Title: [NJ] Neighbor's Pit Bulls broke through our fence.

Question:
My partner and I bought a house in July and moved in. The way the property is laid out, our backyard shares a border with three other backyards. The yard is surrounded by fences of varying ages and styles. Most of them belong to us. Our neighbor to the East are a young-ish couple with two pit bulls. I know pit bulls get a bad rap that is sometimes undeserved, so I'm not here to malign pitbulls. One of them seems friendly, but the other one does not. He barks at us when he sees us. Not a huge deal.
At least it wasn't a huge deal until 5 months ago when we adopted a dog of our own. She is a 25 lb Beagle and she is a sweetheart. She has never shown any signs of aggression.
After we brought her home, things were fine for a while. The neighbor's dogs are not outside very much. However, there have been a few instances where they would sniff each other through the fence and the neighbor's dog would start barking. Our dog would usually back away or sniff timidly. She has never barked back to my knowledge. The neighbor dog looks at her like she is a snack.
About 2 months ago, there was an incident where the dogs were outside at the same time, and the neighbor's dog charged at the fence. It is a stockade style fence with vertical slats. One of the slats came out of place and I was able to screw it back in place after the dogs were all brought inside their respective houses.
On Monday night, a similar incident occurred. We were going to have dinner outside since it was unseasonably warm. The neighbor had the dogs outside. When we let our dog into the backyard, she walked near the fence and the neighbor dog went berserk. He started barking, startling me, my partner, and our dog. He started biting one of the slats and smashing it and was able to push it aside and stick his snout through the gap. The fence slat was damaged. I brought our dog inside and then later put the slat back in place.
Today, while my partner and I were both at work, he got a notification from our Furbo camera that our dog was active. He opened the camera app and saw the neighbor's two dogs standing at our back door (Full glass french door). He raced home and they were no longer in our back yard, however the fence now has two slats completely knocked out and destroyed. The guy next door had his car in the driveway and my partner went to the door and knocked. Nobody answered. (neighbor is a police officer so could have been asleep if he was on a night shift maybe)

We had previously been in touch with the landlord next door and she said that the fence in question belongs to us. I believe she is correct. We had started the process of getting quotes to replace the fence, as it is old and rotting. Now we need to speed up that process. My partner is terrified (and so I am frankly) that their dogs will come into our yard and harm one of us or our dog.

My questions are the following:
Is the neighbor partially responsible for the replacement cost of the fence?
Does it matter that the fence was rotting and was therefore easy to damage?
Should we contact the neighbors, and if so, what should we say (or not say)?

A coworker of mine had his dog mauled to death by a neighbor's pitbull and was in litigation with him for years. I want to be careful and make sure we take the correct steps here.

Thank you

Answer:
 Your backyard should be fenced appropriately. This is part of dog ownership.

I believe all parties involved DO have a responsibility to fence their yards- meaning double fencing (a fence on each side) but that might not be true depending on your state.


Title: Question on police entering home without permission (Washington State).

Question:
Someone apparently called the police over my two roommates today. They were outside and one fell down (they were drunk) and the other went to help them up. I assume a neighbor, or someone passing by, called the police. I believe they originally went out to get something at the store, came back, and she tripped, because drunk, and he tried to help her up.

I didn't know about this and open the door to a police officer standing outside our home. He asks me if everything is okay, and I respond with "Everything is fine". He informs me someone called about domestic violence, and explained what they were told. He then asked if he could enter, and I said no (one of my roommates is very OCD and freaks out if someone enters and tracks in mud/ along with other things that set them off, they're getting treated for it. If you know someone that suffers from OCD you can probably understand how small things to some people are huge obstacles to them), and explained the situation.

He then told me he had the right to enter and walked passed me. Next thing I know two other officers walk passed me and enter my house while I say "No".  They find my drunk roommates and talk to them for a little bit, while two officers look around our house. I don't know how long they were there exactly, over 10 minutes I would think, but they eventually find nothing is wrong, two people are drunk, and leave.

Can I file a legitimate complaint in this scenario? I know the 4th Amendment (please don't crucify me I'm no lawyer) doesn't protect us against all non-warranted searches, but can they just claim, because they got a call, probable cause/ Exigent Circumstances and enter after I say no? Should I take any steps or just let it go, because it's worthless to do anything about it? Thank you so much for your time if you read this and can lend any advice.

Answer: It is unclear from the story whether the police were justified in entering. It is clear that even if they entered unlawfully, you have no remedy. The ordinary remedy for an unlawful search is that evidence found as a result of the search is inadmissible in a criminal prosecution. Since there's no prosecution here, there's nothing to fix. If you feel that you need to do something, you can complain to the officers' supervisor.


Title: Local man teaching women's self defense classes is a known child molester - need advice

Question:
Hi everyone,

I'm looking for  advice on how I can legally and safely warn people about a child molester who is currently teaching women's self defense classes. This man is a high ranking martial arts instructor and a few years ago, he pursued a sexual relationship with a 14 year old girl when he was in his 30's. I know about this because that girl is a friend of mine. last year, she finally took him to court and he walked away a free man.

 This seems to be a common occurrence during these type of cases... the predator walks free. No charges. Nothing on google that comes up about the case either. This man has also pursued sexual relationships with other girls in the past and he even raped a woman at knife point and got another woman pregnant. None of these facts are known by the public.

During the court process, my friend had to sign an agreement that she would not de-fame or slander this man's reputation , or legal actions could be sought against her.

It is atrocious to think that a known child molester is still working locally and ironically teaching self defense classes to women, many whom are underage. My friend who was molested by him was a former student of his when he worked at a different studio. I called the studio he is working at now, and they confirmed that he is an instructor there.

So my question is this: What would be the best method to legally inform the studio and it's students about this man? Can I get in legal trouble for slander - and most importantly, can my friend someone get in trouble for this, despite the fact that I am looking into this without her? She doesn't know i'm thinking about doing this and I want to keep her out of it.

Any advice is appreciated, thank you

Answer:
 You cannot say any defamatory statement which is untrue, or a statement which you will not be able to prove is true by a preponderance of the evidence.

Saying he is a convicted child molestor - defamation, because he was acquitted.

Saying he was arrested in June 2012 on suspicion of statutory rape of one of his students - not defamation, since that is a true fact. He can explain to people that he was acquitted, and they can choose which fact to believe.

If you hang outside his dojo and cost him business, I guarantee he will sue, and if he can get away with all those things, it seems like he knows how to work the system.

Of course, the burden of proof is a lot lower in a civil case instead of a criminal court. Maybe there is enough evidence to prove that he raped her by a preponderance of the evidence instead of beyond a reasonable doubt. So you could try and prove that what you're saying is true in civil court this time.

Edit: I should also add; I've never heard of an NDA or gag order for the victim of a criminal case, even as the result of an acquittal. Perhaps it's just something her lawyer advised her not to do; but it sounds like something that would come from a settlement in a civil case. So if your friend wasn't even confident enough in the evidence to not settle during a civil case, I really don't envy your chances of winning now.


Title: How to object to/revoke old, racist CCRs? (NM)

Question:
We are under contract to purchase a property in NM built in 1929. We've just received the CCRs, which date to when the plot was originally sold in 1928. The CCRs state that "No conveyance of the premises or any part thereof shall ever be made to any person or persons of Oriental or African descent."

This is pretty sickening to us. I hope it's also illegal under current fair housing regulations. My questions are:

* Can you kind law-talkin' folks confirm that this covenant is no longer binding due to current fair housing regulations?

* If it is somehow still binding, how would we go about objecting to it? We will obviously discuss this with our Realtor too, but wanted to hear the opinion of /r/legaladvice as well.

* Whether it is binding or not, is there a way to formally revoke it so that it is explicitly removed from the CC&Rs going forward?

Thanks for your insight!

Answer: The Supreme Court rendered racially restrictive covenants unenforceable in 1948 in [Shelly v Kraemer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelley_v._Kraemer)


Title: Mcdonalds

Question: I work for my local fast food joint. Currently I am on suspension for a week, while the reason being my general manager will not tell me. When I went to go ask I was told to leave or she will call the police. All of this went down yesterday while she was writing me up for not putting up wet dishes onto the shelf. ( Not where they dry, that's where i placed them after I washed them). For me not doing this she wrote me up, then went onto to argue over the fact if I didn't sign the write up and came in for my shift this morning she would have me arrested. Low and behold to find out she is suspending me for a week without telling me anything about it. Yesterday as me and her are arguing, i request a meeting with the owner of the store. ( In which she schedules for April twentieth). Which also happens to fall a day short of the four days I requested off over a month ago in which I let them know I would be out of town.  This manager hasn't only been singling me out, but I am one of the last to have yet to quit... This month we have lost five people because of the way this manager behaves. There are as well labor laws she has broken. Does anyone have advice or should I just say fuck it and find better employment.

Answer:
 You're an at will employee. All of this is legal. If you want to keep a job without issue, you need to learn how to respect rules you don't like.

I'd expect to be fired, if I were you.


Title: giving my home to trusted friend when i die for a $25,000.00 loan

Question: i need the loan desperately, and will give my friend my home in the event of my death, she can sell my home and immediately have her $25,000. back plus $25,000 or more in equity..so she will more then double the loan. Ohio resident.  what if i had to enter a nursing home in the event of an illness and Medicare is involved.

Answer:
 You need to speak to an attorney. You could structure the loan using the home as collateral which places a lien on the home. You could use an irrevocable trust for your home but there are many factors to look at when structuring your estate and protecting your assets in the event of your illness.

There are also time factors involved in regards to Medicare and their ability to take your assets. It's best to speak to someone soon if you feel a nursing home may be in the near future.


Title: I am high on marijuana, and my PO wants me to come in tomorrow for a drug test. What should I do?

