Title: 30 Complaints to the HOA and we've only been renters there since April 1st.

Question:
Location: San Diego, California

Background: We signed a lease on a condo and moved in April 1st. We are renting from a property management company that owns many condos in San Diego in various communities. We told them when applying that we have two dogs, a lab and an english bulldog mix, and both dogs are on the lease. The lease states that we as tenants are responsible for any HOA fines incurred. We previously lived in a small apartment with more connecting walls (only one neighbor at this current condo we are renting) for three years and never got one complaint. Our dogs bark for a minute or two when we get home, or a minute or two in the rare instance that someone knocks on our door (which hasn't happened at this new place) and they are kept in the garage whenever we are not home if they are not staying at my moms for the day.

Now to the complaints... We have received 30 complaints and racked up $1000 in fines in the less than month and a half since we have lived there. Our property managers will not show us these complaints. They have advised that we remove the dogs from the condo to see if they have the wrong dogs. However, the complaints cite times and they are when we come home. Apparently any barking is not acceptable to this neighbor. Upon further investigation, we found out that the previous tenants left 3 months into their lease due to the same issues of outrageous complaints and fines. The HOA rules only make one mention about what rule these complaints fall under and that is "Dogs cannot be a nuisance." I have asked for a definition of acceptable levels of barking and have not gotten one. If they were barking excessively I would fix it, of course, but barking for a minute or two when we get home is not excessive in my opinion. Basically, a complaint is filed and a fine applied every single time they bark, even if its only once.

My legal questions: The property management company wants us to pay $2000 to get out of the lease. We just want to be out by the end of the month but do not think we should pay that penalty, as the apartment should not have been advertised as pet friendly due to this complaining neighbor, which is an issue the property management company was aware of. They have said we should wait it out and see if it gets better, but the circumstances seem to dictate that this neighbor will not stop. I also cannot afford these fines, plain and simple, and I am not allowed in at the HOA meeting to defend myself against these claims because I am a renter. I don't think asking to end our lease without penalty is unreasonable, and I think that this is harassment on behalf of the neighbor and the hoa. What recourse do I have? I just want to move and be done with this situation. I don't want to be in a position where I have to record my home and be always in a situation of proving I did nothing wrong.

Answer: Sounds like it might be a racket to me. Just keep screwing new renters out of fines and lease breaking. Perhaps the complaining owner/tenant is in on the deal, or perhaps there is no complaining owner!


Title: Apartment complex refusing to pay referral money

Question: 26M, GA. I recommended a friend to my apartment complex almost 5 months ago, and she ended up signing up. At the time, they were offering a $500 referral payment to renters who referred new renters to the complex. My friend liked the place and signed a lease. I initially called, and they gave me a run-around about how she needed to sign a referral form for me to get the money. She did. Then the apartment complex told me that it would take 3 months of my friend living there, before they'd apply it. I waited 3 months, called them before my next rent was due, and they told me they saw where she signed, and they'd apply it to this month's rent. Of course, this month's rent payment pops up, and there is no $500 deduction from my rent. I call them back up, and they say that she never signed the form, and they aren't going to pay the fee. I have nothing in writing or e-mail unfortunately, just our multiple phone conversations. What can I do?

Answer:
 Call your friend.  Tell her they need a form signed so you can get your referral bonus.  Call the apartment complex and request a copy of the form.  Have her fill out and sign the form.  Take the form to the management office.  Ask for a comprehensive list of other things that need to be done to get the referral bonus.  Do those things.

Keep copies of everything.


Title: Is what my parents are doing legal? (Ontario, Canada)

Question:
They live and work abroad(taxes are filed but not paid) and they say they get a few hundred dollars from the government using the child benefit program every month.

If the money is taken unlawfully can it be confiscated or given back?

Answer:
 If they are found committing fraud, the general rule of thumb is that the unlawfully received amount has to be paid back, typically with a penalty or interest based on whether it's clear they knew they shouldn't receive it.

Of course, given the amount of information you provided, there's no way whatsoever to tell if it's legal.


Title: FBI is investigating the company I work for (Utah, USA). Is losing my job the biggest concern or could it impact me in other ways?

Question: I work for a company in selling medical devices. Iv always felt that another department on my sales floor has been in a sort of gray area when they go through a patient's insurance but have figured that since my company is large and seemingly "well-put together" (think ENRON), then everything is fine. The company is now under investigation by the FBI. What is the worst case scenario for me and should I protect myself at all?

Answer:
 If you were personally involved in any fraud or illegal activity, you could be in legal trouble.

Since you said that you only ever "felt" something wrong was going on, you likely are fine from a legal standpoint unless you otherwise had some duty to report illegal activity that you knew of, but that does not seem to be the case here.

If the company gets shutdown, or sanctioned, or otherwise punished, then you could be personally affected by being laid off, salary cut, hours cut, etc.  If you have a retirement plan that consists of company stock, that may take a hit as well.

Seems like a great time to at least consider your options to make a job switch.  No harm in updating and preparing your resume and seeing how this progresses.


Title: I screwed up on Facebook. BIG time. Need help.

Question:
I'm having a panic attack right now I can barely type this message and i need help

someone random added me on facebook and skype and we started talking and against my better judgment i started camming with them. this person saved all my friends from facebook.
this person recorded me without my knowledge and is now threatening to expose me if i dont pay. i don't know what to do.

pleas help im a college student and if this comes out i could get in big trouble. im a male 22 and live in Ohio in the United States.

what can i do

Answer: Scam. Stop showing strangers your junk.


Title: [Alabama] Wife occasionally bakes for friends/family and sells it. Legal ramifcations?

Question:
My wife has started baking for friends and family and lately has been doing ~$50/week for cakes and cookies. She has a moniker she goes by and I have paid someone on Fiverr to come up with a logo with the moniker and was thinking about putting it on stickers so my wife can put it on her cake boxes and things.

Are there any legal issues with putting the sticker with the moniker and logo on the cake boxes? A friend of mine did photography locally and received a letter in the mail that she needed a business license to continue to sell her photography (which I totally understand). But at $50/week with some weeks totaling $0 I'm just curious if we need to worry about anything here?

Thank you for any information

Answer: Your wife is at an even bigger risk of selling food without a business license. If someone gets sick from her cooking (not saying they would, but it could happen or someone could think what your wife made was the culprit), she’ll have bigger worries. She should also look into whether or not your area has regulations of needing to use a professional kitchen for food made to be sold.


Title: 4 kids, one on the way, husband might be cheating

Question:
Apologies for this first post, I need advice.  My sister found out her husband has been snapchatting/texting/marco polo an inappropriate amount and questionable content to  his female co-workers.

She has seen most of the texts but he deleted the Snap Chat and Marco Polo. No nudes but very flirty and lots of exchanges. He denies that they are inappropriate, started being very apologetic but has become defensive saying they aren't inappropriate.

While discovering this he also deleted an email account, we tried to recover but is currently locked by gmail. iCloud is locked as far as I know, he claims there is nothing there. We found other salacious posts online but nothing that shows he's done anything physical.

His behavior online has not been appropriate for a married man.  She is worried there is more to come and we're gathering information in case.

What I need is to know what information I should gather?  Sister has been taking screen shots but until we get the email account what can we do? Basically would screen shots hold up in court?

&#x200B;

Once again apologies if this post is incorrect, trying to help my sister.  We're a bit overwhelmed here.

&#x200B;

**tl:dr  Brother-in-law communicating inappropriately with female co-workers, tries to hide evidence. Doesn't look like a full blown affair. What information do we need in case she needs to contact a lawyer?**

&#x200B;

Answer: I can't find your location.  Most states are no-fault divorce states, making the information you are attempting to gather (perhaps illegally) irrelevant.


Title: Throwing Used Toilet Paper In Bin VS Flushing Down Toilet (NYC)

Question:
I live in a basement apartment (maybe legal, maybe not) of a row-home type house in NYC and I've been here for a little over a year and a half. It's a renewed 1-year lease and I pay rent in cash and get a receipt every month on the 1st.

I just paid my rent and I was informed for the first time that the plumbing doesn't support toilet paper being flushed down the toilet and that I would need to start throwing my used toilet paper in the trash can.

The lease doesn't mention this and the only time I've been exposed to something like this was when I went to South Korea. Is  it legal in the USA to have plumbing that doesn't support toilet paper? Is it some sort of quality of life or sanitation violation? My goal is to push them into changing the lease to be month to month for the last 5 months as I'm planning on moving out at the end of the year no matter what happens.

I also foresee it being difficult to change the habit of throwing toilet paper in the toilet that's been ingrained in me for 25+ years of my life. If I don't stop doing this, is there any legal liability if it isn't in the lease and something overflows and there's damage or something? I'm not the only tenant in the building and the landlord lives on the top floor.

Thanks for taking the time.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: Sounds like a breach of the warranty of habitability. This city has pretty strong tenants' rights. [Legal Aid's housing practice](http://www.legal-aid.org/en/ineedhelp/ineedhelp/civilproblem/housingpractice.aspx) might be able to advise you or refer you to someone who can help.Answer #2: The only time I have heard of not flushing TP is some older septic systems in rural areas can't dispose of the newer kinds of TP.  It's expensive to replace a septic systems so it's easier to just have a closed trash can next to the toilet.  But it is really odd to have that problem in the city.  Answer #3: A possible non-legal solution: https://tushy.me/


Title: Tenant is suing for security deposit.

Question:
First this is in Oklahoma.

