Title: Help with roommate and housing situation.

Question:
Ok so I will try to make this as short as possible. My parents' family friends have let me stay in their house because they moved to Thailand. They are kind of old friends of my parents. (I am 28) - They offered me the house to stay in so they did not have to go through the hassle of putting it up for rent or selling it. They are still keeping a lot of their stuff in the house that they don't want to really sort out.

Well I asked if my sister and friend could move in. For two years it hasn't been a problem.

Last night, they ganged up on me and told me "my boyfriend is coming over too much." And they don't like it.

I tried to get an actual reason for why, but that is all they would say. "Charles" is a perfectly wonderful guy and no one has ever fought or I have not heard anything to make me wonder. This was out of left field last night. They have never brought up anything that makes them mad or upset.

They just kept repeating "he doesn't live here" "he doesn't pay rent" "it's not fair that he is here all the time" -

Nothing about an actual reason why.

Thing is, I love this guy, he is the most amazing person I have ever met, and yes, I might ask him to move in with me. (one day - and I had planned on talking to both of them about it and having a discussion) Last night, with no prompting whatsoever, the "roomies" started saying "he will NEVER live here."

We have had roommate arguments before, and I have never brought up the fact that it is actually "my" house. We usually just communicate and talk it out. But last night they took it over the line, saying that "if we want to be together, we can get a place of our own."  - "we aren't leaving"

What am I going to do in this situation? We never actually signed anything about the living situation (which I am regretting now)

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

EDIT to add - I live in the Dallas TX area

Answer: First of all, it's not your house. Your roommates' have the same tenants right as you do. Unless you signed a very clear subletting agreement with them, you have no more claim to the house than they do. Also, it's a completely douchy move to have a guest who doesn't live there over all the time. You keep saying they gave you no reasons, but they gave you plenty. He doesn't live here and he doesn't pay rent are plenty reason. You aren't being a considerate roommate.


Title: Someone Installed a security light without my consent [CA]

Question:
So I've been gone at work all day and came home to a new security light installed on my house (the fixture was there before but there hasn't been a bulb in it and it hasnt been used in probably 10+ years. To my knowledge this light is turned on via a switch in the house and I have no clue where its located).
I suspect it is one of our neighbors because the light is pointed directly at the corner of their house and we ran into some boundary issues shortly after they moved in a year ago when they decided to replace most of our shared fence without asking (I found them in the middle of doing it while I was walking around naked ¯\_(ツ)_/¯). I never confronted them because it was around the time of my grandfathers decline/death (it is my grandparents house) and they never asked for us to contribute financially to the new build.
I contacted my grandmother who is out of town to assure she did not ask anyone to do it or was asked about it and she was just as baffled as I was.
I went to the neighbor's house to ask them if they had seen anyone come over while I was gone today and they did not answer the door or their Ring doorbell despite my boyfriend and I both hearing voices talking and seeing someone move around.
There was no damage that I'm aware of (it was dark by the time I got home but flashlights revealed nothing). It doesn't appear anyone entered our home and its possible the switch, where ever it is, has been on this whole time. I have no evidence to prove who did it. To be honest I don't think its that big of a deal but its odd and I dislike that someone came on to my property and installed a light without my knowledge or consent.
My boyfriend thinks I should file a citizens report to have a paper trail in case something else happens again but I'm not sure if thats even neccessary.
We have removed the lightbulb, in case thats relevant.

Answer: So... someone didn't install a "light," they replaced a "light bulb" into an existing fixture.  Is that correct?


Title: Girlfriend refusing to give my own vehicle back

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You gifted the car, or she agreed to return it after a while - which is it? A gift is not a loan.

If the car is now registered in her name and she paid the taxes to do that, it its fair that you pay the taxes to transfer them back.


Title: What are the odds of a grandparent winning sole custody over a grandchild.

Question:
My step mother is currently seeking sole custody of her sons child. Both the parents are 21, unemployed and addicts. They will routinely and daily smoke and blow into the child's face(pot and meth) and even going so far as to spiking his juice.

My stepmother became quite well off after my father passed so finances, level of care and not being a drug addict are in her favor. The issue is she is in upstate NY with terrible lawyers.

Would it just be worthwhile to pay for the travel expenses or to risk it with a B grade lawyer?

Answer: It's going to be nearly impossible unless CPS has already removed the child from the home because both of the parents represent a danger to the child. That really needs to be her first step, not filing for custody in the court first.


Title: r/relationships told me to come here: I have some questions about PO boxes and what they can be used for.

Question: [deleted]

Answer: They(bank) will send your mail to a PO Box. They need to have a physical address on file though. Answer #2: Many major banks have a [paperless option](http://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/0,,2942,00.html) where everything is online instead—this might help with mail from the bank.Answer #3: I would be slightly more concerned about the fact you are telling immigration that you live at your boyfriends parents when you don't.  That's a pretty big red flag and I would figure out how to fix that before you worry about your dildos and the other stuff you mentioned in /r/relationships.


Title: Los Angeles - Neighbor adding onto their Airbnb house

Question:
I own a house in LA. Nice quiet slice of suburbia on a quiet cul de sac street. Whatever I am old with a little one and we wanted somewhere quiet and less dense.

Anyways, someone bought the house last year next door and has never lived there. They turned it into an Airbnb. I know there is little I can do about it. However they are now adding an additional unit a "grandma's suite". So now we are looking at 2 units to rent on Airbnb. There are multiple hotels on the major streets all around us. I have no interest in stopping that and if they want to build more hotels there have at it. It just seems like our street was specifically zoned to not allow a hotel or a B and B and they are trying to get around that.

Is this a fight I want to take on? Can I go to zoning board or permit office to try to stop them? I mean building a unit to specifically short term rental specifically to end around zoning laws seems like something we could try to stop. No HOA just a random street in The Valley.

Answer:
 Zoning is going to be the determining factor here. All metro areas have zoning districts that allow for certain density. Residential + 1 accessory dwelling unit (granny flat) is common, but call your local zoning office. Also there are restrictions like setbacks, you usually have to be X feet from all side lot lines and Y feet from the front and rear lot lines. So even if the density is allowed, you might be able to get them on other technical parts of this.

Also LA area is really zealous about enforcing permits. If they pulled a permit then it likely doesn't violate anything in zoning. So see if there is a permit.

Also let the tax assessor know it's not owner-occupied. In some areas rentals are taxed higher, and so as a result people claim it is there main residence. If they have a mortgage you can probably find out who the lender is (if the mortgage note is recorded, which is common in public records areas). Send the lender a letter and make sure they are aware it is being used as an income property. If they don't have an investment loan that might cause all sorts of heck for them - the lender can call the note due immediately. They might not, but, it's worth a try if you don't have other options for stopping it.


Title: $15,000 robbery- I sue my roommate, what type of lawyer could it get

Question: So there is evidence and a police report that states that my roommate left the door unlocked, and she in fact was the last person to leave the apartment. During the time that she left and the time I got back home, my safe was missing along with 15,000. This is a felony in the state of Texas, so I was wonder if there was anyway I could sue her for some or all of the amount since she hold liability toward the robbery. She failed to have renters insurence when I moved to the property and was unaware of it- so it was a tota lose to me. I suspect she knew the person who took the money, that's besides the point. Is there anyway I could sue her, if so what type of lawyer do I need?

Answer:
 IANAL.

It's burglary, not robbery. Robbery is theft with violence.

I don't think your roomate is liable to you in tort. I don't think they owe you a duty to lock the apartment door; it's their apartment as well, and people don't have any general legal obligation to lock the doors to their home. Alternatively, I think that the burglary committed by a third party is a clear superseding cause that breaks the chain of causation and relieves your roomate of any liability.

> She failed to have renters insurence when I moved to the property and was unaware of it- so it was a tota lose to me.

You could, and should, have taken out your own insurance policy.

>Is there anyway I could sue her, if so what type of lawyer do I need?

You would want a civil litigation lawyer. I think it is very unlikely you would win on these facts. You would, however, have an an excellent case against the burglar.


Title: New labor law title change + compensation

Question:
Hey all,

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide. As you probably know, there is a new labor law in the US that, more or less, requires employers to pay employees ~$48,000 or they are due to be paid overtime. Like a lot of people's workplaces, mine ended up giving a lot of people raises to meet this demand. Mine was a 3.9% raise.

My original title was Associate Creative Director, but my boss called me yesterday to tell me that the law also has title-based stipulations, and anyone with the word "associate" in their title is still entitled to OT pay regardless of salary, so she said that because I would have likely been promoted to Creative Director next year anyway so I will have the title now, only without the responsibility or the compensation until next OCTOBER when the raise cycle begins again. What makes it a bit more complicated is that our company was on a raise/promotion freeze since January 2016, and my raise cycle was April 2016, which will effectively make it 1.5 years before I am eligible for a bonus or raise. Because of this law, several other employees are now making the same amount as me despite being below me in organization terms.

Do I have any legal recourse here? Can they give me a client-facing title that's higher than I am being paid for? It's real shitty and I'm speaking with HR this afternoon but would love some legal information to back up my emotional rant. Thank you!

Answer: The law doesn't care about your title. The concept of a job title is literally never mentioned in the FLSA. It cares if you are being improperly classified as exempt and getting paid at least minimum wage.


Title: Gunfire from private property next to our house? [AL]

Question:
Hi r/legaladvice!

We recently bought a new home in a master planned neighborhood in central Alabama. The property directly behind our fence line is private and is apparently not part of the city limits of our recently-established town. They shoot semi-auto rifles and pistols *constantly* and many times the rounds are extremely- and I mean extremely- close to our property. My husband and I both have extensive firearms experience and can literally hear the rounds impacting the ground and trees just behind our house. They even do this in the middle of the night!