Question: I am freaking out. I got high to celebrate 4th of July, and my PO suspected I would be getting high on this day, so she just called and asked me to come in for a drug test tomorrow. I am in California, where weed is legal. What should I do?

Answer: You are as we like to say around here "megafucked". There is no legal advice that will get you out of this.Answer #2: I would suggest telling them the truth and begging forgiveness because there isn't much else you can do. Answer #3: Speak to an attorney tomorrow and expect to have a revocation hearing soonAnswer #4: Well, that's the very meaning of random. You should go in and take your drug test.


Title: Short Sale Gone Wrong

Question: [removed]

Answer: Your friend would only be able to recover monetary damages - sounds like at most he would be able to recover the cost of hiring the plumber and the locksmith, but these amounts may be low enough that he decides not to pursue it.


Title: A bullet just came through my window while I was sleeping

Question: Do I call non-emergency police? Apartment supervisor says it’s a waste of time(more or less). I just can’t go back to sleep right now and wondering what to do.

Answer: Yes call the police whenever your home is shot


Title: Legally speaking, do I really have to wait in line at Costco after checking out to have someone scribble on my receipt before I leave?

Question:
Or any store really that insists on checking your receipt before you leave. I've already paid for the goods, I haven't stolen anything. Can the store legally require me to show a receipt to leave? If I just walk past the line of people waiting to have their receipts checked, could I get into any real trouble?

I understand why stores do this, and I'm not planning on being an asshole. I'm just curious.

I'm located in Washington, USA.
Topic:
Searches and Seizures

Answer: legally, you do not have to, but legally, the store does not have to allow you to continue to shop there.Answer #2: You could get your Costco membership revoked for not following their policies.


Title: Auto-renewal clause in contract says cancellation in writing is required 60days prior to end of the contract. They are not accepting my email as "cancellation in writing". Please help. (California, US)

Question:
Regarding the cancellation clause:

8.1 ...the Agreement will be extended automatically for periods of time equivalent to the initial term or the then-current renewal term at (their company's) then current prices... unless the Agreement is cancelled in writing at least sixty (60) days prior to expiration of the initial term...

Contract expires 31 July 2015, I sent an Email May 25 2015, with a response from my account rep on may 26 2015.

They are saying my email saying that we do not wish to renew our contract for the year is not "an official written cancellation"

Are they just trying to lie to me? What can I do? Take it to arbitration? BBB? Am I in the wrong here?

Please help, I'm stressing out beyond belief.

Thank you
Topic:
Contracts

Answer:
 Read all of your contract, and prepare to get a lawyer because you're arguing over a legal definition with people who DO have lawyers.

The fact that you were responded to actually helps your case, but the contract can disallow e-mail as a form of 'legally in writing' and some states may disallow e-mail as in writing for specific things (In 2011, California wouldn't consider e-mail in valid for changing leases) and new laws are getting passed to keep up with technology, of course. So be ready for a fight, and consider the cost of fighting too here.


Title: Pet shop lemon law

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Unfortunately they are not obliged to pay your vet bill, just to offer a refund or exchange.

No harm in approaching then though - they may likely be willing to pay $250 to avoid a potential  $1700 refund.


Title: [TX] Rental house - No payment for 2 months. Eviction notice given yesterday. Today the air conditioner went out. Do I need to fix it?

Question: This family signed a one year lease that has expired and are now on month to month. I had already dropped off the eviction notice and now the air conditioner went out. Am I legally obligated to fix it when they have not paid rent for months? I do feel bad for them being in tough times but at the same time I need someone who actually pays rent! I even offered to pay for the move but they say they have nowhere to go. At this point I feel they are squatting and willing to milk the eviction process. Thanks in advance!

Answer:
 It looks like you do not have to repair it:

http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/txstatutes/PR/8/92/B/92.052

>a) A landlord shall make a diligent effort to repair or remedy a condition if:
(1) the tenant specifies the condition in a notice to the person to whom or to the place where rent is normally paid;
(2) the tenant is not delinquent in the payment of rent at the time notice is given;

As a practical matter though, considering all the rain through Texas lately, and the fact that an a/c acts as a dehumidifier, you may want to consider repairing it to avoid having to treat your house for mold after the eviction.

If you ask around about mold remediation costs in your area, you may find that repairing the a/c, even though it makes things more comfortable for the deadbeats, is going to be cheaper for you in the long run.

How long does an eviction in Texas usually take?Answer #2: Whatever your legal requirements are, you are going to have to fix it anyway. It's your property after all. Why not use the opportunity to document the condition of the place prior to their actual eviction and also assess whether the damage to the air condition was caused by their negligence (not changing filters, etc)

If you play it off as good guy you may be able to avoid additional damage to your property caused by spite.


Title: [IL] & [SC] Report Drug House without GF ending up homeless?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Serious Question:  Have you ever met this person face to face?Answer #2: You are getting the oldest scam in the book. Ask her what her address is so you can send money and I guarantee you she won't give you a straight answer. Block and move on.Answer #3: * You are likely being scammed.

If you aren't being scammed, there's plenty you can do.

* Call CPS about the abuse of the 2 year-old. You should have already done that.
* She can call a women's shelter and they can help her get new documents, it's really not that complicated, but it is annoying.
* She can also call the police about drugs in the home.

Essentially, there are a ton of options here, but none of them are very pleasant.


Title: [North Carolina] Got my first DUI last night. Have been in the Army less than a year. What happens now?

Question:
I have never been in trouble with the law before, so I have no idea if I need a lawyer or what. Coming here for advice.

Went out for a few drinks last night, buddy drove us, he gets way too drunk and tries to drive home. I go out to stop him, I thought I was fine so I take his keys and drive him back to Fort Bragg. No problems driving, and I was not pulled over or anything. When I got to the gates to get on base the MP asks me to step out of the vehicle because my friend is passed out. At this point Police Officers come up and do a field sobriety test on me and breathilize me. I do not know what the initial blow was, but I was handcuffed and taken to the MP station on base.

At this point I was taken into a room and processed, given two additional breathalyzers at which I blew a .16 both times. They then finger printed me, and put me in a cell to sleep it off. I asked one of the officers "What now?" To which he replied I would go to court in a few weeks (I do have my court date) and would pay a small fine 300-500 dollars.

I have already spoken to my chain of command and understand what will happen on the military side of things. But I do not know what to expect from the civilian side. Do I need a lawyer? Are the fines as low as he said they would be? I assume my drivers license (From Texas) will be suspended, and I will be taking alcohol abuse classes through the Army (standard for any alcohol related incident).Is it even worth getting a lawyer to try and fight it? Or just go to my court date and pay the fine.

Any and all advice would be great. Like I said this is my first time ever being on the wrong side of the law so I have no idea how to handle it.

Answer:
 You should reach out to JAG for advice with handling the civilian side.

.16 is a serious amount of alcohol to feel "fine". As someone who drinks a fair bit, I would at the very least re-evaluate your understanding of "Fine" if not consider AA or similar.


Title: Are ALL mugshots posted online?

Question:
I was arrested two years ago for possession of marijuana, it was dropped to disorderly conduct. Thankfully, I cannot find my arrest information / mugshot online anywhere. Did I get lucky or are only certain mugshots posted online for public access?
The state is Pennsylvania

Answer: It depends on the jurisdiction.


Title: My sister is an illegal immigrant and is too scared to divorce her US citizen husband because kids and her status are involved... any input appreciated

Question:
Hello everyone.. I've been a lurker on reddit for far too long but the situation is so grave right now that I really need any input or at least an ear to listen.

My sister is an illegal immigrant in Florida and is married to her US citizen husband. They've been married for about 10 years now and have two kids, age 6 and 3. But due to many problems between her and her husband, as well as her husband's explosive nature, my sister is contemplating divorce. However, she's worried that her husband will gain custody of the kids and is even more worried that he might report her to ICE and have her deported, making it impossible for her to see her kids for at least 10 years.

I would like to ask anyone with legal experience or any legal knowledge if there is any way my sister can win the divorce in the sense that she will get to at least have partial custody of the kids and with no fear of being deported.

Thanks to anyone who bothered to click the link and to read my post.

Answer:
 She never got a green card?  She's not gonna get deported cuz she's got two little natural-born citizens in her care (I assume).

She should first seek out domestic violence resources. what city/state?  there may be good legal services that will help her figure out her divorce options and even guide her to an immigration legal aid provider. Answer #2: If she is the victim of domestic violence she may be eligible for a green card under the [Violence Against Women Act]( http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/green-card-under-the-violence-against-women-act-vawa-who-is-eligible.html )


Title: Customer keeps bringing in "service dogs", does merchant has any recourse?

Question:
(Before covid), I usually go to an entertainment facility. The facility has more than 500 employees located in WA.

I noticed there are some customers starts bringing in obviously not service dogs. Probably due to a nearby other facility attracts people with dogs. And some of them are disturbing to other customers including me. I raised my concern to the manager once, and the manager said sadly there is technically no way to kick them out because asking for proof would already be illegal.

As far as I know business indeed cannot ask for ID cards nor papers. But they can take appropriate actions if the service animal is misbehaving.

What is that merchant's recourse at this point? Being in a situation that they cannot take any actions unless damages happen?

Answer:
 The ADA allows you to ask two questions (and only two questions).  The first, "Is it a service dog required for a disability?", any fool can lie to.  The second, "What work or tasks is it trained to do?", is harder for them to.  It's not as much about a right answer as it is about a wrong one.  Most fakers will usually say "emotional support" (not a valid task and not a legitimate service dog), or "you can't ask me that!" (you can, and a legitimate handler will usually be aware of this and prepared to answer the two questions).  Both of those are obvious fakes and can be excluded.  The tasks need to be something that actually mitigates a disability.  Note: They do not have to tell you what their disability is, nor should you ask.  "Alerts me to a medical condition", "reminds me to take medication", something like that.

