 know that running [volunteering for] a road race is potentially hazardous activity, which could cause injury or death. I will not enter and participate unless I am medically able and properly trained, and by my signature, I certify that I am medically able to perform this event, and am in good health, and I am properly trained. I agree to abide by any decision of a race official relative to any aspect of my participation in this event, including the right of any official to deny or suspend my participation for any reason whatsoever. I attest that I have read the rules of the race and agree to abide by them.  I assume all risks associated with running in this event, including but no limited to: falls, contact with other participants, the effects of the weather, including high heat and/or humidity, traffic and the conditions of the road [insert any specific risks related to your here, e.g. “the alligators who bask in the sun at the corner of 4th and Sunset St…”’], all such risks being known and appreciated by me. I understand that bicycles, skateboards, baby joggers, roller skates or roller blades, animals, and personal music players are not allowed in the race and I will abide by all race rules. Having read this waiver and knowing these facts and inconsideration of your accepting my entry, I, for myself and anyone entitled to act on my behalf, waive and release the __________________ [Name of event], the city of ______________________, and the Road Runners Club of America, all event sponsors, their representatives and successors from all claims or liabilities of any kind arising out of my participation in this event, even though that liability may arise out of negligence or carelessness on the part of the persons named in this waiver.  I grant permission to all of the foregoing to use my photographs, motion pictures, recordings or any other record of this event for any legitimate purpose.
Signature:
Date:
Parent’s Signature if under 18 years:
Date:

Source of waiver: http://www.rrca.org/event-directors/guidelines-for-safe-events/waivers/
Topic:
Insurance

Answer: You need a permit from the city, I'm sure.  You should get insurance, too; those waivers are seldom enforceable.  Googling *event insurance NJ* would be a good place to start.  I notice the top one seems to be mostly about weddings rather than zombies.


Title: (CA) Is it legal for a college professor to lock students out the classroom, or to lock the door at all?

Question:
Hello reddit! I really need your help.

 I have a professor that has expressly stated that she will be locking the door after the first week. She said that the door has to be locked in order to deter students from disturbing the class. She told us that if someone knocks on the door, we are all to ignore it and leave the person out of the room. At some point during the lecture she said something along the lines of "these doors are mine and I have control over them".

I believe this is not true. I believe this is something that goes against the general set of rights that students are allowed, and can be detrimental to the safety of students in the case of an emergency.

I would like to know if any of you know how this stuff works. I don't know much about laws nor do I know much about the written rights and freedoms that students are allotted. But I do feel like locking the door on students is unethical. If any of you can give me legal information and paperwork either stating why she is allowed to or why she is not allowed to, I would greatly appreciate it.

If you read through all that sincerely thank you for your time and I would really love any help you all can give me.

Answer:
 Unless the professor is locking the door in such a way as to create a fire hazard (which I doubt), I cannot think of a legal reason why this wouldn't be allowed.

It may violate policy at your school, and you should check with someone else higher up in administration.Answer #2: It's 100% legal for her to lock her door after class starts. Don't be late.Answer #3: >I believe this is something that goes against the general set of rights that students are allowed

Which rights of what students?

Unless she is chaining the doors in a manner that locks you in -- as opposed to only locking other people out -- this isn't any more of a safety hazard than the latch on the toilet stall that you engage to lock people out while you're taking a shit. Answer #4: No legal issue here.  It is entirely governed by your school policy.  Take it up with the department chair or dean or whoever is in charge.  However, I doubt you will get anywhere.  This is a very reasonable policy to prevent latecomers from disrupting class, and does not create any safety issues (like locking students *in* would create).Answer #5: Locking people out is very likely legal.  And unless locking the doors prevents people from leaving this is going to be pretty irrelevant in terms of safety.  I also wouldn’t even begin to call this unethical.  Welcome to the real world.  There are consequences for being late.

If you have a complaint about this you would take this up with your advisor, the dean, or whoever else at the university you can get to listen.  I’m sure they get a handful of freshman that feel the same way every year and i doubt they take it seriously.


Title: Kid at my school purposely broke my laptop, what do I do?

Question: I live in NY. I am in high school, and my school has a bring your own device policy that allows students to bring their own laptops and tablets. This kid today, who I am sort of friends with, picked up my bag and said "I hope theirs nothing valuable in here" and then dropped it on the ground. I just found out when I got home that the laptop is completely broken, the screen, keyboard, chassis, body, etc. are all smashed in and shattered. This is a Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro which cost me $1300. I am furious and do not know what to do. No phone number to my school is currently being answered (it is Friday). What do I do?

Answer: The school did nothing wrong, so I don't know why you're trying to contact them unless they somehow provided insurance for your machine.  You need to contact your sort-of-friend and let them know what they did.  If he won't pay, then you can sue him for the value of the machine (which is less than $1300 since it was used).  Hopefully his parents' homeowners insurance will foot the bill.Answer #2: Tell your parents.


Title: Locksmith Issue - Company or Tradesman Responsible?

Question:
Hi Reddit,

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read, advice appreciated.  Location is England.

Found a locksmith company online to come out and replace a lock on my tenant's door. The website says the company has an experienced, qualified team of locksmiths (relevant later). When I phoned the locksmith company, the guy who answered the phone quoted me a fixed price, and said they would send someone out.

I was not on site at the time, however that evening the locksmith calls to say the job is complete and he cannot leave the site without payment.  I call the tenant and he confirms the lock has been changed and he has a new set of keys, so I pay the locksmith over the phone.

Long story short, a week later, I go out and take a look, and it turns out that what was requested was not installed (a cheap lock has been installed, not a 5 lever as requested), and also the tenant tells me the latch doesn't work and it blows open in the wind.

Called the locksmith company to send someone out to replace the lock. The company says it will not, because our issue is with the locksmith, not them. I say this is not the case, I called them directly, they quoted the price, and they sent out a locksmith to do the work.  The locksmith company say they are a booking service only (?). This is news to me, as the website refers in a number of places to 'our team of locksmiths...'.

Who is responsible here? Should the locksmith company send out someone to repair the work, or do I have to find the actual locksmith that did the work?


Title: (IN) Parents aren't together, dad hasn't been paying child support. Can I sue him for that?

Question:
(Unsure if this is the proper flair)

Location: Indiana

My mom and dad had me when they were in their teens. They didn't stay together, but they have split custody of me.

My dad was supposed to be paying child support, but as far as I'm aware, he never has (except one brief period, more on that in a moment).

Despite them having spilt custody, I have not actually seen my dad in years (when I'm supposed to be with him I'm with my aunt/grandparents on his side). He completely dipped and ended up making a massive mess of his life. He got addicted to drugs and was in and out of jail for various reasons.

Either while he was in jail or in the hospital (I'm unsure which) child support he was supposed to be paying was automatically deducted from his disability payments and sent to my mom. He tried taking her to court because he believed he paid too much (it was only like a couple hundred, if that). He didn't have a leg to stand on and his case didn't go anywhere whatsoever.