&#x200B;

We've called the county sheriff and they say there is nothing to do because its private property, but I see this as a very real hazard to our neighborhood.

Is there anything we can do? It there a "keyword" we should be using with law enforcement? I just refuse to accept that someone can be shooting within 20 yards of our home and it be completely fine.

Answer: The are on their property, correct? Not public property? They are outside the city limit, correct? You own right on the edge of the limits?


Title: Can a college withhold a degree if you can’t attend graduation?

Question:
College is saying I will not be awarded my degree unless I attend graduation ceremony. They say there is no exception to this rule and it won’t be listed on my transcript.

I am not planning to miss for fun, I have a job orientation that begins the same day across the country.

So they can keep the piece of paper, but how can they legally deny on my transcript that I graduated because I didn’t attend the commencement ceremony?

Answer:
 This isn’t really a legal question.

Your college has all kinds of conditions for conferring your degree. Attending x number of classes. Achieving some academic standards in those classes. If attending a ceremony is a clear one of those standards then they can do so.

Colleges want recent grads with jobs to brag about. There is some arrangement to be had here.


Title: [us] Husband on a salary works 12 -16 hour days plus weekends is that legal?

Question: My husband works generally 12 -16 hours days normally,  we live in Los Angeles, CA, and when there is an emergency at work he works till early morning hours plus weekends.  This happens often.  Is there a limit for a salaried employer to work?  Or can his boss make him work as many hours as he wants.  This has been going on for 6 years or longer.  Thanks for any feedback.

Answer:
 You're asking a bunch of lawyers if it's legal to work ridiculous hours?  Welcome to our world.

Yes, it's legal.  If he feels he's overworked for what he's paid, he should try to negotiate a salary increase.


Title: [Illinois] I’m being accused of stealing prescription drugs I did not steal. Please help

Question:
[deleted]
Topic:
Drug Possession

Answer:
 You mean a felon who's doing drugs accused you of stealing his drugs?

This is my shocked face.

If you didn't take anything you didn't. Be honest and get an attorney if arrested/charged.


Title: [NYC] Exposing a company's unethical behavior to the public

Question:
I will try and keep this as short as I can:

Basically, I work as a Mobile Product Manager for a major Healthcare company in the US. I was tasked with analyzing/documenting the metrics data for all of our mobile applications. What I discovered was that the **Page View metrics numbers were being artificially inflated** due to old defects in the code. Page Views are the primary metric our BI, Executive, and Marketing team uses to gauge how popular a given product is. This information is then regularly shared with sponsors, stakeholders and advertisers to facilitate business transactions. **The impact of this issue is potentially millions of false Page Views per year.**

Ever since raising this issue (and others), I've been discriminated against and threatened by retaliatory action (termination). At that point, I called our company Ethics and Compliance hotline, and opened a formal investigation into the matter. After a few weeks, I realized that the company never intended to get to the bottom of this, and were likely just stalling.

At this point, I would like to put together a package of evidence (no confidential information) and release it to all of the regular media outlets we deal with. My hope is that they will take it seriously, call the company out, and force them to uphold their commitment to integrity.

**My question:** Is taking this information public the best way to go about this? Should I first inform the Compliance officer of my intentions to give them a chance to take it more seriously? Are there any legal repercussions I should worry about (again, no confidential information will be released)?

I appreciate any help/advice. Thanks!
Topic:
Labor Law

Answer: The media isn't going to give two s*its about this.


Title: [OH] Towed For Parking In "Veterans Only" Space

Question: A non-redditor buddy of mine parked in a space at a local business marked "veterans only." The manager knew he wasn't a veteran and had the car towed from the space (gotta love small town living; the towing company was essentially next door, so the whole process took about 10 minutes during which time my buddy had no idea). I believe Ohio includes "military status" as a protected class: does that extend to veteran status and make this unlawful discrimination (or is it unlawful for some other reason)? He's out a hundred dollars or so and wants to know if he'd have a case in small claims.

Answer:
 Discrimination laws protect you from being discriminated *against*, not from preferential treatment. If that were the case, senior menus at Denny's would also be illegal because older age is another protected group.

Tell your buddy not to park in spaces clearly marked not for him.


Title: Have HIV and have missed doses of meds due to mail order pharmacy's errors. How would I go about getting an attorney to look at my case?

Question:
I can provide more details to the case here if they would be helpful, but the story is basically that I have missed doses of my meds due to screw-ups on their end. This can cause me to become resistant to my meds and have lasting effects on my course of treatment, and my health. What kind of attorney would be best to contact here? Medical Malpractice doesn't seem to fit, and I'm not sure where else to go. I'm in Colorado if it makes in difference, but I believe the pharmacy is in PA. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Edit 1: To give more background: I recently switched employers/insurance. I had several issues transferring my Rx, and there were times that they said, "We have everything we need you should get your order in a week or so" only to call back a week later and find out they haven't shipped anything yet. That being said, that was last month and I'd like to focus on what happened this month.

I had set up my account for automatic refills. I had selected the option that they would call when I was due a refill, but if they couldn't get a hold of me would ship the order anyways. I had a missed call on 3/13/15 from the pharmacy, but no voicemail. I assumed they shipped the order, but they didn't. So I went online and placed the order on 3/30, The order also indicated that I was out of doses. I had a missed call later that day from a RI number, but again no voicemail. On Thursday, 4/2, I called and was told that the pharmacy had tried calling because they needed to verify something since I was a new customer (Was never told what they needed to "verify") and that they had left a VM but never shipped the order! They also said that they left a voicemail on 3/13 when they called. The lady said they would overnight me my Rx. I didn't get them yesterday, which I should have so now I'm missing more doses. I called and left my information with someone on their "Emergency line", to see if the order was even shippped and if there is a chance I could get it today. If not I'll be missing even more doses over the weekend :(

Edit 2: Had to call their emergency line again after 2 hours, even though you are supposed to be contacted in the first hour. Finally, a "Supervisor" returned my call. She admitted that someone had "dropped the ball" and they never shipped me anything on Thursday. She is going to be sending out a courier today to get me my meds, and will call me back later with the details. I'll be contacting an attorney regardless now, since they knew I was out of meds when I called on Thursday and they still couldn't get me them the next business day - but I would still graciously accept any advice. I did put in a request with their privacy department for any records of correspondence.

Edit 3: The courier wont be here until tomorrow afternoon. Another missed dose...
Topic:
Medicine and Malpractice

Answer: you ignored a missed call from them and didn't investigate until over 2 weeks later, then you ignored another missed call for three days, you caused this, not them.Answer #2: In what way did they mess up?


Title: Impersonated on 911 call (PA)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 You can't press charges against anyone.  You can report the matter to the police and they'll decide whether to charge.

Depending on the exact call, there may be no crime here.


Title: Drug Dui and possession PA

Question:
Questions: What probably cause was there for a DUI?

Question 2: Was the search after arrest legal?

Question 3: Can I beat this?

I was driving down a road that is the main area people use leaving a high drug city. I passed a cop who was in a plaza and think I gave him the wrong "look". I immediately saw him pull out and shoved a needle and some bags of drugs into my underwear. I had not used any at all before this as I just picked up. I have no record of prior possession charges or anything. So I see the cop fly out and I'm driving fine. I had to get into the left lane to merge into a circle so I could get on the high way and was in the right lane. I slowed down and placed my left blinker on and let a car pass before going into the left lane. There was no cars so I slowed down at the yield sign and proceeded. the cop got behind me and lit me up. I immediately pulled over.

Without even running my plates the cop ran up to my car immediately and asked my info. I gave him my stuff and a family member police card that he couldn't have cared less about. He asked me where I was coming from which I told him and he wondered why I was on a back road not the highway if true. I told him the gps took me that way. All of a sudden he looked at my arm and asked about a mark I had which I brushed off and then asked about scars on my hands (old track marks that are scarred and just look like cuts). I told him a cat scractched me. Without saying anything else he read me my rights and told me to get out of the car. He said I was going to undergo a field sobriety test. I told him no I didn't want to and he goes "THAT IS A REFUSUAL" I said "do I have to" and he repeated that it was considered a refusal so I agreed under assumption I would be hit with a refusal on a due if I didn't.

As they patted me down nothing happened.All of a sudden I saw 4 more cops pull up, and this was without him even calling them so I presume he called for them before I even was pulled over. He had me walk the line, stand on a leg and the pen thing. I walked a straight line, stood on one leg for 20 seconds ect. Out of no where he placed me under arrest for DUI. He then searched me again and I admitted to have paraphernalia. He then told me that if brought other stuff into the jail it was more charges so I admitted having stuff in my underwear. On the side of the road in broad day he looked in my underwear (is this even ALLOWED?)

This all seems bullshit. The DUI because I had track marks? The next day I got a urine screen and I was clean. I've been on methadone for 6 months an it has no visible effect. I also blew a .0. My lawyer wants 10k. I got a dui n 3 felonies for this

I did not fail the field sobriety. I was clean. I blew a 0.0 and did not consume drugs prior.

Answer:
 FYI they don't need a DRE for DUIs, in fact the vast majority of DUIs do not have a DRE involved.

Get a defense attorney, you're going to need one. If you can't afford one, you can apply for a public defender.

Also they are allowed to search you incident to a lawful arrest.


Title: My hospitalized father has not been fed in 2 days

Question:
My 83-year-old father has been in ICU for over 2 weeks now, following a heart attack. He had a tracheotomy done on Tuesday to allow him to breathe better, and they were planning to add a new tube for feeding yesterday Wednesday, but scheduled got "mixed up" and somehow they didn't get around to him. He is very frail and has already lost a tremendous amount of weight lately due to health problems.
They claim they'll do it in the morning. That's over 48 hours without any nourishment.
What to do? Can I force the hospital to expedite this?   How long can they legally refrain from feeding a patient?
Location: Florida, USA
Update: He's getting his feeding tube inserted right now. Thank you all for your replies.