On top of that, you can have even a legitimate service dog removed if it's out of control, a direct threat (not a percieved threat, meaning it has to actively be trying to bite people or something), or isn't housebroken.  Just remember that if you remove for one of these reasons, you have to allow the handler back, without the dog.

Read up on it (it's 8 pages but a really fast read really, not like 8 novel pages).  Knowledge is power.

https://www.ada.gov/regs2010/service_animal_qa.html


Title: [resolved] update on knitting photo/book copyright

Question:
Thank you /r/legaladvice for your advice [previously!](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/2w4kuu/unauthorized_use_of_my_photo_for_a_book_cover/)
I was able to file a copyright infringement complaint through Amazon and get the offending materials taken down. Just wanted to post an update to let you know everything was successfully resolved!  Thanks again for your help! :)

Answer: I remember your post. I'm glad you got a resolution.Answer #2: Yay for you and yay for updates. Insert comment about landlocked guys update.


Title: How come we can't meet one on one with elected officials, e.g. judges, DA's, etc., when our tax dollars are employing them?

Question: [deleted]

Answer:
 Let's do some terrible math.

Say my county has 3 million adult people living in it.  Each district attorney makes 200,000 per year total compensation. That means each person contributes roughly 6.6 cents to that district attorney.  He or she doesn't care about me, the average person, unless I legitimately need their assistance.

Now let's say a DA works 40 hours a week for 52 weeks meaning zero days off or vacations. If every adult wants to meet with the DA, assuming zero wasted time btwn meetings, the DA can meet with each adult for roughly 2.5 seconds.  Say the load is divided by 100 DAs.  Each adult can meet with a DA for 4 minutes 10 seconds and they will do absolutely zero actual work for the low price of 20 million dollars.

Just because your taxes infinitesimal contribute to someone else's paycheck does not make them beholden to you.Answer #2: It's not that individuals can't meet with elected officials. They simply choose not to meet with you. Because you're an idiot.Answer #3: No offense, but as a fellow tax payer judging you on your post history, I'm glad certain elected officials are focused on their jobs rather than wasting their time answering your questions. Answer #4: Are you serious?

The reason the congress person meets with you is because he or she putatively represents you in Congress.

Just because someone is paid by tax dollars doesn't mean they are your employees, or your slaves.  You also can't meet with random teachers or the road construction crew, even though they are paid by tax dollars.  Answer #5: Yeah....the judges usually have great secretaries who excel at filtering out the nutjobs.


Title: Going to court for "shoplifting".

Question: I was at an apple store and I got caught "shoplifting". Is there anything I can do to not go to court? My location is New Jersey.

Answer:
 If you were caught "shoplifting," then there is a good chance that you will be "convicted."

You should hire a defense attorney. Answer #2: Why is shoplifting in quotes?Answer #3: "No," but you can get an "attorney" to help you in "court."Answer #4: 1.) Time machine.

2.) Hire an attorney to appear for you.

3.) See if you can plead guilty and pay the fine ahead of time.Answer #5: And by “shoplifting” do you mean that you stole something and got caught?


Title: [NC, USA] I don't know if I should pursue sexual assault charges

Question:
(NC, USA) I let a friend sleep on my couch after a night of drinking, went to bed, and woke up to him in my bed taking pictures of me in my underwear while also trying to remove them.

(For a little context: I usually sleep in a sports bra, underwear, and sweatpants, and I put these on alone in my room with the doors closed while the man went to sleep on the couch. I probably got hot and took the sweatpants off in the middle of the night, leaving me in just my underwear, which didn't feel like a problem to me because I had known the man for a long time and felt he was a trusted friend.)

I ran, called the cops and had them remove the man from my home, now the investigator is telling me I can file a warrant if I want them to investigate further.

I'm just lost. The officer said that the offense is a misdemeanor (sexual assault, sexual exploitation), which I why I can pull out the warrant. Apparently citizens can file warrants themselves in North Carolina? What does this process entail? Should I try to get a lawyer before pulling out a warrant? Also, is there a reason the police did not attempt to obtain a search warrant for his phone once I reported my account?

My concerns were that the man had probably already deleted the pictures and it would become my word against his. I do have a witness who says I never said the man could stay with me, and when asked for his address, the man gave the witness my address. When I got out of the car at my house, the witness assumed we were at the man's house and I had asked him to stay before going to the bars. But when it comes to the actual event, it was just me and him. I ran before any further sexual assault occurred, so there isn't any physically damning evidence unless investigators can search his phone and potentially retrieve any deleted photos, which I don't even know is possible.

Should I seek legal recourse? What is the likelihood that this will result in a conviction? His parents are wealthy attorneys and I'm nervous that his family is enough to clear him of any charges, but I get anxious when I think that he could exploit someone like this with no consequences. In a lot of ways, this feels like a case I can't win without those pictures, because then it comes down to my word against his. Is it worth the fight?

Topic:
Criminal Law

Answer:
 Report him. Even if they don't get him for anything in this instance, it will be on his record the next time he does this to a woman. Answer #2: > My concerns were that the man had probably already deleted the pictures and it would become my word against his.  [...]  this feels like a case I can't win without those pictures

Not a lawyer.

Most files are recoverable, even after being "deleted".  This is particularly true if his phone automatically backs up or uploads to cloud storage.  "Unrecoverable" files are often unrecoverable when there's physical damage (fire, water).

Secondly, there's a thing called "spoilation of evidence", basically meaning that someone knowingly deliberately destroyed evidence that they had reason to believe was relevant to a crime.  The criteria for spoilation varies between states.  I would check with the investigators about whether (in their opinion) the deletion of the photos would count as spoilation in NC.

*edit:* clarity


Title: (Utah) My friend is getting kicked out of his apartment this weekend.

Question:
Okay, so my friend has been renting an apartment for a couple years near the campus of the university that we attend and every semester his landlord has called him and asked if he wants to renew his contract for the next semester. Well this semester instead of calling him, his landlord sent him a letter saying that all of the contracts in his building had been sold and that he would need to be out of his apartment by this coming Saturday.

So we understand that it's not her obligation to ask him every semester if he will be renewing his contract but is it legal to give him 2 weeks notice to be moved out of her apartment? Is there anything he can do to stay a bit longer until he can get a contract at another apartment?

Answer:
 Does he have an actual paper contract for this place?  Did he get updated copies or anything when renewing?  If so to either, what does the most recent contract say about how the lease is renewed?

And then just to be clear on the timeline, his lease is set to expire this Saturday, and he just received that letter slightly over a week ago?


Title: Can an employer require me to take a longer lunch to "burn" time so as not to go into overtime?

Question:
There is bi-monthly mandatory meetings that take 30 min.  During those weeks I am required to take two 45 min lunches (as opposed to 30 min) to burn the extra time.  I am also required to do this if I have to stay late for some reason.  Is this legal?  Shouldn't I just get the 30 min of overtime if I'm require to show up on a day I'm not scheduled or to show up early?  To be clear, I'm paid for all time worked, I just am forced to take a longer lunch to avoid overtime.

Edit: Oregon

Answer: So as long as you are not working during those 45 minutes, it is legal. This is assuming you aren't unionized and do not have an employment contract. Answer #2: If it is a true lunch break - you don't have to be in the building, are not expected to take on work as it comes up, etc. - then your employer can have you take a longer break.


Title: I want to hang wind chimes in the trees behind my house.

Question:
I have a whole bunch of wind chimes I'm planning on climbing and all the trees behind my house and hanging them in the trees so it makes nice sounds. I talked to my neighbors that boarder my yard and they like the idea.

With metal wind chimes in the trees there's a chance that they will get struck by lightning and catch the trees on fire. Can I get in trouble if that happens?

Answer: I do not believe metal wind chimes that are not grounded are going to be any more of a lightning hazard than the trees already are by themselves.


Title: Can’t buy alcohol because I’m a foreigner at Walgreens (explain?)

Question: I was at the check-our at Walgreens and I’ve bought alcohol for the last week with no problem at all but now they told me that a new “company policy” said that they can no longer sell alcohol to foreigners (Miami wallgreens) is this actually a thing?!?

Answer: I'd assume that the sale was declined because you presented a foreign ID. It's perfectly legal for foreginers of age to buy alcohol, but the retailer can decline the sale if they question the authenticity of your ID.


Title: Surgeon lied about treatment before (what he planned to do) and after (what he did)

Question:
Edit: wanted to know if I have any legal recourse. Will try to ask Spanish lawyer, or just leave a review.

Location: Spain
Topic:
Non-US

Answer:
 You need to cut this down to only the pertinent details.

Speak with a medical malpractice lawyer.


Title: Neighbor is threatening a “restraining order” on us for leasing our guest room through Airbnb

Question:
For the past 3 months, my mother has rented out her guest room using Airbnb. As she and my dad have gone through a tough divorce, it’s been a great way for her to fill some time, meet new people, and make some side cash.

We live in a smallish town on a lake in Massachusetts, making it a great place for people to stay if they want a nice view or a place to crash while seeing the Patriots. However, our neighbor has not taken kindly to it.

He is threatening to put a “restraining order” on us for renting out our own property. He “fears for his wife’s safety” because we are bringing strangers into the neighborhood and he is frequently out of town.

We have never had loud of disruptive guests. Only one or two people stay at the house at a time, are very respectful, and many are recurring renters. My mother is there most of the time and gets to know every guest.

Whether or not my neighbor is racist is unknown, but it doesn’t look good on him that the first time he blew up about this was when we had two Indian visitors arrive at 11pm. We’ve since ensured that all renters park in our other driveway (we have two, one of which is very close to our neighbor’s house).