He is currently in a nursing home because he really fucked himself up with all the drugs and he cannot care for himself.

I was venting about him to a friend, and they said that since he wasn't/hasn't been paying child support, I could sue him for it if I wanted to (I'm a couple months away from trying 18). I talked to my mom about this and she said she didn't want to sue him because even if she/we won we still wouldn't see a cent since he has basically no money whatsoever.

I'm not at all knowledgeable about laws or anything, and trying to look all of this stuff up isn't just as simple as "bam google there ya go". Could I actually be able to sue him for not paying child support? Would it actually be worth doing so at this point? And if I can sue him, and he has no money, then what? What will happen?

Again, sorry if these are dumb questions, I fully admit I know next to nothing about the legal stuff of all of this, hence why I'm asking here. All answers and advice are appreciated.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer: Child support is owed to the Mother raising you, not you. It isn't your action to take.


Title: UT Walmart is alleging theft. Can I demand to see the surveillance footage?

Question: My spouse has been cited for misdemeanor retail theft for tag switching. She has no criminal record. Do we have the right to see the surveillance footage?

Answer:
 No.

If the footage might be relevant to your wife's defence, she and her attorney can seek a subpoena. However, it's likely she'll never get that footage: security camera tapes are often rotated regularly - sometimes daily - as a matter of ordinary policy, in which case the footage wouldn't be available no matter what your wife and her attorney do. Walmart doesn't have a duty to preserve the footage at this point.

If your wife is planning to defend the charges, she should absolutely do so with the help of an attorney.Answer #2: You can demand it, but they don't have to show it to you.

It's going to up to your attorney to subpoena any evidence you need to defend her against the charges.


Title: [New Jersey] my illegal sublet wrecked the AC system in the house and owes me money

Question: Hey y'all, I'm really desperate and have no idea if I have any legal standing against this guy, but this is basically what happened. He was an illegal sublet who constantly threw parties in our basement during the weekends to make money to pay rent (which i didn't know about until a month after he moved in). Usually the parties were fine and not a problem, the house would obviously be a mess and he wouldn't clean but that's not relevant. Basically, he moved in only a month and a half before our lease ended, so I assumed he couldn't cause that much trouble, but obviously I was wrong. Our landlord did the inspection a few days ago and told me the entire ventilation system in the basement was destroyed. Basically, it's a really old house so the HVAC system was just these huge pipes on the ceiling. All of the pipes were on the floor and stepped on/destroyed. I had no idea the pipes were like that nor did I even think to look, which is a bad move on my part I know, but at that point I wanted to not have to deal with this nightmare of a housemate anymore so I didn't even pay attention to it. Two days ago, my landlord told me that the system was gonna cost 4k to reinstall. She said that because the last system was old, they had to completely replace it since HVAC engineers don't even repair that anymore. (apparently) I've been trying to contact this guy for a week now and he hasn't responded to any of my texts or phone calls. I have proof that he threw parties at my house because of witnesses (my housemates, there are 5 of us) and text messages. I also have proof that he knew the responsibility of living there. Oh by the way, he owes me last month's rent money. I was the person responsible for handling utilities and rent in the house. He gave me the cash late since I obviously can't control when my housemates give me rent. But when he gave it to me, a few minutes after he said he had an emergency and needed the money. Like the idiot I was, I gave it back to him, while my landlord already took the money out of my bank account. (i paid with checks) He hasn't paid me that rent money back either. I have his full name and know the city he lives in and the frat he's affiliated with, but other than that, I know nothing else. Sorry if this is written terribly, I just really don't know what to do right now. If there's any way I can take him to court, even if he is an illegal sublet, please let me know or give me some advice. Thanks.

Answer: You are not a victim here. You illegally rented the basement and knew, or should have known, what he was doing. You are 100% responsible for the HVAC and will probably never see a dime from your illegal tenant .


Title: If I had Jesus's ability to turn water to wine, would it be illegal for me to do that in say a bar or restaurant?

Answer: Depends on the state. Some states criminalize the manufacturing of alcohol without a permit. Answer #2: Might have to pay a corkage fee.


Title: Girlfriend's dad is a serial cheater and abuser. Mom is too afraid to cut him loose.

Question:
Hey all. My girlfriend is the best person I've ever met. Period. However, As the title suggests, her dad has cheated on her mother for the 11th time. (Yup, you read that right.) He literally got caught AGAIN last night. The main reason her mom hasn't left his sorry ass is because he's the sole breadwinner. And a good one at that.

My girlfriend has 5 siblings and they're living in a massive house and literally bought a new one. Both her parents are arabic, but living in the States. As far as i know, her mom puts up with his shit because divorce is a big no no in Arabic families. (Can confirm. My dad is arabic and I've had an amazing relationship with my arabic family until i decided to side with my mother because my dad is an abusive prick. Thats a story for another day though.)

Not only does her mother not want to lose face, but she's obviously financially dependant on him. She has tried to lawyer up before and he retaliated by destroying a whole closet full of her clothing and emptying out the joint back account. According to my girlfriend, her mother can stay at my girlfriend's aunt's place, so a place to sleep shouldnt post that big of a problem if necessary.

Sadly, her father is a real asshole. He has physically abused his wife AND children. Not to mention extreme verbal abuse. This causes her mom to lash out at her for the tiniest things, even though my girlfriend is a full-time college student, does chores around the house and literally does anything her parents ask (a.k.a. demand) of her.

Im getting sick of hearing my girlfriend being screamed at and being belittled by both of her parents. The mother needs to end things, but how? How does she build a proper case?

Happy to provide any information needed.
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 > The mother needs to end things, but how?

By filing for divorce.


Title: [Canada] Someone pee'd on my roommates' things, anything he can do?

Question: A charming lad decided to relieve himself into the plant pot, dresser, shoes, rugs, and floor of my roommate. Wondering if theres any way about getting legal recourse?

Answer: Sure. Your roommate can sue the "charming lad" for his damages (e.g. the costs required to clean and/or replace those things) in small claims court.


Title: How do I proceed with a "no doubt about it" rear-end accident in a "no fault" state?

Question: I was stopped in traffic, a police cruiser behind me was also stopped, but the officer driving was not paying attention and accelerated into the back of my car. The accident was clearly 100% his fault, he seemed to take full responsibility to me. However, I am in a "no fault" state for car insurance; my vehicle is an out-of-state vehicle with insurance, from a state that is NOT a "no fault state". The accident was clearly no fault of my own, but what do I do now? My mom told me to contact his insurance to file a 3rd party claim but must I also contact mine?

Answer:
 No, you contact **your** insurance.

Then your insurance will contact the other car's insurance. You won't have anything to do with that process.


Title: texas

Question: a while ago, on the campus of a major university, a man, who was not a student, walked naked into my dorm room and laid in bed with me and sexually assaulted me. can i sue the university for failing to secure the dorm residences ? I have been traumatized by this incident, and was unable to finish my coursework, and had to seek counseling since.