Answer:
 Not a lawyer, but a nurse. This sucks, but it happens - all the time. Someone in more critical need shows up and everyone else gets bumped. The doctors go home because, at a certain point they have to sleep. There aren't enough trained personnel to keep an OR going 24/7. My Mom had a heart attack Friday night and they did her cardiac cath Sunday morning. This is typical and unavoidable much of the time. There are patients I cannot feed for a week at a time, they just don't tolerate the feedings even with a tube in place. He's probably not even meeting requirements for tpn and lipids (food by vein) yet. They are likely monitoring his labs and will know if this becomes a critical need. There is also nothing you can do to expedite this process. I am sorry that this is happening to your family. There doesn't seem to be anything illegal here. Answer #2: This isn't a legal matter.

People for one reason or another will go just as long, or longer, without food/nurishment while in the ICU.

Your best bet is to be there early in the day (think 0600-0700) and speak with the team to ensure the tube gets placed today, or, if it's not going to, find out why. Answer #3: Are you sure they are not giving him IV nutrients?Answer #4: This is a combination of many things likely and nothing illegal also most likely. it's a sad fact that while in hospital, some patients are not given food,sometimes they are given iv that contains sustenance. A lot of times, patients are intentionally fasted.

I would go in early in the morning and speak with the doctor and day shift nurses.


Title: Pet requirements being made in the middle of the lease after previous dog passes away.

Question:
Hi everyone,

Just a quick question and sorry if I wasted anyone time with this.

Long story short we had a 30lbs dog that passed away a few months into our lease. We were told when signing the paperwork that we would have no problem getting another animal as long as it was not a certain type of breed (shepherd, rott, pitbull) as we were aware our dog was getting old and were preparing in advance.

The dog passed away and when we informed the the landlord that we would be getting another dog, he is now stating that we cannot get any dog that is over 30lbs. No where in my lease is there any weight limit for animals listed but they are adamant and will not budge.

Are they able to make this sort of requirement out of no-where?

I sincerely appreciate any advice on this.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer:
 If there is nothing in your lease that specifically states what type of animal you can have, then your landlord cannot legally prevent you from obtaining one. If they seek to evict or charge you on the grounds that your animal is over 30lbs, you can take legal action against them.

That being said, if you intend on getting a puppy, realize that the damage that animal causes is your responsibility.


Title: Can a buyer sue a seller for injury on sold property?

Question: So, we recently bought a house and there were issues with the seller concealing defects during the home inspection. One of them being that the gas line to the fire place was damaged. They claimed to have lost the key to turn on the gas during the inspection and once we purchasd the home, we were issued a $2000 fine from the city for not having the gas line repaired since apparently a work order had been put it with the gas company by the sellers before they vacated the premises. That matter has been resolved out of the court system. However, 2 separate incidents of injury have occurred to myself within 30 days of our presence on the property. The first incident occured within 2 days of our presence on the property. I stepped on an uneven brick that was being used as a part of a circular border for a flower bed under a tree in the front yard. The brick was not laid properly or balanced properly on the brick below it and upon my stepping on the brick, it see-sawed me forward rapidly and while my toes were flat on the ground, my ankle pushed toward touching the ground in front of my toes. This resulted in a very serious foot sprain that I was shocked wasn't broken. The second and more concerning incident occurred in the laundry room. There are cabinets above the washer and dryer. I had left the cabinet door open and was pulling clothes out of the wash machine when I bumped my head on the corner of the cabinet door. I have hit my head on cabinet doors before in life with nothing more than maybe a bump on the head. This cabinet though, the edge is literally as sharp as the tip of a knife and was severe enough that it resulted in a concussion as diagnosed by a Dr. This occurred 5 days ago now and I am still struggling with headaches (I am unable to bend over without it feeling like my head will explode and then a corresponding headache), dizziness, numbness in my skull, and I am unable to do any physical activity without feeling as if I will pass out. I had a CT scan done at the hospital that they said looked ok. But am still having very frustrating and disabling symptoms from the event. I am concerned that these may become permanent as can occur with concussions. So my question is, can I sue the seller of the home for not informing us of the sharp cabinet corner (They lived in this home for 6 years and I find it difficult to believe that no one would have bumped their head on something so precarious that I was injured the second time I used it) and also for not properly laying the bricks?

Answer:
 If a seller felt the need to tell me in writing not to bump my head on cabinets I'd assume they thought I was mentally challenged. Answer #2: OP- A seller of a home has a duty to disclose *material* defects that would effect your decision to purchase the home. A lose brick or a sharp cabinet corner are not something they were required to disclose to you.Answer #3: Is this for real? Answer #4: >So my question is, can I sue the seller of the home for not informing us of the sharp cabinet corner

No.


Title: Neighbor slashed my tires because he thought that I slashed his.

Question:
So long story short me and my girlfriend had a run in with my neighbor after trying to tell him to please not play extremely loud music in the middle of the night. We didn’t want to come off as rude or disrespectful but we tried to let him know to keep it down. He retaliated and turned his music up even louder and left it go for days on end and we ended up calling police. It stopped for awhile, then it started back up again at very late hours past the local noise ordinance. I let me landlord know of the situation and they discussed it with the landlord of his side of the duplex then it stopped for a bit.

So here’s where it gets nasty. He came home with a flat tire last night, I saw it was flat on my way to work this morning. I never touched his vehicle or even so much as thought about it. Came home and found my tire on my truck had been slashed while I was at work. I confronted him about it and he claims he did it because he was convinced I slashed his tire for the loud music and refuses to pay for my tire. I don’t want to have to press charges or go to court. I just want my two front tires replaced. How should I go about it? I’ve already filed a police report and I’m waiting to hear back about my options

Answer:
 > I don’t want to have to press charges or go to court.

Well, those are your options: police report and/or sue him.

You've done 50% of that -- if any criminal proceedings against him don't play out with restitution to you for the tires, then your remaining option is to sue him.


Title: Customer Only Parking Enforced without Request?

Question:
I'll keep it short, and elaborate the full story below if needed.

Basically, I parked in a lot where a sign was hung that said "customer parking only". I was later ticketed by a cop who was trying to punish me for something else which he knew about but didn't have evidence for.

Question is, if the owners/manager of the property who posted the "customer only" sign didn't call for police or towing, is the officer legally allowed to give me a parking violation ticket and if so, is it worth disputing in court?

Edit: location is Massachusetts USA

Edit 2: I don't know if it's worth mentioning, but i was parked there for maybe 2 minutes and I was literally walking out of the lot when the officer arrived and made me turn around.

Answer: What is the violation number on the ticket?


Title: Friend needs child support, doesn't want to press statutory rape charges though. [Texas]

Question: So I've sort of 'adopted' some kids (well, they're 18-19) I knew vaguely in highschool that are out on the street now homeless. I've picked them up & let them live in my apartment till they're on their feet. One thing that will really help them get on their feet is child support which the baby's father has refused to put up. Only problem is she got pregnant at 16 when he was in his 20's, so she thinks if she brings him to court to demand a DNA test & child support he'll get locked up and it will just be another man in jail and no additional income so no win. Is there any advice you can give me that I can pass on to her.

Answer:
 That's nice of you to let your homeless friend(s) stay with you.  Be sure to read all of the posts in this subreddit about all of the people who let their friends stay with them and now have legal problems trying to get rid of them.  (Hint, you should have a written contract with them stating that you are allowing them to stay with you for $0 per month, on a month to month basis starting on xx/xx/xxxx, and anything else that you and they want to include as conditions of their stay with you.)

This isn't about the mother, this is about her child.  The father owes the child support, and the mother owes it to the child to obtain that support.  The mother cannot "press charges" against the father for statutory rape, only the state can do that.  The mother should talk with an attorney (since she is homeless, presumably she can find one to talk with for free).  I can't say for sure what would happen to the father, but it seems unlikely to me that he would be incarcerated for statutory rape.  A good attorney who knows how similar cases play out in your area should be able to give better advice on that.


Title: Evicted tenant reported their vehicle stolen even though it's on my mom's property

Question:
What do I do? Can I have it towed? Should I call the authorities and explain that it hasn't been stolen?

Edit: we're in Chicago, Illinois.
And also these tenants were awful and we want to get the truck out of the way as soon as possible.

Answer: I'm not sure what their end game would be here.  Not a lawyer but I'd call the police to report an abandoned vehicle left on your property that you think may be reported stolen.  They'll tow it off and then your PITA tenant is looking at towing and impound fees to get it back.


Title: [South Carolina] Apartment neighbors complain about dog barking "all day", property manager says we've violated our lease. Need advice.

Question:
So we received a notice that our neighbors have complained since day one about my dog barking "all day". I don't have any proof that he doesn't, but he does bark at people/noises periodically when I am home during the day. Will last for 1-2 minutes unless I hush him. At night he does bark sometimes but as I'm trying to sleep, I will hush him right away. He is a small dog, a Lhasa Apso.

Anyway, the property manager gave us a lease violation for the "large number" of complaints against him. Our complex is pet friendly, but they said it was excessive.

My opinions, which are uneducated, would be that if he barks for a period of 2-3 minutes at various times DURING THE DAY, that there shouldn't be any case against us. At night, I completely understand as there are noise ordnances in place. But for the day time, I just don't agree with the complaints. It is a pet friendly complex, and renters should be aware that other renters may have pets. I cannot stop my dog from barking, even if I were to use a shock collar against him. I cannot be home all day to hush him either. I feel like this is unfair.