I don’t think he has any legal ground against us, but he’s a fairly wealthy businessman and well-connected. I fear that he can make our lives very difficult regardless. Is there any legal basis for my neighbor’s threats?

Answer:
 Ignore him unless you’re served with legal paperwork.Answer #2: Are there any local regulations prohibiting renting through Airbnb? Many localities do have regulations about this. If there are, he could report your mother and she could possibly be fined.

However, it sounds like he's talking out of his ass. I do not know of any restraining order he could get that would restrict what your mother does on her own property. Answer #3: >He “fears for his wife’s safety” because we are bringing strangers into the neighborhood and he is frequently out of town.

This is an absurd notion and will not work. No judge is going issue a restraining order for something that might happen. Does he get restraining orders for every person driving down the street too? If he is so concerned why is leaving town? Stupid. Just stupid. Ignore this person.Answer #4: It all depends if your municipality has any restriction on Air BNB and if you live in a neighborhood with an HOA (which itself can restrict things like this).

But one thing I'm confused about, who is she trying to get the restraining order against? You? Your Mom? That part just doesn't make sense to me.


Title: [CA,USA] Purchased items during a yard sale. Turns out they may have been stolen. I think.

Question:
About 2 weeks ago, while on my Friday morning run, I stumbled upon a moving sale, went home and came back about 30 minutes later. Ended up buying about $1000 worth of tools and stuff.

Man, I got a call a few days ago from some guy claiming his brother in-law or some crap sold his stuff without him knowing. The brother-in-law was living with him, and apparently had a moving sale throughout the day without this guy knowing. Throughout my time there I was speaking with this guy who lives behind these people he was telling me how they were being kicked out by the landlord so they need some quick cash and stuff.
These people look shady, the brother in law seems to have "dipped"
I'm planning on not releasing crap until the guy hits me with a police report or some crap.
Sorry I guess I'm a little irritated.
Any advice would help. This has never happened to me.

Answer: How did they get your number?


Title: 17, Received a speeding ticket in Pennsylvania, where do I go from here?

Question:
(Excuse the poor formatting, I can't seem to create a list.)

I was caught by a speed gun going 85 mph in a 55 mph zone, after the fine was payed I was told by my fathers legal adviser to plead not guilty and to fight for a lower punishment. What steps can I take to get leniency from the state? Here is what I have noted so far:
* 1 I was in a 55 Mph zone
* 2 I have driven over 10000 miles since I got my car this fall, driving to soccer practice for the school, for my soccer club that is an hour away, school , work, games, leisure.
* 3 Driving for me is a daily task, and to be able to accomplish the things I need to do at this time in my life (Soccer identification camps, touring colleges, work, odds and ends) I need to drive because of my parents work schedule.
* 4 The car I was pulled over in was not my vehicle, it was my ex-girlfriends, it was a newer, better accelerating car.
* 5 I am not saying I had a justified reason for speeding, I am cut and dry guilty, but I had SAT's in the morning and I was driving home from a late soccer game, I wasn't thinking right and I just wanted to get home.

That is all I have for now, can I get advice on whether this useful information, and what else I can add. Any advice is appreciated.

Topic:
Traffic and Parking

Answer:
 None of this will help you. Accept the punishment and move on. It's only one ticket. Not the end of the world.

> I wasn't thinking right and I just wanted to get home.

You were 30 over. Nothing accidental about that.


Title: (VT, USA) Employer will fine me weekly if I do not share my medical information, is this legal?

Question:
My employer uses a third party service, that will deduct a $25 penalty from my paycheck if I do not submit a health screening form.

This is only required of employees that use the companies health insurance. The company collecting this information is not the insurance agency, and does not appear to be connected.

Information on this screening includes height, weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, triglycerides, etc. It must be signed by the physician.

I understand that I am not required to use the company health insurance, but this seems like a breach of my privacy, and feels like extortion. **Is this a legal practice? Can I refuse to share my information without paying a penalty to my employer**

Answer: It would be legal if the company contributed $25 to a HSA for providing this information, or was a refund against your insurance contribution.  A payroll deduction without your consent would be illegal.


Title: [Alberta, Canada] Employer is forcing overtime and not giving enough time between shifts

Question:
Hi,

So at my current job we are crazy understaffed. Everyone is doing split shifts (6am-11:30/12:30 then coming back for 4:30/5:30-11/11:30).

Coming this Wednesday I will have worked 9 days in a row, with 6 of those shifts being split shifts in a row. Now from what I've been told this is illegal? I have less than 8 hours between my night and morning shifts (I get <5 hours of sleep every night) and I have never volunteered for this OT.

What can I do about it? Should I contact the ALR board? What would they do? I don't want them shutting down the restaurant because I'll be out of work but there are other solutions and management is not willing to follow through.

Answer:
 The ALR board is only if you are unionized. You didn't say if you were. If you are, then go to your union.

If you are not union, you make an Employment Standards complaint: http://work.alberta.ca/employment-standards/employment-standards-complaint.html


Title: Customer, on an unpermitted garage conversion project, claims my epoxy floor installation is emanating fumes that harm her health

Question:
I install epoxy floors for a living and this lady (wealthy customer with home in Palo Alto, CA) hired me to work on her 1 car garage conversion to a play room. Ever since day one we met I had the gut feeling she would be one of those difficult customers, but recently she’s about to cross the line. She’s calling me on the daily basis asking me to either redo her floor or have someone else do it and pay it with my own money. She has treated to sue me for the damaged floor, the health of her and her family members and the time spent on this situation. She claims her husband is a lawyer and that “she knows people”.

It all began with her complaining that her floor had a fly stuck on the top layer of the epoxy we installed. We responded by repairing it to her and went on our way. A few weeks later she called us saying that her painting contractor had spilled something on the floor and that it created a 3” x 2”stain. This contractor turned her down completely and said it wasn’t his fault. Seeing this she came to me and asked to repair it. My response was that the stain was not caused by us and that I could not repair something we didn’t do. She said before that she was not happy with the fly repair so I was not going to try to offer something similar especially knowing the stain wasn’t our fault. The only solution would be an entire recoat. We went back and forth for a few weeks and now she no longer wants a repair on the stain but she claims the fumes are too strong and she can’t stay in the room for too long because she and her children feel sick. Here’s the part where it’s important to note that during a recent call I had with her she told me she did not pull permits for this garage conversion project. This room that originally was a garage had been framed, sheet-rocked and painted all around. It looks like a normal bedroom with no windows, only two doors, one that takes you to the exterior and another one that connects to the inside of the house. I’m very familiar with the smell of my products and the day I went to talk to her I realized the smell is not from the epoxy rather is the common construction scent that could be aggravated and intensified when the room has no vents. This room had no central ventilation nor windows and on a recently constructed room those odor are very common. It had the typical “brand new home” smell that would not go away due to the poor air rotation in the room.

So today I call her back, explained again the reasons why I feel the smell is so strong (the epoxy has completely cure - there’s no signs that it has not) and offered her to do a repair on the stain in order to move on, but she went off threatening to sue me, asking for my insurance number, telling me she called my material manufacturer and she wants us to have a conference call with them. I told her that was my last offer before moving on and she needs to a stop calling me. Her response was more threats and here’s where I am today. How worried should I be?
Topic:
Business Law

Answer: If someone threatens to sue you, you refer them to your lawyer and stop talking to them. It seems obvious that there's nothing you can do to appease this customer, and continuing to try is only going to cause more problems, most likely.Answer #2: Has the customer paid for the work?Answer #3: Why not bring this to the building inspector and the fire Marshall?   That seems like the ethical thing to do.


Title: [CA] I’m a minor and got beat up at school. Now I think people are pretending to be witnesses so the person who hurt me can get a lesser charge or hurt me.

Question:
[removed]
Topic:
Juvenile and Youth Law

Answer:
 A bunch of uncorroborated (and likely mutually inconsistent, since they're all made up) statements about you hypothetically having assaulted him earlier in the day, which only came out _after_ he was charged with assault, isn't going to sway the police much, let alone a prosecutor or a jury. The camera footage showing him beating you is clear, and _even if you had previously assaulted him_, he would still be facing charges for that.

Don't sweat it. If the police question you about beating Dylan up, it would be a good idea to speak to an attorney, but they won't care if you previously called him names: that's rude, and may be against the student code of conduct, but not illegal and not a defence to a battery charge.


Title: (NC) Public exposure of woman's breasts

Question:
Hi, my girlfriend is researching this for school, and according to NC laws we found online, indecent exposure is defined very broadly by the term "private parts." As far as we have found, there seems to be no legal definition of private parts and it is not clear whether or not female breasts are grouped in with sexual organs.

It seems that women are allowed to be topless in public, however we both have a feeling that this is not true. Is there a definition somewhere that we are missing?

Furthermore, do most states outlaw exposure of women's breasts or are there any federal laws that prohibit them?

Thanks.

Answer: I can't find the full text of the decision online, but [this decisions](http://caselaw.findlaw.com/nc-court-of-appeals/1347583.html) cites "State v. Jones, 7 N.C.App. 166, 169, 171 S.E.2d 468, 469 (1970) " as "holding that the exposure of a woman's breasts did not violate section 14-190.9 because they were not her private parts".


Title: Police dept. called from town I've never been to.

Question:
Just set up my voicemail and saw I had a message from a few weeks ago from a number I didn't recognize.

The message said it was an officer from the police department and then the message cut off. This police dept is in my state, but hours away from my town. I've also been living out of state only coming back occasionally to visit my parents. I never received any other calls or messages.

I tried calling the dept to see what it was about,  but the officer wasn't in and the person I spoke to didn't know what it was about.

Any ideas what this could be?

Edit: call is from Wisconsin.