Answer:
 Was the man related in any way to the university or was he visiting someone else or who was he?

Dod you know how he got in? I assume the doors of your dorm building lock but I also assume someone could have just let him in is that right?

If you want to sue the school successfully, you'll need an argument that the school did something wrong, or should have done something differently, that they were negligent or careless in some way.  Like failing to have locks on the doors, or not fixing a known broken lock, or not having security guards when they needed security guards, or something like that.

Feel free to talk to a local lawyer about whether you have a claim.


Title: Does being on probation mean that I am a walking search warrant and anywhere I go is a "second residence"?

Question:
So, I am on probation again, for the first time since 2003, and it has been hard getting back on my feet. I am located in California.

On Halloween, the officers called me and wanted to know where I was going to be at. I told them that I was staying at a girl's house, who I have been dating. They showed up and knocked on the door, and tried to push their way into the house. When I told them was not aware that they could search anybody's house, and would not have stayed there had I known their intention was to search it, and told them it wasn't my house, they asked her if they could search it. She told them she would prefer that they didn't, and they didn't try to push the issue.

The next day they showed up again, this time to drug test me. I met them at the door, since the girl was gone at work, and they told me that I had the choice of letting them into the house to search it, or they were taking me to jail. So, not wanting to go to jail, I let them in.

They are now violating me for not letting them in the house, when actually, I never said they couldn't, and my girl said she would prefer them not to. I do not live at the house, and do not have any clothes or belongings there other than an over night bag I brought. I am just trying to figure out how far the law lets them go. I work construction, and I am let into people's house's all the time. With this kind of reasoning, can they search a client's house that I am working on just because I decided to stay the night there? Am I a walking search warrant that where ever I go, they can just come in and search and call it "a second residence" which is what they are calling the house I was staying at.

Having trouble finding answers to this online. Most everyone asks questions about roommates, shared living, or places which were previously the residence of the person. This pertains to houses which I have no connection to other than the fact I know the person who lives there.

Also, if there are any specific law codes I can look up to answer this, I would appreciate any names or links to those. Thanks.

Answer:
 Your person, your home, and your property may be searched at any time, day or night, without a warrant.  That means if you are staying over at a girlfriend's house, law enforcement are allowed to search you and your property (backpack, overnight bag, etc).  They are not allowed to search her property.

The law allows law enforcement to search a residence even if you are living there temporarily but there is no hard and fast rule on how to determine "temporary".  If you are there for one night I would not interpret it as temporary.

This next portion is untested as far as I know:  A law enforcement officer has the right to search property under your control.  If you are staying there overnight then they have the right to search any bags that you own or have control over.  They need to enter the home to retrieve those bags since they will not let you go in and get them, possibly sanitizing them of contraband.  Any contraband they see in plain view during that trip to the bedroom would, IMO, fall under plain view doctrine but I can see it going either way.

Edit:  For more information read page 19-26 of the following link (PDF warning)

http://le.alcoda.org/publications/point_of_view/files/probation_searches.pdf


Title: Massachusetts Brady List [MA]

Question: I have exhausted my search on a compiled Brady List for departments/officers in Massachusetts... is there a way for citizens to get their hands on this list?  Is there a specific department or individual in the MA court system to subpoena the list from, or is this more of an "off record" item?

Answer:
 > I have exhausted my search on a compiled Brady List for departments/officers in Massachusetts... is there a way for citizens to get their hands on this list?

There's no real 'list', as maintained by a central authority or anything.  A local prosecutor's office or police agency may keep a list for internal purposes, but that's generally not available to the public.


Title: Fraudulent change of address on credit card question. I have their address now.

Question:
I received a letter in the mail approving my "address change" for my TD Bank credit card. It went from my correct address to an address two towns over, including their apartment number.

I called the bank immediately. She said on 8/14 the fraudsters had submitted an electronic secure message asking to change my address, phone number and email. They processed it. I got a letter in the mail at my correct address, weirdly, but saw NOTHING online through my online banking about it.

TD Bank would NOT disclose what email or phone number the fraudsters had changed it to on 8/14. But had I logged into my account online that day, I would have had access to that info. TD Bank just happened to change it back when I called them on Saturday night saying I hadn't changed my address.

They stated I was a victim of identity theft and to call the police, file a report, call credit bureaus etc. Police said "there is little to no chance we will catch this person, you know that right?" and asked me to get the IP address from the bank.

I googled the address that my address was changed to. I found a woman and husband living there for ~4 years. I have their names and info and everything. TD Bank says they can't get the IP address of the message fraudsters sent on 8/14. I don't know how true that is.

My apartment was robbed in May and I wonder if they stole my info then. I live in Boston, MA. I could drive to their house in 20 minutes, but obviously that is not wise.

What can I do now? Bank is saying to just buy LifeLock and Police are giving up basically. Although there weren't any charges on my card (I caught this within a few days,) they still illegally accessed my online banking and changed my information.

It is still uncertain if the post office has a note forwarding my address, I am checking that now.

Do I have any standing at this moment or is it literally just "put to rest, justice will not be served unless they do something catastrophically stupid."

Answer:
 Change ALL your passwords, not just for the bank. Use multi-factor authentication whenever possible.

Skip LifeLock and freeze your credit reports instead. This prevents anyone from getting access to your data. If someone tries to pull a report (such as when opening a new line of credit in your name), they will be unable to until you call the credit reporting agency and un-freeze it. It's free to freeze, and un-freezing usually costs in the neighborhood of $5 - $15.

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0497-credit-freeze-faqs


Title: Florida- Shall I fight the ticket (ticket contains errors)- 316.189(1)

Question:
Maybe I'm nitpicking but, the errors are:

 my address (city) is incorrect (don't know how cop got it wrong, it's in my license)

Race (says W, I'm asian), or maybe W means asian? doubt it.. also hard to mistake me to be white

Car style: 2D (2 doors? It's a sedan, 4 doors)

Also: The cop was cool, citing me for 9 over, when I was doing 15 over. Just noticed he didn't check the "interstate" box when the location was on the interstate (says so in the ticket). Lastly, he wrote I was driving in front of him and caught me by the front radar (motorcycle cop).

So is there anything here that would help me in any way? Even just a reduction in fines? The only reason I was speeding was because I always do 70 in that 55, and so do most of the people who are on the left lane and many even go faster, but I realize that's not really a defense.

Answer: Clerical errors of this nature don't invalidate a ticket. They can just correct the errors.


Title: Being sued by previous Landlord Options?

Question:
Hello People.

**Background**
I broke a lease that I signed in August of last year. The lease was for one year so it would be over in August this year. I moved out without notice in January.

The reason I left was because the conditions I was living in were not the conditions that I agreed to be living in. The two roommates I had were extremely messy. Leaving crap in the main areas of the house. They also brought home 2 cats one day. The litterbox for these cats was next to my room so it constantly smelled like shit. At one point I actually stepped in cat shit. I am also reactive to cats as I used to have asthma.