I requested that a tenant leave several months ago.  I did this because they didn't maintain the home very well (let the lawn get pretty long, dog barked all day, back yard was a mess, etc.) We came to an agreement that they would end their lease early and and I would refund their deposit minus damages.  Well they moved out and there is a ton of damage.  So much so that I had to spend 2 months have repairs done.  Because the repairs have taken so long I still have not gotten an itemized bill to the tenant.  The issue is it has been over 2 months.  Oklahoma law says I have to refund them or provide them with a list of charges within 30 days.  Does the law allow for an exception where the damages were so much it took more than 30 days to complete.  The tenant is saying that, since it's been more than 30 days, if I don't refund them the deposit in full now they will sue. Do I have any ground to fight this?  The cost of the damages was greater than the deposit and now they want the whole thing back.

Answer:
 You really have dropped the ball here. I fail to see why an itemized list of repairs couldn't have been provided before the 30 days were up. You didn't have to actually **do** the repairs in that time frame - just get a list.

I suspect they would be successful if they sued you. Mind you, there is almost certainly (I haven't checked OK laws though) nothing to stop you suing them for damages. But it does rather sound as if they wouldn't have the wherewithal to pay you.


Title: Doctor harassing me for negative Yelp review....

Question:
I found a new doctor after moving who I saw for almost a year. Have a lot of health issues and I’m used to meeting and getting a feel for physicians. Initially I didn’t care for a lot things about the place but hit a point with an issue recently. I called to have a form authorized, they said they’d call back that day never heard back.3 wks of calling/faxing a form & med records, never heard back.

Wasn’t until an appointment I‘d had scheduled before & my doctor refused to fill it out and honestly a douche about it. It was for a tint waiver. I bought a certified car and was already suing the dealership over it but it won’t pass inspection now for dark tints that were sold on it. It’s a manufactured tint the glass has tint pigment mixed in all thru it, I didn’t put a film on it to be cool. However 4 or 5 years ago I had what my surgeon said were Melanoma in situ on my back and needed large 4” pieces of my back cut off. It was awful. My dad has had a melanoma on his face and my had bcc’s.

So I wound up arguing with this doctor, I’d brought photos, a pathology report, & tried explaining the family history. He never asked a single question & would barely let me finish my sentence before trying to shut it down. Towards the end he said I never had cancer and that this was all anxiety so I was bullshit! I never claimed I knew better than him but certainly never claimed to have cancer. Having several borderline stage I know I’m at a higher risk. It was the type of argument where you know someone doesn’t care and made up their mind w/o hearing all the facts. He knew I’m loosing my mother to cancer too and I felt like he took advantage of that. In my shitty situation felt he could’ve done more to be at least willing to help. He has negated other conditions in the past as well and did this when I was never even asking & has done so when its been confirmed by other providers thru testing. I’m in my mid thirties, outwardly I look healthy so I can get why he might brush stuff off but still not exactly reassuring, This stuff isn’t even that important wanted to give you the salacious background. So my reasons for the waiver were 2 fold & I just felt they were legit for the waiver when people get them for non life threatening conditions I probably would’ve been content had he went about differently & heard me out as it was just handled wrong for 3 weeks in addition beginning with the receptionists.

So 2 weeks ago ago I left a Yelp review, wasn’t a nice one but not childish either. I complained about the nurses, receptionist not returning my calls, not being able to use a credit or debit card but everything in it is truthful. Late last week another provider working there whos listed as the owner messaged me demanding I remove it that its disparaging his business and that I had the wrong page etc. The business name is ___ _____ Physicians and it is the same on the Yelp review page is only for him but they share a number, the first person to appear on the website link on the Yelp pas has my dr’s photo. He was pretty rude right off the bat and has clearly made no attempt to delineate between both two practices the practice and he hinted about legal means in his message. I think several physicians work there as a group to spread the overhead but he said they have different tax id numbers. Outwardly though it looks like any other group practice, I’ve scrutinized this and nothing in the Yelp page is telling me his website is exclusively for his practice only. I specified my dr by name in the review and my complaints included staff as well, nurses gossiping, reception never calling back/answers the phones. Theres one other existing review who states they saw my doctor in the owners absence. So...

1. Does free speech apply to group dr practices?
2. Can he sue?
3. Is he just a douche avoiding bad reviews?
4. Do I have to remove it??

Topic:
Douche

Answer: You have no reason to remove that review. That’s what reviews are for. Free speech is the right to express yourself, as long as it isn’t a threat of course.


Title: (Montreal, Quebec) Found out sublessee is renting our condo on AirBNB. Condo contract forbids this. What is my course of actioN?

Question:
Hi

Hoping you can help out with this news I found out today.

Currently have a tenant who is away for the summer - she has subletted the apartment from March 2016 to August 2016 when she will be back for school.

During this time, we found out that the Condo is up on AirBNB and the condo association forbids these types of rentals.

The AirBNB listing is now down and the sublessee is denying this. We have pictures of the listing as well as voice recording of her denying it.

What type of action can we take? I am looking to evict....

Answer: She's likely violating ordinances and possibly tax laws. I don't know Canadian law but those might be some grounds to evict. Answer #2: If it was me, I would send her a letter demanding she 1) never again lists your property on any rental site or otherwise sublets your property on AirBNB and 2) pays all rental receipts from any past unauthorized sublet to you, or else you will evict her for breaching your lease. Hopefully your lease prohibits any or all of: unauthorized subletting, commercial activity, violating HOA rules, and violating local ordinances (assuming short-term rental activity is regulated where you live).


Title: If you get into criminal situation, how much should you or shouldn't you tell your lawyer?

Question:
I've always wondered this. No, i'm not in a bad situation. I just think this is very valuable info to know for someone who has never been rung through the justice system. Can you really trust that lawyer to protect you if you admit guilt to them?

EDIT: I GOT MY ANSWER. THANKS FOR THE INSIGHT GUYS.

Answer: If you live in a country with a modern legal system and attorney client privilege you should tell them anything they want to know. You can't expect them to act in your best interests if you lie to them. However bad you think whatever it is that you did is, your lawyer has had clients 100 times worse.


Title: (Indiana) Fiancee has been told that in the event of her death, she would have no way to prevent the biological father of our two children from taking custody. Is this true?

Question:
My fiancee is trying to get her will in order, just as a safety precaution, and we've hit a road bump in regards to our two children (7M and 12F). She has been divorced from their biological father for 5 years, she and I have lived together for 3 and been engaged for over 1.

We currently live in the same town as the father, but we hope to move closer to her family in Ohio in a little over a year - another battle we may have to fight when the time comes. Our worst fear is that something could happen after we move and the children would have to go through another move and come back to live with their dad. It is mine, and my fiancee's, wish for the children to remain living with me in the tragic event of her death.

The biological father pays child support and sees them when he is required. He has a fairly demanding work schedule that prevents him from being more present in the kids' lives, but even when he is not busy with that, he does not show a lot of initiative with trying to do more for them.

Are we stuck with this outcome? Does a will not allow the custodial parent to make their wishes known? If we were able to discuss the matter with the father, could he sign over that the children would stay with me and he would still keep non-custodial rights? We are not trying to prevent him from being a part of their lives, but we don't believe it is fair that he would automatically receive them. Do we have any leg to stand on here?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Answer:
 > Does a will not allow the custodial parent to make their wishes known?

The custodial parent can make their wishes known.  They're just not binding.

To be blunt, he is their father, and you are not.  The courts are not going to take a child away from their father and give them to someone else, absent a **very** compelling reason - like complete unfitness on the part of the father.

You can look into adopting them, which would make you their legal father and would remove him from the picture.  He'd need to agree with that.  Separately, he could *voluntarily* leave the children with you.  Emphasis on "voluntarily".


Title: Hospital charged wrong insurance and now making me pay legal fees even after they got paid?

Question:
In March I took an ambulance ride.  It was not needed and was not wanted by me but I was told I had to take it.  On the ride, nobody at any point asked for my personal or insurance information even though I was fully alert and coherent.  The hospital had my correct information and also rooted through my personal belongings and took my insurance card so they passed the info along to the ambulance.  Somehow still the ambulance charged the wrong insurance and had an address for me that was years out of date.  They never bothered to ask the hospital again for correct info.

They never sent me a bill.  I did get a phone call but the message had no call back number or instructions and when I called the caller ID number it went to someone's personal home phone.  The ambulance company itself had no idea what I was talking about and I got stuck in a loop.

A few months later after hearing nothing and not knowing if/what I had to pay, I get a letter in the mail saying I owe $1300 for the bill and another $600 in legal fees and if I don't pay they will sue me.

I called the law office and explained it all, gave my correct insurance info, and in a week the full $1300 bill was paid in full by the insurance.  The lady on the phone said that was great and we were done and to inore the legal fees.  A month later I get another bill from them now saying they want $700 in fees despite what I was told and the original fees being less.

Now they say I have to pay it but this isn't my fault.  I tried everything to fix this but had nowhere to go and had they charged the correct insurance in the first place they would have got their money.  I didn't cause this issue and they got their money so why should I have to pay?

I live in Pennsylvania. What can I do?  Law firm won't drop the fees.  Can I argue with the ambulance company or hospital since they are the ones that screwed this up?

Answer: You can also try your insurance company; they might have an agreement with the provider which covers any additional fees.


Title: Put my 2 weeks notice in and employer says I have to "pay back" vacation time I took.

Question: Like the title says I am leaving my current employer for another. While we were talking about why I was leaving it came up that I had taken a paid vacation earlier on in the year and that those 40 hrs would be coming out of my final paycheck. I live in Indiana and was wondering if this was legal. I'd appreciate any insight to whether this is something I can fight, thanks!