Answer:
 How in the world would some anonymous people on the Internet know what some police officer was calling about?

I assume you left a message that you called, just wait until he calls back. Answer #2: I'd like to put $5 on "he misdialed", please.

He noticed he had the wrong number after introducing himself and just hung up. He then took a sip of his coffee and said to himself "I really should get more sleep". Shaquanda asked if he finished "that paperwork" yet. He said he'd get to it later. She frowned and walked away.

Twelve minutes later his cellphone rang. It was his brother. He was asking when he'd be off work to babysit for him. His brother had a job interview with a small recycling start-up in Milwaukee the next morning and was going to drive up there that evening and sleep in a motel. He didn't get the job.


Title: What can a person legally do if their spouse is incarcerated and they do not want said spouse returning to their home upon release?

Question: State of PA

Answer: Move. File for a restraining order. File for divorce.


Title: [AZ] 16 year old neighbor assaulted my 9 year old

Question: My next door neighbors have a 16 year old boy who has created a reputation of stealing from us. He has stolen soccer balls and other toys from my kids, as well as a dog leash and a dog collar that belonged to our dog at one point. I have no way of proving that he stole them as we don’t have any sort of security cameras and no one saw him take it, but I know it’s ours as the stuff was worn out by my kids and they would disappear from our house one day and he would have them the next. I’ve spoke to his parents about this, who refuse to believe me. A few weeks ago, however, he cornered my 9 year old girl while she was playing in her friends yard, two houses down. She ran back home and told me that he had asked to “touch her private parts” or “show him what they looked like”. I called his mom and was met with the “my son would NEVER do something like that” speech where she implied that my daughter was lying. I believe her, she’s 9, and looked very scared when she ran back that day. Besides, this kid doesn’t really have a clean record in the neighborhood. Is there anything that I can do about this legally?

Answer:
 What happened when you immediately called 911?Answer #2: What in the actual eff is wrong with you? Why didn't you call the police immediately after your daughter told you this?Answer #3: I would advise you to treat this as an extremely serious threat to your 9-year-old. I would probably go in person to the police (along with her) immediately and insist on some assistance -- probably not returning home until the police intervene or at least accompany you.

You are doing two things here: protecting her and modeling for her how to stand up for herself when threatened.Answer #4: Police. NOW.Answer #5: Call the cops ASAP


Title: Is it legal to pretend to be a lawyer to obtain medical information?

Question:
I'm in an eviction dispute with my landlord in Oakland CA. He's claiming an owner move in which I'm countering with an accusation of retaliatory eviction, a secret weapon I can't reveal and I have protected medical status. My doctor wrote a note confirming my protected status about 7 weeks ago and I sent it to the LL with a letter from my lawyer. I just found out that someone claiming to be my lawyer called my doctor to ask questions about the note. My doctor obviously didn't return the call but called me instead. The name left was Mr Hych who doesn't exist on the CA bar list. The number Mr Hych left googles to a different lawyer with a half-arsed website that looks fake.
Is it illegal for "Mr Hych" to pretend to be my lawyer like that? What should I do about it? My eviction date is Tuesday 5th November which, as I explained I'm contesting, so I was wondering what I should do or who I should tell. My current lawyer isn't available to fight the Unlawful Detainer, which sucks, but there's plenty of righteous tenant lawyers here so I'm not worried about that.
Basically, is the fake lawyer part relevant? Is it criminal?
All advice gratefully received and thank you in advance.

Answer:
 Fraud is illegal, yes.

It's not illegal to say "I'm a lawyer" in the general case.  It's likely in violation of a couple of laws to pretend to be a specific lawyer to gain privileged information.


Title: [ohio] I work as an event bartender, my employer puts "20% event gratuity" on every bill

Question:
So this has been bothering me lately, my employer forbids us from putting out tip jars and then tells all the guests that gratuity is included in the check. We see none of that money. From what I've researched online it seems to depend on the wording on the bill. It always says "20% event gratuity"

Everything I've read tells me that if it says service charge they can do fuck all with it and it doesn't really matter for employees but the minute they say gratuity that money is owed to employees. I was just wondering how true this is and if anyone could give me further information on it.

If it were true, my company would owe me over $30,00 in the last 3 years and that's just me. We're it to include the 10+ other people I work with it'd be closer to $250,000 in the past 3 years.

Answer:
 I would be very careful if I was you.  This question has attracted many responses, with opinions on both sides, including citations in favor of your employer.

So with due respect to the top-rated poster who is certain that "it's illegal", I would say instead that the case is *arguable*.  You don't want an arguable case.  You want a *winnable* case.  And you may want a lawyer with the wisdom to recognize that it's not a slam dunk.

Second, the amount in question, when you consider the possibility of treble damages and 10+ other potential plaintiffs, is probably of sufficient magnitude that your employer can't afford not to win (let alone fight), and thus are likely forced to fight to the bitter end.  Even settlement, (in their mind, x10) may not be a survivable option for them.  If it looks like they will lose, there is a chance you find yourself lining up as a creditor of an insolvent business.

Third, they are likely to become your former employer quite early on in the proceedings.  Legal scholars might point out that retaliatory firing is illegal.  Grizzled practitioners will tell you that they could probably succeed through any number of (at least arguably) legal paths, and question how many battles you want to fight in parallel. In any event, "I sued them" fills the room at an interview with the same effect as a fart, so if you sue, you might want to have lined up another job first. Practical advice, full legal rights notwithstanding.


Title: A sensitive question in general, please no good samaritans

Question:
Seriously, no posts to /r/sw or anything along the lines of that.

If I kill myself in a public place (park, forrest preserve, side of the road, etc. at night with no one around), what are the liabiltiies that may transfer to my parents?  Besides them, I don't have any other family (no marirage or kids or anything).  I'm worried about any clean up costs or fines or whatever the localities might charge.  I plan on doing this away from home because I don't want them to find the bodies.  I plan on calling 911 a head of time to let them know there will be a body there.  What are the repercussions for them?

Answer:
 However bad the legal repercussions will likely have hardly any comparison to the emotional repercussions for them.

It is a sensitive issue and I think if you are not aware that it would be inappropriate for anyone to respond to the question straightforwardly, it signals that you are not thinking straight, however rational you feel you are being.

Sorry for this irritating answer. A more satisfying answer for the question as you put it would be irresponsible at best.


Title: (Texas) Ex-wife threatening me over lack of potential to get stimulus check

Question:
This hasn't escalated in any way yet.

Background info: Our combined income in 2018 was $245,000 approximately. This was all me working. She did not work. We filed jointly for obvious reasons.

In our divorce settlement I owe her $15,000 by the end of this year (2020). That's all it says.

She messaged me today after the stimulus bill passed through and having read portions of it, she realized that we filed jointly in 2018, and that due to my income, we don't receive a stimulus check. She is claiming that I cost her $1500 now and telling me I owe $16,500 due to lost income and threatening to take me to court over it.

Does she have a case? Is this going to be based off of our combined income even though we divorced mid-2019?

Answer: She won’t have a case. It would be no different than if you won the lottery after your divorce. She wouldn’t be right to any part of it.


Title: Mental breakdown on LSD. Got sent to hospital. Feds talked to friend.

Question:
Hi, I'm in California and me and my friend took lsd while camping. Sometime in the middle of the night, I felt like I was dying so my friend called for the ambulance. Feds came and talked to him and he says they said they would charge me of possession.
What do I do? I just got out of the hospital and haven't been contacted by any authority.

Answer: If you are contacted by police, refuse to speak to them without a lawyer present.


Title: My plumber mistakenly removed my gas line!

Question:
I recently had a licensed/bonded plumber install a new water heater in my residence (I own in Missouri). In the process, the plumber noted that the line coming out of the wall, feeding my appliance was aluminum. He insisted on cutting the line at the source and running new black iron lines. It was a code issue and safety matter, he claimed, so I allowed it (and paid for it).

...now, I come to find that the aluminum line he cut and pushed into the wall also continued-on to feed my stove. Because of the type of house that I have (A Lustron house; all-metal 1950's house of the future) getting into the walls is going to be expensive and time consuming.... Am I SOL, or is the plumbing company liable to help fix the matter? What are next steps I should take?

Answer: They would likely be liable. Have you spoken with them?


Title: Phone got stuck in airport van shuttle paneling. Phone rep told me they wouldn't take the 10 minutes to retrieve the phone. Are they liable to replace or retrieve it? (GA)

Question: So I was taking the airport shuttle van back from Atlanta last Sunday. I had my phone resting on my thigh and as I shuffled to make room for another passenger my phone was knocked into a small hole in the side paneling of the van. Too small to reach down into, the driver told me they could get the mechanic to remove the paneling and retrieve it. But I called today and they said they wouldn't do it. This is crazy. It would take like 10-20 min to remove the plastic paneling. I've done it myself when changing speakers in my car. They also said 2-3 other phones had previously been stuck in similar situations and they left them there. Why didn't they cover the holes?Are they liable to replace or recover my $350 phone? or am I SOL?

Answer:
 No, they are not liable to you at all.

Put it in a different situation, say you are walking around, and accidentally tripped on a rock and your phone went down a storm drain.  The town, the department of water and the state department of transportation owes you nothing, just like in this situation here, because they don't have a duty to keep you from reasonable situations like accidental drops of property down holes.

Ask them nicely, maybe pay the company a visit and talk to the supervisor face to face. This is your best option. Your fastest option is to forget about the phone and buy a new one.Answer #2: Have you offered to compensate them for their time to retrieve the phone?  $80-$100 is a reasonable rate per hour for a mechanic's time.  Keep in mind that any time the shuttle is undergoing the work to retrieve your phone, it's not on the road and earning revenue for the shuttle company.