I would like to know what rights I have here in terms of what can constitute us being evicted for this. I don't know what my rights are as a renter. Also, If necessary, what kind of lawyer should I look for that would have knowledge on what to do here?

I am planning on setting up a recorder to see how often he does actually bark and for how long each time, for my own protection and so I can see if I am actually wrong and he does bark "all day". But other tips or advice would be most welcome as well.

EDIT: thank you for the advice so far. Looking at this objectively I can see that I do come off a bit defensive and deluded in his barking patterns. I feel embarrassed but also just sad about the situation. My dog is my world, and while he is not an emotional support animal, he feels like one. Anyway, I will look into training regardless of how often I think he barks before I do any type of bark collars. I also appreciate the advice of where to go for renters rights and what type of lawyer if necessary. I still plan on using a voice recorder to protect myself in general.
Topic:
Landlord Tenant Housing

Answer: You essentially don't believe he barks all day, and if he does, it's unfair to you to punish you for your dog's barking? Answer #2: A lot of cities actually do have nuisance ordinances for day and night for animals making too much noise, check the pet ordinances for your city (in mine, it's 6 minutes out of a consecutive 10 minutes).  Your complex being pet-friendly doesn't mean your dog gets to annoy the ever living shit out of your neighbors during the day, it is your job to make sure he doesn't.  I had neighbors like you, the police started citing them, and when their lease was up, they werent given the option to renew, because they refused to train their dogs to not bark and whine for hours at a time.


Title: Hire and pay someone legally, with no real job or responsibilities?

Question:
I want to hire people at my corporation, and they need to do no work as it is an internet business.

And I also want to charge them 105% of the amount my corp will pay them.

How is this illegal? Immoral likely, but why is it illegal?

This is perhaps for people that need to hold a job for parole/immigration reasons for whatever reasons.

Answer: You have to pay an employee minimum wage. If you are charging them more than their pay then you are not paying them minimum wage.


Title: Sleazy Speeding Ticket?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >'We're going to change the speed limit and catch people missing it all day'.

Actually it's more like "people are ignoring the speed limit sign and putting the construction crews' lives in danger so we're going to hang around and ticket people until it makes a difference as none of us want to do the paperwork for a traffic fatality and have to go inform the family of a death because no one was smart enough to slow down for a construction zone."


Title: All of the US - Looking for information about At Will Employment

Question:
Hi all, I'm not from America but I frequent this sub often enough to see posts about employers being able to fire people for almost any reason except a very select few.

How did at will employment come about? If it was state specific how did it come about in your state?

This entire concept baffles me. I understand there are some pro's to at will employment but I can't understand how people think it's ok that I, as an employer, could fire any and all of my employees simply for wearing socks I don't like. I just think there should be more of a protection there, no?
Topic:
Employment Law

Answer:
 >  I understand there are some pro's to at will employment but I can't understand how people think it's ok that I, as an employer, could fire any and all of my employees simply for wearing socks I don't like

Such things are uncommon.  We use them as examples to show the boundaries of the law, but they don't generally occur.

At-will employment works both ways.  At-will employees can both be fired, and can quit, at any time without penalty.  I'm due to be on-duty in 45 minutes; if I don't show up, there are no civil or criminal penalties for me.  Same thing with my boss, though - he can call and tell me "you're fired" and I likely have no recourse.

Practically speaking, however, employers are reluctant to do this.  It doesn't make much sense to find, hire and train an employee only to fire them over something minor.  Most of the time, the firings are quite legitimate.

It's also worth noting that those wanting more stable employment can negotiate employment contracts, which require certain performance from both sides.


Title: Insurance company is settling with my mother for 50k, she is only to receive 30% of it

Question:
I’m in CA, I just want to make sure they aren’t taking more than they should. They said that the amount she will get is after their fees and the cost of healthcare after car accident.
Topic:
Insurance

Answer: Of course her health insurance is going to get a cut. That's what most of the settlement money is going to cover. They get first dibbs. She can ask her attorney for a breakdown


Title: [New York]6-acre rectangular lot at end of cul-de-sac (house is at center; lot/neighborhood are heavily wooded). A dead tree is at the lot edge. If it falls toward the road it will create a road hazard or damage a passing car/person. No damage (or sound?) in any other direction. Potential liability?

Answer:
 Generally, the rule with trees is that trees in an "urban" area create liability, but trees in a rural area do not. Each state has their own modifications to that general principal however.

I would say this, the fact that you are aware of the risk in and of itself indicates that you should probably take precautions. Also, just as an aside, insurance companies are notoriously fickle when it comes to fallen tree issues.


Title: I got this letter in the mail about illegal download need advice

Question:
I am in the State of Texas and I just got this letter in the mail from my cable company about an illegal downloaded movie, I won't say I did or didn't but I don't really know what to expect from here on out plus if say I have one season of a certain TV show done the same way and may or may not have kept it. should I delete it or am I fine because this was about the supposed movie. plus there is a number that needs to be called has a phrase code, in pic 3, should I do that or be advised against it?

[Letter part 1](http://imgur.com/NVUI0gP)

[Letter Part 2](http://imgur.com/TbNbt1D)

[Letter part 3](http://imgur.com/7EmNsjN)

Answer:
 Do not respond to this letter or communicate anything based on this letter. The other party may see this as a form of admission to guilt and may push the issue. Only respond to letters pertaining to court summons or your cable billing.

The legal advice would be to delete the file in question and stop downloading illegal media.

P.S. get a VPN or seedbox.


Title: [NC] Recorded unclothed without my knowledge or consent

Question:
North Carolina. A man who resides in a different state recorded me while I was unclothed through my webcam unbeknownst to me and uploaded it to the internet. I don't know why. Harassment and threats ensued. Long story short, I found out, I have never met this person, but I have dug up their true name and have already filed a police report. However, the police are very limited in their knowledge and ability when it comes to handling cyber crimes. I am now looking into my legal options in order to hold this person responsible. Can anyone elucidate further on my legal advocacy options and which charges can be brought against him?
Topic:
Computer and Internet

Answer: he hacked your webcam and turned it on, or he recorded your webcam show?


Title: Scammers about car warranties keep calling me ever since I purchased new car. Dealership/car loan company sold my information??

Question:
I bought a new car last weekend, on Monday the calls started. The one time I did answer they told me that my car's warranty was expired and that I needed to purchase another one. Obviously, I declined and report them to the DNC. Since Monday morning they have called me from different numbers 6 times. Each time, I report them to the DNC. I'm listed on the DNC (Do Not Call List) and have been for years.

Here's my question-

Since this all started a few days after I purchased my car, how did these scammers get my information? Could the dealership or Capital One (who my loan is through) sold them my information? It's too coincidental the timeline given. It's pissing me off these people call twice a day and I can't block their number because they call from a different area code.

Edit: I live in Indiana

Answer:
 Vehicle ownership records (registration, tax, ect) are usually public records.  Possibly the same day you registered your vehicle, more likely the next day, the information was was in a hundred databases that various companies subscribe to.

You'll have the same thing to look forward to if you buy a house, since land ownership records are also public.


Title: Patent Law: How are Microsoft's Touch Cover patents not infringing on Apple's magnetic accessory patents?[USA]

Question:
Hello lawyers,
I've been browsing patents and came across some from Microsoft and Apple. It seems like Apple has some broad patents regarding magnetic attachment to a tablet, while Microsoft has similar attachment with a keyboard (and an electrical interface).

Apple's Patents:

https://www.google.com/patents/CA2733214C?cl=en&dq=magnetic+tablet+accessory&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DA_hUq_dBoLKsQSczYGACw&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA

https://www.google.com/patents/EP2431984A2?cl=en&dq=magnetic+tablet+accessory&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DA_hUq_dBoLKsQSczYGACw&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAQ

https://www.google.com/patents/EP2671133A1?cl=en&dq=magnetic+tablet+accessory&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DA_hUq_dBoLKsQSczYGACw&ved=0CEgQ6AEwAw

https://www.google.com/patents/EP2431835A2?cl=en&dq=magnetic+tablet+accessory&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DA_hUq_dBoLKsQSczYGACw&ved=0CF0Q6AEwBg

https://www.google.com/patents/WO2012036711A1?cl=en&dq=magnetic+tablet+accessory&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DA_hUq_dBoLKsQSczYGACw&ved=0CGQQ6AEwBw

https://www.google.com/patents/CA2810310A1?cl=en&dq=magnetic+tablet+accessory&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DA_hUq_dBoLKsQSczYGACw&ved=0CHIQ6AEwCQ

Microsoft's Patents:

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=12&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=PTXT&S1=(20130326.PD.+AND+Microsoft.ASNM.)&OS=ISD/20130326+AND+AN/Microsoft&RS=(ISD/20130326+AND+AN/Microsoft)

http://patft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=D678,881.PN.&OS=PN/D678,881&RS=PN/D678,881

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=10&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=PTXT&S1=(20130326.PD.+AND+Microsoft.ASNM.)&OS=ISD/20130326+AND+AN/Microsoft&RS=(ISD/20130326+AND+AN/Microsoft)

Thank you!

Answer:
 Patents don't infringe on other patents.  Only products can infringe on patents.  If Microsoft is making a product that meets all of the claimed limitations of Apple's patents, then (barring a license) Microsoft would infringe those patents.

Microsoft is free to improve on Apple's patented products.  They can get a patent on the improvement as long as the improvement is new and nonobvious.

Patents do not give the user the right to make a product.  It gives them the right to prevent others from making a product.  Apple may be able to prevent Microsoft from making a "magnetic accessory" product, but Microsoft can prevent Apple from making the "magnetic accessory" with their improvement.

If I invent a pencil and you improve it by adding an eraser, I can prevent you from making pencils (even with an eraser) and you can prevent me from putting erasers on my pencils.