Answer: Well, did you have 40 hours of vaca saved up or did you use more than you had? If you have a negative balance then that needs to be paid back. Answer #2: Some companies pre-load the vacation time in the beginning of the year, which means that if you use early in the year, you are technically borrowing it and need to pay it back if you leave. Some companies only allow you take what you have already accrued, in which case you are using what you have earned and would not have to pay it back.


Title: Advice for a DUI in California??

Question:
A friend was recently stopped in California for driving above the speed limit on a street. After taking a breathalyzer test he was arrested for the night, and is now facing a DUI charge. He was driving 5 miles past the limit. Additionally, his Miranda rights were not read to him. What are some things he can do/say to drop the charges against him?

EDIT: He stopped drinking at 9PM and was stopped/detained at 3AM.  He had a 40oz and a few sips of wine and was arrested/lives in La Verne

Answer:
 >However, he was only driving 5 miles past the limit and did not put anyone or himself in danger

Doesn't matter; a traffic infraction is absolutely justification for pulling him over.

>Additionally, his Miranda rights were not read to him

They don't have to read you your Miranda Warning unless they are going to interrogate you after arrest.

>What are some things he can do/say to drop the charges against him?

Get a DUI attorney. These are serious charges and they aren't going away on their own.Answer #2: He shouldn't SAY anything to the police.  He should get an attorney who specializes in DUI cases.

Finally, regardless of whether anyone was injured and how fast he was going, if he was intoxicated he should NOT have been driving.  No one was killed this time.  Next time he may not be so lucky.


Title: Surgeon cut the wrong duct during gallbladder surgery - malpractice?

Question:
This took place in Oakland in California.

In October of 2017, I went in for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy of my gallbladder. Based on what I was told by my primary care doctor and my surgeon, my gallbladder was abnormal, and had probably been damaged and shrinking for years and years. I'd even had an ultrasound and an MRI to determine if I had a gallbladder at all. But my surgeon was confident and very experienced in such surgeries, and assured me that I would be back on my feet the next week. I'm not sure if he really studied my MRI imaging, but he had access to it, at least.

However, what was supposed to be an outpatient surgery ended up in a 5 day hospital stay after my surgeon misidentified my ducts and cut the wrong duct instead. Because of this, I also had to have 2 tubes inserted to drain bile, which had to be drained very regularly. This caused me severe pain, and I basically couldn't move. I have unlimited PTO at my job, and had taken the week off preemptively, but my husband, who had planned on working from home, was unable to work during that time I was in the hospital due to the level of care that I needed.

What was arguably worse than cutting the wrong duct, however, was the way my surgeon explained what had happened. He told my husband after the surgery that it had taken longer than usual because there had been complications, explained that the gallbladder was probably the smallest he'd ever seen, and that he had cut a duct and had to work to preserve my bowel functions. But my poor husband, who was so worried after the surgery had gone longer than expected, could barely understand his "doctor talk" and was just grateful it was over, so he didn't really pursue the subject further. But the surgeon never really explained things to me. In fact, it wasn't until my mom (a nurse) called to get an account of what had happened that we really realized this had been the result of the surgeon's error and not just complications from my weird gallbladder. Eventually I did confront him specifically to ask if he had made a mistake and he did admit he had then, and that he didn't have tubes the right size for my ducts, so the large size was probably causing me pain.

After my 5 days in the hospital, I was released home. My surgeon had left the tubes still in but had clamped them (with tape and rubber bands, which seemed unprofessional to me), to be removed at a later date. Things seemed to be going okay and I was slowly recovering, until one day I took a turn for the worse. The pain was back in full effect, and once again I could barely move without it being excruciating. Fortunately I actually had an appointment with that surgeon that same morning, so I went in, had my tubes un-clamped, and was re-admitted to the hospital for another 5 days. I had a lot of tests done, but my surgeon never really found out what was wrong and was eventually sent home. As I mentioned before, I have unlimited PTO, so I didn't miss out on any pay, but my husband once again wasn't able to work during that time in the hospital.

Recovery was slow, but I was finally able to get my tubes removed two months after the surgery, with occasional pain (which my primary care doctor said was probably normal given the circumstances) affecting me periodically for quite a few months afterward.

I've read that this sort of case might not be considered malpractice because the surgeon might have done everything he could to have fixed the mistake during the original surgery, so I've been really wishy-washy on whether to pursue this. I've also approached 2 firms with it, but was turned down, so that disheartened me. But now, as the "statue of limitations" is about to run out, I'm not sure if I have a case that's worth at least continuing to pursue. I know medical malpractice really is on a case-by-case basis, but what do you all think?

Answer: Unfortunately, if no lawyer is interested in taking the case, that's a strong indication that either you're not likely to win or you're not likely to win enough to make it worthwhile for the lawyer to do all the work.  It might not even be malpractice if it's considered a common risk of surgery ([bile duct injuries](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15381-bile-duct-injuries-during-gallbladder-surgery) seem to be a pretty common happening in gallbladder surgery); it can be a mistake without being malpractice.


Title: My dog nibbled on my neighbor a couple months ago. Her husband called me today asking for $760 to pay for the emergency room bill.

Question:
I was walking my dog in September and there was a lady outside her house who was complimenting my dog. I typically acknowledge them and continue on my way but this she seemed like she wanted to say Hi so I asked if she did and she said yes. I approached her with my dog (who happens to be a German Shepard, btw) and of course he was on a leash.

As soon as she extended her arm to pet him he snapped at her. Now my dog is very sweet and he gets along very wery well with most people. The only circumstance is that *he* needs to get to know *you* before *you* get to konw *him*. Very protective. But he has no problem with people after smelling them thoroughly first. The only issue was the she extender her arm towards him *way* too soon before he had the chance to get the stranger.

He barely got her. She was fine. There was barely but a drop of blood. She was just standing there asking me if she is going to be okay or if she needs to go to the hospital. I should also mention that I live in an area where most people are pretty fucking stupid. But besides that, there was absolutely nothing wrong with her; she just needed to wash it off with some water. He draws blood from me all the time but we always play very aggresively.

I gave her my phone number. Her brother called me later and was requesting the paperwork. I took the paperwork over and met her brother and parents. She had returned from the hospital and told me that they told her she would be fine (thank god, right?).

Fast forward today right after my 6 hour school day I get a phone call from an unknown number. Some guy says my dog bit his wife back in September. I said OK. He said the emergency bill is $760 and I am responsible since it was my dog. I said yeah, yeah, let me call you later.

Do I have to pay this shit? I asked her if she wanted to say Hi after she was praising him as I was walking by. She agreed, and I approached. She extended arm (too soon, I guess) and he snapped. *Barely* got her, and *barely* drew some blood from two teeth marks. She goes to hospital. They tell her she will be fine. I provide paperwork proving that dog is up to date with shots. Today her husband calls asking $760 for the *emergency room* bill. WTF? But no really, do I have to pay? Thanks!

**TL;DR Woman compiments dog as I'm walking him. I ask if she wants to say Hi. She does. I approach. She extends arm. Dog snaps but barely get her. Little blood from two teeth marks. She was fine. Goes to emergency room. Returns. I go over to provide paperwork for dog. She says doctors told her she will be fine. Today, husband calls asking $760 for emergency room visit. I am a jobless student and my mom...**

Answer: Pretty much, yeah. It was your dog, under your control, she was petting him with your permission. It's on you. Sorry for the bad news.


Title: Cross post from /r/advice. Please help

Question:
Hello, posting this on behalf of my uncle.

Last Thursday a local oil company delivered and pumped 255 gallons of oil into my uncles house. He has gas heat. The oil co delivered to the wrong address. The oil pipe on the outside of the house was not permanently shut by the previous owners. The oil tank in the basement was not removed by previous owners during conversion from oil to gas, and a wall was just built around it. The oil tank went u looked for 20+ years and developed large rust holes all over it. The house passed inspection when my uncle bought it 14 years ago.

In conclusion, the 255 gallons of oil pumped into the tank and then immediately spilled all over the basement floor. My uncle only realized when he smelled a strange odor and called the gas company who came to find the spill in the basement. My uncle didn't realize at first as he was upstairs and the basement door/all windows in the house were shut. The oil company had already began ripping up carpets, foundation and basement walls and has put air purifiers all throughout the house. They sent my uncle to live in a hotel until the house is cleaned/fixed/demolished based on the extent of the damage, but he needs to pay upfront and only gets reimbursed once a month, which will become very expensive. I work IT for a law firm and each attorney I spoke with at work refcomended that my uncle get an attorney right away , but each one he calls said he only needs an attorney if the oil co declines responsibility. What do we do next? He has no access to his closthes, home goods, etc.

Thanks in advance.

Tldr my uncle has gas heat. Oil company flooded his basement with oil. What do we do next?

Answer: It sounds like the oil company is doing the right thing by him, honestly.Answer #2: It wouldn't hurt for your uncle to visit a lawyer himself for a paid consultation to go over the situation. It does sound like the oil company is being reasonable per /u/libraryspy. *But* he is giving them a lot of trust to make the determination on what needs to be fixed/repaired in his house.


Title: [PA/NJ] How to tell if I was in a will?

Question:
I live in PA, my great grandfather lived in NJ. Before he passed he mentioned my siblings and I would be put in his will. I was 19, a legal adult, when he passed. I was not contacted about his will at all. Did we end up not being put in, or was I just not reached? My father is a bit greedy with money so I wonder if he somehow took my part of the will for himself, if that's at all possible.
Topic:
Wills Trusts and Estates

Answer:
 If you know where he lived at the time of his death you can go to the probate court there and see if a formal probate case was opened.  If it was then there should be a copy of the will in the file and the file would be public.

Be aware that is possible that his affairs were planned and administered in such a way that probate was avoided so there might not be a file for him.