Also, are you asking them to ship you the phone?  If so, have you offered to pay the shipping costs or send them a .pdf of a FedEx or UPS label?


Title: Hoa created a rule and changed my storage unit when I purchased property.

Question:
This is in CA, when I was buying my property, nobody showed me storage unit, previous owner had died and trust told me HOA will give storage unit key.

I found out later, HOA created a new rule when I was in escrow essentially stating that senior member can switch to storage unit of choice during change of ownership. I was given the smaller unit. They added this to Ccr with the month when I was in escrow.

Now when another unit is being sold, I invoked the same law and asked to be given their unit. HoA comes back with seniority is next oldest senior member and since they dont want to switch line never moves.

Unit is being sold with contingency on specific storage unit. Meanwhile management company is telling me hoa can assign storage units, then how can a seller sell based on certain unit.

What's my recourse here? Isn't this a clear conflict of interest, rule being passed to help HOA board members? Should I engage an attorney?

Answer:
 Talk to your realtor. Yes it's a conflict of interest for the HOA. No it probably isn't directly actionable. But if you have a material breach of contract you may be able to unwind your deal, which will give the trust/seller a vested interest in helping you correct this.Answer #2: Is your specific unit DEEDED to you? Look at the legal description on your deed - does it say (something like) exclusive use of Unit # and Storage unit #? Or does it say you have exclusive use of unit # and a shared interest in all common elements?

If the storage unit is deeded to you, then you own it and they can't change it up like that. If it's assigned then they can assign them, but as you note, they need to do that fairly in accordance with their rules.

You can get an attorney but I might try attending the next board meeting and presenting the matter for discussion. If the whole board thinks this is OK then it might be lawyer time. Answer #3: My storage unit has separate paperwork with a specific plat. My property tax bill come with two separate line items. One for the condo and one for the storage. Check the county database on property taxes. Mine is online.


Title: My son broke his leg going down a slide on a playground inside of a restaurant... who is liable for medical bills?

Question:
Hi, location Texas for the bot. This is more of a 'who should have been responsible question' as the situation is already resolved. Onto the question:

I was with my toddler son recently eating at a restaurant that also had a playground for children. Well, my son was sliding down the slide and his shoe caught, his leg rolled underneath his body, and long story short, he has a fractured tibia and needed X-rays, and ER visit, and ultimately a cast. In this case, who would have been legally liable for the medical bills? I don't think the restaurant was liable since it wasn't due to negligence but someone said since they have the slide, they are liable regardless.

For those curious about how it was actually resolved, this actually happened overseas. The restaurant owner gave me their insurance policy, I went to the local hospital who took two X-rays which insurance covered. Doctor said toddler didn't need cast. Went home. Son still couldn't walk, screaming any time he put weight. Went to better hospital a few towns over. The restaurant insurance wasn't accepted there unfortunately. They examined son, determined there was a fractured bone, put him in a leg cast. I got lucky a family member was good friends with the chief of orthopedics, and that said doctor happened to be there that night, so I only paid $150 for ER fee + materials for cast (no new X-Ray was taken). He didn't charge us for his services. Restaurant owner reimbursed us the $150 medical bill. Incredibly lucky situation all around, aside from the broken bone thing. Incidentally first hospital called us a day later and said he needed to come back in for a cast. That was a fun chewing out from my father in law when he got that call from the hospital.

Edit: I am asking who would have been liable for medical bills if this had happened back home in Texas.

Answer:
 Probably the parents. In the US, they generally say you play at your own risk. If the slide was maintained properly, then it would be the parents' responsibility. Answer #2: What bills?

Contact the restaurant insurance. But, just because your son broke his leg there does not automatically make them responsible. Why did his leg get caught under him? Was there some defect in the slide, or just a clumsy toddler?

Edit: also, the country where it occurs will matter for the answerAnswer #3: My son had the same thing happen at a playground when he was 12 months old and because it was clearly an accident, no one was liable and my medical insurance covered it. (Ohio).
In the years since, I've learned that these spiral fractures are extremely common and accepted as a risk of being on playground equipment in general. No negligence.
It's been over 3 years and he's had no adverse effects if that helps ease your mind.


Title: Husband finds hidden camera in bathroom at party

Question:
My husband and a group of his friends got invited back to some guys house after a dinner, friend of a friend kinda deal,

He was taking a crap and  found a hidden go pro, on and recording in the bathroom looking right at him,

He told his friends and they got the camera and threw it in a cupboard,

They went to the confront the owner of the house who at this point was in his room and found him passed out from being so drunk with his dick out and his laptop open to some streaming app

Is there any recourse to this and how can we protect ourselves from this dude?

Florida, Broward county

Answer:
 >Is there any recourse to this and how can we protect ourselves from this dude?

Your husband can call the police and stop going to the guy's house.Answer #2: You call the police and file a report.Answer #3: In the US even in a private residence it is still illegal to secretly (without permission) record someone in a room with a reasonable expectation of privacy such as a bathroom. File a police report, stop going there.


Title: What can be persued civily after an armed car jacking? Possibly one minor involved (NC). Was not shot.

Question: Was robbed at gun point at a gas station yesterday.  Investigation is ongoing but the car was recovered later that day totaled and empty of my contents.  3 arrests at this time, one of which was a minor.     Criminal proceedings aside what, if anything, can be persued civily.  Threatening my life at gun point and trying to reassemble my life has been rather stressful thus far.

Answer: You could probably sue them for assault/larceny (common law) and recover the damages for whatever they stole from you. But honestly, it's just easier to get restitution from a criminal trial than trying to go after them in civil court.


Title: What judge said out loud is different from written order. NY

Question:
My previous landlord claimed I owed him $4100.  I agreed that I owed him $124.80 but nothing more.  He refused payment for the $124 (he didn't require a deposit so there was nothing to take it out of) and said he'd sue me for his "full damages" and we went to court.

The judge clearly stated that he agrees I owe him $124.80 of the amount.  He stated it was for the cost of a repair guy to fix a wall and the $124.80 was the exact amount on the receipt.

However, the written court order actually says $1248.

I went to the courthouse and tried to ask the clerk of court about getting it corrected but she said that the judge's official orders are $1248 so that is the amount I owe.

What can I do about getting this corrected?

Answer: File motion to correct the entry. You may have to appeal the decision, and probably only have very little time to do so.


Title: I want a living-expenses advance on a will, but the fiduciary won't return my calls.

Question:
thanks for any help you can give me!! (I left Thanks out of the title for brevity :) )

I’ll try to keep this as brief as possible, but I’m not sure what is relevant.  So tell me if you need more information.  (And I’m adding some extra, the personal information, in parenthesis.)

Short story:  Dad died, unexpectedly.  I’m named in the will.  I was on hard times because of health issues and Dad knew that and was helping me.  (Before health issues I had been independent since 19; I’m in my 40s now).  After he died, I started to receive legal papers, copy of the will from the lawyers, copy of notice the will is being entered into probate from the court, et cetera.  I figured this would just take a while and I wasn’t counting on any money soon.  But then a friend told me I might be able to petition for an advance for living expenses.  (My situation is such that I would be best off if I can stay where I am, if I can get some of these funds right now.  My health is better, I started a new job etc.  Dad had helped me remain mostly independent.  (eg my ‘own place’ with his help).  Any other friends/family help would involve me moving in with other people, far enough away to lose new job, and with cost of move I’d just be back in the hole for a while after I’m finally so close to being out.))

I did some googling; everything I found said to start with the fiduciary.  Which I did but she hasn’t returned my calls.  I also called the lawyer that the copy of the will had come from.  The fiduciary is Dad’s wife who has always been a nice enough person and Never Reliable.  (extra info:  Since my health issues and my Dad helping me, she has backed off even more and more.  I heard from someone else that he died and she has not returned one phone call since my Dad died, even before I was asking about the will.  She did not call me back when I called to say I’d heard he died and to offer condolences/commiserate.  I eventually had to find out from someone else when and where the wake and funeral was.  She acted ‘normal’ there and has never since spoken to me again.)

I made a few calls to the lawyers the will was with, asked about an advance for living expenses, told them the fiduciary had not and was not likely to return my calls.  I keep talking to a receptionist and noone ever calls me back.  Is there some legal avenue to pursue, paperwork to file?  Et cetera.

I’m not in a position to hire a lawyer for this.  Any help here?  Thanks for any attention to my question!

edit: grammar duh.

edit 2:  location USA.

Edit 3, realized I have some more strictly legal questions (> 4 hours after original post)--
What legal responsibility does the fiduciary have to me, as a beneficiary?
Do the lawyers who the will was filed with have any legal responsibility to me?

and thanks to repliers thus far !

Answer: Your problem is a lot larger than simply needing an advance.  Your fathers wife is likely to do everything she can to take every penny for herself.  You need to hire an estate lawyer ASAP.


Title: I am having a baby soon and I don't want the father involved.

Question:
Hello, I am due in October in Arizona. The father moved out last month and he is ignoring all communication. I want to know what his rights are if he suddenly, on a whim decides that he does want to return for some reason?
If he were to come back at some point, does he have a right to the domicile or the child? The house is in my name (I bought it) and I do not plan on including him on the birth certificate.

I was reading that he can sue for paternal rights but how likely is it that they will be granted if he doesn't have a job or a stable living situation, and has tons of debt as well as a criminal record?

Morbid follow up question, is there some sort of legal documentation I can take care of where if I were to pass away during childbirth, I could grant adoption rights to my sister?

Answer:
 He will be able to take you to court for visitation, and to establish that he is the child's father if you don't put him on the birth certificate. He will likely get some form of visitation unless he is proven to be an unfit parent.

You can make your wishes for your child's guardian known in your will, but the father would likely be first in line for custody if you passed away unless his rights have been removed.Answer #2: He certainly can't force his way into your home if that's what you're asking.