Title: Boston, MA - Potential sublettor is claiming illegal age discrimination despite making my roommates uncomfortable

Question:
My friends and I are all recent college graduates living in Boston. I am trying to sublet my room for the summer, and posted an ad on Facebook Marketplace for my room. So far one person has been interested in the room, O.

I am currently not in the US, so I got one of my roommates to give O a tour of the room and apartment. After this, my roommates told me that O is significantly older than them, about twice as old, and they found him strange and they think living with him would be uncomfortable. It is stated in my lease that in order to sublet I need written permission from all of my roommates approving the specific sublettor in order to legally sublet.

Me, being the honest upstanding person I am, told him what I thought to be the truth and that the age difference made my friends uncomfortable. He responded with a tirade saying this was age discrimination, I was in violation of the Fair Housing act, and that neither me nor my roommates could ever post a rental ad again.

I looked at the Fair Housing Act for Massachusetts ([https://www.mass.gov/service-details/overview-of-fair-housing-law](https://www.mass.gov/service-details/overview-of-fair-housing-law)) and it applies to, "property owners, landlords, property managers, mortgage lenders, and real estate agents," which my roommates and I are not. My roommates and I are tenants, and have the same rights he has, and my roommates namely have the right of approval over the sublet so I can't stick them with someone they don't like.

I also checked the Facebook Marketplace Policy on discrimination which states that posts cannot discriminate, and must comply with applicable laws ([https://www.facebook.com/policies/commerce/prohibited_content/discrimination#](https://www.facebook.com/policies/commerce/prohibited_content/discrimination#)). My post does not discriminate, I make no mention of any criteria because I don't personally care, I would rent the room to anyone my roommates approved. And if my argument above holds, then the post does comply with the Fair Housing Act because my roommates aren't subject to it, meaning I should be in the clear there as well.

I looked back at the message my roommates sent me, and it turns out age is just a part of it. They also said, "he didn't even want to check the apartment out...like he just cared about his room and never even looked at the bathroom...I'm sorry, I wanted this to work out too, but it is just a bit creepy...are you ok with that? Like he seemed pretty weird." So I believe I made a mistake communicating the reason anyway, they simply didn't like him.

My question is, did I illegally discriminate against O by telling him my roommates didn't want to live with him due to the age difference? If I did, is it worth anything that I didn't accurately state the reason for their denial?

Please let me know if providing more specifics to any conversation would be helpful in figuring this out. Thank you!

Answer:
 It *is* age discrimination. But it's not illegal in your case.  You can legally discriminate on your choice of roommate.Answer #2: NAL, but everything I'm seeing on line says Fair Housing rules generally don't apply in a shared living situation.  Your roommates' freedom of association granted by the First Amendment trumps Fair Housing.

This is the ruling I keep seeing mentioned:

 [https://www.fairhousingcoach.com/article/court-fair-housing-law-doesnt-apply-roommate-selection](https://www.fairhousingcoach.com/article/court-fair-housing-law-doesnt-apply-roommate-selection)

Your roommates can discriminate based on whatever criteria they want and, without their sign-off, you're not allowed to sublet.Answer #3: >  it applies to, "property owners, landlords, property managers, mortgage  lenders, and real estate agents," which my roommates and I are not

If you're subletting, you're generally a landlord -- more specifically, you're his landlord.  Just because you are a tenant and have a landlord yourself doesn't mean you can't also be a landlord to someone else.

Now, whether or not you'd specifically be a landlord subject to the FHA is a different question.  Not all landlords are subject to the FHA.


Title: 17 year old sent me a picture of her butt. I am in my late 20s. I did not ask for it, and deleted it right away.

Question: I went on a date with someone claiming to be 18. She was 17. Age of consent in 16 in NJ. We messed around but didnt have sex. She got obsessed, started texting me sexually suggestive things. I did my best to not reciprocate those messages. Then out of the blue she sends me a picture of her butt, with no face or anything. I deleted it right away, told her to never do that again and deleted her number. But I'm afraid this could get me in trouble down the line.

Answer: No. You're fine. You deleted it. And a mere unclothed buttocks (say it like Forrest Gump would) is likely not an issue anyway. National Geographic has been publishing that for decades.


Title: [AUS] I was given 7 days to vacate the premises due to a broken shower and I am freaking out

Question:
A bit of backstory,

our shower has been busted for about 3 months, usable but it had sunk into the ground.
It took the owner and real estate agent 3 months for works to begin at which time the tradesmen said they could not fix it with the initial quote they were given. The agent then got the shower room door bolted shut and I received this email to say we have 7 days.

https://www.consumer.vic.gov.au/housing/renting/ending-a-lease-or-residency/if-the-landlord-or-owner-wants-the-tenant-to-leave/landlord-giving-notice-to-vacate
The consumer law states that I have 60 days to vacate due to damages but I was given 7 and the real estate agent is not picking up my calls.

I am at the end of my rope here and I need to know what to do.

Please help

Answer:
 https://www.tuv.org.au/

Call the tenants union and/or call consumer affairs directly for advice


Title: My neices are being given up on by their neglectful parents. What can the family do?

Question:
My stepbrother and his wife have three girls, all under 5 years old. They split up about 6 months ago when he found out she was padlocking them in their room during the day so she could do what she wanted. He works 12-16 hours a day at a plant, but that's no excuse when your children are clearly showing signs of being abused i.e. not talking, shying away from everything, wincing when voices are raised/laughing, always dirty and in either full diapers or gross underwear. My mom and I bathed them and got them clean clothes every time they were dropped off because they were basically mud children.

I haven't seen mom since before they split because she actively avoids us, also knowing I will beat the living shit out of her when I see her next. This is a woman who left her husband and kids during Harvey to go party. Completely unfit mother and neither of them should have had children.

Anyway! So, on Friday, I pull up to drop my dog off at my mom's so I could go to work (her dog and mine are bffs and the last time we didn't come over, her dog became really depressed and upset, so now it's a must lol) and my stepbrother's car is in the driveway. I didn't approach because he's not a good person in my eyes (alcoholic and bad temper). I went into the house and told my stepdad he was out there so he could go see what's up bc it's 5:30am.

He tells my stepdad that he's giving the children back to their mom and he's going to move to another state. He knows the type of mother she is, we all do, but basically he didn't want to be a father anymore. Once the rest of the family found out, they are currently trying to figure out how to do this because three girls with behavioral issues is a lot to deal with for even two people. I am not capable of parenting children, but there has to be something that can legally be done to prevent those babies from going back to their terrible mother.

I have no idea what can be done, but everyone is willing to take them. The mom wants them back though, because the dad said if she took them back, he would pay $250/week to take care of them. We all know, as she has shown in the past, that she will spend the money on herself like she did when they were together.

The main thing is: we don't want the girls back with their mother. We know they will be abused and neglected. What can we legally do?

Answer:
 Call child protective servicesAnswer #2: You & several people in your family need to call child protective services as soon as possible. The more complaints they receive the more quickly they will escalate the situation. You will need to give them the information in [this link](https://www.dorightbykids.org/how-do-i-call-in-a-report/what-criteria-must-be-met/).Answer #3: Call child protective services.  In my area it is confidential.  Any teacher, minister, can also help you make the call.  Answer #4: Do not "beat the shit out of" the children's mother (or anyone else). It is a serious crime, for which you will probably be arrested and imprisoned, since the victim would know who you are and where you live. Whatever crimes she may have committed against the children, assaulting her would not be considered an acceptable response. In addition, it would be a roadblock to your efforts to protect the children.

Answer #5: In the short term, you could try telling him that if he gives the kids to you, he won't have to pay 250/week. I say this mostly because the probability of him doing it in the first place is slim to zero. Once they're with you and safe, call child protective services and tell them everything.


Title: NV and TX - My uncle died last year and I am getting court summons for his debts. I am not executor of his estate.

Question:
So my uncle passed away suddenly from colon cancer July of last year. Since then his son has not been handling his responsibilities as executor of the estate and is allowing the family to receive attorney letters, nasty phone calls from collectors, requests from health insurance agencies, and even me being served court documents for a summons in my uncles name. My uncle lived and worked in Vegas the executor of his estate, his son, and I live in Texas.

So few questions.

First the court summons does not have my name ANYWHERE on the document. Can I ignore this then after I informed my cousin, the executor, of the court summons?

Second is the question about the people who continue to call my house. We have given the address and telephone number MANY times to the collectors and informed them that the executor does not live here. What can I do to basically tell them to fuck off.

Third is the fun one. I had someone literally, not figuratively, literally threaten to steal my possessions. If you have seen my previous posts, and see my user name, you know how that conversation turned out. For those wondering, he actually threatened to come into my home and take everything I owned whether I liked it or not. I grabbed my shotgun and cocked it while I was on the phone with him and told him "Come and get it." Not the smartest move, but I was pissed and was tired of hearing him bullshit me. Can I start recording conversations with this guy from here on? I tried reporting him but his boss didnt believe me.

And finally is there any way I can force my cousin to take responsibility for this? He is an idiot and spent all of the inheritance on a house and car plus some REALLY expensive guitars.

Until I see some paperwork that has my name on it, I am just going to keep ignoring all of this as I do not see anything bad coming to me if none of it is in my name.

Answer:
 There are a LOT of issues here, so I am not going to respond to all of them.  I will only point out that we cannot see the court summons that you received, but if it is directed to you, then you must respond.  Call the party that you think sent the subpoena and find out who they were trying to send it to and why they were sending it.  Then post back what you find out.Answer #2: "Come and get it."