Title: What Would Happen If An Emancipated Teen Was Caught With Weed?

Question: Ok so, I just moved to Colorado and I won't have a doctors recommendation for about two more months. I don't want to wait two months,  especially with how much care I put into not getting caught. Although I did get in trouble with a "usable amount or marijuana" after taking some serious precautions so for all I know, it could happen again. I was in Maine at the time so I ended up needing to go to court and got a "no further action". Basically, they said that if I were to get caught again, I could have to go a class or get a parole officer for a few months. But now that I'm Emancipated, would I simply get a fine like other adults, especially now that I'm in Colorado? Or would they pick up where they left off and treat it like I murdered someone?

Answer: Most states have a statue on when a teenager can be tried as an adult. It usually has to do with specific offenses and the age of the offender. Just wait two months. You're risking your emancipation being revoked every time you commit a crime.


Title: Who is /u/zapopa, and why do we hate him?

Question: I've done a little poking around in his profile, as well as in the legal advice subreddits, but I can't come to a clear conclusion as to why this community... reviles him... I guess? I've been lurking around here, /r/legaladvice, and /r/bestoflegaladvice and for over a year, and I would love a history lesson on this topic!

Answer:
 Remember in Pulp Fiction when Zed pulls the gimp out of the trunk?  In /r/legaladvice  (and IRL) /u/zapopa is Zed and /u/demyst is the gimp. Answer #2: Wait, we hate Zapopa now? I usually enjoy his posts.Answer #3: He is like your average starred user on steroids. For the most part the starred users give good advice. Sometimes they let the snark take over... Zapopa replaces the snark with something more akin to brash assholery and has kind of a cult of personality on the sub. Still gives good advice once in a while when he doesn’t feel the need to unload on someone.

Personally I neither like nor dislike him as much as some people do. As a long-time observer of the sub I just don’t get the celebrity he has.Answer #4: My own lurking gave me the impression the community reveres him, but I have no idea who he is either.  I'd love a lesson, too!Answer #5: He's the terror that flaps in the night. Answer #6: Start with /r/zapopa


Title: Was hired in May. Didn’t get paid for the first six weeks of work. Was just recently fired. Anything I can do?

Question:
Back in the middle of May, I signed a contract to work with a company for the duration of one year. I’d already had a job at the time and the new job wanted me to relocate and start working immediately and they said they’d put me on payroll right away.
I moved from New England to Philly to begin work and I worked for six weeks before I started to get paid. There was also no backpay in the first check either.
While out of town, I encountered car troubles. I was in a pretty rural area and there was only one train to anywhere close to my job. I ended up taking the train but doing so made me miss a work event. The next day, the owner of the company called me to let me know I was being let go.

Is there any legal action I can take? I’d made significant sacrifices to join this new company. Furthermore, I worked without getting paid or getting any backpay. Lastly, I was terminated for extenuating circumstances.

Answer: If you believe you have unpaid wages and the company is refusing to pay you when you ask, [file a wage claim](http://www.dli.pa.gov/Individuals/Labor-Management-Relations/llc/Pages/Wage-Complaint-Form.aspx) with the state.


Title: Pissed off at lawyer, should I be?

Question:
USA, Midwest.

Somewhat related, I got a DUI earlier this year. I know I suck. Won't happen again. Uber/cab for life.

So what happened. My lawyer after my DUI trial said he took care of the driving side of things, and I was fine to drive. So I was with my SO and got pulled over for speeding, and got a ticket. The officer also gave me a ticket for driving while suspended.

I call my lawyer, he tells me he'll call me back. Calls back a few days later and says "oops, I guess you weren't fine to drive." I'm pissed. I wouldn't have been driving. I tell him he needs to go to court with me since he told me otherwise. He says he'll go.

It's a week before my court date. I get a bill from him for $620.00 for his "services". I feel like I shouldn't be charged. What should I say to him?

Answer:
 That depends on the tack you want to take with him, but I'd say it's fair to be upset that he misinformed you of your sentence and is billing you to correct it.  I'd suggest letting him know you intend to report this to the state bar.  He may or may not get more hostile about it.  Answer #2: Is he representing you for both tickets or just the suspension? In fairness if you were speeding that's not his fault and he shouldn't be expected to represent you on that for free. But the suspension ticket is a different story.

It's possible that someone in his office generates invoices and he doesn't know you were billed, or that he invoiced you without really thinking about it.  So just ask him if he billed you by mistake for the suspension representation and ask him to reduce or drop it.

Threatening to file a bar complaint at this point is unlikely to get you want you want, which is to get this fixed without additional costs to you.


Title: Held in electronics store to investigate "theft" in Oregon, USA

Question:
I have a coworker who does not speak English very well. I went with her to an electronics store on our lunch break to help her return a GoPro. Her son purchased this for her under a week ago and she has decided to return it. This is well within the time frame for returns according to their website's return policy. She brought the camera, still in it's box, as well as the gift receipt AND the other copy given to her son when he purchased it.

We walk in and stand in line at the CS counter. When we walk up to the counter, the woman at the counter doesn't really greet us and just grabs the GoPro out of my coworker's hands and asks "when did you get this?" in a really sharp tone. I translate this into Spanish, thinking it will be obvious to the employee that my coworker doesn't speak English, and the employee interrupts with "I didn't ask you". I replied with "she doesn't speak English, and she handed you the receipt with the date on it by the way". Woman replies "I don't appreciate your attitude" and calls a LPO over her headset. LPO comes over, takes the GoPro (and not the receipt) and physically grabs my coworkers arm! He tells me to follow and my coworker looks back scared and confused...obviously can't leave her. I begin to take my phone out and another LPO comes over and takes my bag.

We go to a room in the back, finally the manager comes in and tells us the item has to remain here without reimbursement right now while they look into the matter but that we are free to go. So we get our shit and leave.

And now I just got off work and my coworker and I are decidedly going to call the police about this. She does not have either receipt anymore but her son has agreed to print off his bank statement with the purchase on it matching the receipt. Is there anything else we should do before calling?

Also my coworker is a legal resident, as is her son, and neither of them have any concerns about their status on that end.

Answer: I'm confused where did the receipts go?


Title: [Update] Applied to be added to boyfriend's lease, was not added but now sent my SS to collections

Question:
Still in Portland, Oregon.

A couple months ago I was concerned because I have bad credit and my boyfriend's apartment managers wanted me to fill out an app to be added to his lease. All turned out well, they asked a couple of his friends to fill out the same application so we asked what the deal was. They said they really just wanted a background check for everyone regularly entering the locked community. We got an email that says "your friends or girlfriend will not have to join the lease, this is just a background screening for security reasons." So I filled out the application but never signed onto the lease, and everything turned out fine, I was allowed to continue visiting.

Our friends, however, stopped coming over because they were very uncomfortable doing that and had started being followed to the door by one of the managers. So we decided to move in together after all, somewhere else.

My boyfriend broke lease with notice and we moved, then waited for the final bill.

Instead of the final bill we got a collections notice, in both our names. This complex apparently works with a collection agency and the agency handles all final payments. Now, he is disputing some of the charges on the final bill because it doesn't reflect what he was told at the move-out inspection. For example, he (we??) was charged for 1/2 paint, which wasn't mentioned during the inspection. The walls were spotless, so if they painted it wasn't due to normal wear and tear, we suspect that they fixed the bad bathroom paint job (it was clear that half a wall and the edges were painted a different shade then the rest of the room) so we shouldn't be charged for that.

Anyway, active collections will begin soon, regardless. Until this is resolved it will be reflected on my credit report, is this legal? What do I do to protect my already bad credit? I have worked my butt off for over 2 years to make it better. My mother works in insurance so she has some experience with contracts and payouts and she advised me not to pay or else they would have no reason to listen or negotiate with the disputes that my boyfriend has. We paid the amount that we believe we owe, but there are still $700+ in charges that he (we) shouldn't have to pay.

Answer:
 I am not a lawyer and this isn't legal advice necessarily.  A former landlord of mine was really skeezy--didn't really take care of the property and tended to be unfair with people when they moved out, charging them for things that weren't mentioned on the checkout paperwork.  They also sent any charges to collections without notifying the tenants or sending bills beforehand.

I discovered 80 or so complaints registered against them with the Better Business Bureau and over half dealt with them sending things to collections.  Not all, but many of them were listed as resolved favorably for the person who complained, complete with a written apology and lame explanation from the apartment management. That may be an avenue to investigate.  They may not care about it, but my former landlord sure seemed to and they were about as slimy as they come.


Title: Guy won't accept my return for 200

Question:
 Story is, I was selling my friends pc for 600, and the guy i found was willing to buy it for 400 plus a dslr camera (that i was intrested in) as well as a broken drone that i was willing to fix. However, when my friend went and sold the pc and gave me the camera plus drone, I saw that the latch that holds the battery there is broken. As such, I can't resell it for the usual price, and asked for my money back, willing to drive there. The buyer said he would get 200 for the drone and camera back. I gave him a while, but he soon blocked me from calling him. I have some information about him, so what should i do. Should i open a case for a small claims court, or would i lose? It's late, but I would really like some advice because i don'y have much longer until I will have to take action.

What I know is his phone number, address, a relative age, and a name (but not sure)

Answer: Dude. Your post doesn’t really even make sense.Answer #2: Should just let it go. Used cameras and used drones are sold as is unless he explicitly said otherwise and you have evidence of this.


Title: (NM, USA) - A friend of mine has cerebral palsy and wants me to take care of her. Can she legally choose who takes care of her?