Answer #3: He can have paternity established and still have the child retain your name. If you desire your child have your name, don’t let him change it. You will have to argue this, IF, he drops back in.

Start now. Keep a record of every single interaction. It will be important to show the courts a lack of interest from the get go. Everything. Plan for the worst but hope for the best. And do not get guilted into listing him on the BC! Hormones make you do stupid things.

Speaking from experience. Times two.Answer #4: He will likely be given some parental rights based on the fact that he's the father of the child. That may be as restricted as supervised visitation.

You do not have any right to interfere in his parental rights without a court order for custody that excludes him from interaction.


Title: Managers forcing me to go against doctor's orders after work injury [Quebec, Canada]

Question:
The owners where i work knowingly left a broken chair in the staff's room and i hurt my back falling. (it's still there..)
The incident was recorded and witnessed by 6 employees, 2 of which were managers.
They wanted me to wait 4 days before filling a claim ,but thankfully i did so right away and saw a doctor the next day.
I was on CNESST for 2 weeks but now I'm back on light duty and not supposed to lift anything over 10lbs.

When i refused to do the heavy tasks because of the doctor's orders, i had to meet my manager and the store manager.
They said there wouldn't be any accommodations and forced me to do those tasks anyway.

Lifting is definitely having a negative impact on my recovery in fact, i had to take pain killers to get through the day.

I'm out of my leagues here, what should i do next and look out for considering the owners are willing to take advantage of someone's lack of understanding to avoid responsibilities ?

It's pretty clear that the higher-ups want me fired for filling a report.
They even managed to paint me as the bad guy and got the whole place riled up.
My boss is even making comments such as "maybe i'll take a fall and go on vacation".

On the bright side, i'm part of a union so their powers are somewhat limited, but they like playing dirty so who knows.

Answer: You need to report them to your union and the agency that handles workplace accidents right away. They are refusing accommodation and you should be at home. Do not lift anything heavy.Answer #2: No job is worth your health follow your recovery plan and do not let them risk your body. I am still trying to rebuild my back 5 years after injury.


Title: I camt find my husband to divorce him or sign denial of paternity what kind of lawyer?

Question:
hi there, new york state is my location & nebraska colorado or kansas is my husbands.

I have been attempting to divorce my husband since 2013. we havent seen each other since 2011 & i have no clue where he is so I moved on with my life & got pregnant in 2017 giving birth in april this year & when my boyfriend went to sign the birth certificate they said no since my husband is the presumed father. I have filed in 2013, 2016 and 2017. and these all fell thru. 2013 i filed, didnt serve him in time because i was searching everywhere so i defaulted.
 2016 I filed once again and i didnt fufill residency since i moved,so they said try again in 2017. i was pregnant so they said to file in Family court to establish paternity, and refile for divorce. I did file sucessfully for divorce and put a notice in newspapers, so I am hoping to get a divorce soo , but need to establish paternity.

i went to family court and filed my boyfriend was ready and willing to take a paternity test but they needed my husband to send back a denial of paternity.

I have no clue what to do. legal aid cant help me and i am just so confused.

Answer:
 Apply for government assistance. The county will then go after your ex to pay for said assistance. Your ex will then deny paternity. You can then have your now boyfriend be declared the father.

Or hire a lawyer.

Or have your boyfriend file a custody case.


Title: [CA] Steamrolled by judge/lawyer, need advice :(

Question:
Let me preface this with:

This is a true account of what happened, I have no reason to lie to you, this is anonymous and I am not lying or venting. Lying about this would skew the advice I'm looking for.

Only child support/ no alimony involved. I showed up to court with no lawyer because 1. I though it was cut and dry re evaluation and 2. I cant afford it anymore, my ex had a lawyer who did all the quick talking.
***
#Short version:
 Went to court for re evaluation of child support case, judge didn't want to see most of my evidence(my income/her income/time spent with children.) rubber stamped the opposing party's prepared dissomaster ordering me to pay about $3100(after taxes including her share of insurance) a month leaving me with barely any pay. I only make about 5k(after taxes, 4.5k once insurance goes through) and my employment is spotty to say the least.  the judge opted not to take a 12 month average instead took an amount that from a job I just recently landed. even though I have been unemployed longer than I've been working this new project.
***
#Questions I have for /r/legaladvice

**Can this be appealed in some way?**

**Why wasn't a 12 month average taken for income like the last time we went to court? ca family code 4064**

**If so, do I even have a decent case for an appeal?**

serious question... **Is this the expectation from split families?** I'm not sure, the few friends I have that have done things like this pay about $500-$700 a month

regardless of anything I will be filing a complaint with the CA bar ethics committee for everything the opposing lawyer has done through both times we went to court. knowingly trying to use seasonal income to screw me with 3500 a month off a 27$/ hr job. I have documented evidence and testimony of my ex telling her(lawyer is a she) it was seasonal.

**will this comlaint fall on deaf ears?**

**is the same committee for the judge? is there one? do I even bother?**

or **am I just being bitter** that I now work for literally minimum wage and live at home with my parents (net income - 2900) /160 hours = $10 perhour...  I literally would be better off bartending/waiting tables as I've done before.

random other facts... 1600 income I'm left with, I still have to pay 550 for rent/utilities(yes my dad is strict on me paying rent if I live there, less strict on food which is a plus), I have a car payment and car insurance which obviously I could get rid of at $1200 least the car payment if I can get a junkyard deal. also I have a life insurance policy that combines term/whole life etc. which is about $1300  month(I have kids)

I could cancel some of these but even with the minimum I have rent/cheap car/insurance which I need to at least have all 3 of those to even have any visitation for my kids that would eat up about $1000-$1200 of my $1600

I poured hours into gathering and preparing evidence for this case and doing research. why is there so much burden on myself to have me screwed?

she showed up with nothing, just herself and what she had to say and I had to bring in everything and format it the way the court wants, income statements/contracts/gps reports/other various papers. then serve it to her lawyer and then submit it to the court.

also she(my ex) has informed me that her lawyer said this is the judges final orders and if either try to appeal it then I would be 100% responsible for her lawyer fees and if I lose my job and try to get it changed I would also be 100% responsible for her lawyer fees from here on out...? **is this true? is some of it true?** idk... she vaguely mentioned her lawyers retainer was about
$7000 per case

be brutally honest I just need direction for my next move.
***

#Long version:

**Background facts:**

-kids in question:
was with this girl for 4 years, we had 3 kids. I take them Wednesdays and every other weekend, according to our old agreement I had "20%" custody

-my income:
I don't have a college degree or any certifications of any kind other than high school graduate.

-I am a contractor for an oil company doing IT related things making ok money before taxes about 7k a month when I'm actually working.

-been working with the same contract company for 2 years now, hours fluctuate throughout the year, I was collecting unemployment for 5 months earlier in the year due to oil prices being low and hours being cut to 0, new project came up recently and I've found work from June 2016 until December 2016.

-looking for other work I travel and "consult"(more IT related work@20 per hour) for money. I've made about 1500$ total doing this since January 2016 for the same person. he just writes checks so I'm going to be 1099 myself for those. This was paid for all the minor work I did through the months but I didn't get my first check for until may 2016

**her income:**
my ex receives money and support from her father. he bought her a nice SUV and pays more than half of her rent, sometimes all of it. also pays various bills. and has paid all her lawyer fees(this being the 3rd time he's done it)

*more info:
Original order was $2100 a month and my ex never left 3rd grade and she has no sense of finances and managing her money so she vaguely complains "I just need more" (as an example...she probably spends $450 a month  alone on beer and cigarettes@ 2 packs a day and 1 6 pack every single night without fail)

I felt bad for her and she convinced me we shouldn't go back to court after I lost my hours at my job and was making a grand total of 1800 a month from unemployment, I really don't spend much money so I've been saving as much as I can basically all my life, so I had some money in the bank and I just let it dwindle while I was off work trying to mitigate the losses with unemployment. so my support payments exceeded my total income for about 6 months. as soon as I started working again, she immediately filed for a re evaluation of child support.

also I live with my parents as of Jan 2016 to save money, I sold our family house(my ex and I). I couldn't afford to live there after 1, paying 2100 a month out of my net and 2, getting word of my new job ending and oil dropping to <20$ per barrel.

**side notes about this town:**
 I cannot find a lawyer in town who isn't buddy buddy with the judges and EVERY other family lawyer in town. My original case my lawyer and her lawyer were more worried about when their kids were playing tennis together next and bumping elbows instead of using the time we paid for to discuss our case.  it never went to court, they settled everything behind closed doors with both lawyers coming back to us and saying we each got the best deal we could get(my ex and I talked about it after). there were many concerns that needed to be addressed that I wont even get into here, custody is a separate subject. I ended up paying 6k cash to this guy to basically do what I could have done alone by showing up. I am clean as a whistle and a hard worker so giving me anything less than what I received(which was minimal)would require arrests/failed drug tests.

back to current case:

**her income:**

-I tried to get some income imputed on my ex(about $1000 a month) due to the financial support from her father who's name is on the lease of the house she lives in and her refusal to work. he has also been paying for the "gift" of the car she has. On her Income and expense declaration she stated what everything costs and I used that when I was questioning her and she openly admitted to where all the extra money was coming from and who's name was on what etc. she's not a liar.
***
**I tried to reference CA Family Code 4057.5.** *(a) (1) The income of the obligor parent's subsequent
spouse or nonmarital partner shall not be considered when determining
or modifying child support, except in an extraordinary case where
excluding that income would lead to extreme and severe hardship to
any child subject to the child support award, in which case the court
shall also consider whether including that income would lead to
extreme and severe hardship to any child supported by the obligor or
by the obligor's subsequent spouse or nonmarital partner.*
***
-she admitted it would be a hardship to not have that constant income coming in or having her father on the lease as a resident.