Anyway, the house was going to shit and I had to get out of there. On my lease I never gave my permanent address nor my driver's license or social security. Only a phone number and a signature.

The landlord just left a message for me and said that he is going to be filing a lawsuit. He said that since he had a policy of $10 every day late on rent that I would have accrued somewhere like $7000 to pay.

The thing is... I have nothing. I have no money in the bank, no assets owned by me. I'm living with family who pays for everything.

I am located in Kansas

What are my options? What should I do?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Let me know if you need anymore information.

Thanks!

Answer:
 Sounds like you never terminated your lease (and you probably couldn't even if you tried) so you owe your landlord the rent until the end of the contract. The late fees sound fishy unless specified by the contract.

I would trying arranging a payment plan with him. If you have nothing, he wouldn't gain much with a lawsuit so you may have some leverage.


Title: Domestic Violence/4th degree assault

Question:
I got drunk and acted like a complete fool. I tried to fight my father. The cops were called and I was charged with assault 4th. I spent the day in jail, I have court on Monday.

My question is - will I do time? Do these sort of charges usually involve jail time? Is there anything I need to know?

EDIT: I live in Kentucky.

Answer: These are all things you should be asking your lawyer. If you don't have a lawyer, hire one who practices in the city/county you are being charged with. They'll know the local judges and prosecutors, and will be able to give you the best guess as to how this will shake out. Also, seek help for your drinking. Not only will that look good to a jury/prosecutor/judge, it'll help you out personally.


Title: Grandmother is being financially abused by my Aunt. Need advice on steps to take.

Question: My grandmother called me and told me since moving in with my Aunt a few months back she has changed everything to FL and had put all of my grandmothers money in her account via direct deposit and told SS that she has dementia. I can assure you she does not have dementia and is begging me to help but I’ve never been in this situation before and don’t know where to start. I don’t know the laws or regulations regarding Social Security or “elder abuse”. She sent my grandmother to visit my sister in a different state and has cut off all contact with her and disconnected her phone and won’t answer to anyone and my grandmother needs her medicine and money to buy medicine for seizures l. Any and all advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.

Answer:
 FL has very strong protections for the elderly.   Please call Adult Protective Services ASAP to get her some help.

# Adult Protective Services

## REPORT ADULT ABUSE - IT’S A CRIME!Call: 1-800-962-2873 | Online at: [ReportAbuse.dcf.state.fl.us](https://reportabuse.dcf.state.fl.us/)

**MISSION**: We are dedicated to protecting vulnerable adults from further abuse, neglect, exploitation, or self-neglect and enabling adults with disabilities to remain in the community.

**Florida law requires the reporting of known or suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, or self-neglect of vulnerable adults (elderly or disabled). the Florida Abuse Hotline receives reports 24 hours a day. call 1-800-962-2873 or 1-800-96-ABUSE. report online at** [**https://reportabuse.dcf.state.fl.us**](https://reportabuse.dcf.state.fl.us/)**. If you suspect or know of a vulnerable adult in immediate danger, call 911**.


Title: Can I break a lease because my neighbor threatened me with a knife?

Question: I just moved into my house in West Virginia three weeks ago and my neighbor is a decorated Vietnam era Marine Sniper. It was soon obvious that he was unstable because he stays up at night loudly random war like phrases on his front porch. Things like "ALLEGHENY APPALACHIA", "I CONCUR,  KILL EM ALL", and "ONE SHOT, ONE KILL". I actually have a video of this and if anyone needs to see it I can share it. Well last night he called me over to his house and asked me if I hated Jews, of course I said no and he asked me if I served Saran or the risen Christ, I told him neither and that I hope I didn't offend him. He got quiet for a few seconds then said that I would know if I offended him because I would hear a whoosh sound and that would be all. He offered me a beer and I left. Later that night, me, my wife and her girlfriend were in our back yard chatting when he showed up from around the corner wearing a flak jacket and sweat pants. He started to accuse my wife's friend of hating Jews and talking about Jesus then he quickly turned to me and pulled out a knife while shoving me against a fence, he stayed pretty close, then said he was joking. I told him he couldn't do that and he really blew up screaming that I had fear and fear was of Satan and he's a hessian priest and will drive out Satan. I'm at the magistrates office now filing a ppo and then on to press charges. My landlord says that we can't break the lease yet until something happens and he put up some no trespassing signs. We have a child and don't want to go back there though. We are currently staying at a friends. Can we legally get out of the lease or are we stuck? Thanks!

Answer:
 Report him to the police for battery or assault...because that's why policemenofficers exist. To investigate crimes, and arrest (or cite) those who commit them.

No, this is not your landlords fault.


Title: Is Eddie Craig's traffic stop script going to get me out of a traffic stop?

Question:
I came across this guy online, what he has to say is interesting but does it hold any water in Texas?

This is his site http://www.fraudstoppers.org/transportation-stop-action-script/

Answer: No, not at all, but it will guarantee you won't be cut a single break.  You won't get a warning or be cited for a lesser offense, and the officer doesn't have to answer a single one of your idiotic questions.Answer #2: This is crap.  Some of it is wrong and some of it will get you arrested. Treat the officer how you want to be treated but otherwise don't incriminate yourself.


Title: CPS issue with school

Question:
I like in Pennsylvania, my 6 year old son has severe ADHD because of that he goes to an alternative school. They give him his medicine there and I've filled out many papers on his meds and his doctor's information if they need it, so they are aware of everything. His medicine has a side effect of bruising easily. He is an active boy who is accident prone, he has come home numerous times bandaged up from falling at recess.

Today I got a letter in the mail saying I was having a CPS home visit today (in less than 2 hours) apparently the school called CPS because of bruises on him. Awhile ago they had called their county CPS (I live in a different one than the school) and they came out and took pictures of him. All this happened without anyone telling me anything no notes no phone calls nothing. Is that legal? I feel I should have been informed that they came out interviewed my child and took pictures.
Topic:
CPS and Dependency Law

Answer:
 > Is that legal?

Yes.

>  I feel I should have been informed that they came out interviewed my child and took pictures.

And you are being notified. Now.

Schools are full of mandatory reporters. They are required to call under certain circumstances.


Title: Cancelled gym member threatening to sue. (MI)

Question:
Hello all, I am currently a manager at an independent gym in Michigan. We cancelled a members membership (which was technically free as their insurance company paid for the membership) and now they are threatening to sue us because “we cannot just do that”.

As for a little background on the situation:
The member has a history of aggressive behaviors towards staff which include yelling, insults, rude comments and other aberrant behaviors. We decided to finally cancel this member as he forcefully grabbed an employees arm during an argument over changing the tv channel.  We have this specific incident on film. The employee does not wish to press charges.