Question:
A friend of mine who has cerebral palsy lives with her widowed mother. Let's just call her C, though this isn't the first initial of her name. Anyway, C's dad died when she was quite young, and she has an older sister who lives in Colorado. C and I have known each other since early middle school, and she apparently trusts me a lot. Enough so that she wants me to take care of her after her mother passes away. She's terrified to be on her own, and her mother is quite possibly terminally ill. No one, including the mother, seems to be sure if C's mom's diabetes is getting far worse or if there's something horribly wrong.

Anyway, C is terrified that her mother is going to pass on soon, and she has stated several times that she'd like me to take care of her, including in front of my mom, her mom, and my dad. Her mother seems ok with it, as do my parents (who I still live with). I have no problem with taking care of C, but I want to know if i legally can. Can she choose, whether in court or whatever other circumstances, to have me take care of her? She says she's 'scared' to have her sister take care of her. I'm not sure why this is, but it's making me a bit concerned for her.

TL;DR: Can my friend with cerebral palsy choose me to be her caretaker over her biological sister if she truly wants to? Can she even choose a caretaker, or will she be stuck in a group home?

Answer:
 If she's an adult and is legally competent to make her own decisions, she can live where she pleases and with whoever she pleases, provided they'll have her.

If she's a minor, or if she's a legally-designated ward of her mother for some reason, then her mother needs to talk to an estate lawyer and make sure that her wishes for her child's care are spelled out clearly in her will. By default, a child will generally be placed with a willing family member in the event that both parents die, but a clearly-articulated preference from the deceased parents has some weight.Answer #2: this is OP: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/5b0j3g/nm_parents_convinced_me_to_go_on_disability_and/

''TL;DR: Parents convinced me to get on disability, got payments from the government or whatever source for me, one explicitly told the other not to tell me about it. Trying to figure out if this is legal.''


Title: I fall and broke my hand at tjmax

Question: Hi reddit, 6 hours ago my sister fell at tjmax. I think she broke her hand. The manager came and gave her ice to put on her hand and gave her a number to call. The pain was ok back then,but now she is in too much pain and I drove her to the hospital. My sister is on a student visa and doesn’t have insurance yet. Should timax cover the bill ? Anything we need to do now ? Should we call the manager and let her now ? I looked on her website and I didn’t find anything related to a report for injury. Thank you in advance.

Answer:
 > Should timax cover the bill ?

Depends almost solely on how the event transpired.

Did TJ Maxx exhibit negligence that contributed to her breaking her hand?  Then maybe.

Did she leave her shoes untied and simply tripped over her own feet?  Then maybe not.

Either way, she should inquire with the store about how to go about filing a claim with their insurance for the incident.


Title: Let's talk about blackmail in [KY]

Question:
I want to send an email without identifying myself, but I don't want to catch a case on any blackmail B.S.

If I said something along the lines of "I know your breaking Alcohol Beverage control laws,and I can prove it. If you do it again I'll blow the whistle."
Could that be construed as blackmail? What would be the ideal wording for something like that? I if I have no intention of blowing the whistle?

I'm under no illusions that identifying myself would lead to my dismissal,one way or another.

Edit: The perpetrator is my employer.

Answer: Jesus Christ, either report it or don't. If you have no intention of blowing the whistle, don't threaten it. If you're going to blow the whistle, don't threaten it and just do it.


Title: Can an undercover cop sell you drugs?

Question: I have been buying off of this guy for the past 2 months and i have been hearing rumors that he is a cop and he does act pretty weird sometimes too, is it possible that he is a cop or a fed and hes selling to me building a case on me? Im not even buying that much off of him i buy like 50 bucks worth of stuff at a time. But i was just wondering if its legal for an undercover to sell drugs. And hes selling everything from Weed to Heroin and Crack.

Answer:
 Nope, they can't do anything illegal, which makes it easy to spot undercover cops.  Also, they can't specifically name drugs, they have to say, "Do you have any good stuff to sell me?"  If they ask for, say, "cocaine" by name, even slang, it's not an undercover cop.  And if you straight up ask if they are a cop, they have to answer truthfully.

These are all tricks that undercover cops HATE because it makes it essentially impossible for them to continue with their sting operations when savvy criminals use them.  Fortunately, not many people know about these tricks.

/s

##/s

#/s

But you know what cops and prosecutors REALLY hate?  Criminals that stop breaking the law.  Makes it impossible for them arrest and prosecute them.

Stop breaking the law.Answer #2: I believe they can, yes. Undercover cops are authorized to break the law (to a certain extent) as part of their investigations. They can also lie to you which makes that urban myth that a cop has to tell you they're a cop so ridiculous.


Title: [US - CO] Neighbor slipped on my driveway. Possibly wants to sue me. I have a restraining order against him.

Question:
Sorry if this post is a little messy. I'm incredibly annoyed and frustrated by this entire ordeal with the neighbor.

Background information:

* My next door neighbor is the type of guy who has to be in everyone on the block's business.

* He also does not like me or my roommates because we don't give him anything to gossip about and none of us ever talk to him.

* According to neighbors he also shovels snow off random people in the neighborhood's driveways in the winter.

* We asked him not to shovel our driveway last year when we moved into the house

* I have a restraining order against him for an incident that happened earlier this year.

* Neighbor is also very vocal about being an ex-cop (nobody has ever gotten proof but this has made the past very difficult)

Current story: This weekend I woke up to an ambulance parked in front of my house with paramedics wheeling my neighbor into the back. I spoke to the police officer present and he said my neighbor had fallen on my driveway while shoveling it. The officer seemed incredibly surprised when I told him that I had a restraining order against my neighbor and just said that "he'll take care of it" before walking back to his cruiser and driving off.

I was not left any information. No card from the officer, no case number, no information from the ambulance that also drove off. I don't have any idea if my next door neighbor was charged with violating the protection order by being on my driveway.

Yesterday I got a text from another neighbor (one that hates next door guy but only acts nice) saying that next door neighbor was talking about suing me for medical fees since he fell in my driveway.

I haven't heard anything yet and I hope I don't but what can I do myself if he does actually file a lawsuit against me?

Edit: we are renting the house.

Answer:
 Colorado lawyer, but not your lawyer. Consult an IRL lawyer for particularized advice.

The Colorado Premises Liability Statute controls personal injury liability which occurs on your property. It most likely applies to you as a renter as well, unless the driveway was a common area in a complex or something. Considering that there was a restraining order, and you had affirmatively told the guy not to shovel your driveway, it would be very unlikely that this guy is anything other than a trespasser.

Under the Colorado Statute, "'Trespassers' are those who did not have permission to enter the landowner’s property, and landowners owe only a duty to refrain from will fully or deliberately injuring plaintiffs in this category.  C.R.S.  §  13-21-115(5)(c)  and  (3)(a)."

If you get a demand letter from this guy or some lawyer he trotted out, find a lawyer. Your lawyer should send back a letter, with the restraining order attached, and say that the injured party was a trespasser. There is always a chance you get some crazy asshat who wants to push things, but it is unlikely that any self-respecting lawyer would press this suit. Answer #2: [I took the liberty...] (http://imgur.com/lz19q9e)Answer #3: Call the cop back and ask of he plans to file a charge against the guy for violating a restraining order. Tell him you would like him to do so. As for the driveway, if you're renting, that would be on your landlord anyway.


Title: Can my company require medical information for a new desk?

Question:
Apologies if the flair is incorrect.

The company I work for started giving out new stand-up desks to employees last year to those who requested them. Since then they have replaced roughly 40% of the desks in our offices. Just recently they have decided to require that we take an ADA Medical Certification form to our primary doctor to fill out, confirming that we have a disability in order to receive a new desk.

My concern isn’t with whether this is just or not. What I want to know is if this is legal for them to require confidential, and very personal, information be submitted for something that is supposed to benefit the employee’s health?

It seems very odd to me that they would need this info to justify the well-being of their workforce.
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 > What I want to know is if this is legal for them to require confidential, and very personal, information be submitted for something that is supposed to benefit the employee’s health?

Sure.

They don't owe you a new desk, at all.  They're offering you a new desk **if** you have a medical need for one.  So you either prove a medical need or you don't get a new desk.Answer #2: Yes. Any sort of office equipment that’s not the “norm,” like lumbar support, foot rests, wrist rests, etc... can require a medical document. It’s your company’s discretion


Title: Employer refused to give us lunch breaks for a few days, leading to feet injury and loss of employment.

Question:
To begin, I am F21 and living in the Houston area and this post references my time as a server at a small restaurant.

I began my employment with this company in early October of this year, before it opened to the public. 10 or so servers were hired, but only three of us showed up for the initial training and orientation. Incredibly short staffed, we opened just a few days later; as expected, the business was extremely busy. During those first few weeks, we were so busy that us servers were denied lunch or rest breaks several days. After a week and a half or so, I broke down crying and personally spoke with my manager about the pain the 12 hour shifts were causing, but, even then, nothing was done. Every time I would ask for a break, he would say we were too busy (or about to get busy), or he would promise to give me a break soon, but would never actually get to it. After a while more of putting up with this, I ended up in urgent care not being able to walk and eventually had to go see an orthopedic specialist who then diagnosed me with major tendinitis in both feet, caused by the excessive walking. I was prescribed orthopedic boots for both feet, and was told I would have to be out of work for 6-8 weeks which has put me in danger of losing my home and vehicle, as I am not able to pay for them. I am also not able to go back to the specialist, as I cannot afford the cost of the visit and treatment. I am currently on my father’s insurance, but even then the cost for the boots totaled out to about $600.
The entire time I was working for this company I was also applying to many other jobs trying to find a better place to work, but unfortunately did not have luck finding other opportunities.