-also she has another child support case with her older daughter that is not mine,  in which she does have income imputed on her for a similar reason.

-Judges ruling: "I'm not doing that"

dissomaster score: her income = 0

**This is the least important part of calculation so skip this if you want**

**time with children:**
* this one is a bit complicated.  kids are 5 yr. old twins and 3 yr. old. 5 yr. olds go to kindergarten and they only have half days so they don't go until 12pm. she prefers to sleep in and has the kids on the similar schedule. I usually have to start around 530 am. my custody order says i have the kids from Wednesday night to Thursday morning @ 7am. I offered some options for dropping the kids off because I had to be at work, my mom dropping them off or my sister etc., when they wake up or at 7 w/e(even though the receiving parent is responsible for transporting so she should be picking them up as per the court order we had, but she's always made me do 100% of the driving to and from every single time) she opted to take them when its bedtime so basically i drop them off while they are asleep and she puts them in bed.  when this first started i would stay with her most of the time to help monitor the kids and such because the drinking was always ridiculously heavy on days she didn't have the kids. she was able to keep herself in check a bit more on days she did have them.  so ill leave for work at my normal time, I also have GPS records to show what time I do everything and when I come and go. not to mention her testimony was enough, I just brought the gps incase she lied. The judge gave my no credit for my time when we would have the kids together, at the very least I expected it to be split he commended me for trying to get along with my family but basically said it didn't count any time we were together with the kids its "her time"

*so her lawyer argued I dropped the kids off earlier on weds instead of Thursday and wasn't exercising my time with the children so my 20%  per the support order which is calculated off time spent with each parent should be cut down on paper, therefore more money to ex.

*after arguments judge cut my time on paper from 20% to 15% without changing the order at all on visitation, so now in fear of being railed in the future I hold to the original order and my time so I show up to work late to drop off my kids in the morning on Thursdays.

**end skip**

**my income:**

-I work for a contract company. I am not an employee of the company I show up to everyday. When work is low they can cut us easier that way.

-My whole professional life my income has fluctuated and our original court order I was making $27 an hour and due to the amount of over time I was working I was ordered to pay off my 12 month average instead of my hourly calculation. the pay stubs that were stolen to give to my ex's lawyer had some 90+ hour work weeks. she tried to use those and set up a dissomaster that stated I was responsible for $3500 a month. when my sole income came from a 27$ an hour job. then they settled it at my 12 month average which came out to paying $2100 a month.

-this time around I now work for $48/hour but I've only had the job 2 months since my 6 months of no work and I brought my employment agreement stating it was only a 6 month contract. so i have employment for 6 months out of the year and the judge took my hourly *40(hours worked in a week*52(weeks in a year)/12(months in a year) to make my income level and base support off that.
***
**then I referenced CA Family Code 4064.**  *The court may adjust the child support order as appropriate
to accommodate seasonal or fluctuating income of either parent.*
***
-and mentioned the court used a 12 month average last time I was here because of fluctuating income.

-Also he said this "when you are out of work in December, you can re file, also it was your bad decision to not come originally when you were out of work in jan 2015"

-then the other income I was making($1500 over the course of 6 months for sporadic work) was counted as income I made in the last 3 months, as per request by the opposing parties lawyer. I stated that income was made over the course of 6 months, not 3 and that because it was a second job and it was out of town I had a right to claim the federal mileage deduction, he said "that amount wasn't the amount that came out of my pocket" therefore I had no claim to put that on my side of the work expenses dissomaster even though I can claim it as a work deduction on my taxes.  he said they aren't the same.

-I had to submit my evidence to both the court and the opposing party 2 weeks prior to court case.  the amount I pay for my children's insurance wasn't on my pay stub because the paperwork hasn't gone through yet to have them covered again now that I'm back to work but I did have a vague email from my employer stating that the total for insurance would be over 1000 a month but my employer would pay 500. leaving me with 500+ per month off my checks for insurance.  I informed the judge of all this and that would be coming at the end up September and he said I didn't bring it with me now so he's not putting it on the dissomaster aka I get no credit for that bill I pay. too bad that document wont be available to anyone for a few weeks.

**end of order I'm responsible for about $2900 a month and the full $500+ for insurance(which I would only be responsible for half of it if he counted it)**

side notes:

-after taxes my checks look like about $2500 every 2 weeks so far. this amount needs to be paid with cash out of my net. this $2500 will become $2250 after insurance goes through this month.

**Interesting side note: i have an odd connection to the judge**
I used to carpool with the Judge's daughters years and years ago to our private grade school. My mom is friends with his wife( they set up the trading of rides in carpool), and knows him decently well. I actually dated one of his daughters about 9 years ago(one date, nothing too serious) and am still friends with her.... not close friends but I guess acquaintances and facebook. We have been going to the same church for my whole life, I recognize him from him being the lector at one point.  I highly doubt he knows me or would recognize me at this point so I'm not sure if that matters.

LMK if theres any other info that would be needed.

**edit:** just to clarify my previous order and 90 hour work weeks was for an agriculture company(pre drought) and that will no longer be happening with any company it was a very special circumstance. Where I am now, There is 0 overtime approved. It will never exceed 40 hours.

**edit2:** formatting/ moved questions to top near short version

Answer:
 Holy shit nobody is going to ready our novel of a post.

Condense it down to a paragraph max with only the pertinent facts of the situation.Answer #2: I get the drift. You can't prevail in a suit against the opposing attorney. His duty is to his client and the Court, not you. You can't prevail in a suit against the Judge. You can bitch all you like to the State Bar, you will likely be told: next time, hire your own lawyer.


Title: Runescape

Question:
Hi! I play a game called Runescape that involves training skills and leveling up..

Magic is one of the skills that you can train..

When I signed up to play the game I agreed that the use of magic didn't bother me because of religious beliefs..

However, Jagex (the company that makes the game) wants to add a new skill called Warding to the game.

 Jagex describes Warding as making magical armor and enchanted jewelry that your character can wear.. however, the process of leveling up requires me to draw strange sigils on the ground and siphon demonic-like energies from them using things called channelling lamps.

If you've ever seen videos on how to conjure demons, it is the same methodology..

I have been playing the game for about 12 years and have paid them over $2,000 to play the game.. Runescape is my favorite place to socialise online and I couldn't think of a better place to grow friendships now that I've graduated from school..

Would it be against the law for them to add Warding to the game if it it forced me to quit because of my religious beliefs?

Answer:
 ... this is a troll post right?

You don't have a case. Adding stuff to their game is legal even if it hurts your feelings. Even if it offends your religious sensibilities. (I don't believe in demons so every game that has them is illegal now! Not.)

You get nothing. You lose. Good day, sir!Answer #2: They aren't making you play, nor are they disallowing you. I don't see why you think you have a good point or case here. You don't have a Constitutional right to Runescape, my guy. Answer #3: It sounds like you are not mature enough to handle the "game" you are so involved in. Answer #4: The First Amendment, and the Constitution more generally, does not provide a private cause of action against non-government actors.


Title: help me!! probation is out of controll!

Question: ok so i took a silly deal of 2 years probation in pa for a silly prank of retail theft. i was drunk and thought it was funny. so all is fine i passed every urine and did my outpacient fines are paid everything good. so i get assigned a new probo in the last 7 mo and she is on me like im a murderer! she is at my home at least once a mo she is ordering urines again and she is yelling at me all the time.... so i had enough and stopped answering the door at my home and told her im done with paying all my money to this garbage. today she showed up at my home with 2 local police officers. i did not answer. why would she do this? am i goin to jail? im a grown ass maried man this is crazy to me.

Answer:
 Fun fact-

If you are dissatisfied with the conditions of your probation you can just continue to ignore them.  Probation is voluntary.

You can opt to just serve the jail time instead if you would prefer it.Answer #2: >silly prank of retail theft

Always hilarious. Retailers cannot stop laughing at theft in their stores.

You are on probation, not summer camp. Stick it out until you are done or be arrested, be assigned longer probation, spend time in jail or whatever else she and the judge decide. Answer #3: > why would she do this?

Cause she thinks its funny.

Honestly, I see the joke, but think the biggest laugh will be when they get a warrant kick in your door take you back to jail, revoke your parole and charge you for resisting or something else. **NOW THATS FUNNY!!!**

Humor is an art, and no one does it better than the justice system. Imagine the tears of your wife! LAUGH RIOT!!!

Get an attorney, call your PO and get this resolved with the quickness otherwise you may be the only one not laughing.


Title: I broke someone's Mac. Did we handle it right?

Question:
This happened in Illinois.

I was on the train the other day and knocked this guys macbook off of his lap with my bag. I felt my bag connect with the screen and send the unit off his lap. He freaked out and started yelling about suing and having me arrested. The train attendant called or flagged down a cop who arrived about the time I got him calmed down. I offerred to pay for the repairs, and we walked (minus the cop) over to the Apple store. The estimate for repairs was about 600 dollars. The guy followed me to the atm and after calling the bank I was able to withdraw the cash. I then gave the money to the guy at the Apple store, who then paid Apple for the repairs.

Even though the situation is resolved I haven't been able to sleep. Could I really be arrested for accidentally breaking his computer, or was he just yelling?

Answer:
 First of all, relax. You didn't do anything criminal, and the police aren't coming for you. The guy was just a complete prick, and screw him.

It was very nice of you to pay him. I'm not sure I would have done so, because if this is Chicago, those trains are packed as hell sometimes, and people have a duty to do SOMETHING to protect their own property. I'm not sure it was fair for you to pay for all of it. Half seems more reasonable to me. That said, you were in a volatile situation, and I understand why you did it. That was very nice of you.