This morning, I called non-emergency to local authorities to have an officer present for safety and notified the member of the cancellation and why (as stated above). The member is now arguing that he is going to sue because the employee wasn’t willing to help him and that because we gave no warning we will hear from his lawyer. Our membership agreements do have sections outlining rules on yelling and harassment.

So does this member really have an basis to try and take legal action against either the business or employee? I am especially concerned because their membership is paid for via Medicare/insurance.

Answer:
 People can sue for pretty much anything.

People threaten to sue all the time. But rarely do.

So just wait and see what happens. Keep your documentation for yearsAnswer #2: No attorney is going to take their case.  If they did, it would be an extremely embarrassing session in court for them.  There's a good chance that the former member is pressuring you because they don't want to have to explain to their insurance why they aren't attending your gym anymore.

On a side note, there are dozens of threads here of people begging and pleading for help getting their gym memberships cancelled.  Who knew that assaulting a gym employee was the easiest way to make that happen?

^(for reals, though, don't assault gym employees)Answer #3: “I’m gonna sue you” = you’re done talking to this person. Either refer them to your attorney or wait till you’re served (you’re unlikely to be served)

Unless you had the nicest gym contract in the world that had terms requiring you to follow a process to end membership, and you did not follow it, you have no obligation to do business with someone you don’t want to. Answer #4: Many people threaten to sue, very few do.

No need to worry until and unless you are served legal papers.

At that time, retain legal counsel and follow their advice.

Of course, preserve all documentation on this matter, and I would suggest that you stop communicating with the disgruntled former customer since they threatened legal action already. If they contact you, send them a brief note saying that since they threatened legal action, any further communication should be send to your legal counsel.


Title: [TX] Notary Protest

Question: Just looking for any experiences anyone would like to share about a notary protest. I was asked to protest a negotiable instrument, but I can't find much detail about the process of a protest other than the short mention in [TX Government Code 406.016](http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/GV/htm/GV.406.htm) but feel obligated to learn more as it is part of my duties. A quick Google search has limited results,  and some warnings about getting caught in scams. Just want to be safe, but also uphold my oath of office. I would appreciate any information or references anyone could provide, thanks in advance.

Answer:
 this is a sovereign citizen thing. do NOT get involved.

the signatory is trying to pass a fraudulent or meaningless check to clear some debt he owes and he's trying to get your imprimatur as a notary so he can challenge whoever rejected it.

but it's nonsense. the check or instrument is invalid or unacceptable or obviously not backed by funds and it was rejected for good reason.  so there is no grounds for a protest.

it technically shouldn't compromise your license. so long as you witness the signature and whatever oath the signatory cares to make.

but the whole thing is, at best, meaningless. at worst fraudulent.  and as an officer of the court, you shouldn't permit it.

if you want to nonetheless help this trickster, demand that the signatory demonstrate to you that he has _traditional_ liquid funds in the amount of any check or promissory note or instrument that he wants you to have anything to do with.


Title: Unfairly terminated from my job after someone posted fake screenshots of me dissing corporate online. Do I have any power here?

Question:
**Tl;Dr** Fired over fake screenshots sent to my boss by a douche who has beef with my friend.  I know I can't do anything to my employer, but can I do anything to the guy?

*Posted in r/Jobs asking how to word the reasoning for my termination without screwing myself over.  I didn't really get an answer, but I was told to come here and get advice.  So...Here I am.  Advice me.*

.

I was fired from my job on October 18th.

.

**For Context:**

* I worked there for 7 months.
* I never (not even once) called off, came in late, no-show'ed, nor got any form of write up or verbal warning.
* I was a well-liked and valued employee (praised almost all the time) due to the fact that I gave more than I had to at work and actually was willing to take the position.

It was third shift and they had been trying to fill this position for over a year.  There are two employees for this position.  If one person isn't working, the other is.  It is nearly impossible to call off work, and since it's third shift, you cannot leave early for any reason because there is no one to take over.  You are the only person in the building.  The second employee had been wanting to switch to first shift for a while, so they were still trying to find another person to fill her position even after I was hired.  I saw many, many people come and go.  None of the hires lasted longer than a week.

In short, no one wants this job and by firing me, they're honestly shooting themselves in the foot.  They're extremely short-staffed as is.

.

(I had requested the 18th through the 21st off a month prior in order to visit my fiance in Canada.  My request was approved.  My cell phone plan does not offer service in Canada.  This is relevant to to my termination notice.)

When I finished my shift (8AM, 18th) everything was perfectly fine.  I left work, slept, and woke up at 2PM.  When I checked my phone, I had a text from my supervisor.  He said:

.

> "I'm not sure what you did but [REGIONAL MANAGER] says he saw this on our [COMPANY] Facebook page which came from your public Twitter page where you said F7:$#:^ [COMPANY CHAIN] and all they stand for and he stated in no uncertain terms will this be tolerated for any reason and I'm sorry but we have to let you go, there is nothing I can do I tried but he says that is a huge No-No especially since now the whole public knows sorry"

Attached were two low quality screenshots of screenshots (like, when you take a screenshot of something on your phone? He did that OF the screenshots he was sent, and then printed them off, and took a picture on his phone of that.  They were cropped really poorly and just looked like hot garbage.)

The first image was of a Facebook message that was sent to them - privately, mind you.  It is, as I mentioned, cropped poorly so I am unable to transcribe it here, but this is what is legible:

> ....She had quite a lot to say about [COMPANY CHAIN] and [COMPANY] both in private and on her public Twitter account.  She often spoke badly of the [COMPANY], shared probably 30 stories of mocking guests/closing up/calling people in the pool idiots, and then what's on her Twitter is self-explanatory.  I didn't think much of it but after she exhibited similar behavior to myself and receiving complaints on my chat server, I decided to look harder into it and discovered these messages that I hadn't seen before.  She was rude to me recently which threw me over the edge. Consider it's all backed up with proof, it's not an attempt at defamation but rather a very valid concern.  Thank you.

The top of this message is cropped in such a way that I can see that something else was said above it, but I cannot see what it is.  I am able to see the profile image of the person who submitted the complaint, however, and it is someone that I know.  This individual is someone I have spoken to once or twice.  I'm not exactly a fan of this guy, but we don't talk enough to be "enemies" as he's trying to make me out to be.  Honestly, we don't talk at all.  The last time I spoke to him prior to this incident was at least 3 months ago.

This person is someone who has a personal issue with a close friend of mine.  Apparently she attacked a website he owns? (Small, basically unused, under 100 members forum site for an obscure video game.)  By "attacked" I mean he made her a moderator, treated her poorly, and in response, she deleted everything (which wasn't much) from the site and changed his profile picture to Hitler propaganda.

For whatever reason, he is convinced that I'm involved and has been sending people to harass me and has doxed me and posted my personal info online.  I am aware that he has gone into his site's database to get my personal email address in order to find my other social media profiles.  He released my full name (this was a community where people went by usernames and didn't share our name), my email, my hometown, and links to all my social media and instructed his community to "have fun" with it.