I know it is a long shot, and I don’t even have the funds to pursue any legal action, but I was just wondering if there was anything that could be done regarding the situation.

Thanks in advance for any and all advice!

Answer: You should look into a worker's compensation claim.


Title: Riverside, CA court won't accept my Proof of Correction and won't tell me why

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >I know that Riverside CA is bankrupt. In trying to find an contact information for a court clerk or traffic judge I found that all of their judges are bankruptcy judges and they are outsourcing to judges across the country (including my county.) So I understand why their resources are bare.

None of this is actually true.  Courts across the state have had their budgets cut, but courts are state-funded and Riverside's particular situation has nothing to do with anything.  The only "bankruptcy judges" are in federal court and Riverside has the same judges as any other county.  They certainly do not "outsource" judging to other states, that's simply false.

The only clerks you can talk to, if they have sufficient personnel to take phone inquiries, are the traffic clerks who work at the traffic window.  This isn't the job of individual department clerks, and you certainly won't reach a judge.

You have to follow the process [here](http://www.courts.ca.gov/9529.htm) to get a fix it ticket signed off.  If you can't reach the court, try the DMV.  If you still can't get it figured out, either hire a traffic attorney or reserve a court date and appear.


Title: Dogs, crates, and laws [TX]

Question:
Are there any laws for how big a dog crate has to be, and how long a dog can stay in it? How long can a dog be left alone?

Like... If you locked two dogs in one crate, then went out of town for the weekend, is that legal? They have water but not food. The crate is inside your house, so they're not outside or anything.

If it's not legal, what would happen? I mean, animal control can't break down your door and take your dogs, right?

Topic:
Douche

Answer:
 So your neighbors have two dogs, locked both dogs in one crate and left for the weekend, leaving them only some water? Do you know if they arranged for anyone to come feed or walk them?

I would have no idea how to approach this one. Have you tried contacting animal control yet? I agree it's unlikely they will break into the residence just to assess the situation, but I imagine animal control has dealt with this situation before and can offer some guidance.


Title: [NJ/PA] Fitting 6 people in a 5-person car

Question: In a few weeks, my friends and I (all over 18 years old) want to drive from Trenton, New Jersey to Philadelphia, PA. There are 6 of us total, but only 5 seatbelts in the car. However, 4 of the passengers are very small women who could squeeze in the back, possibly with one sitting on another's lap for the whole ride. Would it be legal for me to drive, for my male friend to sit in the passenger's seat (with a seatbelt on), and for the 4 girls to cram in the back with no seatbelts?

Answer:
 Really? You honestly think that that would be legal?

No. In no way is that legal or safe. Answer #2: Nope. You can be cited for this, and if you are, the police officer is not going to permit you to drive off this way.

Rent a minivan or similar.


Title: Wells Fargo trying to steal my friends land

Question: So just found out about this but my friend who has been making her monthly payments on time is having her house and 20 acres of land forclosed and put up for auction by Wells Fargo. She tried to appeal and submitted paperwork but Wells Fargo got back to her after the deadline and said that it wasn’t the right paperwork she tried filing again and they stalled her for 2 days till after the deadline saying oh it is too late now. She has her bank statements and everything showing she has been paying on time. Any advice on how to can stop Wells Fargo?

Answer: *Why* is Wells-Fargo claiming to foreclose on the land even though you claim it's been paid in full, on time?


Title: A road goes through my property.

Question: I am in Texas and recently noticed I own both sides of the L shaped road that goes through my property.  There are about 20 houses past mine. The deed lists 18 acres but that's including the road, so my question is there a way I could have the acreage reduced and possibly refunded that portion of my taxes over the past years or at least be credited for it?

Answer: There is presumably an easement in place for the road. Your property taxes are based on the value of the property, not just the straight acreage. The easement and it's use diminish the value of the property, so in theory your tax assessment should already be reduced compared to if the road didn't exist.


Title: Buying first home with Partner (unmarried) - he has down payment, I have better credit, do we have to pay gift tax?

Question:
We are in the process of purchasing our first home in Atlanta, Georgia, and we are incredibly excited about it.  Closing is in ~3 weeks!

Our financial setup is somewhat lopsided.  I have good credit and strong income, so the $300k mortgage is going to be completely in my name.  I do not, however, have any savings accumulated.  My partner has mediocre credit, so we don't want him to draw down our mortgage rates, but he has a $100k down payment for the house.  Although the mortgage will be in my name only, the title will be in both of our names as tenants-in-common (which has been ok'd and confirmed with the mortgage company).  We are creating a partnership agreement where he gets the first $100k in liquidation proceeds as a protection should anything sour with our relationship.  The mortgage company is on board with who's names are on each requisite legal docs.  We have not discussed the partnership agreement with the mortgage company.

My question has to do with the down payment.  One legal loophole the mortgage company is making us jump through is that my partner is being required to make a formal gift of the down payment money to me, before I transfer it at closing.  Basically, they want it to be my down payment and for it to transfer from my account.

This brings up the issue of a potential gift tax.  The gift letter that my partner has signed says that he is gifting me the money, and does not expect any repayment in the form of cash or services.  This would trigger a gift tax.  However, it is not truly a gift without consideration, since he is receiving home equity with a liquidation preference, which in essence is worth $100,000, implying an even exchange has occurred.

Do you guys think we will end up having to pay a gift tax on this?  One alternative we are considering is to get a shotgun wedding to avoid a gift tax, but that wouldn't be preferable, ha.

Thanks reddit!!!!

Edit:

We spoke with the loan officer again this morning.  Per the loan officer, the gift is set up for "loan structuring" for underwriting, so that my partner is not considered a creditor to me.  He said they do not report anything to the IRS and that we do not need to fill out a Form 709 gift tax form.  We also discussed the partnership agreement, and he whole-heartedly agreed that it was necessary that we put one in place to further define both of our interests, and that it does not impact the gift structuring or underwriting.  What we agree on as far as distribution after the mortgage is paid back is up to us and does not affect the bank.  One thing I got out of the call, is that I think I will give my partner power of attorney for me with regards to selling the property, so that we never have any issues with me being noncompliant.

Trying to get in touch with our RE lawyer, will report back when I do.

Topic:
Tax Law

Answer:
 I realize you are excited and I am sorry, but I'm obligated to burst your bubble.  Link from our sidebar wiki entitled: [Why you should never title a house or car with someone other than your spouse](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2tqyvb/ca_usa_exgirlfriend_unexpectedly_moved_in_and/).

TL;DR:  Gift tax is the least of your worries and you probably should get married that way there is a built in legal system to deal with the house when the relationship ends.

If you don't want to do that at the very least hire an attorney to draw up an agreement and get advice regarding the gift tax implications.Answer #2: Your partner will have to file a form 709 (his accountant can assist) for the gift.

Gift taxes only come into play when lifetime gifts exceed $5.43 million dollars.  Assuming he hits it big in his life and feels generous, then it's unlikely it will trigger an event where tax is due.

Having said that.  Think very carefully about what you're doing.  It's a very bad idea to title the house in both of your names.  Other folks will chime in regarding why this is such a bad idea.  It's been discussed a lot here and there's a whole article in the Wiki.  I won't go into repeating what it says, but here's a read for you.  Think this one though please:

https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2tqyvb/ca_usa_exgirlfriend_unexpectedly_moved_in_and/


Title: Complicated age of consent situation [NY] [WA] [China]

Question:
Location \-\- China

Ill try to make this straight forward. I am a 23 year old American male who lives in china. I matched with an American girl on tinder who also lives in China, she claimed to be 18 on her profile. After chatting a bit she reveals that she's not 18 but in fact 16.  Thankfully our chat was strictly G\-rated get to know you stuff.

Ethically its a deal breaker for me, but would it actually be illegal if we had sex while in China?

I did a quick search and it looks like age of consent is 14 in China, 17 in New York \(where the girl is from\) and 16 in Washington \(the state I am a resident of\).

Answer:
 You're in China so you follow Chinese law. Kinda f'd up though. Answer #2: US law has nothing to do with what happens in China

Also: likely a scam. When the dad asks for money to pay for counseling you know it is a scam


Title: Am i fucked?

Question:
So long story short. My current employer has me on leave. Nothing in writing, no verbal warning or write up. His EX girlfriend works at the used car dealer that I'm a mechanic at.  She hired me and the jobs been going great.  Two weeks ago she was drunk at work( customers come by with bottles and drink all the time) and ended up kissing me. I blew it off, he didnt know and we kept it to ouselves.
   Last week i run into her at 7-11 and I go to her place and drink with her and her neighbors.  Her son (teenager) was in a shit mood and flipped out, pushing her, kicking doors down, putting holes in the walls etc. I refrained from doing anything and we left to my house.
 Next day he( her son) asked her to go run some errand for him and she stated she wouldn't. He threatend to call "G"  and tell him I was over there. She said go ahead. He proceeded to call him etc.
 Next day i go to work. He asks me what happend, i explain nothing and that we were just hanging out.  Fast forward to last friday at the end of the day. He tells me he needs to figure out their relationship( which is non existent) i should take a break, and he'll call me when he wants me to come back in.
  Basically i think he's trying to fire me for a personal issue that has nothing to do with my job.  So my questions to my not so short story are
 1) Can he fire me without any previous warnings pertaining to my work.
2) If he does try to fire me, are there any actions i can take against his decision.

 I know its a shitshow of a story, but shit happens.

I live in California. Not sure what rights workers have out here.
  Thanks ahead of time

Answer:
 1- yes

2- file for unemployment


Title: Husband says not to speak to wife?