I believe the proper Texas term is "[come and take it](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gonzales)"Answer #3: If your name was not on the document was something like "John Doe"? Not sure if that would mean you. But if the documents were not for you then you were not served. I would send a certified letter to the lawyer behind that document telling them they served the wrong person. And I would send a letter to the person named on the document telling them there was the attempt to serve them.Answer #4: IANAL but, I don't think you can force your cousin to take action on his responsibility to third parties unless it involves you more directly then the third parties incorrectly contacting you about it.

But you can tell all the third parties that he is the one who they should be contacting and give them his name, address and phone number.  If he spent distributed all of the estate's money without paying his father's debts from them then he's likely going to regret it unless there is a Texas sized loophole his been able to jump through.

If the same collection agency is contacting you then there are some things you can request they do not phone you, or call your number, in the future.


Title: Employer reducing employee paychecks if they receive government assistance

Question: My employer is forcing me to sign a document that says if I get government assistance, they will payroll deduct me up to that amount. However, if I do not take it, they will not. Thoughts? They are requiring we sign a document by tomorrow  .

Answer:
 How would your employer know if you received any sort of government assistance?Answer #2: Doesn't seem legal to me. Call your states dept of labor or an attorney.  Personally I'd refuse to sign period.Answer #3: OP. If they are threatening you with termination if you don't sign you could consider signing and then making a wage claim against them. Either way you might want to begin looking for better employers.

They can't deduct the money you have already earned but they can reduce your hours and retaliate in other ways. If you have an HR department go to them about this.


Title: I bought a house which had rental furniture in, is it mine now? Australia.

Question: I inspected a house, it had furniture in that was staged to look pretty. I won the house at auction. I signed everything and settled. I've moved in and the staged furniture is still there, can i claim it as mine? If the company wants it back do I have to give it to them? There is nothing in the contract about this.

Answer: Are you sure there is nothing in the contract? Since 1970 many of the standard contracts used in Australian jurisdictions have a clause about 'chattels left or abandoned' after settlement. Chattels means moveable property. Where in Australia are you?Answer #2: I wouldn't plan on keeping it - someone somewhere is going to find out eventually that it is missing (probably the people who rented it when they receive a very big invoice for it). If you want legal details try [/r/auslaw](http://reddit.com/r/auslaw/)


Title: Dog walker did not follow directions when instructed not to take the muzzle off. Is trying to sue for medical bills & pain/suffering. Thoughts?

Question:
A little backstory for more context.

I went out of town and hired a dog walker to walk/feed my dog. She advertised herself as a professional dog walker for 4 years. I advised her that since my dog was unfamiliar with her that the dog would be muzzled for her safety and for his. I specifically instructed her to not take the muzzle off.

A few hours later, I get a text message from her saying that my dog had bitten her in the face. This took me completely by surprise as I had taken the necessary precautions to avoid such a situation from occurring.

I promptly call her on the phone to see what happened. She admits that she took the muzzle off to feed him and that she got her face close to him while he was eating.

As a professional, I would have expected her to:

1. Get in contact with me before deciding that it was okay to take his muzzle off
2. Know better than to take a muzzle off a muzzled dog
3. Know better than to stick her face close to any animal when it’s eating

She is now trying to seek full compensation for her medical bills and pain/suffering.

What is everyone’s thoughts/stance on this? Am I liable to compensate her for medical bills and pain/suffering?

Answer:
 Please speak with an attorney, in my opinion it seems she saw an opportunity to get an easy paycheck and she took it.Answer #2: I'm a dog walker/sitter and have been doing it for 7 years now. Any professional dog walker should have insurance that would cover this. I'm sorry this is happening.Answer #3: I see you are located in Virginia.  I'm a lawyer in CA and here we have something called "strict liability" when it comes to dogs.  It means that the defendant is still liable even if they were not negligent.

So for example, if your situation would have happened in CA, you still would be liable for the dog walker's injuries.  Your state may also be one of those states.  You might also look to see if your homeowners insurance covers your dog.  That is typically who covers dog owners in this situation in CA.  Good luck!Answer #4: I'd love the update on this when it happens OP.

Good Luck


Title: My kid's orthodontist was involved in a physical altercation with his staff member, closed his practice, and has been charged with assault (Washington)

Question:
She's had braces for a long time. We paid in full (I don't know the amount, but it was several thousand dollars, not done through insurance). We may not be able to produce a receipt but we think we can get bank records.

She was going to get her braces off last week. This would not be the end of treatment, it would be the start of the post-braces phase (retainer, etc.). We showed up to the appointment and there was nobody there.

Nobody answered calls or returned messages.

A few days later we went back and there was a sign on the door saying that the office was closed, and giving us a number of someone at the department of health.

Some time after that an article appeared in the local paper, which said that the orthodontist had been arrested for assaulting one of his staff, who requested that he apologize to a patient whose appointment he'd skipped, and this is what precipitated the closing. The article gave a court date (two weeks from now).

We continued treatment with another orthodontist, who agreed with my daughter that some things in her mouth weren't quite right. Total damage from that point to end of treatment will be about $2k.

I called around trying to get a consult and three lawyers told me that they didn't handle this kind of thing and the fourth said he'd be delighted to consult with me for $100. I did not accept that offer because I have never had to pay for a legal consult before.

1. What are my damages here, if any (intuitively $2k, which is the difference between what I expected to get and what I had to pay extra to (hopefully) get, but I am not a lawyer).

2. What is my best course to recover this money? Do I go through a lawyer and have them send a demand letter, do I try to get the state involved via some regulatory body, do I sue in small claims, do I show up at his court date and demand money, or something else? The Department of Health suggested a malpractice lawyer but the malpractice lawyer I called said it wasn't malpractice).

Answer:
 The lawyers probably declined the case because the amount of your damages are within the purview of small claims court.

We don't know the specifics, but it sounds like you have damages. You may want to consider suing the orthodontist in small claims court for the difference in treatment and any refund you may be due by having prepaid.

Edit: this doesn't sound like malpractice per se, rather contractual.


Title: Hypothetical: What would happen if I offer to confess to a misdemeanor, say petty theft, only if I recieve the death penalty?

Question: Assume in this instance that I haven't actually done anything. If I go turn myself in for a "crime" and state that I will only offer a full confession if the prosecutor gives me the death penalty, how likely would the judge be likely to accept the plea?

Answer:
 Not at all.

Nor could they even if they wanted to.

The minimum and maximum penalties for crimes are laid out in the laws passed by the legislature, and the judge cannot order a punishment outside the range given in the law.


Title: Landlord thinks I have already paid rent for this month.....I have not.

Question:
So the real estate company I rent from uses an online payment portal where you can see all your current charges/rent due/ect.  When I moved in I set up automatic payments every month within their portal so I could set it and forget it.  Last month I saw that no charge had hit my bank account, I logged into their portal, saw that online payments were still set up but my "charges due" showed a balance of $0.  I emailed management asking what's up and they told me there was a problem with the online payments system and asked me to submit a payment manually.  When I submitted the payment manually the charges due showed me as overpaying by the amount of my rent.

This month I also saw that my bank account had not been charged.  I again emailed management and they sent me a screenshot of their ledger showing that I had already paid and not to worry about it......I have not paid.

What's my course of action here?  This landlord has been a huge pain in the ass.  Just your standard definition of scummy landlord.  Worst place I've ever rented and I don't expect to get much of my security deposit back which is several thousand dollars.

Answer:
 Obviously their system is broken. I would continue to make manual payments and document the payments being made.

Once they figure out that you owe them, you are still going to owe them. Answer #2: I would discontinue the auto pay so that way when they do fix it, they do not come back and try to hit your account and there be no money there.  Keep paying manually for now.  If they keep saying you do not owe anything, set that money aside so when they do ask for it, you can pay itAnswer #3: Your lease requires you to pay rent and them having technical issues is not a valid reason not to.


Title: Can i refuse to clean up someones shit at my fast food job?

Question: Basically someone had an explosive shit all over the mens washroom at my work. I work at an a&w in ontario canada. I have had no training on how to do it and thought i heard somewhere that i can refuse without consequences.

Answer: If they haven't been trained and they're being forced to clean up a biohazard, give ontario's OH&S board a call and see if they can help you out.


Title: I have to ask my fiance for child support to qualify for TANF, which he cant afford. Can he get in trouvle for not paying if I dont call him in?

Question: Long story short my fiance is living in another state looking into that states mental healthcare for himself. He isn't making much money but helps with his son when he is able. I'm in a rough spot without a babysitter and thus haven't been able to work and he was the bread winner when he lived here. I'm hoping i can get a foot up with this program and get me and our son back on our feet but I dont want to screw over his father while he is trying to get help. If I do end up taking advantage of this program they say I have to ask for child support, amd my dad said as long as its on paper and I don't call him in he wont get in trouble for not being able to pay it. Will this work?

Answer:
 Not sure what (bad) advice your Dad is giving you, but cooperation with the child support process is not optional if you want help from the taxpayers. Answer #2: From the Texas Attorney General:

>To receive TANF benefits through the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, recipients must cooperate with the Office of the Attorney General’s efforts to identify the child(ren)’s noncustodial parent and collect child support.

[Source](https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/faq/cs-parents-frequently-asked-questions).


Title: Xpost I have been dating a girl who has a kid for 4 years. Found out she's on heroin and now want to leave her and get custody of her daughter.

Question:
Me and my girlfriend Emma have been together for 4 years. She came into the relationship with a 3 year old daughter Bree. I love Bree with all my heart. When I met Emma she was using drugs but stopped when we became serious (or so I thought.) Shortly after we met Bree and Emma moved in with me and my family and eventually we got our own place together.

I loved Emma and have been very involved in Brees life. They literally don't have any other family. Brees dad is a drug addict and Emma's parents are dead and didn't have any siblings. Bree calls me dad. I work full time to support them. I am in shock right now. But I found needles in our bathroom and subtly checked Enmas arms and she has marks that look like she has been shooting up.