(The doxing and much of the drama occurred on a chat platform called Discord, in case that becomes relevant.)

The images attached beneath the chat are almost too small to read.
The first one is a Twitter screenshot that includes my username but not my profile picture, and a cropped image of what appears to be the Wikipedia entry for "Justifiable Homicide", captioned "How to deal with a difficult guest".  My Twitter account is private, first of all, so even if this WAS on it - it's not - there's no way he'd have even been able to see it.  I have very few followers and use Twitter primarily for posting artwork.

The second image is a Discord private chat log screenshot of a small portion of a conversation between myself and the friend he has drama with.  My username has been edited to my real name, which it NEVER was in the server this occurred in.  It contains some disgruntled complaints about a difficult night at work, but nothing terrible or over the top.  And either way, it's a private message that was edited.  If my name hadn't been edited onto it, there is no way anyone would have any idea who said it.  It'd just be a faceless person complaining about a company PRIVATELY.

.

I explained to my boss that I didn't post anything about the company online and that I've been having issues with the person who contacted them stalking me.  He did not care.  I requested a phone call or an in-person exit interview offering proof of the stalking and access to my Twitter, but was denied both because they were "too busy".

They fired me by TEXT.

.

I am now without any form of income and will have a difficult time finding a job that pays more than bare minimum wage (which isn't even remotely livable in Pennsylvania...it's $7.25) because now I have it on my name that I was fired for public defamation of an employer, even though I didn't.

This guy has taken literally everything I have from me and I don't know what to do, or if I even CAN do anything.  Thoughts?

Answer: He is allowed to fire you for something like that. You can file for unemployment.


Title: My boss told me I can't bring a backpack in

Question: So I work at a restraunt as a barback/ busser and today I came in with my backpack. I put it in the cabinet that all the servers put their purses at and at the end of the night as I was taking it out to leave the owner said no backpacks allowed. I asked him why servers get to bring their purses in and I'm not allowed a backpack and he said it's just the rules. I said that's not fair/kinda sexist and he said no backpacks or I'll be fired. Is this even legal? I don't have anything that would save my life in the pack but it has alot of stuff I could really use on the go. I'm from Michigan and I can put up an inventory of what's in the bag if needed. I would let him search my pack everytime I come in but he disagreed. I feel like I have no say in the situation but it's very frustrating since I've never had this issue with any other job I've had

Answer: If female employees aren't allowed to bring backpacks either, it's not a sexist rule. It's just a backpack rule.


Title: [TN] My boss originally said I could go vote today. Today when I got to work HR said I no longer can.

Question: In my employee handbook (which they just revised and put into effect yesterday!) it states employees can take up to three hours off to go vote. I have no other time when I can go, so I asked my boss and she said yes. Today, the HR lady had a fit about it and now I can’t go. This is illegal, right? In TN I believe it’s the law to allow employees this time. What are my options?

Answer:
 The TN voting statute is as follows:

>Tennessee law requires employers to provide employees with a reasonable amount of paid time off to vote up to three (3) hours. To be eligible, an employee:

>must not have three (3) or more hours before their shift begins or after their shift ends in which to vote while polls are open,
>and
>request the paid voting leave by twelve o’clock (12:00) noon on the day prior to the vote or election.

The polls are open from 7A to 7P. If you meet the qualifications then the HR lady is dead wrong. Answer #2: Find the spot in the handbook and law of applicable. If your boss has your back it should be pretty easy to tell em to fuck off. If not you can either not vote and aquire proof of denial and file against them, or go vote and cite the law/handbook if they try to punish you.

Key: always get stuff in writing. CYAAnswer #3: What hours are you working today?


Title: Neighbor saying my asphalt driveway is causing oil slick on her pond.

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Yes, asphalt will definitely create oil runoff. Answer #2: I'm not sure, and this could be bad advice, but:

I'd try to put up barriers to more oil getting into the pond. I believe your fisheries department and EPA can be quite hostile to water and habitat contamination.

This should be your number one priority.

Second priority should be cleaning the surface slick.

Third priority should be kissing the @#$ of your neighbors so you avoid an anonymous tip to fisheries/EPA.

Fourth priority is to investigate options wrt the company that did the surfacing on your driveway.Answer #3: Not a lawer but ex barber. Go to as many hair cutting places as you can and request hair (it's usually free). Stuff it in pantyhose and line your driveway with the tubes of hair. It makes a good barrier for oils, and was used to clean the gulf coast spills.


Title: What's the legality of hitting someone because they called you a [insert offensive slur here] MN

Question:
I've seen a few videos with this basic premise: white man is arguing with a black man, usually very close to the black man's face and calls him a nigger. Black man then proceeds to punch the white man.

What does the law say here? I'm curious, since once a man rose his hand like he was going to strike me and called me a faggot. I calmly asked if his intention was to fight, and he walked away (I think he really just wanted to intimate me. He didn't). I always wondered if it would have been justified to have hit him instead.

Answer:
 It is not legal to hit someone for saying mean or offensive things to you. You can respond to violence with proportional measures, so if they attempt to strike you, you can defend yourself up proportionally and to the minimum extent necessary to escape the situation.

For some context, offensive speech and trying to incite legal issues for lawsuits is how the Westboro Baptist Church successfully earns quite a bit of money.


Title: Was made to sign over inheritance to Dad, what can be done to get (all/some) of it back?

Question:
Hi,

I have a friend who has been very conflicted recently. She was under the impression that she had a savings account in her name at her bank to which her Mum put her savings into before she died years ago. Around my friends early teens.

Anyway, she's looking to move to London sometime soon and mentioned to her father that she's ready to take some money out to help with the move. But her father mentioned that when she was younger, she legally signed the money over to him, which apparently he has now invested and cannot be collected.

She feels something is wrong here and is curious to know (however unlikely) if she could do something to find out if wrong doings were made and if there'd be a possibility to claim some money back?

I understand if this sounds stupid, but it does hurt to ask lol

Thanks :)

Answer: Try r/legaladviceUK


Title: Someone tried to give my brother drugs

Question: I live in Virginia if that matters. We were getting pizza Little Caesar's and, when he was alone, my brother was approached by an employee. "Would you like some jelly beans?" he asked, brandishing a ziplock bag filled with various "flesh-colored jelly beans, covered in white powder" according to my brother. My father and I didn't actually see it happen. Is there any legal action we can take with my brother as the only witness and no actual distribution of drugs? Maybe other people could testify if this has happened to them before as well.

Answer:
 Is it possible that they were jelly beans? Most people don't give away drugs for free, especially at their place of employment.

You could contact the police, but it's likely that nothing would come of it. You could also contact the manager of the Little Caesar's, but ensure that you only describe what happened. Don't claim "he tried to give him drugs", you'll want to keep to the facts. However, it may be best to just move on.


Title: [Colorado] Employer took the cost of a loaf of bread out of my paycheck. Is that legal?