Question:
I have been friends with this woman for 5+ years now. She recently moved in with someone and subsequently married them. Now, he's called me and asked me not to speak or contact him or her. Afaik, this was not her decision. Obviously I won't be speaking to him, but can he legally keep me from speaking to her?

Edit: I'm in Virginia

Answer:
 > can he legally keep me from speaking to her?

No.

But, he can create lots of hassle for you which will likely create lots of strife in the new marriage.Answer #2: No; his desires aren't a legal no contact order. He'd have to request a restraining order; probably claiming some kind of harassment. The claim probably would hold up under any scrutiny, but the bar for a temporary order is very low.

On the plus side, VA doesn't recognize the tort of "[alienation of affection](http://www.ehow.com/list_7461151_virginia-laws-alienation-affection.html)"; so he likely couldn't sue you if she came running to you and divorced him. Answer #3: What type of things do you talk about with the wife?


Title: [TX] Employer does not want to give PartTime

Question:
My brother works at a call center from 9-530 for a major insurance company and the work can be grueling. He recently asked for part time and they told him they couldn't reduce days, only one hour a day.

Is that legal for them to withhold a part time option?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer: Employees don't get to dictate when they work.


Title: Forgot to send in my jury summons form

Question: [deleted]

Answer: It’s not a problem at all. When I went in June there were people who showed up that day saying they’d lost their form and never returned it.


Title: My dad tricked me and took away $12,000 away from my bank account

Question:
I live in Massachusetts. Some context, my parents are divorced, I mostly live with my dad. Throughout my childhood, my mom set up a bank account for me and consantly put money in it throughout the years to help pay for my living expenses when I get to college.

Sometime when I was about 12, my dad (who's not a great person, really) told me that he needed to transfer my money from my bank account to his for a clearly false reason, which was to pay for my sister's expenses for her car or something. Me, being young and naive, believed him, and so we went to the bank, I signed something, and then all of my money was gone.

Later, I told my mom about this and realized what I just done. This happened a few years ago and I've been scared to ask my dad about the money since then, considering he threatened to essentially kick me out the last time I asked him.

A few years later, my dad's refusing to pay my tuition for tutors and other crap, and I'm a high school senior now. I'm getting fed up, and with college approaching, the money would sort of help, but I'm still afraid of asking my dad. I'm sure what he did was probably illegal, so could I threaten him with legal action to take my money back? Thanks.
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer:
 > I'm sure what he did was probably illegal

Not necessarily.  Parents have very wide latitude in controlling their children, their children's money, and their children's possessions.  In general, it'd be perfectly fine for him to spend "your" money.  Until you're of age, you don't really "own" anything.

This would differ somewhat if the money involved was in a trust or some other vehicle with limited access.  If you want to pursue this, talk to a local civil attorney to see if you have any recourse.Answer #2: What did your Mom say when you told her about this?

You have a good claim.  Children do own gifts given to them (despite the false comments that say otherwise in this thread) and since you were a child, the law would not expect you to avoid being cheated by your parent.  You would have some years to bring a claim in your own right once you turn 18.

I don't know if it's worth pursuing, though.  The money is gone.  The records will be difficult to dig up.

The usual non-legal remedy for this is to move out and not speak to your parent again.

Your problem for the future is that probably, your father will refuse to help with college expenses and yet the college financial aid apparatus is set up to presume parental cooperation and funding.  So most likely, you are going to find it very hard to attend college until you are age 24 or so.  If your mother is better, you should have a frank talk to her about this.


Title: I got an unjust parking ticket in Yonkers, New York. Without photographic (or other) proof, is there really anything I can do?

Question:
if it was $50 or something, i wouldn't even bother but it's well over $100.

i was NOT even in the vicinity of where they said i was when they wrote the ticket. unfortunately, i also have no way of proving that i wasn't. (it was at 1am on weeknight, i was sound asleep).

as an aside: i always thought law was basically innocent until proven guilty. why is it for parking tickets the complete opposite?

thank you.
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 >as an aside: i always thought law was basically innocent until proven guilty. why is it for parking tickets the complete opposite?

It isn't, a ticket is a summons to pay or appear in court. You can appear and plead not guilty and defend yourself. Or, send in the fine and plead guilty.


Title: The Neighbor Below

Question:
The neighbor below me is without a doubt a drug dealer. Normally I would mind my own business, however, the guy always has some sketchy people coming in and out. They are always really loud and disrespectful. We have asked the guy, and whoever is there, to please keep it down because we always have class or work early in the morning.

Eventually things got ridiculous (the customers were having a heated argument) so out of fear I called the cops. 30 minuets went by and the cop finally showed, only to drive up and down the parking lot once. I understand it not being worth it to knock on a door of people who are most likely high and have weapons.

I’m not the only one to complain to the managers. Everyone in the apartment circle has made a complaint.

Sadly, one night we saw the leasing manager (who is always high strung...aka on some kind of upper) walk into the apartment after hours and then not leave until late the next day..she didn’t show up to work for what it seems like obvious reasons...

I genuinely don’t know what to do. The guy knows I’ve tattled on him because I unknowingly told the manager who is his friend and has since been fired.

As if things couldn’t get worse, my boyfriend and I woke up one morning to find our door open. Nothing was missing and no kitties (or us) were hurt, thank god, but it is scary as fuck to wake up to that.

Any advice would be great, thanks!

Answer: Not a lawyer, but you need security cameras and better locks YESTERDAY.


Title: [U.S.][CA][San Francisco] Question on Use of Tokens From One Arcade at Another

Question:
Hi, /r/legaladvice!

I am an attorney. I am also a pinball wizard! (Yes; I wear that badge with honor.) One of my pinball friends, a layperson, posed the following question:

>What if I had a big jar of tokens at home, and all of them got mixed together, but they are unmarked. In addition, some of them were purchased at a discount, say, 5-for-a-dollar. If I accidentally use a token from location B (5-for-$1) at location A, have I committed a crime? Further, say I just purchased a bunch of tokens at wholesale and used those, what crime would I be committing?

I started to poke around and found some resources, mostly on use of slugs or tokens on certain premises or as a substitute for U.S. coins. But nothing apposite. Can you help?

Answer:
 If I read this correctly, it is a misdemeanor to "put in circulation" a "slug or token" that doesn't meet a list of requirements including that it *"either be clearly identified with the name and location of the establishment from which it originates on at least one side or shall contain an identifying mark or logo that clearly indicates the identity of the manufacturer"*

http://codes.findlaw.com/ca/penal-code/pen-sect-648a.html

So your unmarked tokens are problematic.

I have to assume that using tokens stamped ["NoiseLand"](http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Noise_Land_Video_Arcade) at Chuck-E-Cheez would be some sort of theft by deception or petty larcency, because you'd be stealing a service (amusement) without compensating the proprietor of the joint.

Edit to add:  on further thought, the markings could refer to the original creator of the tokens, not the current user.  So if you find two arcades in town that both use tokens stamped "Acme Token Company Ltd., Hong Kong", and the two arcades price them differently, your arbitrage racket is the perfect crime...until Big Amusement catches on and sends its goons after you, and you end up dead in the river, weighted down with 50 pounds of brass tokens as a warning to the rest of us.


Title: [Ontario, Canada] Can my parents sue me for college tuition?

Question:
Sorry, I don't have much knowledge on law.

I'm planning to cut off all contact with my parents. I know they'll be angry and they'll try to sue me for this. I started college in September and that's when they paid for my first term ($7905). I turned 18 in November. The next payment is due in January and they haven't paid it yet.

I never promised to pay back tuition to my parents. Can they sue me and if they can do they have a good chance of winning?

Answer: If there was no promise to pay back then they should not win. As a side note that is a lot of money to spend on one term's tuition.


Title: Three serious fires in 5 months, false fire alarms go off frequently in my apartment building (state of MD). I fear for my life and hate leaving my dog home alone. Any chance I can break the lease?

Question:
Title says it all. In my apartment building, there have been 3 fires in the space of 5 months. Each caused resident displacement, injury and damage to the property. My unit has not been affected directly by the fires, but each time we are evacuated for around 6 hours.

Furthermore, our building has very frequent false alarms. For example, there were 6 false alarms just this morning. It is making it very difficult to do my job. I have already had to miss meetings, hours working etc.

More importantly though, the false and real fire alarms cause a significant amount of stress to me and my dog every time it goes off. Since there have been so many real fires, I take each false alarm seriously.   I hate leaving my dog in my apartment, knowing I couldn't get her out if there is a fire when I'm at work. I have trouble sleeping because I worry about fires. I can't live like this any more.

Management sent an email only after the third real fire, giving very limited details. They held a community event about fire safety. Generally though, they are not responsive about the false fire alarms and obviously don't have a way of letting residents know what is a real fire and what isn't. They haven't taken any steps to stop the false alarms. They sometimes send emails apologizing.

Do I have any legal recourse to break my lease?

Answer: Right now, you probably can't break your lease penalty free. But I absolutely would contact your city/county fire marshall about the multiple/repeated false alarms. Answer #2: Something similar happened to me--it turned out that there was a pyromaniac in the building, who was setting fires and pulling fire alarms at different times. Really scary stuff, and it's lucky that no one died before he was caught. I would: a) make sure you have renter's insurance; b) escalate at the fire marshal if the fire marshal doesn't respond to the call you put in today; c) send a letter to your landlord letting them know that you're very concerned for your safety and that unless these issues are quickly resolved, you would like to discuss how to terminate the lease. It is likely that you can't actually get out of the lease penalty-free yet, but this is just to inspire them to resolve the fire issues. If they don't fix the issues, then you can negotiate with the landlord to see if you can get out of the lease while taking a small penalty. I personally would be willing to pay an extra months' rent just to get out of a dangerous situation, but I know that it's not always possible for everyone.