Emma has recently got a "job" at a bar so I have been watching Bree at night, most nights. I don't think this job exists and when she goes to " work" tonight I am going to call and ask for her.

I snooped threw Emmas phone to try and find out how long she has been using. I found evidence that she is still sleeping with Brees dad and that she probably never stopped.. Brees dad is in his 30s and has been in and out of jail.. Typical scum bag piece of shit meth head. Emma told me they broke up because he beat her when she was pregnant.

Emma doesn't know I know. I plan on keeping it that way. I spoke to Bree secretly ans asked her if Emma was acting weird. She said that Emma had been spending lots of time in the bathroom and has been really tired from her new job.

I think I have been watching Bree while this bitch goes and fucks that scum bag and gets high. I love Bree. I love Bree. I love Bree. I want custody. I want this bitch out of my life, but I want Bree. I am the closest thing to a decent parent she has in her life. I make enough money to support both of us. I have lots of family and support. I Would never hurt her.. I don't trust her biological dad and her drug addict mom not to hurt her.

I can't believe I didn't notice that Emma was running around on me and using drugs. I have had other issues with her (crazy moods, hitting, tantrums, being mean to Bree) but stayed for Bree. But I can't stay with her after this. I could go into it more.. But honestly Emma is a piece of shit, I wouldn't have stayed this long if not for Bree. I refuse to leave Bree.

I am stuck. Could I leave the country with Bree and go live with my sister in Europe and not tell Emma where we have gone? Could I get proof of what a piece of shit Emma is and actually win in court? If I marry Emma will that give me legal rights to Bree? If there is no way to keep Bree I can't leave this relationship..I can't leave my daughter behind with that junkie bitch.

Tl;dr accidentally dated feral junkie who was still fucking her feral junkie boyfriend probably the whole time. I love their biological daughter and consider her mine and want custody of her. I believe they will hurt her and ruin her life. What do?
Topic:
Custody Divorce and Family

Answer:
 >Could I leave the country with Bree and go live with my sister in Europe and not tell Emma where we have gone?

No, that is kidnapping

>could I get proof of what a piece of shit Emma is and actually win in court?

Win?  It is unlikely you even have standing.

>If I marry Emma will that give me legal rights to Bree?

Stronger than you have now, but still very unlikely.

Extremely unlikely you would get custody without blood or legal relationship.
Answer #2: You can call CPS and make yourself available as a potential foster parent if CPS takes the child away.  There are no guarantees.

And that is pretty much all you can do.  You have no standing to sue for custody, trying to flee the country with the child is a felony, and marrying a woman you don't want to actually be with is just stupid (and creates no automatic parental rights for you anyway).


Title: Put in 2 weeks, told not to come back in and not getting paid

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 They don't need a reason to end your employment before your notice period elapsed. It's shitty behavior but it's legal.

Pro tip, folks: If you haven't seen anyone at your workplace working during their notice period, don't give notice before you walk. Answer #2: No, there's nothing you can do, unless you had an employment contract that specified otherwise.  Work in the US is mostly "at-will" -- 2 weeks notice is not legally required, and they're not required to let you work or pay you for it.


Title: (FL) My step-mom passed away and the deed is in both her name and my dad's. She had paid off the mortgage with a loan from her portfolio. Does my dad own the house outright?

Question: They purchased the home together with a traditional mortgage 17 years ago. About 2 years ago she paid off the mortgage with a loan from her portfolio that my dad had no access to and the loan was only in her name. Now her daughter says we have to sell the house and pay back the loan. Dad is still living in the house and does not want to move or have the money for a new home. Do I need an attorney and if so what kind?

Answer:
 Probate/estate attorney would set you on the right course.Answer #2: > paid off the mortgage with a loan from her portfolio

So, she got a loan secured by her assets (not real estate), and paid off the mortgage.  The house was jointly owned by the two of them.  They were married at the time of death?

Was there a will?

Under Florida's intestate succession laws, it should go something like this:

- the house is Dad's, free and clear

- the estate must pay back the loan, perhaps by liquidating part of this "portfolio"

- the remaining estate (remnant of "portfolio") would then be divided 50/50 between daughter and Dad

Answer #3: The collateral for the loan is almost certainly the portfolio, not the house. No above board lender will give a loan for a home that has one person's name on it when the deed for the home has two people's names on it. SO the daughter is probably up shit creek without a paddle because Husband/Dad now owns the house free and clear because he has rights of survivorship and the house isn't part of Mom's estate.Answer #4: If it truly was a loan it is a debt of the estate and the estate must pay it back


Title: Panera Bread over-taxing in Lansing, MI?

Question:
I just made an order online to Panera and my order came out to $19.62, and the tax was $1.33

Almost didn't notice but Michigan retail tax is 6%, which would be like $1.15. I know 18 cents isn't a lot to lose, but if they're charging a 7-8% tax to everyone online, that could rack up to thousands of dollars.

Now I'm not sure if they're just adding the delivery fee into the tax, but I don't think you can tax a fee, and it's added after the tax in the order form.

Is this not right?

Answer: I think delivery fee is taxable


Title: (UK) My friend's old job forgot to stop paying her once she left. Now they are demanding the money back in two weeks. Can they legally do this and if so is there any way to extend the time needed to pay it back?

Question: My friend quit her job just under two years ago and after a while she realised that they were still paying both her and her best friend. She then contacted the ex manager (best friend's father) and asked him to notify the people in charge as she was travelling at the time. Her best friend's money stopped coming in so my friend assumed hers would stop as well. Cut forward to 6 months later and it turns out they hadn't stopped sending her money and now they are demanding 900£ in two weeks, which as a student, she is unable to. She said she's fine with paying it back in instalments if she's legally required to do so (of course we think that does sound fishy if it was the company that messed up) but needs to know how she can extend the deadline. Any advice would be appreciated

Answer:
 I'm confused...she was getting money put into her account and didn't know where it was coming from so she spent it anyways?  She should have the 900 in her account because it would be stupid to spend money she knew she didn't earn.

And yes, of course she is legally required to pay back money that isn't hers...I'm amazed how often this question gets asked.


Title: Receiving several harassing phone calls from a restricted number. I've identified who it is. (Florida)

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 >I downloaded an app which reveals private numbers.

You base your "evidence" that you know who called you on some "app".  What is the name of this app?


Title: What actions should I take against my abusive father?

Question:
Hello, I am a nineteen-year-old that lives in California, USA. The city I live in is Roseville while my father lives in Elk Grove.

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Due to my father's constant abuse (mostly emotional abuse but he would physically abuse people who weren't me), I am trying to cut all ties with him. Living with him was truly a horrible experience and I never want to see his face again.

&#x200B;

My twin sister that I live with is making it difficult, however, always bringing him over and trying to get me to talk with him even though I have made it clear that I don't want to do such a thing. My dad constantly enters my house and I keep trying to stop it with my sister forbidding me to get any help. We also live with our mother who also doesn't want her to do this and hates it because my sister always allows him in when she's at work and can't do anything about it.

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Is there any legal action I can take to stop this? We are struggling for money so it can't be anything too expensive. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this post. I just want my father to be out of my life.

Answer:
 Your mom can evict your sister, and then keep him from entering.

But as long as she lives there, it’s hard to do anything.


Title: Marrying a younger person to extend a pension

Question: So my Father and I were taking and we started taking about pensions, my Father brought up the point of marrying as an 80 year old single pensioner to a young 19 year old. Once the older partner dies would the pension extend the young wife for her life? Or until a certain limit is reached? Just curious and google failed me. Thanks for your help!

Answer:
 Depends entirely on the terms of the pension.Answer #2: Not legal advice, but this happened in my family.  My step great-grandmother used to come to all our family gatherings when I was a kid.  I found it later she was still receiving her husband's pension from the Spanish American war, which was fought in 1898.Answer #3: Interesting tidbit:  [Gertrude Janeway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Janeway) was 18 when she married an 81 year old veteran of the Civil War. She received a $70 pension check for veterans' benefits from the government every two months until her death in 2003.

There's actually one person still recieving a pension from the Civil War, too.  It's the daughter of a soldier.  [Irene Triplett](https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-08-08/civil-war-vets-pension-still-remains-on-governments-payroll-151-years-after-last-shot-fired), the 86-year-old daughter of a Civil War veteran – collects $73.13 each month from her father's military pension.

Answer #4: Believe it or not, this crossed my mind about a month ago. My dad has a government pension and he years ago he elected to take a slightly lesser payout with the condition that if he dies before my mom (his wife), my mom (or his wife) gets half the pension for the rest of her life.

Now, my dad would never do this, but the thought did cross my mind that if the terms are just "surviving spouse gets half pension" . . . Answer #5: Wow, some googling tells me that the British are onto this scam and have something called the "Trophy Wives' Rule" that limits the surviving pension that much younger spouses get.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/pensions-retirement/tax-retirement/hidden-terms-see-younger-widows-pensions-slashed/

Answer #6: Is this the the elusive "one cool trick"?


Title: Are there possible ramifications for not paying a (non-traffic) ticket in another state?

Question: My home base is in Chicago but I move around a lot for work as a field biologist. Last Halloween I was in a small town in New York actin a fool and was detained by police and given a notice to appear ticket for disorderly conduct. I sent in a guilty plea by mail so I wouldn't have to go in and they responded with a pretty simple ticket for $125. Since I don't ever plan on going back, are there any potential serious repercussions if I don't pay the ticket? My dad suggested I just blow it off but thought I would look for a second opinion. Thanks!

Answer:
 > Since I don't ever plan on going back, are there any potential serious repercussions if I don't pay the ticket?

Sure.  Increased fines, interests, penalties, arrest warrants and jail time.

Or you could pay $125.