Question:
I work for min wage ($9.30 in CO) + tips at a local sandwich shop. Last pay period on a super busy day, I popped a loaf of frozen sliced bread in the oven for a minute when we ran out thinking it'd speed things along but it just ruined the bread.

Then today, I get my check and see that it has a little note on it "-$4 for bread". My boss is a penny pincher and said something along the lines of "that's four dollars, homie" when it happened but I thought he was just getting on to me about food costs. I definitely didn't agree to pay for it.

I glanced at some websites, but they were either too legalese for me to understand or didn't look official enough for my taste. However, a few of them seemed to imply minimum wage playing a factor in whether the employer can take wages out. How does that factor in with me getting payed partially in tips and the fact that I live in a state with a min wage higher than the federal minimum?

Answer: He can't take it out of your salary. His only recourse is to terminate you.


Title: Paedophile "extortion" - is this legal?

Question:
Hi everyone, I am new to this sub so be gentle!

Anyways, I was wondering if this scam(?) is illegal in any way, and how so.

There are many online chatrooms specifically for younger teens to use, and, unsurprisingly, these places have become hotspots for paedophiles intending to prey on these unsuspecting youngsters.

Is it wrong to:

(a) Impersonate a youngster, which usually amounts to stating I am "15 f ohio" in chat

(b) Track the paedophile's IP address and rough location (e.g. Maryland) via Skype - no hacking required - it's all public info

(c) Claim via Skype to the paedophile that I have his IP address and rough location, and that if he does not pay me via Paypal I will report the information I have to the local police. I do not take any photos or video recordings of the said paedophile.

Are these actions breaching any impersonation, blackmail, defamation, extortion laws in any kind of way? I could foresee that it may mess up the efforts of actual paedophile hunters, but that is about it.

It's a bit of a strange question; I'd love to hear your replies

Answer:
 >Are these actions breaching any impersonation, blackmail, defamation, extortion laws in any kind of way?

Yes, of course. Don't do this. It is illegal and potentially dangerous. Answer #2: Literally the dictionary definition of extortion. Answer #3: Yes, that’s extortion and illegal.

It’s also morally wrong and a stupidly bad idea. Answer #4: Yes sir troll, extortion is not legal. This is pretty much the dictionary definition.


Title: Florida. Maintenance Man has shady past.

Question:
My girlfriend is on the lease and I am not. We are in an apartment complex. The maintenance guy has weird nuances about him. In the first month that my girlfriend move in here, he walked in the apartment without prior consent to perform a non-emergency task. He didn't even knock so my girlfriend walked out of the shower to a strange man in her kitchen. We agreed that one of us(preferably me) be home for future work orders.

We had a work order fulfilled on Dec. 28 and he didn't bother calling me as per the instructions so conveniently, I was not on the premises. This pissed of my girlfriend and she sent an email listing all of the aforementioned events to management that night. Also, my girlfriend looked him up on Google and found mugshots from 4 different arrests from the past 10 years. The most recent one is from a country in Tennessee in 2014. All of the records have been removed or sealed here in Florida and the one in Tennessee. However, there was one court record manifest of that same county that listed him under the robbery section a list of other names. While there isn't a social security number or a picture attached to the list, the date of the mug shot and the date of that county court list match. Also, the first, middle, and last name match from the mugshot and the county court list.

Today, he called her at work from the management office phone and left a voicemail asking her to call back. I called management and asked why he was calling her when there wasn't a work order to be fulfilled and there wasn't an email for sweeping repairs for the entire apartment. They told me they couldn't discuss it with me since I am not on the lease. She called management and they said they would get back to her once they tracked down the maintenance guy. They admitted that they do not know why he would contact her. He talked to her over the phone and said he needed to come in again today to fix the spray nozzle on the kitchen sink. He saw it when he was in there on December 28th. We did not ask for it and it is not an emergency repair. She told him we would place in a work order for things that actually needed to be fixed when we have the time. She explicitly told him not to come in today. Now here I sit in the apartment wondering if he will actually show up or honor her verbal request.

Questions:
1) Can someone legally be allowed to work as a maintenance person if they have been listed in a court document for robbery? It was one year ago in the month of September.
2) Can we break the lease on grounds of the questionable history of their maintenance person?

My girlfriend says she doesn't want to get the guy fired. We both feel he would retaliate if he was fired and he clearly knows where we live.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 >1) Can someone legally be allowed to work as a maintenance person if they have been listed in a court document for robbery?

Yes.  "maintenance person" isn't exactly a state licensed position.

> 2) Can we break the lease on grounds of the questionable history of their maintenance person?

No


Title: This dude wants me to ship sometime to him and pay once he gets it

Question:
So I posted my laptop for sale a few weeks ago , I get a couple of messages about it , then I get a message from this guy (J) . He seemed really interested so I answered to everything he asked and also send him more pictures. J lives in New York and I live in California so he wanted to pay me through a PayPal invoice ( They take the money from his account and then you have to provide a tracking number to get the money ) , we agreed for a 2 day shipping that he would pay for , time passes , I ship it , enter the tracking code , I never get my money , I call paypal and they tell me that J canceled the invoice and that no money was taken from his account , so I call him , and then he tells me that he did that so he can pay me earlier because an Invoice takes 24 hrs to process , So I said ok , pay me then , he tells me he that he is waiting for paypal to process his money back to him and it would take 24 hrs . So I wait , then after 24 hrs I talk back to him , he says his wife would get paid from work that day and that he would pay everything off once she gets paid , again I said ok , I call him back at 9pm he tells me that his wife needed to do monthly payments and that he did no longer had the money . I tell him that if he doesn’t pay before 10 am of the next day I would request ups to return the package back to me (yes that is possible) , he then agrees , that he would pay before 10 am . I its 10:05 am and the package is scheduled to be delivered at 2 pm , so I call him and ask him about the payment so I call ups and tell them to not deliver the package and just hold on to it for now , I call him and tell him about it he then proceeds to give me nothing but attitude and excuses , and I asked him straight “J are going to pay or not , as soon as you pay me I will call ups to resume the shipping “ . He then proceeds to tell me that he wanted to have the laptop first and then pay me , so I tell him that that is not how this works and that he needed to pay first . He messages me telling me the same thing , and the proceeds to send me a picture of his drivers license saying that If he tried something I could go with the police , I didn’t answer .
What Can I do ?  Can I at least  make him pay for the shipping?
I have evidence and phone calls from him , that laptop is worth $1200

Answer:
 Don't sell it to him, just move on to someone elseAnswer #2: Why are you wasting so much time with someone obviously trying to scam you? Tell him the deal's off and repost it so you can find someone who isn't a deadbeat to purchase your laptop.Answer #3: You are being scammed. If you can get UPS to get the laptop back, consider yourself lucky, and next time make sure you have the money in hand before the laptop leaves your possession.