Title: [Ontario, Canada] I reversed into a car 3 months ago, totally my fault. The guy wants to settle without insurance, as do I, and I'm looking for some advice on documentation

Question:
Quick run-down: I reversed into some guy's car, totally my fault I was being an idiot. Caved in the left corner of his front bumper, my car had almost no damage. I took photos as did he, I gave him my contact info and a photo of my drivers license, we both wanted to do this outside of insurance, he said he'd get in touch.

This is where things get weird.  I crashed into him on Aug 1st. He finally contacted me today (28/10).  He said I could just send him $300, and he'd send me a signed letter stating that that settled the damages.  I know for a fact that repairing a front bumper for his car is way more than $300, let alone replacing it as most people would do.  If he sends me that letter, is that enough to prevent him from seeking future damages from me?

Thanks everyone!
Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer: give him a money order and keep the receipt stub from it so you can verify its cashed.Answer #2: I wouldnt give him anything until you've got the signed letter in hand.


Title: Doing major construction in my apartment with only 7 days notice - Virginia

Question:
I rent a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment in Virginia, and live there with my girlfriend - although it is just my name on the lease. I came home today to find a notice on my door that my complex was replacing the pipes in my building, and that I would have to remove all personal items from my closet, bathroom, my outdoor storage closet, 3/4 of my kitchen cabinets, over 1/2 of the space in my living room in order for them to re-pipe. I am not aware of any current issues with our pipes, so I don't think this has anything to do with any health concerns.

They say that I need to have my apartment in order by 8am on Friday (a week from today), and that they will shut off my water at that point. The notice said that work would be finished within 5 business days (so really 7 total days including the weekend), a maintenance worker will check my apartment the day beforehand to make sure the apartment is ready for re-piping (so I guess I have to have my apartment like this for 8 days including the day before walk-through).

Holes will be cut in my walls/ceiling, piping will be replaced, and walls will be repainted. They will film my apartment before and after.

Aside from the MASSIVE inconvenience of this incredibly unreasonable request, it would be literally impossible for me to live in my apartment during those 8 days. There simply isn't enough room in my apartment to put all of the stuff I currently have in the places they say I need to clean out, much less for me to continue to live in any sort of normal or even functional manner.

They made no mention of any sort of rent reduction, or paying for me to stay in a hotel while they're doing construction.

So my plan is to go into the office tomorrow and refuse to do any of this, at least without some sort of financial compensation (although I would rather avoid doing it altogether). I'm willing to threaten them with a lawyer, but it would probably be a good idea for me to know what my legal options are before going to speak with management.
Any advice that anyone can give would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: The only lines in the lease that I can find that may pertain to this are:
 "We may change or install utility lines or equipment serving the apartment if the work is done reasonably without substantially increasing your utility costs. We may turn off equipment and interrupt utilities as needed to avoid property damage or perform work"
And:
"In addition to the requirements outlined in this lease contract you are responsible for complying with the obligations imposed on you by applicable provisions of the building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety"

I wouldn't say what they're asking us reasonable, and it's not the water cutoff I'm pissed about, it's the having to move out all of my stuff.
And I don't see how this is a health and safety issue, so the second clause shouldn't apply.

Answer:
 You are being given 7 days notice. Landlord probably only needs to give you 24 hours notice. You've got enough time to get stuff out of the cabinets/closets and put them on the floor/tables/live like a hoarder for a week stepping around stuff. That isn't the problem. You being without water for 5-7 days -is.

Talk to your landlord about that problem. And remember, just because you don't see the problem, doesn't mean it doesn't exist for your next door neighbor or maybe both apartments below you.


Title: What are things you can report tier 3 sex offenders in Iowa for?

Question: [deleted]

Answer: If you have a specific concern about someone's behaviour you could call the police. But really if this is you just wanting to report sex offenders because they are sex offenders, or you don't like them being in you neighbourhood or something your time would be better spent elsewhere.


Title: I need some advice about my first ticket and a court date and a controlling mom

Question:
Okay, so I'm 16, about a month ago I went to a friends house and drank/got drunk for the first time. My friend, her brother, and I were outside in front of a closed gas station and a cop pulled up, friends brother said to run so we all run into the woods. My shoes fell off, got cut up by thorns, super scared. We were sitting by a ditch waiting for her brother to come back to tell us if cops were gone. He didn't come back but some cops did. I was so so scared, I just sat there and a couple cops came up, I was put in handcuffs and put in the cop car. I was honest about everything, cooperated, wasn't drunk to where I couldn't speak/walk right. I ended up getting a ticket for underage drinking (extremely lucky I didn't go to jail for evading arrest).
I do understand that what I did was wrong and I should not have done it. I do regret it and I take full responsibility for it.
Anyways, I called the courthouse about a week ago and ask for more information about the actual court date. They told me I had until the 20th of this month to go into the courthouse to schedule an actual court date because they need my signature and such. So I have three more days to do that. The court house is about an hour away. My mom is telling me she won't drive me, we are busy tomorrow, we have no plans Sunday, and weekdays she works. Shes the only one in the house that can drive, all my other family lives hours away, she refuses to let me call a taxi/uber, says it will be too expensive. I don't have friends that can drive me. My mom is pretty much my only option. I could try and ask a family member that lives a couple hours away but my mom doesn't get along with them and will not let me. My mom is extremely controlling and selfish, anything that takes any of her precious time can wait or isn't worth it. The cop told me when I got the ticket that if I didn't deal with my court stuff I would get a warrant for my arrest.
So what do I do? Would I be able to call the court house and ask them to extend the days I can go in to schedule it? I could really use some serious advice.
I apologize for any mistakes in formatting or anything, I am on mobile.
Edit: I am in Houston, Tx
Update: I called the courthouse and they are giving me until the end of the week. So I will be contacting some other family and make plans for them to come pick me up and take me to court.

Answer: The cop is right; there will be a warrant issued if you fail to appear in court.  You need to find some way to get there, even if it's not the best way.  If you don't, you can tell your mom that the cops will eventually give you free and reliable transportation to court when they come to your house to return you on the warrant.  Of course, they only do one-way, so getting home will once again be your responsibility.


Title: Detained 72 hour hold

Question:
My best friend got into an argument with his mom and then in the heat of the moment said “well maybe I will just kill myself!”.  He then went to his room to go to sleep as it was after midnight.

Side note he has had a punching bag in the garage and had bruise his wrist on it because it had been disconnect from the chain in the ceiling for months and had been punch the bag on the ground.

His mom called the cops and the the sherif came and woke him up, he lives with his mom.  The cops saw his bruised wrist and asked why it was bruised.  He showed them the bag.  sherif said the chain was a noose and said he had to take him into the hospital for a 72 hour hold.  His mom, the one who called the cops, also said it’s not a noose, it had been like that for months.

They took him anyway and now he is on a 72 hour hold and won’t let him leave because the sherif said a chain that was 1 foot long said it was a noose.  He went in last night, weekends don’t count, and holidays don’t count, he will miss Christmas.

I visited him tonight, he has never been suicidal and was perfectly fine, pissed, but fine.

He is not allowed pens or pencils but he has an orange marker and is taking notes of all the things he thinks is illegal for when he can get out of there.

Anything we can do to get him out for Christmas?

Answer: hiring a lawyer would be your best bet.  getting someone out of a psych hold can be difficult.


Title: I want my workplace to be held responsible for my partners suicide.

Question:
This may be along post, so I'll make a TL;DR at the bottom. As the title suggests, my partner committed suicide almost three weeks ago now. She had a history of depression and had tried to take her life once before, but she was doing a lot better until she started working at this company. I work their as well.

It started with one of the supervisors bullying her. It got worse and worse with him consistently giving her harder and harder tasks. I won't go too far into it, but it just became consistently worse over time. I had her report it to HR, and she spent two days detailing what he was doing. I honestly thought that would have been enough to put an end to it, but it just became worse. She had a breakdown at work, and I took her home. She cried for three days. I took her to a doctor who described it as "reactionary depression", and she was placed back on anti-depressants and a small amount of anti-anxiety medication to take as she needed. He offered us a work-related injury certificate but told us that there was a good chance that it would make the situation at work worse, and we agreed. When she returned to work she tried to keep going but she couldn't, so I told her to go back to HR. There she was yelled at by the plant manager for not being at her station, and her visa was threatened. They told her they'd change her shift times as to not be near the bullying supervisor. The next week the on her new shift was asked to do overtime, and she agreed. When the plant manager came and saw he accused her of pretending and lying about the whole thing in front of everyone on the floor. She spent that night crying as well.
She hurt her hand on a Tuesday and was told to do light duties by the onsite nurse. She was accused of bringing the injury from the other shift and not telling everyone, the light duties hurt her as well, and she was told "too bad".

She was crying through most of her shift on Wednesday. She left about five hours in. She left work and killed herself. I want them to be held accountable for this, it should never have happened. I don't want to sue them for money. I just want their name to be associated with my girlfriend's death.

TL;DR= My partner was bullied to the point of a breakdown, was placed on antidepressants based on what the doctor called a work-related injury. The bullying continued to the point where my partner committed suicide during work hours. I've also posted this to /r/auslegal as I'm Australian.

Answer:
 I'm sorry for your loss.

Perhaps file a complaint with the Fair Work Ombudsman - [link](https://www.fairwork.gov.au/employee-entitlements/protections-at-work).

Perhaps contact a workplace rights solicitor to determine whether there are grounds for a lawsuit.  Most solicitors will hear you out and say whether they would take the case, and why.  Be sure you understand the fee situation thoroughly before agreeing.