Title: (US-NY) Friend wrote up a woman at work; she accused him of harassment and got him fired.

Question:
A friend of mine was working at a company where his job was loading shipments onto trucks. Recently he received a sort of promotion where he supervised the loading of the shipments and could write up other loaders for infractions. He wrote up a woman for damaging some of the product during loading. She's gay, and lodged a complaint with management that he said "All gay people should go to Hell" which he didn't say. After an "internal investigation," he was fired because of the company's zero-tolerance harassment policy.

This seems to me like this is a clear act of retaliation for him writing her up. I told him he should look into a lawyer and he said "I can't afford that." I told him that most firms offer free or low cost consultations, and that there are firms that don't charge unless you win your case, and he said "To what end? To get my job back?" It's not a union job (as far as I know) so I'm just wondering what he should know or what recourse or action he can take, if anything.

This is in Upstate New York.

Answer:
 Make sure he files for unemployment and then fights it when they turn it down. Answer #2: He can certainly consult a lawyer and see if he has a case, but without more details it's hard to say. Retaliation itself deals with employers who discipline or fire employees for reporting the employer to some authoritative agency. For example, if the employee reported the employer to the DOL for not paying him what he was owed and then the employer fired him because of the report, that would be textbook retaliation.

Another word of advice for your friend: Make sure he carries a voice recorder with him from now on. In NY you can legally audio record a conversation when only one person consents, and that includes the person doing the recording.Answer #3: Retaliation, in a legal sense, is when an employer fires an employee for, among other things, reporting to a regulatory body about something illegal the employer is doing.  That is illegal.  It's not illegal for the employer to fire an employee because another employee makes an allegation.

The employee making up a story in  retaliation (dictionary version of the word not labor law version) for him writing her up for poor performance isn't the same thing.  That being said, if she wrote down this allegation and told all his superiors then that could be libel (and/or slander if it she told people outloud).  He could try to sue her for that since he can show actual damages as a result of her claim.  He wouldn't have a case against the employer.


Title: Relationship started as minors, chance of consequences after 18?

Question:
Hello all,

Wanted to seek advice after a conversation with my girlfriend last night brought about some concerns.

I have been in a LDR with this girl for three years now.  We met through an online game when I was 17 and she was 14. Just friends for a year or and a half or so. Over much time and bonding, relationship talk started and we decided to give it a go on the pretense that when she graduated and turned 18 we'd see about trying it in person.  She was 16 at that time and I was 19.

She lives in Oregon (18 age of consent) and me Ohio (think it's 18) I got a chance to meet her on Christmas vacation of the year I turned 19, she 16. Things went great,  we didn't have sex. Didn't get to meet her parents (was only there for a day and a half) but that solidified our curiosity of it being something we wanted.  Fast forward another 1.5 years to now.

Im about to be 21 and she'll be 18 in a couple months.  She's graduating early and wants to come stay with me and if it goes well start college out here.

We're wondering if it's not met with a positive reaction and her parents call the cops about "some older guy in another state" if we might face any legal repercussions even with her being 18. There has been some sexual conversation in our text logs over the years but that stopped because we didn't want to ruin a good thing as the whole "sexting" thing has become more of a serious issue in the last few years with the prevalence of smart phones.

These texts have long since been purged but we know it constitutes as illegal and could be retrieved from the phone companies.

Her parents seem to like me but we don't know each other all that well, they're kind of detached/abusive deadbeats.  We're just making sure if we don't have their blessing that neither of us would face legal consequences in a worst case scenario.

Would L.E. even entertain such a case when she's finally an "adult"? I don't know if Romeo and Juliet laws apply in this case of state-state.

Thank you for any advice!
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: It doesn't sound to me like you broke any laws, which was smart. She's an adult now and can make her own decisions in life.


Title: [WA] Very, very illegal landlord-tenant situation gone to shit - what can we do?

Question:
I am posting on behalf of a friend, who is unfortunately too shy and nonconfrontational to make this the big deal that I think it is.

Please note that everyone involved in this situation is stupid and we are all aware of that.  We can't turn back the clock so just seeking advice on where (if anywhere) to go from here.

Here are the key points:
* Friend was homeless for a long while. One of her friends' mom allowed she, her sister, and one other person to rent their 6-br second home for $800 a month.

* House was uninhabitable.  Full of trash, dog and cat waste, every manner of mold, spider and rat infestations.

* Friend, sister, and other person were told they'd be given 2 months' free rent and be reimbursed for all expenses needed to make the house livable.  Landlord also told them that she'd have carpets, doors, and kitchen appliances replaced, and black mold removed.

***Almost all of this was verbal.  There is no lease and the "landlord" is abusing the situation to the fullest extent.***

* Landlord had carpets, doors, and kitchen appliances removed three months ago.  They have not been replaced and she is not replying to any of the people living there.  They have been paying rent and doing work, none of which has been reimbursed.

* Friend, sister, other person, me, and several other people have put in hundreds of hours of free labor to improve the home under the premise that our expenses would be reimbursed.

* Friend told landlord she's moving out on the 10th.

* Today, landlord walked in while friend was in the shower with SOME RANDOM PERSON to show him around the house.  There are no doors still, and none of the people living there were informed.  Landlord refused to leave and has made several appearances at the home without notifying friend.  She is making the same promises to this random "new tenant" as she made to my friend and her sister.

I understand that there is an incredible mess of illegal bullshit going on here and I'm wondering what her options are here, if any.  We all know that since the agreements were verbal, there's no way to get reimbursed for any of the free labor or expenses over the past few months, so right now, she is mainly wondering if there is a way to report this situation at all.  We are particularly concerned about the black mold, faulty wiring, and mouse infestation.  Is there anybody that she would be able to contact to report hazardous living conditions?

Thanks in advance and again please note that my friend, her sister, and everyone else involved made a lot of mistakes to get to this point.  If we're shit out of luck so be it, but please don't attack.

Answer: Call the city code department and mention the black mold, faulty electrical and rodent infestation.. They will be right out, although the residence will probably be tagged and no one will be able to live there until he problems are remediated and the property is up to code.


Title: [CA] My vehicle was towed from my job's parking lot for "being abandoned."

Question:
I work in a strip mall with an unusually large parking lot that is never full. Since my job doesn't have many employees, we don't take up many parking spaces.

I tow a little 4'x8' utility trailer behind my compact car all the time because I use it after work. But I can't park in a parking lot with it attached to my car since the trailer would stick out of a parking space.

So, the past 2 years I detach the trailer and put it out back in the very rear most corner, in one of the many unused employee parking spaces.

On the 4th of this month at noon I got a "parking violation" notice for abandoned vehicle. I immediately (same day, before 4pm) called the security company and explained I am a tenant and the vehicle is NOT abandoned. They apologized and asked for my name and phone number and the license plate of the trailer. They said if there were any issues the security personnel would call me.

Yesterday I came out at 4:30 and my trailer was gone. Called the security company and got dispatch who said the business office closes at 4pm. Dispatch couldn't look up records but gave me the towing company's phone number.

Towing company said "The security company called us requesting it be towed. It'll be $275 to get it out, and the price goes up by $75 a day."

My trailer cost me $300 plus I put another $100 into putting stake sides on it, plus a little more money to get it titled and registered (in CA, trailers now don't need to have titles).

I'm going to take unpaid time off work today for an hour or two to go to the security company but I think we all know they'll try to deny accountability and put the blame on me.

My boss says this situation is my problem and does NOT want me involving my job in any way or jeopardizing his shop's relationship with the property manager.

What should I do? File in small claims against the security company?

Thank you.

Edit 1: I called the security company. The office manager said they have no record of the phone conversation I had with them, because their answering service received the call and did not pass along the information to them. The security company office manager said they are not responsible for my vehicle being towed because the answering service person I talked with is not their actual employee!

I pointed out that they pay the answering service to answer the phone using their own business name and pretend to be employees, and handle customer service, thus they are responsible. She raised her voice and repeated herself, then said a supervisor would call me.

Edit 2: Supervisor called me. He said the answering service isn't authorized to do or say anything like what the answering service told me, and he said he doesn't even have proof that I spoke with the answering service.

He said that if the property owner of the complex where I work, tells him to release the trailer, he'll tell the towing company to release it. The towing company said "Bull Fucking Shit. We need $275 to release it, I don't care who tells us to release it."

Edit 3:  I got my trailer (although the tow company also cut my padlock off the tongue :(.

Should I immediately file in small claims or is there any value in wasting time trying to negotiate with the owner of the security company that already insists they're not responsible for what their answering service says?

Answer:
 The first thing you should do is go get the trailer out.

You have an obligation to minimize your damages.

Then if you want to go after the security company (which may or may not be successful) then you can do that.Answer #2: Dealing with this is going to be a pain.

Step one: get the trailer. It is with a third party, so pay them and get it back before they charge you for storage, the action and god k ow what else.

Step two: did you have permission to park there (look for signs in the lot, or get a letter from your employer.

Step three: contact the security company. Outline your losses, and how you had permission to park there.

If you disagree go to small claims court, but the fees associated with that may be more than the trailer is worth.

My advice is to settle for 1/2 the value of the trailer.

There is no justice in small claims court.


Title: I am 18 and my parents will not provide me with my original citizenship/legal documents.

Question:
Do I have any rights to these documents: SSC, Passport, BC? She is currently forcing me to go get copies of these documents as she won’t allow me to have the originals. Is it even legal to have two of these documents at once?
Topic:
Other Civil Matters

Answer: The passport one stood out to me. It's illegal to confiscate/steal/withhold a passport. You can get a replacement (and report the one she has as stolen).  You can get a duplicate SS card and birth certificate. It's less hassle - and if you haven't, lock your credit down so your mom can't use your SS information.