You could sue him for the charges, but trying a court case on the other side of the country would cost you more in travel fees than you could hope to collect.Answer #4: His ID is likely fake, recovery your property and consider the shipping a sunk cost.Answer #5: Definitely a scam. Cancel everything. His intention is to receive the laptop and not pay you.Answer #6: Scam, move on.


Title: [MN] My (ex) assistant has been using my images, contract and website/reputation to book paid gigs.

Question:
A woman called me last week asking questions about a photography assistant that I have been working with and mentoring this year. Long story short, this woman revealed to me that my ex assistant (I'll call her XA) had talked up our working relationship, showed them my website, told them that I was in Australia for the summer so I wasn't available/able to speak with them but she is able to work with them in my stead.

XA then gave them a contract which she stole from my system (word for word other than changing my name for hers). The couple was actually able to track me down because XA screwed up in one spot and left my business name in the document. I assume that XA just showed them my site but they never had the URL/remembered the name (or they didn't think to contact me before seeing that error in the contract). XA also double charged them months ago and is refusing any refund, but that's their separate issue.

I've been in touch with this woman and her fiancé since then, and I have a copy of the offending contract. I also have screenshots of XA texting "here are some examples of my recent work so you can get an idea of my style!" and then sending about 10 images that are mine. The images are from 3 weddings that she wasn't even at and 1 that she was. I've confirmed with the couple and a third party that XA has been strongly implying, if not telling people outright, that she owns my business. I'm sure I probably can't prove that part outright, since we did have a working relationship and XA could say that people misunderstood her. The only concrete proof are the screenshots where she said "here is my work" and then showed MY work, and the copy of the contract I got from the couple.

First and foremost I want to protect my business and my livelihood. XA is a shady character that is now jerking multiple people around, delivering work that is obviously NOTHING LIKE the work she showed them (she has no gear and is not capable of producing work like mine since she has very little experience and uh... she's not me).

My main concern is that these people THINK XA is doing this in connection with my business because of her implications or outright lies. I don't want to get sued. I know it wouldn't go anywhere but I want to avoid lawyer and court fees altogether if I can.

Has a crime definitely been committed against me? What are practical next steps? I did file a police report and had a casual conversation with a lawyer friend last week. I have not been in touch with XA at all yet. She was a contractor not and employee but we did not have an official agreement between us. I did have her fill out a W9 but that's the only thing I have with her signature on it.

Also out of curiosity has she committed a crime against any of these couples/potential clients by grossly misrepresenting herself and lying? For example saying that she has photographed 100 weddings (she has shot 5, all with me as a second shooter and using my gear).

I'm sorry for writing such a long post. I considered this person a friend and this has been super upsetting. Thank you in advance for any advice or thoughts on the matter! Happy to answer any other questions or fill in details I may have forgotten.

Answer: IANAL. First thing would be to get a lawyer to help you draft up a cease and desist letter. I know you probably could take legal action if your ex assistant continues after that, but I’m not sure what kind of suit that would be (most likely trademark infringement but I’m probably wrong?!)Answer #2: Put watermarks on your website photos, and maybe a disclaimer on each web page for a while "this business is solely owned by (me), all content is original content created by (me) and is not affiliated in any way with (XA)"Answer #3: NAL. That sounds like unfair trade practices and Minnesota seems to have adopted the Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Passing off the goods or services of others as your own is covered under there. The good thing about these types of statutes is that they usually carry double of treble damages if you prove your claim. Find an attorney and let them have some fun.


Title: [California] I paid for my last month and lived out my rent but left the house halfway through the month. My landlord moved someone in and charged them rent that month even though I was still renting according to our lease agreement.

Question:
**I live in San Francisco, CA.**

I finished out my lease, gave 34 days notice (30 was required) and paid my final month in full but left the house to move into my new apartment about halfway through the month.

I went to clean up and make sure everything was in order and he moved someone else in the room and charged that guy rent in that room which I had already paid for until the end of the month.

I asked him about it and he just sent me a copy pasted snippet from the lease:

    30. BREACH OF CONTRACT; EARLY TERMINATION: In addition to any obligations established by paragraph 29, in the event of
    termination by Tenant prior to completion of the original term of the Agreement, Tenant shall also be responsible for lost Rent, rental
    commissions, advertising expenses and painting costs necessary to ready Premises for re-rental.

I did not in any way breach our contract or terminate early.

Is this legal? If it's not, what can I do?

Answer: No he can't collect rent from you when someone else has possession. Ask for the rent back from the new guy's move in date. And then small claims court.


Title: (Ontario, Canada) Ex-girlfriend says she's considering putting a restraining order on me, even though I've done nothing to warrant one. What should I expect?

Question: We had broken up on what I thought were good terms. Just weren't compatible, but we still wanted to be friends. Then her depression kicks in full swing and starts resenting me, saying I caused her depression, and I'm a loser, stuff like that (unfortunately deleted that particular conversation). So I decide the only way I'll talk with her is if she needs something of hers from my place. We work at the same location, so I requested that we be scheduled separate shifts. I'm taking necessary but not overboard steps to make sure we don't see each other for as much as possible. Then, this morning, she texts me, saying she's considering filing a restraining order. Now, this could just be a scare tactic for reasons unknown, but in case she does go through with it, what can I expect, given the situation? And what would your recommendations be?

Answer:
 If you never lived together, you should expect fuckall because she can't take out a restraining order against an ex-boyfriend.

She can file for a peace bond under s.810 of the *Code* if she can convince a JP that she has reasonable grounds to fear that you:

>.810 (1) (a) will cause personal injury to her or to her spouse or common-law partner or child, or will damage her property; or

>.(b) will commit an offence under section 162.1 [revenge porn]

If you've not shown any intention of doing either of these things, that application won't go anywhere either.


Title: My employer, the owner of the business, sent me an unsolicited nude picture over Facebook

Question: At the restaurant that I am a manager at, in West Virginia, the owner of the restaurant sent me a picture of his junk while I was at work after accepting his Facebook friend request.  Both of us are gay males and he is aware of my sexual orientation.  He said hi to me on messenger and I said hi back and he sent the picture.  I made no response back to him.  I'm scared and anxious to be at work when he comes back into town with his husband.  I recently found out this has happened once before to another gay male employee.  I'm not sure who I'm supposed to go to in an instance like this since he is the owner.  If it was any employee, they would have been terminated immediately but given this is everyone's boss what am I supposed to do about this behavior?

Answer: You need to politely tell him that you want to keep your relationship professional, and that the picture was inappropriate.Answer #2: I’m assuming there is no HR department there since it’s a privately owned restaurantAnswer #3: I would respond via messenger that you would like to keep your relationship professional.   And immediately get copies of your past schedules/time cards.  Then if he cuts your hours, changes your shifts to undesirable ones, fires you, etc there will be a paper trail of what happened.   Also ask for a report to be written out by your manager that you indeed did notify them so you can show that you did try to use your chain of command when the harassment started.